Gracklesong

Template:Infobox character

## **Physical Description**

Gracklesong is a tall, slender tom with a lithe and wiry build. He has an oriental body shape with thin, long limbs, and an angular triangular-shaped face with an elongated muzzle. Atop his head are two abnormally large ears, perhaps - along with his long snout - his most prominently recognizable feature. His eyes, in a defined almond shape, are a cold golden colour with flecks of amber towards their pupils. Gracklesong’s slender frame is covered in thin black fur, the slightest undertone of blue ever so faintly detectable if one were to look closely enough. The angles of his face and limbs are prominently defined, and his tail is unusually long and thin.

## **Personality**

* (+) **Intelligent**
	+ While perhaps not the most physically strong or the most socially adept, Gracklesong is undoubtedly an incredibly intelligent and smart tom with a large understanding of many things, especially involving the world around him. He makes up for his social woes with his sheer intellect, and is frequently one of the first to understand complex situations.
* (+) **Rational**
	+ Perhaps in addition to his intelligence, Gracklesong is also incredibly rational and clear-headed, prone to easily navigating situations with logic and practical fact. He doesn’t get worked up over hypothetical situations very easily, as most of the time he can debunk them with his reasoning.
* (+) **Wise**
	+ If you get past his cold and antisocial exterior, Gracklesong is actually quite a bit of an “old soul”, so to speak. He has a vast understanding of many things, and is actually quite thoughtful, surprisingly enough.
* (=) **Quiet**
	+ Gracklesong is a considerably quiet tom, who doesn’t really speak much unless spoken to. He greatly prefers silence over conversation with other cats, and if it’s necessary for him to say something, he’ll say it in the most curt, concise words that he can.
* (=) **Soft-Spoken**
	+ When he does talk, his voice is typically soft and quiet, and at times barely audible if one weren’t fully concentrating on hearing him speak. Gracklesong also typically speaks in some sort of even, flat monotone, not typically one to use much inflection or emotion in his voice.
* (=) **Shy**
	+ Around other cats, although it isn’t always blatantly obvious, Gracklesong tends to come off as nervous or shy. This isn’t far from the truth, as whenever he’s in large crowds or with cats he’s unfamiliar with - and even cats he is - he tends to be extremely reserved.
* (-) **Secretive**
	+ Gracklesong is extremely secretive, often inclined to conceal his feelings or intentions from other cats. He’s prone to telling cats to do something if in a position of power without telling them how or why, and keeps all of his plans and ideas to himself.
* (-) **Resentful**
	+ Perhaps one of his most prominent traits, Gracklesong is incredibly resentful towards the societal standards of Clan life, going as far as to openly express his distaste at how extremely loyal everyone is towards the warrior code, and how strict they are about their traditions, territory, etc. He’s open-minded, almost to a fault, and finds long-held traditions to be foolish if they’re demonstrated “wrong”.
* (-) **Reserved**
	+ Gracklesong is very reserved, and seldom ever shows any real, genuine emotion or feelings to anyone besides himself. He’s very private and aloof, and most definitely trusts himself over anyone else on any given day.

## **Life**

### **Kithood**

Gracklekit was born in early New-Leaf to a WindClan warrior, **Ebonyfur**, and a loner named **Beetle**. From an early age his mother taught him to never be ashamed of his "imperfect" heritage despite the inevitable target of gossips and whispers from his Clanmates. She told him that the society he was born into was flawed, and even as a kitten Gracklekit harboured distrust and distaste towards his Clanmates.

The majority of his kithood was considerably uneventful, save for the occasional trip to the WindClan borders to meet up with his loner father. Gracklekit would look forward to these trips, as they were always accompanied with stories and tales of life outside of the constraints of the Clans. His favourite of these stories was the tale of the Endless Lake, one that he would have dreams of seeing even up into his adult life.

