PART 2 IS HERE: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/frN6pc92vs3bnmg.html

I LOVE the idea that StarClan is empty during a zombie apocalypse, and that as soon as Longtail realizes that there isn't and will not be any divine help, his immediate reaction is "alright then, guess we're doing this ourselves." IT'S SUCH A CANON LONGTAIL THING TO DO AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH

Did anybody notice the fact that Firestar was the one to kill Longstar? The blue paw pads and red fur clued me in, and somehow that just makes everything so much better

The way starclan was empty like that was terrifying,it implies that the cats who got turned into zombie were still “alive” They couldn’t go to starclan and their souls were bound to their rotting corpses forever until they decomposed entirely or something.

the way firestars face turned from battle-ready to fear when he realized he was outnumbered was so sad because a second before he got buried and mauled you can see he looks angry and prepared for battle then when he REALIZED was outnumbered he had that look of pure horror 😭😭

a lot of you are thinking swifty is safe in starclan huh

I think the darkest part of this AU has to be what happened to StarClan. [spoilers for the map if you haven't watched it yet] When Longtail goes to Starclan, nobody is there. Not a single zombified cat went to Starclan. What do all the zombified cats have in common? Their bodies aren't at rest. Even if they're functionally dead they can't pass on to Starclan. An idea I'd like to consider is the idea of what happened to their spirits. For context: The books have leaders with multiple lives, when they die, everything about them is dead until their spirit returns. Now, a normal cat won't have those extra lives, but who says they can't return to their bodies away? I'd like to think that instead of the spirits properly passing on, they rot in some way and then return to their bodies, zombifying them. The speed in which they return is determined by how stressed they were before death (aka why longtail turned instantly compared to the cats at the start of the MAP.). Their spirits are ROTTEN. That's what the zombification does to a cat, and that's why Starclan was empty. In other words: Swiftpaw is the ONLY CAT that shall pass on to Starclan because they didn't die from a zombie. Their spirit is clean. Longtail? His spirit has rotted. There is no afterlife for him. Edit(5 months later...): After some consideration, I've developed some new theories for Swiftpaw's spirit. Especially due to the pinned comment. So far I have three: He's already rotting, The zombies can directly affect spirits, and The zombies ARE the spirits. In the case he's infected with rot, his spirit will slowly corrupt and it'll return to his corpse. Also! Another terrifying theory: the spirit might not return to Swiftpaw's body. In the case that the zombies can directly affect spirits, his spirit could rot from contact with a zombie. Perhaps simply brushing along a rotten cat's side could transfer the corruption. Swiftpaw would be able to survive much longer as a clean spirit if he avoids touching them, but the zombies might be aware of his spirit and actively try to spread the rot to him. (Now to the one I'm most confident about, mmm text wall): Starclan is completely empty. Firestar has gotten his nine lives, meaning that there were cats in Starclan recently. The one thing that isn't explained in my original theory is how the zombies started. So, what if Starclan became rotten? There is no sign of impurities in Starclan's territory (unless you count the purple-tones as evil colors), meaning that SOMETHING got in, probably Darkforest based on appearance alone. Whatever it was forced Starclan to leave their territory, from rot (leaving to rot others) or fear (leaving to escape it). Once those spirits (Darkforest or otherwise) found their way into the mortal plane, they corrupted the living cats through the "sickness". Those rotten spirits don't have a body to return to. What could they do? Either join another rotten spirit in a zombie, or wander around looking for a clean spirit (Aka; Swiftpaw). In this case, Swiftpaw would be in active danger of becoming corrupted by (Darkforest) rotten spirits. A game of cat and mouse, if you will. If Starclan didn't become (fully) corrupted, Swiftpaw would have spirits to fight along his side. Could they win? If the creator wills it so, Swiftpaw could defeat the ghost-zombies and un-tether the spirits from their corpses. It would be a happy ending to this whole "aha try passing on now" debacle that they're dealing with. **Inhales** -Okay! Now I need to sleep.

Can we all just agree that Dark-Yard's part was absolutely terrifying?

I love Longtail being a respectable main character who's not just Swiftpaw's mentor, or the one who fought Rusty in the beginning or was one of Tigerclaw's butthead friends.

swiftpaw not being infected and progressing into starclan is such a good setup for a second part, gg everyone

Somehow, Swiftpaw met Longtail's cannon fate. I feel like there's a deeper meaning behind that.

