So this is my attempt at a Clangen side-blog, following Lightclan and the pieces of spaghetti that make up its lore.
I suck at drawing, so every part will be painstakingly (but not-very amazingly) written out and posted whenever the fuck I feel like it. There will most likely be plot holes at some point during this.
TWs for the entire blog include: animal death, child death, religious persecution (I think that’s the right term), self-harm, moon 61 being all over the place, and me trying to write disabilities and mental disorders I don’t have. (ADHD, GAD, eczema, allergies, and plurality can only get us so far.)
Notes: Cats will be tagged with their warrior names, including leaders, apprentices, and kits. The only cats that don’t have this are outsiders or former outsiders that don’t have a suffix.
Cats with an asterisk in their tag (e.g. Trinity*) are usually done so to prevent confusion if someone scrolls through a tag that happens to be that cat’s name if they’re not familiar with this blog. This is usually done on outsiders/former outsiders, but sometimes cats that have never been outsiders might have an asterisk too.
Leopardscut led Owlweb to the nursery, and he saw Cocospeck suckling a litter of… 5 kits! As well as Cometkit and Grousekit! Owlweb looked at his kits in awe, almost too overwhelmed with emotion to speak.
“H…Have you… named them?”
“Oh, yes! The cream one’s Umberkit, the white one’s Lilackit, the brown tabby’s Hazelkit, the grey one’s Featherkit, and the dark brown one is Swarmkit! And, I know you haven’t asked, but I think two of them should go with you and the other three go with me. Does that sound like a plan?”
Owlweb was still looking at the kits in awe, until he glanced at Swarmkit. He was just a kit, but his name… it makes him feel a little tense. But he had to shake off his worries.
“Ok! Ok! Sounds good! I think Swarmkit should be the one to stay with me, though. I don’t know if you’ve heard about the prophecy, but it’s very insect-related and I don’t want the other Clans to get hurt because of me.”
“…I understand. I’ve heard about it during recent gatherings. But would you really want to endanger your own Clan?”
…
“…I don’t know, but he should be trained to be a valuable warrior of Lightclan. As for who’ll join him…”
Owlweb looked at the other kits.
“We’ll see.”
Cocospeck had a litter of 5 kits!
Swarmkit has joined Lightclan.
(Owlweb: A long-furred dark brown smokepoint tom)
(Cocospeck: A long-furred light brown and white she-cat with dark brown spots)
(Grousekit: A small, medium-furred tom whose fur is many shades of brown)
(Cometkit: A short-furred dark brown speckled tom)
(Umberkit: A long-furred light brown smokepoint tom)
(Lilackit: A long-furred white speckled she-cat)
(Hazelkit: A long-furred dark brown tabby she-cat)
(Featherkit: A long-furred dark grey smokepoint tom)
Vortexcurl woke up in the medicine den, sticks and leaves tied to his back. Skuashriek looked concerned. Deeply concerned. Crevasserise was praying.
“Are you feeling ok?” Skuashriek asked.
“Oh yeah, I’m totally alright! How about I just stand up and walk out of the- OH WAIT! I CAN’T!”
Skuashriek just huffed and walked away from Vortexcurl. Swashbuckler looked at her, then to Vortexcurl.
“You know, you remind me of myself when I was a kit. Always gettin’ into trouble, even if I had no reason to. I was just like that. I asked for forgiveness, not permission.”
“Ok, old stuff, maybe stop talking so your jaw can-“
“Hey now, young’un! That’s no way to treat an elder! We got in a lot of trouble when we tried to play with an old lady when we were kits! She’s uh… she’s long gone by now… she was approachin’ 90 years old.”
“90 YEARS? Ok, I call bull-“
“She was a human, Vortex. Humans live longer. Did’ja think I was talkin’ about a cat?”
“…Yes?”
“Well, I wasn’t. We called her Nannie because that’s what the human kits called her. We all enjoyed her company… and I was distraught when she had to go.”
”…Oh.”
Swashbuckler’s face fell. “And she was a lucky one. Our family was poor, so when my jaw broke, they couldn’t quite afford to put me down.”
