I don't own these pictures or this fandom. If I did, they would stop after Firestar died and there would be more than a few rewrites regarding certain characters. Please note that this does feature self-identity issues and host a few LGBTQ cats. If you don't like them, please don't flame and ruin the story for other readers. These are links to the cats as I imagine them.
photos/Cat/Malta/MalteseCat_ . (Paleheart)
ae26/i/2013/244/d/d/fluffy_commission_by_gato_ . (Mapletail)
ba2e/i/2008/239/3/0/eyes_like_heaven_by_ (Snowfrost)
d027/i/2011/123/0/b/crowfeather_by_zann_ . (Northstar- this color fur with white paws, ears, chest)
The pale grey she-cat crept forward, focus solely on her prey. The squirrel was huge, and would make a great meal for the elders. "Snowfrost?" A familiar voice meowed curiously. She hissed quietly, but the squirrel had already noticed her. She lunged for the creature once, twice, three times before-
"Watch out!" Paleheart yowled, but it was too late. Snowfrost smacked head-first into the tree that the squirrel had raced halfway up, and seeing that, the determined she-cat began to climb. The squirrel chittered happily, and if she didn't know any better, she'd say it was mocking her. When she finally made it to the branch the squirrel was on, the dumb rodent was back on the ground and mocking her again! She let out a battle yowl and leapt for the ground, claws unsheathed. The squirrel squeaked and raced... right into Paleheart's paws. The light brown tom laughed as he held the dead rodent out to his friend.
"Don't worry, Snow, we'll say you caught it, now let's head back to camp and get you looked at. You probably hit your head."
"But I didn't! You did, and when the others find out what happened, even the elders will laugh me out of the forest!"
"Aw, Snow..."
"For once, I just want to catch a piece of prey without messing up! I want to be able to fight Talonheart and know that he's not going easy on me! I don't want to be another mouth to feed, Paleheart, I want to defend my Clan!" Snowfrost growled, panting as they limped slowly to camp. Paleheart sighed.
They had this discussion every time something went wrong, and that happened a lot. There wasn't anything wrong with Snowfrost in the physical sense. She was a healthy young she-cat who would make some tom extremely happy if she ever had kits, but she saw the world differently, didn't always understand the way things were done and most times had to be reminded to do certain things. If they pertained to her interests, however, you couldn't get her to stop for all the world.
She was currently in a slump brought on by a series of unfortunate events that all involved her messing up the simple things, even when she was doing her best not to disrupt Clan life. Especially the harder she tried. Snowfrost limped into camp, leaning heavily on Paleheart, not much to anyone's surprise.
"Nice catch, guys." The deputy, Mapletail, offered cheerfully from the Highledge.
"Paleheart's catch." The light grey she-cat scowled as she headed for her nest.
"Wait!" Mapletail yelped, taking note of her injuries. "Where are you going? You have to get to the medicine den!" The tortoiseshell exclaimed as she scrambled down the boulder path that led from the leader's den to the rest of the camp.
"I'm fine!" Snowfrost snarled. "Frostmint and Scarletpaw don't need to bother with me."
"But you're not fine!" Paleheart snapped. "And that's exactly what they train for!"
"SNOWFROST!" Frostmint stormed out of the medicine den and caught sight of the pale grey warrior. "You get your sorry tail into my den right now! Or I'll order Northstar to keep you in camp for the rest of the moon!"
"Like he won't do that anyway!" The injured she-cat spat back, racing for the camp entrance. Paleheart beat her to it and blocked the way, mirroring her every time she tried to get around him. Finally, she went straight for an attack and he barely dodged in time. She yowled as he stomped his paw on her tail in a last effort, and she tumbled to the ground. He bundled her back into camp and toward the medicine den, nodding as she cursed him to StarClan and beyond. By now, most of the Clan was outside, wondering what exactly happened to the warrior this time.
"You've just made yourself worse, y'know.' He said as he led her to a nest in the medicine den.
"Should've just let me go. Not like it'd make a difference."
"I'm not leaving you out on your own, Snow. Not ever, and especially not at night."
"Why, because I'm useless?"
"No-!"
"I bet I'd be dead in the morning." She scoffed airily.
"Exactly!" Paleheart roared, leaping to his paws. His claws were unsheathed and his fur ruffled, eyes wide with panic. He loomed over his friend and she shrank back in her nest. "You think I'd waste all the time I spent looking after you just to let you go off and get yourself killed five heartbeats later?! Not happening, Snowfrost. I'm your friend. Friends don't let each other go off and get hurt just because they're feeling down." Paleheart explained. "Tell you what, if we haven't scared off all the prey, you can try again later, we'll do a hunting patrol. I'm sure you'll catch something."
