#snowpaws shadow

[kiwibattlecats]

Some updated art of Dewstar, Tinystar and Snowpaw!

[ivystar-defender]

Inherited sweet dumb husband genes from his papa

[theanoninyourinbox]

Longstar AU - A Dark Interlude

Trigger Warning - blood, injury, animal death

The night was dimly lit, the tree branches weaving together into a nigh impenetrable ceiling against the full moon.  The Newleaf air was chill against Longstar’s pelt as he slunk through the undergrowth.  He squinted in the gloom, the scars on his face pulling as he focused on the bushes ahead of him.  Longstar was on a mission of great importance, one that would shape his very future.

He was catching a late-night snack for his nursing mate.

Flamewish had told Longstar of her second pregnancy shortly after the Bloodclan Battle.  He had been, and still was, ecstatic about the development.  He loved Cloudtail like a son already, and Snowpaw and Mistlepaw like his flesh and blood, but kits of his own…he had taken one look at them and fallen in love.  Little red coated Foxkit, and tiny brown coated Swiftkit.  He only hoped Swiftspirit would be honored by the name.

It had only been a little over a week, and the usually jovial and lively Flamewish was exhausted, and craving a fresh midnight mouse.  Longstar was more than happy to provide, and had left his terrifying beauty in the capable paws of the Nursery and Fireheart.  And Cinderpelt, of course.  Neither sibling would forgive him if he forgot about “their” apprentice. Shaking the memories from his head, he scented the air for mouse-scent and listened intently.  Fireheart had told him though his eyes were fine now, they could – and probably would – deteriorate over time.  The dog’s teeth could have done quite a lot more damage, Starclan bless, but if he was going to lose his eyesight at some point, he’d best be prepared ahead of time to still be able to get around.  There was no fresh mouse scent, or even bird-scent, but a faint hint of bonesandbloodandteethandpack had his hackles raising.

And then a cat screamed terror and pain into the silence.

Longstar leapt into motion, a streak of silver-brown against the shadowed bushes and tree trunks.  The cat wailing was joined by the barking of a dog, and fear cut through Longstar like The Tyrant had cut down Tiger”star” – cold and piercing through his guts.  But a cat was in danger, and even if he was too late for them, he had to drive the dog off.

He only hoped it didn’t take a Life.

The sounds of thrashing bushes and feline terror grew close, and Longstar clambered up a tree to get a better vantage point.  There was indeed a dog, though far smaller than the ones Tiger”star” had lured to kill Thunderclan.  But it was tearing ruthlessly into a gray form, shaking the unknown cat like a leaf in a storm.  With little time to plan if he wanted to save the poor cat, Longstar calculated the distance, and leapt.  He landed on the small dog’s back with a yowl, causing the dog to drop its victim and whirl about wildly.  Digging his claws in, he bit down on the beast’s neck as hard as he could.  The dog yelped in pain and scrambled to get away, and Longstar had to jump off to not be dragged away.  With a final swipe at its hindquarters to drive it away, Longstar finally turned towards its poor victim.

A gray cat lay in a puddle of blood and debris from the bushes.  Their sides heaved raggedly, and their breaths sputtered horribly.  Longstar approached, but it was very apparent that this cat was dying far too quickly for him to help.  He crouched close to their face, and the cat’s remaining heather-blue eye locked onto him.  Longstar’s mind interposed Swiftspirit’s face on the dying cat, and he shuddered in grief.

“I��m sorry I wasn’t here fast enough to help you” he gently mewed, “but I promise to be here for you now.  Yow won’t be alone.” 

The cat looked at him with their teary eye, and tried to speak through gasping breaths. “…d…da…k…” The cat coughed wetly, then continued. “DaaAark…kkkk...t...t…nnnh…”  Their eye looked beyond him, and as he processed what they had said, passed into the night with a sigh.

…Dark?...Itn?...Dark kitten?  A KITTEN!?!?!

Longstar quickly looked around in a panic, the blood in the air clouding his senses.  Oh Starclan was there a kitten in this mess?!  Blood spotting his paws as he searched, he saw a gleam like starlight out of the corner of his better eye, and whipped his head around towards where the now lifeless cat had looked.  A tiny tuft of bloody white fur protruded out of the bushes, and Longstar rushed to the spot.  Within the bush, behind the brave parent cat, was an injured kitten, no more than three moons old.  Their – judging by the scent through the blood, a little tomcat – ear was nearly torn off, bloody scratches littered his little body, and his tail hung by a scrap of flesh.  His eyes were wide and horrified, and his sides heaved in terror. 

Oh sweet Starclan he needed to get this kitten help Right NOW! He reached his head out to grab the kitten, and was rewarded with a hiss and a warning swipe to his nose.  “Hey there, are you okay little guy?” Longstar mewed, trying to look friendlier.  “I’m not going to hurt you…you must be Dark, right?”  The kitten stared, as if not even seeing him.  Then his eyes focused at Longstar’s face, and his fur started to flatten. “You’re very brave, little guy, but I need to get you some help.  Can I take you with me?” The kitten – Dark – began to tremble, and whispered “…momma?”

Longstar hid his wince as best he could, and quietly mewed “I’m sorry, but she’s hunting in the stars now, and nothing can hurt her anymore.” Dark’s face twisted into tears, and he held back a whine.  “Please, Dark, can I take you somewhere safe?  My family and my own kits would never forgive me if I left you here.”  The kitten heaved a sob, and nodded, stepping forward gingerly. “…my name’s Darkkit…”

Oh.

That is a very Clan name.

“That’s a great name sweetie, just” Longstar paused, looking at the carnage behind him, “just close your eyes for me, okay?  You don’t want to see your mother like this.”  Darkkit nodded again, with a wince, and wobbled forward.  Longstar grabbed him gently by the scruff, and as fast as he could manage without jarring Darkkit’s injuries, headed for home.

Please Starclan, he prayed, let Fireheart and Cinderpelt be awake!

-------

Fireheart and Cinderpelt were indeed awake, waiting at the entrance to camp with cobwebs and poppy seeds and worried faces.  Yellowfang’s spirit had woken Fireheart, and apparently was staying with Flamewish �� probably to see her great-grandkits.  The Healers rushed the injured kitten to the Healer’s Den, and shooed Longstar away as soon as Darkkit fell asleep.  They had garnered some new information from the kitten – his sire had been a Windclan cat, who had rejected Darkkit and his mother Smoke, though he couldn’t remember the tom’s name or role.  Longstar had sent an early morning patrol to make sure the dog was gone, and another to bury the mother who had fought so hard to save her son. 

