#LET STARCLAN BE UNFAIR ON PURPOSE | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tallstars-rewrite · 3 years

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Chapter 30

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In the afternoon most of the clan was sharing tongues, catching the rays of warmth on that especially hot day. Talltail looked around camp. His heart thudded in his chest with the certainty of what he was about to do. How should he go about this? He thought of announcing it formally, but the idea of having so much attention on him, facing everyone’s anger when they realized he had betrayed the oath he’d taken not even a full moon ago...He wasn’t strong enough.

Would they even let him leave? Perhaps it would be better if he just vanished. It would be a shock, but then everyone would move on, as they always did. What was one more cowardly act on his growing pile? He already felt awful, it couldn’t get much worse. But he had to say something to the cats he had once been closest to, even if he had drifted away from most of them in the past few moons. He’d say goodbye to every cat if he could, but too many would start raising questions.

Talltail decided he would part with one last gift. He’d gotten good at solo hunting recently, if nothing else, but he was going to have to catch a lot of prey to come up with enough excuses to speak to every cat he wanted to speak to one last time.

Through the afternoon and into the evening Talltail went to every place on the moor he knew would have active rodents. It was a good haul for him, even on his best days, despite the heavy heat beating down making him drowsy. The edge of the territory near the woodland strip that bordered the pastures was still alive with field mice as it had been when he’d hunted there for Jake. He looked sadly at the treeline where a friendly orange barn cat had once waited for him. Another face he’d never see again. Who knows what the twoleg monsters had done to that poor cat they had tricked. He’ could be dead now. Another claw prick of guilt for the pile, wishing he had tried harder to convince Jake to leave them. But that was over now. Nothing good came from messing with outsiders. It took a couple trips to get all his prey in one pile.

He looked forlorn at the places he had loved most on the moor. It was all he had known and he could scarcely believe he wouldn’t see it again. The places he used to go to clear his head or cheer himself up. The feeling of flying unfettered as he ran full sprint down the Swift-Step Hills, the gorse speckled meadow where he’d once watched deer herds with Fallowspring and Fawnleap, flower patches where he’d helped Briarpaw gather herbs, the track he and Shrewpaw raced against each other at the start of newleaf, everywhere he’d trained with Dawnstripe. Times when he had felt slightly less lost.

His pile of fresh-kill had grown to a decent amount. The hint of new purpose had perhaps made his mind sharper, less foggy, and he’d been able to focus effortlessly on every chase and every pounce. He was surprisingly less of a lousy hunter when he wasn’t feeling so distracted by directionless misery. Who would have guessed? Well, Dawnstripe did. She was good at that sort of thing, he thought with a touch of melancholy.

He trailed past the collapsed warren where Sandstone had vanished, and sat there for a brief moment, staring at the disheveled earth. The plants he’d placed there with Woollycloud and Palebird had long since wilted and whisked away.

“I’m sorry,” Talltail said aloud to the empty air. “You were the best warrior WindClan had. I know despite everything, you just wanted to make me strong. But I understand now what I must do. You always said that action must be taken to right the wrongs in the world. If I was strong enough to right ShadowClan, or fix the tunnels, I would. But I know I can’t. But there is one thing I can do, so at least you can finally rest peacefully. I may have failed as a clan cat, but if it’s the last thing I do, this I will make right.”

I hope you can forgive me, He pleaded in his head. The wind started to pick up in a brief gust, it whipped at him and he ducked into the grass. Somehow it felt wrong to greet the Wind Runner’s embrace. He was a traitor to her, or would be soon.

He continued back with his catches, needing multiple trips to get it all there alone, and it was nearly past sunset when he finished. Plumclaw was nearby with Mistmouse.

“By StarClan, did you catch all that yourself?” Plumclaw asked.

“Must have been a good day.” Mistmouse purred.

Talltail dipped his head, trying to appear natural. If I get worked up, they’ll sense it and ask what’s wrong.

“Yes, feel free to help yourselves. Think of it as an apology catch.”

“Apology for what?” Mistmouse cocked her head

“Just for being a bit of a pain lately. You’ve always been so sympathetic to me Mistmouse.” he turned to Plumclaw, his ears drooped a little as he ducked his head “and for...all the trouble I caused in the tunnels.”

Plumclaw twitched her whiskers in surprise “That was moons ago. It really wasn’t just you that made Heatherstar close everything…” she perked up a bit, that determined light returning to her tawny eyes. “Besides, I haven’t given up. She just has a burr in her butt right now, but I’ll find a way to keep our skills alive.”

“I trust you will. You’re an incredible tunneler. The clan could learn a lot from you.”

She seemed a bit taken aback by his sincerity but a purr rose in her throat nonetheless.

Mistmouse winked at him before he turned to leave. “That’ll go to her head you know.”

“No it won’t. It’s just the truth, after all. I’m great.” Plumclaw said.

Talltail hid a smile as the two molly’s bantered behind. It eased him a little, knowing some cat was around who carried on his fathers’ skills.

He found Fawnleap and Ryewhisker lounging together in the fading sun. Fawnleap had set his head on his sister's foreleg and was complaining.

“--and Fallowspring’s off with Shrewclaw again, like she doesn’t even have time for me! It’s so unfair. I’m bored.”

