#the rest of riverclan will come eventually

[skyclan-funny-name-squad]

Thinking about how I’d do a rewrite again and i still hate how the powers were just just diabolus ex machina’d away after the great battle so I’ve decided they sacrifice their powers to help seal the dark forest, giving it Strength Knowledge and Willpower to better keep it’s prisoners locked inside. This is what causes the massive changes and then when bristlefrost dies she inadvertently gives up her own gift to the dark forest, the ability to change, to adapt, to become more malleable and better for the cats inside, to truly learn instead of just know.

Which causes as Gray Wing is all “you can’t sit with us the dark forest doesn’t change” a leaf to fall on his muzzle, and then they look up and see the trees shedding their leaves, a gentle soft dusting of snow, the eternal worst day of leaf fall you could conceive of is no more, the forest is resting, leaf bare is here to let the forest rejuvenate, and eventually new leaf will come as well, then green leaf, then it will repeat.

The dark forest can change, the cats inside can change, it is change, maybe it always was. Starclan has no true jurisdiction over the dark forest, not truly, just as riverclan has no true to say over windclan, and if it wants a cat be able to leave, not even Gray’s Wing can stop them from crossing the border out.

[theanoninyourinbox]

New Longstar AU - The Final Countdown or Four Once More

-Prologue-

  Thunderclan is in mourning – Hollywish is presumed dead, and the traitorous Sol hasn’t stopped his wheezing laugh at every waking moment.  Purdy is horrified that the cat he once considered to be a friend has done such a terrible thing, but begs Longstar to not kill Sol on the spot – he can’t eat, and seems to have gone mad.  Swiftpool, as the mother of the victim, is given the final word.  She demands that Sol be left where the Twolegs will find him – let them decide his final fate, she sobs into Crowfeather’s fur.

  Flamewish and Longstar mourn for days with their grandkits, leaving Brightheart to govern for nearly a week, with Mousefur backing her up.  Eventually Mousefur drags the leader and his family out of their mourning – Sol wanted to break you, don’t you DARE let him win!

(The Twolegs bring the injured and babbling Sol to a vet, who sends him to a cat rescue.  The poor thing has some kind of brain injury, and his poor tongue is nearly gone.  Sol spends his final days as the thing he hated most – a pampered Kittypet – but his mind is too far gone to feel anything.)

(Brambleclaw looks for the spirit of Hollywish, wanting to keep her from Starclan, but is blocked from the tunnels by winding vines and sharp leaves.  A cat ghost, all drenched and freezing, drags the injured molly deeper into the tunnels – he will protect her from the stabbing claws that pry at his safe haven.)

  Windclan is in mourning with Crowfeather – Hollywish was a beloved ally!  Breezepelt and Heathertail reminisce about her, while their mate Antfur nods along, but his mind is elsewhere…

  Shadowclan is in mourning – Hollywish helped save Blackstar from Sol’s manipulations, only to lose her to those same powers?  What a tragedy.  Goldenheart, Dawnpelt, and Embertail make her a little shrine deep in the marshy territory, where no one will disturb it.

  Riverclan is in mourning – Hawkfrost and Mothwing are near inconsolable.  And to top it off, Leopardstar has been getting sicker and sicker lately…and the otters have been getting restless – the lake water has been slowly dropping…

  (The Miretrees celebrate a victory – one Prophecy cat is dead!  They are one step closer to victory!  The disgraced clan cats are joined by the collared Kittypet dead and a few loner gheists, each and all reveling in their depravity. But in the shadows, several figures huddle quietly.  They know that the Visitor will be back tonight, and one by one they slink away.  At a secluded hollow - the sight of a quiet and unassuming death of a long ago murderous Healer, name now long forgotten – several Dark Forest cats meet with a group of regretful kittypets spirits…and the Visitor descends like a Star from the sky…)

  (In Starclan, Yellowfang and Bluestar have a spat – Bluestar forbids Yellowfang from interfering with her living kin, and Yellowfang is having none of that.  My great-grandkit is missing, the Dark Forest is trying to devour us all, and you want us to BACK OFF?!  ARE YOU INSANE!? It takes the combined strength of Nightstar and Runningnose to keep Yellowfang from physically fighting the former Thunderclan leader, but they convince her to guard her family closely – and they will help her…)

  (In the city, the Hope’s Rest Clowder is preparing for war.  The Stars have spoken of a battle coming for the Clans, and that the Clowder will be needed to defend them.  Pieces of discarded Twoleg trash are crafted into armor with clever paws.  Battle plans are discussed, discarded, and reworked over and over.  Darkstripe and Sasha are training with a group of younger cats when a clamor rises at the entrance to their settlement.  The Healer Twoleg sits outside, closer than they’ve ever ventured before, with a sack of some kind.  Sasha peers out, and the Healer Twoleg reaches into the sack…and deposits more of the armor pieces that the Armorers desire, but already trimmed of sharp edges that would catch and cut the wearer, and with bristles attached to make attacking the wearer difficult.  Sasha makes eye contact with the Twoleg – and sees a cat spirit wrapped around the Twoleg’s shouders, batting their head against the Healer’s ear.  The Twoleg and Sasha exchange blinks of trust, and the Clowder cats marvel.  Darkstripe begins dragging the armor in – it seems the Stars have given them one more ally.)  

(At the Barn, Ravenpaw and Barley see a Ghost wind around the legs of the Farmer, who bends down and holds them like a Queen holding a kitten.  The voice of Redtail echoes from behind the pair of Barn Cats – the Dark is rising, and All must fight; for if the Dark wins, All souls will be lost, not just cats…)

-Apprentice Tales-

Moons have passed, and the nursery kits are ready to become apprentices.  Ivykit and Dovekit are being groomed by Birchfall and Whitewing, and the kittens joke about poor Wormkit being groomed by both his parents Ashfur and Flyshadow.  The kittens are summoned by Longstar, and he ceremonially asks them what Roles they have chosen (even though he asked them earlier, it’s important to the Clan to announce it like this – Ivykit thinks it’s silly but obliges anyway).

Ivykit chooses to be a Hunter, and Ivypaw is apprenticed to a surprised and delighted Charheart.  The pair touch noses, and Ivypaw promises to not let her down.  Charheart quietly insists that Ivypaw will make mistakes, but so will she, and they’ll learn together.

Dovekit, with her partial hearing loss, is apprenticed to Jaywhisker to be a Tracker, with Snowthorn there to provide support.  Dovepaw bounces on her feet, and nearly headbutts Jaywhisker.

Wormkit wants to be a Crafter AND an Herbalist too, so is apprenticed to Goldenflower, with Fireheart providing Herbalist teaching.  Goldenflower bestows a woven legband for Wormpaw to wear, which he immediately starts fidgeting with.

Their first task?  To bring water to the Clan, as a drought has been ravaging the territories.  Dovepaw swears that she can hear Riverclan arguing about the otters taking all the fish, but Wormpaw jokes about her “selective hearing” and Ivypaw bats at his ears until Jaywhisker separates them.  Dovepaw looks over the slowly draining lake, and hears faint chewing noises in the distance…

Spiderleg and Berrynose get stuck in the mud on their own water patrol, and Thornfur leverages them out with a large stick.  Wormpaw pokes at a dead fish, and gets jumpscared by Rainstorm…who then ALSO gets stuck, and feels humiliated that Thunderclan had to save him.

Later, after a long day of training, Dovepaw lays quietly, and does not hear the ghostly pawsteps that trod closer.  She only sees a flicker out of the corner of her eye, and assumes it’s Ivypaw.  She tells “Ivypaw” that her hearing isn’t working right now, so can she just sit by her for a while?  When the cat leaves, and actual Ivypaw walks in, Dovepaw is confused, but the sisters sit in peace, and Ivypaw watches her sister’s back.

(Bluestar grumbles at not being heard, but is distracted by Yellowfang pointing out her hypocrisy – oh so YOU can visit the living but I CAN’T?  Eventually Bluestar admits to feeling useless, and Yellowfang comforts her – if we don’t help them together, we all fall.)

Some time later, Dovepaw confides in Jaywhisker that she’s been hearing some strange noises upriver, and swears that sometimes she SEES brown animals blocking the river with trees.  Jaywhisker has Issues with this, and with the help of Lionblossom, talks to her about the Prophecy – and that she’s probably part of it now.  This sends Dovepaw into a panic attack, and she flees to Ivypaw, who threatens to slap the answers out of Jaywhisker, respected clanmate or not.  She gets read into the Prophecy, and vows to protect her sister.  Dovepaw tearily tells her that Ivypaw is her favorite sister, and Ivypaw ruffles her fur, I’m your ONLY sister dummy!  Unless we count Wormpaw as our bonus boy-sister.  The two laugh and embrace – and Jaywhisker and Lionblossom have a bittersweet moment of memory with the fragile image of Hollywish…

(In the tunnels, Hollywish crouches by the underground stream.  She fishes out a juicy lost fish, and the soggy form next to her congratulates her.)

Lionblossom feigns having a vision, and Hawkfrost confirms that the brown creatures must be Beavers – he’ll get the otters involved in helping.  A patrol with members  of each clan heads out – Jaywhisker and Lionblossom, Ivypaw (strictly to help Lionblossom) and Dovepaw from Thunderclan; Hawkfrost, his otter friends Weed and Log, Rippletail and Petalfur of Riverclan; Sedgewhisker and Whitetail of Windclan; and Smokefoot and Goldenheart of Shadowclan.  Jaywhisker, Lionblossom, and Goldenheart chat about their apprentice days, Rippletail boasts about how he’ll kill a Beaver, and Petalfur scolds him for his arrogance, and Ivypaw and Dovepaw learn some Otterspeak from Hawkfrost.

Unfortunately, Rippletail is lost in the fight against the Beavers – Ivypaw tried to stop him, but he shoved her aside and leapt basically into the mouth of one of the creatures. Weed, Log, and Sedgewhisker avenged him, and the dam was broken, but Ivypaw still felt useless.  She couldn’t save him – and Hawkfrost breaks through her thoughts.  He chose to do that – Rippletail was a good fighter but he made a poor decision, and that’s not on you!  Sedgewhisker chimes in, you did what you could, but in the end it was his time – I only hope that his spirit is at peace…and if he shows up here I’m boxing his ears for idiocy, Petalfur scowls tearily.  This does cheer Ivypaw up a bit, but she still saw violence, and her heart aches…but she curls up with a shaken Dovepaw and they share their fears together.

The Patrol returns to the lake refilling, and split off to their respective Clans.  The four Thunderclanners are welcomed back with open arms, and Ivypaw is treated to her mentor’s reassurances after hearing the story.  Being back on Thunderclan land brings Ivypaw’s confidence back up, and eventually she’s back to her old self, if a bit more thoughtful.

-Dark Forest Rising-

A few nights after the group returns, a heavily pregnant Poppyfrost, acting as a surrogate for Berrynose and Honeyfern, asks Lionblossom to escort her to the Moonpool – she’s been having nightmares about losing her kits.  He obliges, but once they’re within sight of the pool, a cat attacks them.  The molly, eyes heavily scarred over and mouth dripping, slashes at Poppyfrost’s side, but hits Lionblossom’s shoulder instead.  He strikes at the stranger’s throat, and his paw comes back coated in black and foam, but she backs off.  Poppyfrost makes it to the Moonpool, but Lionblossom calls out a warning – another cat is leaping at her!  But this cat is thwarted by the timely appearance of Berrynose and Honeyfern, who saw Poppyfrost wasn’t in the Nursery and were concerned. The mates charge at the attacker and strike as one, and the coward flees into the evening, leaving behind bits of feather and shreds of heather.  Only then does Lionblossom realize that his shoulder is torn open, and that the gunk coating his paw has vanished.  At camp, Poppyfrost comfortable in the Nursery, he talks to Jaywhisker, who remembers the old stories of Brokentail…something horrible is happening…the Dark Forest cats are escaping the Mire…but their conversation is interrupted by Poppyfrost going into labor!

(In Windclan, Antpelt returns to camp injured, telling everyone to watch out for a very angry Hare.  Heathertail puts new heather in his fur, and Breezepelt finds him a new feather to wear.)

(In the Dark Forest, Brambleclaw gathers beautiful flowers from the scene of a long-ago crime, and plots on how to bring his next trainee in…a jealous sibling should be no problem to him…)

Some time later, Dovepaw tells a dozing Lionblossom that someone is going to the Moonpool.  He takes a look, and sees Mothwing and Mistyfoot.  He sighs, and goes to Longstar – I think Leopardstar died Gramps.  The next morning it is confirmed by a visiting Hawkfrost – Mistystar has risen to power.

