LEOPARDTAIL, windclan elder

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

n a m e : Leopardtail
a g e : 112 Moons
g e n d e r : Tom
Clan : WindClan
r a n k : Elder
s t a t u s : Heart Condition
ma t e : Lilyheart

d e s c r i p t i o n .

Thin . Small . Black . White Dash on Chest . Short Fur . Amber Eyes

Leopardtail is small for a tom, just a bit larger than the average WindClan she-cat. His build is on the lighter side, and in his prime he was a lithe, powerful warrior. Though he was never an exceedingly large or strong cat, in his youth his long, fluid build resulted in him being one of the fastest warriors in the Clan. Though at birth he was named for his dark pelt and sleek build, his warrior name came from his tail, which is exceptionally long and furry. Old age has stripped much of the flesh from his already slender frame, making Leopardtail a lanky, thin cat. His pelt is short and black, and a bit matted in places due to his habit of occasionally forgetting to groom himself. There is a small white dash on his chest, so tiny no cat even noticed it until he was almost a moon old. He has large paws and big, round-tipped ears. His eyes are bright golden, and often shine with pleasant humour. Age hasn't dampened his shining golden eyes or his bright spirit, but Leopardtail's joints do bother him in damp weather, and his heart isn't as strong as it used to be.

p e r s o n a l i t y .

Friendly . Good-Natured . Talkative . Adventurous . Imaginative . Mischievous . Playful . Social . Optimistic . Peaceful

Leopardtail may be one of the oldest cats in the Clan, but he has the heart of a warrior barely out of apprenticeship. He is friendly and talkative, and loves the company of other cats. Bold and uninhibited, he still loves adventure and mystery, even if he’s too old to roam the moors like he did as a young cat. Leopardtail is a complete prankster, and likes to say that he doesn’t have a serious bone in his body. He loves to joke and exchange friendly banter with any cat willing to oblige, and occasionally even likes to play a game or two with the current litter of kits. His old bones keep him from being able to play too long, but even if he’s not feeling up to engaging in the kits’ current escapade, he’s still more than willing to watch them if the queens need a break. He also likes to take short walks around WindClan territory, and has been known to occasionally bring back a rabbit when he returns. As shining and optimistic as his demeanour is, he does recognize that he’s getting older. Sometimes his chest tightens up painfully, but so far the medicine cat’s herbs have proven useful in relieving such episodes. Leopardtail remains unconcerned about his advancing age, content in the knowledge that he will be reborn in StarClan, where his body will once again be as young as his spirit.

h i s t o r y .

Leopardtail’s mother was a fanciful she-cat, who loved stories and liked to daydream. She gave birth in early greenleaf, and had four little kits. She never revealed who the father of her kits was, but she loved her kits so much that they barely noticed the absence of a father figure. Leopardkit was one of two black kits in the litter, and his mother named him after the lithe cats of LeopardClan, who could sometimes be so dark that their spots barely showed against their pelts. The little tom grew quickly, and between his mother and his three siblings ha was kept well occupied. As the moons wore on, he became bigger and more outgoing. Leopardkit was a cheerful kit, always up for a game, and he was often sneaking somewhere he shouldn’t, or making mischief of some other kind. But he was such a sweet cat that other cats rarely had the heart to scold him severely.

Finally came the day of his apprenticeship, and he was given his apprentice name along with his littermates. Leopardpaw was apprenticed to a wise older warrior who had much to teach him, both about life and about warrior duties. He and his mentor got on well, though it didn’t stop the older cat from sighing with exasperation whenever Leopardpaw did something silly. Partway through his apprenticeship, when he was about nine moons old, two more kits reached their sixth moon and came to live in the apprentice’s den. One of them was a she-cat named Lilypaw, who Leopardpaw remembered from the nursery back before he was apprenticed. The two quickly became close friends, and by the time Leopardpaw earned his warrior name they did nearly everything together. And only few moons after Leopardpaw became Leopardtail, Lilyheart joined him in the warrior’s den.

Leopardtail’s warriorhood passed quickly, and he enjoyed every moment of it. Less than a season after Lilyheart moved to the warriors’ den, the two friends became mates. Lilyheart moved to the nursery soon after to bear her first litter of kits. Leopardtail and Lilyheart both loved their little bundles of joy, and the ebony warrior took an active role in his kits’ lives despite his own lack of a father. He and his mate continued to serve their Clan for many seasons, during which they had no less than three litters of kits. With dedicated and loving care, all of their kits grew to be fine warriors, though some of them died of injury or disease in the moons after they received their warrior names. Leopardtail and Lilyheart both moved to the elders’ den at the same time, when they were in their seventh leaf-fall. There they dwelled for several moons before Lilyheart died of greencough early one leaf-bare. Leopardtail missed his mate, but he didn’t mourn her deeply. He knew that she wouldn’t have wanted him to stop living just because she had, and besides, it wouldn’t be much longer before he joined her in StarClan, where they could watch over their kits and Clan together.

o t h e r .

He be the oldest cat in the Clan! And he'll probably die of a heart attack... His heart isn't so great any more.

[Yoko]

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