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

Mapleshade's Vengeance

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 had more malicious intent when informing Oakstar. He told the leader knowing exactly how he'd react and 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 and Frecklewish are in the Dark Forest for this.

The Dark Forest / The Place of No Stars

Dark Forest Spirits

Dark Forest cats have obsidian black claws and have dark, ink-like blood. Their eyes are pitch black with glowing, colored irises and red pupils.

Starless Callers

Spectral crow-like entities that caw whenever a new cat has died and becomes a Dark Forest spirit. They make sure the entire forest knows about it. However this could also mean that a living soul was claimed by the Dark Forest.

Red Moon

The Dark Forest's moon, and counterpart to the living moon. They are parallel to each other, so when there is a full moon at Gatherings, so is the Dark Forest moon. It glows a sickly red and is bright enough to light up the Dark Forest and skies.

The Dark Lake

A large, expansive lake in the middle of the Dark Forest that divides it in half. The water is a deep black and murky, thick with what Dark Forest spirits believe are the souls it has consumed. Some say the Dark Forest itself feeds off a cat's hatred, and the Dark Lake is a manifestation of that darkness. It's ice cold and will try to drag and sap the life out of any cat that falls into it. It is said any cat who has drowned is never seen again.

Time Displacement: In the water time moves incredibly slowly, and the longer a cat is submerged, the more time has passed. This is unknown to many cats. The true reason cats underwater as not seen again is because when they resurface, they're already in a different time in the future—provided they didn't drown, which can still happen.

Dark Forest spirits: They are more susceptible to drowning and being devoured because they are already a part of the Dark Forest.

For living cats: Those who do not drown are instead marked with an affliction.

This is the only time a living cat's physical body fades into the Dark Forest and fuses with their soul. They won't have a body to "wake up" to because they carried it with them in a stasis. When they resurface, they will be emerging into the living world, sent forward in time.

The Affliction

The Dark Forest's claim and alteration on a living cat. The cat's soul will be marked and permanently connected to the Dark Forest. Unless The Affliction is removed, the one infected by it will be destined to return to the Place of No Stars in death. Their soul belongs to the Dark Forest, and there is nothing the living cat can do to avoid this fate. Not even StarClan can overrule this. This is sometimes referred to as Dark Forest Touched.

The Affliction feeds off hatred, so the more a cat gives into their darkness, the more it spreads and alters the infected cat's appearance. For Petalkit, this contributed to her coat color changing, fueled by her resentment and rejection of her father, Appledusk.

However, The Affliction does offer "gifts" with its corruption.

Obsidian Claws

Only Dark Forest spirits possess them. They are a deep, glossy black and resemble obsidian. Extremely and dangerously sharp, significantly more than those of the living. Ironically, the claws are very pretty and gleams like wet stone.

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.

A Dangerous Path