ruststar, leader of windclan

RUSTSTAR





AGE forty moons
GENDER female (intersex)
CLAN windclan
RANK leader


SHORT DESCRIPTION small russet she-cat with sage green eyes
APPEARANCE ---


PERSONALITY There's a reason why Rustfang was chosen as deputy those many moons ago, and it wasn't for her stunning personality. In theory, she sounds like a leader with a stern, albeit well-meaning, disposition— in practice, she's much worse. Rustfang was never a diplomatic deputy, with an attitude that bespoke an irritation with fussy rules and regulations that got in the way of her goals, and that's... never quite changed. While she's rarely intentionally mean towards her clanmates, she comes off as abrasive and frequently condescending by virtue of narrowed eyes, poor socialization as a kit, and a knowledge gap surrounding social niceties. When it comes to saying what she means, Ruststar has long since masted the art of being blunter than a sock to the face, so at least she's got that going for her, but that bluntness is rarely coupled with a sense of politesse.

Politics bore Ruststar in the same way that slogging through a dozen level two enemies while grinding for crafting ingredients bores World of Warcraft veterans. She (sort of) gets why they're necessary, but these reasons tend to boil down to "pissing contests" in her eyes and, as a result, she's quick to forego ritual in favor of just getting shit done. While she is exceptionally productive, and at times can steamroll others, this productivity comes at the price of ignoring the finer rules placed before her. The warrior code is a set of guidelines, sure, but don't count on Ruststar to stick with them if it benefits Windclan to leave a portion, or all, of them by the wayside. That being said, she has a marginal code of honor. Without a hefty reward for doing otherwise, she will keep her end of a bargain to the letter, and she's unlikely to kick others while they're down— not that she ever intends to leave loose ends she might later trip on, anyway.

Vengeance for Ruststar isn't always clear cut and, in some instances, her wrath simmers for moons before being allowed to vent itself. While she is a creature of passion, as she's aged her menace has tempered enough that she can usually delay gratification until her revenge will taste sweetest. Her most savored moments are when personal vendettas go hand-in-hand with helping her clan, which makes her a very smug cat indeed. In her anger, she does not beat around the bush; there's always a clear indication that she is spitting mad, whether that is outright aggression or a frigid shoulder that refuses to thaw. Like her opinions, which are immovable granite slabs, she does not easily forgive past injustices and her grudges are, at times, borderline ridiculous. Seriously, Ruststar, stop glaring at the elder you had to let have the last rabbit; it's been, like, two weeks.

It would be really easy to resent Ruststar if it wasn't for the fact that, at the end of the day, she really does have some redeemable qualities. Sure, she's ruthless and doesn't mind trampling people to reassert Windclan as a major player, but that's the thing— she genuinely wants to see Windclan prosper. Her ideas of prospering (aka: clan domination) might be different than her clanmates' ideals, sure, but she still wants to better their fortunes. There's also the whole "I don't do relationships" thing that's at least partially a lie, because it's not "friendship" that scares Ruststar as much as it is the intimacy that friendship brings. Her weaknesses are for her mind only and, at the heart of the matter, she fears the day that someone (who had formerly been very friendly and warm) gets too close and realizes that Ruststar is amoral, boring, and overall terrible to be around. While she's capable of teaming up with others, Ruststar likes to hold them at arm's length and use all of her sarcasm and dry wit to prevent them from getting too close and (hopefully) drive them away to a comfortable distance. What emotional relationships she does form tend to be rocky and awkward, with Ruststar wavering between distantly affectionate and standoffish.



HISTORY

• Born to Kestrelclaw and Thrushpelt in a litter of three. Birth order was Wheatkit (m), Pipitkit (f), and Rustkit (f). 
• Rustkit/paw was always something of a troublemaker and, due to her father's hands-off parenting style and her mother's personality influence, Rustkit grows up distant from her siblings and the other kits. She has a difficult time forming friendships and this becomes even more difficult when she picks up an unfortunate tendency towards bullying the other less confident apprentices.
• Her mentor encourages her to vent her energy and aggression in hunting and fighting practice, which successfully gives Rustpaw something interesting enough that she stops picking fights with the other apprentices. She is named Rustfang after accompanying a band of warriors who were tasked with dispatching a young male badger that had encroached on their territory. 
• Storkstar chose Rustfang as his deputy due to her reputation for being a vicious scrapper, as his increasing age meant that fights were becoming more dangerous. Rustfang became Ruststar after Storkstar passed on due to old age. She chose Willowblaze as her deputy.
• The recent displacement of Windclan has rankled Ruststar greatly, as Windclan no longer has access to the forests which were vital to their survival during leafbare. In her fury at her clan taking the brunt of the loss of territory, she's implemented a regime aimed at taking territory from her neighboring clans and, if all else fails, stealing every piece of prey she can from them.
• Of course, there's also the fact that her former apprentice, Swallowheart, was killed in a border skirmish with Skyclan— which understandably makes her a bit salty over the matter. Since his death, Ruststar has refused an apprentice and tends to regard Skyclan with a bitter sort of disgust.

OTHER anything else?