If Hollyleaf survived
Dovewing's Silence:
- Hollyleaf's encounter with Hawkfrost goes mostly the same: She's badly injured and gets dragged to Thunderclan camp by Ivypool. She forgives Squirrelflight and Leafpool, assuming that she's going to die. As she becomes unconscious, Jayfeather refuses to give up on her, working on her wound throughout the night. As her brother is on the verge of fainting, Hollyleaf becomes stable and wakes up after a few days. As a consequence of Jayfeather not being available to check on other patients, Cloudtail dies of an infected wound.
- While recovering, Hollyleaf spends a long time speaking to Leafpool and Squirrelflight. Finally, Hollyleaf asks for her mother's reasoning for keeping her birth secret. Hollyleaf asks if she should publicly admit to the death berry incident, but Leafpool declines. Her mother says a public outrage won't help, citing the Gathering where Hollyleaf revealed the secret. Instead, Leafpool wants them to learn to understand and forgive each other, by slowly building their relationship up. Millie becomes guilt-ridden seeing these interactions and kicks start her own reconciliation with Blossomfall.
- Hollyleaf has a moment with Dovewing. The grey she-cat blurts she worried that she replaced Hollyleaf and her brothers resent her for it. Hollyleaf said she can't speak for her brothers, but Hollyleaf assures she doesn't blame Dovewing and she proved herself unworthy due to her crimes. When Dovewing admits to the three losing their powers, Hollyleaf says it could be better in the long term. The three will no longer be expected to be the main protectors of the Clans and they can settle into a more casual life.
- Ivypool is grateful that Hollyleaf saved her and wants to form a friendship with her. The two she-cats mutually bond over their similar circumstances. Hollyleaf suggests to Ivypool, that not being a part of the prophecy, could be a blessing in disguise. Hollyleaf had witnessed first-hand, the expectations that prophecy cats can put on themselves. The black she-cat wonders if she hadn't mistaken herself as the third cat, for so long, perhaps her fragile ego wouldn't have cracked under Ashfur's influence.
- Hollyleaf encourages all the trainees to redeem themselves, despite how hard it seems. However, since Hollyleaf is being asked to make all these speeches about redemption, it makes her realise she's still got a long way to go. Her nightmares about Ashfur's murder return and she wonders if she needs to go into self-exile again, to continue her atonement. Since she passed on her underground fighting skills, Thunderclan didn't seem to need her so was she staying out of her own selfishness? Jayfeather snaps her out of it: Pointing her out her family wants her here and leaving again, would hurt them more.
Bramblestar's Storm:
-After Jayfeather makes her promise to stay indefinitely, Hollyleaf needs to regain normalcy with her family. In the tunnels, she expected to die young and didn't see a future for herself. While her grand gestures of atonement are important, she needs to consider the everyday too. At first, she can be overly serious and isolate herself. But she learns to open up and have fun around her brothers over time. There are glimpses of a simpler time before it became so messy.
-Hollyleaf reaffirms her connection with Bramblestar. At one point, he pulls his adopted daughter aside. He recalls how her brothers already heard this, but she never got the chance after the tunnel collapsed. He promises his heart will be open to her but he understands if it's too awkward to consider him a father. Either way, he will respect whatever Hollyleaf chooses. The black she-cat snorts, saying she would never choose Crowfeather over him. Bramblestar winces, wondering if it should be obvious.
-Hollyleaf asks why Bramblestar lied about Ashfur accidentally slipping into the stream. He admits he panicked slightly and thought she'd been in self-exile for long enough. Hollyleaf acknowledges how he risked his ranking for her, but she must be judged alone and not use her family connections to gain an advantage. At that point, Hollyleaf's clanmates had figured out Ashfur's death was purposeful. Most cats didn't particularly care after discovering Ashfur's crimes, only judging Hollyleaf for not trusting Firestar to uphold justice.
-Bramblestar asks if Hollyleaf still has her childhood dream of being a leader. He remembered how she followed him as a kit and said she'd become like him. The black she-cat declines, saying she can't trust herself with that power. Hollyleaf feels sorry for her younger self and doesn't grow into the cat she expected to be.
-When Squirrelflight announces she's pregnant, Hollyleaf is overjoyed. After a while, her mother noticed slight doubt on her face. Being told to be honest, Hollyleaf admits she has irrational feelings of being replaced. Squirrelflight ensures her emotions are only natural after the trauma she suffered through. She ensures they can work through them as mother and daughter.