After a series of failed hunts and trainings that left her despondent, Ivypaw throws herself into sleep, and wakes in a strangely bright meadow – no sun in the sky, and odd depressions in the tall grasses.  But she is distracted by the appearance of a large and well decorated tomcat, who asks if she needs some help.  Thinking it’s just a weird dream, she asks for help training, and the stranger obliges.  The next morning, she tries one of the moves on Charheart, who asks where she saw such a move?  That’s very advanced but seriously, who taught you that?

Ivypaw, freaking out, tells her about the tomcat and the meadow – Charheart freaks out, and the pair head straight to the Healer’s den.  Darkmoon sees their distress and calls for Longstar and Fireheart, who were chatting with Mousefur.  The situation is explained, and explained again to Dovepaw and Jaywhisker and a very confused Wormpaw.  After hearing everyone trying to figure out the Dark Forest’s next move, Ivypaw surprises herself by offering to be a spy.  There is arguing, but after vowing to call on Yellowfang for help if she needs it, Ivypaw becomes a Dark Forest Trainee…

A huge storm sweeps through camp, and to the horror of all, a tree falls onto some fleeing cats!  Mousefur is gone in an instant, and Briarpaw’s back is broken by a branch – not to mention Ashfur’s bruises and Coldlight’s crushed tail tip!  Millie is distraught, but is reminded of Feathertail, and of how she survived a broken spine!  Graystripe vows to help his daughter in any way he can, and Longstar decides to promote her – and her siblings – for their bravery evacuating the camp.  Briarlight, who had already been training to be a Camp Guard, breaks into tears at her ceremony.

Dovepaw is awoken one night by a brown cat, claiming to be Onewhisker.  He says Shadowclan is planning an attack on the borders, and Dovepaw relays this to Longstar the moment the spirit leaves.  A battle patrol quite literally runs into a patrol on Thunderclan territory, and a fight ensues.  Someone shoves Jaywhisker from behind, and his claws catch on the tender throat of Russetfur.  Everyone breaks apart, and Jaywhisker wails in horror when he realizes what happened.  Back at camp, Dovepaw describes Tiger”star” to a horrified Longstar.  But it’s far too late to stop what’s happened… (Starclan is in crisis – how did Tiger”star” sneak through to Dovepaw!?  Bluestar finds a crack in their defenses, that makes her suspect more…)

-Plans Coming Together-

(In the city, the Twoleg Vet Tech gathers bandages, stitches, anything she might need to treat mass wounds.  The ghost of her childhood cat Nanigans perches on her desk, purring softly.  She had talked to her grandfather, who had his beloved Barn cat Sweet Pea show up, and he’s been preparing to help as well.  When you start seeing cat ghosts, ghosts that the suspiciously smart neighborhood cats see too, it’s time to start worrying…)

At camp, Lionblossom treats the wounds of the patrol, while Darkmoon and Fireheart try to calm Jaywhisker.  He’s retreated into a ball in the corner of camp, and it takes his mother to pry him out.  He yowls in grief and horror, and Swiftpool takes him to a quiet place in the territory, to let him grieve.  Dovepaw covers her ears – her hearing is now flinging from nonexistant to too much too loud with little warning and no time to adjust.

Jaywhisker, resting fitfully in camp, is woken by Charheart.  You don’t look too good, and something big flew over camp – maybe you need a walk?  He agrees, and the pair scare off a small owl.  They walk in silence for a time, but then they are interrupted by a call – Embertail.  He looks devastated, but asks Jaywhisker what happened to Russetfur – some of the Brawlers are saying you did it on purpose, but…I don’t believe them.  Please, what happened?  Jaywhisker, supported by Charheart, lays out the events, and Embertail sighs – that sounds like a total accident! Oh Jaywhisker I’m so sorry – I’ll talk to Blackstar about it.  With that, Embertail wishes the pair farewell, and heads off.  Jaywhisker leans on Charheart and thanks her for the help.  Of course, silly, what are friends for?

(In Shadowclan, Redwillow seethes.  How DARE Embertail step in like that – Russetfur’s murder was all planned out, another wedge between clans, and then this?!  Redwillow seethes, and in the Stars, Russetfur thinks hard.)

Ivypaw and Dovepaw have their first real fight a few days later, Dovepaw insisting that Ivypaw stop her spying Right Now – look what they did to me, think of what they’ll do to you!!  Ivypaw snaps back, well maybe if you’d thought to double check who you were talking to, MAYBE your mentor wouldn’t be traumatized, and someone wouldn’t be dead!!! They stalk off away from each other, but at Wormpaw’s insistence, talk over their issues a few days later.  Wormpaw asks Goldenflower if there’s a role for helping cats get along, and Wormpaw starts even more training with Darkmoon, to see if he wants to also be a Therapist.

(Dovepaw keeps running into Goldenheart on her patrols – not on purpose, but it just. Keeps. Happening!  After a while, it becomes less annoying and more funny, but still…Starclan why?)

(Bluestar chuckles, not seeing Yellowfang behind her with a scowl.)

In Shadowclan, Blackstar, Embertail, and a sickly Littlecloud go to the Moonpool.  The spirit of Raggedstar advises that the clans stay apart, but Embertail argues that if the clans were closer, maybe Russetfur would still be alive!  He then crouches in shame for speaking Like That to a Starclan Spirit, but the laughter of Yellowfang gives him confidence.  Russetfur herself appears, and tells Blackstar that she will wait for him, her chosen brother, but to also stop being a pompous idiot and be social.

(Nearby, Juniperclaw watches silently.  Perhaps it’s time someone visits this interfering Seer…)

Ivypaw wakes in the Dark Forest, and on her way to train, she stumbles through a new place – the edge of a raging river in a storm.  She sees paws in the water for a moment, too small and horrible to think about, when she’s startled by a massive tortie molly, all flapping throat and rippling fur, emerging from the waves.  The molly advances on her, blurbling words just out of hearing, and Ivypaw backs up – right into Brambleclaw and his thorns.  Brambleclaw tells the molly, Mapleshade, to back off, but his voice is unsteady.  Mapleshade laughs like a drowning bird, and vanishes out of the stormy clearing. 

Ivypaw, seeing an opening in Brambleclaw’s armor, starts praising him.  Obviously tricking her sister was HIS idea, because it was so good!  He eats it up, and brings her to training.  As she trains, she sees a white cat, half coated in ice, weeping sleet.  They make eye contact, and Ivypaw sees pain in his eyes, but also regret…that’s new.  Eventually, she sees Tiger”star” talking to Goldenheart, and when she wakes, Longstar is Very interested in the regretful cat, and asks her to keep an eye on him.  Lionblossom and Jaywhisker are horrified at Goldenheart’s appearance.

It's Leafbare, and Jaywhisker has been cultivating his friendship with Embertail.  They’re sliding rocks on the frozen lake, when Jaywhisker hears an ominous THUNK beneath them, followed by cracking.  Embertail falls into the water, but is quickly hoisted out by Jaywhisker and Dawnpelt.  But even after he’s treated, even after he’s warmed, Embertail won’t wake up…

(Mapleshade drags the blank-faced spirit of Embertail to the Miretrees, something like a smile on what remains on her face…)

Ivypaw is greeted that night by Mapleshade, who drags her along with her sodden tail, and shows Ivypaw the drowsy spirit of Embertail. K I L L, says the monstrous molly, but even as Ivypaw reluctantly lifts a paw, Goldenheart charges into the scene and bowls her over.  They argue, and Mapleshade just laughs, until she sees that Embertail is just gone!  The trainees scramble away from the furious tortie, and Ivypaw hisses that she would never hurt Embertail.  Goldenheart thanks her, and the two part ways.

(A silvery tom with biting beaks in his neck helps a faceless, gurgling tom guide Embertail away.  The white frozen cat is waiting at a hollow tree, and the Visitor ushers Embertail to his body.  The Seer awakens, dazed and confused, with no memory of anything after the ice.)

Then Icecloud falls into the tunnels.  Jaywhisker and Charheart both huddle together, experiencing some very nasty emotions, but Icecloud is freed and the tunnel opened.  Lionblossom does NOT find his sister within, but instead a tuft of fur, and crushed holly leaves…maybe, just maybe…Hollywish is alive?

(In the background, Icecloud lifts the apprentices spirits by placing a betting pool on when Charheart and Jaywhisker will start dating.  Ivypaw confides that Charheart thinks that they are, but Dove giggles and says that Jaywhisker has no idea.  Wormpaw suggests maybe a betting pool on when Jaywhisker figures it out, and a deal is made.)

-Times Are Changing-

None of the apprentices expect what comes next – Longstar calls them to receive their adult names!  Ivyleaf is named for her rapid growth and sheltering nature, Dovewing is named for her adventurous spirit and kind nature, and Wormwood for his steady and dependable nature.  Their vigil is calm, and their sleep sweet…except for Ivyleaf…

(That night, she fights Antpelt, and when he tries to help her up, Broken”star” attacks him.  That night, Heathertail wakes to something sticky in their shared nest, and her horrified screams wake Breezepelt, whose yowls join hers quickly.  Antpelt lays between them, so bloody he looks like a different cat altogether.  Kestrelflight rushes to treat him, but it’s far too late…)

At the next Gathering, Goldenheart tries to flirt with Dovewing, which is a surprise, but Bumblestripe steps in and Brightheart has to break it up before a fight starts.  Wormwood is asked about Briarlight by Grasspelt, who promises to come for a visit, I mean if that’s okay?  Ivyleaf thinks it’s sweet.  She finds it less sweet and more annoying when Goldenheart tries to get time with Dovewing and Ivyleaf has to distract Bumblestripe.

Lionblossom begins to experience strange dreams, of being a cat named Lion’s Roar, and hearing the voices of cats from said dreams coming from the mountains.  Knowing that this is important, Lionblossom asks for Longstar to assign him a patrol to go check it out – he asks for Graystripe and his family – including Briarlight - and Foxflight and Shrewleg.  Frostfoot asks to go as well, and the patrol prepares to go.

On the morning of the patrol’s departure, Jaywhisker and Charheart are on one of their morning patrols, and are discussing the Prophecy and the Dark Forest.  Charheart admits to feeling insecure sometimes, courting a cat chosen by the Stars, and Jaywhisker nearly runs into a tree.  WAIT HANG ON WHAT cough cough what do you MEAN we’re COURT - oooooooonnnnnoooooo I’m a moron…Jaywhisker puts his head in his paws, I’m supposed to be the smart one HOW DID I NOT NOTICE!?!?!? Charheart please stop laughing at meeeee!  Charheart, at this point out of breath from laughing, wheezes out, it’s been moons, and Jaywhisker starts cackling like a loon.  The two lay there laughing for a while, but eventually DO have a relationship conversation.

(Wormwood wins the bet, and Ivyleaf, Dovewing, and Icecloud all pay up with tasty mice)

Up at the Tribe territory, Stormfur and Feathertail greet their father and siblings and stepmother, and figure out quickly that there are no problems in the Tribe!  This is Great! Lionblossom offers to teach some healing techniques, and Briarlight and Feathertail bond. The mobile patrollers do have to fight off an eagle that tries to steal Swoop, but she escapes with a broken leg.  However, every night they stay, Lionblossom has dreams of another time, and of a beautiful cat named Half Moon.  She promises to wait for him, and when the patrol leaves the Tribe, Lionblossom sees another shadow following him.  They return triumphant, with tales of eagles and a few new hunting and healing techniques.

In the Miretrees, Ivyleaf sees her father and Blossomfall training and is a little Concerned, but refuses to blow her cover.  In camp, Dovewing begs Whitewing to get Bumblestripe off her back.  I gave him one compliment and now he thinks we’re in love!? Mom PLEASE I’m going to slap him if he keeps this up!!  Whitewing pats her daughter, and whispers she saw a molly looking at Bumblestripe like he hung the Moon, and to leave it to her…

(Whitewing sets up a little shrine in the woods, just a few stones and berry pawprints, and tells all the single mollies and toms except Bumblestripe (and warns her kits about it) that it’s a Love Shrine.  That if they bring a piece of prey there at Sunhigh and ask Starclan for their blessing, that the mate they seek will appear to them soon after.  Rosepetal leaves a frog on the offering stone and begs the Stars for Bumblestripe.  He’s the sweetest tom she’s ever known!  He brings prey to the Elders, and helps his sister exercise, and lets kits crawl all over him, and he’s so beautiful she wants to cry sometimes!  He’s brave and his fur looks so soft and she wants to cover him in Courting flowers and I just want someone that devoted but aimed at me!  Is that so much so ask!?  She stares at the sky, sighs tearily, grabs her frog, and turns to head for camp-

                                          -And nearly runs into a wide eyed Bumblestripe.  Whitewing told him that she wanted some flowers from the meadow nearby, and he saw Rosepetal with a frog, his secret favorite prey and then she just-

                                                                              -he smiles tearily, you think I’m pretty?  I mean, I’m not even that attractive- And Rosepetal tackles him into the meadow with an indignant yowl, SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!!  They roll down the little hill as she sputters out how his stripes are so pleasantly Shaped and his little hair tuft is so Cute and how DARE he talk about himself like that!!!  They end up side by side, panting, and Bumblestripe gently turns to her – well, you’re pretty great yourself y’know.  She stammers, and shoves some flowers in his face.  He laughs, and she laughs, and right there, for a little while, everything is beautiful.)

