#Cloudstar's Last Stand

[brightblueflare]

BLAZING SKY AU TIMELINE

1850's - early 1900's - The Clans are formed, and the warrior code is created and expanded.

Summer, 1914 - Flystar's Reign starts.

Spring, 1919 - The destruction of SkyClan's forest begins.

Early Fall, 1919 - The Law of the Wild is added to the warrior code.

Late Fall, 1919 - Flystar dies, and Cloudstar succeeds him.

Early Winter, 1919 - SkyClan attempts to retake a patch of the forest that now belongs to ThunderClan. War breaks out, and the starving SkyClan cats, despite their persistence, are no match for well-fed, healthy ThunderClan warriors. In the future, this event is known as Cloudstar's Last Stand.

Mid Winter, 1919 - SkyClan has now lost most of their territory, and Cloudstar opts for the diplomatic route and asks the other leaders for help during the Gathering. However, none of them are willing to help. SkyClan leaves the forest. Only Birdflight, Cloudstar's mate, and their kittens Spottedkit and Gorsekit remain behind, taken in by ShadowClan. SkyClan swears to never look to the stars again.

Late Winter, early 1920 - Larkstripe (WC), Molepelt (ShC) and the other seers protest SkyClan's exile. Larkstripe, fully supported by Molepelt, goes on strike.

Early Spring, 1920 - Swiftstar's (WC) successor, Dalestar, separates Larkstripe from her kitten, Ripplekit, in an attempt to break the strike and discredit her for having a kitten, frowned upon but not yet forbidden by the law. This is the codification of the Seer's Vow. Birdflight nurses and raises Ripplekit in ShadowClan.

Mid Spring, 1920 - SkyClan reaches the gorge.

Fall, 1927 - Dawnstar passes, and her new deputy Ripplemoon becomes Ripplestar. On his first Gathering as leader, he stated that something had to be done about SkyClan. Either the Clans would give up their territory willingly or Ripplestar would make room. Start of Ripplestar's Riot.

Late Summer, 1928 - Gorseclaw betrays Ripplestar, and the Battle of the Full Moon takes place. Clanmates fight each other, littermates shed each other's blood, Gorseclaw kills Spottedpelt, and ultimately, StarClan themselves made the fifth oak, the symbol of SkyClan, fall on Ripplestar. The fall of the tree killed him, and put and end to his rebellion. Three laws are added to the warrior code, to ensure a riot like his never happens again. Gorseclaw joins ThunderClan.

Summer, 1932 - SkyClan disbands. Only a small number of cats remained in the gorge. A network was created to maintain the former Clan connected. This is called Spiderstar's Plan.

Spring, 1935 - Late Fall, 1940 - Redstar's and Cloudstar's descendants and their allies face each other in the ThunderClan Civil War for their Clan's leadership. The result is the death of many warriors, and Flarestar's, granddaughter of Redstar, victory.

Spring, 1942 - The cats of the gorge start receiving outside influence from towncats and travelers. The seer role is split in two.

Late Summer, 1942 - Formation of the Skybloods within ThunderClan.

Winter, 1950 - Amberheart, descendant of Cloudstar, is chosen as Flarestar's third deputy. Her descendants (Oakstar, Pinestar and Tigerstar) would rule ThunderClan for many seasons to come.

Summer, 1953 - Amberstar becomes the first Skyblood leader of ThunderClan.

Spring, 1963 - Froststar of ThunderClan takes Sunningrocks. Applestar of RiverClan fights her on it.

Winter, 1975 - Mapleshade's Vengeance takes place. Furious at Mapleshade's kittens exile, Darkstar of RiverClan suggests a new law: Queen's Rights, or the Kitten Protection Law.

"Mapleshade may have brought them to the river, but it was your foolishness, your short-sightedness and your cruelty that put them in that situation in the first place, Oakstar. No kitten should die for the crime of being born."

Early Spring, 1976 - Oakstar launches Crusades and attacks the towncats. Houndstar from ShadowClan joins in.

Winter, 1980 - BloodClan is formed in response to the Crusades. Towncats start fighting back against the Forest Clans.

Early Spring, 1981 - Houndstar falls back, and agrees to codify Darkstar's proposed law. Three kittens dead is, after all, a great loss.

Fall, 1982 - Heatherstar from WindClan ends tunneling and starts the WindClan-ShadowClan War.

Summer, 1984 - Pinestar's Choice begins.

Summer, 1986 - The Great Hunger in ThunderClan takes place.

Fall, 1989 - Yellowfang's Secret and Tallstar's Revenge begin.

Winter, 1991 - Pinestar becomes leader and ends the Crusades.

Spring, 1994 - Bluestar's Prophecy and Crookedstar's Promise begin.

Winter, 1996 - BloodClan's leader is killed, and Pinestar leaves both to find the peace of being a housecat and to aid BloodClan during their political crisis. Sunstar becomes leader of ThunderClan.

Spring, 1997 - Tallstar becomes leader of WindClan.

Summer, 2001 - Bluestar becomes ThunderClan's leader, and Crookedstar RiverClan's.

Fall, 2001 - Raggedstar dies, and Brokenstar becomes leader of ShadowClan.

Early Spring, 2003 - Into the Gorge begins.

And that's the timeline before the AU kicks in. Rusty/Firestar starting his journey on 2003 sounds about right.

CHANGES

Birdflight and her kittens take shelter in ShadowClan, not ThunderClan, after Molepelt, ShadowClan's seer, offers them a place in the Clan. Dawnstar is the least adamant that SkyClan leaves the forest, and considering Redstar's attitude and the previous battles (which in this AU is total war) with SkyClan, it seems unlikely for him to take Birdflight and her kittens in. Plus, ThunderClan can't be the "good guys" Clan like in canon, and MisunderstoodClan deserves good things from time to time.

The Law of the Wild (the "warriors reject the soft life of kittypets" rule) wasn't created because of Pinestar's defection, but because Flystar was tired of his warriors leaving the Clan to live comfortably while the rest of them starved.