After thoroughly cleaning himself up, Longstar entered the Leader’s Den; as he thought, a starlit gray molly was curled over the sleeping Flamewish and the kits.  Yellowfang glanced up at him with a critical eye, then softened her gaze.

“The kit’ll heal up fine, Longface, stop bringing the mood down in here” she murmured.  Longstar sagged in relief – if he could trust anyone to be honest, it would be Yellowfang.  After a moment, he shrugged. “I’m just hoping Flamewish doesn’t skin me for not bringing a mouse” he joked.

“Extenuating circumstances, you live this time” came from the Queen, opening one eye and smiling up at Longstar.  “Now tell me about our new son!” Yellowfang laughed at the look on Longstar’s face, which woke a mewling Swiftkit and Foxkit.  With a glittering smile, Yellowfang departed from the den, leaving Longstar with his loving mate and kits.

-------

Flamewish was right though, Darkkit fit into their family just fine.

[the-story-of-snow]

The Story of Snow: Chapter 4

~First~ ~Next~ ~Previous~

Snowpaw smiled, things had been really good these past few days. Last night was the gathering, Stormpaw and Flowerpaw tried to introduce her to their friends from other clans but Whitepaw had gotten there first and dominated the conversation so they hung out with the medicine cats. Honestly, Snowpaw preferred that. The medicine cats were a much smaller group than the apprentices, so much more conformable. The gathering would have gone perfectly if Ashstar didn't almost forget to announce Snowpaw's name alongside Whitepaw's name. He was so focused on his perfect daughter that he could almost forget about his less-than-perfect one. That was probably why he gave her the most useless mentor in existence. Amberfern hadn't done anything to train her unless you counted making her tend to the elders. Flamehawk had been training her to hunt and fight. She wasn't great at hunting like Whitepaw was but she wasn't terrible. Fighting was a different story. She was great at it! She made up for her smaller size with speed and strategy. She had been able to beat Stormpaw twice! She could probably beat her sister if she got the chance! Maybe cats wouldn't idolize her so much then. Snowpaw shook her head. That wouldn't happen. Ashstar would never give her the chance to face Whitepaw if he thought Snowpaw had a chance of beating her. And Whitepaw would probably twist the situation somehow and make everyone love her more. She was a manipulative, self-absorbed, ditzy Fox-heart. And Ashstar didn't help at all. He always praised Whitepaw for every little action while he either ignored or yelled at Snowpaw for anything. Yelling was worse. When he yelled he tried to make brash decisions. He almost made it so Flamehawk couldn't continue to train Snowpaw this morning. Flamehawk managed to talk him out of it. Flamehawk had lied that he was only training her when Amberfern was busy. It was kinda true. The only problem was the fact that she was always "busy". Ok, maybe these last few days hadn't been great, but they were better than ever before. She wasn't getting yelled at all the time, she wasn't being constantly seen in her sister's shadow, and she was learning stuff! She just finished some fighting training with Flamehawk and Stormpaw a minute ago. It had gone great, she was almost able to take down Stormpaw. And he was three moons older than her! Right now she was just kinda chilling in the woods. She just let Stormpaw and Flamehawk continue ahead. They were great, but alone time was great too. That was one drawback to having Stormpaw as a friend. He was always checking in. Always making sure she was OK. All the time. He would probably freak out when he realized she wasn't with them. It probably stemmed from Flowerpaw. She didn't like being alone. It could also be that's just how Stormpaw is like with those he cares about. He cared about her, Right? She thought so. Why else would he be friends with her? But why would he care for her? 

Snowpaw shook her head. He cared about her. She knew that. She was overthinking. Snowpaw got up and started walking back to camp. As she was walking she scented a rabbit. She froze. She should try and catch it! She sniffed for the scent. She got into a hunting crouch as she caught eye of the rabbit. She stalked close. Then the rabbit looked up, saw her, and ran. Snowpaw gave chase. She had to catch this! They ran through the forest for a bit. But the rabbit managed to duck into its burrow. As Snowpaw came to the burrow she said

"Mouse-dung!" She sighed. Then she looked up. In front of her was this plant. It had these pretty white and purple bell-shaped flowers. She didn't recognize them, and Flowerpaw had shown her a lot of herbs. A thought entered Snowpaw's mind. What if this herb hadn't been discovered? That would be so cool! Whitepaw hadn't found a new herb! Snowpaw quickly grabbed one of the flowers. She held it in her twisted paw to keep it upright as she walked back to camp. As she walked she realized two things. One, Flowerpaw was out of camp. She left around the time Flamehawk, Stormpaw, and Snowpaw left. She was gathering herbs somewhere in the territory. The second thing was that there was a possibility it wasn't a useful herb, or it had been found. If that was true, at least it was pretty. Flowerpaw would probably love it. She liked sticking flowers into her fur. She always had leaves, sticks, or flowers in her fur. Most of it she had purposely put there. Snowpaw decided she would hide it near the entrance to the camp. That way she could wait till Flowerpaw came back and nobody else, Whitepaw especially, could find it and steal it. She could tuck it in the thorn tunnel that lead to camp. That would be perfect. She just had to tuck it deep and no one but her could find it! 

When she got to camp she tucked the flower in the tunnel as she planned. As soon as she walked into camp Stormpaw ran up to her. He started talking 

"Snowpaw! Where did you go? I was so worried when we got to camp and you weren't behind us. Are you ok?" Snowpaw chuckled then said with a smile 

"I'm fine. I just stopped and you continued walking." The look on his face was hilarious. He opened his mouth to apologize way too much but Snowpaw laughed and stopped him. Then she said

"Don't worry about it, I did it on purpose. I need a little alone time sometimes" He started to apologize when Flamehawk called him over. Flamehawk nodded at Snowpaw, letting her know that he saw her and knew she was safe. Snowpaw stood near the camp entrance for a moment, as she started to move a cat came up to her with what looked like herbs wrapped in a leaf. The cat was Brownpaw. They didn't know each other that much. Brownpaw was an older apprentice. All Snowpaw knew about her was that she hung out with Whitepaw. Honestly, that was probably because she was trying to suck up to Ashstar and become a warrior. Brownpaw put the leaf on the ground and pushed it towards Snowpaw. 

