Cardinalthroat

Lichenclan

tall ginger tabby tom with blue eyes

Stature

Tall as he is lanky, this cat doesn't pack the punches that he thinks he does. Where he boasts in confidence he lacks in composure, specifically within his muscles as he is rather easy to topple over. Though still having the goals of a raging and esteemed fighter, he is best equipped for high speeds, climbing, and stamina.

Coat

Vibrant as his name and tongue, his fur matches his flaming personality. Considered a mid-orange ginger to most, he is nearly as bright as the sun. And, with wild blue eyes swimming with excitement and adventure, he finds a neat balance in appearance, both spitfire and the soother.

Features

Though he does have an angle to his cheeks, they are softened with tufts of fluff. It gives him more of a furry angle than that of an oriental feline, with a slanted jaw and fluffy tufts. His ears bear no extra fluff, only the natural short fur in which they come. They are average in size and pointy in shape, keen on picking up melodic voices from afar or anyone who wants to talk shit. 

+ Courageous

Though it may be a front, Cardinal is always one ready to step up to the plate and seek out the danger that rears its ugly head. Unless struck by indecisiveness and tangled alliances, he is always ready to protect those he considers family and friends. 

+ Good-natured

Despite his impeccable taste in loudness and fronting annoyance, this lad is what one could consider a (heatstroke) ray of sunshine. Though he will offer you stubbornness and a loud barking laugh whenever you embarrass yourself, he will also do his best to offer advice or comfort when you are hurting. 

+ Loyal

Keeping his word or alliances is usually very important to this cat as he cherishes his attachments. As impressionable as he is, loyalty is something that is unwavering for him. He doesn't often consider that anyone he trusts would turn their back on him until they do or show signs of it, and that ultimately creates paranoia within him. Despite this, it is difficult to draw himself away from them even when he feels he should.

= Ambitious

With the heroic ideals in his head for himself, Cardinal has always aimed for the highest spot in the totem. While he celebrates his friends accomplishments, they can still create a deep jealousy within him depending on how badly he wants something.

= Impressionable

Being raised to be sure of those around you and wary of those who are different, Cardinalthroat is easily very gullible. He is easy to be manipulated or fall back into a pattern of manipulation, and it is easy for him to be strung several different ways. While he is opinionated, it is usually someone else's opinion rolling past his lips that he was ensured to believe.

- Arrogant

With his confident words comes, at the very least, feigned arrogance. He is confident in himself, whether falsely or not, and often tells people of how great he is or will be one day. When he feels down on himself or insecure, this attitude disappears almost entirely or amplifies.

- Obnoxious

As evident by his loud british drawl cawing from across clearings, he is a quite obnoxious fellow. It is usually not done in an effort to annoy people on purpose, though that is what usually ends up occurring. Along with this comes his hostile attitude, even sometimes towards people just trying to help him when he doesn't understand how to respond.

- Self Destructive

In his bouts of confidence, there are downfalls. These downfalls are powerful and almost deafening when compared to his typically bright personality. If brought down enough to the point of only feeling self loathing or anger, it is very easy for him to fall into severely depressive tendencies. 

Mother: Hazeltuft
Father: Snaggletooth
Foster: Violetshade
Siblings: N/a
Foster Siblings: Wavepaw, Newtpaw
Mentor: Flashfang 

Kithood

Born of Lichenclan blood to an older pair of warriors, Cardinalkit was a blazing spark of light and energy around any of those that could stand him. Even from a young age he insisted on independence from his parents, determined to play with the bigger kits and apprentices. Being as loud as he was, it was difficult not to miss him. And, amplifying Minnowstar's irritation, his teeth. 

The scrawny little lad always found his way to attempting to bother the leader somehow. That, or it was obvious she could always hear him. He received several extra dunks into the moonpool for that, especially after biting her on the first dunk. His parents had found it amusing, though the ghastly expression of fear had been evident on their faces.

His mother died early just before the winter, only a few months after he'd been born. He'd since been weaned from her milk, so his father was able to continue to feed him and care for him as best he could. It wasn't simple, suddenly becoming a kit with a single parent, but they made it work. Well, until his dad decided to leave. They'd been raised as devout Lichenclanners, and apparently Cardinal was enough of a bother that he'd finally left and had it.

That's what Cardinal thought, at least. Perhaps he died out in the woods, alone like he'd seemed to want to be. 

"You'll be staying with Violetshade from here on out." What? Older Cardinalkit had scrunched his nose at the prospect of being placed with younger kits. He'd only shaken his head in response. "I don't need anyone. Didn't you hear? I'm big and strong, even stronger than you."

Being placed in Violetshade's brood had been a little more than embarrassing in his eyes. Wavepaw and Newtpaw were forces to be reckoned with themselves, and his honor felt threatened by such a prospect. Though they were younger, they'd often tag along with him where he went much to his dismay. After being an only child, it was difficult to transition to suddenly "sharing a parent." He hadn't considered Violetshade his mother, truthfully. Whether it was because he was afraid to have one anymore or it was too difficult to call someone else 'mom', he'd only continued to call her Violetshade even after being fostered in. 
 
Adolescence

Much to his delight, his mentor was no disappointment. Flashfang was probably as large as they could be made, and he was a warrior built for the fight. This excited Cardinalpaw, what with his desire to beat up some bad cats and take a high title. However apparent that fighting wasn't the only way to get to the top, he never thought that far into it. Being a leader at heart, he'd always taken the role of leader during games as a kit. Well, he usually did that especially with Wave and Newt, considering they were younger than him. 

This thought process continued into his apprenticeship, though now he just enjoyed his time spent with Flashfang. With the absence of his biological parents and no older siblings, he was always out to prove himself to the tom. He was always out to prove it to Violetshade too, chirping daily about what he'd accomplished during practices while a younger Newtkit and Wavekit sat grumbling in the nest. 

Physical training wasn't the only thing going on however. If they'd been in any other clan, Flashfang's belief impression onto Cardinalpaw would have been noticed and concerning. Of course, the younger feline fell a manipulated travesty to these beliefs, only becoming another affected youth within Lichenclan. Opinions of their traditions, beliefs, and rituals held much of disdain to the other clans, but Cardinal hadn't understood that entirely. 

He never felt they'd done anything wrong. He continued to train with Flashfang and developed a sense of close familial relations with him. In fact, he often called Flashfang his "big brother". Of course, this includes calling him by rude retorts or accidental nicknames.

Adulthood

Upon graduating, it was realized by both friends and family that he would be a force to be reckoned with. Quietberry, whom he'd been friends with since they were mere kits, still remains his closest confidante. They are often seen together and rather inseparable, especially now since there was a short gap of time between Quietberry becoming a warrior and Cardinal still being an apprentice. 

With him being fresh out of apprenticeship, he still has much to learn and many things to realize, including the truth about his clan and their ways. There is a certain distaste for the other clans on his tongue, though his general aura of pride brings that to the table. Himself, however, is unsure of Minnowstar's ways at times, but he'd never tell Flashfang that.