Icesong

Outsider

slender white she-cat with blue eyes and a scarred face

Icesong is a tall and thin she-cat. Beneath her elegant exterior hides dense muscle from her battle-hardened heritage. She's got a few minor nicks and scratches from her apprenticeship, but the major scars came later into her life as deputy. A nasty bite from Falconfire left a scar on her right shoulder, but the worst of all is a long scar across Icesong's face left by Minnowstar.

Her bright snowy white pelt is a sight to behold in the thick redwood forest. She works the best in leaf-bare. Her coat blends in perfectly with the snow, and she takes full advantage of it. While others struggled to hunt prey or win battles in the cold moons, Icesong strives. A hidden thickness keeps her warm in dense snow.

She has a fox-like muzzle to match her nature. Long, narrow ears adorn her head, giving an overall triangular look. Her once soft blue eyes are now tired and aged from too much war.

Icesong is reserved. At a young age, she learned to hide away her feelings and put on a fake smile to please others. Her emotional intelligence is stunted, and she struggles with showing her true feelings. Nowadays, she gives off a cool, unfeeling exterior. But she's still got her snark.

With an innate mothering instinct, Icesong has a soft spot for kits. She can never turn a blind eye to a kit in need and will take in strays even if it means getting into trouble. Her caring nature extends past RedwoodClan and to the rest of the island. She is kind and gentle with cats younger than her. She does her best to encourage new apprentices, weak or strong to become strong warriors in whatever works best. Perhaps in a way, Pebble-- succeeded, but Icesong will refuse to admit it.

Icesong is unwavering in her dedication to her beliefs, even if she shows it in funny ways. After moons and moons of war, Icesong is tired of fighting. She takes on a pacifist approach to politics and clan relations, brokering for more peace over war.

After seeing the consequences of her actions, Icesong has become humble. She questions her own beliefs and seeks out the guidance of others. However, there are lingering bits of her narcissistic nature. She can be selfish and prioritize herself and her own wants over others.

Icekit's parents: two battle-hungry warriors found each other through sparring and fighting. They both devoted themselves to working hard and never backing down from a battle. Such courage would be their downfall one day. As the war between ThistleClan and RedwoodClan over the sandy creek settles down, the pair decides to settle down and raise their first litter of kits, not knowing that a war between RedwoodClan and LichenClan is on the horizon. Blizzardbite was a bulky white tom with a sharp tongue. His mate Talltree was a pretty calico who was well-known for her height and skill at climbing.

Their kits are born as tensions between LichenClan and RedwoodClan start to rise. A new deputy is announced, but Talltree and Blizzardbite are still upset with their leader Heatherstar not taking a harder stance against LichenClan. They have a son and a daughter, naming their son Oak-kit after the towering oak trees and Icekit after the beauty of ice. They had no expectations for little Icekit who was born weak and sickly. She was breakable and fragile so all their attention went to Oak-kit who would continue their legacy, and one day become a fighter to stand against LichenClan. From that moment, there was a clear difference between the two. Her brother was doted on by their parents, while Icekit found her love through elders and other queens.

Icekit had never thought much about fighting, so becoming an apprentice was a big shock. Her brother quickly took to battle training and was encouraged by their battle-hungry parents, meanwhile, Icepaw was too unsteady on her feet. She was slowly growing into a skinny, tall body and had difficulty catching up with it. Her original mentor quickly gave up on her, thinking it was impossible to train her to fight. It was a big surprise to everyone when renowned warrior Pebblestone offered to take over her training. Icekit was thrilled to learn from a legendary warrior. Pebblestone fought tough battles and had the scars to prove it. However, Icepaw was soon to find out that Pebblestone’s decision was far from generous. Pebblestone had her own demons. She grew up as a weak warrior herself and had to deal with severe bullying and disappointed clanmates. She desired change, a change she couldn’t make herself. She wanted to train Icepaw to become a strong warrior, but most of all, she wanted a martyr. Her ideal Icepaw would become kind and empathetic to the weak. Her Icepaw would become a shield for weaker cats. Pebblestone couldn’t stand up herself, so she would train someone to do it for her.

When Icepaw realized her mentor’s intentions, she was horrified. Icepaw wanted to be a strong warrior, not some spiritual leader meant to stop bullying. She realized that Pebblestone hadn’t picked her because she had potential. Pebblestone decided to take Icepaw on because she was weak. She was disgusted. Pebblestone didn’t see any promise in her. All Pebblestone saw was a fragile cat she could use. It was just like everyone else.

