wren

I will try to not get into everything and I want to leave out stuff since this will be in my comic. Things might be confusing or not fully explained. But here’s some stuff about Sootspider. I might delete this later once pages start releasing so new followers are kept in the dark.

As a kit and apprentice, she was devout to Starclan and had ambition to become leader. She always thought her skills were exceptional but they weren’t. Her peers massively surpassed her but she didn’t care. Starclan noticed this lack of skill and figured she’d be the next Riverclan medicine cat, so they sent an omen to the current med cat.

She tried accept it and remind herself Starclan chose her for a reason. But ended up disliking it. Starclan was being impatient with her learning abilities. She wasn’t anything special. She felt like nothing. She didn’t even get special visions or omens from Starclan. Why did she have to be a medicine cat because Starclan said so? They didn’t own her. Thus, she gradually lost faith in Starclan, traditions, and the warrior code (other things add to her distrust in them). Yet, she stuck out her position as a medicine cat. As much as she didn’t like it and was jealous of her warrior friends and siblings. She remained as kind as she possibly could, but deep down, she had a heart that was green and aching.

One day she decided enough was enough and had some of her friends train her in secret. It was difficult at first, but eventually she caught on and had exceptional skills. She decided to step down as a medicine cat when the time was right. She wanted to prove her future belonged to the path of a warrior, not a medicine cat. She even managed to convince her friends about her views of Starclan and the clans’ age old traditions. Her confidence shone through. Her ambition remained.

Due to training outside and going out for medicine cat business, her fur became “sun-bleached”. I say this because it’s not a real accurate depiction of sun bleached cat fur.

During a half-moon gathering at the Moonpool, the medicine cats discussed making a disabled apprentice a medicine apprentice. This made Sootpetal snap, questioning them. She exclaimed how she wished she was given a choice and blurted out how she didn’t want to be a medicine cat anymore, she never did. The cats tried to remind her that Starclan chose her, but she rejected that idea. If Starclan chose her, then why wasn’t her heart set on being a medicine cat? Even if Starclan chose her, why couldn’t she have had a choice?

The following morning, Poppymoss (RC med cat) and Vanillastar had a discussion, ultimately deciding to revoke Sootpetal’s medicine cat position and name. Vanillastar announced Sootpetal’s decision to the clan, reverting her name to Sootpaw. He started to assign her a mentor, until she interrupted, claiming she was ready for an assessment. Confused, Vanillastar questioned her, but eventually granted her a test monitored by himself. He was baffled by her skill and made her a warrior when they returned to camp, awarding her with the name Sootspider. Finally, she was a warrior. She would prove to them that she could make it to the top. She could become a leader without the guidance of Starclan. She would help shape the clans into something greater. Something not so controlled by dead cats and a tight set of rules that were constantly broken.

Soon their deputy dies and Vanillastar makes Mothbriar, her sister, his deputy. Filled with anger and jealousy, Sootspider protested after the ceremony. Clearly, she was the superior cat. Not only could she hunt and fight with formidable claws, she could help heal in calamitous times. But Vanillastar rejected her recommendation. Sootspider doesn’t understand why the prerequisites were needed. Again, the traditions and code are getting in her way.

Sootspider couldn’t believe the popularity her sister gained within the clan. Everyone praised her leadership skills, exclaiming their approval for her overseeing Riverclan in the future. Sootspider was envious, claiming she should be the next leader. There was so much wrong with all the clans that she couldn’t fix herself as a warrior. Leading a coup came to mind, but that never worked out in all of the clans’ history. The only choice was to get Mothbriar to step down as deputy, by choice or by force. She started trying to manipulate her, which ultimately didn’t work. There was only one option left. Killing Mothbriar wasn’t something she ever wanted to do, but perhaps framing her would cause enough uproar that Vanillastar would have no choice but to revoke her deputyship. Then she could continue to prove her worth as a future leader, and when the time was right, murder the next deputy to secure her spot.

She killed a cat and her body was discovered the following day, many cats considering Mothbriar as the main suspect due to her relation with the cat. Due to little evidence, Vanillastar announced that he would investigate, but Mothbriar’s deputy position wouldn’t be revoked until a conclusion was reached. The following night, Sootspider framed her at the crime scene. She was fully prepared to announce her fabled findings at the gathering, until Mothbriar confronted her about her behavior. The two locked into a dispute, leading Sootspider to reveal her plan. She left camp early to ensure she could tell the clans right away, but Mothbriar chased after her. They stopped on the tree bridge and Sootspider attacked her sister out of anger, leading Mothbriar to accidentally knock her off, sending her crashing through the frozen river. Sootspider drowned. Sootspider’s spirit became trapped under the ice. When able to phase to Starclan, she rejected, and began to plot a way to make the clans listen, even while dead.

After a few days of wandering and trying to come up with a plot, she remembered something. A icky looking piece of prey she and others had ran into recently. Long story short, she makes her rounds with some help, spreading diseased prey around the forest. Before enacting her plan. Sootspider debated whether her idea was worth it or not, ultimately going forth with it. Her plan would bring much death to the lake. She pondered on it for a bit. Killing a single cat to make her way towards being a leader was nothing compared to bringing a contagious and deadly illness to everyone. But this was the only way to make the clans listen and learn. Their traditions and high regard of Starclan was old and toxic. Change needed to happen, even if it came with such a terrible price. Even at the price of her loved ones’ lives. She began to manipulate specific, multiple cats, gaining their trust and alliance. Although she never mentions what she did and instead acts like a savior.

As the clans begin their descent into estrangement and death, they have to learn to work together. The illness Sootspider brought into the clans was the most deadly thing anyone has ever seen. And she wasn’t about to stop there to shape the clans how she wanted.