#darkstripe’s loyalty

[yarrowleef]

thinking about Longtail and how badly I wish that character had been like...idk, More relevant.

I think a million people have probably said something like this already but his fight scene with Rusty is so iconic morally dubious as it may be on Bluestar's part that I can't believe that character wasn't slated to become more than a background semi-supportive warrior in firestar's life...why didn't he have a deputy arc!! or just a bigger role in Fireheart's core group, y'know after his first friend group turned out to be Shit.

I think we could have used a more main-cast character with personal emotional ties to Tigerclaw-Darkstripe for when they descended into villainy. Maybe Longtail was still on the fence about them until Swiftpaw got eaten by Tigerstar's dogs. I wish for that angst and anger and betrayal more front and center

[blimbo-buddy]

Had a dream the other night that after DarkStripe witnessed Scourge kill TigerStar he followed him back and was like "Oh my god thank you so much man. Words cannot describe how grateful to you I am for killing my cousin who caused me nothing but great mental torture and never let me be my own person. I wanted him dead so bad but I put myself down for having those thoughts because I felt like I owed him something. My existence is in your hands now, I owe my life to you."

And Scourge is just sitting there absolutely fucking flabbergasted going "Wh- IS EVERYTHING OKAY??"

Anyways DarkStripe joined Bloodclan. I forgot if he changed his name or not. Though I prefer the idea if he kept his name just to spite the forest clans. He survives the Bloodclan battle and kind of became the new leader with some help leading the clan (He doesn't become DarkStar though he stays as DarkStripe)

[cryptidclaw]

Graystream (/belly)!

Design Notes:

Pretty much the same design as the last one! Just added some small adjustments!

Basically: he is huge, and he is round.

Character Bio:

Graybelly -> Graystream

(Graystripe)

Bisexual; Cis Tom; he/him

Age as of 1st arc's beginning: 6 moons; 10 Hyrs

Age as of 1st arc's end: 2 cycles, 4 moons; ~25 Hyrs

Title meaning:

-belly = a cat with a great sense of humor; a cat who is always laughing/happy

-stream = a title taken in honor and memory of Gray's mate Silverstream who passed protecting their kits. Also symbolic of his new loyalty to River Order.

Warrior of Thunder Order -> Caretaker of River Order; switched Orders to be with his kits and mate Silverstream; became a Queen for his kits after Silver died, and he later chose to become a Caretaker after this experience.

Mentor: Lionheart

Mother: Willowchime

Father: Teddy (House Cat)

Sibling: Darkstripe

Half Siblings: Sorreltail; Sootfur; Rainwhisker

Mate: Silverstream

Kits: Willowfeather; Oakfeather

Grandkits: to be added (idk yet)

Other notable kin: Rosebush (grandmother); Redtail (uncle); Spottedleaf (aunt); Sandstorm (cousin); Ashfall (nephew); Ferncloud (niece); Ciderheart (niece); Honeyfern (niece); Poppyfrost (niece)

Extra notes: he's less of an asshole to Firesight bec that was really annoying 😒

Character Summary:

In Progress (to be added later)

...

[Image ID: a digital drawing of Graystream, an AU version of Graystripe from Warrior Cats. He is sitting with his left side showing, his face is facing the camera and he has a happy expression. He is smiling with his mouth open like he is talking. He is a big fluffy long furred grey tabby tom with yellow eyes. He has white lining his eyes, on his muzzle and on his chest, as well as one white toe on his front paw and a little white heart shaped spot next to his eye. The inside of his ears, nose, and mouth are all light pink and he has a curly hair tuft on his head./End ID]

[mud-castle]

Also during the dog fight does Darkstripe try to convince Fireheart to come with him to a safe place along with Tawnypaw and Bramblepaw or does he decide eh saving two out of three of Tigerstar’s kits is good enough?

Depends, he might try to pry to see if Fireheart had any connection to his father for a bit. How I deal with that depends on how I deal with the betrayal scene though, as Fireheart would have different reactions depending on which one I go with.

I'm stuck between Fireheart directly helping Sandstorm fight off Tigerclaw and Fireheart not being present until after the fight is over and takes canon Graystripe's role of just holding him down.

The former helps Fireheart and Sandstorm's relationship. He runs in and sees Bluestar in the back of the den and Tigerclaw and Sandstorm facing off, both bloody, with him unsure exactly what's going on. Sandstorm cries for help, and Tiger takes the opportunity to pounce while she's distracted. Sand isn't sure where Fire's loyalties lie, and she's about to die. Fireheart body slams Tigerclaw and they both take him down. Bluestar still loses her trust in him. Fireheart and Sandstorm, albeit awkwardly, fix their relationship sooner.

The latter puts more focus on Sandstorm, and Bluestar seeing her as a savior figure. Plus it makes Fireheart look more suspicious in her eyes that he didn't appear until she would reasonably be dead, and it extends Fireheart and Sandstorm's issues with each other. So Sandstorm defeats Tigerclaw. Fire runs in, confused. Bluestar gets her head on long enough to order him to hold Tigerclaw. And Fireheart, kind of hesitantly, pins his father down. Sandstorm finds herself feeling suspicious of him for a few moons until he does something to prove his loyalty or something like that.

If the first one takes place, Darkstripe would be more likely to give Fireheart information. Since everyone's already suspicious of him, Fireheart keeps that to himself. Sandstorm is suspicious of him sharing tongues with Darkstripe more often and Bluestar is suspicious in general. Anyway Darkstripe probably gives Fireheart a bit too much information about a plan one day and Fireheart snitches on him.

If the second one happens, Darkstripe might test the waters but not reveal anything. Unfortunately, he underestimates Fireheart's relationship with his younger siblings and they snitch.

[bramblewhisker]

I love the idea of straight!Tigerstar who casually encourages Darkstripe's (and later Blackfoot's) crush on him, or at least doesn't do anything to dissuade it, because it makes them easier to manipulate.

Oh 100%. Tigerclaw knows what he's doing. He's not going to pass on such an easy opportunity to command loyalty. He knows that he can get Darkstripe to do whatever he wants by getting his muzzle real close and giving the order in a low, sensual growl.

[redux-iterum]

Remembering that warriors get commemorated for two honorable traits during their ceremony, and I had to wonder: when Darkstripe got his name, what did Bluestar mention as his? “ThunderClan honors your Backpfeifengesicht, and we grudgingly tolerate you as a full warrior.”

He got "potential" and "loyalty". That's about as backhanded of a compliment as a warrior can get in that ceremony. They're both completely meaningless, because everyone has potential and is ideally loyal to the Clan. Being given those words means you have absolutely nothing else to offer to your community and nothing good that stands out for you.

[rookflower]

Wondering your opinion on DarkStripe (or DarkSasha. who said that)

darkstripe is pretty fantastic honestly. i used to not really care for him much and he's not really a character that's on my mind all too often, but once i start rotating him like in a microwave he is FUN and i've grown really fond of the little guy. the mistreated lackey is such a fun character archetype and it's fun to have an antagonist in wc who exists outside their trifecta of "ambitious", "vengeful", and "eeevil outsider". following the world's worst guy to the ends of the earth in a depserate attempt to just win someone you idealise over (non romantically. dont like the ship) that will never truly actually care about you as a person and views you exclusively in relation to the use your loyalty poses, but you keep digging your hole because there's no way to back out now- you've poisoned your baby sister, you are surely irredeemable, who else will take you? what else can your future be? what can you do but ignore it all and keep on digging and playing the heel? and that tragedy in turn makes me think the idea of a darkstripe redemption arc au where he's able to break out of that mindset is super interesting. like yeah in canon he's a stock xenophobe but also at the same time there isn't really another wc character like him, but he's so archetypical and seemingly one dimensional that there's so much you can do once you start, yknow, adding dimensions and filling in gaps as to why he's Like That. also firestar possessing a guy to kill him again for seemingly no reason other than for the writers to just kinda clear him specifically out of the dark forest was simultaneously boring and sucked but also admittedly incredibly funny. why did they do that

(also FUCK YEAH WOOO!!! i love your depictions of darkstripe and darksasha so real to me and have irrevocably changed how i think about the characters involved. as aforementioned i love the idea of redemption via darkstripe finding some kind of individuality and reason to draw himself back into himself and the way he and sasha suffered that isolating misery at the hands of the same guy and both need someone who actually truly cares about them in their lives.... given some kinda circumstance that convinces them to give each other a chance or find some kind of connection it works it for sure works)

[bonefall]

Could you tell us anything more about our girl Cricketclaw? I have vague memories of you mentioning she just took Graykit and dipped to make sure they would both survive the plague. Queen, honestly. Did she have strong political leanings? Bffs? Hobbies? Opinions on Darkstripe becoming a huge dick? Depending on who mentored her that could be a lot of tension between the two.

Hopefully I will have her summary out soon, but sure! Casual jumble about Miss Cricketclaw, daughter of Dappletail, sister of Darkstripe and Graystripe.

NOTE: you're completely correct, I initially planned for Cricketclaw to nab Graykit and bolt for a while as the worst of the plague washed over ThunderClan before TPB. On further consideration though, I NEED to change it to Darkstripe for dramatic purposes.

The sibling who saved Graykit's life dies to his brother's claws in the end, in defense of Firestar. Do you understand my vision?

So with that in mind!

Cricketclaw and Darkstripe are Dappletail's first litter.

They were suuuuuper super close as kits. Always getting into trouble, thick as thieves with the mischief to match.

They once wandered off during a bad storm and came across a lone badger. Bluestar arrived just in time to kill it all on her own, but lost a life in the process.

For Cricketkit, that was formative. Her loyalty to Bluestar is absolutely unshakable.

(Darkkit was more just traumatized by it, it affects his ability to fight even though he doesn't want to admit it)

Their paths really started to diverge when they were apprenticed. Darkpaw was given to Tigerclaw, Cricketpaw went to Redtail.

Both siblings really idolized their mentors, remaining close into their adulthoods.

Dappletail and Cricketclaw were some of the few cats who where always a bit... iffy, on Tigerclaw. They kept quiet about it though, because it was VERY vibes-based.

Dappletail (the educator) kinda felt... dismissed? By him. And Cricketclaw was seeing how her brother was changing.

Like, since when was Darkpaw interested in advanced battle moves? The only finesse this guy ever displayed was the finesse to not get jabbed by a blackberry bramble. What happened to her nerd of a brother who could tell a red knoutberry from a raspberry at a thousand foxlengths?

But... Tigerclaw was strong and respected. He wasn't like his mentor, who always gave Dappletail and her friend Rosetail issues.

And it was good that Darkstripe was finally a strong, capable warrior.

He was a lot grumpier and gruffer than he used to be but, that's growing up.

Cricketclaw was named for being the more standoffish of the two. She's the fighter, the one who was more disciplined and battle-ready. It was odd and ironic to her that Darkstripe was becoming the more aggressive one, the more time passed.

But anyway, enough of her relationship to him! She has a ton of ambitions in her own right and has a pretty strong personality.

She LOVES practical jokes. When Graykit and Featherkit were born, she was ecstatic because it meant she was going to have little siblings to confuse

She's outgoing and funny. She inherited her mother's resting bitchface. Don't let it fool you.

Like other warriors though, she will defend the territory ferociously. Bluestar is a big inspiration to her, she is brave.

I imagine she is friends with Goldenflower, though I'm not sure why. I feel like they just get along, somehow.

(In canon, she greets her in the nursery. Cricketclaw is the BB version of the "Distinctive Tabby Queen")

Depending on some timeline stuff she might have a rivalry going on with Willowpelt. They both want to be Head of Hunting eventually.

When Darkstripe skedaddles with Graykit, she wishes she thought of it first. But won't abandon her mother after they just lost Featherkit.

When Darkstripe comes back she LOUDLY defends him. For a moment, she has hope that they might reconnect, but it doesn't happen.

She is an ally of Firepaw from a young age, but can be harder on Graypaw. Mostly because Gray is her little brother, she feels more responsible for him when he acts like a brat.

Cricketclaw is the sort of person who would tell a mean xenophobic joke, but regret it if Firepaw winces.

Or, worse, she comes up with one, says it in the wrong company, and then suddenly Darkstripe is saying it unironically.

