warriors-heartofdarkness

[warriors-heartofdarkness]

Heart of Darkness: Nightfall || Allegiances and Prologue

The dark shadow of war looms over the Clans… 

Wolfpaw of ShadowClan is separated from his sister Cicadapaw after tragedy strikes. 

Owlpaw of ThunderClan is having strange visions - but not from StarClan. 

Meadowpaw of SkyClan is a simple daylight warrior who knows more than she should.

THUNDERCLAN

LEADER

MOOSESTAR—a lanky brown tabby tom

DEPUTY

HOUNDFLARE—ginger and brown tabby she-cat

MEDICINE CAT

LYNXLIGHT—pale silver tabby nonbinary cat

MEDIATOR

HAWKFLIGHT—ginger tabby tom

WARRIORS

TALLTHORN—lanky golden tabby tom

HONEYGLOW—golden tabby she-cat

BLACKTHICKET—black tabby tom with amber eyes

SPECKLEHEART—mostly white she-cat with calico speckles

JUNIPERSONG—dark ginger tabby she-cat

OAKBREEZE—brown tabby tom with green eyes

BIRCHLEAF—pale brown tabby nonbinary cat

APPRENTICES

OWLPAW—brown and cream tabby she-cat

Mentor: Honeyglow

DUCKPAW—tuxedo tom with pale yellow eyes

Mentor: Hawkflight

GOOSEPAW—tuxedo tom with dark orange eyes

Mentor: Oakbreeze

QUEENS

YARROWBACK—dark brown tabby she-cat

Expecting Birchleaf’s kits

LEAFSHINE—pale brown tabby tom

KITS

None.

ELDERS

SABLEPELT—brown and ginger calico she-cat

SNAILTAIL—black long-furred tom

SPOTTEDNOSE—mostly white calico she-cat

SWANMASK—a white she-cat with black markings

.

SKYCLAN

LEADER

PUDDLESTAR—a blue-gray and white she-cat

DEPUTY

COYOTECRY—a pale brown tabby she-cat

MEDICINE CAT

DANDELIONPELT—a fluffy white tom

MEDIATOR

SUNHUNTER—a ginger tabby tom

APPRENTICE: Applepaw

WARRIORS

LIGHTNINGSTREAM—black and white tuxedo nonbinary cat

MOLEFEATHER—brown tabby tom

PATCHFLOWER—calico she-cat

PEPPERSTRIKE—mostly ginger tortoiseshell she-cat

SMOKESNOW—a white seal point tom with blue eyes

APPRENTICES

POPPYPAW—a red ticked tabby tom

APPLEPAW—a cream mackerel "pseudo-tabby" tom

STARLINGPAW—black and red caliby she-cat

QUEENS

FOXBRIAR—a red mackerel tabby she-cat Mother to Molefeather’s kit: Olivekit

RAVENHEART—a black she-cat with gold eyes.

Mother to Smokesnow’s kits: Snowkit and Blossomkit

ASTERSTONE—a blue she-cat with amber eyes.

KITS

OLIVEKIT—mackerel tabby tom

SNOWKIT—white she-kit

BLOSSOMKIT—black and white she-kit

ELDERS

None.

.

SHADOWCLAN

LEADER

FROSTSTAR—a large white and gray tabby tom

DEPUTY

RATSPIRIT—lanky blank she-cat

MEDICINE CAT

IVYBEE—gray tabby and white nonbinary cat

GRIZZLYSTEP—large dark brown tabby tom

MEDIATOR

TADPOLEFOOT—black and white tom

WARRIORS

FIGHTERS

JACKALHEART—golden classic tabby tom

MINKSLIP—brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

PONDNOSE—gray tabby tom

HAILSTRIKE—white and gray she-cat

PREY-HUNTERS

MAPLESTEP—ginger and white she-cat

SEDGEFLUFF—spiky-furred gray tabby tom

HAZELBRANCH—brown tabby she-cat

APRICOTFUR—flame-point she-cat

MOSSYTAIL—dark brown tabby tom

APPRENTICES

WOLFPAW—dark brown and ginger tabby tom with blue eyes

Mentor: Hailstrike

CICADAPAW—dark brown and ginger caliby she-cat with amber eyes

Mentor: Minkslip

THISTLEPAW—spiky-furred gray and white she-cat

Mentor: Maplestep

PIGEONPAW—black tabby nonbinary cat

Mentor: Mossytail

QUEENS

None.

