applestrike and hollyfang are both cats who were mentored by the two villains, but turn out much different. redstar trains applestrike to use her emotional turmoil as a weapon. dont you miss her? arent you upset no one else is affected as you are? dont you want a release?

meadowmist berates hollyfang for his “overreactions” and holds his and his sister’s past as rogues over his head. im the only one on your side. im the only one standing between you two and the rest of the clan. im your mentor.

when applestrike is faced with trauma she shoulders it for a hypothetical later date when she can “deal with it.” hollyfang falls deeper and deeper into despair until he’s too numb to react anymore. applestrike has a strong drive to keep working. i can fix it. i can fix it. i can make it better if i just try one more time. hollyfang cracks until he shatters and he wants to burn it all down. i cant take it anymore. make it stop. please make it stop.

applestrike leading the cats that become the coast alliance is an act of revolution and defiance. we dont have to live this way. we can make our own life somewhere else. for hollyfang its an escape. a clean slate. i have to get out of here. im sorry. im sorry.