my name is jamie (main @mochike) and i run this blog! whistling-hollow is a clangen genemod-based warriors oc blog that does not follow a specific plot or even character. it is primarily focused on wildclan, though. the blog is meant to be run casually and focus more on character relationships and everyday life.
i plan on just taking it moon by moon and seeing what the game has to throw at me, and building off of that to flesh out the characters and the story. don't expect full-fledged comics with regular updates, mostly it will be a page or two here and there with one-off sketches.
i play with unique gene chances boosted to an extreme extent because i like looking at pretty cats, so if you feel like i have a crazy amount of rare genes, that is why! ironically, although i'm playing genemod, i'm not really aiming for genetic accuracy lol.
i am an english major by trade so please excuse any ecological or biological inconsistencies! i follow the erins' logic of the clans being set in wherever, bumfuck, euromerioceasia.
blog runs on KST (UTC +9:00)! but my sleep schedule is borked so i post at any time of the day.
housekeeping:
desktop view, especially on the blog site itself (whistling-hollow.tumblr.com) is HIGHLY recommended! i put a lot of effort into finding just the right code (credit to @/phantomcodes), and you can navigate to lore pages about each clan plus auxiliary info like the territories and allegiances from there.
asks and requests are always open and welcome! i am also always looking for clangen blog mutuals, so if you give me a follow and you're another clangenner i'm likely to follow you back.
in general, i'm not a big reblogger, so this blog will mostly be reblog-free save for other clangen blogs' updates or posts!
i tag excessive amounts of blood, big injuries, and death with the cw: format accordingly. i do not draw major gore! this blog isn't particularly dark, but it might dip into some tough issues.
everyone enjoy! i might add extra info to this post as the blog develops, so check in every once in a while!
So… I’ve barley made art in months, and I’m being so real here, the very specific and very stupid reason for this is that… the Murderbot tv show was so disappointing to me that it genuinely left me in the biggest, fattest creative slump that I’ve literally ever experienced in my life LOL
It’s not entirely the show’s fault admittedly, I also just haven’t been taking my ADHD meds for months (bc my new GP is being weird about accepting my prescription for it so I gotta stock up for school with my old GP :))), but STILL! Nobody talk to me about the Murderbot tv show, I’m being serious, I have too many angry thoughts, and I will crumble into dust if questioned about them.
But anyway, Pineclan! My children! I started working on this early in the summer, and only just recently finished it. I have three whole other clans plus several groups of rouges, kittypets, and loners, so this legitimately isn’t even close to half of the Warriors OCs that I have (and will probably at some point get around to making more family trees for one day), but I’m honestly super proud for making this! A lot of these guys haven’t had their designs updated in YEARS, so drawing them all in my most recent (simplified) art style was really satisfying. My favorites definitely ended up being Loudstep, Goldenpaw, and Duck, because yellow cats are my passion :)
(Oh also if you were curious, Bullet and Zero are dogs, which is why they don’t have heads. I just couldn’t be bothered with making a custom base for both of their head shapes, but maybe I’ll get around to it eventually)
i was originally going to wait to post these guys until I had drawn Waxnose but it doesn't matter! hopefully I can refrain from updating their designs for a while since i don't want to keep redrawing their refs T-T
Chapter 7! 🚨 Quick ik. motivation hehe. anyways. no need for intro, here!
Chapter 7
“We’ll need as many warriors as we can.” Needlefang lept up to the roots at the foot of the Highcamp.
Tensions rose in the camp. The snow flurries increased, and Falconpaw could feel her long fur beginning to dampen her fur. Eaglesjaw was the first to volunteer. He paced impatiently.
“Ok, Stickspring, Snakeeyes, Boulderstrike, Firgreen, Gritfog, and you four,” She motioned to the four newly made warriors.
“All of you come with me and Eaglesjaw…” Needlefangs gaze swept over the apprentices and landed on Falconpaw, “If we need any more re-enforcements you’ll run to camp. Otherwise we all fight.”
Birchstar lead the patrol out, “Listen to me. Go quickly, strike fast and bold. But only defend our territory. There’s no need for any deaths. Remember who we are. We are Pineclan, Noble and strong and we’ve weathered worse storms.”
Falconpaw’s blue eyes shimmered. She felt fear rise in her chest. Thornflow was on the patrol. So was Blackice. Were they ok? She shook her head and cleared her mind.
“Head up Falconpaw,” Brackencloud nudged her, “It was bound to happen.”
“Right.” The young apprentice followed the patrol. Needlefang, Boulderstrike and Eaglesjaw taking the lead.