KITS

None.

ELDERS

LIONFUR—a red ticked tabby she-cat with long fur and amber eyes.

ADDERNOSE—a short-haired chocolate tom with gold eyes.

.

RIVERCLAN

LEADER

DAWNSTAR—a heavily scarred flame-point she-cat

DEPUTY

TROUTFIN—black spotted tabby tom

MEDICINE CAT

SNOWTAIL—white tom with hazel eyes

MEDIATOR

ROWANFACE—a long-haired dark ginger flame-point tom

WARRIORS

MUDTHROAT—dark brown tabby tom

SOOTFANG—black tom with gold eyes

PLUMSTREAM—black tabby she-cat

OTTERBLOOM—sleek brown tabby she-cat

MINNOWSHADE— gray tabby tom

DOVEMARCH—gray tabby nonbinary cat

APPRENTICES

HERONPAW—dark gray and white she-cat

ALDERPAW—dark brown tabby tom

QUEENS

CORMORANTPELT—black she-cat

Expecting Rowanface’s kits

STARLINGCALL—gray and white she-cat

Expecting Troutfin’s kits

KITS

None.

ELDERS

BLACKLEG—a black classic tabby she-cat with gold eyes.

SPIDERTAIL—a black she-cat with yellow eyes.

RAININGHEART—a blue mackerel tabby tom 

TANSYFACE—a cream-spotted tabby tom

.

WINDCLAN

LEADER

GOLDENSTAR—ginger calico she-cat with gold eyes

DEPUTY

BLACKSTORM—a black she-cat, with short fur, and amber eyes.

MEDICINE CAT

GINGERSTRIPE—a red classic tabby she-cat

MEDIATOR

BEEPELT—a blue and cream caliby she-cat 

WARRIORS

NIGHTTAIL—a long-haired black she-cat

RAVENNOSE—a long-haired black tom

SPIDERSTONE—a black mackerel tabby she-cat 

STARLINGFUR—a white tom with gold eyes

YELLOWBLAZE—a cream tabby tom with yellow eyes

APPRENTICES

MINTPAW—a blue she-cat with green eyes.

SANDPAW—a cream mackerel tabby she-cat

QUEENS

HOLLYBRIAR—a blue and cream caliby she-cat

Mother to Starlingfur’s kits: Asterkit and Oatkit

KITS

ASTERKIT—a blue tabby tom

OATKIT—a cream and white she-kit

ELDERS

SLUGPELT—a short haired, black mackerel tabby she-cat, with gold eyes.

SANDSTONE—a cream classic "pseudo-tabby" tom, with curly fur, and gold eyes.

.

CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS

KITTYPETS

MEADOW—caliby she-cat with one blue eye

NOODLE—calico tom with paralyzed hind legs; uses a cat wheelchair

BELLA—brown tabby and white she-cat

MISTY—gray tabby tom

LONERS 

RAIN—dappled gray tom

POPPY—orange tabby nonbinary cat

NIGHTSHADE—black tabby she-cat

ROGUES

Unknown.

-- -- --

“Froststar still hasn’t returned?” asked Dawnstar, the leader of RiverClan. The heavily-scarred flame-point she-cat was sitting beside her deputy Troutfin. 

“That’s correct,” sighed Ratspirit, the current deputy and acting leader of ShadowClan. 

“He said that StarClan would be guiding his adventures,” explained Grizzlystep, one of ShadowClan’s medicine cats and Froststar’s cousin. He wasn’t there when this alleged message was given to Froststar, and having known the tom for his whole life, he found it a little bit difficult to believe that this was the entire story. Nevertheless, Grizzlystep would defend the leader of his Clan. “He’ll be back when he receives his message.”

“And of course, Minkslip is trying to police my every move,” Ratspirit continued. Despite being the deputy, she wasn’t very good at keeping the peace, and was prone to bitching about her Clanmates whenever the opportunity arose. Of course, that’s what a mediator is for.

“Minkslip thinks she’s helping,” Tadpolefoot, ShadowClan’s mediator, explained again to Ratspirit. His tone was patient, even though he had already had this conversation with her privately more than once. 