"Can you bring this to Ashstar for me? Thanks. Bye," Brownpaw then walked right past Snowpaw through the tunnel. Well, that was rude. Snowpaw looked at the herbs. She did not want to bring them to Ashstar. He was probably still on edge from this morning. He would yell at her. All of a sudden a voice popped Into her head

'The flower' What? The flower? The flower she found? The voice spoke again, it felt vaguely familiar 

'The flower is a foxglove flower' Foxglove. That seemed familiar, like an old memory. Snowpaw was tempted to speak aloud to herself, but she didn't. What did the flower being a foxglove flower mean? 

'The seeds are poisonous' Wait, how did she know this? Snowpaw shook her head, Flowerpaw probably told her once. Wait. She had a poisonous flower. And she had herbs meant for her father. Her father, who was constantly yelling at her. Her father, who constantly overlooked her. Her father.

She hated him. She could slip some foxglove seeds into his herbs easily. Wait, no. This was a bad idea. She would be caught. He would suspect her. She sighed and picked up the herbs when the voice in her head spoke again 

'You can pass it off to someone else. Someone who will pass it on to someone else. It's gone through three cats already. Make it six.' The voice was right. Snowpaw walked into the tunnel quickly. She grabbed the flower and poured some seeds into her paw. Then she put them in the herbs. She took a deep breath and shredded the flower, sticking the remaining bits in the thorns. She picked up the herbs and left the tunnel. She looked around the camp and saw a cat that would work. They would pass it on. She walked up behind them and set the herbs down, then asked 

"Can you please take these to Ashstar? I have to go on patrol." She then turned and walked towards the deputy, who was organizing a hunting patrol. The cat didn't see her face. She joined the patrol and left. She carefully kept herself from shaking. From excitement or fear. She couldn't tell. The voice she had deemed as her own thoughts spoke again 

'Wonderful job Snowpaw'

~First~ ~Next~ ~Previous~

Hope you enjoyed!

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

🐈

Another kitty! Meet Stempelt!

Stempelt is a lean, pale gray tom with icy blue eyes. He looks pretty basic. Not a remarkable looking guy!

But he has a strange origin. Stempelt is the son of Runningwind and Redtail. They used a Shadowclan surrogate named Fidgetflower, Fintfang's mate. When they have a litter, they promise the second born kitten to Runningwind and Redtail.

That second born is delivered to Thunderclan by Flintfang soon after its birth, sweet little Stemkit is given to...

"Oh. I didn't know. I'm so sorry for your loss, Runningwind."

Runningwind still takes his newly born son into Thunderclan, stating that this kit is his and Redtail's. Queen's Rights. He loves his son, but this pudgy, squeaking, nose-nipping little baby is a reminder of what's been lost. Runningwind refuses to let it get to him, and fiercely protects the infant, Frostfur sharing her milk with him.

Stemkit quickly grows into Stempaw, a mischievous little apprentice that forms a friendship with the equally mischievous Cloudpaw for what seems to be the express purpose of driving Fireheart insane.

Then, so suddenly and terribly, Runningwind is killed by Tigerclaw. Stempaw mourns heavily, along with the more silently grieving Sandstorm. The two almost siblings don't talk, they enjoy each other's quiet and peace. Sandstorm never knew what to make of Runningwind, but felt connection to him, seeing as Redtail finding her in the woods as a baby had lots of cats marking them down as family.

Stempaw was incredibly upset once more when Cloudpaw leaves Thunderclan, it actually damaged their relationship a little bit forever. It hurt, his best friend leaving with seemingly no trace, especially when he knew Cloudpaw was too tough to be kidnapped.

He was excited when Cloudpaw came back, but once again the feeling would wind up bittersweet when the now trans molly earned her name first, and when denouncing Starclan at that! Stempaw was older than her, it wasn't fair! She was gonna leave him behind again...

Though, he feels horrible when her crush, Brightpaw, is mauled by dogs. He understands her absence then, as Cloudtail fusses over the cat she loves so very much.

At the same time, Mistlepaw, Snowpaw's sister was struggling with her training. Her mother Speckletail was always supportive, but all the support in the world cannot make you pass assessments. Not that it matters much, with Bluestar refusing all apprentices their Warrior names, but Mistlepaw is especially struggling with tracking and battle training. With nothing much else to do, Stempaw helps her out. The 2 grow close, wrestling around together and Mistlepaw helping him with his grief. He forms a good bond with Mistlepaw and Snowpaw.

Firestar, new leader, finally gives almost all the apprentices their new names, including Stempaw, earning the name Stempelt. His mentor, Cherryshine, sister of Ravenpaw and Dustpelt, beams at him, offering him to sit with her and enjoy a good meal of blackbird together.

He fights in the Battle of Bloodclan alongside Mistleberry and Snowpaw (note: Snowpaw earned his name immediately afterwards, as he wasn't quite ready for his new name yet, he could fight, but he insisted he wanted to get his hunting perfect before he got a new name)

Stempelt would make the Journey with Thunderclan after being freed from his cage by Leafpaw, giving all his assistance to Speckletail alongside Mistleberry and Snowtail. Mistleberry and Stempelt became Courts. Almost mates, but not quite.

They held off on having any kits until they were 100% sure they were ready for it. They didn't become official mates until Po3 began, and they only had a litter of kits during The Divided Warriors (The Forgotten Warrior's new title)

During Long Shadows, he is given an apprentice. Deerpaw, new grandson of Tigerstar through his daughter Lynxpetal (a surviving Lynxkit). He acts as a father figure to the nervous little guy, and supports him after he loses one of his paws. Well, he and Graystripe, as Deerpaw was a very unique cat, and needed some extra help with focusing.

Finally, just as it seems things are going badly for the Clans, Mistleberry suddenly gives birth to 2 kittens. Frogkit, a bulky gray tom with green eyes; and Sunkit, a reddish brown spotted tabby molly with amber eyes. Though no one knows it yet, Sunkit is going to transition during apprenticeship, becoming a tom named Volepaw.

Though, tragically, Stempelt will never see this. Stempelt is killed during The Last Hope, fighting against the Dark Forest Trainee, Thornclaw.

