[Fawn]

Name: Vultureback
Age: 43 Moons
Gender: Tom
Clan: RainClan
Rank: Senior Warrior

Picture:

Second Picture

Description:

In all sincerity, Vultureback looks too heavy, too bulky, to thick-furred to be able to swim. Any Non-RainClanner who hasn't seen him actually cross a river would just assume his weight would carry him to the bottom like an enormous furry rock, but they'd be mistaken. While Vultureback is by no means the king of grace and elegance, he is a very strong swimmer, his balance is very good due to those large splotch-patterned paws and thick center of gravity. The downside to swimming for Vultureback, however, is the hours it takes for his fur to dry.

His uneven coat is thick and can support a substantial amount of water, making this already tremendous warrior feel heavy and possibly weigh even more than he already does. His coat color itself is unique in it's trifecta of brown, cream and black splashes of color. The enormous plumed tail on this shaggy warrior shows variegated hues of brown shades, creamy swatches and a dominant blackish-gray color that seems to be everywhere at once. The most predominant color on Vultureback's body is black, and his face sports much of the mottling, his cheeks and sides of his face fluffy cream and tan, while black flows down from his tufted ears between his eyes, covering his nose in black and the upper part of his muzzle. His chin and parts of his whiskerpads are cream with flecks and splashes of black, with a hint of tan found somewhere amidst the other two colors. Both his back paws are 'mitted' in cream, while the lower part of his front legs are speckled with black and cream that eventually ends in solid black at his enormous fluffy paws. He has fur between all his toes, but his claws are so long they aren't tampered by the extra fuzz.

Vultureback's eyes are a very pale, almost snake-like green, outlined in black and giving him an almost perpetual look of intensity. His whiskers are long an disorderly, some curling at the ends, others as straight as a tree trunk, but they all stand out against his salt-and-peppered fur.

It's extremely difficult to see, but Vultureback is not without his scarring. A battle wound has been scoured into his left shoulder from a battle with the NightClan tom Blackwolf, leaving a rather unsightly scar beneath all that thick, coarse fur. His underbelly shows signs of heavy raking, but only when wet can you see the pock-marks and actual scarring from what looks like a dozen fights. His left ear is tattered at the base, but still stands erect, and his leathery nose has a scratch through it.

If you think he looks bad, you should see the other cats.

Description Summary: Bulky mottled black, white and tan tom with very light green eyes.

Personality:

Vultureback has always been a cat of social-independence, never needing the acceptance of others to be happy – he is able to be content with his own abilities and achievements. This more than likely stems from growing up with two parents who were at war with each other – when they were too busy dealing with their own issues, they just didn't have time for him as much as they should've. Rather than seek their approval, Vultureback got used to relying on himself to fill the void their neglect continuously opened up. Self-sufficient and incredibly disciplined when it comes to himself, he stands up because no one's helping him, but because he has the strength to stand on his own four paws: though his mentor, Bluestream, is a cat whose opinion he values highly, now that he has matured into a fully-fledged adult, he is not so hungry for her praise and acceptance any more.

So long as he has her respect, he doesn't need anything else from the old scarred up she-cat.

Being self-reliant to the extreme, Vultureback has a habit of never asking for help, nor expecting any. There was once a time in his youth where the idea of asking for help offended him, the concept that he could ever be so weak as to rely on another cat was preposterous and hurtful to his pride. A great deal has happened since then, and Vultureback, with his enormously high ability to adapt and overcome, had developed a brand new reason for not really wanting the help of other cats. Weakness does not equate worthlessness, he is not so arrogant as to think it would, but to Vultureback, weakness is the same thing as limitation. He doesn't like to limit himself and his abilities by allowing his mind to think in terms of strengths and weaknesses; he's very much a 'if I think I can do it, I probably can' strategist, preferring to use willpower and his experience to see him through some tough situations rather than the guidance of others.

