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goat: a hardy domesticated ruminant animal that has backwards curving horns

a large, long-furred brown, black and white tabby tom with yellow eyes[break]

Traits

• +intelligent
• +observant
• +compassionate
• =intuitive
• =emotional
• =focused
• -compulsive
• -careless
• -vindictive

Personality

Goatstripe has always been a rather perceptive cat, noticing things even since he was a kit. His observation skills, along with his intellect, often means that very little manages to get past him when he's focused in on the world around him. With his skills, it often makes him quite compassionate to those who he feels needs his help, which can come across as a bit of a hero complex, but he certainly doesn't think of it that way. He simply wants to help those who perhaps cannot help themselves, and his intentions are good.
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That being said, while he can be focused, sometimes his focus can become tunnel-visioned. His compassion can often escalate to being overly emotional, and even vindictive and compulsive. His emotions have been known to focus in on one individual who he feels is wrong for this world, and he will not stop until he feels that others are safe from them, piling on to his saviour complex. Naturally, he does not see himself as a saviour, and can be rather humble and put himself in the background when it comes to it.
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Perhaps in a different world, Goatstripe would have grown up to simply be a kind cat. He would not be emotional, careless and vindictive, setting himself out to get revenge on those who he feels have wronged himself or others. But that is not where his story has led him.

Description

Despite being the runt of his litter, Goatstripe is still much larger than the average cat thanks to the genes of his family. Still, the pressure over the fact that he was seen as "small" by his family members often means that he carries himself to seem even larger than he already is.
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Goatstripe has long, brown and black tabby fur. As his name suggests, the stripes along his fur stand out even amongst his long fur. On his chin, chest and paws he carries contrasting white patches. His eyes are a rather dulcet shade of yellow. His large ears end with small tufts of brown fur, and his fur often seems rather shaggy, no matter how much he tries to keep his fur clean and smooth.

