#BB!Iceheart

[bonefall]

Favorite rewritten scene from TPB? Any scenes you think would fuck if they were animated? Dont worry why im asking its not important <3

Hmmmm....

Well, BB!TPB is probably the least changed arc to begin with! Better Bones is a project that is basically trying to deliver on the themes I liked in the first 5 books; a flawed society is on the verge of birthing a great monster, a reckoning generations in the making, which can only be saved by the very outcasts their culture seeks to destroy.

So I'm not adding too much to it which isn't just building up the culture some more, adding personality to some background characters (especially mollies), or shoring up cats in ShadowClan.

I've got an old post floating around somewhere about my goals and a basic summary for each book, but here's a MASSIVE ramble about things I plan to add

The three MAJOR cool scenes in here though?

Rusty's Collar

Deerfoot's Sabotauge

Scourge's Collar

Into the Wild: Opening stuff, ThunderClan expansions, Rusty's Collar

For one, DAPPLETAIL has a much bigger role as Firepaw's first teacher. Rusty speaks Townmew; he needs to learn Clanmew.

So I might make the meeting with Graypaw earlier, or just have a bit more of a transitional period where he's "living with a paw in both worlds" before he gets named Firepaw

He also is able to see and take part in some of the Expanded Roles, while still learning Clanmew.

Frostfur is Head of Kitchen Patrol, pregnant, and overworked. Rusty likes her though, he can't always tell what she's saying but he learns she calls him the "Intense Gingerthing (affectionate)" and she's got cool scars

Tigerclaw might be Head of Hunting, or his cousin Willowpelt. Undecided yet; Willowpelt will be taking over after he becomes deputy though.

I forgor who is Construction Head at the moment, probably Mousefur. In any case it's a molly, One-eye has been retired for a long while.

Dappletail is the Educator, naturally, and she hangs out with Ravenpaw and her son Graypaw. Ravenpaw has a habit of telling tall tales.

The adult he's closest to though? Spottedleaf, the Cleric, like a big sister.

IMPORTANT: Rusty's time as a not-apprentice comes to a hard end with his battle against Longtail. Probably because he now understands enough Clanmew to know he's talking shit.

This time though, we're setting up some foreshadowing lads

Unlike other depictions of the collar removal where it's framed like the triumphant moment he enters the Clans, with a beam of sunlight revealing to Bluestar that he is the cat of great prophecy, his collar being snapped off comes with trembling fury and anxiety

He was terrified and angry in that moment! He's been bullied by Longtail, it just came to physical blows, and he was being choked by his collar digging into his throat so he couldn't breathe. When it suddenly SNAPS, he's hacking and coughing, but the whole Clan is cheering at the spectacle, it's like...

He's being told he's just proved himself. The joy of finally getting what he's really wanted, of landing a mark on his bully and being CELEBRATED for it, it starts to wash away the fear and fury.

It's sudden, like whiplash. He's trembling, he's growling, he's smiling. His stomach is rolling and he doesn't know which emotion is turning it.

Then, his collar is buried. He only sees it out of the corner of his eye, Dappletail (someone he likes) digging a little hole and dropping it in. Like getting rid of something dirty. He can't identify the emotion that prickles his heart in that moment, and to his dying day he never learns the word for it.

But it's going to be the same thing he feels, much much later, after the roar of the BloodClan battle has gone quiet and he's staring at the collar he ripped off Scourge. He spared the leader's life and caused the group to retreat... but, looking at that collar, so lovingly studded with trophies not unlike the ivory Clan cats take from boar hunts...

He realizes that it's meaningful. To Scourge. He can't go far enough to admit that his own collar meant something to him... but...

it would be wrong to just discard this. This emotion drives him to eventually approach Scourge and BloodClan again, in the Epilogue, returning the collar as a gift of goodwill and re-opening discussion about Tigerstar's Impossible Deal. These talks open up a new era of peace and trading between Chelford and the White Hart, until TNP brings it to a tragic end.

But anyway!

Ally Expansions + Deerfoot's Sabotage

In an effort to establish that the Clans have unique subcultures, and that the cats within them are unique individuals, BB!TPB needs more positive supporting cast in more than just WindClan.

GATHERINGS NOW HAVE AFTERGATHERINGS. This is like a discreet afterparty, which adult warriors can choose to attend by simply staying behind when their leadership returns home.

Fireheart regularly attends them until the moment he becomes leader.

A few of his friends in other Clans are Aftergathering regulars. Onewhisker, Mosspelt, Wetfoot.

Some others are just occasional visitors. Mistyfoot is brought along by her sis-in-law, Mosspelt, once or twice. Morningflower comes to do some trades.

(at his FIRST aftergathering he gets to meet Carpwhisker and Cinderfur. These two are noted to stop coming when the political tides harden.)

Because this is the Thistle Era, the Aftergathering is much smaller than it will be in a few generations.

They're also still careful to not leak too much information outside of their own Clans, and the ShadowClan cats are even particularly excited at Fireheart's first Aftergathering because it was difficult to regularly attend these while Brokenstar was leader.

DEERFOOT is a MUCH expanded character. Son of Lizardstripe, brother of Runningnose and Tangleburr, Deerfoot is involved in opposing both Brokenstar, and later NIGHTSTAR when he feels he's going against what Deerfoot fought so hard for.

And, most famously and most fatally, he's the head of the TigerClan Rebels.

Much as I like Ravenpaw... he's not getting his cameo at Stonefur's execution. No, I'm not going to be having the HalfClan cats rescued by Graystripe's bad feeling and also Ravenpaw is there. Freeing the prisoners was an action that came from WITHIN TigerClan.

Deerfoot is going to be beseeching Firestar for it. I haven't figured out EXACTLY how yet, but I'm thinking that it's after Darkstripe was exiled (suddenly, Tigerstar no longer has a mole in ThunderClan) and he's able to ask for Firestar's help openly and honestly, and tell him how many cats will need refuge if the plan is successful.

Being leader now, and not JUST a deputy, Firestar has to consider the way it might drag his Clan into conflict with a huge opponent... which Deerfoot assures won't happen, because his forces have a process. Using ochre and onion, they obscure themselves completely. Not a single one's been caught-- besides the ones who were picked up for the "crime" of being HalfClan.

Deerfoot is going to be killed for what he does here, saving so many lives. So he won't pay for the little trick he's going to pull.

While applying Firestar's ochre and onion, just before entering the camp to rescue the HalfClan cats (and finding they've started an execution early-- with Stonefur), Deerfoot draws back to look at his handiwork. Not a single fleck of his bright, unmistakable orange fur is peaking through his disguise.

So he clicks his tongue, "I've missed a spot." With a rub of his paw, the ochre around the ThunderClan leader's eyes is smudged. Just enough that anyone locking with those green eyes would see the fire poking out from beneath.

Later, when Firestar learns of this after Deerfoot's death... he chuckles with equal parts bitterness and admiration. Most of Deerfoot's Rebels had to go right back to living in TigerClan, and knowing Firestar was leading the battle patrol would take suspicion off them... but, knowing his old, lost ally... a bigger part of it was that Deerfoot was hoping that information would reach Tigerstar and BURN into him.

Compassionate and spiteful to the last, that Deerfoot.

Darkest Hour: BloodClan and Scourge's Collar

I think if I was going to rename the individual books, I'd call the last book of BB!TPB "The Moment of Truth."

BloodClan is keeping the way that it's not important until the last book. Aside from an offhanded mention here and there and a run-in with some peons that replace the rats that attack Bluestar, they're not relevant until the moment they're introduced.

I do want to keep how SURPRISING it was to see them suddenly roll up, keep that feeling that they're brutal, unsettling, foreign. When Tigerstar loses his shit on Scourge for not following his order and attempts to kill him, I want to keep how cold, sudden, and BRUTAL that ending was.

But... when Scourge FIRST appears on screen, he looks much different from the Iceheart he will eventually become. He begins to look less "monstrous" and more like a PERSON as Firestar realizes that they're not so different.

Scourge has no pupils at first. His eyes are solid, icy blue.

He also has no mouth when he isn't about to bite, no lip synch when he talks. Like he's just existing ominously onscreen, wind ruffling his spiky, ungroomed fur.

Before the killing of Tigerstar, it's noted that Scourge's speech is odd, and hard to understand. But, you can sort of make out his intent if you listen carefully.

Firestar recognizes that he is speaking Townmew, his own first language.

Tigerstar doesn't really respect him enough to listen, until he barks an order and Scourge tells him, "...My cats move when I command them, and not before."

Like canon, Firestar steps forward to speak with Scourge. Unlike canon, he very intentionally begins speaking Townmew.

ALSO like canon, when Firestar explains Tigerstar's crimes, that he will never honor any bargains he has made, and thus that they can't be trusted, he rolls that Nat20 and Scourge tells him that there will be no battle today as he thinks about this new information.

And, of course, Tigerstar lost his marbles about this. And also his organs

And Scourge is SEETHING. That's his LAST straw. He made a deal and he is NOT being given what he is owed, he tried to gracefully walk away only for Tigerstar to disrespect him for the last time, and he's SICK. AND. TIRED. Of backstabbing, DISHONORABLE CLAN CATS.

And YET. He remains cool. And he tells Firestar directly, "In light of this, I have changed my mind. We will be taking what we are owed. You have three days to leave, or it will come to combat."

Another big change from canon is that no Clan needs to be convinced to fight. It's a battle culture. They were ALWAYS going to win, or die in glorious combat. Running away is not an option in this era-- they believe their eternal reward is up in StarClan.

But Firestar CAN unite them, bring them together to discuss battle plans. And in this first day...

TigerClan is dismantled. Though Leopardstar tries to cling to her newfound leadership of TigerClan; both Shadow and River are clearly tense and demoralized. Anxious and snappish warriors are mulling about the camp.

and STILL, Firestar is dealing with a bunch of cats who are openly disrespecting him.

Even when he reminds them, "YOU brought him to the Forest! Tigerstar's deal was HALF our land and I could pull LionClan out at any time! I'm trying to HELP YOU"

Darkstripe in particular is still here with his little xenophobic jabs. And he is Xenophobic Jabbering.

In spite of the guilt Leopardstar feels, and the resentment that Blackfoot is starting to feel for Tigerstar and the position he's being thrust into, they're still DIFFICULT, not giving Firestar clear answers about if they're going to come talk battle strategies or not.

Firestar can't believe this.

They're really gonna do this. Say that TigerClan can take care of its own problems.

They're just gonna try and hold onto their scraps of pride and charge into battle, NO plan, because they think they're above him.

After ALL OF THIS, EVERYTHING thats happened, the times they've fought and he's won, becoming deputy, even earning the authority of a leader...

They're STILL not taking him seriously.

This prompts Firestar to end up losing it, the "I saw what you did to Stonefur" speech to Blackstar is moved here, addressed to BOTH of them.

