BLAZINGSTORM

thistleclan

large tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes

Despite his multi-colored coat, Blazingstorm is in fact a tom. Fortunate for him, he is a rather massive specimen, and his theatrical coat does little to combat this. So, while he does don she-cat exclusive colors, his colossal size can more than make up for it. He also has a rather masculine face, his maws wide, frequently parted into an irritable snarl. Blazingstorm has a muscular chest and wide shoulders. His skill as a warrior evident in his brute force.

His coat colors move between a light, ginger brown and a darker, sable black. He carries the unmistakable classic tabby pattern beneath explosive patches of red, orange, and white. The white dominates his chest, forearms, paws, and chin, while his hindquarters flaunt the richest, marmalades like the hottest reds in a billowing flame. His limbs boast the darkest tabby stripes, and his forehead, like most tabbies, is decorated with a notched M. After seasons of battle and fights, his body and face is littered with scars. Most notably he dons hideous claw marks across his right eye and left cheek. His ears are notched and his flank is a breeding ground for scars.

Blazingstorm carries his confidence in his demeanor. He holds himself with his chin raised, and his hackles electric over his neck. This is an assured warrior who can easily hold his own. He would much rather snarl, his teeth bared, in the face of a threat, than turn his tail and run. When he is not trotting around with his fur puffed out, he can be found around camp with his ears pinned to his head in annoyance, or his rich, amber gaze rolling at someone in immense annoyance.

A warrior known for his faults, Blazingstorm's inability to control his temper is infamous. While he's learned to mollify it over the moons, employing strategies to try and stay calm and collected, rage and unfettered fury is a common emotion for him. Just the simplest inconveniences prickle his fur, and as a barbed tongue ThistleClanner, he will angrily let his den-mates know that he is upset.

Argumentative in nature, he likes to go head to head with his den-mates, from Clan politics to petty squabbles. When confronted, Blazingstorm will fight back, whether it with his claws or his words. A bit cruel perhaps, he enjoys coming up with crass insults, and carries a particularly colorful vocabulary. Short-tempered and combative, Blazingstorm has destroyed several relationships throughout his life. In a fit of fury, he's cannot control his tongue and hurts those closest to him. He's trying to temper himself as he gets older, but it's a hard defense mechanism to shrug.

Blazingstorm is confident in his abilities as a warrior and his standing within ThistleClan. A powerful force on the battlefield, he prides himself in his brute strength and unforgiving cruelty to those who cross him. He has killed before in the name of ThistleClan. His confidence, along with his anger, can sometimes be an off-putting combination, especially when he believes he is right or better than someone. Particularly stubborn, he will refuse to back down or give in regarding his wants, decisions, and beliefs. It is difficult to change his mind once it's been made up.

An independent warrior, Blazingstorm usually prefers his own company. Though in his later seasons, he's grown closer to a few select den-mates. He does not like the idea of becoming dependent on someone nor does he ever want to be controlled by someone else either. He likes to make his own decisions. Very decisive, he knows what he wants and what he does not want. Perhaps this might make him a bit inflexible at times, but he can be trusted to make an important decision if given the right support.

He is fiercely loyal to ThistleClan and those he loves. Blazingstorm would sacrifice his own life to fight for his Clan and kin. Once his trust is earned, he is a dependable den-mate for life, if not a bit unorthodox since he shows affections through insults and teasing. Courageous at heart, he is not afraid to rush into battle or endure life-threatening situations to prove himself or his loyalty. Blazingstorm at his core is a brave and noble warrior, though perhaps in a dark and twisted ThistleClan sense.

Tawnysong gave birth in late leaf-bare, which was three weeks earlier than she had anticipated. After a long harrowing night of intense labor, she finally welcomed three kits into ThistleClan with the dawn's early light. Two toms and a she-cat, she named them Thunderkit, Sleetkit, and Blazingkit — the last being named after her late mate, Blazingfire. The kits' father was slaughtered moons ago in a rogue skirmish along the northern border.

Born runty and almost mistaken for a she-cat, Blazingkit was a bit slower than his brother and sister. He was the last to talk; the last to walk; and the last to leave the nursery. This caused his mother to baby him more, which in turn, gave the small tom an inferiority complex. He wanted to be treated the same as the other kits, to be allowed out in camp with the older cats and to tussle like the rest, but he was stuck under his mother and her calculative watch.

