Reedstar

## Physical Description

Drawn by Jynxx

Reedstar is a russety, red-brown tom who's fur gradients from a dark-colored backside, to a light underbelly. Each leg fades from a dark brown at the top, to a lighter red, and then to almost black at his paws. He has a light cream chest marking, and a band of lighter fur around his lower back right leg. Reedstar's tail is quite long with faint tabby stripes. His eyes are a bright, cool green and his nose is pink. Each ear is nicked, but his right one is torn worse. He has a few scars over his muzzle and pelt.

The tom is very lean and agile, relying more on speed and fluidity than brute strength. He does, however, have quite powerful muscles from constant training and running the moors.

## Personality

Reedstar is an unpredictable cat who craves attention, and will do almost anything to get it. He is power-hungry, believing that raising his rank in Windclan would earn him the attention he desired, and has been that way ever since apprentice-hood. His defining trait is charisma, which he uses often to flirt with others. He is sly, clever, and scheming, using his wits to get out of situations when he doesn't think fighting will work. He's also resourceful and quick-thinking, adapting to his surroundings quickly.

Due to being neglected as a kit by his family, he has little sympathy for others and it is hard to get him to open up. Instead, he masks his emotions with a charismatic facade. He doesn't care much about relationships, except to exploit them for his own good. This has caused difficulty for Reedstar in managing real, meaningful relationships because he does not know how to unravel himself for others. Reedstar is an expert at faking emotions and getting under others' skin. He is well able to tell when someone is hiding something, but ironically is not very good at detecting others' true feelings. He doesn't care enough to try.

## History

### Kithood

Reedkit was born in Windclan to Heatherstep, his mother, and Thornpelt, his father, along with his sister Berrykit. Both his parents were strong warriors, proud of their muscular physiques that were unusual for speedy Windclan cats. As Reedkit and Berrykit grew up, it quickly became apparent that Berrykit had received this gene -- while Reedkit had not. While his sister became muscular and powerful, Reedkit grew into a thin, lean frame.

His parents couldn't see how their measly rabbit of a kit would ever amount to anything as great at them, so Reedkit was neglected in kithood. Try as he might to please them, his parents were always more concerned with brute strength and brawn rather than the wits and fast thinking that Reedkit began to show as he grew. At first, Thornpelt and Heatherstep often gave "lessons" to him and Berrykit in an attempt to shape the kits into who they wanted them to be. Berrykit did well and was showered with praise from their parents. Reedkit could never meet their expectations.

It got worse when Reedkit was near to becoming an apprentice. His father began bringing him to secluded places to "train." During these sessions, Thornpelt would force Reedkit to try and attack him with unsheathed claws. Though Reedkit was still never able make his father proud, this "training" desensitized him to blood and attacking others. Reedkit did learn how to fight -- but it wasn't the way his parents wanted him to. Even as a young kit, he picked up on how to deal damage using his speed and agility rather than the muscular form that he lacked. But it wasn't enough for his parents. At the end of his kithood, Reedkit's parents gave up on trying to mold him into the warrior they had hoped for, and instead opted to ignore him as much as they could.

### Apprenticehood

Upon becoming an apprentice, Reedpaw was given Cinnamonflare as a mentor. This proved to be both beneficial and dangerous as time went on. Cinnamonflare, a proud and cunning warrior, taught Reedpaw well in the ways of fighting. They helped him hone the abilities he had into powerful weapons, and he soon became a formidable opponent, even as an apprentice. Through his training with Cinnamonflare, he began enjoying fights and learned how to coax them out of others. Cinnamonflare's manipulative nature rubbed off on him, however, and he realized he was good at getting what he wanted by using tricks and carefully selected words.

Not long into his apprenticehood, Reedpaw met Jokepaw, another Windclan apprentice. The toms were similar in their conduct, flirting with each other upon meeting. The two became fast friends and got into all kinds of trouble together, trespassing to explore other territories and making the cats of those territories quite angry in turn.

