Personality + Physicality

Physical Description

Whispershriek is long, lean, and muscular despite the general litheness of his frame. Most of their height comes from their long legs, leaving them standing above the average cat’s height. Their hind legs are slightly longer than their front legs, giving them the appearance of walking on tiptoes, though their usual slightly slouched, ambling gait robs them of anything resembling an air of regality. While they appear lean and their slouching movements are unassuming, they have power stored in their limbs, fore and back legs strong and good for both jumping and striking with stunning force. While at a distance their pelt appears solid black, up close they have a subtle spotted pattern, along with a dark dorsal mark. Their ears are large and their head is somewhat oblong, with a sort of “scarab beetle” mark on their forehead, reminiscent of a typical tabby forehead mark but not quite the same. His eyes are almond shaped and a bright, sharp yellow color.

Scars / Injuries

• Thin scars on either side of their muzzle, running over their mouth.
• Long, jagged scar across their throat, which has permanently damaged their voice.
• Small notch in the top of their left ear.

Backstory

Oriolekit - Oriolepaw - Orioletooth - Whispershriek

Early Life

Born to a single father by the name of Blackbirdcry, Oriolekit came into the world alongside his littermate, Starlingkit. The family unit was very close knit from the start, with Blackbirdcry patiently raising his two increasingly rambunctious children, teaching them how to be polite and courteous while still granting them freedom to live and make their own choices – for instance, in allowing them to cuss around him, but warning them to respect it if someone asked them not to cuss around them. The family was very happy together, but the season was not kind to them: a draught during that year’s greenleaf caused a famine to set in once leaf-fall arrived. Blackbirdcry had been in poor health for most of his life, and the combination of that and the starvation that settled over CanyonClan like a grim shadow cost him his life before Oriolekit and Starlingkit were even apprenticed. They mourned him together and clung tightly to each other, vowing to always have one another’s backs from then on.

Adolescence

They were apprenticed right before CanyonClan’s skirmishes with their neighbor, AspenClan, won CanyonClan new territory. At the time, all that Oriolepaw could think was “good.” Taking more territory made sense to them. Maybe no one else would have to die the way Blackbirdcry had, this way. They stuck close with Starlingpaw, and with their other denmates, Batpaw, Shadedpaw, and, most notably, Velvetpaw, who grew to be Oriolepaw’s best friend throughout their youth. On a fruitless hunting trip, they encountered two lost AspenClan kits out in the cold, staying to keep them both company and warm in the snow until cats from their Clan could come to retrieve them; Oriolepaw didn’t see at the time how showing them kindness and forming a friendship contradicted their belief that the fighting was justified. They continued to be friendly with the two young AspenClanners – Whitekit and Blackkit, by then Whitepaw and Blackpaw – even after Sandstar officially declared war. However, throughout their apprenticeship, Oriolepaw grew increasingly convinced of the importance of the war Sandstar eventually declared; territory was won, yes, but cats continued to starve, and his mentor spoke often about fighting harder, winning more, snatching survival from the stingy teeth of AspenClan. While Oriolepaw never quite came to worship Sandstar like many did, convinced by his charisma, he did come to believe that fighting was the best thing, the only thing, for CanyonClan, even before he earned his warrior name.

Adulthood

Orioletooth and Starlingstrike earned their warrior names around the time Sandstar declared war. They both threw themselves into fighting for their Clan, believing at first that they were doing something good. As it dragged on, the toll of seeing so many Clanmates injured or killed prompted Oriole, Starling, and many of their friends to begin to seek out fighting as a way of seeking glory and recognition in the Clan, or even just as something to do almost recreationally, something they could make a contest out of or do to work out stress. Within this time, Orioletooth and Velvetfang also fell into a romantic relationship; they agreed for it to be open, and they both saw other people within this time, but were primarily committed to each other, and were both perhaps less okay with the open arrangement than either was willing to say. In spite of willingly participating in the fighting, Orioletooth continued to be friendly with Whitepaw and Blackpaw in AspenClan, oftentimes keeping up friendly chatter if they ran into each other on the increasingly rare non-hostile patrol, and doing his best to shuffle them off the battlefield to safety if he ever saw them during a fight – they were just kids, what the hell was AspenClan thinking? This realization, that there were much younger cats than Orioletooth being subjected to the war, made the realization of the horrible situation the Clans were in dawn on him slowly. Cats on both sides were dying in droves. Sandstar wasn’t stopping, he wouldn’t stop, even as CanyonClan claimed more territory. The only way out seemed to be more violence, which they took to with a new ferocity, feeling cornered in their own life and wanting to take out their frustration on others, too. Around the bloodiest period of the war, Orioletooth and Starlingstrike, working as a team, killed more than one AspenClan cat in combat.

