ASHCLAN
image source
Anna Begins - Counting Crows
It does not bother me to say this isn't love
'Cause if you don't want to talk about it, then it isn't love
And I guess I'm gonna have to live with that
But I'm sure there's something in a shade of grey or something in between
And I can always change my name if that's what you mean
Name: Redhawk
Age: 40 moons
Gender: Male
Clan: AshClan
Rank: Warrior
Background: Growing up, Redhawk was quiet and kept to himself. He didn't have many friends, nor did he have any littermates to play with. It wasn't like he was totally isolated; he grew up in a Clan, for StarClan's sake. His peers were kind enough to him. But he never truly connected with anyone, at least not on the level that his other Clanmates did with each other, and he wasn't sure why. The only cat that he felt some semblance of connection to was his mentor, Hawkeye, and that was only because Hawkeye was as reserved as he was. Hawkeye never tried to force unnatural conversations with him the way that some other cats did. Rather, the only energy he spent on Redpaw was training him to be the best warrior he could be. And with nothing else to distract him, Redpaw dedicated all of his time to just that. Any time that he wasn't sleeping or eating, he was hunting, patrolling, training. He even trained by himself when his official training sessions with Hawkeye had ended. He wanted to learn everything there was to learn, from all of the best hunting and fighting techniques, to memorizing every part of AshClan territory. He practiced climbing and swimming, and perfected how to catch each type of prey, from fish to mice to squirrels to birds. His mentor even remarked one time that he hunted like a hawk, with how fast he'd hook fish out of the river or swoop down from treetops to catch mice. And for the first time in his life, Redpaw actually felt proud.
But that was pride was stripped away one fateful day. He was on patrol with Hawkeye and a few other AshClan cats when they caught SmokeClan cats trespassing, hunting on AshClan territory. A fight quickly broke out, and before Redpaw knew it, he'd been pinned by a SmokeClan warrior. He struggled to free himself, panic rising in his throat, but the warrior held him down, and with teeth bared and a murderous look in his eyes, lunged for Redpaw's throat.
This is it, Redpaw thought.
He's going to kill me.Instead, the SmokeClan tom killed Hawkeye. Redpaw's mentor had ripped the vicious warrior off his apprentice, but the tom had quickly reeled around and sunk his teeth into Hawkeye's throat instead, killing him instantly. Red, hot fury rose up within Redpaw, before sadness or even shock could affect him, and in a heartbeat, he was on the SmokeClan warrior's back. All he saw was red as he plunged his fangs into the back of the murderer's neck, while his claws wrapped around and pierced the tom's throat, ensuring his death from both sides--or so he thought. As the SmokeClan cat fell to the ground, seemingly dead and blood pooling rapidly from his wounds, the battle between the two patrols ceased, but Redpaw hardly noticed until he and his Clanmates arrived back at camp, Hawkeye's limp body in tow. Only when he heard his mentor's mate cry out in grief did the adrenaline start to wear off, and he began to process what had just happened. Hawkeye was dead, instead of him.
Redpaw was given the name Redhawk, in honor of both Hawkeye and how swiftly he avenged his mentor's death, like a hawk sinking its talons into its prey without hesitation. But though he knew the name was a great honor, he felt undeserving of it, and shame swallowed him up. That shame only grew when Redhawk was announced as the newest warrior of AshClan at the next gathering. His gaze had been traveling across the crowd of cats from both Clans, chanting his new name, when he locked eyes with
him. The dark warrior, who he would come to find out was called Hollowshade. Redhawk's blood ran cold.
But that's not possible! I killed him! But the scar on the tom's neck and the icy, murderous look in his eyes confirmed it. Redhawk would know that look anywhere. He wasn't sure how Hollowshade survived, but he did. And now Redhawk not only had to live with the shame of being the reason his mentor died, but also the shame of not even being able to avenge him properly. Hawkeye was gone, and Redhawk had failed to kill his murderer.
