Senna Whitepaw is the current chief of Whisperwind, a Heartland Lesser Catfolk village founded by her grandmother Mirra Whitepaw and devoted to the Pure Path ("Path of the Covered Blossom"), a stricter splinter reading of Leànnan’s worship.
Appearance
Senna is tall for a Lesser Catfolk woman, with a golden-yellow coat and unusually symmetrical brown spotting across her shoulders. Her eyes sit between blue and green; her movements are precise and measured rather than flamboyantly feline. She dresses in plain wrapped garments of undyed cloth, avoiding ornamentation beyond simple, sacred carnelian pieces.
Background
Senna was not meant to rule. Her mother Tahirah (Mirra’s daughter) died of fever when Senna was still young, and Mirra—already elderly—began preparing Senna as heir. Mirra’s death left Senna holding together a community built on vision and charisma with little more than discipline, scripture, and duty.
Leadership
Senna rules by precedent and the Verses of the Pure Path. Her judgements are fair and consistent, but often inflexible. She is fiercely protective of Whisperwind’s boundaries and rituals, not out of cruelty, but because admitting doubt would mean admitting that generations of sacrifice might have been for a misunderstanding.
Personal life
Senna is married to Rashid Swiftfoot. Their bond is respectful and loyal, if emotionally restrained in the way the Pure Path encourages. They have several kittens, whom Senna loves fiercely even as she worries she is raising them inside a cage of her own making.
Current tension
Whisperwind’s population is slowly declining as younger villagers grow curious about Ja’Pa and mainstream Leànnite practice. Senna has begun to fear that Leànnan’s silence is not a test of faith, but a judgement—or worse, indifference. During a Silent Hour, she once heard something that felt like joy and wild laughter carried on the wind, utterly unlike the austere worship she enforces. She has told no one.
Hooks
• A schism led by younger hunters threatens to break Whisperwind apart.
• A travelling priestess from the Church of Red or Green arrives claiming Leànnan’s correction.
• The acacia ring begins to wither, forcing Whisperwind to seek help beyond its self-imposed isolation.