Milkweed

Milkweed is a splotchy, mottled, ginger-and-black tabby she-cat with amber eyes, a shredded ear-tip, and a scar across her black muzzle.

A Forest Divided

 * Milkweed is a queen living on the moors with her kits. She first appears when Gray Wing finds her, half-starved and hunting a rabbit for herself and her kits. After Thistle chases after Gray Wing in order to get what was his mother's prey back, Milkweed reveals and introduces herself. It is also revealed that her daughter, Bramble, had died the day before. Gray Wing gives the rabbit to Milkweed and her kits to eat, but the queen is wary of the offering, noting that since the mountain cats had come, prey had become more scarce. Unable to leave the group alone on the moor, Gray Wing tells Milkweed they should join Clear Sky's group to feed and rest, but she is hesitant, as her friend Misty had been killed by him. However, after Gray Wing promises Clear Sky will not hurt her or her kits, Milkweed agrees to join them.


 * Clear Sky welcomes Milkweed and her kits into the camp, and have been given Birch and Alder's old beds, as they are warm and cozy. Star Flower invites Clover and Thistle to the prey pile to get food as Milkweed squeezes out of their den, telling her kits not to take the best prey, as that should go to the hunters. She is less stern on the matter after Star Flower tells her that they can take whatever they wish, as someday they will be hunters as well, but Milkweed still seems hesitant about relying on others for food. After a short argument, Clover and Thistle carry a mouse for themselves and their mother to share.


 * After noting how much better Milkweed and her kits look after only a couple of days in the camp, Clear Sky invites her to join him on the next hunting patrol, thinking that it may make her feel better about sharing food with the others.


 * Milkweed has contracted a mild chest infection, and Thunder finds her in Cloud Spots' den chewing tansy to help her chest feel better. She is seen later coughing while Cloud Spots chews up tansy for her to eat to ease her sickness.


 * Later, Milkweed huddles over her kits while Leaf shouts about how she, Clover, and Thistle stole and ate his prey while Blossom defends her. He is angry about their arrival due to the fact that all she has brought to their group is two hungry kits and a cough that keeps the entire camp awake. This leads to Thunder deciding to leave Clear Sky's group, and Milkweed brings her kits to join with him. Leaf protests, saying that she and her kits are useless due to her illness and the fact that they can't hunt. Milkweed lashes out and scratches his muzzle, saying that her kits will drive her to hunt and fight, but Leaf is dedicated to his own hunger and safety only. After ending the argument by saying Leaf is loyal to him and Milkweed will be useful to them, Thunder agrees to let her join him.


 * While they are walking, Milkweed and Thunder have a conversation about Clear Sky. Milkweed explains, after Thunder asks why she left, that she was grateful that Clear Sky took her in, but despite his promises to have her come on a hunting patrol he never let her. She says that she prefers to hunt for herself and her kits, rather than be dependent on other cats. After this, she goes to urge Clover and Thistle onwards. When Thunder's group reaches their new camp, she is seen curling up with her kits.


 * Milkweed finds Thunder after he agrees to help Quiet Rain and Sun Shadow find their kin. He notes that now she has been allowed to hunt, she is as lively as any cat and her sickness is gone. She asks where he is going and when Thunder tells her, Milkweed is at first against the idea, as he has his own cats to take care of. Eventually she agrees with him leaving to take them to their kin, as she trusts him to do the right thing, but makes him promise that he will return at night. After Thunder leaves, Milkweed goes back to hunting.


 * When Thunder returns to the camp, Milkweed is seen in the den she has woven for herself, Clover, and Thistle. Lightning Tail tells Thunder that she caught as much prey as Leaf did that day; as he says this, Leaf is seen giving Milkweed a squirrel as he squeezes beside her and the kits. She is seen returning from a nighttime hunting patrol with Leaf, a mouse in her jaws, when Thunder returns from Clear Sky's camp.

Trivia

 * Milkweed is not listed in the allegiances of A Forest Divided, despite her appearances in the book.

Members
Mate:
 * Leaf:

Daughters:
 * Clover:
 * Bramble:

Son:
 * Thistle: