#Nettleclan Writings

[nettleclanstale]

Writings of NettleClan #2- Bumbletumble

Bumbletumble Oneshot

The sky was crimson, and the trees were black.

Bumbletumble padded down the seemingly endless trail, mentally taking note of the way it weaved and winded around the decaying trees. The air, which felt stuffy and thick, was filled with the sour scent of death. The scent of prey gone bad.

Sensing a presence before her, Bumbletumble paused. She looked forward, keeping her ears perked and nose twitching in interest.

A brown and white she-cat stood a few lengths away, her tail swaying back and forth. Blood dripped onto the ground from a long, deep wound in her belly. 

"No..." Bumbletumble whispered, taking a step back. "Hazelstar, please, I'm sorr-"

It was like she just blinked, and next thing she knew Hazelstar was on top of her, front paws on her throat. Bumbletumble writhed and gasped, letting out ragged sobs and doing anything in her power to push the stocky she-cat off of her. A cold feeling of dread filled her when she put her own paws onto Hazelstar's chest, only to see them stained with blood.

When she looked up at Hazelstar's face, it had morphed and distorted into a disturbing version of itself. The satisfied grin on the former leader's face widened as she pressed down harder on Bumbletumble's throat, making her world fade to black around her.

"Go ahead, Bumble, push me off. Kill me if you want to." She taunted. "You already have blood on your paws anyway."

As Bumbletumble's vision faded out completely, Hazelstar had some final words for her.

"You'll end up in the same place as me, anyway."

...

With a gasp, Bumbletumble jolted awake. She looked around, fur bristled and eyes wide, before realizing she was snuggled safely in the warrior's den. The familiar sights and scents of her clanmates' pelts huddled around her, soft snores heard.

Another nightmare.

Another star-damned nightmare.

Panting, Bumbletumble looked down at her paws, expecting the dark red stains to be there. To her relief, they were clean.

At least, physically.

She knew she hadn't been herself lately. Dewshade, Hazybloom, and Ambershard's deaths had put her mind in a horrible haze. Every single day she felt like her mind was filled with a thick cloud of smoke she couldn't get rid of. Her heart felt heavy, and sometimes just getting through the day proved itself to be a daunting task. She spent most of her time shuffling around camp nowadays, fixing up dens and picking up loose debris. 

One of the things she recently found out she enjoyed was making toys out of moss, sticks, and leaves for the kits. Well, kit. Alderkit was the only one in the nursery right now. 

Hauling herself to her paws, Bumbletumble left the warrior's den. She was careful not to step on any loose tails or paws as she made her way to the clearing.

She looked up at the moon. Judging by its placement, it was early morning.

Bumbletumble sighed, quietly making her way to the entrance. All she needed was some water. She could feel how damp her fur was from sweating so much.

But it's hot, She thought, trying to reason with herself and pry her wandering thoughts away from her nightmare. We have so many warriors. That's a lot of fur...

She continued, soon stopping when she reached the river's edge. The current was calm, meaning the water was safe to drink.

As Bumbletumble leaned down, lapping at the cool water and holding back a purr when the soothing liquid flowed down her throat, a voice behind her made her flinch.

"Mom...?"

Bumbletumble turned, smiling when she realized it was only Hawkheart. Her son returned the smile as he trotted over to her, sitting beside her and pressing his head against her shoulder. 

"You should be asleep," Bumbletumble murmured, rasping her tongue over Hawkheart's head to fix some ruffled fur. "Did you follow me?"

"I saw you leave." Hawkheart replied, so fast it was almost like he knew what Bumbletumble was going to say. "I wanted to make sure you were okay...You've been looking so tired...Meadowbreeze and I are worried."

Bumbletumble nodded, a low hum escaping her as she looked away.

"I'll be alright," She said, her voice gentle. "I just have a lot of thoughts..."

Her gaze wandered, settling in the direction of NettleClan's burial grounds. So many cats she loved and cherished lay there, including her littermates, her father, and her own son.

Hawkheart followed his mother's gaze, whiskers twitching. He made a noise, frowning.

