:((((( I feel so terrible for Mousescratch... Can we hear more about her?
Of course! I wish we'd gotten to see more of her. Maybe via StarClan... See the latest update here.
Mousescratch's parents were an odd couple in RueClan. Her mother, Lynxmoon (Lichencloud's daughter) was an enormous and fearsome RueClan warrior, who took on Mistledream as a mate, a small RueClan tom who retired early due to a chronic illness, which many RueClanners did not look kindly upon. Lynxmoon found solace in Mistledream's sharp wit and the enlightenment he'd achieved for the price of being seperated from the rest of the Clan, understanding the corruption that dominated the lives of RueClan cats. Lichencloud did not approve of his daughter's choice of mate, and for a time they weren't on speaking terms.
Lynxmoon and Mistledream had Mousekit and Bearkit. As per their names, Mousekit was very small, and Bearkit very big. However, Mousekit, though sweet, was determined to be of use in the Clan. At the time, RueClan had a healer, who took on Mousepaw as an apprentice.
By the time Mousescratch and her brother Bearstep became healer and warrior seperately, their father, Mistledream, had passed from his illness. Lynxmoon dealt with her grief with violence, and threw herself into border scuffles and clawed training with her Clanmates. This eventually killed her too.
Mousescratch was eventually left the Clan's only healer, but was sickened day-in-day-out by the Clan's practices, and began to wonder if she could bear it any longer. She had become very close with her grandfather, Lichencloud, and could tell that he too had doubts but was unable to reckon with them because of how long he'd been loyal to the Clan. She asked him to leave with her, and he refused, but didn't betray her to the leader at the time. Mousescratch did not ask Bearstep if he wanted to come with her, fearing that he would keep her in RueClan by force.
Mousescratch left RueClan healerless. After her, they appointed one more healer (a warrior, Poppystem, who had helped Mousescratch out from time to time). Bearstep went on to have two kits, Jaguarsnap and Moosefrost, who are still alive in RueClan today.
Mousescratch travelled far to farming land where she became a travelling hears for the loners and kittypets who resided there. She met a tom and settled down with him, and they tried for kits but had trouble concieving. Eventually, word got out to her that RueClan was in a terrible state. She left secretly and travelled on foot to try and convince her grandfather to leave with her again. Mousescratch didn't realise until she was already close to the Clans that she was pregnant.