#two while kits and the rest while apprentices

[animatewarriorcats]

Ivytail! She is a Shadowclan apprentice/warrior in the Power of Three and Omen of the Stars arcs. We don't know a ton about her, she is a fairly proud apprentice, thinking very highly of her skills and her clan during the daylight gathering, and refusing to show any emotion when first introduced, like a good shadowclan warrior. She is in a few key scenes after that, first on a patrol that takes Lionpaw and co to speak to Blackstar, As the sentry when Hollypaw is sent to ask shadowclan for help in the battle of the eclipse, and as part of the gathered cats when Sol joins Shadowclan. She is also part of a group of shadowclan cats that intercept a Thunderclan patrol for almost hunting on shadowclan and then they mock the thunderclan cats about starclan and not being able to fight their own battles enough that Birchfall attacks Snaketail. She then doubles down when the TC patrol tries to pull Birch out by doubting if thunderclan can fight their own battles while the cats tear each other apart which is admittedly, kind of funny. The next arc she is listed as a queen in every book. She doesn't have a canon mate and though I headcanon Toadfoot that's just because they share a mouse once and he repairs the nursery wall while she's a queen. She also doesn't have any canon kits, despite the fact that she was very near kitting the winter Flametail falls through the ice. In my mind, this is fascinating, and makes me wonder if she miscarried or if there is another explanation as to why she doesn't reappear in the final three books of this arc. There is a scene in the last hope where Pinenose is crying over a slaughtered kit which has been assumed to be hers, but the age doesn't match the rest of her canon litter (who's father spikefur is yet to be a 'paw, spontaneously generated in the super editions between the next arc), which makes me wonder if this was not an editing error and it was supposed to be Ivytail instead, espcially because Pinenose is not even listed as a queen in that book. In any case, even though the time between when she was introduced as a paw and when she retires in the next super edition is only two years, her last listing in the allegiances is in Bramblestar's storm where she has retired to the elders den.

[apricot-the-apricat]

Quick class doodle of my Lifegen cats that I decided to digitalise, just because I think it looks neat

I haven't talked about them here before but the protagonist is Stonestar (the brown one) who spent ~40 moons entirely on his own from kithood and lost 8 lives before Levi (the one with the neck bow and carrying the kit) found him. They immediately became mates, and now their entire "clan" consists of them and their adopted kits together.

Also Lifegen isn't the best at recognising that there's only 1 cat in the clan so Stonesoar (yes i spelled that right, it was his warrior name) often canonically hallucinated clanmates. Poor guy.

[arolesbianism]

Thinks oh so hard abt the spiraling upwards clan founders, especially the birchclan founders. Silly lil kitties who's pasts are drenched in blood with the primary regret of not drawing it sooner

[thunderc1an]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Snowclan, a clan in perpetual snow.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁..𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

This is a redraw of a fanclan I made in middleschool, the first redraw of this clan I made was in 2021, I revamped my designs and reworked some concepts slightly.

Snowclan: Nestled in a land of seemingly perpetual snow (a mountain), this clan stands as the sole group in its frigid territory. While there is another clan, Wheatclan, it lies almost a two-day trek away on paw. During the full moon, both clans converge in a single spot, the crumbling twoleg nest. Both clans rest in this middle point before returning to their respective clans. The cats of Snowclan are notably welcoming to newcomers; they recognize the challenges posed by their harsh environment and are eager to offer and receive assistance.

Character pronouns, age + miscellaneous information. 

-Troutstar (??? moons, he/him) A wise old cat that carries a mysterious past; many have forgotten the leader who came before him. He is both caring and patient, and he takes immense pride in his role as the grandfather of Sweetbasil, his greatest treasure.

-Cheesepelt (around 40 moons, he/him). The prophecy cat, a former kittypet who joined the clan recently, was appointed deputy almost immediately, much to the displeasure of the previous deputy. He doesn't have much desire to assume the role of deputy or become the clan's next leader; he's an anxious individual but means well. He is also the father of Sweetbasil's upcoming kits, a closely kept secret.

-Sweetbasil (44 moons, she/her). Medicine cat apprentice. Caring and compassionate, yet occasionally sharp-tongued. Currently expecting. The clan is beginning to notice, but they remain respectful and quiet about it, even if whispers linger in the air.

-Honeydew (81 moons, he/him). Snowclan's medicine cat and the twin brother of Cloudflight. Honeydew is the true father of Rabbitleap. He is a gentle and soft-spoken cat, known for his kindness and love towards everyone around him, though he is not quickly taken advantage of. His heart was captured by a kittypet named Robin. With Cloudflight's support, he brought their daughter, Rabbitkit, into the clan. Cloudflight takes on the role of Rabbitleap's adoptive father.

-Littlebat (125 moons, she/her). The previous deputy who harbors resentment toward an inexperienced individual who took her hard-earned role. She is the mother of Redberry and Ashbreeze and mates with Suntonge. Her parenting style is marked by a tough-love approach. Her family's linage within the clan is older than that of 4 generations of leaders.

-Suntongue (123 moons, he/him). Having a deepely content character. Those of all ages come to him seeking a warm, fatherly embrace. He's a formidable warrior but possesses a forgiving and merciful nature towards his foes. Proud father of Redberry and Ashbreeze. He arrived to the clan as a kit accompanied by kin.

-Bearthroat (around 83 moons, he/they). The biggest cat in the clan, known for their impressive claws. They came to the clan as an outsider during a fierce snowstorm and decided to stay. Though reserved and speak little, they have formed friendships within the clan. They are the biological parent of Applepaw and Pepperpaw.

-Cloudflight (81 moons, he/him). Boisterous and cheerful, this cat has a wonderfully friendly disposition. He shares a deep bond with his brother, and the two are practically inseparable. Naturally, he eagerly stepped into the role of adoptive father when his brother made the request. He treats Rabbitleap as if she were his own child, and treats Wooljump in a smiliar manner. His grandparents were former loners who integrated themselves into Snowclan life.

-Cardinalcall (82 moons, any pronouns). A rather snobbish cat who relishes sharing gossip with others. With a distant attitude, they often come across as self-centered. After having the desire for 'perfect' kits, they approached Bearthroat to ask him to sire her litter. Although they are not mates, it was agreed that Bearthroat would take on a parental role for both Applepaw and Peperpaw. Their family linage within the clan is older than that of Littlebat.

-Redberry (37 moons, they/them). Reserved yet not shy, this cat approaches the world with a healthy dose of skepticism. They enjoy asking questions, even if not all have clear answers. With a sharp intellect, they occasionally overlook their own insights. Their bond with their sister, Ashbreeze, is particularly strong.

-Rabbitleap (20 moons, she/her) (The main character I focus on) Cheerful and genuinely kind-hearted. She suspects that Cloudflight isn't her biological father. Yet, the truth about her origins remained a mystery until she encountered a kittypet named Robin during the early days of her apprenticeship. Robin revealed herself as her mother, and they quickly formed a close bond. However, as Rabbitleap sought out Robin one fateful night, she stumbled upon the clan's medicine cat, Honeydew, with his tail entwined with Robin's. Confusion washed over her, leaving her uncertain about interpreting the scene. For now, she remained silent, simply observing and waiting to see what would unfold.

-Butterflybounce (21 moons, she/her) She possesses a charming and somewhat clumsy personality, and her closest friends are Rabbitleap and Wooljump. With her long legs, she tends to stumble and trip over her own feet. Despite the rare blooming of flowers in Snowclan, she has a deep affection for them. She also has a crush on a beautiful she-cat kittypet named Diamond. She hails from a long lineage of Snowclan warriors, but she is the last member of her family, as her parents died when she was still young.

-Shadowpaw (9 moons, he/him) A reserved but focused individual. Despite the warm welcome he received from Snowclan, he still feels the need to demonstrate his value. He is originally from Wheatclan, yet due to an incident he was brought to Snowclan at the start of his apprenticeship. (Mentor: Bearthroat)

-Pepperpaw (7 moons, she/her). Arrogant and very particular about following rules. She believes she is destined for leadership, influenced by her family's long lineage as Snowclan cats; a trait notable in a clan that openly welcomes loners and kittypets into their ranks. (Mentor: Redberry)

-Applepaw (7 moons, he/him) A lively young cat who believes that everyone and everything is his friend. His relationship with Pepperpaw is somewhat strained, as he never cared for his linage nor perfection. (Official Mentor: Ashbreeze, Step-in Mentor: Rabbitleap)

-Ashbreeze (37 moons, she/her) She lost the use of her vocal cords at a young age but has developed her own unique way of communicating with others. Strong-willed and determined, she is currently expecting. There’s some speculation about the father of her litter being a loner that has been recently seen wondering around the clan territiory.

-Wooljump (20 moons, he/they). A laid-back and easygoing cat. His closest friends are Rabbitleap and Butterflybounce. They aren't particularly fond of the warrior lifestyle and believe that being a permanent queen would suit them better. They found within clan territory as a kit, their origin is not known.

-Graywood (??? moons, she/they) Little is known about Graywood, but one thing is certain: their tales are among the finest. There is a running joke of figuring out whether Graywood is older than Troutstar.

[saltsongwc]

This was inspired by THIS ask I got about Tiger and his dynamic's, which I'll make more of later

And a little writting to acompany the art under the read more

The moss was starting to grow back, snow melting and allowing the new herbs and plants to finally reclaim the soil of new leaf, Tigerclaw didn't enjoy this step in the changing of Leaf-Bare to Newleaf, mostly because it made walking uncomfortable, with the wet snow clinging to his paws and fur.

It gave him an excuse to stay in his den when the storages were full, which he appreciated, the other excuse was the nursery duties that he'd rather perform instead of the apprentices, just to walk between his den and a cozier one.

Right now, there were only two cats sharing the nursery, Frostfur was sleeping the furthest away, her tail curled around her as she sleeped peacefully, 'Any day now' he reminded himself, he was getting the storages ready and extra moss to welcome the new clan members, he chuckles a bit under his breath, Lionheart would stand pacing around camp whenever not on patrol.

His eyes landed on the second shape, the golden molly whose fluffy tail was twitching up and down, Goldenflower had been the only queen through Leaf Bare, and her only company before Frostfur was the tiny kit currently entertained with her tail. Her eyes shifted away from the kit for a moment and gave him a purr in greeting, which he returned, pacing around her landed him right on the kit's field of vision.

"Tiger! Tiger!" the black and white tom used his mother's tail as support, staring at the larger tabby with glee "Can we play? Can we please?"

He sighed in faked dissapoitment, dropping the moss by Goldenflower's bed and shaking his head "It's sunset Swiftkit, how about tomorrow?"

The promise is enough to stop any dissapointment from the kit, who just exclaims "At dawn! Okay!" and curls around his mother's belly, knowing sleep just makes the sun come faster.

Tigerfoot smiles, staring at the small cat while he sits down, before his gaze returns back to the mother.

"...Stop smirking like that"

Goldenflower chuckles and shakes her head "You know, I think you'd be an excellent father Tigerfoot"

"Ha! Imagine a kit with my face" his ear flicks "I bring you moss and that's how you repay me? Mockery? Shame Golden, I thought better of you"

"If you claim to be friend you should expect this from me"

Her gaze returned to the small kit, now snowing peacefully and pawing the air, dreams already claiming his eyes, Tigerfoot caught however, the worried expression in her eyes.

"Mouse for your thoughts?" He asks, lying beside her in comfort while staring at the kit as well. Goldenflower hummed, licking Swiftkit's head gently.

"He's so... small"

The words echoed back to her first time seeing Swiftkit, and his sister before she passed, they had been so lucky Tigerfoot recalls, an especially harsh storm, he spent the night protectively standing guard by the nursery entrance, afraid anything would lurk inside and take the kits... It took one.

"...He's smaller than the average" two moons old, the kit didn't look more than one.

Some nights, he thinks of his apprentice days, some days, he's afraid whenever the kit rushes to him and plays with his tail or jumps on his back, it terrifies him.

"He takes it after his father"

Goldenflower had never confided in Tigerfoot who Swiftkit's father might be, while the whispers and gossips from the clan was Patchpelt (and the now elder had never disputed those claims), he was unsure, now, the fear at night is present, the ghost of someone guarding the fragile kit resting by his friend's belly is less paranoia, an active protector, a scourge from his past.

He should seek the cat, the black shape, but tomorrow he promised Swiftkit he would play with him at dawn, and tonight he wants to guard the den, to make sure the last of Leaf Bare's winds do not take the only kit as well.

[wc-confessions]

I truly believe that Mapleshade's revenge against Oakstar for exiling and indirectly killing her kits absolutely did NOT stop at her killing of Frecklewish. She must have placed a curse of some kind on his ENTIRE BLOODLINE. Think about how much the characters descended from him have been through.

Pinestar got horrible visions from StarClan about Tigerkit and ended up abandoning him to become a kittypet, which tarnished his reputation.

There's...everything Tigerstar did. Nightkit and Mistkit died very young.

Brambleclaw never truly escaped his father's shadow and would be looked at differently all his life, just to get possessed by Ashfur and get severe PTSD that would cause him to step down as leader. Tawnypelt defected to ShadowClan just to be the only one who supported Rowanclaw during a dark time and lose two of her children. Mothwing would be ostracized for not believing in StarClan and have to deal with her apprentice's death, plus Mistystar unfairly exiling her PLUS Splashtail's plot. Tadpole died young. Hawkfrost would follow the same path as his father.

Dandelionkit and Juniperkit died young. Sparkpelt lost her mate, one of her kits, and suffered from severe depression afterwards, along with dealing with Ashfur's takeover of the clan, getting a dog sicced on her and almost dying, being temporarily exiled, and having a strained relationship with Nightheart for a while. Alderheart got the medicine cat role forced upon him when he didn't want it, and he was forced to watch what were basically his two adoptive little sisters get separated from each other forever, plus also dealing with Ashfur's leadership.