(Dovewing hugs her mother tightly, I don’t know what you did but THANK YOU, he even apologized?! Mom you’re a miracle worker)

-And Now What You Were All Waiting For-

Cherypaw and Molepaw get lost in the tunnels, but are led to safety by “a shadow and a wet thing ma stop licking me I’m fINE” and Swiftpool wonders…but refuses to get her hopes up.  But Dovewing hears “Somethings” down there, so she, Ivyleaf, and Wormwood go to investigate.  And get lost.  The three start to panic but then the Somethings Dovewing heard show up – a cat ghost, all drenched and sopping wet, and a barely there shadow with green eyes.  They lead the trio to the exit, but the watery ghost has a soft conversation with the shadowy cat, who presses their head to the ghost, washing away the mud covering their face, revealing tortie spots.  If it’s alright, I’ll come with you, they say, and Wormwood agrees for the stunned sisters.  They know who she MUST be, but Wormwood can be a little dense sometimes…

As they approach camp, Swiftpool calls out – oh thank Starclan, we were looking everywhere for…you…

Hollywish?

HOLLYWISH!  MY BABY!

Swiftpool nearly tackles the dusty molly off of her feet, wailing in joy and relief – Jaywhisker screams WHAT and charges out of camp, Charheart and Lionblossom in hot pursuit – Mistlenose running circles around her family - Foxflight screeching YOU’RE HOME and flinging herself forward, Shrewleg cheering – Longstar and Flamewish and Fireheart breaking through a crowd of gathering cats and falling into the pile – Hollywish sobbing out I’m Sorry I’m Sorry I’m So Sorry – Darkmoon yells from the edge of the mess to get Crowfeather – Snowthorn jumps in to brush against her then bolts for Windclan - in a moment or maybe an hour Crowfeather crashes in MY KIT MY KIT MY KIT - it’s chaos but the most welcome kind of chaos

Hollywish is home!

She explains what happened – the friendly Gheist, named Fallen Leaves, had saved her, but to do so had to bind her to the tunnels until her injuries would have naturally recovered.  Longstar swears to build a shrine for him, so he can gather his strength again.  The news spreads through the Clans like lightning – and not just the Clans…

(The Dark Forest yowls in rage – there are four Prophecy cats again!  Brambleclaw is thrown about by Tiger”star”, cats are thrashing in rage – some of the oldest fading in an instant of fury.  But some cats quietly celebrate – they have a better chance now.)

(Starclan cheers wildly – there are four Prophecy cats again!  This makes things SO much easier!  Yellowfang is crying – no I AM NOT – and somewhere, a cat quietly slips into the Miretrees again – just another Visitor…)

In a rage, Brambleclaw commands Ivyleaf to fight the remnants of Antpelt – a twisted façade of someone that she knew – someone who was loved – this isn’t him anymore.  Ivyleaf destroys the not-Antpelt, the was-Antpelt, and watches it crumble like dry sand and ashes.  She struts past Sunstrike and Furzepelt, refuses to make eye contact with Goldenheart, and

                            As soon as she’s out of their view

                             She                             B R E A K S

Ivyleaf weeps as soundlessly as she can, slashing her clotted claws into the rotted wood of an ancient tree.  She heaves up everything she ate before, until nothing comes up…that had been her friend, and now he’s gone forever…and then she hears movement. She whips around, claws ready, but – it’s the white cat, with the frozen body.  I’m sorry you had to go through that, he mews, but I think what I have to show you may help.  My name is Snowtuft, he crackles, and if you want to stop these horrors, come with me.  And he walks away.

And she follows, heart in her throat, and they pass through a far-too-familiar field of flowers.  She can see that the odd depressions in the grass are where cats lay dying, and sidesteps bloody pawprints, where someone sprinted through the scene.  Snowtuft leads her past Mapleshade’s river, through a tunnel choked with bones and thorns, over a Thunderpath shrouded by fog until finally, they reach a hollow in the trunk of a tree.  It smells like poppy seeds and tree sap, but what catches her attention is the other cats. Snowtuft gestures to them – these are my fellow rebel leaders.  We were sinners, were monsters, were horrible in life, but we want to make up for our past mistakes.  This, he croaks, is Silverhawk – the silvery tabby has the beaks of birds protruding from his neck, snapping soundlessly at his face.  This is Sparrowfeather – a misshapen molly with thin birdlike legs.  This is Maggottail – the grey-white tom glistens with slime and his eyes bulge strangely.  And this is Boulder – the faceless cat gurgles at her, ineffectively wiping his dripping spit away.  Behind him sat a – a Kittypet?  A brown and white collared Kittypet, unkempt and bony.  I’m Dastardly Dan, Dan’s fine, that one hacks.  Those lot’ve been snatchin the worst o us outta the Dark Place, but well, they ain’t th’only ones.  And he gestures upwards, where a glimmer drops down and lands before Ivyleaf.  She hops back but – that’s – that’s a Starclan cat if she ever saw one.  Hello brave soul, the yellowy spirit murmurs, my name is Micah.  And I am VERY glad to meet you.

-The True Reason and The Power of the Powerless-

And Ivyleaf learns everything that has happened here.  How Micah was the mate of the first Oracular Healer, who separated their kits because she couldn’t care for them and do her Role.  How he had tried to change her ruling but was overturned.  How he wandered from Starclan, and found the Dark Forest, and watched it grow from the wrath and hate of a cat named One Eye.  How Micah had tried to save some of the souls here, and been injured – and how a long-ago Healer, who had killed their most ill patients instead of trying to heal them, had nursed him back to health.  That healer had made this hollow from the memory of their first victim, their own sibling, and hid there until Micah crashed in.  And how the Healer had been the inspiration of Micah’s mission in his afterlife – to save the repentant souls that came here.  The Healer had been the only one Micah had been able to save in any way – their spirit had begun to fade, and Micah had brought them out of the Miretrees and to a litter of cold kits – and they had splintered into the kits, saving their lives and being reborn. 

Starclan has refused to help me, or to change their ruling on Healers having kits…but the world is on a moment of great change.  When the Stars foresaw that the Dark Forest would rise up, many wanted to simply destroy the Dark Forest, and be done with it, Micah mews.  But instead, I crafted a Prophecy, and gave gifts to those who would need them, and hoped for the best.  And the best has happened – here you are, the brave soul that chose to enter the darkness, to save the light.  You I gave no gifts, for you need no gifts but your wit, bravery, and kindness.  You have what may be the most important role here –

You’re going to save the trainees.  You’re going to clear their eyes.  Micah pauses, have you ever wondered why your father, a loyal cat, is here?  Or Goldenheart? A mire is hard to escape once entered, and the darkness has clouded their minds into believing this is Good and Right. But you came here, knowing it would do you harm, and with many to support you, so the dark failed. Some may be beyond saving, but if you bring them to me, I will clear the shadows from them.

Ivyleaf is shaken and confused, but – I’ll do anything I can to save them, she agrees.  Micah smiles gently, and the gathered cats sigh in relief.  Now, when you awaken, please tell only those you can trust to not gossip.  And with a touch on her forehead, Ivyleaf awakens.  She bolts to the Leader’s Den, waking Longstar and Flamewish, and shakes them awake.  We have hope, she whispers to their astonished faces, we have hope and a plan.

(Each night, she corners a trainee, come with me, I’m giving you Special Training.  She starts with Goldenheart, who hacks and heaves and shakes in horror.  Her father collapses against her, begging forgiveness.  Icewing and Beetlewhisker huddle together.  Sunstrike tries to dash herself on sharp branches, only to be met with the strong but gentle embrace of Micah.  She can’t find the hollow when she brings Redwillow, and convinces him that her training is stealth, then ditches him.  She can’t get to all of them, but the time is coming.  When the Dark Forest is weakened, they will see what they have done…if they survive)

-Preparations-

The leaders meet in secret, and Longstar tells them some of what Ivyleaf discovered – keeping the news of Micah’s plan for the changes to the Code and who the spy is.  Mistystar is appalled but ready to begin getting the camp ready for war.  Blackstar is unbelieving until Mudstar tells them how Antpelt died – clawed to death, black rotten water in his lungs, between his loving mates.

The Healers begin stockpiling herbs, and the Nursery Guards and Camp Guards begin to clear out exit routes for the Nurseries and Elders Dens.  Crafters pull bark from the trees, reeds from the rivers, and scrap from the twolegs, to make armor and reinforce the walls.  Brawlers sharpen their claws, Historians and Tacticians work on battle plans, and Herbalists prepare poisons and paint.  Mates talk quietly, friends stick close, families promise to make it out together.

(Starclan prepares for war.  Warriors draw the stars into their claws, Healers into their pawpads.  Yellowfang rallies the Elders into a frenzy.  Spottedleaf and Cinderpelt gather the kits and ask them to scout from above, the only place that the Dark Forest cannot reach them.)

(And a school bus, driven by a Farmer and his granddaughter the Vet Tech, draws close to the scene)

The curtains rise, the stage is set.

Lights

Camera

-Action-

The Dark Forest strikes at Shadowclan first – Graystripe and Jaywhisker lead the charge to help.  The scene is chaos – Gheists everywhere, but Shadowclan is holding.  Jaywhisker can smell the stench of darkness and rot, and pounces on a Mire Warrior, shredding their already shredded form.  He hears Blackstar couch to life, and Redwillow screech as he dies.  And he hears the familiar voice of Feathertail, with the chimes of the Stars through it, call Starclan to battle.  Graystripe sobs as he attacks a skinny ghost, and hears his daughter vow to protect Briarlight.

Goldenheart and Ivyleaf fight back to back for a moment, and she sends him to help Dovewing – I can’t be her ears in this mess, go help her!  If you ever loved her- but Goldenheart is already gone.  She claws what’s left of the face off of a kittypet ghost, and turns all her attention to the battle.

In Windclan, Furzepaw leaps for Mudstar, and Sunstrike intercepts her.  Please stop, Sunstrike begs, the Dark Forest killed Antpelt, don’t let them kill you.  A furious Breezepelt slices through the back of a ghost, as Heathertail sobs over the fading corpse of another.  Nightcloud and Crowfeather tag-team a dog-faced ghost, scattering them to the wind, and Hopfoot’s starry spirit joins them.  Go on son, go to your kits, we’ll hold them off!  Tallstar and startlingly Onewhisker leap from the skies, and Crowfeather bolts.

Brambleclaw confronts Ivyleaf, snarling about disloyalty and punishment.  Ivyleaf smirks, did you really think you were in control of everyone? And suddenly the Dark Forest cats are fighting each other.  Snowtuft leaps onto Brambleclaw, and Ivyleaf goes for the stake in his throat, but both are thrown off.  Before Brambleclaw can do any major damage though, Hawkfrost and his otter friends attack.  Hawkfrost finishes what he started before, and the otters sit on Snowtuft until Ivyleaf can coax them off.

Broken”star” leaps at the Thunderclan nursery, and Honeyfern clashes with the monster of a leader.  She falls to her claws, and Berrynose screams in horror.  Poppyfrost slashes at the blinded beast in fury, but it’s Yellowfang who sends her child to a second death.  Honeyfern rises into a starry form, and takes up her place at the Nursery entrance. Mapleshade charges at Swiftpool, but is stopped by the timely intervention of Crowfeather.  The mates slay her, but there are more and more ghosts appearing every moment…

Tiger”star” laughs at the weakened and half blind form of Longstar, I have more ghosts at my disposal than you will ever understand!  Starclan will fall!  The Mire will rise!

And then

A noise pierces the night.

HWONK HWONK HWONK

A massive yellow monster charges down the Thunderpath, scattering the charging Dark Forest forces.  It screeches to a halt, and its side opens and

-HOPE NEVER DIES!!!-

Is screeched by the throats of the cavalry – the Hope’s Clowder cats, arrayed in thick armor and bristling with energy.  They overrun the gathered ghosts like water over stones, and they are not alone.  The Barn cats charge after them, swooping in on any injured cat and carrying them into the monster.  The monster’s twoleg bursts out, wielding a long stick with a flattened and curved edged end, and begins swatting at any remaining ghosts with vigor.  The spirits of kittypets descend like a swarm of ducks on twoleg treats, and the ghosts that the Miretrees depended on are scattered and destroyed in moments.

Tiger”star” screeches in horrified confusion, which only doubles when Darkstripe, sleek and plump, and Sasha, bright eyed and healthy, charge towards him in armor of their own.  Fireheart, rushing from the camp to help Longstar, goes for Tiger”star”s dangling organs, and then the fight goes on in earnest.

