Alright, chapter 23 is here! Another Nightshade chappy for those who were wondering what she's been up to.
And, of course, questions!
ValroggTheInvincable: And Northstar, do you think if Lion knew about him that they would team up, like, TalonClan and PeakClan vs BirchClan?
As epic as that would be, no. Remember, Northstar is selfish; he wants everything to himself. If he has a choice, he would obviously rather have TalonClan than weak old PeakClan. Lion wouldn't align with anyone if he didn't have to, and he would hear about Northstar from the others; he would never join forces with someone so power-hungry and dangerous, especially since BirchClan is so tiny right now.
Queen Of The Pens: What I don't get is why PeakClan allowed Northstar to keep the suffix 'star' at the end of his name. The stars are sacred to the Clans, and only leaders are allowed to be called 'star'. I like Shimmer. Is the kit that Lion pretended was his son her brother? Also, I find myself disbelieving the part of the story in which Lion kills six perfectly healthy, hand-picked warriors. Has he got some special power from StarClan?
Lotsa stuff to discuss here! First (and I think I've mentioned this) PeakClan is really lax about names, as Blackmoon shows. Northstar isn't leader anymore, so Lightstar doesn't care. Northstar would never change his name anyway, as he is clinging to the prestige associated with it. PeakClan is already so far away from StarClan that they don't care. For the second question, I don't know (wink), and for the last, you have a really good point there. First, when Lion first showed up, everyone was skeptical of him. He managed to take the first two or three mainly by surprise. The others come from his motives; Lion didn't (doesn't) care whether he lived or died. He was throwing his all into the battle, and the damage he took didn't matter. The cats he were fighting cared about their lives and were loyal to Slaughter, thus they didn't fight with abandon. They tried to preserve themselves, while Lion soaked up the damage. That makes a huge difference, when you have nothing left to live for.
Not so many, but that's okay.
I'm pretty pleased with this chapter, though. Nightshade crossed the line when she killed Swansong, but she's starting to see the line, too. Questioning Blight is a big step for her~
Also:
NaNo begins November 1st, so I won't be working on this until either I win NaNo, or it is over. Sorry! In the meantime, you can follow me on NaNo (ID 462055) and on FictionPress (Prin Pardus) because I'll be posting my NaNo on there. Please stay loyal, and welcome Shattered back when I get to update again! Remember, I love you guys!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Chapter 21, 22, 23, oh my!
Yup, time to answer some questions~!
Blizzard-dream: Robin's dead. Or is she...? We never actually saw her dead body, now did we? What's going to happen to Death?
She's definitely dead, unfortunately, or else Barb would have had to reason to bother Blight about getting Belladonna, right? Poor Robin never had a chance, although she refused to fold, surprisingly. As for Death, he just needs some practice. Before now, he's always had someone to mooch off of (as we might find out soon), but he's on his own now and has to fend for himself and support the Clan. He just needs some time and training to get the hang of things.
Hiddenfilly: Does Northstar seriously think he can win without StarClan's help?
Sadly, yep. To him to seems as if StarClan turned their backs on him. Not only that, but StarClan hasn't done much for the Clans, at least in his eyes; they didn't warn the forest Clans of FrozenClan's plans, and they didn't tell Frozenstar that his son was planning his death, nor did they save Brackenheart and Birdpaw, the only two cats who mattered to Northstar when he was young. To him, StarClan seems almost powerless; if they had power, why let a medicine cat die? Why let Northstar seize power and destroy the forest Clans, only to lose his power to Crowtalon (and eventually Lion)?
Crowstorm: So anyways, why was Northstar so mad?
You didn't miss anything, don't worry! Northy has problems. He's angry about his part in Rabbitpaw's injuries (and perhaps death) as well as how Rosedapple is bent on ending her life, and he's conflicted about some other things that we'll eventually see.
Lynxeye: I wonder where Stoneheart was when Graywing died?
Stoneheart was there, but just as shocked and shaken as everyone else...Graywing was actually his sister! He was too overcome by emotion to take control. Northstar wasn't close with Graywing, and saw her as the reason for Rosedapple's grief, so his emotions weren't as strong.
