Ghost

## Appearances

### Appears in

*Creatures of the Flood*, *River of Secrets*, *Journey to the Dragon Mountain*, *The Dark Sun*

**Ghost**, or **Ghost Born of Winter**, is a young male panda. Despite being a panda, he was raised by a family of snow leopards. He is the biological brother of Leaf and Rain as well as the prophesied third triplet. He is the speaker for the mountains and the stars.

## Description

Ghost is a leucistic panda with black claws and pure-white paw pads. He has a wide, white face and pale yellowish-brown markings in place of the typical black markings his species possesses.
## Personality and Traits

Ghost grew up feeling clumsy and uncoordinated compared to his adopted kin. He is always worried that he cannot live up to his adoptive family's expectations. Growing up, Winter told him that he was a snow leopard, despite him looking different from the former and her litter. This causes Ghost to repeatedly reprimand himself for not being like the snow leopards.
Ghost is around the same size as Icebound, but he is still intimidated by her presence nonetheless.
After confronting a mated pair of sun bears and their cub, Ghost realizes that, not only is he not a Cub of Winter, but is not a leopard at all, but is, in fact, a bear. Nonetheless, Ghost forgave his adoptive mother and still loved Winter. One notable example of this is when Ghost reacts to Winter's death. Feeling responsible, Ghost chooses to part way from his adopted siblings, though Shiver chooses to tag along. After Dusk/Sunset informs Ghost that he is a panda, Ghost is delighted to know what he is.
As a Prosperhill Panda, Ghost finds himself struggling to fit in with the other pandas but idolizes “Sunset”, unaware that the latter is actually Dusk, taking advantage of him or his new neighbors.
He also is left wondering about his unresolved feud with Plum and feels guilty. Even before learning that Plum was his aunt, Ghost never wanted to hurt her. Plum only viewed Ghost as a threat due in large part of the latter carrying a predatory scent. When Ghost reencounters Plum, he tries to apologize to the former but Dusk's presence prevents any detailed conversations. When Plum is found dead, Ghost expresses regret that he couldn't reconcile with the former.
However Ghost soon realizes that Sunset/Dusk had been taking advantage using him after the latter attacks Pepper and orders Ghost to finish the other cub off. Realizing that he'd been duped, Ghost expresses internal bitterness that “Sunset” whom he considered a friend saw him as nothing more than a pawn the elder could exploit. However, Ghost pretends to remain loyal to Dusk in order to stop the latter.
Upon learning about Dusk’s true identity, Ghost regrets cursing the real Sunset’s name after realizing that he blamed his predecessor for his brother’s actions and Ghost redirects his hatred towards Dusk. When Dusk accuses Ghost of being a freak and a coward, Ghost stands up to Dusk by telling him that his accusations are hypocritical since the latter is the true coward for pretending to be Sunset and shielding himself with his lies.
## History

### Early Life

Ghost was born alongside Leaf and Rain, in Shadowhunter's cave, to Orchid Risingtree, and is the posthumous son of Root. After learning about her cubs' future roles as Dragon Speakers from Shadowhunter, Orchid decided to leave Ghost and his sisters in three different communities.
Orchid left her newborn son inside a cave in the White Spine Mountains, where he was found by Winter, who adopted him, raising the panda as her own.
### *Creatures of the Flood*

