FRAGILE || Cloudtail & Ashfur - Warrior Cats Animatic

` For all those born beneath an angry star...
Lest we forget how fragile we are `
A storyboard / animatic I did in a little over a week. I've had this idea in mind since 2017 - when my dad first introduced me to the song - and I've done numerous drafts and storyboard of this exact idea throughout the years, and I'm glad to have finally sat down and finished it. That being said I might show the older unfinished versions if I find any saved, since they all still mean a lot to me.
STORY / PLOT:
The storyboard revolves around Cloudtail mourning the loss of his brother, Ashfur.
Cloudtail was adopted by Brindleface when his uncle, Fireheart, brought him to ThunderClan. Brindleface raised him as her own, along with his adoptive siblings - Ashfur and Ferncloud. Their childhood was pure bliss, and the three got along fairly well. Ashkit and Cloudkit were best friends during kithood, and the two brothers were inseparable. Tragedy struck when their mother, Brindleface, was discovered dead by Cloudtail and Fireheart when patrolling ThunderClan's territory. Ashpaw sought comfort in his brother, but his brother was so overwhelmed with emotions that he shut Ashpaw out completely. The trouble didn't end there - soon the trio's denmates, Brightpaw and Swiftpaw, got attacked by a group of hounds. Only Brightpaw survived, and Cloudtail was there to comfort her the entire time. Ashpaw felt pity for the injured apprentice, and sympathy for his caring brother. The brothers chose completely different paths in life - Cloudtail built a family with Brightheart and lived a fairly normal and joyful life; and Ashfur focused the remainder of his life obsessing over a lost potential love, Squirrelflight. Cloudtail was concerned about Ashfur, but knew that there was nothing he could really do to change his mind. Suddenly, Ashfur's corpse was found in the river, and Cloudtail was absolutely distraught by the discovery. He grieved his lost brother, wondering what he could have done to prevent his death or at least bring him some joy during his final moments. He wanted closure, and only Ashfur himself could bring it to him
Obviously I've left out many key elements to the story for the sake of storytelling, so I'll list some events here:
- Cloudkit protecting Ashkit and Fernkit from a badger
- Cloudpaw sneaking into twoleg place to eat food (and Ashpaw covering up for him? )
- Fernpaw and Ashpaw spotting Brightpaw and Swiftpaw running off and then telling Fireheart
- Ferncloud & Dustpelt
- Brightheart and Cloudtail's kits
- Ashfur and Squirrelflight drama (involving the three + the infamous fire scene)
- Hollyleaf's confession / the revelation
- Ferncloud's death
Overall very pleased with how it turned out seeing as everything was done in about a week, added a lot of storyboarding elements I've learned recently which was very fun to play around with. I hope to finish this someday and turn it into an actual amv/pmv, though only time will tell if that happens.
Programs: Procreate (art), Sony Vegas Pro 14 (editing)
Time taken: ~1 week
Story, Characters (c) Erin Hunter, Harper Collins
Song: Fragile - Sting & Stevie Wonder
Art, storyboard (c) me
Please don't use my art without credit and my permission first
Social Media
ig: @nerithekitten
da: @NeriTheKitten
twitter: @NeriTheKitten
Thank you for watching!

[@nightflower9188]

Poor CloudTail. First his mother’s killed, and then AshFur was found murdered. Then his sister FernCloud was also murdered. All three of which had their throats slit.

[@Frostfern94]

Imagine if that's how Cloudtail dies.

[@nightflower9188]

Coastalwaves360 I hope that’s not how he dies

[@spottedbread750]

@@Frostfern94 I dont hope it happend either

[@V1_Ultrakrill]

I want Cloudtail to peacefully die in his sleep

[@cheepthebird5117]

It doesn’t help that he never knew his biological mother that well.