Finchlight and Nightheart GREW UP under Ashfur's leadership.

Tigerheart would get the same looks for being a Tigerclone, have the love of his life break up with him, (even if it was only briefly) he'd abandon his clan during a dark time for them, gets killed after being dropped by an owl (though he gets better), and has to watch his son get ostracized by,,,everyone and is unable to do anything about it. Dawnpelt has to deal with a severe mental episode after the sudden loss of her brother and unfairly accuses a medicine cat of murder at a gathering, has to stay behind in a failing clan with her children because they all refused to leave, only to watch her daughter become a monster and gets killed by Darktail when she tries to escape. Flametail died young JUST after becoming a medicine cat and almost gets killed in the Dark Forest.

Poucestep, as a small kit, gets stuck on a drawbridge and almost dies, being saved by Spiresight who sacrifices himself in the process, surely giving her at least some degree of survivor's guilt. There's everything Shadowsight went through at the claws of Ashfur and others only to end up never having the power to speak to StarClan. Ever. Lightleap felt extreme guilt over being too nervous to go to the Dark Forest, so she tries to make up for it by unintentionally putting herself and others in danger, as well as trying to save her younger brother's life, only for him to die anyway. Birchpaw had to become an apprentice alone because Rowankit died what could have been a preventable death.

Juniperclaw's actions led to him getting disowned by his entire family, and he sacrifices himself for Shadowkit's life, only to end up in the Dark Forest anyway, and when he redeems himself a second time, StarClan still rejects him, this time right to his face, so he'll never be able to see his deceased family. Strikestone got his ear mangled badly enough that he became half-deaf, and shortly after he ends up getting killed, his ghost stuck in limbo for a long time, mind-controlled by Ashfur while being aware of what's going on but unable to control his body, and only gets to rest after Ashfur's defeated. And finally, Sleekwhisker ends up turning her back on the clans, killing her best friend with no remorse, tried to kill two innocent children, and permanently driven out of the clans with nothing known of her whereabouts.

I rest my case.

.

[clangenrising]

Month 19 - September Gathering

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Leaffall was off to a staggering start. Oddstripe had been enjoying the chilly air and the changing leaves only for the heat to come back in full force without warning. He’d been urging everyone to remember to get out of the sun and drink water in addition to eating fresh-kill for the last few days. Unfortunately, Sagetooth had come down with heat stroke while looking for fennel and even Lakepaw had exhausted herself with battle training out in the sun. 

Oddstripe applied moss to both of their foreheads as they rested in the healers’ den, saying, “Just relax and take care of yourselves. This should pass. If you need any water just call for someone and they’ll bring you some okay?” 

“You’re sure I can’t go to the gathering?” Lakepaw pouted.

“I’m sorry, dear,” he shook his head, “it’s bad timing but you have to stay and rest. There will be another gathering next moon.” 

Sagetooth, laying on her side with her eyes shut tight, asked, “Will you be alright on your own, Oddstripe?” 

“Oh, yes,” he smiled and ran a few licks over her fur. “I’m sure I can manage. It’s not like I’m doing anything anyway, I’m just going to go sit below the Cornerstones and be quiet.”

“Hmf,” Sagetooth muttered something to herself but didn’t seem to have the energy to give any further commands. Oddstripe sighed in relief. 

“Hey, dad,” Sparrowsway ducked his head into the den, “you ready to go?” 

“Yep,” smiled Oddstripe. “I was just finishing up. You two get your rest, I’ll be back later tonight.” 

“Okay…” Lakepaw stared wistfully out at the night but kept her head on her paws. Oddstripe touched his nose to Lakepaw’s ear and padded out after his son. The Gathering party was congregating on the hill as the last stragglers made their way to the group. 

Russetfrond was untangling himself from his two eager kittens. Bluekit and Yellowkit clung to his legs begging in chorus to be allowed to go with him. Oddstripe winced as he watched the patience draining from Russetfrond’s face bit by bit. 

“I already said no,” he growled firmly, wiggling his paws out of their grasp. 

Bluekit whined and plopped down on his belly looking dejected but Yellowkit leapt for his father’s paw again, giggling, and cried, “Come onnnnn! I’ll be good, I promise!” 

“Enough!” Russetfrond snapped, nipping sharply at the kit who squealed and dropped into a crouch with his ears pressed back. Russetfrond picked him up by the scruff -- which was quite the feat given how much he had grown in his four moons -- and set him beside Bluekit, saying, “You can’t even be good right now! You’d both better learn to behave before you become apprentices or you’ll be stuck on tick duty for every Gathering.” 

“Sorry, father,” Bluekit said, sitting up straight and tucking his paws close to his body. 

“Sorry,” mumbled Yellowkit, looking at the ground. 

“Speak up,” Russetfrond ordered and Yellowkit straightened up. 

“Sorry, father,” he echoed. 

“That’s better,” huffed Russetfrond. “Now behave while I’m gone and maybe I’ll catch you a special treat, alright?” Both boys nodded and Russetfrond leaned in to plant a tender lick on both of their heads. “Thank you, boys. I love you.” 

“Love you,” the kits chorused. 

“I do not envy those kits,” Aldertail whispered to Oddstripe, having come up beside him at some point. 

Oddstripe tried to push the grimace from his face and said, “No, me neither. Poor things.” 

“He means well,” Sparrowsway said with a small grimace of his own. 

“I know,” Oddstripe purred, butting up against Sparrowsway’s shoulder. Then, glancing at Aldertail, he asked, “are you sure you don’t want to come tonight?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I don’t like crowds very much.” 

“Okay,” he smiled and bumped his head lightly against hers. “Enjoy your night, I’ll see you after the Gathering.” 

“‘Kay,” she blushed, shuffling her paws. “Have fun.” 

“Will do,” laughed Oddstripe and he twined his tail with Sparrowsway’s as they went to join the others. 

“Okay,” Goldenstar was saying, craning her neck to look over the crowd, “Russetfrond, Floodstrike, Scorchplume, Fogpaw, Branchbark… Ah! Oddstripe and Sparrowsay, that’s everyone. Let’s go.” 

“Have fun!” Slatepaw called after them. 

“You too!” cried Fogpaw, rearing up on her hind paws to wave goodbye. 

They made their way through the fields and over the river to the Cornerstones in the heavy evening heat. Even without the sun, the air was unseasonably warm and slightly humid, clinging to their fur like it wanted to slow them down. When they arrived, Oddstripe paused to take in the scene, enjoying the lively thrum of conversation. It seemed they were the last to arrive, all three of the other leaders sitting atop the Cornerstones already.

 “Floodstrike!” a pair of young EarthClan warriors called out and Floodstrike split off of the group to join them. Scorchplume and Fogpaw skirted the group to find a good vantage point to sit together. Branchbark waved his tail at a pair of SkyClan warriors and moved to join them.

“Aww, no Ospreymask?” one of them asked.

“Not tonight,” he said, “you’ll have to settle for me.” 

“I don’t think Pebblefall likes you like that,” laughed the other and the first warrior shoved him hard. 

“Whatever, bee brain.” 

Oddstripe chuckled to himself and turned to Sparrowsway who was standing next to him. “Go on and mingle, sweetheart.” 

“I’m alright,” said Sparrowsway, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Why don’t I walk you to the front?”

“If you really want to,” Oddstripe said, brow furrowing with worry, “but don’t you have friends you’d rather talk to than your old man?” 

“Nah,” Sparrowsway shrugged and smiled but Oddstripe wasn’t sure he believed the expression. “I always enjoy talking with you.” 

“That’s not what I mean,” Oddstripe said as he let Sparrowsway escort him through the crowd. “You need friends who aren’t your father. It’s good for you.” 

“I’m alright,” Sparrowsway said again. “Most the cats my age are closer with Floodstrike anyway.” 

“What about Dawnbird?” Oddstripe offered. “She seems like such a polite young lady, I’m sure you’d get along well.” 

Sparrowsway pursed his lips to hide a wince. “Maybe. Seriously though, dad, I’m fine.” 

“Oh, alright,” Oddstripe chewed his lip fretfully and stopped to give Sparrowsway’s cowlick a few firm licks. “I just worry about you.”

“Don’t,” Sparrowsway laughed and ducked away from the licks. “I’m happy, dad, I really am.” 

“Okay…” Oddstripe stepped back towards the Cornerstones. “Just don’t hold yourself back from having fun, okay?”

“Okay, I won’t,” said Sparrowsway.

Deciding he would just have to be satisfied with that answer, Oddstripe turned away and padded over to where Blazingbrush and Stormwhisper were sitting near the front of the crowd. Stormwhisper brightened and twitched an ear in greeting as he approached. 

“Oh, where’s Tangletooth?” Oddstripe asked, looking around. 

“Coyotechaser said he stayed home tonight,” said Blazingbrush. “They didn’t want to risk him overexerting himself in the heat.” 

“I can’t blame them,” said Oddstripe. “Sagetooth is home with heat stroke tonight.” 

Stormwhisper inhaled worriedly through his teeth. “Stars, I hope she’s alright.” 

“She just needs some rest,” Oddstripe reassured him, “don’t worry.” Stormwhisper nodded, looking at his paws.

“Well, we might as well enjoy their absence for the night,” Blazingbrush grinned. “I mean how often do the three of us get to hang out, just us?” 

“Not often,” Stormwhisper admitted. 

Oddstripe laughed. “Why not? Let’s make the most of it.” Looking at Stormwhisper, he asked, “How are the kittens doing, by the way? They’re apprentices now aren’t they?” 

“Yeah,” nodded Stormwhisper, “Two moons in already.” 

“Oh, that’s right!” Oddstripe smiled remembering the Gathering where that had been announced, “Bluffpaw is apprenticed to Orangestar, isn’t he.” 

“That’s right,” Stormwhisper said. His expression softened as he continued, “Finchpaw and Rainpaw have been coming by lately to ask me about StarClan. I’m so glad they take the time. I miss the little beasts, even though I’m not their father or anything.” He looked at his paws again and Oddstripe couldn’t help but smile. Stars, he was terrible at hiding things. It was adorable.

“I know what you mean,” he said. “My kits grew up so fast! One day I was their whole world and then the next they were running off in all different directions -- into fights! Oh, it was terrifying -- is terrifying! But I just have to trust that StarClan is watching over them, you know?”

“Mhm,” Blazingbrush nodded. “I get so worried every time one of the apprentices comes back with even a bruise on them! There’s a reason I chose healing over battle practice.” She chuckled a bit and looked out over the crowd as if she were searching for someone and Oddstripe suddenly wondered if she had more in common with him and Stormwhisper than he had previously imagined. 

“Alright!” Snowstar’s voice pierced the air and silenced the chatter of the crowd. “I think it’s about time we get started, yes?” Oddstripe shifted his posture to look up at her, putting that line of thinking away for now.

“I’ll start the meeting off by saying that greenleaf has been good to SkyClan. Prey is running well, even as we head into leaffall the Clan is well fed. We’ve accepted some new blood into our Clan, two cats from over the mountains who have taken the names Rockylake and Hobbleheart. They’re here with us tonight and we welcome them as new members of SkyClan.” 

She gestured with her nose to a pair of cats sitting with Charredbranch and Greyvoice, a solid brown she-cat and a solid black tom. Oddtripe smiled in their direction, wondering which one was which. The crowd cheered weakly for them before quieting down again.

“Thankfully,” Snowstar said, “SkyClan has no further business. Orangestar?” 

“Thank you,” Orangestar smiled, stepping forward. “I am disappointed to say that the rogues from the city have started hunting in our forest again. Only one hunting party has been caught but at least two more have left clear signs of their trespassing on our land. That, in conjunction with the warning I’m sure we all received from RisingClan earlier this moon,” here she paused to glance at the other leaders, all of whom nodded, “I think the possibility of a continued war is not unlikely.” 

“I agree,” Goldenstar said, taking a small step forward. “It’s only a matter of time before the city cats start another fight. It would be in all of our best interests to have a plan in place for when they do.”

“What I’m hearing,” Flightstar interrupted, “is that you both don’t know how to defend your own territories against a group of kittypets.”

“These kittypets are trained fighters,” Goldenstar scowled. “You were at both of the battles we’ve had with them, you must have recognized that they’re no small threat.” 

“They have numbers,” he said dismissively, “nothing more.”

“You’re joking,” Orangestar blurted in disbelief.

“Underestimating these rogues is not helpful,” Snowstar added. “They took Darkmoon’s life, lest we forget.”

“And Darkmoon alone,” said Flightstar. 

“And Smokyrose,” Goldenstar scowled.

“Who was a mediator,” continued Flightstar stubbornly. “She could not have been difficult to overpower.” Oddstripe’s tail bristled instinctively and somewhere in the crowd he heard Fogpaw growling. The energy of the Gathering was starting to shift in a dangerous direction.

“Be careful not to speak ill of the dead,” warned Snowstar, sensing the change.

“I speak ill of no one,” Flightstar’s lip curled as he spoke. “I am simply stating the fact that these rogues are not the elite fighting force you two try to make them out to be. This all smells to me like a ploy to hunt in our territories now that leaffall is setting in and I’ll have none of it.” Tumblefang yowled her support from the middle of the crowd. 

“Look!” Stormwhisper called out, rising to his feet. “The moon!” 

With a chorus of gasps, the assembled cats threw their gazes skyward to see a cluster of wispy clouds in the early stages of choking out the moon’s light. Oddstripe stood too, eyes wide. In all his time as a healer, this had never happened, even though Sagetooth had told him stories of it before. 

