Post by autumn on Mar 11, 2020 9:25:30 GMT -5
The Essentials
I will softly pull away
Pre- For her patterned fur, much like a tea plant and it's flowers. The white flowers and their big petals show in her white spotting, while her dark fur shows the contrast between the buds and the leaves of the tea plant. It is also worth mentioning that Teapad's mother was walking in a patch of tea before she went into labor.
Suf- Pad is for her skill in stealth. She's skinny and agile and can move just about anywhere without making a noise. It's rare for Teapad to stomp or step on fallen leaves, so she moves like a graceful fish among her clan. One of her most noticeable features is the fact that she can easily sneak up on her companions, and uses this to play games with them.
Sex: Female with good ol' XX cromesomes
Age: Teapad has aged well, and currently sits at seventy-three moons
Sexuality: Greyromantic Asexual, with a desire to simply support and encourage the romance of others while not personally participating. Teapad has just never been interested in romance, not since her sweetheart passed away. She also doesn't believe anyone could love such an old cat.
Rank: An average warrior, though she still has room to grow and learn more skills. Usually, Teapad spends her days putting her stealth to good use and hunting for her clan.
Role: Pine Family member- and just like her family, Teapad honors kindness and wisdom. She was born into the Birch Family though and in turn, grew up believing that there should be justice. Teapad changed families when she realized she simply couldn't stand being honest at the expense of other's feelings. She would rather protect her clan as if she were sheltering them like the trees above.
The Body
in this broken, beautiful mess I've made
Markings: Dilute tortoiseshell markings with a majority of blue coloration but cream splotches here or there.
Eye Color: Beautiful emerald green, matching the darkest of leaves on the trees. They hold more wisdom than anyone can imagine.
Body Size and Build: Teapad is average in size, with long legs and small paws. Her thin stature assists with her ability in stealth, but otherwise doesn't contribute much. She can effectively use it in battle to overcome bigger opponents, but in a test of strength she would lose greatly. She has been referred to as eerily skinny, even when she is well-fed.
Fur Length and Texture: Short and thick fur, which becomes a mess in the summer when she sheds. Teapad's fur is hay-like in texture, and doesn't offer much comfort.
Additional Physical Traits: Teapad takes the lead with the world's smallest paws, with the softest of toes. Her tail is longer than most, but it doesn't give her any extra physical skills or abilities.
Health and Scars: Most of Teapad's scars reside on her back. Chasing out predators in no easy task, especially not with such a small size. She becomes an easy target to any predator twice her size, and their frequent tactic is to go for her back around her neck, so that's where her scars reside mostly. She has a clutter of them on her shoulders and mid-back, plus a few scars down her tail from a few bites.
The Identity
and in the dead of quiet I will slowly fade
+ Playful, Wise, Lucky, Natural Leader+
: Mischievous, Adventurous, Calm, Hardworking :
- Independent, Closed-Off, Procrastinator -
: Mischievous, Adventurous, Calm, Hardworking :
- Independent, Closed-Off, Procrastinator -
Full Trait Description: Teapad is a calm and collected individual. She isn’t easily panicked, and can often find herself unusually diligent in the event of a crisis. She is a natural leader, always looking out for her party members with a careful eye. She has a knack for finding danger, and is accident-prone, but still knows how to get out of a sticky situation with ease. Sometimes it's like she doesn't even try, she just has everything going for her. She could be in the jaws of a fox and still get out with just a few scars on her back.
The tortoiseshell works best under stress and when things don't need to get done within a few hours she brushes them off, using the time to go out and do something else instead. She just doesn't like work when she could be doing things that she deems more fun, mostly because she feels that she should spend her life being free and playing with her clanmates, rather than constantly work towards an unknown goal. That's another thing about her- and one of the most memorable things, Teapad loves to play. She will play with kittens, apprentices, and she will even play with her denmates. She's been known to use games to train her apprentices, rather than the usual tactics. Whether or not it's better or worse has yet to be determined- but one of her apprentices did avoid training with her because he was embarrassed by her tactics. She took no offense to it, but turned his shirking into a rather amusing game of hide-and-seek instead.
Her apprentice learned the hard way that it's really difficult to knock this girl down. Her confidence is overbearing, and it's near impossible to genuinely offend her. Any insults thrown at her either get retorted or promptly ignored. She has a vast vocabulary at her disposal, and she knows exactly how to hurt someone with it. Most don't date to challenge her, due to respect and because they know they will lose.
