This AU takes place between Mapleshade's Vengeance and The Prophecies Begin. It will later revolve around the events of A Dangerous Path and The Darkest Hour.
What is this AU?
StarClanâs Fallen is a Warrior Cats AU about Petalkit from Mapleshadeâs Vengeance, who survives the flood, while Mapleshade believes her to be dead. The story will be told through multimedia, revolving around Petalkit being displaced in time and raised in the Dark Forest to seek revenge against the Clans. Behind Mapleshadeâs back, Thistleclaw shapes Petalkit into a bloodthirsty killer and weapon only he can use. But for how long?
He canât hide Mapleshadeâs kit forever.Â
Disclaimer: Spottedleaf's Heart never happened. We don't talk about that absolute trash in this AU house. Kick anything about it into the sun because that just doesn't exist in this AU. Thisteclawâs portrayal is based on Bluestarâs Prophecy
Masterpost below
Everything is listed in Chronological order.
Lore Guide
Arc 1
Prologue - Mapleshade and Petalkit (Comic) Coming soon!
Prologue - Leave me for dead (PMV) - Watch before reading chapters
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Upon death, cats sent to the Dark Forest emerge from the soil as black sludge. It will spread out and shape itself into their cat body, where they âcrawlâ out of the earth they were just reborn from.
Despite not needing to eat or sleep, Dark Forest spirit cats still feel phantom hunger pangs and fatigue. With the absence of prey in the Place of No Stars, their instinctual urge to hunt is met with endless frustration. Even when experiencing acute exhaustion, sleep will never come to them. They can try to mimic what sleep once was to replenish energy, but their minds are never at rest. They are in a state of constant consciousness with no real relief other than fading out of existence.Â
Some spirits will cope better than others, but most become extremely hostile and restless. Older, more ancient spirits tend to adapt better than newer spirits, but cats who cling to their past life will struggle the most.
Only combat seems to soothe suffering Dark Forest cats, and why their culture of violence becomes vital to their existence.
Injuries
When injured, Dark Forest cats are still capable of healing, but the process is different than it was in life. It is a much more unpleasant, slower and even painful experience. While wounds canât be infected, effective healing can only be initiated by staying still in a resting state. Being stationary allows the Dark Forest spirits to replenish enough energy so that their body can begin to repair itself. Full recovery will vary on the nature of the wound, how soon a cat begins to heal, and remains undisturbed during the process. Wounds heal faster and more efficiently during longer resting periods, which severe injuries often require. Providing the cat hasnât already been killed or faded, cats can still bleed out from fatal injuries before healing can take effect.Â
Even with the inability to sleep or experience sickness, this is an extremely vulnerable position to be caught in, making alliances and owning territory essential for survival.Â
Glowing Fungi
Glowing fungi scattered throughout the Dark Forest and considered a valuable resource. They are a form of currency among Dark Forest cats that can be negotiated and exchanged for territories, alliances or protection.
They often appear in clusters growing on trees or spread along moldy soil. Most fungi are considered to be relatively rare, but not always scarce, only growing under certain conditions or exclusive locations that can determine a territory's value. They can also enforce a catâs status, worth and bargaining power. Some fungi are easier to find than others, but tend to be regarded as the lowest tier.
Fungi value and usage
Common fungi is often collected and used for consumption or extracting its unique properties. The type of fungi and method of usage will determine how a Dark Forest spirit is affected, such as quick pain relief or numbing phantom hunger pangs (similar to poppyseeds). Spores and residue from glowing fungi can be directly applied on wounds for soothing and less painful, more successful healing. This can significantly reduce the resting time an injured cat needs in order to heal and is highly pursued within the Dark Forest.
Glowing fungi can be especially helpful when claiming and identifying territories. This is usually done by chewing it into paste to become a glowing pigment they can mark with and tends to stain fairly well. It is commonly used when mapping out strategies by dipping their paws or claws into the glowing paste, and scratching lines into the ground or bark. Sometimes itâs used for entertainment or as simple as decorating with light sources.
When fungi is ingested, Dark Forest cats cannot be poisoned but living cats can, and fatally.
Higher value Fungi and usage
Many types of fungi can be mixed together for various effects using different methods. Fungi as an ingredient, common and rare, can be combined with other Dark Forest undergrowth to produce very rare and unique results that cannot be easily replicated. Knowing how and which fungi to use outside of experimentation would require a history in medicine, such as Ravenwing, a former medicine cat of ThunderClan.
Among these unique properties are benefits that can be applied in battle, such as heightened focus and enhanced endurance. Other advantages can include energy boosts, fear suppression, increased pain toleranceâ even numbness, within a certain time frame.
Duration is determined by how potent the dosage is, but too much can cause temporary paralysis or weakened muscle control. If a cat is truly unlucky, this would be the only way to experience nausea.
Another highly desired, recently discovered effect is fungi mixes that can simulate sleep, including the ability to dream again.Â
This has been unheard of, but as soon as it was known and proven to work, it was heavily pursued just for the chance of having that sleeping experience againâeven temporarily. Not only would they finally be at rest without required, constant consciousness, this would also encourage better healing. The dreams are what Dark Forest cats are surprisingly most hungry for. Many Dark Forest spirits still grieve and cling to their former lives, and the possibility to feel alive againâaway from the Dark Forest, is irresistible. It also has the potential of making visiting other catâs dreams more accessible to those who donât have the experience to do so yet.
However, being unconscious means they are unable to defend themselves. So finding an undiscovered hiding place or willing ally to share (or lend) their territory, or to simply guard them, would be a necessity.
The simulation of a full belly is also an effect in high demand. This was deemed unfathomable because it wasnât just temporary relief of hunger, it was complete satisfaction of appetite.
Bloom slugs
The most valued and inconceivable. There are no prey in the Place of No Stars, and no known history of such suggesting there ever was before. So this is incredibly and unbelievably rare. But, under the right conditions, fungi can be cultivated to produce hybrids and other undiscovered (or perhaps ancient) species of fungi. One being grown fungi that resembles a strange beehive and seems to function like a cocoon. After a given time for its development, slugs will eventually âhatchâ out of them. Only a highly trained cat in medicine could have made this discovery. There have only been whispers of who could be responsible for the creation of Bloom Slugs.Â
The events in StarClanâs Fallen take place during the discovery of Bloom Slugs.
