basic appearance description: a gray, tan, and white tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes

Mousestep is an average sized she-cat. She is slightly on the leaner side, with long legs that help her stretch out when creating or repairing tunnels. Her claws are often filled with dirt and mud right out of the tunnel, but she always cleans them right after. Her pelt is always kept clean, even with the amount of tunnel work that she does daily. 

Mousestep has dusty gray fur, with splotches of tan and white around her whole form. The tortoiseshell has medium-length fur, with it being more fluffy in leaf-bare and more thin during green-leaf. Her eyes are a bright, golden-yellow color and a marbled nose.  

o moons to 6 moons [kithood]

"She's perfect, right," Stormflower purred, looking up to Sootcloud.
"So perfect," he nuzzled, before looking at the kit curled up next to the she-cat.
"She's so quiet and calm. How about Mousekit?" The mother then licked her kit a couple times, only resulting a small noise from the tired kitten.
"Mousekit, it is," Sootcloud replied.

Having been the product of both a mostly absent, apathetic father and an overbearing mother, Mousekit had grown to be a reserved kit. Her joy was to be in the nursery while the commotion of the queens talking drowned out the ruckus of camp. However, she did enjoy the stories that her mother and father would share from time to time. While many kits would focus on the story itself, she picked up on their vocabulary and the warrior skills that they would talk about.

Mousekit was not a popular kit in the nursery, but she had managed to find a friend in Sandkit. Sandkit was a charismatic, sarcastic she-cat that always managed to make Mousekit smile. They enjoyed studying the warriors along camp, hopeful to be successful clan cats as they got older.

6 moons to 12 moons [apprenticeship]

Mousepaw was assigned to the mentor of Tornear. Sandpaw was given hers too.

It wasn't long until Mousepaw was gifted the title of big sister to two kits, Darkkit and Hollykit. While she hadn't asked for siblings, she couldn't help but be happy she had someone else in the family.

Mousepaw was flying through her studies and mastering every test. It was hard for her mentor to keep up with new material. After talking with the current leader, Littlestar, it was decided that she would have to move on to a more challenging, demanding course: tunneling. If she accepted. Mousepaw was always pushed to be study, to learn more, and to be the best, so it was not a surprising when she accepted the offer. Her new mentor for the tunneler position was Smallbreeze.

But that's when her quiet, studious behavior caught the eye of a tom named Stagpaw.

Stagpaw was the most popular apprentice in Prairieclan, often followed by his friends, Patchpaw and Daisypaw. And he was watching her. Not only while she was training, but inside the camp and on patrols (which he somehow always found a way to join hers?). Eventually, she confronted him, and the two had a mutual feeling for one another. While Mousepaw stood her ground about studying and training, Stagpaw reassured that their young love wouldn't interfere.

One night, Stagpaw had snuck Mousepaw out to go to one of the highest hills in the prairie... with the promise that he would help her for her mentor's quiz tomorrow.
"What are three important things to remember when tunneling?" Stagpaw asked, looking at the she-cat.
"Ears up, eyes forward... mind focused," Mousepaw mewed, confident in her answer. 
"Geez, why are you even studying if you know them by heart?"
"You promised you would help me, Stagpaw," she annoyingly mewed. 
"Yeah, and we studied," Stagpaw replied, before moving in closer to the she-cat. "The stars are calling for us to spend time together," he muttered, nuzzling her.
Mousepaw then stood and moved away from the tom, a look of shock and digust. "Was this your plan all along? Just to swoop in and leave before any feelings grew too much to handle?" she sharply meowed, eyes staring at him.
"No, Mousepaw, no," he replied.
"I'm not Poppypaw. Or Cloudpaw."
"You're... not promiscuous?" Stagpaw investigated further.
"That's not what I'm saying."
"You're cute when you lie," Stagpaw said, moving back over to the she-cat and sitting.
Mousepaw chuckled before returning to her relaxed posture and sitting as well. "You're a mouse-brain, Stagpaw."
"You're beautiful, Mousepaw."

