Minkdancer (Minkdancer [FOW])

Brief Description: A spotted mink point with indigo blue eyes.

Physical Description: The overall impression of Mink is that of elegance, sleek design, and gracefulness. She is very long and lean, and yet is a natural athlete with a surprising weight of muscle on her narrow frame. While she isn't heavily muscled, she is slender and built for running. From the side, her head has a straight profile and a chin that lines up with her nose. The front view of her head is triangular. Her head itself is wedge-shaped and smooth, tapering smoothly to a fine muzzle. Her ears are strikingly large and wide-based, and her eyes are almond shaped, and both are set at an angle following the wedge. In addition she has fine bones and a long tubular body, even in width from shoulder to hip. Her legs, tail, and even toes are long and slender. To touch, she is muscular and firm, and neither bony nor fat.

• Scars: N/A

Height 8 in

Weight: 8 lb

Scent: She often goes out of her way to smell of a pleasant floral composition.

Accessories: N/A

Banned Traits: N/A

✦ Stat Sheet ✦

Relgious Beliefs: ★★★☆☆

• - "I believe StarClan to be a good influence on clan cats, but something not to be taken with too much severity. At the end of the day the living decide their fate."

Outsider Views:

• - "Outsiders are cats just like us with their own aspirations and desires. Like clan cats, they too possess the same ability to be pure of heart or demonstrably corrupt in their intent."

| Kitten |

At a time when relationships between the clans and those who dwelled beyond their borders were in a cold war, Mink-kit was brought into the world. She had one sister, Sandkit, and was born to two loving parents: Fennelcloud and Swiftdove. At least, they were loving towards Mink. Unbeknownst to her, her parents really only wished for one heir. One cat to give their legacy to and become an honorable representation of the bloodline. They were of an antiquated mindset, and valued Mink’s outward appearance and docile nature over Sandkit’s own.

Mink was too young to truly understand the isolation her sister was going through, and if she ever asked her parents they were quick to dismiss the concern. ‘She was the special one and her sister needed to get with it’, as she was told. Knowing no other way, she accepted this as fact. Clearly, she could do wrong! Her unbounding source of affirmations made it easy for her to make friends and get along with others - although any of the more prickly kittens she tended to avoid. She wasn’t a fan of conflict.

When leaf-bare came, it was an unmerciful one. Illness and starvation spread through the clan like wildfire as resources were scarce. It brought forth her first experience with death, but her parents tried everything in their power to shield her from the horrors. Eventually however, through the words of others it became clear the severity of the situation. She hated the idea that something you couldn’t see could cause so much pain and suffering, and instilled the idea that life could end at any moment - so you better make the most of what you have.

| Apprentice |

When it came time to leave the nursery, Mink was beaming with pride. The day had finally come to prove to her parents she was capable of all they hoped her to be. They were the first to yowl her new name and congratulate her after the ceremony with a never ending wave of support. While she would have never said at the time, the pressure to excel in that moment was almost crushing - a feeling that gave way to her habit of overgrooming her tail as a means of self soothing. She felt a twinge of jealousy that Sandpaw wasn’t held to the same high standard, but she preferred it to feeling the bitterly cold aloofness her sister was shown.

She was given to an experienced molly named Chipmunkspark who had mentored several apprentices before herself. Despite the warrior’s advanced age, she was still rather chipper and energetic. The combination seemed to play just right to Mink, and she was easily able to learn under her teachings. Fishing, patrolling and sparring all seemed to come naturally to her, but as a result started to reinforce the idea that she didn’t need to work hard to achieve what she wanted. If she was born a gifted warrior, as her parents often said, then surely everything in life would come easy.

Chipmunkspark began to notice her apprentice’s indolent, egoist attitude towards training and was quick to put a stop to it. No matter how well Minkpaw did, she stopped praising her so openly. Having great intuition would only get one so far in life, so the older warrior wanted to ensure Minkpaw understood she needed to hone her gifts if she truly wanted to become great.

Initially, Mink was significantly discouraged by the lack of praise and affirmation of her skills. She didn’t grasp why her mentor was being so harsh, or what purpose it could possibly serve. It took several moons for her to realize the rigorous training was actually paying off. It wasn’t until she was faced with competing with others her age did the concept finally start to click: those that coasted by only on what they were good at did not truly excel. They did not live up to what made a warrior great, as her parents so often told her she needed to be.

For the remainder of her training things went considerably smoother once she stopped fighting her mentor’s rhetoric. Minkpaw continued to practice her social skills as much as her more practical ones, and actively sought to make as many friends as she could. She found herself drawn to thrills and experimenting with things no one has before. Thanks to Chipmunkspark, she found joy in pushing the boundaries of what she could achieve.

| Warrior |

When her training was complete, Mink was joyous to finally be rid of the rigorous training schedule and free to do as she pleased. Due to her elegant and lively nature, she was aptly named Minkdancer upon graduation. Her sister, who she had made little effort to keep contact with, graduated alongside her and became Sandpiper.

