Quailwing (named after Mothwing and equivalent to Jay) is a dilute chocolate mackerel tabby tom with blind blue eyes (blue is inherited from Mothwing).
Russetleaf (named after Leafpool and equivalent to Holly) is a chocolate and red mackerel torbie she-cat with green eyes (green is inherited from Leafpool who carried the gene from her parents... she’s also a demigirl cuz I said so).
Lynxcloud (equivalent to Lionblaze) is a fluffy reddish-orange mackerel tabby tom with amber eyes (inherited from Leafpool).
I got the genetics from a genetic generator (I changed them a bit though...) so they should be accurate.
Excuse me as I rant about an AU idea I had-
So basically.
Leafpool (at the time Leafpaw) ends up getting really close to Mothwing while Squilf is out and about.
Mothwing feels comfortable telling her that she’s trans and just didn’t want to tell anyone outside of RiverClan, because she already knew she was by the time she was apprenticed so why would anyone care? Plus she didn’t want to get discriminated against even though at this rate the Clans are used to same sex couples (Firestar and Graystripe are a thing, Sandstorm’s also there) and trans cats (Firestar, Sandstorm, probably a lot of others)...
Anyways, most of TNP goes the same, but then Leafpool ends up having kits with Mothwing instead... Mothwing is surprised to hear this, but the two of them, Squirrelflight and Ferncloud (who Leafpool decides should nurse the kits... Mothwing has other thoughts though) go to have the kits away from the Clans.
The first born is a chocolate she-kit (you’ll see...). Before even seeing his eyes or anything Leafpool knows that she should be named Quailkit, so she is.
Next is a chocolate and red mackerel torbie she-kit. Mothwing names this one Russetkit, having heard of ShadowClan’s deputy and her friendship with her mother Sasha.
Lastly is a fluffy red she-kit (they trans boiiiiiiiiiiii). While Leafpool wants to name her Mothkit, Mothwing advises against it and Squirrelflight decides to name her Lynxkit.
When it comes time to go home though, Lynxkit has established a bond with Mothwing, who already wanted at least one of the kits to come to RiverClan. Leafpool bids her daughter and Mothwing farewell and brings Quailkit and Russetkit to ThunderClan.
Quailkit soon decides that he/him pronouns fit him better after getting to know his grandfather Firestar, and in RiverClan Lynxkit does the same upon getting to know Mothwing, who he has a close bond with, better.
The only cats who know the truth in RiverClan are Leopardstar, Willowpaw and Mothwing, while in ThunderClan many more know the truth - Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw (vaguely;he knows the Three aren’t his and Squilf’s kits but doesn’t know who they are), Firestar, Sandstorm and the nursery permaqueens.
The Three get apprenticed. Russetpaw is excited to be a medicine cat apprentice, while her brother Quailpaw is determined to become a warrior and overcome his disability. Meanwhile in RiverClan, Lynxpaw is excited to become a warrior, despite his crush on Willowpaw slowing his progress down a bit.
Now here, Quailpaw and Russetpaw don’t switch roles. While Russetpaw does still struggle with herb meanings and such, Leafpool gives her ways to remember them, through little rhymes or short songs. Quailpaw gets training in his dreams from Yellowfang, Spottedleaf and Cinderpelt (though Cinder’s presence is weaker due to her also being by Cinderpaw’s side as a guardian angel/imaginary friend to her, more on that later), learning how to hunt through both sight and smell.
Eventually Russetpaw goes to RiverClan to make sure everything’s okay, before getting stuck due to Twoleg doing... I don’t know what they were doing during Dark River. During her time in RiverClan she bonds with both Lynxpaw and Willowpaw, the latter of whom she was already close to due to medicine cat meetings.
Now, in the canon books, Lionpaw meets with Heatherpaw in the tunnels. Here, however, instead we have Quailpaw meeting with Minnowpaw... I’m not sure where. Perhaps they were exploring ThunderClan territory and accidentally overstepped the borders, Quailpaw falling into the tunnels and them LARPing there? Anyways, both want to be warriors despite both having short fuses. Unlike in the canon books where after saving the WindClan kits Lionpaw and Heatherpaw’s friendship fades away, Quailpaw and Minnowpaw keep being friends, talking at Gatherings and occasionally asking Russetpaw, Willowpaw, Leafpool or Mothwing to tell them something or give them something when they come over to help. The kits they save here are Sneezekit and Mallowkit.
And as in the canon books, Lynxpaw trains in the Dark Forest. Tigerstar mentoring him honestly makes sense to me - there’s probably been several leaders named Tigerstar who have been colored like him given Tigerheart. Anyways, Tigerstar tells him he just wants to help him hone in on his powers. Of course, he wants to, so he trains in the Dark Forest.
