#also starclan is so pleasant looking here i like it

[yuridovewing]

"Mudclaw you don't get it. Onestar's mental breakdown is CRITICAL to our clan's success"

#jokes aside i dont actually know what tallstar is referring to here #like? the dark forest maybe? i guess? darktail somehow? idk? #sol??? #like even if onestar didn't snap and shut down the alliance idk how him having an alliance would have saved the clans from the dark forest #gn liveread #also starclan is so pleasant looking here i like it

[bonefall]

decided to try my hand at some oc clanmew translations because i think it's fun :3c i have more but here are the ones that are either my favorites character-wise or took some thought!

STAR HIVESWARM - shai ffawsbabfsfsafen

star bee-home swarmed. there's no word for a hive in term of bugs, so i just shoved ffaws with the first part of babipanna to make hive. She's called hiveswarm because her gray ticked fur looks like a swarm of bugs and she was overwhelmed with many things as a warrior and deputy, swarmed with them

ISOPODSPOTS- booiwoowoo

rollypolly-spotting. Isopodspots is white with black spotting like a dairy cow isopod! He's in star hive's clan, which has an abundance of bug names

booiwoowoo is really fun to say.

BLUEFLOWER - luparponma

blue flower... hers is very simple but i like her. she was named for her blue eyes, bluish grey parts of her dilute calico patterning, and for her knowledge of medical flowers as a medicine cat. If her clan knew what lotuses were she'd be bluelotus (blue water-flower?) instead. a very straightforward name, but as a character she's far from straightforward!

STAR BREEZESONG - shai hraa'ahwuosoon.

star breeze wind-whistling. i would have used the singing verb, but I thought the hypothetical literal "song" the wind sings would be fitting for her name instead. she wasn't named breezesong for any super specific reason in particular but i imagine she may have been born on a particularly windy day, or maybe her fur flows in a specific way akin to a breeze

HOUNDSNIPE - bayaokikaboohafefyl

large hound-wader-bird. her name is a joke about guns since the character she's based on uses guns as her main weapon, but uses the name of a wading bird! as for why the hound prefix... she looks somewhat doglike, being large with black and white markings and having huge paws, teeth and distinctively pointed ears. she's breezesong's sister. breezesong looks like a normal cat

JUNGLEHOPE - papayaogshaba

steady rain-forest-prayer. jungles and rainforests would probably be synonymous to warrior cats since they don't know a lot about em, and i'd imagine a prayer to starclan is similar to hoping!

SPLINTERFLOOD - boekarkworrl

a lot-broken piece-flood. the clanmew word for splinter, as in the piece of wood or thorn that gets stuck in your paw pad, isn't what i imagined for splinterflood's name. splinter as in the verb, splinter as in breaking into many small pieces. he's flooded by the splinters in his namesake, parts of himself. his old name was floodheart, but he changed it to splinterflood, then eventually splinterheart again. (worrlbabun, boekarkbabun) he's indecisive and also very dramatic, almost like cat the shakespeare

MOTHFLARE - ffyyfyn

moth-flame, her name is an honor title! she survived major burns as an apprentice from a forest fire that occurred during a battle with a warring clan, and when she recovered she was granted her honor title. she's also a sorta charcoal black color, with long fur that wisps like a flame

ffyyfyn is a very nice coincidence of a name. it's very pleasant sounding

very nervous to send this but who cares i'm having fun it's clanmew time. i love better bones it's super cool

No need to be nervous! These names are all great! Booiwoowoo my beloved!

I'm going to give you words for homes that insects construct. I AM GOING TO BE POSTING IMAGES BELOW THE CUT. So here's a Trypophobia warning!

There's BEES down there, and SPIDERS, and HOLES. And weird plant tumor things called galls. Basically, bugs are adorable but they are also horrorshows who bend nature to their little leggy whims.

A home that an insect constructs is a Kin. Kin is also a word with many meanings in Clanmew. It can mean...

An insect's home

A clay pot with only a small opening

A strange object

A belonging of someone, especially an object that has special value to that person; a prized possession

A hole with a biting animal in it

Something that someone will fight you for; something you may have to fight to keep

There's a LOT of words for specific Kin.

Large, flat web = Yyb

Cobweb = Feep

Gall/Bauble = Kichaw

Honeycomb = Mlogur

Hive = Skib

Anthill = Shein

Yellow Meadow Anthill = Eebo

Large, flat webs = Yyb

The sorts of webs made by orbweavers, hanging straight downwards. Big, strong, and sticky. Word can also mean that something is vertical-- perpendicular to the ground.

Cobweb = Feep

NOT made of dust. Cobwebs are formed first by cob spiders, and then dust can settle on them in a house after they've been abandoned, damaging them beyond use.

In Clanmew, a cobweb is a fuzzy, 3D web with an odd structure. It can describe any spiderweb that doesn't have the "classic" flat shape, like the webs you may see in your cellar or the corner of your house.

Gall/Bauble = Kissaw

These are ALL galls that Clan cats can find on oak trees alone. They're specialized growths that certain types of wasps and flies can force the tree to grow into, to protect and feed a larvae before it pupates.

The word can mean gall, or it can refer to any interesting little natural object or adornment. Clan cats also can't always tell these apart from blights, chawb, so the word tends to be applied to useful galls (ink can be made from one type) or ones that are particularly interesting.

Honeycomb = Mlogur

SPECIFICALLY the hives of honeybees. Cartoons lie to you; honeybees do not create the grayish, papery hives that wasps and hornets do. A mlogur is yellow, droopy, and sometimes drips with honey.

And they're VERY important. Honey is one of the best natural antiseptics in the entire world, INVALUABLE for treating wounds. The wax can also be repurposed into all sorts of useful things, and even the larvae can be eaten.

Hive = Skib

EXACTLY what you usually imagine when you hear 'hive.' A nest of stinging bees, wasps, and hornets; but NOT honeybees.

Dangerous and useless. Clan cats avoid these at all costs; nothing good comes from messing with them.

Anthill = Shein

The hilly, bare structures that 3/4 of the ant species they encounter create.

Yellow Meadow Anthill = Eebo

A term mostly used by WindClan! At first glance, one may think these are strange little natural landmarks, but in reality, they're actually colonies of yellow meadow ants. After they build their homes, grass comes up to cover the structure.

Sometimes WindClan apprentices like to play hopping games with these, seeing how many they can successfully bounce over without stopping.

#Clanmew #Insects #Hives #anthills #tw trypophobia #Spiders

[redux-iterum]

Now that you've elaborated on the cats you hate, could you do the same for your favorites?

Can do! And I'll answer you in this post, other anon.

Rock: This is total bias on my part - it has nothing to do with his personality or actions in the books. I just absolutely adore unsettling, ugly, vaguely eldritch characters who have lived as long as time has existed and are on an entirely different level than the rest of the characters. I don't even remember any of the shit Rock did in canon, just his potential as a mysterious force and a creature living in visions. It's so fuckin' cool. I love it.

Hollyleaf: I've gone into detail about her here, so I won't repeat all that. The bottom line is that she's a genuinely good character who had a lot going for her narratively that just got thrown out the window because of the writers' terrible decisions and lack of foresight. Every one of these picker pictures I've seen has had her on there as a favorite, so that should say something.

Monkeystar: God, she's such a delight. WarriorClan is full of dorky little kids playing like they're big bad scary fighters, and the biggest dork of all is at the head of it. And her name is Monkeystar. You look me dead in the eye and tell me that's not the best god damn thing you've ever read in this series. How could I not love her?

Yellowfang: I've also been over her a lot, so here's a couple posts from me going into detail about her. For a short version, she's a really unique character (and a pretty darn well-developed one) in all of the history of the Clans, and her getting ruined is one of the top five greatest tragedies in this series.

Thrushpelt: Simply put, he's a good guy who deserved so much better than he got. He's kind, polite, one of the rare toms who isn't a dick about having a crush on a molly, and he puts his own wants to the side to help out people he cares about. I still wish he got a mate in StarClan so that he didn't have to always be known as "the guy that Bluefur completely ignored for a one-night-stand with an asshole".

Sol: This one's just for his potential. He has a lot going for him - a male tortoiseshell who can scramble psychic abilities, predict an eclipse, and effortlessly manipulate everyone around him (at least in the third arc; I hear he lost a lot of that in the SkyClan SE)? That's such a cool concept! And he gets away with all the shit he pulls! He could've been the best villain in the series. I also elaborated on him on the old blog, if you want more details.

Bristlefrost: This one's pretty simple; Bristlefrost is just a good character who had a genuinely interesting arc and struggles that were weirdly well-written for this series. Her deader-than-dead status pisses me off so much. Couldn't they have killed Rootspring instead? Bristlefrost has way more going for her than that twerp.

Stemleaf: Bear in mind that it's not so much that I love him as it is that he's one of the few cats in the series I don't feel slightly negative indifference or outright dislike for. The list kind of ran thin at this point. Anyway, Stemleaf's a good kid! Like Thrushpelt, he's nice, honest, and overall pleasant to read. I like his drive to do the right thing and stand up to people in power. It's a shame that led to his death, but by that point I think he did pretty much all he had to do, so I'm not mad about it.

Heavystep and Loudbelly: Have you ever loved a character in this series solely based on their name? That's these two. You'll see more of my love for these two in the future.

#ask #anonymous #readmore #i speak #favorites

[away-from-anthills]

chapter three-

(prologue) (chapter one) (chapter two)

Although WindClan was the closest of all the Clans to it, the road to Fourtrees had never seemed longer.

The thick-barked trees seemed to stare down at Antstar as he led WindClan towards the hollow. On one side of him was Whitetooth, always looking ahead and always alert; on the other side was Russetfoot, who Antstar had decided to make his deputy almost as soon as he had returned from the Moonstone when he had received his nine lives.

A shiver scattered down his spine as he remembered the events that had happened after the last gathering. Rainleap gone, in an instant; a Clan suddenly left midair after being thrown off the cliff. And yet in all the turmoil, he had risen triumphant.

Or at least that was the impression he had gotten. He was supposed to feel triumphant, wasn’t he?

It had been a long ladder for Antstar to climb from Clanless kit to leader of all of WindClan, but he was beginning to realize at the top that he had a fear of heights.

Eventually, Fourtrees began to come into view, and Antstar could identify the four feline figures who sat at the Great Rock. All of them- even Currantstar, although he had only been leader for about twelve moons- seemed so used to it all, not even reacting to the leagues of chatter that surrounded them. It was as if their paws had melded with the granite below them.

“And I thought ShadowClan was bad with being late…” Pigeonstar’s coarse tone rang out above the crowd. The blue-gray tom was sporting a new scar that framed his left cheekbone.

“WindClan will be here soon enough,” said Tulipstar reassuringly. She had a tangy quality to her voice- not hostile, but not exactly warm either, like a mentor about to take their apprentice to a rigorous day of battle training. “I’ve heard rumors that something’s happened to them. Surely Shalestar will tell us.”

Shalestar. That was another thing. How was Antstar going to explain all that? Rainleap and Shalestar, both dead in the span of a month.

Part of him worried the others would think he killed him.

WindClan dispersed into the clearing, blending into the crowds. Spiderpaw was, very clearly, trying her best to not brag about her mentor now being the Clan leader. Toadpool and Webwhisker were striking a pleasant conversation with a dark red tabby tom from RiverClan with tufted ears. Adderthorn, a rather reclusive WindClan cat, kept to herself, although her gaze seemed to be fixed on a small dark brown tom from ShadowClan who had a marbled coat.

“Come, Antstar.” Whitetooth, with Marblepaw by their side, led Antstar through the gathering crowd, weaving in and out of the clouds of conversation. Eventually, they reached the medicine cats, who were having a friendly debate about whether yellow or orange marigold was more effective.

“I leave you here.” They pointed their tail at the top of the rock, where an empty spot sat between Tulipstar and Currantstar. “Best of luck. May StarClan look upon your first gathering with smiling faces.”

With a bit of effort, Antstar leapt onto the rock. He was surprised at how smooth the summit was- as if generations of pawsteps had carved it.

“Greetings, Antstep.” Tulipstar bowed her head.

Currantstar, however, looked a tad more confused. “Have Shalestar and Rainleap taken ill? I wouldn’t expect Shalestar to skip a Gathering. That old workhorse would go even in downpour…”

Antstar stammered. “I…”

He looked to Whitetooth for a second, who gave him an encouraging nod. He then looked to the other leaders. Their eyes felt like hot coals launching towards him.

But he would have to say it now.

“…Shalestar and Rainleap both passed away this prior moon.”

A sudden commotion hit the Gathering. Cats of the other Clans looked to their WindClan acquaintances in shock; WindClan simply nodded their heads and sighed.

“Both of them? How?” Pigeonstar’s eyes narrowed as his face twisted itself from comprehension into a scowl.

“On the way back from the last Gathering, there was an accident involving a monster. Shalestar appointed me as deputy in his stead-“ -he shot a quick glance into the crowd, seeking approval- “-and he passed away of illness not long after. We in WindClan mourn them both greatly, and have spent the past moon grieving for them.”

Pigeonstar, however, looked unconvinced. “How do we know you didn’t kill them?”

Antstar felt ill, unsheathing his claws to keep himself from falling off the Great Rock from dizziness. But the SkyClan leader continued, fashioning himself the great detective. “For all we know, you could have killed Rainleap, made it look like an accident, have Shalestar elect you as deputy, and then kill him, too!” He drew his lips in a snarl. “And it doesn’t help that cats of your kind don’t become WindClan leader so easy.”

But then, Currantstar stepped forward. “Many of us in ShadowClan are not Clan-born, like Antstar here. One of my medicine cats, Rosettepelt, is among them, and she is one of the most gifted healers we know.” He advanced forward towards Pigeonstar, his gaze steady and stern. “So if you want to remain on positive terms with us, I suggest you watch it.”

Pigeonstar seemed as if he were about to say something, but reason got the better of him.

“Furthermore, my friends,” started Whitetooth from the medicine cat crowd, “I can assure you that Antstar speaks truth. I prepared both bodies and aided Shalestar in his final hours. As he lay dying, he was content with his choice in Antstep.”

There was a low murmur throughout the Gathering discussing the death of the old leader. Even though Antstar tried not to, he bent his ears towards the crowd to get a better listen.

“Well,” said Pigeonstar, “we have no proof he didn’t kill Shalestar, now, do we?”

Currantstar and Tulipstar looked unconvinced as they looked over the Burmese tom in front of them. “You realize Antstar was Shalestar’s own apprentice, Pigeonstar,” added Tulipstar dryly. “And Shalestar took quite the liking to him.”

Tatteredstar of ThunderClan, however, was studying him, very very deeply, like she was inspecting the double barrel of a rifle she was about to stuff with gunpowder. Finally, she stepped back. The massive molly sat down, her expression unchanged as always.

“I don’t think the boy killed Shalestar.” She spoke in a thick ThunderClan drawl. “But we shouldn’t underestimate him.” She paused, as if she was taking the moment to rehearse her thoughts to herself. “He’s got killer between his eyes.”

Killer in his eyes. Antstar felt unsettled. Killer? What does she mean? And why-

But the other leaders simply seemed to nod, as if a silent agreement had been reached that they shouldn’t further push Antstar.

Perhaps they all had killers dancing in their eyes.

Pigeonstar seemed to back off, although he didn’t look pleased.

“Is there any other news in WindClan to report?” asked Tulipstar.

“…There is nothing else to report.”

Antstar stepped back, and Tatteredstar began to prepare herself to speak. Tatteredstar’s mere presence alone made Antstar feel weaker. Tatteredstar was an almighty oak; massive, muscular, battle-scarred and a pillar of her Clan, he was a mere dandelion, who bent over and crumpled in the slightest breeze, beside her. Having a good look at her didn’t help. He saw more scars on her now than he ever had before- across her face, across her flank, even down her legs. Her claws were off-white and long, jutting out from the tufts of fur betwixt her toes, and while her fur was generally well-groomed, a mat or two seemed just under the surface in the ruff of fur around her neck. She had two bottom fangs that stuck out; they had yellowed in their years of exposure and her bottom lip seemed to have shaped itself around them. Her tail was short, compared to her body, and it would not surprise Antstar if she had lost part of it in the throes of battle. Her big, yellow eyes, which were surrounded by oily discharge that discolored her fur, seemed to both stare into the horizon and at whatever was in front of her at once.

“ThunderClan has been doing well this past moon. We extend our condolences to WindClan for their loss of Shalestar,” she began. “He was leader alongside me for many years. We had our disagreements, but I held the tom in high regard, as I am sure all of us do.”

Shalestar and Tatteredstar had been the two oldest leaders, Antstar recalled. She had been leader for about twelve seasons by the time Shalestar ascended, and while the two didn’t interact much and had their differences, there was an air of respect between the two.

Antstar recalled how hollow-looking and feeble Shalestar had appeared in death. Tatteredstar, however, had no sign of slowing down. He wondered how she managed to do it.

“We have been lucky to have had two healthy litters of kits born into our Clan. Sleetwhisker has given birth to two mollies, Vinekit and Shrikekit; and Sootspots has given birth to four toms and a molly, Mothkit, Fogkit, Stumpkit, Cedarkit, and Clawkit. In addition, Foxbriar is set to give birth to her kits within the next quarter-moon. We will have our paws very full… and it will also mean we will have more mouths to feed.” She shot a pointed glance at Tulipstar.

“Also- in addition- there was an attempted uprising by a ThunderClan cat named Rosefire.” The Gathering crowds pricked their ears- Rosefire was a cat who had been known by many for his friendly nature and how he disliked Tatteredstar and her deputy, Eelwhisker. He was a very vocal cat, and would often joke about starting genuine rebellion against them in order to pursue a dream of all five clans being united. Many thought he was a tad extreme, of course, but he was generally well-liked.

But Tatteredstar never minced words. “The so-called uprising was over as soon as it began. I dealt with Rosefire. You will not be seeing him again.”

There was a stunned silence.

It was only then that it really struck Antstar what cat he was dealing with. The matter of Rosefire, to Tatteredstar, was not a personal matter, and there was not a look of cruelty, resentment, or even annoyance in the ThunderClan leader’s yellow eyes. Rosefire had intruded on ThunderClan’s safety, and Tatteredstar had dispatched him. It began and ended there.

And then, Tatteredstar stepped back. “ThunderClan has nothing more to report.”

After what seemed like forever, Currantstar stepped up to speak. “ShadowClan has spent the moon recuperating after the fire we reported at the last Gathering. We are, again, very lucky that it did not affect us too harshly. Besides that, we have no new news to report; we are deeply sorry for WindClan’s loss of Shalestar and Rainleap.”

As soon as he had begun, he had ended. Antstar admired his charisma, his charm, the way he looked like a sculpture; Currantstar was a perfect leader.

And he had become leader so young, too. He and Antstar were about the same age, after all.

If he can do it, and be a perfect leader, I can do it, too…

“We have been experiencing difficulties with rogues on SkyClan territory,” Pigeonstar announced. “I suspect this is the same group that has been bothering RiverClan territory. However, we have fought them off successfully,” he said. He was very pointed with his words. “In addition, two of our apprentices became warriors- Bumbleshade and Silverskip.”

There was a round of cheer for the two freshly-graduated warriors. Pigeonstar then backed away, and Tulipstar, the very small white molly with ginger splotches, at long last took the stage.

“We are continuing to deal with the rogues on our territory. We have started to drive them off, but it’s a tough process. Just this moon alone we have had to deal with the untimely deaths of Yellowstripe and Sleekwater, and our resources are running dry. However, there is hope. Oatwhisker became a warrior this month, and one of our mollies gave birth to two fine young kits, Magpiekit and Frondkit.”

The little white-and-orange molly kept a steady eye on Tatteredstar- giving a clear implication about how much she wanted Sunningrocks. Their agreement would run out by the next Gathering- and, by the looks of it, Tulipstar had every intention to keep the territory.

