Post by Egotistic on Feb 2, 2023 17:05:28 GMT -6
Heathermask
RedwoodClan
a lithe black she-cat w/ amber eyes.
warrior
female | she-cat
50 moons
Appearance
Rare are those who have been spared from the war, Heather being no exception. Her face is badly marred where enemy claws did their work, the proud tufts set upon each ear since shorn to tatters. Even her body is touched. Beneath the silken black furs, all manner of old wounds nestle against her hide. Puckered flesh, grey and ugly, lay hidden under the lustrous swathe of her coat so that she need only move for one to see the life of hardship she has led. And yet still, she has clung to her beauty. Even scarred, she carries herself with the poise of a huntress and the cadence of a warrior, and where others might shy from such deformities—those pickings of war—Heathermask instead has chosen to accept them as a part of herself and displays them brazenly.
Each scar is a testament to her prowess as a fighter, to her sacrifice for the peace she so desperately craves for herself and her loved ones, each missing tuft of fur an oblation to her ancestors so they might look upon her deeds and be merciful. And so she wears them with pride, never shying from them but basking in them and all they represent.
Beyond her scarring, she is very much in the likeness of her mother. She bears her svelte features, the lithesome proportions, and lean muscling that does not yield to bulkiness but a small and powerful grace. Her face is neatly carved and angular in appearance, sat upon by the fanning of ears that, above the small proportions of her head, seem large and yet not to the point of gawkiness. Her nose and toes leathers are a black as deep as her furs, while her eyes offer the only other semblance of color against her flesh's black and rosy flush. They are amber—bright to the point of being unnerving, and there is very little they do not see.
Each scar is a testament to her prowess as a fighter, to her sacrifice for the peace she so desperately craves for herself and her loved ones, each missing tuft of fur an oblation to her ancestors so they might look upon her deeds and be merciful. And so she wears them with pride, never shying from them but basking in them and all they represent.
Beyond her scarring, she is very much in the likeness of her mother. She bears her svelte features, the lithesome proportions, and lean muscling that does not yield to bulkiness but a small and powerful grace. Her face is neatly carved and angular in appearance, sat upon by the fanning of ears that, above the small proportions of her head, seem large and yet not to the point of gawkiness. Her nose and toes leathers are a black as deep as her furs, while her eyes offer the only other semblance of color against her flesh's black and rosy flush. They are amber—bright to the point of being unnerving, and there is very little they do not see.
Personality
Positives
| Negatives
|
Yet where there is warmth and respect from her toward those within her borders, Heathermask possesses nothing but hatred and contempt for those who have threatened the lives of her people. She is increasingly suspicious of outsiders, even those within the Tribe, and views all efforts to offer aid to those beyond their borders as an invitation for hardship and loss. She is deeply protective of her brood, even now after Minnowstar’s demise, and exercises a considerable amount of patriotism to her people and their cause that brooks little warmth to any faction but her own. She takes great pride in her people’s ways and customs, regularly exercises the code, and frowns upon all who turn their back on tradition.
History
00 Moons.
50 Moons ago, the Long Wait… Not a moon went by in which there was no fighting. Queens, deeply unsettled by the bloodshed, held fast to their litters, biding their time for better moons that did not come. LichenClan’s assault was unrelenting, and no effort by Heatherstar could ease the frequency of their attacks so that in time the queens could wait no longer and bore their young despite the fighting—Lilac-cloud, well into her moons amongst them. It would be the last litter she bore her mate, Wolfsong, but one she was desperate to provide. The Clan needed warriors, and she had never failed in birthing healthy kits. But her aging body could not sustain the burden of new life, and only one of her humble brood survived—a she-kit and the only daughter she had ever conceived. She buried her sons and named them each so the stars might welcome them. She granted no name for the daughter.
02 Moons.
48 Moons ago, the Naming… At two moons, her father’s patrol was beset by a swarm of LichenClan warriors. On his return, she found her father gravely wounded, though the most significant loss was that of their leader, Heatherstar, who was felled in the fighting. Plagued with grief, the Clan fell into mourning. Shortly after, her father, retired from his duties while he recovered from his wounds, visited her in the nursery. He came to find his daughter unwashed and uncared for and his mate quiet and despondent within her nest. When asked why his daughter looked so, the mother responded only that she could not bear to care for her—that the burden was too great. The medicine cat called it an affliction of the heart, something that took birthing mothers on rare occasions so that they withdrew into themselves, some even to the point of allowing their broods to wither away and die. Unwilling to lose another of his spawn, Wolfsong called upon the aid of the other queens and after took it upon himself to name her.
