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bonefall · 1 year ago

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can we have some random trivia for HeatherHareBreeze? Im weirdly attached to that ship now tbh

Behold. The thems. A summary of the Hare/Heather/Breeze polycule.

Something overlooked about canon is that Breezepaw begged Crowfeather to let him say goodbye "to his friends" and was shot down

So I have interpreted this to mean that Breeze is actually a total ride or die little fella for his buddies

That was the reason why so many WindClan cats were in the Dark Forest. He was the RINGLEADER

By the way-- I am writing Breezepelt with BPD in mind. Him, Cinderheart, and Squirrelflight. He often sorts people into broad, unhealthy categories-- BAD or GOOD

But anyway I could talk about BB!Breezy-P all day

Bottom line is, these three were TIGHT. They're the three warrior apprentices of Lake WindClan in Po3 and were always getting in trouble together

Heatherpaw got them into digging holes. Normal stupid teenager shit "let's make the deepest hole ever"

Harepaw got buried OOPS. Get tunnel'd idiot

Brushblaze was nearby enough to hear someone scream and helped pull Hare out

After three sets of teary eyes BEGGED him to not tell Onestar, he made them promise to come get him when they were digging deep enough that they couldn't dig back up.

He's an ex-solver from BloodClan and can help them make sure they don't make an unstable hole

Bottom line is, the three of them go back a very long time, but I don't imagine it was even romantic back then. It was Heather And The Boys.

The Dark Forest drove a wedge between Heather and the boys, as she quickly realized that they may not have started with bad intentions, but cats like Mudclaw, Tigerstar, and Hawkfrost were BAD news and they were going to drag them all down too.

It wasn't worth it. Training with a REAL tunneler was the bait to lure her in like Tunnelbun crumbs for a hunted bird.

The wedge between Heather and the Boys became a wedge between the Boys when they all got their Dishonor Titles. Harespring --Darkseeker-- was working to atone. This meant disavowing his training, focusing on how he could help people, and seeking the things he could learn in his own Clan.

Breezepelt --Dodderheart--, took that badly. How dare Darkseeker start pretending like there was something to disavow! Onestar sucks! Crowfeather sucks! StarClan sucks! He'll do whatever it takes to get power and change things around here, get the respect he wants, but Breezepelt didn't learn his lesson at all

Darkseeker lost his Dishonor Title first, back to Harespring. Rottenheart decided he wasn't his friend anymore, just like Heathertail.

Dodderheart: "Everyone hates me except Furzepelt and Sunstrike! I'll bet they're all sitting around plotting against me right now!!"

Harespring: "aw this tunnelbun has a grumpy face like breezepelt lol"

Heather: "lol"

And so, as soon as he learned The Kin was looking for any cats who felt like the Clans had wronged them, misfits and rejects, he brought himself and his two supporters there. BIG mistake.

Mistake he spends the rest of his life regretting

Heather rightfully calls him on this when she ends up joining the Kin to learn more about her brother Darktail. "This is all garbage you put in your head! Crowfeather is a dick, and so is my dad, but you shoved me, and Hare, and even your stupid half siblings or whatever into some ridiculous narrative about how evil and hated you are! We LOVE you, can't you see that?!"

"YOU'RE the one who's blind! I killed Firestar, I tried to kill them, and only now with Darktail am I finally-"

"Being used AGAIN. He's using you. Just like Tigerstar when he wanted to get rid of Firestar."

"...thats not true you're l-lying"

"You're always being used, Breezepelt."

"No I'm not! Darktail's my friend and my leader! He sees the value in me, he says I'm going to do a lot for him, and without me the Kin wouldn't..."

Heather stares, unimpressed, before shrugging, "I'll still be here when you realize it. Will he?"

In the big breakout, Harespring is there to secure a tunnel for them all to escape with

I think it makes a good idea that it was a backup plan Heather had all along, and Hare was entrusted with making sure it was done by this day. Just in case Darktail turned out to be the lunatic they expected him to be

Brushblaze is going to go out here, too, collapsing the tunnel so they can't be followed. It's a really good end for him.

When Breezepelt comes back to WindClan, it is on their grace. Hare and Heather are both vouching on their honor that they will he responsible for his actions.

I imagine Harespring looked Onestar in the eyes when he did this. FULLY expecting to have to defend himself for working on a secret tunnel, losing Brushblaze, possibly losing his deputyship for LITERALLY undermining

But... Heathertail was saved. Breezepelt looks bedraggled and humbled, unlike what happened just about a year ago. Brushblaze made the ultimate sacrifice. Now is not the time to discuss this.

AVOS is just about to hit its climax; where Onestar steals Breezepelt's plan to drown killing Darktail.

But anyway, enough of the plot of Better Bones AVOS. Fluffy trivia time

Harestar eats his tunnelbuns like a beast. He bites clean through them, Heather and Breeze are always screaming about this

Harespring's personality is very mild, level headed, and thoughtful. He moves slowly when he's not in a hurry.

He can be pushed around under stress though. He doesn't like being under pressure for that reason, and tries to minimize situations where he's put on the spot.

In Clanmew his name is "Hare Will-Jump Up", it's a hare that thinks before it leaps.

Breezepelt appreciates how Harespring will reword things for him, when they work on communication together.

If Hare worded something in a way that set Breeze off, Breeze can just ask what he meant and Hare will say it a different way

When Harespring becomes Harestar, I like to think there are cats in the Clan who feel like Breeze is only here because of his wife and husband. And maybe he is, what're you gonna do about it? Cry?

Heather has an honest, curious personality. She likes to be respected for her intelligence and insight, being a smart person is something she values about herself.

She is not easily tricked and can be cutting if she smells bullshit. She will be rude if she thinks you're lying to her.

"Did you eat, Breep?" "Ye-" "no you fucking didn't go get food"

I don't see her as "nurturing" like others think, she's a militant carer and outgoing about what she believes to be the right thing

She's definitely the head of one of the patrols, probably Construction.

When kits come through in TBC, Breeze is the primary parent. Villain to mom pipeline

He doesn't hold a high rank in WindClan because he spent the majority of his life Being Breezepelt, and is accepting that he probably never will

And that's okay because he's currently the loyal Kitchen Head of MeadowClan and the kits have just gotten back from the harrowing death of Honeysucklestar but it's lunchtime

"Honeysucklestar too, being a corpse doesn't make you stop being hungry. Come on, up up up" Woodkit jumps up from her deathbed

Turns out he's better at caring for others than he is at caring for himself

He doesn't feel like he deserves this. Like love and happiness isn't something he should have, after everything he did and the people who are not here because of him

Yet, he persists. He's still here and, somehow, people think he's worth saving.

And maybe that's what matters. Making life better from this point forward, for everyone. In the ways he can.

#better bones au #Hareheatherbreeze #Bb!avos

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overgrowth-wc · 2 years ago

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Snowdrift is new to all of this, ok? It’s not every night you get your full name, and it’s not every night you get a dire warning from your ancestors- with a shady deputy to worry about and everybody starting to look at him like he’s crazy, he’s got a lot going on.

Teasel just wanted to escape some rogues and thought that Windclan territory was the best bet to get out alive. Now she’s stuck with a sullen mentor, three crazy new friends, and a ghost that only seems to know a single word.

Piketail doesn’t fit in very well, but he’s got his mother and his apprentice (and maybe his apprentice’s friends? Maybe?) so he’s fine, thank you very much. Besides, it’s not like he wants more friends- they’re more trouble than they’re worth half the time, anyway. Really.

Briarmask may not be coping with her sister’s death in a “super healthy way”, but by Starclan she is coping. There are mouths to feed and borders to patrol and kits to protect and maybe even conspiracies to deal with- who has time for things like “sleep” and “meals” and “fun” anyway?

It’s four cats against a hidden enemy, which is hard enough on its own, never mind their own lives falling apart.

Prologue: Oaths

THUNDERCLAN: Round one, start

Softgaze creaked her way down the tunnels that lead to the Moonstone, moving as fast as she could for the sake of the eager apprentice trailing behind her. It had been seven moons since she had taken him under her wing, and she was confident that, should anything happen to her, Thunderclan would be safe in his paws- it was time for him to receive his full name. Her ears twitched as she heard little Splashpaw, the Riverclan apprentice, accidentally stumble into Snowpaw behind her; the tubby tom’s hushed apology echoed in the silence around them. Snowpaw chuckled, and she felt a glow of pride when he offered to help guide the other apprentice through the tunnels- this was only Splashpaw’s second time at the Moonstone, so he needed all the help he could get. Shaking off her musings, Softgaze lead the way into the chamber just as a moonbeam slipped through the hole in the ceiling, lighting up the Moonstone in a brilliant glow. Used to the sight, she made her way over to it, settling down in front of it before turning to her apprentice.

He was still standing near the entrance as the others filtered in around him, seemingly entranced with the sight of the light illuminating the cave. He gave a start when he noticed her looking at him, and a fond smile flitted across her face as he scrambled over to meet her, his white fur ruffled with excitement and odd eyes gleaming in the light of the stone. Clearing her throat, she lifted her chin and began to speak.

“I say these words before our glorious ancestors, and you, my esteemed comrades. I ask you to accept this apprentice into the full order of the healer. He has trained hard for the past seven moons to learn the full responsibilities of a medicine cat, and I find him fully capable of his duties. Snowpaw,” she continued, locking eyes with him, “do you swear to treat every cat, regardless of age or clan affiliation, to the best of your abilities?”

“I do.”

“Do you swear to reject the ways of the wicked, to uphold the teachings of Starclan, and to guide your clanmates in the way of the stars?”

“I do.”

“Finally,” she mewed, her tone deadly serious, “do you swear to protect the sick, the weak, and the vulnerable, even at the cost of your own life?”

He swallowed hard before straightening, his voice firm as he replied, “This I do swear, on my own life and by the stars.” Softgaze nodded, a proud gleam in her eyes as she turned to the others gathered around them.

“You have heard his oaths and you have heard my recommendation. Do you accept this apprentice into our ranks?” They answered with loud yowls of approval, the chamber ringing with the noise. Snowpaw trembled with joy as Softgaze faced him once again. “Then, with the approval of our fellows and our ancestors, I name you Snowdrift, and welcome you as a full medicine cat of Thunderclan.” He had to press himself to the floor so Softgaze could reach his head to lick it, but that didn’t matter. The sound of the others cheering his name swelled around the chamber as he licked her shoulder, Splashpaw nearly shouting himself hoarse. Softgaze chuckled at his enthusiasm, returning Snowdrift’s affectionate nuzzle with one of her own. She gave him an affectionate flick with her tail, purring as the cheers began to die down. “Now,” she announced, “let us commune with our ancestors.” She eased herself into a low crouch, touching her nose to the cool stone and saying a quiet prayer as sleep began to settle over her. Esteemed ancestors, take it easy on the kit-

don’t do to him what you did to me.

WINDCLAN: Breakable

Shalestar gulped, trying to hide her nervousness as she looked down at the clan, her clan, for the first time. She was exhausted after the events of the past few days. It seemed that everything that could have possibly gone wrong had. Falconstar and Poppypaw had been murdered-

Nothing had ever felt heavier than Falconstar’s weight on her back. It was a struggle to carry his body down the slope into camp, but the shrieks that pierced the air as she shouldered her way through the gorse barrier were what almost made her legs buckle beneath her. Gorsestorm and Heathernose were wailing, the others that slipped out of the dens to see what was happening crying out in shock when they saw her. Somehow, the cacophony of sound grew even louder when Palesky entered behind her, poor little Poppypaw dangling from his jaws. Dipperpaw was frozen, plastered to the ground, but the look on Kestrelcall’s face as he saw his daughter’s body-

And then neither had been present at her nine lives ceremony. The only help she had received, desperate as she was, was a vision of a kit that was more pale fluff than anything else- and no such kit existed in her clan. Shalestar shook herself, clearing her throat a little awkwardly as she looked down at a sea of pained and tired faces.

“My friends-” her voice broke, and she cleared her throat again, harder this time. “My friends,” she continued, voice hoarse and low, “my family, my brothers and sisters of the stars. I stand with you in the face of this ultimate tragedy. Falconstar…” she trailed off. She locked eyes with Stagstep, then Silverpaw and Cinderpaw, who sat beside him. Drawing strength from their supportive gazes, she continued once more. “Falconstar was a great leader, and we all loved him as such, but more importantly we loved him as a father, a brother, a friend, and a fellow warrior. He had many great seasons before him, as did Poppypaw. The loss of her kindness and unshakeable dedication to this clan is in itself a great tragedy.” Shalestar bowed her head, voice quiet but growing louder with every word, “I swear to each and every one of you, on my own nine lives, and the very stars themselves, that their murderer will be found, and that justice will be done unto them.” She didn’t realize just exactly how loud she had gotten until she finished speaking, her flanks heaving as she looked out over her clanmates, searching for a reaction.

There was a beat of silence before Silverpaw hoisted herself onto her hind legs, yowling “Shalestar!” as she did. The rest of the clan erupted into cries of their own until they were practically screaming her name to the clear blue sky, eyes burning with grief and defiance. When the cries died down, she continued.

“As is my responsibility, I now name my successor: Palesky will be the new deputy of Windclan.” The news was expected, but the clan still greeted their new deputy with enthusiastic yowls- all, she noticed, except two. Gorsestorm was openly glowering at Palesky as he approached the Tall Rock, and Heathernose was making a very lame attempt at cheering. This matter is not one that will be settled soon, she thought darkly, leaping down to greet her deputy. Ceremony concluded, the clan began to disperse, some going out to hunt or patrol while others retreated to their dens. Stagstep approached with their kits, Palesky bidding her a quick farewell before padding off to the nursery. Encompassed by Stagstep’s soothing presence, Silverpaw’s cheerful chatter, and Cinderpaw’s quiet affection, Shalestar felt herself relax for the first time since she found Falconstar’s body. She tensed once again, however, as she caught Gorsestorm’s gaze over Cinderpaw’s shoulder. Her younger cousin gave her a look of poorly concealed contempt before slipping out of the gorse tunnel, Heathernose and Kiteclaw quickly following after him. As difficult as things had been over the past few days, Shalestar knew it would only get harder. Dear Starclan, she prayed,

Don’t let me mess this up.

RIVERCLAN: Lazy river

Grayfeather felt her joints creak as she rose out of her nest, slowly padding out of the warrior’s den and into the late Greenleaf sunshine. Already there was a cool touch to the air- Leaffall would soon be upon them. She took a deep breath, letting it sink in that that was the last time she would sleep in that nest, this the last day she would spend as a warrior. I never really thought I would make it this far, she thought in wonder, ambling towards the edge of camp where Coppertail was assigning patrols. I cannot believe this is my last day as a warrior.

“Grayfeather, would you go with Piketail and Littlepaw on a hunting patrol? I know you probably have a few tips that could benefit the both of them.” She purred in amusement as her son twitched his ear in embarrassment, his apprentice smiling shyly at her from where he was half hidden behind his mentor. She had been so proud of Piketail when he had been named a mentor for the first time. He had been so somber and withdrawn since that… incident, when he was an apprentice, and she could see how having Littlepaw around was doing a great deal of good for him. She was content to follow them out of camp and to the river, watching as her son patiently answered the slew of questions Littlepaw was asking.

“Has anyone ever told you how much you look like your mom?” Littlepaw asked brightly, before his face dropped and his tone became awkward. “I mean, your fur and eyes- I mean, eye? Are the same color, and…” He trailed off, almost cringing in embarrassment. Grayfeather was a little apprehensive, wondering how Piketail would react. She was a little surprised when he let out a snort of laughter.

“It’s alright Littlepaw, I get what you meant. We do have the same coloring, although I’m afraid that’s about it.” Littlepaw brightened at this generous pass and gave his mentor a grateful nudge before running ahead, having spied the river. She took the moment alone to give her son a comforting lick on his cheek. Piketail’s face was riddled with scars- his left eye was missing, as was his ear, and his right ear was horribly tattered. The scars continued down his neck and chest, and more were scattered down his flanks and across his back. It gave him an almost ragged appearance, although he was meticulous in grooming his thick gray fur. Grayfeather remembered how sensitive he had been, when it became apparent that his wounds were severe enough to disfigure him, how vehemently he had been against a name change, how much it had hurt him when cats stared, or kits hid from him. It made her happy to see how well he handled his apprentice’s fumble- she could easily remember a time when such a comment would have made him withdraw into himself for days.

“No need to worry, ma. I’m not as much of a shrinking violet these days.” He said with a small laugh. He seemed so comfortable, so sure of himself, that she couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face.

“I can see that!” She meowed, giving him an affectionate flick with her tail. “Now, I know you’re oh so grown up and mature now, but never forget that I’m here for you if you need anything.” He gave her an easy nod as they came to settle near Littlepaw on the riverbank.

“Don’t worry, you’ll always be the first cat I go to, I promise- even if you are a crochety old elder!”

Littlepaw burst into laughter as Grayfeather knocked her insolent son into the water for his cheek. Her grin grew impossibly wider as Piketail surfaced, sputtering and complaining. So much like his father, she thought, smile dimming a little. Dear Starclan, please,

help him bear it when the truth comes out.

SHADOWCLAN: Useless

Nettleclaw’s eyes gleamed in the artificial light as she slipped under the fence that surrounded the dump. Her sister crept a scant few paw steps ahead of her, slithering towards the shadows cast by a towering pile of trash. It was near moon high, meaning the dump should be empty of twolegs, but increasing their chances of running into other creatures. Rogues and rats were nothing to be trifled with, so she was careful to keep quiet as she followed Briarmask through the mounds of waste. They had just found a box of discarded chicken bones when the smell of twoleg came to them on the stale breeze.

