Dirtwalker

Name: Dirtwalker

Nickname(s): Dirtface, Dirt

Age: 1.5 years

Sex: Male

Gender: Male

-

Clan: Rattleclan

Rank: Medicine Cat

Mentor: Crookedtree (Disabled - lives in Elders' den)

Apprentice: None yet (Not Confident enough. If a kit shows interest, he'll take them in with some convincing)

Skill Points: 7 + 3 (10) and 3 in attack or strength

Intelligence - 4
Strength - 4
Attack - 0
Speed - 2
Endurance - 3

Scent: Smells strongly of both healing herbs and deadly poisons

Appearance Summary: Dustwalker is a very short-furred, sleek piebald with the base of a brown spotted cat. Most of his dark patches are on the front half of his body and his legs, although he has one on his back and his tail is exposed. he has jewel-like pale green eyes. He is notably tall and skinny, having the distinct body of an Oriental, and has a very angular face with massive ears. He looks delicate and breakable, but he is surprisingly solid. Notably, he has a false ear made up of a rattlesnake skull tied to his head with an old, found chain, and his rattlesnake tail tied to his own tail.

Height: 10 in

Weight: 6 lbs

Personality:

Grumpy Exterior - Usually huffing about something and often seen telling off an apprentice or two, he's usually regarded as scary or a mean old man, even if he's ridiculously young to have a position like his. Happy to correct anyone, Dirt often seems like he expects perfection. He's known to let threats slip and seems like he will act on them, even if he won't.

Talkative - Dirt is always ready to share his opinion and happy to insert it into a conversation. Consistently and continuously having something to say, he often chatters away even at himself.
When he speaks to his patients to calm them, he's very good at talking them to boredom, telling them stories about his youth, about his rather weirdly normal dreams (seriously... who dreams about gathering herbs?). He can also perk someone up, albeit much more difficultly. Usually it takes a good story to do this, though it also works with some of his dreams.

Attentive - You won't go long without him in the den, taking care of you. Even if he has several cats in the den at once, Dirt tends to each one as if they were his only, and like kin. Even if he grumps at you, he's just trying to be friendly.
He sits with each cat and makes sure they're doing alright, making sure they get the right medication, making sure they don't take too much. He may not always be looking, but he's been known to yell at someone for doing something behind his back when he shouldn't have known they were. He claims to have really good hearing, but how goos, really, are your ears if you only have one?

Weak constitution - Despite having one of the hardest jobs in the clan, Dirtwalker was never strong-willed. He'll work hard at his job, but if faced with a life-or-death situation, he tends to back out. He's not into fighting and if given any situation in which he has to outright injure or kill someone, he'll very much assume that he won't make it and instead just back off.
Overall. He's more likely to send someone else to fight his battles than he is to go fight them himself. It's cowardly, and he knows that, but he does it anyway. Trying to accuse him of this will result in heavy denial and a sharp slash to the nose

Follower - Dirt is very aware that he doesn't make a good leader. He's not the kind of cat who makes decisions in new situations well. He's very good with all his memorized content for his job, but he's always ready, and willing, to do his best if need be.

Family

Mother - brave and slim white warrior she-cat by the name of Whitefeather, who lives in the elders den with her mate.
Father - tall but weak spotted warrior tom by the name of Froghop who lives with his mate in the elders den, but isn't entirely mentally sound.
Siblings - Ripplefur (M - Warrior), Lightpaw (F - Deceased), Sharptail (F - Warrior)

