clansofthepantheon

[clansofthepantheon]

inspired by tangential conversations, i almost want to make swiftstar an older apprentice when he was named leader instead of a newly named warrior.

[clansofthepantheon]

yeah i'm a false prophet but you believed me so whose fault is it really that we're in this mess

[clansofthepantheon]

hi. self-indulgent poll time. trying to figure out which character to spotlight after sauger and pike are done

[clansofthepantheon]

Saugerleap and Pikesnap, the two deputies of SerpentClan and the sons of the current leader Troutstar, and now officially designed!

more on SerpentClan

More on Troutstar

More on Saugerleap and Pikesnap

Additional info:

Troutstar's initial litter was of three kittens, with one dying a week after birth (very common in the Clans), one dying as an apprentice from a fire that ravaged the territory, and the last making it to rank of Warrior before succumbing to smoke inhalation.

The loss devastated Troutstar and sent him spiralling into a depression, one only made worse by the loss of his mate Lakeripple later on in their second litter's kithood.

As a result, Saugerkit and Pikekit were raised more so by SerpentClan caretakers than by their own father - something that makes Troutstar feel more like a stranger than their own parent to them.

Troutstar becomes more present as a parent in their life as they grow older, the gathering incident made him realize he needed to start guiding them...though, his health began to decline right at that revelation.

[clansofthepantheon]

Saugerleap and Pikesnap, the two deputies of SerpentClan and the sons of the current leader Troutstar, and now officially designed!

more on SerpentClan

More on Troutstar

More on Saugerleap and Pikesnap

Additional info:

Troutstar's initial litter was of three kittens, with one dying a week after birth (very common in the Clans), one dying as an apprentice from a fire that ravaged the territory, and the last making it to rank of Warrior before succumbing to smoke inhalation.

The loss devastated Troutstar and sent him spiralling into a depression, one only made worse by the loss of his mate Lakeripple later on in their second litter's kithood.

As a result, Saugerkit and Pikekit were raised more so by SerpentClan caretakers than by their own father - something that makes Troutstar feel more like a stranger than their own parent to them.

Troutstar becomes more present as a parent in their life as they grow older, the gathering incident made him realize he needed to start guiding them...though, his health began to decline right at that revelation.

[clansofthepantheon]

hi. self-indulgent poll time. trying to figure out which character to spotlight after sauger and pike are done

[clansofthepantheon]

finally taking some time to draw more of these guys. making saugerleap and pikesnap real

[clansofthepantheon]

Character who initially appears to have exceptionally high emotional awareness and a striking willingness to engage in transparency regarding their needs and goals, but over the course of the narrative it gradually becomes clear that literally everything they say is bullshit.

[clansofthepantheon]

i think its so awesome that ocs exist. u can just make up some girl and put so many problems in her head

[clansofthepantheon]

I always love fanart of characters killing or otherwise hurting another version of themselves. Yes yes yes yes

[clansofthepantheon]

What is life in the town like for the cats there?

Before the fire, life was good! I like the idea that before the area was abandoned, the town was sort of tourism central for cat lovers, a town filled with cats! Housecats were well loved and the city cats there weren't too short on food (and neither were the coyotes in the area but hey, tourism is tourism). There was generally an understanding to avoid the forest and the Clan cats, especially since most of them were not friendly to non-Clan cats. BoarClan and MustangClan had a vicious reputation of killing outsiders, town cats knew to stay within the confines of town. There was no organized leadership, mostly cats either kept to kin or friend group. Oracle, Ozzy, and Jack were no exception to this, the former being a housecat and the latter two being strays. Jack and Oracle were good friends while Ozzy was developing a reputation as skirt chaser (tail chaser?).

So, when the fire devastated the town, the town cats were at a massive disadvantage. While most families had gotten their pets out with them, quite a few had been abandoned altogether and despite efforts to rescue the strays, the remote location resulted in operations having to cease to avoid human causalities. Furthermore, the fire had driven some Clan cats to the city in search of food, forcing the town cats to compete with them for the remains of kibble and other supplies. This resulted in the bleakest era for town cats: with vicious neighbors that would kill for supplies, competing with one another, and the loss of loved ones. Mortality rates for kittens were incredibly high, morale was at an all time low.

