#rowanstorm
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cloudedmoonofficial ¡ 2 days ago
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Oak Colony Line-up- Shifting Roots
Art by Snap
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oleanderclanstems ¡ 2 months ago
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Moon 3
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Wisptuft was climbing a tree and got a splinter from one of the branches.
Batfang no longer has a running nose.
Spiderstar feels much better: their soreness is gone.
Firecrest wonders if they're Rowanstorm's friend in every reality…
High Res Version
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quiverpaw ¡ 14 days ago
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How about a long lore backstory and rambling about rookpaw lore?
😁 ok 😁
uhh idk about tws. i guess arranged marriage? child abuse, internalized homophobia
basic info before u know
okay so basic tldr before everything. rookpaw's from a 1x1 with a friend called twoprinces. essentially there are two clans, cascadeclan and haarclan, Cc lives on the tundra by the sea and Hc lives in the taiga near the mountains. Both clans are monarchies instead of normal clan structures.
So like, the firstborn of the leader succeeds them except in cases where the firstborn dies, or whatever. It's normal for royal cats to have only one baby per litter typically although exceptions happen and usually they have more then one litter as "backup heirs". I also imagine nieces/nephews can also take over. Deputies are basically just a second-in-command, since the leader's mate is more like a third in most circumstances (both Rookpaw and Copperpaw's fathers are referred to as "kings", for nursery cats they're either "monarchs" or "queens"). maybe king is gender neutral? that'd be fun.
also these clans are a bit more complex and a bit more advanced- there's a secondary warrior role called a wright, who shears carcasses of pelts to make den beddings and more. they trade with kittypets and outsiders often for materials, and haarclan even can mine in the caverns they live in using bones and stones. they're also (slowly) starting to understand how to use fire.
basic characters
jackdawstar is ravenpaw, crowkit, and rookpaw's momma. she's kind of scary and very serious. a violent peacekeeper of sorts; her clan, haarclan, and cascadeclan had been at war for a lonnnng time ever since her grandfather jaystar started trying to eradicate Cc to keep his clan "safe". her idea of this was a union between her clan and Cc, and that her oldest daughter and heir, ravenpaw, could one day marry the Cc leader's (Clementinestar) only living son, Copperpaw.
Copperpaw is my friend's character, he's a pretty somali and he lost his older brother Reedstrike as well as his father Rowanstorm in a joint accident. He's also Rookpaw's romantic interest.
Prickletongue is jackdawstar's mate and the father of Crow, Rook, and Raven. He's kind of awful, mainly because he wasn't mainly interested in marrying Jackdawstar. The only reason the two were together because of a favor Jackdawstar's mother Stellerstar carried out for Prickletongue's father Bramblesnare. It's like, "hey, u earned this, welcome to the royal family lol." He's more interested in a clanmate named Bumblesnag, but that's an issue not yet canon. Prickletongue however DOES like the power involved with being king; however he has to balance two apprentices (Goldpaw and Rookpaw) because he hadn't expected to have two kits at once. In HC the royals mentor their own children except in special cases.
Rookpaw and Ravenpaw are in the same litter, although Ravenpaw was born first. Crowkit's from a later litter.
canon story inrp
the story starts off with both clans learning about the arrangement between ravenpaw and rookpaw at a gathering, which ravenpaw's unhappy about but allows to happen to not upset her mother. she is a closeted lesbian. this is an issue later
rookpaw however is furious, as is copperpaw, and rookpaw insults cascadeclan as a whole (he is a little xenophobic at the start, in a usual clan cat way) and copperpaw attacks him and shreds one of his ears, causing the moon to be covered.
later on after ravenpaw and copperpaw chat, and somewhat get along although cascadeclan deputy kindleblaze brings copperpaw home. day after jackdawstar takes her kits to publicly apologize at Cc camp, and copperpaw invites ravenpaw to something called "rendezvous", which he is a host of. ravenpaw is allowed to take rookpaw as a plus one.
essentially rendezvous are just coordinated highschool parties. big fan of catmint. copperpaw's brother reedstrike (then reedpaw) was the founder of them, but after he died copperpaw recruited a tomcat in his clan named honeysucklepaw, and Hc's healer apprentice ternpaw to help host.
they get to this party and it all goes alright, rookpaw eats a little bit too much catmint but copperpaw gives him some honeycomb to subside it and they get along for the first time.