“Put you down? What does that… mean?”
“They told the kits that cats and other animals put down go to a happy little farm where they can play and have lots of fun… doing everything they like. But now, since I’m older, I know “putting down” is just a fancy way to say “mercy kill.” They didn’t think I would live anyway.”
…
“Live your life to the fullest, kid. I lived mine, and I’m happy with it… but you’re still young.”
Vortexcurl was sarcastic to Skuashriek at an inappropriate time.
Swashbuckler told a story to Vortexcurl.
(Crevasserise: A short-furred orange rosette tom)
(Skuashriek: A long-furred black and white she-cat with mist gathering at her paws (B-class Guide, PC: Lunar Shifter))
(Vortexcurl: A medium-furred white and striped orange tom (PC: Body Biter))
Tw: Animal injury. I’m also trying to write a disability I don’t think I have.
Lightclan sent a border patrol to the wooded areas where Zinniaclan stayed. Not for anything harsh, just to see what they were doing. Zinniaclan was strangely quiet for a clan as large as they were, so Vortexcurl went alone. It shouldn’t be too bad just to check, right?
He did see a Zinniaclan cat after a short walk. She had a pitch-black pelt, piercing yellow eyes, and a bird right by her side that he thought was easy prey. Vortexcurl lowered his body into a hunting crouch, and-
“WAIT!”
The cat arched her back, and Vortexcurl stood up. Was she… protecting the prey? After a moment, the cat calmed down, though she still looked a little tense.
“Skip’s my friend. He helps with my feelings.”
“…What? I think I need a bit of… explanation. Who… are you?”
The cat awkwardly shuffled her paws and twitched one of her ears. “I’m… I’m Cricketstar. I still have all of my lives, and I’m just… listening to the sounds of the trees. Leading… stresses me out. There’s always so much going on at once. There’s been a strange creaking noise in the branches recently. I hope it’s not a badger.” She twitched her ear again as she finished speaking.
Vortexcurl sat and listened. There was a creak, but also the sound of cats running… and then… a snap. No, a crack. Lots of cracks.
SMASH!
Vortexcurl almost thought it was a trap as he felt the branches fall on top of him, but as he saw Cricketstar look at him with pain in her eyes, he knew it… probably wasn’t.
Vortexcurl tried to move from underneath the branches, but he found out something terrible.
He can’t feel his back legs.
Vortexcurl’s back was broken on patrol.
(Vortexcurl: A medium-furred white and striped orange tom (PC: Body Biter))
(Cricketstar: A short-furred black she-cat with a pet magpie (PC: Prismatic Mind))
hey soo let's spread some positivity. i was gonna make a rant post about something i saw, but that's not helpful. so.
your clangen blog is worth it. whether it's one of the first blogs people think of when they browse the tag, or it has no followers at all. your passion project is worth it.
your art, your writing, your storytelling, it's worth it. promise.
She doesn’t like him. She NEVER liked him. She couldn’t imagine being him, all cooped up in the nursery just to get out of doing work. For all she knows, he’s probably been “fixed,” or whatever those twolegs consider “fixing.”
Doodle wants to believe that she’s making a good choice. She only needed herself. No other cat by her side, especially not someone who doesn’t know how harsh the world is. And now they’re likely going to be a target if the other Clans realize that Lightclan has cats that deserve basic rights getting those basic rights!
It’s just… so exhausting. Keeping a balance between what she wants and what they need. Because she wants nothing. She got nothing. It’s all she ever expected. Nothing. Do the trees even get anything out of living? Especially the one dying, looking like it’s holding onto life by a thread? She thinks not.
She’s not here to thrive. She’s here to live. That’s all she needs. That’s all they need. Can the others even hunt? Focus, Doodle. You have to feed them. It’s your only-
“Hey Princess!”
Fuck. Not him again.
“Why the fuck are you here, Clementine? I need my alone time every now and then! And my name’s DOODLE!”
“Ah, right, it’s just… Coco thinks she’s gonna have a big litter, and she’s very stressed about it.”
