barktail [PINE]

[thistle.]

Name | Barktail

Gender | Tom

Age | Twenty-five moons

Rank | Warrior

Clan | PineClan

Beliefs| StarClan doesn't exist, as far as this tom is concerned. When you die, you die. Why should you get any special powers or anything like that? Living cats are, after all, better than dead ones. They can think, hunt, fight, and serve their Clan, which the lifeless cannot.
Barktail believes that when a cat dies, they only exist in memories. The soul of the deceased feline is simply gone, vanquished. Forever.

Parents | [NP] Nightflower - Mother | [NP] Falconclaw - Father

Siblings | [NP] Ashpaw - Brother | [NP] Harepaw - Brother | [NP] Darknose - Brother

Other Kin | None

Mate | Not yet

Crush | Not yet

Kits | Not yet

Apprentice/Mentor | Not yet

Appearance | Barktail is a tall, long-legged warrior. The color this tom bears is mainly a burnished copper. There's a few hints of dark brown and black on his coat, and some white spots are also visible on his back. His underbelly has a milky tone to it, and there's a thin dash of cream running across his chest. This lanky feline's head looks rather lion-like and is wedge-shaped, with a broad muzzle and tall, round ears. His eyes are identical orbs of dull amber, and cannot seem to conceal his emotions.

Barktail has the build of a runner, lean and agile, but that doesn't mean he's a weakling on the battle field. His thick, multicolored fur cloaks ferocious strength that he has inherited from his father.

Personality | Barktail is a strong-willed, stubborn cat. He has an opinion and sticks with it like a caterpillar on a juicy leaf. Argue with him and you'll lose to him.

Barktail is very blunt. No edging away from the truth for him. Flat-out honesty is all you'll get, since he doesn't believe in lying except when he's boasting. He also has quite a short temper and is angered easily. If an apprentice doesn't obey his orders, (Which he doesn't really have the authority to do), then the poor mite will have to face the little patience this tom has.
Sometimes, they remind him of the time when Nightflower died, and when his brothers expected him to reassure them that everything would be alright when inside Barktail wanted to run away and mope. So you can guess why Barktail dislikes having to deal with peppy youngsters, especially when he'd rather do something else. He's the kind of guy who'd rather hang out with cats his own age.

However, if you can tolerate his ways, he'll turn out to be an extremely loyal friend. A bit hyper and overactive, even. But it's still surprising if a day passes by and not one snappy comment is released. Still, he's friendly with his pals. He loves challenging his den mates to race, because nearly all the time he wins. (He makes sure that all the competitors know how absolutely great and fast he is before) But more than that, Barktail brags and shows-off, sometimes to flirt with those pretty she-cats and sometimes to impress the older warriors in the Clan.

Barktail was almost always like this, except he was slightly more... kind and compassionate. He hardened and became your typical grumpy grandpa when his brother decided to leave for StreamClan. Darknose always enjoyed swimming and his best friend, Stormear, had already chosen StreamClan. He begged Barktail to join his Clan and vice versa, but the brown tom refused to be with StarClan-believers and besides, he just hated getting wet. So they split up, and for a few days Barktail moped around the camp, almost regretting his decision but still sticking to it.

Surprisingly, Barktail has moments when he is humble and uncertain. He is a young cat and loathes making decisions. He is also quick to judge and can often be rash and hasty. Hopefully, as time goes on, he will understand that the world does not revolve around him.

Skills | Due to his long limbs and agile build, Barktail is a fast runner and can sprint for a lengthy time without tiring. He's strong and a formidable fighter too, but battling isn't his best skill. He is a pretty decent hunter and prefers pursuing his prey rather than stalking it.

History | Barktail was born before the great journey, sired by Nightflower and Falconclaw. He was seven moons old when they dragged him along with his three brothers. He had a sister, but she was too tiny when she was born. Much too tiny. Everyone knew that she wouldn't survive, so she wasn't given a name.
She died a few hours after her birth.

Barktail, along with his fellow siblings, was raised by a caring mother and an oak-hearted father. His father believed that being truthful was best and punished his son whenever he told a lie. So after a few long, boring days hunting or watching over some tumbling kits for other cats, he finally started being extremely blunt. Unfortunately, it didn't really help him at all.

Falconclaw: Did you eat all of this prey?
Barktail: Yeah, so what?
Falconclaw: So what? Well, boy, I'll tell you what. You are going to hunt for the whole day and will not eat anything until your family is full! Now get away, and hurry.

So when his father died, Barktail grieved, but didn't feel too mournful. Instead of lying around looking sad, he helped his brothers forget the past and move on, nurturing his compassionate side.

Barktail and Darknose were the only ones who were able to endure the long journey. Falconclaw caught greencough and died. Nightflower always tried to find prey so that her kits would be well fed, thus taking no food for herself and starving to death. At first, her son thought that she was foolish and stupid, but he fell into a melancholy mood that took him four days to climb out of.

Now alone, the four young toms feared that they would die too.
A few weeks later, Harepaw and Ashpaw went out hunting, hoping to find fresh-kill that they could fill their bellies with.
They never returned.
From the lingering scent there, the two remaining siblings guessed that they were discovered by a hungry fox. They grieved, but had to move on.

Finally, when they found their new home, Barktail and Darknose went their separate ways; Darknose to StreamClan, and Barktail to PineClan. Barktail was dubbed as a warrior at last, and wishes that his parents could see him now.
But they have gone from his life, and Barktail must continue it alone.