With ginger tabby fur marking his genetic code as one of the distant cats of Ra, it is most fitting that he was christened after the sun.

Sunstorm is a large and imposing tom, silently commanding any space he walks into. His presence is palpable and demeanor noble and regal - though not holier-than-thou - for that requires more effort than he puts into his passively august air. While he has no more power within the clan than any other seasoned warrior, he certainly looks the part of a general rather than a foot soldier.

Bathed in scars that show his baptism of blood and relished sacraments of violence, his short-haired coat does little to conceal his brands of duty from the world. Some are far larger than others, but none so that seem wholly significant to his identity.

His brilliant yellow eyes seem to be his most expressive feature, but even then their emotions are limited - never have tears fallen for compassion or remorse, and seldom do they convey happiness. At most, contentment. Whilst he is not a plainly read book, it is obvious there is something constantly storming behind his orbs as they stay in a permanent shade of lightning - something few cats have learned to properly identify.

Coming from a long line of devout Ridgeclan warriors, careful planning went into his conception. His father Adderstone was a distinguished hunter and guardian & his mother Leechgaze a student of Rigeclan's oracle just like her mother and her mother's mother. It was an arranged mateship and there was no love behind its fruition, but there was also no animosity. Adderstone for the most part did not mind the tortoiseshell queen's company and Leechgaze was faithful to the guardian despite Adderstone's permission to do what she pleased now that they had done their duty and given Ridgeclan a healthy litter: Nightkit & Sunkit.

The second to be born, Sunkit had less strict expectations than his more gregarious brother. Leechgaze seemed to favor his brother and while he was not neglected, he felt a closer connection to his littermate than either of his parents. Nightkit was the opposite of him in not only color, but personality as well. He was outgoing, playful, kind, and charming. While Sunkit was quiet, reserved, calculating and withdrawn. Sunkit disliked playing with the other kits, for they often poked fun at his serious nature, but his brother would rope him into his games - vouching for him that he didn't have the stick as far up his ass as he looked.

Even before their apprenticeship both their parents would take them out amongst Ridgeclan's territory. Their mother would take them to the burial grounds to communicate with Skyclan, and tell them of her visions of their greatness. Their father would teach them battle moves and the importance of strategy and analysis of your surroundings and opponent. And once they could eat solid food, he'd often dissect their fresh kill before allowing them to eat it to learn the internal weaknesses and anatomy of each animal. He was often an important supplier of mousebile to their medicine cat, much to their delight.

As they earned their apprentice names, Nightpaw was assigned to a stealthy seasoned she-cat & Sunpaw was given the grizzled tom Saugerleap. Both suggested by their parents, naturally.

Saugerleap was a rough mentor to please, but not terribly unfair. Sunpaw was often punished when he continued to get techniques wrong, either by being assigned to attend to the elders or more corporal punishment. One time Sunpaw made the mistake of questioning his mentor's memory of events, and the apprentice was forced to fast throughout the night after checking every member of the clan was fed. His mother told him fasting would make him closer to Starclan, but he still never made that mistake again.

Their mentors were at least kind enough to let the brothers train together, hoping blood rivalry would encourage them to be faster, stronger and more nimble in their performance. It wasn't a wrong assumption, and the two siblings brought out claws in good-natured sparring.

Eventually the two were given their warrior names. Nightfall and Sunstorm. Fitting names, their mother said.

One morning in green-leaf, Nightfall was assigned a patrol and encouraged Sunstorm to go with him and three other cats to patrol the border with Mistclan. There was a fight between a rival patrol and Nightfall was thrown into the river by a Mistclan warrior. Sunstorm immediately dove in after him. The two tumbled down the river, thankfully still in transition before the river became too dangerous to swim.

But as he dragged his brother's body from the river, Nightfall was still and limp. It seemed as if he had hit his head on a rock when the rival warrior threw him in. Sunstorm had been on an unwitting recovery mission rather than a rescue. There was nothing he could do for his brother, he was with Starclan now.

Injured himself, he shared tongues with Nightfall one last time, licking away the blood behind his ears as he told stories to him about their kithood. He sat vigil with his brother's body throughout the night in a small mountainous cavern, thankfully still on Ridgeclan territory. It was the first time, and only time he ever shed tears. He had lost his brother and his best friend. The cat who knew him best.

The next morning, a search patrol found the two brothers, one lifeless and the other starving. He could have pushed himself through his injury to hunt, but his mother's words about fasting rang through his head. He wanted to be close to Starclan, close to his brother one last time.

Limping, he carried Nightfall's body as far as he could before his pride and pain let him allow another warrior be the shield Nightfall came back with.

His mother, father, Saugerleap and Nightfall's mentor all sat vigil for the shadowy tom. The elders brought lavender and rosemary to hide the fallen warrior's growing death-scent and to this day the smell of either makes him unsettled as it brings back horrid memories. He had helped the elders dig the grave his brother was to be laid to rest in, and only after the ground was filled back did Sunstorm let the medicine cat attend to him as he ate, though he vomited it back up several hours later.

He was given at least a day to mourn by his mother, not out of any concern for him he imagined, but her own mourning rituals. His father, true to his namesake, remained stoic, and unreadable.

A week later, Leechgaze approached him, revealing to him all the plans she had for her late son and how now it was Sunstorm's duty to take on his brother's responsibilities. He was to continue their bloodline, and Leechgaze already had a perfect queen picked out for him. Sunstorm protested. He had no interest in having kits, no interest in mating with anyone. But his mother twisted his arm, insisting she was too old to have another litter when Sunstorm countered what was in most - if not all - ways an order.

He disliked Hemlockheart. She was kind, demure, and caring. A perfect mate for his brother, not for him. But he would listen to his mother. Sunstorm was cold and distant, and deep down he could tell Hemlockheart feared him. She had watched him scold his apprentice and he could hear her heartbeat like a rabbit's as he neared her for the next moon. He tried to be a kind mate, neither he or she had any choice in their pairing - urged and guilted by their parents into coupling. But there were times when she questioned him, and just as Saugerleap corrected his behavior, he did her's.

For all her weakness as a warrior, Hemlockheart made a good mother. He would give her that. She provided their kits more comfort and care than his mother had shown him, but that left Sunstorm to solely prepare them for the harsh realities of life.

He was harsher, rougher with his kits than his father had been with his sons. But it was necessary. The enemy would not show mercy, neither could they. It was his job to give them the skills to survive anything that Starclan threw at them. It was his job to teach them to be warriors, as Hemlockheart resigned herself to the comfortable and pampered life of a permanent queen.

Hemlockheart grew more and more resentful of him. Probably of his treatment of her, but he couldn't and would never be the prince she so desired. As she retired to the elder's den due to her ill health, he would send his apprentice to personally give her fresh-kill, for she refused to see him. Their kits were now apprentices themselves, there was no need for them to share a nest anymore - so he respected her slight. Swirlpaw would report to him on her condition, and it was clear she was getting more frail each moon. Sunstorm hardened himself, ready for her death, for surely it was coming.

Sure enough, an elder had come to inform him of her passing. His children were distraught, but he remained composed. He gave them enough time to say their goodbyes, before he removed them from the den. They did not need to be scarred by her lifeless body as he had been with his brother. He thought how tradition would force him to sit vigil for her as well. But Nightfall had died a warrior defending his clan, while Hemlockheart died a passive death as a bitter queen. How could he mourn her the same way he did his brother?

While his kits were apprentices in their own right, he still had much to teach them. He became even harsher, perhaps feeling betrayed, Hemlockheart put their betterment on his shoulders alone. It was hard to be a father, he never wanted this life. But he would make Ridgeclan have fearless warriors, he would better his clan. They had their mother's soft blood, they'd get themselves killed should they show kindness. He wouldn't have his investment squandered.

