Wren of the Loners

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a fluffy dark grey tabby tom with brown eyes.
when they see him for the first time they judge him simply for the fur upon his back. the soft; easily tangled dark grey fur is something that holds an iron grip on his life. it spikes from his pelt at odd angles and even grows at differently lengths in some areas. but there is nothing to worry about when it come to the  care of his pelt for he takes a great deal of time to groom is before he starts his day and before he ends it. give it a change; the next thing you will notice are his eyes; which are a deep brown color; with flecks of green and amber hidden in them. it's simple and straight forward; but his eyes are a violent storm of emotions and should he ever close up and try to hide; it will be the only thing that tells the truth. lastly they will see the way he walks; how his legs carry him and prove to be strong; how his chest expands when he draws in a deep breath and how large his ears are; able to pick up small details.

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growing up in the light of fairy tales and gentle touches; wren was a kitten long after his stages pulled him free. a boorish little kitten he was; with terrible manners and a even worst taste of words - as he had always been taught by his father that cats were not like the ones he heard tales about - no these were loners and rogues who wanted to kill little kittens in their sleep and so he would have to toughen up to live his life right. but he still held onto that cheery tune; if only for his mother's enlightenment - because a cheerful wren was a happy wren and when he was not being a rowdy and wild little kitten; he was always being the affectionate and sincere little kitten.  his mother called him her little gentle soul; but only if she had known of his boorish ways then she would of taught him to better lace his words together and to be able to explain things more seriously. but he did speak with that sincere tune, always trying to comfort if the cat appeared distraught - but not to the extend his mother would of liked.

he would grow slowly; for at only the age of ten moons he would stand with his back to his mother and father - guilt of his own actions thrown against him. he had deceived his youngest brother into thinking he would take him on a small hunt - and yet; crow had fallen to his death in a moment of sheer surprise when wren had thought to simply frighten his brother. guilty was he when he; and forever guilty would he become as he walked away from his family; fleeing into the night after he listened to their talks of worry and fear for his well being. but he ran; promising only his sister raven that he would come back. faithful to his wish he did; and together, brother and sister walked away together; their hearts heavy and their souls leaning upon one another in hope that they would find a way to survive the upcoming days - fifteen moons and alone. reliable was something that grew on him soon enough; his sister would grow ill and of course little wren began to feel the stress that came with it. he would stumble and humble and try as hard as he could to hunt and take care of raven; and it would lead to his own sickness. he took care of others before himself

raven would of fallen sooner if it had not been for his persistent nature. he would swear up and down that if she tumbled; he would pick her up and carry her the rest of the way to the two-leg places where he had heard of medicine. but in his own worry he had forgotten about himself and soon he and his sister would lie sick and weak by the side of a fence post. strong and stubborn were words that can be spoken of the young tom as he grew worst and his sister faded into the sky. his sister would never move and for two days he lay there; heavy breathing and weakening but he refused to fall dead. he would be saved but that did not stop him from proving his boorish manners; or that he was a grumpy cat under all that pain and suffering. but he grew to care for the cats that took him in; healed him the best and his own interest spiked. intelligent in the manners that he instantly picked up this cat's knowledge of a few selected herbs; but that was it - and when he began to study on his own he grew to become a bit of a mad scientist in the act that he would test concoctions on rabbits.

but lastly he is quite the domineering cat, one in whom would try to rise to the challenge and control every aspect of the situation at paw. he was never good at that though and even though he tried to dominate over any cat; wren found a submissive side approach him when he met a she-cat who toyed with his mind. he would promptly bow and roll onto his back for the she-cat should she so request him to, but there is also something nasty that comes with it. protective are words that filter in; to the point of obsession of keeping that cat safe; wren doesn't do well with his things or family being torn away from him and can become quite a fright when it happens. his temper can flare up in only moments of finding anyone who would insult a friend or family member of his - hell even if you insult his mother he will probably give you a scratch to remember. the only way to get him into a state to actually fight as one would want him too; they must first anger him and get him to show this rather sinister side. but life if funny this way.

but when one looks at wren from the outside; they will see the tom who has seen a haunting amount of trouble, and of love and friendship. loyalty can be burned into his bones and a certain amount of loving and caring aspects as well. while travelling he has been known to come across mothers and their kits and offer to help hunt for them; and even play with the kittens for a time. fatherly can come in time; and when it does; one will see that his boorish ways may disappear as he will wish for his own kits - should he have some in the future - to not have his manners of his ways. and like so many other lovestuck toms who have been around the ages; wren will die for the she-cat he loves. family-orientated little guy will die for those who mean family to him - hell he would rather have a large over bearing family then a small family and should the chance of ever arise he would adopt every kitten that had lost a mother and father in a heartbeat.

