hailstorm. born of a,

[prowler.]

Hailstorm

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The name's Hailstorm but you can call me whatever you like.

My gender could be most certainly defined as a tom-cat.

I'm aged at a youthful yet prime 35 moons old.

My rank is a Warrior though you never know what the future holds.

Me and my family have always held our allegiance to FogClan.

Let me tell you what I believe...
Hailstorm is a naturally superstitious type of cat, as such he is uncertain on exactly what he believes solidly in, instead choosing to believe that everyone is right in some form. Using this diplomatic method he is able to respectfully follow all and any form of ritual or ethical habit in order to live. This makes him a reasonable mind that, though keeping to himself about it, delights in the tinkerings of the more mysterious world out there. Like most clan cats, he also has a fairly definite belief in StarClan, believing that though many have differing variations of their ancestors spirits, they are all one in the same in the great big beyond. Cautious of more barbaric beliefs, Hailstorm is one that though strongly opinionated himself, does not force his beliefs upon others, instead thinking of the law of StarClan as a general guideline for all good life.

And how about my lineage...
Hailstorm was born to his dam Thymewind of ForestClan, whom was of not-distant Norwegian Forest Cat heritage and was sired by Stoneclaw of ForestClan, who was of Burmilla and Turkish Angora ilk.
^{both of the above are NP (non-played) characters.}

And... my sibling...
Hailstorm was born with an identical twin brother named Slatepaw. Not long before the two became warriors, Slatepaw unfortunately died after slipping on a rock and concussing his head.

And all the other kin of mine...
Hailstorm has a (NP) rogue uncle called Screamer, who was previously Pebbleclaw of ForestClan and Stoneclaw's brother but left clan life after falling into insanity.

I have no mate to speak of,
nor do I have a crush,
and without those I do certainly not have kits.

My mentor and my apprentice...
Previously mentored by Stoneclaw (NP).
Has successfully mentored Volepaw (NP) to warriorship.
Now teaching Sootpaw (PB: Kelly).

I have been physically described as...

One of the first things you'll notice about Hailstorm is his sheer size, even before becoming a warrior, Hailstorm has always been a big cat - and not a fat one, either. His bulk is made up of tough sinew and muscle, rippling through his pelt and stitched away from obvious view by floaty, thick fur. This fur is usually groomed neatly to the side, so as not to get in his way, such attributes are typical for a cat of his lineage, both Angoras and Norwegian Forest Cats being known for their thick fur and large size. The said fur he owns is of an endless, sooty gray, which covers his entire body with the exception of his forehead. Upon his forehead darker, blackish tabby markings mark a separate strand of his heritage from the Burmilla cat. Upon his maw a lighter shade of gray comes into existence, as if part of his coat's gray has been washed away from consistent drinking and washing and general wear'n'tear.

Moving down to Hailstorm's finer structure, his legs are bulky at the top, but hone down to be almost graceful-looking columns. Topping these legs are rough, large paws, often visible with claws unsheathed. From Hailstorm's maw sprout long, fish-like whiskers, pure white in color and fine in texture. A dainty, pink nose centers his face, untarnished in color by any dirt, the only mis-color being around the rim, where a thick band of black defines his features. Leading off from these lines runs you up toward two perfect oval-shaped optics. Solid and expressionless, Hailstorm's eyes are unreadable and slightly opaque, almost, their hue being that of a very watered-down blue over a solid, gritty gray.

Hailstorm's ears mount his head with light points and lighter, white-gray tufts inside, shielding them from weather or particularly loud noise - such as the yowls of kits that play in the clearing. moving along his back, where silky fur laces his spine, his structure arches lightly, just enough to add a touch of grace to his gargantuan size. Like a waterfall his fur parts on either side and flows down to hang an inch or so beneath his softer belly-fur. Nowhere on the said tom can a gram of fat be found, all transmuted into a more dexterous muscular sinew, which coats his body thickly and impressively. Of course, not all can be claimed by his own hard efforts - though he does work hard, so immensely so - and are somewhat down to genetic prowess. Anyway, leaving his spine is his long, brush of a tail, the fur thick and immaculate as he holds it just above ground level, or sometimes higher than so, retaining it's pristine condition.

Combining these traits Hailstorm could be described as anything from handsome, desirable to a fearsome foe to counter or face off against. With long, sharp teeth and honed, brazen talons Hailstorm's physical arsenal almost always plays to his side. Though he hates going quick, his leg muscles show that he is fully capable if time is of the essence. His voice tops off the effect, dark and chocolaty, yet when he uses it harshly, it can go more gritty, stone-like and solid. All in all he is the mirror image of his old identical twin and it is not uncommon for clanmates to believe they have seen a ghost, when in fact they have just seen the twin. Such is Hailstorm's appearance.