While his brother and sister took turns terrorizing the camp, Blazingkit was stuck doing other, more relaxed and careful chores much to his distaste, such as assisting the medicine cat for an hour or two or keeping the elders company. He once watched from the nursery, shaking with jealousy, as his brother and sister got to meet the clan leader: Thievingstar.

The older she-cat was riddled with battle scars, her force evident in her coat and jilted gait. She was a fearsome warrior; and Blazingkit admired her destitute demeanor and conniving wit. He sunk into the moss-covered floor, his envy sick in his gut. He wished he was the one out there; instead, he was but a shadow to his mother and her overreaching tongue.

He hated it and soon turned sour.

When he was four moons old, he was finally able to convince his mother to let him leave the nursery for more than a few hours. He had grown considerably enough, and could hold his own against his rough-housing nursery-mates. However, his mother and her possessive nature had done its toll.

He was mocked relentlessly, ridiculed and called names. Some tormented him for his size. Others taunted him for his weird coat. Few mentioned his mother and her worried looks from across the camp. The banter soon permeated his subconscious until he became irritable and cross.

However, this did not last long.

Just before reaching six moons old, Blazingkit hit a massive growth spurt and sprung up like a redwood sapling. He suddenly towered over his den-mates, and he enjoyed this immensely. The night before his apprenticeship, Frogpaw, a familiar tormentor of his, teased Blazingkit; and Blazingkit, at his limit, raked his claws clean across his face. Blood showered the forest floor. Blazingkit fixed the tom a deathly glare. Frogpaw grimaced. The wound, a thin wet slash, shimmered over his nose under the moonlight. A mark that signified his mistake.

He never teased Blazingkit again, having just lost rank to a kit.

The next dawn, Blazingkit became an apprentice; and to his surprise, Thievingstar had chosen to mentor the tortoiseshell tom herself. Blazingpaw held his chin in the air as Thievingstar climbed down the high-tree to touch noses with him.

While Blazingpaw tried to behave under the tutelage of his mentor, his arrogance and bitterness got the better of him. Early into his apprenticeship, the calico tom caused a commotion during a clan meeting when he got into a fight with his clan-mate, Fallenpaw. As punishment, the two apprentices were ordered to spend the next several moons in each other's company.

They hated each other at first, but as fate would have it, Thievingstar's impromptu punishment would change the trajectory of his life forever.

He fell in love with her.

After spending a few moons together, Blazingpaw quickly realized his infatuation for the alabaster-pelted she-cat. She was feisty, sharp-tongued, and never took any of his crap. She was perfect, but he was too embarrassed to confess his feelings for her. So he shoved them down and begrudgingly became her best friend instead.

It was not the only time Thievingstar punished him. The leader was unconventional and a tad cruel regarding her training. She would send him out into the depths of the night and spar with claws unsheathed. They once fought against a porcupine together, both sustaining permanent scars from the beast. Most notably, Blazingpaw lost his temper during a group training session and crossed several boundaries fighting Mothpaw. To stop him and teach him a lesson, Thievingstar lunged after him and drove her claws across his right eye, nearly blinding him.

Perhaps most would detest their mentor after such an attack, but Blazingpaw wore it as a badge of honor.

Shortly after their training session gone wrong, Thievingstar returned to camp from an unusual Gathering. A strange cat from a "tribe" interrupted the Gathering and pleaded for help, claiming he crossed the sandbar. ThistleClan refused, a decision Blazingpaw readily supported. RedwoodClan, however, took in the outsider, fueling LichenClan's rage in the process. They later learned that LichenClan attacked RedwoodClan the morning after, marking the return of the war.

An apprentice in a large cohort, Blazingpaw spent his adolescence training and spending time with a myriad of his den-mates, including his own brother and sister. Sleetpaw often hung around the timid Mothpaw, and Thunderpaw touted his good friend Willowpaw. The shy Mistpaw also frequented his training sessions. Much to his chagrin and incessant desire to be alone, Blazingpaw grew to tolerate their presence and even consider them his friends.