The Seer's Vow is made maliciously. Dalestar (prev. Darkstar, CotC) argues that Larkstripe (prev. Larkwing) is breaking her vow by having a kitten. However, back then, while taboo, it wasn't forbidden by the law. This was made to discredit and hurt her, and to control the seers.

Ripplestar (CotC) isn't fighting for power, but to free territory for SkyClan to come back to. He's also Birdflight's adopted son.

The three laws that were added were the Leader's Rights (to not be questioned), the First Tasks (visiting the Moonstone as an apprentice at least once, and sitting vigil after obtaining a warrior name), which were tradition but not codified yet, and the Full Moon Truce (no fighting at Gatherings)

Time was added between Cloudstar's Journey (and Ripplestar's Riot) and Mapleshade's Vengeance. This was done simply to add more drama related to SkyClan's exile and the descendants that stayed in the forest.

The "a queen can choose not to name her kittens' father" rule that was forgotten after the first arc in canon is made into a consistent law. Done in response to Mapleshade's kittens being exiled because of their parentage, and hotly debated even decades after its creation. Watch out for those that argue against it.

Heatherstar starts a war with ShadowClan to conquer a part of their territory she was interested in, and ended tunneling (a harmless/defensive tradition) so her Clan could focus more on fighting on the offensive.

BloodClan is formed earlier, in response to the Clans' raids. They're also a neutral entity, not pure evil.

SkyClan hasn't been forgotten by the Forest Four, but their exile is treated as justified and deserved.

[bonefall]

How does Gorseclaw view all this? Sure, he probably got a lot of good boy points with Starclan for what he did, but also the blood of most of his family on his hand, and also directly responsible for a curse, and also Skyclan came back anyways. What was his life in Thunderclan afterwards, does he regret this or does he stand by what he did?

He stands by it. He stands by it firmly.

Ripplestar and Spottedpelt attacked a Gathering. Their last ditch effort to pummel the Clans into submission and bring back people who were already gone. They would brutalize the people in front of them for those they had never met-- and they dragged rebels of every Clan into it, too.

They tried to use strength to get what they wanted and were outpowered. As was SkyClan. This is the way of the Clans.

Gorseclaw doesn't see himself as responsible for the curse. THEY did it. He did what he had to do and they couldn't accept it. Sore losers practicing dark magic, punishing him and his descendants through the generations...

You might think he has a ferocious personality, like Oakstar, Frecklewish, Tigerstar, etc. He doesn't. He has the composure of a businessman who made a descisive and painful choice. It hurt him to do what they compelled of him, and he blames them for all this grief.

He lived this way for the rest of his natural life, peacefully, rationally explaining away any guilt that nagged at him. He did what he had to. And when invoked by his descendants, he comforts them on that principle.

Do what you must, remember the cost, for others will also do what they must.

When SkyClan comes back and Cloudstar stands before him, Gorseclaw says nothing. So it survived, without Ripplestar to bring it back. Why should he feel guilt for this? It all turned out fine, and if it didn't, then they weren't strong enough to be fetched back in the first place.

I think, over time, he comes to be used by Clan cats as a God of Conflict with SkyClan. Invoking him in front of a SkyClan cat can be openly insulting, but is sometimes done in the face of SkyClan invoking controversial figures of their own-- Brokenstar, Spottedpelt, Ripplestar, etc.

Gorseclaw accepts this placement, not regretting or trying to discourage it. So be it. This shall be his role.

[strelles-universe]

The question was asked of how many Warriors books you, the reader, have read and my list totals up to 91 (I listed the individuals Novellas as stand alone stories) and coupled with the amount of fanfics I've read... I need to find a productive hobby 🧍

50 I think? I've read every book including field guides up to The Last Hope and only up The First Battle for Dawn of the Clans. I've also read all the super editions from that era barring SkyClan's Destiny Cloudstar's Journery and Goosefeather's Curse.

I've also read all the graphic novels?

[leporellian]

in the wee hours of the morning that day, as destiny would usually go, the slinky medicine cat who smells of pollen would be found dead under the eyes of the morning sun surrounded by dying tulips, her blood creating a halo around her head, and from then on she would only be reduced to nothing more than a starlight sound; more worthy for her connections than herself.

but destiny chose differently this time in those morning hours, and the clan would awaken to find spottedleaf standing over clawface’s body. 

clawface looks smaller in death. he had never been much of a brute strength fighter- he was the technician and the thinker, but it was more apparent now than ever. his bones are practically outside of his fur, his eyelids almost look purple, and his face looks uncharacteristically mousy once one ignored the scars that undoubtedly inspired his name.

spottedleaf, meanwhile, looks horrified. blood cakes her paws and mouth, and her fur looks, for the first time, unkempt. but yet there is still a heavy smell of healing about her, and bits of leaves are still stuck under her claws.

there are, after all, healing herbs and cobwebs ornamenting clawface’s body.

-

word gets out among the clans of these things fairly easily- especially the drama, the intrigue of a medicine cat killing a shadowclan warrior! and especially when, only a day or a few later, brokenstar and his allies are driven out, beyond the pines that framed the shadowclan camp. there are whispers on spottedleaf’s shoulders as she tends to the wounded on shadowclan’s grounds. she can feel their eyes baring holes into her skull, and yet there is a respect to it- as if she had stopped a monster by looking it in the eyes.

as she cleans a wound on darkstripe’s flank, she looks up to see a small, stumpy-tailed tom stare at her inquisitively. he couldn’t be any younger than her, but somehow he looked much older.

and then it hit her why he was staring at her so-

he had clawface’s eyes.

-

‘you know i have always believed in the power of the stars,’ she tells yellowfang, on one of those clear nights after a rainy day that makes the head spin. she is sorting through fern fronds as if they were a deck of cards, prying out spores on their undersides with a flick of her claw. ‘but i can’t help but wonder- why did they send me to kill claw- clawfa-’ -she calmed herself down- ‘the shadowclan warrior?’