Bloom Slug usage and significance
Their current usage is for consumption. When eaten, it can prevent a cat on the brink of death from fading away completely.Â
However this must be done during a very tight and specific time frame. The cat must be in the process of dying. It won't work if given too early or in a non-fading state. They can be eaten if desired, for no other reason other than the enjoyment of eating prey.
They actually taste good and like meat! However, they can sometimes cause hallucinations or temporary paralysis. Or they can be simply kept as a pet.
They have no effect on living cats. Providing they are not Dark Forest touched with an Affliction that is. It is currently unknown how ingesting a Bloom Slug would affect an Afflicted cat.
This AU takes place between Mapleshade's Vengeance and The Prophecies Begin. It will later revolve around the events of A Dangerous Path and The Darkest Hour.
Upon death, cats sent to the Dark Forest emerge from the soil as black sludge. It will spread out and shape itself into their cat body, where they âcrawlâ out of the earth they were just reborn from.
Dark Forest cats have obsidian black claws and have dark, ink-like blood. Their eyes are pitch black with glowing, colored irises and red pupils.
Starless Callers
Spectral crow-like entities that caw whenever a new cat has died and becomes a Dark Forest spirit. They make sure the entire forest knows about it. However this could also mean that a living soul was claimed by the Dark Forest.
Red Moon
The Dark Forest's moon, and counterpart to the living moon. They are parallel to each other, so when there is a full moon at Gatherings, so is the Dark Forest moon. It glows a sickly red and is bright enough to light up the Dark Forest and skies.
The Dark Lake
A large, expansive lake in the middle of the Dark Forest that divides it in half. The water is a deep black and murky, thick with what Dark Forest spirits believe are the souls it has consumed. Some say the Dark Forest itself feeds off a cat's hatred, and the Dark Lake is a manifestation of that darkness. It's ice cold and will try to drag and sap the life out of any cat that falls into it. It is said any cat who has drowned is never seen again.
Time Displacement: In the water time moves incredibly slowly, and the longer a cat is submerged, the more time has passed. This is unknown to many cats. The true reason cats underwater are not seen again is because when they resurface, they're already in a different time in the futureâprovided they didn't drown, which can still happen.
Dark Forest spirits: They are more susceptible to drowning and being devoured because they are already a part of the Dark Forest.
For living cats: Those who do not drown are instead marked with an affliction.
This is the only time a living cat's physical body fades into the Dark Forest and fuses with their soul. They won't have a body to "wake up" to because they carried it with them in a stasis. When they resurface, they will be emerging into the living world, sent forward in time.
The Affliction
The Dark Forest's claim and alteration on a living cat. The cat's soul will be marked and permanently connected to the Dark Forest. Unless The Affliction is removed, the one infected by it will be destined to return to the Place of No Stars in death. Their soul belongs to the Dark Forest, and there is nothing the living cat can do to avoid this fate. Not even StarClan can overrule this. This is sometimes referred to as Dark Forest Touched.
The Affliction feeds off hatred, so the more a cat gives into their darkness, the more it spreads and alters the infected cat's appearance. For Petalkit, this contributed to her coat color changing, fueled by her resentment and rejection of her father, Appledusk.
However, The Affliction does offer "gifts" with its corruption.
Living cats will now wear the same obsidian-like claws as the dead.
They are also granted unnatural resilience, such as increased resistance to severe weather and sickness. It won't prevent death outrightâa cat can still die from starvation, grave wounds, or a really bad disease, but they gain accelerated healing. It's similar to armor; it offers protection, but not invincibility. The Dark Forest simply prefers the cat to die in battle.
Lastly, StarClan would be unable to detect or track an Afflicted cat due to them being a time anomaly. Being Dark Forest Touched also helps conceal the cat's presence, making it impossible for StarClan to even make predictions and unable to warn Clan cats through prophecies. After all, the Dark Forest claimed the cat first. StarClan may sense something is amiss, but ultimately this is a blind spot for them because the Afflicted cat deviates from their original timeline.
Obsidian Claws
Only Dark Forest spirits possess them. They are a deep, glossy black and resemble obsidian. Extremely and dangerously sharp, significantly more than those of the living. Ironically, the claws are very pretty and gleams like wet stone.
Spottedleafâs Heart: NEVER happened and does not exist in this AU for obvious reasons. Thistleclawâs portrayal is based on Bluestarâs Prophecy.
Tigerclawâs Fury: Mapleshade's voice has not been in Tigerstarâs head. She has not guided or manipulated him to do anything. He is only aware of her as a mythical figure from nursery tales, and considered the boogeyman of ThunderClan. He has never met Mapleshade or been in the Dark Forest yet.
Mapleshade's Vengeance
Frecklewish and Ravenwing were very close to the kits, who saw them as family. Ravenwing, ThunderClan's medicine cat, would often visit the nursery with Frecklewish, and Petalkit would curiously ask about the various herbs whenever he gave Mapleshade Borage leaves or moss for water.
When Ravenwing discovered the truth about the kit's father, he grew cold and had more malicious intent when informing Oakstar. He told the leader knowing exactly how he'd react and contributed to Oakstar's decision on exiling Mapleshade and her kits during the peak of the terrible storm.
Ravenwing was with Frecklewish when they watched the kits drown. Petalkit had even managed to grab onto a ledge and begged them for help, reaching for them. Frecklewish ignored her and Ravenwing pulled his paw away.
Ravenwing and Frecklewish are in the Dark Forest for this.
The Prophecies Begin
Bluestar's Prophecy â Into the Wild
Petalkit's time displacement sends her toward the end of Sunstar's leadership. She arrives on the exact day Thistleclaw is killed by a RiverClan patrol and Tigerclaw has only been a warrior for two moons.
A Dangerous Path
The dog pack attack never happened. The pack was found and retrieved by their Two-leg owners before they could cause havoc.
Bluestar dies before it's Tigerstar's second Gathering as Shadowclan leader and Leopardstar's first.
