Darkfang
Jan 28, 2014 13:28:23 GMT -6
Post by Darkfang on Jan 28, 2014 13:28:23 GMT -6
Name(s):
Gender: Tom
Age: 36 moons
Clan: ShadowClan
Rank: Deputy
Appearance:
short, smooth fur
thin white whiskers
dark brown-black tabby, white chest, white front paws
a build that leans toward the lanky side
triangular head, large ears
pale green-yellow eyes
Darkfang was named for his dark black-brown coat, though his chest and front paws are white. Much like his thin white whiskers, which stand out strikingly against his features. He takes extra care to keep his short fur well-groomed and smooth, making sure to maintain a calm and collected appearance.
His short fur does nothing to hide his intriguing lanky build, triangular head, and large ears. These traits reminiscent of an Oriental Shorthair -- absent from his mother's bloodline -- stirred much speculation about his possible father. Darkfang has paid no mind to these rumors, but his unusually tall, thin build sets him apart from his ShadowClan family.
Personality:
quiet
calm
curious (though cautious)
intuitive
patient
focused
conflicted
a suppressed dreamer
Darkfang is an introverted cat; that is, he's comfortable being alone with his own thoughts. When a social situation does present itself, he plays the role of a listener, not a speaker. You'll find he'll slip away unnoticed if he can, just for some time by himself -- socializing with large groups has a knack for draining his energy. Because of this, he has always preferred to work "behind-the-scenes."His public role as deputy conflicts with this preference however, and forced Darkfang to awkwardly adapt to his new duties.
It might surprise his peers, but Darkfang has to work hard at being sensible. He constantly tries to reason with himself that he's pragmatic and that practical solutions are most desirable. It's been coming naturally, for the most part: trusting actual experience, having a procedural method of completing tasks, seeming responsible. Somewhere along the way, Darkfang began to believe that this was the best way to go about things. The most logical way. The most sensible way.
But no matter how hard he tries, he cannot rid himself of an admiration for creative and inventive ideas, a daydreaming obsession with the future, and an intuition that often defies his logical explanations. And in reality, he secretly prefers to work only when he feels like it; however, moons of practice has allowed him to put his nose to the grindstone when necessary.
Despite his introversion, Darkfang has managed to stand out from the crowd. He was uncertain about his qualification for deputy, and is still admittedly dubious about his leader's decision. However, he acknowledges that he has traits that make him a good warrior (more or less). Darkfang has a determined, patient, and focused approach to everything he does; it's made him a notable hunter and a diligent fighter. While he's not as a specialized as a '-claw' cat or '-whisker' cat, Darkfang's true strength lies in his well-rounded skills. For the most part, you can trust Darkfang to get things done in an orderly and prompt manner. However, this efficiency may be limited -- given enough time, his independence may prevail and he'll veer off on his own course, following his intuition and preferring to be spontaneous. This may either be good or bad, as some of his best work is done in a short burst of genius.
History:
When Nightheart moved into the nursery, it came as a welcomed surprise. She had grown into a stunning she-cat these past few moons, and it was fully expected she'd find a mate easily. But despite the elderly queens' attempts to play matchmaker, Nightheart had always politely turned them down. Now that she was a soon-to-be mother, it was expected the father would step forward.
Not a tom in ShadowClan was found to claim the kits, and Nightheart firmly believed in keeping it private -- much to the frustration of some aging queens. It was a curious business, one that invited much suspicion about the origins of Nightheart's litter. When the kits finally arrived, rumors of an illegitimate relationship spread throughout the Clan. While Crowkit and Maplekit could reasonably resemble Nightheart's line, Darkkit had a strikingly odd build. Some speculated that the kits must've had a WindClan father. Others believed a wandering loner or even a kittypet could have been the culprit. Whatever the case, Nightheart's reputation was slowly tarnished by rumors. It would take a greater part of her kits' lives for the suspicion and slander to finally fade away.
~
As far as anyone's guess could go, Darkpaw had a rather standard apprenticeship. Although his peculiar build still solicited gossip throughout his early moons of training, Darkpaw never seemed visibly bothered by them. He did a good job of ignoring it -- so much so that you might say he had no knowledge of it, although everyone knew he must. In all honesty, they never saw much of Darkpaw. He either busied himself with training or received permission to wander a little way from camp. During this time in his life, there were few who knew him personally; and even to them, his introversion kept him somewhat of a mystery. His siblings were the ones that best understood him, or at least respected his ways -- in return, they got a glimpse of a more open and sociable brother. This side of Darkpaw was reserved for his siblings alone. Because of this, they had a close (and almost exclusive) bond that strengthened throughout their apprenticeships.