Heatherkit, he called her, in honor of their leader. Even as a child, Heathermask remembered how it felt to bear the weight of such a name on her shoulders. It was the first kindness she had ever known.
03-05 Moons.
47-45 Moons ago, the Rearing… Without a mother to rear her, Heatherkit’s care largely fell into the paws of other queens. They fed her and cleaned her, let her romp with their children, and when they could not be called upon, her brothers tended to her needs. They would teach her pounces and battle moves, tousle her furs and whisper stories from their moons as warriors. She may never have known her mother’s tenderness, but she heard of it whispered from them. She learned of the cat Lilac-cloud had once been, how much she had changed; she learned of grand battles of the like she would one day fight in herself. But while her brothers occupied her with stories, beyond the nursery, Finchstar’s efforts for peace spurned RedwoodClan into yet another war. In the wake of the mounting preparations, she saw less of her brothers, and her father grew increasingly more elusive, but by then, she was near old enough to join them herself.
06-10 Moons.
44-40 Moons ago, a Burgeoning Flame… Upon the arrival of her sixth moon, Lilac-cloud retired prematurely to the elder’s den, refusing to return to her warrior duties. The announcement came as a surprise; Lilac-cloud was a well-loved warrior, and her reputation as a fighter granted her the respect of many. Yet her last litter had changed her, and she no longer found satisfaction in her old ways. In the wake of such news, Heatherpaw exited the nursery and was granted her apprentice title in the summer moons. Skirmishes with LichenClan warriors were becoming an increasing concern, one that RedwoodClan would be ill-equipped to answer with so few fighters, and her ascension was a welcomed one.
Her training was entrusted to an old widow queen named Badgerbite. Having lost both mate and children on the battlefield, Heathermask remembers her for her gruff and solemn nature, and yet also for how formidable of a teacher and fighter she was. In her moons under the she-cat’s tutelage, she came to view her almost as a mother and eagerly took to her teachings.
Outside of training, Heatherpaw made a reputation for herself. Having only known the rough-and-tumble nature of kit play and the boisterous manner of her brothers, she developed a fiery temper that only made her more difficult to manage. She was fierce and sharp-tongued, deeply emotional and sensitive to the pain and suffering her Clan was forced to endure. Watching as her clanmates so often returned bloodied and bruised, she vowed to put an end to LichenClan’s cruel ways and bring peace to her people, and in battle, she ensured it, using a dark cunning to best foes and an intrepidness that, even when wounded, made it so she never retreated. Then such foolhardiness had been viewed as a blessing—courage to rival that of her brothers, Hawkshadow and Crowblaze. Later it would cost her all that she loved.
11-12 Moons.
39-38 Moons ago, the Accident… An ill omen at the gathering drew the attention of LichenClan onto them once again. A cat who claimed to have come from a distant island and faction that called themselves the Tribe of Floating Water. Begging for aid for his people, Finchstar offered him shelter amongst their ranks, a decision that drew the ire of LichenClan’s cruel and newfound leader, Minnowstar. Despite her condemning the cat and his people, Finchstar ordered a patrol to venture to the Tribe and evaluate the sickness. It would be during their absence that an enemy patrol launched an attack on RedwoodClan camp.
Amidst the fighting, Heatherpaw fought alongside her brother to push the invaders back to their borders, but in her arrogance, exchanged blows with a warrior who exceeded her talents. Forcing her to the fringes of camp, Heatherpaw would have died had her brother not saved her. Horror-struck, she watched as he gave his life to ensure her safety. By the time the fighting had ended, Hawkshadow succumbed to his wounds, too deep and too great to be healed, and died the same night.
She held a long and silent vigil to honor his passing and was later granted the warrior title of Heathermask to symbolize the expression of grief she wore that day. She took the name as a token—a memory of her brother.
13-24 Moons.
37-26 Moons ago, the Breaking… Unrest seemed only to grow as RedwoodClan recovered from LichenClan’s attack on their camp. Voices whispered of treachery, others voiced criticisms regarding the Tribe and Finchstar’s efforts to save them. Heathermask only listened and said nothing, though always a part of her loathed the Tribe and blamed them for her brother’s death. Perhaps if Finchstar and Orchidshade had remained, they would not have lost him to his wound—so she would tell herself, though she knew it not to be true.