"Right. Good luck with that."
"Snowfrost-."
"You should go find Kinkpelt. She usually cheers you up, right? Just go."
"S-."
"Get out!" The injured she-cat snapped. Once her friend was out of sight, Snowfrost sighed and flopped into her nest. That turned out to be a mistake, she thought as she groaned.
"I would give you a poppy seed, but we have to see what's wrong first." Scarletpaw offered.
"Sure." Snowfrost growled, flicking her limp tail. "Whatever... How am I supposed to be a warrior if I can't hunt or fight? I'm not good with herbs either. I'd probably poison some cat sooner than heal them. Honestly, I'm kinda hopeless and I have no clue what Paleheart's going on about. He doesn't have to follow every pawstep I take. I'm not fragile." She scowled. "Just a screw-up."
"He does that because he cares, Snowfrost." Frostmint offered.
"Well if he paid Kinkpelt half as much attention as he does me then maybe she wouldn't act like she's got ants in her pelt."
"Their problems are theirs to work through, just as you have yours."
"He shouldn't be neglecting his mate just because I can't catch a squirrel."
"You don't know what they do when you're not around, no matter how much you think you are. They have their business and you have yours. If you want to know so badly, ask Kinkpelt yourself."
"I just want to make sure she doesn't hate me."
"I doubt she hates you, Snowfrost. In fact, it's probably the exact opposite. Whatever she feels, she'll tell you if she thinks you're a problem. Now be still and let me splint your leg. Scarletpaw, fetch a stick and some rush-weed binds so we can straighten these bones before they heal crookedly."
Mapletail paced across the leader's den, tail flicking anxiously as she turned every few pawsteps. Northstar looked as anxious as she felt, though the dark blue, white-pawed tom didn't show as much.
"I just don't know what you want me to do, Mapletail. She's a warrior, yes, but she brings in no prey, can't fight to save her life, even when it might actually save her life... I want her to succeed just as much as you do, but I can't stalk her every pawstep. Snowfrost has to find her own way, and I'm confident that she can do it standing on her own four paws. You heard Paleheart, she jumped out of a tree to catch a squirrel for the elders. If she'd done anymore then she'd have chased it all the way to camp!" Northstar purred, pride shining in his eyes. "I don't think smothering her is going to help her get better, but she does need to heal. Who knows, maybe Kinkpelt can talk some sense into Paleheart, make him take a few steps back and realize that enabling her isn't the answer."
"Then what is?!" The tortoiseshell deputy snarled, stopping suddenly and leaning forward to glare at her leader. "She's not useless, Northstar! Just different. There has to be a place for her here!"
"Who said there isn't?" Northstar asked, eyes widening in question. "I'm not letting her leave us, I could never-." He cut himself off before he said too much. "She has a place with us, where she belongs, in ThunderClan, no matter what anyone else thinks."
"So," Mapletail snickered. "How long do you think you can hold out before you crack and tell her what you really think of her, hmm?"
"No." The dark blue leader growled, voice flat. "I'm not what she needs right now, and I can control myself. Stop prying and go bother Viperclaw."
"Whatever you say, fearless leader." Mapletail purred sweetly. "Tell her soon, or I'll do it for you. Bet you'll be embarrassed then."
Kinkpelt came to visit her a few days later, in the afternoon. She was getting better, the splint was working and her head was checked every few hours. She healed quickly, for some reason, and she had never been one to let life slow her down, even when it tried its best.
"I want to know why you sent him away." The tan, ever-ruffled she-cat meowed upon sight of her mate's best friend. "He just wants to help you."
"If he smothered you the way he smothered me it'd be a different story." Snowfrost grumbled. "It's bad enough I can't do much, but he's my only friend, and he pities me! It's ridiculous!" The grey cripple snapped. "I don't want to be pitied, I want to be respected, like you and Mapletail. I want to earn my way in the Clan like the rest of you, but I get the feeling it'll be a while, if my leg has anything to say about it."
"Well, you did jump out of a tree..." Kinkpelt offered, mirth shining in her sympathetic gaze. "That tends to hurt."
"Paleheart didn't tell you the full story, did he?"
"Apparently not. What really happened?"
"I almost had it, but he shocked me out of my fur and scared the squirrel up a tree. So I climbed up, and it just sits there, staring at me like some kind of maniac!"
"Wait, the squirrel was mocking you?" Kinkpelt laughed. Snowfrost snickered along, glad that she got the reaction she was going for.
"Exactly! So I chased it down and it ran right into Paleheart's paws."
"I think I know what your problem is, Snowfrost." Kinkpelt offered slowly, as if something had just occurred to her. Snowfrost stiffened.
