RISE NUMBER: #0478
NAME: Falcondream PREVIOUS NAMES: Falconkit | Falconpaw GENDER: Male AGE: 28 moons POSITION: Medicine Cat MATE: N/A DESC.: A red tabby cat with white patches and russet coloured eyes. |
PERSONALITYFalcondream is…an odd cat to say the least. He has a fairly positive outward appearance, but dark thoughts tend to linger further down more often than he’d like. He tries to speak to all cats in a calm, polite tone, but some just get on his nerves, causing him to snap and snarl. Due to StarClan invading his dreams in his old him, Falcondream constantly gets paranoid that he’s going crazy if he even thinks of something that seems less than normal. He’s gotten better at it as he’s gotten older, but he still has his moments where nothing seems to be normal.
When in the medicine den doing his job, Falcondream can seem almost emotionless as he works on his patients. He’s trained himself to act that way, as he doesn’t want to show his true feeling of sadness if a cat comes in on the edge of death. It’s a dark job, but somebody has to do it. Having a cat like Aldertail to lean on as he works brings him great comfort and is very open about his appreciation for his half-mentor and one of his closest friends. However, Aldertail still treats him like an apprentice, leading the medicine cat to not take things as seriously as he should. |
HISTORY(taken from my winning form)
The clan he was born into were borderline rogues, as nobody believed in StarClan, and if anyone did they met a rather abrupt end. When he was only a few moons old, he started seeing starry cats in his dreams, but they'd never speak to him, just stand and watch. He tried talking to his parents about it, but both said that it was "just a dream". The dreams never got any better; only ever worse, more vivid, more hectic. He became an apprentice like any other cat would and for a moon or so, the dreams stopped. It was a blessing to Falconpaw, but one night, he woke up screaming, calling out for anyone who could rescue him. His parents, along with their leader, forced him to stay in the Aldertail's, the medicine cat's, den until he got better; so he didn't wake up the entire camp from a 'nightmare'. His nights were spent alone, with only any insects brave enough to venture inside the den as his companions. Sure, Aldertail spent time in the den, but even he hardly spoke to the apprentice. It was a lonely time. Every few days Berrysong, Falconpaw's mentor, would come and take him out for some training. She was unbelievably patient with him, as even the smallest noise would make him jump. Because of his training, he started to feel like he was getting better; being able to control his dreams more. The cats would fade quicker as he continued training, honing his claws to attack whatever came his way. He was gettingbetter. Each bit of training was a little step up from the dreams he was having. One night during his apprentice moons, he had no dreams at all, and promptly woke Aldertail to tell him all about it. The medicine cat was confused, but intrigued. And thus began the experiments. Each day, Aldertail made Falconpaw do something different, whether it be training with Berrysong or helping in the medicine den, to see what the impact on his dreams would be. But the tests proved pointless, as each night Falconpaw was having less and less vivid dreams; it was almost like he had never suffered from the dreams at all. Falconpaw still retained his jumpy nature, but the strange starry cats had disappeared. At least, they had until Falconpaw became Falcondream; a sick joke made by his leader, in reality. He sat vigil like all new warriors would, but managed to fall asleep, though none of the other cats knew this. Not until he started screaming again, of course. His stream was beautiful at first; a luxurious field filled with stars. There was something so unbelievably comfortable about his surroundings, like it was a safe haven for all cats. That's when she showed up, her pelt made of stars and her eyes as bright as the sun. Falcondream felt his heart in his throat as she opened her mouth, but barely a sound came out. His breathing grew rugged and he felt his head become dizzy, though she tried speaking again. "Leave the clan, Falcondream." His eyes widened at her words, though confusion swept over him. "Find StarClan if you want these dreams to stop!" Without a sound the she-cat vanished. He woke up with a scream and was subject to sheer embarrassment for falling asleep during his vigil. Falcondream was going crazy. This strange cat, from the dream land wanted him to give up everything he'd ever known to seek a mystery clan that probably didn't exist just so he could stop the strange dreams? The looks his parents gave him in the morning made the decision all too easy. |
FAMILY AND CONNECTIONSmother | Leafstep (unknown)
father | Bramblefang (unknown) siblings | N/A mentor | Aldertail (half mentor, alive) apprentice | N/A |
WINNING FORM a song that describes him | wind-up toy - alice cooper
