Hailstep

**Hailstep** is a large, long-furred muscular gray tom with cold amber eyes.

## History

Hailkit was born to Maplefall and Robinfire, alongside his siblings, Fallowkit and Featherkit.
Hailkit is apprenticed to Otterfrost, and excels in his training. At the Gathering, he meets a fascinating she-cat from WindClan, named Hollypaw. The two bond instantly, and after their first meeting, promise to meet each other every half-moon near the river. Hailpaw and Hollypaw fall in love, and this love blossoms even when they become warriors, Hailstep and Hollyfrost. Maplefall and Robinfire fall sick to greencough, which they perish from. Hailstep and his siblings grieve, but the rest of the sick ThunderClan cats are saved when Violetheart of WindClan provides some much-needed herbs.
Hailstep's siblings, Fallowleaf and Featherwing are both killed by a group of passing rouges. Hailstep confides this to Hollyfrost, who, in order to help him, gathers WindClan to attack the rogues and put an end to them. Hailstep is immensely grateful, and Hollyfrost's gentle love is what saves him from falling apart.
Tensions between WindClan and ThunderClan grow throughout the following moons, with instances of prey stealing being reported due to the increased hunger during leaf-bare. Swiftstar believes that ThunderClan is taking prey from his territory, but Rootstar denies it, despite the amount of ThunderClan scents on the border. Swiftstar, pushed to his limit, leads a patrol to invade ThunderClan to force them to stop their stealing. Hollyfrost is locked in close combat against Mossheart, with Mossheart winning. Hailstep is unable to watch Hollyfrost be killed, and races over to stop Mossheart. Mossheart is taken by surprise and accidentally delivers the death blow to Hollyfrost, who crumples to the ground. Hailstep attacks Mossheart with a ferocity that none of ThunderClan's cats had come to associate with him.
Swiftstar and Rootstar break the two cats apart. Swiftstar demands to know what happened, and Hailstep confessed that he was in love with Hollyfrost. Swiftstar takes Hollyfrost's body away, and Rootstar has no choice but to exile Hailstep for breaking the warrior code and greatly injuring a fellow warrior. Hailstep leaves the Clan, with no intentions of coming back. For the next few moons he wanders around aimlessly, actively getting into fights with badgers or rogues but unable to force them to kill him. He agonizes over the fact that he cannot see Hollyfrost again, even in dreams. Hollyfrost had softened his heart made of stone, and when she died, so did the last of Hailstep's feelings for everyone else.
ThunderClan suffers the next months, during a freezing leaf-bare, starving warriors, and a lack of warriors and apprentices, with several cats falling victim to death, including Mossheart. Sunfire, a young warrior, convinces Rootstar and Brookfeather to allow Hailstep back in ThunderClan. Rootstar and Brookfeather debate about this, and finally allow Sunfire to search for him. They give Sunfire three days, and if he cannot find him by then, then Hailstep is not welcome back into the Clan.
Sunfire takes Winterfall and Briskheart with him in search for the gray warrior. They find Hailstep traveling up the base of the mountains, and with much convincing, they are able to bring him back to camp, but they notice how much he has changed, with him being much more angry, short-tempered, and cold-hearted than ever before. This makes the three ThunderClan cats uneasy, but they refuse to give up on their mission. Rootstar meets Hailstep at the entrance of camp and gives him an ultimatum: he must perform a kind act for each cat of ThunderClan, and until it is finished, he is a rogue and a guest on ThunderClan land.
Hailstep turns away, refusing to accept, but Sunfire, Winterfall, and Briskheart convince him not to. They persuade him that he belongs in ThunderClan, and not as a rogue. Hailstep grudgingly agrees and spends the next three moons performing what Rootstar has asked of him. Rootstar is pleased when Hailstep reports that he has finished, and welcomes him back as a full member of ThunderClan.
Hailstep serves ThunderClan loyally, despite his attitude. When Scorchstar accuses ThunderClan of stealing prey, Hailstep taunts him in public. Rootstar declares war, and the day of the battle, Hailstep runs above their camp, signaling the start of the battle. WindClan cats pursue him, but he makes it back onto the frontlines with little ease. The battle starts, and Hailstep laughs as he claws his enemies, frightening some cats. When Rootstar and Brookfeather lose their lives, Hailstep is ready to strike down Scorchstar in front of the rest of the WindClan cats, but he is pulled back by several ThunderClan warriors, and they are led back to camp to mourn their lost deputy.
Hailstep yowls in approval when Sunfire is made deputy. ThunderClan is united in their pride for their Clan. Hailstep often patrols the border, coming into contact with Dustcloud's rescue patrol. When Sweetfern struggles in her birth and eventually has three stillborns, Sunfire is grief-stricken, and Hailstep takes over his duties for a while. He suggests to Rootstar that someone needs to talk to Sunfire to bring him back. Rootstar, Hailstep, and Winterfall all speak to Sunfire, hoping to get the old Sunfire back. The yellow tabby tom agrees with them that he must get back to work. Hailstep is proud of his friend, but cannot stop thinking that Sweetfern's ill pregnancy was an omen from StarClan.
A flood hits ThunderClan, and Hailstep volunteers for a suicidal job - retrieving supplies where the hardest of the flood hits. He is taken by a wave, and Briskheart tries to rescue him. Hailstep snaps at him to leave him alone, but Briskheart rescues him regardless and brings him back to the abandoned Twolegplace where they all shelter. Days later, Hailstep is one of the first cats to fall sick to the illness started by the flood.
## Personality

