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Post by deuce on Jan 22, 2011 12:00:15 GMT -8
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Why do you shun me for who I am?
FOR I AM SWIFTCHASER
of the great AshClan
Age thirty-six moons
Gender tomcat
Rank deputy
How can I hide in the shadows of the unknown?
WHEN MY PELT IS GINGER
and my eyes are yellow
Scars swiftchaser is a fighter through and through, and it comes as little surprise that he bears the marks of several past battles. although he is young, healthy, and heals quickly, there are a few injuries that simply could not be erased by the skilled paws of a medicine cat. first and foremost is the v-shaped nick taken out of his right ear, which he actually wears with a certain pride. received in the battle that earned him his warrior name, he'll be more than happy to tell you the story if you'd like to ask. a vicious set of claws once scored down his left shoulder and the wound never quite healed the way it was supposed to...probably because he refused to stay in the healer's den for the required time. the fur over this mark is just starting to grow back, although it's stiffer than the rest of his coat.
Appearance swiftchaser is young, muscular, and handsome. although he is battle-scarred, there is a definite attractiveness to him that he is all too aware of. he is an average sized warrior, being neither laughably small nor intimidatingly large. if he was able to sit still long enough without having to bound off to tend to his duties, he would have a regal appearance. but for now, he just whizzes around on quick paws and generally looks like nothing but a blur. never the less, he has a firm muscle tone and is particularly athletic. he is very lithe and, as his name suggests, quick on her paws. he moves quite like his leopardclan ancestors when he's not in some great hurry, and has a distinct alertness about him. his pelt is warmly and richly colored, and makes those who glance briefly at him look again.
to two-legs, swiftchaser looks as though he stepped right out of an egyptian painting and into the real world. he has a wedge shaped head but without harsh edges, which are rounded off slightly instead. he does not have a flat face in any way, but the slope from his brow to muzzle is gentle and not especially dramatic. the young cat's muzzle itself is somewhat small, with a rounded chin that doesn't protrude nor retract. his head flows in a slight curve into an arched neck, suggesting grace despite his constant energy. his ears are large and slightly pointed, and constantly held in an alert position. his eyes are large and almond-shaped, curiously accented with darker lid skin and with a faint stroke of tabby markings above each one. it is almost as if they were drawn in pencil as an afterthought to the rest of the painting.
swiftchaser's body is, as mentioned before, neither large nor small. it's of average length, but clearly lithe and again promises grace despite the owner. although he is muscular, he was gifted with the thin, lean muscles of a racer rather than the coarse ones of an all out brawler. never the less, he has a solid feel and does not appear that he'll blow away when the wind picks up, with slightly rounded out ribs instead of flat sides. his spine is naturally arched slightly, almost as though he's always ready to spring. he has a somewhat tall appearance, with slim legs that keep him well off the ground, but they are proportionate to his body. his paws are small and oval, tightly compacted and giving the air of standing on his tip toes to see what's going on. his tail is long and tapers, starting thick but ending thin.
swiftchaser has a dense, resilient coat of fur and is generally well protected from the weather, except for when it's very cold outside or when traveling in frostclan's territory for any reason. because he believes that first impressions are important, he keeps his pelt tidy and gives himself a bath after he wakes up and before he curls up to sleep. this gives his coat a sheen that might cause other clan cats to mistake him for a well-groomed kittypet, to which he'll promptly prove otherwise. although fine in texture and lying close to his body, his fur snaps almost immediately back into place if brushed backward due to a thick undercoat. his pelt is longest along his spine, and then shortens over his back, flanks, legs, and head. although not long, his coat is long enough to allow three or four bands of light and dark.
swiftchaser is a colorful looking young warrior. his pelt is warm brown seemingly tipped with black, but upon closer inspection there are a variety of different shades and hues. the base color of his coat is a deep ginger flecked with black and dark brown; each hair starts ginger, then alternates with the darker colors for three or four bands, with the darkest usually being on the end. his stomach, throat, and inside of his legs are a shade of apricot that harmonizes well with the previous ginger, being slightly lighter. the leather of his nose is brick red and, like his eyes, is outlined with black. the tip of his tail is also black, as are the pads of his paws and the fur between his toes. his eyes are golden and bright, alert and always on the lookout for anything exciting. he is especially visual and misses very little.
