Shards come together to form a whole, cats come together to form a Clan, lives come together to form a story.
Shattered by Prin Pardus
, is the second longest Warrior Cats fanfic on FanFiction.Net (passed up by the story's sequel, Chilled). Based on a roleplay the author participated, it tells the story of many cats caught in a long-running war which has destroyed the lives of many cats. You can read it here.
Long ago, a band of cats ruled a mountain range. They lived without laws until three Clans, BirchClan, ShellClan, and MarshClan arrived in a nearby forest and taught them the ways of the Warrior Code. This lead to the mountain cats becoming FrozenClan, and the four Clans lived in peace. However, the peace did not last, as Frozenstar, the leader of FrozenClan started a war in a mad quest to destroy the forest Clans. Eventually he died and was replaced by his son Northstar, who succeeded where his father had failed, and destroyed the Clans.
The story tells the tale of Silverstreak, the daughter of BirchClan's last leader Fadedstar. After BirchClan's fall, Silverstreak sets out on a mission to rebuild BirchClan alongside her friends Frostfeather and Ravenwing. Together they must find the survivors of the war and bring them to a new home where they can reclaim the Warrior Code.
Meanwhile, Silverstreak's nemesis Northstar is betrayed and exiled by his deputy Crowtalon, who turns FrozenClan into the barbaric TalonClan. Northstar sets out on his own journey and eventually finds himself in PeakClan, an arrogant Clan with no respect for the Warrior Code. Northstar at first seeks power, but soon comes into conflict over whether he truly is a wicked cat at the core.
However, time is running out for the heroes, as TalonClan is hunting Silverstreak and Northstar, leaving a trail of destruction in their path.
It's sequel, Chilled, is complete and can be found here.
Shattered
This fanfic provides examples of:
- A Day in the Limelight: The author gives quite a few secondary characters a single point of view chapter to show what they're up to. These characters are: Crowtalon/Slaughter, Buck, Eaglestrike, Death, Blackmoon, Toxin, Snake, Rumble, Forest, Rabbitpaw, and Chill.
- A Death in the Limelight: The character Snake is killed off at the end of their point of view chapter.
- Alpha Bitch: Dapplefern, who is a snooty jerkass to the cats of PeakClan throughout the story.
- Break the Cutie: Plenty, but Belladonna/Nightshade is probably the best example.
- Darker and Edgier: Even compared to the main series, which is saying something. One cat tries to commit suicide, another is almost raped, and a third is is brutally Mind Rape|d and tortured into going insane, much like Theon Greyjoy of A Song of Ice and Fire.
- Dead Guy Junior: A few examples.
- One of Frostfeather's kits is named after the deceased Robin. In a twist, Buck didn't know that Robin was dead and just named the kit randomly.
- When Reedrush is deciding what to name her female kit, Jag blurts out "Myrtle", the name of his deceased mate.
- Northstar mocks the practice. When the characters are trying to decide what to name the kits of Lightstar's deceased mate Graywing, they suggest asking Lightstar for names. Northstar argues against it, as he claims that Lightstar would simply name both kits, "Graywingkit" and be done with it. However, he subverts this by naming Rosedapple's kits after his mentor, Brackenheart, and his crush when he was an apprentice, Birdpaw.
- Disc-One Final Boss:
- Northstar is set up as the Big Bad in the prologue, only to be betrayed and driven out by his deputy Crowtalon in the first chapter.
- Lightstar, leader of PeakClan is set up as a major villain, only to go insane and fall off a cliff.
- Crowtalon/Slaughter is set up as the Big Bad, but is then killed by Lion, who takes over TalonClan.
- Easter Egg: The point of views in the epilogue are in the order of when the characters first got their point of view.
- Everyone Is Related: Okay not everyone, but The Reveal means that they might as well be.
- Evil Uncle: Northstar is Silverstreak's uncle. However, by the time this is revealed, Northstar is one of the good guys.
- Eye Scream: Blight loses an eye in a fight with a traitorous underling.
- La Résistance: Silverstreak's group is basically this, as it's made up of fragments of the forest Clans, along with other stragglers, trying to create a home and eventually beat TalonClan. It eventually evolves into The Alliance when they ally with PeakClan, as well as two bosses in the city, Cane and Amber. The few rebels in TalonClan could also count, although they leave when Lion takes over.
- Large Ham: Death.
- Love Dodecahedron: Parodied when Northstar tries to figure out how all the PeakClan apprentice crushes fit together, only to give up after realizing that "apprentice love-triangles are too confusing".
- Mind Rape: Blight does this to Belladonna. This is accomplished by capturing her, then abusing her until she broke.
