Post by dumpster on Sept 25, 2020 22:34:36 GMT -6
PORCUPINEpetal
ThistleClan
a fluffy black smoke tom cat with yellow eyes
warrior
male
26 moons
A p p e a r a n c e
Standing about the same height as the rest of his Clan, Porcupinepetal remains a touch narrower in the face and shoulders than other toms his age but makes up for this with muscled legs used to both climbing and burrowing. He remained a late bloomer until roughly four or five moons ago when he finally seemed to sprout into his paws suitably enough and came to bear cutely handsome features of adulthood.
Named for the very faint smoky hues he bore at the time of his birth, Porcupinepetal has done more than just grow into his paws – he’s grown into his namesake, as well. The smoky colored portions of his cowl and undersides only grew paler and paler as the moons went by before they settled on the soft silver tones they hold in present days. His fur seemed to try and mimic the length of the quills of his name as well, sprouting out farther and farther until grooming himself became an extremely time-consuming measure and he found his stomach frequently upset by hairballs.
Angular and diamond shaped, Porcupinepetal boasts high cheekbones nestled comfortably beneath kind yellow eyes. His muzzle is more elongated than most and gives his skull a lovely and easily raspable slope that stretches from the tip of his nose up and over his forehead.
Named for the very faint smoky hues he bore at the time of his birth, Porcupinepetal has done more than just grow into his paws – he’s grown into his namesake, as well. The smoky colored portions of his cowl and undersides only grew paler and paler as the moons went by before they settled on the soft silver tones they hold in present days. His fur seemed to try and mimic the length of the quills of his name as well, sprouting out farther and farther until grooming himself became an extremely time-consuming measure and he found his stomach frequently upset by hairballs.
Angular and diamond shaped, Porcupinepetal boasts high cheekbones nestled comfortably beneath kind yellow eyes. His muzzle is more elongated than most and gives his skull a lovely and easily raspable slope that stretches from the tip of his nose up and over his forehead.
P e r s o n a l i t y
amiable, companionly, cooperative, discreet, empathetic, gentle, mellow, placid, unambitious, complacent, & codependent
a·mi·a·ble: having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner.
similar// warm || Porcupinepetal can usually figure out a way to get along with just about anyone, no matter their nature. He treats everyone that he meets with friendliness and warmth regardless of their histories or present titles. He finds it almost impossible to be unkind, himself.
com·pan·ion·ly: characteristic of or befitting a companion.
similar// loyal || When he feels that he has made a friend, Porcupinepetal works very hard to maintain that relationship. His day is divided up between duties, catching up with friends, and then perhaps helping said friends with their duties, as well. 'I can help,' is a common phrase to leave his muzzle.
co·op·er·a·tive: involving mutual assistance working toward a common goal.
similar// harmonious || Not one to enjoy engaging in or being around conflict, Porcupinepetal has tried his best to develop something of a nature that encourages harmony in those around him. He will try to help settle disputes in a peaceful and mutually beneficial way to those effected by it - even if he's not a participant of the spat, himself. This can sometimes lead others to believing that he can be a bit nosy when it comes to the personal affairs of those around him, but his overall good nature and genuine desire to help usually prevent others from resenting such habits too much.
dis·creet: careful in one's speech or actions in order to avoid causing offense.
similar// cautious || this is a cat that carefully considers each and every meow to leave his muzzle. He does his absolute best to avoid speaking until he can work out the best way to say each thing in a manner that doesn't hurt anyone; as a result, he can sometimes appear tongue-tied or somewhat slow and frozen during stressful conversations until he can process his words.
em·pa·thet·ic: showing an ability to understand & share feelings of another.
similar// considerate || The great pit of fear and sadness that Porcupinepetal felt as a kit when his mother perished changed his outlook on life and those around him. He couldn't bear the thought of others experiencing the same pains that he and his sister had felt, so he determined then and there to do everything that he could to make sure that he never made others feel poorly, no matter who they were. Over time, this struggle to understand and empathize with others eventually gave him the ability to put himself into the paws of others quite easily... but it also rendered him vulnerable to a powerful personal story and overly trusting of others.
gen·tle: having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament or character.
similar// kind || Porcupinepetal goes out of his way to avoid being unkind to others. More than that, he does what he can to try and show kindness towards those that seem like they might not get very much of it. He's a generous tom cat known for sharing his meals, his time, his tongue, and his heartfelt thoughts with whoever may need companionship.
mel·low: pleasantly smooth or soft; free from harshness.
similar// placid || He doesn't seem to have a mean bone in his body and remains as good-natured and fair-tempered as he can even when those around him show off spirits more bitter, irritable, or just meaner than his own. Despite constantly working out and worrying about and mulling over how to ensure things go as smoothly as possible for everyone, Porcupinepetal gives off the appearance of being unruffled by even pointed insults.
un·am·bi·tious: not motivated by desire or determination to succeed.
