Duststripe;; Medicat of PineClan

[tiddler]

"Watch me lose her, it's almost like losing myself..."

Name |
Duststripe

Gender |
She-cat

Age |
40 Moons

Rank |
Medicine Cat

Clan |
Pine

Beliefs|
Duststripe has little belief in StarClan, if at all. Although she will not outright deny the existence of StarClan, neither will she deny the existence of flying badgers- to her, until something is proven or disproven, it remains as none of her business. She doesn't think about, or talk about, StarClan, and has no wish to. It has nothing to do with her, in her own eyes.

She does believe in Clan unity and loyalty, and feels PineClan will restore the feelings of trust and friendship she once felt. She also feels that her healing skills will be of most use. However, she does believe in gut-feeling, and will pick her heart over mind if she feels strongly enough about a situation. In this way, she is probably closer to a true medicine cat, as despite her disbelief in StarClan, she does believe that logic is not the be-all and end-all to everything in life.

Parents |
Mother;; Triss [f] [loner][np]
Father;; Cluny [m] [loner][np]

Siblings |
Eefera [f] [loner][np]
Biluf [m] [loner][np]

Other Kin |
-

Mate |
Not yet

Crush |
Not yet

Kits |
Not yet

Apprentice/Mentor |
Not yet

Appearance |



Duststripe is quite the massive girl, tall in height and muscular, she is an intimidating creature. Her fur, though when cleaned is long and a dusty brown, is often straggly and caked with mud, herbs and leaves making home in the thick tangles. She has a certain feral look about her, with her crude grins and wide, green-eyed stares, she can seem a lot wilder then she really is. She will only bother to clean herself when the situation demands a bit more physical dignity then usual, and that isn't often. She has a smattering of scars over her body, though most are hidden under thick fur, but the more obvious is the fact she has a 'v' shape cut into one ear, a missing toe and also a couple of bigger, more obvious scars on her chest and back.

Her chin is white, with her underside being a lighter brown then her body. She has tabby black markings on her front and back legs, forehead and tail, though the rest of her coat is a mottled mix of browns and black.

Personality |
Duststripe is a very dedicated cat, willing to give her life for her clan and any of its members, even those she holds a grudge against. Her loyalty is strong and should not be questioned, for if deeply wronged she can become bitter and vicious, and is particularly sensitive over issues to do with loyalty, as being from her original clan she learnt the importance of trust... And what happens when there is none. She is a somewhat enigmatic cat, rarely speaking unless spoken to, with an intelligent glitter in her seductive eyes. Cunning, sly, she is a suspicious cat who questions everything and trusts no-one except for her Clan. A cat from any other would have a hard time getting a word in with her. Including other Medicine Cats. She is particularly mistrustful of FogClan, for she finds their devotion to the so-called StarClan bizarre. Even her 'friends' find it hard to get close to her. She is terribly independent, and will only eat fresh-kill if she has caught prey that day herself, despite being a medicine cat. If, on the off-chance, she is kept too busy, she even then prefers gifts of food to taking from the pile herself. She isn't used to being cared for, and it makes her slightly uncomfortable.

She is a chilly, cold cat at times, and can be snippy with those that play on her nerves. Of course being a medicine cat she is a compassionate female, but life left her bitter, and her compassion is hidden behind a careful layer of frost. Others may find it hard to warm up her frozen heart, and are often hurt by her sharp-tongue. She is distant, too, like a loner at the edges of the clan. She might love and protect her clan, but she is not always...Involved. She will not hesitate to kill for her clan, although she has honor enough to know when not to, but does not like to involve herself in "clan politics" like the normal medicine cat might.

The paranoia that she holds is not exactly a flaw...As long as it doesn't drive her nuts. She is careful and always prepared, on her toes always. When a plan falls apart, or when something goes wrong, others can turn to her for solutions, because her observant ways often come in handy, and her distance gives her perspective. She prefers actions to words, and her actions are usually much louder anyway. When it comes to day to day life, cats may approach her for advice, though she tends get angry if it is not followed.

Skills |

Duststripe is a fair fighter and hunter, having spent most of her life doing both. She isn't the fastest of cats, but she is steady on her paws and very patient. She is a powerful fighter, and cunning, though again, has difficulties with speed and agility, though has good balance and endurance. She isn't much of a tracker, being too easily distracted by various smells of plants she recognizes, and is terrible at fishing. Mainly 'cause her swimming isn't too good and her fur tends to get very heavy.