Others have described my personality perfectly...

Hailstorm through time has become quite a mixed cat, with the grief of his brother's death, he became more withdrawn, cautious, wary. Naturally, he was always open and easy to read, where now he keeps more to himself and is often found expressionlessly musing. He has always been, and will always remain a thinker, smart, for a feline anyway. His diplomacy is irrevocable, unmoving even at the best of times he will try and settle things without a hostile argument, though it's extremely evident that he would not be at any disadvantage if a situation did turn hostile.

One of Hailstorm's many musings usually lead to love - he has never experienced passionate love from another, instead seeing the result of it in other cats - the fierce, burning love between true partners and the broken, fragmented lovers that have been scorned. True, he has felt the love of family, his mother's fierce protection and his father's silent approval - and the sibling love he had shared and bonded with Slatepaw. And oh how he missed his twin, the freer, truer spirit of the pair, the one that always complimented the other into looking sensible, and Hailstorm that complimented Slatepaw into making him look rebellious and wild. He misses that, too, how Slatepaw would always goad and inspire the younger side of Hailstorm, and how Hailstorm would fruitlessly try to make Slatepaw observe and think.

Anyway, Hailstorm is a kind and merciful cat, though a fierce combatant he would prefer to resolve issues with thought and words. Brave and bold he would rather sacrifice himself - though not needlessly - to save another. His loyalty to his clan is unmoving as his family's has always been, a long line of ForestClanners. Hailstorm is proud of his heritage, whilst also remaining modest and unthankful for his own efforts. He has never considered any work above him and believes that a cat must prove itself in this life to gain peace in the next. Liking spending time alone Hailstorm could be described as "independent" but in the same, others might also call him "lonely". Still, he is undeniably a valuable and immovable warrior to his clan.

Some have noted several of my skills...

Hailstorm is an extremely skilled warrior in the majority of aspects, though a great hunter and fighter, he dislikes running or speedy movement unless absolutely necessary. Good at reading people, he can often tell when situations are sour and bad and thus can act appropriately as such. Very diplomatic hailstorm is generally popular and a good cat to confide in, as he will take secrets with him to StarClan.

One of the great mysteries of most, my history explains a lot about my life, so read on, my friend, read on...

Hailkit was born into ForestClan with his identical brother Slatekit and the clan considered their apparent duplicated looks a blessing from StarClan. As they grew Hailkit came to know how to recognize personalities in others around him, often taking time to just sit and observe clan life. Unlike him, Slatekit grew more impatient with life, always seeking adventure and never pausing to just breathe and truly take in the life around him. All the same, the twins were the best friends imaginable, though it was obvious in the long run that Hailkit would make far easier an apprentice to train.

Hailkit gradually became somewhat bolder at the constant insistence of his brother, and began to share his ability of reading others. He would advise those obviously crushing on another when was a good time to make a move for example, sometimes resulting in the creation of a happy couple. In other ways, his "blessing" was a curse, as he began to notice the cracks in his perfect family. Pebbleclaw, his usually docile, laid back uncle came back one day from a border scuffle a changed cat, Hailkit would not know for a long time what had happened, but he would eventually discover that Pebbleclaw's mate, Skystream, had been murdered before his eyes. Pebbleclaw became mean from that on, he would goad his brother for being soft and docile like he had once been, urged him to be "tougher" with Thymewind, who he saw as the leader of the relationship.

So Stoneclaw did, he became pushier and him and Thymewind began to argue. Thymewind wasn't quite what Pebbleclaw always claimed, she was a pleasant, calm she-cat with very motherly tendencies, but was simply more organized and assertive than Stoneclaw. As his parents argued, Hailkit would sit outside, worried and curious as Slatekit simply ignored the bickering for simple play and went off on more of his adventures. So Hailkit watched as his parent's love life fell apart at the whim of his lonely, grief-stricken uncle. The process was dramatic though, from small disagreements, to full blown arguments in front of other clanmates. On more than one occasion Hailkit heard Thymewind discussing the fault of the situation with her friends, though they all saw through it to the root of the issue being Pebbleclaw.

Finally, Hailkit was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time when he heard his mother slip out of the nursery to talk with Pebbleclaw. Naturally, he followed. He heard it all when she accused him of trying to rip apart her relationship, too bitter for his own loss to stand seeing his own brother in a docile relationship. In retort, Pebbleclaw ranted about how Thymewind brought it upon herself, then in fact how the whole clan brought it upon themselves, with their la-de-da happy-as-you-like attitude. At the end of this rant, Pebbleclaw threw away the honor of his name, saying he was leaving ForestClan and all its inhabitants behind, leaving to be the free rogue he had always been deep down inside - Screamer.

