Flarespark
AGE 19 moons
GENDER Tom
CLAN SkyClan
RANK Warrior
SHORT DESCRIPTION Ginger tabby tom
APPEARANCE Frankly Flarespark isn't even entirely sure he's related to the cats he calls his parents. His mother, Violetheart, is a cream-colored she-cat with beautiful blue eyes. Jaystorm, his father, is a brawny black tom with yellow eyes. Flarespark himself is ginger tabby. As a kit he'd held in his reservations, but had eventually asked his parents who he took after.
Apparently, actually, it was his mother's side. Her mother had been a ginger tabby, and Violetheart herself had had a few ginger siblings. He had nothing to go on other than her word, but if he couldn't trust his mother, who could he trust?
His eyes and frame though
definitely come from his parents. As much as he wished it had been reversed, Flarespark had inherited his mother's small, slender frame and his father's intense amber eyes. Against the larger apprentices he'd never been able to rely on his strength in training bouts, but at least he could always unnerve them with his staring.
PERSONALITY+Playful
+Mischievous
+Friendly
+Sarcastic
-Quick to temper
-Quick to forgive
-Blunt
-Unconsciously inconsiderate
HISTORY [Pre-life] - Violet the kittypet saves Jay the loner from bleeding to death by bringing him to her housefolk. Over the course of his recovery, he told her stories. Jay was a traveler, and he'd seen so many fascinating places! He spoke of mountains that rose high enough to touch the clouds, of valleys so deep he couldn't see the bottom, of rivers so wide he could barely see the other side.
In return for his stories, Violet hunted for him. She wasn't a phenomenal hunter, really only knowing what her instincts as a cat told her. It was enough to catch a mouse, and Jay was thankful for it. He taught her how to properly hunt, as best he could without opening up his wounds again.
They slowly fell in love, and Violet eventually became pregnant with his kits. Her housefolk didn't take kindly to this, as they packed the both of them in a cardboard box and abandoned them in a forest. It didn't take Jay long to get them out; he just rocked the box from side to side until it fell and spilled them out.
Violet was astonished and angry and anguished and other 'a' words that means she was upset. Her housefolk had raised her from a newborn kitten. They'd fed her from a bottle, taken her to the vet, had let her sleep with them in their bed! Why would they take her collar away from her and dump her out here?
Jay was as gentle as he could be when he told her that he didn't know, but they couldn't stay out there without shelter. His wounds were healing, well enough for him to travel, but he still couldn't hunt. Violet did as well as she could, with her ever expanding stomach. By the time half a moon had come and gone, Jay had recovered fully.
They made their den in the forest, in a cave beneath the roots of an oak tree. It was there that Violet gave birth, to a single tomkit with ginger fur. They named him Flare, for his pelt.
[0-6 moons] From his youngest days, Jay was Flare's hero. He wanted to be just as strong and loyal and brave as him one day. In his first moon, Flare had watched his father fight and chase away a fox all by himself, and that had cemented his idea of his dad as a hero.
He'd wanted to learn how to fight almost immediately, so he could help his dad protect his mom, but Violet was adamant in her refusal. "Wait until you're older, Flare. You're so small a robin could carry you off!" she'd said with a purr.
Flare had pouted and whined and used the wide-eyed teary look that was instinctive to all kittens, but she would not be swayed. He was probably lucky she hadn't thrown him out with how annoying he had gotten.
When he was weaned at 2 moons old, he was allowed to go with walks around the forest with his parents. Never far from their home, just in case something attacked them and he needed to hide, but it was more than he'd seen from the cave.
Jay taught both Flare and Violet things they'd need to know if they were ever separated from him. How to recognize fox scent, how to mark their territory, and some basic herbal remedies he'd picked up from his travels. It was enough information to make Flare's head spin. His dad was so smart!
When he was five moons old, their peaceful little home became not so peaceful. A group of four rogues had found their haven and wanted it for themselves. Naturally, Flare was supposed to hide while his parents took care of them, but he refused to hide like a coward while they were fighting for their lives.
There wasn't time to argue. Terrified though he was, Flare stood tall beside his parents and met the gaze of the smallest cat, a tom with scarred ears and a mocking sneer. "I smell fear." the enemy hissed. Knowing it came from him, Flare snapped, "Then it must be coming from you!"
Maybe he hadn't actually been expecting the smallish kit to be stupid enough to attack, but when Flare leaped, the tom didn't actually do anything to defend himself. Flare landed on his back and held on with his claws, quite unsure on what to do. Did he scratch, bite, ride him around like a dog, what?
He didn't get long to decide, for soon his mount was leaping and twisting, trying to get him off. Flare went with his instincts and dug all four of his clawed paws deep into the tom's flesh. He felt a bit sick when blood seeped under his claws. This was another cat he was hurting. They had hopes and dreams and family they loved, just like he did. Why did cats do this to one another?
