Post by c a i on Mar 1, 2012 17:50:17 GMT -5
t i g e r s t a r
need to know
» clan: ThunderClan
» age: 39 moons
» gender: Male
» rank: Leader
» status: Friggin' badass
» mentor/apprentice: None
» lives: Seven [blood loss, blood loss]
» description: Handsome striped golden tom with amber eyes[/ul]
deeper
Tigerstar is quite beautiful, and recognisably so. It may not be the word usually applied to a full-grown tom, yet there is a sense of intensity and power about him that it is difficult not to see beauty in him. He is golden-furred with rich, intricate striping, the pattern such a strong match to the ancient tigers of old that no other name would be fitting. He shares his wide, amber eyes with every known member of his family, though somehow his seem to hold a touch more intensity. They almost project the inner ambition simmering inside him, at times filled with a darker, brooding gleam that indicates his most pensive moods.
Tigerstar is an example of a disciplined cat in his prime, healthy and in peak physical condition. He is tall and long-limbed, retaining a kind of powerful grace despite his size, and though there is evident strength in his muscular frame and broad shoulders, Tigerstar is both slender and lithe. He tends more towards agility than bulk in contrast to his brothers, both of whom were titanic figures even in their youth. Tigerstar, however, is fleet-footed and precise, moving with a purposeful authority and striking with a deadly accuracy and assuredness.
» personality: intense, fierce, ambitious, brooding, brave, clever, visionary
Tigerstar is one full of ideas and plans and ambitions. He has a fire inside him that has never really been tempered, and so it burns ferociously. He is a brilliantly clever tactician, planning his Clan's moves out to the last detail and tirelessly working to enact them, but he has been known to get so absorbed in this that he forgets to stay grounded - which is part of the reason he needs his mate so much. Tigerstar has many admirable qualities - he is brave, bold, motivated, intelligent and visionary, choosing the causes he believes in and pursuing them with all his passion and intensity. Yet great though he can be, he is still a flawed individual, prone to periods of deep introspection and brooding, and likely to hold a grudge. He is also not infallible and, because his plans are usually on a very great scale, his errors can also be cataclysmic. He is quietly proud, but also accepting of the fact that he loves and depends on a select number of individuals whom he holds in the highest regard.
Tigerstar has always been driven and ambitious, and becoming leader has not quenched his desire to achieve more. ThunderClan is everything to him and he is above all devote to it, for at heart he is a fiercely loyal and reliable cat. He dislikes liars, cheats and duty-shirkers above all, and as such runs quite a tight ship, but is naturally quite charismatic and charming. He holds strong ideals and believes very much in delivering justice, seeking to uphold fairness and safety for his friends and kin. However, he is certainly not without his expansionist ideals and would be the first to seize an opportunity should it arise.
» background:
"his name is Tigerkit"
It was just turning to leaf-fall when Tigerkit's young, skinny mother gave birth to her first and only litter of three golden kits. Leopardflower, ill-prepared to have three youngsters to depend on her, died hours after they were born, living only long enough to name them Flamekit, Tigerkit and Sparrowkit. Another queen, mother to only one kit of her own, would take over care of them, feeding and tending to them until they were old enough to understand their situation. No cat alive knew their father's identity, since Leopardflower had taken the secret to her grave.
The trio were close, each the only kin the other had. The moons went by fast and they came into their own as they became young cats instead of kits. Sparrowkit was always the more sensitive, quietly spoken brother, while Flamekit and Tigerkit were both boisterous and bold. Flamekit was the leader; always eager and ready to excel. But Tigerkit was the one who dreamt of more, always showing his flair for playfights and falling asleep thinking of a bright future. Apprenticeship was the beginning of the rest of his life for Tigerkit, and all three threw themselves head first into training.
"there's no one who knows me like Flamepaw"
Tigerkit was apprenticed to a steady-handed she-cat, Hollyclaw, who was one of two cats who ever had true authority over Tigerpaw. The other was his elder brother, Flamepaw. Flamepaw understood his little brother's passion and even shared it, but by nature he did not have the all-consuming intensity Tigerpaw did. He recognised how his brother could easily tread a dark path into the future, and sought to make sure he did not. Tigerpaw and Flamepaw were close; very close, and Flamepaw planned to be the influence on his brother which kept him safely on the side of integrity and mercy.
Except Flamepaw never got to be that, because at nine moons of age he was killed in a border scuffle with RiverClan. Tigerpaw was in the battle too, but he never realised his brother was in trouble until it was too late. It was the heat of battle; a moment of blindness for which Tigerstar has never forgiven himself. Flamepaw was knocked into the river by no other than Snakefoot, half-brother to future half-Clan RiverClan leader, Thornstar, and drowned before anyone realised what had happened.
"I will avenge you"
It took two days for the body to be found. Tigerpaw and Sparrowpaw were devastated, but while the latter dealt with it in quiet solitude, Tigerpaw grew fierce and angry, convinced Snakefoot had deliberately killed his brother and felt that someone, someone like the leader should do something to make the culprit pay. However, the incident was merely swept under the carpet for everyone except Tigerpaw.
Powerless to do anything else, Tigerpaw flung himself into training as if he were working for both himself and Flamepaw. Hollyclaw, deeply concerned, tried valiantly to help Tigerpaw through the next few weeks and to deal with his mood swings and hot temper. It is largely to her credit that he did not go totally off the rails in his youth, and she became a very important figure in his life, much like an older sister or favourite aunt. Two moons after Flamepaw died, Tigerpaw was made a warrior, named Tigerheart for his strength and courage.
"she is unbearable, yet I care for none more than her"
The next few moons of Tigerheart's life were spent uneventfully, just forging his path as a warrior in ThunderClan. He had a couple of romantic interests, but nothing significant until he met his long-term on-off mate, Doveclaw, then still an apprentice, at seventeen moons. It was not the most auspicious of starts to a relationship, but little did they know this was in fact the precedent for the rest of their future involvement. Within an hour of meeting one another, they were already in the midst of a heated argument and Tigerheart, exasperated, didn't see how he could put up with her.
This, of course, was not the end of their acquaintance, and within a couple of moons of squabbling, arguing and disagreement, the initial heat of antagonism converted itself into attraction. Tigerstar was never quite sure when the change took place, but somehow the deep, unrelenting exasperation and frstration he felt for her was twinned with a deeper connection and burgeoning affection for her. Not to say that they had an easy run of things, however, and they embarked upon the make up break up phase of their relationship. Fights were rife, but then the making up was never far off, and somehow they muddled through.
"everything's going to change"
When Tigerheart was 21 moons old, he finished training his first apprentice. She was a little she-cat named Patchpaw who was precocious and a fast learner, which made his job almost too easy. He greatly enjoyed the process of mentoring, but what was of more significance about his experiences with Patchpaw, later Patchfoot, was the fact that it made him eligible for something - something that was going to change his life and the course of his Clan forever. It didn't happen for another two moons, but in the last colds of leaf-bare, ThunderClan's already aged deputy succumbed to sickness, leaving the position wide open.
To make a change, Blackstar wanted a fairly young cat to take the responsibility and reinvigorate the Clan, and so she chose Tigerheart. 23 moons old and entering in the prime of his life, Tigerheart relished the opportunity. His ambitions, kept at bay by his peaceful adolescence after losing Flamepaw, resurfaced, and suddenly he realised he was nearing a chance to make a change. After all this time, he still believed there was wrongness in RiverClan. Tigerheart, grim and determined to keep his Clan intact, considered the opportunities for expansion.
"a storm's coming"
What no one quite expected was Blackstar dying suddenly two moons into his deputyship, leaving Tigerstar with full command of his strong but anxious Clan at the inexperienced and frankly too young 25 moons of age. Aware of those who doubted his abilities, he made sure to select a steady and trustworthy cat to second him as deputy, one who would reassure the Clan that he would not act immaturely and misguidedly. Even then it was no easy ride and it took many moons of security for his Clan to begin believing he was a suitable leader. Two moons into his leadership he was confronted by a small but aggressive insurgent group within his own Clan and it took all of both Tigerstar and his deputy's diplomatic skill to settle the matter peaceably.
It was only when Tigerstar led ThunderClan in the vicious battle at Fourtrees on the last gathering that he really felt like he was a truly trusted and unquestioned leader. Fortunately it was the only time his authority was truly questioned and matters settled down.
And then he began to plan.
"it's time"
And when StarClan suddenly stopped making its presence known to the Clans Tigerstar grew more and more brooding. A whole year of silence passed after Thornstar's accession to leader, and Tigerstar made his choice. He bided his time, but all the while his golden eyes were fixed steadily on RiverClan, the source of the forest's corruption. He knew what had to be done.
By now, tension with RiverClan has escalated to the point where it seems war will be the only option, and Tigerstar has been ready for this for moons. He is set to depose the cat he views as the start of their troubles and those who follow him. It's not just about petty revenge and past hurts any more, because now there's more at stake. StarClan is silent and their laws could fade with their voices, and so for ThunderClan there's only one thing left to do.
Soon they go to war.[/ul]
immediate kin
» sons: ---
» daughters: ---[/ul]
extended kin
» mother:
» brothers:
» sisters: ---[/ul]