Kithood

Thawkit was born to Nightsong, Moonfall and Iceleap of ShadowClan during the war with WindClan. Times were turmultuos and it was a shock to the trio of mates when the pitch black Nightsong and black and white Moonfall produced a single, pure white kitten.

For the most part, Thawkit was a sociable young cat who would often try to rope her denmates into games. It wasn’t uncommon for her to try bothering the warriors upon their return from the battlefield, a concept that she just didn’t seem to grasp. What was the point of a constant battlefield? Was that just something older cats did for fun? Although when she saw the horrific injuries, Thawkit knew that things outside of camp weren’t as fun as she’d hoped.

Even from a young age it was immediately clear that something about Thawkit was… different. She would be the most active during the coolest parts of the day and at night, complaining that the light hurt her eyes and her body in general. Cats speaking to her right were also often ignored, especially if she couldn’t see them. She talked loudly, in fact she did everything loudly and seemed to tilt the left side of her head towards cats when talking to them. What was happening with Thawkit?

Her parents were frantically trying to find a way to help her, something she didn’t think she needed. Didn’t everyone hate the sun? Didn’t they all struggle to hear each other sometimes? Turns out that wasn’t the case. Leechpool would confirm that Thawkit not only had poor eyesight and sensitive skin, but she was also hard of hearing.

What did that mean for her future in a Clan that valued battle?

Apprenticeship

To Thawpaw’s relief her training wasn’t delayed and she didn’t find herself shoved into Leechpool’s den. ShadowClan needed more claws, and so Lizardstar apprenticed her to a rough, powerful tom named Gadwallclaw.

Gadwallclaw was an avid supporter of Wolfcatcher and spent a lot of time with the deputy. Thawpaw was terrified of the deputy herself and always tried to find an excuse to get as far away from him as possible. She wasn’t stupid, she had scented Wolfcatcher observing her training and she knew that he was far from impressed. It was little surprise then that she found herself frequently placed on the frontline.

Battle was difficult for Thawpaw. Orders were lost in the noise and she couldn’t even see tail signals when fighting during the day on WindClan’s moor. This… was impossible. Sure, she fought far better at night, but the noise was making things far more challenging than anything her denmates had to deal with.

Scars now crossing her white fur, Thawpaw found herself merely wandering off one night. If anyone saw her leave, they didn’t stop her. It was during her wanderings that she stumbled across a young loner named Rush. The young molly was kind, understanding and far more fun than spending her time in ShadowClan’s camp or on the battlefield. For three days, Thawpaw was gone. Eventually, she came slinking back, worried for her parents. Despite the joy from her parents, she was still harshly punished by Wolfcatcher and once again placed on the frontline.

It became a routine. After a few failed attempts at battle, Thawpaw would vanish for a few days to be with Rush and then return. Soon Moonfall was killed in battle and her vanishing increased for a number of days. Then, WindClan used poison. Thawpaw wasn’t in the party that first ran into the poison burrs and brambles, but she saw the aftermath. Both of her mothers succumbed to the horrors and she found herself being drawn away from ShadowClan for longer to the comfort of Rush.

During another one of her excursions, she found herself being stopped by Duskpaw. The older apprentice needed a hunting partner and Thawpaw was one of the best at tracking prey using her whiskers and nose. She was quick to accept and found herself forming a friendship with Duskpaw. These hunts would become a regular occurrence, even with Thawpaw still sneaking out to visit Rush.

That was until she found Rush torn apart in the middle of a marsh.

Deep down, she knew it was Wolfcatcher. Who else could it be? The scars he’d left her hadn’t been enough to stop her from trying to escape the war. And she’d managed to avoid death so far. She knew he was punishing her, and that brought upon her wrath.

To spite the deputy, Thawpaw would find ways to make herself valuable to ShadowClan without having to set paw on the battlefield again. She excelled in hunting, practicing tirelessly with Duskpaw when she could and learning ways to effectively communicate with the other molly to work around her hearing troubles.