‘the stars don’t decide everything. sometimes things just are.’ yellowfang smiles, in that sort of way where one doesn’t know if the intent is to comfort or to mock. ‘besides, as far as i’m concerned that bastard sent himself.’

‘he had a mate though. and a family. two sons...’

‘that mate was my sister, kid. and she looked pretty pissed at him when i left shadowclan. i doubt she’s too sorry about it. ...medicine cats have killed before. don’t worry. you did everything right.’

as much as yellowfang could try to comfort her with the croak of words on her smoky breath, words alone would never untie the knot in spottedleaf’s stomach.

-

spottedleaf thought as though her closest strike with destiny would forever be the flame-tailed comet splitting the indigo sky on that one fateful night. but she is wrong, and she knows she is wrong as soon as she is told of the forgotten clan. she's told of it by a starclan cat, so similar to her in appearance that the pair are practically wearing each other’s faces. ‘it was my father, cloudstar’s, clan. i trust with your abilities to heal and defend that you will be able to bring it back.’

spottedleaf feels the coil of her heart twist as soon as spottedpelt utters the word ‘defend’. 

she knew. they both knew.

the clan bids spottedleaf farewell- cinderpelt was ready to take the medicine den on as her own in spottedleaf’s absence- and she leaves, alone, into the brackens and whispers from the forests beyond.

but it isn’t long until spottedleaf feels someone walk up next to her, and she practically faints when she sees him. she remembers the brown tabby tom with the stumpy tail and those eyes.

those yellow eyes.

how could she ever forget the eyes of the cat she killed?

‘i want to go with you,’ he says breathlessly, in one go, as if he is almost scared to say it. ‘i’ve- i’ve had enough of shadowclan. i never want to be in a clan led by that black-footed- the black-footed-’

‘calm down, stumpytail,’ she says. he sounds almost startled to hear her say his name, but then again, when you kill a man the names of his children haunt you. ‘are you alright?’

‘no!’ he blurts out- only to regain composure. ‘no, i mean- i just want to leave. i have no ties to shadowclan anymore.’

spottedleaf looked at his flank. the jagged scars on his side told their own story. ‘you were brokenstar’s apprentice, weren’t you?’

stumpytail swallowed and looked aside. he slowly nodded. ‘he would beat me,’ he said. ‘often. any time i fell out of line. my dad said- he said it was good for me...’

spottedleaf felt something bristle on her tongue- some explanation for what happened to the fellow’s father.

‘i know, spottedleaf. i understand you. i wish i could have been the one... to get to him first. but i was a coward. and i fought... with broken-’ he struggled to say it.

‘you’re not a coward. you’re leaving with me, right? we will find the paths together that the stars had never once had in mind.’

and with that, they leave.  they will never return.

-

spottedleaf’s story will ultimately end in the gorge moons upon moons later, when she will be found dead after a fight with a black-tailed tom. but the blood will not softly pool around her head like a glimmering light, like a feline Ophelia grossly made beautiful in her suffering; it will be splayed around her, valiant and determined to the very last. and stumpytail will grow beyond the shadows of his mentor, and he will next see shadowclan when he is an elder, and they are lead by a cat with a similar name to the horrors he saw, but a very different destiny. 

her brother will lead her to starclan. together, with her bright pelt and his red tail, they will dance across the sky, forever into tomorrow, and an odd peace will overcome the thunderclan camp, into the wee hours of the morning where the tulips began to grow.

[idrawcats]

Some possible Imposters:

Possible Imposters (TBC):

Ashfur:

- Why:

* Very possessive of Squirrelflight

* Named Squirrelflight, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather as codebreakers (and Ashfur tried to kill/harm them when he was alive)

* “You used to stand up to me in the old days” to Squirrelflight

* Lured the dogs to Jayfeather’s garden in the same way that Brindleface (Ashfur’s mother) was killed

* Set a trap kill Sparkpelt (Squirrelflight’s daughter). The trap was set at Jayfeather’s garden, so it might have been meant for him or Alderheart (also Squirrelflight’s children)

* Sent Bumblestripe to spy on Squirrelflight rather than trusting her

* “I gave you one last chance to tell the truth and you didn’t!” to Squirrelflight, implying that she’s lied to him before

* Violent with Squirrelflight when angry

* Threatened to harm Tree’s family to hurt him, as Ashfur tried to kill Squirrelflight’s children to hurt her

* Imposter has a vendetta against Bramblestar, whom Ashfur blames for “stealing” Squirrelflight

* The erins mentioned the return of a controversial character, and Ashfur is one of the most controversial characters in the series (for some reason)

* Shadowsight’s fire vision and ash falling on his pelt

* Why not:

* Ashfur is a confirmed StarClan cat who has been seen multiple times in StarClan, and StarClan has been cut off from the living

* Imposter is unfamiliar with ThunderClan camp, and Ashfur lived in the lake territory

* Ashfur never showed any interest in the Code and actually broke it when he conspired with Hawkfrost to kill Firestar

* Imposter seems much smarter than Ashfur was in life

* AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Ashfur actually appeared in Squirrelflight’s Hope and was utterly uninterested in her

Thistleclaw:

* Why:

* The Imposter is intent on punishing codebreakers and making them suffer, just as Thistleclaw was violent in life

* Thistleclaw would be unfamiliar with ThunderClan camp at the lake territory

* Imposter manipulated Bristlefrost and seemed like he was creeping on her, despite actually saying that she was too young to be deputy. We all know what Thistleclaw did in Spottedleaf’s Heart.

* Thistleclaw is a Dark Forest cat who wasn’t killed in the Great Battle (that we know of), and Squirrelflight’s Hope stated that most Dark Forest cats had “moved on”, but that StarClan doesn’t know where they went

* The erins talked about the return of a controversial character, and for some reason, Thistleclaw seems to be pretty controversial

* Why not:

* The only part of the Code that Thistleclaw ever seemed interested in was no trespassing

* Thistleclaw has no connection to any named codebreakers

* Thistleclaw was never shown as particularly cunning outside of his disgusting child grooming in Spottedleaf’s Heart. The imposter is clearly a master manipulator.

