Lightpaw

[Jelly]

Written: 4/24/2013

LIGHTPAW
lightkit/lightstep
"Small white tom cat with amber eyes."



NAME EXPLANATION:

"Light-" -- for his bright white coat
"-step" -- connected with "light" for his small size and soundless paws

AGE:

7 moons

RANK:

Apprentice

EXTENDED APPEARANCE:

Lightpaw has inherited the shortest fur in his family, but it retains the silky-softness that most associate with long, downy coats. It is thick and warm, and is surprisingly water-resistant. (Then again, if you dunk him in the river, he’s still going to come out soaked to the bone – but rain and wind have a harder time bothering him.) His pelt is stark white – without a single spot of color to mar its surface – and his round eyes are a bright yellow-amber. He is a very small, gangly tom cat, with a narrow muzzle and ears too large for his head. While he will certainly grow some more throughout his apprenticeship (and catch up with his disproportionately long legs and tail), he will never have a formidable build. Most cats expect that he will excel most in speed or stealth – but the young tom has an interest in climbing, and it is likely that continuous exercise of his legs will bulk up his haunches at least.

PERSONALITY:

Lightpaw is a deceiving little ball of fur. He looks small and timid and unintimidating, but he is, in fact, a budding little tactical genius. Okay, so he has very limited experience in such things (and has a long way to go before he gains any), but it is obvious to anyone with half a brain that this cat is smart. It is also very true that Lightpaw is about as stubborn as a cat can come, and he hasn’t yet learned how to apply himself. He likes to spend his days wandering and scaling trees and finding those small nooks and crannies where no one else but him can fit. And then he’ll stay hidden back there for hours at a time, watching his clan mates go about their lives – none the wiser. If he has sufficient discipline, he might even make a very skilled scout one day.

Lightpaw also has a very developed sense of justice. While he may be one of the quietest cats in the clan, he will speak up if someone is treating someone else unfairly. Unfortunately, likely won’t go about this in the “correct” manner and involve a superior, but would step up himself – and (because he’s been taught it works, despite his own small size) he would probably so do physically. While this may be seen as foolish and reckless and even just plain stupid behavior by older cats, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising for Lightpaw to gain friends just because he takes their side in such a situation. After all, while it’s happening, his passion for “doing what’s right” can very easily be mistaken for extreme loyalty and care for the cat he is defending.

But, unfortunately, Lightpaw isn’t too fond of other cats. I mean, as his clan mates, sure, he will support them and work with them if he has to. The problem for him is that he has a serious case of “no one understands me” angst – and he would rather not try to socialize when he is completely happy going it alone. For those cats that do try to be friendly with him, Lightpaw is short and curt – and extremely dismissive. It would take a cat as stubborn as he is to make him think “quality time” is worth more than mousedung.

FAMILY:

Appleheart, mother, 31 moons; Owlfeather, father, 33 moons;
Cloudpaw, brother, 7 moons; Mottlepaw, sister, 7 moons.

HISTORY:

Lightpaw’s history has been very short and very simple so far – after all, he has only been an apprentice for one moon. And unlike his siblings, Lightpaw never caused very much trouble in the nursery.

Lightkit has been a quiet kit since birth – that combined with his smaller size made the medicine cat fear for his life for the first moon or so. It eventually became obvious that the runt of the litter would survive alongside his siblings, but the medicine cat’s reassurances didn’t soothe Appleheart’s mind much, and she babied the runt of her littler (almost at the expense of her other kits). Cloudkit and Mottlekit didn’t appreciate this treatment very much, and as a result, Lightkit was picked on almost viciously by his brother, while his sister pretended not to notice. After all, little Mottlepaw was a picture of perfection – she would never get involved in anything nasty like that.

However, while Lightkit made an easy target for his brother, he wasn’t a very responsive one. He tended to simply avoid him – spending far more time in the elder’s den than most kittens did, or hiding away in secret little locations around the camp. He worried his mother quite a bit because of this – which just fueled his brother’s distaste further. It was a vicious cycle, of course. When Lightkit was unable to avoid his brother, he only made the situation worse by giving the bigger tom-kit limited and stinging responses – it was clear that he was the smarter of the two kits, if the weaker.

The only time their “rivalry” (that’s what Appleheart and Owlfeather called it, at least, hoping the two headstrong kittens would get over it) has become too obvious and unavoidable was half a moon before they were to be apprenticed. Cloudkit had found Lightkit in one of his little hiding spots (tucked away in the roots of one of the trees surrounding the camp), and had badgered him relentlessly until Lightkit attacked him – as he had never done before. It was a frightening little fight for two untrained kits, and Cloudkit came away with a torn ear. Lightkit escaped with large patches of fur missing from his flanks, and lines of blood on his haunches.

The tom-kits were forcefully separated – and Badgerstar decreed that they would both wait an additional moon to start their apprenticeships. They were even ordered to sleep in separate dens – Cloudkit still in the nursery and Lightkit in the elder’s den. The punishment stung both of their prides, and kept them in line long enough for them to finally earn their apprentice names and join their sister in training. However, the brothers have not spoken a word to each other since the fight.

CBOX NAME:

Tetris

HOW YOU FOUND US:

I am your creator >.>

OTHER CHARACTERS:

Badgerstar, Birchflower, Emberblaze, Fennelwhisker, Milo, Mimzi

RP SAMPLE:

Pft, I don't need ooone