#AND ONLY KNOWING THE STORIES HER CLANMATES TELL HER

[katiek101]

Silverstream feeling devastated as she watches her kits grow up isolated in RiverClan because she understands their loneliness; and Stormfur and Feathertail resenting her all their lives because they blame her for that loneliness is such a specific type of angst that I will always devour.

#self-isolated or not #Silverstream understands feeling like there’s a divide between her and her Clanmates #and she knows how it feels to only have a few precious cats #AND SHE UNDERSTANDS GROWING UP WITHOUT A MOTHER #AND ONLY KNOWING THE STORIES HER CLANMATES TELL HER #AND WOW #WILLOWBREEZE WAS JUST PERFECT WASNT SHE? #AND SILVERSTREAM WAS JUST PERFECT WASNT SHE? #I eat it right up! #in unreleated news I started that Silverstream one-shot lol #warrior cats #fab #Silverstream #Graystripe #Stormfur #Feathertail

[bonefall]

Do you have any plans for Moth Flight in your au? I always felt like she had a lot of potential, but her super edition…. Oh it’s bad. God forbid a disabled, young, single mom try to raise children and have a job at the same time. Too bad there was no one to help her when things got stressful, like you know, her clanmates… No women should have a job and children at the same time ever again.

If it wasn’t obvious that was sarcasm, Moth Flight’s story has awful implications. But! In BB Clerics Not being allowed to have kits wasn’t a law until the Ripple Era, it used to just be a personal vow and was a bit taboo. So I’m interested in of Moth Flight still had something to do with the creation of the vow itself? And just in general if you have any plans to fix her story or if you’re just throwing the whole thing out. (Which would be completely understandable.) I just think there IS potential there in her story, especially in BB where the Clerics Vow is actually ACKNOWLEDGED to not make sense and be bad. It could be interesting for the idea to rise from such a hyper specific, awful situation. The Clans having altered her story so much over the years that it went from the truth, “the first Cleric was a young, single mother of four, trying to raise her children while morning her husband and convincing the other Clans that they needed Clerics. The odds were against her.” To the perfect, Cleric’s Vow supporting lie, “the first Cleric had kits. She was unable to balance raising them and caring for her Clanmates. She taught the Clans a valuable lesson, a Clerics first and only duty should be healing and worshiping StarClan. Kits only get in the way of that duty.”

Idk, I just feel like there’s still an interesting story to tell somewhere through all of Moth Flight’s super edition’s bs. In the hands of a better writer who doesn’t ACTUALLY believe that Moth Flight’s genuinely tragic life means that all women who have jobs can never have children or get married again.

There's HUUGE overhauls here. I spoke about it eons ago during the last wave where I was discussing my changes to BB!DOTC, but let me give you the fragments thus far.

It's VERY different. Get ready for Moth Flight to be a completely different character.

MOTH FLIGHT'S VOW

She is no longer the child of Wind Runner. In fact...

She's the daughter of Wind Runner's shitty ex, Branch

Moth's other dad is Cloud Flight (prev. Cloud Spots). Since the Great Battle, Cloud has been wandering between the 5 groups as a sort of traveling doctor. It's a lot of work, there's only him and Dapple and an overwhelming amount of cats who need his skilled paws

So Moth Flight has always been a bit detached from people. I want her to actually have ADHD this time around, instead of it vanishing when it isn't convenient.

She kind of has Military Base Kid energy, hopping place to place with unresolved mental health issues. She probably bites ppl because I love weird girls

"papas can i bring my leeches" "honey no"

Cloud really wanted to train her to be a Medic the way he is, but... she has to learn how to do it her own way.

Branch doesn't help he's a goof and mostly interested in playing games with his baby.

I want to portray Branch as someone who's flighty, not another example of "before the Tribe cats came we were uncivilized heathens without society"

I also don't like his original narrative purpose to give Wind Runner trust issues that don't matter. If she had trust issues, what exactly was all that "please let me join ur group" about??

BB!Wind Runner is a breakaway from the River Kingdom, and the leader of the loosely united Moor cats. She created the Wind Coalition and is its intense, notoriously ruthless leader

So something eventually calls Cloud to do his work for the Wind Coalition

Branch: *SWEATS*

Cloud Flight: "..............branch. what did you Do"

Branch: "youre not allowed to be mad at me"

Cloud Flight: "tell me what you did and then we'll see if im mad at you"

The take might be controversial, but I do like the way that Windstar has problems with Moth Flight for no reason. I wanted to preserve it while removing it being yet another case of motherly child neglect, and more of a case of Wind Runner holding unfair grudges. I think it's good drama

Moth Flight's love of nature, herbs, and the natural world eventually prompts her to follow a Hairstreak Butterfly to the Moonstone. It leads her through the winding tunnels, a path that only Clerics will know how to navigate in the future, to the shimmering chamber in the middle.

Through her special connection to StarClan, drawing off the early cultural view of their ancestors as nature spirits (the fact that they are star spirits is a Park Cat contribution and all 5 leaders have their lives by this point), Moth Flight is able to come into her own as a holy speaker and healer. She begins to blur the line between holiness and healing, marked by how Clanmew has only one word for both concepts.

Hairstreak Butterflies also become known as a "herald" type of butterfly. I could get into the linguistics of this, but the old Tribemew word for moth/butterfly becomes the Clanmew word for sacred butterflies.

Micah is not supremely important anymore, but he's there. He doesn't become a healer in MFV, he's just Moth's mate.

But things begin to go wrong when her kittens are born.

All four children are born with a high connection to StarClan, just like their mother.

She takes it on herself to train them, as Cloud Flight had done with her, wiser from understanding that they would learn in their own ways.

Dapple and Cloud Flight never have this connection to star spirits, and they're growing old. Cloud is ready to retire, Dapple dies in some way before she's able to train a replacement

It begins to cause panic in the groups. It was bad with only two healers, but now everything is stretched even thinner.

SkyClan, notoriously violent, is the first to make the move. Skystar was not above the practice of Kit Stealing, taking Misty's kittens and giving them to Petal Claw for her loyalty ages ago.

Kit Stealing wouldn't become common until the creation of the Law of Loyalty, which is only a few years away, but it did exist before then.

They want a Mothkin kitten.

The Wind Coalition, of course, moves to fight and protect them. They call on ThunderClan, who can usually be relied upon

ThunderClan's request... they also want a Mothkin kitten. They need doctors too.

The River Kingdom and ShadowClan are also moving to take a kitten

EVERYONE needs a doctor, and they will fight and kill to get one. They all begin to realize... if they don't separate, there will be blood. People they love will die, and they'll be ripped apart anyway

Moth Flight, seeing this, BURNING with sorrow and fury at the violence of the Clans but knowing there is no other option, tells her children to make her a promise.

"That there will be no Mothkin after you. That you will never take a mate, or give your kidnappers more children. That you will remember that they were willing to kill their own families to steal you, and that you will be loyal the pursuit of life, virtue, and your sacred ability to heal above the cruel commands of the treacherous Clans."

Having accepted this, the family calls for an end to the fighting. Each child chooses a Clan to go to, and has their name changed.

ThunderClan: Spider Flight -> Spider Flight (no change)

SkyClan: Honey Flight -> Honey Pelt

RiverClan: Bubble Flight -> Bubbling Stream

ShadowClan: Blue Flight -> Blue Whisker

They're being shuffled based on which Clan they go to because it always bothered me that their names don't match their Clans, and also Spider Paw going to RiverClan when he has a phobia of water is insulting and I said no

So, TL;DR, this is a completely different story because DOTC is the one arc that I don't value "fixing." It needs a complete overhaul, imo.

This one would take place after Thunderstar's Justice, which immediately follows the First Battle. In terms of timeline, first is Hollyleaf's Century, 30 years later BB!DOTC begins and lasts several years, a few months after the First Battle begins Thunderstar's Justice, and then Moth Flight's Vow follows a year later.

#Moth Flight's Vow #BB!DOTC #Better bones au

[brackenfur]

(continuation of my other brightheart drabble; i'll link when i find it)

brightheart's always known that this day would come, ever since she discovered she was pregnant - that even though her child instinctively loved her, whitepaw would always have questions, especially as she got older, more mature. she'd want to know why brightheart is missing an eye, why half of her face is marred in scars. why her mother still wakes up from nightmares, why she shudders and sometimes even breaks down when she hears dogs barking from the other side of fences.

brightheart has thought of hundreds of ways to answer whitepaw's inevitable questions, but she still finds herself speechless when whitepaw pads up to her one afternoon, green eyes cautious, and gently asks her: "is it okay if i ask you how you got hurt?"

whitepaw is so kind, so cautious - she has the same gentle nature of her uncle, brightheart's brother brackenfur, and it makes the story come out of brightheart a little easier.

she doesn't now why she feels scared to tell her daughter, why she hesitates. she's had to tell the story dozens of times, has had it recited in front of her by her clanmates when she's unable to speak - it's not new. she relives it in her nightmares every week.

but this is whitepaw - gentle, sweet whitepaw, who should never have to worry about these things. about dogs larger than anything she's ever seen, snarling and snapping after her as she runs. about her friend, her best friend, screaming at her to run, run as fast as she can-

she shudders as she starts to tell whitepaw about swiftpaw. she's not sure if anyone in thunderclan - goldenflower, or even brambleclaw, maybe - has mentioned him before, but whitepaw's ears prick as brightheart begins to talk about him.

"he was my best friend," brightheart finishes, looking away from whitepaw's face. "he didn't....if he'd known what was really at snakerocks, he wouldn't have led us there. the last thing he ever did was try and protect me."

whitepaw is quiet for a long time, her face taunt with what seems like horror - she watches as brightheart shudders softly, shaking out her fur as she attempts to dislodge the memories from appearing in front of her again. i'm here. i'm in this moment, right now, not back there.

"i'm so sorry," whitepaw finally says, her face crumbling as she presses herself against brightheart's side. "i'm so happy you're here now and that you're my mom, but i'm..."

"that's right," brightheart whispers, licking whitepaw's ears. "i'm your mom now, and i'm- it's hard some days. but i'm here now, with you and your father and you aunt and uncles. i'm still here." she says the last part a little more quietly, as though she were reminding herself.

"i'm sorry about your friend, too," whitepaw murmurs, and for some reason that hits brightheart the hardest at all.

most cats speak to her and apologize to her for what she had to go through, but hardly anyone talks about what poor swiftpaw went through. goldenflower and longtail do, but the clan has had to move forward.

she can't, though. she can't ever forget him - she doesn't want to.

"i am too," brightheart whispers. "i miss him every day. he was my best friend - he should've..." she trails off, unable to think of the what if's. she cant put herself through it again, about what swiftpaw could have been, should have been.

"what was he like?" whitepaw asks, her head cocking to the side.

brightheart is taken aback by the question momentarily, but she can't help but smile - she thinks of swiftpaw's upbeat attitude, his seriousness. his maturity far beyond his moons.

"he was funny," brightheart murmurs. "he was really funny, but he knew when it was time to be serious. he trained every single day; he was the best fighter amongst the apprentices at that time. he used to joke around with your father - i think swiftpaw was the only cat who could leave cloudtail speechless."

"he sounds like he was a good friend," whitepaw purrs; brightheart looks down at her daughter, smiling softly.

"he was," she agrees.

#wc #shark noises

[fallenclan]

(music stinger plays as it becomes clear that it was I, ALL ALONG, who sent the unfinished art ask. You will never guess what I have not managed to do with this art. BUT ! I send this to you as proof of concept, and with it the thoughts that spurred it, and articulation of what it is meant to be.)

(First Image: Grasspaw, Yewpaw, Otterslip, and Ivypaw all sit together, perhaps at a first gathering. Grasspaw sits straight, looking up and off the the side, while Yewpaw crouches with a doubtful look and pressed the side of his face into Otterslip's fur for reassurance. Otterslip looks sympathetically at his son, smiling slightly in understanding, his tail wrapped around his daughter beside him. Ivypaw sits with one paw raised excitedly, smiling and looking off at something out of sight.

Second image: The corpse of Grassroot lays on the ground, bloodied and mostly obscured. There is an empty space beside her. Otterslip sits, drenched, with his back to the viewer, staring up towards a rainy sky with his tail wrapped around himself. There is an empty space beside him.)