2:25 I LOVE the light literally fading from his eyes

One thing I've noticed this time rewatching is that the zombies generally have their eyes intact. With regular corpses, the eyes are the first to be eaten. This could be because the zombies are moving, preventing birds from getting to their eyes. However, I think it would be interesting if vultures/whatever can sense that something about the zombies is not safe to eat. I'm also kinda nerding about what the luminescence in the eyes could be in-universe. Like, is it spirit-related, such as a sign that their souls are trapped, or is it bio-luminescence from the zombie and/or some microorganism, or is it something else entirely?

Swiftpaw’s death was so brutal. What a horrible way to go out. Something about seeing him in the end credits just made it feel so real. The map was stunning !! Everyone did a great job!

this map is so sad there is just no happy ending T-T its such a cool concept and the animator who work on it so amazing! longtail is one of my favorite characters so i am so happy to see a map about him!

This is not only terrifying and OOZES more of a profound sense of hopelessness and despair than the zombie cats ooze blood, but it SCREAMS a feeling of being abandoned by every possible salvation the formerly-living cats may have had. "Heart-breaking" doesn't do justice to this. It's SOUL-SHATTERING. And so well-done. I weep for all those who lost their lives in this AU, but I weep for Longtail especially. He tried until his last breath, and it still wasn't enough.

2:18 The way Firestar pleaded Longtail to help him and the look of horror flashing through his eyes is absolutely horrifying and surprising Good work! And Spiderleg you shouldn’t have pushed down that tree !

This is gonna sound morbid, but I love how there’s no happy ending. The clan cats fail, they all turn to zombies, swift paw dies and is alone in Starclan- it’s heartbreaking and this map actually made me feel bad in such an amazing way that the books could just never accomplish. Everyone did great? The map turned out awesome!

Graystripe: is dying Firestar: That sucks. WHITESTORM MY BELOVED DONT LEAVE ME PLEASE NO

i know nothing about warrior cats but my niece showed me this and ive gotta say this animation took my breath away. these animators are so incredibly skilled at their craft

I have such a genuine soul crushing fear of zombies I can’t even explain it, and this gave me chills. Amazingly done.

can we talk about how swifty and longtail basically switched deaths? longtail was mauled to death and swiftpaw was crushed by a tree.. coincidence?😳

I gotta be honest, I’m terrified of zombies, so seeing this MAP the first time really freaked me out. But it’s such a fascinating concept that I have now watched this five times. Before the Broken Code came out, I was really hoping that the ‘Bramblestar has rabies’ theory was true. Because if so, we would basically have a zombie apocalypse plot, and I was so hyped over it. But it didn’t happen. So it’s up to the fandom I guess.

The way my heart dropped when I realized why there were no StarClan cats. The idea of their souls being stuck inside is so scary, but such a good story element!

Crazzlana’s shot of Swiftpaw luring away the zombies is absolutely phenomenal. Massive kudos to everyone who made this fantastic MAP possible.

I’m posting this before the map has come out. I’ve seen some of the parts, and been to the livestreams of people making their parts. This map is going to be stunning, and should go down like Serpent Sol and the Choose Your Own Path maps.

I love Longtails walk when he was carrying Dustpelt and how he carryed himself without stumbling trying to carry him to the pit at 0:49. This is incredible.

I don't think i've ever seen a warriors map THIS graphic before. Not even the animations depicting Tigerstar's death were this gorey. And this is a compliment! Good lord i was on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE TIME! I loved this!

At 3:03 his whole expression basically says: “Fine, I’ll do it myself”

Amazing and sickening. I love how there’s a moment where you think "hey they’re gonna block off the zombies nice," and then swiftpaw gets crushed and they climbed over the tree anyway. It’s so dark and twisted and I love it so much. It leaves me with so many more questions, such as what caused this zombie virus affecting the cats, could it have been a problem since the ancient clans? Or what about the twolegs or can it affect other creatures such as midnight the badger? Man I love it

I don't think enough people talk about how terrifying the zombies are. 1:00 CHILLS!!!

Hey! I have a theory. You know those two cats that push the tree onto Swift’Paw? Well… they most likely survived the zombie attack that killed Long’Star at the end, as they weren’t in the valley. Because of this, I think those cats will be in the part 2. This was my theory, hope you enjoyed.

0:47: I like the small detail of the rabbit that kind of has Swiftpaw’s design, it’s like a foreshadowing of his death, like it’s saying that it will happen.

