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[ 0 MOONS - 5 MOONS ] Shadowclaw and Windcloud had loved each other once, but after some moons, their affection for one another diminished. However, neither one of them were eager to admit they’d failed to make their relationship work and so they remained together. Windcloud would never risk damaging her reputation by betraying her mate, but Shadowclaw didn’t seem to think about that and had the occasional dalliance with Skywing, a pretty minx who was aware of his relationship status, but simply didn’t care. When Windcloud announced she was expecting, Shadowclaw put an end to his involvement with Skywing. Shortly after, Skywing discovered she was also going to have his kits, but she’d never wanted to be a mother. She spoke with Shadowclaw and together, they approached Windcloud and told her about their affair, how it resulted in kits, and how they’d like her to raise them. Windcloud was, of course, terribly upset, but when Skywing died during the kitting, leaving behind a single kit, she had no choice but to reluctantly take in Riverkit alongside her own daughter, Thunderkit.

Windcloud blamed Riverkit for Shadowclaw’s treachery, for existing, so she could ignore the fact that her mate caused her hurt, so there could be a chance their relationship could survive. She clearly had a favorite daughter and it certainly wasn’t her adopted one. She’d scold Riverkit for something she did, but when Thunderkit did the same thing, she would praise her. Windcloud also told Thunderkit that her half-sister nearly destroyed her parents' connection, resulting in the older kit despising Riverkit for the trouble she'd brought to their family. Thunderkit never played with her and actually tended to steer clear of her, but if they did have to interact, she was never kind. Shadowclaw let Windcloud and Thunderkit treat Riverkit poorly and not once did he interfere. He believed he owed his mate for letting her down, even if it was at the cost of his own daughter's well-being. And yet, Riverkit still cared for Shadowclaw, Windcloud, and Thunderkit, even though they didn't seem to care for her very much.

Riverkit set out to become friends with Hailkit and Frostkit, who she was determined to bond with. Hailkit didn’t seem interested in a friendship with her, content with his sister’s companionship, but Riverkit was persistent. She spent a large amount of her time with Frostkit, tumbling about camp, tripping dutiful warriors and pestering training apprentices, but she also worked hard to connect with Hailkit, too. He was quiet and withdrawn, and Riverkit could be those things, too. She’d sit beside him silently, or if he wanted to, they’d talk. She just wanted to be his friend, which she made clear, and he must’ve appreciated her effort with both him and Frostkit, because sometimes, he sought her out instead of the other way around. Hailkit and Frostkit quickly became Riverkit’s best friends, and she couldn’t have asked for better ones.

[ 6 MOONS - 11 MOONS ] Riverpaw shared her apprentice ceremony with Frostpaw and Hailpaw, and couldn’t have been happier. Thunderpaw had been named the moon before, alongside her friends, and Riverpaw continued to carefully avoid her half-sister as much as possible. It helped that she chose to follow the path of a weaver. Once she’d been introduced to weaving, she was hooked. She didn’t practice combat or hunting techniques with her friends so much anymore, but rather focused on strengthening the camp’s walls and nurturing plants. She wasn’t a natural weaver, but she worked relentlessly to become a skilled, or at least a decent, one. Frostpaw and Hailpaw would always be her first priorities as she considered them to be her true family, but they didn’t get the chance to spend most of their time together anymore since Riverpaw’s training was different. However, with their nests next to each other, they always ended the day with just the three of them.

[ 12 MOONS - 25 MOONS ] Hailfall graduated without Frostpaw after she was caught trespassing on PrairieClan territory, but she was furious with her brother. She was upset he accepted his warrior name without her beside him and Riverpaw attempted to relieve her anger, but she retreated to her nest with a scowl. She then tried to console Hailfall, but he had to sit vigil that night and he padded off before she could make much progress. The following morning, Riverpaw woke to a commotion in the clearing, which she discovered was about Frostpaw’s disappearance. She held onto hope for a good while and believed her friend would return, but the possibility became less likely as days came and went. Hailfall withdrew, but Riverpaw made sure that when he was ready, he knew she’d be there for him. He started to slowly come back to her a couple moons later, around the time she earned her warrior name of Riversong. She still gave him his space when he needed it, which was frequently, but they began to put the fractured pieces of their friendship back together again.

Moons later, Hailfall vanishes, and Riversong grieves. Frostpaw had never come back, so why would he? Just a couple days after losing the last of her best friends, she’s granted an apprentice. She suspects Jaypaw was assigned to her to distract her from her sorrow, but she doesn’t mind. The young tom reminds her of Hailfall, actually, hardworking and resolute. She dives into teaching her student and unlike her, he was born to be a weaver. One day, while working with Jaypaw, she glances up from her work and sees them - Frostpaw and Hailfall, standing in camp, flanked by a few of their clanmates. Riversong nearly weeps and somehow manages to refrain from bowling into them. Once her friends have finished meeting with MistClan’s leaders to discuss their disappearances, she waits her turn to welcome them back and just about knocks the brother and sister over in her hurry to embrace them. In the following moons, she lets Frostfeather and Hailfall improve their bond and concentrates on training Jaypaw, who earns the name Jaywhisker while she watches proudly.

Drowning in chores, Hailfall spends a majority of his time completing tasks. Riversong rarely gets the chance to speak with him and so she and Frostfeather grow closer while he works, but then she meets Sparrowclaw at a Gathering. He’s not exactly jumping at the opportunity to become her friend, but she’s companionable and insists on asking him how he is every time they meet, and eventually, he finds that he has a soft spot for her. They enjoy each other’s company so much that they spend each and every Gathering with one another, and then they agree to start getting together every few days. Sparrowclaw is often short-tempered and standoffish, but Riversong brings out his benevolent side. Neither one of them expects their friendship to evolve, but with some time, it does. She’s the one who takes the risk and asks if he’ll be her mate, but her voice cracks as she does so and she can’t look him in the eyes, terrified of getting her heart broken. He stutters out a yes, shocked the feeling was mutual, and while the conversation hadn’t been perfect, both of them are delighted to officially be mates.

[ 26 MOONS - 34 MOONS ] Hailstar accepts nine lives and a new name, and Riversong is thrilled for him. She’s one of the first to congratulate him and to offer her support, but as the days pass, she realizes he has even less time for her. Still, she promises to always be there for him and continues to consider him one of her best friends. She’s happy with the time he does put aside for her, even if it’s not as much as she’d like. When she isn’t doing chores, she’s with Frostfeather and maybe Hailstar, if he’s available, and if she isn’t with either of them, she’s with Sparrowclaw. Moons come and go, and Riversong’s satisfied with her life the way it is. Of course, she’d rather not have to hide her relationship with Sparrowclaw from everyone, but she gladly does, because that’s what it takes. And she’d love to see Hailstar more than she does, but at least Frostfeather still has plenty of time for her. Life isn’t too bad, until it is.

[ 35 MOONS ] RidgeClan launches an attack on MistClan and Hailstar sends Riversong to PrairieClan for reinforcements before he plunges into the chaos. She’s quick and reaches PrairieClan in record time. When they return to MistClan’s camp, it looks bleak for them, but with PrairieClan’s assistance, they chase RidgeClan out. Despite their victory, she feels lost. She hadn’t met Sparrowclaw in battle this time, but what about next time? She didn’t think she could ever fight him. An ear-piercing cry distracts her from her worries and she finds Shadowclaw comforting a wailing Windcloud over Thunderfang’s lifeless body. Riversong approaches, but Windcloud snarls at her, so she chooses to grieve alone. Thunderfang may not have been the kindest to her, but she’d still loved her half-sister. Instead of losing herself in her grief, Riversong, with few injuries, decides to help the medicine cat by fetching herbs and treating minor wounds with her basic knowledge of healing. She blames herself for not realizing Hailstar required care and apologizes for not providing it to him when he wakes after losing a life.

[ 36 MOONS - 41 MOONS ] RidgeClan accuses MistClan of trespassing and Hailstar is furious. Riversong fears his reaction should he ever find out she’s mates with a RidgeClan cat. Not long after, a queen’s kits disappear from the nursery, raising questions of who took them. And then a brief altercation breaks out at the border with PrairieClan, causing even more tension between the former allies. As if life wasn’t chaotic enough, Riversong discovers she’s expecting Sparrowclaw's kits and she’s afraid of what would happen if the identity of her children’s father was revealed. Having offspring with the enemy? Her clanmates would never forgive her. She was convinced they might even demand her exile. There was only one cat she could turn to, even if she was risking everything. She would forever be grateful that Hailstar handled the news of her cross-clan relationship very well and that he agreed to act as the kits’ father.

[ 42 MOONS - PRESENT ] Riversong was thrilled to welcome four kits to MistClan. She named them Dewkit, Cloudkit, Swankit, and Stormkit, and they easily became her entire world.

Pre-Plotting: Riversong best relates to Branches in [MistClan’s Plot Ad] and she fills the role of Willow. She believes that kindness should not be mistaken for weakness and so MistClan should offer the other clans their support. The best path to peace is, in her opinion, making the Mooncave neutral territory. She’s also involved in a forbidden relationship with Sparrowclaw of RidgeClan, which has resulted in kits. Afraid of what might happen if her clanmates discover her secret, she turned to her best friend, Hailstar, for help.

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