tinytitan

Tinytitan is as volatile as the sea, one can never be sure what brews and bubbles beneath the surface of that placid, if grim, expression. They can change just as quickly as the currents, roiling and swirling with feelings so tempestuous and angry to completely still and calm. They are prickly, for certain, a loner who darkens the entrances of dens, a shadow that passes over camp as sarcastically as a shadow can do that. They are equally as relentless as the tides; Once their mind is made up on a course of action, it’s hard to sway them from said course. Stubbornness runs in their family, after all. Luckily, he is saved by the fact that he is a rather rational cat when he’s left to his own devices, but he does still struggle with his impulsiveness. Sarcastic and prone to a rather nihilistic view of the world, Tinytitan has a smart mouth. He can be funny when he wants to be, but he will also be brutally honest with cats who he engages with. He does try not to start too many arguments. Mostly. However, beneath the barriers of thorns and raging dark waters, there hides a heart so fragile and fractured. Tiny is, at his core, a cat who has suffered many losses, to the point where he’s begun to believe himself- and to a lesser extent, his family- cursed. Death is something that walks closely with him, with those he has been close with in the past. It’s his greatest fear- to die, but to die alone. His heart is softer than it’s shell, and he is known to fall in love easily, quickly, and just as quickly fall out of it once The Fear sets in. How can one sleep easy when every night could be the dusk before tragedy? It makes it hard for Tiny to commit fully to any one cat and only makes him all the more envious of those who have found such a gift as a love true and kind. The only exceptions are his daughters, both living and dead. They have always been his biggest joy and deepest sorrow, as any parent could understand. He is as contradictory as one could be. Tiny is at war with himself, inside and out. He would love for everyone to look at him the way he acts- with mixed feelings, but deep down, he does yearn for love. For warmth. For safety. He wishes for a better tomorrow for his kit, for his new home. He only hopes he doesn’t spell ruin upon the shrouded future that ZenithClan has only just begun to uncover.

HISTORY .

Born the runt of a large litter, Tinykit had always had a lot of growing to do. Where they lacked size (at first) they were always the loudest, the most curious- a fighter. They were always right under your foot and NO they did NOT care if they tripped you! They were always trying to make up for their projected “weakness” when stacked up next to their siblings. As the smallest, it had been hard not to take all the “Be careful!”’s personally. They could make their own ways just fine, actually! Perhaps it was due to their lack of size that they noticed the empty space among their siblings- one short so soon after entering the world. It always made them uncomfortable to think about, but they wouldn’t understand why until they became an apprentice. The independence from their parents and siblings was freeing! Tinypaw finally had the agency to break away a little from the gaggle of siblings- as much as they loved to kick their tails with sparring. It was equally as nice to get some one on one attention from someone else! They liked being trusted with responsibility and tasks- even if they were just tiny things. It was something new they could try to be the best at! But when Fullpaw was killed- when the fox attacked them and their siblings- it was jarring. It was…. Earth shattering. That hollow feeling returned in force- empty, guilt and grief was hard to fight off- harder than it had been fighting off the fox. Harder still that he felt he could have done something to save Fullpaw had Bigoaw only just LISTENED! they wouldn’t have wasted precious time bickering over their bloodied siblings. He had not left Middlepaw’s side once they were back to camp. It was the beginning of a terribly vicious cycle. It was the first crack in that heart. Tinypaw distanced himself from Bigpaw following the incident, but it hurt him everyday he did it. He was torn. They didn’t know what to do with their feelings- other than throwing themselves into training, into work, into anything else. He hated seeing his parents grin and bear it. He hated seeing how his family hid from each other like that. It stuck with him. When Tinytitan gained his warrior name, he was glad for it. He had made it, but with only two of his siblings by his side. It was bittersweet. Guilt ate at him that night. Why us? he would think, what had made them so lucky to make it this far? With warriorship came more freedom, more responsibility, more work. It was good, for a time, with Tinytitan becoming quite the heartbreaker around BarkClan. He was as a bee- flitting from flower to flower, until he came to rest with Bergamotheart for a more pronounced amount of time. He was never too far from him, bringing him fresh kill and sharing tongues. He had it BAD. And when Hyssopkit came into the world, soon followed by Milkweedkit, he was equal parts terrified and proud. Had this been how his parents felt when they had been born? So full of love for the little scrap of fur nestled to their belly, so full of fear for what cruelties life could craft? Once more, tragedy would strike- with wars to be waged and disasters raining down upon them, Tinytitan would not only lose his parents to the growing turmoil, but Hyssoppaw as well. In the end- the guilt he felt over the death of their Kit, that once more his family’s curse had come to collect. The truest hurt was how Bergamotheart reacted to the death of their eldest kit. He was accepting of the fate she had been dealt, only sad she hadn’t survived her warrior ceremony, not so Tinytitan. He felt rage. He felt venom and vengeance. He blamed BarkClan and its sordid traditions for the loss of his little bud. He couldn’t understand how his mate could just…… take it with stride. He broke it off, he grew cold, instead turning his attention to the tiny, distraught daughter he had curled against his flank. She sobbed, she wailed, she begged him not to make her become an apprentice. It tore Tiny to shreds to see her in such a state. The pair of them were hopelessly lost in their grief. Bergamotheart didn’t share this sentiment, trying to distract Milkweedkit from the horrible tragedy she was weathering. It always earned him a hiss and venom from Tinytitan. They often had standoffs in camp as their relationship sputtered out. Tinytitan would be the one to end it, committing to trying to find a better place to raise their kit- ZenithClan would offer such a place. He asked Milkweedkit what she wanted… whatever her decision, he would make it happen. She voted for Zenith. As the pair slipped from camp, joined by the rest of their family, they found themselves followed by Bergamotheart. He would grab hold of Tinytitan and try to drag the much larger cat back to their “home”. He begged and pressured Milkweedkit to stay…. But it was no use. Tinytitan had made up their mind and they’d not turn their back on their kit. He would tell Bergamotheart to go back to BarkClan and turn away from the cat he once loved more than anything. That’s when it would turn violent- Bergamotheart leaping for Tinytitan’s back and grabbing hold of his face- clawing it as he clung to the much larger warrior. Tinytitan would manage to pin the weaker cat to the grass, face bloody, before leaving Bergamotheart with a similar parting gift. The fear and shock in Milkweedkit’s eyes was enough for him to leave the BarkClanner to his own devices, but not before telling him ”You make me sick. You’re not the cat I thought you were.” and slipping away towards the uncertain, but hopeful future. He kept his daughter close to his side. In joining ZenithClan, he found a change, he found a face to embrace- Vis, the one who seemed so keen to follow those with his bloodline to their ends. Why not embrace it? Why not keep your family close, but your enemy closer?