[@Melonlord12345]

Finally someone who made something about Ashfur and Cloudtail's relationship,its like everyone forgot that they were brothers! This is so beautiful and really creative,loved how you portrayed their past together

[@NerinaNell]

Ssunset Artz aAaaa thank you so much!! :’0

[@hannah-ki]

I was thinking the same thing about this Ssunset Artz

[@funtimexxwarrior4566]

Thanks for reminding me they were brothers. I forgot! (As in foster bros)

[@goawayyoufatcow7326]

Yes exactly I completely forgot they were foster brothers ! What I liked about that is that cloudtail actually looked like he was related to them ( white storm )

[@goawayyoufatcow7326]

Stripepelt foster brothers but yesss 😿😿

[@yekiraclaar2308]

I'm one of the fandom that's guilty of forgetting how close Ashfur and Cloudtail were at least in the prophecies begin. Mainly because after that they don't really interact from what I can remember. But imagine how much more tragic Ashfur's death would have been on the clan had it showed some scenes of Ashfur actually being interacted with by his siblings and stuff instead of sulking in corners all alone like a creepy old man that nobody wants to touch. And when he died I remember the clan pretty much all acting equally upset when it would have been cooler had we gotten a bit bigger reaction out of the cats that had been raised by his side rather than everyone basically being like "well thats sucks. Anyway how's the fresh kill pile?"

[@nyra8263]

I remember when Cloudpaw was taken by twolegs, Ashpaw was so worried :(

[@blackprimrose7541]

I feel as if Ashfur's canon behaviour might just fuel Cloudtail's grief when he die. To think that his littermate was going through so much, and he didn't even notice up until his death. Would love to see the reaction of that honestly.

[@nyra8263]

@@blackprimrose7541 It's a shame the Erins kind of completely forget about characters being related. Especially when creating relationships... [gross]

[@sedateddreams4254]

This was gorgeous! Cloudtail and Ashfur’s relationship is so underrated.

[@cheramiawish9980]

Brightheart and cloudtail is better

[@murraychu6208]

@@cheramiawish9980 nothing is better than a sibling relationship.

[@cheramiawish9980]

@@murraychu6208 I thought he ment as mayes

[@murraychu6208]

@@cheramiawish9980 wtf no

[@jacikleynjan5837]

Same as all platonic relationships tbh

[@bladethewolfartist7095]

love how the recent series of books throws out all this growth from just a cat with bad luck to a character who believes revenge is right. Case in point his mother dies he leads the dogs that killed her (well more like the reason for her to be killed) towards the cliff edge. His mentor dies in battle? kills the dude who did it. He was literally raised to believe he was right to exact revenge and had very little support from others to help him out of this mindset especially from his sister ferntail and adoptive brother cloudtail. But the recent books were like nah he was born evil screw him he was always bad no character development here nyope he was totally a bad apple. This is why I freaking love it when someone actually shows his actual life and upbringing outside of that ONE FEAKING SCENE.

[@Elkemistical]

the SHOTS. the POSES. the ANGLES. and the portrayal of the STORY. 10/10 My dude holyyyy cow. I absolutely love how this turned out. The attention to little details (such as Cloutail being heartbroken over Brindleface's body, Ashfur low key being sad that his brother can be in a nice happy relationship while he's in love with Squirrelflight, ya know??) I absolutely loveeeeeee ittttt AH Well done :'D

[@NerinaNell]

RedBear rED B R O THANK YOU SO MUCH I W E E P TYTYTY :’00’

[@LittlePuffy4ever]

That's such an unique idea!! I've always felt that the fandom forgot that they were pretty much brothers and only remember the fire scene and it's extremely nice to see them getting some recognition FJJDJDJDJDJDJDJJFJF I love the transition to their kithood and how you can tell which one is which even with the limited colors. This animatic is extremely stunning, I love this soooo much djxjxjxj

[@NerinaNell]

LittlePuffy4ever aAaa thank you so much!! :’0

[@bashfulwolfo6499]

It's sad to see how Cloudtail being Ashfur's adopted brother was forgotten. The two seemed to be pretty close, I'm so glad that this was made :,o

[@dayzi_drawz]

2:52 Awwww that blurry eyed moment when ashfur reached for the stars like he did when cloudtail and him were kids right before his death. That almost got me, I heard up a little. Your execution if their relationship was absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for this.

