Raccoonleap

Lineart by pkrockin\_, Colored by Kokochips

## Overview

Raccoonleap is a former medicine cat of SkyClan, mentor of Owlgaze and secret mate of Quietstar.

### Appearance

Raccoonleap is a very skinny, long-legged, tan, gray, and black longhair tortoiseshell tom. His eyes are leaf-green and his nose is black, his long fur lays flat besides his tufted ears and fluffy tail. He has black spot patterns around his eyes reminiscent of a raccoon's face markings. He keeps himself well groomed, but it is apparent to anyone that he does not take the same care with his sleep or eating habits.

### Personality

Raccoonleap is very stubborn and has a strong moral code. He feels things strongly and fiercely, and is emotionally driven. Although he has a great memory and lots of moons of experience, sometimes his smarts are overshadowed by his impulsive actions. He has a complicated relationship with StarClan and a blatant dislike for the Medicine Cat Code, but he heals SkyClan for the good of its cats.

### Health

Raccoonleap has severe asthma that prevents him from being able to run or fight, or even walk too quickly for too long. He is very susceptible to respiratory illness and spent a lot of time in the medicine cat den before he was even made a medicine cat. He manages it well enough with his herbs, now, but he is particularly sensitive to cold air and exercise.

## Detailed History

### Early Life

Raccoonleap was born to Cloverpath of SkyClan and Crowsong of WindClan, and raised in SkyClan. When he was only a few moons old, Lunarstar took over the clans. She killed his father for fighting back against her rule, and Cloverpath fled SkyClan, leaving Raccoonkit behind to be raised by his older brother, Frogleap. Frogleap was a strong warrior and a great influence, and all Raccoonkit wanted to be back then was just like him. He was strangely prone to colds and coughs, but no cats were very suspicious anything was wrong.

### Apprenticeship

Raccoonpaw was first made a warrior's apprentice, but during his first hunting training with his brother the exertion of it triggered his first major asthma attack. He took multiple days to fully recover, and while there , the current med cat Nutbranch figured out what was wrong with him. He was offered the medicine cat apprentice position, which he took because he had no choice. For the first few moons of his apprenticeship he hated being a medicine cat, but eventually Nutbranch as well as his StarClan guide Brokencry showed him how important what he was doing was. He grew up into a young adult alongside Nutbranch's adopted daughter, Cherryoak, and helped her to discover her past as a reincarnation when Nutbranch would not.

### Medicine Cat Life

#### Fire and Fire

Cherryoak and Raccoonleap became mates at the same time as a new threat arose - Auburnstrike, the nationalist deputy, had just been appointed. Right off the bat Auburnstrike made it clear he did not value medicine cats and didn't care about StarClan or their will, which made Raccoonleap angry and distrustful of Auburnstrike. As time continued, Auburnstrike continued to grow more disrespectful, which came to a head when Frogleap died of fox attack wounds in camp: Raccoonleap, despite the horrible wounds, attempted to heal his dying brother regardless. Auburnstrike commanded Raccoonleap to leave his brother to die, and then rubbed it into his face publicly when Frogleap died. Raccoonleap attacked him, and was defended by Cherryoak and her powers, which lead to the two of them being punished severely - although Furystar reversed Auburnstrike's punishments some.

Cherryoak and Raccoonleap continued to be mates secretly, and to feed off each other's anger and aggression, as well as Raccoonleap's spreading of traitorous talk with his childhood friends Wiltedwillow and Riverberry, and the ShadowClan deputy Lakepool. That is, until Cherryoak mysteriously disappeared.

#### The Other Apprentices

Right after Raccoonleap lost his mate, Lakestar took over control of ShadowClan, banishing her medicine cat Maggotmoon along with it. That meant the young Toadpaw needed a mentor, so Lakestar turned to Raccoonleap for help. Raccoonleap went to SkyClan to live there and train Toadpaw for a few moons, enjoying the freedom from Auburnstrike and becoming close with his apprentice. During this time he also met the not-yet apprenticed Ripplekit of ThunderClan, who he encoraged to have his classic rebellion spirit. Ripplesong to this day considers Raccoonleap a close friend and influence.

Raccoonleap's stay in ShadowClan was stopped abruptly when Auburnstrike became Auburnstar, and demanded Raccoonleap come back to SkyClan. Toadpaw had to finish his training with Tumblebee of RiverClan, although Toadpool and Raccoonleap remain close as well.

#### Fire and Water

After a few moons alone back in SkyClan, mourning Cherryoak who is now presumed dead, Raccoonleap rekindled an old friendship with a shecat named Quietskies. Where Cherryoak was fiery and passionate, Quietskies was quietly righteous and calculating. She and Raccoonleap became close and eventually became mates, but at the same time, due to her privateness with her beliefs, Auburnstar aimed to groom Quietskies into his successor, choosing her to be deputy. Raccoonleap and Quietskies had a falling out over this, but once Raccoonleap saw Quietskies intended to use her position for good and to bring back balance to SkyClan, he began to work with her again. Quietskies became pregnant at this time, having Spark, who Raccoonleap took to tribe to be looked after by Zeppelin (Quietskies' old apprentice) safe from Auburnstar's influence.

