ThunderClan Trials

[Cai]

ThunderClan welcomes you...

First off, welcome to the shiny new site! The noble and brave ranks of ThunderClan, led by the one and only Whitestar, are seeking a few helping paws and invite you to put forth a cat to join the élite of ThunderClan. ^.^ If you think you have what it takes to hold an elusive and coveted high-ranking position, then I hope you choose to apply right here, right now.

All entrants should post their cat's bio in this thread rather than in the Character Creation section. I shall judge the DEPUTY entries on the 18th August and the winner will be chosen, so if you want to make a last minute entry speak now or forever hold your peace. The deputy has been chosen!

The medicine cat has also been chosen!

Please remember that, even if you have other cats accepted, you must include a roleplay sample of the applying cat with the bio. All high position cats must have active owners, and so if you know at this point that you cannot be present on a regular basis, you should not apply.

UPDATE: Medicine cats always seem to be so young. I would rather have one who has been the ThunderClan MC for a good 20 moons or so.[/size]

Deputy Applicants:
- Sootclaw (Icy-son)
- Stonewhisker (Ivy)

Medicine Cat Applicants:
- Sparrowflight (Sparrow)
- Russet-thorn (Sporelett)
- Dawnsong (Phantom)[/size]

UPDATE: The ThunderClan team has been chosen! Thanks to all applicants and congratulations to the successful deputy and medicine cat.[/color]

[Cai]

I'll be picking my deputy tomorrow, but I would like to strongly advise both applicants to re-read their bios to fix errors and add final touches. For instance, there is a line in Stonewhisker's which says: "Stonewhisker was given his first apprentice when he was 19 moons old. Her name" and nothing more. And in Sootclaw's, there are various inconsistencies in tense.

To give you the best chance to impress me, please scan for mistakes so the bios are picture perfect for tomorrow. Good luck. :3

[Cai]

So it might not technically be the 18th for you people in the US, but it is for me. And that means I have to make my choice between both of ThunderClan's potential deputies, Sootclaw and Stonewhisker, both of whom could have taken the job. After much deliberation, I have come to my decision, and so the ThunderClan deputy shall be... *drumroll*

STONEWHISKER

[/font][/b]

So yaay! ^.^ Commiserations to Icy, whose cat I really hope will still become a loyal member of ThunderClan, but congratulations Ivy with her cat, Stonewhisker, who is now the ThunderClan deputy! Report for duty right away. ;D

[thalia]

name:
Sparrowflight

gender:
she-cat

age:
37 moons

Clan:
ThunderClan

rank:
medicine cat

apprentice:
yes

love interest:
forbidden!

kin:
JETFEATHER, father
RAINPATH, mother
FLICKERSTORM, sister

description:
You could say Sparrowflight is beautiful. Perhaps, perhaps not. But because pictures can speak more than words, if you padded up to the ThunderClan medicine cat den at the whisper of dawn, you might find the small tabby sleepily blinking awake, stretching and yawning luxuriously. And giving her feathery sand-splashed fur a few licks to smooth out some puffy spots, her brilliant green eyes affectionately combing the den for anything out of place, Sparrowflight would shake off the sleep and totter around, checking out the den to see if anything was out of place. A long tail would flick once, maybe twice, and then she'd prance outside to revel in the smiling sunlight, her pelt gleaming gold-brown in the warmth.

Sparowflight might be tiny, but underneath her soft, fluffy pelt are surprisingly tough muscles. Training with her will attest to that; she might not be necessarily totally traditional in her techniques, and she's no super cat -- actually, she has pretty normal strength compared to cats of normal size. But despite her skills, Sparrowflight predictably hardly ever puts them to the test in battle unless it's absolutely necessary, though she keeps her claws sharp. Nevertheless, the medicine cat's very sensitive to pain and has some bad weak spots -- you only have to find them.

personality:
Sparrowflight can be described in a word: sunshine. As that suggests, the medicine cat tries to have a cheerful attitude to everything; it doesn't always work, but her spirit usually brightens other cats' days up. She might have a temper when it comes to being on the receiving end of rude words, but in general Sparrowflight isn't very aggressive. But she isn't afraid to go against the crowd and stand up for what she believes in, and the tortoiseshell likes going around encouraging cats no matter what they think. And she is generally acceptant of all cats, kittypets and rogues and such, though she can't tolerate arrogance -- which is a weak spot of hers.