But this time, there's even MORE victims. He lists ALL of them, plus the refugees still in his camp.

And they're gonna kill even MORE cats? What? To be the smuggest corpses in the GROUND?

OR MAYBE THE HAPPIEST LITTLE SKULLS ON THEIR STUPID HILL.

It SHUTS them up.

Leopardstar, in particular, clearly haunted by this... her own father, Mudfur, is one of those refugees. And she is staring intently at some of the bones on the hill.

Unfortunately, her remorse will not stick. Distance will make Blackstar more ashamed, but Leopardstar begins to look back with nostalgia.

But FOR NOW? It MATTERS.

Darkstripe comes in with another little comment, and she snaps at him.

Then she turns back on the Bonehill, and says the, "This belongs to a darker time" line.

Firestar also ends up visiting with Barley Sr, Jr, and Ravenpaw. Chatting about reasons why Ravenpaw still doesn't want to come back, even though Tigerstar is gone.

And about BloodClan, as Barley Senior comes from there. Bone is his mother (though due to some timeline things I'm considering her being his sister; and then Hoot and Jumper are littermates OR cousins of Junior.)

Ends up explaining a bit about the history, how it was formed because of Oakstar, the context of the descendant of Oakstar turning on Scourge like that

Plus why Barley Sr left. His time as a solver, the death of Violet Sr, the way BloodClan demands tribute to keep its cats fed.

And while BloodClan has issues... Firestar is realizing... so do the Clans.

Violence, blood feuds, war... xenophobia. He's still seething over that exchange from earlier.

Firestar's anxious over the big fight, and the people he knows he will lose. GOOD people. The battle won't discern the crackerjacks from the jackasses; people he loves will die. He HAS to win. And yet, his feelings towards Scourge feel frustratingly conflicted.

On the second day...

Finally he's getting somewhere with the other four Clans. Everyone's preparing properly, learning how to fight TOGETHER and not just as four separate entities.

But in ShadowClan, he catches POISONS. Runningnose and Blackfoot are planning to go into battle using the same tactics they used against WindClan-- things that won't kill right away, but will cause inevitable infection and kill slowly, and painfully.

And they're showing OTHERS about it, too.

And this UPSETS Firestar

But, AGAIN, he's able to talk to them. They have a point-- if BloodClan is going to use those claw-weapons, they ALSO have an unfair advantage.

Firestar, about to invent Rules of Engagement: "If they weren't going to use them though?"

That's how Firestar ended up in a british back alley. Meeting with BloodClan.

Scourge is cold and polite, as always, makes a comment about him being early.

Firestar tells him about the poisons, how he's seen them be used before, and how they will kill slowly,

Scourge is torn... at first, thinking it might be a lie, but then the shock of what might happen sets in. He asks, "and why would you warn us about this?"

"Because it's the right thing to do. We're fighting for our home and you're fighting for your promise; It should be a fair fight."

"which means you're reigning them in, then?"

Nods, "If you use the claw extenders, they're going to use an unfair advantage of their own"

As they dig deeper into the conversation, Scourge loses his patience.

"Enough. I've heard enough lies from Clan cats, forest fool. You untrustworthy lot NEVER uphold your end of the bargain, you come here to weaken us but we will not be tricked by a dishonorable foe ever again."

It's starting to hit Firestar now. Scourge... is kinda right.

He's RIGHT to be so distrustful of Clan cats. To think they're dishonorable. He's seen them all himself; liars, hypocrites, cowards, all of them allowing EVIL things to be done to innocent cats.

The pause seems to last days, but it's clear to Scourge he's thinking deeply about what he said.

When Firestar looks up he tells him, "I understand. But I am honorable."

Scourge laughs at that. The whole alley does.

But he stands firm. He will uphold HIS end. "And when you come tomorrow, you will see that I've held my people to it."

"Then you're a greater fool than I thought, weakening yourself."

"Tigerstar believed that honor made us weak," he says with defiance, "and you killed him. I buried him. Now he is dead; don't choose to keep his memory alive."

AND ON THE THIRD AND LAST DAY

When they all come to face off at Fourtrees, it is seen, most of BloodClan is not wearing their extenders.

And most of the Clan cats do not have deathberry-red claws.

There are just some. On both sides.

Scourge is not one of them. His claws are his own

Fire and Scourge step foward in the center, their armies behind them.

Scourge quietly points out the irony in a hushed tone, for what he is about to say could have offended either army;

"Two fools, alike in their dignity. Perhaps in another time we would have been Brothers-in-Honor, you and I."

Brother-in-Honor = Townmew term for someone who unites you through a shared, noble cause.

But Firestar is done. He had to say goodbye to many of his cats this morning, he doesn't know who will live and who will die. The Warriors stand behind him, proud and noble, but terrified to their core. He knows this.

This is their HOME. And he is the holy leader of ThunderClan, bearing the fragment of a star within him.

He's lost his patience, and his sympathy. When he responds, it's loud enough for both armies to hear. (Note: Ever so slightly performative)

"Last chance, Scourge! One step further, and you'll meet the full might of the Warrior Clans."

"Two fools," the little cat laments, "One far more foolish than the other!"

He screeches for BloodClan to attack, and like canon, Firestar loses track of Scourge in the torrent of angry cats

Battle otherwise goes very similar to canon. Out of left field, Darkstripe turns on Firestar with deathberry-red claws, furious and embarassed that he took Tigerstar away and prevented them all from fighting with "every advantage"

Graystripe. One-Man Firestar Defense Squad, body checks him and kills him, trembling in disbelief and immediate regret over his brother's body

Whitestorm loses his fight with Bone and falls, bleeding, to the ground

As he dies, he tells Firestar to let go of his grudges. He was wronged, he was hurt, but please don't let that stop him from making the right choice. Longtail should be deputy.

Firestar announces Longtail is his deputy right there.

The apprentices dogpile Bone in revenge, though I also wouldn't mind changing it. In any case, Bone's dead before Willowpelt can even realize her mate is gone

When he finally sees Scourge again, they grapple ferociously until the little cat breaks loose

Trying to avoid the grallocking move that ended Tigerstar in a blow and not knowing Scourge can't do that without his claw extenders, he pulls back and leaves himself wide open for a vicious transverse slash

He's split open from neck to arm, he can feel himself bleeding out

Scourge looks at him with pity but says nothing, flicking his claws like he's wicking the blood from a sword.

Game_Over.png

Firestar's vision fades into flashing stars and bursts into the silver-and-blue lights of StarClan

He sees the faces of everyone who he's lost, everyone he couldn't save. Spottedleaf who died in a raid. Stonefur whose execution came too soon. Pikepaw who refused to take refuge with his mother. That old bastard Deerfoot. Whitestorm whose blood is replaced with fresh stars.

Yellowfang comes forward, threading constellations like stitches through his gash, snipping at him to stop wriggling like a worm. Spottedleaf is also helping in a way he doesn't understand, licking his fur the wrong way and returning his lost blood like a Mi returns warmth to a cold kitten.

He smiles, filled with the wonderful sensation of a Sharing of Stars, until it hits him again that he needs to go back

Hmm.. maybe ill have it so Whitestorm had no last words and he gives them here. "Don't let the grudges of the past ruin the future. Make the choices you know are right."

Bring the theme together; he was talking about Longtail, but Firestar interprets it differently.

And when he wakes up in his body, gash aching but skillfully closed by the best healers he ever knew, he feels like they filled his veins with a lion's blood.

He grins, a mixture of humor and righteous fury. He didn't know Scourge's tricks, but he doesn't know HIS either.

Scourge has his back turned, focused on Onewhisker who's cowering in front of him. Firestar bowls into him, catching him off guard

"You! You died! I killed you!"

"I played dead."

With a second bolt of strength, Scourge tries to turn it around and they tumble, hissing and spitting, but the little cat doesn't get a second chance

He's pinned like prey, one paw holding his head and the other pulling down his shoulder, growling like an animal with its neck exposed for a brutal killing bite

Firestar lunges down and Scourge screeches, a horrible crack of teeth on bone quiets the battlefield

And then a SNAP

The sun glimmers on the bloodstained collar's fangs, one of the teeth cracked by Firestar's jaws, as he throws it behind him

Scourge's face is truly apparent to Firestar for the first time, his icy eyes wide with astonishment

Firestar recites the beautiful words that had once been made hollow by hypocrisy, "A true warrior does NOT need kill to win their battles," but he presses his paw into Scourge's pulse as a warning, "DO they?!"

He lifts his paw, and Scourge calls for BloodClan to retreat

Though the warriors are shocked at first, they saw his collar ripped off and his black fur soaked in his own blood, and understood they were losing

Just as united as any Forest Four following the command of a leader, each warrior disentangled as quickly as possible and streamed out behind their bolting leader

Some warriors ran after them to chase them out, and came back a few minutes later

And just like that, it was over. They were gone.

But, that collar is laying there, in the light of the setting sun. The inner fabric is purple, covered in a layer of red and brown from a mix of fresh and dry blood. Various teeth poke through, which he now realizes are from various predators.

Firestar gazes at it and feels Rusty's heart beating. He has that strange, indescribable feeling again.

It's... just like Clan cat hunting trophies, yes. It's a valuable, meaningful object to Scourge. It's a spoil of war made of spoils of war. That's why it's stirring his chest, surely. There's something... deeper to this item. It shouldn't be discarded; this item needs to be kept safe.

Or, perhaps, returned.

From there, the epilogue is gravy. When Firestar arrives in the alley again, this time flanked by several cats, Scourge is still recovering from his many injuries. He feels like he's been seeing Firestar's face too often-- and then the collar is gently placed on the ground.

Just like Firestar expected, there's an energy that washes over the gathered cats, and even the unreadable Scourge now seems awestruck by the gesture. The collar was something greater than just a collar; though Firestar couldn't remember if he had ever been told what a BloodClan collar represented.

Speaking, again, in Townmew, he explains that Tigerstar made Scourge an Impossible Deal, which the treacherous tyrant never meant to honor in the first place. But he is dead. BloodClan cannot have the territory and the Clan cats have won it fairly-- but what CAN we do for you? What were you seeking?

The answer was so simple that it was almost sickening. That they'd come to blows, and cats had died, over something that could have been worked out so easily. BloodClan had plenty of food from the humans' excess and hunting in the wilderness was not a skill they ever had anyway. What they wanted was materials.

Wood. Flowers and herbs. A chance to walk along the hiking trail and see the giant trees. Maybe the occasional piece of prey they didn't have access to in the town, like squirrels and frogs.

So, for a while. There was peace in the Forest, bringing the Tiger Era to a definitive close and beginning the fruitful, but short-lived Fire Era.

So! Them's the major changes. Take your pick of the scene you think is coolest, personally I've got a thing for Firestar ripping off Scourge's collar.