Mink never confronted Sandpiper up until this point on their distant and seemingly strained relationship, but she had matured enough to see her parents had treated her sister poorly. She was grateful for never needing to endure that kind of treatment, but it helped her realize her parents were certainly not saints. They too, had flaws and imperfections like everyone else, and their praise was not the be all end all for everything.

Not long after becoming warriors, Minkdancer tried to reach out to her sister. Maybe she could finally understand where they had gone wrong, and become friends. Unfortunately, Sandpiper had zero interest in doing so. She was quick to reject any means of reconnecting, and did so in such a harsh and cruel way Mink burst into tears. Never had she felt so incredibly hurt or despised by another, and she hated it. She felt an overwhelming feeling of bitter indignation towards Sandpiper for making her feel that way.

At some point during her early warriorhood an elder named Canaryshine went missing. The circumstances were unknown, and when he returned all they had was more questions than answers. Minkdancer wasn't quite sure what to think of the ordeal.

After the event with her sister, she sought the comfort of the friends she made through apprenticeship. Of the many, there was a tom that stood out above the rest: Stagthorn. He was handsome, and more than kind to her whenever she would spend time with him. It felt good to be appreciated, although she was too naive to see his enjoyment of her company was for superficial reasons.

The two soon became inseparable. With Minkdancer’s thrill-seeking magnetism, the two would often spend their time on spontaneous adventures or exciting competitions with one another. With the rose tinted glasses on, she failed to see the signs he was simply playing along with her antics to try and get her to eventually settle down. They spent many moons together courting, and eventually he worked up the courage to ask her to be his mate. Mink’s parents were completely enthralled at the notion they may soon have grandkits, and were quick to usher her to accept his offer. Mink herself however, wasn’t entirely convinced. Was she really ready to commit herself to one cat so soon? Sure she loved spending time with him - but was he truly the one? She found it hard to answer that question, but with her parent’s pressure she eventually relented and became his mate.

While things were calm in her personal life, the political climate outside the clans began to stir. A warrior named Swanrose had abandoned RiverClan to pursue an outside relationship, rumors of a murderer among the clans spread, and ShadowClan and ThunderClan went to war. It left Mink with a horrible feeling, and brought her closer to those she cared about. She wanted to make sure she could protect them in any way she could, which turned her interest towards the Diver position.

When she brought up her new interest to Stagthorn, he was quick to shoot down her idea. The Diver role was dangerous, and would take moons of her time to become one - which was time not spent trying to start a family. Mink shot back that she wasn’t ready to be a mother yet, to which he nastily asked her what use she was to him then. Feeling utterly mortified and disgusted by his behavior, Minkdancer was quick to end their mateship after that. She vowed she wouldn’t allow anyone to hold her back, or tell her what she could and couldn’t do from that point on.

Mink made it known to Hawkstar that she wished to train to become a Diver, and soon after started working with the current Divers to learn what they knew. The new information, thrill and excitement easily entranced her attention, making it easy to fully commit to the teachings she was being provided. She learned how to identify flooding and drought patterns, study the river, and navigate the most treacherous waters.

Not long after her break up with Stagthorn she started to play the field a bit as well. Charming others came easy, and it was a nice way to pass the time when she wasn’t working on earning her new role. It also gave her a means to better explore her sexuality, which she came to realize was bisexual. Toms and dames alike were no stranger to her captivating draw.

She was exceptionally good at making whoever she was with feel special - like there was no one else her eyes could yearn for. If a week later she just didn’t feel the same passion, that would be it, and Mink would have no problem breaking things off. Unfortunately for them, once that enjoyment burnt out, whatever they would have had was gone. After Stagthorn, she was significantly pickier with who she would consider for the role of her life long mate.

There was a Diver that seemed to hold her attention longer than others however: a she-cat named Silktide. She didn’t fawn over Minkdancer like some of the other suitors did, she was unrivaled in her swimming skill, and her dedication to the clan commanded respect. Listening to the two of them speak, one would think they’d known each other their whole lives. Silktide didn’t just provide pleasant company; Mink truly felt seen and valued for more than just being a pretty face. She was one of the few cats Mink shared almost everything with, from her past, her future desires - even her simple day to day.

After moons of training it was finally time. Minkdancer needed to complete the final test in the presence of two divers to prove she was ready for the title. There was a moment when she was worried she wasn’t going to make it - a rock sieve threatened to pull her under and keep her there - but with the most energy she could manage she was able to pull through. There would no cat, no act of god and certainly no self sabotage that withhold Mink from getting what she wanted. Silktide was the first to congratulate her on her new position.

| Diver |

After much deliberation, Minkdancer took it upon herself to ask Silktide to be her mate. This time she felt confident the other dame wasn’t just after something shallow, and brought out the best in herself. While her parents worried they would be without grandkits, she assured them when she was ready, she and Silk would look for a donor to start a family. Silktide happily accepted and the two became mates.