I'd also like to say a few more things:
First, it really surprised me how much hate Lightstar/Graywing have received. Males turning on their female mates isn't that uncommon, even in canon (Spiderleg/Daisy, for example, or the countless toms who moved on after their she-cats died; Crow/Feather, Fire/Spotted, Gray/Silver, to name a few). Lightstar is, at heart, a good cat. He's a little young to be leader and overtaken by emotion easily; he lacks responsibility. Graywing is gentle, but very emotional as well, and although her loyalty to StarClan was great, she always was true to StarClan. And, as her last words showed (kinda) she and Lightstar never actually meant to hurt Rosedapple. If Lightstar had known Rosedapple was pregnant, he would have never continued his affair with Graywing. Unfortunately, by the time Graywing realized she was pregnant, it was too late. Then, there is PeakClan's society; StarClan is a distant thing to them, a force outside of their daily lives. Breaking the warrior code by mating with a medicine cat isn't shocking or strange to them like it would be in, say, RiverClan. It just doesn't matter to them; Graywing just has a little tougher time doing her job, is all.
And then, new reader Queen of Pens brings up some excellent questions. First, Northstar could still easily kill two cats, even after running. He was born in the mountains, remember, so even though his paws took a bit of a beating, there wasn't nearly as much damage to them as there would be to a normal cat. Also, he has always been a good runner; it takes much farther to tire him out than with normal cats. Finally, he did have a bit of time to rest. The patrol that found him and been moving constantly trying to find him, whereas all he had to do was sit and wait for them, allowing himself to rest. And then, about Slaughter: If you haven't found out already, Slaughter isn't a terribly important character, merely a stepping stone to the true antagonist, Lion. Lion is the more compassionate, emotional character you were thinking about. Slaughter is a bit flat, but it's intentional; he's a stereotypical "for the evulz/for the power" villain, and while he's scary, the capabilities of revenge-bent Lion are much more terrifying, simply because he knows right from wrong and chooses to ignore it. Also, he doesn't much care for Toxin. She looks very much like her mother; Slaughter didn't mate with her mother for love, merely power, due to her heritage. Toxin's mother managed to escape him, fleeing with his other daughter. This fact - that he didn't completely control her - has caused him to hate even the thought of her. Toxin's resemblance to her mother stirs up that hate, and he knows it clouds his judgment, thus he sends her away to help him focus. Also, he couldn't have known it would/could be suicide on her part; she's highly skilled in battle, and in his mind any cat of his kin should be able to kill three she-cats at the very least.
Next chappy is about Nightshade, guys, stay tuned~!
Blizzard-dream: Robin's dead. Or is she...? We never actually saw her dead body, now did we? What's going to happen to Death?
She's definitely dead, unfortunately, or else Barb would have had to reason to bother Blight about getting Belladonna, right? Poor Robin never had a chance, although she refused to fold, surprisingly. As for Death, he just needs some practice. Before now, he's always had someone to mooch off of (as we might find out soon), but he's on his own now and has to fend for himself and support the Clan. He just needs some time and training to get the hang of things.
Hiddenfilly: Does Northstar seriously think he can win without StarClan's help?
Sadly, yep. To him to seems as if StarClan turned their backs on him. Not only that, but StarClan hasn't done much for the Clans, at least in his eyes; they didn't warn the forest Clans of FrozenClan's plans, and they didn't tell Frozenstar that his son was planning his death, nor did they save Brackenheart and Birdpaw, the only two cats who mattered to Northstar when he was young. To him, StarClan seems almost powerless; if they had power, why let a medicine cat die? Why let Northstar seize power and destroy the forest Clans, only to lose his power to Crowtalon (and eventually Lion)?
Crowstorm: So anyways, why was Northstar so mad?
You didn't miss anything, don't worry! Northy has problems. He's angry about his part in Rabbitpaw's injuries (and perhaps death) as well as how Rosedapple is bent on ending her life, and he's conflicted about some other things that we'll eventually see.
Lynxeye: I wonder where Stoneheart was when Graywing died?
Stoneheart was there, but just as shocked and shaken as everyone else...Graywing was actually his sister! He was too overcome by emotion to take control. Northstar wasn't close with Graywing, and saw her as the reason for Rosedapple's grief, so his emotions weren't as strong.
