Doepaw

LichenClan

long-haired lilac point she-cat with blue eyes

Doepaw was born long and lithe as her spindly legs inspired the name given to her, Doekit. In her young age, she is still on the side of lanky rather than graceful, cursed with big paws and long legs she has a hard time controlling. At the moment, it seems like a stiff breeze would be enough to blow her over. However, she has the promise of becoming a graceful maiden with time and training but that day isn’t today.

While in movement, she may not have the grace of a put-together cat, her fur is another matter. Doepaw is a lilac-pointed tabby with long white fur and a feathery sweeping tail. Her subtle markings draw attention to her face with its long lines and large blue eyes. She is topped off with a pair of long rounded ears and a dark pink nose.

Doepaw keeps her fur in immaculate condition. Unless returning from a rigorous training session, her fur is always clean and kept in order due to a habit she developed as a kit. She dislikes being dirty for extended amounts of time and takes meticulous care of her pelt.

She is so mature for her age, is a comment Doepaw hears on a regular basis. On the surface, the young she-cat appears composed, rule-following, and the pride of a highborn warrior bloodline. She is doing her ancestors proud with the way she carries herself, confident and focused. Her demeanor is soft-spoken and she is attentive to those around her, anticipating their needs and providing a listening ear to their problems. Her devotion to StarClan is never in question. She is a golden child of LichenClan and the expectations on her shoulders are heavy.

This perception of Doepaw works in both directions. Some see the perfect example of a young cat destined to become a proud member of LichenClan with her kindness and bright mind. Others see a vain she-cat that seems to only care about how others perceive her, her friendliness faked and quietly judging those around her.

In reality, the cat that her clan knows is a facade. From the moment she understood her place in the clan, the highblood that ran through her veins, and the expectations of her clan, Doepaw has acted exactly how those around her wanted. Behind the mask is a frightened kit battling constant anxiety about not being good enough. This leads her to being a pushover, willing to do anything to make certain those around her are happy, even at the expense of her own desires. And each time a clanmate looks at her with pride, it only reinforces the idea that her life is meant to be lived for the clan and no one else.

Due to this, Doepaw may be friendly with many cats but she is actually friends with none. It is far too frightening for her to allow any cat inside the walls she has built around herself.

The pressure she feels day to day to be a model apprentice is already intense despite being within the early days of her apprenticeship. The gaze of her mentor is only another set of eyes to catch any mistake she makes.

Born during a tumultuous time after the defeat of Minnowstar and the clan’s displacement due to flooding, Doekit was the single survivor of her litter to a pair of “formally” loyalist warriors from a high-class line that suddenly had less influence during the regime change from the Heron-line to Yarrowstar and the revisionists.To keep peace, her parents had a “change of heart” and agreed with Yarrowstar’s plans but, growing up, Doekit heard a different story.

Her mother spoke of times where LichenClan held a righteous and divine purpose, their family had influence with the clan’s leaders, and were favored by StarClan. However, when Yarrowstar took power, that was all lost. These ideas of lost grandeur started a lifelong anxiety in young Doekit. Her family had once been great and the pressure was now on her to continue their lineage as the only kit. This was only encouraged by her mother early on as she taught Doekit to always look presentable and gain the favor of those around her.

Upon returning to the shoreline and the proper home of LichenClan, the pressure of clan life only became heavier on her shoulders as she reached six moons and was apprenticed to Caveflower. As a kit, it was good enough to be well-behaved and always listen to your elders. Now, as an apprentice, Doepaw is having to live up to expectations not only as a well-behaved young cat but as a fighter and hunter as she progresses through her training.