Loves: Exploring territory, Blue birds, Feathers, Games, her Mother
Likes: Tea leaves, Kits, Running through the trees, Snarky replies
Dislikes: Screaming, Invasive questions, her Father
Hates: Beetles of Any Kind, Muddy colors, Riddles
Fears: Large bodies of water, Losing family
Secrets: Closed off because of her late lover's passing away
Dreams: Dreams of walking among the stars
Strengths: Stealth, Hunting, Smelling, Hearing
Normals: Eyesight, Attack, Speed, Flexibility
Weaknesses: Climbing, Jumping, Defense, Swimming
The Past
in this masterpiece I've made
Doe- was much more laid back than Grass- was. He was like the calm in a storm, honing in leadership skills like no other. Despite this, he was indecisive and arrogant. He knew he was one of the most handsome toms in the clan, born with beautiful red fur and a sharp jawline. He wasn’t the greatest fighter but he was quick-witted. He could solve a riddle faster than anyone else, always encountering impossible situations and finding a way around them. He found himself fascinated with things that made him ponder, attracted to unsolvable questions. One thing that always puzzled him was Grass-.
He was entranced with her the way one would be with a new species. He always observed her, watching her every move carefully. He was trying to wrap his mind around the tortoiseshell’s way of life. How could she always instinctively choose the right decision every time? How hadn’t her carelessness gotten her killed yet? He would look for her in crowds, approaching her when he had the chance. The first thing he ever said to Grass- was, “The way you move is fascinating.”
She was attracted to him with a sense of admiration. She knew him by name and face, but had never previously spoken to him before. Funny enough, despite being in the same clan a lot of cats never did interact with one another the way they should have. She thought him to be handsome and clever, as did the rest of the clan. She would have never guessed, not in a thousand lifetimes, that he was going to approach her first. They had only just started talking and she was already in love.
Talking to one another turned into a fling, then that fling turned into a litter. Grass- thought they were soulmates, brought together by the gods themselves, but Doe- soon grew bored of her. He was loyal, but only to his clan. He had plenty of she-cats to pick from, and Grass- was not his one and only.
She never held it against him, giving birth to one healthy kitten who shared her tortoiseshell fur and Doe- 's sloping muzzle. Grass- loved Teakit more than anyone else could understand, and was very protective. She didn't like other cats watching her only kit, and especially didn't enjoy it when Doe- would come into the nursery to visit Teakit and her two half-siblings, who were only four moons younger than she was.
Grass- was never visibly angry with Doe-, but the clan knew that the heartbreak caused her to lose her special spark. She would hide in the nursery, concealing herself behind it's thick walls to avoid her first love. The loss of Doe- changed her, making her suddenly insecure and more inverted. She gave all of her love and attention to Teakit, playing games with the kitten and holding her close at night. Teakit grew to love her mother's games, showing them to the other kits and slowly growing into an energetic spirit. Her sparse visits with her father made her grow to dislike him more and more, and eventually she stopped seeing him. He, too, stopped visiting his only daughter.
I'll burn out, and slip away,
and this is just a part I portray
and this is just a part I portray
Teapad's apprenticeship was full of a lot less excitement. She was assigned to a tom named Beetle- and she loved him dearly, but he was much too serious for her tastes. He would try to stop her from her silly games, but she always turned it against him and turned his serious attitude into a game itself. Whenever he scolded her for misbehaviour she would flick her tail a certain way and wait until he noticed. For some reason he thought it to be rude, and would go into a fit. She laughed at him, touching her nose to his shoulder to show her affection and apologize.
She grew fond of him later on in her apprenticeship when he learned to just accept her for who she is. He would never be able to change that fiery love for tricks and pranks, but could nurture that instead. He started to listen to Teapaw’s ideas more and more, and they’d go into the forest to play games together while they trained. They were like kits.
Another cat who Teapaw became very close with was a tom named Milkpaw. He was a small cream tabby who she teased a lot, inquiring why his mother would name him Milk- when he was clearly cream. She only ever got a shrug in reply. They grew a lot closer after a training session together when Teapaw realized he was actually a good fighter, and his sense of humor made training a lot more fun. They became best friends instantly. Teapaw moved her nest next to his and sometimes at night their pelts would touch as they slept. On nights like those, Teapaw would lie awake thinking about how warm he was- and how much it reminded her of her mother.