Oh, also Russetpaw does have a power! At first Quailpaw tells her about his power and she pretends to be the one with it. However, after a bit, Leafpool figures out the facade and confronts Quailpaw about it. Russetpaw’s power takes longer to manifest, but she does have it, and it’s getting cats to tell the truth, basically hypnotizing them. She uses it a bit before she runs away into the tunnels to get cats to confess to breaking the warrior code, but after the reveal she decides that maybe she shouldn’t do that and instead uses it to figure out who’s training in the Dark Forest.
Anyways, onto Outcast!
Due to Brook and Stormfur formerly taking refuge in RiverClan, Leopardstar decides that one of their cats should go to the mountains as well alongside Crowfeather, Breezepaw, Squirrelflight, Tawnypelt, Quailpaw, Russetpaw and Brambleclaw. Lynxpaw volunteers, and his mentor (Dawnflower, Minnowpaw’s mom) therefore goes as well. Mothwing considers going, but ultimately doesn’t, instead deciding to teach Lynxpaw some herbs due to not fully trusting Russetpaw’s herb skills. He becomes a bit interested in them, but not enough to become a meddie.
After watching Lynxpaw during the battle with the rogues, Quailpaw tells him and Russetpaw a prophecy.
There will be three, kin of a great leader’s kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. Look for the sharp-eyed quail. Listen out for the lynx’s roar. After both of these events have come and gone, peace will come on a gentle russet leaf.
Russetpaw is certain that she and Quailpaw are two of the cats in the prophecy, simply believing that Lynxpaw’s prefix being mentioned is just a coincidence due to the commonality of the prefix.
Lynxpaw doesn’t know what to think about it.
The prospect of being important excites Quailpaw. The cats who doubt him won’t any longer when they find out he’s a prophecy cat! Or at least, that’s what he hopes...
Eclipse goes about the same... aside from Lynxpaw not wanting to fight Quailpaw! He just became friends with him, and might be in the prophecy with him!
Sol tells Lynxpaw that he can explain the prophecy. Lynxpaw decides that he should tell Mothwing and Willowpaw about it, and firstly tells the latter of the two.
Willowpaw and him both agree that the great leader is likely Firestar, but could also be one of the original leaders, leaving Heatherpaw and Breezepaw as possible candidates. Lynxpaw tells her that Quailpaw told him the prophecy, and she says that they’re possible candidates too. He starts to have low self esteem after this, but Willowpaw comforts him and the two basically get together but they don’t realize cuz they’re dumbasses.
The two of them then go to tell Mothwing. At first she’s hesitant to believe them - she’s never really seen StarClan as much of a higher force then the living cats, they’re just dead cats, they’re as reckless and at times mouse-brained as they were when they were alive.
But she sees the glow in Lynxpaw’s eyes. It reminds her of what she loved about Leafpool. She sees Leafpool in the son she could never treat as her own. Believing Willowpaw to have received the prophecy (mouse-dung, we forgot to tell her that Quailpaw told me the prophecy), at the next Moonpool meeting she gives her her medicine cat name - Willowshine.
Due to how valiantly he fought in the battle, Lynxpaw is given his warrior name of Lynxcloud. Minnowpaw is given her warrior name at this time as well, as is Pebblepaw, with those two being named Minnowtail and Pebblefoot like in canon.
Quailpaw is also given his warrior name by Firestar, that being Quailwing after Mothwing.
Long Shadows is mostly the same except for one minor change, that being that Jay’s Wing is now named Quail’s Feather. Flamepaw, Dawnpaw and Tigerpaw help the Three fake an omen to get Blackstar to believe in StarClan again like in the canon books. The fire scene is also slightly different... but anyways, Russetpaw gets her full name of Russetleaf.
Now the fire scene... the whole reveal happens but afterwards Squilf reassures Russetleaf and Quailwing that she loves them as if they were her own kits, and that Brambleclaw does as well.
Quailwing takes a while to accept it, still being confused about his power... StarClan has given cats powers before, but for all he knows he’s just a kittypet or rogue or loner who was brought to the Clan at a young age. And how does Lynxcloud fit into this? Eventually though, he accepts it, deciding to try to help whoever the Three are with whatever the prophecy requires them to do.
Russetleaf, however, can’t accept it. She’s a disgrace to her Clan and has no right to be a medicine cat. She should’ve known she wasn’t in the prophecy, she doesn’t have a power at all... Cinderheart notices something’s wrong and talks to her about it, and they get together and she starts to feel better, even if she realizes that she’s breaking the code... she’s stopped caring anymore.
Eventually though, Russetleaf’s power appears and she’s confused. She accidentally uses it without realizing after Quailwing finds out that Leafpool’s their mother, in an attempt to figure out who their father/sire is. Also yes, I did shuffle events... partially cuz I forgot the order they happen in.
Russetleaf carried the blood red berries in her jaws as she entered camp. No one questioned her, though she saw a few cats giving her weird looks. I have to do this, she thought.
As she entered the medicine cat den, Leafpool looked up at her, fear in her eyes.
