Turtledove

ThistleClan

tortoiseshell tabby tom with one green and one blue eye

Short and plumpy like a turtle, soft and delicate like a dove. Turtledove is exactly as his name implies. However, he has a unique appearance among the other toms in his clan. Many mistake him for a well-fed queen. His soft and round features make it easy to pick on him in battle, but it also makes him look younger and more feminine.

His soft appearance is not misleading as his fur is pleasant and fluffy. If cats aren't drawn in by that, then they are attracted by his tortie pelt. Turtledove is primarily orange, but he's got distinct black markings that make him stand out among toms. The biggest black spot on his back is dubbed his "turtle shell" and is the reason behind his name. He's also got one on his left eye and ears, among others. He's got his plastron like other turtles. It just takes the form of white fur. Overall he has just about half white markings.

If he wasn't already stunning enough, Turtledove doesn't have to decide between stunning blue or brilliant green eyes. He's got them both. Nestled in a black spot of fur, the left eye is a bright green, while his right eye is a brilliant blue.

With bright colours and large rounded eyes, Turtledove captures the attention of anyone who sees him. Though unfortunately for him, the attention is rarely good.

Turtledove is a hopeless romantic. Since his apprentice days spent pinning over countless toms and she-cats, Turtledove has wanted to find his soulmate. This has led him astray at times but is ultimately to his benefit. Many cats seek him out for his appearance, wanting a trophy husband. So far, no cat has approached him with pure intentions, and he's yet to commit because of that. Turtledove has fallen in love many times, but he's always able to get away before things get bad. He's good at noticing when what he has is not love and is still eagerly awaiting someone of pure heart and mind. He's on the ace-spectrum, around demisexual. He falls for the personality of other cats, and the idea of spending time with them rather than a cute face or strong muscles.

It's hard for anyone to hate Turtledove. He's friendly and kind to all regardless of who they are. He's got an intoxicating personality and drags cats out of their shells. He's always doing his best to bring a smile to other cats regardless of who they are. He's constantly with other cats and always chatting.

Turtledove is terrible at following rules. He wants to, but he just gets caught up in the moment. Besides, rules are meant to be broken. To Turtledove, the warrior code and rules are just suggestions to follow. He's gotten himself in trouble many times as an apprentice and still gets chewed out by his clanmates. But Turtledove wouldn't have it any other way.

Turtledove has his head too far up in the clouds. He's a dreamer to a fault. Always wishing for a happy ever after and perfect life, Turtledove sometimes overlooks what he has and only wishes for more. And, he's willing to risk everything if it means a chance at his dreams.

Turtledove loves to tell the love story of his parents. But, unfortunately, he was just a kit when they died, so he doesn't remember much, and what he does no has become idealized in his head.

Born to White-- and Night--, Turtledove says it was a match made by StarClan. White was a humble tom who loved kits and envied the permaqueens of ThistleClan. Night-- was a brave soul who let no one define them. So when the two met, it was love at first sight, and no one could get in the way.

It was a no-brainer to have kits together. White-- settled into the nursery, as has always been his dream and Night-- worked hard to provide for them. They were always together for Turtledove's firsts. His first steps and his first playfight. But what was looking to be a happy family didn't last long. When his parents went out for a walk one day and left Turtledove in the care of the other queens, they never came back. Turtledove would only find out that a large predator attacked them, leaving little trace of them.

Despite losing his parents, Turtledove enjoyed the rest of his kithood and became a proud apprentice. His apprentice days went by in a daze of crushes and rejection. His very first love stuck with him the most. He met an older apprentice named Lizardpaw, and he believed it was fate. Lizards and Turtles went just as well together as White and Night, or so he believed. So Lizardpaw, enjoying the attention, led him on. She sent Turtledove on little errands and basked in his affection. But, alas, Lizardpaw was a fickle cat. She didn't stay interested for long and soon dropped him for a handsome warrior. Turtledove spent moons crying himself to sleep. He still hasn't gotten over it, and even now, seeing Lizard-- play with her kits makes his heartache.


As a young warrior, Turtledove hadn't changed much from when he was an apprentice. His warrior ceremony is left as an afterthought as Thievingstar is too concerned with rebuilding their camp and the sudden arrival of rogues in their land. ThistleClan is forced to move elsewhere, and in the middle of rebuilding, Turtledove is named a warrior. -dove for him helping out with building dens or something. Thievingstar didn't elaborate much on the choice. But his peers liked to gossip about he'd gotten it for being too soft-hearted and useless against the rogues.

Turtledove is given a chance to prove himself when he's on sentry duty with Squirreltail. Rogues attack, but it's just a distraction as their leader sneaks in to try and steal kits from their nursery. Turtledove takes on Poppy but is no match for her. It's his first real battle, and it really hurts. He screams in pain, warning the camp about the attack but tarnishing his reputation even more.


Turtledove is hardly involved with the ongoing war efforts and is often ignored when it comes to assigning battle practice. He instead spends his time hunting for his clan and sneaking out to make friends. He develops a fascination with renowned warrior Graygaze, and it turns into an odd crush. Unsure if he wants to be with Graygaze or be like Graygaze, Turtledove starts taking training seriously. Perhaps a bit too seriously as he asks Thievingstar to make him an apprentice again, more specifically, Graygaze's apprentice. As punishment, Thievingstar offers to train him instead, a promise that is never fulfilled as the leader dies to poison-soaked claws, giving her remaining lives to Graygaze's kits.


With peace settling on the island, Turtledove finds time to train and become the warrior he dreams of. Luckily for him, he found a teacher in Sparkspirit. But one day while sparring, Turtledove falls on top of his den and oops I guess he and Sparkspirit have to share a den now. With the island mostly at peace, Turtledove spends his year navigating his feelings for his best friend Sparkspirit. He takes on his first apprentice in Streampaw. A lot of the time, she’s teaching him things. Namely how to communicate through sign language. Somehow, against all odds, Streampaw graduates and becomes a warrior. But all is not well for Streamwhisker, and she takes off one night to join RedwoodClan. Turtledove is deeply hurt by her leaving and feels partly to blame. He’s only got Sparkspirit to turn to for comfort.


Turtledove is unsettled by Stagstar taking the bear stones from RedwoodClan. He disapproves of his leader’s choice, but does his best to train and grow stronger for the inevitable fighting. Only time will tell what fate has in store for him and his best friend -sort-of-mate- Sparkspirit.