Ryestalk

Ryestalk is a gray tabby she-cat with soft fur and amber eyes.

Tallstar's Revenge

 * Ryekit and her sister Doekit, along with brother Stagkit are the kits of tunneler Mistmouse and moor-runner Hareflight of WindClan.


 * When Tallkit asks of the whereabouts of Mistmouse, it is mentioned that Ryekit, Doekit, and Stagkit were nowhere to be seen. They are seen during their apprentice ceremony when Tallkit, Shrewkit, and Barkkit watch. She gets the moor runner, Larksplash, as her mentor. The Clan then yowls their approval. Her parents sit with their tails twined and their eyes shining with pride. However, the tunnelers are upset that she or one of her siblings wasn't given to a tunneler as an apprentice. However, Heatherstar says that it's Mistmouse and Hareflight's wishes that they were not apprenticed to tunnelers. She then bounds after Cloudrunner and Stagpaw as they head for the camp entrance.


 * Ryepaw and Doepaw are later seen crouching in the grass beside Tallkit and Barkkit, with their eyes on Flamepelt as he is telling them a story. When Flamepelt says he was hunting a rabbit in the tunnels under ShadowClan territory, she gasps that it was their prey once it was on their territory. She asks if the ShadowClan patrol had found the rabbit, and Flamepelt confirms it, flicking his gaze to Ryepaw and the other cats. As he tells that he had to block it, Ryepaw questions it, and asks how it was done. After the story is done, she agrees with Doepaw that there was hardly any need for tunnels since there was many rabbits on the moor, especially in leaf-bare, and enough could be found to feed the whole Clan. At the beginning of Tallpaw's apprentice ceremony, Doepaw waits between Ryepaw and Aspenfall.


 * After he is made an apprentice, Ryepaw calls out Tallpaw's new name, pummeling the ground. Once the chanting ends, Ryepaw fluffs out her fur, and claims that he wouldn't believe how large the expanse of the moor was. Tallpaw notes that he would be a moor runner, and Larksplash claims that Ryepaw and her siblings weren't always ready for dawn patrol, glancing at her apprentice. She, along with Larksplash, Aspenfall, Doepaw, Hareflight, and Cloudrunner, stream out from behind Shrewpaw. Larksplash then informs Tallpaw that she would be taking Ryepaw to the RiverClan border to refresh the scent, and offers for him to come. Ryepaw trots at his heels, and claims that one could see to the world's end from Outlook Rock. When they encounter sheep dung, Ryepaw explains what it is, and confirms that she had seen a sheep up close. She remarks that one could walk under their bellies without them noticing, and that they lived merely to make dirt and chew.


 * When Tallpaw nearly falls into the gorge, Ryepaw stares at him, wide-eyed, and makes note of the incident. She then nudges his shoulder gently with her nose, and whispers that she should have warned him, as Tallpaw had never been to the gorge. When they hear a dog, Ryepaw remarks that it was in RiverClan territory, so it wasn't their problem. Larksplash tells her to check the border, and Ryepaw stretches to taste the air, before concluding that it was with a Twoleg. Larksplash then claims that it would be a daft dog, before Ryepaw adds that all Twolegs were foolish. When he is with Dawnstripe, Tallpaw thinks that if Ryepaw and her siblings could perform basic tunnel training, so could he. When he returns, Barkpaw mentions that Ryepaw made note of him nearly falling into the gorge. Tallpaw asks if she was back, and looks around to see her sharing prey with Shrewpaw and Stagpaw outside of the apprentices' den, feathers in her whiskers. Barkpaw tells him that she and Larksplash had caught a grouse earlier.


 * It is noted that Ryepaw and her siblings had made nests at the back of the apprentices' den, and Tallpaw is jealous of them. She is then shown hauling a wad of sheepswool toward the elders' den. She is taken out to Outlook Rock along with the other apprentices, being led by her mentor, and she leaps onto it, appearing somber yet focused as they line up and sit down. Ryepaw is the last to be tested on her observation skills, and it is said that Ryepaw was better. She notes of a Twolegplace loner sunning himself on a green-patch, and a heron fishing the stream beside Long Wall, and Dawnstripe informs Tallpaw that Ryepaw had the best eyesight in WindClan. Larksplash compliments her apprentice, and begins to test her hunting skills. They test tracking skills, with Ryepaw and her siblings being hunters, and Tallpaw being the rabbit. As he runs, Tallpaw notices Ryepaw and Doepaw fan out from behind Stagpaw, and they were to plan to surround him.