Slowly, the gathering would down like a spring-powered toy. SkyClan was the first to leave; then ThunderClan, and then ShadowClan, until only WindClan and RiverClan were left. Antstar would have left earlier, but he still felt dizzy and his head felt sore from sheer mental pressure.

“Are you alright?”

He turned and looked down to see Tulipstar. She looked… genuinely concerned, or at least as genuinely as Antstar could convince himself another leader could be.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, as reluctance tried to keep his lips locked together.

“…You sounded nervous. I get it. Don’t fear the other leaders; they’re really not as scary as they like to make themselves out to be.” She thought on her words for a moment. “Well, except for Tatteredstar.”

“…What is it to you?” Antstar backed away slowly. Did she want something out of him? Then he doubled back in his mind- what if that sounded too rude, and now she was mad with him?

“Antstar, relax. I was especially close with your mentor and predecessor, Shalestar. We were very good friends, and under our allyship our two Clans were very close. I would like to continue that partnership with you.”

RiverClan had been friendly with WindClan for at least as long as Shalestar and Tulipstar had led them both. Slowly, Antstar let his guard down, correcting his posture so he didn’t look so hunched over.

“I would like to continue it, as well.”

“Great,” she said. She smiled, and Antstar could see how middle age had made her face look bony and her dimples more noticeable. “Besides- I was in a very similar scenario to where you are now, when I became leader.”

Antstar sat up in disbelief. Perhaps he wasn’t alone! Perhaps someone, somewhere out there… someone might just understand! “You… you became leader the same way?”

“Similarly. I mean- there weren’t as many accusations as you had to face from Pigeonstar, that joyless rat, because both my parents were RiverClan and the previous leader’s death wasn’t exactly a private occasion.” She leaned in, her jade eyes wide. “Did you hear about how I came to be leader, Antstar?”

Antstar shook his head.

“I feel you will find it very similar to your situation. The leader before me was a tom named Boarstar.”

Antstar remembered hearing of a Boarstar in nursery tales when he was a kit. Everyone knew him as a leader who had died in a battle he himself had started, but Antstar had not heard much of what he was like beyond that.

“Boarstar was very, very young when he rose to power, younger than you by a few seasons. He was a mean thing. Always picking fights with ThunderClan and WindClan, always on the attack. He was a serial womanizer and deeply narcissistic. Not many of us liked him much. He placed his brother, Oakbelly- who shared every ideal with him- as his deputy, and the two wreaked havoc on RiverClan. Boarstar lost his lives quite quickly because of all the battles he started…”

“So how did he choose you?”

“I honestly don’t think he did. We were in the midst of a battle with ThunderClan in their camp, and Oakbelly was fighting some ThunderClan cat while trying to get to the nursery. As he was taunting them, he made a miscalculation- and the ThunderClan cat shredded his belly open. And now, you know I and ThunderClan do not get along, but…” She smirked.

“And Boarstar?”

“Boarstar was filled with more rage than his namesake as he saw his brother bleed out… So he ran right to Tatteredstar herself and attacked her. She and him went one-on-one. It was a quick battle. I didn’t see much of it, but in the glimpse of his death that I got from the other side of their camp, she was clamping down on his head with her paws, crushing his skull.”

Antstar grimaced.

“The next thing I knew, the medicine cat rushed up to me and asked if I could take the mantle of leadership, telling me it was what Boarstar wanted in his last moments. In hindsight, it was probably the last thing he wanted, and the medicine cat was the one who made the decision. But it was my duty to my Clan, and so, I became leader. I cannot say the road of leadership has been an easy one, or a gentle one. But I want to be the cat for you who I wished was there for me.”

Antstar stepped towards her. “You mean, you’re going to help me?”

“I can’t lead for you, Antstar. Only you know your people. But I will be here as your mentor in leadership. Our Clans will be close. Feel free to ask me if you need help, and I will do my best to be there. It’s what Shalestar would have wanted.”

Antstar’s shoulders felt lighter. Someone out there was on his side!

“Trufflepelt, organize RiverClan so we can leave.” A tall, gaunt cinnamon tabby tom, twice the height of his leader, stood at the end of the hollow as the trademark plump bodies and shimmering pelts of RiverClan surrounded him. Pebblesky, RiverClan’s medicine cat, receded into the crowd, leaving Whitetooth and Marblepaw alone. They disappeared into the forests, southward; towards the faint smell of freshwater that beckoned from their territory.

Antstar stood alone on the rock for a moment. It was smooth, cold; almost calming now that the other Clans had left. He looked above and saw the leaves of the great oaks shiver above him; and a sky full of stars, who all blinked and winked as they stared upon him.

He heard pawsteps behind him, and turned to see the familiar face of Whitetooth, staring him in that inquisitive way they always did. “Are you alright, my leader?”

“…Yeah.” Antstar didn’t break eye contact as he stared at the stars above him.

“...You��ll get used to it,” Whitetooth added.

“I know.”

And then, after a further moment, Antstar left the Great Rock, where Russetfoot was already organizing WindClan to go home. Whitetooth followed, and then Marblepaw, and away they went, into the night.

 “He did terribly,” said Sparkthistle dismissively as soon as the Gathering group got back.

“It couldn’t be that bad,” said Houndnose, a tortoiseshell tabby-and-white permaqueen, who emerged from the nursery with two of Cherrycloud’s kits clamping themselves onto her fur like a pair of bread clips.

“Oh, he made the biggest ass of himself- which is saying something because Pigeonstar was there.” The ginger molly rolled her eyes. “You really hate to see it. I’m astonished Rainleap hasn’t unearthed himself with all the spinning he must be doing in that grave!”

“Don’t talk that way about my brother!” growled Stripedwing, who was just outside the nursery. The gray tabby molly, who was visibly pregnant, had been inspecting the nursery while the gathering group was gone.

But Sparkthistle simply groaned and sauntered off, as if she was annoyed at Stripedwing for not liking the joke.

Antstar passed by the nursery, and something bit his foot. He looked down to see Brindlekit, a little tortoiseshell, gnawing at his toes. “Got you now, ThunderClan rat!” she squeaked.

“Brindlekit, that’s our leader!” said a ginger tabby tom-kit, panicked- but with a slight edge of authority. But Brindlekit, pugnacious as ever, simply pounced onto her brother, and the two began to wrestle. Eventually, Cherrycloud- her ginger coat near identical to the one of the little tom-kit- pried them apart. “Brindlekit, be nice to Antstar. Rosekit, it’s my job to parent her, not you.”

“Antstar! Antstar!” cried another ginger kit, who pushed her way out of the nursery between Houndnose and Cherrycloud. “Didja see Tatteredstar?”

“Is she really the size of a dog? That’s’ what Amberkit told me!” added a tiny solid black tom next to her. “…She’s big. Definitely one of the biggest cats I’ve seen. But not that big.”

The black tom-kit looked smugly at Amberkit, who seemed flustered that her descriptions weren’t accurate. But they had more questions to ask.

“Do the RiverClan cats really smell like fish?” “I heard ShadowClan eats frogs!” “Can Tatteredstar really kill a rat just by looking at them?” “Is the RiverClan medicine cat really secretly from ThunderClan?”

Antstar felt bombarded, but he still tried to answer each question. “They kind of do… they do eat frogs, but they seem fine with it… I don’t know, but she is scary… She is, and it’s not much of a secret, both Clans agreed to it…”

Cherrycloud gave a motion to the two kits, and they silenced themselves. “I’m sorry if they’re being a bother to you, Antstar,” she said apologetically.

“Oh, it’s no bother,” Antstar said. “They’re the next generation of warriors, after all.”

“Patchkit, would you like to say hi?” Cherrycloud asked to a little tortoiseshell, similar in shape and appearance to Brindlekit, who clung next to her. Patchkit gave Antstar a small glance and then buried herself further into her mother’s fur.

“She’s very shy and anxious,” Cherrycloud said. “We hope she’ll step out of her shell a little more soon.”

Antstar recalled he had been a similar way, as a kit. He recalled the permaqueen who had nursed him- a kind, pleasant molly who had passed away a few seasons ago from a wound infection- had a conversation with him about how he was then.

“You were a shy little thing. Very quiet, very meek. But when we were alone, you’d do these little tricks- kneading the ground, cuddling up to clumps of moss and cotton. It was cute, but… it was weird. It was like you were putting on a show for approval. And maybe it was coincidence- but sometimes it felt like you knew what you were trying to do.”

Antstar had thought about that a lot, since he had became leader.

“Oh,” Cherrycloud added, “and I’m sorry for how my sister, Sparkthistle, has been acting recently. We don’t talk much anymore. I will never understand why she has such a bug up her tail about everything... She should mellow down soon, I hope.”

She picked up Patchkit and went back into the nursery, with Houndnose alongside her and her other kits soon following. Antstar soon found himself alone again outside the nursery, the pale moon giving everything a glow. He saw Sparkthistle from across the clearing. The ginger tabby, her teeth in a permanent scowl, made brief eye contact with him before turning away into the warriors’ den.

Antstar worried. What if they began to believe her? What if she’s not an outlier- but an early critic? What if she turns the Clan on him? What if-

Something white caught his eye, and he turned to see Whitetooth, watching him from the edge of the medicine cat on the far side of camp.

He couldn’t fully read their face, but they had the glint in their eye of someone with an answer.

#warrior cats #warrior cats ocs #story

[twilights-800-cats]

<< Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 || From the Beginning || Patreon >>

Chapter 10

“Stoneheart? Stoneheart, wake up!”

Stoneheart opened his eyes with a start, his claws gripping the earth. He got his bearings quickly – the sky was orange with evening, and he was in the patch of woods behind the Twoleg vet. His panic faded, his heartbeat slowing. I must have dozed off.

Wolftooth was sitting near him, whiskers twitching with amusement, with a paw raised to prod him. Stoneheart pushed himself to his paws, feeling embarrassment pricking his pelt. He licked his chest fur to soothe it.

“Tucker says Branch ought to be coming out soon,” Wolftooth meowed. He nodded to a scraggly clump of ferns near Pinewhisker and Tucker, who were chatting. “We managed to save you a sparrow – they're thin here, too, but easy enough to catch.”

Stoneheart nodded his thanks. He stretched sleep from his muscles and then padded over to the makeshift fresh-kill pile. Wolftooth was right – the sparrow was tiny compared to what flew in the forest, but that didn’t matter. Just the sight of it made Stoneheart’s stomach yowl.

He gave thanks to StarClan for the meal as he tucked in, observing the world around him while he ate. From what Purdy had said, Twolegplaces got loud near the end of the day – this one seemed to be no different. Stoneheart could see monster after monster passing by beyond the vet’s den, and he could hear that loud roar they make when awakened everywhere around him. The Twolegs must be heading home.

Stoneheart fought a sigh – would that they were heading home, too. He pushed away the bones of his meal, feeling dissatisfied. He wanted to sleep in his nest in ShadowClan camp, not under Twoleg bushes, and he wanted Rowanclaw by his side now more than ever. His dreams were so restless without his beloved by his side.

He felt hurt bloom in his chest, and he tried to stamp it down. We’ll find him; that’s why we’re here! Instead of focusing on missing his mate, Stoneheart turned his ears to catch what Pinewhisker and Tucker were talking about.

“... so, do you guys have vets?” the kittypet was asking. “You guys have to get sick out there, and I know you get into fights. Who do you go to if you don’t have a vet?”

Pinewhisker scoffed, “We don’t need Twolegs to take care of us – we've got medicine cats.”

“Medicine cats?” Tucker looked confused, but intrigued.

Pinewhisker nodded. “They collect herbs and know what they do, and they use them to heal us when we’re sick or hurt,” he explained. “They also guide the Clan with signs they receive from our warrior ancestors.”

“Oh, wow!” Tucker’s eyes widened like bright little moons. Then, he looked confused: “But you said you weren’t born a Clan cat, Pinewhisker. You don’t have warrior ancestors then, right?”

Pinewhisker shrugged. “Probably not,” he admitted, “but when I die, I’ll go to StarClan, and then I’ll be a warrior ancestor for my kits, and their kits.” He raised his head, looking proud. “The first of my line!”

Wolftooth looked his way, his eyes sparking with mischief. “You’ll be the last if you don’t give Nightwing the time of day,” he chuckled.

Pinewhisker bristled, looking offended. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, incredulous. “Nightwing knows how I feel about her!”

Wolftooth grinned. “Does she? Have you told her?”

Stoneheart twitched his whiskers at Pinewhisker, trying not to purr at his Clanmate’s abashed expression. Nightwing and Pinewhisker padding in circles after one another wasn’t something he’d thought he’d come back to when he left on the journey, but there it was.

“I-I think she knows!” Pinewhisker stammered back.

“You need to tell her, Pinewhisker,” Stoneheart meowed. He recalled the worried way Nightwing had begged to come with them, and how dismissive Pinewhisker had been. “Don’t lead her on by the tail. If you don’t say it, how can you know she knows?”

Pinewhisker looked like a fish, his mouth opening in closing as if gasping for air. Finally, he sagged, and meowed, “Fine - if we make it out of this place, I’ll tell her.”

“Good,” Wolftooth grunted. The big gray tom stretched out, triumphant. “And when we get to the lake, you two can have as many kits as you can handle.”

Pinewhisker’s tail bristled, and whatever response he might have made, Stoneheart missed – his heartbreak had opened anew, and he couldn’t help but wallow. He was happy for Pinewhisker and Nightwing and whatever the future might hold for them, but bitter claws gripped his shoulders.

What if he never found Rowanclaw?

Stoneheart stared down at the remains of his meal, finding that it was now a lump in his throat. If he never found Rowanclaw, if he had to leave the forest without him... would he ever feel happy again? Would his dreams keep taking him to dark, dank places? Would he succumb to his own anxieties and fears? Sometimes it felt like the hope that Rowanclaw might be out there was all that was keeping him going.

His expression must have given his thoughts away – he felt Wolftooth’s tail rest on his shoulders. “Hey,” the older warrior grunted, his breath close to Stoneheart’s ear, “it’ll be okay. We’ll find Rowanclaw.”

Stoneheart leaned into Wolftooth, feeling his limbs go weak. “What... What if StarClan wants me to leave him behind?” he whispered. Speaking such a secret fear made his tongue dry as wood.

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Wolftooth murmured back. “And you can’t think that, either.”

Stoneheart swallowed. He was aware that both Pinewhisker and Tucker were staring at him, their eyes round and, in Tucker’s case, confused. Stoneheart pulled away from Wolftooth, giving his pelt a shake. Clanmates were one thing, but Stoneheart couldn’t bring himself to look so weak in front of a kittypet - what kind of Clan cat would he be?

“I see I have visitors.”

The voice was pleasant, soft, and, above all, unfamiliar; coming as the dark of night descended upon the Twolegplace. Weak moonlight lit up the massive, powerful shoulders of a very, very large tomcat, turning his dark brown pelt to silver. He tilted his broad head, observing the four cats with calm yellow eyes that glowed like small suns.

Tucker nearly jumped out of his pelt. “Branch!” he cried. “You scared us!”

Wolftooth stepped forward. “You’re Branch?” he asked.

“I am,” Branch answered, dipping his head.

Stoneheart was stunned – this Branch dwarfed even Wolftooth, who was one of ShadowClan’s largest cats, alongside Blackfoot, who might look like a kit in comparison. How does a cat even get that big? More importantly, how had such a large cat appeared without anyone noticing him?

Stoneheart couldn’t help but lean forward and sniff. Something about Branch’s scent seemed... off. It was plain, alien, with a subtle tang that Stoneheart felt came from nowhere in nature. Perhaps that was why they hadn’t noticed him coming – this tom barely smelled like a cat at all!

Branch calmly observed the ShadowClan cats, his eyes resting on each in turn. When his eyes met Stoneheart’s, he meowed, “I’m sorry to keep you waiting; my partner had a patient who needed some extra attention.”

“Your partner?” Pinewhisker tilted his head.

“The vet,” Branch meowed, nodding back to the building behind him. He licked a paw and drew it over his ear. “We are not owner and kittypet, as you might think. We consider one another partners. You three aren’t here to talk with me about that, however.”

Branch looked at Tucker, and the kittypet stood at attention: “These cats want your help, Branch,” he explained, gesturing to the ShadowClan patrol with his tail. “They came from the marshlands, in the forest, and they’re--”

“They’re looking for someone,” Branch finished. Stoneheart felt unnerved – the big tom’s eyes had not left him. “That much seems obvious. Thank you, Tucker, for bringing them to me.”

“So, you’ll help us?” Pinewhisker guessed, looking hopeful.

Branch nodded, his eyes soft and compliant. “I am not the type to turn away someone in need – now, tell me, who are you looking for? I will help if I can.”

“My mate,” Stoneheart burst, taking a step towards Branch. His heart thudded in his ears, and he was aware of just how selfish he seemed. “Ah... there are others, too – they were all taken by the Twolegs that are destroying the forest. We can’t leave for our new home without them.”

“Tucker and Cody tell us that you’re the cat to see about finding the missing,” Wolftooth rumbled on.

Branch blinked. “Well, I don’t like to brag, but... they are correct. Come.”

The big tom brushed past, heading further into the little patch of woodland behind the vet’s den. Tucker followed without question, his tail up and his eyes bright with excitement. Wolftooth shrugged and got to his paws, heading after them.

Pinewhisker rubbed his pelt against Stoneheart’s. “What’s there to lose?” he offered, sounding encouraging.

Stoneheart nodded in agreement, his heart lifting despite the uncertainty as he followed Pinewhisker. What could this Branch cat offer that no one else could? Perhaps he was like a medicine cat himself, if something like that could exist within a Twolegplace.

This patch of woodland was small, and Branch led them to its very heart. Despite being able to see Thunderpaths and monsters and even Twolegs from where they sat, it seemed very quiet here, the sound muffled by the thin trees and scrappy bushes. Moonlight streamed down between the branches, which had already lost almost all their leaves.

Branch settled down beside the stump of what might have been a very tall oak. He curled his tail around his paws, sweeping dry leaves around him. He turned his muzzle to the sky, and took a deep breath, his whiskers trembling with concentration.

“What’s he doing?” Pinewhisker wondered.

“Ssh!” Tucker hissed, his eyes round and bright. “You’ll see!”

Stoneheart glanced warily at Wolftooth. The big gray tom looked just as concerned, and as time stretched on, Stoneheart was half tempted to prod at Branch – the brown tom seemed frozen stiff, his muzzle to the sky and his tail covered in leaves.

The night stretched on, and it seemed like an eternity before Branch lowered his muzzle.

“My apologies,” he said, sounding tired. “With the workfolk in the forest, the earth has become hard to hear.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stoneheart wondered, getting to his paws. His heart began to beat faster. “You can’t find them?”

Branch blinked, staring into Stoneheart’s eyes. “I can find them,” he said, with no uncertainty, “but I am saying that it won’t be easy.”

“Well, what can we do to help?” Wolftooth wondered. He glanced at the sky, and how the moon was a catscratch from half-full. He’d promised Russetstar that their patrol would be back before that happened, Stoneheart recalled. “We’re running out of time.”

Branch twitched his whiskers. “Tell me about those you’re looking for. That may help me find them.”

Pinewhisker worked his jaw. “Well... it’s not like we know them all personally, but... Robinwing is a WindClan cat – she's brown with blue eyes. Smells like moor grass and heather.”

“Tawnypelt is RiverClan’s deputy,” Wolftooth went on. “She’s fierce, and strong, and smells like willows and river water and fish, like all RiverClan cats. An older tortoiseshell with a scarred pelt.”

Stoneheart swallowed. “Cloudtail and Brightheart are mates, and they’re both so brave. Brightheart is missing an eye, and an ear, and Cloudtail is the best tracker in ThunderClan.” His heart stirred with memories of ThunderClan, only to ache again as he went on, “And Rowanclaw... he’s my mate. I love him so much – h-he's dark ginger, and his eyes sparkle when he purrs, and I would do anything just to see him again, a-and...”

