Snakeheart

basic description > Brown tabby tom with white undersides and green eyes
build > Small, lanky with large ears and a long tail
fur description > Long and silky
breeds > Moggy
height > 22 cm
weight > 7.0 lbs

voice > Simon Curtis
scent > A mixture of dew and pine

scars > N/A
accessories > N/A
banned traits > N/A

Positive Traits
positive >
    >> Clever > Snakeheart is well-known for his intelligence and ability to come up with plans and tactics. He can often think of solutions on the spot or take little thinking in doing so. He's also good at giving advice and mentoring others, as sharing knowledge is something he enjoys doing.
    >> Perceptive > His eyes tend to catch everything that happens around, and he reacts accordingly to events requiring action. He never seems to miss anything that's happening, and it's hard to hide things from Snakeheart. His conscience can't seem to leave problems unresolved once he detects them, even if he goes about it the wrong way.
    >> Sociable > He is good at keeping up a conversation and talking with others. Snakeheart actually dislikes being alone, so whenever he's around others, he instantly feels a lot better. He likes going up to others and casually joining their conversations, and he knows what to say and when to say it.

neutral >
    >> Loyal > Despite some of his questionable motives, Snakeheart's loyalty remains with EmberClan and he claims everything he does is for the clan. This being said, he develops a strong sense of loyalty to anything he believes is worthy of his time, including the clan, cats, and his beliefs.
    >> Ambitious > Snakeheart creates goals that some may think are unreachable, but he's determined to accomplish them. He enjoys completing his goals and becomes more motivated to continue working whenever he does finish something.
    >> Enigmatic > He tends to keep his emotions and thoughts to himself, making Snakeheart hard to read. On top of this, he only seems to show certain emotions, such as pride and irritation. Because of this, he is often misunderstood, though he doesn't seem to mind.

negative >
    >> Manipulative > He controls his surroundings and others to his advantage, making sure he can use his resources before having to use up his own energy. He is very sly when it comes to doing so, as he can easily use words to talk another cat into doing his dirty work, all the while slipping away to not be involved in the issue.
    >> Selfish > Although he shows loyalty, Snakeheart's well-being comes first in his books. If there's a situation where he had to choose him or a clanmate, he wouldn't hesitate to save himself.
    >> Complacent > He's very proud of himself, making his ego hard to deal with. He never blames himself for failures, and rather than admitting to his own failures and problems, he only boosts his confidence about himself by going back over his accomplishments and what he does right.

Parents
 parents >
    >> Brindlepool > Chocolate caliby she-cat with green eyes > NPC > Missing
    >> Thorntail > Brown tabby tom with high white markings and golden eyes > NPC > ???

siblings >
    >> Tulipkit > Chocolate tabby she-kit with high white markings > NPC > Deceased

mate >
    >> N/A

kits >
    >> Ferntail > Brown calico she-cat with black spotting, amber eyes, and a bobbed tail > Played by Sn0wbranch > Alive
    >> Berryshine > Light brown tabby tom with lighter undersides and green eyes > Played by ScorcherSoldier > Alive
    >> Yewpaw > Light brown tabby tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes > Played by Sushipies > Alive
    >> Mintbreeze > Brown she-cat with dark spotting, a white underside, green eyes, and a bobbed tail > Played by Winter5587 > Alive
    >> Hollyblossom > Dark gray spotted tabby she-cat with white undersides and blue eyes > Played by Melontine > Alive

    >> Smokepaw > Dark gray tabby she-cat with smoke markings, white undersides, and light green eyes > Played by Jax47698 > Alive
    >> Shadowpaw > Dark grey tabby tom with white undersides and light green eyes > Played by codesii > Alive
    >> Stonepaw > Dark gray tabby tom with yellow eyes > Played by RubyRose364 > Alive

extended >
    >> N/A

kithood [ 0 - 6 moons ] >
    Snakekit was the first-born to Brindlepool and Thorntail, followed shortly after his little sister, Tulipkit. Both of them were born sickly, developing slower than the average kit. When kits should've had their eyes and ears open, they were still relying on feeling, and when their denmates were walking they were still crawling. But their parents were adamant that their kits would be happy and healthy in no time.
    After what seemed like moons of waiting, one of their kits' health was looking up. Snakekit was up and about, becoming more of a troublesome ball of energy for Brindlepool and Thorntail, and he was finally enjoying being a kit. The same couldn't be said for Tulipkit. Her health only continued to deteriorate, until she finally passed away from illness. Brindlepool and Thorntail were devastated by the loss of their daughter, but Snakekit didn't seem fazed by Tulipkit's death. He was more excited to be on his own paws and doing things he's never done before.
    However, Snakekit's excitement was shortlived. He quickly learned how boring it was to be a kit. All of the games he played, even with the other kits, grew old too fast for him, and he found himself on his own more and more. He also began to grow distant from his own parents, and it was unsure if this was intentional or not on his side. This continued on up to his final moons of kithood, as he became more calculating than excitable, and he was all the more ready to move on from the nursery.