Why do you judge me for what I’ll become? JUST BECAUSE I’M INDEPENDENT AND MOODY
Personality independent - swiftchaser is most assuredly his own cat. although still young enough to be considered an inexperienced warrior, he is fully capable of looking out for himself and will challenge any cat who says he isn't. he simply doesn't feel the need to be taken care of by anyone other than himself, although it certainly is quite nice to be the center of attention. he is not influenced by other opinions and will always have his own thoughts and feelings about everything that happens both within the clan and outside of it. he's usually not afraid of voicing those thoughts, either, which can be both a disadvantage and a strength. strongly individualistic, he cannot and will not accept any attempts made to change his character, no matter if it's for better or for worse.
moody - ah, yes, swiftchaser is notoriously temperamental. although he's generally a happy and cheerful cat and is almost always the first one to smile and laugh in the best of moments, he is also the first to hiss and spit in the worst. while he is almost never in a sullen mood for very long, he is prone to swinging from one emotion to another within an extremely short amount of time. expressive and open as any cat could be, he will not attempt to hide his emotions. on one paw, this means he is short tempered and easily provoked, but on the other, it is helpful because at least you know exactly what he's feeling at all times and never have to worry that he's lying to you. similarly, because his moods are so easily changed, he can be soothed just as easily as he can be spurred into fury.
generous - swiftchaser will always be the first one to volunteer his time and energy for any cause. you're too tired to go out on patrol? he'll be the first one to offer to take your place. you didn't catch much today and you don't have any fresh-kill to eat? sure, he'll share with you. although he is particularly self-oriented and does his good deeds out of the idea that he's the ashclan's very own super hero, he has no prejudices and will gladly offer help to anyone who seems to really need it. even if the cat is from a different clan, or even from no clan at all. however, he is still naive and has yet to learn how to judge the character of his fellow cats, so it's relatively easy to take advantage of his trusting nature. all you have to do is pretend like you're cold or starving and he'll believe you.
short-tempered - although it's already been mentioned that swiftchaser has a short fuse, it's such a big aspect of his character that it's worth mentioning a second time. he is highly sensitive to any sort of insult and will not hesitate to defend his honor if he believes it's being threatened. similarly, he's protective of his friends and clanmates. highly aggressive, even though he has no preconceived opinions about certain clans or cats, he will always be the first launch an attack if he perceives danger. however, he is not always physically aggressive; he can also spit thorns if he cannot use his claws. as mentioned before, though, all you have to do in order to receive a pardon is act apologetic. he won't know the difference if you're telling the truth or not. on a similar note, he remembers faces; if he helps you, don't cross him.
optimistic - swiftchaser believes that starclan will work everything out in the end. while he certainly is not one to sit around and let things happen to him as they will, he believes that his ancestors have a paw in everything and will not allow the rain to fall without a plan to let the sun shine again after. he doesn't believe in moping around and letting life pass you by, and sees the silver lining to any cloud that happens to float into his sky. he believes wholeheartedly in the best of every cat he meets, and it takes only the worst of deeds to shake this faith. decidedly upbeat and happy, he's fun to be around, particularly if you're feeling glum. he will not, however, tolerate extended periods of gloominess in his friends, and simply find a more like-minded warrior to spend his sparse free time with.
self-involved - swiftchaser tends to be selfish. he finds it difficult to pay attention to anyone else if times are hard, and the giving side of him will vanish if he is hungry, cold, or is generally in need of something himself. to be fair, this is not intentional; he doesn't consciously block out the needs of others before himself, but is in fact just oblivious. he is very much still an overgrown kit in this sense, and has not yet learned to see past his immediate thoughts and feelings and think about the long term effects of his words and actions. it has gotten considerably better over time, however, and his selfish nature has gradually shrunk since his apprenticeship. he often says things he doesn't really mean in the heat of the moment, and won't understand and may become ornery if his hasty apology later isn't accepted.