He and Mistleberry both perish during the Battle, both watching their boys from Starclan.

[cloudtail]

[saturnskyez]

[jayfrost-designs]

Now for the next of the BrightClouds kits. I won't have a sheet done for Ambermoon for a bit, because I want to use the same lineart I used for Ambertalon, and I'll have to dig out an old iPad to get the file for that, and I won't be updating Ambertalon's ref sheet because I'm still pretty happy with it, so this is the last of the BrightCloud kit ref sheets for a bit. That all being said, here's Snowbush!

You can find the reverse side of his design here.

For his physical description, Snowbush is described as fluffy. The name "Snowbush" would put a lot of people in mind of a round, floofy boy, but because of EOTW, my mental image of Snowbush was set in stone long before he got his warrior name in canon. So my Snowbush has an overall regal look, with a thick medium coat that's thickest around the neck, a tall moderately muscular frame, and tufted ears. He reminds a lot of the older cats of Whitestorm to look at him, though there's still some differences. I used this image of a Turkish Angora as a reference.

For his pattern, Snowbush is described as a white tom with amber eyes. Pretty self-explanatory.

Overall, I'm really happy with how this turned out.

[exocynraku]

warrior cats au where during greywing and clear skys “kill me and live with the memory” battle, clear sky DOES actually kill grey wing, causing him to end up taking over the forest alongside one eye. he takes over all of the other clans’ territories except for one; riverclan. riverclan, lead by river ripple, leaves the territory around skyclan and heads far away to somewhere they will be safe. they find a big river with a good surrounding area and set up camp there, eventually renaming themselves to the cats of the river (river ripple chose to name them that cuz it sounds like the cats of the park hehehehe) the cats of the river survive for many many many many moons until one day, skyclan shows up near their territory (ps this is super in the future so clear sky is long gone) because apparreently their territory got all destroyed by twolegs and they need to find a new place to live. because skyclan is so massive, they totally outnumber the cats of the river and threaten to take over their territory, until the cats of the river receive a prophecy; ice and snow alone will reunite sky, shadow, wind and river  the cats of the river soon find out the meaning of the prophecy when they meet two young kittypet sisters, bella; a grey-blue molly with bright blue eyes and sadie; a white molly with grey colourpoint markings and blue eyes. bella and sadie join the clans, gaining the names; bluepaw and snowpaw

[strelles-universe]

The Cats of ThunderClan: Snowpaw

Name: Snowpaw

Other Names: N/A

Meaning: White Furred

Age: 14 moons (Book 5 - Ch. 5)

Identity: Cisgender Tom - He/Him

Orientation: Bisexual

Rank: Apprentice - Guard

Former Rank(s): N/A

A medium furred white tom with a double layered coat that keeps him warm in katamme. He’s very fond of his singularly folded left ear. Snowkit has pale translucent blue eyes and pale pads and ears. Snowkit was born severely deaf - something that became apparent very quickly and it was realized that he wasn’t responding to auditory stimulus which sent his mother into complete overprotectiveness mode. Speckletail spent a lot of time drilling him on battle stances and defensive poses, often waking him up early to shadow guards and get him to mimic the moves.

Snowkit doesn’t know what he wants to be but he certainly doesn’t like fighting and long since decided he doesn’t want to be a guard. He’s wary of disappointing his mother though so every time someone asks, he insists that he’s not ready yet. He enjoys being around Yiska who speaks shining pawspeak and has steadily begun to teach him as well. He put off his apprenticeship until Whitestar couldn’t delay it any longer by the will of the code and was apprenticed to Brackensight at 10 moons old. Snowpaw was still very nervous but Brackensight was a calmly, gentle and patient mentor who’d been learning pawspeak on the side so he and his mentor were able to communicate smoothly. 

Maskpaw is his best friend in the whole world and although she was a bit younger than him, she was fiercer than an alligator and he admires her a lot. She encourages him to train his skills and sits up at night, gossiping in the apprentice’s den about the rumors around camp. Lately she’s been helping him decide how he wants to handle his training and decide what he wants to do outside of being a guard.

Snowpaw is anxious about the fact that his mother and sister are fighting more and more (much to his guilt, they’re often fighting about him) and spends his time training or playing with his friend to avoid thinking about it.

Mentor(s): Brackensight

Apprentice(s): N/A

Parents: Speckledtail (mother), Smallear (sire)

Sweetparent(s): Whiteeye

Auncle(s): Whiteeye (aunt), Snowgaze (uncle/deceased)

Sibling(s): Mistlefall (sister)

Nephling(s): N/A

Cousin(s): Mousefur, Aspenwind (deceased), Frigidkit (deceased), Frostkit (deceased)

Mate(s): N/A

Crush(es): Maskpaw

OoC Friends: N/A

Kit(s): N/A

[mallowstep]

Not Shadepelt but I'd love to see Dawnpaw's reaction if one of the other apprentices - Shadow or otherwise make a comment about her sister. I'd also like to see if she tries to talk to Tawnypaw to see how Feather is doing as she can't herself.

ooooooo........good ideas, nonnie.

like..

.

Dawnpaw fiddles with the mouse. Heavystep would chastise her for wasting it like this, but she will eat it. Eventually.

She's just not hungry.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

Surprised, she looks up. Snowpaw, one of the ShadowClan apprentices, watches her carefully, Whitepaw by her side.

"You looked lonely," Whitepaw adds.

Dawnpaw looks around camp. Heavystep has released her for the day, and she doesn't talk to the younger ShadowClan apprentices. Can't talk to them. "Sure." It can't hurt. Anything is better than sitting here and wishing her family was okay.

Snowpaw and Whitepaw chatter on about things Dawnpaw doesn't get. She just follows their footsteps, until she hears Featherpaw.

"I feel bad for her," Whitepaw says. "I mean, I know she's a parasite---" (she says the word so calmly it makes Dawnpaw miss a step) "---but still."

"She seems happy," Snowpaw says. "I've seen her talking to Stonefur..."

Dawnpaw doesn't hear the next part of what Snowpaw says, because the rush in her ears overpowers everything. "Shut up," she growls. "You --- she's younger than all of us, she's not happy, you don't know anything."

Both ShadowClan apprentices pause, looking back at her.

