Kestrelstar - Born To Fly

[Mockingbird]

Name | Kestrelkit, Kestrelpaw, Kestreltail, Kestrelstar

Gender | She-cat

Age | 36 moons

Rank | Leader

Beliefs | Kestrelstar is a firm believer in Starclan. Every choice she makes, every word she speaks, is influenced by their will and their power. She sees them not as a distant group of ancestors watching over them, but rather as an acting group of cats that has a will and a desire for the cats on earth. A group of cats that will step in when absolutely necessary and bring peace or war depending upon what is needed. They are all knowing, all powerful, and ever watching. Kestrelstar has a love and faith in Starclan that fuels her leadership like no other.

Clan | Streamclan

Parents | Heavytail (father), Lightfoot (mother)

Siblings | Only surviving kit

Other Kin | None

Mate | Nope

Crush | Nope

Kits | Nope

Apprentice/Mentor | Not yet

Appearance | Kestrelstar is, in appearance, a powerful she-cat. Her stature rivals a large tom which can create an intimidating presence at times. She is long, both in her torso and in her neck and tail, easily a tail-length longer than any other in her clan. Her legs are lengthy as well, and she stands half a head taller than other cats her age. She is filled out nicely, not appearing lanky despite her length and height, as her fur is thick and her muscles well built beneath it.

The fur that gives her a proportional appearance is very dark, almost jet black but for a few patches of gray on her face and paws. However, the black fur is overrun by red over almost her entire body, intermingling to create a stately appearance. It peters out around the base of her tail, and right at her collarbone, leaving her tail and head completely black.

Kestrelstar's face is round with angular features. Her eyes are the general shape of a triangle, the outside corner pointing upward toward the edge of her tall ears. They are nearly a milky white in color, though there is a slight green tint if studied long enough. At the center, there are tiny black slits for pupils, blending quietly into the color of her fur. Her nose is small, also pointed severely down toward her mouth which is small and generally unsmiling. Her whiskers are a bright white, highly contrasting against her black fur and sloping gently downward.

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Personality | Kestrelstar is a gentle cat for the most part, kind with her words and easy to get along with, though she is by no means a pushover. Her general demeanor is quiet, though her sheer size and reputation earn her an easy respect from the others around her, if for not better reason than that they know better than to cross a cat bigger than themselves. But Kestrelstar is not one to break out into a tongue-lashing over one misguided comment, rather she will explain the effects in hopes of teaching. This she-cat thinks of herself not so much as the leader of the clan but as the mentor of all clan members, seeking to raise them from kithood to eldership with gentle guidance.

Kestrelstar has a soft spot for young kits and apprentices. She can see the freedom and innocence in their youth, remembering the lack of joy in her own and feeding off of others'. It is for this reason that she spends her free time nearby the nurseries or chatting with the apprentices. Not only does she want to know her clan, but she wants them to know her. It is her personal feeling that the relationship between leader and clan should be mutually beneficial.

Kestrelstar is not one to simply make a decision and leave it final (unless it must be so). She takes the advice of her elders and the feelings of her clanmates into account and makes her decisions based on these. Her own opinions, of course, take precedence, but if she is to make a choice in the best interest of her clan she must be able to understand their side of the story. This is something she takes pride in being able to do well.

This she-cat does her best to take interest in her clan before herself, knowing that what is best may not always be easy or comfortable for her or anyone else. She will not put the prosperity of her clan in jeopardy, but at times she will recognize the need to go without something to keep the clans balanced and healthy. Life under the leadership of Kestrelstar is not life under leadership at all. It is life under companionship, and will remain so until her dying breath.

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Skills | As a warrior and deputy, Kestrelstar was always a terrific hunter and fighter, thought a better fighter than anything else. Hunting proves difficult for her because of her large size, but it helps her tremendously when in battle. Her thick fur makes it difficult for fangs and claws to reach her skin and her mass puts more weight behind each blow and more force in every bite. Kestrelstar is also exceptional at giving advice and teaching other cats how to think things through. Her ability to sense tension and deal with it is helpful to her leadership, as is her compassionate heart.

She's not particularly fast while running and she's not as agile as many others. Her eyesight can be poor in certain lightings, and doesn't adjust very quickly to sudden darkness or lightness.