And then it all

Just

Stops

Tiger”star” fades away, nothing more than a terrible memory.  The ghosts of the Dark Forest and the Dark Place scatter.  The friendly spirits of the Dark Forest and the Dark place gather to lick their wounds.

And Longstar and Fireheart are dying.

Flamewish crouches by them, weeping.  Their children and grandchildren gather around their father and uncle.  Brightheart begs Longstar to stay – she’s not ready! Everyone still needs him!  No one is ready for this, Crookedstar intones, but you will be amazing my dear.  And surrounded by friends and family, Thunderclan’s leader and his dearest friend pass into Starclan.  They rise up together, gathering the newly dead behind them.  And not just Starclan is leaving.

Dastardly Dan is greeted by the Farmer’s friend Sweet Pea, who invites him and his friends to join her.  My Twoleg would love the company, and when her mate joins us, we’ll have a barn to explore!  Only if we can ‘elp the others, twasnt just our lot that feel bad fer what we did.  Of course, says another cat, Nanigans, everyone deserves a second chance.  With a glance at Micah, who stands with the Miretrees rebels, Dan agrees, and the group of dead kittypets trot off together, past the Farmer and past the Vet, who has emerged from the monster.  They disappear behind the monster, and all that is heard of them after is sighs of relief and cries of joy.

Micah steps forward, and what of these cats?  What of these who want to change, to be better?  They deserve a second chance as well.  The gathered Starclan cats mutter and murmur, but the still-present Longstar loudly agrees.  Darkstripe was given a second chance, and now look at the fine Clowder he leads!  These cats deserve the chance to change!  I will make a place in Starclan with my own paws if I must, adds Fireheart.  And an agreement is reached.  A place is made – not Starclan or Miretrees, but a place where those who desire to change may go and rest.  The gathered rebels cheer, and as the living are told of this new place, the rebels begin to change.

Snowtuft ceases his constant crying, and the ice of his body clears.  Silverhawk’s biting beaks become a collar of silent spikes.  Sparrowfeather’s legs become sturdy enough to carry her weight properly.  Maggottail’s skin looks less rotten and gooey, and his eyes shrink.  Everywhere one looks, the rebels are somewhat restored.  Micah, tears in his eyes, leads the group to – to the Restful Fields.

(Not everything is so terrible as the deaths and burials.  Sasha is reunited with her kits, and screams in joy at the sight of her thought-dead Tadpole-now Crowfeather.  She meets her grandkits and weeps in joy.  Darkstripe is able to apologize in person to Sorreltail, and while they will never be close, she does forgive him.  Frostfoot walks with Darkmoon, and meets his sister once again.  Ruby changed her name to Smoke, and changed her nature as well.  Forgiveness is had, with tears at time lost.)

And life goes on.

-Epilogue-

Brightstar surveys Thunderclan from the leader’s den, Cloudtail and Daisy at her side.  She watches her deputy, Charheart, work with her former apprentice Ivyleaf and HER apprentice Hollowpaw, and wonders if Longstar approves of her choices.  Daisy nudges Brightstar, and asks if she really doesn’t mind being a momma to her kits, and both Brightstar and Cloudtail snuggle her in – they’re a family now, and everything is going to be wonderful.

(In the city, things are going well. No group of rogues cat best the Brawlers or Scouts of the Hope Clowder, and their Healers are backed by the Twoleg Healer, who takes the worst cases without complaint. They stay in touch with the Barn, and often tell stories of how they all rode in a car to go fight ghosts)

(In the Dark Forest, ghosts lick their wounds and snarl angrily.  But as they try to regroup, someone is watching.  Someone who will use them for her own gain…)

(In the Dark Place, Quince flees from her former lackeys.  Mapleshade promised her power and freedom, and now she’s back at square one!  As she fumes in her hiding place, she doesn’t see the amalgam of cats creeping behind her…)

(In the Restful Fields, Micah is visited by Moth Flight.  They talk for quite some time, and she finally agrees to a change in the Code.  But not today – today is for rest and renewal)

[bonefall]

Are there any changes to Smokepaw (ShadowClan Apprentice in TNP) in BB? He is my all time favourite Warriors character for literally no reason, he existed twice, the second time to fall off a cliff and die, but I love him. I feel like he was a huge waste of potential, in that first time he appeared I thought of Blackstar as a sort of parental figure to him. Think like Firepaw and Bluestar, maybe? Or maybe more like Firepaw and Yellowfang? I'm sure that was just me serious projecting onto like less than a page of screen time, but I am so attached to him. I even made an AU where there was a conveniently placed river that swept him away to the Sundrown Place where he was taken in by Midnight.

Does BB have anything for my little guy?

Smokefall! Given an obligatory Sardonic ShadowClan name after he fell off a cliff and forced the entire journey to halt in its tracks for almost a month!

because shadowclan is like, ridiculously small and the family tree is a brick, Smokepaw (TNP), Smokepaw (Field Guides), and Smokefoot (Po3) are reworked. SmokeFALL survives, Smokepaw is now BILLOWCLOUD, and Smokefoot is SMOGFOOT.

Smog and Smoke are siblings. Billowcloud is not related to them.

Anyway, Smokepaw got REALLY hurt in that fall, but did survive

A (currently unpicked) Tribe cat actually climbed all the way down to get him. He had to be carried the rest of the way.

But once safe, he really couldn't move or else jeopardize his recovery. That, paired with a lack of travelling rations and a few pregnant cats close to delivery halted the Journey.

But Smokepaw still got ribbed relentlessly for "holding everyone up." Poor guy. ShadowClan humor.

Talonpaw got really close to him in that time. In fact, a LOT of cats developed close bonds in this "intermission," including many of the cats who would ultimately support Mudclaw's claim in WindClan.

Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost, as well.

In general, this is a really important hiatus because it's adding some PIVOTAL breathing room for cats to bond free of Clan divisions.

Clan Culture is never really the same after this. It's a change a long time coming.

He is also one of Birchfall's friends. This entire apprentice/kit generation has a very odd view on Clan divisions, because the Destruction of White Hart and the subsequent journey were so formative.

It was actually Smokepaw's "idea" to make Paw Soup. It came from a suggestion towards some WindClan apprentices, that they should try to make an ancient gumbo recipe that hadn't been seen since the start of Heatherstar's campaign.

Birchkit and his big bro Spiderpaw butted in, RiverClan apprentices didn't want to be left out, and the rest is history.

They never did make that gumbo but they made something new.

At the Lake, he also prevents Talonpaw from dying to Jacques and The Dreaded Susan. By also getting his ass beat.

(But that's probably gonna be offscreen because im not dedicating several chapters to it like canon when theres a civil war that should be in focus)

Smokefall becomes the next Educator of ShadowClan, and the mate of Talonclaw. Eventually Smogfoot surrogates a kit for them-- probably Pinenose.

The couple shows up at various points throughout Po3 and OotS as very important friends of Birchfall, and general friendly faces in ShadowClan which is a major ally through the arcs.

Sadly, though, they meet a gruesome and tragic end in AVoS. The Kin is a cult, and once it takes power, it immediately targets the one who teaches history. Smokefall. Talonclaw refuses to abandon his mate.

His position is taken by the infamous Berryheart, who is the educator through TBC. He is survived by several grandkits through Pinenose-- Slatefur, Puddleshine, and Happyface.

[troutfur]

I got the image in my head of Bluestar, as her mental state declines after Tigers betrayal, seeks comfort in a remnant of someone she knew.

With almost all the cats she loved gone from her life, and are in distant Starclanin. Blue is increasingly is drawn the thickets at the edge of the territory (Which have grown out quite a bit) because of the sense of lingering familiarity to them.

Not necessarily a pleasant or good familiarity, but the nostalgia and memories of happier times are there nonetheless.

Just taking a long walk and resting for a minute around the tendrils of the thistle for a moment

So, this mental image inspired a whole ficlet out of me, so, enjoy!

The half-moon hung on the starry night sky as Bluefur walked towards the RiverClan border. She'd just had an argument with Cinderpelt, having forbidden her from making the trip to the Moonstone. And after that and so many moons cooped up in her den she just needed some fresh air.

She felt a tug on her paws, leading her to the RiverClan border. Right at the point where the ThunderClan forest gave way to the sandy banks of the river there was a tangle of thistles, standing tall and proud. She sat about a fox-length away from it and simply dwelt in the silence.

The stubborn plant was the most peculiar thing. Any enemy warrior that tried to cross invariably left with nasty cuts in their pelt, but most ThunderClan warriors could pass through it unharmed. Bluefur was different, though; although never a major injury, the plant had a knack for getting tangled in her pelt or leaving little scratches on her if she tried to go through.

"I never thought I'd be seeking your company, you know?" she meowed eventually. "Seems you are doing well for yourself. I remember a season or two ago I had hope you were finally going to wither."

There was a pause.

Bluefur was unsure what she was expecting before continuing. Could he reply in his current state? Could he even hear her?

"I've been thinking about you a lot more lately," she continued. "I presume you are aware of what your apprentice tried to do."

Out of the corner of her eye, Bluefur noticed a very slight hint of movement in the thistles. Without taking a moment to consider that it could have been the wind or her imagination or something else of the sort, she took that as a response.

"I just..." Bluestar gave a long sigh. "I didn't think you taught him like that. You were many things. Aggressive, rash, sharp-tongued... But would have you killed me to become leader?"

There was another pause. The thistles seemed to remain still this time.

"Did I soften too much?" she meowed. "Was that my problem? Was that that made him think he had to do it?"

Bluefur looked at the ground between her front paws as she went over her memories of these last few years she'd spent as leader. After a few moments she stood up to walk closer to the thistles and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd just... taken your offer back when I could."

The thistes rustled vigorously in that instant, and Bluefur flinched. After a couple heartbeats she took a step closer to the thistles once again. "I wonder if you could have come to love them too," she said with a wistful sigh. "Much as raising Whitestorm alongside you made me want to pull my fur out, we didn't do a bad job at all as a team."

The thistles seemed to part slightly, giving her a look the the other bank of the river through its branches. Snowkit... Moonkit... Mosskit... In a sense all three of them had died that night, even if two grown warriors now wore the pelts of the former two.

That pregnancy had come at the most inconvenient time. They had only agreed to remain as empf that long for the Whitepaw's sake. The moment he had his warrior ceremony they had been planning to break up the nest.

But of course he knew immediately that he could have never sired her kits. As much as the idea of half-clanners being associated with him disgusted him, however, he was willing to not denounce them under one condition: step out of the running for deputy. Giving them up had been the only way to get out of check.

As she was lost in thought, the thistles reached out to caress her face. Bluefur immediately raised a paw to her cheek where she felt the thistle connect to her. She held it there for a moment then looked at it. There was no blood drawn.

Bluefur relaxed, letting out her first genuine laugh in many moons. "The things I put up with for Snowclaw..." she meowed. "You really were named well, you know? I still remember how itchy your fur felt back when we were all in the same pfurr. Not having to put up with it any longer is enough to make all those freezing nights in my nest worth it."

Bluefur stayed there for a few more moments, dwelling in the peaceful quiet of the night, before standing up and returning the way she came. The thistles rustled one more time as she left, and she turned to look over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Thistleclaw."

[redux-iterum]

Charred Legacy: Chapter Two

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Over the next few nights, Fireheart observed Cloudkit as he wandered around camp and met his Clanmates. It was easier to count how many cats didn’t make a comment on his unusual colors, resulting in a frown on the little kit’s face that deepened with every repeated remark. The grey tom, Ashkit, took to standing protectively by Cloudkit and mimicking his frown until the topic was eventually dropped.

“I just don’t want him to feel self-conscious,” Brindleface said to Fireheart as the little toms wrestled with each other while their sister watched. “I know that every other Clan is going to say something about his face and tail. He can’t help being colored like that.”

Fireheart’s eye creased at Cloudkit yowling in triumph as he toppled Ashkit. “I’m sure RiverClan will like how he looks, at least. They’re all for unusual things.”

Brindleface twitched her whiskers. “Maybe he’ll be the one thing they like about us, then.”

A beautiful silver face passed over Fireheart’s vision. He said nothing.

Only a night or so after that conversation came the full moon, and with that came the Gathering. Fireheart watched the mixture of excitement and tension in everyone’s bodies come out in the form of nervously tapping their tails or kneading the sand with their claws out. He couldn’t blame them; ThunderClan had uncomfortable news to report, if they were brave enough to report it at all.

“I wish I could at least go for a moment.” Greystripe, sitting by Fireheart’s side, chewed morosely at his squirrel’s paws. “I’d like to see how everyone is.”

Ravenwing, on Greystripe’s other side, shook his head. “It’s for the best that you don’t go to any more Gatherings. Showing up right now especially is just begging for a fight to break out.”

