#ermineclaw

Starting off with an Angsty Stoatpaw post Ermineclaw’s death.

His way of coping with the loss of his father was to resent him. You can’t miss someone you don’t like.

Now a couple of incomplete Snail and Ermine drawings:

These got abandoned out of frustration for minor stuff lol character sizing, placement, Snailsteps ears which cause me endless torment, Ermineclaw’s hind legs…. Etc etc.

Snailsteps favorite thing is teasing her mate. He only pretends not to like it.

Now for some Rosethorn.

Prompt 3. Ghost

Featuring old lady Snailstep, ghost Ermineclaw and ghost Tuliptail.

There was going to be a third ghost but it didn’t work out. If you can correctly guess who they would have been you win a cookie 🍪

My ability to follow through on Inktober gets worse and worse every year. I get frustrated at my traditional art very easily and I’d rather do digital because I can edit mistakes.

Or perhaps its all an excuse to run from the pain of her grief. Days are spent barely eating or sleeping, ignoring the concern of her family and friends.

then her youngest son approaches her:

Taking a break for the first time in a long time, Snailstep takes a stroll away from camp with Stoatpaw to talk in private.

Stoatpaw confides in his mother about his ghost-sight.

Snailstep and Stoatpaw understand each other a little better and find they have more in common than they realized.

I think Stoat's personality is very "be extremely combative with everyone unless given reason otherwise". he's still in his angsty teen phase.

The dialogue feels a little janky on this one :D Oh well! :D

“Is this something?” Ermineclaw pawed awkwardly at the sad, withered and brown plant poking up out of the snow. However, there was no answer. 

“Heatherbrook?” He looked up with a small huff of irritation. Heatherbrook was staring at something on the bank, her back arched and fur bristling in alarm. 

He looked around nervously, ears pricked and jaws parted. “What’s the matter? Is it a fox?”

Heatherbrook still stood transfixed, her breathing becoming heavy pants, her whole body drenched in fear-scent. Ermineclaw followed her terrified gaze to see she was gazing at a spot down at her paws. It took him a moment before he realized what she was staring at. It could have been easily mistaken as a clump of snow, but now that he was paying more attention, he could make out a limp shape covered in white fur.

Thinking she’d found a dead kit, Ermineclaw bounded over, ready to check for signs of life, but soon halted with an exasperated hiss.

“It’s just a weasel. Silly thing must have drowned.” He sniffed tentatively at the corpse. It was damp and covered in a thin layer of frost, its mouth open in a death grimace, bearing perfect white teeth. A trickle of blood remained frozen in crystals down its muzzle and throat.

“No… it’s not a weasel.” Heatherbrook rasped, not once looking away from the still, frozen body on the embankment.

“Goodness, what’s got into you?” Ermineclaw prodded the body. “It’s probably good to eat, right? We can take it back as freshkill- unless you think it died of something catching? What’s your professional opinion, as a medicine cat?”

“I-I need to speak to Icestar.” Heatherbrook stammered, backing away. “This is a message from Starclan.”

“What- really?” Ermineclaw chased after her as she started to run back towards camp the way they’d come. “So does that mean we can’t eat it?”

***

Heatherbrook was one of Ermineclaw's biggest advocates in RiverClan. They weren't close as friends, but she saw he was a good cat - a terrible deputy, but a good cat. One who definitely didn't deserve to be murdered.

And the fact that StarClan sent her an omen in the first place meant it was because there was a chance to change the outcome, and she wasn't about to let that go to waste, no matter what Icestar said. She was a medicine cat, and that meant it was her sworn duty to save the lives of her clanmates.

I haven't drawn Heatherbrook before so I'm not sure I'm satisfied with how this came out. I only have Heather's human and taur au self, and one color reference for the warrior au.

Please feel free to leave comments! I love hearing from you!

He’s keeping his composure in front of his kits

Well, mostly.

