HOME | DD

Description
AKA Dragonpaw's Dad. AKA the original villain.

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.

Roughflare is a very important aspect of Dragonpaw's story. Also as you can see, I'll actually link DragonMoonRainPanther's names to the most recent image I drew of them until their individual bios go up.

Roughflare's was a little weird and difficult to type up since I shared his backstory before via journal, but now it's properly explained and cleaned up. ;w; Tis the length of a short story, pft. xD

Name: Roughkit -> Roughpaw -> Roughflare
Rank: Warrior
Gender: Tom
Affiliation: Wildclan -> Place of No Stars
Relatives: Brightsong (mother), Orangemoth (brother), Tanglepaw (niece), Dashkit (nephew), Pumaheart (niece), Dragonpaw (son)
Mate: Gentleflame

“Did these savages follow the Warrior Code?!”

PRE-Wildlife

As a kit - between himself and his brother - Roughkit was the one who would listen to his mother Brightsong’s every word and do his best to please her. His brother Orangekit was more daring and energetic. Despite their different personalities, the brothers were very close and they both shared the same sense of adventure, though Roughkit was always more careful and loyal to any rules.

After becoming a warrior apprentice, Roughpaw found himself forming a crush on his former denmate Velvetkit. It saddened him when she chose the path of a medicine cat, which meant that their paths would diverge. But he accepted it and did his best to simply cherish her as his friend and clanmate, as well as appreciate any time he could spend with her.

One day a kittypet named Ellie was permitted to join their clan under the new name of Oceanpaw . Even when his leader Dawnstar shared that the she-cat was a cat from a Starclan prophecy, Roughpaw didn’t know what to think. He wanted to value the clans’ tradition and silent rule that outsiders were not welcomed within the clans. Seeing his mother and brother pay no mind to Oceanpaw, Roughpaw tried to do the same. He wanted to believe in his leader’s words, even if he feared the possibility of consequences.

And consequences indeed occurred. When the news spread to Flowerclan, the second clan was infuriated. Greater tensions, suspicions, and distance quickly grew between the two clans, which eventually built up into a battle. Brightsong tried to reassure her fear-filled kits that things were going to be alright and that their clan was strong. Even though Roughpaw’s very legs shook, his mother’s words somewhat eased the tom’s fear over fighting his very first battle.

During the battle Roughpaw attacked a Flowerclan warrior to protect his cornered mother, only to be knocked and pinned down by the much larger cat. Instantly Brightsong tackled the Flowerclan cat off of her son, sending the two warriors into a flurry of attacks. But before Roughpaw could do anything he watched as the large Flowerclan cat, in one swift crunch to the neck, murdered Brightsong.

Luckily for the young tom, more Wildclan warriors dove in and attacked the Flowerclan cat. The battling neared its end as Wildclan drove a number of Flowerclan cats away and began their own retreat. The damage had been done, however. As far as Wildclan could see, they had lost.

While the clan grieved over their loss and tended to the wounded, Roughpaw was heartbroken, shocked and shattered by the event. As someone who respected the warrior code, he couldn’t believe Flowerclan had resorted to killing to win their own battle. For a long while the tom was depressed and lost without his mother, even with the company of Orangepaw who struggled to stay strong and comfort Roughpaw. Velvetpaw also put in effort to gently converse and encourage the apprentice, but nothing truly pulled the tom out of the state he was in.

And at their next gathering, many Flowerclan cats and their leader showed no remorse over the death of Brightsong. They believed it was what Wildclan deserved for “breaking the code”. Even if the acceptance of outsiders was never an official rule, Flowerclan cats believed Wildclan was going against Starclan. The warrior who had killed the she-cat even retorted that he killed Brightsong out of self-defense so he wouldn’t lose his own life. But Roughpaw knew that was a lie.

Soon the pain was followed by deep hatred and bitterness for Flowerclan’s heartlessness as well as Oceanpaw for being the reason the battle happened in the first place. This hatred transformed Roughpaw into a much different cat; he became more distant and cold, as well as more serious. He stopped following his brother’s attempts at play and adventure, sometimes chiding Orangepaw’s kit-like antics. Instead he took his battle training a lot more seriously.

As much as he tried to bury himself with his clan duties, Roughpaw’s bitterness and grief never seemed to lessen. Nothing would satisfy it. Day after day he knew he wanted to do something to avenge Brightsong and “fix” everything that had gone wrong. He just didn’t know what he could possibly do other than to become a strong warrior.

