Dawnfrost

Dawnfrost is an Oak Colony envoy. She is the only daughter of Flamecloud and Brackenfoot, the adopted daughter of Finchflight and Gorseclaw, and the adopted sister of Thornheart and Wrensong.

Appearance
Dawnfrost is a fluffy, muscular, ginger-pointed cream molly with sharp blue eyes. She is soft and stocky, with angular markings, a round face, a thick mane of fur, strong paws, a defined jawline, and ear tufts. She is soft but strong, not too flabby or too burly.

Personality
Dawnfrost is a very proud and loyal molly of Oak Colony. She is a good and righteous cat who can feel sympathy, although she often pushes away these kind-hearted feelings. She mainly does this because of due to her tense situation with Wolfthorn, but also because she strives to be a loyal and admired Oak Colony envoy, maybe even Captain one day. She is also bold, ambitious, and competitive, and she can't say no to a challenge. Though Dawnfrost is usually pretty stoic, she can also be quite cocky and witty.

Pre-Series
Dawn was born in Oak Colony to Flamecloud and Brackenfoot. When Dawn was still a young kitten, Flamecloud - her mother - became ill and had to move to the herb store. Flamecloud eventually died from her sickness, and Dawn’s father, Brackenfoot, barely visited the nursery, so she was never close with him. She was raised instead by the other Oak Colony keepers and grew up alongside two other kittens, Thorn and Wren, becoming their adoptive sister. Dawn also became close friends with Rowan, son of the Captain Elmtail. As they got older, Rowan became a new-claw and left the nursery.

At this time, Thorn began showing signs that he would become the next Oak Colony herbalist due to his early connection with the Spirits Beyond - but he didn’t want to be a herbalist, because he was already in love with Snow. Not wanting to split the two, Wren took herbalist training so Thorn wouldn’t have to, and would pass on messages from the Spirits Beyond that Thorn received.

Once a new-claw, Dawn got Redleaf as her mentor, who was one of the best rangers in Oak Colony. Elmtail thought that Dawn would become a great ranger like her mentor, and kept a close eye on Dawn and her training. Dawn loved the attention, and Elmtail felt like a father to Dawn, more than Brackenfoot ever would. Elmtail was very kind, so he made strong friendships with the other Captains around the lake, which was insulted by cats in other Colonies. Dawn respected Elmtail, and she hated the taunts the other cats gave him.

After her first Moonlight Gathering, she was in awe at the power and respect the Captains had, and snuck away to the island by herself, climbing up the Great Oak. She wanted to be a Captain and have the love and respect that Oak Colony gave Elmtail. She wanted more than anything else to become Captain of Oak Colony. On the way home, however, she slipped on the tree bridge and fell into the Alliance Lake. She was saved by a River Colony apprentice named Wolf. The two fell for each other straight away. Dawn wanted to be with Wolf, but was still torn by her aspiration to be the next Oak Colony Captain.

She found inspiration in Raven of Field Colony, who very obviously loved a Marsh Colony new-claw named Wild, but was still fiercely loyal to her own Colony. Dawn hated the ridicule Raven got from the warriors, who thought she was problematic. They became fast friends. Dawn never revealed that she loved Wolf to anyone - not even Raven - but she enjoyed being around her, and wished she could share her ideals.

On one occasion, she saw Raven arguing with her 'friend' Golden at the border. Dawn stepped in straight away and defended Raven, sending Golden back to camp. After that, she and Ravenpaw would meet at the border and talk about their lives and compare battle moves. When Dawn finally became a ranger with the name Dawnfrost, she knew that it was her time to follow her dreams. And that meant she had to choose. Wolf, now Wolftorn, wanted to run away from the Colonies with her, and she agreed... under the condition that he would first find a suitable territory for them to live in. So he left the Colonies to search, and Dawnfrost waited for him to return. And she waited some more. And she kept waiting. But days turned to moons, and Wolfthorn didn’t come back. Dawnfrost began losing faith in him. When she was given a new-claw to mentor, Aspen, she reluctantly pushed her heartbreak aside and returned her attention to becoming Captain.