[@scaredstiff7176]

I wish there were more animatics/PMVs/ Animation about some of the lesser appreciated aspects of different cat's relationships. This reminds me a lot of the Cinderpelt and Brightheart pmv in terms of idea, because everyone basically forgot their relationship. I feel like this one is the cinematic cake though, and I love your attention to prespective in background, because it really feels alive and the different scenes were perfectly picked to show how their relationship grew in a short period of time. I could rave on and on, but it really is a very lovely animatic! Good job and keep up the great work!

[@lj2659]

I agree! Some characters have cute friendships that are never touched on (Hawkwing and Plumwillow, Thornclaw and Ashfur, Purdy and Mousefur)

[@murraychu6208]

@@lj2659 there is actually an animatic for mousefur and purdy

[@sunsetsodaarchive]

I DIDN'T EVEN REALISE THEY WERE TECHNICALLY BROTHERS!!! BEAUTIFULLY DONE, ESPECIALLY THE FINAL SCENE WHICH WAS SO IMPORTANT CAUSE CLOUDTAIL DOESN'T BELIEVE IN STARCLAN! THIS IS SO NICE I'M CRYING

[@batfacts_are_cool]

Hands down one of my favorite if not THE favorite animatic. I'd never given Ashfur and Cloudtail much thought, but god it makes sense. I'm brought to the same epiphany each time it comes to the part with Brindleface's death. Both Cloudtail and Ashfur lost their mother, Cloudtail suffered the tragedy with Brightheart, but Ashfur didn't get much recovery from the event. Being so close to my own mother, I feel like I would be kinda bitter and isolated too. Ashfur's emotional turmoil makes a lot more sense weighing in his family, but it obviously doesn't justify his actions. This came out on my birthday, too! What a stellar gift. I love your work, Neri. Never stop doing what you love.

[@LmaoMeowz]

Exuse me *Underrated much?* I had totally forgotten about Cloudtail and Ashfur’s relationship!! This really does portray it perfectly, the art is flawless for a sketch/storyboard, the song fits extremely well, and it’s really just a beautiful lil PMV storyboard thing! Definitely subbing, hope there’s more AMAZING content!!

[@beastmaster0934]

People seem to forget the relationship Cloudtail, Ferncloud and Ashfur had. They were SIBLINGS god damn it! I don’t care if Cloudtail was adopted, family doesn’t always have to be by blood. And that’s why I want Cloudtail to pass on peacefully in his sleep, to reunite with his sister Ferncloud. And when Ashfur finally gets sent to the dark forest where he belongs, I want Cloudtail and Ferncloud to declare the guilty verdict.

[@mackspaws]

AHJFHFJJSJF HOLY HELL THIS IS AMAZING??? IVE NEVER SEEN ANYONE DO ANYTHING ABOUT CLOUDTAIL AND ASHFUR I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS MISSING OUT ON!! WOW!!!!

[@bengal4047]

Another sibling relationship that the Erins forgot existed is finally done justice. This was beautiful

[@vexnyth2074]

Every second of this pmv is a true master piece, especially the part where ashfur gets killed by holly leaf, and starclan ashfur comforts cloudtail, breath taking!

[@Twinklethefox9022]

There needs to be more warriors animations about ashfur, cloudtail and ferncloud. I really like the idea of how they react. They where distraught when they heard about ashfurs death. Then they learned the kind of cat he turned out to be. Or one about thorn, braken, bright and cinder. I also find it strange how the girls of the litter got hurt but their brothers are fine

[@awholenewwworrllddd_2391]

Disney: no we can’t hire her Also Disney: *whispers* she’s to good for us

[@julesyano4337]

This is beautiful!! Also it makes more sense on why Ashfur never got over Squirrelflight, both of his kin were able to be in a happy relationship with kits but he had nothing, it seemed like Squirrelflight was his only chance at having a life-long relationship like Cloudtail and Ferncloud but it kind of just got thrown away.

