Cherryblossom - [Warrior] of [ThunderClan]

CHERRYBLOSSOM
pictures; calico
Age: Twenty-Six Moons
Gender: She-Cat
Rank: Warrior
Clan: ThunderClan
Short Description: a small calico she-cat with bright yellow eyes.

Appearance:

One once said that looking into some cat's eyes was like looking into their soul, you could tell exactly who they were just by that one simple glance. Well, this saying is true, when it comes to Cherryblossom. With one glance you can tell exactly what she's feeling, whether it be elation, rage, or even despair. The young she-cat's eyes are almost always filled with some kind of emotion; how bright they are, though, depends on what she's feeling like. Usual for her pelt coloring, she has bright yellow eyes, often described as the center of a daisy. It could be one of the reasons why she was given the suffix, '-blossom,' but she'll never know. Cherryblossom's eyes are always flickering about. She's a very observant cat, and prides herself on her sharp eyes.

Another thing Cherryblossom prides herself on is how well-kept she keeps her coat. When clean, the calico pelt is very shiny and soft. Cherryblossom grooms herself regularly to keep up her nice appearance, and will look very agitated and embarrassed when she's not looking her best. Her pelt is an average length, too long to be called short, but too short to be called long, so some would call it an easy medium. Her pelt is mostly white; all four of her legs, as well as her chest and underbelly. It's a mixture of black, orange and white combinations on her face, back and tail. Her face is prominently marked in black; white hairs, scattered like stars, are spread through the dark fur. The black on her face is also framed with orange, with tiny orange dapples within it. The rest of her body is patched with color.

Cherryblossom has a very rounded face, just like her mother's, and her grandmother before. It's always been a dominant trait in the she-cats that are kin to her, and she's no exception. Like her face, her muzzle is very prominent and rounded. It isn't exactly pushed in, but it's definitely not as long as the average cat's. Her ears, on the other hand, are very narrow and spaced out. Like most cats, though, Cherryblossom only mildly shows expressions through her face. The look, whatever expression it is, only stays plastered to her face for a couple of seconds, before it's washed away with a stony appearance.

Cherryblossom has been in many fights, and not all of them ended well for her. Her muzzle and flanks are covered with scars, although the scars on her flanks are easier to cover with her thick fur. Her left ear is also a mess. The inside is visibly scarred, and the tip of her ear is completely torn off, making it slightly shorter than the other ear. Cherryblossom is also partially deaf in this ear; the sounds are muffled and off. When she listens through this ear, she has trouble pinpointing where exactly a sound is coming from, and if it's far enough away, what it is, so she tends to rely on her right ear on hearing more.

You could describe Cherryblossom as being very small. She was the runt of her litter, thus leaving her to always be smaller than the average cat. Although small, she does have muscle, and tends to keep them hard and lean. Her legs are also somewhat long, and it helps her for when she's running through the forest, or even for when she's climbing trees. Since she's light, climbing trees comes easy to her, and it's one of her favorite ways to hunt. Cherryblossom's gait, on the other hand, does not come as easy to her. Being as self-conscious as she is, it tends to show when she's walking, the falters in her step noticeable to a cat that is close enough.

You could describe Cherryblossom's voice as honey with a bit of spice added to it. Her voice is very enticing, yet, it has a rouge edge to it, as if her voice box is being strangled most of the time. Of course, Cherryblossom isn't much of a speaker, but when she does, she tends not to talk too loud. It's mostly because the one thing she hates most about herself would have to be her voice, and she doesn't want others to have to listen to the horrid thing. On the other hand, Cherryblossom does speak, she just tries to use as little words as possible. She speaks in whole, full sentences, she just goes the shortest route with them. Cherryblossom is a cat of few words, and only really likes to get her point across before she becomes silent once again.

Personality:

It's odd, how a cat can be so motherly and caring, yet, they have never borne a litter of kits. When some cat asks Cherryblossom why she acts this way, she'll just claim that it's natural mother instincts kicking in. Honestly, she treats every cat as if they were her kit, and makes sure to go around the camp every day checking up on every cat around. She makes sure the elders and queens have been fed, the medicine cat doesn't need anything, none of the apprentices or warriors are left with nothing to do; it's become an odd routine she's begun to do every single day. Of course, she knows the difference between being motherly, and just being plain creepy, so she doesn't go as far as to step over certain boundaries. Another trait that could be tied in with these two would have to be how forgiving Cherryblossom seems to be. This doesn't mean she doesn't scold, because she does, it just means she does so, and then a short time later she'll act as if nothing ever happened. She feels every cat deserves second chances, even though in Cherryblossom's case, it turns into third, fourth, fifth, and sometimes even sixth chances before she really starts to lay down the law for her clanmates.