Moons later, Roughpaw and Orangepaw underwent their warrior ceremonies and became Roughflare and Orangemoth. Even though Roughflare was even more different from his brother compared to when they were kits, the two brothers still cared for one another. Orangemoth was moving on from the past, wanting to set his eyes on his future. The tom eventually became mates with a she-cat named Emeraldgaze and the two had their own kit, Tanglekit .

Roughflare, on the other hand, never let go of the past and even refused to. He still constantly contemplated a possible plan for revenge. Until one day it dawned on him.

Roughflare remembered Starclan’s prophecy, and began convincing himself that the “age of hope” the prophecy had spoke of had to be a future without savages like Flowerclan. As a means to justify things, he decided that Starclan had never truly intended to accept and keep outsiders within the clan. Oceanwave had only been a spark, a tool needed for someone to realize the true meaning of the prophecy. Someone like himself.

And so, Roughflare took the prophecy into his own paws. He would find a way to get his clan to overpower and either destroy or chase out Flowerclan, making Wildclan control the land. At the very least he knew that meant a battle or even war needed to be created.

Roughflare knew he couldn’t pull off his goal alone, however. He needed more cats in order to orchestrate a plan. He knew he could easily manipulate Flowerclan cats, using their fear of their leader or hatred for outsiders against them. But he needed an ally in his own clan; someone he could trust to fight alongside him during the future battle, and someone who would follow his directions.

When he and Orangemoth were alone, Roughflare attempted to bring up the idea of a future without Flowerclan, as a way to test his reaction. Orangemoth showed uncertainty, believing that the clans were always meant to live beside one another, even if they didn’t always get along. When Roughflare tried to insist that their lives would be much easier without the other clan - also adding that the clan had disgraceful warriors anyway - Orangemoth began showing concern. His brother seemed to know where these ideas were coming from, and Roughflare was quick to push off the other tom’s concerns.

Realizing he couldn’t even rely on his brother to help him, Roughflare knew he had to think of an alternative. If he couldn’t gain an ally, he needed someone he could lead, control, and who would loyally follow him. An apprentice would work so well, but there were no more kits that he could possibly mentor. So then a new idea came to him; he needed to have his own kit to raise and train.

But he had no feelings for any of the she-cats within the clan, and the only cat he would be willing to be mates with was a medicine cat. However, there was one she-cat; a warrior named Gentleflame who had always shown some fondness and interest in him. She was a descendant of the very first leader of Wildclan, Wildstar, and she was also Dawnstar’s daughter, so she was a very viable choice.

Thus moons later, his son Dragonkit was born. He hated how Oceanwave’s stories had inspired the kit’s name, but Roughflare chose not to argue and create complications with his mate.

Roughflare felt he couldn’t outright ask Dawnstar to let him be his son’s mentor. So he made a plan; when Dragonkit was only four moons old, Roughflare approached Drawnstar and tried to convince his leader to let his strong son begin his training. Dawnstar turned down the idea, saying that Dragonkit was too young to become an apprentice, but Roughflare persisted. After more arguing Roughflare found the right time to propose that he’d wait for Dragonkit to be old enough, as long as he was permitted to be the kit’s mentor. Seeing as this was the first time Roughflare was ever insistent on anything, Dawnstar agreed with the terms.

Dragonkit later became Dragonpaw and Dawnstar kept his promise by letting Roughflare train the young tom. Dragonpaw and Roughflare often found themselves training alongside Orangemoth’s daughter, Tanglepaw, who frequently joked around with her cousin and would playfully tease her uncle by calling him a “grumpy grump”. Although it greatly annoyed Roughflare having Tanglepaw make Dragonpaw take his training less seriously, the warrior was still fond of his niece. She greatly reminded him of her father, and he hoped that she would reach her goal of becoming a strong warrior while keeping that dedication she had.

And so when Tanglepaw was killed during a border battle with Flowerclan, Roughflare was both shocked and pained. For the first time in a long while he was reminded of Flowerclan’s cruelty, once again tasting the grief and bitterness he had once felt before.

Roughflare felt sorry for his mourning son, knowing the boy was experiencing his first loss. But the tom also felt that the experience was the very spark Dragonpaw needed to truly see Flowerclan as an unforgivable, cold-hearted enemy. After the grieving passed, Roughflare was glad to see his son take his training more seriously.

