Post by weasel on Nov 21, 2012 19:18:42 GMT -5
Goldenpaw
[/b][/size]Golden- Yellow/orange fur.[/font]
[/center]AGE Seven moons
GENDER Male
RANK Apprentice
CLAN Cloudclan
LOOKS Goldenpaw is a big cat. Not huge, as he’s not fully grown, but he’s a veritable tank compared to most other apprentices. The tom’s build is thick and sturdy, made for strength rather than anything like speed or maneuvering.
His fur, long and thick, helps to add to the perceived bulk; it makes him appear (rather incorrectly) to be the ‘large and in charge’ sort of character. Despite this, he is not a squat sort of cat; his legs aren’t short and he’s fairly long. Still, he’s a big cat, slow with prominent eyes and a nose that protrudes a bit too much.
LIKES Butterflies, kits, clean things, new bedding in the dens, and grooming to the point of being a bit obsessive.
DISLIKES Tangled fur, eating squirrels, and lawless ruffians.
FEARS Disobeying the leader, breaking the warrior code, never going to starclan, disappointing everyone in THE ENTIRE CLAN and them hating him forever, being forgotten, and dying. Dying would be bad. Getting old is bad too! What will happen to his pretty face?!
HOPES Becoming some fantastic warrior that people will remember forever, finding TRUE LOVE, and to die in a meaningful way, preferably before he gets old and frail.
OVERALL Tough is something that Goldenpaw tries to be. The tom will be as stony and silent as he can be, always presenting himself as a strong warrior. To his credit, he does his best to be what he makes himself seem. Unfortunately, tough and emotionless is just something he is not, and it’s not really something he wants to be. Rather, it’s something he feels he has to be.
Goldenpaw is terrified of failure. He’s well aware that deciding not to listen can get you killed, and he would prefer not to die. In fact, he would really not like to die; he would not like to die more than most other cats in the clan. It’s not that he doesn’t trust that Starclan is real and good cats end up with them- instead, he’s worried that he won’t get there. After all, he’s messed up so much that it’d make sense for him to be banished from Starclan.
He tends to interpret mistakes as his personal failings, even when his involvement is marginal. The clan got attacked while he was out hunting? Wouldn’t have happened if he was there! A badger attacked another clan cat? His fault for not being out on patrol right then! While it shows a remarkable lack of self-esteem, it also reveals that Goldenpaw is a bit self-centered, albeit in a roundabout way. He doesn’t consider himself the most worthwhile or the best, but he acts as if every decision hinges on him.
For all of his attempts at being the perfect, brave warrior, Goldenpaw hasn’t been able to conquer his true nature. At heart, he’s more soft hearted than not. The tom would rather cuddle up with a mate and kits than be out hunting, in all honesty. Around friends, he’s affectionate and reveals himself to be skittish and paranoid of near anything.
But he’s no bleeding heart by any means; while kits from other clans get tolerance (as per the warrior code), he’s more than happy to jump in to a fight over perceived slights against the clan. He might not be the one to start an assault or accusation, but he’ll throw his entire heart behind one. It’s not his clan, after all- why do those cats matter? Only his clan matters!
PAST
Not much of an interesting kit, he was born to a surprisingly energetic old queen in a litter of three. While Goldenpaw adored his mother, he had never quite gotten attached to his siblings; they were loud, and he would really much rather...not be around loud things. He didn't mind the playfighting, though. That was alright.
Goldenpaw was barely an apprentice during Cloudclan’s move to the new territory it now inhabits, constantly reminded of what wandering away from the travelling clan could mean. Were he to get lost, he may never be found- the clan knew little of their surroundings with them constantly changing, and, as cold-hearted it might sound, they couldn't stop in a potentially dangerous area to search for one lone apprentice. He did very well with obeying all of the rules presented.
Mostly.
It was hard to completely eliminate the adventurous streak many apprentices carried; they were young, had new responsibilities, and wanted to show the world what they were worth. Goldenpaw was no exception, though he tried very hard to be for most all of the journey. He had, unfortunately, decided to wander away one night. After all, he was a big, tough apprentice!
Not that tough, though.
Were it not for a hunting patrol wandering close that night, he would have been killed by a very unhappy fox who didn’t quite appreciate a cat around its den. It had been driven away, but one of the warriors had been severely injured and unable to work for days. The experience had been suitably horrifying, and so he became terrified of stepping out of line. He started listening no matter what, and adopted the warrior code as a strict personal guide. The code worked, the code was what kept people from making mistakes, and the code would make sure no one got hurt again because of him.
As far as the new territory is concerned, Goldenpaw is suspicious of their neighbors; Forestclan is new, Forestclan is strange, and that means Forestclan is almost certainly very, very bad. He isn’t going to do anything, though. Not until they tell him to. He’s done doing things, thank you very much.
