darteRleap

lichenclan

silver ticked tabby with brown eyes

Darterleap is of average size but is short compared to his peers. He's sturdy with mostly lean muscles that are hidden beneath his fur. Instead, he gives off an air of daintiness through the way he holds himself and emphasizes his hourglass figure with careful grooming. Though he could hold his own in a fight, Darterleap is willing to feign weakness to uphold his carefully crafted image.

Much like his brother, Darterleap looks like Littlestream if she was left in the dark caves for too long. He has his mother's same ticked tabby markings, but they are faint silver instead. His fur is mostly white with a dusting of silver grey. He likes to think he's the perfect mix of Littlestream's ivory white underfur and Pikefur's grey ends. Despite being short-furred, Darterleap has a dense pelt of soft fur which does him well in leaf-bare but causes unpleasant amounts of shedding come new-leaf.

Darterleap has his mother's softer face with a small muzzle and rounded face, ending with his father's high cheekbones that make him stand out from the crowd. His eyes are large and he never outgrows them, always giving him a kit-like innocence. They are a deep hazel brown, similar to the colour of sun-bleached dirt.

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As a kit, Darterleap always got what he wanted. He quickly learned that neither parent was good at disciplining him. With a sad face and big, wide eyes he begs and always gets what he wants. I mean can you say no to such a pretty face? He's got a silver-tongue and is good at manipulating the situation with careful words and expressions. He's skillful at handling traditionalists and revolutionists and has very few enemies.

Not only is Darterleap of high class in LichenClan, he is also born to two loving parents. He has all he could ever want and is showered with affection. The attention goes right to his head and he can be rather arrogant because of it. He knows he's right, others just have to see it.

But his arrogance is not always a bad thing. Thanks to his unyielding confidence, Darterleap is willing to stand up for what he believes in. If he sees or hears injustice he'll confront it. He has a strong conviction with a "so what" attitude. In his mind, something is the way it is because he says so and he won't take no for an answer.

Try as he might to keep a straight face, Darterleap loves to laugh. His parents were filled with joy, and so is he. He'll laugh at the dumbest jokes and has the brightest smile. In front of most, Darterleap puts on a graceful show, exuding confidence and poise. But to those, he's close with, he'll have a blast making jokes. Sometimes he can struggle to take things seriously.

Despite the pressures from their clan and families, Littlestream and Pikefur waited. Darterkit and Dacekit are born from love, not obligation. The little prince Darterkit is born into the LichenClan. Despite the debris and wreckage from a recent flood, he's safe surrounded by both parents and an older brother.

While Darterkit is growing up, the nursery is full of life. He has his choice of playmates, and his mother introduces him to each one. Darterkit spends most of his time with his brother Dacekit, playing dress up and decorating each other’s fur. One day, they convince their cousin Anemomekit to join in and the two brothers have a fun time making their cousin look handsome. Closer to the eve of his apprenticeship ceremony Littlestream and Pikefur tell the story of how they fell in love. Darterkit is awed by the tale and vows to one day have a love like that for himself. However, his grandmother is conspiring behind Littlestream’s back and already has an arrangement made for the little tom.

Darterpaw becomes a warrior and is placed with Ivyflower as his mentor. He’s ecstatic by the pairing, thinking that he’ll have someone who can teach him the traditional role of a she-cat of LichenClan. He dreams of being like his father Pikefur and the other queens of the nursery. But not long after his ceremony, Darterpaw is pulled aside by his grandmother and is told of his engagement. Thinking it will be a fairytale, just like his parent’s love, Darterpaw goes along with it and is engaged to Foxglovepaw, Caveflower’s daughter. He dresses up for the occasion, decorating his fur with crushed sea shells. But Caveflower is quick to chastise him for such things. Little Darterpaw is not upset for long and convinces Foxglovepaw to break the rules with him and sneak out that evening.

For the first part of his apprenticeship, Darterpaw struggles to align his expectations with the reality of training to be a warrior. He wants to focus on camp duties, politics and queenly things but with Ivyflower's encouragement he starts to learn to hunt and fight. He's surprisingly skilled at both. Of course, Darterpaw makes sure Ivyflower spends some time teaching him about other things. In exchange he teaches her the best way to decorate her nest and fur.



As suspicion grows around the Moonpool, Darterpaw is hesitant to comply. His mother was raised in traditional LichenClan where the Moonpool was sacred and highly respected. He still visits it to pray despite growing concerns. However, once Lilacmist is found dead, the horror of the situation sets in and Darterpaw decides to avoid the Moonpool and the tunnels at all cost, even if he acts like it's no big deal.

Darterpaw and Dacepaw stay as close as ever and Darterpaw always finds some time to decorate his brother's fur. Darterpaw and Anemonepaw grow into rivals as whenever Anemonepaw tries to mess with her cousins, Darterpaw fights back and wins.

Darterpaw is made a warrior, being named Darterleap for his speed and cleverness. But he's shocked to hear Emberscorch is forcing all perma-queens to go on patrols. Suddenly Darterleap's life goal of being a queen is thrown out the window as he too is forced to patrol.