 * Ryepaw's eyes flash triumph, as she was in the lead, and narrows her eyes, making Tallpaw realize that she was to attempt to overtake him and block his path. Ryepaw and her siblings them try to turn, slithering clumsily in the grass, and Tallpaw tries to make a break for the rock before they find their footing. As he closes in on the rock, Ryepaw and Doepaw pound at his tail. Once the chase is done, Ryepaw is behind her siblings, panting heavily enough that she is unable to speak. A half moon later, she is made a warrior with the name Ryestalk. She is chosen to patrol the moor-edge and gorge with Larksplash and Stagleap by Dawnstripe. When Tallpaw asks Dawnstripe about the time of their departure, Dawnstripe replies that it would be when Stagleap and Ryestalk stopped gossiping and join them. Ryestalk and her siblings stand at the top of the Meeting Hollow, and their ceremony is made note of. Tallpaw is said to have watched their ceremony, and is secretly proud that he helped with their assessment, when he had nearly outrun them.


 * Larksplash then calls for Ryestalk again, and she looks up, then leaps over the tussocks with Stagleap behind her. She apologizes, and skids to a halt on the wet grass. As they begin, Ryestalk explains that Larksplash didn't mean to seem ill-tempered, as she wasn't a morning cat, and promises Shrewpaw that he would feel better once the wind was in his fur, before following Larksplash. Stagleap brings up the idea of racing again, with Ryestalk popping up beside him, and claiming that they would get to the border quicker if they ran. Larksplash permits them, and Ryestalk then finishes off the count down, before crashing away through the heather. As they race, Ryestalk explodes from the bushes, and whisks past Tallpaw with a yowl of triumph. The ground begins to slope steeply, and although she pounds over the grass, Ryestalk cannot match Stagleap's strength. Tallpaw eventually manages to outrun Ryestalk as well.


 * Ryestalk is said to lag, but puts on a spurt of energy so she can crest the rise and hurtle down after them. After the race, Ryestalk pulls up beside them, and remarks that she was hopeless on the grass. Struggling to get her breath, she comments that she would rather sprint over rabbit trails, and Stagleap agrees, noting that she was good at twists and turns. She then glances over her shoulder, and points out that they had passed the scent line. When a Twoleg is scented, Ryestalk inquires if they had a dog with them. Stagleap claims that there had been no dogs on that portion of the moor for a moon, and Ryestalk looks at him, replying that she supposed it was when he began patrolling. As they near the gorge, Ryestalk, Larksplash, and Dawnstripe fan out and sniff the scent line that runs along the gorge. When they begin hearing sounds from below, Ryestalk's fur stands on end, and she asks about the source of it. It turns out to be a collapsing tunnel, and the tunnelers escape from it. Sandgorse claims that they were tunneling all night, and Ryestalk asks if he was tired.


 * Ryestalk is chosen to go to the Gathering with her siblings, and she is at her sister's side, asking her if she was excited, eyes bright. It is noted that it was her first Gathering. Tallpaw replies that he guessed so, and Ryestalk repeats his statement questioningly, following Cloudrunner and Hareflight across the grass. She then adds that it would be great, before she disappears into the heather. At the Gathering, she, along with Larksplash and Dawnstripe, flank Appledawn, Hareflight, and Shrewpaw as the announcements begin. Once it is her turn, Heatherstar makes note that Ryestalk, Doespring, and Stagleap had became warriors. Afterwards, Tallpaw asks why Heatherstar didn't inform the other Clans of the new tunnel, and Ryestalk flicks her tail, telling him that they never spoke of their tunnels to the other Clans.


 * When the greenleaf visitors arrive, Larksplash tells Reena that she had been a mentor, and when asked who she had mentored, Ryestalk pads forward, and confirms that it was her, nostrils twitching. Reena casts an admiring gaze over Ryestalk, before she introduces herself. Reena then introduces herself, and feels honored to touch noses with Ryestalk, sticking out her nose. Ryestalk then glances at Larksplash, assuring her that it was okay, and gingerly, Ryestalk touches her nose to Reena's, before hopping back. During a battle with ShadowClan, Frogpaw creeps up behind Ryestalk as she grapples with Newtpaw, the latter ducking over the former, and flips her onto her back. Newtpaw then begins to batter Ryestalk's muzzle, making her thrash like injured prey as she tries to find her paws, belly exposed. Tallpaw then fights Frogpaw, and Ryestalk rolls past him, claws dug deep into Newtpaw's flanks, and asks if he was okay. After Brackenwing dies, Ryestalk collects shredded gorse around the nursery and threads it back into the walls.