"I miss Maplekit sometimes." He finally stated after a moment of silence. 

"I miss him too. I miss him every day." Bumbletumble replied, drawing her ears back slightly. "It's a shame. You two would've been amazing warriors together..." 

"Will you ever have more kits?" Hawkheart asked, looking up at Bumbletumble with a hopeful glint in his eyes. 

Bumbletumble smirked, touching her nose to Hawkheart's. "Maaaybe. Who knows, maybe you have more siblings on the way now!" She purred in amusement, making Hawkheart giggle. "It all depends on your father, really."

"What's my father like? What's his name?"

Bumbletumble chuckled. "Curious tonight, are we? Well, his name is Hayquill. He was a clancat, a QuailClan cat to be exact, but decided that the life of a loner is better for him. Surprisingly he looks nothing like you...He's gray."

Hawkheart nodded, listening intently. "Is he nice?"

"Oh, very. You remind me so much of him..." Bumbletumble replied. "You're both very troublesome, but...You're both kind. And gentle...I couldn't ask for better cats in my life. You two...And Meadowbreeze, of course...Mean the world to me."

"Aww, mama..." Hawkheart's expression softened, and for just a moment Bumbletumble saw the same little kit who used to wake her up in the middle of the night. The same kit who, upon finding out Maplekit was sick, made sure his brother had the softest moss and tastiest prey. The same kit who Bumbletumble stayed up with for hours on the night before his apprentice ceremony, talking about his fears, his wants, his dreams. 

The same kit she loved so much.

Trying to hide her forming tears, Bumbletumble nuzzled into Hawkheart's fur, purring loudly when he returned the gesture. "I love you." She told him.

"I love you too, Mama. A lot of us do. Please don't forget that."

The two cats remained there for a long, long while, talking quietly and sharing tongues until the moon began to set.

For the first time in a long while, Bumbletumble's heart felt lighter, even if only for a brief moment. And she was grateful. 

End.

[doerunners]

Who are you two favourite cats in each clan you're in? And why?

NettleClan:

Pansykit -

I think this one should have been pretty easy to anticipate, but I absolutely adore Pansykit. I've been so closely involved in her since before she was born and watching her growth through kithood alone has been amazing. Words cannot stress enough how excited I am to watch her develop through apprenticeship and see her gentle, kind nature grow. I think the relationship she has with Tansykit is great because they both foil one another so well. Pansykit mirrors Tansykit's cold, isolationist nature while Tansykit mirrors Pansykit's caring, sweet nature. They work so well as a duo, especially so when the twin aspect is added onto them. I have so much love in my heart for Pansykit. She is so perfect and I will die for her. @leafwhisker

Flickerclaw -

Okay I'll be honest and say I haven't always been a Flickerclaw stan. It was really easy to see him as a character through the lense of Spark, and it was ironically as Spark began to let go of his anger at Raven and Maple that I began to appreciate Flicker's unique and interesting arc. Watching his fish-out-of-water narrative, seeing those emotions as Raven gravitated away from him and left him with a similar sense of loneliness that he left Aspen with? SO cool to see, and its awesome to watch how that experience allowed Flicker to realize the faults in his own actions and reach out to Spark (and hopefully lter Aspen) to apologize. I really love the way hes grown up and how he had to learn the hard way that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I can't wait to see more with him regarding Hawk and Daisy as well- that's going to be such a unique thing to see. @mintswhisker

JaggedClan:

Swallowstorm -

An answer that shocks no one- I fucking love Swallowstorm. I would jump in front of a moving train for her. I would give Swallowstorm my left kidney. I love Swallowstorm. I've always had a soft spot for nasty girl characters and Swallowstorm is the nastiest girl there is. I'm heartbroken that I joined Jagged so late just because it means I missed out on a lot of her earlier development, but seeing her through the lense of Doerunner has honestly made her character that much more charming. I think Swallow's obsession with power and control is a really unique and captivating thing- I can't really think of another character that approaches this in a way as awesome and dynamic as her. The way she would go as far as to hurt herself and others around her just to keep that reality in tact for herself, the way she isolates herself just to tell herself the lie that it has to be this way because nobody else will understand, as well as to justify the way the cats closest to her have abandoned her/betrayed her trust. Her ego is too big for her own good, and to watch her repeatedly reach her breaking point, fall deeper into that dark mindset, only to place the limits of that breaking point further is so fucking awesome. I could honestly go on for paragraphs about all the subtleties I love about Swallowstorm, shes just genuinely so well written and dynamic and three dimensional. I'll be selfish for a bit and go on about how fun its been to reach out to that cold, broken cat through Doerunner, who's also broken but just in such a fundamentally different way. Seeing this relationship between Doe and Swallow where Doe tries to find her worth in befriending cats where Swallow finds her worth in pushing them away? So fucking GOOOOD. Especially when Swallowstorm is the one cat in JaggedClan who saved Doerunner, who literally kept her from freezing to death in the snow. Idk. Idk. I'm soft.

Mousetail -

My MOM. I love miss Mouse, especially because I'm one of the people who was lucky enough to see her shift from NettleClan to JaggedClan. To watch her go from lonely, angry, and hostile to the loving, gentle, and happy cat she is in JaggedClan has been such an awesome development to watch. I like how her happiness didn't come without a price- her scene leaving Crowstar behind, the way she's confronted Lavenderstrike after the way her kits were targeted, her overall apprehensive nature regarding her new clanmates is really nice to watch, her acclimation as a JaggedClan cat is slow and methodical and I like that a lot. It feels realistic and allows for a lot more growth and potential in the future. I'm really excited for her kits to reach six moons because there's so many more confrontations to see that are going to be absolutely great. I can't wait for Duststorm and Swiftstrike to meet her again, for them to view how far she's come in six moons, for Crowstar to see the way her family has grown, for Mottlepelt and her to speak again- there's a lot for Mouse to face in the future and I cannot WAIT to see how it goes. @currentfangs

The Tribe:

Butterfly -

Miss Butterfly.... my darling to-be. In the same way I'm soft on nasty girls, I'm also soft on characters with severe family trauma and Butterfly has that by the fucking BOATLOAD. The way she's been written through it all has been such a treat to watch, her using that obsession with the truth and being a well behaved, perfect cat to cope??? PEAK writing. I can hardly believe shes over a year old now as a character. I love the way she started fearful and anxious of the world because of how much it hurt her to a cat who, while still having some anticipation and fear, has a bit more confidence, especially through her relationship with Firefly and Spark. I just wuv her so much and I can't wait to see her function as an adult cat in the tribe! I can't wait to see her bond with her peers, meet Spark's kits, develop more with Butterfly and Fading. Shes a perfect little darling girl and I'll die for her. (Leo its not letting me tag you so I'll just DM you lol)

Aspen Snow -

Last but not least, miss Aspen. She's one of the first characters I got to develop a meaning, worthwhile relationship with. I've watched her go to an angry, spunky kid to a complex, hurt adult. She's an interesting look into a character who just can't seem to catch a break and is a great mix of a character who doesn't know how to pull herself out of her hurt. I like how over the course of time, she developed into a cat who's too closed off about her emotions while Spark became a cat who's open with his emotions to a fault. They balance one another out when they're together, but apart they both spiral out of control in opposite directions. Her complicated relationships with all her siblings really symbolizes how her horrible early on experiences leaves her inable to bond with them now in a healthy way. Her relationship with her season makes it so her emotions, so bottled up, explode in drastically unhealthy ways when they reach their boiling point and those instances only serve to haunt Aspen Snow and lead her to believe she's a worse cat than she really is. I want to see a healing arc with her SO badly man

[stonefangs]

wigeon/sorrel, honey/loon, blue/mouse

Wigeonfur / Sorreltail - 💕 - i’m neutral to it

I don’t feel strongly about this ship either way, but I guess that I could be leaning towards liking it? I haven’t seen much of their interactions recently, because I feel like it’s been… implied, more than not? Things mentioned in unrelated posts about the two of them, rather than explicit interaction. And I know things go on beyond what we can strictly write out, but that’s just my take on how I personally get attached or otherwise to dynamics! From what I hear, though, I think I could enjoy how they develop. Kind of reminds me of my HCs for Bluefur/Thrushpelt, in the matter of Sorreltail helping care for kits that may not be his, but caring for them and for their mother like a family of his own. While I don’t get much more than “supportive friend” vibe from Sorrel towards Wigeon now, I think they could go deeper! 

