#windclan's first medicine cat

[loulou3010]

Hey .Have you reaf mothflight's vision .Well i kinda liked it .I really enjoyed mothflight's back story and the way she discovered moonstone .Well i made these drawing moths ago .Do you like them ?

[daily-whistlepaw]

daily whistlepaw until ti becomes PoV day 1319

warmup sketch that I liked

[calamarikitty]

warriors oc!! yay!!

errmmmm first tumblr post this is littlepaw she is my pride and joy n i adore her!! she's the windclan medicine cat apprentice and she has a crush on the shadowclan med cat app, maggotpaw!! hopefully i can cook up a maggotpaw ref soon but for now there's just littlepaw, idk how much traction this is gonna get i have no idea how to work tumblr i feel like a dinosaur!

IMAGE ID: Littlepaw, a Warriors OC, stands with a shocked expression on her face. She has twisted hind legs dragging behind her, a luna moth's wing behind her ear, and flowers in her fur. They're a cinnamon and white classic tabby cat. There are several paragraphs of text and arrows around them. The first arrow points to her ear tufts, and reads "leaf ear tufts!". The second arrow points to their moth wing accessory and reads "moth wing behind ear to ref her full med cat name". The third arrow points to her legs and reads "has numbness in legs, but not devoid of feeling. The fourth arrow also points to her legs, and reads "twisted hind legs from birth, sometimes wears splint (mostly when she sleeps)". The final arrow points to their paw and reads "legs a bit muddy from constantly dragging." There is a simple illustration on the right side of Littlepaw that shows Littlepaw and an average apprentice for size comparison. Littlepaw is very short, and the text under describes how her ear tufts make her look larger.

[bonefall]

Hi there! I know you've made posts about warriors who have lost their sight and hearing, but would you have any ideas of how losing their sense of smell could affect a cat? I have to imagine it'd be a pretty big deal for a hunter or medicine cat

You know, you'd think it would primarily affect "tracking" skills, since as humans we tend to think of following scent trails and hunting down wild game, but the truth might shock you a little;

The first thing the other cats would notice is that the warrior is getting lost a lot.

When it comes to scents, the most important use that cats have for their sense of smell is navigating their territory. Through scent, they can tell the direction towards camp, exactly where they are in a territory, and if they're getting close to a border.

Most media (including WC itself) tends to depict scent like a floating, colorful "trail." A direct line leading you to the target, like this;

But this is actually not very accurate. You'd have to be dealing with a VERY stinky animal for this to be the case, like boar or elk.

Scent acts more like this;

It "collects" on solid objects the animal brushes past or intentionally marks, sometimes including the ground if they've lingered there. Newer brushes on the object have more of the scent particles present just as a matter of not having enough time for the odor to disperse. Think of it sort of like liquid; a "stale" scent is like an object that was soaked now simply being damp.

A warrior's "scent marking" is like a big stink bomb. It will make the entire area smell. Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to have an intact cat spray their house knows that it's not a dainty little spritz. It's STINKY.

To a cat though, the marks that are placed down by individuals and patrols give the entire area a sort of comforting "aroma." Because of the smell, they can perceive their home territory as if it's a map.

"Hub" areas have a stronger smell than "limnal" zones, and camp has its own unique scent. Just by combining these two things, you will always know EXACTLY where you are and how to find your way back to safety.

(Note; this is a major reason why I assert that blindness should be one of the least debilitating sensory disabilities for a warrior to have. Cats have a built in scratch-n-sniff RPG map.)

I mentioned in passing, earlier, that this is comforting. That's the second thing that would probably start to affect a warrior losing their sense of smell; it would be very common for them to start developing anxiety.

It's VERY unsettling for a cat to be in an unfamiliar place, and this is usually because nothing smells right! Providing the right pheromones is actually a way to treat anxiety, and this is the reason why you can often find a lost cat by putting one of their blankets outside. Pride aside, an elder might request more escorts outside of the camp simply as a matter of comfort once their nose isn't working so good.

For tracking itself, though-- in comparison to their Clanmates, hunters with a bad sense of smell would be bad at finding prey. Being a solitary hunter would become unfeasible.

The simple solution is that they shouldn't hunt alone. Just having one good tracker in the team to bring the party to big game could work fine. In WindClan in particular, they'd get put on lagomorph hunts very often (since 2 average-sized rabbits feeds a Clan for a day, let alone a hare).

For a Cleric, it would force them towards retirement.

Tracking down herbs is one thing; they could still be good at knowing where things grow, even with the added risk of getting lost. More importantly, MOST of a cat's health information is discerned through smelling their scent-- through their glands, their breath, and most importantly their scent marks. A Cleric who can't smell would start making inaccurate diagnoses.

And all of this doesn't even factor in how much communication is done through scent. When a cat bumps you with their head, "kisses" you with their teeth, or runs their side along you, that's them putting a mark on you. It's saying, "I want you to smell like me and I want to smell like you, because we're part of the same group!"