we're also introduced to ploverpaw after the rendezvous, who is a shecat in rookpaw's clan who is very fond of him. ternpaw and ravenpaw start to become very close.
rookpaw's infatuated with the idea of "getting back" at copperpaw for shredding his ear through all of this. when the next rendezvous comes around (they happen every new moon), he attacks copperpaw during a party game, which earns him some nasty scoldings from ternpaw and copperpaw both.
a cat named kestrelpaw approaches rookpaw after all of this, asking him about his violent tendencies and they end up offering rookpaw a chance (more like, telling him) to meet his great-grandfather jaystar just out of curiosity. a few days later they meet, and rookpaw's a bit intrigued only because jaystar is far less scary then stories made him out to be. around this, jaystar and kestrelpaw are both keen on rookpaw improving his fighting to get back at copperpaw, but drop this once rook grows more fond of copperpaw. after some time he becomes a official df trainee.
copperpaw, ravenpaw, and ternpaw all spend some time together, establishing themselves as friends, and copperpaw gets to know a little more about rookpaw as a result. when they're all heading home, copper and rook accidentally meet on the border, and have a genuine conversation. rook learns about copperpaw's deceased brother, and how he at one point had this faded pink collar from a kittypet he'd been fond of. during this, rookpaw's like, wtf, he looks pretty, holy shit i have to get out of here, and bolts.
rookpaw decides he can try and make friends with copperpaw as amends, and he spends some time to retrieve this collar to deliver it to copperpaw at the next gathering. around this time rookpaw befriends a clanmate named crescentpaw, who advises him a lot and tells him he's probably not straight, which rookpaw's like "whatever" but is fully in denial about having any opinion on copperpaw besides "tense friends".
following this, for some funsies at the third rendezvous we get to have the cats reenact hamilton. they're all theatre nerds. it's fun.
"not really in-rp but canon or will be canon anyways"
i've got a lot of plans for rookpaw mainly involving his father, great-grandfather and his dark forest stuff. he hates prickletongue, the feeling's mutual, although eventually prickletongue is learned to be the father of bumblesnag's kits and he's "revoked" from his spot as king.
rookpaw ends up killing kestrelpaw during dark forest training and swears off of doing it afterwards. he becomes terrified of the idea of his grandfather not really being all kind like he thought, and that he might be like that eventually anyways. often he wonders if he "looks like" jaystar, as they're both colorpoints, but not really. they don't.
kestrelpaw's twin kitepaw (these two are relatives of ploverpaw, fun fact) ends up joining HC to investigate kestrelpaw's entire vanishing from CC, and ploverpaw helps, as well as ropes rookpaw into helping without the knowledge that he's the one who did it. I'm not sure where to go from there.
ravenpaw stuff
ravenpaw's arguably more important then rookyboy, i love her lots. her story is mainly focused on becoming herself and not just an heir- her mother's more conservative ideals have her ruin her closest relationship; when ternpaw confesses to her and ravenpaw freaks out at the idea of realizing she's gay.
i dabble with the idea of crowkit (crowpaw, in this scenario) patrolling with her kin and being attacked by a owl, or hawk, something bird of prey, and jackdawstar defends her but loses her last life in a terrible time, since ravenpaw will still be PAW and have to take over early. it'd mirror ternpaw, who's mentor maggotbreath dies of old and and has her require to become full healer and name herself 'ternflight'.
ravenpaw either will become 'ravenstar', and allow herself to just follow the cycle and have herself be unhappy, change the rules with her newfound power and shape her clan for the better, or leave entirely. in the latter situation rookpaw would either join her or have to take over as leader. we'll see!
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mares-art ¡ 9 months ago
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More warriors ocs
Rowanstorm- A fine young warrior of Windclan, is the smallest of his 3 brothers.
Hazelmask- A tom from Riverclan. Father to Silvermoon, Larkkit and Fernkit. Was Snowstorm's (Snowstar) mate for many moons, but after some time Snowstorm ended their relationship.
Snowstar- Thunderclan's current leader. She's a harsh, imponent and noble leader. Mother to Silvermoon, Larkit and Fernkit. Was secretly mates with Hazelmask from Riverclan. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cloudstar- Riverclan's current leader. His leadership is constantly questioned by the warriors, specially Smoketail (Riverclan's current deputy).
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tennelleflowers ¡ 5 years ago
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Hailstorm, Shrewpelt, Snowfeather, Thornheart, Dawnfrost, and Rowanstorm!