Sandstorm becomes Firestar's deputy.
Tigerstar has not proposed TigerClan to the Clans yet, and currently doesn't know Stonefur and Mistyfoot are Bluestar's kits.
Sasha left him just a moon ago.
Bonus: Snowkit isn't attacked by a hawk, simply because Bloodpetal (adult Petalkit) just happened to hunt and eat the very same hawk by pure coincidence and luck.
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Ravenwingâs head swung around with a sharp hiss, and glared at the she-cat he was talking to. His tail flicked with the same tension an agitated snake would have, as if to warn Frecklewish to be careful with her next words. The black tomâs blue eyes were cold, almost colder than the Dark Forestâs chilling fog that crept inside the tree hollow, and around their paws on the rotting aground.Â
The spotted she-cat gave the former medicine cat a steady gaze.
âWe should have saved those kits, RavenwingâŚâ Frecklewish murmured steadily.Â
The small, black tom curled his lip to show a glint of fangs. âWe were not obligated to do such a thing! They were half-Clan creatures!â He growled, eyes narrowing as the fur on his neck bristled. âAs I recall, you echoed those words.â
The she-cat did not flinch. A sadness swelled in her eyes, now black as the night sky flickering with twin amber stars. âOnes I never should have said.â Frecklewish shook her head with something resigned in her voice. âThey were just kitsâŚsmall, tiny kits.â
âOnes who were NOT your brotherâs!â Ravenwing spat with a lashing tail. âOr have you forgotten that?â
This time Frecklewish sank her claws into the soil. âYou do not get to speak to me about my brother!â She snarled, hackles starting to rise from her golden pelt.
âOh, really?â Ravenwing sneered with his eyes as dark as the depths of the murky waters of the Dark Lake. âI seem to be the only one who does, when his own kin disgraces his name.âÂ
Smack!
Ravenwingâs head suddenly snapped to the side from a vicious blow. Black, gleaming claws raking across his face and nearly slicing open his nose.Â
âBirchface would never have wanted kits to be killed on his behalf!â Frecklewish shrieked with spiked fur.
The former medicine cat was silent for a moment, raising a paw to soothe his stinging cheek and bleeding nose. He then looked at his paw, and cracked an incredulous laugh when he saw the dark shine of his own blood. âWell, look at you FrecklewishâŚâ He slowly turned his head to look at her with an unkind smile. âActing like a proper Dark Forest cat now. Perhaps this really is where you belong.â
âBoth of us belong here.âÂ
Ravenwing growled, tail whipping behind him and paw slamming down. âI have been misplaced! I do not belong here! I have killed no kit!â His whiskers gave a scornful quiver with every word.
âYou may as well have!â Frecklewish spat back, mirroring Ravenwingâs spiteful posturing with bared teeth. âYou knew! You knew what would happen when you told my fatherâtold the Clan! You knew they would die in that storm!â The she-cat was in his face now, making the small black tom lean back, but held his ground. Frecklewishâs sides were heaving with seething rage, voice cracking. âYou knew they couldnât be saved.â Anger flashing through her eyes, but then dulled as if grief had suddenly weighed her down, and lowered her head. She stared at her black claws hooked deep in the cool soil.
âI thought...I really thought those RiverClan cats would handle everything.â The she-catâs words grew heavy, and thickened with guilt she carried with her for seasons upon seasons, ever since her death. âI know I wasâŚâ A huffed sigh escaped, her ears following suit and drooping. âI was still too angry, and didn't want to be responsible. I couldn't forgiveâŚâ The words trailed off, dissolving into a faint breath. She heard a scoff above her and Frecklewish could feel Ravenwing sneering at her.Â
âBut YOU!â Her head snapped back up, fury sparking back to life. âYou pulled your paw away!â
The former medicine cat stiffened with bristling fur. âI did notââ
âYes you did!â Frecklewish flashed her teeth at Ravenwing. âI remember that day as much as you Ravenwing. I didn't care enough at the time, but now? Now, I know what you were thinking!â
Her hiss came hot and sharp. The she-cat stepped forward and Ravenwing slid back a couple paces. Her yowl wavered, like it was still battling against the harsh winds of the very storm that claimed the kits.Â
âI loved those kits, Ravenwing!â An involuntary sob rattled inside her throat and she couldnât swallow it down. âAnd you did too!âÂ
Ravenwing narrowed his eyes, glowering at her with flattened ears.Â
Frecklewish continued, and the ghost of a hushed name spilled out.
âPetalkitâŚâ She murmured, eyes downcast. âEvery time you visited the nursery, she always greeted you. So curious about what you did, and youâŚâ A growl began to bubble. âYou used to look at her with such soft eyes! You loved those kits!â
âOnly because I was deceived!â Ravenwing snapped back, âIt was before I knew what shameful creatures they truly were.âÂ
Frecklewish was about to speak, but he thrust his muzzle in front of Frecklewish, despite being smaller. âAnd you used to be loyal to the code!â The former medicine catâs eyes were bitter and burning. âWas it not you, who was the first to demand their removal? I remember that day too Frecklewish! You were not ignorant of the weather.â
The she-cat flinched. Ravenwing had not even lifted his paw, yet Frecklewish felt a burn of claws scraping over her heart.Â
Both Dark Forest cats stared at each other in a heavy silence.Â
âI was blind.â Frecklewish croaked, tearing her gaze away from Ravenwing. Her eyes were seeping with overwhelming shame.âI was still hurting from losing BirchfaceâŚâ Her eyes squeezed shut like she was enduring something harrowing. âMapleshade deceived me, made me believe-â She could not finish. Her shiny, obsidian claws retracted in self defeat. âBut the kits did not lie, and I failed them.â
âFailed?â Ravenwing echoed with a repulsed sniff. âThey were not even your kin, and they gave you nothing but false hope and joy-â
âNo!â Frecklewishâs eye swung back to him. âThe joy I felt was real! They may not have been kin, but every moment I spent with those kitsâŚthey made me remember what happiness felt like.â She shook her head. âLarchkit, Patchkit and Petalkit. They were the most precious creatures in the forest, and I did not realize what I was throwing away.â
The former medicine cat just watched her in silence, tail flicking back and forth with detached indifference.