“We attack full force,” Needlefang commanded. “Grassfrond said that it was at the south river beach. It should be ok then to charge down the sand.”
“What about sneaking up on them from behind?” Snakeeyes piped up, “They wouldn’t see us coming.”
“No.” Boulderstrike hissed, “By now those vipers would’ve sent for reinforcements. It wouldn’t be a sneak attack if the incoming patrol would see us coming.”
“So we charge.” Eaglesjaw stoically and purposefully faced forward.
Needlefang gave him a sympathetic look. Yowels began to sound from the beach.
“Lets go!” They all began to charge towards the beach. Falconpaw fought with all her might to keep up.
They made it to the beach, looked around then charged towards the battle.
Eaglesjaw ferociously leaped ontop of a warrior. The new warriors charged in beside him, and Falconpaw was lost in a flurry of fur and claws.
Falconpaw ducked down dodging a blow. She tried to see through the pelts but she couldn’t. She felt as icy as the snow around them was. Frozen in place overwhelmed by the violence surrounding her. She felt something hot and wet sink into her pelt. She turned and saw it was a splatter of blood. She tried again to break from the mass.
Stumbling around aimlessly she fekt like crying out. Everything smelled strange and she couldn’t recognize anyone. Just as she was about to flee she felt someone stabilize her.
“Keep your head. Think like a hawk. And for Starclans sake stop gettng under paw!” It was Blackice’s passionate voice.
He was tackled down shortly after. He pushed his attacked off and aimed a blow to their ear. Falconpaw focused, well tried to. She saw a cat near her size and charged at her. Headbutting her harshly and mustering up the most ferocious growl she could.
She stood facing a young angry tom. She tried to recall his name but failed.
‘Doesn’t matter… I have to fight!’
She swung at him with full force. He dodged and they began to exchange blows. Neither of them landed anything real. They rolled along the beach, sand caking their pelts until Falconpaw wrapped her teeth around his paw somehow and bit. The young tom howled and fell awkwardly on his side.
Triumph surged and she pinned him to the sand. Her claws digged into his flanks into an attempt to restrain him.
“Get off!” He roared but Falconpaw didn’t flinch.
The tom went limp. Falconpaw wanted to relax but she knew this trick. ‘These cats must think I’m stupid!’
She dug her claws in deeper until she felt blood pooling her claws. She only got off when she was rammed from the side.
Falconpaw stumbled back. Rage swelled and she unsheathed her claws. Another apprentice faced her. She recognized them this time.
“Palepaw…” she spat.
The she-cat glared in response. Falconpaw remembered the gash she had gotten from her when she first became and apprentice. Resentment burned hotly in her and the cats began to circle.
Falconpaw’s blue eyes met Palepaw’s. She fogot all about who this cat was, and she lashed out a paw, cuffing the she-cats ear. She screamed and Falconpaw took the chance and dove at her.
Palepaw yelled with rage as she was pushed down, and she began to claw at Falconpaw’s fur and arms. While she mostly pulled out fur she landed some hard blows to her chest and arms. Falconpaw flinched away, but she quickly began to rake Palepaw’s belly with her back paws.
Falconpaw found that now she could easily pin the thin she-cat down. She shook her with her forepaws under her forearms. Palepaw looked dizzy and foggy, her white bell fur staining red.
But yet again she was rammed into. Annoyed but prepaired, Falconpaw landed right on her paws in the sand, and swung to face her new attacker… and she realized she was nose to nose with Tumblepaw.
Falconpaw almost clawed her ears aswell, if it weren’t for the sharp piercing amber gaze. Tumblepaw looked concerned, angry, protective, and something else Falconpaw couldn’t place.
‘She doesn’t want to hurt me… she wont, she wants me to go away.’
Falconpaw didn’t have time to think. Thankfully she didn’t need to. A splitting cry broke the battle apart in a moment.
Cats backed away, shocked gasps and wails escaped. Faclonpaw glanced back at Tumblepaw then turned to see what was happening.
Eaglesjaw was standing over an old tom. The tom writhed in agony, as blood poured from his neck. His paws twitched and he suddenly fell still. Eaglesjaw looked shooked. Needlefang and Blackice came to his side. Needlefang examined the cat then turned to Sandyclaw, Duneclan’s deputy.
“Sending elders into battle now? You snake-hearts!”
Sandyclaw gave a raspy laugh, “It was his choice. But it wasn’t his choice to bleed out here and die not on his territory!”
“I was defending my clan!” Eaglesjaw spat, he turned back and Falconpaw noticed her mother, Thornflow behind him. Badly wounded and seemingly unresponsive.
