Whitebelly

Art by TennelleFlowers

Whitebelly is a deceased molly. She was Missingfoot’s mate and Spottedshadow’s mother, and the daugher of Hazelfur and Forestleaf.

## Appearance

Whitebelly was a black-and-white molly with light green eyes, short, sleek fur, lean but visible muscles, and a long blackish tail. In more recent art, she is depicted as being slim, long-eared, and elegant in frame, much resembling her daughter, Spottedshadow.

## Personality

Whitebelly was stated to be a free-spirited and bold molly with a lot of passion and love to give. She did as she pleased, having a rebellious streak due to the strict nature of her parents, and wanted to do a better job raising her own daughter than they did with her. She was fiery and unafraid of a fight, as evidenced by how fiercely she fought against the fox that killed her, and she had a strong sense of justice. She had always disagreed with Field Colony's tendency to push new-claws too hard.

## Biography

White was born in Field Colony to Hazelfur and Forestleaf, respectively the Captain and Second of the Colony. From the get-go, expectations were set high for the young kitten, and she had a lot to live up to. Her parents had no real love for each other, and Forestleaf had not particularly wanted kits in the first place; she had only agreed to it in order to elevate her status and reputation within the Colony. As a result, she and Hazelfur tried to split the responsibility of caring for White as much as possible, not wanting their daughter to interfere with their political lives.

It is likely that White got along better with her father, as Hazelfur actually enjoyed spending time with kittens and was slightly less strict and harsh than his mate - emphasis on *slightly*. She and another kitten, Black, were of the same generation, and she likely befriended him during her first six months in the nursery. Her parents' distant demeanors did nothing to discourage her outlook, and she remained optimistic and stubborn, with a drive to do as she willed.

Like all Field Colony new-claws, White began her Field training at seven months old. It is unknown who her mentor was or how her training went, but she became more of a spitfire sort with a rebellious streak against her parents. She and Black probably got closer during this time frame, as they regarded themselves as best friends before too long.

Whitebelly became a ranger with Blackpelt, and in spite of Hazelfur and Forestleaf's complaints that he wasn't "good enough" for her, she happily became mates with him. Sometime later, she bore his daughter - a molly kitten named Shadow. She and Blackpelt were implied to have loved Shadow very much and to have spent a lot of time with her, vastly contrasting the style in which Whitebelly herself had been raised.

There was one occasion where three other kittens in the nursery at the time, Fern, Vole, and Jagged, snuck out of the Colony's base and went missing for a brief time. After finding out they were missing, Whitebelly and Blackpelt reportedly looked everywhere for them. The outcome of the incident was never explained in detail, but the kittens were eventually returned to the base.

Shadow began her Field training after a few months, and Whitebelly returned to ranger duty. Things were mostly uneventful from then on. After a couple of months, white spots began appearing on Shadow's pelt, and she was confined in the herb store until further notice despite feeling no side effects or signs of illness. It is unknown how Whitebelly felt about this, but likely was concerned about her daugher.

One day, while Shadow was in the herb store, Whitebelly and Blackpelt were going on a walk through the territory together when they were suddenly assaulted by a fox. Whitebelly was said to have saved Blackpelt's life when he got attacked, but was quickly overpowered. Blackpelt fought to protect her as well as himself, but in the end, Whitebelly died and Blackpelt was badly mauled, losing his right foreleg.

## Relationships

### Missingfoot

Blackpelt (now Missingfoot) was Whitebelly’s mate. She and Blackpelt grew up together, and in his own words, he doesn't remember a day without her before the attack in which she died, and he doesn't go a day after without thinking about her. From the time they were young rangers and likely even earlier, Whitebelly considered Blackpelt to be a very dear friend.

The two of them loved each other very much, and despite the disapproval of Whitebelly's parents, they were eager to become mates. It wasn't long before Whitebelly gave birth to their kitten, Shadow (now Spottedshadow). They raised her together for several months, and while they were noted to have differing views on how the Colony ought to be run, there has been no mention of tension in their relationship. When Shadow was a new-claw, the pair was attacked by a fox while on a walk together. They were both mentioned to have fought hard to defend each other, but ultimately, Blackpelt lost a leg and Whitebelly was killed.

Missingfoot has never stopped grieving for her or feeling survivor's guilt. He referred to her as his best friend while speaking with Dawn and Dark, and said that while it was hard to talk about her, it was even harder to "insult her memory" by never bringing her up again.

### Spottedshadow

Shadow (now Spottedshadow) was Whitebelly’s daughter and her only kitten with Blackpelt. Whitebelly and Shadow were close, as TennelleFlowers suggested that Spottedshadow suffered through grief and pain when Whitebelly died. In artwork, Whitebelly is shown looking lovingly at a newborn Shadow, but it can be assumed that Shadow still had a tighter bond with Blackpelt, as Mistysnow filled the maternal role fairly quickly after Whitebelly’s death.

In early drafts of Clouded Moon, Spottedshadow is depicted early on as missing Whitebelly and having memories of her being a supportive mother. Whitebelly’s own experience limited her knowledge of how to be a perfect parent, but along with Blackpelt, she tried her absolute best.

### Forestleaf

Forestleaf was Whitebelly’s mother. She had never truly wanted to have kittens in the first place, and had only agreed to it for the sake of improving her status in the Colony. She still cared for her daughter, but she was a distant mother, and during her youth, White spent more time with her father. As she aged, she became rebellious, and disagreed with both of her parents on many points, including her choice of mate. Forestleaf was said to have disapproved of Blackpelt, thinking he wasn’t “good enough” for Whitebelly - but she was never intrusive enough to prevent the two from becoming mates. Despite their rocky relationship, however, Forestleaf was upset when Whitebelly died. She blames Missingfoot for her death and is bitter over it.

### Hazelfur

Hazelfur was Whitebelly’s father. He too was curt and formal in his relationship with her, but it is implied that Whitebelly was still closer with him than she was with Forestleaf. He enjoyed spending time with White when she was a kitten and he grieved when she was killed. Much like Forestleaf, Hazelfur also disapproved of Blackpelt, again thinking that Whitebelly deserved better than him, but he did nothing to meddle with their relationship. Now, for Whitebelly’s sake, he does not resent Missingfoot as much as Forestleaf does, and he respects how hard he’d fought in his effort to save his daughter.

## Trivia

* Whitebelly's original name was Whitespots.

## Gallery

Family TreeWhitebelly with a newborn  Raven, art by TennelleFlowers in 'Drawing a \_\_\_!' Ep 9: Spottedshadow'Missingfoot recalls Whitebelly as he entertains Dawn and Dark, art by TennelleFlowers in "Drawing a \_\_\_\_!" Missingfoot