[@shellyrose7123]

Ah, I’m so glad that someone else was able to do something with these 2. Their relationship was super interesting to me and I loved them in the first arch

[@robloxoof549]

Yes what a unique song choice and idea,yet so beautiful. Anger and sadness fit well for the tragic death of his brother

[@EphemeralMoth]

NERRRIIII you NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE ME OH MY GOD, keep up the fantastic work!! 💖💖

[@NerinaNell]

GAHDHDHDHDH THANK YOU SO MUCH SOBS ;;; 💕💕💕

[@ameliacasey7818]

I know this is supposed to be sad it really is... But can we talk about fernclouds sleeping position😹

[@spacewolf7757]

God this was amazing!! The expressions were so good and just...AGH I LOVE THIS

[@Merryald]

Man this deserves so much more attention ??? I don’t even know what to say,,, this animatic show a really underrated relationship between the two brothers and you have so many amazing ideas of compositions, transition, scene etc ! Also your art style and the way you sketch backgrounds is incredible I love this so much, simply a masterpiece !!

[@wednesrory]

YES,, Its so nice to see someone besides me remembered that ashfur and cloudtail were related. This is so good! It actually manages to make me feel bad for them

[@wildfirearts5550]

Even your animatics Look amazing! I love how you represented their relationship it was really sweet and warriors really does need more characters who act like family even tho they Are not blood related. Anyways amazing job and i hope you have a wonderful day! 🤗

[@cozmicdoodles7167]

I love love LOVE seeing videos done of underrated/forgotten characters and relationships in this series. You did such a good job of showing their relationship! And Cloudtail mourning his brother's death ;O; everything is beautiful Excellent job!!!

[@chromiakocosmos8888]

Cloudtail and Ashfur Cinderpelt and Brightheart Swiftpaw and Tigerclaw Swiftpaw, Brambleclaw, and Twanypelt Man there's just so many freaken relationships dynamics that we missed out on in the books!!

[@mooneatsworms]

I think you mean Swiftpaw, Tawnykit and Bramblekit buddy.

[@chromiakocosmos8888]

@@mooneatsworms I wanted to see a step-dad relationship between the two, but I'll add that one to my list!

[@ottermadness4048]

Did anyone else notice the awkwardness between Firestar and Cloudtail touching noses? Don’t wanna ruin this great work tho! I almost forgot about their relationship! I was mostly focused on how Brambleclaw(star) and Ashfur were friends as apprentices and in their early warrior stages. They turned to rivals very fast. Edit: omg just realised that Cloudtail doesn’t believe in Starclan so he probably won’t see Ashfur again

[@Jaded123x]

1:47 I can't help but laugh about this one part because of how the music is in sync with the crying But great animatic

[@farleapthequeen346]

lmfaooo

[@jacobaltredes7384]

Makes me wonder about the Broken Code. Cloudtail was born kitty pet, would Ashfur (who is Bramblewrong/the Imposter) kick his brother out as well?

[@splashana]

oh my god ! wow I’m speechless, you never cease to amazing

[@leaselinaondercinova6218]

I never spotted their relationship and that they are kinda brothers...so I'm glad I found this map. It's really pretty, so congrats and giving like ❤️

[@yuuuwwwblyuuuet1o]

It's not a map

[@seapinecone2869]

IM CRYING THE EXPRESSIONS AND THE TONES AND THE USE OF RARE SHADOWS TO PORTRAY SADNESS AND BETRAYAL. ooooooOoooOooOooO YES WE LOVE IT

[@sionanimations6374]

This is so beautiful! The concept and execution for this were stunning. love everything about it!!!

[@pebblefawn9145]

Oh. My. Goodness. THIS IS A MASTERPIECE! So many small details! This is great! Good job

[@LemonLoverCockatiel]

I forgot they were even brothers! This is absolutely beautiful!!!

