Better Bones Hollyleaf
For @m3ow124 who asked for info about BB!Hollyleaf and I provide.
[ID: BB!Hollyleaf. She is a buff black cat with spiky bits all over her body, including a holly-shaped tail tuft. She has a spiky 'mane' that is still growing in.]
I'm a butch Hollyleaf truther. She's big like her mom, the body type is inherited from Runningwind.
BB!Po3 is a relaxed, slice-of-life kind of series with 'episodes' focusing on different events around the Lake as the Clans settle into their new territory.
Though the POV is still split, Hollyleaf is now the "central" character. She drives the wider narrative.
Examples of some episodes that will happen: The Shinewater Plague, Poppypaw's Undeath, Ripwater the River Monster, The Tunnels, the Reduxed Tribe Journey, Cinderpaw's broken leg retooled into an episode about her BPD, ShadowClan's Lichen ReBog Project, Sol working some chaos (but Blackstar doesn't loose faith until OotS), the Battle of the False Eclipse. I really will add just about anything that sounds fun.
She is a lesbian and her relationships with Willowshine, Heathertail, and Cinderheart are all given focus.
HOLLYLEAF AND FALLEN LEAVES ARE THE SAME CHARACTER. This story contains Time Travel Shenanigans.
She changes her name to Fallenleaf after returning from a century spent in the tunnels... and traps the God of Autumn inside of her lmao.
I haven't worked out her physical changes after becoming Fallenleaf, so feel free to suggest. I'm thinking of a kind of "ginger vitiligo," like orange-and-white patches resembling leaves creeping up her body making her look like Sol.
More art and relevant summaries I've done: Jayfeather and Longtail Cinderheart Leafpool Firestar
Below the cut: A full guide to Hollyleaf through Po3, Cruel Season, and Hollyleaf's Century, ending with closing notes about what she's up to in OotS and Beyond. She doesn't die in the Great Battle, she's got much more interesting things to do!
!!IT IS LONG!!
BB!Power of Three
Iceheart, once known as Scourge, is an important uncle-figure in her life. Mousefur, Firestar, Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Daisy, all cats she has opinions on during the various episodes.
Like canon, she is a cleric apprentice for a while. About a month or so.
In that time she became almost traitorously close with Willowpaw, and had to let her down gently.
It doesn't pan out as a cleric-- but she doesn't swap places with Jaypaw yet. He undergoes full Warrior training before choosing the path.
Firestar tasks his deputy, Brackenfur, with training Hollypaw in the hopes of bringing her up to snuff with her siblings.
Bracken and Holly get super close, and she's brought along on a lot of the diplomatic meetings with other Clans. She's being taught about Fire Alone, the ideology of her grandfather, Firestar.
She does have to reckon with it though-- as it exists as a challenge to parts of the Warrior Code. She is taught that she's an upcoming prodigy, and that she walks in the pawsteps of greatness. She has to be a hero-- but what does that mean?
She was meeting with Heatherpaw in the tunnels, not Lionblaze. Like canon, this ends after they're trapped and have to find their way out with young kittens, Sedgekit and Thistlekit.
As time goes on, she meets a lot of betrayal. Sedgepaw reveals the tunnels to Onestar, Willowpaw does nothing to stop Mistystar from joining the battle to attack ThunderClan in spite of all its help, and even ShadowClan does nothing to save Brackenfur during the Battle of the False Eclipse.
(This Eclipse is fake, it is Sol previewing what will come on the night of the Great Battle.)
We end Po3 with Holly deeply shaken, doubting what she's been taught and clinging even harder to the only thing she has left; that she is, by definition, a hero.
Seeing each grandkit grappling with their own arc, that Jayfeather feels StarClan hates him, Lionblaze with the fact he couldn't protect his Clan all alone, and Hollyleaf wondering if everything she's ever done has been worth it, he shares a prophecy he received long ago;
"There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. All three of you, you will work this out. I know this because I love you, and StarClan is capable of making mistakes."
That's the last big conversation they have with him, because he soon dies in...
BB!Cruel Season
(A book between Po3 and OotS, bridging the lighthearted tone of the former with the serious, plot-driven one of the latter. This is reposted and fluffed from another post, you'll recognize it if you've seen it)
The prophecy is revealed at the end of Po3, Ashfur overhears Firestar's words, and Cruel Season opens up with the three grappling with its meaning.
This sets the stage for the following;
Hollyleaf worrying about what her purpose is if everything she's done has been for naught and StarClan is terrified of her.
Lionblaze concerned for what this means in terms of how he will protect ThunderClan if he is so powerful he could destroy it.
