Post by hibiscus on Dec 12, 2020 3:17:13 GMT
COYOTEPAW
Medicine Cat Apprentice | Eight moon-old molly | StormClan |
PERSONALITY: Coyotepaw is a boundless spirit, seemingly unconfinable by any kind of restriction imposed on her- and she hasn't changed since her upbringing as a kit. wiiiiiiiiiip notes: + enthusiastic, adventurous, compassionate - reckless, doubtful, stubborn |
APPEARANCE: A tall, light-ginger tabby molly with amber eyes. Akin to her namesake, Coyotepaw bears a light-colored coat, consisting of a tidy correlation of tan and pale-ginger. Such colors uphold the fact that she is a light-ginger tabby, freckled with the famed tabby pattern- specifically, the ticked pattern. From head to toe, her pelt harbors darker speckling of ginger, dotting her pelt with precise tabby symmetry, from the top of her head, to the base of her tail, and to the edges of her legs, before fading out at her face, the rest of her legs, and her underbelly. Alongside the stripes is the distinct tabby line stretching across her entire spine, before breaking into the ticked markings along her sides. On her forehead, stripes are present, in which they are speckled downwards, until they meet the edges of her eyes. At the corner of the aforementioned eyes are the distinct, telltale tabby stripe, reaching to the sides of her cheeks, and reappearing to meet her muzzle. Coyotepaw's tail is ringed with the remainder of the stripes, fading in from the base of her tail, to the end of her pale tail-tip. Her light-ginger color pales around her eyes and muzzle, as well as her chin, throat, underbelly, and her very own small paws, showing a gentle transition from her bright pelt, to a subtler, gentle pale shade. Her eyes are a deep pools of amber, tinged with rings of golds and yellows. But while her gaze portrays the deepness of a dark pool of gold, the depths of said pool hide nothing to those her greet her; they're everything but deep. Like dripping, golden honey on a greenleaf day, Coyotepaw's gaze constantly shines with a jovial, sweet brightness- a reflection of her spunk, despite dripping honey being quite slow. Coyotepaw's build is of the lanky type, bearing a slender, yet deceivingly dainty appearance. The slenderness of her body structure is reflected in the length of her body, presenting her as lean and limber. Alongside her body, her legs are a bit longer than the average length, boosting her height to the point where she's a bit taller than most apprentices her age, though still shorter than a warriors' height, due to her age. She has a triangular, narrow facial structure and a long muzzle, and topping off her pointy, narrow structure are her ears, which rise up to a tall, tapered point. Her tail, to conclude her overall frame, is also quite long, albeit quite skinny. Lastly, Coyotepaw's entire pelt is short-furred and usually kept tidy, though often coarse and unkempt, with the occasional strands of dried grass, leave or twigs joining her on her ventures. | RELATIONSHIPS: Family ↴ Parents:
StormClan ↴ Mentor:
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HISTORY: Ever since she, and the rest of her siblings, were born, Coyotekit spent her first few moons in a rather peaceful life, but to make up for the placid lifestyle, she made sure to invest her energy in as much antics as she could. In no time, she was notorious for her rambunctious nature. She sparred with her littermates, played games with the rest of the kits in the nursery, and even spent time running around camp and trying to find something to do- even if it got her into trouble. From chatting with the older apprentices, to listening to elders' tales, and even just hanging around with her parents, Coyotekit usually succeeded in keeping herself busy and entertained, including those that joined her in her antics. In other words, she would disturb the peace, as elders would often accuse. Despite these accusations, Coyotekit would claim that she was trying to have fun; her only crime was just being a kit. However, by the time five moons came around, the young kit was beginning to ease her energetic nerves, the reason being because she wanted a "clear, focused mind".. except, it was easier said than done, considering her lively nature, and the fact that the next chapter of her life was right around the corner: the rite of passage that all apprentices went through. But that was the problem. She wanted to become more focused because she wanted to figure out the next step of her life. The thought of pursuing an apprenticeship to become a StormClan warrior delighted Coyotekit, just like many kits before her. Protecting her clanmates, hunting for kits and elders, and patrolling borders to ensure the safety and security of her clan- it was all so exhilarating to her. Eager kits became eager apprentices, and if they worked hard enough, eventually they became full-fledged, eager warriors- and frankly Coyotekit was eager to become a warrior as well. At the same time, despite spending her time running around camp and bothering her clanmates, she also spent her time bothering StormClan's medicine cat. Like the thought of becoming a warrior, becoming a medicine cat was also as delightful. Observing how the medicine cat performed each procedure- whether it was wrapping cobwebs around an injured paw or feeding a few herbs of choice to a cat with an upset stomach- was just fascinating to her. Not only that, there was the rare opportunity to be part of the select few that were able to communicate with StarClan. She may have two paws, but she could only step into one path. She couldn't be both a warrior and a medicine cat, and StarClan forbid if she just decided to do nothing at all. She had to choose one path, even if they both intrigued her in many ways. One day, Coyotekit was brought into the medicine cat's den- a specific