Post by dylan on Feb 5, 2022 6:56:06 GMT
| Basic Info Name: Oakpelt / Oak Desired Name: *Oakbreeze* Allegiance: Loner Rank: N/A Age: 13 (Born Worm Moon 2020) Sex: Male |  |
Appearance
 | Oak has a dark brown and black coat. He is both large and muscular. He has bright, piercing green eyes and a shaggy tail. Blessed with the good fortune of thick fur, he is a capable of withstanding even the coldest and windiest days on the moor. Due to past mistreatment, there are a few stretches of scarred and hairless tissue, though he does his best to groom over the imperfections so as to avoid appearing weak. |
Family
Mother: Dustwing (devout believer in the importance of the Clans; easily manipulated by Birchtail)
Father: Birchtail (believer in the importance of being a powerful warrior (which just so happens to overlap with many of the ideals of the Clans); aggressive; manipulative)
Siblings: Kestrelwing (perceptive; believer in the importance of the Clans)
Personality
Mother: Dustwing (devout believer in the importance of the Clans; easily manipulated by Birchtail)
Father: Birchtail (believer in the importance of being a powerful warrior (which just so happens to overlap with many of the ideals of the Clans); aggressive; manipulative)
Siblings: Kestrelwing (perceptive; believer in the importance of the Clans)
Personality
Ever since he was an apprentice, Oak has been very inquisitive and curious about the world around him, often spending time alone to philosophize about the world and his place in it. He tends to disagree with many of the generally accepted notions about how the world works, and how it used to work. He is an independent thinker, but is easily stuck in his ways once he forms them, usually unwilling to budge from his personally crafted ideals. Being a young and generally inexperienced cat when it comes to life, many of his ideas are idealistic and naïve, so it will be a challenge for him as he gains more knowledge and understanding to adapt his current philosophies. He disagrees with the idea that dogs were the cause of the Clans' demise. Being the skeptic he is, he believes the Clans themselves led to their own downfall, causing a rift between himself and his family, who subscribe to "in Clans we trust".
In general, he's very distrusting of others, as he's currently a loner who is aware the devastation that can come from groups. At the same time, he understands the need to ally yourself with others, so this is a fundamental struggle for him to overcome. He enjoys meeting others and getting to know them a bit, but it is very hard for him to ever fully trust another cat and get too close to them. It's not that he's shy, but simply that he always has in the back of his mind that anyone could betray him at any time. At the same time, he can't yet be trusted or depended on by others. He recognizes that others could betray him, so he can't in good conscience allow himself to be complacent. As a result, he often bolts from undeveloped relationships out of his own protection, at least that's the way he justifies it. If a cat betrays him, or he perceives there to be a betrayal, he will never trust that cat again.
For all his guarded and distrusting tendencies, he's very brave and won't back down from a fight if necessary. That isn't to say he seeks out fights; he's smart and understands his own mortality, and that an injury, even minor, could have grave consequences for a loner like himself. He is very ambitious and seeks greatness for himself, though he isn't yet sure where that greatness would manifest itself. He'd been hearing rumblings and rumors of the Clans resurfacing; perhaps his legacy could be in preventing those rumors from coming to fruition.
He often takes a long time to analyze potential consequences of actions, which can have both positive and negative effects. While it prevents him from making rash or ill-informed decisions, it also puts him at risk of missing important events or information that might occur while he's contemplating a past event. In other words, it can overwhelm him.
In summary, Oak is a greatly conflicted cat, challenged by his strong-held but ultimately uninformed and naïve understanding of the world. He has the intelligence and bravery to one day become a great warrior, but he will do all in his power to prevent that fate from befalling him.
| Positive | Negative | Likes | Dislikes |
Inquisitive Philosophical Skeptical Independent Brave Ambitious Deliberate Intelligent Proud | Naive Stubborn Untrusting Untrustworthy Deliberate Unhappy Unforgiving Vain | Clear skies Wind Solitude Meeting Others Rabbits Hunting | Clans Storms Gathering Tree Violence Rain Stupidity Liars |
History
According to legends, one of Oak's direct ancestors, perhaps a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, lived and fought within the Clans. The stories were passed down from generation to generation of a noble, ferocious fighter called Cinderclaw. All those distant moons ago, Cinderclaw resided on the moors of WindClan, serving loyally as the Clan's deputy. His life came to an end on that fateful night of the collapse of the Clans, as told by his daughter Brightbreeze. As she remembered it, she was a queen to several kits on that night, providing unwavering protection from all dangers.
