Carnelian

SHORT DESCRIPTION WILL BE ASSIGNED BY STAFF FOLLOWING APPROVAL

Carnelian is a weathered, battle-hardened tortoiseshell she-cat with a frame built for endurance rather than grace, her fur thick and ragged from years of hardship. Deep scars crisscross her pelt, stark against the dark patches of her mottled coat, each one a testament to a fight survived. Her white underbelly and paws stand out against the rest of her worn, patchy fur, though the once-pristine color is often dulled by dust and travel. Her ears are badly torn, the edges ragged from countless battles, giving her a permanent, hardened scowl. Despite her rough appearance, her amber eyes burn with an intensity that speaks of both experience and the unyielding willpower that has kept her alive all these moons.

Carnelian is a toughened, battle-worn she-cat with a sharp tongue and an possibly even sharper wit, shaped by a life of hardship and survival. She is fiercely independent, distrusting of others and quick to lash out if she senses weakness, but beneath her rugged, no-nonsense exterior lies a deeply buried but undeniable motherly instinct. Though she raised Fox with a stern and demanding paw, teaching him to be self-sufficient and wary of the world, her actions always held a sense of rough-edged care—ensuring he was fed, teaching him how to fight, and silently watching over him even when he no longer needed it. She does not coddle or comfort, believing that strength is the only true protection, but in her own way, she loved Fox as fiercely as if he were her own blood. Despite her gruffness, she has a deep, unshakable loyalty to those she considers family, even if she would rather chew off her own tail than admit it.

• Born in the Moon of First Green (2013) 041
• Died in the Moon of Unnamed Blue (2019) 121

Born to two hardened rogues, Bracken and Sable, Carnelian was raised with the belief that strength was survival and kindness was a weakness that could get you killed. Her parents taught her how to fight, how to hunt, and how to endure, but never how to trust or love—only how to keep moving forward.

It wasn’t until she met a tom named Vulture, a lean, scarred black-and-white wanderer with a silver tongue and a sharp mind, that she learned there was more to life than simply surviving. Against her better judgment, she let herself grow close to him, and when they had a small litter together, she felt something she never had before—a true sense of belonging. But as her kits grew older and more independent, she felt an emptiness she didn’t know how to fill, and when they eventually left to carve their own paths, she wandered aimlessly, lost in a way she never expected.

Many moons passed before she stumbled upon a cattery—a place she saw as a prison, a mockery of real survival, a place that forced cats to mate with whoever some twoleg decided. Behind the fence, she found a young, helpless kit and his soft, pampered dame, who had no idea what kind of world waited beyond their comfortable walls. She didn’t understand why, but something in her refused to leave the kit behind, so she took him, naming him Fox and raising him as her own, shaping him into something strong, something capable. She taught him how to fight, how to hunt, how to live without relying on anyone but himself, all while keeping her own affections buried beneath gruff lessons and sharp words.

When Fox reached his 12th moon, Carnelian knew her time was running out. She had been feeling it for moons—the slow, creeping weakness, the way her once-powerful body no longer moved as it used to. But she refused to let Fox see her waste away, to let him watch her crumble into something fragile and dying. So, one night, she left without a word, disappearing into the wilderness to find a quiet place to fade away alone, leaving behind only the lessons she had given him and the unspoken truth she never dared to say: he was the closest thing to family she had ever truly known.

• No threads have been recorded.

PARENTS
Bracken (A fit, long-haired, battle-scarred chocolate mackerel tabby point tom with amber eyes): Father of Carnelian

Sable (A lanky scruffy torbie and white she-cat with blue eyes) Mother of Carnelian

OTHER
Vulture (A tall black tabby and white tom with hazel eyes): Sire to Carnelian’s only litter