One day, very abruptly, a sickness spread through the clan, forcing multiple warriors to stay in the medicine cat den for treatment. Among these cats was Gentleflame, who Dragonpaw would anxiously try to check on whenever he could. Roughflare, however, refused to let Dragonpaw skip training or cut training short to see his mother. Cats were gradually recovering from the sickness, so the older tom saw no point.

But it wasn’t the same case for his mate. While everyone else recovered, Gentleflame was eventually the only cat left under the medicine cats’ care. The she-cat showed signs of a different illness, one that even stumped Velvetheart and her mentor. But after speaking with Starclan, Velvetheart made a solemn diagnosis: Gentleflame had a severe illness that could never be cured. In a number of moons, she was destined to die. With that, the she-cat was retired and moved to the Elders Den.

The first thing Roughflare worried about was whether the illness could eventually hit Dragonpaw. Seeing that his apprentice was healthy, the warrior decided to push the thought to the side. Although a part of him pitied his mate, another part of him was relieved that there would be a lesser possibility of Gentleflame getting in the way of his plans.

Eventually Roughflare took his plans a step further; revealing the truth of Oceanwave’s daughter’s bloodline to her. He wasn’t sure just how she would react, but he hoped the outcome would be enough to tear the kittypet family apart. After locating where Oceanwave had hid her kittypet ribbon, Roughflare deliberately set things up to make Rainpaw discover the ribbon herself. From there he helped her put together the pieces, and allowed Dragonpaw to be present so he could genuinely react from shock at the revelation that Rainpaw was half kittypet.

The plan went better than expected. Rainpaw’s reaction led to Oceanwave’s death, and for the first time in moons, Roughflare was filled with a indescribable and near-sadistic satisfaction. This cruel satisfaction began changing him further as he started recognizing just how much power he held through manipulation. He then trained Dragonpaw more harshly, angrily scolding him for any mistakes until he could get things right.

Not long later Roughflare attempted to make Dragonpaw dispose of Rainpaw by abandoning the she-cat far from Wildclan territory. However, Dragonpaw’s soft heart led him to failing the mission, which greatly angered and disappointed the older tom.

Soon a different opportunity came; two Flowerclan kits wandered into Wildclan territory. Realizing that he could use the kits as a way to provoke Flowerclan, he murdered them, convincing himself that his actions were justified if it was for the prophecy. The kits were eventually discovered by his clanmates and it was unknown what could have killed them. Dawnstar decided that the best choice of action would be to return the kits, since keeping the kits a secret would only make their clan seem more suspicious.

Naturally this lead Flowerclan to frame Wildclan of killing their kits. Most of the clan refused to listen to reason, but Flowerclan’s leader coldly let the Wildclan patrol go. Although it seemed like the leader was avoiding conflict, Roughflare knew from the look in the Flowerclan tom’s eyes that he wanted to get back at Wildclan.

Roughflare instantly knew what to do.

He spoke to the Flowerclan cats he pretended to form an alliance with and agreed to let Flowerclan take Rainpaw hostage. He knew it would be a perfect reason for Wildclan to formulate an attack on the other clan. All Roughflare had to do was lead Rainpaw to the border between the clans and let the Flowerclan cats grab and drag the young she-cat away.

Unfortunately for Roughflare, a Wildclan apprentice named Moonpaw witnessed his betrayal. Without hesitation the large tom chased after the young she-cat and aggressively forced her down, digging his claws into her. But uncertain if he could kill someone from his own clan when his plans were so close to being fulfilled, Roughflare spat at Moonpaw and threatened her life. He claimed he would hunt her down if she were to tell anyone about what she saw. His threat seemed to work judging from how terrified the she-cat looked.

Roughflare rushed back to the clan and pretended to be angry as he yelled out to the others that Rainpaw had been captured by Flowerclan cats. Many cats were shocked, some cats were angered that the Flowerclan cats were challenging them, and others didn’t know what to think, since it was the half-kittypet who had been taken.

Dawnstar formed a patrol to negotiate with Flowerclan to take Rainpaw back and to also fight if the situation called for it. They went through with the plan, but failed to retrieve Rainpaw. Instead, Wildclan’s deputy was heavily injured and quickly died from blood loss.

It was then that both clans realized that the only way to settle the grudges and hatred was to meet at the gathering’s clearing and engage in battle.