The important thing about that is that it is happening a dozen times a day with different Clanmates.

Rosetail demonstrates the point with some gossip: "Did you notice that Snowfur smells a lot less like Bluefur, lately? Yeah, she totally reeks like Thistleclaw. Since you smell like Thrushpelt, I feel comfortable sharing this with you; I don't think they're a good match at all... don't tell him I said that, though, even though he's my brother he would get really mad if he found out I thought that."

A warrior who can't scent will feel VERY socially isolated. There's an entire social network behind who you're marking, and being marked by.

In summary;

Scent has a massive role in navigation, for cats.

Cats who can't smell are at risk of getting lost easier.

Try not to think of scent like a "floating trail," but more like a series of odor marks on the objects the target has brushed up against.

Scent marks are STINKY, they make a whole area reek.

However, that's comforting to cats. Not being able to smell this has negative impacts on mental health.

It's the "tracking" part of prey and herb hunting that would become difficult.

Clerics who can't smell are liable to start making bad judgements.

Scent marking is part of the social fabric, and there is an important aspect to Clan dynamics that a cat who can't smell would lose out on.

[angsttronaut]

My Changing Skies Predictions : D

Leafstar going blind will be treated as a fate worse than death.

Squirrelstar will be constantly mocked by the narrative and characters alike. Thunderclan will lament that Bramblestar was a much better leader.

While making reasonable decisions, Skyclan treats Leafstar like Squirrelflight was treated as interim leader during TBC.

Moonpaw is a Nightsun baby. She'll get along with and admire Nightheart, but resent and have a difficult relationship with Sunbeam.

Events from past arcs will be brought up in an attempt by the Erin Hunter Collective to show that they totally know their stuff. All of these callbacks will be entirely superficial.

Tigerheartstar's characterisation will change on a whim.

Windclan won't get to do anything. Whistlepaw is mentioned exactly once.

At some point the narrative makes it clear that the writers think Tawnypelt joined Shadowclan after Tigerstar died.

At least one of the three POV characters has barely any plot material. Despite this, they still get equal screen time with the other two characters.

Moonpaw is a medicine cat apprentice. She struggles with horrific things happening to her constantly, and a connection she once thought was to Starclan turns out to be to something much darker. She ends up ostracised because everyone around her doesn't believe her for arbritary reasons.

Starclan do terrible things. One of the morals of the arc is that Starclan is still the most important part of Clan life.

The only thing that is destroyed by Twolegs is the Moonpool. They find a new one (with Tawnypelt or Leafstar sacrificing their lives so it can be found). This restores the status quo.

One of the Erin Hunters declares that they believe wholeheartedly in Starclan and have decided to found the first IRL Moonstone.

[asexual-shelly]

Haven't been catting it out as much as I've liked, so as compensation here's all four leaders + some lore about the clans: Thunderclan

Born a kittypet named Christian, Eaglestar initially joined Thunderclan after being cast out onto the streets by his twolegs and the leader taking pity on him. However, Eaglestar proved to be incredibly cunning, working his way up the ranks and using his connections to eventually take the reins of the clan altogether. With this newfound power, Eaglestar naturally abuses it for all its' worth through using it to solve petty disputes and get out of hunting for the day. He has deep-rooted beef with the Shadowclan leader who he's been rivals with since apprenticeship, constantly taking any opportunity he can to one-up or antagonize her.

Riverclan

The youngest of the four leaders at just 23 moons, Reedstar was far from the first pick for leader in the eyes of his clan. After a flood destroyed most of their camp and took the lives of both their leader and deputy in one fell swoop, the clan waited with bated breath for the medicine cat to announce the decision of their new leader. To every cat's surprise however, the medicine cat chose to appoint the easygoing Reeddance of all people, much to the shock and outrage of most of the clan who saw him as unfit. Reedstar tries his best to meet the needs of these agitated cats, but his inexperience just leads most of his efforts to be used as more fuel for the hate mob as rumors of a possible civil war in Riverclan began to spread around like wildfire. Shadowclan

Azaleastar took up the mantle of leader many moons ago after the former deputy was mysteriously found dead in their nest, and she just so happened to be the next best cat to take on the new position. Being one of the best ambush-fighters in her clan, Azaleastar had always had a knack for spotting points of weakness she could exploit... and what better opportunity was there than a broken, divided clan with a hare-brained idiot for a leader? After the flood, she's been picking at Riverclan bit by bit, giddily exploiting their lack of unison for free territory with the intention of taking over their entire hunting grounds and putting her name in the history books. The only thing keeping her from invasion is the threat of Thunderclan, who've been making advances on her territory while they're busy with Riverclan. Windclan

Not wanting to engage with the other three clans, Mangrovestar keeps Windclan in a strict state of isolation. He doesn't care to involve himself in the conflict between Riverclan and Shadowclan, instead just wanting to maintain the prosperity that's reigned in his clan for these past few moons. Of the four leaders currently active, he's easily the most popular amongst his clan for his amicable nature and appearing (mostly) morally good in comparison. However, Mangrovestar tends to be very biased and easily swayed in regard to his judgement which can rub cats the wrong way whenever they're forced to clean the elders' den for a moon while his favorites get little more than a slap on the wrist.