Stagpaw and Mousepaw had an few arguments as they grew closer, and one caused issues when they were on a patrol together with Hawkleaf and Barkpaw. Barkpaw had always been a quiet tom, a target for Stagpaw and his buddies antics. Mousepaw never liked it. When a fox attacked the patrol, her and Barkpaw buddied up from the circumstances, resulting in the two becoming a good fighting team. After the fight, she returned home with Stagpaw, but she looked behind her at Barkpaw.

Before long, Mousepaw and Barkpaw had found companionship with each other. Especially when Mousepaw and Stagpaw had gotten into bad arguments. However, this resulted in Stagpaw getting angry. He organized Patchpaw and Daisypaw to help him beat up Barkpaw for "stealing his girl". 
 
Barkpaw began to stop hanging out with Mousepaw, and it hurt her. 

Sandpaw mysteriously disappeared near their warrior ceremony. The last cats that saw her were Stagpaw and Mousepaw. Sandpaw had privately begged Mousepaw to stay with her and not go with Stagpaw, but Mousepaw said she wouldn't let Sandpaw hold her back from love. Only a dried splash of her blood was found within the clan territory.

Mousepaw blamed herself for Sandpaw's death.

"Bullshit!" Mousepaw exclaimed during an argument with Stagpaw.
"This is not bullshit," Stagpaw tried to calmly de-escalate the situation, as the two fought just nights before their warrior ceremony.
"No, you... YOU'RE bullshit," Mousepaw sharply mewed.
"W-What?"
"THIS... this is bullshit," Mousepaw hissed, hinting at the relationship that they had tried to keep up with for almost the entire apprenticeship. Especially when she found out the truth about the beating of Barkpaw. Before he could replied, she walked away.

12 moons to present [tunneler]

Mousepaw became Mousestep, early for an apprentice of tunneling. However, her studious and intelligent habits paid off. Stagpaw was also named Stagleap. While the two were together, their relationship had been strained. She still kept her distance from him.

But the battle with Ridgeclan caused her to have to put her emotions on hold. She led her clan through the tunnels as they attacked. Thankfully, Stagleap stayed at the camp, or she wouldn't have probably fought as well. But one face stuck out to her. Barkshade, who had also been made a warrior. The two, as previously with the fox, had joined up to fight together. As they returned home, they talked. Understanding that they had more than just platonic feelings for each other.
As she entered camp from the battle, she saw Stagleap's face, as she was next to Barkshade. But she couldn't bring herself to care at that moment.

Mousestep officially confessed her love for Barkshade to Stagleap. While he was saddened, she could tell that he already knew.

They were awkward at love at first, never really getting past a cute, innocent feeling from the situationship.
 
One night, she couldn't sleep and stumbled upon Barkshade after leaving the warrior's den. Barkshade had been trying to sleep under the stars. 
"Hey," Mousestep started.
"Hi," replied Barkshade.
"I just wanted to say, uh, Stagleap is, uh..."
"Out of his mind. One look after the battle and he has us figured out?" Barkshade scoffed.
"Yeah, totally," Mousestep joined in, before an awkward silence.
"Well, uh, goodnight," the tom mewed. 
"Yeah... goodnight," she replied, as they both headed to their areas. The she-cat returned to her nest, as she looked at it. She needed to show Barkshade how she really felt about him. The she-cat then raced out of the warriors den. The tom had rushed to the entrance as well, as they both looked up and saw the other right in front of them. Barkshade went in to touch Mousestep's nose, and she did flinch away at first. But then, she went in to touch his nose again, before the two nuzzled up to each other to finally express their love, their feelings.
The two shared a nest that night. 

As time went on, Stagleap became good friends with Mousestep and Barkshade, though a small part of her would always seem to draw herself to her first love. Stagleap also introduced them to his friends, Robinthorn and Shadowpaw.

However, the relationship between Mousestep and Barkshade was not without issues. The two got into arguments, mostly about Mousestep's ambition and perfection and Barkshade's inability to share and communicate his feelings and thoughts. In addition, sometimes distance, as Mousestep's dedication to tunneling and trying to keep it as a permanent position in the clan can cause issues as well. 

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