#bonefall avos

Sure thing! I don't plan to completely eliminate Millie's inappropriate behavior, but her abelism is treated as abelism by the narrative.

Graystripe is not allowed to get off blameless here; he should have protected his daughter. But he didn't. Briarlight has complicated feelings towards the fact that her dad didn't help her when she really needed him.

I actually really like Graystripe as a character so this matters a lot to me; the narrative treats him like he's a perfect being when he's an extremely complex guy. Graystripe does what he wants to do, and is a passionate and loyal person, but how would he decide between telling his mate to back off, and protecting his daughter?

I don't think he can decide. Siding with one could mean losing the other, and after what he's lost, he can't do that. So instead he does nothing, trying to play 'Both Sides', and just ends up alienating both.

Briarlight

Around the time of Bramblestar's Storm, ThunderClan is working on a better mobility device for her that will allow her to get out of camp, on more types of uneven terrain. I plan for Jessie to actually be the one who finally figures this out, a proper kitty cat genius of engineering, using that blanket they salvaged to help prevent chafing.

Here is a mouse drawing in paint lmao, it is a modified version of @cryptidclaw's Briarlight design, which I asked for their permission to use!

[ID: A drawing of a paraplegic cat, Briarlight, from Warrior Cats. She has a furry 'mullet' mane and a mobility device in three colors. There are green rings around the neck, hips, tail and back legs labelled 1, a blue blanket stretched over the belly labelled 2, and a red bark sled under the immobile legs marked 3]

The rings are made of twine of some sort, with the blanket sewn into the ones on the neck and legs, with the ones on the hips looping around the sides of the bark sled

The blanket prevents thorns and rocks from scratching her body; very important because if they were caught under her legs, she would not feel the pain to know it needs to be removed else cause infection

The bark sled is the only part that touches the ground, to prevent wear to the blanket and prevent it from getting ripped up too quickly. (oops I drew it too short lmao it should reach as far back as the paw)

This version is an improved model of the one that Wildfur used and made the entire TNP journey with; his would look very similar to Cryptidclaw's initial design (For the record it is the best mobility device for a paraplegic warrior I'd ever seen and they deserve a ton of credit here, I just improved some technical aspects of their design!)

ANYWAY back to discussion of abelism

So around this time, Briarlight finally sets a hard boundary with Millie. Her mom can't respect her, makes her feel horrible about herself, can't appreciate this incredible new mobility device, so finally Briar says, "Do not talk to me until you understand that my life isn't a tragedy!"

I think this actually does make Millie reconsider what she's been saying and doing to her kids, but fixing the relationship from this point is slow and gradual. Graystripe also gets caught in this; I'm thinking it was a sort of, "honey please speak to your mother," "Dad if you keep that up you're getting cut off too" situation.

[ID: Halfbody sketch of Heathertail from Warrior Cats. She has a long face, purple eyes, and one long whisker. She's a pale ginger with sandy ears, muzzle, and legs with brown stripes. She's glaring at something off-screen.]

Heather has a VERY expanded role in this rewrite. I'm VERY normal about kids with complicated relationships to their dads.

FIRST THINGS FIRST;

She's a bit of a rebel, but not completely disloyal either. She marches to the beat of her own drum, but stays in-tune with the band, y'know?

If she feels like she's got a good reason for doing something you can't stop her.

Heathertail's Clanmew name is Wishswash-- "Bell Heather Tail".

Contrast to Heatherstar's Clanmew name, Ssinbshai-- "Common Heather Tail"

Onestar's new reduxed parentage is Cloudrunner x Larksplash.

He was named Onekit because he is the only survivor of his birth. His siblings were stillborn and his mother died in the process. It's a hard word to translate; "Ul-arra" means One, but also a whole fraction, and loneliness.

I like the idea that Heathertail looks ginger in some lights, especially as she grows older and her pelt brightens. Like Firestar, or Brushblaze is flashing through her, somehow. A haunting for Onestar.

Onestar's apprentice was Runningbrook, who traumatically dies young in TNP.

Whitetail was not Onestar's apprentice nor was she even his mate; Heathertail was the result of an Honor Siring.

Whitetail wanted kittens and decided to ask the leader of the Clan. Onestar requested co-parenting.

There was no Galekit, Heathertail was from a single-kit litter.

(because im saving galekit for someone else's litter)

Heatherpaw in Po3

Since Bonefall Po3 is episodic and worldbuilding-focused, Heatherpaw is able to feature in a bunch of individual conflicts

She is meeting HOLLY in the tunnels this time around, not Lion

They catch feelings for each other, but Heather isn't as ready to ride as Holly is.

Pressure from her father as tensions between Thunder and Wind grow, Holly's growing investment in their relationship, and eventually the kittens getting lost following her, Heather breaks it off and stops seeing Holly.

When Sedge reveals the secret tunnels to Onestar, Heather was EXTREMELY uncomfortable that One immediately started planning to use it to attack ThunderClan

he was one of Breezepaw's friends who joined him on his dog-patrol, and feels bad he got in the most trouble when they were all part of the bad idea

She starts to develop a growing resentment for her father. He's unfair, he wants conflict when there doesn't need to be any, it's upsetting.

She does NOT join the Dark Forest though. She IS approached, but knows right away that this is bad news

Breezepelt's growing radicalization along with her old friends is concerning, but she doesn't know what to do without snitching

Yeah this is bad, but IMAGINE telling dad about this and seeing him do something drastic. She doesn't trust either side.

Onestar's not always the worst but she also doesn't feel like he reliably makes good choices.