What I MEANT was for Yewberry and Ivybounce to feature in the second image as well, in the foreground whereas Grass and Otter would be in the background - Yewberry bristling with his claws unsheathed, angrily crying (contrasting his being hunkered down and leaning on Otterslip in the first), and Ivybounce curled up with her kits and looking lost, haunted (contrasting the way she looks ready to explore and happy in the first image). That said, I suppose there's a poetic element to only the cats they've lost being visible... Ah, either way.

BUT! What got me thinking about it was the naming ceremony drawings of Grass, Yew and Ivy, how Yew looked uncertain and Ivy looked so confident in them... It got me looking at their traits, and the fact that Otter and Yew both had insecure seemed kinda relevant to me - I think he would've tried to be there for him about it, certainly given he was there for Hailcrash how he was, and I think it would've made the betrayal of it hit a lot harder for him. This cat he always thought he could depend upon, who reassured him about himself, who he looked up to... Is a murderer? This cat he loves, he's standing here at his trial and not even just admitting to this sin, no, trying to say he was right to kill one of his own clanmates, to kill a medicine cat? While his sister was expecting, while they were already supposed to be mourning their sibling? His own father?

...No. Not his father anymore - this cat isn't even part of his clan anymore. He isn't his blood, isn't his kin, isn't his father and isn't Ivybounce's kits grandsire. He isn't anything to them. (Yewberry lied, lying, well-adjustedly.) ...Like father like son, maybe. It's his first instinct to cut out the disease.

(Ironically enough, it kind of mirrors how I've taken to thinking about Otter and Scorch's relationship... Except, with a far different ending.)

Whereas with Ivybounce... God. I don't think she was as reliant on him, she's seemed pretty well put together throughout her career, but there's still something to be said for just how quickly she lost two family members in a row, one dead and one disowned (and without her say! without her having a chance to reconcile it, first, no chance to figure out what in the world she could say before Otterslip is banished and Silverbelly is being attacked and Yewberry's claws are flashing out at their father - or not their father, anymore, if her brother is to be believed, and she's not even sure she'd disagree but he didn't even wait for her-), especially all so close to the birth of her kits with Sleepycloud... It's a major upset, you know? Even with Sleepy and Yew both there to support her, there's an empty space in the nursery where her dad should be, telling her kits the same stories he told her and Ivy and Grass. He was so good with Fernslug, when she was little, and he didn't get to see her get the name she'd been gunning for since she knew what a warrior ceremony was. She's not sure Yellowjay and Sweetclover even really remember him, aside from fuzzy kit memories of falling asleep in his fur. They didn't even get to meet her sister, and even if she wasn't sure Grassroot would be all that good with kits, she thought she'd have a chance to find out.

I think they'd both be pretty shaken up by it all, in their own ways. This is Definitely late, also, apologies (head in hands embarrassed) but . You know!!! I'm thinking about cats

(BONUS: Listened to Haiku by Tally Hall recently and it might be cause they've been on my mind and it kind of makes me think of Ivy trying to find a way to tell her kits about their family despite. All of it. And sort of fumbling around it, just because of how complex it is...) (DOUBLE BONUS because I feel bad giving just one of them one and not the other: Yew compels me a lot... I think his name really fits, both for the spikes of his fur and how the bright red of the berry feels fitting with how he's been characterized with the Otterslip trial, striking out suddenly, switching on him so quick. All of the litter's do, actually! Ivybounce feels resilient and able to bounce back from things, generally sort of energetic, and Grassroot feels fairly sturdy and certain, confident enough to strike out on her own.) (TRIPLE BONUS! DIDNT SEE THAT ONE COMING... Neither did I actually my heartfelt apologies. Still, three for three? I have Grassroot looking upwards in the first image partially because it's where she ends up, doomed to the stars. ALSO though, it's because she's a good climber <33 she's staring off at a tree over there... BTW, the traits fast runner and great climber feel pretty well suited to evading dogs. Was she on patrol with someone else, when it happened? I have a feeling she might have put herself in the line of danger on purpose.)

THAT'S HORRIBLY LONG. ...WOOPS <3! PREENING WITH DELIGHT ABOUT BEING THE FIRST NOTED ANON ALSO :3 BAFFLING TO THINK I MAY HSVE BEEN THE FIRST NAMES ANON ON THIS BLOG, SEEING HOW MANY YOU HAVE NOW... WARM REGARD! AND TO ALL READING! I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL :3

(- 🐈‍⬛)

AUGHHG AUGHH ALL OF THIS LITERALLY ALL OF THIS!!!!!! the art is SO good i absolutely adore your art style you have no idea. unfinished or no i see the idea im holding it so close to my chest aughh

i love the way the names fit actually thats so cool--the way you manage to find symbolism in my stuff that i didn't mean to put in there is so baffling in a good way aughh. and you're absolutely correct about Yewberry relying on his dad a lot more than his siblings, he's always been fairly unsure of himself, and i think he and Otterslip are a lot alike. i took the insecure trait as a sort of lashes out a lot, grumpy kind of thing, and Otter has never really connected with cats in the way that most do, so they are absolutely similar in that regard. and yet Yew turned against Otterslip so fast and Ivy didn't get the chance to even say anything... you're so fucking correct all of this

YES Grassroot was with other cats when she got killed!!! it's been so long now I can't remember who was there, though I want to say Sleepycloud was one of them?? they found a large dog wandering in the middle of the territory and tried to chase it out, it got a lucky hit on Grass and she didn't make it. i was super sad when she died bc i liked her a lot, i actually considered resetting the moon but im a little glad i didn't bc it fuels the story. so well. and you just pick it all out like That its unreal <333

#fallenasks #fallenart #black cat anon

[notwarriorswiki]

Just curious, in your Po12 au how do all the cats find out they have powers? How do they find out that each other have powers too? I love this au sm, thank you for sharing your creative stories

As they're all born with their powers, it takes them some time to realize they are different from any other cat. Most of them assume every cat feels the way they do, but over time they realize, usually through their peers, that what their experiencing isn't actually the norm.

Jaypaw is the first to truly comprehend his powers, but that is because he's the chosen avatar of sorts for the great being that presides over StarClan. He's flat out told he's special, and he's characterized as a pretty smart cat who is far more observant and emotionally aware than many give him credit for. Realizing not everyone can feel the pangs of sadness or highs of joy from those around them is startling. Even knowing that, Jaypaw continuously struggles with expressing himself because he doesn't fully comprehend that his thoughts and emotions aren't obvious to others like they are to him.

Others, like Dawnpaw for instance, figure it out because those around them starting noticing and finding it weird. For Dawnpaw, she knows when a cat is telling the truth and when they're lying. Her sheer confidence declaring this gets her in trouble, and she only starts acting out more, finding it unfair that she gets in trouble for being honest and calling someone out. She struggles to conform to respectful standards, challenging those around her and developing a superiority complex.

Minnowpaw gets called out rather early on too when her mentor thinks she drowned when she didn't come up for air for so long. She is very confused, insisting she's fine, but her clanmates pass it off as delirium and her trying to show off. Despite Minnowpaw's best efforts growing up, she gets categorized as a "problem child" by her deputy father, so she doesn't get far even when she tries to brag about her underwater abilities.

And don't even get me started on Tigerpaw practically yelling at his mother that he was right in front of her when she couldn't find him during their night time patrol...

#warrior cats #po12 #dawnpelt #jayfeather #minnowtail #tigerheart

[ebonyclaw]

Flames Reduced to Ash: A Leafpool AU

Fanfic under the cut!

That evening, Leafpool was busier than she had been in a long time. The last time that she had felt this essential was during the aftermath of the badger invasion. Just like what had happened all those moons ago, today there were many injured clanmates for her to attend to, as well as medicinal supplies for her to gather, organize, and stockpile. Cats were brought to her choking: with lungs full of smoke, pelts full of ash, and scalding burn wounds. Their eyes were frenzied with pain and fear as she cared for each and every one of them as if they were her own kits. She soothed their pain with herbal poultices, comforting them with her soft voice and gentle touch. Due to the sheer amount of patients that she was faced with after this latest catastrophe, she kept only those with the most severe injuries in her den that night. The rest with more minor burns were sent to recover in their usual sleeping areas.

At this point, Leafpool was running dangerously low on both sleep and patience. After all, it is hard work being the ever-accommodating medicine cat of Thunderclan, especially in the wake of a disaster such as the great fire which had devastated their camp. What Leafpool really needed was a break, but for some reason, her former apprentice Jayfeather was nowhere to be found. It was now moonhigh, and the brown tabby was getting increasingly anxious.

Just as this anxiety began to stir in her mind was the silence broken by a rustling at her den entrance. Turning her head, Leafpool spotted a thick-furred ginger cat roughly shouldering her way in.

“Squirrelflight!” Leafpool breathed a sigh of relief, leaping from her nest, “I was beginning to worry! Have you seen…“

This momentary relief was short-lived, as Leafpool then got a better look at her dear sister. Squirrelflight’s pelt was patchy and burned, and she also had deep scratches oozing blood on her shoulder. She looked exhausted and ready to collapse. When Leafpool looked into her sister’s eyes, she saw a dark and haunted expression returning her gaze.

Leafpool rushed to her storage to get some herbs to treat Squirrelflight’s wounds. As she was hurriedly gathering some cobwebs to stop the bleeding on her sister’s shoulder, she was interrupted by her harsh mew.

“The kits… Leafpool… they know.” Squirrelflight croaked. 

Leafpool’s eyes shot wide open and she immediately looked around the den at her sleeping patients. With a nervous flick of her tail, she gestured for Squirrelflight to take this discussion outside, offering her a shoulder to lean on for support. They did not walk far, as Squirrelflight had already used most of her energy just making it to the medicine den. However, this conversation needed to take place where prying ears could not overhear. Sitting down and tucking her tail over her paws to hide the trembling, Leafpool looked her sister in the eye.

“Tell me Squirrelflight… What exactly happened during the fire?”

Squirrelflight began to let out several raspy coughs, her lungs and throat still raw from inhaling smoke. After her flank ceased heaving, she turned to look at Leafpool with serious eyes.

“During the fire: Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and myself were all searching for an escape route. We were surrounded on all sides by roaring flames, and things were looking bad. However, just as we were about to cross a fallen log to safety, Ashfur appeared from the smoke and blocked our exit.”

Following along with the story attentively thus far, Leafpool was left shocked. Ashfur? But he was their trusted clanmate!

Squirrelflight continued, “I yowled at him to move, to let us go, but you should have seen the hatred in his eyes… Leaf, it was chilling.” She shuddered when recalling the thought of the gray tom’s icy gaze. “It was as if this was a long time coming, like he was waiting for this perfect moment of revenge.”

Leafpool shuffled closer to her sister and gave her cheek a comforting lick, but Squirrelflight was not done with her story yet. She continued, “He was still… so angry that I refused to be his mate all those moons ago.” The ginger cat sounded hollow, “He couldn’t accept that I had long since moved on, that EVERYBODY else had already moved on. For Starclan’s sake Leafpool, the kits are all fully grown warriors now!”

Leafpool was left dumbfounded and completely unable to understand. How could a cat carry a grudge over something so trivial for so long?

“He was furious, and he was yelling about how much pain he was in and how it was all my fault… About how he didn’t ever hate Brambleclaw, he only ever hated ME for rejecting him.” Squirrelflight sneered in contempt, “At that point, I just wanted to make sure that the others could get to safety, so I asked him to please let them go. I thought that since his issue was with me he would have no reason to hurt them.”

Leafpool’s eyes were wide with sympathy, and she wrapped her tail around Squirrelflight’s own quivering tail. 

“B-but he said that they deserved to die too! He said that he would do anything to hurt me… including murdering those three! So… I told them all. I was so angry that he would dare to harm those innocent cats that it just erupted out of me. I said that Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather were not my kits.”

