shrinechaser

PERSONALITY .

An eccentric and curious cat, Shrinechaser could be compared to a deer: gentle, graceful, but easy to scare. He can come off as quite shy, as he often seems to be off in his own thoughts and can be a bit jumpy. He also tends to cry or tear up quickly, whether it be happy crying or not. However, he can be quite clingy once he befriends another cat, and he tends to get jealous quite easily, especially when it comes to his siblings; this generally leads to stubborn avoidance on his part. He also will confront a cat if necessary, but it is not preferred for him. He is far from leaderly, but is willing to interject his opinion when it seems necessary or is asked for.

Shrinechaser’s curiosity can sometimes make him come off as potentially nosey, or annoying when he decides to ask as many questions as he can. He has an interest in things that some cats would consider taboo. He is interested in knowledge of the afterlife, even if it means venturing into topics of the Dark Forest, or looking into topics that would not benefit the Clans, such as the afterlifes of other animals. Even now, after the death of They Who Are No More, he sees the Dark Forest as something that should be studied thoroughly, even despite the danger. Shrinechaser also has extreme interest in the ideas other Clans had to offer; he would be willing to lend a listening ear and even use some ideas from the other Clans if they would give him the time, even now, after leaving BarkClan.

He especially enjoys learning how to grow and tend to plants, and observing insects, mainly butterflies and moths. Shrinechaser spends time learning migration patterns and behaviours of animals other than cats. He has a low regard for borders, seeing them as unnecessary boundaries between cats, and will cross them if he can think of a good enough excuse to, or thinks he will not get caught; he, however, will not take anything from the territory, as he just wants to observe the animals, or plants that do not grow on ZenithClan’s side of the border. True to his oaths as an oracle, he will always jump to help an injured cat that he sees, and will go the extra mile to teach them how to do it as well, so they will be more self-sufficient in the long run.

Even at such a young age, he is a talented oracle, even if he can be quite spacey and more interested in the spiritual aspects of his job. His views on StarClan and the Dark Forest align closely with his current Clan, but less so with his former. Sometimes it’s hard to find him when he’s needed, however, as he likes to wander, even when it is inappropriate; though he takes his job seriously, he still needs to spend time alone. He sometimes forgets his duties. He is a devout pacifist, and believes everything can be solved through negotiation, though he does not always challenge his leader, should the battles not be seen as vicious and completely unnecessary.

Shrinechaser feels a strong need to live up to his mother’s old reputation as a respected head oracle, even if the pressure weighs down on him – and even if she disagrees with his choices now that she has stepped down from her role as oracle. He believes he can grow into his position entrusted to him by Seraphimstar.

HISTORY .

Shrinechaser was born premature alongside Gravewalker and Spiritwatcher to Cloudynight and Hawkgaze during an avalanche that hit BarkClan’s camp. He never knew his half-sibling, Moonbeam, who died during the event. He spent his first two moons in MarrowClan’s camp after the avalanche; most of his time in the beginning was spent in the nursery due to being fragile and premature, but he ventured out cautiously later. His two tails made him quite clumsy. After witnessing a fight between the two Clans in the camp, he shied away from all types of fighting, even play-fighting between his siblings (though he never had much interest in that regardless). He was especially close to his siblings as a kit, looking up to Spiritwatcher’s natural inclination of warriorhood and Gravewalker’s determination.

Though some cats in BarkClan consider him and his sibling to be cursed due to their appearances and Hawkgaze’s position as oracle, Shrinechaser tried to not pay them any mind. He spent most of his time trying to follow the insects around camp, with his siblings, or learning about herbs from his mother, while she was still an oracle. While excited to learn about new things, Shrinechaser was usually obedient to the rule of not wandering outside of camp, though he did stray away sometimes, but never too far.

After a rockslide hit BarkClan and killed Cloudynight when they were kits, Shrinechaser didn’t really know what to take of it all. While he took his mother’s death well on the surface, he felt sort of lost in the chaos of it all and deep down is not sure how to react to it; he just avoided the topic, especially considering Hawkgaze’s deterioration afterwards. Avoiding the topic was much easier than confronting it head on. His relationship and closeness to his siblings began to deteriorate afterwards, however. Even as his mother began to deteriorate emotionally, he wistfully tried to keep his distance – he did not know how to console her, and completely disagreed with her turning her back on StarClan.

Despite being afraid of hurting others, Shrinechaser still pursued becoming a warrior at first. He doesn’t want to be seen as lesser than his siblings, and with both of his mothers being warriors since Hawkgaze stepped down, he felt obligated to follow in their pawsteps. He ultimately ended up deciding to pursue the path of being an oracle, knowing he could never bring himself to hurt another cat, or even another animal. He was apprenticed to Dusktooth, his mother’s former apprentice. Part of him felt a guilt, however, that he was going down a path his mother warned against and had abandoned herself.

During his time as an oracle apprentice, things were especially chaotic in the spiritual realms. His spacey nature helped him, to some degree; the existential anxiety was still there, but it was somewhat easy to divorce himself from it all in his mind, trying to solve the prophecies and appearances like a puzzle. His naivete made it easy to see the world as a sort of game, one that would be saved even if it reached the edge of peril. During that time, he was always trying to put together what he knew of the Dark Forest and of StarClan, and from what he had been told from his mother, as though he could solve it all himself and present it to the other oracles. Some parts of it felt thrilling, being able to witness births and deaths of Gods, but it never truly felt entirely real.

It was a few moons after the Battle of the Stars that he stumbled upon small altars to the daemons along the border of BarkClan and MarrowClan, and wanted to learn more; he never came to a true opinion on them as his fellow oracles had done. He soon met Seraphimstar, then Seraphimflame, and began to discuss their views of the daemons. He ultimately realized he agreed with Seraphimstar, following his pawsteps in rejecting his fellow oracle’s interpretations of their positions in the stars. Once the battles between BarkClan and MarrowClan became more frequent and more violent, alongside a prophecy seeming to foreshadow a devastating war, Shrinechaser was frustrated by his leadership. He refused to complete the Trial of Malady, and thus Dusktooth refused to give him his full name. Rumours began to swirl, suggesting the forming a new Clan, after Seraphimflame was kicked out of MarrowClan; Shrinechaser felt unsure on how he felt about it at first, but after a fight with his mother, decided that a new Clan was what the prophecy the oracles had received truly meant – not that a Clan would win a war and take over the territories, but that a new, perhaps better, Clan would split off and rise from the conflict.

Shrinechaser received his full name from Seraphimstar after the establishment of ZenithClan, getting the suffix -chaser as a testament to his curiosity and search for constant knowledge. While he may not agree with everything Seraphimstar has established for ZenithClan, Shrinechaser is extremely loyal to his new Clan. The religiousness of the Clan is a strong appeal to him, and the traditions he had a hand in creating makes it truly feel like home. He is determined to stay true to his mother’s old reputation and lead ZenithClan’s oracles well.