Rabbitkit || RiverClan

[Deleted]

NAME! Rabbitkit || Rabbitpaw || Rabbitleap
AGE! Six moons.
RANK! Kit. Medicine Cat Apprentice?
GENDER! Tom
CLAN! RiverClan
SHORT DESC.! A lean, short-furred brown tabby tom with powerful hindlegs and light brown eyes.
PHOTOGRAPH!

[click for full size]
ANOTHER!

FULL DESCRIPTION!

The brown base of this tom's coat gives meaning to his name, the hue similar to that of many wild rabbits that reside in WindClan's windswept plains, the closeness of their borders giving inspiration to his parents. His brown shades lighten around his belly, throat, and the lower portions of his muzzle, into a tanish-cream shade. The color gains vibrancy along the sides of his face and neck, becoming a golden brown. His legs are laced with dark black stripes. As they rise along his legs, the stripes break apart and lighten, forming brown spots and broken stripes along his side, shoulders, and hindquarters. Along his back, the stripes return, running from the top of his head and down to the tip of his tail. Rings melt from his dorsal stripe to wrap around his tail, giving the lean appendage an almost raccoon-like quality. His forehead is drizzled in black, forming the 'M' that is typical of tabbies. Below that, his eyes are a gentle brown color, not particularly dark, but not really bright, either. Just a happy medium in between the two extremes. Coming down across either side of his face are two dark stripes, narrowing towards the edge of his face, but they die out before they can meet.

His fur is short, and hugs his thin, lean frame. It's soft to the touch, though, much more plush than it seems. Rabbitkit is a small cat, and he's likely to stay smaller than average into adulthood. Rabbitkit has a small head, which tends to make his ears look bigger in comparison. His lithe form isn't built for brute strength, but more for speed. Even so, he isn't very fast, but he makes up for it with endurance. Rabbitkit can cover a lot of ground in every step, which seems to take less energy than the shorter steps of most other cats.* Seeming to help with his endurance, Rabbitkit has fairly long legs, though it's a difficult trait to notice, as they are often bent due to his manner of moving.

Rabbitkit doesn't walk. He's never been able to walk. Even as the kits around him stumbled around, learning how to walk by placing one paw in front of the other, Rabbitkit just never got the hang of it. Instead, he moves in a manner that can only be described as hopping. His forepaws always move together, and his hindpaws always move together. Rabbitkit doesn't always hop in leaps and bounds, though. He can control his movements, from small hops comparable to a simple step, to longer jumps, and even greater leaps. As he grows, the constant hopping will cause the muscles in his hindlegs to become increasingly powerful, and by adulthood he'll be able to leap farther than most cats.

He's not a fast cat, nor particularly powerful, but he'll make up for his shortcomings in strength and speed with the power in his hindlegs. In battle, he'll be able to use his hindlegs as a weapon, either kicking his opponents away or lunging at them from distances longer than they imagine. Instead of speed, his endurance is at the higher end of the spectrum, able to outlast others both in races and in battle, though every warrior needs his rest sometimes. Even with his powerful hindlegs and above average endurance, he still needs a break every now and then, and it tends to take him longer to recover than most.

_{*Don't quote me on this, as I'm not absolutely certain.}

PERSONALITY!

Rabbitkit is a happy, upbeat cat. More often than not, he can be caught with a bright, welcoming smile. Always willing to make others smile, he goes to great lengths to help others shake off their pains and look at the bright side. Perhaps it makes him a bit naive, but he believes that there is goodness in every cat, no matter how cold and distant they may seem. He seems to have made it his personal mission to help every cat find that inner kindness, the one he believes is innate and programmed deep within one's soul. He's highly accepting of others, judging them not on appearance, personality, or history. He's willing to accept anyone into his life, and only wants the best for everyone around him.

He's a soft-hearted tom, and he often places others ahead of himself. He can't say no to anyone who needs help, and is always willing to lend an open ear and an open heart to any who need it. Rabbitkit dislikes being alone for extended periods of time, and surrounds himself with other cats, even if it's only one other.

The truth is, Rabbitkit doesn't like the silence. He can't stand it, as it usually brings up thoughts that his fragile mind can't quite handle. Ever since birth, he's been teased, ridiculed, shunned and cast out. In the silence, all those thoughts return, and if left too long, he begins to believe them. Behind the smiles and playful laughter, Rabbitkit hides insecurity and uncertainty. Though he seems comfortable being different, with his unusual way of moving, in truth, he feels ostracized because of his oddity, and that isn't what he wants. He just wants to be loved and accepted in the same way that he loves and accepts those around him.