Dawnstar’s goal was to defeat Flowerclan; to show them that he was not going to let them terrorize and sneer at his clan anymore. Because of Roughflare’s bravery and loyalty, Dawnstar chose to make the tom his new deputy. It was a surprise for Roughflare, but overall he was greatly pleased with how things were working in his favor. Not only was his long-awaited battle going to occur, but he had the power to organize and help command Wildclan’s attack and battle strategy.

As the Wildclan warriors prepared to head out, cats realized that Moonpaw was missing and nowhere to be found on their territory. While some cats feared that Flowerclan had managed to kidnap her too, others had noticed Moonpaw’s shaky behavior and wondered if she had simply abandoned her clan like her parents once did. With Moonpaw out of the way, Roughflare was confident that nothing could stop Wildclan from demolishing Flowerclan.

Both clans met on the battlefield and the battle raged on. Roughflare fought with all of his might and he was proud to see Dragonpaw battle like a warrior.

But there came a point when Dawnstar noticed that the battle was getting rough and that both sides had lost cats. He feared losing more warriors and questioned the decision both clans had made to shed blood. Dawnstar wanted to find a way to end the battle, to stop both sides from losing more lives than was needed, and so relayed these thoughts to his deputy.

Naturally, Roughflare was infuriated and panicked. He yelled at his leader, claiming that this was their chance to put Flowerclan in their place. Roughflare refused to have all that he had worked for go to waste, after they had come so far and he was so close to fulfilling his dream. But Dawnstar, although saddened, settled on his decision.

Roughflare’s last thread of sanity snapped as he turned on his leader and attacked him, yowling that he would not let him ruin everything. Orangemoth, who had been nearby, quickly intervened and knocked his brother off of Dawnstar, demanding if he had lost his mind. Roughflare snapped at him, telling him that it was finally their chance for revenge. He further explained that they could avenge all of the cats who died because of Flowerclan, and that the battle was their one and only chance. Orangemoth was shocked yet perplexed, stating hesitantly that he spoke as if he had planned the battle.

Slowly the battle came to a halt as cats overheard the argument and listened in. Things then took a turn for Roughflare as Moonpaw stepped out of the surrounding trees with Rainpaw at her side. The she-cat shakily confirmed Oragemoth’s words. Roughflare tried to glare the she-cat down, to remind her of his threat, but she went on anyway, confessing that he had let Flowerclan steal Rainpaw, which Rainpaw confirmed. It was then that Rainpaw also scowled at Roughflare, revealing that she now knew that Roughflare had revealed her bloodline to her on purpose.

At that point, cats of both Flowerclan and Wildclan recognized that they had been manipulated and turned on Roughflare, snarling, scowling, and bristling at him. All of his rage erupting at once, Roughflare lunged forward to strike down Moonpaw. His powerful blow came in contact with a different cat, however, as Dragonpaw leaped in to defend his clanmate

Roughflare was shocked and demanded to know what he was doing, to which Dragonpaw sorrowfully stated that what his father was doing was wrong. Orangemoth stepped forward. Standing at a distance he begged his brother to stop, telling him that Brightsong would’ve never wanted him to act like this and go against the warrior code. This only pained and angered Roughflare further as he demanded if Flowerclan had ever followed the warrior code. It wasn’t long before he went on a desperate tangent to explain Starclan’s prophecy and how the erasure of Flowerclan was meant to be. But it was clear to everyone else around him that he had completely lost himself.

In his crazed state he proceeded to tell Dragonpaw to forget the others, stating that they could defeat Flowerclan together. And when Dragonpaw turned away from his father, both pain and fury hit the older tom. Roughflare spat at his son, declaring that Dragonpaw was useless and that he had never cared for him or his mother anyway.

Rainpaw’s father, Windstorm , soon slowly stepped forward with a cold glare. The tom blamed Roughflare for Oceanwave’s death and the pain he had inflicted on his family. Roughflare only laughed, whispering that Oceanwave had deserved to die. This ultimately set Windstorm off and the two warriors battled. Before Orangemoth could intervene, Roughflare sliced Windstorm’s neck.

Orangemoth finally tackled his brother down yet again, being the next one to fight the crazed warrior. He begged his brother to stop, but it was clear that Roughflare was too far gone as he refused to give in. After realizing that there was no other way to stop his brother, Orangemoth stopped holding back and swooped in to land one fatal strike.

Before Roughflare died, he used the last of his strength to lock his gaze on Dragonpaw and rasp “I hope you suffer.”

