#webstripe

Angst idea

A Dark Kit was always told by their mother that their father is horrible, that they only need each other, that one parent is enough etc. etc. But then mama dies, and without a parent now, the young cat (just about an adult) decides to search for their father. Maybe their mom was wrong. Maybe their father changed his ways.

But then she finds Webstripe. She (I'm imagining a she-cat but can be any) asks him if they've met before, not wanting to give anything away just yet but hoping he knows her. But he doesn't. She tells him her name. He doesn't know it.

Maybe they never met? Maybe her mother never told him?

So, feeling less hopeful, she tells him her mother's name. He doesn't remember it.

So let's use that.

Colosseums generally had four types of fighters. Let's connect that to the Death Ring.

There's:

--volunteer (wishes to harm)

--volunteer (wishes to kill)

--prisoner (temporary, may die but it is not the goal to kill them)

--prisoner (until their second death, the goal is to kill them -- rare)

Names:

Caladium -> volunteer that wishes to harm. Caladium symbolizes great joy and delight, as the volunteer often takes joy and delight in inflicting pain, or allow the audience to experience it while they watch the Caladium in action.

Hellebore -> volunteer that wishes to kill. This name is chosen because this plant is poisonous to many species, therefore causing death.

Anemone -> prisoner held temporarily. These plants are blown open by the wind, which blows away the dead petals. It is thought, at least by some, that the beatings of the prisoners serve, as a way, to cure them of their cruelty--either by forcing them to see their ways, feel the pain that they had inflicted on others, or force them to change their ways. In a sense, being a prisoner 'blows away' the flaws in them.

Cyclamen -> prisoner held until they die. The plant means 'goodbye.'

When speaking of individual cats, the plants are added after their names. Examples:

Dullahan-Hellebore, Webstripe-Anemone

Prisoners of the second category were, unlike the rest, not called by their name with the plant name added behind. They were ONLY called 'Cyclamen," erasing their name entirely.

EDIT: FORGOT TO MENTION

The two names for prisoners were also chosen because these plants were used to identify them. In areas they were kept, they were either placed with cyclamen or anemone, and sometimes had them woven into their pelts. This prevented cats who were meant to die from mistakenly being let go, and from bad-but-not-that-bad cats from being killed.

(The second name only sticks when in or around the Death Ring and participating in its activities).

I might choose another name for referees as well, but this already took my so long, so that's for another time!

=============

TawnyPaw followed GremlinPaw over to the trees, climbing up to try and find that new mushroom that Poppykit had mentioned. 

“So, what’s with you wanting to be ProteaFang’s apprentice?” 

TawnyPaw tilted her head, glancing over at him while they climbed through a particularly finicky section of branches, the thorns snagging on her thin pelt. 

“What about it?” 

“Tawny, you used to babysit her when she was a kit!” He turned around to sit in front of her as he tugged the bandage holding his leg together tighter.

TawnyPaw paused. GremlinPaw knew it had taken her a long time to be ready for a mentor after her trauma regarding her bio father. 

While sparring with him and his mentor, BrownMouse, she had already learned most of what she needed. 

“I like being around her,” TawnyPaw mumbled, looking away from him. 

She heard her sigh, and knew he had the ‘why are you like this’ look on his stupid muzzle. 

“You think she’s cute,” he deadpanned, a teasing spark in his eye. 

When she didn’t reply, he continued, leaning towards her with a grin on his face. 

“You wanted to spend more time with her!” 

TawnyPaw swatted at his head. “tickbrain!” 

He ducked, jumping backwards on the branch and accidentally stabbing himself with one of the thorns.

TawnyPaw composed herself, licking at her fluffed up fur. GremlinPaw didn’t know what she was talking about. 

“What about you?” She rolled her eyes, shooing his paws away from his thorn-pricked tail so that she could grip the thorn between her teeth. 

Like always, he never yelped, only smiled. She hurried on with her rabbit path of thought. 

“You’ve been BrownMouse’s apprentice for AGES! AlderStar should have made you a warrior a long time ago,” 

“Maybe I wanted to wait for you,” he puffed out his chest, resting his tail over his paws—they were covered in blood again, but when weren’t they? 