apprenticeship [ 6 - 12 moons ] >
    After six grueling moons of stuck in the nursery, Snakekit was finally ready to become an apprentice. His health had improved immensely and he was ready to jump straight into the action. He was named Snakepaw and given a large, black warrior by the name of Blackstrike for a mentor. He seemed to be a powerful and almost intimidating tom, and Snakepaw could see in his eyes a concern that Thorntail had for the pairing. This, however, only piqued Snakepaw's interest in his mentor more. He figured it would be an interesting apprenticeship.
    And interesting his apprenticeship was. Blackstrike was not one for going easy. He made sure that Snakepaw was the best apprentice of his time, even if it meant exhausting him. Snakepaw was fascinated by this type of training. He became fueled by the work he would be given, and when praised, he only wanted more. He looked up to his mentor with pride, seemingly uncaring about how others would look at Blackstrike.
    Snakepaw's apprenticeship, aside from Blackstrike's intense training, was about as boring as his kithood. Often times, Snakepaw found himself unchallenged and bored with his training, and though he was never found slacking off, his face exposed his boredom. While most apprentices may feel that their training goes by too fast, Snakepaw couldn't wait to get it over with.

warriorhood [ 12 - present moons ] >
    All of his efforts to keep up with being the best apprentice of EmberClan seemed to pay off when Snakepaw's warrior ceremony came around. Sure, no one else saw all of the efforts he put into his work, but Blackstrike and Brindlepool did. Snakepaw was given the name Snakeheart in reference to his undying loyalty to EmberClan. The ceremony was a lot less exciting than others hyped it up to be, and Snakeheart was quick to get over his pride of being a warrior and move on to newer ambitions.
    The first few moons of his warriorhood were about as boring as his apprenticeship. Snakeheart worked to keep himself busy with as many duties as the deputy would give him, and even when he didn't have an official job, he would find something to do. In addition to keeping himself busy, Snakeheart also began to have a natural fall out with his family. He started to talk less with Brindlepool and Thorntail, going to Blackstrike more with questions and concerns than his own parents and conversed as little as possible with them. There was no said reason for his change of attitude, and Snakeheart kept his reasonings close to his heart.
    To keep him busy, Snakeheart was given his first apprentice. His apprentice, Ripplepaw, was an energetic young she-cat that seemed to always be looking for adventure. Snakeheart personally didn't care for the apprentice, but he was given the duty to train her, so he had no choice.
    About halfway through Ripplepaw's training is when things began to get interesting. CloudClan had previously been invaded by twolegs and fled to HailClan sometime during Snakeheart's apprenticeship, and now both CloudClan and HailClan had taken shelter in EmberClan. Then, a moon later, MarshClan joined them, overcrowding EmberClan's camp and territory. Snakeheart hated it. None of this was EmberClan's problem, at least not until Otterstar was taken from the clan. But that was all that mattered to their clan; the other clans should have to deal with their own issues.
    It felt like too long until Otterstar returned and the clans could return to their own territories. MarshClan took CloudClan back with them one moon after they showed up, and a moon after that, HailClan left. Snakeheart was thankful for the clan to go back to normal. However, there was something that had gone unnoticed in the chaos of the clans being together: Brindlepool had gone missing. No cat reported her getting captured by the twolegs, and her scent was nowhere to be found. Snakeheart didn't know how to react to the loss of his mother. On one paw, he was down about her disappearance--she was his mother, after all. On the other, though, he had an apprentice to train and a life to keep living. He couldn't keep wallowing over her death.
    Shortly after Ripplepaw got her warrior name and was named Ripplestripe, more issues started to arise for the clans. CloudClan reported issues about a rogue by the name of Onyx and his group called the Storm. These rogues had been raiding CloudClan and causing problems beyond the imagination of a cat. But why should EmberClan care, Snakeheart thought. EmberClan had already sheltered the clans from the twolegs, and if the rogues weren't going to bother them, then EmberClan should stay out of the drama. Otterstar disagreed with this mindset though, helping HailClan and MarshClan by providing supplies and much-needed fresh-kill. This irritated Snakeheart.