“You poor wretched thing.” Ryewhisker crooned “It must be so hard without our sister to help you torment poor Cloudrunner for a day.”

“It is, I had this whole prank planned out!”

Talltail padded up to them a bit cautiously. Ryewhisker blinked, clearly a bit surprised when she caught sight of him. Fawnleap, unfazed as ever, waved his tail at him. Talltail dropped the mice he carried.

“I brought you this.”

“Oh is that fresh? Forget what I said before, I feel better now.” Fawnleap said as he greedily snagged up a mouse.

“Is there an occasion?” Ryewhisker asked coolly. “You haven’t spoken to me in a while.”

“Yeah. It’s an apology. Thank you for trying to be patient with me. I’d like you to pass that to Fallowspring, if she’d accept it.” He looked to Fawnleap, who had a mouse half way out of his mouth. “And for you, for just continuing to be...whatever it is you are, despite everything.”

Fawnleap blinked at him and nodded seriously, which looked even more absurd considering his mouth was still full.

“I appreciate it, Talltail,” Ryewhisker said. “And you know, Fallowspring isn’t really still mad at you. She’s never mad for long, or she would have long since disowned Fawnleap. She’s just… got a lot on her mind right now.”

Fawnleap scoffed, “And a lot of it has to do with hunting with Shrewclaw instead of me.” “Of course,” Talltail said, “I’m sure everything will work itself out.”

Next he found Lilywhisker, as he saw her tail vanish into the nursery. He couldn’t manage a rabbit for her, but he’d found a plump vole. He poked his head into the overhanging roots of the warm milk-scented den. It had been so long since he was in here. Talltail was momentarily worried he was intruding, but Lilywhisker nodded at him in a friendly way as she saw him, though she looked a bit tired.

“I caught this for you. And there’s more to bring to Meadowbreeze,” he said.

“That’s very sweet of you Talltail.” she smiled

“I hope the kits are doing well.”

“They’re doing wonderfully!” Meadowbreeze chirped. He couldn’t believe the new mother still had as much energy as she did. “They all opened their eyes already. I still can’t make up my mind on names, but I’ll think of them soon.”

Lilywhisker gave a good natured exasperated sigh.

“They are certainly going to be a pawful, I can already tell. And I thought your sister's lot in the nursery were energetic.” She looked at Talltail, “Meadowbreeze swears she won’t want a break, but we’ll see about that.”

“I’m sure they’ll be in good care with you. And….thank you for that. You spent a lot of time caring for me when I was young.” “Oh, don’t even thank me, Talltail.” Lilywhisker purred. “You were such an easy and well behaved kit, like I probably will never get again.”

Talltail dipped his head and ducked out of the nursery, making way for a frazzled Hazelnose who had more new soft grass in his jaws. He’s going to flood the place with soft grass. Some cat should tell him to relax, Talltail thought as the brown tom slipped past. The kits were lucky to have such doting and devoted parents. He was a bit sad he wouldn’t see who Meadowbreeze’s kits grew up to be.

As he began searching for Dawnstripe, the sadness in him felt like it was going to crawl up his throat and choke him. It would be the worst saying goodbye to her, after all she’d done. She had left camp with Appledawn moments ago. As he padded after her, he spotted Shrewclaw returning with Redclaw and Fallowspring. Shrewclaw almost looked happy as he chatted with Fallowspring. It was a surprise to Talltail, but he found that he felt relieved.

He surprised himself even more when he called out to Shrewclaw. The three cats turned, looking a bit startled. Fallowspring whispered something to the others, then she gestured to Redclaw to follow her back into camp. Shrewclaw looked after them, as if he didn’t know what he wanted to do. Talltail wondered if it was a mistake to do what he did, but it was too late now.

Shrewclaw narrowed his eyes, but he seemed caught off guard by the lack of hostility in Talltail’s face.

“...What?” there was a hint of defensiveness in his voice, but more so confusion. Of course, Talltail hadn’t said a word to him since their assessment.

He was quiet for a moment. There was a lot lost between them. But it would do no good to get into it, and Shrewclaw likely wouldn’t want to. At last, all he managed to say was, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“Yes. You have a right to hate me. I would, if I were you. I hope you can be happy again. I mean it.” he was surprised to find that he really did. Part of him wanted to hold onto resenting Shrewclaw, but if this was it, what was the point? He didn’t need it. And without the resentment, all he was left with was regret and sadness. Shrewclaw gaped at him. His ears flattened and perked up again between annoyance and surprise as if he truly couldn’t decide how to feel. They had never had a relationship where they spoke sincerely to each other like that, even during the best of times.

Eventually Shrewclaw looked away and grumbled into his chest, trying not to show how incredibly awkward he felt, and clearly uncertain whether he was ready to give up any of his cold demeanor to peer through the deeply rooted thorns between them.

“Ok. Whatever.” he said stiffly. “Well. I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m going back to camp. Bye.”

“Bye Shrewclaw,” Talltail murmured. The temperamental tom would probably have still been hostile if Talltail hadn’t caught him so off guard. That was fine. Shrewclaw wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore anyway.

To his simultaneous relief and dread, Dawnstripe had not gone far yet. He padded up to her, and she greeted him warmly.