Crowfeather's Trial:
- Hollyleaf would see the similarities between herself and Breezepelt. Additionally, as the one to expose the secret, she feels somewhat responsible for Breezepelt. Therefore, she feels obligated to set the record straight with him. She details how she killed Ashfur to Breezepelt and the two help each other realise where they went wrong. Crowfeather is shocked about Hollyleaf's crimes, feeling even more of a failure of a father.
- When he realises Hollyleaf is already reconciling with Leafpool, he feels pressure to speed things along with Breezpelt. Besides helping Breezepelt's redemption, Hollyleaf feels wrong to have a long-term friendship with him, due to Jayfeather's discomfort. She wishes Breezepelt the best but says it's best to live their separate lives, as they did before the secret's exposure. While this is all going on, Nightcloud refused to speak to Hollyleaf at all, blaming her for telling the secret. After Crowfeather's Trial, Breezepelt would go on, to make serval hypocritical statements: calling Kin defectors and Squirrelflight traitors. Hollyleaf would glare at him in disbelief, wondering how he could be so unaware.
- There's a moment, where Hollyleaf wonders in on Leafpool and Crowfeather speaking at the border. The mother and daughter thinks it's his right to know and Hollyleaf confesses the death berry incident to him. Crowfeather flinches, wondering how he'd feel if Breezepelt tried to kill him directly, instead of his half-siblings. Hollyleaf states her actions overshadow anything her parents did against her. So she says Crowfeather should be forgiving her, not the other way around. Crowfeather says only the victim, Leafpool, can decide if she deserves forgiveness or not. Crowfeather says it's impossble not to feel some disgust at Hollyleaf's crime; but he'll react to it as a fellow warrior, not as a father, as he never earnt being called her 'father'.
A Vision of Shadows:
- Hollyleaf is working hard to be a good daughter to Leafpool and Squirrelflight. She'll go out of her way, to do helpful things like replacing their nests or collecting herbs. She can be overly polite around them, thinking they've been criticised too much already. This annoys Squirrelflight, as she knows her daughter is natrually headstrong and says she should have the guts to be herself. The black she-cat would be the middle point between her two brothers: Jayfeather has unresolved feelings, while Lionblaze has let go of the past. Hollyleaf tries to get along with her mothers, but there would always be the occasional awkwardness, not forgetting the past.
- Hollyleaf is struggling to find her place in the Clan. She doesn't want to get involved in too many battles, fearful she could kill again. Additionally, she doesn't want any authority she could potentially abuse. She asks Bramblestar to never consider her for deputyship and vows she'll never return as a Medicine cat apprentice. For a while, she tries training under Daisy as a permanent queen. Though she learns the position isn't right for her, not having the patience for so many kits.
-When Leafstar creates the mediator rank for Tree, it sparks her interest. It could let her avoid hurting others and the job requires memorization of the code, which she already has. She works with Tree, to become Thunderclan's first mediator. This inspires the remaining Clans to train their own mediators. For Shadowclan, Strikestone steps up as he blames warrior life for his loved ones' deaths. Icewing becomes Riverclan's mediator to repent for her Dark Forest training. Finally, Heathertail volunteers due to her caring nature and experience with angry toms.
- Hollyleaf helps to raise Sparkpelt and Alderheart, while Squirrelflight grieves for her lost kits. Out of her litter, she would be the closest to her adoptive siblings. Hollyleaf is quite protective of Alderheart, reminding her of Jayfeather when he was a weak kit. She likes to ensure that Jayfeather isn't too harsh on his apprentice, reminding him of their parallels. Hollyleaf and Sparkpelt are the most alike, with Sparkpelt claiming she's a "mini-me" of Hollyleaf. The two even become mentor and apprentice, at Sparkpelt's request. Hollyleaf is determined not to disappoint Sparkpelt - She can waver between being strict and soft-spoken, as she desperately tries to get the balance right. Even after her warrior ceremony, Hollyleaf assures Sparkpelt that she can always ask for advice.
- Hollyleaf has some moments in the Darktail and Onestar conflict. When Onestar compares his situation to Hollyleaf and Breezepelt on the possibility of convincing Darktail to stop - The black she-cat dismisses it, saying Darktail is truly too far gone. Hollyleaf encourages Onestar to fix his past mistakes, but he needs to be prepared to make the hard choices if he goes down that road.
Squirrelflight's Hope:
- As a mediator, Hollyleaf joins Tree in his missions, to negotiate with the Sisters peacefully. Due to her past, Hollyleaf doesn't feel like it's her place, to assume she knows better than the Clans. So Hollyleaf feels compelled to act in an offical capacity. So when Squirrelflight starts going against Bramblestar's orders, Holyleaf can't trust herself to join her mother. She simply says to Squirrelflight, 'I hope you know what you're doing'. Though when the Sisters are driven out of their camp, Hollyleaf can't stand aside at that point. She helps evacuate the sisters' kits, including helping with Moonlight's birth.
