Moonpaw

### Deceased

The Cursed Blood, The Cursed Blood: Wild Flames, The Cursed Blood: The Shadow Fold

## Appearance

A soft, pure-white she-cat with pale gray eyes and a berry bright nose. Her pelt was thick and her ears were rather large for her head.

## Personality

Moonpaw was always a quiet she-cat, who was often too shy to be noticed, which didn't help as she was assigned the brutal leader as her mentor. She was gentle and often preferred to speak with words rather than claws, and had a hard time saying no.

## Appearance in Books

*The Cursed Blood*

In Chapter Seven she and her littermates Hornetkit and Turtlekit were born to Ivyleaf, who quickly took up her warrior duties and left her litter to Hootsong to care for. She had not yet been named alongside her littermates, until Owlpaw and Maplepaw helped with that process, with Owlpaw giving her the unusual name of Moonkit. Hootsong had wanted to name her 'Snowkit' but upon her son's request mentioned that she would be destined for something great with a powerful name such as that.

In Chapter Thirteen Archstar nominated himself to mentor Moonpaw without an official Battle Ceremony. Because it was leafbare, Maplecrow noted that Moonpaw will have a better time blending in as there was a thick coating of snow. Maplecrow asked Turtlepaw to wake up her sister and come to the medicine den, and Turtlepaw mentioned that her sister came back smelling like blood. Alarmed, Maplecrow woke the apprentice up herself and she and Turtlepaw were escorted to the medicine den for Thistletoe to check on them. She knew instantly what was going on, and as being the last she-cat to be checked, said that she would probably be expecting kits soon, because the blood they had found was hers. Thistletoe demanded to know who she had mated with while trying to soothe her, when Archstar announced that he had. Archstar proudly stated that there was no Code against it, and that she would be the first apprentice-queen of her generation as she is slinking away to hide behind both Thistletoe and Maplecrow. When Thistletoe attacked Archstar, Moonpaw quickly ran to her leader's side, limping at the pain which attracted Waspwing's attention at the oddity of it all. Archstar then announced that apprentices were not off limits to mate with.

In Chapter Fifteen Moonpaw had moved to the nursery around the time that Whorlface had given birth, and saw that the white apprentice was always feverish and in constant pain, often times whimpering or crying out softly. She often ached and couldn't keep down food if she managed to eat it. Hootsong questioned to Thistletoe if she was going to die, and the medicine cat didn't answer. As Maplecrow was dismissed from the nursery by Kinkleaf, she glanced over at Moonpaw and thought that she didn't deserve to be put through this by Archstar, and she would make certain that no cat ever did again. Cinderbush then asked Maplecrow how Moonpaw was doing, and Maplecrow admitted that she wasn't doing well.

In Chapter Sixteen Moonpaw began kitting, awakening the camp and alarming the others. A group stayed outside the nursery, consisting of Maplecrow, Yellowfoot, Hootsong, Ivyleaf, Whorlface, Tinylarch, and Whorlface's litter of Glimmerkit and Waspkit. Thistletoe emerged and announced that she had birthed three kits, with only a tomkit being alive and Moonpaw dying with the rest of her litter. Hootsong wailed and Ivyleaf darted into the nursery to wail again. Archstar names his son Firekit and demands for Whorface to feed him, as well as for Creektooth to drag Moonpaw's body out of the nursery so that his son didn't have to look at it.

In Chapter Twenty Moonpaw is brought up by Archstar as he is confronting Rowanpelt, infuriated that the tom had told his CloudClan mate about what had happened to Moonpaw and Turtlepaw.

In Chapter Twenty One Moonpaw is hinted at briefly by Tinylarch.

In Chapter Twenty Two Hornetpaw laments to Maplecrow that he had been useless during Moonpaw's pregnancy and death. Maplecrow comforts him that he was doing the best that he could, and that Turtlepaw didn't want to lose another littermate.

In Chapter Twenty Six, Moonpaw is mentioned by Hornetstripe as he approached Archstar bleeding in the sinking mud. He reminds Archstar that he took Moonpaw away from him, as she had been a beautiful and determined she-cat who just wanted to be a warrior. Archstar snarls that he wouldn't have changed anything.