“You’re not going for another hunt again are you? I saw the haul you brought back earlier, it looks like you pulled two days of work in one afternoon,” she said.

“No, I was looking for you,” he said. It took everything he had to keep the grief out of his voice. He pressed his nose under her chin and held it there to hide his face.

“Oh,” she said, surprised, but not unpleasantly. “Everything’s alright I hope?”

“Yes. Everything will be fine. I feel like...I’ve never properly thanked you for all you’ve done for me.”

She purred in laughter. “You thank me all the time, Talltail.”

“Yes, but really thanked you I mean,” he pulled back. “I know I haven’t always been easy to put up with, but you never gave up on me, even when…” even when you should have, he thought, but saying it aloud would prompt her to disagree. He shook his head and rubbed his cheek against hers.

“You are a wonderful mentor, and every apprentice you have after me will be lucky.”

She blinked at him when he finally pulled back. “That’s a lot Talltail, but...thank you, of course. Are you sure everything’s ok?”

“I’m sure. I just wanted to tell you is all. I’m going for a walk. Good luck on your hunt.”

He left quickly, sure if he stayed any longer he wouldn’t be able to contain his emotions. It wasn’t fair, to her more than any cat. She’d tried so hard for him, she trusted him, was patient and encouraging through everything, but he still didn’t really deserve his warrior name.

He wouldn’t be able to stay much longer, or cats would start wondering about his behavior. He didn’t want anyone to try and stop him. Woollycloud was already too suspicious to risk. Who else was there?

He knew before he’d really asked himself. Talltail climbed up onto Outlook Hill, the highest point on the territory to get a better look around, and to his surprise, there he was.

Briarpaw was sitting curled up on a rock, watching the sun set below the horizon. Maybe luck was on his side after all. But what could he say to Briarpaw? His oldest friend would surely see through him. Something told him, somehow, perhaps he already did. Briarpaw looked up at him, with such sadness in his eyes when Talltail approached.

“What are you doing up here?” Talltail asked tentatively.

“It’s part of my training to listen,” Briarpaw replied. “Everything is clearest up here, so this is where I meditate.”

“What are you listening to?”

“Everything I suppose. Whatever speaks. The clouds, the wind, the gorse.” His eyes were fixed on the bright red clouds catching the rays of sunset, a mix of blazing orange and dark stormy blue. Talltail sat beside him. Knowing this was his last step was making him want to drag his paws. It might be the last time he saw the sun set on the moor, casting the sky in so many brilliant hues.

“What are the clouds saying today?” Talltail wasn’t sure if he was trying to make small talk, but he was certainly stalling.

“There’s going to be storms. Bad ones, I think. The rains will be late, but when they come, it will be heavy and dark.”

It was hard to picture storms with all this blistering heat clouding Talltail’s head and seeping into his fur. The brilliant light shimmering on the edge of the horizon line was all he could focus on. He pondered for a moment how he may very well travel to that far horizon line, see the hills bathed in light up close. A goal far off in the distance to aim for. His paws were itching and restless even though at the same time he was horribly afraid to feel so lost and far away.

“It looks a bit like fire, doesn’t it? Reaching up on the horizon.” Briarpaw murmured, seemingly half to himself. He looked up at Tallpaw “You look like you're burning yourself, the way it catches your dark fur.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Talltail said carefully. “I’ve never seen real fire.” He’d of course been lucky enough to only know about it through stories. Talltail glanced at the medicine cat apprentice. “Has StarClan shown you dreams of what it really looks like?”

“I have dreamt of it before, yes.” Briarpaw replied. His gaze was still fixed on the distant hills. “It’s bright, flickering, and brilliant orange. A lot like the color of your eyes, actually.”

Talltail sniffed, “Well, I’ve never really gotten a good look at my own eyes.”

“I know. I think it’s hard for you to see any part of yourself very clearly.”

Talltail faltered a bit. “Well, I mean...There’s not a lot of clear still water nearby. The reflections are always murky.”

Talltail didn’t know how else to reply. Briarpaw was probably suggesting more with his words as he often did, but that didn’t make Talltail any more sure of how to address it.

Briarpaw shifted his paws under himself, and was silent for a long moment before continuing.

“Do you remember the first time we came up here together? On your first day as an apprentice?”

“Yeah,” Tallpaw replied. “It feels like so long ago now.”

“Back then when I was with you, I started hearing something similar to what I hear now, though I didn’t fully understand it. Or maybe I didn’t want to understand it. I’ve been watching you walk around to everyone.” A deep grief glimmered in his golden eyes as he blinked up at his friend. “You’re really going to leave after all, aren’t you?”

Talltail stared at him, worried for a moment that Briarpaw had told someone, but Briarpaw looked so resigned.

“...Yes. How did you know?”

“I dream about you a lot, Talltail. I always have. Of course, I dream about lots of cats, and always struggle to put the pieces together of what they mean.”

“Medicine cat stuff, I suppose,” Talltail laughed without humor. “Does StarClan want me to go?”