Many moons have passed since then, and the shame Redhawk feels over the whole situation has faded into the background, but never fully gone away. In an ironic twist of fate, he had a fleeting romance with a SmokeClan she-cat many moons ago. He'd met her because of how often he patrolled and guarded the border with SmokeClan ever since the incident, secretly hoping that he'd catch Hollowshade so he could rip the tom apart for good this time, or at least die trying. Instead, Redhawk had met a pretty dappled she-cat who he, against all odds, had a fleeting romance with. He couldn't explain it, but he quickly became smitten with the tortoiseshell, and she with him--or so it seemed. But that, too, had to pass, as one day the she-cat cut things off with him abruptly, and he was left alone once again. Redhawk is now more aloof than ever.
Kin: N/A
Mate/Crush: N/A
"If it's love," she said
"Then we're gonna have to think about the consequences"
But she can't stop shaking, and I can't stop touching her
And this time, when kindness falls like rain
It washes her away
And Anna begins to change her mind
image source
Here Before - Vashti Bunyan
Once I had a child
He was wilder than moonlight
He could do it all
Like he'd been here before
Name: Cinderspots
Age: 54 moons
Gender: Female
Clan: AshClan
Rank: Warrior
Background: Cinderspots is a motherly figure, through and through. Even as an apprentice, she always loved kits and knew from an early age that she wanted some of her own. A gentle and pleasant she-cat to be around, she had several suiters, but none that caught her eye quite as much as Hawkeye did. He was stoic, a tom of few words, but hidden under his gruff exterior was a heart of gold. Cinderspots was drawn to him immediately, as he was to her, and before long the two became mates. Cinderspots's friends teased her, knowing how much she wanted to have kits, and joked that she'd be in the nursery less than a moon into her mateship with Hawkeye. An idea that Cinderspots was perfectly fine with. She loved her mate dearly, and she couldn't wait for their love to manifest in the form of new life. Even the stoic Hawkeye's gaze lit up at the mention of starting a family with his mate.
But try as they might, no kits came. Moons passed, and though she tried not to show it, Cinderspots was beginning to become disheartened at the lack of little ones in their lives, and to lose hope that they would ever have them. She tried to fill the gap in her heart by busying herself with nursery duties, tending to the queens and their kits, kit-sitting whenever their mothers needed a break, telling them stories whenever the elders were too tired, and so on. But although she loved spending time with her Clanmates' kits, none of them could fulfill her deep desire for her own.
Then, one day, everything changed. She'd had a persistent stomachache for several days, and had finally gone to the medicine den, fearing that it might be something serious. Instead, she left with the happiest news she could have received: She was expecting! At long last, StarClan had answered her prayers! She was going to be a mother! She made straight for the warriors' den to tell her mate, only to be told that he'd been sent out on border patrol. Hardly able to wait until he came back, she planted herself right at the camp entrance, planning on greeting him with the news as soon as he returned.
She sat there, waiting and waiting, for what felt like hours. At first she thought it only felt like an eternity because of how impatient she was to tell Hawkeye the good news. But as the minutes dragged on, she started to see her Clanmates exchange nervous glances and whisper to one another, "The patrol should have been back by now" and "Where are they?" And she quickly realized that the patrol was, in fact, taking an abnormally long time to return. Worry began to gnaw at her belly, and she instinctively placed a paw over it. "Don't worry, loves," she murmured to her unborn kits. "He'll be back soon."
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the patrol returned...with bedraggled, bloodied pelts and fresh wounds. Cinderspots jumped to her paws immediately, fur on end and eyes wide with anxiety, looking for Hawkeye amidst her defeated-looking Clanmates...and saw his limp, lifeless body being dragged in by the rear of the patrol. "No!" she wailed, collapsing in a heap as their Clanmates laid his body gently on the ground. Amidst her sobs, she only heard snippets of what they told her: That SmokeClan cats had been caught trespassing, that a fight had broken out, that Hawkeye had been protecting his apprentice when a SmokeClan warrior killed him. But all she could think about was the fact that he'd never get to meet his kits, and that his kits would never get to meet their father. In a single day, Cinderspots had received the best and worst news of her entire life. She had received something precious, but something equally precious had been taken away from her.