Hailstep is often very grumpy, cold, and callous. This gives an intimidating air to his Clanmates, and he refuses to let himself get attached to any cat, for fear of being hurt as a result. He is not one to back from a fight, often being the one to instigate it rather than stopping it. He also has no fear of death, because since Hollyfrost died, he preferred to be with her in death rather than alone with her in life.
## Theme Songs

**Just Give Me A Reason** by Pink
*Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough, just a second we're not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again.*
## Quotes

**Rootstar**: "*You can stay if you successfully complete this one task for me. You must speak to each soul of ThunderClan, and do something nice for each one of them. I don't care what it is, Hailstep, whether it be fetching them a bird from the pile or licking the knots out of their fur. You need a change of heart, and the only way to accomplish that is by opening it up to your fellow Clanmates. I don't care how long it takes, you are a rogue and a guest on my territory until you do exactly as I have said.*"

**Hailstep**: "*This is mousedung. That's useless. It won't fix anything, and I won't do it. I'm leaving.*"

**Sunfire**: "*Hailstep, you belong here. You're a warrior of ThunderClan, you're not a rogue. This is where you were born and raised. I know you, we were friends. I know your loyalty to your Clan has never gone away. At least just perform what Rootstar asked of you. If you still want to leave by then, we won't stop you. But for now... won't you give it a chance?*"

**Hailstep**: "*Fine. I'll give it a chance, because if I don't, Sunfire will keep dragging me back over and over.*"

—Rootstar, Hailstep, and Sunfire

**Swiftstar**: "*What is the meaning of this?*"

**Hailstep**: "*...Hollyfrost is dead.*"

**Swiftstar**: "*I can see that. Why are you near her body? Why did you turn on your own Clanmate?*"

**Hailstep**: "*Because... I loved her.*"

—Swiftstar and Hailstep

**Brookfeather**: "*Hailstep, you must leave ThunderClan. You have gravely injured one of your Clanmates, and you have been breaking the warrior code ever since you were apprenticed. You are no longer welcome here.*"

**Hailstep**: "*Fine. I don't even want to be here. There's no point living if I don't have the cat I love at my side.*"

—Brookfeather and Hailstep

"*Oh, Hollyfrost... you'll always be in my heart, mind, and grave. And... my love for you shall live forever. You, however, did not.*"
—Hailstep grieving Hollyfrost

"*Is that all you've got? You dare call yourself a warrior?*"
—Hailstep to Lightningtalon

**Hailstep**: "*Ah, Honeyfeather. I assume you're here to see me considering you are worried about my injuries since you dragged me halfway through ThunderClan territory?*"

**Honeyfeather**: "*Hardly. Just wanted to see if you were still living.*"

**Hailstep**: "*Yes indeed. Ah, I did hear you were to go on the patrol. I will try not to die, but on one condition - that you come back alive. Do I make myself clear?*"

**Honeyfeather**: "*A deal's a deal.*"
**Hailstep**: "*Which means you are inclined not to break it.*"

—Hailstep and Honeyfeather

"*I'm more loyal than you could be in a thousand lives! This is not the way I trained you! I trained you to serve and respect your Clan! Not flee and betray it!*"
—Hailstep to Buzzardwind

"*Hollyfrost. I want you to know I'll never forget you. But I have a future to live for. And I love you enough to let you go. ...Oh. You're happy for me.*"
—Hailstep