“No. StarClan doesn’t wish for things like that. StarClan can guide us, but these visions...I’m not sure where they come from or why they come to me. Perhaps they have no allegiance at all. There is so much in the world beyond what we know underneath our Silverpelt.” Briarpaw looked up into the sky, seeming suddenly far away. “...I’ve messed up a lot of visions. Hawkheart says it's normal for an apprentice, but it’s made me so afraid. Afraid I could steer a cat in the wrong direction. It’s led to me...being afraid to speak to you sometimes.”

Talltail blinked at him “You were...afraid? I thought...I thought you were just upset with me.”

“I’ve never been upset with you. I’m sorry... I was so unsure. I wanted to avoid the future I didn’t want to face. Even now part of me thinks perhaps I could have tried to push you onto a different path, one that didn’t make me face this. But I think...one way or another, it would have ended up worse for you. So here we are, and you’re on your path now.”

“You agree I should leave then?” Talltail didn’t know whether that made him relieved or sad.

Briarpaw’s gaze drifted to the ground at his paws. “I don’t want you to go. And I hope that you’ll find the way back here someday soon.”

“I don’t think I will be coming back," Talltail said. “I...I don’t belong here. I have felt wrong for moons. Out of place. I feel inadequate, and there is nothing I can do to change the wrong here that weighs on me. There is one thing I feel called to do, and the only thing I’m sure of is that I can’t do it here, as a simple warrior. Everything I do here can be done by someone else, and let's be honest, I haven’t been great at keeping close friends.”

“I’m sorry you’ve felt that way,” Briarpaw sounded so sincere. “I hope you understand how many cats will notice your absence. By every cat you’ve spoken to and even the ones you won’t.”

It’s his job to say that. Talltail thought. He made cats uncomfortable more often than not, or plagued their minds with worry. Better to cut the tie and make them not have to worry anymore. “You won’t try to stop me then?”

“No. But...you don’t have to go. I’ll help you. Dawnstripe will, and Woollycloud I’m sure...they’ll be heartbroken if you go.”

Talltail faltered.

Perhaps they would. He looked down at the camp behind him, and then over across the moor he’d grown up in. He knew it all so well.

For a moment he did almost want to give up his idea. A thought crossed his mind, a flicker of hope. What if everything could be fixed, and he could find a way to feel accepted here. He could apologize and mend every bridge he’d broken. Dawnstripe and Woollycloud would stop worrying. He was a simple runner, but he could try to be the best one he could be. He wouldn’t have to leave his home, he wouldn’t have to leave the cats he came to care for. Maybe somehow it could be ok.

The thought warmed him as it flickered briefly through his mind. But as fast as the spark lit up, that little light of hope was smothered. That was just what he wanted to be true. That happiness wasn’t his to lounge in when there was so much wrong done in the world.

“I...can’t.” Talltail sighed. “They will be upset, after all the time they’ve spent trying to help me. But they will move on. The clan has moved on from so many losses. If I stay...I’ll go mad. I can’t ignore what I feel must be done any longer.”

The little hope that had appeared in Briarpaw’s eyes faded as his face fell. “If this is what you choose...you must choose it on your own. Now that you're here I can see that. No cat can stop you. I wish you had told the clan formally though.”

Talltail ducked his head. He was ashamed himself.

“I’m just...I’m just not strong enough. They’ll know soon enough. If StarClan has been showing you this outcome, then it’s what they think is best too.”

Briarpaw stood and faced him “StarClan wants you to be sure of where you put your paws. You are one of the Wind Runner’s children. You’ve always been worthy.” He pressed his nose to Talltail’s cheek, “I love you, Talltail. So many of us do. Even if you don’t come back, it will still be true. I hope someday you will know why.”

Talltail held his face against Briarpaw’s for a long moment. It hurt him deeply. But he had to go, before he could change his mind. This had to be done. He needed to rip the thorn out and leave, quickly. He stepped back, gave Briarpaw one last look over his shoulder and started at a run down the hill, to the south. He didn’t look back at Briarpaw again.

As he ran, the greenleaf wind brought strong sweet smelling heat as it rushed through his fur. It seemed to be pulling him in every direction. Was he being chased out or held back? He couldn’t tell. He ducked his head against it as he flew through the darkening sunset.

Before reaching the edge of the moorland, he stopped. As soon as he passed, there was no going back.

He froze, and pricked his ears. Someone was nearby.

There were two very pale amber eyes watching him, staring wide and questioning.

Palebird.

Talltail looked back at his mother. Why was she out here? He hadn’t even thought about going to see her. What would be the point? They had said everything they could say and rarely saw each other anymore.

He looked at her for a long moment. Maybe you’ll go back to normal when I’m gone. Maybe you can cut your old broken life away and finally start a new one. He didn’t want to tell her that out loud. Palebird didn’t speak to him before, and she wouldn’t start now.

But to his surprise, she did. She took the smallest step towards him.

“Talltail?” she mewed in her cracked and fragile voice. “Where are you going?”

He opened his mouth to reply. But there was still nothing to say. He was too afraid of what might come out if he really tried to speak to his mother.

So instead, Talltail made the very last cowardly decision he would make in his home territory. He turned, saying nothing at all, and simply kept walking. She didn’t follow him, but he felt her eyes as he went. To the edge of the moor. To the dark treeline looming above him. The wind cut off here, blocked by the thick towering branches. It was quiet at last.

