Rainflower

Rainflower is a soft-furred pale gray she-cat.

Tallstar's Revenge

 * Oakkit is seen calling for Rainflower, who proceeds to ask what the kit wants when WindClan enters the RiverClan camp. Oakkit responds that there were intruders, and Rainflower directs her attention to the other cats, asking why RiverClan has to help WindClan.

Crookedstar's Promise

 * When RiverClan's camp floods and they have to evacuate it, Rainflower suddenly starts kitting. Brambleberry helps her into a tree, and Rainflower successfully gives birth to Oakkit and Stormkit. She and her mate, Shellheart, name Oakkit for the oak that sheltered them and Stormkit for the storm that drove them there. She is very proud of her kits, saying they were very good looking. Rainflower takes care of them and shows that she loves them greatly. She is shown to be a good mate and mother.


 * When Stormkit breaks his jaw, Rainflower blames him for his accident. She says that if he had never gone out without permission, he would be fine and he'd still be her handsome little warrior, calling him an ugly mess. She avoids him and treats him coldly, the beginning of her neglect.


 * When Stormkit finally is allowed to sleep in the nursery again after his accident, everyone is very happy to see him, except for Rainflower. She still refuses to look at him. Oakkit shows Stormkit around the camp and everything that has changed, including the nursery, which now has a training corner. As the kits try it out with Petalkit, Volekit, and Beetlekit, Rainflower pads in, remarking about their mess in the corner and asks why they can't play outside like normal kits. As they all head outside to play moss ball, Stormkit trips over something that looks like a small nest. He asks if a new queen has moved into the nursery, to which Rainflower explains that it's his new nest. She then goes on to explain that Stormkit will probably fidget in his sleep, and that she doesn't want Oakkit disturbed just because Stormkit is injured.


 * Just after this, Shellheart visits the nursery soon to see Stormkit. When he asks how Stormkit is settling in, Stormkit replies that he has his own nest now. Shellheart is at first confused and asks if Oakkit has his own nest too. When he finds out that Oakkit is still sharing a nest with Rainflower, he gets angered and asks Rainflower to come outside. He yells at her, saying he never thought that she could be this heartless. When she insists on the name Crookedkit, Shellheart declares that if she renames him, they can no longer be mates. Stormkit hears this. Echomist, another queen, tells Stormkit that Rainflower was just grieving, and didn't know what she was saying. Stormkit runs out and asks them not to fight because of him. He says he'll sleep in his own nest, but Shellheart flicks his tail at Rainflower and tells his son that it is her fault, not his.


 * She is seen walking into Hailstar's den to arrange for Stormkit to be renamed Crookedkit, and for Shellheart to mentor Oakpaw. She is also the first to cheer for Oakpaw when he becomes an apprentice. When she reveals that she arranged for Shellheart to mentor Oakpaw, Crookedkit feels cold. She says that only the strongest warrior can train the strongest apprentice. Rainflower rejects Shellheart's offer to teach Crookedkit a few moves, saying he's too small even though he had almost outgrown his nest.


 * After this, she informs Crookedkit that she was going to move out of the nursery now, and was going to share Lakeshine's nest until she could build her own. Crookedkit doesn't want her to leave because he doesn't want to be the only cat living in the nursery.


 * When Crookedkit comes back to RiverClan after running away, she chides him and says that he was always too adventurous for his own good. Crookedkit looks at her, but her gaze gives nothing away. He turns back to Hailstar, but a few moments later Rainflower asks if she can see her kit. She says that she's happy that he's back. Crookedkit is surprised and looks up, but she is already walking away.


 * When Crookedpaw gets his apprentice name, he worries that Rainflower wouldn't cheer, but after a moment's hesitation, she does.


 * When Oakheart becomes a warrior, Rainflower says that Oakheart would always be better than Crookedpaw. Shellheart angrily defends Crookedpaw, snarling at his former mate that she should keep her thoughts to herself just once. Crookedpaw is upset that his mother is spoiling his brother's warrior ceremony, but Oakheart tells him to just ignore her.