ThunderClan’s finest! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXmCPQ8zdE&t=17s
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irusanw4 ¡ 2 years ago
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To celebrate International Non-Binary People's Day, I'm posting art of non-binary characters from the warrior cats roleplay I'm in called Shifting Ties! Every 3 hours, starting from 12 AM EST! Part 6!
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These ones are Rowanstorm (left) and Pepperpaw (right), who both belong to me! Rowanstorm is a trans cat who uses they/he/she, and Pepperpaw is agender she/they! They are a warrior and apprentice in MeadowClan, and Pepperpaw is one of two clan cats with dwarfism.
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kybee-the-bee-cat ¡ 3 years ago
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I’ve been thinking of making OC family trees (more specifically for my Warriors OCs because that’s pretty much all my OCs anyway), because A) It gives me an opportunity to draw characters I don’t draw often or have never drawn before. I mean I can’t just give the main guys attention. And B) For the background characters that have family, I want to map them out not before I forget later. My memory is fuzzy when it comes to characters I hardly think about. Basically I’m a virtual crazy cat lady, and I need a way to keep track of all these guys.
It also gives me an excuse to talk more about them.
Of course, it would be best to start from the beginning. The first generation (or the first generation you’ll probably ever see)
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Cloudy, Rose, Lunar, and Luna were all born around the same time, as were their kits.
(Also just to get this out of the way early, I actually made a mistake when I was typing in Rowan’s name. I forgot I named him Rowanstorm and went with whatever I thought I named him. Uh . . . Which it wasn’t lol)
Lunar and Heather were your average couple (assuming all the couples you know of are good to eachother), and they were excited at the thought of having kits. However, the Clans were not made yet. There was no medicine cat to heal the sick or wounded. Heather would go on to have their children, but would pass away soon after their birth, leaving Lunar devastated. Luna was the first cat he thought of when he went to find a cat to raise the kits (saying he’s a tom and they’re still newborns, he didn’t have any milk to give them). She had her kits sooner, though the father wasn’t around. Luna, hearing what happened, agreed to raise her brother’s litter as well. 
And as there was not yet a system yet, their kits weren’t given any suffix. Well . . . except for Nightshade, but she was named after a plant with the same name. Everyone else was just Owl, Charcoal (who never joined the Clans, so he kept that name), Heart, Moth, Flight, and Remorse. Lunar’s kits eventually growing up to create the Clans. Not being able to choose between their children, Luna and Lunar decided to live together in a different area away from the new territories. Charcoal joined them too.
I would go into too much detail on that, but I’ll get to that later. I actually should get around to this lore, so it’ll definitely happen. Just not here. Weve also got another family to talk about, plus I think I explained some of this before in some discord screenshots a few months back.
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But anyway, let’s move on to Rose and Cloudy’s group. Again, their relationship isn’t anything special, they’re your average couple. Unlike Heather, Rose actually lived to see her kits grow up. Both of them did. Blossom and Rowan grew really close to their parents. Cloudy would take them on adventures to explore the territories. Rose was more relaxed, but she was the one who usually broke the two up when they were fighting. And if she noticed something bothering either of her kits, she was almost always the first to reach out. 
When Lunar’s kits began warring against eachother over who should rule, both Rose and Cloudy took Flight’s side. Rowan and Blossom didn’t know what side to pick, and neither were they willing to potentially fight their parents if they ended up disagreeing with them. For a short while, Rowan and Blossom escaped to Remorse’s group (she made a shelter for the cats who didn’t want to be involved in her siblings’ war, or planned to stop it). 
When they found out their parents had died in the war after it ended, they were torn between joining the newly-founded FlightClan in honor of what their parents were fighting for, or to stay with Remorse’s group (now RemorseClan). Eventually, they both decided on the former, saying their good-lucks and good-byes to their old groupmates. One of Flightstar’s first acts as leader was giving everycat under her care a new name, while staying respectful to the names they were given, thus Blossom and Rowan’s new names: Blossomheart and Rowanstorm. 