enthusiastic - swiftchaser is a bundle of furry energy if there ever was one to walk the forest. he seems to have an almost constant supply of boundless enthusiasm, no matter what he's doing. dawn patrol? yes, he behaves as though he's been up for hours already. if a task is particularly boring, he can and will find a way to make it fun and exciting. a hard worker, he charges headlong into whatever task laid out for him, but his mentor found that he has difficulty seeing long assessments through. he has an intense drive to succeed and puts a lot of pressure on himself, and because of this, there's a part of him that's insecure and doubts himself. however, this underlying part of his character is so buried beneath his strong, independent attitude that most cats never even realize it's there at all.
impulsive - as you probably already guessed, swiftchaser is your classic leap-before-you-look accident waiting to happen. if he wants to do something, he does it. he doesn't think about the risks to himself and others until after the fact; if you're lucky, that is. he is a cat of action, not words, and will not waste time. many cats in ashclan believe that this will be the death of them should hiddenstar ever perish and leave swiftchaser in charge. ask him, though, and he'd argue that leaders need this trait. after all, who wants a leader who will waste precious time when deciding on an important issue? do you want to miss out on a chance at extra prey to feed your kits because action wasn't taken in time? no, he didn't think you would. he doesn't quite yet understand what's wrong with being, as he puts it 'quick on his paws.'
courageous - if he had one, the word 'fear' would not even be in swiftchaser's dictionary. although this bravery comes from the notion that he's invincible and cannot be harmed, anyway, no one can argue that he is a coward in any sense of the word. confident and self-assured, he could face an entire clan of bloodthirsty rogues without so much as even flinching if he had to. he will not back down from a challenge, no matter how impossible it may seem. he knows he can find a way around any obstacle that might stand in his path, and believes that it is this trait alone that has allowed him to live as long as he has and be where he is. because he has the courage to keep pushing through even the hardest of times, starclan has given him the gift of life and the position of deputy amongst his beloved clan.
impatient - swiftchaser hates being off his paws for too long. he cannot stand to be confined in one place for extended periods of time, and moves almost constantly. whether that means bolting at a full sprint across camp and back or just rhythmic flickering of his tail, he's never still. he sees time spent waiting around as time wasted, and if there's one thing he hates, it's wasting time. he wants things when he wants them, and is liable to get cranky if this isn't immediately possible. intelligent, he learns very quickly and finds it difficult to adjust to the rate of learning set by his somewhat slower peers. as an apprentice, he was particularly snappy and irritable because he was forced to slow down to the other's pace, and he was unable to understand that others do not learn as fast as he does.
Preferences swiftchaser loves to run. there's just something about racing along with the wind in his fur that he can't get enough of, and it's not at all unlike him to go for sprints across the territory during border patrols. it goes without saying that he enjoys the taste of rabbit and is extremely grateful to have been born in ashclan, where the rabbits run almost without fail. he also likes to spar with his clanmates, and listening to the stories the elders have to tell to the kits and young apprentices. on the other paw, he hates being hungry, and his least favorite place in the camp is the medicine cat's den. he dislikes waiting for things and he loathes when there's a call for retreat during battle. he also has a strong aversion to water, and will not set paw in it unless he has to. or some cat dares him to.
Secret Ambitions there really isn't anything that swiftchaser secretly aspires to. this is certainly not for lack of ambition; no, nothing could be farther from the truth. he is a wildly ambitious soul and aspires to reach as high as he can possibly go. no, the real key word here is 'secret.' swiftchaser is the farthest you can get from being secretive, and there is nothing about him that he keeps hidden from the clan. he desires to be leader, and with a head full of new ideas, he intends to revise ashclan to become the strongest power in the forest if and when he receives his nine lives. although his ideas are somewhat revolutionary and can easily be perceived as dangerous, there is still the common hope of all apprentices that he has not yet outgrown and probably never will: he wants to be the greatest warrior that ever lived.
Strengths/Weaknesses as mentioned before, there are many aspects of swiftchaser's general character that can serve dually as a strength and a weakness all at once. although he is adventurous, energetic, courageous and confident, he is also self-centered, short-tempered, impulsive, and impatient. physically, he is much faster than he is strong, although he is certainly not without the ability to use brute strength. he has relative youth on his side, as at three human years, he has only lived out one fifth of his expected lifespan and has not yet begun to slow down with age. at his disadvantage, he cannot swim and has what he refuses to recognize as a fear of water. although he is very loyal to ashclan, he isn't a discriminating soul and will be happy to offer a paw to any stranger, friend or cunning foe.