request made on behalf of the medicine cat themselves. It turned out that the medicine cat was interested in taking Coyotekit in as their apprentice and to train her to become a full medicine cat. Considering Coyotekit's history of frequent visits to the medicine den, the medicine cat was confident in their decision to make Coyotekit their apprentice. Coyotekit was ecstatic at the offer. To become a medicine cat was a dream come true- well, one of her dreams come true. She was interested in helping her clanmates and taking care of them when they were ill, while being able to communicate with StarClan through visions and prophecies, as well as participating in Half-Moon gatherings. She was so incredibly excited.. except, she was uncertain. Becoming a medicine cat was a huge responsibility in itself, surrounded by other responsibilities. She enjoyed witnessing the medicine cat go about their days tending to the clan, or to the herbs- there was even the rare opportunity of helping out with sorting herbs. Yet, she was just a mere kit, and even if she was going to become an apprentice, she was just a youngster. She wanted more time to think it over, there was no time- even if she had another day to think about the offer, it still wasn't enough time. Surely she could handle such responsibility this young? Ultimately, Coyotekit declined with a heavy heart. She wanted to be a medicine cat, but she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to handle such a title. She held up her uncertainty as a sign that perhaps being a medicine cat apprentice wasn't the right path for her. As an attempt to justify her decision, she even considered the thought that her family wouldn't be proud of her if she had made the decision to become a medicine cat- despite never bothering to even bring up her interest in becoming a medicine cat. Perhaps being a warrior was her true destiny. The thought didn't quite soothe her, but then again, kits often doubted themselves before becoming apprentices. Right? With that, at six moons, Coyotekit became a warrior apprentice alongside her siblings, who were now Wolfpaw, Duskpaw, and Nettlepaw. She was apprenticed to the warrior Fernfang, a charismatic, formidable warrior, known for their notoriety as a ferocious cat- and to those outside the clan, they were known as one of StormClan's finest warriors. Being apprenticed to Fernfang was no surprise; Coyotepaw had potential to become a fine warrior like Fernfang, due to her energetic and attentive nature. The four siblings began their warrior training with an energetic start, though at the beginning of her own training, Coyotepaw was uncertain- excited, but also nervous, especially about her future. She put effort into her rigorous training, but as a result of this uncertainty, she became a bit more reserved than she usually was. She was still the same rambunctious, wild youngster, but it wasn't uncommon to see her keeping to herself, or even venturing out of camp in her spare time. When she wasn't on her spare time, she found herself trying to hone her developing skills, vouching for the opportunity to join patrols and joining the other apprentices so she could train alongside them. She especially enjoyed going on border patrols- not because of the task of securing StormClan's borders, but because she enjoyed roaming through the vast expanse of StormClan's territory. Really, any task that had to do with going outside of camp was a task she enjoyed. Coyotepaw also enjoyed sparring with other apprentices, and of course, her siblings. When it came down to the training itself, Coyotepaw found it difficult to focus on her training. It wasn't the lack of focus that was an issue, it was the fact that something didn't seem to sit right with her as she trained with her mentor. For Fernfang, training Coyotepaw was a frustrating task. She had energy, and seemed to put in effort, but they couldn't find that warrior spark, the same spark that seemed to show whenever she sparred with her siblings as a kit. Fernfang even hardened the training sessions, to which Coyotepaw would respond with determination and effort, but still no real spark, to Fernfang's dismay and frustration. But matter how much effort she put in, Coyotepaw's heart wasn't in it, even if her heart was definitely keen on training to protect her clanmates at all costs. It was all starting to feel empty to her. Something was missing. Whether it was a feeling or an action, she didn't know what it was. And yet, whenever she would check up on other apprentices after a training session, something seemed to kindle inside her. A feeling she deemed odd and brushed it off as just "being too kind for her own good." Every time one of her fellow apprentices seemed down or upset, she'd make an attempt to talk to them, or cheer them up in any way possible. During training sessions, she'd make sure her fellow apprentices weren't pushing themselves too hard, or even hurting themselves in the process- and if she'd accidentally hurt them while sparring, she'd stop whatever she was doing and check on them. In fact, she often appeared to be on the scene whenever something went on, whether it was an apprentice spraining their paw mid-hunt, or a warrior getting injured during a scuffle along ThornClan's borders. It wasn't uncommon to see her check up on the injured cat before scampering off to get the medicine cat. Not only that, it also wasn't uncommon to see her check up on the medicine cat in her spare time, and even going as far as offering to help them out- even if it was just going out to find a specific herb. Unfortunately, this unconscious habit of hers would become a terrible flaw during border fights between ThornClan. If the border patrols from both respective sides were on edge, Coyotepaw would try to mediate the situation, and try to deescalate the risk