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[ 0 MOONS - 5 MOONS ] Cloudflower and Alderpelt grew up together in PrairieClan, but they’d only thought of one another as acquaintances until they were paired up together for guard duty one night and spent the entire time getting to know each other. After that, they were inseparable. Cloudflower listened to his dream about exploring the unknown territories beyond the clans, but part of her feared he would eventually make his wish a reality. As Alderpelt’s talk about abandoning the clans increased, she knew he’d leave behind the clans soon and her desire for something to remember him also strengthened. Cloudflower asked for children and he was hesitant in the beginning, but quickly came around to the idea. She wanted a large litter, but only had a single tom. She was far from disappointed and her heart swelled with love for her kit, who she named Dustkit for his brown patches. When Alderpelt finally said his goodbye, she found comfort in raising their son.

Cloudflower was not, of course, the perfect mother, but she was a loving one. She was a nervous wreck when Dustkit first started walking, as if she were afraid he’d steer himself right off a cliff. And she was overwhelmed by anxiety when he took his first bite of solid food, scared he’d choke and she’d lose her only child. When he began talking and it was revealed he had a lisp, Cloudflower was terrified he’d be rejected by his peers. She spoke with the medicine cat about how to treat his speech impediment and worked with him every day to help lessen it. She worried about him frequently and had to be constantly reassured by the other queens that he’d be fine. Dustkit quickly learned how to soothe her fears, even if it meant lying to her, but she trusted him completely and never doubted him for a heartbeat.

Dustkit was not popular among his denmates and was even bullied by a couple of other kits in the nursery. They thought his lisp was amusing and often referred to him as Toothless, and because they were better liked than he was, his reputation took an even greater hit. He handled their hurtful taunts well, though, with his head held high, and discovered soon enough that he wasn’t alone. There was a trio of kits who were also not so respected by others and Dustkit decided they should stick together. He boldly approached them one day and that was the beginning of their friendship. Dark-kit, [Lucas Sinclair], and Owlkit were already quite close and deep down, he knew he was the outcast of their group, the last to join, the least likely to be considered their best friend, but he buried this insecurity where nobody would ever find it.

[ 6 MOONS - 14 MOONS ] They were young apprentices when Owlpaw disappeared. Dustpaw, Darkpaw, and [Lucas Sinclair] looked everywhere for their missing friend until their search brought them to the border. That’s where they found an outsider around their age. Darkpaw was quick to suggest they take care of her while she gathered her strength, but [Lucas Sinclair] disagreed. Dustpaw was intrigued by Eleven, but did his best to remain neutral, though he couldn’t help finding sense in [Lucas Sinclair]’s arguments. Ultimately, they looked after the stranger for a few days, hunting for her, arguing over whether to chase her out or not, and learning about her. Dustpaw thought her name, Eleven, was pretty cool for an outsider. And then a patrol of PrairieClan warriors found where they’d hidden Eleven. It took a while, but she was eventually welcomed into the clan as an apprentice named Brightpaw.

When Owlpaw returned, Dustpaw was overjoyed. Owlpaw didn’t have much to say about where he’d been, but Dustpaw didn’t mind. He was just happy their friend group was together again - including Brightpaw. Shortly after Owlpaw’s return, Dustpaw’s eye was caught by Sparkpaw. She was new to PrairieClan, but Dustpaw was immediately captivated by her. He tried courting her, but she never seemed interested. He even went so far as to approach Stagleap one day and ask for the older tom’s advice. After all, Stagleap had proven himself to be quite popular with the mollies. Sparkpaw just didn’t like him that way, however, and while it did hurt to be rejected, all he wanted was for her to be happy - even if it wasn’t with him. Dustpaw tried to put Stagleap’s guidance to use and charm some other she-cat, because why shouldn’t he trust him? They’d developed a strong bond and he knew he could trust Stagleap. But when that was unsuccessful, he tried someone else and then someone else, until he eventually gave up. He’d just focus on friendships for now.

When [Suzie Bingham] entered his life, Dustpaw was instantly infatuated. After standing up to a couple of bullies at a Gathering, she told him he was brave, and a connection instantly formed. They began to meet at the border, where the dead trees had fallen to create a bridge across the river that separated the two territories. He told her all about his life in PrairieClan, including his doting mother and his loyal friends, and she told him all about her life in RidgeClan, including her pious parents and sheltered upbringing. [Suzie Bingham] was clever and beautiful and perfect. Dustpaw tried bragging about her to all his friends, but their responses often seemed disbelieving, like they didn’t believe he could win the heart of someone so incredible. One of these days, they’d see.

And then Dustpaw and [Eddie Munson] became involved in each other’s lives. They swiftly became something like brothers. He was drawn to the older apprentice like a moth to light, and even though many believed [Eddie Munson] was a terrible influence on the youngsters, Dustpaw continued to hang out with him anyway. He didn’t mind the other tom’s flamboyant behavior and actually thought he was quite charming. He also encouraged [Eddie Munson] and Stagleap to spend time together, eager to have his brothers get along, and was delighted whenever he witnessed them sharing tongues. When [Eddie Munson] was accused of stealing MistClan kits, Dustpaw was the first to argue that he wouldn’t have committed such a crime.

His mentor, Troutstream, trusted no tunneler more than he trusted his littermate, Newtnose, with taking Dustpaw into the tunnels for training. During the lesson, he realized he was incredibly intrigued by the art of tunneling and would love to train to become a tunneler himself, but he was plagued by his fear of potentially destroying his friendships by becoming a tunneler apprentice. He wouldn’t be able to spend all day with his friends, training and patrolling together, if he had to spend all day underground. However, Newtnose convinced him that he’d still have time for his friends and, reassured by her words, Dustpaw asked her to be his mentor and she accepted.

[ 15 MOONS - PRESENT ] Dustnose graduated alongside his friends.

Pre-Plotting: Dustnose fills in the role of Dustin Henderson from [stranger things did happen here]. He also best relates to the Peony group from [PrairieClan's Plot Ad], though he tends to remain neutral in these matters. While he believes his clan is strong and that they should help where they can, he'd also like to avoid ruffling any feathers.

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