Fadingsky

ThistleClan

gangly black she-cat with lichen green eyes

The runt of her litter, Fadingsky is a small and unassuming scrap of a cat, as light and unimportant as a discarded rag. A feeble thing, she was given her prefix due to her early struggles after birth, when she had difficulty breathing and seemed to be fading from existence. She has long, lithe limbs, like her maternal grandfather, Spiderlegs, but will need to grow into them. With proper nutrition and care, her true frame will adjust to that of a lean huntress as she grows older. A lengthy, straight tail will help her to balance while she develops.

This she-cat’s meager size doesn’t translate to scruffiness though. Her jet black coat is surprisingly sleek and smooth, for she has a nervous habit of grooming herself to ease her anxiety (though not so often as to thin her pelt). In the center of her chest lies a thin white mark, similar to her mother’s, but smaller. The patch is narrow and diamond-shaped, like a clean dagger wound.

Soft green eyes peer out from her long, narrow face. Thin, pinprick pupils give her the appearance of a deer caught in headlights, for one of her dominating emotions is fear. Her tall, pointed ears make her all the more sensitive to potential threats.
(211 words)

+ Empathetic, determined, independent
/ Meek, shy
- Anxious, cowardly, emotional

When she wants something -- and is not too afraid to try to achieve it -- Fadingsky is a purposeful, driven little feline, pushing boundaries and insisting on doing as much as she can herself. One might say she is a bit stubborn, but her resolve is easily shaken. While lacking in physical stature, she has a big heart. A sensitive and deep listener, she is known for her compassion and gentle presence when at her best.

For all her tenaciousness when alone, she has trouble finding her voice in a group, and her spirit dwindles into meekness as the number of cats in her company grows. Her preference for communication is often non-verbal -- a nod, a shrug, or a tail flick over a “yes,” “no,” or “over there.” This is in part due to her relationship with her brother Frostkit, who is deaf, and for whom verbal words are less important. She can and will speak when she needs to, but reserves most of her words for her family and cats she trusts. It takes a long time to reach her inner circle, and because of this, she can appear aloof, but deep down, she is a caring, sweet soul who just wants to understand and be understood herself.

Like her mother, Fadingsky is an emotional creature who struggles to express herself in appropriate ways. However, unlike Thievingstar, her most common reaction is not to lash out in anger, but to wail and weep. Compared to other cats in ThistleClan, a group known for its thick skin and prickly insults, she is a downright crybaby. When faced with especially difficult challenges, she often shuts down or tries to run away, lacking the courage and self-confidence to pull herself together. When she is unable to release this anxious energy, her discomfort finds other outlets through her nervous tics.
(306 words)

Kithood: While Fadingkit and her brother Frostkit were born to Thievingstar of ThistleClan and Nightclaw of LichenClan, their true origins were hidden from them at birth. Her mother had no desire to be a parent and kept their existence a secret, even from their father. The two kits were born alongside a nameless stillborn brother during the height of a snowstorm. At the time, Thievingstar was on patrol with Morningmist and her current deputy, Stagflight, and up until that point had been in denial about her pregnancy, refusing to be seen by Ratwhisker after their conception. The lack of prenatal care and her unexpected labor led to their small size and initial poor health.

After bringing them into the world, the ThistleClan leader rejected all responsibility for their care and declared that their story would be that of orphans found on the border. Thievingstar requested silence from her patrol members and her medicine cat, though Fadingkit’s and Frostkit’s resemblance to her drew more questions, especially as they grow old enough to understand, though it was not until after Thievingstar’s death that she would learn the truth. Morningmist and Yewthorn took the pair in as their own children, alongside their newest son, Wrenkit. Knowing no other family, Fadingkit was deeply attached to all of her adoptive caregivers and siblings, ignorant to her true heritage.

Adolescence: As an apprentice, Fadingpaw was horrified to be assigned to Blazingstorm, her biological mother’s former pupil, someone she believed to be ThistleClan's biggest bully. Thievingstar made this choice in the hopes that the meek youngster might grow a spine, but Fadingpaw misunderstood the leader’s comments on the day of her ceremony, and was convinced that Blazingstorm was sent to banish her -- or worse.

Her initial training sessions with the tom ended in tears again and again. Rather than standing up to fight, Fadingpaw would flee, running with her tail between her legs -- up a tree, far from her clan’s borders, or both. Her wanderings from the safety of camp led her to bump into many outsiders. Somehow, these strange cats seemed less frightening than her sharp-tongued clanmates. First, she and Frostpaw encountered her biological father, Nightclaw, who acted as a good Samaritan and returned her and her brother home. Despite their similar looks, the she-cat remained oblivious to his significance in her life. She also met with Yarrow, unafraid of the old LichenClan deputy, speaking words of kindness to his weary soul.

Adulthood: When harsh words and punishments made no impact on her progress, Blazingstorm changed course, his rough edges smoothing over. Encouragements replaced criticisms, jokes supplanted jabs. At last, she accepted her mentor’s final challenge and completed her assessment. While the battle to determine her warriorhood was far from perfect, Blazingstorm deemed her spine had finally grown in. Her warrior ceremony was delayed until her twentieth moon -- eight months behind most of her fellow apprentices, but she became Fadingsky at last, named for her dreams of flight, her soaring new confidence, and love of climbing as close as she could to the stars.

Yet her courage was still leagues behind her clanmates. As more skirmishes broke out between ThistleClan and the rogues, Fadingsky found herself retreating inward, avoiding battles as much as she could and volunteering for other tasks, intentionally as much as unintentionally. When Lily’s gang attacked the nursery, killing Thievingstar, Fadingsky was on night patrol, completely unaware. The bloodshed and death that she found upon her return would shake her for moons.

The final battle with Minnowstar came to a heated conclusion while the she-cat was once again, predictably, curled in a tree. Ordered to stay behind and guard the camp, she took refuge in a pine just beyond the entrance, on watch while she wrestled with her self-loathing. The physical dangers were far away, but she could not escape the guilt of the last battle she had missed -- and now she was out of the fight, again. Why had she not offered to fight beside Stagstar and avenge her leader? Did she believe Thievingstar deserved to die for her cruelty? To this day, she still struggles with this remorse, a regret that no doubt will grow once she learns the truth about her parents.
(699 words)