“Russetleaf, what are you-” Russetleaf cut her off.
“I know now,” she hissed, “Mother. I may not know who our father is, but-”
The medicine cat cut her off. The tortioseshell tabby noticed that her eyes looked... focused on something else, as if in a trance.
“While she’s not your father, per-say, Mothwing sired you, Quailwing and Lynxcloud,” her mother mewed, “now, may I please leave the den?”
Her eyes looked normal again halfway through her second sentence. Still confused, Russetleaf nodded, allowing Leafpool to exit the den.
What did I just do?
She experiments with her power, seeing who may’ve broken the warrior code. Mousewhisker (relationship with Minnowtail), Squirrelflight (hiding the truth), Brambleclaw (same as Squilf), heck, even Firestar (giving prey to RiverClan, giving Yellowfang prey and eating some of it before bringing it to the Clan, hiding Graystripe’s relationship with Silverstream, probably more)! ... all of them admit it.
She begins to feel... power-hungry. While the Dark Forest has been unable to recruit her due to her loyalty to ThunderClan, they are able to do one thing: will her to kill Ashfur. Leafpool had taught her some fighting techniques she’d learned from Cinderpelt and Mothwing, she knows a decent amount, and uses them to kill Ashfur. To keep her Clan safe.
This starts to weigh her down. She feels terrible. She broke the code... but she did it to keep her Clan safe! ... didn’t she?
She can’t keep it inside any longer. She tells everyone the truth at a Gathering. Mothwing and Leafpool are exposed. Firestar doesn’t want to make her give up her position, but Leafpool insists on it, scared of what Russetleaf could do. Leopardstar, who’s always been a code junkie even if she made two half-Clan cats deputy, made one of Tigerstar’s kits temporarily deputy even though she (I think) knew he was Firestar’s son, allowed one of Tigerstar’s kits who was formerly a rogue to be a medicine cat, relinquishes Mothwing’s position.
Lynxcloud says he wants to talk to his siblings, and they all go to the tunnels. Russetleaf needs to tell someone what she did... so she tells her brothers. And she runs in. And it seems as if she’s gone... dead...
... okay the lion and jay designs here are the same but still!
jay has leaf’s build and gets some colors (brown) from her (being spotty also comes from leaf), holly has moth’s build and gets colors from leaf as well (including being a calico), and lion has moth’s build and leaf’s colors!
and yes, the three are now mothpool kits, don’t mention me.
Mothpool AU Rambles - Omen of the Stars + Super Editions / Novellas
More of me rambling about the Mothpool AU, this time going through Omen of the Stars!
Two kits were born to the young queen Whitewing not long before Russetleaf fled to the tunnels.
One, a pale gray she-kit with white markings on her side and green eyes, was named Dovekit by the queen. The other, a gray-and-white tabby she-kit with blue eyes, was named Ivykit.
Once Russetleaf was presumed dead by the Clan, Dovekit started to know the names of cats who were from other Clans she’d never been to. She knew Flamepaw was a medicine cat apprentice before Littlecloud announced it at a Gathering, she knew who Mothwing was without having to be told, she knew Lynxcloud as well.
Anyways, the time comes for them to be apprenticed. Dovekit is apprenticed to Quailwing, while Ivykit is apprenticed to Cinderheart.
Dovepaw’s apprenticeship is difficult despite her enhanced senses. Quailwing spaces out a lot, as if distracted by something in the distance despite his blindness. Ivypaw on the other paw is great at hunting and fighting. She’s even more uncertain when an old gray she-cat with matted fur comes to her dreams and gives her a prophecy.
The russet leaf hasn’t truly left. It’s only descended deep, deep down. For now, look for the dove’s feathers that will rain down.
In her dreams, she sees starry cats and hears them whispering the same thing, over and over again. There will be three who will hold the power of the stars in their paws.
But she also sees dark, bloody cats with a strange mist surrounding them that make her feel sick to her stomach.
She just wants to have a dreamless night for once.
Eventually she tells the Clan about the beavers. Quailwing immediately knows. He never knew about Russetleaf’s power since she had it for such a little amount of time before leaving. He knows.
She tells him about her dreams. About the starry cats and the bloody, misty cats. Quailwing tells Firestar. He knows too.
Firestar sends them to get Lynxcloud from RiverClan. Lynxcloud has an apprentice, Hollowpaw, who desperately wants to go on the mission as well. But Rippletail and Petalfur say they should go in Lynxcloud’s stead. Mothwing dismisses their argument and says that all three of them can go and that Hollowpaw can be mentored by Icewing until they come back. He’s mad about this, but reluctantly accepts.
And so at the next Gathering, Firestar announces the news and Leopardstar announces that Lynxcloud, Petalfur and Rippletail are all going to represent RiverClan.