âWhy didnât you wait!?â Frecklewish demanded. âAll of us were still grieving Birchface! Our hearts were still bleeding, and you! You scraped at our open wounds!â
âThe truth had to come out!â Ravenwing snarled, eyes blazing with vexation. âI did what had to be done Frecklewish, it was StarClanâs will!âÂ
âWas it really?â The she-catâs eyes sparked with challenge.
âAre you doubting me?â Ravenwing hissed back, daring her with a hard glare. âDoubting StarClan?â
âYes, I think it was you who made a mistake.â
âI have not!â Rage surged within the smaller catâs body, words rattled out hotly. âA medicine cat is never wrong! Don't you see?â Ravenwing stepped closer, nose to nose, their breaths colliding. âA medicine cannot be wrong, do you understand?â His voice shrank, eyes no longer hostile. There was something almost pleading in his dark gaze, and Frecklewishâs own face softened.Â
âOatspeckle was never wrong,â Ravenwing continued with imploring eyes. âYou donât know what it was like to live in her shadow!â His composure was slipping, words losing their bite as they trembled. âI-I felt like a stumbling kit trying to chase after it. It was always moving too fast, I could barely keep up!â
For a moment, Ravenwing looked younger, his tail curling around him like he was shielding himself from cold rain. Frecklewish was tempted to comfort him. It was like he was an apprentice again, the Ravenwing she once knew.Â
So long ago that it felt ancient, sacred even. Old memories she wished were more than memories. Back when Mapleshadeâs company was one she sought after often, and she longed for the days they shared laying in the sun and eating freshkill together.
If only things had gone differentlyâŚ
âI wasnât ready!â Ravenwing blurted out, head swinging side to side. âI wasnât ready for Oatspeckle to leave usâleave me so soon!â The former medicine cat gave Frecklewish a wild stare, tail twitching like he was spiraling from the inside. âI could not lie to our Clanmates! I acted when no one else could, I did my duty Frecklewish! I could not allow Mapleshade to fool us like she fooled me. âHe scraped at the ground with bared teeth at the she-catâs hardening expression. âI have done nothing wrong!â
âThen why are you here with me?â
Ravenwing stiffened into silence. His chest heaved, swelling with quiet rage. Suddenly, the den felt too small. The thickening scent of mold was tightening around the two cats like jaws trying to suffocate its prey. Had they still been alive, the crushing tension would have been unbearable.Â
âI told you!â Ravenwing hissed through a clenched jaw. âI have been misplaced! There has been a terrible mistake, done at a terrible time!â His hackles spread out like sharp, jagged rocks, tail alive with animosity. âAll StarClan needs to do is find me!â He insisted, eyes glowing with something desperate. They darted around his den, desperately peering up through tangled roots in search of hidden stars. His yowls began to sound more like pleas, as if he could convince The Place of No Stars to somehow defy itself for him.Â
The Dark Forest, however, refused to be bargained with.
âThey just need to see me!â The former medicine cat cried out, and Frecklewish wondered if he was trying to persuade her or the Dark Forest. âI just haven't gotten their attention yet! They would never do this! Not to a medicine cat!â
Frecklewish merely watched him, eyes shimmering with pity. But there was only so much she was willing to give. When she spoke, there was a haunting calmness to her voice that remained unmoved.
âIt sounds like you are the one who doubts StarClan, RavenwingâŚâ
A paw flew towards Frecklewishâs face.
âHow dare you!â Ravenwing screeched, snarling as the she-catâs head ducked beneath his swiping claws. When his paw flung out again, Frecklewish retaliated with her own. Black claws clashed, but the former medicine catâs strikes failed to land. The she-cat however, was still a seasoned warrior, and death had not diminished that. Within moments the small, black cat was pinned beneath her, and Frecklewish let her wrath burst free. There was no desire to hold back for her former Clanmate anymore, and let her fury guide her teeth. Ravenwing was spitting furiously, his feet kicking fiercely at her belly when she bit into his shoulder hard. Their bodies tangled, pelts blurring into each other in a flurry of fangs and claws.
âAm I interrupting something?â A voice drifted in with a sickening sweetness.
The chaos came to an abrupt stop. The two battling cats had quickly rolled off each other and scrambled to their paws. With disheveled fur and alert eyes, their attention immediately snapped towards the owner of the voice.Â
There stood another Dark Forest cat by the mouth of Ravenwingâs den. His grey-and-white pelt hummed with a ghostly glow from the moonâs pale, dying light. Thick, spiked fur engulfed his neck, flaring out like the blossom of a thistle. A scar had been carved through his dense mane, splitting it open to reveal the flesh of his throat. His paws slid forth smoothly, obsidian claws shining with an elegance that felt false. The corner of his mouth gave a playful tug with no warmth.
Frecklewish felt her skin prickle uncomfortably under her golden pelt as he stepped inside.
âDo you need privacy?â The larger tom purred as if being polite.
Ravenwingâs shoulders were hunched and tightly coiled.Â
âNo,â the smaller tom answered rigidly. âThere is no need-â
âWhat do you want, Thistleclaw?â Frecklewishâs growl cut in sharply.
The she-cat earned a dirty look from Ravenwing. Thistleclaw on the other paw, offered a crooked smile. His eyes brightened with something dangerous behind them. âIâm just here to collect something I requested.â He mewed innocently, shoulders rolling with a simple shrug. âRavenwing is generously sharing what heâs gathered over the moons.â Thistleclaw nodded towards the smaller tom, who dipped his head in turn, shuffled back to fetch whatever he promised to Thistleclaw. âHabits of a dedicated medicine cat Iâm sure.â His dark gaze shifted to meet Frecklewishâs distrustful eyes. âAnd you seem to have kept your warrior spirit I see. Why donât you show Mapleshade? Perhaps she will look at you more favorably.â
âDonât talk to me!â Frecklewish hissed, spotted fur bristling. She never liked this cat.
Thistleclaw met her with a little laugh that felt belittling. âI will get out of your fur soon, relax she-cat.â He chuckled, now resting on his haunches with a lazy sweep of his tail. âMapleshade has grown bored of both of you anyways.â Thistleclaw began licking his paw.
