Coyotenose [short skirt/long jacket]

[Pyro]

I want a girl with a mind like a diamond|Coyotenose

I want a girl who knows what's best| She-cat

I want a girl with shoes that cut| 31 moons

And eyes that burn like cigarettes| Warrior

I want a girl with the right allocations| Stream

...Sharp as a tack| Coyotenose says she doesn't have time for StarClan. Which is bull. Because she does. Rather, she doesn't care enough about StarClan to devote any time to them. Things like say, hunting, patrols, even sleeping and eating, take precedence over them. At the end of the day, do they do anything for the clans? No. So why the hell should she do anything for them? Why should she even think about them? They're useless. For all she knows they don't even exist. In fact, that's probably the case. And if it is, then the only thing StarClan is good for is not existing.

I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity| Coyotenose was born to Bluewhisker{NP} and Smallnose{NP}. Her siblings, Doveflower{NP} and Stripedfoot{NP} remained in ForestClan.

Who uses a machete to cut through red tape| Coyotenose has no mate yet as she has not found someone who meets her standards.

With fingernails that shine like justice| Coyotenose...would rather not have an apprentice. She'll teach one, if she has to, but she'd rather not deal with the fluffy balls of energy anymore than necessary.

And a voice that is dark like tinted glass| Tan, gradiating from dark to lighter shades, dominates this she-cat's 'under-colour. Light and dark grey hairs alternate with the tan for a sort of frosted effect on her back, gradually becoming scarcer as the colour moves toward her belly. Darker grey stripes, which blend in at the top and upper sides of her back and body, run down her coat to fade before reaching her belly. They are the most pronounced at her face and tail, but even there they appear faded. During the warmer season Coyotenose's coat is short and coarse. However, as it grows colder her coat becomes slightly thicker and softer to the touch, just enough to keep out the cold. It is useless to keep out the extremes in the dead of leafbare, but it keeps her alive until the warm of newleaf comes.

Coyotenose's figure is slight. Her long, skinny legs give her graceful enough movement, but don't add to her lack of weight. A bit of a daydreamer, her skinniness can be partly attributed to forgetting to eat and then not wanting to be seen as the only one eating, especially if she hasn't caught anything her old mentor would deem worthy of a meal.

Green eyes provide the perfect mask in which Coyotenose can hide behind. Almost always unreadable, they haven't betrayed her emotions unless she feels open enough for them to, yet. And she's confident they never will. Her slightly peppered whiskers, however, are a much better indicator of her general mood. Though usually stuff, they do occasionally quiver in silent laughter...What at...Well, that's for Coyotenose to know.

She is fast and thorough| Freedom...Is the greatest gift StreamClan has given Coyotenose, and she is the better for it. Her disbelief in StarClan should have found her in PineClan, or maybe FogClan for salvation, but a lax life appealed to the she-cat more than the rigid and extremes of those feuding clans. Having seen oppression first hand, in ForestClan, she was inclined to join a clan in which beliefs, of all things, did not become the right and wrong, and the source of discontent and repression.

Sure, technically belief is encouraged in the clan she deigned to join, but it isn't shoved down cats' throats, and that's a very close medium she's come to enjoy.

Coyotenose enjoys the simple things. The river rushing on a brisk newleaf day...The silvery scales of fish, promising prosperity for her clan...Cheerful birdsong on a quiet patrol...Not that anyone knows this. On the rare occasions cats have caught her staring into nothing, lost in her simple pleasures, she's made it perfectly clear that she prefers solitude.

It's hard to say, really, whether she is sweet or serious at heart. She reacts to kindness in her own cool, way. It trapped her once. Made her unwillingly strive to fulfill her parents' dreams for her, rather than walking her own path. How could she disappoint those who had been so caring of her? More than her siblings even? On the one paw, she came off of the experience pretty well: her tracking skills are superb, and her hearing and recognition of sounds unmatched, as it is for any of her line who are chosen. On the other, she cannot help but feel that those who show kindness to her have a motive.