Hailkit had been found after his quite mad uncle's rant by his mother, she soothed him with soft, gentle words as he was afraid from the shouting and aggression he sensed radiated from both of them. She hid her real feelings though - of relief and even gratitude for the crazed uncle's departure. With the absence of Pebbleclaw, Thymewind and Stoneclaw's relationship slowly began it's mend, just in time for the twins apprenticeship. It wasn't difficult for the current leader to see the obvious choice in who should mentor them. Thymewind's calm would hopefully rub off with the gentle, skilled way she dealt with Slatekit, whilst Stoneclaw's sentient skill and power would hopefully hone Hailkit's more docile traits to be those of a warrior.

In apprenticeship, under Stoneclaw, Hailpaw excelled, becoming a skilled hunter and fighter, making his father proud. Success was not so easy for Thymewind, which Hailpaw noticed, as Slatepaw was unwilling to listen or take advice as easily. Thymewind would end up coming home exhausted, whilst Stoneclaw came back proud and content at his son's progress. The day of the tragedy it was Hailpaw that was with his brother. The two were walking through the forest, Slatepaw goading Hailpaw to fight or race or do something interesting, while Hailpaw remained composed, debating that any of the above was pointless as they were still simply learning, perhaps once they had graduated into a full-time warriors rank, he would comply.

With a "tishhhh" Slatepaw decided to run ahead, the forest was damp from the light rainfall and sensibly, Hailpaw immediately worried as his brother tossed back his head, laughing and hooting. He chased after him, calling for Slatepaw to slow down through the bracken until he heard the sound of leaves going awry underfoot and a sickening craaacckk resound through the forest air. With a low yowl, he jumped through the bracken to see Slatepaw, who had slipped and hit his head on a rock hard. Panicking somewhat, Hailpaw made sure that no immediate danger was around before racing back to camp to tell their medicine cat. Him and the medicine cat returning, he was escorted away by Thymewind as a crowd of cats came to try and help, his eyes being "far too young" to see the result of what had happened to his beloved twin.

When he returned to the camp, he was sent to "rest" in the apprentices den, but instead spent the next few hours pacing the small den with an impatient worry all too similar to how Slatepaw had paced. Finally, Thymewind called from outside the den, lightly, as if not wanting to wake Hailpaw. In a rush, he dashed outside, almost running into her as he skidded to a halt, eyes wide and imploring. Lightly, she told him how the medicine cat had said that if he survived the rest of the day, Slatepaw would sleep with the clan once more, if not, he would spend this night and the rest of their lives sleeping with StarClan. Slatepaw did not survive the rest of the day and as such, was said to sleep with StarClan for the rest of his and their lives, for ever and ever until death do they meet.

That day changed Hailpaw forever, his training still progressed, but he lacked a brightness in his eye, a skip in his step - taking things if anything slower than normal, more cautious and wary of the world. One image he felt recur in his mind all too often, the prone, broken, limp figure of Slatepaw, thrown raggedly upon the rock, blood dripping sickeningly down that rock, blood that he knew to still stain that very same rock to this day. A story to scare the kits with, eh? It was painful sometimes, when his mother woke as he brought her breakfast, only to murmur an uncertain Slatepaw? Only to apologize quickly and hide her own grief once again. Eventually he received his warrior name, Hailstorm, but even then felt the loss where Slatepaw should have stood proudly beside him, psyched for the both of them and announcing loudly that now they should have that fight and that race.

Time passed and when Hailstorm was 28 moons old the clan was informed of the split. Figuring that in order to banish old, less fond memories, the three of them could not stay together, he decided to tell his parents that he was going to go to FogClan and he would prefer if they would rather go to somewhere different, suchas MeadowClan. As the day of the split arrived, his parents grieved as if they had lost their second child, but they understood - as Hailstorm vanished behind Owlstar and the rest of the clan, they had to accept this would be the last time they would see him. The new clan was not far from where ForestClan had currently resided, but far enough from where their grim history had taken place.

That feeling off loss would never really be truly healed, but hailstorm did in a sense recover, the shadow of his brother always tangible in the air beside him or in his reflection on a shiny surface. Hailstorm proceeded to become a great and commendable warrior for his clan, even as he heard of his parents retirement in MeadowClan he became a better warrior in himself. He put his brother's death behind him and focused on serving his clan as best and professionally as he can.

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hailstorm