One of their most notable expeditions was to Shadowclan. Reedpaw convinced Jokepaw to come with him to check out the camp, and the two set out. They were able to find Shadowclan's home without trouble, having fun watching the cats of the mysterious clan while they hid. But before they could get into any more mischief, they were caught by Skyslasher, Minkmane, andSpiderpaw. Despite some sly words with the Shadowclanners, the apprentices were taken to be held prisoner in the camp. While there, Reedpaw and Jokepaw picked up on some information, and were able to divert their captors' attention while they creeped towards their escape. The apprentices made a break for it, becoming split up as the Shadowclan cats chased them down, but both eventually turned back up in Windclan unharmed.

After this experience, Reedpaw realized the fun he could have with exploring the territories. He continued to do so all throughout his apprenticehood, and had all kinds of adventures, whether it have been alone, or with Jokepaw. Another of his most notable experiences is his adventure in Thunderclan.

Reedpaw, alone this time, wandered into Thunderclan territory one day to search for their camp. It wasn't long before he ran into one of their warriors -- a she-cat named Shatteredecho. She was hostile at first, but Reedpaw acted calmly, using careful words to get her to calm down as well. Reedpaw made a bargain with her, and she took him to the trees above Thunderclan's quarry. It was there that another of the clan's warriors, Eveningstep, caught them. Eveningstep told Reedpaw to go home before he didn't have the chance. Reedpaw refused, and the toms began to fight. Though the conflict lasted a good while, eventually Eveningstep was able to pin Reedpaw down, and the annoyed apprentice was taken hostage within the steep walls of Thunderclan camp. However, this would turn out to provide a much more interesting encounter than Reedpaw had ever imagined.

It was during the time that Reedpaw was held prisoner in Thunderclan that he met Slatepaw, an apprentice of the forest-dwelling clan. Slatepaw entered the hostage hole on his own with an interest in why Reedpaw was there. Seeing this as an opportunity to gather information, and maybe a way out, Reedpaw did what he knew best. He flirted. The toms talked for a while within the hostage hole, about many different topics. Reedpaw was charismatic and friendly, while Slatepaw stayed cool, appearing to be unamused by Reedpaw's antics. However, after Slatepaw left, both toms were left with new, and quite frankly, *strange* feelings.

The toms met again over multiple occasions, when Reedpaw would sneak into Thunderclan to explore. Though Slatepaw kept an irritated, haughty, and unamused attitude whenever Reedpaw would flirt with him, the toms eventually became friends. It grew to the point where they couldn't seem to pull away. Despite the risks, Reedpaw continued to visit Slatepaw in Thunderclan.

Another of Reedpaw's most interesting encounters was with Dwindlepaw, the Shadowclan medicine cat apprentice. It had been a particularly bad day for Reedpaw before he met the apprentice. Dwindlepaw had come to Windclan to see her sister, Cinnamonflare, but Reedpaw discovered her alone in the territory before she could make it to the camp. Deciding he wanted to take out his anger on something, Reedpaw immediately acted hostile towards Dwindlepaw before she could explain her business there. It didn't take long for Reedpaw's built up rage to unleash. Only knowing she was from Shadowclan, the tom attacked her viciously and relentlessly. Dwindlepaw screamed that she was a medicine cat to warn him of what he was doing, but by that point, Reedpaw was invested in using his claws and drawing as much blood as he could. He nearly killed Dwindlepaw that day. But after he pinned her to the ground, something like sense finally came to him. He let the apprentice go, leaving her bloodied, beaten, and with terrible wounds.

Unfortunately for Reedpaw, Cinnamonflare found out about the attack. She was enraged that her own apprentice had nearly killed her sister. Yet Cinnamonflare was one to take matters into her own paws -- instead of informing the leader of Windclan of what he had done, she tracked Reedpaw down a few days after the fight. She found him relaxing in Riverclan territory alone, acting as sly and cocky as ever. Reedpaw barely batted an eye at her anger. Within very little time, the two had their claws out. Reedpaw goaded his mentor on, and the two fought hard. Both cats would recieve scars from the fight that day. Yet after a while of violent sparring, Reedpaw and Cinnamonflare came to a stop, both satisfied with what they had done to each other. What had started as a harsh warning from Cinnamonflare turned into a new kind of 'training session'. This type of spar would occur between the two again, becoming a way for both to unleash anger, stress, or just to enjoy a real fight.

