Nettleclaw

basic description > Brown tabby tom with white undersides, curly fur, a bobbed tail, and golden eyes

build > Short but sturdy with a wide chest
fur description > Soft and curly, but well-kept
breeds > Moggy

height > 22 cm
weight > 7.5 lbs
voice > Michael Bublé
scent > Milk and wild grass

scars > N/A
accessories > N/A
banned traits > N/A

Positive Traits
positive >
    >> Sociable > Nettleclaw enjoys conversing with others in both casual conversation and debates. He knows how to keep a conversation going with the right words and caters to different characters with new methods of socializing. This makes talking with him often a pleasure, at least when he is not talking about himself.
    >> Analytical > Nettleclaw has a strong sense of perception and being able to analyze situations at a fast and efficient pace. His eyes are never off the action, be it passive or active, and he always wants to know what is going on in both past and present--future, too, if he could.
    >> Compassionate > Despite his first impressions, Nettleclaw does have a heart and considers the feelings of others with great importance. He puts others’ interests before his if it means making them happy. A happy companion makes a happy Nettleclaw.

neutral >
    >> Protective > Those on his good side and are close are put immediately under Nettleclaw’s protection. He feels a strong desire to stand up for the weak, but he also wants to simply protect those he loves, even if they don’t need it.
    >> Flamboyant > Everything he does, Nettleclaw ensures it gets seen. He likes receiving the attention that his actions give, so he does things with a flare, or at least talks about what he does. Though, he doesn’t seem to notice the eye rolls he gets instead, especially when he tries too hard.
    >> Straightforward > He tends to speak his mind when talking to others, getting to the point of his thoughts in a few words. His words can either be positive or negative, though regardless, they are nothing but the truth. Though he may unintentionally hurt feelings, which causes him to quickly backtrack and try and find more positives to say, even if it is the smallest of compliments. Nevertheless, one can always be certain that he means what he says.

negative >
    >> Haughty > Nettleclaw truly believes he is one of the best things that has ever happened, and it gets to his head quite often. He thinks cats would be lost without him, that he can and would catch the best prey on the pile, and that he cannot be taken down. It makes it extremely hard talking to him since he tends to think too highly of himself, and knocking him off his podium is a whole other story that has not been written yet.
    >> Impatient > Although he wishes he wasn’t, even Nettleclaw understands that he has a very thin line of patience. He tends to get easily irritated when things are not moving at a good pace, and he unintentionally snaps at the most inappropriate of times. He genuinely hates this part of him, but cannot seem to fix it.
    >> Possessive > Nettleclaw has a mean streak of possessiveness for both objects and other creatures alike. He becomes quickly attached to possessions and has a hard time sharing, even getting easily jealous when someone close to him is talking to someone other than himself. Unlike all of his other forthcomings, however, he doesn’t talk about it; rather, he’ll pout about it until the one causing the issues resolves it.

Parents
 parents >
    >> Chestnutwind > Mother > Light brown and cream tortoiseshell tabby she-cat with green eyes and curled fur > Played by Living-In-Anime > Alive
    >> Cougarblaze > Mother > Golden tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes > Played by Moony011 > Deceased
    >> Drakefeather > Donor Father > Solid caramel and white tom with a bobbed tail and yellow eyes > Played by Melontine > Deceased

siblings >
    >> Gorsewing > Brother > Golden tortoiseshell tom with yellow eyes and a white underside > Played by Living-In-Anime > Alive
    >> Sorrelblaze > Sister > Golden tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow-green eyes and a white underside > Played by Zodiac-Dream > Alive

mate >
    >> N/A

kits >
    >> N/A

extended >
    >> Rosecry > Maternal Grandmother > Dilute tabby calico she-cat with blue eyes > Played by GlaceonSky > Deceased
    >> Brookshine > Maternal Grandmother > Brown tabby she-cat with hazel eyes > Played by Sn0wbranch > Deceased
    >> Nettlefoot > Maternal Grandmother > Dark brown colorpoint she-cat with blue eyes > Played by peeperonipip > Deceased
    >> Flowersmoke > Maternal Grandfather > Russet tabby tom with orange eyes > Played by monkiies > Alive

