Crowheart

Crowheart is a ShadowClan warrior played by Monument.

Appearance
a large, long-haired, black tom with light green eyes

Reason for Name
Crow- name given for his black pelt

-kit : suffix given to a kit from birth until apprenticeship

-paw : suffix given to a young cat during apprenticeship

-heart: suffix given to him for his intense loyalty and charisma

Personality
At one time in his life, Crowheart was a normal cat.Well, the term normal had to be applied rather loosely, but he used to be much more composed in his youth. Crowheart always had a special place in his heart for politics. He remembered wanting to be the leader whenever he and his siblings played in the nursery. He had admired the leader of ShadowClan almost to an unhealthy degree. During his apprenticeship, Crow would soak up any and all clan- and warrior-related information like a sponge. He did his very best to emulate a "future leader" vibe in all that he did. Being one of the larger apprentices, he excelled in combat training. He was also a fairly decent hunter, despite his bulkiness. Though he did get into some minor trouble once or twice and sarcastic wit naturally flowed from his mouth, Crow was an ideal apprentice. He listened to everything his mentor said, and almost always obeyed his orders. This behavior continued throughout the remainder of his apprenticeship and on into his warrior moons.

Even after he met and courted a slightly younger she-cat named Shrikestorm, Crowheart had his eyes set on becoming important in the clan. However, when he lost his spot to Adderclaw, his pride was injured. He thought that he had been the perfect candidate, but apparently he was mistaken. He shook this minor setback off though, and continued to strive toward his goal. Adderclaw became Adderstar more quickly than the clan had expected, but Crowheart knew that this was his chance. Even though he and Adder had not gotten along the majority of their lives, surely she had to see that he was the best cat for the job. For StarClan's sake, he had been preparing for this his entire life. Adderstar's solemn eyes landed on Crowheart during the deputy naming ceremony after the death of Blackstar, but she did not call out his name. Instead, the name Vultureheart came from her lips, and something inside of Crowheart snapped. There was no way that Vultureheart, who was 10 moons his junior, could possibly be more equipped at eventually running this clan than he. This was when he was certain that Adderstar just had in out for him. There was no other explanation.

After he lost to two she-cats for the position he was born for, Crowheart started to acquire some slightly sexist ideals. This irked his mate, Shrikestorm, and she often pleaded with him to just drop it. For as long as he could remember, Crowheart had experienced short spurts of anger. He was erratic during these fits, and often paced and raised his voice and used over-the-top gestures. Shrikestorm had found his outbursts almost comical. He could understand that when looking back on them, but if she ever commented on how funny he looked or sounded while he was in the middle of one of his outbursts, it only fueled the flame. He never hurt her; he would never be that kind of tom. However, losing the deputy position twice changed something in him. He gave up ever-so-slightly, and he was enraged that he had given himself that option. No matter what how upset he became, at least he had Shrikestorm. But even that would fall out of his grasp.

His mate had shied away from him during his fits of anger after his losses. They had morphed into a blind fury where he tore up the ground and yowled as if he was in pain. Shrikestorm felt like he had become much too obsessed with what he thought was the obvious discrimination that Adderstar showed when she chose Vultureheart over him. Though she could not see it through his bouts of anger, Shrikestorm was the only thing keeping him sane. When she suggested that they take a break, Crowheart was absolutely devastated. He depression worsened and he began to have more bad days than good ones. Shrikestorm was expecting his kits, and he wanted to be there for them, but he doubted his ex-mate wanted him to be around.

A few moons later, when he found out that Shrikestorm had disposed of one of their kits, without even coming to him, he was furious. In the back of his mind, he believed that Adderstar's involvement meant that she was just out to ruin him. He thought of Shrikestorm as no more than a cold-hearted murderer, and Adderstar and her served as an accomplice to the heinous crime.

In lieu of the loss of Cinderkit, Crowheart became very distressed, and occasionally taunted Shrike in passing. She usually did not say anything in response, and that hurt more than anything. Shrikestorm was cold and calm while Crowheart was emotional and short-tempered.