“See?” Oddstripe recognized Scorchplume’s voice. “StarClan disapproves of your stubborn refusal to help the other Clans!” 

“No,” Tumblefang shouted back, “they’re sick of cats like you trying to take advantage of the rest of us!” 

“Cats like me?” Scorchplume laughed. 

“Easy,” Goldenstar said, projecting authoritatively. “We should all work to be less contentious with each other. Let’s calm down and pray we regain their favor.” 

From the east side of the clearing, a new voice cried out at the top of its lungs, “Help!” Oddstripe whipped around, Aldertail’s panicked shouts spiking fear through his chest.

“Aldertail?” Goldenstar gasped. “Aldertail, what’s going on?” 

“I-it’s the camp!” she sobbed, skidding to a halt as every eye turned in her direction. “The Exalted, th-they’re attacking the camp!” 

Russetfrond took off, leaping from his seat beside Bogmist and weaving through the crowd with a speed and purpose Oddstripe had rarely seen him use. Sparrowsway fell into step right behind him, his mentor’s dutiful second paw. 

“Fogpaw!” Scorchplume hissed as her apprentice took off after them.

“Come on,” Floodstrike looked at his friends before darting into the trees as well. Fishtrick took off after him, her ginger tail streaming out behind her, and Boldmoth stared up at Orangestar in bewilderment. Orangestar exchanged a look with Goldenstar then nodded. 

“EarthClan, let’s show those rogues what happens when they mess with warriors!” Orangestar shouted and then she and Goldenstar leapt down from the Cornerstones to follow. 

“SkyClan, likewise!” Snowstar boomed. “To war!” 

Everything was happening so fast. As more cats streamed out of the clearing, Oddstripe fought his way over to Aldertail. She was shaking, eyes shut tight, pressed down into a tiny ball on the ground. 

“Aldertail!” he cried, curling around her. “Are you alright?”

Branchbark joined them, eyes wide. “Aldertail, are you hurt?” 

“No, no,” Aldertail sobbed, shaking her head. “I ran as soon as I saw them! I’m so sorry, I’m such a coward!” 

“Oh, no!” Oddstripe pressed his head close to hers. “You came and got help! That was the right thing to do.” 

“I have to go,” Branchbark said, looking torn.

Oddstripe nodded to him. “I know. We’ll be fine, go help the others.” Branchbark nodded and bounced on his feet before taking off in a sprint. Aldertail pressed closer to Oddstripe’s side and whimpered.

Behind them, FallenClan had congregated at the base of the Cornerstones, talking in hushed voices, and Oddstripe heard Blazingbrush say, “StarClan’s sign is clear. The other Clans need our help.” 

“They have their help,” Flightstar growled. “We don’t need to get involved.” 

“What if our warriors make the difference between victory and defeat?” asked Ryestripe. 

“If they were better at defending their borders, they wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place,” spat Tumblefang. 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Ryestripe growled back. 

“Enough!” Flightstar snapped. “We’re going home. Anyone who wants to go to RisingClan’s camp can stay there permanently, understood?” There was a long pause then he stormed off into the woods in the opposite direction as the rest of the cats had gone. One by one, the FallenClan warriors followed him. 

Blazingbrush stared after her Clanmates, mouth open. “But-” She looked at the deputy, the last cat to go, and said, “Pigeoncover- You have to convince him! Surely, we can’t just do nothing!” 

Pigeoncover stood still for a beat, not looking at her. Then they softly said, “You’re already on thin ice, Blazingbrush. It would be best if you came along.” Blazingbrush looked like she had been struck. Still unable to meet her gaze, Pigeoncover slank into the woods after their father, leaving Blazingbrush, Oddstripe, and Aldertail alone in the clearing together. 

Oddstripe wanted to go to the other healer but he didn’t want to tear himself away from Aldertail’s shaking body. He opened his mouth but Blazingbrush looked at him and the words escaped his mind. They looked at each other for a long, hollow moment. 

“I’m so sorry,” Blazingbrush said. 

“It’s okay,” Oddstripe replied. “I understand.” 

Blazingbrush swallowed and bowed her head in defeat as she trailed after her Clanmates. Oddstripe took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As he did, he sent a silent prayer to StarClan.Let this be enough, he prayed. Let everyone survive. Guide their claws and deliver them from their enemies. Please, let it be enough.

[salt-clangen]

Moon 4 part 1

Greenleaf

It’s just after dawn when the duo sets out, trying to avoid the sweltering heat that signaled the start of greenleaf. Wolfpaw had been reluctant to bring Lynxkit with her, the journey was long, likely a few days. But she couldn’t leave the kit alone in the camp, who would feed her, what if there was a storm? Or she got sick?

They’d been fortunate to avoid any major illness or injury so far, but Lynxkit’s recent…. Herbal lesson had reminded her how close they were to disaster. They had to take the risk and make the journey to the High caves. It had taken some time for her figure how to get there while avoiding Duskclan, but she was confident in her plan.

She’d been teaching Lynxkit about borders when it’d hit her, she’d traced a basic outline of the clan’s territories, showing her where Saltclan met Honeyclan and Duskclan. That’s when it clicked, they could go around Duskclan. By following the coast west until they reached the water two-leg place they could avoid Honeyclan. Then they could follow the thunderpath north, opposite of Oakclan, until it veered eastward and passed over the high cave.

Before leaving, Wolfpaw wrapped her tooth necklace around her tail, smiling as she showed it off to Lynxkit. Chatter filled their morning as the clouds wilted under the sun, Lynxkit surprisingly animated as they walked.

“Next moon I’ll be old enough to be an apprentice!” She cheered, bumping her head against Wolfpaw’s shoulder, big enough to almost knock her over.

“Yeah, you are, not sure who your mentor will be, but uh I guess that’s why we gotta visit the Moon spring.” She chuckled, nerves making her stomach twist.

“Do you think they’ll give you your warrior name?”

“I don’t think so, um but maybe.” She said, voice wavering again, Lynxkit wisely changed the subject, talking about her last herb lesson. Wolfpaw felt relieved and a little impressed, she doubt she’d been so mature when she was 5 moons old.

The walk up the coast was uneventful, the tide still high so they had to dodge waves a little, but the cool water a relief for the heat that was slowly growing. The water two-leg place wasn’t busy, Wolfpaw had watched them for a few days recently, she knew they had to be quick before the flood of two-legs that would show up closer to mid day.

They had to climb up a steep hill to duck under the tall ocean bridge, the wood creaking and old, smelling of fish and salt. Waiting for a clear shot, they trotted quickly past a group of chattering two-legs and into some brush beside the giant nest. They were officially in foreign territory, relying on instinct and awareness.

“Do you remember our signal lessons?” Wolfpaw asked, voice hushed. “Tail up straight means stop, tail hooked means danger run, and tail rippling means go forward.” She demonstrated each move briefly, Lynxkit mimed along.

They wait as a group of young two-legs exit a monster’s belly and stomp past their hiding spot. Both cats tensed, hackles raised as they watched. Wolfpaw had seen two-legs from a distance, her mother and mentor Jaggedstar had made sure to show her their most dangerous enemy. But it was different up close, she could smell their strange scent, a mix that could only be called predatory, dangerous.

A break in the noise, a quick glance around, and the pair darted forward across the dark thunderpath the monsters were resting on. The ground beneath their paws was hot, nearly burning them as they ran. The smell was overwhelming, choking back bile they pressed on until they reach the long grass on the other side.

“Ok, ok.” Wolfpaw coughed, her eyes watering as she fought to catch her breath. “We should head north now and follow the thunderpath until it splits east.”

“Will we need to cross again?” Lynxkit couldn’t help the whine in her voice, she was fighting a wave of nausea.

“No, not until we come back.” She shook her fur out, settling into a loaf a little further away from the thunderpath. “Let’s catch our breath, then we’ll go north.”

Lynxkit was grateful for the break, her stamina was easily depleted by the trip along the coast and then the adrenaline of navigating the two-leg place.

As they head north, the sun blazed hotter on their backs, the dry grass providing poor shade to the heat. The winds shifted and Wolfpaw took a moment to check, nose in the air as they paused. It was hard to tell, with the thunderpath so close, but thought she could smell cats. Signaling to pause, she scented again, slinking forward she could see a large figure before her.

A monster.

She shuddered, there shouldn’t be a monster off of the thunderpath. Wolfpaw creeped a little closer, tail puffed up.

“Hey there tadpole.” A voice called from above.

Wolfpaw leaped back with a hiss, stepping on Lynxkit as she did, a yelp escaping from both of them.

“Woah, settle down. Didn’t mean to scare you and the runt there.” It was an old cat, a black and white molly, she was lounging on top of the monster. She had a price of cloth tied around her neck.

Wolfpaw had heard of loners that traded with clan cats, but she hadn’t thought she’d ever meet them.

“Um hi, I’m Wolfpaw.” She called walking a little closer with Lynxkit, the older cat smiled as they approached and she could see the scar covering the side of her face. It reminded her of Burnpaw. “This is Lynxkit.”

“I’m Capri, this is my post.” She chuckled. “I imagine this is your first time here?” The pair entered the small clearing surrounding the monster. “Well don’t worry, this thing here ain’t run in ages. We use it to keep our goods.”

“We?” Lynxkit asked tentatively.

“My granddaughter and I.” Capri gestured down, to the belly of the dead monster, a large red and white cat lounged. Watching them with lazy green eyes. “That’s Jade.”

“Yo.”

As Jade stretched and stepped out of the monster, Wolfpaw shrunk back a little, watching the huge cat unfurl. She had a rich, cardinal coat, heavy jowls, and a thick, bushy tail. Like her grandma also had cloth around her neck.

“Y’all clan cats?”

“Yeah, we’re uh heading north.” She paused.

“Oh? I thought you’d be here to trade.” Jade said. “What’re you doing north?”

“Now Jade, don’t be rude, you know those clans like their privacy.” Capri laughed, she jumped down from her perch. “Here, it’s hot have some water.” She nodded towards a weird, shiny bowl.

As the young cats took turns Capri dug around inside the dead monster, Wolfpaw snuck a glance surprised to see clan made pottery inside.

“Don’t be shy now, you can browse.” Capri joked, winking at the young cat over her shoulder. Wolfpaw flushed with embarrassment and ducked her head as an apology.

“Wow! How’d you get those to look so good?” Lynxkit gasped, coming closer to look at the jars.

“Hell if I know, I got those from some Oakclan cats.” The older cat laughed and beckoned the kit closer, all of Lynxkit’s fear of the monster gone as she stood on her hind legs to investigate.

“Ya seem a little young to be out of your clan.” Jade eyed the pair, especially the kit. “I thought untrained cats- uh what’s it- apprentices had to be with an adult.” It wasn’t said as a question, Wolfpaw glanced at her nervously. It was odd being around cats again after so long with just Lynxkit, it was unnerving.

“Jade.” Capri warned again. “Leave them alone, I’m sure they’ve got a reason being here.” She seemed to know more than she should, Wolfpaw wondered how much more.

“I think we should know if a clan cat’s gonna come huffing and puffing because these two snuck out for a walk about.” She shot back, her grandma ignored her finally fishing out what she’d wanted.

“Here!” She dropped some dried minnows on the grass. “Lil snack for ya before you go.”

“Oh thank you, Capri!” Lynxkit purred.

“Thank you, ma’am, but we don’t have anything to trade.” Wolfpaw said, tail blocking Lynxkit from going for the food.

“Nonsense, it’s nothing we’d miss. Plus I’ve got a soft spot for kits.” Capri smiled, eyes closing pleasantly with a purr. “But if you don’t like gifts, then you could trade something else.” This got Wolfpaw tense, ready to spring, neither loner reacted to her display.

“What would that be?” She asked, tugging the kit closer to herself.

“You could tell us why you’re heading north.” Jade offered. “That way you get the food but don’t owe us anything and I get to be nosey.” At this she finally cracked a grin.

“I think we should tell them.” Lynxkit piped up, butting her head against Wolfpaw’s chin. “I think they’re nice.”

“Aw thank you darlin’.” Capri’s purr was loud and rumbling. “I think you’re nice too.”

“Alright, I guess that’s ok.” Wolfpaw said, feeling a little relieved for the first time.

Capri pulls out two jars, one has a cooled herbal tea and the other a reddish jam. She takes a sip of the tea then offers both to the others. Jade also takes a drink while Lynxkit inspects the jam.

“It’s jam, Honeyclan makes it with honey and flowers, I don’t know if you can taste sweet stuff but I heard it’s very sweet.” Wolfpaw explains to her friend, Capri dips a piece of dried meat into the jam. Lynxkit mimics her with the minnow, the excitement in her eyes dies when she doesn’t notice the flavor.

“Sorry runt,” Jade laughs. “I can’t taste sweets either.”

“So, what clan are you from?” Capri asks, eye bright with curiousity.

“Um well that’s why we’re going north. We’re going to the Moon spring.” Wolfpaw bit into her fish.

“Oh that’s a long journey, it’ll take you at least a full day of walking. You won’t get there until well after sunset even if you leave now.” Jade said.

“Why don’t you go through your clan’s territory, I imagine it’d be much faster?” Capri asked.

“Well, we aren’t really….part of that clan.”

“Well if you just asked I’m sure they’d let you through, I know the Moon spring is important to y’all so I bed they’d understand.” Capri offered.

“We aren’t apart of any clan, not technically.” She said sheepishly.

“What do you mean? You smell like clan cats, you talk and act like them. Hell you got clan names.” Jade asked, head cocked.

“We used to be in Duskclan, but uh we left and now we’re in a new clan.”

“Which one? Oakclan? Honeyclan?” Capri asked.

“Saltclan.” Lynxkit cheered, mouth full of fish.

“Saltclan? Never heard of it.”

“Me neither and I been around a long while.”

