Post by shiny on Sept 16, 2014 14:38:24 GMT -5
Hi, my name is Ferndapple. I am 36 moons old and I serve ThunderClan as a deputy. I am a she-cat. I was named at birth for my pelt colors by Ashthorn and Hollyflower.
Short Description: Skinny brown and white tabby she-cat.
Long Description:
Personality:
If you can't find Ferndapple, the best place to look is up. Either in spite of or because of her slight build, Ferndapple can climb higher up in the trees than her heftier Clanmates. She does so quite frequently, too! She enjoys the heights, getting to the tip-top of the tallest tree in ThunderClan territory and knowing that one slip up could lead to her death. She's a bit of an adrenaline junkie, to be honest...
For being a deputy, Ferndapple is one of the friendliest cats you'll ever meet. I'm not saying that about the deputy because I expect cats of rank to be stern and imposing. I say that because she's friendly even to the cats in the rival Clans. Like, you'd never think she was next in line to become leader from the way she treats them.
You also wouldn't think she was a deputy because of the way she treats problems. Ferndapple hates confrontation and does whatever she can to resolve any issues without causing anyone problems. If it's an issue among Clanmates, she'll try to meet everyone's needs and not upset anyone.
Negative: Slightly Vain, Stressed, Anxious
Ferndapple thinks more about her pelt and looks than she cares to admit. Not that it happens a lot; maybe like two or three times every moon. But sometimes she'll refuse to go hunting or put off going on patrol to just bathe herself until the white of her fur shines like snow.
With everything going on in the forest, is it any wonder how stressed Ferndapple is? She might not be leader, but she doesn't envy him. Sometimes it feels like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. Every time a hunting patrol comes back empty-pawed or border patrols come back with scratches and injuries, that weight grows just a little bit more.
Not everything can be solved with words alone, and Ferndapple has learned this the hard way. Every time she can't find a peaceful solution, she takes it as a personal failure and ends up slightly depressed. She apologizes for things that aren't her fault and she couldn't possibly have any control over, purely because she feels like she's always to blame.
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History:
Every night for moons, ThunderClan got both a dinner and a show. For every night, they were witnesses to the odd, particular brand of flirting from Hollyflower, a mischievous she-cat who preferred socializing with her Clanmates than actually doing anything productive. Her style of flirting was teasing and annoying, much like an apprentice would act around a crush.
The object of her affections was not amused. Ashtalon was a stern, confident tom who was always on his guard. He thought Hollyflower was a ditsy, lazy she-cat who barely provided enough for the Clan to warrant her place in the Warriors Den. He made this quite clear in their nightly squabbles.
All the changed when
And then Hollyflower was there, and she was spitting mad. Ashtalon had never seen so much anger in her eyes. The way she fought off the both of them single-pawed amazed him. He'd never known she could be so... bad ass. And the way she looked at him afterwards, concerned and worried and... and so bloody loving.
The battle was over, ThunderClan victorious. As it should be, in Ashtalon's mind. He was the worst off from his ordeal, and Hollyflower herself was the one to help him walk back to camp. On the way, he quietly asked if she'd like to go hunting with him once he healed up, just the two of them, to talk. It was code, and pretty much everyone knew what it meant. Hollyflower was ecstatic for the next moon, visiting him almost every day in the medicine den.
When he was finally healthy enough to return to regular warrior duties, they did go out together. Ashtalon asked if she wanted to be his mate, and almost before he finished speaking, she said yes. Soon Hollyflower moved to the nursery, and it seemed like almost no time at all had passed until she was nursing the three tiniest, most perfect kits they had ever seen.
The oldest was the only she-cat in the litter, and they named her Fernkit. The middle kit was gray and white, taking Ashtalon's coloring, and him they named Owlkit. Lastly was Volekit, a solid brown tom.
Despite being the oldest kit, it was clear right from the start that Fernkit was the least mature of the trio. She whined about bedtime and naps and that she was hungry and did everything she could to purposefully be a nuisance to the warriors because it made her laugh. Ashtalon was not amused; Hollyflower, on the other paw, found it hilarious. It appeared the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree with them.
