[ mudpelt ]

[Crowzerplorodon]

Mudpelt

Name |

[/s] Mudpaw, Mudpelt[/ul]

Gender |

Age |

Rank |

Clan |

Beliefs |

[/i] from it, only to open their eyes moments later and proclaim they're fine. Mudpelt's even seen what happens when a leader loses their final life. In simple words, it's like they die nine times over, leaving the clan in ruin. Plus, Medicine Cats have those visions, which on rare occasions are so accurate, it leaves Mudpelt flabbergasted. And then, there's always the blind faith many cats have. Even if that was just taken from their parents who took it from their parents and so on and so forth, there is still evidence that faith in something exists. After all, StarClan came from somewhere.

So, if asked if he believes in StarClan, Mudpelt will think for a moment before saying no. However, before anything else can be said, he'll continue on with saying that he does believe in a higher deity or power, it's just not StarClan. His reasoning for that is the idea of StarClan came from somewhere, and overtime it most likely became corrupted or changed or altered in various ways. Things like residing in the stars, only speaking to select cats, or providing a leader with more lives seem unfair and biased to Mudpelt. And an all good being would not be biased or unfair. So while higher beings exists in his mind, StarClan is going off in the wrong direction, and he wants nothing more than to know its origin.

In summary, Mudpelt is a analytical skeptic who doesn't hide it. He needs proof that something exists, a process which applies to more than just religion. And he's always debating about StarClan and constantly wishes he knew its origin, because then truth could be revealed to not only his turbulent mind, but to the world.[/ul]

Parents |

Siblings |

Other Kin |

Mate |

Crush |

Kits |

Apprentice |

Appearance |

[/i] an apprentice. But it left Mudpelt's muddy undercoat a lighter shade of brown. Subsequently, the lighter shade made his stripes a lot more noticeable, though they remained thin. Unlike most cats, Mudpelt doesn't have a lighter stomach or chest. His entire body is covered in the neutral brown, with the exception of his chin, the only patch of white on him. This white covers most of his muzzle.

Mudpelt's eyes are a bright, golden-yellow. They're shaped like traditional cat eyes, and set perfectly on his face. They actually make him look rather kindly, even when he's in the worst of moods. His whiskers are few and thin, jutting out from his muzzle in sparse clumps. There's a dab of dark fur over his pink nose, and a few similar ones scattered across his ears. He doesn't have any noticeable scars or battle wounds, as his fur grew over the ones that he obtained over his life. There is, however, the slightest limp to his walk. It's only on the days when his joints are really aching and he feels moons older.[/ul]

Personality |

Skills |

History |

[/b]
… Was born early one New-Leaf morning. He was the second kit in his litter, his sister, Quailkit, being first. Bark-kit came next, and Graykit was the last born. None of the kits had complications, their mother made it through labor, and their father was overjoyed to have kits in the world. The nursery was rather crowded at that time. Mudkit's aunt, Gingerfoot, gave birth to her own kit just a few days later, and another queen had given birth to a litter of three the night before Mudkit's birth.

The nursery was, suffice to say, in for a rough six moons.

The eight kits born grew up sort of a like a clan of their own. Firekit, Mudkit's cousin, assumed the roll of leader even though he was the youngest, and Mudkit's brother, Bark-kit assumed the deputy position. They were always bossing the other kits around and making sure everyone knew they were the best kits in the nursery. Mudkit didn't really care about what they did, he made sure to keep himself out of trouble. He was always the most responsible of the kits, after all. When it seemed that one kit was going to do something stupid, Mudkit would be there to talk them out of it. Most of the time, he succeeded.

Mudkit's responsibility came from his father. He wanted to be just like the warrior, and knew that breaking the code at such a young age would be the wrong way to do that. If he was going to be an apprentice on time, Mudkit needed to be well behaved. And if he wanted the best mentors, he would have to show he was more ready than the other kits. Also, the apple of Mudkit's young eye, Whitekit, didn't seem at all amused by the silly antics that Firekit and Bark-kit pulled. If he wanted to impress her, Mudkit would have to be the opposing force to the rowdier toms.

Mudpaw...
Was given a mentor by the name of Nightstorm. An older warrior, Mudpaw would be his last apprentice, and he was determined to do it right. Immediately, Mudpaw made himself out to be the apprentice-of-all-trades. While his siblings and friends were excelling in one particular area, Mudpaw was able to do everything that Nightstorm taught him with little difficulty. Sometimes he felt a little left out, because he didn't have a specialty. But his mentor told him that being good at everything was better than being excellent at one thing, and Mudpaw soon grew out of his thoughts.

Mudpaw soon became rather estranged from his family. He held no animosity toward them, and did remain good friends with his siblings. But, overtime, they lost the feeling of family and became more like clanmates to him. He noticed that he'd introduce Graypaw (his favorite sibling, no doubt) as his fellow apprentice, rather than as his brother. When he finally did start to notice this happening, Mudpaw blamed it on the fact that he was raised with so many other cats. It was hard to think of specific cats as family when you were constantly surrounded by those who acted like family.

As he grew, Mudpaw's kit-like crush on Whitekit (now Whitepaw) bloomed into something a little stronger. He held the utmost respect for the apprentice, and while the two weren't the best of friends, there seemed to be some sort of understanding between them. They were the responsible apprentices, the ones with the most potential to be well rounded warriors. They were often referred to in a pair, their mentors would schedule them to work together, and even the deputy seemed to stick them on the same patrols. All this outside interference is probably what led to the two falling in love, though Mudpaw would tell you that it was going to happen, interference or no.