“What is a twoleg doing here so late?!” Briarmask hissed as she recoiled deeper into the shadows, Nettleclaw scuttling after her. The twoleg moved into view, weaving through the trash piles with a small bag clutched in its hairless paw. It dumped the bag just out of their line of sight before quickly turning and leaving the way it came. Just dumping some trash then, Nettleclaw thought, relieved that they hadn’t been seen. “Come on,” Briarmask said, heading for the chicken box again, “let’s see if there’s anything we can bring back so we can get out of here.” She moved to follow but stopped as she heard a faint noise. It was coming from the direction of the bag the twoleg dumped, and it almost sounded like… a cry?

“Briar,” she hissed, “do you hear that?” Her sister stopped, ears pricked, and Nettleclaw knew she heard it when she saw Briarmask’s eyes widen.

“That almost sounds like a kit!” They both immediately turned and darted in the direction of the sound. As they grew closer it became clear that it was a kit crying, or kits, to be more accurate. The small, shiny bag was moving when they came upon it. Nettleclaw quickly tore a small hole in the side, gasping at what she saw. Three tiny kits, maybe two weeks old, were crawling around in the bag, wailing pathetically in their hunger. “We need to get them back to camp now,” she said glancing at Briarmask, “they’re much too young to be without their mother.” She leaned forward, intent on grabbing one of the kits, when a chittering came from behind her, freezing her in place.

Rats.

She slowly turned, fur puffing up as she realized how many there were- at least six, huge and disgusting, their wicked teeth and beady eyes flashing in the harsh light. Briarmask hissed at her side, stepping up beside her with her claws unsheathed. In an instant, Nettleclaw came to a decision.

“Go,” she said quietly, “use the bag, take the kits back to camp.”

“No way Nettle, there’s too many- “

“Exactly, they’ll get the kits, you have to go, get them safe and get help!” The rats were advancing and Briarmask was still hesitating. Nettleclaw took a bold step forward, saying over her shoulder, “I’m the better fighter, you’re the faster runner, just go!” The first rat lunged and she met it halfway with a screech. As she sent the rat sprawling, she was relieved to see Briarmask dart away past her, the bag clutched firmly in her mouth. Starclan guide her paws, she thought, turning her attention back to her opponents. The rat got back up, chittering angrily, and she felt terror creep down her spine as she saw even more creeping out of the shadows. And help me win this.

It felt like moons later when she finally heard the thrumming of many paw steps. She coughed painfully, feeling blood trickle out of her mouth as she did. She lay surrounded by the bodies of her slain enemies, eight in total, but she had suffered for it- there wasn’t a part of her that didn’t burn or sting. I didn’t think I was going to go out like this, she thought numbly, feeling weaker with each passing moment.

“Nettleclaw!” Ah, there she is. Briarmask skidded to a stop next to her, her fear scent almost rank in Nettleclaw’s nose. “No, no no no, I shouldn’t have left why did you make me leave-“ Nettleclaw sighed as Briarmask pressed her nose into her bloody neck.

“Thank Starclan you did, or those rats would have shredded you too.” It was getting harder to breathe. “The kits, are they ok?” Her sister’s eyes were shining with unshed tears as she nodded.

“They’re fine, Pinenose is taking care of them.” Relief washed over Nettleclaw like a wave, and she finally let herself relax, finally started to let go.

“Good, I’m glad I’m not dying for nothing.” Ignoring Briarmask’s protests, she continued, “I need you to promise me you’ll always take care of them, Briar. Don’t let my death be meaningless- that’s what I’ve always been afraid of, you know? I never wanted to be useless.” Her thoughts were growing fuzzy and dim, words slurring, and she was running out of breath to speak with. “Promise me.”

“You’ve never been useless Nettle, and you definitely aren’t useless now.” Briarmask said thickly, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks. “I promise you, I’ll keep them safe, I’ll guard them with my life.”

“You always were copying me, weren’t you?” Nettleclaw chuckled, before she was seized by a coughing fit. It was impossible to ignore the encroaching darkness, impossible to ignore that she couldn’t breathe anymore. Briarmask’s sobs grew faint in her ears, and as she closed her eyes for the final time, she couldn’t help but smile. Starclan guide me home, and please,

keep them safe.

#warrior cats #warriors #fanfic #warriors ocs #my writing #wc overgrowth #prologue

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cherrieguroo · 4 months ago

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ARC THREE the Freaky arc pt1. yeah im still going lmk if you want me to stop

CHARACTERS

jaypaw- a bramble/squirrel kit. blind. wants to be a warrior, will be forced be a doctor because of ableism

hollypaw- a bramble/squirrel kit. wants to be a doctor. too stupid to be a doctor

lionpaw- a bramble/squirrel kit. speaks to evil ghosts sometimes

ashfur- squirrelflights bitter ex boyfriend

background notes and corrections:

- cinderpaw number one (cinderpelt) is dead now. cinderpaw two (cinderheart) is here now. she'll be cinderpaw(h) for now

- ashfur and squirrelflight had an on/off relationship (so he thinks) for a few months before she married bramble. she was honestly just his friend

ok onto the story

jay and holly try to become a warrior and a doctor respectively and then are immediately forced to switch jobs because of ableism

jaypaw is angry. a lot. like, i cant stress this enough, he's so mad about this.

jay looks in on firestars dream and hears a prophecy. "there will be three, kin of your (firestars) kin, who will hold the power of the stars in their paws"

i wonder who the three are (youre wrong i promise)

book two starts off with a bang as lionpaw is being taught how to kill by his ghost grandfather tigerstar. this happens for several weeks

hollypaw goes missing to see her riverclan bestie for a while. squirrel collects her. jaypaw has a stick, which he thinks is important. it is. it shows every cat who ever died(?) in the tunnels under the lake territories

fun fact: this is actually the clans ancestral home. they started at the lake, went to the mountains, then the forest, then the lake again. exhausting i know

windclan kits go missing and the three decide they need to do something about this. lionpaw thinks theyre in the tunnels

hes right, they get the kits, the tunnels flood blah blah kits go home woohoo.

lionpaw (who had a windclan friend) looses his friends and is sad. tigerstar says thats fucking stupid and tells him to suck it up.

book three

jaypaw is distracted from his job by his stick. leafpool (his mentor) yells at him

wow this book is boring

tribe cats visit thunderclan and drag storm and brook (storms wife) back to the mountain

and then, they FUCKING WALK. they being holly, jay, lion, squirrel, crow, crows son breezepaw, storm, brook and tawny. they walk to the goddamn mountain and have to. ok

so they basically fucking colonize the tribe cats. they make them fight a certain way and hunt a certain way and they force the tribe to set boundaries and. its bad. it does them good in the end ig but its bad.

they also find an old man named purdy

book end. sorry that took so long im having to catch up on these

gonna be updating this response as i go DAMN there's cat xenophobia AND cat ableism?? sigh .... what the hell

ujTHEY WHAT

.was there like a cat 9/11 too what how many real world issues are there in cat world

#cherrie's asks

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tennelleflowers · 2 years ago

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Rewriting “The Power of Three”-Dark River (text version)

These are my notes and script for rewriting Dark River! As always, you can listen to the full rewrite here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0G_40Q4A_o

Read part one here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/tennelleflowers/691050933780643840?source=share

Dark River- Alternate title: Dark Passage (Title change because the ‘River’ part of the story is gonna be scrapped)

Lion*-Still training in the Dark Forest. Still trying to be a better person as well. Struggling with both. He starts hanging out with Heatherpaw as an escape from his problems. He finds out that she’s been having similar problems in WindClan. They connect through mutual outsider-ness, but it’s clear Heather is looking to make an effort while Lion is kinda pushing them both towards more isolation. He wants to be better but doesn’t want to open up to the clanmates he was a bit of a dick around, afraid of rejection or humiliation. He wants to talk to his siblings about his feelings, but Holly is doing so well and Jay is so busy (plus Lion has realized that he was kinda a dick to him in the last book and isn’t ready to confront that) that Lion avoids them as well.

Jay- Finds the stick and learns about the cats that used to live around the lake and their history. He experiences the whole Jay’s Wing history up to the cats leaving for the Mountains and becoming the Tribe. He learns about the tunnels under ThunderClan and WindClan territory. After finally figuring out his place in the clan in the last book, the experience with Jay’s Wing makes Jaypaw question things again. If the cats who lived here before didn’t belong here, does that mean he doesn’t either? He notices Firestar watching him and avoiding him at the same time, which adds to Jay’s feeling of isolation and not belonging. Leafpool is also mysterious and cagey around him and he’s had trouble connecting to people in both books. Through re-living the past, Jay learns how to make friends and open up a little better. He’s still mostly the grumpy, independent cat we know, but we’ll get to see a few tender moments between him and Leafpool, plus some of the other cats who come in for treatment.

Holly- Now that she’s caught up in training, Hollypaw is becoming extremely popular with the other apprentices and really is sort of the leader of the pack. Hollypaw is delighted to be looked up to so fondly by all her clanmates and tries to use her authority for good. She solves minor disputes and gets praised by the older Warriors for her calm reason.

End of act 1, Lion and Holly take their Warrior assessments and Hollyleaf becomes a Warrior while Lionpaw does not. This drives a wedge between Hollyleaf and her brothers. Hollyleaf believes her hard work and devoted following of the code has gotten her where she is, and she doesn’t understand her brother’s struggles to fit in. (Foreshadowing that Hollyleaf isn’t the same as her brothers.)

Lionpaw’s meetings with Heather become less frequent on Heatherpaw’s end. Lion waits for her, but Heather only shows up occasionally. It seems she’s having an easier time in WindClan now. She comes back one night and tells Lionpaw she is now Heathertail. Lionpaw gets jealous and accuses Heathertail of being like Hollyleaf. When he gets angry with her, Heathertail rips Lionpaw a new one, basically telling him that he’s being a loser by not just choosing to be a better cat and she’s done doing these nightly meetings. They continue shouting when Crowfeather hears them and goes into the tunnels and finds them. In his panic, Lionpaw attacks Crowfeather and severely wounds him. Heathertail calls Lionpaw a monster and Lionpaw runs away after hearing more WindClan cats in the tunnels, including Breezepaw.

After this, Lionpaw is at his lowest point. Haunted by the guilt of training in the Dark Forest, Heathertail’s words, and his brutal attacks on Graystripe and Crowfeather, Lionpaw vows to become a better cat for real this time. He goes back to the Dark Forest to tell Tigerstar and Hawkfrost that he won’t train with them any longer. Tigerstar implies that they’ve found other cats who will gladly take his place in training. Hawkfrost is betrayed to see Lionpaw leave.

Lionpaw finally starts to make a turn around in ThunderClan. He gets to retry his assessment at the end of the book.

Epilogue- Firestar gives Lionblaze his warrior name and then pulls Jaypaw aside and tells him about the Power of Three prophecy

-end of notes-

Script:

Next we move onto Dark River, or, as I’m going to call it: Dark Passage. This title change is for multiple reasons: 1) I think the tunnels play a bigger role in this story than the river itself 2) In my version of events a lot of the flooding river stuff is going to be removed entirely and 3) Passage has multiple connotations. So while the title is literally talking about the dark tunnels under the clans, it’s also about Jaypaw, Lionpaw, and Hollypaw growing up, and Dark Passage could imply a harsh period of time for the trio that they need to pass through.

It’s been a few moons since the end of The Sight. Jaypaw is doing well in his Medicine Cat training, Hollypaw has caught up to the other apprentices, and Lionpaw is no longer an egoistic show-off. However, Lionpaw still hasn’t managed to make any friends. And is still training in the Dark Forest. Lionpaw wants to be a better person, but he doesn’t know where to start and feels like he’s messed things up too badly with the other apprentices. Ashfur is still as impossible to please as ever, and the only way Lionpaw feels good about himself and his abilities is with Tigerstar in the Dark Forest, even though he knows he shouldn’t. One night Lionpaw sneaks out of camp to clear his head and ends up running into Heatherpaw. They start hanging out with each other as an escape from their problems. He finds out that she’s been having similar problems in WindClan with making friends and living up to her clanmates' expectations of her. They hit it off and agree to meet up late at night in the tunnels that Heatherpaw has found.

Now that she’s caught up in training, Hollypaw is becoming extremely popular with the other apprentices and really is sort of the leader of the pack. Hollypaw is delighted to be looked up to so fondly by all her clanmates and tries to use her authority for good. She solves minor disputes and gets praised by the older Warriors for her calm reason and maturity.

And finally, we have Jaypaw, who finds The Stick and learns about the cats that used to live around the lake and their history. He experiences the whole Jay’s Wing history up to the cats leaving for the Mountains and becoming the Tribe. He learns about the tunnels under ThunderClan and WindClan territory. So we’re just getting all of that past history done in one book instead of dragging it out for 2 whole series. After finally figuring out his place in the clan, the experience with Jay’s Wing makes Jaypaw question things again. If the cats who lived here before didn’t belong here, does that mean he doesn’t either? Is that why he’s seeing these things? What does it mean? He notices Firestar watching him and avoiding him at the same time. This will be Jaypaw’s conflict throughout most of the book.

In the middle of the book, Lionpaw and Hollypaw take their Warrior assessments and Hollyleaf becomes a Warrior while Lionpaw does not. This drives a wedge between Hollyleaf and her brothers. Hollyleaf believes her hard work and devoted following of the code has gotten her where she is, and she doesn’t understand her brother’s struggles to fit in.

After this, Lionpaw’s meetings with Heatherpaw become less frequent on Heatherpaw’s end. Lionpaw waits for her, but Heatherpaw only shows up occasionally. It seems she’s having an easier time in WindClan now. She comes back one night and tells Lionpaw she is now Heathertail. Lionpaw gets jealous and accuses Heathertail of being just like Hollyleaf, ready to abandon him when she gets what she wants. When he gets angry with her, Heathertail rips Lionpaw a new one, telling him that he’s being a loser by moping around and not just choosing to be a better cat and she’s done doing these nightly meetings. They continue shouting when Crowfeather hears them and goes into the tunnels and finds them. In his panic, Lionpaw attacks Crowfeather and severely wounds him. Heathertail calls Lionpaw a monster and Lionpaw runs away after hearing more WindClan cats in the tunnels, including Breezepaw.

After this, Lionpaw is at his low point. Haunted by the guilt of training in the Dark Forest, Heathertail’s words, and his brutal attacks on Graystripe and Crowfeather, Lionpaw vows to become a better cat for real this time. He goes back to the Dark Forest to tell Tigerstar and Hawkfrost that he won’t train with them any longer. Tigerstar implies that they’ve found other cats who will gladly take his place in training, and with his help, they’ve found a way to get to them. Hawkfrost is betrayed to see Lionpaw leave, in many ways Hawkfrost has been a better mentor than Ashfur and it stings to leave that behind.

Lionpaw finally starts to make a turn around in ThunderClan. He’s messed up his chances with the apprentices he grew up with, they’ve all become Warriors now, but he makes an effort to help and befriend the younger apprentices who just got started: Foxpaw and Icepaw. Since he’s not training in the Dark Forest anymore, he starts sleeping better and begins to realize that he was always grumpy with his clanmates partly due to not getting enough sleep and feels like a weight has been lifted from him since he isn’t lying to them anymore either. His powers truly start to come to him at this time. At the very end of the book, he gets to retry his warrior assessment and passes.

During the epilogue of this book, Firestar gives Lionpaw his warrior name: Lionblaze. This is from Jaypaw’s perspective and he notices Firestar giving Hollyleaf and Lionblaze the same awkward, distant treatment that he’s been feeling this whole time. Jaypaw can’t take it anymore with Firestar’s weirdness around himself and his siblings. Just as he’s trying to figure out ways to confront his leader about it, Firestar calls Jaypaw to his den to speak to him privately. It’s here that Firestar reveals the Power of Three prophecy to Jaypaw. But before he gets a reaction from Jaypaw or even confirmation that Firestar knows Jay, Lion, and Holly are the ones in the prophecy, the book ends.

Okay, hang onto your butts cause this is where we start tossing the rest of the books into the preverbal salad bowl. And like when I’m forced to eat a salad bowl, I’m going to just start picking and choosing what I want and leaving the rest behind like the garbage that it is.

#warriors #warrior cats #power of three #rewrite #dark river #jayfeather #lionblaze #hollyleaf

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violentshine · 3 years ago

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kit tales/fables im applying to the warriors universe because i want to

The clans have been around for generations and generations, but how did they get there? How are Riverclan cats such great swimmers? How do Shadowclan cats hunt during pitch dark nights? Well, before the clans became clans, cats lived in a single group...

Thunderclan- ...In a forest. Until dark clouds brought along a lightning storm and struck those who couldn't run to safety in time. The cats who lived on became Thunderclan's ancestors.

Riverclan- ...In a valley. Until it started raining. Day after day, rain poured into the valley where the cats lived. Some cats drowned as the rainwater rose, but others were able to keep themselves afloat and swim towards the surface. Those cats are now ancestors to the current Riverclan cats.

Shadowclan- ...On a plain of marshland. Until total darkness casted on the land below. Cats who couldn't navigate through the new darkness, lost themselves in the territory they once were so knowledgeable of. Those who could trek through the change are considered the ancestors of Shadowclan.