Still, the Clan took to great lengths to offer the Tribe aid. Word of sickness plaguing their people and conquest for the herb that could treat them spread like wildfire. Another battle hung in the air as the need for lungwort grew, until it was retrieved on the night of the Half-Moon and the Clan prepared to bring the coveted herb to the Tribe. More fighting broke out, yet the herb found its way, then another as Finchstar stirred his warriors for another assault against LichenClan to reclaim the Mooncave.
Heathermask fought alongside her Crowblaze in the assault. It would be his last battle.
Cut down by a LichenClan warrior, she stood still and silent over his freshly dug grace, her anger brewing and the desire for revenge wrestling up in her heart. It was only then that her father approached her.
For moons, she had only ever known him in passing; this time, he spoke to her and warned her against her anger. She listened if only to hear him speak and later learned from him as he offered to train her as he had once done for his sons.
Under his guidance, she learned to harness her anger and wield it into strength. For moons to follow, she would fight alongside him, felling enemies in their efforts to avenge the death of their kin and bring peace at last to their Clan. Though it was no traditional bond that bound them to one another, and though Heathermask never forgave him for his distancing from her, duty and a mutual desire bound them as they enacted their revenge with each fatal plunge they took onto the battlefield.
30-35 Moons.
20-15 Moons ago, the Rekindling… As the fighting continued and whispers of prophecy grew, an old face by the name of Tansytoes resurfaced in Heathermask’s life. Having overheard the losses Heathermask experienced, her old friend offered aid and support where previously Heathermask had none. Slow at first to warm, Heathermask gradually learned to confide in the she-cat once more, and the two again grew close. Their friendship would lead to a reunion with Tansytoes’ brother, Creekstep, another old friend from her nursery moons. As her bond grew with Tansytoes, so, too, did her fondness for her companion’s brother.
40-44 Moons.
10-6 Moons ago, the Burden… Moons passed, and still, the fighting had yet to cease. News spread of a large and mobile factions of rogues, leading Heathermask to once again fall into preparatory training as she waited for yet another attack. Yet she saw none of this urgency in her Tansytoes. The she-cat had grown distracted; even amid Icesong’s orders to hone their techniques, she seemed only to arrive late to drills and grow negligent in her listening. Despite questioning her, Tansytoes offered little, and it was only by chance she caught wind of her late one night with a RedwoodClan tom pressed to her side. Though she scarcely knew him, his reputation was one few were not privy to, yet upon voicing her concerns, she only succeeded at further pushing Tansytoes away, who claimed Heathermask had no love or support for her desires.
Moons later would Heathermask catch wind of the tom philandering again. Sharing a nest with another she-cat, who was as ignorant of Tansytoes' involvement as she hers. Bringing news to her companion in an effort to spare her emotions, Tansytoes viewed it instead as an act of jealousy against her and condemened Heathemask from speaking to her again. Despite Creekstep’s reassurance that the tension would ease between them, Heathermask was less sure and made her peace with never speaking to her old friend again, instead focusing her energy on the battle efforts and her newly-named mate.
So the fighting continued, but a lull in the conflict provided an opportune moment for children. Learning that she was expecting, Heathermask, although begrudgingly, retired into the nursery, to later be joined by Tansytoes, also laden with a brood of her own. Though she did not ask, Heathermask did not wonder at the father.
Yet a time of supposed peace and relaxation is quickly disturbed as another attack is launched on RedwoodClan camp. Fighting alongside Tansytoes, the two queens battle the invaders from the nursery, though Heathermask crumbles in the midst of the fighting to the start of birthing throes. Later she would come to conceive three kits, two sons and a daughter. Fatigued and wounded, she named them while her mate tended to her wounds, but found within only a days time that their health waned before an unknown sickness.
Withering, some queens called it, a sudden affliction of the body, and so she watched as their bodies wilted at her belly, leaving her, in the end, with only one son, Shalekit and the smallest of her brood.
Though deeply grieved by the loss, Heathermask refused to withdraw from her son's side as Lilac-cloud had and instead, with the support of her mate, continued to see to his care, watching with pride as he quickened at her teat.
Soon after, Tansytoes would birth her own litter, though her kitting was one of blood and agonized screams. Despite previous tensions, Heathermask stood beside her, who had no mate to lend her strength.