### **Apprenticeship**

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When reaching six moons, Gracklekit became an apprentice to **Tortoisestripe** and earned his apprentice name, Gracklepaw. Tortoisestripe was a young, newly-appointed warrior just barely older than Gracklepaw himself, which caused her to be considerably stressed during training, resulting in her making bad disciplinary and educational calls. Gracklepaw soon found himself dreading training sessions, and would eventually end up skipping them entirely to observe other cats' educations and learn from those instead.

As an apprentice his meetings with Beetle continued, though Ebonyfur no longer accompanied him for reasons Gracklepaw didn't quite care to puzzle out, as his relationship with his mother was steadily growing even more and more distant than it had even as a kit. His father's appearances started to dwindle as well, to the point where Gracklepaw would only see him once or twice over the span of several moons.

It was around then that Tortoisestripe spoke to the leader about Gracklepaw skipping lessons, and as a solution he had his mentor changed to a middle-aged warrior named **Foxbite**. While initially cold and hesitant towards the tom for many sessions, Gracklepaw found himself slowly warming up to him over time to the extent where he felt prepared to refer to him as his mentor. Foxbite was a patient and thoughtful tom who genuinely cared about Gracklepaw, and eventually Gracklepaw found himself seeing his mentor as more of a parental figure than he had ever seen Beetle or Ebonyfur. He completed the rest of his apprenticeship under Foxbite, the remainder of which was relatively uneventful.
### **Warriorhood**

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**Pre-Roleplay:**

Shortly after Gracklesong became a warrior, Ebonyfur passed away from injuries sustained in a skirmish against another Clan. All her death did was fuel Gracklesong's resentment for the fierce border laws and warrior code that led to his mother's untimely demise, despite not being too torn up over the loss itself. He spent the majority of his days between patrols and whatnot out in the territory alone, either doing solo patrols or just taking walks. It was during one of the former where he encountered a blind loner, **Crane**, and helped him fend off a stoat that was attacking him. Once both toms were safe, Crane told Gracklesong that he was a traveler from beyond the Twolegplace. Gracklesong was enraptured by his tales of foreign territory, and from then on a friendship that might've later become something more bloomed.

Crane and Gracklesong would regularly meet out in the territory whenever they were wandering around the same time, eventually going as far as to actively arrange them. One of these meetings was suddenly interrupted by none other than Foxbite, who had gone out looking for Gracklesong to see why he'd been spending less and less time at camp. Though a bit disappointed in his former apprentice for breaking the warrior code, Foxbite swore not to tell the rest of the Clan *if* Gracklesong prioritized his warrior duties over meeting with Crane then forwards. Gracklesong refused, and the issue was dropped. For quite some time, all went well, until one day Crane didn't show up for an arranged meeting -- the one where they'd decided to run off. Fearing the worst, Gracklesong went out looking for him, only to discover his horrifically mauled body on the WindClan/RiverClan border. The scene reeked of fox, and it seemed like no cat had come to his lover's aid.

He buried Crane in a secluded spot beyond the territory, where they'd frequenced their meet-ups. Dejected, Gracklesong slipped into heightened antisocial tendencies and refused to acknowledge conversations with any other cats besides Foxbite. Most of his young warriorhood was uneventful after that, until he grew steadily older alongside Foxbite, and soon he lost his mentor and father figure to a vicious bout of greencough. He was devastated by the loss and his Clan's refusal to accept herbs from other territories. From then on, his reputation as a bitter, antisocial old man was sealed, as well as his disgust towards the stubbornness of the Clan system.

**During Roleplay:**

While on a walk along the ShadowClan border, Gracklesong runs into Silvermoon, a ShadowClan warrior. The two speak briefly, until the topic gradually shifts to the Endless Lake, which Gracklesong confesses he's only heard stories about. Silvermoon offers to take him to see it, and he agrees. She brings him through no-Clan's land and to the Endless Lake -- it's there that his dream since kithood to see it is fulfilled, and he's left in awe of the wonderous sight.

