Clayfur

Character By Logan, drawing by Marsh

*Art of Rushpaw and Clayfur by Paintsplash*

## **Description/Personality**

Clayfur is a massive russet-brown she-cat with splotches of orange tabby all over her body, white ear tips, and a white tuft of fur above her eyes. Her eyes are amber-orange. She has a scar on her right cheek, her right ear is shredded, and she has a long, big scar down her left side.

She will always favor her right side, the mark on her left side bothering her.

She is very bright and outgoing, and it's hard to get her to do anything but smile. She can't remember her parents, but she still thinks they are looking down on her and smiling. She tells herself she will never lie.

She is a strong warrior, willing to fight for her clan, but she still finds the time to visit the nursery to tell stories, and brings prey to the elders and queens before herself. She feels an intense guilt over her relationship with Foamsplash, but refuses to leave him, as he brings her joy she can't feel in any other situation.

Clayfur deals with things in her own way. On the outside, she may seem carefree and innocent, ignorant of how she's hurt cats around her and broken the Code. In reality, there's a storm brewing inside of her. She's bottled up her emotions for so long that she doesn't know how to let them out.

## **Life Events**

Shortly after becoming Boarstar's apprentice, Claypaw moved from Dustclan territory to Reedclan, and then out to Seaclan. She met Sunnypaw, and had issues with some Reedclan apprentices.

Claypaw met two kittypets, Russel and Anna, while out hunting with Forestwatcher. Russel was looking for his dead father, Willowchaser. She lead them back to camp, to meet Boarstar, and began to fear she had lead Melody directly to the Seaclan camp.

She met Foampaw while in Seaclan.

Claypaw recieved scars from a Society cat during the battle for the Dustclan camp, one over her right cheek, a big one down her left side, and a shredded right ear. Her mentor, Boarstar, died in the battle and left Claypaw crushed. She agreed to Hawthornstar's plan to let the Society cats live in Gladeclan territory, only if they stayed away from them.

Tumbleleap was there to comfort Claypaw after she discovered Boarstar's body, and she quickly became attached to the older tom, thinking of him as a sort of father figure.

After the battle, Gingerstride, yet to be named Gingerstar, named Tumbleleap as Claypaw's new mentor, much to her joy. During the same meeting, she experienced Fadedpath being named the deputy of Dustclan.

Claypaw spends an awful lot of her time in Reedclan territory without other cats knowing. She likes to spend this time with Foampaw.

After a gathering where Gingerstride told the clans Boarstar had died, Fadedpath spotted Foampaw comforting Claypaw, and saw Claypaw going back to the gathering place to meet him. The next day, she took Claypaw out and told her about Boarstar and Lynxshine of Gladeclan, telling her the story as if a warning. She found out Lynxshine, or Caracal of the Society took one of Boarstar's lives, and that Stag (Deerfur) , her daughter with Lynxshine (Caracal) killed her.

Claypaw has began to develop a close connection to Rushkit, and is fully planning on asking to become her mentor when she is old enough.

Claypaw's warrior ceremony was quite normal, coming the day after Gingerstar received his lives from Starclan. It was a shock to her, despite the fact she'd passed her assessment, but what shocked her the most was the name she received: Clayfur.

Boarstar's name was Boarfur before she became the leader of Dustclan.

Soon after receiving her warrior name, she met Foampaw at the gathering place and attempted to break up with him, ultimately failing because love, damnit. She felt terrified that he would hate her if they had to split up. They quickly resolved the situation, both agreeing to stay together despite Fadedpath's warnings.

Clayfur came across Tumbleleap's nearly dead body, with a rogue, Sesi, and a Gang cat, Vaati over it. She rushed up and chased them off, crashing into Sesi and knocking her off the tom, being the beefy cat she is. Sesi told her her name, and Clayfur sure won't forget it. Fadedpath appeared not long after, and helped her carry him back to camp. Fadedpath did her best to comfort the large she-cat, but Clayfur began to slowly develop a hatred towards Sesi, and towards the gangs in general. She swore to protect her clan at any cost. Clayfur stayed in the medicine den with him until he was well enough to speak.

