Smolder

Smolder’s apparent confidence, mysterious thoughts and expressions, and incredible listening skills make her an alluring cat. She’s always present, watchful of others and quick to act. Though her quick reactions make it seem like she’s driven by impulse, Smolder is deliberate with the way she speaks and acts. Her thoughtfulness makes her decisive, so she often knows exactly where she stands in a situation. She’s willing to poke her nose where it doesn’t belong if she needs more context, but she’s careful to not get herself into danger.

Smolder can be the glue to hold everyone together. She equally listens to those with voices that trail off and those who raise them, believing that, when making a new friend, all that matters is the connection that they desire. Thus Smolder looks past appearances to try and understand what a cat is driven by. Her dedication to others makes her a great mediator as it means she truly has everyone’s best interests in mind as she settles on a resolution. She believes that logic and emotion are intertwined; one can’t exist without the other.

Smolder struggles to slow down. She’s always thinking about something and these thoughts bring about many questions that Smolder is determined to find an answer to. She thinks she has to act fast— to find all the answers as soon as possible, to find an immediate fix, to protect others. She can be overcommitted but not tiringly so, if anything she finds it relieving to be hard at work. She wants to feel accomplished and helpful, and along with the responsibility she feels to the Hidden Colony, she can get caught up in her belief that others won’t deliver the same results that she does.

Smolder has a complicated sense of belonging. Her biological parents held possibilities she’ll never know of, and while she’s happy to have the family she has now, they do complicate her identity. She is a result of their nurturing: cats who were once lonely outsiders, then Web Colony, then Hidden Colony, all fragments of belonging that Smolder now carries with her. She guards this mixed identity with a sense of pride, and to be proud, you must understand what you identify with. Thus Smolder is constantly questioning her values and everything that predates yet defines her. She understands what she’s protecting and why, which adds an unexpected layer of fierce protection to her.