Nightshade

Rogue

blue and white longhaired tom with amber eyes

There is no denying that he has been made in his parent's likeness, having taken something even more than what his sister has gleaned. Strong features and a sturdy frame create the build of this tom, who was granted strong shoulders from birth. These are traits he will readily attribute to his mother. There is a rugged sort of handsomeness to him, a roughness to behold where others are soft and well-groomed. Though striking, Nightshade is not often concerned with matters of vanity, and as such, is not overly fastidious with his appearance. His somewhat disheveled look, which combined with his feathery coat, gives him a sense of great personality. Nightshade's bearing is confident, but not in an assertive, forceful way. Rather, the tom carries himself with an amiable saunter, a deceptively open facade designed to trick and charm the senses. His playful nature is marked by a raised tail or the lazy way he walks. Each stride makes apparent the muscle and large bones hiding beneath.

Nightshade's feathery pelt extends far from its roots, forming a lush cloud around his dense musculature. His coloring is a stormy gray, though his belly, paws, and lower half of his muzzle are the color of fresh snow. The white continues from his nose upwards to form a streak of snow between his eyes. It tapers off into a needle fineness as it approaches his forehead. Two wide amber eyes stare out from either side of the streak of white, seemingly innocent while at the same time conveying an unwavering observation.

Nightshade is a character guided by his emotions, as well as his outward perception of others. Despite the inhospitable conditions of rogue life, the tom has a civil, if not open, demeanor that can be seen. On his face perches a playful smile, rife with mischief and excitement. His joyous manner is infectious, with a wry, witty edge to his humor. Sometimes, his humor can become teasing without him knowing it, but he is usually able to reign himself in before it gets too extreme. Being an extroverted spirit, Nightshade has no problem taking the front wheel in social situations, and tends to come off as unfailingly cheery. His outlook on life is fairly positive, given that in his young mind, he is well on his way to becoming the tom that his mother and aunt would've wanted him to be. A tom with a tongue of silver, his charisma - when coupled with his confidence - is a force to be reckoned with.

Despite his cocksure attitude, Nightshade doesn't consider himself to be one of brash and reckless actions. In fact, he is conniving. He has the brains for his crimes, and takes feedback readily. He stalks the other killers of the forest unseen, then examines their handiwork and precision when he's sure they are not looking. You can only learn if you watch those who are more skilled than you are after all. Even if such sanguine passions may frighten him, it allures him as well, as all forbidden pleasures and dark secrets inevitably do. They call and he answers.

But the tom, being one to feel his emotions intensely, also reacts to them in a similar manner. And underneath his intense confidence, Nightshade is insecure. The tom refuses to take anything for granted, believing that it is only through continued service that favor can be earned. He is dedicated and stalwart, but in return, demands obedience from those around him. When he gets attached, he tends to cling on with a vicelike grip. But staying loyal to him is not a simple task, for sometimes caught in the grip of his emotions, he lashes out unjustly, only concerned with what he is experiencing in that moment.

Nightshade was the firstborn to the forbidden affair of the rogue Mizar and Flashfang. The two had been meeting on and off for a few moons before they decided to tie a temporary knot, the ample bounty of greenleaf's sun pooling over the horizon like rivers of love. Unsurprisingly for the flighty tom, Flashfang left as quick as he came. With a mate in Lichenclan calling his name, he had not expected for his affair with the massive black shecat to go on much longer. But Mizar was not disappointed, having only sought him out to sate her curiosity.

Not expecting to be heavy with kit, the sable molly settled down regardless. In her gut stirred foreign sensations, different but not forgotten. Her experience with her family was all but eroded, a series of misunderstandings and unfortunate tragedies driving it to decay. But here was another chance that came serendipitously on its heels, a chance to have a real family again. A family where she oculd call the shots, and hopefully not get abandoned again. Eventually, she gave birth to a son and a daughter, Nightshade and Belladonna, named for two equally lethal poisons that were best avoided in the dense birch forest.

Given the nature of their clandestine tryst, black molly knew that Flashfang would not return, and so turned to the aid of her longtime friend and secret crush - Vixen, a distant calico who lived on her lonesome in the forest. Mizar approached the enigmatic molly with the offer, a soft plea on her tongue. With a blackened history of a family that haunted her conscience, it was safe to say that the calico was less than eager to take up the job. Nightshade knows none of the tensions and horrors of the outside world, and continues to explore.