How am I punished for what my kin has done?
EVEN IF MY PARENTS ARE BLAZECLAW AND RAINPOOL
Family swiftchaser's parents are ashclan warriors and he has no foreign blood running through his veins as far as he can tell, and he is proud to say so. his father is a rebellious creature by the name of blazeclaw, and his mother is a gentle soul called rainpool. he is the firstborn in a litter of four, with one brother and two sisters. the second oldest kit, a she-cat, now goes by the name of dawncall, and the third, his brother, is named quickstrike. the fourth and final in the litter only went so far as to earn her apprentice name, redpaw, before she died. swiftchaser likes to think that if she had lived, hiddenstar would've named her redsky, and refers to her in this manner whenever speaking or thinking about her. his ancestors are of no particular importance or significance, with the one exception of his father.
Event that Lead to being a Warrior this is both swiftchaser's favorite story to tell and his least favorite. it's his favorite because the moment he was named a full warrior of ashclan was one of the proudest of his life, but it's also his least favorite because he lost his sister the same day. during the end of his apprenticeship, there was a great amount of water that came during new-leaf, and the shores of soulclan's territory swelled and flooded some of the territory. hungry, soulclan warriors launched a raid on ashclan land, which they believed was the safest from the water's rise. swiftchaser, then swiftpaw, battled bravely against warriors much larger than he and somehow managed to escape with only a nick in his ear. impressed with the scrappy apprentice's courage during the fight, hiddenstar granted him his warrior name.
History swiftchaser's story really should begin before he was even thought of, not at the point when he actually began to start breathing air. no, it should start with his parents. his father, blazeclaw, was a young, headstrong warrior with a lot of big ideas and a love for danger. his mother, rainpool, was equally young when blazeclaw began courting her, but decidedly more reserved. her own mother warned her against falling in love with the single cat who dared speak against both deputy and leader, but there was something about blazeclaw's free spirit that drew rainpool in rather than pushed her away. blazeclaw was without parents, as both of them had perished in battle before he was named a warrior, and was not as tied to them as rainpool was. they fell in love and became mates despite the disapproval of rainpool's kin.
swiftkit, dawnkit, quick-kit, and redkit were all born during a very cold, very hungry leaf-bare for the clans. it was only through blazeclaw's tireless work that rainpool got enough to eat during her pregnancy and the following period of suckling, and the medicine cat at the time was amazed that all four of them survived into new-leaf. there were no other kits in the nursery during the time that swiftkit and his siblings were born, and so the four had only each other to play with. because of this, they grew to share a strong bond with one another despite their differences. swiftkit was a pawful, active and curious about everything both within the camp and outside of it. he was the first of his litter to learn how to do almost everything, from walking to pouncing to speaking, and couldn't wait until he was made an apprentice.
when the day finally came, swiftpaw was initially disappointed at being given stonewhisker as a mentor, a well-known grumpy warrior who didn't seem to like anyone or anything. but as with all things in his life, he slapped on a smile and found ways to enjoy the training sessions with his teacher. not at all perfect, he more than once drove poor stonewhisker up the wall with his rebellious attitude, but near the end of his training, his mentor had to admit that he had grown fond of the eager ginger apprentice. as another new-leaf began, heavy rains came and some parts of soulclan land went underwater, and the remaining three clans feared a raid. he was well prepared when the battle arrived, and fought fiercely. unfortunately, his sister, redpaw, was killed in the fray, and so he accepted his warrior name with a saddened heart.
swiftchaser was a fine warrior, but he could not escape his origins. after he and his siblings were moved into the warrior's den, he once again came into close contact with his father. the remaining two of his littermates were considerably more like their mother and wisely payed little attention to blazeclaw's mutinous behavior, but swiftchaser was intrigued. his father was a good cat, so what he had to say surely couldn't have been as terrible as everyone made it out to be, even if it reeked of treason against ashclan and the warrior code as they knew it. he listened, but with a heart that was for once in his life uncertain. he agreed that the laws laid down by his ancestors were old and needed to be revised to fit the way things were currently among the clans, but was the murder of the current deputy truly necessary?