Frecklewish flexed her black claws, fur itching with irritation. She was tempted to claw that infuriating smirk off his face. Yet she knew better than to underestimate Thistleclaw. Instead, she twitched a single ear and nothing more. Her restraint was being put to the test.Â
âShould I keep it that way?â Thistleclaw turned to Ravenwing, the question sounding more like a threat than anything sincere. The medicine catâs head shot up with wide eyes. A bundle of glowing fungi wrapped in shriveled leaves hung heavily between his teeth. Thistleclaw continued, not needing an answer. âGood,â he purred. âKeep honoring our little arrangement, and I wonât give Mapleshade any reason to reunite with her old Clanmates.â
âYes, of courseâŚâ Ravenwing replied, ears folding back with unease. He obediently carried over the musty, leaf-wrapped cluster to Thistleclaw, who gave Frecklewish a sideways glance.Â
âPity I canât say the same for you, Frecklewish.â He crooned, his words a dishonest imitation of an apology.
âI donât need your protection Thistleclaw!â Frecklewish spat, tail snapping behind her in indignation. âI have not sunk that low!â
Thistleclaw looked amused.Â
Ravenwing on the other paw, was not. He glared at Frecklewish like unsheathed claws. She returned the favor, eyes full of loathing and disgust. She regretted mourning this cat in life!
The medicine cat ignored her, and gingerly placed the glowing bundle by Thistleclawâs paws. âUse your paw to squeeze the fluid out,â Ravenwing instructed, voice now firm. âBut slowly, or it will spray everywhere and go to waste.â
âShredtail and Silverhawk thank you.â Thistleclaw meowed, bowing courteously as if receiving a gift. He bent down to retrieve his prize and got up to his paws. âI will be on my way to meet them now.â With a satisfied purr he turned to take his leave, tail swaying carelessly in his departure, barely missing Frecklewish's scowling face in its path.
The she-cat growled, jerking her head back as if contact would give her greencough.
That filthy piece of mouse-dung!
Frecklewish was glad to see him leave. Good riddance was the only thought she had.Â
Just when he was about to slip out, he paused to linger by the entrance. âOh, and RavenwingâŚâ He tossed an unhurried glance over his shoulder. Frecklewish suddenly felt her belly knotting with dread when she realized he wasn't just looking at Ravenwing.Â
Thisteclawâs voice was disturbingly pleasant. His eyes danced with an undercurrent of menace.
âMy new apprentice would love to meet you some day.â
The last thing Petalkit remembered was the ringing in her ears and her throat shattering. Every part of her had screamed at the stars, her throat raw from her cries of rage and despair.
And the stars had only stared back at her in silence.
Exhaustion overpowered her, but her fury burned brighter than the stars that night.
Then Darkness.
And the Dark Forest could not ignore the purity of her hatred.
From the far side of the Dark Forest, Mapleshade's own anger seethed with bitter promises. The sharp, eerie caws from the Starless Callers, spectral forms that resembled crows, still lingered in the air. Their duty was simple and essential, somehow sacred in the eyes of the Dark Forest. They announce the arrival of new spirits that have been claimed by the Place of No Stars with their haunting cries. The dark sky that never held a single star, usually so silent, becomes alive with the welcoming song of the Starless Callers. All spirits from every corner of the Dark Forest will hear their voices and know.
They still sang even as Mapleshade vowed to never let her vengeance rest. Her loathing was rivaled only by her grief, still an inflamed, open wound that wept fresh blood. Her mind was on the faces of her kits, and despite the venomous potency in her resentment, it quickly melted with the agony of loss. Oh how she missed her kits! She had avenged and freed their spirits but how she wished she could see them! Swear to them that she will never stop seeking the justice they deserved but were denied.
The Dark Forest heard that.
Both mother and daughter were ripe with beautiful, unadulterated hatred. They were perfectly in sync, yet oblivious to their shared fate. They shared the exact same thoughts at the exact same time. While the Dark Forest bore no stars, it was home to the Red Moon, that, once full, its glow would stain the skies like blood.
And tonight was such a night.
Both moons from the living and dead were aligned in mock harmony. While the living moon bore witness to Gatherings at moonhigh, its sinister twin, the Red Moon, simply listened to the forsaken curse StarClan. It heard every uttered whisper and vindictive thought.
Mapleshade and Petalkit were no exception.
Under its influence, it made the poison in their broken hearts bloom with a darkness that nearly devoured them. Their savage thoughts fed and nurtured the Dark Forest that flourished under the Red Moon's intensifying gaze. Both were longing for each other with matching wrath.
In their unified rage, Mapleshade had unknowingly created a powerful link between herself and Petalkit through the Dark Forest. Without meaning to, she had deepened their connection and made Petalkit's dreams much easier to be found and reached.
She had accidentally helped summon her daughter into the Dark Forestâon opposite sides of the Dark Lake.
The Dark Forest knew this. The Red Moon knew this. The Starless Callers knew this.
Mapleshade did not.
And neither did Petalkit.
The Red Moon's glow seared even brighter in response to the kit's arrival. Its illuminating light bathed the stripped, gray tree trunks surrounding her in scarlet. The song the Starless Callers had performed for Mapleshade had extended towards Petalkit, greeting her with a new chorus of ghostly caws. Their wails echoed all around Petalkit like some foreboding omen known only to them and the Dark Forest.
Unaware of being a shared secret, Petalkit was startled into consciousness by their raucous voices. Dizzy and disoriented, the little she-cat was confused to wake in such a strange and unfamiliar place. The Starless Callers' cries had hushed into hollow croaks and grew fainter as the Red Moon began to dim.
It was alarmingly quiet now.
Perhaps Petalkit should have been more disturbed, but curiosity proved to be the stronger force that made her rise to her paws. She had far too many questions to let fear take proper root. Wherever she was, the ground she walked on felt ancient and weirdly forbidden. Like she wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't wrong in her assessment, but the Dark Forest wasn't going to confirm that for her. This was an age where the Place of No Stars was timelessly youthful and not nearly as populated. After receiving no receptionâat least none that could be recognizedâPetalkit was quick to wander around this seemingly barren plane. She should have been more afraid, but instead she found comfort in this baffling solitude. It didn't smell good here, but at least no one could hurt or take from her.
