#mudlore

[rileys-battlecats]

Hi Riley! First of all I want to say that I love your work an that you’re doing an amazing job! You really inspired me to draw battle kitties myself, haha.

I also have a question! How does Mudpaw feel about being a medicine cat apprentice? Does he like it or did he rather be a warriors apprentice? And what does he think about his mentor Owlpounce?

Love youuu :3

WAHH THANK YOUUU <3 And I'm so glad you've been feeling inspired, literally one of the best feelings in the world <3 <3

As for your question, i started out answering it normally and then it turned into an almost-prose-thing about Mudpaw's relationship with Owlpounce. whoops! under a cut, cause it got Long

Mudpaw's initial reaction to being chosen by Owlpounce as an apprentice was confusion, then Incredible Anxiety.

The thing about Mudpaw is that he's dealt with feeling kinda wrong-footed his whole life. Each day, he's never quite sure what the right course of action is, the right answer to the silent questions that seem like they're always being asked. That is, in almost every context aside from combat. Despite not knowing how to bond with his clanmates, now knowing how to please his mentor or how to make friends with his fellow apprentices, Mudpaw's always had good instincts in a fight. If there was ever anything Mudpaw knew Wrentail appreciated about him, it was his ferocity, his willingness to hurt, the blind fury that takes him during combat. So Mudpaw knows that, if he isn't good at anything else, he's at least a somewhat passable fighter.

This skill is not particularly conducive to healing, if you can believe it.

From Mudpaw's perspective, he's barely been able to keep up in standard warrior training, ostensibly the one area of clan life he's not too terrible at, and now he has to shift gears entirely and learn how to practice medicine. There is no way that this is going to go well. He doesn't know the first thing about healing, or herbs, or—or omens, Owlpounce said an omen from Starclan told her to make him her apprentice...

Basically, Mudpaw assumes he's doomed to fail. Maybe even assumes this is some kind of punishment from Starclan for his actions. But Owlpounce had looked so hopeful when she'd asked him to be her apprentice, and. well. it's not as if he was ever going to be a great warrior anyway. Mudpaw decides to give it his best shot, all while bracing for the crash-and-burn he knows is coming. He's going to end up disappointing her, he just doesn't know how long it will take.

Owlpounce is... nice. To the point where he isn't sure if it's genuine. She's pleasant and friendly with everyone, though, so maybe that's just how she is. He doesn't know her too well, despite his somewhat frequent visits to her den for small injuries. He has fuzzy memories from his kithood of being in and out of the medicine den, dealing with a weak constitution made weaker from exposure to cold at too young an age. He thinks she'd been nice, then, too.

Wrentail had been perfectly pleasant with their clanmates as well. Mudpaw knows to stay cautious.

So, Mudpaw tries. In the beginning, he tries because he doesn't know what else to do. It's not as if he can just quit. And he knows what happens when he gets things wrong; out of all of Wrentail's lessons, that one stuck the most. So he pays attention, tries to keep it straight in his mind when Owlpounce shows him two identical-looking plants and tells him how vastly different they are in their applications, tries to remember the exact angle he needs to hold his claws to effectively peel the bark from this specific wood, tries to memorize the exact pressure needed to staunch the bleeding of a wound. He knows he's not doing most of it right. But no matter how many times he fumbles, how many times he mixes up one herb with another, forgets the symptoms of an illness, Owlpounce just... corrects him. Corrects him, shows him the right way, the right answer, and lets him try again.

He doesn't know what to do with that. Wrentail had never let him fail without some sort of repercussion. Mudpaw assumes that this must mean that Owlpounce just... has a longer fuse. More patience. But "more patience" doesn't mean "infinite patience", and Mudpaw still struggles to keep up. Owlpounce is... she's nice. He likes Owlpounce. He doesn't want to see what she's like when her patience runs out. So he stays up late, studying the minute differences in leaves, in their scents, quizzes himself on their uses, long after Owlpounce has retreated to her nest to sleep for the night. He runs himself ragged, trying to keep up, to have the right answers, to do better, be better.