When her sons were born, Cinderspots named them after birds of prey, in honor of her beloved mate. In the end, she got what she always wanted: to be a mother. But although she loves and treasures her kits more than anything, now both adult warriors, motherhood has been bittersweet for her and a reminder of the day she lost her dear Hawkeye. She's become much more reserved than she used to be, and only seems invested in the lives of her sons.
Kin: Kestrelflight, Falconfall (sons)
Mate: HawkeyeOnce I had a child
Took his while like northern summer
And he knows it all
Like he's been here before
image source
Dreaming My Way To You - Artist Vs Poet
I've been away for some time
And I never could find the strength
The strength to rewind
But it doesn't matter tonight
I will dream you to life
Making our way through the stars
Letting down our all our guards
And no matter where you are
You live loud in my heart
Name: Kestrelflight
Age: 29 moons
Gender: Male
Clan: AshClan
Rank: Warrior
Background: Kestrelflight grew up alongside his brother, Falconfall, raised by their mother, Cinderspots. His mother told him and his brother stories of their late father, Hawkeye, from the moment they were old enough to hear them. Even though he had never met the tom who sired him in person, Kestrelflight felt like he knew him, and would often dream of him as a kit. Though Cinderspots had never described Hawkeye's appearance to her kits, Kestrelkit always saw him as a large, burly brown tabby with striking blue eyes and a deep, gruff voice. He assumed this was just his imagination, but when he described to his mother how his father appeared to him in dreams, the surprised look in Cinderspots's eyes told him that these were no ordinary dreams.
In fact, Hawkeye wasn't the only cat to appear in Kestrelkit's dreams. He frequently dreamed he was surrounded by starry cats that, in the dream world, he seemed to know better than his Clanmates in the real world--a pretty white-and-ginger she-cat; a brown tabby tom with bright amber eyes; a regal-looking silver tom; a silver spotted she-cat who looked a bit like his mother; even a tom who looked just like him; and many, many more. But when he woke up, he could never remember who these cats were. When he spoke of these dreams to his mother, she was sure that meant he had a connection to StarClan, and that he was destined to be a medicine cat. Not only would it explain how he seemed to know things that he had no way of knowing, but it also made sense given his personality. As young as he was, Kestrelkit had always been very intuitive and empathetic, seemingly able to sense how others were feeling and doing his best to lift the spirits of others whenever they were down.
But when she discussed the possibility of her son becoming a medicine cat apprentice with AshClan's then-medicine cat, the healer simply told her that they would have received a sign from StarClan by then if Kestrelkit were to be their apprentice. Cinderspots seemed a bit frustrated at this, insisting there was something special about her son, but nothing ever came of it, and Kestrelkit was fine with that. He was looking forward to training as a warrior alongside his brother and his denmates.
Before long, Kestrelkit became Kestrelpaw and Falconkit, Falconpaw. It was during their apprenticeship that Kestrelpaw began to sense feelings of resentment from his brother. He knew those feelings had started when they were just kits, when their mother had suggested that Kestrelpaw might have a special connection to their ancestors, and that Falconpaw had started to feel left out. Now that they were on their way to being warriors, Kestrelpaw was also starting to outshine Falconpaw in the training department. Though not quite as skilled as some other AshClan warriors had been when they were just apprentices--such as Redhawk, Kestrelpaw's father's last apprentice before passing--it was clear that Kestrelpaw had the upper paw on poor Falconpaw, who often missed prey and was bested by other apprentices during battle training. Kestrelpaw tried to encourage his dark-furred brother and do whatever he could to raise the smoke-colored tom's spirits, but, much to Kestrelpaw's dismay, Falconpaw began to drift further and further. During this time, Kestrelpaw began to grow closer to their kithood friend, Foxpaw, which only seemed to anger Falconpaw more. Even though the dark tom never said anything, Kestrelpaw could sense jealousy emanating off of his brother every time he and Foxpaw spent time together.