Soon after Minkdancer was given a new apprentice, Doepaw to train of which she was very excited. Her excitement didn't last long however as the clans were shaken by several disturbances caused by twolegs. They were coming into clan land and marking trees in blood, they destroyed ShadowClan’s home, and worse yet sickness seemed to spread through RiverClan. It was not immediately clear the cause, but given Minkdancer’s duty to observe the river, she and the other divers were the first to report something had gone awry with their water source to Hawkstar.

By the time it was reported however, Silktide had already been one of the many that had gotten sick. Minkdancer visited her every day, bringing her meals and catching her up on what happened that day. It broke her heart and her high spirits to see her mate seemingly get worse by the day, and RiverClan was quickly running out of herbs to treat their ill. Thankfully ThunderClan obliged Freckleshimmer's request for resources, and helped save many - but not Silktide. She had succumb to her disease in the night, along with another warrior named Pepperviper. Given Silkyflower's help with the matter she became the medicine cat apprentice soon after.

The loss absolutely devastated Minkdancer. She had been shoving down her fear of losing Silk since she had gotten sick, but it all burst back to the surface when she passed. She sat with her mate’s body all night and groomed her to perfection before the burial. Mink would regularly visit her grave, leaving various flowers, scales and anything else beautiful she could find.

Perhaps as something to help distract her from her grief, she put all of her focus on training Doepaw. In a strange way the young molly reminded her of what she always wanted in a sister. Doe’s familial relations were a bit tense given her parent's helicopter nature, but Mink didn't mind and was happy to share their daughter's progress with them.

She spent the next few moons helping the apprentice learn all she knew, and to gain a new perspective on life. A majority of her training went well, if not for a few ups and downs, but overall they helped each other overcome their own personal troubles. Just before Doepaw was to become a warrior, many cats were vanishing without a trace across the clans, but when some returned their clan mates held their breath. They had been cut and rendered infertile, supposedly. It was further meddling by the twolegs as they tried to stop the growth of the clans. Once they finished training she went on to become Doewillow. The two stayed friends into Doe’s adulthood, and Mink tried to be there for her whenever she could.

Once again, the river was affected by twoleg destruction. This time it eroded the stability of the riverbed, causing their leader and his brother to be swept away by the rapids. Only the leader returned much to the dismay of the clan. Leafbare came and went, and with resources becoming scarce outsiders started to become a problem for the clans as they too were desperate for food and shelter.

Moons go by before tragedy strikes Riverclan again. Hawkstar was poisoned and lost a life, and after a trial and a mounting pressure to find the culprit, Freckleshimmer is found guilty and banished. However, many were unsure that was truly what happened, Minkdancer included. She was a friend of Dawnshimmer, Freckleshimmer’s sister, and agreed it just wasn’t something the medicine cat was capable of. When it was revealed Vixenshadow was the true murderer she felt no remorse for the warrior being sentenced to death. Freckleshimmer was welcomed back into RiverClan’s ranks.

At a Gathering, the four leaders announce that the Warrior Code has been amended after discussion with the clan's Medicine Cats that they are now permitted to have mates and start families. This did not bother Minkdancer in the slightest, as she felt they had just as much of a right to families as anyone else.

Cats started to get abducted once more by twolegs much to everyone’s horror. The missing cats taken this season by the twolegs do eventually return thankfully. Petroleum, the same kittypet from before, delivers a message via the returned; In three to four moons, a threat to the clans will appear unlike any other they've ever faced. Unsure of what this could mean, Minkdancer kept her guard up as to what the future may bring.

Tensions rose between outsiders and clan cats once more as their presence became increasingly present on their borders. Hydrangeawhisper of Thunderclan was attacked by rogues while searching for herbs, but thankfully Twilightdancer of RiverClan brought her back to rest and heal.

Silkyflower and a patrol of warriors go out to try and search for Hydrangeawhisper's companion, Robinwish. Instead, they meet the ThunderClan patrol looking for Hydrangeawhisper. ThunderClan is assured to know their medicine cat is recovering in RiverClan, and will be sent home as soon as he is able. When Hydrangea was finally well enough to return, ThunderClan's medicine cat was escorted to the Gatheringplace by a RiverClan patrol, and bids farewell to the clan that saved his life. Minkdancer is hopeful this means good future relations between the clans, as they'd need to work together against this twoleg threat.

It felt as though everything climaxed to an event where clan cats and outsiders alike worked together to take down twoleg monsters to prevent further destruction of their home. Every leader lost a life, and the clans took significant injuries and casualties as a result.

