Musselheart

Musselheart is a lean golden-brown Bengal tom with large ears, long whiskers, and pale yellow eyes.

## Personality

In blunt terms, Musselheart a rather awkward cat. He is a bit socially inept and shy, tending to avoid having to speak to strangers when he can weasel his way out of it, and often acting quite stiff and stilted when he does end up having to talk with cats he doesn't know. He ends up coming off as brusque, dismissive, or disagreeable most of the time, if cats can't figure out that he's just an absolute nervous wreck half the time. He greatly dislikes being touched, at least when it's by cats he doesn't already know quite well; he tends to cringe away or even hiss and spit if cats he doesn't know touch him without reason or permission. Even with those that he is close with, he tends to receive affection rather than give it out personally, allowing his loved ones to cuddle him or give him licks on the ears or cheek sometimes if he's feeling generous, but he rarely returns the gestures himself. If he does actually show physical affection for another, it's very likely that they're very special, or that there is a very good reason that he's making an exception. The few times that the exceptions do happen, he tends to be rather shy and flustered when he's the one initiating the affection. His shyness is most apparent when he's around cats he finds attractive; he can't even look a pretty she-cat or tom in the eyes when he happens upon one, speaking directly to his paws, stuttering, and sometimes even outright fleeing from the subject of his affections rather than end up a puddle of embarrassment and panic on the ground. Despite his awkwardness, he's a very hardworking and determined cat, doing his best to protect and provide for his loved ones, and wanting nothing more than to make his parents proud and be the best warrior he can be for his Clan. He's quite proud of being a WaveClan cat, feeling that the Clan's triumphs and feats are also his own. He can be quite selfless and compassionate in this way, as he will always do his best to support and encourage those that are undertaking endeavors to better themselves or work harder for the Clan. He can be a bit of a stick in the mud, though; his dedication to his Clan can make him a bit of a stickler for rules, usually one to follow the rules and adhere closely to the Warrior Code without question or protest. He takes advice and scoldings from older and more high-ranked cats very seriously. His stiff, rule-follower attitude coupled with his usual shy, awkward demeanor make for a lot of conflicting feelings and instincts within him, leading him to constantly flip-flop between trying to keep his peers in line, and being too shy to speak to them, let alone actually boss other cats around. Though he tries to stifle himself and act more mature than he really is, he has a very passionate and excitable side, tending to do strange or quirky things like fidget incessantly or make weird sounds subconsciously when he's feeling content or particularly happy for any reason. He is capable of being very good with his words when he's feeling passionate about a subject, able to fascinate an audience effortlessly, but when he isn't as enthusiastic about the subject, he tends to be more taciturn and answer shortly when he can be prompted to speak at all. While he usually appears as either stoic or solitary to outsiders, he is generally a very considerate and kind individual, doing his best to never make assumptions based on actions or indirect words, and always trying to look out for those around him, even if he will do so in subtle ways and does his best to not seem like he's going out of his way to be nice to others. He finds it easier to communicate with others when he doesn't have to be directly facing them, so he would much rather sit side by side with someone, not making eye contact while they talk than anything else. He is the type to avoid his problems and deny his feelings, and does not take kindly to others butting into his business, though if he snaps at them it will be more out of mortification than anger, and he'll likely feel guilty about it afterwards. He has a bit of a dry sense of humor, and will use sarcasm or deadpan tones most often when making jokes, though he's always a bit hesitant to break out the teasing with new cats before he's gotten a sense for them. Once he's gotten comfortable enough with other cats, he'd probably threaten them with death if they got under his skin too much, but he'll backpedal real hard if he manages to actually hurt someone (he's also the type to be Whipped (TM) for whoever he develops a crush on, so you know he'd be soft as hell for them).