Of course, high levels of anxiety + low levels of sleep for an extended period of time are a recipe for disaster. Mudpaw gets more irritable, oscillating wildly between snapping at Owlpounce and not speaking at all. The entire time Mudpaw has learned under Owlpounce, she's never once gotten upset with him, and that, more than anything, is what scares him. He has no idea where Owlpounce's line in the sand is, has no idea what will push her over the edge, or what she'll do once he does. Eventually, his goal shifts from avoid running Owlpounce's patience thin to figure out what her tipping point is.

This all culminates with Mudpaw saying something terrible to Owlpounce. He doesn't mean a word of it, but it comes out of his mouth all the same, accusatory and venomous. And, finally, finally, Owlpounce's composure breaks. And Mudpaw doesn't even feel fear when he sees it, just relief. Because now he knows what her boundary is, knows what will push her over the edge. Whatever punishment he's earned himself, it will be worth it, because now he knows.

But she doesn't react in the way Mudpaw thought she would.

She doesn't meet him with her own harsh words, doesn't use her claws to teach him a lesson, doesn't even hiss. She takes a step back, takes a deep breath, turns around, and leaves. She doesn't get far enough away to be out earshot before she starts crying.

And for the first time, Mudpaw feels sick not from fear or anxiety, but from guilt. It sits in his stomach like a stone.

When Owlpounce comes back, hours later, she smiles just the same, but it seems more fragile. Mudpaw can't bring himself to even look at her. The guilt roils in his gut. For days, he can't look her in the eye, can't open his mouth without feeling like he'll throw up. He sits in silence, doing what she asks of him, and never looking at her face.

After days of this, Owlpounce apologizes to him. Something about what he'd said, about trying to be a better mentor, he doesn't know because he cuts her off as soon as he realizes what she's doing. He explodes into apologies, saying he didn't mean it, didn't mean any of it, he doesn't know why he did that, why he said that, she's a great mentor and he's sorry, he's sorry, he's sorry.

They hug it out, their first hug, and Owlpounce tells him she forgives him. She knows he's going through a lot, but appreciates the apology. She promises to try to be a better mentor to him. Mudpaw promises Owlpounce it won't happen again, and promises himself to never try to find her boundary again. It would be cruel to do so. Owlpounce won't hurt him. He knows that now.

With this new understanding between them and trust slowly forming, Owlpounce continues teaching Mudpaw, and Mudpaw tries his best. And, now that he isn't blinded by fear of what will happen if he fails, he realizes that he quite likes learning to heal. It's hard, but Owlpounce is a patient teacher. It feels good to get something right, to have a mentor who will congratulate him on each and every little victory. It feels good to be able to help his clanmates, even with things as small as scrapes or bruises or upset stomachs.

He doesn't have any natural inclination toward healing. He doesn't have a fantastic memory for herbs and their uses, doesn't have any preternatural ability to detect illness or injury, he doesn't even really have good bedside manner. But he keeps trying. And he learns. Maybe not as quickly as some other cats might learn—certainly not as quickly as Owlpounce must have learned, back when she was an apprentice—but he does learn. As it turns out, not worrying about threats of physical violence for every misstep does wonders for a young cat's ability to pay attention and take lessons to heart. Where he'd felt like he was always a step behind in warrior training, now he feels like he's found a place to do some real good in the clan. It was a rocky start, certainly, but he vastly prefers medicine cat training over warrior training.

[rileys-battlecats]

Hi I heard Mudpaw Whitepaw brothers, I must know more

(in reference to this post)

anon you sent this ask back in may of 2023. I am. so sorry. it took me this long to respond

please, as a token of my apology, take this very late art

The mudpaw-whitepaw-pseudo-brothers thing is an idea that goes back to nearly the beginning. Back in 2022, when I was still throwing ideas at the wall of my mind and seeing what stuck, I had the idea of Mudpaw and Whitepaw being cousins/half brothers (same dad, moms would've been sisters. much familial drama would've ensued). This, obviously, did not make it into the final version of the story, but the idea of Mudpaw and Whitepaw being sort-of-siblings has been in the back of my mind the whole time. With Doveheart acting as something of a foster mother to Mudkit, he would've spent a bit more time around Whitekit compared to the others in the nursery. That being said, I don't think they were ever especially close, emotionally. Whitekit was probably more like "so who is this guy taking MY mama's attention??" in his little baby brain lol

[rileys-battlecats]

Talking about Doveheart and Olivehop’s outside perspective on stuff (I really enjoyed the story you wrote btw. If you ever write more I will be very excited about it) has gotten me thinking about Birchspeckle who also sort of has an outside perspective. In a different way tho. She’s been there the whole time, but still removed from it. You’ve said she’s kinda wary of Mudpaw but also worried about him for his sake right? Cuz I mean he did kill a clanmate, but Birchspeckle knows there’s more to it than just that. What does she think of the situation though? Does she know why Mudpaw killed him and what does she think of that? And if she doesn’t know, does she have a guess?