From that day onwards, Icepaw changed. She purposely ignored her mentor’s lessons and found her own way to battle through speed and grace. If Icepaw couldn’t land a hit, she’d let her opponent hurt themselves through clever footwork and underhanded tactics. Too stubborn to admit her failing, Pebblestone allowed her apprentice to grow narcissistic and reclusive. She stood by as Icepaw got her warrior name and watched in horror as her science project blew up dramatically.

Icepaw finds a few friends in Indigopaw, Forestpaw and Wolfpaw. But she struggles to keep up with the relationships and to be vulnerable.

Icesong is named for her grace and unique battle tactics and she's quick to step up and fight in the war effort. Though her parents are proud now, her relationship with them and her mentor stays tense and unfriendly.

With the loss of their last deputy Redfox, Icesong found herself in the role of deputy. She's elated. It's all she could have ever hoped for and quickly pushes the clan towards a hard stance against LichenClan. Under her guidance, cats train to fight and kill. She's determined to prove herself by winning the war and then securing a spot as the next leader of RedwoodClan. She and another warrior Gorseflame hit it off and find comfort in each other's presence. While their relationship is never more than friends with benefits, Icesong learned she's expecting his kits. Frozenkit, Snowkit and Mallowkit are born. Icesong takes a special interest in Mallowkit, seeing herself in her daughter. Most of Icesong's attention goes towards Mallowkit, leaving Gorseflame to care for their other two children.


As the new season arrives, a terrifying omen gets stuck in Icesong's mind. When Orchidshade described a vision filled with ice taking over and countless deaths, Icesong took it personally. What else could the vision mean but StarClan warning about her and her intentions to take over the clan? She'd prove them wrong.

With that in mind, Icesong and Gorseflame rally their warriors in support of the war and Icesong convinces Finchstar to proceed with an attack on LichenClan's camp. A LichenClan refugee offers to lead them into the heart of LichenClan. The attack goes badly and Icesong almost loses her own life. She faced down against Minnowstar, falling unconscious. The worst part of it all is that Minnowstar now had a reason to retaliate. While RedwoodClan is still recovering from the last attack, a group of LichenClan cats and rouges storm their camp and Icesong loses Gorseflame and her daughter Frozenpaw.

Icesong mourns the loss of her kin and has to raise the litter of kits Gorseflame left behind. She names the three kits Coldkit, Gorsekit for Gorseflame, and Freezingkit for Frozenpaw. Cats question her decision, but in her grief, it's Icesong's only hope to keep the memory of her loved ones alive. Despite her sadness, the war was still ongoing, and Icesong steels herself to continue with her duties and sees it through to the end. She fights alongside Finchstar in the final battle, saving him from losing a life.

With the island at peace, Icesong has time to reflect on her life thus far. When she thinks about her lost kin, it fills her with sorrow. While others may lash out in anger and demand justice, Icesong fears losing more if another war breaks out. Finchstar and her discuss plans for RedwoodClan, and the fearless leader decides to take a hard stance of independence. But Icesong has her doubts. She's not strong enough anymore to train her peers and fight off the other clans. Consumed by her doubts, a familiar face, Vega, shows up at the spring gathering, asking for volunteers from each clan to join him in the tunnels. Icesong seeks him out at the end of the gathering, setting up a time to visit the lagoon deep below the island and find guidance from her ancestors. After her visit to the lagoon, Icesong is left with a cryptic vision from StarClan to deceiver. Each night she dreams of the cave of many colors and the sound of water dripping into the lagoon’s pool.

One night Yarrowstar is holding an evening prayer session, and she stays behind until they are alone. They watch the stars together and for the first time, Icesong admits to herself (and him) what she must do. Her paws are bringing her to the tunnels. Not long after, Icesong speaks to Finchstar and resigns as deputy. She plans to leave after her kits are warriors and old enough to carry on without her. But one thread remains, tying her to the clan: Forestflight. She can’t say goodbye just yet, not without seeing what they could be. So Icesong asks Forestflight to go with her, and Icesong promises in return that they would be leaving not as friends but as mates.

Icesong and Forestflight return with the tunnel cats when the flood waters recede. She quickly gets to work, thinking up ways to ensure the island stays at peace. Her first proposal is a training program. Once a season, they’ll take an apprentice or to-be from each faction back to the tunnels to learn of the history of the island and diplomacy. ThistleClan refuses to cooperate, but the other clans and the tribe agree. While the apprentices are staying with them, Icesong plans to plant ideas in their head about peace and unification.


All seems well in the tunnels. Icesong is teaching the first batch of apprentices and is getting familiar with her surroundings. But it’s obvious that Forestflight isn’t adapting well to life beneath the earth. And despite countless visits to the lagoon, StarClan is silent. They will not speak to Icesong. She’s on her own to figure out how to keep the island at peace and nothing terrifies her more.