[RAGGEDPELT]

Name: [Raggedpelt]

Clan: [ThunderClan]

Age: [32]

Gender: [Tom]

Rank: [Deputy]

Appearance:
Brief: long-legged, tattered black tom with deep amber eyes
Detailed: let’s begin with the basics, starting from just that – a base. raggedpelt could best be described as a tall, wiry cat. from a distance, he appears almost brittle, being a more lithe and skinny built. up close, the first notable feature might be this tom’s great height, which he owes to his long legs. his legs are almost spidery and paws are broader with longer curved claws, making him a good climber. a thin form covered by a dark pelt is fairly easy to hide with, and the thick pads of his paws make his light steps barely audible as he stalks along against the forest floor. the angular head of a cat who is descent of an oriental breed sits atop his long neck, and is often held high in a dignified manner. two exceptionally large ears sip atop his head, good for picking out the slightest sounds made by prey whenever he’d out hunting in the dark or through the dense thunderclan underbrush. twisted whiskers and tattered ears give him a more worn look as he appears to have had his fair share of scuffles, and his usually neutral expression has his eyes narrowed and his mouth pulled into a slight frown, making him appear like a much less approachable than he might actually be. a brood-bridged nose is more convex than concave, typical in oriental breeds but certainly an odd sight among most american shorthairs.

pulled over this whole lanky build is a tattered-looking, torn-up pelt. short black fur is one solid colour, ideal for a shadowclanner since it gives the advantage for sneak attacks, stalking, and hiding among the shadow-covered forest floor. there are plenty of patches that look more worn than others, scattered across in an almost spotty fashion; and while it is usually kept quite clean, this coat rarely ever looks ‘well groomed’. the shade could be described as more of a charcoal black than an elegant raven black – it lacks any beautiful blue sheen, and would have an almost dusty-texture under the right light. against all this dark, tattered, ragged-looking exterior are a pair of deeply-coloured amber eyes. thin slits of the deep, dark, nearly reddish-orange shade stand out against the black coat, and are a highly notable and easily remembered feature.

raggedpelt’s namesake pelt is riddled with particularly odd patches where fur has grown over old scars. plenty of smaller scars have been left on him, though few were from scuffles or battles of any sort, and most go unnoticed due to the fact that they are quite small or are covered up by black fur. this tom almost resembles a vulture when he walks around, especially while deep in thought if he holds his head down low and his shoulders are hunched up. with the boxish bridge of his nose and watchful eyes, he might resemble any bird of prey, though the scavengers would seem more fitting due to the thinness. whenever he moves, he’s quite graceful, using agility and speed to make up for whatever he lacks in physical strength or build. climbing is fairly easy for him, through he prefers not to get caught up in high places since catching birds is far less worth the effort than catching frogs. while his speed might not match that of a windclanner for almost any given amount of time, his quick sprints and careful precision are key components for his hunting. scuffles are his weak point, considering that he relies more on tactic than force and that he could easily be pinned if he were to make the wrong move, and curved claws are made more for hooking onto tree bark than tearing at flesh (though they do fine in a pinch). raggedpelt has an excellent sense of balance, considering his long limbs and tail, but could not swim to save his life or stand up to harsh winds without a struggle.

Personality:
when raggedpelt was young and had a lot of free time, he spent most of it visiting with the elders, listening to stories of clan history and chivalrous warriors who followed the code. he learned from a young age that history was highly important, taught lessons, and was usually repeated unless it was made a point not to be. accounts of past battles were wonderful places to learn about tactics from, a knowing another clan’s past tendencies may help to predict their future choices. he became very well educated in clan politics and histories, and sought information of all kinds from anywhere he could find it. he was the kind of cat who wanted to know “why”, and by finding his answers, he was able to shape his own decisions after careful thought and analysis. he’s calculating – raggedpelt takes a lot of time to make his choices, especially the tough or important ones, and takes a lot into consideration beforehand.

loyalty was practically drilled into him since he was a kit, as a value that simply could not be replaced by any amount of strength or bravery or cunning. raggedpelt considers his clan to be like an extended family, and while he might not necessarily trust or even like every member, he does everything in his power to defend the pride and name of thunderclan. he recognizes authority, even and especially from outside clans, and he does not speak out of line when in the company of cats who outrank him – despite what he might believe personally. even if he disagrees with a decision that has been made by the leader, he’ll follow it; he might vocalize his reasoning behind why he does not like it, but he’s not about to turn against an order. his loyalty and strong belief in his clan as a whole trumps the doubts he might have about bad decisions, and he recognizes that he would follow his clan out of the forest, into battle, or even off that metaphorical cliff of absolute despair. while he might speak out if an outsider were to insult thunderclan, he would never dare confront his leader about anything at a gathering or such. if push came to shove, raggedpelt would try to speak in private, but calling a cat out in front of everyone would not be his place, not by a long shot.

