Emberflame
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basics. wrote:name: emberflame
gender: female
age: 58 moons
sexuality: heterosexual
crush: none
role: the spiritual
relations: aspenstep,
waspstripe,
falconwing
Emberflame, though she may not look it at first, is a respected warrior, and for good reason. She's a light reddish-brown tabby, tending towards darker brown on her back, with bright amber eyes full of passion. Although she's smaller than the average warrior, she has strength that belies her lithe frame, and has been bested by few within her clan when sparring, due to her agility and skill. Her scars, too, mark her out as someone to keep an eye on; she bears a large scratch scar on her left shoulder, winding down her leg, as well as several smaller ones over her back and back legs. They're from when she was attacked by cats from town, three against one, and still managed to fight them off and escape.
Emberflame is a fitting name for this she-cat, both for her flame-colored eyes and the passion she's always exhibited from a young age. She's always cared for her clan above almost all else, though her family comes first, and when she cares for something, she does so with all of her heart. She's protective, caring, and kind to those who have earned her trust, but should her trust be broken, she may not ever be able to forgive. She also has a somewhat-short temper, especially when it comes to disrespect towards her or those she cares about, and is willing to spar to settle matters if need be. She has never doubted the existence of Starclan or the stories of Shadeclan's triumph; as such, she has always disliked and distrusted outsiders, a fact that has only been heavily reinforced by her brother Falconwing's death. Though in the past, she was always outgoing and warm towards her clan's members, if quick-tempered, her brother's death has embittered her, aggravated her temper, and has caused her to withdraw from most of those she used to care for. She has to wonder about even her most trusted friends, now, and gives her trust much more sparingly. For a time, she even questioned her faith, but now clings more tightly to it than ever, knowing that Falconwing is looking down on her and wanting more than anything to avenge his death for him.
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Emberkit and Falconkit were born to Aspenstep, their mother, and Waspstripe, their father. They were an unusually small litter, with an equally-unusual disparity of sizes between them; Falconkit was quite large, while Emberkit was tiny and seemingly quite weak at first. Her parents worried she wouldn't survive, but after a nervous few days, she began to grow stronger and pulled through. Waspstripe was passionate and fierce-tempered, like his daughter, and was very proud of his kits, so taught them to be proud of themselves and their clan and to stand up for those you care about. Their mother, Aspenstep, was much gentler and kinder, with an absolute faith in Starclan that she instilled in both her kits. As the only two in their litter, Falconkit and Emberkit were very close and were always together, playing, sleeping, and dreaming side by side. Her brother, though he had his moments, was far gentler and kinder than his fireball of a sister, and frequently visited the medicine cat den, dreaming of being taken on as an apprentice.
Unfortunately, this never happened; Falconpaw and Emberpaw were both given to warrior mentors, as the medicine cat claimed they had seen no signs indicating Falconpaw was the one, despite him begging them to give him a chance. Emberpaw was pleased she could train alongside her brother, but her brother was very unhappy and put no effort into warrior training, instead sleeping in and complaining of sickness so he could stay in the medicine cat's den. It made her sad to see how unhappy he was, and so she managed to lure him out by promising to show him something cool in the woods, then tackling him. He was at first annoyed, but then he smiled and laughed as he remembered how much he enjoyed play-wrestling with her, and she promised him that being an apprentice was like that, more fun than he thought, and that he could still help his clan as a warrior. Though it didn't extinguish his desire to be a medicine cat, he reluctantly agreed to put in some effort, and before long he was one of the best apprentices in the clan. As their training went on, Falconpaw toughened up, learning to stand up for himself more and to take his father's teachings to heart, while Emberpaw softened a bit and learned to be nicer to her fellow apprentices rather than a bully, which finally allowed her to make friends outside of her brother.
Emberflame was very proud to receive her warrior name, and even Falconwing was happy. Even as a new warrior, he was seen as very promising. He had taken so well to it that Emberflame thought he'd given up the idea of being a medicine cat. They spent many moons happy as warriors, with both rising to be some of the most respected warriors in the clan. Emberflame, though fierce of temper, was known to be outgoing and fun, while her brother, despite being a very competent fighter, with a tough exterior, never lost his gentle, caring side and was known to be a good secret-keeper, shoulder to cry on, and general friend to everyone. No one was more pleased than Emberflame when Falconwing finally got an apprentice, Lostpaw, and she was happy to come along with her brother and give his apprentice tips and support, as well; she'd always wanted one of her own, but this was the next best thing. At the same time, though, the medicine cat had finally taken an apprentice on, Pinepaw, and though Emberflame didn't know it, Falconwing had never let go of his desire to be a medicine cat.
Emberflame was as happy for Lostsong to receive her name as if she'd been her mentor herself; the little apprentice had blossomed from being shy and quiet to open and friendly, as well as a very competent warrior nearly on the level of her brother, and she was quite proud of her. Falconwing was happy too, but as the moons went on, a grudge was growing in him, one that his sister didn't notice, and he was becoming less cheerful; as good as he was at keeping secrets, though, he was quite good at hiding his feelings. The night Pineleaf came back to the clan with her full name, several moons after Lostsong had received hers, was the first night she noticed his bitterness; he turned and stalked away, rather than cheering. She wasn't sure what to say, and so didn't say anything, hoping he would feel better as he got used to the idea. Pineleaf was Starclan's choice, after all, no matter how much she wished he had been. But it only got worse over the moons, and he refused to talk to her about it after she tried her best to reassure him. The last night she saw him alive, he had snapped at her over something minor, and they argued before he left to find Lostsong to go on a hunt with her; the two of them were still quite close, after all. Then... then... Emberflame will never burn the sight from her brain... then Lostsong came back, alone, covered in her brother's blood, and confessed to killing him.
Emberflame hardly remembers the events of that night; all she can remember is flashes. The world dropping out from under her. Her brother's apprentice, who they both had cared for so much, had killed him in cold blood? Demanding an explanation, and being met with cold silence. Being restrained by four other warriors as she screamed about killing Lostsong. Her brother's body, twisted and limp on the forest floor, his kind eyes so horribly empty... She stood silent vigil for a night, so her brother's spirit could move on, then snuck off for the border the very next day, heart filled with smoldering hatred, to exact her vengeance. She made for the town and stalked the streets, searching for Lostsong's scent, when she ran into a group of three rogues, unaffiliated with the lost Lightclan. She demanded to know where Lostsong was, and though they had no idea who Lostsong even was, they refused to let her trespass further into their "territory." When she tried to push past them anyways, demanding vengeance, they laughed at her and attacked her together, pinning her down and attacking her as a group, without honor or any sense of fairness. Emberflame barely managed to escape with her life, and though she's never gone back, and has never managed to convince the clan to put together a war party to seek her out, she has never forgotten, and never will. As far as she's concerned, all the rogues are filthy, codeless outsiders without honor, complicit in her brother's murder by hiding his murderer. In recent days, her friends and her apprentice bring her some happiness, despite her apprentice's strange desire to question absolutely everything, but she nurses her grudge still, and if she ever meets Lostsong again, she'd be more than happy to kill her, and anyone who stands by her side to protect her.
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