The Dark Forest's Arrival

Amidst the dark, isolated bubbles of The Dark Forest, cats wandered the planes of their own personal hell alone, their worlds corrupted with hatred and decay. Rivers ran dark, and the skies blank and starless. Rumor had it, in the world of the dead, that there were few cats within The Dark Forest who could pass between these rifts, having grown monstrously powerful with their age- Splitmuzzle, Shatteredshriek, and Howlermoon. 

Only Splitmuzzle approached the other cats, however, breaking their isolation and offering them his power to reach a connection out into the Clan's realm. Prominently, Starlingstar, Rainstar, Shriekvalor, and Mousebelly accepted this offer, and thus began the plan to tear a rift from The Dark Forest into the living realm, to free them all from their isolated hells.

On October 22nd, 2021, in the midst of their slumbers, four Apprentices are visited by Spirits. The Clans, unknowing of The Dark Forest, had no reason to believe any harm. Rainstar visited Driftpaw of TideClan under the guise of the ancient TideClan leader, Tidestar, promising to ensure her position on the Diver's team in exchange for her finding and bringing a special pearl to the Gathering Island. However, Starlingstar of CoveyClan's visit to Butterflypaw did not go so smoothly. Starlingstar tore Butterflypaw's wing from her frame in this dream, demanding that she find and bring an old bone from the Shimmering Sault to the Gathering Island. Frightened into compliance, Butterflypaw agreed. Basilpaw of VerdureClan was visited by Shriekvalor, who promised friendship and a helping paw in honing her capabilities. Shriekvalor advised her to bring a curled ram's horn to the Gathering Island, saying that Basilpaw would know it when she saw it. Oceanpaw of CavernClan met a great, round cat by the name of Mousebelly. Mousebelly requested Oceanpaw's aid in freeing him from a log prison, and told the young apprentice that if they were within The Dark Forest, then they must undergo suffering to redeem themselves- to remove one of their own gemstones and bring it with them to the Gathering Island.

On the Gathering of November 6th, 2021, all four Apprentices arrived to the Gathering Island, bones, pearls, crystals, and horns in tow. Seemingly, nothing happened, the Leaders all announcing and cats intermingling as usual. However, after the announcements concluded, the skies ran red, a great, sprawling rift tearing open above the Leader's Rock. Spirits flooded out from the gaps, fleeing into the night as thunder crackled and boomed within the sky. From the rift emerged Splitmuzzle, a massive tomcat cut right down the middle, filled with rot and decay, declaring himself the ringleader of all the cats flooding out from the portal. Shriekvalor, Mousebelly, Rainstar, and Starlingstar all descended, claiming the items that the Apprentices had brought to the island. Upon this, Rainstar transformed into a great beast, with sparking electricity for fins and dark fur. Starlingstar's form grew covered with wings and feathers- ones she had stolen from the Clan many, many moons ago. Eyes coated her monstrous frame. Mousebelly choked on Oceanpaw's sapphire gem, his own transformation going terribly, terribly wrong. More mole-spider than cat, Mousebelly descended into a beastly form, with little thought than destruction and hunger. The beasts that flooded the territory vanished into the unknown, the Clans living in fear of attack at any moment from monsters much stronger and much more sinister than they could have ever imagined. For the first time in Clan history, the existence of The Dark Forest became known- and that not all cats went to StarClan.

At the next half-moon meeting, on November 20th, 2021, the Healers sought out aid from their ancestors. However, their attempts were in vain- the members of StarClan knew little of The Dark Forest, other than that a portal had previously been opened in the past, but was fixed by Silverpelt. None of them knew Silverpelt's location. Ashenstep learned, however, Mousebelly's true name- Cindermaw. Hopeless, the Healers woke from their slumbers, promptly greeted by Silverpelt herself, who had been waiting for them to stir. She reassured the Healers that she would aid in closing the rift and cleaning up the damage, and to merely think of the beasts as any other predator. She revealed she had closed a rift before, and that it didn't seem particularly difficult for them to open.

On November 20th, 2021, Solarblaze and Butterflypaw went on a hunting excursion. On this hunt, however, Solarblaze was attacked by a Cockatrice, and one of her wings severed from her body. Butterflypaw, wracked with guilt, presumed that Starlingstar was behind the attack, as the Leader had promised to punish the Apprentice. Shortly after this, Petrelstorm was attacked by Starlingstar out in the territory, narrowly escaping with her life after landing a good hit on the beast's eyes.

