Profile
Click Titles to Toggle Sections
Stardive is regarded by her clanmates as a sort of social pariah. Although no one would doubt her commitment to her clan or her faith, she is not well liked. Her blunt way of speaking and distaste for 'frivolous' conversation means she's not often sought out for anything other than clan-duties. She is known to be cold and judgmental, as well as rash when angered. Some older cats do appreciate her work-ethic, which is high.
With a pelt so grey as to almost be black, it is sometimes hard to make out Stardive on her early morning dives. Her tail and chest have small white spots. Her pelt is thin, and her body shape is long-legged and scrawny.
Her most appealing feature is also her most unsettling--her bright blue eyes, which fit awkwardly on her skull.
Likes
- Snakebite
- Atlantic cod
- Swimming, especially diving
- Cold days
- Tiny shells
- Cleaning Mara's shrine
- Praying
Dislikes
- Hazelbreeze
- Unloyal cats
- Gulls
- Crowds
- Heathens
- Mud
- Sickness
DEATH
After coming so close to death as a kit, Stardive does her best to bury any lingering fear for her mortality.
MARA'S WRATH
Having staked her entire life on her devotion to Mara, any sign that she is failing her quickly sends Stardive into a panic.
SNAKEBITE RELATED WORRIES
Being the closest cat in her entire world, Stardive is devistated whenever anything happens to her ex-apprentice. She would be ruined if he ever died.
Verbal Quirks
Stardive has a elaborate vernacular, and often uses more complex words for simple ideas. She speaks as formally as possible, and will trail off frequently when she becomes awkward.
Physical Quirks
Sometimes stares for far too long. Unconsciously opens her mouth and shows her fangs when angered.
Work Habits
Works constantly, sometimes until exhaustion.
Sleeping Habits
Known to have fitful sleeps due to dreams, but never has a hard time going to sleep.
Annoying Habits
Almost everything she does is an annoying habit. Drags water everywhere she goes. Scolds others whenever she feels they've misbehaved. Forgets to wash her fur.
Eating Habits
Prays before every meal. Enjoys fish more than any other prey. Tends to eat quickly.
Mannerisms
Doesn't emote unless angry, in which case it becomes very obvious what she's feeling.
Other
Sometimes wishes she was an aquatic animal instead of a cat.
Click Titles to Toggle Sections
Devout
Stardive is very firm in her faith in Mara. Her relationship to her Guardian is intensely personal to her, and she puts much importance on the proper devotion that Coralclan should show her. She frequently visits Mara’s shrine, and just as frequently gifts it with prey, shells, flowers and anything else she finds valuable. She often encourages her clanmates to embrace Mara, and strives to find ways to show her devotion.
Hard Working
Stardive does nothing half-way, and believes the effort she expends in life is a tribute to Mara. Stardive doesn’t believe much in free time, and spends her energy hunting, training, diving, praying-if she has a goal she’ll work with it with fervor. Her weak constitution often means she must take breaks or struggle through discomfort.
Couragous
Stardive is seemingly fearless. She dives through the deepest waters without worry, fights with passion, has no restraint when she walks upon cliff ledges. She believes her life will continue as long as Mara has use for her, and so can muscle past any fear. While this isn’t always the most healthy, it does make her an effective warrior in battle.
Dogmatic
Because of how tightly drawn Stardive is to her guardian, she is very uncompromising in her beliefs. She refuses to listen to others views, refuses to think of the other guardians, and will not hear anyone bad mouth Mara. She has started multiple fights when a clanmate has argued with her on some aspect of Coralclan’s Guardian. If Stardive doesn’t already believe what you’re telling her, she might never do so.
Obsessive
Once Stardive takes interest in something, it is hard to get her to stop. Whatever her fancy for the moon, she is near constantly interested. When she begins to collect flowers for the shrine, she becomes fascinated with each flower type, studying them. This in itself is not a negative trait-it becomes more of an issue when her obsessions turn to dangerous pursuits, or in other cats. Stardive will often get fixated on ‘converting’ a clanmember, which is annoying and distasteful. She also often participates in reckless behaviour and makes habits of it. Her interest in diving is explicitly not suited to her weak lungs, yet she will not leave it alone.
Withdrawn
Since Stardive perceives relationships with others to be distractions, she is very socially isolated. Her personality often makes it hard for cats to like her, and she only reinforces this attitude by trying very little to get along with others. Stardive prefers to wander the territory when she is not hunting or patrolling-she sometimes only returns to Coraclan camp at night.
Friends
- SNAKEBITE • Stardive is closer to no other cat. Despite his grumpy attitude, casual disrespect for clan life and fear of water--Stardive would do anything for Snakebite. She didn't get along with him when he was first apprenticed, but overtime began to appreciate his presence. Feels protective for him, as she would a younger brother. Recently the two had an emotional conversation that allowed both to be more affectionate and honest than they had been in the past. Would kill for him.
Paternal Family
- UKNOWN • Her mother never spoke about her father. It probably doesn't matter who he was, right?
Maternal Family
- SNAILSHELL • ALthough Stardive gets along well enough with her mother, they are no longer close. She associates Snailshell with the illness that lasted most of her kithood.
> Click titles to toggle sections.