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wc-icestars-rise ¡ 6 years ago
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Skyclan Allegiances
LEADER Boragestar- blue-gray tom with a darker underbelly and gray eyes
DEPUTY Morningfog- silver tabby tom with a black face and amber eyes
MEDICINE CAT Fangstrike- small light silver tabby tom with one long fang and dark blue eyes
WARRIORS (toms and she-cats without kits)
Ferretfang- pale brown tom with a white underbelly and gray eyes
Weaselfur- pale brown tabby tom with gray eyes
Cherrydusk- bright ginger she-cat with yellow eyes
APPRENTICE, Breezepaw
Leapinghare- long-legged brown she-cat with white splotches and amber eyes
Gorsestripe- golden brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Fidgetleg- white she-cat with one brown foreleg and brown eyes
APPRENTICE, Swirlpaw
Sootcloud- speckled blue-gray she-cat with green eyes
Streamwind- silver tabby tom with black paws and blue eyes
APPRENTICE, Lotuspaw
Rowanstorm- dark brown tom with gray eyes
Alderpath- dark ginger she-cat with large white paws and gray eyes
Smokestep- speckled silver she-cat with small paws and amber eyes
APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)
Lotuspaw- small white she-cat with amber eyes
Swirlpaw- reddish tabby tom with gray eyes
Breezepaw- long-legged speckled gray tom with brown eyes
QUEENS (she-cats nursing or expecting kits)
Flutterpelt- long-furred golden she-cat with gray eyes
(mother of Hopkit and Woodkit)
Russetthorn- wiry dark ginger she-cat with brown eyes
(expecting)
ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired)
Shrewfur- wiry pale brown tom with amber eyes
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eggnigmas ¡ 6 years ago
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Rowanstorm tells a story about how he and his sister managed to take down a large, scary buzzard! Though he might of exaggerated it a bit.
This is a commission for my friend and their warrior cat character, Rowanstorm! I think most of my followers are into warrior cats so uh, I’ll post more cats here in that regard!
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i-likegamesbut-cant-playthem ¡ 2 years ago
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lakestar was being mauled by a raccoon before his eyes for a single large mouse and he wanted to stop the creature from hurting him but he saw rowanstorm in front of him rowanstorm backed him up against a wide tree the kind thats white and flakey with markings like eyes. stonestrike was trembling as rowanstorm glared at him as he said "you could let lakestar die hes had his run but dont you want to be leader?!" "no!" stonestrike cried "i mean not really i just" his eyes were flushed with tears god i must seem so pathetic to lakestar he thought to himself. him the grassclan deputy crying to a useless ghost as his leader died. you know what i'm going to kill him myself. he stepped foreward and clawed slightly at the raccon who hissed in anoyence he quickly grabbed the plump mouse and flung it as far as he could the raccoon dashed away towards it. he sheathed his claws and walked slowly to lakestar who was scarred and bleeding from a wound on his back. lakestar cried for help in a raspy voice. stonestrike unsheathed his claws and placed his right paw on his head "no" he heard lakestar rasp out. "i'm sorry lakestar but it simply had to be done". Stonestrike pushed his claws down into the leaders head feeling his toes squish against the gore. lakestars eyes finally faded and rolled into his head as he died.
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styrmir ¡ 6 years ago
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From Rowanstorm to Styrmir
Hey everybody just making this post about my sudden changes. This is gonna be the start of me changing a lot of stuff with my mun blog and name. I’ll even be changing my signature soon as well. Please bear with me. I’ve needed to do this update as Rowanstorm just had too many other blogs with similar names and then I’ve had it since high school. It gave a feeling of nostalgia and I’ll miss it greatly but it’s time for change and it’ll be a good one. Once I’m done everything will hopefully show a better more modern me. Thanks!
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cloudedmoonofficial ¡ 1 day ago
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Mentors and New-Claws
Select rangers who oversee the training of all new-claws.
   The Oak Colony Mentors have a certain hierarchy about them, with those who have mentored longer being higher “ranking.” They teach young new-claws during their field training and supervise the Rangers who are given new-claws to train; training the trainers. They work as a unit to make sure that young cats have their footing on the cliffs, learn the best ways to hunt in the territory and fight effectively.  
   Stagcharge is basically the top Mentor who reports directly to the Captain and shares the status of training in the entire Colony-it helps that the Captain is also his mate. This group of five has an interesting dynamic with each other and can sometimes be a bit clique-y as they all 
get along and view each other highly. They hold daily meetings at sunset to communicate about training techniques and new-claws that are struggling. They are a united force in Oak Colony.