Mentioned before but Ozzy, Jack, and Oracle do begin working together to unite the town cats to work together. They weren't super organized but the built camaraderie allowed them to work together to defend themselves. Once the town stopped being an easy target and the Clans started battling amongst themselves, the town cats began to tentatively repair.

Sooo, post-fire life, it's...survivable? Not every cat is friendly and not every cat abides by the "honor code" that most town cats try to live by, but it's much better than the initial devastation that they lived in. Prey has steadily returned and older sources of food and water were discovered and rationed. Most town cats nowadays seldom live alone, sticking with groups of kin, companions, or just cats they feel will protect them. The camraderie is still there, it's considered in poor taste to pick a fight with another town cat, mediation and negotiation is the first option. Jack, Ozzy, and Oracle were incredibly popular leaders and their respective passings devastated the town.

*Both Marble and Raven were being trained to take over as successors, but Marble's passing right after Ozzy's death resulted in Hijinks taking over instead (she was not prepared).

Tldr: Pre-fire life was great; fire and immediate post-fire, life sucked ass; and post-post-fire, life is okay but not amazing, better than before though.

[clansofthepantheon]

To add: the betrothal was both a PR move for MustangClan, a way for Bearstar to signal that their Clan would be trying to solve things nonviolently. MustangClan travels through SerpentClan's territory during the transition between summer to fall so Bearstar was hoping that he could secure a permanent agreement instead of a seasonal one (or worse, using their claws to get what they wanted like before) via the betrothal.

Can't send asks to the OC blog, but I'm so curious about Pikesnap's and Saugerleap's deals and would love to hear more. Love me some political drama between siblings <3

Thank you so much for this ask because it made me realize I HAD NEVER TURNED ON ASKS ON THAT BLOG IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! Not sure why they were off on default but blegh, they should be fixed now! (shameless plug go to @clansofthepantheon for more on these clans and characters.) Anyways, a mix of recap and new info-

Pikesnap and Saugerleap are the deputies of SerpentClan and the sons of Troutstar, the Clan's very elderly leader. They are the second litter of Troutstar and his mate, Lakeripple, with the first not surviving the fire that devastated the territories (one died in the actual fire, while the other two passed soon after due to smoke inhalation and lack of available of treatments). Pikesnap and Saugerleap were sired by Froghop, who later on retired during their apprenticeship (at most they know they were sired by her, there's no kinship here fyi). Lakeripple passed when during their mid-kithood, so the two don't have too many memories of their other father. Troutstar doesn't really talk about him until later on in their life, those early years were very painful for him.

SerpentClan is a hereditary monarchy, both Pikesnap and and Saugerleap were taught from birth that one of them would one day be overseeing the Clan as leader. For note: leaders/rulers in SerpentClan also oversee the religious duties instead of the Medicine Cats, in SerpentClan that term has been changed to "Physician". For rulers with larger litters, it's encouraged to have some litters take over as Physician, Hunting Head, Kitchen Head, or Champion (Overview on the ranks here). Since it was just the two of them, neither of them showing much aptitude as a Physician, Troutstar decided to focus their curriculum in preparing them both to take over as the Ruler of SerpentClan; similar to BoarClan with a focus on Deputyship as a trial period to find the best leader.

Troutstar was a lot stricter when they were apprentices, grilling them on politics, mediation, the art of diplomacy - something that affected the brothers in very different ways. While he's mellowed out and has tried to take a kinder more understanding approach, the damage is already done. Sooo, onto more character specifics:

Pikesnap (He/Him)

Being Troutstar's kid got to his head early on, especially with the special treatment he received. He had a mixed relationship with his father, especially with how distant Troutstar could be at first. He got along a lot more with his caretakers, a trio of cats that were specially chosen to help look after Pikekit and Saugerkit.

Him and Sauger would started to form a rift between them during their apprenticehood, when Pikepaw began excelling and Saugerpaw, well...he didn't really have an immediate talent for anything.