I'm not entirely sure when she dies, but it's probably at some point in TNP. She is the sort of person who would die throwing herself at something very large, like a boar, or running back towards collapsing trees to save other people.

Anyway, her favorite food is blackberries.

[wc-confessions]

Not only do I headcannon DarkStripe as AshFurs father I also headcannon that DarkStripe killed BrindleFace. DarkStripe was never attached to her and cared more about his loyalty to TigerClaw than his relationship with her, so TigerClaw tested him and made him kill BrindleFace as a sign of his loyalty.

ㅤ

[brackenfur]

hm. i think abt darkstripe and firehearts relationship a lot, and one characterization i often fall back on is the idea that because of firehearts hatred of tigerclaw and his (although rightful) mistrust of any of tigerclaws allies, he was always highly critical + hostile towards darkstripe in the months after tigerclaws exile, but before darkstripes own. and obviously as readers we would side with fireheart because he has every reason to dislike darkstripe, but i do also like the idea that fireheart pushed darkstripe away and his hostility towards him played a part in how easy it was for darkstripe to turn against thunderclan.

darkstripe probably was going to do it anyways, he only didn’t leave with tigerclaw since tigerclaw didn’t confide in him anymore and manipulated him, but i think it’d be interesting for firestars character if he has to deal with the ramification of the fact that he had a part to play in why darkstripe didn’t remain loyal to thunderclan, and how that would also play into firestars character in the way he treats bramblepaw going forward.

while other characters would agree that darkstripe might’ve betrayed thunderclan regardless, i want to see firestar dealing with not only doubt, but having to confront the fact that sometimes his loyalty to thunderclan and his hatred of tigerclaw blinds him from thinking rationally at times, and darkstripes betrayal causing him to think about the way he treats bramblepaw and having him start to truly open himself up to trust more easily

if that makes sense

[the-owl-tree]

batch 1 of background characters from wolfclan!

more info on each of them under the cut:

Gullscreech is an outspoken and short-tempered tom cat. He's aggressive towards outsiders and touts WolfClan as the superior cat group in their forest. His attitude, which is written as a display of his "loyalty" to his Clan, becomes a major source of antagonism towards Honeypaw and Beesnap - cats he views as blights on the Clan. His main inspirations are Gullswoop, Mousefur, and Thornclaw.

Hornettail is a slimy weasel of a cat. He's got the moral backbone of an eclair and tends to slink after anyone he thinks will help him stay on top. He's quick to switch to the side of whoever he believes has the cards in a situation and often tries to play lackey sidekick to stay on their good side. His biggest inspiration is Darkstripe, but he's also a play on cats who will say one thing and then switch to another in books.

Loonsnarl is WolfClan's medic and the uncle of Owlstar and the grand uncle of both Honeypaw and Frostblaze. He is a short-tempered and snappy cat who believes firmly in letting fate run its course. He will carry out the wishes of StarClan without question and insists on others doing the same. His main inspirations are Goosefeather, Yellowfang, and StarClan!Spottedleaf.

[warriors-ideas]

evil fireheart au where he's mentored by tigerclaw and helps him take down bluestar(maybe even being the one who kills her?) graystripe and ravenpaw(raventail?) would take firehearts place as the heros. graystripe, ravenpaw and dustpaw go to shadowclan instead of firepaw(and therefore get named warriors early, which slowly leads firepaw to become resenting of them, and with tigerclaw manipulating him he stops being friends with them in favour of longtail and darkstripe) raventail never leaves the clan(as him helping with driving out brokenstar is enough to convince some cats of his loyalty, no matter what tigerclaw and fireheart suspect.) Eventually, graystripe and raventail get the support from the other clans & cats in thunderclan to drive out tigerclaw, fireheart and their supporters. the same thing happens with tigerclaw becoming leader of shadowclan(fireheart being his deputy, now willingly renamed fireclaw in respect of tigerstars old name) when bluestar dies, tigerclaw is leader of thunderclan for a bit, but when they get driven out greystripe steps up(with raventail as his deputy). the whole ''killing cats and feeding them to dogs'' thing still happens, but instead of killing brindleface(somewhat ending in ashfur being a better guy, fire scene never happens ectect), fireclaw targets willowpelt(graystripes mom). the 'battle' happens differently, with scourge taking more of a morally grey area. graystar tells him about what fireclaw & tigerstar have done, and he kills tigerstar(like in canon.) fireclaw is distraught by his death, and tries to kill scourge which ends in his own death. graystar agrees to give him a corner of the forest he's allowed to hunt in. there are tensions between thunderclan and bloodclan for a while, but nothing happens. eventually bloodclan moves out of the forest because theres not enough prey for it to be worth it. i haven't read the books in awhile, forgive any blanks.

