Hawkclaw of ThunderClan

[Cai]

.:Name: Hawkclaw
.:Gender: Male
.:Age: 39 moons
.:Clan: ThunderClan
.:Rank: Warrior
.:Apprentice: Shadepaw
.:Love Interest: Open
.:Kin:

Leaftail - [Mother; ThunderClan; NPC]
Cloudclaw † - [Father; ThunderClan; NPC]

T h e. l i n g e r i n g .s t o r m

.:Description:

Nobody would suspect that Hawkclaw is his father's son from his looks alone. They could not seem more different in appearances, for the bright white of Cloudclaw's fur contrasts completely with Hawkclaw's brown tabby pelt. On the other hand, the resemblance to his mother, Leaftail, is recognisable. Hawkclaw is strong and muscular, built for power as well speed since he is not particularly bulky, but has well-built legs and shoulders. He is more athletic-looking than average and seems like a hardy young cat, thanks to his thicker fur and solid frame. The only thing which gives away the paternity is the eyes. If one looks closely, they can identify the same pale green hues which give Hawkclaw and his father such intense expression.

Hawkclaw has a short, thick, bristly pelt of dark brown, broken only by a splash of white under his chin. He is a handsome tom, though his expression is usually so dark that he looks quite threatening and unapproachable. Smiles are rare from this tom, since he has been plagued by disappointment and dissatisfaction all his life. Hawkclaw hides whatever good-hearted cat is inside him underneath a brooding, pensive exterior, saying little and mostly being difficult to read. He is still handsome in a dark kind of way, but he is much more surly and irritable than he used to be. His harsh outlook on life is clearly visible in his outward appearance.

Personality:

Never quite satisfied with his lot in life, Hawkclaw is prone to dark moods and fits of bad temper. He can be very sharp to cats he does not know well, though in general he does not say much at all. By nature Hawkclaw is highly passionate and never does things by half. He never gives just part of himself, it's all or nothing with him, and a relationship with him would surely be a rollercoaster, filled with extreme highs and plummeting lows. He is perfectly capable of loving, and he will do so fiercely, creating highly charged and passionate relationships with a select few. Something which should be remembered about him is that Hawkclaw is not shy or antisocial and is more than able to make friends. He merely chooses not to in most cases.

The root of Hawkclaw's grim countenance lies in his former best friend, Whitestar's, position. The problem is not that he covets what Whitestar has, for he has no real desire to lead. What invokes his ire are the consequences of Whitestar's leadership. When Whitefrost became deputy, instead of being Hawkclaw the Warrior, he became Hawkclaw the Deputy's Buddy. Cats began to know him because of who his friends were instead of because of who he was. Whitestar was always in the limelight, and he once had the power to save something Hawkclaw had, but he did not. This betrayal led to Hawkclaw's bitterness and resentment forever after. While his other nursery-mate, Bramblefart, revels in the association with a powerful sibling, Hawkclaw loathes it, resulting in a cat with a bitter and brooding nature.

History:

When Hawkclaw was born, things were falling apart in ThunderClan. The Clan had fallen into anarchy; cross-Clan kits were produced each moon, and loners and kittypets were joining without question. Soon, few cats were pure ThunderClan and Thornstar's regime was a mess. Hawk-kit himself was born to a formerly loner mother and a half-Clan father. His parents were good cats, whether or not they were true ThunderClan, and they loved their son very well. Leaftail was quite old to be having kits, but she was happy to have her one kit and took care of him well. But a moon after Hawk-kit was born, three extra kits came into ThunderClan. Nobody told Leaftail how, and nobody knew why. The only thing she knew was that the kits had no mother and a father who didn't want to know and so needed caring for. So Leaftail nursed the three tiny kits: Whitekit, Bramblekit and Icekit. Now she had four kits to take care of instead of one, and she had to do it all through the height of leaf-bare. The frost was settling in, and Leaftail had a tough job caring for four kits of whom only one was hers. She was helped only by her mate, Cloudclaw, though he was a rather hapless father, and together they raised the youngsters. "Now you've got lots of kits to play with, Hawk-kit. These are your new friends..."

One thing Leaftail and Cloudclaw were firm about was that their real son, Hawk-kit, should know from an early age that he was in fact not related to the kits who had lain beside him by his mother. They didn't want him to be faced with a shock later in life by being told that his brothers and sister were not actually his kin, and as soon as he could understand what they were saying, they told their son the honest truth. So, Hawk-kit always knew that Whitekit, Bramblekit and Icekit were not his blood kin, but that didn't stop him from thinking of them as if they were. In everything except blood, the three kits without a mother were his siblings.

This was where his history with Whitestar began. In those early days, Hawk-kit and Whitekit became friends. Best friends. They were complete opposites in every way, yet somehow they were inseparable. Almost everything Hawk-kit said, Whitekit disagreed with, and almost everything Whitekit said, Hawk-kit disagreed with, so they were the most mismatched duo that could be imagined and they fought like cat and dog most of the time in their childish way. But somehow, they stayed brothers and best friends throughout their kithood and long after that. They spent hours and hours playing boyish games and squabbling and laughing together with their other two siblings, content in their familial friendship. They were a close family under the eye of Leaftail and Cloudclaw, happy and comfortable, but none of them knew what was to come, many many moons later. "What are you on about, Hawk-kit?! Everyone knows that Hollystar was a better leader than Heronstar!"

