Velvetfrost

Velvetfrost is a pale brown classic tabby with a white chest, belly, and paws. He's very angular and sharp, with a lithe, graceful build (though he isn't quite the most elegant cat despite this). His tail is shorter than average, a trait he inherited from Timberstream. The tip of one of his ears is torn from an accident during sparring as an apprentice. From a distance, Velvetfrost is usually seen wearing a stony expression and a permanent scowl, but in reality he's rather expressive, almost comically so with how he unconsciously exaggerates his expressions and tone.

His design is by Dead, ddeadie.

Dour and incredibly work-focused, Velvetfrost isn’t the friendliest face in RidgeClan, especially so in recent moons. He isn’t one to open up about himself or his feelings much, leading to many attempts to talk to him becoming rather one-sided even from those close to him. He’s rather shy and has never quite flourished in social situations; his nerves tend to get the better of him and he withdraws, fleeing to a quieter, less crowded place. He isn’t intentionally rude, of course, unless you specifically do something to piss him off, in which case he tends to get a bit snappy - and “a bit” might be an understatement. Velvetfrost tends to snap quite easily. If you manage to cross him, expect him to hold a grudge for moons; he doesn’t let go of slights easily, for better or for worse.

Velvetfrost has a hard time adjusting to new things, and tends to be rather stubborn when it comes to change. He usually goes throughout the day with a routine, and it’s hard for him to drastically deviate from it. This also makes him rather obstinate with others; he’s got his thoughts on something and he’s sticking to it without regard to how others try to sway him. Going along with this, he’s rather insistent that he can do things himself, refusing help at any point possible. This can drive less persistent cats away, and only results in Vel bottling things up instead of confiding in anyone.

He’s a clever, perceptive tom despite his less admirable traits. He is incredibly detail-oriented, always sure to get the smallest possible things right, but this often leads to oversights of the bigger picture on his end. He does, however, get things done despite this, and it’s easy to rely on him if you need something done well. Despite his bitter, awkward shell, Velvetfrost is surprisingly expressive - in part due to being raised by a deaf father alongside a deaf sibling. What isn’t conveyed by his voice can usually be gleaned from his expression or his tail.

Velvetkit was born in the second litter of Timberstream and Tansyswipe, along with his younger siblings Sweetkit and Belugakit. The three were raised alongside two other kittens, Rosekit and Thistlekit, after their mother left RidgeClan, leaving the pair orphaned. This combined with his various aunts, uncles, and two older siblings, Velvetkit grew up in a very large family and never had a moment where he didn’t get attention. This unintentionally tended to suffocate the little cat, who would often sneak off to be by himself when it all got to be too much. Otherwise, his family was very caring, and they were all very close. The night just before the five kits’ apprentice ceremony, Rosekit and Thistlekit were playing too close to the ridge, and Thistlekit ended up falling to his death. His body was found and he was named Thistlepaw at his sendoff. (Velvetkit couldn’t help but blame Rosekit.)

Still in muted shock at the death of his adopted sibling, Velvetpaw was apprenticed to Tallwhisker, a paranoid but mild-mannered cat. Velvetpaw often found himself annoyed with the warrior's nerves, but otherwise saw them as a decent mentor because of their serious nature. At the start of his training, his cousin Weaselpaw was born to Velvetpaw’s aunt. The joy of another (Stars, *another*) family member was short-lived, though; both of little Weaselkit’s mothers drowned in the Frost Loch, another loss so soon after that of Thistlepaw’s.

Velvetfrost was named for his hard-working nature and dour attitude. He was proud, as any new warrior would be, especially with his family cheering for him and his siblings at their ceremony. The pride shining in his fathers’ eyes was enough of a reward for him. He worked diligently, glad to finally be able to do things on his own now that he was a warrior, and things went great for the next two moons. Of course, that would come to an end as Tansyswipe suddenly became sick.

At first, Velvetfrost was certain that his father would recover. He had to, right? He visited the healer’s den frequently in hopes of good news, but as things only got worse, his visits grew scarcer. Guilt gnawed at Velvetfrost, but he couldn’t bring himself to see how much sicker his father was despite Buntingcloud’s best efforts. Tansyswipe died from his illness, and his death hit the family hard. After only a moon, some of them had accepted it as what StarClan willed - and Velvetfrost almost hated them for it. He grew more withdrawn and prone to lashing out, choosing to bury himself into his duties and ignore and bottle up his feelings.