Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors.
Five Truths About Ferncloud
i.
Nearly a half-moon after being born, she is still called "the she-kit". Brindleface cannot think of a name for her only daughter.
The moment she opens her pale green eyes, she is Fernkit.
ii.
She's not nearly as lousy as her Denmates paint her to be.
She is fast, just not as fast as Ashpaw.
She is strong, just not as strong as Cloudpaw.
She can hunt, just not as well as Brightpaw.
She can fight well, she just never beats Thornpaw in a match - no one beats Thornpaw in a match.
Ashfur's mentor, Dustpelt, is the only cat who seems to understand this. When he pulls her aside one day and tells her that she's doing fantastic and needs to stop comparing herself to her friends, she spends the rest of the day wondering why her heart is beating so fast.
iii.
It's her idea to sneak out of camp and lead the dogs away from ThunderClan - they killed her mother and she won't let them kill someone else she loves.
Ashpaw catches her and demands to come along.
Whitestorm catches both of them and persuades them to go to Firestar. Fernpaw is so relieved that he did.
iv.
She's not as shy as others believe she is. Once she is Ferncloud, she teases Dustpelt about his apparent crush on her more than anyone else.
She's quite the flirt. She's such a tease.
Of course, no one ever believes Dustpelt when he spreads these lies about his sweet, innocent mate.
v.
She can hunt and fight just as well as any of her Clanmates. The reason she retires to the Nursery is because nothing else brings her as much joy as being the mother of Dustpelt's kits.
She wants every queen to experience that same joy, and every queen who passes through the Nursery is so thankful for her tender guidance. The time they spend in the Nursery with her is some of the happiest moons of their lives.
(Bonus)
"C'mon Ferncloud, I promise I won't tell them! Just whisper it: who's your favorite kit?"
"Dustpelt, you're my favorite kit. Now stop pestering me and go groom your pelt before the sun-high patrol sets out. You look like you just crawled underneath a bramble thicket!"
If it wasn't for Ferncloud, Dustpelt would always look like a bramble thicket.
I've received a few reviews pointing out that some of these characters aren't exactly "minor characters" (i.e. Breezepelt and Bluestar), and that they were expecting characters who played an even smaller part in the books. Rest assured, these characters will also receive their own chapter, but it might take some time. I do try to base these truths off plausible facts or hints from the books, and it's not exactly easy to come up with five truths for a cat who only ever speaks a few lines. Of course I'll try, but right now I'm just doing the characters that I find easiest :)
With that being said, when I said I wanted to focus on the minor characters, I meant cats who simply don't receive a lot of attention in the books or from the fandom. So while Breezepelt and Bluestar may have played substantial roles in the books, how often to they come up in conversation? When is the last time you read a good fic about them? So perhaps I should have been more clear: unless brilliance strikes me and I just have to write it, don't expect to see a chapter on Brambleclaw or Lionblaze or Squirrelflight (sorry to the reviewer who requested Ivypool!).
With all that being said, I'm simply trying to shine a spotlight on the cats who don't typically receive much attention in the fandom :) Thank you to every reader who has taken time to leave a review, unsatisfied or nah! I hope you enjoyed this 'truth' as well!
Ferncloud was requested by LittleGrayOwl.