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Post by tigerfang on Oct 26, 2023 16:41:23 GMT -5
So, a year or so ago I decided to write the outline for a Super Edition focusing on Gorseclaw, the son of Birdflight and Cloudstar. We don't have very many stories from that era of the Clans, and I wrote this book with the intention of filling in some of the generational gaps in Clan history. Granted, I didn't write it out completely. It really is just an outline, other than the prologue. Anyway, since writing this book, it has quickly become my own head canon for this era of the Clans, as the Erins don't appear to be interested in writing about this time period. Throughout the book, I make some interesting choices regarding the characters and the filling in of the generational gaps. For example, in this book I make it so that Oakstar is the ThunderClan leader immediately after Redstar, who was the leader of ThunderClan when SkyClan left the forest. This means, that in my version of events at least, Gorseclaw was likely still alive at the time of Mapleshade's Vengeance. I think this is a distinct possibility, just by looking at the timeline of events on the official wiki. We know for SURE that Mapleshade's Vengeance took place 19 years before Firestar came to the forest, but we don't know how long SkyClan was gone before that time. However, the events of Cloudstar's Journey are the last events in the timeline that we know of before MV happens. Without further ado, I suppose here is what I wrote for the prologue. Please let me know what you think!
Prologue:
Grief weighed heavily on Birdflight’s heart as she carried her young daughter, Spottedkit, in her jaws. The grief was not from the death of a loved one, but of a different sort of loss. The loss of her mate, Cloudstar, as well as her native Clan.
SkyClan was gone. The twolegs had destroyed their territory, and none of the other Clans had been willing to give up land in order to keep them around. At the other Clans’ rejection, Cloudstar had made the impossible choice to abandon the forest territories, as well as their ancestors in StarClan, forever. The hardest part of his choice hadn’t been leaving the forest behind- in comparison to the true loss, that part had been easy. No. The hardest part, Birdflight was sure, had been leaving her and their kits. Gorsekit and Spottedkit were only a half-moon old, far too young for traveling such a long distance.
Birdflight silently cursed the other Clans, as well as StarClan, for forcing her mate and her Clan to abandon them. Why hadn’t they covered the moon? Why hadn’t they even tried to keep SkyClan safe? These thoughts, as well as other, more troubling ones clouded Birdflight’s mind as she followed her new clanmates back to the ThunderClan camp.
Despite her grief and her anger, a part of her was relieved. ThunderClan’s medicine cat, Kestrelwing, had offered to take her and her kits into ThunderClan. ThunderClan’s leader, Redstar, had been less willing to extend the offer, but he had agreed per his medicine cat’s insistence. Kestrelwing was next to her even now, carrying the sleeping Gorsekit in his jaws.
Thank you, StarClan, for granting the other Clans one decent cat! Birdflight thought as she padded through the unfamiliar territory.
“I’ve told Sweetpaw to run ahead and prepare you a nest in the nursery,” Kestrelwing informed her, his voice muffled by Gorsekit’s fur.
Birdflight murmured back her thanks, truly grateful for the medicine cat’s support.
Her paws were aching by the time they finally reached the ThunderClan camp in the sandy ravine. Birdflight had been to their camp a couple of times before, usually with the accompaniment of Cloudstar or Fawnstep, but she had never taken the time to truly take it in.
The placement of the camp was clever. Most twolegs wouldn’t give it any notice, thanks to the large and thick bramble bushes that surrounded it. A gorse tunnel allowed entry into the camp, where it opened up into a much larger space beneath the sky. Birdflight had to lower her head as she walked through it in order to keep Spottedkit’s fur from getting tangled in the brush.
Inside, few cats were up and moving. A lone warrior guarded the camp’s entrance and was there to welcome the gathering patrol back. Birdflight recognized him as Amberclaw, Redstar’s brother. He gave her a confused look as she followed his Clanmates through the tunnel. She suspected Redstar would have some explaining to do in the morning.
It wasn’t long before Sweetpaw ran out of a small den beneath a bramble bush. She skidded to a stop in front of Birdflight and Kestrelwing and dipped her head respectfully.
“I’ve made you a nest in the nursery,” she explained. “I hope it’s comfortable enough for you and the kits.”
“I’m sure it’s wonderful,” Birdflight murmured back.
Birdflight gave little attention to the rest of the camp. Instead, she took Spottedkit to the den where Sweetpaw had only just emerged from. Kestrelwing followed her with Gorsekit still in his jaws.
Inside, the den was warm and comfortable, not unlike the nursery back in SkyClan. Sweetpaw had made her a nest of twigs and moss, with feathers added for extra comfort. Birdflight made a mental note to thank the apprentice further once morning came.
Birdflight wandered over to the nest and gently laid Spottedkit down. As she curled up in the nest, Kestrelwing set Gorsekit down beside her. She used her tail to bring both of her kits closer to her, and they both nuzzled up into her belly, sound asleep.
Thank you, she mouthed to Kestrelwing.
He dipped his head and left the nursery, allowing her some much needed peace and quiet.
As soon as Kestrelwing left the den, Birdflight found herself thinking much about Cloudstar and the rest of her abandoned Clan. Sorrow gripped her heart and clouded her thoughts, like a gathering storm. She felt angry at the other Clans for forcing her friends and family away from her, yet she was grateful to Kestrelwing for defending her and her kits. She owed the ThunderClan medicine cat a lot, and she wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to repay him.
How will my kits feel, knowing that their father is never coming home? Birdflight couldn’t help but wonder as her mind began to drift away into sleep.
…
The following morning, Birdflight awoke to Redstar shouting: “Let all those old enough to catch their own prey join me beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!”
Gorsekit and Spottedkit hardly stirred when the ThunderClan leader shouted the command, but Birdflight figured she should join her new clanmates in the clearing. She rose to her paws and brushed her tail down the backs of her kits. The two of them curled up next to each other and continued dozing. Birdflight purred as she stared down at them, then turned and walked out of the nursery. Her tail twitched at the thought of them waking up with her not there, but she told herself that they would be fine for a little while.
She wandered out into the clearing and immediately felt the gazes of everyone fall on her. Even Redstar was looking down at her from the Highrock, his tail twitching in what could have been annoyance or total contempt. Regardless, the ThunderClan leader did not look especially happy this morning. Below him, Kestrelwing watched her as well, though his gaze was unreadable.
The ThunderClan leader cleared his throat, then let out another command. “May I have your attention once more?”
Slowly, the eyes of her new Clanmates switched over from her to Redstar. Birdflight sat down outside the nursery and began nervously washing her pelt. She had a strong feeling she knew what this meeting would be about.
Her suspicions were quickly confirmed when Redstar started to speak.
“Last night at the gathering, something happened that has never happened before. Cloudstar came to the gathering with the entirety of SkyClan behind him, and asked each of the Clan leaders to give up territory for the good of his Clan… we refused,” the Clan leader stated.
Fox hearts, Birdflight thought, still cleaning her fur.
“As a result of our actions, Cloudstar has made the decision to take SkyClan and leave the forest for good. He has turned his back on StarClan and has asked all of his remaining clanmates to do the same.” Redstar paused there, as the cats of ThunderClan who had not been at last night’s gathering gave a collective gasp.
Immediately, the cats in the clearing began to talk all at once. Birdflight caught a few phrases, such as “how could Cloudstar do that?” and “will the same thing happen to us?” Nobody was speaking in support of SkyClan. Nobody seemed to care at all that one of the five Clans had been driven out of the forest. Birdflight suddenly felt very small, and more alone than ever before.
Redstar raised his tail for silence, and his clanmates soon got the message.
“I’m not proud of my actions last night, as I’m sure the other Clan leaders agree. SkyClan’s departure from the forest could have major consequences for those of us that remain. The twolegs have taken their land, and none of us can be sure whether or not they will stop at the border. For now, though, it seems that ThunderClan is safe.”
Is that all you care about? One Clan out of five? Birdflight asked herself.
“But Cloudstar couldn’t take all of SkyClan with him,” Redstar continued. “His mate, Birdflight, recently gave birth to a litter of kits, and the kits are too young for travel. Due to this, I have offered the three of them a place in ThunderClan. From this day forward, Birdflight, Gorsekit, and Spottedkit are ThunderClan cats, and I will hear no arguments from any of you on the matter.”
More chatter broke out from the ThunderClan cats. Birdflight sat with her tail curled around her paws, her head held high. More cats were glancing at her, some showing more hostility than others. The only two cats who looked at her with any sympathy were Kestrelwing and Mintsplash, who had recently had a litter of her own. Sweetpaw and Fallowpaw were her kits, and they had only just become apprentices.
“The fact is, ThunderClan needs more warriors. Birdflight’s kits may have SkyClan blood, but they will grow up here in ThunderClan. I expect each and every one of you to treat Birdflight as you would any queen, and when the time comes, I expect Gorsekit and Spottedkit to be trained as any ThunderClan warrior should. We are in a time of peace with the other Clans, but that peace may not last forever. And leaf-bare will be upon us before any of us know it. I know that in time, we will come to view our newcomers as true clanmates, and we will depend on them as they depend on us now… Welcome to ThunderClan, Birdflight. We are grateful that you are here.” The ThunderClan leader finished his speech with another raise of his tail. The other ThunderClan cats looked to her with expressions of confusion. She thought there might be pity in the eyes of some, but she ignored them.
“Thank you, Redstar, for accepting my kits and I into your Clan,” Birdflight said with a respectful dip of her head. “But I’m afraid you may have misspoken. You didn’t offer for us to join your Clan- Kestrelwing did. So I am grateful to your medicine cat for being so kind, but it will take time for me to extend that same gratitude to you. It’s because of you and the other leaders that my mate and my clanmates have been forced to abandon me. That is not something I will easily forget.”
Redstar’s fur was bristling before she even finished speaking. However, he quickly regained his composure and calmed himself. “I commend you for your honesty, Birdflight. I sincerely hope that you will learn to accept us as your clanmates in due time.”
With that said, the ThunderClan leader jumped down from the Highrock and gathered his warriors around him. He and Seedpelt began to organize the day’s patrols. As they did so, Kestrelwing made his way over to her. He greeted her with a quick dip of his head, and she did the same.
“I would have advised against calling out Redstar had you given me the chance,” the medicine cat explained calmly.
Birdflight stifled a mrrow of amusement. “I wasn’t going to let him play the hero. Had it not been for you, my kits would be tired, hungry, and weary from travel. We are in your debt, not Redstar’s.”
“Even so, he is your Clan leader now. He may be of a different sort than Cloudstar, but he is your leader all the same. It would do you and your kits well to respect him,” he continued.
“I will respect Redstar when he earns my respect, Kestrelwing. Not before. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to my kits. They should be waking soon.”
Birdflight dipped her head once more to the ThunderClan medicine cat, then retreated back into the warmth of the nursery. Inside, Spottedkit was still fast asleep, but Gorsekit was standing next to her in the nest. He looked confused and scared.
