Early Life

Pinecone was born to Pepper in a quaint little barn, alongside her siblings Sage and Juniper. The litter was thick as thieves throughout their early lives, with Pinecone being the most eager and excitable of the bunch. Pepper considered her kittens a blessing for how they livened up the place, persistently bothered by how crotchety their fellow barn residents were. But no matter how dismissive the older cats acted toward Pinecone and her family, she was eager to learn of their experiences. Their short tales fascinated Pinecone; what stories lay beyond the barn, she wondered?

Unfortunately for Pinecone, her family would drift apart from her as she grew up. They were all caught up in following their whims; Pepper was mysteriously busy, Sage was on their way to becoming a friend of the humans, and Juniper was enjoying his long impromptu trips away from the barn. Pinecone clung to the nostalgic memories she shared with her family, feeling they’d defined her life. And, try as she might, she couldn’t recapture what she once had with what little time she got with her family.

Pinecone’s family had done all this growth while she was stuck being her same old self. It dawned on her that she needed to leave this senseless yearning behind and find herself some new experiences. She set out to the wilderness, determined to find out what life had in store for her. Pinecone quickly discovered that she definitely wasn’t a survival expert, as any fellow wanderer would point out. But she also discovered that this change of pace is exactly what she needed. Insightful conversations and beautiful views, the quiet air and mundane walks; Pinecone learned to appreciate it all the same.

Beginning of the Colonies

Pinecone met a tom named Pebble during her time wandering. She was drawn in by his sense of responsibility and benign personality, seeing him as a mentor of sorts. Impulsively, Pinecone decided to stay with Pebble and his group to further her new friendships. At first, it was exciting to have her very own friend group to care for, but their responsibilities made it difficult to maintain a budding friendship. Pinecone’s old fears began to creep back in. Was everyone bound to outgrow her?

Discouraged and naive, Pinecone thought it wouldn’t hurt to simply step back out of Pebble’s life. After all, from what she’d heard and experienced, it was common to fall out of contact with friends. So she drifted without purpose until she found another group. Unlike last time, Pinecone was tentative to foster these new connections. Helping provide made her happy enough, as she enjoyed having some sort of purpose to others. But then concerning storms began to roll in.

The storms led to a flood that crashed through her group’s shelter. Pinecone understood their sadness and couldn’t deny that they’d lost so much to this devastating event. But there was always a chance at a new beginning! The trees that surrounded them had been damaged time and time again, but even when their roots gave out, there’d be the birth of a new opportunity within their seeds. The group could choose to hold onto what was or move on to what could be, and they chose the latter. Pinecone accompanied them throughout their journey, lifting their spirits whenever things seemed like too much.

The group accrued new members as others who’d lost their homes to the flood sought help and reassurance. It was touching to see everyone sticking with each other through thick and thin. Then… knowing everyone else stuck with each other hurt when Pebble and his group stumbled upon Pinecone’s new group. Pebble was shocked to see Pinecone again and scolded her for making them worry about her. She was confused, thinking that it was just natural that she’d left— that he would’ve been too busy for her anyway. But through her confusion, she felt reassured that he was sad they’d lost touch too.

It finally clicked for Pinecone that friendships weren’t all or nothing. Bonds could resist the passage of time, as they could other difficulties. Pebble assured her that, no matter where they were in life, he’d still be her friend. Embarrassed by the mistakes she’d made, Pinecone apologized for leaving Pebble behind and told him that she’d be there for him whenever he needed her help. She was glad that she could be sure of their standing again.

Eventually, the group found the perfect area for survival. Pinecone was proud of them and excited to cheer their new name, the Fire Colony. On a bittersweet note, some cats would part ways after realizing the Fire Colony wasn’t for them. Pinecone herself knew the Fire Colony wasn’t her path to take. Now knowing she didn’t have to contain herself to one group for the sake of her friendships, Pinecone was happy to continue wandering. She bid the Fire Colony farewell, telling them she’d visit again soon.

Following the Fire Colony, more colonies were made. At first, Pinecone had a very poor understanding of the colonies. She’d only ever been in groups that merely wanted to get by— they didn’t have such strong ideals. It was admirable, the way these colonies were constantly striving for better. Pinecone hoped that she could be of some use to the colony cats as they navigated their new lives, so happily sharing her catches, lending a listening ear, and parting gifts to others became Pinecone’s way of life. Because of this, Pinecone came to be a pleasant sight for colonies and outsiders alike.