Sick of living in fear, CoveyClan gathered a patrol consisting of Raptorstar, Stormstalk, Ryefall, Bramblebird, Gingertwist, and Butterflypaw to kill Starlingstar for good on January 20th, 2022. With her, however, were more corrupted beats from the Dark Forest. Undeterred, the patrol targeted Starlingstar, while Petrelstorm and Stormstalk fended off Starlingstar's lackeys. Midway through the fight, Starlingstar landed a nasty blow on Raptorstar, claiming one of the leader's lives and breaking up the organized patrol. At long last, Butterflypaw landed the killing blow, crushing Starlingstar's head against rock with all of her strength, and Raptorstar, returning from death, slayed the last of the lesser beasts. 

CoveyClan had freed their territory of monsters.

On December of 2021, a patrol encountered Rainstar, but the leader was not hostile. He requested to be heard out, and was subsequently brought to camp by Cloverflare and and Rainbowreef- and welcomed by Dragonstar, much to the chagrin of the Clan. Rainstar told his story- going against his historic reputation as a bloodthirsty killer. In truth, Rainstar had been wrongfully banished to The Dark Forest, after having fallen into deep depression following the death of his Leader and partner, Pearlstar. The Clan pushed him into Leadership immediately after, following tradition, but not allowing him to grieve. He only appointed Brinepool his Deputy after being pushed and pushed, to follow tradition above all else. Eventually, Brinepool grew sick of his depression and unwillingness to move on, physically yanking and harming Rainstar from his den. In a panic, the Leader accidentally electrocuted her to death on the spot, not used to his new powers as a Leader. Trying to right his wrongs, Rainstar did not appoint a new Deputy, and finally started attempting to lead his Clan to rid them of the fear they held in him. This was unsuccessful. The mysterious deaths of cats began to be pinned on the Leader, and eventually, in a fight with a Sea Serpent, another Guardian got too close and fell into the crosshairs of Rainstar's electric attack. Another accidental death on the Leader's paws. Filled with shame, Rainstar abandoned his Clan, fleeing into the territory. Tetrapetal, a young guardian, pursued and killed him out in the territory, taking his position as Leader thereafter. After hearing his tale, still, many cats did not fully trust Rainstar, and were displeased by Dragonstar's willingness to simply allow the Dark Forest cat a position in the heart of their home. 

Eager to prove himself and earn the trust of the TideClanners, Rainstar aided in fending off the monstrous Tidecrasher that claimed Dragonstar's final life. He helped to aid in identifying the ancient beast. On March 26th of 2022, a patrol consisting of Lucentstar, Rainstar, Cloverflare, Lionsplash(Bloomingstar), Sharkskull, Specklewrasse, and Ploddingstream set out to chase away the Tidecrasher. They were successful in their attempts, but Rainstar was severely injured, spending weeks in the Healer's den recovering.

Upon his recovery, in June of 2022, Lucentstar dubbed Rainstar as Rainlily, welcoming him back into TideClan's ranks. As if StarClan themselves agreed with the decision, Rainstar was stripped of his monstrous form, fading back into the normal cat he'd been in life- albeit much, much older. Given a second chance at life, Rainlily resided in the Elder's den for the rest of his moons. As old as he was, his aging was rapid. Rainlily passed away peacefully in November of 2022.

Splitmuzzle was the ringleader of the escaped cats- having planned his escape for moons. During the original opening of the portal, Splitmuzzle revealed his existence as a creation of the Divines- who grew displeased with his desire to live in the real world. So infatuated with the idea of being a living, breathing Clan cat, the Divines cut him down the middle, casting him into The Dark Forest. Even still, Splitmuzzle desperately clung to the idea, finally seeing it come to fruition with his plan to tear open the rift. Even still, his very presence cursed The Gathering Island, wilting the life he so strongly desired. Splitmuzzle resided below the earth of The Gathering Island, seemingly... dormant. Uninterested in the greater world of the Clans in spite of his seemingly cruel nature. Splitmuzzle grew fond of a VerdureClanner named Mellowdaze, who attempted to show him how to grow the life back into the island. Despite this, Splitmuzzle still hurt the few cats he encountered, maiming a CoveyClan apprentice named Bumblepaw by infecting her with his inky sickness.

In January of 2022, Slugworm of CavernClan visited Splitmuzzle, eager for answers after having survived a previous encounter with the beast. Their interaction started calm, with Splitmuzzle revealing that he had never meant to be filled with such rot. Originally a messenger and child of the Divines, he became sick and infected with hate and rot that did not belong to him. That hatred and anger are all that these ill cats can feel. Splitmuzzle, in a moment of weakness, revealed that he remains beneath the earth of the Gathering Island out of fear that his presence would kill the world he is so infatuated with. Despite the calm start of their conversation, Slug, knowing Splitmuzzle now as a Divine being, offered anything in exchange for assistance in helping his brother, Tangpaw, who Slug believed had not made it to StarClan. Taking advantage of this deal, Splitmuzzle tore the little cat's soul in two, claiming memories of sun-warmed grass and the life that he himself had never gotten to have. Slug was glued back together with rot.

