Post by :c a i: on Jan 8, 2010 15:24:25 GMT -6
Name: Otterheart
Age: 13 moons
Gender: Male
Clan: SkyClan
Apprentice: Open
Rank: Warrior
Mate/Crush: Open
Kin:
Redflower - [Mother; SkyClan; NPC]
Brownclaw - [Father; SkyClan; NPC]
Funnyface - [Uncle; SkyClan; NPC]
Cheesefoot - [Aunt; SkyClan; NPC]
Opennose - [Uncle; SkyClan; NPC]
Custardbowl - [Aunt; SkyClan; NPC]
Missingneck - [Aunt; SkyClan; NPC]
Chewedwhisker - [Aunt; SkyClan; NPC]
Now while the early budders are just new,
And run in mazes of the youngest hue
And run in mazes of the youngest hue
Description:
Much to his exasperation, Otterheart looks quite young, boyish and lovable with a fluffy, rounded face and short, thick brown fur which is as soft as a kit's and sticks out in tufts much of the time. He is a sandy-brown colour, but with thick, dark tabby stripes and a few splashes of lighter brown. Otterheart is quite small with short legs, but he looks set to develop a lot of muscle over the coming moons since he is not yet full-grown and has plenty of filling out to do. His paws are sand-coloured and equipped with dangerously large claws which seem to contrast greatly with his soft appearance. There is strength in his legs and paws, though he still appears young and apprentice-like. His face is his most appealing feature, for he has a youthfully sweet expression and resplendently bright sun-gold eyes which are forever being admired by his numerous relatives. While he is frequently told he should be glad he has such a honey-sweet appearance, Otterheart grows tired of being admired for looking cute. There is an air of kit-like purity and innocence about Otterheart, even though he is a fully-fledged warrior. However, he is hardier than most cats expect and is capable of much more than they give him credit for. He has taken his fair share of tumbles and if one looks closely, there are even a few battle-scars on his soft coat. He is a very skilful climber, able to scale trees very fast and effectively, which gives him easy access to tree-dwelling prey.
Personality:
The absolute youngest in his family, Otterheart is still treated like a kit by his many aunts and uncles. He wishes they did not baby him so much and desperately wants to prove his strength and make them all realise he is no longer a kit, but is in fact fully trained and raring to serve his Clan. Although he has the spirit of a great warrior, he is still very innocent and pure, having been sheltered and sheilded by his family's loving care all his life. Because of his large family, he has always had someone to look after him and so he is a little less independent than most apprentices of his age. As the only surviving kit of his parents', he has been doted on greatly and is used to receiving plenty of attention, whether or not he wants it. At times his family is embarrassing and overbearing, which makes him try to avoid them as much as possible. Otterheart is brave and clever, though his overprotective family has made him somewhat self-conscious and insecure. For a cat who has been doted on so much, he is surprisingly down-to-earth and unselfish. It would have been easy to grow spoilt and demanding through his comfortable life, but he does not act unpleasantly and is a truly sweet-hearted tom. There is not a mean bone in his body and he genuinely has never acted out of spite in his life. His good heart is evident when he stares at the world with honest, irreproachable eyes. Though slightly bashful around other cats, Otterheart treats everyone with the utmost care and respect, making him well-loved not just by his kin, but by his friends too.
History:
Initially there were four kits in Otterheart's litter: Two toms and two she-kits. Their arrival was greeted with immediate adoration and care by their extended family, including many aunts who had kits of their own and were forever offering advice to Otterkit's young mother. Right from the first moment, Otterkit and his siblings always had the eyes of a family member upon them, watching every move. There was always a grown-up cat to pick them up if they stumbled or lick their fur clean when it grew dirty, much to their annoyance. Every cat in SkyClan was amused to hear the grumblings of the overprotected youngsters. They were not unhappy, however, though they did wish for more freedom to make their own mistakes and learn from them themselves. The first strike in Otterkit's family occurred in their first leaf-bare, which was bitter and unrelenting, claiming the lives of both of Otterkit's sisters.
