Deviation Actions
Description
AKA Dragonpaw's ill mother.
AKA one of my fave characters in my story. <xD Incoming feels.
NOTE: Back when I wrote this story I (purposely?) ignored the fact that cats usually have multiple kits and not just one. This is a common occurrence in the story, so just disregard it.
Thisissomuchbetterthanmyolddesignomg
Splintergale was admittedly originally Gentleflame's sister, but she worked so much better as her mother.
If you need a song that best represents Gentleflame, then you definitely need to listen to Thank-You Note by Butch Walker. Imagine it in Velvetheart's POV to Dragonpaw. Very deep man aahh...
Also if you need feelsy music for the scene between Dragonpaw, Gentleflame, and Pantherpaw at the very end, I've got you covered with Final Distance by Utada Hikaru.
Notgonnalie I got a little emotional writing the last scene with that song playing in the background so WELL HERE YOU GO.
Name: Gentlekit -> Gentlepaw -> Gentleflame
Rank: Warrior -> Retired
Gender: She-Cat
Affiliation: Wildclan -> Starclan
Relatives: Dawnstar (father), Splintergale (mother), Velvetheart (cousin), Dragonpaw (son)
Mate: Roughflare
PRE-Wildlife
Gentlepaw was an apprentice filled to the brim with enthusiasm and curiosity. Even as a kit she had been excited to learn and serve her clan. Unfortunately for her she was never quite the smartest apprentice in her generation, being a little slow in picking up concepts or understanding things that her clanmates usually got right away. But she made up for this with her diligence and inquisitiveness. She eagerly and determinedly performed her duties, even the duties that apprentices usually didn’t like. And whenever she was confused she would put in effort to understand what she was missing. Sometimes her frequent questions would annoy some of her clanmates, but overall she was well liked by her clan.
It was sometimes difficult for her to uphold the expectations put on her for being the clan leader’s daughter as well as the most recent descendant of the clan’s first leader, Wildstar. But she pushed forward anyway, believing she had what it took to be a great warrior for her clan. It helped to have her parents believe in her.
Despite her cousin Velvetpaw following a different path from her own, Gentlepaw always found time to check on the medicine cat apprentice. She’d usually try to find out how Velvetpaw was doing, as well as how her training was going. Sometimes Velvetpaw would share her newfound knowledge with Gentlepaw. Velvetpaw was almost like a sister for the only child of Dawnstar, and the two held a large amount of trust in one another.
During her apprentice years, Gentlepaw formed a small crush on her clanmate Roughpaw. Although she was closer to Roughpaw’s brother, Orangepaw, Gentlepaw was fond of Roughpaw’s determination to listen to his seniors as well as his loyalty to the warrior code.
When a kittypet renamed Oceanpaw was brought into the clan, Gentlepaw held nothing but absolute curiosity over the new she-cat. Out of all of her clanmates, she asked the most in-depth questions about Oceanpaw’s past as a kittypet. She was delighted whenever Oceanpaw gave thorough answers. Though upon eventually realizing that some questions made the ex-kittypet sad, Gentlepaw attempted to go easy on her questions, for her new clanmate’s sake.
When Roughpaw lost his mother to a battle against Flowerclan, Gentlepaw felt horrible for the tom. At one point she attempted to speak to him to find out how he was, but after being brushed off, she settled on giving the tom as much time as he needed. Instead she mainly supported him silently through actions.
Even as Roughpaw went through a change in personality -becoming more distant and serious - Gentlepaw still cared for the apprentice immensely. She wanted so badly to help him through whatever he was going through. At the very least, as time passed, Roughpaw once again acknowledged and spoke to her. Because of how well the apprentice did in battle training, Gentlepaw would sometimes ask Roughpaw how she could perform certain battle moves better. It relieved her when he would offer her helpful advice.
Eventually Gentlepaw and her peers went through their warrior ceremonies, and she became Gentleflame while Roughpaw became Roughflare. Admiring the tom, Gentleflame still hoped to gain Roughflare’s trust. She wanted to be a cat that the warrior could at least see as an equal; someone he’d be able to depend on and even lean when he needed it. So when he eventually began to greet and speak to her more, as well as slowly show affectionate gestures, Gentleflame was caught off guard. But it delighted her and warmed her heart. She tenderly returned his affection, unaware of his true intentions.
