Post by thalia on Aug 30, 2010 10:59:19 GMT -5
name:
Sparrowflight
gender:
she-cat
age:
34 moons
Clan:
RiverClan
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 RiverClan 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.