Throughout his apprentice days, Reedpaw would meet many cats from all across the clans, using his wits to get out of situations he didn't want to be in, and his claws for the times that he did. His kin continued to neglect him, his parents still adorning Berrypaw with enough praise to make up for what they didn't give to their son. It was during these days that Reedpaw realized it wasn't worth trying to please them anymore. Until warriorhood, there was only one thing Reedpaw really cared about. He wanted *everyone* to know who he was. Whether it have been for good or bad, Reedpaw craved the attention his family had starved him of. And there was hardly anything Reedpaw wouldn't do to get it.

### Warriorhood

After finishing his training, Reedpaw received his warrior name from Cloudstar, entering warriorhood as Reedshade to reflect his sly and light-footed nature. He worked hard to prove his worth to the clan, steadily gaining the attention he desired as his determination in battles showed his loyalty to Windclan. However, not long after becoming a warrior, Cloudstar stepped down from his position as leader, giving rise to Hazystar's leadership. Reedshade knew what this meant -- the deputy position was open for the taking. Yet part of him also knew he wouldn't be picked this time. He was too young of a warrior, so he wasn't surprised when his mentor, Cinnamonflare, was appointed to Hazystar's side. It was alright, though. He would wait, bide his time and climb in popularity until he had another chance.

Around this time, Jokepaw, still an apprentice, stopped Reedshade while the russet warrior was out hunting. They talked for a little bit, and it was then that Jokepaw confessed something to Reedshade. He told Reedshade that he felt something more than friendship, that he *really* liked him. At first, Reedshade didn't understand what his friend meant. Reedshade had never dealt with intimate relationships past simple friendship or flirting. But once Jokepaw explained a little more clearly, Reedshade was dumbstruck. For possibly the first time in his life, he didn't know how he was supposed to act. He opted for telling Jokepaw that he wasn't sure how he felt, sharing some of his awkward truth. Ashamed with himself for letting down his guard and acting vulnerable, Reedshade left Jokepaw alone, dashing away to someplace where he could think things over for himself.

A few days after his talk with Jokepaw, Reedshade met Slatepaw at the border between their clans, only to happily find out that the large grey tom was now Slate*watcher*.He was glad to have a break from the uncertainty he had been feeling with Jokepaw. Yet it seemed Slatewatcher was acting different this time. Instead of his usual, unamused self, Slatewatcher was actually flirting *back* with Reedshade. It caught the red warrior off-guard, and suddenly all the uncertainty he had been feeling the past few days came rushing back. Nervous, Reedshade asked his friend why he was acting so strange. Then, much to his horror, Slatewatcher admitted he liked Reedshade as well -- just like Jokepaw. Completely overwhelmed, Reedshade told the grey tabby what he had told Jokepaw: He needed time to think things through. Now entirely uncertain of what he was supposed to do with these circumstances, Reedshade retreated into himself for a while, keeping away from talking to others in fear his feelings would betray him.

Reedshade found that using his claws seemed to help relieve the vulnerable feelings associated with the recent events. He began to visit other clans solely for the purpose to shed blood. He would coax all kinds of cats into attacking him, enjoying the opportunities to rake his claws through fur. It began to become a sort of release to him, a stress-reliever. Desensitized to bloodshed as a kit, this dark behavior became an addiction whenever Reedshade didn't want to deal with troublesome emotions. He made his rounds throughout the clans, showing no mercy to the cats he could lure into starting a fight. But he never went as far as to kill them. At the time, he didn't see the point.

But that would change soon.

Reedshade finally racked up the courage to confront Jokepaw and Slatewatcher. When he looked for Jokepaw, he was no where to be found -- probably gallivanting around Riverclan or something, he decided. So he went to find Slatewatcher in Thunderclan. He found the tom near where they had met last time, and he immediately launched into an apology. Reedshade might not have been the best with relationships, but this one was one he truly cared about, and he really didn't want to mess it up. After some talk, the two finally resolved. Reedshade was still unsure of how he felt about the grey tom, but he knew *something was there.*

The next time Reedshade met Slatewatcher, things went very differently. Jokepaw hadn't returned to Windclan in a while, and though Reedshade suspected he might have left the clans, he asked Slatewatcher if the warrior had seen any sign of him. When Reedshade described his friend, Slatewatcher's face fell.