I'd also like to say a few more things:
First, it really surprised me how much hate Lightstar/Graywing have received. Males turning on their female mates isn't that uncommon, even in canon (Spiderleg/Daisy, for example, or the countless toms who moved on after their she-cats died; Crow/Feather, Fire/Spotted, Gray/Silver, to name a few). Lightstar is, at heart, a good cat. He's a little young to be leader and overtaken by emotion easily; he lacks responsibility. Graywing is gentle, but very emotional as well, and although her loyalty to StarClan was great, she always was true to StarClan. And, as her last words showed (kinda) she and Lightstar never actually meant to hurt Rosedapple. If Lightstar had known Rosedapple was pregnant, he would have never continued his affair with Graywing. Unfortunately, by the time Graywing realized she was pregnant, it was too late. Then, there is PeakClan's society; StarClan is a distant thing to them, a force outside of their daily lives. Breaking the warrior code by mating with a medicine cat isn't shocking or strange to them like it would be in, say, RiverClan. It just doesn't matter to them; Graywing just has a little tougher time doing her job, is all.
And then, new reader Queen of Pens brings up some excellent questions. First, Northstar could still easily kill two cats, even after running. He was born in the mountains, remember, so even though his paws took a bit of a beating, there wasn't nearly as much damage to them as there would be to a normal cat. Also, he has always been a good runner; it takes much farther to tire him out than with normal cats. Finally, he did have a bit of time to rest. The patrol that found him and been moving constantly trying to find him, whereas all he had to do was sit and wait for them, allowing himself to rest. And then, about Slaughter: If you haven't found out already, Slaughter isn't a terribly important character, merely a stepping stone to the true antagonist, Lion. Lion is the more compassionate, emotional character you were thinking about. Slaughter is a bit flat, but it's intentional; he's a stereotypical "for the evulz/for the power" villain, and while he's scary, the capabilities of revenge-bent Lion are much more terrifying, simply because he knows right from wrong and chooses to ignore it. Also, he doesn't much care for Toxin. She looks very much like her mother; Slaughter didn't mate with her mother for love, merely power, due to her heritage. Toxin's mother managed to escape him, fleeing with his other daughter. This fact - that he didn't completely control her - has caused him to hate even the thought of her. Toxin's resemblance to her mother stirs up that hate, and he knows it clouds his judgment, thus he sends her away to help him focus. Also, he couldn't have known it would/could be suicide on her part; she's highly skilled in battle, and in his mind any cat of his kin should be able to kill three she-cats at the very least.
Next chappy is about Nightshade, guys, stay tuned~!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Chapter 20, loves~!
I'd like to thank you all again for the reviews, first! So many long reviews were really awesome, and I hope the trend continues, ha. Thank you all very much!
warriorcrazy: Ew...is it just me or is Belladonna uh, um, falling in love with (ugh, ew) Blight?
It isn't just you, not at all. Her warped mind and the way she thinks he "saved" her has twisted any feelings she used to have for him into a revering sort of love. Eww indeed.
Wolfstorm100: I love the intricate plot behind Blight, I never suspected him to be connected to Slaughter by any means. The "lessons" that Blight teaches caught my interest too. If you read Guardians of Gahoole then you'd know what I'm talking about when I say this reminds me somewhat of Moon-Blinking....
Blight isn't so intricate; he was one of Slaughter's scouts that were send out in Crowtalon's chapter. It was a long time ago, and it's okay you didn't remember, but don't think more of me because I pulled something like that, ha. I'm not that cool. xD. I kind of remember moon-blinking; I read the books in fifth grade or so, but I tired of them after like book six....
Rainshimmer: Is Shimmer is Slaughter's daughter?
Ha, interesting conclusion. However, both of Crowtalon's daughters were the same age; whoever is or was Toxin's sister would be the same age as she is now. Crowtalon didn't father any other kits after his mate ran off. Of course, Shimmer and Slaughter might still be connected....
