Post by canary on Mar 7, 2020 18:28:44 GMT -5
The Essentials
Name: Sparrowsprout
Prefix Meaning: Born the runt of a bird-themed litter, while his siblings were named after birds of prey, he was named after a common songbird
Suffix Meaning: For his personal growth over his life time; for the new start to his life after he became a warrior; his mentor described him as being "a seed his whole life who faced hardship for many years, but now it is his time to sprout and become a strong tree"
Sex: Male
Age: 25 moons
Sexuality: Homosexual
Rank: Warrior
Role: Willow Fam
Adopt Thread: Zesty's Adopts
Last Character: Onyxseeker
The Body
Base Coat Color: Red
Markings: Classic tabby markings, white spotting from neck to underbelly
Eye Color: Amber
Body Size and Build: Small, skinny twig, bony
Fur Length and Texture: Long, coarse
Health and Scars: Sickly, runt; tends to fall easily into sickness
Faceclaim: Logan
The Identity
Positive Traits: Steadfast, modest, mild, rational
Neutral Traits: Soft-spoken, unconfrontational, eager to please, vague
Negative Traits: Distrustful, anxious, amoral, austere
Loves: Butterflies, his nest, sharing everything with his siblings, grooming
Likes: Cloud-watching, digging holes, counting stars to fall asleep
Dislikes: Religious zealots, morning dew, rain, puddles
Hates: Worms, violence, his mother, the Oak Family qualities
Fears: Water, sickness
Strengths: Flexibility, hunting, speed, stealth
Normals: Defense, eyesight, smelling, hearing
Weaknesses: Attack, jumping, climbing, swimming
The Past
Sparrowkit was the youngest born kit in his litter. It was obvious to anyone with eyes when compared to his brother Falconkit and his sister Hawkkit. But it was most obvious to his mother Hail-. Her opinion of Sparrowkit tanked the moment she set eyes on him. He was small, weak, and sickly. Nothing like his strong Oak Family bloodline boasted. The whole point of Hail- and Lion-'s mating was to make a litter of strong, Oak Family-worthy kits. And Sparrowkit? Sparrowkit was everything they hated.
At his young age, Sparrowkit did not understand any of this. All he knew is that his mother didn't treat him like she treated his siblings. She didn't clean him like she did them, she didn't feed him as often, or even speak to him. She was just a stone wall in the face of his presence. So when his pleading didn't work he just learned to be quiet and stay out of her way as much as he could. By watching her with Falconkit and Hawkkit, he learned how to groom himself. The first few times he ended up falling flat on his face as he tried to twist to reach his tail, but he was a quick learner. Sparrowkit thanked his lucky stars that his siblings did not seem at all inclined to follow in their mother's paw steps. They were kind and always willing to play with him. They even helped him groom that place behind his ears he couldn't reach. Sparrowkit didn't have a mother but he had some damn good siblings.
As they grew, Hail- did not warm up to him. If anything she became more distant as he weaned from her milk at the first opportunity. On the bright side, Sparrowkit built his first nest at a young age. Without his mother breathing down his neck, he could make it any shape he wanted. One day he had a square nest, the next day he made it into a triangle. When that got boring, he bribed some apprentices into bringing him things to decorate his nest. Feathers were his favourite but he didn't mind strongly scented flowers either. Sometimes he would show off his nest to his siblings and prided himself on how impressed they were his creativity. Hail- insisted they were too young to have their own nests and still had sleep in the nest with her. Feeling bad for them, he offered to share his nest with them when Hail- wasn't looking.
One day, Hail- finally took her kits to Willow Groves. Still trying to earn his mother's favour, Sparrowkit tried his best to impress her by dashing on ahead with his offering. Unfortunately he lost his footing and fell right into water. He nearly drowned that day, were it not for a concerned warrior nearby who dove into the water to save him. Instead of fussing over him, Hail- just scolded him for his stupidity. That was the day Sparrowkit's hope for his mother died.
Time passed and the siblings grew. Sparrowkit was nothing compared to his larger siblings but he was proud in every inch of progress he made. Before they got too big, they were ready to become apprentices. Sparrowkit welcomed the change eagerly. Any chance to put distance between himself and Hail-. Being an apprentice meant Sparrowpaw was exposed to the rest of the clan. Specifically, the other families. The Oak Family was the only family he had known all his life. Logically he knew other families existed, but they existed outside of his sphere of influence. Becoming an apprentice opened up his whole world. He was introduced to all four families and his heart found its home with the Willow Family. Deep in his heart, Sparrowpaw knew he felt an affinity with the Willow Family mostly because of his hostility towards his birth family. He felt kind of guilty about it, but the bittern thorn of spite that had grown in him all his life was too strong to ignore. He made his intentions known to his siblings first and his guilt grew at their hurt looks but he was determined now. The further from Hail- the better, had become his motto.
He wasn't the only one that was discovering himself. His sister, Hawkpaw confided in him and Falconpaw that she had feelings for her best friend, a she cat. Sparrowpaw didn't even blink before he assured Hawkpaw that this changed nothing. She would always be his sister. But now that he thought about it... Sparrowpaw admitted he liked toms the same way his sister only liked she cats. It seemed easy as breathing to admit but something with in him relaxed at the admission. Like a weight had been lifted from his chest.
Things didn't change for Sparrowpaw but he could see the struggle that was going on in his brother's head. He had some idea what Falconpaw was dealing with, but he was too afraid of being wrong to confront him about it. Instead, he combined forces with his sister to confront their mother. With Hawkpaw by his side, Sparrowpaw proudly told his mother he was gay. Hail- was apocalyptic with rage. She went on and on about the family bloodline and the importance of legacies. Used to her disappointment, Sparrowpaw was the one to argue with her that there was more to life than pleasing her. He supported Hawkpaw as she also confronted their mother and when they finally said their peace, they both turned their back on their heritage together.
The rest of his apprenticeship passed in a blur. In no time at all, Sparrowpaw completed his apprentice assessments and was presented before the clan as a new warrior. On the word of his mentor, the clan decided to give him the name Sparrowsprout. He took it as a vow that this was a new start to his life.