Moonclan lived alongside the wolves they worked with for years upon years, longer than any cat could remember. When you saw them, you would give a greeting. If you found extra prey on patrol, you gave some to your friendly canine neighbors. In return, they would protect the clan from the largest threats in the mountains.
Unfortunately, neither Moonclan nor the wolves could prepare for the biggest threat: the Twolegs. Unbeknownst to both the cats and wolves, these humans were called poachers, and were overhunting out of season. The wolves began to starve, unable to subside on the small prey that the cats could.
Eventually, the wolves had no other choice. They launched an attack on the allies they had had for years, hunting them down for food. Some ran successfully, but most died at the teeth of the animals they trusted for their whole lives.
A small group of apprentices found themselves frantically protecting a kit-the only kit in the clan that hadn't already been evacuated. At the mouth of the den stood a she-wolf. The apprentices hissed and spat at her, and her face looked downtrodden. At that moment, she realized that she couldn't hurt these cats, no matter how hungry she was.
So she led them out, tearing a hole in the den to lead them out of camp that way. Far away, she helped them to a cavern higher in the mountains, introducing herself as Duck Nest. The eight escaped cats were forever grateful to her, declaring their new clan to be named Duckclan as they gave each other their new names, stating that they had to be warriors now, because they were on their own.
Howdy everyone! Welcome to Duckclan, a clangen clan where every cat is apprentice-age, save for the one kit!
My plan is to post a few moons every 2-4 days. Every in game 3 years I will make a small post updating everyone on the cats currently in the clan.
Below the cut, you can find our clan!
Crowstar - 11 Moons old - Male - Leader - 9 lives remaining
A nervous cat, Crowstar is the oldest in the clan, and the one who first banded the group together to protect Downykit. Ever since he'd been very young, he'd been interested in being a nursery king and taking care of the kits of the clan. Despite his want, he felt he had to step up, guided by the blessing given to him by Downykit's mother, Sporeshade, who died in the wolf attack.
He's not sure how well he can lead a clan, but he hopes to do well.
Shimmerscratch - 11 Moons old - Male - Deputy
Shimmerscratch likes to think of himself as thoughtful and clever, and he was in fact the first cat to realize there was something wrong with the wolves. He endlessly regrets not being able to figure out exactly what, and hopes to eventually make up for his perceived mistake. As of now, he's happy with his position, and he is the second oldest cat in the clan, only about a week younger than Crowstar.
Despite being a deputy, Shimmerscratch has no doubts that he won't be the one to succeed Crowstar.
Antlertree - 10 Moons Old - Male - Medicine Cat
Having been trained as a medicine cat apprentice before Moonclan was attacked, Antlertree was the no brainer for the medicine cat of the newly founded Duckclan. He's quite good in remembering the tales of old, meaning he's able to keep Moonclan alive in stories, despite everything else from it being destroyed.
He wants to train an apprentice as soon as possible.
Hyacinthpelt - 11 Moons Old - Male - Warrior
The only cat in Duckclan not born in Moonclan, Hyacinthpelt was found in a patch of his namesake when he was just a little kit, his mother having fallen victim to the hooves of a startled deer. He never trusted the wolves that Moonclan loved so much, and was an outcast because of it. While extremely distressed at the events that played out that day, Hyacinthpelt does feel a little relieved that he wasn't entirely being stupid.
Unbeknownst to him, his bloodline comes from the very distant Lotusclan, who have the ability to see ghosts. He isn't aware of this yet, as he was too young for his mother to tell him before she died. He's in for a very rude awakening with the recent mass death.
Mosspurr - 10 Moons Old - Female - Warrior
Fluffy, charismatic, and a peace lover, Mosspurr has always been interested in the way that traits are passed from parent to kit. She's fond of the long, thick fur of Moonclan cats, and she's hoping that that kind of fur can continue with Duckclan. Very fond of kits, she's interested to know what traits from her family she'd pass to any she had.
Her mane is genetic, and she gets it from her father's side of the family. She has an abnormally large amount of testosterone in her blood for a she-cat, causing her to be larger than most.
Stemspots - 9 Moons Old - Female - Warrior
Ambitious is a good word to describe Stemspots-she's constantly trying to do her best and prove herself. Her specific family line has always seemed to be the cats that can get up the mountain the best, and she carries that trait, with strong front paws and powerful haunches that can send her flying with a well aimed leap. She believes herself to be a descendant of bobcats that joined the clan, and she feels upset that there's absolutely no way to prove it.
She's hoping to be a mentor soon despite being apprentice age herself.
Fernpelt - 8 Moons Old - Male - Warrior
With the shortest fur in Duckclan, Fernpelt is trying his best to not worry about what he's gonna do during the winter. Despite his recent kittypet blood [with his grandmother being one], Fernpelt was confident in his place in Moonclan, and is now even more confident in his place in Duckclan.
He's distantly related to the same group of bobcats that Stemspots is related to, but they themselves are not related.
Downykit - 3 Moons Old - Male - Kit
Though he greatly misses his mother, Sporeshade, Downykit is doing his best to keep a happy face, being the light and the love of the clan. After all, the reason they all banded together was to keep him safe. He's a charming little guy, and frequently wants to play with the older cats.
He can't wait to be a warrior, and is hoping he's apprenticed to Stemspots in particular.
Though I have not drawn her, here's our Starclan guide and Downykit's mom, Sporeshade.
"Hello, Prance. Are you here to tell us of your dreams again?"
The old railroad station had been decommissioned for ages now, and had served as a home for the wanderers who had settled here. Plenty of prey, plenty of places to hide and sleep. Safe from the rains, as opposed to the fields just south of them, or the mysterious forests to the north. Indeed, the Station had just weathered another harsh winter, keeping all cats living within safe and warm…
In the darkness of an abandoned office, sat three cats. The eldest was a cream and orange tom, bronze eyes cold and calculating… he was laying across a rotting couch, licking his paws and grooming himself.
His companion, a long furred white tom with gray patches along his back, was sat up at the foot of the couch, heather blue eyes twinkling in the low light… he had been waiting for his favorite little underling to come back to him, to tell him about his special little dreams…
And said underling was the brown, speckled tom that sat before him.
Prance had been having strange dreams, and as some of the wisest cats at the Station, Lavender and Snapdragon had been the first cats he had told.
"Yes…I… I think the dreams are gonna come to an end soon."
Prance sat down on a mat by the couch, ears flattened slightly in worry.
He had started having dreams of a forest. Of a strange cat who called themselves Oakfire. Of how there was apparently real estate in the forest to the north of here, for a group of cats to take up the life of a Clan.
At first he dismissed the dreams as…dreams. Obviously they didn't mean anything. And yet, Oakfire found their way back into Prance's dreams, night after night after night.
After three instances of this, he had come to Lavender for help.
And Lavender had helped. So much.
The older Tom had been so kind, so understanding. He had asked Prance to talk about his dreams, what this Oakfire said. And not once did Lavender dismiss his dreams as silly. As mere fantasy. But he had listened. Truly and genuinely listened.
Prance had always been a nervous cat. But he would come by every morning after a dream, telling Lavender about a tidbit of clan life. The code, the way the warriors were named, their lifestyle… and how Oakfire had INSISTED that some few chosen cats should head north and go establish a Clan in a thicket somewhere…
"Well, Prance?" Lavender purred, tail swishing. "What did Oakfire have to say this time?"
"..." Prance shifted his paws, head bowed slightly. He met the older cat's level gaze with a nervous, furrowed brow. "...I…I was told that…"
"Yes?"
"That we… we should leave before it's too late."
"....Elaborate." Lavender did not like the way Prance was dancing around the issue. "Did Oakfire say that specifically?"
"Yes. He… He said that Twolegs-"
"Humans?"
"Yeah, them. They're… they're coming to… to tear the Station down."
The cream and ginger tom would finally sit up and pay attention, after having pointedly ignoring Prance since he came in.
Lavender sat still, ear flicking as he seemed to think… "...Did Oakfire… give us a timeframe? When will it be too late?"
"I…I think he said 'Before Greenleaf ends…we need to be gone.' I…I THINK that means summer? I really don't know, but…" the brown tom would look up to the now pacing Lavender nervously. "What… What are we going to do…?"
"We leave."
"What?!" Snapdragon, the eldest tom, would jump off the couch, bristling. "You can't be serious?!"
"I am QUITE serious." Lavender would reply, eyes flicking to Snapdragon. "Inform your mate, Snapdragon. We shall leave as soon as we can get an appropriate party gathered."
"You don't really believe this stupid kit's mousebrained dreams?!" Snapdragon would snarl, fur bristling as he swept a paw toward the now balking Prance. "You would abandon this safe haven on the off chance that this clan thing is legitimate?!"
"I can and I will, Snapdragon." Lavender did not move an inch, staring down his nose at the older cat. "You are more than welcome to not join us, old friend. But your skills would be sorely needed if we are to survive out there."
"Mouse dung, you're crazier than a half rabid fox…" Snapdragon groaned, rubbing a paw over his muzzle. "...Fine! But Lilia is going to throw a fucking fit. There's no way she'll agree to take the kits out into those godforsaken woods."
"Then steal them." Lavender would say, as if it were the easiest choice in the world. He turned his gaze towards Prance, purring, "Inform the residents that I will be holding a meeting tonight, in the middle of the Station. And advise them all to be there on time."
Prance nodded, ears still flattened from Snapdragon's outburst. "O-Okay… Okay, yeah s-sure!" He turned and immediately ran out of Lavender's den, leaving the two older cats alone.
"...Well." Snapdragon sighed, padding towards the exit. "Might as well get this over with. You better know what you're doing, Lavender. Or else."
"My dear friend, I ALWAYS know what I'm doing." The white and gray tom sat and began to lick and groom his paws. He had to be presentable for the Meeting.
=
Many cats called the Station home. Families, loners, old cats, young cats… so long as no blood was shed, cats were welcomed to live under its rusting beams and rat riddled halls.
Lavender would hop onto a collapsed human structure, something that had formerly held water called a fountain. Cats from everywhere in the main thoroughfare of the Station would be able to hear a speaker from there. And a Speaker could see an attack coming from a mile away.
"Good evening, everyone." He meowed, sitting up straight. The soft mumble and murmur of cat voices slowly died away as he continued. "I am Lavender, as many of you know. And I would normally not call so many of you from your lives but this bears sharing."
A pause.
"I have reason to believe that the Station is in danger."
More mumbling and whispering.
"Now. The Station is old. And it is a Human construct. It cannot last forever. And I have been informed by a reliable source that before summer ends, the Station will be no more!"
The gathered cats would immediately start to yowl and meow in a panic, asking if it was true, if they hadn't seen it coming…
"Yeah, alright, Lavender!"
A gold and yellow long furred she-cat named Mite would approach, hopping up to the ruined fountain's stone railings to sit down. Her tail flicked in irritation, eyes narrowed as she glared at Lavender.
"Mite." Lavender would sneer, tail flicking in annoyance.
"What sources do you have, huh?" She demanded, stomping a paw onto the hard stone… "I ain't seen any humans poking around here as of late! There isn't a single sign that this place is in danger!"
"Ah, none that the likes of you can see." Lavender purred. "You see, I have been having dreams! Visions, yes, of a place north of here. A vast forest, abundant with prey and shelter. A more natural lifestyle, a place free of the fear of rats and the threat of humans! An ancient civilization of cats who came before us! Who lived with honor! Integrity! No longer scraping the bottom of humanity's barrel, but living as our own free cats!"
There was a lull, with many cats staring up at Lavender as he spoke …
"So it's a lie then?" Another laugh, as a tom came forward. This one, named Lake, was a white tom with black and gray Bengal like markings. He hopped up on the railing, purring in amusement. "Unless you had a reason not to tell us this sort of thing sooner?"
"The dreams started at the end of winter, just as the world was beginning to thaw." Lavender replied coolly, ear flicking in annoyance. "I have only recently been made aware of our dire fates. Surely I wouldn't have held this so close to my chest if it hadn't just been made clear!"