#BB!TPB #Better Bones AU #BB!Firestar #BB!Iceheart #BB!Scourge #Minor edit: Got possessed with more dialogue for the scourge confrontation scene

[bonefall]

Mousewhisker such an interesting choice for Ice’s one and only apprentice. I’d really like to know what went into that choice and the kind of relationship they have, What lessons did iceheart bestow on mouse and how did they shape him?

In Firestar's head, it makes perfect sense. Iceheart is an outsider, but both widely lauded and feared. He has slain a tyrant but knows the great value of life, he joined out of genuine love for ThunderClan, and accompanied them on the Great Journey out of a desire to help.

Firestar would love for him to teach at least one apprentice, it would be a great honor no matter who it was.

He knew it had to be Mousepaw during Mousefur's Mixed Clan stunt. Yes, they were shouted down (he loves his daughter so much) and the Clan ripped into the three troublemakers, but suddenly Firestar realized he had been too lenient on that little group. He needed to send a message-- a strong one.

So, Iceheart would mentor Mousepaw. Brambleclaw had gone on a religious journey and found their new home, he was overdue for his first apprentice and had the energy to handle rowdy little Berrypaw, and Hazelpaw...

Well he can't give her to Dustpelt like he had been planning after that stunt. He'll need to think about that one.

Iceheart and Mousewhisker

BB!Mousewhisker's personality, I've always seem him as a MACHO MAN. He thinks he's cool, he wants to be cool. He's got a kind of easygoing and disaffected air to him, but it's an act. He's a ham.

I think he IS cool, but not the way he thinks he is. He thinks he's cool because he's a big strong boy, but he's cool because he's never bothered. He is just the sort of guy who is never stressed out, you know? He ends up being unintentionally hilarious, fussing up his fur instead of stressing about an upcoming fight.

And that "real" coolness is something that comes from Iceheart. He's never scared, he's always confident, nothing shakes him. Even when there's real danger, he's calm and calculating. When Mousepaw was young, he LOVED that. He wanted that for himself so bad that it became part of him without knowing it. Mouse didn't have a dad of his own-- so Iceheart fills that role for him perfectly

I think Iceheart likes to show off for him sometimes. Rarely. But Sometimes, he indulges him. Glances over his shoulder during a spar and sees the kiddo all starry-eyed, and whispers under his breath to his sparring partner;

"leap at me, but don't be afraid."

Before he WHIRLWINDS them off-balance with a blow to the shoulder after their jump, and a swift pin. His partner-- let's say it was Brackenfur, feels their breath catch in their throat. It's easy to forget that Old Man Iceheart is the Beast of BloodClan sometimes. He can't say he wasn't warned though.

He never does teach Mousepaw the... the Tunnelbunning. That would be in poor taste.

I think he's disappointed when he learns that Mouse trained in the Dark Forest, and feels like he failed him. Did he not teach him the value of peace? Did he indulge him too much? Was he so desperate to learn a killing move because he didn't teach him his own?

But, before Mousewhisker gets his Dishonor Title, he does get to say goodbye to his beloved mentor, and apologize. He feels ashamed that he was involved with the plot that eventually killed Iceheart, and misses him every day.

#I was originally writing Hazeltail as the trans one between them but the more I think about it #Mouse kinda has T boy energy (affectionate) #BB!Mousewhisker #BB!Iceheart #better bones au

[bonefall]

If Jake is Sparrow... How are Firestar and Scourge related???? I mean, through Quince or something, because I once saw a post complaining about how Nutmeg is so randomly chosen like HUH WHERE'D YOU COME FROM??? But, I'm getting sidetracked. Just a question

They aren't. They're not related. That retcon was stupid so I took it out 💗

"Turns out Firestar, the guy who was unique exactly because he was an outsider who was able to challenge the rotten society that Clan cats take for granted, came from a special bloodline that produces special cats. Tallstar didn't actually think Fireheart was amazing on his own merits, he just reminded him of the lover he had in his 20s so he played political softball with him." I am looking away. I do not see.

Chelford cats don't track paternity. They're matriarchal, with uncles and older siblings taking on "fatherly" roles within a family. Jake is probably not Firestar's father, but even if he wasn't it wouldn't matter.

Fire's mother was a cat named Nutmeg and Iceheart's mother is a cat named Quince. No relation that they know of, or care about. They're brothers-in-honor, through mutual respect and choice.

Firestar's character summary here

#BB!Firestar #BB!Iceheart #better bones au

[bonefall]

After Scourge / Iceheart joins the forest cats, how prominent a role does he play going forward? Does he have his own little narrative arc or does he kinda fade into the background? Seems to be an aspect in desperate need of fleshing out, given he's such a significant character.

No, his narrative arc was complete in TPB.

Iceheart was the leader of BloodClan, constantly disrespected his whole life, who clawed his way to the top in a world without honor. He thought this is how things are.

But Firestar proved that wrong. Where Brokenstar and his rogues had tried to bully BloodClan and Tigerstar had tried to use them like dogs, Firestar stuck true to his ideals. A true warrior does not need to kill to win their battles.

Together, they were bringing all of their groups to a new era of prosperity. Scourge chose his successor and trained him for the role. Retirement is lending his claws to helping Firestar's Clan survive the Journey.

He doesn't have an arc to go through, he did it. Scourge has a brother-in-honor he's just trying to serve now. No more responsibility, no more ambition. He's done that before.

He's in the background on purpose. He's Squilf's old godfather, who likes to carve little figurines for her, shows up in Squirrelflight’s Horror as a friendly ghost. He's a friend of Purdy and Mousefur. He's Hollypaw's favorite grand-uncle. He gets a cool rematch with Tigerstar in the BOTTE.

That's all. Not every character is dynamic, some are static!

#better bones au #BB!Iceheart #He also lowkey sees Ratscar and Blackstar #I decided from the start that Ice wasn't going to take up any slots that go to other characters #He's here as gravy. He's done his ambitions.

[bonefall]

I know you said the Chelford cats and by extension Bloodclan are a bit cultural melting pot but. What are the Statistics, Elder Bones? Does anyone there speak Seamew as a native language? Any who follow the Sister's religion?

Nearly everyone speaks Townmew, but bilingualism is SUPER high rate. Something like 90% speaks Townmew, and 40% speak a second language.

A surprisingly high number of them ARE ex-Clan cats. Brightsky is one of them-- though she's what BloodClan calls an "Innenouter." A kittypet who is allowed outside, but always returns at night.

Innenouters are treated like outsiders, but not in a way that's rude or violent like the Clans. They can't qualify for Official BloodClan Work, but can join in on daylight projects if they'd like. They also aren't able to receive their own food rations, because they are expected to be fed at home.

But, back to demographics.

About 30% of BloodClan is able to speak Clanmew, through being clanborn or being descended from them. It's a minority, but a pretty big one. It's one of the reasons Townmew and Clanmew haven't drifted too far linguistically; Clanmew continues to influence Townmew.

(It's also how Darktail was able to pick up Clanmew even before meeting SkyClan, and how WarriorClan learns it)

Up next, there are actually some cats that speak Modern Tribemew. Tribemew is a popular language family, picked up by travelers that pass through the Valley Ward and distributed around the "mid lands" that lay between the Forest and the Lake.

But, it's rare in Chelford. You're looking at a sharp drop in the demographics compared to Clanmew, something like 8%, and even fewer speak it as their mother tongue.

Seamew is one of the rarest languages in BloodClan. Hengest is VERY far away. You're looking at a rate of maybe 2%. If you made a "map" of all the connections between individual cats to see where they travel to meet family, hang out, and sightsee, you would observe that BloodClan cats have few connections "beyond" the mouth of the River Chell, where SkyClan's gorge was.

Anyway, religion

Ancestor worship is surprisingly unpopular in Chelford. It's a town and there are no stars thanks to light pollution. StarClan is laughable to most of them-- if they're so strong, where are they?

Still, Clankin cats hold to it. You're looking at 10% or so that believe in StarClan specifically, and 20% more who have a more abstract type of ancestor worship.

Reincarnation is a popular idea, that you keep getting reborn in new forms. A lot of cats find the idea of divine punishment for their enemies comforting though lmao, living in a place where there are good and bad humans who you'll never see justice done to.

There's a lot of beliefs here, it's not a sore point to talk about religion except with ex-Clan cats, who are super touchy about it. Everyone has a different, personal idea of how the world works and what comes next.

So there's definitely a couple of Sister religion believers, or people who unknowingly have influence from Sister ideas. Tribe too, and even Park cats from so long ago.

#BB!Bloodclan #Better bones au #Iceheart himself doesn't have much in the way of religious beliefs. #If you asked him he would say he doesn't have much need of it. He's lived in the moment his whole life #And tried to do what he thought was best for the big picture #Before the clans he used to believe death was just like sleep #He preferred that idea honestly. What's the point in worrying for a future you will have no influence over #No. It's simpler for life to just be life and then everyone else figures it out when you're gone #But after his death he watches over his nieces in honor #Because that's existence now

[bonefall]

out of curiosity, does iceheart have any kits? his own family or through honor siring? i love what you’ve done with him, if i were in your shoes i’m not sure i’d be able to resist giving him some kits lol - but you probably have more restraint than me!

Nope, I'm not planning any kits for him! He's actually totally MLM, and there's no one in ThunderClan he'd want to raise kits with.

He was leader of BloodClan for years, he's tired of being responsible for other people.

In addition, he is a Chelford cat. They don't really have a concept of "fatherhood," the idea that a kitten has two parents who are both biological. Chelford cats are matriarchal, uncles and older siblings take on the "fatherly" role. So Scourge considers Leafpool and Squirrelflight as kittens in his family.

Though, Iceheart and Firestar are not related in a way that matters. They are brothers in honor, a lot thicker than mere blood.

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb" to Chelford cats.

#Iceheart #BB!Scourge #Better bones au

[bonefall]

Okay so a convo made me remember that Icecloud and Foxleap become apprentices 4-5 moons after the three, which means Ferncloud either had four litters so the three could nurse while also having kits so much younger than them, or she just so happens to have milk despite not having kits OR her last litter was really held back. Mostly bringing this up because obviously Squilf and Leaf still can't nurse the three in BB and I was curious if Ferc was still going to nurse them since I know you gave away her last litter or if someone else will do that or if there's a definite answer for this detail yet.

Daisy did it! Her kits were recently weaned, but Sorreltail at the time was nursing FOUR kittens. That's a lot for one suckler to handle, so Daisy would help out which kept her milk coming.

So Daisy has it handled. Ferncloud is still reeling from horrifically losing THREE children in a short period of time. At this moment in time, she didn't feel ready for more.