“We just started it, we’re going to the Moon spring to get blessed by Starclan.” Wolfpaw felt a little proud saying that out loud.

“I didn’t know you could just start a clan but I guess it makes sense.” Jade shrugged.

“So this brand new clan decided to send two youngins on a days long journey? With no supplies?” Capri suddenly stood, fur puffed up with indignation. “Who’s the leader of this clan? I’d like to give them my two bits.”

“Umm I guess I am.” Wolfpaw wanted to melt. “It’s just us two and I didn’t think it would take more than a day. Kinda thought we’d be back by sundown.”

“Well that settles it, Jade you’re going with them. Make sure they make it safely.” Capri announces with a huff before settling back into a loaf.

Jade just grunted, her grandma was a big softy for kits.

“Oh that’s ok you don’t have to, we don’t have anything in exchange for it.” Wolfpaw argued.

“Listen tadpole, sometimes a cat just wants to do a nice thing because they’re nice.” Jade waved her off. “Gramma here is a nice cat, not everything has to be a trade.” Capri blinked lovingly at her granddaughter.

“If I weren’t so creaky, I’d take ya myself but I can’t go to far nowadays before I need to rest.” The elder grinned at the young cats again, the small meal finished she began cleaning her face with a broad paw.

“Alright, if you’re sure it’s ok.” Wolfpaw relented, licking Lynxkit’s head to ease her nerves.

The patrol set off again, trying to make up for lost time. Jade walking confidently at the front, she knew the territory best and could signal with her tail if there was danger. She even signaled just how Wolfpaw had learned in duskclan.

It was odd being around an adult cat again, she’d forgotten how small she still was. Though she suspected that Jade’s size outclassed most of her clan cats, she may even overshadow Jaggedstar and Greyclaw, her biggest family members. She took time to admire the cat in front of her, feeling flushed as she did, little bits of nerves rustled in her stomach.

Jade walk with a smooth gait, brisk but not running, head held not too high or low. Her cat had only one scar and otherwise was shiny and thick, her paws were massive though she stepped lightly. Wolfpaw tried mimicking her stride, hoping to glean a bit of her confidence.

Lynxkit would’ve giggled at Wolfpaw’s ogling if she wasnt busy trying to keep up. Her legs were shorter and her stamina limited. She’d likely need a break soon or to be carried.

The spent most of the walk in a peaceful quiet, only interrupted by the occasional monster or Jade notating a landmark. Eventually she took Lynxkit on her broad shoulders, allowing the kit a break, which she took to ask questions or tell stories.

As the sun got lower and the patrol finally reached the east bound thunderpath, Wolfpaw explained more of their story. Leaving out some details for her own sake, she briefly summarized Saltclans meager story. Jade didn’t contribute much verbally, but she did ask questions and seemed interested in the answers.

Finally, Jade slowed the patrol, allowing Lynxkit to climb down from her perch. With the scent of the thunderpath choking her, Wolfpaw had a hard time scenting, but Jade seemed used to it.

“We’ll need to cross up ahead, at the rock outcropping there.” She gestured up ahead to what Wolfpaw assumed was the High cave. “Then we’ll climb down and the entrance is right there.”

Waiting for a moment, Jade signaled when to cross, her line of sight was clear and she knew how to spot monsters. The stinky, slick stone of the thunderpath still felt hot under paw but didn’t burn like before. Once across the trio clambered down the rocks and Wolfpaw was able to scent and gather her bearings.

She could smell the boards of Oakclan and Duskclan, but very strong at the edge of the neutral space. But she couldn’t smell any cats approaching, as long as the stayed down wind they’d have an advantage on any unexpected encounters. The stream leading out of the cave was loud a littler further down so it would help cover any sounds they make.

“I’ll stay out here and keep watch.” Jade said.

With her mouth dry, Wolfpaw only nodded her acknowledgment. She and Lynxkit peered into the cave, they could hear the gentle bubbling of the spring was soothing, though she suddenly missed the ocean waves. Odd how such a short time changed so much.

Picking her way over the rocks, she signaled for Lynxkit to hold back. The cave was wet and slippery, hard to get her traction, she fell a few times trying to navigate her way. The day was catching up with her and she felt like her entire body was sore and pulsating.

Eventually, she found the flat banks along the water, she followed it deeper into the cave. The sliver of moon wasn’t quiet enough to light up the entire cave, but the water did hold a strange luminescence she’d never seen.

Once all light aside from the water was gone she found that the tunnel ended with a proper cave, the ceiling was high, at least 6 tail lengths and she could hear the rumble of the thunderpath. In the center she saw a pool of glowing water, bubbling up from a large crack in the smooth rock floor. Wolfpaw approached the pool, reaching down to drink.

Her paw slipped.

She hit the water.

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t move.

A cry barely making it past her lips.

She had no energy left.

She couldn’t paddle.

She sank deeper into the water, air escaping out of her slack mouth.

Next

Prev

Moon 0

[cupidsdescendant]

Hii!! I saw your requests were open. May I request the mercs with a teen reader who was hired as a mercenary who ends up getting hurt in battle? Please and thank you!

Hurt! Teen Reader X Mercs (Platonic)

hi anon! Sure I'd love to ^w^ i think that's incredibly adorable. I decided to make it a platonic situation for obvious reasons but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Scout:

-acts like a big brother, because you're still a teenager he has that kind of cool kid energy that radiates off him whenever you fight in battle together -always picks you back up, physically and mentally. He loves it because it feels like one of those motivational sports movies (specifically the training montages) -"C'mon Y/N we still got a minute on da clock!" He says as he reaches over to give you a hand. He always helps supports you when you have a limp leg also.

-if you're healing yourself or Medic is trying to patch you up he's always on the lookout and makes sure no one is in the way to interrupt

-Despite him hogging all the health kits he'll share them with you :)

-Giving shitty motivational speeches while you're bleeding on the floor he thinks those would work -"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up, Y/N..." he says staring into the sunset, holding his hand to his chest

Soldier:

-kind of like Scout but acts more like a general to an apprentice

-also gives motivational speeches but his are a little more violent... -"You think that's a loss? I've CRAPPED bigger losses than THAT!!!!!!" (BTW IF YOU KNOW WHICH SFM THAT QUOTE IS I LOVE YOU)

-“cmon we don’t got all day comrade! we must stay focused, we must stay together!” He says as he grabs you, running around the map

-“don’t let a scratch stop ya, Y/N��� (your bones are literally sticking out)

-he stops whatever he's doing to patch you up

Sniper

-Snipes is the type of guy to only look out for himself. He's not willing to be helpful in the public eye.

-key word, public eye.

-He knows your hiding spots, so incase of emergencies he'll leave you a health kit.

-You never see him during battle, but after the match he'll pat you on the back for your fighting skills.

-"Good job out there."

"Nice shot on that field." He scatters compliments throughout your battles

-If you did happen to find him he'll wave at you from afar with a soft smile.

-Always looking out for you by sniping anyone near you

-Keeps you safe when you're injured <3

Heavy

-Heavy loses it when you're hurt in battle.

-In fact, he'll take you immediately out of the match and rest you somewhere safe.

-"you vill be okay, leetle one." He says with confidence. There's no way to argue with the man, you're just gonna have to deal with his helicopter mom tendencies.

-Hunts down whoever hurt you and continuously kills them

-"Are eyour hungry?" Two sandviches in his hands and a bright smile on his face. "you must eat up!"

-Screams at Medic to hurry up and help you

Medic

-He's used to injuries and deaths, so he can't help but feel default when you're injured.

-But he loves you, he's concerned about their health, them being his apprentice after all. So he has a little more sympathy than others

-Yes, he has a heart, but its not a very big one...he's dedicated more to figuring out what went wrong instead of your safety.

-"Ja, Y/N. Again!? Jou must be more careful- ooh hoo! your femur is sticking out!" cackling to himself as he takes out his saw.

-Pokes at your joints and bones, kinda plays around while you're in pain lol

-But once he patches you up fully, he'll pat you on your back. "Vell at least we know you're fighting-ha ha!" He'll hand you a medikit and let you be on your way.

-If he hears his named yelled by you he runs immediately!

Demoman

-"What did yer do to yerself this time?!" He spurs out.

-He always finds you with bruises and cuts, even broken bones. It freaks Demo out and he's not the type to sit down and help

-But he will run you over to Medic, carrying you in the bridal position and make sure you don't get hurt.

-"Yer really did it this time, Y/N. I beta not see you busted up again!"

-He lets you take swigs from his alcohol, though. "Thise'll help with tha pain."

-He's always on guard while Medic patches you up and looks out.

-"Yer good? GOOD!" A loud roar comes out of him and he grabs you, jumping back into the action.

Engineer

-Always helpful and worried for your safety ;w;

-When you ask for help he's always the first one to show up and support you

-"Now you stay still, Y/N. I can't have it get infected..." while Medic is busy he plays doctor with you, bandaging and cleaning your wounds.

-He sets up turrets that shoot anyone near you.

-After the battles he'll spend time taking care of you at the base

-"I made ya somethang..." His hands hold a tiny teacup with small tea biscuits on the corner. The rest of the night you both laugh and play games

-Engi is always there no matter what, and he insists on staying with you until you reach full recovery.

-Gives you additional advice on how to dodge bullets and weapons and trains you for the next few days.

Spy

-He thinks you're stupid for getting hurt lol.

-"Must you slow me down?!" He yells in a fit of rage, his face ircked. He stops being invisible and carries you over to Medic.

-He's not very helpful in battle, but after he'll talk to you more about training and practice.

-Thinks he's smug when he leaves a "How to Fight" book on your bed. "I thought ze'd like it!"

-"Now I know zou have a bigger brain than your competition, so don't let me down."

-He'll go invisible and watch you closely, making sure that you really are putting practice to the test.

-Even when you get hurt, he'll watch until you get up. If you don't, he'll sigh, reveal himself and rinse and repeat.

-He's still proud of you nonetheless :3

Pyro

-A real helpful pal! He kills everyone in site if they touch you :D

-Pyro is protective as well, but he's unhinged. Instead of killing, he'll brutally dismember his enemies and leave them half alive.

-He's always there for you no matter what!!!

-You both are a tag team, and if one person gets hurt, the other helps out.

-"mrrph murh murrp uhr!!!" (Thanks for the help, Y/N!!!"

-When you're hurt in battle, he comes and does his own DIY surgery with bandaids, sewing needles, and other miscellaneous items in his pockets

-you run to medic immediately to use real surgery tools because there's an 95% what Pyro used will infect and kill you

-Even though his help is...limited...he's gonna help despite it!

wow. i'm kinda stunned lol. this has been in my drafts for officially 2 years ;____; I'm glad I finished it, though. I hope you all love it. Sorry anon for legit being late!!! kissies and love xoxo

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 59

Scrubmask was murdered. The culprit is unknown.

[Image ID: Downstar, Carnationspeckle, and James face Clammask. Under Clammask, Carnationspeckle and James, it says + CONDITION: GRIEVING. Clammask says “I don’t… I don’t understand.”]

Scrubmask was scheduled for a border patrol at sunhigh, so she went for a walk in the morning. It was now late afternoon, and she had not returned to camp. For most cats, Clammask would have waited a while, wondering what mischief they got up to in their free time that kept them from their duties. But Scrubmask? No. Something was wrong.

Downstar sent out three patrols. Waspdawn led Tempestshade, Mosspounce, and Darkkick south. Weedfoot took Wildclaw, Elmsprout, and Drumpaw into the heart of the territory. Downstar’s patrol, which included Carnationspeckle, Halibutdusk, and shockingly, James, headed for the river. That left Clammask and the rest of her kits to wait in camp, stomachs twisted and claws itching.

“We should have our own patrol looking for Ma!” Leatherpaw snapped as he paced around the apprentice’s den. “Why does Drumpaw get to look for her, but we have to stay home?”

“Because your mentors are still in camp,” Clammask reminded her son. She sat in Drumpaw’s nest, giving her three sons extra company in the dreadful wait.

“Weedfoot’s on patrol,” Splashpaw pointed out, batting at the purple ribbon he chose to keep around his neck after his escapade.

“You’re still in trouble for disappearing, regardless of who you brought to camp,” Clammask huffed with a hard look.

“Hasn’t StarClan said anything, Honeypaw?” Leatherpaw huffed, turning to his lanky brother in the corner of the den. 

“Troutpool hasn’t taught me how to petition StarClan directly yet,” Honeypaw sighed. He laid on his side, tail flicking absent mindedly. “I’d go out if I could be any help, but I don’t think Ma wants us to see whatever problem she’s in.” 

“That’s right,” Clammask said. “Your mother wouldn’t want all four of her kits roaming the forest looking for her.”

“But Drumpaw gets to go,” Splashpaw muttered, getting to his feet and mimicking Leatherpaw’s pacing. 

Clammask gave up trying to steer her sons away from their doomed thinking. Instead she set her head on the edge of Scalepaw’s empty nest and studied the den. She hadn’t been inside the apprentice’s den since she graduated. She thought back to those first two moons, before Halibutdusk, Shadowdrop, and Wildclaw were apprenticed, the nights when it was just Clampaw, Burdockpaw, and Locustpaw, the first born to RippleClan, ready to make history. How many nights did Burdockcreek keep her and Locustseeker up with a new amazing story about the other Clans? How many pranks did Locustseeker scheme over when Clammask wasn’t looking? How different would it have been if Twinekit made it to that den as well? Oilstripe had told Clammask that all three were watching over her during the birth of her kits… were they there now, reminiscing with her?

A tortoiseshell pelt shifted outside the apprentice’s den. Clammask hurried to her paws. Downstar! She slipped around her impatient sons and joined her leader outside. Downstar, Carnationspeckle, and James all lingered near the entrance, exhaustion pulling at their pelts. Where was Halibutdusk?

