Hawkshell

Hawkshell the Soaring Protector, Captain of Marsh Colony, or simply Hawkshell, is the Captain of Marsh Colony. She is the sister of Whitefire and the mother of Sunfire.

Appearance
Hawkshell is a large gray molly with a single long-lashed, pale blue eye. Her left eye is scarred shut with two long, pink talon marks from an encounter with a hawk. She is very angular and muscular, and has defined cheek bones, a large, prominent muzzle and chin, prominent brows, and bags under her eyes. She also has a few paler markings, darker ear-tips, and a stripe down her tail.

Personality
Marsh Colony is ruled by the strong and wise Hawkshell. The second oldest Captain in the current Lake Alliance, Hawkshell is known for having mended the relationship between Marsh Colony and Oak Colony. She and Elmtail saved their cats from continuing their unnecessary rivalry, and the border between the two Colonies has remained peaceful all throughout their reigns as Captains.

When Hawkshell was a young ranger, her name was Shellfur. At one instance, a hawk swooped into Marsh Colony’s base and tried to carry off a kitten — but Shellfur, observant and courageous as always, noticed before anyone else and tackled the bird, saving the kitten and killing the hawk at the price of her left eye. The young ranger was confined to the herb store for a long while, and Marsh Colony began to fear that her days as a ranger might already be over. But Shellfur refused to be broken and learned to live with only one of her eyes. Everyone was so impressed with her perseverance and heroism that she was renamed Hawkshell.

Hawkshell, strong and proud, continued to serve her Colony as a ranger, then an envoy, and then the Second — and of course, finally, as Marsh Colony’s Captain. An intimidating but wise keeper of peace, Hawkshell is a widely beloved Captain around the Alliance Lake and a thorn in the side of River Colony’s cunning Captain, Rainfall.

Pre-Series
Shell and her sister White were born to their parents in Marsh Colony. While not much is known about their early life, the two sisters had a typical sibling relationship, having their own fair share of clashing and challenge but still having each other's backs at the end of the day. They both became new-claws and rangers, with Shell becoming Shellfur and White becoming Whitefire.

When she was a young ranger, a hawk swooped into Marsh Colony camp and tried to carry off a kitten. Shellfur noticed and tackled the hawk, saving the kitten and killing the bird of prey, but the bird took her left eye. Shellfur was confined to the herb store for a while, and though Whitefire was there to help Shellfur get back on her feet, Marsh Colony thought Shellfur's days as a ranger may be over. However, Shellfur refused to stop her ranger duties and learned to live without her left eye. Everyone was so impressed by Shellfur's heroic actions and her perseverance that the Marsh Colony Captain renamed her to Hawkshell, a name she would carry throughout her life.

Hawkshell continued to serve her Colony as a ranger, later envoy, later Second, and finally, Captain. She was a heroic and aggressive peacekeeper who strived for peace among the Colonies of the Lake Alliance, and it was this drive for peace that brought her to stop the fighting between Marsh and Oak Colony and even foster a good relationship between not only the two Colonies, but with Oak Colony's Captain, Elmtail, as well.

Hawkshell would have a son, Sunfire, with an unknown ex-mate. Sunfire grew to be like his mother—diplomatic and compassionate, but spirited with a passion. However, on one night, a mysterious new creature attacked and murdered both Sunfire and his mate, Breezeheart. Upon finding their corpses, Hawkshell mourned them, but was forced to lead her Colony to the upcoming Moonlight Gathering that night.

Shifting Roots: Chapter 1
Hawkshell makes her debut in Shifting Roots: Chapter 1, on the very night of Sunfire and Breezeheart’s deaths. She and Marsh Colony are the last to arrive at the Moonlight Gathering, and she reaches the island solemnly with Leafstorm close behind her. She heads straight for the Great Oak without wasting time and ignores Elmtail’s good-natured greeting, only stating that she would like for the Gathering to begin promptly.

She listens in silence as Rainfall and Hazelfur give the status of their Colonies. Since they are going in order of age, her turn comes next, but she does not speak. Elmtail takes her cue and goes first, giving her time to prepare her words. Once it is Hawkshell’s time to talk, she does not even mention Marsh Colony’s fresh new-claws, Pool and Ice, and instead jumps straight to the point: Sunfire and Breezeheart are dead, and no one knows what killed them. She speaks curtly and with dignity, but is clearly having trouble keeping her voice steady.

When Rainfall interrupts her to airily state that River Colony had chased a badger over their border that morning, Hawkshell is infuriated and snaps at her, snarling, ''“silence, you prideful toad. Could a badger maul a cat so that his own mother can barely recognize him?”'' These words are met with dismay by the gathered cats, and she is shown to be fighting tears while she says it. The moon is then concealed by clouds, and one by one, the Captains take their leave. Hawkshell remains where she is, needing time to herself. She is later mentioned by Dawnfrost, who says that she wants to offer condolences to her.