* I don’t think Thistleclaw would have let Rootpaw trespass on ThunderClan territory and get away with it, regardless of his supposed reason

* No connection to Squirrelflight

* Meta: I’m hoping to god that the Erins learned their lesson and won’t touch Thistleclaw with a ten foot pole

* No motive

Clear Sky (Skystar):

* Why:

* Controversial character

* Shown to be very manipulative and good at getting cats to join him

* Warmonger who uses fear tactics to scare cats into believing that they will starve if they don’t join him, much like the Imposter uses fear tactics to convince cats that StarClan will never return if they don’t punish codebreakers

* Clear Sky was the first leader to enforce rules about borders and trespassing, which served as a prototype for the Code

* Clear Sky would be unfamiliar with the lake territory

* The Imposter is noted to have seemed surprised by the scent of herbs from the medicine den. Medicine cats were a very new concept when Clear Sky was leader.

* No SkyClan cats were named as codebreakers (Tree doesn’t count)

* Squirrelflight is very similar in personality to Storm (Clear Sky’s second mate). Storm left Clear Sky and died, so it would make sense why Clear Sky would try to keep Squirrelflight with him at all times

* Clear Sky only just rejoined main StarClan, so he might not be fully connected enough to be blocked off with the rest of them

* The Imposter shares Clear Sky’s social Darwinist perspective (i.e. the strong cats — warriors, deputy, leader —should take priority over the weak, like the elders)

* Squirrelflight is similar in appearance to Star Flower (Clear Sky’s third mate)

* Clear Sky was very controlling of Storm and insisted she always stayed in camp. Much like the Imposter does with Squirrelflight.

* The Imposter would need to have knowledge of how losing a life works to know that there is a time when he could slip in and steal Bramblestar’s body

* Why not:

* Clear Sky showed genuine character growth and had a redemption arc

* I don’t think many people read DOTC, so Clear Sky might not be a recognizable villain for most readers

* StarClan is blocked off from the Clans, and Clear Sky is a StarClan cat

* I think the only cat Clear Sky ever exiled was Jagged Peak, and that was because he broke his leg (not because of any codebreaking)

* I don’t remember Clear Sky ever using spies

Cloudstar:

* Why:

* No SkyClan cats were named

* Cloudstar’s entire life and Clan were destroyed by codebreaking (i.e. the other Clans turning on them in their hour of need)

* Everything I said about Clear Sky and StarClan

* The Imposter seems intent on making ThunderClan suffer, and Redstar (the leader of ThunderClan) was the main antagonist in Cloudstar’s novella and the main reason why SkyClan was forced to leave

* Cloudstar would be unfamiliar with the lake territory

* Why not:

* Cloudstar was never a bad dude

* He is a confirmed StarClan cat

* Cloudstar was never shown to be manipulative or violent

* It just doesn’t seem likely that Cloudstar would do something like this

* I seriously doubt Cloudstar would ever threaten another cat’s family like the Imposter threatened Tree’s

* No connection to Squirrelflight

Darkstripe:

* Why:

* Dark Forest cat who survived the Great Battle

* What I said about the Dark Forest in Thistleclaw’s section

* Luring dogs to kill Sparkpelt (probably intended for Jayfeather) was a very Tigerstar-esque plot, and Darkstripe was his most loyal supporter

* Darkstripe would be unfamiliar with the lake territory

* Darkstripe is known for eating prey that he caught before feeding the elders

* Why not:

* Darkstripe wasn’t all that smart in life or death

* Darkstripe had little to no regard for the Code

* No connection to Squirrelflight

Tigerstar I:

* Why:

* Bramblestar is his son

* The dog plot mentioned above

* Tigerstar was a master manipulator who convinced entire cats to join his crusade against half-clan and non-forestborn cats

* Tigerstar was known for hating half-Clan cats, and Jayfeather and Lionblaze are named codebreakers for seemingly no other reason than being half-Clan

* The imposter seems to have something against Lionblaze specifically, and Lionblaze turned against Tigerstar in his Dark Forest training

* Tigerstar would be unfamiliar with the lake territory

* Known to use spies

* Why not:

* Tigerstar is double dead and his arc is complete

* It would just be such lazy writing for it to be him

Hawkfrost:

* Why:

* He’s Bramblestar’s half brother

* Squirrelflight hated him when he was alive

* Would want revenge against Bramblestar for killing him TWICE

* Bristlefrost’s name

* Mothwing is a named codebreaker

* Why not:

* Hawkfrost is double dead and should not be able to come back

* Never cared about the Code

* No motive

* The Imposter hasn’t once interacted with Ivypool, and Hawkfrost had an important relationship with her and would probably try to make her life hell

Brokenstar:

* Why:

* Social Darwinist who kicked out ShadowClan’s elders

* Why not:

* He’s double dead and shouldn’t be able to come back

* No motive or connection to ThunderClan, Bramblestar, or the Code

Sol:

* Why:

* Known for hating the Clans

* Convinced ShadowClan to reject StarClan once, so it would make sense for him to try to block off StarClan again

* Known master manipulator who was able to convince first SkyClan, then ShadowClan, and then a group of WindClan cats of his worth as a cat and a leader

* Controversial character in-universe

* Why not:

* Sol has a vendetta against SkyClan and Leafstar specifically, and not a single SkyClan cat is named

* Sol doesn’t give a shit about the Code

* I don’t remember Sol having any connection to Squirrelflight, but I might be wrong

Rowanclaw:

* Why:

* Had his life and leadership ruined by codebreakers

* The Imposter named Dovewing but not Tigerheartstar. Tigerheartstar is Rowanclaw’s son and was his deputy, and Rowanclaw might blame Dovewing for making Tigerheartstar abandon ShadowClan in their time of need, thus forcing Rowanclaw to step down as leader and merge ShadowClan with SkyClan.