As soon as he saw her, Gorsekit’s eyes lit up and he raced toward her. His squeals of delight caused his sister to stir, but Birdflight shushed him before he could wake her fully.
“Where are we? This isn’t our den,” Gorsekit asked worriedly.
“This is our den now, little one,” Birdflight explained. “We’re ThunderClan cats now.”
“Why? I thought you said we were SkyClan cats,” the little kit questioned further.
Birdflight licked the top of her son’s head and tried to think of a way to explain it in a way he would understand. She wasn’t sure that there was anything she could say to make him truly understand what had happened the previous night. She wasn’t ready to tell either of her kits that they would never see their father again.
“We were, but now we’re not. SkyClan is gone, Gorsekit… I’m afraid they won’t be coming back,” she told him, trying not to show him how angry she was about the situation.
“Even Cloudstar?” he continued.
That wasn’t a question Birdflight was ready to answer. Instead, she wrapped her tail around her son and nuzzled the top of his head. She licked one of his ears in an attempt to comfort him, but she sensed that it wouldn’t work. Gorsekit may have been young, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew what she was trying not to say.
“Let’s not wake your sister, little one,” Birdflight whispered. “We’re safe in ThunderClan. I promise you.”
Her words fell on deaf ears, though. Gorsekit was shivering and holding back a wail of despair. He understood that Cloudstar was in SkyClan, and she had already said that SkyClan wasn’t coming home. She didn’t need to say any more.
“So ThunderClan is our home now,” Gorsekit said. It wasn’t a question. He was simply confirming to her that he understood, and he was no happier than she was about it.
“Yes, little one. ThunderClan is our home now.”
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Post by tigerfang on Oct 26, 2023 17:44:17 GMT -5
Just to show a few more chapter details, here ya'll go!
Chapter 1 Summary:
Gorsekit awakens before Birdflight and Spottedkit and reflects on his new surroundings. They have only been ThunderClan cats for a few days.
Birdflight wakes up and asks Gorsekit why he is awake before the dawn patrol has even been sent out. Gorsekit reveals that he can’t sleep, because he’s constantly thinking about Cloudstar and SkyClan.
Birdflight makes Gorsekit promise that he will work his hardest to become the best ThunderClan warrior that he can be. Gorsekit promises, but also makes Birdflight promise that when the time comes, she will help him search for Cloudstar. She promises.
The next morning, Gorsekit and Spottedkit venture outside of the nursery for the first time. Most of the ThunderClan warriors are happy to meet them, but a few hold the opinion that they will never be ThunderClan at heart. Chief among those holding this opinion is Amberclaw, Redstar’s littermate. Nettleclaw, Waspfang, and Deerpaw also hold this opinion.
Gorsekit picks a fight with Deerpaw after she sneers at him. Birdflight and Spiderfoot pull them apart and chastise them for their actions.
Back in the nursery due to his punishment, Gorsekit silently vows to track down his father one day.
Chapter 2 Summary:
Roughly 5 moons later, Redstar calls for a Clan meeting. Deerdapple, Sweetbriar, and Fallowsong have all been named warriors in the past moons. Now, it’s time for Gorsekit and Spottedkit to become apprentices.
Gorsekit takes note of Petaltail, who has entered the nursery expecting Amberclaw’s kits. He expresses disgust that any cat would want to be mates with Amberclaw, but thinks to himself that at least Amberclaw is less focused on making his life miserable now.
Birdflight prepares Gorsekit and Spottedkit for their moment at the center of the Clan’s attention. Gorsekit attempts to push his mother away, whereas Spottedkit appears nervous. She is calmed by Birdflight’s affection.
Redstar calls the two kits forward and tells everybody that he has thought long and hard about who was to mentor these two. He first calls forth Spottedkit and performs the ceremony that renames her Spottedpaw. He appoints his deputy, Seedpelt, as her mentor. Seedpelt comes forward and finishes the ceremony with her newly named apprentice. Spottedpaw appears pleased and nervous.
Next, Redstar calls forth Gorsekit, who is not looking forward to meeting his mentor. Gorsekit does not particularly like any cat in ThunderClan, save for Sweetbriar and Kestrelwing. He thinks that Sweetbriar would make a good mentor.
Instead, Redstar announces that he will be taking on the newly named Gorsepaw as his apprentice. Gorsepaw is horrified and refuses to finish the ceremony, yelling at Redstar in front of the whole Clan and blaming him for Cloudstar’s banishment from the forest. Redstar bristles, but says that he understands Gorsepaw’s frustration. However, that is precisely why he chose to mentor Gorsepaw himself. He wants to be able to trust all of his Clanmates, and Gorsepaw is no exception. He hopes that, through this appointment, Gorsepaw could grow to trust in his leader.
Following some encouragement from Spottedpaw and Birdflight, Gorsepaw reluctantly steps forward and accepts Redstar as his mentor. The two tensely finish the ceremony, and the meeting is concluded.
Following the ceremony, Redstar and Seedpelt take Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw to explore ThunderClan territory for the first time, after first sending out hunting patrols for the day. In their exploration of the territory, Redstar, Seedpelt, and their new apprentices will take care of patrolling the borders.
Spottedpaw is incredibly excited to leave camp for the first time, whereas Gorsepaw is too focused on his frustration with his new mentor to be excited.
They explore the whole territory, with Redstar and Seedpelt pointing out all the best hunting spots, as well as the places to avoid going alone (most notably being Snakerocks and the Owl Tree).
By the time the exploration is finished, Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw are beyond exhausted. They retire to the apprentice’s den, where Sweetbriar has made them nests. They curl up into their nests and quickly fall asleep.
Chapter 3 Summary:
In the days that follow, Gorsepaw excels at battle training, but does poorly in hunting practice. His sister, Spottedpaw, is the opposite, excelling in hunting, but doing poorly in fighting.
Redstar and Seedpelt decide to train the two together, as well as have them train each other. While each of them excels in one area, they fail in the other. Together, they will make sure that they both become competent in each task.
Gorsepaw is still reluctant to listen to Redstar, as he still resents him for his treatment of Cloudstar. However, in the means of becoming a stronger warrior, he is willing to listen. If only for the benefit of Spottedpaw.
Later that evening, when they return to camp, Petaltail is busy birthing her kits. The whole camp is tense, as her caterwauls make it impossible for anybody to relax. Birdflight remarks to Mintsplash that the birth doesn’t sound normal.
Spottedpaw expresses concern for Petaltail, whereas Gorsepaw is focused on Amberclaw, who is pacing around outside the nursery. Gorsepaw thinks that it serves Amberclaw right, but he quickly shakes the thought away when he realizes how sadistic he sounded.
Birdflight seeks comfort from her kits as she faces rising concerns for Petaltail’s well-being. Spottedpaw asks if their birth was that painful. Birdflight states that their birth went smoothly in comparison, but it still wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Well into the night, Petaltail finally stops wailing. Kestrelwing exits the nursery and announces to the whole Clan that Petaltail survived and has birthed two healthy kits. However, he pulls Amberclaw aside and Gorsepaw notices that he looks crest-fallen. He rushes inside the nursery to see his kits and comfort his mate.
Kestrelwing soon exits the den again, except this time he carries the limp body of a still-born kit. He places the tiny corpse in the center of the clearing for a vigil.
The whole Clan, save for Amberclaw and Petaltail, sit vigil for the unnamed kit.
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Post by tigerfang on Oct 27, 2023 19:10:59 GMT -5
It occurs to me that I never posted the Allegiances for this Super Edition, so I will fix that with this post:
ALLEGIANCES
ThunderClan
Leader: Redstar- dark ginger tom
Deputy: Seedpelt- gray she-cat with darker flecks
Medicine Cat: Kestrelwing- dark brown tabby tom
Warriors: Amberclaw- long legged ginger tom
Nettleclaw- gray tabby tom with dark gray stripes
Rabbitfur- gray tabby tom
Apprentice: Sweetpaw
Palefeather- pale brown she-cat
Spiderfoot- brown tabby tom with black paws
Apprentice: Deerpaw
Mintsplash- gray and white she-cat
Petaltail- gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentice: Fallowpaw
Shinecloud- brown and white she-cat
Queens: Birdflight- light brown tabby she-cat with long fur and amber eyes (mother of Cloudstar’s kits: Gorsekit [dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes] and Spottedkit [dappled, tortoiseshell she-cat])
Apprentices: Sweetpaw- light brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes
Fallowpaw- light brown she-cat
Deerpaw- silver and black tabby she-cat
Elders: Waspfang- gray tom with darker stripes
Robinflight- brown and ginger she-cat with a graying muzzle
WindClan
Leader: Swiftstar- dark gray tom
Deputy: Milkfur- creamy white tom
Medicine Cat: Larkwing- silver and black tabby she-cat
Warriors: Hareflight- light brown she-cat
Heatherbreeze- light brown tabby she-cat
Thorntooth- ginger tabby tom with yellow eye
Apprentice: Foxpaw
Suncloud- solid ginger she-cat
Molesight- black and white tom
Nectarnose- beige she-cat
Apprentice: Mallowpaw
Apprentices: Foxpaw- ginger tom with darker flecks
Mallowpaw- gray tabby she-cat
Queens: Applefall- brown and ginger she-cat (mother of Molesight’s kits: Rosekit, Pearkit, and Burrkit)
Elders: Littlestep- black and white tom
ShadowClan
Leader: Dawnstar- creamy brown she-cat
Deputy: Snaketail- brown tabby tom
Medicine Cat: Molepelt- small black tom
Apprentice: Sloepaw
Warriors: Hollowbelly- black and white tom
Mossfur- gray and black she-cat
Frogfang- sleek gray tom
Wolfclaw- long-haired gray tom
Yellowheart- flat-faced, ragged brown she-cat
Shredtail- ragged dark brown tabby tom with criss-cross scars along his back
Apprentice: Maggotpaw
Apprentices: Sloepaw- black tom
Maggotpaw- gray tabby tom
Queens: Pinespirit- brown tabby she-cat (expecting Wolfclaw’s kits)
Elders: Coldtooth- black tom with white patches
Darkscratch- black she-cat with green eyes
RiverClan
Leader: Birchstar- light brown tabby she-cat
Deputy: Sloefur- black she-cat
Apprentice: Rainpaw
Medicine Cat: Icewhisker- silver gray tom
Warriors: Foxclaw- russet colored tom
Darkflower- black she-cat with white paws
Apprentice: Reedpaw
Streamwhisker- gray tabby tom
Apprentice: Puddlepaw
Poolstep- gray tabby she-cat
Mothfoot- brown tabby tom with darker paws
Apprentices: Rainpaw- gray and black tom
Reedpaw- light brown tom
Puddlepaw- solid gray she-cat
Queens: Flywing- dusky brown she-cat (mother to Foxclaw’s kits: Spikekit and Eelkit)
Elders: Frostbreath- white she-cat
Rootclaw- yellow tabby tom
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Post by tigerfang on Oct 27, 2023 19:16:07 GMT -5
Now, onto the next few chapters' summaries.
