juncoshadow

lichenclan

a black lynx point tom with white paws and blue eyes

Juncoshadow is a tom of average stature. However, he is fairly lanky and his legs are slightly longer than an average cat’s. He has well-toned muscles, but they are not visible through his pelt due to his fur length. Juncoshadow has short fur but it is longer in places, mainly his belly. He has dark black tabby points on his face, ears, paws, and tail, with the classic “M'' appearing on his forehead. His tabby stripes are thick across his legs and tail and appear ghostly across his lighter midsection. His front toes and the lower half of his hind legs are white, causing his paw pads to become a mix of pink and black. His fur and stripes are tan closer to his points before they turn gray and black. His face is round and his expression is often gentle and curious. His ears are usually alert and he has an average muzzle. His eyes are an icy light blue.

Juncoshadow is loyal, brave, and looks out for his friends. He is kind and chatty but can be unempathetic at times. He has a neutral view of cats from other Clans and doesn’t think they are particularly bad or worse than LichenClan. He thinks they’re trying to get by, just like him. He usually likes chatting with cats from other Clans at gatherings but can be shy sometimes. Juncoshadow can sometimes be self-deprecating which is linked to him not feeling quite at home in LichenClan due to the influence the loyalists still have over the Clan.

+Loyal: One would expect Juncoshadow to be loyal to his Clan, but he actually has more loyalty to StarClan and his close friends than he does LichenClan. Juncoshadow doesn’t feel quite at home in LichenClan due to the loyalists, so he is less loyal to his Clan than he thinks. Nevertheless, he still makes a good warrior for the Clan, doing his duties for his Clanmates whether he likes them or not. If there ever came a time when he was asked to die for either the Clan or a close friend, he would choose his close friend.

+Brave: Juncoshadow is brave, which stems from his naivety and loyalty. His braveness sometimes leads to him throwing himself into any conflict without thinking, even if he is scared, which can cause unintended consequences for himself. However, he is eager to fight, defend, and preserve the livelihoods of his friends, even if that means throwing himself off a cliff or sacrificing himself for them. His feeling out-of-place in LichenClan also pushes him to be closer to any friends he makes.

-Talkative: While Juncoshadow is friendly, he is also very talkative. This trait of his causes him to be looked down upon by his Clanmates. He often does not think before he speaks, which can cause unintended conflict between him and his Clanmates. His mentor tried to correct this trait, but most of their corrections were lost on Juncoshadow’s ears. However, he does realize he should not be so talkative and think before he speaks, so he is trying to correct this trait.

-Unempathetic: While Juncoshadow is kind and loyal, sometimes he has a hard time understanding other cats, especially loyalists or those that come from traditional LichenClan families. He often does not attempt to understand them since, from his point of view, they do not attempt to understand him, either. This causes conflict between him and his friends who may come from traditional families. He also tends to avoid cats who are known to be traditionalists.

2021: Juncokit was born to two unknown LichenClan warriors during the late 2021 season in LichenClan’s timeline and was given the prefix Junco- because of his gray coat. He often kept to himself and his denmates during this time and looked on as events unfolded around him, and he was blissfully unaware of Minnowstar’s descent into insanity. He was very playful, excitable, and liked to participate in fake battles between himself and his denmates.

2022: Juncopaw was apprenticed roughly during the same time Minnowstar allowed rogues into the warrior ranks. Though he had looked up to Minnowstar to this point, he began to question her, though he never told anyone else this. Previously he believed she could do no wrong, as she was the leader he grew up with. Despite Minnowstar, Juncopaw’s training went well, though he was chastised nearly every session for talking too much or getting distracted. His training was largely battle focused, due to the state of affairs between LichenClan and the other Clans, but his natural inclination for stealth has made him a good hunter. Toward the end of his apprenticeship, he participated in the major battle between RedwoodClan, LichenClan, and ThistleClan, coming out largely unscathed but now aware of what consequences battles could have on a Clan and its warriors. He received his warrior name, Juncoshadow, shortly after this battle under Yarrowstar’s leadership. In the aftermath, he is almost relearning his day-to-day life, as growing up under Minnowstar he has largely only known chaos in LichenClan. He looks forward to peace in the Clan as he relearns, and is finding more time to get to know his Clanmates, especially other warriors closer to his age.

2023: Early in the season, Juncoshadow made new friends for the first time in a while: Shellpaw and Perchwhisker. He was closer to Perchwhisker at first but grew closer to Shellpaw. They spent a lot of time together. When a blizzard struck the island, Juncoshadow was lost in it and found Shellshine lost in it, too. Together, they made their way back to camp. The tom started wondering if he might have feelings for the other tom.

Unfortunately, he and Shellshine got into an argument after some moons of knowing each other. Juncoshadow couldn’t understand why Shellshine wouldn’t ignore the wishes of his traditionalist family. Around this time, Juncoshadow started to feel less welcome in LichenClan and wondered if he maybe would belong someplace else more, but he didn’t give it much thought. While they were not talking to each other, a flood, brought on by the melting blizzard, forced Juncoshadow and LichenClan out of their home. In their temporary home in the birch forest, Juncoshadow followed Shellshine out of camp one day where he witnessed him confront two ThistleClanners. Shellshine wanted to join ThistleClan, but the ThistleClanners didn’t approve, eventually attacking Shellshine, breaking his legs and driving him off a cliff into the lake. Juncoshadow jumped in after him and saved him.

He spent a lot of time worrying over him in the medicine den after that and tried to busy himself with his duties to the Clan. He didn’t worry a lot about the state of the other Clans or even his own Clan– all he was worried about was Shellshine. Once LichenClan was able to return to their home on the shore, Juncoshadow received his first apprentice: Pantherpaw. The two get along well, though Juncoshadow feels some pressure mentoring Pantherpaw since he is the deputy’s son. He is attempting to mend his relationship with Shellshine, though it is slow going.