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history

Marigoldbreath and Bullwasp's litter were not born with the usual fanfare and celebration that came with the birth of most kits. All three were strong and healthy, but that was not the problem when it came to Goatkit and his littermates, Ramkit and Sheepkit. Even from a rather young age, Goatkit could tell that his litter's birth was not from love and a desire to expand a family, but from what was likely seen as a necessity. Unfortunately for the runt, he would not be seen as part of this plan.[break]
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The kits were somewhat sheltered in their kithood. They were not to leave the nursery unless under extremely strict supervision, and they met with very few cats outside of their parents, the medicine cat, and any other queens or kits in the nursery at the time of their early life. Other than that, their kithood was as normal as it could be under such odd circumstances. It would turn out to be the most normal part of their lives as they began to grow.[break]
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As an apprentice, Goatpaw was assigned to a warrior by the name of Maplenose. Unfortunately for Goatpaw, Maplenose was often distracted during their training sessions, having recently become lovestruck and obsessed with their new mate, as well as their moving into the nursery. This meant that when Goatpaw was suddenly being pulled aside for extra training sessions, Maplenose was none the wiser. They had no inkling of Goatpaw being pulled aside by his grandfather, Bisonstorm, alongside Rampaw and Sheep-paw for extra work. It did not take long for Goatpaw to realize that this was exactly why Bullwasp and Marigoldbreath had worked so hard to keep the kits isolated from the rest of the Clan when he saw the way Bisonstorm often looked at the apprentices - or rather, the way that he did not look at Goatpaw and the way he looked at Rampaw and Sheep-paw individually.[break]
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Goatpaw was clearly not the favoured of the apprentices. Instead, he felt rather ignored when he watched Bisonstorm focus on Rampaw, and when Bullwasp even pulled aside Rampaw for extra conversations after each of these training sessions.[break]
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At first, the training sessions were managable. They were often more about the kind of cats that Bisonstorm expected the three of them to grow up to be. They were about strength and being the best pure-blood cats that OrchidClan could be given, though it was clear that these words were not often directed towards Goatpaw.[break]
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When Bullwasp was no longer attending the training sessions, instead spending time with his own apprentice, the sessions became harsher. When they became individual, and Goatpaw was working one-on-one with Bisonstorm, they often became brutal. Not only being the runt of the litter, but still being only an apprentice, it did not take much for Bisonstorm to very often overwhelm Goatpaw and pin him, using claws and physical discipline when he did not meet his grandfather's expectations. It seemed to Goatpaw that no one cared to notice. His father was too busy working with his own apprentice, and even Goatpaw's own mentor, Maplenose, was now hyperfocused on their new kits to realize that the scars the apprentice was gaining were not from their personal training sessions, but from secret ones on the side. When Goatpaw returned to the camp bleeding, and Bisonstorm returned to the camp seemingly squeaky clean, no one blinked an eye.[break]
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But Goatpaw saw what was happening. As the moons passed, he could see the way that Bisonstorm looked at the smallest of the three. He saw him as a burden, and a shame on his bloodline. Goatpaw could feel the tom's eyes tearing into him even in his nightmares, and feared what the senior warrior wanted most of all. He feared that deep down, that if Goatpaw did not meet his expectations, he would rather see his own grandson dead than a failure.[break]
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Despite the difficult apprenticehood, Goatpaw earned his warrior name: Goatstripe. Meanwhile, he watched as his own brother was given the warrior name Ramhorn. A name to highlight his strength and courage in comparison to Goatstripe's name highlighting his fur pattern. But that was not what Goatstripe was most worried about, and he never harboured any ill will towards Ramhorn in particular for the fact that he was simply the largest of the three siblings. So, Goatstripe pulled his brother aside and told him of his newest fear, no longer worrying about the state of his own life, and instead mentioning his worry that Bisonstorm was going to force Sheepcloud into a relationship to have kits that perhaps were not in her near desires. While Goatstripe had no doubt that Sheepcloud would one day make a fine queen if that was what she so wished, he did not want to see his sister be forced into motherhood with someone she did not love the same way their parents did not love one another.[break]
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Admist these conversations, though, Goatstripe could wait no longer. He could not hold back from his fear that Bisonstorm likely wanted his grandson dead so he would not prove a failure to the family, and he did not want to wait too long before he forced Sheepcloud into some unloving relationship. So, he confronted Bisonstorm at the crags about everything. About how he would wash his paws with rotting berries after their training sessions so no one knew how he brutalized Goatstripe. The way he likely forced Bullwasp and Marigoldbreath together just so his own bloodline could prosper. The way he wanted to do the same to Sheepcloud. Unfortunately for Goatstripe, it did not take much for Bisonstorm to overpower the young warrior and send him over the edge. Goatstripe watched his grandfather at the top as his body fell, closing his eyes and waiting for StarClan to greet him.[break]
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Yet, that was not what happened next.[break]
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Instead, young Goatstripe awoke in a great deal of pain, unaware of where he had washed ashore. In fact, he was not on the shore whatsoever, and had been dragged into the den of a strange and handsome black tom by the name of Jasper. The loner told him that he had found him floating in the water and dragged him back, and had not been breathing at first but worked to get him alive again. Once he started coughing up water, he pulled Goatstripe back to his den to help him warm up.[break]
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After a few nights, Goatstripe was back on his feet once more, and was prepared to make his way home. Jasper asked if he could join his journey, saying that he already began to feel a kinship with Goatstripe and wanted to stay with him. A little flustered, Goatstripe all-too-readily agreed.[break]
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With each passing night, Goatstripe found himself sleeping closer and closer to Jasper, curling up with one another for warmth even when the nights weren't so cold. Jasper was caring and constantly making sure that Goatstripe did not push himself. At the same time, Goatstripe found himself still having nightmares about his grandfather and seeing the image of him watching his own grandson fall to his presumed death. He still found himself deeply preoccupied in thinking about what he was going to do when he finally saw his grandfather, and how he would take his life the same way that he stole the lives of his own kin and tried to kill Goatstripe. He found himself fearful that when he finally returned to OrchidClan, he would find that Sheepcloud was in the nursery when she was not ready to do that. He worried about what state he would find Ramhorn in.[break]
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As Goatstripe and Jasper journeyed on, getting closer to the place that Goatstripe called home and looking forward to perhaps introducing Jasper into his family, disaster struck. They were coming closer to the twoleg town outside Goatstripe's home, but clearly passed the den of the wrong twoleg, who sent out their dog after the two cats. As they were running, a loud noise rung through the air, and Goatstripe turned to find Jasper bleeding out of one of his hind legs, unable to move. He was still alive, and clearly in agony, and while Goatstripe desperately wanted to stay and help the tom, he screamed at him to run before the dog caught up. While he argued and even tried to help Jasper move, he was clearly in too much pain with every step. In the end, Goatstripe was forced to run and leave the tom behind, guilt heavily weighing on him as he thought about the fact that Jasper had helped Goatstripe escape death, but he could not do the same.[break]
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The next day, Goatstripe returned to the territory which he recognized, ready to face his grandfather and see an end to the story.[break]

Family

[ family tree ][break]
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Marigoldbreath - Mother (desolate)[break]
Bullwasp - Father (gemini)[break]
Ramhorn - Brother[break]
Sheepcloud - Sister (muffin)[break]
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Bisonstorm - Paternal Grandfather (haze)[break]
Curlflower - Paternal Grandmother

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