Willowpaw in particular hung around him more than most. She first caught his attention standing up to Thievingstar when she attacked him for hurting Mothpaw. It was foolish to try and fight Thievingstar, but she did it anyway and held her ground. Later they were both sent to gather moss for the elders. Annoyed by her self-righteous attitude, and perhaps a little jealous, Blazingpaw hounded her, even going as far to bring up her dead brother.

Rightfully Willowpaw slapped him across the face, earning him another scar. He apologized, and they returned to camp, somehow understanding each other a little better. He didn't exactly call her a friend, but they were acquaintances.

A few moons later, while out on patrol, Thievingstar and Blazingpaw were attacked by a group of rogues led by Curiosity. The strange tom held one of their other patrol-mates, Mistpaw, hostage and threatened to kill her unless Thievingstar gave them the information they were after. Thievingstar called their bluff, advising Owlfang and Blazingpaw to circle around and attack them. But it was too late. They broke Mistpaw's leg and escaped. Enraged, Blazingpaw chased after them but was called back.

A deep hatred for rogues stirred within him.

Around his twelfth moon, he and the rest of his cohort earned their warrior names together. Thievingstar named him Blazingstorm, partly for his unpredictable temper, but also for his strength. He chose to dig his new den right next to Fallenfire's, vowing to confess his feelings to her.

However, life continued to get in the way. Shortly after earning his warrior name, Curiosity and his rogues stole an apprentice, Nettlepaw, from camp. Thievingstar went after them and a patrol followed. They fought gallantly against the rogues, but they gravely injured Nettlepaw and took a life from Thievingstar. Blazingstorm returned to camp defeated, his former mentor hanging from his jowls. A few days later, Hawktail, their deputy, stepped down after sustaining an injury from the fight, and Firfoot was chosen in her place.

His only moments of peace the following green-leaf were spent with his den-mates, such as sparring with Fallenfire or rescuing a baby opossum with Willowshine. The rest of the warmer moons remained tense as the war between RedwoodClan and LichenClan intensified.

As leaf-fall descended upon the island, a border skirmish erupted while he and a patrol were near the LichenClan border. A group of LichenClanners trespassed onto their land, trying to locate the sandbar to the Tribe. A deadly battle ensued. Fighting alongside Graygaze, Blazingstorm watched as he killed another cat. It was the first time he ever witnessed a death. It slightly unnerved him.

With the death came a ThistleClan victory, and LichenClan retreated, but at what cost?

As if enraged, the sky rained down on the island for nearly a week straight, causing a violent flash flood to rip through their camp. Awakening in the dead of night to rushing water, Blazingstorm barely escaped with his life. Not all of his den-mates were as lucky. While relocating to the Great Owl Tree, Ratwhisker, their medicine cat, fell over dead, passing from sustained injuries due to the flood Many others, including Willowshine and Firfoot, were missing as well.

Stagflight was elected as the next deputy, and Aster, a nearby rogue, volunteered to help with their medicine until they found a replacement, much to Blazingstorm's disgust.

While taking refuge at the Great Owl Tree, Blazingstorm contracted a mild form of green-cough after the flood, and he was sequestered with the rest of the sick cats. It was where he truly met Cinderfeather, one of his den-mates, for the first time. She was just a few moons his senior, annoyingly bubbly and eccentric, and the kind of cat that prickled his fur. Yet she was pretty and deliriously sick.

While in quarantine together, they chatted and got to know each other a little bit. Cinderfeather frequently used him as a makeshift nest and would pass out on him mid-conversation. Though not the sharpest tom on the island, Blazingstorm quickly picked up on her crush. In love with Fallenfire, he wasn't remotely interested in her, but it was intriguing to say the least.

With the arrival of leaf-bare, they elected to move to the abandoned two-leg cabins at Aster's suggestion. It provided more shelter while their camp was destroyed and the weather was hostile. Reluctantly Blazingstorm obliged, and made his life there until they could return home. It was during this time, his brother, Thunderfoot passed while searching for Willowshine during a snowstorm. His death haunted Blazingstorm. They were never terribly close, rarely ever seeing eye to eye, but he was his brother. He and Sleetwing sat his vigil in a pained silence.

Eventually new-leaf arrived and so did Blazingstorm's courage. After moons of dancing around it, he finally confessed his feelings for Fallenfire. Pained and gut-wrenched, she rejected him, longing for their friendship instead. Heart-broken, Blazingstorm grew angry and requested her out of his life.