[everybody-loves-purdy]

With a bit of inference, Moth Flight’s Vision is an accidental tragedy about generational trauma.

Moth Flight’s Vision is a book which tries to justify the medicine cat abstinence rule, and it fails at this. This is mainly due to the exceptional circumstances Moth Flight was in when she gave up her kits. And obviously you have the fact she was a very young mother with four children in a time before a nursery system and when Moth Flight herself was also navigating being the first ever medicine cat. But I want to bring up another aspect of Moth Flight’s Vision that heavily influences our titular character’s decision to give up her children and bar all medicine cats from ever having mates or kits: Trauma.

And I want to stress that at no point so I think the Erins wanted to make this a story about trauma. But boy did they accidentally make a pretty compelling story about generational trauma. You need to squint a little though but trust me, it’s there. Accidentally put in the narrative like some of the best stuff in warrior cats often is.

So the trauma I am referring two comes from two cats in her life, her mother Wind Runner/ Windstar and her mate Micah.

So if we start with the former, Wind Runner at the start of Moth Flight’s Vision is very critical of Moth Flight. She has no patience for Moth Flight getting distracted and her lack of hunting skill, and voices how she dislikes Moth Flight’s lack of prey contribution to the clan, and frequently insults her and makes snide remarks to her. Such as you can see in just this one example.

All this leaves Moth Flight feeling inferior and feeling like she is wrong.

All this cumulates in an argument in which Wind Runner lists how irresponsible she believes Moth Flight to be tells Moth Flight she is a danger to her clan. And Moth Flight believes her, and runs away.

Now after this once Moth Flight returns as a medicine cat we don’t really get anything like this from Wind Runner again but the damage is done. Now here’s where the inference has to start coming in a bit. Who wouldn’t be left with a complex after this? Who wouldn’t be left with the need to prove themselves however they can? Moth Flight certainly sets out to please Wind Runner and prove she can be useful to her clan in the early part of the book when she’s receiving this abuse. So why would it just evaporate later when she actually finds something she’s good at and can be of great use to her clan doing? Just put a pin in that for a moment.

Also while we’re talking about Wind Runner; Moth Flight has a conversation with her dead siblings about how she wishes she could please Wind Runmer, which leads to her dead siblings saying that the reason Wind Runner is so harsh towards Moth Flight is because of the trauma she experienced when she lost her kits. Wind Runner’s trauma is ultimately what is causing her to inflict trauma onto Moth Flight.

And now we move onto the second inflicter of trauma in Moth Flight’s life: Micah. Don’t worry, unlike Wind Runner, Micah didn’t inflict any trauma on Moth Flight through his own actions. Unless you count dying in a tragic accident right in front of Moth Flight. In which case yeah, his actions did inflict trauma on her. At least it was an accident.

Micah’s death deeply traumatises Moth Flight. She cannot bear to be in WindClan due to it, she lives in ShadowClan for a moon, avoiding going home due to her grief, and then only travels back once she realises she is pregnant, and decides she wants to be with kin.

The stage is set. The Erins have a young cat set up about to have four kittens that she’s going to give away and change the medicine cat code forever. What they do not realise is that the trauma they have influenced on this character can most definitely be inferred to have an effect on her actions surrounding her children from this point forward, ultimately being perceived as a large push as to why she gives them up.

The book wants us to believe that she gives up her kittens because it is just inherently impossible to be a medicine cat and have mates and children. Which isn’t true as cats such as Leafpool and Yellowfang have since proven wrong. And obviously there are the exceptional circumstances Moth Flight herself has been subjected to during this period. But her trauma can also be perceived to pay a huge part in her feeling like she cannot balance her duties and her children.

To start off with. The first moon of her kits life is fine. Moth Flight steps back from medicine cat duties and lets the very knowledgeable Reed Tail take primary healer duties for the clan. The book skips over the first moon with her kits and therefore we can assume nothing important happens, and no issues come from Moth Flight raising her kits for this first moon. Moth Flight does reflect that how she did on occasion try and do checkups but her kits always called her away. And here, while Moth Flight is reflecting on this, we get this paragraph:

So here we learn two things:

She feels ready to stop having Reed Tail help her when her kits are a moon and a half (6 weeks) old.

Moth Flight does not want to let go of her kits for any amount of time. She equates Slate saying that she can leave the kits for short periods to them not having a mother figure in their lives. And she thinks her kits can only receive adequate love from her.