of a scuffle breaking out- though this wasn't successful most of the time. Even if she was developing her battle skills fairly well, Coyotepaw spent most of her time on the defensive side of the fight and protecting those that were struggling with their own battle, up to the point where she'd fight recklessly just to keep an injured clanmate safe, or to the point where she would simply take the injured clanmate away from the fight. At the end of each border fight, she'd make sure her clanmates were taken care of- and she always put their injuries before her own. Like her warrior training, these scuffles left her feeling empty. Eventually, Coyotepaw was unlucky enough to be part of one of the more extreme border fights- a fight the eventually became a full on battle, and just over a piece of fresh-kill. It was in this battle where Coyotepaw simply froze and found herself unable to lift a single claw in the battle, let alone a single paw to even join it in the first place. Eventually she snapped out of it when she began to see injuries on cats' pelts, and jumped into battle to defend those that were injured. It was this battle that ultimately made Coyotepaw unable to continue her apprenticeship to become a warrior. Not because of the fighting- she didn't mind fighting to defend herself or others, and would do anything for anyone that was harmed- but because with every swipe, scratch, or bite, she was left with this sinking, gaping feeling in her belly, and the extremity of this empty feeling reached its peak mid-battle, when she had a ThornClan apprentice pinned under paws. In that moment, she'd locked eyes with the apprentice before sheathing her own claws, released the other apprentice, and deserted the battle. Since deserting the battle, she spent her days in camp and refusing to speak to anyone- not even her own mentor tried to speak to her, who was caught up in their own feelings about the battle. Because of Coyotepaw's departure from the battle, Fernfang's own reputation took a hit; what kind of mentor were they if their own apprentice were the kind to desert a battle? It was in these days Coyotepaw ended up realizing that if she continued to become a warrior, she would end up living a miserable life- and funnily enough, she found that out when the medicine cat asked Coyotepaw for some assistance. Since it was leaf-fall, the medicine cat wanted to collect as many herbs as they could in order to stock up for leafbare, and to do that, they needed an extra set of paws. Coyotepaw just happened to be the apprentice for the job.. and the only apprentice that seemed willing enough to help out. Travelling through the grasslands in search of much-needed herbs such as marigold, yarrow, and burdock felt fulfilling to Coyotepaw. It was a feeling she missed, a feeling that she hadn't felt since she was just a curious kit spending time with the medicine cat. Several days passed, and Coyotepaw could be found spending most of her time in and out of the medicine den, and helping the medicine cat with whatever they needed. Fernfang had caught on to this sudden change in Coyotepaw's mood and tried to urge her to join them on border patrols and hunting trips, but most of the time Coyotepaw claimed to be "too busy" for those tasks, and before Fernfang could object, she'd disappear. Of course, Coyotepaw didn't miss her training sessions, but while Fernfang tried their best to get Coyotepaw to be engaged and focused on her training, they'd ultimately fail. This led to a few arguments between the two, the usually taking place in the middle of camp, or during training sessions. The most notable argument, however, was when they were on a patrol, and the patrol ended up stumbling upon a ThornClan patrol. Tensions rose between the two patrols, but Coyotepaw, growing fed up with the tension, simply sat down and refused to move. Fernfang, who was growing fed up with Coyotepaw's behavior, tried to get his apprentice to join him and the rest of the patrol so they could chase off the ThornClan patrol- but Coyotepaw refused, of course. Once again, another argument broke out between mentor and apprentice, this time in front of eyes that did not belong to anyone from StormClan, and ultimately, it was the breaking point between the two, because it was at that moment Coyotepaw suddenly declared that she didn't want to become a warrior anymore. The argument turned out to be the one thing that was able to prevent yet another border skirmish, but in that moment, it was the least of anyone's worries. After yet another day of simply staying in camp and refusing to speak to anyone, Coyotepaw spoke to the medicine cat about her interests in becoming their apprentice, and to become a medicine cat of StormClan. The medicine cat then spoke to Pearstar, who in turn spoke to Fernfang- but not before Coyotepaw spoke to Fernfang herself. She told Fernfang about her experience training to become a warrior, and how it felt empty to her. She also went on to express her gratitude for the opportunity of her warrior training, and even apologized to Fernfang about the arguments, and her behavior. Eventually Fernfang agreed to give up his status as a mentor, and allowed Coyotepaw to become a medicine cat apprentice. It wasn't long until a meeting was arranged for Coyotepaw, Fernfang, Pearstar, and the medicine cat, and in that meeting, Coyotepaw firmly expressed her feelings about becoming a medicine cat, and how much happier she felt learning about the ways of medicine cats. She wasn't sure if StarClan had something to do with the final decision, but before she even knew it, a clan meeting was called, and at eight moons old, Coyotepaw was named StormClan's medicine cat apprentice. For what could possibly be a first in her lifetime, she felt certain about her decision- but the future holds many possibilities. |