despite a more brittle-looking appearance, raggedpelt is a hard-worker. he pushes himself up to the limit when it comes to carrying out his warrior duties, making sure that everything has been tended to before he even stops to think about resting. the clan comes first, before personal exhaustion or longings for a break, and so he has little free time considering that he’s always accepting extra weight when it comes to work. he never stops to enjoy the little things or pauses to smell the roses, which might explain why he always looks haggard to a degree. he is also constantly poking his nose into other cat’s business, especially when it comes to gossip and politics. he loves to know what’s going on, and since he rarely ever sits down to socialize, sometimes that means listening in to a passing conversation or snooping a bit. he can also get bossy at times, especially if he’s in a particularly grumpy mood. apprentices who try to slack off, play games, or simply socialize are sometimes fussed at with orders to ‘get back to work’ or ‘quit wasting time’, though cats can usually tell when raggedpelt is just being just being snippy and wont pay it much mind. his longing for a grasp on politics and his bossiness are most likely the result of the fact that rags is a control freak to an extent – he likes to have at least some power in any situation, and since knowledge is power, he’ll settle for just knowing about the situation at hand… er… paw. he's also stubborn. very stubborn. sometimes annoyingly stubborn. he might be willing to back down if it's not his place to speak up, but whenever he is around anyone whose authority he surpasses or matches... he refuses to take 'no' for an answer at times and will plot ways to get certain jobs done.

raggedpelt rarely ever opens up to others. he’s a wonderful listener and enjoys a one-on-one conversation (whenever he can get his head out of that self-dug ditch he calls work), though getting him to talk back and express any true thoughts or feelings can be a more difficult task. it would take a while before he actually personally trusts another cat enough to confide in him or her. trust can also be an issue when it comes to raggedpelt, as he is not quick to trust others at all, even his own clanmates. this is something he will need to overcome if he wants to be a good leader. though he doesn’t socialize much in his free time, raggedpelt is very polite and socially graceful at events, especially at gatherings or when it comes to meeting with cats from other clans or cats of great importance. he knows where his place is and does not step out of line, he remembers to keep a relaxed tone, and he does his best to make first good impressions and keep as far way from ‘hostile’ as possible.

raggedpelt’s perception is a strength, as he is able to determine another’s greatest and weakest traits from careful observation. this trait would be good for a leader to have when organizing hunting parties or patrols, or possibly even line-ups for any battle that were to take place. he’s tactical. he loves to have a plan, and having one already set in place can give him a certain sense of power. his lack of physical strength or brute force leaves more relying on his agility, cunning, perception, and planning, especially in scuffles. even though he likes to think it impossible for anyone else to manipulate him, there are three words break through any defense or lack of trust he has set up: damsel in distress. a sweet little she-cat who could never hurt a fly would really love if there were just one itsy bitsy mouse in the fresh-kill pile?? raggedpelt would be out all day looking for one. he’s a sucker for anyone willing to play that part, especially considering that his sister is very sweet and simple-minded and she could ask him for just about anything in the world. he’s also a little more easily fooled by flattery and cunning than he’d like to admit; he’s not about to fall for these tricks right off the bat, don’t get me wrong, he’s just more prone to if you’re willing to play your cards right.

raggedpelt has a very trigger-happy temper. he might be able to deal with hours of one attempt to bug him, and then get set off by a single hit that got just the right topic. forcing him into the defensive is the best way to win an argument with him, as he can get a little more flustered and possibly loose sight of whatever counter argument he might have been able to pose. he does not like to admit when he is afraid of something, but he will drop hints, and he refuses to put himself or others in danger just to prove that he’s ‘brave’ or ‘strong’.

overall, raggedpelt’s strengths are that he is a clever, tactical, loyal, and well-educated tom. he uses agility, speed, an perception to make up for what he lacks in physical strength, endurance, and stamina. his weaknesses are that he is less sociable, can be very stubborn, is prideful, trusts and confides in very few, has a short temper at times, and can fall for manipulation partially because he refuses to admit that he could. to others, he looks to be the cold, all-business type, though he is quite polite and respectful when the situation calls for a diplomat. his ragged exterior combined with little speaking or smiling make him look less approachable than he really is, he those who get nervous around birds of prey or very tactical cats might find this quiet observer to be intimidating in a way. he’s a planner, not a fighter, and tries not to take risks unless it’s absolutely necessary (and even then he might try to hold out).