Now with only two survivors in the litter, Otterkit's aunts and uncles grew even more protective and fussy, giving the kits no chance to get into trouble and trying to keep them out of harm's way. As a result, Otterkit and his brother were terribly bored and keen to sneak away from their overbearing kin. Sadly, opportunities to do this were rare, thanks to the insistence that they be watched over at all times. Though the brothers had many cousins, they were all many moons older than them and already full warriors, leaving none for them to play with in the nursery. Eager to find other ways to amuse themselves, the kits scampered amongst the caves, ignoring the flapping of their concerned relatives. In a stroke of great misfortune, Otterkit's brother was bitten by a lone rat. At the time, this wound seemed minor and no cause for real concern and it wasn't until a beady-eyed aunt caught sight of the wound a day later that he went to the medicine cat's den. It was left too late, for the wound had already become infected and Otterkit's brother soon ran a high fever.
The sickness overcame the young tom and Otterkit was left quite alone when his last littermate passed on to StarClan, leaving just one kit for the variety of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents to dote upon. Somewhere in his young mind, he knew that he hadn't seen anything yet with regards to being babysat all day long. Now he was essentially chained to the nursery until he turned six moons, prevented from partaking in any of the usual adventures of a young kit. As a result of this, Otterkit seemed younger than he really was, innocent and unaware of many stark truths about life. Becoming an apprentice was a huge leap for Otterkit and he found it difficult to adjust. Now given some of the independence he had wanted all his life, he was struggling to keep up with the older, wiser and more experienced apprentices whom he trained with. He made friends, though many were amused by his naivety. Otterpaw began his crash course in learning all the things he ought to have learnt as an older kit, trying to make sense of all the new things he was experiencing.
An unwitting Otterpaw once found himself the object of another apprentice's bullying. Though they were the same age, Otterpaw still tended to think the best of the world and did not understand that he had to stand up for himself. He tried to please everyone, not wanting to fight. Unfortunately for him, the other apprentice began a scuffle with him, but instead of being allowed to learn this tough lesson alone, Otterpaw found himself facing the humiliation of being rescued by his aunt. To the present day, Otterheart has never quite been able to forgive her for causing such embarrassment. Even he knows that it would have been better for him to have taken the blow and learned something from it rather than be whisked off by his kin as always.
It took a time, but eventually Otterpaw stopped being quite so confused and unaware of life's bitter truths. He was tired of being the baby of his family, yet he hadn't the heart to tell any of his overbearing kin to back off and let him learn his own way. His mentor was very kind to him and became someone to whom he could tell all his troubles and vent all his frustrations to. She listened carefully and tried to help him, and in the end she became a great friend of Otterpaw's. She was the first one who understood Otterpaw's character truly and completely. She knew he would never lose that youthful goodness and that he was a special cat for being that way. And it was her who helped him begin to escape the net of his family's excessive love and care.
Every aunt and uncle and grandparent who had ever licked Otterpaw between the ears or cooed over his handsomeness or told him off for not washing his ears was made to watch as Otterpaw began his transformation into Otterheart. At twelve moons, still looking much like a little boy cat than a big tomcat, Otterpaw was still a master of the hunt, rarely failing to bring home a catch. He could defend himself alone now and he proved this when he battled with a young rogue out on the outskirts of SkyClan territory when a family of rogue cats intruded, this time unaided. Though not quite full-grown, it was somehow obvious that Otterpaw was ready to be a warrior. Now he is Otterheart, he is just beginning to gain some of the respect he has never quite managed to have during his short life. He is becoming his own cat, and it couldn't feel better for him.
Roleplay example:
'Cause you're holding me down, I just wanna fly
And there comes a time when I gotta say goodbye
To the life that you see me in
Here's where I begin
And I promise myself
I ain't nobody's, I just wanna be free
And I promise myself
Even though it don't always come easy
Other:
