RiverClan Evaluations

[Amber]

Wahoo, Ambie finally made a board for this, I know how happy everyone is, right? Now that her mind is somewhat sane, we'll get down to business.

As you know RiverClan is searching for a leader and a medicine cat, deputy already being taken by yours truly. Now for a leader it will have to be a somewhat older leader, they don't have to only have a few lives left, they can have as many as you would like. Cherryfur herself is somewhat young, and is the second deputy to the leader (could be third I just have in her history a bit of information about the deputy before her). She's been deputy for about three moons or so, give or take a moon, so the leader would have had the position for at least eight moons, possibly longer depending on how tryouts go. If you are confused about anything, you can look at Cherryfur's bio.

As for medicine cat, there is no prerequisite, so feel free to create a meddie cat that will please me and the other admins. I'll even let you go a little crazy with it. Just make sure not to make the medicine cat too young, please.

Auditions are done as of August 18.
Please if you decide to create a high position, be active.

So go ahead and post all applications before time runs out! I will decide ON the 18th.

[kitty]

Okay, here's Palestar.

Name:
Palestar
Gender:
Tom
Age:
71 moons
Clan:
RiverClan
Rank:
Leader
Life:
Fourth
Apprentice:
None right now, but open
Love Interest:
Open
Kin:
Gingerflower - mother - deceased
Creamheart - father - deceased

Mallowfang - brother - deceased
Lilyheart - sister - deceased

Leaftail - niece - NPC
Poppywhisker - nephew - NPC

Goldenkit - niece - deceased
Littlekit - niece - deceased

Description:

With a long body, Palestar is considered lithe and thin, yet muscular at the same time. His long legs and tail only seem add to the length of his body, making him seem even thinner than he already is. With dainty-looking paws at the end of every leg, padded with pink pads, you might be surprised at the thorn-sharp claws that they conceal, or the sharp fangs that his jaws hide. Not that he uses them if he has a choice. His ears are an average size, triangular, and spaced evenly out on his head. His head is a bit triangular, ending with a dark pink nose sitting on the end of his muzzle, surrounded by several white whiskers.

Now we get to his pelt. Short yet thick, water seems to slide right off after a nice swim. His entire base coat is a cream color, and ginger stripes a few shades darker cover almost all of his body, getting darker on his tail, while just a bit lighter across hit back and flank. The cream coloring becomes more prominent on his muzzle, his chest, stomach, and paws. If it weren't for the several claw scars that mar his flanks and back and a slightly torn ear, he might be considered a handsome tom. Actually, he still can be. Factor in his green eyes, filled to the top with some emotion or another unless he's making a point to hide it, and you've got Palestar, leader of RiverClan.

Personality:

Palestar is what some might consider a 'fun' leader. He isn't serious all the time, and he's always one for a good joke, still choosing to go on frequent patrols and hunts and trusting the Clan in the care of his deputy. Add in his rather laid-back attitude, and some cats thought at first that he wasn't fit to be leader. But he's pulled it off very neatly, keeping his Clan out of the worst of the battles with his easy words. Just because he'd rather talk out the battles instead of fight doesn't mean he won't fight, though, and as soon as talking fails, or if there's no chance to talk, he's got his sharp claws and fangs, and they're headed straight for you.

While Palestar unquestioningly prefers and trusts his own Clan the most, he doesn't mind mingling with the other Clans at Gatherings, and sometimes he'll even during the worst of times when everyone's tensions are running high approach a new apprentice and make conversation. He wants nothing more than what's best for his Clan, and for all the chaos that has occurred in recent times to be sorted out, and he has attempted to contribute to fixing it in any way he can. He's the type of leader that can be found lingering in the camp, chatting with the warriors of his Clan, sharing a meal with the elders, giving the apprentices tips to improve their hunting or fighting, or maybe even a game of mossball with the kits in the nursery.

Determined and loyal, there is no chance that this tom will abandon his Clan, and he's proven it several times over by giving up his lives. He cares for them like they're his own kin, from the littlest kit to the oldest elder. And just because he tries to make life in his Clan rather fun doesn't mean he's not serious. He can go from laughing to all-out seriousness in a matter of heartbeats, listening and understanding and providing wisdom where he can, giving orders that he expects to be followed. But he can't be serious all the time - its not in his nature - which is why he's appointed Cherryfur as deputy under him. Between them, he figures they can keep the Clan under control.

History:

Born in a litter of three to two full-blood RiverClan warriors, Gingerflower and Creamheart, Palekit was the medium-sized kit in the litter. His sister, Lilykit, was the smallest, yet already the most beautiful, and his brother, Mallowkit, was without a shadow of a doubt the largest. It was obvious from the start that Palekit was the leader of the group, however, and neither of his siblings ever challenged that. Little Lilykit was sweet and Mallowkit was tough, but Palekit was the leader. It was just how things worked. In fact, the kits always joked about how Palekit would be leader some day, Mallowkit deputy, and Lilykit medicine cat. It became Palekit's ambition, although he shot a bit lower, taking it a step at a time. First he'd be a great apprentice.

The time for the three to be apprenticed came, and they were given to warriors that would suit them best and matched up to them, personality-wise. Palepaw was given to a respectable senior warrior, Twigtail, who'd sent several apprentices already merrily on their way to becoming warriors. Palepaw dove into his learning, his trouble-making kit days long forgotten as he tried to learn all he could. The plot for Lilypaw to become medicine cat fell through, because she realized that she much preferred being a warrior. Sweet little Lilypaw had a tough side, it seemed, and Palepaw was proud of her, and Mallowpaw, too. But his ambitions had raised a level, and he was now determined to become the best warrior he could be.

His apprenticeship passed rather boringly, having nothing really exciting happen. He hit his thirteenth moon, and he and his brother were ready to be warriors. Lilypaw, however, was caught in a border skirmish, and had received a nasty shoulder injury. She refused to let her brothers wait for her to recover, though, and after much hesitation and deliberation, the two received their warrior names. Palepaw became Palestorm, named after his determined attitude and his fighting ability, and possibly even the way his mood could change just on a whim.

Now that he was a warrior, Palestorm first had to wait until he was older to even hope to be deputy. He worked hard, alongside his brother, now called Mallowfang, and his sister, who had finally joined them and was now dubbed Lilyheart. It wasn't until he was twenty moons old that he had his first border skirmish ever, and he got some scars to show for it, but RiverClan managed to chase out the offending Clan.

Moons came and went. Although Palestorm still loved his siblings, warriorhood marked the time in their lives where they started drifting apart. Lilyheart found a mate, Rednose, and had a litter of kits, consisting of Leafkit and Poppykit. It wasn't until Mallowfang had one of his eyes injured in another border skirmish, causing him to go blind in that eye, that Palestorm got back in touch with his siblings. This was where Palestorm sprang at the opportunity to spend time with his brother again, and while Lilyheart had a litter of kits to watch, he helped Mallowfang learn how to function without sight in one eye.

The leader must have noticed, because he graced Palestorm with one of his sister's kits, Leafkit, as an apprentice. He trained little Leafpaw as well as he could, which must have been pretty well, because seven moons later, Leafpaw was becoming a warrior. That was when Palestorm allowed himself to shoot for becoming deputy.

He got that chance when the current deputy decided to retire of old age. At the age of 34 moons, Palestorm was appointed deputy, an action that rather surprised some because he tended to joke around a lot. His teasing seemed to go away somewhat upon his new position - which his siblings were happy for even though the hopes of their kit plots were vanquished long ago.

Palestorm was deputy for a scarce seven moons before another border fight claimed the last of the old leader's lives. Saddened, Palestorm was at a bit of a loss as to what to do now, but he appointed a deputy - Mallowfang insisted that it not be him, because of his loss of sight in one eye, and Lilyheart said that it shouldn't be her, either; she wanted to keep having kits. So honorable senior warrior Toadthroat was named deputy, and Palestorm set out to the Moonpool to receive the nine lives of a leader.

He returned the next morning, refusing to tell anyone what happened, although the experiences of the night before had been some of the most painful he'd ever experienced. He'd achieved his ambitions at last, and felt satisfied. He now had a Clan to run.

The first fifteen moons passed peacefully, but then things picked up. Border skirmishes on the ShadowClan broke out nearly daily for a while, and in the end Palestar himself went out to chase out the intruders, claiming the first of his nine lives in the process, and lives were taken on both sides, including Toadthroat, the deputy. In the end, however, RiverClan suffered defeat, and ShadowClan claimed some of the territory that belonged the RiverClan. Upon returning to the camp, Tawnyfoot, a respectable young tom, was named new deputy of RiverClan.

After two moons of being taunted and planning, RiverClan launched an attack to reclaim their taken territory, Palestar at the head. The ShadowClan cats were taken by surprise, and RiverClan managed to take back their territory, but not without the death of several more deaths, including the loss of Mallowfang. Saddened, Palestar grieved for a time, but Lilyheart made him see sense. He had a Clan to lead, and it would do no good for him to get depressed.

In the moons that followed, greencough broke out, and, against the medicine cat's warnings, Palestar insisted on visiting the ill cats. Unsurprisingly, he, too, fell ill. Confined to the leader's den for nearly a quarter moon before the illness got so bad that it claimed his second life, the leader didn't know that his remaining sibling, too, had fallen ill. He'd been recovered for one day, and, weak from the loss of his life, had gone to inform the medicine cat. Inside the medicine den laid what seemed like half the Clan, although several of them were improving and were going to be fine. Among them was his sibling, though, and Lilyheart's most recent litter, too. Lilyheart was in bad shape - the kits, too. The medicine cat, however, took one look at the still-weakened Palestar and sent him scurrying back to his den.

Lilyheart and her litter, sadly, didn't recover from the disease. They joined StarClan, and, saddened as he was, Palestar couldn't let it bring him down, nor would Lilyheart want it to. She had talked him out of his saddness over Mallowfang's death and wouldn't want to have him go through it again without anyone to talk him out of it. Several of the cats recovered, but a few more were still lost to the sickness before it was gotten under control.

It wasn't many moons later that Tawnyfoot started going, well, insane. He claimed that he was starving, and wouldn't eat, and eventually he died. Palestar felt bad about it - he'd liked the young tom, even though his mind was wasting away in his last moon of life. Cherryfoot was named deputy in his place, in hopes that her leadership qualities would help bring order to the Clan that seemed to be in chaos.

By that point, the Clan was smaller than Palestar could ever remember it being. He is bent on restoring RiverClan to its former glory, and no matter what he's determined he'll succeed. That's his newest ambition.

Other:

71 moons ago: Palekit born.
65 moons ago: Palekit apprenticed.
58 moons ago: Palepaw becomes a warrior, now Palestorm.
51 moons ago: Border fights break out; Palestorm has his first battle.
49 moons ago: Mallowfang's eye is injured; Palestorm helps him find new fighting techniques.
45 moons ago: Palestorm receives Leafpaw, his sister's kit, as an apprentice.
38 moons ago: Leafpaw becomes a warrior, Leaftail.
37 moons ago: Deputy retires; Palestorm named deputy.
30 moons ago: Leader dies; Palestar becomes leader. Toadthroat named deputy.
15 moons ago: ShadowClan attacks and takes some RiverClan land. Palestar loses a life; Toadthroat dies, Tawnyfoot named deputy.
13 moons ago: RiverClan reclaims their land; Palestar loses his second life; his brother dies.
10 moons ago: Greencough outbreak. Palestar loses his third life; his sister dies.
3 moons ago: Tawnyfoot dies; Cherryfur named deputy.

Roleplay Example:

What? What? Where was he? He had a battle to fight! He couldn't leave his Clan now, not with ShadowClan on their territory! He had to help them!

Palestar stood and looked around. He was in the clearing where the battle was being fought, but there was no sign of any living cats. Around him sat many cats, however, all with stars in their fur. StarClan cats. One materialized and walked towards him, and as the cat came closer Palestar recognized the leader before him.

"Why have you brought me here?" the RiverClan leader demanded. "My Clan, we're fighting! I can't fight here!"

The former leader just stepped aside, leaving an empty space where he stood a moment before. Wait..no, it wasn't empty. There was something there, the faintest outline...of a cat with pale ginger fur, a nasty wound on his underbelly. All of a sudden, Palestar realized what had happened.

"You've lost your first life, Palestar," the starry cat before him said. "Your new life needs time to prepare itself."

"Please, send me back now! I have to fight for my Clan!" Palestar begged. How lowly it must look for him to have to beg! But the StarClan cats seemed used to it, so maybe this happened often.

"In a moment, Palestar. We're proud of you, the cats in StarClan. You've led your Clan well these past moons. I was right; your ability to joke around and then become serious seems to lighten the mood in camp." The leader went on a bit more about how proud he was that his deputy made such a fine leader, but all said 'fine leader' could think about was how he was not being a good leader just standing here chatting idly with an old dead friend. At last, the starry cat before him said, "You may now return. We will heal the wound that caused your death, but all others will remain."

When Palestar opened his eyes again, he was in the clearing, and only a scarce amount of cats from the RiverClan remained in the clearing. A few cats were standing over him, trying to rouse him. "He's okay!" "look, he's awake!" "Welcome back, Palestar!" "Are you alright?"