He was conscious of the eyes on him, now, but it didn’t stop it all from tumbling out: “I just want to tell him I’m sorry for leaving him alone.” He stared into Branch’s eyes, willing him to understand, hoping that this would help. “I want to tell him that I want to have kits, and that I’m sorry for being too scared to tell him that. I want to look into his eyes again, and I want to hear his voice, even if he says he doesn’t forgive me for leaving him behind.”

Stoneheart swallowed, realizing that the lump in his throat was almost choking him. He fell to his haunches, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball. Being so vulnerable made him feel like his pelt had fallen off of his body. His voice was a whimper, now: “I want to tell him that... e-even if we make it to the lake... to me, it’ll mean nothing if he’s not there beside me...”

He felt Pinewhisker and Wolftooth press close to him, a gesture which normally would have pricked at his pride, but right now he wanted nothing more than the companionship of his Clanmates, especially in this strange place. Stoneheart managed to lift his head, and his eyes met Branch’s, blue to yellow.

“We can’t leave the forest without any of them,” he meowed, “but without Rowanclaw...”

“I understand,” Branch soothed. He stood up on all fours, planting his paws firmly against the earth. “I hear your love, Stoneheart, and the earth feels it. You call to your Family, and I join my voice to yours.”

Stoneheart had no idea what the strange cat meant – Branch sank down, shoving his paws into the earth as if they were the roots of a tree. The brown tom touched his nose to the soil, and again he was silent and still, but for the twitch of his ears or the sweep of his tail.

Stoneheart was conscious of every moment fading away into oblivion. Was it working? There was no way to tell, and that not knowing was making Stoneheart’s pelt crawl, as if ants had made a home in his fur.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Branch shivered from ears to tail, gasping as he lifted his head. The big cat staggered, and Tucker rushed forward to steady him, though the big tom would have crushed the kittypet if he fell.

Branch regained himself, thanking Tucker with a murmur. He looked exhausted, now, his eyes drawn and drooping, but he lifted his head and declared, “I’ve found them.”

Stoneheart got to his paws. “You did?” His heart thudded, threatening to leap out of his chest. “Truly?”

Branch nodded. “They are in the forest,” he breathed. “Something surrounds them, blocking my senses, but... I heard them crying out from within.” He looked at the Clan cats. “Their cries were weak, difficult to hear.”

“Where are they in the forest?” Wolftooth asked, stepping forward. “Could you tell?”

Branch struggled, for a moment. “The earth was broken all around them,” he said, “trampled by workfolk and their monsters. But... something remained, something nearby that resonated with the energy your Clans put into it. Rocks... rocks that formed little caves, rocks that hid secrets...”

“Snakerocks?” Stoneheart guessed.

“Yes,” Branch nodded, “a sinister place, but one that knows your Clans.”

“They’re in ThunderClan territory,” Stoneheart breathed. Wind stirred his pelt, and he looked to Wolftooth and Pinewhisker. “Snakerocks must have been one of the first places the Twolegs destroyed in ThunderClan.”

His mouth felt dry, but his limbs were charged, and Stoneheart felt as if he could leap over all of Twolegplace. He could picture Snakerocks now – that flat piece of land, barren of trees, would be a perfect place to keep the captured cats. I know where Rowanclaw is!

“But how do we get to them?” Pinewhisker wondered, eyes wide. “If the Twolegs are all over that place, then...”

“We can figure that out later,” Wolftooth grunted. “What matters is that we found them. Russetstar will know what to do from here.”

“You must take care, and act swiftly,” Branch meowed. He seemed to be regaining his strength. “If the workfolk took these cats from the forest, there isn’t much time before they’re sent to the city.”

“What will happen to them then?” Pinewhisker wondered, his eyes round.

“They’ll be given to Twolegs, or taken to the vet to be Cut and released, if no Twoleg will take them,” Tucker answered. “That’s what they usually do to the cats they catch.”

Wolftooth bristled. “Then there’s no time to waste,” he growled. “Tucker, can you take us back to the forest? We need to get to our leader with this information immediately.”

Tucker blinked. He looked dazzled by these events. “I... yes, I think I can,” he meowed. “We’ll need to leave now, though, if you’re in a hurry!”

Wolftooth seemed all right with that. He turned and nodded to Branch, meowing, “Thank you for your help.”

“It’s no problem,” Branch meowed. He dipped his head formally. “It’s my purpose to help others. The earth speaks, and I listen.”

Tucker raised his tail, and Wolftooth and Pinewhisker clustered around the kittypet. Stoneheart got to his paws to join them, only to find that Branch had put his massive body between him and is Clanmates.

“Good luck on your Great Wander,” he meowed evenly, his eyes pale and sparkling. “We may not see one another again, but through the earth we are connected.”

Stoneheart blinked at the tom, confused. He had no idea what Branch meant, or what strange powers he possessed, but he felt the sentiment. He meowed, “Thank you,” before pushing past the big brown tom and heading after Wolftooth and Pinewhisker.

“Family is forever!” Branch called after them. “And Family is always wherever you are!”

--

Dawn had broken by the time that Stoneheart, Wolftooth, and Pinewhisker had to stay good-bye to Tucker. The kittypet had been beside himself with sorrow, especially knowing that he would never see the Clan cats again – but the farewells had to be brief, and Stoneheart sent a prayer to StarClan, thanking them for Tucker’s help.

He found himself leading the way across the open marshes, Wolftooth and Pinewhisker streaming behind him. There was no need to speak – there was no time. Tiredness and hunger were forgotten in their flight. The Twoleg monsters had already roared to life in ShadowClan territory, and the sight of the smoke they belched, so close to ShadowClan’s camp, put speed to their paws.  

Ultimately, though, when they arrived at the crest of a hill that overlooked the ShadowClan camp from a distance, they saw that they were too late.

The monsters were devouring the very heart of ShadowClan.

#tb au #tb dawn

[violentshine]

Stuff I have planned for my medicine cat fireheart au

Spottedleaf has a vision of a flame appearing on her herb store as she's trying to put it out, she realizes as it's not going away that this is just a vision. But why are her herbs on fire? Does it mean that something bad will happen to them? She also notices that, though there is a fire, there is no fire smell or smoke smell, there's no ash either, nor are her herbs burning up; there's just a small flame sitting on her herbs and maybe she's imagining things but it also looks as if the herbs look healthier under the light of the fire. But what's a flame doing in the medicine den?

She talks to Bluestar about this & though they don't know exactly what it means, they'll both keep an eye out for whatever this could mean.

Fast forward to Rusty joining that happens differently than canon too- Instead of Lionheart & Whitestorm going to meet him, Bluestar thinks he might be the fire from the vision and, after talking to her, Bluestar sends Spottedleaf and Redtail (yes Redtail) to see if Rusty is fully determined to join Thunderclan.

Once brought back to the clan, he isn't met with friendly greetings, not because he's a kittypet but because there's too much drama going on with their neighboring clan to allow another mouth to feed, but Bluestar is set on letting this kittypet join and dares anyone to challenge her judgement. There's no fight either (maybe Longtail wants to fight but Redtail puts a stop to it before it could happen). Redtail also finds some way to remove Rusty's-now Firepaw- collar. I think when he first meets Bluestar, Rusty tells Bluestar about his dreams; Rusty tells her that he sometimes dreams about specific areas, when he describes them he mentions the Great Sycamore and maybe Fourtrees ? dk but Bluestar knows that this kit is special

Bluestar appoints Spottedleaf as his mentor since he has the thing with Starclan- he also thinks herbs are interesting (after Spotted's role was explained to him) so now he's officially her apprentice. Also pls note I'm not including any of the weird stuff that happened between these two in canon- Spottedleaf takes the role of big sister to Firepaw

Then Redtail dies

-

Situation with Yellowfang happens differently- Firepaw is out collecting herbs and doesn't catch the scent of a nearby fox both due to the strong smelling herbs he has & not knowing what fox smells like since he's not really out and about. Yellowfang drives the young fox away and when Firepaw tries to thank her, she says he can thank her by letting her hunt and then be on her way. But Firepaw can't let her do that, he instead offers to treat the wound the fox gave her (injured leg) saying it'll help her hunt easier (not on Thunderclan's land though). Firepaw won't leave her so Yellowfang gives in (also he doesn't know her name). While he's treating her, Bluestar and her patrol comes through and catches him. Bluestar recognizes Yellowfang, Darkstripe accuses Firepaw of disloyalty, yadayada Yellowfang is brought back to Thunderclan as "prisoner". When prompted, Yellowfang doesn't refuse to tell about Shadowclan; though she doesn't give many details she just says Brokenstar needed more territory for his cats, and he simply got more territory.

-

After Brindleface gives birth to her liter of 4, Spottedleaf goes to check on them, gets attacked, kits are gone, canon stuff you can read more of it here

While this is happening, Firepaw keeps getting dreams about Redtail, it looks as if the dead deputy is trying to tell Firepaw something but his words sound as if he's talking underwater and the dream itself isn't very clear, but he does know that the dream takes place at Sunningrocks (also Firepaw can see like blood dripping out of Redtail's neck- the dream is very nightmareish and not pleasant at all) I thought I made a post about this...

With the dreams, Redtail is able to pass the message that he wasn't killed by Oakheart and instead killed by Tigerclaw (more of it here)

Tigerclaw gets exiled, Darkstripe goes with & together they find Windclan and takes leadership (well Tigerclaw does at least) some stuff about that is in this post but i'm like 80% sure i've made a post about it...maybe its in my drafts

But uhm ! That's all I can think about this AU rn,,, I just wanted to make a origin post about this to link under my masterpost of AUs

#medic fireheart au #the blazing star au #idk how up to date this all is but i dont feel like reading it all rn

[malkumtend]

I Like Your Laugh. (A CrowSquirrel AU Fanfic) - Chapter 6.

The last three days, for Squirrelpaw, had been… mixed to say the least.

On the one hand, they hadn’t encountered anything dangerous since the incident in the twoleg gardens. Most of the time they were just passing by farmland, crossing past sheep which she had tediously begun to count. Seventy-eight so far. Nothing bad had occurred, it had past like a morning breeze. The cats had even begun to get the hang of getting through the murkiest ditches without a problem.

Plus, she could safely say now that she considered two of the cats’ good friends. She had always gotten on well with Feathertail, the cat was just so friendly that it was impossible to not to, she was so pleasant all the time! But Crowpaw, that was something else. They rarely fought anymore, not really anyway. He was still moody occasionally, and still seemed hesitant to give any friendliness to the other three cats, but that was something Squirrelpaw suspected he would come over eventually.

For Starclan’s sake, he had admitted his past with his father and how much it upset him with her, the cat he would have gladly torn limb from limb in the beginning,  there must be a time when he showed how nice he could be to the others.

Even the other cats were fine. Tawnypelt was friendly enough, though Squirrelpaw would admit the two rarely spoke that much, but when they did it was always good natured so there was no problem between the two.

Stormfur was definitely a cat she spoke to more, and while he certainly always spoke kindly, there was always something off whenever he talked to her. Like he was uncomfortable whenever he saw her, his breathing would quicken, and his fur would prickle as if disturbed. It always caught Squirrelpaw off guard and leave her wondering what exactly she had done to make the cat fly off like a startled sparrow.

She’d asked Feathertail about it once. The warrior had just grinned and told her it was nothing to worry about. Apparently, Stormfur did like her though, so Squirrelpaw just learnt to accept it as the quirks of a weird cat.

But then there was Brambleclaw. And despite being Squirrelpaw’s clanmate, the she-cat could safely say things had been awful since she had refused to sleep by him that night. It had seemed to have really insulted Brambleclaw to some degree, he now made a point to ignore Squirrelpaw whenever he could, and whenever they did speak his voice was clear with poison and distrust.

It hadn’t affected Squirrelpaw at first, but soon it began to wear on her a little. She wanted the two of them to be friends like they were before the journey, but it looked like Brambleclaw didn’t want that unless she took herself away from the friends she had made, and she wouldn’t, couldn’t, do that. So Bramblelclaw continued to treat her like an unhappy acquaintance.

And from the way he was glaring at her while she squirmed under the fence, it wasn’t looking much better.

Oh yeah, Squirrelpaw was stuck under a fence.

They’d had to go around the edge of a field where a twoleg monster roamed, chugging yellow fragments into the air with a rumbling grow. It had been easy enough, but when they’d come to a fence made of a cold, silver material that the group had been able to crawl under.

At least until the fence had decided to unwind when Squirrelpaw was halfway through, its pointed ends clawing into her skin painfully if she even dared to move a little.

“Get me out!” She squeaked. Her cheeks burned with humiliation as the other five cats stared at her. Feathertail and Crowpaw stood at one side, examining the wires closely. Stormfur and Tawnypelt were at the other side, looking over a wooden post that was embedded with the wires. Brambleclaw had just come back up, obviously wanting to get on as soon as he could, and now stared down at Squirrelpaw with a frustrated air around him.

The ginger apprentice glared back up at him, “Don’t just sit there and gawk, mouse-brain!” The wires digged into her fur again and she let out another whimper.

Brambleclaw growled, “Keep still.” He looked over the wires with Feathertail and Crowpaw, letting out a tired hiss. “It’s tight.”

“Oh really?” Crowpaw meowed with a frown, “Thanks for letting us know. I’m sure we couldn’t realise that.” Squrrelpaw saw Brambleclaw’s jaw tighten.

“Crowpaw!” Feathertail snapped before the two inevitably began arguing again, “This is not the time for that!” She continued to look over the wires hopelessly.

The Windclan apprentice remained scowling for a moment, then he looked back down at Squirrelpaw and softened. “You’re right.” He sighed, “Sorry.” He looked closer at the wires digging into Squirrelpaw’s fur. The Thunderclan apprentice felt another warm flush as Crowpaw came right next to her, he smelt like orchids and fresh rain. A strange calming sensation passed through her as she felt his fur brush against hers, before he drew back with a worried sigh.

“We won’t be able to bite through it.” He pondered, “We could bite through your fur and that could free you.”

The calm feeling faded as Squirrelpaw recoiled like she had been struck. “Don’t you dare!” Squirrelpaw snarled, “Try to bite my fur and I’ll blind you!” She would sooner spend the night under the fence than go the whole journey with furless patches all over her.

However, whatever anger Squirrelpaw had felt momentarily left her when she saw Crowpaw wince. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. We’ll find another way.” The ginger apprentice felt a sting of guilt, she was so used to assuming that Crowpaw was still trying to upset her she hadn’t considered he was truly trying to help. She made a promise to apologise to him later.

“Are you sure we can’t bite through it?” Stormfur questioned, his ears up in worry.

Crowpaw frowned, “You want to try it? Go ahead, it’s a waste of time though.” Stormfur still tried chewing on the wires however and came back with a ruffled look of defeat. “Told you.”

“What if we dig up the post?” Brambleclaw offered, “It’s deep in but if we all work together it-” The cats all paused as they heard a sharp sound in the distance. Barking. Followed by the rustling hooves of sheep. Coming towards them.

Squirrelpaw’s stomach curled and she began to visibly struggle again, her heart racing with terror. “Get me out of here! Quickly!” The wires raked across her like foxes’ teeth, but she couldn’t stop moving, she was too terrified.

Brambleclaw growled again, but his eyes were also wide with panic. “Stop moving and we can think of something!” He ordered, pacing back and forth.

“What do we do?” Stormfur exclaimed, ears twitching as the barking of the dog began to slowly grow louder.

Squirrelpaw continued to struggle, her paws desperately clawing the dirt in any vague hopes of escape, her breaths subsided into constant horrified gasps. “Hurry!” She yowled.

“Shush!” Brambleclaw roared at the cat, “If you keep struggling, you’ll just make it harder for us to help!” His gaze roared like a forest fire. Squirrelpaw couldn’t help but let a few tears prick the corners of her eyes, the terror and helplessness of her situation as well as Brambleclaw’s ferocity and blaming were becoming too much for the poor cat.

Once again, it was her who was causing trouble. Her who couldn’t help but get stuck, halt the journey, and now put them all at risk of a dog. She cursed the fence. She cursed herself.

Then a black paw sprang in front of her, an equally furious face sizing up the Thunderclan warrior. Everyone turned to look when Crowpaw hissed at Brambleclaw, his ears folded back, his pelt bristling with savage outrage. Squirrelpaw could swear that even when Crowpaw had been arguing with her, every minute in the beginning, she had never seen Crowpaw look so angry.

“Leave her alone!” He snarled, inches from Brambleclaw’s face. He stretched his entire body to face the warrior properly, practically balancing himself on his tail. “She’s scared enough as it is! She doesn’t need your fox-brained chatter!”

Squirrelpaw felt like interjecting at the comment that she was scared, but she was too taken aback by Crowpaw’s actions. Once again, he was defending her.

Brambleclaw looked surprised, then furious. He tensed so much that the muscles in his neck began to throb as he let out a low growl. He pushed his nose against the apprentice in a challenge. “It’s not my fault she’s stuck, is it?! I’m just trying to get her out of there as quickly as possible! And we can’t do that if she’s writhing around like a fish out of water!”

“If you care so much,” Crowpaw snarled, pushing back, his eyes as wild as a storm, “Stop insulting her and get to actually helping your clanmate, mouse-brain!”

“That’s what I want to do! But I can’t because some half-grown apprentice is growling at me!”

Squirrelpaw’s panic subsided to anger as she heard that obscenely unfair comment. Not to mention that she was smaller than Crowpaw, so that was an indirect insult to her as well as far as she was concerned.

“Yeah, because screaming at already distressed cats really makes for good help.” Crowpaw yowled bitterly, his claws unsheathed.

Brambleclaw didn’t look ready for any kind of fight, right now, as his ears pricked at the barking of the dog, but he still wasn’t going to let up. “By the way I see it, you’re the one wanting to start a fight. As usual.” He finished, leering.

Now Squirrelpaw was feeling genuinely furious at how unfair Brambleclaw’s comments were.  The cat just seemed determined to try and make her feel small, and now he was taking it out on cats who tried to defend her. Crowpaw hadn’t tried to start anything for days, any cat in the group would stand by that, this was the first time he had stepped up to anyone since the start. And the only reason he was doing it was…for her.

Any thoughts going through her mind misted away when Feathertail and Tawnypelt crouched beside her. “Would you two stop that?” Tawnypelt snapped, glaring at the two. “Toms.” She grumbled.

“Tell me about it?” Feathertail snickered. Squirrelpaw noticed a few dock leaves at her paws, Feathertail took one into her mouth and began chewing it before spitting its green fluid onto her paws. “But please Squirrelpaw, try not to move okay?” The she-cat said gently.

Despite the quivering of her heart, Squirrelpaw obeyed, mustering deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. Feathertail quickly rubbed the chewed-up leaves around the fence strands that clipped onto Squirrelpaw’s fur, the wetness made Squirrelpaw shiver a little, but she kept calm. Better this than the dog.

She waited until Feathertail had smoothly rubbed it into her fur. “Okay,” Tawnypelt mused, “Now try to pull yourself out.”

Squirrelpaw tried frantically, her claws digging and scrambling to get away from the danger, but the wire was tight and painful, scratching her the more she tried. The apprentice whimpered, her eyes brimming as she looked to the mollies pleadingly. “I can’t! It’s too tight!”

“Breathe in. It’s working.” Tawnypelt exclaimed, “Just a little more.”

Squirrelpaw shook her head, her mind had gone blank and no matter how hard she tried, her muscles wouldn’t go against her nerves. A nameless pressure clenched in her throat, constricting her breath and movement, every muscle stiff with fright; her eyes closed as the impending horror grew closer and closer, closing out the directions of her friends. “I-I can’t do it!”

“Yes, you can.” Even through the hungry darkness, his voice was unmissable. As small and bright as a star. A gentle breeze carrying her across the hills. Squirrelpaw felt her eyes open, and his face was there. His lips were tightly held together, but the only thing the she-cat could focus on was the assurance in his gaze. “Try again, just another push.” He said, comfortingly sure of himself. Everything just seemed natural when he said it.

Always so confident.

Now so warm.

“Hurry!” Brambleclaw yowled, his voice clear with tension.

Squirrelpaw almost didn’t hear him. Crowpaw braced himself to flee, but the paw he let fall on her shoulder made it clear that he wouldn’t leave her until she was free. Feathertail did the same on her other shoulder. She wasn’t alone. The fear loosened its talons from Squirrelpaw’s pelt, a sudden urge, a belief, rising all over the ginger cat. Squirrelpaw relaxed, shifting all of her strength into her paws. Her hind legs kicked and her front paws pulled with a burst of desire, she ignored the sting of the wire against her back and writhed with the passion to live.

Even as she felt her fur pull from her skin, she continued to push, and within a sudden moment, she saw herself beside her friends. Running. Free. The barking lingered away with every leap, fading away as if it had never existed.

The cats stopped once they had reached the next field, panting and laughing between themselves. Squirrelpaw looked over her hide and sighed with relief. The fence hadn’t taken a large amount of her fur at least. Thank Starclan she was so fluffy! She let out a puff towards the sky. “That was close.”

“Too close.” Stormfur agreed, smoothing down his bristled fur. “Are you okay?”

Squirrelpaw licked around the rustled patch on her back, “I’ll be fine, it’s just a few lost hairs. They’ll grow back.” She began to clean away the dock smudged around her fur. “Yuck!” She cringed at the bitter taste.

“Here let me help you.” Feathertail offered, she smoothed her tongue on the areas that Squirrelpaw couldn’t reach.

The Thunderclan cat smiled thankfully, “Thanks.” She looked appreciatively towards Tawnypelt, blinking slowly. “Thank you both, so much! That was an amazing plan!” The Shadowclan warrior said nothing but she returned the apprentice’s smile, nodding to the cat.

“You’re welcome.”

Feathertail spat away a wad of dock, “There’s no need to thank us, Squirrelpaw. We know you’d have done the same for us.” Tawnypelt nodded gain at the Riverclan warrior’s words and Squirrelpaw felt another touched warmth fill her chest. They really trusted her that much. Even when she had been shaking that much under the fence, scared out of her wits, they still believed she would remain brave for them if they were in that position.

And of course, she would. They were her friends after all. But it didn’t stop Squirrelpaw from embracing the fact that these warriors that she respected so much thought so well of an apprentice – not to mention, an apprentice from another clan.

But in a pattern that was becoming frustratingly regular, any pride she had was shut down when she heard his contemptuous voice.

“As if she could have even thought of it.”

Every cat froze at that. All looked towards the warrior, looking away dismissively while licking his paw. Even Stormfur and Tawnypelt, cats that normally got on well with the warrior, looked shocked at the deliberate cruelty in his words.

“What do you mean by that?” Stormfur demanded, the normally calm warrior tensing with an angry glare.

Brambleclaw shrugged, snorting. “What? She didn’t help herself, after all, shaking like a leaf.” He darted a small glare in his clanmate’s direction.

Squirrelpaw didn’t flinch. Her eyes were wide, but there was no kind of fear anymore. Instead a dark pulse was vibrating through her little body, making her pupils shrink when she saw the warrior look away from her with a sniff. Her ears flattened against her skull and her tail thumped wildly.

Tawnypelt glowered at her brother, “And you helped? Shouting and clawing?!”

The brown warrior may have winced, but it was masked behind a snarl. “Again, I tried to! But she wasn’t listening to me!”

“Because she was frightened you fox-heart!” Everyone couldn’t help but flinch when it was Feathertail’s angry hiss. Stormfur visibly jolted back in open terror. The gentle she-cat’s fur was on edge and her muzzle was creased in fury. “Why are you being so unfair? It was a dog! Any one of us would be terrified, and we all were!”

Brambleclaw paused, stunned at the tone of the Riverclan cat. His tail swung wearily for a moment, then he returned with a brisk cough and a frown. “It’s not a question of how brave she is.”

“Then what is it?”

A low growl rumbled in Brambleclaw, “We would have gotten away sooner if she had just listened and kept calm! That didn’t need to be as close as it was!”

“Does it matter? She got out didn’t she!” Stormfur yowled.

Brambleclaw scoffed, “Yeah, after making it as difficult as she could.”

Squirrelpaw bristled with disgust. So, once again he was blaming her. Once more, she was the one that Brambleclaw chose to blame for another one of the group’s problems.

She’d never realised how stupid he sounded before now.

He said he was trying to help her.

How?

By insulting her whenever he had the chance?

By trying to make out she was the problem that cursed the group?

By doing whatever he could to make her feel small and keep her under his paws like a piece of prey?

He said he was her clanmate. Squirrelpaw was less proud of that every time he opened his mouth, and it was all down to him!

Squirrelpaw cursed all the times she had gotten upset over the tom, all the times she had actually believed his words! What a waste of time! Throughout the journey, there had only been one thing that was wrong with her. And it certainly wasn’t her fault!

Squirrelpaw burned with anger, her claws twisted into the dirt and her tail rose tensely. That was it! No more losing sleep over what this bee-brain thought of her! If he thought that she would just take his stupidity any longer he was as crazy as a hare!

He wanted to cause fights; she was going to finish them!

“Oh, pardon me!” Squirrelpaw exclaimed with a mocking respect. “Where are my manners? I forgot just how much you tried to help, Brambleclaw. Your idea of telling me to be quiet and keep still really helped, that would have been certain to get me away from the dog.”

Brambleclaw’s jaw dropped at the sudden shift in the cat’s tone. His stare became fiery. “I was trying to keep you calm.”

“Oh yes, yelling at the top of your lungs really has that effect.”

Brambleclaw sneered, “Okay, what did you do? Writhe and whimper like a kittypet.”

“To reiterate,” Squirrelpaw snapped, cocking her head to the side, “I was trapped under a fence! If you think you’d be any different, why don’t you go show that dog how strong you are? You can move after all!”

Brambleclaw winced at the barking that echoed from the previous field. He frowned at Tawnypelt when he heard her snicker. Squirrelpaw smirked, he was embarrassed, and he knew everyone could tell he was.

“Stop talking such fox-dung!” Brambleclaw snarled, “You’re the one who got stuck, not me, that’s your own fault.” That was a cheap insult, and Squirrelpaw didn’t care a mouse-tail about it. Yeah, she’d gotten stuck, but she wasn’t the one who’d made the situation so much worse for herself.

“And you’re the cat who’s saying it’s foolish to be scared of a dog. That’s your fault.”

When she said that, Brambleclaw seemed to realise how badly he’d cornered himself. His tail lashed from side to side, his mouth twisted back in a grimace. “That wasn’t what I… I meant that…” He tried to find a solution but the coldness in his gaze made it clear that he had dug a hole that was threatening to swallow him up, and he had no way out of it.

“You meant what?” Squirrelpaw pressed.

“I-” Brambleclaw paused, then he looked to the side again with a heavy groan. “Oh, whatever! I don’t need to explain myself to you! You’re an apprentice!” He snapped, giving her a poisonous glance before he turned from her again.

Squirrelpaw practically smelt that coming. It was his only defence, no matter how ridiculous it was. She saw the cats around her draw back in either astonishment or disgust. They were on her side. That was all she needed to know.

“Yes, I am. And I’ve still spoken more sense than you’ve ever done!”

Brambleclaw recoiled, his eyes blazing with an unspeakable, offended ire. His jaws unclenched letting out a vicious hiss that slithered from the back of his throat, spit fizzing furiously as he did so. “Listen here you little- I am a Warrior and-”

“And I’ll treat you like one when you start acting like one!” Squirrelpaw delivered, unscathed, unbreakable. Her lips pouted and she let out a disgusted groan. “Wipe your mouth, would you? You’re drooling worse than that dog.”

A mrrow of laughter filled the air. High, throaty and passionate. Every cat paused, recognised the voice, paused again, took a moment to process the idea, the dared to look as Crowpaw chortled, his head rocked back as he erupted towards the sky. Now, every cat was astonished.

Crowpaw…knew how to laugh?!

It was a terrifying, miraculous thought!

But there he was, black fur and all, howling with laughter, doubled over in hysterics, as if he had seen the most hilarious thing in the forest.

Squirrelpaw looked on, dumbfounded. There were a lot of things she never expected Crowpaw to do.

Praising her had been a shock.

Smiling had been a miracle.

Laughing..?

Squirrelpaw was ready to see dogs start raining from the sky.

It sounded so strange, so happy. So real. The tom seemed to calm down, a cool smile gracing his lips as he wiped his eyes with the tip of his tail.

Brambleclaw was now visibly shaking, his whiskers twitching as his eyes tried to burn holes into Crowpaw’s fur. “What are you laughing at?”

Crowpaw let out a blissful sigh, looking mildly at the Warrior. “Not what. Who. And you’re still drooling, by the way.”

Brambleclaw’s eyes widened and he wiped a paw across his mouth, turning away from the pair shamefully. The rest of the group couldn’t help but let out a hushed laughter, after hearing Crowpaw laugh, none were quite ready to accept the sound was actually real.

The brown Warrior turned back after cleaning his face and looked ready to disappear. “C-Come on! We’ve wasted enough time already!” Squirrelpaw groaned, he was trying to be leader again.

She felt a gentle press against her pelt, she looked to see Feathertail shaking her head with a smile. “Don’t worry about him, you’ve embarrassed him enough.” She chuckled.

Squirrelpaw snickered, her tail rising. “If he wants to be humiliated again, he’s welcome to speak.” She was never going to let him have the final word again. She’d shown him that. If he was smart, he’d keep his distance for a while.

“If he does that, he’s more stupid than any of us thought!” Crowpaw walked beside Feathertail, his head cocked up with delight that the Warrior had been given a taste of his own herbs. His eyes found Squirrelpaw and he nodded at her, almost proudly. “Good job giving that mange-pelt what he deserves.”

Squirrelpaw grinned back at the tom, “Thanks.” She suddenly remembered, “Oh, and thanks you two, for sticking by me under the fence.” Her voice softened with respect.

“Oh, Squirrelpaw. I already said there was no need to thank me!” Feathertail declared, her tail smoothing over Squirrelpaw’s pelt. “You’re our friend, we would never leave you.”

“We wouldn’t leave you regardless.” Crowpaw said, his tone snappy but sincere, “We’re in this together. Even if it was that bee-brained warrior, we wouldn’t leave him behind.” Crowpaw’s tail lashed towards the still fuming Brambleclaw.

“Exactly, we’re here until we make it there.” Feathertail looked up, bringing Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw’s gazes with her. The Sun-Down place blinked over the horizon, glistening and beckoning the group on their journey. The journey they shared. Until the very end.

Squirrelpaw was glad she was among friends.

“Well, we’ll get there soon enough.” Crowpaw stated, as confident as ever.

Feathertail smirked as she looked over to Crowpaw, “Honestly after hearing you laugh, I will never doubt anything ever again.”

Crowpaw eyes went wide, then he looked away in mild embarrassment. “I’m a cat, you know, I can do whatever you two can.”

The two sniggered at his attempts to hide away his action, but Squirrelpaw would never forget it. She was sure of that much. She mused for a second. A cordial charge made her smile at the tom.

“I like your laugh.”

Crowpaw didn’t say anything, he blinked, looking ahead as if he hadn’t heard her. His gaze faltered, travelling from side to side before resting on the ginger cat, trying his hardest not to be ruffled. “Well, I hope you’ve got a good memory, Squirrelbrain. I won’t be doing it again any time soon.”

Squirrelpaw craned her head towards him playfully, “Is that a challenge?”

Crowpaw’s eyes widened incredulously, then he sighed with a small laugh. “You’re crazier than a fox in a fit.”

Feathertail nudged Squirrelpaw, beaming. “I’d take that as a yes.” She whispered playfully.

Squirrelpaw’s eyes narrowed and she leaned towards Crowpaw, “Even if it isn’t, I’ll get it out of him, wait and see.” The black tom rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth were up and that edged Squirrelpaw on.

Because in a place she couldn’t display to anyone, she did cherish the sound of Crowpaw’s laugh. Another impossible act she had gotten him to achieve.

She would get him to laugh again.

Her heart couldn’t wait to hear it again.

#crowpaw #crowfeather #squirrelflight #squirrelpaw #crowsquirrel #squirrelcrow #Warrior Cats #Warriors #New Prophecy #fanfiction #warrior au #warriors au #brambleclaw #Stormfur #tawnypelt #Feathertail

[thunders-warcats-stuff]

A Midnight Stroll

Summary: Canon Divergence fic where Lionheart stops Bluefur from giving up her kits and a few of her problems are solved not long after. Based on the headcanon that Lionheart was Bluestar’s emotional support and her downward spiral gained serious velocity when he died.

Snowflakes drifted from a milk-colored sky to blanket the eerily silent landscape. Thankfully, the entire camp wasn’t covered in the stuff. Bluefur thought. That would make this so much harder.

“Wake up!” She hissed quietly, nudging her kits awake. She got them up and moving with some halfhearted idea of a game that would have them sneak into the forest through the dirtplace tunnel.

“If you wake anyone up, we lose.” She reminded them quietly as the three of them chittered about getting out of camp and the smell of the dirtplace and what could possibly lay outside the camp. Maybe they could see the famous Sunningrocks that everyone fought for!

She pricked her ears for the cat who sired her, knowing the blue-grey tom she inherited her coat from would be guarding the camp tonight. He would be so angry, so disappointed if he discovered them here. As would the cat she truly considered a father.

Sunstar would say he was merely disappointed and likely banish her to the nursery until the kits were six months old. Thistleclaw would become deputy and the whole forest would soon rot under his leadership. At least, according to Goosefeather.

She’d seen what he spoke of in dreams so she believed it to some extent. She just wished it didn’t have to be her.

Mosskit and Stonekit were safely up the ravine by the time she’d gone over her thoughts about this decision but when she looked down to check on Mistykit, her firstborn was nowhere to be found. In her place was a large golden tom with blazing green eyes and extremely thick fur.

“Come here, Bluefur.” Lionheart called in a low solemn tone. “And bring the other two with you.”

Bluefur’s pelt prickled without her permission, making her look twice her size despite the snow that fell on and around her.

“We need to get them out of the cold, Bluefur.” Lionheart insisted. “Whatever this is, we can talk about it later.”

I can’t! She wanted to call out. To wail her sorrow to the stars. To lay down and let the snow cover her until she couldn’t see anything and stay there until she wasn’t part of a prophecy anymore. Until she was just Bluefur, ThunderClan’s grumpiest warrior who laid around until someone called her for a patrol.

She contributed the bare minimum and these kits were going to change that! Finally, she would have something to focus on that didn’t bring pain and heartache with each step. She could live for her kittens and through them, her Clan. She might even become a pleasant cat to be around.

Warmth spread across her left flank and Bluestar was shocked into awareness. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she crouched on the ground with Stonekit and Mosskit squirming under her. Fur that reminded her of the sun filled her vision and eventually, green eyes met hers.

“Step aside, Bluefur.” Lionheart murmured. There was no judgment in his voice. There never was. “We need to get these kits warm.”

Bluefur dug her claws into the ground and squeezed her eyes shut once more, wishing for all the world that she could wake up somewhere else and not have to worry about this. Her best bet, in this cold, would be StarClan. Hopefully, she didn’t take her kits with her.

“None of you will be going anywhere except back to your nest.” Her friend assured her. Bluefur winced, not realizing she’d said that aloud.

She exhaled roughly and stepped aside.

“Don’t let Goosefeather see them.” She mumbled as Lionheart picked up the other two kits in his mouth. “I can carry them.”

“It’s fine.” Lionheart’s voice was muffled but his stance was clear.

He flicked his tail and they scrambled back down the ravine and into camp. It wasn’t long before Bluefur saw Stormtail’s shocked gaze and wide eyes. He started to say something but Lionheart shook his head and flicked his tail to Highrock. Stormtail nodded and padded over to the leader’s den, waiting under the large boulder rather than going inside. Bluefur blinked, stunned, and scrambled after Lionheart when she realized he had kept walking.

The kits didn’t take long to settle down and Bluefur covered them with dry moss from an empty nest to keep them warm and help dry their fur. After a few heartbeats of Bluefur and Lionheart working quietly, the golden tom gestured with a paw to the nursery’s entrance. Bluefur swallowed audibly and nodded, resigned, as she padded back into the coldness that awaited.

Stormtail waited with Sunstar below the Highrock. Their faces were grim and only darkened as she and Lionheart padded across the clearing to meet them.

“Let’s get you dry.” Sunstar murmured with a fierce calm he likely didn’t feel.

The four of them padded into the den and Bluefur sat not far from the entrance. Stormtail bundled her further into the den and then sat beside her, closer than she could ever remember him being before. Lionheart sat on her other side, almost like he was determined to soak up all the snow on her fur. Sunstar sat less than a mouse-length away and only spoke once his tail curled around his paws.

“Explain yourself.” He ordered.

“I…” Bluefur choked out. “I was going to take them to Twolegplace.” She admitted at last.

This was something she’d struggled with ever since she told Oakheart that he had to take them. He’d been so shocked. Utterly stunned. He had to have thought the worst of her them, and Bluefur was selfish enough to admit that she didn’t want her kits to hate her any more than they were already going to. So she told him that he didn’t have to do anything and that the kits would stay with her.

“Why?” Sunstar prompted, voice breaking on the word. “You love those kits. You’ve spent every day since they were born caring for them and watching them grow. Why would you separate them from the only family they’ve ever known?”

What followed were a few tense heartbeats where Bluefur could bring herself to speak.

“She said something about Goosefeather.” Lionheart admitted at last.

“What about him? He’s headed to the elder’s den any day now.” Stormtail sneered. “He should have gone after he got your mother killed-.”

“Do not,” Sunstar spat. “bring up Moonflower here.”

In that moment, Bluefur was thankful. In that moment, she wondered how she could ever betray one of the only cats who’d been there for her throughout her entire life. The second cat who could claim that title let a low growl rumble in his throat.

“He probably said something to her. We should ask what.”

“A prophecy.” Bluefur whispered at last. “There was a prophecy. He said it was mine. ‘Like Fire, You Will Blaze Through The Forest.’ He’s convinced… he thinks Thistleclaw is going to lead the Clan to ruin if he gains enough power.”

“You obviously agree with him.” Stormtail scoffed.

“To an extent.” Bluefur allowed. “There’s no other way to put some of the things he’s done. The way he’s trained Tigerclaw is… jarring, to say the least.”

“They are both very fierce warriors… but what makes you think he would ever become deputy?” Sunstar snorted. “Do you not trust me? Do you not trust this Clan to be there for you? Did you truly think they would have a better life as kittypets?”

“If she’s been influenced by Goosefeather-!”

“Fire must burn without bonds.” Bluefur mumbled.

“Say that again?”

“Goosefeather. He said Fire must burn without bonds. I have to check on my kits. If he wakes up-.”

“He’s going to wake up.” Lionheart growled. “And explain himself. He threatened your kits.”

“Just like he threatened her mother. Just like he’s been stalking her pawsteps all her life-.” Stormtail’s scoff was cut off by his head turning sideways. Bluefur staggered back, leaning more into Lionheart’s flank, and blinked at the scene before her. Sunstar sheathed his claws and tufts of grey fur lay at his paws.

“You do not get to act like you have done a single thing for any of them.” Sunstar growled, sinking into a crouch and creeping forward. As if Stormtail were a squirrel about to be caught in Sunstar’s paws… Bluefur mused. He sure looked like a squirrel.

“You did not mentor them, that was Sparrowpelt and I. You did not make sure they knew you were there for them. Again, that was Sparrowpelt and I. I’m actually rather shocked that you managed to cry at Snowfur’s vigil. Though you moved on quickly enough, I suppose it’s the thought that counts.”

“You-!”

“Raised your daughter for you. You’re welcome. You have no place here and your anger is not for Bluefur. It’s disgust at Goosefeather, same as it’s always been. So now you’re going to sit here and not say another word lest StarClan steal your tongue from you. And make no mistake, Stormtail. I am StarClan, and I will do just that.”

