// SPOILERS AHEAD //

// hailwatcher //
Watchful. Patient. Calculating

"I payed the price for my mistakes. I can't protect you from your own, as you seem intent on making them regardless of my warnings."
– Hailwatcher to Nightpaw, chapter 24 of Unmasked

// quick facts //

// physical //
build ▸ very large
gender ▸ tom
fur ▸ spotted black and white
eyes ▸ light blue

// personality //
qualities ▸ watchful, patient, calculating | explosive, closed up, manipulative
strengths ▸ history, fighting
weaknesses ▸ hunting, love

// age //
beginning of Unmasked ▸ 110
at death ▸ 119

// death //
cause ▸ unknown

// family tree //
father ▸ Blizzardpelt
mother ▸ Lizardclaw
littermates ▸ Antshade
paternal grandparents ▸ Zephyrfrost, Palefire
maternal grandparents ▸ Rooktail, Nettleclaw
mate ▸ Sandfeather
kits ▸ Morningfire

// education //
mentor(s) ▸ Waspthroat
apprentice(s) ▸ Nightchaser

// names //
kit ▸ Hailkit
apprentice ▸ Hailpaw
truth-teller ▸ Hailwatcher

// truth-teller position //
preceded by ▸ Waspthroat
succeeded by ▸ Nightchaser

// affiliations //
past ▸ DarkClan

// appearances //
alive ▸ Unmasked

// personality overview //

Hailwatcher's watchfulness always made him a successful candidate for the truth-teller position, despite his appointment being based on his peculiarly marked fur. He quickly learned to be patient, biding his time and storing up the information he observed before striking out in calculated moves. His mentor, Waspthroat, saw this as a great asset and purposely set Hailwatcher up to study his behaviour – Hailwatcher never once failed. His patience, however, comes with a downfall, and it is the explosiveness which occurs from keeping information – and emotions – bottled up.

// relationship analysis //

Hailwatcher grew up with his brother, Antshade, and the two toms were rather close for DarkClan cats. Hailwatcher would never admit to loving his littermate, but Antshade's death only 4 season cycles into his life hit the truth-teller hard. After Antshade's death, Hailwatcher became even more withdrawn and quiet than he had already been as a kit and apprentice. Many in the Clan believed that Antshade, Hailwatcher's opposite, brought out his more outgoing qualities.

Hailwatcher's relationship with Waspthroat, his mentor and the former truth-teller of DarkClan, was a rather rocky one Waspthroat, already rather old by the time Hailpaw was apprenticed to him, recognized the qualities of a great truth-teller in his apprentice very quickly and spent little time actually training him. The stories he told Hailwatcher were told quickly, in no real order, and he left DarkClan and Hailwatcher before his apprentice was even 12 moons old.

Waxstar, the leader at the time, took Hailwatcher under his wing and continued his training, grooming him to be diplomatic as well as watchful. Owlstar (then Owlblaze), respected Hailwatcher greatly long before he became the leader of DarkClan and, when he did come into power, held Hailwatcher's opinion in very high regard (allowing Hailwatcher to save Morningkit).

Hailwatcher and Dawnstar had a much rockier relationship than the previous two leaders and the truth-teller. Dawnstar, knowing of Hailwatcher's influence over Owlstar, chose to pick and choose which of his advice to follow. She was also able to manipulate him with her knowledge of his and Sandfeather's relationship.

With Nightpaw, Hailwatcher immediately knew the apprentice would need some breaking before training could commence. The quarter moon spent cleaning dens was meant to teach him obedience and servitude and to dull his curiosity – this did not work as Hailwatcher had hoped and Nightpaw continued to be very curious about everything despite his best efforts. Hailwatcher was aware that Nightpaw did not believe in DarkClan's views but knew he would not have time to train another apprentice should he turn Nightpaw in. He also, in a sense, wanted some sort of revenge for the life he had been forced to lead in DarkClan and, especially, for the cruelty of Dawnstar.

Hailwatcher and Sandfeather's relationship did not last long. The truth-teller admired the she-cat for her strength despite her caretaker status and often noticed how motherly she was towards the kits. Saddened that neither of them could have kits, he often pretended that the two of them were parents to the kits in the nursery. Sandfeather felt similarly. Their indiscretion, however, led to Sandfeather's pregnancy and, when Hailwatcher refused to escape the Clan, her death.

Morningkit, who Hailwatcher saved as an 'experiment', grew to be a fine warrior and Hailwatcher watched her closely. He was horrified to learn that she was to mate with Spiderthorn, a cat twice her age, but was forced to hold his tongue. Though he always blamed Spiderthorn for her death, he knew that doing so was hypocritical, as he himself had killed Sandfeather the same way.

// trivia //

// Hailwatcher named his two dead kits; their names were Beechkit (the cream tom) and Willowkit (the white she-cat)

Got any other trivia to contribute? Leave a comment!

// fan art //

"Careful with your mask," Hailwatcher's icy voice sounded from behind the black tom. "It's slipping."

- art by queer-deer