Unlike canon, she is not a Breezepelt Stan after OotS. She doesn't trust him, for good reason. However, she is more sympathetic to his conspirators. Especially Sunstrike, who was so badly wounded in the battle that exiling her could have been a death sentence.

Heathertail in AVoS

She is a main character in AVoS this time around.

Her narrative use is to be the inside voice of WindClan. She's there to see how Onestar grows increasingly paranoid, and to point out his cruelty as he refuses to aid ShadowClan, and how this eventually leads to Darktail assuming control of it.

This is important because The Kin starts as a small problem. The point here is that the fall of ShadowClan could have been avoided if pigheaded Clan isolationism hadn't gotten in the way.

This directly leads to the Law of the Lake at the end of this arc-- that all Clans have a responsibility to preserve the others.

But, back to the story

The first members of WindClan who join the Kin are Known Halfclans and Dark Forest trainees. Cats who feel ostracized. Breezepelt is the very first, Sedgewhisker probably joins next.

(Adding a bit of depth to Sedge by saying that Gorsetail fumbled her secret and spilled the beans about Beechfur)

That causes the treatment of the deputy Harespring, the elder Sunstrike, and her mate Furzepelt to get worse, though they keep trying to prove their loyalty at first.

ONESTAR is not the one who makes his confession. Darktail pushes him and pushes him, trying to goad him into admitting it, finally revealing his pedigree after a point I haven't worked out yet.

And it's at this point he recruits Heathertail directly.

Heathertail joins The Kin, wanting to know more, and to hear out the other side of her father's legacy

Unfortunately, this was a trap. Darktail wants to hurt Onestar and the minute he feels Heathertail 'betrays' him in some way, she's in the same boat

She rekindles her friendship with Breezepelt in the meanwhile

Dark keeps Heather around for a while until some minor infraction pops up, and he uses this to execute her and a bunch of others (probably talking to cats outside of The Kin, maybe even Onestar himself and Darktail says this is spying)

And this becomes the moment where Breezepelt makes his dramatic turn.

"Execution? But, you said... you said you only wanted to show her the truth, not hurt her??"

"This is our truth. Breezepelt, you understand it better than anyone-- you want to bring the same pain to your own father as I'm about to do to my treacherous blood-kin."

Breeze has a moment here, realizing that he DOESN'T want to be Darktail and Heathertail doesn't deserve this

He has more to work through but right now those are the two major things

Heathertail escapes with several others including Breezepelt, back to WindClan.

After this, she's a huge proponent for SkyClan's inclusion at the lake. She is probably a major reason why the Law of the Lake is passed, cutting through general fear and xenophobia to remind everyone that The Kin never would have gotten as big as it did if the Clans had not allowed ShadowClan to falter.

Oh it's GROSS in canon, I completely agree. It's insulting how consistently disabled cats get shoved into the medcat role. Girl... that is anxiety. This man is displaying Severe Anxiety. That is an ADA-recognized disability

Some noteworthy changes

Bonefall AVoS has a big POV shift The POVs are split between Heathertail, Breezepelt, and Needletail with her POV shifting to Violetshine after her death. It is a WindClan and ShadowClan centric arc; we are not in ThunderClan.

Alderheart and Sparkpelt are the kittens of Jessy and Bramblestar. And Jessy may have taken Alderheart in the kitty-divorce. His visions lead him back to the Clan; Velvet is an old childhood friend.

Jayfeather is not Alderheart's family. Bramblestar loudly disowned the Three at that fateful gathering and they did not forgive him. Jayfeather wouldn't take it out on a kid but... he's really not happy with the situation.

Bramblestar's issues with his kids would be so large it would fill up an SE Bramble is emotionally abusive. His children have extremely complex feelings on him. They love him, but also dread dealing with him, but appreciate him for things he's done, but also feel like their pain isn't justified... it's a lot.

Not to mention how Alder and Spark feel about each other Spark blames Jessy for leaving her all alone, but Alder doesn't blame her at all. Spark feels like Alder takes away her 'right to be angry' in a sense but can't articulate that. Alder feels like she's not the same cat he remembers.

@halogenwarrior

He will DEFINITELY not be as hated by StarClan.

In fact it is very frustrating that canon rips into Rowanstar so badly for... *checks notes* having rebellious teens who were manipulated by a cult leader, but ONESTAR gets to abandon a kitten, deny medicine, bark and holler that ShadowClan needs to get its shit together as he refuses to help at all, and then gets his own super edition where the Erins all but pop open a can of friskies for him

No. Bonefall AVoS is an arc about Darktail, a charismatic Pied Piper, exploiting legitimate weaknesses in clan society by playing up to cats who feel frustrated and alienated. Starting off with only a few supporters, The Kin never would have become the threat it became if something was done sooner.

And this creates the Law of the Lake; that all Clans have a responsibility to preserve the others.

So, Rowanstar will still be seen as someone too soft, who should have done something, and as foolish and cruel for dividing Twig and Violet for no reason (depending on how this reason gets worked out...). But StarClan doesn't hate his guts

GOOD BYE ALLOROMANTIC TWIGBRANCH. YOU ARE NOT MISSED.

HELLOO aroace Twigbranch and her funny brother Finleap she got from SkyClan for free

Leaders can't give up their lives anymore, they have to burn through ALL of them before the next leader gets theirs.

So I'm planning for him to be cursed with horrible immortality, unable to perish and unable to lead. When Tigerheart returns with Dovewing and dies, he's saddled with outliving his last child as well