On Earth, Kestrel was an artist. On the city's darkest alley walls they painted their dreams of a better world for the not-cats. They cared deeply for the other cats who lived near them, but had a hard time connecting with them. When they found Nestor's portal, they knew they had to spread the word of its appearance.

Kestrel turned to Nile, whom they saw as the bravest and most capable cat around. (Also the prettiest. The most intimidating, yet the one Kestrel always wanted to talk to. They pushed aside these thoughts to return to when there weren't such urgent matters to handle.) Nile returned with four other cats who were interested in exploring whatever lay beyond the portal. Together, they jumped, and Kestrel hoped desperately that they weren't leading the others into disaster.

Luckily, they all found a lovely life waiting for them on Not-Earth. Now, Kestrel is the de facto leader of the village named Forswaelan and dedicates every day to building a new life for all of them. They're not entirely comfortable with being in charge, but overall they're very happy with their new home and friends.

Kestrel and Nile became even closer on Not-Earth, and tried to do the romance thing for a while. But it didn't feel quite natural, and soon Kestrel figured out that romance wasn't really something they wanted. They're still very important cats in each other's lives, just as best friends, rather than partners.