It wasn’t long before the two became mates and had their first kit. Before she had her kit, Gentleflame had learned from Oceanwave that long ago, there once existed legendary and powerful flying creatures that resembled giant lizards. Oceanwave explained that they were called “dragons”, and Gentleflame was fascinated by the sound of them. She believed her kit would grow to be a powerful cat himself, and so she chose to name him Dragonkit.
Gentleflame adored her little fluffball and was more than excited to see Roughflare mentor their son. She knew how amazing he was with battle moves, so she was more than confident that Dragonpaw would get the most out of his training with his father.
When sickness struck the clan, Gentleflame was one of the cats to catch it. Although the symptoms weren’t pleasant, the she-cat believed in Velvetheart and her mentor Robinflight’s medical abilities. Gentleflame reassured her fretful kit and her own mother that she’d recover soon, playfully saying that she was a fighter wouldn’t let a little whitecough bring her down.
Gentleflame watched as her clanmates recovered one by one until she was the only one left in the medicine cat den. It worried Gentleflame that while everyone else had gotten better, it felt like she was getting worse by the day. Her body felt heavy and would ache horribly. Sometimes she’d have painful coughing fits too. But what scared her was when Velvetheart and her mentor admitted that they had no idea what was wrong with her. They at least promised to speak to Starclan.
But the message they received was dreadful; Gentleflame had a severe illness that could not be cured. And in a number of moons, she was destined to join Starclan.
Gentleflame was crushed by the revelation. She could hardly believe the truth as her clanmates pitied her and her pained father had no choice but to retire her to the Elder’s Den.
Even as she moved in with the Elders, most treating her gently and kindly due to her loyal service to them as an apprentice, none of it felt real. She had dreamed of serving her clan for so long and she had worked so faithfully. But in one quarter moon that had all been taken away.
Velvetheart and Robinflight organized a medicinal plan for the ill she-cat, to help ease Gentleflame’s symptoms for the rest of her days. Dandelion became prevalent in the herbs that Gentleflame had to take, due to the frequent pain and aches in her body. And as Gentleflame found herself eating less and less, sorrel was another herb used to help build up her appetite.
Although she did her best to fight her feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, Gentleflame couldn’t help but question if she had done something wrong to anger Starclan. Guilt was also heavy in Gentleflame as she saw how much sorrow she had brought unto her friends and family. This was especially the case with her devastated mother and Dragonpaw who constantly visited her.
She knew she had to be distracting her kit from his training by making him worry about her. With that in mind she did her best to keep up a positive and strong attitude. She was glad that Roughflare kept Dragonpaw focused and did not let her illness hold either of them back. In the end it always made her happy to see Roughflare’s face alongside Dragonpaw’s whenever they dropped by the Elder’s Den after training.
Later on, the news of her friend Oceanwave’s death saddened her. She worried for Oceanwave’s family and couldn’t imagine what her kits Rainpaw and Mintkit had to be going through by losing their mother. The thought only pained her more as she remembered that it wouldn’t be long before she too had to leave Dragonpaw and the rest of her family behind.
When Wildclan readied themselves for a battle against Flowerclan, Gentleflame worried for her clan. She made sure to see them off and helped reassure Dragonpaw alongside Roughflare that he was strong and that she’d be waiting for them. Roughflare then promised her that the two of them would bring honor to their clan. She noticed that Roughflare seemed more determined that she had ever seen him before. Pushing down her concern, pride swelled within her as her family set off for the battlefield.
Velvetheart watched over her as the two waited for their warriors to return. When Wildclan cats returned from the battle, Gentleflame was told to stay in the Elder’s Den while Velvetheart inspected the damage. The ill she-cat anxiously waited until the medicine cat, with a grave expression, returned with Dawnstar with sorrowful news. Dawnstar gently explained to his daughter that Roughflare had fought with all of his might in the battle but had ultimately died from his wounds. Unaware that a greater truth was being kept from her, Gentleflame grieved over the loss of her mate. The one relief she had was that her son and parents were alive and safe. The next time she got to see Dragonpaw, the two clung to one another and she soothingly licked her shakened up kit.
When Dawnstar decided to wait before choosing a new mentor for Dragonpaw, Gentleflame was glad that her son would have time to recover from the battle as well as the loss of his father.
Even after Dawnstar joined Starclan, Gentleflame was at least comforted by the thought that when it was her time to pass on, she’d be able to see her father and Roughflare again.
It became a delight when Orangemoth was named Dragonpaw’s new mentor and she could see that her kit was notably brightening up again. Despite Dragonpaw becoming a bit more mischievous, Gentleflame was only thankful that her son was moving forward and leaning more on his friends. She wholeheartedly believed Roughflare would be proud.