“Sunstar…” Bluefur choked out, astonished.

The ThunderClan leader flattened his fur, sheathed his claws, and smoothed his expression.

“My apologies, Bluefur. Now, what did Goosefeather say to you?”

“‘You are Fire, and you will blaze through the forest.’” Bluefur choked out. “‘But beware, even the most powerful flames can be stroyed by water.’ After the kits were born, he said ‘Fire must burn without bonds.’ He insisted that I… that I get rid of them. I figured he’s been wrong about prophecies before but he’s also been right. This one… he’s right about this one. About how dangerous Thistelclaw is. I just… I thought if I could get my kits away from all this, away from both of them… they’d be safer. I wouldn’t have to worry about them going hungry or being too cold.”

“You wouldn’t have had to worry about that here.” Lionheart offered quietly. “We’re your Clan. This is your home. We’d do anything to defend you just like you’d do for us. That’s what being in a Clan means.”

“I know, and I want that. For myself and for them. I just… Goosefeather insisted, and what if he’s right? What if Thistleclaw is exactly as Goosefeather says?”

“Then that’s my problem to deal with. Bluefur, you’ve been through too much to let Goosefeather take one of the few good things in your life. We can protect you and your kits. But if it helps you sleep at all… Thisteclaw had no chance at being deputy.”

Bluefur’s breath hitched.

“What?” She whispered, not quite believing. “He’s the most obvious choice-.”

“He’s the strongest choice.” Sunstar corrected. “No cat can doubt his courage, battle skills, or his pride in his Clan. But Goosefeather is right this time. I’ve seen it myself. I don’t want my Clan to be led to endless fighting. Our borders are strong enough without being marked over and over in blood. So if it hadn’t been you, it would have been another cat. Perhaps Rosetail or Lionheart. They both have good heads on their shoulders and I would trust either of them to lead the Clan well.”

Lionheart had stiffened at the declaration and dipped his head solemnly.

“Thank you for your faith in me,” The golden tabby meowed. “but it sounds like the prophecy is about Bluefur.”

“I don’t want it.” Bluefur growled. “I thought it was so great when I was younger and first heard it but I’ve lost too much and been far too selfish to ever lead this Clan the way you expect.”

“Which is why you’re going to be deputy.” Sunstar decided.

“Wait-.”

“You can care for your kits in the nursery. Deputies don’t always fight and neither do leaders when they have kits. Others can carry out your orders just as well as you would carry out mine. But if this prophecy, your prophecy, has lost you so much that you were willing to sacrifice motherhood not to lose what you had, there is no choice but to fulfill it.”

“I… Sunstar, I…”

“Nothing has to change overnight except that Goosefeather will head to the elder’s den earlier than he planned. When Tawnyspots formally retires, you will take his place. In the meantime, you will raise your kits. And we will keep you safe.”

Bluefur and Lionheart trudged into the cold once more, bracing themselves against the wind. Stormtail had gone ahead of them and sat at the entrance to the camp, eyes stony and flickering around for any sign of movement. If nothing else, he would be alert for the rest of the night.

“Thank you.” Bluefur sighed halfway to the nursery. “I might not have made it to Twoelgplace in this weather. There was no guarantee they would make it to a nest. And I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.”

“You might still.” Lionheart deadpanned. “I knew what to look for. I’m glad I was able to help this time.”

It hit Bluefur then that Lionheart had been the one to discover Pinestar’s intentions of leaving the Clan. To see something similar happen right before his eyes, with kits no less… Lionheart would have been crushed, and then disappointed that Bluefur hadn’t gone with her kits. Of all the things Bluefur couldn’t handle, Lionheart’s disappointment was high among them.

“Thank you, Lionheart, for reminding me that life is worth living.”

“It is indeed.” Lionheart rumbled. A pleased gleam flashed through his eyes. “Let me get Thrushpelt. We’ll tell everyone you were sleepwalking and the kits followed you.”

“That… yes please. That makes sense.”

Lionheart dipped his head so that his throat rested between Bluefur’s ears.

“You will always have something to live for, Bluefur. I’ll make sure of it.” He vowed.

The golden tabby disappeared as quietly as he’d crept up on her in the ravine, and if Bluefur hadn’t been watching she would have thought he was gone entirely.

She turned and padded over to where Stormtail sat.

“Lionheart agreed to say that I was sleepwalking and the kits followed me.” She offered quietly.

Stormtail inclined his head.

“You did have that problem when you were younger.” He mused. “You went looking for Moonflower as a kit, and later on Snowfur. I imagine, if you really had gone through with your plans, that you would have gone looking for your kits as well.”

Bluefur winced and pushed her nose into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry that Sunstar said what he did. I don’t think you got Moonflower killed-.”

“My negligence and inaction did.” Stormtail asserted. “I was too focused on the wrong part of the battle. Someone should have been there to help Moonflower complete the mission and common belief says it should be me.” Stormtail exhaled roughly. “If I’d done right by her, it would have been. I cared for your mother, Bluefur. I’m sorry it wasn’t enough.”

Bluefur nodded, stunned, and they touched noses.

“Goodnight.” She mumbled.

“Goodnight.” He offered solemnly before shifting his gaze elsewhere.

Bluefur padded over to Highrock once more and shifted the lichen to alert Sunstar to her presence.

“Come in.” Sunstar grumbled. The ginger tom was settled on his nest but looked nowhere near sleep. He raised his head when he saw Bluefur.

“I thought you’d gone back to the nursery.”

“Lionheart and I talked for a bit. He and Stormtail agreed to say I was sleepwalking and the kits followed me.”

“Clever.” Sunstar murmured approvingly.

Silence reigned for the next few heartbeats.

“I trust you.” Bluefur said at last. “I always trusted you. Sometimes it felt like you were the only cat I could trust.”

“Not with this, though.”

“You’re the leader of our Clan. I didn’t want you to have to make the same choice I thought I did. I couldn’t bear to lose my kits, Sunstar, but I’m not sure I could bear disappointing you either. Losing you like that, even if we live in the same camp… I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“I have never been disappointed in you.”

“Oh, please-.”

“Sad for you, yes, and there were many times that I felt helpless and wished you would do more than you did. But that wasn’t disappointment, Bluefur. I couldn’t watch you waste away and join StarClan early. I wanted to keep you here for as long as I could, so I tried to get you to go out more. I thought if you felt like you were doing something, if you could see that your contributions mattered to the Clan, that you could get better. I suppose it wasn’t that easy, though.”

“I… I got better, slowly. I have Thrushpelt and Rosetail and Stonepelt Lionheart and you… cats don’t mind being around me, even if they don’t always chat. I would have been fine, I would have…”

Bluefur drifted off, unsure of what to say.

“Alright.” Sunstar agreed. “But I was never disappointed. And you should not have had to choose between your kits and your Clan. Goosefeather will get what he wants, but it will not be at the cost of your well-being.”

“Thank you.” Bluefur murmured. “You were the best mentor a cat could ask for.”

“Stonepelt won’t want to hear that.” Sunstar chuckled. “You should get back to your kits. And try to get some sleep. I imagine waking up in the middle of a storm would be frustrating for any cat, but it’ll all look better in the morning.”

She touched her nose to Sunstar’s cheek and held it there for a few heartbeats. When she got back to the nursery, she found Thrushpelt curled around the kits.

“Lionheart came and got me.” He murmured when he saw her. “And the kits said something about a game?”

“I guess I said something I shouldn’t have.” Bluefur offered guiltily.

“I thought you were getting better with this.” Thrushpelt murmured as Bluefur slipped into the space he left for her. “You stopped looking for Moonflower and Snowfur.”

“I guess not.” Bluefur admitted. “Or maybe it just happens when I have nightmares. I’m sorry I took the kits with me.”

“You weren’t exactly controlling yourself.” Thrushpelt offered, resting his throat between her ears. “Try and get some sleep, Bluefur. This should all look better in the morning.”

Bluefur sighed and curled around her kits and let herself hope that Thrushpelt and Sunstar and Lionheart were right. She hoped that StarClan wouldn’t be too angry with her for breaking their prophecy, but she couldn’t give up her kits. They were what she had to live for.

#bluestar's mental health was shot: the series #warrior cats stand up a midnight stroll #warrior cats stand up

[paige-and-opal-inc]

Rogues of the Shadows-Chapter 5

By: Paige Turner and Opal Dreemurr

Masterpost

Previous | Next

Warnings: Blood, Anxiety

Summary: In the world of warriors that you already know and love we bring you a whole new set of characters. Follow three kits as they go on a journey to learn what their mother never told them. From learning to love yourself to learning to deal with the mistakes of your past, these kits are faced with many challenges. Based on the amazing series of warriors, created by Erin Hunter.

Link: Wattpad

Dapple had only been in the clans for a week, and though she felt guilty for thinking it, she was learning so much more than her mother would have taught her. She knew more specific things about herbs, knew what type was growing where and when. She also knew the dangerous ones. The ones that could kill a cat within a few seconds of eating them. 

However, she was also learning about Starclan. Lavenderstripe had been so surprised when he heard what Mother had told them about Starclan. She had asked about dreams, and the reply was one of the most terrifying things she had heard. Dreams were messages from Starclan, it was a way they communicated with the clans. In the dreams you were aware of the fact that you were dreaming, and it was more vivid than normal dreams. Sometimes you were in Starclan territory, while other times they were in the den, and unseeable. But they always meant something, whether it was good or bad. 

That was the part that had scared her. Her nightmares were like that, vivid, almost as though she was in a real forest. And she knew she was dreaming, and even when she stopped running she couldn’t get herself to wake up. If she died in a nightmare would she die in real life? She had always decided that that thought was unrealistic, but if Starclan could exist, if cats could continue to live in their territory, then why couldn’t cats die in it? Of course she never said that, the only person who knew about her nightmares was Leo. 

“Dapple if we want to be there in time we need to leave now.” Came the voice of Lavenderstripe, snapping Dapple out of her thoughts. 

“O- okay.” She stammered, nervousness filling her. Lavenderstripe pushed through the ferns, and Dapple quickly followed, mind filled with anxious thoughts. What if the other apprentices don’t like me?! What if I mess something up?! I could go down the wrong path! Starclan could tell them to ban me!  Dapple took a deep breath, she could do this. She had to. Who knew what could happen if she didn’t.

“Dapple the other cats are nice. You don’t need to be nervous.”  Lavenderstripe said, though it couldn’t stop the thoughts. 

“Dapple! Don’t go before we can say bye!” Leo shouted as he rushed up to her, “I know you’ll do great! You’re an amazing medicine cat.” She smiled at the compliment.

“Thanks, I can’t decide if I’m nervous or excited.” She admitted, though nervous was feeling a bit stronger.

“Just make sure not to get any prophecies of doom.” This came from Grace, who arrived behind Leo.

“Dapple at this rate we’re gonna miss the meeting.” Lavenderstripe said with an annoyed voice.

“Yeah sorry,” Dapple said, throwing a goodbye over her shoulder as she left the camp. The walk to where they were gonna meet the others was quiet. She spent most of the time convincing herself it was gonna be fine. 

“There they are.” Lavenderstripe told her, and instantly Dapple’s heart started beating faster. You can do this. You can do this! 

“Lavenderstripe! Finally you’re here! You took long enough!” This came from a dark brown tom with light spots of brown. His yellow eyes seemed to glow. 

“Whose this?” Ask a brown and gray cat, who also had yellow eyes. 

“This is Dapple, she just joined the clans. She’s already great.” Lavenderstripe said with pride, and Dapple could feel her fur heat up at the comment, “Let me introduce you,” He started, “The one with brown spots and a bad attitude is Waspflame. He’s from Windclan. Bouldertuft is the brown one with gray fur. That is his apprentice Antpaw. They’re both Thunderclan.” Each cat nodded or said hello as they were introduced. Dapple tilted her head as she looked at Antpaw. She was white with black and orange splotches on her back. She was unusually small, but the strangest part was her eyes. One was yellow and the other was green, not to mention that they seemed to be all clouded. 

“I can feel you staring.” The small cat told her, making Dapple jump. 

“Oh- I- um sorry.” Dapple quickly apologized, feeling her fur heating up once again. 

“You don’t smell like Shadowclan. You have a different scent on you. Like- smoke. And sickness. And… who are you?” Dapple was caught off guard by what Antpaw said. Smoke and sickness?! How can I smell like those? She thought, and panic started worm it’s way into her thoughts.

“Don’t freak out, you’re perfectly fine.” This came from the grayish brown tom, Bouldertuft. “She’s blind, so that means her other senses are heightened. She can smell your past if we’re trying to be simple.” It took Dapple a moment to process. This blind part made sense, with her clouded eyes and the way she looked at Dapple, as though she wasn’t there. I’m guessing I’m not really there for her. But the smell your past part. How can a cat do that? 

“I… o- okay. I guess that makes sense.” Dapple said, though she was obviously confused.

“Can we just leave! We’ll be lucky if we get a few seconds with starclan.” Waspflame growled. 

“You know we have to wait for Fleetnose.” Lavenderstripe told him, and Dapple could sense that they had this conversation before.

“No need to wait darlings! We have arrived!” Cooed a brown tabby with startling blue eyes. Behind him was another blue eyed cat, though she seemed to be less dramatic.  Her fur was like a pale mud, with her nose a dark brown. She walked with purpose, and was the same size as, or maybe she was even bigger, than Antpaw.

“And who is this spotted beauty! Now all we need is for some kit to be brave enough to approach Waspflame and we’ll all have an apprentice.” The tabby, which she guessed was Fleetnose, said with purr. His pelt was shining, and there seemed to be a buzz of energy around him. 

“This is Dapple-” Lavnederstripe started before being cut off.

“Let’s go! We can talk on the way!” Snapped Waspflame before he turned around and started towards the highstones. The walk there was pleasant, and Dapple was able to get a good feel of the personalities. Waspflame had become more relaxed, though he did snap at them every once in a while to keep moving. Lavenderstripe was the oldest of the medicine cats, and it was obvious he was on friendly terms with all the cats there. Bouldertuft and Fleetnose seemed to do most of the talking. Fleetnose was more goofy and dramatic, he always seemed to have a joke to tell. Bouldertuft was just good with a conversation, whether he was the one talking or listening. 

Dapple was surprised to find that Antpaw was the oldest of the apprentice since she was so small. She was nice, but seemed to hate having help, especially when she tripped and Dapple  tried to help her up. Fleetnoses apprentice was named Dawnpaw, though she didn’t really seem to like talking. She explained that she would rather observe than talk. Dapple was just about to ask about the whole scenting the past thing when they arrived at Mothermouth. 

Dapple was in between Lavenderstripe and Bouldertuft as they walked through the tunnels. A chill went down her spine as she walked. Was this what Antpaw’s life was like? Dark, with only your hearing and scenting to guide you. Suddenly Dapple caught a familiar scent, and stopped, causing Bouldertuft to smack into her.

“S- sorry.” She said, though she wasn’t focusing on that, she was focusing on trying not to panic. The same smell that haunted her in her nightmares was in the tunnel right now. The half rotting, sticky, empty smell was in this tunnel. 

What am I going to find at the end of this tunnel? What will happen? What if this leads to the place of my nightmares?! If Starclan can exist then what's to stop it from being in the real world? What if my nightmares are Starclan?! Dapple worried until she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Which was also due to the smell, as it seemed to get stronger and stronger. And just when she felt like she would pass out, it left, and was replaced with the smell of wind, and water, and so many other things. They had arrived at the Moonstone. 

As Dapple went into the cavern she gasped. In the middle was a giant stone that seemed to glow.

“Is that…'' Dapple couldn’t finish her sentence. This was so… so amazing! All her previous worries were gone, she looked around and saw that Antpaw was glowing! The light was reflecting off of her fur, making her hard to look at. Before she had time to look at the others though, Waspflame pushed her towards the Moonstone.

“We don’t have all night, let's go!” He said urgently.

“Be nice, but we do have to hurry.” Fleetnose commented, and the medicine cats took their places next to the stone. This was it, she was going to officially become an apprentice. 

Lavenderstripe stood next to the Moonstone and faced her.

“Dapple.” he began, “is it your wish to enter the mysteries of Starclan as a medicine cat?”

“It is.” She said, her heart thundering.

“Then come forward.” Lavenderstripe said, and she took a step towards him and the stone, “Warriors of Starclan, I present you with this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance to your will.” 

Dapple shakely took a step towards the stone, and put her nose against it. Something ran through her body, it wasn't particularly good or bad, but she could tell it was powerful. She pulled her head back, and waited for the other medicine cats to take their place. She once again put her nose against the stone as soon as the others sat down.

At first she thought nothing had happened, but when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a forest. Dapple let out a breath when she saw that it looked nothing like her nightmares. It looked like the opposite. It was warm with a slight breeze, and some sort of river seemed to be nearby. 

“Is this Starclan?” She asked, once again in awe.

“Yes, isn’t it beautiful.” Lavenderstripe responded, his voice a whisper. 

“What do we do-” Antpaw started, before swiftly turning her head to the left.

“What is it?” Waspflame said with some caution. 

“Follow me,” Was the apprentices only response, and they had no other choice. Was this normal? The forest seemed to be never ending. Was Starclan infinite, did the seasons change? How many cats were here? Dapple was so lost in thought that she bumped into Bouldertuft, whose fur was fluffed up.

“Something isn’t right.” He muttered. Suddenly a shriek pierced the air, and the cats grouped together. Dapple was shoved towards the center of a circle along with the other apprentices. She felt something under her paws and saw blood filling up the ground. Soon the forest floor was red, and the blood didn’t seem like it was going to stop. 

“W- what's happening?!” Cried Dawnpaw.

“Just stay close! This has to be an omen we can’t risk waking up!” This came from Waspflame, who despite the surprising calmness in his voice was reeking of fear. 

Am I going to die?! Can I even die in Starclan?! Why- why is this happening?! Is this somehow my fault?! Dapple could barely breathe. Fear was coursing through her veins, and that’s when she realized she couldn’t move. She was frozen. The blood was now up to her stomach. 

“Everyone up the trees!” Commanded Lavenderstripe, but Dapple couldn’t hear him. I’m going to die. This is it. I’ll never see Grace or Leo again. I’m going to drown in blood, I’m going to die. No one will ever know what happened. 

“Dapple come on! You can’t panic!” Lavenderstripe said while pushing her towards a nearby tree. Suddenly she snapped out of it and ran towards the tree. Everyone but her and Lavenderstripe was in the trees. She sank her claws into the bark and began hauling herself up the trunk. She could hear Lavenderstripe behind her. 

Dapple couldn’t stop, she would go all the way to the top if it meant not drowning. As she was climbing she heard a voice. It started as a quiet whisper but soon became loud.

“Imposters are in the clans. Blood will fill them if the rogues of the shadows don’t lead them away.” Those words were repeated over and over. Until suddenly Dapple felt stone under her, and saw she was back at the Moonstone. She couldn’t stop shaking.

“W- what was that.” She asked shakily after a moment of silence. 

“That was a prophecy of death.” Antpaw said with a dread filled voice.

#warrior cats #warriors #starclan #shadowclan #warriors oc #warriors fanfic #original story #oc #tw blood #tw anxiety

[sunnymoon-sunshine]

Crazy old Goosefeather had been in ThunderClan since time immemorial. His unkempt pelt and bulging eyes were already off putting on their own, but what truly set him apart from the rest of the clan his wild - and often dangerous - predictions. “He’d send ThunderClan off a cliff to their deaths,” She’d heard from the mouths of warriors who had lived long enough to see the damage caused by his paws. Feathertail alone seemed to show him kindness, rather than disdain.

The elder’s den looked foreboding, the knobbly branches curling like claws waiting to yank her in by the pelt. Spottedpaw rooted her paws to the spot, dread seeping through her fur like an icy rain.

Spottedpaw, newly apprenticed to the talented healer Feathertail, had only muddied her paws for a few days. He had praised her empathetic nature and knack for connecting with others, but as all apprentices must, she had to take care of the elders. And for some reason, likely due to all the talk, Goosefeather... well, he didn’t make her nervous. Or intimidated her, for that matter. It felt like a unique sort of emotion, torn between fear and fascination.