He stepped into the shadows, and was lost from his mother's view.

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#FRU30 #chapter 30 #cw depression

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wcamino-confessions · 4 years

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hi I’ve been waiting for species to come up in here, and now that it has, hold on to your asses boys we’re going for a ride

it’s another long one, sorry, but I’m very passionate about the species debate and whether or not you agree with me, you can’t say I’m wrong with some of these points

firstly, species are various ‘hybrids’ or evolutionized/mutated subversions of cats that are commonly found around amino. sometimes they’re simply cats with odd traits that serve no real purpose and were mainly created for aesthetic. some more popular species include delicats, mermyxns, and slimetails. each species has traits that are specific to their genes, although MOST (not all) have the same base traits (horns, wings, steam, fish tails, spikes, random inanimate objects as tails, socks, bandaids, unnatural whiskers, antennae, glass body parts, liquidated body parts, etc).

species really got big upon the first notable creation of warriors species called slimetails back in late 2018/early 2019. the cats featured various colored, themed, textured and substanced tails made from slime after radioactivity consumed the clans homes and resulted in the genetic mutation. they grew very popular very quickly as they were, and are, an open original species. from there, species quickly took off with the members of WA, and with no regulations about who could make them and how you went about doing so, they were quickly overwhelming. well, maybe overwhelming isn’t the right term. the community absolutely ate up the prospect of unnatural, oftentimes irrelevant, cats with pretty features and levels of trait rarity. they’re still a very popular aspect of WA today.

and in today’s standards, they are oftentimes associated with a users level of “popularity.” although this is definitely not the case with all species owners and affiliates, no one can deny that the only reason some members are popular is because of their status as creators, GA’s, or fervent members of that species communities. now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does tend to rile small bouts of drama in some cases. luckily, they usually remain off of WA, or at least out of the BIG drama category of WA. but there is plenty of drama associated with species nonetheless.

firstly, there is the matter of relevancy that needs to be addressed within species. although the LT did reform their guidelines to ensure that all species do have some form of relation to the warriors books in their lore, we haven’t seen much of a change. in order to “abide” by this new guidelines, many species creators simply said that the cats in their species could be found living in clans either in the wild, on their own accord, or as a whole. WITHOUT altering their lore as required. that’s all fine and dandy. but how does it derive species from the books? well. it doesn’t. because in order for a species to be truly relevant to the warriors fandom, they must have descended DIRECTLY from one of the five clans in the books, or a tribe. rogues and loners, while apart of the series, have never been found to go off and create their own clan(s) for the fun of it. and we have no reason to believe that would change in the series. even the Skyclan cats didn’t reform Skyclan for shits and giggles. they were influenced by clan cats and received prophetic dreams from Starclan cats that basically guilt tripped them into doing this really random thing that they otherwise wouldn’t have even known of.

so, in all technicality, rogue/loner species derivatives do not pertain to the books. in order for a species to be genuinely, unquestionably relevant to warriors they need to either be mutated/evolved counterparts to the clans/tribe, or they need to, by direct lineage, be related to the original clan cats. of course no one expects you to go draw up a family tree on how your flying monkey cats have someone come from Firestar the Greats bloodline. but simply saying so isn’t enough. if they’re truly relevant to the books, then species owners need to add it. to. the lore. yeah, that guideline has already been passed. but it was not followed efficiently. your quirky cats with a clan/tribe hierarchy or something similar to such does not make them relevant. fix the damn lore like the guidelines originally stated. oh, and sorry to break it to you, but this means that your mythical god-like cats, your robo-cats, and your human object cats are immediately out of the running for relevancy. I can see how wings might have some semblance of realistism, but your sparkly candle tailed cats or cats who grow moss in cute little bubbles serve no evolutionary purpose and wouldn’t have any possibility of existing within the warriors universe.

now, onto the next topic of relevancy: evolution. some people say that cats developing fish tails or wings defies the laws of evolution. it probably does. but then again, we are dealing with four territorial cult cats who are very religious and, on occasion, will fight ghost cats and lose so. I’m actually defending species on this part, but don’t get used to it. because in all honesty, who are we to defy the lengths that evolution will go to? we didn’t expect fish to grow legs, but here we are. who’s to say that in this hypothetical universes cats can’t evolve to accommodate wings? don’t get me wrong, I hate the idea of it, but it isn’t COMPLETELY unreasonable.

next on the agenda, we have attribute individuality. granted, there are only so many different ways to make your species unique and really genuinely original, seeing the same handful of base traits repeat themselves in multiple different species (that could honestly just be considered one species altogether) does get old. there are not infinite options for creating a species that is going to be genuinely relevant in some remote aspect, and at some point people need to realize its time to stop. new species sprout up on what seems like a monthly basis on several occasions. and, although they don’t always get big, they still hold a place in clogging the latest feed. specifically with their borderline unacceptably irrelevant adopts. species really test the limits in relevancy, and so do adopts, but that’s for another day. and I’m not saying adopts are bad, so don’t single that out from this entire confess.