She passed soon after, conceiving only one son, but a strong and healthy one. With no father to claim him and no mother to nurse him, the child came into the world an orphan, later to be taken in by Heathermask as a last act of affection toward an old friend. Drawing him to her stomach as though he were her own, she named him Sandkit.
45-50 Moons.
5-0 Moons Ago, the Vigil... With two sons to rear, her mind drifted from the fighting. She thought only of providing for them, always ensuring that she was well fed so that they might flourish, and so finding, with some relief, that they did. Though her birth-son was weak and feeble, he soon grew as strong as his Tansytoes' son, and the nursery shed its veil of solemnity in the wake of their boisterous play. Whispers grew of yet another assault on the enemy, but to those rumors, she turned a deaf ear. Even when her mate brought news from the battlefield, she silenced him, wanting no part. With her children, she would not let the war take its insidious root, and so long as they lay at her belly and were yet reliant on her, she would not let its taint touch their hearts—or would not for as long as it could be helped.
In the final skirmish meant to fell the tyrant Minnowstar, Creekstep fell in combat. Grievously wounded, Heathermask and her sons remained by his side while Orchidshade and Bouncefire tended to his hurts, yet soon he fell ill with fever and weakened. Heathermask knew, though no one told her, that he would die, yet he held on just long enough to see his sons become ‘paws; only after did he loosen his hold on his life, leaving Heathermask as widow and sole provider for their brood.
50 Moons ago, the Long Wait… Not a moon went by in which there was no fighting. Queens, deeply unsettled by the bloodshed, held fast to their litters, biding their time for better moons that did not come. LichenClan’s assault was unrelenting, and no effort by Heatherstar could ease the frequency of their attacks so that in time the queens could wait no longer and bore their young despite the fighting—Lilac-cloud, well into her moons amongst them. It would be the last litter she bore her mate, Wolfsong, but one she was desperate to provide. The Clan needed warriors, and she had never failed in birthing healthy kits. But her aging body could not sustain the burden of new life, and only one of her humble brood survived—a she-kit and the only daughter she had ever conceived. She buried her sons and named them each so the stars might welcome them. She granted no name for the daughter.
02 Moons.
48 Moons ago, the Naming… At two moons, her father’s patrol was beset by a swarm of LichenClan warriors. On his return, she found her father gravely wounded, though the most significant loss was that of their leader, Heatherstar, who was felled in the fighting. Plagued with grief, the Clan fell into mourning. Shortly after, her father, retired from his duties while he recovered from his wounds, visited her in the nursery. He came to find his daughter unwashed and uncared for and his mate quiet and despondent within her nest. When asked why his daughter looked so, the mother responded only that she could not bear to care for her—that the burden was too great. The medicine cat called it an affliction of the heart, something that took birthing mothers on rare occasions so that they withdrew into themselves, some even to the point of allowing their broods to wither away and die. Unwilling to lose another of his spawn, Wolfsong called upon the aid of the other queens and after took it upon himself to name her.
Heatherkit, he called her, in honor of their leader. Even as a child, Heathermask remembered how it felt to bear the weight of such a name on her shoulders. It was the first kindness she had ever known.
03-05 Moons.
47-45 Moons ago, the Rearing… Without a mother to rear her, Heatherkit’s care largely fell into the paws of other queens. They fed her and cleaned her, let her romp with their children, and when they could not be called upon, her brothers tended to her needs. They would teach her pounces and battle moves, tousle her furs and whisper stories from their moons as warriors. She may never have known her mother’s tenderness, but she heard of it whispered from them. She learned of the cat Lilac-cloud had once been, how much she had changed; she learned of grand battles of the like she would one day fight in herself. But while her brothers occupied her with stories, beyond the nursery, Finchstar’s efforts for peace spurned RedwoodClan into yet another war. In the wake of the mounting preparations, she saw less of her brothers, and her father grew increasingly more elusive, but by then, she was near old enough to join them herself.
06-10 Moons.
44-40 Moons ago, a Burgeoning Flame… Upon the arrival of her sixth moon, Lilac-cloud retired prematurely to the elder’s den, refusing to return to her warrior duties. The announcement came as a surprise; Lilac-cloud was a well-loved warrior, and her reputation as a fighter granted her the respect of many. Yet her last litter had changed her, and she no longer found satisfaction in her old ways. In the wake of such news, Heatherpaw exited the nursery and was granted her apprentice title in the summer moons. Skirmishes with LichenClan warriors were becoming an increasing concern, one that RedwoodClan would be ill-equipped to answer with so few fighters, and her ascension was a welcomed one.
