posting at 11:18pm EST isn't a smart idea, but i am not a smart person and also this is like the earliest i'll ever post because i usually work on this comic from 1am to 5am :'D
Anyway. I couldn't fit the kit names in the panel, but in order from left to right they are:
Gracklekit was originally named Pipitkit, but since there's already a Pipitkit in the clan right now, I randomized his prefix again.
Brokenkit is deliberately drawn differently in each panel; since each moon is a month long, I decided he joined the clan at the start of the month, and the second panel is closer to the end of the month when Vine and Flower join.
Vervaincloud's very first interaction with Emberkit resulted in the following dialogue. "Hmph. Anyone who thinks these things are cute must be delusional." 😔 I was originally going to draw it and add Robinpoppy since he also had some pretty grumpy dialogue about the kits, but ultimately decided not to.
also, Pipitkit, Weedpaw, and Emberkit (and by extension Emberkit's litter) had a really cute interaction where Pipitkit brought over a moss ball and started talking to the younger kits about how to play the game. Weedpaw told her that the new kits are so young they probably can't understand her, and they can't even see her yet, but she still wanted to include them somehow. This is why I like LifeGen so much! I don't think this same interaction would have occurred in standard ClanGen since it was one of the first-person LG conversations.
I didn't draw it because I didn't want to do too many pages, but maybe in the future I'll include more interactions per moon once I've solidified (and hopefully sped up) my style for this comic. (I've been working on this since a few days before Moon 0 was posted...)
(This got long - there's a text passage + the final panel under the cut!)
"Mhm. And you're sure?" Brownstar asked, digging at a stubborn itch in her ear. She shook her head, hoping her claws had managed to dislodge whatever hair or insect was causing the maddening sensation, but there was no relief to be had. Her back leg resumed its awful scratching as she looked expectantly at the healer for an answer.
Nuggets ground her teeth, unsure Brownstar was even paying proper attention to her. This was the future of the Clan they were discussing— if she had to be forced to adjust to Clan life, the least the Clan's leader could do was take a proper interest in the topic at hand! She half expected her to ask which kitten they were talking about. It would certainly be in line with how little attention she'd paid to the urgent decision thus far.
If only she could put as much effort into finding her healer predecessor's killer as she was putting into digging her hindclaws into her mite-infested ears.
"Yes," Nuggets mewed, struggling to keep her voice neutral, "I am. I know Emberkit has promise. Anyone can see that. But I've spoken with her parents, her littermates, and with Batpatch. All of them agree she hasn't been her normal self since Vervaincloud was killed."
"Well, of course not." Brownstar's annoyed grimace didn't match her matter-of-fact tone. "She was enamored with that crotchety old lump of fur." She flicked her ear several times in rapid succession, then gave up on the itch with a low groan. "Look, I don't disagree that Ruekit is thoughtful and well-behaved, but Emberkit is the one who was naturally drawn to the healer's den. I'm not sure it's fair to deny a kit her destiny just because she's still grieving."
There it was again. The Clans' obsession with destiny. If they all really had a predetermined fate laid out for them at their birth, then where was the damned accountability? Did any of these cats realize how their belief system inherently excused them of any wrongdoing and stole responsibility for all good from their paws? By their logic, good cats weren't good because they actively chose to be, and traitors and murderers couldn't be blamed for the harm they caused. After all, they didn't really choose to be evil, did they? No, no, of course not! It was their fate to be evil! Poor, misunderstood and maligned things; the blood on their paws wasn't really their fault, now was it?
By their own logic, the Clan couldn't hold any anger toward Vervaincloud's killer. They were simply doing as the Stars had commanded them long before their birth. Vervaincloud's fate was to die, and this cat was destined to bring about that death.
If that was true, then why did leaders still shun, exile, or execute wrongdoers within their Clans? Why did the cats of KestrelClan mutter that Brownstar should find and oust the killer? Surely they could not be held responsible. It was their destiny to do those things.
And since it was their destiny, why did these Clan cats believe in an afterlife exclusive to murderers and betrayers? If fate truly guided the paws of each cat, then even the cruelest and most vicious of cats-- cats who slaughtered leaders and poisoned kits, cats who drowned queens and led their Clans to bloody destruction— should go to StarClan after their deaths. After all, it wasn't their choice to be evil— they were destined to be! So where was the logic in punishing them for something so out of their control?
What a joke.
What a Stars-damned joke.
That was a fruitless argument to get into with anyone but a kit, of course, so instead she forced her pinned ears to rise and face forward. Her tail she tried to keep as still as possible. Nothing to be done about how tightly her whiskers were pulled to her muzzle, but honestly? She couldn't find it in her to care. After all, Brownstar clearly didn't care enough to be all that observant today.
Or any day, as she was starting to realize.
But Clan cats were emotional, and took their ancestors perhaps too seriously. That wasn't all too hard to use to her advantage, distasteful as it was.
"If you want to place the safety of your Clanmates in the paws of a cat whose pain will distract her from learning, that is, of course, your prerogative as a leader." As she said it, she watched anger flash across Brownstar's face and knew she'd hit the right nerve. She might not care about her own responsibilities as leader, but she did care about insults to her intelligence. "But I am telling you now, Brownstar, as your healer: this is a bad idea. Let her be a warrior. A more physical role will better serve to distract her from the hurt until it eases naturally." Softening her voice, she added, "She can always choose to become a healer later, when her heart isn't weighed down by grief. I'm sure that StarClan will guide her paws to my den if that truly is her promised path."