 * Shortly after Sandgorse's death, Ryestalk and her siblings blink at like birds lined up on a branch. When out on the moor with Flailfoot, Tallpaw reminds the elder that Mistmouse didn't want to pass her skills down to Ryestalk, Stagleap, and Doespring, and was glad that they were moor runners. When tunneling is ended by Heatherstar, Mistmouse claims that Ryestalk, Stagleap, and Doespring were happy as moor runners, and that their young ones deserved to run with the wind in their tails. As the visitors leave, Tallpaw follows his Clanmates, and falls in beside Stagleap and Ryestalk. As Palebird kits, Ryestalk climbs out of her nest, and informs Tallpaw - now Talltail - that he was born on a night similar to the one they were in, fluffing out her fur. Talltail doubts her, as she was barely a kit at the time, and she explains that despite being young, her eyes were open, and her ears worked perfectly.


 * She recalls that Talltail was a squealing kit, and one night, Stagleap picked him up and placed him outside of the nursery den so he could get some sleep. Her eyes flash as she expects him to purr with amusement, but when he doesn't, she goes on, remembering that Sandgorse heard him, and put him back in the den. She adds that Stagleap got an ear chewing as a result for his behavior. As Talltail hears Barkpaw, Ryestalk claims that Palebird was lucky to have two medicine cats looking after her, and assures Talltail that she would get through it. A mew sounds through the wall, and Ryestalk claims that it was the first kit. Afterwards, Ryestalk, Appledawn, and Hickorynose cluster around for news, and Talltail shoulders past them. As Talltail starts to leave WindClan, Ryestalk murmurs for StarClan to light his path.


 * When Talltail returns, Ryestalk follows Shrewclaw out, and asks if it was Talltail. She stops behind Shrewclaw, and remarks that it was good to see Talltail. He returns the gesture, and notices that Ryestalk's pelt was touching Shrewclaw's, whiskers brushing casually. He wonders if they were mates, and finds it strange that life carried on in his Clan while he was away. She then asks about what happened, and Larksplash explains that Palebird's kits were saved from a hawk by Talltail. Afterwards, Shrewclaw meets Talltail again, Ryestalk at his side. Talltail notes that Hopkit cut himself on one, and Ryestalk frowns, commenting that it was dangerous. She then nudges Shrewclaw, agreeing with Talltail, and suggests to clear the hollow before another cat gets hurt. She hurries across the tussocks to where Stagleap and Appledawn share prey. When ShadowClan scent is reported by the border, Ryestalk twitches her tail, and wishes to go, but Heatherstar declines, as they were merely attempting to provoke WindClan.


 * A few days later, Shrewclaw, Ryestalk, and Doespring prepare to leave for a border patrol. A moon after another battle with ShadowClan, Ryestalk is said to have moved into the nursery, belly swelling with a chance of new kits. Talltail asks Palebird about Ryestalk's settling in the den, and she claims that she was doing well, but it was crowded. Palebird adds that she would be more comfortable once Pigeonkit and Sorrelkit were made apprentices. He asks if she was still grieving for Shrewclaw, and she confirms it, but claims that her grief would ease once she saw his kits. It is noted that the Clan was comforted, knowing that Ryestalk carried Shrewclaw's kits, and fussed over her as if she was an egg waiting to hatch. Is it also said that she has more wool in her nest than an elder, and she was never alone, as Lilywhisker made sure some cat was always watching her, who would bring her food whenever she was hungry, and who would fetch water-soaked moss if she complained of thirst. When Meadowslip's kits are about to be made apprentices, Heatherstar acknowledges the loss of Shrewclaw, and dips her head to Ryestalk, who watches hollow-eyed from the nursery.

Members
Mate:
 * Shrewclaw:

Mother:
 * Mistmouse:

Father:
 * Hareflight:

Brother:
 * Stagleap:

Sister:
 * Doespring: