Scorchhawk, Smallspark, and Sparkpaw of ThunderClan
Scorchhawk is a tortoiseshell transgender tom with distinct red markings over his left eye. He’s a very calm sort, sharing the distinct pride that most ThunderClan cats carry, though it can often be mistaken for arrogance. He tries to be a strong support for those in his clan, seeing as he had a hard enough time on his own.
Smallspark is a small golden brown she-cat with black spots, tufted ears, and white paws. She’s a very stoic cat, rarely getting close to others and often going off on her own. She takes little pride in being a warrior, but takes the role seriously, believing becoming leader is the only way for her to honor her dead brother.
Sparkpaw was a large brown tom with white patches. He was a cheerful sort, the true match to his brother’s calm and his sister’s shyness. He was always the first into a fight but a master at strategy when the situation called for it. His plans usually never went awry but this brought him a unwavering confidence that eventually led to his demise. He suffered a fatal bite from a fox when he and his siblings attempted to draw it out of their territory.
The three were born to the loyal trio Lionspots, Morningstorm, and Brushwhisker. They adored their parents and all got plenty of attention, feeling loved by all as they grew. While the three had a great kithood, their apprenticeship is where they struggled.
Smallpaw was apprenticed under Tansyseed, a timid she-cat who had barely stepped into her own claws herself. Lionspots voiced her opinion that it was a poor choice, but Eveningstar thought it would be good for both Tansyseed and Smallpaw to learn some confidence together.
Smallpaw wanted nothing more than to be a medicine cat, never having the same draw to hunting and fighting as her brothers. Instead she spent most of her time trying to help Flywish and Tadpolepaw collect herbs. Despite being close to both, she felt a small resentment towards Tadpolepaw, believing she had her rightful spot. As she grew, she’d come to realize Tadpolepaw was much better suited towards the role, able to stand the pressures of saving lives without faltering.
Smallpaw struggled in her training immensely, to the point where it caused frustration for her mentor. With her attentions divided so much, Smallpaw was often punished for not being faithful to her warrior duties. She came to resent the day-long hunting trips and patrols, instead preferring the time she got to spend caring for the elders and queens. She could recite the warrior code top to bottom and tell the old tales behind each one, but there was hardly a time she could catch a mouse in front of her muzzle.
Sparkpaw was Smallpaw’s only support, as Scorchpaw struggled with his own training with a strict mentor. Sparkpaw’s mentor was Wolfstalk, a strong and passionate warrior who matched Sparkpaw in spirit, and before long, size. Sparkpaw helped Smallpaw with secret training sessions, giving her the unending patience and guidance she couldn’t find in her mentor.
Scorchpaw was struggling with his identity at the time, realizing that he didn’t quite feel right in the fur he had grown, as he learned to put it. He eventually settled into getting his fellow apprentices to refer to him as a tom, and while his mentor and several other of his warrior clanmates would follow suit, there were some older fashion cats who would question him constantly. The more potential he showed as a warrior, the less they’d have to question, or at least that became his believe.
Scorchpaw was apprenticed under potentially his worst obstacle, Condorpoppy. While Eveningstar considered it an honor for one of his most promising apprentices to be mentored under his long-standing deputy, Condorpoppy took an unnaturally harsh approach for Scorchpaw. She wanted the absolute best for Scorchpaw, regardless of what he thought that best might be. She took it as far as training him in the Dark Forest, grooming Scorchpaw’s ambition.
Despite what he was being trained for, Scorchpaw had no ambitions to be a leader, leaving all of that ambition to Sparkpaw. Believing his mentor was doing the best to help him, Scorchpaw began showing Sparkpaw his training in secret, but was shocked when his brother seemed horrified by the brutality of it all. Scorchpaw told his brother he had stopped that kind of training, and refrained from using it in any training.
Sparkpaw’s death crushed Smallpaw. In one instance she was being chased by a fox, and in the next she had lost her best friend in the world as she watched him be torn apart. They had been so close to be warriors together and Smallpaw had even begun to dream of being the deputy to Sparkpaw’s leadership. Those dreams were torn away from her in an instant and she felt nothing but grief and rage as she and Scorchpaw scared the fox away from their territory.
Scorchpaw was surprised by Sparkpaw’s death. He had grown up believing Sparkpaw was as unkillable as Sparkpaw himself seemed to believe. He quickly put his own feelings aside as he realized how badly the death had affected his sister. From then on Scorchpaw took it upon himself to be Smallpaw’s protector, helping her get back on her paws even when she struggled to sleep and eat after the incident.
It was not but a quarter moon later that Scorchpaw and Smallpaw stood for their warrior ceremony. It followed a strong attack from WindClan in which Smallpaw and Scorchpaw had both defended the nursery with a fierceness their ancestors would be proud of. While Scorchpaw graciously accepted his warrior name, Scorchhawk, Smallpaw interrupted her own. Nearly named Smalldapple, Smallpaw interrupted Eveningstar to request her name honor her late brother. While it shocked her clanmates, the small faux pas was rewarded when Tadpoleslip spoke up with her approval. Smallpaw was granted the name Smallspark, with the stern reminder to live up to the name.