Thorn, now Thornheart, and Snow, now Snowfeather, became mates and started a family. Wren, now Wrensong, was Oak Colony’s sole medicine cat. And Rowan, now Rowanstorm, was deeply in love with Dawnfrost. Rowanstorm was a good friend and a good cat, and Dawnfrost knew that he had feelings for her. Believing Wolfthorn to be gone forever, she hoped that she could someday feel the same. It seemed to her that her life was going nowhere, with Elmtail still keeping an eye on her, Brakenfoot still Oak Colony’s loyal Second, and Wolfthorn nowhere to be seen after moons and moons of waiting. Raven, now Spottedshadow, even got banned from attending Moonlight Gatherings for a long time. During this period, Dawnfrost would occasionally relay messages to Wildfur on her friend's behalf. She pushed herself even harder and likely became an envoy within this time frame. She trained Aspen alongside Thornheart, who was mentoring Aspen's brother, Lark. The two new-claws eventually became rangers as Aspenbreeze and Larkwing.

Finally, things began to change. Brackenfoot caught a severe case of greencough and died. Dawnfrost was saddened by the death of her father, but her grief was overshadowed by her anticipation. She felt guilt for thinking it, but she couldn't help but feel excited, as it was her opportunity to become Second and ultimately Captain - but on that same day, against all odds, Wolfthorn returned. He met her at the border and acted as though he hadn't been gone for nearly an entire year, claiming to have at last found the perfect place for them. Dawnfrost was shocked and angry, however, and turned him down, saying that it had been too long and she had already chosen her Colony over him. Wolfthorn left in despair, and while Dawnfrost was sorry for rejecting him, she would not let her chance at achieving her life goal slip past her. It ended up being for naught, however; Redleaf was selected to be Elmtail's next Second, and Dawnfrost remained an envoy.

Synopsis
Shifting Roots: Chapter 1 took place at the Moonlight Gathering that very night. Dawnfrost was first shown sitting next to Thornheart, as Oak Colony had been the first to arrive at the island. She met again with Spottedshadow, whose ban had finally been lifted, and was introduced to her new-claw, Peach. When Spottedshadow asked how River Colony had been, Thornheart started to answer, but Dawnfrost gave him a look, and so he only said that they were "good". Thornheart later left, and the group was instead joined by Swiftmask and Wolfthorn - the latter of whom Dawnfrost gave a wry smile, but hardly acknowledged otherwise. She was still upset with him and in a generally grim mood. She also met the two River Colony cats’ respective new-claws, Moss and Grey. Once Marsh Colony had reached the island, Wildfur and his own new-claw, Pool, joined the clique. Spottedshadow and Wildfur exchanged a nuzzle, and Wolfthorn gave Dawnfrost an inquisitive glance that she quickly averted her eyes from, indicating that she had no intention of rekindling their relationship. Elmtail announced Brackenfoot's death and Redleaf's new position as well as Aspenbreeze and Larkwing's new names. Dawnfrost and her friends cheered for her former new-claw, and Spottedshadow voiced sympathy over Brackenfoot. Marsh Colony's Captain, Hawkshell, then told the gathered cats about the mysterious deaths of two of her rangers, Sunfire and Breezeheart, to which Dawnfrost looked solemn. Once the Moonlight Gathering had concluded, Wolfthorn told Dawnfrost that he would see her around before leaving with the rest of his Colony. She then excused herself quickly as well, only stating that she wanted to offer her condolences to Hawkshell, as she had known Sunfire well.

Wolfthorn
Wolfthorn is a River Colony cat, and, in frank terms, Dawnfrost's ex. Dawnfrost met Wolfthorn when they were both new-claws and Wolf saved her from drowning in the Alliance Lake. She had a close and intimate relationship with him at first, as they fell in love as young rangers, and she and eventually told him to leave and find them a suitable territory so that they could run away together. He did so eagerly, but he didn’t come back for almost a year. Dawnfrost eventually gave up on him, and once he finally did return, she was angry and claimed to have moved past him. She turned him away, seemingly breaking off their relationship, and their interactions since, while not particularly cold, have been awkward and brief. However, Wolfthorn is a cat Dawnfrost can be more of herself around.

Redleaf
Dawnfrost has always been a bit competitive, and her old mentor, Redleaf, encouraged that side of her. When Dawnfrost was first made a new-claw, Redleaf found her to be a little too serious, but he found that a good way to get Dawn to open up was by giving her little dares. Redleaf's competitive prodding ended up making Dawn and Redleaf a great duo, and both cats pushed each other to be better, even as Redleaf became a senior ranger and Dawnfrost earned her ranger name. They had a healthy student-mentor relationship that turned into a solid friendship. Dawnfrost is likely jealous that Redleaf became Oak Colony's Second instead of her, but she is not upset at him for it in the least; she knows that he is well deserving of the role.

