Hawk Swoop/History

The Sun Trail

 * Hawk Swoop is noted to be one of the youngest journeying cats, along with Jagged Peak, Falling Feather and Jackdaw's Cry. Since she wasn't fully grown, she has trouble climbing over some of the larger boulders. When the journeying cats come across a slippery scree laying in front of them, she mutters that she didn't like the look of it. When the traveling cats try to run away from the eagle, she is noted to have fallen behind the other cats, along with Rainswept Flower. The two cats manage to dodge one of the eagle's outstretched claws, and join the others hiding under the overhanging rock. Hawk Swoop then demands how long they were to stay there, adding that she needed some prey.


 * Hawk Swoop later calls out farther upstream the river she was traveling. The group crowds together to see what she has found, and she explains that they might be able to cross the rocks. Shaded Moss compliments her for her spotting. When Falling Feather saves Quick Water from drowning, Hawk Swoop points out that most cats don't jump into rivers. Later at night, when she is asked to go hunt, she objects, saying that it was too dark. She springs forward along with Moon Shadow at a twittering flock of small birds, only to halt, confused, when Shaded Moss calls her back. He informs them that they weren't hungry, adding that there was no need to waste prey. Hawk Swoop and Moon Shadow exchange bewildered glances, before Moon Shadow replies that it seemed wrong to let prey escape.


 * When Clear Sky warns that there was a monster, she ducks back towards Gray Wing along with Shattered Ice. Hawk Swoop then freezes in panic, and scrabbles at the black stones as if she was trying to bury herself. Shattered Ice then grabs her by the scruff of her neck, carries her to the far side, and collapses, panting but uninjured. Dappled Pelt says that she was worried about her, adding that she had a nasty shock back on the Thunderpath. Hawk Swoop replies that it was her fault, and gives her chest fur an embarrassed lick, adding that she was fine now.


 * When Moon Shadow snaps that he should have hunted earlier, she agrees with him, saying that it was a stupid decision to come into the Twolegplace. Hawk Swoop is then woken up when Gray Wing trips over her, and he tells her that it was her turn to go on watch. Hawk Swoop replies drowsily, and gets up to join Rainswept Flower, who fetches Jackdaw's Cry before she falls asleep. Hawk Swoop later goes into a marsh with the journeying cats, and exclaims that it was awful, adding that she would never get her fur clean.


 * While Hawk Swoop runs away from a herd of sheep, she is trampled by a lone sheep. Gray Wing leaps forward towards her, but Clear Sky is faster, and grabs Hawk Swoop by the scruff, and drags her towards the gap, before he shoves her through. Gray Wing notices that all of them were them and uninjured while checking the group, except for Hawk Swoop, who stands with one of her forelegs at a strange angle. Shaded Moss then asks her if she can walk, and she says that she'll try. In pain, Hawk Swoop limps a few paces, and Gray Wing then states that she couldn't walk. Then, Gray Wing lets her lean on his shoulder, while he takes her to a clump of long grass until she could collapse.


 * Cloud Spots examines Hawk Swoop, and says that he had seen injures like Hawk Swoop's before, and that her leg had came out of the joint at her shoulder. Quick Water asks if she would be stuck like that, and Cloud Spots says that she wouldn't be, and recalls of a time where he watched Quiet Rain treat one of the elders for that when they slipped off a rock. He notes that herbs would only help the pain, not the injury.


 * Hawk Swoop then gasps in agony as he then sets his paws on her neck and shoulder, telling her that it would hurt, but that it would be over soon. Gray Wing helps out, and puts his paws where Cloud Spots indicates. Then, he yanks hard at Hawk Swoop's leg, and she lets out a shriek, which sets it back in place. She then lies trembling, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Cloud Spots asks her if she can move her leg, and after she flexes it, she thanks Cloud Spots, saying that it only ached a bit. After he carefully picks out a couple of leaves, Cloud Spots gives her them, and tells her to chew them well and swallow them to help the pain. She eats the herbs, and Shaded Moss tells her that she needs to rest.


 * After a few days, it is noted that Hawk Swoop quickly recovers from her injury. When Gray Wing protests that the traveling cats had come too far to give up, Hawk Swoop crouches nearby, turns her head, and notes that he didn't want to come in the first place. Gray Wing responds that although he did not, he had come as far as the rest of them, and that this would be his new home.