🔥🐅

[blimbo-buddy]

hey. Thoughts on darkstripe and longtails’s relationship as mentor and apprentice? I think it TOTALLY should have been explored more, esp bc Longtails’ first apprentice dies so Badly…

I think it's pretty overlooked when it comes to art/animations/stories about it. I like to attribute one of the many problems in their dynamic towards the fact that the two were way too young for their rank

I like to think that DarkStripe was made a warrior a little earlier than normal, while LongTail was made an apprentice (and then warrior) as early as well. They were both gullible children who listened to their previous mentors about the law of the Clans and to uphold the most amount of loyalty and pride towards your home, even if it means talking down to those who don't share the same lifestyle as you.

The entire line of mentors and apprentices was one plagued by jingoism, blind loyalty, awarded violence and total acceptance of your community and of Starclan, no matter how bad it gets. From ThistleClaw, to TigerClaw, to DarkStripe, to LongTail. It was a neverending cycle of early societal development when they weren't ready yet.

And the things that LongTail learnt from DarkStripe carried over to SwiftPaw, blind loyalty, eagerness, pride, impulsivity to resort to hands-on action. It's what got SwiftPaw mauled to the point of being unrecognizable as a cat. Bits of him on the tree, covering the ground, a little bit over there in the bushes. I think when it all clicked to LongTail, his entire world just. Shattered.

He slowly bettered himself, he tried as best as he could, y'know. Watching DarkStripe - His mentor, his best friend- be exiled after feeding SorrelKit deathberries, it made his heart sink and his head ache, he mentally grasped out to DarkStripe like a kitten reaching out for a string. But the only time he was able to finally, after all of this time, reach out and finally get a grip on DarkStripe, he felt only cold flesh and blood-dampened fur, a gash over his throat from GreyStripe's killing blow. The roar of battle around him deafening any thought he had in that moment.

[birdsong-warriors]

Hey Bird, just wanted to let you know that I'm enjoying Swifthawk's comic a ton! Is it okay if I add my own thoughts as to why Firestar snapping at Swifthawk might have taken people by surprise? (Though, yeah, Swift really deserved it that time). I think if you look at the Darkest Hour with Darkstripe poisoning Sorrelkit and his trail and exile, Firestar was pretty cool, took time to question Darkstripe's side, and was even thought he wanted to give Darkstripe a fair trial so not even Tigerstar's allies could accuse him of favoritism despite, you know, attempted murder being the crime. So I think it surprises people that Firestar's calm and collected in an attempted murder trial and snaps at one of his warriors trying to goad him. In fact, I don't think it's until Sunset when the Clan is arguing against allowing Stormfur and Brook to stay that Firestar snaps that his mind is made up, and it's treated as being very shocking and out of character for Firestar. Though I hope you don't take that in a negative way, as it's made very clear that Firestar's upset by what he just had to say and do, so I don't think it makes him unlikable or unsympathetic. And I am excited to see how Swifthawk and Firestar can eventually reconcile though (as you said he does find his way home again)! Keep up the great work!

As I was reading this analysis, I really tried to ask myself why Firestar's response felt accurate and even inevitable, and I think I found it.

Firestar trusts Swifthawk.

Swift wasn't just another Darkstripe that Fire could never relax around. While they haven't always agreed, they maintained respect for one another as clanmates. While Swift's escalating anger was concerning, Fire still had no doubts about his loyalty to both himself and ThunderClan. So to hear Swift echoing his father's opinion was a stab in the back. It invalidates every encounter up til now, where Swift showed some respect for Fire, proving he never stopped seeing him as a kittypet and little more.