similar// noncompetitive || While he isn't lazy, Porcupinepetal does struggle with finding motivation at times due to his complete disinterest in traditional ambitions. His struggles changed as an apprentice when he began to work harder and strive to do more for his Clan and those around him in an effort to earn the approval of his mentor - but he still retains a complete lacking of the ambitions of those around him to achieve titles such as 'best hunter' or 'best fighter,' some going so far as to desire positions of power within the Clan. He just doesn't get it and remains solely motivated by the thought of making those around him happier.
com·pla·cent: willing to accept something even if it is unpleasant.
similar// contented || In an effort not to contribute to the misery of those around him, Porcupinepetal has found that over the moons he has become far more accepting of even the more unpleasant happenings of late. He is more accepting than most of their independent and aloof clanmates of the mandatory curfew and buddy system and does his best to simply comply and encourage the same in others as gently as he can.
co·de·pend·ent: emotional or psychological reliance on a companion.
similar// attached || Willing to forgive and forget perhaps much more than he should, Porcupinepetal does just about anything to be there for those that have shown him kindness... even if he knows he shouldn't be doing what it is that they ask of him. He finds it very difficult to say no to those close to him and has been wrangled into more than one tricky and questionable situation - extending from pranks ranging from harmless to cruel and beyond to the present problems of his friends in their adulthood.
H i s t o r y
Mother: deceased, fox attack.
Father: Unknown, never claimed.
Littermate: Opossumblossom (adoptable)
Mate(s): none
Kit(s): none
Life was fair for Porcupinekit and Opossumkit… for the first four moons of their lives.
It was during a walk just outside of camp with their mother at their side that things changed – she’d thought that it would be safe to give them a taste of life outside of ThistleClan’s camp, as long as she kept them close to the sentries… but she was wrong.
The foxes that assaulted their Clan had grown ever more emboldened; they took from ThistleClan that day Porcupinekit and Opossumkit’s mother and injured another… but the kits were safe, at least. That much seemed to be an unexpected blessing for the Clan, as the pair were just two moons shy of becoming apprentices and contributing members of the Clan.
They needed those.
And so the pair found themselves placed under the care of another queen. While she was kind to them and showed them just the same sort of love that she bestowed on her own kits, there were some among her brood that felt differently towards their new siblings – jealous of them, even. It started with shoves that were less than playful; this the pair could tolerate… but when a tiny kitten claw belonging to one of their new siblings cut the back of one of Porcupinekit’s ears, Opossumkit decided that she’d had as much of them as she could stand.
She began her crusade against the bullies.
“It’s just a few stink bugs,” she’d assured Porcupinekit as she fussed with the family’s nest.
A few bugs wouldn’t hurt, he figured…
“It’s just some brambles—” she’d said after that, again doing her best to torment their bullies as much as they had, them.
He was fairly certain that one of those ‘brambles’ was an outright thorn… but he didn’t say anything… and he felt less bad than he’d thought he would when their bully found himself being treated for a stabbing cut he’d received when he stepped across the thorny mixture Opossumkit had left for him.
It was hard to feel bad when what she was doing was working…
But he did feel that she took it too far when she clawed the bully’s nose the day they earned their apprentice names… even if it did mean that Porcupinepaw never found himself bullied by that pseudo-sibling or any other cats since.
It took Porcupinepaw almost three moons to learn how to communicate with his mentor with any sort of effectiveness.
Where his sister seemed to thrive with their new names and responsibilities, Porcupinepaw came to feel that he was a failure at virtually everything that he tried. He never seemed to be able to do anything right – he didn’t rise to competition, he wasn’t motivated by the same things as most other apprentices, and without praise or reassurance felt… he struggled.
He started to try different things, then… waking up earlier even if his official duties didn’t begin until later in the day. He volunteered for more patrols and hunts – offered the same sort of assistance that he saw his mentor living and breathing each day. It happened, then, slowly… but the distant and almost cold look in the older tom’s eyes shifted to something else. Porcupinepaw began to exhaust himself hunting for that look and doing what he could to see it within those eyes.
At ten moons old, he heard it.
“Good stance,” he’d said – gruffly, as though it had taken effort for the older tom cat to rumble the words.
Elation swept through him and carried him straight through the next two moons of his apprenticeship with eager and excited paws. He’d done it—he’d finally done it, through dedication and so much extra work that it exhausted him and numbed his paws… He earned his mentor’s approval.
Porcupinepaw’s one regret of his apprenticeship remains that through his rampant struggling to give his mentor any feelings other than frustration with his seemingly constant shortcomings, he felt himself becoming more distant that he would like with Opossumpaw… still, she was there for him. Even when he didn’t have any time for her – she remained constantly beside him, sometimes even soothing him to sleep by sharing tongues with him whenever he dragged himself into their family-of-two’s nest, exhausted and worn beyond words by his training.
He resolved to always make time for her to make up for those moons spent training once they earned their warrior names.
He became Porcupinepetal–a name that one of their former bullies dared to snort at, only to earn himself Opossumblossom’s renewed ire once more—and the brother and sister dug out a den to share between themselves, as bonded and close as they’d been within their mother’s womb.