So with point 1, Moth Flight’s kittens are still little babies. And she feels that she should go back to being a full time medicine cat when they’re still that young despite having Reed Tail to hold the fort, and dismissing him as her helper entirely after this point. And here I’m going to bring back the idea of inference. I feel that this could stem from Wind Runner’s abuse at the start of the book. Wind Runner left her daughter feeling so compelled to be useful to her clan that she’s throwing herself back into her work far too early in order to keep her mother happy and be of use to the clan in the only way Moth Flight feels she can be. Is any of this written in the book? Hell no. But I feel that you can absolutely infer that Moth Flight’s drive to get back to work so soon is due to the lasting trauma and insecurities her mother had imposed on her.

Point 2 is a lot to unpack and here, and this is a point that comes up again, how Moth Flight feels compelled to take care of her kits personally rather than hand them off to babysitters due to their lack of a living father.

So if we use some of that inference here, we can infer that Micah’s death has left Moth Flight insecure about leaving her children alone. She feels that she is the only one who can properly take care of them in her clan. And, undoubtedly by accident, this idea comes back. There are two incidents with her leaving her kits to be babysat and irresponsible babysitting causes the kits to get hurt. The first is where she goes to a gathering and Rocky encourages three of the kits to climb a rock but tells the fourth she’s not ready. So the very next day she climbs the rock. She falls, she gets hurt. And not once does Moth Flight get angry at Rocky for encouraging her children to climb a big rock, oh no, she blames herself.

There isn’t one second where she thinks about how it’s Rocky’s fault this situation arose. She entirely blames herself for it, and the situation is never even discussed with Rocky.

And then something similar happens later on. Storm Pelt is supposed to be watching the kits while Moth Flight goes to RiverClan. And then all four kits end up following her and one of them falls in the river. She doesn’t blame Storm Pelt for any of this. She doesn’t have a single word of blame to say to him about him allowing all four of her children to follow her to RiverClan. And from that we can infer (even though again, the book doesn’t say) she feels the blame lies with herself. This inference can be strengthened given that this is the incident which causes her to feel she should give up her kits.

On top of her feeling wholly responsible for her kits at all times no matter who is looking after them, the main other way they distract her from her medicine cat duties is when she suddenly becomes paranoid that some horrible tragedy has befallen them while she isn’t watching them. And I think all of this paranoia and heightened sense of responsibility regarding her kits all comes down to Micah.

He died traumatically in front of her eyes. She feels extra protective of her children because they no longer have a father. And we can infer that her paranoia of them meeting a gruesome fate has come from her witnessing the painful death of her beloved Micah.

And where does this leave us? All this trauma stemming from both her mother and beloved? Well, Moth Flight decrees that medicine cats must not have mates or kits. She then inflicts trauma onto her own children by separating them and forcing them all to live apart. The trauma that Wind Runner and Moth Flight experienced can now be inferred to have trickled down to both Moth Flight’s kits, and many, many medicine cats for decades to come. The book wants you to believe this is because kits can distract from medicine cat duties, that they can pull a medicine cat away from important duties. But that only happens in Moth Flight’s Vision due to poor babysitters or mainly Moth Flight becoming paranoid that her kits are going to die horribly like their father once they’re out of her sight.

Is this all a stretch? Absolutely. I have no doubt this was absolutely not the intention of the Erins at all. But in the words of Todd Chavez:

Isn’t the point of art less what people put into it and more of what people get out of it?

And thats what I get out of Moth Flight’s Vision. A story about how tragic trauma can be, not only for an individual, but also for others if it becomes generational.

[cagedcats]

Aight just found out about Arc 9 being revealed (already…) and the new protags!

Leafstar, Tawnypelt and a new gal named Moonpaw. Our first arc that is a solely girl team (so far)!

Leafstar and Tawnypelt is a very very interesting one to me. Cause they’re not young adults or apprentices like we’ve seen typically for protagonists. They’re older, much older. Hell Tawnypelt’s brother just retired that’s how they old they are. Really hoping their stories are handled well. Especially Leafstar who according to the blurb is losing her vision (do not be ableist, do not be ableist DO NOT BE-).

Though in a bit concerned that this arc may be a “send-off” for one of them. Maybe both.

Moonpaw we know next to nothing about other then she’s seeing visions, so there’s our Medicine Cat I suppose. Though hopefully not, please? Pretty please Erin’s don’t force her to be a Medicine Cat.

Also with the trend of protags not sharing the same Clan lately, I’m going think she’s a ThunderClan cat, though it’s possible she may be WindClan since Crowfeather is also on the cover. Though he could be there for since he’s got the Journeying Cat connection with Tawny-

So theories so far with Moonpaw- leaning towards ThunderClan tbh. And that she may be the child of Nightheart and Sunbeam. Her name is a Celestial Body (Moon vs. Sun) and this body is seen during the Night. It just fits for me.

But it doesn’t look horrible so far, though I do wish they’d let the writers just rest for a while instead of churning book after book out. But I am intrigued because of the older gals being protags.

Which with this reveal, may revitalize the “One Protag” poll. Doing it including the links to the other polls technique. Depends on how I’m feeling tho tbh.