“You haven’t found Scrubmask?” Clammask asked. Downstar started to say something, but she swallowed hard instead.

“Carnationspeckle,” Downstar muttered quietly to the brown ticked molly (whose fur had finally recovered from all the mats of her imprisonment), “find two cats to fetch the other patrols.” Carnationspeckle nodded, her stance stiff and paws uncertain as they led her to the warrior’s den.

“You’re stopping the search?” Leatherpaw launched out of the apprentice’s den, lips curled. “That’s our mother out there!”

“Leatherpaw,” Clammask growled, heart aching at the fear in her son’s eyes.

“We found your mother, Leatherpaw,” Downstar said softly. Clammask looked back to her leader. The world became just the two of them alone on the sand.

“I don’t…” Clammask gulped. “I don’t understand.” James whined softly and shook his head, retreating to the elder’s den.

“We found her in the river,” Downstar said. Her tail slipped under her. “She was muzzle-first in the water. I don’t know if someone held her under or smashed her head against the rocks–“

“Someone?” Leatherpaw yowled, his long pelt shaking and standing on end like Downstar was about to attack. “You said someone. You, you think a cat did it. You think a cat killed my mother!” Downstar flinched at the words. Splashpaw and Honeypaw stood in quiet horror in the mouth of the apprentice’s den.

The peaceful and content future Clammask imagined with her mate crumbled around her.

(Clammask: 53, female, caretaker, righteous, lore master, good teacher)

(Leatherpaw: 7, male, warrior apprentice, vengeful, avid play-fighter, confident with words)

(Splashpaw: 7, male, historian apprentice, bold, never sits still, lover of art)

(Honeypaw: 7, male, cleric apprentice, daring, has lots of ideas)

(Downstar: 118, female, leader, wise, trusted advisor, very clever)

(Carnationspeckle: 61, female, caretaker, compassionate, fish-like swimmer)

(James: 135, male, elder, charismatic, den builder, formidable fighter)

An injured LynxClan warrior limps into camp, begging for sanctuary.

[Image ID: Leatherpaw, Honeypaw, and Trumpetspore watch a brown tabby enter camp. Trumpetspore yowls, “Spirit of Shadow!” Under the brown tabby, it says NEW PLAYER: RAPIDLEAF, 77, FEMALE, LONESOME, PROPHECY INTERPRETER, + CONDITION: WATER IN LUNGS.]

---

RippleClan had been through hard times; the war with AshClan, freeing Carnationspeckle… Scrubmask’s death, her murder, it was different. The confusion, grief, and rage that covered the Clan was different than anything Downstar had felt since founding the Clan. Scrubmask’s vigil was as noisy as a Gathering, with everyone arguing and debating what exactly happened to Scrubmask and if anyone could have prevented it. Leatherpaw was outright yowling at Trumpetspore, demanding someone, anyone, go out there and find his mother’s killer. Paleseed had to drag him back. Honeypaw was absorbed in weaving a vine necklace with Rabbitjoy, performing his duty as a cleric with unnatural solemnity. Splashpaw, idly rubbing his ribbon against his shoulder, would not leave his mother’s side. Drumpaw could not leave either cat alone.

Downstar didn’t want to think about Clammask.

When Puddlewhisper and Waspdawn returned from their investigation with Scrubmask’s body, they confirmed the patrol’s suspicions. The death blows matched that of a cat, but they were sloppy, lucky strikes. The river washed away the killer’s scent, and Scrubmask had no clumps of fur in her claws to narrow down the killer’s appearance. Both theorized that it was a Witch Hunter, some disgruntled member of the group who disapproved of the uneasy truce and decided to continue the killing. Yet Honeypaw, with a look in his eyes that screamed of wisdom older than he was, simply shook his head and returned to work.

Downstar couldn’t leave her den. First Fennelspot, her most loyal friend, with her since her first moments, gone in a ridiculous accident. Then Rustshade, her staunch supporter and former mate, taken by an oh so deadly disease. And now Scrubmask, the loyal young warrior who wanted something new. Downstar had only managed to drag herself out of camp with the news of Scrubmask’s disappearance. Now? Now it would take an act of StarClan to get her outside. 

She could not see her friend’s body again. She refused.

There was a place between sleep and consciousness that restored little energy and left the mind in a haze. That was where Downstar laid, quiet in her nest, when there was a shift to the chatter outside. Confused and angry mutters turned into sharp and shocked yowls.

“Spirit of Shadow!” Trumpetspore screeched. Downstar forced herself to her paws, heart pounding.

“Ya need your eyes checked, Ms. Trumpetspore,” Parsley scoffed. “That’s a cat.” Downstar hurried out of her den. Water dripped off short brown fur. Soaked paws caught the sand and left deep pawprints. Bleary cyan eyes bounced unfocused inside a large, gaunt skull. RippleClan hissed and instinctively gathered around Scrubmask’s body, despite there being nothing left of her to protect. Downstar recognized the enemy warrior. How could she not? In the days when she was Downdapple and RippleClan was but a dream, Scrubmask frequently appeared at Gatherings with her cousin, born at the same time as her, closer than cousins almost ever were; Rapidleaf.

Rapidleaf shook and coughed, water spilling out of her mouth. She blindly stumbled on, unaware of the angry cats around her. Honeypaw crept closer as Rapidleaf’s steps grew more and more unsteady. Honeypaw reached a paw out to Rapidleaf. Her eyes dilated, wide as the full moon. Rapidleaf swiped at Honeypaw. Her claws barely missed her eyes. Leatherpaw and Clammask, who suddenly snapped out of her spot beside her mate, grieving, tackled Rapidleaf. She shook and spluttered under their combined weight.

“How did a LynxClan warrior get all the way here?” Drumpaw gulped, sharing a scared glance with Splashpaw. 

“Perhaps she came here with a message from Mistlestar,” Spikecrash hummed, carefully approaching the trapped warrior. Darkkick, however, stood in front of her daughter and shook her head. 

“She’s half-drowned,” Troutpool huffed, weaving through the shocked crowd. “I don’t think she even knows where she is.” Rapidleaf panted hard, wild eyes glaring at Troutpool with a killer’s lust. Clammask shoved Rapidleaf’s face in the sand. Her shaking slowed and her eyes dropped. Leatherpaw froze.

“Mom, did we just kill her?” he gulped, turning to Clammask.

“She’s only unconscious,” Troutpool sighed, gently nudging Leatherpaw off. “StarClan only knows what she’s been through. Honeypaw, we need to bring her into the medicine den.”

“During Scrubmask’s vigil?” Trumpetspore huffed. “Shouldn’t we send her back to her Clan?”

“As though she could make it that far,” Honeypaw snapped, nosing Rapidleaf. Sand coated half her body. Troutpool would usually remind her apprentice to respect his elders, but Troutpool stayed silent and got Rapidleaf onto her back. In the confusion of the moment, Weedfoot slunk up to Downstar. Downstar startled at the sight of her loyal deputy.

“If I need to argue with Troutpool, I can,” Weedfoot muttered. “We can send a patrol to bring her home as soon as Troutpool treats her.”

“I’m not sending someone out to die,” Downstar snapped. She was so loud, nearby Clanmates turned their attention from the drowned newcomer to their angry leader. Weedfoot didn’t flinch at the sudden yowl, however. She kept a cool gaze. 

“The last few moons have hurt,” Weedfoot reminded her leader, “but don’t forget you still have a whole Clan at your side, Downstar.” Weedfoot brushed her tail against Downstar’s shoulder and followed Troutpool and Honeypaw into the medicine den. Downstar stared at her Clan. Her outburst was quickly ignored as her friends and family returned to mourning their first warrior. 

And Downstar? Downstar returned to her den.

(Downstar: 118, female, leader, wise, trusted advisor, very clever)

(Leatherpaw: 7, male, warrior apprentice, vengeful, avid play-fighter, confident with words)

(Honeypaw: 7, male, cleric apprentice, daring, has lots of ideas)

(Splashpaw: 7, male, historian apprentice, bold, never sits still, lover of art)

(Drumpaw: 7, female, caretaker apprentice, loyal, moss-ball hunter) 

(Trumpetspore: 20, female, warrior, nervous, excellent potter, good storyteller)

(Rapidleaf: 77, female, warrior, lonesome, prophecy interpreter)

(Clammask: 53, female, caretaker, righteous, lore master, good teacher)

(Spikecrash: 34, female, mediator, wise, good speaker, lore keeper)

(Darkkick: 119, trans female, warrior, talented swimmer, understands nature)

(Troutpool: 20, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sense

(Weedfoot: 108, female, deputy, charismatic, steady paws, formidable fighter)

Lavendertwist heals with a deep scar. He makes sure his collar covers it.

[Image ID: Lavendertwist has a big pink scar across his throat, covered by his black collar. Under him, it says LEVEL UP! GOOD SINGER -> GREAT SINGER, - CONDITION: CLAW WOUND.]

---

“Three—” Lavendertwist began to sing before a cough quickly took over. The sound grew muffled in the hum of the ocean at his paws. His stiff collar acted as a comforting weight against the large scar across his neck. Oh how he had missed his collar over the long season. He didn’t feel like a slab of leather anymore since Troutpool removed those stitches. 

“Three little kits—” Stars damn it! Another awful cough shook through Lavendertwist’s body. He had to get his voice back. He’d explode if he couldn’t talk! The last season of silence had been awful as it was! He slashed at the water with a hiss that made his wound ache.

“There you are!” Elmsprout trotted down the beach, squinting against the morning glow along the water. “From the way you’ve been eyeing the ocean from camp the last few moons, I knew you’d wander out here when you got the chance.” Lavendertwist’s grumpy mood softened as the friend who’d stuck with him throughout his healing journey took a spot beside him (although she refused to touch the salty waves; what a drypaw!). “I told Weedfoot I’d join you for a hunting patrol, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“I’m trying to sing,” Lavendertwist suddenly croaked, the words escaping before he finished his thought. His voice was so ragged! Troutpool insisted it would heal, but the thought of waiting another season to get his voice back made him grit his jaw tight.

“I could use a good song right now,” Elmsprout sighed. “I left AshClan to escape the stress and gloom being the leader’s daughter would bring about, and I didn’t join RippleClan to see everyone chase their tails over Scrubmask and Rapidleaf.” Lavendertwist brushed his paw against his neck, thinking.

“I taught her kits this song,” Lavendertwist said softly, so as to soothe his throat. “She and I weren’t the best mentor and apprentice, but I appreciate everything she did for me back then.”

“From what I know about StarClan,” Elmsprout hummed, “Scrubmask is probably listening now. She’d love to hear your songs, even if she never would have admitted it in life.” Elmsprout giggled as she insulted the dead, and that made Lavendertwist giggle too. He coughed again, swallowing hard. 

“I don’t think I can yet,” he muttered. Elmsprout stared at the blinding light on the ocean, eyes squinting as she thought up a solution.

“I’ll sing it for you?” she said, phrasing it like an uncertain question. “I’m not a good singer, but I can try. What’s the song?” Elmsprout’s gray fur glowed in the ocean’s salty spray, brightened by the simple kindness she likely didn’t realize she was showing.

“Three Little Kits From Camp,” Lavendertwist gulped, blinking wildly.

“I think I know that one,” Elmsprout said. She cleared her throat and sang, “Three little kits from camp are we, pert as a little kit can be, filled to the brim with youthful glee, three little kits from camp.” Elmsprout was right; she was not a good singer. She sounded more like a crow than a songbird.

But Lavendertwist didn’t care. He still loved it.

(Lavendertwist: 25, male, warrior, playful, great singer, good speaker)

(Elmsprout: 26, female, caretaker, charismatic, helpful insight)

Mosspounce and Lemmy really think the Clan doesn’t notice how the pair look at each other? No one is shocked when they announce they are mates.

[Image ID: Mosspounce and Lemmy sit together. Under Mosspounce, it says + MATE: LEMMY. Under Lemmy, it says + MATE: MOSSPOUNCE.]

---

Yellowcough truly was awful. Sure, Lemmy was no longer trapped in a tiny human den filling up with her own sick and waste, she got the Clan’s strange medicine that helped her breathe, and Tempestshade would visit with whatever meal the artisans and caretakers had cooked that day. But she was still alone in the back of a shipwreck while everyone else in her new home tried to figure out who drowned Scrubmask in the river.

This was the sort of task Lemmy excelled at when she was with the Witch Hunters. It was why Madeline had trusted her to become an enforcer, someone who could protect the housecats and strays of the area under a shared leadership and set of rules. At least Puddlewhisper and Waspdawn were acknowledging her shared status as a codekeeper by filling her in on their investigation. If she had gotten to see the scene of the crime, Lemmy was certain she would know if the killer was a Witch Hunter or not. Alas, she would never know.

Couldn’t the clerics cure her already? She was supposed to be starting a life somewhere where she didn’t have to worry about everyone she slept beside turning on her for dreams she couldn’t control (thanks StarClan). She still had a foggy image of RippleClan in her mind. She should get to know her Clanmates!

“Food delivery!” Mosspounce carried a dried fish into the quarantine den, tail high. Lemmy had been finishing the last of her medicine when the black tom arrived. She swallowed the bitter medicine as Mosspounce set her food in front of her. Mosspounce then loafed a tail-length away with a stupidly happy expression on his face.

“You could get sick if you stay in here,” Lemmy pointed out as she bit into the fish.

“Troutpool says you’ll be better in less than a moon,” Mosspounce explained. “You probably aren’t even infectious anymore!”

“And yet I still feel like I’m breathing rocks,” Lemmy scoffed. Mosspounce chuckled, even though Lemmy wasn’t joking. Her pain eased slightly. 