“Just because she’s his mate doesn’t mean she knows everything…” the scrawny black she-cat grumbled, but then fell silent. It wasn’t worth a fight; besides, she couldn’t show weakness in front of all the Clans!  

The nearly-full moon hung over the Gathering Island, where a small group of cats sat in the approximation of a circle. They slightly clumped together into their respective Clans; Dawnstar of RiverClan was flanked by her deputy, medicine cat, and mediator, and the other leaders had their high ranking cats sitting near them in a similar fashion. 

It wasn’t the entirety of the five Clans that had gathered tonight, just their high ranks - with the notable exception of Froststar. Instead, Ratspirit took the position of leader, with Ivybee, one of the medicine cats, by her side the way a deputy would be. 

“I’m sure you can save the mediating for later, Tadpolefoot,” mewed a large and lanky brown tabby tom. Moosestar, the leader of ThunderClan, didn’t want ShadowClan starting another fight tonight.  

Moosestar did not want to be here. Neither did Houndflare, his deputy. ThunderClan was still recovering from Leafbare. 

It had been one of the longest and hardest Leafbares that any cat could remember. It began snowing before Leaf-Fall was fully over, and continued snowing for two moons nonstop. The snow eventually mounted to a blizzard which claimed several lives across all the Clans, but had hit WindClan especially severely due to their lack of shelter. And of course, after the blizzard came a greencough epidemic. Many cats lost their lives, and all five Clans were still hurting severely. 

In fact, that was why Puddlestar of SkyClan had called the meeting. She was a new leader; SkyClan had lost both their former leader and deputy to greencough. Despite her inexperience, the Clans liked her - elders often remarked that Puddlestar had a good head on her shoulders, and cared about what was best for all the Clans. 

She decided it would be best to be blunt with her proposal. 

“SkyClan is going to be recruiting daylight warriors again,” the blue-gray she-cat mewed simply. Almost immediately, the group interrupted in chatter; she could hear curses and expressions of disbelief. She stood, and the group fell silent, wondering what she would say next. “SkyClan is hurting, badly; all of the Clans are. Daylight warriors are an important part of our heritage, and I believe that by returning to our roots, SkyClan will become stronger than before and prosper once again.” 

“Do you really believe that?” Moosestar asked sarcastically. 

“What’s a daylight warrior?” asked Goldenstar of WindClan at the same time. 

“A daylight warrior is a kittypet or loner who trains with SkyClan during the day, then returns to their home at night,” Puddlestar explained simply. 

“A kittypet?!?” exclaimed Ratspirit. “That’s ridiculous!” 

“We haven’t had a need for daylight warriors since leaving the gorge long ago.” The SkyClan leader sat back down, having had the expected response. 

“I think it’s an interesting idea,” Goldenstar remarked. “Puddlestar, will you tell me more?”

“Of course!” the small blue-gray cat replied happily. “Unless anyone has anything else constructive to say, this meeting is adjourned.” With that, Puddlestar stood again and flicked her tail, signaling for her high ranks to walk with her. Goldenstar and the WindClan representatives followed closely behind. Puddlestar and Goldenstar fell into step together, heads leaned towards each other as the two conversed about the merits and downfalls of accepting daylight warriors. 

Moosestar glared at Ratspirit and the ShadowClan high ranks as he stood. Houndflare did the same, mirroring her leader’s hostile attitude. 

“How are the herbs running, Ivybee?” asked the ThunderClan deputy, eyes glaring in anger. “Found any catmint recently?”

During the greencough pandemic, ThunderClan had asked their neighbors for any spare catmint to treat their ailing leader. SkyClan had barely enough to treat their own cats, and said they had received some from ShadowClan. By the time ThunderClan had begged ShadowClan for help, there just wasn’t enough to go around anymore, and eventually Moosestar had lost a life from greencough. 

ThunderClan had refused to believe that, instead claiming ShadowClan was refusing to offer them help. ShadowClan refuted the accusation, sticking by their claims that there just was not enough. Moosestar and Froststar had been at each others’ throats since then, with their deputies backing them up, all of them looking for excuses to fight. 

ThunderClan and ShadowClan were on the brink of battle. It would only take one wrong move to ignite an all-out war. 

As the moon soared above them, a massive white and gray tom made his way into ShadowClan territory, his pawpads aching. He had had a long journey, and he was ready to come home.

[warriors-heartofdarkness]