    >> Algaebreeze > Maternal Aunt > Light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes > Played by RubyRose364 > Alive 
    >> Pumpkinpaw > Maternal Uncle > Orange tabby tom with orange eyes > Played by Hykuraa > Deceased
    >> Thistleflame > Uncle-in-law > Scarred grey tom with white spotting and green eyes > Played by codesii > Alive
    >> Swansong > Maternal Aunt > White, red, and black calico she-cat with long fur and amber eyes > Played by codesii > Alive
    >> Foxy > Uncle-in-law > Red bengal tom with blue eyes and a white underside > Played by Jax47698 > Alive

    >> Blossompaw > Cousin > Red bengal calico cat with yellow and blue heterochromatic eyes > Played by XxGlowingxX > Alive
    >> Creekpaw > Cousin > Black-and-white bengal bicolor tom with green eyes > Played by CGIspector > Alive
    >> Goldenpaw > Cousin > Ginger-and-white tabby bicolor tom with amber eyes > Played by monkiies > Alive
    >> Mousepaw > Cousin > Russet tom with yellow eyes and white accents > Played by ymmatz > Alive

kithood [ 0 - 6 moons ] >
   Nettlekit was the last born of Chestnutwind and Cougarblaze's litter of three, following his brother, Gorsekit, and his sister Sorrelkit. He had the honor of receiving his name first, having been named after his grandmother, Nettlefoot, who had passed away moons before he was born. His mothers and their families doted on the new kits the moment they were born, and they received the love and affection of many.
   Perhaps this love and affection got to his head, because Nettlekit was quick to establish an ego. He thought he was personally one of the best cats ever to be born, and he often argued with his brother about who was better. Gorsekit would always tell him he was the special one because he was gorgeous, but Nettlekit disagreed, saying he didn't have his beautiful curled fur like their mother and him. He would even argue with Sorrelkit on the whim sometimes, and they easily got on each other's nerves. At a glance, one would think these kits hated each other. But truly, it was how they showed their love towards one another, and Nettlekit knew in his mind that, should anyone hurt his littermates, there would be a price to pay. The same went for his mothers, whom he looked up to with deep respect and admiration. He would always be found proudly flaunting around the fact that he was Chestnutwind and Cougarblaze's son, despite the scolding he may get afterwards. It was worth it.
   What he didn't know was the pain and struggles happening outside of their little bubble of pride and happiness. Nettlekit and his littermates had been born during trying times, where the clans were littered with spies trying to take them down. Even the cat that had been his birth father was one, who had died shortly before he was born. No one told Nettlekit and his littermates about their birth father, but they didn't care. They had two well-respected mothers and a big family full of loyalty. There was nothing else they needed. And they would be lucky, as the situation of the spies would eventually come to a close not long after their births. They would not have to worry about it in their future.
   At some point, some of the cats that were in the camp disappeared. Nettlekit didn't fully understand it until his mothers told him that they were HailClan cats who went home. He asked why they were with CloudClan in the first place, but they chose to move on from the conversation. Nettlekit just shrugged it off. Must not have been too important if they left in such a hurry. Personally, he thought it was comforting to see the camp get bigger with the lack of cats. More space to roam and less cats to impress. Though it wouldn't be long until two of those departing cats would return and officially join CloudClan as members, some cats named Blackstrike and Whitetalon. Nettlekit didn't know nor cared about them. They weren't a part of his family, after all.
    For awhile, life returned to normal in CloudClan without the HailClan cats. The nursery, unfortunately, became a bit more cramped again with the introduction of Branchleap's kits and Leafdrift, who was expecting his second little with a rogue in the near future. While the new kits were too small to play with him, Nettlekit would find ways to try and impress them. Though it quickly became a boring game for him, and he would find himself sitting off to the sides and criticizing his littermates games instead, and he did so loudly. It often led to arguments between him and them, more with Gorsekit than Sorrelkit, but at the end of the day, they all three would still cuddle up to their mother's side for a good night's sleep. Everything would be forgiven or forgotten, ready for a new day to repeat it all over again.
    Then something eventful happened. Not to Nettlekit, but one day the night after the half moon, the clan was running rampage in distress. He heard through the whispering of cats that Waverose, the medicine cat of CloudClan, was killed during the medicine cats' half-moon meeting. Having devoted her life to the clan for so long, her loss was difficult for many in the clan. Nettlekit didn't have much of a reaction of his own. At least, not until their other medicine cat, Bramblewhisper, died about a moon later. The clan was suddenly left without a medicine cat. Which was a concern, especially when more cats suddenly came home injured from what Nettlekit later learned was a bobcat. He didn't actually react to the issue until one of MarshClan's medicine cats, Creamytail, came to assist CloudClan. He was irritated at the idea that CloudClan had to rely on another clan. They could have made it through without her! They were CloudClan, after all! But no one seemed to agree with him. At least she was quick to pick a successor out of CloudClan's young cats--some she-cat named Cirruspaw. That made him feel a bit better. So Nettlekit bit his tongue and, with a huff, moved on with his life.
    This wasn't very easy with how crowded the nursery was becoming. Thankfully, Leafdrift's second litter only ended up being one kit in the form of Snailkit, who was weird as is. And then some queen named Frostspark had a single kit, too, named Tidekit. She was just as boring, if annoying for her small size. And then as if it couldn't get any more cramped, three more cats were expecting kits and moved into the nursery. One of them was Hickorybreeze, who carried the clan leader's kits, and the other was Leopardbite with Leafdrift's older kit, Gloomthorn. The third, the only saving grace, was Nettlekit's aunt, Swansong. Though he was not very close with her or her mate, Fox, at least she always listened to him and was impressed with what Nettlekit did. She made the remainder of his stay in the nursery just a little bit more tolerable.