Greystripe’s tail swiped to the right as he muttered, “Wouldn’t be the first time we broke the peace.”

Fireheart sighed. His chest tightened at the memory of the battle in ShadowClan’s moors during a Gathering night when he was still an apprentice. Kits and elders alike had died on the one night of the month where even arguments were sacrilege. Another cat that wasn’t to be named had been the cause of it, and, like the deputy, everyone danced around even the slightest mention of him.

As could’ve been predicted, Ravenwing was quick to change the topic. “Actually, does anyone know who’s going? It’s almost time to leave and I haven’t seen Bluestar at all yet.”

Fireheart blinked in surprise. “…You’re right. She must still be in her den.” He stood up. “I’ll ask her. I’d like to be there tonight myself.”

His friends nodded to him as he trotted to the camp entrance, noting that a few cats looked his way inquisitively, like he already had the answer of who was going. Through the tunnel and out to the border of camp, then to the left, and he reached the leader’s den quickly.

“Bluestar?” he called as he parted the lichen curtain. “Are you in here?”

His leader’s head jerked up from its position draped over her nest and she blinked hard, several times. “Who– oh.” The tension in her back relaxed and the fur there smoothed out. “Fireheart.”

“Sorry, were you sleeping?” Fireheart dipped his head in a respectful greeting. “I was just coming in to ask who all is going to the Gathering, since, well, it’s almost time to leave, and no one knows…”

“Oh.” Bluestar’s eyes narrowed distantly. “Right. Tonight.” She stood up and shook her fur free of dried moss. “Come on.”

Before Fireheart could respond, she walked past him and out of her den, leaving him to have to hurry after her. Her pace was regal, as usual, but her pawsteps seemed stiff, if only a little. Maybe her toes were numb from resting on them.

The Clan collectively looked up as they entered camp. Speckletail, who was speaking with Willowpelt, turned and took a few steps towards Bluestar.

“I’m content to stay home and see over things here, if you’d like,” she said briskly. “I don’t need many cats to hunt tonight.”

Bluestar lowered her chin and scanned the crowded clearing without responding for a long moment. Eventually, she turned to Speckletail. “Is there anyone you want to stay here?”

Speckletail shook her head.

“Then…” Bluestar’s eyes went over the Clan again. “Whitecloud and Ravenwing, you’ll be coming.” She looked at her old apprentice. “Fireheart, would you like to go?”

Fireheart nodded. “Please.”

“I’d like to, too,” Frostfur said. “It’s been ages since I’ve gone.”

“Can we go?” Brackenkit asked eagerly, sitting by his mother.

Frostfur gave him a gentle tap with her feathery tail. “When you four become apprentices.”

“Oh.” Brackenkit looked down in disappointment.

“Mousefur, Lizardtail, Teaselfoot…” Bluestar looked from the little group on her right to her left. “And Sandstorm. That will be enough.”

“Lucky us!” Teaselfoot looked at his sister in delight. “I’ve been wondering about Darkflower. Hopefully she’ll be there.”

“I doubt it.” Mousefur stood up and kicked some sand off her foot, leading the two toms to the others as they approached Bluestar. “Didn’t she say last time that she was going to try for a litter soon?”

“Oh, I forgot about that.” Teaselfoot tilted his head thoughtfully. “Well, who knows, maybe her mate or someone will be there. I still need to get the rest of that story from her.”

“If it’s her mate you’ll see, I wouldn’t ask about her, as a random ThunderClan tom,” Lizardtail said dryly.

“Fair enough.”

The party followed Bluestar out with tail-waves of farewell to their Clanmates. Fireheart trotted alongside Whitestorm and Ravenwing while the others fanned out a bit and chatted among themselves. Fireheart didn’t say much, mostly because he was trying to decipher the dimness in Whitecloud’s eyes when he looked at Bluestar, who had her jaw tightly set. One catch of Whitecloud’s gaze immediately told Fireheart to not say anything or press for information. The dimness was solemn and heavy. He made a mental note to check on Whitecloud when it was appropriate.

Blessedly, the walk to the neutral grounds outside of ThunderClan’s forest was uneventful. Fourtrees welcomed them with the rest of the Clans already present and chattering, their leaders seated on their boulder and quietly speaking to each other. Bluestar went straight for the boulder while her Clanmates spread out and easily melded into the crowd, which greeted them with varying levels of excitement.

Fireheart and Ravenwing stood together, looking over the crowd. Fireheart caught sight of a familiar little ShadowClan tom sitting by a black-and-white apprentice who was unusually round for a marsh cat (that is, he didn’t look on the brink of starvation).

“Rainpath!” Fireheart called, leading Ravenwing to his friend.

The grey tabby looked over and his large eyes lit up. “Fireheart and Ravenwing! Blessings, it’s been a long time.”

“You’re telling me.” Fireheart greeted him with a headbump. “Hey, Badgerpaw. I haven’t seen you in a while either.”

Badgerpaw, looking about as timid as Ravenwing usually was, nodded shyly. “Hello.”

“How’s training going?” Ravenwing asked, coming to stand beside Fireheart. “For you and your mentor.”

The apprentice didn’t look quite as nervous to speak to the black warrior. “Rainpath says I do well.”

“He does fantastically,” Rainpath said, puffing out his chest. “A hunter and fighter, all in one. He impresses even Blackstar.”

Badgerpaw shuffled his feet bashfully.

“That’s awesome!” Fireheart beamed at the little tom. “Good for you.” To Rainpath, he added, “If I remember right, he’s related to you?”

“Indeed,” Rainpath replied. “We’re cousins.”

“Well, it’s not for a while, but I’ll be a mentor to family too.” Fireheart snorted at the surprise, swiftly followed by confusion, on both ShadowClanners’ faces. “My nephew came to live with us, and Bluestar is having me teach him when he becomes an apprentice.”

“Ah!” Rainpath brightened up. “ThunderClan is quite kind to you and your blood. Congratulations.”

Fireheart chuffed lightly. “Thank you. Sorry if I start bugging you with questions about how to train him.”

“Oh, it isn’t difficult!” Rainpath cocked his head, gesturing towards Badgerpaw. “The bond is most important. Learning to speak to each other in a way you both understand, and finding how your charge learns, that is what’s vital. Teaching the ways of a warrior is easy enough after that.”

Badgerpaw nodded and leaned sideways to bump his mentor with his cheek, which Rainpath purred to.

Fireheart’s tail curled at the sight. “I just want to do my best and help him grow into a good cat.”

“You’ll do that fine,” Ravenwing said.

“That I trust in as well.” Rainpath gave Fireheart a friendly blink. “And if he’s of your blood, I also trust he will be eager to learn.”

Fireheart opened his mouth to respond, but a call sounded out from the boulder. With that, all conversation ceased and every eye turned to the leaders. Crookedstar, RiverClan’s brown-and-white leader, stood, his short tail waving back and forth.

“A pleasant night to you all!” he said, speaking around his jaw that jutted out to the side. “As always, I hate to interrupt your chatter, but we do have news to share. I hope you’ll excuse this aside before you continue your conversations.”

His voice was bright and cheery, but Fireheart didn’t miss that his face looked more… worn. Older. His muzzle was a bit greyer, his eyes heavy and sagging just a bit.

Losing Silverstream took a lot out of him, Fireheart thought immediately, and sadly. He looks so tired.

Crookedstar, luckily, did not appear to hear Fireheart’s thoughts, because he turned to the rest of the leaders with that same cheer. “Anyone care to go fir—”

“I will,” Bluestar said. She did not have anything resembling cheer in her voice or eyes. She stood as Crookedstar sat down with no small amount of surprise. “ThunderClan has a new deputy in Speckletail. She’s stayed home tonight to watch camp.”

Murmurs of surprise and congratulations rippled through the crowd. The ThunderClan cats Fireheart could see were stiff and silent.

“Good on her!” Crookedstar tilted his head. “I’m quite sorry to hear you lost Tigercl—”

“Don’t be,” Bluestar said curtly. “Our previous deputy was executed for murder and treason.”

Dead silence. Dead and shocked. Cats looked at each other with wide eyes and mouths agape. Teaselfoot and Lizardtail lowered their heads, and Whitecloud shut his eyes tightly with a grimace. Even Rookstar stared at Bluestar, and Blackstar’s fur stuck straight up off his back.

Bluestar’s grim eyes narrowed as the silence stretched for several heartbeats. She finally looked Blackstar’s way. “That’s all the news we have. Care to speak next?”

Props to Blackstar; he recovered almost immediately and straightened up again, his back-fur smoothing out. He stood and stepped forward, Bluestar retreating, and spoke.

“ShadowClan does well in this warm winter,” he said. At the sound of his voice, the air of Fourtrees lost some of its tension. “However, our ears have caught the buzz of the cats of the Aulmir. They travel in groups now, and a scouting patrol heard them speak of some sort of trouble a kemera told them of.” His ears, wide but smaller than an average ShadowClan cat’s, slid back against his head. “As if they knew we were curious, they spoke vaguely. All we know is that they are content to not do anything about whatever this trouble is, and from their words we believe they wait for the trouble to find us all.”

Tense air again, occupied by murmurs.

“I can tell you what that trouble is,” Rookstar said, flat and calm as ever.

With a blink of surprise, Blackstar nodded respectfully to his senior and stepped back. Rookstar stood next, his eyes roaming over the crowd. Even with his stoicism, Fireheart could see Rookstar’s claws ever-so-slightly unsheathed.

He gave a soft, aged sigh. “Dogs are loose.”

Fireheart perked his ears at the hisses and growls that rippled out from those few words. He had only interacted with dogs a couple times during his early life in the Houses; small white ones, and a taller yellow one. They had been noisy and eager to get near him to sniff, but obeyed their humans into harmlessness. Were leashless dogs different, then, going by everyone’s reaction?

Rookstar answered that question immediately. “Oatwhisker was torn apart by them. There’re at least two—scents are mixed up, makes it hard to tell them apart, but the pawprints were different sizes.”

Even jolly old Crookedstar gawked at Rookstar, back half-arched and eyes wide with fear. “Please tell me you have an idea of where they are.”

Rookstar shook his head. “They move fast. One day at the Barn, next one in the neutral grounds.”

Another, fiercer ripple of hissed terror and growled hatred. Fireheart wilted into a slight huddle as cats began looking around themselves, like they were expecting to find the dogs in the crowd. Rainpath reached out a paw and pulled Badgerpaw closer to his side, ratty tail bristling as well as it could.

“Then…” Blackstar lowly cleared his throat. “It’s safe to say we are all to be vigilant and wary, should these dogs come to visit our borders.”

Rookstar lowered his chin in a WindClan nod.

Fireheart peeked at Ravenwing. He was trembling.

“By the Three…” Crookedstar shook his head, that worn weariness more severe on his face. “A right lovely night this is.”

“You have a chance to cheer us up,” said Rookstar.

Crookedstar’s whiskers twitched mirthlessly. “Aside from us eating well, I have nothing to say.”

No one responded. The pause would have been awkward, were the air not still dripping cold fright and worry.

Rookstar was the one to break the silence. “We’ve shared our news. Continue your conversations.”

Uneasily and delayed, the crowd gradually turned to each other and spoke again. The topics, as Fireheart listened in, were pretty much all the same: what was to be done about the dogs and where they would go next. To his far-off left, Sandstorm chewed air stressfully, her claws flexing.

“This is no good,” Ravenwing muttered, head down. “We don’t need dogs here.”

Fireheart looked to his friend. “Is it really that bad? Won’t they go away?”

“If they’ve already murdered someone, I doubt it.” Ravenwing shivered. “They don’t hunt like us—they just… kill. For fun. I’ve heard the stories.”

“Ah—” Rainpath looked up. “Perhaps we will be alright. They must have a human they obey. It can call them off.”

Ravenwing didn’t meet his eyes, his voice so low Fireheart almost missed it. “I hope so.”

He did not sound remotely optimistic. 

[mud-castle]

wdym brindle and willow can't die? what about my tragic yuri

Nope, my girly pops have been through enough tragedy.

Brindleface loses her entire litter the winter Fire and his siblings are kidnapped. Their bodies have not even begun to rot before Bluestar gives them to her (heavily implying that she doesn't actually have a choice in the matter), leaving her no time to properly grieve. Leading to her odd, stilted relationship with the kits. She finds herself caring about them and is the closest thing to a parental figure they've got. Then Fawntail leaves and Flamesong dies and Fireheart sets his sights on revenge. She has another litter and takes in Cloudkit when he's too sickly to leave with his mother. Ashpaw is killed by Tigerstar to feed the dog pack (rest in pieces).

Willowpelt ends up with her first two sons being traitors to the clan. Graystripe has kits with a Riverclan cat, and eventually leaves and takes his kits with him to Riverclan. He does not return. Darkstripe meets with Tigerstar behind the clan's back and poisons his half-sister and is executed as a result.

