Barktooth Story Info

At one point he thought he should become a medicine cat, but he found that he couldn’t stand being around sickness. He spends a lot of time in the elders den during his kit and apprentice days to listen to stories. He was also there a lot as an apprentice because he was often given the worst jobs and he got into trouble a lot. Despite his smarts, he was also a very poor fighter and only a decent hunter. Barktooth likes to try and invent better ways of doing things, but most of the time his little inventions are made of twoleg debris and backfire on him. Eventually both his mentor and the leader forbids him from making anymore things. He still does make stuff secretly of course. His mentor is very blunt and kind of rude to him. The cat is not a good fit for him and often bullies Barktooth until he gets something right. Barktooth wants desperately to help his clan and prove to them and his father, Claystride, that he can be a great warrior. Throughout his life Barktooth’s father was very stoic and hard to impress. He was also not very present in Barktooth’s upbringing. Still, Bark wants nothing more than to make Claystride believe in him and show him that he is more than just a kid. When Bark and Blue become apprentices, Bluepaw gets Claystride as a mentor. Barkpaw is extremely jealous, especially when he sees that Bluepaw and his father get along very well. He starts distancing himself from Bluepaw, much to her confusion and sadness, and refuses to tell her why he is angry. During the beginning of their apprenticeship, the clan falls on hard times. Leaf-bare hits them early and they are not prepared. There becomes a huge shortage in prey and many cats go hungry. Still wanting to prove himself, Barkpaw decides to try and find a way to help his clan make it through Leaf-bare. When one of the elders (who had been secretly giving all of their prey to their littermate who is also an elder and was one of the ones who regularly told Barkpaw stories) starves to death, Barkpaw decides he has to do whatever it takes. He starts stealing prey from just across the neighboring clans’ borders. Eventually a border patrol catches him hunting on their territory and Barkpaw nearly causes a war between their clans. Luckily, his Claystride is able to diffuse the situation as his own border patrol comes across the skirmish. Barkpaw gets an earful after that one. At the next gathering (which he was not allowed to attend), the leader of the clan he stole from makes a few hostile remarks about Barkpaw and his clan. Barkpaw’s leader must explain to the other clans (who also mention that they had found evidence of stolen prey) that a disobedient apprentice was the cause of all of these shenanigans. When Barkpaw’s leader returns, he summons Barkpaw into his den to talk to him about the severity of his actions. They tell him that Barkpaw has caused hostility between their clan and the others during a time that they can not afford to go to war. Barkpaw, feeling ashamed and guilty, explains that he only wanted to help his clan. His leader (who almost acts like a mentor/parent-figure to him) tells him that they understand, but breaking the warrior code is not the way to go about helping his clan. Barkpaw is then punished by having to do all of the common apprentice duties by himself for a moon (or two?). During this time, he often has to help out in the medicine den by sorting herbs and cleaning and whatnot. Barkpaw starts to notice more and more sick cats showing up in the den with the same symptoms. The medicine cat apprentice, Olivepaw, confides in Barkpaw (they’ve somewhat become friends) that all of the sick cats have Whitecough. He explains that he is worried that it will develop into Greencough when they run out of catmint (the supplies are very low). When Barkpaw is told that he can no longer work in the medicine den because a cat has developed Greencough, he decides (again) that there must be a solution. He asks Olivepaw what catmint looks/smells like, and he realizes that he has seen/smelled it before. In fact, he figures out that there is a load catmint on one of the other clan’s territory, just a little ways over the border. He’d seen it while stealing prey one time. Barkpaw rushes to find his leader, and waits impatiently for them to get back from a border patrol (which had been increased since Barkpaw’s stealing). As soon as they return, Barkpaw meets them in their den and excitedly explains that there is catmint nearby that could save the lives of all the sick cats. He reluctantly admits that it is on another clan’s territory and how he’d found it, but he insists that they could just ask the other clan for some and explain