[Phoenix]

Name: Ospreykit > Ospreypaw > Ospreywing
Age: 7 moons
Gender: tom
Clan: StoneClan
Rank: Apprentice
Picture: Here
Description:

A handsome tuxedo tom, Ospreypaw is named for the coloration of his pelt, which resembles the black and white of an osprey wing. An otherwise unbroken expanse of short black fur is broken by a white chest and four white paws. On his right hind leg, a stripe of white interrupts the dark, a curious feature that does nothing but set that leg apart from the others. Wary yellow eyes watch the world, guarded and possessing wisdom beyond his years. Long, lanky limbs set him above his sister in height, though he is a lean tom; his thinness only makes him seem that much taller. He keeps his fur well groomed as a habit, generally trying to maintain a respectable appearance. For all his attempts at maturity, his carefree attitude is evident in his stride. Almost strutting around, the tom puts his long limbs to good use, walking in long strides with his head held high.

Description Summary: A lean tuxedo tom with yellow eyes.
Personality:

Early in the predawn moments, that fateful attack stole more than StoneClan’s relative peace of mind and the lives of many of their warriors. With the slashing claws and snapping fangs came blood and gore. Cats fought with a desperation brought on by the most basic need to survive, and those that failed were slaughtered in a heartbeat. Though the nursery offered refuge, it did not protect the youngest generation from the sights, sounds and smells of the battlefield raging in the camp the whole clan had thought safe. Exposed to the dark side of life far too early, Ospreypaw is one of many whose youthful innocence was shattered brutally and irreparably. Whether he wants them or not, the memories of that experience have become embedded in his mind, lurking in the back of his thoughts and haunting his decisions.

Ironically, that which stole so much gave him what he now considers his purpose in life, something that others believe impossible to find. Where most cats at his age have an abstract goal, commonly taking form in the desire to become the best warrior of their clan, he has a very concrete and focused objective: vengeance. Driven by a force lurking just out of sight, he is out for the blood of two of LightningClan’s most formidable cats, pushing himself hard to perfect everything. He nurtures his hatred of RainClan and LightningClan, particularly the latter, and with a cold, almost calculating manner, develops anything – be it ability, talent or feeling – that he believes will give him an upper hand when he finally will meet each in battle.

This focus, however, rarely comes to the surface. At most, his mentor may sense an intensity about the young tom, but nearly every aspect of his singular ambition is hidden beneath layers of a persona developed to protect him. Very outgoing and seemingly willing to befriend others, Ospreypaw, at the surface, seems the last cat one would expect to be harboring a need for revenge; however, should one look more closely at the shadows haunting his eyes, the idea suddenly seems not so unreasonable. Natural creativity and charm distract most from digging further into the darker recesses of his mind, and a smooth talker, he uses every aspect of this natural charisma he can to his advantage. To those who see only what he wants them to see, this young tom seems almost wild and carefree, quick to flash a smile or crack a joke. It seems as though anyone could be his friend; in fact, he occasionally wonders how many truly believe that they are friends. While he is amicable and open on the surface, the tom guards his heart well, only whole-heartedly trusting himself and his family.

This remaining family is one of the most important aspects of his life. The attack on StoneClan and subsequent loss of a considerable portion of his family has left him with a very protective outlook in regards to the remaining cats, particularly toward Skunkpaw, on whom the effects of the attack are clear to him. Never again would he be helpless when his family needed him.

For this reason, he also tries to seem infallible, unbeatable. The circumstances beyond his control have made him independent and self-sufficient, and a point of pride for him is how he has adapted in the absence of parents. He believes that he is fully capable of taking care of himself, and as such, detests being treated like a cat his age: one hardly an apprentice. To him, this treatment suggests a dependence on others, something which he plans on never experiencing in his life. Likewise, pity implies weakness in him, a quality which he has gone to great lengths to avoid. He loathes it when others pity him for losing most of his family at a young age, and doing so is an unforgivable act in his mind.

As for the attack itself, very rarely, if at all, does he ever directly address it. Conversation on it brings up memories he would rather not confront, and in an effort to avoid any discussion, he acts as though he is unaffected by it, brushing the topic aside as quickly as possible. In truth, however, it has instilled in him insomniac behavior. Haunted by nightmares which only harden his resolve to enact revenge on Whiteshade and Rookfrost, Ospreypaw rarely gets a full night of sleep, worsened, perhaps, by the near darkness every night brings. Once rather fond of the pitch black, he now fears it, wary of the shadows. Though it has not brought him to the point of paranoia, his imagination finds it easy to conjure up lithe forms lurking in the shadows. The dread that fills his gut at the prospect of night every day is not an easy burden to shoulder, but he is hard pressed to admit such a weakness.