“Fox dung. You love being able to tease me because you know more. You would have asked AlderStar to make you a warrior the second I asked to be an apprentice!” 

GremlinPaw scrunched up his nose, and she gave a huff of satisfaction. 

He looked down at the thorn in front of him, and then down at the sleeping WebStripe below the tree. 

“Don’t.” TawnyPaw growled. 

“It’s harmless!” He meowed, his tone oh so disgustingly cheerful. 

TawnyPaw buried her head in her paws. GremlinPaw laughed. WebStripe screamed. 

(for those lost, this was said in a comment)

Mouseshell is similar to Webstripe in that they both get around. In the DF, Mouseshell has fun, and that fun comes in many forms. She’s living her best life

But that’s where the similarities end, because for one thing most cats actually like Mouseshell, and for another she’s upfront about not wanting a relationship with anyone

Crowpaw

Aliases / Nicknames: Slimy Crow, Spoiled Brat, Lazy Brat 

Gender: tom 

Sexuality: heterosexual 

Family: Finchblaze (mother), Stormpuddle (father), Petalpaw (sister), Weaselpaw (brother), 

Other Relations: Darkfrost (first mentor), Webstripe (second mentor), Hailstrike (third mentor) 

Clan: BushClan 

Rank: apprentice 

Characteristics: snarky, lazy, misogynistic, looks up to his brother and Webstripe

Murder Motive: kills those who talked bad about Webstripe, kills to impress Webstripe 

Number of Victims: 8 

Number of Murders: 8 

Murder Method: forcing others to choke on moss, biting necks 

Known Victims: Bearpaw, Maplepaw, Hawkpaw, Cloudmane, Juniperleap, Smokefleck, Adderlight, Hailstrike 

Victim Profile: apprentices and elders who talked badly about Webstripe, his third mentor 

Cause of Death: impaled through the eye/skull with a branch, killed by Petalpaw 

Cautionary Tale: Even temporary mentors must be chosen wisely--just a little bad influence may irreversibly change an apprentice's life 

Story: 

Webstripe was the best mentor Weaselpaw and Crowpaw could have ever asked for!

They had never been too fond of their original mentors, Firefeather and Darkfrost. Firefeather was a loud and stupid oaf of a cat, and Darkfrost was nothing more than a spineless coward. And they were both weak, preferring to obsess over their mates and their new kits! 

Why did queens deserve so much respect anyways? They were useless! All they did was sit around and pop out kits! Why couldn't they have gotten mentors who actually cared about the Clan? 

StarClan must have been listening to their prayers, because soon their wish was granted. Crowpaw was freed first. 

Darkfrost's stupid spawn had all been killed by a hawk, and the weakling was so caught up in grief that he was killed in a battle with OceanClan a mere week later. Crowpaw was giddy as is, but then Fennelstar did something right for once in her life and made Webstripe Crowpaw's new mentor. 

Weaselpaw and Crowpaw had both wanted Webstripe for their mentor initially--he was independent, dedicated to the Clan, and put she-cats in their place. Crowpaw's dream had finally come true! He was so happy, he didn't even care that Darkfrost's idiotic mate Redflower died in her sleep of a broken heart the next day. They could be happily useless and idiotic in StarClan together, for all Crowpaw cared. 

And Weaselpaw didn't have to wait long either, for just a mere moon later, history repeated itself. Firefeather's useless spawn were all killed by a fox, and Firefeather succumbed to grief so bad he was killed in a battle against OceanClan not long after! Weaselpaw was worried about getting another lame mentor, but then brave, noble Webstripe offered to mentor him as well. The brothers were very close, after all, and with the war killing so many cats, they were short on mentors anyways. Webstripe was more than happy to ease the burden of picking a new mentor for Fennelstar. 

The brothers were overjoyed to have the same mentor, one they had looked up to since kithood. 

They were so happy, they didn't even care that Firefeather's mate Briarclaw died in her sleep of a broken heart the very next day, like her sister Redflower before her. 

They were all useless anyways. 