Also, I received a lot of questioning about Belladonna/Nightshade's name. I was kind of surprised at some of them, but I understand. To make things simple, there is a plant called deadly nightshade. It is, as you'd imagine, a deadly herb. Belladonna is another name for the same plant (so yes, I knew when I introduced her that this would eventually happen to her, one way or another). Now, it sounds like a warrior name to us, because we're so used to them, and shade is a some-what common prefix in Warriors fanfiction. However, Nightshade is NOT intended to be a compound Warrior-type name. Nightshade is a single noun, just like Robin, Jay, or Blizzard. TalonClan goes by one-word names, after Slaughter decreed it be so - such as Feather, for example. When Blight named her Nightshade, he was using his knowledge of the plant to compose the perfect name; frightening and deadly, just as Belladonna now is. So, Nightshade isn't a warriors name, it's a single word. It would be like naming her Yarrow or Yew, or Deathberry (ha). Also, she wasn't named for her pelt; 'Blight' doesn't conjure up an image for a pelt. Slaughter moved his Clan so far away from StarClan's ideals that names didn't have to mean anything anymore, even pelt color as they had for so long. So again, Blight was showing how he was turning his back on his ancestors; not only is Nightshade's name a single noun, but it also has nothing to do with her pelt.
So ya. :3
warriorcrazy: Ew...is it just me or is Belladonna uh, um, falling in love with (ugh, ew) Blight?
It isn't just you, not at all. Her warped mind and the way she thinks he "saved" her has twisted any feelings she used to have for him into a revering sort of love. Eww indeed.
Wolfstorm100: I love the intricate plot behind Blight, I never suspected him to be connected to Slaughter by any means. The "lessons" that Blight teaches caught my interest too. If you read Guardians of Gahoole then you'd know what I'm talking about when I say this reminds me somewhat of Moon-Blinking....
Blight isn't so intricate; he was one of Slaughter's scouts that were send out in Crowtalon's chapter. It was a long time ago, and it's okay you didn't remember, but don't think more of me because I pulled something like that, ha. I'm not that cool. xD. I kind of remember moon-blinking; I read the books in fifth grade or so, but I tired of them after like book six....
Rainshimmer: Is Shimmer is Slaughter's daughter?
Ha, interesting conclusion. However, both of Crowtalon's daughters were the same age; whoever is or was Toxin's sister would be the same age as she is now. Crowtalon didn't father any other kits after his mate ran off. Of course, Shimmer and Slaughter might still be connected....
Also, I received a lot of questioning about Belladonna/Nightshade's name. I was kind of surprised at some of them, but I understand. To make things simple, there is a plant called deadly nightshade. It is, as you'd imagine, a deadly herb. Belladonna is another name for the same plant (so yes, I knew when I introduced her that this would eventually happen to her, one way or another). Now, it sounds like a warrior name to us, because we're so used to them, and shade is a some-what common prefix in Warriors fanfiction. However, Nightshade is NOT intended to be a compound Warrior-type name. Nightshade is a single noun, just like Robin, Jay, or Blizzard. TalonClan goes by one-word names, after Slaughter decreed it be so - such as Feather, for example. When Blight named her Nightshade, he was using his knowledge of the plant to compose the perfect name; frightening and deadly, just as Belladonna now is. So, Nightshade isn't a warriors name, it's a single word. It would be like naming her Yarrow or Yew, or Deathberry (ha). Also, she wasn't named for her pelt; 'Blight' doesn't conjure up an image for a pelt. Slaughter moved his Clan so far away from StarClan's ideals that names didn't have to mean anything anymore, even pelt color as they had for so long. So again, Blight was showing how he was turning his back on his ancestors; not only is Nightshade's name a single noun, but it also has nothing to do with her pelt.
So ya. :3
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Chappies 18/19!
I just realized that I didn't post anything for Chappy 18. Well, here we go.
goldendusk:...You just love toms using she-cats as part of violence for your stories, don't you?
Sure seems that way, huh? But that's really just how cats are. Tom cats in the wild will mate with basically anything that moves; even other toms, their mother, or their sisters! They don't have a lot of restrictions. And then, this is also drawing off a bit from soldiers. In the past (and even now) soldiers such as Slaughter's scouts would take anything they wanted from the land and people; including sex. Raping wives and daughters of the enemy was common and not even frowned upon, often; what Slaughter doesn't know won't hurt him, right? It's also a powerful method of control, something most of these evil toms very much enjoy.
lynxeye: And where does Chillcome from? Those eyes remind me of Slaughter, but did he have a mate?
Chill's origin isn't important (at the moment) but might come into play later. Slaughter had a mate mentioned in his first chapter; she ran away, though, taking one of his kits with her. His other kit was Toxin, and she's obviously older by now, so Chill isn't his son.