These ladies deserve to rest peacefully in the background without anymore unwanted drama coming their way dammit!

One the plus side, Brindleface becomes Squilf and Leaf's grandma, so that's nice.

[hopalongfairywrens]

Coming up with a warrior cat au to add more genetic diversity into the clans… Dewnose/as a MinnowMouse kit. Minnowtail has a litter of three (Havenpelt, Heronwing and Dewnose) away from RiverClan camp and brings them to meet Mousewhisker in secret. In the moons after the dark forest battle, they’re both still dubiously trusted by their Clanmates, so neither wants to take the risk by coming out as in a half-Clan relationship. Mousewhisker takes the kit that looks the most like him (Dewkit) so Minnowtail can avoid suspicion.

They both bring their kits back to their camps after the first and last time United as a family. Havenpelt and Heronwing look enough like their mother that RiverClan, although giving the side eye, looks the other way. They need new warriors to replace the fallen. And they won’t make the same mistake that wrought one particular cat’s wrath upon their Clan.

Mousewhisker meanwhile is at a loss for what to do. He’s no idiot, he saw what happened when Leafpool’s secret was revealed, and Bramblestar and Squirrelflight’s relationship fell apart. Even if they were mending it, Mousewhisker couldn’t ensure a happy ending for his family.

So he brings this small, gray and white kitten that could not possibly pass as anything other than his own son, and he beckons Squirrelflight to speak in private. She’s a new deputy, and she’s trying to be there for all of her Clanmates. Even the ones who trained with the same cat who killed her father and daughter. But who else would understand?

He explains that this kitten is his, and Minnowtail’s too. He explains that they agreed to each take whatever kittens looked like them the most to their Clans. Minnowtail would claim them as hers, and leave the father a mystery. Mousewhisker would as well- but he can’t.

He regrets breaking with Minnowtail’s and his plans almost immediately- they planned to mutually never tell their kits. It seems like a foolish idea in the presence of a cat who suffered so much from that same plan.

But squirrelflight is understanding. She tells him the kit’s mother will not be disclosed to anyone aside from Bramblestar. And so the kits are raised, in different Clans, not knowing truly, who their father/mother is, but that’s the least of their problems when their present parent was a dark forest trainee.

When Darktail invades RiverClan, and Heronwing is killed, and suddenly the rest of his family is sheltering in ThunderClan, Mousewhisker can’t do it anymore. He tells his surviving kits. It goes…. not terribly, but not a happy ending. Dewnose feels little connection to Minnowtail having himself been nursed by Daisy, and Havenpelt is decidedly apathetic. She just wants to live normally. But her brother is dead and her Clan has been taken over by an egomaniac.

Life continues on. Dewnose has kittens with Sorrelstripe. It’s less of a romantic thing and more of a transaction. Sorrelstripe wanted kits, Dewnose and her were friends. He makes sure they both know who he is to them, even if he can’t bring himself to be as involved as his brother in law is with his kits.

Havenpelt’s life stabilizes when she and Sneezecloud strike up a friendship, and eventually a romance. She has two kittens, and she feels normal.

Not many seasons later, and one of those kittens is transforming into the kind of monster his grandparents were tricked into training for.

[thistledown-au-warriors]

Clan Names and Nicknames - Thistledown AU

A name is a great signifier of Clan culture and how their society evolved from their ancestors to this day.

It is said that, in ancient times, the groups of cats that lived together in the forest lands had many offspring, but little knowledge of the land and healing to ensure their survival. It was common to avoid naming a litter until they seemed strong enough to survive and start learning hunting and self-defense.

Out of convenience, of course, queens would nickname their kits. The Brown One, Tortoiseshell Kit, White Molly, Odd Eyes, etc. They would be called such until their parents settled on naming them, but at that point they still ended up naming their kits something close to their nicknames. Many grown cats named Black Pelt, Ginger Fur, and such. It even is said that the first cat in StarClan was named Silver Pelt, and they were a pale cat whose fur resembled the Starpath under the moonlight.

So they had to get creative, naming something that made the cats stand out. Names like Jay's Wing, Stone Song, Fallen Leaves and Clear Sky eventually became the norm. Lyrical, but still based loosely on appearance. Other cats stood out more as kits from their personality rather than just looks, so names like Shy Fawn and Lion's Roar came to be.

In modern Clans, kits are nicknamed at their parents' discretion. While some cats have names in mind, others take their time getting to know their kits before settling on a nickname that's more likely to become part of their full name. Usually only the immediate family unit and those closest to them will know a kit's nickname.

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Parents usually wait until the kit's eyes take color to start deciding their full name. By then, their personality starts to show and it's easier to settle on a name. Whatever stands out most about the kit then becomes part of their fully given name, or they simply start using the name that they had in mind before.

This doesn't mean the name is set in stone, however. They are seem only as "permanent" in any way when a kit becomes of age and starts training. At that point, they are considered to have been part of a ceremony watched over by StarClan, which solidifies them as members of the Clan. Only a name-changing ceremony can change their name, otherwise they'll be known as their given name for the rest of their lives.

That, of course, is only a tradition that varies between Clans and generation. For example, it's said ShadowClanners will consider it an opportunity to change their name when they earn their first real battle scar.

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As time goes by, naming "trends" also tend to come and go. Names like Tiger's Claw and Lion's Heart are considered highly old-fashioned in current Clan society. Names like Blazing Cinder and Leaping Lynx are slowly falling out of fashion due to their length. Every once in a while a few kits will appear with older-sounding names, and it may make them "trendy" again.

Some kits end up naming themselves, in some form. Crooked Jaw was largely called by his nickname, Storm, by those closer to him, until he made it clear that he wished to own the name his mother had given him and forget the kit he once was. Thorn Claw chose to name himself something fiercer than what his mother had in mind, and it's anyone's guess if he'll ever regret it.

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Nicknames don't stop at kithood, through. Cats who are close will often call each other nicknames, such as mates or close friends. In RiverClan, Ember Dawn and Dawn Bright had such similar names they ended up just calling each other Ember and Bright. This act made them get close very quickly, and aided in them becoming mates. Silver Stream's habit of nicknaming just about anyone she's close to, even cats from other Clans (such as calling Misty Step only "Misty") is considered very unusual and overly familiar.

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There are a few hard rules in Clan naming:

Names must be 2 words only.

Names must NOT contain "Star" or "Moon".

"Thunder", "Shadow", "Wind" and "River" can't be the first word in a name or present at all if it's the same word as the cat's Clan. (Such as, Raven Shadow wouldn't be allowed to have been named Shadow Raven or Raven Thunder).

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Due to receiving a title, Clan leaders get their own nickname. This can be seen when Blue Fur is referred to as "My Thunder" by Lion's Heart or Tall Tail as "My Wind" by his cats. In the past, Clan leaders were only called by their given name after their leader ceremony by immediate family and mate, but now most leaders will take to being called their name by clanmates. The title nickname is now considered formal, and few leaders enforce it. It's considered disrespectful to not use full name and title with a leader from another Clan, however.

The Clan leader title can only be given by StarClan at a leader ceremony. It installs the leader as the embodiment of the Clan. A title can only be stripped from a leader through death, another ceremony, or in cases like Broken Tail where he's been exiled and no longer seen as leader.

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(and that's all I got. if you have anything else you want to know about Thistledown Lore, feel free to shoot an ask! I try to keep "word of god" to a minimum, but I do love talking about my AU even while not actively working on it.)

[animatewarriorcats]

Scorchfur! He has gotten more attention recently because people started to realize that being named Cloverfoot Berryheart and Buster(Rippletail)'s father means that he was mates with Snowbird as an apprentice, which while being funny at least, I'm pretty sure was just an accident with the Erins not paying more attention to the timeline. His first appearance is in Eclipse, during the battle of the eclipse when Hollypaw brings Shadowclan cats to aid Thunderclan in the battle he and his mentor Snaketail jump in beside her, The same battle in which Snowfur stays behind in the nursury with Tawnypelt's kits. He tends to be a hothead in his early days, quick to end disputes with claws, he jumps into a boarder skirmish with his mentor against lionblaze, while the rest of the patrol remains with their claws sheathed in long shadows, and during the final battle though he is injured severely he tries to jump back into battle while Littlecloud treats his wounds, saying 'I'll fight to the death if I have to."

Scorchfur is actually an interesting guy, since he’s almost like the B-list Actor version of a warriors character in A Vision of Shadows, with more on the page than your average cat but very specifically lacks the autonomy and notoriety that most main characters, or clan leadership gets. And this is true of many characters in that arc, I was going to summarize all the things he did but it ended up being a lot and I was starting to feel like I was yelling in font of a conspiracy board of why didn’t I notice that this guy existed when I read these books, he should have been as memorable as Brightheart or Mudclaw but he just wasn’t for me. And I think it’s because the narrative itself doesn’t treat him like a noteworthy individual, he represents shadowclan, not his opinion, and when he speaks characters reply to him as if he’s one of an entity of shadowclan cats who don’t like leaders and not as Scorchfur. This is true for all of shadowclan at the time, Spikefur, Ratscar, Snowbird, Grassheart all have speaking lines and opinions, but they’re treated like a personless group instead of individuals.

Anyway list of things he did During AVOS include: Distrust Violetpaw for being non-clanborn yet defends her in front of Onestar, be extremely critical of Rowanstar and eventually Crowfrost for the sickness in shadowclan and rogues hunting on their land, be extremely distraught over Snowbird catching the incurable yellowcough, come up with the idea to use Twigpaw as a hostage to try to convince Windclan to give them Lungwort, Tell Rowanstar that he can forget about coming back from a gathering because the clan wasn’t participating with clans that abandoned them and Rowanstar was too weak to lead them signalling the entrance of Darktail and the Kin, Jump first into the battle against Riverclan starting the fight, argue with Darktail about feeding their prisoners and almost loses his standing (and ability to protect/ feed his family) over it, Help puddleshine cure cats instead of fight during the liberation of Riverclan, Feel immediately dissappointed again by Rowanstar’s indecision in the six toed cat prophecy and throw claws with tawnypelt about it, argue with Rowanstar/Puddleshine about annexing with Skyclan because the clan wasn’t consulted or warned and only decides to comply for the warrior code of it all, lives peacefully in Skyclan until Leafstar refuses to allow his pregnant daughter to return igniting what will become a grudge, conspires to hide her in the old shadowclan camp until she is discovered and allowed to stay, assists Juniperclaw alongside his mate in Junipers attempt to poison skyclan by distracting the clan destroying dens, Is not included in the blame for that event (not even mentioned at all!) and in fact escorts juniper to captivity and guards the den, cheers for his daughter Cloverfoot when she is elected Deputy.

Many characters accuse him for wanting power but He Doesn’t, he just thinks everyone else is doing it wrong until Tigerheart and Juniperclaw Cloverfoot are elected. In the next arc his spirituality is defined as being dogmatic and easily swayed by the atonement narrative, partly because he’s led to believe an injury he sustains that also kills his clanmate is a sign that they must atone. Once that’s clarified as being false he is supportive to the rebellion agains the imposter. In the Starless clan arc he is still a warrior, and has been seen doing warrior things (he was on the patrol to riverclan in sky to retrieve catmint) but otherwise has taken a back seat.

[snailchasers-den]

Can you tell us about your SpottedTiger au? :)

100%, absolutely. :D I'm glad you're interested in it! Prepare for a long ramble LMAO

It's called the False Prophecy AU, and the baseline story around it is that Spottedleaf and Tigerclaw fake a prophecy to the clan to be able to be mates without being seen as breaking the code. Straight up lying about a sign from the ancestors in order to get together.

There are actually some minor worldbuilding changes that come with the AU, like changing the names of some of the first arc elders, family tree adjustments, Medicine cats being essentially the only cats who can contact Starclan directly other than extremely rare exceptions, and clear, starry nights being seen as sacred due to it being seen as time that Starclan is able to see them clearly. Cloudy, starless nights tend to make clan cats uneasy due to the lack of direct view of their ancestors above, and is when a majority of crimes and code-breaks are committed, in the hopes they can still get into Starclan.

I haven't read a majority of the prequel novellas or anything, so this is purely AU brainrot. Bear with me LMAO

Spottedleaf and Tigerclaw grew up together as childhood friends, with Spotted being a medicine cat apprentice from the start due to her love of healing and natural connection to Starclan, and Tiger being a warrior apprentice, unfortunately stuck with Thistleclaw as a mentor. With having such a rough training situation, he'd often linger in the medicine cat den in his free time or when he was injured, helping Spottedpaw and Featherwhisker with small tasks and keeping them company while he was cooling off from patrols. He's always thought of the medicine den as a type of sanctuary where he could be safe and rest, so it has a lot of positive associations with him, and he has a lot more knowledge of herbs and how to use them than most warriors do. Which is extremely helpful on the battlefield when a medicine cat isn't nearby.

