Troutpaw is a small-ish tom with a slender build and long legs, clearly built to be a strong swimmer. His fur is a cool-toned, very dark grey, sometimes appearing black in the moonlight, aside for paler grey markings around his nose and eyes and on the toes of his front left paw; and darker stripes making their way from the bottom of his pale blue eyes towards his nose, somewhat resembling a cheetah or what humans refer to as "eyeliner". His pelt tends to be tousled and messy, often with twigs, leaves, and mud stuck in it from rough-housing, playing, and adventuring.

early kithood, 0-2 moons; Troutkit was born the only kit of Ashnose and Lightfur's second and likely last litter, many moons after their first, during the last moon of New-leaf. He was raised closely by both parents, hearing stories of times past, and taught about Starclan and the warrior code. A more naïve kit than most, he blindly believed everything his parents taught him, not doubting them once. This, unfortunately, caused Troutkit to be quite the bigot when it came to the clans, solidly believing in Ridgeclan's superiority, especially when taught stories of Wolfstar and how he lead the clan to greatness, or so Ashnose and Lightfur believed. Being the only kit of his litter, all attention from his parents were on him, and boy did they drill their beliefs into him like their lives depended on it.

He was told stories of the great war which occurred many moons before his birth, and how the cats of Ridgeclan fought against the other clans to maintain their glory. Since then, he has dreamed of being a great warrior, hoping to one day fight for his clan the way they did, and succeed with honour.

Since early kithood, Troutkit has been noisy, rambunctious, and hyperactive, which his parents frequently stated reminded them of his older sister, Juniperbelly, a statement Troutkit wore proudly as, although he didn't know her very well due to their greatly differing ranks, any comparison to a warrior was a great compliment in his eyes.

late kithood, 2-6 moons; A lack of littermates meant that Troutkit's only form of socialisation with cats his age was with the other litters sharing the nursery during his kithood. Troutkit was never particularly jealous of the other kits all having siblings their age, although he couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened that he was the only one of his own siblings that didn't share the same kithood. He often felt like he didn't have the connection they once had. 

Troutkit got along fairly well with all the other kits he had the fortune of sharing the nursery with, although he got on particularly well with one of the older toms, Thymekit. The two weren't much alike, in fact, they were almost polar opposites: Thymekit was quiet, shy, and in all honesty, a pushover, much unlike the loud and confident Troutkit. At first, Troutkit had similar views to Antlerkit and Doekit, the oldest kits in the nursery, viewing Thymekit as a no-fun wimp who was too easy to beat in a fight to be any fun with. Although, once the bullying towards him started, he quickly took sympathy for the other. After all, he knew what it was like to be smaller than the other kits, although this wasn't as great a hinderance to Troutkit's physical ability as he made up for his small stature in great amounts of energy and enthusiasm. He continued to play with Antlerkit and Doekit during the end days of their kithood, simply because they were fun to cause mayhem with.

Once Antlerkit and Doekit became apprentices, Troutkit found himself spending the majority of his time away from his mother with Thymekit, trying his best not to be too rude to the more anxious cat, but often finding himself causing upset anyway due to his short-temper and love of mischief, although not ill-intentioned.

apprenticehood, 6 moons-present; The day in which Troutkit became Troutpaw has been the most exciting day of his life as of present. He was finally one step closer to becoming a great warrior like those he heard of in the stories told by his parents when he was but a few months old! 

Metaphorically raised in a safe bubble by his parents and den-mates in the nursery, Troutpaw has become very childish and naïve as an apprentice, not much different from when he was still a kit. He was blissfully unaware of the shady underbelly of his clan's history and past drama and trauma his clanmates suffered, including those very close to him such as his mentor and siblings.

Troutpaw gleamed with pride when his mentor was announced: Firetongue. He knew little of the warrior other than his name and the face that matched, but surely a warrior with such a powerful name would be equally powerful in his ability! He masked his excitement as he stood next to the older tom, trying to match the others' more seemingly calm demeaner in attempts of making a good first impression... He thought it worked but couldn't quite tell; Firetongue wasn't the easiest to read right off the bat.

The first quarter moon of his apprenticeship was the first time in which the safe bubble of naivety Troutpaw was raised was broken, for rumours spread like wildfire. Learning from several fellow clanmates, all older than him, that his mentor had been on public trial for the murder of his own father, was not how Troutpaw expected the beginning of the rest of his life to be. The constant whispers from other clanmates telling him to "be careful around Firetongue" brought great levels of anxiety to Troutpaw, especially during training sessions when he was expected to be alone with Firetongue. Yet, he figured as long as he showed upmost respect and actively avoided bringing the event up at all costs, all would be fine... Right...?

Troutpaw is the definition of 'boys will be boys': he's rambunctious, loud, and loves mess! His favourite hobbies include playing in the mud, sparring with his fellow apprentices, and wreaking havoc, although this is never ill-intentioned. He's a prankster to say the least, often sneaking up on his clanmates to surprise them, although he very rarely succeeds in this as his giggles can be heard a mile away. Unfortunately, this means Troutpaw can often come across as rude, especially in the eyes of the clan's elders who have dealt with enough noisy, obnoxious apprentices in their time. He can also be short-tempered at times, especially when he's not getting what he wants when he wants it.

However, Troutpaw's not all that bad: he's deeply loyal to his clan and would give up his own life for the sake of those who raised him. He's also very confident in his abilities, physical and social, and loves to teach and encourage other apprentices to do good in areas in which they struggle (so long as it doesn't take them too long to succeed). He's also outspoken and knows how to get what he wants, and will fight for the greater good, even if it doesn't settle well with those around him. Finally, Troutpaw is daring and adventurous, often sticking his metaphorical middle finger up to danger and the unknown, making him a great pioneer.

Pre-Plotting: Troutpaw's beliefs strongly align with that of Mars, being left with unwavering beliefs that Ridgeclan are the superior ones among the clans, although he believes this as it is what he was taught to believe by his parents, and is unaware that the clan's current state is considered weak compared to their prior glory before the war. However, after learning the truth about his mentor, Firetongue, and the crime he committed, he may learn that this perhaps isn't the case.



Family: Troutpaw views his entire family with love and respect, though he may not be super close to many of them. He has always taken everything his parents have told him as unwavering truth and never doubted them for a second. As for his older siblings, he often feels somewhat left out in that they all shared a kithood whereas he did not, although he is somewhat oblivious to the reason that they aren't very close with each other anymore.

Friends: Troutpaw adores his friends, especially those willing to cause mayhem and mischief with him, although he can unintentionally come across as rude or mean, making him somewhat difficult to get along with.


Romance: Troutpaw will most likely be quite the flirt when he's older, although for now he's too busy with apprentice-duties and fun-having to care about romance.

Rivals: Of course, any cat of another clan is a rival to Troutpaw, as he strongly believes Ridgeclan is the best there is. As for rivals within his clan, these tend to be older warriors or elders he's bothered during his time.

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