The cats from the other Clans include Oakfur, Tigerpaw and Toadfoot from ShadowClan and Sedgewhisker and Whitetail from WindClan. After getting some herbs from their medicine cats (in Quailwing and Dovepaw’s case, Brightheart, who’s in charge of medicine cat duties until further notice), the group sets off and that goes about as normal.
Unlike in the original book, we get Ivypaw chapters instead of Quailwing chapters. Dovepaw apparently getting a dream from StarClan does make her feel a bit jealous, but she’s a great fighter and hunter so it doesn’t bother her too much. Note that while Poppyfrost does go to the Moonpool, Breezepelt doesn’t attack her because he actually has a father who cares for him.
During the fight against the beavers, Dovepaw sees Tigerpaw use his Dark Forest moves and is intrigued. The two become relatively close on the journey back.
Once they get back to the Clans, Dovepaw sees how great at everything Ivypaw’s been. Yes, she has a connection to StarClan, but she’s... jealous. And uncertain about everything. Shouldn’t Russetleaf, Quailwing and Lynxcloud’s sister, be the third cat? Was she? Did StarClan change their destinies after Russetleaf’s presumed death?
The Dark Forest can finally get into her dreams and bring her somewhere StarClan can’t reach. Hawkfrost first comes to her in a flowery field. He says he wants to teach her how to control her powers and how to be a great warrior. She believes him. She wants her Clan to believe in her not because of her power, but because of her.
Now let’s go to RiverClan. Lynxcloud and Willowshine are still dating, though Willowshine’s had to spend less and less time with Lynxcloud due to Mothwing’s de-promotion. This saddens Lynxcloud. The Dark Forest tries to manipulate him, but he’s aware of their tricks already. Instead, he goes to the ThunderClan border, where Quailwing and a few other cats (Berrynose, Cinderheart, Ivypaw and Dovepaw) find him. He explains he wishes to meet with Firestar. Quailwing agrees. Cinderheart, who knows about the prophecy from Russetleaf, is less confused then the other cats... but still confused.
Quailwing brings Lynxcloud to Firestar’s den, surprised when Firestar requests that he and Dovepaw come too, but they do as he says. They talk to Firestar about the prophecy for a bit, and Dovepaw is even more uncertain when she hears about Firestar’s last notable interaction with Russetleaf.
“I remember what happened not long before Russetleaf left,” the leader mewed, “I was talking to Brambleclaw about patrols, when Russetleaf entered, asking to talk to me in private. I assumed she’d received a prophecy, so I followed her. We went into the forest, where she asked me if I’d ever broken the warrior code. I suddenly felt... compelled to tell her everything. So I did. Once I was done, I felt like myself again. I think that was her using her power.”
Russetleaf was one of the Three. She was meant to be there instead of her. Dovepaw should’ve been a normal apprentice. Why couldn’t she be normal?
Training in the Dark Forest makes her feel... important. A StarClan cat is choosing to train her of all cats. But slowly, as the Dark Forest gets more of a hold on her, the scenery in her dreams changes to be more eerie.
At first there’s just blood red and dark mist slowly forming, like the ones the dark cats from her older dreams had.
Then the flowery field starts to turn into a misty, muddy forest. Dovepaw doesn’t know what’s happening. But she doesn’t stop going. She can’t, not when she’s not even done with her training yet. So she continues going to the Dark Forest.
Ivypaw notices her sister acting... odd. She asks her about it, but Dovepaw simply says that she’s focusing really hard on her training. She keeps waking up with bloodied fur, so much so that it can’t be from thorns in her nest like she insists it is. Ivypaw doesn’t know what to do, so she tells Quailwing and Cinderheart, who both promise to keep a close eye on her. Note that here, Cinderheart knows about Quailwing’s power due to them being close. Quailwing told her about the prophecy because he felt that she deserved to know.
Cinderheart suggests Quailwing walks in Dovepaw’s dreams. He doesn’t want to because he hasn’t used his power very much in this AU due to not being a medicine cat... and because Leafpool told Brightheart and Longtail about his power and they taught him about violation of privacy.
Anyways, the tree falls and Briarpaw breaks her spine and Longtail dies. Quailwing is devastated by the latter event.
Brightheart takes care of Briarpaw, though she struggles a bit due to not having been trained as a medicine cat. Quailwing and Squirrelflight go to ShadowClan to get Littlecloud’s help, and Flamepaw helps out as well, though he mainly just bonds with Dovepaw and Ivypaw, especially the latter.
Anyways, Briarpaw gets her warrior name of Briarlight, Blossompaw and Bumblepaw are named Blossomfall and Bumbleflight (name subject to change, I just think Bumblestripe is lame). Briarlight and Dovepaw end up getting really close... Blossomfall still gets jealous of her sister and when Dovepaw sees her in the Dark Forest, she decides to try to help their relationship because she doesn’t realize what she’s doing is bad - she just wants to be cared for by her Clanmates because of her, not because of a prophecy that she just so happens to be playing a part in.
