#and for brokenstar to be in EXILE and starclan choose to not give nightstar leadership??? are you crazy???

[harriertail]

actually realising how bullshit the 'nightpelt didnt get his lives because brokenstar was still alive' decision was. i initially assumed it was not a choice by StarClan, as Brokenstar was still leader even in exile, but with further books having the 'alive but chose to leave Pinestar' let Sunstar get 8 lives, and recently alive Bramblestar 'step down' and let Squirrelstar presumeably get her lives, it becomes a choice that StarClan made- and a fucking stupid one.

[duckwhistle]

Idea that I might incorporate: Raggedstar takes Brokenstar's place in what he does (kit killing, driving out windclan etc.) and he remains a very popular leader in his own clan despite being a piece of crap. He's petty, he's always gotten what he wanted in life through fighting and it WORKS. Aaand Yellowfang does not wanna be his mate anymore because he's a piece of shit. And it hurts him to his core but he's a manchild and cannot deal with it in a good way. He takes Foxheart as his mate to make her jealous. it does not work. He forbids Brokenkit (who's gonna have a different name for a few reasons so he'll be Acornkit here) from visiting her or talking to her, and when Runningkit becomes her apprentice, him too. And she doesn't budge. He keeps undermining, ridiculing, tormenting her every day, and because the clan likes him a lot join in. And Yellowfang really, truly, does not give a shit anymore. she'll be as snappy and rude to them as she wants because she's right there, the senior clan medic, doing her job and keeping them alive after border skirmishes or greencough outbreaks. Raggedstar takes out his frustrations through fights very often. Windclan was a huge one of course, it felt good to have so much new territory, he felt powerful. but Yellowfang immediately pushed back, screaming at him of how much of a FLYBRAIN he just was, they cannot even hunt on the moors so now he has tree-lenghts of tree-lenghts of territory he cannot even use. But other cats backed her up officially for the first time, voicing that the senior medic was right, so he takes drastic measures so that nobody would say this again. Cut to the end of Into The Wild, Yellowfang's still got that fight in her, but she's tired. She cannot stand the swamp anymore, and Nightpelt.... He feels it's his duty to become leader, an old friend of hers, he wants to make it right by her. But quiet, unassuming Acornshell bides his time. That was his father they just threw out. Yes he did bad things, but even he, his own son, suffered them, and he was fine! He forgives Raggedstar in fact! He knows he meant well and he wasn't even that wrong! And he's the one, alongside Runningnose and Blackfoot, to help the new attack on Thunderclan with his father, new violence that thankfully ends badly for the ex-leader, with his death. Acornshell is kept as a prisoner, blinded by Yellowfang, as he spits insults at her, of how heretical she was for having her rightful leader killed. Tigerclaw sees the opportunity to have Bluestar lose even more credibility, and spreads the rumor of Raggedstar being alive, and Yellowfang having to tend to the prisoner all day and night because of the leader's orders. Nightstar is enraged at this- HOW DARE SHE HURT HER AFTER ALL OF HER HELP TO THUNDERCLAN? Tallstar agrees to help them, and the attack is launched.

But when Nightstar sinks his fangs into Acornshell instead of Raggedstar, not recognizing him until he notices the bent tail, it's too late. Bluestar is saved by a little miracle from Tigerclaw's attack, and the traitor is revealed as such in front of three clans. Nightstar is shaken, and willfully gives up his leadership in Shadowclan, not choosing exile only because he knows he's near the end, even if he could now take his nine lives. Tallstar is indebted to Thunderclan, and Shadowclan is now indebted to Thunderclan AND Windclan. Those are some big shoes for Cinderfur to fill- ah she's dead. and now half the camp is poisoned. Runningnose has a solution tho! right, Blackfoot? Dear repented and clearly chosen by Starclan Blackfoot? Right buddyyyyyy??

So Blackfoot, still technically deputy, is in hot waters, now DOUBLY indebted to Thunderclan because of Lynxpetal (check previous posts, it's Cinderpelt but not really) helping them with the plague. so when the newest leader Leopardstar offers an alliance? He didn't even think twice before accepting, she said she had a perfect candidate to help him out free of charge! It's TIGERCLAW again! and now he goes as "Tigerstar"! who died and made him leader?... Nightstar apparently. He's dead dead now.

and Blackfoot is just another pawn, again.