Life sucks most of the time, but it didn’t always, I guess. Thing started nice.

My mom and my dad met in MistClan. They really loved each other - young love or something like that. I was the only kit they had, and honestly, I liked it that way. My dad and I got along great – he was a warrior, and a pretty great one, and he showed me how to hunt by learning about the prey and how they acted, how to find the best climbing spots, showed me all the different things to collect around the territory, and taught me about all the things a young queen shouldn’t be learning, like mom said.

She thought the things dad and I were into were weird or something. I remember once, after I became an apprentice, he took me out after I finished a training session. He was showing me how dig up worms and pile them to attract the birds. Mom found us, and even though they sent me to the apprentice den when we got back, I could hear them arguing. It wasn’t the first time they did.

”She could be a legendary warrior if she wanted to,” dad said.

Mom’s voice was a little hiss. ”She shouldn’t have to! You and plenty of others handle it, she can have something softer–”

”Sparkpaw is fully capable, [susan hargrove], and she might not want –”

”Why would she want to be in the mud and having her claws out all the time? You want her to die in some ridiculous holy war like the rest? She’s our only kit and we should be giving her a chance to have –”

"What, a chance at being who she wants to be? She wants to be a warrior, not just a weaver, or a queen –"

"What's wrong with being a queen?!"

It was the same fight they always had. I wonder if that’s why they didn’t last – because they couldn't agree on who I should grow up to be.

When they split, my dad checked out. I guess it all got to be too much, or something like that. I think my mom is why, and it pisses me off. I liked the things I did with dad, I wanted to do those things. I just started training harder than ever.

Once, I followed my dad when he went on a lonely patrol. I needed to know why he was ignoring me, why he let mom keep him away. He was prowling the river when I caught up to him, and he hadn’t looked happy about being followed.

”Sparkpaw. How have you been?”

I didn’t play with his small talk bullshit. I just lashed my tail at him. ”You’d know if you ever bothered talking to me.”

I remember him looking like I'd hit him with claws out, but he nodded and took a heavy breath. "What is it you need?"

I scoffed, eyes wide. "Oh uh, I dunno, my dad maybe?"

And he just sighed like I was a silly little kit that didn't understand anything. "Sparkpaw, your mother…"

"What about her?"

"There are things that just can't be worked through, and she doesn't feel that–”

”And what about what I feel?” I demanded with a glare. ”Why’s it only matter what she feels? Why can’t you just step. up. and make things the way they used to be, like you care–”

”Enough, Sparkpaw! I love you, and you know that, but she is your mother, and–”

”Forget it.”

He had called a few things after me, but I had stopped listening, already dashing back down to camp. That had been stupid and pointless. I wasn’t worth his trouble, and I didn’t bother him again after that.

At some point, Mom met [neil hardgrove] behind my back. I had no clue she was seeing anyone at all, let alone a PrarieClanner. I never figured it out until it was too late. Until mom said, hey Sparkpaw! We're leaving MistClan.

I mean. What the fuck, right? Sure, being around dad but being ignored but dad all the time sucked, but I liked MistClan just fine, I wanted to be a warrior and become Sparkfire someday, or something cool like that. But nope. Mom was glad that life wouldn’t be for me.

The guy she met really liked her well enough, but he’s a foxhearted jerk. He looks at me like a bug, like I’m just gonna cause him more trouble in his life. We were taken into PrarieClan, given some kind of “fresh start” away from “silly little MistClan” with all its religion and rules. I call bullshit, and of course, so does my new big brother.

[billy hargrove] hates me. I hate him. The warrior took one look at me and decided I was worse than carrion. I know his dad beats the shit out of him, but I hate feeling sorry for him. He terrorizes me, isolates me, blames me that our parents stick me with him all the time, as if its what I want.

I hate being here, and my mom doesn't care that no one trusts us as outsiders. I don’t want to make friends with all the weirdo apprentices that crawl around in tunnels. What kinds of cats dig tunnels anyways? [billy hargrove] is always saying how only the best become real warriors, and that I'll end up a weirdo tunnler (eyeroll). I always thought PrarieClan was weird, and I don’t feel any different now that I’m here – I’m keeping to myself, and hanging onto the few things I still actually enjoy doing that [billy hargrove] hasn't ruined.

Sometimes I wish death would take [billy hargrove], and his stupid dad too.

Pre-Plotting: Sparkpaw fills the role of Max Mayfield from the plot stranger things did happen here


Family: Everybody’s family is a little messed up, right? Sparkpaw doesn’t really like to talk about her family, let alone talk to them. She resents her stepfather and stepbrother especially, but maintains her attachment to her mother – even if she quietly blames her mother for a lot of her unhappiness. Herself too, but her family is given their share of the blame.
Friends: Sparkpaw had a couple of friends in RidgeClan, but she’s always been a bit of an outcast. She plays things off like she’s above making friends, like she doesn’t want them. She jealously guards the reality of her life, part in fear of retaliation from her stepbrother should she let out what goes on… and mostly because she’s protecting herself from rejection and abandonment, unwilling to open herself up – until, maybe, she meets the right group of weirdos.
Romance: Just reaching the age where she’d even think about it, she still hasn’t spared the mental space for it. She has enough to worry about, and it’s not gonna happen without friends anyways. And StarClan forbid [billy hargrove] caught wind of that – both she and whatever tom was interested in her would be done for.
Rivals: Her brother. Well. “Brother.” [billy hargrove] is a shitty excuse for one, and he doesn’t care. Leans into it, in fact. He and Sparkpaw can barely stand each other. He hates that he’s been deemed responsible for her, and she hates it just as much. He’s cruel, vindictive, and takes everything out on her. With the attitude she’s formed in the wake of his attention and all that’s been flipped upside down in her life, it will be too easy for her to develop more rivals – likely before she makes friends.

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