Pikepaw was apprenticed to Tanglelily, the Hunting Head of SerpentClan, with Troutstar believing that Tanglelily's more disciplined methods that they would be able to wrangle Pikepaw's ego. It was...to mixed results. Pikepaw got better at hiding his ego, but being apprenticed to a high ranking cat definitely inflated it lol

Pikesnap took the history of war and destruction to heart in that a Clan that would survive would be one that wouldn't be pushed around. He's a staunch believer in traditional SerpentClan isolationism but, unlike his father, has more of a taste for battle than his Clanmates.

He heard tales of MustangClan destroying three Clans and now was witnessing the destruction they'd left, and how CardinalClan barely managed to end the war with BoarClan in a truce. SerpentClan is not a Clan of fighters, he knows they'd be wiped out if their neighbors ever turned their claws on them.

His solution? The Clan needs to learn to defend itself, stake its claim and make it clear SerpentClan will not be pushed around.

As an apprentice, he excelled in combat training. Pikesnap's name was given due to his sheer physical ability, he was barely beaten out for the role of Champion by Stingtongue due to her stunt in luring a coyote away from the camp. The loss of the title burns at him to this day, he wanted that Champion clout sooooo badly lol

If he had been picked, he would've been a Champion of the God of the Hunt. Almost the War God but his focus on preservation lands himself in good favor with the God of the Hunt and Harvest.

Despite his loss of the Champion title, he's very popular with his Clanmates as a candidate for Ruler. It only fuels his aggressive tendencies later on, driving him further to double down on his "plans" for leadership

Does not get along with the other leader babies, he's got no respect for BoarClan and MustangClan. At most, he has a polite if shallow acquaintanceship with Cranegaze from CardinalClan. Outright looks down on CoyoteClan and doesn't give a shiiit about TempestClan lol

He and Duskclaw butt heads a lot, it almost getting physical the first time they met. So when a betrothal was proposed to maintain peace between them, he was overlooked by his father in favor of Saugerleap. He had mixed feelings on the matter, the respect that came with the choice gave Saugerleap a huge reputation boost in SerpentClan (he'd already been mending it when he finally hit his stride in his late apprenticeship).

Sooooo when later on Pikesnap discovered Saugerleap cuddling up to Jaycall, the BoarClan Healer, out on the territory edge, well...it was only right to do the right thing and tell everyone. Preferably at a Gathering, so everyone knew how honest he was.

The decision to make the announcement was mortifying for everyone involved, both Bearstar and Troutstar were furious, Duskclaw and Saugerleap were humiliated, and even SerpentClan was....mixed on the decision.

Airing out dirty laundry like that in front of everyone was a bad move, though Pikesnap wouldn't admit it...not at first anyways. Regardless, the damage was done, him and Saugerleap's relationship was done, and, inadvertently, he had levelled the playing field even more in terms of who Troutstar would pick as his successor.

Saugerleap (He/Him)

Saugerkit was not immune from the ego boost that came with being Troutstar's son. Getting three caretakers, an early curriculum, and commanding respect as a child tends to get to one's head after all. Unfortunately, unlike his brother, Saugerkit would quickly be humbled by an early self-discovery: he was a slow learner.

Sauger isn't dumb, he'd later go on to excel in diplomacy and the gift of gab, dude's got a fantastic grasp on how to talk to people. But getting down history, hunting techniques, and fighting? It just took him a little longer, it didn't help that his mentor, Sablepelt, wasn't the most patient cat.

Note: Sablepelt was the former Head of Hunting but retired early due to a temporary injury, he still commands quite a bit of respect in the Clan.

He got compared to his brother a lot, something that really tanked his self-confidence in those early apprentice days.

What gave him the boost was meeting other cats during Gatherings, Saugerpaw hit it off with the BoarClan "royal family" and became easy friends with Jaypaw, a Healer's Apprentice about a moon younger than him. Jaypaw, similarly, was a slow learner but definitively did not share Saugerpaw's hang ups about it.

Any progress for Jaypaw was celebrated, perks of having Too Much Mom Dawnstar as a parent lol she was also happy to celebrate his wins.

Having actual friends and connections did a lot of healing when it came to Saugerpaw's self-confidence issues and, eventually, lead him to firmly request a mentor change from Troutstar, who agreed. Saugerpaw was reassigned to the much mellower, much nicer, Grasstuft, a more laidback Warrior who Saugerpaw vibed with way more.