Chapter 4 Summary:
Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw attend their first gathering at Fourtrees. Redstar, Seedpelt, Nettleclaw, Birdflight, Mintsplash, and Fallowsong accompany them. Kestrelwing stayed back at camp to look after Petaltail and her kits.
Upon arriving at the gathering, Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw are greeted by WindClan apprentices Burrpaw and Rosepaw. This is only their second gathering, and they are also excited to be attending. They point out their sister, Pearpaw, standing with the medicine cats. They ask why Kestrelwing isn’t there, and Spottedpaw reveals that Petaltail had a rough birth, and he’s looking after her and the kits.
Redstar joins Swiftstar and Birchstar on the Great Rock. ShadowClan has yet to arrive.
Soon, Gorsepaw notices that the three leaders are getting impatient atop the Great Rock. He wonders where ShadowClan are, until he sees them emerging from the pine forests at last.
Snaketail hops onto the Great Rock, much to the shock of every cat in the crowd. A tom known as Shredtail takes his place at the foot of it.
Snaketail opens up the gathering by apologizing for his Clan’s tardiness. He reveals that Dawnstar recently lost her final life fighting off a dog, and that he, Snakestar, is now the leader of ShadowClan. He announces that he has chosen Shredtail as his deputy.
The gathered cats call the names of Snakestar and Shredtail, though Gorsepaw notices that a few of the senior warriors of the gathered Clans appear unsettled.
Following Snakestar’s reports of his Clan being well-fed, and their grief for Dawnstar, he backs away. Redstar goes next and offers his condolences for ShadowClan’s loss, and states that he’s sure all of the Clans will grieve for her. But on a brighter note, he announces that ThunderClan has two new apprentices among them tonight. Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw’s names are chanted. Then, he reveals that Petaltail recently birthed a litter of kits with his brother, Amberclaw.
Swiftstar and Birchstar don’t have much to report. Although Swiftstar announces that one of WindClan’s apprentices, Pearpaw, has chosen to take the path of a medicine cat and will now be training under Larkwing instead of Thorntooth.
After the reports, the gathering comes to an end and Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw bid farewell to Rosepaw and Burrpaw. Upon rejoining their Clanmates, Gorsepaw overhears Nettleclaw expressing distaste with Snakestar’s choice of deputy. Apparently, Shredtail is a notoriously violent cat.
Gorsepaw extends his claws and thinks to himself that he can’t wait to one day face the ShadowClan deputy in battle.
Chapter 5 Summary:
Gorsepaw and Redstar are facing each other in a training bout. Redstar is clearly still the better fighter, but he is pleasantly surprised when Gorsepaw manages to catch him off guard a couple of times.
Redstar praises Gorsepaw and says he may turn out to be one of the best warriors in ThunderClan. The leader tells his apprentice that he is proud of his progress.
Gorsepaw is still reluctant to take praise from the cat who helped drive out his father.
Redstar and Gorsepaw return to camp, where Spottedpaw proudly tells Gorsepaw that she caught more prey than Seedpelt managed to. Redstar praises her, and tells the two apprentices they can have the first pick from the fresh-kill pile.
Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw settle near the apprentice’s den with a vole between them. Spottedpaw notes that although it’s leaf-bare, it’s been fairly mild and there hasn’t been much snow. She mentions that she wants to see one of those snow storms that the elders tell them about.
As the two converse about their training, Petaltail appears at the entrance to the nursery with Oakkit and Oatkit. It’s their first time outside of the nursery, and they are amazed by how big the camp is. Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw watch them in amusement.
The kits eventually make their way over to where the two apprentices lay. Oakkit and Oatkit begin to pester them with questions about the outside world, to which Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw reply with exaggeration and story-telling vigor.
After finishing their vole, Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw bring the kits over to Waspfang and Robinflight for a story.
The elders tell them a story about Thunderstar, the first leader of ThunderClan.
Oakkit asks Waspfang if he knew Thunderstar, which Waspfang laughs at, saying he isn’t quite that old. However, good stories do tend to get passed down through the generations, so he almost feels as if he did know the first leader.
Robinflight asks Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw whether they knew that Thunderstar was Skystar’s son or not. Both of them are surprised to learn that the first ThunderClan leader was the first SkyClan leader’s son.
After the story, Gorsepaw reflects that all of ThunderClan has SkyClan to thank for their lives. Yet, when it came to saving them, they refused to help.
Chapter 6 Summary:
The time has come for Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw to travel to the Moonstone. Redstar and Seedpelt accompany them, leaving Nettleclaw in charge of the camp while they are away.
Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw are nervous to be traveling through WindClan territory, but Redstar assures them that all Clans have the right to travel to the Moonstone.
Sure enough, they encounter a WindClan patrol consisting of Milkfur, Molesight, and Mallowheart. After a brief conversation, the WindClan deputy allows the ThunderClan cats to pass.
By the time they’ve passed through WindClan, Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw are tired. They stop to hunt briefly once they get outside Clan territory. Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw eat, but Redstar informs them that he isn’t allowed to eat anything before he enters Mothermouth. Seedpelt is not limited by this restriction, but she chooses not to eat in order to prepare herself for her future journey there.
The ThunderClan cats reach Mothermouth just before moonhigh. Redstar leaves the three cats at the entrance and goes alone to share tongues with StarClan.
While they are waiting, Gorsepaw asks Seedpelt what she would have done about SkyClan if she had been leader of ThunderClan at the time. Seedpelt admits that she would have had to think of her own Clan first, and likely would have done the same thing as Redstar. Upon seeing Gorsepaw’s hurt expression, she apologizes, stating that it’s just the way things are.
Seedpelt stands watch while Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw fall asleep. At dawn, Redstar returns and says they can begin their journey home. Gorsepaw notices that he seems to be on edge.
Gorsepaw asks his mentor what StarClan said to him, but he tells him that he isn’t allowed to share what StarClan told him with anybody other than Kestrelwing.
As they travel home, a snowstorm begins. By the time they reach ThunderClan territory, the snow is up to their bellies and the wind is blustering. Gorsepaw fears that they’ll freeze to death before they reach the camp.
When they finally reach the camp, every cat is hiding in their dens. The fresh-kill pile is decently well stocked, but most of it has already frozen to some extent. Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw grab a frozen shrew and bring it to their den.
They take shelter there, and Gorsepaw asks his sister if this was the snowstorm she was asking for. She admits that she had been hoping they would be in camp when the snow started falling.
Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw huddle together for warmth after finishing their shrew. They fall asleep together, shivering all the while.
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Post by tigerfang on Oct 28, 2023 15:12:24 GMT -5
Chapter 7 Summary:
Gorsepaw, Spottedpaw, Redstar, Seedpelt, and Nettleclaw are all out on a border patrol, patrolling the ShadowClan border when they scent ShadowClan on their side.
They soon find blood and signs of a struggle on the ThunderClan side of the border, well past the scent line. It reeks of ShadowClan. Redstar is furious.
They’re about to turn back to camp when suddenly the sounds of screeching break through the silence. A ShadowClan patrol ambushes them and a battle soon breaks out.
Immediately, Redstar shouts for Spottedpaw, their weakest fighter, to run back to camp and get back-up.
Gorsepaw soon finds himself facing the young ShadowClan warrior, Maggottail. The two of them are locked in combat, and Gorsepaw quickly realizes that he is outclassed. Maggottail is one of ShadowClan’s most brutal warriors, and he is not taking it easy on the ThunderClan apprentice.
Gorsepaw holds his own, but is quickly getting overwhelmed by Maggottail. He notices Seedpelt locked in combat with the ShadowClan deputy, Shredtail. He hopes Spottedpaw gets back soon with the reinforcements.
Maggottail pins Gorsepaw to the ground and delivers several wicked blows to his head and belly. Gorsepaw is in more pain than he has ever been in before, and his eyes are stinging with blood. Suddenly, the weight lifts from him and he is just able to make out Redstar battering at Maggottail. The ThunderClan leader tells Gorsepaw to run.
Gorsepaw tries to stand, but quickly falls back down. He sees Redstar take a massive hit from Maggottail and he falls. Maggottail pounces on top of him and delivers a powerful bite to the back of Redstar’s neck. The ThunderClan leader stops moving and Gorsepaw tries to call out his name.
Suddenly, more ThunderClan warriors rush into battle. Gorsepaw is surprised to see Amberclaw coming to his defense. The ginger tom helps Gorsepaw get up, then tells Spottedpaw to help him back to camp. Gorsepaw leans on his littermate and limps along with her back to camp, too weak to argue with the senior warrior.
Before they get anywhere near the camp, Gorsepaw collapses and cannot get back up. Spottedpaw yells his name, but her voice is quickly fading. He blacks out.
Chapter 8 Summary:
Gorsepaw awakens in Kestrelwing’s den. To his surprise, he isn’t alone, either. Palefeather and Fallowsong are taking up their own nests, and Kestrelwing is treating a wound on the younger warrior’s shoulder when Gorsepaw wakes up. He weakly calls out to the medicine cat.
Kestrelwing is surprised that Gorsepaw is awake, but he isn’t unhappy about it. He admits that for a while, he thought they were going to lose him. But Gorsepaw is strong, and not one to give up easily.
Birdflight and Spottedpaw have hardly left the den in the past few days, surprising Gorsepaw. He has been unconscious for 3 days. He asks about Redstar, thinking to himself that the cat he once loathed had likely saved his life. Kestrelwing tells him that the ThunderClan leader is fine.
Oatkit pokes his head into the den and asks Kestrelwing if he needs any help. Kestrelwing purrs and greets his “little helper.” He whispers to Gorsepaw that he thinks he’ll have an apprentice soon enough.
Gorsepaw asks to leave the den and get some fresh air, to which Kestrelwing tells him to try and stand first. Gorsepaw tries, but quickly collapses back into his nest. Kestrelwing tells him he won’t be leaving the den for a few days yet.
Oatkit assists Kestrelwing in making poultices and dressing wounds. Gorsepaw feels as though his whole body is covered in herbs and his nose wrinkles at the smell.
Word quickly spreads that Gorsepaw has woken up, and multiple cats come to see him. Birdflight, Spottedpaw, Robinflight, and Oakkit all visit him throughout the morning. His final visitor is Redstar, who looks as strong as ever.
Gorsepaw thanks his mentor for saving his life, and admits that maybe he was wrong about the ThunderClan leader all along. He tells Redstar that he’s a good cat. Redstar thanks him, but states that he only did what he would have done for any clanmate.
Gorsepaw notices that despite Redstar taking a severe beating in the battle, he looks perfectly healthy and unhurt. He inquires about this, to which Redstar tells him not to worry about it.