The other elders lay out in the wisps of sun that escaped from the cloudy leafbare sky. Goosefeather remained in the depths of the old tree, only raising his head when Spottedpaw’s soft paws pittered against the ancient wood.

“The new blood.” Was his form of a greeting, punctuated with a yawn. “Here for tick cleaning?”

She dropped a mouse in front of him. “I thought you might be hungry. You barely ate the past moon.”

Old Goosefeather dragged himself up, and it seemed to take all the effort the old cat had to do it. Once on his paws, he hobbled over and bent his head, taking a bite out of the mouse with yellowed teeth. His eyes never wavered from her. She didn’t move as he ate - something kept her paws in place. The air was thick with anticipation.

Once his meal was nothing but bones, he swiped his tongue over his maw a few times, as if scraping every last morsel he could. Then he spoke, shattering the silence between them,

“ThunderClan is doomed.”

Well, it was nice that he had such a positive outlook.

He seemed to wait for her to react. But she did not, so he continued, “What a clan without a seer?”

“We have a medicine cat,” She was quick to interject, “Feathertail, your former apprentice.”

Goosefeather let out a mrrow of amusement, sitting down with a flop. “My apprentice is a healer, Spottedpaw. He is no seer. He fears reading signs. He’s been ignoring them for many moons. And he’ll pass that along to you.”

Spottedpaw knew, instinctively so, that arguing with an old fool would get her no where. So instead, she engaged with him. “Why do you suppose that?”

“A misstep in his training.” Another yawn. “A mistake. Too late to fix. ThunderClan is doomed.”

A long pause. “Do you suppose it relates to how your... predictions have sometimes gone?”

Goosefeather was on his paws in a flash. His hackles raised, his lips curled. Spottedpaw flinched back from him as he spat out, “I saw the sign! It said we’d go to war with WindClan! I’d never have sent my sister to her own grave.”

She had only ever heard of Moonflower so very lovingly by her clanmates, especially by Bluefur.

She also knew the heartbreak that was her death.

“I’m sorry you lost her, Goosefeather.” She murmured, moving to lay her tail on his flank. He relaxed, if only just, allowing himself to sit again - though he made no move to sooth his ruffled fur.

“You’re right. He fears it. He is afraid of looking and not understanding.” He heaved a sigh. A rather dramatic sigh. “So he wanders the fog and closes his ears, ignoring the sounds - for he fears interpreting it incorrectly. And now he’s dooming ThunderClan with his ignorance,” He snorted in distain, “Going to lead us right off a cliff with his ignorance, the whole clan.”

Whatever trepidation she might have had entering the den had long since vanished. That empathy Feathertail so fondly praised came out in full force, mixed with curiosity made her stay and prod him further yet. “How are you so sure? Things seem relatively peaceful.”

“You don’t see the strength of the wind before it knocks down a tree, now do you?” Goosefeather retorted, though she thought he sounded a little amused. “The clan is full of doom and gloom right now. You’ve just yet to open your eyes to it.”

It was hard to believe the ramblings of old Goosefeather, but he sounded so sincere about it. So firm in his convictions. “Like what?” She asked, her head cocked to the side.

Spottedpaw hardly expected an answer, and yet Goosefeather hauled himself to his paws, with much less grunting and exaggeration this time, though still shakey on his paws from age. He made his way to the front of the den, then flicked his tail for her to follow. She obliged, craning her neck to see beyond the branches. The camp was busy with a surprising amount of activity, from cold paws looking for some task to keep the cold off. Warriors and apprentices bringing back scraggly fresh kill, patrols slipping in and out of the camp, and the chatter from cats pressed against each other, looking for both warmth and company. It looked fine, Spottedpaw thought. Peaceful, even.

“Where to begin, where to begin...” Hummed Goosefeather, surveying the camp through narrowed eyes. “ThunderClan teeters on ruin. And he-” the scraggly old medicine cat jerked his head towards the camp, “-is why.”

Spottedpaw tipped her head to the side. It made no sense at all. Thistleclaw wasn’t exactly pleasant, but... “Why do you suppose Thistleclaw is the reason for ruin?”

“You don’t see it. But you will. You’re a sensitive cat - you’ll pick it up.” He sounded almost like a mentor, speaking briskly to a young apprentice. “He’s got blood on his paws. That monster will drive ThunderClan into the open claws of every opponent he can find.”

“He doesn’t seem...” Spottedleaf began, but Goosefeather whirled around, baring his teeth in her face. Her ears flicked back to lay flat against her head, but she refused to shrink down.

“How many times must I tell you to look. Seeming and reality are two different things, you fool. He’s got blood on his paws, Spottedpaw. And he’s not the only thing wrong with this StarClan-forsaken clan.” He hissed, flicking his tail into the camp.

“Bluefur’s got to make a choice, and her bastard kits will suffer no matter what she chooses.”

Spottedpaw gasped, mouth hanging wide from shock. “Don’t call them that! They aren’t even born. If Thrushpelt heard-”

“I’m sure the father of Bluefur’s kits would march right on over and rip my fur off if he belonged to ThunderClan.” He retorted. They watched in silence as Bluefur emerged from the nursery, her thick blue pelt fluffed against the cold and belly round with kits who were near. At entrance of the camp, Tigerclaw’s massive figure emerged, shaking paws that were clumped with snow at every step. He carried an impressive catch - amouse, neither fat nor thin - towards the nursery, laying it at Bluefur’s paws. While Spottedpaw couldn’t hear what was spoken, Bluefur’s expression was grateful, while Tigerclaw showed concern.

“He’s a monster.”

Goosefeather’s words were colder than any wind or chill, than the freeze that came in the night and clung to whiskers on the dawn. Each word that rolled off his tongue were said with absolute certainty. He said them and meant them.

“Tigerclaw is a great warrior,” She murmured, glancing sidelong at the batty old cat, “For all that Thistleclaw is brute and claw, Tigerclaw thinks before he acts. Surely a cat such as that cannot be a monster?”

“I would think, Spottedpaw,” Goosefeather drawled, “That a cat who thinks about the act of evil first - and yet still goes through with the deed  rut- is much more dangerous than a cat who goes in claws and teeth first without a thought in his head.”

“You do a good job of insulting multiple cats in one sentence.”

He let out a wheezy mrrow. “You’re blunt.” Was his only reply.

Spottedpaw’s whiskers twitched. That, she thought, sounded suspiciously like a note of approval. But then, remembering his words, she slid back into seriousness like a RiverClan cat to water. “What will he do?”

“Many things. He will do many countless things. But I can tell no more than that. His path is dark - he will walk it alone.”

“How can you be so sure?” It was a genuine question that rolled off Spottedpaw’s tongue, “How can you tell a sign from the stars from nature itself?”

Goosefeather sat back on his haunches, turning his gaze on her. He was so old, and yet his eyes so intensely blue - so fierce in his conviction.

“Because, Spottedpaw, it wasn’t curiosity or kindness that dragged you in this den. It was fate. It was the stars that pulled you in. ThunderClan needs a seer,” He continued, drawing his eyes back onto the camp, “And if StarClan says it, then it must be so.”

She followed his gaze.

Her fur bristled in fear.

Logically, she knew it could have been from a meal, or a wound, or something else of some sort. But she could see it now, where she hadn’t before.

Thistleclaw’s paws were soaked in blood.

#sunnymoon's writings #spottedleaf #goosefeather #warriors #warrior cats au #warrior cats #hello friends it is I #your local tired friend #who just wanted to write something #and so something she wrote #this is under the idea that possibly goosefeather gives spottedleaf some insight #I also should reread this and edit this later #but later

[raindrawsaus]

So, I had an AU idea ya'll, and it's about Crookedstar. Basically I got the idea from @canon-notcanon-warriorcats and a couple of their asks, but I'm turning it into a real AU writing blog here. So...let's get on. If you have any suggestions / ideas about it just send in an ask, I'll be answering all asks (Other than irrelevant things to my account).

Crookedpaw's pelt glittered in the morning sunlight, and he sighed, a small whistle coming from the side of his jaw that was out of place. He glanced around the camp, surprised to see his father, Shellheart, nodding to Hailstar, RiverClan's leader. He pricked his ears subtly, trying to hear their conversation, but Shellheart had finished speaking to the leader and began pacing towards Crookedpaw.

Crookedpaw flicked his ears back against his head, looking cold and distant once more. "Crookedpaw. Son," Shellheart stopped in front of his son, and Crookedpaw looked up, mock irritation glistening in his eyes. "I've just spoken to Hailstar, and I was told you-" "-I know." Crookedpaw looked away, head on his paws. He was tender putting his jaw in contact with his paws, and he had to hold back a small whine as they touched.

"You...know?" Shellheart stammered, confused. The great Tom cocked his head as he gazed at his son. "I know you spoke to Hailstar. I saw you talking to him, and I already know what it's about. It's about warriorship, isn't it? I can't be a warrior because of my jaw..." Crookedpaw's voice cracked, and he could feel hot tears forming at the edges of his eyes, but he was forced to blink them back.

Shellheart was silent. "I-I'm right, aren't I, father?" Crookedpaw asked, looking up at his father. He forced himself not to run out of camp as he saw the heartbreak forming in his father's eyes. "No, Crookedpaw..." Shellheart shook his head, and when Crookedpaw caught his gaze again, Shellheart's eyes were full of warm love for his son. "You will become a warrior, Crookedpaw. Hailstar has spoken to your mothe-excuse me. Hailstar has spoken to Rainflower, and she demands you a warrior name that is..."

Shellheart shook his head again. "She does not want for you to have a pleasant name. She demanded you have a name related to your...past." Shellfur glanced down at his moping son, and it dawned on Crookedpaw that he would achieve his dreams of becoming a full warrior, even if it was much later than his brother, Oakheart, had achieved it. "Stand up, Crookedpaw. Hailstar is ready when you are for your ceremony."

Shellheart purred, and nudged his son to his paws. Crookedpaw pressed into his father, happy to become a warrior at last. He shook out his fur, and began to groom his chest fur. He no longer had a caring mother to groom him before his ceremonies. He heard a sniff of contempt nearby, and looked up from his rapid strokes on his chest fur. He saw Rainflower, and he narrowed his eyes. Rainflower's tail flicked back and forth, irritated.

Her gaze seemed to linger on his broken jaw for a few moments, before Crookedpaw lifted his chin pridefully, uncaring of what his 'mother' now thought of him. He was becoming a warrior, despite his injury, and she could do nothing about it. Rainflower scoffed and shifted gazes to look up at Hailstar has he leapt on top of the ceremonial rock of RiverClan.

"Let all cats old enough to swim gather beneath to hear my words!" Hailstar bellowed, his voice echoing steadily until it was no longer heard. Crookedpaw padded confidently to the front of the crowd, ready to push through to recieve his warrior name. But he was stopped in the front row by Brambleberry, the RiverClan medicine cat. And the only she-cat in the Clan who really seemed to care for him like a true mother.

"Crookedpaw! I know you're becoming a warrior now-" Brambleberry purred happily, and touched noses with him. Crookedpaw looked up at her, smiling. "-but you can't go up their looking like a scrappy WindClan cat! Come here." Brambleberry licked his fur smooth on his head, and Crookedpaw groaned. "I thought I was done with dumb grooming sessions after Rainflower abandoned me."

Crookedpaw muttered, faking his ungratefulness. Brambleberry stopped grooming him with a hiss. "Don't speak that devil's name! She has no right to abandon her own son like she did, and I wouldn't be surprised if she went to the Place of No Stars." Brambleberry growled, and then began to fiercely groom Crookedpaw's fur once more.

"Y-yeah, you're right." Crookedpaw stammered, talen aback at how protective Brambleberry was of his abandonment. A few gasps came from around them, and Brambleberry glared at the two warriors who were gaping at her disrespectful words. "Shut your jaws, you two. Everyone knows it's the truth, but obviously only a medicine cat, such as I, am brave enough to speak the truth." Brambleberry spat, and the two warriors turned their gaze away uncomfortably.

"Crookedpaw. Please step forward," Hailstar's voice cut off all other murmurs, and Crookedpaw let out a small wriggle of happiness before bounding to the front of the crowd, his freshly-groomed fur springing up. He heard Brambleberry groan as she noticed his messy fur popping up all over again, and he could barely hold in a giggle. He turned to face the Clan, sitting beneath the shade of the Rock.

"Cats of RiverClan, we are here today for the ceremony of a warrior. Crookedpaw has trained hard in your noble ways, StarClan, and his namesake will be chosen specifically by a parent of his own kind. Rainflower," Hailstar glanced down at the crowd, and Crookedpaw pinpointed his mother, and his face fell. His mother was no longer one to choose nice things for him. "You have chosen the name Crookedjaw for your son, gesturing to his injury."

Crookedpaw looked up at Hailstar pleadingly, begging his leader not to give him such a horrid name. But he noticed the glistening flicker in the old Tom's eyes as he readied his words he would speak next, and Crookedpaw was somehow comforted by that gleam. "I spoke to Shellheart about the naming of Crookedpaw, and my deputy agrees with Rainflower. Crookedpaw's warrior name will associate with something from his past experiences."

Crookedpaw noticed Rainflower looking overly-confident in her choice. She caught Crookedpaw's gaze, a malicious gleam in her eye. Crookedpaw looked away, inwardly upset at his mother. "But Shellheart also agreed with me. And your name will not be the one Crookedpaw recieves. You are a brutally modest bastar-um, cat, Rainflower, and your decisions for your son are not going to be accepted in RiverClan as long as I remain leader of it,"

Hailstar let out a soft purr, and Crookedpaw looked at the priceless expression on Rainflower's face. It was a mix of shock, horrible anger, and hatred for her son, her former mate, and her leader. Rainflower let out a snarl of rejection and stormed out of the clearing angrily. A quiet snicker rose from the Clan, and Hailstar continued. "Crookedpaw will further be known as Crookedstorm, in honor of his past name, Stormkit. We welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan, Crookedstorm."

Crookedstorm purred happily, a large smile plastered on his face. The RiverClan cats let out a cheer, and his new name rose above the cheering as the Clan began to chant his name. "Crookedstorm! Crookedstorm! Crookedstorm!" They yowled in unison, and Hailstar leapt down from the Rock, and touched noses with Crookedstorm. "You are more deserving of this status than any other cat, Crookedstorm. Don't let anyone, especially Rainflower, drag you down."

Hailstar whispered to him, before a sea of Crookedstorm's Clanmates came rushing to greet him by his new name. They all began to disperse after many congratulations and cheering, and Crookedstorm began to seek out Hailstar. He found the leader eating a small thrush in the shade of a willow tree. "Hey, Hailstar! Just out of curiosity, what were you going to call Rainflower during my ceremony?" Crookedstorm asked, already knowing the answer. He wanted to hear it directly from Hailstar, though.

"A bastard," Hailstar didnt hesitate even a moment with his response. Crookedstorm let out a purr. "I suppose a leader can only speak the truth. And you and I both know it's true." Crookedstorm nodded, and settled beside his leader. "Do you mind sharing?" He asked Hailstar. "With the son of a bastard?" Hailstar asked, and Crookedstorm blinked, a bit hurt. "Of course I would." Hailstar grinned, and Crookedstorm gratefully took a bite, the warmth of the prey, and of his Clanmates, warming him from ear to tail.

[warriorsredux]

Chapter Fifteen

The night passed, and ThunderClan said goodbye to Lionpelt. Fireheart was bemused, as usual, at how they could recover from a death by the next afternoon and return to business, just in time for the Gathering.

The patrol was silent the entire walk to the Gathering-place. Fireheart looked around at his Clanmates’ distant eyes and watched their slow steps. He hoped they were still thinking of Lionpelt.

WindClan was already there when ThunderClan arrived. Rookstar muttered a greeting to Bluestar and the Clans melded together. There was very little in the way of conversation until ShadowClan showed up, followed shortly by RiverClan.

Fireheart said nothing as Greystripe wandered off to talk to Silverstream. He was grateful Raventhroat wasn’t there with them - his friends hadn’t talked to each other at all after their confrontation. They had actually slept on opposite sides of the warrior den. Fireheart had gone as close to the center as he could and hoped for the best.

“He’ll hate this,” Speckletail said.

Fireheart looked at her. “Who?”

“Crookedstar.”

“...Hate what?”

“Good night to everyone,” Bluestar said. She waited until all conversation had petered out before continuing. “Which Clan would like to start?”

“We will,” said Blackstar. He stood up and stepped forward. “ShadowClan has a new apprentice, Badgerpaw.”

A little black and white cat near Fireheart reared up on his haunches and puffed out his chest. There were murmurs of amusement around him as he lowered himself again and nearly toppled over. He was oddly chubby for a ShadowClan cat.

“The dog has been located as well,” Blackstar said. “It has wandered north, past the Mother. We expect it to be caught and taken away by humans soon enough.”

Rookstar looked over at the small leader. “That would explain why your scouts were near the barn.”

“We have no interest in your hunting grounds, if that’s what you’re implying,” Blackstar said. There was the slightest edge in his voice.

“I didn’t mean to imply anything,” Rookstar said coolly. “It’s just been a while since we’ve caught wind of you anywhere near our territory, except for the Mother.”

Blackstar didn’t look pleased, but he sat back down and curled his skinny tail around his feet. Rookstar stood up now and looked back out to the crowd.

“The loner known as Barley that lives in the barn has warned us of a group of cats looping the borders in a wide berth,” he said. “I advise leaders to send out extra patrols in case they attempt something until we can be sure they’ve left.”

“Thank you for the warning,” Bluestar said.

Rookstar sat down.

Bluestar looked at Crookedstar. “Would RiverClan like to go next?”

“We have no real news to speak of,” Crookedstar said. “So, no.”

Nothing about us feeding you, huh? Fireheart thought.

“Then we’re next.” Bluestar stood up and moved to the edge of the leader’s boulder.

“Here we go,” whispered Speckletail.

“What?” Fireheart looked at her. “Is something-”

“Our deputy, Lionpelt, has died,” Bluestar said. She closed her eyes in rather strong grief, more than she had shown the night before. “We found blood and some hairs of his in the houses a few days after he disappeared.”

There was a ripple of sympathetic meows from the crowd.

“Lionpelt was a fine warrior.” Crookedstar blinked at Bluestar slowly. “He was always calm and polite with us, even after battles. I hope he’s made it to StarClan safely.”

“I’m certain he has.” Bluestar opened her eyes again and exhaled, looking calmer. “In happier news, our new deputy is Tigerclaw.”

Tigerclaw straightened up and nodded at the cats congratulating him.

“Good choice,” Blackstar said.

“I’m glad you think so,” Bluestar said. Her voice suddenly took on a strange, almost sweet tone. “ThunderClan would also like to report that, for the winter, we are giving up the Sunning-rocks to RiverClan.”

There was a moment of complete silence before the Clans began talking all at once, each cat vocalizing their surprise. Even Rookstar blinked and looked at Bluestar. Crookedstar stared at her with his twisted jaw open.

“We understand that RiverClan has had some trouble with prey recently,” Bluestar said once the reaction had died down. “Some of our warriors have volunteered to provide you with some of our supply until the spring as well.”

The crowd erupted again. Crookedstar said nothing. He looked like she had marked on his side of the border right in front of him.

“There’s a reason for this, then?” Blackstar said uncertainly.

“Any reasons are our own.” Bluestar looked at Crookedstar with a pleasant face. “But it is important that we keep each other alive and well during the hard moons.”

Fireheart could see Crookedstar’s claws poking out of his toes. Every cat’s eyes were now on him. The heartbeats ticked by as he inhaled deeply and gradually ground out his response.

“RiverClan is - grateful - for your kindness,” he said, not looking grateful at all. “I assume we will be back at it again once spring arrives.”

“Perhaps,” Bluestar said lightly. “But for now, consider this a simple act of camaraderie. ThunderClan wishes you luck with your prey and your health over this season.”