Honeyflame / Loonwind 💓 - i like it

Again, I don’t have the strongest feelings about this pair, but I think it’s rubbed off on me a bit more for how I think Maplestrike views it for her mentor’s sake? I think they’re cute! I really like them both as their own characters, and all of their interactions have seemed natural and realistic. I wasn’t in NettleClan for most of the beginning sparks between them, but I don’t doubt that they’re very close and care deeply for each other, and as they work together to make sure and show it, that’s what makes for a good relationship! 

Bluepaw / Mousepaw 💓 - i like it

Honestly? I’m really surprised by how much I like this ship, and how well it’s been developing. I’ve always loved Bluepaw- the arrogant and cocky Big Brother of the leader’s litter, and I’ve adored Mousepaw- The black sheep of the bunch and the trouble child. The freak. But I never would have thought they would mesh well together at first glance. I had assumed that they’d strike a nerve with one another, bring out the worst in each other, probably make for a rivalry of some kind? But instead, they’re able to bounce right off of each other, and I’ve loved seeing Mousepaw actually being able to connect with someone else. She’s become more empathetic by making a friend in Bluepaw, and I get the feeling that Bluepaw eases some deeper insecurities in Mousepaw that help her… not need to act out maybe? Right now I personally like them better as friends because of this, but that doesn’t mean I dislike the ship. Bluepaw did what no one else was brave enough to do. 

[cinderstar]

Cindersnow and waspwing for the ship thing!!

BUCKLE UP EVERYONE.

when I started shipping it: after they came home, and started meeting up. I think the first time they met on the border, was when it really did me in.

thoughts: okay, so, hear me out.

cindersnow was a lazy, clumsy cat with no kin to speak of. he lost his brother and parents in the flood, and had very few connections to his clanmates. the end goal was always pebbleflank, because they got along well. when the kidnapping event was revealed, I was excited – maybe this would be the final push for cinder to confront his feelings with his clanmate?

however, the twolegplace affected him in ways I didn’t predict, even as his roleplayer. he was never a brave cat in the first place, nor that dedicated to the code, so when something terrible like that happened, he lost faith; he was unsure of himself, unsure of his abilities, and had resigned himself to never seeing his clan again. he was okay with that. he had even accepted his kittypet name, at that point. i’m telling you, he was destroyed by this event. there’s no way that he could’ve held on to a crush while dealing with all of this emotional turmoil. romance doesn’t always prevail, in these situations, and cinder had so much going on that pebble wasn’t his priority anymore.

waspwing, however, was.

during the time at the twolegplace, doveheart and amberleaf got together, and swanface and applenose were already very concerned about each other. the cats had someone - a mate, a crush, a friend - while wasp and cinder did not. the other cats wanted to get home, were unrelenting in their belief that their clans missed them, but these two… weren’t. and when they were thrust back into what was supposed to be their homes, chaos with the rogues ensued, and it was even harder for either of them to fit back into their lives. they had already given up.

they went through a lot together, and became friends that supported one another. and then, slowly... they became more.

I know a lot of people are confused about their origins/don’t ship it because they don’t have all the information, or weren’t there to see the beginnings, but honestly? this is the most naturally developed, perfectly fit relationship that i’ve roleplayed in, ever. it began naturally, healthily, and makes the two of them happy. it makes me happy, because it inspires me to draw and corbett is an amazing writer who encourages me to put effort into my writing.

my thoughts? I fucking love it.

what makes me happy about them: specifically? their support of one another. them pushing themselves to eat, sleep, go on patrol. pushing themselves and one another to recover.

what makes me sad about them: hoooo boy. the secrecy. the looming anxiety about their clanmates catching them, how the relationship will end, etc. wondering when and how this whole thing will end up. i want them happy, and together, but i don’t know how long this thing will be able to be kept quiet.

who i’d be comfortable with them ending up with, if not each other: for cinder? sparrowheart, or maybe pebble. though at this point, pebble is more of a best friend character more than anything! for waspwing, i don’t know as much about nettleclan, but i know he gets along well with halfstream!

my happily ever after for them: spoilers. ;3c

[threeclans]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but do you have any advice on hosting a long term wc rp? Also, how should someone go about looking for mods/making scheduled events? Ty for your time!!!