* Rowanclaw has a biological connection to Shadowsight (his grandson), which might make it easier to talk to him

* Owed Leafstar a debt for taking in his Clan, and not a single SkyClan cat is named

* Why not:

* None of the initial defectors to the Kin (Yarrowleaf, Berryheart, Strikestone, etc.) are named codebreakers

* Rowanclaw had a decent relationship with Bramblestar and would have no reason to bring suffering to him or his Clan

* The Clans all helped drive Darktail out, so why would Rowanclaw want to drive them apart?

* Rowanclaw is a known StarClan cat

* Rowanclaw was given a good death and a great send off in Tawnypelt’s Clan

* Rowanclaw knew his way around ThunderClan camp

Flametail:

* Why:

* Shadowsight’s fire vision

* If the Imposter was using mint to cover up Shadowsight’s assassination, then he would have to have good knowledge of herbs to know that mint is used to mask corpses

* Flametail was mentioned several times in Lost Stars

* Why not:

* Why the fuck would Flametail do this

Ravenwing:

* Why:

* Read what I said about the Imposter having knowledge of herbs under Flametail

* No knowledge of the lake territory

* Ravenwing was killed for defending the Code (albeit a warped version of the Code) and reporting Mapleshade’s half-Clan relationship

* Lionblaze and Jayfeather are condemned just for being half-Clan, much like Mapleshade’s kits

* The Imposter would need to have knowledge of how losing a life works to know that there is a time when he could slip in and steal Bramblestar’s body

* Why not:

* I think the Erins forgot he exists

* Ravenwing never seemed violent or malicious

Darktail:

* Why:

* Known for being a tyrannical leader

* Known for using spies

* The Imposter is compared multiple times throughout The Silent Thaw to Darktail in terms of cruelty and cunning

* Darktail is mentioned several times in The Silent Thaw

* We all know that Darktail hates the Clans

* Why Not:

* Because Darktail had a satisfying defeat and it would cheapen his death for the Erins to bring him back

* Violetshine isn’t targeted

* Erins please

* I’m literally begging you

* Don’t make it Darktail

Multiple different cats:

* Why:

* Personality shifts for days

* No one knows where the hell the Dark Forest cats went

* Why not:

* Shadowsight only heard one voice

I think it’s either Clear Sky, Ravenwing, or multiple different cats, but I’m leaning Clear Sky

[leafpool-loves-ashfur]

your “Guardian Devils” AU is amazing and i want to know more about it >:3

Thank you! If there’s anything specific you’d like to know about it, then do go ahead and ask!

For now, though, how about some random stuff?

Scourge is, by all means, confused, because, even though every cat in this world has a Guardian, cats without organized religion or access to their ancestors (Clan cats, Tribe cats, the Sisters, etc.) aren’t exactly aware of the whole “when you die you become someone’s Guardian” ordeal. So imagine his shock when he wakes up next to his enemy, enemy’s mate, and enemy’s kits.

Squirrelkit often commented on her Guardian’s odd scent, so unlike Clancats or wilderness. It was the smell of rot, and garbage, and blood, and Twoleg stench, although, as a kit, she had yet to learn most of those smells. She grew to like the smell.

Scourge grew to understand and even like clan culture, although he always held the thought that the weakest (elders, injured, sickly) shouldn’t be put in such high priority. He would never admit it, but he had fun pretending to hunt right alongside Squirrelpaw as she learned.

Tigerstar did not have fun sitting in the medicine cat den most days... And it was really surreal to stand there and watch the cat who’s trap he had set for Bluestar but caught her instead train his charge.

Guardians can’t see other Guardians (unless it’s the Full Moon, then they can catch glimpses, or if a cat of Sister blood were to make them visible, or if they’re a leader’s Guardian, in which case, all the leader’s nine Guardians can see each other).

Crookedstar’s Guardian was Mapleshade. When he became leader, the other Guardians cast her away.

Goosefeather could see every cat’s Guardians. Mapleshade did try to convince him she was his Guardian at one point.

Ashfur’s Guardian was Thrushpelt.

I want Bramblestar’s Guardian to be Swiftpaw (his half-brother), but I’m unsure if Swiftpaw died before Bramblekit was born or not.

Needleclaw’s Guardian was Needletail, of course :).

Feathertail was actually Breezepelt’s Guardian.

Stonefur becomes a Guardian to one of Stormfur and Brook’s kits.

Instead of Cinderpelt reincarnating as Cinderheart, Cinderpelt is Cinderheart’s Guardian. The same goes for the other “reincarnated cats”- Jay’s Wing was Jayfeather’s Guardian, Lion’s Roar was Lionblaze’s, and Dove’s Wing was Dovewing’s.

Jay’s Wing let Jayfeather relive his life through his eyes, with Rock’s help.

Leafstar’s Guardian was Cloudstar. Echosong’s was Brackenheart. Sharpclaw’s was Honeyleaf. (Cloudstar was the leader when SkyClan was kicked from Clan territories, and Brackenheart and Honeyleaf were the last medicine cat and deputy of SkyClan before it disbanded, respectively.)

In the Broken Code, when the Moonpool is frozen over, any cat born during that time did not have a Guardian unless their Guardian was a cat who did not reside in StarClan, Dark Forest, etc. (Spirit/Ghost cats, then.)

[gougarpaw]

[Image: A digital drawing of Cloudstar from warriors. He is a gray cat with blue eyes, large dark gray almost black eyebrows, and a dark gray almost black nose. His tail is clumped like a cartoon cloud and is light gray. His body is covered in light gray and darker gray cartoon cloud markings, along with a dark gray star marking on his shoulder. He is standing with a sad expression. Above his back “Cloudstar” is written in blue. End Description.]