She might as well have slapped him across the face. Fireheart stared at his leader. What in the world did she do that for?

“Is that all your news?” Rookstar said. His face hadn’t changed at all during the conversation.

“That’s all,” Bluestar said.

“Then the Gathering is over.” Rookstar gestured with his tail to his Clan and jumped down. Bluestar and Blackstar followed him, but Crookedstar didn’t move a muscle.

“ThunderClan, to me,” Bluestar called.

Fireheart joined the party. Greystripe hurried over, hair rising on his back.

“Why did you do that?!” he hissed.

“RiverClan will remember that they’re indebted to us,” Speckletail said, tail curling. “And the other Clans won’t let them forget it.”

“So you humiliate them in front of everyone?” Greystripe snapped. “What if Crookedstar did that to you?”

“He would and he has,” Lizardtail said. “Every time we lose the Sunning-rocks, he brings it up at the Gathering. We’ve just taken a little back, is all. Though...” He side-eyed Bluestar. “I didn’t know we had warriors feeding RiverClan.”

“We can discuss that once we get back home,” Bluestar said.

“I suppose.” Lizardtail slowed down to match Mousefur’s pace. The rest of the patrol paired up as well, whispering to each other about this new deal. Greystripe held onto Fireheart’s tail with his mouth so that he would stop, only letting go once everyone was well ahead of them.

“Can you believe that?” Greystripe glared at Bluestar. “She just made RiverClan look like a bunch of weaklings that need our support!”

“I mean, they kind of do-” said Fireheart.

“Silverstream was so embarrassed, she wouldn’t even look at me when I left!”

“Well-”

“And now Bluestar’s going to make sure everyone knows that we’re being noble and kind just for making sure our neighbors survive to spring-”

“Greystripe, listen.” Fireheart slowed down and lowered his voice. “I know you care about them. Believe me, I get it. I’m not happy she did that either. But-”

“But what?” Greystripe’s tail lashed from side to side. “Those are our friends, Fireheart.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or, at least, they’re my friends. You haven’t been feeding them at all lately.”

“Bluestar ordered us to cut back on that,” Fireheart said. “You’ve kept bringing prey to them regardless, so what’s the problem?”

“You and Raventhroat, I swear.” Greystripe shook his head. “Don’t you care at all about anyone but yourselves and what’ll keep you out of trouble?”

Fireheart stopped in his tracks, a spark of anger in his chest.

“Do you hear yourself right now?” he said. “I’ve gotten in more trouble than you ever have, you know that. Raventhroat and I are trying to look out for you. Not just us.”

“Right, sure.” Greystripe’s eyes rolled skyward. “Is that why you came to yell at me for flirting?”

“I was trying to prove to Raventhroat that you weren’t!” Fireheart’s voice raised a little too loudly. He quickly lowered it. “You can’t be mad at him, okay? He’s anxious enough as it is.”

“Well, that’s his problem,” Greystripe growled. “Why don’t you just go hang out with him? Leave me alone for a while until you figure out that the Clan doesn’t always come first.”

“Greystripe-”

The big warrior strode forward, tail whipping around him, walking almost too fast for Fireheart to catch up. Fireheart decided against trying it and just followed him with a sigh, the spark of anger gone and replaced with something much more weary.

#warrior cats #warriors redux #redux #wr #chapter #chapter 15 #arc2 #guess it wasnt as short as i expected #oh well

[icefang100]

Webcomic Recommendations

Since I figure there’s people out there always looking for new webcomics (like myself), I decided to make a list of the ones I’m reading/have read! They’re all free to access, and I’ll include the comic’s official “description” under its title, if it has one (also, the comics’ titles are links to the website hosting them). The list is below the cut, and separated into “Ongoing” (as of 3/15/2019) and “Complete/Never to be Continued" (for the latter, I’ll indicate which in the description). Note: These are not necessarily intended for young audiences!

Ongoing

Dog Eat Dog

“None are left without the influence of Man's unyielding, cruel hand. If given the choice, whose blood would stain your teeth if it meant you could finally be free?”

Home (Sequel to Asmundr, see “Completed”)

“Two years have passed since the plague of the Shield Wolf was defeated, but the increasing threat from an unknown source to the small family of Asmundr have left them no choice but to leave their home. In the new land, their prayers and questions to their gods are only answered in silence, as the dangers of this land become their new reality. Survival leads to some separating from their family for knowledge and adventure, but the trials and tribulations are ever daunting.”

Lackadaisy

[No description]

Mokepon

“He wants to be the very best! That no one ever was... uh, no. Scratch that. Adventures and friendship were never something that appealed to Atticus... Shame that it's a pokemon world he lives in, and so teenage boys living in Pallet Town are not expected to sit idly by. But the life of a hero is not one he's about to consider; too much hard work for little reward, and so instead he embarks on his quest not to become the greatest... But at least, the richest. Although the biggest challenge may be ignoring the adventures and friendships which may attempt to ensnare him along the way...”

Prague Race

“Prague Race is the story of a girl who’s always wanted more--she just didn’t expect it to come in the form of a handy parasite living in her back. With only one year left to live, she’s going to make the most of it in the strange secret world behind the veil.”

The Property of Hate

[No description]

Wilde Life

“Wilde Life is a supernatural adventure/horror series set in a small town in rural Oklahoma. It focuses on stories about creatures from Native American mythology as witnessed and documented by a journalist from Chicago, Illinois.”

DNA

“Sirius and his friends never asked to exist, and, really, none of them should. Despite this, here they are, and existing when you shouldn’t brings with it complications.”

The Glass Scientists

“The city of London is not the best place to be a mad scientist. Thirty years after the death of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein, its citizens have gotten awfully good at killing creatures, destroying laboratories, and generally wrecking anything new or strange-looking ... Together with his Society for Arcane Science, he can end the reign of fear and superstition that has held London captive for decades so long as no one discovers his one little secret, a secret that could ruin him and unravel the lives of everyone he knows.This man’s name is Dr. Henry Jekyll.”

Ghost of the Gulag

[No description]

Victory Fire

[No description]

Skin Deep

“Skin Deep was born out of an interest in mythology, folklore, music, world-building, and the idea that things are often more than they seem, and that it is easy to hide secrets when nobody is expecting them.”

How to be a Werewolf

“Since being bitten by a strange wolf as a child, Malaya Walters has attempted to live a quiet life… hopefully a life free of attempting to eat her family or the customers at her family’s coffee shop. Being the only werewolf she’s ever known, Malaya has managed her condition by keeping tight control on herself and the world around her, with lackluster results. That is, until a strange guy wanders into her shop one day and introduces her to a whole world she never knew existed…”

Daughter of the Lilies

“Daughter of the Lilies is a comic largely about the importance self-worth, the different forms love can take, how it can redeem and empower us, as well as issues relating to anxiety. (There are also unicorns, manticores, ghouls, goblins, cannibalistic elves, dragons, gods, fairies, ghosts, werewolves, demons, angels, and so on.)”

Paranatural

“Paranatural is a comedy/action comic about a group of superpowered middle schoolers fighting evil spirits and investigating paranormal activity in their hometown.”

Savestate

“Savestate is a comic written and drawn by Tim Weeks. It follows the misadventures of siblings Kade and Nicole.”

White Noise

“In the early 1900s, the nation of Aetheri came out of its long interdimensional isolation and revealed to the humans of the Symphony Archipelago that they were not alone in the multiverse. Things swiftly got ugly after that.In the early 1990s, Aetheri’s leadership changed, and in the Archipelago, a tiny broken family of half-siblings banded together in the face of the bile and hate that was boiling up between the humans and the non-humans.In the early 2000s, that family was split apart. Hawk Press and his sister Liya Kiski both begin a long and exhaustive journey towards understanding the difference between friend and enemy–and between the family you’re given, and the family you make.”

Emporium

“Nestled high in the mountains rests a strange little building, home to a vast collection of strange and unusual items, maintained by equally strange and unusual employees. Suddenly abandoned among these misfits, an unusually loquacious dog struggles to find her place alongside the mayhem and monsters housed within the mysterious Emporium.”

Doe of Deadwood

“A deer is indebted to a demon tree.”

Africa

“Africa tells the story of a female leopard, the struggles and challenges she has to face every day and her rivalry with a male leopard who threatens to take her land. Raised and educated the way of the leopards, Africa has learned that living alone is the best way of life, and that depending on someone else is a sign of weakness. This belief she has will be continuously tested, and she will have to prove herself to demonstrate its validity. Could a leopard actually live in a pride?”

Fragile

“A wolven woman and her one-winged traveling companion are searching for her long lost son, when they get dragged into something far bigger than the two of them.”

Complete/Never to be Continued

MS Paint Adventures

Jail Break (Incomplete)

“A guy tries to escape from prison. 134 pages.”

Bard Quest (Incomplete)

“A young bard's endeavor to slay some dragons. Branching ‘choose your own adventure’ style. 82 pages.”

Problem Sleuth (Complete)

“An adventure about a hard boiled detective in his office. About 1,700 pages.”

Homestuck (Complete)

“A tale about a boy and his friends and a game they play together. About 8,000 pages. Don't say we didn't warn you.”

Asmundr (Complete)

“Asmundr is a fantasy canine/feline comic, which follows the Rifle dog Kainan and his pack and their everyday struggle to survive among beasts and ancient secrets, all while a divine power is watching each step they take.”

Strays (Complete)

“Meela is a young, orphaned lupian (a race of people with wolf-like features) who is struggling to survive on her own. A chance encounter on less than pleasant terms teams her up with Feral, another lupian who happens to be a mute as well as one of the best mercenaries in the land, and who is not quite so welcoming of her forced company as she would like to believe. Fun, danger and plenty of humorous situations follow the two on their wayward adventures, however the seemingly peaceful world they reside in is not quite the paradise that its reputation makes it out to be. When a taboo topic and a dark secret collide, it may unravel their already tattered lives and force each of them to face the reality of the truth, requiring each to make decisions that could alter their lives forever.”

Snarlbear (Complete)

“SNARLBEAR is a comic about a girl's journey through the dangerous and colorful Rainbow Dimension. On the way she learns about the power of friendship and monster punching.”

Best of Bad Decisions (Complete)

[No description]

In Our Shadow (Complete)

[No description]

Twin Shadows

“Warriors: Twin Shadows explores a parallel universe wherein Rusty never left his twoleg home. Tigerstar successfully killed Bluestar and became ThunderClan's leader; destiny will not be so easily outdone, however, and StarClan has plans for everyone's favorite kittypet...”

#Comics #Other #Webcomics

[redux-iterum]

A Kindling: Prologue

(AO3 counterpart here.)

For once, the Aulmir was quiet.

That’s not to say that it was mute—even when the humans slept, there was some form of background noise drifting down the roads and echoing in the alleyways. The rumble of a car, or that odd sound like rain localized to the interior of these buildings, sometimes accompanied by warbling or hissing. The Aulmir was a creature all on its own, breathing deeply as it dozed, never quite going completely silent.

The sun was not fully over the horizon, but the dark of the night was fleeing southward, taking its stars and thinning clouds with it. Long shadows were cast behind anything tall enough to stand in the way of the light, creating an uneven pattern of stripes on the ground like a tiger’s pelt. Those things that caught the burgeoning sunlight sparkled with the remnants of the night’s rainstorm, shining yellow and white to contrast the black and blue behind them.

In the quiet of dawn, lithe forms slunk through the alleys or sat on the rooftops, grooming themselves and shaking off water with annoyed flicks of their tails. They, too, made as little noise as possible, though some little ones squeaked for milk or two adults traded conversation. It wasn’t wise to speak loudly before the humans rose. It didn’t tend to go well.

Apparently, a small cluster of these forms, now seen more clearly as cats in the shadows, did not know that.

“Entirely too late for this,” a black tomcat muttered. One of his white paws went into a puddle of ambiguous liquid and came out brown. He knew better than to lick it off; instead, he shook droplets away with a twitch of his lip. “They work at night, I thought.”

“They do.” The leader of the group cocked his head sideways to give the black tom something like a reassuring look, and his tail, bent at a wrong angle, tapped his side. “But they also move in the daylight. We’ve just as much chance of finding him now as any other time.”

The black tom narrowed his eyes and stalked alongside his leader. He grumbled again, “Entirely too late, even so.”

The leader’s eyes shone pleasantly and yet pierced through the black tom’s pelt. The black tom lowered his head defensively and scowled at the ground, saying no more.

No one else spoke, though they shared slightly nervous glances.

The party continued through the stone paths behind the buildings of the Aulmir, avoiding the sunlight and darting through it to a shadow when they could not. Irritated, sharp eyes watched them from every angle, and the black tom felt it. The leader did not. He just held his head high and strutted along like he owned the place.

After a few turns left and right, the leader stopped, motioning for the rest to halt. They had reached a dead end, and they were not alone. Those metal things that blew air and jutted out from the perfectly flat walls all had a cat on them, glaring down at these thin little intruders. Those that were not on the structures sat atop trash cans or loomed at the edge of the alley.

The leader, seemingly unaware, lifted his chin and called, “Brick?”

For a moment, there was no response, other than the glares intensifying. Then there was a sharp clunk as a dark red tom dropped from a higher place onto a trash can, its previous occupant quickly jumping away and off.

“You just gotta holler and wake up the whole neighborhood, don’t you?” This tom, Brick, spoke casually but quietly, as if he was sleepy. The party knew very well he was fully awake and wary, and watching them very closely. It made most of them nervous.

Of course, the leader did not express anything but confidence. He turned to face Brick, front paws together neatly and bent tail high. “Apologies. I’ve never an idea where you are. I was lucky this time, it seems.”

Brick hummed curtly, took two lazy steps, and almost melted down off of his perch to approach the party. He stood much taller than all of them. “You’re here on the offer, yeah?”

“No time for pleasantries?” The leader tilted his head.

“No purpose.” Brick moved around the party to be parallel to the leader, eyes narrowed. “A few cats expressed interest, with that promise of yours.” He leaned a little into the leader’s face, emphasis on ‘promise’, not in tone, but in the slightest rise of volume that made the word more of a threat than it should have been. “You’re fortunate we have so many hungry families here.”

“We’re hungry, too.” The bent tail awkwardly waved in the air, entirely too casual for the topic. “We’re always hungry.”

Brick’s eyes roamed up and down on the little leader again, scrutinizing. “I’m very aware of that.”

“Which is why we’ve come back with another offer,” the leader continued, as if he had not been interrupted. He met Brick’s eyes with that pleasant-yet-piercing gaze. “And I think you’ll like it.”

---

“You haven’t talked to him yet.”

Far south, in a dense forest, two mollies sat on a wide, flat stone. The trees barely allowed a look at the Houses, where the eyes of the buildings were lighting up, one by one. The scent of alien plants and butchered grass wafted towards the cats, and the smaller one—a beautiful tortoiseshell tabby—shut her eyes and breathed deeply (though silently—she knew not to appreciate such things in front of her leader).

The other molly, a tall, regal blue leader, stared straight ahead, eyes half-lidded with her usual stern expression. She spoke in a much deeper voice. “No. I haven’t.”

“But you have decided.” The tortoiseshell leaned a little forward to catch her leader’s eye. “And you decided to go ahead with it.”

The blue molly’s head drifted ever-so-slightly sideways, her eyes doing most of the work to meet the tortoiseshell’s. “Yes. I’m just not sure what Redtail will say.”

“He’ll agree.” The tortoiseshell straightened up again, her plumed tail curling cheerfully. “I know he’ll agree. Even if you surprise him with it this morning.”

The blue molly hummed. “Has StarClan said anything to you?”

“There were sparks in the sky tonight,” the tortoiseshell said dreamily, looking up adoringly at the disappearing stars. “It’s the perfect time to bring him in, too. He’s the right age.”

“And if he isn’t Clan material?” The blue molly half-looked up too, though her eyes merely touched the treetops. “He’s already going to have to work hard to make it.”

The tortoiseshell’s head tilted to look at the leader. “Kindling needs to get hot before it can burst into a fire.”

The blue molly’s mouth stretched back on one side in something like a grimace. “I don’t like that comparison.”

“It’s alright!” The tortoiseshell’s eyes shut as her head turned back upwards. “His fire won’t be all that bad.”

The blue molly said nothing for a long moment. Then she harrumphed, got to her feet, and turned. “I’ll speak with Redtail, then. Say nothing to anyone until I either bring him home with me or tell you otherwise.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the tortoiseshell said, still not opening her eyes.

The blue molly dropped down off the stone and trotted away, melting into the shadows of the forest. The tortoiseshell stayed where she was, letting a faint breeze curl around her and gently ruffle her long fur. The scents of the Houses seemed to grow stronger as she sat there. Eventually, she looked down again, peering at one particular house, where no lights had lit up yet.

“Be ready, chrii*,” she said softly, regarding the house almost fondly. “You have a long path ahead of you.”

*”Chrii”: a very young cat, usually around apprentice age.

#warrior cats #warriors redux iterum #iterum #chapter #prologue #book one #arc one #a kindling

[signs-of-the-moon]

Moon Rise: Chapter 47

Swiftcloud emerged from the medicine den at dawn's first light. She was one of the very first cats awake in camp, besides the Guards posted outside the bramble tunnel. The clearing was silent, and cold; a foreboding scene after the nightmare she had suffered through the evening before. A cloud puffed from her lips as she heaved a sigh, blinking her heavy eyes. Though a lot of her wounds had healed, she felt sore all over. A product of being dormant for days. Swiftcloud yearned to leave the confines of the camp to do something productive and to clear her mind. Joining the dawn patrol sounded pleasant. Hunting would be even better. But Swiftcloud knew she had a much more pressing matter to attend to first.

Quietly, she picked her way over to the center of camp, approaching the occupied den within Tall Stone. As she walked, movement over by the honeysuckle bush caught her eye.

Swiftcloud suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, finding herself in the path of her would-be murderer for the first time since her poisoning. Her ears drew back in fear, a paw raising defensively to her chest. Her focus became trained ahead, locked upon the suspicious medicine cat. Snowfrost stood erect as she fully emerged into the clearing, head held high and confidently. Her eyes flickered as if she were lost in deep thought, before her attention was swiftly drawn onto a cat behind her. 

Jaybird came rushing out from the nursery, a sour expression upon her face. She spoke with her sister in a hushed tone, a sense of agitation lingering in the air surrounding them. From this distance, Swiftcloud could not make out the words the queen was whispering, although she could pick up on the hiss in the silver tabby's mew. Snowfrost seemed annoyed by whatever the conversation involved, her icy blue eyes rolling with disinterest. Jaybird growled, sticking her snout into the air before taking off across the clearing. Snowfrost hesitated for a few moments, watching her sister leave the camp before her focus made it's way onto Swiftcloud. Her eyes rested upon the white and black patched molly like a snowstorm; dark and icy, chilling Swiftcloud just as the weather in her nightmare had. Swiftcloud had to shake out her pelt to remind herself that she was not still frozen there, to pull herself back into reality. The reality in which her attempted killer was standing face to face with her. Swiftcloud suppressed a shiver, slipping into Tall Stone before the medicine cat had the chance to confront her. That was close, Swiftcloud sighed and blinked, allowing herself to adjust to the dim lighting of the den. 

"Whitestar?" She called softly as she lingered in the threshold. She caught movement by the boulder's back wall within a heartbeat, before a gleaming set of blue eyes fell upon her. A second pair of ambers shone along with them.

"Swiftcloud?" Whitestar breathed, as though she were astonished to see Swiftcloud up and about. Swiftcloud bowed her head respectfully in response.

"I need to speak with you urgently," the white and black patched warrior mewed, giving Tigerfang a wary glance, "alone."

Whitestar let out a loud yawn, nudging her mate with her shoulder. Tigerfang groaned quietly, rolling around. After a heartbeat he sat upright and rose to his paws, giving his haunches a good stretch.