“Cats don’t have to kill to protect their clan!” A large golden tom spat at Eaglesjaw.
Blackice squared up to him, “Watch your tone. I’d suggest you back away now Goldenlion.”
The tom gave a hearty laugh, “Pineclan is a den of murders! First Mitewhisker and now Bloodmat.”
Blackice flinched and seemed to hesitate. Needlefang stepped infront of him to hide his weakness. The crowd around the dark ginger elder slowly dissipated. Goldenlion and a white she-cat began to drag him away.
“I smell fear…” Boulderstrike muttered, “You cowards can’t even commit to an attack.”
“Falconpaw!” Eaglesjaw was calling to her. “Come help me with your mother.”
Falconpaw felt worry rise. She cantered around the beach and cam to his side. From the corner of her eye, she saw Tumblepaw staring at her as she went to join her clan to go home. She could feel a glare burning into her and she tried to catch her eye.
When she failed, she turned to help houst Thornflow onto Eaglesjaw’s back. She walked by him to help stabilize. The clan silently retreated into the woods.
Blackice walked beside her, and Falconpaw noticed how battered her clan looked. Spruebark has a huge gash over his shoulders, Snakeeyes had a quickly swelling gash over her eye, Eaglesjaw’s arms were filled with cuts. Had they lost the battle?
Falconpaw then began to feel her own pain. She felt sharp stinging around her forepaws and shoulder. And she felt warm blood trickle down her muzzle and from her ear.
“The cuts on your arms don’t look to bad. The wont scar but that one on your muzzle and your ear definitely will.”
Falconpaw sighed, Eaglesjaw scoffed, “Warriors should take pride in their scars. Remember when I used to show you the ones across my belly?”
“Vaguely.”
“It shows you’ve servered your clan and done right by them.”
Blackice snickered, “Or you’ve been incredibly stupid.” That got him a glare.
When they made it back to clan, Falconpaw and her father rushed Thornflow to the medicine den.
“Great Starclan…” Dirtyroot seemed panicky, “Uh put her down there, I’ll treat her first.”
“Falconpaw help her off.” Eaglesjaw bent down and Falconpaw carefully guided her mother to the dirt floor.
She cried in agony and Falconpaw saw that Eaglesjaw’s back was dark and damp with blood. Hawkpaw and Kestralpaw had rushed into the den, and were making a nest if moss around their mother. Eaglesjaw felt the blood on his back and felt shell shocked.
“Comfort your kits…” Dirtyroot soothed in his ear, “We’ll do the best we can.”
The warrior nodded and led his kits outside. He sat heavily and Hawkpaw and Kestralpaw began to demand answers.
“What happened to her!?”
“Who hurt her?!”
“Duneclan…” The tom hissed the name, “That den of vipers…”
“I’ll shred them!” Kestralpaw howled and unsheathed his claws.
“Falconpaw roughed up an apprentice, I saw.” Eaglesjaw boasted, snapping him out of his trance “That scrawny one… Scorpionpaw I think.”
“Is Thornflow going to be alright?” Falconpaw gazed into the medicine den.
Eaglesjaw followed her eyes, “Im sure she will… she’s tough…”
For a moment Falconpaw felt strange. She felt as if her worries floated away, everything would be alright, wouldn’t it?
But that was only for a moment. They quickly came flooding back into her mind. She saw Hawkpaw and Kestralpaw go off to the apprentices den together without a word to her. She watched her father sit outside the medicine den, almost as if guarding it, and she was alone again.
Birchstar clambered to the roots of the Highcamp, and for the second time today, she called a meeting.
“Let all cats old enough to climb a great pine gather for a clan meeting!”
Most cats were around, Coalpaw and peaked his head of the medicine den, the elders in the Highcamp looked down, and the warriors gathered round.
“We cannot continue to make fools of ourselves.” Birchstar hissed, “If Duneclan wants war, they will have it, if Duneclan wants bloodshed, they will have it.”
Yowls sounded from cats like Bouldedstrike and Flipblade, then died down.
“We need to be as strong as we can be… that why I want all the apprentices to become warriors by the next gathering.” Birchstar ignored the gasps and continued, “It’s more than possible, and it’s been done before. Some cats are made warriors only three moons into training. These cats are nearly four. Blackice, Gritfog, and Firgreen. I have faith in all three of you. As well as your apprentices.”
“Hawkpaw will he training from sun-up to sun down!” Firgreen cheered.
“Kestralpaw will be on every patrol!” Gritfog cried!