In Chapter Twenty Seven Moonpaw is seen gathered about with Waspwing, Tinylarch, Owlpaw, Halfstar, and the others who were killed during Archstar's reign. Thistletoe's mother, Thrushnight, approached the tortoiseshell and praised her for saving the Clan. Maplecrow said that she truly didn't, as she didn't manage to save Moonpaw, Glimmerkit, or Owlpaw. Moonpaw, present at the StarClan gathering, stared at Maplecrow and corrected her, saying that she had proved herself as she risked her life for her Clan, and that she needn't worry about it anymore. She is noted to look gentle and pain-free, which the tortoiseshell is relieved to see. Moonpaw gives her a kind blink and tells Maplecrow that she and Cypressfur will raise Maplecrow's litter to be the best that they could be, and that the tom will be as proud of them no matter their dark past. She reminds Maplecrow that there will be no better father for her litter than Cypressfur. Moonpaw follows the other StarClan cats to disappear as Owlpaw comforts his sister one last time.

In the Epilogue, Maplecrow names her pale tabby son Moonkit, in honor of what should've been.

*The Cursed Blood: The Wild Flames*

Moonpaw is mentioned vaguely several times throughout.

In Chapter Twenty Five Moonpaw is mentioned to have been Firefang's son by Shadestar. She is mentioned again by Chasingstorm as he is telling Lynxtuft that his former mentor, Waspfur, lost a sister much of the way that Hornestripe and Turtleshell had.

In the Epilogue, Moonpaw is mentioned by Hornetstripe at the mention of what they managed to do to kill Archstar, as payback for what he had done to the apprentice-queens.

*The Cursed Blood: The Shadow Fold*

In Chapter Five Moonpaw comes to save Moongaze from Archstar, blinding the cats with her StarClan light as she arrived. Lynxtuft things of her as small and beautiful. Moonpaw meets eyes with Lynxtuft and then her son, who stares at her in awe as he doesn't realize who it is but can tell that she is significant, before she bent down and pressed her nose to Moongaze's head. Another flash of light floods the Shadow Fold, and she disappears with Moongaze. Firefang desperately scents the air and asks who that was, to which Archstar snarls out that it was a namesake.

In Chapter Six she is spotted sitting by an unconscious Moongaze's head by Havenflower, and upon being spotted disappears in the next blink. Blackpaw goes between Maplecrow and Thistletoe and states that Moonpaw had risked a lot to bring her namesake back to the Clans, and tells the tortoiseshell to pray her thanks to Moonpaw. Blackpaw goes on to say that she was Firefang's mother, and that the spirit will no longer be burdened or haunted with helplessness as she finally managed to fight back against Archstar in her own way. Blackpaw states that Moonpaw will now no longer be a victim as she is now at rest. Blackpaw explains to Havenflower that Moongaze prayed to StarClan to return, and that it had been Moonpaw who had elected to answer his prayers with the bond she had to him through their shared Havenflower runs to tell Hornetstripe that Moonpaw had saved her brother, and Turtleshell, Waspfur, and Whorlface stare at her in shock before Whorlface turns her face up at the sky to murmur her prayer to Moonpaw. Hornetstripe thanks Havenflower for telling him and he is glad that she is now at rest. As the patrol leaves, Havenflower turns her face to StarClan and gives a prayer of thanks to Moonpaw.

In Chapter Twenty Moonpaw is seen once more by Lynxtuft, and this time the tufty warrior recognizes her as she removes her fangs from Firefang's throat. She thinks toward Firefang that this was his mother whom he never got to meet. Her eyes were glistening in guilt as she stared at her son, and bent down to touch her nose to Firefang's. When she raised her head, she encouraged Firefang's spirit to follow, and for a moment, the two stare at each other. Moonpaw, through the bond he had with her and the curse he brought, obliterated his spirit bit by bit, never breaking eye contact with the kit she never got to meet. He stared at her with longing and hopeful eyes - not due to death, but for the experience to meet her and know her - until he disappears. Moonpaw looks remorsefully after him before turning and bowing low in the NightClan way before breaths a thank you to Lynxtuft before fading from the battle.

## Trivia

* Moonpaw's warrior name would've been Moonwing had she lived.
* Moonpaw's other kits were two also toms.
* Moonpaw never managed to communicate with Firefang due to Archstar haunting his pawsteps and often times chasing Moonpaw off. She was too terrified about encountering the father of her son, and regretted letting him warp her son.