It’s definitely not easy but I’ll try and give you some tips on issues we’ve had in the past.1. Make sure you know what’s going on. One of our most important rules is to get mod permission on things because if members do stuff without telling us the plot could get severely effected. The first day of Nettleclan was a mess for Snow to come back to, you do not want to come back to a mess.2. Try opening clans at different times so you can better focus on them. Also I would suggest keeping it so that each person only gets one clan at the start, we didn’t allow people to be in more than one clan until we knew who was active and who wasn’t.3. Inactivity can destroy the group. This happened in my other group, mods as well as members were inactive and it flopped. Even here in Threeclans, the other mods and I were inactive causing events to stall and members we not happy. You have to be dedicated to the group.4. Other mods are very important to have. My other group I allowed a lot of people to mod and they weren’t active enough to keep it going. In Threeclans, Deer and I were chosen as mods after we helped to assist Snow on a few events, and we chose other mods based on how active they were in the group and how dedicated they were. Starting a group is hard to find mods for, unless you already have people you trust with experience in Warrior Cat roleplay groups. If you don’t have trustworthy close friends I would suggest holding applications.5. Speak with your other mods! Running a group is a group effort and none of us can do it alone. We have to constantly bounce ideas off each other and if one of us get too eager about something the others can talk us down. You cannot run a group by yourself.6. Scheduling events is pretty complicated, we added the wheel of events recently and we have a few docs to write everything down and it organized but there was a time we didn’t and the group suffered for it. It’s important to keep your future plots organized, even if they won’t happen for months. Smaller plots can always be worked in to create something greater.

7. Finally, listen to your members! They have given us great advice or have told us when we need to rework something. The group events are planned by the mods mostly but members have important feedback. Mods are only human and we can make mistakes, having members tell us what they think keeps the group going.

-Mod Dapple

[nettleclanstale]

Writings of NettleClan- #1

The very first issue of Writings of NettleClan- Where I write random short stories and oneshots about what the cats of NettleClan get up to in between moons. Writing Requests are welcome and highly encouraged!! Now it's get into the first writing.

Sunsong/Peakpaw Oneshot

Sunkit poked her head out of the nursery entrance, looking around. The fresh scent of Leaf-Fall air filled the young kit's nostrils, and she lifted her nose to take in more of the sweet, almost addicting smell.

She glanced behind her. Valleywave was still asleep, curled in her nest with her tail protectively wrapped around her body. However Peakkit, Sunkit's sister, was already awake and padding towards her.

"Hey," Peakkit greeted, taking a seat beside her littermate and glancing up at the sky with a gentle, slightly sleepy smile. "What're you doing...?"

"Hi! I'm just looking." Sunkit dipped her head in greeting, looking back out at NettleClan's camp. It was just beginning to stir. 

Dewkit, followed by Bumblekit and Hazykit, darted out of the warrior's den. All three young cats giggled and whirled to face the entrance as an extremely groggy and irritated Ambershard padded out, tail lashing. The warrior approached the three, saying something to them that Sunkit couldn't quite hear.

Whatever it was, it made Bumblekit's tail droop, while Dewkit let out an annoyed huff and stalked away. Hazykit was still giggling, until Ambershard shot him a glare that made him go silent.

Peakkit's whiskers twitched. "I wonder what it's like to have kits." She mused, tilting her head.

Sunkit wrinkled her nose, making a mock-gagging sound and turning her head to her sister. "Probably not good!" She huffed in reply. "Kits are noisy and smell weird!"

"But you're a kit!" Peakkit protested. 

"Exactly!" Sunkit stomped a front paw, her white ear twitching. 