there’s another thing. species adopts. they’re constantly flooding the latest feed and drowning out actual warriors/oc related content. “it’s not your place to tell people what they should and shouldn’t post!” yeah, no dip. that’s not what I’m doing. I’m simply expressing my grievances with the amount of UNBEARABLY absurd species adopts that are constantly being uploaded and sold. and pricing? yeesh, that’s also for another day. but I am, again, not blatantly telling anyone to “stop posting species adopts!” or “lower your prices!” so that’s not something that needs to be brought up. so, whether or not you continue to post species adopts is your business. I’m positive that plenty of people adore them and are eating them up like candy. but, coming from a rare non-species lover, it does get tiring to trudge through all those horned bases and eye bleed neons to find some actual content.

don’t get me wrong, I’m not against species, per se. but I am against them being on WA. they don’t serve any actual purpose to the fandom in terms of relevancy. in most cases at least. and while I do applaud the creativity, the uniqueness and the overall joy it brings to the table, I just think that they’d be better off elsewhere. this is not a cat amino. this is a warriors amino. meaning we are only inclusive of cats pertaining to the warriors fandom for validated use in the community. validated use consists of realistic role playing, realistic story writing, realistic artistry and/or realistic character development by any means. so, looking outside of species, any unrealistic characters are still fine for the community because they cannot actually be implimented into WA in the ways that species can for their unnatural complexions. the only reason species are justified for their unnatural complexions is because of loopholes that make them seem relevant and viable for validated use, simple because they are completely feline in the genetic sense.

I hope that paragraph made sense, shit got a little complex right there. but, anyways, I’d like to reiterate relevancy. again. because I don’t see anyone giving up their species on WA for the sake of being canonically relevant because they’re going to find some off the wall way to make their quirky cats seem applicable. to be fair, I wouldn’t want to give up by hard earned creation so easily either. but there ARE other places to take them. and it isn’t up to us to figure out where, it’s up to the species owners. so it’s not like the species would be thrown out altogether, it would just be the irrelevant ones. and the relevant ones would be required to ACTUALLY abide by the guidelines instead of finding loopholes or countering valid points as to how their species are not canonically derived with “they lives in clans.” again, sorry if this paragraph was hard to follow. I’m perfectly fine with clearing up any misunderstandings in those last two paragraphs^^

so, to sum up, I believe the guidelines should be fixed and species should be properly mandated to abide by these new guidelines in order to ensure ACTUAL relevancy. I don’t like species. I don’t want anything to do with them. but I like that they bring a new sense of community and likeness to WA. and I don’t give a rats ass if you choose to associate with them. I personally believe that NONE of the species have any place on WA, but that would be unfair of me, wouldn’t it. so, I did my best to accommodate rationality in this entry, and I apologize if I came off as a stuck up bitch at any point. it wasn’t my intention, but I sure it did happen at some point.

oh, and let me derail any “WA would be boring if it were 100% relevant” arguments. because firstly, it WAS 100% relevant when it first started out, and it thrived. secondly, no where did I claim that species need to be 100% relevant. I made it very clear that it was the lore and the traits that needed to match up to accommodate the terms of relevancy. and thirdly, even on the off chance that species were subtracted from the equation, there are still plenty of other aspects that leave WA out of the running for total relevancy. thank you for coming to my ted talk, have a nice day loves <3

#submission

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kwamikikkitale · 5 years

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Novellas+ Theories

As we all are aware the next set of novellas will about Daisy, Mothwing, and Tree (i think?) and most likely be taking place on the current arc. Which brings me the next set of theories. On Daisy novella a cat from her past comes to her asking for help but at first she refuses because she is loyal to her clan. Lets pretend this cat is a littermate of Daisy. Daisy is conflicted because she must be loyal to her clan but this is a cat she grew up with and she the only one who can help him/her and she feels she has not purpose on the clans without kits to take care of. This brings the question if is really fair not to help family just because she is a clan cat now? Does being part of clan means you have to cut ties with your family and never see them again? Don't you think thats unfair? For Mothwing novella she will probably face the hostility of her clanmates because her lack of belief (or what is currently right now that she doesnt beleive Starclan is always right) with Mistystar and Willowshine backing her up. I think it will be interesting hearing from Mothwing a lot on this arc. Because lets face it Starclan is not always right and makes mistakes. Starclan the cats who let Brokenstar live to punish the clans for driving out Skyclan even if that happened about 20 years ago? Why did the clans from Bluestar time were punished for something their ancestors did. Thats not fair. And if is true that is a Starclan cat who is controlling Bramblestar will back things more. I just want Mothwing to said at some point: "If living cats commit mistakes, don't you think dead cats also". For Tree we will most likely learn why he is like that, If you think about it Tree is right to question the code at some point. Like the code The word of a leader is the law. If it wasn't for the law somebody could have prevented the dead of lots of kits during Brokenstar reign. The reason Starclan gave Brokenstar and Tigerstar nine lives which caused more trouble to the clans was because it their duty and part of the code to give the deputy nine lives after the leader dies. As everyone has already believe, by the end of this arc the warrior code will most likely change. Maybe the code The word of a leader is the law will be change to The word of a leader is the law unless... If Fireheart had not defy Bluestar orders she will had lead TC on a unnecessary battle with WC. And maybe Starclan should think twice before giving evil cats nine lives.

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elisethefictionkid · 5 years

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Chapter One

Unedited, the only proof reading it had was via Microsoft Word grammar check, and basically just a mad dash to get words out.