Shortly after, he hears the news that Silvermoon passed away, and pays his respects by leaving a single flower on the ShadowClan border where they met. He goes on a hunting patrol with Heatherbee, which, for the most part, is uneventful. Then, he's given Petalfrost as an apprentice after she retires from being a medicine cat. The two discuss the flaws in the Clan and code mid-training session. Petalfrost drops out of being his apprentice to have kits, and a few moons later hears news that she, too, passed away.

Not long after Petalfrost's death, he takes a walk through WindClan territory when he scents an overwhelming stench of blood, foxes, and hears a cat crying out for help. Gracklesong runs over and sees a badly-injured Fidgetpaw, and after coldly reprimanding him for attacking such a creature on his own, carries the apprentice to camp on his back. He doesn't bother visiting him in the medicine den while he recovers, and instead continues his antisocial habits... until he's given Hornetpaw as an apprentice.

They have several training sessions, and soon Gracklesong finds himself developping an odd sentiment towards the young tom that makes him wonder if this is how Foxbite felt about him. He forms a respect for the young tom, and recognizes their similiarities in politics and opinions. One day, they grudgingly participate in a group training session led by Fidgetpaw -- now Fidgetspark -- and Hornetpaw is set up against Fidgetspark's apprentice as his opponent. Hornetpaw wins, and Gracklesong uncharacteristically praises him.

Hornetpaw's warrior ceremony soon rolls around, and he is given the name Hornetflight. Gracklesong is overcome with pride for his apprentice -- surprising even himself -- and can't resist a smile during the ceremony. Shortly afterwards, he meets Brushflame, Hornetflight's close friend. The two talk for a bit, and he learns of Brushflame's suppressed feelings for his former apprentice. Feeling a surge of protectiveness for Hornetflight, Gracklesong coldly informs Brushflame that if she lets her self-doubts get in the way of accepting Hornetflight should he reciprocate her feelings, she'll have him to answer to.

It seems that he didn't have much to worry about, as several moons later, he runs into Hornetflight, who tells him that he and Brushflame are mates, now. His former apprentice asks him his opinion on their relationship, to which Gracklesong responds that he trusts Hornetflight's judgement. He finds himself slowly growing closer to both Hornetflight and Brushflame, but is taken aback by Brushflame tells him that she considers him part of their family.

One night, Gracklesong can't sleep for more reasons than he'd care to count. Not wanting to wake any of the other warriors, he stays outside in the clearing, where he then meets Sorrelfrost, who couldn't sleep either. When asked why he's still awake, he uses the cough he's begun to develop as an excuse, but notices that she seems a bit anxious about something. He goes to the territory to 'hunt', and curtly offers for her to come with -- which she accepts. While out in the territory, she tells him that she wasn't Clan born, and Gracklesong asks her what made her join WindClan. They continue to talk for a bit before finally returning to camp.

When the rumours of Emberstar's passing are confirmed to be true in a Clan meeting called by Redflower, the newly-appointed deputy and now leader, Gracklesong and Brushflame speculate that Hornetflight will be chosen as the next deputy. To both of their surprise, it isn't Hornetflight who is chosen, but instead Gracklesong himself. Though taken aback by Redflower's decision and initially wary, Gracklesong agrees to uphold the position and is determined to begin working on the change he wants to see in the Clan system now that he holds authority.
### **Deputyship**

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Soon after his promotion, Gracklesong was alerted of a duo of badgers making their way towards the WindClan camp. He quickly got to work assembling a patrol, and though the badgers were eventually driven off, it resulted in Fidgetspark's death.

Gracklesong then sat down with his former apprentice, Hornetflight, and watched the sunrise. He hadn't been interacting with the younger tom all that much and, despite himself, felt perhaps a bit of reserved sadness that the younger tom hadn't made much of an effort to initiate anything -- though he hadn't either, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Gracklesong asked his opinion on the first thing that should be changed about Clan life, and Hornetflight replied that it was the education system.