Jayfeather confirming to himself that StarClan is full of assholes, telling his siblings that he fought Molefall to save Hazeltail.
In addition, Ashfur is doing some prophecy math; Fire and Tiger + Kin of your Kin = Disaster
The death of Brackenfur, the prophecy, the fact Jayfeather has been fighting StarClan and Grandpaw Firestar just decided to do nothing about it..... it's got Holly isolating herself.
WHY does StarClan hate them? ...is it just Jayfeather? Is it because he's been defying them?
Cracks are starting to form, but that's still her brother. She loves him. This is when Sol pops up again, offering to be someone to talk to.
(Reminder: Harry is the vessel. Sol is the god inhabiting him.)
Harry is thinking this is for more manipulation, Sol itself is taking an interest in a possible new vessel as he grows bored.
But we're overdue for the fire scene.
This time, the Fire is NOT random. Unknown to the Three, this is a Dark Forest plot.
Thornclaw (knows the territory), Whiskernose (established as knowing how to manage fires in TNP), and Breezepelt (breezepelt) are creating a diversion so they can murder Firestar
Regardless, the Three are caught in it.
While helping to evacuate the camp, Jayfeather's senses are overwhelmed. He can't get out of the fire, Holly and Lion run back for him and the blaze surrounds them.
Squirrelflight is at the lip of the quarry on the far side, trying to kick down a weak tree they can run up
Ashfur makes his infamous move, kicking her to the side
"I CANT LET YOU DO THAT, SQUIRRELFLIGHT"
They have a fight, Ashfur shouting about the prophecy, Fire and Tiger + Kin of your Kin = they are fated to destroy the clans, if Squilf had chosen him this never would have happened
Squilf is pinned, but reveals with passion, "BRAMBLECLAW'S KITTENS ARE DEAD, THESE AREN'T MINE"
Ashfur is confused just enough that she's able to muster a massive kick, sending him flying into the weak tree, knocking it over
Lionblaze races across this tree to help Squilf, smacking Ashfur across the face
It's a Moment, Lionblaze seeing his mentor both furious and terrified of him, blood on his claws
Ashfur absconds, leaving the Three with Squilf
Now this next part is important and contains a big change of motivation from canon; I want it to be clear that Holly killing Ashfur is 100% her REVENGE. It's not about safety, nor about keeping the secret. So here's how it goes;
The blood on Lionblaze's paw, Squirrelflight’s wounds, and the absence of Ashfur is DEFINITIVE PROOF he tried to murder them
Brambleclaw, the deputy and defacto leader because Firestar is missing, is furious and declares that if Ashfur is seen on ThunderClan territory, he is to be considered a rogue and to be brought to justice.
Ferncloud, Cloudtail, and the rest of Ashfur's associates are shocked.
Birchfall, Ash's nephew, tries to ask "are you SURE?" But immediately regrets it, seeing the haunted look in their eyes.
Especially Lionblaze, Ashfur's apprentice. He's devastated.
When Hollyleaf hunts Ashfur down later, she is IGNORING the order to bring him to justice.
But before that happens... they discover the body of Firestar.
His throat is torn out. It's immediately assumed that Ashfur did it.
Ferncloud is choked up, "He wanted to hurt Squirrelflight so badly he settled for her father..."
Hollyleaf alone realizes that he had black fur in his claws during his vigil later...
And she removes it.
She speaks to Sol about this and he tells her that it was surely an omen.
It means SHE is responsible in some way.
She agrees and adds,
"I'll do what has to be done, I will prove I'm worthy! I'll exact justice on everyone who needs it, this black-furred killer, Ashfur, and the one who broke the code and set these events into motion with my birth"
Sol: "this woman is crazy im in so much love i need to possess her right now"
An aside; How are her sibs feeling right now?
Lionblaze remains very close with Squirrelflight, getting more of the truth from her.
He's confused and upset, but, accepts that she did it to protect them and Leafpool... even though he doesn't Get It yet.
He will Get It soon though. That's a secret tool that will help us later. Just for now remember Lionblaze Doesn't Get It.
(Squilf is always his mom and he has no doubt about this)
Jayfeather really doesn't want to hear it, having independently worked out that the only other parent they could have is Leafpool.
(since this wouldn't be a Federal Fucking Issue if it was Cloudtail)
That evokes a lot of negative emotions. Mostly resentment and bitterness.
All this time his questions about why StarClan hates him could have made sense and they just didn't.
The Queen's Rights are an important part of their culture but... there's so many lies here.
It doesn't matter if he can logically "Understand" or whatever, he hates that response, "Oh it makes sense" no shut your stupid mouths this all sucks. "We were lied to and I've been fighting my whole life for reasons that were kept from me"
All this turmoil makes him start leaning on Poppyfrost, for comfort, for the rightness of their relationship.
He leans on her too hard and she got pregnant. OOPSIE JayFUMBLE.
But anyway back to the Hollyleaf
A few weeks later Ashfur tries to drag himself to justice.
He's been living on his own, missing his family, hoping to find mercy for being unsuccessful.
It wasn't a fight. It was a murder.
(This is important for TBC later, as Ashfur is allowed into Silverpelt over this while also making sure that StarClan isn't accidentally incompetent like canon)
BB!Ashfur is characterized as being a truly "loyal" warrior. He did care about his Clan above all else and that is why StarClan accepts him.
Though he DID carry extra anger in his heart for Squilf rejecting him for Brambleclaw, the theme of BB is that these elements of Clan Culture, the commitment to the code and the willingness to do anything to protect it, are destructive.
Note: In TBC many arcs later, BB!Ashfur does actually care about enforcing a strict interpretation of the Code, AND ALSO he wants to have Squilf. It's both.
Next on Hollyleaf's list; Leafpool.
SECRET REVEAL TIME
She does the big Gathering Reveal
Bramblestar IMMEDIATELY demotes Squirrelflight from her deputy role for covering this up, breaks up with her, and disowns his children.
Assures the gathering that there will be consequences for Leafpool, and promotes Thornclaw to deputyship on the spot.
Jayfeather is now the only Cleric of ThunderClan.
Breezepelt, who was tense but friendly with the Three, has declared them his enemies because Crowfeather CAVED IMMEDIATELY and admitted he loved Leafpool, embarrassing him in public AGAIN by making it clear he was not wanted
"They're the reason he treats me like this! They're disgusting! They shouldn't have been born! I thought they were my friends but they were actually part of my torment!"
ThunderClan IMMEDIATELY starts treating the Three differently, because they are halfclan and cleric children
Lionblaze suddenly understands what Squilf meant by, "I did it to protect my sister, but also to protect the three of you"
Remember that thing from before? He Gets It Now.
"Sometimes keeping secrets is Good Actually," concludes Lionblaze
Opinions are split about Squilf and Leafpool,
"Squilf was protected by the Queen’s Rights"
"Leafpool still broke the code tho"
"That should have stayed between her and StarClan, she did the right thing"
"That law is stupid anyway!"
"Uhhh no it's not? Brokenstar? Ripplestar? Leopardstar? Helloo??"
"Are you saying Squilf's kids are tyrants? What is wrong with you?"
"I'm saying you don't respect the code you heathen!"
"She still lied to Bramblestar and needs consequences!"
"A halfclan cat is a halfclan cat! It was revealed and we must deal with it!"
ThunderClan is fighting, basically.
Holly has her scene later of trying to get Leafpool to eat deathberries, like canon Leaf is a queen who's like, "...girl you can't hurt me more than I already am"
And this is the point where Poppyfrost realizes she is pregnant. They're Jayfeather's. He is the only Cleric in ThunderClan, Poppyfrost does not want to be a single mother, it's a mess.
So they contact Cinderheart and Lionblaze and ask for help. They agree-- but preparing for the arrival of the kittens means they'd need to start saying they're mates.
Cinderheart, the cat that Holly is actively interested in: "hey uh Hollyleaf I'm, uh, mates with your brother now?"
Hollyleaf:
"Youre McFuckinf What?"
Cindy, unable to keep a secret and not really being in love with Lionblaze, admits there are kits she needs to adopt. Hollyleaf does more deduction and jumps to the correct conclusion, Poppyfrost is pregnant because Jayfeather has violated his vow.
And she's going to do something about this.
Sol offers his services. Friendship ENDED with Harry; now HOLLYLEAF is my best friend.
Hollyleaf decides Jayfeather needs to be dealt with. He has disobeyed StarClan for the last time
As he slips into the Tunnels to communicate with Rock, she follows him, planning to kill him quietly
Lionblaze intercepts this, defending Jay.
"What happened to my sister?! Hollyleaf, this isn't you!"
"A black cat killed Firestar, and I've killed that black cat! Soon I will put an end to all enemies of the Warrior Code!"
"What does that MEAN"
The fighting destabilizes the tunnel, Lionblaze is able to push Jayfeather out just in time before the rockslide
Sol saves Hollyleaf's life by teleporting her 100 years into the past, so that she isn't killed by the collapse.
Lionblaze is a tank and rocks can't kill him, when the Clan digs him out, he's just bruised and unconscious
They never find Hollyleaf's body, or any remains at all. Not even blood.
