russetfrost, riverclan warrior.

FLIRTATIOUS – Russetfrost is a shameless flirt though he generally means very little by it. Flirtation has become a default in his communications with others, it’s so easy to smile and wink, to brush just that little bit too close and pay the slightest of compliments. It’s so much harder to have deeper, more serious conversations, keeping things surface level and disarming others with easy lines and casual flirtation makes everything so much simpler. Most of the time this flirtation isn’t used with any real intent and should it be returned he’s generally momentarily disarmed himself, for all of his flirtation Russetfrost is not accustomed to casual interest.

EXTROVERT – this is an outgoing warrior. Russetfrost is at his best when he’s interacting and accompanied by others; to this end he’s best utilised on patrols rather than being sent out on solo hunts. He’s happiest and most content in groups and has no anxiety when it comes to crowds and absolutely no trace of shyness in his psyche. Around others he’s relaxed and outgoing, soaking in all the interactions and social attention he can get. This is a sociable, adaptable cat but he struggles with cats who aren’t as outgoing or who seem to go out of their way to rub them the wrong way. Russetfrost does not do well alone. Solo hunting or tracking missions will generally result in a lower mood and a more sullen, irritable cat. He really doesn’t handle isolation of any sort well.

BOLD – if you’re looking for a cat willing to walk straight into the fire then you’ve found him. Russetfrost is as bold as he is extroverted which coupled with a notable lack of fear has created a cat who very much acts first and thinks later. This cat isn’t a leader but he’s not exactly the best at following orders either. He strives for action and believes strongly in getting things done as opposed to discussing them at length and in this way he can be incredibly impulsive. If he thinks something needs to be done and no cat is actually doing it he’s not above shirking orders and just doing the thing. His bravery is as much a detriment to him as it is a boon and has gotten him in trouble with his Clan on more than one occasion. A young warrior who just works on his gut rather than listening to orders is not likely to be popular with the senior warriors.

RELATIONSHIP WITH AUTHORITY – Russetfrost’s disobedience doesn’t stem from any major issues with authority figures. True authority figures (his leader, his deputy and his medicine cat) have his respect, though it’s a respect that was hard taught. He disobeys more out of a form of impatient frustration, a perceived inaction that he feels needs to be handled with action. He does, however, has issues respecting cats who he rightfully should respect. The elders and senior warriors in particular; age, to Russetfrost, is something to be dreaded and feared. He has no consideration for experience as something deserving of respect. He’s likely to simply dig in his heels if a cat with no actual power (ie. an older warrior) starts dolling out commands. This can make him unpredictable and frustrating on patrols, even if he’s relaxed and easy going around the rest of the patrol.

REFLEXIVE – for all of his impulsiveness and petty disobedience, Russetfrost is not a dumb creature. He’s a talented hunter, a fast learner and highly adaptable socially and to his environment. Russetfrost trusts, above all else, his instincts and its this faith in himself that allows him to remain cool under pressure. For all of the faults attributed to this bullheaded cat his stubborn impulsive nature means that he can make decisions on the fly and adapt to a situation, following his gut and backing that decision all the way. When push comes to shove Russetfrost can almost always be relied upon to come through during a pinch.

SLOW TO ANGER – much to the contrary of his impulsive nature, Russetfrost is not an easily angered cat. Playing to his temper is far more difficult than it seems, Russetfrost far more inclined to laugh off the attempt than rise to the bait. It was noted earlier than he keeps his cool under pressure and this is absolutely true in agitating situations. This is a cat who is naturally unphased by most of life, rarely rising much beyond his natural baseline of irritation when it comes to being bossed about by cats he perceives as no higher than him. Control over his anger and this, now, natural state of ease is something that was hard taught during his apprenticeship and the aspect of himself that he’s most proud of.

To Leafwhisker and Burnetclaw was born a single litter of wriggling bundles of trouble; they named the eldest Lightkit for her pale ginger pelt, the second Russetkit for his little tufts of dark ginger fur and the final kit Koikit for those bright calico patches that resembling a glimmering koi. Russetkit was healthy from the start, born strong and robust and the new parents couldn’t have been more relieved.

From there on there wasn’t a great deal of note: he grew as kits are wont to do, inquisitive and playful. He was bold from the first, egged on by his own excitable nature and the boisterous natures of his sisters. Together the little trio caused the usual chaos of kits. Getting under paw of warriors, rummaging through Yellowstrike’s hoard (for which Burnetclaw snarled at her kits until they trembled with remorse), plaguing apprentices for tales of their training or badgering the elders for the stories of old. They plucked up the courage to creep from camp repeatedly, dragged back time and time again by exasperated warriors. The first time was at three moons old, and they made it mere foxlengths before their harried mother found them and Russetkit felt her teeth in his scruff as she hauled them all right back to camp.

The last attempt to see the territory they made it into the river, almost finding themselves swept away before an alarmed patrol hauled them back out. They spent the rest of that final moon leading up to their apprenticeships confined, miserably, to the nursery and counting down the days until the freedom they were so sure would change everything.



Ashflower was a senior warrior walking the line between service and retirement. She accepted her latest charge with no small amount of surprise; proud to be able to train one last cat before she succumbed to her aching joints.

Almost immediately it became evident that Russetpaw was going to be a pawful. He was headstrong and stubborn, refusing to listen to any cat. The young tom had a chip on his shoulder in the form of a problem with authority and the arrogant belief that he knew everything there was to know. Early in their training, he was determined to go head to head against cats twice his size instead of taking a breath and thinking it through. He acted first and thought second, proving to be just as reckless as he was dedicated. He pushed his body as hard as it would go and then tried to push it further endlessly frustrated whenever he met his own limitations.

In the beginning his elderly mentor tried to gently sway him and encourage him to work to his strengths, not try and force himself to overcome weaknesses he would never be able to fix. Yet she was unable to deter him from his path, her apprentice desperately stubborn. So she changed tacts; she allowed him to work himself to the bone, to exhaust himself day after day, she allowed him to fight head on and was waiting when he inevitably came to her. He was furious and hurt, terrified of his lack of progress and desperate to improve.

After that things became easier: Russetpaw forced himself to relax a little, to take a few breaths and actually listen to what his mentor was telling him. Respect for cats who deserved it became ingrained in him though he never lost that chip on his shoulder entirely. She guided him gently but firmly and he warmed to her quickly as she helped him learn how to use his advantages and, most importantly, how to keep his head under pressure.



So it was that the arrogant, aggressive apprentice became a resilient and dedicated young warrior. He remembers in vivid detail every aspect of those first few moons with pride. The first border patrol he’d been selected to lead, the first hunting patrol, the times he’d agreed or volunteered to lend his talents to other warriors to help their apprentices train. He remembers watching with pride and boundless affection as Ashflower retired to her final rank, winding around her and wishing her moons of warm sun, good fresh-kill and well earned rest. He remembers the tug in his heart as the old cat was pronounced deceased in the middle of leafbare. The ache in his muscles from that cold night of vigil, watching her body being carried from camp by her denamates for the final time.

He remembers so much of those whirlwind first moons as he settled into his new rank with his sisters but Russetfrost has never been the sort of cat to spend a lot of time dwelling in memories. This is a cat of action who holds himself rigidly in the present, not thinking too far ahead or too far back – and his mama is adamant, that’s going to get him in trouble one of these days.

sire Leafwhisker.
dam Burnetclaw.
littermates
x Lightstep.
x Koispot.


russet – for his ginger patches.
frost – for his cool head under pressure and the white across the rest of his pelt.