Taking this suggestion to heart, Gracklesong met with Redstar and proposed a plan based on what Hornetflight had told him and his own ideas on the topic. Redstar agreed, and decided to speak with the medicine cats and at the Gathering about the potential new advancements. As the Gathering rolled around, Gracklesong grudgingly went along. Though he tried to avoid social contact, Redstar purposefully drew the attention of a RiverClan warrior towards him, and he was condemned to socialize.

As time went on, Gracklesong had more and more issues with breathing -- this frequently began to display itself, whether it be through random coughing or through waking up in the middle of the night. One such example of the latter was one night when he was outside in camp, and ended up noticing Warblerpaw walking out of the apprentice's den. It resulted in an interaction in which Gracklesong found out about the tunnel Warblerpaw was digging with Frostpaw. Gracklesong was quick to reprimand him, and made him fill in the tunnel. He later had a conversation with Redstar about how to deal with the apprentices.

A moon or so later, Gracklesong first met one of his former apprentice's sons, Juncokit. While the meeting was brief, Gracklesong was surprised by the protectiveness he felt for the small child, and realized that he hadn't even been aware that Hornetflight had children up until this point. Deciding that it was only because his former apprentice was busy, Gracklesong moved on and took a walk to clear his head. During this walk, he ran into Wrinklepelt at Cloud Lake. The two had a brief discussion about how they were both aging.

Another night of restless sleep came, and Gracklesong left the camp to go take a walk. He wandered over to hollow and boulder where he generally trained his apprentices. While lost in thought for a few moments, his musings were interrupted by Sorrelfrost, who was also walking around the area for reasons of her own. The two exchanged brief conversation, when the topic shifted to Gracklesong's past after they discussed Hornetflight's kits, and Gracklesong commented that he'd never played the typical kit games.

After the fire that ravaged the WindClan camp, Gracklesong sought out Redstar to revisit their plans on cross-Clan education. Gracklesong noticed the leader's wounds from the fire and not-so-politely encouraged him to visit the medicine den, but Redstar refused.

As Gracklesong grew older, his already-failing health steadily began to decline. It was difficult to breathe, let alone move, and on numerous occasions he came close to collapsing when going about his warrior duties. Being the oldest cat in the Clan while simultaneously being the deputy wore down on him, up until around his 127th moon.

One morning Gracklesong woke up with the feeling that something was off. Though he dismissed it, the odd sensation returned throughout the day, even up to that night when he was out in the territory. Redstar soon joined him and the two began to talk despite the storm that had begun to rage. Their conversation, however, was quickly cut short as they scented a creature nearby. When they went to investigate, the creature ended up being a fox, and they were flung into battle.

Between his ailment, old age, and the violent thunderstorm, Gracklesong struggled immensely to fight back the fox. The creature managed to take one of Redstar's lives, and as Gracklesong was landing the final blow, the fox lunged forward and tore out his throat. Gracklesong collapsed to the ground and slowly began to die, only then realizing what the feeling was: premonition. As he bled out, he mulled this over, his thoughts only interrupted by the sudden arrival of Hornetflight.

Gracklesong bid farewell to his former apprentice, and thanked him. With his final breath, he told Hornetflight that he was proud of him. Then, satisfied, he drifted off into a dizzying slumber, never to wake again.

## **Friends and Family**

Beneath all of the names of the characters is Gracklesong's personal opinion of them. They don't reflect what I think of them, and they are in no means intended to offend or hurt anybody.

**Ebonyfur | Mother | Deceased [NPC]**

"You taught me a lot. That's more than I could say for anyone else, really. Guess I should be thankful."

**Beetle | Father | Status Unknown [NPC]**

"You're a bit of a deadbeat, but that's fine. I didn't need you much then, don't need you at all now. Though I guess I should be thanking you, too. You're the only reason I gave a damn about what was beyond WindClan borders."

