SkunkyArt | CatinaBasement — Humanized Fallowtail

Françoise is from Franciscus, meaning “Frenchman”. It is one of the approved RiverClan names and correlates with the prefix “fallow” in canon.

Theresa could be could be derived from Greek θέρος (theros) meaning "summer", from Greek θερίζω (therizo) meaning "to harvest", or from the name of the Greek island of Therasia (the western island of Santorini). RiverClan names often have roots in Latin and Greek forms because many of the first Sect of Neilos followers were from the Byzantine Empire and ancient Gaul (France). So many names have developed from that time period as viable names.

Chastain is from Old French castan "chestnut tree" (Latin castanea). It is meant to allude to her brother, Cedarpelt’s tree name. This is Tanglewhisker’s surname.

Brisbois is from Old French briser "to cut" and bois "forest". This is Birdsong’s surname. A fallow deer is a kind of European deer, so you could say she’s a “fallow deer in a cut down forest near a chestnut tree.” A very summery, naturey visage.

Fallowtail grew up the eldest child of Birdsong and Tanglewhisker, older sister to Cedarpelt. She had a comfortably wealthy upbringing, not wanting for much and not pressured to marry because Cedarpelt could continue the family line if Fallowtail wanted to remain at her parent’s home. This allowed her freedom to pursue her interests, like painting and crochet, and she worked to perfect her craft.

She met Reedfeather around the age of 55, and started seeing him in secret. They had to be very careful, because he was the second in command (deputy) and his reputation was at stake. This was a very selfish way for Reedfeather to think about their relationship, not considering how it might affect Fallowtail’s life. But he was a self-absorbed person, and put himself first as a priority. Fallowtail was blindsided by this, her attraction to Reedfeather being physical and liking the way he treated her as someone to be loved. They were careful about their activities, but contraceptives in the 19th century just…didn’t always work. Abortion was illegal in Victorian era England even though many women practiced it, but Reedfeather convinced her to carry the fetus to term for his own selfishness.

And so Graypool was born when she was 57 years, or looked 35 years old. Fallowtail got lucky, because her child looked more like her than Reedfeather. There were whisperings about who the father was, and Fallowtail got a bad reputation for having a child out of wedlock. But she had a strong support system in her family, so she weathered the gossip well.

Willowbreeze was a different story.

Contraceptives failed again, and Reedfeather, once again, convinced Fallowtail to carry the child. He claimed the baby would look like her if she stayed in the cold (I’m drawing from pre-Mendel beliefs about heredity). But Willowbreeze looked like Reedfeather. Now the whisperings became ones of betrayal and disloyalty, because Willowkit looked visibly East-Asian, and rumors spread if her lover was an outsider or from the Sect of Winds. She felt hurt and betrayed, because she didn’t want children and now everyone was turning against her for a decision Reedfeather convinced her to make. No one knew who it could be until little Crookedkit innocently blurted out he saw Fallowtail with the WindClan deputy, and was wondering why they were together.

Gossip would die down, but being caught clearly wasn’t what bothered Reedfeather. It was being seen as too weak. When Graypool was 6 and Willowbreeze 3, Reedfeather formally demanded custody of the children, and threatened to remove important trade and exports from RiverClan if the demands were not met. Fallowtail felt forced to give them away because the alternative was civil war. But deep down, she felt some relief. They weren’t her responsibility anymore.

She went back to painting and crocheting, but children kept finding their way into her pieces. She had dreams about when she taught Graykit to walk and Willowkit to say “mama”. She would imagine what they would look like as a young adult, who they would marry, or what they would do with their lives. She always told herself she felt relief when her children were taken from her. But what she really felt was relief that because she gave them away, Reedfeather was out of her life. She does miss her children, but she feels like she can’t do anything about it because the alternative is a long custody battle that would end up hurting RiverClan.

Hailstar took back custody of the girls when they were 14 and 12 through force, and suddenly Fallowtail is forced to look at her daughters, both of whom have more memories of their father than their mother. Both know English but have retained zero French she taught them. Willowkit still likes to follow WindClan practices. She begins the difficult journey of learning who they have become, and reconnecting with her daughters. Like her parents before her, she doesn’t force them to grow up quickly, but to enjoy life and find the right person when they are ready.

She’s there when Graypool marries Rippleclaw’s son and she’s there when Graypool mourns the loss of her children. She’s also there to tear Rippleclaw’s son to shreds for abandoning her daughter because of her heritage. She’s there when Graypool adopts Mistykit and Stonekit, and she’s there to give a stern warning to Oakheart not to repeat the mistakes her previous husband did.

She’s there when Willowbreeze marries Crookedstar and she’s there to close Willowbreeze’s eyes when she passes away from sickness. She’s there to look after Silverstream and the one to confront Crookedstar for avoiding his daughter, drawing from her own experiences how much that hurt her and how much it will hurt him.

She joined the elders at 122 and passed away at 142. She lived long enough to see Silverstream become a warrior, and the legacy Fallowtail had created. She doesn’t regret having her daughters. She regrets letting Reedfeather dictate her happiness. Ultimately, she controls her own happiness.