Stagshadow

[Stagshadow]

names: Stagkit Stagpaw Stagshadow
gender: Male/Tom
age: 27 moons
clan: RiverClan
rank: Warrior Deputy


personality: To start with, Stagshadow is very stern. He is generally quiet and stoic, strict and loyal. He can be very cunning, too, and many cats – mostly enemies – make the mistake of thinking that he is simply a dumb brute because of his size and overall silence, but this is hardly true. He just often prefers to keep his mouth shut instead of blabbing on and on and on about nothing. He has a tendency to be a bit more aggressive toward outsiders than other cats, but he still will not attack before asking questions – it just takes him fewer questions to decide what to do. The big tom prefers to think things through. He is supremely loyal and will do absolutely anything for his Clan or leader, and he is protective around them. If he ever had to choose between Clan and leader, he would have an extremely difficult time deciding what to do. Stagshadow follows the warrior code as closely and strictly as he can. He can be gruff, but is kind for the most part and generally not bossy, but he has no patience for tomfoolery and horseplay when it is time to be serious (which it most often is for him). In truth, though, Stagshadow possesses a dry sense of humor that does occasionally show, but not very often. He has lots of endurance and just wants to keep going, but this often is not possible. Risks are something that he rather dislikes, and although he is truly loyal, there are seeds of ambition in his heart. It’s the truth that this big tom would love to be leader, to show the other Clans how powerful RiverClan can be, but he doesn’t know if this will happen. He wishes very strongly, though, while he ignores the particulars that would be required if he were ever to get such a position.

As far as belief in StarClan, Stagshadow does not care much either way. He can believe they exist, but he finds that over-belief in them and obsessing over every twitch in nature as a sign is foolhardy, though he does feel they exist. Mostly, he’ll trust what the medicine cat and leader have to say. Along with his loyalty, Stagshadow is very courageous, though not stupidly so. He would not want to retreat if there was a chance of winning, but if it is very slim, then he will want to cut losses. There is something charismatic about this big, quiet tomcat, too, but he doesn’t find himself to be so.

appearance: Stagshadow is… big. That’s possibly his most defining quality, his size. He is very large and muscular, which can reduce his speed, but he doesn’t rely on speed so much as strength and cunning. His pelt is a dark brown, and it is actually a marble pattern, so his fur is mostly splotches of the stripe-things. He can be confused with a classic tabby sometimes, but that’s not really what he is. Similar to almost all RiverClan cats, he is generally well-fed and of a healthy weight, and his pelt is a shimmering, beautifully glossy thing, reflecting in almost any light. It doesn’t detract from his stealth in any way, of course, but it does add a nice little sheen to him. His eyes are a bright, vibrant green, sometimes with a bluish tint, and his muzzle is a pearly white. Beneath his belly and along the insides of his legs is a paler creamy color, not quite as bright as his muzzle but still much lighter than his pelt, and completely lacking in stripes. Even so, his paws a the same color as the rest of his fur. His nose is a pink, mostly, with some brown on it along the top. Overall, his proportions are regular, so no over- or undersized ears or tails or anything of the sort. Just plain that way, though his strength is a bit more so.

history: Yes, Stagshadow’s history. Well, as it turns out, he had two sisters and a brother when he was born – four kits in one litter. They are pure RiverClan-born with pure RiverClan parents. As apprentices, Brightpaw and Eaglepaw did not get along at all. There was simply something about them that clashed tremendously, although somehow after their warrior ceremonies, they grew closer. An unexpected romance blossomed, then, and after a rocky start, they fell in love and had Stagshadow and his siblings. His sisters were Brookkit and Streamkit; his brother was Fishkit. Their father pushed them hard to be the best Clan cats they could, even before they were apprentices. When they did become apprentices, their father still was a huge figure in their life, a sort of shadow looming over them. Stagshadow himself both admired and was intimidated by his father, and so it was an odd relationship for the largest of the kits, and the only brown one.

About the time the four apprentices would become warriors, their father actually attempted to murder the leader because he assumed he would become deputy after that, and if you’ve killed one leader, another shouldn’t be so tough. However, he failed and was caught, and he was banished immediately. That night, though, he sneaked into camp and attempted to convince all of his relatives to leave with him; he said they would become rogues or maybe join ShadowClan. Stagshadow was absolutely appalled as such a suggestion and ignored his father, although everyone else went along, some only because their mother murmured of retaliation against the family from the other cats. It was true, what his mother said – there was some retaliation against Stagshadow. That was mainly what forced him back into his shell, only to lash out when the goads became too much for the young cat to handle. His warrior ceremony was pushed back a couple of moons, and it took him a very long time before he finally had his first – and only, so far – apprentice. The apprentice is now a warrior, though Stagshadow and his former apprentice are not entirely close.

---*---

Since then, the leader and deputy of RiverClan both died. Crimsonleaf became leader and nominated Stagshadow as her deputy. He was also assigned Starlingpaw as an apprentice, and she immediately brought him into trouble when he entered ShadowClan territory to get her out of a sticky situation. There, he met a ShadowClan she-cat named Nightclaw who was somewhat older than he, and whom he respected almost instantly.

The marble tomcat is still young, though, so who knows what may happen next.

Father: Eagletooth
Mother: Brightheart
Siblings: Brookpaw, Streampaw (sisters); Fishpaw (brother)
(Note: These are as Stagshadow last knew them)

sample rp: Stagshadow crouched down low, his dark tipped tail barely brushing the grassy ground. His vibrant eyes were locked on a plump vole. A flash of pink slapped his lips as he thought about how delicious it would taste, not that he would be eating it any time soon. It would probably go to an elder, really, or a queen. No matter; the Clan was benefitting from his efforts. This was actually a nighttime journey – the big tomcat had awoken and had been unable to go back to sleep, so he just slunk out of the camp and went somewhat toward the lakeshore. Lowering his large body closer to the ground so his pale belly brushed against the soft ground, he honed in even closer on the fat prey. Stagshadow bet it was a juicy morsel, too, but no eating before the Clan. It was an odd sort of thing, almost a paradox, that a member of the Clan cannot eat before other members of the Clan, so does that mean that nobody eats or that everyone eats at the same time? But since it was actually not that simple, that it was just that the elderly, sick, and pregnant or nursing ate first, then the higher ranks and the more senior warriors, then the younger warriors, and then the apprentices. The growing younglings in the apprentice den always seemed to get shortchanged, but perhaps that made them appreciate warrior life all the more.

Taking a few steps closer, the RiverClan tomcat narrowed his eyes and felt his tail lift up ever so slightly. His luscious dark fur brushed up against a reed, and the vole turned its head, its beady black eyes alert and searching. Before it could twitch its whiskers any more times and bolt or squeak, Stagshadow leaped and crushed the tiny creature beneath his paws. With a swift bite to the neck to be certain that it was dead, Stagshadow allowed himself to slip into a more comfortable zone. It was just that brief period of adrenaline rushing through him when he sped forward. Hunts were, on a whole, calming sorts of things for him, even fishing. Well, fishing was mostly sitting still, but really. Glancing around, he uttered the prayer to StarClan and trotted back with the chubby fresh-kill in his mouth. It was not a night of no sleep wasted, then, he decided as he padded along though RiverClan territory, ambling to return to the camp.

characters: None other than this! ^^
c-box name: Rabiddog

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[cricketleap.]

Accepted! Stagshadow is amazing! I hope to RP with you soon! ~