 * She asks if they could stay on one side of the Thunderpath, back on Highstones, adding that there was plenty of space there. Clear Sky points out that she was right, but that there was no prey. He adds that they needed trees, bushes, and long grass to feed them all. She, along with Jagged Peak and Moon Shadow, are put in a group led by Gray Wing. He lines up the three cats at the edge of the Thunderpath, and all three of them, except for Jagged Peak, make it across. When Tall Shadow pads over to Gray Wing when he meets Wind and Gorse, Hawk Swoop pads at her shoulder, and her teeth bares in the beginning of a snarl. After they arrive back at the hollow, Hawk Swoop tells the story to the rest of the cats, and finishes it by saying that Tall Shadow made the cats go away.


 * Moon Shadow later argues with his sister, Tall Shadow, and says that all she ever did was order them around.  Hawk Swoop steps between the two siblings, and retorts that all he ever did was argue. She adds that the rest of them were tired of listening to it, and that since it wasn't raining, she asks if they should try hunting birds, like they used to. Hawk Swoop then points at a circling hawk with her tail, and urges the traveling cats to catch it, saying that they knew how to catch that kind of prey. Hawk Swoop leads the mountain cats as they climb out of the hollow, and runs down the slope towards the hawk, but keeps low to not alert it. Dappled Pelt comments that it looked like a sparrow compared to the eagles back at home, and Hawk Swoop instantly replies that this was their home now, and a heavy silence greets her words. Hawk Swoop then nods to Jackdaw's Cry, since he could jump the highest, and she thought that he would be a good choice to make the first leap.


 * While fighting a fox, Hawk Swoop twitches feebly. Gray Wing is afraid that she might have been killed, but she manages to stagger to her paws. After the fight, she protests that it was not easy living in the moor, adding that it could be good to live in the forest. However, she states that the group shouldn't split up in the process. When the traveling cats vote for living in the forest, she votes to stay on the moor. Gray Wing later notices that Hawk Swoop and Jackdaw's Cry had their heads together, laughter in their eyes as they mew something in low voices. He realizes that Jackdaw's Cry was a full-grown cat, taller than Hawk Swoop, and how they stood close together makes him think that they were more than just friends. She, along with Cloud Spots, work busily to make new nests as Gray Wing drops a bundle of moss beside the new nests. Gray Wing later joins in the nest-making, and by nightfall, they finish with the new nests.


 * When Dappled Pelt comes back to the hollow after leaving Clear Sky's group, Hawk Swoop tells her that she was glad to see her, adding that she was expecting kits with Jackdaw's Cry. She states that she was worried she wouldn't be back in time to help her. She says that although Cloud Spots was great, he wasn't the most sympathetic cat on the moor. Dappled Pelt replies that she and Cloud Spots will make sure she was fine, and adds that they should start gathering herbs to store in case if there was an emergency.


 * Jackdaw's Cry suggests that they could bring moss down for nests in the tunnels, stating that Hawk Swoop and his kits would be safe and warm in there. When leaf-bare arrives on the moor, it is noted that Hawk Swoop was huge with kits, and Gray Wing spent a morning helping Jackdaw's Cry build a bigger den for the expecting cat, so that she would be sheltered from the cold winds when she gave birth. Hawk Swoop sighs that it was wonderful, flops down on the nest, and adds that she couldn't wait for her kits to be there. Gray Wing thinks that seeing her close to kitting reminded him of Storm.


 * When Gray Wing shows the group Thunder, Clear Sky's son, Hawk Swoop, her belly heavy with her kits, takes a pace forward and calls him flea-brained. She asks him why he brought Thunder there, and suggests that Clear Sky would use him as an excuse to attack them. Gray Wing replies that he wouldn't, saying that he didn't want Thunder anywhere near him. While Gray Wing explains to the others how Storm died and his meeting with Clear Sky, Hawk Swoop's gaze softens as she looks down the kit. After he is finished, she nudges Thunder to his paws, curls her tail around him, and presses him close to her belly.


 * Hawk Swoop murmurs for him to come to her as she heads towards her tunnel nursery. She glances over her shoulder at Gray Wing, and tells him that she'll look after Thunder. Dappled Pelt later notes that Hawk Swoop was close to kitting, adding that she had already said she would look after him. Jackdaw's Cry argues that Hawk Swoop would have her kits to care for - his kits. He adds that it was not fair to expect Hawk Swoop to manage to take care of another kit. Dappled Pelt tells him that she had already made her decision.

Thunder Rising

 * She gives birth to her kits; Lightning Tail and Acorn Fur.