"She's my sister," Dawnpaw says. (Her little sister, the one she promised to protect because they weren't quite littermates and Dawnpaw was two moons old when she was brought to RiverClan and she used to fall asleep on the outside of the nest because she was afraid the River would take them just like Robinkit and Woodkit.) "She's not a parasite, she's an apprentice, and she was going to be an amazing warrior. I used to take her swimming and she caught a minnow once, just as a kit."

Snowpaw curls her tail down diplomatically. "I didn't know you were related. Aren't you all-RiverClan?"

"Our mother adopted her." Dawnpaw shakes her head. "That's not the point. You shouldn't talk about her like that."

She leaves, because she doesn't know what they can say that won't make her feel like attacking them, and that will probably get her in trouble, and Mosspelt doesn't need to worry over another kit.

.

as for tawnypaw and dawnpaw, hm. will have to think on that.

<3

[kiwibattlecats]

Cavekit - Cavepaw ♂ Gorseclan Kit - Gorseclan Apprentice "Badly scarred mink-pointed tom with blue eyes." Shy || Serious || Analytical || Lonely Mother: Shadefeather Father: Thrushwing Brothers: Sedgetuft and Surgingpaw Sisters: Dappledstar and Falconpaw Former Mentor: Spider (ex-Gorseclan, loner) Mentor: Dappledstar Appears in Dappledshade’s Vision and Snowpaw's Shadow

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Dark Forest Resident: Sablefleck 

Aliases / Nicknames: Sable, Fleckie, Uncle Sable, Best Uncle Ever, Foxheart, Murderer 

Gender: tom 

Sexuality: homosexual 

Family: unnamed mother, unnamed father, Echomoon (sister), Snowpaw, Harepaw, Ravenpaw (nephews) 

Other Relations: unnamed mentor 

Clan: PrairieClan 

Rank: warrior 

Characteristics: kind-hearted, loyal, loveable, reckless, loves his family, wants to impress his nephews 

Number of "Victims": 3 

Number of "Murders": 3 

Murder Method: leading to dogs (accidentally) 

Known "Victims": Snowpaw, Harepaw, Ravenpaw 

Victim Profile: his nephews (unintentionally) 

Cause of Death: throat slashed, killed by Echomoon 

Cautionary Tale: N/A

Story: 

Sablefleck was a very happy, outgoing, and loving cat. 

He always tried his best to cheer up anyone he saw having a bad day, even if they weren't in his Clan. And it worked, because his positivity was just that infectious. Everyone in PrairieClan loved him and was his friend. Except for one cat--his sister, Echomoon.

Sablefleck never understood why Echomoon didn't want to hang out with him. Even as a kit, she had always been snappy, mean, and rude. He didn't get it. He just wanted to hang out with her, like siblings should! But she just kept turning him away. 

Things changed when Echomoon became pregnant. Sablefleck was overjoyed for her and promised to be there for the kits as much as possible, since their actual father wasn't around. Surprisingly, Echomoon let him. When Sablefleck's nephews, Snowkit, Harekit, and Ravenkit, were born, he doted on them just like their father should have. 

He spent so much time playing with them, Echomoon watching them carefully from the nursery. She still treated him stiffly, but she adored her kits more than anything else. Sablefleck was very much looking forward to showing his nephews all of his favourite places in the territories once they became apprentices. And soon enough, they did. 

The first place Sablefleck took Snowpaw, Harepaw, and Ravenpaw to was a garden in a Twoleg house that was unfenced. It was full of catnip and very peaceful and safe. Nothing bad could happen to them there... at least, that's what Sablefleck thought.

How was he supposed to know that the Twolegs living there had other Twolegs visiting them? 

How was he supposed to know that those Twolegs had brought large dogs with them? 

How was he supposed to know that they would let those dogs out in the garden?

 And how was he supposed to know that the dogs would charge towards his precious nephews, ripping their bodies to shreds before he could even flick the tip of his tail?

Sablefleck barely got out of there alive himself. When Echomoon saw him stumble back into camp, covered in blood, dragging the torn up bodies of her sons behind him, she lost it. She screamed at him, calling him so many horrible names. She said that she should have never let him near her kits, that he was the reason they died, that he was the worst brother a cat could ever have.

Sablefleck tried to explain himself, but her words stung him like a hundred wasps, and he found himself believing them a little too. The only thing that stopped the tirade was the medicine cat pulling him away and into their den to patch up his wounds.

Sablefleck lay in the medicine den that night, unable to sleep. The events of the day kept on flashing through his mind. The one thought he kept coming back to, over and over again, was that he hoped Echomoon would forgive him.

And then, suddenly, he saw her shadow appear in the entryway to the medicine den! His prayers were coming true! However, the smile on Sablefleck's face was quickly turned into an expression of fear and panic, as Echomoon stepped into the den and unsheathed her claws. He tried to call out for help, but with one single slashing motion, it was all over.

Additional Information:

--Submission by @starfalcon555​

--Himbo

--He should have gone to StarClan, but his own self-guilt, combined with the fact that some StarClan cats thought he could have saved his nephews and thus killed him via negligence, resulted in him getting sent to the Dark Forest.

--Had they lived, Sablefleck's nephews' warrior names would have been Snowfern, Harejump, and Ravensky.

--They tried to make him look as much like a sable as possible

--Echomoon is a future submission.

--Sablefleck becomes Fennelbur’s mate. Ironically his old mate I also picture as black and white.