But, anyway! Foxleap and Icecloud are NOT DustFern kittens in BB. They were shuffled. This is because Ferncloud has waaaay too few surviving kittens while Brightheart and Sorreltail exploded the gene pool. Their kits in BB are;

Dustpelt x Ferncloud:

Spiderleg (ALIVE)

Shrewpaw (Car accident while chasing a pheasant; Squilf's guardian angel)

Lurchkit (Destruction of the White Hart)

Hollykit (Ditto)

Birchfall (ALIVE)

Seedpaw (Drowned)

Lilyheart (ALIVE)

Ferncloud is the Educator of ThunderClan until her death in TBC. She lives long enough to confront her little brother, Ashfur, who is now from a younger litter. Dustpelt died in the Battle of the True Eclipse, while defending his last litter from Dark Forest warriors.

Additionally, Spotfur and Duststripe (prev. Sorrelstripe) are now Birchfall's kittens, in trade for Dovewing and Ivypool to go into the Firekin family. Toadstep is also still alive; the husband of Lionblaze.

Lilyheart hasn't had any kittens yet, though. I'm still holding on to Leafshade and Honey...something i forgot her name. ThunderClan is already pretty full of cats and she really didn't need to have them so young. Plus, she got seriously traumatized from how Seedpaw died, and she's the sort of mature person to realize she doesn't want to be responsible for young lives when that's still affecting her.

Brightheart x Cloudtail

Whitewing (alive)

Foxleap (Battle of the True Eclipse)

Icecloud (Born after the BOTTE, named after Iceheart, alive)

Snowbush, Ambermoon, and Dewnose all still exist, but were adopted to other couples! They're going to show up in other Clans. Cloud and Bright kept a single kitten from each litter.

Foxleap is probably going to be younger than he is in-canon, because I feel like he often gets lost in the massive Po3 Apprentice Generation. So, he'll be somewhere between Po3 and OotS, interacting with Dovewing and Ivypool as they grow up.

Icecloud, also shuffled in age, is also going to end up with a bigger role in AVOS-era stuff, he's transmasc and a fast friend of Alderheart when he joins ThunderClan after being raised by his mother Jessy as a kittypet. Him and Lilyheart make up Alderheart's misfit friend group.

(In general I think ThunderClan feels less bloated if the births are spaced out better.)

Sorreltail x Brackenfur

Cinderheart (Alive; travelling with Fallenleaf)

Honeysnake (survived the adder; killed in the BOTTE)

Poppyfrost (Alive; inventor of gardening)

Molepaw (Greencough... angel name is Moleflight and he is constantly fighting Jayfeather)

JUST having the infamous Brackenfour. No more; BB!Brackenfur was killed in the Battle of the FALSE Eclipse at the end of Po3. Sorreltail is living for a MUCH longer time; she's still around in the current arc, preparing to retire as Head of Kitchen Patrol.

#better bones au #I feel like Icecloud is an oversized hoodie kind of transmasc #(Shooting homesign pawspeak) YO MISTA WHITE...wing #White signs back 'we need to cook.' Scene comically cuts to them doing bbq

[bonefall]

Any thoughts on Pebblefoot (Minnowtail's brother)? I had an AU with him when I was 16-ish and I've been weirdly attached to that little nobody ever since

Not too many, he's open to suggestions if he's your blorbo. Here's the downlow on BB!Pebblefoot at the moment though;

One of the VERY first episodes of Po3 is the Shinewater Plague. It's pulled up from TNP, so there's more time to dedicate to the WindClan Civil War.

In coming to help RiverClan with the illness that breaks out as a result of the oilspill, Hollypaw realizes she isn't cut out for the life of a Cleric. She is grossed out by the details of sick cats, and finds herself "in her element" when she's leading and commanding, not caring and nurturing.

Patient Zero of the Shinewater Plague is, famously, Tumblekit. Pebblefoot and Minnowtail's sibling, who Minnow dared to drink the shiny poison.

Pebble unfortunately blames Minnow for this. I see him as kind of a hardass, but also, he's not TOTALLY wrong

He doesn't really like "fun" and has trust issues. A stickler for the rules because, well, he didn't follow the rules once and he lost a littermate and was horrifically sick for a week.

Minnowtail's strained relationship with her surviving brother, plus the guilt she feels for how Tumblekit died, is a contributing factor for why she ends up in the Dark Forest.

And it makes Mousewhisker more attractive to her. He doesn't hold grudges, he's super easygoing and is a little bit vain, in a funny way.

He loves looking like he's tough, liked to mention his mentor Iceheart, generally he thinks he's a coolguy! But he's actually LAME.

And that makes him endearing. Ok toughboy. I don't think toughboys spend 15 minutes adjusting their hair in the reflection of a lake.

Pebblefoot disapproves of this, if he finds out any of this before Mouse eventually joins RiverClan much, much later (probably BB!ASC)

He's not ESTRANGED from Minnowtail, just critical of her and strained. He thinks she makes awful choices and deserves to be confronted about them

Pebblefoot has the sort of personality that will be VERY useful in the Impostor's crusade in BB!TBC.

Funny enough, it's a very similar personality to his grandfather, Swansong. They're confident and kind of rude, but Pebble has different life experience that has caused him to have different political opinions.

His uncle and aunt, Stonestream and Willowshine, are less than a year older than he is. I feel like he's pretty close to Stonestream for some reason.

Pebble's mother Dawnflower claimed Queen’s Rights for her litter. Her mate has a little split in the fur at the end of his tail, which gave Minnow and Pebble a false "flipper"

He was probably a Tribe cat, or maybe a loner. Dawnflower isn't interested in anyone in RiverClan, and lived through TigerClan which has made her not entirely trust the "protection" of the Queen’s Rights.

So she probably didn't even know his name, honestly. Didn't WANT to know it.

Dawn has her family, but going through that situation, seeing her uncle get slaughtered in front of a cheering crowd, having your rebel leader die after refusing to snitch out everyone's names including yours and saving your life...

She's traumatized. Acts in emotional self-defense a lot.

Pebble and Minnow probably grew up very aware of that.

I'm not sure when Pebblefoot dies, but it's probably NOT going to be in the great big storm of BB!ThunderClan's Tempest. I have use for him.

#BB!Pebblefoot #Better bones au

[bonefall]

Clanmew Masterpost

Clanmew is a constructed language made for Warrior Cats that I, @bonefall, run with my buddy @troutfur! I make the vocab and he does the grammar. I hope that this post will become a good, central place to keep links to everything we've done so far.

CURRENT VERSION: 1.0 LAST UPDATE: 6/3/2023

Clanmew is an OSV-order language, made with the sounds cats make in mind. "Base Clanmew" is built around the Clan Culture updates of the Better Bones AU, which means it is made with the ecology of southwestern Northern England in mind and only contains words for plants and animals found there. It also has phrases for cooking and crafting.

(specific regions modeled: Lancashire, Chester, Manchester, Merseyside, Clwydd is modeled for river biomes specifically)

You are free to use it for your own projects! We encourage you to consider how this language would evolve in your Clan's history, and add or remove words to make a dialect that reflects the culture's feelings and needs.

THE BASICS:

Everything you need to know for basic structure is in CLANMEW 101. Start here.

We have a constantly updating LEXICON of all the words we have made so far.

Have you made a dialect? Let me know and I can link you here so others can see what you're doing with it!

Below the cut:

In-universe information; How Clanmew evolved linguistically

"Expansion Pack" posts where I discuss etymology

Pronunciation stuff (until I make that IPA chart I keep promising)

Working translations; Names, parables, OC submissions

Dialect submissions (These are manned by other people!)

Historical Trivia

The linguistic evolution of Clanmew from Old Tribemew and Parkmew

Animals are named for the sounds they make.

How pronouns for objects change based on how the speaker feels about it.

More, using human examples

there is a secret post about cursing but you have to find that on your own ;)

Through Time Travel Shenanigans, Hollyleaf's name evolves into the word "Scourge"

The Clanmew Play-by-Play of that

The word for Everything

How hard is it for speakers of the other in-universe languages to pick up Clanmew?

On nicknames!

Squirrelpaw and Crowfoot discover corn

The names of the three ideologies... also thistles.

The Invalid Five

Expansion Packs

Colors

Directions, way-finding

Spirituality terms

Rocks

Beetles

Follow up: some plant parts

Patch (pattern) vs Patch (plants)

Den, camp, territory, construction

The two violets

Shapes of flowers

Volume

Generic terms

Rollypollies and centipedes

Insults

Rain... because this is England

The Clan Clock; time terms

The four seasons

Clerics and Common Herbs

Roses

Water movement

BIRDS AND BATS

Finches

Texture

Dogs

Mint

Parts of fur

Forest terms

Foxes, parts of a forest

Cuckoo bird

DEER

Shade and understorey

Cedar

Waterside words

Pronunciation Stuff

Closest thing to an IPA chart I currently have

My process for coming up with words based on vibes

I was asked for more behind-the-scenes stuff so here you go?

How I hold my mouth when I speak

Trout Tips

How would Clan cats pronounce the Slavic TS, or the word pizza?

On the Double yy

Working translations

BB!Scourge's new warrior name, Iceheart, in Clanmew... and Nightheart!

Light, moon, wind, BB!Raggedstar's pre-honor title name

OC SUBMISSION: Flameshell, Fogwhisper, Willowsong

OC SUBMISSION: Lichennose, Mudthistle, Longpounce

OC SUBMISSION: Fallensky

PACK PACK KILL KILL

"I love you"

Baby talk

"What have I done?"

"Fool Tale"

How to Clanmew-ify a strange word

Dishonor Title for "Mudpuddle"

OC SUBMISSION: Riverrunner, multiple-word names, walking words

OC SUBMISSION: Firefang, Rabbitdash, Peachfeather, plus a bunch of words for weasel-like animals

Ivypool

The use of tense in names

PROPHECY SUBMISSION: "Dust and flame will combine to destroy home"

Skywatcher

OC SUBMISSION: The Caldwell Family

Foxheart

Runningnose

PROPHECY SUBMISSION: Six will come of every rank

OC SUBMISSION: Witherstrike

"I like this" and also parasitic worms

Prism, rainbow-color

OC SUBMISSION: Piebald Creature

Gayheart

Sneeze and Knockout

OC SUBMISSION: Penny-fitzgerald

OC SUBMISSION: Voidwhisper, Chalkwhistle

OC SUBMISSION: Poppyflare, Spikemane, Blizzardfang

OC SUBMISSION: Burning Hawk-fur

Mistyfoot

BRAMBLESTAR BUTCHERS THE BLOSSOMKIT NAMES

Dialect Submissions

Pfurr Clanmew (@troutfur)

#Clanmew #Clan culture #clanmew masterpost

[bonefall]

can clerics be lawyers? if so, maybe cinderpelt being the lawyer for squirrel & leaf? who are the options that you are thinking of?

