#fa!timberstar

[felis-artis]

mr malicious smiler sir! care to elaborate about crowtongue (the boy) and crowtongue (language)? is crowtongue (the boy) associated with crows?

yes!

When the Firetwins enter the forest for the first time, they get lost. Hopelessly so. In annoyance, Tiny, in his annoyance, hisses out a swear word in Corvidclaw, which their mothers taught them both, as per tradition. Smokepaw, who had been stalking them for a while, thinks it to be a call for reinforcements in Crowtongue, and absolutely bodies Tiny. Full on tackles him, to which Rusty brutally attacks and wounds Smokepaw before fleeing.

Bluestar named Crowpaw that for his color, having no idea of what transpired at the border. Such a small thing. Later, when she's told of what happens, she huffs a small laugh and says nothing else.

At the ceremony, the newly named Crowtongue fumes quietly. He wants to be treated with respect, not named after his crush's linguistic fumble. Prairieclaw, noticing this, allows Crowtongue to vent. Soon, they're close.

It burns.

Crowstar practices his Corvidclaw a lot once he becomes leader. He teaches Tigerbeetle a lot of what he knows, and encourages them to learn more from the birds around the territory.

Crowstar's last words spoken in Corvidclaw translate to a native saying, directly translating to "Blackbird-thoughts" but meaning "Your thoughts are cluttered". He says it to himself as he walks to the beach.

[felis-artis]

Didn’t Tadpole die as a kit in the canon books? What changed to let them live?

Well, the lack of Sasha's involvement in their kithood, really!

Timberstar walks up to Marigoldclaw and Carpwhisker one day in the Vigil of River camp and demands them to take three kittens, whispering in a low voice. Marigoldclaw, a violent supporter of Timberstar, agrees immediately. Carpwhisker puts things together and correctly realizes that these three kittens are his kittens.

He agrees quickly after that, feeling that if he doesn't, he will die.

Timberstar tells them to meet him at the Bleeding Rocks to recieve a litter of three from a seal point kittypet. Carpwhisker gives him a strange look, but doesn't say anything. He saw what Darkflower painted.

They arrived, and saw Timberstar talking with her, and then it clicked for Marigoldclaw. She grinned and kept walking, Carpwhisker at her heels. After a long conversation, they have three new kittens.

Mothkit, Hawkkit, and Tadpolekit.

Carpwhisker wanted to keep the names that the kittypet gave. They could at least give her that. Marigoldclaw agreed, so the three kittens were named, and they raised them.

Until Carpwhisker's execution and Marigoldclaw's death.

[felis-artis]

so if crowtongue is scourge... does he gut and kill timberstrike... is he still cool emo man?

Well, he doesn't gut him, but personally I think something cooler happens. Crowtongue still gets to be super emo though.

Crowtongue is able to wrestle away Timberstar's pouch in a previous battle, before the Dawn of a New Age, and takes it back to the Vigil of Thunder. Snakefang quickly realizes that it's a spirit summoning and channeling guide. She almost burns it, but Goldenflower stops her.

She wants to speak to Wildfire.

Crowtongue refuses to give up the item that his brother loved.

When the Battle of the Old Age happens, he frantically summons Wildfire. They talk in jaded sentences, but when Wildfire says "mi pakala" Crowtongue realizes what he has to do. He tells his brother to stay nearby.

When the fire goes out, Crowtongue scrapes dirt over the indented symbols and sigils in the dirt. He then turns, and realizes something. They hadn't tried using blood in any incantations yet.

Exhaustion dragging at his pelt, he frantically runs over to Bluestar and tells her about this plan. Dazed, she agrees to the plan. Crowtongue hurries and prepares the ritual.

Bluestar eagerly gives up her blood.

Eventually, Bluestar goes to lure Timberstar into the circle. She stumbles, and doesn't see Timberstar above her. He pounces on her, and her head is bashed into a rock. She dies instantly. Crowtongue screeches, and Timberstar turns to look at him.

Timberstar walks in front of Crowtongue.

"I'm sorry, my hatchling, I didn't mean for you to see that. I'm sorry." A pause. "She had to die, you see? You are ready for leadership, see? You put together a way to see your brother again. So honorable."

Crowtongue's body shakes. His claws reach for his flint. His mouth moves before he can speak.

"You killed him though. You made Dandelionclaw slit his throat. His own BROTHER!" He snarls, voice cracking. His eyes are tearing up, and he suddenly realizes that Timberstar is standing on the ritual circle.

"It's not like Dandelionclaw had any idea of the family relation."

Crowtongue sets Timberstar on fire.

The ritual activates.

The first thing Crowtongue realizes is that Wildfire isn't there. Then, he hears the scream of his brother. He doesn't process what it means, but he realizes it was:

"ona li pakala e ona!"