Silent? Coyotenose always has an opinion that's for sure, but she's not inclined to voice them if she knows they'll be heard on deaf ears. And it's not as if she doesn't talk to her clanmates. She just doesn't frequently seek them out for meaningless conversations in camp. She prefers inanimate objects. Many a rock or leaf as found themselves on the receiving end of a rant or tangent. Maybe because they're the only true friends she lets herself have? They certainly aren't a danger of false kindness.

She is fast and thorough| Tracking is Coyotenose's primary skill. She was raised to it, trained to it, and there is nothing that brings her more bland joy. Sure, her success rate is beautiful, but it is a constant reminder of the life she had in ForestClan. She's quick enough to catch prey, but her fighting skills could definitely use some work. She doesn't make an effort to improve them though as she feels adverse to fighting. What if she crippled a cat while consumed by the heat of battle? Oppression of life is just as bad as oppression of beliefs...freedom...as bad as all else in general, if not worse. Rather, she focuses what skills she has on 'bob n' weave'. Tire out the opponent. Then you don't have to deliver any serious blows.

I want a girl with a short skirt and a lonnnng jacket| "Listen closely, Coyotekit. What do you hear?"

"Everyone having fun, can't I go outside?"

"Your father and I have a good feeling about you, my sweet one. You will carry on the family skill of tracking, more so than your siblings, with the proper training of course. Things are all ready set in motion. Our friend Bearwhisker will mentor you, and you will not embarrass us. You will know more of tracking than any other apprentice on your first day. Now what do you hear?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing does not a -whisker or -nose make. Always has one of our family had one of those titles, and always will that be. It is tradition. Family tradition. You do care for your family don't you? You will be the Ears, just as I am the Eyes, and my father before me the Nose, and his father before him the Ears..."
-----

"Listen closely, Coyotepaw. What do you hear?"

It was late in the evening on the first day of Coyotepaw's training with her new mentor, Bearwhisker. They had spent the day touring the territory, but rather than letting her turn in with the rest of the apprentices, Bearwhisker was keeping her for her first real lesson. Coyotepaw might have been eager before, but now she was tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep.

"I don't hear anything. Can we just go?"

"Night is when prey thinks it is safer from predators. The element of surprise is more prevalent at this time than any other."

"Everyone will be freaking asleep by the time we get back."

"Language! And I think a lesson is more important than showing off your first catch. Listen harder."

The she-cat concentrated. Or rather, tried to. But she was too flustered, too exhausted. It was hopeless. And something told her the lesson wouldn't be over until she heard something. Maybe even not until she caught something. Then again, it wouldn't hurt to at least try to convince her persistent mentor that the lesson was best saved for another day.

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

Bearwhisker grumbled a bit, but relented. Slightly. "I suppose it can. But you will not eat anything until you catch something for your clan."

"But that's no fair!"

"You are not a kit anymore. Meals are not free. And one day, you may have to go days without food so that queens, elders, and kits may eat."

"I bet Brownstar would say warriors should care for themselves first."

"Maybe. Things like that just aren't certain anymore."
------
"Listen closely, Coyotenose. What do you hear?"

"Nothing. All clear. It's safe to start now."

Bearwhisker nodded. "You've learned well. I can only hope that you will learn even more from this journey. Fly free, my former apprentice."

"Won't you come with us? You might die if you stay in this forsaken place."

"I would never make the journey. I'm too old now and my days of usefulness are drawing to an end. It's death for me either way. But there is hope for a life for you. For you all. I wish you luck."

"Will you wish StarClan's blessing upon us?"

"...I don't think StarClan cares about anyone anymore."

"Funny. Neither do I."
-----
"Listen closely, Coyotenose. What do you hear?"

"I hear birds, Cloudstar. A river, streams, prey running well, the wind whispering on grass...I hear hope, the promise of a new and better life. I hear the end of this journey and the start of an even greater one."

Through my eyes|
Tradition. In a clan whose only tradition was violence. I'm sure it was serious once. Something special. My family's tradition, that is. We're trackers. I don't know how long it's been in our blood. All I know is now it's unavoidable, always there. If you show a talent for it...You're screwed. Your name is chosen before you can even walk properly, your mentor chosen before you can even dream of being an apprentice...I always wondered what we did to get on such good terms with Brownstar. Well, with all the other leaders before him too. I asked my mother once. She said it was because they could al recognize greatness when they saw it. I think it's because we could find the camps of other clans as quick as though we were actually from that clan. If prey was killed on our clan's land we could find the exact cats who did it. In the dead of leafbare when prey was scarce, we could find it.