I've got a rough outline of the Trial of Squirrelflight's Horror in mind with some neat new deets, let me toss them together so you can see what I'm trying to do here. I'll also post a "Wanted Ad" of traits the cat needs to display

But to quickly answer directly; Yes, Clerics can be lawyers. However, Cinderpelt might not fit specifically, because this lawyer needs to be equally antagonistic as well as protagonistic. This won't be a Lizardstripe situation.

BEFORE THE TRIAL;

Squirrelflight's Horror is a book that is setting up the events of TBC.

First of all, it's setting up how no one immediately caught Bramblestar being replaced by an impostor. He is not a popular leader, with a long list of controversial choices.

(unfortunately, the fact he was suddenly good at making names stood out more than his cruelty.)

Second of all, we're going to set up some tumult in StarClan.

When Squirrelflight and Leafpool die this time, it's actually their uncle Iceheart who "fetches" them.

He died in the Battle of the True Eclipse, having a rematch with Tigerstar. So they haven't seen him in a while.

From him, they learn there's been delays in StarClan cats coming up and down. But he'll walk them up. (Iceheart replaces a cat named Blade completely.)

Squirrelflight really doesn't want to go, since her grandson Hollylark (from Fallenleaf x Cinderheart) just died, leaving her apprentice Sparkpelt (from Bramblestar x Jessy) alone with newborns.

There's also been a couple shuffles in the cats they meet up in StarClan, let me go over them;

Squirrelflight is barren and had a miscarriage, back in Po3. She was only a moon pregnant (equiv: 4-ish months in a human)

She never gets back with Bramblestar after his treatment in BB!OoTS, he has Spark and Alder with Jessie.

SOOO I don't actually have a place for Dandelionkit and Juniperkit because I really do not want BB to have Angel Fetus Children like canon lmaooo

Flickerkit and Larksong are here though! Their new names are Flickerflame (starclan-given) and Hollylark (to show that Larksong and Hollytuft have been combined).

Shrewpaw, now Shrewface, has been Squirrelflight's guardian angel for her whole life. She learns this here.

When apprentices and kits die, they get full names and the ability to choose the age they appear as, barring certain circumstances.

Hollyleaf, now Fallenleaf, is not dead so she is not here.

Squirrelflight's mentor was Goldenflower, not Dustpelt. They are BOTH here though.

When Squilf and Leafpool get to StarClan, they learn that they've lived VERY controversial lives, and now need to be judged. That brings us to...

LEAFPOOL'S TRIAL

Actually does not go over as harshly as it did in canon. Squilf is going to be the one getting interrogated, sorry girlie

The main purpose of this one is to show how the trials work for Squilf later. I'm also planning for the same Lawyer who handles Leaf to handle Squilf too.

However, Leafpool is still grilled. The line, "Why do you think you're worthy of StarClan?" is used.

Breaking the code to be with Crowfeather is brought up, countered with "she came back and stayed, because the Clan did not have a Cleric."

When the Three are brought up, it's addressed with the Queen's Rights. She "did what she was supposed to," giving her children to Squirrelflight to raise.

She spent her whole life obeying, even at personal pain to herself, and served her Clan loyally despite momentary lapses in judgement.

It was a traumatic thing to go through, but still results in an easy ruling; Worthy of StarClan.

Leafpool chooses to stay in StarClan, and they watch her body die down on Earth, plus the following vigil

Squilf's Trial is a lot more complicated.

SQUIRRELFLIGHT'S TRIAL

Fire Alone, as an ideology, involves a TON of codebreaking... which she has done, often. Especially during the events of Squirrelflight's Horror where she has been forced to defy Bramblestar's direct orders several times

She's lived her whole life with the knowledge that unjust laws MUST be defied.

I think she should also kill someone in defense of the Sisters tbh. Like let's really make this worse than canon and give them something worth interrogating her about. WAS it okay to kill that person in defense of someone outside the Code?

It's not just Squirrelflight that's in question here; it's Fire Alone itself. WILL StarClan accept the idea that the Code applies to outsiders as well?

VERY IMPORTANT: This is why I do not want the Lawyer to be someone who is a Fire Alone supporter. Squirrelflight is defending it, AND herself

Iceheart, Firestar, Sandstorm, Bluestar, and all of her allies grow more and more agitated as the Trial goes on. Her enemies do as well.

Before the ruling, the entire jury is in a FEVER PITCH. Thunderstar, the Judge, cannot roar loud enough to get them all to quiet down. In fact, he makes it worse

Ashfur is one of the named "enemies" of Squirrelflight, and one of the loudest for her damnation.

The court cannot calm down enough to cast a ruling. It's starting to break out in actual fighting, Squirrelflight casts a glance at Leafpool

She's trying to yell that she needs to go home, people need her, she doesn't have time for this

And then she feels a squeeze on her ankle

Yowling with alarm, Squirrelflight feels herself sliding down into the clouds, away from the furious chaos that is engulfing StarClan. It becomes a shining speck on the horizon as if she's falling out of a dream

She's screaming for Leafpool, reaching out her claws for StarClan, convinced that she's just been damned and is being dragged down to the Dark Forest

BACK ON EARTH

She awakens in her nest, back in her body

With her son Jayfeather next to her.

As she stirs and begins to raise her head, she hears Lionblaze bellow, "YOU GLORIOUS BASTARD YOU REALLY DID IT!!" before dogpiling her

Jayfeather looks surprised that it worked at all at first, before huffing proudly

Jayfeather: "never ask me for anything ever again"

The last of a golden glow fades from his eyes; he has used the last drop of power he had left. He later shares that he doesn't think it would have worked if Squilf hadn't still been hanging on.

Fallenleaf rushes in next, followed by grandchild Ivypool, her first apprentice Rosepetal, her best friend Daisy, and by that point the Cleric's den is bursting.

Bramblestar is poking his head in, but realizes pretty quickly that he is Not Welcome, and stares longingly.

After her cuddles and hugs, Squirrelflight brings up Sparkpelt. She NEEDS to see Sparkpelt. Sparkpelt needs to know she's okay, and that her mate and poisoned child reached StarClan.

SO... LAWYER WANTED AD:

The lawyer can't be someone who's entirely on Squirrelflight's side. It's someone who is challenging her, but not entirely unsympathetic.

It needs to be someone she knew in life. Lawyers are never people who are strangers, which rules out Yellowfang who I had been heavily considering.

Ideally it's the same lawyer between Squilf and Leafp, just so we can spend plenty of time with the character and use Leaf's trial to show their personality.

Hmm.... you know, now that I'm thinking about it... what if it was ASHFUR?

Maybe even have him blackmailing Squilf... "I'll be fair, for you, of course... just promise to do whatever I say, and I'll save your sister. This is your chance to make up for everything you did to me..."

That could be pretty fun. AND be good setup for BB!TBC.

#Better Bones AU #Squirrelflight's Horror

[bonefall]

BB!Firestar

[ID: Firestar from Warrior Cats with his tail on fire. The text reads, "Ssoen kafyar-ul ulnyams ssarshefpa," which is "Fire Alone will save the Clans" in Clanmew]

The man, the myth, the legend. Bringer of change, righter of ancient wrongs, ancestral patron of fire and of breaking bad habits.

Clanmew Name: Kafyarbabi, Kafyarshai [Wildfire + Heartbeating = Behaves like a wildfire.]

Alignment: ThunderClan

Relationships: Mates (platonic) - Sandstorm, Onestar (ex) Family - Squirrelflight, Leafpool, Cloudtail (nephew), Princess, Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf Mentors - Bluestar, Spottedleaf, Yellowfang Friends - EVERYONE. Graystripe, Deerfoot, Iceheart (Scourge), Brokenstar (post-death), Longtail, Cinderpelt

Chelford cats do not track paternity. It's not known who Firestar's father is, and it's probably not Jake anyway.

Firestar is aromantic. He is platonic co-parents with Sandstorm. He did not realize he was aromatic when he was seeing Onewhisker.

Other Clans consider him nosy. He's always trying to help out others, even when their sense of pride makes them hesitate to accept it.

Incorrigible. If he thinks he's right, you can't stop him. He also thinks it's important to make sure his Clan is well cared-for and doesn't give in to fear.

His personality is very passionate and outgoing.

Bonefall TPB:

To begin with, Rusty had to learn a new language to join the Clans. Clanmew and Townmew are sister languages but there was still a learning curve.

Spottedleaf was a big sister figure to him, she taught him how to connect with StarClan, what the rules are, and how to break them.

Bluestar left a deep impact on him as his mentor, she was the inventor of the mercy and grace which comes to define Fire Alone.

Like canon, he opposes Tigerclaw at every step once he realizes the cruelty within him.

Unlike canon, Better Bones is about having a strong anti-authoritarian stance, and to do that there's even MORE allies that Firestar connects with.

Oakfur, Stumptail, and Deerfoot in ShadowClan, and Mosspelt and Dawnflower in RiverClan are all cats who work directly with Fireheart, and were at times his Aftergathering buddies.

The end of Bonefall TPB is the battle with BloodClan, where he spares Scourge by defeating him honorably, ripping his collar off and forcing him to call a retreat.

The thesis of the arc is that Fire Alone can save the Clans because it's a radical change to the xenophobic, authoritarian culture of the Forest Four.

He lost a life in the process, from a huge slash across his chest and shoulder. It's meant to look like a mayoral sash, of sorts. His first deputy was Whitestorm, and after his death, his second was Longtail.

After the battle, he went a step further by bringing the collar back to Scourge as a gift of goodwill. He offered to uphold whatever he could of Tigerstar's Impossible Deal, and was shocked at the simple solution. BloodClan simply wanted things they couldn't get in Chelford; timber, glue, flowers, new types of foods they'd never tasted before.

Together, they forged a trade route that promised a bright future. During the destruction of the forest, Scourge eventually decided to lend his strength to the Clans for their Journey, eventually deciding to retire with them.

Scourge was eventually given the name Iceheart, so that he may live out his days with them in quiet peace.

Firestar's Quietus:

Brokenstar is the guardian spirit of the 5th tree of Fourtrees, which blighted and died after SkyClan's exile

His spirit cannot rest until SkyClan is safe. Firestar gets freakish dreams, Runningnose contacts him, and brings him to the Moonstone to figure this out.

It's there that he learns about Brokenstar trying to break into StarClan to make them do something. On learning that they just let an entire Clan get exiled, Firestar tells them to shove it and agrees to help.

Runningnose gives him a very emotional and significant acorn necklace which channels Brokenstar-- this item becomes important many arcs later.

Broken and Fire go back and forth a lot on what SkyClan should look like, what it needs, and how they should rebuild. The lesson learned is that SkyClan needed help, but can handle its own destiny.

Leafstar and the Warriors of SkyClan are not a Clan like the Forest Four. They will do things their own way, and that is a beautiful thing.

Brokenstar's final action is possessing Firestar's body (establishing the rules of possession for TBC later) to eradicate the rats; which were the earthbound, tormented souls of SkyClan's ancestors.