[skyscratch-wc]

Skyfall Project Masterpost

This post is for the rehauled Skyfall Rewrite, now called the Skyfall Project. I am doing an overhaul of the lore I have built in order to tackle some fundamental issues.

This is the introduction post for Skyfall, a heavy rewrite of Warrior Cats with a whole new culture and social structure, beliefs, and some significant plot deviations (especially after the first arc). The goal of this project is to take the framework and characters or Warrior Cats and make a narrative that is more consistent, less ableist/sexist/xenophobic, etc. and remove the indigenous-coding of the series. I want to write a satisfying narrative that actually delivers while making the themes more relevant and less problematic.

The core of the plot is going to move away from StarClan and their prophecies and towards more concrete, cat political issues with a smattering of the divine and magic. I want to place more of an emphasis on SkyClan, both their downfall and then eventual return. I also want the different groups to actually feel like different groups with different cultures, levels of piety, special roles, etc.

Links will be added to this post as the project progresses

The Clan -> Shire Restructure

Anything tagged #wc skyfall au or #wc skyfall rewrite is outdated. All new content will be tagged #skyfall project.

I have heavily restructured the clans to have more ranks and paths for warriors. I have also renamed roles in an homage to Old English social structure names. As such, I have renamed the clans to shires. Sheriffs (shire-reeves) were pulled from the Thegn class, and thus the leaders are now Thegns. (Can you tell I’m a history nerd yet?). The different shires will be labeled as follows:

ThunderClan -> Thundershire -> #thunderkin

ShadowClan -> Shadowshire -> #shadowkin

RiverClan -> Rivershire -> #riverkin

WindClan -> Windshire -> #windkin

SkyClan -> Skyshire -> #skykin

StarClan/Dark Forest -> The Shining Paws -> #shiningpaw

[clowder name] + kin is the way the cats refer to members of other clowders. EX: "Fireheart is a Thunderkin". This is reference to their supposed descent from the legendary founders

The different shire roles are labeled as such:

Leader -> Thegn -> #thegn

Deputy -> Reeve -> #reeve

Medicine Cat (healing) -> Physician -> #physician

Medicine Cat (spiritual) -> Priest -> #priest

*new role* -> Mortician -> #mortician

*new role* -> Scribe -> #scribe

Warrior -> Churl -> #churl

Churl Roles (cats can hold multiple roles at a time):

Hunter -> #hunter, #master hunter

Artisan -> #artisan, #master artisan

Roamer -> #roamer, #master roamer

Caregiver -> #caregiver, #master caregiver

Keeper -> #keeper, #master keeper

Trailblazer (Thundershire only) -> #trailblazer

Tanner (Shadowshire only) -> #tanner

Sentinel (Rivershire only) -> #sentinel

Tunneler (Windshire only) -> #tunneler

Mediator (Modern Skyshire only) -> #mediator

Daylight Churls (Modern Skyshire only) -> #daylight churl

Scout (Ancient Skyshire only) -> #scout

Apprentice -> #apprentice

Kitten -> #kitten

Elder -> #elder

A detailed post of the roles will be posted in the near future and then linked here.

Inside a Shire

The Shires, unlike the canonical clans, do not live in a structured camp. There is a main camp where the Thegn's Den, Physician's Den, and Priest's Den are, but all other cats sleep within family units in dens spread around the territory, some further and some closer. Most cats have their dens very close to the main camp. The cats within the camp also sleep in family groups. For instance, at the start of Arc 1, Bluestorm shares a den with Whitestorm, Willowpelt, Darkstripe, and Graypaw.

Cats meet at the camp at sunrise to get the days news, groom each other, and generally connect with one another before the day begins. Patrols, training, and other such outings are also planned within this time frame. The shire will then go their separate ways and meet again at sunset to share anything they found during the day. Once the sun has set, the cats go to their family dens and spend the rest of the night bonding with their group until they go to sleep.

The Arcs

The arcs will be renamed and some condensed into one another in order to cut out parts of the canonical plot that are filler. I am personally not a fan of StarClan-driven plots, so many plots will be changed to be moreso about cat politics and the consequences of past actions.

Arc 1 -> follows roughly The Prophecies Begin. Fireheart joins the Thundershire and is their Thegn by the end of the arc.

Arc 2 -> follows roughly The New Prophecy. Except the journey is not about finding a new home, it's learning about the existence of the Skyshire and the darker history of the clans. This involves going back to the lake, where the clan’s ancestors first lived. The cats do move to the lake by the end of the arc due to human construction, but they didn't need the ancestors to tell them to leave. The arc ends with the Windshire Conflict.

Arc 3 -> A long super arc mashes together The Power of Three, Omen of the Stars, and parts of A Vision of Shadows. The clans are recovering from the events of The New Prophecy. Each shire has a cat with powers, they bring the Skyshire to the lake, and all clans are reunited at the lake. This arc will be called Rising Skies.