The first thing that caused Hawk-kit and Whitekit to quarrel was a she-cat. Her name was Skypaw, and she took a shine to Whitekit. Hawk-kit was very upset that his brother's attention was suddenly fixed upon this pretty she-cat. Hawk-kit truly disliked her, deeming her simpering and a goody-two-shoes, but Whitekit was smitten. The two of them would not speak for days because Whitekit chose to play with Skypaw instead of Hawk-kit, and at that time, the young Hawk-kit became more like the Hawkclaw of today. He was sullen and moody because his brother had deserted him, and found himself quite lost now that Whitekit was paying more attention to somebody else. It was not until a tragedy struck that the two of them properly reconciled and got back to how they used to be.

Skypaw died five days before the four kits in the nursery would become apprentices. Whitekit was heartbroken, and suddenly Hawk-kit was the one who could cheer his brother up again. Hawk-kit was sorry for Whitekit, and even though he hadn't liked Skypaw, he grieved her death on Whitekit's behalf. Secretly he was glad that he could be Whitekit's best friend again, a feeling which he felt very guilty for, but one which he could not prevent. He had missed having Whitekit to play with and he was glad that his adoptive siblings were all together again. "I miss her, Hawkpaw. I wish she would come back..."

At six moons, the four kits were apprenticed. While Whitepaw got one of the bravest warriors in the Clan for his mentor, Hawkpaw was stuck with an arrogant, foul-mouthed, unkind tom by the name of Batclaw. He taught his apprentice through harsh words, reprimands and unforgiving punishment. He fed the young Hawkpaw his own take on the Warrior Code, one of great violence and brutality, teaching him that mercy was weakness. Hawkpaw was too clever to take everything he said for truth, and he had also been influenced well by his parents, both good cats who were very worried to see their son taught by such a terrible role model. In the end, they grew so worried that they spoke to Thornstar, asking him to assign a new mentor to Hawkpaw. He only laughed at the two cats, claiming there was nothing wrong with Batclaw and that Hawkpaw had no need for a new mentor. In reality, there were actually very few other warriors who were capable of mentoring, and there was no guarantee that they would be any better than Batclaw.

Batclaw found out about Hawkpaw's parents' request and he grew very angry. He was so insulted that he became three times as harsh as he had been before, making Hawkpaw's life miserable. Hawkpaw had very little time to spend with his friends now, and he envied Whitepaw painfully. Whitepaw had the best mentor he could have wished for and was learning to be a great warrior while he, Hawkpaw, was stuck being screamed at by a great brute of a cat. Whitepaw's head was being filled with ideas of the ThunderClan of old, and of respect and honour. Hawkpaw's was being filled with violence and danger. Needless to say, the effects of their different training showed. Hawkpaw was only half the apprentice Whitepaw had become, and he was jealous. Whitepaw became almost a celebrity in the apprentice den because of his skills, leaving Hawkpaw quite forgotten. It was clear that Whitepaw was on his way up while Hawkpaw was floundering below. "I'm sorry, Hawkpaw, I wish you hadn't got Batclaw."

But if Hawkpaw was nothing if not strong-willed. One day, when he was nine moons old, Batclaw struck him hard in reprimand. Blood was drawn, and Hawkpaw had had enough. He had to go to the medicine cat, but he was still glad it had happened. He was glad because it was a valid excuse to finally get rid of his mentor. Thornstar had to assign a new mentor after Hawkpaw - and his entire family - came to him full of angry complaints. The second time around, Hawkpaw got lucky. The new mentor was a very young she-cat by the name of Wrentail. She was only seven moons older than Hawkpaw, but she was a highly talented cat when she focused. Her problem was she was quite rebellious and had a few problems accepting authority, but compared to Batclaw, she was a cat sent straight from StarClan.

With Wrentail as a new teacher, Hawkpaw went from strength to strength. She scorned and laughed at the things Batclaw had taught Hawkpaw and quickly replaced the ideas of random violence with her clear version of the Warrior Code. She respected it (when it suited her) and she knew it well, so she made Hawkpaw understand it too. Hawkpaw was quite in awe of Wrentail, who was both beautiful and confident. She had a whole string of tom friends who adored her, though she said she could never be bothered with stupid toms. Hawkpaw tried his best to impress her, developing quite a crush on his mentor. She never noticed, though, and treated him like a little brother. "You're like the little brother I never had, Hawkpaw."

Driven both by the will to keep up with Whitepaw and to impress Wrentail, Hawkpaw worked extraordinarily hard. He honed his skills so much that within a moon, he had caught up with his old friend. The two were on par now, and were obviously becoming some of the best apprentices in the Clan. The two were made warriors fairly young at eleven moons in the same ceremony. Hawkpaw became Hawkclaw, and Whitepaw became Whitefrost. Now fully fledged warriors, they had never felt stronger.

