Difference between revisions of "Reynard"

:Reynard is a slim red tabby with short, soft fur. His thin, dark orange stripes run vertically down his sides and are very easy to see against the lighter ground color of his coat. Reynard's body is more slender than stocky. His eyes are round and copper-colored. Reynard's head is gently rounded and he has a straight nose. His legs are of medium length and his paws are round.

:Reynard is a charismatic, slightly eccentric cat. He gets along fine on his own and does not seek constant attention from others. He openly enjoys the company of either gender though, and company in general so long as it's made of the right sort. He understands the value of numbers when it comes to protection and such, so he is not adverse to having allies. Reynard is very fond of making up stories, and he can be a little flamboyant at times. He is not a very messy cat and he greatly cares for his appearance. When he can, Reynard takes time out of his day to have a nice grooming session.

Overall, Reynard is not very impulsive and he's rarely aggressive. He knows the value of patience and he prefers to develop a plan of some sort beforehand rather than rush right into something. Heavily influenced by a collection of stories his mother told him, Reynard considers himself a trickster. He learned at an early age to rely on his wits more than his combat skills, and Reynard prides himself most on his ability to manipulate others. He will always try to talk himself out of a situation before he has to come to blows, and Reynard relies heavily on trickery and deceit.

Reynard also has a habit of taking and collecting things, even if they don't belong to him. He considers himself to be somewhat like a magpie. He has a great fondness for shiny things, but he'll take anything from feathers to Twoleg objects so long as he thinks he can get away with it. Reynard considers his impulse to steal minor and manageable, and it is not uncommon for him to take something and then do nothing with it, merely leaving it in some spot of his nest.

Reynard was not taught to fear Twolegs, merely to be cautious of them if he had to and to know how to use them for his own gain. He learned the art of begging from his mother and Reynard is not above accepting food from Twolegs. If he can, he will beg for their food, as it makes for an easy meal and he spends less energy getting it than he would hunting. Reynard is not comfortable with the idea of being a housecat, however. He prefers being outside and free to go where he likes, though he respects that housecats are not as fond of freedom. Reynard also admires the collars that they wear and he is always tempted to nick them from around the cats' necks.

:In some makeshift shelter, a pair of kittens were born to the she-cat Tiffany and her mate Russell. Russell, who had stolen Tiffany's heart moons earlier and convinced her to leave her life as a housecat to be with him, accepted the honor of naming one of the kits. Russell chose to name his daughter and he called her Robin, leaving Tiffany to select the name of their son. The former housecat decided to name her little kitten Reynard, after a character from a collection of stories her old owners had told to their young kit.

Though Russell took little part in raising his children, he did not abandon his family. When Robin and Reynard were a little over one moon old, Russell decided that it was time for he and Tiffany to resume their nomadic lifestyle. They did so and the kittens came with them. Russell took a slightly more active role when it came time for Reynard and Robin to learn to defend themselves, but for the most part, Tiffany taught the kittens their main survival skills, like how to hunt and how to find shelter.

Tiffany also told Reynard and Robin about Twolegs, teaching them that, despite what their father might say, it was not completly necessary to avoid the loud creatures. Tiffany explained how some Twolegs were kind and would feed them if they knew how to beg. There were many cats, Reynard remembered her saying, who spent their entire lives with Twolegs, being fed and pampered daily, and never set paw outside of their homes.

The idea of being housecats did not appeal to Reynard or his sister, who thought that although being close to Twolegs could be useful for food and shelter, having to live side by side with them for their entire lives was too much. Russell was happy that his children preferred being free to roam the wilderness, but Russell did worry that Tiffany's ramblings about housecats were a sign that she was unhappy living with him in the wild. Tiffany denied that accusation, though her ramblings about housecat life hardly ceased, because she felt that it was important for Reynard and Robin to respect housecats even if they didn't agree with their lifestyle.

To help this ideal sink in, Tiffany recited to her young kits the tales of Reynard the Fox, the character for which her son was named, and tales of another trickster named Robin Hood. The stories appealed very greatly to Tiffany's son and had a profound effect on him. From the time he'd first heard the stories, Reynard wanted to be Robin Hood. He wanted to be a clever hero who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, fighting the injustices of society. But he also wanted to be like Reynard the Fox, to be a crafty rogue who could talk his way out of any problems. It would be an interesting path to walk indeed, Reynard thought.

Under that influence, Reynard grew to be a trouble-maker and loved getting into mischief when it was safe enough. While he never did anything daring like wander off on his own in unfamiliar territory, Reynard honed his talking skills. He constantly used wit and trickery to overcome his sister when they disagreed. His parents greatly approved of his cunning, though Tiffany was not very fond of the selfishness that Reynard displayed. Russell, however, encouraged it, since a lone cat would need to be focused on himself. With the mixed reinforcement of parents, Reynard did not become completely self-centered, but he also didn't become completely selfless.

Reynard's ambitions, however, were put on hold when he was six-moons-old. His mother and father decided that he and his sister were old enough to fend for themselves. One morning, Tiffany and Russell sent Reynard and Robin out on a hunting trip and when the two got back, their parents coolly bid them farewell and left without a second glance. Tiffany and Russell hardly felt guilty for abandoning their kittens so suddenly, since they thought Reynard and Robin were taught quite well enough to get along on their own.

Reynard eventually accepted his fate, but Robin was not as submissive. Reynard's sister wanted to follow after their parents, but Reynard did not. Reynard was happy that he, not his parents, controlled of his life. He tried to convince Robin to embrace her freedom, but for once, she refused to listen. And so, Reynard was left behind, while Robin went on to track their mother and father. Reynard accepted that as well, after imagining his sister catching up to Tiffany and Russell and continuing her life with them. As for Reynard, he has spent much of his time wandering about, taking care of where he steps and relying greatly on Twolegs and their territories for protection and often food.

On the twenty-third of the Moon of Running Prey (2007), Reynard was reunited with his sister in the barn at the northern edge of the forest. At Robin's suggestion, the two named the barn the Castle of Maupertuis, after the castle of the same name from the tales of Reynard the Fox. On the twelfth day of the Moon of Cheetah's Flight (2007), Reynard met Blackstar of WindClan and learned about the five Clans. Reynard introduced himself as Sparrow to the leader and introduced Robin as Mockingbird.

Robin (A slim torbie she-cat with yellow-green eyes)