In his fourth moon of training, his mentor Pinewhisker was found to be expecting kits. It was decided that her brother would take over as Darkpaw's mentor, relieving Pinewhisker of her duties. Initially, Darkpaw was indifferent toward this change and his new mentor. He mentioned to his siblings that it would not disrupt his training; after all, they would all become warriors in a couple of moons. But Darkpaw underestimated his mentor, who was determined to make a "real" warrior out of him. Pinewhisker had been patient and understanding of Darkpaw, but her brother believed she'd been too lenient on the apprentice. He disliked Darkpaw's tendency to seek solitude -- the strange behavior made him suspicious, and he decided he'd get to the bottom of it.
Darkpaw was not so easily fooled. Pinewhisker was a celebrated hunter, and she had taught him well. Darkpaw knew how to outsmart his mentor: like any good ShadowClan cat, he was a master of sneaking and hiding. He led his mentor on false trails, hid expertly, and would often use several tricks to seemingly "disappear". To those outside of this conflict, it was an amusing rivalry between mentor and apprentice. To Darkpaw and his mentor, this was an ultimate test of true skill -- in the end, Darkpaw's mentor developed ways of keeping a close eye on his apprentice. He'd no longer be able to "goof off", as he called it.
While annoyed by his mentor's determination and lack of good reason to distrust him, Darkpaw finally submitted to his mentor's will. For the next two moons, their relationship was tense. Darkpaw's warrior ceremony came as a breath of fresh air -- he fully considered the last two moons to have been a waste and his mentor to be mousebrained.
~
Darkpaw received the name Darkfang, alongside his siblings: Crowpelt and Mapleheart. After becoming warriors, the three remained fairly close; however, Mapleheart could sense a sort of heaviness within her brothers. Despite all their reassurance, Mapleheart was convinced they were keeping something from her. They acted normal enough, but every now and then she'd catch the exchange of meaningful glances or whispered secrets. Something was happening -- and it left her greatly unsettled. Mapleheart was not the type to accuse unjustly; she resolved to simply keep an eye out for signs of trouble.
Perhaps she should have been more watchful.
In the middle of the night, Darkfang and a fellow warrior had raced back to camp with grave news: Crowpelt had been hit on the thunderpath. When pressed for further details, the two did not have much to give. The tom had just run out onto the thunderpath, oblivious to an approaching monster. His death puzzled ShadowClan. The thunderpath had never been a danger because they had no reason to cross it; why, then, would Crowpelt be so mousebrained? These questions left a dark cloud over the Clan, but in true ShadowClan spirit, they moved on. Their condolences went to Mapleheart and Darkfang, the latter of which remained in a stoic silence after his brother's death. There was speculation that he must be heartbroken, after all, he had been there to witness it.
Darkfang knew that the truth of Crowpelt's death would dishonor the memory of his brother. He knew that Crowpelt had always felt out of place in Clan life. As apprentices, they knew that the world extended beyond the lake territories. Crowpelt had often remarked to his brother that he needed a change of scenery -- some adventure, a little mystery. Darkfang could understand his brother's longing; loners had such liberty to do what they pleased. There were no boundaries or loyalties or Clan strife. But Darkfang, although uncertain of his place, was not easily taken by reckless abandon. Crowpelt, however, had made up his mind.
So they left the camp during the night and set out for ShadowClan's western border. It wasn't until they sat, looking out across the thunderpath, that they actually spoke to each other. It was time for Darkfang to wish his brother well -- and he did, wholeheartedly. With a curt nod and a flick of his tail, Crowpelt bounded out onto the thunderpath. But then he paused, looked over his shoulder and called, "Tell Mapleheart goodbye for me, okay?"
It had all happened so fast. There was the screech of tires on pavement and a sickening thud -- and Crowpelt lay in a crumpled heap underneath the monster. Darkfang could hardly process what had happened, but had only reacted out of instinct. He turned and bolted into the darkness, but finally crept back (joined by the fellow warrior who had been hunting at the time). From the shadows they watched the Twolegs inspect the body, speaking in some frantic garbled language Darkfang couldn't understand. After a moment, they nudged Crowpelt's body to the side of the road and left the two warriors to finally retrieve their fallen Clanmate.
Darkfang had always been a cat of composure. But after that night, things changed. His silence became hollow and his calmness was cold. Many cats may not have sensed the difference, but Mapleheart knew. She felt that dark nothingness within him.
Mapleheart had lost two brothers that night, one to death and the other to darkness.
~
Moons passed without much significance. There were border skirmishes, summer storms, and the occasional litter -- as well as the occasional passing of a Clanmate. Darkfang didn't encounter any life-altering moments or prominent milestones until he became twenty moons old. The thought of becoming a mentor did not cross his mind often; and when it did, he felt content enough without one. Training an apprentice seemed like such an exhausting challenge. The Clan was in need of experienced mentors, however, and it was decided that Darkfang should receive his first apprentice: a little tom called Wrenpaw.