"...s'ppose I could go on the dawn patrol," he murmured groggily, tiptoing out of his shared nest. Tigerfang gave Whitestar a few affectionate licks on the cheek before shuffling past Swiftcloud and out of the den. Swiftcloud tipped her head politely to the senior warrior as he passed, inviting herself in further.

"It's good to see you on your paws, Swiftcloud," Whitestar commented as she sat upright. "Snowfrost told me your condition had gotten worse, once you'd come home from battle. It's a relief to see that you have recovered. Starclan knows what the clan would have done if we'd lost you."

"I'd thank Mistyleaf if I were you. She's the one who saved my life," Swiftcloud responded, wanting her mate to be given proper credit.

Whitestar nodded acknowledgingly. "I'll be sure to do so. Are you feeling well? How are your injuries?"

"I'm a bit stiff from laying dormant so long. And my injuries are healing well, as far as I know. I hope to be able to go on some patrols soon. However, there's something that's still bothering me," Swiftcloud meowed. She was flattered that Whitestar cared about her so much. But she couldn't sit around and idly chat right now, as much as she'd like to.

"I suppose that would be the urgent matter that's brought you to my den so early, hm?" Whitestar asked. She began to groom, giving Swiftcloud the chance to explain herself.

"Yes, Whitestar. You see, I've been going over some things in my head. And as a result...I believe I've cracked a few of our cold cases," she began, puffing up her chest in an attempt to grow more confident.

"Have you?" Whitestar prompted. "Why have you chosen to present this evidence to me, then? Shouldn't you be telling Dewstone?"

"I will, but it's important that you're the first cat to know. This knowledge requires immediate action. Because I believe the clan is in danger....There's a murderer in our ranks."

At this, Whitestar perked up. She was intrigued for sure, but Swiftcloud couldn't help but notice the look of skepticism on the leader's face. She couldn't blame her for being doubtful. Whitestar knew each and every cat in Grassclan personally. It would be hard for her to consider that any one of her clanmates would kill in cold blood. Swiftcloud could hardly believed it herself. Had she not almost become a victim, she probably would have never suspected either. And that realization made Swiftcloud feel anxious. She began to doubt herself before she'd even presented her case. But she couldn't back down now. Someone had to find out the truth. With a deep breath, Swiftcloud continued;

"Whitestar...I have reasons to suspect that Snowfrost may be responsible for the deaths of some of our warriors."

Whitestar stared at Swiftcloud for a few tense heartbeats. Her expression was unreadable but her eyes were clouded as if in deep contemplation. Swiftcloud took this as her sign to press on.

"You see; I bumped into Snowfrost while searching for evidence of Waspwing's murder, back when I was an apprentice. I noticed she was acting strangely, but never really thought anything of it until now. Snowfrost was also the only cat who conveniently knew what prompted Butterflytail to start seizing. She was suspiciously absent at the time Ambereye came home poisoned as well. And... I think Snowfrost may have tried to poison me. She fed me a mouse, insisting that I eat it. But it must have been filled with deathberries. I saw this strange red liquid coming out of it. Afterwards I started choking, and my heart began pounding abnormally fast. That's when I passed out, and why I remained unconscious for three days."

Again, Whitestar didn't respond. But now her brows were furrowed. Her eyes had drifted away from Swiftcloud, staring off at nothing. They flickered slightly as if Whitestar were searching through all the information that had been given to her. A tense silence claimed the den, lingering only for a few moments more.

"Is that all you have to prove your claim?" She finally spoke, sitting up a little taller. Swiftcloud swallowed back the lump that had formed in her throat. He nubby tail wiggled anxiously as she tried to find a way to respond. "Is there any physical evidence? What happened to the mouse you were fed?"

"It-It must have been discarded. Other than that, and my theory, I...I don't have any other evidence," Swiftcloud confessed. "But do I really need any more? Everything that I've said should be evidence enough; at least enough start being cautious of Snowfrost."

"Maybe so. But if we do not have any solid proof, other than your word, then there is nothing I can do with the information you have given me. And it's not that's I don't trust you Swiftcloud. You are an honorable warrior, and a reliable cat. But...this accusation seems far-fetched. I might even dare say unjust. What you have presented to me can all be summed up as mere coincidence." Whitestar rose to her paws. "Snowfrost has never shown herself to be capable of such heinous crimes. She's a pacifist, as most medicine cats are, despite her occasional snappiness. And though at times she may be disliked, or a bit careless of her duties, she is still our senior medicine cat. It's very bold of you to come here and make such harsh claims against her without something more tangible than an educated guess."

"Please. I mean no disrespect," Swiftcloud insisted, crouching to the ground, "but I'm sure of what I know. I wouldn't come to you and talk about something so serious if I wasn't. Snowfrost is dangerous!"

Whitestar heaved a sigh, looking away from the young warrior. Disappointment conquered the leader's features, her tail curling around her front legs. Swiftcloud felt her heart sink. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept this without any further proof. There is nothing I can do..."

"You can't," Swiftcloud challenged, "or you won't?"

Whitestar fell silent once more, continuing to avert Swiftcloud's gaze. Frustration boiled within the younger molly, the likes of which she'd never felt before. If smoke could bellow from her ears, then it would.

"Fine.... I'll find a way to prove my claim. Before another one of our clanmates has to needlessly to die. I will save our clan, Whitestar. I swear I will."

Swiftcloud rose to her paws, quickly turning on her heels. Anger and upset burned inside her belly as she stormed out of the leader's den. She spared a glance over her shoulder as she went. Whitestar remained unmoving, unchanging in her stance and decision. Swiftcloud felt her belly twist into a knot and forced herself to look away again.

Outside the den, Swiftcloud allowed her head to hang heavy. Her mind raced with thoughts, of excuses for why her evidence wasn't good enough. It couldn't be possible that Whitestar would reject her idea so easily. Surely she would want to continue investigating, rather than dismissing the claim altogether. 

Was Whitestar afraid of something? Of Snowfrost? Or perhaps even of Starclan's wrath? Did she fear that their warrior ancestors would become angry if she considered the possibility of her medicine cat being a killer? Swiftcloud could only assume so. Anyone in their right mind would feel the same. But to Swiftcloud, the anger of Starclan was not as upsetting to her. None of her kin resided within Silverpelt. Even if she'd fully placed her faith upon them, and in the systems that made up the Land's Star, it didn't make her blindly fear the scorn of countless dead cats. The wrongdoings which effected Grassclan were taking place in the living realm. That's all that Swiftcloud could allow herself to focus on. Why couldn't anyone else feel the same way? Why couldn't Whitestar?

"Swiftcloud is that you!?" A voice snapped Swiftcloud out of her thoughts, forcing her to stand upright with alarm. Tabitha came bounding over, her tail kinked over her back in greetings. Chicorynose was right behind her, a smile cast on her fawn colored face. Swiftcloud relaxed instantly at the sight of her mentor and apprentice.

"Tabitha, Chicorynose, it's so good to see you!" Swiftcloud greeted with a friendly nod to each cat. She felt like she hadn't seen them in moons.

"I can't believe it, you're alive!" Tabitha trilled, coming to a halt by the warrior. She let out a loud purr, beaming as brightly as the morning sun. 

"How are you feeling?" Chicorynose asked with concern. "We were worried about you, you know."

"I'm feeling kinda down, if I'll be honest. But I think it's from being unconscious for so long," Swiftcloud replied, voice monotone. She yearned to tell Chicorynose about her ordeal with Whitestar only moments ago, hoping that her old mentor could provide some comfort. After all, Swiftcloud had come to see her as a second mother over the seasons. But she knew if she shared, Chicorynose's loyalty in this situation would go to Whitestar. They were sisters, and had a strong bond. Stronger than her bond with Swiftcloud. So Swiftcloud bit her tongue, keeping her true feelings bottled inside to handle at another time.

"Ooh, I missed you so much!" Tabitha cut in. "From the way Snowfrost was talking, I was scared you weren't going to make it!"

"What do you mean? What was Snowfrost saying about me?" Swiftcloud questioned, fur prickling slightly. What lies had Snowfrost been spreading in the time that she'd been rendered unconscious?

"I overheard her telling Rabbitstorm that your injuries were bad, and that you probably wouldn't last the next quarter moon. Something about an internal infection? I remember they were talking about it because Rabbitstorm was curious. You were the only cat who hadn't recovered from the battle yet, and he thought that was odd." 

"I don't have any internal injuries, or an infection," Swiftcloud assured, though her tone came off as confused. Was that how Snowfrost was planning on covering up my death? As she thought on it a little more, Swiftcloud felt sure of it. It seemed to line up with how some of the other murders were played off, such as Butterflytail's. It wasn't out of the question for Snowfrost to lie about a patient's condition in order to take the blame off of herself. 

"Well that's a relief! Ooh I'm so happy to have you back, Swifty. Hey, wanna come on the hunting patrol with us?" Tabitha asked.

"We already have Beetlepatch and Slugsnout coming along with us, but I don't see a problem with you joining as well," Chicorynose added, swaying her plumed tail.

Swiftcloud thought for a heartbeat. "That sounds great, actually, I'd love to come," she agreed. Tabitha quivered her tail with delight while Chicorynose gave a curt nod. She beckoned her apprentices, old and new, to follow her to the bramble tunnel. Swiftcloud happily padded after her, ready to leave the camp behind for the rest of the morning.

#warrior cats #warrior cats ocs #wcs #wcs ocs #Signs of the Moon: Moon Rise #Moon Rise #Chapter 47

[tanglestripe]

Islandclan’s Struggle Ch 7

[AO3] [Fanfiction]

Applepaw tossed and turned in her nest, unable to get comfortable. Spottedstream had gone to the cove to speak with Starclan, but she was not good enough at hopping on three legs to make the journey yet. She hadn't even been cleared to leave camp yet, and while she knew she should be angry and stir-crazy, she wasn't. She would never admit it, but she was afraid to meet a dog again. The elders were already telling stories about her to the kits, about how she had taken on two at once, and while it was flattering she felt like she didn't deserve it. She rolled over again with a sigh, trying to quiet her thoughts, and looked up, startled, when she heard pawsteps. It was Flamepaw, her brother. Her and Quailfeather had been close, but her and Flamepaw held a special bond. She moved over in her nest to give him room as he settled beside her.

"I couldn't sleep," he meowed softly, relaxing when she gave his ear a soothing lick.

"I couldn't either," she replied.

"It must get lonely in here," he whispered, looking around at the empty den. She nodded a little.

"I miss when Badgerclaw used to stay with me." There was a long silence, and she thought he had fallen asleep, before he spoke up.

"Were you jealous of her and Quailfeather?" he finally asked, voice soft. She could hear the tiredness in his mew as he snuggled closer to her.

"Of course not. She's our sister, I was happy for her." she replied. Then, after a moment, she sighed. "Maybe a little. And she's so nice to me, but I think she just worries about me and my leg."

"You should tell you how you feel." he yawned then, and after a few moments his breathing had settled, and she knew he'd fallen asleep. She sighed softly, but with him curled next to her, she managed to fall asleep

* * *

Applepaw blinked open her eyes, and she was in a lush forest that she recognized as Starclan's hunting ground. She looked around in confusion. She knew that Spottedstream sometimes spoke with Starclan in her normal dreams, but she had only ever spoken with them when she went to the cove during the half-moon. She was definitely in the right forest, but as she sat there, she did not see any cats. She was growing confused as to why she was here at all when a cat finally padded up to her. It was Lionstar, the previous leader of the clan, and as he approached she dipped her head respectfully.

"I am glad that you are alright," he meowed, sitting in front of her, "It was not your time to join us, but I still worried."

"I am not allowed to leave camp yet, but I am getting better at getting around," she replied.

"Yes, and I know that you have Badgerclaw to thank for that." meowed another voice. She turned and stood, tail flicking from excitement as her sister padded up.

"She took a moon off from being a warrior to help me," she meowed. "She misses you a lot, Quailfeather."

"I know she does," she licked her sister's ear, "but I am here for you. There is something you need to see, follow me." Applepaw padded after her, Lionstar walking beside her. She looked around in confusion when they stopped in a clearing, a pool of water shimmering in the middle of it. Lionstar nudged her gently and she gasped when she looked into the pool. It was hazy, but she could see cats, and as she watched their figures sharpened. Images flashed before her: Badgerclaw crouched in front of Lionkit with a snarl; a white dog with a bloody muzzle; fire; the cliff edge; Nightwhisker bent over Tanglestar; two kits she had never met before, one light brown and the other brown and white; a lightning strike; the broken body of a kit. She reeled back when the pool once again showed only the hazy shapes of cats.

"There is a great danger coming, but out of the darkness will come light," Quailfeather murmured. She tried to remember everything she had seen, and after a moment she blinked and was back in the medicine den. The pale light of dawn was streaming into the den, and her brother was no longer in the nest. He must have gone on the dawn patrol. From the faint snoring she could hear from the back of the den, her mentor had just returned and was getting some rest after the journey. She stood shakily and stretched before hobbling her way into the clearing. She shivered a little at the chill. Leaf-bare was fast approaching, and although they did not have to worry about the snow in the elders stories, leaf-bare brought cold, cutting winds, and freezing rains that scared prey into its burrows. She hobbled her way to a patch of sunlight and stretched out in it. It was not as warm as she would have liked, but it was better than being cooped up in the medicine den. She smelled Badgerclaw's scent as the warrior laid beside her, rasping her tongue over her ears and head.

"Good morning," Applepaw meowed. She was answered by a purr as the warrior continued to lick her, and laughed softly. "Pleasant dreams?"

"I'm glad to see you out of the den," she meowed between licks. She let out a purr of her own and relaxed under her warm tongue. She remembered Flamepaw's words from the night before, that she should tell Badgerclaw the truth, but she could not bring herself too. This was the cat who was in love with her sister, had chosen her over Applepaw, she could not know of her feelings. At least not so soon. It had only been four moons, and she knew that the warrior was still grieving. They laid there together for a while before Badgerclaw stood, and Applepaw sat up.

"I know you are not allowed to leave camp yet, but I should go fishing." she meowed. "Prey is beginning to become scarce, and as much as I'd like to doze the day away, the clan comes first." Applepaw nodded her understanding and licked over her ear.

"I have plenty to do here, as well. We can share a fish when you return?" she suggested. Badgerclaw purred and she felt her heart leap.

"Of course. See you then," she meowed. Applepaw nodded and watched her leave before turning to hop back to the den. Before she could make it far, she saw Splashfur hurrying over to her, Lionkit hanging from her jaws. Before she could ask what was wrong, the warrior pushed past her into the den. She followed, sniffing Lionkit when he was set down gently in her nest. The kit let out a feeble yowl, his whole body shaking. She pressed her nose into his fur and pulled back when she felt how hot he was.

"Just a fever," she meowed to Splashfur, trying to reassure the distraught queen. "He just needs some feverfew." She hurried back into the store and saw that their voices had woken Spottedstream, and explained that Lionkit was shivering but felt hot, meaning he had a fever and needed feverfew. She saw her mentor nod and slip out of the den and also fetched some thyme for Splashfur. Her mentor pulled back from sniffing the kit and quietly meowed to the distraught queen that her apprentice knew what she was doing. Applepaw set the herbs down and pushed the thyme towards her mentor, whose eyes lit up with understanding before she tried to coax the queen to eat them. She then turned to the little kit, who was shaking.

"Here, little one, eat this." she mewed softly, offering him the herbs. He made a face, and she added, "You want to be a warrior don't you? You have to be strong, and think how proud your mother will be." He nodded a little, making another face at the taste, but eating them without complaint. She settled down in the nest beside him, keeping him warm with her own body and gently licking his fur.

"Y-y-you'll te-tell Badgerc-claw that- that I ac-acted like a w-warrior, right?" he stuttered softly. The poor thing could not even get words out, he was shaking so badly. Her whiskers twitched a little in amusement, she knew Badgerclaw wasn't much older than her, but the kit made it sound like she was leader.

"Of course," she replied. He nodded a little, and after a few long moments seemed to relax as the herbs took effect. He fell asleep to the steady rasp of her tongue. She stood once he was asleep; Splashfur was already on his other side. She looked up at her.

"Thank you, for saving my kit." she meowed. Applepaw gave a little flick of her tail and gently licked the queen's cheek.

"He's going to be fine," she promised, then added, "I can go check on the rest of your kits if you would like?" When she nodded and murmured another thank you, Applepaw hobbled out of the den, heading across the clearing to the nursery.

* * *

She was laying in the clearing when Badgerclaw returned. She'd had a long day of hobbling between dens. Wolfheart's leg was giving her problems, Splashfur's kits were nervous without their mother, and Lionkit was still confined to the medicine den. She'd eventually convinced her to go back to the nursery, and Spottedstream was with the kit now, trying to coax him to eat some fresh kill. She sighed and leaned into the black and white warrior when she settled beside her with a fish to share.

"Long day?" Badgerclaw asked, licking her ear.

"Lionkit's come down with a fever and the elders' joints are suffering from the weather," she replied, taking a bite out of the fish and swallowing before asking, "How was hunting?"

"It could have been better," she answered after a moment, "but no one came back empty pawed, so it could be worse." She ate the rest of the fish in silence after Badgerclaw murmured that she wasn’t hungry and instead continued grooming her ears, and when they were finished Badgerclaw stood.

"I have to go meet with Tanglestar," she meowed, giving her head another lick.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, worried. She would know if Tanglestar was ill, and surely Badgerclaw could confide in her if she needed to talk to someone.

"Yes, she just wanted some company on a night patrol," she replied with another lick. Applepaw wasn't quite convinced. A night patrol that wasn't the dusk patrol but was leaving at sunset? And with only two warriors? That made no sense. But she let it slide. If Badgerclaw wanted to tell her, she would. Before Badgerclaw could make it to the leader's den, however, Tanglestar came out and stood at the top of the rock fall.

"Let all cats old enough to swim gather here beneath the rock fall for a clan meeting!" she called. Applepaw hobbled over to where Flamepaw sat, settling beside her brother. He was trembling with excitement.

"I scared a dog off before he could cross the border this morning. Do you think she'll make me a warrior?" he whispered. Applepaw licked his head, stopping the fur from sticking up. Her brother, a warrior! She was almost as excited as he looked.

"Oh, I hope so." she replied.

"Flamepaw, your warrior ceremony is definitely overdue. Come forward." she meowed. Flamepaw stepped forward, trying not to look like he was shaking as Tanglestar leaped down from the rock fall to stand in front of him.

"I, Tanglestar, leader of Islandclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Flamepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do." His voice was steady, but Applepaw could feel how excited he was.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Flamepaw, from this moment you will be known as Flamepelt. Starclan honors your courage and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Islanclan."

"Flamepelt, Flamepelt!" the clan called, Applepaw the loudest. She moved forward to congratulate her brother, along with their parents, Sunheart and Mousestep, and both of his mentors, Splashfur and Batwhisker. His tail twitched nervously at the attention, and he relaxed as the cats began to go to their own dens, leaving him to his vigil. Applepaw licked his cheek, purring to show just how proud of him she was, before she hopped back to the medicine den. Spottedstream stood as she entered, and she settled down beside Lionkit, who seemed to be sleeping soundly.

"Are you proud of your brother?" her mentor asked, voice soft. She nodded.

"He's a warrior now! I'm so happy for him." she replied, then added softer, "Will I ever get to be a medicine cat, Spottedstream?"

"In time," she replied, "You will not have to wait until I die, if that is what you are asking." Applepaw quickly shook her head. She worried about her mentor leaving her, she just didn't want to have to stay a 'paw forever. Her mentor must've known what she was thinking, or saw the panic in her eyes, because she simply licked her head.

"Your leg will not stop you from being a medicine cat, either. After how well you ran about today, I think you will be fine leaving camp, as long as you do not stray far."

"Oh, Spottedstream, thank you." she mewed. Spottedstream chuckled, giving her another lick before padding to the back of the den. She settled down beside Lionkit, but because of her excitement, it was a long time before she got to sleep.

#warriors #warrior cats #warriors OC #WC #islandclan #islandclan's struggle