“Never say that! As your leader, I will give my last breath to keep you safe. I promise the Twolegs will not harm a hair on your pelts or touch one branch of our homes. StarClan is watching over us-how else would we have escaped the falling tree today? They know that this is our home, and they will protect it.”

Cloudstar is a pale gray tom with white patches and blue eyes.

notes:

- Spouse of Birdflight, father of Gorseclaw and Spottedpelt

- eye bags only appear after the final battle with ThunderClan

- leader mark: cloud turns into star on shoulder

[nmirah]

Softfoot’s Flood - Chapter 2

The moon hung bright and round, shining at its fullest. The sky behind it was black, the faces of ancient warriors peeking out as glittering white stars, smiling down upon the valley. Softpaw trembled, his paws scuffing in the dirt excitedly. The clan was gathered in the clearing around the small pool in the center of the camp, waiting for Brackenstar's order to leave for the gathering. Brightpaw wiggled beside him, excitement making her amber eyes glow.

           It would be the two apprentices first Gathering. They had been training for almost a moon now, but nothing was more exciting than this to them. The Gathering was where cats from all clans joined together under the truce of the full moon, sharing tongues and passing news from clan to clan. It reminded them all that four clans ruled the mountainsides. Stonepaw and Lilypaw padded up to join them, chosen as well to go to the gathering. This would be their second one, and they looked at the barely younger apprentices in amusement.

           "Ready for it?' Lilypaw asked, her pale yellow eyes shining. Brightpaw nodded, her face calm, while Softpaw jumped to his paws, tail waving excitedly behind him.

           "I am! You'll have to point out some of the other apprentices to me. I want to meet as many as I can!"

           Stonepaw blinked happily. "Sure! Be warned, though, the tree-bridge is definitely slippery, and there are many more cats than you first expect." He dipped his head. "I was scared when I first got there."

           Lilypaw rolled her eyes." You hid behind me the whole time and barely spoke a word!"

           The dark grey cat ducked his head as Lilypaw tried to cuff his ear. "No fair, you were scared too!" Lilypaw aimed another soft swipe at his flank and caught him, sending the two into a rolling scuffle, sending puffs of dry dirt and stray pieces of grass flying as they tumbled.

           "Enough!" The two young cats froze at the deep, commanding voice of the deputy Pinefire, who looked down at them with stern eyes, though Softpaw could clearly see the amusement glittering in their amber depths.

           "I don't want the other clans to see my kits arrive all dirty! They would think ValleyClan doesn't teach their apprentices to wash!" He scolded them. The two cats ducked their heads, but Softpaw saw that their eyes were still laughing, twinkling with mischief.

           "Sorry, Pinefire," Lilypaw mumbled, glancing up at her father. "We were just playing."

           Pinefire sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, you behave more like kits now then you ever did in the nursery."

           "Come one, that's not fair!" A purr sounded as a dove-grey cat padded up, her blue eyes warm as she gazed at her daughter. "You were worse than they were, when you were an apprentice. You and Cedarblaze got into so much trouble!"

           The deputy nuzzled her briefly. "They don't need to get any bright ideas from our example!" he murmured, his gaze flickering across the four apprentices. "ValleyClan is grateful and proud that we have so many kits and fine young apprentices this green-leaf."

           Their conversation was cut off by a loud meow from Brackenstar, whose massive dark tabby form turned and led the way through the camp tunnel. Softpaw stood, his joints stiff from sitting still for so long and his body tense with nerves. The two warriors glanced at them encouragingly before hurrying up to join the head of the patrol.

           "This is it." Brightpaw whispered, pressing her muzzle into Softpaw's ear. He nodded, swallowing as they made their way through the tunnel and into the forest beyond.

           The ValleyClan cats bounded through their territory in confident strides, sweeping through the undergrowth with graceful steps. Softpaw gasped as they broke through the line of bushes and stared out over the river, the moon shining brightly overhead. He could smell HawkClan scent; they had passed by already. Across the river he could make out the small dark shapes of ThistleClan. He wiggled his bottom in excitement and turned, joining his sister, Lilypaw and Stonepaw.

           "I'm so excited!" He mewed, his voice coming out as a squeak. "Do you think Brackenstar will say our names out to all the clans?"

           "Of course!" Stonepaw mewed, his blue eyes bright. "He did for us!" Lilypaw nodded over his shoulder.

           The clan patrol stopped, standing in front of the tree-bridge. Brackenstar flicked his tail and leapt up, Pinefire following him closely. The cats filed one-by-one onto the island. Softpaw swallowed nervously, and Birchtail fell back to walk beside him.

           "It's a bit wobbly at first, but if you dig your claws in you'll make it across without any problems." He advised. "Here we go!"

           Softpaw hesitated a moment before leaping up onto the slick wood. He dug his claws in as he felt himself slipping sideways and picked his way across the bridge slowly, tensing as the log gave a shudder when his sister leapt up to follow him. He landed on the other side with a relieved sigh, touching noses with Brightpaw as she joined him, her legs trembling.

           Lilypaw and Stonepaw were waiting there for them, and greeted them with loud purrs.

           "Great job! You never slipped once!" Lilypaw gasped. "I almost got an unwanted bath when I first went across."

           Stonepaw let out a mrrow of amusement. "The look on your face was amazing! C'mon, we'll introduce you to some of the other apprentices."

           He led them into the clearing. It was smaller in the moonlight, and crowded with cats. The pile of stones at the far end of the clearing held all four leaders; the medicine cats and deputies sitting and chatting at the bottom. ValleyClan was the last to arrive, and Softpaw heard Brightpaw gasp at the number of cats.

           "It takes a while to get used to." Stonepaw mewed. "Oh! I see Cloudpaw from HawkClan!" He mewed brightly, waving his tail to a large, furry tom.

           "He's an apprentice?" Softpaw gasped. "He's huge!"

