Cinderpaw

Cinderpaw is a slender and sleek-furred gray tabby with pale green eyes. She looks almost exactly like her father, Patchfur, even down to his large ears - only she's a little shorter. One of her ears has a deep V-shaped nick in it from a recent battle with a fox.
Cinderpaw is an apprentice of FieldClan under Skystar's leadership. She was born to Robinsong and Patchfur as Cinderkit along with her sister, Heatherkit. She became an apprentice as Cinderpaw with Swirltuft as her mentor. During her apprenticeship she witnessed the death of Yarrowstar - FieldClan's leader before Skystar - as well as the deaths of both her parents. 
== Personality ==
Never afraid to make herself the enemy (or just get on the bad side) of her clanmates, Cinderpaw is kind-hearted but often reserved. She is inquisitive by nature but tries to think through every action before she makes it. She is incredibly straightforward and generally quite blunt in her opinions. Like many FieldClan cats, Cinderpaw has issues with Skystar's leadership, and she is vocal about them. 
She isn't abashed to have disagreements with the leader and maybe she's quick to give in to suspicion, but she'd never advocate for Skystar to be removed from power or run out of the Clan. Loyalty is of the utmost importance to Cinderpaw. When the matters come to loyalty she is quick to remind others of the warrior code and how it demands loyalty to your leader.
== History ==
Cinderkit was born during the Great Freeze that devastated the clan. She doesn't remember any of it, only that her parents were very sad when she and Heatherkit were young and that camp suddenly felt emptier than before. 
Her father, Patchfur, died during the Great Freeze - curled up near Robinsong and their kits in the nursery. He died with a smile on his face, peacefully. Like he was ready to go, and knew it was his time. Like someone had told him a joke in his dream, and he'd died with laughter in this throat.
In spite of Heatherkit's grumpiness and overall bad temper, Cinderpaw loved her sister and cherished their adventures and time spent together. For awhile, she was the only cat Heatherkit seemed to enjoy being around. When they became apprenticed, Cinderpaw had been chosen first as Heatherkit was sick. They had talked a long time about being apprenticed together, holding their warrior vigil together, but it was not to be. Even worse, Cinderpaw's natural aptitudes made Heatherpaw jealous and spiteful. 
Cinderpaw was confused and hurt when Heatherpaw started distancing herself from her sister with no explanation. No longer did they share tongues nor sleep next to each other; Heatherpaw chose a nest on the opposite side of the apprentice's den from her sister. One night when they were alone in the den together, Heatherpaw came clean to Cinderpaw about her sour temper and anti-social behavior. 
Everything about what makes someone a FieldClan cat; Heatherpaw never felt connected to any of it. She hated the open sky, despised the grassy fields, longed for a canopy over her head. She wanted to hunt in the undergrowth, stalk between trees. And she didn't even feel comfortable in her own body. Heatherpaw was born as a male, but didn't feel like one. Ever since they were really young, Heatherpaw wanted to be someone else. She told Cinderpaw that night that she had finally decided that it could only happen if she went somewhere else. If she'd stayed, would anyone have really seen the new her? Cinderpaw holds fast to the belief that the uncertainty got to her, and she decided to leave. 
After Heatherpaw's disappearance and Patchfur's death, Cinderpaw was left to care for her aging mother alone. She took responsibility for the old cat and wouldn't let other apprentices clean her nest, or remove her ticks, or return her to the den if she wandered off. Robinsong fell victim to extreme dementia, often mistaking Cinderpaw for her father and believing Skystar was still a young warrior.
Robinsong died from a number of complications, mostly from losing the will to live - her brain and body actively stopped performing vital functions. In addition to almost complete mental deterioration and a broken heart after Heatherpaw ran away. Robinsong's decline was slow and consistent, worsening by the day. She would forget to eat, to drink, to make dirt.
== Trivia ==
* Cinderpaw is played by Jay Strun, who also plays Robinsong and Heatherpaw
* Cinderpaw is a real cat named "Lilah" belonging to one of Jay's friends
Category:Fieldclan Cats
Category:Characters
Category:Apprentices