Sunfire
Sunfire was Hawkshell’s son. Not much information has been given about their relationship, and the identity of his father is still unknown, but Hawkshell was shown to be very shaken upon his death, almost losing her composure and tearing up while announcing it in the Moonlight Gathering following. Upon seeing his and Breezeheart's corpses, she is shown touching his face and crying. She seemed to have a strong love for him.

Elmtail
Elmtail is the Captain of Oak Colony. He and Hawkshell have been Captains for a long time together, and together they ended the rivalry between their Colonies, fostering a great relationship between their cats and a strong friendship between themselves in the process. As the two oldest Captains, they have both seen many seasons and understand each other better than most others could.

In the Moonlight Gathering following Sunfire's death, Elmtail acts friendly and barely formal towards Hawkshell at first, commenting cheerfully on her terrible looks and teasing her, asking if Marsh Colony cats ever groomed themselves. He quickly became somber upon hearing her news, however, and was concerned for her, offering sympathy and support. She rejected his kind gestures, but was shown to look after him guiltily once he had left. The two of them care about one another and know each other well, and it pains them to see the other in distress.

Rainfall
Rainfall is the Captain of River Colony. Young and supercilious, she is constantly making thinly-veiled jabs at the older Captains and getting on their nerves - Hawkshell's in particular. In the Moonlight Gathering following Sunfire's death, when Hawkshell mentions that she would like the Moonlight Gathering to begin, Rainfall cuts in with the snide remark of, “beauty before age, as always”. She also shows little tact or care upon hearing about Breezeheart and Sunfire’s deaths, and arrogantly interrupts Hawkshell to claim that she knows what had killed them. Hawkshell is infuriated and turns on her, calling her a “prideful toad”. At the end of the Moonlight Gathering, when Hawkshell warns the other Captains to keep their bases guarded, Rainfall wryly retorts that River Colony is always well-guarded before taking her leave. The two seem to have a fairly negative relationship, as Hawkshell is aggravated by Rainfall and Rainfall derives pleasure from antagonizing her.

Whitefire
Whitefire is Hawkshell’s sister, and the two of them have always been very close. In their youth especially, they were constantly competing and pushing each other to be better. They had a typical sibling relationship with their fair share of fights and challenges, but at the end of the day, they had each other’s backs. Whitefire stuck by Hawkshell’s side through thick and thin, helping her recover from her lost eye, aiding in ending the feud with Oak Colony, and infinitely more. Without her, Hawkshell could have never made it as far as she did.

Once Hawkshell became Captain, Whitefire even served as her first Second for many months before retiring to be replaced with Leafstorm. She gave Marsh Colony two of its most honored members prior to doing so, however: Kestrelsnap and Shrewbelly. Hawkshell loves her sister and is very grateful for all that she has done for her — and while she misses the time they used to spend together, she does not consider retirement to be an option of her own.

Kestrelsnap
In spite of their age difference, Kestrelsnap has been said to be one of Hawkshell’s closest friends. She is her niece through Whitefire and a very loyal supporter of hers, remembering the days before there was peace with Oak Colony and understanding how much better Hawkshell and Whitefire had made things. Kestrelsnap is an envoy and one of Hawkshell's Council members, and Hawkshell knows that she can trust and rely on the younger molly to get important tasks done. Kestrelsnap in turn admires and respects Hawkshell deeply, even raising her kittens on stories of her Captain's heroism.

Leafstorm
Leafstorm is Hawkshell’s Second and a fairly young molly. Hawkshell sees the good leadership qualities in her Second, even if Leafstorm herself doesn’t, and she is confident that the younger cat will soon discover herself and live up to her true potential. She has faith in Leafstorm’s abilities, and Leafstorm does not want to let her down — especially not while still in Whitefire’s shadow.

Hazelfur
Hazelfur is the Captain of Field Colony. The two do not have an overly complex relationship, and they do not share a border, but they are formal and respectful to one another. In the Moonlight Gathering following Sunfire's death, Hazelfur appeared startled and somewhat intimidated when Hawkshell hissed at Rainfall, and once the latter had gone, he made a point of being more polite to Hawkshell.

Trivia

 * Hawkshell is the largest living Colony cat.
 * It has been confirmed by TennelleFlowers that Sunfire has no father. There is a joke among fans that Sunfire is the result of an asexual reproduction, though Hawkshell's family tree shows that she has an unnamed ex-mate.