The Traveler

The Traveler was a loner who brought the idea of a Clan to the fields that later became DewClan territory.

## Appearance

Lithe and sleek, a long-bodied tom with a red, russet coat and clear, glittering, luminous green eyes, The Traveler was a rather handsome cat. On one foreleg, he has a long scar that stretches up to his shoulder, and one ear is sliced. His muzzle is smooth and straight, tapering near his nose.

## Personality

The Traveler changed often. After a rough season he could be prickly and fierce, not wanting to share prey or territory with any cat. After a good one he was easygoing and friendly. He softened up during his times as a kittypet, and toughened up during his times as a rogue. He has always been wise, and enjoyed discovering different lifestyles and meeting new cats.

## History

The Traveler has a long history that began as a small red kit being born in Twolegplace. He had two littermates and his parents, a night-black she-cat and a very pale ginger tom. He lived happily as a kittypet for three moons, wrestling with his littermates under his mother's watchful gaze, learning the terms for the strange Twoleg objects: Windows, baskets, blankets . . .

But everything changed one day. One of his littermates was adopted, taken away by a kind, eldery Twoleg. Traveler and his sister remained unwanted, until one night the Twolegs seized them, dropped them into some sort of large sack, and took the sack to the belly of a monster. The monster woke up and ran with the Twolegs and the kits in its belly. It stopped by a river, and the kits were thrown out of the monster and into the churning black waters.

Traveler managed to free himself. He tried to help his littermate, but she drowned. He paddled to shore and fell asleep on the sand, grieving and exhausted. When he woke up, his sister's body had washed into the shallows. He dragged her out and buried her by the water. It was an exhausting task for such a young cat, and took him all day. By the time he was finished, it was sundown, and hunger was gnawing at his belly.

He set off for a nearby forest. Fortunately, he found a mostly-eaten rabbit cast aside by a cat who had enough to eat. He devoured it, and, feeling far better, continued through the woods. When he found a warm den, he couldn't believe his luck. A rank stench hung around it, but he didn't mind. Little did he know that the den wasn't abandoned. He was completely unprepared when a young vixen burst out of the hole, gnashing her teeth. He fled, yowling in terror. He didn't have time to stop and climb a tree. He kept running, the fox gaining on him with ease. But just as she got ready to snap her jaws shut on his tail, she was yanked back, caught in a strange trap made of shiny tendril. It was a fox trap, and Traveler had never seen anything like it before.

He watched the fox struggle, whining as the tendril tightened around her throat. The Traveler wasn't sure what to do, so he stayed and watched. The fox grew limp, and he knew she was dead. He left then, a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, wondering what the trap was. He scraped a shallow hollow beneath a bush for a makeshift den, his dreams full of the fox's whimpers and the *snap* of the trap as it had closed around her neck.

The next day, he cautiously returned to the place with the traps. The dead fox was gone. He explored farther and found that there were more traps, all made of the same shiny stuff. He was startled to come across a dark gray tabby tom, gasping for air, ensnared in one of the traps. The tabby begged for him to help, and when Traveler said he did not know how, he told him to dig the earth around the trap. The Traveler obeyed, freeing the tabby cat. Grateful, the tomcat willingly caught a crow for them to share, and answered Traveler's questions about the fox trap. He explained what it was, what its purpose was, and offered more detailed instructions on how to escape from one.

*More coming soon*