[amicide-wc]

   Snowpaw stirred in their nest as the light shifted behind their eyelids. Bandages of leaves and twine wrapped around their body, covering their wound. Letting out a deep sigh, the apprentice recalled the incident in the forest, where their leg had caught in a leaf-covered bear trap and torn at the haunch. Everything was very fresh in the young cat’s mind, as it was only sunrise that day when a Thistleclan patrol had found them injured and brought them back to camp.    Blinking sleep from their eyes and resting on their front legs, Snowpaw’s eyes adjusted to the sunlight that peaked around a silhouette in the den entrance.    “Oh, hi Houndpaw,” the white apprentice yawned, giving a dull smile to the larger cat as she stared down at them with her sharp blue eyes.   “Actually, it’s Houndclaw now!” The large she-cat puffed out her chest, soaking in her own pride, “Sedgestar made me a warrior just after the patrol brought you back.” Snowpaw clenched their jaw, hot shame prickling in their paws, “That’s great,” they smiled, glancing up at their friend as defeat tightened in their chest. I was supposed to be up there with you.    “Yeah,” Houndclaw grinned, kneading her paws on the cold den floor, “And hey, I know you’re probably pretty bummed about not getting a warrior name, but at least you got a different sort of name change, anyway!” Snowpaw sat up, narrowing their eyes. “What do you mean?”    “Well, you know.” the huge brown warrior continued, “Sedgestar renamed you after your leg got all ruined and stuff. So I’m Houndclaw, and you’re Hobblepaw now.”   “Hobblepaw?“ The white cat scrambled half to their paws, but quickly slumped back into their nest as their right side seared with pain, “What kind of name is that! Why name me after an injury? I can be a warrior as well as you can!”    Houndclaw rolled her eyes, swiping a paw across the stone. “Hey, it’s not like I named you. And anyway, it fits with your… attributes now as any name does, you know how Sedgestar likes to keep names meaningful.”   “Meaningful?” Hobblepaw snapped, curling their lip. “How meaningful can it be to be named for having a mangled leg?”  Houndclaw let out a huff, rolling her eyes at her friend, “It’s just a name, Hobblepaw, it’s not like you’ll be using it out and about for a while, anyway. You’ll be in here with Hazelsight and you’ll get used to it before you’re with the clan properly again.”    “So that’s it then?” Hobblepaw stared across the den at the she-cat. “You become a warrior, I get stuck in here.” Houndclaw licked her paw, drawing it over one ear. “I mean, I guess, but you don’t need to put it like that. I was going to become a warrior today anyway it’s not my fault you didn’t get to become one with me.”   “It’s not my fault either!” Hobblepaw cried, hot tears stinging their eyes. “I didn’t want to get hurt! I thought we were here for each other, wait for each other! What did I do to make you leave me like rotten, fresh kill?” They stared up at Houndclaw with round eyes trembling as she spoke.   “Look, Hobblepaw,” she began, “I’m just doing what I think I need to do. I have to get on with things now that I’m a warrior, you know I’ve always wanted to be deputy, if I show Sedgestar how much I can do for the clan he’ll give me an apprentice and I’ll be where I’ve dreamed since we were kits! Why can’t you just support me?”   The white cat snorted, laying their head on their paws. Support you? When you’re doing everything but supporting me? “I see.” They replied, not meeting the she-cat’s eye, “Well, I don’t expect to see you here again then,” they muttered, and before the brown tabby could respond, added “I don’t want to see you again.”   Hobblepaw could hear Houndclaw hesitate, before she turned to leave the den, “Alright, Hobblepaw.” Was all she said, “Get well soon.” Her shadow quickly disappeared and the hot newleaf sun beamed down onto the white apprentice’s pelt once more. Hobblepaw turned to face away from the den entrance and curled into a ball, as much as they could with their injury at least, before closing their eyes and burying their nose into the moss of their nest.   So much for best friends.

[the-story-of-snow]

The Story of Snow: Chapter 13

~First~ ~Next~ ~Previous~

Snowpaw got back to camp, holding the prey she had caught. As she came through the entrance she saw Stormcloud and Flowerpaw breath a sigh of relief and rush over, while Ashstar was walking over to high rock and Whitepaw and her friends stood in front of it. Stormcloud took the shrew in Snowpaw's paw and Flowerpaw said

"Oh thank Starclan! Stormcloud and I were about to try and find you! We were worried you encountered foxes or something! The ceremony is happening!" Snowpaw's eyes grew wide and the three of them rushed to the fresh kill pile. They put down the prey and Brightspot rushed over and said

"Oh good! You're here! I told Ashstar to wait until you got back but… anyway, You're becoming a warrior! Come on" They all walked over to high rock and sat down at the back. As Ashstar reached the top of highrock Stormcloud leaned over and said

"Is this your ceremony?" Snowpaw laughed quietly and looked up at him with a smile that he returned. Snowpaw spoke quietly 

"Just like when we met." He smiled and nodded. Ashstar called out

"We have gathered here today to make two apprentices warriors. Whitepaw and Snowpaw, please come forward." Snowpaw stood and walked towards high rock. She noticed Whitepaw give her a nervous glance when she came to stand next to her. Ashstar nodded at Whitepaw and she stepped forward. She proudly spoke to her, the clan, and Starclan 

"I, Ashstar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He looked at Whitepaw, pride shining in his eyes,

"Whitepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your-" Whitepaw interrupted,

"I do!" Ashstar chuckled and said

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Whitepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Whiteblaze. StarClan honors your bravery and charisma, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan." Snowpaw had to stifle a laugh at 'bravery' but the clan cheered her new name,

"Whiteblaze! Whiteblaze! Whiteblaze!" Ashstar rested his muzzle on her head and she licked his shoulder, like normal. Whiteblaze then turned towards the clan with a wide smile, ambition glinting in her eyes. Once the clan quieted down, Whiteblaze stepped back and raced down to talk to her friends. Ashstar looked at Snowpaw and she stepped forward. She met his eyes with a glare. He flinched slightly and looked away. He began the speech in a monotone voice

"I, Ashstar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He continued a second later, looking at Snowpaw, but not at her face, rather at her paw,

"Snowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Snowpaw took a breath and said

"I do." He paused and then said,

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Snowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Snowpelt. StarClan honors your-" He paused, as if he was unsure, then he said

"Intelligence and… Skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan." She stepped backward, not wanting to make any physical contact with her Father. Snowpelt turned and looked towards the clan as they cheered her name. The loudest voices came from the back where her friends were. She chose to focus on that rather than the group of cats in front talking to each other like they had through the entire ceremony. Shadow tried to speak up but Snowpelt pushed her back, now was not the time. Once the cheers had ended, the last voices being Stormcloud and Flowerpaw, Ashstar said 

"Whiteblaze and Snowpelt. You shall stand vigil tonight while the clan sleeps." He then called out to the clan,

"Clan meeting dismissed!" Snowpelt walked down to her friends and smiled at them as they congratulated her. She felt Shadow pressing at the edge of her mind but she pushed her back. Brightspot spoke

"I think your vigil begins once the sun has set and cats start to go to their nests. The sun is currently setting and I don't want to give Ashstar an excuse to yell at you so I wouldn’t talk for now." Snowpelt nodded and kept her silence. Flowerpaw said