Brownstar stared at her for a long time, her eyes narrowing as the healer's tone slowly sank in. Finally, she spoke, and it sounded to Nuggets' ears as if she was being very, very careful not to growl.
"You feel very strongly about this, don't you." It was, quite clearly, not a question.
"You trusted me to take care of your Clan. You need to trust me to choose the cat who will help me to keep that promise, as well."
"Emberkit will be upset to see her sister chosen over her," Brownstar warned, and she ducked her head in agreement.
"For a time, yes."
Obviously, she would. From asking around, Nuggets had learned that Emberkit spent every waking moment in the healer's den for almost two moons, watching Vervaincloud sort herbs and asking questions about their various properties. The day of the murder she'd been looking for any surviving blooms of winter jasmine, growing wild among many other flowers at the entrance to the grotto. She even remembered enough of what she'd learned to help Wetrush and herself when both had migraines last moon. Clearly, she wanted to be a healer, and she could be an immensely skilled one with the right training.
Later. After she was done grieving.
"Fine, fine," Brownstar grumbled, shaking her head. "If you really believe that this is the best choice, I won't be able to convince you otherwise."
She wouldn't have had the spine to, but Nuggets didn't point that out. That temptation was tucked away, along with the desire to snap out that if Brownstar would leave her ears alone and stop digging at them all the time, or even— gasp!— let her treat the Stars-damned mites, they wouldn't itch so much.
Instead she dipped her head respectfully, murmuring her thanks. When Brownstar flicked her tail in dismissal, she backed out of the leader's cave as quickly as her paws could carry her, pretending not to notice the wretched scratching resume as she left.
As she walked back to the healer's den, her eyes settled on two familiar shapes moving next to the nursery. Brokenpaw was showing Emberkit the hunting crouch he was learning: not bad, but his tail-end was still too high in the air. Emberkit was copying him as best she could, a determined expression on her face, and even from this distance Nuggets could hear her purring… but her whiskers and ears betrayed how forced it was. Pulled tight against her face, the kit's whiskers didn't signal joy or excitement at the impromptu lesson, and her ears were angled more sideways than forward.
Did Brokenpaw notice? If he did, he wasn't making it obvious, gently placing a paw on her rump to push it down.
If he'd shown her the right form in the first place, she wouldn't need correcting, but whatever he said as he did so made a thrum of laughter— real laughter!— ease its way out of the kit's throat.
Yes, warrior training, with its focus on forms and patrols and vigorous activity, would serve Emberkit's heart better than the path of a healer right now.
Training alongside a calm and steady personality like Brokenpaw's would do her some good as well.
But that was a discussion to be had with Batpatch and Strikeplume at a later time. For now, she could retreat back to her own den, satisfied that she'd made her point to Brownstar.
Emberkit, meanwhile, dropped back into her best mimicry of Brokenpaw's crouch, feeling... not better. She didn't think she would ever feel better after what had happened. But somehow, as she mewed an uncertain, "Like this?" over her shoulder, she felt... lighter. And Brokenpaw's low chuckle of "Almost," certainly didn't hurt that feeling.
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(Alternate caption for page 4: Nuggets is considering murder.)
IIIIII forgot to put what the three of the new warriors were honored for (because it wasn't in my notes lmao). Oh well. Logmoor is honored for his daring, Weedquill for not becoming the obvious joke her independence, and Raccoonnettle for her hard work.
I think Raccoonnettle would rather go back to bed and delay her warrior ceremony, but don't worry - nobody's making her sit vigil while she has greencough! I also like to think the "splitting pain" headaches are migraines specifically, because that sure sounds like the migraines I have. Brownstar, why did you make this poor girl come out in the light for her ceremony. Please just let her sleep in the darkness of the apprentices' den.
Vervain's dialogue is taken straight from the LifeGen event with one minor tweak. Later moons that involve conversations will have more original dialogue that expands on the LifeGen version, but I honestly didn't have anything to add here. I was really touched by Vervain being so gentle, especially since last moon he talked about how anyone who thinks kits are cute is delusional.
Further notes (things that weren't drawn) under the cut!
Not a note but I will draw Batpatch every chance this game gives me. I love his pattern so so much and may keep him as a personal OC after he dies or I tire of playing ClanGen. Anyway, on to the noteworthy events I didn't end up drawing!
Ruekit had the following event during a LifeGen first-person/MC patrol:
You see an older kit attempting to climb a tree near the camp border. The idea of an aerial view of the camp sparks your curiosity.
Your attempt is valiant, but the tree proves too difficult to scale at your age. You tumble down to the ground with a thump.
----
Blossomhail's cracked pads have healed!
We met a loner with healing experience named Nuggets, but she declined to join the Clan. Here's her sprite if you're interested:
(Note: this sprite is no longer accurate to the game sprite after I moved the game to Lifegen+Genemod.)
Why are both of the healers we know (Vervaincloud and Nuggets) smokes. Is this the Healer Pelt? She's also the total opposite of Vervain, where her tail and face are lighter and her body darker.
Stoneshiver saw Emberkit be nice to one of her friends before she died. So. That's nice at least.
Blossomhail was spreading rumors about Emberkit. Slatepaw heard a nasty rumor about Emberkit but refused to believe it. I choose to combine these two events since they match lol. Blossomhail, why are you being a jerk? That's a whole baby. Your buddy stepped on her last month, be nice to her.
And my favorite event and one I wish I had the room to draw - Weedquill tried to teach the kits where kittens come from and Daisydrift made her shut up.
