Canarysnap

Canarysnap's life started out most unlike other Clan cats' lives, as she was born to loner parents. Lily and Grey had been born in the wild, running forest paths and city streets without a care in the world, when fate brought them together. They'd lived colorful lives before meeting each other, but love blossomed between them. From this love came a single daughter, a young Canarysnap, merely named Canary at the time.

She was born an only-kit, lucky for her parents, as late Greenleaf transitioned into early Leaf-fall. Lily was left to tend to Canary, while Grey went about hunting and making sure the meager territory they'd staked out for themselves while raising their daughter was secure. It was a cozy, domestic life for a while- until Grey consumed poisoned prey. Lily knew it would be hard to raise a kit all by herself going into Leafbare. She was no stranger to having kits and moving on from them. As much as she'd been looking forward to a happily ever after with Grey and their daughter, she was no fool. Having heard of the Clans, she didn't hesitate to leave Canary just inside ForestClan's territory to be found by a patrol before disappearing back into the city.

There she was found, the pitiful little orange she-kit, abandoned by her mother and left behind by a dead father to be thrust into a strange world she knew nothing about. Likely her only saving grace was the fact she was still so young. All she really had to miss was the soothing sound of Lily's voice anytime she had to sing to soothe an upset Canary. It also helped that, perhaps by the will of StarClan, she was dubbed Canarykit and so had no name adjustment period to go through.

Her caring and raising was left to the permaqueens of the nursery, and those other queens who just so happened to occupy the den at the time. Really, it was ForestClan itself that raised her. It was a stroke of luck she was left in no one paticular's care, seeing as the trouble she always managed to get herself into. If anyone had to deal with her one on one, she likely would have blessed them with premature grey hairs. They were far too happy to see her off into apprenticeship on her sixth moon, excited at the prospect of a relatively peaceful nursery once more.

Canarykit became Canarypaw, passed off to the mentorship of Goldmane. The hope was, in giving her a similarly fiery personalitied mentor, they'd be able to keep her under better control. It both worked and didn't. Canarypaw viewed her mentor as a rolemodel, an idol, something she'd been missing in her early formitive years. She wanted to take what she thought were the best parts of Goldmane and mesh them with herself. It was hard to do, however, with her mentor's annoying, coddling protective streak. It frusrated the young she-cat at times, though she decided she couldn't complain much because Goldmane was actually a very good teacher. For the most part, she managed to keep her trap shut and just power through until her warrior ceremony.

It came as a surprise to no one when she was named after the attitude she'd established for herself, Canarysnap. It was a joyous day for her indeed, because she finally felt like she'd earned her place in the Clan. She'd learned the Code, she'd earned her name, and no one could take that from her. Notably, she somehow managed to become even more confident of herself, even a bit more relaxed in the way she carried herself.

During these early moons of her warriorship, she met an unsettling orange tabby tom near the Clan's border with the city. He was annoying, rude, it seemed like every time she was in the area he never failed to show up. He'd ask questions, attempt small talk- she'd tell him to buzz off, sometimes try and engage in combat but he always seemed to keep just out of reach. Soon enough, she realized she hadn't seen him in quite some time and forgot all about him. Her seventeenth moon she had more important things to worry about after all, such as her very first apprentice, Oriolepaw.

Oriolepaw was a disappointment to Canarysnap, if she was being honest. Ve was soft, small-minded, lazy. Perhaps she was just harsh, expecting everyone to grow up with grand goals to achieve and the enjoyment of a well-fought battle. She managed to teach Oriolepaw, of course- she never failed if she put her mind to something, but it was definitely a rough road and steep learning curve. Though she herself was a warrior, when ve was finally ready to rank up, Canarysnap was relieved when Oriolefern was set on the path of a hunter.

Relieved of having an apprentice to teach, Canarysnap was left with more time for herself. It was a bit hard to adjust to after six moons of having a young one to look after and teach, but she settled back into her freedom well enough. Of course that annoying orange tabby from her early warrior moons would show his face again, this time as part of SwampClan's squallor. He introduced himself as the newly named Firethorn, claiming he was happy to have an excuse to run into her more often, and now she'd have to avoid attacking him unless she wanted to sore the relations between the two Clans even more. He really was a thorn.

Luckily, during her thirty-sixth moon, she was given another apprentice. Belladonnapaw was much more suited to Canarysnap than Oriolefern could have ever hoped to be, because the two shared a thing other ForestClan cats never could with them- they were born as loners. Already having one good connecting point, the two got along like a fish with water. Canarysnap had never thought of herself as a motherly soul, but she soon came to realize she cared for Belladonnapaw in a completely different, perhaps even stonger way, than she ever had for Oriolefern.

She was not a coddler, she didn't believe in protecting a young cat's innocence- but as tensions grew with SwampClan, she found herself worrying for Belladonnapaw and any harm a possible war might bring her apprentice. Canarysnap didn't know whether it was a blessing or curse, when the ex-loner managed to become a fullfledged warrior, Belladonnapurr, right around the time tensions with SwampClan finally came to blows.

During the battle, she finally discovered the truth as to why Firethorn had been so enraptured with her. They were half-siblings, him being her older brother. Apparently he held a lot of hatred towards her, for how he believed their mother had favorited her far more than she'd ever cared for Firethorn. The two engaged in a bloody battle, literal years in the making. In the chaos, as SwampClan's members retreated from the swamps, the two were broken up and Firethorn used the chaos to slip away.

A past back to haunt her that she hardly remembered but for a voice, Canarysnap was momentarily left on uncertain footing. Falling back into familiar patterns and no longer having Firethorn's face waiting at the border every day, however, soon helped her shrug off any troubles the revelation of a half-brother might have brought her. Her life was in ForestClan, her family was Goldmane and Belladonnapurr and, in a way she supposed, Oriolefern.

The murder of Morningstar and ascension of Sheepflame from deputy to leader also served as quite the distraction.