apprenticeship [ 6 - 12 moons ] >
    It was not long after Swansong moved into the nursery that he and his littermates turned six moons and were ready to become apprentices. Gorsepaw and Sorrelpaw received their names and mentors first, being given Jaguarsnarl and Figfall respectively. And then he was brought up and given his apprentice name of Nettlepaw. He puffed his chest up in pride, at least until he was given Duckbelly for a mentor. Who in StarClan's name was Duckbelly? Of course, he was a CloudClan warrior, which always made Nettlepaw feel a bit better, and he was older than Gorsepaw's mentor, at least. That meant he had to have some better knowledge to teach Nettlepaw, right?
    Didn't seem like it. Rather, Duckbelly constantly got on Nettlepaw's nerves. Not because he was necessarily a terrible mentor, so to say, just that he was so lazy! It took Nettlepaw nagging him to get him up and train him. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around, where the apprentices need to be nagged to go out and get things done? And when Duckbelly wasn't sleeping, he was flirting or checking himself out in the reflection of the ponds. It drove Nettlepaw crazy, and he constantly felt like they weren't getting anywhere with his training. He watched in despair as his littermates seemed to create a gap between his skills and theirs, and his rivalry with his brother only grew worse from it. His sister, on the other paw, was dealing with some other things.
    Leafbare hit the clans quickly and left them little room to prepare. One day it seemed sunny with a slight chill, and the next it was never-ending snowstorms. With the cold came illness. Nettlepaw and Gorsepaw had little to worry about, and most of the rest of the clan continued to push through. Sorrelpaw, however, began to develop a cough. At first, it was overlooked as a basic cold, but then it got worse. She was eventually brought to the medicine den and kept there for a long period of time. Nettlepaw began to grow worried for her; he managed to drop his own self-righteousness out of concern, but he was told not to visit her in case it was contagious. This irritated him, but he knew it reasonable. He's been found pacing outside of the medicine den often because of his sister's condition, and he was concerned about the fact she was being treated by a non-CloudClan medicine cat. But Creamytail and Cirruspaw were all Sorrelpaw had, and he bit his tongue in reluctant acceptance about it. All he can do is pray that she'll be alright.
    While his sister worked on recovering in the medicine den, life continued with the rest of the clan. Some apprentices were made warriors, opening up some of the space in the apprentices' den. Nettlepaw did not hesitate to spread out more in the den, making his nest bigger and admittedly pushing it further from his brother's. He knew they'd have to share the den again soon as kits aged up out of the nursery, but he was going to cherish the luxury of them being the only apprentices. In addition to this, Nettlepaw's aunt, Swansong, gave birth to four kits; Blossomkit, Creekkit, Goldenkit, and Mousekit. Nettlepaw wasn't much of a family cat already, though he did visit them after their birth out of courtesy. He felt if he didn't, his mothers would give his ears a good smack. The kits were small. They were cute, he guessed, but he never got that warm and fuzzy feeling that other cats would at the sight of them. He never really ended up making another effort to see them after that, but he would still get updates about them from his mothers or his littermates, who would still visit them often.
    It wasn't long after the kits were born that Sorrelpaw was finally released from the medicine den. The medicine cats explained that while her cough was gone and she was healthy, the illness seemed to have damaged her vocal cords and made speaking difficult for her. Though she could try to do so, it was highly adviced she didn't, and so, Sorrelpaw was officially deemed mute. Nettlepaw was angry about this--not towards his sister or the medicine cats, but towards StarClan. Why did they taint his sister with this? She didn't deserve it! He bit his lip at the time, but when he was alone, he cursed to the skies about it. He didn't want them to see how upset he was for Sorrelpaw.