Ghost and his adoptive siblings are confronted by Brisk and Sleet on top of a mountain. Brisk and Sleet single out Ghost for his differences. Ghost's siblings rush to his defense. Following the confrontation. Ghost is self-conscious on how different he looks from other snow leopards. Although Ghost is unaware that he is, in fact, a panda, he is well aware that his features are unusual for a snow leopard.
Later, Ghost and his littermates practice jumping across the Endless Maw, as it is customary for snow leopards to make it across the maw as a rite of passage. However, Ghost struggles during his training exercise. The cubs are interrupted again Brisk and Sleet, who have arrived at the maw to make fun of Ghost. The cubs Born of Icebound challenge Ghost to a race in order to prove the formers' point. Ghost accepts their challenge, thinking of it as an opportunity to prove himself. Ghost, Brisk, and Sleet race for a tree. Ghost mentally notes to himself that he can be quite fast, if he puts his mind towards it. However, Ghost's panda heritage gets the better of him when he loses his breath during the race and trips over a rock. This allows Brisk and Sleet to make it to the tree first. Brisk mocks Ghost for his inability to complete tasks that would be simple to snow leopards. Ghost rhetorically asks Brisk if the latter wants to know what the former could do. The Cubs of Icebound defend themselves by reminding Winter's Cubs that The Endless Maw is not part of any leopard's territory, so the former pair has as much as a right to be at the maw as the cubs of Winter. Snowstorm then tells Brisk and Sleet that she and her siblings also have the right to wipe the smug demeanors off their faces. Brisk sarcastically claims that Ghost would enjoy having his siblings rushing to his aid. Shiver suggests that Ghost can break the Cubs of Icebound in half as he has a very strong bite. Before Brisk or his littermate could respond, they and the Cubs of Winter are interrupted by Icebound's roar. Icebound jumps in to defend her cubs. Brisk tells his mother how the Cubs of Winter were going let Ghost eat them. In response, Icebound demands that Ghost and his siblings stay away from her children. As the Cubs of Winter and Ghost back away, Icebound threatens to claw Ghost as a message for Winter. Icebound suggests that perhaps then Winter will accept the idea that he doesn't belong in the mountains. Icebound tells Winter's cubs that it was "bad enough" that Winter kept Shiver, despite the young cub being the runt of the former's litter, but Icebound is particularly enraged that Winter kept Ghost, whom Icebound considers a freak, and believes that he was nothing but trouble, and wishes that Winter ate Ghost when she had the chance. Winter arrives, telling Icebound that the former's cubs are worth ten of the letter's, calling Icebound's cubs bullies, and states that Ghost is her cub, and has every right to live in the White Spine Mountains. After Winter accepts Icebound's challenge to a duel, Ghost watches with concern as Winter fights Icebound. Even though Winter is an excellent huntress, Ghost is still concerned that Icebound may have the upper paw in the fight. The fight ends in a draw. As Winter escorts her cubs back to her cave, Ghost mentally notes that his paw does not hurt so much anymore. However, Ghost's injured paw began to sting even more as he and the snow leopards descended down the mountain. As they arrive at the cave mouth, Winter reassures Ghost that she will examine his paw as soon as they get inside. The four cubs flop down in the nest they share with Winter. As Ghost raises his injured forepaw, Winter licks it. Ghost then thinks about how he wants to be a good leopard and mentally notes that if he can be enough of a Snow Leopard to make it across the maw, he wouldn't feel self-conscious on how little he takes after his family and other Snow Leopards in general.
Later, the Snow Cat leaves a trail of paw prints in the snow for Ghost, leading him and his adoptive family to a deer, which they kill and eat.
When Winter's cubs are threatened by a family of sun bears, Ghost leaps in to defend them. During the confrontation, the sun bears reveal to Ghost that he is not a snow leopard, but rather a bear, instead, though neither Ghost, nor the sun bears, know which kind. Ghost initially struggles to accept the idea that he is, in fact, a bear, but realizes that the sun bears had a point, when he notices that he looks more like them than his family.
Meanwhile, Shadowhunter informs Leaf, one of Ghost's biological sisters, and Dasher, of Ghost, when he reveals that Rain, though unnamed, was not her only littermate, and that Leaf was born in a litter of three. Dasher is initially skeptical about this unknown sibling, as nobody told him, nor Leaf, that she had more than one sibling. Leaf, however, is far less skeptical. Leaf and Dasher decide to ask Plum about her sibling once they find her.
Ghost attempts to leap across the Endless Maw to prove to himself that he is, in fact, a cub of Winter. However, Ghost is unsuccessful, and falls into the ravine. Ghost pessimistically believes that he is going to die, hoping that snow will cover his body, as to not upset his adoptive family. Winter, Snowstorm, Shiver, and Frost arrive, and Winter leaps down into the ravine. Ghost then acknowledges to Winter that the latter is not his real mother. Winter informs him that he is adopted, and she told him he was her cub as not to hurt him, as she loves him very much. Winter apologizes, stating that Ghost *is* her son, even if she did not give birth to him. Winter admits that she knew that Ghost was a bear, though she did not know which kind. An earthquake begins, and Winter and Ghost flee the ravine. Ghost emerges from the Endless Maw unscathed, though Winter is killed. Winter's children are horrified, and Shiver repeatedly calls for her mother, asking her to come back up to them. Snowstorm makes Shiver stop and accuses Ghost of killing her mother, calling him a freak. Snowstorm attempts to attack Ghost, and he does not fight back, as he believes that he deserves it, though Shiver stops her.
Shiver defends her brother, but Ghost leaves the mountains, not wanting to hurt his siblings any more than he already had. Shiver catches up to Ghost and joins him on his journey.
During their journey, the two so-called littermates stop by a cave for shelter and run into an adult panda. In the shadows, the other panda, Plum, looks like some sort of monster to Ghost, who claws her face. Plum flees, and Shiver thanks her brother for defending her. Despite this, Ghost feels guilty.
When Leaf and co. find Plum she describes her encounter with Ghost and explains the reason why she attacked him was because she thinks that he was some hostile entity who was after her. Shadowhunter attributes Plum's account with her fever. While Plum is recovering, Shadowhunter heads off to find Ghost and confront Sunset.
Later, Ghost and Shiver arrive in the Bamboo Kingdom. The two split up to find food, and Ghost eventually arrives at the river bordering the Northern and Southern Forests, where he meets Sunset Deepwood, and discovers that he is a panda bear.
### *River of Secrets*