Palestar struggled to sit up - wow, he didn't know he'd feel this weak after losing a life! - and cast his green gaze around the clearing. They were losing. ShadowClan was beating them back. Maybe if he hadn't lost a life, the tides may have been different. But he was feeling too weak to fight again so soon after losign his first life, especially since StarClan only healed the wound that killed him and along with the blood he'd already lost some was still flowing from wounds on his pelt. Then what happened hit him again. He'd lost a life. "I'm fine," he croaked. "I just lost a life."

"We have to go! ShadowClan have won this time." One of the senior warriors ran up, yowling a retreat, and after examining the situation one more time, Palestar bent his head in assent. They would have to retreat this time, but they would be back for their territory.

The remaining cats around him began to flee back towards camp, and Palestar followed, propped up between two of his warrior. On the way out of the clearing, however, Palestar could just take in the scene around him. There were cats from both Clans lying motionless on the ground, and he felt a pang.

He was not the only cat who lost their life today.

[Deleted]

Nightstar:

Name:

Nightstar

Age:

32 moons

Gender:

She-cat

Clan:

RiverClan

Apprentice:

Her old apprentice was Jaywhisker, and, by some cruel twist of fate, she also ended up mentoring her sister, Sweetfur, for a while.

Rank:

Leader

Life:

1st.

Love Interest:

No...

Kin:

Softwing <Mother, RiverClan - NPC.>
Smokewhisker <Father, RiverClan - NPC.>
Sweetfur <Sister, RiverClan - NPC.>
Berryfoot <Brother, RiverClan - NPC.>
Rook-kit <Nephew, RiverClan - Mousy.>
Dovekit <Niece, RiverClan - Mousy.>

Description:

Nightstar is a large, muscular she-cat with largely black fur. While she is not a vain cat, she often grooms it, but only to keep dust and mud out of it, because a lot of that sort of thing finds its way in when you are a cat living in tunnels. While her minty green eyes are usually glassy and cold, they occasionally light up, particularly when she's aroundkits, or her siblings or friends. Her black fur is thick, and, while it looks entirely black, it, in fact, has patches of dark brown on it; on her sides, her neck, her back and her tail, most notably, the dark brown line running from a splodge on her head to the tip of her tail without getting thinner or thicker. She is large and muscular, but couldn't easily be mistaken for a tom. Her ears, which were sharp and pointed, are now ripped and torn, but this doesn't concern her too much. She has a scar on her shoulder, where a cat had attacked her during a battle, and injured her. Also, one of her eyes has a scar over it, which, fortunately, didn't lose her her sight, but several days of training while it healed. This doesn't really bother her too much, though. Her eyes are large, almond-shaped and mint-green, and brighten to yellow, almost the same as the sun, at the rims, and make her look quite dark. She is quite thin, but not strangely so, a normal sort of thin-ness for a cat her age and of her rank. She's nearly always busy training, or helping other cats, so she sometimes doesn't eat. She doesn't mean to. She just forgets. It's easily done. Her nose is pure black, and all of her body, apart from the spots, is very much black. All in all, she looks like a normal cat, and, while she is beautiful, she isn't that much more than her calico sister Sweetfur. Her face is very expressive, easily adapting an expression of terrifying anger or easy charm. Nightstar can run extremely fast when she wants to. Those who look closely at Nightstar, however, will see that she always seems to have a look of moderate disinterest on her face and that she doesn't appear to watch anything with any interest whatsoever. But this isn't true. She's just good at looking disinterested.

[/justify]

Personality:

Nightstar, to her Clan, at least, is a kind, easygoing she-cat. She looks after kits quite often, and all of the cats respect her quite a lot. She cares equally about all cats; from the elder lying in the sun to the tiny, blind kit, and this includes her apprentices. If any of her Clan were to insult one of the apprentices, she would have something to say about it, that's for sure. But, enough about that. She rarely gets angry at cats in her own Clan, or at the Outsiders. (Unless said Outsiders are exiled outsiders, in which case she decides she doesn't like them, unless they were exiled from another Clan in which case she gets information from them.) To the other three Clans, however, she is cold, almost appearing hostile. And if another cat was found hunting on RiverClan's territory... Well... Let's just say that they would be going to LightClan or DarkClan within a few heartbeats. But, if a lost kit wondered on to their territory looking for their mother, she would take them back to their Clan. She understands the warrior code, and is particularly particular that her Clan obey it at all times. LightClan and DarkClan forbid if any cat killed a kit from another Clan. She can also tell the difference between matters which are personal and those which concern the entire Clan. If the matters are personal, she won't interfere. If they could concern the Clan, as leader, she will interefere. She's a naturally hard worker, never shirking her duties. She is often quiet and respectful of others, but she may become very hostile when one of her clanmates is in danger. In battle, there's no arguing with her, when she gives an order it is final, or else, because disobeying orders threatens her Clan, and that isn't something that Nightstar takes lightly. She occasionally breaks the warrior code, but never says that she breaks it as such. No; she just bends it. (Well, she actually breaks it. But she'd never say so.

[/justify]

History:

Nightstar was born as Nightkit, along with Sweetkit and Berrykit, to Softwing and Smokewhisker, two respected warriors of RiverClan. She, Sweetkit and Berrykit were extremely close siblings, and, while they occasionally argued, they got on extremely well. Each of the three was extremely different. Berrykit was adventurous and excitable, Sweetkit was anxious and skittish, and Nightkit was extremely relaxed, which was a quality that failed to rub off, regrettably, on Sweetkit, who, while she was a pretty little thing, was too terrified to come out of her shell. But, Nightkit and Berrykit still loved little Sweetkit. She was just that: sweet. Neither would ever disown their skittish sister: There were two litters in the nursery at that time, and they didn't get on very well. And, Nightkit and Berrykit loved their little sister. It was a simple, kittish love, but who would think...

Before long, Nightkit, Berrykit and Sweetkit became Nightpaw, Berrypaw and Sweetpaw. The three siblings were as close as ever, and loved each other as much as ever, and each one was apprenticed to an understanding warrior, who let them train together, and Sweetpaw got over part of her skittishness, and this was mostly down to Silverpaw: he had recently left a disorganized group of outsiders, and come to RiverClan. Here, he had met the three siblings, all of whom liked him: and so did their mentors- it was convenient to have a tom who could help Sweetpaw get over her anxiousness, and he was a nice cat. So, the three siblings had a friend for life.

Soon, Nightpaw became warrior: she was the quickest to learn, so, on her siblings' request (they didn't want to hold her back), she became Nightpool. Her vigil was uneventful; she sat in the entrance to camp and guarded it, and this was perfectly normal; nothing exciting happened.

Soon, however, Sweetpaw's mentor died. The she-cat became so skittish that if someone even came up to her and spoke to her, she would wheel around panting and eyes huge. Her anxiousness had got to the point that even Silverpaw couldn't calm her down: only being with her sisters could, so, after a trial day being mentored by Nightpool's old mentor which went terribly, she was apprenticed to Nightpool herself, who gently calmed her sister down, and her mentoring went well: Sweetpaw became Sweetfur, Berrypaw then became Berryfoot and Silverpaw became Silverwing, and the three siblings were able to be together with their friend (and they were now permitted to have kits, heh).

