Shadewhisper

Clan
 Mentor

## Story

Shade was born late one evening, on a cool Autumn night to a young pair of mates, Jasmine and Night. Born beside her was her small sister, Ebony. Shade despised Ebony from the moment she was able to like or dislike another cat. Ebony was playful and cheery, taking after their gentle mother, Jasmine, while Shade took after her cold father. She hated playing with Ebony, and only did so when her mother begged her to.

Night began to train Shade at a very early age. She was barely four moons old when she learned her first battle moves. And she loved them. She practiced by herself night and day, constantly waiting for her father to teach her a new move so that she could work on it for the next twenty-four hours and perfect it. Because of her new obsession over fighting, Night and Jasmine began to argue with each other often. Jasmine hated the idea of having an obsessively violent kit while Night preferred the idea of having at least one worthy daughter.
**{"Child"hood}**
Shade was just seven moons when she was out hunting on her own in the nearby forest, hoping to impress her father with a nice, plump mouse. However the only prey she stumbled upon were the bodies of her mother and sister. Racing back to find her father, she showed Night their murdered family. It was that moment that her father gained his intense hatred for Clan cats, as he knew it was them who'd killed her. He told Shade to remember the scent that covered Jasmine and Ebony, for that was the scent of murderers. And she never forgot it.

As Shade grew, she became more and more skilled with her father's battle moves. The two moved around a lot, living in disgusting alleys and sleeping in sewage pipes. She hated the life she had, wanting nothing more than to settle down and perfect her fighting skills with her father watching with pride. Yet for some reason, Night never wanted to settle down in any place for too long.

One day, when she was about eleven moons, she came upon a young tom in the pine forest near where she was currently living. Immediately, she stalked him and attacked him. She'd expected to swipe and pull out his throat within a few moments, but was surprised to find he was just a good a fighter as she was. After a bit longer of fighting, she simply sat back as if she was bored. The tom seemed confused for a moment, and tried to leap at her again, but she easily knocked him away, saying she'd grown tired of their skirmish. The two got to talking, growing quickly interested in each other's lives.

*"You're a Clan cat?" Shade asked, blinking her vibrant green eyes at the small orange tabby.

"Yeah!" he puffed out his chest, as if he were proud to be called such. Shade felt something inside her telling her to strike out and rip out his throat in revenge for her dead family. Yet something else held her back.

"Why?" she asked him, cocking her angled head at a slight angle.

He seemed confused by her question. "What do you mean, why?"

"Why are you a Clan cat?" she lengthened her question. She didn't understand why it was such a hard question to answer for the young tom. But he struggled to think for a long moment. To her, that meant that there wasn't a reason, that he wasn't truly happy where he was.

"Well, I like the prey!" he chirped finally.

Shade stared at him. He smiled back, hoping for her to say something so he didn't seem like an idiot. She blinked once, engaging him with a long awkward silence. Finally, she laughed, purring loudly. He laughed along with her, seeming relieved.

"What's your name?" he asked her through his giggling.

"Shade. You?" she responded.

"Smokepaw." he told her. She looked at him as if he were crazy.

"That's a stupid name."*

She and Smokepaw left on good terms, promising each other to meet again and talk some more. Shade loved the idea of sneaking around her father, it gave her a rush and made her excited. She'd never really done anything she wasn't supposed to before.

Shade was twelve moons when she killed her first cat. She'd been shredding a flower she'd found while her father slept in the alley when a strange cat approached the two. He circled Shade, telling her how much he would love her to be his mate, how much he wanted her to father her kits. Shade let go of the flower, and lashed out at the tom cat. Her claws caught his throat and ripped it out, the blood splattering her fur. The rush and and the feeling she got when she killed him was the best she'd felt in a long time. And she wanted to do it again. Especially when her father awoke and approved of it.
**{Young Life}**
Shade continued to meet Smokepaw in quarter-moon intervals. But in between those meetings, she continued to work with her father on her battle moves. She grew stronger and stronger, quicker and quicker. And she loved to show Smokepaw what she'd learned. They shared many stories over time, and Shade was fascinated when she heard Smokepaw had become Smokefire. She liked the name, wondering what her name would've been if she'd been born a Clan cat like him. While she sometimes felt that Smokefire felt that she was more than a friend, her common act was to treat him like a little brother. Even so, something stronger was inside of her, a stronger feeling for the Clan tom.

When Shade was fifteen moons, her father brought a young tabby tom to meet her in an alley. She'd acted confused at first, until her father told her the tom was called Bramble, her half-brother. Her father had apparently found another she-cat, and never told Shade. She held this against her father for a while, but felt she couldn't stay mad at him for long. Bramble stayed with them for a bit, but eventually went his own way, unappreciative of Shade and Night's violent ways. But before leaving, he told Shade that if she ever needed anything, he would be there for her.

The day came when Smokefire finally told Shade how he really felt about her, and she realized she felt the same way. She brought Night to meet her Clan cat friend, and was immediately yowled at, and forbidden to see the tom ever again. She seemed to have forgotten her father's hate for Clan cats. It was a few moons before she was able to see him again. During that time, her father tried introducing her to some other toms, ones he would approve of being her mate. She hated all of them, even murdered one to prove her point to her father.

At last, Shade was able to escape the watchful eye of her father, leaving him and all his rules behind. She ran to Smokefire, asking him to run away and escape from her. To her delight, he agreed, and the two escaped to a small island, far away from her home. The two were in love, and Shade was ready to defend that love with everything she had.

And she did. When Smokefire's parents found them on the island, she used every bit of her strength and wits to help defeat them. With her long sharp claws, she murdered Smokefire's mother by ripping out her throat with a smile. And the two were finally alone together.

The two travelled together. Shade took Smokefire to her brother's home, introducing him to Bramble. To her dismay, her half-brother told her that Night had been taken away by twolegs, but knew the old tomcat would live a better life indoors and safe. She and Smokefire stayed there, letting their injuries heal. But eventually, Bramble's new kits were too much for her to handle. And the two returned to the Clans' territories. They found a cave, making it their home and living there for moons to come.
**{The Golden Years}**
Moons passed, and so did the deaths of cats Smokefire knew. They were murdered by Shade and her mate's claws. The two were happy, enacting vengeance upon the Clans that had so long wronged Smokefire. It was a sunny morning when Shade told her mate that she was expecting kits. She was unsure of it at first, not wanting to deal with a litter of loud, annoying kits. But as her belly grew, so did her acceptance of being a mother.

Shadow and Wasp were born a few moons later, and Shade loved them more than anything. She vowed from that moment on, anything she did would be to grant power to her babies. And she did. She helped Smokefire train them, starting at an early age like her father had done with her. They were ten moons when she decided it would be a good idea to take on Clan names. She did it for nothing other than to disguise themselves. She didn't want a Clan name, but became Shadewhisper for her mate, to honor her stealthy skills. Her kits became Tornshadow and Waspstorm. Strong names for her strong kits.

Her second litter of kits were barely born when her mate was murdered by a RiverClan cat. Shadewhisper swore vengeance immediately, but sat back for now, letting her sons take over their rogue group. Smokefire walked in her dreams, and she vowed she would continue to carry out her mate's mission to destroy the Clans. She continues now to train her kits, both her older and younger litter.

Shadewhisker began to build a group of rogues, leading them in a mission to destroy the Clans. She let Tornshadow and Waspstorm take the roles as co-leaders, but made herself their advisor. While the two believe they make their own choices, she is always behind them. She tells them what to say and do, in a discreet manner so even they don't notice it. At first glance, Tornshadow and Waspstorm are leading the rogues, but Shadewhisker is really the one running the show.