Though barely at the age to be considered a senior warrior, Vultureback is aware of his new position as a 'role model' for the apprentices and younger warriors, and while he is particularly bad at accepting advice, is not above giving a few crucial pieces of advice himself. Again, he is poor at accepting the wise words of others for less noble reasons than anyone would like to think; Vultureback has his pride, and to have someone talk down to him – even if they are older – is one of those things that ties his tail in a knot. If it's one thing he can't stand, it's being disrespected and underestimated.

While it isn't often that Vultureback has to prove his strength or intelligent or speed against an opponent, Vultureback has always been that cat who meets his challenges head on, though he's not a beast who knows only to fight and revel in bloodshed. He's a seasoned warrior who can see things a 'whippersnapper' might be inclined to miss – like a crucial opening. Vultureback is an expert on learning from past mistakes, both on and off the battlefield.

As far as sympathy goes, Vultureback's a bit lacking. If you come to him with your problems, unless you're a very close friend, he's likely to just instruct you to deal with it rather than get involved. He's a strong believer in 'if fate deals you a bad hand, just play the hand you were dealt.' This might seem like giving up or brushing people off, but to Vultureback it's neither. In his eyes, a cat's ability to evolve with the situation will be their most valuable asset. If the river runs out of fish, learn to hunt. If the camp floods, build a new camp somewhere else. Adapt and overcome. It might as well be his personal motto, for how strongly he believes it.

Despite his apparent aloofness when it comes to the problems of others, Vultureback is dependable, with a strong sense of punctuality – he's rarely late for anything, and nothing short of death would deter him from arriving on time – and a commitment to the decisions he makes. Though his current personality is likely to see him at the bottom of a very big hole he's dug for himself, what with his resistance of outside help and inability to take any advice but his own, for now he's been going through life with the same strategies and tactics that have worked for him thus far.

Though he is a bit lacking in the 'care' department towards society, Vultureback is by no means friendless or unfriendly: he considers himself close with Yellowbelly, his former apprentice, Bluestream, his former mentor, and he has a big brother's love and protectiveness over his two little sisters (half siblings), Lilypaw and Tricklepaw, who have recently become apprentices. His large size and his rough, tough, concrete method of speaking and dealing with situations makes him come off as a bit frightening to those that don't know him, but once that gap has been bridged, anyone hanging around Vultureback is bound to see that while he is more bite than bark, he usually doesn't bite without very good reason.

Positive Traits: 'Big Brother' type of personality, very emotionally and physically strong. Perseveres, self-confident, decisive, dedicated and with high adaption skills. Proud, though a little arrogant and socially aloof. Fondness for his siblings and apprentices. Usually has great clarity when it comes to decision-making.

Negative Traits: Doesn't handle disrespect well, and can't take advice. Relies on his own abilities too much. Has a "you've made your bed now lay in it" approach to life and to others. Romantically awkward, at odds with his father, though he's reliable he's not particularly sympathetic. Roughneck.

History:

Kithood: Vultureback was born to Shellfur and Otterclaw, and was the only kit of their only litter together. Perhaps because of the 'decayed' relationship between herself and Otterclaw, their relationship having fallen apart after she noticed him lusting after his former apprentice, Ivytail, Shellfur bitterly named their son Vulturekit. Notwithstanding the messy break up of his parents, Vulturekit's life in his early moons were happy, ordinary, though his mottled pelt had some of the queens and elders talking, both parties finding his coat pattern to be rather unusual. The elder Peachtail swore to StarClan above that his colorful pelt was an omen of a dark nature, as though each color represented something negative about Shellfur and Otterclaw – that he had inherited the worst of each parent, respectfully.

Vulturekit, utterly unaware of such rude, ominous talk, carried on playing with the other kits in the nursery and gamboling around in good spirits, while his mother looked on in weary – but her fears were unfounded. Though his life would have it's hardships, he would at least grow up into a cat of incorrigible integrity.