Also, sorry for the long ask btw and sorry if you’ve already answered any of these questions. I have one more question I don’t think you’ve ever answered before tho: If Birchspeckle didn’t know anything about the whole Mudpaw thing from her abilities, what would she think about his situation? Like how Doveheart and Olivehop (mostly Doveheart) realized something was wrong just by encountering him, would Birchspeckle realize something was wrong by interacting with him and what would she think? Would she think similarly to what Doveheart thought?

Birchspeckle definitely knows Something's Up; she just doesn't know the details (or have any proof, but that's less of a concern for her. she trusts her own vibe-checks). She can certainly make a few educated guesses, though. She knew Wrentail, after all, and knew his feelings about cats like her outsiders. It isn't a huge leap in logic to assume he wasn't good to Mudpaw. Bad enough to kill over, though? That's her main question. She doesn't know the extent of how bad Wren was, and is now trying to determine just how far would be too far for a cat like Mudpaw.

Without her abilities, she would be under the assumption that Wrentail died in an accident, the way the rest of the clan believes. And if Mudpaw seems a little guilty sometimes when that fact is mentioned? Well. Mudpaw has plausible deniability. And really, what apprentice would even have the skills to kill a senior warrior? A twiggy little thing like Mudpaw against Wrentail? No competition. (i.e. she would convince herself out of being suspicious. look at the maybe-murder and go That's None Of My Business. she is Staying In Her Lane.)

As for her thoughts on Mudpaw himself, she would probably come to the same conclusions that she does with her powers; that Wrentail was a big bully of a warrior, and most likely made Mudpaw's life harder than it needed to be. And the scar over his eye would be very suspicious. Border skirmishes with rogues happen, of course, but she doesn't know why an apprentice Mudpaw's age would be involved in one. She doesn't keep up with clan news as much as she should—she doesn't know the circumstances of Mudpaw's injury, or who gave it to him.

His behavior would be difficult for her to judge. He's quiet, very quiet, but she gets occasional glimpses of a spark beneath all the deference and quiet respect. Is it genuine respect keeping him in line? Fear? She doesn't know. He hasn't let his mask drop yet, doesn't trust her enough, she assumes. What will she find underneath? Time will tell.

[rileys-battlecats]

I think you mentioned somewhere that the rest of Micaclan was kind of standoffish with Mudpaw, and only after Wrentail’s death did the clan go easier on him under the impression he was in mourning (although, idk if this has been retconned)

If it’s not a spoiler, what was the rest of the clans impression and relationship with Mudpaw at this point in the story? im especially curious to know what owlpounce thought of him before taking him on as a mentor

(I really enjoy the micaclan series and the amount of thought you put into each character and storyline!!!)

ok first off I'd like to apologize for how long it took me to answer this, SECOND I would like to say EEEEEE YAY IM GLAD YOU LIKE THE STORY AND CHARACTERS YIPPEE

As for your question, yes, the clan has, up until Wrentail's very tragic accident, been very standoffish with Mudpaw. Not necessarily consciously, mind you; they have some internal biases and cultural issues they need to address as a clan where it comes to perceived outsiders. They were never malicious in their treatment of him, just... neglectful. Each member of the clan tended to assume that someone else was taking care of him.

After Wrentail's death, it brought Mudpaw into the spotlight, as it were. Suddenly, everyone is very conscious of the fact that this young cat has gone through an assumedly painful loss, are more cognizant of his need for support, and, most importantly, are willing to offer that support. Mudpaw has more eyes on him. Cats are more aware of him than they once were. Where before the clan was more likely to give Mudpaw a wide berth and generally ignore him, they now are confronted with their own negligence, and are taking steps to rectify it.

