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aesop: greek author of fables

a mostly-blind dilute calico with iridescent yellow, orange and green eyes[break]

Traits

• +friendly
• +undemanding
• +wise
• =cautious
• =quiet
• =fabulist
• -hesitant
• -loquacious
• -shy

Personality

Aesop has two very distinct personalities: their day-to-day personality, and their storyteller personality.
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In day-to-day life, Aesop tends to be rather quiet and hesitant. As a young cat, they were rarely given the chance to develop long-term meaningful relationships with other cats, as their mother never allowed them to stay in one place for longer than a full cycle of a moon. Because of this, they are often scared to allow cats in and create a deep connection. They tend to take up little room, and struggle with an imposter syndrome of fearing that their Clanmates still might not take to them as a loner rather than a Clan-born cat. Yet, cats who are fortunate enough to get to know Aesop will always find a kind, friendly cat who will always make time for others. They absolutely love to listen, and make for a fantastic conversationalist.
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As a storyteller, Aesop is confident and passionate, and has the charisma of a leader. They have no problem drawing a crowd and making sure everyone hears their stories. While they adore telling stories to curious kits, they also tell stories of warning that are often best for apprentices, warriors, elders, and anyone else who wishes to hear them. Aesop tells the stories of many of the cats that they met in their early life, as well as the stories of the heroes and fools who they worshiped and criticized. They become an entirely different personality, one who is adored, rather than one who prefers to quietly sit around in the dark. Yet, without Aesop's quiet side, they would not be able to also thrive as a proud fabulist.

Description

A little more raggedy with age, Aesop has short to medium length fur which seems to be riddled with mats, though they never seem to mind. Their fur has a dilute colour, primary a dark grey with patches of orange along their entire body with a creamy white patch on their chest. Aesop's eyes are what tend to attract the most attention though. At a younger age, they were once simply a yellow-green colour, but as they've grown older and their eyesight has begun to fail them, flecks of orange have shown up and the yellow and green have become more separated. To some, their eyes seem almost haunted, but to most, they act as a kaleidoscope to their storied history and life. Aesop would likely describe their own eyes (though they cannot see them) as being a reflection of all the paths of all the cats they have crossed over the course of their life.
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Aesop has begun to slow down in their gait, but they still carry themselves with a joy in their step. Even if they don't always know who they're looking at, they are always blinking slowly in order to try and make others feel comfortable in their presence. In most occassions, they are often seen making themself almost small and unseen, but when given the opportunity to tell a story and truly be in their element, becomes large and confident, a booming voice that compels any to listen.