    What was EmberClan's issue, though, was the coyotes that were harassing their patrols. The coyotes had killed a few of their cats already, including Silentstep, Cinderfrost, and Snakeheart's old apprentice, Ripplestripe. Rather than being sad over the death of his apprentice, Snakeheart was disappointed in Ripplestripe; hadn't he taught her better? He would need to take extra care in teaching his next apprentice better defense and battle training. Eventually, Otterstar was also killed by a coyote, and Minnowfin stepped up as leader, becoming Minnowstar.
    With her rise to leadership, Minnowstar agreed that EmberClan would assist in helping drive the Storm out with the other clans. Snakeheart, although normally loves the thrill of battle and would've enjoyed swatting a few rogues out of the forest, refused to join the patrol into the battle. He didn't explain his reasons, but it was because he believed EmberClan should stay out of the issue. The Storm never bothered EmberClan, so he didn't see a reason for EmberClan to further assist the others. But he would never voice this, knowing he would be looked at with scorn for that thinking. His mentor, Blackstrike, however, did join the patrol for the final battle, itching for action. It was a true shame when his mentor didn't return to camp with his life. Snakeheart only snorted at the thought; his mentor would still be alive if he had minded his and EmberClan's own business. He was disappointed that his mentor let his desires get the better of him. But at least Snakeheart didn't have to hear about the Storm or the other clan's problems again.
    Then, Minnowstar stepped down from leadership to become a permanent queen. Wildblossom took her place as Wildstar, and she later named Shadowrunner as her deputy. Snakeheart recognized Shadowrunner as one of his old denmates back in the nursery, and personally didn't care for either of the cats in power. This feeling of dislike grew when Wildstar started to grow paranoid with the death of their clanmate, Kindlestorm. Sure, the harsh leafbare is causing everyone to get antsy and snappy, but this paranoia was going too far. Snakeheart's starting to wonder if EmberClan was worth his loyalty and time anymore, but he's still trying. After all, it's where he was born and where he put his heart into.
    The leafbare continued, and Snakeheart was as unfazed by the harsh cold weather as ever. Rather, he kept his eye on his clanmates and his higher-ups. What could he do to make EmberClan better in such trying times? Before he could come up with an efficient answer, he was suddenly thrown back into mentorship. Wolfpaw's previous mentor, Chaffinchtail, had run off to join MarshClan, leaving her apprentice without a mentor. Maybe it was because he had an apprentice before that at least made it to warriorhood, or maybe because it was clear that Snakeheart was bored, but Wildstar gave Wolfpaw to Snakeheart to complete his training. Snakeheart would be lying if he said he was excited. But he's since had time to re-think the decision; he has a second chance at training a worthy warrior. So, now he looks forward to fixing his mistakes in Ripplestripe and working with Wolfpaw.
    If only it was as easy done as it was said. Wolfpaw was constantly wary around Snakeheart, which. Fair. He had all the right reasons to be so. But this made training difficult, especially when Wolfpaw compared Snakeheart to Chaffinchtail. He didn't let it affect him, instead using it as an opportunity to show Wolfpaw techniques that Chaffinchtail most likely didn't teach him. It took little to no time for the apprentice to outgrow Snakeheart, too. Snakeheart, however, thrived to see Wolfpaw grow bigger and stronger, seeing all the potential in it. He adjusted their training to better work with Wolfmask's strengths rather than Snakeheart's, and, though the apprentice clearly didn't like Snakeheart, the two got through their training sessions well enough for it to work out.
    And then Wildstar began to act strange. Stranger than before. It started with the accusations, and then the closure of EmberClan borders to everyone, even Dropletshine. Snakeheart, however, enjoyed these changes. Finally, someone in their clan was seeing that EmberClan was more important than the others and taking care of it, even if it wasn't in an ideal way. Then she went as far as to declare war. This is something Snakeheart didn't care for. It was a useless fight that they would only lose cats in. But whatever, he'll play her little game. Maybe he could have some fun.
    Snakeheart completed Wolfpaw's training, and his apprentice was given the warrior name of Wolfmask. He was angry when the new warrior said he wanted nothing to do with him afterward, but he didn't let that consume him. It was something he could get over. Besides, now he didn't have an apprentice to worry about. At least, that's what he thought. Not even a moon went by when Snakeheart found himself training another apprentice--Stoatpaw. The young tom's previous mentor, Aspenbriar, died after drowning in the river, leaving Snakeheart to continue his training. He wondered if this would go differently than Wolfmask's training; it didn't. In fact, it was far worse than before. Snakeheart and Stoatpaw quickly established their dislikes for each other. It was to the point that even Snakeheart wanted nothing to do with the little rascal. The only times he would associate with him would be training; otherwise, Snakeheart kept far from him, and Stoatpaw did the same.