Windclan- ...On the moors. Until giant gusts of winds blew across the moors, blowing away those who weren't strong enough to withstand the gusts. The remaining cats lived to form Windclan.

What about the Tunnelers? Well, some cats enjoyed living on the moors and the feeling of not being confined by the trees but since they couldn't handle the wind, they dug and lived down below, catching the rabbits that homed underground. When the cats who lived on top of the moors saw the giant holes, they decided to investigate, hoping the diggers to be giant rabbits. When they discovered there were cats in those tunnels, they allowed them to live among them. As they did, the taught each other how to travel among the moors and underneath.

Skyclan- In a forest. Cats lived without any problems, or so they thought. There was no more prey among the forest floors since they had hunted it all. The cats who could climb the trees and hunt among the branches with ease became what Skyclan is today.

What's the story of the Moonstone you ask? Love to tell you. This story changes among the clans, some cats tell the story of a Mother and Son, of two friends, or a story of two mates. It doesn't really matter what sort of relationship the cats have, they just have to be close cats. The story goes like this, two cats were close with one another, one of the cats would often share about her love for the moon; she considered it to be the most beautiful thing in the sky and when she passed, she hoped to rest upon it. Much to the other cat's dismay, the day came when his companion took her last breathe. He missed her very much, day by day he grieved for her, until he planned to find her. He was going to climb the moon to talk to her again. He set out at night, heading towards the direction the moon hung in the sky. He walked and walked, but became tired, knowing he had to rest soon, he settled in the dark cave that laid in front of him. The cave's roof had a giant hole in the center and he could see the moon through it. When the cat had laid down, the clouds that covered the moon moved away and the light shone down, reflecting on the shiny stone that was once invisible to the tom. Once the tom's eyes adjusted to the blinding light, he couldn't believe what he saw. Upon the stone sat the cat he missed dearly. The two were reunited at last.

How come there are birds that hunt cats? Prey offers an end to your hunger, but the feathers from birds can be used to make your nest more comfortable or can be used as entertainment. When those two other uses were discovered, it's said cats would hunt without eating the prey, just taking the feathers to sleep on or play with and that was seen as disrespectful to the birds. Birds were angry at the cats that their kin were being hunted for fun. In order to protect the younger birds, bigger birds came down and took the cats to feed to their young, a way to teach them a lesson to not hunt for selfish reason. So now cats are forbidden to hunt birds for their feathers. "Bird warriors" are also off limits.

#warrior cats #these r fake stories- simply made to keep kits entertained #ik the clans have stories like mouthclaw and whatever but uh..i like these #i explained it in a repost but ill add it to the tags #''bird warriors'' r just birds other than like finches and robins #kits would know warriors r fierce & protect them and what not so thats what they consider the bigger birds to be #in the reblog i said it was birds of prey when thats not always the case #herons & swans would be considered ''bird warriors' just because they're big & not what the cats hunt #the story would pass the message that ''bird warriors'' protect the birds clan cats hunt by hunting them in return

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blorboclaw · 2 years ago

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What do you think would have happened if Stormfur had indeed been the silver cat and had died instead of Feathertail?

hooo that's an interesting question thanks!

so firstly, Crowfea... wait, no, he wouldn't have asked to be named after her. Crowfoot. OK so Crowfoot and Feathertail arrive in the clans. SHe tells him he's very nice and all but 1) age difference 2) her brother just died, she's mourning and 3) she knows what it's like to be torn between clans and what the consequences are for the eventual kits and she doesn't want that to happen again.

So Crowfoot doesn't end up with Feathertail.

After the Great Journey, she joins Thunderclan, because it was stated (at least in A Shadow in Riverclan, which also made her come back on her decision but I’m chosing what to pick and what to ignore in canon) that she only stayed in Riverclan for Stormfur. Graystripe being kidnapped

Windclan succession war happens. Crowfoot saves Leafpool but his ptsd doesn't induce him into some kind of love (still not convinced he was really in love with Leafpool in canon, even if he thought he was) and they don't run off together.

When Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw have kits (the Three) they name them Goldenkit (after Goldenflower), Nightkit (for the mid-night trip) and Stormkit (because his gray fur reminds them of Stormfur).

Feathertail is part of Thunderclan tho. When Goldenpaw is given to Ashfur, she is given Nightpaw, while Leafpool takes in Stormpaw. Feathertail admits she does find a likelihood in Stormpaw. When Graystripe comes back with Millie, she is thrilled that her father is still alive.

Training the apprentices together makes her develop a crush on Ashfur and she asks him out. He accepts because he thinks he’s getting back at Squirrelflight but she is actually thrilled that he’s getting with her best friend so it doesn’t work.

When Ashfur ambushes the Three and Squilf in the fire, Feathertail notices he’s missing (along with the four others) and goes back. She finds him, overhears everything, and ever since the Bonehill she’ll never let anyone hurt apprentices for who their parents are, so she accidentally kills him when trying to defend the others (particularly Stormpaw tbh but that’s not the point).

(the Three’s adult names are Goldenclaw, Nightleaf and Stormeye by the way)

Wanting to atone for the murder, she sets off for the Tribe, thinking they will let her join because her brother sacrificed himself for her. She is back by the time the three B are made warriors and she is given Bumblepaw, while Brightheart gets Blossompaw and Berrynose gets Briarpaw.

When Briarpaw gets paralysed, Feathertail and Brightheart visit her everyday, which makes Blossompaw and Bumblestripe, this time, jealous of her. Both start training in the dark forest.

Sol doesn’t return, because Ashfur’s murder didn’t send a patrol off, and because Sol cannot take credit for Hollyleaf saving Briarlight, because she’s not a forgotten warrior this time, but a “normal” warrior. There’s no battle in the tunnels.

When Dustpelt and Firestar spot Tigerstar’s spirit’s scent on the borders, they ask Feathertail to detail her experience in Tigerclan. Every single DF trainee feels ashamed and decides to stop training there. Ivypool is the only one who keeps doing so because of the spying. However the dark forest cats realize the truth and kill her (and possibly Thornclaw, Blossomfall and Birchfall, too, since the dark forest trainee cannot always decide to just stop coming). Since the other trainees don’t know what’s going on, just that seemingly loyal members are getting slaughtered for not reason, they all stop being loyal to the Dark Forest. They warn their leaders, ask for forgiveness, and on D-Day, despite Thunderclan being weakened, they are ready for the battle.Feathertail kills Tigerstar, avenging Stormfur. Nightleaf doesn’t die protecting Ivypool because Ivypool is already dead, and either fights among Starclan or doesn’t fight at all.

Brambleclaw becomes Bramblestar. He choses Squirrelflight as his deputy. They have a second litter (SparkAlderDandelionJuniper). Goldenclaw and Nightleaf train the two survivors before Alderpaw decides to go train under Stormeye instead. They are also the ones sent with Sandstorm and the apprentices to find Skyclan and Feathertail volunteers to join because she’s a great traveller. She saves Sandstorm a few injuries about the fox, she knows how to go through barbed wire... she’s a great asset. Sandstorm doesn’t die.

Feathertail has flashbacks of the tigerclan camp when she sees Darktail’s group, because they’ve got basically the same vices (carrion everywhere, people fighting for food...), and she tells Alderpaw that they better turn back, because even if those were Skyclan, which they don’t seem to be, the lake would be better off without them. Catastrophe avoided. No Darktail group around the lake. Onestar doesnt’ lose two lives to Darktail. They do find Twig and Violet tho, and later they find Skyclan.

TL;DR: If Stormfur had died instead of Feathertail, Hollyleaf wouldn’t have killed Ashfur and Darktail wouldn’t have gone to the lake.

#wc au #ask

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kipswarriorcats · 4 years ago

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send help i can’t stop thinking about my “power of 5″ au so i sketched some babies

basically the premise is that leaf and squirrel are pregnant around the same time so squirrelflight takes the original 3 and raises them with alder and spark. here’s some things abt it! (sorry for long post)

alderkit and sparkkit were born a few days before lionkit, jaykit, and hollykit. sadly, juniperkit and dandelionkit were stillborn. since a litter with 7 kittens is pretty much unheard of in warriors, poor squirrelflight has to mourn them in secret (like yellowfang with wishkit and hopekit).

instead of being manipulated into taking the three, squilf is actually the one to offer to raise them. while in the hollow tree, leafpool nurses all five kittens while squirrelflight is out hunting for them.

unless i can think of a better mate/father of the kits for squirrelflight, brambleclaw in this au isn’t a jerk and actually has a healthy relationship with his mate and babies. they both raise all 5 with equal love, but hollykit in particular has a special bond with her dad.

sparkkit and lionkit are an absolute TERROR together. they loooove causing mischief and have been punished to pick tics off the elders more times than they can count.

jaypaw gets to train as a warrior like he wants to. instead, it’s hollypaw and alderpaw that switch roles. alderpaw starts as birchfall’s apprentice then trains as a medicine cat under leafpool. lionpaw’s mentor is stormfur instead of ashfur, and sparkpaw’s mentor is sorreltail!

the three also learn they’re adopted much sooner, since i felt like the “big reveal” in the original took away from what the arc was supposed to be (clans vs dark forest). squilf takes all five apprentices out one day and tells them the truth. learning they’re adopted doesn’t really change anything: they’re still littermates, squirrel and bramble are still their parents, and leafpool is still their cool aunt. leaf is kinda sad about this but accepts it soon enough.

the rest of the clan doesn’t know the truth yet, for the sake of leafpool’s protection. hollypaw IS kinda mad about it for a little (but not as mad as if she’d been kept in the dark for longer). eventually she forgives them for breaking the code and things go back to normal.

all 5 cats also have a power, hence the name “power of five.” lionblaze and jayfeather keep their original powers, and sparkpelt gets dovewing’s power (i haven’t thought yet about how dove and ivy fit in, but they will have a role! maybe they’re the ones to take down darktail? idk)

hollyleaf’s power is stealth. she can’t turn invisible, per se, but she can blend into the shadows effortlessly. if she doesn’t want to be seen, she won’t be--making her an excellent spy against the dark forest.

alderheart’s power is speech. he can calm any enemy, or convince any cat of anything. it’s a big help when convincing skyclan to return to the lake and help fight against the dark forest, and then again in convincing the other leaders to let them stay.

just for shits and giggles i’m gonna say that puddleshine and needletail were also born around this time. alderheart, a disaster bi, falls in love with both of them. he goes to aunt leafpool for advice often.

jayfeather also has cross-clan relationship troubles when he meets kestrelflight, the windclan medicine cat, at the border. it’s a whole complicated thing, and they have a bit of an on-and-off relationship.

lionblaze is still mates with cinderheart, and sparkpelt becomes mates with either icecloud or foxleap (not sure which yet)

the fire scene still happens with ashfur trying to kill all 5 cats. instead of spilling her secrets, squirrelflight yells at her kits to run and leaps for ashfur’s throat. the two cats tumble down into the fire, ending with ashfur dead and squirrelflight narrowly escaping with her life. she’s heavily scarred and never quite the same after that.

hollyleaf does get stuck in the tunnels, but this time purpose so she can learn the secrets of the clans origins. her siblings are terrified not only for her safety, but terrified because the great battle looms ever closer. she befriends fallen leaves and learns about the ancients. she does the whole time travel thing instead of jayfeather while in the tunnels.

the great battle happens. the clans are losing ground on thunderclan territory when they hear a familiar yowl. hollyleaf bursts out from the tunnels, leading a swarm of ancient spirits to their aid.

meanwhile, alderheart is helping other medicine cats on skyclan territory. jayfeather leads a battle patrol on windclan territory. lionblaze is defending the riverclan camp, and sparkpelt uses her senses to stand guard for shadowclan.

brambleclaw gives his life to save hollyleaf from hawkfrost. his mate, kits, tawnypelt, and firestar are at his side. with his dying breath, he asks that squirrelflight replace him as deputy. lionblaze, jayfeather, and sparkpelt track down and kill hawkfrost to avenge their father.

firestar and tigerstar battle. squirrelflight becomes squirrelstar and makes either hollyleaf or ivypool her deputy. her nine lives are from firestar, brambleclaw, juniperkit, dandelionkit, shrewpaw, feathertail, ferncloud, ravenpaw, and dustpelt (who dies in battle instead of between arcs).

oh and avos and tbc still happen, just need to figure out how.

hopefully more stuff about this au to come! i like it a lot

#po5 au #power of five #po3 au #au #alderheart #sparkpelt #lionblaze #jayfeather #hollyleaf #squirrelflight #leafpool #bramblestar #warriors #warrior cats #warriorcats #warriors au #warrior cats au #art #sketch

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redux-iterum · 3 years ago

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A Kindling: Chapter Eight

(AO3 counterpart here.)

“What’s a Gathering?”

Firepaw looked at his fellow apprentices—Greypaw was barely containing himself from bouncing up and down, and Ravenpaw, unusually, had a sparkle in his eyes. Firepaw looked back up at Bluestar, who had just given them the news.

“It’s where all the Clans meet to share news and talk with neighbors past the border,” she said. “You three are old enough to go to one, so you’ll be coming with us.”

“You’re gonna love it,” Greypaw said to Firepaw. “You get to see all sorts of cats there.”

At that, Firepaw had to admit to a bit of excitement. “I do want to see the other Clans. Are they nice?”

“Nice enough for now,” Bluestar said. “It’s a peaceful time.”

“I can’t wait to see those otter cats for myself!” Greypaw barely crouched, like he was about to leap forward and attack someone. “Old RiverClan, with their tiny ears and short tails and stuff. I bet they look ridiculous.”

“They look like owls,” Teaselfoot remarked, walking past. “Wide heads and big eyes. Very silly.”

Greypaw snorted at this. Firepaw turned his head to Ravenpaw now, who offered a weak twitch of the whiskers. He returned with a slow blink and leaned his head in a little.

“Who are you excited to see?” he asked in a low voice.

“Well…” Ravenpaw’s right front foot unsheathed its claws and softly pulled at the camp sand. “I mean, it-it’s going to be a lot of cats, so I don’t know… I guess ShadowClan? I’ve only seen them from far away.” A beat, and then he awkwardly asked, “What about you?”

“I just want to see everybody, myself.” Firepaw’s tail curled and uncurled. “RiverClan and ShadowClan and… what was the other one? WindClan?” Ravenpaw nodded. “I hope they’re friendly. I’d like to talk to a cat from each Clan, if I can.”

“Good to be curious,” Bluestar said with an approving nod of her own. “You’ll have the time to talk to other apprentices, I’m sure. The three of you, get ready to go. We leave very soon. Meet us by the entrance.”

With that, she walked away, leaving the apprentices to look at each other with excitement and trot together to the entrance. Greypaw had a spring in his step, while Ravenpaw lost a bit of his usual “trying to be a shadow on the ground” slink. Firepaw took the lead, reaching the camp entrance first and sitting down by the bush-branch wall.

A few cats came to join the apprentices: Teaselfoot, a pair of tortoiseshells (Firepaw thought one was Brindleface, and the other was...Specklesomething, Speckletail? Specklefur?), Tigerclaw, and a very long-tailed tabby that Firepaw had not spoken with yet, mostly because he always had a look of disdain and annoyance whenever Firepaw walked by. Brindleface and Specklesomething chatted with each other about someone named Tornear possibly getting an apprentice since they last saw him, and Tigerclaw quietly told the tabby (“Lizardtail”, he said) to hold himself in, whatever that meant. Lizardtail seemed to know, because he just looked down with a scowl that somehow managed to still be deadpan.

Bluestar pretty quickly padded up to the collected cats, and with a flick of her tail started through the tunnel. The older cats followed after her, and the apprentices took up the rear. Once they were out in the woods, the party spread out a little, allowing more room for Firepaw to keep up with everyone else without bumping into someone.

“So how often do Gatherings happen?” he asked Greypaw. “A lot?”

Lizardtail rolled his eyes.

“Once a month,” Greypaw said. “Every waking night.”

“He’s not going to know what that is,” Lizardtail said suddenly. When Firepaw looked at him, he was giving Firepaw another annoyed look. “Why would he know of the Three? He’s a kittypet.”

“I know about the Three,” Firepaw said, more hesitantly than he would have liked. “Ravenpaw and Greypaw told me about them.”

“Really.” Lizardtail narrowed his eyes. “Then why is it called a ‘waking night’?”

Firepaw opened his mouth and then closed it again, head lowering a little in embarrassment. “Well, I don’t know that—”

“Of course not.” Lizardtail’s ears slid back contemptuously. “It’s a waking night because Suriin’s eye is fully open in the sky.”

Firepaw looked skyward. Through the dense foliage, he saw a few glittering stars and the moon. He did not see an eye anywhere. He was not willing to keep being stupid and ask for elaboration, so he just looked back down again and trotted in silence.

Lizardtail scoffed. “He doesn’t even know what that means—”

“Do you not have anything better to do than make fun of him?” Brindleface said sharply to Lizardtail. “He’s just a kittypet, he still needs to learn.”

“It’s barely been four days,” agreed Specklesomething, giving Lizardail a stern look. “Give him time.”

Lizardtail did not seem affected by these scoldings. He simply tossed his head—though he did stiffen a little when Tigerclaw barely turned his head so that their eyes met, and he suddenly became very interested in the ferns he was walking past. Tigerclaw turned his corner-of-his-eye gaze on Firepaw. He didn’t know what that stoic look meant, so he just nodded his head sheepishly. Tigerclaw turned away again and the group fell silent.