 * In a dream, Thunder remarks that Hawk Swoop was kind to him, as her tenderness never failed, but Storm's love and comfort is more powerful. As Gray Wing takes out her kits for training, it is noted that he asked Hawk Swoop for permission, and she agrees, advising him not to let them far from camp. Hawk Swoop and Tall Shadow then sit close together, grooming their fur as they speak. When Turtle Tail returns, Hawk Swoop stands in front of Tall Shadow. Hawk Swoop then follows Rainswept Flower, and brushes her pelt against Turtle Tail's, commenting that it was good to see her. Turtle Tail then looks at her kits, and remarks that they must be Hawk Swoop's.


 * When dogs attack the camp, Hawk Swoop and Jackdaw's Cry dive down the closest tunnel, pushing their kits in front of them. The dogs then begin to sniff at the two cats' tunnel, but they eventually leave. When in a tunnel, Thunder thinks of it as less comfortable than the one he slept in with Hawk Swoop. When Jackdaw's Cry rescues Jagged Peak, he races toward Hawk Swoop and his kits, and begins to tell of his success. When Wind and Gorse enter camp, Gray Wing asks them if they had met Hawk Swoop. As they are about to leave, Hawk Swoop bundles her kits off to sleep. Once they leave, Hawk Swoop agrees with her mate that they should have stayed, as Wind and Gorse saved Jagged Peak, and would've been great to have with them.


 * As he argues with Tall Shadow, Hawk Swoop encourages Gray Wing to speak up to her. She then agrees with her mate, nodding and moving closer to him. She adds that things were changing in spite of Tall Shadow, as there were no other cats in the mountains. Hawk Swoop also points out that they were scrambling for space to hunt, and that dogs were attacking them. As some cats gather around Gray Wing, Hawk Swoop asks if they recalled how Gray Wing and Jagged Peak left the mountains on their own. A moon after Turtle Tail's kits are born, Rainswept Flower and Hawk Swoop observe Jagged Peak and the kits, and the latter raises her tail to keep her kits back. She informs them that they couldn't play with the moon-old kits, as they were little.


 * When Bumble is turned away from the group, Hawk Swoop and Turtle Tail look on. When fire starts, Hawk Swoop dashes past Gray Wing, hard on Acorn Fur's and Lightning Tail's paws, and scurries them back to their den. After the fire, the cats share a hare Hawk Swoop had caught, and she pads across to offer a portion of it to Frost. When Thunder leaves the group, Gray Wing informs him to bid farewell properly to Hawk Swoop, as she has done a lot for him, and treated him as her son. He angles to ears to where she sits, watching her kits wrestling, and Thunder then pads over to Hawk Swoop. Gray Wing cannot hear what they say, but feels as if his heart would break when Hawk Swoop's expression changes. She then darts a panicked glance to him, and Gray Wing nods gently, telling her silently not to fight it, and the best she could do is to send Thunder with their good wishes.


 * Once Clear Sky departs Tall Shadow's camp, he asks Thunder, who stands beside Hawk Swoop, if he was to come. When Gorse and Wind join the group, Hawk Swoop suggests the names Gorse Bush and Gorse Tail for Gorse - but his name ultimately becomes Gorse Fur. When Gray Wing becomes leader, Hawk Swoop is among the cats that press around Gray Wing, brush their pelts against his, and either rest their tails on his shoulders, or push their noses into his fur. As he makes an announcement, Hawk Swoop emerges from her den with her kits behind her. Gray Wing then finishes consuming a hare Hawk Swoop brought him. When Gray Wing calls for another meeting, Hawk Swoop and Jackdaw's Cry are close behind their kits, and sit next to them. When Wind tells of her experiences with Clear Sky, she mentions Thunder in the group of guards, and Hawk Swoop is in denial about Thunder's presence in the situation. When thinking about Gray Wing and Hawk Swoop in Clear Sky's group, he wonders why he left them.

The First Battle

 * As they plan for a battle with Clear Sky, Hawk Swoop fidgets between Jackdaw's Cry and Shattered Ice, body catching evening light. Shattered Ice and Gorse Fur then go out hunting, and Hawk Swoop agrees to join them. Once she returns, Rainswept Flower steps backward as Hawk Swoop passes by with Thunder with her, pleased. It is noted that Hawk Swoop raised him in the moor cats' camp after his siblings and mother were killed. Voice cracking, Hawk Swoop announces that Thunder has returned home, puffing out her chest. She introduces Frost to the moor cats, explaining his banishment by Clear Sky, and that he and Thunder were found trekking on the border. Her eyes fix on Thunder fondly, as if he was her own kit. Adding on, she mentions that she left the hunting group, as she wanted to bring Thunder back as quickly as she could. Hawk Swoop remarks that banished cats shouldn't wander the moors alone, and since Frost was injured, Clear Sky wouldn't tolerate it. When Thunder is asked to explain the reason Clear Sky banished him, Hawk Swoop leans close to him, and Gray Wing adds that Hawk Swoop reported that he was banished.