The book ends with the birth of Ivykit and Dovekit, tension settling over the entire family, pain and mourning all at once.
Cinderheart admits she still loves her, and misses her with her whole heart. Lionblaze can't understand why it happened. Jayfeather is expressing his pain through anger. Poppyfrost wants to put this behind her as soon as possible.
UNBEKNOWNST TO THEM, Hollyleaf is with them right now! Here's how Hollyleaf BECOMES Fallen Leaves, causes the collapse of LionClan, LeopardClan, and TigerClan, and sets the events of DOTC into motion;
Hollyleaf's Century
I will state my intentions though, so you can see what I'm trying to do here;
The downfall of the three kinships MUST go back to Hollyleaf preventing them from mounting resistance by being focused on pointless bullshit. It must be her fault that they lost, by trying to rigidly force the code onto a completely different society.
Sol is the God of Autumn, of change, of rules, and of games.
Story opens up with the cave-in. Hollyleaf is going to be crushed.
So, instead, Sol changes the time around them. Holly does not know this, but he has dragged her over 100 years into the past.
She's found by a cat named Broken Shadow.
Broken Shadow nurses her back to health and adopts her, introducing her to the Shadow Family, teaching her the language, and introducing her to society, as a parent does.
She's with them for a few months, enough to learn Lakemew and become accepted.
The Lake Cats find her name strange, Hollyleaf, and start calling her Hollyleaf Shadow, but she insists instead it is Holly Leaves.
"Ah, we see we see :)"
The Lake at this point was almost completely forested, Holly used to think the Ancient Oak was special but... now she wonders if that's how big all trees are supposed to be.
There are three societies around the Lake. The Shadow Family belongs to the Tiger Kinship, there's also a Lion Kinship and a Leopard Kinship.
She gets introduced to Jay's Wing and Dove's Wing, twins from the Leopard Kinship, and their cousin Lion's Roar, who is the leader of the Lion Kinship.
Holly is uncomfortable about loyalty being split between borders.
However, these groups largely interact peacefully.
Jay's Wing is some sort of student of the tunnels, he worships an ancient god.
Holly Leaves is disturbed that they do not have a StarClan and have these... entities. Yes she has Sol but she doesn't WORSHIP him.
Everything Changed When the Victorians Attacked
Environmental destruction I'm still working out, you know what, I'm gonna mark this
(MIDDLE SECTION IS STILL UNDER A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION, THIS SECTION IS THE MOST SUBJECT TO CHANGE, THE POLITICS ARE FUZZY.)
First things first; the Lake is shrinking. The Leopard Kinship seeks help because they have less fishing territory.
Why? The river beyond what-is-now RiverClan territory is being forcefully tamed, straightened to flow fast through the town and for conversion into farmland.
This makes the water flow faster and spend less time in the Lake, both making the river itself more dangerous, damaging the northern wetland, and shrinking the Lake.
Leopard Kinship weakens but becomes more reliant on the other Kinships. This is normal for them.
Holly Leaves uses this moment to start gathering power. At first it's simple magic tricks, doing little bits of aid, using Sol's power.
She knows what the humans did to the Old... New... The Forest of her Forefathers. She knows she needs these cats to trust her.
It's for their own good, she says.
The quarry is set up in what is now ThunderClan's camp, in what was Tiger Kinship territory. It's likely a sandstone quarry specifically.
Slurry was dumped into the river between what-is-now ThunderClan and WindClan territory. This is before that gorge dried up.
Lake is slowly poisoned. Dust from the quarry degrades the nearby forest.
When the logging begins, Holly Leaves grabs authority, leading the Shadow Family and many cats of the Tiger Kinship into battle to take the Leopard Kinship.
They don't put up much of a fight, Jay and Dove try to calm their family down, assuring them that Holly is a vessel for a deity and likely has ancient knowledge.
"There needs to be some changes around here. This is all because you have no one in the Stars to protect you. But I'm here now-- I will save you."
At first it's battle training, but she starts making hard roles. Borders must be defended. There must be healers.
Lion Kinship can join them or be gone. That's the only territory not destroyed and they need the land.
Using the power vested in her by Sol, she starts leading attacks to bring all cats under her power so they can fight the humans.
To oppose her, Lion's Roar becomes quite vicious. He reminds her that he needs 13 sacrifices, and she's feeding them to him.
3 heroes; Three Seasonal Gods. Jay's Wing eventually undergoes a Tunnel Trial to earn Rock's Favor, and his twin Dove's Wing appeals to the benevolent god of Spring, Midnight.
