#slatefin

Slatekit was born in PondClan to Mallardeye and Frogstripe. She was like any other kit, playing, exploring, and running circles around the camp.

However, at only three moons old, her world turned upside down in an instant.

A pack of coyotes ravaged PondClan, leaving little survivors. Slatefin's father, Mallardeye, was one of the cats who died in the initial attack, and while at first Frogstripe seemed like she would stop at nothing to ensure her kits were safe and sound, Slatekit's siblings Mudkit & Heronkit eventually fell victim to the coyotes, with Slatekit narrowly escaping the coyotes' jaws.

It was at this moment, plus the death of PondClan's deputy to the coyotes, that Frogstripe realized that camp was not safe anymore for Slatekit.

"I want you to run. Far, far away from here. PondClan isn't safe anymore." She nudged Slatekit past the camp boundary.

Slatekit was confused, and her little voice began to break. "M-Mama? Won't you come with me if PondClan isn't safe? What about my friends?"

Frogstripe's fur bristled as the coyote scent got closer. "The Clan wants every cat that that can to fight off the coyotes. If I make it, if anyone makes it, I promise to you, Slatekit. I'll look for you, and you can come back with me. If I don't... well, it's hard to say to a kit like you, but PondClan might not exist anymore."

Shaky and nervous, Slatekit began to run. It was her only hope of survival. The coyote scent was overpowering now, and Slatekit was lucky to have escaped in time.

Slatekit ran fast, and farther than she had expected. After blitzing through the woods for what seemed like forever, Slatekit looked around at the unfamiliar landscape. She was lost. For a few days, she hung around the same spot, waiting for Frogstripe.

Meanwhile, PondClan had been decimated by the coyotes. Only a few cats survived: the leader, one healer, and a few warriors.

None of them were Frogstripe.

Even if she had survived, Slatekit was unsure if she could even find her kit in this strange land.

The realization set in. Slatekit was alone. No Mama.

She wailed and cried as she wandered through the forest, eventually catching the attention of a DiamondClan patrol.

"Hi there! What's your name? Where are you from?"

"My name is Slatekit. I'm from PondClan, if it still exists... my mama is Frogstripe, and she promised to look for me if they could fight off the coyotes."

The DiamondClan patrol exchanged awkward glances. How was one supposed to tell a kit that their Clan was almost all dead? DiamondClan had received the sad news at last night's Gathering.

One of the cats stepped forward. "I'm sorry, but you might not be able to go back to PondClan with Mama. She travelled to StarClan after fighting as hard as she could against the coyotes."

Slatekit began to bawl even harder.

"But we aren't gonna leave you alone. We're a DiamondClan patrol, and we'll take you back to camp with us. You'll meet so many new friends!"

Slatekit nodded her tiny head. At least she'd have a home now.

The patrol took Slatekit back to DiamondClan, where she was accepted in. In the warmth of DiamondClan's nursery, she made some new friends: Moonkit, Cloudykit and Sheepkit.

Eventually, Slatepaw's apprentice ceremony came. She made a vow to herself: she would one day become the strongest warrior in DiamondClan, able to fight off even a pack of coyotes. All so she didn't have to run anymore.

A few moons before Slatekit's arrival, a DiamondClan patrol had found another lost kit, left behind after getting separated from his loner family. He was named Leopardkit, later Leopardpaw, and hung out a lot with one of Slatepaw's friends, Cloudypaw, as well as another cat, Skunkpaw.

While Leopardpaw was a strong fighter when the opportunity presented itself, he was more interested in helping around camp, playing with the kits and making nests. This made no sense to Slatepaw. Why be a warrior apprentice if you weren't going to fight? The option to become a nursery or mediator apprentice was right there.

However, on Leopardpaw's side, Slatepaw was just stunning. While the other apprentices could see clear as day that Leopardpaw had a massive crush on Slatepaw, Leopardpaw was just too shy to confess— until after they received their warrior names, Leopardboulder & Slatefin.

However, Leopardboulder's first confession of love went anything but well.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in a soft cat like you. I like cats that can prove their worth in battle."

While the rejection stung badly, Leopardboulder wouldn't let it get him down. He began training and training to prove that he could also be a strong cat to Slatefin, although this came at the cost of not spending that much time with his friends, Cloudyfall & Skunkpelt. Cloudyfall took it well. Skunkpelt didn't.

"Leopardboulder, my friend, has abandoned me, his loyal best friend, for a cat that probably won't even look him in the eye! I didn't even do anything! I swear, one day, I'll make the both of them pay..."

