Ravenwing

"I cannot let you lie to our Clanmates! And now that I know the truth, I cannot lie either."

— Ravenwing to Mapleshade in Mapleshade's Vengeance, chapter 3

Ravenwing
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.
Affiliations
Current:	ThunderClan
Biographical information
Cause of death:	Killed by Mapleshade
Names
Medicine cat apprentice:	Unknown
Medicine cat:	Ravenwing
Education
Mentor:	Oatspeckle
Medicine Cat position
Preceded by:	Oatspeckle
Book appearances
Living	Mapleshade's Vengeance
Living	Mapleshade's Vengeance

Ravenwing is a small, thick-furred black tom with dark, sky-blue eyes.

He is a ThunderClan medicine cat by the name Ravenwing serving under the leadership of Oakstar. His mentor, Oatspeckle died when he was still young, leaving him struggling with the all responsibilities.

When a ThunderClan queen Mapleshade give birth to her kits, Petalkit, Patchkit and Larchkit, supposedly fathered by Birchface, Oakstar's son who died earlier in a battle with RiverClan, he feels that something isn't right, as none of the kits have Bircface's dark pelt. Despite this, he still thanks Mapleshade for allowing Birchface's sister, Frecklewish to feel like life is worth living again after she took her brother's and his apprentice, Flowerpaw's deaths hard.

Soon though, Ravenwing receives a vision from StarClan, where a small stream runs into his den, carrying three water reeds with it. His suspicions turn to Mapleshade and her kits, when the elder Rabbitfur reports of their clumsiness on land and Ravenwing himself witnesses their ability to swim like fish when they play in the river. When he sees Mapleshade speaking lovingly with the RiverClan warrior, Appledusk, it all but confirms the meaning of the vision that the kits are actually Half-Clan and fathered by Birchface's murderer, Appledusk.

When Ravenwing confronts Mapleshade with all the evidence, she doesn't deny it, but begs him not to say anything. Despite feeling sympathy for Mapleshade and especially the kits, Ravenwing reluctantly asserts that he can't lie himself as a medicine cat and that their Clanmates deserve to know the truth.

When he reports the truth and his vision to Oakstar, the enraged leader exiles Mapleshade and the kits, though unlike his Clanmates, Ravenwing never actively agrees or disagrees with Oakstar's choice. Unfortunately, when a desperate Mapleshade tries crossing a dangerous flood to get to RiverClan, all the kits end up drowning, and Mapleshade blames Ravenwing for their deaths, since he was the one to expose her.

When Ravenwing goes to the Moonstone meeting, Mapleshade ambushes him, killing him quickly. The other medicine cats, Larkwing and Sloefur are shocked to see Ravenwing's body and bury him at Highstones. However, Mapleshade upturns his grave, leaving his body exposed for a hawk to eat. That left no one to treat Frecklewish's poisoned bite when Mapleshade lured her to Snakerocks several days later, also in revenge for her kits dying.

ThunderClan struggled without a medicine cat for moons, until they were eventually forced to arrange for the RiverClan Medicine cat, Cloudberry, to take Ravenwing's place, thus finally bringing peace to the two Clans.

History

In the Field Guides

The Ultimate Guide

Although he isn't mentioned by name, he appears on Mapleshade's page. It states that Ravenwing recognized the shape of one of RiverClan's warriors, Appledusk, in Mapleshade's kits.

In the Novellas

Mapleshade's Vengeance

Ravenwing helps Mapleshade to give birth to her kits. Mapleshade writhes in agony and Ravenwing tells her to calm down. Soon the kits are born, and Mapleshade regards the medicine cat with pity, as his mentor, Oatspeckle died just a few moons ago, leaving Ravenwing in charge as the sole medicine cat of ThunderClan.

When Mapleshade returns from the walk out in the forest with her kits, she is blocked by Ravenwing. The dark tom asks her what her kits were doing in the river, and Mapleshade feels dreadful, asking him if he had seen them. Ravenwing nods and tells her he had seen everything, asking her what was going on with the kits. Larchkit and Patchkit run over, telling him about their adventure, with Appledusk praising their bravery and swimming skills. Ravenwing, interested, pries the kits for more information. Mapleshade panics, telling the kits that they were going home, but Ravenwing stops her. He tells her that he had received an omen, and asks if Mapleshade knew anything about it. When Mapleshade replies that she is no medicine cat, he tells her a tiny stream swept in three reed pieces into ThunderClan territory. Ravenwing openly accuses her of lying about the kits' father, and deduces that their father is Appledusk, judging by their pale fur color and the way the RiverClan warrior just praised them. Mapleshade cannot deny what the medicine cat just said, but she tells him that ThunderClan is blessed to have these kits, and that it wasn't her fault everyone assumed Birchface was the father. Ravenwing is furious, and he tells her that now he knows the truth, he will tell their Clanmates. Ignoring Mapleshade's pleading, he runs away.

When Oakstar calls a meeting, Ravenwing sits below him, staring at Mapleshade icily. During the meeting, Ravenwing reveals that Appledusk is the father of Mapleshade's kits, and all four cats are cast out of the Clan.

Mapleshade thinks of Ravenwing as the murderer of her kits during her exile. She is furious with the ThunderClan medicine cat, and vows to seek her revenge. When Mapleshade sees Ravenwing travelling to the Moonstone, she follows him, remembering the path she took to the Moonstone as an apprentice. Mapleshade is prepared to pounce on him then hesitates, eventually deciding that it would be better to ambush him at the Moonstone, where his precious omens lay.

Mapleshade stalks him all the way to the Moonstone without him noticing. In the tunnel to the Moonstone, Mapleshade tries to be as quiet as possible, but Ravenwing turns around, obviously hearing something from her, but then turns away. When Ravenwing reaches the stone, Mapleshade leaps out at him, pinning him down. Ravenwing is shocked, and asks her what she was doing. Mapleshade accuses him of the murderer of her kits, and tells him that she would kill him three times over if she could.

Without another word, she sinks her claws in his throat and Ravenwing dies. Mapleshade runs behind the Moonstone as Larkwing and Sloefur approach. Larkwing and Sloefur are shocked by the black cat's death, and they drag him away in order to bury him. Waiting until the medicine cats drag away Ravenwing's body, Mapleshade then waits until dawn light filters through the hole in the roof of the cave, creeping out the entrance of Mothermouth. She notices the mound that hadn't been there before, recognising it as Ravenwing's grave when she sees a tuft of black fur poking through. The she-cat strikes at his grave, uncovering the cat's body and exposing him to the dawn light. Noticing a hawk circling above, Mapleshade leaves it for the hawk to eat, satisfied as she bounds away for the hawk to enjoy its grisly meal. Mapleshade silently hopes that the medicine cat goes to walk in the Dark Forest, and never sees her kits in StarClan.

Mapleshade lures Frecklewish to Snakerocks, where Frecklewish is bitten by an adder. As Frecklewish's screams of agony attract the rest of her patrol, she asks them if she is going to die, as ThunderClan lacks a medicine cat due to Ravenwing's death.

Pinestar's Choice

He is mentioned when Nettlebreeze is telling the apprentices about Mapleshade's story. He talks about how they could do nothing to save Frecklewish, since Mapleshade had murdered Ravenwing without an apprentice to take over.

Goosefeather's Curse

Ravenwing does not formally appear, but he is mentioned when Goosekit recalls Cloudberry coming to ThunderClan from RiverClan right after Ravenwing had been murdered.

Personality and traits

Ravenwing is a small, thick-furred black tom with dark, sky-blue eyes.

Due to his young age and relative lack of experience, Ravenwing struggled with his duties as ThunderClan's sole medicine cat after the death of his mentor. Nevertheless, he worked hard to fulfil his duties and was quite compassionate to his Clanmates. Such as when he thanks Mapleshade for bringing meaning to Frecklewish's life after the birth of her supposed niece and nephews.

Despite his youth and inexperience, Ravenwing proved himself to be quite intelligent and perceptive when he deduced that Mapleshade's kits were half-Clan, putting the pieces together from their lack of similarity to Birchface, their alleged father, and from the loving way Mapleshade and Appledusk spoke to each other when meeting at the border.

Upon discovering the truth, chose to inform the Clan immediately of Mapleshade's crimes despite her pleas and the fact that it would cause suffering to both her and the kits, a fact Ravenwing himself admitted to be fully aware of. Although Ravenwing claimed to feel sympathy for Mapleshade and especially the kits, he asserted that their Clanmates deserved to know the truth and his duty as a medicine cat could not allow him or Mapleshade to lie to them. His decision was also influenced by a vision from StarClan, where a small stream ran into his den, carrying three water reeds with it. He believed the vision referred to Mapleshade's kits and that it meant that they didn't belong in ThunderClan.

Through those choices, he proves to have a strong sense of duty and lawful justice, unwilling to tolerate Mapleshade's lies and become a liar himself. Seemly has a many above the few mentality, as he's willing to let three kits have uncertain fates in order to fulfil the Whole Clan's right to know the truth. Confident in his mortals, as when Ravenwing is faced with a complex situation, he does not hesitate to do what he thinks is the right thing.

During the Mapleshade and her kits' trial, Ravenwing remains mostly silent, only speaking up to pursue the truth, neither actively or disagreeing with Oakstar's decision to exile them. Once he's done his duty of reporting Starclan's omen, Ravenwing tries not to overstep his boundaries as a Medicine cat by not speaking his personal option, allowing destiny to run it course and not to interfere.

Through a long line of coincidences, Mapleshade blamed Ravenwing, along with many other cats for her kits drowning after she took them through a flood to get Riverclan during their exile. Going on a killing spree, Ravenwing was one of Mapleshade's targets. She ambushed him at the Moonstone during the Half-moon meeting, he expressed shock and surprise that she had come to kill him before she did so.

Character pixels

The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation. Medicine Cat Apprentice Version Medicine Cat Version

Quotes

"None of [Mapleshade's] Clanmates stepped forward as the father of her kits, and the medicine cat recognized the proud, handsome RiverClan warrior instantly in the shape of the tiny heads and the way they held their stubby tails."

―Narrator ^{The Ultimate Guide}

"There was a flash of concern in his dark blue eyes, and Mapleshade felt a surge of sympathy toward the young medicine cat. He had been in sole charge of ThunderClan for just two moons since the death of Oatspeckle, and this was one of the first deliveries he'd had to supervise."

―Narrator ^{Mapleshade's Vengeance}

Ravenwing: "A tiny stream appeared in my den, in a place where no stream has run before. It carried with it three pieces of water reed. Water reeds don’t grow in ThunderClan territory. It doesn’t belong inside our boundaries. Do you understand?"

Mapleshade: "There’s been so much rain this leaf-fall, bits and pieces must be washing all over the place."

^{Mapleshade's Vengeance}

"Even if they knew the kits were half-Clan? We deserve to know the truth, Mapleshade. Appledusk is their father, isn't he?"

―Ravenwing accusing Mapleshade ^{Mapleshade's Vengeance}

"Oh StarClan, if ever we needed Ravenwing, it is now! Why did you take him from us?"

―Bloomheart about Ravenwing’s death ^{Mapleshade's Vengeance}