Waspstar (moved to docs)

basic description > Gray tuxedo tom with dark classic tabby stripes and amber eyes.

build > Medium
fur description > Dense and short
breeds > British shorthair, chartreux, manx, moggy

height > 25 cm
weight > 7.9 lbs
voice > Ben Gibbard

theme song > I Will Follow You into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie
scent > Dead leaves and animal fur

scars > Bent left ear
Long jagged scar over left eye
Small scar between eyes
accessories > n/a
banned traits > n/a

Personality Traits
positive >
>> Compassionate > He feels others' emotions as deeply as his own, and believes each and every cat deserves the dignity of a good life and a peaceful death. To ask him to witness suffering without acting to prevent it is truly the cruelest request you could make of him.
>> Brave > Wasp grew up in a world full of waking nightmares, but he hasn't let it stop him from being the cat his clanmates need. He has learned to walk with fear beside him, rather than barring each step.
>> Detail-oriented > Every brush of a beetle's leg is another piece of information for Wasp. He keeps meticulous track of his environment, honing in on anything which may prove useful later.

neutral >
>> Independent > According to him, every cat should be permitted to make their own decisions. This has the potential to enrich discussions as he makes space for cats with opposing views, but isn't ideal for squashing a mutiny.
>> Stubborn > Once he chooses to put his faith in something, it becomes nearly impossible to sway him away from it. He upholds his personal values as if they were a part of the warrior code itself, and will express his disappointed in those that do not.
>> Thoughtful > He's far from impulsive, and makes decisions with as much care as he can afford. This may cause delays, especially if he has several things on his mind, but he has to at least try to take everyone's best interests into account.

negative >
>> Sensitive > Wasp doesn't have much padding around his ego, and criticism often cuts him deep. As much as he wishes he could keep up a strong, stoic face, he usually ends up wearing his hurt on his sleeve.
>> Nervous > He has a bad case of nerves and looks to important events with more dread than hope. He can't help but imagine all the worst outcomes of a situation, even the ones that don't make sense.
>> Frustrated > His claws come out when he feels helpless. He fills the nearest ears with his complaints and becomes increasingly irritable as he tries and fails to assert control over his latest unsolvable problem.

Parents
>> Daystripe > Silver classic tabby cat with amber eyes and white patches. NPC (Deceased)
>> Toadstrike > Thick furred gray tom with yellow eyes. NPC (Deceased)

siblings >
>> Cloverkit > Gray and white kitten. NPC (Deceased)
>> Fogheart > Gray tuxedo cat with classic tabby stripes and amber eyes. Residing in Marshclan.

kits >
>> Vulturekit > Gray tabby tuxedo tom with yellow eyes.
>> Toadkit > Solid blue-and-black chimera tuxedo molly with one golden and one amber eye.
>> Ratkit > Gray tabby cat with a white chest and golden eyes.
>> Snakekit > White tom with silver classic tabby patches and amber eyes.
>> Wormkit > Lilac tuxedo tabby tom with amber eyes.
>> Blackkit > Solid black molly with amber eyes.

kithood [ 0 - 6 moons ] >

Waspkit's family shrank by half before he'd had a chance to opened his eyes. His father fell victim to a thunderpath, and his sister simply failed to thrive. His remaining parent's grief never hit him directly, as he had no memory of either cat, but it imprinted a certain melancholy outlook on his life.

Despite his brother's efforts to roughhouse, he was an antisocial kitten. He'd play in the leaves by himself and shy away from any cat besides Daystripe. He was five moons old before it clicked and he realized why he'd been so aimlessly uncomfortable and frustrated every day; there'd been some sort of mix up between his head and his body, and he wasn't a she-cat at all. A nervous talk with the medicine cat and a slight change of vocabulary from the rest of the clan, and things finally started to make sense to him. With a steadier understanding of himself, he began to creep out of his shell and find the beginnings of real confidence.

