Perchshine
"I was cruel to you for so much of my life. I don't want to be that cat anymore."
-Perchshine, Chapter 31
Perchshine is a large, fat dark tabby tom with blue eyes and a short, half-tail.
Perchshine was born as Perchkit to Darkstar and an unknown rogue, but was given to Eeltail as a foster. He was aprenticed as Perchpaw to Appledusk, and later Spiketail. After overcoming difficulties caused by the loss of half his tail, he successfully earned his warrior name, Perchshine. He confessed to Petalpaw that he was unsure of his gender identity, but for the time being was okay being called a tom.
Perchshine is a big, short-legged, dark tabby tom. He has darker tabby stripes shaped like that of a perch running down his back, and a lighter underbelly. He is very fluffy, especially on his mane and tail. He has a small ears, a small round nose, and a plump face. He has big, round blue eyes. He is noted to have the same stocky, powerful body as his mother, Darkstar.
As an adult, Perchshine has a ripped ear, a cropped tail, a scar through his eyebrow, and several large scars on his chest.
Perchshine is a boisterous, fun-loving cat. He has a tedency to joke around, behaving loudy and occasionally without consideration for others. However, despite his demeanor, he is a very observant, thoughtful cat who tries his best to put others first. He worries deeply about how others percieve him, which can lead to changes in his behavior.
As a kit, Perchkit had a very bratty streak, often acting entitled and speaking his mind without understanding how it would affect others. He frequently misbehaved, challenging authority figures in order to get attention from his mother, Darkstar. After being apprenticed to Appledusk, Perchpaw took on many of his mentor's beliefs. He became very cold and cruel, especially to fellow apprentice Petalpaw. He deeply regrets this behavior following the death of Appledusk, and sought to make amends with Petalpaw.
AGE
5 ☾ (introduction)
17 ☾ (current)
134 ☾ (at death)
Petalkit's Shadow, Ch 2
HISTORY
Perchkit was born to Darkstar after the leader was attacked and sexually assaulted by a rogue. Due to the trauma of the event and Darkstar's inability to raise a kit, Perchkit was given to Eeltail, who raised him as a foster mother. Perchkit didn't know about the circumstances of his birth, and was never told why his mother could barely even look at him. As a result, he became a very loud, troublesome kit who often misbehaved in the hopes that his mother would pay atention to him. This often failed, and Darkstar would appear uncomfortable or even afraid when speaking to him. Perchkit occasionally played with the apprentices, particularly Troutpaw, who introduced Perchkit to rock collecting.
When Petalkit was brought into RiverClan, Perchkit was initially suspicious of her, distrusting her for her ThunderClan origins. However, he overcame this rather quickly, as his desire for companionship won over. Perchkit frequently tried to play with Petalkit, often showing her new rocks he found while playing at The Shallows. The two kits got into mischief together occasionally, only to be reprimanded by Darkstar. In contrast with Petalkit's cowering from the leader, Perchkit would act defiant, demanding to know why Darkstar wouldn't stay in the nursery with him.
When he turned six moons old, Perchpaw was apprenticed to Appledusk. Initially, he promised to tell Petalkit all about his training. However, Appledusk's influence took over him quickly. His mentor treated him quite harshly, pressuring him to distance himself from Petalkit. Perchpaw became more of a loner under Appledusk's tutelage, acting hostile to others and closing himself off. Appledusk rewarded this behavior, creating a vicious cycle where Perchpaw was trapped and recieving positive approval from only a single authority figure in his life.
At first, Perchpaw outperformed Petalpaw in nearly every apprentice task, especially swimming. Appledusk touted this as proof of RiverClan superiority, as he did not know who Perchpaw's father was. However, after moons of hard work, Petalpaw caught up with Perchpaw, and began matching his skill in hunting and fighting. Appledusk began to turn on his apprentice, berating him for his percieved inferiority. This isolated Perchpaw even further from his peers, causing him to become even more aggressive to Petalpaw, especially after she began getting recognition from Darkstar. When Reedshine's kits were born, Appledusk began to neglect Perchpaw in favor of his children, especially Applekit.
During a hunting assessment, Perchpaw was ambushed by Mapleshade and pinned down. The rogue intended to use Perchpaw as bait for Appledusk, but Petalpaw showed up instead. Perchpaw and Petalpaw fought against Mapleshade side-by-side, and Perchpaw defended Petalpaw despite their history. Perchpaw tried to fetch help from camp, but Mapleshade grabbed him by the tail and ripped it off, causing Perchpaw to go unconscious from blood loss. When Perchpaw woke up in the medicine den, he was quick to blame Petalpaw for Appledusk's death. However, when he realized that Petalpaw saved his life, his opinion of her began to change.
With a new mentor, Spiketail, Perchpaw's behavior began to change again. He was deeply embarassed by his new injury because it gave him difficulty walking and balancing. However, Spiketail showed kindness and patience to the apprentice, and helped re-train him with his new disability in mind. Spiketail's kindness caused Perchpaw to re-evaluate his own behavior. He began hunting for Petalpaw, who was neglecting her own physical and mental state, leaving prey in her nest every day. He earned his warrior name, Perchshine, being named after Reedshine to commemorate his personal growth.
When Petalpaw caught Perchshine leaving prey for her, she cursed him out and accidentally revealed the identity of his father. Before Perchshine had a chance to ask about it, Petalpaw ran away, leaving him with the truth of his origins. In Petalpaw's absence, Perchshine spoke with Darkstar, finally learning why his mother seemed afraid of him. Perchshine began visiting Petalpaw at her makeshift camp, bringing her prey. While stiff and distant at first, he still treated her with the same patience his mentor showed to him, causing the two to become closer. He helped Petalpaw worth through her grief and trauma by teaching her meditation. Perchshine longed for Petalpaw to return to RiverClan, but she refused, saying she needed to leave on a wander. Before Petalpaw left, Perchshine confessed to her that he was unsure of his gender identity.
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