I don't know where the tradition started. I wish it would end with me. But I know my mother. Arrogant. Prideful. I may have disgraced her, but she'll find someone else to carry it on. She's too fond of her bragging rights.

So where did my side of this start? Camp. The nursery. Mother didn't see the trademarks of a tracker in my siblings so guess who lost their kithood? By the time I became an apprentice I was sort of glad she spent so much time on lessons. I was ahead of my fellow apprentices. Or at least, I would have been if I had applied myself. I was glad that I knew more, but I couldn't show that I did. They'd never accept me. They'd think I was a show-off. So I slacked off. My mentor wasn't too happy about that. He threw all the tradition at me and Brownstar's teachings too. 'Cept he didn't look to happy about Brownstar's ways. I asked him about it. He wasn't too happy I noticed. But that's the thing about us trackers. We notice things. Stripedpaw, my brother tried to notice things too. But...he never really could. Not enough to take my place. I practiced with him as much as I could, tried to show him...But it was instinct. Talent. Bloodlines. He had the blood and that made him think it would just come to him. We fought. Said things I wish we didn't. We made up every time...But it still seemed like every time we did we grew further apart. Brownstar's teachings called to him. Fighting was the only talent worth having. I wish that was my talent. Maybe I'd still have my brother. Or maybe if I had been more like my sister...She ended up having the talent too...But she took more pride in it, like my mother.

Anyway...Bearwhisker taught me. And as he did I guess he noticed I was different. I didn't share the same arrogance about my talent as my mother. And apparently of those before me. Well why would I have? Anyway, he was primarily a tracker too. And like I said, us trackers notice things. He began to become more open about his opinions about Brownstar-at least to me. Introduced me to a few like minded individuals. I didn't know it at the time but these cats would change my life.

'Got my warrior name same time as the rest of my 'buddies'. Buddies is a stretch. I don't think they liked me very much. We were comrades more than anything. We didn't hate each other...but we weren't friends. I think it was because they believed Brownstar and I didn't. Brownstar...well, true to my family he named me Coyotenose. The name I'm stuck with even to today.

Shortly after my warrior ceremony Cedarclaw came to me. I assumed to convince me to leave with him and some other cats of the clan who were fed up with Brownstar. He didn't need to convince me. I was ready to leave that damn forsaken clan since the day I was born...But my siblings weren't. I tried to convince them to come...

We left. Times were tough. I made friends...lost them...lost them...It wasn't that I was heartless. I just...I wanted to get as far away from ForestClan as possible. I couldn't be sure I was free until I had a new home. The old...the tired...They were holding me back. When others wanted to rest, I wanted to go on. It might have been because I felt a bit isolated. The whole journey they were all yappin' about StarClan. Like a bunch of dead cats in the sky were really going to carry us to fortune. The only thing saving us were our paws. I thought I'd find solace in the others who didn't believe, but they mentioned StarClan every time someone else did. Only they complained about it. There was a more mellow group of cats centered around Cloudstar. Yeah. Cloudstar. He was always sorta my leader. I truly met him on the journey. And I respected him. He was worth following. His cats seemed content to let live, so I settled on the outskirts of their little group.

So it was them, me, and I almost forgot: my pebble. Pebble listened to me pretty well. Never complained. I think he was the only one. He sort of sounds like my brother. It's odd. I haven't told anyone yet. They'd probably think I'm crazy. I won't believe in StarClan, but I think the pebble talks. Maybe it's a 'bloodline' tracker thing. We spend so much time with our noses to pebbles that after a while they just talk.

When it came time for everyone to split up I went with Cloudstar. He was safe. The norm. Gingerstar was too...I don't know. Restrictive. Cedarstar developed the same arrogance I hated in my mother. And Owlstar? As if I'd last a second in a clan of extreme believers. I left my pebble by the river. I still visit him sometimes, and we talk, when I need someone to listen.

[Pyro]

UPDATE LOG
(So I know what the hell I've updated and when)
November 2, 2010~ age updated