Another thing you have to know about Cherryblossom is how devoted she can get. Once she starts something, she'll put her all into it, whether it be something as small as devoting herself to a certain cat because she thinks of them as worthy enough, or whether it's something as big as her devoting herself completely to the warrior code. It's just easier to say that Cherryblossom is a very devoted cat, and leave it at that. Even though Cherryblossom isn't the most social of cats, she's still pretty cooperative. No matter what, she'll try to take into consideration what any cat has to say, even if she doesn't believe in it herself. This has to tie into how much of a people-pleaser, for lack of better words, she wants to be all the time. She feels that if other cats have something to say, then obviously it's of some sort of value to her other clanmates, and should be considered with care. This basically means that when put in a group discussion with other cats, Cherryblossom is a very likable cat, mostly because she tries to be as unbiased as possible.

Of course, Cherryblossom isn't all sugar and lollipops; she's got some spice in her, as well. The most noticeable bad trait about Cherryblossom is how insecure she can be. Even though Cherryblossom honestly isn't that bad of a cat, she looks down on herself greatly. No matter what she does, she feels as if she could have done it ten times better, and will kick herself in the tail for not having done it that way to begin with. This also ties in with her need for social acceptance. No matter what she does, Cherryblossom is always thinking about what other cats will think about her once she's done doing whatever she's doing. It's a large part on what she does, although sometimes she lets it slide and does whatever she feels right in her heart. This is rare, though, and she actually has to feel confident that day in order to go with what her gut is telling her is right.

Like said before, Cherryblossom is always putting herself down, and this is mostly due to the fact that she is a pessimist. No, it's not to the point where she feels the sky is grey when it's really blue; it mostly has to do with how she feels about herself. When it comes to other cats, she tries to hide it, mostly because she doesn't want them to think she's a sad little cat that thinks too many negative thoughts. Cherryblossom's next two traits are kind of contradictory, and it causes for a lot of conflict to go on inside of her head. The first one is that she's very indecisive. She'll make a decision, and then a few seconds later, after more thought, will change her mind. Usually she doesn't try to change her mind too much, and will try to stick to her word, but sometimes she just can't help it. The next one is that she's a perfectionist, which basically means she wants everything about everything to be perfect. It's hard, because when she does finally decide upon a decision, this kicks in and tries telling her that it could be better, she needs to think of something else.

Cherryblossom is like the mama bird to every cat that will let her. All she really wants to do is make sure that all the cats in her clan are doing okay, and that they don't need anything. If they do, Cherryblossom is always one of the first to jump up and offer her services, mostly because she feels that she needs to take care of all the cats as if they were her own kits. Of course, this is Cherryblossom's more neutral reaction to other cats; there are times before where she has felt like she was beginning to feel something more for a tom-cat, and there are sure to be other times where she will feel the same thing, but honestly, Cherryblossom doesn't really know if she will ever be ready for a commitment with a cat. This doesn't mean she looks down on love, though. In fact, she tends to encourage love amongst the younger cats of the clan. It's always nice to see a crush blossom into something more, and then eventually sprout into new kits for the clan.

Honestly, Cherryblossom gets uncomfortable around cats that are fighting or bickering, mostly because she has a soft heart. Now, this only really stands for her clanmates that are bickering, because she knows them personally, but when it comes to her clanmates bickering with cats from other clans, well, it doesn't tend to bother her as much. Mostly because she doesn't have that special bond with those cats as she does with her clanmates. How she feels on hatred is mostly based on how awkward the situation makes her feel.

In all, Cherryblossom is a very shy cat, that doesn't think too well of herself. Of course, this is subject to change, mostly because her OCD about everything being perfect won't allow for her to mess any of her duties up. Cherryblossom is also a very likeable cat, mostly because of how motherly and caring she can be. She treats all of her clanmates as if they were her own kits, and is always eager to volunteer her help when it's needed. Lastly, Cherryblossom is very insecure, and no matter what, in the back of her mind she's always thinking about how her clanmates will react to anything that she does. Only rarely will she have the confidence to listen to her gut and do what she thinks is right in her heart over what she thinks her clanmates will praise her for on.

History:

Unlike most other cats, Dapplecloud and Hawkfeather didn't always get along. In fact, there was always some kind of competition going on between them; whether it be who caught the most prey that day, or who was allowed to go on the "best" patrols. Even though they were so competitive, they always did it with a good heart, and tried to keep everything friendly. Even though they didn't know it, the whole clan knew that they liked each other, and it wasn't a surprise when Dapplecloud ended up pregnant. It was a nice time for her to be pregnant: early new-leaf. Soon after Dapplecloud discovered she was pregnant, she moved into the nursery.

