Nettlesting

thistleclan

black and white tom with hazel eyes

Wrapped up in the same bones as his mother and presumably, the outsider that sired her, this cat is taller than the average ThistleClanner. He gives an impression of solidity, fleshed out by a coat that's thick and dark. It piles upon his shoulders in heavy waves, and ensures Nettlesting need only turn his head slightly to block any source of annoyance from view.

The only interruption is the white that collars his throat. It begins in a jut of white over his jaw, like a fang, before feathering out across his chest. This broad white flag is an irritation that forces the tom to keep low on hunting excursions and cover himself in mud when stealth is a necessity.

His musculature is more wiry under all that coat than it seems, and while graceful, tension holds itself in the control of his body. His muzzle is sloping, and his ears cut sharply up from the crest of his head, usually forced into stillness so they don't give too much away.

* original white-spotting, new claim is more accurate to his build.

Calm, taciturn.

On first impression Nettlesting is a quiet warrior. His thoughts are kept locked behind impassive tawny eyes, and he oozes the kind of cool-tempered confidence that inspires either instant enmity or uneasy respect, and makes little effort to foster one over the other. Indeed, his unforthcoming and impersonal nature might add to his aura of mystery, but it naturally subjects him to the competitive natures of his Clanmates.

Haughty, impersonal.

Unemotional, Nettlesting's pride is subtle, but certainly exists in the casual way he's able to disregard others. He's not a cat of broad or effusive gestures, laconic yet smooth. Excellent at winnowing around a subject without saying what he really means, he can make an arduous conversation partner with a habit of deflecting and redirecting, difficult to stick a pin in. He's not an easy cat to anger, though in the same way, you won't often hear him laugh. However, he can still be known to harbor warmth for the Clanmates he likes, proved by his grudging fondness toward his younger cousins.

Calculating, practical.

Even when his interest is genuine, he is often compelled to look for angles through which he can make relationships useful. His affections are fickle this way, and he's not exactly empathetic: it's a muscle the tom hasn't had the opportunity to strengthen much throughout the course of his life. However Nettlesting is surprisingly judicious, complemented by his forward thinking nature even if he is not particularly geared toward influencing the minds and hearts of others.

Enterprising.

In spite of this aloofness, the warrior is still curious about the world and the cats around him, as well the history that preceded him. He has a particularly favorable view of the bygone days of Graystar's leadership, and the tricks, tactics and ploys his distant relative used to employ, and his interests also extend outside of his Clan to the rogues that have harried them for generations.

Kithood:

At an early age Nettlekit learnt not to question what was wrong with being born part-rogue. This information, foisted upon him almost as soon as he could understand it, quickly clarified why he and his sister weren't treated the same as other kits. While it had a catalytic effect for both of them, for Nettlekit who never felt quite compelled by the reasoning for why his mixed blood should cause him shame, it only turned his questions inward. The pressure of holding onto all this simmering curiosity with no way to spend it formed the beginnings of an analytical mind that started to wonder if adults weren't always correct.

Keeping to himself, the tom-kit mostly played alone or fought with his sister Needlekit. His world remained fairly contained, presided over by the all-seeing eye of their mother Splintersight; who true to her name watched her children bicker through a sharp, approving gaze. Where another queen might soothe a scratch with a lick and gentle word, Nettlekit learned to expect an entirely different sort of treatment from the black queen, who never coddled or preened them, ultimately encouraging the young tom's antisocial tendencies.

Adolescence:

As a kit Nettlekit had learned to accept his mother's ambitions, but his apprenticeship soon came at great cost to his pride when she intervened in his training. Deciding after attending several of their sessions that Nettlepaw's mentor wasn't strong enough to train her son, Splintersight campaigned Thievingstar to assign him to a higher ranking cat. The leader acquiesced, and Nettlepaw was reassigned. He distanced himself from Splintersight thereafter, but to her credit, he excelled under the teachings of Yellowtalon, a cat of superior rank and renown compared to his previous mentor.

At first the warrior's disapproval at the manner of their choosing (and perhaps, their charge themselves) was palpable, but having been conditioned to expect that nothing would ever be given freely, this didn't dissuade Nettlepaw. Though it was clear Yellowtalon harbored some views that wouldn't shift no matter how Nettlepaw exerted himself, eventually both came to tolerate and respect each other.