DUDE EVERYONE MADE THE ZOMBIES LOOK TERRIFYING I LOVE IT! They were so fast when they came to invade (terrifyingly fast) and the show of the pit was HAUNTING. I loved every part of this and everyone did such a great job!

the fact Swiftpaw's tragic death gave us viewers a spark of hope when we saw him accepted in starclan shows that maybe the clans could be saved

Rewatching before part 2 😘💚

The implication that something has happened to cats who were already in starclan scares me.

Seeing how the end turned out, it leads me to believe that Swiftpaw was one of the few that died a death that resulted in his spirit coming back to view what has happened, and as the ending is leaving it to the imagination, I have a feeling that although Starclan is unsafe, the dark forest might actually have some hope, as yes, they all retain their wounds and seem horrific, but that doesn't mean they are mindless, so as the ending showed, I believe Swiftpaw is going to be the one to attempt to put all the reanimated cats to rest finally, with the help of any other remaining Starclan cats and some of the dark forest. The dark forest cats may be evil, but they can see when all of their existence is in the hands of a single cat and at that point, they'd be willing to help if it means survival.

This gave me the chills. This is the first MAP in ages I haven’t spoiled for myself, and lord it was worth it. I’m in love with the concept, and i went on an emotional rollercoaster throughout it. All the animators brought this amazing idea to life, and every time a character died or got hurt, I really felt it. This is an amazing project, well done to everyone involved!

normal cat: *exists* zombie boi: PEACE WAS NEVER AN OPTION normal kit: *exists* zombie boi: well, thats an exception there 2:09

When Longtail breaks out of star clan and starts fighting back, it makes me want to weep. Longtail is one my favorites from the first arc and this shows his determination to the extreme.

5:23 Swiftpaw looking out like “It didn’t even work!? this is bullshit.”

This map fills me with a sort of existential dread like no other, just how helpless and depressing the situation is. I love it.

i am INCREDIBLY late but i cant not praise the ppl who worked on this. the way the animators drew the zombies was so unsettling. literally sent shivers down my spine and made my heart drop. the idea that starclan is empty because they zombies dont fully die is an amazing touch. awesome work to everyone who worked on this!!

I love how dark yards art style was so obvious

ALL PARTS ARE STUNNING!! Whole map idea is something I did not expected, because Longtail most of the time is just background character in MAPs, so i'm happy he's getting some attention! Also I realized that if there's no cats in Starclan (if they didn't hide somewhere, because that can be a thing too), then Swiftpaw is alone, what is heartbreaking- Also the thumbnail and credits animation is fantastic! Everyone did a fantastic job!!

Seeing swiftpaw so determined just to get crushed by a tree was brutal, and at the end credits was super sad, but totally adds the upsetting feeling that the good guys didn’t win, I’m all up for it lol /pos

Meu deus, definitivamente esse é o MAP com história mais pesada e sombria que eu já vi. Realmente me senti mal e desconfortável assistindo. Esse MAP passa perfeitamente a sensação de estar em um apocalipse zumbi. Amei ♥️♥️

sequel coming soon… kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7WddLGb2svLZmw.html

Posting this before the premiere, I just wanted to say this map is going to be absolutely stunning. Between the concept, artistic abilities and song choice I can already tell is will go down in wc history! Edit: :0 it was more beautiful than I thought

I've been following the progress for this map ever since the call came out, and I gotta say I don't think I've ever been this hyped for a finished map. it's really fantastic, and u best bet I'll be rewatching the finished map til the end of time

That was EXTREMELY well done in every single conceivable way. The AU idea is interesting, the song choice fits it very well, the animation is immaculate and full of life and emotion, and the writing made me find myself truly engaged in the story and attached to the characters. Every single person who worked on this did an amazing job, bravo

probably the longtail is one of the most underrated characters in warriors, here we can see what I could be long tail if he was given attention and a place, his bravery and pride was obvious, he had a great future in wcc.I love how the story unfolds he develops centering longtail, and how he could be a great leader. Poor longtail in the end :(. Well good job to everyone, all the parts are so good, i love the work of GiingerSnaps, love the concept of the map.

GIINGERR THIS MAP IS AWESOME the storytelling and feeling in this is so well done and everyones animations are really good and executes this concept so well. its been a while since i actually got the chills from a warrior cats map. oh my god

Watching this 2 days before the second part comes out feels wild.