Eventually, she gives birth to two tiny she-kits: Cherrykit and Patchkit. Taking after their mother, they were both calico, and upon closer inspection, they were verified by the medicine cat as twins. Dapplecloud and Hawkfeather were proud of their kits and they were very loving and caring of their kits. Unlike how the two first met, there was no competition from the sisters at all, in fact, they always seemed to be doing things with each other. It was a lovely sight, seeing the two grow up with each other. Cherrykit and Patchkit never bickered about anything, and always wanted to do the same things, so growing up as a kit, Cherrykit felt she had the life. Especially when it was getting closer to them being apprenticed; Cherrykit and Patchkit promised to always have each other's backs, no matter what happened to them while they were apprentices.

After six moons of being a kit in the nursery, Cherrykit was finally given her apprentice name, Cherrypaw. Unlike most cats, who feel proud of themselves, Cherrypaw was actually pretty nervous about the change. She didn't really know what it meant to be an apprentice yet, but she guessed she would find out soon enough. Cherrypaw had been apprenticed to a somewhat older tom; a tom that probably should have been in the elder's den, but was far too stubborn to move into it. Cherrypaw didn't know why she was given one of the most senior warriors in the clan, and honestly, it unsettled her. It made her feel as if she had to do better than she already did, just so she could please her mentor. She knew she would have six moons of training with him, and she didn't want him to hate her the whole time.

Dew-whisker, her mentor, didn't give Cherrypaw a break from the get-go. Immediately he started looking down on her, because she couldn't get a simple task right. Honestly, Cherrypaw didn't think that this is how mentors acted, especially when she saw how well Patchpaw and her mentor got along, but Cherrypaw had never been one to do well in social situations, so she figured that that was the reason her and Dew-whisker weren't getting along. Although, Dew-whisker's taunting did start to get to the young she-cat. Whenever she would mess up, he would be right there, chiding that she could have done way better if she had put her all into it, and then when she did do something correctly, he would brush it off as if it were no big deal.

After only a few moons, Cherrypaw could feel herself getting fed up with how Dew-whisker was treating her. By this time, she knew that it wasn't just her being socially awkward, no, she was convinced the older tom had a personal vendetta against her. She just couldn't figure out why, though. All he ever did was put her down, and she was getting sick of it quickly. Eventually, though, she got to the point where she lashed out at him, which even then was a very odd thing coming from her. A very odd thing indeed.

It was a sunny afternoon in greenleaf when Dew-whisker decided he wanted to take Cherrypaw out for a hunt. He had been known for his great hunting skills, and even though Cherrypaw felt like he hated her, she had noticed that her hunting skills were improving greatly, especially up in the trees. As the two of them headed out to hunt, Dew-whisker turned around and said, "I want you to catch as much prey as you can before the sun goes down, and then report back here to me with all that you have caught." Cherrypaw thought it was a joke, that he would make her hunt the whole afternoon, especially with how hot it had been recently. But, she obeyed him, and began hunting.

For a while, Cherrypaw was by herself, and she was actually doing good while she was hunting. Already she had caught two mice and a baby squirrel. It wasn't much, but Cherrypaw had never been the greatest hunter, and to her, it was a lot. She was stalking another animal, a black bird, when suddenly there was a lot of thrashing in the bushes next to her quarry, scaring it away. At first, the thrashing had scared Cherrypaw as well, but when she caught the strong, familiar scent, her fear turned into anger. With a lope of absolute ease, Dew-whisker pushed his way out the bushes and padded towards her, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. Before Cherrypaw could even speak, he laid his tail over her mouth and began.

"I just could not watch you take down another animal. The way you're doing it... It's just so wrong. I could hear you all the way across the territory, and I could see you, too, with your tail being as high as it was. I honestly don't know how you managed to catch as much as you did, and I'm sure you wouldn't have caught that bird, either, if I hadn't scared it off first. I actually did the thing a favor, it would have suffered under your clumsy paws."

The longer Dew-whisker spoke, the angrier Cherrypaw got. At the end of him speaking, when he took his tail away from her mouth, she just couldn't contain herself. All the distress and anger and bottled up emotions she had been trying to keep away from him just exploded out of her. Honestly, she didn't know how to deal with it, so she just resorted to screeching at him.

"You are one of the rudest cats I have ever met! All I do is my best, and you come and make it sound as if I were no better than mouse-dung! Well, you know what? I'm done! I don't want to be your apprentice anymore! If negative comments and unappreciative things are all that you have to offer, I don't think I want to continue training under you!"

