Ebonyflare

Ebonyflare is a sleek, mid-furred dark ruddy tom. Due to his Somali ancestry, he shares both a similar facial and body structure to a pure bred Somali, though his pelt is a very dark brown (which looks black), with an undertone of reddish-brown around his eyes and chest. His face is angular and sharp and his eyes a light amber colour. His chin is white, and so is a small patch of fur underneath his nose, which both blend into the ruddy colour surrounding it. He keeps himself well exercised and groomed, having a strong set of muscle beneath his shiny fur. A few scars litter his pelt, though the most prominent ones are the scar running from one side of his nose bridge to the other, across a diagonal. His right ear also has a large nick. Any other scarring is buried beneath his fur.

Ebonyflare is a no-nonsense sort of cat, preferring efficient conversations over meaningless ones. Constantly thinking and analysing, Ebonyflare is always alert with a facial expression akin to a not so happy cat. He speaks with confidence and poise, having little doubt in his own abilities. He doesn’t tend to look down on others, but does constantly analyse them, trying to be hyperaware of others motives and feelings. His hardy personality is not something he contained during his earlier years, but more something he learned from experience, preferring to be alert and dry rather than naive and vulnerable. He doesn’t want to come across as soft-hearted nor kind, hoping for his presence to be a more respectable one, perhaps even intimidating, though Ebonyflare does not believe he ever reached such status before retiring, even when deputy. As of lately, Ebonyflare has been becoming increasingly tired and worries for his health, making him even less inclined to talk and interact. He isn’t grumpy as such but prefers quiet, hoping it will help him make a slow recovery from fatigue.

• Born in the Moon of Turning Leaves (2015) 074

KITHOOD

Ebonykit was born alongside his sister, Nettlekit to Rosepelt and Blackbranch, two RiverClan warriors. He was a more solitary kit, keeping his distance from others, cautiously investigating around camp rather than being rambunctious and impulsive. Along with growing up alongside Nettlekit, there was another queen with her daughter, Tawnykit. Ebonykit greatly appreciated having two playmates. Ebonykit had a greatly uneventful kithood, protected from the dangers of the real world.

APPRENTICESHIP

Apprenticed as Ebonypaw alongside Nettlepaw, Ebonypaw was a determined, rule following young cat, devoted to doing the right thing. He held great pride for his clan, wanting to do as much as he could to provide back. He wasn’t a fan of some of the more unpleasant apprentice tasks. Managing to keep his mouth shut from complaining, only returning to Nettlepaw and Otterpaw at the end of the day, sharing his miseries of cleaning out the elders den or going ‘moss hunting’. With great pride from his mentor, it was found that Ebonypaw had a strong aptitude for swimming, to which it became his greatest strength. Ebonypaw and his mentor worked hard on water related battle techniques, due to the young tom finding ease in his movements, despite the resistance of the water. It wasn’t exactly unusual for a RiverClan cat to find such ease in water techniques, but it was appreciated by his mentor nonetheless. He greatly enjoyed learning to hunt within the river too, much more than land hunting, which required speed and stealth. River hunting on the other hand needs quite calculation and perfect timing; something that Ebonypaw liked the thrill off. At some point during his apprenticeship, Ebonypaw got into a small border skirmish with an unknown outsider. Neither cat got seriously injured, but the outsider took a large chunk of the apprentice’s right ear, to which it never grew back. Ebonypaw at first was upset that his perfect appearance had been tainted, but he soon grew to wear it with pride, it being his first ever battle scar.

EARLY WARRIORHOOD

Ebonypaw earned the name Ebonyflare due to his fiery ambition to protect and serve his clan, alongside Nettlepaw who earned the name Nettlesky. During his first few moons as a warrior, Ebonyflare constantly tried to prove himself, offering to go on every patrol, and spending most of his spare time out and about trying to do something useful. Ebonyflare never really worked out why his younger self so desperately wanted to prove himself, but perhaps he just wanted to be recognised, as his mothers desire to prove their bloodline strong made an impact on him. With his strong ambitions, Ebonyflare became a little more impulsive, starkly different from his attitude as a child. He could be a little brash and loud, sometimes challenging others and going too far. His behaviour, while not overly impactful to the clan troubled his old mentor, who took the time to reconcile with Ebonyflare and bring back the young, clan devoted tom they new during his apprenticeship. His mentor eventually did get through to him, and at around his 25th moon Ebonyflare mellowed out focusing back on his duties and reconstructing his reputation within the clan. As Ebonyflare worked on improving himself as a friend and a warrior, he worked hard on honing his skills. It was a good way to drain some of his more impulsive energy, and he felt good having sharpened skills. During one of the early moons of his warriorhood, Ebonyflare attacked a ThunderClan cat, accusing them of being over to the border, starting a small squabble between the two. This fight was what earned Ebonyflare his scar across his nose. He lost the fight, being walked back to camp in shame for his actions and wrong accusation. Originally at gatherings Ebonyflare would look for this cat, hoping to to give them a sharp look or two, but over time he forgot about his misgivings towards the cat, though he still regrets his actions.