Over time, Crowheart transformed into the rather broken cat he is today. Though he still retains his insatiable thirst for knowledge and power, he has developed some less desired traits as well. He sees she-cats as objects. He has become quite flirtatious with them. Croawheart was trying to make his ex-mate jealous, but he did not seem to consciously realize that. He became obsessed with trying to find something, anything to incriminate Adderstar as payback. He also wanted to break Shrikestorm, and melt that giant block of ice that surrounded her heart.

Family
- Badgerfang, father (adoptable)

- Mapleflower, mother (deceased)

- Swiftclaw, brother, littermate (deceased)

- Ravenflower, sister, littermate (witch)

- Loonkit, younger sister (deceased)

- Robin--, younger sister (adoptable)

- Shrikestorm, ex-mate (fallow)

- Cinderkit, son (deceased)

- Smokepaw, son (caelinus)

- Orchidpaw, daughter (adoptable)

History
Maplepaw was easily the most beautiful she-cat Badgerfang had seen in his entire life. Considering her age, and the fact that she was his new apprentice hindered him from acting upon his feelings. He tried his best not to let them get in the way of the calico she-cat's training, but she was far too perceptive. She was sassy, and very intelligent. Maplepaw called the black and white warrior on it during a training session one day. She had desperately wished to be viewed as a mature she-cat, and had missed out on her rebellious moons that should have happened in her early apprenticeship. She was not exactly sure what was going on with her mentor, but she knew that his mind was elsewhere during their sessions. She suspected that he found her annoying or naive or something she was trying so desperately not be. But when she flipped the sudden question on him, he panicked, thinking that she knew of his affections, and he confessed them.

Maplepaw was shocked, but flattered. They both let that situation stay in their past and Maple gained her warrior name -flower for her motherly instincts. Neither of them spoke of the incident again, but they remained decent friends. Several moons later, Mapleflower began to see her former mentor in the same light as he had. Seeing as neither Badgerfang nor Mapleflower had significant others, they started to court one another. Badger had never lost his feelings for Maple, which was why he had never found a she-cat that could replace her in his heart. He was excited for the budding relationship, but he was more than willing to take it slow since Mapleflower had never dated any toms. She was a free spirit, and he felt so lucky to be the tom she chose. The relationship progressed quickly, and they decided to make it official about a moon before Mapleflower began to swell up with kits. Badgerfang, at 40 moons, and his mate at 26 moons were expecting their first litter. The tom felt like he was a bit old to be a first-time parent, but he was thrilled nonetheless.

Mapleflower gave birth to three, gorgeous kittens, two toms and a she-kit. The new parents named their kittens Crowkit, Ravenkit, and Swiftkit, following a black(and white, in Swift's case) bird trend. Maple and Badger adored their three bundles of joy. The kits grew up in a very loving environment, showered with affection from both of their parents. They were very lucky to have such a close-knit family, and the three of them flourished. Crowkit was the largest, followed by Ravenkit, and little Swiftkit brought up the rear. The black and white can may have been small and his parents worried about his survival during his first moon of life, but he was very strong and healthy.

Crowkit was notorious for demanding to be the "leader" during the siblings' games, and his siblings were usually okay with it. They seemed to be sufficient with their own little group, but occasionally they invited some of the other kits to join in on their antics. As many kits are, Maple and Badger's children were rambunctious in every sense of the word. They loved their children unconditionally. Crowkit had the tendency to have fits of anger whenever things were not going his way or his was just simply upset by something. They were short-lived, hilarious tidbits of overdramatic anger. Crowkit literally would lay on the ground and wallow until his mother calmed him down with soothing words. While she wanted him to calm down, she tried not to indulge him with the object he threw the fit over, effectively teaching him that he wont always get what he wants.