Nocat had seen the incident. In a similar vein, multiple attacks from older Dark Forest spirits went unseen, despite being in the open. Cats going missing, or incidents happening when others were in the same location. These pockets of time were revealed to be called Paw Dimensions by Lambstar- creatable only by the divines, their close relatives, and old, ancient spirits. 

Duskstar initially kept the existence of Mousebelly under wraps- out of fear for his Guardian's reaction to the true nature of the beast lurking throughout their tunnels. He issued a strict lockdown on CavernClan on par with Waspstar's- blockading off many, many tunnels and restricting the ability for his Guardians to come and go. Whispers of Mousebelly spread, and only when Duskstar was compared to Waspstar did he reveal the information about Mousebelly, intending on preparing his Guardians to defend themselves against the horror of a cat to the best of their abilities. Traps had begun to appear within the territory, set by the beast in spite of his seemingly animalistic mind.

On the night of the Gathering, Yarrowsnap, a Miner, went tunneling deep, deep into CavernClan territory, in search of their old family. Despite being missing for many moons, the Miner had never lost any hope, constantly searching for something within the territory. And on this fateful night, Yarrowsnap found it. A great, wide cavern, filled with collections of gemstones. Within it, a cell made of old logs, rotten and fragile with age. Inside this cage, Yarrowsnap found what they were looking for. Their family, starved, old bones covered in crystals and gemstones. Geode scars that could have only been made on purpose. Something approaching forced them away. 

Inbetween this, Farwatcher encountered Mousebelly in the territories, falling for one of his traps. Farwatcher's hind leg was shredded by crumpling dirt and stone, falling into Mousebelly's grasp. Just before Farwatcher's soon-to-be demise, another trap triggered- TideClan's Healer apprentice having gotten too curious on an herb collecting trip. The distraction of Topazpaw gave Farwatcher an out, and, although initially attempting to help, Farwatcher took it. 

Mousebelly's true name was later revealed at the Moonpools to be Cindermaw- Yarrowsnap's father. 

Yarrowsnap later returned to the cavern with Duckfoot in tow. In this visit, the desperate spirits trapped within the cavern reached out to the pair, crying their stories out to be heard, and to spare the two cats of their impending fate. Their visit was cut short, however, by the arrival of Cindermaw. Their fierce fight and attempt to flee went awry as Cindermaw caught Duckfoot, crushing the tomcat's foreleg. Soon thereafter, reinforcements arrived- Regalstrike, Farwatcher, and Duststorm. And, in the wrong place at the wrong time, Micapaw, who had snuck out into the territories to train. Not expecting the Apprentice's arrival, the fighting cats became disoriented and unable to reorganize. Cindermaw escaped, bringing Micapaw with him.

After Micapaw's capture, a plan was formulated to kill Cindermaw and rescue Micapaw in one fell swoop. A small party of the strongest Miners and Guardians would remain in CavernClan's Camp, including Duststorm, Sunsetmoth, Rubblehowl, Crimsondew, Twilightrift, Darkheart, Heavyroar, Regalstrike, Lavenderdrop, Slugworm, and Dahliastrike, while the rest of the Clan would reside temporarily within VerdureClan. The plan was to dig a new, unstable tunnel into the camp, while closing off all the old ones. Using Duskstar's shimmering armor as bait, he would lure Cindermaw in, the tunnel would be collapsed, and the Clan would descend upon the beast and kill it once and for all.

On April 12th, 2022, the plan went into action. Duskstar discovered Cindermaw's lair- and the bodies of slain CavernClanners, strung up and sucked empty in a mockery of suncatchers. Oceanpaw was among the dead. Horrified, Duskstar could not avoid Cindermaw's attack in time, taking a nasty blow. Shocked back into reality, the Leader kicked off the plan, hastily luring Cindermaw back into CavernClan camp where his Guardians lied in wait. Cindermaw attempted to escape upon realizing he himself had become trapped, but it was futile, with the weight of several Guardians injuring the beast greatly. Cindermaw aimed his attacks at Duskstar, maiming the Leader's crest with rows of serrated teeth and claiming one of his lives. Enraged, CavernClan descended in a frenzy, their kinetic attacks spearing Cindermaw right through all of his spidery legs. 