    With her muteness came new challenges for the family, though, and it was time to move on and overcome them. Sorrelpaw had begun learning sign language while she was stuck in the medicine den, and she began helping her family learn it, too. They were all enthusiastic about it--except Nettlepaw. He still learned when they had family sessions, though he seemed like he was taking it half-heartedly, and to anyone else, it didn't seem like he was serious about it. It was only on his own time when the other two were asleep in their nests or he was outside camp did he continue to practice with focus. He still wanted to communicate with his sister, but he was so embarrassed to admit it. Why not just teach himself and impress them all one day with his fluent sign language? If only it went that easily. Turns out sign language was difficult to learn on your own, and he didn't even know the signs to everything on his own. He needed help, but he was too stubborn to ask for it. It wasn't until his aunt found him struggling off in the distance one day and came to see what he was doing. Swansong, herself, had worked hard to learn sign language for Sorrelpaw, too, on top of watching his sister teach her kits. She offered to help Nettlepaw, and, with a wink, agreed not to tell anyone. He couldn't believe how kind she was being towards him about it, especially when he never came to visit her or her kits. But he was grateful towards her for offering, and he wasn't about to be a beebrain and turn down the help. So, with her extra assistance and his persistence, Nettlepaw learned sign language on his own--mostly. He couldn't wait to show his sister what he knew.
    For awhile, things were going alright, more or less. Nettlepaw was still struggling to cooperate with his mentor, and there were many times where he joined in with others on their training sessions instead just to keep up. It irritated him to no end that Duckbelly was so lazy and laidback, but at least he was getting training in through others. While he was working hard, ranks in the clan changed again. Branchleap's kits, who Nettlepaw had as denmates in the nursery for a time, became apprentices and moved into the apprentices' den. The warriors that had only just became warriors, unfortunately, died to starvation. It sounded about right, given the worsening weather and lack of prey. Even Nettlepaw was beginning to feel his stomach rumbling more often as the fresh-kill pile was smaller and smaller every passing day. So this is what leafbare was like, huh? Except... it wasn't even leafbare yet! What in StarClan's name was going on? He was starving!
    One day, Nettlepaw raced to catch up to a border patrol in hopes to get something done in the day rather than lay around wasting away in the camp. To this day, he regrets that patrol. Things were going smoothly until the patrol ran into a small kittypet. She couldn't have been more than two moons old, but her attitude was stubborn. She was determined to meet the clans, HailClan specifically, despite being half covered in snow. The patrol wasn't sure what to do with her, but Nettlepaw was very vocal on his opinion; put her back where she belongs. She wasn't their problem, and they had other things to worry about! Unfortunately, he was met with disdain and even anger by some of the warriors. They couldn't leave the kit out in the cold, and if they took her back to the twoleg place, who was to say she wouldn't try again? Nettlepaw only rolled his eyes at this, and he even tried arguing that, again, she was not their problem. But he seemed to be getting on Poppysnap's last nerve, as she told him to go back to camp with Elmchirp and Lockjaw to let Starlingstar know that they'd be bringing the kittypet back with them. Irritated and enraged, Nettlepaw left without the young warriors. And he left telling Starlingstar about the kittypet to the warriors, escaping back to the apprentices' den in hopes to sleep off his anger.