    Around the same time that Aspenbriar died and Snakeheart was thrown another apprentice, the deputy Shadowrunner also died. Snakeheart, while genuinely surprised at the sudden death, was pleased. Maybe now was his chance to find his own place in power and bring EmberClan to newer heights. But that wouldn't come as easily when Wildstar announced she wouldn't be declaring a new deputy. At first, Snakeheart was quite irritated by this revelation, but it quickly evaporated when Wildstar put him on her new Council, which was about as close to deputy he'd get. Of course, he had to share this role with four other cats, one being his acquaintance Tigerfrost, but in due time.
   The first official border battle was quite boring for him. Yes, he was there, but did he participate? No. Rather, he enticed his clanmates to enjoy themselves, though he mentioned keeping in line with the warrior code. So when Tigerfrost had killed a HailClan warrior, he was quite disappointed in his friend. Well, the past cannot be undone, and what's done is done. With that, they all returned to camp after a bear had decided to interrupt the fun. Snakeheart later heard that Reedshine had broken off their mateship with Tigerfrost, and honestly, could he argue with Reedshine's choices? He would console his acquaintance regardless, though something told him he wouldn't need to.
    Around this time was when Snakeheart had begun to involve himself with Fawnblossom. She was a young and naive she-cat that was clearly seeking something that Snakeheart could not and would not provide her, but at least she was fun to have around. He didn't give her any clear signs of being interested in her, but at least he had another ally in her.
    In the second major battle, Snakeheart had decided to participate rather than dilly dally. His border patrol, alongside his fellow Council member, Maplestream, had caught the rogue Dropletshine on their territory. In an attempt to run the rogue out, HailClan came to their rescue, and the battle ensued. He got into a confrontation with a brown she-cat, who he will admit was a formidable opponent. For a short time, that is. Snakeheart was quick to get an upper paw, though, and he was done with messing around when she had nearly nicked him on the cheek. He, therefore, paid her back the unreceived gift tenfold, leaving a gaping gash across her cheek, along with a torn ear as an added bonus. He would have done worse had some tom not come to her rescue. He made his leave, not wanting to deal with the aftermath, and continued to watch the battle from the sidelines like before. This being said, he watched Maplestream fall. Another tragic loss for the clan, he thought, as the battle came to an end and EmberClan returned home.
    Around this time was when Snakeheart began to get bored with the whole Council idea. Of course, he never cared for it in the first place. It had broken the so-called sacred Warrior code, which while he didn't quite like that either, he still followed to the T, and not having a deputy, be it him or no, felt strange. It was then that he had begun to question Wildstar and her motives. And his leader dragging the body of the medicine cat apprentice, Heatherbounce, into camp only solidified his suspicions. This was not a cat to stand by.
    And it only got worse as more clanmates died, primarily from the war. One of them being Lakebreeze's daughter, Flurrypaw, who Snakeheart had got along with quite well surprisingly. At least, far better than his own apprentice. Fawnblossom had also passed away, though from something unrelated. What a shame. He guessed it was fun while it lasted. To make up for it, he found a new "friend" in a young she-cat by the name of Irisdawn. He provided her a similar treatment as Fawnblossom, and it seemed she was falsely led on to think it was more. Well, he could let her down later. Thankfully, Stoatpaw became a warrior alongside his littermates around this time as well, finally relieving Snakeheart of mentorship duties. Not to mention he could finally leave the newly named Stoatshell to whatever his little heart desired. It gave Snakeheart more freedom to do as he pleased.
    Of course, there always has to be one important battle that Snakeheart would not take part in. And of course, it had to be the deciding factor of EmberClan's future. A border patrol returned with Shellsky's body and beaten warriors. Wildstar was about to brush it off like she had every other battle, but Drizzlesong had other plans. She confronted Wildstar head-on about the issue, and cats were quick to back her up. Snakeheart, too, stood against Wildstar. He never liked her anyway. So, with the clan against her, Wildblossom was exiled from the clan, and she left in haste, leaving the clan leaderless.