- As Squirrelflight and Bramblestar argue over their politics: Hollyleaf feels it would be nepotism if she used her position as their daughter, to voice her own politcal opinions to them. Instead, as a mediator, Hollyleaf sets up a meeting in a calm setting, for Squirrelflight and Bramblestar to have a proper heart-to-heart. Also, Hollyleaf acts as a middle-man for other family members: She asks Tawnypelt, to start supporting Bramblestar with his relationship struggles. Then Hollyleaf relays Sparkpelt's story, of her panicking due to her parents aruging.
- When Leafpool dies, Hollyleaf blurts she wishes she'd taken her place. Though Squirrelflight counters that Leafpool wants Hollyleaf to be happy and she needs to live on, for her sake. Hollyleaf and Jayfeather spend more time together, due to their shared grief.
Broken Code:
- When "Bramblestar" first starts his code-breaking agenda, he questions why Hollyleaf isn't more happy about it, considering her old dedication to it. Hollyleaf utters she can't let her dangerous obsession resurface. She states that as a mediator now, she must be able to see the warrior code critically. She gets suspicious of "Bramblestar", noticing he's never cared so much about the code before. She warns him about how that type of obsession can be all-consuming.
-Hollyleaf is the first cat to be exiled, due to her criticisms of "Bramblestar". She attempted to gather the mediators from the other Clans and convince him to stop his cruelty.
- When she discovers Ashfur's identity, she makes it her personal mission to defeat him. Though Hollyleaf refuses to join the rebels, saying she won't fight against anyone else, not even the Imposter's supporters. She swore she wouldn't kill anyone else. Her sole target is Ashfur. Instead, the mediators create a refugee camp for the Imposter's exiles. They guard the most vulnerable while others fight their fellow Clan cats.
-Hollyleaf is shocked when Lionblaze kills Harstar, dragging him off his victim. When he is appointed deputy, she tries to voice her concerns about his bad headspace. However, she is outnumbered, so she is forced to accept it.
-Hollyleaf volunteers to enter the Dark Forest, thinking innocent cats shouldn't need to sacrifice themselves. She briefly encounters Stonefur in Starclan. He recounts his execution and says it was truly sad to see another Half-Clan internalise that hatred. Holyleaf promises she'll make the younger generations less biased towards Half-Clan cats.
- Ashfur taunts Hollyleaf for her hypocrisy for killing him and leaking her parentage anyway. She responds it was wrong for her to take justice into her own hands, when she killed Ashfur alone. But at the same time, Ashfur shouldn't have expected to go scot-free, considering his own crimes. Ashfur is bitter that Hollyleaf got to live on, when he didn't, claiming she's as bad as him. Hollyleaf remains realistic, acknowledging she's a killer, but affirms that Ashfur's crimes vastly outweigh hers by now. She hits Ashfur to his core when she says he's in the same leagues as Tigerstar.
-Hollyleaf feels incredibly guilty when Bristlefrost dies, feeling like she failed her friend Ivypool.
- When Ashfur is cornered, he plays his trump card against Hollyleaf. He exposes Hollyleaf as Leafpool's attempted murderer. The black she-cat was shocked since Leafpool wanted to keep it between them. Even after Ashfur fades away, the damage of Hollyleaf's exposure is left. Though her family understood why Leafpool herself chose to keep it a secret, they still felt betrayed. They weren't surprised due to Hollyleaf's other crimes but it was still disappointing. Some loved ones take a while before they can speak to her again. Meanwhile Hollyleaf's more distant relatives, like Lionblaze's kits, refuse to acknowledge their kinship with her.
- When real Bramblestar returns, he decides it's pointless to exile her again since it's been so long and she's already punished herself that way. Instead, Bramblestar explains that many warriors feel unsafe, sharing their den with a killer. He thinks it's unfair to force them to compromise. Bramblestar allows Hollyleaf to remain in Thunderclan, but she must have her own isolated den, outside of the camp boundaries. She can return to camp to receive assignments, but she just can't sleep there anymore. As for other permanent consequences, she's banned from Gatherings and mentorship.
Starless Clan:
- Hollyleaf supports the warrior code changing, arguing that some rules do more damage than good. She points to her broken family, saying it could've been avoided with proper protocols. She says good mothers like Leafpool are unfairly forced to give up their kits and branded traitors.