Summary: The newly named Loststar has to choose a deputy for her new Clan before time runs out.

Word count: 1,813

53 moons after the birth of Cinder and Rune

“So?” Loststar stirred from her sleep, her fur soaked from falling asleep in the mist coming from the ever-raging waterfall in front of her. Moon Falls, she reminded herself. She turned her head to find her two medicine cats, Willowpelt and Dapplefur, looking at her anxiously. “Did it work? Are you our leader?”

Loststar rose, chuckling to herself. Her muscles were sore, and she shivered as the night air hit her wet fur. Though her body felt physically as if she were recovering from a sickness, her mind felt stronger than ever. “StarClan or not, I'd still be your leader.”

“Okay, but did you get your lives?” Dapplefur asked impatiently, her cloudy eyes unfocused and set somewhere to the right of Loststar.

Loststar chuckled. “Loststar. I'm Loststar now. Leader of DappledClan.”

Dapplefur's fur rose. “So, they told you the same thing? To name the Clan after me?”

“They told me the same thing,” Willowpelt admitted. She suddenly perked up. “Oh! Lost—Loststar! When you received your lives...did you see...?”

Heather. Loststar sighed. I wish she were still here to see us. All of us. “I swore an oath of silence. I can't speak of what went on, unless they wished me to, like with the naming of DappledClan.”

“Come on. We need to get back to appoint a deputy.” Dapplefur beckoned the two towards the camp.

“I wish I could make you my deputy,” Loststar meowed as she caught up to and passed the blind she-cat, resting her tail on her shoulder and gently steering her towards the correct direction. “You know so much more about this than anyone else. Why do you have to be a medicine cat?”

“Well, the tail on my shoulder should be a clear enough indication,” Dapplefur explained. Loststar contemplated moving her tail, until she had to steer Dapplefur away from a tree. “The forest is a dangerous place. I'm not used to being blind. I'm just...far more useful as a medicine cat.”

“You don't know anything about herbs,” Loststar pointed out bluntly. “I'm fairly sure I know more about healing than you do.”

“I can learn!” Dapplefur bristled. She paused. “Besides, we still have Goldenclaw. He may be subpar as a deputy, but he may be all we got.”

Loststar bit her tongue. She looked to the moon. It wasn't at its highest point of the night, but it was moving quick. Her paws itched to speed up the patrol, but she knew it would be unfair to Dapplefur, who was still learning her way around the forest.

Eventually they got back to find the camp mostly asleep. They were greeted at the entrance by Goldenclaw and Cinderpool. “Losteye!”

“Loststar, now,” Loststar corrected as she entered the camp. Ashpool was keep a vigilant eye on the tunnel watch and on the dens around her. Scarredpelt sat close next to her, leaning close to her ear and alerting her. She turned her head and noticed as Loststar left Dapplefur and Willowpelt to chat with the tunnel watch.

“You're back,” she pointed out, trotting up to Loststar.

“I can trust you kept things under control while I was gone?” Loststar asked, but she already knew the answer. Ashpool knew the most about Loststar's duties and she often did them whenever Loststar left camp.

“Yes, of course,” Ashpool insisted, still she looked dumbfounded. “Where were you; what happened?”

“The Moon Falls. North of here. I got my nine lives and my leader name,” Loststar explained. “Loststar.”

Ashpool's eyes sparkled with wonder. “Loststar,” she echoed. “Nine lives. There's always something more to completing a Clan. What's next?”

“A deputy,” Loststar answered. “A second in command who I can trust to lead my Clan when I die.”

“That sounds important,” Ashpool meowed nonchalantly, but yearning shone in her eyes. “You should probably choose someone older and wiser. Like Goldenclaw, or Scarredpelt, o-or Tigerstripe...”

“I don't have long to decide.” Loststar looked up to find the moon at its highest point. It's now or never. She looked back down and made eye contact with her daughter. Loststar's heart leaped. She knew exactly who to choose. “Ashpool, gather the masses.”

Ashpool nodded and disappeared into the nearest den. Scarredpelt followed her lead and poked his head into Snowfeather's den. Loststar jumped atop the oak branch above her den, her small Clan beginning to gather underneath her. There were so few cats she could count how many there were and knew by instinct when they were all out.

First order of business is my new name,” Loststar began, addressing the cats. They perked their ears and gave curious flicks of the tail. Boulderfang whispered something to Cinderpool and she shushed him. “As I am the new leader of DappledClan, our Clan, it is tradition that my name is changed to Loststar.”

The cats mumbled words of wonderment. Some didn't get it, but still they were supportive. “I want to be leader!” Loststar heard Juniperkit's soft but excited mewl. “I wanna be Juniperstar!” She was quickly hushed by Snowfeather, who gave a few words of encouragement afterwards.

“Second order of business is choosing a deputy before it's too late,” Loststar quickly explained, silencing the Clan. “I say this before StarClan, so that they, and my Clan, may accept my choice. The first deputy of DappledClan will be Ashpool.”

Ashpool's closest friends congratulated her, excitedly bumping her and pushing her around. The young warrior looked shocked but her eyes gleamed.