The clan yowled their agreements. Blackice scoffed. But he didn’t seem opposed. Falconpaw wondered how hard he’d push her. If he even would. It didn’t seem like something he would do.
“Clan dismissed!”
Falconpaw’s siblings were instantly swept away by their mentors. “We need to get triple as much training in now!” Gritfog said, guiding Kestralpaw out of camp with his dirty grey tail.
“Yikes…” Faclonpaw laughed to herself, “I feel bad for them.”
“Take a break.” Blackice appeared beside her. His tail tucked neatly by his white paws. “You fought well.”
“Okay…” Falconpaw closed her eyes.
“Two apprentices, and about to beat the last one.” He paused, his ice blue eyes pierced her, “Weren’t you?”
“Uh right!” Falconpaw shut her mouth too quickly, her eyes widening.
Blackice gave an approving nod and Falconpaw trotted off to the apprentices den. She curled into her moss nest, pushing aside the image of her mother in the medicine den, her father loyal stayed out outisde, the burning of her forearms, and worst, the look in Tumblepaw’s eyes.
She felt numb, and soon she became numb, and was swallowed by darkness.
-
Falconpaw found herself in a field. The wind blew warmly over grass. She lifted her head. Everything looked pastel. Yellow small flowers surrounded her like a bed, and a warm breeze brought the scent of plentiful prey. It wasn’t cold here like Pineclan was, it was like the days of her kithood, warm and carefree.
She looked up. There were beautiful clouds up in a blue sky that matched her eyes. She dug her claws into the soft earth, and began to walk towards where she smelled a rabbit.
“Hello there…” a warm friendly voice calked from behind. Falconpaw spun to meet it.
Before her stood a amber eyed she cat. She had long fur on her face but short hair on her body. She was patched with brown spots around her while body and over her eyes on an other wise white pelt. She was tabbed in this spots, and she had a lone black ear.
“Hello…” Falconpaw felt a little shy, who was this cat?
“Do you know who I am?” The young she-cat asked, “Or where you are?”
“No… should I?”
“Maybe not,” The cat giggled, “It’s only your first time.”
“Right.” Falconpaw pretended to understand.
Thats when Falconpaw noticed, the cat before her had six toes… she swore she had heard about this before.
“You’re… Pineclan’s first deputy, Pinestar’s sister!” She exclaimed, surprised such a revered cat was before her.
She nodded, “Yes, My name is Treepeak.”
Falconpaw was excited, she had always looked up to this brave cat. Legends were told about her and Pinestar. She wanted to ask this cat what it was lik to form a clan, and how it was organizing cats to follow the code for the first time. But then she began to feel dread.
“No… Y-You’re dead… that means I’m in Starclan… and that means-“ She began to hyperventilate.
“No! No no calm yourself young one!” Treepeak yelled trying to get her attention, “You’re not dead, look at your fur!”
Falconpaw twisted to look. It looked normal, Treepeak’s was speckled with stars. “Oh.” She felt hot embarrassment burn her face.
Treepeak sighed, “I apologize, I should’ve introduced it better.”
Falconpaw nodded, “Uhm so, why am I here?”
“Oh right!” Treepeak cleared her throat, “I come with a word. Falconpaw, I, and all of Starclan has been watching you. Since the moment you were born, you have had a heavy destiny, and a great crown to carry.”
“Crown?” Falconpaw raised a brow but was ignored.
“We have watched you train, we have watched all your faults, all your triumphs. We have seen the things you keep close to your chest, and we have seen the things and services you have done to your clan.”
Falconpaw felt self-concious, “So you know about Tumblepaw…?”
Treepeak nodded, “You are young, and no young cat should have to carry this burden, but I was not going to let you carry this alone. Falconpaw… a great storm is coming. A storm with the potential to rock the clan’s to its core. A storm that will make or break your very way of life.”
“A storm..? Likea thunderstorm or…?”
“Great trials are ahead of you. trials that would break even the strongest of cats. But you are not like them. No matter what you face, no matter what happens… Follow your heart above all else, and stay true to the code.”
“Uhm…” Falconpaw was half-convinced this was just a weird dream at this point, “Okay.”
Treepeak stared at Falconpaw, seemingly annoyed at the apprentices doubt. But she remained patient. “May Starclan light your path.” And she vanished.
Falconpaw was left alone in the field. “That was… strange.” She checked to see if any more historical figures were going to come and speak to her.
When she was satisfied she lay back in the grass. Though consciously, she doubted Treepeak really came for her. But deep within her, she began to feel fear rising. She shut her eyes, and the world was dark once more.