Hornetstorm

Art by Speedst

## Description

Hornetstorm is a huge, burly, thick-furred, battle-scarred golden tabby tom with hazel eyes, sharp claws, and dark brown stripes on his face and tail.

## Personality

Hornetstorm was mischievous, arrogant, rowdy, reckless, and short-tempered. It could be very dangerous to get on his bad side, as he couldn't easily control his aggression. He hated being controlled and was always very independent, yet egocentric. He was also quite charismatic and often able to lie his way out of trouble, avoiding responsibility for his careless actions. His idea of being true to himself and living up to his "full potential" meant living on the edge, acting without restraint, and creating chaos whenever he had the opportunity.

## History

Before his current place in the Dark Forest, Hornetstorm was a DustClan warrior who lived during the time of Hollowstar's leadership.

Hornetstorm was born in DustClan along with his brother, Bumblebriar. Growing up, Hornetkit was an ambitious, thrill-seeking prankster, but rarely was he ever allowed to act so boldly-- instead, he was often dismissed and berated by his parents. They were overprotective and restrictive, and treated Hornetkit harshly whenever he took risks or made mistakes. Futhermore, they fully expected for him to be just like them and Bumblekit-- quiet, proper, and striving for perfection. As much as he hated the thought of being someone he wasn't, Hornetkit was filled with envy toward Bumblekit, who always seemed to have their parents' favor and acted bossy toward Hornetkit. And so, Hornetkit was discouraged from expressing himself and for a long time, he had no choice but to suppress his bitterness and resentment.

As an apprentice, Hornetpaw continued to try to earn his parents' full approval, but to no avail. As a result, Hornetpaw's anger began to bottle up inside him and boil to the surface. Feeling that his family was holding him back from living his best life, he decided he would no longer conform to their expectations of him. Hornetpaw started to engage in pulling pranks again, but Bumblepaw and their parents only got more upset with him, which worsened Hornetpaw's temper. He continued with his antics and began to take things to more of an extreme for the thrill of it; at the same time that he refused to let anyone control him, he lost control of himself. His judgement became clouded by his desire, and he began to act recklessly to try to impress those around him. He got other apprentices to join in on his daredevillish behavior, but this only put them in danger. After some of his denmates got hurt as a result, Hornetpaw denied responsibility and landed himself in fights with the others who blamed him. Whenever he pulled a stunt in the future, he used his charisma to convince his mentor that none of it had been his fault, and he viciously threatened any onlooker apprentices against telling anyone what he did.

Even when faced with the consequences of his actions, Hornetpaw continued to sneak around them and seek danger-- partially for his own enjoyment, partially out of spite to those who frowned upon him. Bumblepaw was one of the few who saw through Hornetpaw's denial of personal responsibility and tried in vain to put Hornetpaw in his place, which only made his brother angrier. Hornetpaw continued to act this way until finally, Bumblepaw managed to bust him during one of his stunts, exposing Hornetpaw's mentor to what was going on.

Despite having become an avid hunter and a formidable fighter, Hornetpaw was held back from becoming a warrior due to his behavior. He was infuriated by this, seeing it as a personal attack. Seeing Bumblebriar earn his warrior name filled Hornetpaw with burning jealousy and hatred. He backed down temporarily and acted as if he had learned his lesson, but only in order to advance in rank. Once again he suppressed his feelings, yet inside he seethed with anger more than he ever had.

After finally receiving his warrior name, Hornetstorm saw it as his final step toward true freedom. Energized by his anger, he became progressively more reckless to the point where his danger-seeking behavior put his clanmates' lives at risk. Even as his increasingly dangerous acts were met with backlash, Hornetstorm took delight in their shock and relished the chaos that he created.

Hornetstorm always believed himself to be invincible, but he would soon discover his limits. His last dangerous stunt would prove to be fatal. After he challenged Bumblebriar to a spar perilously close to DustClan's ravine, Bumblebriar took it as an opportunity to confront Hornetstorm once and for all. The fighting intensified and Hornetstorm lost control of his anger, nearly killing his brother; instead, out of desperation, Bumblebriar knocked him over the side of the ravine. Hornetstorm fell to his death and descended to the Dark Forest.

Even now, after a life of living on the edge to the point of going over it, Hornetstorm's craving for chaos has never been satisfied.

## Other Details

- He is Speed's 51st character on the server.

- Moral alignment: Chaotic Evil

Hornetstorm - Art by Speed