They both became warriors soon after, Milkpaw coming two moons after Teapaw since she was older than him. She was named Teapad for her excellent skill in stealth and hunting, and wore the name proudly. She spent the whole day putting her energy into gathering feathers and materials for her own nest, and was welcomed by a lot of the younger warriors who she buddied up with during training. At night, however, she shivered. One bad part about becoming a warrior was that she had to be separated from Milkpaw.
It didn’t last long, however, as he moved to the warriors den soon after. Teapad was very excited to welcome him into the den, making sure he had a spot next to her. Senior warriors and elders giggled about the two youth, asking them crude questions such as, “when are the kits due?” Teapad would flick her ears and turn hot, but Milk- only looked away. She could never tell what his feelings for her were, but seeing his response was never very encouraging. She wasn’t even sure she liked him, she just knew she wanted him to be by her side forever.
Days of this back and forth tug’o’war with her feelings and she still never got any closer to her answer. Milk- wasn’t giving her so much as a sign of what his feelings were, and she wasn’t about to be the first to confess. Unless she had to be.
It took her a very long time to gain the courage needed. When she was nearing her 30th moon, she gained more of a level head about it. She invited Milk- out on a private hunting session where the two spoke for hours. On their way back, through a mouthful of fur, Teapad confessed. She told him that she had felt that way since they put their nests next to each other. He turned around to look at her, shocked at first. Then he smiled gently, padding up to her and licking her cheek.
You're beautiful, can I hide in you and stay here?
Milk- never gave Teapad a clear response, but that one little notion told her more than any words could. She knew he had accepted her affections, and that he felt the same. He was never very good at expressing his feelings so the two developed a way of communicating using nothing but their eyes. All they needed to do was give the other a certain look and a thousand words would pass between them. It was romantic, sure, but it left the rest of the clan confused. They didn’t really understand the relationship between the two warriors.
This left Teapad and Milk- 's relationship private. They showed affection only at night when everyone else was asleep, or they would occasionally sneak out of the camp during the day and play by the waterfall. They had a peaceful and personal bond. They shared very few arguments and always compromised, strengthening their bond.
One night, however, they did fight. The two lovebirds had a very simple squabble over Teapad and how she should approach her father. She had been avoiding the tom like the plague ever since becoming a warrior, often backing out of patrols if Doe- was present. Milk- felt that this disrupted their warrior duties and approached Teapad to tell her that she needs to face her father head on. Teapad became frustrated and lashed out, telling Milk- to mind his own business and to stop bothering her. He walked away soon after, taking a break.
Making mostly to themselves,
hush now, they'll hurt you 'till your heart melts
hush now, they'll hurt you 'till your heart melts
The issue with that was the fact that a storm was on its way and Milk- was the type to take a while to recollect his thoughts. He wandered over to the waterfall, not realizing that the water levels were rising from the rain. One false move and he slipped, falling into the water and drowning in the rapids. When the clan noticed he was missing they sent out a search party to find him. Teapad was a part of that party, and although she wasn’t the first one to see his limp body in the water she was the most traumatized by it. She watched as he bobbed in the waves, slowly drifting closer to the water’s shore. The patrol was hesitant to go in after his body but Teapad’s shrill cry seemed to push their paws toward the water. They all heaved him out, helping to drag him back to the camp and get him treated. By the time they were back at camp he was cold, and they all looked like drowned rats.
Living without him was hard. Teapad found it difficult to keep food in her belly. Seeing the limp bodies of prey only reminded her of Milk- more. Not getting to give him a proper farewell sent her to seek comfort from her mother. Dazed, Teapad stayed close to the nursery. Her mother had decided to become a permaqueen after Teapad grew old enough to be an apprentice, still hiding from Doe-. Grass- had one other litter with a much nicer, shyer tom. They were just turning apprentices when Milk- died, and hoping that hanging out with her half-siblings would help her socialize more, the leader assigned one of them to be her apprentice. It took a little getting used to but Teapad was certain that Milk- would prefer it if she worked hard and focused on the clan rather than him.
Since then she never took on a mate. She felt it was indecent to suddenly love another so soon after the death of someone she cared about so deeply, and then her avoidance of toms became a habit. Then that habit just became a part of her. She no longer looked for the love of another to hold her down. Her philosophy had become, “just wait life out, and soon death will come.”
they know you're lonely, and they will only break your heart
and this masterpiece will tear you apart
and this masterpiece will tear you apart
song: Masterpiece Theatre II - by Marianas Trench