Description
AKA Dragonpaw's Dad. AKA the original villain.

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.

Roughflare is a very important aspect of Dragonpaw's story. Also as you can see, I'll actually link DragonMoonRainPanther's names to the most recent image I drew of them until their individual bios go up.

Roughflare's was a little weird and difficult to type up since I shared his backstory before via journal, but now it's properly explained and cleaned up. ;w; Tis the length of a short story, pft. xD

Name: Roughkit -> Roughpaw -> Roughflare
Rank: Warrior
Gender: Tom
Affiliation: Wildclan -> Place of No Stars
Relatives: Brightsong (mother), Orangemoth (brother), Tanglepaw (niece), Dashkit (nephew), Pumaheart (niece), Dragonpaw (son)
Mate: Gentleflame

“Did these savages follow the Warrior Code?!”

PRE-Wildlife

As a kit - between himself and his brother - Roughkit was the one who would listen to his mother Brightsong’s every word and do his best to please her. His brother Orangekit was more daring and energetic. Despite their different personalities, the brothers were very close and they both shared the same sense of adventure, though Roughkit was always more careful and loyal to any rules.

After becoming a warrior apprentice, Roughpaw found himself forming a crush on his former denmate Velvetkit. It saddened him when she chose the path of a medicine cat, which meant that their paths would diverge. But he accepted it and did his best to simply cherish her as his friend and clanmate, as well as appreciate any time he could spend with her.

One day a kittypet named Ellie was permitted to join their clan under the new name of Oceanpaw . Even when his leader Dawnstar shared that the she-cat was a cat from a Starclan prophecy, Roughpaw didn’t know what to think. He wanted to value the clans’ tradition and silent rule that outsiders were not welcomed within the clans. Seeing his mother and brother pay no mind to Oceanpaw, Roughpaw tried to do the same. He wanted to believe in his leader’s words, even if he feared the possibility of consequences.

And consequences indeed occurred. When the news spread to Flowerclan, the second clan was infuriated. Greater tensions, suspicions, and distance quickly grew between the two clans, which eventually built up into a battle. Brightsong tried to reassure her fear-filled kits that things were going to be alright and that their clan was strong. Even though Roughpaw’s very legs shook, his mother’s words somewhat eased the tom’s fear over fighting his very first battle.

During the battle Roughpaw attacked a Flowerclan warrior to protect his cornered mother, only to be knocked and pinned down by the much larger cat. Instantly Brightsong tackled the Flowerclan cat off of her son, sending the two warriors into a flurry of attacks. But before Roughpaw could do anything he watched as the large Flowerclan cat, in one swift crunch to the neck, murdered Brightsong.

Luckily for the young tom, more Wildclan warriors dove in and attacked the Flowerclan cat. The battling neared its end as Wildclan drove a number of Flowerclan cats away and began their own retreat. The damage had been done, however. As far as Wildclan could see, they had lost.

While the clan grieved over their loss and tended to the wounded, Roughpaw was heartbroken, shocked and shattered by the event. As someone who respected the warrior code, he couldn’t believe Flowerclan had resorted to killing to win their own battle. For a long while the tom was depressed and lost without his mother, even with the company of Orangepaw who struggled to stay strong and comfort Roughpaw. Velvetpaw also put in effort to gently converse and encourage the apprentice, but nothing truly pulled the tom out of the state he was in.

And at their next gathering, many Flowerclan cats and their leader showed no remorse over the death of Brightsong. They believed it was what Wildclan deserved for “breaking the code”. Even if the acceptance of outsiders was never an official rule, Flowerclan cats believed Wildclan was going against Starclan. The warrior who had killed the she-cat even retorted that he killed Brightsong out of self-defense so he wouldn’t lose his own life. But Roughpaw knew that was a lie.

Soon the pain was followed by deep hatred and bitterness for Flowerclan’s heartlessness as well as Oceanpaw for being the reason the battle happened in the first place. This hatred transformed Roughpaw into a much different cat; he became more distant and cold, as well as more serious. He stopped following his brother’s attempts at play and adventure, sometimes chiding Orangepaw’s kit-like antics. Instead he took his battle training a lot more seriously.

As much as he tried to bury himself with his clan duties, Roughpaw’s bitterness and grief never seemed to lessen. Nothing would satisfy it. Day after day he knew he wanted to do something to avenge Brightsong and “fix” everything that had gone wrong. He just didn’t know what he could possibly do other than to become a strong warrior.