Quickly, Gorsepaw realizes that Redstar lost a life. He asks about it, and Redstar uncomfortably confirms. Maggottail took one of his lives, but it was worth it to save Gorsepaw. The leader tells his apprentice that he fought like all of LionClan. Gorsepaw bursts with pride.
Redstar praises him once more, then leaves, telling Kestrelwing to let him know if he needs any more help. Kestrelwing glances at Oatkit and says he thinks he has all the help he needs.
A few days later, Gorsepaw is able to walk around on his own. He ventures out into the camp and is greeted by much of the Clan. Much of the snow has melted, and Gorsepaw goes to look at himself in a puddle.
Gorsepaw is horrified to see all of the wounds that he is covered with and wonders if he’ll ever be the same again. Spottedpaw notes that he is lucky to still have both of his eyes. A shredded ear is nothing compared to what could have happened.
Tired, Gorsepaw settles in a sunny spot in the clearing and lies down. He wonders when his training will begin again, and is excited to get back into it.
Chapter 9 Summary:
A moon later, at the beginning of newleaf, Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw are tasked with completing their warrior assessment.
Both are able to catch at least four pieces of prey, though Spottedpaw catches more than Gorsepaw. Despite this, Redstar and Seedpelt happily inform them that they both passed and that their ceremony will take place later that evening.
As they return to camp with their prey, Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw can hardly contain their excitement. Oakkit and Oatkit, who are nearly 6 moons old themselves, happily greet them and are equally excited to hear that they passed. Oakkit hopes that Gorsepaw will be his mentor.
Birdflight comes over and congratulates her kits. Gorsepaw notes that she is already looking plumper since leaf-bare has ended.
Redstar joins the family and congratulates all of them. He tells Birdflight that she raised two great and worthy cats. She purrs and says that she couldn’t have done anything without him and Seedpelt training them properly.
That evening, Redstar calls a Clan meeting and every ThunderClan cat enters the clearing. He calls Gorsepaw and Spottedpaw forward and announces that two new warriors will be joining their ranks that night.
First, he calls forth Spottedpaw. He thanks her for her hunting skills and her intelligence, then presents her with the warrior name of Spottedpelt. The Clan shouts her name with glee.
Redstar then calls forth Gorsepaw. He thanks him for his endurance and his strength in battle, and presents him with the warrior name of Gorseclaw. He quietly tells his now-former apprentice that he is beyond proud of him. The Clan shouts his name.
Gorseclaw and Spottedpelt are congratulated by each of their clanmates, then they go to guard the camp and take their silent vigil.
By the time dawn comes and Nettleclaw relieves them of their vigil, Gorseclaw and Spottedpelt are exhausted. They almost find themselves going to the apprentice’s den, then laugh and go instead to the warrior’s den. Inside, their mother, Birdflight, has prepared nests for them. Gorseclaw and Spottedpelt curl up and quickly fall asleep.
Later that day, Birdflight rouses the new warriors from their nests. She says Seedpelt wants them to join her on a hunting patrol.
As they hunt, Gorseclaw asks his mother if, now that he is a warrior, she will join him in going to look for Cloudstar, as she promised when he was a kit. Birdflight admits that she didn’t think Gorseclaw would remember that, since he had barely been a half-moon old when they made that promise.
Gorseclaw insists that he did, in fact, remember, and is now asking her to leave ThunderClan briefly with him to find Cloudstar. He also asks this of Spottedpelt.
Spottedpelt refuses, saying that they are ThunderClan warriors, and loyalty to the Clan should come before loyalty to kin. Gorseclaw can’t believe what he is hearing, saying that they would return to ThunderClan once they found Cloudstar.
Birdflight states that she isn’t leaving ThunderClan anytime soon, then admits the real reason she brought her kits out there. She reveals she is expecting kits with Redstar.
Gorseclaw is furious that his mother would move on from Cloudstar so quickly. Birdflight explains that she thinks that even if they went looking for him, she doubts they would ever find him. And Redstar makes her happy.
Gorseclaw refuses to look at his mother. He goes hunting on his own and vows that one day, he will find his father.
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Post by tigerfang on Oct 29, 2023 14:33:54 GMT -5
Chapter 10 Summary:
Gorseclaw has essentially severed his relationship with his mother, hardly daring to look at her following her revelation in the previous chapter.
Redstar calls a Clan meeting, and Gorseclaw sits away from his mother and sister. Instead, he sits by Nettleclaw and Sweetbriar.
Redstar announces that it is time for Oakkit and Oatkit to become apprentices. He calls his brother’s kits forward. Amberclaw and Petaltail stare after their kits with pride.
Redstar first calls forth Oakkit. Oakkit bounds forward with his head held high, his eyes shining. Redstar gives him the new name of Oakpaw and, to every cat’s surprise, he assigns Gorseclaw as his mentor.
A few cats are confused, none more than Gorseclaw himself. He steps forward and asks Redstar why he chose him, as he only just became a warrior the previous moon. Redstar explains that he doesn’t believe there is any better cat to train Oakpaw, and he hopes that Gorseclaw will pass on all that he taught him to the young apprentice.
Gorseclaw accepts Oakpaw as his apprentice, and the two step away together.
Then, Kestrelwing steps forward and announces that StarClan has chosen Oatkit for a different path. He calls forth Oatkit and asks him to be his apprentice. Oatkit accepts and is given the name of Oatpaw. Their journey to the Moonstone will take place in a few days.
The meeting ends, and Gorseclaw is left with Oakpaw. He believes that Redstar assigned him an apprentice as a bribe to get him to forgive him and Birdflight. Gorseclaw isn’t that quick to forgive.
Gorseclaw takes his friend and apprentice to explore ThunderClan territory for the first time. Oakpaw is beyond ecstatic to have Gorseclaw as his mentor and he is bounding with energy.
Gorseclaw and Oakpaw explore the entirety of ThunderClan territory, with Gorseclaw giving his apprentice the same advice that Redstar gave him- to avoid Snakerocks and the proximity of the Owl Tree when he is alone.
By the time they finish, Oakpaw is exhausted, but Gorseclaw feels as though he can keep going, much to his own surprise. He drops Oakpaw back at the camp and tells him to get some rest, as they will be going out with the dawn patrol the next morning.
Instead of going to his nest, Gorseclaw goes out to hunt alone and think.
He finds himself near the new ShadowClan border, as they took some of ThunderClan territory after their last battle. He stares into the pine forest beyond the border and thinks he sees a pair of eyes staring back at him. Gorseclaw and the mysterious cat have a staring contest until the eyes vanish.
Gorseclaw flexes his claws and becomes increasingly determined to wipe the smug looks off of the ShadowClan cats.
Chapter 11 Summary:
Gorseclaw is in the sandy hollow training with Oakpaw. He is teaching his apprentice a basic battle move when Spottedpelt bursts into the clearing and frantically tells Gorseclaw that their mother is kitting. At first, Gorseclaw thinks that he might just stay where he is, but he soon pushes his thoughts aside and agrees to follow Spottedpelt back to camp.
In camp, all of the ThunderClan cats still there are pacing anxiously. Redstar is positioned outside of the nursery, guarding the entrance from any curious cats. Oatpaw rushes out of the medicine den with a bundle of herbs in his jaws and Redstar lets him pass.
Spottedpelt asks Petaltail how her mother is doing, and Petaltail states that it sounds like Birdflight’s kitting is going better than her own. However, Birdflight is older than Petaltail and may not make it regardless.
The elder Robinflight states that she has witnessed many births in her lifetime, and it sounds like Birdflight is doing fine. She is confident that Kestrelwing will be able to keep her and her kits alive.
Oakpaw asks Gorseclaw if there is anything he can do. He suggests that Oakpaw go gather some moss and soak it with water for Birdflight to drink. Oakpaw agrees and runs off to do so. Spottedpelt points out to him that apprentices shouldn’t leave the camp alone. Gorseclaw curses under his breath and runs after his apprentice, having briefly forgotten.
He easily tracks Oakpaw to a mossy tree and helps him gather the moss. Oakpaw asks him if he is worried about his mother. Gorseclaw replies that he isn’t. He then asks if he hates his mother, which gives Gorseclaw pause. After much thought, he says that he doesn’t hate her- she just isn’t the cat that he always thought she was.
Together, they soak the moss and bring it back to camp. Birdflight is nearly finished, and two kits are already born. Palefeather says that she heard Kestrelwing say there was one more to come.
Gorseclaw and Oakpaw drop off the moss with Redstar, who thanks them and brings the moss into the nursery.
Seedpelt and her patrol, consisting of Deerdapple and Spiderfoot, return. They drop their prey on the fresh-kill pile and look around at the gathered cats. Seedpelt quickly deduces that Birdflight is giving birth.
Well into the evening, the birthing finishes and Kestrelwing and Oatpaw leave the nursery. The medicine cat announces that Birdflight has birthed three healthy kits- two toms and a she-cat. The gathered cats collectively release a sigh of relief and begin to purr happily.
Later that night, as Gorseclaw lays in his nest, Spottedpelt enters the den and asks him if he wants to meet their kin. Gorseclaw is hesitant, but eventually gives in and agrees to go to the nursery.
Inside, Birdflight is half-asleep with her three kits suckling at her belly. She looks up tiredly and greets her son. Gorseclaw is hesitant to get closer until Birdflight invites him to. She introduces him to Beekit, Leafkit, and Brackenkit, his kin. Gorseclaw notes that Brackenkit is the spitting image of Redstar.
Gorseclaw sits with his kin and eventually tells his mother that he is sorry, and that he shouldn’t have judged her for moving on from Cloudstar. Birdflight says that she is sorry, too, and that she never should have made that promise to Gorseclaw in the first place.
Gorseclaw tells his mother that he still intends to find Cloudstar one day, but he recognizes that ThunderClan needs him now. He sits with his mother and his kin and eventually falls asleep in the nursery, his mother purring in her sleep.
Chapter 12 Summary:
Gorseclaw is out on a border patrol with Oakpaw, Rabbitfur, and Deerdapple. They are nearing the ShadowClan border when Oakpaw scents rabbit. Immediately, he rushes after it.
Oakpaw accidentally chases the rabbit across the Thunderpath into ShadowClan territory without realizing it. Upon reaching the other side, Wolfclaw catches Oakpaw’s rabbit and snarls at him.
Gorseclaw, Rabbitfur, and Deerdapple pause at the edge of the Thunderpath and try to mediate the situation. Gorseclaw apologizes to Wolfclaw for the mistake, but says that Oakpaw is only an apprentice. He isn’t as accustomed to the border markers as the warriors are.
Shredtail, Yellowheart, and Ratpaw come out of the shadows of the trees. Shredtail snarls and says that even an apprentice should know where to stop.
A battle breaks out when the ShadowClan deputy pounces on Oakpaw. Immediately, the ThunderClan warriors cross the Thunderpath and engage in the fight.