When he’s alone with his mate it’s a different story

Also Bonus have a Wolfstrike scolding because more parents means more lectures:

"Morning, sweetness!" Softpetal woke to her father prodding her playfully in the side with a hefty paw. "what have you done to deserve sleeping in till sunhigh exactly?"

"Gerroff." Softpetal swiped halfheartedly at him. "I had a night watch. what do you want? go away and annoy someone who deserves it."

"now is that anyway to speak to ones sire?" Ermineclaw purred. "lets go hunting."

"a patrol?" Softpetal rolled onto her belly and peered up at him. Lizardstone was no where in the den so he must have gone on duty ages ago.

"no, just the two of us. I've seen nothing of you. what with patrols, watch, and now you're preoccupied with that hideous mate of yours, I feel rather ignored by you." his whiskers twitched. "you wouldn't begrudge me your company would you? not when I love and adore you as my favorite daughter-

"Alright, alright." Softpetal got up and butt him with her head, pushing him back a few steps. she couldn't keep a soft mrrow of amusement out of her voice. "you've convinced me. but help me wash would you? I'm probably scruffy and covered in moss."

****

"So... I do hope you don't plan on making me a grandfather too soon." Ermineclaw wrinkled his nose. "I think I'm a bit too young for the title."

"Aren't we supposed to be quiet when hunting?" Softpetal tasted the air for any trace of nearby prey. she wanted to deflect from the fact that she actually was, in fact, more than likely expecting Lizardstone's kits... but she wanted to tell her mate first.

"I am quiet." Ermineclaw shrugged.

"so did you just invite me out with you to interrogate me? I'm hurt." she put on a sad look. "I thought you wanted to spend time with me. was that favorite daughter spiel... a lie?"

"of course not!"

she dodged a swipe aimed at her ears, and snorted as he swatted her nose instead with his tail.

"Just don't tell your other sisters-”

"Hey, get down!" Softpetal signaled with her tail and Ermineclaw obediently dropped to his belly. Softpetal flicked her ears in the direction of a squirrel.

by some twist of fate, it hadn't noticed them- though maybe because it was chewing so loudly on a hard shell of a walnut.

slowly, she crept her way towards it, determined not to make a sound. she waggled her haunches, and leapt-

but she'd misjudged the distance.

The squirrel was off like a shot, nut forgotten as it sped in the direction the the thunderpath.

Softpetal cursed in frustration, but Ermineclaw was streaking ahead.

"I've got him!" he announced cheerfully. "watch the master at work!"

Softpetal sped after him. "in your dreams you old mangepelt!" she'd shot back good-naturedly.

She overtook him easily as the squirrel had reached the road.

***

The crack of the monster striking her father's skull was a splintering, ear-shattering sound.

He hadn't died instantly. he'd lay, gasping for maybe minutes as blood bubbled in his mouth and nostrils, but it had felt far too long, too excruciatingly long to watch.

she'd been too scared to move him, afraid of hurting him more. touching him had been frightening…

"Ermineclaw? come on... let's get you back to camp... you need to see the medicine cat." she'd babbled like a tiny kit. convincing herself the damage was fixable... that he could just get up and go home.

"Daddy... daddy I'm sorry... I should have caught the squirrel in the first place.. it's all my fault... please get up. we need to go home." she'd pleaded. her father's chest heaved in a last, painful spasm, before he'd gone still, and quiet.

Big thanks to @as-the-raven-cries-wolf for providing the text since I suck at typography

Ermineclaw loves his son Stoatpaw and he loves his father, Icestar. but his father was always harsh and critical of him and never offered him affection. sometimes Stoatpaw does things that reminds Ermineclaw of his father in negative ways and Stoatpaw looking a lot like Icestar doesn’t help.

This makes it hard for him to connect with Stoatpaw as much as he would like to.

Prompt 2. Halo

He gets a halo cause he’s dead :D

I have three versions cause I couldn’t decide which one was the best.