Dustcloud

basic description > Dusty colored ticked-tabby colorpoint with blue eyes.

build > Long body, slightly heavier set

fur description > A heavy and roughly textured coat, difficult to manage though lays flat when groomed.

breeds > Egyptian Mau, Ocicat, Bengal, Mixed

height > 28cm
weight > 9.8 lbs
voice >xxx
scent >Blueberries, thistle, and mint leaves

scars > xxx
accessories > xxx
banned traits > xxx

positive >
    >> Graceful > Poised and dignified, he is naturally tactful and carries himself with an air of elegance. As he grows from kithood, he'll learn to walk with his head high and act with generosity and grace.

    >> Emotionally intelligent > Sympathetic and controlled, he has an easy time understanding the emotions of others as well as controlling his own. He is naturally calm and not prone to outbursts, and instead responds in a carefully controlled manner to best help any situation.

    >> Courageous > Brave when needed, she will face any danger or fear for those who need her help. She is willing to put herself on the line to help someone else.

neutral >
    >> Familiar > Non-formal and approaches others with a sense of familiarity. He doesn't pay mind to rank or clan, but treats everyone equally as though they were good friends.

    >> Empathetic > Feels the emotions of others and has no difficulty seeing things from someone else's perspective. She will often do her best to help others out and make them feel better.

    >> Laidback > Easy going and calm. She can come off as lazy or unmotivated at times but she's happy to go along with whatever someone else wants to do.

negative >
    >> Dull > Unimaginative and can appear bored at times. He isn't the best conversationalist and tends to come off as uninterested.

    >> Disorganized > Has a tendency to lose or misplace things. She has poor time management and often is late to scheduled events.

    >> Vague > Speaks in short sentences and neglects to talk about things in detail. He speaks in a more general way rather than in specifics and uses indirect methods of communication.

 parents >
    >> Beechhowl > Dad > Brown colorpoint tom with blue eyes > Alive
    >> Fawnfall > Mom > Brown tortioeseshell she-cat with green eyes > Deceased

siblings >
    >> Sandpaw > Littermate > Fawn tortioeseshell she-cat with blue eyes > Deceased
    >> Mudhorn >Littermate > Brown ticked tabby tom with green eyes > Alive
    >> Claypaw > Littermate > Brown colorpoint tom with green eyes > Alive

extended >
   Dad's side
    >> Birchcry > Grandpa > Grey tabby tomcat with hazel eyes > Deceased
    >> Alderlily > Grandma > Greyish brown she-cat with blue eyes > Deceased
    >> Bramblekit > Aunt > Brown tabby she-cat > Deceased

   Mom's side
   >> Timberstripe > Brown tabby tom with green eyes >Deceased
   >> Frostbelly > Cream tabby she-cat with blue eyes > Deceased

kithood [ 0 - 6 moons ] >
   Dustkit was born the third in a litter of four. Her mom and dad, Fawnfall and Beechhowl, were quite loving and kind warriors. They were still quite young and seemed a little unsure of themselves, but Dustkit adored her parents so very much.
Among her littermates were Sandkit, Mudkit, and Claykit. Sandkit was very sweet but a little shy, she was still the perfect big sister. Mudkit was energetic and was always coming up with new games for them to all play together. And Claykit, the youngest of the bunch, was a lot like herself in terms of personality and attitude. It was just so much easier to go along with what the others wanted to play.
The four of them were close right from the start.

Dustkit was still quite young when the clan celebrated the dogs being taken from their territory. Apparently, it had been quite the issue, but thankfully none of it had ever reached camp. She cheered right along with them though, it was nice seeing everyone in good spirits.
Camp and the nursery became filled with even more cats as some visitors from Hailclan came to stay. It seemed it wasn't the first time either, as the strange kits and her own denmates greeted each other like old friends. Dustkit didn't get to spend too much time with the older kits though, because shortly after they had been made apprentices and were too busy to play with him anymore.
Still it wasn't lonely, Dustkit still had her own littermates and parents anyway. She was happy.

During her last few days of kithood, something strange happened. The sun disappeared during the day and cats all around were wondering what was happening. As it started to rain, Dustkit stayed inside the nursery with her siblings. It seemed to be another kind of storm, but like others, it would pass. So no one needed to be so afraid.

apprenticeship [6 - present moons] >

The day came that he'd be busy too. So long relaxed kithood, it was time to learn all about everything outside of camp too. Dustpaw and his littermates were named apprentices and each given their new mentors.
Dustpaw settled into her new role easily and quickly, she was comfortable with change and found it easy to follow her new mentor's lead. But sadly Claypaw wasn't having such an easy time. She saw how withdrawn he became and understood his feelings of anxiety and unease. She knew he was mostly trying his best just to make everyone else happy, not because it made him happy. She didn't know what would happen, but it didn't seem like Claypaw was doing too great working as an apprentice.

Then something horrible happened. Dustpaw wasn't there to see it, but heard later. Cats had died. Murder, treason, and even their own deputy was behind parts of it. And now it was over, but it left the clan in such an uneasy state of mind. Worse of all, Claypaw had been there. Claypaw had seen the ugliness of those warriors firsthand, and Dustpaw didn't blame him for not coming home that night. Or the next night. Or even the night after.
It made Fawnfall and Beechhowl so sad. But Dustpaw couldn't blame Claypaw for his actions and choices. It was probably... the best choice he could make at the time. And Dustpaw just hoped he was okay.
Dustpaw picked flowers to try and cheer his family on a little. They needed to band together now, and keep each other close.
Dustpaw made friends with a younger apprentice named Cardinalpaw. He was really happy to know her too. Even if her ideas did seem a little more dangerous, he didn't mind. Just so long as they could have fun together.

Sandpaw was snatched up by a very large bird. It was terrifying, and Dustpaw didn't know what to do. She heard about another cat, Swansong, who had been taken the same way once. She made it back. Would Sandpaw? Dustpaw didn't know. And no one else did either.
Mudpaw ran off to search for Sandpaw and Claypaw, he swore he was going to bring them both back home.
He was gone for a really long time. But he eventually came back. He didn't have any news on Sandpaw or Claypaw. But Dustpaw didn't want him to go away again. It was... Okay, it wasn't exactly okay. But it would be better if they at least had each other to rely on anyway. Dustpaw didn't like being the only one left. She needed her family there too.

It was hard to put into words the relief he felt when Mudpaw came home finally. He was battered and tired, but now he was safe and sound back home again.
The apprentice den slowly filled with new younger cats for them to look out for. Now the oldest apprentices in the den, Dustpaw took on a sort of protective role. Though to be honest, she wasn't very good with it. But still, she wanted to help look out for them. She hadn't been able to look out for Claypaw and Sandpaw, but maybe she and Mudpaw could still be good role models for their peers.

The Hailclan cats returned to their own home and named a new leader. Dustpaw was happy to see them back on their feet again, a lot of the warriors had seemed so gloomy while stuck in Cloudclan's territory. They must have been awfully homesick.

Not long after, a couple of Hailclan warriors returned, choosing to become Cloudclan warriors instead. A lot of cats seemed happy, more seemed indifferent, and some were upset to allow them to join. But Dustpaw knew it was just another step in things returning to normal. She couldn't imagine the types of things Hailclan had to go through because of the spies. But at least the cats were moving on in the best way they could.

When Waverose and Bramblewhisper left for the half-moon meeting no one thought anything of it. It was only when Bramblewhisper returned alone that the horrors of the night were revealed to the clan. Waverose was dead. The long-time medicine cat who worked so earnestly and did so much for the clan... was gone.
Waverose wasn't very close to many cats, she kept her distance in order to shield herself. But her loss, it was felt far throughout the clan.
The crystal falls were left damaged from the attack and cats were uncertain of what this would mean for the future.

warriorhood [12-present moons]

Dustcloud was given her warrior name along with her brother Mudhorn. It was a good day, though bittersweet not having Claypaw or Sandpaw there. Dustcloud was now a warrior. She promised no matter what was in store for the future, she was going to do her absolute best by her clanmates.
Claypaw came by to visit! He wanted to congratulate his littermates on their new warrior names and catch up a little. She was so happy to see him, Claypaw had grown a lot. He seemed more comfortable now, and Dustcloud was glad he found the path that worked best for him, and for the friends he'd made too. Claypaw might not be part of the clan, but he was far from alone.

Bramblewhisper was found dead, and there was a whole shared mission with Marshclan to find her killer and drive them out of the territories. Hopefully forever. Dustcloud wasn't a part of the mission, but he knew many who were. He was thankful when things ended without loss for their clan, but there were many injured. At least Creamytail had chosen to step up for them in their time of need, and even began training an apprentice who would someday become Cloudclan's medicine cat.