The walk seemed to take forever to Firepaw, mostly because he didn’t know where they were going, so he had no way to measure how close they were to their destination. He had lost track of time when the forest suddenly ended and the party was out in the open, heading for the trees standing together in the distance.

A breeze gently passed through the group like water through rocks. Firepaw sniffed the air and was struck with a flood of scents he couldn’t identify by name; some were like the wet food he’d had in his first house, others a bit less pleasant with a tinge of sickness, others still airy and dusty. As they approached the trees, Firepaw trotted faster until he was alongside Bluestar, staring at what lay before him.

An uncountable number of cats stood or sat together, all of different shapes, sizes and colors. Here was seated an incredibly tall and thin tom speaking to what must have been a kitten with huge ears that was nothing but skin-and-bones. There a heavyset patched molly trilled at a joke, her face round and pleasant. A sour-looking skinny black cat with a white upper lip said something quietly to his friend, who had the biggest, most gentle eyes Firepaw had ever seen, entirely too large for his skeletal face. A cat as wide as he was tall trotted over to speak with the black tom, his tail half the length it should have been, though it didn’t seem damaged.

Firepaw gawked, eyes wide. His fur fluffed out as he looked upon this menagerie of cats unlike any he had ever seen in his old neighborhood. These cats were most certainly not cared for by humans—their many different scents had the freshness of the wild, and even the round cats had muscled legs and something in their face that gave Firepaw the impression of a wise veteran with many stories of dangerous adventures to tell.

Self-control barely restrained him from leaving the party behind and sprinting straight into the crowd. Curiosity tugged at that restraint, wailing in protest. Firepaw could feel Bluestar’s eyes on him as his steps jittered with excitement and the forcefully slow pace to stay with everyone else.

Bluestar, taking pity on him, turned her head back to Greypaw and Ravenpaw. “You three can run ahead if you want.”

Firepaw didn’t wait for them—he bolted forward, tail fluffed and high in the air. He heard Greypaw’s heavy feet behind him and a worried squeak from Ravenpaw, but they barely registered in his excitement. He was upon the crowd in mere heartbeats, barely skidding to a stop in time to avoid smashing into a lanky brown tabby about his size.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, a little breathless from the run.

“S’alright…” the tom started, before his eyes narrowed and he tilted his head slowly, scanning Firepaw. In a very flat tone, the tom added, “What Clan are you from?”

“He’s with us,” Greypaw said, catching up to Firepaw with Ravenpaw behind him. “ThunderClan.”

The tom’s face gave away nothing, but one ear swiveled forward. “Small as a fly, for a ThunderClan cat.”

“Oh, I was a kittypet,” Firepaw said, too fast for him to realize that keeping his mouth shut might have been a better idea. “I, um… just got to the Clans a few days ago.”

“Ah.” The tom nodded slowly. “Well, welcome to warrior life.”

Firepaw blinked. “You’re not surprised?”

“He’s very surprised,” someone said, “he’s just a WindClan cat.”

All the toms looked over to see a very pretty silver-and-white molly about their age come strutting up, her kitten-short tail wagging like a dog’s.

“ThunderClan’s bringing in rabble now, are they?” She looked Firepaw up and down, but her tone was quite friendly. “Well, look at you, so small! You must get squashed by the other apprentices when it’s time to sleep.”

Firepaw hesitated, not sure how to answer her.

Greypaw answered for him. “We’ve got a bigger den than you think. Better than whatever puddle of water you sleep in.”

The molly, completely unbothered, made a joking overly-impressed face. “Ohhh, is that what you heard? We’ve got dens, too, fluffy, and they’re mighty comfortable.”

Firepaw looked sideways and saw the brown apprentice’s eyes roll.

“So you’re from WindClan?” he said as Greypaw and the molly went back and forth. “It’s nice to meet you. My name’s Firepaw.”

“Wrenpaw,” he replied. “Strong name for you to bear.”

“Thank you… I think.” Firepaw intercepted possible awkwardness by pointing with his tail to his fellow apprentices. “That’s Greypaw and Ravenpaw. We’re all new apprentices.”

Wrenpaw nodded to Ravenpaw, who returned the nod with a look like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

“There’s so many cats here,” Firepaw went on. “I’m guessing she’s from RiverClan?”

“Mm,” said Wrenpaw.

“So are these kittens ShadowClan?” Firepaw looked around at the tiny things scattered among the crowd. “Why did they send so many cats our age?”

Wrenpaw’s eyes had the faintest flicker of amusement in them. “They’re all warriors. ShadowClan cats are just like that.”

Firepaw stared at him. “They are? Are they all okay? They’re so small and hungry-looking.”

“They’re like that,” Wrenpaw said again.

“Wow.” Firepaw raised his head up a little to scan the crowd. “I’ve never seen anyone like you guys before. Well, I mean, these RiverClan cats, they kind of look like some kittypets I knew, but…”

“The nerve on you!” The silver molly leaned to the side to look past Greypaw with an exaggeratedly shocked face. “Comparing us to your flabby friends. We actually work for our food out here! This body isn’t just fat, you know, we’re quite strong.”

“Not as strong as us,” countered Greypaw.

“Well, obviously,” the molly said. “You’re all huge to compensate for that itty bitty mind of yours.”

Before Greypaw could retort, there was a yowl. The clearing immediately fell silent, the only sound coming from the trees rustling in the wind overhead.

Bluestar was sitting on a huge, flat boulder with other cats. One was an incredibly tall, incredibly thin black tom with white markings, who sat perfectly still. The brown-and-white one left to Bluestar was shorter, but much bulkier—and if Firepaw was seeing correctly, his jaw was stuck severely to the right, his tongue poking out a little. The tom to the right was quite tiny compared to the others, a dark brown tabby with long fur and a tail that looked like it had been broken and healed at a bad angle.

The tom with the bad jaw stood up and spoke first, surprisingly easy to understand despite the injury. “Welcome, all, welcome! Fine night for a Gathering, eh?”

Murmurs of assent breezed through the crowd.

“Let’s not waste any time on the news, then,” the tom said. “We’ll let you get back to your gossip soon enough. To start with…” He leaned forward to look past Bluestar and nodded to the tiny tom. “How about you, ShadowClan’s new leader?”

“As you like.” The tom bobbed his head and stood up. It barely made a difference to his height. “Good evening, everyone. I am now Brokenstar. My father, Raggedstar, has unfortunately journeyed on to StarClan, and passed leadership down to me.”

Many scattered comments of sympathy, and Bluestar looked at Brokenstar too.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “He was a fine leader. I’m sure you’ll do well in his stead.”

“I can only hope so,” Brokenstar replied sadly. He sighed softly, sat back down, and turned to the crowd again. “Aside from that, ShadowClan is well. We’ve had no incidents or ceremonies to make note of.” To the tom with the bad jaw, he said, “Shall you go next, Crookedstar?”

“Might as well.” Crookedstar’s tongue licked at his upper jaw. “Our best foot first—my daughter has become an apprentice!”

The silver molly puffed out her chest as the crowd voiced congratulations.

“You were talking dirt to the leader’s daughter?” Firepaw whispered to Greypaw.

Greypaw didn’t respond. He looked nervous.

“And with that comes a stumble,” Crookedstar went on. “Our river’s been a little thin. We hope that rain comes soon to fatten it up.” His eyes slid over to Bluestar, glinting. “If not, we have other resources, of course.”

Bluestar narrowed her eyes at him. The black tom and Brokenstar both suddenly looked annoyed (Brokenstar much more so than the other leader).

“Still—” Crookedstar returned his attention to the gathered cats. “All in all, we’re doing fine. Don’t have much else to say, so, Rookstar?”

The black tom gave one slow nod and spoke in such a flat and quiet voice that Firepaw almost couldn’t hear him. “WindClan has three new apprentices: Wrenpaw, Tawnypaw, and Palepaw. We also have two new warriors: Thrushwing and Stoneclaw.”

“Congratulations,” Firepaw said to Wrenpaw, the crowd mirroring him. “We’re both new!”

Wrenpaw flicked his tail in response. Firepaw was not sure what that meant.

“There have been no new kemeran* from the east,” Rookstar continued. “However, an unfamiliar scent of badger has been found just past the Barn on the edge of our territory. We will watch carefully and send news if the badger advances to any of your borders.”

“What’s a badger?” Firepaw whispered to Greypaw.

“Big grey ugly thing,” Greypaw whispered back. “Long nose and a black-and-white head.”

While Firepaw tried to imagine this “badger”, Rookstar looked at Bluestar. “We have no other news.”

Bluestar took the cue and raised her head, speaking with more authority than her fellow leaders. “ThunderClan’s new apprentices come tonight as Greypaw, Ravenpaw, and Firepaw.”

Another welcoming response from the crowd, but when cats spotted Firepaw, their eyes lingered with curiosity and confusion. He tried to politely blinka at all of them, a little nervous at the scrutiny. Ravenpaw looked relieved that the attention wasn’t on him.

“Our warriors are well-fed this newleaf,” Bluestar said, and eyes slowly turned back to her. “We have no one on our borders to drive off.” She copied Crookedstar’s sidelong glance. “But we are very well prepared to handle those that want to push their luck.”

Crookedstar made a huff that seemed to involve his entire body. He looked amused, rather than threatened.

Bluestar looked forward again. “No other news tonight. It seems to have been a good month for all of us.”

The other leaders gave various agreeing murmurs or gestures. Crookedstar stood up.

“Then let’s end our reports here,” he said, “and give you all more time to catch up. Suriin, keep that eye open a little longer! We’ve got some chatting to do.”

He jumped down from the boulder, followed by the other leaders, Bluestar very close behind him. The clearing rippled with noise again as conversations continued.

Firepaw didn’t say anything for a moment. He scanned the crowd, admiring all the differences from one cat to another, listening happily to their voices, their accents leaking through or their pitches squeaky or rumbling. His heart beat rapid-fire, and a breeze circled him, carrying their scents again.

Spottedleaf was right, he thought. This is the life for me. I’ve been missing out on so much.

*"Kemera": a group of cats that aren’t a Clan. Literally “neutral group”. Pluralized as kemeran.

#warrior cats #warriors redux iterum #iterum #chapter #chapter eight #book one #a kindling #arc one

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tallstars-rewrite · 3 years ago

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Chapter 15

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The full moon signaled it was time for Tallpaw’s first gathering, and tensions around camp were rather high. Spirits rose only temporarily with the celebration of the clans newly named warriors: Fawnleap, Fallowspring, and Ryewhisker. But it was hard to celebrate knowing tonight could decide whether they’d have to start really preparing for a fight. On top of it, tunnelers were bitter about their plans’ slow progress. After several nights of Sandstone leading every able tunneler out to the eastern burrows and coming back too exhausted to hunt, Heatherstar had demanded they slow their progress and focus on above ground patrolling. The tunnel was going to take too long to be immediately useful, and it wasn’t worth working every cat to the bone. Tallpaw was sitting timidly next to his father, not speaking and nodding along with what he said as he clawed a rabbit apart and ate in angry bites.

“We wouldn’t have to work so hard if she would let us have more tunnelers.” Sandstone grumbled pointedly. Tallpaw looked away. “I’m telling you Tallpaw it’s like she wants ShadowClan to walk all over us. Won’t listen to anything that doesn’t favor her favorite warriors' moor runner skills, typical runner thinking. It’s like they’re incapable of thinking outside the box! Don’t tell any cat I told you this, but WindClan is going to go downhill fast under her shoddy leadership.”

It was uncomfortable listening to him talk about their leader this way, like it wasn’t allowed, but Tallpaw wasn’t about to stop him either. He pretended not to be hurt when his father went on about runners. It’s not as if it’s personal towards me...After all, he still won’t think of me as a runner…

Tallpaw had been putting off telling him that he wasn’t at all excited about tunneling, and he was quickly running out of convincing excuses when he was approached about it time and time again. He knew he was going to have to eventually, but dear StarClan he wanted to stall as long as possible. Sandstone had already announced he and his tunneling patrol were going to work tonight and thus wouldn’t be going to the gathering. It was clearly a message to Heatherstar: You won’t listen to us so we won’t be part of the clan.

Tallpaw didn’t know if he was expected to sit out as well in solidarity. As Dawnstripe called Tallpaw over to join the gathering patrol, he cast his father a brief glance. There was that look as he feared. Hard, and maybe a bit betrayed. Sandstone scoffed under his breath and turned his back and Tallpaw felt his stomach flip over.

“You may as well go. Dawnstripe expects you to.” Sandstone said. Tallpaw could hear the edge in his voice.

In truth he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to go to the gathering anyway, especially now that speaking to his father had made him feel far less confident. As soon as one worry started, it was easier for all of them to pile up on top of it. He was so nervous he didn’t know if he could keep his fur from pricking and signaling his fear to every enemy clan cat within a tail length.

Tallpaw cast a sideways glance to Brackenwing who was sitting with Shrewpaw and Briarpaw, scolding Shrewpaw gently.

“You must remember to behave yourself, this will be your first gathering since you weren’t on good enough behavior the past two moons. Be dignified, and don’t let ShadowClan ruffle your pelt.”

“I know, I know mom, we’ll be fine!” Shrewpaw groaned.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Briarpaw mewed, earning a quiet glare from his brother.

“I’m sure you will.” Brackenwing said, her voice warm as ever as she gave her sons a brisk lick over the ears and sent them on their way. “Be safe.”

Tallpaw ducked his head and padded over quietly to join Dawnstripe and the other apprentices, and he hesitantly pressed his head against her shoulder.

“Nervous, aren’t you?” Dawnstripe said.

“No, it’s fine. I’m not nervous.” Tallpaw mumbled.

“It’s normal to be, just stick by your clan mates and everything will be alright. Heatherstar will get our issues sorted out.”

Tallpaw hoped she was right and that the night would end quickly.

***

The gathering was more overwhelming than Tallpaw could have imagined. WindClan was the last to arrive, and Tallpaw walked alongside Dawnstripe pressing close to his mentor’s side. The bombardment of new unfamiliar scents all mixed together and hitting the roof of his mouth made him want to gag, but he had been warned to be polite.

“Don’t be frightened,” Dawnstripe soothed. The fact that his panicked scent was apparently as obvious as he feared only made Tallpaw more self conscious than he already was. “This is a peaceful night,” she continued. “There’s nothing to be worried about. You can stick by me if you want.”

Her steady purr soothed his anxieties just a bit. It was incredibly tempting to take her up on that offer, but several tail lengths ahead of him, he could see Fallowspring bounding ahead with Shrewpaw eagerly at her heels. The other apprentice wasn’t nervous at all, and if Tallpaw stayed tethered to his mentor's tail all night, Shrewpaw would surely not let him hear the end of it.

“No I’m...I’m alright. I just didn’t expect there to be so many cats.” Tallpaw mewed.

“It is always overwhelming the first time. This isn’t even half the cats in the territories. ShadowClan is bigger than our clan on their own.”

Great StarClan there’s more? Tallpaw shuddered. It took him so long just to keep track of his own clan. He scanned the crowd, noticing how all the faces were so wildly different from his own familiar clan mates. A group of massive well muscled cats with broad heads and long fur chatted amiably with Woollycloud. Woollycloud was the biggest cat he knew other than Hawkheart, but many of these cats rose above him. There was another group that Fawnleap had already trotted over to, a short and stocky bunch with round faces and sleek thick pelts. A faint smell of fish hit his nose even from the distance. Surely those must be RiverClan cats. At least I can tell them apart by the smell alone, he thought, wrinkling his nose disdainfully.

He caught sight of who he assumed was the ShadowClan medicine cat, Sagewhisker, sitting at the base of the leader's rock. Like Hawkheart had once told him, her pure white fur stood out like a dove among ravens surrounded by her murky pelted clan mates. Tallpaw stiffened when his gaze drifted to the cat hunched over beside her. In stark contrast to the sleek snow-colored medicine cat was a scraggly dark gray molly, who had her fierce orange gaze fixed on him. She looked like she hadn’t groomed her long messy fur in a moon, and battle scars crossed her pelt and marred her face. Even from where he sat, he could see long teeth sticking out at a funny angle from her jaw. Why was she staring at him? He resisted the urge to duck behind Dawnstripe and waited for the molly to snap her gaze away.

“Who is that messy looking gray cat with the strange teeth?” Tallpaw whispered to Dawnstripe.

Dawnstripe snorted, “We just talked about being polite Tallpaw. Not that ShadowClan cats care much about what they look like, but we are trying to be friendly, and a cat from another clan may not take comments like that sitting down. That’s Ratfang. She looks and sounds like an elder but she’s younger than she seems. Ratfang was a brand new warrior at my first gathering several seasons ago, though I hear she’s actually a medicine cat now. Not that I’ve talked to her myself, she’s not the most sociable cat around. Not a bad cat from what I know, but try not to get in her way. Perhaps you should go meet some of the other clan apprentices?” Dawnstripe suggested, distracting him from the staring molly. “I can tell you’re curious. I know things are tense right now, but that doesn’t mean you should be afraid to enjoy the gathering. The other clans are always interested in meeting new apprentices. Of course, just make sure you have another clan mate with you. You could catch up with Shrewpaw”

“Do I have to?” Tallpaw groaned. Shrewpaw is sure to show off and make me look bad.

“Only for your first gathering Tallpaw. Shrewpaw has to keep a buddy with him too, you know.”

Tallpaw nodded and weaved through the crowd to catch up with Shrewpaw and Fallowspring.