 * Once the hunting group returns, Hawk Swoop settles beside Shattered Ice. She then has pollen washed from her ears by her mate. When thinking of Lightning Tail and Acorn Fur, Thunder recalls that Hawk Swoop gave birth to them not long after he was brought to their camp. After Thunder argues with Jagged Peak, Hawk Swoop heads toward him, worried, and asks if he was okay, as she saw him arguing with Jagged Peak. He touches his muzzle to her cheek, and brushes it off as nothing. Hawk Swoop assures him that Jagged Peak was merely misunderstood, as it was hard for him to rely on others for prey, since the cats were used to independence in the mountains. She lets out a loud purr, and then expresses how much she had missed Thunder, noting that Lightning Tail and Acorn Fur were desperate to share nose, and that they'd return shortly. Her gaze flashes to Gorse Fur, and suggests for him to give the others time to accept him, as they would eventually adjust, and Thunder presses his cheek against hers gratefully, hoping that she is right.


 * Thunder wonders if he shouldn't have left his father, and Hawk Swoop replies that he wanted to be with his kin, sitting on her haunches, and adds that it was merely a natural feeling. Thunder thanks her, and Hawk Swoop notes that she had spare moss he could use for his nest. As Thunder follows her, he is stopped by the returning Lightning Tail and Acorn Fur. As the other cats gather up, Hawk Swoop and Turtle Tail, along with some others, are already present. As Wind Runner and Gorse Fur join the meeting, Hawk Swoop moves to let them pass. While going to Clear Sky's Camp for diplomatic reasons, Jackdaw's Cry explains that when Thunder first came to their camp, Hawk Swoop had her kits to take care of, and had to put them first.


 * After Thunder meets Tom, Hawk Swoop paces beside the rock where Tall Shadow sits. Wind Runner then offers to go hunting, and Hawk Swoop crosses the clearing toward Gorse Fur, and offers to come with her. As Thunder recounts on his experience there, Hawk Swoop barges past, and asks of the location of Jackdaw's Cry, before repeating it in an urgent manner, pacing beside Thunder. Thunder explains that he was asked to stay in Clear Sky's camp, and Hawk Swoop responds in disbelief. His gaze slides towards Hawk Swoop's, and she asks of what else would happen to her mate. Hawk Swoop glares at him, asking for confirmation, making Thunder stiffen. Turtle Tail remarks that Clear Sky was a bully, and Hawk Swoop inquires to Gray Wing on what should they do.


 * Tall Shadow notes that Clear Sky was holding Jackdaw's Cry hostage, and Hawk Swoop pages forward, adding that Turtle Tail thought they should go to retrieve him. Gray Wing informs the others that Jackdaw's Cry was not in any danger, and Hawk Swoop concedes that Jackdaw's Cry would be fine, shoulders drooping. Gray Wing gazes gratefully at Hawk Swoop, but not at Turtle Tail. When Turtle Tail's kits go missing, Hawk Swoop recalls seeing them playing in the grass outside of their camp. Turtle Tail bounds after Jagged Peak, and Hawk Swoop and Shattered Ice follow, Hawk Swoop offering to look by the gorge.


 * Once Shattered Ice and Hawk Swoop return, the former notes that he and Hawk Swoop followed their trail to the river, and found Tom's scent along with the kits. When Emberkit dies, Hawk Swoop crouches beside Wind Runner, and orders Gray Wing to be quiet as he comes in. Wind Runner shows him the dead body of Emberkit, and Hawk Swoop bends to lap Wind Runner's shoulder. Wind Runner then accuses Gray Wing of not being a father, and Hawk Swoop touches his flank gently, gazing at him sympathetically, and assures him that she didn't know what she was saying. As Lightning Tail and Thunder rescue the kits, Lightning Tail comments that they would never learn how to pluck lapwings from the sky, like Hawk Swoop.


 * Acorn Fur impatiently asks of the reason it was taking Lightning Tail and Thunder long, and Hawk Swoop chides her to hush, in order to let Wind Runner grieve in peace. When it is reported that Turtle Tail is dead, Hawk Swoop expresses her remorse, and presses her muzzle to his shoulder. Wind Runner then leads Gray Wing to the bramble den, where Wind Runner's remaining kits scramble over Hawk Swoop as she lies in the former's nest, and Hawk Swoop promises to watch the others. Afterwards, Shattered Ice sits beside Hawk Swoop with a half eaten thrush between them. When the battle at the four trees begins, Thunder asks Jackdaw's Cry if Hawk Swoop would leave him there.