Spottedshadow
Spottedshadow is a Field Colony cat and a close friend of Dawnfrost's. As new-claws, Dawnfrost was inspired by the way Raven stayed loyal to her Colony in spite of her feelings for Wild, and it encouraged Dawn to try and find the same balance between herself, Oak Colony, and Wolf. She valued Raven as a friend and was protective of her, stepping in to defend her from Golden before even knowing what the argument was about. They met up frequently at the border to exchange news and practice their battle moves, although they did so less often as rangers - Dawnfrost would admit to Spottedshadow's face even that they should not be as close as they were. Even so, Dawnfrost would pass messages to Wildfur for Spottedshadow while she was prohibited from attending Gatherings, and once her ban was lifted, they sat together and talked openly. Spottedshadow is a cat Dawnfrost can be more of herself around.

Elmtail
Elmtail is Oak Colony's Captain and has a tight bond with Dawnfrost. He was described as being more of a father figure to her than Brackenfoot had ever been, in part due to her relationship with his son and in part because he is generally fond of her. He knows she is shaping into a cat with fine Captain qualities, and so he keeps an eye on her, offering advice and assistance whenever he deems that she needs it. Dawnfrost looks up to Elmtail and has a lot of respect for him, and does not hesitate to spring to his defense whenever she hears cats speaking poorly of him.

Rowanstorm
Rowanstorm is one of Dawnfrost's best friends. He is the son of Elmtail and grew up in the same generation as Dawnfrost, Thornheart, and Wrensong. Rowan was close with Dawn all throughout their youth, and as rangers, he started developing a crush on her, knowing nothing of Wolfthorn. Currently, he has unrequited feelings for Dawnfrost that she is aware of, but tolerates because she values his friendship and still loves him platonically.

Shrewpelt
Shrewpelt is Dawnfrost's biggest rival. He is five moons older than her and is Redleaf's son, but he sees her as an obstacle and someone he has to be better than. It's rather one-sided, as Dawnfrost doesn't give him much attention, which infuriates him to no end. He hates how everyone seems to think she's so great and tries to pick fights with her often. She is likely exasperated by him and avoids him whenever possible.

Brackenfoot
Brackenfoot was Dawnfrost's father. She never really viewed him as such, and he never paid her much mind. Once Dawn's mother died, he hardly visited her, and she therefore didn't come to see him as her father. Their relationship was never said to be downright negative, and Dawnfrost probably respected him, but it stayed formal and distant up until Brackenfoot's death. Once he had died, Dawnfrost was not as impacted as she could have been, and was instead was rather pleased at the opening in the position of Second - although feeling guilt at having such thoughts. When Spottedshadow offered consolation afterwards, Dawnfrost only replied that he had been a good Second and that Oak Colony would miss him.

Thornheart and Wrensong
Thornheart and Wrensong are Dawnfrost's adoptive siblings and good friends. After Flamecloud's death, Dawn was brought up alongside them and raised by their mother, Finchflight. Not many specifics are known about Dawnfrost's relationship with them, but they have all remained friends, and Dawnfrost trained Aspen with Thornheart, who mentored Lark, Aspen's brother. The two love to brag about their new-claws with each other. She was also seen sitting beside Thornheart at the Moonlight Gathering in Shifting Roots: Chapter 1, though Thornheart moved to sit with Wrensong later on.

Aspenbreeze
Dawnfrost was Aspenbreeze's mentor, and was proud of her when she became a ranger. When Aspenbreeze was a new-claw, Dawnfrost loved bragging to Thornheart about Aspen's progress. Not many details have been given thus far about their relationship.

Sunfire
After Hawkshell announces Sunfire to be dead, Dawnfrost stays behind at the island to give her her condolences, remarking that she "knew Sunfire quite well". No further details are known.

Trivia

 * Dawnfrost's name was originally Dawnmist, but it was changed to better suit her personality.
 * Out of the six main characters of Clouded Moon, Dawnfrost is the shortest.
 * Avalon personally roots for Rowanstorm and Dawnfrost to become mates over Dawnfrost and Wolfthorn, as she believes that the two have an easygoing relationship that could do Dawnfrost some good. However, they still love Dawnfrost and Wolfthorn's dramatic, complicated relationship.
 * In Oh Snap 5: Oak Colony, it's revealed that like Sunfire, Dawnfrost is a Summer Solstice kitten, seen as 'lucky' by those living in Oak Colony.