"Cut the dung, Lavender. This sounds like a ploy for you to try and curry favor with the masses, another lunge at leadership!"
A tuxedo colored speckled she-cat would hop up onto the railing, bristling.
"Burnet." Lavender snorted. "You and your self righteous talk. This has nothing to do with me!"
"And yet here you are talking about how these dreams came to you, filling your head with fluff about hunting out in the wilderness and risking our necks to the predators out there!" Burnet snapped. "The Station has been our home for moons and moons! It will not fail us for another several dozen moons, I can feel it!"
At this point, the cats started to yowl and argue, talking over one another and causing an unholy racket.
"ENOUGH!" Lavender yowled from atop the fountainhead's ruined surface. "Believe me or don't. I care not. But I was told this place was going to be destroyed by the time summer ended. So I am going to leave. In three days time, you are welcome to join me."
Lavender stormed off the stage, heading back to his den and leaving the gathered cats in a state of confused yowling and meowing.
Burnet, Mite and Lake all looked at one another, with Lake chuckling and taking up the vacant fountainhead. "Everyone, please calm down! I know that Lavender talks these sorts of things up, but I can assure you, there is no need to panic. There is no legitimacy to his claims. But should his dreams come to pass, then I promise you that I will gladly help those present relocate." He sat down, tail curled around him. "While I do not believe him, it would be remiss to completely disregard him as a mad prophet. After all, we cannot fathom the minds of humans, and they may very well be coming to demolish our dear home."
"Lake! What are you doing?!" Burnet hissed from her spot. "You're not helping!"
"Ah ah, let me finish." Lake raised a paw. "That is why, I am willing to assist in scouting out further territories for instances such as this. After all, while the station has always been our home, is there truly anything WRONG with finding back up homes for our kits? I personally would find peace of mind knowing that we knew what was out there, as opposed to being forced out without any direction!"
The cats around him murmured and mumbled, discussing his words.
"Very well. Mite, Burnet, you two are very capable, and I would like to request your assistance in this. Please, by all means, gather what cats you decide are worthy, and take them with you to patrol the areas around the station."
Mite would flick her tail in annoyance but nod. "Fine. Anything to get you to stop talking."
Burnet could only mrrp in amusement as she watched Mite stalk away. "Very well, Lake. Shall we meet up outside the station tomorrow?"
"Mm. Yes, yes. That should do nicely. Everyone! Thank you for your patience and allowing us to speak to you on this. I know the idea of leaving this place is one no cat wants to think about. But as untrustworthy as I think Lavender is, he brings up an excellent point. We must be ready for the worst case scenario. For now, I bid you all good night."
=
"Lavender!"
The mostly white tom would pause, turning back towards the voice. Prance would run up to him, panting.
"Ah, Prance." He would purr, tail flicking playfully. "Did you like that little speech?"
"But…why did you say that the dreams were yours? They're my dreams, Lavender!" He asked, eyes wide as he tried to make sense of the tom's choice. "I…"
"Pfth! Think of it this way, Prance." The older tom paced around the brown tabby. "Who would you believe? A young, impudent tom who barely qualifies as an adult in the eyes of most, or an older, respected member of the colony who only has the colony's best interests at heart? I had to claim the dreams were mine, Prance. YOU couldn't convince geese to fly south for the winter, with how you stutter and stammer. But hey, since you're still needed, I'll make you a deal." Lavender rubbed up against the younger tom, tail swiping under his nose. "In this new mess of a group, you can be my second in command. How's that sound? You can tell me all those cute little dreams, and I'll allow you some say in the way things are run."
"I…" Prance faltered, ears folded back. He was right. Lavender had a much better reputation than he did, as he was just barely out of kithood to most of the cats who lived in the Station. "..." He sighed, turning away. "...Fine. But only because I don't want you leading all these cats out into the wild to die."
"Your misguided morals and overestimation of your abilities are just adorable. Whatever the case is, be sure to get your affairs in order. We leave in three days time."