They were joined by Snowfeather, who spotted her own new-claw, Moon, trying to sneak away after Wrensong on her way to the Cliff Gardens. There was no doubt Moon would be an Herbalist someday, as Snowfeather assured the young molly—but until that day, she had to learn to hunt and defend herself like every other ranger in the colony.
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automaton-otto ¡ 6 years ago
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Open for business!
Well it’s been a bit of a wait but the blog is now open! You are now free to send asks to this delightful little machine boy!
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Art made by @rowanstorm
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thestrangetravelingscientist ¡ 6 years ago
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Here comes a new challenger!
Its time to meet the parents of the strange traveling scientist. York and Yvette Godfrey. I couldn’t find icons for these two so I commissioned my good friend @rowanstorm to make some icons for me. Go give her some commissions!
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lemmesmash-clan ¡ 7 years ago
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Rowanfang snarled, a mess of red-and-gold-and-blackish fur that stung and clung like a burr. Paws grappled and a dewclaw pricked as she crashed down on her foe like a toppled maple.
The wind knocked out of her, Honeypaw willed it back, not letting her chest get flattened by the tortoiseshell’s weight. As soon as it returned to her she screeched. She writhed, flailing and kicking and reaching nothing but thick fur; pinned. She twisted, desperate, only to see green eyes and bright teeth sear towards her neck-
“Not good enough.” Rough words rumbled against a parched throat; Rowanfang stood back to allow Honeypaw to regain her footing. She skirted away, doing her best to project indifference; she knew the sting shone in her eyes all the same.
Sitting down, the young Warrior watched a boar-beat roll by to let Honeypaw smooth her ruffled coat and the onlookers consider their verdict. Honeypaw glowered; they weren’t doing a very good job of it, for all that her scuffle in the sand was worth.
Applepaw’s blue eyes searched for her own, lighting up with Honeypaw met her gaze with as much enthusiasm as she could muster; Creekpaw was completing her third lap around the training hollow and seemed to pay more attention to her pawsteps than the lesson.
Rowanfang veered towards her. “Creekpaw; what did Honeypaw do right?”
The patched kitten was jarred out of her path, looking up. Already the pupils within her yellow eyes were too dilated for such a clear morning; she looked at Rowanfang’s brows, not her eyes.
“She didn’t protect her neck; she grappled your shoulders and arms instead of trying to control your head, which left her vulnerable to that ending... sorry, Honeypaw.”
“Don’t say that; it’s well-deserved, and if I know my weaknesses I can work on them,” the flame point replied; she could see Applepaw’s tail waving from the corner of her eye.
A whistle of breath slid between Rowanfang’s teeth. “Oh, she definitely has a bit to work on; not too bad being Lichencloud’s apprentice and all... “
The fur along her spine rippled; she worked to keep it down under the Warrior’s eyes.
“I’m not asking that; I’m asking what she did right.”
Creekpaw blinked. “Oh, yeah.”
“Sheath your tongue, Rowanfang,” a new voice crested the riverbed; all four cats swiveled towards it. “Honeypaw didn’t let you get a grip on her all the same. Though trying to control the pointy bits in such tight quarters is essential, she was just about ready to knock you off balance and scramble off anyways. Could use some work, but not as much as you’re implying.”
A pretty pale molly stood where a pool would once have rested; she trotted down the shallow banks, shadowed by a chocolate ticked tabby. Her movements were stiff as the older cat’s thanks to a tailless rump; her smile was flexible and reached every gaze gathered.
“Pansypelt!” Applepaw bounded forward, leaving Honeypaw feeling flustered as her sister shared an affectionate greeting with her mentor. Her enthusiasm carried her to the next visitor easily. “Oh, Sandfang! What are you doing here?”
Honeypaw had to note the strangeness of the situation; Sandfang, all scrapes and nicked ears with shoulders too broad for his body, was an Elder, retired long before Applepaw and Honeypaw had ever dreamed of Ashclan, let alone forest. She'd never spotted him out and about, not even sunbathing with Bramblecloud and Frogthroat. Seeing the retired Warrior in the sunlight was almost intimidating; even at his age he was a handsome face.
He did not quite look at Applepaw as he answered her.”I’m the last survivor of the Blight to bear -fang; we thought it wise to pass on even a bit of that before I get confined to my den.” Honeypaw tried to follow his gaze; it shifted before she could pinpoint who -or what- had him looking so severe.
“Aren’t you always in there?” Rowanfang quipped; jib or not, there was a sharp tone to it. Was the tortoiseshell intimidated?