“Do you know where my mouse-brained brother has run off to?” Fallowspring asked with an annoyed flick of her tail. “I wanted to be together when they announced our warrior names!”

“I think I saw him going over to that group of cats over there. The ones that smell like old fish.” Tallpaw replied.

Fallowspring rolled her eyes “RiverClan, why am I not surprised. He’s going to show off to Shimmerpaw now that he’s a warrior! That useless lump of fur swoons over every cat that winks at him. I’d better go pull him away before he makes a fool out of us. I’ll meet you later, Shrewpaw.”

Shrewpaw looked after her a little anxiously as she padded away. Tallpaw nudged his shoulder.

“On the topic of swooning,” he said, “you’ve sure been following Fallowspring around a lot lately.”

Shrewpaw glared at him “We’re friends, so yes I hang around her! I’m sorry you can’t stand me wanting to get a break from your annoying mewling all the time.”

“Whatever you say.”

Shrewpaw teases me all the time, he deserves this, Tallpaw thought, and I am definitely not going to let it go.

An unpleasant and unfortunately familiar stench hit him right then, and the two toms stopped their teasing and looked to the side at the same time. ShadowClan scent was one he was very used to picking out by now, as every patrol had made him be on high alert for it. He caught sight of the scarred reddish-brown fur of Raggedpelt, one of the cats he’d seen at the border, and tried to force his fur flat. The ShadowClan warrior had his back to him, and Tallpaw would prefer to keep it that way. Beside him, there sat a smaller darkly colored scruffy apprentice, with an oddly snub muzzle and hungry orange eyes leering at them, but he grinned and flicked his tail in greeting when they made eye contact. Tallpaw noticed the tom's tail had a strange crook in it in the middle, and it moved very oddly when he swished it. He sat alongside the wiry gray apprentice Shrewpaw had nearly fought with under the Thunderpath, and a bigger dark brown tabby with the deep scar clawed across his face. Tallpaw could tell from the sour look on Shrewpaw’s face that he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of hanging around ShadowClan apprentices any more than Tallpaw was.

“We’re supposed to be polite. It’s only one night.” Tallpaw whispered to him and then he turned his attention back to the little crooked tailed tom, who was now padding over to them. “Uh...hello. My name is Tallpaw--”

“You’re WindClan right?” the apprentice asked.

“Yes.” Shrewpaw replied, clearly trying, and failing, to keep a growl out of his voice. “And you’re ShadowClan, I assume. A bit small for an apprentice.”

“I’m the newest apprentice,” he sneered and glanced at Tallpaw, “I thought the same about you. A cat could see the WindClan in you a mile away. You're all so scrawny.”

Tallpaw looked around for an excuse they could use to walk away gracefully before Shrewpaw’s fur started bristling anymore when, much to his disappointment, the gray molly and the scarred face tom came to join them.

“Long time no see, rabbit chasers.” The gray molly mewed.

“Great, it’s Ashpaw,” Shrewpaw grumbled under his breath.

“I heard you met Ashpaw already,” said the small tom. “I’m Darkpaw. This is Buzzardpaw.”

“Nice to meet you, I guess?” Tallpaw said. The big dark tabby with the scarred face called Buzzardpaw was fixing them both with a cold glare. What kind of a fight had that cat got into to get a scar like that? He suddenly wished he had opted to stay with Dawnstripe after all.

“You don’t have to lie, Tallpaw. It’s not nice to meet you, and we’re busy so why don’t you go crawl back to your smelly clanmates? No one likes talking to ShadowClan.”

Tallpaw winced at Shrewpaw’s obvious hostility, but to his surprise, the apprentices only laughed.

“I thought you WindClan snobs prided yourself on your dignity.” Darkpaw said, “and I heard so many good things about you from Ashpaw.”

“Like how easy that short one is to rile up.” Ashpaw added.

“Of course, it’s easy to do that when you have warriors around, or when there’s a truce. You don’t have to back it up.” Darkpaw said.

If he’s a brand new apprentice, why does he feel like the ringleader? Tallpaw thought. He was growing more uncomfortable by the second.

Shrewpaw growled deep in his throat. “You want to see me ‘back it up’ frog-breath?”

Tallpaw couldn’ keep his fur from ruffling. He knew they should just leave but Shrewpaw was paying him no attention.

“What about that skinny one?” Darkpaw said, ignoring Shrewpaw’s taunt. “You don’t talk much do you? Does he do all your arguing for you? Then again, I guess I’d be nervous too if I were you, since you know your leader’s going to give Cedarstar what he wants either way. From the looks of you, I doubt WindClan is renowned for their strength.”

Buzzardpaw shoved him “You don’t need to spill everything, Darkpaw. Cedarstar can handle it on his own.”

But now Tallpaw was bristling. Who did this cat think he was? They’d barely said a word, and this was how he started speaking them?

“WindClan is not weak.” He growled, “And I don’t need any cat to talk for me.”

Darkpaw shoved his nose into Tallpaw’s face “Yeah? Are you sure? I’d like to see you prove it.”

Whack. Tallpaw smacked him across the muzzle and as soon as he did it he knew he made a mistake. He didn’t know what had come over him. He’d never actually hit any cat before with his claws. It wasn’t much of a blow, but it was enough. Darkpaw looked surprised for only a moment, the tiniest bead of blood seeped out of the side of his nose and then his orange eyes lit up with excitement as if Tallpaw had done exactly what he’d wanted. Before he could react, Darkpaw reared up and snapped at Tallpaws ears. Tallpaw was vaguley aware of Shrewpaw snarling and headbutting into Ashpaw, toppling her into Buzzardpaw when she lunged forward. Darkpaw piled into Tallpaw's chest and he rolled over, shoving the snapping jaws away from his face. Kicking the tom away, he spun around to swipe at him when a stinking mass of gray fur barreled forward. Both he and Darkpaw stumbled backwards with a yowl of surprise.

“Mouse-brained kits!” a raspy voice snarled. Standing over him was the dark gray scarred molly Tallpaw had seen glaring at him before. Ratfang’s dark orange eyes flashed in the moonlight as she glared at Darkpaw. “The gathering has not even started and you’re picking a fight? And you--” She bared her teeth at Buzzardpaw and Ashpaw “You’re both nearly warriors and you’re still acting like unruly apprentices! Ashpaw, you aren’t going to keep getting away with whatever you please just because your father's the deputy.”

Darkpaw sat up with a snarl “We were defending ourselves and our honor! You’re not my mentor--”

“That’s enough, Darkpaw,” Raggedpelt hissed, coming up behind Ratfang. “I don’t need my son being seen like this.” Darkpaw paid his medicine cat little head, but flattened his ears at the warrior, apparently his fathers’, words and padded away grumbling under his breath.

“Shrewpaw, Tallpaw!” Tallpaw ducked his head in embarrassment as he saw Hareflight padding towards them. “Come stand with the rest of us at once.”

Tallpaw and Shrewpaw were roughly guided away from the ShadowClan crowd, Shrewpaw lashing his tail as Hareflight made sure to lecture him the whole way about their disrespect. Tallpaw felt awful. I shouldn’t have hit that cat. He’d just gotten so angry. Who was Darkpaw to call him weak? He doesn’t even know me! The look in his eyes remained in Tallpaw’s mind. Darkpaw had wanted to fight him, was excited about it even, and Tallpaw had fallen for it. When he’d sat down with Shrewpaw, Briarpaw and Dawnstripe joined him. Before Dawnstripe could say anything Tallpaw launched into his apologies before he could see how disappointed she really was that he’d messed up almost immediately.

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to break the truce I just got--they were being so--”

“You should have known better, and you're going to get a talking to about it when we get back.” Dawnstripe sighed. “But young cats argue at gatherings sometimes. Your lucky Ratfang was there to break you up before anyone did real damage. I know things are tense right now, but ShadowClan are still cats like us. I’m sure whatever the problem is, we can get it solved.”

Tallpaw shifted uncomfortably, still prickling with anger despite his shame. If Sandstone were here he could have put them in their place. He probably would have known just what to say.

Briarpaw scooted over to them. “Did you guys really get into a fight? We just got here!” he hissed.

“They were asking for it.” Shrewpaw snapped back.

Tallpaw was too embarrassed to respond. He didn’t want to do anything else tonight other than stay out of trouble and prove to Dawnstripe he could handle himself.

When the moon reached its peak in the sky, a yowl sounded over the gathering of cats. The four leaders of the clans sat upon the great rock. The ThunderClan leader, Pinestar, and the RiverClan leader, Hailstar, had joined them along with ShadowClan’s Cedarstar. Cedarstar was a lean, scrawny cat. His dark gray fur stuck up around his neck and his white belly fur was darkened and dingy with the marshy water he’d recently trodded through. Piercing green eyes observed the cats below him calmly like an owl. Even from where he sat, Tallpaw could see his long sharp claws flexing into the tree of the oak branch where he perched.

After each clan announced their new warriors and apprentices, ThunderClan and RiverClans leaders spent the first half the announcements passive aggressively bickering about who had current claim to the sunning rocks. Tallpaw knew their clans had been at on and off bloody war over the patch of territory non-stop for generations. Apparently it was a very common topic at gatherings. He sat up straighter when at last it was Heatherstar’s turn to speak.

“Prey had run well in WindClan,” Heatherstar said, and a slight edge began to creep into her voice, “but I wish I could say that all felt especially peaceful. We have had some trouble at our borders.” She turned to Cedarstar.

“Yes, with the other clans news out of the way,” he said in a sharp scratchy voice, and his gaze flicked over to Heatherstar who met it cooly. “We have business that must be discussed.”

“I suppose we do. I suspect you’ll care to explain.”

Cedarstar cleared his throat, “There is a wide stretch of woodlands beyond the Thunderpath that gets especially muddy in the rain seasons and that once was a part of ShadowClans marshlands. As the land was ours in the time our ancestors founded the clans, we believe it should be returned--regardless of the Thunderpath that now separates us. Twolegs should not be deciding where our borders lie, and it is long past time we got it back.

RiverClans leader Hailstar rumbled in agreement. “It has always been RiverClans belief that the borders set down by our long past ancestors were set with purpose, and a changing landmark should not rule our decisions.”

“It is not just a matter of the twolegs Thunderpath,” Heatherstar said. “Your former leader Houndstar willingly gave that stretch of woodland to Badgerstar ages ago! The deal was made fairly and with both parties consent, and it has remained for so many seasons that our oldest elders scarcely remember when it belonged to ShadowClan. What reason could you possibly have to go back on Houndstar’s decision? It is against clan law trespass and take without good cause.”

“You need not remind me of our laws against outsiders crossing into territory. ShadowClan knows clan law well. No clan should abide having outsiders on their land, of course. I’d expect no less from you, Heatherstar.”

There was an edge to his voice. Tallpaw looked up at Dawnstripe, worried. Could he be referring to WindClans visitors? Had they already found out about them somehow? From the look on her face, he guessed she was thinking the same thing.

Cedarstar continued, “Houndstar made a decision he felt was appropriate at the time in letting WindClan borrow that territory, and now StarClan has left me in charge of my clan's decisions. The trees should mark the border. ShadowClan needs that land back more than WindClan, who I’m sure aren’t keen to hunt in the marshy grass when it gets wet.”

There was a note of condescension in his voice. All of WindClan was quiet as they looked up at Heatherstar. Tallpaw kneaded the ground anxiously. Tallpaw knew she didn’t want to start a fight, WindClan rarely did. But being peaceful doesn’t mean we’re weak! he thought angrily. He could tell from her hard gaze she didn’t intend to bend so easily either. It was more than not wanting to give up a scrap of potential hunting land, even if it didn’t have their usual prey. The Thunderpath made it more difficult for cats to trespass across it without drawing attention, and no cat wanted to make it any easier for ShadowClan to spy unnoticed.

At last Heatherstar spoke. “There is nothing to talk about Cedarstar. WindClan does not agree to your terms. Our boundaries that have remained in place for generations will not shrink back whenever it suits you. They should not be moved so carelessly, and the Thunderpath is a sensible place to keep it. ShadowClan has no stakes on any of WindClan’s land and that is all there is to say on the matter." Then without another word, she leaped down from the great oak. “That is all the news to discuss at this gathering. We will return home now.”

Cedarstar looked a bit surprised. He blinked after her “Is that really your final answer, Heatherstar?”

“I meant what I said,” she said without turning back to address him directly. “There is nothing to talk about. WindClan, to me.”

All the clan turned and weaved their way out of the crowd to follow their leader quietly. So much for coming to an agreement. As soon as they were a distance away from the gathering place, the nervous muttering started.

“I can't believe Cedarstar is threatening a fight over this!”

“We can’t let ShadowClan push us back, what’s to stop them from saying the marshy grass past the trees should be theirs too?"

"Yes, they can’t just claim everywhere that gets wet!”

“But what happens now?”

Dawnstripe had been quiet but she looked down when Tallpaw tapped her with his tail. “Does Heatherstar really want to fight ShadowClan over the forest?” he asked.

“No good leader wants to fight,” Dawnstripe replied “But we still must be willing to. I think Heatherstar wanted to call Cedarstar’s bluff. WindClan's relations have been peaceful for generations, Badgerstar rarely quarreled. I’ll bet Cedarstar thought he could take advantage of Heatherstar wanting to uphold that legacy.” Nervousness pricked at Tallpaw’s pads. He wasn’t as excited to fight as other cats like Shrewpaw were. But how long did I think I could go without having to hurt some cat? A few tail lengths behind him, he heard Briarpaw’s anxious voice arguing with his brother. Tallpaw slowed his pace to walk with them.

“I’m telling you Shrewpaw, I’m not imagining it!” Briarpaw insisted.

“And I’m telling you, you should probably take a nap or something because there’s clearly fleas in your brain!”

“What are you guys talking about?” Tallpaw asked.

Shrewpaw rolled his eyes “Briarpaw thinks he’s seen a cat get attacked by his own tail”

“I don’t think, I know what I saw!”

Tallpaw blinked at him in confusion “How does a cat get attacked by his own tail?”

“It was that reddish-brown ShadowClan warrior with the scars in his flank. Rippedpelt or Raggedpelt--whatever his name is? When Heatherstar and Cedarstar were talking, his tail was swishing back and forth angrily. And then it got more aggressive, and he curled it around his back, but it wasn’t...curling normally. I swear I heard the bone in it crack and suddenly it started convulsing and snapping, but he didn’t even seem to be aware of it! When he curled it around his body the end of it rose up like a snake and struck right through the back of his neck! Then I blinked and it was back to normal, curled around his paws. It was so vivid I could have sworn it really happened.”

Tallpaw didn’t quite know how to respond to that. He was having trouble even envisioning what Briarpaw was trying to describe. “So...a cat swished his tail so hard that...he broke it, and then his tail turned into a...snake?”

Briarpaw gave an exasperated growl “I don’t know how to describe it any better! Obviously I know it couldn’t have really happened, no one else even looked at him, but I still saw it so clearly in my head. And I’m not just tired,” he said with a glare at Shrewpaw. “It must have meant something. And that’s not even to mention the other sign I saw on the way here.”

“The magic feather.” Shrewpaw said.

“Not a magic feather fluff-for-brains, it was a little white feather that had all its soft ends tugged away until it was just a shriveled stick. Which felt... I don’t know, probably bad, right? I don’t know who or what a little white feather would represent but… I just felt it!” Briarpaw fretted.

Shrewpaw looked at Tallpaw “It’s been like this ever since he started training with Hawkheart, suddenly everything is an omen of doom!”

“I don’t know that it's an omen of doom or not, that’s the problem! I’m suddenly aware of so much more and I don’t know how to read it!”

“I still think your stressing out over nothing,” Shrewpaw said. “You're describing a really vivid daydream. You get yourself worked up over a lot of things. Remember when Fawnleap got a belly ache after eating a mouse and you thought that the prey bones had stabbed through his insides and were going to kill him? Or when some dust fell down from the nursery roof and you were convinced it was a sign that the den was going to cave in?”

“The nursery actually needed repairs when that happened!” Briarpaw looked at his paws, dejected. “I know I was a little paranoid when I was younger, but this is different.”

“Alright well, say it’s a real vision.” Tallpaw said gently. “But if it’s about a ShadowClan cat, should we even worry? It doesn’t affect us what happens to him.”

“Yeah, if he gets eaten by a deformed tail snake, that sounds like his problem.” Shrewpaw added.

“I don’t know why I’m seeing these things,” Briarpaw said miserably “But I can’t just ignore them. If I saw it, it must be important, I just...I just can’t figure out how. I get these strong feelings of dread, and if I don't know how to interpret them...”

Tallpaw briefly pressed his nose to his friend's cheek. “I’m sure everything will sort itself out. We’ll be here for you.”

“I’m going to talk to Hawkheart,” Briarpaw said quickly, and started padding off ahead. “I’ll see you back at camp.”

Tallpaw and Shrewpaw watched him go. He worried about Briarpaw. Briarpaw had always claimed to see strange things on occasion, but they hadn’t been like this, and not usually when he was fully awake. And for all of Shrewpaw’s dismissiveness, Tallpaw could tell he was concerned about his brother as well. Briarpaw lost sleep for days when something was bugging him like this. But Tallpaw had no way of understanding what it was like for those following a medicine cat's path. Briarpaw thought it would make things clearer for him, but Tallpaw felt like Briarpaw was at risk of drifting away from both him and Shrewpaw. More so, he felt so useless and guilty that he didn’t know how to be more helpful to him. Had he only made Briarpaw feel worse by sounding doubtful? I wish things could still be like when we were kits...Everything ahead of us seemed so much clearer then.

