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Name: Rainstar

Age: 50

Gender: Female

Clan: ShadowClan

Personality:

The first impression one has of Rainstar is of a grumpy, antisocial cat, one who does not indulge in casual chatter, play or frivolity of any kind. She is a serious, no-nonsense kind of leader, with a scowl that can make even the cockiest young warrior quail and send any kit running for their mother, and young ShadowClan cats soon learn to feel her wrath, should they step out of bounds; she’s not above giving a clout around the ears if she feels it’s deserved. She’s not entirely a killjoy; she doesn’t care if other cats play in camp, so long as they snap to attention the moment she calls for a patrol, or for any other task she wants completing. Unsurprisingly, Rainstar does not hesitate when it comes to discipline, and a misdemeanour will find one landed with all the least pleasant chores, if not worse.

But for all this, Rainstar is not a recluse by any means. She is a very active leader, frequently leading border patrols and hunting parties, and is not in the least shy of addressing the Clan to make announcements. These she typically delivers with an air of seriousness brushed with a hint of sarcasm, for though most don’t realise it, she does have something of a sense of humour and is prone to slipping little jokes into her speech that only those very close to her will understand. Nevertheless, while Rainstar is happy to interact with all Clanmates in these formal settings, she does not socialise with them, and does not share her motives, thoughts or fears with them. These she saves for only a few of her oldest and most trusted warriors, the deputy included, this small group of cats containing the only ones whose council she hears, and who in turn hear her stratagems, concerns and many musings. She spends long stretches of time cloistered with them, almost always one at a time, sharing tongues while she talks over a proposed solution to a problem, or a plan to improve ShadowClan’s standing in the Forest.

Rainstar is a very good hunter and an excellent fighter, and she takes part in hunts and patrols not only because she feels that a leader should contribute to their Clan materially but also because she just plain enjoys it. She’s not especially blood-thirsty; she does not love violence, though she does not fear it either, but she does enjoy doing something skilfully. There is a deep satisfaction to be had in putting together seasons of training in a single moment with a perfect pounce on an unfortunate vole, or an elegant leap out of enemy’s grasp that simultaneously slashes them with hind claws. She came by her skills the hard way, through failed hunts and battle-wounds, and all the visceral fear has long since been bled out of her. Short on neither courage nor brawn, she is a fearsome opponent in both true battle and in sparring.

But to say that Rainstar does not know fear would be a lie, for although she is down to earth and straightforward in her thinking, not given to fretting or anxiety, whenever she looks out upon her Clan and sees these cats that she loves so dearly arrayed around her, she cannot help but feel a knot of concern in her chest. She may not be an affectionate or sociable leader, but Rainstar is both diligent and dutiful, very aware of the responsibilities of her position, and not even for a moment would she let herself forget where her loyalty lies. She lives and dies for the Clan; its success is her success, its failure is her failure, and every moment spent idol is one that could be spent bettering the Clan in some way

When it comes to the other Clans, Rainstar is mostly ambivalent. She wishes to preserve the tentative peace currently trying to survive in the forest, because more peace means less of her Clanmates get injured (although it also means less chance for battle training, which she makes up for by ordering frequent vigorous sparring – not trying hard enough means you have to face her), but she also doesn’t particularly want to be friendly with them either. So long as they keep to their territory and don’t otherwise insult ShadowClan, she’ll leave them be. Make no mistake though, while Rainstar does not enjoy war, she’s not afraid of it, and she will have her warriors fiercely defend the Clan’s lands if needed.

Why your cat would be the perfect candidate: Perfect? Rainstar isn’t perfect and she never will be. She’s an excellent hunter and warrior, and she became a deputy almost purely because the former leader thought she’d be a good example for the younger warriors. That leader died unexpectedly early and bam, there she was, a leader. She has many faults, but her major plus side is that she would give all seven of her remaining lives for the Clan, and is very much set on helping it grow and flourish. She’d be a competent, but not faultless leader, one with many quirks but one that fundamentally knows what needs to be done and has the will to do it.

RP Sample:

((Set approximately 4 seasons ago, very shortly before she became the leader. With the exception of Nightstrike (who will be mentioned in her history), the names are mostly throwaways and it can be assumed that those cats died in battle if they would otherwise cause inconsistencies)

Rainfur stirred and opened her eyes as the first rays of dawn drifted through the tangled roots of the den, squeezing her eyes shut tight and then opening to reveal the burnt orange irises. There was an unexpected weight leaning against her flank, and turning her head she blinked at the black form of Nighststrike, her sort-of mate sleeping beside her. For a moment she pinned her ears back, a little confused by this unexpected over-familiarity, but then she cast her mind back and realised she must have fallen asleep while they were sharing tongues. Looked like Nightstrike had to.

With a grunt, the deputy got up and shook her pelt out. Nightstrike jolted as his headrest was removed and growled low in his throat, but Rainfur ignored him and headed out into the camp, pausing to stretch on the way. Once there she looked about and mentally clocked who was already up, and then almost immediately began barking orders. “Sandpelt, Sparrowdash, get your apprentices up and go hunting. Come on, we’re not going to eat if everyone just sits around and licks their bellies, are we? Icepaw, where’s Yellowthorn? Well go and get him then for the sake of StarClan, the patrol isn’t just going to magically do itself are they? Gorsefur… Gorsefur! You’re coming too. Yeah, well if you exercised it a bit, maybe it would heal quicker.” Rainfur sat down and curled her tail around her paws, watching as her orders unfolded. She flicked an ear as a cat came up to sir behind her, not needing to look to know it was Nightstrike… Very few other cats dared come near her without being invited.

“You can go on patrol at sunhigh.” She told him. “Pay close attention around ThunderClan… There’s something not quite right with them at the moment.” She would have said more, but her rather reluctant assembly of patrol warriors had finally come together. She looked at them; the nervous Icepaw, the sleepy Yellowthorn and Gorsefur with her exaggerated limp. “C’mon them you lot.” She said with a sigh. “Before the leader comes out and asks why we’re still here.” With no further ado she turned and trotted out of the camp, tail raised for the others to follow. She deliberately set a brisk pace, hoping that the exercise would shake some energy into her fellows, and after a short time they did seem to wake up and settle into the routine of patrols. It did not show in her demeanour, but the deputy was on-edge. There was something… Not quite right about the Clans at the moment, a sense of unrest that she could not quite put a whisker on, but that had troubled her for a short while. Nightstrike agreed with her, but though she had discussed it with the leader, there was nothing solid enough to do anything about. It frustrated her; she hated feeling powerless to deal with something.

She paused at the top of a small rise to let the others catch up and watched over them as they did so. They might be nervous or lazy or overly-dramatic, but they were her Clanmates all the same, and she would protect them against whatever uncertain peril was ahead.