A large and fluffy ginger tabby she-cat with white markings.

Strength and confidence radiate from Azaleathorn. Taller and more muscular than many of her clan, the life of a guardian seemed inevitable for the she-cat. The fur around her neck puffs out like a mane, adding to her regal and intimidating figure.  

Like many of her kin, her coat is orange. Though hers is a deep orange that almost borders on red. Tabby lines spread out across her pelt, and white markings appear on her paws, neck, muzzle, and the tip of her tail.

When Mottledfur moves into the nursery, she knows it will be a permanent move. The life of a permaqueen calls to her, as does the life of a mother. Her new mate, Cedartail, is happy to see their family expand so soon.

Neither expect how rapidly the family will continue to expand.

Tawnystripe joins her sister in the nursery before Mottledfur even has a chance to give birth. The expectant mothers talk about how their kits will grow up alongside their cousins. And based on how Sandflower and Firepelt are acting, there will be more than just the two litters in the nursery.

Azaleakit is the firstborn of Gingerfang's grandkits, with Smokekit arriving not long after. A moon after them sees Tawnystripes litter of four, and two moons after that Sandflower and Firepelt's children are born.

The nursery is crowded more still by other litters and kits. Stagkit is a moon older than Azaleakit, which makes him far more interesting than her younger cousins. Some of them can't even play mossball yet! Thankfully for her and Smokekit, the older tom is happy to play with them.

The nursery is truly overrun with kits, and as one of the eldest, Azaleakit does her best to try and keep order. She tries to boss her cousins around, though its hard with the sheer number of them. Heck, even remembering all their names is hard for one so young.

The only tools she truly has to keep control is size, age, and force of personality. Although when she tries to use any of the three Mottledfur is quick to call it 'bullying' and 'rude' and 'picking on kits half her size'. It's not her fault they're tiny!

Azaleakit quickly begins to outgrow the nursery, both in size and patience. She tries to stick with older kits, which is how she ends up befriending Littlekit. Despite his size he's two moons older than her, which is enough for her to deem him worthy of her friend group.

Once they're allowed to spend more time outside the nursery, Azalea and her little crew are often found lounging around camp. The young she-cat appoints herself leader of the group by virtual of suggesting it first. 

Most of the crew's time is spend playing and lounging and daydreaming of finally being apprentices. Littlekit gets the chance first, becoming Littlepaw. Stagkit joins him as Stagpaw not long after, which leaves Azalea and her brother alone. Or as alone as one can be when surrounded by a dozen cousins.

Relief from the nursery finally comes when she and her brother are named apprentices. Azaleapaw and Smokepaw. 

The two are reunited with their older friends, and even eventually make friends with others, like Silverpaw.

Her mentor is a guardian, which she's quite proud to see. Azaleapaw was one of the biggest and toughest kits (in her own words) so it made sense that she'd follow her grandmother's pawsteps and defend the clan. 

Although guardian training will have to wait, at least until she's proven herself in the basics. 

Basic training is enjoyable enough, those Azaleapaw finds herself a better fighter than hunter. Hunting is often boring, long periods of searching before something actually interesting happens. But fighting? Fighting is fun! Size and stubbornness prove key in dominating her peers in battle.

Her mentor is the one who has to rein her in, remind her that if she wants to be a guardian she'll need patience and observational skills just as much as she'll need grit and physical prowess. 

The lesson doesn't sink in, not until a patrol with Stagpaw goes wrong. The hawk that dives at her friend is young, on the smaller side, but big enough to threaten either apprentice. Azaleapaw tries to defend her friend and fight off the predator, though her mentor is the one to ultimately defeat it. 

Although shaken and injured, she checks on Stagpaw first. He's unharmed, and stares at her with wide eyes. That night when she returns to her nest, one of the feathers from the hawk is there. It's just the bird's down, but the gesture is sweet. Afterwards the two apprentices are inseparable. 

The incident is just what Azaleapaw needs to understand the greater responsibility of becoming a guardian.

That being said, the prestige of being a guardian apprentice isn't half bad. She's one of the larger and tougher apprentices in the den, quickly working to climb the social ladder, dragging her brother and friends with her as best she can. 

It's nice being at the top of the apprentice den, though before long its filled with her cousins as the nursery once was. It grows a little smaller as and Littleshade and Stagblossom are named before her, much to her disappointment. 