           Lilypaw giggled. "Oh, all HawkClan cats are large! Have you seen Sunstar yet?" She asked, before joining her brother and Cloudpaw. Both Softpaw and Brightpaw looked over to the Rock Pile, gasping as they spotted the massive tom perched there, speaking to the old AshClan leader Hollowstar, who looked like a young apprentice in comparison. The golden tom's odd coloured eyes flicked unsettlingly in the moonlight, and Softpaw felt a shiver run down his back as he glanced at the golden leader's giant paws, both armed with an extra claw. Sunstar was not a cat he wanted to meet in battle!

           "Softpaw, stop staring and come over!" Brightpaw teased, joining the others. Softpaw purred and followed her, meeting up with the throng of apprentices that had amassed when he was lost in thought.

           "This is Softpaw and Brightpaw." Stonepaw was saying. "They became apprentices almost a moon ago." Brightpaw dipped her head respectfully, while Softpaw merely waved his tail. Stonepaw was sitting next to the white apprentice from before, who had happy eyes and silver patches on his back.

           "This is Cloudpaw," Lilypaw motioned to the white apprentice again, "And Heatherpaw, Poppypaw and Sorrelpaw." She motioned to the other three she-cats, two grey tabby's and one tortoiseshell. Heatherpaw dipped her head kindly, while Poppypaw and Sorrelpaw lashed their tails in excitement.

           "Where's Snowpaw?" Heatherpaw asked.

           "Couldn't make it this time. She wasn't chosen." Lilypaw answered.

           "Nice to meet you!" Poppypaw mewed, padding up to Softpaw. "We share a border!"

           Softpaw nodded, noticing her AshClan scent right away. Who could miss that stinky, ashy smell, he thought, his whiskers twitching.

           "How were your first few days of training?" Cloudpaw asked, his eyes reminding Softpaw of the pine trees that covered his territory.

           "Awesome!" Softpaw meowed. "Brightpaw and I caught a huge squirrel yesterday. It was bigger than both our heads combined!"

           "Impressive," Heatherpaw tipped her head to the side. "If you like squirrels. I think they have too much fur." She ran a pink tongue over her lips.

           "Hey, Cloudpaw, tell them that story about the wolves!" Stonepaw meowed, pushing his friend's shoulder with a paw. "Brightpaw didn't believe me!"

           While Cloudpaw launched into a story, Brightpaw listening intently with glowing eyes, Softpaw nudged Stonepaw with his head.

           "Show me around the island! I'm curious." He mewed softly. Stonepaw nodded, and the two slipped away into the sparse undergrowth, listening to the water lapping at the shore. They travelled around, chatting freely, until a loud yowl made Softpaw jump.

           "The Gathering is starting!" Stonepaw gasped. "Come on!" He leaped back into the clearing, finding a place to sit near his mother Rosepetal. She looked at them with amusement flickering in her blue eyes and turned back to watch the leaders.

           "I will begin today," the ThistleClan leader, Cloudstar, mewed. "A few sunrises ago, we drove off a fox. We doubt it will return." He mewed. His warriors flexed their paws in return, looking very pleased and proud. "Also, we have a new litter of kits." His eyes glowed fiercely with pride, and Softpaw guessed that he was the father. "Stonekit and Cinderkit are ThistleClan's newest members." Yowls of congratulation filled the island, and Softpaw couldn't help but join in.

           Cloudstar sat back, letting Hollowstar stand to address the crowd. He looked very old and frail, but his eyes held power within them.

           "AshClan is faring well. We have a good number of apprentices, our warriors are healthy, and our kits are strong." He meowed, before sitting back.

           This time, Sunstar stood, hushing the crowd with his fiery gaze. His massive form seemed even more giant when he stood, and the fact that he had long, fluffy fur didn't help.

           "HawkClan is proud to announce that a new litter has been born. Palewing and Pineshade are the parents." He waited for the cheers to go down. "We are also being very well fed with our newest portion of our territory. The rabbits have had many offspring this year." He growled. Softpaw felt Rosepetal stiffen beside them, and she bent her head towards the two apprentices.

           "HawkClan won a piece of land from us a few moons ago. He's still milking it for all it's worth, however." She hissed. Softpaw shuddered, looking at the smug look on the HawkClan leader's face as he sat back down. Softpaw's shoulders tensed as he watched Brackenstar stand, not even glancing once at Sunstar, his fur flat and his pelt unruffled.

           "ValleyClan is well. We have made two new apprentices. Brightpaw," He looked over at the brown tabby-and-white she-cat, "And Softpaw." Softpaw swallowed nervously as his clan leader's gaze sought him out. The clearing rose with yowls of approval. Softpaw scuffled his paws in embarrassment and pride, noticing voices from all clans welcoming him. He met his sister's gaze and saw the pride and self-consciousness there, matching his own feelings. He blinked warmly at her and the yowls died down.

           "Green-leaf has treated us well. ValleyClan is well-fed and strong." Brackenstar finished. Softpaw felt a pang of pride for his leader, who hadn't mentioned HawkClan. It had been moons before, after all.

           Softpaw saw Sunstar leap down angrily, and the Gathering finished as quickly as it began. Cats began to clump into their original clans, and ThistleClan and HawkClan left quickly, since their homes were the farthest from the island. Softpaw twisted his way through the crowd of cats with Stonepaw close behind him. The caught up with Brightpaw and Lilypaw just as they were leaping up onto the bridge. He made it across the fallen tree once more and ran behind his clanmates with a trembling tail, the scents of many cats still wreathing around him.

           How could the clans be so different, but also the same? He thought about Sunstar's thinly veiled threats, and Brackenstar's nobility. Stonepaw brushed his pelt and looked at him with glowing blue eyes.

           "That was awesome! Brackenstar is so cool!" He meowed excitedly. Softpaw pushed his worries away and nodded, laughing along with his friend. As they neared the camp, Softpaw was hit with a rush of pride for his clan.  He followed his sister back into their den, and wiggled in his nest, his eyes bright.

           "I can't believe there are that many cats living around the lake!" Brightpaw gasped. "And more!"

