of Petals, Clouds, and Shells

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Drystripe (they/them), healer in life. StoneClan cat (Fluffymoon's former clan). Fluffymoon's parent and mentor.

If Drystripe was able to go back and wait to have kits until they were a bit older, a bit more mature, a bit more ready, they'd be tempted. Not that they don't love their kit more than all of the stars in Silverpelt, but they can't help but wonder... what if they had waited??

But, they didn't. And they'll never know. And they're okay with that. They have to be okay with that.

Fluffykit was the best thing to ever happen to Drystripe. From the moment he was born, he and Drystripe were best friends. Before Drystripe knew it, Fluffypaw was their apprentice, training to be a healer, just like his parent. Then, Drystripe seemed to blink once again, and suddenly Fluffystripe was earning his full healer name.

On The Great Journey, Ghostkit, an orphaned kit fathered by a StoneClan cat and a TreeClan cat, grew close to both Drystripe and Fluffystripe. When Drystripe grew ill not too long after, they felt glad that their son wouldn't be alone when they passed on; he had his own son now, too, after all.

Drystripe gave Fluffymoon a life for family.

Firedust (thon/she), warrior in life. StoneClan cat (Fluffymoon's former clan).

Healers never forget the first cats they lose.

Fluffystripe hadn't been a full healer for long when one of his clanmates, Firedust, fell ill. After some investigation, StoneClan's healers discovered a deathberry bush growing beside a pond had contaminated the water.

As Firedust seemed stable enough at the time, StoneClan's only other healer at the time, Drystripe, trusted Fluffystripe to watch over Firedust as they checked the pond for any clues to help Firedust.

But, Firedust's condition worsened far quicker than Drystripe had expected. Fluffystripe sent a clanmate to fetch Drystripe, but by the time the older healer made it back to camp, it was too late. Firedust was gone.

Fluffystripe never forgave himself for failing Firedust. Firedust never blamed Fluffystripe.

Firedust gave Fluffymoon a life for acceptance.

Duskfern (he/it), warrior in life. TreeClan. Ghostpaw's father.

Duskfern was always proud to be a TreeClan cat. The best clan by far — was there ever any doubt?? — and he'd never betray it. To think otherwise would be ridiculous.

... so, why did it feel so weird around this enemy warrior from StoneClan, Spruceclaw??

Duskfern knew it was wrong. He wasn't supposed to love Spruceclaw — he couldn't love Spruceclaw. And yet, he did.

Despite everything, Duskfern couldn't stay away.

Duskfern panicked when it realized it was pregnant. Neither TreeClan nor StoneClan would ever accept half-clan kits, or a mate who was loyal to another clan. Still, Duskfern was surprised by Spruceclaw's decisiveness — they had to leave the clans. He was right.

Duskfern and Spruceclaw couldn't bring themselves to travel too far away from the clans, though.

Duskfern's pregnancy was rough. Kitting wasn't any easier. In the midst of leaf-bare, Duskfern died kitting Inkykit, Juniperkit, and Finchkit. Spruceclaw froze to death trying to keep their family warm. Inkykit and Juniperkit froze to death, too.

Finchkit was found by Puddlestep's group, miraculously alive. At the end of The Great War, just one moon later, Finchkit would change his own name to Ghostkit.

Thundercall (he/they/spark), TreeClan deputy in life (Lightningstar's former clan). Lightningstar's littermate.

Thundercall and Lightningstar were inseparable since kithood. As kits, then as warrior apprentices, and then finally as full-fledged warriors, Thundercall and Lightningstar always challenged one another to do better — not to be "better" than the other, but because they believed in each other, and in themselves.

Even when Thundercall became TreeClan's deputy, a role both spark and then-Lightningshine dreamed of achieving, the brothers were as close as ever. It was only a couple of seasons into The Great War that Thundercall began to drift away from Lightningshine.

Thundercall grew closer and closer with Puddlestep's group of rebels who opposed the war, believing it had gone too far. Thundercall secretly worked with Puddlestep's group, hoping it would help bring about a peaceful end to the war.

But, as much as Thundercall loved and trusted his brother, he knew Lightningshine was nothing if not loyal. As much as it pained them, Thundercall knew they had to keep the secret from their littermate.

When TreeClan's current — and, ultimately, final — leader found out about Thundercall's treason, the leader killed Thundercall on the spot, denouncing spark as a traitor.

That was the moment Lightningshine began to think, truly think, about the war. If Thundercall, thon's own littermate, couldn't trust thon, how wrong was thon acting?? And if their leader could kill their own deputy, their own clanmate, so cruelly...

... what else did Lightningshine get wrong??

Thundercall gave Lightningstar a life for bravery.

Spruceclaw (he/they), warrior in life. StoneClan cat. Ghostpaw's father.

Spruceclaw is a loyal StoneClan warrior — or, at least, he was, until he began falling in love with an enemy TreeClan warrior, Duskfern.

It wasn't supposed to happen. Spruceclaw was a good, loyal warrior — but sneaking out of his camp, sneaking to the TreeClan border, all to meet with someone who was meant to be an enemy??

It was wrong. It had to be wrong.

But, then again... Spruceclaw been a good warrior this long, right?? Surely, he was still a good warrior... right??

... then, Spruceclaw's mate, Duskfern, confessed he was expecting kits.

He had to leave. They had to leave. So, they left their clans. Still, Spruceclaw and Duskfern couldn't bring themselves to travel far from their former clans.

Duskfern's pregnancy was rough. Kitting wasn't any easier. In the midst of leaf-bare, Duskfern died kitting Inkykit, Juniperkit, and Finchkit. Spruceclaw froze to death trying to keep their family warm. Inkykit and Juniperkit froze to death, too.

Finchkit was found by Puddlestep's group, miraculously alive. At the end of The Great War, just one moon later, Finchkit would change his own name to Ghostkit.

Spruceclaw gave Lightningstar a life for responsibility.

Peachrustle (ve/ver), warrior in life. TreeClan cat (Lightningstar's former clan).

Peachrustle and Lightningstar were never close. Not that they were enemies — far from it — but they were simply clanmates, nothing more, nothing less. And Peachrustle, truthfully, was never anything extraordinary — at least, not in life.

Peachrustle's death during a squabble with FrostClan would ultimately be the first of what became The Great War.

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Image ID/Transcript

PetalClan:

A three panel comic. Orchidstar (she/her), 93 moons old, is a light gray tabby cat with a scarred cheek, gray eyes, and a white star marking on her forehead. Berrytail (he/him), 13 moons old, is a white long-furred cat with a gray tabby tail, a scarred cheek, and blue eyes.

In the first panel, Orchidstar faces away from the audience. She sees a young fox carrying a gray mouse. Orchidstar thinks to herself, "That's a fox kit carrying a mouse... I'm sure I could take it, but what if there's an adult fox nearby?? Can I really afford to put my son in danger like this??"

In the second panel, Orchidstar still faces away from the audience, but now has an alarmed exclamation mark above her head. She yells, "Berrytail!!" The name of her son. Berrytail chases the fox with a confident expression. The fox has dropped the mouse.