It rained during his apprentice ceremony. He normally would've taken it as a sign of good luck, but it could only dampen his nerves so much - putting his paws on the path to become a warrior was terrifying. He felt the expectations of the entire Clan weighing on his small shoulders. They all called him Wasppaw now, but he still felt like an overgrown kitten. 

apprenticehood [ 6 - 12 moons ] >

Wasppaw had caught a cold, just a tiny one, but it was enough of an excuse to get out of a dawn patrol. His brother had teased him for wanting to sleep late - and then he hadn't seen Fogpaw again. No cat could explain exactly what fate befell the young apprentice, and the outlook grew morbid as the days passed without so much as a whisker or a paw print to point their search party in the right direction. Wasppaw knew better than to sit around and wait for his brother to come back, but he couldn't help but hold out hope for some closure.

His early days as a 'paw were full of emotional struggles and sore muscles. He sought refuge in the nursery one night, curling up next to Batkit and venting his miseries. The other tom had the opposite situation, being cooped up and held back from receiving his name, but they found common ground in their gloomy outlooks and sparked a small friendship, the first Wasppaw had made outside of his kin.

To say he was apprehensive about being an apprentice would have been an understatement, but his mentor Slateshade was a kind and steady presence, just enough to take the edge off of his worries and point him in the right direction. With their guidance he began to put serious effort into his training, learning each purposeful movement of a warrior and building up his endurance. He didn't notice it himself, but he was also gaining a distinctive skill in both stealth and agility, and made a good hunter for his age.

The last of his family passed away with Daystripe, snuffed out by a bee sting in a peculiar twist of fate. Knowing their cause of death provided little comfort compared to the mystery of his late brother, and he found the days blurring together as he grieved. The universe continued its merciless streak, as not long after he awoke to the news that his mentor had been killed on patrol by a badger. The little tom was beyond devastated. He was reassigned to Stoatshell to complete the last moon of his training, and while he got along with the older tom well enough, his heart was never really in it. Most of his time was spent fine tuning the abilities he had already, as despite the nerves he'd had in his youth, he had grown into a capable, well built tomcat.

Shortly after Sandstar's disappearance and subsequent return, a dark meeting was called in Marshclan. Wasppaw was shocked to learn his leader's own sister had plotted his demise, and horrified as that same leader attacked and executed her in front of his eyes. His trust splintered as his clanmates grew skittish and suspicious of one another; even his friendship with Batpaw strained close to the breaking point when Wasppaw learned the tom actually supported his father's violent, code-breaking course of action.

Wasppaw attended the next meeting with cold dread. He knew what was coming with terrible, frightening certainty - Sandstar would pick another cat, and he would kill them. It was Turtlecloud this time. A traitor, he called her - but what proof did he have? Marshclan had grown sick of flimsy accusations, and several cats stood and spoke their minds. Wasppaw joined his fellow apprentices and lent his voice to the outcry. His fears did not come to pass that day and Turtlecloud was spared, but as Sandstar underlined his original warnings, it was clear there was still a perilous tension in the clan. Wasppaw slipped away to a private conversation with the other 'paws, forming a pact of sorts with Batpaw, Shrewpaw, Flypaw and Lilypaw. If no other cat was willing to hold the clan together, they would - they were prepared to risk suspicion in order to keep careful watch of both cats at the center of the conflict. 

warriorhood [ 12 moons - 28 moons ] >

Perhaps too soon, he received a warrior's name. He was Waspcatcher, for his keen observance and stealth in hunting small creatures. It was a heavier burden than his old suffix, but he wasn't a kitten anymore, and he knew he could take the weight. Seaheart performed the ceremony, a choice he was grateful for after the red stain Sandstar had left on all their memories. He spent a long silent night sitting vigil with Lilydawn and Flywing, his head full of the cats who had lost their lives over the course of his young life. He was exhausted by daybreak, but filled to the brim with determination to protect what was left of Marshclan, his friends most of all.

Being a warrior gave him strange new freedoms, but even with two familiar faces sharing the den, there was a small piece missing - he had fewer excuses to see Batpaw, and an aching empty space next to his nest. He seemed to anticipate his friend's rank up with more eagerness than he had his own.

The day finally came around, and he watched as Batpaw received his whole name - Batwhisper. He kept to the back of the crowd, aching to spend a moment with the tom but too shy to call his name any louder than the rest. He stayed for the vigil, held by silence until the next dawn, when Batwhisper confessed he was in love and asked to be mates. Waspcatcher hardly knew what to do with himself, except to say yes, of course, because he'd already caught his own feelings moons ago and wanted nothing more than to spend every day with his best friend.