    By the time he woke up, it seemed the kittypet had already come and gone. Thank StarClan--he didn't want to deal with it anymore. He also made it quite obvious that he was avoiding any of the cats that were on that patrol, save for Gorsepaw. Then again, him and Gorsepaw already looked like they hated each other on the outside. Not that Nettlepaw could ever hate his brother. He just wanted to get back to his training.
    The weather progressively got worse as more cats starved to death. And then, suddenly, Duckbelly disappeared. Whether he lost his way in a snow storm or just never bothered to come back, Nettlepaw wasn't sure. And he didn't really care. Duckbelly wasn't worth his time anyway for how lazy and carefree he was. With the loss of his mentor, Starlingstar reassigned Nettlepaw to a warrior named Beechhowl. While he still wasn't quite ideal in Nettlepaw's eyes, he was certainly better than Duckbelly. He actually trained Nettlepaw. So he figured he could get through the rest of his apprenticeship with this new mentor and even become a great warrior with Beechhowl's guidance. It made him just a bit more eager to train again, and he was found sulking and agitated a lot less. The entire clan was probably relieved to see this, his family most of all.
    Despite the lack of prey and the sickness that was going through the clan, CloudClan only continued to grow. Another kit was made an apprentice, Snailpaw, while another cat was expecting kits. It was like the nursery would never see the end of the kits. But Nettlepaw didn't really care, not having much interest in kits anyways. Besides... he had other things to worry about.
    How they didn't notice, he wasn't sure, but Cougarblaze had starved. She died to her starvation, like many other cats before her did. Her death stunned the entire family. She was always the strongest of them all, and she put the spunk in them all. To lose her was like losing the flame in them all. Nettlepaw was sad, of course, but he was also angry. Why did StarClan take her from them? If there even was a StarClan! If there was, there wouldn't be so much death and lack of prey. He seemed to be the only one angry over this as the others only felt sorrow. Chestnutwind would put on a brave face for them, but her own grief reflected terribly in her eyes. It was the first time that Nettlepaw and Gorsepaw weren't arguing, because Cougarblaze didn't deserve that at her vigil. They all laid quietly by her, only accompanied by Sorrelpaw's crying and Swansong's gentle whispers towards her sister. Even Nettlepaw was beginning to feel like a kit again. Suddenly, nothing mattered anymore. He just wanted his mother back.
    When many kits would likely struggle to cope with the death of their parent, Cougarblaze's death seemed to only drive Nettlepaw and his littermates to do better. All three of them were quick to return to their training and strived to do even better than they have before. Nettlepaw wasn't quite sure what Gorsepaw and Sorrelpaw's motives were, but his were just to show his mother that he would be strong in her place. He would be strong for mom and for his littermates, and that he could be stronger than she ever was. He'd turned his anger towards StarClan into fuel for his training, and he improved quickly. It was like the lacking training that Duckbelly had left never occurred as he was quick to catch back up with Gorsepaw. He wouldn't let this leafbare beat him, too.
    The remainder of his apprenticeship went off without a hitch, thankfully. There were still deaths and sickness in the clan, but none of them were in his family. None of them mattered to him anymore. He just needed to be strong for his family and make sure they didn't die. The last moon and a half of his training after his mother's death seemed to fly by, and suddenly, he was taking his warrior assessment and passing.