Squirrelflight looked defeated and her ears fell flat, “Leafpool you should have seen their faces…”

Leafpool’s eyes misted over as she was overcome by the reality of the situation. She couldn’t help but to let out a gentle sob. Squirrelflight noticed her sister’s distress and rasped her tongue over her head,

“They do not know who their real parents are, don’t worry,” she mewed, reversing their roles as she turned to comfort Leafpool, “They didn’t even ask. They seemed to want nothing more to do with me as soon as we escaped the fire.”

This did not comfort Leafpool in the slightest. “But you ARE their mother Squirrelfight! Just as much as I am!” Squirrelflight tensed, surprised, as Leafpool continued, “You and Brambleclaw, you are the two cats who raised them! It wasn’t me, and it sure as Starclan was not Crowfeather. You will always be their mother.”

Squirrelflight sighed, “I do not know if they see it that way, Leaf.”

“They will surely come around, they were just shocked and scared, especially after having their lives threatened by their own clanmate! They have had a very eventful day… As a matter of fact, so have you. Go rest now Squirrel, we will work through this together, starting tomorrow.”

Squirrelflight met her sister’s eyes and blinked in exhausted appreciation before turning to go to the warrior’s den. Leafpool watched her leave, feeling like there were ants crawling under her pelt. That cat, their clanmate Ashfur, was suddenly very, very dangerous.

Leafpool padded back towards the entrance of the medicine den, her mind buzzing like a swarm of biting mosquitoes. Ashfur. Ashfur. Ashfur. 

He knows now that my children had to be kept a secret. After all, they are not only the children of an inter-clan relationship, they were also the children of a medicine cat! He may not know why, or who their real parents were, but with some digging he could find out. This was much worse than Squirrelflight let on. This could ruin everything, not only my position within Thunderclan, but the lives of my family as well…

While her consciousness was still rushing, Leafpool spotted him. In the darkness of the night, near the bramble barrier at the edge of the camp, there was a pair of glinting blue eyes staring back at her. The eyes blinked and disappeared, and Leafpool saw a spotted tail flick briefly into sight as the other cat turned and left. 

Rising to her paws, Leafpool began to move without even deciding to. Despite not having the same warrior training as her sister, Leafpool’s instincts took over as she began to tail the smoky gray tom through Thunderclan’s vast forest territory. She followed his scent over fallen logs and across streams, making sure to always stay hidden in the brush. They were heading deep into Thunderclan territory, and Leafpool could not help but wonder about his intended destination. Where could he possibly be going at this hour?

Suddenly, the scent that she was following was alarmingly close, he must have stopped moving. Crouching low, Leafpool peered out from between the leaves to see Ashfur pacing back and forth by the large river that cuts through their whole territory. His tail was lashing and his brow was furrowed. The gray tom then unsheathed his claws and slashed at a nearby piece of brush, letting out a frustrated hiss. Due to the exchange she just shared with Squirrelflight, Leafpool knew the context for this show of aggression. She realized that the reason that he was so angry was that he did not succeed in his scheme.

Leafpool couldn’t believe her eyes, she had always known that Ashfur was not her most pleasant clanmate, but she was never aware of just how much hatred he harbored in his heart. It is not as though she had disbelieved Squirrelflight’s story, but hearing about Ashfur’s true nature was different than seeing it herself firsthand. Leafpool knew then that she should leave, she had to return to her den and pretend that she saw nothing. However, her paws felt rooted in place, and her breath was becoming heavier. She kept watching the angry tom while her heartbeat accelerated. Her thoughts were spinning with fear, as the cat before her was clearly unhinged, and he also had a grudge against her dear sister. 

The emotion that began as terror quickly flickered into a rage that surprised Leafpool with its ferocity. She thought of how scared her children must have been during that confrontation in the fire. Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, Jayfeather… Squirrelflight… I love you all so dearly, and this selfish cat nearly took you all away from me! How dare he!

With trembling legs, she took a single step back, only to feel her paw land right onto a twig. The snap was quiet, but Ashfur’s ears immediately shot upwards. He was now on edge, as his eyes frantically darted around the clearing for the source of the sound. Leafpool held her breath and lowered herself even further, until her belly was brushing against the forest floor. Now, Ashfur was sniffing around the edges of the clearing, getting nearer and nearer to her hiding place. Leafpool felt her claws quietly unsheath and dig into the moss. As Ashfur got closer, Leafpool held her breath. 

Suddenly, recognition sparked in Ashfur’s eyes and he threw his head back.

“I know that you are here, Leafpool!” He yowled, fur bristling, “I can smell your fear-scent!”

Leafpool felt her muscles tense. The sound of her name sent a jolt of lightning down her spine.

“I am sure that Squirrelflight would be DEVASTATED if something were to happen to her sister!” Ashfur meowed smugly, flexing his claws.

Leafpool felt her blood go cold, fully realizing the precarious situation that she had placed herself in. They were both deep in Thunderclan territory with no other cat around, late at night. Far enough away from Thunderclan camp that their sleeping clanmates would not hear any yowling in the distance. Ashfur was a formidable warrior, with many moons of battle experience, and Leafpool was a cat trained only in healing and botany. He was also particularly dangerous for another reason, and that was the strength of his undying hatred against Squirrelflight. Leafpool then understood that if he were to find her now, it would result in a fight to the death. This would be a fight where the odds would be heavily stacked against her.

Leafpool knew then what she had to do. Not only for her own safety in her current situation, but also for the safety of her family in the long-term. She rose a little from the ground, enough to gather her strength in her haunches. She could see Ashfur’s gray paws approaching the bush that she was hiding inside. Up until now her thoughts had been a surging river, but at this moment, her mind went scarily silent. She patiently waited for an opportunity to present itself.

When Ashfur crouched beside her hiding spot to investigate closer, his eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something. These words never left his mouth however, as Leafpool erupted from the foliage and wrapped her claws around Ashfur’s speckled shoulders. She had the element of surprise, and she knew that she had to finish her attack quickly before he retaliated. Leafpool used all of her weight to bring Ashfur to the ground as he was spitting in rage. His claws flashed past her face to score a scratch in her flank, and her blood splattered onto the stones beneath them. Leafpool gazed into his eyes, aglow with fury, to see nothing but a stranger behind them. She did not hesitate, with the thoughts of her sister and children drowning out any doubt or fear that may have remained in her heart. Pinning the tom to the ground, Leafpool sunk her teeth deep into the light fur of his throat. She held fast, and as he writhed underneath her, she felt his skin pull and tear away in her jaws. Leafpool did not hunt prey for her clan, so she was shocked at just how warm the fresh blood was on her tongue. This must be what catching fresh-kill feels like! She thought, mortified.

After his thrashing slowly began to subside, Ashfur went limp in Leafpool’s grasp. She loosened her grip on his shoulders, and removed her fangs from his neck. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, and he was convulsing at her paws. After a few seconds of a sickening gurgling, he went silent, blood trickling down his chin. Leafpool decided then to take a good look at the wound, just to be absolutely sure that it had killed him. The wound was deep and messy, and was surrounded by torn fur and exposed bloody tissue. This was a kill accomplished by an inexperienced killer, and it was sloppy. The part of her that was a medicine cat grimaced, and she immediately knew that the wound was fatal. 

At once, Leafpool was struck by both a sensation of relief, and that of a deep and existential horror. She felt as though she was going to be sick. Never in her life did she ever expect to be a cat who would intentionally  kill another, not with her line of work as a healer. She restrained herself from retching, and she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She inhaled and exhaled the crisp night air, grounding herself and relieving her nausea. I am used to seeing nasty wounds and smelling blood. She attempted to reassure herself.

The corpse of the gray tom could not be left here in the clearing, and Leafpool knew that. While his open throat could have been caused by a fox or dog, especially given how messy the kill was, the deep scratches on his shoulders were clearly that of a cat’s. Leafpool was certain that his body would be discovered by her clan’s dawn patrol the next day if he were to be left here. It would be better for Ashfur to be considered missing, as opposed to being found as a murder victim. That could lead to a lot of trouble, and potentially even conflict with another clan if they got blamed for his death. Leafpool did not even want to imagine what the consequences would be if she was discovered to be his killer.

Now that the adrenaline coursing through her veins had stopped, Leafpool suddenly felt very small and weak. Using the last remnants of her strength, She hoisted up Ashfur’s body so that it was draped over her back. Slowly and painfully, she hobbled with him towards the riverbank. His back legs dragged across the ground, and his throat was leaking a bloody trail onto the soil. Finally, once she had reached the edge of the river, she shrugged off his body into the churning current below. This river was the deepest and the swiftest on their territory. Leafpool hoped that his body would be carried all the way to the lake so that it would disappear for good. It would be best if Thunderclan quickly forgot about this rotten tom. Leafpool thought darkly.

She watched as his body vanished downstream, and then she washed herself clean with the water. She also cleaned away the bloody trail that he left behind, as her clanmates would be able to tell by the scent that it was cat blood. She looked through the canopy of leaves above her, at the slivers of visible night sky. The stars above twinkled mockingly back at her, almost as if they were saying, we saw what you have done. Leafpool felt a rush of indignation at this perceived scrutiny. Judge me however you like! She thought bitterly to herself, I have served you for my entire life, and all you have done is abandon me when I have needed you the most.

It would soon be sunrise, and Leafpool had to return to the camp before it was time for the dawn patrol. She hurriedly retraced her steps through the forest, all the way back to her den before collapsing in utter exhaustion. The blackness of sleep began to overtake her within moments. Her bravado in the face of her ancestors from earlier had already begun to fade, being replaced by an inescapable terror that shook her to her very core. Oh Starclan, what have I done?

#Warrior Cats #Leafpool #ashfur #doodles #fanfic #i had a ton of fun writing this! #i have only been recently getting back into creative writing so be nice :) #i also NEEDED to draw a companion illustration for this! #let leafpool do a MURDER she has earned it

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 2

Oilpaw is apprenticed to Weedfoot to train as a historian.

[Image ID: Oilpaw and Weedfoot face each other. Underneath Oilpaw, it reads LEVEL UP! OILKIT -> OILPAW, AMBITIOUS -> CHARISMATIC]

Oilpaw. Oilpaw the First. Oilpaw the Greatest of Apprentices. The first apprentice in the history of RippleClan! She bit down a cheer as her small Clan congratulated her in the dim light of early dawn. The late summer heat had yet to devour the camp, making it the perfect time for Downstar to leap on a rock jutting from the shipwreck and announce Oilpaw’s training as a future historian. Hold on, she wasn’t just the first apprentice. She would be the first proper historian! Weedfoot didn’t count, she may have been an AshClan historian, but she joined RippleClan as the deputy. Oilpaw was the true first historian. 

“Oilpaw,” Weedfoot purred, waving her tail in Oilpaw’s face. “Are you finished daydreaming?” Oilpaw shook herself back to reality. There was a lot to do and not many paws to get things done, so the Clan was already leaving to handle their duties. Rustshade, her father, had vanished. Hmph. Fine. If he didn’t want to stay for longer congratulations, he didn’t have to.

“Yes, ma’am!” Oilpaw chirped. “Do we get to tour the territory now?”

“That’s right,” Weedfoot chuckled. “I want to show off the portions of our land that used to belong to AshClan. I can explain why we took so much land from our old home but only a sliver of territory from our other neighbor, WheatClan.”

“Yes!” Oilpaw cheered, bouncing. “Lead the way, ma’am!” Oilpaw and Weedfoot couldn’t get out of camp fast enough.

(Oilpaw: 6, female, charismatic, morbidly curious)

(Weedfoot: 51, female, charismatic, very clever, steady paws)

While on a tour of RippleClan territory, Oilpaw and Weedfoot find something very, very strange.

[Image ID: Oilpaw and Weedfoot face a giant, bipedal frog-man holding a torch. The text under Oilpaw reads + CONDITION: SHOCK]

“There were many more supporters of RippleClan in AshClan before that battle,” Weedfoot sighed as Oilpaw followed her through the steep trees. “Our Clan was brutal. Only two of us survived. Even then, Paleshade… her wounds proved too much for her. She lasted a quarter moon with me as AshClan’s prisoner. If your father, Fennelspot, and Downstar didn’t risk their pelts to get me out, I may have ended up the same.”

“Tell me the names of the other AshClan supporters,” Oilpaw begged. “I want to know everything.”