 * Prior going on the patrol to remark the Sunningrocks border and after making a speech to Beetlenose about leaving the mark there in his honor, Crookedjaw suspects he sees a glimmer of respect in Rainflower's eyes.


 * When a dog attacks a patrol, Crookedjaw leads it away, towards the river, where Rainflower is drinking. The dog sees her and tries to get her. Oakheart and Beetlenose go to distract the dog. Crookedjaw goes to his mother and concludes that the dog knocked her onto a rock and that she had hit her head on it. Crookedjaw goes to help her, thinking there was a chance Rainflower still might be alive, but Mapleshade tells him to leave her alone and help his Clanmates. After hesitating, he leaves Rainflower, telling himself that she would have already been dead. Crookedjaw tells Oakheart that he was there and saw Rainflower die, but that he couldn't help her.


 * Oakheart has a hard time forgiving Crookedjaw for coming and helping him and his Clanmates instead of Rainflower. He insists that if she had just hit her head on a rock, she might have simply been stunned, and Brambleberry could have helped her. Crookedjaw protests that there wasn't time for him to help her, and he had to stop the dog. Oakheart growls that he had been taking care of the dog, along with the rest of the patrol, and Crookedjaw was supposed to have been helping Rainflower. Crookedjaw begins to doubt his decision, and whether or not Rainflower had really been dead when he left her alone.


 * The entire Clan mourns Rainflower's loss. Piketooth presses his nose into her pelt, saying they would miss her. Shellheart also grieves, and Crookedjaw realizes that even though he and Rainflower had stopped being mates, he had never stopped loving her. Shellheart and Oakheart sit vigil for her together, while Crookedjaw stays outside his den, beside Willowbreeze. He wishes that he hadn't left her on the shore, and hopes that Mapleshade would explain everything to her in StarClan. He silently apologizes to her for sneaking out of camp, breaking his jaw, and letting her down, and thinks about how much he missed her and wanted her to forgive him. He asks her to forgive him in a whisper.


 * The next day Crookedjaw sees Shellheart come back from burying his former mate. Crookedjaw thinks about Rainflower a lot and wonders if she is watching him from StarClan. Even after this, it takes a while for Oakheart to fully forgive Crookedjaw for letting Rainflower die.


 * When Crookedjaw becomes deputy, Shellheart tells him that Rainflower would've been proud of him, and that he was sorry she judged him so harshly. Shellheart mews softly that she was wrong, and tells Crookedjaw that ever since he has known her, she always found it hard to admit when she was wrong. He then says that she will come to see that she was wrong, and that she's watching Crookedjaw from StarClan, regretting how much she mistreated and missed Crookedjaw.


 * When Crookedjaw goes to the Moonstone to receive his name and nine lives, he looks for Rainflower, but Shellheart says although she was in StarClan, he was going to give him his final life instead of her.

The Ultimate Guide

 * She appears on Crookedstar's page. When a fall broke Stormkit's jaw Rainflower renamed him. It seemed that Rainflower never recovered from the disappointment of having a disfigured son, and showered attention to Oakkit instead. Crookedjaw proved his worth over and over, but never seemed to please his mother. A stray dog on RiverClan territory sent Crookedjaw racing for help but was faced with the choice of helping his Clanmates or saving Rainflower, who was knocked into the river. Crookedjaw went to help his Clanmates and Rainflower died. Crookedjaw never forgot the moment he lost her and the chance of ever winning her love.


 * It is mentioned on Oakheart's page that he was painfully aware that Rainflower favored him over Crookedkit and seemed unable to cope with one of her sons was disfigured.

Interesting facts

 * Lilystem was originally said to be Crookedkit and Oakkit's mother. This was changed to Rainflower to prevent an inconsistency in a scene from the book.
 * Vicky has said that she hopes that Rainflower felt sorry for Crookedstar after she died, and makes up with him when he goes to join StarClan.

Mistakes

 * In The Ultimate Guide, Rainflower is stated to have drowned, when really she died from a head injury.

Members
Mate:
 * Shellheart (formerly):

Sons:
 * Crookedstar:
 * Oakheart:

References and citations
RegenblüteМоросинкаRainflowerFleur de PluieDeszczowy Kwiat