Post by .:Lion:. on Jan 17, 2011 9:46:50 GMT -5
Name: Shriek
Age: 17 Moons
Gender: Female
Clan: SkyClan
Position: Visitor
Description: Shriek is slender and has medium-long, silken fur. Her markings are very distinct and erratic. She has very round eyes that are hazel, though they normally appear a faint pale amber color. She has a long, thick tail, and somewhat sturdy, short legs. Each of her tails is white, as is a large swath of fur that extends from her nose to her belly fur. She has a long, steep nose-bridge and small, well-rounded ears.
Personality: Shriek is quiet and a bit timid sometimes. She is easily angered and tends to lash out when threatened in any way, either with words or with claws. She rarely gets close to others, and tends to wander off alone. But while she seems cold and uncaring on the outside, there is a sad, suffering cat on the inside too afraid to love again, too afraid of loss.
History: Hello, traveler. You have come far to find me here, in this realm of stars. Do not worry - you are not passed on just yet. This is a dream. Why have I come to you? Well, there are many questions that remain unanswered. More so here than in your living realm, friend. What is my name? I am Snow. Whilst living I was what you might think of as a loner, or a drifter, or whatever name you wish to give that harsh lifestyle. For many years I wandered alone. But is my story of interest to you? It is? Well, I suppose I have nothing to lose by parting with it. I have told few cats of my days in the world below.
I was born into a family of housecats. My mother was a housecat, my father was as well. Twolegs like to keep cats that look the same together, so my siblings and I all had the same look to us. I had the least amount of spots, though, and perhaps that's why my mother called me Snow? I suppose it is unimportant. Time passed slowly, and I was happy there. But the time came for us to be taken to our new homes. My siblings left one by one, calling goodbyes from the arms of their new keepers. They all left, until i was alone. When it became apparent that I would not be taken, my mother's Twolegs cast me out. I don't understand why. I suppose they had enough cats to take care of.
I journeyed for many moons, scratching up a living any way I could. Even if I had been a pampered housecat before, I soon grew to be street smart and cunning. I used my looks to get what I wanted from toms. I used my claws to take it from other she-cats. I am not proud of those days, when I did not understand bonds and friendship. I wandered alone, empty and miserable though I paid no mind to those feelings. Every day was a struggle for me, one that I thought I had to face alone. That's when I met him.
Huego was strong, smart, handsome. And he was the first tom that would not fall all over me at the first glance. He was polite, indifferent, gave me my space, even though we both knew that I was often looking for food on his turf. But unlike other cats, Huego didn't chase me off or challange me. He just let me go, and sometimes he watched me as I hunted mice in the alleys or dug trash out of a can. I'd wake up sometimes to find an offering of prey next to me, warm and sweet-smelling. I had avoided all contact with other cats hitherto, but now I was curious. I started watching him, too, and soon noticed that he not only hunted for me on occasion, but also kept other cats away from me while I was searching for food or even while he thought I was asleep. I felt truly protected, for perhaps the first time in my life. That might have been the reason I stayed so long in that place, watching him, wanting him. I managed to strike up conversations with him, and slowly we began to do things together, to hunt together, to groom each other, to just... talk. Huego told me about his younger days, how he had belonged to a band of cruel cats that had taken his sister from him and had caused him to run away. He told me about his fears that they would find him, the way he would dream that his rival, the son of the band's leader, would come around a corner and kill him with one stroke. I encouraged Huego in any way I could. It came to pass that on one particularly cold, rainy afternoon, we took shelter together in a small abandoned Twoleg nest. We pressed against each other for warmth, and I felt embarrassed in a way I never quite had before. It was then that Huego told me he loved me, and I told him that I felt the same.
It was not long after that I was expecting Huego's kits. I didn't know what to tell him. I wasn't sure what to think, really. My handsome, dark-furred mate was so independent, so worried about everything he loved and cherished. What would he think when he heard the news? Would he be bothered by it? I asked myself these questions many times, and I couldn't bring myself to tell him. As the days passed, I noticed that Huego was starting to hunt more often - and harder. He didn't want me with him, he just wanted me to sit and wait in our den. I grew suspicious that something was happening, but I didn't mention it. As I grew, I wondered if it would be noticeable soon. One afternoon, Huego came home and asked me if I needed anything. I grew impatient and told him I could take care of myself. He looked stunned and said he just didn't want to hurt the kits. I was so dumbfounded I just sat and stared at him. How did he know? I wasn't showing enough yet to be noticeable. So I asked him. He just laughed and said he knew from the moment I wouldn't look him in the eye. He told me that when his sister had been expecting, she'd acted the same way - towards him, her mate, and the other cats in their small band.
The birth was hard, but Huego was there for me. I gave birth to three lovely kits. Two of them were very dark, with only a few flecks of ginger to show my bloodline. But the third was a little she-cat that had large patches, and I immediately fell in love with her. Little Shriek, we called her - she never stopped wailling. Huego was a good father, patient and loving. He told me he'd never been much cared for by his parents, and he didn't want his kits to grow up like that. I still think it's his sweet nature that made him such a devoted father to our kits. Shriek, Billy, and Tangle were very precious to us, and we savored every moment we had together. But then, the unthinkable happened. Huego's enemies, his old family, found us.
I have never been able to truly express the horrors that befell my family. They killed Huego slowly, to my agony. I was the first to be taken, but I stayed close and watched over them, carrying my sons away as they fell into eternal sleep as well. I watched, sorrowful and pained, as my dearest love had to suffer our deaths. All he had left was the little fighter - Shriek. They stayed together through the starvation and the abuse, until one night, Huego fought his last battle to give Shriek a chance to escape. I watched over our daughter as she made her way out of that horrible place. And then, when I was certain she was safe, I returned for my mate.
We all watch over her even now. Her brothers have grown with her, and I can see them looking, regret and a strange sort of happiness in their eyes. They are glad that one of us could live to see the world through living eyes. Huego and I have watched and loved and wished. But I know the scars still rest upon our dear daughter's heart. It will take time and perhaps even a miracle to heal them completely. We can only hope and watch.
NOTE: Shriek came to SkyClan three moons after the ordeal with her family. She never speaks of it, and has not said she wishes to join SkyClan, only that she wants to learn their ways. She keeps to herself and shows no signs of wanting to join permanently. Whether she wants the safety of numbers or if there is another reason is yet unclear.
