| "I'm so grateful to you both. And I love the kits. But I don't know. I'd like to stay, but we'd be so vulnerable, especially with small kits to take care of. I've never been safe. Darktail isn't perfect. Not at all. But he's strong, and he can take care of his cats." |
| — Dragonfly to Nettlesplash and Mintfur in Darkest Night: Bonus Scene, chapter 1 |
Dragonfly is a yellow tabby she-cat with long fur, green eyes, and a broad face.[1]
History
In the A Vision of Shadows arc
Darkest Night
- Nectarkit hears a strange sound while she and her littermates are playing their game, saying it sounds like Fringekit did when she had a bad stomachache, but louder. Nettlesplash and Mintfur listen carefully, confirming it is the noise of some creature in terrible pain. Nettlesplash is the one who goes to check it out, creeping over towards the noises without making a sound, pushing aside a bush branch to see it is a cat in terrible pain. Nettlesplash sees her eyes are glassy with fever and the cat tries to stand up before collapsing again, panting as she says to do whatever because she cannot stop him.
- Indignant, Nettlesplash retorts that he isn't going to hurt her, as he isn't one of Darktail's cats and wouldn't hurt a defenseless cat. Sounding guilty as she looks away, the she-cat admits she joined Darktail after the cats who lived in the gorge were gone, but she doesn't want to hurt other cats either and was never going to attack Nettlesplash. He mews that if she does stay, she will have to and introduces himself before asking for her name. The rogue takes a shallow and rattling gasp and she says her name is Dragonfly, and she had met Rain in the forest, and he had convinced her to join because it would be safer than living as a loner. As he presses a paw to her unusually warm side, he dryly asks if it is.
- Dragonfly sighs as she says that it did seem better at first because she had other cats to help protect her, until she got sick. She dips her head as she continues that Darktail's doesn't like sick cats, and since she wasn't strong enough to fend off the other cats, she couldn't eat and was evicted from the best sleeping places, having only gotten sicker. As Nettlesplash listens to her breathing, he asks her if she's tried tansy for her coughs, noting the strange whine at the end of each of her breaths. Dragonfly wraps her tail closer around her as she mews she hasn't seen any, and although another cat had told her catmint could help, but Darktail had taken it away when they found some because he didn't think she deserved the herbs. The rogue's head starts to tilt towards the ground as her eyes start to close slowly, going on about how following him was the wrong choice, how she has made bad decisions, and it may even be her last one.
- Nettlesplash hisses at her to not fall asleep, filled with the dreadful suspicion that Dragonfly will not wake again if she sleeps now, and so asks her why she's there now to help keep her awake. Dragonfly opens her eyes and explains she had wanted to find more herbs, but didn't see anything useful, as well as trying to hunt. She finishes by meowing that she was too weak to hunt and the longer she went without a catch, the weaker she got. Nettlesplash hesitates as her debates whether to do anything or not, since she followed a cruel leader who had driven him and his Clanmates out of his home. The she-cat's eyes start to close again as he does and Nettlesplash makes up his mind, pressing against her as her yowls at her to stay awake, and if she can walk if he helps her. Her eyes slowly open as she struggles to her paws and confusedly asks where they are going. The brown tom tells her he is taking her back to his den.
- A quarter moon later, Mintfur purrs as she thanks Dragonfly for the pigeon she had caught. Palekit clambers over Dragonfly as she declares the rogue must have run really fast to catch it, causing Dragonfly's eyes to shine with pride. The yellow cat purrs that she wouldn't have been able to run so fast if it wasn't for the family, so she definitely wanted to share her catch with them. Fringekit nuzzles her head against Dragonfly's side, and the she-cat bends down to lick the kit's head, causing Nettlesplash to grow warm at the sight and relive the memories of the past quarter moon.
- Mintfur and Nettlesplash had made a nest for the sick tabby in a nearby bush, having found tansy to treat her sickness, and while he wasn't totally sure on the herbs used, food and rest had quickly helped Dragonfly get better. Nettlesplash thinks that she must have been lonely even with the amount of cats in Darktail's camp, and her relationship to the family had improved vastly in the short time she had been there, after being awkward at first of any attention Nettleplash and Mintfur had paid to her. He notes that now she and Mintfur were talking easily about the best hunting spots while the kits weave around them, and Dragonfly seemed to fit in with their family so well. He finishes the thought that having another adult cat with them was almost like having a piece of SkyClan back.
- Nettlesplash and Mintfur exchange a glance, the Nettlesplash starts that Dragonfly had grown strong, and he's happy she recovered so quickly. He is surprised to see a sad look on the she-cat's face as she says that she's grateful they had helped her, but she can move on if that's what they want, because she can now look after herself. Mintfur protests that that isn't what they want, and they actually want her to stay with them. Dragonfly is surprised as Nettlesplash explains that while they can't offer much, they hope SkyClan will come back and hope for her to be a part of the Clan, but trails off as her sees her nervous and worried expression. Dragonfly meows that she is certainly very grateful for what they did for her, and she loves the kits, but she doesn't know if she wants to stay as they'd be so vulnerable, especially with kits to look after. She looks back and forth between the parents as she explains she's never been safe, but Darktail is strong and can take care of his cats, even if he isn't perfect.
- Mintfur twitches her ears as she sharply asks if he actually does, considering no one from the gorge had come looking for her, or if Darktail even noticed or cared. Dragonfly looks down at her paws and meows that she is healthy now and there is a place in Darktail's group for strong cats, and there are enough of them that no one would dare attack. Mintfur brushes her tail against the rogue's, and though she admits Darktail is stronger than them, they care about Dragonfly even when she cannot hunt and fight. She looks thoughtful at this, but doesn't reply, so Nettlesplash asks her to sleep on it and decide in the morning. The yellow tabby agrees, easing herself away from Palekit and Fringekit. She looks at the kits for a long moment, then dips her head to the parents, adding that she is so grateful for all they've done and will know her choice come morning. Nettlesplash watches her go to her nest, thinking that she is clearly happy with them and hopes she decides to stay. The next morning, he wakes up and is excited, wondering what Dragonfly will decide and it could be the start of something bigger, instead of just hiding. Restless, he decides he cannot stay in the den any longer, and thinks that if Dragonfly is sleeping he will go for a hunt to calm himself, but first will check if Dragonfly is awake. As he comes up to the bush, he sees that it is empty and the scent is stale; Dragonfly has clearly made her choice.
- A half moon after Dragonfly has left, Nettleplash is playing a game with his kits while Mintfur hunts. He tells the kits to give him a moment to rest, and Mintfur may bring them back a fat vole. Fringekit softly objects that she'd like a pigeon Dragonfly had brought them, causing the father to sigh. He thinks that it would have been a big help if she had stayed, since they no longer had the support of Clanmates to help with the kits. After thinking about how dangerous it was to go near the gorge now, he pricks his ears as he hears thundering paws and a rabbit bursts into the clearing, and quickly orders his kits to hide. The rabbit is followed a second later by Dragonfly and none other than Darktail himself, before they stop in surprise. Nettlesplash is about to call her name until he closes his mouth, realizing that Darktail cannot know that they know each other. He notes that she looks very healthy though, and must have found favor with Darktail if they were hunting together.
- Darktail says he thought he'd driven away all the flea-bitten Clan cats, looking around as if to see others. Nettlesplash explains to the white tom that it is just him, and he lies that he couldn't bear to leave, because he'd lost Mintfur and his kits after the battle. He chances a look up, seeing Dragonfly's eyes wide with fear while Darktail looks thoughtful. Darktail decides that Nettlesplash must bring them three fat pieces of prey by day's end, or they would have to hunt him down. While quickly debating his options, Dragonfly interrupts, looking at him with an unfriendly gaze as she asks for Darktail to look at him. Dragonfly continues that Nettleplash is so scrawny that any catch of his wouldn't be worth it, and was startled by a measly rabbit.
- Nettlesplash's heart lightens as he sees she hasn't said anything about Mintfur or their kits, and Darktail's whiskers twitch in amusement as she continues that the brown loner is pathetic and they should leave him to his lonely life without his mate, kits, or Clan, as he won't last much longer. Darktail seems satisfied with the cruelty of Dragonfly's words as he asks her if he isn't worth it, and decides that being the last survivor of SkyClan will be punishment enough. The two rogues start to leave and Dragonfly looks over her shoulder at Nettlesplash and returns his almost undetectable nod. He thinks he sees a glint of regret in her gaze, and though she had made her choice, hopes she would be happy. He finishes the thought with how she must know it's dangerous to stay with Darktail if she lost his favour, and wishes for her to be safe.
- When Mintfur returns, she notes what Nettleplash had done to cover their existence from the world, and asks what's wrong. He explains that Darktail had found the camp, but was saved because Dragonfly was there and had managed to convince him to leave Nettlesplash alone. Mintfur is glad that Dragonfly is okay, and agrees that they need to leave and make a new camp. As she puts a mouse in front of their children, Nettlesplash's chest begins to lose the tightness it had since Darktail's encounter, and thinks that they are Clan cats, together and safe for now thanks to the actions of Dragonfly.
Character pixels
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.  Loner Version  Rogue Version |
Quotes
- "I wouldn't have been able to run so fast if it weren't for you all. So of course I want to share my catch."
- ―Dragonfly to the family Darkest Night
- Dragonfly: "There's a place in Darktail's group for strong cats. And there are enough of us there that no cat would dare attack us."
- Mintfur: "Darktail's group is stronger than we are. But we care about you, even when you can't hunt or fight."
- Darkest Night: Bonus Scene
- Darktail: "I think you owe us your next three catches. You can deliver them to the gorge today. If we don't have three delicious pieces of prey from you by nightfall, we will have to hunt you down."
- Dragonfly: "Really, Darktail? Just look at him...He's so scrawny. Any catch he can make won't be worth the effort of chewing. He was startled by a rabbit!"
- Darkest Night: Bonus Scene
- "We're Clan cats. We're together, and we're safe for now—thanks to Dragonfly. And someday SkyClan will come back for us. We will survive."
- ―Nettlesplash Darkest Night