Apprenticeship: Vulturekit, alongside his den mates, Minnowkit and Pikekit, became an apprentice, given to Bluestream as the next in a long line of mostly successful pupils. Bluestream was a battleworn she-cat with more scars and damaged body parts than he'd ever seen on any cat before; though she walked with a slight limp (made worse in the wintertime), her ears were shredded, her tail was bent, and one of her eyes had a long, nasty looking scar through it, though her vision was still as sharp as sharks' teeth. At first the newly apprenticed Vulturepaw had actually been a bit scared of her – but compared to his first impressions of her, Bluestream was as jovial and kind-spirited as a nursery queen! Well, outside of the battlefield, anyway. Vulturepaw learned an immense amount from the aged she-cat, and he further dedicated himself to his training after she confessed that he was to be her last apprentice before she retired. Wanting her to leave the warriors' den with a strong sense of fulfillment, Vulturepaw sought ways to make her and the Clan proud.

It was one such endeavor that almost cost him his life – or at least part of his face. After having heard of a strange, carnivorous fish entering the river on their territory, all apprentices were advised to stay away from it, as it was large and very dangerous – not for a warrior-in-the-making to handle. Did Vulturepaw heed such a strong warning? Nope. Rounding up his same-age apprentice friends – Minnowpaw, Magnoliapaw, Willowpaw and Pikepaw – Vulturepaw set off with his posse to go hunt down this river monster and kill it for the glory (and for the food!).

However, the youngsters soon came to realize that their ambitious plan was only half the size of the beast they actually encountered; learning the true meaning of Pikepaw's namesake, Vulturepaw and his friends came face to face with a full grown freshwater pike from up north. Having wound up in the stream on sheer accident, the 'river wolf' nearly bit off Vulturepaw's face when he'd leaned in too close – and that was enough for reality to set in for him and his friends. However, with Vulturepaw's substantial size and even bigger determination, he couldn't just let the story end like that. Using an entirely mousebrained idea that involved using Minnowpaw's tail as bait, the apprentices banded together and killed the pike, hauling it ashore and back to RainClan camp with enough pride to outshine the sun.

They were of course scolded within an inch of their lives, but the looks on their Clanmates' faces and the begrudging respect and praise from Bluestream had been worth it.



Warriorhood:

It was not the incident and victory with the pike that warranted a warrior's ceremony for young Vulturepaw. Instead, it was something much more admirable that served to make Bluestream very very proud. Vulturepaw had been sent to retrieve a small cache of fish caught earlier in the day that one of the warriors had forgotten about, when he'd crashed right into a pair of loners feasting on the cache! They were actually the two fish-stealers the RainClan leader had warned them about; not able to make this connection at the time, Vulturepaw fought tooth and claw over the remaining uneaten fish. To be fair, he hadn't attacked first – they had. Thinking they could overwhelm the apprentice by themselves, the pupil of Bluestream packed quite a powerful bite, and he was by no means lacking muscle or ferocity. Holding them off alone until the patrol heard the noise and came running, Vulturepaw had ignored the heavy scratches and normally battle-finishing bites, focusing only on protecting what didn't belong to them.

Scratched, bitten, and with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Bluestream herself had escorted her apprentice back to camp, where she confronted the RainClan leader to make him a warrior right then and there.

The first of his friends to leave the apprentices' den, Vulturepaw became Vultureback, a warrior known for his resilience and unwavering bravery in the face of unfavorable odds.

13 Moons – 18 Moons: There had been no denying the chemistry between Vulturepaw and Magnoliapaw towards the end of their apprenticeship, and this carried over into their warriorhood. Vultureback, having no real experience with romance, let alone a clear example to go on, hooked up with the first she-cat to bat her eyelashes at him and tell him she needed him. There was no mistaking that he felt good around Magnoliablossom, a cat he'd grown up with, but their relationship wasn't quite as deep as they both thought it was. At 17 moons, Magnoliablossom proudly announced that she was pregnant with his kits. Shocked and unprepared, it took this jolt to the system for Vultureback to realize that his heart truly wasn't hers, that the emotions he'd been feeling hadn't really been love, but simply an extreme fondness for a friend, not a lover. Despite the sudden clarity, Vultureback vowed to stick around for the kits, not wanting to have the distant relationship with his kits like the one he had with his own father.