That's how Brokenstar and Firestar become the saviors of SkyClan

Bonefall Po3, Cruel Season, and Bonefall OotS:

In the episodic revamp of Po3, Firestar is aiding the other Clans through their struggles with the new environment, and helping to raise his grandchildren to be honorable cats.

So, his role is essentially as both the Clan's leader, and as Grandpaw Firestar.

His deputy is Brackenfur, who was promoted after Firestar and Brambleclaw agree that he isn't ready for deputyship yet after his lapse of judgement with Hawkfrost.

Brackenfur is killed towards the end of Po3 in the Battle of the False Eclipse, a trick from Sol, God of Chaos, a preview of the night that is to come where the dead can walk the earth.

Brambleclaw succeeds him.

The Fire Scene is in the in-between book between Po3 and OotS; Cruel Season.

It was started by Whiskernose of WindClan, aided and abetted by Thornclaw and Breezepelt, as an intentional distraction so they could get Firestar alone to kill him on the Dark Forest's orders.

He has one last big scene after his death; coming down from Silverpelt when Jayfeather summons StarClan warriors to fight the Dark Forest.

After winning a rematch with Scourge, Tigerstar finally gets the battle he's always wanted, and Firestar deals with him once and for all.

His Legacy:

He becomes known as the Patron of Fire and Breaking Bad Habits. He's invoked frequently during wet days when it's hard to start a cooking fire.

Firekin are renowned as a family of heroes, something that can cause a lot of pressure for its youngest members.

Fire Alone and Traditionalism are the competing ideologies by the modern era, with support of Thistle Law being kept very quiet.

#BB!Firestar #Better Bones AU #wc au #Bonefall Po3 #Bonefall TPB #Bonefall OotS #Bonefall Cruel Season #art #sketch requests #Clanmew #character summary

[bonefall]

Better Bones Hollyleaf

For @m3ow124 who asked for info about BB!Hollyleaf and I provide.

[ID: BB!Hollyleaf. She is a buff black cat with spiky bits all over her body, including a holly-shaped tail tuft. She has a spiky 'mane' that is still growing in.]

I'm a butch Hollyleaf truther. She's big like her mom, the body type is inherited from Runningwind.

BB!Po3 is a relaxed, slice-of-life kind of series with 'episodes' focusing on different events around the Lake as the Clans settle into their new territory.

Though the POV is still split, Hollyleaf is now the "central" character. She drives the wider narrative.

Examples of some episodes that will happen: The Shinewater Plague, Poppypaw's Undeath, Ripwater the River Monster, The Tunnels, the Reduxed Tribe Journey, Cinderpaw's broken leg retooled into an episode about her BPD, ShadowClan's Lichen ReBog Project, Sol working some chaos (but Blackstar doesn't loose faith until OotS), the Battle of the False Eclipse. I really will add just about anything that sounds fun.

She is a lesbian and her relationships with Willowshine, Heathertail, and Cinderheart are all given focus.

HOLLYLEAF AND FALLEN LEAVES ARE THE SAME CHARACTER. This story contains Time Travel Shenanigans.

She changes her name to Fallenleaf after returning from a century spent in the tunnels... and traps the God of Autumn inside of her lmao.

I haven't worked out her physical changes after becoming Fallenleaf, so feel free to suggest. I'm thinking of a kind of "ginger vitiligo," like orange-and-white patches resembling leaves creeping up her body making her look like Sol.

More art and relevant summaries I've done: Jayfeather and Longtail Cinderheart Leafpool Firestar

Below the cut: A full guide to Hollyleaf through Po3, Cruel Season, and Hollyleaf's Century, ending with closing notes about what she's up to in OotS and Beyond. She doesn't die in the Great Battle, she's got much more interesting things to do!

!!IT IS LONG!!

BB!Power of Three

Iceheart, once known as Scourge, is an important uncle-figure in her life. Mousefur, Firestar, Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Daisy, all cats she has opinions on during the various episodes.

Like canon, she is a cleric apprentice for a while. About a month or so.

In that time she became almost traitorously close with Willowpaw, and had to let her down gently.

It doesn't pan out as a cleric-- but she doesn't swap places with Jaypaw yet. He undergoes full Warrior training before choosing the path.

Firestar tasks his deputy, Brackenfur, with training Hollypaw in the hopes of bringing her up to snuff with her siblings.

Bracken and Holly get super close, and she's brought along on a lot of the diplomatic meetings with other Clans. She's being taught about Fire Alone, the ideology of her grandfather, Firestar.

She does have to reckon with it though-- as it exists as a challenge to parts of the Warrior Code. She is taught that she's an upcoming prodigy, and that she walks in the pawsteps of greatness. She has to be a hero-- but what does that mean?

She was meeting with Heatherpaw in the tunnels, not Lionblaze. Like canon, this ends after they're trapped and have to find their way out with young kittens, Sedgekit and Thistlekit.

As time goes on, she meets a lot of betrayal. Sedgepaw reveals the tunnels to Onestar, Willowpaw does nothing to stop Mistystar from joining the battle to attack ThunderClan in spite of all its help, and even ShadowClan does nothing to save Brackenfur during the Battle of the False Eclipse.

(This Eclipse is fake, it is Sol previewing what will come on the night of the Great Battle.)

We end Po3 with Holly deeply shaken, doubting what she's been taught and clinging even harder to the only thing she has left; that she is, by definition, a hero.

Seeing each grandkit grappling with their own arc, that Jayfeather feels StarClan hates him, Lionblaze with the fact he couldn't protect his Clan all alone, and Hollyleaf wondering if everything she's ever done has been worth it, he shares a prophecy he received long ago;

"There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. All three of you, you will work this out. I know this because I love you, and StarClan is capable of making mistakes."

That's the last big conversation they have with him, because he soon dies in...

BB!Cruel Season

(A book between Po3 and OotS, bridging the lighthearted tone of the former with the serious, plot-driven one of the latter. This is reposted and fluffed from another post, you'll recognize it if you've seen it)

The prophecy is revealed at the end of Po3, Ashfur overhears Firestar's words, and Cruel Season opens up with the three grappling with its meaning.

This sets the stage for the following;

Hollyleaf worrying about what her purpose is if everything she's done has been for naught and StarClan is terrified of her.

Lionblaze concerned for what this means in terms of how he will protect ThunderClan if he is so powerful he could destroy it.

Jayfeather confirming to himself that StarClan is full of assholes, telling his siblings that he fought Molefall to save Hazeltail.

In addition, Ashfur is doing some prophecy math; Fire and Tiger + Kin of your Kin = Disaster

The death of Brackenfur, the prophecy, the fact Jayfeather has been fighting StarClan and Grandpaw Firestar just decided to do nothing about it..... it's got Holly isolating herself.

WHY does StarClan hate them? ...is it just Jayfeather? Is it because he's been defying them?

Cracks are starting to form, but that's still her brother. She loves him. This is when Sol pops up again, offering to be someone to talk to.

(Reminder: Harry is the vessel. Sol is the god inhabiting him.)

Harry is thinking this is for more manipulation, Sol itself is taking an interest in a possible new vessel as he grows bored.

But we're overdue for the fire scene.

This time, the Fire is NOT random. Unknown to the Three, this is a Dark Forest plot.

Thornclaw (knows the territory), Whiskernose (established as knowing how to manage fires in TNP), and Breezepelt (breezepelt) are creating a diversion so they can murder Firestar

Regardless, the Three are caught in it.

While helping to evacuate the camp, Jayfeather's senses are overwhelmed. He can't get out of the fire, Holly and Lion run back for him and the blaze surrounds them.

Squirrelflight is at the lip of the quarry on the far side, trying to kick down a weak tree they can run up

Ashfur makes his infamous move, kicking her to the side

"I CANT LET YOU DO THAT, SQUIRRELFLIGHT"

They have a fight, Ashfur shouting about the prophecy, Fire and Tiger + Kin of your Kin = they are fated to destroy the clans, if Squilf had chosen him this never would have happened

Squilf is pinned, but reveals with passion, "BRAMBLECLAW'S KITTENS ARE DEAD, THESE AREN'T MINE"

Ashfur is confused just enough that she's able to muster a massive kick, sending him flying into the weak tree, knocking it over

Lionblaze races across this tree to help Squilf, smacking Ashfur across the face

It's a Moment, Lionblaze seeing his mentor both furious and terrified of him, blood on his claws

Ashfur absconds, leaving the Three with Squilf

Now this next part is important and contains a big change of motivation from canon; I want it to be clear that Holly killing Ashfur is 100% her REVENGE. It's not about safety, nor about keeping the secret. So here's how it goes;

The blood on Lionblaze's paw, Squirrelflight’s wounds, and the absence of Ashfur is DEFINITIVE PROOF he tried to murder them

Brambleclaw, the deputy and defacto leader because Firestar is missing, is furious and declares that if Ashfur is seen on ThunderClan territory, he is to be considered a rogue and to be brought to justice.

Ferncloud, Cloudtail, and the rest of Ashfur's associates are shocked.

Birchfall, Ash's nephew, tries to ask "are you SURE?" But immediately regrets it, seeing the haunted look in their eyes.

Especially Lionblaze, Ashfur's apprentice. He's devastated.

When Hollyleaf hunts Ashfur down later, she is IGNORING the order to bring him to justice.

But before that happens... they discover the body of Firestar.

His throat is torn out. It's immediately assumed that Ashfur did it.

Ferncloud is choked up, "He wanted to hurt Squirrelflight so badly he settled for her father..."

Hollyleaf alone realizes that he had black fur in his claws during his vigil later...

And she removes it.

She speaks to Sol about this and he tells her that it was surely an omen.

It means SHE is responsible in some way.

She agrees and adds,

"I'll do what has to be done, I will prove I'm worthy! I'll exact justice on everyone who needs it, this black-furred killer, Ashfur, and the one who broke the code and set these events into motion with my birth"

Sol: "this woman is crazy im in so much love i need to possess her right now"

An aside; How are her sibs feeling right now?

Lionblaze remains very close with Squirrelflight, getting more of the truth from her.

He's confused and upset, but, accepts that she did it to protect them and Leafpool... even though he doesn't Get It yet.

He will Get It soon though. That's a secret tool that will help us later. Just for now remember Lionblaze Doesn't Get It.

(Squilf is always his mom and he has no doubt about this)

Jayfeather really doesn't want to hear it, having independently worked out that the only other parent they could have is Leafpool.

(since this wouldn't be a Federal Fucking Issue if it was Cloudtail)

That evokes a lot of negative emotions. Mostly resentment and bitterness.

All this time his questions about why StarClan hates him could have made sense and they just didn't.

The Queen's Rights are an important part of their culture but... there's so many lies here.

It doesn't matter if he can logically "Understand" or whatever, he hates that response, "Oh it makes sense" no shut your stupid mouths this all sucks. "We were lied to and I've been fighting my whole life for reasons that were kept from me"

All this turmoil makes him start leaning on Poppyfrost, for comfort, for the rightness of their relationship.