Moons later, Roughpaw and Orangepaw underwent their warrior ceremonies and became Roughflare and Orangemoth. Even though Roughflare was even more different from his brother compared to when they were kits, the two brothers still cared for one another. Orangemoth was moving on from the past, wanting to set his eyes on his future. The tom eventually became mates with a she-cat named Emeraldgaze and the two had their own kit, Tanglekit .

Roughflare, on the other hand, never let go of the past and even refused to. He still constantly contemplated a possible plan for revenge. Until one day it dawned on him.

Roughflare remembered Starclan’s prophecy, and began convincing himself that the “age of hope” the prophecy had spoke of had to be a future without savages like Flowerclan. As a means to justify things, he decided that Starclan had never truly intended to accept and keep outsiders within the clan. Oceanwave had only been a spark, a tool needed for someone to realize the true meaning of the prophecy. Someone like himself.

And so, Roughflare took the prophecy into his own paws. He would find a way to get his clan to overpower and either destroy or chase out Flowerclan, making Wildclan control the land. At the very least he knew that meant a battle or even war needed to be created.

Roughflare knew he couldn’t pull off his goal alone, however. He needed more cats in order to orchestrate a plan. He knew he could easily manipulate Flowerclan cats, using their fear of their leader or hatred for outsiders against them. But he needed an ally in his own clan; someone he could trust to fight alongside him during the future battle, and someone who would follow his directions.

When he and Orangemoth were alone, Roughflare attempted to bring up the idea of a future without Flowerclan, as a way to test his reaction. Orangemoth showed uncertainty, believing that the clans were always meant to live beside one another, even if they didn’t always get along. When Roughflare tried to insist that their lives would be much easier without the other clan - also adding that the clan had disgraceful warriors anyway - Orangemoth began showing concern. His brother seemed to know where these ideas were coming from, and Roughflare was quick to push off the other tom’s concerns.

Realizing he couldn’t even rely on his brother to help him, Roughflare knew he had to think of an alternative. If he couldn’t gain an ally, he needed someone he could lead, control, and who would loyally follow him. An apprentice would work so well, but there were no more kits that he could possibly mentor. So then a new idea came to him; he needed to have his own kit to raise and train.

But he had no feelings for any of the she-cats within the clan, and the only cat he would be willing to be mates with was a medicine cat. However, there was one she-cat; a warrior named Gentleflame who had always shown some fondness and interest in him. She was a descendant of the very first leader of Wildclan, Wildstar, and she was also Dawnstar’s daughter, so she was a very viable choice.

Thus moons later, his son Dragonkit was born. He hated how Oceanwave’s stories had inspired the kit’s name, but Roughflare chose not to argue and create complications with his mate.

Roughflare felt he couldn’t outright ask Dawnstar to let him be his son’s mentor. So he made a plan; when Dragonkit was only four moons old, Roughflare approached Drawnstar and tried to convince his leader to let his strong son begin his training. Dawnstar turned down the idea, saying that Dragonkit was too young to become an apprentice, but Roughflare persisted. After more arguing Roughflare found the right time to propose that he’d wait for Dragonkit to be old enough, as long as he was permitted to be the kit’s mentor. Seeing as this was the first time Roughflare was ever insistent on anything, Dawnstar agreed with the terms.

Dragonkit later became Dragonpaw and Dawnstar kept his promise by letting Roughflare train the young tom. Dragonpaw and Roughflare often found themselves training alongside Orangemoth’s daughter, Tanglepaw, who frequently joked around with her cousin and would playfully tease her uncle by calling him a “grumpy grump”. Although it greatly annoyed Roughflare having Tanglepaw make Dragonpaw take his training less seriously, the warrior was still fond of his niece. She greatly reminded him of her father, and he hoped that she would reach her goal of becoming a strong warrior while keeping that dedication she had.

And so when Tanglepaw was killed during a border battle with Flowerclan, Roughflare was both shocked and pained. For the first time in a long while he was reminded of Flowerclan’s cruelty, once again tasting the grief and bitterness he had once felt before.

Roughflare felt sorry for his mourning son, knowing the boy was experiencing his first loss. But the tom also felt that the experience was the very spark Dragonpaw needed to truly see Flowerclan as an unforgivable, cold-hearted enemy. After the grieving passed, Roughflare was glad to see his son take his training more seriously.