Rising Moon

The Web Colony was a strange colony that seemed to change the climate, so to speak. Unlike the other colonies, they made it abundantly clear that outsiders weren’t welcome within their colony unless they planned on joining. Pinecone couldn’t understand their point of view but she kept an open mind about the Web Colony. Word managed to spread about the colony celebrating a victory against some coyotes, so Pinecone visited to celebrate along with them. Surprisingly, Pinecone was welcome in the Web Colony, being the exception to their harsh border rules.

Pinecone would continue her visits with the other colonies. The colonies had experienced their first deaths in the Fire Colony, which Pinecone wouldn’t leave them alone in their mourning. The Clover Colony also changed with its first leader stepping down. Their new leader Raspberry was somewhat scary but Pinecone could see the good in anyone, and Raspberry was no exception.

The Web Colony grew even stranger as they no longer allowed Pinecone inside of their territory. It seemed to be sparked by something in particular but Pinecone couldn’t understand what it was they were conflicted about. It was especially strange since they seemed so close to the Clover Colony and Cavern Colony nowadays. But, being the carefree wanderer Pinecone was, she paid it no mind. Upon visiting the Fire Colony, she was greeted with a dark atmosphere and terrible news. Web Colony cats had attacked a Fire Colony patrol, killing Wisteria, Pebble, and Shredder.

The Fire Colony was shaken up by their loved ones’ deaths, as was Pinecone. Feelings of grief were foreign to Pinecone— she’d never experienced the loss of a loved one before. And here she was now, having to suddenly grapple with the fact that a dear friend of hers was suddenly gone. Pebble had completely changed her perspective on the problems that’d previously plagued her mind and she would’ve expected to get a chance to repay him… But now…

The Fire Colony allied with the Lake Colony and Frost Colony, but the Web Colony kept pushing regardless, taking up a part of the Fire Colony’s territory and gaining a new ally in the Hill Colony. A battle was inevitable at this point. The idea of her friends losing the home they’d worked so hard for scared Pinecone. Wasn’t there anything she could do to help them? This question passed without an answer, and just as Pinecone had feared, the Fire Colony lost their home in the battle.

Pinecone was wandering when she found Spider, the Overlord of the Web Colony. Strangely, he was nowhere near the Web Colony, he was bleeding, and… he didn’t have his signature mask anymore? No matter her issues with the Web Colony, it didn’t feel right to leave anyone alone and hurt like this. He nonchalantly confessed that he’d been overthrown from the Web Colony, reassuring Pinecone that he’d put up no struggle. Already, Pinecone’s head was whirling from all of this new information, but then he’d told Pinecone to follow him into the Lake Colony. Of course, she had no other choice.

Inevitably, the Fire Colony and Lake Colony cats were outraged by Spider’s appearance. The Lake Colony leader had even lost some trust in Pinecone due to her accompanying Spider. She was afraid that she’d done the wrong thing, which Spider recognized and reassured her that she’s done well. But of course he’d say that! Still, she felt pity for Spider as she realized he wasn’t even aware of much of the Web Colony’s conflict due to placing too much trust in his communicator, Lune. And now she was the new Overlord.

Pinecone traveled to the Clover Colony with Spider in pursuit of new information. Despite Spider frequently teasing her and acting too strange for her to understand, Pinecone had grown attached to him. His noble decision to return to the Web Colony and break his old friends free of Lune’s leadership only confirmed that he was really a good cat to Pinecone. But she didn’t understand the full implications of that. Spider half expected to be killed, and as heart-shattering as hearing that was, she agreed that there weren’t many other options left.

Spider asked Pinecone to reassure him of the goodwill of the Web Colony. Not everyone there could be so cold as to let him be killed, right? She wasn’t sure if she believed it anymore, but Pinecone stayed strong in her trust of others. After all, she’d chosen to trust Spider, and she was right to do so. So she told him that the Web Colony would understand and hesitantly left his side with the warmest goodbye.

Pinecone delivered the message to the Fire Colony that Spider had returned to the Web Colony. The Fire Colony had little faith in him but Pinecone was determined that Spider wouldn’t fail his mission. Having experienced tragedy alongside the colonies, Pinecone knew how quickly things could escalate, so her faith in Spider wasn’t blind. She chose to believe in him and his safety. To others, it was naive, but to Pinecone, there was strength in hope.