Gorseclaw battles Shredtail head-on and saves Oakpaw. He tells his apprentice to run back to camp and get reinforcements. Oakpaw is reluctant to listen, but does so.
Gorseclaw continues to battle Shredtail, thinking that he’s been waiting many moons for the chance to fight the ShadowClan deputy. However, Gorseclaw is outmatched and Shredtail is a merciless fighter.
By the time Oakpaw arrives with reinforcements (Seedpelt, Amberclaw, Petaltail, and Fallowsong), Gorseclaw has taken a heavy beating and Shredtail is preparing to finish him off. Amberclaw, Gorseclaw’s biggest rival in the Clan, saves his life by tackling Shredtail and engaging him in battle.
Seedpelt tells Oakpaw to help Gorseclaw back to camp, as he has sustained too much damage to continue fighting. Gorseclaw insists that he can still fight, but he can barely stand. Seedpelt tells him that that was an order, and Gorseclaw reluctantly leans on his apprentice in order to get back to camp.
Gorseclaw doesn’t make it back to camp. He continually grows weaker and weaker until he slips in his own blood and falls to the ground. Oakpaw says that he’ll fetch Kestrelwing and Oatpaw, and runs off. Gorseclaw passes out, wondering if this was what dying felt like.
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Post by tigerfang on Nov 1, 2023 11:13:02 GMT -5
Chapter 13 Summary:
When Gorseclaw opens his eyes, he finds himself at Fourtrees. Confused, he stands up and looks around. There’s no sign of any other cat. Suddenly, he hears a voice and he looks up at the Great Rock. Petaltail is standing on top of it, looking around sadly.
Gorseclaw asks her if they are dead, and she says she isn’t sure. She hadn’t pictured Fourtrees being where they wound up after death.
At that point, a cat unknown to Gorseclaw appears next to Petaltail. This cat has stars in their fur, and Gorseclaw realizes that it’s a warrior of StarClan. He takes this to mean that he and Petaltail are, in fact, dead.
The StarClan cat introduces himself as Owlstar, the second leader of ThunderClan. He tells them that both of them took a heavy beating in the battle with ShadowClan. He mentions that Petaltail is already beyond help, but Gorseclaw is currently fighting for his life in the ThunderClan medicine den. He shows them both a vision of Kestrelwing and Oatpaw desperately trying to help Gorseclaw. Then the vision changes and they see Amberclaw and Seedpelt carrying Petaltail’s bloodied and broken corpse back to camp.
Petaltail shrieks and tries to run to her mate, but Owlstar stops her, saying that it can’t be helped. She bled out mere moments after Shredtail opened up her belly.
Gorseclaw growls and says that he’s going to make Shredtail pay for killing Petaltail, but Owlstar regretfully informs him that he isn’t out of the woods yet, either. He took heavy damage during the battle, and there’s still a chance he might not wake up.
Gorseclaw asks Owlstar what the point is in showing them all of this if they can’t do anything to fix it. Owlstar replies that he’s simply giving them a chance to see their clanmates one more time. Petaltail cries as she sees Amberclaw yowl in despair and anger upon returning to the camp with his mate’s body. Gorseclaw can hardly watch as he sees Oakpaw rush up to his mother and try to wake her. Amberclaw leans in and tells his son that it’s no use- Petaltail walks with StarClan now.
Petaltail tries to tell them that she’s right there, watching them, but Owlstar says they can’t hear her.
ThunderClan gathers around the body of Petaltail, all of them grieving. Meanwhile, Spottedpelt paces outside of the medicine den, clearly anxious about her brother.
Gorseclaw watches her in despair as Owlstar touches his tail to Petaltail’s back and tells her it’s time to go. Petaltail doesn’t argue with him, and turns with him to leave.
Gorseclaw asks Owlstar if it’s his time, and Owlstar tells him that that’s up to him at this point. Kestrelwing is perfectly capable of saving him if he wants to go back. His wounds are bad, but he got to the medicine cat in time. The choice of returning to life is Gorseclaw’s own path to choose.
Owlstar and Petaltail disappear, and Gorseclaw is left watching the visions of his clanmates.
Gorseclaw growls and vows that he isn’t going anywhere if he has a choice. He still has much to do in life, and that includes killing Shredtail.
Gorseclaw shouts to the sky that he’s not going anywhere.
Suddenly, in the medicine den, Gorseclaw gasps for breath and opens his eyes. He briefly struggles against Kestrelwing, who holds him down and tells him to relax. He’s alive.
Oatpaw feeds Gorseclaw a poppy seed, and he soon relaxes and falls into a deep sleep. Before he passes out, he tells Kestrelwing that he isn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 14 Summary:
Throughout the next moon, Spottedpelt takes over as Oakpaw’s temporary mentor while Gorseclaw recovers from his wounds.
During his recovery, Gorseclaw spends much of his time in the medicine den. However, he also takes the time to get to know his half-siblings, Beekit, Leafkit, and Brackenkit.
Palefeather has birthed a litter of kits with Spiderfoot, one tom and one she-cat. Their names are Hawkkit and Petalkit, and Petalkit is named after Petaltail.
Gorseclaw attempts to apologize to Amberclaw for Petaltail’s death, but he doesn’t want to hear it. It doesn’t matter who’s fault it was. He blames Shredtail, and he swears that he’ll rip the ShadowClan deputy’s throat out one day.
After a conversation with Kestrelwing, the medicine cat informs Gorseclaw that he can return to his warrior duties, so long as he takes it easy for a few more days.
Gorseclaw takes over the training of Oakpaw, thanking his sister for her assistance.
Gorseclaw takes Oakpaw out on a hunting patrol. While they are out there, Oakpaw tells Gorseclaw that he believes his mother died because of him. If Oakpaw hadn’t accidentally crossed the border, the battle wouldn’t have started, and Shredtail wouldn’t have killed Petaltail.
Gorseclaw comforts his apprentice by stating that he believes ShadowClan was just looking for an excuse to fight. He suspects there would have been a battle regardless of who crossed the border.
Gorseclaw tells Oakpaw that nobody blames him for Petaltail’s death. In fact, Gorseclaw thanks his apprentice for saving his life. Had Oakpaw not both gone to camp for reinforcements and helped Gorseclaw get back there, Gorseclaw would have almost certainly been killed as well.
The two finish their hunting session and return to camp. There, Redstar says that both Gorseclaw and Oakpaw will be joining him for the gathering that night. Gorseclaw tells his apprentice to rest up before then.
Redstar pulls Gorseclaw aside and asks him how he’s holding up. Gorseclaw says that Oakpaw blames himself for his mother’s death. Redstar agrees to talk to the apprentice, and thanks Gorseclaw for the head’s up.
Gorseclaw takes a rabbit and goes to share the prey with Spottedpelt.
Chapter 15 Summary:
Later that night, Redstar leads ThunderClan to the gathering. Seedpelt, Gorseclaw, Spottedpelt, Mintsplash, Deerdapple, Kestrelwing, Oakpaw, and Oatpaw follow him to Fourtrees.
Gorseclaw asks Redstar whether or not he is going to confront Snakestar. Redstar admits that he is considering it.
At Fourtrees, the other three Clans are already in attendance. Snakestar, Swiftstar, and Birchstar sit atop the Great Rock. Redstar goes to join them.
Gorseclaw and Oakpaw go to sit beside Burrstripe, who happily informs Gorseclaw that his sister, Rosefur, had a litter of kits recently. Gorseclaw asks who the father is, and Burrstripe says that Foxtail is.
Swiftstar begins the gathering by revealing to everybody that her deputy, Milkfur, succumbed to a chest infection in the past moon. She introduces Molesight as her new deputy, and the gathered cats chant his name. She also announces Rosefur’s bearing Foxtail’s kit.
Birchstar reports the new apprentices, Splashpaw and Fernpaw, as well as Fernpaw’s choice to train under Icewhisker as a medicine cat apprentice. He also reports new kits in the Clan.
Snakestar announces his new warriors, Houndclaw and Ratfang, as well as new apprentices in Grasspaw, Marigoldpaw, and Needlepaw. The Clans chant their names.
Redstar steps forward and initially reports Palefeather’s kitting. He also reports the death of Petaltail, and he hesitates before continuing. He then decides to call out Snakestar by revealing to all that Petaltail was killed by Shredtail, the ShadowClan deputy.
Nobody appears more surprised than Snakestar himself, who admits that he hadn’t even been informed of a battle taking place. Shredtail states that there was no reason to tell Snakestar, as it had simply been a skirmish incited by an ignorant ThunderClan apprentice.
Beside Gorseclaw, Oakpaw tenses up. Gorseclaw calms him by running his tail down his spine.
Snakestar tells Shredtail that he will deal with him later, then bows his head and apologizes to Redstar for ThunderClan’s loss. Redstar reluctantly accepts the apology.
Gorseclaw himself is furious, wanting Redstar to demand that Shredtail step down as Snakestar’s deputy. However, no such thing occurs, and the gathering comes to an end.
Redstar leads his clanmates home. Gorseclaw asks him why he didn’t confront Shredtail directly, and Redstar says that under the full moon, there is a truce. He had no intention of starting a full-scale battle in the middle of a gathering.
Gorseclaw is left wondering whether or not Redstar is going to do something about Shredtail in the future.
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Post by tigerfang on Nov 2, 2023 13:02:13 GMT -5
Chapter 16 Summary:
A few moons later, as leaf-fall is turning into leaf-bare, ThunderClan gathers beneath the Highrock for Oakpaw’s warrior ceremony.
Gorseclaw looks on proudly as Redstar calls Oakpaw forward. He directly asks Gorseclaw if he believes Oakpaw is ready to become a warrior, and Gorseclaw approves.
Gorseclaw notices Amberclaw looking on proudly as his brother gives his son his warrior name. Gorseclaw wishes Petaltail were there to see it.
Redstar thanks Oakpaw for his courage and determination, then presents him with the warrior name of Oakstep. The Clan chants his new name, none louder than Gorseclaw and Amberclaw.
Gorseclaw congratulates his former apprentice, then leaves him to the swarm of warriors gathering around him. He goes to sit beside Spottedpelt, who has an apprentice of her own now in their half-sister, Leafpaw.
Spottedpelt reveals to Gorseclaw that she’s been thinking about having kits of her own soon. Gorseclaw asks who the father might be, and Spottedpelt admits that she’s been getting along quite well with Rabbitfur, since they are training apprentices together.
Gorseclaw notes that aside from him and Oakstep, Rabbitfur is the only tom in the Clan without a mate. He purrs and asks Spottedpelt when he should expect the new kin. Spottedpelt cuffs him in the ear and says it’ll be a while yet.
Later that night, Gorseclaw settles into his nest in the warrior’s den. He thinks about Oakstep, standing outside in the dark, all alone. He’s proud of his former apprentice and friend.
Gorseclaw dreams of stalking a mouse that night. However, as he stalks it, he begins to scent ShadowClan.