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dove was a lovely little she-cat; dainty and sweet, with the blood of windclan flowing through her veins as hot as any. dove had always been quick and swift and a hot-headed she-cat whose gentle touch was saved for those closest to her. it was eagle; a strong-headed and impulsive tom who wanted nothing more then a challenge in his love life. when the two were introduced one day upon a open field; dove had taken flight and returned to her small family; thirteen moons old and worried of the world now. eagle would be more cherished; and he would move after her and present his idea; 'come with me, and i'll show you the world - i want nothing but the companionship.' and so; with only a half a night's rest and her parents against it; dove followed the twenty-moon old cat into the open fields and she disappeared; lost to her family, and the that would later come. the two cats did indeed become companions; nothing more and for ten long and peaceful moons they traveled with excitement and an eagerness to see the world that any cat who passed would guess them little adventurers then anything.

but life has it's ways of throwing a curve ball and one night; dove was awoken from her slumber to find eagle bristling in front of the den; two other tom cats were there; waiting and egging him on. 'just let us have a go at the gorgeous little thing - we don't mind sharing!' but it would not fly with the larger tom - no eagle attacked and as the two toms would later run off with their tail between their tales; the toll it took on eagle was clear. dove managed to drag him into their shared den and for the first time in forever she listened as he whispered in his pained sleep. 'almost lost you... can't... don't leave me.... i love you dove...' and deep inside her heart, she felt something stir. the two did not grow closer; no eagle drove himself away from her; shielding himself and with each pawstep dove felt something break in her chest. it was on one night where she watched eagle limp forth with a pain expression that she made her choice. pushing the tom onto his back she leaned over him glaring down at his stunned and frustrated face. 'stop pushing me away, you don't do this to the ones who love you!' she would bark before finding realization on the others face. that night they talked; they told of their stories of when and why and soon as they curled up that night they talked of the future of getting better and at teaching dove to fight. she fell pregnant not but two moons later.

dove did not want to have kits at such an age; but when she saw the light spring up in eagle's eyes and how that night he slept with his head nestled closer to her belly; her heart warmed to the idea of maybe - just maybe she could like the idea of them being their kits. she would watch as each day after an attempted hunting trip with a small success as eagle would come home to their little den and drop the prey beside her head; and then he would whisper to her belly; eyes alight with wonder and happiness. 'you will be brave and beautiful like your mother... but i pray you will not have my stubbornness.' sure enough; half the time dove did not pay attention to her mates whispers; but once or twice she would over hear and it would warm her to the point that she nearly missed how her mate shrunk, his body shrinking and his eyes growing tired. 'i am not hungry eagle; eat... what will i do without you!' she would cry one day when he brought home a meal fit for two. that night as she sat awkwardly; belly heavy with kits - she watched as her mate shamefully wolfed down the whole piece of prey; before he curled up beside her.

that was the first time she felt him shake with sobs. as the days drew closer; eagle took to staying out longer and coming home with more prey; he even looked fuller and as he dropped the three mice in front of dove she questioned him. 'who are you hunting with... these smell of another. tell me... please!' and he would curl up with his back to her; his shaking coming once more. it was the day before her birthing that she met the tom - a handsome young ginger cat whose name was copper. the young tom looked like eagle in every aspect save his pelt and when the two cats stood side by side; dove wondered the relationship the two shared. 'you must be the new girl. hi, i'm copper i'm eagle's son from - oh when was it - oh right; fifteen moons ago.' and while it hurt dove the most and did send her into labour; she held no hate for the ginger tom and even welcomed him into the fold once her kits were born. she named them after the birds; and one after copper. wren was a large grey-tabby tom, and his brother crow was a black tom. the two were the only toms as they had three sisters; raven, ebony and night all of whom only raven, crow and wren survived.

wren was the eldest of the little; the strongest and the most devilish. his mother had seemed to settle down more as she laid with her kits; watching as they suckled from her belly. eagle would always be found with copper sitting beside him; and even copper had taken to dove; 'yo mom, i'm going to go catch you the biggest rat this side of the river; dad's gonna be embarrassed!' and with copper gone and eagle preparing to leave; dove would meow; 'will you ever tell me about copper's mother... i mean, he's a sweet tom; but love... will he stay with us forever?' but eagle wouldn't move on it; and as he left the young she-cat alone; she nursed her kits; whispering their names over their heads. it was wren who opened his eyes first; and it was wren who stumbled away from his mother so quickly that she nearly had a heart-attack. wren would follow copper - who was wild and untamed and wren would model after his older brother. 'well look at that copper; you have a shadow.' eagle would meow with a heart-filled meow; and even dove would grow amused as raven and crow tried to follow wren; but their legs were not as steady and they would trip and fall.

as the days grew longer; wren would walk faster and strong and copper would even find that the young tom was ahead of himself with walking. 'slow down wren; you will need to start talking before you starting training.' and wren would grunt; not ready to spill words from his lips. but it was when raven started forming complete sentences that wren started to struggle through it; his whole heart poured into it. 'i will ... i can... speak.' he would meow as he stared proudly at his parents and siblings and after the praise he quickly began to get better; words forming and his manners becoming a harsh and broken version of what he should of wanted. as they would crawl forth and learn their words eagle and copper would also begin to train them. and at age ten; he tricked crow into following him to the cliff and with a grin so mischievous he would jump out and scare his brother; what he hadn't expected was for crow to leap back; nearly off the cliff and with a panic he latched onto his brother; holding him to the cliff.