Before, Mudpaw was basically a non-entity to the clan. A living ghost, flitting among them, not taking up any more space than necessary, not bringing attention to himself. Quiet. If a cat were to think of him, it was generally in the thought of HawkpawPuddlepawWhitepawMudpaw, not just Mudpaw. He'd be lumped in with "the apprentices".

When Owlpounce first thought to take him on as an apprentice, her impression of Mudpaw was that he was quiet, and contemplative. A deep thinker. Perhaps a bit reckless. He's ended up in her medicine den more than any of the other apprentices, after all. Though, she is willing to admit, it could have been the influence of Wrentail. Embertooth, Wrentail's previous apprentice, had ended up in the medicine den plenty of times back during his apprentice days, too. And that deep scratch over Mudpaw's eye, the one she'd had to patch up a few moons ago... that had been from Wrentail going too hard in training. She'd had words with him afterward. Claws out while training, Starclan help her, even if it'd been the apprentice's idea, Wrentail is—was a senior warrior. He should have known better.

In any case. She knows she doesn't know Mudpaw very well, but then again, she doesn't know any of the apprentices very well. They tend to stay out of the medicine den when they can, not fond of the scent of the herbs or her tendency to fuss. She knows he is quiet. She knows he is hurting. And she knows what Starclan told her—that he needs to be trained as a healer. And, she will admit, she is already growing fond of him. He reminds her of her old mentor, Buckfoot, with his stilted attempts at conversation and contemplative nature. She thinks he'll grow to be a fine medicine cat.

[rileys-battlecats]

Was Possum aware of how MicaClan is about outsiders when he dropped Muddy off there? He probably didn’t have much other choice at that moment, but did he have an idea of how Mudpaw might be treated once he left? If he didn’t know, then do you think he might’ve tried to find another option if he did know?

Also, if I’m allowed to ask, do you know where Possum is currently? And do you think he might ever show up again?

He definitely knew about Micaclan's attitude toward outsiders; part of the reason he hadn't visited home the whole time was because they'd made their stance on his leaving clear. Leaving the clan was a betrayal, even if Possum hadn't meant for it to be. The only reason he was taking the chance on Micaclan when everything went wrong was because, in his panic and heartbreak, all he could think was that Muddy will be safe at home. Even all these years later, in his heart of hearts, the mountain and the cats that raised him are still home.

He thought that Muddy's connection to him would be enough to soften their view. Possum was once a Micaclan cat, he still has family in Micaclan. Perhaps the blood connection would be enough. It didn't matter, in the end; Wrentail never told them.

Along with this, part of the reason he renamed Muddy as Mudkit was to make him seem less foreign, less strange, more traditional. After all, Mudkit sounds like a name any clan cat might give their kit, whereas Muddykit has just the slightest tinge of the atypical. Possum did everything he could to soften the blow, but he worries it wasn't enough.

Today, I think Possum hangs around outside the town he met Sweetpea in. On the outskirts. He can't bring himself to leave, can no longer travel as he once might have, knowing his kit is still living further up the mountain. He can't bring himself to stay either, though. Their old haunts all remind him of his mate, and of their kit. The memories are painful. He's stuck somewhere in the in between. Part of him died that day; in some ways, he feels like a ghost, unable to pass on.

And I don't know if he will show up again! I would love to tie him back into the story, but I think his return would have to be some time after Mudpaw's story draws to a close. Mudpaw has his own development to do, and I think bringing Possum back into the mix too soon could throw things off course. Fun to think about, though!

[rileys-battlecats]

okay but how did mudpaw and wrentail interact in public vs private. like how would they interact in the public eye. bc wrentail can’t really like body slam mudpaw if he’s being annoying or something so does he just act like a regular guy or what. okay what im asking is since u did a really good job writing the thing with mudpaw and the two other guys… cld u maybe write something exploring l mudpaw and wrentails relationship

Around the rest of the clan, Wrentail and Mudpaw’s whole mentorship/apprenticeship would seem a little stiff and awkward, and maybe some hostility could be detected, but it would likely be chalked up to teenage angsting on Mudpaw’s part. Wrentail wouldn’t be outright attacking Mudpaw or anything; maybe a few harsh words or pointed looks, but nothing that would seem like anything more than stern correction on Wrentail’s part.

Despite everything, Mudpaw and Wrentail were actually fairly similar in their outward demeanor; they were both fairly stoic and quiet (although Wrentail was far more visibly confident). On the surface, they might’ve even seemed like a well matched pair.