But even though Sparrowflight has a temper for pride, sometimes she herself doesn't admit when she's suffering, to ask for help. That little flaw of hers has been mostly eradicated, replaced with compassion and a passion to close her mouth and humble herself, not to argue if it isn't worth it. Sharp words slip out sometimes, but since life isn't fair and voicing that won't help the fact, Sparrowflight is past saying so. Despite all the pain and hurt from her past life, and the intense sadness that followed, Sparrowflight lives on.

history:
Sparrowflight was born the runt of the runts of the litters. Hardly half a tail-length long, each heartbeat was a battle that never should have raged, each breath a fight that never should have blazed. Her parents were sure she was going to die, and Leafblaze, the then-medicine cat, hardly slept for fear that the tiny kit would suddenly stop breathing in her fitful, broken sleep. Rainpath and Jetfeather, nearly named her Flickerkit and her sister Sparrowkit, but hope whispered in their ears when they saw Sparrowflight's bright spirit and quiet determination to take another breath despite how young and innocent and undeserving and clueless she was.

Sparrowkit barely got by, but nevertheless she did, and that's what counts. Long moons passed slowly and finally Sparrowkit passed from kit to medicine cat apprentice under Leafblaze's watch; of course, it wasn't as if Sparrowpaw had much choice in the path she was to follow, given her size and her advantages in battle -- or the lack of them. But Leafblaze was an amazing mentor, and she never failed to pull her apprentice aside and mew some advice in her ear. Through the medicine cat Sparrowpaw learned never to back down, to fall without a fight, and if the apprentice hadn't absorbed it all who knows what might have happened when Rainpath died, killed in a battle between rebelling rogues and ThunderClan loyals. Don't get it wrong, Sparrowpaw was utterly broken, but she dealt much better than if she hadn't been given the strength to carry on.

Sparrowpaw was apprenticed at a younger age than most cats because of her size and general puniness; Leafblaze thought it would give her more time to strengthen up both mentally and physically, not to mention the fact that StarClan had called her then too. Actually, Sparrowpaw was 11 moons old when Leafblaze became her mentor and 20 moons when she became a mentor herself, immediately after Leafblaze stepped down, and so she spent 9 moons training and having values impressed upon her.

Sparrowpaw was 20 moons old when she became Sparrowflight. By then she knew each herb by heart and every scent ingrained in her bones, but nevertheless it was hard to let go of Leafblaze, the cat who'd been like a mother to Sparrowflight after Rainpath left. She'd been kind of depressed after her birth mother went and then her second one was going on too, although the medicine cat would see her still in the elders' den. For long and endless days Sparrowflight moped in her den, shattered and in tatters, until she had the dream.

roleplay example:
The sun slipped another clawlength down in the sky ablaze with red and violet, setting the grassy cliffside on fire as Sparrowflight wearily padded back to her den, a limp shadow trailing along behind her. Tail dragging in the dust, she sighed, flouncing into the medicine cat den and flopping down onto the moss, sending feathery dust flailing into the air from the disturbance. Another excruicatingly inexorable day, finally over. Thank StarClan. Who knew what would've happened if the sun hadn't gotten sleepy and ambled back down to snuggle beneath the horizon? Sparrowflight just wanted to close her eyes and let the dark waters of rest enfold her in sweet oblivion.

The medicine cat did so obligingly, letting her eyelids glide closed, shutting out the steadily quieting twitters of the few birds still at their twilight chorus. The world went black, and quickly the gentle thrum of the night was muted as the bliss of sleep overcame her.

Suddenly there was a dazzling flash as white seared Sparrowflight's eyes, and her lids shot up as she scrambled to her paws in shock. Just as swiftly the light faded to a meek pulse and green washed over, lapping on the brown and gold that softly streamed into the tabby's vision. She was in StarClan's world, in the gorgeous forest that abounded with prey and smelled of comfort and joy. She could scent cats now that were long gone and yet so close -- Rainpath's warm ambery smell mingled among a harmony of other smells, ThunderClan and RiverClan and WindClan and ShadowClan all joined together to form one.