it went without saying that blazeclaw was furious that hiddenstar chose his son to be deputy after the previous one retired. not only had he missed another chance to put his ideas to work and come to power himself, but all the work he had done in 'poisoning' his son's mind was erased. rainpool and his siblings watched from afar, relieved, as swiftchaser came under a surge of intense loyalty to ashclan and shunned any further attempts by his father to change his mind. he would make ashclan better, but he would do it his way and without shedding his own clanmate's blood. however, he refuses to turn his sire in to hiddenstar as a traitor; this is partly because blazeclaw has yet to do anything, and partly because his heart is still soft toward his kin and he doesn't believe that he means any harm to their leader now.
Sample RP silas, although attempting to mask his fear, cannot help the tangible sense of relief to flood through him as the knife is put away. at least he isn't going to have his throat slit or anything tonight; he might still get his ass handed to him in the near future, but at least not right now. he makes a mental note to himself to never wander out by himself again, unless he simply cannot stand it any longer. or at least not try and tell himself that he can rid the world of one crazy bastard when he doesn't even have a big stick or anything to defend himself with. huh, yeah, that would do him a lot of good. beat the guard over the head with a stick and get a chest full of lead. he seems to face that choice a lot these days. glad to be released, he rubs his shoulder with his opposite hand, but watches the stranger with leftover traces of suspicion.
ironically, silas finds himself wondering if the older male is slightly insane himself. he watches, puzzled, as the same guy who'd been ready to kill him a moment before seems to stare off into space, lost in his own thoughts. a slight twinge of fear prickles in him again, hesitant to be around someone so unpredictable. he is a boy -- or rather man, he supposes; he has not quite yet accustomed to being called a man -- of patterns, of reliability and steadiness, and those who are not make him uneasy. when he thinks about it, even though his venturing out into the park tonight was dangerous, it is not at all unusual for him. he walked in this park often, before the blast and after.
seriously, what the hell is he looking at? silas follows his gaze up to the lit street lamp, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. what's so interesting about that? how is that useful? perhaps, he considers, he's waiting for it to flicker out, maybe as a sign of some sort from his group. whether that's beneficial to silas or not is a question that makes his skin prickle yet again with uneasiness, but he dares not try and make a run for it. the other man could still have a gun or some such concealed in his coat, and he did not trust him enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. he twitches once when the freckle-faced stranger abruptly leaps away from him, but remains relatively motionless, a mystified bull observing a jumpy colt. he had not considered any aspect of 'cuddling,' and hadn't even really noticed being warmer with him nearby.
what's he doing out here? silas is dreading this question, and it shows in the guarded look that passes over his features. he can't tell the truth, can't say he's there because his heart aches to be close to rosie again. what would this man know about any of that, anyway? he is not a good judge of people, but the guard appears to never have even loved his own mother. how could he understand, and how could he explain without sounding like an absolute pansy? but then again, he cannot lie, either. he's never been good at lying; it's all too complicated, because you have to come up with a dozen smalls lies to go with the big one. the knitting of a spiderweb is far too complicated for someone like him. "i know they're up there," he says defensively. "i'm here for...nostalgic reasons."
silas is slightly surprised to hear that the guard -- whose name is apparently deus, although it appears that he came up with that name for himself -- has a thick accent. he hadn't noticed it earlier, probably because he was too tense and scared to pick up on it. he finds it soothing to listen to, and subconsciously, the muscles in his shoulders go lax under his skin as he continues to speak. how could he be afraid when listening to those rounded vowels and hesitance to spit out harsh sounds? the curly-headed young man pauses at the end of the speech, unsure of what he wants to say to him. deus is arrogant and with the government, 'protecting the people.' he doesn't believe a word of that part; the government didn't warn them, didn't give them a chance to run, to live. didn't give her a chance...
You call me by the name I’ve lied
I meet in secret with those who’ve died
Though life is not’ but treachery
This life is all the life in me
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