It was his undoing.

Around this time, rogues started infiltrating the campground, trying to steal kits. An old enemy of ThistleClan had returned, Lily, and she was bent on revenge. His sister, Sleetwing, and her mate, Mothfern, had just recently given birth. They were kin. Blazingstorm furiously fought to keep his family safe. It was his only outlet for his pain. Fortunately they were never able to steal a kit.

But the war had begun.

As green-leaf returned to the land, a familiar face returned to ThistleClan. After moons of wandering, Willowshine padded back into camp. They readily fell back into their old dynamic, bickering but begrudgingly friends. Firfoot and others who went missing during the flood came back as well, having finally found their way.

Shortly after their return, Thievingstar assigned Blazingstorm his first apprentice, a runty and cowardly she-cat named Fadingpaw. They immediately clashed. Blazingstorm was rough and unforgiving. Fadingpaw hid from him in trees.

It took a few moons for them to find a groove.

As the weather warmed and their warriors trained, ThistleClan rallied together to return and rebuild their camp. But patrols reported rogues had taken it over. Refusing to relent, they attacked at the height of green-leaf and won back their home.

Finally back in camp and hungry, Blazingstorm itched for a distraction. His heart continued to yearn for Fallenfire, but they could hardly look at each other. Cinderfeather, on the other paw, couldn't stop looking at him, and they'd awkwardly bump into each other in camp. Blazingstorm thought she was pretty, but found it hard to connect with her emotionally.

But lust, and perhaps stupidity, got the better of him.

Taking advantage of her, he used Cinderfeather's affections for his own selfish reasons and started spending time with her over the leaf-fall and leaf-bare moons, if only to feel wanted and loved. They finally slept together after he forged a confession of his own. Satisfied, he vowed to never do it again, but fate was funny. Cinderfeather wound up pregnant and a new plethora of problems plagued him.

She was deeply in love with him, convinced they were going to be mates forever, and he was not. On several occasions, he contemplated telling her this and confessing his true feelings. But threats from Thunderfoot, Smokestorm, Willowshine, and even Fallenfire kept him faithfully in her paws. She was having his kits. There was nothing else he could do. The guilt and shame ate him alive.

Just before they were born, Blazingstorm encountered Willowshine outside of camp, watching the northern lights. They hadn't spent a lot of time together in a while. Feeling nostalgic and comforted by her presence, they walked beneath the stars and fought off an unexpected fox together.

Invigorated by the fight and how well they worked together, Blazingstorm made a pass at Willowshine and asked her to come to bed with him. Willowshine adamantly refused, though confessing her affections for him in the heat of the moment. She had loved him for a long time. But not like this. He was with Cinderfeather, and she was having his kits. Rejected again, Blazingstorm angrily stormed off, claiming it would have been a mistake to sleep with her. Like Fallenfire, she slipped out of his life too.

His kits were born a week later.

Cinderfeather gave birth to three she-cats and a tom, but only two lived to see their first sunrise. They named them Foxkit and Fernkit. They were the loves of his life, and he only wished he felt the same for their mother.

Blazingstorm tried at first. He eased into the loving mate routine, paying visits to the nursery and offering to watch the kits. It was easy being around his children. Smart and fiery Foxkit, and timid but thoughtful Fernkit. He worried for his son. Fernkit was soft like his mother. But beneath his soft-spoken tongue, Blazingstorm knew a strong warrior lurked inside. He took them out to train, starting as young as three moons old, despite Cinderfeather's concerns.

They argued constantly. First in tiny squabbles, often when the kits were sleeping, so as not to disturb them. Then it started festering, the guilt and shame and facade he kept up to please her. They were nothing alike, and terrible mates in every sense of the word. Yet Blazingstorm continued trying, if only for their kits.

Everything unraveled as new-leaf returned and LichenClan launched an unexpected attack on their camp, rogues nesting within their ranks. They fought viciously toward the nursery, bent on stealing another kit. But Thievingstar leapt into the fray and sacrificed her final lives to save her Clan. The rogue brute, Lily, killed her and retreated, leaving behind a Clan in shambles.

While Thievingstar was dying, Blazingstorm was outside of camp, fighting alongside Fallenfire against two LichenClan warriors. Despite the tension between them, they fought well alongside each other. However, they were both startled when a self-righteous, LichenClan warrior turned on his den-mate, nearly killing her. It was then revealed she was Fallenfire's lover.