Aaaand we're back! Antler's being a boyfail, Rocky starts training [featuring his mom Spitfire, designed by a friend], and Gold gets a little runny nose :(
I'VE BEEN SO HYPED TO DRAW AND SHOW THIS PAGE SINCE THIS HAPPENED IN GAME! Everyone meet the first litter in Duckclan, Antwish's! To continue to leave Ant's AGAB a mystery, I will not state if they were the pregnant one or not, but I will say that her partner is still a Ridgeclan cat, but by the time the two finally came to terms with the fact that they could no longer continue their relationship, the one who carried the kits was already pregnant.
Also a disclaimer: Shimmer and Ant are NOT a thing! He just cares about her very much and wanted to make sure she was okay [that and on the same moon the kits were born, it was said that Shimmer was seen talking to a Ridgeclan cat, so I take that to mean Ant's now-ex partner was asking Shimmer to help take care of the kits.
Aster is the tortie, Pod is the barely seen one, and Scorch has the mask!
If you saw the version of this where one image of Shimmer is missing all his stripes no you didn't
Howdy there Sporeshade, sorry Hyacinth is losing his mind at you appearing.
This moon features a cameo from my friend's dog! Originally I intended to have her attacking the cats but upon realizing she was a Chihuahua I thought it would be incredibly funny if instead she was just vibing. [Yes I am aware in the image it says he, that was a mistake on my end]
Sporeshade's neck markings are her death wounds! Due to hunting the cats for food instead of for fun, the wolves attempted to kill cats they caught very quickly and painlessly. Sporeshade had her neck snapped.
This is also an introduction to what the Starclan cats of the mountain clans look like! They can choose which of their scars appear [which is why Spore's foot scar doesn't appear in this image], however their death wound will always appear, and is the same color as their sclera.
They only appear like this when showing themselves to living cats [such as a ghost, in visions, but not during leader ceremonies]. In Starclan, they appear to each other as if they're living, save for their pupils being gone, and their sclera color being the color of their inner ears, mouth, pawpads, any scars they may have kept, and their death wound.
Sometimes flowers or petals may appear in these wounds, usually on cats of a high status.
After a few days of wait, here's Moon 9! When Moon 10 is posted, I'll take a break from writing out moons to take some QnA asks.
Downy gets his full name as his mother watches on, Stem gets better, we have our technical first death, and Hyacinth receives what he can only conclude to be a prophecy.
Today we have a few things to cover! First off, the rogue that takes Crowstar's first life is Jackdawlight, submitted by my friend Lyrebird!
Second off, the cat with purple lineart is Flurryshade, a Moonclan warrior who died in the wolf attack. She was made by my friend Slasher.
Third off, say hello to Jill! Jill, the green lineart cat, is Crowstar's mom! She was an ex kittypet who was paralyzed after a rogue attack, which also caused her to lose her first litter. Her twolegs threw her out and she came to Moonclan, eventually falling in love with Crowstar's father and having Crow, which she thought would be impossible due to her condition. While she didn't die to the wolves themselves, she got caught in a bear trap and lost her leg, dying to bloodloss. It's probably pretty obvious what fictional character she's based on, and I'd love to hear guesses!
Now to explain why Flurry and Jill look different to how we've seen Starclan cats: Starclan cats have a third state I haven't explained yet! When giving a prophecy, Starclan cats appear fully solid, and are lined with their pupil color.
If you're confused on if something is actually happening in a scene or if it's a vision, look for bright neon colors [like the water in the river vision]
Fern gets back up, Stem and Downy get sick, and Antler begins to think he might like dudes.
The mountain clans have a different view of medicine cats having kits than the clans we know. Medcats are required to have trained an apprentice before they can take on a mate. Other than that, there's no real restrictions.
Downy faces his first real threat, Shimmer has finally warmed up to his silly little dog friend, and everyone welcome Rockykit!
While Rocky has a mane, he's not related to Mosspurr! While Moss has more of a crest, Rocky is supposed to have more of a mullet.
The rogue Downy is intimidating is one of many cameos, this being the clangen cat of a volunteer on one of the servers I'm in, Rosyglare!
While I currently have 2 other cameos lined up for events that I've already played through, I don't have anything beyond that, so if you want a cameo, feel free to message me and I might use it!
I've decided to use a thinner lineart, what do you guys think?