In a geyser of rot and blood, Cindermaw was no more. CavernClan's home sustained great damage in the fight, later forcing them to relocate.

Originally, Shriekvalor disappeared into VerdureClan territory without a trace- seemingly not bothering the peace-loving Clan. They went about their lives wary, but unbothered by the horrors that plagued the other Clans. 

Unbeknowst to the Clan, Shriekvalor had slipped into hiding, her horrendous form being able to take the form of any cat- masking her true identity within the heart of VerdureClan's forest. Shriekvalor had taken an obsessive liking to Basilpaw, convinced that necro was Basilpaw's best friend- to the point of attacking Basilpaw's brother, Stagchaser, at the gathering. In January of 2022, Basilpaw and Balancestar went on a training mission together, but became separated when Balancestar grew wary of their surroundings. During her absence, Shriekvalor appeared, deciding to teach Basilpaw of VerdureClan's powers, presuming that they were safe within the privacy of Shriekvalor's paw dimension.

Their interaction, however, was interrupted by Balancestar, who had returned for Basilpaw. Shriekvalor grew violent in the altercation, tearing the leader's eye from her head. Enraged and afraid, Basilpaw created a thorny, knotted wall to shield Balancestar from Shriekvalor. However, in her inexperience, the weight of her shield buckled, crushing Balancestar to death beneath it. The clan never learned of the attack, instead being told that it was Cindermaw's doing. Shortly after returning Balancestar to VerdureClan, Basilpaw went missing.

Search parties were sent out to no avail, and requests for aid to the other Clans turned no results, either. 

After two moons of absence, living with Shriekvalor the entire time, Splitmuzzle appeared within the dimension the Dark Forest beast had created, coming to claim Shriekvalor's life. Splitmuzzle revealed Shriekvalor's original name, Rabbitstartle, and her cruel past. Killing out of paranoia and stripping its victims of their pelts to hide from the stars. Splitmuzzle killed Shriekvalor then and there, sparing Basilpaw and sending her home. 

Basilpaw, now Basilpurr, is still the only cat aware of the true happenings of Shriekvalor.

In March of 2022, a plan began brewing within VerdureClan's deputy, Mantisheart, to overthrow Balancestar with the helping paws of her sibling, Dawnsprig, out of a caring for the Clan. She and Dawnsprig decided to keep the information that StarClan had bestowed, and Silverpelt's apparent nonchalance, away from the ears of the Clan for their own good. She planned on taking the matters into her own paws. However, Lushdream overheard this conversation, confronting Mantisheart in the depths of the night. Intent on keeping the peace, Mantisheart claimed Lushdream's life. 

In the quiet of Lushdream's death, something appeared, speaking in broken, garbled words. A beast bigger than Shriekvalor had ever been, requesting Mantisheart allow her to eat Lushdream. Mantisheart obliged, sparking an unsteady alliance between herself and the unnamed beast. 

However, Mantisheart's plan began to wilt and die- and as a result, as did Shatteredshriek's alliance to her. Without a supplier of food to keep her comfortable and at bay, Shatteredshriek sought out new cats from VerdureClan to provide her with meals. In October 2022, a patrol consisting of Plumeriapelt, Cinnamonsong, Nettleblaze, Babblebrook, Vinebrook, and Mistpaw went to hunt a Fauxbark Mimic that'd taken on the appearance of a boar. However, their hunt went awry as soon as it started. Vinebrook was quickly snapped up by the beast after a refusal to cooperate, and several of the cats injured as Shatteredshriek fought them into compliance. An agreement was struck between them- she would leave VerdureClan be, as long as they provided her with food.

She formed a personal deal with Nettleblaze, finding solace within their similar fates. 

In October of 2022, Silverpelt finally located Splitmuzzle in the heart of the Gathering Island, giving a silent plea for her brother to rejoin her. Splitmuzzle's true identity as Justicemaw went forgotten, the darkness in the great cat's heart too strong to remember what he had once been. Not to be deterred, Silverpelt pushed forward, engaging Splitmuzzle in battle with the intent to pull Justicemaw from the corruption that'd claimed his soul for so long. Their fight climaxed as two massively kinetic attacks collided, throwing the two cats back and ripping a rift in the sky as a result of the excess energy. 

This attack succeeded in shocking the rot from Splitmuzzle's body, severing the cat into two parts. The darkness that left Justicemaw's now restored form attempted to escape into the rift, back into the safety of the Dark Forest. However, things did not go according to plan. A Dark Forest resident caught in the crosshairs fell from the sky, colliding with this rot and becoming something horrifically monstrous.