The only consolation is that Stagblossom promises to save a space next to him when she gets her name. 

And a moon later his promise is kept, when Azaleathorn and Smokefall are named. She's proud of her name, the fierceness and protectiveness it stands for. It stands in sharp opposition with Stagblossom's name, but she prefers it that way. He balances her.

As soon as she manages to get ahold of an appropriate hawk feather, Azaleathorn presents it to Stagblossom. It's a proper one this time, a flight feather. The two officially become mates, to no ones surprise.

It's also not a surprise when a few moons later Azaleathorn is expecting. She continues her work as a guardian until the medicine cat practically drags her into the nursery. 

Motherhood does not come easily for the she-cat. The decision to even have children hardly felt like one. It was the path her grandmother, mother, aunts and uncles all took. A young pregnancy. The first great-grandkit for the ever growing Gingerfang family tree. And yet it is difficult, far more than she ever expected.

Only one kit is born, Petalkit. A tiny she-cat with a bright orange coat. And it's miserable, sitting in the nursery. Waiting. The kit needs constant attention, food, and affection. Stagblossom and Mottledfur do their best to help out, but it's still exhausting keeping up with a  kitten's schedule.

Still, she keeps her frustrations to herself. Her mate is thrilled to be a father, and is far better at his role. And as Petalkit grows older Azaleathorn has more wiggle room in her schedule to take walks and the occasional patrol.

By the time Petalpaw is named, Azaleathorn is certain she won't be back in the nursery anytime soon, if ever. She'd rather be out in the territory, defending her clan, than raising the next generation.

But despite it all, she's proud of Petalpaw. The apprentice takes after her father more than her mother, soft and kind. It's cute, though she doubts her daughter will make of a difference in the clan. She lacks ambition.

However there is another cat making waves in the clan, one who has for a while. Wolfstar. Something about the tom sets her teeth on edge. Her friend Silverheart agrees. Something about him is off.

While part of her wants to become the deputy, to help cushion the clan from Wolfstar's impact, part of her simply wants the tom gone. 

She gets her wish after the battle with Mistclan, after it's too late for his death to mean much. He already left his scars on all three clans, left so many dead or injured. 

As much as she disliked her leader's ideals, she had no real choice but to fight. Her mate and child and clan needed her protection. Still the fight leaves a sour taste in her mouth, and she's relieved when a retreat is called.

Silverheart is injured, permanently. Others are as well. And others die, including many of her family. The clan grieves.

And the clan leadership changes. Much to her disappointment, she does not end up as leader or deputy, despite both positions suddenly becoming available due to Wolfstar's death and Spiderstorm stepping down. Even Sootwhisker steps down from his role as medicine cat, leaving the role to her cousin Rainstorm. 

What a mess.

And a preventable one. If the clan had rooted out Wolfstar, stopped blindly believing in him and Starclan, so many would be alive and well. 

She grumbles, but goes about her work as a guardian. Someone's got to keep the clan safe while it recovers. 

And the clan does recover, slowly. Though the peace is never truly steady. There are good moments, her daughter is named Petalshine. And there are bad moments, Mushroomstar loses a life at the border. And there are devastating moments, the Kingdom forming and leaving.

The state of the clan is headache inducing, but not beyond repair, despite what some clearly believe. Since when did abandoning a group become more acceptable than helping rebuild? Where was all this discontent when Wolfstar waged a war?

Even if others have given up, Azaleathorn persists. She'll defend and rebuild this clan even if it doesn't want to be saved. 
 

Pre-Plotting: Azaleathorn is Silverheart's friend and Gingerfang's grandchild. She's adopted from both their respective wanted ads. Her beliefs fall between Mars and Uranus in the Ridgeclan plot adoptables. She wants Ridgeclan to stand strong, on its own, without relying on an oracle or Starclan to guide the clan. 

Family: Azaleathorn comes from Gingerfang's family tree, meaning that she has countless relatives in her clan, and some beyond.  
Friends: The guardian has many friends, including Silverheart, Littleshade, and Smokefall. She's fairly charismatic, enough to help make up for her intense personality. 
Romance: The only cat to hold Azaleathorn's heart is Stagblossom, her mate. His endless devotion won her over, earning him a permanent spot at her side.
Rivals: With her strong personality Azaleathorn has a large potential for rivals within and without her clan.