Arc 4 -> A whole new thing based around the characters of The Broken Code with plot elements from both A Vision of Shadows and The Broken Code. This arc will likely be driven by an especially bad winter then causing a cascading effect around the shires and the consequences of that. This arc would also feature Darktail and his cats in some capacity, since they drove Skyshire from the gorge (as a continuation of the prior arc).

Arc 5 -> Basically A Starless Clan, but adjusted as everything else is.

As a note, the Sisters and the Tribe of Rushing Water will not exist in this rewrite. These groups tend to be where the more problematic themes are centered and as such I don't feel comfortable having them as parts of the narrative. The characters from these groups may exist, but they would be in different social structures, etc.

So, where is this set?

One of the questions of Warriors canon is where is this series set? Presumably England due to the origin of the authors, but over the series more and more names, creatures, etc. appear in the series that do not appear in Europe, let alone in England.

In order to make things consistent (because I want to make it actually somewhat realistic), I will be setting Skyfall in Southwestern Scotland/Northwestern England. This allows for the ocean, hilly terrain, etc. Character names will be adjusted to match this environment.

Some Last Notes

This rewrite will include the ClanMew conlang being developed by @troutfur and @bonefall. It will also include a dialect of ClanMew, spoken by the cats in the Gorge. This will be fleshed out more as I develop the project. I may also include elements from bonefall’s warrior cats expansions, which are amazing.

If you have any questions about Skyfall, ask away! I’m always happy to answer asks. Although FYI responses may take a while.

[snailstep-and-her-clan]

Sweetivy fell from Moorstar’s jaws, blood bubbling from the ragged wound his teeth had left in her throat. Snailstep watched in horror as the tortoiseshell queen lay prone, chest rising and heaving as she fought for breath with a series of rattling gurgles, her claws scraping feebly into the loam.

Moorstar advanced, licking Sweetivy’s blood from his muzzle. Snailstep arched her back and hissed, crouching protectively over Sweetivy’s tiny newborn kit. The screeches and yowls of battle outside dulled in her ears to be replaced by the pounding of her own heart.

Moorstar gave a low, cruel chuckle. “I knew I recognized those eyes.” He circled Snailstep with slow, deliberate steps. “Firebright really thought I wouldn’t be able to tell, didn’t she?”

Snailstep didn’t bother indulging him in whatever madness he was spewing. Instead, she swiped at his eyes, claws extended. The hulking brute of a tom snapped at her leg in retaliation, and the two of them stood, glaring at each other, tails lashing.

“I told her that if you looked like your father, I’d kill you.” Moorstar reared back, muscles tensed to spring. “It’s a few moons late, but I’ll keep my word.”

Snailstep tensed as he launched himself at her, prepared to feel his teeth and claws piercing her pelt. Instead, there was a blur of spiky brown fur as Bladeback plunged through the ferns, fastening his teeth into Moorstar's neck with a low, furious growl. He pinned the Windclan leader into the dirt, pummeling him with his hind feet, front claws digging into Moorstar’s face.

Blinking in shock, Snailstep bent down and snatched up Sweetivy and Wolfstrike’s kit, pausing only to glance at Sweetivy's now still form. The tortoiseshell queen's eyes were rolled back and blank, her mouth open in a final death rattle.

Snailstep turned tail and fled up the fern tunnel to find Leafbreeze, the sound of Bladeback and Moorstar screeching behind her.

Lore Time

Little pregnant lady vs the Final Boss

Snailstep was pregnant with her first litter, and Sweetivy had just given birth like… five minutes before she was brutally murdered.

Moorstar is based off of Sleyf’s OC Hilden Moor, who is a giant owl demon (again she scraped the pics off her deviantart account BOO! 🍅) I tried to make his cat form look as close to his monster form as possible.

Moorstar is leader of Windclan and basically he started raiding the clans to kill their queens and medicine cats so the other clans stay weak (King Herod energy this guy)

[boonauwarriorcats]

Tigerstar, the main villain of the Boon AU.

In canon, Tigerclaw tries several times to murder Bluestar before being found out and exiled.

In the Boon AU, his first attempted murder is thwarted, and he is immediately exiled while wounded from the fight. He wanders, enraged, until he collapses in a kittypet garden - where kittypet Sasha finds him. She nurses him back to health, and gives him the first chance of his life to NOT lead a life of violence and bloodshed. He almost takes it, and falls in love with Sasha.

Eventually he and Sasha are joined by Darkstripe and Longtail, who left ThunderClan after Redstar became leader due to protesting his leadership (they did not trust him, nor his deputy Tinyfrost, after they got Tigerclaw exiled.)

When Sasha becomes pregnant with Hawkkit Tadpolekit and Mothkit, and her Twoleg owner passes away, the group is forced to go back to the forest to find a medicine cat to help Sasha have her kits. They go to ShadowClan and ask asylum, which Nightstar compassionately grants. Tigerclaw quickly endeared himself to the ShadowClan cats, to the point of gaining their support of a mutiny against Nightstar. Only Longtail stands up against Tigerclaw, and he is imprisoned alongside Nightstar.

