Sleetpaw

Character art by Speedst

## Description

Sleetpaw is a small, wiry gray tom with cream spots, a white chest and paws, darker gray ears, blue-green eyes, and a scar above his right eye.

## Personality

Sleetpaw is energetic, impulsive, moody, stubborn, mischievous, and reckless. He will often act cool and tough to cover up his inner insecurity in his efforts to prove himself to others. At the same time, he can be inwardly self-critical and pessimistic. He can also be very outspoken and blunt when he's moody. Although he's quick-tempered, he has a caring heart, and he is fiercely loyal to his loved ones.

## History

Sleetpaw is a ReedClan apprentice who has lived under Ravenstar's, Tumblingstar's, and Lightningstar's leaderships.

He was born to Sneezecry and Rustrunner during a period of famine and war in ReedClan, and had a younger foster sister named Ripplekit. He never knew Rustrunner until his return from CavernClan after recovering from a battle, but they quickly became very close.

Despite his parents' protectiveness, Sleetkit was a bundle of energy, always getting himself into trouble. He liked to tag along with the older kits, namely Amberkit and Opalkit, two of Ravenstar's sons. In his admiration for them, Sleetkit initially took on a meaner attitude to match Amberkit's. However, Sleetkit began to turn on him once Amberkit began to outright bully other kits. It was at the height of the famine when, amid his own near-starvation, Sleetkit noticed that Amberkit and his siblings were receiving special treatment from Ravenstar in the form of extra prey. While Amberkit grew big and strong because of it, Sleetkit's growth became permanently stunted, and he remained very small in stature. In his insecurity and resentment, he developed hostility toward Amberkit over time.

Meanwhile, Sleetkit realized he wanted to be more like Rustrunner than Amberkit (who was now Amberpaw). So he worked hard to become a fast runner like his dad. However, what he didn't realize was that Rustrunner was keeping a secret from him. Both of Sleetkit's parents were among Ravenstar's loyalists, and Ravenstar secretly threatened to kill Sleetkit if Rustrunner didn't obey her. In order to protect his son, Rustrunner was forced to defend Ravenstar before his clanmates overthrew her by force. Sleetkit was very upset upon witnessing what he saw as Rustrunner's betrayal and near-death, initially not understanding that he did it for his son, but it wasn't long before they reconciled.

After reaching the age of six moons, Sleetpaw was apprenticed to Blackpool (later known as Lightningstar), Rustrunner's best friend. They quickly bonded with each other, with Blackpool becoming like a second father to him. Sleetpaw was eager to have more freedom as an apprentice, and he was determined to become as swift as Rustrunner and to keep up with the older and stronger apprentices like Amberpaw. As ambitious as he was, he was also quite reckless and often wound up in sticky situations after he tried too hard to prove he was strong-- even landing himself in a border skirmish with Typhon, a gang cat. Luckily he survived, and he tried to be a bit more careful in the future.

At the same time, Sleetpaw developed several close friendships. Despite his initial annoyance toward the timid but affectionate Tigerpaw, they soon became very good friends. He also befriended and developed a crush on Amberpaw's sister Slatepaw, and their relationship grew especially close.

However, Sleetpaw watched as Amberpaw's behavior grew more sinister following Ravenstar's death, and their relationship soured further. Amberpaw beat up Tigerpaw as a show of strength, angering Sleetpaw and the other apprentices. Later, Amberpaw behaved recklessly while crossing the thunderpath on a patrol, and Rustrunner rushed out to prevent him from getting hit by a twoleg bike. He took the hit instead and suffered serious injuries as a result. Enraged, Sleetpaw tackled Amberpaw and the two scuffled violently on the ground before Blackpool had to break them apart. Luckily Rustrunner survived, but Sleetpaw would continue to see Amberpaw as a bitter enemy, and they frequently fought. As a result, they often had to be kept separate until Amberpaw (now Amberstorm) became a warrior.

Meanwhile, Sleetpaw's parents had fallen out of love, and Rustrunner later became mates with Dapplepool. As a result, Sleetpaw's family grew and he became close to his new step-siblings, Puddlefrost and Ducksplash.

Eventually, Tumblingstar retired and was succeeded by Blackpool, whom StarClan gave the name Lightningstar. Filled with pride and admiration, Sleetpaw initially celebrated-- but it wasn't long before Lightningstar appointed Amberstorm to be ReedClan's deputy in an effort to give him a second chance. Outraged, Sleetpaw ran off from the ceremony with Slatepaw, feeling betrayed by his mentor and unable to forgive Amberstorm for what he did in the past. For a little while, Sleetpaw refused to talk with Lightningstar and instead confided in Slatepaw, bonding over their shared feelings.

Suddenly, both Rustrunner and Amberstorm went mysteriously missing. Determined to find Rustrunner, Sleetpaw searched relentlessly along with his clanmates. Because this was the fourth time in his life that he thought he would lose his dad, part of him was sure that he would come back. At the same time, he was on edge and deeply worried. Even though he still hated Amberstorm's guts, Sleetpaw searched for him too, hoping for Slatepaw's sake that they would find him. Lightningstar continued to reassure Sleetpaw and eventually confessed that making Amberstorm deputy had been a mistake. Amidst all this, Sleetpaw forgave his mentor and replied that he shouldn't have been so angry. In their reconciliation, they revealed that they felt as if they were father and son, and the rift between them disappeared.

## Other Details

- He is Speed's 47th character on the server.

- Headcanon voice: Ash Fox from *Fantastic Mr. Fox*

From left to right: Sleetpaw, Tigerpaw, and Slatepaw - Art by PinkSleetpaw - Art by SpeedSleetpaw & Slatepaw - Art by SpeedSleetpaw - Art by Speed