Crowkit has a rather uneventful apprenticeship. He was assigned to an older tom named Gorsestep. The tom had a lovely, golden pelt, but he was difficult on Badger. Gorse whipped his apprentice into shape very quickly, and Crow began to listen to every word his mentor said. The tom, who seemed so old and wise, became one of Crow's biggest idols. He transformed into a perfect apprentice, and carried out every one of Gorse's commands. It was Gorse who taught Crow about the importance of being politically inclined, and ultimately who branded the idea into Crow's mind that he had to become deputy one day. He did not pay much attention to she-cats during his apprenticeship. As Gorsestep had told him, there would always be time to settle down with a pretty molly. Right now, he needed to stay focused. The mentor-apprentice pair were able to joke around with one another while still keeping a professional relationship.

Crow, Raven, and Swift eventually became Crowheart, Ravenflower, and Swiftclaw. Their parents cheered the loudest, but Crowheart zeroed in on the intense look of pride in his mentor's eyes. He took it pretty hard whenever the haggard old tom died several moons later from an infection. Crowheart had made it his duty to visit his old mentor during those last few days, bringing him food and just to chat because Gorsestep had no surviving family. He had never settled down with a she-cat. Though he attributed that to there not being any worthy of his love, Crowheart worried that it was really because he had never given up on gaining power. He never had time for a mate or kits because he was too busy sucking up to the leader, so he just had never had a family. This frightened Crowheart. While he wanted to have a voice in the clan, he did not want to sacrifice his happiness for it. He vowed to try his best to have the best of both worlds; to have a family and achieve his dreams. During this time, Crowheart mentored his first apprentice. She was a feisty she-cat named Hollypaw, and Crow tried to instill some of the same knowledge that Gorsestep had implanted into his mind. They worked fairly well together. It was like he blinked once and then Hollypaw was standing up there becoming Hollywhisker. It was difficult and time-consuming to mentor an apprentice, but he would gladly do it again.

He started falling for a she-cat a few moons later. Her name was Shrikestorm, and she was absolutely stunning. She was level-headed, unlike some of the giddy young warriors that pranced around. It took a bit of convincing on his part, but they eventually began a relationship together. That was the happiest Crowheart had ever been. Whatever they had together was special and he could sense that even from the very early stages of their relationship.

Not long after their relationship began, it was time to appoint a new deputy. While he was not completely convinced that he had done everything in his power to give himself the best chance of becoming the deputy, but he remained confident and optimistic nonetheless. When Adderclaw's name was called instead of his own, he was slapped in the face with the realization of just how much he wanted this for himself and for his future family with Shrikestorm. Because Adder was his mate's good friend and now the next in line, he congratulated the younger she-cat, albeit a little bitterly. He never really liked Adder that much. She always came off a bit rugged and rude in his opinion, and he did not love the effect she had on Shrikestorm at times. Regardless, he remained impartial and just worked harder this time around. Eventually, his time would come.

Around this time, Crowheart's parents brought a second litter into the world. Because of Badgerfang and Mapleflower's age, one of the kittens was stillborn and the other was very frail. The couple had not really meant for the pregnancy to happen, but they welcomed it as StarClan's plan. They mourned the loss of their kitten, but devoted themselves to caring for the living kit. Robinkit, as they had named her, was a beautifully colored calico, just like her mother. Crowheart visited his mother and Robinkit whenever he had the chance. Ravenflower was the better older sibling. Because their parents were older, she did the tidying up and bringing meals. Crowheart was grateful for his sister's involvement. Though Crow did not have the best relationship with his family any longer, they all still accepted and loved each other. When Blackstar died, Adder rose as Adderstar, and Crowheart just knew that this was his chance. While it was a sad occasion with Blackstar's passing, Crowheart was teeming with excitement of finally achieving his dreams. While he and Adder were not the best of pals, he thought she could at least be intelligent enough to see that he was most equipped for the job. When the name Vultureheart left her lips, Crowheart thought he was going to throw up. He was enraged, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Vulture was a she-cat 10 moons younger than he was, and he did not find her all that capable of ascending the political ladder. Even she had been surprised to hear her name called, with her eyes wide with shock.