Fernkit's brothers were different though. While they were kits as well, eager for stories and adventures, they didn't try as hard as possible to annoy the older cats. They were amused by their sister's antics, of course, but also exasperated. As the kits grew older, it became clear that they were each their own personalities. Fernkit was troublesome and easily amused. Owlkit was the most intelligent and inquisitive, able to see the big picture rather than just connect the dots. Volekit was the serious one, who had aspirations to be leader one day.
The family had their ups and downs, as all families do, but they remained healthy and happy. The day of their sixth moon approached, and the kits became apprentices with no problems.
The day of their ceremony, Fernpaw was practically quivering with excitement. Her mentor was a middle aged warrior named Kitefeather. He was a patient tom, which was good for her. He didn't much mind when her energy caught up with her mouth before her train did, and actually seemed more amused at her antics than anything.
Under Kitefeather's tutelage, Fernpaw's energy found a more productive outlet. She was too hyperactive to make a very efficient hunter, but she was phenomenal in battle practice. She didn't have the strength or size to outright topple an enemy, but her speed and stamina were enough to wear any warrior out.
She got to test it out for real in a skirmish with rogues on the border with Twolegplace. Her opponent was a big old scruffy tom with more scars on his pelt than fur, but Fernpaw was unafraid and confident. She treated him like a fox or a badger. Dart in, swipe with claws, dart out. The brute was big but slow, and it was almost too easy for her, an apprentice only 9 moons old, to send him running away.
Her brothers were jealous that she fought, but were also extremely proud of her. Fernpaw was still as close to them as ever, despite them training separately. Another was impressed too, but he had little to do with Fernpaw at the time. A warrior named Oakstripe had watched her fight and was in awe that such a tiny she-cat could fight like that.
He found himself subtly watching her after that and slowly inserting himself into her life. Fernpaw didn't think much of it. He wasn't that much older than her, he'd been a senior apprentice when she switched dens. He probably just wanted to spend time with the apprentices to prepare for when he had his own. It completely missed her attention that he never spent time with the other apprentices, just her.
Everyone else realized it. Her brothers didn't like it and did what they could to interfere outside of downright threatening him to stay away. They tagged along on their hunting journeys, interrupted them in private moments, and even tried to make him seem like a dork and idiot in front of their sister. Each of their attempts backfired though. Whenever they joined them in the forest, Fernpaw said they just wanted to get tips from such an awesome warrior. Their private moments were met with increasing hostility on them butting in and any attempts to humiliate Oakstripe just made her fuss over him.
Near the end of their apprenticeship, greencough took hold of the Clan. Among the meany dead were Kitefeather and Drizzlesplash, Oakstripe's mother. Grief gripped the both of them, but they helped each other through it and came out with a stronger bond than before. For their closeness, the leader made Oakstripe Fernpaw's new mentor.
Whether he actually wanted them to foster their relationship is unknown. Honestly it was more for formality's sake than anything else. She was close enough to her warrior name to not warrant a new mentor. Regardless, Oakstripe tried to put aside his growing feelings for her and treat her like a regular apprentice. He took her out into the forest for training, assessed her fighting and hunting skills, and came to the conclusion that there really wasn't much else he could teach her.
He told the leader as such. Less than half a moon later, Fernpaw got her warrior name alongside her brothers.
Ferndapple adored her new name. It was so pretty! Her brothers, Owlheart and Voletail, weren't quite as impressed with their own. But they would live with them for the rest of their lives, unless they did something that warranted a name change. Like, say, becoming leader. Voletail hadn't given up on his dreams of leading the Clan, and did what he could to earn himself the trust and love of his Clanmates.
And his brother and sister honestly wished him the best of luck with that, but had their own lives to pay attention to. It wasn't even a season gone before Ferndapple and Oakstripe confessed their love to each other and became mates. But both agreed on waiting for kits; Ferndapple was only 14 moons. She wanted to prove herself as a warrior first.
And prove herself she did! She spoke to her Clanmates and got to know them on a personal level, making friends in every den. She helped the apprentices with their chores despite not being one herself anymore, she hunted diligently every day, and she patrolled the borders with a focused intent no one knew she had. Her favorite moments, however, were kitsitting. She and Oakstripe would spend almost an entire day watching the young ones of the Clan when the queens wanted a day off.
It was quite possibly the most fun they'd ever had together. Ferndapple laughed hardest when her mate was overrun by the little gremlins pretending to be a fox, then had them 'attack' her. It wasn't long until she wanted little gremlins of her own, and therefore it wasn't long until she was in the nursery at only 20 moons old. Her family was so incredibly happy for them. Voletail even expressed a wish to mentor one of her kits when the time came, and Ferndapple sincerely hoped for it.