    This meant the opportunity to make EmberClan truly great was nigh. Snakeheart would have to prove what an excellent leader he could be for the clan and how much he could provide them if they provided him the chance. So he got to work, putting his best efforts into everything he did. It would most likely take time to gain their affirmation again, what with being a part of Wildblossom's ridiculous Council, but in due time. And things seemed to be going well until one-day Irisdawn had come to him confessing that she was expecting kits. His kits. His mouth drew back in disgust. Just what he didn't need. An illicit litter of kits with a cat he was just keeping around for company. Snakeheart was going to attempt to let her down easy, but this complicated things. So he went cold on her, telling her they were not his and to never associate them with him again. He left the new queen standing there with his declaration, abandoning her with whatever burden he had put on her. It would not be his burden.
    Of course, he was quick to move on from the unspoken conflict. He stopped conversing with Irisdawn except in passing, and he focused his attention on that leadership position. Well, most of his attention. It wasn't long after that Snow-whisker had started becoming someone of some importance in Snakeheart's life. It was quite similar to Irisdawn, though. Snakeheart didn't see Snow-whisker as anything more than an easy company. He probably should have felt guilty about taking advantage of the tom's feelings, but let's be honest, Snakeheart knows no shame.
    Reedshine was named EmberClan's new leader. It irritated Snakeheart how all of his hard work towards the clan was overlooked, but he figured their holy StarClan played a part in the decision, knowing that he wouldn't have had a chance against that. But he did have a chance at deputy. After all, StarClan couldn't influence a choice that was decided by the leader. Sure, it would be difficult knowing that Reedstar didn't like Snakeheart due to his previous involvement with Tigerfrost, but Snakeheart could change that... or so he thought.
    It happened again. Just mere days before Irisdawn was supposedly due to give birth to Snakeheart's "kits", Snow-whisker announced to him that he was now expecting kits, too. Snakeheart was irritated with this. Was he being punished? Surely not! There was no one to punish him. But he couldn't hide two litters. No, that would be too difficult, especially with the deputy position at stake. So, instead, he forced a smile and congratulated Snow-whisker before approaching the clan alongside the new queen to announce that they were expecting.
    But it was all for naught when Reedstar chose Lotusbreeze for deputy. Snakeheart couldn't make any sense of it. What could that peace-loving oaf do as a deputy? How would he handle stressful situations like war and famine? Snakeheart was angry, to say the least, for being overlooked yet again. But he didn't show it, rather congratulating the young tom with a strained smile. With EmberClan now stabilized in leadership positions, Reedstar announced the end of the war, and the clans began their uphill battle to recovery.
    Snow-whisker gave birth to three healthy kits: two toms and a she-kit. Snakeheart gave him the opportunity to name them, quite frankly wanting no part in it. So Snow-whisker named them after cats that were important in his life; Smokekit for Smokebreeze, Stonekit for Stonewhisker, and... Shadowkit for Shadowrunner. Something about that irritated Snakeheart, but it also fascinated him. Of course, Irisdawn had given birth to her own kits about two moons prior to this. There were five; four she-kits--Fernkit, Yewkit, Mintkit, and Hollykit--and a tom--Berrykit. Snakeheart kept his word in having zero involvement in their lives and continuously denying they were his. It seemed Irisdawn had begun to play along, too, telling the clan and her kits that the father had died in the war. That was one less problem on Snakeheart's shoulders.
    If only things were easier for him. His own kits had decided they wouldn't like him which. Fair. He had no doubt in his mind that Tigerfrost had put into their heads that Snakeheart was a bad cat. Speaking of the large tom, Snakeheart had forgotten about trying to be acquainted with him anymore. It was of no value anymore. Snakeheart began to do things on his own again, avoiding his clan as they seemed to grow accustomed to their new leaders, and making his own name again. He hadn't even noticed that Snow-whisker and Irisdawn became mates, meaning his secret had definitely slipped at one point. It didn't matter anymore. Snakeheart would find his way around things. In due time.