Then came the fateful night when the siblings were separated on the battlefield. Orioletooth got caught up fighting a young AspenClan warrior while they were looking for their sister, only to spot her across the battlefield, engaged with a feared AspenClan warrior, known for his brutality in killing even CanyonClan elders. Orioletooth tried to break away to go help her, but it was too late: Bristleburr killed her before Orioletooth could intervene. He flew into a rage, killing the young AspenClan warrior he’d been fighting with and trying to take out Bristleburr, too, before a near-fatal wound to his throat collapsed him by his sister’s body. Dizzy with blood loss, he froze staring at Starlingstrike’s corpse, and cats who were there on the battlefield that night recall his blank eyes as he screamed, loud and piercing, for endless minutes, until he lost consciousness. For a few moons after this incident, he was confined to the clerics’ den, as his near-death experience left him with wounds to heal, and, try as they might to bring it back, the clerics found that he’d lost his voice, as well. Sandstar renamed him Whispershriek in this time, and he spent most of his time between severe dissociative episodes, rapidly losing his sense of identity. Velvetfang began to treat him differently in this time, seeing his changing sense of self as he dealt with his new traumas as someone taking the cat she used to love from her, and beginning to treat him like something to study rather than a real person who needed help. Whispershriek attempted for a time to be the cat that they wanted again, rallying with the rebels in CanyonClan who despised Sandstar’s leadership and participating in the coup to overthrow him – but when the dust settled, it was Aspenwatcher in charge of CanyonClan, and Whispershriek realized he was hardly any better than Sandstar, despite the new leader’s insistence on peace. Whispershriek had dedicated himself to the wrong cause yet again – it was the tipping point. He gave up on Clan politics completely, adopting a vastly more apathetic attitude, and he and Velvetfang split up without any blowout fight, just quiet bitterness.

Nowadays, Whispershriek has opted to joke and snark rather than take anything seriously or care about his Clan again. However, recent moons have seen a lot of changes for Whispershriek. More cats care about them for them, rather than the cat they used to be, than before. But Lilyfire’s murder of Duskwatcher, before Whispershriek and the rest of the Gathering’s eyes, has thrown things off again; Whispershriek has more support than before, cats that care about them and believe in the future to some extent, and he’d like to have a future with those cats, too – but CanyonClan losing yet another leader and being betrayed by a cat they took in seems like the perfect fuel to reinforce Whispershriek’s worldviews rather than challenge them. Whether or not they change for the better still remains to be seen.

Relationships

STANDING

CanyonClan

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Whispershriek loved CanyonClan, once. He put his every waking moment into being a loyal warrior, to serving the Clan that had raised him – but being raised right into a war that cost him nearly everything disillusioned him rather severely. He knows that some of the issues he’s faced in CanyonClan have been partly his own fault, but that’s done nothing to restore any of his shattered faith in his birth Clan. Every Clan leader they’ve had in their life up to this point has done horrible things, and they believe that’s inevitable; as far as they’re concerned, all leaders either inevitably fuck up horribly, or they were horrible long before leadership found them, and there is just something fucked up about the Clan system that continuously puts those sorts of cats in power. Leadership is inherently corrupting, and none are truly trustworthy to place that kind of power in. Beyond that, the promise all warriors give to defend their Clan with their life never felt more dehumanizing than it did in the midst of war, when cats were dying in droves and Sandstar just kept sending out more battle patrols. Their entire life may as well have been a loan, if they are expected to give it back to someone. Despite all of this, though, Whispershriek has no desire to fight the system, believing it to be a futile and worthless endeavor. He would rather focus his energies on keeping his loved ones safe and happy and on not bringing another war down on them, as he doesn’t believe any Clan or leadership is capable of doing that. Ultimately, CanyonClan is just a place he lives in, full of a lot of mixed memories and emotions. If his loved ones ever chose to leave the Clan, he’d be gone in a heartbeat.