With a more laidback approach, Saugerpaw's confidence began to repair and he realized he was an excellent negotiator, quick to figure out weaknesses and tells from the other cat. He went from a nervous and meek apprentice to a sleek and confident cat, with a mellow air to him that made him approachable.

And...he also kept visiting Jaypaw, soon given his name Jaycall, at the border. Days turned to moons and friendship turned to more...then the betrothal came.

Saugerleap knew he was gay early on, always had, and just wasn't open about it. He's a private guy, info like that isn't something he's interested in sharing with the Clan. So when his father, a cat he wants to impress, approaches him for a very important role, Saugerleap has a lot of trouble saying no.

Besides, it's just Duskclaw and Duskclaw knows him, clearly she knows that they can make this work. So, quietly, he talks to her and an agreement is made: a public betrothal and the two of them would have their own quiet affairs in private. Duskclaw, not exactly thrilled at being used, agreed, she wasn't exactly interested in respecting the sanctity of her betrothal anyways.

The hard part was telling Jaycall. Unbeknownst to Saugerleap, Pikesnap catches them as they meet and greet and leaves before he can see the ensuing falling out when Saugerleap tells Jaycall.

I like the idea it's this big awakening where they reveal how differently they were raised, where Jaycall demands for Saugerleap to just say no, to tell his father it won't work and Saugerleap snaps that it doesn't work that way for him, that he doesn't have parents like Smokestar and Dawnstar. Teasing out the details but Saugerleap definitely ends it by calling Jaycall an immature child or something, storms off. Just some sort of dig.

Then Pikesnap exposes him at the gathering and for a brief moment, Saugerleap thinks his life is over. His reputation has been sank, he's barely on speaking terms with Jaycall, Duskclaw must hate him, his own brother has to hate him if he'd go this far to hurt him.

But...life isn't over. Jaycall's reputation is fine, Dawnstar was fierce to defend her son's choices. Duskclaw's relieved the betrothal was cancelled, and even Pikesnap seemed sheepish after everything that happened. His own father isn't even mad at him, just that the other Clans got dragged into it.

I think him and Troutstar have a chat moons later by the water, where Troutstar apologizes for using his son like that and Saugerleap lies and says he forgives him. He doesn't, but he's not going to tell that to a dying man.

He and Jaycall eventually do begin mending their relationship again and slowly, Saugerleap realizes he doesn't want his reckless brother in charge.

Later on Pikesnap becomes more aggressive, especially when TempestClan (which is renamed to something else and lead by Wolf) officially makes contact with the other Clans. The town cats are getting aggressive, Tinystar, the successor of Oxeyestar, is making firm demands on reparations for her Clan, and Pikesnap thinks that SerpentClan needs to bloody its claws going forward.

Saugerleap sees a future of death for his home and loved ones, so, with a bit of help from Jaycall, he sombrely gives his brother his last meal.

[clansofthepantheon]

can we take inspo from ur ideas......... idk i wanted to ask

Go for it!!! I take a lot of inspo from other projects after all :D

[clansofthepantheon]

for funsies here is a rough line of the plots i have but written as if theyre blurbs for actual warriors arcs

Arc One - Falling Ashes; Rising Smoke

"In the aftermath of a legendary battle and a devastating disaster, tensions remain high between a group of six Clans of cats. Stuck in a Clan intent on claiming glory through battle, a young Medic named Fogpaw finds herself toeing along the lines of loyalty between her Clan and those she feels have been wronged by them. Meanwhile, a Champion of her own Clan, a Warrior named Dawngaze has her world turned on its head as she realizes something or someone must bring change...whether or Clan wants it or not.

In the snowy mountains, far from the discord and battles of the other Clans, a Clan lives in isolation. Within it, a young warrior finds herself gathering allies and foes alike."

Notes:

Dawngaze, Fogstep, and Wolfchase act as the core three protagonists.

This arc is a lot of set up for the next one, was half-tempted to make this the prequel series but starting here makes more sense to me.

Obviously from the summary, heavy emphasis on change as well as setting up for the next big conflict of the arc.