Tigerclaw goes on to become Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan, and conquers WindClan and RiverClan in quick succession. He threatens ThunderClan with extinction, but they are aided in a large final battle by the street cats of ThunderClan. Tigerstar kills the street cat leader Boon - but Boon comes back to life, fights Tigerstar and wins, and drives him out of the forest.

Tigerstar would continue to cause problems, in the forest and out of it, for many years to come until his lonely death - and then even MORE problems AFTER his death.

[ufologyexpert]

I'm kind of getting back into Warrior Cats. I've never posted these two before but they've been my Warrior Cat OCs for years now. The two of them are brothers. Left is Clovernose, a Windclan medicine cat apprentice. Right is Fogfeather, a Riverclan warrior. Both were separated after they had just opened their eyes. The first time they meet is when Riverclan is attacking Windclan. They end up fighting each other and leave with scars.

[daily-whistlepaw]

daily whistlepaw until wo becomes PoV day 1248

even healers have to be somewhat able to defend themselves and Woodsong will always gladly be the one assisting Whis

[wc-confessions]

I wish we saw more of Goosefeather. Not just because he’s one of my favorite characters but because he’s a very unique and interesting character. He not only sees spirits, but also has the most vivid visions of any I’ve read in the books and received prophecies going at least a decade into the future. His visions were so vivid that he was unable to discern if they were real. He has so much knowledge of the future yet is unable to change it. He had no desire to be a medicine cat in the first place and was treated horribly when he was apprenticed early. His own sister, Moonflower, treated him poorly as well and his prophecy about the windclan raid led to her death. Eventually nobody believed him or took him seriously, even when he repeatedly was correct in his predictions. There’s so much that could’ve been done with his character but wasn’t. I wish his novella told us more about his life, or that we were given a full super edition. When jayfeather spoke with him in starclan near the end of OOTS I was excited at first just for it to be completely irrelevant to the storyline.

I’ve ended up making a lot of headcanons for him just because of how disappointed I am in the Erins for not fully utilizing his character. I feel like it would make sense if Goosefeather was a similar entity as Rock and Midnight, as they were both living at one point. They’re both a source of prophecies and I remember Rock talking about how indifferent he feels towards living cats due to how much he knows and how he’s not exactly able to change anything. They both remind me a lot of Goosefeather and the number 3 is a very significant number in magic and spirituality so having three all knowing magical entities makes sense. Also I feel like it would be more interesting if the curse were passed down, getting diluted over time. Bluestar had sudden visions about Thistleclaw during Bluestar’s Prophecy, and while she isn’t directly descended from Goosefeather it’s cat magic so it doesn’t need to make logical sense. There’s very interesting consequences of this too once you go further down, such as Ashfur coincidentally being able to inherit the curse which could explain his strange abilities over other spirits and the both starclan and the dark forest. If it wasn’t something about him in particular, there’s little explanation as to why nobody had figured out how before or why it was so difficult for starclan to fight against him. But back to Goosefeather himself, I feel like it would’ve been interesting giving him a bigger role in OOTS due to his unique connection to starclan while alive. He had been given the power of three prophecy and even while alive had vast amounts of knowledge. The fact he wasn’t really significant at all in starclan is honestly very strange to me to begin with.

Anyways there’s my Goosefeather ramblings. I’m obsessed with him he’s so silly and totally me.

ㅤ

[bonefall]

I’m rereading Po3 and despite its flaws I really enjoyed the introduction to the three. Jaykit isn’t mentioned to be blind in the first few chapters and instead they chose to show how much MORE capable he is compared to his littermates; until at the end of chapter 3, he brings up his blindness on his own. It makes forcing him to be a medicine cat SO much more frustrating because it really feels like they’re setting him up to be a warrior and choose his own fate (note i haven’t finished the reread this is just my first impression)

I like how you seem to take that path in BB regardless! It makes his arc so much more enjoyable

His arc in canon is super frustrating because he's such an independent character who clearly wants to make his own decisions in life, but then he just gets shoved into the medcat den. I LIKE that he ultimately goes there and that he enjoys it; but it was still really fucked up that they stripped away his autonomy in the process.

Re: they are not real, they are writing choices. Taking away the choices a disabled character can make over their own life, forcing them into a celibate nun role, and then going "awwwww dont worry see? he likes it! This was the best thing for him :)" was fucked up.

And imo it didn't have to be that way! You wouldn't have to go the FULL route I did with big changes, he could just be more involved in the descision to stop being a warrior apprentice and it would be fine. Minor change that would make a world of difference.

I do also have to interject to say though... blindness should really not be an extremely severe impairment for a ThunderClan cat.

I'm dead serious.

