Steadystar

Background

The last leader of StoneClan. In a fit of mad grief, he exiled Charlie from the territory after the death of his daughter Cinnamonswirl. As a ghost, he haunts the territory he was unable to hold.

Relationships

Lightningstar was Steadypaw's mentor and greatest role model. Steadykit was prophecied to be StoneClan's next leader after he received a scar across his face that resembled a lightning strike. Lightningstar took him on as an apprentice and forced the previous deputy to retire when Steadyfoot came of age. Steadyfoot idolized Lightningstar and fantasized about matching one of his future sons with Lightningstar's granddaughters Cowbird or Starlingcloud to create the ultimate ruling line. When his first and only child was a daughter, however, he shuffled Cinnamonswirl into the medicine apprentice position, certain that Lightningstar's own son Swansong would keep his new apprentice far away from any tomcats. 

However, men were the furthest thing from Cinnamonswirl's mind. Her childhood friend and eventual mate Charredbranch would become the target of Steadystar's singular wrath. Exiling her from his clan after his daughter's death in childbirth, Steadystar would hold resentment against Charlie even after he died. Now a ghost, Steadystar torments the exiled warrior whenever her path takes her near StoneClan's old territory in the New Twolegplace.

Rubblestomp was chosen by Steadystar to be StoneClan's fresh, powerful deputy in the clan's last days. In life, Swansong had warned against promoting the ambitious warrior, but after his accidental death, there was nobody to hold Steadystar in check. Was there something unpleasant in his future that the medicine cat forsaw? When Rubblestomp turned his back on his leader and led his group of followers out of StoneClan's ravaged camp, Steadystar had his answer.

Even after StoneClan's dissolution, Steadystar would try to return the valley to its "former glory." A generation after his death, the ghost of Steadystar leaped on his chance when the errant descendant of Starlingcloud entered the valley. Steadystar approached the loner known as Wandering Paws with a promise that he was destined to rule a great clan, but after his fanaticism drove the young cat away, Steadystar lost hope that StoneClan's bloodline would be restored.

When Steadystar received a true omen after years of idly haunting Charlie, he was disappointed to find that StoneClan's destined leader was a soft-pawed genderfluid kittypet named Celery. Torn between his contempt for outsiders and his desire to see StoneClan rise again, Steadystar foists Celery on the disgraced Charlie as her problem to deal with.

Trivia

• Old StoneClan was highly superstitious when it came to leadership and succession. Each new deputy and medicine cat was appointed after an omen from StarClan, and positions might be left empty or filled by a kit for moons at a time if the omens decreed. Usually, the medicine cat and the leader would work together to make sure everything ran smoothly, but if one or the other lost their mediating presence over the other, nepotism and superstition could reign.

Links

• August 1 2021: Adoption
• August 25 2021: StarClan lines applied