#starclans fallen

[starclansfallen]

Living cats vs Spirit cats

Living cats have typical keratin, ivory colored claws.

StarClan Cats

Golden blood, teeth, claws and glowing pupils. Eyes and Scars are gilded and very shimmery, resembling stars.

Dark Forest Cats

Black blood, claws(obsidian) and eyes with glowing red pupils. Blood is very ink-like with an almost oil slick shimmer (usually reddish colors)

[darkforestpetalkit]

Finally! I finally got Tigerstar's design down for my Petalkit AU, StarClan's Fallen! Took forever to figure him out but I'm pleased with the results <3

[starclansfallen]

StarClan's Fallen Lore Guide

This AU takes place between Mapleshade's Vengeance and The Prophecies Begin. It will later revolve around the events of A Dangerous Path and The Darkest Hour.

Sections

Changes from canon

Dark Forest World Lore

Dark Forest Lifestyle & resources

Petalkit's Affliction and Hatred

Appledusk and Birchface

[starclansfallen]

Changes from Canon

Omitted retcons

Spottedleaf’s Heart: NEVER happened and does not exist in this AU for obvious reasons. Thistleclaw’s portrayal is based on Bluestar’s Prophecy. Tigerclaw’s Fury: Mapleshade's voice has not been in Tigerstar’s head. She has not guided or manipulated him to do anything. He is only aware of her as a mythical figure from nursery tales, and considered the boogeyman of ThunderClan. Tigerclaw has never met Mapleshade or been in the Dark Forest yet.

Mapleshade's Vengeance

Mapleshade has the highest authority and reigns over the Dark Forest. She is the most feared cat, and often referred to as The Dark Forest Queen.

Frecklewish and Ravenwing were very close to the kits, who saw them as family. Ravenwing, ThunderClan's medicine cat, would often visit the nursery with Frecklewish, and Petalkit would curiously ask about the various herbs whenever he gave Mapleshade Borage leaves or moss for water. When Ravenwing discovered the truth about the kit's father, he grew cold and distant. Ravenwing more malicious intent when informing Oakstar about the kits. He told the leader knowing exactly how he'd react, but justified this as doing his duty, and being loyal to the Clan in the name of the Warrior code and StarClan's will. He contributed to Oakstar's decision on exiling Mapleshade and her kits during the peak of the terrible storm. Ravenwing was with Frecklewish when they watched the kits drown. Petalkit had even managed to grab onto a ledge and begged them for help, reaching for them. Frecklewish ignored her and Ravenwing pulled his paw away. Ravenwing is in the Dark Forest with Frecklewish

The Prophecies Begin

Bluestar's Prophecy – Into the Wild Petalkit's time displacement sends her toward the end of Sunstar's leadership. She arrives on the exact day Thistleclaw is killed by a RiverClan patrol and Tigerclaw has only been a warrior for two moons. Mapleshade was training Thistleclaw before she assigned Silverhawk to be his mentor.  Bluefur is deputy when Thistleclaw dies.  Tigerclaw is 14 moons when Thistleclaw is killed, and has only been a warrior for 2 moons. A Dangerous Path The dog pack attack never happened. The pack was found and retrieved by their Two-leg owners before they could cause havoc. Bluestar dies before it's Tigerstar's second Gathering as Shadowclan leader and Leopardstar's first. Sandstorm becomes Firestar's deputy. Tigerstar has not proposed TigerClan to the Clans yet, and currently doesn't know Stonefur and Mistyfoot are Bluestar's kits. Sasha left him just a moon ago.

Bonus: Snowkit isn't attacked by a hawk, simply because Bloodpetal (adult Petalkit) just happened to hunt and eat the very same hawk by pure coincidence and luck.

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Life in the Dark Forest & resources

Reborn through rot and death 

Upon death, cats sent to the Dark Forest emerge from the soil as black sludge. It will spread out and shape itself into their cat body, where they “crawl” out of the earth they were just reborn from.

Despite not needing to eat or sleep, Dark Forest spirit cats still feel phantom hunger pangs and fatigue. With the absence of prey in the Place of No Stars, their instinctual urge to hunt is met with endless frustration. Even when experiencing acute exhaustion, sleep will never come to them. They can try to mimic what sleep once was to replenish energy, but their minds are never at rest. They are in a state of constant consciousness with no real relief other than fading out of existence. 

Some spirits will cope better than others, but most become extremely hostile and restless. Older, more ancient spirits tend to adapt better than newer spirits, but cats who cling to their past life will struggle the most.

Only combat seems to soothe suffering Dark Forest cats, and why their culture of violence becomes vital to their existence.

Injuries

When injured, Dark Forest cats are still capable of healing, but the process is different than it was in life. It is a much more unpleasant, slower and even painful experience. While wounds can’t be infected, effective healing can only be initiated by staying still in a resting state. Being stationary allows the Dark Forest spirits to replenish enough energy so that their body can begin to repair itself. Full recovery will vary on the nature of the wound, how soon a cat begins to heal, and remains undisturbed during the process. Wounds heal faster and more efficiently during longer resting periods, which severe injuries often require. Providing the cat hasn’t already been killed or faded, cats can still bleed out from fatal injuries before healing can take effect. 

Even with the inability to sleep or experience sickness, this is an extremely vulnerable position to be caught in, making alliances and owning territory essential for survival. 

Glowing Fungi

Glowing fungi scattered throughout the Dark Forest and considered a valuable resource. They are a form of currency among Dark Forest cats that can be negotiated and exchanged for territories, alliances or protection.

They often appear in clusters growing on trees or spread along moldy soil. Most fungi are considered to be relatively rare, but not always scarce, only growing under certain conditions or exclusive locations that can determine a territory's value. They can also enforce a cat’s status, worth and bargaining power. Some fungi are easier to find than others, but tend to be regarded as the lowest tier.

Fungi value and usage Common fungi is often collected and used for consumption or extracting its unique properties. The type of fungi and method of usage will determine how a Dark Forest spirit is affected, such as quick pain relief or numbing phantom hunger pangs (similar to poppyseeds). Spores and residue from glowing fungi can be directly applied on wounds for soothing and less painful, more successful healing. This can significantly reduce the resting time an injured cat needs in order to heal and is highly pursued within the Dark Forest. Glowing fungi can be especially helpful when claiming and identifying territories. This is usually done by chewing it into paste to become a glowing pigment they can mark with and tends to stain fairly well. It is commonly used when mapping out strategies by dipping their paws or claws into the glowing paste, and scratching lines into the ground or bark. Sometimes it’s used for entertainment or as simple as decorating with light sources. When fungi is ingested, Dark Forest cats cannot be poisoned but living cats can, and fatally. Higher value Fungi and usage Many types of fungi can be mixed together for various effects using different methods. Fungi as an ingredient, common and rare, can be combined with other Dark Forest undergrowth to produce very rare and unique results that cannot be easily replicated. Knowing how and which fungi to use outside of experimentation would require a history in medicine, such as Ravenwing, a former medicine cat of ThunderClan. Among these unique properties are benefits that can be applied in battle, such as heightened focus and enhanced endurance. Other advantages can include energy boosts, fear suppression, increased pain tolerance— even numbness, within a certain time frame. Duration is determined by how potent the dosage is, but too much can cause temporary paralysis or weakened muscle control. If a cat is truly unlucky, this would be the only way to experience nausea. Another highly desired, recently discovered effect is fungi mixes that can simulate sleep, including the ability to dream again.  This has been unheard of, but as soon as it was known and proven to work, it was heavily pursued just for the chance of having that sleeping experience again—even temporarily. Not only would they finally be at rest without required, constant consciousness, this would also encourage better healing. The dreams are what Dark Forest cats are surprisingly most hungry for. Many Dark Forest spirits still grieve and cling to their former lives, and the possibility to feel alive again—away from the Dark Forest, is irresistible. It also has the potential of making visiting other cat’s dreams more accessible to those who don’t have the experience to do so yet. However, being unconscious means they are unable to defend themselves. So finding an undiscovered hiding place or willing ally to share (or lend) their territory, or to simply guard them, would be a necessity. The simulation of a full belly is also an effect in high demand. This was deemed unfathomable because it wasn’t just temporary relief of hunger, it was complete satisfaction of appetite.

Bloom slugs

The most valued and inconceivable. There are no prey in the Place of No Stars, and no known history of such suggesting there ever was before. So this is incredibly and unbelievably rare. But, under the right conditions, fungi can be cultivated to produce hybrids and other undiscovered (or perhaps ancient) species of fungi. One being grown fungi that resembles a strange beehive and seems to function like a cocoon. After a given time for its development, slugs will eventually ‘hatch’ out of them. Only a highly trained cat in medicine could have made this discovery. There have only been whispers of who could be responsible for the creation of Bloom Slugs. 

The events in StarClan’s Fallen take place during the discovery of Bloom Slugs.

Bloom Slug usage and significance

Their current usage is for consumption. When eaten, it can prevent a cat on the brink of death from fading away completely. 

However this must be done during a very tight and specific time frame. The cat must be in the process of dying. It won't work if given too early or in a non-fading state. They can be eaten if desired, for no other reason other than the enjoyment of eating prey.

They actually taste good and like meat! However, they can sometimes cause hallucinations or temporary paralysis. Or they can be simply kept as a pet.

They have no effect on living cats. Providing they are not Dark Forest touched with an Affliction that is. It is currently unknown how ingesting a Bloom Slug would affect an Afflicted cat.

[starclansfallen]

Alright this is probably where I'm gonna make my master post.