"What?" She growled, incredulous.
"It's rare, because cats are hunters by nature, and we live in the forest, but it's bound to happen. Not everyone can be the same." The tan she-cat meowed quickly, voice reassuring.
"What? What is it?" Snowfrost pleaded.
"I don't think you can kill things." Snowfrost narrowed her eyes and made to speak, but Kinkpelt beat her to it. "Please, just hear me out!" Snowfrost nodded and flicked her tail for the tan she-cat to go on. "You might not think about it, but something stops you everytime you try to catch prey, and you don't hurt anyone too badly in battle."
"So... I'm not a proper cat? No wonder I can never be a warrior." Snowfrost scowled.
"Of course you're a cat, silly! There are other ways to serve the Clan. You can talk to Northstar and Mapletail about having a partner on patrols, because you're really good at sniffing out prey. You just can't catch it, right? Something always stops you, doesn't it?"
"Yeah... that's true."
"And we never do mean to kill in battle, but you can still score a few hits. I've seen your fighting style. It's mostly defensive, but you still use your claws. You're not as fast, but you're pretty good at being determined. Use that to your advantage instead of letting it stress you out." Kinkpelt offered.
"Thanks... I need to find Northstar. I think you're on to something. Say, where'd you figure that out anyway?"
"My father knew a cat like that. Name was Darkclaw. Spent his whole life in the medicine den, because they didn't know what was wrong with him. Stormwing knew, though, and he told me that if I ever came across a cat like Darkclaw, I should give them the chance he never got. You're rare, Snowfrost, and you should be proud of that. There are ways around killing things. We're your Clan. We can help you if you let us. Isn't that what Clan life is?"
"Yeah... Thanks, Kinkpelt."
Northstar jerked awake when something tapped his flank.
"Great StarClan, Snowfrost, don't do that!" He yowled, scrambling to his paws unseeingly.
"How'd you know it was me?" The pale grey warrior asked curiously. Northstar licked his chest fur, embarrassed as he realized that the object of his affections was actually in his den. "You're fearless." He deadpanned. "Any other cat would call out before they enter my den. Probably scared I'd scratch their face off."
"Well you won't. I talked to Kinkpelt just now, and she thinks she knows what my problem is."
"Go on." Northstar mused, interested. No one had ever given an idea as to why they thought Snowfrost was so different, so he was curious as to what Kinkpelt knew that the rest might not. When Snowfrost finished about her talk with Kinkpelt, it took everything Northstar had not to yowl his heart out. The fact that this had happened before meant that it truly did exist. It wasn't just Snowfrost, and even if it was, this wasn't a problem.
"So you're a kit a heart?" The blue and white tom purred mischievously.
"I wouldn't say in every aspect." Snowfrost offered thoughtfully. "I just... literally can't do it, no matter how much I want to catch prey or go into battle by myself."
"First of all, you'll never be alone in battle. Someone will always be there to back you up, and even if it's not one of us, StarClan has our backs. They won't let you be alone."
"At least in battle."
"At least in battle." The leader repeated. If it were up to him, he would never want to leave her alone, but she had to be her own cat and she couldn't do that if someone stalked her every other pawstep.
Snowfrost watched as her leader went from joyful to determined, and it confused her. Why was he so cautious of her? He knew she would be alright, didn't he? She bumped her muzzle against his to get his attention. He jolted and glanced up at her, confusion and hope warring in his gaze.
"What's wrong?" She'd seen that look before, when Paleheart agonized over Kinkpelt, before she asked him to be her mate because he was a scaredy-mouse and Snowfrost asked her to just make it stop! The mooning was agonizing and-... Understanding lit her gaze and she smirked.
"I know what's wrong with you." She snickered playfully, thwaping his nose with her tail. "You're mooning over someone. There aren't many she-cats in our Clan that aren't already taken. I was wondering if it was Mapletail you had a crush on when you first became a warrior, because you were the same age, but then she paired up with Viperclaw and you seemed happy for her, so it's not her. Kinkpelt is with Paleheart and you haven't shown any interest with her... We don't really have a lot of she-cats, do we? There's Scarletpaw and her sisters? But Scarletpaw is a medicine cat and the other two have probably got their own crushes." Snowfrost snorted. "You're not in love with one of them, though, are you? You'd fall in love with an apprentice?"
Northstar fought the urge to wail and lowered his head to his paws, ears flat.
"I did once." He muttered, and it came out strangled.
"What happened to her?"
"She grew up."