A few days after, when he was healed enough, Clayfur spoke to Tumbleleap about her loving a Reedclan cat, not mentioning Foampaw by name. To her shock and surprise, he didn't yell, or get upset, or scold her. Intead he tol her he understood. He said that because Reedclan and Dustclan were Seaclan, and together for so long, some cats might have found love, thinking they'd be closer for longer. She was then given the opportunity to gush about Foampaw, while Tumbleleap secretly tried to figure out who he was because Dad Energy. However, she's is glad to have the support from Tumbleleap, as he stated very clearly to her that he would do anything he could to protect her if Fadedpath found out about Foampaw.

Clayfur spent time with Oasiskit and Rushkit, teaching Oasiskit how to jump onto a bigger cat's back, and then doing the same with Rushkit. They started fighting with eachother, and she had to break it up, making Rushkit promise she would never hurt a clanmate. She let Rushkit try to teach Oasiskit how to do a hunting crouch, because she noticed the two she-kits weren't getting along. They began to practice, and fought again. Clayfur gave up after that, but promised herself to ask Gingerstar about mentoring Rushkit despite only recently becoming a warrior.

Clayfur was at the gather when Flare, Curlingstar, Gingerstar, Halfstar, and the newly named Ravenstar got into an argument. She backed Gingerstar and Fadedpath up, yelling despite the other voices filling the air. When the tension died down, Gingerstar announced that she had become a warrior, and that she, Fadedpath and Tumbleleap had encountered a rogue and a gang cat. After the gathering, she met with Foampaw once again. All of her insecurities bubbled to the surface and she begged him to join her in Dustclan when he became a warrior.

Not long after, Gingerstar named Rushkit Rushpaw, and relented in giving Clayfur the apprentice.

At the gathering following the apprentice ceremony, Clayfur met Foampaw, who'd been given his warrior name, Foamsplash. Tumbleleap and Littleflame noticed her with him and Tumbleleap was able to figure out who her 'little crush' was. Clayfur proudly introduced Rushpaw to Foamsplash, and Foamsplash struggled to cover his excitement at his mate having an apprentice. He was saved by Halfstar starting the gathering. After the gathering however, she met with Foamsplash, excitedly talking to him about their warrior names. Unbeknowst to her, Rushpaw had followed her back from camp, listening and watching the two warriors with a slowly growing horror. She overheard them talk about Foamsplash joining Dustclan. When Clayfur went back towards the camp, she ran into Rushpaw, both she-cats startled. She was horrified that Rushpaw would hate her. When Rushpaw accused her of sneaking around behind everyone's backs, she became angry and told Rushpaw that Boarstar had done the same thing with a Gladeclan cat.

She was crushed when Rushpaw lost her respect for her. However, Rushpaw told her to hit her, to strike her so they could say they were attacked on the way back. She refused, stating they could pretend she stopped Rushpaw from being attacked, due to the recent Gang scents on the borders. When they returned, Gingerstar was waiting, unable to sleep. Clayfur panicked but Rushpaw spoke for both of them. Unfortunately, Clayfur had to lie, to her leader, and felt even more crushed. Gingerstar followed their scent back to the gathering place and only found Reedclan.

The morning after, or rather afteroon, Clayfur was looking for Rushpaw she panicked. Her apprentice was just out venting in the training field, and when she came back Clayfur took her out to battle train. Rushpaw was frustrated, and took her anger out of Clayfur, which was fine. They got into another arguement, and fought, but after the apprentice attempted to apologize. The apprentice wasn't good with words, and Clayfur went back to camp, struggling not to cry. Once there, she was confronted by Gingerstar, breaking down and telling him she hadn't been attacked, but had an arguement with Rushpaw after the gathering over a tom she liked. He made her promise not to fake being attacked again, and she agreed.

Clayfur spoke with Tumbleleap, letting her anxieties spill out into the open as she struggled with herself over Foamsplash and Rushpaw. He was disappointed in her but told her he couldn't be mad at her when he promised he wouldn't be. He decided to help her try to relax, and told her to just talk.

A few days later, exhausted, Clayfur met Littleflame, Tumbleleap's mate. She joked around with her, finally being able to relax a little bit from the recent issues. Later that day, Rushpaw was able to catch her, and fully apologized, lifting a huge weight off of Clayfur's shoulders.