History:
To get a better idea of Raggedpelt's situation, we need to delve a bit into his family history, since before he was born. Blacktooth was a proud ShadowClan warrior, an ambitious and witty she-cat with an infamously vicious temper. Despite the fact that she could be a spitfire at times, her fair looks and great sparring skills earned her plenty of attention from others, especially the toms in her Clan. She quickly became used to getting whatever she wanted, and soon she longed for a challenge, someone with whom a relationship might make for an interesting story in future moons. That was about the time she she met Cloudbelly.
Cloudbelly was a much more relaxed ThunderClanner. He was content with whatever life brought him, though the one thing he wanted that he didn't already have was to find a mate and start a family. Despite seeking these among his own Clanmates, he fell in love with Blacktooth after running into her along the border. The two exchanged a few witty comments every now and again, and soon they began to meet up on purpose and spend long periods of time together. Their relationship crumbled under pressure, however, as their Clanmates grew more suspicious; Cloudbelly was unwilling to put his loyalty aside any longer, and Blacktooth grew bored of the whole fiasco, and they parted ways.
Unbeknownst at the time, Blacktooth was already pregnant, and soon the whole of ShadowClan heard rumors about where these kits might have come from. Only a few believed that they might actually have been the kits of another Clan, though these rumors skyrocketed after they were born. Two kits, a tom and a she-cat, vanished only the day after they opened their eyes and could stand up. Blacktooth took them over to ThunderClan and left them for their father. Cloudbelly returned to camp with them and didn't utter a word about where they came from, though the she-cat almost the spitting image of their mother and most ThunderClanners figured out their origin rather quickly. The two kits were taken in by one of the ThunderClan she-cats, a very kind young she-cat named Sorrelstep.
Since the little she-cat had a long, slim body and a sleek black coat, she was named Snakekit. The tom was a tattered-looking mess, his coat seemingly ungroomable and his wiry limbs and long body awkward-looking, so he was named Raggedkit. The two grew up as close friends, since their younger foster-sister wasn't born until they were about to be made apprentices. Snakekit was very sweet and was always a good listener, while Raggedkit kept more to himself and only ever confided in his biological sister. When Emberkit was born, Raggedkit took a protective big-brotherly stance toward her, though he never really talked to her like he did with Snakekit. The two rarely ever spoke to their father; in fact, they didn't even know that Cloudbelly was their father for the first halves of their lives. They believed that Sorrelstep was their mother, that Ravenheart was their father, and that Emberkit was their younger sister.
The two were soon made apprentices, and suddenly spending time with one another became a bit more of a hassle. Raggedpaw tended to speak up less and became more a recluse those few moons, as the only cat he ever confided in was often busy whenever he was free, and vice versa. He focused most of his attention on training, determined to work to the best of his abilities to support his Clan. Ravenheart had been a wonderful example of a good warrior, and the young tom looked up to his foster-father greatly. His mentor was a tom named Thrushtail, a senior warrior with many more moons on his side and a knack for getting into heated debates. He noticed that Raggedpaw's wiry build, dark pelt, keen skills of observation, and curved claws made him a better climber and stalker, so he taught his apprentice to use tactics and speed to his advantage, seeing as the lithe apprentice could be easily pinned in battle if he made the wrong move. Raggedpaw became a much more tactical cat, a quiet observer from the sidelines, who only ever got involved when he was sure that he stood a chance. His was trained to make quick judgements and to use all the extra information that he could.
At fourteen moons, Raggedpelt had earned his warrior name. He stood along Snakeflower and two other apprentices as they earned their new titles and sat their evening vigil. All was going wonderfully - that is, until tensions began to rise and distrust was thrown about. Raggedpelt and Snakeflower suddenly received many more suspicious looks and such. When they asked Ravenheart about it, he took them to Cloudbelly, who had become ill of late from an infection to some new wounds. Cloudbelly explained everything on his deathbed, leaving the two with many mixed emotions.
Raggedpelt has decided to think of his foster family as his true one, still referring to Sorrelstep as mother, Ravenheart as father, and Emberfang as sister. This discovery soon got out, but Raggedpelt is quite keen on proving his loyalty to ThunderClan, and has set out to show his Clanmates that he will always consider himself a part of ThunderClan no matter what. He tries to ignore distrustful glances (though they can get to him on occasion), and has tried to offer support to Snakeflower as well. He doesn't wish to meet Blacktooth, and would rather avoid his birth-mother if at all possible.
 At seventeen moons, he became the mentor to a lively young she-cat named Specklepaw. Her bright personality helped him warm up a bit to socializing more, but didn't make a huge impact otherwise. At first they butted-heads a bit because they were both stubborn and had very different ideas about what should be learned, but after a few moons, they became close friends and learned to get along better. Speckle-eyes earned her warrior name at 14 moons, and has since been a warrior (Up for adoption). 


Other: [Speckle-eyes, Emberfang, and Snakeflower can be adopted. Please PM me if you're interested.]

Accepted.