Soon, excitment happened (if my English is right) for Sweetfur and for Nightpool: Nightpool got another apprentice, Jaypaw, and Sweetfur was in love with Silverwing, who had treated her so well, and never upset or insulted her. Both were very happy, and Jaypaw's training went very well. He learned fast, and enjoyed his training, and his mentor's company. They got on very well, and so, in fact, did all of the cats in the Clan.

Before long, however, Jaypaw became Jaywhisker, and then, tragedy struck. RiverClan's deputy died, so a new deputy needed to be chosen: the contest was between Nightpool and her old mentor, although neither stopped being friends. In fact, they cared very deeply for each other, and each promised that, if the other needed help, they would gladly give it, and the leader nodded to this, seeing it as an inspiration to the whole Clan. Eventually, however, Nightpool because deputy of RiverClan, and the first to congratulate her was her mentor: Berryfoot and Silverwing were too busy congratulating Sweetfur! She was pregnant!

Sweetfur moved very soon in to the nursery, where she quickly settled amongst the other queens, and she was very happy. (The father was, of course, Silverwing, who she loved deeply.) Before long, two tiny kit were born: the birth was long and difficult, and little Dovekit almost died. However, both pulled through (although, the near-death did nothing for her skittishness: in fact, they made her more skittish, and, for a while, while she calmed down, the two kits were looked after by another queen, who only had one kit, who was the same age, at the time.

Soon, however, the old leader's final life was lost, and Nightpool because Nightstar: she was a proud leader, and lead her Clan from the front, rather than the back. She cared very deeply about all the cats who had fallen under her care, and looked after each one, from the tiny kit to the elder, and everything in between. She also made sure that no-one tried to annoy her Clan from the other Clans.

[/justify]

Roleplay example:

Nightpaw sighed. Whaat had she done wrong? It seemed as though her Mentor was giving her about 1,000,000 times more work than usual to do! What was happening?! She'd given new moss to the Elders, and she wasn't happy about that. She'd helped the Medicine Cat gather herbs, and she wasn't so happy about that. She'd watched the Kits for the Queens, which was fine. But why did she seem to be doing everything?! She was twelve Moons old, for StarClan's sake! She should be out there, hunting!

Oh well. She had a quick break, so all was good for a bit. She was lying on her side in the shade beside Silverwing, who was talking to her about what the disorganised group of Outsiders would be doing at that precise point in time.

"... Oh, they would probably be killing each-other over, like, a tiny bit of Crowfood right now. RiverClan is sooo much better than living there!" he laughed. Nightpaw made very little attempt to pay any attention whatsoever, just nodding occasionally.

"Uh-huh?" she muttered. Oh, that's my Mentor. I'd better be off," she muttered, getting up. Silverwing nodded, following her.

"Well, like, see you!" he said cheerily, padding over to Sweetpaw, who was chatting quietly to Berrypaw, who occasionally nodded, but didn't seem to be able to get a word in edgeways.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highstump!" the leader called. Nightpaw flicked her head on one side and padded over. "I, Greystar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Nightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Greystar said. Nightpaw blinked.

"I do," she answered unfalteringly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name: Nightpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Nightpool. StarClan honours your stregth and your intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Greystar rested her chin on the top of Nightpool's head, and Nightpool respectfully licked her shoulder. She listened as the Clan chanted her new name:

"Nightpool! Nightpool! Nightpool! Nightpool!"

This explained it.

[/justify]

Other:

Not that I can think of...

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[Ki]

Name: Owlstar
Gender: Tom
Age: 78 moons (6 1/2 years)
Clan: RiverClan
Rank: Leader
Life: 4
Apprentice: Open
Love Interest: Fireflower (NPC)
Kin: Hawkeye (Father, NPC, Deceased); Goldenheart (Mother, NPC, Deceased); Oakpaw (Brother, NPC, Deceased);

Redstorm (Son, NPC)
Fawnfur (Daughter, NPC)

Description: Owlstar, from his very birth, has always been a big boy. When he was young he ate as frequently as the warrior code would allow. He was naturally muscular, which only added to his bulk. By the time he was half-way through his apprenticeship he towered over most other cats. You would think that being so large and muscular would have made a young tom overconfident and turned him into a show-off. But somehow, it didn't. While Owlstar might look tall and threatening at first, once you get to know him you know the true side to him. Then what was once threatening becomes endearing and harmless. (Though when in battle Owlstar has used his size to his advantage, as most cats would.)

His pelt is rather plain and common to a forest cat. Owlstar's fur is short and is primarily brown. A thick black stripe runs from the base of his neck all the way down to Owlstar's tail tip. This long black stripe sprouts many more smaller stripes, like a mighty tree sprouting branches. Each of his paws are a pure, solid white. On his chest there is also a patch of white that looks a bit like an upside-down triangle, and a much smaller version of this triangle manifests itself on his muzzle. His whiskers, which were once as white as snow, are now turning black with age. And like any seasoned warrior he bears scars from battles past. One of his ears is torn, and there are three long scars dangerously close to one of his light green eyes. Had that cat's claws come any closer to his eyes, Owlstar probably would have been blinded. There are many more along his body, one of the most prominent being a long scar that looks like it might have once been a deep gash.

Despite his large and scarred appearance, there is usually an ever-present smile on Owlstar's face and a kindness that shines in his eyes. In that smile and in those eyes, a tender and loving heart can be seen..

Personality: Perhaps, once upon a time, Owlstar was as young and wild as the next cat. But after many moons of growing, learning, and surviving in the life of a warrior, he has become calm and wise. Owlstar has been there and done that. In trouble for sneaking some prey on the side? Check. Fallen in a thorn bush while trying to impress a she-cat? Yup, done that too. A bit nervous about being a new parent? He's been there. Basically: Owlstar has done a lot of things in his lifetime(s). So when one of his Clanmates is having a problem, Owlstar can very likely feel their pain and help them deal with it should they approach him with it.

That brings up another key point about Owlstar: he's a very lax leader. Does he let his Clan slack on important things, such as hunting or border patrols? Of course not! But when all the work is done, Owlstar doesn't very much mind what his cats do so long as it is in the limits of the warrior code. He isn't one of those leaders to bark orders and regard his Clan with cool indifference. Rather, Owlstar strives to know each warrior, apprentice, queen, and kit on a personal level. Often in the evening he goes around before everyone settles in for the night and speaks to the cats. He asks them about their days, about interesting things that went on, and (occasionally) gossip among the Clan. He tries to make it so if there is a problem within his Clan, cats will feel comfortable coming to him to seek advice. Which he is more than willing to give.