#### Under Threat

SkyClan was occupied for a short time by BloodClan during Alistair's conquests. After SkyClan was liberated from them, Nutbranch was rendered blind by a BloodClan cat named Draconis, and Raccoonleap became the full medicine cat. At this same time, Auburnstar began to increase his need for control over his clan. Raccoonleap publicly questioned Auburnstar's actions with BloodClan's conquest, which resulted in him being attacked and nearly choked, and a fellow clanmate who spoke up to be actually killed by Auburnstar in cold blood. It was then that Raccoonleap learned just how dangerous his situation was, for both him and anyone around him. He vowed not to be close to any more cats, and to never take an apprentice.

This was changed almost immediately when Auburnstar, without consulting StarClan or Raccoonleap, gave Raccoonleap Owlpaw as an apprentice and forced him to mentor the tom. Raccoonleap attempted to keep the tom away and to teach him nothing, but after discovering Owlpaw's genuine want to learn herbs and help his clan, Raccoonleap eventually started to train him.

At this time, Spark was also discovered by Auburnstar. He had been granted a power, and Auburnstar stole the apprentice-aged cat to train him to be his personal weapon instead. Renamed Infernopaw and eventually Infernostrike, he was brainwashed into becoming Auburnstar's follower (despite Raccoonleap and Quietskies' efforts). The two decided for the safety of the kit that they needed to keep their relation to him a secret even then.

### Final Arc

#### Life or Death

As Raccoonleap trained and eventually gave Owlgaze his full name, he was becoming obsolete. When Owlgaze received his name at the moonstone, Auburnstar decided the same, and began to follow and stalk the tom. After an attempt on his life, Raccoonleap tried to keep Auburnstar at bay by poisoning the leaders' personal water supply, taking a life from the tom but ultimately only prolonging the inevitable.

Raccoonleap was attacked by Auburnstar when he was alone, and the tom narrowly escaped with his life, losing his tail in the process. Auburnstar returned to camp with the tail, declaring Raccoonleap dead. Raccoonleap, close to dead, was nursed back to health by Tumblebee who took him in to his loner den. Upon hearing of his supposed death, Raccoonleap accepted this as a way to remain under Auburnstar's radar, changing his name to Thyme and attempting to get word of his survival to his mate.

Quietskies decided, however, to stay in SkyClan for the sake of Infernostrike until Auburnstar, in paranoia, killed Infernostrikes' mate while she was pregnant. Infernostrike then finally lost it, fighting back against Auburnstar and was subsequently put in the prisoners den. Quietskies then denounced Auburnstar's leadership before running from camp, joining Raccoonleap and Tumblebee as loners. It was then, unknown to them at the time, Quietskies became pregnant with their second litter.

As a loner, Thyme/Raccoonleap worked tirelessly to attempt to free SkyClan from Auburnstar's control. He met with the Celestial Council, the group of power cats who he had known about from when he was mates with Cherryoak, and they agreed to help the cats in their plot. He also went to Lakestar, now the leader of Shadowclan, citing their old friendship and asking for their help as well in pushing Auburnstar out of their old clan. Luckily for him, ShadowClan and SkyClan were already in a conflict of their own, so she was eager to help.

Infernostrike, after a process of coming to terms with the true nature of his leader, took one of Auburnstar's lives after leaving the prisoner's den, and left SkyClan taking back the name Spark. Spectrepath, his close friend and fellow power cat, came with him. Together they joined up with Tumblebee and also Quietskies and Raccoonleap, who revealed to Spark finally that they were his parents.

#### Heroic Return

Quietskies, Raccoonleap, Spark, and Spectre along with ShadowClan allies and power cats, gathered together before storming SkyClan camp, expecting a large final battle. However, Auburnstar had mysteriously known about this already and when they arrived at camp they discovered the leader had fled SkyClan entirely, leaving only his loyal warrior Blackfeather in charge. Her and the few remaining Auburnstar loyalists attempted a quickly failed battle, and were put in the prisoner's den. Quietskies then assumed her rightful place as SkyClan's new leader in Auburnstar's absence.

#### Final Moments

Auburnstar had secretly had an alliance with foxes, lead by Vendetta, during the latter moons of his leadership. He stormed the camp with a fox army in an attempt to win SkyClan back with surprise. They destroyed the camp, leaving it in ruins. In this battle, Raccoonleap attacked Auburnstar to defend his home and mate, and was killed by the leader in SkyClan camp.

To avenge her mate, Quietskies finally took Auburnstar's last life, causing the foxes to retreat. She then became SkyClan's true leader, Quietstar, and gave birth to Raccoonleap's kits who grew to be named Leafheart, Tempestmist, Scorchberry, Azurepaw, Mothpaw, Breezepaw and Willowwish.

### (Not) the End

Leafkit would grow up to become Leafheart, a duo reincarnation of her father before her. Through Leafheart, Raccoonleap was able to watch his mate lead, and his kits grow up, but most importantly he was able to train and become a successful warrior. After he had lived his old dream throughout Leafheart's life, he said a final goodbye to Quietstar before separating from his kit to allow her to live a life of her own, going to StarClan at peace.