Waspcatcher hadn't been able to keep his nose out of clan politics for some time, and he listened in as Sandstar sent away a party of Cloudclan cats attempting to investigate the loss of their medicine cat. They were eventually allowed to proceed with a Marshclan escort, which Wasp volunteered for despite knowing where they were headed - the infamous tunnels where Sandstar had lost a life, among other things.

Still, Seaheart was going, and solving a murder was always a noble cause. He trusted her on principle and went along as an extra pair of eyes to keep on the apprentices. It was dark and damp underground, and the cold earth sent chills through his paw pads with each step. A little too easily, some of the patrol peeled away from the back and ventured down a fork in the path. He'd hardly had time to notice the cries in the distance and join Seaheart's side before a bobcat came hurtling towards them. The beast's claws ripped through each cat it came upon, and Waspcatcher was a moment too slow and darting out of the way. Blood dripped over his muzzle, and his ear felt strangely limp, but he was too busy worrying about the others to check the damage to his face. When he heard the call to flee, his attention snapped to the cats deeper into the caves. He had to get them out! 

He was trapped then, too. Without medical training, there wasn't much he could do for the most injured cats, but he trusted his clanmates aboveground, and did his best to impart his convictions to the other members of his party. The rest of his clan eventually came to their rescue as he had predicted they would, and Batwhisper was one of the first faces Waspcatcher saw once he was freed.

It wasn't long after that another patrol went out to deal with the bobcat once more. Waspcatcher was out hunting, and couldn't participate in this one, but when he returned he discovered the clan in mourning. Sandstar was dying. It struck him harder than he'd expected it to, but he was soothed to see so many cats gathered by the leader's side. He looked past the violence he'd witnessed in his youth and joined them in wishing a peaceful journey for Sandstar's weary spirit.

Shortly after, he was appointed as Rainpaw's mentor. He was startled to be given such a responsibility, especially when the young 'paw had been Sandstar's apprentice a sunrise ago, but mutual grief gave the pair something to bond over, and he very quickly grew fond of them.

He was horrified to learn of the attack on Crystal Falls. It was the stuff of nightmares, cats' worst enemies coming back from the dead to drag the living down with them. Seastar's mate was among the casualties, and it hurt to see her go through so much in such a short time. He couldn't imagine the grief it brought her, and yet she had to stay strong in her newly appointed position; she chose Roachheart as deputy. Wasp knew little about the older tom, but he trusted his leader's judgement completely.

Rainpaw had grown strong under Waspcatcher's guidance, and he wasn't disappointed in the young cat's performance during their assessment. He called their warrior name with pride - Rainwillow! He'd helped them earn that name, and it gave him a certain sense of pride, although it was made slightly bittersweet as he realized he would miss spending so much time with them each day.

A very, very strange thing happened to him on border patrol one evening. He thought he saw a ghost, and then that ghost had run up to him, and it'd been Fogpaw, and he was real, he was alive! Waspcatcher wept with joy and hugged the brother he had long given up hope of finding. It wasn't a perfect reunion, as he had to deliver the news of their parent's death, and Fogpaw - soon Fogheart - had changed on their journey. They grieved for the time and kin they'd lost, and then they began again, getting to know one another as family.

The weather soon turned bitter cold and sealed the cats behind a wall of snow. The nights grew lean as the prey stores dwindled. Wasp took most of his comfort from knowing the cats closest to him were still here by his side, and hoped leaf-bare would be gentle on them all. Leaf-bare had other plans, though, and the next patrol returned with a member missing: Seastar's daughter had been swallowed up in the blinding flurries.

Fogheart confided in him one day, describing a painful flash of a vision. At first Waspcatcher mistook it for a hunger headache or an injury, but after they described it a bit more, he remembered the Crystal Falls. Was Starclan trying to contact them? He urged his littermate to bring it up with Tansyskip.

