Shadestorm

Shadestorm is a sleek black smoke tom with scruffy, longer fur around his chest and shoulders, a long, feathery tail, and sharp golden eyes.

## Personality

He probably would have gotten his warrior name sooner if it weren't for his disciplinary issues - he has a nasty habit of lashing out at others, especially older cats or anyone with some measure of authority over him. He absolutely despises being told what to do, at least by anyone he feels is lording their power over him, and he will often viciously resist attempts to silence or suppress him, snarling and snapping at others verbally or even lashing out physically if pushed too far. He's not difficult to rile up, and is generally irritable and standoffish to anyone and everyone around him, Clanmates included. However, he has a specific brand of harshness reserved for those outside of his own Clan; he is extremely hostile towards those outside of his own Clan, acting first and asking questions later in terms of anyone trespassing on VineClan land, and he often jumps to conclusions or takes offense to even offhanded comments about his Clan, quick to defend them and insult the other Clans in return. He's quick to snap at all cats, though, including his own Clanmates, and can often be found hissing at anyone that approaches him for any reason, telling them to back off and leave him alone. He prefers solitude to company, liking to have plenty of personal space and not liking when others try to approach him or talk to him. He's very sharp-tongued and often considered rude, employing a lot of sarcasm when speaking to others in order to drive them away. However, although he may seem to completely despise the existence of any and all other cats, he is fiercely loyal to his Clan, and does his best to provide for it; though he doesn't like being around other cats, he shows that he cares in more subtle ways, going out for patrols at very early or late hours, when others would rather be sleeping or relaxing, and if he hears that an injured cat or one of the queens has any kind of craving, he'll go out of his way to hunt down some of that prey and bring it back, though he won't give it to them personally. He doesn't want to be acknowledged for his kind gestures, and will deny it vehemently if someone calls him out on any of those actions. He has no idea how to be vulnerable or express genuine emotion, being quite emotionally stunted in general. He has no really good outlet for expressing vulnerabilities, which can make him even more volatile and harsh towards others. He can be quite the workaholic, always preferring to be doing something and hating to be idle, so he will sometimes work himself too hard and not give himself any breaks, resulting in him neglecting his own needs at times. He doesn't obey rules that don't make sense to him, often very deliberately breaking rules to prove a point, and refuses to respect anyone unless they *prove* that they deserve his respect - and even then, he'll likely still be rude, even if he will actually obey them to an extent. Basically, he's a socially maladjusted, emotionally stunted, and violent little problem child.

## History

Born out of a forbidden relationship between his father, a VineClan warrior named Whiteclaw, and his mother, a loner she-cat named Skully, Shadekit and Brightkit were not accepted as easily within VineClan as other kits. Perhaps their biggest critic, however, was their own father; Whiteclaw was a very stern father, hardly ever showing his kits any affection or even approval, often distancing himself from them to perform his duties to the Clan, and criticizing them when he *was* around them. He wanted his kits to grow up to be the perfect warriors, strong, dutiful, and unbreakably loyal to VineClan. He and his sister reacted differently to the treatment; under the constant scrutiny and criticism of his father, Shadestorm began to grow more and more rebellious, refusing to comply with his father's demands and constantly lashing out at those around him. However, his father's teachings still affected him mentally; he has no idea how to express emotions, and doesn't have any basis for what a healthy, happily family looks like. His father's ways even drove a wedge between him and his sister, since she took their father's teachings to heart while he rejected them; they practically can't be around each other without devolving into a screeching argument. Whiteclaw died when Shadestorm was still an apprentice. Shadestorm refused to mourn - but he ended up burying and refusing to deal with a great number of confusing emotions after the death. His warrior ceremony was delayed by a few moons because of his disciplinary issues, but he was more than capable of fending for himself as a full warrior even before he was supposed to become a warrior initially, as he is almost prodigal in terms of combat skill, and is a decent hunter as well.