reedtail

redwoodclan

ruddy ticked tabby tom with green eyes

Taking after his father, Reedtail is a rather large tom. He boasts long, powerful legs and a thick, sturdy body made for hits. While he is still young and thin, his musculature will surely fill out into a fine, RedwoodClan tom who is made for hard-hitting moves in battle. However, he will also remain a bit leaner and more slender than some of his larger, more bulkier den-mates, a trait he inherited from his mother.

The tom was also blessed with the same red, ruddy pelt as his mother, truly a RedwoodClan born tom. His short, wiry coat adorns faint, crimson-colored stripes atop the highest points of his body, while his chin and underbelly are a bit lighter in hue, almost cream colored. His is considered a ticked tabby, which gives him a handsome, coarse look in comparison to some of his softer den-mates with long, downy fur.

Reedtail's face is an attractive blend of his parents' features. He adorns his mother's sharp, angled jaw and chin, while sporting his father's rounder cheek-bones and crown. This simultaneously makes him appear approachable and friendly, yet a sharpness lingers. His eyes are a striking shade of light green, which greatly contrasts his red pelt. He has large ears and small, peach-colored nose.

Reedtail is endearingly charming to every cat he meets, whether they like it or not. He's sociable, popular, and clever enough to use his charisma to his advantage. Thankfully, his moral compass is strong enough to conquer any sort of evil or ugly ulterior motive. He's not the kind of cat to manipulate someone for his own gain. Rather, Reedtail uses his charisma to have fun and indulge in his own selfish fantasies, such as ditching his duties to go lounge in a tree or spending the afternoon flirting with his den-mates. Reedtail's motto is 'work smarter, not harder.' And to the chagrin of all of his superiors, from his parents to mentor, he's not exactly falling behind.

Wickedly smart, Reedtail is a fast learner and excells in both hunting and fighting. When it comes to his schemes, he usually has the foresight to predict how they'll end up due to his social intelligence. But this wit comes at a cost. Reedtail bores easily because he has a short attention span and ultimately isn't being challenged in a way he finds worthwhile or entertaining. He'd rather have fun than spend a day bored out of his mind. This is rather aggravating to anyone trying to reign in his blithe spirit. He's rather indifferent to the reality of the Clan politics, loss, or what it means to be a RedwoodClan warrior, and is not someone who 'plays by the rules.' Beneath his sociable exterior is a tom who truly cares for those he loves, and for his immense popularity, only has a few close friends.

As the Redwood forest laid gently into late green-leaf and leaf-fall whispered on the horizon, Loudstorm and Dawnlight welcomed two kits onto the island, which, to everyone's surprise, would be the first litter of many. Born alongside his brother Hailkit, Reedkit never grew bored of the endless entertainment found within the confines of the nursery, at least not at first.

Shortly after his birth, five other queens entered the nursery with their own broods. Mewls filled the sweet milk-scented air and warmth permeated like the sun. One queen in particular, Eveningsong passed shortly after birthing her one, singular son. Heart-aching for the kit, Dawnlight offered to take him in, and Honeykit was raised alongside Reedkit as his sibling. Though he quickly learned the young tom was adopted. Dawnlight and Loudstorm never hid that from them, wanting to honor Honeykit's mother.

While some queens quickly prepared their kits for war and the cruel, future life of a warrior, Reedkit and his brothers grew under the loving tongue of their mother, who sheltered them from the harsh realities of the Redwood forest. Kithood was for play, not for unsheathed claws and blood-drawing teeth.

So Reedkit learned about his Clan through countless kit games, bouncing across camp in pursuit of his den-mates, or through the heroic yarns spun by his father, who gathered him and his brothers at his breast to tell his mighty tales. Few worries plagued him, despite the pressing threat of war that loomed in the shadows.

But as he grew older, his eyes started to move past the protective walls of the nursery. It was forbidden to leave camp. But the Redwood forest and all of its adventures beckoned him into their depths. So when he was only four moons old, Reedkit decided to sneak out in the middle of the night, quietly stepping over his sleeping brothers and mother. The young kit was only able to make it a few fox-lengths outside of the nursery before his father caught him red-pawed.