Half-cat, Half-serpentine, this new beast descended upon the territories as Silverpelt and Justicemaw returned to their place in the stars, leaving the cats to handle a new, bigger threat. Its arrival sparked a raging, magical wildfire, untameable by any Aviator. This fire ripped through CoveyClan territory, claiming many lives and injuring dozens. Already, Howlermoon had proven to be a formidable threat, anguished by his return to the living realm and hellbent on taking it out on the Clan cats.

In his existence, Howlermoon claimed the lives of many cats- killing Frogpaw of CoveyClan, Ambersky, TideClan's healer, Honeypaw, Ravenpaw, Lilydance, and Snailsap of VerdureClan. Most notably, Howlermoon was the one behind the killing of Dawnsprig, VerdureClan's senior healer.

With her affiliation with Mantisheart came an affiliation with Dawnsprig, the old deputy's sibling. Originally borne out of fear, Shatteredshriek lurked everywhere that Dawnsprig went, watching the healer to ensure that they did not reveal her existence. Gradually, this fearful relationship became something fonder, as Dawnsprig graced her with treatment that she'd not felt in many moons- kindness. Their behavior challenged her ideas that the Clan cats could only fear her. 

After her alliance with the small patrol of cats, Dawnsprig confronted her inky shadow in the brush of the healer's den. There, they questioned why she acted the way that she did, and why she wanted to be feared instead of respected? The question took a toll on Shatteredshriek, stirring up old, lingering memories of the cat she'd once been. Caught in the crosshairs of her testing was Wolfglade, whom she tested her capabilities on. She nearly drowned the little cat only to cut the old memories away for herself. Shatteredshriek found they satiated her more than flesh could. She returned him to VerdureClan after the fact.

Shatteredshriek continued to toil away with these thoughts of hers, peaking in January of 2022 when Howlermoon targeted a patrol consisting of Buckshot, Roseglade, Dragonsoul, Lilydance, Honeypaw, Ravenpaw, and Elodeapaw. The opportunity to right some of her wrongs presented itself, and Shatteredshriek took it, interrupting the attack mid-way and engaging in a ferocious battle with Howlermoon. She chased him off successfully, but not without a loss. Shatteredshriek lost one of her limbs in the tussle, and limped back into the woods after a brief conversation with Dragonsoul, who'd lingered when the patrol had fled. Here, she gained one of many names- Midnightsun.

Later, Shatteredshriek was discovered by Dawnsprig, who mended her wounds carefully and brought her something to eat. There, she questioned the healer, wondering if her act had been a good one. She discussed her past with the Healer, implying that she'd held power at some point, only to be banished away when she could not perform any longer, as well as the true nature of The Dark Forest being made just for her. Dawnsprig reassured her that her acts had been good, and that she could turn a new leaf from the horrors of what she'd become. Here, they gifted her with another name. Virtueblossom.

Shortly after their final conversation, Howlermoon found Dawnsprig out in the territory on their own. Intending to enrage Virtueblossom, he attacked the healer, but not before she found him. Virtueblossom chased Howlermoon away, but she'd arrived much too late. Maimed beyond repair, all she could do was watch and wait for the Healer to die. Too despaired to watch Dawnsprig wither away, Virtueblossom offered them an out- she would claim their soul for herself, but they would not see StarClan. Not until she herself succumbed to her fate. Jaded by StarClan's lack of action, Dawnsprig agreed, giving Virtueblossom all of themselves. 

The kindness that bloomed within Dawnsprig's heart changed Virtueblossom entirely. Not quite healed, but on the road, her monstrous form receded into something smaller, with awareness and emotion returned to her sickly heart. Not without a caveat, however. With her malaise chased away, her memory of the past became fuzzy, with only the memories of Dawnsprig's soul and the time before the Dark Forest lingering. Virtueblossom was discovered by Elodeapaw, who agreed in allowing her to come to VerdureClan's camp. There, she revealed herself, and her intent to continue performing as a guardian of VerdureClan. Venomstar gave her one sole mission: to hunt and kill Howlermoon.

However, prior to the war between CavernClan and VerdureClan, Nettleblaze was exiled from VerdureClan, lead to the border to the Farlands. In actuality, however, Virtueblossom joined Venomstar after speaking of Nettleblaze's sentencing to The Dark Forest upon their death. She offered to spare them such a fate and take their soul, keeping them out of Silverpelt's sight. Upon taking their soul, the last of the rot clinging to Virtueblossom's form shed, restoring her original form as a child of the Divines.

The Conclusion to The Dark Forest plot can be found on the CavernClan-VerdureClan War page.