Origins of Warriors Part 2: Ashfur and Ferncloud by Brambleheart

Brambleheart wonders where the origins of the siblings Ashfur and Ferncloud lie.

Hey everyone! Brambleheart here with another Origins of Warriors article! Today I will be talking about one of the biggest, most controversial mysteries about the parents of a controversial cat–Ashfur–and his sister Ferncloud, too. Let’s get started…

We know for a fact that Ashfur and Ferncloud are Brindleface’s kits. Not only is is countlessly referenced in The Prophecies Begin, they also look exactly like their mother! But their father is tricky. Some say it is Whitestorm, some say it isn’t. I am one of those who say it isn’t. yes, Whitestorm and Brindleface were foster siblings and were close, but Whitestorm was with Willowpelt when his hypothetical kits were in the nursery. And if my previous article was true, then this would mean that Whitestorm was really close with Brindleface when he was still mates with Willowpelt, and that doesn’t add up.

So, who could be the father? I believe it’s Redtail. Brindleface and Redtail were mates before, and had Sandstorm. And I know that Redtail did die a few moons before Ashfur and Ferncloud were born, but hear me out, it adds up.

Cats usually expect kits for two moons, maybe longer, maybe shorter. Longer pregnancies can be a cause of health problems, both physical and mental. Kits can be born early or late due to heavy emotional stress, like losing a mate and having grief. And that’s exactly what happened to Brindleface with Redtail.

Redtail would have died right when Brindleface was starting to expect his second litter, and this could have extended the pregnancy. As a result, Ashfur, Ferncloud, and their two siblings would have been born half a moon late. Due to these complications, two of the kits started out healthy, but became weak and eventually died, kind of like Nightkit and Mistkit, who were Tigerstar’s sisters.

When the truth about Redtail’s death was revealed, Ashfur and Ferncloud would have been kits, maybe apprentices. This, along with Brindleface’s murder, would have made Ashfur bitter towards Tigerstar–and probably more so to Brambleclaw. Due to the fact that Ashfur was already bitter towards him, this could have set off Ashfur’s emotions even more when Squirrelflight chose the son of the cat that murdered Ashfur’s parents over him. The rejection, plus the unsettled grief that Ashfur kept to himself after all of those moons, made him snap–and cause the famous fire scene.

This could have been why StarClan said Ashfur loved too much. He never got to meet his father, and loved his mother very much before she was killed. This is how Ashfur developed his vengeful motives, as his way to cope with grief. After the chain of events with Squirrelflight, another cat he loved very much, Ashfur snapped. Although what Ashfur did was wrong, if you look at it from a source of grief, it makes sense.

Ferncloud, on the other hand, dealt with her grief differently. Instead of filling up with fury and vengeance like her brother, she decided to honour Brindleface’s kindness and became a permanent queen, caring for kit after kit like her mother did in the nursery, and dying a warrior’s death against evil, just like her parents before her.

So anyways, these are my takes on the origins of Ashfur and Ferncloud, and how these hypothetical roots could have shaped their future. As always, I hope you enjoyed the article, and comment down your thoughts! Have a great rest of your day, and I will see you in the next article.