Swiftpaw just cant get a break can he! This is a very well done map. I love the circumstances the clans are on. This is the first Longtail map Ive seen, and I think he is a good fit for this. The designs are great, like the moonstone or dream with Starclan. Great 10/10 map!

4:03 I was legitimately scared by that. I know I should've expected it, but jeez what a brutal way to die.

There’s no indication of this, but I think it’d be especially tragic if zombie Firestar was the one who turned Longtail

*warriors spoiler* i love the way swiftpaw ended up dying how longtail dies in the books, this is my favourite warriors map i think ive ever watched this is so well done bro ive got the chills

Oh my god... This animation is so alive and f*cking conveys the realities of "fantastic perfect plans". Each death is shown realistically and the invasion of those affected by the disease causes goosebumps and an unpleasant sensation. The artists did a great job!

When I tell you I screamed throughout multiple intervals. The art direction, the design, the fluidity- this is hands down one of the most beautiful projects I’ve EVER watched, and one of my favorites. The AU in itself is phenomenal as well, on top of being simple;, the clan cats being misdirected and terrified without Starclan, Longtail doing everything in his power to stop the undead, Swiftpaw being ambitious beyond death- I’ve been anticipating this project for MONTHS and it’s finally here and STUNNING. Incredible work? No. Breath taking work. Absolutely stelar.

AH MAN did this turn out GOOD I love the grim feeling this gives off and all the artists did so well to convey that feeling, i’m so honoured to be a part of this amazing project and i can’t wait to see what the ”to be continued” will turn out to be 👀

1:15 , cherrydusk did a really good job here and its 1 of my favorite parts

I can’t believe how incredibly detailed and skilled each animator is in this

EDIT: Desc has been updated, it seems they misjudged the size so the zombies still managed to climb over 3:53 okay, you know what's the worst part all about this? even if Swiftpaw did manage to avoid the tree, the plan would have still failed because it's shown the zombie cats climbing over the tree. unless this is a plothole? i'm not sure how the plan was supposed to go if it did work

Everyone did an absolutely fantastic job with this. A very impressive piece of work. Congratulations on finishing it!

3:29 almost as terrifying as the train to busan zombies. Then again, any running zombies of any type are scary.

the end of the clans MAPs like this are rare to find and i like it. zombies , diseases , nuclear apocalypses, one crazy cat ending all of the clans and more are interesting ,and more should be made , in a few months from now i hope it becomes a new thing

The raw despair throughout this MAP is amazing, everyone's parts were so smooth and dramatic, and I loved seeing Longtail in all of the artstyles! I hope to see a continuation of the story. Kudos to you Ginger for hosting and storyboarding and all of you hard working animators. 👏

I love the reveal at the end that Swift goes to starclan. I had always wondered what would happen to him since the storyboard dropped. This map was stunning all the parts looked amazing :0

Imagine a person walking in and getting attacked by a mob of zombie cats. That’s terrifying

THIS IS BY FAR IF NOT THE BEST, ONE OF THE BEST MAPS I HAVE EVER SEEN. THIS IS OURE ARTWORK, DEDICATION, TALENT, ITS PURE SKILL. To the animators included in this map. You are SOO talented. To the director of this map. You have a lot of patience to direct all of these people. THIS IS AMAZING. I CANT FIND WORDS GOOD ENOUGH. THIS MAP IS SO AMAZING I’M GONNA CRY-

There’s a part in the MAP, 4:15, where the screen goes dark and all you can see is your horrified, awestruck face as you think back on the incredible thing you just watched.

5:31 I find it funny how SwiftPaw just looks angrily at the camera

У меня мурашки по коже от этого мапа. От их безисходноти, а оот момент с пустым звёздным пламенем меня вообще вдепресуху вогнал

4:04 I love this scene. It captures longtail’s fear so well even the tears! I love this!

BROOOOO this map was absolutely incredible!! The AU is so well written and dark, the fact that it stars LONGTAIL is unique, and the animation work is incredible!! The transitions between different parts is smooth and seamless, you can barely tell one has started and another is ended, the art is so high quality and the style is so consistent, and the touch of Swiftpaw being the only one to go to Starclan because he didn’t get killed by a zombie (hence the appearance at the end of him looking angry but as a spirit) is just really good. Overall this has definitely got to be one of my favorite maps I’ve ever seen, the story is so good and shown well. Even without the written description you could tell what was happening, which is what a good story should always accomplish

I SMELL A SEQUEL MAP Everyone did such a fantastic job! Love the AU, as brutal as it is, I can tell everyone put their all into every single part!! ^^