She is a very talented healer, with a strong memory and a keen sense of smell, as well as a knack for knowing where certain plants might grow from her experiences of searching. She has much to learn still, as all cats do, but she is a considerate, notable healer, and is a genuine natural. Despite her fearsome personality, she is quite gentle with sick or weak cats.

History |

"She said, feels fine, it's wonderful, wonderful here."

Kithood
Born to a pair of fairly laid-back loners, both ex-kittypets, she was raised in a chilled environment with her sister and brother for the first two moons of her life. Her fondest memories are all of her mother at this time, a beautiful though delicate queen with fur as white as freshly fallen snow. She was a little afraid of her father, who was moody and blunt, despite also being very devoted to his family, who had long, brown tabby fur. When she turned but four moons old, the family decided to move closer to the town, as leaf-bare was approaching and their small parkland would become impossible to hunt in. They did not know what would await them there. Not then.

"If only I'd held on tighter..."

NightClan
Within hours of entering the two-leg mess, they were captured by a vicious group of rogues known as NightClan, and herded to their leader, Skell, whom decided to spare their lives if they agreed to become absorbed into his already enormous so-called 'Clan'. Not knowing what else to do, Cluny accepted, and his dear mate Triss had to too. Nixa (Duststripe) and her siblings were not entirely sure what was happening to them, but soon they found their lives grew harder. At first it didn't seem so bad- they slept in a two-leg shed with a few other mothers and kits, and were reasonably well-fed, but they were forced to watch rogues scrap and, once or twice, despite not being even six moons, forced to join in. It was in one of these 'scraps' that Nixa lost a toe, which although not seeming too serious of an injury, nearly killed her by infection. It was an old, shaggy-furred tom that managed to patch her up, and explained to her even infection could be cured if the right plant was used. He was no healer, but he taught her what he knew, for she was curious, and he lonely. She learnt that he earnt his keep here by patching up the Skell's favorite warriors, and recommended Nixa find a niche- Before Skell decided there were too many mouths to feed.

Nixa decided to feed her never-ending thirst for knowledge and experimented with different plants and resources when healing others. She based them on rumors, old elders tales and well-known facts, as well as a bit of self-experimentation. She discovered many ways of helping other cats, and quickly claimed her spot as a healer by the age of twelve moons. It was at this time she also met the cat whom would change her life forever... And no, she wasn't a future mate, or enemy. It was to be the closest friend she ever had.

Bluefen was her name, a soft-hearted silver tabby, the daughter of Skell and sought after my many a tom. Uninterested by their chasing, she even turned her claws on one of them, unfortunately managing to get herself into a full-blown fight. The tom dug his fangs deep in her neck, and lept off her with a panic when he realized he'd gone too far. Nixa, thinking quickly, patched up her wounds with cobwebs and moss, and in the end managed to save her life. Skell, of course, chased the tom out, for a blood relation is a blood relation, and rewarded Nixa by giving her more run of the Clan- more privileges. She and Bluefen became fast friends, and eventually inseparable ones. By the age of thirty moons, they had been close for over half of her life. They were so close, they acted more like mates or sisters then friends, and if one was without the other, cats would ask why.

But of course- this isn't a forest Clan. No honor. No loyalty. And it was surprising (relative) peace had lasted so long, for soon a battle between two factions within the clan started to fight. Skell had changed his mind about culling the kits born that green-leaf, and roughly a third of his clan strongly disagreed with him. They were so enraged by his apparently softness, they gained supporters (strange rogues, ambitious rogues) and revolted. The battle was instant, and over almost as such.

When Nixa returned, Bluefen was already gone.


"Give her my soul, and let them take somebody else! Get away from me!"
Loner

She left that day, vowing never to forget her dear friend. Heart throbbing, she traveled alone. She stopped caring. About herself, about others, about existing. The world could show nothing to her- She lived on scraps, eating only to exist. Too much to live, too little die, she hung like a ghost, the only cat she had ever been allowed to become close to, to trust, dead. The loss was so painful, she bitterly wished it could have been a sibling or parent instead. A twisted thought... But blood had not been thicker then friendship to her. Bluefen had meant everything.

Five moons passed, and she was barely alive, still, in her own purgatory. But her emotional wounds were slowly healing... And when she stumbled across a group of strangers, suddenly she realized her life could have meaning again... And trust.

"Some things you lose, and some things you just give away."


PineClan

What will happen now?