“Please remember, I’m not teaching you our history to entertain you,” Weedfoot sighed. She paused on top of a mossy, scratched rock. “We aren’t artisans. The stories we tell are true, and we need to respect them.”

“I’m respectful!” Oilpaw groaned. She rested her front paws on the rock. “I promise!”

“Alright,” Weedfoot said. She glanced up, studying the warm-tinted clouds as dawn grew brighter and brighter. Oilpaw settled below her mentor. Fir and spruce trees cast heavy shadows over the pair, as though sensing the weight of the moment. 

“It’s important to remember the phrase as I say it,” Weedfoot said. “It will help you recall information correctly.” She took a deep breath, and said “Here are the fallen Ashes in the Water, the AshClan cats who stood against their Clanmates and asked for a different life; Lavenderleaf, Redcloud, Sprucespring, Wasppaw, Finstrike, Burdockstream... and Paleshade. StarClan knew of their mission and accepted their cause, welcoming the group into StarClan despite how they turned against their Clan.”

“How do we know they got into StarClan?” Oilpaw asked. Weedfoot chuckled and leaned closer.

“Because Fennelspot saw them,” she purred. 

“Woah,” Oilpaw gasped. 

Her eyes drifted past Weedfoot as a glimmer of orange light cut through the trees. Oilpaw thought it was the rising dawn, but the light danced before her. It wasn’t sunlight, but fire. For a brief moment, Oilpaw thought the forest was on fire. But the fire wasn’t on any of the trees. In fact, it moved between the trees like a bird. Weedfoot must have seen the sudden fear in her apprentice’s eyes, for she turned around just as the figure holding the fire aloft on a giant stick emerged.

It had its back to the sunrise and its face covered in shadow. If it was further away, it could have been mistaken for a short, fat human. But this was no human. The bulbous, smooth skin of a giant frog towered over Weedfoot and Oilpaw. It was as tall as three cats. Its torch shined into its huge white eyes as it held it overhead. The firelight shone onto the cats.

“Weedfoot, what is that?” Oilpaw hissed. She crouched behind the rosetted deputy with every hair on her pelt standing on end and her back arched as high as it could go. 

Weedfoot took a defensive stance in front of Oilpaw and growled at the monstrous frog. The frog stared at the duo unblinkingly. Its smooth chin slowly grew and grew like a bubble on the surface of the sea. Its chin stretched and bulged farther than Oilpaw could have thought possible. Then, it croaked. The sound was as loud as thunder. Birds squawked and scattered overhead. Oilpaw yowled, her paws stuck. 

Then, as carefully as it appeared, the giant frog slowly marched back into the tree line. Its slimy webbed feet were gentle and made no sound. For a while, all Oilpaw and Weedfoot could see of the massive beast was its torch glistening in the trees. Eventually, even that vanished.

“...I think I want to go home now,” Oilpaw gulped.

“Me too,” Weedfoot whispered.

(Oilpaw: 6, female, charismatic, morbidly curious)

(Weedfoot: 51, female, charismatic, very clever, steady paws)

(I know it’s weird to interrupt cool lore with weird frog man, blame the generator and the Halloween event - Em)

#rippleclan #rippleclan clangen #clangen #warrior cats #warrior cats clangen #warriors #weedfoot #oilpaw #rippleclan story

[seaofcereal]

I think I saw you but I know I'm not supposed to - Scourge's ghost haunts(affectionate) Squirrelflight

Chapter 1 - Ghosts and Clanmates

Squirrelkit was never alone.

Which was in itself normal, kits aren't supposed to be alone. She was only three moons after all.

Leafkit was always around, they would go into all sorts of adventures and get scolded by their mom. They would cuddle together at night and play fight all day, Leafkit was awesome.

There was Spiderkit and Shrewkit who were also pretty fun if not a little annoying, but they never got too annoying cause all of them were under the watchful eye of Goldenflower and Ferncloud.

There were also her parents. Sandstorm's warmth as she licked her clean, Firestar's voice as he cooed at how cute she was and how much she looked like her mom and the general sense of safety they provided. Always around.

Once they were allowed to leave the nursery and roam around camp she was the happiest kit ever, Leafkit was excited too but thought Squirrelkit was acting like she've never seen another cat in her life.

Squirrelkit ignored her, she clearly didn't see what Squirrelkit did. All of these cats would always be here for them, she would get to befriend them and help them and support and all of that warrior stuff her dad always talks about, Squirrelkit loved to be around other cats.

She would run around camp, strike up conversation with Brightheart and Cloudtail, bother Thornclaw and Brambleclaw, get scolded by Dustpelt and Mousefur and listen intently to Frostfur's and Speckletail's stories. She had so many clanmates she made it her mission to know each and every one of them.

Her and Leafkit would also help Cinderpelt carry things around, Leafkit seemed fascinated by her and even though Squirrelkit didn't really get the appeal of herbs she was proud her sister seemed interested in taking care of her clan in some way.

Squirrelkit on the other paw wanted to be the best warrior she could be. She asked Brambleclaw (who was kind of rude to her but he's going to learn to like her even if he doesn't want to) to show her some battle moves. He grumbled and complained but agreed once Squirrelkit had told him that she thought he was cool.

Brambleclaw wasn't such a good mentor, he took her to a quiet part of camp but he seemed eager to get her off his paws so he gave her instruction and left before she could ask any questions. Should she tell Firestar? She definitely will tell she doesn't want him as her mentor.

She tried to do what he had told her and got in a stance, her legs wobbled and she fell on her nose. She immediately got up with her ears burning with embarrassment and looked around to see if someone had seen her. She only found one pair of amused icy blue eyes looking at her.

She wasn't alone.

It was easy to forget about him sometimes but he was always there. Dark and quiet like a shadow except for a mildly transparent white paw just like hers and his sharp blue eyes.

She had asked about him to her dad once, he looked startled and told her with a nervous laugh that she was too young for those stories, she felt offended but realized only she saw him after she complained about the whole thing to Leafkit who asked her if she needed Cinderpelt.

She remembers talking to him for the first time, how he jumped and asked if she could actually see him, she scoffed and demanded his name.

She learned his name was Scourge and that he wasn't a clan cat, she asked if he was a starclan cat and it was his turn to scoff. He also refused to elaborate saying he didn't want to overwhelm her little rat brain with such a long story, scoff again.

He was there to complain about her clanmates and be sarcastic, she ignored him most of the time.

"Are you trying to give your enemy a laugh attack?" he asked approaching her, his voice was airy like it was only close enough to hear even though he was right next to her. She glared "I'm just doing what Brambleclaw told me to!" it wasn't her fault Brambleclaw was a sucky mentor! Scourge hummed "I guess that if he's a full-headed furball like his father he'll not be any good at giving advice" he said mockingly examining the stance she tried again. Squirrelkit wanted to giggle at Brambleclaw being a furball but didn't, she was honorable like that.

"Come on, do it like this" he got into a stance, he was smaller than the other toms in the clan looking rather faster than stronger. She tried to copy him "No not like that, you'll break your muzzle like that" she nudged her head back softly with his eerie white paw, she suppressed a shudder at how strange it was, it was there but also not really.

She pushed her head back and got lower like him "Now you approach like this" he moved in zigzag and swatted the air with his dominant paw, Squirrelkit frowned. "That's not how the warriors do it" said Squirrelkit, Scourge rolled his eyes.

"That's just how your clan does it and it's just to intimidate, there's little real harm you can do to a cat coming upfront" he disdainfully said walking back to her "All bark no real bite, the way I do it it's to disequilibrate and injure their side". He poked her ribs playfully to prove his point and she stumbled with a hiss.

"Why would warriors purposefully ruin their chance to strike their enemy?" Squirrelkit asked and Scourge just shrugged indifferently, Squirrelkit tilted her head. "Well little rat, are you going to try or not?" she glared but got into a stance "My name is not rat, is Squirrelkit!".

"Well Squirrels are just tree rats, aren't they?" she scoffed indignantly at his wry smile and charged at him with the move she just learned. "I can tell you're not a clan cat by how dumb you are!" she swatted her tiny paw at his shadowy leg, he barked a laugh "I can tell you are a clan cat by how dense you are!" he lifted his leg out of her reach and she stumbled forward.

Before she could ask what dense means she heard footsteps approaching "Squirrelkit are you there?" she turned as she heard her father's voice, behind her she heard scourge back away with a hiss. "Who were you talking to?" Firestar approached and began sniffing the air looking for another cat.

"No one! I was practicing a battle move Brambleclaw showed me, do you want to see?" Squirrelkit said as convincing as she could manage, Firestar gave her a smile with a twinge of something she couldn't catch. "Brambleclaw?" he asked, still with that weird expression.

Scourge huffed out a laugh behind her, Squirrelkit ignored it "Yes, do you want to see?". "Maybe later kit" he leaned down and gave her an affectionate lick in her cheek "It's late and naughty kits who stay out get taken by hawks". Squirrelkit squealed while he chuckled and took her by the scruff.

While being carried she looked back at Scourge, he looked at her with something she couldn't quite catch either. She gave him a smile, he slipped away.

He seemed lonely, Squirrelkit would hate that.

Maybe if she's the only who can see him it's a gift for her, so she will never be alone.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I swear this isn't Brambleclaw slander that's just the way he is. I apologize if some thing are incorrect and if there are typos anywhere. This was inspired by the mary. squirrelstar au pmv. by lycanctrophy on youtube and the title is from the song ghosts by Jacob Tillberg. I also uploaded this in my ao3 account. Thanks for reading like I said and any comment is greatly appreciated! ❤️

#warrior cats #scourge #squirrelflight #warriors au #fanfic

[midzukishino]

Continuing the theme of favorite characters - here is Appledusk and Reedshine!

I never really liked Appledusk before, but I reread Mapleshade's vengeance last year, tried to think about the story from his point of view, and man.. I love him so much right now! To be honest, there is no much information about his true thoughts and intentions in the book, but versions where he is just "afwul dirty cheater-traitor" are more than enough. It's too easy to see him that way, so there is my version: I think Appledusk and Mapleshade are pretty young, it would explain why they made such immature decisions. Many young cats quickly fall in love with cats not from their own clans, because of mistery, adventure.. C'mon, a new person is much more attractive than old boring neighbors at first. But it couldn't last for long in any way. First of all, Mapleshade is.. not the best cat for relationship even before all this dying kits stuff. She's too selfish and has a tendecy to black-and-white the world (things that she likes are the best, that she doesn't are the worst, no midtones). The moment when she thought about her dead clanmate "damn, why exactly you died, that's troublesome" told me a lot, lol. And secondly, most of clanbetween relationships should end like this. There is no way for these cats to know each other well enough, it's like love someone in your head. No wonder that Appledusk lost his "love" to Mapleshade pretty quick.

His only mistake was that he didn't break up with her at the time. My thoughts: he couldn't because of the Birchface accident. They didn't meet long enough at the time as far as I remember. Breaking up when someone you still like (not love) tells you about pregnancy.. not the best time. I couldn't do this in his place. What about having kits in the first place - who in warrior cats at least knows how kits happen? They are so surprised about it every time..

I think Reedshine loved him long before, but he saw her as a friend? But all the drama with Mapleshade made him vulnerable and Reedshine's care helped him to "see" her.

The Anger on Mapleshade for the drowned kits seems pretty fair to me: Appledusk was there when their kits were extremely tired after swimming in still river AT THE SAME DAY, and his clanmate warned Mapleshade about river's danger. They're his kits too, and he had all the rights to be angry because of their death. And even after this he didn't atack Mapleshade when she literaly threatened his clanmates. It shows that he still liked her.

I didn't find any proof that my theory is wrong (except for Maple's thoughts, but she's unreasonable), so I prefer this as my own canon. I'm tired of seeing manipulative, ugly, cowardly and petty Appledusk with cool powerful Mapleshade, really. And though I'll never understand why murder is more acceptable thing for people than cheating. That's.. weird. But who am I to judge, let people think as they want!

