Brittleheart

Tunnel Cat

Petite, brown spotted she-cat with green eyes

Brittleheart blends in exquisitely with her natural surroundings, her spotted coat and bright green eyes providing the perfect camouflaged for stealthy missions. Her coat is short and coarse, a commodity that keeps her comfortable during warmer seasons and while swimming. While it does grow to be thicker in leaf-bare, the provided level of protection is inadequate to what she'd prefer thus resulting in patrols closer to home if possible when the weather turns. Her pelt sports brown ringlet patterns all throughout her body with her face having more of a spotted pattern. Each leg is covered in tabby stripes with a tail that mimics her other extremities with it's swirling striped pattern.

Brittleheart's body is average in size with minimal muscling, creating a lean rather petite cat. She has long legs and a long tail that works well to balance her while climbing though she'd prefer to avoid heights if possible, the act of swimming a much more relaxing experience. The majority of her muscling resides within her legs making her a swift runner though she is better at quick spirts of speed than long winded journeys.

Brittleheart's face is very angular in shape, her nose narrow and ending in a petite red pad. Tall triangular ears sit atop her crown and are constantly moving, her sense of hearing far stronger than any other. Her right ear holds a jagged half-inch gap along the pinna from a bad wound where the cartilage never healed back together. Bright, green eyes rest low on her brow; the orbs round and wide set. Her jawline is narrow with white whiskers framing her white muzzle, giving Brittleheart a soft, whispery voice.

Brittleheart has never been one to break the mold, instead following along with her duties and missions at the point of religious fervor. When tasks with something she's inclined to follow to the letter; even insist on being told explicitly what to do if she feels the instructions aren't thorough enough. Her conformist behavior, while helpful in work settings can make her bland and a bit annoying to those seeking adventure or flavorful personalities. She's heard the call of misbehaving and even had the occasional whim to cross the border for fun but has never enacted on the instinct; too afraid of breaking the warrior code to go so far as to step over the line without express permission. Becoming a tunnel cat has brought with it the challenge of bending the warrior code now that she does not live by it per say, rather; helps shape it as a whole to use across all clans.

Her belief in her peoples and the code are unwavering making for a dutiful molly. She'd gladly fall under punishment for breaking a rule than ever try and talk her way out of it. Her aversion to breaking rank started with the abandonment of her parents, their decision to leave the clan for the chance to act freely driving her towards a life of discipline to prove her loyalty. Though hard pressed to do things by the book she still believes in the power of forgiveness; after all, accidents happen. The only true contradiction to her strong belief in following orders is her own moral compass against needless bloodshed and she'd rather fall on her sword than harm another with it.

Brittleheart would do almost anything for her fellow tunnel cat however she's more inclined to use her skills at hunting, training, or work around the cave than anything remotely close to fighting. A pacifist at heart, her non-confrontational attitude isn't ideal in a time of war however regardless of the judgement for such feelings she stands by them. That being said Brittleheart's preferred method of resolving disputes is that of a diplomat - the belief all squabbles can be settled through words making her hard pressed to talk things out over fighting. When called to action against Lichenclan she denied it, resulting in her name change and statues of Thistleclan cat to tunnel creature.

Though docile and soft spoken by nature, Brittleheart has the innate ability to cool hot heads with her words. Her even temper is useful in squashing beefs and she is called upon to easily settle petty disputes between clanmates regularly. She uses her intelligence to talk others down from ledges as opposed to succumbing to her emotions and will point out when someone is treating others unfairly without hesitation, believing it is best to treat others with respect above all else.

Brittleheart's obsession with the warrior code, her diligence in her duties, and soft-spoken demeanor makes for a rather bland and unexciting cat. She isn't one to rise to a challenge or risk her life unnecessarily; believing the key to a good life is to follow the rules and press others to do the same.

Born alongside her sibling; Badgerkit, Kestrelkit had an uneventful early life. She occasionally played with her parents, tumbled about like the carefree kit she was, and enjoyed the company of her family. Both her mother and father were rather lean on the rules, letting their kits find themselves in whatever bit of trouble they'd like to; often resulting in Badgerkit stirring up problems for the queens or elders in the form of pranks and inevitable lies to cover said pranks up. Kestrelkit was along for the ride, finding such silly behavior all in good fun. She'd try to replicate Badgerkit's cruel jokes though her sense of humor was far less harmful; instead of leaving thorns in beds it was butterfly wings or pretty pebbles she'd found.

Brittleheart remembers her early moons with mixed emotions, the presence of her parents a light overshadowed by the constant threat of foxes. There were frequent moments filled with hiding in the nursery during her kithood nestled tightly beside other families. Her mother or father were only occasionally there, their presence readily pulled to fight against predators, rogues, or other clans whenever a threat emerged. She found their actions honorable, their willingness to protect their clan a trait she looked up to with admiration. Later she would discover it wasn't duty pulling them from her side but their lust for battle instead.

