Vixenheart

Vixenheart is a fiery red tortoiseshell she-cat with sharp green eyes.

## Personality

She generally appears quite cold and aloof to other cats, even those within her own Clan; she easily accepts and even enjoys the relative solitude that comes with her position, happy to sequester herself away tending to her duties rather than mingling or socializing much with her Clanmates. When she does speak with others, she is generally quite sharp-tongued and brusque, preferring to keep things businesslike and serious rather than engaging in small talk, idle chatter, or friendly banter. She uses lots of sarcasm, frequently making cynical remarks or snarky commentary in response to others trying to make conversation with her, putting distance between herself and others at all times. She is not stingy or selective when it comes to insulting others, frequently pointing out others' fish-brained behavior or reckless habits and not being afraid to berate them for it, oftentimes with the explanation that she already breaks her back for her Clan without everyone else going off and doing stupid things to make her work harder. She cares little to nothing for the everyday drama that goes on in others' lives, offering only brutally realistic advice to anyone who asks her for it, otherwise not bothering to involve herself in others' problems. Needless to say, she doesn't have the stereotypical warm, soothing personality that medicine cats are often expected to have. However, she is extremely dedicated to her job, and very passionate about being a medicine cat; it is evident from her diligence to her duties and the skill with which she carries them out that she cares deeply for her position, and if she hears anyone bad-mouthing medicine cats in general, she'll deliver swift and fierce retribution. She does not appreciate any sort of goofing off in or around her den, so kits are absolutely not welcome – her interacting with kits usually goes something along the lines of "no, I does not have time to answer your fish-brained questions, no you may not touch anything in my den, no you may not sit and watch, just go back to chasing your tails or something." She also absolutely does not tolerate anyone being difficult about being treated; if a patient or a family member of theirs is giving her a hard time or not complying with her instructions, she will not hesitate to verbally lash them to make them shut up and comply, and may even engage them in a physical altercation if need be, as she is a well-trained warrior and isn't afraid to use that to her advantage. On top of being very cold and distant, or even somewhat controlling due to her intense no-nonsense attitude about others following her directions, others could also see her as selfish or manipulative, due to certain circumstances that led her to gain her position as a medicine cat in the first place. She is very intelligent and resourceful, perceptive to the point that it's difficult to lie to her, though she likely won't mention it or even really care unless it directly affects her line of work. Despite all of her outwardly harsh and prickly behaviors, she does, in fact, have a softer side, though admittedly she's not *much* softer; she is still sarcastic, sassy, and prone to rolling her eyes and offering insults, but to those within her inner circle, it is all more lighthearted, her swipes not meant to hurt or discipline and her insults meant to tease rather than intimidate. It takes a lot to get into her inner circle, but once you're in it, she is extremely loyal, willing to fight and die for her loved ones with the same passion that she dedicates herself to being a medicine cat. Perhaps the easiest way to tell she cares for a cat is that she won't immediately try to drive them out of her den if they enter without a valid reason (or at least she won't try very hard). She is a very private cat, and even those that are close to her don't know all of her secrets. She harbors some guilt over her broken family, regretting the way things turned out, but she sticks with her decision and makes sure to show no special attention to anyone in the Clan to avoid suspicion, instead watching over and protecting her family from a distance.

## History

She never wanted to be a warrior – growing up, her mother was very ill and later died during Vixenheart's kithood, and her father died of injuries before she was born, which prompted her to develop an interest in herbs and healing from a young age. However, because the Clan already had both a medicine cat and medicine cat apprentice at the time, and her spiritual powers were not the most obvious (she mostly got the emotions of spirits, but didn't know what to do with them or how to express this to others) she was forced to accept a warrior apprenticeship when she came of age. Though she proved to be a talented hunter and a resourceful fighter throughout her training, she was never truly happy with her life, and didn't share in her mentor's joy when she received her warrior name. Her light in the dark during her days as a young warrior came in the form of a tom within her Clan; they didn't leave the best first impressions on each other, but despite their initial quarrel, they managed to grow quite close, and even fell in love. However, Vixenheart was still unhappy as a warrior, and spent a fair amount of her time hanging around the medicine den to help out and learn what she could, when she could get away with it. While doing this, she noticed the senior medicine cat was creaky, sometimes shaky, sometimes forgetful… This caused her to approach her Clan leader, requesting that the elder medicine cat be forced to retire, and that she be transferred to the medicine cat apprentice position. The leader was unwilling at first, not wishing to lose a good warrior when the Clan was facing tensions with the others, but eventually consented, so long as she trained an apprentice of her own first. When her apprentice was given a warrior name, the leader forced the senior medicine cat to retire, and Vixenheart became the remaining medicine cat's apprentice. Through all of this, she kept her relationship with her mate a closely guarded secret, unwilling to let her ascension to her dream position be compromised. However, when she finally got what she wanted, she found out that she was pregnant. She kept this a secret from the Clan, though she informed her mate; she gave birth in secret, giving life to a single son. She gave her son to her mate to raise by himself and ended their relationship, as she was afraid that the whole family would be punished for breaking the rules, in addition to fear of her title being stripped away from her after so much work. She loves her mate and son dearly, even now, and regrets that she is unable to be with them, but she keeps her distance from them to avoid suspicion. Her own mentor died a few seasons ago, and she has wholly devoted herself to her duties since, doing her best not to think too much about what she's lost.