Hurting for his former friend, Blazingstorm avenged the she-cat and chased the LichenClan tom from their territory before fetching Shadepool. It was the least he could do. He never found out if the she-cat lived or died. When he returned to camp, he was devastated to find Thievingstar dead.

Blazingstorm mourned his mentor greatly. It was hard to accept Stagstar in her place, or the newly appointed Firfoot. ThistleClan was nothing without her. They lost a legend that night.

It was around this time, he started sneaking around and sleeping with Featherfox, a younger she-cat in his Clan. It wasn't intentional. She also had a mate. They were only flirting, but the more Cinderfeather fought with him back at home, the more he was tempted to get caught. He just wanted a reason to get out. So he slept with Featherfox, and then again and again. It was their little secret.

Under the light of the blood moon, he ran into a sulking Nightclaw. He was Theivingstar's ex-mate, a refugee from LichenClan. They talked about the deceased she-cat under the moon, and Blazingstorm convinced him to return to his Clan.

He never saw Nightclaw again.

After sleeping together for a few moons, Featherfox and Blazingstorm were eventually caught. First by Featherfox's enraged sister, then by the last two cats Blazingstorm ever wanted to see: Fallenfire and Willowshine. They immediately turned him into Cinderfeather, and when he returned to camp, she was there, waiting for him.

A loud, public break-up followed.

Blazingstorm, head hung with shame, endured a great verbal lashing as Cinderfeather screamed and screamed. Her accusations flung across the camp, where everyone, including their kits watched in a bated silence. Full of fury, Cinderfeather thundered into their once shared den and destroyed his nest. Blazingstorm was not welcome to return. Nobody wanted him there. Not Cinderfeather. Not his kits.

It was his rock bottom.

But it was also finally his moment to grow and reflect. So he began his slow climb out, first by apologizing to those he used to hold close. Fallenfire was first, after encountering her on a solo hunt. To his great relief, she accepted his apology, and for the first time in seasons, they held one another in reconciliation.

It motivated him to try and continue to be better. Very slowly, he rebuilt his connections in the Clan and finished training his apprentice, Fadingpaw, who eventually earned her name as Fadingsky. He also threw himself into his training, often finding himself sparring with Graygaze. They built an unusual friendship around fighting and a great camaraderie blossomed.

Near the end of green-leaf, Cinderfeather unexpectedly gave birth to a litter of kits with Thunderfoot. It surprised Blazingstorm, to see her move on so fast, but he was just happy to have her out of his fur. It helped ease some of his guilt. His children were apprenticed around this time too. Foxpaw was apprenticed to Owlfang, a pairing he respected. While Fernpaw was apprenticed to Willowshine.

Trying to gauge his old friend's training style, he approached her, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Willowshine was still very angry after catching him cheating on Cinderfeather. He expressed his concerns about his son and tried to apologize. But she disregarded it, only promising to do her best as Fernpaw's mentor. They left awkwardly.

As the cold winds returned, Blazingstorm moved into his Sleetwing's den with Mothfern. It was an awkward squeeze, but they made it work. With the frosts approaching, Blazingstorm wasn't able to dig a new den for himself. They forged through the leaf-fall together, which he was secretly grateful for. Mothfern proved to be great at advice. Blazingstorm became hopeful for a future relationship with his kits.

On the precipice of leaf-bare, Blazingstorm was sent out to fight alongside Graygaze in the Great War. They thundered onto the LichenClan shore and fought gallantly against their warriors. But it wasn't enough. A LichenClan tom gravely injured Graygaze, splitting open his belly. Blazingstorm rushed to his side and carried his friend back to ThistleClan soil. He died under a pine, staring up at the Stars.

In his final words, he told Blazingstorm not to be so hard on himself.

ThistleClan and everyone fighting against Minnowstar and her rogues were victorious. Yet upon returning to camp, Blazingstorm only felt a pressing sense of his own mortality. He stumbled upon Fernheart, newly named for his bravery in battle. They held a tense yet heart-felt conversation, ending with Blazingstorm promising to let him go, to let him grow up, despite wanting to hold him close.

He entered the new season, strangely hopeful for the first time in moons.