Post by T. Corpse on Apr 1, 2011 12:33:33 GMT -6
<---- TALONSTRIKE
Tom, 42 Moons
RANK: Warrior[/ul]
ALLIANCE: HillClan
APPEARANCE: A large, grizzled brown tabby with piercing golden eyes.
PERSONALITY: Talonstrike has changed a lot through the course of his life. He's gone from a bright-eyed, excited young apprentice to a jaded warrior and father. He has a sort of sullen, quiet wisdom of those who suffer--the kind of wisdom you're often unaware you possess.
He's a quiet cat who communicates with confident and strong body language more than words. He cares deeply about those around him but is often unsure how to show it--he's afraid that he's not worthy of their love or compassion. A good example of this would be his surviving sons: he feels he failed them because they weren't safe, because he let their siblings die. He's desperately proud of them but doesn't know how to show it.
While Talonstrike is a formidable opponent in battle, he's emotionally sensitive; he feels deeply and can sometimes make rash decisions based on how he feels about something, rather than the logic behind the decision. This doesn't mean he shows this emotion, though, so often times these things are tucked away so that his exterior is always neutral.
He's protective of his family and loved ones and would easily throw his life away for them. He feels that any failure on his part to protect those he loves is unforgivable; for that reason he often lies awake at night wondering how he could let rogues do such damage to his family.
This guilt also contributes to a deep and burning hatred of rogue cats. He is often doubtful of other Clan cats as well but he trusts they at least follow the warrior code, but rogues--he despises them.
REASON FOR NAME: "Talon" was actually the name of his rogue father, but Stripefur acted as if she gave him that name because of his unusually large claws. "Strike" was given to him because of his ferocity in battle.
FAMILY:
Father: Talon (A rogue tom, ironically enough. Stripefur is the only cat who knows his identity.)
Mother: Stripefur. She's an elder and is getting on in age.
Former Mate: Flowerpelt [deceased, unusually difficult kitting]
Kits:Second litter:
HISTORY: Stripefur was always rebellious. She didn't care much for the Warrior Code and it was only her close relationships with her friends and family that kept her in HillClan. When she met an attractive, young, and charming rogue named Talon, there was nothing to stop her from taking him as her mate.
Their relationship didn't last long because his interest in her waned over time. He wandered away from the HillClan border and Stripefur never saw him again. She turned her attention back to the clan, and in what felt like no time at all she had given birth to Talonkit. He grew up under her watchful eye, curious and bursting with energy; he spent every day practicing for when he became an apprentice. When he was a kit he made friends with a young, sweet cat named Flowerkit. When she confessed to him that she was worried about being a warrior, he told her, right before their apprentice ceremony, that he would always protect her.
His apprenticeship went smoothly at first. He grew more confident and found that he was a skilled fighter--but it wasn't until right before his warrior ceremony that he got his first taste of battle.
He was patrolling with Flowerpaw when a few rogues were found on their territory. At first they assumed they would be easy to fight and lunged for them--but the battle quickly turned bloody. Talonpaw fought fiercely beside the clan's warriors, but was badly injured, as well Flowerpaw.
The two apprentices were dragged back to camp and treated by the medicine cat. Falconpaw had a long gash down his side that took quite a while to heal, but eventually it did--Flowerpaw wasn't so lucky. One of her front legs had been horribly mangled; she had to walk as if three-legged.
Once they could move again, they were given their warrior names, in honor of their bravery in the battle. They became Talonstrike and Flowerpelt. Talonstrike immersed himself in the life of a warrior, where Flowerpelt lived as a Queen because she could no longer fight or hunt.
The guilt of seeing Flowerpelt's life taken away from her stayed with Talonstrike for a long time. He spent much of his spare time with her and soon enough the two fell in love. They became mates, and then Flowerpelt had to stay in the nursery because she was expecting kits, not because she could no longer be a warrior.
In the moons they spent waiting for their kits, Talonstrike never felt prouder. He thought that they would have the most beautiful kits the Clan had ever seen and they would become the best warriors. Flowerpelt only had one kit--a tom--but that was all right. Marshkit was they light of his life.
He watched as his son grew to be an apprentice and then a warrior. He felt as if he was the luckiest tom in the world--for once he felt entirely guiltless, entirely happy. He was elated to learn Flowerpelt was expecting once again.
Their second litter started badly, and ended in disaster. Marshtail's delivery had been easy but this one was horrible; Flowerpelt yowled with pain for the whole night, and after pushing the third kit out, died.
Talonstrike was racked with grief. At first he could barely acknowledge his kits, and for a night they were nameless as they wriggled and nursed at Leafwing's belly. Finally Marshtail came to his father and told him he couldn't forget his kits and scorn his mate's memory, so Talonstrike spent the next day with his kits and named them: Wolfkit, Fernkit, and Hawkit.
He wanted to distance himself form them, and from the pain he felt, but Marshtail wouldn't let him. He urged him to father his kits, and he did, and soon felt strongly attached to them--they almost filled the emptiness Flowerpelt's death left behind.
Another tragedy struck. While patrolling with Marshtail and a few other warriors, they heard the sounds of kits wailing. Abandoning the border and rushing to the sounds, a wave of terror hit Talonstrike: his kits were being attacked by rogues.
He fought with more venom and more anger than ever before. He managed to kill one of the rogues but it wasn't enough--Marshtail was killed, trying to save Fernkit. She was badly injured, and by the time they returned her to camp Talonstrike had nearly given up hope. She died in the night.
A new emptiness opened up inside him, and this time he had no Marshtail to force him back into reality. He still loved his sons but felt disconnected from them; he wanted to protect them and show them he cared but he didn't know how and if they would forgive him for failing him. He watched from a distance as they were made into apprentices, but he was the loudest voice calling their new names.
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