This is so cool. Everything about it. Stunning. The animators, story behind it (although I’m just a sucker for zombie apocalypse stuff in general) the fact that this map is starring Longtail. I love how you brought back the design of Firestar with blue eyes and ears from Ravenpaws Plan. I know it might’ve been created before then but that’s just what I remember it from. This seriously deserves more views. It’s so amazing. The designs are so perfect too. Holy crap I can’t stop saying how much I love this. I hope there’s more content with Long and Swifty in the future. Till then, excited for the next gorgeous animations and Maps! May god bless you all

I know he’s supposed to be mad about the overall situation but why does swiftpaw look just flat annoyed at the end? “Seriously? I’m dead? How inconvenient”

This is literally stunning! Every participant did astonishing, Scoot did incredible with the thumbnail, and the idea of the map was so creative! Everything is so smooth, and it has so much emotion! One of my fav MAPs rn

One of the most creative zombie concepts I've seen for Warriors! I'm honored to have been part of this, if only through some shading and backgrounds ❤️ everyone did phenomenal!

Yes omg I love your maps Giingersnaps! You were my inspiration to start animating. I hope you're having a great day and please continue doing what you do!

NOO HOW DID THAT MAKE ME CRY 1:32

4:32 he’s the only one that can go to Starclan- he will feel alone- also what Wailmutt said is very good ! Its true, a second part could be made, i have an idea- Swiftpaw joined the stars, he saw no one was here, he would search everywhere, the only cats he found were from Darkforest, they’ll finally accept to help Swiftpaw, the Darkforest cats and also Swiftpaw would revive, but they’ll teleport at the same place, and shape-shift in zombies disguises, before taking down every zombified cat, the zombies would be sent to Starclan, the rest of the living cats would restart everything, and they would meet Swiftpaw and the Dark forest cats.

I love the creativity of the warriors community, let’s be real: the books aren’t very good, it’s the artists/KZfaqrs that make warriors great

CINDERPELT IS SO GOSH DARn CUtE

I have watched this over and over again this week. This map has single handedly thrown me back into my warriors hype. I genuinely think that this is one of my FAVORITE maps ever.

I think the best aspect of this map is the fact that I could follow along. The story telling here is amazing. That's usually something maps struggle with, like you can grasp the concept but it's very repetitive and not everything goes together. This? This is perfect. This is a professional animated music video right here, I wouldn't even call it a map. Yall literally worked like a god damn studio

Been following the process of this map since the map call. Just the parts separated, it looks spectacular. I don't know much about WC but the animators did some serious good job, and so did GiingerSnaps, the storyboard is Stunning and particularly goes so well with the song. I'm so excited to see the full map, great job to everyone! It legitimately is one of the maps that got me the most excited ever. Like Serpent Sol recently.

This is probably my favorite MAP’s so far, it was incredible!

When Fire'Star got infected I legit screeched: " WHAT, NOOO BUT HE HAS (partial) MAIN CHARACTER POWERSSSSSS"

i love how swiftpaw got the same death in this that longtail did in the books - longtail was crushed by a tree trying to help briarlight, and now swiftpaw was crushed by a tree trying to help his clan

What an absolutely stunning map and a brutal idea! I can't wait to see more of this idea! Swiftpaw's death is absolutely brutal. The shot of him falling limp as zombies swarm over the fallen tree gives me such a deep feeling of dread and terror. Despite everything happening in the daylight and the music being upbeat, this feels like a horror map. I love this!

This is SUCH a good concept. It’s so amazing to watch and feels like it could be a professional story, and all the art is so good. Great job, everybody!

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! this map is one of the best ones of all time!! all the animators did incredible!! i love the idea of the au, and the zombie apocalypse. the emotions, scenes, plot, everything is awesome!!

1:00 I just wanna say…WOW!!! As someone who’s going into this blind. This part caught me so off guard but it’s done so well! Kudos to whoever animated it and I didn’t even know the parts change because they were put together so well!

1:05 its funny how the lyrics is "now get me out of here" in this part, if u get what i mean.

i think this is a weird thing to enjoy but i love seeing the different ways artists depicted death in this MAP. the literal light fading from firestar's eyes, and the way swiftpaw and longtail shiver and go still. very cool!

Honestly I love this. I've watched and re-watched it, at first I was unsure if it really tied in with anything but now I understand it entirely and I absolutely love it. I can't wait for the part two to be finished!