Vesper

**Vesper** is a ginger tabby and white tom with a variation of a mask-and-mantle pattern. His tail is long and banded ginger. He has olive green eyes.

Seen in Image: Vesper (left) and Volita (right).

## Personality

Vesper is a cunning, ambitious tom who serves Mackerel under the title of scrapper. He has been serving Mackerel since he was a young tom rescued from a certain corner of death with a cougar up North, with his sibling Volita. Mackerel and his own crew delivered him from its jaws and he swore his allegiance. Ever since, he does not mind his leader's severity so long as it serves him well in protection and subsistence. His whole world is Volita, his sister who bears almost identical markings, though they often get into tussles despite sibling affection.

## History

Vesper and his sister Volita were born to a mother who could barely feed them, and a father who tried to extort them into some sort of trafficking in exchange for food and shelter. The siblings travelled alone as nomads for a couple of moons, moving from one small group of rogues to the next, with Volita taking the lead in ensuring their survival and tracking the days.

Eventually they entered the territory of EagleClan and the Bloodhides. Their first encounter with EagleClan was a border dispute, in which EagleClan chased the pair off their grounds with no regard to their wellbeing. When later cornered by a cougar they were rescued by Mackerel and his crew, and joined the Bloodhides as scrappers.

### First Leaf-fall

Woken by the prod of Erebos' claw in his side, Vesper goes out on a patrol with Erebos into the Valerian Valley. They catch a rabbit and a vole respectively, but continue pushing forwards until they meet an EagleClan patrol. The resulting encounter is tense, especially once Blazestar emerges from the brush, and Vesper grows concerned with them being so greatly outnumbered by the six EagleClan cats. However, Erebos manages to convince Blazestar to let them leave with their prey, and he and Vesper return to the Underpass escorted by Rookflight, Drizzlemask, and Peapaw.

Arriving back at the Underpass, Vesper rushes in to escape their EagleClan escort. He and Erebos go to Mackerel's chambers to report their encounter. They tell Mackerel that they met an EagleClan patrol of six cats, with the EagleClan leader Blazestar among them. Mackerel decides that it is time for them to consider engaging in battle with EagleClan, dismissing Erebos and Vesper as he tells them to rest.

Later, Vesper is present when Mackerel declares war against EagleClan. When Volita and Icarus return, they come over to sit with him. Vesper explains what they missed and about the patrol he and Erebos met in the Valley. The three of them head closer as Mackerel calls the scrappers and hunters to him for their battle assignments. Vesper is assigned to the first patrol, who will go out before nightfall to wait for the return of the EagleClan patrol, alongside Erebos, Athena, and Icarus.

As the patrol makes its way to the Highlands, Vesper comments to Icarus that he did not expect battle to come so soon, and teases him about Volita. Though he notices Icarus' halfhearted reply, he dismisses it as a result of Volita's usual fickle behaviour. Turning to Erebos, he asks him which of the EagleClan cats he'd like to fight most. Although Erebos gives a decent reply, he warns Vesper and Icarus to keep up before they all freeze their paws off. Arriving at the ditch, they settle down to wait out the night. Vesper keeps himself alert and awake with the thought of killing EagleClan cats in battle.

When dawn comes, Vesper hears the crackle of bracken from far above, signalling the movement of the EagleClan patrol. He flicks his tail to alert the others. As the EagleClan cats arrive, Erebos leads the charge with Vesper close behind. Vesper leaps onto Runningwolf's back, knocking him to the ground, though suffers a wound to the shoulder in return. Noticing Peapaw watching them fearfully, Vesper taunts her before digging his claws into Runningwolf's stomach wtih intent to tear him open. After escaping Icarus, Ermineflight tackles Vesper away from Runningwolf before Vesper is able to kill him. Vesper rakes his claws down her flank, though Ermineflight escapes him by allowing herself to be knocked down, and she escapes with Peapaw.

Glaring after the fleeing cats, Vesper turns to Runningwolf, attacking him alongside Athena until Runningwolf is forced to the ground. They continue battering him until the EagleClan reinforcements arrive, at which point Vesper sets his sights on Shadowstreak, charging towards him. He plunges for Shadowstreak's throat and bites down. Goatwhisker bites and scratches Vesper to try and force him to release Shadowstreak, but soon Shadowstreak is dead, and Vesper drops him. Vesper is attacked with renewed fury by Goatwhisker and is unable to free himself. He cranes his neck trying to sight the second wave of Bloodhides, still struggling to bat Goatwhisker away.

Rubeus arrives on the scene of the battle and cuffs Goatwhisker aside with a blow to the head. Grabbing Vesper by the scruff, Rubeus lifts him to his paws, leaving Vesper embarrassed. Though beginning to lose his energy, Vesper prepares himself to attack Goatwhisker alongside Rubeus, running towards her across the field. Goatwhisker loosely grabs Vesper and swipes at him with little success, still half-dazed from her head injury. Easily shaking her off, Vesper looks to Rubeus, silently urging him to attack as well, before diving beneath Goatwhisker to try and destabilise her. He successfully knocks her down and Rubeus catches up, killing Goatwhisker with another hard blow to the head. Rubeus says to Vesper that he should've stayed back while Rubeus dealt with it, and as he leaves to assist Volita, tells Vesper to stay back.