Things began to change when her apprenticehood approached. Named an apprentice beside Badgerpaw, she was only one moon into her training when her parents left the clan. Their choice to willingly leave was something she didn't fully understand; their disappearance seemingly overnight. Rumors swirled about their departure, the reasoning growing more dramatic the longer Froststar remained silent. Unable to take the side-eyed stares, Badgerpaw attacked a young warrior who bragged about seeing what happened first hand. Kestrelpaw returned from a patrol to see her sibling on an all out rampage. She raced to their side and jumped in to separate the two, earning a nasty scratch across her ear and cheek from Badgerpaw.

It was there in the middle of camp where the truth came out. Her parents had left willingly after her father took the life of a Redwoodclanner during a small border skirmish. There'd been no need for such savagery, the level of hostility unmatched in the rival clans patrol. But he'd struck anyway, too fed up with chasing foxes to diplomatically deal with a border dispute. Once back at camp he'd been scolded for his deed and fed up with the rules and demands of clan life he'd definitively decided to leave it. Kestrelpaw's mother had followed suit, her own ties to the clan inconsequential compared to her desire to stay with her mate.

They never bothered to say goodbye.

Devastated by her parents abandonment, Kestrelpaw turned to her clanmates for comfort. What she found was suspicion, warriors and apprentice's alike questioned her loyalties; half expecting her to up and leave alongside her family. The notion never entered Kestrelpaw's mind, her whole life was the clan she couldn't imagine leaving it behind. She worked hard to prove her loyalty, a tireless regiment of training and memorizing the warrior code becoming her daily routine. She found an aversion to fighting, the tussles with other apprentice's always turning into whispered notions of her being a killer like her father.

While the first part of her training focused on battling Kestrelpaw soon decided she was better off using her words over claws, the look of fear in other apprentice's eyes when she fought something she couldn't bare to face. She found herself wanting to talk other's through their problems, offer a comforting shoulder to cry on or soft ear to listen. Badgerpaw often tried to push her into brawling and while she wrestled with her sibling, her heart was never in it.

Kestrelpaw was gifted her name at 13 moons, her lack of fighting skills holding her back a moon. Froststar promptly chose the name Kestrelcall, her dedication to diplomatic solutions earning her a place among her fellow warriors after she'd dug a burrow for one.

Her early warriorhood was riddled with both fox and rogue troubles. There was always a battle with someone, whether it be clan cats or feral ones. She did her best to avoid conflict though she was roped into fighting by Badgerbark on more than one occasion. She always walked away with more wounds than her adversary until her clanmates finally seemed to understand she'd never be good at fighting. The fear of taking another cats life is always present with her; the horror at what it would feel like keeping her claws contained.

Even through the conflict with the rogues and eventual return to their old camp once the group was driven out, Kestrelcall kept away from the fighting and stayed back at the abandoned campground to guard the young families rather than join the raiding party. Back in their own camp, Kestrelcall tried to make a more impactful place in the clan to show them she meant only the best for her clan but no one ever gave her the true sense of belonging she yearned for. Dejected, Kestrelcall began losing hope she'd ever prove herself to Thistleclan.

The death of Thievinstar was a detrimental loss to Kestrelcall and while she was never truly close to her leader, she still felt as though their struggles against the rogues would go on forever without Theivingstar to guide them. She was skeptical of Stagstar’s ascent to leadership, the tom never very friendly towards her due to her parents misdeeds and her siblings erratic tendencies.

Things only worsened when she refused to join the fight against Lichenclan once they joined with the rogues. She could justify defending themselves against attacks but to openly jump into the middle of a war party was not something she could bare to do; fear of what she might do to another cat keeping her firmly in camp instead of fighting. Stagstar was furious with her refusal to join combat and after returning victorious from the battle, he renamed her Brittleheart in an attempt to label her as a coward and shame her. Brittleheart accepted her punishment mutely, her head bowed and body shaking as she fell even further in the eyes of her clanmates.

Not long after her name change, Brittleheart was bullied from her den despite her siblings best efforts to defend it for her. Once her clanmates realized she would not fight them back either, Brittleheart became near worthless to them and was a constant victim of harassment and ridicule. She tried to explain to her fellow clanmates why she'd denied joining the war but they did not want to listen to a cat labeled a coward.

During the flood, Brittleheart was separated from the main group of Thistleclan cats and found herself farther into rogue territory. Nervous she’d run into a cat that wished her ill-will, Brittleheart made several attempts to locate where her clan had gone with little success. Living the life of a loner, she was forced to hunt, find shelter, and fend for herself. Though it was scary, her ability to not only survive but eventually find her way back to the clan gave her a renewed sense of confidence she had lost after the war.

Only when the option to become a tunnel cat appeared did Brittleheart begin to hope that her moral compass could finally be used for good for her clan. Going to Stagstar, she begged him to let her join the tunnel cats in the hopes she could share their knowledge with her clan. Maybe then they wouldn't view her so lowly, maybe then she could show her own worth in her own unique way. Stagstar all but shoved her out of camp after her request and she knew it was because he felt he was getting rid of her once and for all.

Brittleheart doesn't see it that way though. She still wants to show Thistleclan there is more to life than the strength behind one's claws and is excited to see what the tunnels have in store for her. More importantly, maybe she has finally found a place where she can feel she belongs.