Her training was entrusted to an old widow queen named Badgerbite. Having lost both mate and children on the battlefield, Heathermask remembers her for her gruff and solemn nature, and yet also for how formidable of a teacher and fighter she was. In her moons under the she-cat’s tutelage, she came to view her almost as a mother and eagerly took to her teachings.
Outside of training, Heatherpaw made a reputation for herself. Having only known the rough-and-tumble nature of kit play and the boisterous manner of her brothers, she developed a fiery temper that only made her more difficult to manage. She was fierce and sharp-tongued, deeply emotional and sensitive to the pain and suffering her Clan was forced to endure. Watching as her clanmates so often returned bloodied and bruised, she vowed to put an end to LichenClan’s cruel ways and bring peace to her people, and in battle, she ensured it, using a dark cunning to best foes and an intrepidness that, even when wounded, made it so she never retreated. Then such foolhardiness had been viewed as a blessing—courage to rival that of her brothers, Hawkshadow and Crowblaze. Later it would cost her all that she loved.
11-12 Moons.
39-38 Moons ago, the Accident… An ill omen at the gathering drew the attention of LichenClan onto them once again. A cat who claimed to have come from a distant island and faction that called themselves the Tribe of Floating Water. Begging for aid for his people, Finchstar offered him shelter amongst their ranks, a decision that drew the ire of LichenClan’s cruel and newfound leader, Minnowstar. Despite her condemning the cat and his people, Finchstar ordered a patrol to venture to the Tribe and evaluate the sickness. It would be during their absence that an enemy patrol launched an attack on RedwoodClan camp.
Amidst the fighting, Heatherpaw fought alongside her brother to push the invaders back to their borders, but in her arrogance, exchanged blows with a warrior who exceeded her talents. Forcing her to the fringes of camp, Heatherpaw would have died had her brother not saved her. Horror-struck, she watched as he gave his life to ensure her safety. By the time the fighting had ended, Hawkshadow succumbed to his wounds, too deep and too great to be healed, and died the same night.
She held a long and silent vigil to honor his passing and was later granted the warrior title of Heathermask to symbolize the expression of grief she wore that day. She took the name as a token—a memory of her brother.
13-24 Moons.
37-26 Moons ago, the Breaking… Unrest seemed only to grow as RedwoodClan recovered from LichenClan’s attack on their camp. Voices whispered of treachery, others voiced criticisms regarding the Tribe and Finchstar’s efforts to save them. Heathermask only listened and said nothing, though always a part of her loathed the Tribe and blamed them for her brother’s death. Perhaps if Finchstar and Orchidshade had remained, they would not have lost him to his wound—so she would tell herself, though she knew it not to be true.
Still, the Clan took to great lengths to offer the Tribe aid. Word of sickness plaguing their people and conquest for the herb that could treat them spread like wildfire. Another battle hung in the air as the need for lungwort grew, until it was retrieved on the night of the Half-Moon and the Clan prepared to bring the coveted herb to the Tribe. More fighting broke out, yet the herb found its way, then another as Finchstar stirred his warriors for another assault against LichenClan to reclaim the Mooncave.
Heathermask fought alongside her Crowblaze in the assault. It would be his last battle.
Cut down by a LichenClan warrior, she stood still and silent over his freshly dug grace, her anger brewing and the desire for revenge wrestling up in her heart. It was only then that her father approached her.
“Will you allow yourself to wallow while the enemy still walks, or will you fight alongside me and avenge them?” Even now, she remembers his words to her.
For moons, she had only ever known him in passing; this time, he spoke to her and warned her against her anger. She listened if only to hear him speak and later learned from him as he offered to train her as he had once done for his sons.
Under his guidance, she learned to harness her anger and wield it into strength. For moons to follow, she would fight alongside him, felling enemies in their efforts to avenge the death of their kin and bring peace at last to their Clan. Though it was no traditional bond that bound them to one another, and though Heathermask never forgave him for his distancing from her, duty and a mutual desire bound them as they enacted their revenge with each fatal plunge they took onto the battlefield.
30-35 Moons.