His mother was one of Wolfstar's biggest supporters, and naturally she made introductions. When one of his daughters was apprenticed, Sunstorm was chosen as her mentor. It was a great honor, and he felt truly rewarded for once for his loyalty to Ridgeclan. As Ravenpaw's mentor, he spent more time within Wolfstar's circle of friends. His ideals were sound, but what especially interested him was revenge against Mistclan for the death of his brother.

He prepared himself, his children and his apprentice for battle. He would not lose any of them. He forbade it.

The battle was fierce, and Sunstorm had a primary goal, kill the Mistclan warrior that caused him so much strife. Sunstorm singled the tom out, ripping him away from another Ridgeclan warrior. He would give no quarter, no code would protect that tom from him. He had lost his right to the code when he trespassed on Ridgeclan territory those years ago, stealing prey and stealing a life.

Sunstorm was relentless, but his anger did not subside when the other warrior fell limp. He died a true warrior, never surrendering, and Sunstorm fought to give him a modicum of respect for it.

When the Prairieclan cats came to support Mistclan, Sunstorm couldn't say he was shocked. He warned Wolfstar of the possibility, of his mother's vision, but he dismissed it.

Beaten back by the combined forces of the other clans, Ridgeclan was ordered to retreat and Wolfstar lost a life, soon only to lose the others. The moonpool was a lofty and impossible goal, this he knew, Ridgeclan deserving or not. But he had avenged his brother, and at least had two victories that day as Dawnclaw, Duskfang and Ravenpaw had survived.

Though Sunstorm had miscalculated. He had never expected his son to turn traitor, to run to the clan that rended his family's flesh and spilled its blood. Sunstorm was furious, but he did not let it show to his clanmates. He sought to disown him, to poor his concentration into his more loyal daughter. But news of Dawnclaw taking one of Mushroomstar's lives at the border reached him at the gathering. It was both the behavior of an apostate and a loyal clan cat - even if his son had chosen the wrong one. He could not help but feel a bit of pride surge through him. He did not hate Mushroomstar, the two toms were not friends, but Sunstorm was loyal to him as Starclan's selected leader. Dawnclaw could go far in life however, if he could best a clan leader, if only his wayward son would see reason and come home.

Pre-Plotting: Sunstorm is from Dawnclaw's wanted add [HERE]. He is an ardent follower of the MARS ideology. He is a Wolfstar loyalist, Ridgeclan supremacist, and zealot. He openly rejects the idea of leaning on the other clans to rebuild Ridgeclan after the war and thinks that they are fully capable of healing their ranks without the interference of others. Sunstorm also loathes that the other clans forced Ridgeclan to set aside their oracle and wants the position to be reinstated.

While he acknowledges the other clans have their own connection and own ways of communicating with Starclan, he fully believes Ridgeclan is closer to Starclan than the others. He finds those seeking to break away from Ridgeclan to start anew as traitors to their clan and ancestors. Ridgeclan is everything to Sunstorm, and to see it divided with mouse-hearted cats ashamed to be from their clan anymore sickens him. He will not force or beg the weak to stay, but he has no authority to drive them out already either.

▪ Family: After the death of his brother, family has become nothing more than an investment in Ridgeclan's future.
▪ Friends: Next to romance, a true friendship with Sunstorm is nearly impossible to attain unless you share a multitude of his polarizing views. Even then, friendship is a complex relationship for the tom, and the only real way he knows how to show it is by his continuing loyalty.
▪ Romance: Sunstorm thinks love is a weak and unadvantageous thing to seek out. He does not understand what causes some cats to declare their love for one another. A Mateship to him is purely a business arrangement that is worked toward only for offspring to further strengthen Ridgeclan.
▪ Rivals: It is not uncommon to get on the bad side of the internally capricious tom. While not necessarily petty he does hold grudges against those who have caused him grievance. But he is also equally willing to mend a relationship if the other party 'corrects' their behavior and seeks to pay his, usually high, penance.

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