A stocky, long-haired silver smoke tom with sharp amber eyes.

Nightpaw’s build is a robust one, the looks of him already suggest strength and endurance despite his age. His long silver smoke fur adds an element of softness to the rest of his appearance which is not. There are combinations of silver, white, and darker shades of gray riddled throughout his pelt giving him subtle variations in color. His gaze is usually keen or intense, aligning with his temperament. Even though he only currently has his eyes glued to Shadepaw, Nightpaw is equally visually captivating and imposing. Prominent cheekbones give his face a bold and determined expression along with his strong jawline.

[CW: neglect and verbal mistreatment of kits, toxic family dynamics, implied unhealthy codependency between siblings, vaguely implied mental deterioration]

It really sucks some days, I don’t know if I was a mistake, just unwanted, or my parents didn’t anticipate getting caught so they just flaked. Or why didn’t they just take us, did they not want a family? We’re their children…

Nightkit has been stuck at the bottom of a family status totem pole he doesn’t remember signing up for as long as he can remember. As a kitten he was very quick to grow protective of his sister, Shadekit, once he realized they were purposefully left to their own corner of the nursery. Without his sibling huddled next to him it would have been lonely and even colder.

They weren’t even allowed their first mossball for a while as Dapplefang always made sure they went to the other kits. But Nightkit couldn’t just let them have every mossball, he was entitled to at least one toy. One that he could share with his brother while his relatives played blind-eye to the lack of equality.

“Hey,” Nightkit nudged his sleeping sibling. “I got one, I took it right from under their sleeping noses. Look!” He exclaimed in an excited whisper and tapped the mossball forward towards Shadekit’s nose.

Nightkit has been both rebelling against Lizardtail and insisting his sister doesn’t get involved for as long as he can remember. Shadekit just often looks like he lacks a spine and the pressure of conflict might crack her weak-willed shell of a cat. But this doesn’t stop Nightkit from loving his sibling and always wanting to be there.

Shadekit dances on the outskirts of when you get into a fight with the others, when you just can’t take it anymore. You know you’ll find a way one day to shut them all up. Will it be the day? No, they separate you and begin to howl out that you’re the bad one as if Blazekit and Thornpaw are StarClan-sent. It only sucks for you when Lizardtail grounds Shadekit too. You’re sorry and crying from the mounting heat of your own anger and frustration.

The adults become the real monsters slipping in out of RidgeClan’s nursery day by day. With their daily reminders of who the favorites are starting to become the thing Nightkit has to do his best to ignore.

You keep getting grounded, meanwhile your cousins play outside you’re confined to a nest in the nursery watching them. Thankfully, Lizardtail is dumb and keeps grounding Shadekit with you. The only true way she could hurt you would be to take Shadekit away from you. You get to just sit with Shadekit in the nest until your purrs lull him to sleep, punishing you together makes you stronger and even happier sometimes.

Nightkit is furious when his cousins get to have their apprentice ceremonies on time. There is no justice for all the bullying and taunting he had to endure. None of it is fair. After the ceremony Dapplefang wastes no time reminding the two that they only cause problems, just like their mother. It stings but Nightkit shrugs it off.

At least Dapplefang’s comments are overheard by a permaqueen that is her own age. You flash your tiny teeth devilishly as for once in your whole life you can see her pay the price for always putting you and Shadekit down. You can tell it still hurts your brother to always be the subject of conflict but you comfort him and lean in close. These things happening in the crowd took attention away from your cousin’s ceremony. Blazepaw glares at you and you’re ready to actually do something to ruin her ceremony but Shadekit tugs on you to come back with her to the nursery.

Lizardtail moves to the warrior den right after Blazepaw, Thornpaw, and Graypaw’s ceremony. Now you really only have Shadekit and your own thoughts. At four moons old it’s just the two of you. While at night realizing you have no friends but her, no parents, and something silly telling you that your only positive core memories so far are with Shadekit. Pretending to sleep, but you’re pretty sure that moon-by-moon you’ve been losing your mind.

“We’ll always have each other, right?” Shadekit asks you and it’s why you have to be the big brother, she is always in need of constant reassurance. “...Yeah.” It was a stupid question to even ask, of course, you only have each other. That’s how it’s always been. But this time your brother insists you promise, which you’re kinda pissed to even have to do but either way you want to make it known you’ll do anything for him. "Yeah, I promise; you'd be lost without me anyway. Who else would defend your dumb ass?" You grumble and nuzzle her flank. Her purrs on your shoulder are what keep you happy in this “life” you were given.

You give each other little personal space, there’s nothing else and no one else to do anything with. Lizardtail labels you as a miscreant and whoever gets you for an apprentice won’t be happy. Her tone fools others into thinking she’s only joking.

With fabricated notoriety staining his name, Nightpaw lands Mushroomstar assigning himself to be his mentor. Shadepaw’s mentor is Toadfeather the deputy, and Nightpaw can’t help but wonder if Lizardtail is happy or mad with herself during their ceremony. You take your first steps outside of camp and into RidgeClan’s territory with Mushroomstar. The first thought is wanting to find something to poison your cousins with for the ultimate and perfect revenge for everything. Only thing stopping you is that the rest of your family would be quick to know it was you that did it.

Since your arrival to the apprentice den, it’s the same old story. You’re gonna fight whoever wants to pick on you or Shadepaw, it’s only right to defend yourself and your sister.

"Stars, you're stu-pid!” Your ears catch Thornpaw’s voice as you’re carrying a squirrel into the den. "I meant you have no frien-" He’s talking to Shadepaw, your brother should know better than to engage in conversations with them. “Go away.” You budge into whatever the conversation was but as Thornpaw speaks again you can tell Shadepaw is hurting from what is being said. And when Blazepaw joins in, always trying to make it a 2-on-2 when you’re never gonna let that happen, your temper gets the better of you.

When you lunge at Blazepaw, Thornpaw intercepts instead, but that doesn’t matter to you. When it’s all over, they’re all trying to tell Toadfeather it was you. Except Shadepaw, of course, because he knows you care even if it’s suffocating you both. Even afterwards when she tries to object to your protectiveness, Shadepaw is easily hushed when you begin to repeat your promise. It brings a warm smirk to your face as he finishes your sentence in sync. “...We only got each other.” You realize then that you've been attached to your siblings voice for comfort, too. 

The punishment for fighting in the apprentice den unintentionally kept Nightpaw separated from Shadepaw for the better part of an entire moon. Nightpaw drags through his chores, at least hoping Shadepaw is having fun out in the territory and getting to train. The end of the day, you’re both tired so you don’t say much besides climb into the nest you both share.

Nightpaw starts most of his real training with Mushroomstar once he’s about seven moons old and finished with the moon of chores. While also trying to make up for time he lost and feels like he owes Shadepaw. He is currently weary of how he acts or what he says around his mentor. There’s never really been a good adult in Nightpaw’s life. Just a bunch of “family” that hates him because his existence ruined their bloodline. But he is happy to at least be allowed to love and protect his sibling, even though he is not sure if things will ever get any better for them.

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