Profile
LITTLEGRUB
Clumsy • Soft-Spoken • Naive
"I'm happy I can finally talk to you; I just wish we'd done it sooner"
Littlegrub is an exiled cat from the Riverflow Clowder, a group of cats who act as a central hub for travellers. He lives on their vast territory, but remains hidden from the permanent residents of the clowder, only speaking to travellers to ask about their former friends. Littlegrub acts as an unofficial grave-tender of the Clowder cats, bringing flowers to their graves and spending much of his time there. Littlegrub will reminisce about their good times and vent about the bad times, wondering out loud how things could have been if he hadn't left. Littlegrub has a very distinct smell, and wears rose petals to cover it up.
Notes
Number of petals on him can vary, but always in the fluffy parts (hair and chest fur)Eyes are NEVER visible.His claws are always kept dull.Character
Likes
StoriesGloomy DaysBeing in natureSingingDislikes
ConfrontationPhysical touchWorking under PressureHarsh sunMoodboard
Backstory
Nef woke up on the Clowder's territory, claiming to be a traveller who wished to settle. They took him in and named Littlegrub by Aspen. A shy cat, Littlegrub had a hard time talking with others. He luckily found a few friends his age who introduced him to others in the Clowder. Though there was a lot of work to do, Littlegrub found himself drawn towards becoming a healer and began training soon after, making up for their poor memory of herbs with diligence. However, Littlegrub was clumsy; they would frequently drop what they were holding, or say the wrong thing in a delicate social situation. While the cats were patient with him at first, repeated incidents wore everyone down, until an argument broke out between him and Snapdragon. Their fight escalated from words to claws, and Marigold was hurt trying to break them up. Littlegrub fled the scene, horrified and overwhelmed. After taking time to himself and his recovery, Littlegrub returned to the Clowder. However, his running away was seen as a betrayal, and many Clowder cats were cold and reuctant about letting him stay. Eventually, Littlegrub gave up and left for good, cutting contact with all the Clowder. He remained on their territory, but makes sure to avoid them seeing him.
Riverflow Clowder
The Riverflow Clowder has a wide territory along a river. They are one of the safest places to be, being heavily guarded by the residents. Cats are allowed to live and hunt freely, but the clowder cats will make sure that no one with malicious intent can hurt others, nor will they allow other animals or those who mean them harm to stay. The clowder does co-exist with other predators, but there is an understanding to avoid each other and not hurt the other. The clowder tries to maintain a rule for hunting as well, limiting themselves to only what they need, but this rule isn't enforced as well. Due to its location, Riverflow is considered to be a stopping point for many cats on their way to another place. Here, cats can rest before a journey, meet others to travel with, learn about any dangers ahead, exchange stories and more. There are many cats who permanently settle here, as well as those who stay for years before leaving. The Riverflow Clowder often names cats who settle permanently after plants, and all other cats after nature or travel. Clowder names will usually be 2-3 syllables.
Healers
Healers deal with the living cats, providing not only physical healing through medicine but also emotional support. There is no official role of grave-tending or mortician, so the healers are usually involved. They will prepare the body and help comfort the families. Due to the clowder's lax rules on other cats and animals, healders face the most pressure to find the right medicine and be able to help anyone who comes to them. Often, cats who are empathic are pushed into this role, and can suffer burnout from it.
One of Littlegrub's first friends and the heiress of the Riverflow Clowder. Marigold helped Littlegrub make other friends in the Clowder, but after she was hurt in the fight, their soured relationship bled into how the rest of the Clowder treated Littlegrub. Marigold died shortly after Littlegrub left the Clowder- the wounds from their fight having set an infection inside her, and the two were never able to fully reconcile. Her grave is the one Littlegrub visits most often to try to understand his conflicted feelings.
A former idol to Littlegrub because of her outgoing nature and skill, the two bonded over missions they went on together. They grew apart slightly when they returned, neither having much time between work. Snapdragon tried to ask for Littlegrub's help on a mission, but he dismissed her, being overwhelmed with work. She later confronted him, resulting in a public fight, after which Littlegrub ran away. Upon returning, he was able to talk to Snapdragon, but her explosive side put him on edge, and he cut ties with her when he left for good.
Littlegrub's mentor, Aspen is an experienced and talented healer. They understood that Littlegrub was different from the others and an outsider in more ways than one. They also knew that Littlegrub would be easily hurt and overwhelmed, and tried to warn him of this. Due to their experience level and the wide territory, Aspenshade was not able to keep as close a watch on Littlegrub, and wasn't able to see the conflict brewing among friends, nor were they around when the fight happened. Aspen holds no grudge against Littlegrub, but the latter feels to ashamed to face them, scared that his mentor might hate him too. Littlegrub still has a deep respect for Aspen, and will often ask travellers about them.