Being completely alone, Petalkit was convinced that she created her own dream world and that it all belonged to her. A place she could escape to, far, far away from the Clans where even StarClan couldn't find her. As she explored her new "territory," she encountered the Dark Lake, where it divided the Dark Forest into two halves. The water was pitch black and made the air around her feel heavy and suffocating, like it was trying to suck her in. Just looking at it made Petalkit's fur stand on end but she had to get to the other side. Despite her efforts to carefully navigate around the lake, she slipped and fell.
It was cold and thick like honey. Every movement was laborious, her body tangled in invisible reeds, and every tiny moment claiming to be her last. It felt like eternity. Little did she know, this was because time moved slowly underwater and what passed as heartbeats were actually seasons upon seasons.
Terrified and even more traumatized than her last drowning experience, she finally managed to break through the surface and drag herself onto land.
Only she wasn't in the Dark Forest anymore.
She was back in the living world crawling out of a modest little pond. Her claws had turned obsidian black, gleaming like wet, polished stone and she did not recognize where she was. Everything looked and felt differentâwrong.
At that moment, a ThunderClan patrol was approaching and Petalkit quickly hid in fright. She didn't stay long to see what the commotion was, but before she turned away, she caught sight of what looked like three warriors crowding around a motionless shape on the ground. The distracted Clan cats didn't even notice her slipping away, far too distraught at their horrific discovery. Among them was a young Tigerclaw frozen in shock at the sight of his slain mentor. The newly made dark tabby warrior was devastated, fiercely rejecting any attempted consolation from his Clan mates Whitestorm and Bluefur.
But his story remained unknown to Petalkit.
The little she-cat was racing away to frantically find anything recognizable.
Her frenzied search was in vain.
Everywhere she looked was met with disappointment after disappointment and growing distress. Even the place where Petalkit had buried her mother had completely changed. Different landscape, different plants, different scents, and her mother was gone! As if she never existed.
Panic gripping her, she fled back into her dreams to reach the Dark Forest, desperate to escape this harrowing experience. Overwhelmed and shaking with terror, Petalkit feared sleep would never comeâuntil fatigue won.
Kraaw-Kraaah!
Petalkit was relieved to at least hear something familiar. But that small mercy was short-lived the moment she opened her eyes.
Her dream world had also changed.
The Red Moon looked fainter, paler and its ominous glow was absent. The tall, gloomy trees looming over her drained of all color and its twisting branches lost in a dull fog. It was darker now, the light dim and sickly, accompanied only by the creepy glow of fungi. The forest's rotten stench had grown stronger and even more rancid, stinging both her nose and tongue with its sour taste. Even the swirling mist around her paws wasn't the same!
The Starless Callers had played their part, their departing crooning fading as they abandoned the terrified little she-cat.
Everything moved on without her.
Greatly disturbed, Petalkit began to scout her newly transformed "territory" as she anxiously made her way back to the Dark Lake in hopes she could return to the world she knew. But the shadowed waters had only grown more massive and menacing. Petalkit didn't dare try going in a second time, fearful of drowning again and never coming back. Whatever was on the other side was beyond her reach, separated by the expanse of that vile lake.
Whereverâwhenever she was. She was stuck.
Alone.
She stared down at her wobbling paws where her new, raven-black claws dug into the damp, rotten earth. She blinked as she slid them in and out in disbelief. Were these really hers? At least they were pretty and shinyâŚ
Then, Petalkit sensed an intruder.
To her surprise, her fear was snuffed out but a sudden flash of hot, white anger.
Who was it!? Oakstar? Frecklewish? Ravenwing? Or was it her mouse-hearted father?
It didn't matter who or what they were, she didn't care. What was there left to care about? What else could be scarier than drowning? She was ready to fight and got to higher ground. It was her turn to hurt someone!
And this is how Thistleclaw discovers Petalkit.
And how did she greet him? With all glistening black claws out and launching herself at him.
"Get out of my territory!"
To say Thistleclaw was shocked would be an understatement. He had just died by the claws of a RiverClan patrol, became a new Dark Forest resident, and was immediately attackedâby a kit! A kit! And the angriest kit he had ever seen at that.
The furious little kit had dropped down onto his neck, right at the fresh scar that marked his throat and split his fur. Where she hoped would be painful. But even with all her killing intent and might, her tiny teeth couldn't break through the skin. This did not go unnoticed by Thistleclaw. He was impressed she was sharp enough to even think about aiming. Shaking her off with ease and batting her body away, he was amused to see her immediately trying to scramble back up to her paws. Some struggle, slipping and shaking, but the small kit stood tall in defiance with her sides heaving. She was spewing threatening words he was pretty sure no kit should know.
Intrigued now and wanting to test her resolve, Thistleclaw swiped at her in hopes to provoke another attack. She did. Again, she got back up despite her small body trying to convince her otherwise. Thistleclaw respected that. She was no ordinary kit, and Thistleclaw realized he was staring at an opportunity that the stars would never grant him in life. A blank slate. The perfect apprentice to shape without limitation and free from the Clan's scrutiny. Free of the warrior code.
Thistleclaw asks for her name, but she snaps at him with all hackles raised saying she doesn't want to tell him. That gave Thistleclaw a chuckle. He thrust his face close to hers with a challenging glare just to see if she would flinch.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"No!"
"Then why can I smell your fear scent?"
"ErâŚ" Petalkit shifted uneasily on her aching paws before glaring back. "Because!" She spat with renewed fury despite the tremble in her voice.
"I⌠I'll be scared later! I'm too angry now!"
Thistleclaw couldn't help but break into a laugh. She meant it!
"You'll be scared later?" He echoed with another bark of laughter. "And who has earned your wrath, little lion?"