That sent Crowheart over the edge. He was furious. Adderstar obviously had something against him, but he was not positive what exactly. Losing his dream position twice in a row was heartbreaking. He began throwing his tantrums that plagued him as a child. They were more age appropriate now (no rolling on the ground), but still just as hilarious to watch. Shrikestorm found it comical, but she tried to bring him out of it, just suggesting that he brush it off. He couldn't, though. This was his dream.

His mother and brother, Swiftclaw, were killed by a large dog near the border. From the account of Swift's very young apprentice who had been in the patrol and was the one who ran for help, the dog had attacked Swiftclaw first, and Mapleflower threw herself bravely into the fight. The two warriors were no match for the aggressive dog, though, and they both succumbed to their injuries after they had been moved back to camp. Another patrol was sent out to run off the threatening dog while Crow and his family were left to mourn the loss of Mapleflower and Swiftclaw. Ravenflower stepped in as Robinkit's primary guardian because their father had slumped into a debilitating depression which sent him to the elders' den after the loss of his beloved Maple. Ultimately, his selfishness and obsessive nature for the deputy situation drove Shrikestorm away. On top of that, she was carrying his kits. Though he wanted to be involved more than anything, he knew that Shrike would not want him near their children. He kept his distance during the last bit of her pregnancy, beating himself up over all of the things he had lost. If he had done this differently, then maybe everything would have been okay and normal. But no. Everything was wrong.

Shrikestorm gave birth to his kits while he was out on patrol. Upon his return, he learned that his ex-mate, along with Adderstar and her brother, Bluerain, the medicine cat had ended the life of one of their three kittens. Before this discovery, he had wanted to apologize and make amends with Shrikestorm in hopes that she wouldn't ban him from ever seeing his kits. However, after learning the sickening truth, he was enraged. He outright called Shrikestorm a murderer. His normal, comical outburst transformed into a blind fury in which he announced to the clan his ex-mate's crime. Crowheart was distraught. She hadn't even waited to tell him. She didn't have to ask, but he would have been a bit less harsh if maybe she had told him before. What hurt him was that the kitten, which she morbidly named Cinderkit before killing him off like a useless creature, was a part of them both. She had murdered a piece of him that day, and he was uncertain if he could ever forgive her for that. Moreover, Adderstar's involvement nearly made him go insane with rage. His paranoia of her having it out for him only increased, and it drove Shrike even further away. She refused to let either of their two surviving kits out of the nursery if he was in camp. Many times, Crowheart would attempt to go talk to Smokekit and Orchidkit if he noticed their little curious faces poking out of the den. But he would be intercepted by Adderstar asking him to do something or Shrikestorm hastily brought them back into the den.

He looked on from afar, waiting for his moment. He started catting around and flirting with other she-cats, subconsciously hoping to grab Shrikestorm's attention. He taunted his ex-mate whenever they passed one another in the camp. He would whisper "Murderer" or "Kit killer", but he would not escalate a fight. He could never physically harm Shrikestorm no matter how upset she made him. But he did want her cool composure to crack, at least a little. That calmness about her that he once found sexy was now the bane of his existence. While he really wanted to care for his children, because he was barred from getting to know them in this crucial part of their lives, his first thought was to use them against Shrike.

When they were five moons old, Shrikestorm told Smokekit and Orchidkit what she did to their brother. Smokekit acted like Crow had hoped, the young tom denied his mother. Crowheart felt bad for the young tom, because Smokekit became very depressed and reclusive.

Crowheart wants to rekindle some kind of relationship with his family. He feels very alone during this part of his life. His mother and brother's death still weighs him down. He is extremely worried about his father's health, who still does not want to go on in a world without Mapleflower. He still hasn't taken a single step toward his lifetime goal of rising to power. And the love of his life literally hates his guts and there is nothing he can do about it.

Crowheart is slowly trying to worm his way back into Shrikestorm's heart, as well as the lives of they children. While he has the best of intentions, his family is still very unsure about him.