One day, very abruptly, a sickness spread through the clan, forcing multiple warriors to stay in the medicine cat den for treatment. Among these cats was Gentleflame, who Dragonpaw would anxiously try to check on whenever he could. Roughflare, however, refused to let Dragonpaw skip training or cut training short to see his mother. Cats were gradually recovering from the sickness, so the older tom saw no point.

But it wasn’t the same case for his mate. While everyone else recovered, Gentleflame was eventually the only cat left under the medicine cats’ care. The she-cat showed signs of a different illness, one that even stumped Velvetheart and her mentor. But after speaking with Starclan, Velvetheart made a solemn diagnosis: Gentleflame had a severe illness that could never be cured. In a number of moons, she was destined to die. With that, the she-cat was retired and moved to the Elders Den.

The first thing Roughflare worried about was whether the illness could eventually hit Dragonpaw. Seeing that his apprentice was healthy, the warrior decided to push the thought to the side. Although a part of him pitied his mate, another part of him was relieved that there would be a lesser possibility of Gentleflame getting in the way of his plans.

Eventually Roughflare took his plans a step further; revealing the truth of Oceanwave’s daughter’s bloodline to her. He wasn’t sure just how she would react, but he hoped the outcome would be enough to tear the kittypet family apart. After locating where Oceanwave had hid her kittypet ribbon, Roughflare deliberately set things up to make Rainpaw discover the ribbon herself. From there he helped her put together the pieces, and allowed Dragonpaw to be present so he could genuinely react from shock at the revelation that Rainpaw was half kittypet.

The plan went better than expected. Rainpaw’s reaction led to Oceanwave’s death, and for the first time in moons, Roughflare was filled with a indescribable and near-sadistic satisfaction. This cruel satisfaction began changing him further as he started recognizing just how much power he held through manipulation. He then trained Dragonpaw more harshly, angrily scolding him for any mistakes until he could get things right.

Not long later Roughflare attempted to make Dragonpaw dispose of Rainpaw by abandoning the she-cat far from Wildclan territory. However, Dragonpaw’s soft heart led him to failing the mission, which greatly angered and disappointed the older tom.

Soon a different opportunity came; two Flowerclan kits wandered into Wildclan territory. Realizing that he could use the kits as a way to provoke Flowerclan, he murdered them, convincing himself that his actions were justified if it was for the prophecy. The kits were eventually discovered by his clanmates and it was unknown what could have killed them. Dawnstar decided that the best choice of action would be to return the kits, since keeping the kits a secret would only make their clan seem more suspicious.

Naturally this lead Flowerclan to frame Wildclan of killing their kits. Most of the clan refused to listen to reason, but Flowerclan’s leader coldly let the Wildclan patrol go. Although it seemed like the leader was avoiding conflict, Roughflare knew from the look in the Flowerclan tom’s eyes that he wanted to get back at Wildclan.

Roughflare instantly knew what to do.

He spoke to the Flowerclan cats he pretended to form an alliance with and agreed to let Flowerclan take Rainpaw hostage. He knew it would be a perfect reason for Wildclan to formulate an attack on the other clan. All Roughflare had to do was lead Rainpaw to the border between the clans and let the Flowerclan cats grab and drag the young she-cat away.

Unfortunately for Roughflare, a Wildclan apprentice named Moonpaw witnessed his betrayal. Without hesitation the large tom chased after the young she-cat and aggressively forced her down, digging his claws into her. But uncertain if he could kill someone from his own clan when his plans were so close to being fulfilled, Roughflare spat at Moonpaw and threatened her life. He claimed he would hunt her down if she were to tell anyone about what she saw. His threat seemed to work judging from how terrified the she-cat looked.

Roughflare rushed back to the clan and pretended to be angry as he yelled out to the others that Rainpaw had been captured by Flowerclan cats. Many cats were shocked, some cats were angered that the Flowerclan cats were challenging them, and others didn’t know what to think, since it was the half-kittypet who had been taken.

Dawnstar formed a patrol to negotiate with Flowerclan to take Rainpaw back and to also fight if the situation called for it. They went through with the plan, but failed to retrieve Rainpaw. Instead, Wildclan’s deputy was heavily injured and quickly died from blood loss.

It was then that both clans realized that the only way to settle the grudges and hatred was to meet at the gathering’s clearing and engage in battle.