STANDING

BriarClan

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Whispershriek’s feelings on the other Clans are simpler, but no less jaded. While they don’t hold any particularly strong grudges from the war, despite the many cats residing there who are responsible for taking the lives of many of his Clanmates, Whispershriek treats them with the same air of blithe, casual disinterest or amusement that he treats most of his own Clanmates with, and may even be eager to chat with old foes of his from the battlefield who put up a particularly good fight. They express no remorse about their own actions during the war to BriarClan cats, though. They killed during the war, and so what if they did? Mostly, they find anyone still nursing an active grudge against CanyonClan to be incredibly amusing, rather than anything to be nervous or guilty about. He doesn’t really see what the fuck the point of changing their Clan name was, but whatever. While BriarClan’s leadership is not as blatantly fraught with issues as the other two Clans, Whispershriek still has a low opinion of them, especially after the reveal of Frostheart and Lilyfire being behind the murders that plagued the Clans for a time.

STANDING

CreekClan

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Like with BriarClan, Whispershriek is largely indifferent to them as a whole, treating them dismissively or with amusement. Motherfuckers sure kicked up an awful fuss about not wanting to be involved in the war stuff, only to turn around and kill and steal from their own kin, on top of their involvement – however mild – with Duskwatcher’s very public murder, at a Gathering of all places. He considers them hypocrites, or at least the ex-Aspen and Canyon cats among them. Their leadership he sees as an example of his jaded worldview, seeing as CreekClan’s leader is a war criminal herself, and her little deputy was one of the cats most involved in the Gathering incident with Duskwatcher. The only especially strong feeling they have about CreekClan is their deep, hateful grudge against one of the members of their Clan, the cat responsible for killing Starlingstrike.

[ Sister ]

Starlingstrike

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Starlingstrike was the first cat Whispershriek ever knew he’d give his life for, but it didn’t quite work out that way. The two of them were thick as thieves their whole lives, partners in crime and often of like minds about anything from battle strategy to taste in prey. If there was anyone Whispershriek could be honest with, it was her. Though they both strove to be tough after their father passed, and threw themselves into learning how to fight for their Clan, then into the war itself, they always shared their grief and pain with one another. Starlingstrike always seemed to know when something was bothering him, sometimes even before he did. She was one of the few cats Whispershriek truly felt safe and peaceful with, in the first half of his life where nothing else was ever safe or peaceful. In a way, he died, too, the day she lost her life; he screamed until the voice of her brother was gone, and then Sandstar stripped away the name he used to carry, too. Some days, he thinks it’s apt that he got a new name, so the name “Orioletooth” will keep belonging to her and Blackbirdcry, the cats who knew and loved him first. Other days, he wonders if burying his old name is enough.

[ Partner ]

Craneflight

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One of Whispershriek’s closest friends in the seasons after the war ended, Craneflight’s ease in picking up their makeshift sign language rapidly elevated him to one of the cats Whispershriek most enjoyed spending time with long before they ever got together. Whispershriek made it their mission many times to drag the stoic Craneflight into their antics, be it convincing him to play a prank on a Clanmate with them, crack a rare smile, slack off a little, or even get his fortune told, on one memorable Gathering night. Craneflight’s more rational demeanor and straightforward acceptance of Whispershriek’s bullshit were always nice, but his surprising gentleness and care when it came to the more vulnerable parts of Whispershriek’s life – their grief, their fear, their anger, the parts of their heart still wounded by loss and a seemingly uncaring world – encouraged the growth of new feelings. Whispershriek was wary of possibly imposing on Craneflight’s life with their feelings, given the struggles of his own he was dealing with, but after a conversation prompted by a Clanmate remarking about them as a pair, they both admitted to having romantic feelings for each other. They flirt and banter obnoxiously, but also treat each other with genuine respect and tenderness, and are overall surprisingly very compatible. Whispershriek is pretty thrilled about it all. It’s nice to have a relationship he feels he can take his time with, one he can almost confidently say will last.

[ Friend ]

Fernsky

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One of Whispershriek’s favorite cats! They’ve thought Fernsky is hilarious as long as they’ve known her, whether it’s when she’s trying to be funny or when they’re laughing at her expense, but Whispershriek intentionally makes a clown of themself plenty often when they hang out, in turn. It’s just fun to spend time with Fernsky, really. They enjoy lightheartedly ribbing her, and they’re pleased as punch she’s started teasing them right back. Much as he might find her occasional fumbles entertaining, he genuinely wants the best for her, including a little more confidence in that shy demeanor of hers. He appreciates her compassion, and believes she’s a lot stronger than she realizes – empathy and sincerity take a lot more strength than you think, he knows, and to survive everything she has is no small feat, either.