Webstripe was the perfect mentor. He was everything Weaselpaw and Crowpaw could have asked for. He made them feel respected and powerful, and validated all of their thoughts on their old mentors. 

Real toms didn't have time for she-cats. Only those who focused on themselves were worthy of being true Clan cats. 

Those four moons were the best moons of Weaselpaw and Crowpaw's life. Nothing could ruin this for them! 

They were proven wrong in the worst way possible one fateful noon-high in Greenleaf, when a soaking wet Sunnyheart strolled into camp, grasping the limp, bloody body of a silvery-white tabby in her jaws. 

Webstripe was dead. 

Weaselpaw and Crowpaw thought it couldn't get any worse, but then Sunnyheart called a Clan meeting and revealed to the Clan how Webstripe was the one to kill Darkfrost, Redflower, Firefeather, Briarclaw, their kits, and Sunnyheart's own kits--Webstripe's nieces and nephew. She spoke of how jealous Webstripe was of the toms, how much he lusted over the she-cats, how he was so in love with Sunnyheart in particular, so jealous of his own brother, Thistletail, that he killed their kits and almost killed Thistletail too. 

Overnight, Webstripe turned from one of the most beloved cats in BushClan, a contender for deputy, into a reviled and hated tom, the butt of every joke. It made Weaselpaw and Crowpaw seethe with anger. It wasn't fair! Why couldn't they see that Webstripe was trying to do the Clan a favor by getting rid of soft hearted-toms and useless queens? 

And to rub salt in the wound, Fennelstar made Berrymoon and Hailstrike Weaselpaw and Crowpaw's new mentors. Two she-cats. Did Fennelstar think they were jokes? What was she thinking, making two she-cats their new mentors?

It had to be part of some kind of agenda, to humiliate them for daring to still care about Webstripe! 

Weaselpaw and Crowpaw had been mulling over these thoughts when their younger denmates, Bearpaw, Hawkpaw, and Maplepaw, came strolling in like they owned the world. They were laughing and talking about how much of a loser Webstripe was, how they always thought he was a weird loner of a tom. 

Weaselpaw and Crowpaw snapped. 

Nobody appreciated Webstripe anymore. 

They would make them all pay for not appreciating him anymore. 

They would show Webstripe that there was someone out there who still appreciated him. 

They were surprised they weren't caught, what with how loudly they ripped up the moss and how loudly those weaklings screamed. But not even seeing the siblings' father wail over their cold bodies was enough to satisfy Weaselpaw and Crowpaw. It only made them angrier. There were weaklings still to be removed. And the message hand't gotten through yet. 

Berrymoon and Hailstrike had forced Weaselpaw and Crowpaw to go give moss to the elders. They stood their ground, not wanting to be bossed around by she-cats, but relented when they threatened to tell their parents. So they stomped into the den, planning to just drop the moss down and call it a day. The elders could do it themselves, after all. They shouldn't be so lazy just because they were old. 

Instead, they stumbled into a conversation between Cloudmane, Juniperleap, Smokefleck, and Adderlight. A conversation about Webstripe. 

Smokefleck and Adderlight were calling Webstripe so many awful names, and Cloudmane and Juniperleap were trying to tell them that Webstripe was already getting what he deserved in the Dark Forest. How dare they say that?! Webstripe should be celebrated in StarClan for his deeds! It was them who weren't getting what they deserved! 

Thankfully, with how fragile they were, it was much easier to shove the moss down their throats. But the message still wasn't getting through. Their efforts weren't being appreciated at all, least of all by Berrymoon and Hailstrike. 

They had the gall to take Weaselpaw and Crowpaw out for solo training and reveal that they knew what they had done, and that they were done putting up with this behavior. 

As soon as they finished talking, Berrymoon and Hailstrike were going to tell Fennelstar everything, and Weaselpaw and Crowpaw would never become warriors. In the heat of the moment, Weaselpaw and Crowpaw had to improvise. 

But they still pulled it off. 

They waited until Berrymoon and Hailstrike had turned their backs to return to camp before leaping at them and sinking their teeth into their necks. It was a move Webstripe had taught them. They hoped they were making him proud. 

