Streampaw’s May Cat of the Month is Goldenflower!
Hello everyone! I’m Streampaw/lark, and this is another article my Cat of the Month series, where BlogClanners vote for the cat whom I should do an article on. This particular character, Goldenflower, was actually tied with Thrushpelt for December’s CotM, but I didn’t get around to doing her, so I will now! She will be May’s Cat of the Month. To everyone who voted, thank you! Brambleberry’s article will be up next. The rules for the vote were the same as I wrote in Thrushpelt’s article.
Goldenflower is sort of like the 1.5th Cat of the Month, since she was originally going to be put with Thrushpelt, but then I decided to make the article short and sweet, so I’ll do that with her too. (And I’ve changed some things up for these, so it won’t be the same layout as last time)
Family Tree/Kin: Goldenflower’s mother is Speckletail, and her father is Smallear. She has one brother who made it to warriorhood, Lionheart. Her younger siblings, Snowkit and Mistlekit, died before they could. Speckletail’s mother is Harepounce and her father is Stagleap, so Harepounce and Stagleap are Goldenflower’s grandparents on her mother’s side. One-eye is Speckletail’s sister, so she is Goldenflower’s aunt. Goldenflower’s uncle (One-eye’s mate) is Halftail, and their kits (Goldenflower’s cousins) are Runningwind and Mousefur. Runningwind’s mate is Dappletail, and their kits Featherkit and Cricketkit, died before they could become apprentices. Back to Mousefur!
Mousefur had no kits.
As for Smallear, his parents and siblings are unknown, so no further branching off there. Time for Goldenflower’s kits! She was mates with Patchpelt before Tigerstar, and they had two kits, Swiftpaw and Lynxkit. With Tigerstar, Bramblestar and Tawnypelt are her kits. Bramblestar mated with Squirrelflight and had Alderheart and Sparkpelt. Sparkpelt mated with Larksong and their kits are Flickerkit, Flamepaw, and Finchpaw. None of these cats are old enough to have kits of their own. Alderheart does not have a mate nor kits. Tawnypelt mated with Rowanclaw and also had three kits: Flametail, Dawnpelt, and Tigerstar 2. Flametail did not have any kits and neither did Dawnpelt. Tigerstar 2’s mate was Dovewing, and their kits were Pouncestep, Lightleap, and Shadowsight. None of them have kits, either.
Whew! That’s Goldenflower’s long (and confusing) family tree. She adopted Feathertail and Stormfur before they went to RiverClan.
Education: Her mentor was Dappletail, who taught her well and (with the help of Bluestar; who was Bluefur at the time) helped relieve her of some anxiety about battle. Bluefur and Dappeltail also helped Goldenflower stop overthinking what she was doing in battle and told her to use her instinct. Goldenflower’s temporary mentor was Thrushpelt, who was a bit more carefree and let her climb trees, which she loved. She hasn’t had any apprentices.
Relationships: Oh boy, does Goldenflower have a lot of noteworthy relationships! Let’s start off with her mother, Speckletail, and her father, Smallear. As a kit, Goldenflower was a bit shy (and she still can be!) and she was a little worried about leaving the nursery and playing outside, wondering if it was dangerous. Her parents were very loving and helpful to her when she was a kit and when she was an apprentice.
Second, Tigerstar. When she was his mate, she was very loyal to him and loved him dearly. Then when he betrayed ThunderClan, she turned her back on him. She protected Bramblekit and Tawnykit from their father and was ready to attack him with claws unsheathed if he ever tried to harm ThunderClan or her kits.
Third, Bramblestar and Tawnypelt. Goldenflower was always a protective mother after Tigerstar, defending them against any warrior, Clanmate or not, who even remotely insulted them or accused them about being like their father. She was forgiving when Tawnypaw went to ShadowClan, understanding that her daughter didn’t feel at home in ThunderClan. She defended Brambleclaw even more after that.
Fourth, Lionheart. There’s not much to see of their relationship in tPB, because Lionheart was alive for around half a book, and the authors didn’t have the family tree figured out yet. But in Bluestar’s Prophecy, there are a few moments of them playing as kits. They’re not as close as, say, Squirrelflight and Leafpool, but they do have a mutual friendship between them.
Fifth, Bluestar. Bluestar helped Goldenflower train sometimes and helped her build her confidence. Goldenflower was always willing to share prey and chat with Bluefur, and they had a nice bond.
And lastly, Longtail. I think that they were very close friends after the truth about Tigerstar was revealed, and it was cute how they sort of formed an “Ex-Tigerstar-Friends” Club. I feel like they empathized with each other and helped one another with his betrayal.
Personality: I would describe Goldenflower as a she-cat that has a very changeable mood. Sometimes she can be shy, other times welcoming, and while she can also be quiet, she will most certainly yell at other cats if they say something bad about the ones she loves. She is protective and brave.
History: Goldeflower was born along with Lionheart in Bluestar’s prophecy around 4-5 moons after Bluestar. She was often shy when going out of the nursery as a kit, but was very excited to be apprenticed to Dappletail. After a few lessons of learning how to use her instinct and not thinking through the moves as much, Goldenpaw became quite a good warrior, hunting and patrolling agreeably with the others and still having creative and practical ideas and solutions. She became mates with Patchpelt later on, and they had Swiftpaw and Snowkit, who both sadly died of an early age. She then was mates with Tigerstar, and her kits were Bramblestar and Tawnypelt. But then Tigerstar betrayed ThunderClan by attempting to murder Bluestar, and Goldenflower was very angry. She became more protective of her two remaining kits afterwards, hissing at anyone who dare compare them to their father. She understood why Tawnypaw left to join ShadowClan but was still frustrated at the cats around her for not being more welcome with the kits. She then became an elder after The Prophecies Begin and the battle with BloodClan, and became closer friends with Longtail, who had also been close with Tigerstar before. She was still maternal to her son Brambleclaw, but respected that he wanted to be his own independent warrior, and didn’t interact with him as much. She often stayed in the nursery to help other new queens with their kits (for example, Ferncloud). She travels with Mousefur and Longtail to their new home by the lake, and continues to rest and relax as an elder until she died before the Power of Three.
Best Quote: My favorite Goldenflower quote is
“I understand how you feel. Your eyes have always betrayed your heart. But these are my kits, and I will die to protect them if I have to. I’m afraid for them, Fireheart. The Clan will never forgive Tigerclaw—nor should they. But Bramblekit and Tawnykit have done nothing wrong, and I will not let them be punished because of Tigerclaw.”
I like this quote because Goldenflower is so loving of her kits and so defensive – she won’t let anyone punish her kits because of their father! 😄 She is so stubborn and awesome!
My Opinion: I like Goldenflower! She’s not a favorite, but I do enjoy reading about her, because while she’s not too complicated, she is a great mother and always seems to want to help others.
Well, that’s the article, thanks for reading! You’ll see Brambleberry’s next month! I hoped you liked this brief introduction to Goldenflower! What’s your opinion on her?
-Streampaw, 03/18/22
Not sure if you’re up to that part yet, so if you didn’t — SPOILER WARNING.
In the new book Dovewing had two new kits, Birchkit and Rowankit.
Great article!
Great article!! I love Goldenflower, she’s a great cat! Also Dawnpelt did have kits. She was mates with Crowfrost and they had Strikestone, Juniperclaw & Sleekwhisker.
I also like golden flower