Ryeshade

**Ryeshade** is a light golden dappled she-cat with yellow eyes.

## History

Ryekit is born to Softflower and Lichenfang, alongside her sister Sorrelkit. Sorrelkit, however, is born very weak and only survives through the first night. Being the sole survivor, Ryekit is watched over fiercely by her parents and the medicine cat. She finds herself being watched over a bit too much for her liking, and starts to sneak out of the nursery when her mother was sleeping. One morning, she is found by the leader of ThunderClan: Flintstar. Ryekit fears that he will scold her, but instead, her offers to take her to see the camp entrance. She excitedly agrees to go with him, and is awestruck when she is able to see how big ThunderClan's camp really is.
Her mother, Softflower, hurries outside when she realizes that Ryekit is missing. Flintstar reassures her that he was just satisfying the kit's need for curiousity, and Softflower begrudgingly agrees that it was a nice thing to do. She takes Ryekit back to the nursery, and the kit spends her next few days dreaming of being an apprentice.
When apprenticed, Ryepaw is given Robinfire as a mentor. She works diligently in order to become a warrior, and her parents made it a point to prove that they would always be close by if she ever needed them.
During a sudden badger attack, Ryepaw's father Lichenfang is killed. She is devastated, and mourns over his body until dawn of the next day. She goes with Ashenhawk, the medicine cat, to bury him in the forest.
Later, Ryepaw is made into a full warrior and is given the name Ryeshade. She is admired by Flintstar, who had always had a special eye on her after she had been the lone survivor of her mother's kitting. Flintstar reveals to her after her warrior ceremony that he had made a promise to Softflower to watch over her after Lichenfang was killed. Ryeshade feels an overwhelming sense of safety in this, and thanks Flintstar to being her acting father figure.
Ryeshade is given Briskpaw as an apprentice. She is eager to teach the apprentice all she had learned, and finds it really easy to do so. Briskpaw and Ryeshade develop a special friendship, and their bond rivals those of other apprentice/mentor relationships in the Clan. Briskpaw is progressing in his training well, and Flintstar praises Ryeshade for this.
When Flintstar is stricken with a deadly illness, Ryeshade grows increasingly anxious over this. She confides in Ashenhawk that she is extremely worried that the illness could take Flintstar's final two lives, and offers to help collect additional herbs. Ashenhawk tells her that Flintstar's health is not her responsibility, but agrees on the count that she takes Briskpaw with her. Ryeshade nods, and gathers her apprentice quickly.
When in the forest, Ryeshade is unaware that a threat is looming closer. As she is picking herbs, a pair of large dogs come charging through the undergrowth. They are snarling and snapping at the two cats, aiming for their throats. Ryeshade quickly tells Briskpaw to run, and that the dogs were too powerful to fight off. She watches Briskpaw dart away first, but is pulled back before she can follow. The dogs overpower her, and Ryeshade is killed before Briskpaw can return with help.