Orchid

Spoiler Alert!Article Contains Major Spoilers for Journey to the Dragon Mountain. Read at your own risk!!!

## Orchid

### Family

Sister:Plum
Mate: Root
Daughters: Leaf, Rain
Son: Ghost

## Appearances

### Appeared In

*Creatures of the Flood*, *Journey to the Dragon Mountain* (As a ghost and in Flashback)

### Mentioned

*River of Secrets*

**Orchid Risingtree** was a female panda with thick fur. She was the mother of the three main protagonists, Leaf, Rain, and Ghost, as well as Root's mate.

## History

### *Creatures of the Flood*

Orchid is seen climbing a tree to escape the great flood. She feels that her cubs will be born soon, and Root, her mate, finds a rock ledge that they could climb onto for safety. They are interrupted by a small troop of golden monkeys, who ask them where the pandas' Dragon Speaker is, accusing the Dragon Speaker and the pandas of not warning them of the flood, and causing the death of many of their troopmates. The pandas reply that they do not know where the Dragon Speaker, Sunset, is, and the monkeys attack. Root fights them, but falls out of the tree he is in, hits a cliff, and is washed away by the flood. Orchid is devastated by the loss of her mate, but continues toward the rock ledge, for her unborn cubs' sake. She finds a cave and walks inside for shelter, before realizing that a tiger lived in the cave. The tiger, whose name is Shadowhunter, tells her that her cubs are destined to be Dragon Speakers, and that they have to be separated at birth. So, after the cubs are born, she leaves Rain with her best friend Peony, Leaf with her sister before traveling to the White Spine where she left her son in a cave where he was subsequently found by a Snow Leopardess named Winter. Orchid dies soon after from the cold.
One year later, Leaf thinks about her mother, after she races the red pandas to the top of the Grandfather Gingko. Leaf believes that Orchid must be in the Southern Forest alongside Rain, as the two did not settle in the Slenderwood, and Leaf cannot think of any other possible location her mother or Rain might be. Leaf and the red pandas hope that Orchid and Leaf's sister are doing alright. When Plum announces that she will leave for the den of the Great Dragon, Leaf attempts to convince her aunt to let her tag along, but her aunt refuses, as she promised Orchid to not let any harm come to Leaf, and Plum had already lost her own cub, shortly before Orchid's arrival. Following Plum's departure, Leaf partakes in an attempt to cross the river alongside the red pandas, wanting to reunite with Orchid and Rain. However, Leaf and Dasher fall over and struggle against the current until a pair of flying squirrels help them. Leaf and the red pandas decide not to make any further attempts to cross the river, deeming the risk unnecessary.
After Ghost learns about his bear heritage, Orchid is indirectly brought up when Ghost asks Winter who his real parents are. However, Winter is unable to give Ghost the answers he wants, as, neither Orchid nor Root were with their son when Winter found him in a cave.
After Shadowhunter finds Leaf and Dasher in the White Spine Mountains, the tiger reveals his connection to Orchid, and subsequently reveals that Leaf was not born into a litter of two cubs, but three, instead. Shadowhunter explains that the reason why Leaf and her littermates were separated was because they were born to succeed Sunset Deepwood as the next Dragon Speakers. The triplets identities and future role was kept a secret from one another, as animals with selfish intentions would likely exploit the cubs, if their destinies were discovered. Following Leaf's reunion with Rain, the former tells the latter that Orchid is also her mother. However, Rain is highly doubtful of this fact, as Peony had told Rain that the she was her biological mother.
### *River of Secrets*

Orchid is indirectly mentioned when Leaf mentally notes that Rain genuinely believes that Peony is her mother rather than Orchid. Back in the Bamboo Kingdom, Ghost wonders why his mother abandoned him.
Once Rain returns to the Southern Forest, she finds Peony and reveals that she met Leaf and Plum who told Rain that Orchid was her mother. There, Peony confirms that Rain was indeed adopted and reveals Orchid was her best friend. Peony explains how Orchid was forced to bear Rain and Leaf alone after Root was knocked into the flooded river by a hostile troop of monkeys. After Peony took Rain in, Orchid told Peony that she had to leave to give Leaf away. Rain asks Peony if Orchid mentioned her third cub. Peony denies this but understand why Orchid would keep their existence a secret even from her after Rain reveals that she and her littermates were destined to be Dragon-Speakers.
## References

 1. ↑ Revealed in *Creatures of the Flood*, page 1