I imagine that after their training sessions and before they wake up, Dovepaw and Blossomfall talk sometimes. At one point Hawkfrost joins in upon hearing them talk about their feelings, telling them how he came to be in the Dark Forest. It’s at this point that Dovepaw realizes that it’s wrong to be here...
Night Whispers starts with a Flamepaw chapter as he and Littlecloud go to the Moonpool and he gets his full name of Flametail before dreaming of a strange place... a dark misty forest. A dark brown tom with a red aura around his scars approaches him before he wakes up.
After this, Dovepaw goes to Quailwing and tells him everything. About the Dark Forest, about Hawkfrost, about Blossomfall... everything. At the next Gathering, he asks Dovepaw to tell Lynxcloud what she told him, and she does. Ivypaw and Tigerpaw (yes, Flamepaw got his warrior name first... don’t question it) eavesdrop and this helps Tigerpaw realize that mouse-dung, everyone is right about Tigerstar being evil. Ivypaw and her sister start to fix their bond.
I can’t decide if Flametail dies or not but if he doesn’t then like in Veil of Shadows with Shadowsight (and Squilf’s Hope with Squilf but that book isn’t canon-), he becomes a ghost and has to wait while his body heals from almost drowning.
Anyways in Sign of the Moon, Quailwing and Lynxcloud, alongside their apprentices, meet up to check out the tunnels. Dovepaw and Hollowpaw have gotten relatively close due to the Dark Forest and are both of their Clan’s respective spies (Lynxcloud asked Dovepaw to spread the news to as many Dark Forest trainees as possible - Hawkfrost and Tigerpaw helped out. They all decided to have Tigerpaw and Applefur spy for ShadowClan, Hollowpaw and Minnowtail spy for RiverClan, Harespring and Sunstrike (Me about Sunstrike: “I don’t know who you are but you’re pretty.”) spy for WindClan, and, of course, Dovepaw spy for ThunderClan... I’d have someone else spy with her but at the time she was like the only Dark Forest trainee in ThunderClan).
Hollowpaw and Dovepaw just hunt so Leopardstar doesn’t get mad while Lynxcloud and Quailwing block off the tunnels and end up finding a tuft of Russetleaf’s fur and realize that oh sheet, she’s alive.
Anyways they go back to their respective camps and Firestar decides that Dovepaw and Ivypaw should have their assessments, so they do and manage to both pass after a misadventure in the tunnels after Icecloud falls in. Dovepaw is named Doverain due to her friendliness and intelligence (had to look through a naming dictionary’s meanings for -splash, -pool, -creek and some others) and Ivypaw is named Ivypool due to her fierceiocity and strength in battle... her name’s more obvious.
Doverain, Foxleap, Squirrelflight and Quailwing all go to the mountains since Quailwing got a message from Half Moon saying that he had to go... the Three’s connection to StarClan is lessening due to some reason that no one knows the reasoning for. Hint hint, Dark Forest.
Quailwing possesses Quail’s Feather again because he wants to violate this dead cat’s privacy. Rock tells him to not violate Quail’s Feather’s privacy. He pretends to be deaf.
Anyways back at the lake Blossomfall and Ivypool end up in the tunnels and meet Fallen Leaves. After totally not Russetleaf leads them out Fallen Leaves won’t leave Ivypool alone. I had to make Ivypool’s character arc interesting, okay? She keeps getting dreams of the ancients and death and a battle... starry cats on one side and misty, dark cats on the other... a starry tortioseshell cat fading right from someone who she can only assume is Firestar’s grasp... she doesn’t know what they mean but they scare her and she just wants them to leave her alone.
In RiverClan Lynxcloud is having a crisis because StarClan is visiting his dreams and telling him that the Clans will have to stand divided and he’s just like “but,,, my bro’s in thunderclan” and they’re just like “sorry bruh” and leave. Willowshine’s also confused because she also keeps having these dreams and she’s pretty sure StarClan’s shipping them.
Back at the mountains, Quailwing comes back to the present and names Crag Where Eagles Nest the new Healer. Note that here just to make it make more sense, even if they are generally called Teller of Pointed Stones / Stoneteller, they are sometimes referred to by their old name, usually in dreams from the Tribe of Endless Hunting or by cats close to them.
After returning to the lake, Doverain finds that her powers have seemingly vanished. She doesn’t know how to feel about this. She vents about it to Ivypool, Blossomfall and Briarlight. She vents about everything to Ivypool, Blossomfall and Briarlight. How she feels like Ivypool was always better then her even though she had a power, how she felt like she was only cared about by Firestar and StarClan was because of her power, how she only felt at home in the Dark Forest, how she just wants Blossomfall to get along with Briarlight and be a happy family again, all of it. Blossomfall stays quiet while Briarlight and Ivypool comfort her.