Peakkit giggled, then went back to watching over the camp. Badgerfern was leaving the warrior's den and making his way over to the apprentice den, where Mistlepaw was asleep. He gently called the apprentice, who stalked out of the den and silently followed his mentor out of camp. In the same heartbeat Aloesight trotted out of his den, a slight limp in his step as he left camp with old, dirty moss in his jaws. 

"When I grow up," Peakkit finally meowed. "I want to have lots of kits. I think it would be fun! And then I can make you kit-sit for me!" She nudged Sunkit with a paw, earning a squeal from the cream she-kit.

"Really??" Sunkit narrowed her eyes, but made sure to grin so Peakkit wouldn't think she was angry. "I'll never have kits! Have fun licking bellies to help them make dirt!"

Peakkit laughed, before entwining her tail with Sunkit's and purring. "Maybe I will."

.

.

.

.

.

.

Sunsong stared out of the camp entrance, wrapping her tail around her belly. It wasn't any much bigger than before she found out she was expecting, and yet she felt as if everyone knew. As if everyone could see.

She looked up, and saw many stars glittering in the sky. The moon was full, leaving a soft light over the world as it glowed. Every now and then a chilly Leaf-Fall breeze would blow through her pelt, making her shiver. She had volunteered for guard duty that night, and Spiderstar agreed, telling her to let him know if she got too tired. While she just gave a smile and a small nod, she knew that she would be up for a long time, if not all night.

Sunsong sighed, feeling scared and alone. With Hazelstar's death only being a moon prior, and Ottercloud having his kits only three days ago, NettleClan held a tense air. And then she just had to find out she was having kits earlier that day...

She couldn't tell anyone. Not yet. Not until she was forced to move to the nursery. She didn't want to be a burden, especially when it came to kits she didn't know if she even wanted.

Memories flooded through Sunsong's brain. Memories of being a kit, of talking to Peakpaw...

Sunsong shifted, tensing her muscles. 

Peakpaw always wanted kits.

The she-cat constantly spoke of having a mate and starting a family one day. And everytime, Sunsong would feign disgust and give a snide remark. 

That was so, so long ago.

Lying down and feeling the cool earth touch her belly, Sunsong held back a sob. She loved her sister, more than anything or anyone else. But she was gone. Peakpaw was gone, and Sunsong was never getting her littermate back.

Oh, Peakpaw. She thought to herself. I'm doing this for you. Please, if I'm doing the right thing, let me know. Tell me now if I'm doing something wrong.

A particularly strong breeze made Sunsong look up, blinking away the blurriness from tears she didn't even know she was holding back. 

In the sky, one star was significantly brighter than the rest, as if it were speaking to her. Sunsong let out a sigh of relief. 

Peakpaw was with her still, she realized. 

She was going to be okay.

[nettleclanstale]

Writings of NettleClan #3- Flowerbreeze

Note: I've had this idea in my head for a few days now.

Flowerbreeze Oneshot

"Flowerbreeze!"

Flowerbreeze looked up as Sunsong's sharp voice cut through her wandering thoughts. She could hear her mother getting closer, and nervously shifted her paws as she glanced towards the measly catch in her jaws. 

No! She thought. She can't find out about this!

Sunsong's head poked through some bushes, her expression making Flowerbreeze's pelt bristle. Flowerbreeze could remember a time when her mother looked at her with warmth, so long ago, but now that was replaced with a cold, almost dead stare. 

"That's it?" Sunsong sounded neither angry nor happy, simply staring at the skinny mouse in the brown and white she-cat's jaws.

"I-I did the best I could, Mama." Flowerbreeze's voice was muffled. "I'm not a good hunter..."

"Then maybe you should've been a medicine cat." Sunsong snapped, before letting out an exasperated sigh and turning back into the bushes. "Let's go."

Flowerbreeze followed Sunsong, watching as her mother picked up a rather plump squirrel and began to carry it back to camp. 

Both cats walked in silence, Flowerbreeze looking downcast and Sunsong looking annoyed. It was strange to Flowerbreeze. When other cats hunted with their parents they would always come back chatting, laughing, rough-housing. But there was none of that here.