To his surprise, however, he wasn't punished. His father only gathered him at his side, and they padded beneath the cool, leaf-fall Stars until the sun broke across the horizon Perhaps, Loudstorm thought it would've quelled his son's adventurous spirit. But it only urged it from him instead. What else exists beyond the walls of camp? His inquisitive mind grew and so did his elaborate plans to escape the nursery.

Despite this, Reedpaw and his brothers became apprentices at six moons. While his brothers were assigned to older, senior warriors, Reedpaw was assigned to a much younger, more inexperienced warrior named Barkheart. Not that it bothered him. With his new rank, came new freedoms, and with a less strict mentor, came new intricate ways to ditch his lessons or push his boundaries.

The warrior code, he soon realized, meant very little to him, nor did he care about the war, LichenClan's threats, or the refugees in his camp. It all seemed like a waste of time to the young tom. Because simply, if it makes everyone so miserable all of the time, then why do we do it? Known for his charisma and friendliness, Reedpaw quickly established himself among his den-mates. Popular by nature, most of the other apprentices either hated him or loved him. But none could quite deny he knew how to have a good time.

Particularly, he grew rather fond of an older apprentice, a she-cat named Asterpaw. Both harboring a penchant for adventure, they became quick friends. Not to mention, she was hot too. Always the flirt, Reedpaw enjoyed professing his 'love' to her, accepting it was only a fantasy due to their age. They only remained friends, especially as she became a warrior and left the nursery. He quickly found himself hanging out with Fawnpaw and his brothers more, always somehow getting them into trouble with his antics.

The older warriors, his mentor, and his parents, however, did not find his antics quite as endearing. Despite ditching most of his lessons or only listening partially, Reedpaw proved to be a fast learner, and took to both hunting and fighting rather well, which only frustrated his elders more. The words 'wasted potential' were thrown around a lot, but it fell on deaf ears. Because to Reedpaw, who even cares? He was doing the moves and landing his hunts? Such a waste of time.

His mentor cared.

At his wits end trying to train him and make him care, Barkheart struggled to get through to him. He tried assigning him a battle partner in his den-mate, Dandelionpaw, to encourage his training, but neither of them took to one another. Dandelionpaw refused to fight with another cat and thought Reedpaw was too weak. While Reedpaw simply ditched training too much to even care. Barkheart grew exasperated with him.

Their personal beliefs clashed too much, and other senior warriors eventually took over his training. It was Tigerpool, who in the end, was able to adjust his training methods to attract Reedpaw's interest. Training could be fun. He discovered. At thirteen moons, he received his warrior name and became Reedtail.

Despite the impending war, Reedtail continued his quest for fun by spending his days exploring the territory, and sometimes, crossing the border in secret. It was around this time that Asterstorm returned to his life. They quickly fell into their old camaraderie, as if they had never drifted apart. Despite himself, Reedtail couldn't control his feelings for the she-cat. Assigned to sentry duty with her one night, he decided to make his move, and to his surprise, she reciprocated.

But with the war on the horizon, they decided to only spend one night together. Reedtail wanted more, but also respected her decision, so he didn't fight it. They remained friends. Shortly after, RedwoodClan was sent into battle with the LichenClan rebels. Asterstorm was sent to fight, while Reedtail remained in camp.

It was the longest night of his life.

When she returned, he refused to leave her side. They spent the night together in the medicine cat's den, where she confessed her secret. As an apprentice, she was addicted to poppy seeds, but had since recovered. Reedtail readily accepted and supported her, never having felt so strongly for someone before, but he kept his feelings inside, not wanting to mess up their friendship.

When the blizzard struck their camp, Reedtail found himself trapped in the nursery with Asterstrom while the storm raged outside. They breathlessly confessed their love for one another, and officially became mates, their whole future ahead of them. But unbeknownst to the tom, Asterstorm slipped back into her bad habit and was using seeds again to numb the pain, and while Reedtail vowed to stand by her, no matter what, everybody has their own limits.