Main events for Fogstep: meeting Ozzy, bonding with Dawngaze as the two explore the town and meet the cats who live there. Beginning to disappear more and more from MustangClan, days at a time, until her mentor dies and she's forced to make a choice. Ultimately chooses to return, though with mixed feelings.

Main events for Dawngaze: Setting up the repressive atmosphere of BoarClan at the time, the brutal expectations of her parents (the leaders), how she rebels by sneaking out and meeting Smokey, her eventual desire to overthrow her parents. She actually goes ahead and challenges them, winning, and choosing not to kill them and offer them a place in the Clan - which they reject and live in self exile than turn their back on the old ways of BoarClan.

Main events for Wolfchase: starts with her as a young warrior, setting up her friendships and relationships and meeting Sheepfall, a loner who was forced to join their Clan. Their budding relationship to eventual change in Wolfchase as she chooses to rebel, the failure of the first coup, and then her escape. Ends on a hopeful note as she vows to change things.

Arc Two - The Sacrificial Lambs

"Living in an uneasy age of peace for moons, with leaders shifting and Clans changing; a tide shifts in the Clans that brings an age of suspicion and worry. The newest MustangClan Medic Apprentice, Foxpaw, finds herself looking beyond Clan borders and loyalty in search of what she wants...and finds it in an unexpected place. In BoarClan, a young she-cat named Raindrop is found unconscious at the border of one of their camps and is taken in by Dawnstar and Sandstar.

In the snowy mountains of TempestClan, Sheepfall's youngest son, Harvestpaw, is promised a bright future so long as he walks in the light of their God."

Notes:

Protagonists are Foxtrot, Blightspirit, and Raindrop.

Raindrop's chapters flash between the past and present to her recovery in BoarClan and rise to becoming a healer to her past of nearly taken by TempestClan and her escape along with Mousepaw and Speckleface.

Blightspirit's story focuses on his apprentice years under the Saints to the guilt of his actions to finally fleeing TempestClan in self-exile, meeting Foxtrot around the fifth book.

Foxtrot's story centers around a very similar conflict to her mother as she struggles to keep up her relationship with her family, specifically her dying father, and a growing tense relationship with her half-sisters as the town cats are treated worse and worse by the Clans.

Her story ends with Ozzy dying and a power struggle beginning in the sixth book with the town cats having no more leaders from the old age left alone to guide them.

Raindrop's story concludes with her having BoarClan and the other CoyoteClan rebels to help her as they fight back against TempestClan's control, killing Oxeyestar and taking back the Clan. She rejoins CoyoteClan as their healer and Tinyscratch becoming their leader, renamed to Tinystar.

During the battle, Mallardsong is found nearly dead at the border between CardinalClan and BoarClan.

Arc Three - The Pack

"Joining MustangClan as a tentative new member, Blightspirit must earn his Clanmates respect through trials if he is to join them. Doubting the new members intentions, Duskclaw, Deputy of MustangClan, finds herself tangled in a new world when she encounters a strange town cat named Raven. Meanwhile, when tragedy strikes, Lifeseeker, son of Dawngaze and Sandstar, finds himself as the prime suspect in the case.

In the mountains of TempestClan, young Stormrunner finds herself believing in a future she once thought was impossible."

Notes:

Another set up arc lol

Lifeseeker ponders his relationship with Mallardsong, his best friend, as his Clan and her Clan threaten war. BoarClan's resources are stretched thin attempting to help CoyoteClan recover and CardinalClan seems intent on picking a fight.

SerpentClan sides with CardinalClan during this, with Troutstar on his last life and his sons assuming control.

Duskclaw introduction! I should add all these characters have roles and stories in the background of other arcs, but she gets her main limelight here. Seemingly an unphased Warrior, we learn of her struggles with her family, her duties, and her occasional shameful thoughts of running away.

She does not trust Blightspirit lol but doesn't want to ruin her friendship with Foxtrot so she keeps her comments to a minimum. Strikes up a friendship with a playful town cat named Raven who is persistent in their pestering of Duskclaw.

Ozzy dies during this arc with Duskclaw being there to comfort her friend for the loss of her kin.

Stormrunner is our eyes in the rebellion, how they're rebuilding after Blight's attack on them and the constant supply raids from TempestClan to keep them weak. Stormrunner eventually flees to find help, meeting Blightspirit and asking him to help them if he can.