- Mind Screw: Near the end of the fic, Lion starts losing the ability to tell dreams from reality. This leads to a nightmarish Dream Sequence being formatted as if it was happening for real.
- Pride: Most of PeakClan. They even have an elevated camp so that they can be as "high as the stars".
- Rescue Romance: Several.
- Silverstreak and Forest get together after Silverstreak saves him from his wounds.
- Northstar and Rosedapple could also count.
- Frostfeather was only interested in Death after he saved her daughter.
- Blight made his relationship with Belladonna/Nightshade seem like this to her.
- Sacrificial Lion: Subverted with Lion. As a random character who comes out of nowhere to try to kill the Big Bad for revenge, it looks like he would end up as this. Then he actually kills the Big Bad, only to take his position.
- Smug Snake: Slaughter.
- The Unpronounceable: Death claims that he only calls himself Death because his true name is this.
Chilled
This fanfic provides examples of:
- All for Nothing: The journey to find the cure for the chill sickness. It turns out, the cure was right in their forest all along—Bluepaw was just a traitor dragging them around to stall for time. Even worse, before they get back, Natasha tells the Clans about the cure, meaning even that discovery wasn't worth all the danger and death.
- The Atoner:
- Bluepaw and Leopardpaw both feel remorse for betraying AshClan; Bluepaw guides Sootpaw to the trapped Clan cats in the finale, and Leopardpaw spends it fighting for her Clanmates.
- Four of the Dark Forest crew come around to genuinely regret either their actions (Shrew and Swiftshadow) or their betrayal of Sootpaw (Chillpaw and Nettlefrost), ultimately fighting to protect her when the time comes.
- Becoming the Mask: Leopardpaw was initially sent to AshClan as a spy and saboteur, but grew to enjoy life there so much that she repented.
- Break the Cutie: Life really comes down hard on Sootpaw in the last act. Her parents aren't really her parents (the monstrous Blight is instead), she's seen one friend die, her best friend is a traitor, the journey they went on was utterly pointless, and the cat she loves dies saving her. By the end she's openly wishing she'd never gone on the journey at all.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: On two counts.
- Silverstar was very kind, faithful, assertive, and forgiving. Sootpaw is kind too, but is an Extreme Doormat with no self-confidence and no self-image. Also, while Silverstar remains reasonably idealistic, Sootpaw's bout of Break the Cutie breaks her.
- Spiderpaw, meanwhile, is antagonistic, sarcastic, hot-headed, and believes being strong and winning battles is the most important part of being a warrior. He's also much smaller than Sootpaw and very sensitive about his height. Whereas his sister becomes more jaded, he lightens up and becomes kinder.
- Disc-One Final Boss: The epilogue of the first fanfic set up Chillpaw as a major villain. The first chapter of this one shows he's already assassinated Silverstar and been killed in retaliation.
- Girl of My Dreams: Gender-inverted. The first chapter has Chillpaw haunting Sootpaw (then Sootkit's) dreams, asking for help for some reason. It turns out he wants her help being reborn, and they eventually become romantically involved.
- In Love with the Mark: Chillpaw was only supposed to manipulate Sootpaw into helping him and the other Dark Forest cats escape, but ended up falling for her.
- Love Redeems:
- Both platonic and romantic. Chillpaw (romantic), Shrew, Swiftshadow, and Nettlefrost (platonic) all grow fond of Sootpaw during her excursions to the Dark Forest. This leads to them eventually backing out of the ritual that would sacrifice her, giving up the chance to be reborn with their memories to fight to save her. Nettlefrost sadly dies, but Shrew and Swiftshadow decide to earn their way to StarClan, while Chillpaw is reincarnated.
- Speaking of, Leopardpaw's love for Fireblaze plays a big role in her decision to come clean to the Clan about her traitorous identity.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Sootpaw is absolutely horrified when Blight reveals and Belladonna/Nightshade are her parents, not Ravenwing and Eaglestrike.
- Reincarnation: Why Chillpaw and his Dark Forest cats are speaking to Sootpaw—they want her to help them be reincarnated as new cats, as otherwise they'll fade away. Only Chillpaw actually is—Shrew and Swiftshadow decide to become proper atoners and earn their way into StarClan, while Nettlefrost dies protecting Sootpaw, and Blight, Dapplefern, and Brightshadow are killed attacking her.
- Seven Deadly Sins: The cats in the Dark Forest all represent this: Swiftshade (Sloth), Brightstar (Pride), Shrew (Gluttony), Dapplefern (Envy), Nettlefern (Greed), Blight (Lust), and Chillpaw (Wrath).