Soon one of the other cats called a retreat. He'd been one of the two cats fighting Jay, and he was bleeding heavily along the other side. Flare's mount ran, and the kit leaped off of him easily and let him run.
It was amazing. He didn't have a single scratch on him from the fight while both of his parents were hurt, Violet worse off than Jay because of her inexperience. The family sat there, Flare helping lick their wounds, for a while, before Flare offered to find some of the stuff Jay had taught him, like cobwebs for bleeding and horsetail to keep infection away.
To his amazement, they actually let him. For the next couple of days, Flare was their provider. He hunted as best he could with what he was taught and brought them back mossballs soaked with water. It was wonderful.
[7-12 moons]
Jay started teaching his mate and son how to fight properly after that skirmish, and it was even more fun than those short lessons he'd gotten as a kit. He proved to be a born fighter while Violet... well, let's just say, she wasn't. Flare said he'd protect her, and Violet had nuzzled him with a purr.
Life was fairly okay after that. They had a few more visits from traveling cats, but most of them were peaceful loners who simply wanted a place to stay for a night or two to hide from bad weather.
At a year old, he'd only grown to be a little smaller than his mother, a fact that made him scowl. Jay assured him that he was still growing and that soon he'd be bigger than her. Soon, however, wasn't soon enough for the impatient tom.
He went off to be alone in all his sulky wangsty misery. It was during his wangst that he caught the scent of fox and heard a cry for help, and without thinking ran to it. A she-cat about his age, maybe a moon or two younger, was cowering away from a fox. She was malnourished and shaking with both fear and weakness, but kept her claws unsheathed and didn't run.
Flare didn't think. He released a mighty battle cry from deep within his lungs and charged at the fox. Both predator and prey were surprised at the interruption, and it was enough of a hesitation for Flare to tackle the fox and get it away from the she-cat. Together the two young cats chased it away.
In the sudden silence, their panting for breath was the only sound. Flare to this day doesn't know who started it first, but suddenly the two of them were laughing the hysterical laugh of someone who thought they were going to die.
The she-cat introduced herself as Rainpaw, and they spent the rest of the day talking and hunting together. Rainpaw told him about how SkyClan was forced to move and how they were starving and how they'd already lost so many cats, and Flare offered to help however he could.
Truthfully when she led him back to her Clan, both laden with prey, Flare wasn't sure how his reception would be taken. But even if the cats weren't so happy to see him, they were practically ecstatic over his gift of fresh-kill.
He was allowed to stay for the feast, during which he bonded not just with Rainpaw, but with some of the other apprentices. By the time he had to go home, Flare thought of them as friends.
When he got home though, Flare thought Jay would actually skin him. He and Violet had smelled the fox and had been frantic over his disappearance. Flare hadn't even thought about his poor parents during his adventure and apologized profusely, after which he told them about SkyClan.
Jay wasn't moved, but Violet was practically oozing sympathy. She knew what it was like to be forcefully removed from her home with no say in the matter, after all. Jay said it didn't matter, because this 'SkyClan' would probably move on the next day and Flare would never see them again.
Or so they thought. The next day three SkyClan cats came to their home. One was Rainpaw, one was Mothblaze, and one was Hawkstar. Flare had briefly met all the deputy and leader the previous day, and thought that maybe they'd come to say goodbye.
Instead, Hawkstar asked if maybe Flare and his parents would like to join SkyClan. Flare had been a big help yesterday with hunting, and Hawkstar wouldn't dare try to separate a family. Flare could tell Jay didn't really want to, but he was outnumbered. Both Violet and Flare wanted to go with them, so the eldest cat didn't really have a choice.
When they got back to camp, Flare was renamed Flarepaw. Since his parents were full grown cats, they would get their names later, when their personalities and skills were clearer.
[13 moons - now]
Since he was older than all of the other apprentices, Flarepaw didn't get an actual mentor. Moreso he was assessed by all of the experienced warriors, as was Jay and Violet. It was obvious Violet wasn't much of a hunter or fighter, but she helped take care of the kits so no one was complaining she was useless.
Jay, though. Jay was both a blessing and a curse. He was a phenomenal hunter and even better fighter. He could take on three warriors at once in a spar and only have minimal trouble. But it was easy to see he wasn't exactly... happy. He was surly and stoic and preferred being on his own. The only cats he smiled at were his son and mate.
Flarepaw needn't worry though. After they came upon the other Clans and settled, all three of them got their warrior names. Flarepaw became Flarespark for his quick to anger, quick to forgive attitude. Violet became Violetheart, for her compassion and kindness. Jay became Jaystorm, for his volatile disposition.
They've lived and learned and loved together, still a family but now more. Now, they're warriors, and they'll defend their Clanmates to the death if they have to!
OTHER Rainpaw became Rainpetal and she, as well as Jaystorm and Violetheart, will be uft.