Rainshimmer: Is Blight the cat that Belladonna's been dreaming about killing?
At first I thought he might be, but I decided against it; even if he was, it wouldn't matter, as we see in chapter 19.
Rainshimmer: Like, why did Shimmer come along with Ravenwing and company? Who the heck is Shimmer anyway, and where did wh come from? How is she signifigant? In case you can't tell, I'm very curious about Shimmer. How do Silverstreak and the gang intend to deal with PeakClan? Are they going to try and recruit cats? What are they going to call the new Clan? Will it be BirchClan again, or will they call it SilverClan? And are Shimmer, Jag, and Death going to join the new Clan? What about Blackmoon? When is Northstar coming back?
First, dear GOD you ask a lot of questions! Second, Shimmer has nowhere to really go, since her mother hasn't come back and she'll probably starve on her own. Shimmer's past will be revealed soon; she's very impotrant, as we'll soon see. Silverstreak isn't sure what to do about PeakClan, but she knows she'll have to expose Northstar or confront hi first, and soon. The name of the new Clan is my little secret. Blackmoon, although he hates how PeakClan is run, is still very loyal to his Clan. Shimmer and Death already joined the Clan, Jag and Reedrush will likely join as well. Northstar should also be back soon, hopefully from his POV. Silverstreak and co will try to recruit when they can, but we'll just have to see~
Now, about chapter 19. There's a lot to say. First, I'd like to thank bookworm for helping me write it. Second, I'd like to apologize for the time it took; it was kind of long and the method of brainwashing had to be researched and such. Now, for the brainwashing itself....
The entire thing took place in about twenty days (we're on like Day 43 for Belladonna/Nightshade, I think). Now, that's obviously a short time to lose all your faith in...everything, but there are many reasons it was so effective. The main one was that Mother was Belladonna's whole world. She was the authority figure. Once Mother died, there was a gaping hole in Belladonna's life that she couldn't fill. She tried to direct her life as best she could, by following her dreams to the forest, but even though Robin thought Belladonna had adapted, she really hadn't. She didn't know how to lead; she didn't know where they were going. In all likelihood, Belladonna would have never found a place where she felt they belonged. She and Robin would have continued to roam until either they died, or the differences that were emerging rapidly between them frayed the relationship. Robin never really wanted to be in the wild; it wasn't where she belonged. She was too close to Belladonna to leave her, though, but even after entering the forest she knows she doesn't belong. She sees how strong Belladonna seems, and is jealous, especially since Bella bosses her around. Robin would eventually have given up on Bella and left her, leaving Bella to roam around alone until despair set on her too. This is obviously not what StarClan intended, but they couldn't interfere, when their connection to Bella was so weak; Bella had no Clan blood or knowledge, only a good warrior heart. Like Firestar, all StarClan could do was give her dreams at first, without truly contacting her. Thus, they couldn't stop Blight from overpowering her, and as Bella's good heart began to crumple under the stress of torture, they couldn't even enter her dreams.
Also, Blight seems a bit odd to those who remember TalonClan. TalonClan never declared war on StarClan, or set up any sort of weird rituals. Blight improvised on these as a method of control, a way to control Bella to do what he wanted her to, a way to make her think he had everything the way he wanted it. Obviously losing an eye wasn't part of the plan, but he was smart enough to even use that to his advantage, laying the guilt on her even more thickly.
Really, Belladonna never stood a chance. Also, to those wondering about her name, belladonna is the prettier name for deadly nightshade. He knew that, and figured it would make sense; it sounded fearsome, like the rest of TalonClan's names, and it showed how completely he controlled her, that she would give up her name and identity entirely in hopes of becoming 'good'.
Honestly, I'm pretty pleased with this chapter, even as dark as it is. Please review and let me know what you guys thought~!
goldendusk:...You just love toms using she-cats as part of violence for your stories, don't you?
Sure seems that way, huh? But that's really just how cats are. Tom cats in the wild will mate with basically anything that moves; even other toms, their mother, or their sisters! They don't have a lot of restrictions. And then, this is also drawing off a bit from soldiers. In the past (and even now) soldiers such as Slaughter's scouts would take anything they wanted from the land and people; including sex. Raping wives and daughters of the enemy was common and not even frowned upon, often; what Slaughter doesn't know won't hurt him, right? It's also a powerful method of control, something most of these evil toms very much enjoy.
lynxeye: And where does Chillcome from? Those eyes remind me of Slaughter, but did he have a mate?