Gorseclaw immediately wakes up when he hears a loud yowl from Oakstep. ShadowClan is ambushing the ThunderClan camp.
Chapter 17 Summary:
The clearing breaks out into battle, and Gorseclaw finds himself fighting Ratfang.
Gorseclaw searches the clearing for any sign of Shredtail and eventually spots him battling Redstar.
To Gorseclaw’s dismay, Snakestar is involved in the battle. The ShadowClan leader is fighting against Nettleclaw.
The battle lasts through the night, and Gorseclaw faces many enemies. He fights more fiercely in this ambush than he ever has in any battle.
Gorseclaw eventually faces Snakestar himself. As he battles the ShadowClan leader, he spots Amberclaw pushing through the crowd to get at Shredtail, who still fights Redstar.
Gorseclaw intends to join Amberclaw in facing the ShadowClan deputy. He batters Snakestar's belly and launches him away with a powerful kick. He then runs toward Shredtail.
To Gorseclaw’s horror, Shredtail has killed Redstar, stripping him of another life. Gorseclaw launches himself at the ShadowClan deputy alongside Amberclaw. The two warriors fight Shredtail ruthlessly, until Maggottail arrives and pulls Gorseclaw away from him.
The camp reeks of blood and ShadowClan. Gorseclaw faces the young and merciless warrior, knowing what he is capable of. Gorseclaw hasn’t forgotten that Maggottail once killed Redstar, too. Soon, Gorseclaw is seeing red.
As the battle nears completion, Gorseclaw is eventually shocked to find himself standing over Maggottail’s corpse. Without even thinking about it, he had killed the ShadowClan warrior by delivering a killing bite to the back of his neck. Gorseclaw steps away from the body in horror of what he has done.
Upon seeing Maggottail’s body, Snakestar calls a retreat, stating that the battle is won. The ShadowClan warriors flee, with several ThunderClan warriors chasing after them to make sure they actually leave.
However, when the clearing is free of all ShadowClan cats, the ThunderClan cats assess the damage. All of the dens were destroyed, and they were not without casualties.
Redstar lost a life. The elder, Waspfang, is laying outside the elder’s den in a pool of blood. Robinflight stands beside him, wailing at the loss of her denmate.
Gorseclaw is horrified when he sees the last two bodies. His half-brother, Brackenpaw, is dead. Birdflight, Leafpaw, and Beepaw stand beside his corpse, all wailing with grief. And lastly, the ThunderClan deputy, Seedpelt, lay slain in the center of the clearing.
Redstar awakens from losing his life and manages to stumble over to the body of Seedpelt. He looks over the damage in the camp and he sees all of the bodies, trying to process all of it. Among the dead is his son, Brackenpaw.
Gorseclaw furiously spits on the body of Maggottail, saying that this is partially his fault. Birdflight later reveals to him that Maggottail was the one to kill Brackenpaw, so in a way, Gorseclaw avenged his half-brother’s death when he killed Maggottail.
Redstar asks around to find out who killed his deputy. Eventually, Spottedpelt is able to confirm that Maggottail killed her, too. Rabbitfur backs up her claim.
Grief-stricken, Redstar stands over the body of Seedpelt and says the words to StarClan that announces his new deputy. He states that in light of the night’s events, there is a single clear choice in who should be his next deputy.
Redstar appoints Gorseclaw as his deputy, much to the shock of everyone, including Gorseclaw himself.
Despite the shock, the Clan seems pleased by Gorseclaw’s appointment. And, even more surprising, Amberclaw is the first cat to call out Gorseclaw’s name. Soon, the whole Clan is chanting it, until Gorseclaw feels completely overwhelmed by the respect and gratitude of his clanmates.
Chapter 18 Summary:
Several days later, the bodies are buried and Gorseclaw has taken on the role of Clan deputy. Per Redstar’s orders, Maggottail’s corpse was thrown into the river instead of buried.
Gorseclaw sends Spottedpelt, Fallowsong, Leafpaw, and Beepaw out on the dawn patrol. He chooses Nettleclaw to lead a hunting patrol, allowing the senior warrior to choose who goes with him.
Gorseclaw then goes to Redstar’s den beneath the Highrock and announces his presence. Redstar tells him to enter.
The two finally have a conversation that has been a long time coming. Gorseclaw tells his leader and former mentor that he is honored that Redstar chose him as deputy, but they both know there is something Gorseclaw has to do.
Redstar explains to Gorseclaw that he chose him as deputy not only because he killed Maggottail, but because there is no cat he trusts more to take over as leader once he is gone. During the battle, Shredtail took his eighth life. He only has one more to lose before his chosen deputy becomes leader.
Gorseclaw tells him that that is exactly why he has to do this now. If he becomes ThunderClan’s leader, he’ll never have another chance to go out searching for his father. It has to be now, Redstar hasn’t given him any other choice.
Redstar states that they are in the middle of a war with ShadowClan. If Gorseclaw leaves them now, there is no guarantee that ThunderClan will still be there if and when he returns.
Gorseclaw apologizes to his leader, but says that he has to do this now, before it’s too late. He knows he is leaving ThunderClan at a terrible time, but this is the last chance he has.
Redstar asks him why he needs to go out searching for Cloudstar when he has a family here in ThunderClan. Gorseclaw replies that he just has to know if his father is still alive out there somewhere. He has to let Cloudstar know that his family still thinks about him and still misses him terribly… despite Birdflight having moved on.
Redstar sees that Gorseclaw has made up his mind. Gorseclaw says that he has, and that he will be leaving before the next gathering, so Redstar doesn’t have to admit to the other Clans that he chose a deputy who would abandon his Clan.
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Post by tigerfang on Nov 3, 2023 11:49:53 GMT -5
Chapter 19 Summary:
The chapter begins with Redstar assigning the new apprentices, Hawkpaw and Petalpaw, to their mentors. Per Gorseclaw’s suggestion, Hawkpaw is given to Oakstep, and Petalpaw is given to Shinecloud.
Redstar refrains from telling the rest of the Clan that Gorseclaw will be abandoning them. Nobody knows what he intends to do.
Gorseclaw talks with Spottedpelt, Birdflight, and Kestrelwing. He informs his family and the medicine cat that he intends to go out searching for Cloudstar and any sign of SkyClan. They try to convince him not to, but Gorseclaw is beyond convincing. He says that this is something he has to do.
Privately, Kestrelwing berates him, saying that he is ThunderClan’s deputy. Gorseclaw explains exactly why he has to go now. If and when Redstar dies and Gorseclaw succeeds him as leader, he’ll never have another chance. He didn’t ask to become deputy. He doesn’t even think he deserves it. Somebody else will be a better leader than he could ever be. Kestrelwing disagrees, but stops fighting it.
That night, Gorseclaw slips out of the warrior’s den and makes for the camp’s exit. Oakstep is on guard duty that night, and he stops Gorseclaw. Spottedpelt told him what Gorseclaw was planning on doing.
Gorseclaw apologizes to his friend and former apprentice, but explains once again that this is something he just has to do. Gorseclaw and Oakstep share a final goodbye, then Gorseclaw goes out into the snow-covered world, headed toward Highstones.
Chapter 20 Summary:
Gorseclaw arrives at Highstones, amazed that he never met a WindClan patrol while on the moorland. He sighs and decides he should rest for the night before attempting to trek through the mountains.
Gorseclaw’s curiosity is piqued as he realizes he is at Mothermouth. Despite knowing the Moonstone is something only leaders and medicine cats are supposed to see, he chooses to enter Mothermouth and visit the Moonstone in hopes of learning more about where SkyClan went.
Gorseclaw treks through Mothermouth, using his whiskers to guide him through the pitch blackness. Eventually, he sees the shining light of the Moonstone ahead. He feels a great deal of wonder and fear as he approaches the shining stone. He touches his nose to it and curls up to sleep.
When he opens his eyes, he is in an unfamiliar forest. In front of him, the starry forms of Brackenpaw and Seedpelt are staring at him from the bushes.
Gorseclaw calls out to the former deputy and his deceased half-brother, excited to see them. The two StarClan cats enter the clearing and look in confusion at Gorseclaw.
Brackenpaw asks Gorseclaw what he is doing in StarClan territory, asking if he is dead. Gorseclaw says he ventured to the Moonstone. He wants to know where SkyClan went after they were forced out of the forest. The new StarClan cats don’t know what happened to them, revealing that they can’t see them. However, Seedpelt suggests Gorseclaw follow her to somebody who was in StarClan already when SkyClan left the forest.
Gorseclaw follows Seedpelt and Brackenpaw through StarClan territory until they encounter an old, half-faded StarClan cat. Seedpelt introduces Gorseclaw to Thunderstar, the first ThunderClan leader and the son of Skystar.
Gorseclaw is honored to meet Thunderstar. Thunderstar is less pleased to see Gorseclaw, stating that the Moonstone is for Clan cats, and Gorseclaw has abandoned his Clan. Gorseclaw assures the ancient cat that he intends to return to the Clans after finding his father. Thunderstar asks him what he’ll do if he never finds Cloudstar.
Gorseclaw is unsure of how to answer that question, but says he has kin in ThunderClan, and he would never abandon them forever. Thunderstar asks him what he’ll do if Redstar doesn’t take him back. Gorseclaw tells him that he knows Redstar will take him back when the time comes. Thunderstar is less sure.
Gorseclaw realizes that the sun is rising and he feels the dream fading away. He asks Thunderstar which way SkyClan went when they left, and Thunderstar sighs and tells him to follow the river to its source. That is all he knows- past that is up to Gorseclaw because only SkyClan’s ancestors know where they truly went, and SkyClan’s ancestors followed SkyClan to walk in separate skies.
The dream fades and Gorseclaw awakens in Mothermouth. He decides to follow Thunderstar’s advice and follow the river.
Chapter 21 Summary:
About a moon later, Gorseclaw arrives in a Twolegplace, having followed the river straight to a lake (not the same lake that the Clans end up in later). Past that lake, he kept traveling until he found this Twolegplace. He decides to ask around and see if any kittypets noticed a large group of cats traveling through here many seasons ago.
Gorseclaw spends this chapter traversing the Twolegplace and asking questions to different cats he meets. He meets several kittypets, including a tom named Tom, a she-cat named Molly, and a young queen named Mitzie, along with her kits Mittens, Spot, and Spirit. Mitzie is the only cat around who seems to recall a large group of cats. She sends him in the direction of the setting sun.
Gorseclaw gets lost in the Twolegplace and is eventually found by a loner named Coral. She leads him out of the Twolegplace and in the direction he wants to go. Upon hearing what Gorseclaw is trying to do, she decides to accompany him on his journey, seeing it as exciting.
Before the end of the chapter, Gorseclaw and Coral realize they are being followed. They try to lose their tail, but eventually decide to confront them. When they leap out to attack their pursuer, they find themselves facing two of Mitzie’s kits, Spot and Spirit.