“And… what the hell do you want me to do about it?”
“Well, do you mind if… I help you with hunting? While we can’t do much about the stress, we have to make sure she has enough to eat!”
“…Fine. But get your head out of the gutter beforehand. Just because I agreed to let you hunt with me, doesn’t mean that we’re mates.”
“…Got it.”
Doodle went for a long walk this morning, deep in thought.
Cocospeck is predicting a big litter!
(Doodle: A short-furred, mostly black tortie she-cat with a white face, paws, and chest and orange cheeks and tail tip)
(Clementine: A short-furred dark grey and white tom wearing a blue harness on his back)
You know it’s gonna be good when Doodle and Clementine are not having that conversation again.
Oh. Hi. I… I thought I was alone. But I guess not. Whatever. My name’s Stingerpaw, and I only needed one friend. She looks and acts a little strange, but no one has questioned her. So I haven’t.
She told me about… Lightclan. But that doesn’t sound right. There were only 3 leaders on the tree during the gatherings. Never a fourth. So that’s why I’m here, traveling on the beach, avoiding the sharp stones until my paws hit the grass.
I’m starting to wonder if my friend was a little mouse-brained. I don’t see a camp here. Just grass, flowers, and the occasional tree or bush or den spanning across thousands of tail-lengths. Maybe I should…
“I’m telling you, I sensed it! This could be our shot!”
Sensed..? That molly really can’t say “smelled” like a normal cat? I decided to hide in a bush to have a better look.
There were two cats. A ginger and what I think Bulbclan calls a “tuxedo,” wherever that term came from. And why are there herbs around her paws? She’s… not even sniffing. How is she-
“Crevasserise, get over here! I swear I’m not going crazy again!”
She’s getting way too close for my comfort, but if I move, I’ll blow it! Why did my friend lead me here? Can I even call her that now?
The strange cat poked her head into the bushes, and me, really not liking being around more than one cat at a time, swiped at her. Unfortunately, her groans of pain alerted the other cat, who approached as well.
“Back. Off.” I managed to muster. Stars, my threat almost sounded like I was choking on a prey bone and trying to keep it silent! At least, I think that’s what it sounded like.
The “tuxedo” just smiled despite her minor bleeding. “Hey, do you know where your Clan is? This is Lightclan territory.”
Stars, I wanted to claw her so bad, I’ll make her into my own bedding! But… that voice of hers. I relaxed without even realizing that I was relaxing. What kind of…
“Sorry. A stupid friend decided to lead me here. Why did she even-“
“What does your friend look like?”
“Oh, she’s fluffy. Her pelt’s kinda like water. You know how you can see through water but kind of not at the same time?”
The “tuxedo” turned to the other cat and whispered something in his ear. What, am I going to be chastised for doing this? Probably. I’m still an apprentice, stars damn it! The other cat nodded and then spoke to me.
“Hey… how much do you like Bulbclan?”
“Not at all. I could do a better job leading than DIRTSTAR! But I don’t really see how you’d be much bet-“
The “tuxedo” undid the herbs on one of her paws, and mist came spilling out of the cracks between her pads. I should have ran… I was taught to run or fight or do anything… but… I was mesmerized. I must have agreed to go with these strange cats, because… the next thing I knew: I had a new home.
Apparently I’m the only apprentice in this Clan, and my mentor’s the deputy. I guess it could be worse. Even though I don’t understand what’s going on.
Stingerpaw has joined the Clan.
Magic is returning…
Skuashriek has enough energy for the day again.
(Stingerpaw: A long-furred chubby orange she-cat with a darker stripe down thons back (C-class Esper (can see ghosts), Pronouns: thon/thon/thons/thonself))
(Crevasserise: A short-furred orange rosette tom)
(Skuashriek: A long-furred black and white she-cat with mist gathering at her paws (B-class Guide, PC: Lunar Shifter))
Note: In-game, Stingerpaw just has the ghost skill. It also happened to be so that C and B-class astral projection powers can produce the text “can see ghosts” as the power.