Owlstar does not gain such trust by being cold and snappy. Rather he is usually very kind and cordial to cats, inside and outside of his Clan. After you get to know this experienced leader, you find he is one of those people that most find themselves eager to please. But Owlstar knows how to buckle down. Do not be fooled into thinking that he is all kindness and warmth. He didn't get to be leader by being a large softie. Though slow to provoke, Owlstar has been known to have a rather nasty side. It only comes out if you keep pushing him. And pushing. And pushing. The sure-fire way to get on Owlstar's 'bad side' is if you lie to him. Constantly. Lying does not go over will with this tom. Nor does betraying his trust. If you're in his Clan and you get on his "bad side", expect to be treated with cold politeness and to not be spoken to unless the present situation requires it. If you're outside of his Clan...good luck. While Owlstar will never do much than treat you impolitely, he's very persistant with it. Holding on to the past is one of Owlstar's fatal flaws. The other one would have to be his constantly trying to see the good in a person. It's rather easy to lie to Owlstar, as he's trusting to the point where it can be called naive at times. (Which is why he gets upset when he feels his trust has been broken.) At times he will fight to find the good in cats. Even if the case is hopeless. Perhaps this may even be the death of him one day....

History: So. Once upon a time there was a nice, strong warrior tom named Hawkeye. And there was a lovely little she-cat named Goldenheart. A typical warrior love story that resulted in two healthy kits who were dubbed Owlkit and Oak-kit. They were both strong, good-sized toms. As their parents were both rather gentle cats, the trait carried over into their sons. Owlkit and Oak-kit were sweet little kits that were constantly trying to please each other and their parents. Oak-kit and Owlkit got along well enough. After all, they were brothers. But they were far from being best friends.

The six moon mark arrived. As both toms were perfectly healthy, they were apprenticed right on time. Oakpaw and Owlpaw were overjoyed for each other as well as themselves. But they began to drift away. Each cat formed friendships among other cats, and they didn't see each other as often. But when they did they were as friendly as ever. And when Oakpaw unexpectedly died of a sudden illness, Owlpaw mourned for him greatly. But his friends were there to comfort him. One of these friends was a dainty red she-cat named Firepaw. She was a bit more confident than he, and often louder and much more reckless. But Owlpaw adored her anyway. They were sweethearts, you might say.

Owlpaw was about two moons older than she was, but they still had their ceremony together. (She was a bit more advanced than the other apprentices, sometimes even better than Owlpaw himself.) He was given the name Owlheart and she received the name of Fireflower. After their vow of silence ended, Fireflower immediately proposed that they become mates. Owlheart was shocked and taken aback by this sudden proposal. Flustered, he told her he'd think on it. After about a moon of deliberating he decided that he did, indeed, love Fireflower. Afterwards he gladly accepted the offer and the two were happy for many moons.

When Owlheart was about 24 moons and Fireflower 22 moons, they welcomed a healthy son and daughter into the world. Fireflower and Owlheart decided they would name them together. They named their son Redkit, as he had inherited his mother's bright red fur. Their daughter was finally named Fawnkit after much debate. She'd inherited her father's brown fur, but her mother's petite and dainty stature. Owlheart remained with his mate and kits until Redkit and Fawnkit opened their eyes. Only then did he return to his warrior duties. But he was still rather invovled. Some toms preferred to ignore their kits until they were apprenticed. But not Owlheart. When he had no duties, he was gushing over his kits. Some of the other queens grew annoyed at his constant presence. But Fireflower thought it was adorable and was overjoyed he wished to be so involved in the lives of his children.

Redkit and Fawnkit soon became Redpaw and Fawnpaw. Owlheart watched with pride as his children grew and learned. He still remained protective of them, which very often got on the young cat's nerves. But as they grew older he began to realize they could now fend for themselves. Owlheart continued to keep an eye on his children, but he now realized they did not need his constant guidance. One of the proudest days of his life was when his kits earned their warrior names. He remembered sitting in the crowd next to Fireflower when their kits were finally welcomed into the Clan as full warriors. Redpaw, being full of strength and confidence, was given the name of Redstorm. Delicate and sweet Fawnpaw was given the name of Fawnfur.

For many moons Owlheart lived his life as a regular warrior. As he grew older he began leading patrols and training apprentices. Apprentices loved him, not really because he was a kind cat however. Owlheart was often very lenient with them and sometimes turned a blind eye when they got into mischeif. Some cats took advantage of this, while others continued to act within his trust. Either way Owlheart always thought his apprentices were perfect and very obedient. Tsk. Poor gullible Owlheart.

The present leader saw that, despite being a bit naive and often gullible, Owlheart was a good cat. He truly loved his Clan and would do anything for it. And perhaps this kind and trusting manner could win over some of the Clans and keep RiverClan remotely safe. So when the old deputy retired, Owlheart was picked to stand in his place. By this time Owlheart was around fourty-eight moons or so old, and was incredibly shocked and honored. And only a few short moons later, their leader lost his remaining two lives to an illness. Owlheart made the traditional journey and received his nine lives and was dubbed Owlstar.

Fireflower, Redstorm, and Fawnfur were overjoyed for Owlstar. He appointed Acidpool (pffft) as his deputy. And for many more moons, Owlstar and Acidpool kept everything in RiverClan running as smoothly as possible. Owlstar did, admittedly, treat his children a bit better than most other warriors. Very often Redstorm was appointed to lead patrols or they were both chosen over other cats to receive apprentices. But hey. Nobody is perfect. Owlstar did his best. And when Acidpool died, Owlstar was devastated. Many believed that he would pick one of his children to be his deputy. But instead he surprised everyone by picking another young she-cat named Cherryfur. Why he picked her was a bit unknown. He wouldn't even tell Fireflower when she asked why he didn't choose a different warrior. But Owlstar refused to answer.
Other:
Roleplay Example: ((Set to when his kits were born.))

Relax, they kept telling him. She'll be fine. Don't worry.

How could he not worry?! Owlheart knew that many queens died when it came to kitting. Or perhaps maybe one of the kits would be still-born. Or it would be born sick and weak and would constantly battle for its life. Or the queen would die and the kits would soon follow and he'd be left all alone...Fireflower was so small....so vulnerable...

No.

Owlheart sat down, finally ceasing in his pacing in front of the nursery entrance. He couldn't think that way. It could be ages before the kits were born, and it wouldn't help anything if he stood out there and tortured himself with all of the things that could go wrong. Instead he struggled to focus on happy possibilities. The medicine cat was predicting three kits at the most. How many would be toms and how many would be she-kits, he wondered? What would they look like? What sort of cats would they grow up to be? Hope and curiousity burned inside of him. Perhaps one of his kits would eventually rise to leader and become the hero in stories that cats would tell for centuries. Or perhaps one of them would grow to up to be a great medicine cat. Or, even simpler, a great warrior that would be honored and respected by all cats until their death. Thoughts like these made Owlheart smile. After all, what parent didn't want their children to grow up and lead successful lives?