'wren you have to let me go!' crow would cry; fear piecing his voice; and wren held tighter; his own hind legs beginning to slide as he was lifted further over the cliff. but he would not leave his brother. 'i can't! crow, please; hold on! mother and father and copper will be on their way!' he wailed; voice reaching a note higher then anything he had ever said before. 'just let the brat go he's no use to us now, brother.' it was the lower voice beside his ear that had him jumping; 'wren! crow!' his father's own voice echoed and then he felt his scruff being pulled an his paws slipped from crows and the distant yowl of fear echoed the cliff before suddenly it cut off in a sharp squeak. around him wren noticed his mother's wailing; raven's shocked expression; and eagle's face was buried in his neck; but it was copper's sneaky grin that caused the most fear in wren and that night as everyone slept he slipped out into the outside of camp and he was stopped by his sister. 'you have to come back for me! mother and father don't ... please.. wren.' and he would; a week after his disappearance he slipped into the camp; and stole away his sister; watching as she huddled in on herself.

it took wren only a moon or two to realize exactly what was happening and when the fever of his sister took him at thirteen moons; the two would find themselves lying side by side; and it was then that he would notice the other symptoms of his sister. she lost her kits - and he bet that they were coppers - and the sickness that came with her had taken hold of him; until a young she-cat found him and nursed his health back. she told him of the herbs to heal him; of how feverfew would help any cat with a fever and upon his fourteenth moon he began to move on his own; and with his head spinning with this knew found knowledge he wondered what else there was to know; and as he moved with each step to wards the fallen victim he began to feel the panic he had felt when his sister had fallen; when he had fallen. she said her name was mint and she had to return to her kits and a part of wren began to scream that this was to much like his sister - and yet he kept telling her he would help and soon enough he gathered the herbs and returned with her to her den where her to kits were.

 as the days grew; mint began to become healthier and wren stuck around; he began to hunt and gather herbs for the she-cat showing her what little he knew and every night he would sleep outside the den; eyes watching the skies and wondering what it would be like to feel like he belonged - for even here he felt like the awkward one out.  but as the days came and went he would watch as the young ones; tiger and starling grew and he felt amusement seep into him when the two would ask if he was their father. 'i'm to young to be your dad. though then again, your mom is pretty young too.' but he would be swatted by mint easily and the situation became clear. 'i'm here to help your mom; we're good friends - i helped her and she's helping me.' he would say and when the kits asked him to what she was helping him with; he would only grin and meow; 'nothing noisy little kits need; yes starling you're bursting with curiosity i can tell.' and that was the thing; almost at the moment he knew that the she-cat could not talk; he had taken to trying to understand her.

but life is tricky, and when starling and tiger were being taught hunting and fighting moves; gladly wren watched and even threw in words of encouragements; trying his best to help the young mother with her kittens and as time flew; he began to join; paws ready and stance corrected her challenge tiger first and foremost and when the younger finally managed to pin him; he challenged starling and the two would grow closer as there time together strength; though he did feel protective of both the little she-cat and tom; hell even mint had become a close friend and he vowed that he would visit should she request he leave. and at the time the kits were ready to leave; mint had pulled him aside one night and whispered; 'i fear she will follow you... please watch her.' and while he did not at first believe starling would; he promised mint he would, it was the least he could do considering that he had imposed himself upon her life all those moons ago.

as they set out; wren was careful of his ways. 'if you had my mom; this wouldn't be happening. just; well stay out of trouble okay; and if i say run, you run.' he didn't give much thought other then that; and as they took into the wilderness he vowed he would make it back to see mint and tiger - but that vow; he came to realize would never be full-filled. he wasn't that protective of young starling until her middle teen moons; where they crossed a few cats. he had heard of them speaking behind their backs and he nearly bristled when he heard one of them call her stupid. that night as they slept in a nearby brush, wren would stalk out from the brushes and corner the cat with whom said such nasty things; 'speak ill of her, and i will personally rip that tongue from your throat.' but the older male cat seemed both startled, shocked and annoyed. 'what, she's your daughter ain't she?' wren would lash out at the cat and come morning; when starling would look quizzing at his scratches he would hum happily and continue on their way.

it probably earned them terrible names; he knew. the vicious little grey brat and his darling stupid she-cat - tho both of these titles were untrue. to starling he was kind and everything a perfect gentleman should be; but as he heard the whispers and taunts and as they seemed to sadden her; he grew angrier a wildfire uncontrolled unless from a touch from the she-cat he was guarding. it was late one night when he sat around with other cats once more; that a tom spoke of these large groups and he asked more and learned they wished to make clans and rule like the great ones that only few could remember; but wren knew; he had heard those tales as bedtime stories; had sworn he was wrenstar of the greatest clan wrenclan. but he never spoke up; nor did he tell the cat when he asked him; 'do you have to blood of the warrior young man? if you are the wren i heard of; you sound as vicious as those shadow cats.' but he did not nod; nor did he speak; he simply returned and told starling of the happenings and grew excited with the idea.

'look starling, theres something i want to ask you...' and so are tale begins.

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