Lightningpaw

Redwoodclan

a slim black tabby she-cat

Lightningpaw is stream-lined and lean, a perfect build for slipping through small spaces, and darting through clearing and the massive sequoia trees towering over Redwoodclan territory. At first glance, she looks like a rag doll that can be easily thrown in battle. But, this can be very misleading, and a potential advantage in combat. With so much speed, another cat's strength would be little, and a kick of her hind legs and the air will be knocked out of you. It's also very clear that she uses her hind legs more than her fore paws: they're much more muscled and bulky than her fore legs, but this doesn't mean she is clumsy with them. Though not with ferocious accuracy, she can do some damage with them, and not just considering her talon-like claws. She isn't the heaving-type of cat, that can throw a badger or finish a battle  using pure-brawn. She is more agility and speed-oriented, and finds it much easier to build momentum and charge into her opponent like a raging bull.
Considering her stature, she is slightly smaller than an average 6-moon-old-apprentice. It isn't a first-glance type of thing, when standing near another apprentice, it's clear that she is an ear-tip shorter. But, it doesn't make her runty, just a bit short.

Regarding her pelt, it is reminiscent of ashes sprinkled onto sunlit land. Her tabby stripes peek out like the coated sands, and white spots glittering like hidden pearls beneath the dust. Digressing from metaphors and idioms, she has a smoky tabby pelt, with a white base. It can be compared to a twilight sky or cinder blocks. Her pelt is long, not long enough to drag on the dirt grounds of camp, but pretty long. It becomes a hassle to groom it all, so she usually just leaves it matted, but she'll groom it once a moon just so it doesn't get in the way. Just counting her pelt, she isn't thought of as the prettiest cat, but not the worst-looking either.

Lightningpaw has a slender face. Sleek and glossy looking, she takes care of it better than her matted pelt. It's not entirely slim, actually rather round and typical of a cat face. Her jaws aren't particularly small, but it'd take a while to efficiently stuff a mouse into her mouth. That's why she daintily eats her prey, not with manners, but she takes small bites to not choke. Even though her jaws aren't big, they are strong, and she thoroughly trains then when eating. She chews vigorously to strengthen her jaws even more, and now it's been a responsibility to her since she was born with a relatively weak bite. Turning away from her mouth, her eyes are a bizarre type of green to say the least. It's turquoise to lime around her pupils.

Lightningpaw has a solemn and unnerving appearance, but it tricks plenty of cats into thinking she's the calm and kind type. She's far from that, if not the opposite. Like most apprentices, she's very energetic and adventurous. She just wants to bounce around and explore the island, and she won't let anyone stop her. She used to fantasize about being a prophecy cat or someone special, but she's stopped that, and thinks it was immature as a kit. She feels she's matured after her recent apprentice ceremony, but most cats would think not. Focusing on her immaturity, she is sassy. And very sassy. A bit of cheek in apprentices wouldn't surprise anyone, but Lightningpaw goes above and beyond. She will cheekily reply to her authorities if they oppose her opinion, or if she's just feeling bratty. A reply she will frequently use, when told to do something in a question-y manner, is, "if you ask it like a question, I'll answer it like a question".

If Lightningpaw is asked a question, or given an insult, she’s usually prepared with a snap back, whether it’s intently rude, or rarely, a polite reply, she’s quick-witted to the bone. 

Lightningpaw’s most shining traits is her bravery. She isn’t afraid to take risks, no matter the consequences, and it’s rare to find her back down from a dare. Sometimes she’ll go to extreme measures to prove herself, whether it’s something minor like dripping mouse bile juice into a short-tempered cat’s food, to fighting a random Thistleclan warrior if she gets the chance. Speaking of Thistleclan, she hates them with a burning passion. She likes to call them Ratclan instead of their original name, and she commonly associates mice she catches, to Thistleclan’s pelts. She will even go to the extreme of claiming she’ll hang Thistleclan’s fur on tree branches to scare the foxes.

Lightningpaw is known for her naive nature, and her stubborn attitude. When told she's wrong, she'll usually not except it, unless she has a  sliver of respect for the cat, which is quite rare. She's come across this problem plenty of times, since she has such an ignorant view of the world. It's common for apprentices to do it, so she'll probably grow out of it. An example of her immature views, is her opinion on patrolling. Other cats might want to limit patrolling a bit more especially during more peaceful times. Even though Lightningpaw dislikes patrols, she believes other cats should still do it, and she'll fiercely protect that idea until she finally realizes that it isn't that good of an idea. Which, she could've just realized before.

Lightningpaw is very bossy. She is usually disliked by other apprentices because of her strict leadership. If you’re in a group with her, she’ll instantly claim dominance, no matter the competitor. If she’s was on a patrol, which she doesn’t like to be, she’ll immediately try to lead the pack. And don’t even try to smack her back to place, because she’ll just boss you around too. She’s really caustic with her orders, and when one cat is out of line she’ll be yelling and hissing at the cat until their fur is blown off. And rather than work on this flaw, and try and soften her words, she actually is proud of it. And no wonder she isn’t the most liked cat in the clan.

Lightningpaw was born to a not-so-loving family. It wasn’t like her father was dead, or her mother was dead, but it she and her siblings weren’t the first priority. She was born a rogue, unlike most Redwoodclan cats that are warrior-blood. Her mother and father were deep into their relationship. They didn't want kits, they were the typical young lovebirds. And when Lightningpaw's mother, White, had kits, she was surprised. Her mother had to eat more frequently to feed her children, and when they finally arrived, it was in the dead of leaf-bare. Her kits were the rare that had to deal with the horrid cold. Lightningpaw barely survived, but she was the luckiest of her siblings. One by one, her newborn siblings succumbed to the weather. Although the birth was unplanned, this took a toll on Lightningpaw's mother, and she grew overprotective of her kits until the leaf-bare winter passed. At this point, the father left, in search of other she-cats or simply trying to survive on the island. White began to go out more, and meet her friends a bit more often, and other toms. She became more submerged into romance, than raising her kit. But, when Lightningpaw went missing one night when she was out, she panicked. Her only child, was gone, and White started grieving. But, Lightningpaw had actually been picked up by a Redwoodclan patrol, and was being welcomed into her new home, while her mother was mourning at her last kit's death.
Lightningkit, (at this point), was granted the name Lightningkit, for her lightning fast speed and wit. Lightningkit was malnourished compared to the bulky masses of cats she lived with. She was built to be streamline, not a fluffy hulk of muscle. She wasn't bullied, but she was insecure. She began silently calculating other kits in the nursery, and thinking of herself as better than them to kindle her blazing ego. But, she quickly learned this type of life wasn't for her, when other kits opened up to her and she started having friends. She became more outgoing as her apprentice ceremony neared, and she had already become a respected member of the clan. She was psyched for her ceremony, and she couldn't believe she was finally a valued member of the clan.