Then, a lot of things happen at once. Timberstar screeches in fear, looking around. A paw, claws extended and covered in blood, explodes from Timberstar's chest, holding his heart. Crowtongue recognizes the paw as his brother's immediately. Timberstar then begins to cough, blood curling at his lips. Wildfire's paw then fades as Timberstar begins to put out the fire, but so does Timberstar.

Wildfire had dropped Timberstar's heart.

And then, Timberstar was gone. Crowtongue just stared at the heart in horror. Blood still pumping for a moment, before it stilled. Red seeped into the ritual circle. Crowtongue, in shock, picked up his adopted father's heart, and leaped up onto the Great Rock.

He screams out: "ona li pakala e ona! Timberstar is dead!"

[felis-artis]

hmmm… does prairieclaw still kill redtail? how many victims does he have?

Yes! In my current draft, he has two direct victims and 10 indirect victims! His two are Redtail and Sunface (Lionheart). His ten indirect are as follows:

Wildfire (Public Execution)

Gorgepaw (Under Timberstar's command, killed)

Stonefur (Public Execution)

Crookedstar (Ordered assassination by Timberstar and Leopardstar)

Shimmerpelt I (Public Execution, treason)

Carpwhisker (Public Execution, treason)

Brick

Bone III

Crowstar (One life, Wounds)

Whitestorm (Wounds)

Timberstrike's crimes are very interesting for me to write, especially when he has such contradicting views. He hates outsiders, but when he becomes an outsider, he understands for a moment. If things had gone differently, then maybe he would have left the Vigils altogether. But, he didn't.

[felis-artis]

Are you doing anything with Brambleclaw/star? Could be fixing his character, editing his story, anything like that.

Oh god. Brambleclaw. I hate him in canon. The authors want us to sympathize with him but he's a whiny bitch in TNP and a Tigerstar sympathizer in POT and onward. I do want to keep both of these traits in this rewrite, but caused by a different thing that isn't bad motivations writing.

Dandelionkit was born to Goldenflower and Prairieclaw, before Timberstrike existed. The Vigil of Thunder's idea of evil is different from the other vigils. Evil is said to be a demon or curse from years past that has come to haunt the evildoer. Timberstrike's was supposedly from Pinestar, and Pinestar's was from Oakstar II.

Dandelionkit was born alongside his sister Coyotekit, and that was a problem. Goldenflower had been barred from her kit-stopping endeavor, and the kittens were born. She did not want them. She wept at their birth from many things. Pain, a loss of autonomy, and control on her life. Prairieclaw was there. This was a part of a trend within the Vigil of Thunder that was rapidly increasing again, the ripple effect of the Oakbranch Laws from Oakstar the First.

Goldenflower, Wildfire, and Brindledface all agreed to help once she came clean about her experiences. Dandelionkit was passed on to Darkflower of the Vigil of Shadows, claiming she'd found him in the woods. She was a nurturer of the time before she became the Matriarch. She claimed she named him Dandelionkit after his sharp teeth, similar to that of the mythological Lion.

Dandelionkit grew up alongside Oakkit (later Oakfur) and Ratkit (Later Rattail) and was very different. His bright pelt clearly marked him of the Vigil of Thunder, or at least of their decent. He was not riddiculed for this, as they needed to trust every cat in that time, but Cloudnose (Runningnose) noticed a keen likeness in the kitten to that of the Vigil of Thunder's old Head of Borders.

Timberstrike came to the Vigil of Shadows, and Dandelionpaw was to be his apprentice. Shadedstar (Nightstar) is too ill to object to the social mentorship, and can only make it official when the time arrives. Dandelionkit had already looked up to the huge tabby, so when he was apprenticed to him? He was ecstatic. Dandelionpaw had heard Timberstrike's testimony firsthand, as did most of the clan, and felt so moved by it.

It basically went something like this:

"As you know, the Laws state that a cat may not be exiled over their political beliefs, and Bluestar broke this rule. She exiled me, the Law-breaker she is, and she ruined my family! My son died years before, and my daughter hates me because of what she did! Family is important, and the lives I saved have been for nothing!"

"Oh, so tragic!"

"I know, a true tragedy on all accounts."

...and nobody really questioned it. They didn't want to get the Vigil of Thunder involved, given that they had been involved in their most recent coup, and harm came to their youth. They don't want to be involved in what possibly could be a prisoner exchange, nor be accused of harboring an exile.

Dandelionpaw knew the basic reasoning, but didn't know about the doubt simmering under the surface of the vigil in the face of such an accusation upon their hesitant allies. He trained well, but his border patrols were never with his mentor.

He grew up fully upon the cresting dawn of the New Age.

He saw the horror his own naivety had brought upon his vigil.

He struggles with his beliefs for a while, before the second arc. He does not understand what traits were assumed by Timberstrike, and what he was taught by the violent dictator. He doesn't understand, and that makes him come off as as a whiny bitch. He is a whiny bitch.

Anyways, thank you for the ask!