 * As the others head for the battle, Hawk Swoop streaks past, heading for the heather, and after Wind Runner agrees to stay in camp, Hawk Swoop already leads the others into battle. She reaches the slope's top first, and Thunder waves between her and Lightning Tail. Thunder asks if they were ready, and Hawk Swoop inquires of the amount of cats Clear Sky has, which Thunder informs her that he had more than them.


 * After the battle, Thunder stiffens as his gaze falls on Hawk Swoop's bloodied corpse, and questions her death in disbelief, Lightning Tail racing to his side. He crouches beside her, and states his mother's name, prompting Clear Sky to comment that they were acting like kits. Gray Wing replies that they were Hawk Swoop's kits, but Clear Sky notes that Thunder was Storm's kit, and Gray Wing notes that Hawk Swoop was the cat who had raised him. As Lightning Tail goes out to retrieve some herbs, he pulls himself away from Hawk Swoop, and Thunder looks up from her body, remarking that he wouldn't leave until she was buried. When Clear Sky looks at the dead bodies, he notices Thunder resting his chin on Hawk Swoop's flank. As the spirits of the dead appear to the survivors of the battle, Hawk Swoop's spirit rises from her body, and drifts around him. He questioningly asks if she was alive, which she confirms that she wasn't, but notes that she wouldn't truly leave him, and as she speaks, more spirits rise.

The Blazing Star

 * As the cats divide in pairs to bury the dead, Thunder finds himself standing over Hawk Swoop's bloody corpse. He recalls how she cared for him when he was first brought to the hollow. Thunder then takes Hawk Swoop's scruff in his jaws, bracing against the feeling of her fur, and he finds her body to be limp and heavy, now that she had died. As he tugs her to a hole, Lightning Tail and Acorn Fur offer to help, and Thunder agrees, as Hawk Swoop was their mother. Lightning Tail sorrowfully grips Hawk Swoop's tail, Acorn Fur supports her belly, and it takes a short time for the three cats to carry her to the edge of the grave.


 * The two kits of Hawk Swoop stand over her body, grief-stricken, and push their mother's corpse into the hole, closing their eyes as she tumbles and flops onto the pile of bodies. Lightning Tail and Acorn Fur both make their promises not to forget Hawk Swoop. When Acorn Fur is thinking of leaving the hollow, she tells Thunder and Lightning Tail that if she kept coming back, she would expect to see Hawk Swoop and Jackdaw's Cry. As Gray Wing thinks about the many losses during their time in their new home, Hawk Swoop is mentioned to be one of the many who had died.

A Forest Divided

 * At the gathering with the spirit cats, Tall Shadow shares words with Jackdaw's Cry, Moon Shadow, and Hawk Swoop. While he thinks about what the spirit cats said, Thunder reminisces of his times playing kit games with Lightning Tail and Acorn Fur, while Hawk Swoop watched in the distance. During the voting, Lightning Tail chooses the forest, which Thunder expected, as besides him and Acorn Fur, Thunder had no other living kin, as Hawk Swoop and Jackdaw's Cry were dead. Some time after Quiet Rain arrives in the forest, Thunder has memories of Hawk Swoop calling him and Lightning Tail back to camp. River Ripple also plans to tell her about Hawk Swoop's kits.


 * When Quiet Rain asks about Acorn Fur, Clear Sky informs her that she was one of Hawk Swoop's kits. Quiet Rain then inquires of her whereabouts, and Clear Sky replies that she had died. Quiet Rain asks how, and Clear Sky adds that she had died in the battle against him. As Quiet Rain dies, Hawk Swoop is one of the spirit cats present near the old cat's body. She weaves around Quiet Rain, welcoming her.

Moth Flight's Vision

 * Hawk Swoop is seen when Dappled Pelt is visiting the Moonstone. Dappled Pelt jerks her muzzle to the she-cat and says her name.

Thunderstar's Echo

 * After Lightning Tail's death, Gray Wing welcomes Hawk Swoop's son to StarClan. Gray Wing tells the black tom that Hawk Swoop, along with her mate, Jackdaw's Cry, are in StarClan, and they will be delighted to see their son again to welcome him. Lightning Tail's eyes gleam, and Thunderstar recalls how his friend had mourned the death of his parents.