But that was when he was an apprentice Now, Ospreywing has matured into a seemingly well-adjusted tom with a hidden ruthlessness just beneath the surface. Perhaps most notably, his singular drive for revenge on the cats who killed his parents has morphed over time. His hatred for LightningClan and RainClan is not any weaker, but his motivations have shifted toward something he can actively pursue without having to track down two of LightningClan’s most formidable toms. For now, he has turned his determination toward keeping his remaining family alive and well, no matter what. Very few cats in this world truly mean something to him, but Skunkspots is on the top of the list. Having lost everyone else, he refuses to lose her too. But instead of showing by hovering around his sister, this goal manifests itself in his desire to keep StoneClan strong – or if everything is falling apart, at least maintain the façade of strength. They need warriors who can fight and can fight well, and he believes that the most important thing any apprentice can learn is how to effectively use their claws. In the end, when the battlefield arrives as it always does, that’s all that really matters.

His divided loyalty between his family and his clan has the potential to put him in an awkward position, but there will never be any question who he will pick. It will always be Skunkspots. He put his faith in StoneClan once to fight off the intruders and keep his family alive, and he lost almost everyone dear to him. Ospreywing learned his lesson. He won’t be trusting them defend his loved ones without some back up plan, and that plan is him.

Believing the ends justify the means, he has no qualms about breaking the code to accomplish his goals and keep everyone important to him alive. Unlike StoneClan, his top priority is not as much winning the war as it is keeping threats away from his family. Violence is a language he understands, and since he has witnessed two battles during his formative years, it’s no surprise that teeth and claws come almost more naturally than speech. Instinctively quick to lash out when tensions rise at the border, he has managed to find enough self-control to ensure that he did not strike the first blow. But that does not mean he is above taunting the other side into a fight. Similarly, he knows that the enemy – there is always an enemy – will have no reservations about playing dirty. His trust in the other clans to uphold the Warrior Code or fight with any sort of honor was shattered along with everything else the night StormClan attacked.

Ospreywing carries the scars of a generation of StoneClan cats, and there is so much discord beneath the surface that he has barely given any thought toward the happier aspects of life. Having trained hard to build up his own strength so that he might be able to actually protect his loved ones whenever the next battle occurred (and there would always be another fight, he knew), he never really took the time to enjoy the little things like stretching out on a warm rock or climbing atop the largest rock and feeling the wind blow through his fur. Romance makes the list too. True emotional intimacy is rather intimidating to a tom who has always put on a show to hide what lurks beneath the surface, and he does not want to fall for someone only to lose them. Similarly, he is reluctant to bring more innocent kits into a world that will inevitably cause them so much pain.

History:

The only tom in Minkfur’s and Beetlenose’s second litter, Ospreykit had every promise of a happy future with a loving family. He and his two sisters, Skunk-kit and Pebblekit, got along well enough, and Badgerfang and Cricketleap would always be there to help him should he need it.

Then everything changed when the Fire Nation StormClan attacked. Cowering in the nursery, he could do nothing but watch as wave upon wave of cats entered the sanctuary that their camp had become. Helplessness flooded him, tearing at his heart, as both his father and mother were slaughtered before his eyes. The former, Beetlenose, met his end in the form of a black tom with cold gray eyes; Ospreykit could never forget the calculating, indifferent way with which the tom – Rookfrost of LightningClan, in fact – dispatched his father. In turn, Minkfur was cut down by a red-eyed demon from the same clan, who, though not as cold, was merciless in his own right: Whiteshade. It was only after they had been forced to flee, Ospreykit hanging from some unknown warrior’s jaws in a state of shock, that he received another blow. Badgerfang and Pebblekit, who had become lost in the commotion, had perished as well.

Taking shelter with the rest of his clan in the mountain range surrounding the territories, Ospreypaw has worked to recover from the ordeal and piece his life back into a semblance of something normal.

- trained under Blacksmoke
- earned warrior name by winning fighting competition in apprentice games

Other: Theme song to come, though Stray Cat Strut sums up his outgoing attitude pretty well.