When she wasn’t hunting she was busying herself with helping the queens with their kits. The youngest members of the Clan were safe with the ever vigilant Thawpaw and to her relief, she was deemed too important in camp to ever be forced to see the battlefield again.

Her time with Duskpaw, who soon earned the name Duskrose, became something very special to her. It was undeniable that she felt very strongly for the other molly, but that was something to deal with after she was out of the grasp of Gadwallclaw.

Warrior

Thawspring felt immense relief when she finally became a warrior. She wished that her parents had been able to see her, but knew that wherever they were, they were proud of her. The time she spent with Duskrose was her biggest joy. When the other molly was feeling low, Thawspring always managed to find a way to cheer her up. While they weren’t official yet, it was clear that the two of them were destined to become mates.

The relief Thawspring felt when the war ended couldn’t even be properly described. Lightningstar had killed him, her tormentor, the cat she’d hated the most. Wolfcatcher was dead and Lizardstar had no choice but to call off the mindless attacks. About time, if you asked Thawspring. Finally, she could be happy with Duskrose although trouble still seemed to be on the horizon when Duskrose’s sister, Swanflower didn’t seem to see the end of the war as a good thing.

While Duskrose and Silentsteak would try to talk Swanflower down, Thawspring was there as a pillar for Duskrose to lean on. A few goofy antics or merely lending her good ear, Thawspring would always be there for her when she needed it. Nothing in this world was more important to her than Duskrose.

Swanflower crossed one too many lines when she murdered Silentstreak and attempted to pin the blame on WindClan. Duskrose was able to pick apart Swanflower’s story as carefully as a bird picking apart its prey. Upon being called out, Swinflower attacked Duskrose.

Without a second thought, Thawspring joined her Clanmates in fighting the deranged molly off of her sweet Duskrose. A grim satisfaction coming from her claws slicing Swanflower’s fur. Lizardstar finally did something right when she exiled the vile molly.

Thawspring rarely left her side when she was in the medicine den. Only leaving to join a hunt and bring Duskrose food. Finally… the two became an official couple. While many would be turned away, Thawspring wouldn’t. She remained loyal, strong for her mate and in time, Duskrose began to laugh at her dumb jokes, smile more often and eventually, join her in hunting again.

When fire raged through the camp, Thawspring and Duskrose would escape together and help in establishing the new camp. With Saffronstar rising to power, things became peaceful. Together, they decided to start a family. The father was a tom that only Duskrose and Thawcloud knew, and his name would never be uttered to their kits. But, Thawcloud was clear to Duskrose. If they ever wanted another litter, she would carry them.

They had three kits, Magpiekit, Sunkit and Swallowkit. It was love at first sight and Thawspring worked hard to keep her family well fed. During an early morning patrol mewling caught her ear and she stumbled across an abandoned kit, cold and alone. She took the little one home with her and she and Duskrose named them Morningkit. Their family complete, life went on peacefully.

Peaceful that was until their kits became apprentices. StarClan called Midnightscar, Stormpath and Vultureyawp away from their Clan, leading to Duskrose being named deputy until Midnightscar returned. Thawspring would do what she could to support her, but she could see the stress and exhaustion that was building up.

Saffronstar seemed… negligent. Her worry grew knowing that this was the cat who was supposedly training her sweet Morningpaw. It wasn’t good enough, and the lack of action on the invading foxes was sure to come back and bite them.

Bite them it did. Reacting to Morningpaw, Swallowpaw and Adderpaw’s fear, Thawspring and Maplegaze would race to save Sparkpaw from the jaws of a fox. They fought with the ferocity of TigerClan but before Thawspring even realized what was happening, Maplegaze was killed. She searched for Sparkpaw, but the scents were muddled. The tracks were gone… she hadn’t seen it, she hadn’t heard it… she hadn’t… guilt weighed on her heavily as she returned without her friend's body