There was still good news to be had. Lilydawn had received an apprentice, and Flywing had finally announced her mateship with Murkytrail. From the way they looked at each other, Waspcatcher suspected they'd soon have new kits to welcome as well. It tugged his heart a bit, but he and Batwhisper had agreed to wait until they were older to become parents, so he settled for watching his friends' family grow for now.

When Batwhisper died, his world shattered. The hopes and dreams they'd had together, the shoulder he'd always had to lean on, his first and closest friend, gone overnight. He blamed himself for not catching enough to fill the clan's bellies, he blamed the forest for not giving him anything to catch, and he blamed his mate for being the light in his life, and leaving him in the dark. He endured a miserable, wailing wake with his clanmates, and sagged into Batwhisper's empty nest with Shrewflight. She'd lost a brother when he lost a mate, and seemed the only other cat who could share the depths of his pain and sorrow.

He hadn't even had the chance to catch his breath from the last blow when news arrived of Seastar's tragic heroism; she'd succumbed to the elements after rescuing her granddaughter from the frigid water. When he glimpsed Splashkit huddled in the moss in Tansyskip's den, all he could think was that she seemed so terribly fragile, clinging to life with all her tiny might. He prayed for the kit's recovery so his leader's actions wouldn't be in vain, and found it in himself to call Roachstar's new name along with the others. He almost approached the tom afterwards to ask for guidance, but even the wisest leader had little control over the hardships at their throats. He decided to return to his own den.

The snow stayed, the prey was gone, and Rainwillow went the same way Batwhisper had. There was talk that the young warrior had lost their appetite along with their mother, but Waspcatcher was sure they would have survived if they'd had a frog put in front of them every day. Something about seeing the healthy young warrior he'd worked so hard to train wither away broke whatever was left in him. He'd been emptied out of all his hope, and started to get through each day on nothing more than bitter routine.

deputyhood [ 29 moons - 32 moons ] >

Yet, Marshclan seemed to see some glimmer left in him. He was called forward in the next clan meeting, and before he could realize what was happening, he'd been appointed deputy. He was shocked, and moved to tears as his friends called his name in support. The world seemed harsher than it had ever been, but his clanmates had long grown to trust him. He couldn't give up on them now. He lifted his head high and took the role with gratitude.

> Flywing and Murkytrail have five kits
> EC has a new deputy, Piketongue
> Spring has sprung
> Wasp receives a premonition about Turtlecloud. He remembers Fogheart's vision, but sees no way to help other than to warn her. She dies from a snakebite anyway
> Splashkit has recovered from her ordeal and becomes an apprentice. Wasp is careful to suggest a good mentor
> Pigeonwish joins the clan

> Creamytail returns to the clan after helping train Cirrusflight in CC
> EC has a new leader, Pikestar
> CC has a new leader, Halfstar
> Several cats killed by bobcats, including Stoatshell
> A mysterious figure is seen in camp
> Roachstar dies

leaderhood [  33 moons - current ] >

> Become leader
> Bringing ghosts to the table at his first gathering as leader
> Observing clanmates, struggling to choose a deputy
> Picking cats to send on the quest
> Directs his one and only brother back out into the unknown
> An earthquake rocks the territories, Marsh loses good warriors
> Murkytrail returns alive
> Wasp accepts a kittypet into the clan

>greenleaf
>Beesting is expecting kits
>lichencloud goes missing

> assigns himself an apprentice, howlpaw
> cowpaw chooses a new name, bullpaw
> the quest cats returned, fogheart among them. they're injured but alive
> beetlepaw has dreamt she was given a second life from starclan
> beesting has had her kits

> tansyskip has chosen fisherpaw as his apprentice
> fogheart is released from the medicine den
> Much of the territory has become barren or diseased, prey has become much more difficult to find
> Several cats have complained of biting insects lately
> boulderfrost is found killed just outside camp
> locust infestation is getting worse

> shrewflight is expecting hawkclaw's kits
>  Alpinedusk, Bullflower, and Shadyfog attacked by a ghost
> wasp is pregante?
> shrewflight has her kits: echo, sun, bat
> rotten prey found near lilypad lagoon, continued locust infestation
> howlpaw reassigned to lightember
> wasp has six kittens. where did he put them all. that is so many.