Wildlife
Gentleflame officially met the ex-rogue Pantherpaw when he was assigned Elder’s Den duties by Goldenstar. She showed warmth towards him, remembering the days when Oceanwave first joined the clan. Admitting that Dragonpaw had excitedly spoken of Pantherpaw before, she playfully asked the apprentice to make sure her son wouldn’t get into too much trouble. She also noted how after Wolfhowl became a warrior, Dragonpaw was originally going to be the only male apprentice left. She felt it was nice that he’d have another tom to train alongside with.
Just like her days with Oceanwave, Gentleflame tried to get to know the new apprentice by asking about his background. After realizing that the subject of his family was a sensitive one, she avoided questions relating to the subject. In turn Gentleflame offered stories of Roughflare to pass the time, hoping that maybe learning of Dragonpaw’s father would help the newcomer understand Dragonpaw a bit more. Pantherpaw displayed interest in these stories. As he became more relaxed around her, Gentleflame teasingly let the tom know that if things ever got too loud or bothersome, he was free to relax in the elder’s den with her.
One day, much later, Dragonpaw visited his mother and gently confessed that he had to leave for a while with his friends for an important Starclan-related journey. This concerned Gentleflame, but her trust in Starclan and her son outweighed it. When Dragonpaw showed hesitance in going, Gentleflame realized he didn’t want to leave her. She proceeded to playfully flick her tail at him and assured him that she’d be waiting for him; he had an important destiny that he needed to follow, and she wouldn’t forgive herself if she held him back.
Some time after Dragonpaw and his three friends left, Gentleflame felt herself growing more tired and faint. The pain in her body started to increase and it came to a point that moving proved to be difficult.
Her illness was taking its full toll and Velvetheart diligently worked to ease Gentleflame’s pain as the she-cat neared her end. Though Gentleflame wanted to keep her promise to Dragonpaw, she knew she couldn’t stay for much longer. She hoped Dragonpaw could forgive her for leaving him and requested Velvetheart to pass on the message that she loved him. Being at peace at the thought of seeing Roughflare and her father again, she was able to pass on.
In Starclan, Gentleflame’s body felt light and as strong as it was when she was a newly-named warrior. However, she was deeply confused when she didn’t see her mate’s face amongst the cats who welcomed her. It was then that her father sat her down and she learned of the truth.
She was horrified to learn of Roughflare’s dark ambitions and betrayal. As much as it hurt and angered her that her family and clan had left her in the dark, a part of her understood that they were worried about her health and that the secret was a rule her father had enforced.
What devastated her most, though, was realizing that Dragonpaw had been suffering for so long and she had been completely oblivious. In her mind she had left Dragonpaw to shoulder his father’s mistakes all by himself.
From Starclan she watched her son’s shock and anguish as he returned to the clan, only to find out that she had died while he was away. It pained her to see Dragonpaw so distressed. It was around this time that she noticed her mother Splintergale’s state of despair and instability. But she was not prepared to see her mother turn on Dragonpaw and attempt to kill the apprentice. After Splintergale’s death, despite being aware that her mother had acted out due to a corrupted state of mind, Gentleflame could hardly bring herself to speak to the she-cat.
After finding out from an old clanmate named Tanglepaw that Pantherpaw had the ability to see Starclan cats, Gentleflame knew she needed to take the opportunity. Dragonpaw was falling deeper into his own dark despair, convinced that he had let Gentleflame down by abandoning her when she needed him most.
Gentleflame’s spirit descended from Starclan and approached the ex-rogue. With Pantherpaw acting as a mouthpiece by repeating her words, Gentleflame was able to convey her feelings. Remorsefully she revealed that she finally found out about Roughflare, apologizing to Dragonpaw for being so blind to the truth and for not being there when he needed her. She couldn’t imagine how much pain he had been in by being used by his father and judged by his clanmates. When Dragonpaw denied Pantherpaw’s words, believing he was making them up, Gentleflame wistfully smiled and recalled the past for him. She couldn’t forget how bright-eyed and excited the apprentice was to face the world when he was young, much like her younger self. She remembered how he visited her everyday, and would sprint out of her den like a rabbit to bring her anything she needed. She never wanted him to lose that part of himself; the part that cared so much for others. It was that part of him that brought her so much happiness until the end.
Even if he couldn’t see her, Gentleflame comforted her choked up son by wrapping herself around him and resting her head against his. Before she faded back to Starclan, she smiled and thanked Pantherpaw for all he had done.