***

As soon as they returned to camp, Dawnstripe and Hareflight sent them both to sleep, Hareflight demanding they go without eating as punishment for getting into a fight during the truce. Tallpaw felt so exhausted he didn’t even mind as much as he normally would have. Briarpaw was already curled up when Tallpaw got there, and Tallpaw was grateful again that Hawkheart had allowed him to continue sleeping in the normal apprentice den while his medicine cat training was still in a “trial” stage. He wanted to ask if Briarpaw was alright, but it was probably better to let him sleep. He wouldn’t be much good at settling his friends' anxieties anyway, especially when he couldn’t even settle his own. The tunnelers weren’t back yet, and that was what was really setting a worm wriggling in Tallpaw’s stomach. He was getting into arguments at the gathering and thinking of nothing but proving himself against Shrewpaw, while his father was out in the cold dark working tirelessly on a plan to actually help them make their clan stronger. And he was here, too scared of the earth to help him do it. Sandstone is going to be so disappointed when he hears what a fool I made of myself at the gathering...For StarClan’s sake, why wouldn’t he be? It’s so selfish of me to put off helping him! After a long while of reeling with embarrassment, he felt himself drifting off to sleep at last while those thoughts continued to tumble around in his head. Stupid kit, when are you going to stop being such a coward already? an angry little voice growled in his mind.

In his fading consciousness, he heard someone cry out. Had he dreamed that? He was too far gone to tell. Suddenly something slammed down on top of him, paws rapidly batting at his flank over and over with a yowl shrieking in his ear.

“Get out!” it screamed.

Tallpaw’s eyes snapped open and he jerked up with a yowl of his own. “Wha-what’s happ--Ow! Get off!”

Teeth had fastened around the back of his scruff and were yanking him sideways, dragging him out of his nest. Tallpaw barely came to his senses long enough to recognize Briarpaw’s scent. Briarpaw appeared to be sobbing through his fur and desperately yowling.

“Get out of there! Move, you have to move--please!”

“Briarpaw! Ow--! let go of my scruff, that hurts!” Tallpaw shook his head trying to get his denmate to let go. Shrewpaw had shot up as well at this point

“What in StarClan’s name--!? I’m trying to sleep!” he hissed.

Tallpaw batted Briarpaw on the head and he finally released his grip and stumbled backwards on his rump as Tallpaw slipped on the loose remains of his neatly woven nest, toppling onto his side.

“Briarpaw!” Tallpaw panted. “You’re sleepwalking again, wake up!”

Briarpaw’s eyes were wild with terror. He got up and took a step, and Tallpaw raised his legs prepared to push him back if he jumped on him again, but Briarpaw just crawled pitifully forward and buried his face in Tallpaw’s neck fur. Tallpaw was too stunned to do anything.

Shrewpaw stared at them, baffled and wide eyed. “What in StarClan's name is wrong with you!?”

Briarpaw didn’t respond, he was mewling incoherently into Tallpaw’s neck “Tallpaw, Tallpaw, oh Tallpaw pl--” Anything he said trailed off into mumbles. Tallpaw looked helplessly at Shrewpaw.

“Has it been this bad before?”

Shrewpaw shook his head. “No, I thought it was getting better. He hasn’t woken me up from a weird dream since we became apprentices.”

For several moments Briarpaw stayed there, clutched to his side as if he thought Tallpaw was going to get caught up and carried away in the wind if he let go. Tallpaw didn’t know what to do. Briarpaw’s red-brown fur felt very hot under Tallpaw’s chin. He gave his ears a comforting lick and purred to try and soothe his shaking. “Briarpaw, you feel warm. I think you’re getting sick, you’d better go see Hawkheart about this.”

Briarpaw’s only response was a quiet whimper. Tallpaw couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. Briarpaw was usually the one fretting over everyone else. Tallpaw tried to nudge the shaking apprentice to his feet, which he thankfully stiffly followed. Tallpaw pressed his muzzle under Briarpaw’s chin and wrapped his tail around his. “Look, I'll walk with you. Hawkheart will know what to do, come on.”

Briarpaw nodded quietly. He appeared to have snapped out of it somewhat when Tallpaw got him to his feet.

As the two made their way out of the apprentice den, Briarpaw leaned hard on Tallpaw’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said miserably. “I don’t know what came over me, I had a dream--it was awful and you were--” he shook his head, unable to find the words.

“It’s ok,” Tallpaw soothed. “It’s just a dream, I’m fine.”

After they got there, Hawkheart hadn’t taken long to shoo Tallpaw back to his nest. Tallpaw trailed behind, trying to hear what Hawkheart and Briarpaw were saying inside the stone lined den, but he couldn’t make it out. Hawkheart’s piercing yellow glare from the dark warned him to stop eavesdropping and move along. His gaze looked almost accusatory. What did I do? Tallpaw thought with an irritated flick of his tail. But the worry hung in his stomach all the same. What would he do if Briarpaw was really sick, on top of everything else that was happening?

When Tallpaw settled back into his nest, he had an even harder time getting back to sleep. It felt like days passed before he heard the quiet paw steps of Briarpaw coming back to the apprentice den. Briarpaw quietly pressed his nose to the back of Tallpaw’s head, and he flicked his ear in acknowledgment.

The medicine cat apprentice lay close beside him with his side pressed tight against Tallpaw’s back, and didn’t wake up again for the rest of the evening. But Tallpaw did. The longer he lay there, the more his stomach churned. Despite his earlier exhaustion, he just couldn’t rest or his worries would come tumbling back into his head. With a defeated sigh he lifted his head and got quietly to his paws. He needed to do something.

chapter list / previous / next

#FRU15 #chapter 15 #cw self loathing #that seems like a tag i should probably use? and frequently

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kokichis-dead-dove-club · 2 years ago

Note

I know there are lots of WC books, boy do I know. But put your most faves of the series and rate them - shipping-shiggy.

oh fuck this is HARD

hmmmmmm...... im gonna do this in categories i think, putting under the cut bc this could get long

alright i'll start with super editions, since theyre the most cut and dry i think

crookedstar's promise, it's super good, very emotional, i love crookedstar

tallstar's revenge, very gay, love it

this one's kinda difficult bc i havent read most of the older ones in a long time, so i think my answer would probably change once i've reread them, so... tentatively, im gonna say crowfeather's trial, for the sole reason that i have been a crowfeather fan since i was 10

ok next up im gonna do it by arc, and then after that i'll pick my faves out of those faves

for the prophecies begin:

into the wild, ofc

rising storm

i think a dangerous path and the darkest hour are tied here

honestly, the first arc in general is just rly solid, probably the best in the series (altho not my favorite arc)

now for the new prophecy... disclaimer, i havent read these books in at least 6 years, and i dont remember hardly anything so im going off wiki summaries lmao

starlight (windclan civil war my beloved, oh if only you were better fleshed out and expanded on)

sunset (good bramblehawk content lmao)

moonrise

power of three time

eclipse!! when i was a kid i reread this book over and over bc i thought the battle in the tunnels was just SO fucking cool, and yknow what? i was right

dark river

the sight

omen of the stars

the last hope for the sheer impact it had on me as a kid (also i still cry over firestar's death lmao)

night whispers

the forgotten warrior

dawn of the clans, my favorite arc!

the first battle, it has my favorite line in the series and is just. so good.

a forest divided

path of stars

a vision of shadows

SHATTERED SKY this is in my top 5 of all time, i LOVE how fucking dark it is, i can't get enough, i want more warriors books that are this level of fucked

thunder and shadow

the apprentice's quest

honestly this arc... kinda sucks lmao, it has some high points but overall... nah

the broken code! this is probably my 2nd or 3rd fave arc, i rly liked it

lost stars, incredibly strong start to an arc

the silent thaw, was not bored for even a single page reading this one, which is very rare for warriors

darkness within bc of how dark it is, even in comparison to the rest of this arc; like, that scene where the sisters are trying to summon bramblestar's ghost but instead it's a bunch of ghost cats screaming in agony?? fucking awesome

aaand i can't rly rate the current arc since theres only one book out dnfgdjkfh but i really loved river, i think this arc is gonna be pretty good!

soooo overall rankings! we have:

shattered sky, i could read it again and again, i swear

the first battle

into the wild

and just for funsies here are some of my least favorite books, not rly categorized bc im getting tired of typing<3

yellowfang's secret, leopardstar's honor, squirrelflight's hope, the sun trail (seriously fuck this book), outcast (every time the erins write a traveling book i die a little more inside), the fourth apprentice, river of fire, and the place of no stars

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away-from-anthills · 3 years ago

Text

chapter twelve-

(minor emetophobia/body horror tw)

That night, seven scraggly cats slinked out into the yellowing WindClan grass, their ears pricked and their claws unsheathed in anticipation for the bounty they knew awaited them.

One word from the black tom that led them, and they split in separate directions; a smaller group was being led away by a big, stocky piebald ginger molly. Her hazel eyes dully flickered with anticipation as she found a particular spot by a stone where the grasses grew short and motioned to Captain to make sure it was sound. Even before he nodded his head with approval, she whispered to a wheat-colored tom and a silvery tabby with her to lay low and stay quiet there. Then, she slunk into the grasses herself, although her large body made it difficult to hide as well as she might have liked.

“Now that Towser’s gotten ready,” whispered Captain to the three other cats that remained with him, “let’s go find our target.”

Stoatslink, meanwhile, was pacing around on the edge of the hollow that led into camp. He was on the cusp of becoming erratic, his white tail flicking like a snake tongue, in the way that a schoolteacher is on the cusp of becoming erratic. He looked patient, and he had a job to fulfill- but you could see just an ounce of frustration bubbling within, furrowing his brows until they were practically tangled together.

He was looking for a fight.

“Quiet, now,” said Whitetooth, leading Antstar to a willow tree that was comfortably outside of camp territory but also comfortably close to it. Its branches beckoned out, and a thin vine was slowly strangling its trunk and lowest bough. Antstar trod up the willow, ahead of them; his claws dug into the bark to keep himself steady. Once he found a branch that he felt comfortable with, he ventured forth; not daring to study the ground below him too closely.

He wobbled and shivered- but at least he was too high up to be recognized as something more than an owl.

He would never figure out how SkyClan cats did this, he thought to himself.

He nearly jumped feeling something brush up against him, but he relaxed upon seeing it was only Whitetooth, dutiful as ever.

“They shall be coming now. Look.”

Antstar followed their gaze to four dark shapes that rustled through the grass, creating path behind them as they went.

Captain, a large but slightly lanky black tom, led them, his smooth fur reflecting the smallest sliver of light. It was the first day after the new moon where a moon was indeed visible- if thinner and paler than a kitten’s claw.

To his left was Linsky, an old black molly; her age was obvious, although the soft nighttime light accentuated that she still had muscle and was fit for such a task. To his right was Whimbrel, the small tabby tom. His eye had been scabbed over, and a filmy cataract was beginning to develop where Towser had ripped her claw through.

In the middle stood a big, fluffy white tom with ears so flea-bitten they looked crumpled. Antstar had learned that this cat was named Garlic, and that had he been Clanborn he would have made a fine fighter- but alas, Fortune was cruel when she dealt his hand.

Stoatslink, meanwhile, continued to pace. To take a breath of fresh air and loosen his thoughts, he tilted his head back- and a smell he instantly recognized hit his nostril, forcing his yellow eyes open with realization.

Rogues.

For a moment, Antstar watched as Stoatslink looked back and forth, from where the camp was to the general direction of the scent, considering what he would do next. It was interesting, Antstar thought, in a sort of observatory way, the same way kits would capture little bugs and worms and watch as they marched away from their paws.

Finally- almost seeming to be disappointed in himself- after a final glance at camp, Stoatslink headed off towards the smell.

Antstar didn’t want to watch. He closed his eyes and turned away, towards where Whitetooth sat next to him- but anxiety got the better of him. He had to watch. To make sure it went right.

Stoatslink continued on his way. He looked vaguely unfamiliar with the pathways, the open sky. As a tunneler, this was certainly not something he was used to. He seemed… almost scared, without the canopy of earth that shielded him when he was in his element- just as Antstar felt intimidated by the lack of that same sky.

Stoatslink hesitated, for a minute. His ears flickered around rapidly, searching for something- anything- from the rogues.

He heard a rustle in the grass. He pointed, with his full body, in its direction, his eyes wide- both so he could take in all the senses he needed, and to express a sort of indignance, a stupefied anger, towards the situation.

He made up his mind, then.

For a brief moment, a brown tabby tail flickered in the grass.

Stoatslink slowly approached, crouched over, ears flattened. He was deliberate in the way he moved. He was not exactly a graceful creature, but he tried his best to slither through the grass like a wandering adder.

It occurred to Antstar what the rogues were doing. They were using Whimbrel as bait.

The brown tabby slowly emerged from the grass; his breath visibly shaky as he stared down the white tom. For a brief minute, they stared each other down.

Stoatslink started to hesitate. He wore confusion on his face. Whimbrel, it seemed, registered as no threat.

Was this it?

He felt something looming behind him and turned to see a big white tom leaping towards him.

Stoatslink managed to leap out of the way; the big white tom went hurtling forward. He wheeled around to address the attacker, his long yellowing claws unsheathed and his stance tense, and with a few claw swipes to the face managed to pry Garlic off of himself. Garlic gave a nod to Whimbrel, and the two ran forward; joined by two black cats. Captain was visibly trying to keep his distance as the four cats led Stoatslink to the previous spot. Then, at once they all ran into the grass and hid.

The moon peeked through a faint young cloud, casting the land below with soft milky light. It illuminated Stoatslink’s back. Antstar could see a long, snaking gash had been struck on the tom’s shoulder by Garlic earlier in the fight. Judging by Stoatslink’s grimace, Antstar guessed that the wound must have hurt. They were already weakening him.

Then, there was eerie, hyena-like laughter from all sides- all of the rogues joining into coarse, wicked cacophony. They were not only here to kill Stoatslink. They were mocking him. Stoatslink’s ears flicked around rapidly. His yellow eyes bore indignance, and he curled his lips into a snarl, his teeth glittering pale in the light of the moon. He turned around, trying to find both a means out and where the awful guttural laughter came from.

He sprang south.

Before he could land, however, Towser leapt up to meet him. The massive orange and white molly collided with him mid-air and sent him pummeling into the earth. He bit back, latching onto her face like a springing adder, and she reacted with disgust, yanking away her head to release his grip. He had left a bite mark in the middle of her face, and it was slowly beginning to bleed. Another cat, and then another, leapt out and started to attack Stoatslink.

But the white tom didn’t hold back. He freed himself yet again, and charged back into the fray; over, and over, and over again, as his white pelt began to turn an awful shade of pink from the blood and his ears were shredded until they were barely visible. And each time he charged, another cat leapt. The cataracts of anger had clouded his vision. Getting help, calling for others, waking up the Clan; it was all far and away from Stoatslink’s mind. Fighting was the only option he found in his irrational madness.

Eventually, Towser, Peg and Garlic had managed to pin the white WindClan tom down, pushing him so hard Antstar thought it was a wonder he didn’t sink into the earth. Captain, who had remained miraculously clean of the scrapes his fellow rogues had received from Stoatslink, took a minute to watch his prey as it thrashed against them, his gaze cool- if undeniably fearful.

Suddenly, Stoatslink twisted himself free and leapt at the elegant black tom. Captain squealed as he batted off the tom’s attack and fled into the grasses, leaving his subordinates to finish the job.

Some Captain, alright… thought Antstar bitterly.

One claw swipe, and then another… Antstar watched as the remaining rogues tore into Stoatslink. It seemed with every move, every new wound punctured, part of Stoatslink’s life spilled out into the earth. But the tom fought valiantly, which only seemed to weaken him further, charging and attacking and yelling with each fractured breath…

At last, the silver tabby jerked her claws across his already-weakened neck, seemingly peeling open his throat. Stoatslink fell to the ground, lopsidedly, still trying to choke out insults at his assassins even though his vocal pipes were cloaked in blood. He writhed on the ground, his paws overdramatically flailing as he tried to scrape hollow air; it took two cats to hold him down.

Whimbrel, the smallest of the rogues, came forward. In the time since Antstar had seen his eye get scratched, it had festered into an ugly, yellowing scar. Urged on by the cats around him, Whimbrel slowly extended out his claws, and then-

A final slash through the throat and the white tom fell to the ground.

Antstar waited a few moments, as did Whitetooth, who’s ears had been pricked up by the scent of blood. The rogues all stared down at the white tom- now little else than a lump of pale, blood-streaked fur.

He didn’t make a move.

The starlight above gave his blood an awful, crackling glow. Already it was beginning to trickle into the soil. Towser grabbed Stoatslink by the scruff of his neck and scanned the area, looking for her clients.

Antstar followed Whitetooth as the pale-furred medic scurried down the tree and slunk across the grass. His mind was spinning; he wished he could look in all directions so he knew not a single other soul was near. He felt sick- he had to keep his eyes on the sky above them in order to not devolve into migraines and vomit.

Towser dropped Stoatslink in front of the two WindClan cats, where he hit the earth with an awful- if quiet- fllmp.

“Deed should be done, now,” she said, casually licking a bit of the blood off her upper lips. “I’ll take care of Captain. Cowardly bastard always bails on us like this.”

