Rippleshade ~ Darksun Ref

Instructions

Info: Name: Rippleshade (previously Ripplepaw, Ripplekit) Why this name?: She was given the prefix 'Ripple' because her tabby patterns resemble a ripple on water, and the suffix 'shade' due to the darkness she faces. Gender/Pronouns: Female, she/her, afab. Clan: WillowClan Rank: Medicine Cat Appearance (short): A black long-furred classic tabby she-cat with copper-orange eyes. Appearance (long): Rippleshade is a lean, slim cat built for swimming. She's a little above average height, and lightweight for her age/size. Her fur is long and sleek, being longer around her tail, neck/throat and head. Her eyes are coppery-orange and look dull. Her left hind leg is notably disfigured, though no scars are visible through her long fur. Rippleshade is a classic tabby, with large inky stripes of darker fur that resemble ripples on the surface of a pool - an effect that is furthered when she moves. Her underside (belly, throat and tail) and the inside of her ears are a paler colour, same as her paws and the area surrounding her muzzle. She smells mostly of water-herbs, though a dusty edge to the scent betrays that she isn't in the water as much as her Clanmates. She holds herself with purpose and moves swiftly, though she walks with an unmissable limp. Backstory: Ripplekit was born into WillowClan. She and her littermates were quite close as kittens and most of the way through apprenticeship. However, two moons before Ripplepaw's warrior assessment, she was on a hunting patrol when disaster struck. The weather was particularly rainy, which made the rivers risky to traverse via swimming. The other cats in her patrol made it safely across one of the more dangerous rapids with stepping-stones, but as Ripplepaw was crossing, a stone became unstable beneath her and she fell into the river. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but the rainwater and slippery rocks meant Ripplepaw's back left paw got stuck in a crevice and her leg was crushed by a stone that had been dislodged when she fell. She was hauled free by the others on the patrol and rushed to the medicine cat. She spent four moons in the medicine den, during which time she became closed off from her Clanmates, even her siblings, and developed her pessimistic outlook, but also got some unofficial training from the medicine cat. Her leg healed partially, and the scars became almost invisible. She was unable to resume her warrior training, and too young to retire early into the elder's den. The medicine cat offered to mentor her, given they'd bonded somewhat during Ripplepaw's recovery. Ripplepaw agreed and became the medicine cat's apprentice. After a short while of official training, Ripplepaw earned the name Rippleshade and became a proper medicine cat of WillowClan. This takes place a few moons prior to the events of the RP. Random trivia: - Rippleshade keeps the medicine-den immaculately tidy, and likes to know that all the herbs are in their specific places so she can grab them quickly as needed. - She avoids water where she can (which is difficult in her Clan), but especially fast-flowing rivers. She puts her duties and Clanmates above this phobia, but it gets difficult sometimes. - She isn't very fond of kits and doesn't spend much time in the nursery unless she's tending to a queen. She hopes her apprentice/s and/or partner-medicine-cat/s will be better than her at handling kits. - When she was younger, she wanted to find a mate and raise kittens, but now she's not certain. Part of this is because she doesn't know if anyone would want to be her mate after she was injured and pushed her Clanmates away, and also because she isn't sure how well she could raise kits with her disability. This is all speculative, because Rippleshade knows that medicine cats aren't meant to have mates or kittens, but sometimes she thinks of the possibility nevertheless. - Rippleshade questioned her faith in the warrior ancestors a lot while recovering, and a seed of doubt lingers. She's still on the lookout for signs and omens and will reassure her Clanmates that StarClan watches over them. - She tries to avoid putting weight on her bad leg as much as she can. It isn't often in pain, but it is uncomfortable and can get pretty achy if she strains it too much. - One of her friends [open, just ask] visited her frequently in the medicine-cat den while she was recovering, and wove flowers into the long fur on her head to cheer her up. Rippleshade continues to do this semi-regularly when she has the time, to remind herself that her Clanmates care about her. - Rippleshade's experience as a medicine cat, adaptability and dedication to healing makes her a very effective healer, even if she's not as supportive for her Clan socially and/or spiritually. She cares deeply about her Clan - even if she has difficulty showing it.