Sandspring

Name: Sandspring

prefix meaning: skilled; pushy; moody; optimistic; the appearance of sand
suffix meaning: outgoing; good jumper

Gender: Female
DSAB: Female
Pronouns: She/her
Age: 27 Moons
Orientation: Closeted Lesbian

Clan: CinderClan
Rank: Deputy

Loyalty: High
Faith: Medium

Mate: None | Available for shipping
Crush(es): None | Available for shipping
Former Romantic Interests: None

Former Mentor: Falconfeather | Tom | Deceased
Former Apprentice(s): Ambersmoke | She-cat | Can be roleplayed
Mentoring: Gingerpaw | Closed to mentoring

Parents: Rosetuft | She-cat | Can't be roleplayed
Hickorybranch | Tom | Can't be roleplayed
Sibling(s): Dustswirl | Tom | Can be roleplayed
Kits: None | Open to adopting

Attracted to:

• Loyalty
• Honesty
• Compassion
• Patience

Repulsed by:

• Disloyalty
• Jealousy
• Nosiness
• Deception

Traits:

• Loyal
• Modest
• Optimistic
• Hardworking
• Private
• Absentminded
• Pushy
• Emotional
• Insecure
• Sensitive

When it comes to loyalty, Sandspring will do anything when it comes to her Clanmates. (Anything that doesn’t involve lying, anyway, as her moral compass won’t allow her to lie. She typically treats those who lie with disgust.) She is very modest. She doesn’t bring attention to her successes, even if someone has pointed them out to her. If they are brought into the open, she will usually attempt to compliment someone else, in order to bring the attention away from her. While she is known for crying and acting dramatic, she does have tons of optimism. She is always hopeful of the future, even when those around her don’t share the same opinions. Even if she has been severely injured, or falls ill, she continues to remain optimistic, even if it seems like she might die. Probably her best trait is how hardworking she is. Which, one wouldn’t believe, at first glance, given her apparent immaturity. She is always willing to work, which ties in with her loyalty. It can become an issue when she has worked herself to the point of exhaustion.

Sandspring is a very private cat. She keeps her personal affairs to herself. Especially the fact that she is homosexual. She is afraid that her Clanmates will disown her if they find out. That has caused her heartbreak in the past. If someone were to ask about her personal life, she’d likely change the subject. It can be positive when she’s at Gatherings, as she isn’t likely to share information about her Clan. However, it can be negative, as it prevents her from truly connecting to her Clanmates, despite her loyalty. She can also be absentminded. While she works hard, she has the habit of taking on so many tasks that she often forgets which tasks she has already agreed to. It can be problematic, but as long as she is reminded, the task will still get done.

One of her more annoying traits is her pushiness. Whenever she sees a cat on the wrong path, particularly if they’re her friend, she will push them to correct themselves. It can be annoying to the cat that is trying to figure out their own life. She will also push cats not to give in to their past experiences. Nor let it define them. But, since she isn’t good at explaining that, and continuously pushes at them, it often comes across as her being a nag. This forceful behavior has pushed away cats that were close to her. This pushiness might stem from her own insecurities. Ever since her parents abandoned her for her romantic preferences, she has lost her confidence in herself. Thus, whenever she sees someone struggling, she attempts to assist them. But her immaturity often causes her to fail. Her final two flaws: being emotional and sensitive, are what causes many cats to view her as ‘immature’. If something isn’t said the right way, she will take it the wrong way and it will usually cause her to cry. Sometimes, if it really bothers her, she will storm off, though that isn’t as common.

Likes: Reinforcing dens, patrolling, hunting, assisting cats
Dislikes: Nosiness, dogs, invaders, unnecessary bloodshed, being insulted
Fears: Her parents returning to CinderClan, cats learning about her sexuality

Description: Sandspring is a petite, slightly underweight, she-cat with medium-length fur. (Her fur is usually knotted, despite her attempts at keeping herself well-groomed.) The majority of her pelt is a sandy-brown color. However, she also has darker brown patches on her left ear, her right cheek, both flanks, and on her tail-tip. Her muzzle, chest, underbelly, and paws are all white. She has a moderate amount of muscle, though overall, she is lean. She is built more for speed than for fighting. She has a round face and wide eyes. Her eyes are a soft amber color. Her tail is short, though her tail-tip is considered to be quite bushy.