- Hollyleaf fosters Flinchkit and Flamekit while Sparkpelt grieves. Flamepaw comes to see Hollyleaf as a mother figure. Sorrelstripe still nurses them but she's more hands-off, wanting to give Hollyleaf space to bond with Flamekit. Flamepaw has a mostly good relationship with Hollyleaf, much better than Sparkpelt. However, he has underlying doubts about her, knowing her murderous past. He is aware that Hollyleaf is the black sheep of the family and fears he might be the same. He knows he gets the occasional worried looks from his clanmates for being so close to Hollyleaf. Sometimes, he has overdramatic fears that he'll hurt Sparkpelt, as Hollyleaf did to Leafpool, artificially drawing comparisons between them.
-When Flamepaw struggles to find his place, Hollyleaf wants to help her nephew. She suggests the mediators could train him to become her successor. However, he shuts her down. He says Hollyleaf is doing the very thing he's trying to avoid: Using nepotism to get a special ranking. Hollyleaf claims mediators aren't glorious, and distrust is still aimed towards them. Though Flamepaw refuses to humor the idea further.
-Nightheart becomes bitter at Hollyleaf's choice to raise him. He argues that their clanmates look at him strangely because the resident murderer decided to get close to him. Hollyleaf mutters she was trying to help Sparkpelt, but Nightheart isn't fully convinced. He says her past makes her unfit to be a foster parent, and she shouldn't use kits to reconcile her own guilt. While Nightheart's words were excessive, Hollyleaf knew he was partly telling the truth.
-Alongside Tree, Hollyeaf tries to convince Tigerstar to leave Riverclan alone. They partly succeed, as Shadowclan warriors are slowly withdrawn from Riverclan camp.
-On one occasion, Hollyleaf overhears Berryheart trying to guilt-trip Sunbeam into abandoning Nightheart. Reacting to this slander against Half-Clan families, Hollyleaf gets into a brief fight with Berryheart.
-After Nightheart matures, he believes he was too harsh towards Hollyleaf. So the next time he sees her, he apologises. The black she-cat admits she should give her nephew space and rethink how her reputation could affect her loved ones.
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Contemplating the idea of an AU where Starclan and other paranormal stuff is never confirmed to actually exist.
Either we never get a medicine cat POV, or their experiences with the supernatural are somewhat ambiguous. Example: They usually dream of Starclan or the dead at the half-moon meetings, but not always, and the dreams are often weird and fade from their memories like normal dreams, making it hard to tell if they actually received a message, or if the power of suggestion influenced their dreams.
Leaders are still taken to the Moonstone/Moonpool, but they don't get a big Starclan ceremony where they receive nine lives; it's similar to medicine cats, they may have a Starclan themed dream that night, they might not. It's believed Starclan lends them their strength; as far as most cats are concerned, this means leaders live longer and are more likely to recover from wounds that will kill an unblessed cat. However, while some leaders make surprising recoveries from wounds and illnesses that ought to have been fatal, it's unclear if this is actually magic or luck. They're also well protected and treated by their Clan, which may account for their increased lifespan.
The Dark Forest/Place of no Stars is believed in by the cats, but the most anyone might ever see of it is nightmares of a dull, empty-skied woodland. Often, it's cats who feel guilty in some way that have these dreams. No spirits come out to train or hurt them, but every now and again sinister eyes may watch them from afar...
Midnight and Rock probably don't show up. Midnight could maybe work as a badger who learned to speak cat somehow, but I have no idea how Rock could fit into this one.
The Three are very skilled, abnormally so, but they still have clear limitations. Lionblaze is an excellent fighter who rarely gets hurt, but despite terrified rumours in the other Clans, he definitely isn't invincible and can be defeated. Dovewing has strong senses and tends to pick up on things other cats missed because of this, but can't hear things that happen on the other side of the lake. Jayfeather has a talent for guessing what other cats are thinking and feeling, but his guesses can be completely off-base.
Most cats believe in Starclan, but there's way more cats who are unsure or privately atheist. It's not uncommon for leaders and medicine cats to have crises of faith because they aren't having visions like they think they should. One of the things that contributed to Bluestar's breakdown was not witnessing anything Starclan-related at her leadership ceremony, or when she returned to the Moonstone for advice.
Bramblestar's being possessed is a rumour that starts after he gets ill and becomes a different, crueller person afterwards. The belief is that Shadowsight's experimental snow cure to break his fever actually killed him, and without Starclan watching over them a malign spirit entered his body. Not everyone believes this is what caused his change in personality, but it's especially popular in Shadowclan, where Shadowsight experiences many terrifying visions of a shadow looming over Bramblestar's corpse.
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