that the clan would be saving lives and that Barkpaw’s clan would be in their debt. His leader, unfortunately (and rightfully so), tells him that it wasn’t going to happen. They say that with tensions so high, the clan would never do a favor for them (this clan in particular is very hostile as it is the one that caught Barkpaw). Barkpaw is angry that his own leader won’t even try, and convinces Olivepaw to go with him to get the catmint anyway. While they are gathering it, however, a monster stops along the side of the thunderpath (the catmint is near a twolegplace) and captures Olivepaw (the catmint was put to attract stray cats so the twoleg could rescue them). Barkpaw watches from his hiding place in horror as his friend is taken away. What would’ve been a half-day excursion then becomes much much longer. Barkpaw knows that if he tries to go get help that Olivepaw will be long gone by the time a patrol returns to this spot, so he sets out to rescue his friend on his own. He crosses the thunderpath as soon as it’s clear and dashes in the direction the monster went. He tries to keep out of sight as he does so in fear of another monster stopping to capture him. Because of his wariness, he ends up losing the monster when he gets inside the twolegplace. Now lost himself and losing daylight fast, Barkpaw ends up having to spend the night inside a drain pipe along a ditch. He wakes up the next morning to the sound of a dog barking and finds a twoleg walking one along the sidewalk above him. He scurries away when the dog smells him and begins to growl and dashes around the block into a new area. The sounds and scents overwhelm him and he crouches under a bush in terror to try and regain his composure. He begins to calm down, and just as he relaxes and is ready to open his eyes, a cat startles him by saying “What’re you doing down there?” Barkpaw does NOT scream (he does) and goes back into panic mode. The cat tells him “woah, woah, relax, I’m not gonna hurt you! I just wanna know what you’re doing in my yard.” Barkpaw starts to back away, but then realizes that the cat had said yard. He finally gets a good look at the cat and sees a collar hanging from his neck. He relaxes and scrambled out of the bush saying, “oh thank Starclan, you’re just a kittypet.” The cat tilts his head curiously and introduces himself as Privet and asks Barkpaw what a kittypet is. Barkpaw introduces himself as well and awkwardly explains the word kittypet. He tells Privet that he is looking for his friend and describes Olivepaw in the hope that Privet has seen him. Privet unfortunately admits that he hasn’t seen Olivepaw, and Barkpaw is ready to lay down and cry when Privet follows up with an interesting fact. Privet explains that he knows most of the cats in twolegplace and has heard of a few “Housefolk” taking in strange cats. Barkpaw listens eagerly and feels his hope begin to rise again. Privet points out that Barkpaw looks hungry, so the two head to Privet’s brother Evan’s house. Barkpaw thinks they are going there to hunt, but when they arrive Privet leads him to a bowl of kittypet food. Barkpaw looks disgusted at the prospect of eating “rabbit-droppings” and decides to try and hunt on his own instead. Privet shrugs and starts eating Evan’s leftovers. Barkpaw tries for awhile to catch something to eat, but he can’t seem to find any easy prey and what he does find keeps being scared away by the sounds of the twolegplace. Frustrated, he heads back to Privet and begrudgingly asks to try the kittypet food. Privet pities him and decides to ask Evan to get him some wet food (he thinks Barkpaw will like it better). Barkpaw is then introduced to Evan, a very shy and anxious cat who appears terrified of him. Barkpaw eats a bit of kittypet slop and doesn’t mind it as much as he thought he would, then starts to make a plan with Privet. The two plan to go talk to all the cats Privet knows in hopes of finding Olivepaw until Evan shyly interjects. Evan reminds Privet that there is a meeting in two days for their “friend club.” The club was created to help combat against the recent gang activity in the sketchier parts of town. Some of Privet’s friends had been attacked by a hostile group of cats, so he and Evan created the Safety Club. The cats in the club help each other stay safe by reporting any suspicious activity they’d seen each week and trying to teach themselves self-defense. Almost everyone both Evan and Privet know will be there and it would be the perfect opportunity to ask around, especially since Privet is the so-called leader. Barkpaw, however much he wants to rescue Olivepaw now, reluctantly agrees to stay with Evan and Privet for the time being. Privet