"I should head to the med den. Iceleaf was arguing with Ashstar before the ceremony and his leg is still bad. Iceleaf probably wants my help." She glanced at Stormcloud with an encouraging but slightly sad smile. She gave Snowpelt a bright smile then walked away. Brightspot looked over at Whiteblaze and said

"It looks like Ashstar is telling her to begin the vigil now, so follow me. Stormcloud, stay here." Snowpelt flashed a smile at Stormcloud before turning and following Brightspot. They walked over to highrock and stopped before Ashstar and Whiteblaze. They turned towards them and the sisters' eyes met with a glare. Whiteblaze's eyes glanced down at Snowpelt's paws and she gave a slight sigh of relief when she saw her claws were sheathed. Snowpelt rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Brightspot and Ashstar. Brightspot spoke first

"It's time for their vigil, right?"  Ashstar glanced at Snowpelt before saying 

"Yes. Whiteblaze, Snowpelt, you will be sitting here and you will sit a silent vigil to think over your new names and duties. Either I or Brightspot will tell you when your vigil has ended in the morning.” He dipped his head, Iceleaf came up from behind him and said

“Ashstar, I want you in the medicine den tonight so I can keep an eye on you.” He turned to her and said

“I will be fine in my own den.” She glared at him and said

“As your medicine cat, I command you to sleep in the medicine den tonight so I can keep an eye on you.” She sighed and nodded his head. They walked to the medicine den and Brightspot spoke to Snowpelt and Whiteblaze

“I'm gonna go as well. Don't talk to anyone, Ok? Ok. See ya in the morning” Brightspot walked over to where Stormcloud was, said something to him and they both walked out of camp. As they left, Stormcloud threw a smile back at Snowpelt and she smiled back, her heart fluttering. She looked back to Whiteblaze and they glared at each other. Snowpelt looked away and looked at the entrance to camp. What could they be doing? It was kinda late to hunt, plus everyone was still wary about the foxes. Shadow tried to speak up

‘Maybe they’re-’ Nope. Snowpelt pushed her back, she was not going to listen to her. Sudden worry rushed through her. Would she be struggling with Shadow all night? Snowpelt shook her head slightly and chose to move her mind onto other topics. Like Ashstar’s flinch when she glared at him. Why had that happened? He didnt care what she thought so why did he seem to in that moment? Maybe it wasn’t about what she thought, maybe it was about her paw or something else about her appearance. But what? Her paw? Pelt? Eyes? Snowpelt sighed, she didn't know. She was shook out of her thoughts when she saw Flowerpaw exit the medicine den, she smiled at her and she smiled back. Both of them looked towards the camp entrance when Stormcloud and Brightspot entered again. So they didn't go hunting. They must have stepped out to talk or something. Brightspot’s eyes latched onto Flowerpaw and they walked towards her. Snowpelt looked away, it must be a family thing, they would probably grab Brichtail in a moment. Brightspot had always been super close to her kits, it almost made Snowpelt jealous. She had never even met her mother, as she had died when she was born. She didn't know much about her but had heard she was a very kind and strong willed cat and Ashstar loved her very much. That was all she knew. Nothing else. Goldenpelt also may have been close to her. When they were kits, Whiteblaze had asked about their mother and Goldenpelt had grown sad and distant before yelling at them. Snowpelt left her thoughts again when she saw Stormcloud coming towards her. She perked and smiled at him. He looked nervous, a rare look for him. Past him, she saw Brightspot and Flowerpaw hiding behind a rock. Brightspot watched eagerly and Flowerpaw smiled sadly. What was happening? Snowpelt noticed Stormcloud look at Whiteblaze with a small glare. She looked confused as well, her eyes were narrowed. Snowpelt looked back at Stormcloud. As he reached her he took a deep breath and spoke

"Hey Snowpelt." He smiled when he said her new Warrior name and he continued 

"I know you can't respond right now but I have to ask you something.." a sharp gasp came from Whiteblaze but Snowpelt still didn't know what was going on so she listened very intently on what he had to say

"I'm actually asking right now because you respond and that gives you time to think and doesn't pressure you into answering right away and…" He trailed off,agave a little chuckle and said

"I'm rambling, sorry." He took a deep breath and smiled at her before saying 

"Snowpelt, you are the most amazing cat I know. You are intelligent, strong, kind and overall just wonderful. And… I love you, Snowpelt.  And I can't think of any other cat I would love to spend the rest of my life with. Snowpelt, will you be my mate?" Joy rushed through her and a ginormous smile spread across her face. She almost opened her mouth to say yes but stopped when she remembered that this was a silent vigil. So she just smiled happily. Cheering erupted from the rock Brightspot and Flowerpaw were hiding behind. She heard Brightspot say

"Snowstorm! Woo!" Snowpelt erupted into laughter and Stormcloud followed. Brightspot and Flowerpaw came out from behind the rock, laughing slightly. The only one who wasn't laughing was Whiteblaze. Snowpelt looked over at her. She was glaring at both her and Stormcloud, her eyes glowing with jealousy. Snowpelt looked back at Stormcloud with a smile. Brightspot came up behind him with a smile and said

“Super glad the ship is sailing but I’m dragging Stormcloud to bed! See you in the morning Snowpelt!” Stormcloud, Brightspot, and Flowerpaw walked towards the warrior den. Snowpelt watched them as Brightspot shooed Stormcloud inside and went to follow him but Flowerpaw said something to her and they walked out of camp. What could they be doing? Snowpelt shook it off and focused on what just happened. Stormcloud just asked her to be his mate! Snowpelt glowed with happiness. 

Suddenly a thought hit her. She had to tell him. She had to tell him about what she'd done today, and the poisoning a few moons ago. He needed to know. 

~First~ ~Next~ ~Previous~

Hope you enjoyed!

[warriorsbutnotreally]

Snowkit Lives, Bramblekit Dies AU

You guys are giving me such wonderful ideas and it’s hypin’ me up!

+Snowkit is horrified as he watches Bramblekit be carried off into the sky. Goldenflower is screaming and running, trying to get to her beloved son. After losing her two previous sons, Lynxkit and Swiftpaw, she becomes inconsolable. 

Snowkit does no better, hiding in the nursery and staring at the sky fearfully as he doesn’t know when the sky beast will return.