Wrenpaw had been the runt of his litter. He'd been weak and ill for most of his kithood, but he was eight moons old now. The medicine cat believed Wrenpaw could handle training, as long as his mentor did not push him too hard. After some discussion between the medicine cat and himself, it was decided Darkfang should learn basic treatments; in the off chance that Wrenpaw needed medical attention, Darkfang would be able to help. While Darkfang was a typically calm cat, he saw the reason for worry. Wrenpaw's condition made him unpredictable, and Darkfang was wary of their future outings.
After the ceremony, Wrenpaw asked if they might look around the territory. Darkfang agreed, since this was usually the first step of any apprentice's training. Darkfang found his new duty as mentor to be difficult; it was required him to talk much more than he was used to. Most of all, he wondered what Wrenpaw thought of all this.
"Do you need to rest before we head back to camp?"
"I'm not dying, Darkfang. I don't intend to; I've never felt more alive."
"...Did you ever feel--"
"Like giving up? I suppose."
"And yet you are still with us."
"And yet, here I am."
And so began a powerful relationship between mentor and apprentice. Respect was a mutual feeling, and the two ended up as close friends. They spent as much time deep in conversation as they did actually training. They discussed life and death and hope and fear. Darkfang felt as if he had never known someone so deeply and yet so little. To each other, they were endless. Something to be explored and yet never discovered. In this murky existence, they had found each other -- two philosophers contemplating their own demise as casually as one ponders what he wishes to eat for breakfast. It surprised Darkfang as much as it did anyone else. Somehow, he had lost a brother. And somehow, he had found one.
~
Wrenpaw was still an apprentice when he was fifteen moons old, but he'd always reassure everyone that it didn't bother him. It was odd to have him sleep in the apprentice den, and Darkfang finally made a nest for him in the warrior's den. He invited Wrenpaw to sleep there instead, but Wrenpaw usually declined. Often, he'd stay the night in the medicine cat den if it wasn't too crowded. It was surely time for him to become a warrior.
The ShadowClan leader, medicine cat, and Darkfang had been in an ongoing discussion for quite awhile now. Wrenpaw had done well, but was he ready to become a warrior? It was finally decided that Wrenpaw would become a warrior in the next moon if he could prove himself. This amused Wrenpaw, but he agreed that he'd try not to fall ill or die before the next moon. Darkfang acknowledged the ridiculousness of this decision, but he understood the reasoning. He felt that Wrenpaw could as well -- after all, there had been times where Wrenpaw was not well enough to train. This had further delayed Wrenpaw's warrior ceremony. But Wrenpaw had grown stronger in the past few moons, but the effects of being a runt never left him. To anyone outside of ShadowClan, Wrenpaw blended in well with his fellow apprentices. He'd always been a small cat.
Perhaps that is why the fox chose him.
~
Wrenpaw's death affected Darkfang differently than Crowpelt's had. All at once he had lost a brother, a friend, and an apprentice. They expected to see Darkfang finally break. And it's true, he grieved. He would never stop mourning Wrenpaw's death. But although the blow was deep, it was not hard. Darkfang knew Wrenpaw better than anyone -- knew that while death secretly frightened both of them, Wrenpaw took it with humor and ease.
"I swear that if I ever die in some fantastic way, Darkfang, I will be upset."
Darkfang was not sure what happened to cats after they died, if anything happened at all. But it comforted him to know that for a short while, a little tom named Wrenpaw had been here. And Darkfang could not remember a time when he had ever felt more alive.
~
Seven moons after Wrenpaw's death, the ShadowClan deputy announced he was retiring. Greypelt had served as ShadowClan's deputy for many moons, but he was gradually slowing down. It was time for him to take a well deserved rest and live out the rest of his life comfortably -- the Clan respected this decision, but many were keen on being chosen to take his place. ShadowClan saw a surge in hard work and efficiency the next day, hoping to influence the ShadowClan leader's decision.
Unknown to the rest of the Clan, the ShadowClan leader had invited Darkfang to go hunting with him earlier. The two discussed the leader's suggestion of Darkfang becoming the new deputy. Darkfang was hesitant and uncertain at first, but the leader reassured him he'd learn quickly. Finally, Darkfang agreed. It was announced later that day and Darkfang became the official deputy of ShadowClan.
Two moons have passed since his deputy ceremony, and he has settled into his new duties. But sometimes, he still feels a little uncertain and awkward with his newly found authority.
NOTE: This account of how Darkfang became deputy is not set in stone. If he's accepted, I plan to work with the SC leader and align his history with theirs.
Characters: Darkfang
Image belongs to tanjila ahmed at flickr. This image is used under the CC attribution license. The image has been resized.