Darkclaw was born on a chilly, leafbare night in Dawnclan as the only kit in the litter. She was a very happy kit, and in spite of the trouble she had going out of the nursery and socializing in the day, she was always able to find someone to talk to and play with. Her favorite cats to talk to were the elders, she absolutely loved their reminiscing stories of the joy of hunting and the glory of battle. Her most favorite things they'd tell however was the stories of how the clans were created, and of the clans long past.

It was when she was made an apprentice when things started to fall apart. Her father, Mistyfrost went missing without a word. It wasn't uncommon for him to leave for a few days at a time, much to his mate, Scarpool's perturbation. This time however was different. Mistyfrost was gone for two weeks before any trace of him was found; he was found sunning himself in a field by the twoleg camp. It was there that the clan found out he left the clan to become a kittypet. Scarpool was absolutely devastated to hear her mate abandoned her and her kit without a word to become a kittypet. When Darkclaw found this out she didn't believe it. She thought he'd come back and make things right again, like nothing ever happened.

That however didn't happen. Mistyfrost stayed a kittypet and his family, especially Darkclaw, faced the scorn of their clanmates. The struggles Darkclaw experienced as a kit were now criticized harshly by her denmates and warriors alike. Her troubles with hunting were now a flaw almost everyone remarked upon, saying that she'd be better joining her kittypet father. All of this wore down on Darkclaw's mental health and she started to keep herself, working harder and harder to win back the respect of her clanmates.

As much as she tried to isolate herself, wasn't alone. Her mother always cared for Darkclaw and tried to help her as much as a mother could. Scarpool always tried to cheer up Darkclaw, telling her it's normal to go through hard times with the clan, and to feel like she needed to do better. Darkclaw at the time didn't pay much attention to her mother's care but her words made her feel less lonely and useless. Her friends Lightcloud and Southslough were there too, sticking with her through thick and thin. Southslough didn't change at all. He treated Darkclaw the same as always, whether this was because he couldn't hear their clanmates words or some other reason it helped Darkclaw feel she had some scrap of her old life still with her. Lightcloud was practically a moonbeam for Darkclaw, sticking by her side whenever she could. Lightcloud defended her whenever she could and was a shoulder Darkclaw could lean on for support. During this time the two became very close, practically inseparable, until the day Darkclaw disappeared.