By the way, playing with their names is pretty interesting! Dusk with shine\lights seems really beautiful, but with shades\shadows it's.. horryfying. I like all the symbolism behind it. I’d like to see them raising their kits together. The fact that Apple will see his younger kits when they will be literally older than him in life and won't have anything in common with him, makes me sad :(

#Warriors #warrior cats #appledusk #reedshine #mapleshade

[canon-notcanon-warriorcats]

"We need more female villains in warrior cats! Ya'll coulnd't handle mapleshade and she was a rather decent villain. Most of the time people just pick two sides: everyone but maple was wrong or everyone was right and maple was wrong. When, in fact, it's a much more deep and complex situation. More like everyone was an asshole expect for like, the kits, Myler and nettlepaw (there are more but like, i don't really remember). The thing with the book is that it is not black and white, most of the characters are morally grey with light or dark tendencies, but still in a grey area. Like, I can understand where Ravenwing is coming from, he's interpreting a sign from starclan and telling his clanmates about it. Oakstar and Frecklewish are deeply wounded due to being lied to about the kit's being Birchface's. However, does that justify the treatment towards Petalkit, Larchkit and Patchkit? Of fucking course not! It's not their fault who their father is. To Mapleshade? Understanble, to literal kids? Never. So much so, that I believe that if the kits got to stay in thunderclan, with Maple being the only one exiled, she would've not turned into revenge. After all, we all know that the thing she loved the most was her kits, and them being taken away from her forcefully, with her having little to no time to properly mourn their deaths, was what led her into the path of murdering those who wronged her *and* her kits. I feel it usually falls flat on the fandom that they were what mattered the most to her, and Appledusk's open denial about the kits was another trigger for her revenge. That and, let's be honest, Appledusk was one of the biggest assholes in the entire book, not only he was cheating on Reedshine with maple (who neither of the two were aware existed), he didn't give two shits about his kit's deaths. And one more thing, people used to shit so much on Reed, when she was right?? I know we are seeing Maple's pov and she sounds like an asshole but, she's not wrong, in the end Appledusk would always stay with her whilst maple was a fling. It sucks and it's bad but she isn't wrong. That sucks for maple but yeaah. As for Maple herself, a liar, a murderer, and a blame shifter. But also a mother, one that due to grief, rage and feeling betrayal over the death of her children, went down a path she would never be forgiven for. She definetly deserved her end, don't get me wrong, She is a very unreliable narrator too, but every narration of her has some truth to it. She's also stubborn and will get what she wants under all costs. But that's what makes her a good villain. I love her slow descent into quite literal madness over the grief and pain, how she feels that each of her kits live's should be paid back with more death and grief. I fucking adore this character ya'll don't understand. But yeah she's not a 100% Sauron evil character nor an "UWU baby girl wronged by the masses". She's a villain, she fucked things up, and she was a mother who loved her kids and her kids only. We will never get a villain like her again and we should be praising this book for how good it actually is. There won't be any other tragic villain stories like this. And if we do get another female villain, let's hope it's at least a decent character and not just a more worse attempt like sleekwhisker 2.0 Please correct me if my assesments are wrong but I'm having Mapleshade feelings and how everyone does her dirty with interpretations.

nah, mapleshade's story is really good and 3-dimensional (or as 3-dimensional as warrior cats has really gotten)

almost everyone in the story does something wrong, the situation is multiple people's faults, every single character (except those you listed) made mistakes, very tragic mistakes, but also very REALISTIC mistakes

mapleshade became a villain because of her society's rules, because of a merciless leader who decided to also punish toddlers for their parents' crimes (whether oakstar was like that throughout his life or if it was out of grief for his son) and because of her own bad choices

mapleshade is (or could have been) one of the most complicated and 3-dimensional villains the series has had because most other villains are "they were just born like that" or "they were bullied" or "daddy issues" i do wanna correct one thing though, i think the implication is that appledusk cheated on mapleshade with reedshine, not cheated on reedshine with mapleshade, since reedshine had been pregnant when mapleshade and her kits were exiled (unless appledusk and reedshine had been mates before he started seeing mapleshade and they just had kits later, i dunno), but that doesn't really matter in the end, appledusk cheated and was an asshole

i think the problem is that sometimes people just don't really... think critically about what they read, or don't have reading comprehension skills, as well as possibly they haven't read the book since they were a kid who did not have reading comprehension skills and they just still go off of what they remember thinking as a kid (part of why i wanna re-read through the series now as an adult to freshen my memory as well as to see how i feel about everything that happens in the series as an adult as opposed to how i felt and what i thought reading through the books as a kid) i also think it would've benefited to have seen mapleshade before she had gotten pregnant or before she had even become mates with appledusk, because we don't really get to see who she was BEFORE all of that tragedy, before she started lying to all her clanmates, we don't get a baseline of who she was before shit hit the fan

also i wanna mention that i do love sleekwhisker and raven as female villains because i DO like them literally just being evil for fun, like they just don't care they're just assholes

but i do want more complicated villains, i want complicated villains with 3-dimensional characters and backstories, and also i would love if we had a villain like that that was female and also the backstory didn't have anything to do with them being a mother

#warrior cats #long post #like female villains but their villainy has nothing to do with their gender #also maybe a villain who becomes a villain that has to do with them being a dad #no onestar does not count with that... probably

[morningmask27]

Hawkfrost X Whitewing?

WhiteHawk three au. Birchfall pulled a Thrushpelt. Ivy is the actual third, and a bio whitebirch kid. (Yeah plant 3 with neglected bird sister this time <3)

Fennelrush (Lionblaze) is strong and stubborn and a great fighter. He still has his canon powers and he's not going lightly with them. He definitely has killed a few cats accidentally during fights. He's a meathead, but in Very Rare occasions he makes a good decision. He has anger issues though. 

Flaxroot (Jayfeather) still blind. They're smart and cunning and have a position between warrior and healer. They do patrols and hunt and have trained as a warrior apprentice, but since fights are slightly too much for them they usually (read Usually) avoid participating in them. They also have a huge knowledge of herbs and are thus a sort of extra healer for the clan. They still have their canon powers and they don't use them sparingly.

Falconstrike (Hollyleaf) is the one training in the dark forest. Falcon is obsessed by the code. She wants to be the strongest warrior of the clan too, she wants to be a respected warrior and maybe even leader, who knows, it's an interesting position. She's also very motivated by the kin of tour kin prophecy, she's special, guys, she's special! Right? She trains with Hawkfrost because he promised her the keys to becoming a strong and respected warrior. 

White has her kits right after Hawkfrost died. She's having a mental breakdown when Birchpaw finds her and after Whitepaw explains the situation, this young kiddo proves how he has a heart of gold by suggesting he pulls a Thrushpelt and say he's the father of the kits. White accepts and yeah. Some cats still judge them for their "accident" bit it's better than half clan prejudice. White and Birch raise the kits together and the two start to become quite closer romantically. When the three are nearly warrior aged White is expecting kits again, this time from Birchfall. These are Dovewing and Ivypool. 

While the three are apprentices, Flax, like in canon learns of the kin of you kin prophecy. Flax understands quickly it talks about them and their siblings. Falcon tries very hard to find her power, but fails to do so. 

The three are amazing older siblings to Dovekit and Ivykit, but one night Falcon overhears White and Birch argue over if they should ever tell the three that Birch isn't their bio dad. White doesn't want to tell them, but Birch kinda does want to. Falcon is very shocked by that and then her dark forest mentor, Hawkfrost, taunts her, making her go mad. She's angry and confronts White and Birch in presence of Flax and Fennel. The two brothers are horrified. White confesses to everything, the three are furious. 

Falcon also fully learns that she isn't a part of the prophecy, but Ivykit is. Having inherited Dovewing's canon power. This makes Falcon become even angrier and she threatens Dovekit and Ivykit to punish White. (keep in mind Dove and Ivy are about 4 moons at that point and realize very well what's going on). Eventually she breaks and runs off. 

"little" drabble of the story, all in Whitewing's PoV.

I knew I should never have hung out with Hawkfrost. I knew he was a terrible cat and he didn't care about me, but he was the only cat I felt free around. My parents are amazing, but I have to be perfect around them, and they had their own problems in their relationship then and I didn't want to be involved. Hawkfrost gave me a way to escape the situation. He was funny and witty and never coddled me. He challenged me and laughed when he lost, he complimented me. Most cats in ThunderClan did, but these felt real, realer than any repetitive statement about a good catch by a clanmate, even though I knew he didn't feel anything for me. 

I knew things would go wrong. I was still a -paw. Not that I was too young, I was barely a few moons younger than Hawkfrost, but the destruction of the forest had delayed my warrior ceremony and then, I decided to wait until Birchpaw was ready too, to not leave him alone in the apprentices den like I had been. That status of -paw did definitely make things complicated when I discovered it. 

It was shortly after Hawkfrost had been found dead by the border, a foxtrap bored through his neck. I had to pretend very hard it didn't affect me. Why would it? He was a cat from an enemy clan, why would I be sad about his death? I felt sick. I had trouble doing my work because of how weird my belly felt. I thought it was because I mourned him. 

I would have never thought it was because I was expecting kits. Leafpool was surprised, but I was horrified. I quickly escaped the den after begging Leafpool to not tell anyone. I ran into the forest and found a quiet spot. I began crying. I couldn't believe how badly those meeting with Hawkfrost ended. I knew it was him, I wasn't close to any other cat, but I still somehow hoped it wasn't. 

StarClan must have heard me and felt pity because Birchpaw found me. Usually he can't find a mouse when it's right in front of him, so StarClan must have definitely sent him my way. He saw my tears and became worried. And asked what was wrong. I like Birchpaw, but I wasn't about to tell him what I had just learned, but he kept on asking. He wanted to know if I at least could tell someone, which I knew I couldn't, so I began crying again. 

He silently pressed himself against me and let me cry. When I had ran out of tears he asked if I was ok again. I wanted to stracht his ears of, but his worried eyes made me decide to keep that for another time. He waited in silence for a response. I felt doubt tugging at me, but I told him anyway. I told him everything. From my parents to the meetings with Hawkfrost and the kits I was expecting now. I broke down crying twice while explaining everything and wondered why he was still there. 

When I was done he silently nodded. I had never seen him so contemplative as that day. He was deep in his thoughts for a few heartbeats before looking at me. Determination visible in his eyes. 

"We can say the kits are mine." 

I was taken aback by what he had just said. 

"It would still be awkward to explain, but at least some of the problems would be fixed, right? If the clan knows both parents, they're less likely to be prying." 

I had honestly underestimated how smart Birchpaw could be sometimes. I thought about it for a very short moment. It was the most sensible option. The kits would be treated as fully clanborn kits and everything would be fine, but I needed to be sure about one thing. 

"Would you genuinely be ok to be called the father of kits that aren't yours?" I needed to know. It all depended on him. If he was ready for this charade I'd go along, but he would have to play along. 

"Yes, and I'd even love to be involved in taking care of them if you're ok with that." 

He looked at me with such kindness. I then knew I had found a cat I should treasure. 

—

"What do you think about Flaxkit for the white and cream kit?" He asked me. I nodded with a smile. 

"It fits them." I answered. I then looked at the gray and white kit. It looked like it'd be a strong cat. 

"Would Fennelkit suit the gray and white kit?" I asked. Birchpaw had jokingly suggested having a theme for their names, but I liked the idea. 

"It is beautiful." He answered, adorating brimming from his eyes. 

"Then Fennelkit it is." I affirmed. We stayed silent for a while. Neither of us really daring to say anything about the brown and white kit. I had seen the faces my parents had made when they saw it, I had seen Firestar himself flinch. I know brambleclaw looks a lot like his father and I know that kit looks like brambleclaw a bit. All that didn't change the fact this kit needed a name. 

"Is Falconkit too close?" Birchpaw softly asked. I looked at my kit. This brown and white kit that had an uncanny ressemblance to one of the most feared and hated cats, whose son had fathered these kits. 

"Falconkit would definitely suit them." I agreed. It would just be a name, nothing more. Their brown fur could be explained by Dustpelt, it was going to be fine. The kits would be fine. 

—

"You know I can also stay in the nursery." I said. I looked at Birchfall, who had just recently gotten his name. I had gotten mine as soon as the clan knew I was expecting. It was mostly to not have a -paw in the nursery, but it was still very awkward. The clan had looked at me so weirdly. I didn't dare to look anyone in the eye that day and nowadays it's still hard sometimes. 