Dawnstar’s goal was to defeat Flowerclan; to show them that he was not going to let them terrorize and sneer at his clan anymore. Because of Roughflare’s bravery and loyalty, Dawnstar chose to make the tom his new deputy. It was a surprise for Roughflare, but overall he was greatly pleased with how things were working in his favor. Not only was his long-awaited battle going to occur, but he had the power to organize and help command Wildclan’s attack and battle strategy.

As the Wildclan warriors prepared to head out, cats realized that Moonpaw was missing and nowhere to be found on their territory. While some cats feared that Flowerclan had managed to kidnap her too, others had noticed Moonpaw’s shaky behavior and wondered if she had simply abandoned her clan like her parents once did. With Moonpaw out of the way, Roughflare was confident that nothing could stop Wildclan from demolishing Flowerclan.

Both clans met on the battlefield and the battle raged on. Roughflare fought with all of his might and he was proud to see Dragonpaw battle like a warrior.

But there came a point when Dawnstar noticed that the battle was getting rough and that both sides had lost cats. He feared losing more warriors and questioned the decision both clans had made to shed blood. Dawnstar wanted to find a way to end the battle, to stop both sides from losing more lives than was needed, and so relayed these thoughts to his deputy.

Naturally, Roughflare was infuriated and panicked. He yelled at his leader, claiming that this was their chance to put Flowerclan in their place. Roughflare refused to have all that he had worked for go to waste, after they had come so far and he was so close to fulfilling his dream. But Dawnstar, although saddened, settled on his decision.

Roughflare’s last thread of sanity snapped as he turned on his leader and attacked him, yowling that he would not let him ruin everything. Orangemoth, who had been nearby, quickly intervened and knocked his brother off of Dawnstar, demanding if he had lost his mind. Roughflare snapped at him, telling him that it was finally their chance for revenge. He further explained that they could avenge all of the cats who died because of Flowerclan, and that the battle was their one and only chance. Orangemoth was shocked yet perplexed, stating hesitantly that he spoke as if he had planned the battle.

Slowly the battle came to a halt as cats overheard the argument and listened in. Things then took a turn for Roughflare as Moonpaw stepped out of the surrounding trees with Rainpaw at her side. The she-cat shakily confirmed Oragemoth’s words. Roughflare tried to glare the she-cat down, to remind her of his threat, but she went on anyway, confessing that he had let Flowerclan steal Rainpaw, which Rainpaw confirmed. It was then that Rainpaw also scowled at Roughflare, revealing that she now knew that Roughflare had revealed her bloodline to her on purpose.

At that point, cats of both Flowerclan and Wildclan recognized that they had been manipulated and turned on Roughflare, snarling, scowling, and bristling at him. All of his rage erupting at once, Roughflare lunged forward to strike down Moonpaw. His powerful blow came in contact with a different cat, however, as Dragonpaw leaped in to defend his clanmate

Roughflare was shocked and demanded to know what he was doing, to which Dragonpaw sorrowfully stated that what his father was doing was wrong. Orangemoth stepped forward. Standing at a distance he begged his brother to stop, telling him that Brightsong would’ve never wanted him to act like this and go against the warrior code. This only pained and angered Roughflare further as he demanded if Flowerclan had ever followed the warrior code. It wasn’t long before he went on a desperate tangent to explain Starclan’s prophecy and how the erasure of Flowerclan was meant to be. But it was clear to everyone else around him that he had completely lost himself.

In his crazed state he proceeded to tell Dragonpaw to forget the others, stating that they could defeat Flowerclan together. And when Dragonpaw turned away from his father, both pain and fury hit the older tom. Roughflare spat at his son, declaring that Dragonpaw was useless and that he had never cared for him or his mother anyway.

Rainpaw’s father, Windstorm , soon slowly stepped forward with a cold glare. The tom blamed Roughflare for Oceanwave’s death and the pain he had inflicted on his family. Roughflare only laughed, whispering that Oceanwave had deserved to die. This ultimately set Windstorm off and the two warriors battled. Before Orangemoth could intervene, Roughflare sliced Windstorm’s neck.

Orangemoth finally tackled his brother down yet again, being the next one to fight the crazed warrior. He begged his brother to stop, but it was clear that Roughflare was too far gone as he refused to give in. After realizing that there was no other way to stop his brother, Orangemoth stopped holding back and swooped in to land one fatal strike.

Before Roughflare died, he used the last of his strength to lock his gaze on Dragonpaw and rasp “I hope you suffer.”