Unfortunately, Weaselpaw and Crowpaw had forgotten to account for one thing. 

Their stupid spoiled brat of a sister, Petalpaw, was taking her warrior exam at the same time as their little "talk" with their "mentors,” and the smell of fresh blood brought her into the clearing just in time for her to catch Weaselpaw and Crowpaw red-pawed. 

They thought they could take her down easily, her being a weak little she-cat and all. 

Oh, how wrong they were. 

Weaselpaw

Aliases / Nicknames: Slimy Weasel, Spoiled Brat, Dumb Brat 

Gender: tom 

Sexuality: heterosexual 

Family: Finchblaze (mother), Stormpuddle (father), Petalpaw (sister), Crowpaw (brother) 

Other Relations: Firefeather (first mentor), Webstripe (second mentor), Berrymoon (third mentor) 

Clan: BushClan 

Rank: apprentice 

Characteristics: dumb, arrogant, misogynistic, close with his brother, looks up to Webstripe

Murder Motive: kills those who talked bad about Webstripe, kills to impress Webstripe 

Number of Victims: 8 

Number of Murders: 8 

Murder Method: forcing others to choke on moss, biting necks 

Known Victims: Bearpaw, Maplepaw, Hawkpaw, Cloudmane, Juniperleap, Smokefleck, Adderlight, Berrymoon 

Victim Profile: apprentices and elders who talked bad about Webstripe, his third mentor 

Cause of Death: impaled through the skull with a large rock, killed by Petalpaw 

Cautionary Tale: Even temporary mentors should be chosen wisely--just a little bad influence may irreversibly change an apprentice's life.

Story:

See Crowpaw.

Additional Information: 

--Submission by @starfalcon555​

 --From Star: “I had to mess with the timeline of Wesbtripe's story a little to make this work, so now Webstripe's first two litter-victims were born at the same time and killed one moon apart! I also retconed Redflower and Briarclaw to be sisters to make it work - they were the kind of sisters that had to do everything together, including having kits lol.” 

--Bearpaw, Hawkpaw, and Maplepaw were all names they originally considered for Weaselpaw, Crowpaw, and Petalpaw, hence them being littermates too. Their father is Sunnyheart's brother, hence why they were so keen to talk shit about Webstripe. 

Smokefleck was Darkfrost's father, and Adderlight was Firefeather's mother, hence why they were so keen to talk shit about Webstripe. 

Cloudmane and Juniperleap were mates, and they were the parents of Berrymoon and Hailstrike, hence why Berry and Hail were able to figure out so quickly that Weaselpaw and Crowpaw were behind their murders. 

--Weaselpaw and Crowpaw were seventeen moons old when they died, their warrior ceremonies being delayed to the constant changes in mentorship as well as them being brats who didn't put in work. 

Petalpaw's mentor was Thistletail, and her own warrior ceremony was delayed due to Thistletail's coma causing her to fall behind in training. She wasn't close to Weaselpaw and Crowpaw at all - they bullied her a lot as kits - but she still cared for them and always hoped they would change somehow. She only killed Weaselpaw and Crowpaw out of self-defense (she was trying to use the rock and the branch to shield herself) and she regretted killing them until the day she died. 

--Petalpaw’s warrior name isn’t known yet, but she becomes Thistlestar's second deputy after Sunnyheart's passing!

--BITCHES BITCHES BITCHES. You knew once you saw ‘misogynistic’ that they were gonna be SHITFACES.

Webshit having to be a (barely) passable father to Banshee after she initially got disowned by Plague because he was the first cat she stumbled across and needed help. And he just feels the Tiniest of obligations because while yeah, he didn't ever expect to even Meet Banshee, he did help bring her into this situation so maybe sorta kinda he Is obligated to help? Maybe with a little goading from the pity pals, he reluctantly patches her up and sends her off in a safer direction.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I think if anyone would be goading Webstripe to help Banshee it would be Lavendermoon (his newest mate who I really should submit soon, along with her kits from her previous relationship)

Lavendermoon is basically the only reason Webstripe didn't ditch his newest litter, so I could EASILY see her forcing him to help Banshee

I REALLY don't think he'd be happy about it though