Ember

Hibiscus and Tanager, a perfect couple at first glance. They were fancy and uptight, something you’d expect out of housecats. Despite the snobbishness, they were held in high esteem by whoever they met. After all, there is much to be respected in cats who can keep calm, graceful, and efficient out in the wild. In actuality, the two just felt an obligation to be careful, and their stern personalities meshed together… well. They both discussed having kittens once they were ready.

That time came with Dahlia and Tansy. Their births went smoothly, as did the few following weeks of raising them. That was when Hibiscus and Tanager began to think about when to start teaching their kittens all about life. Hibiscus would tell Dahlia and Tansy tales from when she was younger. As Dahlia grew older and a bit more contemplative, she liked asking for retellings of these stories, finding them exciting. Meanwhile, Tansy was just nervous to start hunting.

Hibiscus and Tanager would start teaching Dahlia and Tansy lessons about proper manners and good form. They said it’d come in use when learning, say, hunting crouches. At first, Dahlia resisted all this fanciness. She loved playing rough with her brother, and she wasn’t one to keep herself from throwing tantrums or speaking her mind. But with enough scoldings, Dahlia resigned herself to acting like a wallflower.

As much as Dahlia liked the attention she’d get from being “nice,” it didn’t sit right with her. She wanted to do all the things her parents said not to, natural for a child! But to restrict the way she acted? Bitterness rose inside her heart as she lived with the constant directions and stoic, disappointed stares. Ever since her mom first told her those beautiful kittenhood tales, Dahlia had always been excited to get out into the world, explore, learn. Now she had to act like she wasn’t.

Dahlia could at least inwardly appreciate the outings she’d now have with her mom, dad, and brother. She did like burning off her energy with hunting and fighting training. Dahlia followed orders, and she was fairly happy. Though, she couldn’t really say she was proud of herself. Whenever she saw Tansy getting chewed out for not listening, Dahlia would practically have to restrain herself from blowing up at her parents. She knew he was trying— they both were!

Well, at this point, Dahlia had spent the whole productive part of her life acting like an extension of her parents. She was deeply angered by all the expectations they put her through. But even more so, the expectations they placed on her brother. It was all so unfair, and seeing Tansy upset by each lesson pushed her to the verge of quitting this act. So began Dahlia’s rebellious phase. No more sweet, perfect flower girl.

Dahlia began going behind her parent’s backs to sneak out at night. She just loved the feeling of being out alone, finally able to enjoy things how she wanted to. Doing things for herself, not just to be good at it. Even if it was impossible to break her inner critic who pointed out everything she did wrong, she’d follow it up with an argument that as long as she was happy it was right. This was all fun and games until Dahlia got caught out alone and punished.

Dahlia had to stay in their camp while Tansy got to go out and do training with dad. As far as Dahlia’s mother went… she was stuck with her. This was when Dahlia decided that she didn’t care about acting all formal around her mom. How could things get any worse than they already were, after all? Of course, her mother had nothing to say that she considered valuable. This went on for… a while, because her punishment just kept getting extended.

The pity looks Dahlia got from Tansy drove her crazy. She wanted to tough this out, but she was sad by the prospect that her parents thought her an animal. She wondered if she should conform to them once again. But she’d already proved herself to be much different than her mother and father thought she was, snarky remarks and all. No, she was going to be true to herself ‘til the end.

Keeping herself alert, Dahlia snuck away when she noticed her parents had both fallen asleep. She hoped her brother would find happiness and worried for him, but this was something she had to do. Initially, Dahlia was scared until she realized true freedom wasn’t something she could trade for anything. This is when Dahlia began to consider her name didn’t fit her anymore. It was kind of an impulse decision, but she landed on the name Ember, she thought it suited her due to her passionate nature. It was nice to embrace her newfound passion for life.

Ember found a group of cats shortly after. They seemed sort of uppity, just like her parents, and at first, she wanted to turn the other way and escape it. But as she got to know the cats there, she realized they weren’t like her mother or father. They were their own cats, with their own souls, their own passions. Some loved crafting and weaving, some enjoyed having entertaining debates, et cetera. It was endearing to Ember, especially as she’d never been able to enjoy those things before.

