The last thing that Bearstone is is a calm, laid-back warrior. Once a rogue, she is an assertive cat that still holds petty grudges from when she was a kit. She doesn’t stand for others not doing things her way — lying to get your way and blaming others to get out of trouble. In fact, she has spent much of her time with the remaining younger generation of the Clan as a general bad influence and trying to convince them that her way is better than the Clans’. Needless to say, she’s very opposed to change. In her ideal world, there are no such things as seasons, aging, or even the weather changes that the world puts up with her.

Cats that slight her, even in the smallest of ways, are instantly cut out of her life. When asked about why she no longer speaks to a certain cat, a common answer from her is “They’re dead to me.” She hasn’t adjusted completely to Clan life yet, despite having been an informal LochClan warrior for moons, and often has to remind herself that a certain action she would otherwise take is against the Warrior Code. She does enjoy Clan life, and not having to be alone anymore, but chance has always been hard for her to accept (thus her dislike of it).

While she doesn’t have many close friends — or any at all, really — she is a loyal molly who will defend LochClan no matter what it takes, even though she doesn’t have strong relationships with her Clanmates. She does, however, wish to become closer to them, and someday she wants to have a mate and, eventually, kits. Secretly, she’s quite the romantic, looking forward to spending time with a tom that will put up with her and receiving (or even giving) gifts. She’s easily jealous, though, and if the object of her affections shows a romantic interest in someone else then she is likely to feel scorned. And, of course, a scorned Bearstone is an angry Bearstone, which means nobody is going to be happy.

She doesn’t fear much and has gotten used to having to care for herself in conditions even worse than the Clans tend to deal with. Aside from the White Death, of course. She also enjoys spending time with kits despite her being an awful influence on them, and can often be found offering to babysit for the monarchs, playing games with them, or just sitting and talking to them. If the kits wanted to, she’d let them climb all over her like a piece of playground equipment. She isn’t averse to playing favorites and will openly favor them, offering them tips and tricks to show others up or bringing them presents.

At times, she misses her old home and her family, but she cares more about the life she has now and has no plans to give it up. And she doesn’t like thinking about her old life after what happened with it, and so she’s always grumpy when that sadness crops up. She’s an aloof cat who shows her emotions only subtly (flicks her tail or ears, a small change in her expression, a quiet and vague noise she makes), and has a bit of a short temper. However, her temper isn’t explosive — when she gets angry, she gets quiet, and she tends to make the cats around her feel a silent danger before ripping into them. Physically or metaphorically, depending on the cat and the crime. She never really feels the need to yell or scream, and speaks in an even, level, sometimes cold tone at all times.

Born as a rogue alongside three siblings, Bear grew up to the far north of the Clans, where the snow never melted and the air was always cold. She learned about death early on — two of her littermates couldn’t adjust to the cold, leaving her and her brother Turtle to be carefully protected but allowed to grow strong all the same. Their mother often praised that about them; according to her, they were the strongest of the strong, and only the most powerful cats could live as far north as they did.

Once Bear grew older, she decided to go out and explore further south. Turtle agreed to go with her, both of them wanting to know what made northern cats so strong. Their way was a winding one, and their first winter was harsh; and it was during their first winter that Turtle began to despise his sister.

Maybe he didn’t like her company.

Maybe he regretted leaving home.

Maybe he just got tired of sharing resources.

Whatever the reason was, Bear didn’t know it, and Turtle tried to kill her for it.

Bear killed him instead.

Her journey continued, alone.

Eventually, she came across LochClan territory, where she was discovered trespassing at the beginning of her third leafbare. It was already proving to be a harsh season, and luckily for her, Ebonyloch was in the patrol that discovered her. Ebonyloch made a deal with her: she had the chance to prove herself to the Clan for a season, and if she decided she wanted to stay, then she could.

Bear accepted.

For the rest of leafbare, she served as a talented hunter and fierce fighter that was already used to extreme cold. A stronger immune system than the rest of the Clan (aside from perhaps the healers) allowed her to work without having to worry about getting ill, making her a constant face on patrols. The White Death was not her first blizzard, but it was certainly one of the worst she ever lived through, and as soon as the storm died down enough to be safe she was the first cat out of camp, hunting for the Clan.

Making her an official warrior was one of Snarlecho’s first acts as leader, giving her the name Bearstone and praising her stubbornness and strength in the face of adversity.