One day, Leopardboulder was out on a patrol with Slatefin, who was trying her hardest to pay no mind to him. Suddenly, a coyote came stalking out of the bushes.

The other cats on the patrol expected Slatefin to fight off the coyote, being the strong fighter she was, but she just couldn't. Even though she was capable of driving off even bears, there was one animal she refused to fight.

Coyotes.

All because of the disaster that befell PondClan when she was a kit.

When she told the patrol about her story, and that they should probably head back to the safety of camp, Leopardboulder stepped out towards the coyote.

"Leopardboulder! You mouse-brain! A soft cat like you is goinna get eaten in half an ear-flick! Just go back to camp with us! Besides, you don't need to save me like I'm a weak, defenseless molly in some sort of elder's story!"

"Slatefin, wait! I'll handle the coyote. I'm sure I can. For you."

"Okay, sure," Slatefin sarcastically meowed. "Don't come crying to me when it takes a chunk out of your head."

However, as Leopardboulder managed to get a bunch of good hits on the coyote, eventually driving it off, Slatefin realized how much of a mouse-brain she was. Even if he was soft, he could also be strong if he needed to be, able to protect the Clan from any threat. And maybe they could protect DiamondClan together.

The two decided to become mates right then and there.

Later, they had two kits together: a tomkit named Quartzkit and a molly kit named Amethystkit. During Slatefin's pregnancy, she continued her duties as a warrior long after when most cats would move into the nursery, meanwhile Leopardboulder fretted about his soon-to-come kits day and night. Slatefin absolutely refused to move into the nursery, claiming she was still just as good of a fighter as she always was, and that kits were no obstacle. Leopardboulder and the other warriors, concerned for her safety, had to literally force her into the nursery, and even then she was only a few days away from having her kits.

While Quartzkit was adventurous and playful yet caring for others, Amethystkit was an absolute rebel. She refused to listen to her parents, always going off to play on her own.

However, one day, Skunkpelt waited until Leopardboulder, who was caring for the kits while Slatefin continued her warrior duties, was gone, and took the kits down to the river in the gemplace for a "swimming competition". Skunkpelt was hoping the powerful currents would wash the young kits away, and the first part of his revenge would be complete.

Had Moonpaw not jumped in to save Quartzkit & Amethystkit, they would have drowned.

When Moonpaw told Slatefin about what Skunkpelt had done, she was furious. If only he wasn't a Clanmate, she could easily dig her claws into him for what he did!

Later, when Skunkpelt was exiled, casting off his suffix in contempt for DiamondClan, Slatefin vowed that if she ever saw Skunk on the territorry, she'd be the last thing he ever saw.

Life in DiamondClan continued as usual for Slatefin, until Quartzpaw & Amethystpaw were close to their warrior ceremonies.

Slatefin had heard of a group of raccoons heading towards DiamondClan, and went out into the territory to fight them off, especially since Amethystpaw had disregarded her mentor's orders to go out into the territory and hunt, you guessed it, raccoons. However, when Slatefin got back, over the next few days, she began feeling... weird. She hid away more, felt feverish, and didn't sleep much.

When she described her symptoms to Owlcrest, the healer was alarmed.

Slatefin had gotten foaming-rage (rabies) from fighting the raccoons.

Owlcrest dashed into the leader's den when he figured it out. If one cat got foaming-rage, they would inevitably cause the rest of the clan to get it too, and considering foaming-rage has no survival rate, they would have to act quickly and drastically.

Roachstar settled on exiling Slatefin for the Clan's safety, but not before letting Quartzpaw and Amethystpaw see her one last time.

While Quartzpaw chose to not let it bother him that much (even if it meant pushing his grief away to continue training), Amethystpaw took it much worse. She'd spent so much time fighting with her own mother, and only when she had to say good-bye was she able to apologize. Slatefin's last words to the two of them still rang out clearly in Amethystpaw's mind.

"I hope you can take care of the Clan and Leopardboulder, even when I'm gone and the foaming-rage has claimed me..."

Every day, Amethystpaw took trips out into the territory to observe Slatefin from a safe distance. Seeing her own mother lose her mind to the foaming-rage, eventually falling into a coma, deeply shook Amethystpaw.

One day, during one of these trips, Amethystpaw noticed Slatefin's breathing slowing, eventually coming to a stop.

Slatefin had lost the battle with foaming-rage and travelled to StarClan.

When the realization set in, Amethystpaw cried out loudly. Slatefin's death affected her to the point that her warrior ceremony was delayed, resulting in her brother, Quartzflight, getting his warrior name before her.