Mudpool is a tom with hazel eyes, shaggy gold fur, darkening with age, to the point of being light brown, with barely visible dark stripes. He has long leggs endind with thin dark brown paws with a darker patch on his right forepaw and tipped tail.
The Gathering[]
You weave among the undergrowth, trying to scent any sign of prey, you stop and open you're mouth to taste the air, a warm scent of mouse creeps its way into your scent glands, making your mouth water. Suddenly you notice a flash of brown shoot from under the bracken behind you and into the brambles ahead, you feel your paws tingle with excitement, and give chase. You race through a sandy clearing and past an ivy-coloured oak tree at the edge of it. A strange, musky odor wafts into you're nostrils, but you keep you're pace and dive through some birch ahead of you, not wanting to loose the swift-footed mouse. You hear a sudden shake in the birch you've just past and spin around to face a light brown tabby tom, he sits down at the edge of a small, sandy clearing and wraps his striped tail over his dark brown paws. You feel your back arch and lip curl, baring you're teeth, and the strange tang you scented earlier fills you're nostrils again.
"You don't need to bare your teeth," the tom began, showing no hostility in his amber gaze. You hold his gaze steadily as suspicion floods over you like a swollen river, though you feel your muscles relax and your pelt lies flat once again. You sit down on some dead leaves, still you feel weary, even though you begin to trust the brown tom.
The stripped warrior puffs out his chest as he meows proudly: "I am Mudpool, of SkyClan". SkyClan? What's SkyClan? 'You wonder to yourself.
"Oh, I'm sorry, let me explain," the tom meowed your thoughts, unexpectedly. "Living in a clan is a great honor, you see we live in the caves of a deep gorge, over there," the brown tabby flicks his tail onwards showing the direction behind you. You turn your head to see, but you see only shrubs and tall trees.
"Behind the forest," he explains. "Mothers, called queens protect and feed there kits, when the kits reach the age of six moons, they become apprentices and when they are fully trained, they become warriors, you see? The leader has the full responsibility of looking after the clan, with a little help from the deputy, who becomes leader when the current one dies. The medicine cat treats the wounded and reads signs from our ancestors, StarClan. We have different borders as well, to mark out our territory, like the one you just crossed." Your pelt prickles with memory, as you remember the strange odor that you scented at the old oak tree. That must be a border. You think to your self wonderingly. "I'm sorry, I know this must be a lot to take in, let's take this conversation back to camp." The brown tabby hauled himself from were he was sitting, and turned-tail to disapear into the undergrowth. You quickly follow, dodging tall trees and thorned bushes along the way, you follow Mudpool down a steep slope, a river divided half of it, and a gorge lined a big sandy hollow, cats padded along busily, each doing there own differant chore. You follow Mudpool to a shallow cave, carved in a side of the gorge. "Now where were we, oh yes, I remember being a kit, learning this to, they were good times." The tom continues. His amber eyes glinted with rememberance. "Would you like to here how I got to know the Clan, like you?"
History[]
"I was born to Heavyeye, my father and Smokespots, my mother, I was named after my grandfather on my mothers side, Mudclaw.
Not long after my birth the current deputy, and my uncle, Turtleheart died. His kits, Vinepaw and Mountainpaw and mate, Blackcloud grieved for days. The next deputy was Emberstars brother, Mosspelt.
A few moons after my birth I remember sneaking out of the nursery in search of the fresh-kill I'd heard so much about, at the same time marvelling at the camp around me, remember, before that all I saw was the cold, stone walls of the nursery. I faintly remember tumbling down the zigzag slope from it. Eventually I found the fresh-kill pile and noticed a sparrow, plump and still warm, I tried to drag it out but if I remember correctly, I floundered for what seems like moons trying to heave it out. Eventually I tucked in to the fresh-kill, and then I choke on a small bone, just my luck! I almost died! After I was raced to the medicine cat's den and, with Laurelpelt's help, I was freed of that little pesky shoulder bone. All that just because I overheard my mother talking about a measly fresh kill pile!" Can you believe it!?
Not the first time I was in there as a kit, either, I went down with greencough and whitecough and I once dislocated a shoulder. Actually, now that I think about it, Laurelpelt has saved me many times over.
Blackcloud then mated a rogue, after the death of Turtleheart, named Auther. Rouges have strange names, don't they. Don't tell anyone, but I think he was a kittypet before he was a rogue. Auther and Blackcloud had a kit, named Duckkit, she was the same age as Daykit, but, I'll explain that part of the story later. When Duckkit was a warrior, her name was Duckflight, but I'll explain that later to. Auther and Blackcloud soon fell out, and Auther was a rogue again, we never saw him after that, I think he went to Twolegplace.
After a while I was given my apprentice name, Mudpaw, I was born just on the cusp of green-leaf so you could say I was apprenticed early! I remember catching a mouse on a hunting patrol, with Steamfur and my friends, Fishpaw and Dimpaw, his brother, but don't get him wrong, with a name like Dimpaw you'd think he's a dreary kind of cat, but believe me, he's not. On the way back to camp a massive rouge launched right on top of me, I don't no why, though. I tried to fight the massive dark tabby tom but he was way to big! Remember I was only a newly appointed apprentice. Steamfur and the other apprentices saved me, and together we drove him of.