However, Dapplefur looked disgruntled and Goldenclaw looked downright worried. Loststar puffed her chest out. She knew her choice and she felt it was the best one.

“Celebrate, DappledClan. We're finally a Clan. All of us, wandering spirits, looking for somewhere to belong. We belong, now. And we have a purpose,” Loststar spoke, watching as cats inflated with pride. “You are all dismissed.”

The cats split ways and excitedly chatted on their way back to the den. As Loststar jumped down, she was immediately surrounded by Ashpool, Cinderpool, and Scarredpelt. “Loststar – thank you so much!” She purred. “I always aspired to take care of the Clan after you!”

“I wish Mom could have seen her,” Cinderpool interjected, her voice happy but reserved. “Seen us.”

Loststar's heart sank. She yearned to tell them the truth. Of who their mother truly was. “Me too,” she sighed. “I would give anything.”

“Loststar.” The group turned to find Dapplefur, Goldenclaw, and Willowpelt standing together with stern looks on their faces. “Can we speak? Alone?”

“Three against one hardly seems fair,” Loststar insisted, turning away from her daughters and sitting towards the others. “What is it?”

“Ashpool is a very responsible cat,” Willowpelt began, her tail flicking thoughtfully. “But she's...young. There...are others who know their way around the forest better, who have more moons of knowing how to survive, of how to hold responsibility...”

Loststar looked over to Ashpool. Her youthful excitement had faded, and her face fell at the criticism. Loststar's claws unsheathed in anger. “I know no one else better for the position,” she insisted, turning back to the three. “I've taught her everything she knows. I've taught her everything I know. Nobody here knows what I go through like she does. I'm not just some biased m –”

Loststar froze. She had hoped the others didn't notice how she almost slipped on her words.

“I can get your concerns. And I can assure you, in the future, the code will be followed, and Ashpool will choose a warrior who has mentored an apprentice.”

Dapplefur let out a defeated sigh. “I suppose you're right.”

“I think she's a fine choice,” Goldenclaw admitted quietly. “Some may think I was the obvious choice but...Ashpool knows these woods and these cats far more than I ever will.”

“I'm just...worried,” Dapplefur finally admitted with a sigh. “We...Goldenclaw, Darkfoot, and I, just came from Clans that fell apart because of one bad choice atop another. Not that Ashpool was a bad choice, I just fear she was...a rushed choice.”

“The choice was made quickly,” Ashpool pointed out timidly.

“What are you insinuating?” Cinderpool demanded. Scarredpelt let out a small noise of agreement. “Honestly, Ashpool, you're letting these outsiders change your mind about a position you've had for moons before they even arrived?”

“Cinderpool!” Loststar scolded, though Ashpool brightened up from her pep talk. “Nobody here is an outsider. We are all from DappledClan.”

Cinderpool didn't say anything but she lashed her tail. “Loststar is right,” Scarredpelt agreed. “We are a family now. And Loststar's decision was not rushed, but something that built up after moons.”

“Thank you Scarredpelt. Now, it's past moon high. Get back to your dens, all of you,” Loststar ordered. “Yes, even you two, Goldenclaw and Cinderpool. You held entrance watch for long enough. I'll find someone else to do it.”

“I'll do it,” Scarredpelt volunteered.

“No, not you or Ashpool either,” Loststar insisted. “You sat with her all night while waiting for my return. You're both aware you didn't need to do that? To accompany Ashpool?”

They both flattened their ears and sheepishly shuffled their paws, as if they were a couple of kits being teased. Loststar purred. “Come on,” Ashpool ordered quietly, beckoning Cinderpool and Scarredpelt to follow her back to the warriors' den.

“Goodnight Loststar,” Willowpelt purred, turning and leaving to the medicine cat den.

“I'll catch up with you,” Dapplefur called back to Willowpelt. Loststar's stomach dropped.

“You didn't just send her away so you could lecture me on my choice, have you?” Loststar asked skeptically.

“You're about double my age, Loststar. I think I'm past lecturing you now,” Dapplefur pointed out. “No lecturing here, anyway. I'm just here to remind you that next full moon is our first Gathering.”

“You told Runestar our meeting point?” Loststar asked. She paused. “...he is Runestar now, correct?”

“If not now, soon,” Dapplefur answered with a shrug. “And yes, we told him.”

“Very good.” Loststar nodded slowly. “Ah, Dapplefur, before you join Willowpelt in the den, I just...wanted to thank you. For everything. For all the sacrifices you made. You've done more for me and my cats than I could ever thank you for.”

“Thank you, actually. Any sane cat would have heard our plight and dismissed us as being crazy,” Dapplefur purred. “Thanks to you, the generations after generations of Clan tradition is saved. You saved me and my cats, truthfully.”

Loststar was at a loss as she turned and watched Dapplefur slowly make her way back to her den. Had she really done such a monumental task? Her paws took her over to the warriors’ den. “Tigerstripe, Littleleap, on your paws. I need you two to watch the entrance.”

Without a word, they rose and made their way towards the familiar spot. Loststar made her way towards her den, and at last, plopped down into her nest. Sleep overcame her quickly.

#writing #writeblr #camp nano july 2019 #camp nanowrimo #nanowrimo #warriors #warriors ocs #fan characters #fanfiction

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