In the middle of Newleaf, Magnoliablossom gave birth to 4 healthy kits – they were beautiful, really, but they also weren't his. Contrary to what everyone else expected, Vultureback was relieved rather than angry, the young, inexperienced warrior grateful he didn't have to jump headfirst into fatherhood quite yet. The anger didn't come until a few days later, when he realized his mate had cheated on him at some point during their relationship; it wasn't the fact that Magnoliablossom had been unfaithful that bothered him, it was the actual gesture. Still, he learned that it was best to not dwell on the past – not when he had so much to look forward to in the future.

23 Moons – 28 Moons:

At 23 moons, Vultureback was given Pebblepaw as his first apprentice. Not having much interactions with she-cats besides Magnoliablossom and Willowsong, his former mate and kithood friend, Vultureback wasn't entirely sure how to go about training Pebblepaw. After some brief words with the now retired Bluestream, the warrior learned to treat her the same as he would a young tom apprentice, Bluestream insisting that any sort of 'soft treatment' would only be seen as offensive to someone who truly wanted to learn.

In spite of his unbiased approach, the difference in their genders was ultimately the result of their failure as mentor and apprentice; Pebblepaw developed a crush on Vultureback, the kind that grew strong with age as well as made him uncomfortable. Still recovering from his ordeal with Magnoliablossom, Vultureback wasn't quite ready to plunge into the dating world once more, and least of all with his apprentice. Deciding it was best for the both of them, A few moons before Pebblepaw was to turn 12 moons, he had it arranged with the RainClan leader so that Pikefang would take over from there. Pikefang, as it turned out, had been the real father to Magnoliablossom's kits, and they had announced themselves as mates a moon and a half after Vultureback and Magnoliablossom broke up – so there was no danger of Pikefang developing feelings for Pebblepaw. Though the she-cat was heartbroken, Vultureback steeled his heart and carried on as usual, trying to put the awkward, disastrous first apprenticeship behind him.


31 Moons: This time around, the older, slightly more mature Vultureback was given Yellowpaw as an apprentice; Yellowpaw, for starters, was a tom, and even better was a tom who liked to walk on the wildside and tackle things head on. Feeling a certain amount of kinship with his second apprentice, their student and teacher experience was fairly easy with few bumps along the way, Yellowpaw's enthusiasm more than making up for Pebblepaw's inappropriate affection. There was one ordeal that will forever be marked in their minds as having taken at least 20 moons off their lifespan:

Hollowstar had warned the whole of RainClan of a beaver damming up the widest part of the river, inevitably blocking most of the fish from getting downstream. With careful instruction from their leader, a large party of warriors and the oldest apprentices headed up river to deal with the threat head on. Of these warriors and apprentices, Vultureback and Yellowpaw were among those chosen. Their job was to dismantle part of the beaver's den, while most of the warriors drove the beaver off. However, their experience with dismantling beaver dens was close to none, and a few logs too many were loosened, nearly drowning Vultureback and Yellowpaw in their efforts to collapse the structure. Soggy, bedraggled but victorious, Vultureback can still remember the ridiculous grin they both shared, realizing how close they'd come to joining StarClan – but hell, it had been kind of fun.

New Additions to the Family:

At the age of 36 moons, the seasoned warrior was there to welcome two new family members into the world, his mother having given birth to Lilykit and Tricklekit, fathered by her new mate Troutstripe. Despite them being only half-siblings, Vultureback loved them just the same, and has taken on the role of the mighty, unconquerable big brother quite well.

Shortly after his half-sisters were born, Yellowpaw became Yellowbelly, and it was right around this time that trouble with a kithood friend began.