Voices come from down the hall In my room all painted white I have my bat and rubber ball I like to sleep with them at night Falconpaw was alone in the medicine cat's den majority of days. His only company consisted of Aldertail and Berrysong, and even then, their moments were fleeting. He'd always hear things going on outside the den, gossip and rumours most of the time, along with cries of agony when cats came to get help. Aside from Berrysong taking him out for training, it was his only contact with the rest of the clan. He found enjoyment in sniffing around the herbs, trying to identify things that he'd heard about, but most of them made him feel sick from how pungent they were. Falconpaw found the most comfort with a single sprig of lavender that he pinched from the store and placed it under his bedding. It was a small thing, but it made the days feel a little bit better. But now I'm all smiles The good little shots must be winning Yes, they crank my dial My motor is stalled but my wheels are still spinning As the days moved on, Falconpaw started trying to fake being better in order to get out and train properly. If the cats appeared in his dreams, he willed his body not to shake back in the den; not to alert Aldertail that he was having them again. It worked well for a short while, and the medicine cat stopped paying as much attention to him, until one night where he was thrown into the middle of a battle. Cats clawed and spat but none scathed him. He woke up with a yelp and Aldertail knew that he was faking anything to do with him feeling better. Rummaging through the medicine storage, the tom started trying to feed Falconpaw a mix of herbs that he didn't recognise to try and help him calm down. Nothing he consumed worked. Daddy won't discuss me What a state I must be Mommy couldn't stand living with a wind-up toy Falconpaw hardly had any visitors, but the lack of his parents hurt him more than anything else. Neither of them spoke to him anymore, not with the strange dreams. Most days he'd look to the entrance, hoping, waiting for one of them to walk through and spend time with him, but it never came. Aldertail looked him up and down once and simply said "They call you a disgrace behind your back, Falconpaw. That's why they don't see you anymore." He felt his mouth go dry at the medicine cat's words. His parents didn't even love him anymore, and it was all his fault. All my friends live on the floor Tiny legs and tiny eyes They're free to crawl under the door And, and someday soon so will I Every few days, Falconpaw would see an insect or two crawl into the den. They were always so small and fragile; one paw on them just a little too hard and they could die. He'd watch them move about, not caring that there was a predator watching over them. Aldertail would constantly scold him for letting the creatures in, claiming that they would eat the medicine in storage, though Falconpaw never really believed him. Why would his new friends think about hurting the clan like that? He'd watch them leave and not come back for a few days, and ended up giving them all names. Were they always the same insects? Probably not, but Falconpaw believed that they were. But now I'm all smiles These good little shots must be working I'm so happy now Look, my fingers don't shake and my head isn't jerking Forcing himself to do something never helped Falconpaw, but he'd still try it. He started smiling too much, being too happy, being too fake. He'd still wake in the middle of the night, screaming about the cats in his dreams, but during the day he was just another happy apprentice. He'd suck up to Aldertail, trying to get the medicine cat to let him out of the den permanently. But he was shot down every time. Aldertail knew that the apprentice was just trying to get out, and as much as he wanted him out of his sight, the older tom didn't believe that it was safe for the clan to have such a...strange cat running about the clan. Daddy won't discuss me What a pain I must be Mommy couldn't stand having such a wound-up boy One night, Falconpaw was having trouble getting to sleep, so he decided to sit at the entrance of the medicine den. Knowing Aldertail was still awake meant he couldn't even consider leaving, but feeling the cool air on his face made him remarkably happy. Though he caught the sound of his father speaking. "He's a failure to me and my family. I wish I had a different son." Falconpaw quickly retreated into the den and curled up, crying to himself. The last thing he heard was Aldertail scolding the cat he called his father. It wasn't long before his mother appeared in his life again; only a nighttime. She walked into the medicine den the next morning with a nasty scratch on her shoulder from a border skirmish. Though despite his attempts, the she-cat would hardly cast a glance in Falconpaw's direction, let alone speak to him. Doctors want to check me Poke me and dissect me What do they expect? Feelings from a wound-up toy? I don't think so I'm just a wound-up toy I'm just a wind-up toy The disgusting taste of mixed herbs tainted Falconpaw's mouth. Aldertail was, once again, trying different herbs to stop the dreams, or at the very least, make them less prominent. Though once again, nothing worked. Each moment that went by that Falconpaw didn't get better, the medicine cat became more and more frustrated. Until one day he snapped. He told the apprentice to get out for the day, not to train, but to just leave him alone. Nobody dared approach the 'crazy cat' as he plodded to the fresh-kill pile, only taking a small mouse