He chooses to make things right, getting some Warriors of MustangClan and the entirety of CoyoteClan to help the rebellion.

The final book is the attack where Stormrunner is attacked by her brother Graylion in the Church, almost getting her throat torn out before Blightspirit saves her. The two fight off their brother, killing him and eventually witnessing Tempestar be mauled to death by the rebels.

The book ends with TempestClan being destroyed while SerpentClan and CardinalClan enter an alliance to launch an attack on BoarClan...right as Mallardsong opens her eyes for the first time. In town, Hijinks (Jinx) is revealed to have stepped as the next town leader with Raven acting as a spy into the Clans.

Arc Four - Fall of the Flock

"With war breaking out between SerpentClan, CardinalClan, and BoarClan, the era of peace between the Clans of the mountainside is gone. Awake but unable to speak, Mallardsong struggles to recover and stop her Clans senseless war...while her attacker lingers in the background, watching carefully. In SerpentClan, Saugerleap struggles to balance his duties as deputy along with his relationship with Jaycall, realizing the lengths his brother, Pikesnap, will go to secure power.

In the town, Raven ponders their past with the Clans and their future, growing divided as their duties and growing fondness of Duskclaw conflict."

Notes:

finally! A SerpentClan POV, sorry it took me so long lol they definitely have not gotten the attention they need. Mallardsong, Saugerleap, and Raven share this arc.

Mallardsong's early plot is establishing her relationship with her brother and sister, the magistrates, establishing potential suspects in the Clan, and how she became best friends with Lifeseeker. She later on recovers though is unable to sing, her voice croaky and weak. While she's able to clear up that Lifeseeker is innocent, she is threatened by her real attacker to stay silent: Crowfoot.

Saugerleap's relationship with Jaycall of BoarClan is established more thoroughly and how recent events have put a strain on things. Establishes his respect for his father and crumbling relationship with his ambitious brother.

Raven is introduced properly, revealing them as a kitten who was orphaned and taken in by Oracle, one of the old leaders of the town. Growing up in the town, the struggles living by the Clans, and eventual Oracle's struggle with dementia and Raven's desire to bring her peace. They are committed to the mission given to them by Hijinks, but find themselves growing fonder of Duskclaw.

Arc ends with Lifeseeker and Mallardsong revealing Crowfoot as the attacker to all the Clans, Saugerleap poisoning his brother to prevent him from becoming leader, and Duskclaw finding out Raven is a spy when Foxtrot confronts her sister.

aaaaannnndd those are the arcs i have in mind! might add more later

[clansofthepantheon]

Can't send asks to the OC blog, but I'm so curious about Pikesnap's and Saugerleap's deals and would love to hear more. Love me some political drama between siblings <3

Thank you so much for this ask because it made me realize I HAD NEVER TURNED ON ASKS ON THAT BLOG IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!! Not sure why they were off on default but blegh, they should be fixed now! (shameless plug go to @clansofthepantheon for more on these clans and characters.) Anyways, a mix of recap and new info-

Pikesnap and Saugerleap are the deputies of SerpentClan and the sons of Troutstar, the Clan's very elderly leader. They are the second litter of Troutstar and his mate, Lakeripple, with the first not surviving the fire that devastated the territories (one died in the actual fire, while the other two passed soon after due to smoke inhalation and lack of available of treatments). Pikesnap and Saugerleap were sired by Froghop, who later on retired during their apprenticeship (at most they know they were sired by her, there's no kinship here fyi). Lakeripple passed when during their mid-kithood, so the two don't have too many memories of their other father. Troutstar doesn't really talk about him until later on in their life, those early years were very painful for him.

SerpentClan is a hereditary monarchy, both Pikesnap and and Saugerleap were taught from birth that one of them would one day be overseeing the Clan as leader. For note: leaders/rulers in SerpentClan also oversee the religious duties instead of the Medicine Cats, in SerpentClan that term has been changed to "Physician". For rulers with larger litters, it's encouraged to have some litters take over as Physician, Hunting Head, Kitchen Head, or Champion (Overview on the ranks here). Since it was just the two of them, neither of them showing much aptitude as a Physician, Troutstar decided to focus their curriculum in preparing them both to take over as the Ruler of SerpentClan; similar to BoarClan with a focus on Deputyship as a trial period to find the best leader.