(Insert political drama I'm still teasing out)
The important thing about this drama is that it MUST go back to Holly Leaves being obsessed with control and punishment, dedication to her code of ethics that don't matter to this society, devolving the Three Kinships into infighting.
Leopard Kinship probably makes some kind of break for freedom, which is when Jay and Dove eventually break with Holly
This infighting eventually leads to Jay's Wing's death.
Holly killed him in a fit of rage, somehow, this I know but I am still working out
She looks down at the cat who was her brother and becomes sick, realizing what she's done, what she tried to do in the past, and how she's gotten what she wanted
His god, Rock, is in absolute despair over this.
He takes the body and buries it outside of the tunnel where Jay's Wing completed his trial; the only patch of Old Forest left in the modern Lake Territories.
Dove's Wing is distraught. Lion's Roar is enraged. Holly Leaves' political power dissipates.
They insult her by calling her Folly Leaves. "Great job saving us all, Folly Leaves."
The Lake is destroyed, the forest is gone, except the patch where Jay's Wing was buried. Humans pass right by it, like they can't even see it.
There's nothing left.
Holly keeps trying to demand they stay, trying to force them to remain... and Dove Wing has to put her down, to save the survivors.
(AND NOW WE'RE BACK TO SOLID GROUND)
After this, Dove Wing renames herself to Half Moon. A broken half of a pair, to signify how she will never be whole again.
Half Moon goes on to found the tribe, and Folly Leaves is alone.
"At least I still have my god"
"I'm bored now Holly lmao have fun byee"
Sol kicks her spirit out of her own body, and returns to the future, expecting her to fade away over the course of the following century. He leaves her for dead, essentially.
Alone, in despair, and overwhelmed by guilt, Hollyleaf can only imagine her family for comfort.
Over the decades, she begins to forget her own name. Hollyleaf, Holly Leaves, Folly Leaves, Fallen Leaves... she can't remember which one was correct. Are any of them right?
She watches the Lake wither, to the point where even the humans can't live there.
And then... she watches it recover too. Slowly becoming the home of her childhood.
The whole time, she's waiting for her family to come home.
One day, with no warning, a young Squirrelpaw, Brambleclaw, and Crowfoot tumble into her hole.
She remembers an old story her mother taught her once, of a StarClan Warrior who passed on a prophecy that reunited them after they had been scattered.
"When the great storm brews, meet together where the dusk begins and the sun drowns."
She begins to remember things. And she remembers, SOL NEEDS TO BLEED.
Years later she FINALLY gets her chance. She sees her own body guiding a couple of apprentices into the tunnels, and leaps out of the shadows, catching her neck in her teeth.
Sol can't believe she's STILL HERE he expected her to DIE
TIME LOOP COMPLETE, Fallen Leaves has her body back.
After this, she declares that her name is Fallenleaf!
...probably because she doesn't remember it was actually Hollyleaf and she guessed wrong. But it stuck.
Aaaand one last segment!
OotS and Beyond
She has to re-acclimate to society after 100 years in a tunnel.
And... she has a lot of guilt looking at Jayfeather. Her brother, her ally, her enemy, her victim.
He wants his sister back, it's been a long and hard time without her. She can't unsee his dying eyes.
Cinderheart missed her more than anything, and Fallen missed her too. She reminds her of good times and simple lessons.
Fallen takes part in the Great Battle, but has to balance the angry, trapped god inside of her the whole time, preventing her from taking risks.
After the Great Battle and a near death, she gets with Cinderheart almost immediately.
Ivypool and Dovewing are IFFY about this-- their parents were never romantically involved but they've never seen their mother so happy.
That's pretty difficult, both for Dovewing who's filled with rage about Life In General and Ivypool who's, deep down, a huge people-pleaser.
(They are still not aware that Jayfeather and Poppyfrost are their bioparents, that's revealed in TBC.)
Cinder and Fallen raise a kitten together, Hollylark.
The kit was created when Fallenleaf's magic misfired during a sneeze, magically making Cinderheart pregnant. OOPS.
After the events of AVoS, Fallenleaf starts realizing how... out of place she is, here. She is loved, but she can't be a normal warrior responsibly with how strong she is.
Now that she realizes how small the politics of Clans are... these feel like games. Like something Sol would do. Is that true? Or is she just insecure
She knows nothing about herself, so she can't answer these questions.
The catalyst for her leaving is Hollylark's horrible, young death. She doesn't know if there's anything she could have done to prevent this.
So... she has to find out.
Fallenleaf leaves to go learn more about herself from Midnight. Cinderheart goes with her. Wherever she goes, she will follow.