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Post by tigerfang on Nov 4, 2023 15:28:49 GMT -5
Chapter 22 Summary:
Approximately another moon later, it’s revealed that Spot and Spirit have also decided to follow Gorseclaw on his journey. With the assistance of Coral, Gorseclaw teaches the two young cats how to hunt. He also teaches all of the loners about the Clans and what he is searching for.
They soon find themselves in another Twolegplace. They again search each of the twoleg dens, looking for any kittypets who might know where SkyClan went.
After meeting several more kittypets named Harley, Boomer, and Vic, Gorseclaw is getting frustrated. Nobody seems to have seen SkyClan anywhere.
Gorseclaw is losing hope that they are heading in the right direction until they meet another kittypet named Earth. Earth reveals that he used to be a SkyClan warrior named Acorntail.
The traveling cats stay with Earth for the night, hiding in his twoleg’s garden. Earth gives them all of the information he knows about SkyClan and where they went.
Earth reveals that a great deal of SkyClan warriors gave up on finding new territory after several moons on the run. He and many others chose to become kittypets. Whoever was left, Cloudstar continued leading far away from any twolegplace.
Gorseclaw is overjoyed to hear that, at least the last time Earth saw him, Cloudstar was alive. Earth tells him not to get his hopes too high, as he hasn’t seen Cloudstar or any other SkyClan cat for seasons now.
Still, Gorseclaw is now convinced they are headed in the correct direction. He thanks Earth, who returns to his twoleg den. The traveling cats stay in Earth’s garden for the night.
Chapter 23 Summary:
A few days later, Gorseclaw and his companions made it out of the twolegplace. However, they don’t get far before they encounter a group of rogues who surround them.
Gorseclaw faces the rogue’s leader, Pixie, and demands to know what she wants with his group.
Pixie reveals that she wants nothing more than to shred all of them for daring to step paw on her territory. Gorseclaw points out that two of his companions are just kits, and the rogues should leave them alone. Pixie and the rogues laugh and come on the attack.
Gorseclaw and Coral both show excellent battle tactics and protect the kits with all of their strength. At one point, Gorseclaw is fighting Pixie and two other rogues all at once.
One of the rogues, Django, gets stuck beneath Gorseclaw. Gorseclaw pins him to the ground and chooses to break the warrior code, killing Django by ripping out his throat. Afterward, he snarls at the other rogues and tells them to run if they want to live.
Pixie is furious, but her group is already running in fear of Gorseclaw. She hisses at Gorseclaw that this isn’t over, then she runs away as well.
Coral and the kits step away from Gorseclaw, suddenly afraid of him. Coral tries to comfort Spot and Spirit, and Gorseclaw says that he killed the rogue to save them. He doesn’t mean them any harm.
Despite this, Coral and the kits abandon Gorseclaw that night while he sleeps. Overwhelmed with guilt, Gorseclaw goes out searching for them, only to find himself once again confronted by Pixie and her rogues.
Severely outnumbered, Gorseclaw realizes he has to fight for his life. He challenges Pixie one-on-one, saying that whoever wins gets to walk away. Pixie agrees, telling her companions to step away and watch for Gorseclaw’s allies.
The duel between Pixie and Gorseclaw is a savage one. Pixie fights dirty, using dirt to blind Gorseclaw and slide beneath him, slicing his belly. Despite Pixie fighting dirty, Gorseclaw decided that he had already faced much more savage opponents in Shredtail and Maggottail, and in the case of Maggottail, he won.
Gorseclaw plays the defensive, not directly attacking Pixie unless she makes the first move. Eventually, he is able to turn the tide on her by kicking her legs out from under her and slamming his forepaw down on the back of her neck. He holds her down and threatens to end her life there and then unless she lets him walk away without another fight.
Pixie agrees, and Gorseclaw lets her go. He turns to leave the rogues behind, when suddenly he hears Pixie hiss. With his back turned, Pixie launches herself at him. However, Gorseclaw was expecting her to double-cross him. He side-steps her attack, once again kicks out her legs, and forces his paws down on her spine. Her spine cracks and she becomes immobile. Gorseclaw kills her by snapping her neck.
He looks around at the rogues and tells them not to mess with him. They listen, running away.
Gorseclaw finally decides that although he wants to find his father, he finds himself missing Coral and the kits. He decides to search for them instead and convince them to come home with him.
Chapter 24 Summary:
It takes several days, but Gorseclaw eventually finds Coral and the kits back in the last twolegplace they had come across. The kits are clearly afraid of him when they see him, and Coral is reluctant to let him near them, as she has taken to acting as their mother in Mitzie’s absence.
Gorseclaw insists that he only killed Django because he wasn’t left with much choice. The rogues would have killed Coral and the kits had he not scared them off.
Coral insists that she can handle herself, which Gorseclaw doesn’t argue with. However, those rogues would have killed Spot and Spirit had he not done what he did.
Coral asks him how he isn’t sure the rogues followed him back here, and Gorseclaw insists that he dealt with them. Coral takes this to mean he killed all of them, calling him a savage.
Gorseclaw says he only did what he had to. He didn’t kill all of the rogues. However, he does admit that Pixie challenged him to a fight to the death. He tells Coral exactly what happened, how he won and let Pixie go, but she tried to ambush him after he let her walk away. He only killed her because she left him no other choice.
Gorseclaw teaches them about the warrior code, citing that a good warrior doesn’t have to kill in order to know a battle is won. A good warrior only kills when they have to, and at no other point. Gorseclaw did what he had to do, and nothing more.
Gorseclaw tells Coral and the kits that the last couple of moons with them have been some of the happiest of his life. He tells them that he wants them to return to ThunderClan with him. Redstar will let them join if he insists that he let them. He begs them to join him.
Spot and Spirit agree to join him, forgiving him for killing Django. At their insistence, Coral agrees to return to ThunderClan with Gorseclaw. She asks him what he’s going to do about SkyClan.
Gorseclaw reveals that he found what he was looking for, he just didn’t know he was looking for it when he left. He realizes that SkyClan is gone, probably forever. No matter how long he searches for them or how far he travels, he will never find them. SkyClan is dead, and his only kin is back at home in ThunderClan.
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Post by tigerfang on Nov 5, 2023 15:46:37 GMT -5
Chapter 25 Summary:
Six moons after he left, Gorseclaw arrived at Fourtrees with Coral, Spot, and Spirit in tow. He sits down just outside the ThunderClan border at Fourtrees. He tells his companions to do the same, and to wait for a patrol to arrive.
At sunset, a ThunderClan border patrol finally arrives. It’s headed by Rabbitfur, and Sweetbriar and Beepaw are with him. Gorseclaw sees them and makes himself known as they make their way toward him.
The whole patrol is surprised to see Gorseclaw, especially with three other cats with him. Gorseclaw introduces his clanmates to Coral, Spot, and Spirit. He then introduces Rabbitfur, Sweetbriar, and Beepaw, who reveals that he has earned the warrior name of Beetail since Gorseclaw left.
Gorseclaw asks to see Redstar about rejoining ThunderClan along with his new companions. Rabbitfur mentions that doing so will be difficult since Redstar died fighting Shredtail. Gorseclaw is shocked that ThunderClan’s leader is dead, and he asks who is leading ThunderClan now. Rabbitfur says that Gorseclaw has a lot of catching up to do, before allowing him and his companions to follow them back to camp.
Along the way back, Rabbitfur reveals that Gorseclaw’s sister, Spottedpelt, gave birth to his kits. Their names are Seedkit and Bloomkit (Seedkit being named after the fallen ThunderClan deputy).
Back in camp, the whole Clan is shocked to see Gorseclaw, who looks around, happy to see his clanmates. However, he also notices that many faces are missing.
Gorseclaw is shocked to see his former apprentice, Oakstep, exiting the leader’s den. He greets his old friend and realizes that he must be Oakstar now. Oakstar confirms this, revealing that Redstar wanted a young cat to be his successor, and that since Oakstar mentored Hawkflight at Gorseclaw’s insistence, he was qualified.
Gorseclaw asks him to give him a rundown of what has happened while he was away. Oakstar reveals that Redstar, Mintsplash, Spiderfoot, and Nettleclaw all died fighting ShadowClan. Kestrelwing had retired to the elder’s den before Redstar died, so Oatspeckle accompanied him to the Moonstone. He appointed his father (and Redstar’s brother), Amberclaw, as his deputy. Spottedpelt was the only queen to birth kits.
Gorseclaw introduces Coral, Spot, and Spirit to Oakstar and requests that he allow them to join ThunderClan as apprentices. Gorseclaw points out that it sounds like they could use more warriors. Oakstar agrees, privately thanking Gorseclaw for coming back before jumping up onto the Highrock and calling a Clan meeting.
Oakstar reveals to the Clan that Gorseclaw has returned, and that he has brought them new clanmates. He calls forth Coral, Spot, and Spirit and introduces them to the Clan. They hold their heads high as Oakstar gives them apprentice names and assigns their mentors.
Oakstar gives Spotpaw to Sweetbriar, Spiritpaw to Beetail, and Coralpaw to Gorseclaw, welcoming him back to the Clan.
After publicly thanking Oakstar and greeting the Clan, Gorseclaw goes to the nursery to meet his sister’s kits. She introduces him to her sons, Seedkit and Bloomkit. Birdflight joins them in the nursery and asks Gorseclaw if he found what he was looking for.
Gorseclaw replies that he didn’t find Cloudstar, but he found what he was really looking for.
Chapter 26 Summary:
Oakstar calls Amberclaw, Gorseclaw, and the senior warriors (Birdflight, Rabbitfur, and Palefeather) into his den. Here, Oakstar reveals that the war with ShadowClan is very much still active. Oakstar is ready to finish it, and he believes WindClan and RiverClan will stand behind them.
Oakstar states his plan is to send one patrol to RiverClan and one to WindClan to ask for support in the final battle. He says that the only goal of the battle is to kill Shredtail- nobody else has to die.
Gorseclaw volunteers to lead one of the patrols, and Oakstar tells him to take Fallowsong and Coralpaw to WindClan. He sends Amberclaw, Beetail, and Spiritpaw to RiverClan.
Gorseclaw gathers his patrol and travels to the WindClan border, where they eventually meet a patrol consisting of Applefall, Foxtail, and Flamecloud. Gorseclaw requests that he and his patrol talk to Swiftstar. They allow him to do so and bring the patrol to their camp.
In WindClan’s camp, Gorseclaw, Fallowsong, and Coralpaw go to talk to Swiftstar, Molesight, and Larkwing.
Gorseclaw reveals Oakstar’s plan to ambush ShadowClan’s camp before dawn, two sunrises from today. He requests WindClan’s support in this attack, to finish this war once and for all. Gorseclaw informs them that the only goal is to kill Shredtail, who is believed to be the mastermind behind ShadowClan’s various attacks on the other Clans.