20-15 Moons ago, the Rekindling… As the fighting continued and whispers of prophecy grew, an old face by the name of Tansytoes resurfaced in Heathermask’s life. Having overheard the losses Heathermask experienced, her old friend offered aid and support where previously Heathermask had none. Slow at first to warm, Heathermask gradually learned to confide in the she-cat once more, and the two again grew close. Their friendship would lead to a reunion with Tansytoes’ brother, Creekstep, another old friend from her nursery moons. As her bond grew with Tansytoes, so, too, did her fondness for her companion’s brother.
40-44 Moons.
10-6 Moons ago, the Burden… Moons passed, and still, the fighting had yet to cease. News spread of a large and mobile factions of rogues, leading Heathermask to once again fall into preparatory training as she waited for yet another attack. Yet she saw none of this urgency in her Tansytoes. The she-cat had grown distracted; even amid Icesong’s orders to hone their techniques, she seemed only to arrive late to drills and grow negligent in her listening. Despite questioning her, Tansytoes offered little, and it was only by chance she caught wind of her late one night with a RedwoodClan tom pressed to her side. Though she scarcely knew him, his reputation was one few were not privy to, yet upon voicing her concerns, she only succeeded at further pushing Tansytoes away, who claimed Heathermask had no love or support for her desires.
Moons later would Heathermask catch wind of the tom philandering again. Sharing a nest with another she-cat, who was as ignorant of Tansytoes' involvement as she hers. Bringing news to her companion in an effort to spare her emotions, Tansytoes viewed it instead as an act of jealousy against her and condemened Heathemask from speaking to her again. Despite Creekstep’s reassurance that the tension would ease between them, Heathermask was less sure and made her peace with never speaking to her old friend again, instead focusing her energy on the battle efforts and her newly-named mate.
So the fighting continued, but a lull in the conflict provided an opportune moment for children. Learning that she was expecting, Heathermask, although begrudgingly, retired into the nursery, to later be joined by Tansytoes, also laden with a brood of her own. Though she did not ask, Heathermask did not wonder at the father.
Yet a time of supposed peace and relaxation is quickly disturbed as another attack is launched on RedwoodClan camp. Fighting alongside Tansytoes, the two queens battle the invaders from the nursery, though Heathermask crumbles in the midst of the fighting to the start of birthing throes. Later she would come to conceive three kits, two sons and a daughter. Fatigued and wounded, she named them while her mate tended to her wounds, but found within only a days time that their health waned before an unknown sickness.
Withering, some queens called it, a sudden affliction of the body, and so she watched as their bodies wilted at her belly, leaving her, in the end, with only one son, Shalekit and the smallest of her brood.
Though deeply grieved by the loss, Heathermask refused to withdraw from her son's side as Lilac-cloud had and instead, with the support of her mate, continued to see to his care, watching with pride as he quickened at her teat.
Soon after, Tansytoes would birth her own litter, though her kitting was one of blood and agonized screams. Despite previous tensions, Heathermask stood beside her, who had no mate to lend her strength.
She passed soon after, conceiving only one son, but a strong and healthy one. With no father to claim him and no mother to nurse him, the child came into the world an orphan, later to be taken in by Heathermask as a last act of affection toward an old friend. Drawing him to her stomach as though he were her own, she named him Sandkit.
45-50 Moons.
5-0 Moons Ago, the Vigil... With two sons to rear, her mind drifted from the fighting. She thought only of providing for them, always ensuring that she was well fed so that they might flourish, and so finding, with some relief, that they did. Though her birth-son was weak and feeble, he soon grew as strong as his Tansytoes' son, and the nursery shed its veil of solemnity in the wake of their boisterous play. Whispers grew of yet another assault on the enemy, but to those rumors, she turned a deaf ear. Even when her mate brought news from the battlefield, she silenced him, wanting no part. With her children, she would not let the war take its insidious root, and so long as they lay at her belly and were yet reliant on her, she would not let its taint touch their hearts—or would not for as long as it could be helped.
In the final skirmish meant to fell the tyrant Minnowstar, Creekstep fell in combat. Grievously wounded, Heathermask and her sons remained by his side while Orchidshade and Bouncefire tended to his hurts, yet soon he fell ill with fever and weakened. Heathermask knew, though no one told her, that he would die, yet he held on just long enough to see his sons become ‘paws; only after did he loosen his hold on his life, leaving Heathermask as widow and sole provider for their brood.