There was a smear of tortoiseshell out of the corner of her eye suddenly, and Sparrowflight wheeled in ecstasy, knowing it was her long-lost mother far before the sight reached her eyes. "Rainpath!", she cried, bounding over and nuzzling the smiling warrior. "I've missed you so much!" She stepped back, surveying her mother and fully bracing herself for some sarcastic yet affectionate comment.

But there was none. Sparrowflight blinked, tilted her head. "What's wrong?" Rainpath stood unsmiling now before her -- was that disapproval on her face? "Rainpath, what is it?", she meowed worriedly. Sarcasm was to the old warrior as splashes of fire were to leaves in leaf-fall. Rainpath sighed, all traces of humor and poise evaporated to the winds. "Sparrowflight, what happened to you?", her mother murmured sadly.

The tabby tilted her head, confused. "Wha?", she said, none too regally. The other shook her head, took a step closer to her daughter. "You used to be so flexible, you know that? Reverberating. You had substance, you were something solid to lean on. Now look at you."

Sparrowflight bit her lip as Rainpath continued wearily on, "You're depressed. Do you have any idea what kind of thoughts have been running through your head? Get up, girl! I've joined StarClan. Nothing you can do about it. You still have Leafblaze. Kits are watching you. Stop moping before you become a disgrace." Rainpath's voice stayed calm somehow, but it was obvious she'd spent long hours thinking over Sparrowflight's condition.

"Rainpath, I... I just miss you so much...", she started, realizing her mistake.

"Doesn't help, little one. Honestly, at least you get to see me sometimes. Most cats have to wait 'til they get to StarClan to join their loved ones. You have a connection with StarClan, Sparrowflight, and don't forget it."

Sparrowflight clamped her mouth shut, ashamed. "The Clan needs you. All of them do. You cannot detatch yourself now. There is no time for that.", Rainpath purred, stepping up and brushing noses with her daughter. "Keep on keeping on, and I know you can. I would show you the devastation coming if I hadn't stepped in, but it's simply too catastrophic for your eyes."

There was a crackle and a whirl of light, and Rainpath disappeared along with the forest as Sparrowflight fell back to the earth, a changed cat.

[not an excellent ending, I know, but oh well.]

[Sporelett]

.: Name .:. Russet-thorn
.: Gender .:. Tom
.: Age .:. 45 moons
.: Clan .:. ThunderClan
.: Rank .:. Medicine cat
.: Apprentice .:. None
.: Love Interest .:. None

.: Mother .:. Goldenheart
.: Father .:. Sagefoot
.: Brother .:. Finchkit
.: Sisters .:. Mistykit, Willowkit

Description :.

[/justify][/ul]Personality :.

[/justify][/ul]History :.

[/justify][/ul]Other :.

[/url] by Skillet

Sometimes, don't deny,
That everything is wrong.
Sometimes rather die,
Than to admit it's my fault.
Sometimes when you cry,
I just don't care at all.
I don't know why I do,
The things I do to you but,
Sometimes I don't wanna be better.

.: Timeline :.

45 moons ago;; Russetkit, Mistykit, Willowkit, and Finchkit are born.
43 moons ago;; Russetkit's father and siblings die in a fire.
39 moons ago;; Russetkit is apprenticed.
35 moons ago;; Russetpaw earns his warrior name.
28 moons ago;; Russet-thorn becomes the medicine cat's apprentice.
20 moons ago;; Russet-thorn becomes ThunderClan's sole medicine cat.

[/ul]Roleplay Example :.

[/b] Stamping over to take a look at the foot, Russet-thorn loomed over it as only a medicine cat can and seethed at it as if the power of his glare could make it heal on its own. "Huh. Twisted, maybe even broken. Come on then, you two, get this useless heap of fur back to me den. By my whiskers, you must get up awfully early to plan this kind of stuff, because-"

And he continued like that until they reached camp. The whole. Way. Back.[/justify][/ul][/size]

[phantom]

ღ ∂αωηςσηg

✓The Basics }}

Name:
dawnsong.