"It's fine- oomph-" he was cut short by Fennelkit and Falconkit running into him. The three kits were growing every day. They were definitely going to become strong and big cats. 

"As I said," Birchfall began after extirping himself from the two kits, "I like spending time here with the kits." I smiled again as I watched Flaxkit jump on Fennelkit's back. The two rolled until they hit my paws. They looked up and smiled at me. I smiled back and helped Fennelkit on his paws. 

"Thanks mama." He mewed. 

"If you're so sure." I answered. I couldn't help but smile as the kits swarmed him again. 

"We got papa!" Flaxkit yelled. 

—

I felt weird again. I thought I recognized the feeling from somewhere, so I went to ask Leafpool and Honeypaw about it. I was pregnant again. This time I was surprised, but also so happy. 

Birchfall and I had been growing closer since we raised Flaxpaw, Fennelpaw and Falconpaw together. They have grown up so well and I'm very proud of them, but I was also excatic about the idea of having kits with Birchfall. I knew they'd grown up wonderfully too. 

—

"We can't keep it a secret from them eternally" Birchfall stated. I felt my fur bristle. 

"We raised them together to protect them from having to know it." I argued back. 

"I had suggested this to protect them from the Clan judging them, I never thought you'd also want the kits not to know the truth." Birchfall lashed his tail as he spoke. I cringed unintentionally. What if they don't take it well? What if they hate us for having kept this a secret for so long? What if they want to learn more about Hawkfrost? I surely can't give them more details, but he definitely isn't a good cat? How would they feel of they learned that? I kept wondering. Birchfall looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. 

I shook my head. "Sorry Birchfall. I don't think it'd be a good idea. They might want to know who their father is and become angry." 

"What? Do you mean I would not be their father if they learned the truth?" He tensed up, his claws flexing repetitively. 

"No, you wait, that's not what I meant-" I tried to reason, but he was already walking away. 

"I'll be taking care of my kits if you need me." He said. 

I stood there and watched him leave. I heard some faint rusting from behind me, but I only looked in front of me, to where Birchfall had left. 

What have I done?

—

"Tell us who it is!" Falconstrike yelled. She had her fur fully bristled out in anger as she looked at me. I couldn't more, not only because my kits were looking at me, but because I knew I had to say something. 

"Tell us, now. Tells us who our father is!" She approached her face scarily close to mine, snarling from disgust as she looked me in the eyes. 

"Falcon, I-" I stammered. How could I explain this without hurting them? How could I feasibly explain that their father is dead and from another clan?

"What do you mean from another Clan?" Flaxroot asked incredulously. They stared right at me. Fennelrush and Falconstrike looked horrified. 

"Uh, yes. Your birthfather isn't Birchfall. He raised you and loves you three so much, but his blood isn't in your veins." I began explaining. 

"Then who is it?" Fennelrush asked. He looks so much like Hawkfrost when he thinks like that. 

"You weren't going to tell us our dad is Hawkfrost, right?" Flaxroot exclaimed. Their eyes were wide. How can they know all those things? I took a deep breath. 

"Yes, your dad is Hawkfrost, but he has nothing to do with you three. You are still my and Birchfall's kits. We love you. We didn't tell you to protect you from how the clan would react." I pleaded. 

"How could you love is if you lied to us all our life? We didn't even know who we are!" Flaxroot snided. 

Falconstrike growled. "you lied to us. You broke the code and we are born from a crime and you never told us. We should have never been born, but you should have never even been allowed to approach us." She approached me again, slowly and with her claws out. She growled again and lifted a paw to hit me. 

Fennelrush pushed himself between us. "Falcon, don't do this!" Falconstrike's hit deflected weirdly. Not hurting Fennelrush at all. She landed clumsily on the ground. "she might have lied to us, but you can't just attack her like that." He stood in front of me, but mostly paid attention to Falconstrike. She glared back at him and growled. He didn't move until she stood up and didn't make another attempt at attacking. 

I watched horrified as my kits fought each other because of me. I never wanted any of this to happen to them, why couldn't they just live a happy life? 

— 

"I can hear a cat yelling." Ivykit said. I worried a lot about her lately. She often heard things that no-one else could and loud sounds overwhelmed her terribly. 

"They're in need of help!" She yelped. "We need to go find them!" She looked at me desperately. 

"Sweetie, are you sure you heard things right?" I asked, hoping she'd tell me it was a lie or something. 

"No, mama, this cat needs help!" She stubbornly responded. She looked a bit further away and saw Flaxroot passing by. 

"Flaxroot! Flaxroot! Please, I need help to help a cat!" They stopped in their tracks as Ivykit ran to them. I followed her hesitantly. I knew they were still angry at me and I didn't want to make things worse. I prepared to scoot Ivykit away, but Flaxroot asked Ivykit. 

"What do you mean by a cat needs help?" They looked at her. 

"A cat in the first is yelling in pain, we need to help them!" She responded hurriedly. 

"Ivykit, please-" I tried to keep Ivykit from bothering her sibling. 

"No, you, stop." Flaxroot snapped at me. I shut my mouth immediately and looked at what was happening. 

"Tell me more about that cat, Ivykit." Flaxroot gently nudged her. 

She stood confidently. "a cat in the forest needs help. They are in pain, we need to save them." 

"Do you know who that cat is or where they are?" Flaxroot asked. 

"I- uh. I can hear water not too far from them?" She tried. 

Flaxroot narrowed their eyes while Ivykit was lost in her thoughts. At this point a patrol emerged from the entrance. 

"We need a healer!" Brackenfur yelled, "a WindClan cat, Heathertail, got attacked by a fox by the stream and no-one knows where Kestrelflight is!"

Flaxroot immediately turned their head towards the patrol. "Leafpool and Honeypaw are out gathering herbs, but I can grab some and go with you." 

Brackenfur hurriedly nodded. "yes, please, she's been at the stream for a while, I don't know how long she still has if her wounds aren't treated soon." 

Flaxroot nodded. Before they went to the healers'den they turned their head to Ivykit again. "We will be talking again after this is done, okay?" 

Ivykit happily agreed. 

—

"Falconstrike, no-" I exclaimed. I tried to get closer to where she was standing with Dovekit and Ivykit, but when I tried she just pressed her claws deeper in Ivykit's fur. Ivykit let out a pained squeak. 

"Don't. Come. Closer." Falconstrike slowly threatened. I obeyed her, but kept my eyes focussed on Ivykit and Dovekit. Dovekit was cowering from behind Falconstrike's legs and Ivykit was pinned on the ground by one of Falconstrike's paws. 

"Please, Falconstrike, why are you hurting your siblings?" I asked. I hoped it at least make her reconsider, but she just spat at me. 

"Those aren't my siblings, I don't have the same blood. Because of you!" She yelled. The two kits peeped in fear from Falconstrike's anger. "you broke the code and that caused us, and then you believe you can just have better kits after that? These kits don't deserve to live, just like we shouldn't have been born!" She yelled.

"Falconstrike, this isn't true. Please, don't take out your anger on these kits, they are innocent. If you need to punish someone, it's me. Hurt me if you need to, but leave the kits out of this." I bowed my head down. Please let this work, please, Falcon let the kits go. Falconstrike looked hesitantly between me and the kits. She didn't move and furrowed her brows. 

Ivykit let out a small cry while she was thinking and Falconstrike broke out of her thoughs. "oh, shut it, you worthless kit!" She hit Ivykit on the face. Ivykit yelled out in pain and covered her face as well as she could with her paws. I briefly saw red, this was too much. I sprang on Falconstrike, pushing her off Ivykit. Dovekit ran to her sister and dragged her away, out of me and Falconstrike's path. 

We rolled over the forest ground until I had her pinned under me. She struggled to escape, but I had more experience and kept her stuck on the ground. She eventually gave up after a long struggle. 

She let herself go limp. "come on then, finish this. You brougt me here, so now finish me." She blankly said. I stared at her in pure horror. How could I ever hurt her? She's my kit and I love her. 

I let her go as I said: "Falconstrike, you are my kit. I can't kill you, I love you too much for that, no matter what happened." 

She stood up and glared at me. "No matter who my father is, huh? Is that why you replaced me and my siblings by these two worthless spawns?" She raised her voice again. "I- I-" her voice broke. She fought back against tears as she looked at me. I tried to comfort her, but she pulled away from me. "don't touch me!" She yelled. She took a step back and then turned around. She ran off. I watched her leave. When I knew she was gone I slowly turned around to find Dovekit and Ivykit. They need me right now. But so does Falconstrike. How could I mess this up so badly?

#i am allergic to making things short and simple it seems #warrior cats #hypokits #whitewing #hawkfrost #lionblaze #jayfeather #hollyleaf #birchfall #sorry for making the kits a po3 the three au #it just doesn't make practical sense to have TWO halfclan litters that are firekin and don't know about their parentage #so leafpool is fine in this au. sorry queen for making you a background character <3 #and honeyfern is her apprentice

[bonefall]

!! Please tell us about BB cats and songs you associate with them!!

Ok! Including YouTube links too, just so.

Darkstar: Little Dark Age - MGMT

I like how the song feels... hazy and confusing. It feels like a lull in a person's life from which they emerge better, stronger. Especially the bridge,

"I grieve in stereo, the stereo sounds strange I know that if you hide, it doesn't go away If you get out of bed and find me standing All alone, open-eyed Burn the page, my little dark age"

It makes me think a lot of what Darkstar was faced with. A bleak future from a pointless tragedy, the knowledge that SOMETHING has to change now else it will never get better, how the knowledge of StarClan's pending punishment sort of isolates her from the feelings of her Clanmates.

She has allies, like Volepelt, who she can't understand. She has supporters who still don't 'get it' like Spiketail who she can't empathize with. Both all alone AND open-eyed, if that makes sense

Cloudtail, Ferncloud, Ashfur: To The Blade - Everything Everything

This song means EVERYTHING to me when it comes to them, dude.

That gentle opening teleports me to the exact moment in BB!Cruel Season where Ferncloud is told that Ashfur tried to kill the Three, the way her mind is certainly racing, scrambling to comb through every interaction she's had with him, trying to piece it together so it makes sense, and then that HARD DROP

It sends me back to TNP, the death of Brindleface, little baby Ashkit, how she had to do the relay race with Elderberry, raising him and seeing him grow up into a loyal warrior

And Cloudtail too, thinking about Ashpaw's adolescence, wondering where it came from, if he failed him, if he didn't properly raise his best friend's little brother properly.

The growing possessiveness in Ashfur and the commitment to the Code that eventually makes him the impostor

To The Blade was written by EE to be a song about a person whose semi-distant relative (cousin, uncle, estranged brother) joined some kind of radical group, terrorists, alt-righters, incels, etc, and finds out about it through some kind of violent attack. A bombing or a murder, y'know.

It's about how you can never really get closure, and how attempting to understand it will only make it all more painful. It's about the vague feeling that if someone so close to you DID such horrible things, then, what stopped you? What was different about you and them? Could you have saved them?

"There's a thing that you always said and it is no words"

It's their song to me. It's the song about this little unit of cats.

Lizardstripe, Bluestar, Oakheart: We Both Reached For The Gun - Chicago

There's a full amv in my head to this one for Bluestar's trial scene. Billy Flinn (Lawyer) is Lizard, Roxy (Defendant) is Blue, the reporter woman is Oakheart in a fake mustache. The narrator in the opening is Oakheart WITHOUT the fake 'stache. The other reporters alternate between legitimately curious StarClan Jury and Thistle Law supporters.

The first bridge ("Oh yes oh yes oh yes we both--") is Bluestar awkwardly doing a complicated little dance (implied that Lizard taught it to her) that the jury fumbles repeating the first time, but by the end of the song they PERFECTLY repeat the dance.

The final "Both Reached For theeeee guuuun" is sung by Thunderstar, a massive godlike-figure who was just hanging out observing in the background for most of the song. He is a patron of Justice and Judgement, so him repeating this line is symbolizing that they successfully convinced the majority of the jury.