warriorhood [ 12 moons - present ] >
    The warrior ceremony almost seemed lackluster after all of the work he put towards it, but in the end, he made it. He was renamed to Nettleclaw for his fierce personality and technique, and he wore that name proudly on his chest as everyone cheered it. His brother was named Gorsewing beside him. Nettleclaw couldn't help but return to his pompous self, snorting at his brother's name. How original.
    Unfortunately, Sorrelpaw did not get to join them as a warrior that day. She was still behind on training due to her time in the medicine den, and so she needed to continue honing her skills. Nettleclaw had zero doubt that she would make it, and he would be sure to be at the front of the crowd for her warrior ceremony. It still wasn't the same with Cougarblaze not there to cheer them on, but Chestnutwind's voice felt like it had the power of both of his mothers there. Finally, he was a warrior.
    Turns out, being a warrior wasn't much different to being an apprentice. It just came with more freedom. Nettleclaw continued hunting and patrolling the borders, and it became dull quickly. At least there was prey to hunt, as leafbare was getting better. The weather was warming up and the prey was starting to return, and CloudClan was beginning to fatten up again. Even Nettleclaw relished in the fact that his belly didn't rumble anymore. But it seemed the warming weather brought predators, too, as a cat was killed by a badger. The cat was Whitetalon, who was a former HailClan cat that came to join CloudClan with his mate, Blackstrike. His mate had died of greencough moons ago, so Nettleclaw figured that at least the two were together again.
    It seemed, however, that the loss of these cats sent Martenfang, an older warrior, over the edge, as they suddenly left CloudClan and went back to HailClan. Apparently, Blackstrike was their littermate, and though Nettleclaw sneered at their lack of loyalty, he had to admit that he wasn't sure what he would do if he lost one of his littermates. He had loyalty to CloudClan, but his loyalty to his family was stronger. If there was no family here for him, would he still be here? He wasn't really sure, to be honest, and he didn't want to find out. Everyone in his family was fine, and that is what mattered. There was no sense in thinking the unthinkable.
    A moon passed so quickly, and in that moon, Sorrelpaw quickly caught up and was being named a warrior. Nettleclaw sat in the front of the crowd, as he had silently promised, and he watched his sister's ceremony with pride. He was surprised, however, when Starlingstar spoke her new name: Sorrelblaze. That was... he could only smile. Cougarblaze would have been very proud of her, he was sure of it. He sure was as he called her name loudly and welcomed her to the warrior rank of CloudClan.
    Being a warrior was rather uneventful in his personal opinion. At least, it was uneventful compared to his apprenticeship. Was this because leafbare was no longer an issue? Perhaps. The biggest issue now seemed to be the exceeding amount of apprentices that CloudClan had. There were some apprentices named here and there, but the day that the leader's, Swansong's, and Gloomthorn and Leopardbite's kits all became apprentices at the same time was a sight to see. There were so many kits in the middle of the camp--fourteen, to be precise. Nettleclaw was still too young to mentor an apprentice yet, but he was happy to see his mother get one of the apprentices. In fact, it was one of his cousins that she received, being Blossompaw. He hoped that having an apprentice would perhaps make Chestnutwind feel better; though it had been a few moons now, Cougarblaze's death still seemed to way heavy on all of them. The naming of so many apprentices called for a celebration though, and Nettleclaw was sure to be a good clanmate in calling each and every one of their new names.
    It seemed Nettleclaw spoke a bit too soon about his warriorhood being uneventful. Perhaps he jinxed it when the twolegs suddenly begun showing up on their territory with big, strange monsters. While most monsters would stay on their paths, these ones didn't. And it became all the more odd as the twolegs began to build something. Nettleclaw scrunched his nose in confusion to it all. Twolegs were so weird. As long as they didn't try to harm his family, he could care less what they did. Though, their close proximity to CloudClan and invading their territory was certainly a bit concerning. He figured they could only wait and see what they were up to.