Mate - none yet
Kits - none yet

History

Kithood:
I was born in pretty ordinary circumstances, no complications, nothing really outstanding. My mother and father both raised my siblings and I, and we were all very, very close. My siblings were Ripplekit - named for the pattern of his fur - Lightkit - also named for her fur - and Sharpkit - who just generally had a lot of sharp features. We did everything together, playing and exploring, asking questions, and pestering the apprentices. I was a shy kid, though, so I usually hung back, but I was always there. My siblings often managed to drag me into trouble, but my parents knew I usually wasn't involved, so even if I was the one in trouble, I could usually get off with a warning...
Lightpaw and Sharppaw became apprentices before me. I think Dustystar knew I wasn't made to be a warrior. I was skittish and prone to hiding as a kit while my siblings pretend-hunted and played out the legends they so often heard. I loved to listen, but I was never into participating. Sometimes they'd try to rope me in and they'd chase me around camp until I ran into or mother's nest or into Crookedtree's den. Crookedtree, although happy to see me, usually put me to work even though I was a kit. I think he knew before I did that I was to become a medicine cat.
My siblings often asked why I hadn't become an apprentice yet, and although Ripplepaw was kind enough to defend me, Lightkit was rather relentless. She'd try and push me to go ask, despite not being one herself. I was scared of Dustystar, and I knew better than to ask questions. I was a skinny little thing, who my mother often worried over. I've always been tall, but my legs back then were even thinner, and very long for my age. I was always tripping over them. I'd often find myself face-down in some grass or dirt, and once I even fell into the medicine den and scraped my elbow on the wood. Crookedtree had patched me up, then, but not without a warning to be more careful. I think that was the visit in which he asked if I wanted to become a medicine cat - I don't remember what me answer was, or if I even had one, but I know I was apprenticed before the next dawn to the Medicine Cat - and I loved every minute.

Apprenticehood:

Crookedtree always told me I had a knack for getting the injured to take herbs, though I never saw it. It always seemed to me that they'd just do it if it was presented to them properly. And - I may have been an annoying apprentice, but it was worth it. Crookedtree told me I'd probably helped more cats than he ever did as an apprentice. Crookedtree was always eager to give advice, and always eager to give jobs. I found myself an expert runner in no time thanks to his constant errands. I wasn't particularly fast, but I did have an intensely high natural endurance which helped in the long run.
One leaf-bare, I was tending to a sick cat when about 3 more came in with the same symptoms. Scared of disease, the clan had tried to hide it, but couldn't any longer. Crookedtree was up to his tail in figuring out medicine and treatments, so I took care of settling in the new patients and getting them comfortable. He'd finally gotten a moment after figuring out the cats' medications to start passing them out, and I had already gotten everyone settled. He visibly seemed to relax and wobbled over to them to help. When everything had been done, he came and touched his nose to my forehead in a way that seemed to thank me. I appreciated the gesture.
Having my own job to do, I became closer with my brother and sisters. While we talked about what we did in apprenticeship that day before we settled into our nests, Sharppaw with Ripplepaw, and me with Lightpaw. Lightpaw often was the last to fall asleep, as she waited for the rest of us. She was(although it didn't matter) the oldest, and as such she often felt a responsibility over us.
Lightpaw hadn't fallen asleep, as per usual, by the time I'd drifted off, and she was on her way to the same path, she disappeared. There was almost no trace. It was found she'd left camp, but her trail goes col all of the sudden, and there were no other scents nearby her last trail. It was as if she'd just... disappeared. We never found her. It was... awful. Ripplepaw had nearly given up on becoming a warrior, but Sharppaw convinced him to keep trying. I felt a little helpless, knowing my calling was medicine cat and there was nothing I could do to relate to his struggle. I tried to be there for him as best I could, but it was hard.

---

Gathering herbs: Something I'd done many times before. I knew what we needed at all times. I was definitely an adult cat by then, but it was part of my training to take longer. I'd grown into my long legs and ears, and I could pick up much larger bundles of herbs. Actually, I'd gathered quite a large bundle of herbs, judging by the mess I cleaned up later. I'd dropped them when the vision hit. It was sudden, like I'd been on one earth and then another. I blinked at the cat in front of me. 

"Lightpaw."

Her starry form padded slowly towards me, looking just as innocent as I'd last seen her. I tried to ask her questions: what happened to her, where she went, but all she did was hush me. "DirtPaw," she said. "There is danger. You must go to him." She reached out with her paw and touched my head, right between my eyes. I was sucked into a vision with Dustystar and Crookedtree talking. I couldn't hear a word they said, but I could tell something was wrong.

All of the sudden, Dustystar became a different cat. He lashed out at Crookedtree, clawing out his eyes and continuing to attack his face until, terrified, he ran out of the den - and I found myself already running towards it, once again on my own familiar soil. I dodged cats in camp until I reached the den, stumbling inside and fumbling around for cobwebs. I finally got them all down and set to cleaning up his wounds. He was passed out, so he didn't complain. Once I had gotten the wounds clean, I pressed the cobwebs into them to absorb the bleeding. As I worked, I noticed the eyes of Crookedtree were gone, there was no way to save them. Resenting the time it had taken me to get down there, I had to take a breah before continuing. I couldn't save his eyes, but he needed help. So I set to work saving Crooked's life. after stopping the bleeding, I tried to wake crooked up. He would be in a lot of pain, but I had to see if he was okay. 

"Crookedtree," I mewed. "Crookedtree, wake up. I'll get you something for the pain, just open your mouth if you're okay."

After a few tries, Crooked finally started to stir, and opened his mouth. Offering the cat the dandelion leaves to chew, I told Crooked what they were and let him smell them. Crooked groaned, but knowing what they were he took them in stride. 

Once I'd given him the correct stuff, I talked to my mentor. I settled himself into his side, keeping him comfortable. Luckily, there were no other cats in the den, so I only had to care for my mentor. I told him about my vision, how he'd helped to save him. The older cat was confused, asking questions like "Who are you?" and insisting he didn't have an apprentice. Later on, he'd be perfectly aware of me, and recall memories fondly, then ask who I was again. 

A few days passed, and my mentor was doing much better, although he seemed to go in and out of being aware and remembering things, which got worse as time went on. He still had good days for a time, though even those left, deteriorating into the void. On one of his more lucid days, I watched my mentor sit up before he spoke.

Adulthood:

  "I, Crookedtree, medicine cat of RattleClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve his Clan for many moons. Dirtpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?

 Suprised, but nonetheless excited, I nodded. "I do."

  "Then, by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Dirtpaw, from this moment you will be known as Dirtwalker. StarClan honors your clear direction, and I welcome you as a full medicine cat of Rattleclan." Crookedtree placed his nose on the top of my head, completing his transfer of duty.

I took this with a grave understanding, knowing that I had saved his life, but that he would be unable to continue. He stood and pressed his flank to mine, asking, "Dirtwalker, can you guide me to the elders' den? I believe that now, I must simply retire... I don't think my memory can handle this job, but I know you can."

I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see. "Come, then," he said, slowly guiding the medici- well, elder, to the den where he had asked to go.

Along the way, we met Dustystar. He saw Crookedtree and looked pained, at first, but then he saw where we were going. "Why are you taking him to the elders' den, Dirtpaw?" he asked.

"He has asked to retire. I was going to find you once I'd safely delivered him. And - my name is now 'Dirtwalker.'"

Crookedtree piped in, asking in a strangely loud whisper, as if he wasn't aware he could be quiet, "Who is that?"

I turned to him and offered back, "Dustystar, Crookedtree. The leader? Do you remember him?"

Crooked shook his head, "Is he new?"

I sighed and glanced up at Dusty, refusing to look him in the eye but trying to look apologetic. "No - No he isn't."

"Where are we going?" Crookedtree wandered a little, and I rushed after him to guide him in the correct direction.

Dustystar gave the pair of us an odd look, somewhere between pained and conflicted. "I'll escort Crooked," he said. "You are to finish your ceremony." He took Crooked's other side and glared back at Dirtwalker before taking the memory-deficient cat to the elders' den.

I pinned my ears back, but went to the warriors den and, especially my brother, Ripplefur, to tell them I was to be fully accepted as a part of the clan. "I'm a medicine cat now," I said. "It's time to celebrate!" And we marched down to the shore together to celebrate.

---

Dirtwalker has been a medicine cat for several moons now, most are comfortable with his presence, and he's absolutely delighted to have his dream job. Currently, you can see him looking for clues as to what hapoened to his sister, taking care of patients, and randomly dissapearing.