Swiftstar agrees to the plan, citing that ShadowClan is responsible for the deaths of Heatherbreeze and their young medicine cat, Pearspots. He promises that he and a patrol of WindClan warriors will be at Fourtrees before dawn two sunrises from now.
Gorseclaw thanks him and takes his patrol back to ThunderClan, with Flamecloud guiding them. At the border, Flamecloud privately tells Gorseclaw that he believes ShadowClan will support them in killing Shredtail. He reveals that he saw Shredtail kill Mossfur, his own clanmate, while they were attacking WindClan’s camp. Gorseclaw promises that Shredtail will die.
Back at camp, Gorseclaw’s patrol returns before Amberclaw’s. He tells Oakstar that WindClan will support them in the battle to come.
Amberclaw soon returns with his patrol, but informs Oakstar that RiverClan refuses to fight because ShadowClan has done them no harm, and they refuse to incite a possible war with the other Clans.
Oakstar says that they will fight without RiverClan’s assistance. Two sunrises from now, the war with ShadowClan will end for good.
Chapter 27 Summary:
Oakstar leads Amberclaw, Gorseclaw, Coralpaw, Birdflight, Rabbitfur, Palefeather, Deerdapple, Fallowsong, and Hawkflight to Fourtrees before sunrise. There, they meet Swiftstar and his patrol of Molesight, Flamecloud, Thorntooth, Applefall, Nectarnose, Foxtail, Burrstripe, and Swiftflight.
The two Clan leaders lead their mass patrol into ShadowClan territory, where they sneak through the pine forests until they reach ShadowClan’s camp just before dawn breaks.
Oakstar raises his tail and gives the signal, then all cats in the patrol screech and rush into the ShadowClan camp… only to find it empty.
Momentarily confused, Oakstar regains his composure and is just about to tell the Clans to prepare for the worst when the ShadowClan cats screech and launch themselves out of the pine trees above.
The clearing immediately erupts in claws, teeth, and blood. Gorseclaw finds himself facing Houndclaw.
The battle goes on for many pages, as Gorseclaw faces opponent after opponent, getting fairly scratched up in the process. Eventually, he finds himself facing Shredtail alone.
Shredtail briefly has the upper-hand until Amberclaw comes to assist Gorseclaw.
Together with the ThunderClan deputy, Gorseclaw battles Shredtail until he is able to pin the violent ShadowClan deputy down by using the same tactic he used against Pixie- by knocking out Shredtail’s legs from beneath him and slamming his paws down on the deputy’s spine.
Gorseclaw looks to Amberclaw, who launches himself onto the ShadowClan deputy and sinks his teeth deep into the back of his neck. Gorseclaw and Amberclaw kill Shredtail for good.
With their primary goal complete, the two toms look up, only to see Oakstar battling Snakestar in a heated and bloody battle. Snakestar gains the upper hand and is about to kill Oakstar. Gorseclaw runs at the ShadowClan leader, as the chapter ends.
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Post by tigerfang on Nov 6, 2023 19:21:29 GMT -5
Chapter 28 Summary:
The battle rages on, and Gorseclaw is running toward his leader to battle Snakestar, when suddenly Coralpaw launches herself out of the crowd and tackles the ShadowClan leader.
Gorseclaw is left stunned as he watches his apprentice take on the ShadowClan leader one-on-one. Coralpaw is holding her own until Snakestar slashes above her eye and blinds her with her own blood. Coralpaw staggers away, unable to see her opponent.
Just before Gorseclaw is able to get over there, Oakstar grabs the ShadowClan leader from behind and throws him to the ground. A crowd gathers around the two leaders as Oakstar gains the upper-hand and snaps Snakestar’s neck, taking the leader’s second life.
The clearing suddenly goes silent as the three Clans realize Snakestar and Shredtail are dead. The battle is seemingly over.
At that moment, Gorseclaw steps forward and stands above the ShadowClan leader’s body. He looks around at the cats in the clearing until he meets Flamecloud’s gaze. The WindClan warrior nods solemnly.
Gorseclaw then catches the eye of Needletooth– Frogfang and Mossfur’s kit. The ShadowClan warrior also nods, and Gorseclaw takes this as a sign to do something drastic.
Before anybody can stop him, Gorseclaw stands over Snakestar’s body and makes a cutthroat choice: Gorseclaw rips Snakestar open from his throat down to his belly, causing him intense injuries that bleed heavily.
Several cats look at Gorseclaw in horror. A few rush at him, but Oakstar, Swiftstar, Flamecloud, and Needletooth work together to hold them back. Meanwhile, Gorseclaw watches Snakestar continuously come back to life and die again… seven times total. Finally, Snakestar goes still and stops breathing forever.
It’s Coralpaw who horrifiedly asks Gorseclaw what he’s done. Gorseclaw calmly says that he ended the war with ShadowClan and made sure nobody was left to start it again.
He goes as far as to explain that maybe Shredtail was the instigator of the war and the countless battles and murders, but Snakestar listened and let it happen. He participated. Despite being the Clan leader, he didn’t do anything to stop it. Gorseclaw says that in order to end the war forever, ShadowClan needed a new leader.
He then tells all of the gathered cats that Shredtail killed Mossfur, his own clanmate. Flamecloud and Needletooth chime in at this point, revealing to all that they also knew this to be true. Needletooth says that Shredtail killed his mother, and Snakestar let it happen. Both the Clan leader and the deputy deserved to die for their crimes.
Gorseclaw looks to the elder ShadowClan medicine cat, Molepelt, and tells him that ShadowClan’s next leader is for him alone to decide. The war is over, and they are done here.
Looking around, it is revealed that the battle also caused the deaths of Palefeather and Nectarnose. WindClan and ThunderClan gather their dead and wounded warriors and return home.
Gorseclaw wonders if he will ever wash Snakestar’s blood out of his pelt as the chapter comes to a close.
Chapter 29 Summary:
Roughly a year later, Gorseclaw sits in the nursery with his mate, Coralclaw, and Oatspeckle. Coralclaw is birthing Gorseclaw’s kits, and Gorseclaw is encouraging her as she gives birth.
It’s a tough and long process, but she eventually gives birth to three kits named Thrushkit, Stonekit, and Cherrykit. Two toms and a she-cat. Gorseclaw suggests the names of the toms while Coralclaw names Cherrykit.
Oatspeckle and Shinecloud, who is in the nursery expecting Oakstar’s kits, are the first to congratulate the new family. Gorseclaw is amazed to think that he is a father now. He never thought he would see the day.
Gorseclaw’s newest apprentice, Seedpaw, is waiting at the entrance to the nursery with water-soaked moss for Coralclaw to drink. Gorseclaw calls for the apprentice to enter.
They thank Seedpaw and Gorseclaw promises they’ll do his warrior assessment in a couple of sunrises. Seedpaw happily bounces away.
Oatspeckle suggests that he and Gorseclaw leave to give Coralclaw and the new kits some space. Gorseclaw agrees, but nuzzles each of his kits and his mate before exiting the den.
Outside, Oakstar, Birdflight, and Spottedpelt are waiting to congratulate Gorseclaw. He thanks them all and tells them the names of his new kits. Oakstar says that he can’t wait for Shinecloud to have their kits. He’s looking forward to meeting them.
The four cats go out on a patrol together to discuss their lives. Birdflight is proud of how far her kits have come from when they first joined ThunderClan. They’ve grown into fine warriors, and she is proud of both of them.
Gorseclaw wonders if, whatever skies Cloudstar walks in, their father is watching over them. Birdflight is sure that he is, admitting that Cloudstar is most likely dead after all this time.
Oakstar wonders who his next deputy should be, as he reveals that his father and current deputy, Amberclaw, has mentioned wanting to retire to the elder’s den soon. Spottedpelt suggests Gorseclaw, but Gorseclaw says he still doesn’t want to be leader. He’s perfectly happy serving his Clan as a warrior.
Oakstar brings up the options of Beetail or Leafstorm, citing that they are Redstar and Birdflight’s kits. Therefore, they are both Oakstar’s kin as well as Gorseclaw and Spottedpelt. That, and they're both fine warriors.
Birdflight says that whatever choice Oakstar makes, she’s sure that he’ll make the right one. She says he’s been a great leader for ThunderClan, and that even though she isn’t his mother, she is proud of him, too.
Oakstar wishes his own mother, Petaltail, had survived to see them end the war with ShadowClan. He thinks she’d be proud of them all. Birdflight says that of course Petaltail is proud.
Their patrol reaches the border with ShadowClan, and they are all pleased to notice that the border remains uncrossed. Molestar has kept his word, even after all this time.
On the other side of the border, Pinespirit, Needletooth, and Hoppaw greet them in a friendly manner, then mark their side of the border. Gorseclaw’s patrol does the same.
As the ShadowClan patrol walks away, Gorseclaw thinks that everything is going to turn out just fine for the four Clans of the forest.
Chapter 30 Summary:
Gorseclaw spends this final chapter reflecting on his time in ThunderClan.
He watches his kits, now apprentices, as they play-fight in the camp after another hard day of training. He is proud of all of them.
His Clan leader and closest friend, Oakstar, now has kits of his own named Birchkit and Frecklekit. Gorseclaw notes that Oakstar spends as much time as he can with his kits, but he is also serving as mentor to Gorseclaw’s daughter, Cherrypaw.
Oakstar’s father and first deputy, Amberclaw, has retired to the elder’s den along with Gorseclaw and Spottedpelt’s mother, Birdflight. Oakstar chose Birdflight and Redstar’s son, Beetail, as his second deputy.
Gorseclaw no longer wonders what happened to SkyClan, as he has become satisfied with his life in ThunderClan. He has accepted the fact that his father, Cloudstar, is most likely dead and walking in different skies than StarClan, recalling what Seedpelt and Brackenpaw had told him in an earlier chapter.
Gorseclaw looks forward to the days to come in ThunderClan. He thinks the four Clans of the forest have a bright future ahead of them.
Manga Epilogue Summary:
Gorseclaw introduces himself to the readers as though this entire Super Edition hasn’t already focused on him alone.
He is sitting in the clearing below the Highrock beside his mate, Coralclaw, and his sister, Spottedpelt. Oakstar has gathered the Clan to watch Gorseclaw and Coralclaw’s kits become warriors.
Oakstar names Gorseclaw’s kits Thrushtalon, Stonefang, and Cherrystem. The Clan shouts their new names, and Oakstar’s own kits, Birchpaw and Frecklepaw, watch their former denmates become warriors with wide eyes.
The manga ends with Gorseclaw congratulating his kits on their new status as warriors. He then comments, “Yes, my legacy lives on in them. I may have never served SkyClan as a warrior, but their legacy lives on in my kits. They will be fantastic warriors! I can’t wait to see what happens next…”
THE END
Please let me know what you thought of this story! I personally take it to be my headcanon of this time period's events now.
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