His rogue blood remained a wedge between him and many of his Clanmates this way—half-veiled in the watchful eyes of older relatives, and more flagrant in the taunting tongues of other apprentices—but he began to see burgeoning respect too. In this regard his continued rivalry with Needlepaw worked in his favor. Rather than share their mutual resentments and frustrations with each other, their kithood tussles became fully fledged spars. While the young tom didn't often express anything but annoyance at her single-minded obsession with fighting him, believing that it only fed into their mother's desires, he couldn't entirely pretend he didn't take satisfaction in his successes either. His victories set the tone for how he was treated by their den-mates, but while he gained the esteem of the other apprentices, he didn't seek out their friendship.  

Midway through his apprenticeship, he had the opportunity to lock claws with a real rogue. Discovering them too close to the border for comfort during a lone hunt, he ambushed them, and a confrontation ensued. Of similar age and equally matched, the fight ended with both cats battered, beaten and exhausted. As both broke off to catch their breaths, rather than reinitiate combat, strangely, they somehow ended up both agreeing to a wary ceasefire instead.

Nettlepaw found himself fascinated by his opponent's technique, and after interrogating them and trading insults, they limped their separate ways without further violence. He returned to camp, and knowing the truth would call into question his loyalties, simply claimed that he had 'seen them off', given it wasn't exactly a lie.

Adulthood:

Eventually named Nettlesting one long moon after his sister, he shed his youth willingly and turned his mind fully to the business of being a warrior. Brutal floods arrived some time later, swamping ThistleClan's tunnels and drowning his father Lynxfoot. Having sparred occasionally but never spent enough time with him to grow close, Nettlesting respectfully sat vigil for the tom. 

The Clan took up residence in the campground to avoid their waterlogged territory, and life carried on. As if to wash out the tragedy, two kits were subsequently born: cousins, pure descendants of Graystar, untainted by Splintersight's tarnished branch of the family tree. Nettlesting was able to witness just how differently his younger relatives were treated. Rather than nurture enmity however, he instead offered to mentor one of them. If he could raise up a competent, young warrior of 'good' blood, it would work in his favor.

His wishes were granted and he was given charge of Tornpaw. Nettlesting's designs on improving his own status however also ended with him being a victim of the tom's quick wits and easy charisma. Eventually whittled down by the younger cat's enthusiasm, he revealed his rogue heritage, and in return Tornpaw told stories of their shared ancestor Graystar.

ThistleClan took back its camp from the rogues that tried to claim it, and Nettlesting experienced his second taste of combat against their foe, though these cats he didn't let go as easily. Nearly as soon as the dust settled and they stood victorious however, Needleleap challenged him. Flush with victory, he was caught off guard, and instead of winning as he expected, after hard, long and bloody fight she finally bested him. After so long spent luxuriating in his successes without entirely realizing it, it left a surprising chip on the tom's shoulder to finally be surpassed. He conceded defeat and sauntered off to lick his wounds and process the battle, which no longer held much savor for him.

When the rogues attacked again, Nettlesting fought to drive them off with the rest of his Clan. In spite of their efforts though, their leader was killed, and Needleleap was badly injured. The resulting moons saw his sister entrenched in the medicine den, and Nettlesting found himself oddly put off by this: it would be an unsatisfactory ending to their rivalry if she never healed, and he couldn't settle the score between them by beating her in a fair contest. 

Finally, war came to the island. They fought and succeeded... but among others, Nettlesting's former mentor was killed. This death was a personal blow, affecting the warrior visibly more than that of Lynxfoot. Yellowtalon had become cat he'd grown to deeply respect over the moons despite their differences: someone whom he'd proved himself to based on his own merits. The anger that resulted led Nettlesting to begin to push more against the Clan's closeted nature. He believed they could leverage their new alliance with RedwoodClan, and seek new opportunities. Particularly against the weakened LichenClan. Despite their involvement, he also continued to feel that not every rogue needed to become their enemy. Though with the losses, he shed whatever leniency he might have once felt toward the young rogue he'd fought in his youth. Now, Nettlesting only decided they could be used.
 
Later, as the island calmed, he and Splintersight were assigned to help Needleleap regain her mobility. To Nettlesting, this felt like adding insult to injury. His irritation with his family endured, only chafing at him and breeding further contempt in the tom.