trues to convince him to spend the night in his house, but Barkpaw absolutely refuses and instead settles in Privet’s outdoor “cat condo.” The next day Barkpaw is feeling pent up and anxious to find his friend, so Privet decides to take him on a tour of the twolegplace. He tells Barkpaw that it’s to look for his friend, but Privet secretly hopes that he’ll come back one day and be able to navigate twolegplace to find him again. Evan decides to tag along after some persistent nagging from his brother. As they explore, Barkpaw tells them about where he is from. He explains the clans and what their culture is like and how it is to live as a wild cat. Privet is amazed and eager to learn more. Evan is a little bit unsure, especially after he hears about the battles and fighting. Privet practically begs Barkpaw to show him how to hunt and Barkpaw says “I would, if I could find a mouse anywhere in the noisy place.” Privet excitedly tells him of an old abandoned home that he has smelled mice in before. Evan shakily reminds Privet that the house is on the shady side of town and there are usually gang cats nearby. Despite Evan’s pleading for them to not go, Privet has made up his mind that he just has to learn how to hunt. Evan goes with them reluctantly because he’d rather not be alone (that’s how most cats get attacked by the gangs). Privet takes them to the run down building and shows them how to get in without being seen. Once inside, Privet (oh unskilled privet...) checks to make sure no gang cats are around. Barkpaw teaches him how to hunt a mouse and catches one to demonstrate. As he lifts his head with the prey, two mean looking gang cats emerge from the shadows growling, “You kittypets just never learn, do you?” (They adopted the slang from clan cats). Barkpaw, though he is not particularly great at fighting, recognizes that the gang cats are underfed and hungry. He tosses the mouse to Evan and says, “Hold onto this, I can take ‘em.” Privet bounds over to his side to help and they stand their ground against the two gang cats. The first goes straight for Barkpaw, as he is smallest, and attempts to tackle him from above. Barkpaw quickly uses his training to his advantage and ducks and rolls before swiveling around to face his enemy. He leaps on the cat from behind and holds on with his claws while he sinks his large fangs into the cat’s ears. The gang cat yowls in pain and rage and bucks Barkpaw off before scurrying away. Meanwhile, Privet is pinned under the other cat and has an unfortunate scratch that is dripping blood into his eye. Barkpaw barrels into the cat from the side and the two roll in the dust of the old house, fighting for control. They are locked onto each other and laying on their sides when Barkpaw finally triumphs. He takes his hind claws along the gang cat’s belly and stands tall as his foe flees out the front doors. Privet is ecstatic after the fight. He bounces around Barkpaw, still caught up in the exhilaration of it all, and exclaims how amazing Barkpaw’s fighting skills are. Privet is asking Barkpaw to teach him the moves he used when Evan hisses, “Are you crazy Privet?! That cat could have killed you!!” Evan is shaking with fear, even though he hadn’t fought, and tells Barkpaw and Privet that they need to leave before reinforcements return. Privet starts to protest, but Barkpaw cuts him off with “No, he’s right. Two skinny cats aren’t that hard to fight, but a whole gang of them? We need to get back to your house and clean up our injuries.” The three head back and Barkpaw helps tend to their wounds with his knowledge of medicine he’d picked up in stories and from his time working with Olivepaw. Privet winces dramatically at every touch, but Barkpaw assures him that they will both be fine in a few days. The whole ordeal had lasted awhile (the twolegplace is quite large) and by the time they returned to Privet’s house, the sun was setting. Evan, having acted strangely and been quieter than usual the whole journey back, mumbles that he is going home. Privet, who hadn’t noticed the behavior until now, perks up and asks why. Evan simply sighs and says he’s tired and begins to walk home, ears flattened and tail dragging behind him. Privet runs after him and pleads with him to stay for the night. “It’s already dark out!” He insists, “it’s not safe to walk back alone.” Evan grits his teeth and begrudgingly mutters, “fine. I’ll stay.” Privet is taken aback by the hostile response, but shakes his head and lets it go. Barkpaw watches the scene unfold curiously from the sidelines. Privet returns and takes Barkpaw back to the ‘cat condo’ to rest. The two chat idly and awkwardly until Privet notices that Evan has