“Well, um…” Mosspounce laughed, settling deeper into the den, “there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“Lemmy, did you finish your medicine?” Honeypaw poked his head into the quarantine den. “Oh, hello Mosspounce. Are you two finally mates now?” Lemmy stopped breathing. Mosspounce laughed again, this time with more strain in his voice as he kept his gaze away from the other cats in the den.

“I, uh,” Mosspounce coughed, “I was, uh… about to ask that. Actually. Thought, uh… since you helped me so much, Lemmy, and you know, left your home for us and all that… maybe we could be mates?” By the crows, the hope in Mosspounce’s face hurt. Why wasn’t Lemmy breathing? If she didn’t like Mosspounce, she would have been able to say so with ease. So why weren’t her words coming to her?

“Alright,” she said, despite herself. Mosspounce’s face glowed.

“Really?” Mosspounce gasped. “Thank you, Lemmy! I promise I’ll make you happy here.” He jumped to his paws and ran to Lemmy, but both Lemmy and Honeypaw hissed at him.

“She’s still sick!” Honeypaw reminded the eager new mate.

“Right, right,” Mosspounce gulped, backing up. His paw slipped on a clump of moss from a forgotten nest and his legs flew out from under him. 

In yet another awfully uncharacteristic moment for Lemmy, the young tortoiseshell laughed.

(Lemmy: 35, female, codekeeper, cold, deep StarClan bond)

(Mosspounce: 20, male, caretaker, adventurous, talented fire-starter)

(Honeypaw: 7, male, cleric apprentice, daring, has lots of ideas)

James can hardly believe how quickly time has passed since Scalepaw was a kit. It feels like just yesterday he was tumbling around the nursery after a moss-ball. Full of pride and joy, James throws his head back and yowls the loudest as his son is named Scaleripple.

[Image ID: Scalepaw, now Scaleripple, stands as a long-furred adult with fully developed vitiligo. Under him, it says LEVEL UP! SCALEPAW -> SCALERIPPLE, AVID PLAY-FIGHTER -> FORMIDABLE FIGHTER.]

---

Scaleripple. Scaleripple. The white-speckled tom silently toyed with the new name as the final moments of his vigil crept to an end and dawn held the world tight. Had Downstar named him after the Clan? After his sister? Was the name based on him alone? He didn’t feel like the sign of change the suffix suggested. He felt rather dull, all things considered.

Although the view from the camp entrance did not allow Scaleripple to see the ocean, he could still hear the waves mix with the song of the morning birds. It was the world’s way of saying, “Hello, new warrior. You might be odd, but we are happy to have you.” It may have just been his own thoughts trying to comfort his strange habits, but it was a comfort nevertheless.

“Guess who gets to sleep!” Lavendertwist poked his head out of camp, beaming. His voice had lost some of the hoarseness from losing his stitches, but it wasn’t back to the bright ringing tone Scaleripple was familiar with.

“I’m not that tired,” Scaleripple noted, surprised at himself.

“The exhaustion will come on later,” Lavendertwist promised. “I was the same way after my vigil!” He sat next to his brother. “Just wanted to let you know before you go to sleep, I’m really proud of you! I know it was probably weird to have your brother as your mentor, especially when I couldn’t complete half of your training, but you turned out fine! You’ll be able to handle whatever comes your way.” Scaleripple dipped his head, warmth filling his chest. “Now, I mean it, go sleep! At least see your new nest.” 

Scaleripple’s tail perked up. He’d grown up with his older siblings telling him about when they came off their vigils and found tiny presents in their new nests. Lavendertwist was lucky; he got a small drum so he could make a beat to the artisans’ performances, singing along. What would Scaleripple’s gift be? 

The new warrior stood, muscles sore from sitting through the night. He followed Lavendertwist back into camp and, with a wave of his tail goodbye, entered the giant warrior’s den. Everyone was up and ready to start the day with the sun, leaving the den an empty field of nests. Well, save for one soul.

“Over here, Scaleripple!” Tempestshade chirped from beside the eastern wall. They kneaded the edge of a fresh nest, eyes sparkling. Scaleripple’s tail lifted higher, and he stepped into the den. His paw touched the soft pelts lining the floor. A painful shiver rattled through him. Oh, wonderful. It had taken him moons to grow used to the pelts of the nursery, then of the apprentice’s den, and how he would have to tolerate the pelts lining the warrior’s den. Yet Tempestshade, unlike so many others, noticed this.

“Hop on the other nests,” they suggested. “I won’t tell.” Tempestshade’s chuckle spurred Scaleripple on. He jumped onto Trumpetspore’s nest, then bounded across Elmsprout and Waspdawn’s nests to get to Tempestshade.

“I asked Rattlepelt if I could help her with your graduation gift,” Tempestshade said. “I hope you like it.” Scaleripple looked down. A small rattle sat amongst the moss and down. Scaleripple took it in his jaws and gently shook it. It wasn’t the loud clatter of many rattles, but something softer, like waves.

“I suggested she fill it with sand,” Tempestshade explained. “I know you tend to hide away during meetings and whatnot, the sound gets to be a lot for you. So, when that happens, you can shake your rattle and focus on the soft sound! It’s just like the ocean, isn’t it?” 

Scaleripple almost wanted to cry. He’d never talked about how peaceful the ocean sounded. He wasn’t much for words, after all. Yet Tempestshade knew. They knew, and Scaleripple didn’t have to explain himself.

“It does,” he said very, very softly, placing the rattle between his paws.

“I’m glad you like it!” Tempestshade cheered. They trotted out, but a moment later backed up into the den. “Uh, I’m glad you don’t leave when you’re alone with me. It… means a lot.” Scaleripple cocked his head. Omen or not, Tempestshade was lovely! Why shouldn’t others be alone with them?

“Alright,” he said. He and Tempestshade couldn’t look away for a while. Eventually Tempestshade licked their chest and hurried out. Scaleripple purred softly and curled up around his new rattle.

It was the best graduation gift ever.

(Scaleripple: 12, male, warrior, lonesome, formidable fighter)

(Lavendertwist: 25, male, warrior, playful, great singer, good speaker)

(Tempestshade: 20, nonbinary (they/them), caretaker, childish, incredible cook)

Deeply depressed over the loss of her old friends, Downstar almost lets herself be taken by humans on a walk, but regains her spirit and fights back. The humans kill her in the struggle. While in StarClan, Fennelspot, Rustshade, and Scrubmask encourage her to push on; she still has many moons left to go.

[Image ID: Downstar faces Fennelspot, Rustshade, and Scrubmask. Under Downstar, it says - CONDITION: GRIEVING, LIVES LEFT: 5.]

(Downstar: 118, female, leader, wise, trusted advisor, very clever)

(Fennelspot: 113, male, cleric, insecure, trusted advisor, incredible runner)

(Rustshade: 102, male, codekeeper, sneaky, learner of lore)

(Scrubmask: 76, female, warrior, gloomy, fast runner, good hunter)

[whitejays-galaxy]

Hii, I finally finished writing the suggestions :D sorry that it took a while

Qui-Gon sees Sifo-Dyas and Rael meeting (or he sees just Rael) after he got exiled and runs up to his older brother and is very happy

I combined three of your asks and made a long ass lore comic

Hope you enjoy it

Lore in text form below :3

Lore:

Before Frostshard(Dooku) took Sagekit(Qui-Gon) as his Padawan, he had another apprentice before him, a cat by the name of Brambletuft(Rael).

Bramblekit was found by the Seekers and brought to Dawnclan(Jedi Order) at a very young age, like most Force-Sensitive cats destined to be knights.

Untamed and wild from the start, he often gave a lot of knights a headache, including Wolfheart(Plo-Koon), who was in charge of babysitting kits who hadn't turned 6 moons old.

Yet most praised his honesty and independence nevertheless.

It was those qualities that made Frostshard choose him as his first apprentice; he thought of training the rowdy kit as a personal challenge, since nobody dared to take him on as their padawan, he wanted to prove to his fellow clanmates that he could train Bramblekit into a great knight.

The two got along quite well together because of their similar views of the Republic and the ways of the Force.

Soon, their bond grew into something like a father-son relationship over the moons, and Bramblepaw passed the trials when the time came, becoming a full knight of Dawnclan, renamed Brambletuft.

For a while, everything seemed to go well, until the incident happened.

During a mission in one of the Outer Rim territories, Brambletuft was forced to kill his apprentice, Opalpaw(Nim), when her mind was destroyed by a poisonous dart.

Chaos erupted in Dawnclan when Brambletuft dragged back Opalpaw's mangled corpse, and word quickly spread about the knight who lost control of his Padawan.

Dawnclan was about to lose the Republic's faith and the Chancellor's, who kept sending messages to Horizonstar(Yoda) that they were highly disturbed by the incident, questioning whether they had lost control of their knights.

A trial was held a few days later, and Horizonstar exiles Brambletuft from Dawnclan.

Not wanting to cause more trouble, and feeling the need for a journey to redeem himself, Brambletuft agrees to his leader's terms, despite Frostshard backing him up, and leaves the very next day.

Frostshard knew the reason why Horizonstar exiled Brambletuft; all because to convince the politicians that Dawnclan was not falling apart.

This makes him think that he'd failed to protect his former Padawan, and his trust in both himself and his clan shatters.

And Brambletuft's mentality shattering since the incident didn't help at all.

Not wanting to ruin another Padawan's life, Frostshard vows to never take on another apprentice for the rest of his life.

A few years later, Seersight(Sifo) receives a vision of a hospital in Tribe Dune(Tatooine)'s destruction, and despite the Council refusing to help, Frostshard and Seersight slip out of Dawnclan and go to their aid nevertheless(since they both thought helping others regardless of rank and side was their main priority as knights)

Seersight's vision came true, since the hospital met its destruction by a thunderstorm, in which lightning set it ablaze and broken.

The duo and the other healers worked hard to save the patients in the crumbling hospital, and most got rescued.

One of them was the slave, Sagekit(Qui-Gon), whom Toadflap(Watto) left to die when he decided it was too risky to rescue his property.

Frostshard senses the abandoned and terrified Sagekit amongst the blazing rubble. The kitten's situation forcefully reminded the white cat of his kithood, and as if driven by an invisible force, he riskily rescued him, almost dying of burns and smoke inhalation.

Sagekit, thankfully recovers fast, and now that he is free from slavery, agrees to stay with Seersight.

He also befriends Brambletuft, who was currently taking refuge in Tribe Dune, and when he hears about his former Master in trouble, he comes to the cave.

Sagekit was nervous at first, but the older cat was patient with him, being gentle and keeping him company while Seersight nursed Frostshard.

Soon, Brambletuft realizes Sagekit is Force-Sensitive, and tells Seersight to take him back to Dawnclan to train as a knight.

Seersight tries to persuade Frostshard to give another shot at training another apprentice, but he refuses, unable to let go of his guilt of failing Brambletuft.

It was only when Brambletuft urges him to let go of his past and forgive himself, did Frostshard has a change of heart.

When Frostshard finally recovered enough to travel back, Seersight bids farewell to Brambletuft and goes back to Dawnclan, taking Sagekit along.

Before they parted ways, Brambletuft promised to visit Sagekit again, when he was ready.

And he does, after Sagekit becomes Frostshard's Padawan, by sneaking in Dawnclan frequently to make sure they were doing okay.

Drawing this comic was a blast!

I got to practice my storytelling and drawing of different cat poses and angles, so this was a huge treat.

Thank you for all these asks Repa, and thank you for being so patient with me for waiting 2 long months

See more of my Cat Au designs here :3

The Disaster lineage (Yoda, Dooku, Qui, Obi, Anakin, Ahsoka + lore)

Prequel villains (Sidious, Dooku, Maul, Vader + Lore)

Kit-Fisto

Plo-Koon and Ahsoka

Sifo Dyas and Dooku

Disaster trio(Obi, Ani, Soka) doodles

Smol comics(ft. Qui, Rael, Sifo, Dooku): pt 1

Aayla Secura and Quinlan Voss

Luke and Leia

Padme

DO NOT COPY ANY OF MY CAT DESIGNS

This is a PERSONAL AU and they mean so much to me

[bonefall]

Anything planned for Whitetail? She’s bland in canon but I do love her

BB!Whitetail is so... I want to study her.

To begin with, she was an apprentice during the WindClan Massacre.

(Her mentor was not Onewhisker btw, he was too young)

She had two siblings, Graypaw and Blackpaw.

Graypaw was killed that night. Their mother, Sorrelcharm, probably also died.

Suddenly being thrust from her home and losing half of her family messed with her. Obviously. Who wouldn't feel this way

She has a perpetual sense of waiting for the "other shoe to drop." Like no home is truly safe, and it's a matter of time before the next big move.

Unfortunately... she's not totally wrong. Blackfur was either killed by TigerClan or a mine collapse. They were forced onto the Great Journey. Mudclaw's Civil War resulted in a raging inferno across the moor. Whitetail gets commended for how reliable and even-headed she is in the face of disaster, but it's because her mind is expecting the worst case scenario ALL the time.

Her personality is intense and orderly, only kept back by the fact she's a hopeless romantic.

PROFOUND sense of whimsy. She gives off a chilling air of seriousness, which stops people from discovering that she can be a real mush.

(Girlie galloping through the moor who whips off-course, as if she caught a glimpse of prey in her eye, only to have taken a short detour to crash through a puffy dandelion.)

When they all got to the lake, she had a brief fling with Onestar. She liked a lot about him-- his new status, yes, but also that when they were together they were just having fun. It was easy.

But... he didn't want it to continue romantically. He turned cold one day when the subject of kits came up.

They broke the unofficial relationship off unofficially, but a short while later he spoke to her again to arrange an honor siring.