When he turns six moons, he still refuses to budge, not even for his own ceremony. It takes a lot of careful coaxing before Brackenfur is made his mentor. He is unaware of Goldenflower’s resentment towards him.

Brackenfur and Speckletail work together to pick up Snowkit’s confidence. It takes a while and a lot of hard work, but neither of them give up.

One night Goldenflower vanishes with a recently apprenticed Tawnypaw and everyone tries to find her Not long after this, they are revealed to be new ShadowClan cats, Tigerstar taking them in while meeting with Sasha in secret [in this he still hooks up, but doesn’t tell his ex mate]

By the time of the BloodClan battle, he’s back to his playful self, though he still watches the sky every time he sees an unusual shadow. By this time they had taught him his own way of communicating, using his body language plus some kitty sign language. 

After Scourge kills Tigerstar, Goldenflower is revealed to be expecting Tigerstar’s kits, as they had ended up back together though she had been trying her hardest to get him to stop

When the real battle begins, with the other apprentices, Snowpaw helps kill Bone

After Scourge is killed and BloodClan is chased off, Goldenflower and Tawnypaw choose to stay in ShadowClan, but before they leave, Goldenflower asks Speckletail and Brackenfur to help translate

She apologizes to Snowpaw, who is confused

She tries to explain before he stops her by placing his paw on hers before assuring her in his own way that she has no reason to apologize

They go back to the respective Clans on a better note with each other

come TNP, Snowpaw has become Snowflight and a lot of the Clans surprisingly have learned how to sign, not just for Snowflight, but for any other deaf cats in their own Clans and to communicate with those outside the Clans [even if to tell them to leave] Goldenflower lost most her litter, but ended up having one survivor, a son she named Thistlekit. However, her grief caught up to her and she passes away before he’s even an apprentice.

He doesn’t have an apprentice but he keeps an eye on every cat close to apprenticeship hoping to be a mentor one day

Snowflight is the chosen from ThunderClan

The journey includes him, Tawnypelt, Feathertail, Stormfur, and Crowpaw.

Squirrelpaw does not join them

The journey goes well, they return home, and lead the Clans to their new home

When Daisy joins, Snowflight is smitten with her right away, but isn’t sure what to say or do

She’s confused by him at first, but as she learns the sign language, she becomes more and more comfortable, especially as she does find him charming in his own silly way He even teaches her kits how to sign

When she almost bolts due to the badgers, Snowflight actually catches up with her and convinces her to return, promising to protect her and her kits with his entire life before she makes it back to the barn

Though nervous, she is reassured enough to go back to ThunderClan

He ends up becoming Mousepaw’s mentor and he’s really excited

He’s even more proud when his mentor, Brackenfur, becomes deputy

Firestar, however, is killed shortly after by an unknown assassin, leaving Brackenfur as Brackenstar in such a short time. He ends up naming his sister, Brightheart, as his deputy.

Around TPoT, Squirrelflight is mates with Ashfur, though their relationship seems to have gone on thin ice ever since she had Lionkit, Hollykit, and Jaykit

Snowflight notices how she’s rarely in camp anymore and how smothering Ashfur is to the kits

He notices this because Daisy, who is a perma-queen, is now his mate

Later on - while Lion, Jay, and Holly are apprentices [about to be Warriors/medicine cat] - Snowflight stumbles across Squirrelflight near the Thunder-Shadow border and finds her really close to the ShadowClan warrior Thistletail

She begs him not to tell Ashfur and he agrees

She then explains that Ashfur has gotten more and more controlling in their relationship and that she had met Thistletail and being around him made her feel free

Snowflight is very sympathetic

Not long after this, Squirrelflight breaks up with Ashfur after he tries to pressure her into having more kits with him and she no longer feels comfortable being around him

There’s a large fight that ends with her running away Around this time, Daisy is revealed to be expecting Snowflight’s kits

It isn’t until the Three have their full names that it’s revealed that she ran off to ShadowClan and is now Thistletail’s mate

Ashfur finds out and drags the Three and Snowflight with him to beg her to come back

Thistletail steps in and tells Ashfur to leave his mate alone

Ashfur accuses Squirrelflight of not loving their kits right in front of the kits and Squirrelflight screams that she does love the Three, but that they’re not hers and they’re definitely not his and that she’s glad she never had his kits

Everyone is shocked into silence as Thistletail leads a distraught and sobbing Squirrelflight away, not wanting this to stress his mate out any further

Snowflight is stunned even as he returns back to camp, where Daisy is waiting with their own litter of kits - Specklekit, Snailkit, Frostkit, and Petalkit. Petalkit is deaf like her father.

He doesn’t know how to mention what’s wrong, so instead he just curls up with his mate and kits, not wanting to worry her

That night he wakes up from a nightmare of the hawk, one he hadn’t had in a long time, just in time to see an unknown figure slip into the leader’s den.

Following behind, he catches Hawkfrost, a RiverClan warrior, about to murder Brackenstar. Snowflight is about to attack when Ashfur stops him. He lets out a terrible screech that wakes up the Clan, including Brackenstar. 

Snowflight is seriously injured in the fight, but manages to survive as Hawkfrost is kept prisoner with Ashfur. 

It turns out the two had been conspiring with each other for a long time and the RiverClan tom was trying to take over the four Clans. Hawkfrost is sent to RiverClan for his punishment and Ashfur is kept prisoner as ThunderClan tries to figure out what to do with him.

Eventually he is put to sleep with herbs and dragged far from Clan territory and left to figure things out on his own. 

Daisy frets over Snowflight as he’s badly injured but Leafpool assures that he’ll be okay

Eventually the true parentage of the Three is revealed

Things go down about the same, including Hollyleaf running to the tunnels

In OOtS Snowflight isn’t hugely focused on, but he’s still alive

Specklepaw, Frostpaw, and Petalpaw are now apprentices Snailkit did not make it to being an apprentice, as he got really sick They eventually earn the names Specklenose, Frostfeather, and Petalleap.

Snowflight ends up being killed by Breezepelt after a scuffle at the border gets out of hand. It’s considered an accident but the WindClan warrior doesn’t show remorse

Frostfeather ends up dying in the Great Battle and Specklenose dies not long after when she refuses to eat or rest until she’s sure everyone she cares about is okay