Leaf-bare came, bringing with it a lot of sicknesses, hunger, and a surprising amount of kits Dustcloud was given her first apprentice. A young tom named Snailpaw. He was a good kid, and their laid-back natures complemented each other well. They got along so great, and Dustcloud was confident things would go well.
She was stunned when one day she could no longer locate her apprentice. She blamed herself, wondering how she could have misplaced a whole cat like that. She searched tirelessly along with his loved ones, hoping against all hope for his safe return.
He got yelled at one day by Snailpaw's dad. He didn't blame him for it, he knew it was a frustrating situation. Still, it sucked. He didn't have to yell.
Dustcloud searched but kept more of a distance from Leafdrift and the others afterward.

Moons continued to pass, Dustcloud wasn't really sure how many exactly, but the snow began to melt again and new-leaf finally came.
Cirruspaw became Cirrusflight, Creamytail returned to Marshclan, and Snailpaw finally returned again.
Snailpaw wouldn't resume training, however, taking his warrior name early thanks to his bravery and how he'd brought his long-lost brother back home again. Snailbelly. Dustcloud cheered him on with joy. She maybe didn't have much to do with it, but she was happy to see him alive and well, home at last.
She wondered if Ashtalon had felt similarly when Claypaw left and made a new life for himself.

Things in their territory were changing. Dustcloud had eaten what he thought was normal prey, but became deathly ill afterward. Several other warriors shared the same fate- many of them dying. Dustcloud was... admittedly frightened. But he didn't show it to anyone. All he could do was hope he would survive.
Starlingstar led a group to investigate the cause, and he died. He lost both lives in the process, and one warrior didn't return home with the group either. Halfbranch became Halfstar and forbade cats from returning to the area.
When the prey caught around there caused sickness, and the area itself was riddled with hazards, it was definitely the safe choice.

Dustcloud became closer with Jaguarsnarl and Lochjaw. He wasn't really sure what brought them together, but he quite liked them. Maybe it was a bit sudden, but growing up with the both of them and only now while trying to rest up did he think of how much he really liked his denmates. He hoped maybe they'd get to do things together later.

Finally, under the care of Cirrusflight, Dustcloud recovered. She might have been the only one to survive but she didn't care to think on that gloomy thought more. She was just going to hug her brother and parents, she survived despite the odds and she needed to celebrate rather than dwell of feel sorrow for those who didn't.

Jaguarsnarl's apprentice Goldenpaw had gone missing. Dustcloud did her best to console him, sharing her own experience in losing Snailpaw. She hoped that like with Snailbelly, Goldenpaw would turn up safe and sound in his own time.

There was a secret rescue mission done behind Halfstar's back. But the end result, Gloomthorn had been brought back home. Jaguarsnarl had played a part in his sister's plan. He wasn't allowed to attend the gathering and had to perform additional duties. Dustcloud chose to stay back with him, surely they wouldn't miss too much. Cloudclan's new deputy Lupinestorm was also staying back.

Dustcloud was given her second apprentice, Ashenpaw. Dustcloud was a bit nervous about this but was sure she could do it right this time. Ashenpaw's training would go off without a hitch.

Four of her clanmates were chosen to embark on a quest. Dustcloud bid them a fair journey and wished them well.

Suddenly the earth began to quake- large tremors in the ground creating many cracks and holes in the earth. Cats were swallowed up or crushed by the breaking world around them. Fawnfall was among the casualties.
Dustcloud cried for her mother, sticking close to Beechhowl and Mudhorn. How were they going to break the news to Claypaw? Dustcloud wasn't sure.
They were far from alone with their loss. So many cats had been taken from the clans during this quake.
Pantherpaw's mentor was gone, and she was reassigned to her uncle Jaguarsnarl. Dustcloud wondered if they'd do more joint training sessions together now.

Dustcloud was given a third apprentice, Fireflypaw. He and Ashenpaw were surprised, but they weren't the only ones doubling up on apprentices. Gusthowl was also mentoring Swallowpaw and Scarletpaw.
Dustcloud worried he wouldn't be able to keep track of the apprentices nearly as well as someone else, but would do his best to do right by both kids.