Bristling fur foretold another comment; Sandfang’s ears slicked back as he streaked forward. Honeypaw’s heart dove down.
“Wait- stop-” Creekpaw yowled. Rowanfang snarled, bunching up and bracing for the impact. Sandfang collided with her side, sending both cats rolling. Applepaw looked to Pansypelt for help; the Warrior had already skittered as fast as her bad back could take her, tugging Creekpaw away from the hissing, spitting ball that swung in all directions.
The other Apprentices were panicking, crowding around the only form of authority that wasn’t thrashing like mad; Honeypaw, however, couldn’t help but watch. She knew little of the techniques; leaves and roots and flowers were more to her liking, the reflexes and quick thinking required in such brawls were beyond her, but it was thrilling to watch. Rowanfang was a bulky, massive cat built of mismatched, thick fur. With indignant rage she would come out on top, pinning her senior in a cloud of grit and pebbles. Sandfang, sleek and a little lean in his age, nonetheless consistently toppled her, forcing the rolling grapple to continue on as soon as she would take a moment to breath.
After a breathless time, one final tumble sent them spiraling appart. Rowanfang grumbled low in her throat, nub of a tail swishing in defiance; Sandfang acknowledged her with a chuff. Despite his demeanor, the old tom was just as winded as the prickly Warrior.
“Who mentored you again?”
Amber-and-ginger fur parted every whichway, Rowanfang watched him under low brows. “Cootheart. He taught me everything I know about the Code, our Clan and how to serve it and survive.”
Sandfang considered her answer, giving her fur time to lie flat. “He’s a determined one… on the nimble side of things, born to weave and dance.” He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but a shared look with Pansypelt made the ticked tabby swallow the thought.
“You are a skilled Warrior; I can see why Scalestar took you in,” Sandfang said at length. Honeypaw looked over the scene to meet Applepaw’s eyes; wasn’t Sandfang the only Clanborn cat in the clearing anyways?
“However,” he continued, “you would have suited better under their own tutelage. Maybe Cootheart should have asked for Bramblecloud to oversee a session, or even Pansypelt.”
The stars came out behind Honeypaw’s eyes. “They’ve all got less tail than most,” she said.
Pansypelt seemed to understand as well, taking a few steps forwards; her flank still touched Creekpaw, Applepaw followed the movement. The trio didn’t move much, and for good reason: Rowanfang’s eyes raked over the elder like claws, limbs stiff trunks.
The wind was stagnant; from what little Honeypaw had gathered from Crowstorm’s rambles, mentors were a big thing in Ashclan. She’d doubted it, feeling no bond clinging between her pelt and Lichencloud’s… seeing her sister leeched to Pansypelt’s side, seeing Rowanfang’s eyes blaze at an apparent slight against her mentor’s credentials, it gave weight to it.
Creekpaw lurched forward, scampering into the space between both cats before Pansypelt could drag her back. She scented the air with wide eyes and paused whiskers from Rowanfang.
Honeypaw hissed. “Creekpaw! Get back-”
“No!” she bit out, twisting to face the tortoiseshell instead. “You! You stop that; just ‘cause you’re a ‘fang doesn’t mean you know everything. Don’t you want to get even better?” Seeming to sense the tension in the air, or maybe realizing how blunt she sounded, the patched cat’s tail fled. “Sorry.”
Rowanfang glowered; Honeypaw couldn’t quite see what exactly those green eyes searched for. A beat later they drifted down, past the disturbed sand and stones. “I’ve earned my name, one of the best despite not being born here. Cootheart dragged me back by the ear when he found me sneaking away to find my brother; he dragged himself through mud to teach me how to swim though he barely could; he stayed up days and days asking you, and Loonfur,  Bramblecloud, about the heritage of this Clan, of everything I’d need to know.”
“And you’re telling me his effort wasn’t enough?”
Pansypelt spoke up. “No, it was not. It takes a Clan to raise a Warrior; do you expect a single mentor to be able to understand and be able to work on every weakness their apprentice has?”
Sandfang nodded. “Cootheart has a tail; you do not. I’m certain he offered you as complete an education as he could, but he can’t dock his rear to better teach you how to stabilize yourself against more agile enemies. He did well; you are still Rowanfang, not Rowanstripe or Rowanstorm. You both earned that name.”
