Shadowclaw

Shadowclaw is known for being the best warrior he can possibly be for MoonClan and being strong through hardships and bad experiences, handling it better than his siblings and friends, a quality which is appreciated by Birchstar as he has this, too.

## Physical Description

### Namesakes

Prefix: His fur color.Suffix: He and Quailclaw were fine with this suffix.

## Family

### Sisters

Icemoon, Swanstream, Mousekit, Petalflight

## Education

### Apprentice

Jumpclaw

He was also known for saving Quailclaw from falling off a waterfall by alerting the Clan and drying him off when they were both kits and saving Dandelionflight and Mountainstream from getting killed by a fox when they were all warriors.

## Youth

He was born to Goldenlily and Watereye (pretend father) as Shadowkit alongside his sister, Icekit. His biological father, Swiftclaw was from SnowClan, unbenownst to most cats especially Shadowkit. Goldenlily was very happy about their births as they were her first litter and she was nineteen moons old at the time. The Clan were also very happy about this as she was the first queen in the nursery to give birth seven moons after Peonyclaw did with Violetpaw and Firepaw.

Having no other kits to play with, he played with Icekit and bonded with her a lot. But only a few days after his birth, another queen, Petuniaheart, gave birth to Quailkit and another stillborn kit. Shadowkit and Icekit were really happy about this and the three had a incredibly close relationship, even as apprentices and warriors.

Shadowkit was incredibly social and loved to play with everyone, including queens, apprentices and warriors. He had a close bond with his future mentor, Snowpool, especially since he was Quailkit's father.

A moon later, Peonyclaw gave birth to Zebrakit and Stonekit (and a stillborn kit) and Shadowkit tried to play with them but they were too shy.

One time, Quailkit and Shadowkit had left the camp to explore together, but Quailkit had tripped over a rock and fell into a river which led to a waterfall. Before he could fall down, Shadowkit ran back to camp and told all the warriors and they managed to save him before he fell off. Shadowkit also helped with drying Quailkit off, and Moonstar had rewarded Shadowkit for bravery and quick response to emergencies with a very big and juicy mouse, but she still scolded him and Quailkit for leaving camp.

Two moons later, his mother gave birth to Swankit, a mute kit and a stillborn kit named Vinekit. Two other queens also gave birth to kits, Petuniaheart to Birchkit and Rainkit and another queen named Flipsnow to Mountainkit. He bonded with all of them, especially Birchkit, and Birchkit and him hit it off together. He also had a crush on Rainkit.

## Apprenticehood

### 6-9 moons

When he was six moons old, Shadowkit was apprenticed to Snowpool by Moonstar, the leader at the time and renamed Shadowpaw. His sister was apprenticed to Snowpool's brother, Forestcreek. However, a few days later, AdderClan attacked MoonClan in a harsh battle, and the deputy at the time, Falconblue, killed Moonstar's last life. He tried to take over the Clan in tyranny but a ton of cats got angry and killed him. While they were discussing, the Clan chose Shadowpaw's mentor to be the new leader. Shadowpaw was happy about this change.

Shadowpaw was originally skeptical of Zebrapaw and Stonepaw who became apprentices a moon later, but Zebrapaw proved himself to be a good cat while his sister was the one who pranked the kits, so Shadowpaw liked Zebrapaw as a friend, but disliked his sister greatly. Icepaw also disliked her.

He still loved to play with his kit friends and hang out with Icepaw and Quailpaw who also became apprentices. He also became friends with a reflexively-disabled kit named Primrosekit after his friend, Quailpaw, comforted her after she fell off.

The dislike for Stonepaw only turned into hate when she pushed his sister, Swankit, into a ditch. Shadowpaw and Icepaw hated her a lot more from now on, and it would keep increasing. Icepaw's hate was open towards Stonepaw while Shadowpaw was polite but still unfriendly towards her.

When Zebrapaw and his mentor, Sandleap, came back from training, he brought a huge, plump hare which he had caught himself and shared it with Shadowpaw who also came back from training. Shadowpaw complimented him for getting such a huge kill and teased him for continuously trying to eat it when there was only air. Shadowpaw was about to leave to make dirt and go to sleep, when Fireclaw, Zebrapaw's older brother, alerted the Clan about a fox. Shadowpaw was too frightened about it, however. He watched Zebrapaw and his sister, Swankit jump on the fox and get booted off harshly and was with them in the medicine cat's den until they woke up.

When Birchkit became an apprentice, Shadowpaw cheered his name loudly. When Rainkit became a med. cat apprentice, he was surprised but still happy for her, but he knew his crush wouldn't last with her being a medicine cat.

When Swankit and other kits her age became an apprentice, he was very happy for her.

Shadowpaw also witnessed Icepaw and Zebrapaw's actions towards each other (with Zebrapaw denying it) and was very lighthearted about it. He also joked around with them, including Primrosekit. He told Primrosekit that she should be grateful that she had four moons to decide her role. He also thinks about warriorhood and love and another kit named Berrykit.

Shadowpaw wanted to train with his mentor, Snowstar, but he said that he had to talk to Peonyclaw about something (about a cat named Whitelight) so he suggested Shadowpaw to hunt for the medicine cats. Shadowpaw was interested that he had hunted for Lilypool before but never Rainpaw.

He caught two hares and gave them to the medicine cats with Lilypool complimenting him. Shadowpaw was proud of himself and went to Swanpaw and asked her about her ceremony. Swanpaw was very happy about it and so was Shadowpaw. He also said that Primrosekit was fine.

### 13-13.5 moons

At Primrosekit's apprentice ceremony, Shadowpaw cheered her new name loudly and congratulated her along with all of the other apprentices and kits. He also watched her train with her sister, Dandelionpaw, positively.

A half moon later, he joked around with the other apprentices at the prey pile. He was usually humorous and brought a positive vibe everywhere, including to the prey pile. Shadowpaw also comforted Thymekit when he asked if he, Icepaw, Quailpaw, Zebrapaw and Stonepaw will already be warriors when he becomes an apprentice by saying that they can still train him. Shadowpaw thought about his mentor and Primrosepaw and Dandelionpaw's father, Maplestripe's mentor, Moonstar, being leaders. He also thought about Rainpaw and about how she is untouchable, but he wasn't really sad. He along with Zebrapaw and Swanpaw think about Stonepaw and Icepaw.

Shadowpaw along with the other two were frightened when Stonepaw dismissed herself pushing Swanpaw into the ditch. He looked at Zebrapaw along with other cats when Stonepaw and Icepaw started fighting about Zebrapaw, and Shadowpaw remembered Icepaw and Zebrapaw's actions.

Shadowpaw told his thoughts about the two she-cats and thought about his hate for Stonepaw but he was worried for his littermate, Icepaw. He wondered if she actually loved Zebrapaw instead of it just being a crush. He witnessed his sister and Stonepaw fight each other with claws unsheathed and he and Swanpaw were very shocked about their sister.

They were also a little worried of what her punishment would be, but it wasn't too severe for them. Shadowpaw along with other cats were surprised about Birchpaw's response.

Some time later, Goldenlily started kitting and Shadowpaw and a lot of other cats came to watch. But to his and everyone else's horror, she started bleeding to death from the kitting and died. The two she-kits were named Mousekit and Petalkit. Shadowpaw and his sister were both anguished by her death for a long time and Shadowpaw and his littermate regretted that it was around the time of their warrior ceremony.

Birchpaw thought about Shadowpaw and his sisters' father being Swiftclaw, and wondered if Goldenlily died for that reason and also thought about Watereye.

Mountainpaw witnessed Shadowpaw mourning for Goldenlily in a strange way by saying something that Mountainpaw thought was creepy and wondered if it was from StarClan.

When a nursing queen from AdderClan who was exiled due to being accused of mating outside of the Clan, Begoniaclaw arrived with Birchpaw, Primrosepaw, Mountainpaw and Stonepaw, Shadowpaw was very skeptical of her but he thought it was good that his sisters would finally be saved and even thanked her along with Swanpaw. Though he was confused as to why Stonepaw went with them.

### 14 moons

When it was time for him to take the warrior exams at fourteen moons old, he was still very depressed about Goldenlily's death. He also noticed Mousekit's condition, which made him much more scared and worried and depressed and felt discouraged from taking it. He went to the nursery to see his sisters and Begoniaclaw, and noticed Stonepaw talking to her about AdderClan. Shadowpaw thought that was smart but he still despised her.

Begoniaclaw consoled him by telling him her own story about her mother who died when she was a kit and her sibling, Smoothkit who also died shortly after. She bemoans about her kits and Shadowpaw returns the favor by comforting her back, but he wasn't sure if he trusted her too much. Begoniaclaw is grateful and cheers him up by mentioning his exams and that the leader was his mentor. He thinks about Icepaw's response to their mother's death and the exams more before he has to take the exam a few hours later.

They were very reluctant but they told themselves that it was for Goldenlily. Quailpaw and their mentors also motivated them.

They had to catch an eagle which made Shadowpaw really nervous but he tried to do it. When they found him, Icepaw and Quailpaw gestured to him that he can do it first, which Shadowpaw thought was because he was the oldest of the three. He climbed the tree adjacent to it, and waited for the right moment and pounced. There was a little fight between him and the eagle but then he fell down the tree into a bush but so did the eagle a few feet from him. Then Shadowpaw ultimately killed it and won Snowstar's approval, making him proud of himself. Quailpaw and Icepaw also complimented his skills. Shadowpaw congratulated the other two when they caught their eagles happily.

After catching the eagles, they all went back to the camp with everyone congratulating them.

The next day, Shadowpaw and the other two had to do the fighting exam, where they had to fight off a fox. Shadowpaw was very nervous about this as he remembered that fox from before.

Blazesky, Quailpaw's mentor, reassured them that it would be okay and that other apprentices who are now warriors did it, too. Shadowpaw thought about mentors and apprentices, and Applefall and Fireclaw's relationship.

When they found a fox, Shadowpaw had cornered it from the front and tried to jump on the fox's head and lightly scratched its neck along with Quailpaw and Icepaw helping him fight, and they managed to scare it off, winning their mentors approval.

## Young Warriorhood

### Early Hardships

Later on, they did the ceremony along with two kits, Robinkit and Soarkit, who were becoming apprentices. Shadowpaw became Shadowclaw, Icepaw Icemoon and Quailpaw Quailclaw. Shadowclaw got to leap up onto Highrock and touch his mentor's nose. He joked with the other cats later on and thought about Goldenlily.