Troutstar was a lot stricter when they were apprentices, grilling them on politics, mediation, the art of diplomacy - something that affected the brothers in very different ways. While he's mellowed out and has tried to take a kinder more understanding approach, the damage is already done. Sooo, onto more character specifics:

Pikesnap (He/Him)

Being Troutstar's kid got to his head early on, especially with the special treatment he received. He had a mixed relationship with his father, especially with how distant Troutstar could be at first. He got along a lot more with his caretakers, a trio of cats that were specially chosen to help look after Pikekit and Saugerkit.

Him and Sauger would started to form a rift between them during their apprenticehood, when Pikepaw began excelling and Saugerpaw, well...he didn't really have an immediate talent for anything.

Pikepaw was apprenticed to Tanglelily, the Hunting Head of SerpentClan, with Troutstar believing that Tanglelily's more disciplined methods that they would be able to wrangle Pikepaw's ego. It was...to mixed results. Pikepaw got better at hiding his ego, but being apprenticed to a high ranking cat definitely inflated it lol

Pikesnap took the history of war and destruction to heart in that a Clan that would survive would be one that wouldn't be pushed around. He's a staunch believer in traditional SerpentClan isolationism but, unlike his father, has more of a taste for battle than his Clanmates.

He heard tales of MustangClan destroying three Clans and now was witnessing the destruction they'd left, and how CardinalClan barely managed to end the war with BoarClan in a truce. SerpentClan is not a Clan of fighters, he knows they'd be wiped out if their neighbors ever turned their claws on them.

His solution? The Clan needs to learn to defend itself, stake its claim and make it clear SerpentClan will not be pushed around.

As an apprentice, he excelled in combat training. Pikesnap's name was given due to his sheer physical ability, he was barely beaten out for the role of Champion by Stingtongue due to her stunt in luring a coyote away from the camp. The loss of the title burns at him to this day, he wanted that Champion clout sooooo badly lol

If he had been picked, he would've been a Champion of the God of the Hunt. Almost the War God but his focus on preservation lands himself in good favor with the God of the Hunt and Harvest.

Despite his loss of the Champion title, he's very popular with his Clanmates as a candidate for Ruler. It only fuels his aggressive tendencies later on, driving him further to double down on his "plans" for leadership

Does not get along with the other leader babies, he's got no respect for BoarClan and MustangClan. At most, he has a polite if shallow acquaintanceship with Cranegaze from CardinalClan. Outright looks down on CoyoteClan and doesn't give a shiiit about TempestClan lol

He and Duskclaw butt heads a lot, it almost getting physical the first time they met. So when a betrothal was proposed to maintain peace between them, he was overlooked by his father in favor of Saugerleap. He had mixed feelings on the matter, the respect that came with the choice gave Saugerleap a huge reputation boost in SerpentClan (he'd already been mending it when he finally hit his stride in his late apprenticeship).

Sooooo when later on Pikesnap discovered Saugerleap cuddling up to Jaycall, the BoarClan Healer, out on the territory edge, well...it was only right to do the right thing and tell everyone. Preferably at a Gathering, so everyone knew how honest he was.

The decision to make the announcement was mortifying for everyone involved, both Bearstar and Troutstar were furious, Duskclaw and Saugerleap were humiliated, and even SerpentClan was....mixed on the decision.

Airing out dirty laundry like that in front of everyone was a bad move, though Pikesnap wouldn't admit it...not at first anyways. Regardless, the damage was done, him and Saugerleap's relationship was done, and, inadvertently, he had levelled the playing field even more in terms of who Troutstar would pick as his successor.

Saugerleap (He/Him)

Saugerkit was not immune from the ego boost that came with being Troutstar's son. Getting three caretakers, an early curriculum, and commanding respect as a child tends to get to one's head after all. Unfortunately, unlike his brother, Saugerkit would quickly be humbled by an early self-discovery: he was a slow learner.