Doverain notices that Blossomfall has stopped participating in training sessions, even when it’s just between the spies (Hollowpaw and Tigerpaw have since become Hollowflight and Tigerheart), a few others and Hawkfrost. When she asks about this, Blossomfall says that Doverain saying all that made her realize that she was being petty and that she’s been thinking.
Anyways, during a Gathering Doverain catches a glimpse of a cinnamon and red splotched and striped pelt through the trees. It looks exactly like...
Russetleaf.
Doverain had already had her suspicions that the torbie she-cat wasn’t actually dead due to the prophecy she’d received as a young apprentice, but seeing her was a whole ‘nother story.
Also I just now realized that I didn’t elaborate on Briarlight so here we go: after Doverain vents about all that to Blossom, Ivy and Briar, Blossomfall confronts Millie and tells her that “hey, you’re being really helicopter mom-like towards Briarlight, I don’t think she appreciates that, maybe stop and let her get out?”. She agrees so Briarlight gets out sometimes. While hunting on her own is still a bit challenging, she manages. She and her siblings go on their own hunting patrols sometimes and Bumble and Blossom scare prey towards her so she can catch it since pouncing and chasing it is... kind of out of the question. Also “[...] due to [Briarlight’s injury], she can never have kits”... w h a t ? I... hm... Kate... are you okay?
Anyways, Doverain goes on a walk in the middle of the night in order to think, and ends up coming across Russetleaf and her ghost boyfriend Fallen Leaves! She tries to convince Russetleaf to come back to the Clan...
“It’s nice talking to you Doverain,” Russetleaf mewed, smiling, “isn’t it, Fallen Leaves?”
The ghostly tom simply nodded, uncertainty in his eyes. “Er, Doverain, can you see me?”
“I can,” Doverain smiled at the ancient cat - what did Quailwing call his rank the other day? Softpaw? Yeah, Softpaw - as her tail whipped back and forth happily, “anyways Russetleaf... why don’t you come back to the Clan? If I can see Fallen Leaves, surely others can too! Or at least, Quailwing when he gets his visions and Lynxcloud... well, when he’s Lynxcloud,” she chuckled at herself.
The torbie looked to Fallen Leaves, uncertainty in her eyes as well. “Doverain... I can’t come back. I just can’t. I don’t want to cause more pain then I must... and then I already have.”
A puzzled look glazed the younger she-cat’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
Russetleaf sighed. “You know who Ashfur is... correct? Ferncloud’s brother, a brave warrior, formerly mates with Squirrelflight,” she speaks her foster mother’s name as if it’s a curse, though Doverain had heard from Quailwing and Lynxcloud had no trouble cursing, “him.”
“Yes, I do,” Doverain was confused, “why?”
“I... killed him.”
But she refuses.
She and Doverain keep meeting at night. It helps Doverain become more certain with herself. And eventually, she convinces Russetleaf to come back home.
She has a tearful reunion with Cinderheart and (somehow) manages to introduce Fallen Leaves to her, though given everyone else in the Clan’s looks they likely think they’re insane.
Seeing how happy Russetleaf looks being back with her brother and (albeit, foster) parents, and knowing that she isn’t going to get her powers back soon, Doverain wants to obstruct any connection with the prophecy.
Doverain smiled back at Russetleaf, Quailwing and the torbie’s mates as she pushed through the overgrowth and entered Firestar’s den.
“Doverain,” the tom purred, “you’ve proven yourself to be a great warrior, even beyond the prophecy. You’ve brought Russetleaf back to the Clan and have accomplished several other great feats. With that aside, what do you need?”
She paused. Did she want to do this? She wasn’t the third cat... did she have any involvement in the prophecy? Or was she just a temporary replacement?
She did want to do this.
“I... I want to change my name,” she mewed, “could you give me the proper ceremony for that? I understand if you think it’s silly or-”
Firestar cut her off. “I don’t think it’s silly at all Doverain. In fact, I’ll let you choose your new name when the time comes. I understand that you may not want to be connected to the prophecy any longer. I’ll host your ceremony right now, in fact. I already have something I need to announce anyways.”
And so, Firestar calls a Clan meeting. Cats still gossip about Cinderheart and all that, but after he shares the news of Sol...
“Before everyone leaves, I have something else I must do,” the leader announced just as cats were beginning to disperse, “Doverain, please come forward.”
The pale she-cat stepped forward, anxiety in her pelt. She heard a comforting whisper of “you got this” from Briarlight.
“Spirits of StarClan, you know every cat by name,” Firestar began. She gazed around camp, seeing a few confused yet supporting looks on cats’ faces. They know it from Brightheart. “I ask you now to take away the name from the cat you see before you, for it no longer stands for what she is. By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this cat a new name,” he jumped from the Highledge, looking to the currently nameless she-cat, “I give you the privilege to choose your own name.”
She paused, looking to her pelt. Pale gray... pale.
“I would like to be known as Palerain,” she mewed, hoping her trembling voice wasn’t obvious. Firestar nodded.
