EDELWEISS

Gregarious and light-hearted, Edelweiss makes for cheerful company no matter the current state of affairs. They don't like being alone; if they have any time to kill they're not doing it by themself. Edelweiss is happiest when surrounded by others who fuel their energy and pay attention to them, and when left to their own devices they get a little mopey. They can be a little much to deal with, however: they're mouthy and rarely show awareness of when not to be, and they tend to be self-important, almost bordering on narcissistic. They aren't aware of just how annoying this can be.

Though it seems like Edel genuinely thinks they're better than others, it's more of a bluff than anything else; they often feel like they don't fit into their Clan and as a result they try to hyper-assimilate. They pretend to be self-assured but they rely heavily on the approval of others. The things they've been through get to them a lot more than they'd like to admit, and there's a desperate need to prove themself. If someone dislikes them they take it very personally and can come off pretty sensitive.

Edelweiss has a particular grudge against BarkClan, though for different reasons than most, reasons they're not keen to talk about. Despite their previous MarrowClan allegiance, they don't show any softness towards them either, and are not above picking fights across the border. They tend to keep their paws to themself, at least, and their prodding doesn't always go past verbal taunts.

When it does go past verbal taunts, however... they have a ferocity in battle that can be, at times, unsettling.

Though they maintain a large network of friends and acquaintances, Edelweiss is rather closed-off internally, coming off as quite mysterious. No one knows where they came from or anything about their life before they joined the Clans, and they keep everything from their history to their emotions under lock and key. If they even told another cat anything, it might have been a lie to begin with, and there's no way to verify one way or the other.

HISTORY .

Edelweiss was born in the mountains bordering BarkClan territory, to a former BarkClan warrior with a complex past. Poppyshine, full sister to the leader of BarkClan, was expelled from her Clan after it was discovered that she had a relationship with a MarrowClan warrior; disgusted to have her family name sullied, Plumstar exiled her and a damnatio memoriae of sorts fell upon her name. No one could speak of her without facing the leader's coldness, and after a while nobody risked it anymore. By the time Edelweiss was born, Poppyshine was long forgotten by her Clan... those who remembered knew better than to speak her name.

Before they were born their parents broke off their relationship: their sire found their position in MarrowClan under threat once their own Clan became aware of the treachery: after many seasons of sneaking, it was only a matter of time. They ended things amicably, putting each others' safety first. This is all they know about the matter; Edelweiss can't remember their other parent at all, and Poppyshine never spoke their name: not out of hatred, but pain at the very thought of them. The very idea that Edelweiss's father is the same MarrowClan cat is purely based on conjecture, their own conclusion.

As a result of Poppyshine's experiences, she raised her child to fear and distrust BarkClan. It wasn't a malicious effort, more an attempt to protect them from Plumstar; still, Poppyshine never had a chance to head off what would turn into a long-standing grudge against the entire Clan, for she died when Edelweiss was only 6 moons old. Left astray, Edelweiss spent the next moon or so wandering by themself, attempting to make a sustainable life on their own.

But they were far too young, and when leafbare came their desperation forced them to seek out the Clans. They could never risk going to BarkClan, but they tried for MarrowClan instead, speaking little of their parentage out of fear that they'd be refused. Scorpionstar permitted them to join MarrowClan and gave them a mentor, though they requested to keep their name, both as an apprentice and as a warrior. It was all they had left of their mother and they weren't keen on changing it.

Edelweiss set their focus on assimilating into MarrowClan as best as they could, throwing themself into the war with gusto and avoiding Gatherings as best they could. They aren't the most impressive of warriors but their dedication was clear from the start, almost too dedicated but nonetheless. They earned their warriorhood with a performance that was mainly admirable for the effort they put into it, rather than any amazing feat, though they did show skill in fishing and take well to the water.

Edelweiss's life remained largely uneventful — by warring Clan standards at least, they had their fair share of scrapes and close calls — until recently, as the cosmic forces shifted in the Clans. The night of the shattered sky clearly rattled them, seeing cats that they didn't expect to ever see again, considering they were previously unsure of their belief in StarClan. They're still trying to make sense of this paradigm shift— and the way the politics of the Clans are thrown off as a result. A little terrified by what they witnessed, they proceeded to swing hard in the opposite direction, suddenly deeply invested in the new pantheon that was born in the wake of Astron's death; the only easy relief came in knowing that Plumstar was shattered as well.

Their fascination quickly sharpened onto the Dark Forest gods, whose existence they consider a necessary part of nature and worthy of high respect. Vis in particular drew their interest, and it seemed that they drew his in turn. With his encouragement, Edelweiss's loyalties began to shift to the newly formed splinter group; they were drawn to the spirituality of the group, as well as the possible influence they could be afforded should they ingratiate themself there. They backed now-Seraphimstar in his effort to form ZenithClan, seeing the gods' approval for the choice, and have now discarded all forged loyalty to MarrowClan. After serving as a foundational member of the initial splinter group, Edelweiss successfully sought out the oracle position.