Gender:
she-cat.

Age:
thirty-five moons.

Clan:
thunderclan.

Rank:
medicine cat.

Apprentice:
open.

Love Interest:
forbidden.

Kin:
mother;; spottedfrost.
father;; thornstep.
siblings;; dapplefern, shadedpath, & brightwhisker.

[/size]

✓The Details }}

Description:

it only takes one glance and dawnsong has your attention. she's a cat unlike any other you will find among the forest clans. though she appears to be more like a kittypet than anything else, she is perfectly suited for surviving in the environment she's chosen as her home.

as expected, being a thunderclan cat and all, dawnsong is bigger than most other clan cats. her thick fur makes her appear even larger than she is, but she's still over-average. though not overly strong, she does have broad shoulders and wide hindquarters. with short legs and round, soft paws, she is not built for speed or agility. however, even though she does not fight and hunt like a warrior, she has built up a decent amount of muscle from all the traveling she does when gathering herbs. she also enjoys taking trips out into the forest just so she can clear her mind, and these help with the above fact. long claws are not kept sharpened to their fullest, as she has no need for such things.

dawnsong's eyes are probably her most defining feature. they show her emotions freely and so you always know how she's feeling. of course, you won't always know what she's thinking, as that is a whole different matter entirely. large and almond-shaped, they stare out from her round face with a gentle, loving expression etched in them, but it is their color that will be noticed. soft, sky blue, they gradually get darker from the outside as they travel toward the center. in bright sunlight, you can see that they are flecked with sharp, glacier blue. though it is rare to see her angered, if she is, her eyes will be storming indigo. normally they are light, and care-free.

finally, we move on to her pelt. the base coat of dawnsong's fur is rich, creamy white. this is by far the dominating color, and is only interrupted on her face and tail by another shade. like a triangle, the white travels between her eyes and covers her muzzle, from which stretch long whiskers and which holds a bright pink nose. faded smoky gray dances around this fur, covering her ears and going around the outside of her eyes. on her forehead there are darker tabby stripes as well. then, taking a look at her tail, we see that its extra fluffy fur is a sort of rusty-brown and gray mixed together. it varies from the base to the tip in vibrancy, but that is the basic look.

Personality:

bubbly and happy-go-lucky are the best words to describe dawnsong. she is easy-going and just sort of takes life in stride. deep down, you might think a cat like this would be sensitive, but this she-cat is far from it. when things get tough she just gets tougher. insults will simply be bounced right back at you. though gentle and caring, she can have a sharp tongue when she wants to, and will readily put any cat in their place who needs it. she is compassionate for anyone in need, but those who insist on being rude and arrogant receive no pats on the back from this medicine cat. no sir. she's stubborn as a mule and when she forms an opinion, you won't get her to admit she's wrong no matter how hard you try.

though she has a soft spot for kits, dawnsong has always known that the path of a medicine cat was where her paws were destined to tread. still, it becomes clear upon observation that she loves them to this day and sometimes allows herself to wish she were a warrior, if only for a moment. yes, she is firm with herself and vows to never break the warrior code by taking a mate and having kits of her own. she simply sees no harm in playing with another queen's litter while she rests in the sun.

dawnsong has been described in many ways. some have said she is a "hardworking, ambitious cat if I ever saw one". others say that she "knows what she wants out of life and nothing can stop her from getting it". still others have talked of how she "has quite an attitude. in all my years, I'd never seen a medicine cat so stubborn and hot-headed. she'll fix ya right up though if you need it". the last one was spoken by one of her long-time patients; a tom who broke his leg and spent many moons in dawnsong's den. he got a good taste of who this feisty she-cat really is. however, they did end up being quite good friends when all was said and done.