As it turns out, Vultureback's den mate Minnowpelt had been in love with a she-cat loner for sometime now; however, she had given him a preposition upon letting slip the information that she was carrying his kits. Minnowpelt could leave RainClan and come with her, or they could part ways here and his kits would grow up without knowing their father. Emotionally torn, Minnowpelt had spilled everything one night to Vultureback down near Willow Stream, his friend devastated at the impossible decision. Though Vultureback was shocked, he was aware that the proverbial fire had already been lit, and all he could do was help minimize the damage. It had been Vultureback's suggestion that Minnowpelt somehow convince his mate to try and join RainClan; though both toms were aware of RainClan's enormous pride in their pure Clan blood, they both agreed that it was better RainClan gained more future warriors instead of losing one. This gamble only worked because of the prosperity and plentiful fish that came with late Newleaf and early Greenleaf, Hollowstar conceding that Minnowpelt's pregnant mate could join the Clan on the condition that, if their kits did not prove themselves loyal, they would be kicked out of RainClan.

Minnowpelt as well was not allowed to mentor an apprentice for quite some time, until he had re-earned the Clan's trust once more. Minnowpelt's mate, previously known as Clover, became Cloverleaf, and their kits were named Reedkit, Rootkit and Rowankit.

Vultureback had suffered a great deal of secondhand stress from his friend's predicament, and none outside of Minnowpelt and Cloverleaf were gladder than he when the whole ordeal finally came to a close. Now 43 moons and due for his next apprentice, Vultureback has been taking life in strides, grateful that he is free of the struggles some of his Clanmates are forced to endure, but looking forward to the next few stages of his life now that he's become a senior warrior.

He still seeks counsel with Bluestream whenever he's in need of guidance, and his relationship with both his father Otterclaw and his first apprentice, Pebblewhisker, have vastly improved. He is still very very fond of Yellowbelly, the warrior like the younger brother he never had.

RP Example:

He looked too big to be allowed.

Climbing from the river with a large trout clamped between bear-like jaws, Vultureback shook the water from his pelt, splattering the surrounding trees with moisture. Noticing a pair of blue and amber eyes glued to him as though he were about to get up and do the polka, Vultureback turned with a nondescript grunt, ears flicking as two apprentices shrank back against each other, sheepish at their gawking.

The two apprentices made to break away the second the colossal warrior approached, their fear of him overcoming the usual politeness that came with greeting a senior warrior, but Vultureback, for all his size, was much faster than they. Dropping a heavy wet paw upon their tails, the apprentices were subsequently yanked backward almsot comically landing beneath him, his scarred muzzle pointing down as he fixed an intensely pale green gaze upon them. The two apprentices wilted beneath him, looking terrified.

With a particularly loud 'slap', the fish landed onto the ground just past their heads. They flinched, staring into the burly senior warrior's face as he stood over them like a behemoth of death - but then he chuckled, pawing the dead trout with one large, hairy limb.
"Hungry? Have that, then go catch some for the elders."

Relieved that he wasn't going to eat them, the apprentices immediately perked up, the sister and brother pair sliding their tails out from under his paw to stand before him, greeting him with a proper dip of their heads. "Sorry! We...we sort of thought..." Said the tom, awkwardly shuffling his paws. His sister was quick to smooth things over, "Thank you for the fish! You'll have to show us how to catch ones that big!" The two intending to carry it off to eat, they each took one side of it and attempted an awkwardly coordinated effort to bring it under a nearby willow tree. Vultureback let out a deep snort.

"Shellpaw, Flintpaw, do you two know how to gut a trout?" asked the hefty tom with a vigorous shake of his pelt, shedding it of even more water.

The apprentices turned around messily, letting out 'no!'s around the savory trout they were carrying.

Vultureback's tone dropped like a stone into some very serious waters;
"Disrespect your elders again, and I'll show you how."

There was no such clumsiness when the apprentices nodded so hard he thought their heads would fall off, their fear lending them cooperation in their efforts to get away from the tyrannical tom with a temper worst than a hundred storms - or so they'd heard. It wasn't safe to ask him directly.

What followed after the silence left by the apprentices scurrying away like mice from a mountain lion was Vultureback's low chuckles. Kits these days. You'd think I was some kind of monster? Already wet and having given away his second catch of the day to the brother and sister pair, Vultureback returned to the water, sliding in with more control and dignity than anyone had thought him capable, tufted ears flicking high above the water level like two miniature flag posts.

Other:

Theme Songs: Second Chance by Shinedown.
Diamond Eyes Shinedown.