Then she and the other rogues slunk away into the night, leaving Antstar and Whitetooth alone, with only Stoatslink and the moon’s unblinking white eye for company.

“Well,” said Whitetooth. They gestured to the body with their long, pointed snout. “Perhaps not as clean a kill as I would have liked, but it’ll suffice.”

Antstar only met them back with horrified silence.

“There is no other way this could have ended, Antstar,” they said gently. “He had to die, for the good of the Clan. For their protection.”

Still, Antstar said nothing. His shoulders towered over his head, hung low to the ground and furrowed with guilt.

“Here. We shall think of it this way. A mother stork will lay four eggs in each clutch. She cares for all four, and hopes for the best.”

Their paws seemed to tighten. Whitetooth had this peculiar way of freezing in place when they were telling a story, like they had forgotten their own body in the process of storytelling.

“She, however, shall only have enough food to feed three.”

The clearing was dead silent, except for their hushed, deep voice, which felt as it was comforting Antstar, wrapping him in a blanket and lulling him into peace somewhere far away from the blood and violence before his feet.

“The stork mother cannot let all four suffer and potentially die of starvation. It would be detrimental to her offspring; the greater good. So, quickly, she picks the weakest up- and drops it over the side of the nest. It falls, and then it is killed as it hits the hard earth. The other three children grow up and into the world.”

Antstar nodded. Already he understood.

“The greater good of your Clan outweighs each cat’s individual need. I did not want to see Stoatslink go either, I assure you. But there are things that simply have to be done.”

They reached for the scruff of Stoatslink’s neck, still pinched from where Towser had bitten into it earlier. Antstar reached for the spot in the spine just above the tail, and carefully lifted it, feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the way he could feel Stoatslink’s spine in his teeth. Gently, they carried it to the gorge, where the river watched them, lying in wait for its feast and licking its lips.

But Antstar begin to get an awful feeling. He remembered how Sparkthistle’s body had felt. It had already started to lose its warmth by the time they had managed to schlep it over to the Gorge.

But Stoatslink’s body was eerily warm.

Antstar suddenly dropped the body in place. Whitetooth stared back at him with a sense of angered annoyance until they realized what their leader was staring at as Antstar’s amber eyes stared down upon the white tom.

Ever so slightly, ever so quietly- the white tom was still breathing.

Slowly- one foot, then another- Stoatslink got up. He was evidently in extreme pain, but Antstar could not move himself to attack, and Whitetooth was simply obeying their leader’s stillness. Stoatslink couldn’t get himself up entirely- his strength was still bleeding out of him the way juice bleeds out of a fermented apple- but as soon as he was able to get himself upright, he was able to speak. His voice had been carved into little else but a hoarse whisper by the way his throat was still opened up, but the words were still clear and carried by the night air:

“You rogue bastard.” Antstar stammered to explain himself, backing away, but already he knew it was too late when Stoatslink’s yellow eyes alone seemed to throttle him.

“I knew as soon as you sent me out alone. That’s why I let them kill me- realized I wasn’t going to win, and decided I’d rather have my moment with you. When I realized it… suddenly it all made sense. The way you dawdled for so long. The way I never felt like you were taking me seriously. The awkward pauses, the silence. That guilty look in your eyes when we buried her. You killed her, Antstar. Or at least you arranged it.”

Antstar reacted out defensively, his legs tensing. “I didn’t kill her! I- “

“That’s what I thought someone like you would say,” said Stoatslink. Anger had stripped away the tom’s public sensibilities- and, perhaps, what kindness and basic decency he had afforded his leader to begin with. “Shalestar should never have let a rogue like you in!”

Stoatslink devolved into slurred curses as he tried to attack Antstar. At first, Antstar nearly let him, but instinct kicked in, and he felt himself claw at Stoatslink’s already-opened throat. Stoatslink let out a gasp for air, struggling to breath from the massive red puncture. Then, Whitetooth leapt in. Another strike, and the tom stumbled to the ground yet again- this time from genuine defeat and not the poorly planned exit from before.

The breathing slowed and soon stopped altogether, and his frame seemed to collapse inward the way dead bodies do. But his expression was frozen in time, his mouth permanently curved into a blind snarl of rage and his claws forever unsheathed.

What haunted Antstar most was how his eyes died wide open.

They threw him into the water, at a sort of odd angle- Whitetooth explained that it would work best if Stoatslink’s body was able to be discovered, just as Sparkthistle’s was, so if Antstar claimed a killer was on the loose it wouldn’t look like an act of wild paranoia. A particular jagged rock snagged the body between its teeth, and the most severe bloodstains were already washing away by the time Antstar was able to take his amber eyes back with him. Part of Antstar wanted to give Stoatslink a better burial, perhaps somewhere beyond the Clan; Whitetooth told him that it would just be a liability the longer they were out there and that Stoatslink would invariably get a burial some point later when the Clanmates found him, and that it would be kinder because that way his daughters would be able to say goodbye.

Antstar made a mental note to make sure Russetfoot didn’t send any apprentices on patrol before the body would be recovered.

As there was a little bit of the blood on their paws, Whitetooth led Antstar down a small tunnel near the gorge that led directly to its waters. This had been dug many years and years ago by tunnelers during a dry spell, in order to create a place the Clan could drink from. It had always made Antstar feel uneasy because of its sharp angle and how loud it was from the bristled water- but especially now. He let the edge of the water wipe his paw clean, and quickly wiped it dry. Whitetooth calmly did the same, not even glancing at the body- which was now directly before them.

Antstar stared at the body further. He couldn’t pry his eyes off of it. The head was slightly cracked open, as it had hit the stone first.

He had never seen the inside of a cat’s head before, and he decided he never ever wanted to see it again as he felt himself swallow the vomit that had lunged into his mouth.

He was shaking the entire time they went back. It was silent, but Antstar could tell already that it was nearing the morning when he heard songbirds in the distance. Only now had he realized how long it was been; he felt lucky beyond all measure to see the only cats that had gotten up in the night were queens who had been taking care of the kits and hadn’t noticed any absences. Everything was as it was, as it had been. He crept into his nest- which suddenly felt much colder and pricklier than he had known it to be- and tried to get himself to fall asleep.

The image of the corpse, however, had sewn itself to the back of his eyelids. Every time he closed his eyes, it was there.

He wondered if Stoatslink was already watching him from the afterlife- and was already out to curse him. He looked across the clearing. For a moment, he thought he saw two cats, cats he knew but could not name; although he was certain his mind was playing tricks on him the same way Coalclaw’s seemed to.

Another moment and they were gone.

It was the dawn patrol that found Stoatslink’s body.

Antstar felt sorry that Webwhisker was the one to find it. Webwhisker was a happy, peaceful cat, perhaps one of the gentlest in the Clan; but Antstar realized he could not tell Russetfoot to send all the cats who could easily stomach dead bodies out on patrols that day. The blood had mostly been licked away by the water; save for the killing wounds in the throat. His face was still frozen in that look of fury, even now as it smelled of river water and the soaked fur clung to the body.

“Look at the wound!” Antstar heard one of the queens say when the dawn patrol dropped the body off in the center of camp. He scanned around to see where Goldenpaw and Milkpaw were; he could not see them as too many WindClan cats were crowding around. He was uncertain if this made him feel better or worse.

“It’s so deep,” said Emberheart in somber shock.

“Someone must have done this,” muttered Rockscratch, already seemingly out to attack whoever it had been, his yellowing claws extended and his ears drawn back.

Antstar made a show of inspecting the body, and gasping with horror- in some part feigned, but mostly genuine- as he saw the big, gaping hole in the body’s throat. He pretended to think; in reality he was glancing to where Whitetooth was in the crowd, looking for an answer.

As soon as he saw Whitetooth slightly nod, he scrambled up the Tallrock. He had never felt so dizzy, climbing it. He couldn’t control his paws very well, and thrice he nearly slipped off its smooth, pale back, worn away by the generations of leaders before him.

Generations of non-killers.

But no, Antstar told himself, remembering the mother stork. He gazed down upon his Clan- his children, in some odd sense. This was the sacrifice that one paid for a Clan, and for love, and for the acceptance that Antstar had never truly known.

He stuttered and stammered. He looked down to see the body’s yellow eyes still seemed to be staring at him, asking him a question he would never truly answer, and asking many more that he could scarcely understand.

What will you do now, rogue?

He took a deep breath, and prayed to StarClan that another afterlife out there would accept him.

“Let all cats, old enough to catch their own prey…”

#warrior cats #warrior cats ocs #story #short chapter but: Things Happen!

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mallowstep · 3 years ago

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some stuff i’m working on over vacation

if you have thoughts or opinions on what you'd like to see let me know.

everything is under a cut bc some of the excerpts are long.

and i see the sun in your eyes (and i see you in your son's eyes)

talljake + windclan firepaw.

and the winter comes (with howling wind)

Battles weren't supposed to be like this.

The thought echoed in Frostfur's mind, as she stood shoulder to shoulder with Brindleface at the entrance to the nursery.

Rosetail was outside, but she was an elder. If ShadowClan was attacking the nursery, they'd certainly spare no thought for an elder.

The kits cried. They didn't understand what was happening.

Outside, Frostfur watched Rosetail die.

"You stay," she said, and without giving Brindleface a chance to argue, she leapt out of the nursery.

"Blackfoot!" she hissed.

The ShadowClan deputy didn't respond, and Frostfur focused on avenging Rosetail.

And protecting her kits.

Battles weren't supposed to be like this.

They weren't supposed to end with Frostfur returning, blood still covering her, just to reassure them she was alright, only to stare in horror at their empty nest.

Brindleface stammered apologies. She was scouting a safe path to the nursery, she hadn't meant to leave them alone, only—

"It's not your fault, Brindleface," Frostfur said, her heart beating painfully fast. "Battles aren't supposed to be like this."

ask for me by the name of those who loved me

"It's cliche, really, but as she's dying (falling), Feathertail's life flashes before her eyes."

ataraxia

Hollykit made her first decision about the world early, like most kits:

The world was a loud place.

It didn't start that way, it started silent, and then quiet, but then it was loud.

There were so many cats, always around her, and she missed being alone, in the quiet.

She got used to it, eventually — of course she did — but sometimes it was just exhausting.

eyes like sinking ships on water

no excerpts yet, but a goldenflower character study. centres around goldentiger

grow crocuses in the cracks of your heart

"Fireheart said you weren't my mother," Cloudpaw said. He looked up at her, pleading, and she took a breath to steady herself.

"Who nursed you?" she asked.

"You did."

"And who played with you?"

"Fernkit and Ashkit."

"And who do you come to when you have a nightmare?"

He flattened his ears, embarrassed, but still, muttered, "You."

Satisfied, Brindleface leaned down to touch noses. "I didn't give birth to you," she said. "That much is true. But Cloudpaw, that's not what it means to be a mother."

"He said he knows her," Cloudpaw said. "That she's his sister."

"That's what he told us," Brindleface said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. You shouldn't have had to find out from him."

Cloudpaw shifted. "Is it okay if I want to meet her?"

"Of course it is," she said, purring. Brindleface wrapped her tail around him — he'd be too big for that, soon, and she wanted to take advantage of every chance she had — and licked his head. "It's okay if you want to know her."

"I'm not mad at you," he said. "I just...I don't know."

Brindleface sighed. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that Fireheart wasn't Clanborne. But telling a kit they were born to another was the prerogative of the queen, no one else. She had intended on telling him, but not yet.

"It's okay not to know," she said. "I'll always be here for you."

Cloudpaw purred. "Maybe, one day, you two can meet," he said, hesitantly. "If she's nice."

"I'd like that," she said. "If that's what you want."

Heathertail's School for Attractive, Murderous She-Cats

"I call this moon's meeting of the support group for Crowfeather's apprentices to order," Fernstripe said, her voicing bouncing off the walls of the tunnels.

"Say the full title," Heathertail said, flicking her tail.

"Do I have to?"

"It's important," Featherpelt said. "It's part of it."

"I call this moon's meeting of the support group for Crowfeather's unreasonably attractive apprentices to order." Fernstripe's ears folded back. "I don't like calling us that."

Heathertail flicked her tail again. "And how many cats tried to talk to you at the last Gathering?"

Fernstripe looked at her claws.

"That's not fair, Heathertail. You're the only one who can count past four."

"If you have to count past four, you qualify as unreasonably attractive." Heathertail licked her paw. "The sooner you accept what you are, the sooner you can focus on the real mission."

"Killing Crowfeather?" Fernstripe perked up.

"Exactly." Heathertail touched her nose to Fernstripe's shoulder. "There she is. Now, let's go over everyone's attempts for the month."

howling ghosts (they reappear)

Squirrelflight wakes up, and she smells Bramblestar.

Something is wrong; she's not supposed to be here.

What happened? Did she get captured? Did she forget?

Has it all been some kind of terrible dream?

She fights to keep her breathing slow, not wanting to wake him.

"Squirrelflight?" he whispers, and she flinches. "Squirrelflight, it's just me."

Yes, she thinks. That's the problem.

She extracts herself from him slowly, not wanting to look suspicious. His eyes are blinking awake slowly, and he's watching her.

"Where are you going?" he asks. "The sky is still dark."

"Just to the dirtplace," she says, and she slips out of their den.

Stormcloud is sitting vigil, and he doesn't question her when she slips out of the tunnel.

Squirrelflight tries to remember what happened. She had escaped him, hadn't she?

No, she was just in the Dark Forest. She's not there, anymore, she got out, with Bramblestar.

Squirrelflight closes her eyes, her heartbeat slowing. She slips back into their den. Bramblestar has already fallen back asleep, and she takes her place at his side, curling herself into the tightest ball she can.

i saw a face in the window of the house on high

Leafpaw was six moons old the first time she met a cat who wasn't Cinderpelt.

Cinderpelt cared for her in the quiet of their hollow, sweeping herbs out of her reach until she was old enough to understand.

She learned the scent of other cats by the prey she ate, but when she turned six moons, her introduction came time.

"There are so many of them," she whispered.

"I know," Cinderpelt said, her heart wincing. "You don't have to meet them all today," she said. "They just have to meet you."

She sat quietly by Cinderpelt as cat after cat came to greet them. Their names blurred, some appearances hanging to the names Cinderpelt had told her, but others fading.

"I greet you," said a ginger she-cat. "Cinderpelt, and Leafpaw."

"Well-met, Squirrelpaw," Cinderpelt said.

The apprentice dipped her head and left.

like rum or like sweet currant wine

a conversation between squirrelflight and squirrelpaw

milk and honey

a human/fae au feat. hollywillow

perisoreus canadensis

Jaypaw knows he is smaller than his siblings. It's hard to miss. He's not even as tall as Squirrelflight, and barely growing, and Hollypaw and Lionpaw have already surpassed her.

He tries not to let it get to him.

He stops growing first, only a paw's width taller than Squirrelflight. Hollypaw and Lionpaw become warriors, and his whiskers touch their shoulders.

It doesn't bother him like it used to. Hollyleaf and Lionblaze are warriors, and he's just a medicine cat's apprentice, too blind and too helpless to bother teaching to fight properly. He's no longer a part of their life, not in the same way. They don't play fight with him any more, they don't talk to him when they're squabbling over Cinderheart, and he wonders if it will always be this way.

If he will always be Jaypaw, their weaker, smaller, blind baby brother who they need to protect.

(He isn't. He becomes Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf dies, and Lionblaze stops talking to him. He keeps himself up as long as he can, because if he sleeps, it's only going to be worse, giving him a face to curse for granting his wish.)

sarasponda

Palebird was a tunneler.

That meant she built something permanent, something the Clan would rely on for seasons upon seasons, long after Palebird herself had passed on.

You could feel the life of the Clan in the tunnels. It was something the moor runners would never understand, what it meant to build something, to create something.

WindClan has barely any dens on the surface, and their camp had changed locations more than once. A warrior with no appreciation of the tunnels did not understand what it meant to last.

But Palebird did. As did her mother and father, and their parents before them, and so would Palebird's kits.

They would know what it meant to last in a world constantly pushing them forward.

when the lowtide spits us out again

"Congratulations," Crookedjaw said as the sun rose.

Willowbreeze purred. "You woke up at dawn just to break my vigil?"

"Maybe," he said. "But I made you a nest. Come sleep."

She stood, arching her back, and brushing against him as she walked towards his den.

"There's space for me?" she asked.

"Well," Crookedjaw said. "As long as you don't mind sleeping next to me."

Willowbreeze laughed. "Let's go sleep."

you're alive in my head

another fic based around poppyfrost searching for honeyfern at the moonpool

#mine #txt #17th #July #2021 #July 17th 2021 #most but not all are one shots #info #blog update #au drop #(s) there are multiple #19th #July 19th 2021

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fencesandfrogs · 4 years ago

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names. leaders. meaning.

i’m working on a master post with a list of my influences but i’m impatient and i have my own ideas. warrior cats lore post. bracketed numbers are things that broke flow but i wanted to include. under the cut.