She used to say how she would never forget the guttural screams of violence and terror as her Clanmates streaked madly into the camp, and that the horrified group that returned, battered and bleeding, was a mere shell of the proud and determined congregation that had left just hours before. She distinctly recalled them howling "Dogs! They're coming right for us!" Her immediate confusion and desperation to understand why this was happening to her Clan. The hopelessness she felt as she watched the ragged masses swarm in and through the camp, streaking towards the wind-swept hills beyond the horizon, and the anxious wait for the return of her father and her mate, Blazetail, then the final, broken-hearted moment of despair upon realizing neither were coming back alive. A Clanmate shouting at her to get as far from the camp as possible.
It was this realization that she had to leave that reminded her of her kits. She had three of them; three innocent, mewling bundles of joy, kits she would do anything for to keep them safe. It was also in this moment that she came to the heart-wrenching realization that she likely wasn't going to be able to carry all three out of the camp. They were only a couple weeks old, and wouldn't be able to walk fast enough on their own. But how on Earth was she supposed to choose which kit she saved, and which she left behind, with her only hope thereafter being the kindness and empathy of one of her terrified Clanmates? She had Emberkit, a vivacious bundle of energy and excitement, who she just knew would become an enthusiastic apprentice one day, and a noble warrior. Then there was Lionkit, who was as innocent and sweet as an angel, with obvious potential to one day bring peace to the Clans. Finally she had Gorsekit, who was incredibly shy and hadn't yet shown much interest in his siblings or other cats, but who she loved just as much as the others. Desperately, she had tried to balance two of her kits on her back and carry the other by the scruff of their neck, but with every step she took, the kits on her back slipped off into the fluffy moss on the nursery floor. She knew her time to make a decision was rapidly closing, as whatever danger had befell the WindClan cats at the gathering was surely closing in fast.
Great tears welled up in her eyes, sprinkling the nursery as she made her decision, a decision that would haunt her for the rest of her life. She softly mewled a despairing "I love you all so much... I'll come back for you..." as she grabbed Lionkit by the scruff of her neck and bolted. She could have called out to her Clanmates to help her with Emberkit and Gorsekit, but they were far too crazed to come to her aid, and the immense shame burned her pelt and rendered her speechless. She simply had to hope that she could uphold her promise to come back, though in the moment she wasn't exactly sure how that would be possible.
Brightbreeze and Lionkit would run to the distant moors, where Brightbreeze would establish a camp and focus on provided the best care for Lionkit. She selected a location that was far enough from the camp that they would be safe from whatever danger now lurked in the forest, but close enough that she could attempt to return to rescue Emberkit and Gorsekit. After setting up a safe camp and fortifying Lionkit within a makeshift nursery, she raced back towards her old camp, praying to StarClan that her kits would be alive and that they could make it safely out without running into any danger.
The sight in front of her was harrowing; dens shredded apart, the fresh-kill pile reduced to a labyrinth of rabbit bones and hare pelts. There were no signs of life. She rushed to the nursery, which had been toppled. She gasped as she spotted the body of Gorsekit, mangled and twisted, a sea of scarlet tainting his gorgeous fawn pelt. Drowning in despair, she sobbed at the realization that Gorsekit had died because of her decision to choose Lionkit first. She was forced to choke down her sorrow upon realizing that she had no idea where Emberkit was. If she would be unable to find her, she would have to hope that a Clanmate had come to her assistance. But she wouldn't be content with this conclusion until she had searched the entire camp. She began by digging through what was once the nursery, now an assorted shambles of moss and twigs. Clawing ferociously through the rubble, feeling the adrenaline and anger that would make her unstoppable if any force or danger came to threaten her, she felt a singular pang of relief as a tuft of black fur poked through the twigs. Pushing aside this rubble, she salvaged Emberkit and was able to return her safely to her camp.
Except, her camp was not as she'd left it. It too was torn apart, looted by some bandit in the night. Trembling with fear, she raced to where she'd concealed Lionkit, and was broken to find the safe capsule she'd put him in had in fact been opened, with a deep scarlet river running through it and golden islands of fur speckling the shores. "NOOOOO!!!!!" Brightbreeze shrieked into the dark chasm of the night. Her legs collapsed under the weight of her anguish, this final injustice too much for her to bear. I saved him... she protested silently. I saved him...
As the days passed, her shame and guilt nearly ate her alive, but she was kept going by her undying love of Emberkit. She tortured herself with thoughts of that fateful night, questioning why it was Lionkit who she had chosen first, as opposed to Emberkit or Gorsekit. Had she loved Lionkit the most? Throughout her moon as a queen, she'd maintained the notion that she loved her kits equally, but if that were true, why was she able to decide which kits she would leave to an almost certain death? And then after that, how had she been so stupid as to leave Lionkit alone, without any protection whatsoever?