climbed onto the roof of Privet’s house. “That’s weird,” Privet meows offhandedly, “He’s usually so scared to go up there.” Barkpaw shrugs, but makes note that Evan is upset. The stars begin to make their first appearances as Barkpaw finally settles down to rest. Privet goes into his house to ‘sleep’ until he’s sure Barkpaw isn’t awake anymore. Later in the night while Barkpaw is dreaming about finding Olivepaw, Privet sneaks quietly onto the roof and finds Evan still sitting up there, looking at the stars. “Evan,” he calls quietly, and his brother jolts in surprise. Evan turns his head away quickly, but not before Privet sees that he’s been crying. “Evan...I’m sorry if I made you upset,” Privet meows softly, “I just was worried about your safety is all...” Evan whirls around. “Safety?! You were worried about my safety?!” He hisses furiously, “I’ll tell you something about safety Privet.” Evan stalks up to his brother and lashes his tail. “This whole day has been a complete nightmare! Every time I’ve told you that we need to be careful, you’ve just blatantly ignored me! Then you’ve gone off with your new friend and ended up getting hurt!” Evan begins to tear up again, overcome by emotion. “Ev—“ Privet starts to say, but Evan cuts him off. “We all could have been killed today, you understand? If Barkpaw didn’t know how to fight, those two cats would’ve killed us and you know it!” Privet rounds on him angrily, “Oh come on Evan! We would’ve been fine. We’ve been practicing fighting and we’d have been able to escape!” He insists. Evan scrapes his claws against the roof tiles in frustration. “NO!” He cries, louder than before, “We would have lost! I saw you fighting that cat today and you weren’t even close to winning!” Privet takes a step back, shocked by Evan’s sudden change in volume. Down below, Barkpaw is shaken out of his dream by Evan’s shouts. He blinks sleep from his eyes and peers out of his makeshift den to find the source of the noise. To his surprise, he sees the two kittypet brothers arguing on the roof. Curious, he slinks along the side of the fence until he is up against the house to hear better. “—always ask me for my opinions but you never even listen! How are we supposed to protect the neighborhood cats from the gangs when you can’t even keep yourself from being reckless?!” Evan’s voice wailed, breaking as he began to lose control of his sobs. Barkpaw winces. Things sound like they’ve been rough between them for awhile now. “I’m doing everything I can for your stupid club!!!” Privet screeches. Barkpaw hears Evan’s breath hitch. “You—you think my club is stupid?” Evan sniffles wetly. His voice is quiet again and child-like. “But I—b-but I thought we were doing this together,” he says, nearly whispering now. Privet’s claws scrape as he turns to leave. “You thought wrong,” Privet growls. Barkpaw can hear Evan’s breathing quicken as white hot rage floods his senses. Evan tackles Privet on the roof with a furious howl of betrayal. Barkpaw’s ears flatten as he hears the two wrestle on the rough tiles. Suddenly there is a sharp smack and a whimper of pain and the scuffle stops. Barkpaw feels a lump settle uncomfortably in his throat and quietly moves back to the den as quickly as he can. Feigning sleep with one eye open, Barkpaw watches as Privet leaps down from the roof and stalks into the house stiffly. A few minutes later, Barkpaw hears Evan crying softly. Barkpaw winces. He still has some herbs left from before. He gathers them silently and slips them into the den above him where Evan was planning to sleep. Barkpaw lays back down in his own den and closes his eyes. It takes him awhile to get back to sleep. The next morning, the herbs are gone and Evan is curled up tightly in his den. Barkpaw can see a freshly dressed set of scratches on his cheek. The day is destined to be gloomy and sad. Dark clouds heavy with rain or snow drift drearily above Barkpaw and a cold wind ruffles his fur the wrong way. One more day, Barkpaw tells himself, One more day and then you’ll find Olivepaw and this will all be over. Privet joins Barkpaw in the yard a short while later looking disgruntled and in a bad mood. Barkpaw’s stomach growls embarrassingly loud and he smiles awkwardly. “C’mon,” Privet grunts, “Let’s get breakfast.” He goes into his house and returns after a bit dragging a bag of food out into the yard with his teeth. Barkpaw helps him push it out. The bag is clear and full of dry kibble. “Sorry,” Privet sighs, sounding more annoyed than sorry, “this is all I’ve got right now. My housefolk keeps the wet food where I can’t reach it.” Barkpaw shrugs and eats the food without complaining (though in his head he hates the taste).