Post by Soleil on Jul 9, 2011 12:36:57 GMT -10
Name | Sprucepaw
Gender | Tom
Age | 8 moons
Rank | apprentice
Clan |Pinceclan
Beliefs | Sprucepaw, having been raised as a loner, laughs at the belief of starry cats in the sky. He prescribes to the view of his fellow clan-mates: Honor and loyalty for the sake of the whole clan. He is, however, very tolerant of believers and very tactful when discussing religion. He has no doubt in his mind of his belief, and no amount of evangelizing could ever change his mind.
Parents | (NP) Two loners: Smoke, his father, and Breeze, his mother.
Siblings | (NP) other kit died early
Other Kin | NP
Mate | NY
Crush | NY
Kits | NY
Apprentice/Mentor | NY
Appearance | Sprucepaw is a large cat. With tall, powerful shoulders, he is built rather like a tank. He has shortish, brown fur that darkens around the paws and tail, and eyes the color of a bright emerald. He has excellent balance and is never at loss for footing during a fight- mostly because of his averageness. He's not tall, but he's not a runt. He has a normally long tail, normally long whiskers, normally long legs. He hasn't gotten any scars. He's your average cat.
Personality | Being so average reflects deeply into Sprucepaw's personality. He is extremely level-headed and patient, but also feels the pride and anger of any other cat. He is as sturdy and reliable as his body, and all cats enjoy him for it. If anything he is too serious- the apprentices and mentors poke fun at him for being such a grouch.
He is the antithesis to neuroticism. Sprucepaw is often commended for his hard work and dedication; constantly struggling to improve himself physically and mentally really shows this cat's determination. He savors every success, big or small.
However, he does has a major flaw- commitment. Sprucepaw never likes to say 'yes' or 'no' to anything definite or important, and also keeps everybody at eye level. His only significant attachments are to his clan and to his mentor, and to his mother while he was a kit and a loner. It is this fear of commitment to a decision that clashes strongly with his desire to succeed, where the decision could impact his path to becoming a warrior- resulting in an internal tumult that is the opposite of what he portrays on the outside. It keeps him from making fast friends and from accepting romantic advances (though by no means is he a surly mood-killer).
His strong moral foundation and environment makes him a very well-rounded cat. He is good and kind to all cats, and respects every facet of the warrior code as he thinks is morally right, even if that means breaking it to restore order. Even in this metamorphic stage of his life he is exemplary in displaying kindness and evenness of temper.
But all of this is just what he displays to the rest of the world. His mind is fraught with insecurity and fear of commitment, as well as a dislike of kits- and a crippling fear of sickness. He cannot stand to be anywhere near the medicine cat's den when there is a greencough outbreak or other plague around camp- He abhors it, but thankfully it rarely rears its head. His dislike of kits stems from his own memory of his largely providential but traumatic kithood, which he still relives in the quiet of his head. He rarely speaks of his past, much less of his mother's death.
His fear of commitment is much more complex than it seems- it isn't that he can't commit, but it's that he's afraid of a negative outcome. He rejects friendships and romance not because he is antisocial, but because he dislikes the thought of kits and trusting. Sprucepaw only trusts a few people- he was broken by his experience with his mother, and feels insecure putting his trust in others.
Skills | Sprucepaw takes great pride in his fighting abilities. His strength and remarkable sense of balance- along with his dedication to learning the ways of the warrior- already start to show. He considers himself a good climber (although many of his fellow apprentices claim that he looks like a rather fat unwieldy squirrel) and also thinks he has good endurance.
Nimbleness of foot is something that Sprucepaw simply doesn't possess. Even in relation to his rather stocky clan, he falls short of the mark. He also considers himself a poor hunter, relying on his party's setup for most of his kills. Although his pelt does blend well with the environment, and he is an adept stalker.
History | Sprucepaw, born Spruce, was born in the lazy hours of full-leaf, to a mother that had obviously been well cared for in a previous time. The litter was only of two, and his denmate had birth complications and died about a week into life. He and his mother retained a very strong bond throughout is early moons, and they both truly and strongly cared for each other. His father was aloof and only stopped by to bring prey to his mate while she was still nursing.
They stayed for the most part to the north-west of the clan territories as they were settled, and only viewed them from afar. Breeze was a smart cat- Spruce learned the rudiments of fighting and hunting from his mother, but his instruction did not last long. Hidden from Sprucepaw's knowledge, his mother had been weakened by the birth of the two of them, particularly his brother. She had not displayed the outwards sign of her sickness until she was sure she would not live through it. Like a cancer, it spread through her body until she could no longer stand. Being in the wild meant little or no aid to the two of them, and anyways her delirious and feverish mother's instructions to find herbs made little sense to the kit. In a moment of clarity, Breeze asked Spruce to join the clans (that she had briefly visited without Spruce's knowledge) where she knew he could have the hope of a future. So Sprucepaw sat vigil for his mother for a night, and left that morning to the clans.
He felt very alone at first and very defensive amongst the clan cats, most of whom had families- at least all of the cats his age did. He grew up the rest of his kithood in a very short amount of time. He had matured as a result of his environment which demanded he be independent. Gingerstar felt that due to the lack of knowledge of how he was, she deemed him ready to become apprenticed. Sprucepaw applied every last quanta of energy into becoming an exemplary apprentice and helping others do the same.
In short: Sprucepaw is well-rounded and intelligent and well-intentioned; his nature was affected fundamentally by his mother and her values, but her death also lead to his fear of commitment. Will he be able to overcome his fear and be fully integrated into clan life?
Critique level | CRITICIZE MEH, CAPTAIN!
I love this cat, it's really usual :3 It's nice to see a different take on the 'loyal apprentice' so many people make 