Petalstar

Petalstar is a plump white-and-grey ragdoll. Her pelage is soft and feathery, wrapping her in warmth all leafbare long. It holds a magnificent ivory hue, with pale grey dapples strewn across her head, torso, and tail, and flecks of a deeper shade speckled about. Her eyes shine a captivating baby blue that appears somewhat diluted in distorted lighting. She carries an airy aura, filled with positive energy harnessed by her high spirits. Despite her chub, she has developed muscles over her many moons in the mountains, and has a strong build beneath all her fluff. Most of her appearance directly correlates with her previous tribe setting, as her fur length is necessary in those parts of the world and most of her other features are adaptations to the extreme climate.

The she-cat walks with light, confident strides, her gait comfortable and suited to her environment. She presents herself in a friendly and organized fashion, giving off the impression that she is put together and open for conversation at any given moment. Her mannerisms are often subtle and difficult to read, but cats that are familiar with her movements are more likely to pick up on these vague signals. When distressed, she is curt with others, and her body adopts a particular rigidity until she is less stressed.

ThunderClan’s Starcrown, created by Petalstar after the loss of the original, is made of a flexible twig and various flora. It is adorned in oak leaves and a variety of roses; strips of stick weave the base firmly together, leaving just enough room for decorations to be lodged in. The three types of roses selected for the crown symbolize ThunderClan’s defining traits: yellow for happiness and hope, pink for compassion and gratitude, and white for purity. The crown is complete with a minutare sunflower as its centerpiece, meant to represent the Sunflower Haven, a landmark in their former territory.

Petalstar is a kindhearted, creative individual, who seeks to befriend every cat she encounters. She strives for eternal inclusion, for that, she feels, is more acquirable than complete peace. She excels at picking up on the tone of a situation and acting accordingly, adding warmth to a cool setting or turning something sour into something sweet. Therefore, she’s quite well-acquainted with those around her, and is able to cater to their desires and needs at any given moment. The ability to integrate herself into a new society or situation was earned when she joined ThunderClan, though she always had a knack for it in her tribe days and had many friends in the mountains.

Petalstar is a natural leader, having big dreams for the world around her. She is orderly and obsessed with getting something right, going as far as to take the blame if something goes wrong even if she wasn’t part of the situation. Though she values her friends and family more than anything in the world, she often finds herself putting work before them, especially when ThunderClan has recently dipped into a rough patch. She insists on working twice as hard as the average warrior, focusing on multiple things at once just to increase productivity. She holds her Clanmates’ ideals and enjoyment to the highest regard— even above efficiency.

Petalstar’s moral values come first in every situation. She refuses to act against them, even in the most desperate of times. This can lead to complications when ThunderClan is needed by the other Clans; specifically, when she is to bring her Clan into battle. She does not push these values on others, but expects them to respect them all the same, and make accommodations so she does not have to stray from what she believes in. Her refusal to participate in activities that contradict her beliefs hinders her flexibility when it comes to new ideas. She is willing to compromise on the matter, but this plays into her gullibility; losing grip on her morals to help another cat or Clan when she doesn’t realize is her largest weakness, and could be catastrophic for her if it were to occur.

Petal from Sweet Lilac was born on a cool leafbare evening alongside her siblings, Yarrow that Lays Beneath Tree and Sand in Small Crevice. Though she was close with them, her true connection lay with her father, Hare that Runs in Grass. He was a young cat with an old soul, making himself useful by sharing folklore with the kits and teaching them the ways of their culture over skills like hunting or defending. Petal and her siblings were not allowed outside the cave, and so stories brought her the adventures that she couldn’t get elsewhere. Her mother didn’t have the same high regard for the Tribe’s history as he did, so she favored Sand in Small Crevice instead, the headstrong sibling with an interest in hunting. Yarrow that Lays Beneath Tree was unfortunately a sickly kit, having been the runt of the litter and hardly making it past his first breaths. He never made a full recovery; all seasons were cold, but leafbare was particularly bitter, and extremely unkind to those that could not withstand it. He passed only a moon or two after his birth. This was kept a secret from Petal and Sand until the two were a bit older, at which point they were informed he’d joined their ancestors in a place “far from home.” Neither understood just then that he’d died, though when they did, too much time had passed for either to experience much grief.

Petal was given Ripple on Water as a mentor once she became a to-be. Ripple was amiable and quiet, but didn’t carry the same openness Petal did. His true focus was to be the best prey-hunter he could be; this transferred to his to-be. Petal quickly grew infatuated with the idea of being a successful prey-hunter, and helping the Tribe by doing so. Rather than wanting to be the best, she wanted to contribute the most. She trained endlessly for days at a time to achieve this goal. Ripple on Water encouraged this, for his goal was similar, and the two got along pretty well, never once having an argument. He trained her nearly every day and taught her every way of hunting she knows, including some techniques that she could use for fighting. Still, Petal daydreamed. She used her imagination to create fantasies she believed she’d live out someday. Her favorite while being a to-be was a waterfall. She’d never seen any, only heard about them from her parents’ tales, but she considered them spiritual things, things to be grateful for and to worship. Indeed, a waterfall was quite majestic in her head. She loved to play out her adventures, usually by herself, in places where she could roam and envision all the wonders of the things she was thinking of. It kept her busy during her free-time, and happy during tough patches of training or tribe life in general.

Petal was a good prey-hunter. She proceeded with her duties like any other cat, never failing to complete something she’d promised or she’d been assigned. Sometimes tasks were hard to carry out, with all the overwhelming weight of the Tribe’s lack of everything burying her alive, but she made it through with only a few scratches on her. She truly loved being in the Tribe, though the constant peril it was put through was worrisome. She wanted desperately to leave, but couldn’t; it meant too much to her. Besides, her family was here, and she couldn’t leave them, no matter how much she wanted to. The mountain lion threat became more prominent around the tribe, but Petal tried not to notice the fear in her companions. Instead, she tried to comfort them and distract them. Unfortunately, she paid the price for her efforts. On a greenleaf evening, she’d gone to fetch a piece of prey for her father to maximize the moment they were sharing at her special cliffside. In that time, her father was taken by a mountain lion and, presumably, killed by it later on. She never forgave herself for not being there to protect him.

One fateful day, amidst a particularly strong blizzard, the she and her patrol of prey-hunters stumbled upon the five Clans sheltering in caverns around the lower mountainside. With no prior experience there, they were unsafe; she took it upon herself to help them. She guided them back to the Tribe's camp and acquainted herself with Sunstar, leader of ThunderClan, whom she grew fond of in the coming moon. She took him to her favorite spot: the cliffside. It just so happened that, that day, the mountain lions descended upon the Clans and Tribe, and all were forced to retreat elsewhere. Following this, the Clans decided to continue on their way, and Stoneteller announced the Tribe would be coming with them, as their life in the mountains was no longer sustainable.

As the Clans traveled, Petal grew closer with Sunstar. He intrigued her, and his personality being so compatible with her own made for the most enjoyable conversations she could've ever imagined. She learned new things from him, like Clan terms and lifestyles, and of things she couldn't have dreamt up on her own, like grand meadows of flowers and incredible lakes and sicknesses. When the Clans settled in their new territories, the Tribe unluckily disbanded and Petal joined ThunderClan. She was granted the name Petalcloud by Sunstar, who later took her out to the neighboring Flower Field and asked her to be his mate.

WIP there's so much to cover