Birchflower

[Jelly]

Written: 4/24/2013

BIRCHFLOWER
birchkit/birchpaw
"Broad-shouldered white and gray-brown tabby she-cat with dirty hazel eyes."



NAME EXPLANATION:

"Birch-" -- for her white, gray, and brown fur colors, and tabby markings
"-flower" -- for her softer, more “motherly” personality

AGE:

2 years, 2 moons (26 moons)

RANK:

Warrior

EXTENDED APPEARANCE:

Birchflower’s pelt is long and feathered, but surprisingly coarse to the touch. It is extremely thick – keeping her warm in leafbare, but burying her in heat during newleaf and greenleaf. She has found that swimming is a wonderful way to cool off, but she cannot go much farther into the water than her paws can reach – for if this large she-cat tries to swim, her soaked fur will likely weigh her down like a rock. Her fur itself is mostly white – as are her long, curling whiskers – but her head, back (in a “saddle” pattern), and tail are covered in large patches of gray-brown tabby. She also has a small splotch of color over the bridge of her nose, breaking up the white of her face. The stripes themselves aren’t very distinctive, and in certain lighting her patches might even look solid in color. As for her eyes, many cats have tried to claim that they’re nearly the same brown-gray mesh of color as her pelt, but they are technically hazel – just very dark and “dirty,” with little green or other colors.

Birchflower is a large she-cat, with broad shoulders and thick hindquarters. She also has particularly long legs (although her long fur makes this less obvious), which grant her a certain grace that most larger cats lack. As a result, she is relatively fast for her size, a skilled climber, and powerful fighter in close combat. She was very nearly named “-fang” for these qualities, but ended up being one of the rare instances where personality trumped skills.

PERSONALITY:

Birchflower is a happy, optimistic cat; that is something that anyone can agree with at first sight. She is generally easy-going and calm, and can get along with most cats without much trouble. This is mostly because she is skilled at reading others, and reacts in whatever way she thinks is best – making her invaluable during troubled times. She is especially popular among kits and other younger cats because she is more than willing to play with them or otherwise entertain them – there’s nothing more important than the future warriors of the clan, after all.

This doesn’t mean Birchflower is some kind of saint, or that she has the patience of a god either. She simply thinks that life is better if you go at it expecting the best, and that often times all most cats need is a sympathetic ear or a little time out of your day. The cats that most irritate Birchflower tend to be those that repeatedly spurn her attempts at friendship, or those that are overly-aggressive or problematic. Anyone who speaks out against the clan is instantly on her list as well; in her eyes, the clan is everything. Those cats (most notably “separatists”) who think that they can make things “better” but undermining their leader’s work or spreading rumors – or, StarClan forbid, open rebellion – are the worst kinds of cats she can imagine. Even rouges and kittypets have greater loyalty than they do, in her eyes.

For those cats that try Birchflower’s patience, she reserves a special little kind of passive-aggressive revenge. In normal cases, she won’t openly argue with these cats, but she will purposefully find the little things that irritate them – and work a bit here and a bit there to get under their skin. Outright fights and arguments are reserved for the specially-stubborn, so most of the clan understands that when Birchflower raises her voice, something is seriously wrong. It takes a rare cat to make Birchflower resort to physical violence (after all, whatever their faults, they’re her clan, but by that time, she tends to be beyond reason.

FAMILY:

Briartail, mother, 48 moons, warrior; Hailclaw, father, 44 moons, warrior;
Rooktalon, sister, 26 moons, warrior;

Distant living family:
Asterfang, great-aunt, 64 moons, elder;
Mallowfoot, second-cousin, 32 moons, warrior;
Badgerstar, great-great-grandfather, 110 moons, leader.

HISTORY:

Little Birchkit and her sister Rook-kit were brought into the world one bright, blooming newleaf. The clan had recently survived a rather difficult leafbare, but the kittens were born into a brand new, hopeful world – and Birchkit loved it. Everything was an adventure for her; it’s not very surprising that she and her sister were rambunctious and mischievous throughout their first six moons. Birchkit herself had the most fun when she visited the elder’s den though, whatever adventures Rook-kit pulled her into. She loved hearing about the great things past warriors of WildClan had done, and she aspired to serve the clan just as much as they had.

When she reached her sixth moon and started her training as an apprentice, Birchpaw excelled. She and her mentor, Shrewtail, quickly bonded, and Shrewtail enjoyed her eager, bright apprentice. The moons passed quickly for both she-cats and Birchpaw spent most of the time she wasn’t actively out and about training, back around the nursery with the younger kits – playing with them and showing off her newest lessons. She made fast friends with her fellow apprentices as well, and knew little of the troubles that filled some cats lives.

That is, until her seventeenth moon. On the verge of becoming a warrior, Birchpaw lost her mentor to a freak early freeze that assaulted the clan. Many cats suffered in the sudden cold – they had started preparing for leafbare, but its sudden and harsh approach had surprised them all. Shrewtail herself had been one of the first to fall sick from the chill, and also one of the few who died from it.

However, instead of assigning her a second mentor, she was “paired up” with her Rookpaw and her mentor – until it was decided that both young she-cats had proven themselves worthy of their warrior names. Birchflower and Rooktalon, respectively. Birchflower entered her warrior-ship with less enthusiasm than she had entered her apprentice-ship – hurting over the loss of her mentor. But the moons continued to pass, and slowly but surely the she-cat returned to her old self, throwing herself into patrols and the like with a ferver.

She has spent the rest of her life so far like that: working as best as she can for her clan (and for Shrewtail – she’s a sentimental cat) and doing her best to enjoy every bit of it.

CBOX NAME:

Tetris

HOW YOU FOUND US:

I am your creator >.>

OTHER CHARACTERS:

Badgerstar, Emberblaze, Fennelwhisker, Lightpaw, Milo, Mimzi

RP SAMPLE:

Pft, I don’t need ooone