The last straw came when the brothers had their assessments. Kestrelpaw soared right through his, passing with flying colors and earning the name Kestrelflight...while Falconpaw failed his, and was forced to remain an apprentice. Kestrelpaw, not wanting to leave Falconpaw behind, had even offered to refuse his warrior ceremony until Falconpaw could join him. But this only angered Falconpaw more. "Oh, yes, that's just what I need," Falconpaw had said sarcastically. "Just another reason for our Clanmates to love you and pity me. 'Look at what a good brother Kestrelpaw is! Putting off his warrior ceremony so he can let his failure of a brother catch up to him!' No, thanks." He had stormed off before his brother could even respond, and what was meant to be a happy day for the pair of toms turned into one of sadness and resentment. Kestrelflight felt horrible enough that his brother wouldn't be becoming a warrior alongside him, but what made it even worse was that, amidst the cheers and chants of his new name, Falconpaw remained silent, glaring coldly at Kestrelflight from the back of the crowd.
Falconpaw passed his warrior assessment and earned the name Falconfall about a moon later, and Kestrelflight had hoped that now that they were both warriors, they might be able to rebuild their relationship. But his hopes were quickly dashed, as Falconfall showed absolutely no interest in his brother, much to their mother's chagrin, who loved her sons dearly despite their differences and only wished for them to get along. Despite knowing his efforts are in vain, Kestrelflight still tries to strike up a conversation with Falconfall from time to time, but has mostly given up. He doesn't let this get him down however, and still maintains a cheerful, laid-back attitude and a bright sense of humor, just another thing for Falconfall to envy him for.
Kin: Cinderspots (mother),
Hawkeye (father), Falconfall (brother)
Mate/Crush: N/A
Sleeping days into night, nights into days
Thinking of all the things that I could say
When I finally see you face to face
Cause I'm dreaming my way to you
Dreaming my way to you
image source
Vermilion - Slipknot
She seems dressed in all the rings of past fatalities
So fragile, yet so devious, she continues to seem
Climatic hands that press
Her temples and my chest
Enter the night that she came home
Forever
Name: Falconfall
Age: 29 moons
Gender: Male
Clan: AshClan
Rank: Warrior
Background: Between him and Kestrelflight, Falconfall thinks it's very fitting that he is the darker-furred of the two, considering how overshadowed he's been by his brother their whole lives. From the time they were kits, Kestrelflight was always getting all of the attention: their mother's, their Clanmates', and, perhaps most importantly, Foxbreeze's. Having grown up alongside the ginger she-cat, Falconfall found himself taken with her from a young age. He couldn't quite place why, but he always felt inexplicably drawn to her, though lacking the confidence and charm his brother did, he was never sure how to approach her about his feelings, or if it would even be worth the effort. After all, she and Kestrelflight were already fairly close. What chance did he stand? This was Falconfall's mindset for a long time, until he finally became a warrior. The resentment that's been bubbling up inside of him all these moons has finally come to a boil, and Falconfall is determined to best Kestrelflight at something, and to take all the love and attention that should have been his all these moons.
Kin: Cinderspots (mother),
Hawkeye (father), Kestrelflight (brother)
Crush: Foxbreeze
Hard to say what caught my attention
Vixen crazy, aphid attraction
Carve my name in my face to recognize
Such a pheromone cult to terrorize
SMOKECLAN
image sourceFaust, Midas, and Myself - Switchfoot
This one's 'bout a dream I had last night
How an old man tracked me home and stepped inside
Put his foot inside the door
And gave a crooked smile
Something in his eyes
Something in his laugh
Something in his voice that made my skin crawl off
Name: Creekclaw
Age: 37 moons
Gender: Male
Clan: SmokeClan
Rank: Warrior
Background: Creekclaw's life was plagued with death from the start. A bad bout of greencough was going around the Clan when he was born, and unfortunately, both his parents caught it. He and his two brothers were born sick, and his littermates quickly succumbed to the illness. His father soon followed, and his mother lasted just long enough to nurse her only remaining son, tiny and sickly as he was. She managed to hold on until another pregnant queen gave birth and was able to take over nursing Creekkit, and passed not long after. The foster queen's litter was stillborn, and so she had plenty of milk for poor little Creekkit, who was still quite weak and suspected to not live much longer than his family. Yet somehow, the little tom-kit pulled through, and began to grow stronger week by week. But as fate would have it, not long after he had been weaned, the queen who had nursed him had gone out for a walk by herself and was killed by a fox. Now truly an orphan, Creekkit became incredibly closed-off. He'd felt sad when his foster mother was killed, but quickly realized that he did not like feeling sad, and vowed not to feel it again. He became numb and deliberately avoided becoming close with anyone, so as to avoid feeling any sort of sadness ever again.