“By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this cat a new name,” he mewed, “from this moment onward, she shall be known as Palerain.”
The newly named Palerain felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. She no longer had the burden of a prophecy on her shoulder.
But she knew what was coming.
Now note that I’ve never fully read the Last Hope... I read like the first couple of chapters and then stopped cuz it was boring and I knew what was coming (I spoil myself about shit that happens in the books sometimes... I knew who died in it, I knew about the battle, etc, etc)... but I just used the cliffnotes for every other book here so who cares!
So like the first chapter of the original Last Hope (with the change of it being Palerain instead), Palerain is training her Dark Forest apprentices (Birchfall isn’t one of them because the idea of her training her dad in the Dark Forest weirds me out) and Tigerstar and Mapleshade come to tell the trainees to wake up and go back to their nests. The trainees (reluctantly) agree but Hawkfrost stops Palerain and the other spies (alongside a few others... Blossomfall and the other ThunderClan trainees are there since most of them have started doubting the Dark Forest’s claims of being good and StarClan being bad) and brings them to the Gray Area, AKA where cats who did do bad things but had good reasoning for it but did too much of a bad to go to StarClan go. This is the area where Palerain’s Dark Forest training first started, the flower field. Note that none of the Dark Forest cats except maybe Mapleshade (I feel like she might also be in the Gray Area but leans closer to StarClan) know that Hawkfrost is in the Gray Area and think that he’s just in Hell outright. Anyways, he talks to the spies about the other senior Dark Forest warriors’ plan... not the battle, but another.
You know how when Antpelt died he got hypnotized in a way to believe that the Dark Forest’s plans were right and to care about them more than his old Clan? Well Hawkfrost tells the trainees that Tigerstar and the other senior Dark Forest warriors are planning to kill the trainees while they’re in the Dark Forest so the same thing will happen to them. Anyways Quailwing comes and brings some StarClan cats to violate the trainees’ privacy because he learned nothing from his training (the cats he brings are Bluestar, Yellowfang, Spottedleaf, Whitestorm, Oakheart, Redtail, Leopardstar (she’s just there because she was Hawkfrost’s mentor), Half Moon and Cinderpelt - note that here Cinderpelt was more of an imaginary friend / guardian angel to Cinderheart and Cinderheart just had her memories for some reason... it’s based on this AU and a post by @/the-broken-code-rewrite).
The trainees make a plan to fight back when the Dark Forest cats attempt to kill them and Hawkfrost is just like “good luck ig i’ll help u get 2 starclan if u die”.
Anyways at the Moonpool Russetleaf has the same dreams Jayfeather has in the canon book (yes, she does get POVs) and she’s confused when she sees Mothwing there... Willowshine and Lynxcloud also tag along here. Russetleaf tells them they need to unite their Clans and Lynxcloud promises to tell Mistystar that.
Mistystar’s not having any of that.
“but ur half-thunderclan”
“yeah but if starclan’s telling willowshine that the clans need to stand divided then i’m going to listen to starclan”
“mistystar, ur my mom, i love you, but listen to the child”
“i’m an adult reedwhisker”
“sure u r bab”
“ur not even my dad”
“leopardstar nursed you and i acted like ur dad”
“shush”
Anyways Dark Forest shit happens. Palerain and the other spies are anticipating getting killed.
Brightheart announces she’s having babies and Russetleaf’s just like “brightheart... maybe wait”.
Skipping some shit/shuffling events around, the Three and Palerain discuss who they think the fourth cat might be.
Canidates: Lynxcloud and Russetleaf both think Cinderheart, Palerain thinks Ivypool. Quailwing doesn’t really have any ideas until Mothwing shows him and Russetleaf the flaming reed, after which he thinks Flametail. However, here, the reed itself wasn’t the omen. Instead the fact that despite steady rain it didn’t go out was the omen. Do you get it yet?
Anyways Dark Forest patrols. Only the Three, Palerain, Fallen Leaves (yes, he’s still awkwardly roaming ThunderClan), Cinderheart and the trainees can see them. Also like in the canon books Brokenstar slaughters Beetlewhisker. This is when the Dark Forest decides to attempt to kill the trainees. The spies and ThunderClan’s trainees fight back, and a few other trainees fight back too, but some of them (Redwillow... that seems to be about it canonically so it’s time for OCs! Cherrycloud and Leechfeather, both RiverClan cats) fight the “betrayers”. The spies and ThunderClan cats are escorted out by Hawkfrost and a few StarClan cats (mainly Goosefeather and Crookedstar) who know the way to the Dark Forest. Said StarClan cats fend off the Dark Forest cats and Redwillow while Hawkfrost and the spies / ThunderClanners escape to the Gray Area.