[ Friend ]

Batshadow

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One of his oldest friends, but not his best by far. Whispershriek and Batshadow have shared a friend group since they were apprentices, but he and Starlingstrike were always a bit closer to Batshadow’s brother, Shadedsky, than to her – something that didn’t go unnoticed by Batshadow. Whispershriek cares deeply for her, and would listen if she deigned to vent at him or act if she needed him for anything, but it seems to him that Batshadow’s under the impression she’s “second best,” somehow. He’s content to let their friendship be what it is, and largely has trouble empathizing with Batshadow’s insecurities regarding her brother due to his own closeness with his sister.

[ Friend ]

Jaypaw

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One of his favorite little guys! Whispershriek has known Jaypaw since he was a kit, and thinks quite fondly of the little tom who so curiously asked them to teach him sign language almost as soon as they first met, when he realized Whispershriek couldn’t respond to him verbally. Whispershriek has spent a lot of time with Jaypaw teaching him sign and giving him “top secret” tips on a variety of “warrior things” over the seasons, and enjoys Jaypaw’s bright demeanor, curiosity, and determination. Despite whatever Whispershriek’s usual gruffness may suggest, he loves kids, and he thinks Jaypaw’s one of the best of them. He treats all young cats gently and softly, and Jaypaw in particular for his more sensitive disposition, but balances that with treating him with respect, like the adult he is rapidly growing into.

[ Ex ]

Velvetfang

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Once, they would have considered Velvetfang their best friend and the love of their life – but that was when Whispershriek was still Orioletooth. As far as they’re concerned now, things have changed too much between them for them to ever return to any kind of relationship, romantic or platonic. He isn’t the cat Velvetfang used to know anymore, didn’t all their time studying him and analyzing him like some fucked up little science project already tell them that? Either Velvetfang never really cared about him, or they were more of a selfish, arrogant bastard than he ever realized, to treat him like a thing instead of a person and then act like they want him back in their life, without actually wanting HIM, the way he is. He loved them once, and many of his fondest memories of days past have Velvetfang lurking in them, but he wants nothing to do with them now. He doesn’t want to see her try to psychoanalyze him anymore. He, bitterly, has nothing else to say to her.

[ ??? ]

Whitehart

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While Whispershriek doesn’t ever talk about Whitehart, if pressed, he’d admit to missing the simple, easy friendship he used to have with the BriarClan tom. They were young and foolish when they were his friend, believing they could do “right” by their Clan and still have friends in the Clan that was supposed to be their enemy, too. But the hopelessness and violence of the war drove them apart – the hopelessness and violence that Orioletooth himself embodied, drove them apart. They don’t regret their actions from the war, as a rule, but if they regret anything, it was this: ruining a friendship they’d once valued, hurting a cat they once cared about who didn’t do anything to deserve it. They never met Ferretfang, only learned he was one of the cats they’d killed after the fact, but that’s something they have to sit with, too. War is war, cats die. But they wish they’d been more careful when they’d drawn blood, for Whitehart’s sake. Some part of them still feels unsettled, defensive, and angry when they think of Whitehart, though. Wouldn’t he just want them to go back to being whoever they used to be, too? Wouldn’t he just be another cat who doesn’t see THEM, who sees a problem when they look at Whispershriek instead of a real person with feelings and wounds? They hate the thought, but figure it’s the most likely option. They try not to think about Whitehart much.

[ Friend ]

Nightshroud

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After meeting at a Gathering, the two became fast friends, enjoying being catty together. They snicker and crack jokes at others’ expense and jokingly flirt back and forth fairly often, sharing banter and lighthearted jabs as easy as breathing. While they enjoy one another’s company, they aren’t the sort of friends who share deep feelings with each other. The most Whispershriek or Nightshroud will offer to each other are minor vents about the daily goings-on in their lives, if a Clanmate annoyed them or they had some mishap with hunting that day, and the like. Still, Whispershriek finds Nightshroud fun to be around and is always pleased to run into her on patrol or at a Gathering.

Miscellaneous

Trivia

• Smells of dust, stale air, and cobwebs.
• Likes to paint his face before going into battle, the pattern often resembling a skull.
• Extremely foul-mouthed; cusses constantly.
• Avoids the clerics’ den.
• Routinely re-touches his father and sister’s death murals.
• Makes a whistling sound when he laughs.