Emberkit would grow up to become Embershine; Brightbreeze chose to maintain Clan naming traditions in honor of her fallen kits, mate and father, and the lost souls of her old Clanmates. She would tell the story of that fateful night to her daughter, when she was old enough to understand, of course, as a reminder that life is fleeting and that we must make the most of the time we have on this Earth. Embershine would go on to tell the story to her kits, who would tell theirs, and this tradition would continue straight down the lineage to Oak.
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Oak was born Oakkit to mother Dustwing and father Birchtail. Dustwing is Brightbreeze's direct ancestor and as such shared the legend of Brightbreeze and Embershine to Birchtail when they became mates - and subsequently granted then-called Birch his warrior name - and to Oak and his sister Kestrelkit (now Kestrelwing) when they became apprentices. Before learning of the story, Oak was a fiesty kit who was always getting into trouble - whether it be exploring too far from camp, nagging his sister with mossballs in the nursery, or playing with his prey. He had always been curious to know about his parents' lives, but he would never be prepared to hear the tale of Brightbreeze. He and Kestrelpaw, who had been very close as kits, drifted apart as apprentices due in part to their drastically different responses to the story. While Kestrelpaw was emboldened by the tale and committed to becoming a great warrior and get the most out of her life, Oakpaw became very skeptical and philosophical about the very notion of Clans. He had been raised thus far to believe that the Clans were some great ancient entity, whose traditions should be honored, but he just didn't have the same reverent response to the story as his sister.
Rather than coming to the usual conclusion that "the destruction of the Clans led to the destruction of life, so therefore the Clans are necessary for survival", he considered the alternative, that perhaps the root cause of that destruction WAS the Clans. His small family operated like a Clan, but they had no competition for land or prey; there was no incentive to fight others, and so they thrived. From that day forward, he restlessly considered the best organization of a large group of cats to their wellbeing.
He voiced his concern and question to his parents, who dismissed him as no more than a confused and inexperienced apprentice and reassured him that when you get older, you will see why the Clans were so important. Upon further protest, his father turned to violence, which he justified as "advanced training". Oakpaw would return from the training cavern sporting open, glistening wounds that never were quite able to heal before being reopened by another session. Oakpaw knew better than to believe his father's lies; his mother trained Kestrelpaw, and his sister rarely returned with so much as a scratch. This violent betrayal only aided in his distrust in others, even those who seem to have his best interests at heart.
Desperate to protect himself, Oakpaw focused all his energy training, but not for the purposes of becoming a great warrior. He was afraid that his parents would continue trying to force their ideologies upon him, and that his father would beat him either to death or into submission. He knew to run away before they had a chance to manipulate him, or worse. He wasn't naïve, though, and knew he wasn't nearly strong enough to survive on his own. He would train hard with his father, practicing combat and hunting techniques and tactics until he had mastered them.
When he and Kestrelpaw were made warriors, they were renamed Oakpelt and Kestrelwing and made to sit vigil together. All night, all he could think about was how he would make his escape. He felt guilty about leaving Kestrelwing behind, but he knew if he told her, she wouldn't let him go. And she would never go of her own volition. He just couldn't for the life of him figure out what exactly to do.
~~~~~~
"You're troubled, brother, " Kestrelwing mewed softly. "I can see it in your eyes. You've never been happy living this way, have you?" Taken aback, Oakpelt realized that Kestrelwing was far more perceptive than he'd previously given her credit for. Seeing no point in lying, and feeling guilty at the thought of doing so, he responded. "No, never. I... I don't know what to do." "You want to leave the life of a warrior behind. I understand. It's not for everyone." "How... how did you know?" "I know you a lot more than you think I do, brother. You know I would hate for you to leave, but I think you should do what's best for you. Go quietly, and I won't reveal where you're going." "I- I don't know what to say, Kestrelwing. I- you're right, I'm not happy here. And I can't see how you could be, but then again everyone has a right to the life they choose. I love you, Kestrelwing." After giving his sister a parting kiss, he turned away towards the great unknown, moors full of mystery and opportunity stretched out before him. "I love you Oakpelt. Be safe out there." He turned around one last time to say "Call me Oak."
~~~~~~
With that, he was gone, unsure where to go or what exactly to do. He was certain to come across other cats; some of which would become friends and allies, some of which would certainly turn enemy. All he was certain of was that he could not and would not return to the necessarily destructive life of a Clan cat. He has spent the past moon traversing the moors, not seeking out any trouble. But certainly, trouble would come anyway.