Scars: None
Current Injuries: None

Voice: Andrea Libman
Scent: Lilac

Sandspring was born into CinderClan, to her mother, Rosetuft, and her father, Hickorybranch. While Hickorybranch formed a bond with her, Rosetuft was distant. She typically ignored her daughter’s needs, once she was old enough to eat solid food. Many believed the cause was that Rosetuft had never wanted kits. Rosetuft hadn’t joined the Clan until later in her life, so it was rumored that she’d already had kits. Whatever had happened to the previous litter, nobody knew, and they kept it a secret from Sandspring. Rosetuft only had Sandspring, who at the time was Sandkit, to make Hickorybranch happy. For a time, Sandkit did appear to bring him happiness. However, it didn’t take long for that to change.

One day, while playing with her father, Sandkit sprained her paw. She hadn’t listened to him when he told her to be careful. When Rosetuft found out, she berated Hickorybranch for allowing Sandkit to get hurt. It caused the two of them to argue, as Hickorybranch pointed out how neglectful Rosetuft had been. It appeared that Rosetuft thought that the sprain would prevent Sandkit from becoming a Warrior. Fortunately, Sandkit was so young that she was able to heal quickly. But her relationship with her father never mended. He informed her that felt guilty he might have delayed her training. While he never admitted it, Sandkit believed that her mother was the cause. 

When it was time for her to become an apprentice, she was mentored by Falconfeather. At first, she didn’t notice her life was about to improve. All she noticed was that her parents hadn’t even bothered to witness her ceremony. It wasn’t until she started training that she realized Falconfeather was a blessing. He was a strict tom, although he did form a strong bond with the newly named Sandpaw. Probably because she was his first apprentice. He set an example for her and pushed her to improve. He became her fatherly figure after her father abandoned her. It wasn’t all sunshine and happiness for the young apprentice. Falconfeather was a tough mentor. He didn’t allow Sandpaw to take breaks. He always gave her plenty of tasks to complete. Despite being good to her, he didn’t often praise her. If she didn’t do what was expected, he punished her harshly. He didn’t seem to notice her insecurities. Regardless, he defended her whenever he needed to and didn’t tolerate other cats picking on her.

It wasn’t until later in her training that things turned rocky. Rosetuft became pregnant with Sandpaw’s little brother. Much to Sandpaw’s dismay, her mother and father were much kinder to him. They did everything that he wanted and gave him whatever he needed. Whenever Sandpaw attempted to come close, Rosetuft and Hickorybranch would take him away. Thus, she never formed a relationship with her younger sibling. Heartbroken by her family's rejection, she fell into a deep depression. Something that made her situation even worse, was that she was beginning to notice her interest in she-cats. It frightened her, as she didn’t believe other cats would understand.

She had never gotten close to any other cat, so Falconfeather was the only cat that inspired her to keep going. He was able to see her potential and she wanted to make him proud. Unfortunately, she never got the chance. Shortly before she was named a Warrior, Falconfeather met his demise when he was defending the Camp from a badger. Enraged, Sandpaw sought revenge against the animal who had killed her ‘real’ father. She offered to join the patrol, even though she wasn’t the strongest she-cat around. Her Clanmates were reluctant, but she was adamant. Even though it was wrong, she wanted to avenge her fallen Clanmate. 

While she wasn’t the best at fighting the badger, she still proved her worth. She was a skilled jumper, so she was able to leap atop the badger. As she was so small, it was difficult for the badger to dislodge her. While she was clawing the badger’s back, her Clanmates were to fight it face on. Thanks to this, they were able to defeat the larger animal. For her bravery, she was finally given the name ‘Sandspring’. While she felt proud of the accomplishment, it was short-lived. Once again, her family was nowhere to be seen. They hadn’t even bothered to congratulate her. It saddened her, and she cried for days, but she was still desperate to prove that they were wrong about her. (Adding insult to injury, her brother was soon given the name Dustpaw and her parents were present for his ceremony.) She started overworking herself, hoping that would get them to notice her. It was to no avail. However, the other cats in CinderClan noticed how hard she worked. It took her little time, she around seventeen moons old, to receive an apprentice of her own- Amberpaw.