The two of them had their assessment together, and were made warriors after passing with flying colors. They were the first of their group of kits to receive their warrior suffixes, and they held them proudly.

Mudpelt...
Had the most hectic life as a young warrior. In the first few moons of his warriorhood, he had to deal with a new mate, his siblings' jealousy, basic warrior duties, and the fact that several she-cats had gotten pregnant, much like the explosion of kits that brought about his birth. With so many apprentices already in training, he would have to take on one at a young age. Not that he minded, Mudpelt always wanted an apprentice for his own. But getting one just after his 18th moon was insane, and the young warrior wasn't sure if he could handle it.

The apprentice's name was Lionpaw, and he was the quietest tom cat Mudpelt ever had the pleasure of working with. His mate, Whiteflower, was given Lionpaw's sister, Leopardpaw, a slightly more expressive she-cat. Lionpaw was probably the best apprentice a young warrior could ask for. He was polite, respectful, and never questioned authority. In a way, he reminded Mudpelt of himself. Of course, Mudpelt had been a well rounded apprentice, where it seemed Lionpaw wouldn't be able to handle battles. He was on the smaller side and was rather frail-looking, with thin limbs and a knobby tail. He could hunt like the best of them and track after a rainstorm with no problem. Plus, he was smart, able to see through issues like Mudpelt had never seen. But he wouldn't ever be able to handle a real battle. He could hardly hold his own against younger apprentices.

As he got older and more adjusted to life as a warrior, Mudpelt's hectic days were over. Things cooled down and his siblings joined him in the warriors den. There wasn't much hostility between clans at the time, so no real battles to place and ForestClan never had to worry about prey. In fact, things seemed perfect until Elkstar died and his deputy took his place. Mudpelt wasn't going to lie, he never liked Brownstar. He seemed too abrasive for Mudpelt's taste, but he never spoke against the leader. Shortly into Brownstar's reign, Lionpaw was finally allowed his warrior name. Mudpelt was ecstatic that his first apprentice was now a warrior, but that happiness was short lived.

When Cedarclaw suggested leaving ForestClan, Whiteflower was one of the first to agree. Mudpelt was more hesitant, because of his family, but after a short amount of time his parents agreed to go as well. Following their lead, all of Mudpelt's siblings joined the group that was to go, though his aunt and cousin stayed behind, as did his old apprentice.

Mudpelt understood, though, and they were soon underway.

Just a few days after the journey, Thrushtail, Mudpelt's mother, realized she was too old to make the trip. She left the group, and his brother, Grayfur, went with her to make sure she was home safe. The two ended up staying back in ForestClan, explaining that they had been tricked to leave with the rebels. The first leg of the trip seemed to go fine. Sure, cats were tired and hungry and they had lost a few members, but Cedarclaw thought they would make it, and Mudpelt shared his beliefs.

Mid-way through, Whiteflower realized she was pregnant. It put a strain on Mudpelt, who started hunting for his mate first, and not eating until she was fed. Luckily, his two siblings were willing to aid him, and took the extra time to make sure he wasn't going to end up dead. This extra support ended when Barkfang wound up dead from fighting a hungry fox, and Quailheart died of her injuries from the same battle. With no medicine cat, there was no way to make sure her wounds didn't get infected. Mudpelt was devastated, but forced himself to get better for Whiteflower and their unborn kit. However, this strength was shattered when his father passed as well, out of old age and strain.

As much as Whiteflower tried, she couldn't bring Mudpelt back to his old exuberance. It was Owlstar – then Owlstorm – who brought him out of the slump. On a routine hunting mission, she drilled it into his head that he was weak for letting things affect him like that. His mate needed him, she said. And if he wasn't going to be a better father, then she'd kill him herself. There was no room for weakness on this journey. At first, this simply depressed Mudpelt more, and he split from the group for a few days. He needed time to think. Why would Owlstorm say such things? What proof did she have that he would be a poor father? And why would she think he was a poor mate – he was making sure Whiteflower was healthy and fed!

And then it hit him. She was just provoking him, trying to instill the warrior spirit he'd been lacking lately.

Grateful, Mudpelt managed to catch up with the journey group, only to learn that Whiteflower had given birth and died in the process.

Their one kit, Cloudkit, hadn't been strong enough and died shortly after.

Oddly enough, Mudpelt wasn't devastated. He took what happened and he wore it like a jacket, letting it shape who he was. Yes, he was depressed. He had just lost his mate and kit – he wasn't exactly running through fields of rainbows and unicorns. But Mudpelt refused to let it ruin him. Whiteflower had died because he let things get to him, and he wasn't going to allow that to happen to anyone else. So, after taking an appropriate amount of mourning time, he joined with Owlstorm and followed the she-cat when she was dubbed leader of FogClan.

He didn't care so much for their apparent devoutness. In the beginning, StarClan was the least of FogClan's worries. So Mudpelt's own wavering beliefs were hardly important. As the clan grew, he found himself extremely attached to it and all the members who joined, whether they were ForestClan born or not. He didn't care much for Mistpelt when she took the deputy position, but didn't say anything against her, either, much like how he acted with Brownstar. Mudpelt still wonders if something could have been prevented on both accounts.

Embarrassingly enough, he was on a hunting patrol during the storm that kicked Owlstar out. Mudpelt returned to find the change, and was two seconds away from leaving to find his leader when he realized that not everyone could believe in Miststar. Someone in the clan was likely to dislike her path. So, for those cats, Mudpelt stayed, keeping himself in the shadows so he could be there for those who preferred to be vocal about their beliefs.
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