HISTORY!

Rabbitkit was born to Robinwing and Spiderfang, average warriors of little note. He was born with a brother, Littlekit, though he didn't have very many days to enjoy the bond that comes with siblings. Illness quickly snuffed out the light of Littlekit's life, and Rabbitkit was left on his own. From the start, it was obvious that Rabbitkit was a bit...off. He always stuck close to Robinwing, and whenever she would move, he would stay stuck in place. Even if he was hungry, he wouldn't move on his own; instead, he would mewl pitifully until Robinwing lifted him up and placed her beside him. Once his eyes opened, Robinwing and Spiderfang hoped that their little kit would learn to walk on his own. The addition of sight didn't seem to encourage Rabbitkit to go out and explore, and his parents where at a loss. With no other idea, Spiderfang carried his son to Speckledleaf's den. The medicine cat couldn't find anything physically wrong with the young kit, which further confused his parents.

Robinwing and Spiderfang decided to take a different approach to get their son moving. Instead of spending time teaching the little kit how to swim, they spent most of their time trying to lure him into motion, using various treats and toys, though their efforts seemed to be in vain. One day, while his parents where trying to get him to walk, a new apprentice decided it would be fun to frighten the kit. The apprentice crept up behind him, then wailed loudly. Frightened, Rabbitkit moved, but not how his parents expected him to. Much like his namesake, he hopped. His forepaws moved together, followed by his hindlegs, and he hopped like this until he stood, shaking, between his mother's legs. Ever since then, Rabbitkit began to wander around, hopping about like a little bunny. Most of his hops seem the equivalent of a step, his forelegs moving forward and touching the ground before his hindlegs follow. When running or playing, though, his little hops turn into longer leaps. His parents have continued trying to teach Rabbitkit to walk like a normal cat, but all in vain.

As he grew closer to his sixth moon, it became clear that all his strange hopping had caused the muscles in his hind legs to become stronger than those of the young cats around him. Even though he would probably never be fast or strong, it was almost guaranteed that he would be a powerful jumper. Still, Spiderfang and Robinwing were worried that their only kit wouldn't have what it took to be a full warrior. After much thought, Spiderfang decided that he would speak to Hailstorm and Speckledleaf about Rabbitkit's future. Robinwing wasn't very happy with her mate's decision, as she wanted her kit to at least have a chance to prove himself as a warrior, but Spiderfang's mind was made up. Spiderfang left his consult with the leader and medicine cat without a definite answer, but he knew it wouldn't be long until the decision was made.

RP EXAMPLE!

"C'mon, let's go play outside!" The white she-kit rolled up a mossball and picked it up in her jaws, bounding out of the den that was the nursery. Three of the she-kit's brothers followed quickly, while the last followed more hesitantly. Rabbitkit looked up at his mom, awaiting her nod of approval. He smiled up at her as she silently gave her permission. The little brown tom bounced away, his odd manner of moving causing his mom to chuckle a bit.

Hopping like the creature he was named for, Rabbitkit emerged from the nursery, watching as his denmates bat and swat at the mossball, flinging it back and forth between the five of them. Hopping forward in small steps, his soft brown eyes flicked back and forth as the older kits played.

The mossball flipped out of their little circle, and Rabbitkit hopped up, darting over to catch it. He snagged the ball in his teeth, and turned to join the others. He hopped a little closer, then, swinging his head, threw the mossball toward the other kits. As though the ball carried some deadly disease, the older kits skipped aside as it passed them, looking at each other with varying emotions in their gazes.

A small hop-step forward. "What's th'matter? Can't I play with you guys?" None of the kits seemed eager to meet his gaze, and Rabbitkit's ears drooped. The white kit, the only female, moved after a moment of awkward silence. She padded over to the mossball, and Rabbitkit perked up a bit, hoping she would actually allow him to play with them. Instead, Rabbitkit watched with sorrow as she slowly tore the mossball to shreds.

Defeated, Rabbitkit tucked his tail and lowered his head, slowly hop-stepping away. As he drifted back into the nursery, his ears caught words that tore his heart to shreds. "Why does he always have to ruin everything?"

OTHER

I have him listed as a kit, because I kind of want his ceremony to be in character, because that's always fun.

SHOP PURCHASE

None.

[~Nighthunter~]

Accepted please post in rc allegiances and names roster.