The medicine cat finally emerged, smiling pleasantly. He told Owlheart that there were two perfectly healthy kits and bid him welcome. In a flash the burly tom was in the nursery and at his mate's side. Fireflower looked tired, but overjoyed at the same time. Her fur was disheveled and her eyes were weary. But Owlheart thought she looked more beautiful than ever. He greeted her with gushing warmth and began to praise her.

"What an excellent job you did!" he mewed kindly. "Look at these little lives you've brought into the world!" For once, Fireflower did not speak. Instead she silently marveled at her own kits, who were suckling hungrily at her belly. One kit, a tom, had fiery red fur much like his mother's. He was already more than twice his sister's size. It became apparent to Owlheart that this tom would become as large as his father once he was grown. The she-kit, however, was as petite and small as her mother. She seemed to posess Owlheart's tabby brown coat, only for some reason her fur seemed a bit lighter than his. For a long time the new parents sat in silence, wondering at these little lives. Owlheart would occasionally lean over and nuzzle his mate or lick her cheek. But this was all the communication that passed between them.

Finally he murmured, "What have you named them?"

"I wanted you here. So we could name them together." Fireflower mewed in response.

In a matter of minutes the tom was dubbed Redkit. The she-kit's name was subject for debate. But, finally, they settled on Fawnkit. After the naming was done the parents were silent once more. Redkit and Fawnkit had long since stopped nursing. They had detached themselves from their mother's belly and were sleeping pressed up against her fur. Finally the sun began to set. And while Owlheart did not want to leave his mate and his kits, he could not sleep in the nursery. But he could always ask to be pardoned from his duties until the kits opened their eyes. Then he could stay in the nursery during the day with his new family.

Before he left, Owlheart nuzzled his mate. "I love you, more than you'll ever know." Next he bent over and licked each of his newborns tenderly. And, for the first time, he bid his children good night.

[Heathclaw]

Name: Tigerheart
Gender: Male
Age: 20 Moons
Clan: RiverClan
Rank: Medicine Cat
Apprentice: Not open. Not yet.
Love Interest: Forbidden.
Kin:
Mother: Rainfeather - NPC
Father: Stoneheart - NPC
Brother: Stormkit / Deceased
Sister: Daisykit / Deceased

Description: Tigerheart is a handsome young tom with short fur, colored a deep dark brown with black stripes running across his back and the tabby M on his forehead. His shoulders are broad and strong, and his paws are thickset and heavy. His tail is thicker and a bit shorter than those of other cats. Tigerheart's back legs seem weaker than his front, and his ability to jump, run, and worst of all for a Riverclan cat, swim, is subpar at best.

Tigerheart has an expressive face. His eyes are like a warm fire, gentle, amber in color, but ready to blaze up in fiery determination when he has a life in his paws. His ears are extra-large and flexible, and his whiskers are longer and more sensitive than most. His nose is a bit broad.

Although he's built like a warrior, Tigerpaw doesn't give off that kind of aura- he typically holds himself in a meek and unassuming manner. He's most likely to be seen head down, ears up, working quietly around the camp, and is prone to flinching at loud, unexpected noises.


Personality: Tigerheart may have been born with muscles, but he certainly doesn't have the temperament to use them. Indeed, Tigerheart may be as gentle and shy a cat as can be. Hypersensitive, he feels uncomfortable in large groups, and doesn't try to draw attention to himself. In front of other clans, Tigerheart puts on an act, maintaining an appearance of (false) confidence. In his own clan, Tigerheart is quiet, and rarely speaks unless spoken to.

What Tigerheart lacks in physical ability, he makes up for with his mind. He has an exceptional memory, rarely needing to have information repeated twice. To make up for his soft spokenness, Tigerheart is a great listener, taking in words before forming judgments, and eager to help other cats with their problems, but only if they want to share them. Tigerheart isn't the nosy type.

Modest, quiet, yet still approachable, Tigerheart was never meant to be a warrior. In fact, Tigerheart doesn't handle battle very well. His weak back legs are an obvious cause, but the problem goes deeper than that. To this sensitive tom, the sounds, smells, and rapid motions of conflict are overwhelming. This, combined with a traumatizing experience from his past, has effectively crippled his ability to fight.

Despite these shortcomings, Tigerheart is eager to do anything to help his clan, and when a medical emergency strikes, the kit gloves come off, and this cat will use all of his focus, authority, and medical knowledge to resolve the situation.

History: Tigerkit was born the middle kit of a litter of three, to Stoneheart and Rainfeather. Like all kits, he started off as just a wriggling mass of fur, with nothing to distinguish him from his littermates than the dark tabby fur that he was named for. After their second moon, personalities started to emerge.

The biggest kit, Stormkit, thought he was already ready to become a warrior. He challenged his littermates to play fights all the time, and Rainfeather was forever keeping him from trying to leave the nursery. The smallest kit, Daisykit, was strong-willed and stubborn. She was another terror in the nursery; she had a strong voice that belied her petite appearance.

Tigerkit on the other hand was as quiet and shy as his littermates were loud and boistorous. He stayed by his mother's side for a full moon after the other two started bounding around the nursery with the other kits. At this point, his legs were still strong, and his oversensitivity wasn't as acute, so he could still tussle with Stormkit and outwit the bigger cat, even if he couldn’t outfight him.

Time went on. By their fourth moon, Stormkit was having a fit of the "Terrible Twos". Bored of the nursery and longing to see the outside world, Stormkit’s attempts to leave had become increasingly inventive, and he grew ever grumpier each time he was denied. Then, one night, Stormkit left the nursery while everyone else was sleeping. Tigerkit was the first to notice, waking up a few minutes after and sensing Stormkit's absence. He woke Daisykit, and the two of them snuck after him.

It was to be a dark night for all three of them. Tigerkit went in front, tracking his brother's scent, while Daisykit brought up the rear, searching through the shadows. An image appeared out of the night. Tigerkit's muscles seized up in horror. Daisykit screamed. Stormkit's body lay at the edge of the river. He was dead.

One thought pierced Tigerkit's numb brain. They had to get out. Whatever killed Stormkit might still be here, somewhere close by.

"Go! We've got to get back to camp!" Tigerkit hissed.

"But what about-"

"Just go!"

As Tigerkit turned and bolted, adrenaline pumped through his tiny body, raising his senses to a sharp edge. He could feel his heart hamming in his chest, hear Daisykit's ragged breathing as she bolted along beside him, and smell a strange sour scent all around him, the scent that lingered around Stormkit's body.