THUNDERCLAN leaders are addressed by their name. there is no honorific, just bluestar or firestar or pinestar. the names of a leader become hallowed names. no kit will be named bluekit for many seasons after her death, until those who knew her have passed, and her name is just another in the list of leaders kits are taught. their names, kits are told, are powerful. just as kits can be summoned by their name, so can a leader. firestar’s compassion and fairness will be with us as long as we remrember his name.

a kit’s name is its mother’s choice, although a generous queen might allow a tom some input. kits are named for what they look like and what their mother wants them to be. dovekit for a grey kit who deserves peace. ivykit for a grey kit who deserves to put down roots.

after the great journey, these peaceful names have been more common. everyone wants to stay, be stable and calm. it won’t be until all those who made the journey have passed for it to even be possible for the old fighting to start again. maybe then, more grey kits will be named stormkit for power.

and their warrior name is always for them. recent leaders may have made unique choices, but perhaps older leaders were too conservative. bluefur and snowfur, from the same litter no less, is a tad unoriginal. but a kit is named for who their mother wants them to be, and a warrior is named for who they are. names describe who we are. [1]

SHADOWCLAN leaders are addressed by their name at times, especially during the day, but during hallowed and holy times, they are addressed by star seer. never in front of other clans. this is a powerful name. kits are taught this from birth. the stars are their ancestors, and the leader has been blessed by nine. it is only fair to show reverence for that. but the other clans do not understand this. they would only dishonor the tradition.

a kit’s name is chosen by all the queens in the nursery, and sometimes the elder queens. the mother has final say, but she is only first among equals. it takes many heads to remember as many warriors who have borne a name as possible.

when tawnypelt insisted on tigerkit, they decided it was a dangerous name. that’s why they had dawnkit and flamekit. because firestar was the downfall of tigerstar, and the dawn is a peaceful time. tigerkit would turn the power of his father for good.

their warrior names are, similarly, a more open discussion. leaders discuss it with mentors and senior warriors and medicine cats. hints are often dropped to the apprentices. their names must complete what the queens started. tigerheart so that he would remember it was the strength of his heart. puddleshine so that he would be able to find the light of starclan. names shape those they are given to.

RIVERCLAN leaders have a litany of names. weather caller, storm seer, spirit walker. a new leader being made is a chance to find another for the list. these names are to honor leaders for the role they play in their lives. the names themselves, mistystar, crookedstar, leopardstar, they are not held with the same reverence as in thunderclan and shadowclan. a leader leaves behind their claim to that name, becoming known by that only by their friends from before.

a kit’s name is chosen by the queen and her mate, regardless of the father. [2] they are chosen to honor the kit and the name. silverkit, out of love for trinkets, hoping their daughter would feel loved. graykit, hoping for a peaceful life, like still water. featherkit for a half-thunderclan kit, that they would not forget their blood, even though they would be raised riverclan.

stormkit was a debated choice. graystripe was not silverstream’s mate. he had little say over their names, but in lieu of either silverstream or her mate, stormkit would have to stick. it would come to honor spirit and power, courage to stand on your own. stormkit would have a new meaning, a new honor, after that.

their warrior name is chosen to honor their environment, to honor them. silverstream, for a daughter who had grown beautiful and loved. feathertail for a riverclan cat who knew where she belonged. crookedjaw for a warrior who had grown into the hardship he had dealt. the bearer of a name changes its meaning.

WINDCLAN has no name for their leader but their name. tallstar. heatherstar. harestar. but their medicine cats are honored. kestrelflight might become spirit seer in honor of a bird’s vision, and barkface could become moor healer, a tribute to the gift of herbs of the moor. no one decides on these names, but the clan agrees. it is not a name gifted in haste. only one medicine cat can ever have another name at a time, but to receive it is honor.

kits are named for prey and plants. harekit for a kit who looked fast and wry, crowkit for a kit with the old power of tunnelers. heatherkit for a kit with a pelt apt for stealth, and barkkit for a kit who looked out of place on the moor. the queen suggests, but the medicine cat confirms. without a blessing from starclan, no name could be a good omen. [3]

barkface didn’t like breezekit, he said it was a poor chosen name. said the kit was too solid for a name like breezekit, that rabbitkit or gorsekit was better. nightcloud asked if he was forbidding the name. barkface said he would not deny a queen to choose the name of her only kit. but breezekit would only bear ill wind.

warrior names are chosen for accuracy. breezepelt for a cat with a thin pelt. heathertail for a skilled hare runner. a leader seeks approval from a medicine cat, that they will bring no misfortune for their chosen name. _crowfeather _was a shocking interruption to begin with, but made worse that barkface could not ensure it was not ill-fated. names describe our future.

SKYCLAN has no honorific for its leader nor its medicine cat. to treat them differently would be to devalue their role. they are part of the clan as any other, and that is why they can lead it. so the names of a leader are not hallowed, but fought over once they have passed. the first kit to be named leafkit will be of the first litter born after leafstar loses her last life. [4]

a kit’s name is chosen with careful consideration. they may go unnamed for up to a moon as the queen searches for a good name. a cat who passes away while a litter is unnamed is almost sure to find themselves reborn in a name. firekit, stormkit, harrykit. all named for who was, but isn’t anymore.

firekit and stormkit may seem like they started this tradition, but it was harrykit far more than the other two. skyclan proved they would form their own clan, make the rules work for them, and that meant names like harrykit. it was honoring not just who was but also who they were.

so far, warrior names have been chosen exclusively by leafstar, and no one has complaints. the other clans might protest, but their names are a mark of what skyclan is, now that they live with the others. a warrior’s name is an honor, either in memory of another, or to bring honor to the name being given. violetshine that both names might enter the skyclan canon, frecklewish for a granted wish, _billystorm _for the she-cat that helped shape their clan. names honor those who came before.

PERHAPS THEN it’s not strange for bramblestar’s names to be unique. he has lead his clan during a strange time. and if riverclan’s names grow similar, that is because they know what they love. names have meaning. they always do. [5]

[1]: this is my explanation for the elder’s names in series one. i’ve also seen some lostface commentary i like.

[2]: cats can have multiple fathers in one litter. not going into it. this has nothing to do with adoption stuff. i mean it could, but i’m specifically saying it doesn’t.

[3]: other clans do get medicine cat approval, but it’s a formality, a wives’ tale.

[4]: modern skyclan, as per usual. old skyclan used -sky as a sort of friendly greeting? a personal, in thing? skyclan’s territory was furthest from high stones, so they probably weren’t super spiritual. leafsky. cloudsky. and so on. not in front of other clans, though, who would interpret it as extremely disrespectful, both to the leader and to starclan.

[5]: to be clear, i did this not to justify naming choices, but because i thought it worth my time to spend an hour (holy shit i can’t believe i’ve done this for an hour) writing lore about various names. i try to ground these things in canon, but this is for wing & feather (i.e., jaywing and dovefeather world building), so i don’t mind changing things. i don’t want to change names if i can help it, though. that said, when people say the old names were good: come on, man, i love bluestar’s prophecy, but really? bluefur and snowfur? i guess that means i have to say thunderclan is literal in their names.

#q #mine #txt #1st #March #2021 #March 1st 2021 #long #essay #warrior cats #jaywing #dovefeather #cloudtail's daughter

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twilights-800-cats · 3 years ago

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<< Allegiances || Prologue || Chapter 1 || From the Beginning || Patreon >>

Prologue

The full moon hung heavy in the black night sky, turning the backs of the ShadowClan patrol to silver. The small group of warriors stuck together, whiskers brushing and eyes darting from side to side, looking for some unseen enemy.

It shouldn’t be like this, Rowanclaw thought, unease prickling his paws. Normally the journey to a Gathering was peaceful and easy, even though ShadowClan had to cross beneath a Thunderpath to make it to Fourtrees. There was no feeling as if something were watching from the shadows, ready to spring out from the silence at a moment’s notice.

Rowanclaw glanced at his Clanmates. Orre and Wolftooth stood guard at the patrol’s flanks, while Blackfoot took up a position in the rear, his ears pinned back. Ahead, Nightwing jumped at the hoot of an owl, and Pinewhisker snapped his teeth when she trod on his paw.

“Enough.” Russetstar turned her head, green eyes blazing. “Be silent, or do you want to tell everyone where we are?”

This is a patrol heading to the Gathering, Rowanclaw wanted to whine. Not a battle party!

“Ease up,” Pansytail meowed, brushing her plumy tail along the Clan leader’s spine. Her eyes were soft on her mate. “Twolegs don’t work at night, every cat knows that.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Wolftooth growled a pawstep behind Rowanclaw, his tail-tip flicking irritably. “These Twolegs aren’t like the ones we knew, Pansy.”

Rowanclaw swallowed. Wolftooth and Pansytail had once lived in the nearby Twolegplace, part of a group of violent cats called BloodClan. That terrible group had broken apart after being defeated by the forest Clans, and moons later Wolftooth and Pansytail’s small group joined ShadowClan. If any cat knew Twoleg behaviors, it would be them.

“What are you going to tell the other Clans?” wondered Littlecloud, as if to steer the topic away. The small tabby medicine cat looked more anxious than usual. “The Twolegs are invading the Black Fens – we're lucky they haven't reached the tunnel beneath the Thunderpath yet! When they do...”

We might be cut off from the rest of the forest, Rowanclaw finished glumly. His fur prickled at the thought.

Rowanclaw looked at Russetstar expectantly. What would she say? Every Clan was being affected by the Twolegs, from what their patrols had seen from over the Thunderpath – Rowanclaw himself had watched a group of WindClan hunters cower helplessly in a bush while Twolegs plodded along their torn land, scaring away every rabbit. Would she mention that?

Would she mention the hunger? Rowanclaw couldn’t recall the last time his belly had known a full meal. He supposed, grimly, that there would be no need to talk about that – it was fairly obvious in their shrunken frames and poking ribs.

“I will tell the other Clans only what they need to know,” Russetstar answered simply. “I see no reason to involve them in our affairs, especially if they’re facing their own problems as well. ShadowClan can protect itself.”

Can we? Rowanclaw wondered.

“Wherever Stoneheart went, the rest of us should’ve followed,” grunted Pinewhisker. “He got out before it got bad.”

Nightwing bristled beside him. “If he knew, he should’ve told us! What kind of warrior just abandons their Clan like that?”

“Well, he left ThunderClan...”

Rowanclaw stared incredulously at Pinewhisker. “How dare you!” he spat, the fur along his shoulders rising. That’s my mate you’re meowing about! “You don’t know Stoneheart at all, do you?!”

Pinewhisker blinked, as if he hadn’t recalled that Rowanclaw was right there. Nightwing, whiskers trembling, turned her muzzle away to stare at a passing birch as if it were the most interesting piece of landscape in existence.

Rowanclaw dug his claws into the earth. “That’s what I thought,” he growled.

He felt Russetstar’s tail lay across his shoulders. “Blackfoot, go on ahead,” Russetstar meowed. “We will join you shortly.”

Blackfoot twitched his tail in response, pushing through the crowd. Rowanclaw felt frozen to the spot as his Clanmates awkwardly stepped around him. No one said anything to him as they disappeared into the undergrowth, leaving only Rowanclaw and Russetstar behind.

What can they say that they haven’t already said? He wondered as Russetstar took a step away from him. When the Clan had resigned themselves to Stoneheart’s absence, Rowanclaw had endured so much of their sympathy that he felt sick at the thought of yet another cat expressing their sorrow for his loss.

He was painfully aware of Russetstar’s gaze – was she upset with him for bursting out like that? He dared to meet her eye, only to find that her whiskers were twitching with amusement, not annoyance.

“It’s all right, Rowanclaw,” she said. “If some cat were badmouthing Pansytail, I don’t think I would have reacted any differently.”

Rowanclaw breathed a sigh of relief. If this were any other Clan, Rowanclaw expected he’d be reprimanded for his outburst – in ShadowClan, however, there was no such silliness. ShadowClan cats said what needed to be said... sometimes regardless of who it might offend.

“I asked this before, but... do you know anything?” Russetstar wondered. She tipped her head. “Have you seen any sign of Stoneheart since he left?”

Rowanclaw swallowed around a lump forming in his throat. “No,” he answered. “Nothing.”

Russetstar stared at him a moment longer, as if she doubted him – and then, sweeping her tail through the night air, she meowed, “I miss him, too, Rowanclaw – but we’ve a lot more to worry about than one missing cat. I’m sure you understand that.”

Rowanclaw’s tail puffed. “They’ve no right to doubt his loyalties!” he snapped. “Stoneheart is ShadowClan to his core!”

“I know,” Russetstar meowed patiently. Rowanclaw eased off – Stoneheart had been Russetstar’s apprentice for many moons. She knew Stoneheart as well as Rowanclaw did. “I’ve never doubted Stoneheart’s loyalties - but you have to admit that the timing of his departure...”

“It looks bad,” Rowanclaw finished, turning his muzzle away. “Believe me, I know that.”

“... Regardless,” Russetstar swept on, “we’ll be late if we hang about here. The other Clans will start without us.”

Rowanclaw got to his paws and followed Russetstar along the trail to Fourtrees, barely paying attention to where he put his paws. His mind was buzzing and his heart was aching. Soon I might be the only cat left with any faith in Stoneheart!

It didn’t help that he was the only cat that knew of real reason why Stoneheart left: Rowanclaw didn’t know why, but StarClan had chosen his mate for a grand, dangerous journey with cats from every Clan. He had gone off to fight some unknown darkness that was going to threaten the Clans and the forest they lived in.

Rowanclaw longed to tell the others; but without knowing the true nature of Stoneheart’s dreams, what use would the explanation be? What cat would believe that StarClan had chosen simple warriors to do this great task? He hardly believed it, still. But Stoneheart was gone, and so were other warriors from the other Clans – that had to mean the dreams were real.

The doubt gave Rowanclaw pause again. He had to hope that the dreams and signs were real, otherwise... Otherwise, they were just an excuse to get away from me.

He shook his head of the thought. Stoneheart was not that type of cat!

Blackfoot was waiting for them in a bed of ferns. A few steps beyond were Fourtrees, a small clearing in the forest bordered by the four largest oaks in the forest. Rowanclaw craned his neck to peer over the bushes and into the clearing ahead.

“No one else is here,” Littlecloud meowed, his ears twitching. “What’s keeping them?”

Rowanclaw frowned, lowering his chin. What was keeping the other Clans? Normally a Clan wouldn’t hesitate to be the first ones to step into Fourtrees on a Gathering night. Some Clans even loved to brag about it.

A chilly wind cut through Rowanclaw’s pelt. He shivered. There was a strange tension in the air tonight, so thick he felt like he could pierce it with a claw. What did that feeling mean?

Russetstar curled her lip. “I don’t know what’s stepped on the other Clan’s tails, but I for one don’t want to wait here until leaf-bare. Come--”

A loud growl, louder than any predator Rowanclaw had ever heard, erupted from within the trees, interrupting Russetstar’s call. Littlecloud whimpered, covering his ears. Pansytail was bristling from ears to tail.

“A monster!” she cried above the noise. “In the forest?!”

“What in StarClan’s name?” Wolftooth cursed, unsheathing his claws.

Another monster roared to life, this time on the other side of the ShadowClan cats. Rowanclaw’s heart beat in his ears – they were surrounded! He looked to Russetstar and Blackfoot. What should they do?

A third monster sounded from the opposite end of the clearing, and suddenly the clearing of Fourtrees was flooded with bright yellow light. Rowanclaw’s eyes watered from the intensity, and as he ducked his head below the ferns he yowled, “They’re waking up!”

“ShadowClan, fall back!” Russetstar called, her eyes flashing in the light. “Hurry!”

Rowanclaw pulled himself to his paws, pushing Nightwing ahead of him as his patrol retreated back the way they came. The roar of the monsters was grumbling and rattling now, growing louder and louder as Russetstar led them up a nearby slope.

Down below, in the clearing, Rowanclaw could make out the shapes of Twolegs walking through Fourtrees - long, odd shadows in their harsh and unnatural light. They pointed with their strange paws at the oaks, moving out of the way as large, boxy monsters, their shells a bright yellow, crawling forward.

“What are they doing?” Pinewhisker panted, eyes wide.

“Russetstar, we need to leave,” Blackfoot advised, an edge of panic in his voice. “If they see us...”

Russetstar was bristling. “I need to know what they’re doing to Fourtrees!” she snapped, pushing her deputy aside.

The boxy yellow monster raised what looked like its tail – but it was unlike any tail Rowanclaw had ever seen. It had long, sharp talons at the end, and with those talons it gripped one of the old oaks by its trunk. The tree rustled, some leaves falling softly into the night.

Another monster approached, and it pressed its strange front-end tail into the trunk of the oak. A harsh whine split the air, like the sound of some dying beast, and the smell of sap and wood flooded Rowanclaw’s senses.

“StarClan help us!” Littlecloud wailed. He stared at the moon imploringly, his eyes wide to their whites. “Stop them! Please!”

Rowanclaw was transfixed as the tail drove deeper and deeper into the oak. Moments later there was a loud snap, and a groan, and the oak gave way, falling into the embrace of the taloned monster. The taloned monster raised its tail, taking the oak with it, and, slowly, turned and dropped the tree to the side unceremoniously.

Twolegs swarmed over the tree like flies to a corpse. Rowanclaw felt bile rise in his throat as the monsters fired up again, crawling across the ground on their strange paws to the next oak. The third monster, another taloned one, trundled in and, like a badger, used its talons to pull up the Great Rock as if it were searching for beetles beneath.

In that moment, Rowanclaw understood the darkness that his mate had left to fight.

The horrors dragged on through the night, until Rowanclaw was cold and stiff and deafened by the noises of the hungry monsters. The ShadowClan cats watched, speechless, as the Twolegs and their monsters tore apart one of the oldest, most sacred places in the forest.

Stoneheart... Rowanclaw thought, mouth dry, wherever you are...

Please... Please, save us!

#tb au #tb dawn #warrior cats

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