Pinecone fortunately reunited with Spider with the news that the Web Colony had disbanded, just as he’d hoped for. Hearing that Spider would now live his life as a wanderer, Pinecone was excited to walk alongside him. Although Pinecone knew this would complicate her relationships with the colonies, she now understood that being there for Spider was the right thing to do all along. Nobody deserved the kind of suffering Lune imparted to Spider, and at least most cats understood this. Despite her conviction to defend the innocent ex-Web Colony cats, though, it still hurt to see Nightshade and Astrid distrust her.

Divided Grounds

Weather conditions had gotten so poor that it seemed like all of the colonies were struggling. Even Pinecone was growing frustrated with wandering due to how frequent snowstorms now were, but of course she’d still put in the effort to check up on her colony friends. She figured all the sneezing going around made sense with the chilly weather but upon further inspection, it seemed like some of these sicknesses were not merely colds. Pinecone worried for her poor friends, especially those who were more vulnerable to this unknown illness.

There were rumors that Fire Colony cats had been stealing prey from the Clover Colony and Cavern Colony. Thinking of it as a repeat of the past, Pinecone was quick to defend the Fire Colony. Then, she figured out that they did steal from the Clover Colony and Cavern Colony, with Nightshade disregarding both leaders’ criticisms. Pinecone knew they must’ve been desperate during these hard times but so were her friends from the Clover Colony and Cavern Colony! Why couldn’t the colonies work together like they used to? Was it all because of the Web Colony?

Pinecone focused on introducing herself to all the new colonies that’d popped up. She was glad that they were all doing well throughout the harsh winter— it must’ve been easier to manage a smaller group in some ways. Meanwhile, she caught wind of a so-called odd group of cats named the Valenists who’d joined the Fire Colony. They had strong beliefs in the spiritual way, which Pinecone had encountered during her travels, but nothing to their scale. Pinecone easily accepted them once she heard that they tried to help the Fire Colony’s relations with the Cavern Colony and Clover Colony.

The weather changed ever so slightly, a relenting pressure from the snowstorms that’d made it difficult to hunt and survive. Pinecone hoped for a resurgence with the colonies, where they wouldn’t have to worry so much about their survival and could continue to grow. Things even looked up for her friend, Spider, now that he was getting closure for his past experiences. But then they received the news that ex-Web Colony cats had been exiled from the Fire Colony for… complicated reasons. It appeared to Pinecone that they’d only been exiled because of Nightshade’s unfairness! Pinecone could never find the words to express how sad she was to know the Fire Colony was changing from its old vision of a welcoming colony of survivors. It wasn’t everyone in the Fire Colony of course, but Nightshade’s leadership alone was hurting others.

In a dizzying series of events, the Valenists had been exiled from the Fire Colony and a major earthquake struck all of the colonies. The colonies had lost lives and security to the earthquake that only they could work to repair. Pinecone began to fear her inability to help, not when she was only one cat in a sea of colonies. Worst of all, the support they once lent each other was beginning to fade. Now, there were rumors of what conflict would spark between the Valenists and the Fire Colony.

The Valenists had the Cavern Colony on their side while the Fire Colony was only able to gain backup support from the Moth Colony, as well as a ragtag bunch from the Lake Colony. Feeling backed into a corner, Nightshade made the decision to try an unconventional way of taking down the Valenists: taking down their most important figure, Rune. This culminated in Nightshade’s death and, ultimately, the Fire Colony’s fall. And upon hearing this… Pinecone was lost. The first colony— the one that defined the colonies and struggled all this time for the chance at a happier life… they were gone.

There was a rampant distrust swirling within many colony cats, now that families and friends had been split up, and now that the most powerful colony had Rune’s involvement. Pinecone understood Rune’s good intentions when the situation was laid out to her but it was still difficult to trust him entirely. Power was a terrifying thing to hold. It was foreign to a wanderer like Pinecone, who had no authority over others nor had control held over her. This also meant that Pinecone had no say in the authority of the colonies.

The colonies had changed so much from when Pinecone first cheered the Fire Colony’s name. She was now left wondering, how could she help the colonies as they now are? How could she keep up with the current affairs of the colonies or know what needed to be prioritized when she was only herself? But, although the colonies had changed so far from what Pinecone knew them to be, she had faith in a majority of the cats who populated them. She would hold onto that faith and do what she could to help those who’d lost faith in each other, trust in each other again.