It struck suddenly, appearing from Tigerkit's right, a young fox kit three times their size. It lunged, Daisykit screamed again, and the air grew thick with the scent of blood. Tigerkit had a moment's indecision, and then he jumped forward, distracting the fox, senses on high alert. There was nothing he could do for Stormkit, but he wouldn't leave Daisykit alone to die. At the same time, he was filled with an unspeakable terror as he dodged away from the fox's blows. One strike, one fatal hit, and it would be all over.

It was Daisykit who saved them. Tigerkit hadn't lasted long, and he was tiring, his body almost at the breaking point, when a patrol of Riverclan warriors arrived on the scene, drawn by Daisykit's screams. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was his father's voice, strangely magnified.

"It's okay, Tigerkit. Everything's going to be fine."

Stormkit was dead. Daisykit died later at camp; there was nothing the current medicine cat could do for her, she'd lost too much blood. And Tigerkit... well, his senses never came down from that hypersensitive level, and his back legs never fully recovered from the strain of running and fighting for his life.

Time went on. Tigerkit tried desperately to block the event from his mind, but failed miserably, with remnants of the horror following him both in dreams and in waking. He became ever more withdrawn and timid, and hoped that he could become a medicine cat apprentice- anything to avoid fighting. When he was made a warrior apprentice, his mentor noted that he was the most difficult case that he'd ever had to work with. Tigerpaw couldn't bring back as much prey as the other cats, but he worked as hard as he could at his other apprentice tasks, and, in his spare time, he gathered herbs on the sly and passed them onto the medicine cat apprentice, Minnowpaw, whom he'd developed a fast friendship with.

Then, one day, Minnowpaw went to the Moonpool and never returned, leaving Tigerpaw devastated. He was made medicine cat apprentice a moon later, once it was clear that she wasn't coming back. Tigerpaw blossomed in this new position, and he achieved the name of Tigerheart, for his gentle nature.

His mentor, Streamheart, died unexpectedly when Tigerheart was eighteen moons old, throwing the full burden of medicine cat on his shoulders. While he’s still getting used to the idea of being the medicine cat, he’s resolved to do the best job that he can.

Other: Due to his kithood trauma, Tigerheart suffers from one or two psychological disorders. The clumsiness/weakness of his back legs is caused by a conversion disorder- there's nothing actually wrong with them, it's all in his head. He may also have dissociation identity disorder, otherwise known as multiple personality disorder- the kind where neither identity remembers what the other is up to.

Roleplay Example: It had been a quiet day so far. Calm, peaceful, just him and the herbs, and that was just the way that Tigerheart liked it. He took in a deep, relaxing breath, blew it out gently, and then stiffened up as his ears detected a high-pitched yowl.

There was some cat in pain out there… an apprentice by the pitch of the yowl, and probably just a little ways away from camp. Tigerheart immediately sprang into action, pulling down the medicines that he’d most likely need: Thyme for shock, poppy seed for pain, cobwebs for bleeding. Thus prepared, he padded quickly as he could over to the front of the den to greet the new patient.

“Tigerheart! It’s Twigpaw. He went and got his paw sprained in a rabbit hole.”

Tigerheart sighed inwardly- this was the third time he’d seen Twigpaw this moon. At least he wasn’t bleeding this time. “Well, come in Twigpaw,” he said in a gentle tone. “You too, Falconwhisker- I might need your help. Now, where does it hurt? Can you sit?”

“Yeow! No! No I can’t!”

“Hm… troubling. Let’s see…” Tigerheart tapped the apprentice’s shoulder lightly with his tailtip, and watched as the cat collapsed onto the den floor, screeching in pain.

“This is worse than a sprain,” said Tigerheart gravely. “It looks like a dislocation to me. Alright, Twigpaw- we’re going to have you take a poppy seed.”

He moved as he spoke, picking up one of the seeds he’d gotten earlier and putting it near the apprentice’s mouth. He then motioned to Falconpaw to come help hold his apprentice down, and whispered something into Twigpaw’s ear: “This is still going to hurt. Be brave.”

While he spoke, he placed a paw on either end of the dislocated limb, and yanked, hard, prompting a final caterwaul from the apprentice. “There we go,” he said, satisfied. “You can leave him with me for a while longer. He should rest for a day or two. Have another poppy seed, Twigpaw.”

In due time, the apprentice was out cold, and the mentor was out the door, prompting a contented sigh from the medicine cat. It was calm and quiet again. Just as it should be.

[Amber]

After much debating and decision-making time. The winner of the leader audition is Kitty with Palestar. Thank you to all those who tried out, and made it hard for Ambie to decide. *glares*


Now....to get to Meddie Cat business. MEDICINE CAT APPLICATIONS MAY BE POSTED FROM NOW UNTIL WEDNESDAY THE 18TH. I will decide that Wednesday night who will receive the medicine cat spot.

[thalia]

so I know meddie auditions ended on the 18th, but no one's posted and the position still seems to be open, so here goes....


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.

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

[Deleted]

Name:

Snowpool

Age:

23 moons

Gender:

Tom

Clan:

RiverClan

Apprentice:

None.

Rank:

Medicine cat.

Love Interest:

No.

Kin:

Whitecloud <Mother, ShadowClan -- NPC (deceased).>
Icepool <Father, RiverClan -- NPC.>
Cloudstripe <Sister, ShadowClan -- NPC.>

Description:

Snowpool certainly is a handsome cat. With his deep-blue eyes, soft pelt, handsome face, kind smile and- wait, what happened to his tail?! Oh great StarClan, and his leg?! His tail's been completely chopped off from halfway down, and what's left doesn't look too healthy! And his leg?! Eurgh... The less said about that the better. Yeuch. Imagine having half your right front leg ripped out and just having an ugly scar now. How terrible. And how disgusting! It's no wonder he's the medicine cat now! Great StarClan, it's a bit odd that he wasn't sent packing or sent to the elders' den! Well, I suppose there have been injured medicine cats in the past, so what's the harm of having one in ShadowClan? But it's still disgusting!

Enough of that, now. Calm down...

Snowpool is a white tom, with faint brown markings around his face, and his remaining front paw. There's also a pale-ginger line going down his back to what is now the tip of his tail. His eyes are a dark blue, and they are almond-shaped. His eyes are usually hidden, because he tends to hang his head down for no real reason. Nonetheless, very handsome. He isn't exactly of substansial size, but he's not as such small either. He's more of a medium sort of size.

Snowpool is, as his name suggests, white. He is small and poorly built, but quite handsome. His body is small and thin, but quite handsome. His fur is relatively thin, and blends in perfectly against snow. His remaining limbs are all rather long, and his tail was long. His paws are small, and his claws sharp. His nose and the insides of his ears are pink.