Rowanfang’s fur had begun to lie smooth; she still had not relaxed, though. Unable to glare at Sandfang, she seemed to have taken to glowering at Creekpaw instead; the kitten seemed only barely aware of this. “Why didn’t Scalestar train me themselves, then? Or make Pansypelt take me on, or drag your mate out of retirement-”
“Best friend; Bramblecloud helped me have the kittens I’d always wanted and our bond never extended beyond that.” Sandfang’s tone grew thorns; it took visible effort to calm down. “Regardless, it is the Mentor’s responsibility to seek out any extra lessons or knowledge their pupil may need. Our clan was dying, Rowanfang; Scalestar had to worry about the training of many young cats, on recruiting new blood and ensuring that Ashclan saw its next year. Had it been before-”
Applepaw was at the old tom’s side, cheeks streaking over his flank. Honeypaw wondered if she should comfort him too; apparently he’d taken the Blight hard. Her sister’s support appeared to be enough, though; his snout rose to point at Rowanfang.
“Roseclaw,” he grit out. “Skunkfoot. Cindercloud. Squirrelheart. Ember-eye... Grousecloud. Any of them could have taught you, but not; they’re all dead. We were few and tired and defeated; Cootheart was the only one with enough enthusiasm to handle the fire within you. To give you to their care would have been a fatal blow. Frogthroat had just earned his own name through surviving impossible trauma; you would have walked all over his other father. As for Pansypelt…”
His eyes slid open to eye Honeypaw; he’d felt her curiosity and she couldn’t quite hold the blue-green gaze.“The clan, what was left of us, was still in an uproar over this cat being accepted at her age and without going through a formal apprenticeship. Scalestar is not foolish enough to give a controversial cat an apprentice that early.”
What little of the Manx’s short fur fluffed out; her eyes were merry as she ambled over. “Give me some credit, I fought off that terrible pair of rogues with nothing but my shadows and teeth.”
Sandfang chuffed. “I’ve still got to get that story out of you.” He nudged Applepaw with his white chin, silently thanking her for the support, or so Honeypaw thought. Meeting her sister’s eyes, she could have sworn that the red-and-white point looked like she knew this curious tale...
Pansypelt spat at him playfully. Satisfied with her childish behaviour, she hobbled over to Rowanfang; the Warrior had courched, searching for answers in scuffs in the sand. Creamy fur brushed Creekpaw’s side as she passed; the apprentice stuck close after they made contact. The pale tortoiseshell nosed the darker fur of Rowanfang’s shoulder.
“Just because you have earned your name doesn’t mean there isn’t more to learn. You are a keen hunter and fighter, a testament to Cootheart’s training and your own skill. There’s no shame in honing those teeth to keep them sharp”
Sandfang loped over; Applepaw and Honeypaw, after a beat, joined him. “That’s why I’m here, actually. I wanted to see what skills this new blood brings with it, see if it could get mine flowing again.”
Rowanfang, finally, met his eyes; Honeypaw circled around to see the reluctance in her eyes. “Well, what did this new blood teach you so far?”
Honeypaw could hear the intake of breath they all took; Sandfang chuckled. “You’re better at swallowing your pride than I was at your age; I think we’ll need a few more rounds before I know for sure.”
He turned and- oh no.
“Honeypaw! Let’s see if you can work on that defensive; try using your hind legs to push at one side of my undersides to knock me off-balance.”
The flame point felt her enthusiasm dropping like a stone. Making herself small, she tried to brush back against the training hollow’s banks.
Applepaw’s eager eyes found her, though; clear blue like the sky above. “You can do it sis,” she cried; Pansypelt and Rowanfang offered their encouragements too as they settled under an overhang in the shade. Creekpaw thrummed with excitement; she didn’t quite know where to look.
Honeypaw heaved a sigh; peer pressure sure was nice. She mimicked Sandfang as he squared his shoulders, ruffled a ridge of fur and paced to the side.
They crouched, facing off; she could see herself in Sandfang’s eye, a ferocious feral with pointed fangs and a snake for a tail. Intimidating; dangerous, despite her size and inexperience.
If Warriors could learn a new thing or two, maybe she could learn to be less of an easy target.
With a deep breath, she lunged.
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tennelleflowers ¡ 6 years ago
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I love doing these pages. It really helps me refamilarize myself with the characters and focus on the important aspects of their backstory. Dawnfrost belongs to https://twitter.com/CaptainMorwen! Speedpaint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fliKtEncXyg&t=1s
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