GUYS LOOK IT’S HAWKFROST

ha. hahahaha. hahahahha

for those of you who don't know i have a massive hawkreed lore doc + am writing a full length super edition called Reedwhisker's Ruin... so um... unfortunately i cannot give you all the thoughts i have AHAHAHAH

but in my hawkreed, reedpaw is a very sullen/bitter cat who is severely traumatized after the whole tigerclan situation tearing his family up/losing his siblings in the battle with bloodclan. he's been a drypaw since the flood he experienced as a child and he has never gotten over his fear of water + completely stagnated in his training due to this and his trauma so he is basically an apprentice for a really long time. riverclan doesn't really know what do with him, mistyfoot tries her best but reedpaw barely speaks to anyone and just keeps his head down + does what he has to + doesn't really care about living. at first he doesn't pay attention to hawk + moth, but as hawkpaw gets older he starts catching the attention of a lot of riverclan cats who initially disliked him, since he is becoming very talented and strong and smart and stuff. hawk thinks reed dislikes him because of his loner roots w/ sasha and, just as he is with the rest of the clan, is determined to prove him wrong. reed begins to notice him, and though the two sort of butt heads at first, eventually they become deeply interested in each other because they stand so much apart from the rest of riverclan. they become very close, even as hawkfrost becomes a warrior while reedpaw stays an apprentice still despite his age. eventually, after reedpaw nearly drowns in moonrise, hawkfrost goes off on him, snarling that he can't be a useless apprentice anymore and he needs to grow up, which is the first warning signs of the growing pains that will tear them apart. hawkfrost never treats reedpaw quite right, but this is the first time he's been so cruel, even though it's clear that he's acting out of terror that reedpaw nearly died. so hawkfrost takes it upon himself to teach reedpaw how to swim, something no cat has been able to do, and the two grow even closer. a lot of cats now start talking about them + its clear to the clan that they have something going on between them at this point, but it remains unspoken between hawkfrost and reedpaw, even if they both sort of know what's going on. thanks to hawkfrost, reedpaw is able to get over his fear of water (mostly) and learn how to swim, and he finally is given his warrior name. however right before they leave, sasha arrives and reveals hawkfrost's father is tigerstar, which completely shocks reedwhisker and horrifies him, as of course he watched his uncle stonefur die by the orders of tigerstar and has terrible tigerclan trauma etc. reedwhisker truly doesn't judge hawkfrost for tigerstar's actions, but it's something he needs to adjust to, and he becomes more distant with hawkfrost for a time, who takes the change very personally even if he acts like it doesn't bother him.

the two grow apart on the great journey. by the time they reach the new territory, reedwhisker tries to reach out to hawkfrost again, who on the outside accepts the olive branch, but something has changed in him. he's colder, passive aggressive, strange. he is more open in his disdain of mistyfoot, which reedwhisker struggles with, and reedwhisker catches him meeting with first mudclaw, then ashfur. (something he Totally doesn't get jealous about). the more reedwhisker tries to reach out, the farther away hawkfrost gets. still, there are nights where they take walks together like they used to, looking up at the stars and talking about everything and nothing. reedwhisker desperately tries to cling onto what they had. when hawkfrost leaves early in the morning one day, reedwhisker follows him, stopping him and asking what he's up to. hawkfrost, for a moment, thinks he can trust reedwhisker--or maybe he just wishes he could. he tells reedwhisker he's on his way to thunderclan territory, how he and his brother will bring unification and peace to the clans together. reedwhisker is horrified to learn of his plans and of course tries to stop him, but hawkfrost won't listen. eventually hawkfrost attacks him, and though the two fight, it's barely a contest, with hawkfrost overpowering reedwhisker without much difficulty. throwing him into the lake shallows and forcing his head under the water. he holds reedwhisker there while he struggles, blinded by his anger and grief for reedwhisker's betrayal and what they used to have. but at the last moment, he can't do it, and he lets reedwhisker up. by the time reedwhisker is done coughing and can see again, hawkfrost is long gone. and the next time they see each other, it's reedwhisker watching a thunderclan patrol drag hawkfrost's bloody broken body into camp.

brambleclaw to swiftpaw,

hawkfrost to brambleclaw