Stardive was born as Littlekit, one kitten in a litter of four. Her mother, Snailshell, had a tough pregnancy, almost losing her own life in the birthing process. Her litter was premature, and as such most of them were frail, tiny kittens. Two of Littlekit’s brothers died the day they were born-devastating Snailshell. Neither Littlekit nor her last remaining brother had names, for fear they would soon die. Her brother lasted a week before succumbing to his weak heart. The medicine cat’s did not expect much of the remaining kit, who was just as small and underdeveloped as her deceased siblings.
Littlekit surprised them all by the time a full moon rolled around. She was still a very delicate child, she could barely crawl and seemed to never grow despite the milk she was receiving. Still, she clung to life by her claws.
At five moons Snailshell named her remaining daughter Littlekit, and started to hope she might make it to apprenticeship.
Unfortunately Littlekit’s weak disposition meant she was vulnerable to sickness, and she quickly caught a cold which began to seriously affect her health. On the third day of her condition, the medicine cats pulled Snailshell aside to tell her that this would likely be the last night she had with Littlekit. Distraught, Snailshell went to her daughter, offering her anything she wanted. Littlekit replied that she wanted to be taken to Mara’s shrine.
Being half delirious with pain and fever, Snailshell doubted that her daughter would make it to the shrine, which was nearly on the other side of Coralclan territory. Still, she was determined to fulfil her daughters last wish, and so placed her child on her back and started her journey.
Littlekit managed to hold on all the way to the shrine. Amazed, Snailshell deposited her daughter before Mara’s shrine, close enough to touch the rocks that made it. Littlekit prayed fiercely, asking for more time and promising utter devotion. Moved by her kits will to live, Snailshell bowed her head in turn, sending her own prayers to Coralclan’s guardian.
When the morning light touched upon their pelts, hours later, the fever had broken. Littlekit was alive-but changed. The young kit felt she had been saved by Mara, and now owed her faith to the guardian. She changed her name to Starkit, refusing to go by her previous name.
Starpaw was made an apprentice two moons late, in an effort to help her recover from her previous illness. Her mentor was Saltswirl-a younger warrior who stood no chance against the tides of her will. Starpaw woke early every morning and swam in the ocean, believing herself to be closer to Mara in the blue depths. Saltswirl was forced to drag his apprentice out of the sea nearly every day to get her focused on training. That was not to be his only challenge. Starpaw had troubles exerting herself due to her poor health, but she insisted on training as hard as she possibly could, and accepted no weakness in herself. She judged her fellow apprentices harshly, for not being pious enough, or for their ‘laziness’. She frequently got into arguments and fights with cats her age, often losing them-though that didn’t seem to defer her righteousness. Starpaw was caught giving her prey to Mara’s shrine instead of the clan multiple times, as well as spending her time pooling shells, feather and flowers at the ground of the shrine. Needless to say, she was unpopular in the clan-but Starpaw was unfazed. She considered bonds with other cats to be a distraction to her devotion, even growing distanced from her beloved mother.
On the day that she became a warrior, the apprentice den breathed a sigh of relief. The warriors den braced for impact.
As a warrior Stardive is almost less troublesome than an apprentice. She spends much of her time alone in Coralclan territory, meditating, hunting tributes (and reluctantly, prey for the clan), and swimming. Stardive regards the recent sickness that swept through the clan a punishment from Mara-she encourages her denmates to pray and revere their guardian, so that she might spare Coralclan. Her isolation from camp meant that she did not catch what many others did, which was lucky as she would have assuredly died with her already weak immune system. Stardive regards this less as luck or the result of physical distance, and more a statement of the purity of her beliefs.
At 18 moons Stardive was given an apprentice, Snakepaw. The young cat had been an outsider who had washed ashore near Coralclan after nearly drowning. His negative attitude towards the ocean and water in general made him a difficult apprentice to train—not to mention his prickly personality!
Despite his outsider roots, his disrespect for Mara, and his crippling fear of water, the two eventually formed a bond. Stardive was never able to get the young cat to learn to swim, but she did manage to inspire some faith in him (or so she thinks—Snakepaw quickly learned not to argue when she began to talk of the Guardians, since it only prolonged the experience).
The two are not very social, nor even especially affectionate to each other. Yet Stardive trusts Snakepaw completely, and takes great pride in being his mentor.
What little progress she managed to achieve with Snakepaw’s comfort around water was quickly erased by a disastrous tsunami. Stardive had long been unhappy with the leadership in Coralclan, especially as she began to suspect Starlingstream of cross-clan romance with Orchid-dancer. She believes the earthquake and tsunami to be signs of displeasure from the Guardians, particularly Mara.
She does her best to help her clanmates as they flee towards Ridgeclan, while also making sure her hysterical apprentice doesn’t run off a cliff in his blind panic. Anemonekit is held tightly in her jaws as well, making the task more stressful.
Luckily surviving the disaster with her loved ones intact, Stardive helps the clans settle into the lighthouse. She attempts to talk to Snakepaw as she senses that he is not doing well, but her emotional awkwardness keeps her from pressing. She attacks Starlingstream when she returns from giving birth, convinced that the destruction of her beloved clan is her fault. Ultimately the conflict ends with no bloodshed.
When Coralclan does eventually end up returning to their land, Snakepaw has been made Snakebite! Unbeknownst to her, he’s been caught in a predatory and abusive relationship by an older warrior, Hazelbreeze. When she eventually manages to get Snakebite to open up about this, the two share a tender moment as she solidifies her pact to always support her ex-apprentice, no matter what. As she learns what weighs on his soul, she becomes determined to rid the clan of such an awful parasite.
Hazelbreeze turns up missing only three days later, having drowned.