As Leaf is climbing Dragon Mountain with Rain, Plum, Leaf thinks about the "White Monster" that attacked her aunt not knowing that the beast was in fact their brother. Back at Bamboo Kingdom, Ghost learns more about his species from Sunset. As Ghost struggles to hold some food, revealed to be a stalk of bamboo, Shiver cheers her brother on. Ghost eats some of it and finds it delicious. He offers it to Shiver, but she spits it out in disgust. After other creatures reveal that the water has become shallow at Egg Rocks, Sunset proclaims that Ghost should cross them in order to join him and the other Prosperhills. Ghost is eager to meet more members of his species.
During his time as a Prosperhill, Ghost falls victim to Sunset's lies. Sunset introduces Ghost to the Triplet Prophecy and the important role the panda triplets have in the Bamboo Kingdom.
After a panda named Pepper joins the group. Sunset tells Ghost to spy on the latter as he thinks he's one of the Triplets and supposedly the Triplets pose a significant threat to the Bamboo Kingdom.
As Pepper and Ghost play with one another, Ghost begins to have seeds of doubt about Pepper's intentions. While Pepper's behavior suspicious, he isn't good at lying. After Ghost and Sunset confront Pepper, Sunset leaves and Shiver comes up to Ghost. She reveals that Sunset is taking advantage of Ghost. However Ghost refuses to believe this and accuses Shiver of jealousy. Shiver denies this and says that she'll return to the White Spine and that Ghost can always find her when Sunset shows his true colors. After Shiver leaves, Ghost and Sunset scout the Northern Forest where they find Plum who makes the same accusations about Sunset. Plum recognizes Ghost as her attacker and concludes that he and Sunset are conspiring together. While also stating the true purpose of the Triplet prophecy. She reveals that her nieces Leaf and Rain are part of the prophecy. Even though Plum is unaware of her relationship with Ghost, she knows that her Sister bore another cub who is the final triplet. After Plum duels with Sunset, the former retreats. Ghosts doubts begin to grow but Sunset convinces the former that Plum had been driven mad by illness and didn't know what she was saying. Ghost soon finds Plum dead, Sunset claims that Shadowhunter had killed her. However Ghost could tell upon closer examination of Plum's corpse, that the wounds are inconsistent to that of a tiger. Since Sunset claimed that Shadowhunter killed Plum, Ghost's suspicions rise again, but he concludes that Sunset was too traumatized to notice the inconsistent wounds. However, after Sunset attacks Pepper and order's Ghost to finish the latter, Ghost realizes that Sunset is indeed dangerous and that Shiver and Plum were right from the beginning. However Ghost pretends to stay by Deepwood's side so that he can catch the latter by surprise when he turns on him. Ghost tells Sunset that he'll hunt Pepper. Instead, Ghost tells Pepper to leave the Prosperhill. Once Ghost returns to Sunset, he lies that he had him killed. Ghost is present when Sunset takes Peony and Rain prisoner. Sunset reveals that Ghost grew up in the mountains causing Rain to realize that Ghost was the "White Monster" Plum was talking about. Rain acknowledges Ghost's role in attacking Plum and declares that the latter was right about him being a monster. Ghost is seemingly unaffected by Rain's accusations but in reality, Ghost's indifference is just a ruse as Sunset and the monkeys are present. In the epilogue, Shiver is seen spying on Ghost and the monkeys. After eavesdropping on the troop's conversation she finds the monkeys' plan to betray Sunset and her brother.
### Family

Mother: Orchid
Father: Root
Adoptive Mother: Winter
Sisters: Rain, Leaf
Adoptive Siblings: Snowstorm, Shiver, Frost
Aunt: Plum
Cousin: Cloud

## Gallery

Ghost on the cover of *Journey to the Dragon Mountain*Drawing by OwlbyxA Redrawing of ghost by Owlbyx.
## Trivia

* Despite being described repeatedly as pure white in *Creatures of the Flood*, the cover art of book two and three depicts him as white with pale brown markings instead.

## References

1. ↑ *Journey to the Dragon Mountain*, page 9
2. ↑ *Creatures of the Flood*, Chapter 6
3. ↑ *Creatures of the Flood*, Chapter 6