Sootclaw {Alecksander}Streamclan

[Whiskers]

Alecksandar the Great has fallen.
And out of his ashes, has risen...

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SOOTCLAW

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"His name was Alecksander, named after our father, Alecksy. He was given a true name of a warrior in our culture. But now, cast into a life of new customs, he is Sootclaw-- for his fur and his skills. I see it though, in his eyes, the determination to remain Aleck, always, always..." --Mistystream, sister of Sootclaw

Gender: Tom

Age: Twenty moons

Clan: Stream

Family:

Father- Alecksy- alive (NP)
Mother- Urzula- alive (NP)
Sister- Berta- alive (NP)
Sister- Halina- alive (NP)
Sister- Anka a.k.a. Mistystream (DC)
Grandmother- Aniela- alive (DC)

Apprentice: Mistpaw

Beliefs:

Sootclaw is not even trying to pretend he believes in this 'Starclan' everyone is talking about. He is adament on his beliefs of the three forces-- sky, water, earth. And he is sure that he will not die, not truly. He knows that he will simply become one with one of these forces-- in his own opinion he believes water, which reflects why he joined Streamclan in the first place.

Unlike his sister, he doesn't keep quiet about this. He makes it known that he, clearly, doesn't believe in the ancestors. "They are not my ancestors anyway. Why should I worship cats I do not know, will never know, and do not respect?"

Appearance:

"My son is handsome, a true gift, in my opinion. Unlike his sister, who are thick-furred and gray, he takes after my coat. He is sleek and black from head to toe. There is no markings to mess up the appearance of the pelt and he never looks dirty if any rubbish blends in-- not that he would let anything cling to the short, shiny fur.

He, like the rest of his family, are massive cats, quite tall and above average. Though I have not seen him since he was a kit, I know that he has grown and probably towers over I. Aniela, his grandmother, used to claim that he had the exact body type of her dead mate, Henrick. And yes, I suppose that is true. He does have Henrick's big paws and lean figure, not to mention his wide shoulders and large ears.

And you can see the ghost of Henrick in his large orange eyes, glowing and sparking. No wonder Aniela favored my son-- though I admit to favoring him too. With his lovely fur and shape and eyes, how could I not? I can see him now if I close my eyes. Big, demanding, beautiful. A true wild cat."

~ Urzula, mother of Sootclaw

Personality:

"Ah, my brother! He is the oldest of us all and if my brother called me bossy, what do you think he is! Pampered by both of our parents, he was promised to be great. Yes, they would call him that: Alecksander the Great. It made his head inflate greatly. He is bossy, demanding, and quite spoiled. When we were on the journey, he was one who slept in while my grandmother and I did the hunting.

But he was not all bad, oh no. As a younger cat, he was also so... large-- larger than life! He was so lively, dramatic and I had so much fun with him. We would go on 'adventures' all the time, even if it was something so silly as hiding a sock from our housefolk. He knew how to make me laugh, how to make me smile when I felt weak and helpless.

But when I saw him last, I noticed a new cat behind his eyes. I could not detect any of his carefree attitude and I knew, that on the journey, something had happened to make him more serious-minded. There is darkness in him now... I fear that I have lost Alecksander and Sootclaw has replaced him... knowing him, he hides this from his clanmates and puts on his happy, obnoxious charade, as only Aleck could do.

There are still things though, shadows, of who he used to be. His ambition is there. As is his quick anger, his pigheadedness, and his intense jealousy. Still, I wonder. Where is my brother? Where did my dear Alecksander go?"

~Mistystream, sister of Sootclaw

Skills:

Unlike his sister, Sootclaw isn't a skilled hunter. Rather, he is all strength, muscle and fierceness. He acts on impulse, on his gut, and so fighting has always been his strength. He hates hunting; finds it soooo boring. He avoids patrols all the time, wishing just to be alone, or with one other friends.

Also, he has 'skills' with the ladies, and is quite smooth.

History:

The beginnings of Alecksander's life are just the same as Mistystream's. He was born a kittypet and he was pretty content, though unlike his sisters, he did dream of what was outside the hard, concrete walls. For the first moons of his young life, he wondered and wondered while he played and played-- soon he got his chance to find out for himself.

Aleck was more than happy to go on the journey with his sister and grandmother to the clans when he heard of them. He certainly didn't want to be separated from his family by the housefolk. So he set off into the dawn with Aniela and Anka.

For a while, everything was fine, normal, easy. Alecksander did tend to let the slack fall on the she-cat's shoulders. "A woman's work is to be done by the woman. The man looks out and defends these women." He would say.

"Ah, but where is this man to look after us?" His sister would retort.

"He is busy stuffing himself with the womens hard work!" Aniela taunted.

But Alecksander brushed it off. He had been taught by his father of the male's superiority. He had been favored by his mother. The tom was quite spoiled and too pompous to care.

But when a pack of dogs chased the three and separated them, suddenly, he was on his own.

All alone. With no she-cats to take care of him.

For the first two moons, Aleck suffered and mourned the loss of his companions. The suffering taught him his lesson: All must pull their weight. He was no better than Aniela, or Anka. No, he was worse. He clung to the words of both and repeated Aniela's lessons in his head.

"Young one, we hunt to live. So put one paw in front of the other with care, be as quick and silent as death." And he learned, and he struggled, and Aleck lived.

"We fight to protect ourselves and our loved ones. So do not fight with hate. Fight with your heart." And Aleck let his heart take over and he did not falter.

Then, he met a pair of cats-- Tessa and her daughter, Sky. Tessa was widowed, and Sky was hardly more than a kit. But Aleck found himself falling for the wise, cheeky Tessa anyway and he loved her daughter like his own. He asked them to come with him--

"There are these cats and they live together, working, in harmony, much like the earth, the water, the sky. You must help me find them. You can meet my sister and my grandmother-- they will love you."

Tessa laughed, "Alecksander, you have large dreams. I'm happy to be a part of them."

So one became three again and they moved on. Again, disaster struck, but this time, in the form of a fox. It grabbed Sky in the middle of the night. Tessa foolishly chased the fox and tried to save her daughter. Both were eaten.

Alecksander had been too scared to go and help. Still, he hears Tessa's words.

"That is my baby! She has so much to live for! Alecksander, you are strong--"

"Tess, she's gone! Don't risk your life for the doomed! You'll die, the fox is too powerful."

"No! If you love us like you claim you do, you will help me!"

"Grandmother Aniela told me that death is peace. She will find peace and she will come back-- bright and happy like the sun. You won't be able to recognize her but--"

"You are scared! You are a coward! I will never forgive you!"


Alecksander lost his family for a second time and it broke the tom. He felt the compulsion to be stronger for Tessa and for Sky and at the same time, he wished to forget them both. He worked hard to do so. He erased his memories with them and in doing so, erased a part of him.

He arrived at the clans not long after that and he had no hope to think that his sister had made it. He loved to swim in pools and relax in the rain, and so, he joined Streamclan. He learned soon that Anka had arrived a moon or so before and had joined Meadowclan.

He never felt more alone, though his sister was closer than ever. He took the name Sootclaw, but still, could not let go of his sister and the feeble hope for happiness.

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