Sunnypaw asked Clayfur to teach him how to fight, and she agreed, noticed he was hurt recently. Fadedpath came up to them, requesting that Clayfur patrol more often. This annoyed her, and she suddenly felt herself clashing with the deputy, especially in her encumbered state. Unfortunately, Sunnypaw revealed he'd been attacked by a Gang cat, leading to both Fadedpath and Clayfur following him to where it happened. Fadedpath continued to make comments about Clayfur's exhaustion.

Fadedpath took several apprentices, including Rushpaw, out on a sparring trip. Clayfur joined the group to see how Rushpaw would do. By the end of it, Fadedpath and Clayfur began to fight, calling names and screaming at eachother. Fadedpath confined Clayfur to the camp, distressing her. She continued to call her selfish, which Clayfur became defensive over. In the end, she stormed off to the camp, tears streaming down her face. Sunnypaw got her into the medicine den, giving her thyme to calm down. She told him about Foamsplash, shocked that his response wasn't greater.

However, after revealing Foamsplash, Sunnypaw decided to reveal his own news. Clayfur was pregnant, and she didn't know it. Her reaction was quick, her frustration and anger at Fadedpath melting away in her excitement. She decided not to tell Rushpaw, as the young apprentice was tired, but resolved to tell her later, so she could train with a new warrior when Clayfur had to move to the nursery.

After the battle of Gladeclan VS the Society, where Fadedpath had disappeared too, Clayfur spotted her coming back, asking if she was hurt. She apologized for her behavior, however understanding that she wouldn't get out of punishment by doing so, it helped her regain some of her trust in the deputy. She let her go to the medicine den, waiting while she was patched up. She respected that Fadedpath didn't want to talk about the Gladeclan and Society scents. She told Fadedpath she's pregnant, and that being told to stay put helped a lot with her exhaustion. Unfortunately, Fadedpath seemed to have found out Foamsplash was the father, confining Clayfur to camp again, which was taken with less words of disagreement. Fadedpath wasn't happy by any means, but refused to neglect a kit.

Fadedpath agreed to meet with Foamsplash along with Clayfur to speak about him joining Dustclan. The two's relationship wasn't as strained as it used to be, Fadedpath protective of the unborn kits and Clayfur protective of her mate.

When they met with Foamsplash at the gathering place, Fadedpath instructed Clayfur to stay in the bushes. She attacked Foamsplash to see what he would do. He pushed her off, and Clayfur came out after they spoke for a while. She told Foamsplash she was pregnant, but then promptly ended up getting into an argument with Fadedpath again, ruining the wavering relationship between the deputy and the warrior completely. They returned to camp.

Later, she talked to Gingerstar alone. She told him about the pregnancy, and Foamsplash. She also told him she was planning on telling the clan that the kits were Foamsplash's herself.

When Gingerstar and Fadedpath returned to the camp with Foamsplash, Clayfur was ecstatic. However when she left the nursery with him, Fadedpath once again became a problem, arguing against Gingerstar in an attempt to not let Clayfur speak on her own behalf to the clan. They got into a fight again, leading to Gingerstar making them both be quiet, Foamsplash sitting there awkwardly. Gingerstar called a meeting, naming Foamsplash Foampaw of Dustclan, and stating that he would mentor him himself. He then invited Clayfur and Fadedpath to speak, Clayfur(begrudgingly) allowing Fadedpath to speak first. She then spoke her own mind:

*"I broke the code. I'm well aware of this fact, and I know I will be punished accordingly. I am also pregnant, which is why I wanted to bring Foamsplash from Reedclan here. I would like to ask for no ill-will towards my kits when they are born. I will make sure they know their situation when they are born, and I will protect them with every inch and fiber of my body. If anyone has ill-will or anger towards this situation, take it out on ME. Not my family."*

The situation deescalated quickly, Clayfur and the newly named Foampaw returning to the nursery.

When their kits were born, Clayfur and Foampaw named them Seakit and Marigoldkit, after Seaclan and the marigolds that lined the beach in some places. Foampaw continued to train under Gingerstar.

During her stay in the nursery Clayfur was bitten by a snake trying to protect the kittens inside, ultimately leading to her death.