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History | Kestrelkit was born in the nursery just like every other kit, to a healthy mother and amongst strong siblings. Her mother was the only queen in the nursery at the time, leaving plenty of room for the kits to stretch out and grow. But it was this solitary place that became Hell for the small family only days after birth. You see, the kits had been born to a gentle, kind mother, but their father was a cruel tom. He was a rogue who had stolen the queen's heart away from her real mate, twisting her feelings for him into an obsession before tearing her apart and leaving. But now, with kits to ruin it all, he was prepared for action. He snuck into the camp after dark and killed every kit he could find, managing only to get a claw into Kestrelkit before he was dragged out by Streamclan warriors. He left her family in ruins, her mother injured badly and every other kit in the nursery dead.

She never heard from him again after that night, and grew to be a strong apprentice. Kestrelpaw was eager to learn, and her mentor taught her well. She never quite mastered hunting, but she was good enough at it to earn her warrior name: Kestreltail. Over the coming moons she proved herself a worthy warrior, besting many other cats in battle and providing well for her clan. It was not long before she was a favored warrior of Streamclan, well honored for her abilities and loyalty to the clan.

It was when the clan's deputy was killed that Kestreltail began to gain power. A wounded leader, struggling to hold control of her clan, named this fine warrior her new deputy. Kestreltail took her place with quiet humbleness, wishing no more than this until the day of the leader's death. But her time would come far sooner. Recognizing an inability to lead as wounded as he was, Streamclan's leader stepped down, making Kestreltail the new leader, fearful and untried.

But Kestreltail took her new 9 lives with pride and courage, swearing to Starclan that she would not let them down.

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Role Play Example | Kestrelstar lay in her den, the cool shade surrounding her in peaceful quiet. Light dappled the stone at the enterance as it streamed through a curtain of lichen and moss that hung from the mouth of the cave. It was a tiny hollow, set just inside of a small boulder in their camp. The rainwater had carved out two openings. One at the base of the rock that left just enough room for one cat to enter at a time, and another above, where the floor sloped upward and came out onto a thin lip overlooking the camp. For now, she was curled up at the very start of that upward slope, thinking, praying, wondering what would be thought of her first ceremony.

It was the first warrior ceremony Kestrelstar would take part in, and she could not deny her nervousness. What if the cat did not like his new name? He had not been raised in the clans after all. Perhaps it would be too strange for him. What if the clan would not accept his new place as a warrior because the leader they had known did not present him to them? She took a breath. The clan was strong and forgiving; merciful. Things would be fine.

It was time now. The sun was at the tops of the trees and the moon was slowly becoming visible as the sky darkened. Kestrelstar rose and stepped out onto the lip of the rock and looked out over her clan, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join under the rockmouth for a clan meeting!" Cats began to emerge from their dens and behind rocks and trees, obeying the words of their new leader. They had respect for her, she knew, and for this she was grateful.

She turned her gaze upon a silver apprentice and spoke again, "Troutpaw, would you join me up here?" The large tom blinked and stepped forward, hopping briskly up the rockfall next to the cave and settling beside his leader without a word. He was strong and solemn, unsure and yet somehow confident in himself. He was ready.

"Duskstorm, are you satisfied that this apprentice is ready to become a warrior?" The cat nodded her approval with a quiet word and Kestrelstar nodded back, turning now to Troutpaw, "I Kestrelstar, leader of Streamclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." She paused, as though hearing the words for the first time from her own mouth was difficult for her. She took in a deep breath and continued on, pride for herself and her clan swelling deep in her belly.

"Troutpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?" He spoke his consent, words firm and honest, clear and unhindered. "Then by the powers of Starclan I give you your warrior name. Troutpaw, from now on, you will be known as Troutwhisker. Streamclan welcomes you as a full warrior." As the clan chanted the new warrior's name, Kestrelstar touched noses with the warrior, a sign of her commitment to him as not only a leader but a friend. This clan would not prosper on leadership alone. They needed compassion and trust as well.

And that was what she was here to give them. As Troutwhisker took his congratulations and sat down quietly in the grass to stand watch, Kestrelstar slipped back into the shadows of her den, content with the knowledge that her clan was her family.