#~heavydrop

Our story begins with a prophecy, delivered to the healer apprentice of Ivyclan, Woodpaw. A starry-eyed cat named Ivy tells him that “The cat who is two in one will threaten the clan’s way of life forever”. When he delivers this prophecy to the leadership of Ivyclan, Furledstar decides that the best way to avoid any trouble is to exile Clawmimic, a half-n-half tortoiseshell, preemptively. On her way out of the territories, Clawmimic meets with her friend Clovepelt of Stormclan, who sees another starry-eyed ghost accompanying her. The pair are led to a grotto beneath the last redwood up the mountain by the specter and to a misty cavern containing a waterfall below. There, Clawmimic can see the ghost in the mist and, upon touching noses with it, is named Clawstar and granted nine lives. The pair take this as a sign that they are being called to start a new clan and gather up a handful of cats from across the other five clans under the redwood to form Direclan. This includes Heavydrop, his mate Hazelfog, and their daughter Mintkit from Mintclan, Clovepelt and his former apprentice Oakspider from Stormclan, Oakspider’s friend Brackenleaf from Springclan (who desperately agrees to be their healer despite having very little experience), and of course Clawstar herself. The new clan finds an injured kittypet who takes the name Shortspeckle, who unfortunately turns out to have redcough and passes away under Brackenleaf’s care. Brackenleaf is crushed by this loss and wonders if he was wrong to have told Clawstar that he could be Direclan’s healer. Hazelfog and Heavydrop’s relationship proves too weak to survive the stressors of forming a new clan and they break up just before Mintkit’s apprentice ceremony. She is named Direclan’s very first apprentice, studying under Clawstar, whom she really looks up to! Brackenleaf grows cold and jealous of Clovepelt, who seems to have a much closer relationship to Starclan than him, and argues with Oakspider. Mintpaw sprains her paw while out hunting with Clawstar and ends up confined to the healer’s den with Brackenleaf. She quickly grows bored of being trapped there and tries to escape camp to take a walk but instead ends up falling into the river and catching a cold. While her parents drag the whole clan into their argument over who was supposed to be watching her, only Brackenleaf and Clovepelt keep her company in her sickness. In leaf-fall, Direclan attends its first gathering and tries to recruit more members. Meanwhile, Clovepelt and Heavydrop grow closer, much to Hazelfog’s dismay. The relationships between Heavydrop and Clovepelt and Clawstar and Hazelfog become more involved, but unfortunately Mintpaw’s cold develops into whitecough. Brackenleaf finds two newborn kits next to their dead mother Frondskip, the young Springclan healer who was one of the few cats there who had ever been kind to him. He brings the kittens back and asks Hazelfog to take care of them but doesn’t tell her where or who they came from. The next moon, Mintpaw passes away due to her illness and the whole clan grieves for her except her new little siblings, Blizzardkit and Bouncekit, who are too small to think much of it. Brackenleaf becomes even more detached, thoroughly believing that he is a failure. Heavydrop and Clovepelt officially become mates and Blizzardkit bonds a lot with Heavydrop. Brackenleaf falls ill due to stress and Clawstar does her best to keep her little clan together… but before the seasons can change again Brackenleaf is feeling much better and Clawstar and Hazelfog officially become mates as well! In the last days of the year, Heavydrop and Clovepelt find a longer living in a barn who expresses interest in the clans and agrees to join, taking the name Lionstripe.