branchpaw [PINE]

[thistle.]

click for pelt.

Name | Branchpaw/foot

Gender | She-cat

Age | Nine moons

Rank | Apprentice

Clan | PineClan

Beliefs | Branchpaw, like her fellow Clan mates, thinks that StarClan is just a ridiculous idea cooked up by some nutter. In her opinion, the other Clans, especially FogClan, are silly to follow this crazy notion of starry ancestors. Weird dreams are just the aftereffects of too much fresh-kill, and the 'nine lives' thing was simply made up to reassure the worrywarts in the Clans. She doesn't bring up the subject of StarClan often, but when someone does, she'll babble on about it for ages. It's nearly impossible to sway her beliefs.

Parents | Soot - mother, unknown father

Siblings | Leaf, Poppy, Minnow, Grackle - sisters [np]
Mouse, Dusk - brothers [np]
* none are in same litter

Mate | none.

Crush | none.

Kits | none.

Mentor | needed - pm/wait for mentor board. :3

Appearance | Branchpaw's pelt is quite ordinary-looking, which she resents. Her fur is a dull brown color; the only variations are her darker back, lighter underparts, and the dusky gray that shows only when the light is right. She is short in stature but due to her fluffiness, appears larger than she really is. Her coat is thick and she sheds thin hairs constantly. In the summer, her true size reveals itself.

Branchpaw's overall looks may be slightly boring, but her face is definitely not so. With her huge, dark green eyes and giant, bat-like ears, she gives off the impression of a surprised owl. It is more than comical when she feels shocked or amazed by something. Her friends tend to tease her about her over-exaggerated facial features; she acts like she doesn't care but secretly wishes to have been born with a different appearance. Branchpaw has a white muzzle and chin; the snowy color extending to her chest but stopping there. She also has a bright red nose as though she has a permanent cold.

Personality | Branchpaw's personality is best described as 'oyster-like'. She has two sides of her, one less known than the other.

This she-cat's outer shell is a bubbly one. She is always happy and optimistic, with corny jokes that usually make her friends laugh despite themselves. She is curious, friendly, goofy, and full of fun. Not to mention that she's constantly cheering others up and will hang on to every word her fellow apprentices' say. She's easily amazed and surprised, which makes her a great audience, and seeing those already-round eyes widen even more is just plain comical. Branchpaw also loves talking and it's hard to shut her mouth when she starts. And that's where her bad side might unintentionally show itself.

Branchpaw has an inner core, and unlike that of an oyster's, it isn't that perfect pearl. Gossiping is one of her favorite pastimes and she can never keep a secret. Most of her friends have learned to deal with it and just don't tell her anything extremely personal. But she can be positively cruel at times, giggling ruthlessly when someone makes a mistake and blabbing someone's deepest secret to the world. She's the 'open mouth insert foot' kind of cat, except in the worst way. And the bad thing is, she thinks that the path to popularity is through proving that compared to others, she is simply spectacular. She is basically your typical, insecure highschool cling-on. If you're talented, nice, or just plain pretty, she'll scramble to be your friend. If you start to fade into the background or just begin to seem boring, she'll ditch you without a second thought.

Branchpaw, being the attention-seeking brat she is, is also a boastful and jealous cat as well. She will hate you if you're better than her, or if you steal her spotlight. Discreetly, of course. But the signs will show. She'll either give you the cold shoulder, or just ignore your existence entirely. Oh, and be aware that she'll want revenge.

Branchpaw isn't just good and evil, though. She's also quite gullible; she thinks she can trick people, but it's easy to lie to her. She doesn't doubt what you're telling her unless it's completely crazy, like StarClan. In her opinion, she's too wonderful to be lied to. But don't think she's that pigheaded. She just believes her world is almost perfect. If only the idiotic apprentices weren't there... Branchpaw is also secretly a scaredy-cat. The fact that she can see in the dark doesn't matter to her; the night is just so creepy to her. A sudden, noisy surprise can send her into cardiac arrest. Well, no. But she's jumpy when alone, relying on the support of her clan mates.

Branchpaw's determination to be the best does help her, however. She works tirelessly and is probably the most well-groomed cat in PineClan. She also has a soft spot reserved for a special few, other than toms and bright she-cats: kits. They simply melt her heart and she loves to play with them. She treats even the oldest kits like babies though, despite only being a couple moons older. It's like they're all mewling bundles of fur, incapable of understanding Branchpaw's shrill squeal of, "Aww, how adorable!"

Skills | Branchpaw is a competent hunter and refuses to bring in less than two pieces of fresh-kill each day. She's determined to outshine others in at least something. Although she's average at the everything else, she pushes herself on. She'd ask for extra training time and won't rest until she's perfected whatever she's trying to achieve.

History | Branch was always lonely, ever since she swallowed her first gulp of air. Soot loved her, yes, but she was a distracted she-cat and was constantly being visited by her other, older kits. They took up most of her time and attention. Plus, her mother liked to stray away from their den, leaving for hours at a time. Sometimes even days. Then she would leave Branch with an older sibling, usually Minnow or Leaf. They weren't very interested in her either. After all, she was a bouncy kit. They were the 'mature teens'. All they liked to do was gossip and hunt and tell her she was stupid for wanting to playfight all the time.

Having no one her age to play with, Branch soon began to become desperate for friends. Her innocent nature wasn't as pure as it used to be. She was jealous of others, for their looks, their skills, their personality... She wanted to be them, not stupid, neglected Branch. One day, when she was six moons old, her mother left her for a tom. She said that she was bored of her daughter and that she would be well-cared for by her siblings. She promised to visit.

She never did. Branch's brothers and sisters never stopped by either.

Abandoned and miserable, Branch was at first bitter at her mother's perfidy. She only partially knew how to hunt and had to train herself by spying on others. She was chasing a rabbit when she encountered a PineClan patrol. They were kind to her, even after she fought to try and escape. She was brought to their camp and she was fascinated by their traditions, rules, and overall way of life. She chose to join.

However, she hasn't forgotten her past. She continuously tries to be the best, to be noticed, to fit in. She's basically frightened of isolation and rejection. It's hard to say whether she's going the right way about it, though.