Relations seemed to shift from a dislike of outsiders, to a dislike of kittypets when two RiverClan warriors are attacked by one. A new twoleg place was discovered by neighboring clans, which explained the sudden influx of curious housepets looking to explore beyond their backyard.

Hawkstar passes away due to old age with his family by his side, allowing for Sagesplash to become Sagestar, and Cloudyrose as the new deputy. While still a little uneasy over Sage’s quick judgment over Freckleshimmer’s involvement in Hawkstar’s poisoning, Minkdancer as usual kept a positive outlook for what was to come.

--- Roleplay Start ---

With outsiders lingering more on their borders, Sagestar caught Somberspark attempting to torture and kill a rogue. Sagestar reported that she confronted her clan mate and was forced to kill him when they began to fight. She brought Somberspark's body back to camp for his children to decide what is to be done with it. The entire experience made Minkdancer uneasy, both because of increased outsider activity as well as knowing their leader was capable of taking a life.

At a Gathering a moon later, Dixie, a rogue, revealed herself to be at the head of a formidable force of outsiders. She interrupted the Gathering to charge the ShadowClan elder, Blackstag, with the murder of her kin during the Great War many moons past. As Minkdancer heard through rumors, Dixie was chased from the Gathering by ThunderClan Branchers. Outwardly many wouldn’t have noticed much of a change within the diver, however she definitely began to be more vigilant whenever she left camp.

Within the span of the next few moons, several kittypet attacks occurred each with a notable degree of severity. Puddleprance was attacked by a kittypet, and Galesigh not long after. Paleshine and her kin encountered a kittypet group while on a stroll, and were the first to meet a cat named Roman - the tom that could command dogs. The family was grievously wounded, with Paleshine dying in camp not long after returning.

In something that had been a long time coming, Twilightdancer and Duskwind, had decided to leave Riverclan. She had never been particularly close with them, but the news still saddened her. From what she could gather from those closer to the twins, they did not feel like they belonged within the clan. Minkdancer sympathized with their struggle - imagining it must be how Sandpiper felt within their family - and planned on continuing to be cordial with them if she were to ever run into them again.

At a later Gathering, Dixie with her gang of Kittypets returned with an attack, and this time Minkdancer was actually present. They had caused an old construction monster to roll into the Gatheringplace, taking a life from all four leaders, killing others and injuring countless cats. When the monster exploded, it caused even more death and destruction. Thankfully she and her family were physically unscathed, but the mental distress lingered for all.

Upon returning back to camp, Minkdancer had felt a change of heart and looked for Sandpiper. They had spoken so little over the course of more seasons than she could count, and long grown distant. Considering she very easily could have lost her only sister in the catastrophe, the peace she had previously made with never being close no longer sat well with her. After trying to make some peace however, her sister made it clear she still wanted nothing to do with Minkdancer and that it was too late for their relationship to change. Disheartened but not entirely giving up, she gave Sandpiper some space after their talk.

After having run off to clear her head, her fellow diver Bristleflame followed her out. The two spoke for a while, and although Mink was initially cautious - given he was Sandpiper's friend - she eventually saw his concern was genuine.

Four moons later, dogs attacked all four clans. Minkdancer fought well, but she and her clan mates couldn't prevent the loss of life and injuries that night before eventually fleeing. By the next day they all returned to camp, and Mink had began further solidifying her bond with Bristleflame for comfort.

Parents
Swiftdove | Deceased | RiverClan | NPC
Fennelcloud | Deceased | RiverClan | NPC

Sister
Sandpiper | Deceased | RiverClan | mariigolds

Offspring
Dogwoodkit | Alive | RiverClan | Pending
Cypresskit | Alive | RiverClan | l-lALCY0N
Duskkit | Alive | RiverClan | Swifferbby

Nephew
Killdeerdive | Alive | RiverClan | saltyseamonster

Mate: Bristleflame

Previous Mates: Stagthorn, Silktide

Attraction to: Bristleflame

Looking for: Long-term Mate

Likes

• - Someone who can live in the moment
• - Those who inquire to see more than what's surface level or expected
• - Patient cats who keep an open mind when she faces hardship

Dislikes

• - Those who are heavily regimented and need to plan every detail
• - Anyone overly critical of her actions
• - Someone whose content to only do what's expected

• In her opinion, reptiles are the coolest animals aside from cats themselves.
• Flowers of all shapes and sizes, and any other beautiful thing she can find.
• Floating in water on her back on warm days
• The changing color of leaves in the fall.
• Playing with kits as their creativity is often uninhibited.

• Being confined to a den all day.
• Anyone who is overly cynical or critical.
• Having to follow a strict, regimented schedule.
• Most forms of critism.
• Being spoken down to.