**Foxbite | Mentor + Parental Figure | Deceased [NPC]**

"You were the only one that was there for me as a kid. I'm not great at words, you of all cats know that, and maybe this is simply stupid and childish of me, but I can't help but feel like I think about you in a way that I should've thought about Ebonyfur or Beetle. When I see children with their fathers or wailing for their mothers, they're not the first cats that come to mind. You are, and I think that's the one solid fact in this world that I'm completely certain of. You were what they couldn't be, and I thank you."

**Crane | Former Lover | Deceased [NPC]**

"..."

**Silvermoon | Acquaintance | Deceased [@KittensRule2021]**

"I didn't know you. But you took me to the Endless Lake anyway. I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed the flaws in the system."

**Petalfrost | Former Apprentice | Deceased(?) [@--Petal--]**

"I didn't know you either, but you seem to be the only other cat in WindClan who understands what's really going on."

**Heatherbee | Acquaintance | Deceased [@Keyboo]**

"I didn't have much of an opinion on you. You were fine at hunting, I guess."

**Fidgetspark | Acquaintance | Deceased [@pangolinsareawesome]**

"Why you decided to take on a fox is beyond me. You were a whiny brat with no common sense, at least in your youth. I can't say I was too fond of you, but your death came swifter than it should've. It always does."

**Hornetflight | Former Apprentice / somewhat son figure | Alive [@AlwaysReadingABook]**

"I taught you as best I could. You're ambitious and intelligent, and.. as foolish as it may sound, I see myself in you. Quite a bit, in fact. For as long as I can remember, I've always wondered what it was exactly that Foxbite felt towards me. What made him seem like more than just a mentor. I wasn't sure before, but.. I know now. Sentiment is foreign to me, and yet it seems to come so easily when you are the subject in question. I have grown quite fond of you, I think. You will do very well as a warrior. I am proud."

**Brushflame | Friend | Missing [@Rook-s-Feather]**

"Hornetflight worries about you greatly, and I am not one to blame him. I believe that you are perfectly capable of surviving the Twolegplace and returning to WindClan, though it is only logical to consider the worst case scenario as well. I wish you luck on your return."

**Sorrelfrost | Acquaintance | Deceased [@Lark06]**

"Your death is... unfortunate. I will admit, you were one of the few cats in this Clan that I did not mind all that much. You had interesting thoughts. It is odd to see the camp void of your presence."

**Redstar | Acquaintance | Alive [@Raiini]**

"It's no secret that I wasn't expecting to be chosen as deputy. It seems we share politics, at least to an extent where I believe we can see eye to eye on numerous issues. You've given me power. That's all I need to finally make a change in this broken society."

**Fireflyburn | Former Apprentice | Presumably Deceased [@--Petal--]**

"I have no lingering thoughts of you, as I did with Hornetflight. You were a simply average apprentice."

## **Notable Quotes**

* "I can respect their motives, but I cannot respect their society. I cannot respect the rules they've put into place. I cannot respect their strict laws and borders and religions and traditions that do nothing but bring harm onto those who do not believe what they are taught. And it seems that I am the only one who realizes that however strong the Clans try to make themselves appear, they are nothing more but crippling societies crumbling by the moment."

- Gracklesong to Petalfrost, when asked why he spends so much time away from his Clanmates.

* "You of all cats know I am not an emotional feline. There is little I can say about my opinion on your relationship that you do not already know. As for life experience... I have dealt little with romance, though I have observed and analyzed, just as I have observed and analyzed you and Brushflame. You are young, but you have proven to me time and time again that your judgement is to be trusted. I do not see how this should be any different."

- Gracklesong to Hornetflight, when asked his opinion on the latter's relationship with Brushflame.

* "...Emotion is unfamiliar to me, just as my pattern of speech seems to be to you. I have no reason to speak or utilize beliefs that I, myself, do not understand. It is foolishness to claim knowledge of something one truly has none of, and to further act upon those claims."

- Gracklesong to Sorrelfrost, when asked about his manner of speaking.