LATE WARRIORHOOD

It was during the time that when Ebonyflare had fully matured he was given an apprentice, a she-cat who he found quite similar to him when he was young. Ebonyflare took a gentle but straightforward approach in teaching this cat, not wanting to intimidate her, but still make sure they understood the harshness of clan life. He grew a soft spot for his apprentice, seemingly more relaxed around the young cat than he usually was. Only a few weeks before his apprentice was due to graduate, the young cat drowned after slipping into the chasm between RiverClan and WindClan. Ebonyflare struggled with her death deeply, believing he had failed her. His confidence in himself was completely shattered, and he turned colder, preferring not to get close to others incase of another accident. Not long after the unfortunate death of his apprentice, Ebonyflare was promoted to deputy. He accepted the position with great pride, but was still going through internal struggles with his self-esteem. The promotion was a turning point for him. He gained new insight into himself, and how his clanmates might see him, and felt his confidence slowly returning.

DEPUTYSHIP

Ebonyflare took to leadership quite smoothly, finding the process quite natural, and not as daunting as he originally thought. He had always admired Boldstar and was elated to get to work beside him as his deputy. The position of deputy transformed Ebonyflare into a completely different cat. He still retained some of his old qualities, but he gained insight and knowledge that allowed him to flourish, becoming more outspoken. He tried to guide his clan the best he could, hoping to lead them down paths similar to his own. His pride and fierce protecting for his clan only grew, and sometimes he could be a little ruthless against the other clans, constantly on edge at gatherings and on border patrols, but he simply just wanted the best for the clan. His reign as deputy lasted around two and a half years, and he is constantly grateful for the way he got to serve his clan.

RETIREMENT

It was during the Moon of Long Sun (2020) that Ebonyflare made the difficult decision to step down from deputy and retire to the elders den. He had noticed an increase in fatigue in himself, along with slight difficulty breathing after too much activity. Patrols were becoming harder, and he was starting to feel more like a burden than an asset. He could trust that Boldstar would make a good choice in the clan’s next deputy, but he still had his doubts. He felt like he had been doing a good job, and wasn’t sure if the next cat would be able to live up to his standards. When Coldgaze was chosen as RiverClan’s next deputy, Ebonyflare was slightly suprised, though not all that shocked. The cold, not overly social tom might not be the most sympathetic, but he had the right qualities, and hopefully the right ideals. He approved to an extent, but still wishes he could be in Coldgaze’s place. Ebonyflare understands that his time has passed now, and that it is up to the younger generation to create the RiverClan of the future. Despite this, Ebonyflare still remains loyal to Boldstar, trusting his leaders wisdom and intuition.

Having retired, Ebonyflare feels a little useless now, and constantly tries to make himself busy around camp. He doesn’t like visitors or sympathy, and hopes that when his time comes, he leaves some sort of legacy within his clan. His fatigue and troubled lungs are only getting worse, but are deteriorating at a slow pace. He still has some kick left within him, and hopes he can contribute to the clan a few more times before the stars call.

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Nettlesky – Sister and littermate.

On the topic of Boldstar, Coldgaze and Sunningrocks: Ebonyflare will always be loyal to Boldstar, and will support his leader’s decisions unless Boldstar suddenly has a grand change of heart, in which Ebonyflare will look to Coldgaze for leadership. Despite this, Ebonyflare does have some interest in the taking of Sunningrocks, but Coldgaze will have to prove the attack’s likely success before gaining the former deputies support on the matter. Overall, Ebonyflare will support Boldstar’s choice as the final one, no matter what Coldgaze thinks.