He leans on her too hard and she got pregnant. OOPSIE JayFUMBLE.

But anyway back to the Hollyleaf

A few weeks later Ashfur tries to drag himself to justice.

He's been living on his own, missing his family, hoping to find mercy for being unsuccessful.

It wasn't a fight. It was a murder.

(This is important for TBC later, as Ashfur is allowed into Silverpelt over this while also making sure that StarClan isn't accidentally incompetent like canon)

BB!Ashfur is characterized as being a truly "loyal" warrior. He did care about his Clan above all else and that is why StarClan accepts him.

Though he DID carry extra anger in his heart for Squilf rejecting him for Brambleclaw, the theme of BB is that these elements of Clan Culture, the commitment to the code and the willingness to do anything to protect it, are destructive.

Note: In TBC many arcs later, BB!Ashfur does actually care about enforcing a strict interpretation of the Code, AND ALSO he wants to have Squilf. It's both.

Next on Hollyleaf's list; Leafpool.

SECRET REVEAL TIME

She does the big Gathering Reveal

Bramblestar IMMEDIATELY demotes Squirrelflight from her deputy role for covering this up, breaks up with her, and disowns his children.

Assures the gathering that there will be consequences for Leafpool, and promotes Thornclaw to deputyship on the spot.

Jayfeather is now the only Cleric of ThunderClan.

Breezepelt, who was tense but friendly with the Three, has declared them his enemies because Crowfeather CAVED IMMEDIATELY and admitted he loved Leafpool, embarrassing him in public AGAIN by making it clear he was not wanted

"They're the reason he treats me like this! They're disgusting! They shouldn't have been born! I thought they were my friends but they were actually part of my torment!"

ThunderClan IMMEDIATELY starts treating the Three differently, because they are halfclan and cleric children

Lionblaze suddenly understands what Squilf meant by, "I did it to protect my sister, but also to protect the three of you"

Remember that thing from before? He Gets It Now.

"Sometimes keeping secrets is Good Actually," concludes Lionblaze

Opinions are split about Squilf and Leafpool,

"Squilf was protected by the Queen’s Rights"

"Leafpool still broke the code tho"

"That should have stayed between her and StarClan, she did the right thing"

"That law is stupid anyway!"

"Uhhh no it's not? Brokenstar? Ripplestar? Leopardstar? Helloo??"

"Are you saying Squilf's kids are tyrants? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm saying you don't respect the code you heathen!"

"She still lied to Bramblestar and needs consequences!"

"A halfclan cat is a halfclan cat! It was revealed and we must deal with it!"

ThunderClan is fighting, basically.

Holly has her scene later of trying to get Leafpool to eat deathberries, like canon Leaf is a queen who's like, "...girl you can't hurt me more than I already am"

And this is the point where Poppyfrost realizes she is pregnant. They're Jayfeather's. He is the only Cleric in ThunderClan, Poppyfrost does not want to be a single mother, it's a mess.

So they contact Cinderheart and Lionblaze and ask for help. They agree-- but preparing for the arrival of the kittens means they'd need to start saying they're mates.

Cinderheart, the cat that Holly is actively interested in: "hey uh Hollyleaf I'm, uh, mates with your brother now?"

Hollyleaf:

"Youre McFuckinf What?"

Cindy, unable to keep a secret and not really being in love with Lionblaze, admits there are kits she needs to adopt. Hollyleaf does more deduction and jumps to the correct conclusion, Poppyfrost is pregnant because Jayfeather has violated his vow.

And she's going to do something about this.

Sol offers his services. Friendship ENDED with Harry; now HOLLYLEAF is my best friend.

Hollyleaf decides Jayfeather needs to be dealt with. He has disobeyed StarClan for the last time

As he slips into the Tunnels to communicate with Rock, she follows him, planning to kill him quietly

Lionblaze intercepts this, defending Jay.

"What happened to my sister?! Hollyleaf, this isn't you!"

"A black cat killed Firestar, and I've killed that black cat! Soon I will put an end to all enemies of the Warrior Code!"

"What does that MEAN"

The fighting destabilizes the tunnel, Lionblaze is able to push Jayfeather out just in time before the rockslide

Sol saves Hollyleaf's life by teleporting her 100 years into the past, so that she isn't killed by the collapse.

Lionblaze is a tank and rocks can't kill him, when the Clan digs him out, he's just bruised and unconscious

They never find Hollyleaf's body, or any remains at all. Not even blood.

The book ends with the birth of Ivykit and Dovekit, tension settling over the entire family, pain and mourning all at once.

Cinderheart admits she still loves her, and misses her with her whole heart. Lionblaze can't understand why it happened. Jayfeather is expressing his pain through anger. Poppyfrost wants to put this behind her as soon as possible.

UNBEKNOWNST TO THEM, Hollyleaf is with them right now! Here's how Hollyleaf BECOMES Fallen Leaves, causes the collapse of LionClan, LeopardClan, and TigerClan, and sets the events of DOTC into motion;

Hollyleaf's Century

I will state my intentions though, so you can see what I'm trying to do here;

The downfall of the three kinships MUST go back to Hollyleaf preventing them from mounting resistance by being focused on pointless bullshit. It must be her fault that they lost, by trying to rigidly force the code onto a completely different society.

Sol is the God of Autumn, of change, of rules, and of games.

Story opens up with the cave-in. Hollyleaf is going to be crushed.

So, instead, Sol changes the time around them. Holly does not know this, but he has dragged her over 100 years into the past.

She's found by a cat named Broken Shadow.

Broken Shadow nurses her back to health and adopts her, introducing her to the Shadow Family, teaching her the language, and introducing her to society, as a parent does.

She's with them for a few months, enough to learn Lakemew and become accepted.

The Lake Cats find her name strange, Hollyleaf, and start calling her Hollyleaf Shadow, but she insists instead it is Holly Leaves.

"Ah, we see we see :)"

The Lake at this point was almost completely forested, Holly used to think the Ancient Oak was special but... now she wonders if that's how big all trees are supposed to be.

There are three societies around the Lake. The Shadow Family belongs to the Tiger Kinship, there's also a Lion Kinship and a Leopard Kinship.

She gets introduced to Jay's Wing and Dove's Wing, twins from the Leopard Kinship, and their cousin Lion's Roar, who is the leader of the Lion Kinship.

Holly is uncomfortable about loyalty being split between borders.

However, these groups largely interact peacefully.

Jay's Wing is some sort of student of the tunnels, he worships an ancient god.

Holly Leaves is disturbed that they do not have a StarClan and have these... entities. Yes she has Sol but she doesn't WORSHIP him.

Everything Changed When the Victorians Attacked

Environmental destruction I'm still working out, you know what, I'm gonna mark this

(MIDDLE SECTION IS STILL UNDER A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION, THIS SECTION IS THE MOST SUBJECT TO CHANGE, THE POLITICS ARE FUZZY.)

First things first; the Lake is shrinking. The Leopard Kinship seeks help because they have less fishing territory.

Why? The river beyond what-is-now RiverClan territory is being forcefully tamed, straightened to flow fast through the town and for conversion into farmland.

This makes the water flow faster and spend less time in the Lake, both making the river itself more dangerous, damaging the northern wetland, and shrinking the Lake.

Leopard Kinship weakens but becomes more reliant on the other Kinships. This is normal for them.

Holly Leaves uses this moment to start gathering power. At first it's simple magic tricks, doing little bits of aid, using Sol's power.

She knows what the humans did to the Old... New... The Forest of her Forefathers. She knows she needs these cats to trust her.

It's for their own good, she says.

The quarry is set up in what is now ThunderClan's camp, in what was Tiger Kinship territory. It's likely a sandstone quarry specifically.

Slurry was dumped into the river between what-is-now ThunderClan and WindClan territory. This is before that gorge dried up.

Lake is slowly poisoned. Dust from the quarry degrades the nearby forest.

When the logging begins, Holly Leaves grabs authority, leading the Shadow Family and many cats of the Tiger Kinship into battle to take the Leopard Kinship.

They don't put up much of a fight, Jay and Dove try to calm their family down, assuring them that Holly is a vessel for a deity and likely has ancient knowledge.

"There needs to be some changes around here. This is all because you have no one in the Stars to protect you. But I'm here now-- I will save you."

At first it's battle training, but she starts making hard roles. Borders must be defended. There must be healers.

Lion Kinship can join them or be gone. That's the only territory not destroyed and they need the land.

Using the power vested in her by Sol, she starts leading attacks to bring all cats under her power so they can fight the humans.

To oppose her, Lion's Roar becomes quite vicious. He reminds her that he needs 13 sacrifices, and she's feeding them to him.

3 heroes; Three Seasonal Gods. Jay's Wing eventually undergoes a Tunnel Trial to earn Rock's Favor, and his twin Dove's Wing appeals to the benevolent god of Spring, Midnight.

(Insert political drama I'm still teasing out)

The important thing about this drama is that it MUST go back to Holly Leaves being obsessed with control and punishment, dedication to her code of ethics that don't matter to this society, devolving the Three Kinships into infighting.

Leopard Kinship probably makes some kind of break for freedom, which is when Jay and Dove eventually break with Holly

This infighting eventually leads to Jay's Wing's death.

Holly killed him in a fit of rage, somehow, this I know but I am still working out

She looks down at the cat who was her brother and becomes sick, realizing what she's done, what she tried to do in the past, and how she's gotten what she wanted

His god, Rock, is in absolute despair over this.

He takes the body and buries it outside of the tunnel where Jay's Wing completed his trial; the only patch of Old Forest left in the modern Lake Territories.

Dove's Wing is distraught. Lion's Roar is enraged. Holly Leaves' political power dissipates.

They insult her by calling her Folly Leaves. "Great job saving us all, Folly Leaves."

The Lake is destroyed, the forest is gone, except the patch where Jay's Wing was buried. Humans pass right by it, like they can't even see it.

There's nothing left.

Holly keeps trying to demand they stay, trying to force them to remain... and Dove Wing has to put her down, to save the survivors.

(AND NOW WE'RE BACK TO SOLID GROUND)

After this, Dove Wing renames herself to Half Moon. A broken half of a pair, to signify how she will never be whole again.

Half Moon goes on to found the tribe, and Folly Leaves is alone.

"At least I still have my god"

"I'm bored now Holly lmao have fun byee"

Sol kicks her spirit out of her own body, and returns to the future, expecting her to fade away over the course of the following century. He leaves her for dead, essentially.

Alone, in despair, and overwhelmed by guilt, Hollyleaf can only imagine her family for comfort.

Over the decades, she begins to forget her own name. Hollyleaf, Holly Leaves, Folly Leaves, Fallen Leaves... she can't remember which one was correct. Are any of them right?