Spottedleaf had always been a bit playful and sassy, even if she was still compassionate and kind. Her and Tigerclaw often bantered, and though as he grew, Thistleclaw molded him into being more and more aggressive, there's always been a base foundation of respect and care between the two. Even with Tigerclaw eventually growing to tower over her (Maine coon mix Tigerclaw has my heart), Spottedleaf has essentially been the only person who's been able to rein him in and knock some sense into him.

They had been secretly romantically involved for a while, but Spottedleaf and Tigerclaw had been planning to fake the prophecy for moons in advance of them putting their plan into action, only discussing the idea of it during the day, or whenever there were no stars in the sky at night, these two were serious serious. They end up presenting the prophecy to Bluestar using a ladybug and a cat's claw that were apparently tucked into her nest, and while she believes them, they decide to keep things secret from the clan in order to ease them into it, since compared to Riverclan and Shadowclan, Thunderclan's fairly traditional and. Some cats wouldn't be too happy about that.

I won't go too far in, since I don't want to outright spoil my fic, but some other happenings are:

Redtail not dying.

Due to Spottedleaf not being killed, both Yellowfang and Spottedleaf are medicine cats of Thunderclan, which. Complicates things a lot with her and Tigerclaw's plans, to say the absolute least. Though we get the fun three medicine cat dynamic once an apprentice comes in. Two different flavors of sass in mentors, nice aunt and grouchy grandma LMAO (Spotted does discreetly use Yellowfang's arrival as evidence of her and Tiger's prophecy with later events)

Spotted, Red, and Willow all just being super close and a tight knit family with their mom Rosetail

I've still been debating if I want to keep Cinderpaw as a medicine cat, but I've considered having a different cat be her apprentice- It's still definitely in development, but it's coming along slowly but surely!

[wc-wild-rewrite]

So, Spottedleaf came second in the poll, so we'll be looking into her story next! Remember, this stuff is still up to change if i want it to.

(TW for talk of grooming)

We'll start with her parents, as thats where her story really begins. She was found as an abandoned kit with her brother by a thunderclan warrior. I'm not sure who, exactly, but when they bring the two back to camp, a queen, Cloudspeckle, offered to take them in. Cloudspeckle had recently lost her own litter, so she had plenty of milk for the little duo.

Spotted and Red are both natural tortoishells, and are both trans. They figured this out pretty early, coming out just before their apprentice ceremony. However, before their ceremony, we have some nursery stuff to cover.

Noteably, in relation to them and Tigerkit. See, Pinestar and Leopardfoot's relationship was always a bit rocky. Even in the early days, when Tigerkit was very young, Spotted and Red would always hear the two mates arguing. They acted fine in front of the clan, of course, but they never remembered the twins could hear them. They often stayed with Tigerkit and distracted him with his parents fought. They also helped distract Whitekit when his mother died.

Back to the apprentice ceremony, though. Spotted was assigned to a cat i've yet to decide on, but it can't be thrushpelt, as he's an apprentice alongside her. The apprentice group at the time was, in order of youngest to eldest, Spottedpaw, Redpaw, Sweetpaw, Thrushpaw, Rosepaw, Lionpaw, Goldenpaw, and Willowpaw. Within in a few moons, Willowpelt graduated and Tigerpaw, Frostpaw, Brindlepaw, and Whitepaw became apprentices.

This was, unfortunately, when Thistleclaw enters the story. Being assigned to Tigerpaw, and having already manipulated Whitepaw for all of his kithood, he turned his sights on Spottedpaw. The manipulation and grooming went on for moons, and Spottedpaw started acting differently from it. She became a fawner around adults, and isolated from the other apprentices, including her own brother.

Eventually, she became aware of what was happening to her, but believed Thistleclaw would bring her harm if she said anything, so she attempted to change paths instead. He couldn't continue if she was a medicine cat, right? She asked Featherwhisker to become his apprentice, but Featherwhisker had watched her grow up. He could tell something was wrong. She didn't say what, but once Featherwhisker picked up so something was wrong, it became scarily clear. He told her to stay in his den if she was ever afraid. She sat in there most days with him, after that.

By this point, though, she was old enough to get her warrior name. She should've gotten in moons ago, but due to Thistleclaw's treatment (and some manipulation towards her mentor), she kept failing her warriors test.

Once Featherwhisker noticed, he alerted her brother, as Cloudspeckle had passed by this point. He realised Cloudspeckle's passing must've helped Thistleclaw manipulate her further. Of course, Redtail was furious. And, soon enough, the rest of that generation was aware of it too.

Featherwhisker wanted to go to Sunstar, but Whitestorm knew full well that the leader wouldn't do anything. Pre-firestar thunderclan didn't intervene in mistreatment. But these ones did, and they started making up excuses to keep Thistleclaw away from Spottedpaw, even when all of them were warriors. And, after only a moon, Redtail came up with a plan.

So, Golden, Willow, and Brindle took Spottedpaw aside and kept her distracted, like she and red had done for Tiger all those moons ago. Meanwhile, Red, White, Lion, and Frost went on patrol with Thistleclaw, and killed him by the Riverclana border. Tigerclaw saw this from the bushes, and left silently before they noticed.

Thistleclaw did not go down without a fight, however, so the group were a bit injured. But they had accounted for this. Rose and Thrush "happened" to be escorting Featherwhisker to Riverclan camp for a herb trade, and they patched the group up before they headed back.

Whitestorm put on a spectacular performance as he pretended to grieve as he announced his father's death. Found by the medicine patrol, the border patrol had been ambushed by Riverclan and Thistleclaw had died in the scuffle. They said his body had been swept into the river, and were unable to find it. So sad, as they couldn't sit a proper vigil without a body. Oh well.

Sunstar only found out after the fact. It wasnt the best idea the group has ever had, as it sparked some tension between Thunderclan and Riverclan, but once Featherwhisker explained the situation to Riverclan's medicine cat, it mysteriously stopped. It was one of the only times Riverclan admitted fault. Falsely, this time.

After his death, though, Spottedpaw finally got her warrior name, almost a cycle and a half late. She picked Spottedcloud, in honor of her mother, and she became a fantastic warrior.

Slowly, she came back out of her shell, and into the adventurous rule-breaker she was known as, as a kit. It wasn't exactly the same, of course. She was still wary of large toms and fell into her fawning habits from time to time, but with time, she healed.

When Firepaw joined and Redtail died, she saw herself in him. She saw redtail in him, too. And she decided she'd protect this apprentice if it killed her. She became a big sister to him, which hurt her somewhat from her brother's recent passing, but it only spurred her on further.

She became something of a fourth member to the first arc trio, joining them on their rule-breaking, do-gooder journeys. When the camp was invaded, she nearly died to Clawface, but Featherwhisker fought valiantly to save her. She survived, but Featherwhisker did not. Whitestorm had to talk her into eating after the vigil ended.

She was brought in on the secret of Redtail's true death, and was pained to hear it. She had hoped Tigerclaw hadn't followed his mentor's cruelty. He seemed like a respectable, if gruff, warrior for so long that she struggled to believe it. But she knew denying it could get Ravenpaw killed, so she helped sneak the apprentice out to the barn with Fire and Grey. She acted distraught when she told Bluestar of the young tom's passing, killed on the border. She sorrowfully apologised to Tigerclaw for not saving his apprentice, really laying on the guilt as she tells him his final words were if Tigerclaw was proud. She'll always remember the way he squirmed under her gaze during that conversation.

Enjoying his discomfort didn't stop her from feeling betrayed by him. He had been mistreated by Thistleclaw too, and they had sort of bonded afterr his death. Not enough to be good friends, but enough to banter from time to time. Despite all of that, despite experiencing Thistleclaw's violence firsthand, he still manipulated and abused his apprentice.

And then, she was angry. She was angry at him, for the fear he'd caused to Ravenpaw. So, when Tigerclaw was outed as evil to the clans, she damn near chased him out of the camp herself.

She, alongside Sparrowstalk, Fireheart, Greystripe, and Ravenpaw, snuck into and were captured by Tigerclan's guards, and had to watch Paleflame be killed. She gave one last ditch effort to talk to Tigerclaw, a distraction to let the others escape, before he noticed them sneaking off, and she fought him tooth and claw. Neither died, but she was hurt, and only managed to get away because of rebellion leader Deerfoot of Shadowclan, who was executed shortly after she fled.

With a new set of scars, one and a half ears, and new anger, she and Brightheart helped Lynxshine stockpile herbs for the all-clans fight. She stood proudly on Lionclan's side and brought down a Bloodclan warrior twice her size alongside Frostfur.

Her end came, though, when a bloodclan warrior went for Firestar, and she leaped in the way. She was killed, but quickly avenged by Frostfur and Sweetflower, as Firestar was fighting Scourge. The warrior who killed her did not survive the fight by any means.

After the fight ended, and the clans were heading back to camp, Spottedcloud was carried alongside Whitestorm to be laid next to Redtail, Rosetail, and Lionheart's graves.

Her memory lives on, passed down from various cats in various ways. Tangleburr- Deerfoot's sister- tells the story of the tortoishell warrior who helped the rebellion save dozens of cats by taking on a leader single-pawed. Onestar tells the story of a molly who helped bring Windclan home in their hour of need. Ravenpaw tells the story of a wildcat warrior who helped save him from his abusive mentor. Goldenflower tells the story of a young cat who survived despite everything that happened to her. Even Bloodclan tells the story of a cat so brave, she fought until her last breath to protect her family.

And Firestar tells the story of his big sister, who helped him through everything from crushes to dictators, who's faith in him never once wavered.

Even after Firestar's death, Sandstorm, and Squirrelflight, and Alderheart, and even Scourge himself, keep telling the story of Spottedcloud.

[wormwiggle]

gonna do the warriors 20 questions thing just for fun woohoo!!! I did it a long time ago but my opinions have changed a lot since then and new blorbos have been gained

1. seri pixel biologist who i was really into as a kid did a sims 4 warrior cats challenge and thats how I first learned abt the existence of the books. when I looked it up I was super confused on who everyone was but it was still really interesting to me. eventually my school went on a field trip to the library where I picked up the first book of OOTS. I was confused asf cuz that was a horrible place to start reading but then I learned that it was the 1st book of the FOURTH arc. and I set out to find a guidebook and the first book of the first arc. the rest is history,,,

2. probably AVOS or TBC . or just the first one. I havent read the 2nd or 3rd arcs but I love the family drama that comes from them

3. lost stars

4. super edition is crowfeathers trail or crookedstars promise. I like way too many of the novellas to choose a favorite but pinestars choice and goosefeathers curse are up there. manga is a shadow in riverclan

5. shadowclan in AVOS

6. again I have way too many but briarlight, dovewing, longtail, brightheart, feathertail, and shadowsight hold a special place in my heart

7. thistleclaw

8. moonpaw

9. crookedstar, tallstar, or pinestar

10. darktail

11. shadowsight . mothwing got knocked out bc of her treatment of him im afraid. jayfeather is an honorable mention

12. ivypool

13. shockingly brokenstar? I feel like people don't appreciate kit to warrior him he was very interesting to me

14. snowfur is kinda like goldenflower jr to me

15. idgaf if they have to be canon moonpaw x the moonpool . objectum yuri has me acting unwise

16. squirrelflight and bramblestar. also sunbeam and nightheart sorry not sorry

17. jayfeather and briarlight I used to ship them tho

18. the ending of OOTS till this day I feel like that was the perfect ending to warrior cats and was so beautifully written but then they kept making more books

honorable mention is when violetpaw walked into that guy trying to kill darktail , and he went to kill her, and then darktail killed him, and needletail was shook as fuck after. I was staring at the book in horror for a min

19. briarlight was unnecessary and was one of the few deaths that made me cry

20. it wasn't really a fight scene but when violetpaw and twigpaw had to fight I was like damn

[bonefall]

I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MARSHSCAR????

Sure! He's a supporting character in Ripplestar's Rot, and becomes leader of ShadowClan after the Great Pancakening at the Battle of the Gathering.

I wrote about him and every leader post-Ripplestar over here

Marshpaw was a little older than Ripplekit when he was brought to the Clan, just newly apprenticed. Their apprenticeships overlapped and they were teenage friends.

Marsh has always been a sort of quiet dude, he's never been a go-getter. More of a steady, practical guy.

He was friends with Spottedpelt and Gorseclaw too, him and Gorse were the more "level headed" people in the group.

His first name was Marshtail. "Scar" is an Honor Title.

Him and Ripplemoon were young warriors when they became mates. Marshtail could tell you that he liked his passion and drive, but, it would be a half truth. He can't really pick anything in particular that is his favorite trait

He could spend a day stuck in a tree hole with him and it would be enjoyable. He just likes his vibe, he likes to be with him.

