[Fawn]

Name: Graniteclaw
Age: 12 Moons
Gender: Tom
Clan: StoneClan
Rank: Warrior

Picture: Warrior Appearance (1)

Warrior Appearance (2)

Current Appearance


Description:

You Hid Your Skeletons, When I Had Shown You Mine

Rather than sport his father's more muscular, bulkier build, Granitepaw has a lighter, lither, more streamlined appearance, with short fur and a neat bone-structure to match. His name stems from his obvious coat color, which is a gray and tan-ticked hue with lighter points along his throat, the insides of his arms and legs, and along his belly. The markings along this young tom's face are not as distinctive as either parent's, and are instead a subtle blend of creamy-white to tan underneath his eyes and covering his entire muzzle. His nose is pink, his short, narrow whiskers are white, and the insides of his ears are also a subtler shade of pink than his nose.

The smallness and slenderness of his legs make it look as though he is walking on the tips of his toes, which gives him an almost feminine appearance, but it's likely that as he fills out and puts on more muscle, this will be less noticeable. The fur at the end of his tail comes together in a dark tip, and he sports a long, rough-looking scar along his back left leg that has taken a full moon to finally heal properly. His expression is usually fixed in a stare so serious, it's as if he's always in some sort of unpleasant or very deep mood, which can cause others to give him a wide berth, as he is known for his short temper.

Description Summary: A lithe, short-furred gray and tan tom with yellowish-green eyes and a long scar on his left foreleg.

Personality:

Weep Not For Roads Untraveled

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Granitepaw possesses a personality that's been shaped by hardship; the loss of his mother at a young age has hardened him, the inadequate parenting style of his father has shaped him into a young tom who primarily looks after himself and expects others to do the same. A betrayal he suffered at such a young age has turned Granitepaw into a cat who is not necessarily pointlessly mistrustful of others, just distant, hard to connect with, with an obvious barrier placed between himself and those who make an attempt to get to know him. Granitepaw is intent upon walking his path alone, building a tough, almost hostile exterior that doesn't allow much room for friendship. Though he puts on a rock-like front, Granitepaw has been emotionally damaged, and rather than overcome or mend the wound he's been given, Granitepaw instead ignores it, following a philosophy that all problems can be solved by forgetting them, that if he ignores any problem that exists, it will eventually go away.
This is a philosophy that will one day catch up with him in an unpleasant way, but Granitepaw is either unaware of this, or he is aware of it and sticks to this philosophy regardless of what might happen as a result.

Granitepaw is a kitten that has learned early on that life isn't one big basket of roses, and as such he has a slightly pessimistic view of the world -- at least things like death or accidents or any sort of bad news doesn't take him by surprise anymore. In his mind, the world is full of three types of cats; cats who will get ahead through deception and other dark means, cats who will get ahead through hard work and perseverance, and lastly, cats who will neither get ahead or fall back, they simply exist, meandering through life at a reasonable pace. Granitepaw considers himself part of the latter group, and has no intentions of changing that. Because of the betrayal he faced at such a young age, this apprentice is now a cat who has a difficult time forgiving others, and his expectations have lowered in regards to everyone but himself, and he lacks total interest in the affairs of his fellow Clanmates.

Other cats might view his loner behavior as a cry for help, but he would sooner choke on a pine cone than admit he is in need of companionship or any sort of interaction at all. To minimize talking and getting close with his fellow Clanmates, Granitepaw follows the rules down to the letter (though this is definitely contributed to how much he suffered when the rules were broken before), and tends to generally not give things a great deal of thought beyond how much time it's going to take to do them.

Granitepaw isn't all rain-clouds and buckets of aloofness and seclusion; oddly enough, he possesses a peculiar interest in birds. Not only can he name almost all of them found in the Valley, he has eyes sharp enough that he can spot them from a considerable distance away. Granitepaw isn't exactly sentimental towards them, he has no issues at all with hunting/killing birds, but he does allow himself a certain amount of admiration towards the hawks/falcons/eagles he occasionally sees going after their prey. Perhaps it's because birds seem to transcend their problems and petty squabbles that he's grown fascinated with them, or maybe it's just a childish interest he's never out grown, he doesn't really know.

Despite the hardships and emotional upheavals he'd had to face, Granitepaw actually isn't the type of person to avoid confrontation. Though he's not one to go out of his way to step on someone else's toes or say something spiteful or rude, if he is mistreated, he lashes out like a cornered animal. Sensitive, abrasive and with claws sharpened by mistrust and self-inflicted isolation, Granitepaw is a difficult cat to get to know, but on the rare occasion that he does let someone in, they will be surprised to find out that he's not as bad as he wants everyone to believe he is. There is a layer of loyalty and kindness that hasn't quite been tapped into just yet.

History:

Like An Army,
Falling,
One By One By One

The First Few Moons:
During a chilly, gray morning towards the end of Leafbare, Granitekit and Slatekit were born to a StoneClan queen by the name of Lilystripe and a StoneClan warrior called Dustclaw. Granitekit and his sister Slatekit resembled their parents greatly, though Granitekit had been born a lighter shade of his gray-tabby mother, minus the distinctive markings. His sister Slatekit sported the darker grayish-black fur of their father, Dustclaw. Dustclaw was somewhat awkward as a parent, and always seemed just a little uncomfortable in the nursery, as if being surrounded by so many tiny, fragile little lives made him nervous and mindful of every breath he took. Though he was awkward, it was obvious that he cared very deeply for his family, and his mate, Lilystripe.

Granitekit's warm kinship with Lilystripe and Slatekit was cut dramatically, horrifically short.

The end of Leafbare saw an outbreak of whitecough, and despite the best efforts of StoneClan's medicine cat, Slatekit left her family behind and went to join her ancestors in StarClan. Perhaps in effort to hold on to life and survive for the sake of her one remaining kit, Lilystripe held on a lot longer than Slatekit did. As his mother was quarantined in the Medicine Cat's den when he was 3 moons old, and his father hovered anxiously around it, Granitekit could do nothing but feel worried and anxious, still scared and grieving over the loss of his sister. Though his father tried to console him and get him to believe that his mother was going to pull through, the unspeakable happened, and Dustclaw's words, and heart, were broken beyond repair.

After the loss of his mate, Dustclaw retreated from reality and his responsibilities as father, shocked and grieving, he became absorbed in his morning rather than in the tiny life Lilystripe had left in his care. Granitekit was more or less raised by the other queens in the nursery, but it was obvious he felt somehow guilty or unwanted due to his father's actions.

At last, his sixth moon was upon him, and Granitekit became Granitepaw, the apprentice to Shadeclaw.

Apprenticeship:

Though his apprenticeship under Shadeclaw lasted only 2 1/2 moons, it was a 2 1/2 moons Granitepaw will never ever forget.
What Granitepaw got from Shadeclaw was something he hadn't gotten from anyone else before; acknowledgement and a sense of worth. Shadeclaw acted as more than a mentor to the kitten, he acted as both a father figure and a fun older brother Granitepaw hadn't realized he'd been needing. Shadeclaw was a knowledgeable, proud cat who had a bit of a teasing streak, and he had a wonderful way of bringing Granitepaw out of his shell and making him feel as though his company was wanted and appreciated. Shadeclaw even went out of his way to try to smooth over the relationship between Dustclaw and Granitepaw, but that was postponed for later, and Shadeclaw instead had Granitepaw focused on his training to pass the time.
A whole month had passed since he had been taken into Shadeclaw's tutelage, and Granitepaw had unknowingly been drawn into Shadeclaw's cleverly laid web as well.

Shadeclaw had started seeing a she-cat from NightClan. Granitepaw, at first, had thought it was a love-affair in the making, and had warned his mentor against such things, but Shadeclaw had insisted it wasn't that kind of relationship. Shadeclaw instead explained that his meetings with the she-cat weren't of the romantic kind, they were of the informative kind. Shadeclaw had been using the she-cat as a spy for the past three or four months, much to Granitepaw's shock and awe. Shadeclaw, now that Granitepaw knew his 'secret', couldn't just let him stroll on through his apprenticeship without being of some use first. Shadeclaw soon had Granitepaw keeping a lookout for these secret meetings, the eager kitten quickly alerting the deceptive tom of any incoming patrols, and he often helped Shadeclaw cover up his tracks and put on a convincing cover if ever caught.

There came a time when Granitepaw did ask why Shadeclaw hadn't shared any of this information with the StoneClan deputy, but Shadeclaw had quickly reassured him that he wanted to collect enough useful proof before he shared it all with the deputy and leader. That was a good enough answer for Granitepaw, the older tom could do no wrong in the eyes of his young, eager apprentice.

It was during the second moon under Shadeclaw's apprenticeship that things played out in a way Granitepaw couldn't have ever imagined.

Two moons after the treachery of Shadeclaw, Granitepaw was given another mentor, Hailstrike. At first the damaged young tom reacted to her with coldness, but with Hailstrike's military-style diligence and almost cold, clear no-nonsense attitude, the young tom was forced to snap into shape or crumble before a cat who had no pity in her heart for a tom who'd done quite enough sulking. A humorous situation involving a mouse-shaped rock and a gimpy leg started a trend of Granitepaw hitting his nose off of things, even going as far as to head-butt a fox when it went after his mentor, Hailstrike. It had been, as she put it, a 'mouse-brained, stupid thing to do', but it was the first glimpse of Granitepaw coming out of his shell - the tom having been afraid of losing another mentor, enough so that he couldn't sit idly by with a weak leg and let her take it on by himself.

It was one stepping stone of many that would bring the two close enough to even be considered friends. She was like the aunt he hadn't known he'd wanted, or an older, very serious sister who lacked a bit of a fun side, but that was okay. Hailstrike turned out to be everything the young tom needed to move on from Shadeclaw.

They spent a great deal of their training at the Sky Pools, where they were able to not only conquer Granitepaw's fear of water, were able to strengthen his leg in a less taxing way than just having him walk around.

There were several bumps in the road for Granitepaw and Hailstrike, the most impacting being the reappearance of Shadeclaw, who easily destroyed the young warrior's confidence after soundly beating him on Granitepaw's and Hailstrike's first mission together. Moons and moons of training had seemingly been crushed beneath his cruel former mentor's talons, but Granitepaw did not have the luxury of sulking for long. Almost returning to the phantom he'd been when Hailstrike had first started to take him on as her pupil, a brief but heartfelt discussion with his mentor had reignited the tiny spark of his self-esteem, and just in time for a fateful final encounter with Shadeclaw.

Meeting again in battle, Shadeclaw, leading a small raid party of rogues with their own issues against StoneClan, attacked Granitepaw and the three others he was with (Eagletalon, Honeynose and Mosspaw). When Shadeclaw went after Mosspaw, Granitepaw seized his former mentor by the tail, the appendage of which had already been damaged before the initial battle, and hadn't been given enough time to heal. Having unknowingly found Shadeclaw's weakest spot, Granitepaw hung on for dear life even when Shadeclaw tried his very best to kill him, all thoughts of Mosspaw forgotten in light of this final reckoning between mentor and apprentice.

Granitepaw came out victorious.

Taking away the tip of Shadeclaw's tail, he also robbed the tom of his name, Shadeclaw now bearing the embarrassing namesake of Halftail, whereas Granitepaw rose up in the ranks that same evening, becoming Graniteclaw before a proud mentor without whom he never would have made it so far.

Now a young warrior of StoneClan, Graniteclaw is ready to move on with his life and embrace whatever is thrown at him, becoming a much more upbeat, outgoing but nevertheless thoughtful tom who is sure to be worth a few conversations at least, now that is, at last, officially put his devils to rest.

You Told Me Yes and Held Me High
And I Believed When You Told That Lie
I Played Soldier, You Played King
And Struck Me Down When I Kissed That Ring
You Lost That Right To Hold That Crown
I Built You Up
But You Let Me Down

It was a week after the gathering that Granitepaw found out about his mentor's true colors. Shadeclaw had left one night to meet with the NightClan she-cat once again, only this time he had ordered Granitepaw to stay home, stating he'd be back sometime in the morning. Obedient and trustful of the older tom as always, Granitepaw did as he was told, though he kept one ear towards the entrance to the warrior's den for the sound of his mentor's returning pawsteps. That morning, the StoneClan camp was alive with the latest piece of news - news concerning Shadeclaw!
Granitepaw had been lied to.

Shadeclaw hadn't been using the she-cat to spy on NightClan, he'd been an agent of NightClan spying on StoneClan, and Granitepaw had unknowingly helped him with his treachery! Shadeclaw had apparently abandoned StoneClan and crossed over into NightClan territory sometime last night with little difficulty, as it was later discovered the tom was half NightClan and half StoneClan. Though it was tough getting into NightClan unless you were related by blood (usually full-blood), the information about StoneClan that he brought with him had been enough to smooth out the path into warriorhood inside NightClan.

Shocked and disbelieving that a cat who was like a big brother to him could do such a thing, Granitepaw went out on his own in search of the truth.

This fateful meeting happened where the river forked into TreeClan and LightningClan territory. Granitepaw and Shadeclaw met by happenstance on either side of the river, Shadeclaw able to calmly look into the eyes of a cat who had trusted, liked and believed in him so much. It wasn't to say Shadeclaw was heartless, he had cared for Granitepaw like a brother, but to Shadeclaw, there was a difference between like a brother and an actual blood relative. In Shadeclaw's eyes, blood was thicker than water, and lasting longer than any stone ever could.
Granitepaw demanded the truth from Shadeclaw, though it wasn't really the truth he wanted - it was soothing words that would tell him it was all just a big misunderstanding, or another one of Shadeclaw's plans to spy on NightClan.

What he got was a proverbial hard slap to the face. Shadeclaw admitted to using him, admitted to gaining his trust if only for the sake of manipulating it later, and worst of all, he thanked the young apprentice for the hand he had played in Shadeclaw's insidious plot. Agonized and in emotional shock, Granitepaw lost his footing on the river bank, slicing open his leg on a jagged piece of rock and tumbling head first into the churning waters.

The deepest cut of all, however, was when Shadeclaw turned away from him, heading off in the direction of NightClan - content with letting Granitepaw's sorry life come to an end at the bottom of the river. Having been found by a StoneClan search party, Granitepaw was rescued and treated by the StoneClan medicine cat, but no amount of cobwebs and poppy seeds could heal or dull the emotional wound he'd been given.

The cut and the betrayal had Granitepaw spending a half-moon in and out of the medicine cat's den, forced to watch as other mentors and apprentices went about their tutelage with an honesty and compassion he hadn't been fortunate enough to experience. Having made a full recovery, as well as gotten in touch with his distant father, Granitepaw is now physically ready to resume his role as apprentice underneath another mentor.
Whether or not he's emotionally ready for it, is another thing entirely.

One thing is for sure though, the next time he sees Shadeclaw, the Ex-StoneClan tom will be made to feel the full brunt of Granitepaw's agony and hatred.

So When You Fall, I'll Take My Turn
And Fan the Flames As Your Blazes Burn.

RP Example: (May put in later, but otherwise the bio is complete).

Other: Song quotes used were (In order of appearance):
Powerless
Roads Untraveled
My Remains
Burn it Down.

All are by Linkin Park, and "Burn It Down" can be considered a song that summarizes his whole relationship with Shadeclaw.

Because of what happened at the river, Granitepaw has a fear of large bodies of water that he will eventually need to get over.
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