[@Leyon_Star]

no dislikes, as it should be. this art style is so pretty i love it

[@minecraftminigamer6138]

I totally forgot they were adoptive littermates

[@AxelBbyy]

Ahhhhh i love this so much!!! ur art is so amazing and i love just the fact someone did something with them!! I'm currently rereading the first arc after 10 years and i love these little troublemakers!

[@nonamenoname9322]

I like 2:55 when he starts gasping for breath. I felt that.

[@MunacaCair]

WHAT WHAT WHAT?! What is this?! Another amazing Animatic?! Good job on the details on this Neri

[@fallingbread1000]

I got literal chills on the last scene!! This entire animatic is gorgeous!!!!!!!

[@chernyshcat]

oh wmy ghod please you cant imagine how long ive waited for content of these two!! This is so emotional, i wish there was more of them in the books

[@Samoboo]

This is done so beautifully!!! Amazing job as always

[@sanguivorouscorvid]

I haven't even finished it yet, but so far it's beautiful! EDIT:that was amazing

[@Nasty_littleg00ber]

I think also that all the deaths he’s seen and how much the clan has suffered may have also been the reason why he doesn’t believe in starclan also I like how you’ve shown the relationship between Ashfur and Cloudtail and how seeing Cloud tail and Bright heart had also fuelled Ashfur’s jealousy

[@ixxid5798]

You did perspective and poses so well and your artstyle looks fabolous

[@Inv_Enot]

Imagine how heartbroken cloudtail felt in the broken code

[@thatsn0tverycashm0ney88]

Add the fact that Cloudtail doesn't believe in Starclan and has to deal with the cats around him that hope that one day they'll see their loved ones again

[@Storm_Bird_Z]

I really love your work, they are filled with emotions and inspiring)

[@Blue-mj5gm]

An underrated animatic for sure, i fell in love with it

[@jacobreal5509]

This is most heartbreaking 🥺😢😔

[@wolfie8pie403]

This is beautiful!

[@fozzyspots]

god this is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! your talent and creativity will never cease to amaze me

[@aerascreamer4345]

You’re art style is so gorgeous and unique ! This animatic is so well made love it !

[@Totallynotredtail]

People really do forget cloudtail was ashfur's foster brother don't they

[@Kittieeepaw]

This is sooooo good!!!

[@lj2659]

Thank you for shedding light on an underrated relationship! You have the prettiest style! Xoxo

[@luckyslob3359]

Yes! I’m glad someone else thought about their brotherly love!!

[@icicleghost]

wow, i'm at a complete loss for words with how good this is

[@martynawisniewska8006]

Gosh! I love this!

[@pinapplesonpizza1588]

This is perfect. And underrated. I dunno what else to say

[@kahnthefish6265]

YOU SAY IT TOOK 1 WEEK??? IM CRYING ITS SO BEAUTIFUL

[@claudiothewarrior]

Amazing!

[@teffley2766]

WOAH!! I love this so so much! I reaally hope Ashfur gets a redemption

[@panicked_ghost1578]

And Holly was his kin too like ouch you lost your adopted brother and you lost trust to your kin

[@charliecharlie4605]

I 100% forgot they were raised together. Like I TOTALLY forgot lol.

[@-w-1870]

YES YES YES YES!! TIME FOR BEAUTY, TIME FOR CREATIVITY!!

[@pearlwalker4205]

2:36 was so cool :0

[@cavebat6330]

Really good mate

[@zosiapepowska5245]

This is beatifull

[@dobthedog9623]

Warriors is a beautiful master peace.

[@VixenLovelove]

You’re such an artisan. I’d buy a sketchbook from you

[@weirdanimationsworkshop573]

Amasing!💙

[@ashlinlibby3605]

neri:cloud tail mourns his brother ashfur me:wait- what there brothers?! neri:bridle adopted cloudtail and raised him with ashfur me: :|

[@bluedream528]

Love it

[@nonamenoname9322]

I was scratching my head trying to figure out what they could possibly have in common. Even though the only thing they had in common was that couldtail nursed on Ashfur’s mom, this still seems like a far stretch to make a video about them both. Still, this video is incredible.