When it came time for him to start his warrior training, he was apprenticed to a pitch-black tom called Hollowshade, who was known for being a particularly aggressive warrior. As it turns out, aggressive warriors also make aggressive mentors, and Creekpaw figured that out almost immediately. Hollowshade pushed him to the edge, training him in moves far too advanced--and far too savage--for such a new apprentice. He didn't just teach him how to fight--he taught him how to kill. He often used unsheathed claws during training sessions, and instructed his apprentice to do the same, and their training sessions were much longer and more frequent than those of other mentor-apprentice duos. Creekpaw hated training with Hollowshade at first, but as time went on, he realized that the dark warrior's harsh methods were proving successful. Though the process had been grueling, Creekpaw had gone from a scrawny little apprentice to a muscular, nearly warrior-sized tom in a matter of moons. And that wasn't the only change. Creekpaw was starting to adopt Hollowshade's cold, brutal attitude as well. He had been withdrawn before, but now he had detached himself so far from emotion and from any other cat that, at times, he questioned whether he'd ever have the capacity to care about anyone again. But that was what he'd wanted all along...wasn't it?
The day came for Creekpaw to finally test his battle skills out for real. He'd been out on patrol with Hollowshade and a few other warriors, and he'd gone after a squirrel, chasing it right into AshClan territory. An AshClan patrol caught them, and a fight quickly ensued. Creekpaw was surprised with himself, with how strong he was; he managed to hold his own against a senior warrior, Hawkeye, with no problem. But just as he was about to land another heavy blow to the warrior's head, he noticed, just beyond Hawkeye, that Hollowshade had a ginger apprentice pinned to the ground, his teeth bared as he prepared to lunge for the apprentice's throat. Creekpaw recognized his mentor's intent to kill the apprentice almost immediately, having been trained to kill himself, and this realization made him freeze momentarily. Something in Creekpaw's eyes must have clued Hawkeye in on what he saw, for a moment later the AshClan warrior whirled around, breaking out of his fight with Creekpaw and lunging towards Hollowshade to pull him off the ginger apprentice. The next series of events flew by in a blur, before Creekpaw could even realize what had happened: Hollowshade killed Hawkeye. The red apprentice leaped on Hollowshade and sank teeth and claws into his neck, seemingly killing him. The battle ceased. The patrols went their separate ways, AshClan with Hawkeye's body in tow, SmokeClan with Hollowshade's. And Creekpaw felt numb.
Somehow, against all odds, Hollowshade survived the attack, to the surprise of all his Clanmates. Creekpaw didn't have much of a chance to be surprised, probably because he hadn't even had time to process what had happened, or that his mentor had nearly died. The apprentice wasn't exactly sure what he felt, but something about what he'd seen in Hollowshade that day unnerved him.
Kin:Mate/Crush:He said I've seen you here before
I know your name
Yeah, you could have your pick
Of pretty things
You could have it all
Everything at once
Everything you've seen
Everything you'll need
Everything you've ever had in fantasies
image source[img]name[/img]
song
lyric
Name: Hollowshade
Age: 62 moons
Gender: Male
Clan: SmokeClan
Rank: Warrior
Background: Kin:Mate:lyric