Porcupinepetal maintained the helpful habits he’d developed during his apprenticeship—he eventually became a fairly familiar friendly face and helpful set of paws that held an uncharacteristically kind nature for their ordinarily sarcastic Clan. For some, he was a welcome refresher and would become fast friends with… for others, he remained as soft as his earned name.
Those that showed him kindness were met with an odd sort of loyalty and dedication from Porcupinepetal; it didn’t matter if their kindness extended beyond him or not… some such individuals came to discover that this was a friend that would be particularly accepting of whatever habits they held.
He counts his time as a warrior as his happier moons – despite the sometimes conflicting feelings he feels these days as the problems he and those close to him encounter are much deeper and darker than simple bullies during kithood.
Father: Unknown, never claimed.
Littermate: Opossumblossom (adoptable)
Mate(s): none
Kit(s): none
Life was fair for Porcupinekit and Opossumkit… for the first four moons of their lives.
It was during a walk just outside of camp with their mother at their side that things changed – she’d thought that it would be safe to give them a taste of life outside of ThistleClan’s camp, as long as she kept them close to the sentries… but she was wrong.
The foxes that assaulted their Clan had grown ever more emboldened; they took from ThistleClan that day Porcupinekit and Opossumkit’s mother and injured another… but the kits were safe, at least. That much seemed to be an unexpected blessing for the Clan, as the pair were just two moons shy of becoming apprentices and contributing members of the Clan.
They needed those.
And so the pair found themselves placed under the care of another queen. While she was kind to them and showed them just the same sort of love that she bestowed on her own kits, there were some among her brood that felt differently towards their new siblings – jealous of them, even. It started with shoves that were less than playful; this the pair could tolerate… but when a tiny kitten claw belonging to one of their new siblings cut the back of one of Porcupinekit’s ears, Opossumkit decided that she’d had as much of them as she could stand.
She began her crusade against the bullies.
“It’s just a few stink bugs,” she’d assured Porcupinekit as she fussed with the family’s nest.
A few bugs wouldn’t hurt, he figured…
“It’s just some brambles—” she’d said after that, again doing her best to torment their bullies as much as they had, them.
He was fairly certain that one of those ‘brambles’ was an outright thorn… but he didn’t say anything… and he felt less bad than he’d thought he would when their bully found himself being treated for a stabbing cut he’d received when he stepped across the thorny mixture Opossumkit had left for him.
It was hard to feel bad when what she was doing was working…
But he did feel that she took it too far when she clawed the bully’s nose the day they earned their apprentice names… even if it did mean that Porcupinepaw never found himself bullied by that pseudo-sibling or any other cats since.
It took Porcupinepaw almost three moons to learn how to communicate with his mentor with any sort of effectiveness.
Where his sister seemed to thrive with their new names and responsibilities, Porcupinepaw came to feel that he was a failure at virtually everything that he tried. He never seemed to be able to do anything right – he didn’t rise to competition, he wasn’t motivated by the same things as most other apprentices, and without praise or reassurance felt… he struggled.
He started to try different things, then… waking up earlier even if his official duties didn’t begin until later in the day. He volunteered for more patrols and hunts – offered the same sort of assistance that he saw his mentor living and breathing each day. It happened, then, slowly… but the distant and almost cold look in the older tom’s eyes shifted to something else. Porcupinepaw began to exhaust himself hunting for that look and doing what he could to see it within those eyes.
At ten moons old, he heard it.
“Good stance,” he’d said – gruffly, as though it had taken effort for the older tom cat to rumble the words.
Elation swept through him and carried him straight through the next two moons of his apprenticeship with eager and excited paws. He’d done it—he’d finally done it, through dedication and so much extra work that it exhausted him and numbed his paws… He earned his mentor’s approval.
Porcupinepaw’s one regret of his apprenticeship remains that through his rampant struggling to give his mentor any feelings other than frustration with his seemingly constant shortcomings, he felt himself becoming more distant that he would like with Opossumpaw… still, she was there for him. Even when he didn’t have any time for her – she remained constantly beside him, sometimes even soothing him to sleep by sharing tongues with him whenever he dragged himself into their family-of-two’s nest, exhausted and worn beyond words by his training.
He resolved to always make time for her to make up for those moons spent training once they earned their warrior names.
He became Porcupinepetal–a name that one of their former bullies dared to snort at, only to earn himself Opossumblossom’s renewed ire once more—and the brother and sister dug out a den to share between themselves, as bonded and close as they’d been within their mother’s womb.
Porcupinepetal maintained the helpful habits he’d developed during his apprenticeship—he eventually became a fairly familiar friendly face and helpful set of paws that held an uncharacteristically kind nature for their ordinarily sarcastic Clan. For some, he was a welcome refresher and would become fast friends with… for others, he remained as soft as his earned name.
Those that showed him kindness were met with an odd sort of loyalty and dedication from Porcupinepetal; it didn’t matter if their kindness extended beyond him or not… some such individuals came to discover that this was a friend that would be particularly accepting of whatever habits they held.
He counts his time as a warrior as his happier moons – despite the sometimes conflicting feelings he feels these days as the problems he and those close to him encounter are much deeper and darker than simple bullies during kithood.
