Stone Dappled by Light

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Physical Description

Stone Dappled by Light stands around a head shorter than other cats of his age and is already of a decidedly compact nature. His is a body type not born by any of his living family, though Blackest Shadow of the Night and Raven on the Rock share his broader shoulders, and this has occasionally led some to question whether he is truly a part of the line. As if this wasn’t bad enough, he has been encumbered with paws, tail and ears that are far too large for his body, and this has made him a favourite target of his peer’s taunts – not least because the oversized paws have made him decidedly clumsy.

His body is covered by a thick pelt of silver-white fur that is usually in disarray, making him appear to be little more than an unusually lively ball of fluff. However, when it is properly groomed it is easy to see the counters of what will later become solid muscles, and to detect, too, the wispy feathering that cascades from the backs of his paws. Also clarified are the markings that daub his body; blacks and whites that often appear to be little more than flecks of dirt, but are, in fact, a faint dark dusting upon his back and an assortment of fine stripes upon his head. The markings are always at the clearest on his face, where the white highlights his jaw and eyes, and the black forms a curious pattern between his ears.

Most striking of all his features are his eyes; the one trait that keep cats from fully denying that he is of the family they have been led to believe. Though paler than those inherent in most of his siblings, these eyes are coloured a vibrant shade of blue and flecked with the self-same darker shards that are inherent to the rest of his kin. What is more, they seem to be growing ever more vibrant as the moons slip past and kitten greys begin to fade, steadily unlocking the mature colours that wait beneath.

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Personality

At the forefront of this young cat’s personality is an intense respect, and affection, for Blackest Shadow of the Night (Black), whom became one of the primary cats of his life early on in his kithood. Even now he frequently seeks the warrior’s company, increasingly shunning that of his fellow kits, and is constantly in quest of the older tom’s praise – even if gaining it means breaking a few rules. He makes no secret of the pride he feels for being Black’s brother, often rubbing his relationship to the cat in the faces of those around him, and has made it very clear that his main goal in life is to become as good a warrior as the older tom – or, if at all possible, even better.

Unfortunately, Stone’s pride extends beyond that which he feels for his blood, and has led to him being rather touchy about even the smallest of mistakes or criticisms. In short, he is a rather conceited young cat who frequently places himself above the other kits that stray into his company, and he is beginning to convince himself of a certain inability to fail – a matter that is not helped by the tribe’s apparent reluctance to put him in his place. Worse, the tom’s pride seems to be firmly connected to his temper, which has long been noted for being remarkably short for one of his age. As it stands, the majority of his tantrums and grudges have been caused by some insignificant wound to the pride that is beginning to consume him, or by some small criticism on the part of his fellows, and its ferocity is starting to make itself known as the main repellent for those around him, for many a cat is unable to tolerate its presence.

Furthermore, Stone has been noted to be rather stubborn in his resolutions, meaning that he virtually never takes the steps that are required to rectify the rifts he so frequently forces betwixt himself and the other cats of his tribe. Instead, he leaves other cats to fix his fallouts for him, or simply ditches them in preference of those who have not fallen from his favour. He is also decidedly fickle in terms of friendships, and it is not uncommon for a kit to be his best friend one day, and just one more denmate the next.

It is unclear what kind of cat this kit has the capacity to become, for as yet the presence of his more positive traits– such as the edges of an untapped bravery, and an undiscovered, ferocious loyalty to clan – have been all but destroyed by the many negative characteristics that stand so far above them, and more and more cats are turning from him by the day...

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Stone is the youngest of Sun-Dappled Flower and Raven on the Rock’s kits, and probably their last.

After Crows on the Rocks’ death, Darkest Shadow of the Night began to spend much of his free time in Stone’s presence, resulting in the kit forming a strong attachment to the older tom.

Although he has had a fair amount of contact with his other siblings, Stone shows relatively little interest in gaining their attention or regard. Instead, he pours much of his time into impressing Blacked Shadow of the Night, whom he seems to idolise.

Stone’s senses are already beginning to prove themselves quite sensitive, suggesting that he might one day make a fine hunter.

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History

Stone Dappled by Light was born as the first of a two-kit litter, and is the youngest living son of Sun-Dappled Flowers and Raven on the Rocks. The litter’s arrival was initially greeted with an enthusiasm that was somewhat marred by the fact that both kits were toms, and that his younger brother, Crows on the Rocks, was too small and frail for comfort. From the very first the darker kitten was plagued by illness, and his condition was only worsened by the onset of a bitter famine. Despite the tribe’s efforts Crow did not survive past his second moon, and his death devastated their mother. Although Stone still needed her care—clung to life with an unusual tenacity for so young a kit—the she-cat collapsed into herself so far that she all but forgot his existence, and it fell on others to care for him.

Raven on the Rocks gave him what time he could, but the tom was struggling with his own grief – and naturally focused on his mate’s rapid deterioration to boot. Luckily for Stone he was a member of a large family, and to no-one’s great surprise his eldest brother—a tom who had already been working hard to sustain them—immediately stepped up to give what their parents could not. Their other siblings also assisted where they could, but Blackest Shadow of the Night poured everything he had—and more—into keeping Stone and the rest alive, and it didn’t take long for Stone himself to notice how hard he worked. Black quickly became his hero, never mind that he didn’t fully understand, at first, what the food and care given him entailed, and he began to cling to every moment with the tom he had. In truth, the bond that Stone should have formed with Sun-Dappled Flower was largely settled on Black as consequence of those hard early moons, and it’s likely that this only enhanced the hero-worship he formed for the older tom.

Sadly for Sun-Dappled Flower, this same shifted bond also meant that the young tom felt little real loss on discovering that he was to leave her behind. Stone immediately latched on to the idea of adventure when he told he was to join the Sun Trail cats, and in truth he hardly cared that much of the tribe would not be with them, for Blackest Shadow of the Night would be at his side. That and the prospect of impressing his brother on the trail were the only things that really mattered to him – perhaps because he did not grasp the magnitude of the decision, nor of the journey at hand.

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Roleplay Sample

(Sample from an ongoing roleplay using another character)

He wasn’t sure, even in that moment, if the kitten was going to cooperate as he ought. There was still a very real chance that he might decide to rebel still more, despite his apparent relenting, and it was only when Dustykit took his first few tentative step forwards that Leopardstrike began to believe that the problem had been resolved. Only when the kitten walked forwards properly, showing no signs of trying to dart aside, that the tom felt the doubt slide from his form. There was still some underlying problem tangled into the situation, he knew, but at least there would be no need to go chasing after a rebellious Boar.

That was a relief, to say the least. That allowed the tom to re-enter the camp with something like ease once more wound about his frame, but even so the worries still lurked within his brain. Something was wrong here, and his inability to guess just what that something was troubled him, half-distracting him as he padded along in his companion’s wakes.

‘We should tell Ashstar of Dustykit first thing—’

“What?” Leopardstrike blinked, eyes flickering back to Mossypath’s frame as he was drawn from his wayward thoughts. For a moment he merely stared at her, almost at a loss, but then her words sank in and his gaze shifted on across the camp, drawn to the oak that their leader called his own. There was a sense to the Boar’s words, he knew, but even so he hesitated, wondering if Ashstar really needed to be disturbed. Dustykit had been brought back safely, after all, and their leader was a busy cat: surely had countless other concerns…

“Perhaps…we should just take him to Amberfrost,” his words came slowly; betraying his uncertainty. “She must be frantic.”

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