There was barely even love.

As the pair slipped through NettleClan's entrance, Bugfluff noticed them. The fluffy pale ginger tom's eyes widened in awe.

"Ooh, nice catches!" He called, looking up at Quickpuddle, who he was sharing tongues with. "Aren't they such good hunters, Quickpuddle?"

The brown tabby nodded, rasping his tongue over Bugfluff's ears. "They are...But you are too, buddy. You're a great hunter."

Flowerbreeze smiled at the compliment, dropping her catch in the fresh-kill pile. "Thank you both!" She meowed, flicking her tail.

Bugfluff purred, but was quickly distracted when Quickpuddle licked him on the mouth. Flowerbreeze chuckled, looking around camp. 

Sprucekit and Gravelkit were playing at the entrance of the nursery, Dapplepad sunbathing nearby. Bumbletumble was lying beside Dapplepad, watching over her own litter of three as they played with Mallowkit.

Alderpaw and Quillpaw were chatting and sharing prey with Silverbreak near the elder's den, their pelts ruffled from a recent training session. Even Silverbreak's fur, despite her age, was a bit messy. 

As Flowerbreeze looked around, she noticed Sunsong lying alone in the shade, grooming herself. She hesitated, then slowly approached her mother and laid beside her, tucking her paws beneath her in a loafing position. She could feel her heart sink when Sunsong visibly stiffened at her arrival, and shifted so that the two weren't touching. 

"What do you want?" Sunsong asked, her voice as dull as ever.

"I just wanted to talk to you...I don't have anyone else to talk to. Plus, I had a question."

Sunsong's ear twitched. She rasped her tongue over a front paw and swiped it over her head. "Fine. Go ahead." She said. 

"Do you love me anymore?" 

Sunsong hesitated. She looked away. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well..." Flowerbreeze took a deep breath. "I just noticed that you never wanna be around me. You always look so happy whenever you talk about Peakkit, but with me you always seem so...So disappointed. I know I'm not a great hunter, but...I'm a good fighter! You just haven't seen it! I-if I did something, please tell me. I want to fix it, mama." Her voice began to break as she pleaded, looking up at Sunsong with misty eyes.

Sunsong's tail swished across the ground. She sighed. "You kits are so difficult..." She muttered, before turning to Flowerbreeze. "You know, throughout my pregnancy I was told I was having only one kit. I prayed to StarClan I would have a daughter...And Peakkit was born."

Flowerbreeze nodded, urging Sunsong to continue. 

"...But then you came. I didn't know what to do with you! There was Peakkit, a kit who reminded me so much of Peakpaw, my sister...She was perfect! And then there was you..I didn't know what to do with you!" Sunsong went on. "I decided to just name you and love you just as much as Peakkit. You had potential, I'll admit that. But then the flood happened."

Flowerbreeze nodded, a lump forming in her throat. She remembered the flood, the feeling of her tiny body slipping beneath the filthy water, and how scared she had been. 

Sunsong continued. "Both you and Peakkit had inhaled so much water, I wasn't sure if either of you would survive. Can you imagine my devastation when you recovered, and Peakkit died? My heart was torn." 

"But...But I lived. You still had one kit." Flowerbreeze meowed, her voice barely a whisper. "Surely that was something to be happy about."

"No! I wanted my SISTER, Flowerbreeze, and you're NOT her!! You'll never be her!" Quick as lightning, Sunsong had stood and snapped into a fit of rage, her voice getting louder and louder. Cats were beginning to turn their heads and watch, and Flowerbreeze's pelt was burning with humiliation. 

"But Peakkit wasn't her either..." Flowerbreeze said, very quietly. 

"But she was going to BE something!! Instead I got left with a useless daughter who does nothing around camp and disappoints me EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. So to answer your question, Flowerbreeze..." Sunsong's voice was low, almost threatening. 

The lump forming in Flowerbreeze's throat grew, her vision blurred with forming tears. She looked away, trembling. 

"SUNSONG."

