About

Many cats from all Clans will claim up and down that Tigerstep should've been chosen as deputy but these are often words used in hindsight. As a warrior, Tigerstep was not the most popular cat. Although her beauty drew many looks, she kept a tight lid on her emotions which left many to call her cold and unfeeling. Cats respected her intellect but she was not someone to hang around with. Her only friends were her sister, Leopardpool, and Dawnsong, who was friends with everyone.

When Dawnsong was made deputy, Tigerstep truly believed he would grow into the role. She stayed by his side as his popularity wavered and aided him when he struggled. Other cats took notice and attention began to drift to her and gossip spread that the deputy position had been stolen from her. Tigerstep deserved to be deputy. Tigerstep deserved to be leader. She did not take kindly to these rumors and silenced it whenever it reached her ears. But it did not stop and when Dawnstar was made leader there was no other cat to chosen. His Clan's support was on thin ice and he needed Tigerstep's support to keep them at bay.

While Dawnstar was struggling to keep his Clanmates at bay, Tigerstep was facing her own personal battles. Her mother and father were traditionalists with set expectations for their daughters. These expectations included a mate and kits and not even achieving the role of deputy was enough to appease them. With each passing year the pressure increased, their warnings that she would soon be too old to bear kits and she would die alone. Along with it was the gossip of the rest of her Clan and her exact relationship with Dawnstar. The two had been friends as warriors after all. They'd remained close even as Dawnstar's friend group dwindled away. Surely they were mates by now.

Tigerstep had one son with Dawnstar. Troutrunner. Tigerstep was more comfortable as a mentor than she was a mother and that was the role she adapted when taking care of her son. She taught him Clan culture, did not fuss over his ups and downs, and backed off once he was an apprentice and no longer under her care. It was not an experience she wanted to repeat, but at least her family and clanmates had backed off.

And then Eaglestar of WindClan brought a kitten to their camp. A product of the WindClan warrior, Mothfur, and RiverClan's own Dawnstar. Dawnstar took the kit and hid away in the nursery, openly grieving the loss of his WindClan mate, and leaving Tigerstep to deal with RiverClan's response.