for himself. He could hear the snickers from the other apprentices, about how 'Weirdpaw' was allowed outside for once. It hurt his heart, but he only cast a short glance at them before turning back to his food. He was numb; sick and tired of how everyone was treating him. He would give them no satisfaction of a reaction. That night when he returned to the medicine den, he didn't speak a word to Aldertail and simply curled up in his bed. Maybe he really was just a failure to his family? I'm lost in a nightmare Shiny white halls Drawing rats on the wall Solitary confinement Chained in a cell Got my own private hell For Falconpaw, the medicine den was both the most comforting place and the worst place for him to be. Comforting only in the fact that Aldertail didn't hate him to the extent that he'd avoid him if he saw him, but aside from that, it was not the place he wanted to spend his apprentice moons. The smell of herbs especially made him hate the den; he'd constantly feel woozy and lightheaded if he so much as stepped into the storage. It eventually reached the point where Falconpaw wasn't sure if he was going crazy from the dream cats or the smells of the medicine den. Aside from leaving to do his apprentice training, there was always a part of him that never wanted to leave simply because of how much his clanmates hated him. It was his own private hell. Preacher crucifies me Warden wants to fry me I was never young Never just a little boy In the middle of the night, only a moon or so before Falconpaw was supposed to receive his warrior name, he heard Rockstar speaking to Alderfoot, albeit quietly. Though through the hushed voices, the apprentice knew that Rockstar was talking about him. He caught the words 'apprentice ceremony' and 'doesn't deserve it' in the same sentence, and quietly curled in on himself, trying to ignore the leader. Though a third voice peaked his attention, and he realised that the deputy Minnowrun had joined the conversation. The two most powerful cats in the clan were siding against him; against their medicine cat. Sure, Aldertail wasn't speaking remarkably highly of the apprentice, but he wasn't shooting him down like the rest of the clan had. Part of Falconpaw's emotions sided with the leader and deputy though; he never did the things apprentices should do. He spent his childhood cooped up in the medicine den hardly training and hardly living his life. He hated the dream cats and what they'd done to him. Daddy won't discuss me What a pain I must be Mama couldn't stand having such a wound-up boy I'm just a wind-up toy I'm a wind-up toy I'm just a wind-up toy I'm just a wind-up toy It was only a few days until he was supposed to receive his warrior name when his mother broke his heart. Aldertail was in the nursery helping a queen when Leafstep approached him. "You're not my son anymore, Falconpaw. You can take your freaky dream cats and leave me and my mate alone." His whole body turned numb as she walked out, leaving him alone with his thoughts. His life was still getting flipped around. His breathing was shallow and he fell to the ground, his brain barely working. Berrysong prodding him to get up was the only thing that jolted him from his state. She took him out to the training grounds, smiling and shouting encouragement at anything and everything he did. He was doing great until his father turned up, with his apprentice trailing behind him. The two were given the task of fighting against the other's mentor to see how far they had come, though weren't allowed to wound them. Falconpaw's father walked out of the training grounds with blood dripping down his face. Even though it felt great in the moment, the looks from his clanmates made him rethink what he'd done. A true warrior wouldn't attack a clanmate unprovoked, right? He slept in the medicine den that night, stewing over how much of a failure he was to the clan, to the code. The dream cats didn't appear that night. "They come here every night I see them. Don't you see them? Hmm, that's odd, isn't it? I'm so tired, I'm winding down You'll have to go now, it's bedtime!" What did appear that night was a new friend, a grand grey tom, who smiled and laughed with him. No stars covered his pelt, and his body wasn't misty like the other were. He was different, and he was comforting. Falconpaw questioned him about whether or not he could see the strange cats, but the tom shook his head. The two spent hours together, having fun, hunting in the plains of the apprentice's dreams. He even taught Falconpaw some new fighting moves; ones that Berrysong hadn't even mentioned to him. The mystery tom was the friend he never had. Eventually, Falconpaw started growing tired, and sat down, feeling himself start to doze off. The tom sat next to him until the apprentice had fallen asleep, ready to wake up in the real world. "Stay safe, Falconpaw." "Steven!" The starry she-cat that called Falcondream to find StarClan would not stop finding him in his dreams, even as he left the clan. Every time he'd close his eyes, he could see the stars on her pelt shimmering as he wandered to find where she meant. Her calls were the only thing that guided him, never leaving his mind, always there whether he needed her help or not. Until he stumbled across BoulderClan's territory. |