Oooo, great idea, I GOTTA do that… hmmm. Much as I wish I could cash in another chip for Firefern, since I adore her name, it’s gotta be Harrybrook.
In-canon, his character is consistently harsh and distrusting and he’s got it even worse in BB. It could be like his mother is the only thing actually holding him back. If anyone is going to end up being Waspstar’s “Cleaner,” it absolutely has to be him.
Harrybrook: We had a good thing, you stupid son of a foxheart! We had Leafstar, we had a camp, we had everything we needed and it all ran like woodwork! You could have shut your mouth, hunted, and caught as much prey as you ever needed. It was perfect! But no! You just had to blow it up! You, and your pride and your ego! You just had to be the man! If you’d known your place, we’d all be fine right now!
A little recap of BB!Harrybrook, since it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned him or any of his fragments;
- Harrybrook is the son of Leafstar, Echosong, and Billystorm.
- SkyClan does not have the Cleric’s Vow.
- This is because SkyClan was exiled at the beginning of the Ripple Era; before Larkstripe’s Strike which resulted in the unofficial vow being codified.
- it is actually a positive in their culture if their Cleric previously raised kittens. Echosong probably did have other litters in her long life.
- Echosong is also alive to the current arc; Frecklewing joined with The Kin. Fidgetflake is still around, but he’s probably still the “junior” Cleric of sorts.
- Important point being that Harrybrook has personal stake in SkyClan’s unique customs. His only surviving parent is a Cleric.
- I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what makes him such an effective killer. He has a knowledge of poisons and anatomy.
- All cats know where the carotid artery is, they find it all the time when they put the killing bite in the wrong spot. Habr knows where else a single blow can bleed you out.
- As a little kitten, he was named after Harry, who helped to save his mother.
- What no one knew at the time was that Harry was being courted by an ancient monster. Sol, the God of Autumn, Change, and Tricks, wanted to play a game.
- The rules were simple; Sacrifice three kits.
- Sol wanted to see how far Harry, once baring the name Cinders, would go in pursuit of the power it could offer him. Sol HATES a boring vessel.
- Harry JUMPED at the chance, offering two of his own kits as the last one got away. He just needed one more.
- SkyClan almost tempted him into tucking his ambition away. Here, he was safe and accepted for the first time… but his desire for power won out in the end.
- Sol offers immortality, the ability to mould reality like clay, the whole world could be Harry’s toy.
- (WIP SECTION)
- In some way, Sol was able to manipulate Billystorm. I’m still working out how severe this manipulation was.
- He likely got to Leafstar too. Possibly intentionally driving a wedge between them– convincing Billystorm that SkyClan was unsafe and he’d raised the kits more than either his mate or his mate’s girlfriend. He had a right to keep them safe, even if that meant taking them from everything they’d ever known.
- And to Leafstar, he told her Billystorm was plotting against her. That she needed to be as firm with him as she is with the cantankerous Sharpclaw. If she’s not, he might take those kittens back to his humans, and who knows what they’d do?
- In any case, a fight between them causes Billystorm to leave. I’m not sure if I’m keeping Leafstar exiling him.
- (Note: I don’t really like how either character acts in the canon story. Or the framing. Or… anything about it really. It’s bad Todd.)
- In the past, I’d made it so Billy ended up trying to take the kids to his human, and then the human was the one who decided to get rid of the kits. INSTEAD it works a LOT better if Billystorm went back to his humans, and Harry then used this as a lure to get the kittens out of camp.
- “Let’s go visit your Ba, kittens. I know where he is. Just follow me.”
- While living in the town, Billystorm meets up with the child of Harry who got away, and learns that they’ve all been set up.
- Billystorm deserves to go run save his kids and punch a God in the face I think.
- DAYLIGHT WARRIOR MORE LIKE LIGHTS OUT WARRIOR! KAPOW!!
- (Much as I will miss the gutpunch brutality of Billystorm realizing that his human can’t be trusted. I’ll just use the idea someplace else.)
- (WIP SECTION END)
- Stormkit was unable to be saved. There was only Firefern and Harrybrook.
- Harry has been terrified of water since then. It represents everything awful that’s ever happened to him.
- He doesn’t even like when it rains. Storms always seem to bring terrible things.
- Firefern ended up dying on the journey to the Lake. I’m leaning towards changing it to infection, during the time that Echosong is missing (taking Frecklewing’s arc).
- Her other mother wasn’t there to help her, and she died of something preventable. Something Harry knows she could have healed.
- Harrybrook hates his name. I think he was too quiet about it, though, to the point where his family wasn’t aware of it.
- They probably figured it was overwriting Harry’s memory. It’s Harrybrook’s name now, instead. Harry just feels like it’s a reminder of being tricked.
- I think at one point he should get an honor title, but I’m still working it out. He might just be keeping Harrybrook as a grim reminder.
If it’s him who kills Juniperclaw, I know for a fact he’d take Waspstar’s orders very seriously; “Please be discreet and professional.” It’s only mostly personal, you see. More importantly, this is for SkyClan.
Leafstar wouldn’t have approved. But she’s not here now.
He’d quietly intercept Juniperclaw as he approaches the camp, standing in his way, looking him up and down without a twinge of emotion on his face. Juniperclaw’s hackles are raised immediately. He lived with SkyClan before Heartstar reformed ShadowClan– everyone knows who Harveybrook is.
“I’ve- I’ve come to pay my respects,” He says proudly, standing tall and noble. Even after that he did, he has the boldness to hold himself as a brave warrior. What he knows he did, and to who he’s talking to. Harrybrook shouldn’t fault him for not knowing how arrogant he comes across– but does anyway.
“Yes, we’ve been expecting you,” He flicks his tail and dips his head respectfully, “Right this way.”
The trail doesn’t lead to camp.
When Juniperclaw begins to realize that they’re taking a strange path, he just waves it away as an odd feeling. It’s been a while since he’s been here, after all. But the tickle doesn’t go away. It gets stronger and stronger, until he recognizes the northern border of what used to be ShadowClan’s full range.
And that’s when he halts, “Where exactly are you taking me?”
“Not any further if you don’t want to,” Though Harrybrook’s eyes are wide like he’s about to pounce on prey and his massive body is buckled low, prowling, sizing up the distance between them, his tone is soft. Like he’s gently explaining something to a fellow warrior. “This would be far enough.”
The ex-deputy swallows on a dry throat, frozen in place. Harrybrook relaxes his stance. Juniperclaw seems to be very good at taking orders, just like he is. He knows exactly what to do to keep this discreet and professional.
“If you’d like, we can finish the long walk. It’s a place my mother used to like. It has flowers, butterflies, it’s a lovely haven,” He relaxes his stance, meeting Juniperclaw’s terrified eyes with a calm, dutiful look.
The panic distills into a resolve. Like something clicked in his mind, and he was coming to one of those unspoken conclusions that these Forest Four cats all seem to have figured out between them. “All right. I… I think I know the haven you’re talking about. We can have our fight there. There’s no need to make a scene.”
Harrybrook’s ear flicks, but Juniperclaw doesn’t see it as he brushes past him. It seems he misunderstood what this is. He thinks this is an invocation of the Right to Challenge. That this is going to be a fair fight between warriors.
It’s the last mistake he ever made. But he doesn’t feel a thing. Back turned to his killer, he hears the snap before he learns in StarClan that it was the sound of his own neck.