Emberstar was growing very old, and he was begining to slip into altsimes, his mate Elmheart began doing alot of things for him.
Anyway, were was I...Oh yes, Dimpaw and Fishpaw. They came back from a hunting trip one day, when they weren't meant to be hunting at all. Fishpaw had a massive, bloody scratch running from his cheek, over one eye and through his ear, ripping it in half. Laurelpelt saved him, barely. They were playing to roughly on some rocks, and when he fell, he slid half of his face open on another bit of stone. What made it worse was that on the same day his warrior ceremony was to take place, and as Laurelpelt saved him, the warrior ceremony went on. As he didn't follow his leaders orders, Emberstar named him Scareface, with his brother being Dimpelt. I remember being flooded with shock, more than you can imagine.
A few moons after Mosspelt died of greencough, and there were to likely competetors for deputy: Earthtail and Eageheart. They were both strong, young warriors, but in the end Earthtail, the slightly older warrior gave his best wishes, and stepped down, still being a warrior, but letting Eagleheart take the place as deputy.
Many, many moons after the deputy ceremony my grandmother, Elmheart fell ill with greencough, and being the eldest cat in the clan, it hit her hard, very hard. She spent nearly every day in the medican cats den, oh, Emberstar was growing ever so confused about it all, Smokespots and I began caring for him more and more, but, of coarse, he kept his dry sense of hummer. Her loner sister, Minnowfur tried to region the clan again. She had caused alot of disgrace for the clan earlier, being cranky and cold hearted, she eventually left with her mate. Far far away. When she tried to return - her mate had died and her only kit had left her. She wasn't exceptid at first, and lived on the outskirts of the border for a while. Anyway, after a long moon, Elmheart was healed, but she couldn't look after the leader as much anymore, so she had to have help, from all the clan. And when Elmheart broke her led from falling down the path, she was back in the medicine cat's den for another two moons. Emberstar was confused, and suffering inside. He had to be moved to the elders den, with the whole clan running around him. It was like the camp was in lockdown! And as fustrating as it was for Emberstar, now he could never comunicate properly.
My warrior ceremony came after the brothers, but before Nightflowers, because I had to stay an apprentice for an extra moon! Because, you know...the cusp! Wich means for a whole year I was stuck with kits!"
The tom let out a short hiss of frustration, and then meowed again.
After boasting a little that I would earn my warrior name to the kits, even though I no I shouldn't have. Actually, I remember saying things like: "Yeah, its probably going to be something like Mudfang, because, you know I'm good at tracking. Or Mudtooth because I'm great at hunting!" When the warrior ceremony finally came, my name was Mudpool, for my "bravery and loyalty". I remember seeing glowing pride in my leader's eyes, though I heard a few chuckles from the kits, I tried to ignore them, but, after boasting, I suppose I deserved it.
In the same ceremony a kit named Daykit was made an apprentice, and guess who her mentor was, oh yes, you're right, me! Also, Duckkit was made an apprentice to. So, I was happy with my leader chosing me to be a mentor to Daypaw, before I knew her! I like her really, but she's so headstrong and outspoken, she never listens! I remember showing her the territory, how to hunt, fight, carry moss, the usual mentor-apprentice things, I remember one time, Daypaw and her brother were fighting, Cheetahfoot, might I add, a fully fledged warrior and one of the fastest cats in the clan. She would of been better-off fighting her sister, Kestrelpaw, the medicine cat apprentice, Kestrelpaw's still older then her sister, though. Anyway, of course she lost the battle."
Mudpool let out a short mrrow of laughter before getting back to the story.
"When I was older, a senior warrior, in fact, my apprentice, Daypaw was a warrior, Daylight, and Eagleheart retired from deputy. I was so shocked! I mean really shocked! Because...when Eagleheart retired, he made me deputy, I couldn't believe it, and I really didn't expect it!
And so, here I am, the deputy of SkyClan."
Family[]
Members[]
Mother: Smokespots
Father: Heavyeye
Grandmother: Elmheart, Geckoswipe
Grandfathers: Emberstar, Mudclaw
Aunts: Gracklefeather, Blackcloud, Lizardheart
Uncles: Gravelspeckle, Turtleheart, Auther, Ferretslash
Cousens: Duckflight, Mountainlight, Vinepelt, Reedtail, Crowwing, Molewhisker, Cherrynose
Warrior Ceremony[]
Emberstar-
I, Emberstar, leader of SkyClan, call upon my warrior . . .My ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn.
Urm...Mudpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?
Mudpaw-
I do.
Emberstar-
Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name: Mudpaw, from this moment you will be known as Mudpool. StarClan honors your bravery and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan.
SkyClan-
Mudpool! Mudpool!
Trivia[]
Mudool as a kit and apprentice, had a tendency to say "Sorry," repetitively and unnecessarily, but after his apprentice ceremony, had a great deal of more confidence.