[@NerinaNell]

While I do wish they had even more in common, they were raised together and there were multiple scenes in the book mentioning it, and their stories to overlap at times which is odd that they’ve never had much interaction after The Prophecies Begin arc. The two were raised together, and in the books it was mentioned that they were quite close and there were scenes of them which I actually didn’t put into the animatic (ex: Ashkit and Fernkit being ‘protected’ by Cloudkit during a badger attack, the three running off, Ashpaw covering for Cloudpaw while he was visiting the twoleg place, Ashpaw and Cloudtail grieving for Brindleface and preparing for the battle against BloodClan etc). The wiki only goes to say that Cloudkit nursed on Brindleface, but there was much beyond that. Also, their respective arcs (Ashfur’s “squirrel” dillema and Cloudtail’s relationship with Brightheart) overlap on multiple occassions, which makes me believe the writers forgot they were brothers at one point lmao Thank you!

[@zazzypants7942]

umm disney called. They want their storyboard artist back.

[@margotlehner4821]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[@JynSherlock]

men i love so much my son CloudTail

[@akbotasalih1979]

Ooo

[@windgazer8734]

💚💚💚

[@DreemyDreemz]

I completely forgot they were brothers. Unless it has story sognificance, siblings aren't usually mentioned. I'm pretty sure Dustpelt and Ravenpaw were brothers, weren't they? I don't think that's like ever been mentioned by fans

[@naturerules8816]

❤️❤️❤️

[@0.721x]

I loge this

[@Simipourfangirl]

What version of fragile is this?

[@cloudpaw8953]

👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@waleriamuratkowa8819]

You: WARNING Me: WARRNING YARNING TALKNIG Ik its dumb but why not :D

[@joaosantana7349]

Twos are a brothers hes is Whitestorm'sons

[@joaosantana7349]

@Lydai Zöhrer i know but he are a adopted brother okay.cloudtail looks like your father oliver

[@strawberryfieldsS2]

at first I thought the music was brazilian

[@WormHome]

Who is this song by?

[@NerinaNell]

Its.Common.Sense 3:38

[@Storm_Bird_Z]

Hello, I would like to ask: is it possible to take this animatic and do it in your own style or as it is now popular map with it? If I do it myself, it will be posted only with your permission, and so only you will have a link to the finished work and progress, I just have a desire to make an animation out of this when I deal with urgent debts I'll say if you refuse or are unhappy with it, it's your author's work and you don't owe anyone anything

[@TaysTyy_CrusT]

I forgot that cloudtail and ashfur were kinda btothers

[@fghdfdfgdfg9469]

its imossible to identify who's who because every fucking cat lookseexactly the same like i literally cant eperate hollyleaf from cloudtail everyone lookse exactly the same

[@sophiebartlett8243]

Lol, they aren't related. But it is good

[@NerinaNell]

They are related. Just because Cloudtail was adopted doesn’t mean he’s not related. And thank you!

[@sophiebartlett8243]

@@NerinaNell no, and is it bc brindled ace took in cloudkit?

[@NerinaNell]

Sophie Bartlett yes, Brindleface took in Cloudkit and ended up adopting him. She lost two of her kits before, and only Ashfur and Ferncloud survived in her second litter, so when Fireheart brought in Cloudkit she was glad to take him in. She raised Cloudkit, Ashkit and Fernkit all on her own, and Cloudkit believed she was his actual biological mother. It was actually Fireheart who told him that his biological mother is a kittypet, but Cloudkit said that Brindleface is still his mother nontheless. I cannot remember what chapter that happened, but I believe it was somewhere in the middle of the rising storm. Familly is family, blood related or not. Oh, and there were multiple scenes of Cloudkit, Fernkit and Ashkit getting into danger and Fireheart having to save them, the three were close as kits and went their separate ways as adults, though there were scenes in books where Ferncloud and Cloutail were chatting in the background if I remember correctly.