As for writing something with the two of them, I don’t have any particular ideas right now, but I will definitely post something if/when I do write again!!

[rileys-battlecats]

i have a question, what is the diet of micaclan??

I think they eat a pretty wide variety of things! There's no shortage of prey around Micaclan's current territory, so they've got lots of options. Plus, with their history of having to pick up the whole clan and change territories, i think they wouldn't have been able to afford to be picky eaters. I think that attitude carried over to their descendants, so the clan as a whole will eat just about anything that gets caught (though i imagine they still have favorites)

Living close to water, they have access to frogs and toads, small fish, maybe even the occasional turtle if they can figure out how to get through the shell. Lizards are another option, though those would be more of a quick snack, given their small size. Non-venomous snakes might make their way onto the menu, if a hunter is feeling bold (though they can still be a high-risk target; constrictors are no joke when you're like a foot tall). Small rodents like chipmunks and squirrels. Maybe rabbits, if they get lucky? Plenty of birds, especially smaller songbirds.

These days, i think Micaclan's members like to try to have a "specialty" in hunting; one type of prey they're especially good at catching. It's nothing official, just a point of pride to become The Guy Who's Really Good At Catching [Insert Prey Type].

Mudpaw, of course, is well on his way to being the best songbird-catcher in the clan. for no particular reason

[rileys-battlecats]

I need to know more about Buckfoot!

What was he like, from Shut Eye it seemed like he cared about Owlpaw, and since Birchspeckle was also his apprentice I’m curious on how that relationship was like. Also Was the medicine cats can’t have mates and kits rule enforced? Since he had Possum and Gully I assume the clan allowed it since they needed kits.

Buckfoot my beloved <3

They definitely cared a lot for Owlpaw/pounce. I think they appreciated that she could be what they could not—a bright light in a very dark time. Buckfoot was a realist, almost to a fault. They would tell it like it is, with only the slightest regard for bedside manner. They weren't abrasive per se, but they didn't always understand how to appeal to the emotional states of those they spoke with. They could try to be comforting, but might not always succeed (especially when talking to cats they didn't know quite as well). They had a unique talent for paring a situation down to the most essential facts, and then exploring potential solutions to problems from there. Because of this clear-eyed outlook, they were often sought after for their advice. Their faith in Starclan was iron-clad, and they were still a deeply spiritual cat, even while being firmly rooted in the living world and its realities.

Owlpaw wasn't their first apprentice, but she was perhaps the first one that they truly felt called to teach. Owlpaw was so very different from them, but she was different in a good way. A difference that made them more balanced. After the disaster, she would look to Buckfoot as the one part of her life that was stable. When everything else was thrown into flux, Buckfoot was like a boulder in the middle of a raging river, solid and unmoving. That steadiness carried her through the months and years proceeding the disaster.

Birchspeckle was an unexpected addition to the healers. Owlpaw was still in training when Micaclan found Birchkit. Birch was a prodigy in spiritual matters, dreaming of Starclan and seeing ghosts long before even meeting any of Micaclan's members, but was not old enough to be taught when they found her. Months later, Buckfoot ended up teaching both Owlpaw and Birchpaw simultaneously, which was unprecedented in Micaclan's history. Traditionally, the thought was that if two apprentices had to share a mentor, then one would inevitably end up being favored over the other, even if unintentionally. In this case, Buckfoot turned the training into an opportunity for Owlpaw; she would learn far more effectively by helping to teach Birchpaw right alongside her mentor. When Owlpaw became Owlpounce, she continued to help Buckfoot in teaching Birchpaw. Before they could finish training, though, Buckfoot ended up passing away, and Owlpounce took on the final stretch of Birchpaw's instruction. The three of them were a very close-knit group, and Buckfoot's loss was hard on both Owl and Birch. They consider themselves to be closer to peers than mentor-and-apprentice, even if Owlpounce did end up teaching Birchspeckle's final lessons before becoming a full healer.

The rule about medicine cats and families was never really enforced in Micaclan, doubly so after the disaster when their numbers were so low. Possum and Gully would have known who their other parent was, though I imagine Buckfoot being slightly more hands-off in their parenting style. The type to be like "if they need something, they know they can come to me. otherwise i'll leave them to their exploring".