## **Relationships**

Boarstar: Clayfur looked up to Boarstar immensely when she was a kit, and even more-so when she was apprenticed to her. She misses her mentor dearly, and doesn't think any less of her for Caracal or Stag.

Gingerstar: Clayfur thinks of Gingerstar as a father figure, or as close as you can get to one. She finds him to be supportive, funny and downright adorable at times, and respects him with every fiber of her being.

Sunnydune: Clayfur was apprenticed around the same time as Sunnydune and thinks of the medicine cat as a brother. Rest assured, he's the first one she'll go to to talk to thinks about, like her feelings or troubles, because she trusts him enough to do so.

Fadedpath: Clayfur and Fadedpath do not have a very good relationship. For obvious reasons: Fadedpath does not trust Clayfur because of Foamsplash, and Clayfur does not trust Fadedpath because she doesn't trust her. Simple, really.

Foamsplash/paw: Clayfur met Foampaw as an apprentice in Seaclan. She quickly fell head over heels in love with him, and didn't think anything of it, as they were, technically, at the time, the same clan. She's still in love with him, despite everything that's happened, and she's glad he is with her in Dustclan.

Rushpaw: Clayfur respects Rushpaw with every inch and fiber of her being. She wants the younger cat to flourish and blossom into the great warrior she knows she can become. She thinks of her former apprentice like a younger sister she never had, and pushes her to keep training under Fadedpath.

Anna: Clayfur met Anna as an apprentice. She's glad the other queen is in the nursery with her and Anna was the first one to be told about Foamsplash.

Tumbleleap: You're my dad, boogie woogie woogie.

## **Quotes/Extras**

"You're cute!" - to Sunnypaw

"I think.. you're going to be a great leader, Gingerstride." - to Gingerstride

"You look like a *mess.*" - to Foampaw when they first met

"Sometimes kits have a hard time expressing what they feel."

"If you go around thinking you're better than everyone else, you're not going to make many friends." - to Rushkit

"Being big comes in handy, sometimes." - to Anna .............................. Art by Eve ^^^

"Oasiskit you're going to have to learn to take criticism from multiple places if you want to be a good warrior. Even if you don't like someone, they can help you." - to Oasiskit and Rushkit

"I.. I'm *sorry.* I'm sorry for falling in *love* with a tom in Seaclan and I'm sorry for sticking around when he went back to Reedclan. You know who else did this? *Boarstar.*" - to Rushpaw after she found her with Foamsplash.

"Fine. I broke the warrior code. Are you happy? Are you satisfied?" - to Rushpaw

"Guess you're learning a bunch of lessons today. Don't be like your mentor. Apparently I'm too much like MINE." - to Rushpaw

"All I want to do is redeem myself.." - to Tumbleleap

"YOU can't tell me what to do!" - to Fadedpath

"WHY DON'T YOU TRUST ME!?" - to Fadedpath

"You aren't being credited with breaking the code, Fadedpath. I'm thanking you for helping me with the pregnancy. The code is on my shoulders and mine alone." - to Fadedpath after talking to her about Foamsplash.

"You may be older than me Fadedpath, by a long shot, but I'm not going to let you phase me. I know this is bad. You don't have to keep beating it into me. I'm not going to break again. I deal with things in my. own. way. Just because you can't SEE IT doesn't mean it isn't HAPPENING." - to Fadedpath

"What would you rather I do, Fadedpath? Beg for forgiveness at you paws? Kill myself? Leave and never return? I'm trying my hardest to keep my family together after loosing it before. The conversation is over." - to Fadedpath

"The kits are the first priority." - to Gingerstar

"I plan on telling the clan myself. I never liked lying. I'm not about to start now." - to Gingerstar

"I love you all." - To Foampaw, Marigoldkit and Seakit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLgfYnS3oHE

https://soundcloud.com/cg5-beats/love-isnt-fair

    Claypaw's warrior ceremony went like this:

Gingerstar: Nice job passing your apprentice exam>

Claypaw: Thanks!

Gingerstar: mhm. -Goes to bonetree-

Claypaw: -Oblivious-

Gingerstar: -Announce-

Rushkit: Gurl it's about you

Claypaw: OH-