He wanted to raise his kittens alone. Whitetail was willing to help him do that, as long as it could be known that she sired them. And that if the kittens wanted to know her-- they could do so.

But still, she didn't understand why he'd turned so suddenly. Not until much, much later.

But before then, she ended up developing an unlikely bond with Brushblaze.

Probably because they'd both been turned down by Onestar, funny enough. They were talking smack one day about failed relationships and it kinda clicked.

Whitetail: "Like idk, was it something I said? Am I the problem"

Brushblaze: "no, you're fine. He's the problem."

Voted WindClan's Most Intimidating Couple, between Whitetail's aura and Brushblaze's resting bitchface

They have two kittens together; Smokehaze and Galerunner. Around the time of their birth, Heathertail decided she wanted to take Whitetail up on the offer that had existed since she was born.

Brushblaze was a personal friend of hers for a long time, she wanted to know Whitetail, and she would like to experience what it's like to be a sister.

Sadly, Brushblaze didn't live to see his kittens become warriors, but Whitetail did.

Whitetail's BIGGEST personal failure interpersonally was, sadly, Breezepaw.

They were an awful match. Every wreckless action he took would badly set off her anxiety, which expressed as her snapping at him.

No matter how hard she tried to have patience with him, or how many times she scolded him to be more careful, it never ever worked.

On his end, the more visibly upset Whitetail became with him, the worse it made his fear of rejection. He was driven to do more and more dangerous acts to prove himself, which only served to make his mentor worse.

But ultimately, Whitetail was the mentor in this situation. She really tried, but she failed him as a teacher. They don't have the close bond that most apprentice/mentor relationships do, and Breezepelt only got lonelier.

For a while, Breeze felt like Brushblaze was "against him" for falling for his terrible mentor. It made it easy to reject his friend's advice when he said stuff like, "don't join the strange cult in the woods" and "this darktail bloke's a bit funny"

I think Whitetail has come a long way and is a much wiser person now than she was while she was Breezepelt's mentor... but.

She's cordial and accepting of Breezepelt now because it's what Brushblaze would have wanted. She doesn't trust him.

In fact she feels right about this. In her mind;

"Breezepelt needs to feel like part of the Clan, it's what Brushblaze would have wanted. Everyone deserves to feel safe, and more than that, this is the best way to neutralize him. When he's making soup and raising kittens, he's not hurting anyone... but he's had more chances than anyone here. Yeah I was harsh on him when he was a child, but he's made plenty of bad choices as an adult. I'm not being cruel or holding a grudge to keep him at a distance from Galepaw and Smokepaw... I'm being realistic. Brushblaze died to rescue him. I'm not going to lose more family to be nice."

This hurts Breezepelt... but it's fair. He tries not to think about it too much. He's learned the hard way that the people who will never like you anyway matter MUCH less than the people who love you.

I also don't really see a need to kill Whitetail off yet, because she makes a really good elder imo. She's practical but still likes to have fun, and is capable of giving really good analysis.

[redux-iterum]

Charred Legacy: Chapter Twenty-Six

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Cloudpaw didn’t ask any more questions on the rest of the tour; he seemed to be deep in thought, his bright blue eyes distant and contemplative. Fireheart let him ponder, only speaking to point out notable spots on the border with the occasional warning of where to turn around and come home from. Cloudpaw would return from his reverie and nod obediently, only to double back and continue thinking.

By the time they got home, there wasn’t much of the night left. As Fireheart had expected, Cloudpaw was dragging his feet and blinking exhaustedly when he re-entered camp. He perked up a bit at the much larger pile of prey, so Fireheart let him get dinner and rest where he wanted to, on the promise that they’d go back out tomorrow.

In the meantime, he himself went to visit Goldenflower, who was reclining outside of the nursery with her kits sitting together close by, whispering to each other. Fireheart started to speak to his mother, but her eyes were shut and her breathing deep and slow—she was asleep, and by the faint twitching of her ears, she was dreaming. He elected to leave her alone and approach his siblings instead.

“How is everything tonight?” he asked cheerfully. That cheer lasted until he caught a good look at their faces: Bramblekit sat stiffly with his eyes darting around uncomfortably, while Tawnykit was more sullen, scuffing at the sand aimlessly with a front paw.

Fireheart tilted his head, softening his tone. “What’s wrong?”

Neither of them answered him at first. It took a long moment, long enough that Fireheart almost asked again, before Bramblekit looked up at him and asked, “What’s a kittypet?”

He hadn’t expected that, but he answered quickly and smoothly. “It’s a cat that lives with humans, in a house. I used to be one, actually.”

“Oh…” Bramblekit blinked. He looked at his sister nervously.

Fireheart had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer to his question: “Why do you ask?”

Tawnykit was the one to speak. “Darkstripe said it. He told us we shouldn’t talk to ‘worthless kittypets’ like you and Cloudpaw.”

Anger leapt to a blaze in Fireheart’s chest and stomach, searing his veins. Without turning his head, he looked to his left. Darkstripe was watching him with narrowed eyes and a sneer.

Bramblekit must have felt the anger, because he shrank back, watching Fireheart with that nervousness building. At that, Fireheart quashed the blaze, breathed in calmly, and gave his brother a friendly face.

“Darkstripe doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he said coolly. “He just doesn’t like kittypets, especially not me.”

Tawnykit tilted her head. “Why?”

Because he’s a piece of— came a thought that sounded an awful lot like Ravenwing’s voice. “I’m not too sure why, really. He’s never told me.”

Bramblekit spoke next, wobbly. “Are kittypets bad? ‘Cuz… ’cuz you’re nice, and so is Cloudpaw, so…”

“Oh, certainly not.” Fireheart purred soothingly. “They just live a different sort of life than us Clan cats. Cloudpaw and I aren’t any different from any other warrior or apprentice, except for where we were born. And that doesn’t really mean anything when we live here now, does it?”

His siblings shook their heads with steadying confidence.

His eyes glanced at Darkstripe again. The tabby’s sneer was more of a snarl now, his claws out.

“Cloudpaw and Fireheart are wonderful additions to our home,” Goldenflower purred. The giant queen came from behind to stand next to Fireheart, but her eyes were slitted and focused on Darkstripe.

Abruptly, Darkstripe found something better to do. He stood up and quickly walked away, tail bristling.

Goldenflower looked away from him and spoke sweetly to the kits. “Why don’t you two see how Aspenpaw’s night was? I’m sure she’d love to tell you about the territory.”

The kits knew a kindly-worded order when they heard one. They nodded and scuttled off, just as Aspenpaw started to approach them with a wren in her mouth.

Goldenflower’s voice went low and dark; Fireheart had the sudden urge to back away from her. “That wretch would have a scar on his muzzle for every cruel word he speaks about my family, if I had my way.”

Fireheart huffed a weakly amused breath. “He’d have no fur left on it, if that was the case.”

Goldenflower’s voice somehow got darker. “Then I’ll move on to his ears.”

Fireheart did not respond to that. He instead looked at her and recognized her anger for what it was: mother-born fury, rage protective of her children. He was safe inside the bubble of family. He was in no danger from her, not now.

With that, the last of his own anger and fear melted away. He leaned a little into Goldenflower, tension easing out of his body. She leaned back, her fur enveloping him. 

---

The next evening arrived quickly. Speckletail ordered Fireheart and Darkstripe to stay in camp and wait until she spoke to Whitecloud. Just loud enough to be overheard, she told the senior warrior, “Until I’m back, you’re in charge.”

Not even considering telling Bluestar, Fireheart thought unhappily, and this time there was no hope in his heart of that changing any time soon.

Whitecloud nodded serenely, and said something too quiet for Fireheart to hear.

“That would be great, thank you,” Speckletail replied, relaxing her body. “I’ll see you when we’re done tonight.”

Bowing his head in respect, Whitecloud turned and started for a few of the younger warriors sitting together and eating. Whatever he was going to say to them, Fireheart didn’t hear, because Speckletail was now walking to camp entrance, joining her apprentice and the other toms.

“We’ll get them started on training tonight,” she said. “Follow me.”

Cloudpaw and Ashpaw looked at each other excitedly. Ashpaw, bouncing a little as he walked, asked, “What’re we gunna learn?”

To Fireheart’s disappointment, Speckletail answered, “Battle practice.”

Aspenpaw did not look particularly eager, but Ashpaw and Cloudpaw both trilled and started trotting, trying to get their mentors to speed up. One sour look from Darkstripe muted Ashpaw’s energy a little, but Cloudpaw could barely keep himself from passing Speckletail at the lead, and had to slow down multiple times to walk with Fireheart.

They reached the sandy hollow a little too soon for Fireheart’s liking, the apprentices being guided to the center of the pit with the mentors standing closer to the edge. Speckletail cleared her throat for attention, and all three apprentices stood straight with their tails high and eyes on her.

“ThunderClan is best known for our fighting skills,” she said. “It’s the most important lesson you can learn as one of us.” (Fireheart schooled his face into neutrality before it could make an expression of disgust.) “To do that, we are going to test your strength and speed, and that way we can see how best to teach you to reach your full potential.”

Ashpaw kneaded the soft ground, his tail trying very hard to settle down.

Speckletail turned to Darkstripe and Fireheart, who were standing a far distance from each other. “What I need you two to do is charge the apprentices and try to knock them over.” She turned back to the apprentices. “And you are to dodge and try to make an attack of your own.”

“Um…” Aspenpaw raised a paw halfway. “Do we have a move we should know?”

Speckletail shook her head. “You’re just going to do your best.”

Cloudpaw’s eyes met Fireheart’s for just a moment, sharing a mild anxiety before Cloudpaw returned his focus to the deputy.

“Darkstripe,” she said. “You’ll go against Ashpaw first.” To the other apprentices, she added, “Watch carefully and see if you can pick up any errors Ashpaw makes.”

That did not seem to give the thin tom any confidence, but he puffed out his chest and stepped forward, his mentor moving to stand across from him, still nearly touching the border of the hollow. Cloudpaw and Aspenpaw scooted out of the way, ushered by Speckletail, who turned around and sat down.

“Begin,” she said.

Darkstripe leaped at Ashpaw at full speed. Ashpaw barely had a heartbeat to react, and by the time he thought to jump to the side, Darkstripe collided with him and sent him sprawling onto the ground with a cough of surprise.

“You’re supposed to dodge,” Darkstripe growled, and backed up.

Ashpaw coughed again and got to his feet, shaking out his fur. Darkstripe rushed him and he took half a step to the right, but was knocked over again. And again, and again, Darkstripe looking more and more angry and embarrassed every time.

“Maybe you should slow down a little,” Fireheart said, barely managing a polite tone. “He’s still really young, remember—”

Darkstripe whipped his head around and glared at Fireheart. He simply met his stare with calm eyes. Swiftly, Darkstripe looked away with a curled lip and said sharply to Ashpaw, “Expect an attack and dodge.”

Ashpaw, completely out of breath (and didn’t that feel familiar), stood up again and nodded fiercely. He had a determined expression, but his sandy fur and low tail tattled his exhaustion and soreness.

“I think that’s enough for him,” Speckletail said suddenly. “Ashpaw, you can come sit over here and rest.”

Ashpaw looked at her, panting, “I can– I can do it—”

“You can do it when you’ve gotten your breath back.” Speckletail’s voice was firm, but not cruel. She gestured with her paw for him to rejoin his siblings. Sulkily, he did, and she turned to Cloudpaw. “Now you.”

Copying Darkstripe, Fireheart backed up a bit and positioned himself to stand across from his nephew. He gave the round little tom a moment to prepare before pouncing. To his relief, Cloudpaw ducked out of the way first try and rounded to fling himself against his uncle. Even with as little skill as Fireheart had in a fight, he wasn’t knocked over, simply pushing back and sending Cloudpaw rolling with a grunt.

“Good,” Speckletail said. “Try that again, and Fireheart, go a little faster this time.”

Obediently, the toms repositioned. Fireheart charged several times, and most of those times Cloudpaw got out of the way, though he never managed to return with a successful attack. On the last time, Fireheart barely had to nudge him to knock him away.

“That’ll be enough.” Speckletail nodded to Cloudpaw. “It’s your sister’s turn.”

“Can’t I go again?” Ashpaw asked.

“After Aspenpaw,” Speckletail said. “Fireheart, take my place.”

The mollies switched places with the toms. Speckletail, like Fireheart, went more easy on her apprentice than Darkstripe—she leaped forward just slow enough to give Aspenpaw a heartbeat to react. Aspenpaw, however, didn’t dodge, instead jumping up at her mentor’s face and grappling her head. The toms all watched in surprise as Speckletail stumbled to a halt, nearly falling forward, before recovering and shaking hard enough to displace Aspenpaw. The apprentice fell to the ground on her back and coughed.

“That was a very interesting reaction,” Speckletail said as Aspenpaw got back up. “Why didn’t you dodge?”

Aspenpaw rolled a shoulder. “I’unno. It didn’t seem to be working out for Ashpaw or Cloudpaw, so I decided to try something different.” She tilted her head. “Did I do the wrong thing?”

“Well, you were supposed to dodge, but that move told us just as much as dodging would.” Speckletail regarded her apprentice with bright interest. “I’ll attack again, and this time I’d like you to dodge.”

Aspenpaw nodded and backed up a bit.

Several more times, Speckletail charged, and Aspenpaw ducked away as fast as she could. She ended up knocked over more times than not, but, to Fireheart’s surprise, it took more effort for the taller Speckletail to move her than it had for the others to move their apprentices.

Aspenpaw’s a lot stronger than she looks, Fireheart supposed.

After those attempts, Speckletail dismissed Aspenpaw and called Ashpaw over. Under a kinder approach, Ashpaw did manage to dodge, though he didn’t get near Aspenpaw’s strength and couldn’t budge Speckletail. Darkstripe still looked irritated and scowled whenever his apprentice was pushed over.

