personality: ironically named after a precious gem, diamond proved to be every bit as improper as her prim mother hoped she would not be. with her feisty mouth and reckless tendencies, this gem was unlike any other feline molly. instead of sleeping, she dreamt of what it might be like to belong to no one but herself. no rules, no expectations, and nothing to get in her way. the dreams swallowed her, until she was nothing more than a hopeless wanderer, searching for a home.
her "star':
"Don't you know what time it is, Gem? Shouldn't you be asleep by now, in the arms of your hairless housefolk who feed you those delicious rabbit pellets?" His voice was more like a mock, but even in this dark light, she could see the hint of amusement flickering across his countenance.
"I'm every bit as wild as you, Coal. Only, I'm more well-fed." She returned his gentle teasing, prodding at his ribcage with a sheathed paw. "But it is well past sun-down. I should be getting home." The orange she-cat sheepishly admitted, glancing up at the stars in the sky, casting a dancing reflection onto the trees. Her diamonds had caught the glint of the moon, which made the delicate feline even more embarrassed.
"Goodnight, Gem. Will I see you tomorrow?" His honey-voice was so hopeful, that the she cat found herself nodding without thinking of the consequences.
But the ginger cat never saw her beloved Coal again, and as most cats in the wild were fated, she had to assume that he had perished. She spent a moon seeking for him, when she realized she was pregnant. Even more desperate, she combed the woods over and over again. She began to lose her feminine look, and one by one, the diamonds on her collar as well. When she was found by a clan, she looked like a wild cat; very pregnant, but one of them. They took her in, eager to increase their numbers. The ginger gave birth to four kits, one that looked identical to her father; a tan cat with a black face and striking green eyes. Though the others looked wild like her, there was a tame look about her only daughter that Gem, as her lover had so affectionately called her, could not spoil it. She returned the kitten at the steps of her housefolk's home, knowing that they would love such a pretty cat, as they had once loved her. She returned to her new home, raised her kits into fine grown warriors and grew frail with age. One night, the ginger elder was visited by her ancestors.
Moonlight danced around the spring grass when Gem opened her eyes. She glanced around for signs of her clan-mates, but they weren't there; disoriented, she did not recognize her housefolk's garden. Then, the door leading into the den creaked open, and a beautiful, plump she-cat slid out of the door. Her swollen belly swayed steadily as she walked, but Gem immediately recognized her beloved daughter. "Jewel!" She called, but her daughter did not glance in her direction. Instead, Jewel lay on the grass and began to go into labor. "Jewel, it's okay!" Gem called when she saw the anguish in her daughter's piercing gaze.
"Our daughter cannot hear you, Gem. But watch as she gives birth, and understand the message we have to give to you." A voice sounded to the frail old cat's shoulder, and she wildly whipped her head around. To her astonishment, there was Coal: her mate.
"C-Coal. How are you here? Why can't she see me? Why can't I help her?" She begged, pleading with her lost lover.
"It is not her you must help. Since you selfishly gave your daughter back to the twolegs, you must return their only kit to the wild. You must help your granddaughter become a clan-cat, even after you die."
"How is that possible, if I am dead?" Confusion swirled in Gem's amber gaze, like a whirl-pool.
"You will die when the twolegs give a diamond collar to your grandchild, and you will be bound to the diamond. You will be able to speak to her, to guide her, until she breaks the bond with her collar- and you- and becomes a true wild-cat. Until then, you will never be free to join StarClan."