Hawkpaw was still chasing after Wrentail when he became a warrior. He felt confident now, since he was no longer a little apprentice, and he put all his effort into making Wrentail fall for him. The trouble was, the free-spirited she-cat was often occupied with some tom or the other, and she never seemed to be available as anything other than a friend. Hawkclaw was twelve moons old and Wrentail was nineteen, but he considered himself quite in love. She was amused by her former apprentice's antics and possibly did him no favours by encouraging his behaviour instead of telling him straight up that he had no chance with her. Instead of rejecting him kindly, she flirted back a bit and humoured him, making his hopes rise astronomically. He never looked at another she-cat for a long time, for he had fallen completely for Wrentail. "You're so cute, Hawkclaw. Why aren't all toms as sweet as you, hm?"

War broke out between ThunderClan and ShadowClan, so Hawkclaw and his friends were all compelled to become involved. He was still best friends with Whitefrost, and the two had an easy comradeship. Hawkclaw was there to support Whitefrost when his mentor died, and Whitefrost helped him through when his father died. Hawkclaw, Whitefrost, Iceflower and Bramblefart were a rock-solid team throughout all the unrest in ThunderClan. Thornstar died in battle - more like battles - and Dovestar took over in a shaky leadership. A young cat emerged from the ranks as her deputy: Lionheart. The reforms on ThunderClan began.

Under Lionheart's influence, things improved. The war ended and peace settled in for four moons. It was at this point that greencough infiltrated ThunderClan and made Dovestar very, very sick. During the time when she was incapacitated, Lionheart took over leading. And he inadvertently created a grudge from Hawkclaw during this time. Wrentail, known for her slightly disrespectful attitude towards authority, was off getting into trouble. She'd met a tom from ShadowClan and was baldly sneaking off to see him all the time. Hawkclaw begged her to stop because it was only a matter of time before she got caught, but she simply laughed and said it was fine. "Don't be a wimp, Hawkclaw, it's nothing. Rocktooth and I are just having a laugh."

At this time, Whitefrost warned Hawkclaw to stay away from Wrentail. He didn't tell Hawkclaw that he had become friendly with Lionheart and had found out that the deputy was very suspicious of the young she-cat. Hawkclaw refused and claimed to love Wrentail. Whitefrost laughed at him and said he had no idea, and that the she-cat would bring him down if he did not give up on her. Heated arguments ensued, but still Whitefrost did not tell Hawkclaw what he had been told in confidence. He never let on that Wrentail was about to be caught, and Hawkclaw utterly refused to stop spending time with her.

Hawkclaw soon realised why Whitefrost had been adamant that he should turn his back on Wrentail. Lionheart had had enough of her wayward behaviour and demanded that she stop seeing her ShadowClan tom to enforce the Warrior Code. Wrentail refused furiously and spat in Lionheart's face, turning to strike him. Enraged, the deputy told her to give up Rocktooth or be exiled from ThunderClan. She chose the latter. With nothing more than a glance at Hawkclaw and a furious shout at Lionheart, Wrentail left, never to be seen by her Clan again. Soon, Lionheart's power was confirmed when Dovestar left the Clan, and Lionstar's regime was in full swing before long. Hawkclaw was absolutely furious with both Lionstar and Whitefrost, screaming at his brother for not warning Wrentail that she was going to be caught. "I told you to stay away from her, Hawkclaw! How can you blame me when she was the stupid fool?"

Hawkclaw had never felt more betrayed. He ended his long friendship with Whitefrost, furious that the cat he had called his brother had become Lionstar's right hand cat. He hated Whitefrost for siding with the leader instead of him and he felt that it was his fault just as much as Lionstar's that Wrentail was exiled. Lionstar himself also became an object of hatred from Hawkclaw, and he was frequently less than respectful to the new leader, bordering on downright insolence.

Lionstar needed a deputy, and there were few cats to choose from. There were only two obvious candidates, though they were young, and they were Whitefrost and Hawkclaw. In terms of skill and ability, the two were equal. But one of them was the leader's friend, and the other his enemy. Hawkclaw was never going to be chosen over Whitefrost, and so of course he had to watch as his brother became the next in line to lead ThunderClan. He became estranged from him on that day, and though he continued to tolerate his other nursery mates, Bramblefart and Iceflower, all friendship between Whitefrost and him was lost. "Why are you doing this, Hawkclaw? She was just one she-cat! Are you going to lose me as well as her? For StarClan's sake, when are you going to grow up!"

Since then, the two have scarcely spoken. Almost twenty moons have passed, yet there has been no reconciliation. Hawkclaw resents Whitestar for being leader and for not saving Wrentail when he could have. Whitestar does not repent what he did and he does not feel he did any wrong. The way things are going, it seems the two will never return to the friendship of their youth. Hawkclaw has shut most cats out, still sore over the loss of the cat he'd loved for so many moons.

Other:

I am so sorry to whoever has to read that history.

Roleplay Example:

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe;
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water'd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with my smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veil'd the pole:
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretch'd beneath the tree

[Sporelett]