Clan Understanding
As is typical with multi-generational lore, the story of Brightbreeze has almost certainly deviated from how it had actually occurred. The overarching elements of Clan life persisted, such as how they gathered at the great oak in the middle of their territory; however, what has been lost is that these meetings happened at the same time every moon. As it is currently understood, the Clans gathered only when dire situations called for it. The Clans were destroyed, then, after meeting to discuss the imminent threat that dogs had been posing to the territory. This is likely the most embellished element of the story; the Clans were actually destroyed by infighting, and it's possible this changed over the years either to sound more dramatic and make for a good story, as a result of simple misremembering, or as a deliberate change by someone in the lineage who was sympathetic to the Clans and wanted them to one day persist, knowing that if the idea that the Clans destroyed themselves persisted, this would never happen. It's ambiguous for a reason; feel free to develop your own theories.
They are also aware that there was a general structure to these Clans; they know that each Clan had a leader and a deputy, and that it was the job of these cats to protect and lead their individual Clans through whatever danger might threaten them. They are wholly unaware, however, of medicine cats and the existence of StarClan. Some cats have still chosen to believe in a higher power, but of their own volition and not because of stories of their ancestors. In fact, it's likely they look to these very ancestors for spiritual guidance. They also know of the warrior/apprentice structure, though in its current iteration it has deviated greatly from how it truly was. First, these cats now train their own kits (a necessity with such a small group, but it is still an important distinction because of how sacred this was to the true Clans) and their training has now become more reminiscent of the Tribe of Running Water; Kestrelpaw was trained more in hunting and agility while Oakpaw's apprenticeship focused more on fighting. Their training was structured around their physical attributes and specialized around the skills they could make the best use of, which runs in direct contrast to the Clans' idea of giving every cat the same general training.
The four Clans are known to them as well; they know they descend from WindClan, but the other Clans have become warped over time. ShadowClan is now remembered as DarkClan, an evil group that led the dogs straight to the Gathering. ThunderClan is now LightningClan, a noble organization that fought until the end to protect their territory from the dogs, resulting in the tragic death of every member. RiverClan is now SwampClan, who had been paralyzed by the fear that the dogs brought and had been picked off one by one. As for WindClan, they are understood to be very wise, fleeing when it was obvious the dogs would overtake them all if they stayed. They have essentially become exaggerated versions of their true selves, manipulated by years of storytelling and crafted to become legendary elements of their lore.
So, although the Clans are known to the descendants of Brightbreeze, their ways and ideals have become twisted over time, much like the subjects of human folklore.
They are also aware that there was a general structure to these Clans; they know that each Clan had a leader and a deputy, and that it was the job of these cats to protect and lead their individual Clans through whatever danger might threaten them. They are wholly unaware, however, of medicine cats and the existence of StarClan. Some cats have still chosen to believe in a higher power, but of their own volition and not because of stories of their ancestors. In fact, it's likely they look to these very ancestors for spiritual guidance. They also know of the warrior/apprentice structure, though in its current iteration it has deviated greatly from how it truly was. First, these cats now train their own kits (a necessity with such a small group, but it is still an important distinction because of how sacred this was to the true Clans) and their training has now become more reminiscent of the Tribe of Running Water; Kestrelpaw was trained more in hunting and agility while Oakpaw's apprenticeship focused more on fighting. Their training was structured around their physical attributes and specialized around the skills they could make the best use of, which runs in direct contrast to the Clans' idea of giving every cat the same general training.
The four Clans are known to them as well; they know they descend from WindClan, but the other Clans have become warped over time. ShadowClan is now remembered as DarkClan, an evil group that led the dogs straight to the Gathering. ThunderClan is now LightningClan, a noble organization that fought until the end to protect their territory from the dogs, resulting in the tragic death of every member. RiverClan is now SwampClan, who had been paralyzed by the fear that the dogs brought and had been picked off one by one. As for WindClan, they are understood to be very wise, fleeing when it was obvious the dogs would overtake them all if they stayed. They have essentially become exaggerated versions of their true selves, manipulated by years of storytelling and crafted to become legendary elements of their lore.
So, although the Clans are known to the descendants of Brightbreeze, their ways and ideals have become twisted over time, much like the subjects of human folklore.
Roleplayer Information
Name: Dylan
Other Characters: None
Plotting Page: Currently Unavailable
* Oakbreeze is a hypothetical name in the case Oak does end up joining a Clan *