“So we have an idea of what to do with you three,” Speckletail said at last. She turned to Darkstripe, saying sternly, “Go easy on him and give him a slower approach.” To Fireheart, she said, “Work on that speed: go a little faster and put more power into your attacks.”

Reluctantly, Fireheart nodded. The pairs split up, each taking a spot in the clearing to train individually. Fireheart took a moment to watch Speckletail, listening to her instructions, before speaking to Cloudpaw.

“You and I have to be fast,” he said. “We’re both small compared to everyone else. So like Speckletail said, I’m going to attack you faster, and you can dodge and try to counter-attack, okay?”

Cloudpaw nodded once. Fireheart tried to remember what he had been taught (and disregarded as soon as he didn’t need to learn it as a warrior), backed up a bit and then charged—faster, as instructed. Cloudpaw didn’t manage to dodge this time, not completely; he got a step to the side before Fireheart crashed into him. The fluffy apprentice lay sprawled on the sand, tilted onto his side.

“Sorry,” Fireheart said. “Let’s try that again.”

Cloudpaw gave it his all the next few times, his dodges getting faster. He didn’t, however, anticipate Fireheart turning and headbutting him and pushing him back onto the ground.

“That’s the annoying thing about fighting,” Fireheart said apologetically. “It doesn’t stop at one move. You have to be prepared to keep attacking until either you or the enemy runs away. Next time, you should keep that in mind, alright? Just expect that I’m going to keep fighting you.” He paused, thinking, and added, “And I guess you do need to be faster. We’ll work on that.”

Cloudpaw got to his feet, sullenly muttering, “Fighting’s stupid anyway.”

There’s that attitude again, Fireheart thought. Is it every time he’s told he did something wrong? How to correct him, then…?

“You’re not wrong,” he said aloud. “But we’ve got to learn how to do it. Otherwise, we can’t be warriors. Here, let’s try again.”

Cloudpaw visibly restrained a sigh, but he obediently braced himself. Fireheart returned to his attacking position, and charged again.

Eventually, when the apprentices were sagging with exhaustion, Speckletail called for a break. The trio shuffled to sit with each other and flopped down, panting, while Darkstripe sat alone and Fireheart approached Speckletail.

“How is it going with him?” the deputy asked in a low voice, so they wouldn’t be overheard.

“He’s quick to learn, and quick to get out of my way,” Fireheart answered, equally quiet, “but he doesn’t like being criticized. I’m not too sure what to do with that.”

Speckletail hummed thoughtfully, her eyes flicking slightly from side-to-side like she was thinking. Eventually, she said, “Sandstorm was like that, I remember. Her mentor…” She paused and cleared her throat. “We eventually figured that she could teach herself with a little guidance, and that worked better.”

Avoiding remembering him again. Fireheart kept that to himself and asked, “Should I let him figure out his mistakes on his own, then?”

“With a leading question or two.” Speckletail nodded. “It’s worth a try. I have faith you’ll find the right way to teach him regardless.”

Fireheart gave her a thankful head-bob and sat down, watching the apprentices speak to each other, their heads on their paws as they rested.

We’ll figure it out, Fireheart thought.

[kudossi]

is there anywhere i can read longer works of you’re writing. I’m in love with your style and I need more

Oh my goodness, thank you so much! This really means a lot to me!! <3

I'm hoping to have the next chapter of a longer fic, i've met the myth, posted to my AO3 within next couple of weeks. I have a lot of the plot laid out and a wonderful friend agreed to be my sounding board, so a lot of longer chaptered fics should be posted there fairly soon on me-time, haha. My AO3 is here if you'd like to check it out!

The fics I have on there are:

i've met the myth hanging heavy over you

Fireheart apprentices Hollypaw to himself. While her brother has Tigerstar’s piercing amber eyes, Hollypaw has his pelt and his blinding ambition, and that, he thinks, is far more dangerous.

Or,

Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Lionpaw are the kits of Tigerstar and Goldenflower. This changes things.

Leafstar's Home for Misfit and/or Wayward Warriors

Honestly, Leafstar should have known better than to try to find the Clans. She was smarter than all of this, really. SkyClan always seemed to catch trouble from the other four Clans, and yet apparently the stars thought that involving them in THIS particular mess had been an idea worth acting on.

And now she’s got just about every unusual warrior around the lake barging into her den, asking to join SkyClan. God, she’d thought the ravine was lonely, but what wouldn’t she give for it now.

And three one-shots:

through the forest, down to your grave (Soon after Hollyleaf returns to ThunderClan, she and Squirrelflight have a long overdue conversation.)

Snowmelt (Head filled with Graystripe’s wintertide tales, Stempaw ropes Spotpaw into the decoration adventure of a lifetime. Or at least a leaf-bare.)

incomprehensible (Firepaw learns what it means to be a seer. It will haunt him for the rest of his life.)

Coming up are:

passing rain, blue-white heat

Fortunately, Hollyleaf has a power. It’s time travel (or reincarnation, maybe). Unfortunately, she only realizes this when Hawkfrost’s claws sink into her throat and she’s reborn as one of Mapleshade’s kits, only to quickly and unceremoniously drown.

Then she wakes up again — this time as one of Moonflower’s three kits. StarClan kill her now (or don’t. She might prefer if they didn’t).

(for want of a nail AU in which Hollyleaf is reborn into the Bluestar's Prophecy era — high politics and erasing plot holes and generally making the whole thing much more dramatic, lol)

with lightning in your teeth

When Hollyleaf blinks open her eyes, moons and seasons after Hawkfrost’s claws tore through her throat, she awakens as Sparkkit, daughter of Squirrelflight and Bramblestar.

next of kin

Hollyleaf’s announcement has far-reaching effects when WindClan decides they are owed at least one of the half-Clan kits. Broken and embittered, Hollyleaf is traded away to ensure peace between their two Clans.

[saltsongwc]

How do the swapped roles change Tiger and Spotted’s relationships with Fireheart? Also, how does it change the roles of Tiger’s clique (Darkstripe, Longtail, Dustpelt, possibly Goldenflower, etc.)?

Hooooo boy I'm gonna ramble-

So first of, context for how I envision the characters acting, I think Spotted's role in the narrative is much less violent than Tiger, she doesn't want to cause deaths unless necessary, because that would be bad for her, in a "The more lies you tell the more you have to keep track of", she genuinely thought Bluestar would pick her over Lionheart when she killed Redtail. Alas the plan failed, so I think she would try to gaslight Ravenpaw more than outright threaten him into silence, I don't think Ravenpaw would buy it, but it would lend to a more trusting relationship between her and Fireheart at the end of Into the Wild, a "Was Raven telling the truth or is she actually innocent?" is the thought Fireheart has.

So on her part, Fireheart and her are friends in a sort of "Dark mentor vs Good Mentor", she's trying to influence Fireheart by noticing how much trust Bluestar has on him, and her voice as one of his friends does mitigate the hostilities from other cats (particularly Dustpelt and Darkstripe as Darkstripe was her apprentice (because Tigerfoot can't mentor him)).

With Tiger, the fact he's very intimidating even when he doesn't want to and outright a bit antagonistic to Fireheart at the beginning (because kittypet (Tiger still has daddy issues and associates them to kittypets instead of outright going to therapy)) leads to a "I don't want to listen to you because you're mean" relationship that just escalates when Shadowclan steals the kits, Tiger does survive Clawface but he's basically knockout for the rest of the adventure, eventually having to grind his teeth when Bluestar welcomes Yellowfang to be the new medicine cat ("She saved your life and will help you while you recuperate")

Fireheart does begin to spend more time in the medicine den to chat with Yellow which eventually leads to more interactions with Tiger, I think however, they would become closer friends when Cinderpaw is hit by the monster, as now it's not just chatting with Yellow but also basically spending 24/7 by the entrance, and now Graystripe is also gone.

They would take a hit for a bit when Spotted betrays Thunderclan and almost murders Bluestar, Tiger is conflicted if the trust on Fireheart was misplaed considering he was friends with Spotted, but I think they would patch it up, their relationship and dynamic is rocky, and he's the pessimist in the trio of medicine cats before the fire.

OKAY TIGER'S CLIQUE, which is, not that extensive, he's isolated by choice most of the time, hermit would be word, that isn't to say he doesn't have friends, just, limits his circle, he wouldn't even consider Bluestar a friend, just the authority figure he's taught to respect, I think the only two of the clique that remain would be Goldenflower and Longtail, and just add Whitestorm into the mix, my reasonings:

Due to this AU having Leopardfoot's death happen during his apprenticeship instead of later in life, Goldeflower takes a bit of sympathy for him, in a "Look at this wet cat" way, I'm making them contemporaries instead of canon "She's much older than him", so she's part of the apprentice clique and is part of his support systm during Leapordfoot's death, she definetly had a crush on him when she was a warrior and he was a new medcat, but they never went further than that, I think when she has Swiftkit it's a sort of "What if?" moment for both of them, a very "Things could've been different" that they both regret, if only a bit. But she remains a close friend of his.

Longtail's addition to the clique is much less direct than in canon, because Longtail is salty about losing to a kittypet (and an apprentice no less), so he complains to Tiger while healing and Tiger just complains back, a friendship born of talking shit behind other's back. Longtail separates away from Darkstripe and Spotted when he sees they're just being all cozy cozy with the cat that TORE his EAR the AUDICITY/j, he feels betrayed by who he thought would be on his side, eventually realizing "Oh, this cat doesn't deserve my hatred", and when eventually from Goldeflower he finds out why Tiger dislikes Fireheart he realizes that the narrow minded point of view of hating by the sake of hating is not healthy. I think he takes a break from both clique's for a while.

THANKS for the ask and thank you for letting me ramble

[unofficially-ace]

Star thoughts/liveblog (spoilers ahead ofc)

- If Splashtail is holding kittens hostage have you guys tried….driving him out? It’s literally one guy against the whole of Riverclan, just keep him away from the kits and there won’t be an issue???

- The conflict is kinda stupid I can’t lie, this could be solved if everyone in Riverclan wasn’t such a dumbass

- Cloverfoot is going to die in this battle I can smell it

- I can’t believe we’re getting fascism explained to us through warrior cats

- Berryheart fell down the crunchy mom -> alt right pipeline real

- This book is making me like Tigerheartstar wtf

- Frostpaw I would die for you

- Harestar you’re the most annoying mf ever please die

- What is it with Riverclan and their camp being turned into a prison every other series

- Graysludge and Mistslime are objectively hilarious names

- What happened to Splashtail being compelling why is he just cartoonishly evil and insane now

- There are not enough supporters of Splashtail to make give this any stakes come onnnn, he has like 5 people actually on his side

- I love Berryheart she’s so fucked up

- Wtf is Owlnose doing, why is he siding with Splashtail for no reason??

- Sunbeam you are so stupid my god

- ‘She didn’t realise what she was doing’ yes she did lmao

- RIP Berryheart you were the most compelling villain of the series

- That makes 2 dead female villains and we’re stuck with the boring male one….

- Owlnose you just killed someone don’t try and make me feel bad for you

- ‘The last thing she ever did was save you’ just like Curlfeather….the parallels…

- This feels like setup for Froststar ngl

- I can’t believe Nightheart is the only guy with a braincell here

- Is fogstar going to be a thing??? She hasn’t even been mentioned once before this book

- Riverclan is so stupid it actually pains me

- Why are we still calling them Greysludge and Mistslime that’s literally so mean lol, just call them by their apprentice names

- The tension is actually really good

- Not exactly liking how Splashtail seems to be genuinely mentally I’ll and that’s why he’s evil…

- He’s fuckin dead and we’re only halfway through?? Now what?

- So glad Frostpaw got to be the one to kill him though, that was so satisfying

- Riverclan you can justify all you want but at the end of the day you’re fuckin stupid

- The second he started doing murders y’all should’ve turned on him and it would all be fine

- Hi Mothwing when did you get here

- Lol fuck those guys (fognose and breezeheart)

- Goddamn Berryheart’s funeral scene is some of the best writing I’ve seen in a warriors book for a while, these are genuinely interesting emotions to explore

- Ewww I don’t wanna think about frost having a crush on splash stop bringing this up my god

- Oh fuck yes Frostpaw and Curlfeather angst

- If the rest of this book is just emotional conflict I will be more than happy with it

- Don’t kill off Frostpaw I swear to god

- Kate Cary I’m putting my trust in you

- This scene would make an incredible animation

- Might be my new favourite chapter of warrior cats ever holy shit that SLAPPED

- Fuck off Nightheart I need more Frostpaw

- Having Nightsky and Nightheart is so confusing

- Thunderclan can’t go two seconds without an argument (usually started by Lionblaze)

- I kinda love this type of conflict, it’s much more interesting than Splashtail being crazy

- Podlight is still here???

- Tree does something as a mediator for the first time ever

- Who tf is emberstar (if they’re relevant in Riverstar’s SE then I haven’t read it lol)

- The fact that I genuinely can’t tell if Frostpaw will survive is so good

- Please let the rest of the chapters be Frostpaw I don’t gaf about the others right now

- Whistlebreeze is the cutest name

- Frostdawn!!!! Also cute as fuck

- ICESTAR REALLLLL LETS GO

- Oh my god this chapter is gonna make me cry

- Sunbeam is pregnant and I want to explode

- And that’s a wrap on ASC , genuinely actually enjoyed this book, especially the second half. The emotional conflict was really interesting I gotta be honest, Frostdawn’s almost-dead scenes were so fun and had really good tension. The conflict with Splashtail ended up getting really stale, I’m glad he was killed halfway through because I couldn’t have dealt with that being dragged out for a whole book