History:

at first, dapplekit, shadedkit, brightkit, and dawnkit seemed like a completely normal litter. the two boys bragged about what fine warriors they'd be some day, and the two girls rolled their eyes at them, claiming that they were better because "starclan loved them more". but one was not destined to be "better" in the same way her siblings were. no, starclan had a different path set for her paws. this became clear just before she received her new name as an apprentice, at five moons of age.

after a battle between the clans, many cats were returning injured. with no apprentice, the medicine cat had her paws full. dawnkit took a particular interest in the busy life the unique she-cat led, watching her every move and learning quite a lot. by the time everyone was cared for and most were heading back to their nests for the night, just fine, she'd made up her mind. trotting right up to the cat she mewed, "I wanna be a medicine cat just like you. teach me!" though somewhat doubtful at first, enthusiasm like that simply could not be turned down. dawnpaw would train to be a medicine cat, just as she wanted.

that enthusiasm didn't wear off with time and work, either. no, it only increased. with each passing day, the young cat's mind filled with more and more information; with each week, memorized endless herbs and cures; with each moon, became more like the mind of a seasoned medicine cat, and less like that of an immature kit. before she knew it, dawnpaw became dawnsong, and began serving thunderclan as a full medicine cat. but all good things must come to an end, and her mentor soon joined the ranks of starclan.

to this day, dawnsong continues to work to keep thunderclan safe and healthy. she wants only to make her mentor and starclan proud of her.

Other:
n/a.

Roleplay Example:

soft early morning light filtered into thunderclan's camp, it's warm red and orange rays gently piercing through the dense fog that lay over everything like a comfortable blanket. bird song replaced that of the crickets, and cats began emerging from their dens, yawning and stretching. a pair of kits tumbled out from the nursery, their mother keeping one eye on them as they rolled about in the dust. to one side of camp, the dawn patrol was being organized. a pair of warriors was just returning with prey in their jaws. dropping their catches on the fresh-kill pile, they continued about their days.

a bright pink nose poked out of the medicine cat's den. sniffing once, twice, it disappeared for a moment and brief rustling could be heard. suddenly, a large, fluffy cat stepped out into the camp, early morning light turning her cream pelt to golden. sky blue eyes surveyed the area, noticing every little detail. ears twitching in approval at the fully stocked fresh-kill pile, dawnsong sat down and began grooming her pelt rapidly. thick fur might look awfully beautiful, but it was a ton of work, and such a busy cat didn't often have time to keep herself looking nice.

but things had been peaceful lately. things around the borders remained quiet, and for now, the she-cat had time for a bit of washing. after all, she had a reputation to uphold, and she wasn't about to let thunderclan, her mentor, and certainly not starclan, down. no way, no how was that going to happen! tail wrapped neatly around her dainty white paws, dawnsong looked up. "ah, the dawn patrol is heading out, I see. good. then if everything comes back clear, I shall go out to collect some herbs. getting a bit low on poppy seeds again... I really ought to get myself an apprentice one of these days."

such thoughts were thoroughly common with dawnsong. she tended to ramble on in her mind quite often, but never out loud to somebody. she was an easily distracted cat when alone and not focused on work. however, when she was busy, things were completely different. at these times, only one word could describe her: focused. you wouldn't find a more dedicated medicine cat in all the clans of the forest. and dawnsong was determined to keep it that way.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

[Cai]

Mornin' everyone.

First I'd like to apologise for how long I made everyone wait to find out who shall be ThunderClan's medicine cat. I know I left these bios stewing in here for ages, but I wanted to let everyone have a chance to submit an entry and make them picture perfect. Now, before I go on, I'd like to clarify one thing: It took me ages to choose. All three entries up there were fantastic cats and I want to see all of the RPers making more cats and RPing on Looking Up, because even if you don't get to be medicine cat this time, you should certainly not abandon your cats.

However, there can only be one medicine cat, and I have made my choice with a little help from my deputy. It's the cat I feel has the most interesting story, the most well-written bio and the most careful thought in it. I looked solely at the words themselves, regardless of anything else, and the cat I've decided to go with is...

RUSSET-THORN

[/font][/b]

Commiserations to Sparrow and Phantom, both of whom submitted excellent cats, but great congratulations to Sporelett with her cat, Russet-thorn, who is now the ThunderClan medicine cat! Please repost your bio in the Character Creation section ASAP. Now get out there and heal the sick!