Marigoldflood's voice was sharp and angry as he approached the two, getting between Sunsong and Flowerbreeze. His tail lashed as he glared at Sunsong.

"How could you say something like that to your daughter!?" The tom growled, his back bristled. "From what I've seen Flowerbreeze has been an AMAZING help around camp! Do you realize that some of us here have lost entire litters?? Their only kits? I understand that you've suffered, and I'm sorry, but I cannot and will not sit and watch you berate your daughter while I beg StarClan every single day for my babies back."

"I beg StarClan for my family back, too. I think I've suffered more than you ever will." Sunsong huffed back. 

Marigoldflood's eyes narrowed. "Maybe that's true, but that doesn't give you an excuse to treat what you have left like dirt. I treat Glowlily like she hung the stars because unlike you, I'm grateful for what I have." He turned away, giving Flowerbreeze a sympathetic look before walking off.

"Come here, Flowerbreeze."

Flowerbreeze turned, still shaking, to see Bumbletumble sitting nearby. Letting out a whimper, Flowerbreeze made her way over to the she-cat and buried her head into her soft fur.

"There there, now...It's alright..." Bumbletumble gave the top of Flowerbreeze's head a few gentle licks, before looking up at Sunsong. She didn't exactly look angry, but her expression definitely wasn't happy.

"Sunsong, what happened to you?" Bumbletumble asked, her tone sad. Instead of answering, Sunsong turned and stalked out of camp with a lashing tail. 

Bumbletumble sighed, looking down at Flowerbreeze. "It's alright...I'm hoping she didn't mean those horrible things. She's just been through so much..."

Flowerbreeze nodded, but something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. 

Peakkit was standing there, her tiny body full of stars and her expression sad. She was standing beside an older she-cat, who looked to be around apprentice age. The older she-cat didn't look angry. Instead, she simply looked disappointed. The two StarClan cats looked at each other, frowning, before padding away together and disappearing, their pawsteps leaving no marks on the ground below them. 

End.

[doerunners]

002 snowclaw

How I feel about this character:

I have never made it a secret to anyone that I am absolutely head-over-heels for Snowclaw. I have so much love in my heart for her and I sympathize with her so much, and I feel like she’s honestly just this fundamentally misunderstood character who deserves more credit, both inside and outside the roleplay itself.

Snowclaw just, feels so much, and her morals and ideals made her so strong and confident at one point, and it was these same morals and ideals that ended up causing her to shatter later on as her storyline progressed. Her reaction to that news too just, absolutely broke me and her act of separating herself from the family that caused her so much pain and caused this weird cognitive dissonance where if she broke herself off from the source of her problems, it might help her cope with it. It was heartbreaking to watch and watching her now, feeling so much more alone as a result kills me every time. And this contrast to her brothers, who accepted it with such little struggle adds even more to it in my opinion. I love her so much and I feel so deeply for her and Maya’s writing just gets me every single time. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Hm. Honestly, right now, I feel like Snowclaw needs to cope with what’s going on right now before falling into a romantic relationship, but I think Snowclaw’s interactions with Wrenclaw have been super cute and it would be cool to see that go somewhere someday!

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Ok I’m gonna be outright selfish here and say that I’d love to see Snowclaw have a friendship with Aspen Snow and Spark Feather. It was cute to see their interactions at the gathering, and Snowclaw having a “fresh start” with some tribe cats who won’t know or even really understand her family issues would be so good for her.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Idk if this is unpopular but? Her reaction to Halfstream’s news was honestly perfectly justified and probably one of the most realistic reactions I’d expect from anyone being told news that severe.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon:

Honestly, I’d love to see Snowclaw start making connections with other NettleClanners to prove to others (and herself) how much she belongs in NettleClan and its community. She deserves a good support system and validation ):

my OTP:

Snowclaw x happiness

A headcanon fact:

Snowclaw likes to collect things she finds that are “out of place” or out of the norm, like interestingly shaped/colored rocks, four-leafed clovers, interestingly shaped feathers, etc. She connects to these things because she, herself, feels out of place and odd. It started with insecurity about her eyes but she further got into it after Halfstream’s reveal.