Chill's origin isn't important (at the moment) but might come into play later. Slaughter had a mate mentioned in his first chapter; she ran away, though, taking one of his kits with her. His other kit was Toxin, and she's obviously older by now, so Chill isn't his son.
Rainshimmer: Is Blight the cat that Belladonna's been dreaming about killing?
At first I thought he might be, but I decided against it; even if he was, it wouldn't matter, as we see in chapter 19.
Rainshimmer: Like, why did Shimmer come along with Ravenwing and company? Who the heck is Shimmer anyway, and where did wh come from? How is she signifigant? In case you can't tell, I'm very curious about Shimmer. How do Silverstreak and the gang intend to deal with PeakClan? Are they going to try and recruit cats? What are they going to call the new Clan? Will it be BirchClan again, or will they call it SilverClan? And are Shimmer, Jag, and Death going to join the new Clan? What about Blackmoon? When is Northstar coming back?
First, dear GOD you ask a lot of questions! Second, Shimmer has nowhere to really go, since her mother hasn't come back and she'll probably starve on her own. Shimmer's past will be revealed soon; she's very impotrant, as we'll soon see. Silverstreak isn't sure what to do about PeakClan, but she knows she'll have to expose Northstar or confront hi first, and soon. The name of the new Clan is my little secret. Blackmoon, although he hates how PeakClan is run, is still very loyal to his Clan. Shimmer and Death already joined the Clan, Jag and Reedrush will likely join as well. Northstar should also be back soon, hopefully from his POV. Silverstreak and co will try to recruit when they can, but we'll just have to see~
Now, about chapter 19. There's a lot to say. First, I'd like to thank bookworm for helping me write it. Second, I'd like to apologize for the time it took; it was kind of long and the method of brainwashing had to be researched and such. Now, for the brainwashing itself....
The entire thing took place in about twenty days (we're on like Day 43 for Belladonna/Nightshade, I think). Now, that's obviously a short time to lose all your faith in...everything, but there are many reasons it was so effective. The main one was that Mother was Belladonna's whole world. She was the authority figure. Once Mother died, there was a gaping hole in Belladonna's life that she couldn't fill. She tried to direct her life as best she could, by following her dreams to the forest, but even though Robin thought Belladonna had adapted, she really hadn't. She didn't know how to lead; she didn't know where they were going. In all likelihood, Belladonna would have never found a place where she felt they belonged. She and Robin would have continued to roam until either they died, or the differences that were emerging rapidly between them frayed the relationship. Robin never really wanted to be in the wild; it wasn't where she belonged. She was too close to Belladonna to leave her, though, but even after entering the forest she knows she doesn't belong. She sees how strong Belladonna seems, and is jealous, especially since Bella bosses her around. Robin would eventually have given up on Bella and left her, leaving Bella to roam around alone until despair set on her too. This is obviously not what StarClan intended, but they couldn't interfere, when their connection to Bella was so weak; Bella had no Clan blood or knowledge, only a good warrior heart. Like Firestar, all StarClan could do was give her dreams at first, without truly contacting her. Thus, they couldn't stop Blight from overpowering her, and as Bella's good heart began to crumple under the stress of torture, they couldn't even enter her dreams.
Also, Blight seems a bit odd to those who remember TalonClan. TalonClan never declared war on StarClan, or set up any sort of weird rituals. Blight improvised on these as a method of control, a way to control Bella to do what he wanted her to, a way to make her think he had everything the way he wanted it. Obviously losing an eye wasn't part of the plan, but he was smart enough to even use that to his advantage, laying the guilt on her even more thickly.
Really, Belladonna never stood a chance. Also, to those wondering about her name, belladonna is the prettier name for deadly nightshade. He knew that, and figured it would make sense; it sounded fearsome, like the rest of TalonClan's names, and it showed how completely he controlled her, that she would give up her name and identity entirely in hopes of becoming 'good'.
Honestly, I'm pretty pleased with this chapter, even as dark as it is. Please review and let me know what you guys thought~!
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