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Personality:

Snowpool is a cheerful, happy young cat. He loves to smile and to play with kits, and was always happy to clean out the elders' den as an apprentice, although this was meant to be a hated job. He respects the elders, since they served their Clan. The least they deserve is to be looked after well as they age.

There are two things Snowpool can't stand: Cats disrespecting ShadowClan and cats mocking other cats. By this, I mean that he has a strong sense of justice. He can't stand by and watch injustice, which doesn't mean that he'll walk off. It means that he'll step in and stop them. Cats disrespecting ShadowClan insults him no end. He doesn't care if ShadowClan are meant to be dark and dangerous. They're still his Clan.

He really doesn't care about his injuries. It doesn't have too much of an effect on his job, since he can always ask an apprentice for help, or borrow a warrior if he has a lot of jobs to do.

Want to know what he's really like, if you scrub all the smiles, and "Come back tomorrow if it doesn't stop hurting," and "There you are, three perfect little kits. I'll leave you to get to know them now, Greyflower, but don't hesitate to ask if you have a question," and "There, now. That didn't hurt so much, did it?"? Well, he's angry, enraged, cold and cruel. That's right. It's all part of his secret. His injuries were self-inflicted. He won't admit to the fact, but it's true.

There is one more thing to say about Snowpool: he is very watchful and observant. He can tell what's wrong with a cat just by looking at them, and he also knows when to get involved.

So there you have it. Snowpool, medicine cat of ShadowClan.

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History:

23 moons ago, two kits, Cloudkit and Snowkit, were born to ShadowClan queen Whitecloud. But her mate was not a ShadowClan warrior. No, he wasn't. His name was Icepool, and he was a warrior of RiverClan. An interclan relationship. A sad one. Both cats and their kits were disowned by their families; only their closest friends managed to keep them sane. It really was a shame, because if they weren't disowned, then maybe Whitecloud mightn't have killed herself; maybe Icepool wouldn't have gone mad.

Maybe Snowpool's accident wouldn't have happened.

Snowkit and Cloudkit knew from an early age that they weren't the most popular cats in the Clan, but they didn't really care. They were happy with just each other for company, and they could laugh at the cats who mocked them. Their mother envied their ability to do this, because the opinions of her clanmates really mattered to her, and, although her best friend tried to tell her not to, she killed herself, throwing herself in to the lake.

The worst thing?

She wasn't really missed.

Snowkit snapped around that time. All the rage; the anger; the fear; that he had been feeling because of his family's harsh treatment of his mother, all pushed its way to the surface. And it wasn't good.

He somehow managed to sneak out of camp, and he got attacked by a fox. He barely managed to get back to camp before collapsing from a combination of bloodloss, fear, exhaustion and pain. He lived in the medicine cat's den until he reached six moons old, and that was when he decided.

He wanted to be the medicine cat.

It was funny, because he had never really paid that much attention to the medicine cat in the past. He just knew that she healed the Clan, and that she spoke to StarClan. But now, being the medicine cat seemed like the most interesting thing in the universe.

He asked the medicine cat, and she quickly agreed. She took him to the moonpool, and he became medicine cat apprentice of ShadowClan. He was very happy with his new rank, because he knew he could never be an elder. After all, his grandparents were elders now, and he hated them. They had driven his poor mother to suicide, and, in his mind, there was no greater crime than to drive one's own daughter to suicide and to leave her kits motherless in a rather... oh, how to put it... uncaring... Clan.

His training went well. He had a good memory for all things, and he learned well. And he never grew apart from his sister. They were still best friends, although the poor creature retreated in to herself, and wouldn't ever say a word.

His first battle. Ah, his first battle. The day that he became medicine cat of ShadowClan. The day that so many clanmates died. Including his gradparents. Not, however, including him and his sister.

The death toll also included his mentor.

His poor mentor.

Lying there so still on the blood-soaked ground with the enemy warrior walking away from her, muzzle soaked with blood, he felt that rage well up inside him again, but he pushed it down, and he could only press his head in to his sister's side and cry. It made both of the siblings sad. They had grown up with this cat looking after them, and now, just like that, she was gone.

But Snowpaw had a job to do.

He ran around- hobbled around- with Cloudpaw following him, carrying the herbs. He helped ShadowClan, and, from StarClan, his mentor was smiling at him. He was ready.

Snowpaw went to the moonpool that half-moon, and he was made full medicine cat of ShadowClan. He was... well, he wasn't happy, because he had lost his beloved mentor, but he was not-uphappy. He carried on as medicine cat, delievering ShadowClan's kits, helping his clanmates out should they become injured, and spending a lot of time with his sister. Certainly, they're closer than they ever were now.

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Roleplay example:

"You're right, Snowpool. The sunset is beautiful here," Cloudstripe mewed gently. As much as she hated the place her mother had killed herself, she had to admit that this was the most beautiful sunset that she had ever seen. "You were right!" she giggled. "The medicine cat is always right, brother!"

Snowpool smiled to himself.

It was nice to see his sister so cheerful.

It was very nice.

He, on the other hand, was in a much less cheerful mood. He prodded at the lake with his remaining forepaw, slipping forwards a little so that he was lying down, staring at his reflection in the pool.

All of a sudden, it was replaced with his mentor. Snowpool wasn't so startled, though. He often saw his mentor at weird times, and in weird places. There had been weirder. Like the time he'd heard her voice- or thought he'd heard her voice- amongst a group of Twolegs, although that may just have been one of the twolegs. An uncanny similarity, certainly.

His mentor, he suddenly noticed, had a stern, grave expression on her dark face. Snowpool took a deep breath, rolled his eyes, and prepared for a lecture.

To his surprise, he didn't receive one.

"You are wrong, Snowpool," she said softly. "No cat is right all the time, not even the medicine cat. Not even StarClan."

"Sis," Snowpool mewed, turning around. Cloudstripe nodded, patting playfully at a butterfly. "No cat is right all the time, not even the medicine cat. Not even StarClan."

"I-I've never looked at it that way..." Cloudstripe was puzzled at this; her brother's serious expression, the fact that there was no light shining in his blue eyes as he got up and started making his slow way back to camp. She got up and rushed after him.

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Other:

Don't ask what happened with the Description, there... "^_^

His song would be Airplanes, by B.O.B. feat Hayley Williams:

Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now
Wish right now, wish right now
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now
Wish right now, Wish right now

Although it might be Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), by Shakira:

If you get down get up, oh oh
When you get down get up, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa a a
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa

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[Amber]

Once again the decision was very hard. Each cat had its own distinctive personality and history, and only made my decision even rougher than I originally expected. So thanks to everyone who auditioned for the position of medicine cat. (I apologize for it taking so long for me to decide this. Blame college, it takes the majority of my time now.) But I would like to congratulate the winner of the medicine cat auditions....

Please help me welcome SPARROWFLIGHT as the new medicine cat of RiverClan! Congratulations, and well done.