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[ BEFORE ROSE ] Redthorn and Littlestar’s first litter were warriors when they decided they desired more children. Their sons, Maplefrost and Basilheart, and their daughter, Thorngaze, were looking forward to becoming older siblings. Unfortunately, tragedy struck shortly after they began trying. Heavy rain had weakened the stability of the tunnels and when Redthorn and Thorngaze took an apprentice underground to dig more pathways, they hadn’t been aware that the lightest touch could cause a cave-in. All three of them died when the tunnel they’d been in collapsed. Not long after their deaths, while their families were still mourning, Littlestar discovered she was expecting Redthorn’s offspring. This was a bittersweet moment, but she and her sons were determined to give these kits a happy life.

[ 0 MOONS - 5 MOONS ] Littlestar named the oldest in her second litter Redkit, after the deceased father of her children, and the second kit in the litter she named Rosekit, because her mate had always gifted her roses. Rosekit and Redkit were treated like royalty by their kin. Maplefrost, who was often dignified and stoic, enjoyed preparing his little sisters for their training and adulthood by passing down his wisdom through stories and advice. Basilheart, who was warmhearted and slightly naive, loved to spend his free time playing with his younger siblings. And Littlestar, who saw so much of Redthorn and Thorngaze in her daughters, doted on them like it was her last day with them. Their family members were incredibly overprotective and usually one of them had a close eye on the sisters. Rosekit quickly grew tired of their vigilant gazes and responded by being rebellious, but Redkit, who was kind and levelheaded, appreciated that they cared so much.

Rosekit, the more rambunctious of the two sisters, was always finding trouble in whatever form possible. She befriended another boisterous kit named Sorrelkit, who she worshiped like she had no flaws. Sorrelkit dreamed of exploring the unclaimed lands outside clan territory and she made it sound so wonderful, Rosekit started to share this fantasy. Together, they managed to sneak out of camp a couple of times, but they were quickly caught and promptly scolded, and so Rosekit and Sorrelkit focused on bringing their aspirations to life inside camp, pretending to be travelers. Redkit sometimes joined their games, but she was more practical than they were and didn’t fantasize about leaving behind the clans. Despite their differences, Rosekit and Redkit were best friends and although they occasionally argued, as siblings do, they still adored each other. They’d kill for each other, die for each other, and they promised one another that their bond would never be broken.

[ 6 MOONS - 10 MOONS ] Rosepaw was named an apprentice the same moon the war occurred, but she was too young and inexperienced to fight and wasn’t very affected by it. Her infatuation with Sorrelpaw only grew stronger as the moons passed, concerning her kin and her older brothers especially. Maplefrost and Basilheart believed Sorrelpaw was a terrible influence on Rosepaw, and while Maplefrost was quite outspoken making sure she knew it, Basilheart took a softer approach. Littlestar and Redpaw only asked her to be careful, but allowed her to make her own choices. Sorrelpaw might’ve been defiant and irascible and fanciful, but Rosepaw thought she’d follow her anywhere. As apprentices, they had a little more freedom and were able to leave camp with a warrior’s permission. It was easy, convincing an older cat that they were off to collect moss for the elders’ nests, but instead they went venturing past PrairieClan’s southern border. They never went too far and were always home by moonrise.

[ 11 MOONS ] Toward the end of their apprenticeships, Sorrelpaw decided that she’d learned enough and could take care of herself, that it was time to leave the clans behind. She invited Rosepaw to join her and, of course, she accepted. When they announced to the clan that they were leaving, Maplefrost exploded angrily and forbade Rosepaw from leaving. Littlestar calmed him down, embraced Rosepaw, and begged her to stay safe. Basilheart said he’d like her to remain with her kin, but he wouldn’t stop her and then told her to look after herself. When Redpaw’s turn to exchange farewells came, she reminded her littermate that she would always be there for her. With that, Rosepaw and Sorrelpaw walked out of camp and into the unknown.

The life of an outsider was not an easy one. Traveling was exhausting and challenging. There was no territory free of predators or enemy cats and Rosepaw and Sorrelpaw quickly learned to sleep with one eye open, and there was no medicine cat to heal their wounds after losing a scuffle with a couple of bigger, stronger rogues. Just a few days after the fight, the two mollies began to notice signs of infection settling in. They started in the direction of PrairieClan, even though Sorrelpaw desperately wanted to continue with the journey, but Rosepaw was determined to get help for themselves before infection killed them. Along the way, Sorrelpaw weakened faster than Rosepaw and she passed away in her sleep one night. Rosepaw was too frail to bury her and was forced to move on, stifling her grief. A moon after leaving PrairieClan, she returned.

[ 12 MOONS - PRESENT ] Her family were delighted to have her back, but Rosepaw came back angrier than she’d ever been. She was bitter and mourning and still recovering from infection, but she couldn’t bring herself to take out her anger on her kin. With Sorrelpaw gone, Rosepaw lost all interest in exploring. All she had left was her kin and her clan, and she’d do anything she could to keep them. She swore her loyalty to PrairieClan in front of all her clanmates and they accepted her back, though she knew she’d lost some of their trust. Rosepaw was named early alongside her sister, Redpaw, when both of them refused to even consider learning how to navigate the tunnels, which they believed were too dangerous for cats to work in. Rosepaw became Rosethorn and Redpaw accepted the name Redberry. There were some who believed Littlestar was showing favoritism by taking Rosethorn back into the clan without even a bit of hesitation and then naming her early before she’d even completed a day of tunneler training, but she would snarl at anyone who dared to suggest her mother would treat her differently than her clanmates.

Fully healed, Rosethorn began her warrior duties. While marking the border with a couple of her clanmates, they run into a MistClan patrol. The tension is suffocating as both sides try to behave, but Rosethorn cannot smother her irritation with the other clan and accuses them of being cold and unappreciative. Sharp insults are thrown back and forth for a few moments before she loses control of her temper and launches herself at the closest MistClan warrior. The conflict is brief and concludes when a more levelheaded feline yowls for everyone to stop. The two patrols part ways, but not before Rosethorn sends one last hiss their way. They report to Littlestar, endure a light scolding, and receive treatment from the medicine cat. She’s surrounded by her family as soon as she leaves the medicine cat den and she thinks she must protect them, no matter what it costs.

Pre-Plotting: Rosethorn is a Thorn in [PrairieClan's Plot Ad] and tends to act before she thinks. She also aligns with the Amaryllis role and while she is aware that her clan is strong, she wants everyone else to know it, too. Finally, Rosethorn is the Stem of PrairieClan and is quite standoffish toward those who were not born in her clan.

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