Petalkit told him her story in a flurry of raw emotions. She told him about her family's exile and her Clan's treachery. How Oakstar, the ThunderClan leader as she claimed, had cast them out in the middle of a terrible storm, and the betrayal from cats she considered family. Her near-death experience in the flood, watching her brothers drown as she was carried off by a separate current. Thistleclaw learned the names of the traitors she despised, but he did not recognize them. He never heard of a Frecklewish being the daughter of the leader or the Clan's medicine cat Ravenwing. According to this kit, these named cats witnessed the disaster, saw Petalkit struggling in the water, and did nothing. Just watched with cold indifference from cats she thought loved her. That the medicine cat of all cats, had withdrawn his paw from the kit's reaching paw pleading for help.
Petalkit barely gave Thistleclaw the time to process what he was hearing. She then spoke of her father, and she had done so with such resentment that he could feel the sting of her hate. There was true disgust and loathing in her voice, hissing how he never came out to look for her or her brothers or mother. Instead, she had seen him attacking her mother when Petalkit was searching for her. Appledusk was his name? Thistleclaw swore he had heard that name before, but he let her continue her outrageous tale. Now this kit was telling him how she found her mother's body "sleeping forever" and had tried to bury her. The frustration in her eyes told him that she had not been satisfied with her attempt.
Thistleclaw was never a cat to care about his Clan history, and although unfamiliar with it, he did recognize Oakstar's name as Tigerclaw's kin. This puzzled him. The ThunderClan leader was Sunstar and he doubted that changed within the same day as his death. He couldn't fully tell if Petalkit was either delusional or lying.
Then early memories of his own nursery life resurfaced. He remembered the elders often trying to scare kits into obedience with Mapleshade's legend. How she, once a ThunderClan warrior, had taken a RivercCan mate, Appledusk and bore his half-Clan kits. However, when discovered, Oakstar had Mapleshade and her kits exiled from ThunderClan, which ultimately led to the drowning of her kits when trying to cross the river. Driven mad by grief, Mapleshade murdered the cats she blamed for her kits deaths, one of the victims being her mate, Appledusk. He knew there were three murders, but he had never heard names beyond Appledusk and Oakstar.
He had recalled Mapleshade herself, expressing deep resentment and a constant thirst for revenge, determined to make her mate's entire bloodline pay. Not that he cared to listen, but Mapleshade's open declarations of her eternal grudges were not easy to miss.
Thistleclaw gave the kit a skeptical look. She was eyeing him with her own distrust, ears flat.
"Who was your mother?" He demanded "What was her name?"
Petalkit tipped her head at his confrontation. "Mapleshade."
Thistleclaw stiffened with disbelief. She said it so naturally like she thought the question itself was silly to her.
"Tell the truth kit." Thistleclaw growled.
"IÂ am!" Petalkit's fur fluffed out indignantly. "Mapleshade is my mama!"
Thistleclaw's eyes narrowed with growing suspicion, but his fur itched with an anticipation he didn't dare believe was real.
"You're lyingâŚ" He hissed.
"No I'm not!" Petalkit's tiny squeak was belligerent. Offended even. "You don't even know mama!"
Thistleclaw blinked. Actually. He did know Mapleshade very well. She had been training him in the Dark Forest for the past couple of moons in hopes she could sharpen him into becoming ThunderClan deputyâuntil he was killed. As a new resident, he had no doubt that the formidable she-cat had been informed of his arrival by the Starless Callers. He wondered if Mapleshade would come for him or simply expected him to make his way towards her. Either way, he had to make the most of the time he had to confirm the impossible.
"Your brothers," he started coolly. "What did you say their names were?"
"Patchkit and Larchkit! Why? You think I'm lying about them too?"
"Calm yourself, you flea-brained badger!"
"You calm down!"
Thistleclaw blinked, whiskers twitching. He surprised himself with an incredulous chuckle. Despite the dangerous flash in his eyes, his words did not bite as hard as he usually would.
"Did you just talk back to me?"
"Do I need to do it again?"
He should have hit her. He should have been furious. But Thistleclaw just grinned. He liked this kit's feisty fire! What a savage little, foolish thing! He took a closer look at this tiny, tenacious ball of fuzz, and noticed a familiar glint of claws shimmering like a beetle's shell.
"Unsheath your claws." He commanded.
"Are you going to let me scratch you?"
"No you mouse-brain!" Thistleclaw snapped, tempted to claw her. "Show me your claws!"
"You're the mouse-brain!"
And the small kit attacked. Thistleclaw got to briefly seeâfeel the prickle of tiny, glimmering thorn-sharp claws swiping his cheek before he cuffed her with barely sheathed claws. He sent her rolling into the mulchy grass with a whimper. When Thistleclaw approached however, she quickly suppressed it, trying to rub away the burn of tears in her eyes before they fell. Thistleclaw held her gaze, noting the glassy sheen in them that had sharpened with stubborn determination. There was a light trickle of bright scarlet crawling down her temple. This kit was alive and not a spirit. Yet⌠how did she possess the claws of the dead? Only Dark Forest spirits wield such claws with their blood dark as night and slick as oil.
Thistleclaw held her gaze, studying her golden eyes, still ringed with white and ordinary, while his were pitch-black pools of darkness, pupils smoldering like embers still clinging to charred blackened wood.
"How did you get those?" Thistleclaw gestured to her unsheathed, obsidian claws with his nose.
"What do you mean?"
"Your claws, you dense furball!"
"I fell into the lake stupid!" Petalkit spat back. "And your eyes are weird!"
Thistleclaw's fur bristled, patience quickly growing thin, but he did not strike. Because now things were absurdly starting to make sense.
"Tell me more," He said, suddenly calmer, something calculating in his amber eyes as he sat down.
"Show me where you fell." It wasn't a request.
"You can't tell me what to do! You're not my mama!"
"Fine, then you are a liar."
"I AM NOT!" Petalkit screeched with an agitated stomp. "But fine! I'll prove it!"
The little scrap of fur huffed, clumsily turned around, and stormed off. Thistleclaw followed, amused to see the kit stumble and trip on the rotten earth, but pushing forward out of spite. He could see her energy draining from her stubby legs, paws sluggish from exhaustion and puffing with exertion. Regardless, she kept persisting, trudging through the fog and stepping on dead ferns.