Ember decided to visit this group— the Web Colony, they called themselves. She figured she’d already said goodbye to her old self, so she’d wait and see if these cats liked her. If not, she’d head out. As much as she exuded confidence, Ember was afraid the Web Colony residents wouldn’t like her. Turned out there only needed to be some mutual warming up, as Ember wasn’t the easiest to approach. She loved learning that there were weirdos like her, maybe this colony was more her style than she first thought!

Ember was made a commoner of the Web Colony with the blessing of the communicator, Lune, and Overlord Spider. It was certainly an eccentric place, and she came to appreciate the pleasant schedule of the Web Colony. It was like a healthy amount of responsibility for her. Ember was also looking forward to being just… herself here. She hoped to inspire others to be themselves around her, too.

Rising Moon Arc

Lune returned to camp with Mocha’s dead body. The crowd bustled around her and the Overlord as she explained what happened, that she’d found Mocha dead on the Fire Colony’s border. It shook Ember… she didn’t expect something like this to happen so soon after she joined. Actually, she didn’t expect to see this in general. She was still so young that his death didn’t properly sink in for a while.

The Web Colony allied with the Clover Colony and Cavern Colony. It was reassuring to know the other colonies had their back if something like Mocha’s murder happened again. The Web Colony also closed off its borders to the Fire Colony and permitted attacks on any intruding Fire Colony cats. The news was scary to Ember. She just wanted everyone here to be happy but… they were all on edge from what was happening.

Ember made a good friend in the Web Colony, Aspen. She knew that many cats were put off by her own exterior but Aspen actually got to know her. Her new friend was a nervous one but Ember wanted to bring out the best in her! She often pushed Aspen to come out of her shell, even if it meant embarrassing herself. She didn’t actually expect it when Aspen came out to her as pangender, but she was quick to say she was happy for Aspen.

A patrol came into camp in a frenzy one day, explaining that they caught Fire Colony cats by the border. They… murdered three Fire Colony cats. They said it was Red’s orders, and Ember wondered why he was allowed that power in the first place. In her shock, she didn’t know what to say to make this situation better. She only observed her fellow residents closely. Though she never liked Lamprey, she had a newfound respect for her being angry with her friend Red, and perhaps no longer being friends with him.

To Ember’s surprise, Lune and the Overlord forgave Red. Lune announced that the Fire Colony rejected an investigation for Mocha and thus the Web Colony wouldn’t put up with their hostility. Did that mean more battles would happen? After the whole ordeal at the border, the Fire Colony decreased their territory. It was like they were running away. The Web Colony took over that abandoned land since the Fire Colony didn’t plan on using it.

The Fire Colony and Web Colony would fight again, Ember being caught up in it this time. She didn’t exchange words with her opponent and tried to go easy on them. Maybe that was a bad decision as she came out of the fight with a lot of scars. It was scary and Ember tried to get over the bitter memories of the fight by appreciating her battle scars. She thought they made her look… decorated?

Again, Ember fought. She should’ve been used to it, but it was even scarier than before. Her heart felt like it’d explode when she saw all the allies rushing in. By the end of it, the Web Colony claimed victory over the Fire Colony. They took the Fire Colony’s whole territory, and some cats said that the Fire Colony escaped to the Lake Colony. So then… that was it?

Ember had no idea where the Web Colony would go from here; what’d they even expect out of the Fire Colony? They weren’t going to get an apology, but Ember tried to comfort herself with the thought that she and her friends would finally live in peace. They didn’t have to worry anymore. Yet she knew the scars, physical and emotional, were permanent, especially when she saw Dusty nearly dead with his grandfather grieving by his side.

The Clover Colony broke their allyship with the Web Colony following the fight. Many Web Colony cats thought this was a betrayal, but as Ember saw it, they no longer needed each other as allies. Aspen then came to Ember about… er, something. Ae told her about how there were rebels in the Web Colony who didn’t like what was happening in the Web Colony and planned to get Lune’s help in the matter. Ember completely agreed with them, the Web Colony needed to change.

Ember gave it some thought before deciding to join the rebels. Aurora, Stag, Solana, Dusty, Mac, Chestnut, Jessamine, Tansy, Rye, Aspen of course, and… Lamprey? Lamprey wasn’t expected. Knowing these cats’ intentions completely now, she trusted them a lot more and maybe even considered them all friends. Hopefully, the Web Colony would turn out alright.