All that's left is for Lizard to paint the Thistle Law supporters in a bad light in another song lmao

Runningnose: Snuff Out The Light - Emperor's New Groove

Another one I've got a whole AMV in my head about. I can imagine the whole story of Brokenstar's Cataclysm to this song, and honestly I listen to it on basically every bus ride because of that lmao

The song escalating is his schemes succeeding. First, convincing Brokenpaw to leverage Raggedstar to install him as Cleric ("Studied well, I learned the trade"), helping Brokentail hide his murder ("Every wrinkle soon be gone"), coming up with new and ghastly ways to win fights ("I've really stopped at nothing"), and the musical interlude just before the climax is him poisoning Marigoldkit and chuckling triumphantly as they have a good excuse to exile Yellowfang for getting in their way.

The final part is the WindClan Massacre as they stream into camp. In particular "CROCODILES AND CARRION BEASTS" is Blackfoot about to bite Deadfoot and breaking his fang on the gauntlet, and "JOIN US IN THE COMING FEAST" is Tangleburr blocking the exit with a mauled Stoneclaw under her claws.

Hollyleaf: Fishies - The Cat Empire

Something about the mythological references, the way it seems like the singer is trapped somehow, the way it feels excited and desperate. I don't have citations for this one but something here clicks for me.

AND LASTLY here's some I have no thoughts on, I just associate them

Featherwhisker: Clumsy - Fergie

Tawnypelt @ Tigerstar: Telephone - Lady Gaga

Blackstar: Losing My Religion - Rem. Of course. Come on. This is HIS song.

Blackstar again because I think about this man too much: 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon. I think it is my sacred duty to reinterpret songs about breakups as being about Blackstar being forced to live without Russetfur

Thunder Storm: Mama - MCR

Squilf and Bramblestar: Your Ex-Lover Is Dead - Stars

Hawkfrost and Ivypool: Say My Name - Beetlejuice

Spottedleaf and Tigerclaw at the end of Spottedleaf's Plague: Memento Mori - Will Wood

Mistyfoot at the end of TNP towards literally everything: No Children - Mountain Goats. Ok like I love this song and how people use it but what if it was about the whole Clan and not just a breakup... Misty smashing Leopard's head against a rock... mourning Hawkfrost even though he did all that to her... thinking about all the goddamn work she has to do... man

#bone babble

[runn1ngn0se]

I really hope that Nightheart x Sunbeam is a trashfire of a relationship and for that to be the point.

We as a society forgot that the point of Romeo and Juilet was that the two of them were rebelious, emotionally charged teenagers who got infatuated with eachother once, but then when their families steped in and started telling them no, in defiance they pushed further and further into eachother into it eventually killed them both. The tragedy wasn't that they never got to love eachother, it was because they never got to explore their relationship in an honest manner that wasn't them acting spiteful to everybody else.

The point of Nightheart and Sunbeam is that their entire relationship is based off them using eachother to act in defiance of or to escape their clanmates (Squirrelflight, Bramblestar, and Sparkpelt in Nightheart's case, and Lightleap, Blazefire, and Berryheart in Sunbeam's case), and that the two a very clearly both emotionally unstable [Ya sure Nighthearts show that plenty of times, but Sunbeam was just seething at Lightleap in the most petty manner durring her little bothers funeral]

My hope for Shadow and onward is that they have a honeymoon period at first where they're all lovey-dovey, but then relationship slowly but surely begins to slip apart as their more unstable elements clash, but the two will refuse to seperate because it would mean making Squirrelflight and Berryheart smug, so it just continues to rot until it finally explodes in dramatic fashion.

The fact the the will-they-won't-they aspect of the story is already over 2 books in (which is the usual way to keep a romance plot like this going, see BristleRoot), and they couldn't possibly fill 2/3rds of 4 books with "Berryheart doesn't like Nightheart", they need something more for their story and I think this would be great for material.

I know this fandom would hate a story like that, but I've always been capivated by the toxic trashfires of relationships like RaggedYellow, and I'm excited to see us get that as a plot in a main series arc.

I really do hope this is their intention, cause if they do play it off as actually genuine and correct, then this arc is gonna be another kind of trashfire.

I understand people's hesitation to believe that the Erins could pull of a storyline like this without it slipping and falling on its face given their track record, but I'm willing to wait it out and see if they can stick the landing. Shadow is going to be a really important book in solidifying how i feel about this arc going forward

Also people who say Frostpaw's chapters are the only good ones only care about "the plot" and I think those people are boring

#warrior cats #nightheart #sunbeam #a starless clan #asc sky

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

The Bramblesquirrel Problem.

Canon!Bramblesquirrel has GOT to go. And I already have plans to have Squirrelflight with the silly, happy Shrewfoot (Shrewpaw, not pancaked). But... If I do this right from the start, the ripple effects will no longer make much sense for a story. So I have proposed an alternate solution.

During TNP, Shrewpaw leaves Thunderclan with Leafpaw and Squirrelpaw despite the fact that his warrior assessment is to take place the next day. The Shadowclan cats are Tawnypelt and her apprentice, Smokepaw. The Windclan cats are Crowpaw and Cranberrypaw. And the Riverclan cats are Hawkfrost, Feathertail and Stormfur. Brambleclaw is Squirrelpaw's link back to the clans where they can get information just like Leafpaw could in canon. This will fade after the journey. This isn't budging, but it has caused some changes that posed a problem of where to go from that point.

The answer?

Divorce, babes, Divorce.

Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight still get together after the Journey (though it seems Leafpool knows something she isn't telling), Ashfur still fucks around and finds out.

After The Reveal (which is handled differently anyways) he does tell Squirrelflight off only for Hollyleaf to snap that he allowed Ashfur to bully her during her apprenticeship. Not only that, but another secret comes out through Hawkfrost, now a changed cat from that Journey; that Brambleclaw was training in the Dark Forest with Tigerstar and Mistfang, Tigerstar's surviving sister, only stopping when he was presented with the opportunity to kill an unconscious Firestar. Hawkfrost killed Mistfang and saved Brambleclaw's life. The Three feel betrayed by the cat they thought was their father and side with Squirrelflight and Leafpool, at least with them, they know that love is unconditional.

The end of The Last Hope sees the 2 trying to give it just 1 more shot but Bramblestar is on thin ice, especially with the Three, who only want Squirrelflight to be happy. He acts better during Bramblestar's Storm and I will give him credit, it is hard to be a leader, especially a new one, in a crisis situation; but he falls back into his old ways during AVoS, being Xenophobic towards Skyclan and the (Rewritten) Sisters, and a terrible parent towards Sparkpelt, Alderheart, and Dandeliontuft.

Meanwhile, Squirrelflight is realizing she has feelings for her oldest and closest friend, and he loves her too, and her children who he helped raise when Bramblestar was too busy, whoch I will iterate, isn't entirely his fault, but Firestar is much more present in Squirrelflight and Leafpool's lives.

This culminates in Squirrelflight's Hope, now named Squirrelflight's Freedom. She snaps, stepping down from her deputy position and publicly dumping him much to the unexpected approval of her clanmates, even if they will miss her being deputy. Hollyleaf is made deputy and though she is thankful for the position and can be civil, she has not forgiven him, much to Bramblestar's shock.

Shrewfoot and Squirrelflight get together and he is an incredible dad to his new step children (one of whom he mentored for a while). However, this causes a rift between leader and clan leading into some new odd behavior from Bramblestar later on... were his eyes always that blue? He is so strict now, so devout to Starclan, and he is being awfully cruel to the new deputy Hollyleaf now as well, just like her old mentor was...

#warrior cats #warrior cats rewritten #bramblestar #squrrielflight #shrewpaw #hollyleaf #a vision of shadows #power of three #squirrelflight's hope #the broken code #ashfur #warriors au #i think ill be redoing jessy #jessy #bramblestar's storm

[snowclan]

WildClan Origins (Take Two)

Lets try not to corrupt the save this time, yeah?

Lore is the same as the last WildClan, so in case youre new and havent seen the old clan:

WildClan is a Clan founded by Rogues, Loners, and Kittypets chased from the Twolegplace by a hostile rogue group. Many cats had two choices: Stay and join the group, or "face the consequences". WildClan was founded by cats that took a third option: Flee.

Wildstar, formerly known as River, was a kittypet. Despite her seeming lack of experince in the forest, she is a keen hunter and has an accurate intuition. She is Ficklepaw's mentor, and acts motherly towards Runningpaw.

Silverfur (formerly Silver) is the current deputy, and the oldest cat in the clan alongside Heatherstripe (both 108 moons). He is quite distant from his clanmates, often preferring to be alone when not sorting patrols for the day. However, he sometimes takes a more elder-like demeanor and will spend evening hours telling stories to kits and apprentices--as long as they sit still and be quiet. He is currently mentoring Runningpaw.

Heatherstripe (formerly Heather), is the current Medicine Cat. Many question her abilities as a Medicine Cat since she was formerly a kittypet, but most also agree that she has yet to kill anyone from using the wrong herbs. Despite her long fur, she's a surprisingly avid swimmer.

Fenneltooth is a senior warrior that lived in the forest before the clan was formed. No one really knows what his old name was, but few pushed for it since they were all getting new names anyways. He's an extremely confident cat and enjoys spending time with the younger cats in the clan. He's Foxpaw's mentor.

Prancefoot (Prancer) and Smallspot (Comet) are a pair of kittypets that joined the clan "for the fun of it." Both are extremely charismatic and are often seen chatting together. Before the founding, Smallspot dreamt of StarClan and, upon sharing her story of the dream with Prancefoot, journeid out with the excitable she-cat into the forest.

Foxpaw, formerly called Fox, is one of the older apprentices in the clan. Her active imagination tends to overshadow her careful personality.

Ficklepaw (Fizzy) is a loving cat, and many have caught him purring alone as his imagination takes hold in the early night hours. He has a small crush on Runningpaw, but refuses to mention it.

The youngest of the apprentices, Runningpaw (Dasher) was another cat that lived with Prancefoot and Smallspot prior to coming to the clan. She snuck out and tailed the two when they left and refused to go back as she didnt want to "miss out on the fun stuff again."

Brownkit is the only kit in the clan. Being very polite for her age, she tends to cheer up many cats just be being around. She especially likes to hang around Silverfur and listen to his stories.

#clangen challenge #my art #warrior cats #origins

[redux-iterum]

Burning Hearts: Chapter Twenty-Eight

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Nights passed with no word or action from any of the boys. Fireheart could never find a good time to catch Tigerclaw alone and have a chat with him; as if to taunt him, the deputy was always busy or engaged in conversation with someone else. To keep from raising suspicion, even if he internally swore there was no risk of that, he kept his head down and did his business as he was ordered, or hung around his other Clanmates and listened to their stories.

He never asked Ravenwing about the investigation, either. If he hadn’t known what he was doing, he never would have suspected Ravenwing to be trying to solve a mystery laced with murder and danger. The only clue that something had changed was the faintest light of intensity in his eyes that never seemed to leave. Perhaps having a purpose like this was calming some of his anxiety. Fireheart certainly hoped so, grim as it was.

Greystripe, meanwhile, stayed close by camp and his friends. He and Ravenwing were completely at ease with each other, as if nothing had ever happened. Fireheart could at least be grateful for that, and for Greystripe returning to normal warrior business of hunting and patrolling when called for. Fireheart watched carefully for any sign that the rest of ThunderClan suspected him of his RiverClan business, but aside from more or less one comment about Greystripe being around more, no one seemed to notice anything different. How that was possible, Fireheart didn’t know.

But that couldn’t last forever. Greystripe’s feet began twitching when he was forcing himself to lounge around and act normal. Any time Fireheart was out with him, his head always seemed turned towards Sunningrocks. He became quieter, his tail antsy and constantly tapping the ground.

Fireheart took pity on him one night and, after breakfast, while Ravenwing was out, whispered to him, “Do you want to check the border?”

Greystripe’s entire body flinched, like he had just barely restrained himself from bolting upright and sprinting out of camp at the offer. He settled just a bit and nodded. Fireheart stood up and walked with him to the entrance. To his relief, no one looked up or made a comment as they exited.