She led him to the very lake he had suspected. The Dark Lake. Thistleclaw knew of these haunted waters. Mapleshade had cautioned him about the curses born from the Dark Lake before, when she first started training him.
The fearsome Dark Forest she-cat had told him that the water will sap the life out of any cats who fell into its clutches. Many spirits have drowned in it, never to be seen again. Forever claimed by the Dark Forest feasting upon the unfortunate soul it has captured. But what if the cat didn't drown?
Looking at the little she-cat again, Thistleclaw dared to think of the inconceivable.
Could it be that the reason those cats were never seen again wasn't because they were consumed, but because they were carried off into a new time? It should be impossible. Yet Petalkit never showed any signs of deception.
Thistleclaw looked at the kit again. Through her weariness, her stance was resolute with hostile triumph. She really was telling the truth, wasn't she?
Petalkit was Mapleshade's only surviving kit.
"How did you get hereâŚ" Thistleclaw murmured, astonished.
The kit looked tired, dropping heavily onto her haunches, shuffling backwards to widen the distance between herself and the lake's edge.
"I went to sleep and dreamed." Petalkit explained, looking annoyed and batting idly at the dry leaves around her paws. "I don't want to be awake anymore" She muttered miserably, a whine stuck in her throat, but swallowed down. "Everything is so different now! I hate it!" Her voice grew more hushed, eyes darting around as if worried she'd be discovered.
Petalkit gave a nod with a sharp sniff. "It's all their fault!" She suddenly wailed, her voice scratchy. "They made everything go bad! They took Larchkit, Patchkit, and Mapleshade away from me because of their dumb code! They let Oakstar throw us out!" She viciously tore out a clump of scrubby grass and flung it hard. "It's stupid and not fair!"
Thistleclaw's ears perked up with interest.
"Do you hate the warrior code?" He purred with delight, amber eyes shining. Thistleclaw couldn't believe his luck.
"Yes! I want it gone forever and ever!" She shrieked, quivering with emotions far too big for her small body to handle. "StarClan and ThunderClan too! I want to hurt them!"
Thistleclaw felt victorious. This was too perfect! It was like the stars themselves were aligning just for him. Thistleclaw could see the hunger in her eyes craving for violence. This kit may not have realized it, but what she was truly thirsting for was bloodshed. And Thistleclaw was more than happy to nurture this little seed of carnage.
"I can teach you how." he offered smoothly.
Petalkit's head shot up, golden eyes big and glossy with tears held captive "Really?" She was staring up at him in awe.
Thistleclaw nodded. "I can train you to destroy them." He tested, watching the kit's reaction carefully. "Make you so powerful that even StarClan will fear you."
Petalkit brightened up, as if she suddenly decided she didn't hate him anymore. "You can make me big and scary?" She looked hopeful. "Scarier than a warrior?"
"The most terrifying cat the forest has ever seen." Thistleclaw assured, almost encouraging. "I can help you get your revengeâyou do want to avenge your mother and brothers don't you?" He added with a coaxing tone. "ThunderClan did betray you after all."
"More than anything!" Petalkit squealed eagerly. "I want them all to pay! Every one of them!" She sprang to her paws with a new burst of energy. "Will you really teach me?" she pleaded. "Make them all scared of me? Make me terriâŚterriâ"
"Terrifying?" Thistleclaw finished for her steadily. "I can."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"How do you know those names?"
Mapleshade's commanding words were laced with a threatening growl. The imposing she-cat had whipped around to seize Thistleclaw's gaze with her flaming, golden eyes.
Thistleclaw shrugged at her demand, trying to look as nonchalant as he possibly could.
"It's what I overheard. Those bee-brained ThunderClan elders are always rambling." he replied with a tilt of his head, as though ignorant. "Are those names significant?"
Mapleshade's blazing eyes kept Thistleclaw pinned in place as she loomed over him. The large she-cat's stare was dangerously intense and searching with suspicion. Only the twitch of his tail betrayed his unease.
"Those names belonged to my kits." Mapleshade growled low in her throat, but there was a hint of wistfulness in her voice. For a moment, her eyes grew distant with something old and long buried.
"No one has spoken of them sinceâŚ"
"Since?" Thistleclaw prompted.
"Nevermind!" Mapleshade flashed her teeth in a snarl. "That is my business, Thistleclaw," she hissed hotly. "And you would do well to stay out of it."
Thistleclaw dipped his head apologetically. "Of course, Mapleshade." He mewed with practiced humility. "I meant nothing by it."
"Make sure it stays nothing." Mapleshade warned with measured menace. "Or I'll give you something to worry about." She promised with a voice of cold fire, slowly turning around to pad away.
"And remember, Thistleclaw," She called over her shoulder, before vanishing into the shadows and thick fog.
"I always keep my promises."
Thistleclaw kept his head bowed, watching her depart with a barely hidden smirk. Mapleshade has just confirmed everything to him. Now there was no doubt!
He had Mapleshade's kit and the legendary she-cat was clueless!
And Thistleclaw intended on keeping it that way. He would make a point of having the kit believe her mother's spirit had faded long ago, forever lost to her. Mapleshade's daughter was his now, and he would convince Petalkit that he was all she had left.
The kit hardly required any persuasion to agree to meet him every night in her dreams for training, starting tomorrow. Mapleshade's kit was overflowing with raw potential, and her complete rejection of the warrior code pleased him to no end. She was the opportunity he was denied in life, where too many eyes watched him and prevented everything he was trying to achieve with Tigerpaw. Bluefur's vigilance had enraged him the most, always disrupting how he wanted to train his apprentice!
But now? Nothing could stop him.
Petalkit had an undeniable appetite for battle and showed no interest in becoming an honorable warrior. She wanted to be feared. She wanted those who wronged her to suffer. She had been explicitly expressing her violent wishes, and Thistleclaw kept urging her towards something even darker.
She wanted to kill.
The Dark Forest tom was confident he could shape her into the perfect warriorâno, killer. His perfect killer. A killer loyal to him and knowing nothing else. Petalkit won't even recognize her own mother. She will be transformed into exactly what she wished to beâThe most terrifying cat the forest has ever seen.
Thistleclaw's lips peeled back into a vicious grin of triumph.