(I actually tried to foreshadow this a few times, particularly when he asks Bramblepaw, "What's it like training under a kittypet?" Despite everything Firestar has done to try to help him, Swift struggles to see past his origins.)

[notwarriorswiki]

Do you have any headcanons about Redtail exclusively?

You can find some more headcanons about Redtail here. But stuff just about him and no repeats...

Redtail had a fear of death. While he was a brave warrior, he always felt chills before battle that he masked. He'd knead his tail in private to settle his fears. Though he knew dying was a great honor for a Warrior, it never quite sat right in the same way for Redtail.

During A Light in the Mist when Redtail seems relieved to "be home" as he gazes across the meadow, alongside Onestar. While Onestar lived and died in the Lake Territories, Redtail thinks of his time running alongside his mate, Runningwind. The quick-foot tom had always preferred the open space to flex his skills, and the memory soothes Redtail.

Redpaw, albeit perhaps a bit naive, had hoped to mentor Stonekit. He greatly admired Bluefur, and it showed through his loyalty to her, as well as in how he was chosen as her deputy. When Bluefur's kits disappeared, he was one of the first to volunteer to look for them. He had to stay in the medicine den and be tended to by Spottedpaw when he risked freezing his paws off with his relentless work.

Redtail's personality was that of someone sharp and clever, perhaps even a bit cunning. While he never challenged Bluestar, he had his way of doing things and was willing to bend the rules if he saw it as for the greater good. He always put ThunderClan first, and by that many would say he was a fierce individualist. He never sought conflict unnecessarily, however he also did not turn away from it. His judgement balanced maintaining ThunderClan's reputation and respect, with genuine kindness for the forest territories and the code as a whole.

He's smaller in size, and always preferred hunting to fighting. His nimble frame made scaling trees easy, and he brushed up on his speed with help from his mate Runningwind. It was a stark contrast to Tigerclaw's preference for fighting and his large and heavy stature.

He mentored Dappletail's kit, Cricketstorm, who sadly died young due to the famine. This was what allowed him to be eligible to be deputy.

When he received Dustpaw as an apprentice, Redtail saw a lot of Tigerpaw in him - noticing how they both strove to prove themselves out of a consciousness for their background. He took extra care to instill honor and kindness in the tom before he died, which still prevailed in Dustpaw despite Darkstripe's influence later. Redtail was the closest to a father figure Dustpaw had.

His sister Spottedleaf had to practically force him into her den, as he always refused treatment, at least waiting until everyone else had it. His dark fur with red patches made it easy to mask blood and wounds, much to Spottedleaf's annoyance.

He was terrible about taking his traveling and battle herbs. He couldn't keep a good poker face, always curling his lip with disgust at the bitterness. Whitestorm always teased him for this.

[bramblewhisker]

Any headcannons for darkstripe x firestar

DarkFire is a great ship for funnies and for playing around with power dynamic. Darkstripe is older and more established of a warrior than Firestar, but in all but the silliest timelines ("Tigerstar wins and Darkstripe is rewarded for his loyalty with a kittypet to play with") Firestar is the one basically in control.

My personal favorite idea for DarkFire is within the context of FireTiger, since Darkstripe has it down so bad for Tigerclaw already. FireTiger + their little pet Darkstripe is both cute and steamy, and it lets Fire + Tiger both play to their "dominant" strengths in some scenarios. And I mean it feels like a perfect role for Darkstripe.

To take a more romantic/just-the-two-of-them tack, I think you could tie a relationship into some alternate timeline where Darkstripe is rehabilitated instead of exiled. You might have to mess with order of events/have him not get as far along with his murdering-a-kit plan, but there's some genuinely sweet story you could tell of a disillusioned Darkstripe finding his faith in clan and kin again. A big part of this could be Firestar showing him the true care and compassion that Tigerclaw never did, setting up a romance arc.

Also funny if Darkstripe just catches feelings when Fireheart out-domineers Tigerclaw during the big climactic moment where he fails to kill Bluestar. Like "oh gosh, you beat up my crush so the crush has tranferred to you." Then you get shy little Darkstripe following Fireheart around like a kit. Everyone's suspicious that he's up to something, but it's just that he's smitten.