Sauger isn't dumb, he'd later go on to excel in diplomacy and the gift of gab, dude's got a fantastic grasp on how to talk to people. But getting down history, hunting techniques, and fighting? It just took him a little longer, it didn't help that his mentor, Sablepelt, wasn't the most patient cat.

Note: Sablepelt was the former Head of Hunting but retired early due to a temporary injury, he still commands quite a bit of respect in the Clan.

He got compared to his brother a lot, something that really tanked his self-confidence in those early apprentice days.

What gave him the boost was meeting other cats during Gatherings, Saugerpaw hit it off with the BoarClan "royal family" and became easy friends with Jaypaw, a Healer's Apprentice about a moon younger than him. Jaypaw, similarly, was a slow learner but definitively did not share Saugerpaw's hang ups about it.

Any progress for Jaypaw was celebrated, perks of having Too Much Mom Dawnstar as a parent lol she was also happy to celebrate his wins.

Having actual friends and connections did a lot of healing when it came to Saugerpaw's self-confidence issues and, eventually, lead him to firmly request a mentor change from Troutstar, who agreed. Saugerpaw was reassigned to the much mellower, much nicer, Grasstuft, a more laidback Warrior who Saugerpaw vibed with way more.

With a more laidback approach, Saugerpaw's confidence began to repair and he realized he was an excellent negotiator, quick to figure out weaknesses and tells from the other cat. He went from a nervous and meek apprentice to a sleek and confident cat, with a mellow air to him that made him approachable.

And...he also kept visiting Jaypaw, soon given his name Jaycall, at the border. Days turned to moons and friendship turned to more...then the betrothal came.

Saugerleap knew he was gay early on, always had, and just wasn't open about it. He's a private guy, info like that isn't something he's interested in sharing with the Clan. So when his father, a cat he wants to impress, approaches him for a very important role, Saugerleap has a lot of trouble saying no.

Besides, it's just Duskclaw and Duskclaw knows him, clearly she knows that they can make this work. So, quietly, he talks to her and an agreement is made: a public betrothal and the two of them would have their own quiet affairs in private. Duskclaw, not exactly thrilled at being used, agreed, she wasn't exactly interested in respecting the sanctity of her betrothal anyways.

The hard part was telling Jaycall. Unbeknownst to Saugerleap, Pikesnap catches them as they meet and greet and leaves before he can see the ensuing falling out when Saugerleap tells Jaycall.

I like the idea it's this big awakening where they reveal how differently they were raised, where Jaycall demands for Saugerleap to just say no, to tell his father it won't work and Saugerleap snaps that it doesn't work that way for him, that he doesn't have parents like Smokestar and Dawnstar. Teasing out the details but Saugerleap definitely ends it by calling Jaycall an immature child or something, storms off. Just some sort of dig.

Then Pikesnap exposes him at the gathering and for a brief moment, Saugerleap thinks his life is over. His reputation has been sank, he's barely on speaking terms with Jaycall, Duskclaw must hate him, his own brother has to hate him if he'd go this far to hurt him.

But...life isn't over. Jaycall's reputation is fine, Dawnstar was fierce to defend her son's choices. Duskclaw's relieved the betrothal was cancelled, and even Pikesnap seemed sheepish after everything that happened. His own father isn't even mad at him, just that the other Clans got dragged into it.

I think him and Troutstar have a chat moons later by the water, where Troutstar apologizes for using his son like that and Saugerleap lies and says he forgives him. He doesn't, but he's not going to tell that to a dying man.

He and Jaycall eventually do begin mending their relationship again and slowly, Saugerleap realizes he doesn't want his reckless brother in charge.

Later on Pikesnap becomes more aggressive, especially when TempestClan (which is renamed to something else and lead by Wolf) officially makes contact with the other Clans. The town cats are getting aggressive, Tinystar, the successor of Oxeyestar, is making firm demands on reparations for her Clan, and Pikesnap thinks that SerpentClan needs to bloody its claws going forward.

Saugerleap sees a future of death for his home and loved ones, so, with a bit of help from Jaycall, he sombrely gives his brother his last meal.

[clansofthepantheon]

i can't believe i never turned on asks here i'm so sorry lmao i keep asking for them and they arent even on!

[clansofthepantheon]

finally. i can work on these guys without guilt.