           "Yeah, how do we all fit?" Softpaw mewed. Lilypaw looked at them with a purr, curled up beside her brother.

           "Wasn't Sunstar massive?" She meowed. Stonepaw raised his head with a nod.

           "It's amazing. I heard he has six claws on each paw. I wouldn't want to meet him in battle!"

           "And the ThistleClan cats are so small!" Brightpaw chirped.

           Lilypaw laughed. "Did you see Dawnleap, the ThistleClan deputy? She looked barely taller than Stonepaw!"

           Snowpaw shuffled in her den and shot the new apprentices a tired look.

           "Can you please go to sleep?" She moaned. "You woke me up from a really good dream, and I'd like to get back to it."

           "Yes Snowpaw!" Brightpaw meowed, tucking her head into her nest, though her flicking tail told that she was too excited to sleep just yet. Snowpaw let out a sigh and curled up into a tighter ball, looking like a small snow drift in her mossy nest.

           Softpaw drew his tail over his nose and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift. He imagined himself as a warrior, standing tall and proud beside his friends, all older and experienced. They were showing off their scars, and Softpaw motioned to a six-clawed scratch mark down his side, claiming to have beaten Sunstar. He purred softly as his mind drifted into a comfortable black sleep.

[triggeredcollin-blog]

Brindlefeathers Path | 1

Brindlekit stepped proudly onto a shiny, smooth rock that allowed her brother and sister to stare up at her in awe. Her black striped tail waved in the cold air as frost formed beneath Alderkit's paws.        "Now! Sparkfeather," Brindlekit pointed her tail towards the orange kit, Sparkkit. She blinked at her with green eyes and her white and gray fur blew in the wind. "I want you to take Aldereye, Foxtail, and Wolfmaine to the border to check if there is any Darkclan warriors messing around with us." She demanded.        "Yes, Brindlestar!" Sparkkit nodded, bouncing away with Alderkit, Foxkit, and Wolfkit. Her pelt helped her hide with the snow, so she was the obvious one to choose.        But a gray tom loomed over the three kits. "Rawr! I'm A Darkclan warrior and you shall not pass!" the kits jumped on the light silver tom and pummeled him to the ground. He playfully fought with them and he shook his head. Brindlekit watched as her kin and her friends helped destroy Skytail.        He fell limp and The kittens looked proudly at their leader. "We did it!" Foxkit mewed, stumbling over to her. Sparkkit jumped up with enthusiasm, knocking over her poor brother Alderkit. He rolled in the snow and whimpered as the cold snow was all over his poor body. He sneezed and caught the attention of his mother, Violetpool.        She ran over to Alderkit and nosed him out of the snow. She picked him up, terrified if she was going to lose Alderkit like she lost her mate Tigerfoot. Oh, how much she missed him. She thought about him every night when she and her kits fell asleep.        Violetpool was worried for Alderkit because he was not really good with the snow. He always got sick in the snow and would stay in, but this day, Alderkit convinced her to let him play with his littermates.        She rushed to the medicine den and Brindlekit sighed, pawing at the snow. Skytail rolled over onto his stomach and looked at Violetpool bouncing away with Alderkit in her jaws.        "I wish Alderkit wasn't sick..." Brindlekit murmured sadly, her tail slumping onto the cold snow floor. She was covered in snow, making it almost impossible to see her body. She closed her eyes and felt her sister Sparkkit lie on top of her.        Violetpool came back from the medicine den to the other kits. "Alright, Sparkkit, Brindlekit, its time for a nap." She nuzzled them with her nose.  Brindlekit wobbled to the nursery, sudden pain in her leg. Sparkkit bounced and ran to the nursery.

       "Sparkkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sparkpaw. Your mentor will be Cloudfoot. I hope Cloudfoot will pass down all she knows on to you" Cloudstar announced the last kit. "Cloudfoot, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Tigerfoot, and you have shown yourself to be brave and strength. You will be the mentor of Sparkpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Sparkpaw."        Cloudfoot nodded and Sparkpaw went down to touch noses with her new mentor. "Sparkpaw! Alderpaw! Brindlepaw!" the clan shouted.        Violetpool sniffed and shouted their names the loudest. She felt a cold presence next to her. She turned and whimpered. The ghost of Tigerfoot was sitting next to her, putting his tail on hers. He felt proud of his kits. They grow up so fast. Too fast.        Brindlepaw limped over to Violetpool and licked her ear. Her mentor was the mentor she always wanted: Skytail. She was way to happy but she couldn't show it. She was swallowing back a yowl of happiness.        Alderpaw's mentor was an obvious rude one. Needlewhisker.        Brindlepaw thinks this is because Cloudstar wants to knock some sense into Alderpaw to make him stronger then being a weak, scrawny warrior. She looked over her shoulder to see Skytail waiting for her next to Cloudfoot. Their tails were intertwined and you can tell they were madly in love. Brindlepaw rolled her eyes in jealousy, but she still walked, well limped, over to Skytail.        The pain in her leg was getting worse and worse every day and she hated it. She never saw the medicine cat, but she will soon tell Leafwish. She couldn't stand it anymore. (no pun intended -Collin)        Sparkpaw gave Brindlepaw a smirk once she saw her face. She knew about her huge crush on her new mentor, Skytail.  "Wheres Alderpaw? Cant he come with us?" Sparkpaw looked at her mentor with wide eyes.        Cloudfoot shook her small head. "Sorry, but no Sparkpaw. Needlewhisker wants to train your brother alone." She looked at Skytail with worry planted on her face.        Skytail shook his head and smiled at her. "It'll be fine." He got up and nodded at Brindlepaw to let her know to follow him. Brindlepaw walked closer to her mentor than usual. Skytail felt his fur fluff up.        Cloudfoot and Sparkpaw went their separate ways which meant that Brindlepaw and Skytail were alone. Brindlepaw's fur heated up and laughs softly. "This is going to be interesting"