There's not much to say about him before the ending of Ripplestar's Rot, because he's a mild guy. His ideal life would have been being a background character who goes on patrol a lot lmao

But at the death of Ripplestar and Spottedpelt, suddenly he was thrust into power he NEVER wanted, in the middle of mourning the loss of his mate and his extended family, and the end of a war he'd given everything to.

His heart broken, he had to clean up what Ripplestar left behind. The other three leaders blamed ShadowClan for everything, and the war had taken a chunk out of the population.

Especially in ShadowClan, with a ton of their warriors being slaughtered at the Gathering. Because of Gorseclaw, they'd seen the attack coming and prepared by only bringing their strongest warriors.

In fury, Dalestar of WindClan and Birchstar of RiverClan exiled many of the outed rebels within their ranks

So, Marshstar was dealing with the other Clans baying for a severe punishment of ShadowClan, adding a flood of new commandments to the code, and also a political refugee crisis

This was a mess. An exhausting, painful mess

It didn't get better, either. No matter what Marshstar did, someone was going to be furious. He couldn't appease the other Clans while maintaining ShadowClan, so, they started exacting revenge by attacking constantly.

(And, mind you, this was the age of Kit Stealing and pillaging. These attacks were high-stakes)

Eventually he stopped apologizing or even negotiating at all. ShadowClan became a sort of secluded, defensive nut that shared very little news, and even skipped Gatherings a few times.

But even that didn't please his warriors. They wanted the Gatherings. They wanted their own revenge. Even as the population recovered, Marshstar refused to do anything else.

The rest of his life felt like he was just biding time. 9 long lives without Ripplestar felt like a curse.

He did do one thing though-- when Houndfang was young, she was a goddamn punk. Little rebel without a cause, the Clan used to be frustrated that she was given such a ferocious name; she could have used a name to calm her down instead :/

She reminded Marshstar of a casual discussion about warrior names he had with Ripplestar, once. About how he liked names that simply made sense, and didn't need to be defended with prose. A Hound and its Fangs

He took a shining to Houndkit, in his melancholic way. She liked bothering him, he wouldn't snap at her or push her away. He would even sometimes enable her-- telling her little tricks for sneaking past the big warriors or giving her advice on how to persuade them to do what she wanted.

So the habit only got "worse." She had absolutely no fear of him as an apprentice and would just announce her opinion to his face.

thinking about it, Marshstar probably took her as an apprentice towards the end of her time as Houndpaw, after getting in too many fights with her mentor and the mentor trying to appeal for a delay of her assessment until she learned respect.

"Hm. No. I don't want her spirit broken. I think the other Clans deserve some hell, actually."

Houndfang didn't have ambition as a kid, she didn't know what she wanted. Marshstar gave her an outlet and it became electricity in her veins.

She quickly took over the Clan when she became deputy, and was more of a leader than he ever was. He just let her start running it.

I feel like he cast his name off, just before he died. He did not want to be Marshstar, he wanted to return to Marshscar, so he held a renaming ceremony for himself and passed on leadership officially.

ShadowClan was reignited in a way it hadn't been in years when Houndstar took power. In the passionate cheering of the crowd, Marshscar slipped away.

No one ever saw him again after that. He was probably sick and went somewhere he could pass away in solitude. Cat behavior

His heart remained with Ripplestar for the entirety of his long life, and for him, it was a relief when it was finally over.

When he got to StarClan, they tried to put him on trial. He got frustrated shortly into it. Ripplestar and Spottedpelt are not here so Literally Why Should I Care?

And they're going to throw this big bombastic ballyhoo, why? To posture? For who? This is pointless and quite frankly embarassing.

He actually interrupted the court proceedings with an Excuse Me. I Don't Want This.

"Thank you for your time. This has been a waste of mine."

It's kind of funny to think that if Houndstar knew about what her mentor did here she would flip her shit at him lmao.

Honestly, he does not mind being in Hell. Like, at all. He'll follow Ripplestar wherever, but in Skypelt I can imagine him making occasional statements about missing the taste of bloodsap or something.

[a-vampire-culturelover]

An Warrior Cats Au Idea

So I came across an au that swapped the Fire scene from Po3 with Mapleshade and a flood, and thought to myself to make my own take on that kind of au!

-Mapleshade's secret ends up coming out a moon after the kits are born, with Oakstar being the heartless prick he is and exiling her and the kits out of thunderclan. While Mapleshade somehow manages to get the kits across the river to Riverclan territory, she herself is swept up into the currents of the waters and drifted off to the barn, presumed missing/dead by the clans while she recovers.

-The kits end up in Riverclan with Reedshine, who's already bearing kits from Appledusk, and Appledusk barely knows the kits are his, only knowing one slighlty resembles him and another resembles Mapleshade, although he had ensured to himself he'd much rather keep his reputation as loyal in riverclan than ever come clean of his forbidden relationship, moving on with Reedshine. The kits can't clearly remember Mapleshade save for a few moments they cherished of when they were in the Thunderclan nursery, but get accustomed to Riverclan life. They get renamed of course since Riverclan doesn't know what they're names are;

Petalkit -> Bluebellkit, Patchkit -> Maplekit, and Larchkit - Carpkit. Maplekit was named this by Appledusk due to looking similar to his mother, although the rest of the clan see this as a coincidence. Appledusk begins to catch on and is aware by the time of their apprenticeship that they are indeed Mapleshade and his' kits, but never tells the rest of the clan. Eventually Reedshine does have her kits, which the older three treat well and care about the rest of the clan like family.

-Meanwhile, Mapleshade has been recovering in the barn, having found out her kits were alive and well but in Riverclan. Chalking it up to Appledusk caring for them, she sees nothing wrong with it, not knowing until later about Reedshine. She assumes that when the time is right she could just walk right over to Riverclan, greet her children, and nothing would be wrong would it...?

-She inevitably finds out about Appledusk moving on and starting new with Reedshine, angering Mapleshade to a boiling point. she plots her vengeance as she realizes her kits dont even remember her, treating Reedshine like their mother and Reedshine's kits like their siblings.

-Of course her kits are oblivious, and inevitably get their warrior names, save for Carppaw who became a medicine cat aprentice.

Carppaw -> Carpsnap, Maplepaw -> Mapledusk, and Bluebellpetal.

_On their first gathering, everything goes well until a flood blocks the three and Appledusks halfway into going home, Mapleshade having jumped to confront Appledusk. After some bickering Appledusk is left no choice but to tell the three that him and mapleshade are their parents, much to their own shock.Mapleshade had tried coaxing her children to her side once more, but was met with cold glares and sad looks, as she fled and eventually died before the three could see her again. Mapleshade still ends up in the Dark Forest, planning on destroying the clans for ruining her perfect life with her kits all those moons ago.

-Carpsnap, Mapledusk, and Bluebellpetal are all confused and upset, telling riverclan and being shunned for a while until eventually being forgiven, as their heritage was originally unknown and was never their fault to begin with.

-Mapleshade actually replaces Ashfur's role later on TBC as its main antagonist, possessing Mistystar to first break and dissolve Riverclan as vengeance for the clan having taking care of her kits when SHE should have, and maybe her kits come back as reccurring characters in the arc to communicate with Rootspring alongside Mistystar to stop what's going on.

Ashfur also ends up being swapped with killing similar to how Mapleshade did in canon, although he never manages to kill but one cat. Angered and displeased with how she had chosen Brambleclaw over him, he had taken advice from Mapleshade to get vegeance by killing cats close to her.

-he first had killed Sandstorm, killing her in a skirmish outside camp so that he would not be the first to come to mind. Thunderclan mourned her loss and never looked close at the grey fur left in Sandstorm's claws from struggling to fight back, something Leafpool notices.

-he then attempts to kill Brambleclaw via deathberries, knowing he would be flattened and killed in a landslide but the bigger and stronger deputy. However due to it being noticsble and treated in time, his life was saved in the medicine den much to Ashfur's disappointment and bitterness. Leafpool noted of how Brambleclaw mentioned on the side how the squirrel with the berries had been offered to him by someone..

-Finally, he attempts to kill Leafpool after failing to kill Brambleclaw, hoping to break her heart the way his was. During what would have been the fire scene, it was instead Leafpool trying to run as Ashfur attempting to push her into the fires below to burn to death, although he had been stopped by Squirrelflight and The Three. Unlike in canon, Squirrelflight tells the truth to the Three but tells them that she loves and cares for them despite not being her actual kits, and lets them know they're Leafpool's. They're still heartbroken and taken aback, but this nonetheless eases the harsh road downhill for them all later. Ashfur, a bit shocked by these relevations, decides to take his chance and attempts to kill Squirrelflight while her back is turned, but falls to the firey depths of the camp below and dies, going to the Dark Forest. While he was there, wallowing in his misery of not winning Squirrelflight's love, Mapleshade had convinced him with her plan, which would lead to very different events in TBC later on.

[ails-of-ardor-au]

Imagine the drama of River and Sky at first being close. Only for things to at some point reach a breaking point, ans then River becoming more closed off.

Maybe they still tried keeping the ideas of their founder? Willing to help Windclan, maybe by offering them food as food would be extremely hard to find during the winter. But the relationship was never as close as it was with Sky, and even that eventually fell apart. Thunder and River started being at odds due to the sunning rocks, and even issues before that involved both clans (cough cough Mapleshade cough)

And Shadow they never were overally friendly with. Maybe they're still the clan most likely to accept outsiders; especially Queens and kits and forming strong values relating to family and protecting them no matter what (possibly caused to not have another Mapleshade event with Appledusk).

I like to think that, prior to SkyClan’s fall, RiverClan retained the exact values of their founder: being open to everyone, sharing with the less fortunate, allowing passerbys to rest with them, etc etc…

Actually I quite like the idea of SkyClan’s fall being the catalyst to RiverClan closing itself off. Beforehand, they were always very charitable and open to all the Clans, but that was primarily because, if RiverClan happened to be on hard times, SkyClan would always jump to help. With SkyClan gone, RiverClan reasoned that they would no longer receive that aid, so they retracted all of theirs sans to outsiders who requested aid or asylum of them. All the Clans are very family-focused, but RiverClan especially in the manner of “family outside of kin”.

But the idea of them doubling down on that after the whole Mapleshade thing is very interesting, I like that yes yes

I’d like to write a bit of a rivalry between River/Ripple/River Ripple and Thundering Cry, just as fun foreshadowing to the tension between their two resulting Clans… I’m thinking of having the lake being the territories that Thundering Cry was born, so there won’t be any Sunningrocks just yet; that comes later in history.

[fatal-rewrites-warriors]

How about an au where Leopardfur and Silverstream grew up in a different clan (one of your picking)? They're fun to see changes with and this could both be a simple and a radical change at the same time

Ooo yes okay so. I'll go...Shadowclan, since that's the "opposite" of Riverclan and it's the clan Lep has lowkey fantasized about being in.

1. I'd prolly change it so that Lep and Silvy are on their own after their mother, Moth, dies, getting as far away from the place she died as possible, which brings them to Shadowclan at the perfect time for Brokentail to be accumulating followers, and Lep and Silvy are prime for him to induct into the clan

2. Lep would feel more at home, but not as much as her River self would think. She still feels out of place in the cultural divide between newcomers and old guard, which is still reconciling itself at this point. Silvy, on the other hand, feels hugely out of place and would pine across the border more and more. She's still a huge romantic, though she's got a few more options...

3. Who would mentor them...I like the idea of Pinecry for Silvy, and it. Goes quite badly. Not because they're a bad match for each other, but because Pine makes terrible decisions and Silvy also makes terrible decisions, they spark up a romance when she becomes warrior and Broken just lets that shit happen (though they hide it from the rest of the clan as much as possible). Lep is furious about it, and though Pine isn't nasty about it but it leaves a bad taste in everyones mouth and is generally uncool all around

4. Now the coup. It is NOT hard to manipulate Lep, and Broken, for all his bullshit, would manage it quite easily. Literally all he has to do is tell Lep that he'll break up Pine and Silvy. That said, when it comes down to it, Lep abandons him after Thunder and Wind come to beat his ass. Ultimately she ends up feeling even more alienated from the clan, but she won't leave Silvy

5. Which. Yeah. She has kittens, but then the plague hits. Pinecry was the first to catch it, and he passes it to Silvy and the kittens, though instead of her dying I'm gonna say that the litter dies (along with Pine) and she gets bodied pretty hard by the illness. She'll end up grieving pretty hard, but making it up with Lep and making a slow recovery will eventually bring her back around

6. Meanwhile, Lep is vying for more power in the clan while also trying to help Applefur hold it together (mayhaps...sparks fly...though Apple I think would be too shaken after Tangleburr to pursue it) and then, one day a familiar face shows up on the border saying he wants to help. Thunderclans best warrior, Tigerclaw, and Shadowclan aren't about to turn him away

And what happens from there happens <3