She wasn't alone in the nursery for long. Another she-cat named Dewshine soon moved in with her, only a moon after her but far more experienced. This would be her third litter. The two hadn't been all that close beforehand, but eventually they became as close as sisters. Dewshine was there for her in her kitting, coaching her through it and trying to soothe her.
When Ferndapple was finished, she had two of the most beautiful tomkits ever. They both gray fur, one a light gray and the other dark. The elder, lighter colored one was named Cinderkit, after Ferndapple's father. The other, Rainkit, for Oakstripe's deceased mother. Ferndapple adored her children, and Oakstripe came to visit every day.
Voletail and Owlheart did as well, both for their own reasons. Owlheart, for all his seriousness, had a soft spot for kits. Cinderkit and Rainkit loved him just as much, and looked forward to his visits almost as much as they did Oakstripe. Voletail was sizing the kits up, thinking on which one he wanted to mentor. Cinderkit was the stockier kit and had the promise to be a true fighter when his time came, but he was also light-hearted and mischievous, almost exactly like his mother when they were kits. Rainkit was quiet, but that was more from shyness than seriousness.
When Dewshine went into labor, Ferndapple let Oakstripe take them into the clearing so she could stay for the older queen like she'd been there for her. There wasn't any need, though. It wasn't Dewshine's first litter and everything went smoothly. She only birthed one cat, a she-kit named Stormkit. When everything calmed down, Ferndapple let her kits into the nursery to meet their new denmate. Cinderkit was curious and went to sniff the younger kit only for her to swing a paw wildly at him.
The squeak he made when the paw connected had Ferndapple bending over in laughter. It seemed like almost no time at all that Stormkit was racing all over the place, following after the brothers and getting them into trouble. There was a fire in the she-cat that had her challenging even the warriors. The chaos the three kits made growing up ensured that there was never a dull day in the life of ThunderClan.
Several moons passed, and Cinderkit and Rainkit became apprentices. Ferndapple had made sure that her brothers mentored them, Voletail for Cinderpaw and Owlheart for Rainpaw. She would miss them coming to her with their problems, but all the same she was quite happy to get back to her regular warrior duties. She was even happier when, a moon later, she became mentor to Stormpaw.
Training Dewshine's daughter was simultaneously the most awesome and frustrating thing ever. She was eager to learn and prove herself, but that eagerness also caused her to run headfirst into trouble and not listen very well to her mentor. One such time almost cost the lives of herself, Cinderpaw, and Rainpaw. Mid apprenticeship, they were having a hunting assessment and came upon a fox. Rather than running for their mentors like they were supposed to do, Stormpaw attacked it.
They only survived the encounter because their mentors all came running to help them and showed just what siblings could do when fighting side by side. Once the fox had been run off, the apprentices readied themselves for the berating they were sure Owlheart or Voletail would bestow on them. But no, it was Ferndapple who reigned hell on them, yowling at them with a fierceness that none of them knew she had. It was only when she wound herself around all three of them, checking for injuries, that they felt her shaking and knew her fear.
Stormpaw took the blame and apologized, not just to the warriors, but Cinderpaw and Rainpaw as well. The incident had caused her to realize just how fragile life could be, and it matured both her and Ferndapple's sons. That was the last eventful thing for the Clan until Cinderpaw and Rainpaw took the names Cindermask and Rainstep. Not a moon after did Stormpaw become Stormsong.
Deputy
Life went on. She hunted and fought and laughed, believing that was all she was meant to do in life. Until the depths of that leaf-bare. Greencough took hold of the Clan, and many of the cats. One of them was the deputy. Ferndapple was sure this was Voletail's chance, and so did everyone else. He hadn't exactly been quiet about his ambition.
So when the deputy died and Ferndapple was named in his place, no one knew how to take it. Ferndapple least of all. Voletail had waited his whole life for this chance, and the cat that didn't even want it was named rather than him? It was an outrage! Ferndapple tried to protest her naming, but the leader would not be swayed. Ferndapple would be deputy and that was that.
To this day, the relationship between Ferndapple and Voletail is strained and bitter. She just wants things to be back the way they were.[/ul]
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