She watches the Lake wither, to the point where even the humans can't live there.

And then... she watches it recover too. Slowly becoming the home of her childhood.

The whole time, she's waiting for her family to come home.

One day, with no warning, a young Squirrelpaw, Brambleclaw, and Crowfoot tumble into her hole.

She remembers an old story her mother taught her once, of a StarClan Warrior who passed on a prophecy that reunited them after they had been scattered.

"When the great storm brews, meet together where the dusk begins and the sun drowns."

She begins to remember things. And she remembers, SOL NEEDS TO BLEED.

Years later she FINALLY gets her chance. She sees her own body guiding a couple of apprentices into the tunnels, and leaps out of the shadows, catching her neck in her teeth.

Sol can't believe she's STILL HERE he expected her to DIE

TIME LOOP COMPLETE, Fallen Leaves has her body back.

After this, she declares that her name is Fallenleaf!

...probably because she doesn't remember it was actually Hollyleaf and she guessed wrong. But it stuck.

Aaaand one last segment!

OotS and Beyond

She has to re-acclimate to society after 100 years in a tunnel.

And... she has a lot of guilt looking at Jayfeather. Her brother, her ally, her enemy, her victim.

He wants his sister back, it's been a long and hard time without her. She can't unsee his dying eyes.

Cinderheart missed her more than anything, and Fallen missed her too. She reminds her of good times and simple lessons.

Fallen takes part in the Great Battle, but has to balance the angry, trapped god inside of her the whole time, preventing her from taking risks.

After the Great Battle and a near death, she gets with Cinderheart almost immediately.

Ivypool and Dovewing are IFFY about this-- their parents were never romantically involved but they've never seen their mother so happy.

That's pretty difficult, both for Dovewing who's filled with rage about Life In General and Ivypool who's, deep down, a huge people-pleaser.

(They are still not aware that Jayfeather and Poppyfrost are their bioparents, that's revealed in TBC.)

Cinder and Fallen raise a kitten together, Hollylark.

The kit was created when Fallenleaf's magic misfired during a sneeze, magically making Cinderheart pregnant. OOPS.

After the events of AVoS, Fallenleaf starts realizing how... out of place she is, here. She is loved, but she can't be a normal warrior responsibly with how strong she is.

Now that she realizes how small the politics of Clans are... these feel like games. Like something Sol would do. Is that true? Or is she just insecure

She knows nothing about herself, so she can't answer these questions.

The catalyst for her leaving is Hollylark's horrible, young death. She doesn't know if there's anything she could have done to prevent this.

So... she has to find out.

Fallenleaf leaves to go learn more about herself from Midnight. Cinderheart goes with her. Wherever she goes, she will follow.

#Hollyleaf's Century #BB!Hollyleaf #Bonefall Po3 #Bonefall OotS #Fallenleaf #Better Bones AU #Character Summary

[bonefall]

Is it possible to get a big list of all the meewa-gendered cats you know about? I'm just curious since thats one of the coolest parts of BB (but also everything else is cool too)

Sure, but I do have to put a little caveat here; for the most popular Meewa-gendered characters (Blackstar) I may still use the pronouns they use in-canon for simplicity's sake. BUT that said, here's all the cats who are currently Meewa-gendered by Clan cat standards.

But first, "What makes a meewa-gendered cat?"

Gib-gendered, or Meewa in Clanmew, is a third gender that can be assigned, or transitioned to. It's rarely assigned at birth, usually it ends up 'revealing' itself in early kithood when certain traits are displayed.

Those traits;

Natural leadership

Creativity (kittens who are making songs or drawings at a young age)

Interest in caring for pets and the younger kittens in the nursery

Having a special connection with StarClan

But there are traits that can express themselves at birth which can result in an assigned Meewa-gender;

Extra toes, tail tips, claws, and so on

Being a suspected fading kitten

Odd new patterns or coat colors, such as melanism or albinism

So here's the list of Meewa cats thus far;

Gray Wing

Pebble Heart/Owl Eyes

Goosefeather

Mumblefoot

Larksong (mother of Sunstar, Featherwhisker, and Robinwing)

Snowkit

Iceheart (Though Chelford cats don't have the concept of meewa-gender, he vibes with it)

Cinderheart

Poppyfrost

Dovewing

Hollylark

Blackstar

Ratscar

Runningnose

Feathertail

Pebblefoot

Copperwing

Frostpaw

Tree

Skywatcher

#Clan culture #better bones au

[bonefall]

Since there’s been some heavy subjects, how about a funny question? You said Blackstar is aromantic homosexual correct? (We love our aro leader—from a demiromantic ace) You also said he meets up with Icefoot and another guy (Ratscar I think). Do they just hang out and chill with each other at the border? Is this just a group of former mob bosses sitting for tea (I guess soup in this scenario) and discussing the weather and day to day life? I’d die to see that interaction because doesn’t Firestar know about it? 😂

[ID: BB!Blackstar, BB!Ratscar, and BB!Iceheart all sitting around a pot of soup. Black and Ice are deadpan. Rat is chatting about butterflies and frogs.]

It's Former Mob Bosses With Tea energy. You can't tell but Blackstar and Iceheart are delighted in this picture.

They're actually united by Ratscar, Black and Ice are only in the same place on occasion. None of the three are in a QPR, I'd describe them as "chain of friends with benefits." Iceheart finds Ratscar charming, Blackstar finds him attractive, Ice and Black think the other is interesting enough to share a cuppa with.

"Cuppa" in this situation basically being a spiced, fatty broth. I don't have a name for it yet actually, in my head I've been calling it "Refresher." I do know that Blackstar's favorite refresher flavor is frog, though.

Blackstar is never direct, but he does seek advice sometimes. Obviously Iceheart is biased in favor of ThunderClan, but sometimes he has an interesting perspective on issues.

The more Blackstar's hood melts away, the more he seeks outside perspectives.

Ratscar is more of a rat. He is actually trying to get information out of Iceheart. Ice knows this. It's part of the game.

Ratscar likes to play games, like skirting the border and seeing if Iceheart tattles on him to Firestar.

Ice has actually done it lmao.

In general, Ratscar knows that Blackstar really likes him and sometimes lets him get away with more than he lets other warriors get away with. A lot of people do this-- because Rat's smooth-talking, charismatic, and attractive.

Blackstar does it, however, because he greatly values Ratscar as a warrior and a friend. He thinks it's harmless, just part of Ratscar's sassy nature.

Later, when it comes out that Ratscar was training in the Dark Forest, Blackstar was deeply betrayed... but that's a story for another time.

Ratscar is not as friendly as he seems, he is actually quite scheming.

Firestar does vaguely know about it, but his jaw would drop if he found out that Iceheart is just casually friend-of-a-friend of Blackstar. Iceheart is completely and fully loyal to Fire, but even he has his little secrets!

This is possible because during Firestar's reign, ThunderClan and ShadowClan are allies. The only battles they fight are ceremonial, with rules of engagement laid down beforehand, and mostly done over a cloudberry patch on their border. The alliance only sours after Bramblestar takes power.

#better bones au

[bonefall]

Bones, admit it. Scourge would think Blackstar bitch slapping the life out of that one young warrior while Blackstar himself was an ELDER was HOT and you know it.

LMAO of course, I wouldn't deny the truth.

In BB the kill got changed; instead of Redwillow dying to Blackstar, Black actually had to put Ratscar down. Blackstar has changed, a long life of redemption behind him, and yet Ratscar is still the same man he was on the night of the Massacre... and Iceheart still thought it was hot.

Iceheart actually dies fighting alongside Blackstar. They try to double team Tigerstar and both get put down, both of them too old and Tigerstar in his supernatural prime.

Ice and Black are chill with each other.

#Ice's afterlife is as a ghost by choice. #He doesn't really 'fit in' with StarClan and comes and goes as he pleases. #He probably walks through the other Clans a lot to check on old friends. #I think he's sad his life is over but glad to have lived out his last years the way he did. #better bones au

[bonefall]

BB!Runningwind and BB!Mousefur

For @halogenwarrior who asked about Mousefur specifically and I tossed in her bro Runningwind too

[ID: Mousefur and Runningwind from Warrior Cats. Runningwind is a light-brown cat with a puffy 'vest' and a dark brown swirl on his side. Mousefur is a dark-brown cat with puffy 'pants' and a darker brown swirl down her neck and shoulder.]

Twins! Put together they make a full outfit. Runningwind's role in the story is short but important to his children, where Mousefur lives a long life and is involved as a background element in a ton of conflicts up to OotS.

Their mother isn't One-eye anymore; but their father is going to remain as Halftail. [Pending a finalization of my ThunderClan Family Tree]

Runningwind

Impatient, avoidant, but deeply soothing and compassionate. The other father of Sandstorm and Longtail with Redtail. Killed by Tigerstar in TPB just after reconnecting with his son.

He was a very go-with-the-flow kind of guy, which Redtail appreciated.

His chest is SUPER soft, excellent for snuggling.

He disliked being bogged down. Being upset, repeating himself, having to explain things... not his favorite.

The first litter was Cherrypaw and Longtail, the second was Chestnutkit and Sandstorm.

Cherry and Chestnut were taken out by a horrible sickness.

Losing Redtail was devastating, and Runningwind didn't handle it well... he wasn't the father he should have been to their mourning children.

He was very proud of Longtail when he stood against Tigerclaw during the exile, and they were mending their relationship when he died.

Squirrelflight is named after a term of endearment he had for Redtail; when he was upset, his tail would puff up like a squirrel's.

Mousefur

Rude, outspoken, proud, and independent. Mousefur had a long life of service for ThunderClan and doesn't let anyone forget it. Her role is similar to canon, regularly taking the role of a Hard Traditionalist but also having a softer side.

She's more scruffy than Runningwind because she's less vain.

Redtail was not her mentor because they are too close in age; it was probably Goldenflower or Frostfur instead.

Mousefur feels strongly that the WHOLE code is to be respected and is an active critic of Firestar's reign. She does not like his way of being so concerned for other Clans.

"The Code isn't just something that you follow when you feel like it" becomes quite influential to young Hollyleaf.

She's starting to feel outdated as time goes on and that is upsetting.

In the brief amount of time they shared the Elder's Den, she appreciated her nephew Longtail being there. When he jumped out of retirement to mentor Jaypaw it reawakened a sadness about her creaking joints and old bones.

Thankfully she had Iceheart, Purdy, and Goldenflower to keep her company.

Imo the Elder's Den shouldn't dip below 3 cats. It is supposed to be a respected role. Ridiculous that in-canon it was really just Mousefur and Longtail for a while :/

She's pretty consistent in-canon as someone who is generally xenophobic and committed to the ideals of her society and it's the role that's needed for her.

Develops a friendship with Purdy, is influential on young Hollypaw. That's Mousefur!

#BB!Mousefur #BB!Runningwind #Better Bones AU