It was just a normal patrol. Leopardscut takes Cinnamonpuddle and Rimeheart to mark the borders and then they go back to camp. It’s easy. It’s SUPPOSED to easy. You may run into another clan or two, maybe all three, but keep calm and they won’t attack.
And to be fair, they didn’t attack, but there was a badger in the den that they still needed to address. Cinnamonpuddle perked up at the sound of water… and screaming. Rimeheart didn’t hear it at first, but then he realized exactly what that was…
The waterfall. He’s been there once, but there typically wasn’t screaming in the lake it flowed into… Cinnamonpuddle dashed off, Rimeheart following behind. Leopardscut was confused, but she followed as well…
What they saw was… interesting, to say the least. A group of loners were throwing themselves into the water, which was starting to be stained red by something’s blood. Something was thrashing in the water… no, multiple things. Another cat was standing at the top, but Rimeheart couldn’t see them clearly. They were yowling something to the carnage below, but it was hard to get the words with the splashing drowning it out.
After a moment, the figures became clear… that was a twoleg… and a strange brown object. Cinnamonpuddle started swimming like her life depended on it.
The loners fought the twoleg.
It dropped the object.
Cinnamonpuddle swam towards the object, slowly losing breath…
…Slowly…
…She grabbed on…
…And didn’t let go…
…Until…
…
…
A loud splash came from the waters as the cats that fought the twoleg rushed to help. The cat sitting at the top even climbed down to assist.
Cinnamonpuddle was pulled out of the waters, hacking and coughing… and… another, heavily injured cat was pulled out of the water as well. His mouth started to bleed as he was brought onto the surface.
Rimeheart recognized one of the cats that helped them, but clearly… she was not in a great mood. “Gods, why did he want to drown ‘im? I don’t care that he’s old and still breathing, that human is a sick bastard! Lily, come with me. I celebrate your heroics, but you’re much too young to deal with what you just saw. Canary, talk with them, will you?”
The cat walked away, the younger of the two cats, probably apprentice-aged, followed her. The large, burly tom was left behind.
“Bring him to your place. His collar said “Swashbuckler.” You have a healer?”
Leopardscut spoke, a little intimidated at the large cat. “Uhh… yeah. We have two. I’m not sure if that’s gonna be enough to-“
“He’ll be well. I’m sure of it. And so will your friend. Can you carry them?”
Rimeheart spoke up again… “I think so. Thanks for your help, Canary!”
“No problem.”
The Clan (with some help) saved an old cat being drowned by a twoleg. Swashbuckler has joined the Clan.
Swashbuckler has a broken jaw.
Cinnamonpuddle inhaled a lot of water while rescuing the old cat.
(Leopardscut: A muscular, long-furred tortie orange and brown she-cat)
(Cinnamonpuddle: A medium-furred brown she-cat)
(Rimeheart: A short-furred greenish-yellow and white tom)
(Swashbucker: A short-furred mottled brown tom)
(???: A very tall, medium furred half-orange, half striped black she-cat)
(Lily: A short-furred tabby brown and white she-cat)
(Canary: A very large, long-furred orange tabby tom)
Sorry this took forever! I hope it was worth the wait!
Also “badger in the den” is cat for “elephant in the room.”
I might tweak how the afterlife works in this universe with just one thing: Spirits appear to those who believe in them.
They can still give messages and signs to atheists, but they’ll be subtle, and the spirits will never be visible to them. This might be subject to change, but I want it to be more likely that a cat wouldn’t believe in Starclan.
It’s all about belief here. Downy didn’t believe in Starclan but Flurrydancer did. Downy ended up as a ghost while Flurrydancer ascended to Starclan. They could still interact, because they’re both dead and I’m not mean to the dead, but their beliefs changed where they went.
It’s also a very good foundation for paranoid delusions! This is important!
When I’m so impatient that I make descriptions for the kits that aren’t born yet and won’t be for 2 moons, yet also being stuck on moon 13 due to ✨ADHD✨ and ✨depression!✨