Whiskers are built-in sensors that tell you the exact position of everything within several inches of your head, ears swerve to pick up sound, and the jacobson's organ provides a sense of smell so keen that I have an entire Clanmew expansion draft because I needed to make WORDS describing the power of this sense that humans do not have. I cannot stress enough how delicate their other senses are, felines do not rely on their sight like primates do

ThunderClan lives in a mixed-oak woodland, where sight is already often obscured by foliage, objects are close together (for whiskers to feel), and nearly every movement makes noise against the leaf litter. RiverClan and (moor-running) WindClan cats would have a harder time with this disability than Thunder or Shadow.

Cat sight SUCKS to begin with. It sucks BADDD. They don't have color vision, they're significantly nearsighted, and they can't track up-and-down movements well. WC doesn't write realistic cats (more like small fuzzy people really) and I also work with more humanesque eyesight, but the only thing Jay should really lose is an ability to rapidly track a small animal swerving fast. Blind cats are often still excellent hunters in spite of that!

So it's an extra big waste that they railroaded him into a position he didn't choose, saying he couldn't be a warrior. This is the perfect disability to write, if you want to explore how ableism can impact the characters in this society who ARE legitimately still capable of nearly full independence, but still need to find accommodations for what they can't do.

In the same arc they're doing the dumb Cinder Reincarnation Plotline, no less!! Where SHE is also feeling like she has no choice over her "destiny," and gets a conflict over a potentially disabling injury

"Oh nooo if cinderpaw breaks her leg she wont be a warrior!"

"What the f-- Im Jaypaw and im reporting live from the scene where a Category 1 Idiot Moment is taking place. Woman breaks leg, suddenly everyone believes she is a horse, more at 11."

One of these days I should really make "herb guides" just covering how various sensory disabilities impact the lives of Clan cats and some tips for writing them as warriors, especially between Clans. Stuff you wouldn't usually consider, like how much noise deaf cats tend to make, how RiverClan would get a ton of sinus infections and lose their sense of smell, being blind in Sky vs Thunder, etc.

[wokeleftistmob]

My predictions for the protagonists of Changing Skies, the ninth arc in the Warriors series

WindClan: Leafkit

Daughter of Featherpelt and Oatclaw, her littermates are Branchkit and Grasskit, and her older siblings are Whistlepaw, Flutterfoot, and Songleap. They focused a lot on Leafkit in Wind, so I think she will likely be a POV character, especially since Whistlepaw is her older sister. The story team also said that Whistlepaw will become more prominent in the series, so having her younger sister as a protagonist will definitely serve that purpose. Adding onto this, WindClan has never had a POV character in the main series, so this is long overdue.

ThunderClan: Stempaw or Graypaw

They are Spotfur and Stemleaf's kits and perfect protagonist material. Related to Firestar? Check. Parents were plot relevant? Check. ThunderClan? Check. They are also being given a lot of attention right now. I do not think Bristlepaw will be a protagonist, due to Bristlefrost having the name of Bristlepaw one arc earlier. (Leafkit will not have this same issue as The New Prophecy was six arcs earlier.)

These are the only candidates who have really received attention, but there are several others to consider.

RiverClan: Floatkit, Rapidkit, or Troutkit

They are the kits of Havenpelt and Sneezecloud, and younger siblings to Splashtail and Fognose. They will have to deal with their older brother's legacy once he is gone. They could also provide a window on how RiverClan is doing after this current arc.

SkyClan: Ridgekit or Duskkit

They are the kits of Blossomheart (sister of Hawkwing) and Harrybrook (son of Leafstar). Duskkit is most likely named after Duskpaw, Blossomheart's dead brother.

ShadowClan: Birchpaw

He is the son of Tigerstar and Dovewing, and younger brother to Shadowsight, Pouncestep, and Lightleap. He appeared in Sky when his brother Rowankit died. I think this is the least likely option out of all of them, as I do not see much of what Birchpaw could bring as a protagonist, besides being the son of Tigerstar and Dovewing. That is unless, some sort of huge change happens within ShadowClan; then Birchpaw could provide a view into ShadowClan.

Other possible apprentice/kit options just for the heck of it (not including anyone who will receive their warrior name/medicine cat name very soon):

SkyClan: Beepaw or Beetlepaw, kits of Nectarsong and Dewspring (who are first cousins, of course)

WindClan: Grasskit or Branchkit, littermates of Leafkit; younger siblings to Whistlepaw, Songleap, and Flutterfoot; and kits of Featherpelt and Oatclaw.

ThunderClan: Bristlepaw, daughter of Stemleaf and Spotfur, and sister to Graypaw and Stempaw; or Wafflepaw

Of course, they could always choose to focus on a young warrior, like how they did with Sunbeam this arc, but these are just my speculations.

Edit: I can't believe I nearly forgot about Stripekit and Brookkit in WindClan, whose mother is Larkwing; and Cinnamontail and Slatefur's kits in ShadowClan: Firkit, Bloomkit, Streamkit, and Whisperkit.