That got Snowfrost thinking. ThunderClan has been pretty small lately, compared to the stories the elders tell. She and Kinkpelt were the only female apprentices, alongside Paleheart, but she knew right away that she and Paleheart would be the best of friends, because he was clearly mooning over Kinkpelt. It was hilarious, watching them dance around each other. But she'd always admired Northstar, then Northheart, for his unwavering determination and his ability to be so kind to everyone he met, even if they were enemies or useless, like her. Apparently he felt the same way about her.
"Okay, let's go." She insisted. "Up, North, we're going for a walk. You've got some explaining to do." She snorted, pushing into his side with her muzzle so that he rolled over and yowled in surprise.
"What-?"
"No, seriously, get up. We're getting out of camp, you're going to tell me how long you've had this crush, and then we'll go from there. But I need to get out of camp because I'm gonna go crazy if I don't, and you're going to be my escort. So get up and come with me or I'll get Mapletail to make you."
"You can't-!"
"Watch me." Snowfrost purred mischievously. "You know she'd be more than happy to."
"..."
Snowfrost loped over to the den entrance and opened her mouth. Northstar shot to his paws.
"Okay! Let's go." He meowed frantically. "Just don't call Mapletail."
"She already sees me." Snowfrost snickered as she prowled down the Highledge and headed for the entrance. Northstar rolled his eyes and padded after her. Mapletail whooped for joy and pranced back to the warriors den. Clearly her work was done.
They raced through the forest, her running for the first time without any problems and him chasing after her, joy in his eyes and he tried to keep up. That head start had not been the best idea, because she was fast when she put her all in.
"So, when did you first start liking me?" She asked when they flopped down somewhere in the middle of the forest, out of earshot of everything but the prey.
"I've always liked you, even as apprentices, but I was so close to the end if my training I thought it would be... inappropriate."
"Why?"
"You were barely six moons old and I was thinking of you as a mate as opposed to a new apprentice. I knew I had to get over myself, so I worked on getting to know you as a cat. You... you're beautiful, and I always thought it was pretty cool that you didn't like to hurt other cats. Granted I didn't know that extended to prey, but we can work with that. We know what we need to adjust now. You're perfectly fine the way you are, Snowfrost, and I hated that you thought you weren't."
"So now what?" She asked.
"That's up to you." Northstar offered. "We don't have to be mates if you-."
Her tongue darted out and licked his muzzle.
"I want this, want you, and I'm glad you waited for me. I didn't think you returned my feelings because you were a warrior, and then you became deputy and leader after that and... I thought you were unapproachable."
"To you? Never." Northstar assured her.
"So now what?"
"We talked." The blue and white tom meowed uneasily. "Do you want to go back to camp?"
"Not yet, no. We could try hunting?"
"I think you've had enough hunting escapades to last the entire moon."
His laugh mingled with her snickers.
"So... We're supposed to be mates, right?" She meowed slyly. "Why not start now?"
His eyes widened and he hesitated.
"If you're sure..." Northstar offered.
"More than anything else in the world." Snowfrost assured him.
Mapletail smirked as her leader and her brother's former apprentice loped into camp the next morning, tails twined and a bounty of prey clamped firmly in her jaws.
"Did she catch all that?" Talonheart breathed, amazed. "StarClan, I hope she did. I knew she could!" Mapletail laughed at her brother's antics, watching, amused, as Talonheart raced toward the couple and congratulated his apprentice on both her first catch and her new mate.
"If you're not good to her, you won't have the lives to apologize." Talonheart growled, thrusting his face in Northstar's. "Leader or not, I'll not have you tarnish the closest thing I have to a daughter, are we clear?!"
"Of course." Northstar meowed solemnly, dipping his head. "She deserves the stars, but I'll settle for keeping her happy."
"You really are head-over-paws for her." Talonheart chuckled. "It's good. You'll be good for her."
"I'm glad you approve." He muttered awkwardly.
"Well, I'm going to see what Brackenpelt is up to. Don't be surprised if you get a visit from him as well." Brackenpelt was Talonheart's mate, a tom in the body of a she-cat.
"Him and the rest of the Clan." Mapletail snorted. "They all love her."
"As they should." He told his deputy. "But she's my mate now. She chose me. She chose me, Mapletail!"
"I told you she would." The tortoiseshell deputy purred.
"And she felt the same way all this time! How did we not notice?"
"Because you were a scaredy-mouse and we were all too busy trying to figure out why she was different. What are you going to do now?"
"Take her hunting sometime this evening. I want to show her my mother's spot."
"As well you should." Mapletail purred sadly. "I wish you much luck and many future kits."
"Don't worry, Sap, when we have our kits you and Viperclaw can spoil them rotten."
"They'll lack for nothing, I assure you." The tortoiseshell chirped.
Snowfrost found her place in the Clan and Northstar finally got over himself. If was shaping up to be a rather nice newleaf indeed, Mapletail mused.