They trotted until camp’s bramble border disappeared from view, at which Greystripe then broke into a run and Fireheart had to rush after him.

“Do you think anyone will be there?” he asked once he had caught up.

Greystripe’s mouth was tightly stretched back, but he responded moderately calmly. “I hope so. She must have had our kits by now. Maybe– maybe she sent someone to tell me.”

“Well, if not, we shouldn’t wait by there for long.” Fireheart ducked under some ferns that Greystripe ran right through. “If your scent starts showing up there again, it’s only a matter of time before someone asks a question. It’s a miracle they haven’t already.”

Greystripe didn’t respond. His ears were turned back.

As it turned out, when they made it to Sunningrocks, someone was there: the golden calico that they had seen with Silverstream when she rescued Greystripe from the river. Leoparddawn, Fireheart thought her name was. She was pacing back and forth, grass and soil being scooped up with every step by her unsheathed claws, and her mouth was twitching viciously, her tail lashing.

“Leoparddawn?” Greystripe called before Fireheart could say anything. He skidded to a stop when he reached the border, Fireheart close behind.

The molly’s head shot up. She caught sight of Greystripe and bared her teeth like a dog, ears pinned flat against her head. She stormed up to them fast enough for both ThunderClan toms to take a step back in alarm.

“I hope you’re happy,” she hissed when she was across from them. Her blazing gold eyes were fixated solely on Greystripe.

Greystripe, looking unnerved, cleared his throat. “I just– I want to know, how is Silverstream?”

“‘How is Silverstream?’” Leoparddawn echoed, her fur flaring up even more. “You didn’t think to ask earlier? You!”

“I– I was told to stay away from the border by my leader.” Greystripe’s front paws inched back a bit. “Has she had her kits?”

It was impressive, how Leoparddawn somehow seemed to loom over Greystripe, even when he was looking down at her. Her teeth clenched, she growled, “Your kits are fine. But their mother is gone.”

Neither ThunderClan cat responded for a moment. It was Fireheart who spoke first, hesitant and dreading the answer. “What do you mean, ‘gone’?”

“What do you think I mean?!” Leopparddawn whipped her head around to snarl at him. “Your idiot friend here killed her!”

The toms froze, mouths open.

“She tried so hard to starve those kits out of her body, Greystripe!” She now looked back to the giant, shouting with an enraged, strangling sort of grief. “But they came anyway! She didn’t even get to—”

Leoparddawn suddenly choked and had to catch her breath, almost hyperventilating. Fireheart’s stomach tensed.

The calico spoke again, and her voice shook violently. “When they were born, the queens joked about how that shade of grey was popular in ThunderClan. And then your daughter… her face is like yours. Silverstream didn’t even– she didn’t even get to die peacefully. Everyone was so angry with her. The other queens wouldn’t look her way. They thought she was asleep until your kits started crying from the cold.”

Fireheart turned to Greystripe. His legs wobbled as hard as Leoparddawn’s voice, his tail flat on the floor. His mouth formed words that were not spoken, until he whimpered out, “She’s dead?”

At this, the rage returned in full force. Leoparddawn leaned forward, teeth grit. “Yes. And it’s your fault. Are you satisfied? Did you get what you wanted out of this?”

Greystripe’s legs gave out and he crumpled, sinking into the dead leaves and earth.

Through his knotted throat, Fireheart managed, “I’m– I’m so sorry to hear—”

“Well, that’s not going to bring her back, is it?” Leoparddawn snarled, glaring at him now. “So why don’t you save your breath?” Her muzzle was wrinkled worse than Yellowfang’s face. “You could have stopped him, and you didn’t. Don’t you dare act sorry.”

Fireheart wanted to protest, to defend himself, but now wasn’t the time. He just met her eyes and tried to express his grief through his gaze.

Leoparddawn’s eyes quickly snapped away from him. She took a rattly breath, then growled at Greystripe, “If I ever see you at this border again, I’ll kill you.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, she whipped around and stalked back towards the river. Fireheart took the cue and gently used his tail to guide an unsteadily rising Greystripe away from the clearing. Greystripe barely managed to take a few steps before collapsing again, breathless and shaking.

“That’s horrible,” Fireheart murmured after a long pause. “I—”

Greystripe suddenly jumped to his feet and sprinted into the forest. Fireheart had to put on as much speed as he possibly could to follow, and even then he barely managed to keep up. This was the fastest he had ever seen his friend go.

He didn’t slow down until they reached camp, barely avoiding running over Darkstripe, where Greystripe skittered for the leader’s den, shouting, “Bluestar! Are you here?”

A surprised voice answered him wordlessly and he dove in without another word, panting hard. Fireheart slowed and stopped, catching his breath as he ducked through the lichen curtain after him. He was facing Bluestar, who was lounging in her nest but quickly sitting up, looking alarmed.

“What’s happened?” she asked, eyes flicking between the pair.

Greystripe gulped down another mouthful of air before barely managing to force out a response. “Silverstream’s dead. She– she had my kits.”

Bluestar, to her credit, did not react with fury or scolding. Her eyes widened, then half-shut in solemn sympathy. “That’s awful.”

“And– and they look like me, and RiverClan’s angry, and—” Greystripe’s expression turned pleading and desperate. “Can we bring them here? Please? Th-they should be with family, shouldn’t they?”

Fireheart looked at him in surprise. Taking more kits from the outside? Would anyone allow that?

“They are with family,” Bluestar said calmly. “They’re in RiverClan, with their grandfather and his brother, and they’re surrounded by Clanmates. RiverClan has the sole claim to those kits, Greystripe, and I doubt they’ll give them up to us.”

“But—” Greystripe fell into a crouch, head low but face turned up towards his leader. “But RiverClan, what if they reject them? Shouldn’t we—”

Bluestar shook her head. “RiverClan isn’t cruel. If they have other queens, they can raise those kits perfectly well. Crookedstar won’t allow any harm to come to his grandchildren.”

“They do have other queens,” Fireheart said quietly to Greystripe, ear flicking at a faint noise outside. “It’d be nice to have them here, of course—”

“Well, then—” Greystripe’s voice cracked. “Can– can I see them? I want to see them. Please—”

Bluestar sighed. “No. You violated the most important part of the code with disloyalty and it cost RiverClan one of their most beloved mollies. You have no right to even ask after those kits, much less raise them in your own Clan. RiverClan will not allow you to visit their territory.” Her face was stern, but her tone was kind. “I understand how terrible this feels, believe me. And I think never seeing your kits, after losing your mate, is punishment enough for you.”

Outside, the softest hiss. Everyone in the den stiffened.

“Who’s out there?” Bluestar called, but got no response. To Fireheart, she said, “Check for visitors.”

Fireheart quickly obeyed, sticking his head outside just in time to see Darkstripe’s thick-furred tail disappear through the camp entrance, his voice indistinct but loud despite the barrier.

Fireheart’s heart sank. “Oh, no.”

Bluestar sighed and walked out past Fireheart, gesturing with her tail for the young warriors to follow her. They all silently went into camp just in time for Darkstripe to turn around and scowl in a weirdly triumphant way at Greystripe.

“Good, you’re here,” he growled. “Now you can explain yourself to the Clan.”

“Bluestar, what is he talking about?” Mousefur took a few steps forward. “He said Greystripe’s got kits in RiverClan.”

Bluestar sighed again, longer and lower. “Darkstripe—”

“No wonder the border stank like him.” Darkstripe glared at Greystripe. “Even when he was supposed to stop feeding them!”

Fireheart gauged Greystripe’s reaction. His eyes were dull and empty, like he hadn’t heard anything said.

“Well?” Darkstripe snapped. “Go on. Are they your kits or not?”

Sandstorm exchanged a baffled face with Dustpelt before they both returned their attention to Greystripe, their looks somewhere in the beginning of glaring. The Clan’s expressions began to sour. Even Whitecloud’s eyes were narrowing.

Greystripe said nothing. He just hung his head and let out a shaky breath.

Shouts of anger immediately rang out, everyone competing to declare Greystripe a traitor, or ask how he could be that stupid, or demand punishment. Fireheart watched, his heart in his toes, as his Clanmates turned against Greystripe, glaring and hissing and baring their teeth, like he was some foreign enemy.

It’s still Greystripe, isn’t it? How can they be so angry when he’s like this?

Bluestar did not respond to any of this. She turned and walked with great dignity to the meeting stump, leaping up lightly and turning to face Greystripe, who miserably plodded after her, his head still down. The Clan did not quite cluster in together, but some did come closer to hear Bluestar, though no one except Fireheart and a quiet Ravenwing stood close to the target of their ire.

When the outrage died down, Bluestar raised her chin and spoke, still cool and collected. “I’ll keep it short and simple. Greystripe and a warrior of RiverClan—”

“It was Silverstream!” Darkstripe barked.

Bluestar blinked slowly, like she was restraining herself from reacting to Darkstripe. “The two of them had a relationship across the border.” More yelling and swearing, to which she only continued after everyone was quiet. “Greystripe just received the news that she died after bearing his kits.”

Fireheart marveled as the heated rage in the air died down considerably, faces now conflicted and troubled. Ravenwing looked at Greystripe in horror before gently leaning against his side. Greystripe didn’t lean back.

Darkstripe, of course, was not moved. “He still needs to be punished!”

Fireheart looked back at him sternly, locking a flare of anger in his chest. “His mate is dead and he’ll never get to know his kits. Is that not good enough for you? Are you that cruel?”

Darkstripe glared at him, which his eyes met easily. After a moment, the tabby looked away, making a nasty face. Tigerclaw, standing next to him, watched Greystripe stonily, offering no support to Darkstripe or any feedback as the Clan muttered to each other.

“Well…” Speckletail twitched a grimace before continuing. “He did break the first law of loyalty in the code, Bluestar.”

“RiverClan would want him punished, I’ll bet,” Sandstorm said. “More than us, even.”

“I don’t know, I think he’s miserable enough,” Teaselfoot said with a shift of his paws. “Look at him.”

Bluestar said nothing, allowing conversation and debate to flitter through the crowd. When it got quiet again, she said, “I’m inclined to let him off easy, but we’ll take a vote. Those of you who want him punished, say ‘aye’.”

Fireheart’s throat tightened as many voices called out “Aye!”, though admittedly a little faltering, as if some couldn’t make up their mind.

“That’s most of the Clan,” Ravenwing whispered. He gave Greystripe a worried look. Greystripe still did not appear to notice anything going on around him.

“That’s that, then.” Bluestar looked to Tigerclaw. “I think the appropriate punishment would be isolation. Do you agree?”

Tigerclaw, his face still unreadable, gave a delayed, slow nod.

“Greystripe,” Bluestar said, and her oddly kind voice finally got him to raise his head. “For the next nine days, you are forbidden from entering camp or speaking to your Clanmates. Go into the woods and find yourself a place to sleep—away from where we could accidentally run into you—and find your own prey. Understood?”

A long, long pause, long enough to cause murmurs again. Greystripe did not nod, shake his head, speak or even blink. He just slowly turned, went around Ravenwing, and walked out of camp, his head low and his tail dragging along the ground.

Bluestar blinked in surprise, but recovered quickly, speaking now to Ravenwing and Fireheart. “And you two are not allowed to visit him, wherever he goes. If you scent him, go the other way.”

Fireheart stared up at her. “How can anyone want him punished when he’s—”

“I know,” Bluestar said flatly, though her eyes were almost sad. “But that’s simply how it goes when you break a law.” She jumped down from the stump, and as she walked past Fireheart, she added quietly, “It’s only nine days. He’ll be back soon.” Before he could respond, she was approaching Speckletail, conversing about having someone track Greystripe’s scent tomorrow night.

Fireheart stared at his Clanmates, barely comforted by the somewhat-guilty looks on some of their faces. Others were still angry, but a few looked sympathetic—especially Goldenflower, to his immense relief.

“He’ll be okay in the woods,” Ravenwing said, hardly sounding like he believed it. “He’s a big cat. It’d be hard for anything to hurt him.”

Fireheart shook his head. “Is he not our problem now, too?”

Ravenwing didn’t respond.

#warrior cats #redux iterum #iterum #chapter #chapter twenty eight #book two #arc one #burning hearts #happy early update!