DARKSTAR
"It is okay to be afraid. But true courage is continuing even when you feel fear. That is what makes us warriors."
-Darkstar, Chapter 5
Darkstar is a stout, sleek black she-cat with a shimmering pelt and icy blue eyes.
Darkstar is the current leader of RiverClan. Born as Darkkit, she was apprenticed to Birchstar as Darkpaw, and gained a lifelong appreciation for the act of mentorship. After earning her warrior name Darkfrost, she mentored four apprentices and eventually became leader, gaining nine lives and the name Darkstar.
Darkstar is a stout, powerfully built she-cat. She has a long, narrow muzzle with a small, round nose. She has dark black fur that shimmers even in weak light and narrow, icy-blue eyes. She has the same short, sturdy legs as her son, Perchshine. Her tail is long and plumy and one of her ears is torn. She often walks with her head and tail held low. When distressed she has a distant, clouded look to her eyes.
Darkstar is a stern, steadfast leader. She is known for her patience and her fairness, in spite of her icy disposition. She has a strong sense of justice, and believes fiercely in the right of all cats to be safe and happy, even if those cats aren't from her own clan. She is pragmatic and observant, often willing to give others the benefit of the doubt instead of rushing in with an attack. Her patience should not be mistaken for cowardice or weakness, though. She would lay down all nine lives to protect her clan without hesitation. She is a formidable fighter and a strong, passionate protector of her clan.
Beneath her stern, emotionless exterior, Darkstar hides most of her emotions. She suffers heavily from post-traumatic stress disorder from the conception of her son, Perchshine. She is prone to depressive and dissosciative episodes, where she can seem listless, inert, and hopeless. She is very skilled at hiding her turmoil, though; putting on a brave face to reassure her Clan that she is present and ready to help them at a moment's notice.
AGE
68 ☾ (introd.)
81 ☾ (current)
128 ☾ (at death)
Petalkit's Shadow, prologue
HISTORY
CONTENT WARNING: This section briefly mentions sexual assault/rape.
Darkkit was born just two years after the exile of SkyClan, but was never told even a whisper about it. She was close friends with Spikekit, who was five moons her senior. When she turned six moons old, Darkpaw was chosen to be the apprentice of an aging Birchstar, the leader of RiverClan. With only two lives left, Birchstar sought to instill Darkpaw with her own passion for mentorship. Darkpaw bonded deeply with Birchstar, and remained incredibly close friends with her even after earning her warrior name, Darkfrost.
As a young warrior, Darkfrost was given her first apprentice, Reedpaw. Reedpaw was a somewhat inattentive, scatterbrained apprentice who would rather spend her time in the nursery weaving nests than in the field training. Darkfrost worked with her apprentice to build her interest in all aspects of Clan life, showing a level of patience and care that impressed Birchstar, who didn't have high hopes for Reedpaw. When Reedpaw earned her warrior name, Reedshine, Birchstar promoted Darkfrost to deputy and gave her a second apprentice, Rainpaw.
Not long after Darkfrost finished training Rainpaw into Rainfall, RiverClan was struck by a disastrous famine. Birchstar lost her ninth life, passing the torch of leadership to Darkfrost, now Darkstar. Darkstar was devastated to find that her former mentor didn't offer her one of her nine lives, and was never given a reason for Birchstar's absence. She grieved silently, forbidden from speaking to any cat about what happened in her ceremony. Birchstar's prospective choice for Duskkit's mentor starved to death in the famine, and Darkstar took on Duskpaw as her own apprentice. She chose her lifelong friend Spiketail as deputy.
Darkstar's final apprentice was Splashpaw. Towards the end of his training, Darkstar was attacked and sexually assaulted by a rogue while walking the territory alone. She became pregnant with Perchkit, son of the rogue who attacked her. She suffered an extreme mental relapse, and for many moons the clan was run by Spiketail and Echosnout instead of Darkstar. She neglected all of her duties, and nearly gave up on life. Once he was weaned, Darkstar gave Perchkit to Eeltail, and felt unable to show her face to her clan for nearly three moons.
When Appledusk's affair was revealed, Darkstar opted to send Mapleshade away, believing herself incapable of dealing with the trouble that may occur if the former Thunderclan warrior stayed in RiverClan. She later confessed that despite how terrible it was, she also felt jealous over the fact that Mapleshade's kits died. She took an interest in Petalkit, relating to her struggles with PTSD. She often gave the young kit advice on how to deal with her emotions. She apprenticed her son to Appledusk in the hopes that the light brown tom would find a more productive use for his energy in mentoring.
Darkstar is seen being friendly with Milkstar and Snakestar at gatherings. She tries to find diplomatic solutions to inter-clan problems, rather than threatening battle. She applies the same mindset to her Clan, where she tries to resolve disputes between cats peacefully and redirect their anger to more constructive outlets.
When Oakstar's patrol ambushes several RiverClan cats at Sunningrocks, her former apprentice Rainfall is killed. Darkstar is furious, and defeats Oakstar in one-on-one combat. She threatens to take all nine of his lives if he ever kills one of her warriors again. She is gentle and kind with Birdsong, who mourns the loss of her former mentor.
After Reedshine's death, Darkstar takes over as Petalpaw's mentor. She makes many attempts to reconnect with Petalpaw and encourage her to heal. However, Petalpaw isn't receptive, often insulting, disrespecting, or lashing out at Darkstar. She eventually goads Darkstar into confessing the truth of Perchshine's origins, which shocks Petalpaw. Petalpaw then insults her, and Darkstar stops trying to reach out to her apprentice.
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