The ThunderClan trainees go on a patrol led by Palerain and find the spies and some of the other trainees by the island - Icewing, Hollowflight, Minnowtail, Harespring, Sunstrike, Furzepelt, Larkwing, Whiskernose, Ratscar, Applefur and Tigerheart. When asked where Redwillow is, Tigerheart explains that he woke up with lots of injuries and scars and is in the medicine cat den healing, and that he thinks that he swore loyalty to the Dark Forest and they killed him so he’d stay there. Icewing and the other RiverClan cats report the same for Leechfeather and Cherrycloud. Hawkfrost then appears because no one cares about privacy in this AU.
The Three and Palerain tell Leafpool, Mothwing, Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw about their destinies, blah blah blah, Lynxcloud accepts his destiny... and also tells them that he’s dating Willowshine and that he’s pretty sure she’s expecting his kits and Leafpool and Mothwing are just like “lynxcloud honey no” and Lynxcloud’s just like “lemme have a girlfriend”.
They’re not saying that about him dating Willowshine. They’re saying that about the kits.
Lynxcloud asks Willowshine if she’s cheating on him and she says that no, she’s not, she just wanted to have babies with him so she got Pebblefoot to sire some babs. Lynxcloud is both happy and realizes that she’s gon be in trouble but then Mistystar comes in like “yo i heard y’all talkin’ and i was already thinkin’ of givin’ mothwing her medicine cat position back and y’all have made me decide that maybe i should” and I don’t know why Mistystar’s Southern but anyways-
The medicine cats (Mothwing and Leafpool are there too because Brightheart’s struggling and Russetleaf’s like... a teenager) all decide they need to unite StarClan and Russetleaf tells them about the Dark Forest. Willowshine tells them she’s expecting kits and they all decide that that rule is pretty damn stupid so they should abolish it. Bluestar tells Russetleaf that Palerain’s the fourth cat and she’s like “y’know what that makes a lotta sense”. Russetleaf invades her privacy and hears Bluestar say this and tells Palerain and then brings the medicine cats to the Dark Forest to watch a training session. Palerain and most of the trainees are in the Gray Area with Hawkfrost while Redwillow, Leechfeather and Cherrycloud are all training for the battle.
Quailwing somehow gets to the Gay (I’m keeping that) Area and the medicine cats conspire there, all agreeing that they need to get their leaders to meet at the island.
Firestar brings Russetleaf, Quailwing and Palerain to the island (Palerain didn’t want to go but Firestar doesn’t know she doesn’t have her power anymore) and Lynxcloud comes with Mistystar. The Three reveal their powers to the Clans.
Russetleaf’s truth revealing/hypnosis, Lynxcloud’s inability to be hurt in battle, and Quailwing’s invasion of privacy.
The leaders decide to send patrols at each camp at dusk to prepare for the upcoming battle, and they decide to have reinforcements - cats who will send news to other Clans (I’m copy-pasting stuff from the Wiki now).
Palerain turns down Tigerheart with the reasoning of “i’m gay, ur gay, go marry bumbleflight”. Tigerheart is just like “wait i’m gay” and leaves to contemplate his sexuality.
Firestar tells the Clan about the Dark Forest and battle plans and stuff and Russetleaf talks to Cinderheart and they decide to be gay together. Fallen Leaves is there too.
“ily russetleaf”
“ily 2 fallen leaves”
“... hi i’m here 2″
“ily cinderheart”
“ily 2 russetleaf”
“but...”
“we can be polyam”
“that sounds gucci”
The battle happens. Hawkfrost starts fighting on the side of the Dark Forest before he, Snowtuft and Thistleclaw “ambush” Palerain, after which he fights on the side of the Clans. Russetleaf almost dies but doesn’t.
Palerain sacrifices herself in order to save her sister from almost getting killed. However, due to her former unstable powers, her spirit simply gets disconnected from her body.
Spottedleaf double dies.
Firestar still dies, Brambleclaw becomes leader and appoints Cinderheart as deputy. Leafpool gets her medicine cat position back.
Let’s quickly quickfire through post-OotS pre-AVoS Super Editions / novellas in chronological order.
Dovewing’s Silence
Palerain gets back to her body after having some strange dreams. That’s basically it. I don’t remember this book. Foxleap and Icecloud don’t die. Hazeltail doesn’t either. Basically no one dies.
Crowfeather’s Trial
Instead called Crowfeather’s Peace as he comes to a peace with his past “relationship” with Feathertail and reflects on his relationship with Nightcloud. The first half of it takes place with him as Crowpaw during the journey to the Sun-drown Place while the second half of it takes place a bit before Po3 but after TNP, around the same time as Leafpool’s Wish, as he and Nightcloud become close and eventually have Breezepelt.
i have never let out so much internal chaos than in this site. thank you.
also i just adapted squirrelflight into the fic and her entire dynamic with mothwing is precisely ‘joel and ellie bickering’ except moth is like an older in law figure because shes dating her sister so squirrel just teases her and she shoots back affectionately.
(this is entirely random but Rich Girl-Hall and Oates is bangin, beegees energy in a different flavour)