Cherrypaw had plenty more to say to Dew-whisker, but by then she was too overcome with emotions to speak anymore. Instead, she just turned and started running. Cherrypaw ended up at the camp, where she found Patchpaw. She was an emotional mess, but she was able to confide into her sister. Even though they were still very close, Cherrypaw just hadn't ever felt right telling her sister of her troubles, didn't want to burden her with things she didn't need to be burdened with. To Cherrypaw's surprise, her sister was very understanding, and even talked her through the situation. She knew she couldn't do anything about how Dew-whisker was treating her, because who would believe an apprentice over a senior warrior? Cherrypaw knew she would have to continue her apprenticeship under him, but at least she would have her sister to confide in when things were getting too rough with Dew-whisker.

After a few more moons of having to put up with Dew-whisker, Cherrypaw finally received her warrior name. She was now officially Cherryblossom, and her sister was Patchflight. After the whole ordeal with Cherryblossom's mentor, they had grown extremely close, and could go to each other for anything that they needed. It was nice in the beginning of her being a warrior. Everything was going smoothly, and she liked being able to make decisions for herself for a change. She could go hunting whenever she wanted, she could leave the camp whenever she wanted. It was all just so new and nice to her.

Then, one day, Cherryblossom woke up to yowling. It wasn't playful yowling, either, it was gut-wrenching, almost painful yowling. Within seconds she was up and out of the den, like most of her other clanmates. It was one of the queens, Poppyflower, and it took a few minutes before anybody could calm her down enough to find out what was wrong. "M-My kit! She's missing!" With those few words, the whole clan was in action, and the deputy was making search patrols to go out and search for it. Well, still riding on the high of just becoming a warrior, Cherryblossom thought she could find the kit herself. She didn't think anything took it, because there was no sign of damage anywhere in the camp, so she felt there was no real danger to go off alone and try to find the missing kit. It must have just wandered off or something.

It didn't take long of wandering before Cherryblossom could hear the loud mewling of the kit. They seemed to be close to the lake, where the trees thinned out more. Happy that she thought she found the kit, Cherryblossom began to gallop towards the sound of the cries. Suddenly, though, a shadow crossed over her, and she looked up in horror as she saw a hawk circling above. It seemed that it hadn't only been her who had heard the mewling kit. Not thinking before she did, Cherryblossom began to sprint in the direction of the kit, and thankfully, saw it pretty soon. By then, the hawk started to swoop, and the only thing Cherryblossom really had time to do was throw herself in front of the kit, stopping the hawk from flying away with the kit. In reality, what Cherryblossom did was a brave, but very stupid, thing. She knew that she could possibly give up her life for this kit, especially when she felt the talons from the hawk penetrate her flesh.

Honestly, Cherryblossom doesn't remember much of what happened. All she remembers is continuing to hear the crying of the kit, and eventually, the sound of other cats. The next thing she remembers is waking up in the medicine cat den, dazed and confused. It took her a moment to realize the medicine cat had been speaking to her ever since she had opened her eyes. He was standing on the side of her left ear, the ear that had gotten mangled by the hawk. It was painful, and it took her a moment of gathering herself to tell the medicine cat that she could barely understand what he was saying, her ear hurt too much. He looked upset, but he nodded sympathetically and got on her right side. He basically told her what she did had saved the kits life, but that it was also a stupid thing. She could have possibly gotten herself killed, going off on her own like she had, but, she didn't, and that was all that mattered. The medicine cat also informed her that she would have to stay in the medicine cat den for a little while, until her injuries were completely healed. They didn't want them to reopen and her be in even more pain.

After a few moons, Cherryblossom is allowed to go back to her warrior duties. The medicine cat told her to not push it though, in fear her wounds would reopen and she would have to go through all of that all over again. Cherryblossom was a little scared to begin doing things again, but eventually she got back into the hang of things. Well, only to realize trying to do anything without most of the hearing in one of your ears is a tough thing to do. It took some trial and error, but she finally figured out a way to do everything as she normally would if she had all the hearing in her left ear. She just acted as if the only ear she had was her right one, and that her left was completely useless. It turned out to be a success, and Cherryblossom quickly trained herself enough to where she acted as if she had both ears in perfect use.

After several moons, Cherryblossom was told Patchflight was with kits. It was exciting for her, to know that she would have more kin borne into ThunderClan. The two sisters were still very close, and Cherryblossom would constantly be in the nursery, asking Patchflight if she needed anything, or if she needed help getting anywhere. It was probably annoying, but Cherryblossom was only trying to be the best sister she could be, and Patchflight knew that. Eventually, Patchflight gives birth to three healthy kits. She had to admit, she took to the smallest female, Mousekit, a little better than the other two, mostly because she reminded herself of her when she had been a kit. She would always would take Mousekit off and tell her how small cats could do so much more than what big cats could, and would even tell her stories about how she "flew" around in the trees like only the most graceful of birds. Of course, she would exaggerate a little, but any great story teller does that to some extent.