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history

Aesop was born to a loner by the name of Kassandra, who had her litter of one with a rogue by the name of Harvey. But the couple were hardly a couple whatsoever, and as such, she never found any reason to tell her child about their father. They were often inquisitive about their father as a kit, but Kassandra would frequently brush the questions off, though her voice was sometimes coated with fear, reassuring the kit that there was no need for such information.
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Much of Aesop's early life was quite colourful. They and their mother were often on the move, and this meant that they would meet many different cats and even different creatures, though it was uncommon for them to ever cross paths with different species that could understand the way they spoke. And while Aesop was sometimes gifted different names when they crossed the paths of groups that had specific naming conventions, their mother still called them Aesop.
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But it was rare for them to stay in the same place for very long, which was ultimately also somewhat difficult for Aesop as a younger cat. It seemed as though they never stayed anywhere longer than a full cycle of the moon, and as such, they struggled to make meaningful relationships. After enough times coming and going, Aesop would even begin to cry to their mother, begging to finally stay in one place. They would make friends who they would have to leave behind, but their mother insisted that they had to keep moving. It was clear to even the younger cat that their mother was afraid of something - or someone. They didn't want to push their mother's paranoia, but they also knew that if they even spoke about the idea of staying behind while their mother moved on, it would get even worse. And so, they left more groups of cats, and they moved on.
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During the second colour-changing season in Aesop's life, they and their mother were staying with a colony of cats, Aesop fell in love with a tom by the name of Hearth. A cycle of the moon had passed, and Aesop began to become suspicious that they were pregnant. Before they could tell their mother the news, she told them that it was time for them to leave as her paranoia was beginning to creep up with her once more. Aesop kept trying to get through to their mother, who seemingly refused to listen, until they finally broke through and told her the news that they were expecting kits with Hearth. Though it was incredibly clear that Kassandra wanted to up and leave once more, she relented to stay behind.
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Unfortunately for Aesop, their mother was constantly restless, which not only caused stress for Kassandra, but Aesop. The stress caused Aesop to go into early labour, giving birth to two kits who were far too young to survive as the temperatures were dropping. Neither kit survived into the morning, though Aesop and Hearth still named the kits Jubilee and Prue, believing that their daughters at least deserved to see the afterlife with names.
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Not a quarter-moon after the kits' birth, while Aesop was still recovering from the grief of their kits' lives and pre-mature deaths, Kassandra began to insist that they had to leave. She manipulated her kit by making them believe that staying in a place where they could do nothing but think about their dead kits would not be good for them, and so, without the strength to fight back, Aesop relented and followed.
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Soon after they left, Aesop often found their mother speaking to herself late at night, whispering stuff out of fear, that they hadn't left soon enough and that staying behind in the colony was a terrible idea. Simply used to Kassandra's ramblings at this point, Aesop simply tried to push the ramblings aside, but soon found out that her whispers for their entire life hadn't just been unjusitified paranoia. They were stopped by a couple of rogues, Alias and Rosalind, who immediately surrounded the terrified mother-child duo. Before long, a third rogue approached, and called himself Harvey. A fight broke out, and Kassandra was the primary target, overpowered by the rogues who kept throwing Aesop off in order to murder the loner. She was very quickly killed in what Aesop could only presume was a terrible, painful death.
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With that, the three rogues turned on Aesop, who knew they could not win the fight. So, they ran as fast as they could. Their chase landed them among more cats, who saw the rogues chasing after the loner, who seemed so terrified, and promised to aid them. Three versus one soon became five versus three. A particularly admittedly handsome cream tom held down Harvey and ended the rogue's life before Aesop ever had the chance to realize that the rogue was their father. With the death of Harvey, Alias and Rosalind ran, chased off by the patrol of Clan cats.
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The cats insisted on bringing Aesop back to their Clan and to a cat by the name of Raccoonstar, who would decide their fate. It was clear they were terrified and in shock about everything that had happened, and before they even had the chance to meet this supposed Raccoonstar, Aesop was brought to a cat by the name of Blueberrybirch and cared for. When they finally began to act themselves, they asked Raccoonstar if they could stay for awhile longer, and perhaps aid the Clan. They understood that they would be on a probation of sorts - something that Aesop was certainly familiar with having moved between many various groups of cats, though when Raccoonstar offered the loner a Clan name, they turned it down. Though Aesop's relationship with Kassandra had been rocky at times, their name was something that they'd had through everything, and was an important part of their identity.
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It took Aesop some time to adapt to GaleClan's life. With a life of constantly moving around, they had a difficult time letting cats in at first, with some deep-seeded fear about their mother turning up alive and telling them that it was time to get up and leave. They had dreams constantly of their mother arriving for this exact thing, and it held them back in some regards.
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The one cat who Aesop was able to talk to was the cream-coloured tom who had been leading the patrol who found Aesop. Rushstripe became Aesop's first friend, and quickly introduced them to his mate, a sweet blue she-cat by the name of Asterface. They were both incredibly kind and gentle with Aesop, and always stood up for them when some Clan cats worried about the loner's disposition and reluctance. Before long, Aesop found themselves falling for the pair, and when they admitted their feelings, they welcomed them into their love, becoming a polycule.
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When the topic of kits came up, it was clear how hesitant Aesop was, scared of their previous pregnancy and not too keen on trying to have kits again. With more than enough understanding, Rushstripe and Asterface asked how Aesop would feel about the two of them having a litter, knowing that Aesop would still absolutely be an equal parent. While they were nervous, it was a much more agreeable future to them. Soon enough, Asterface would have just one kit: a she-kit they named Juniperkit. The kit was doted on by all three parents, happy and healthy and loved more than any kit possibly could be.
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With Juniperkit's birth, Aesop slowly began to grow a little better into Clan life. They'd now been around for long enough to watch newly born kits gain their warrior name, cats who had never known Aesop as anyone other than a warrior of GaleClan. They had been around for long enough to watch their daughter grow from a kit, to an apprentice, and to a self-sufficient warrior by the name of Juniperfur. Some of those very cats who grew up always knowing Aesop would ask them about the cats they met along the way before they joined GaleClan, and it was in these questions that Aesop soon began to find their true passion: telling stories.
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Yet, just as Aesop was growing into a more confident cat in this new role as a storyteller, the brave and sometimes overconfident and impulsive Rushstripe was killed during a border skirmish, leaving Aesop and Asterface with only each other for company. Soon enough, the following leaf-bare, Asterface would get whitecough, which would turn to greencough, and take her away to StarClan.
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For some time, Aesop became reclusive once again, feeling alone. But support from the Clan, including the young cats who had always seen them as a member of GaleClan, as well as the cats who knew the Clan before the loner's joining, helped them grow once more with the Clan. Requests for stories help them find confidence once again, excited to talk about various tales and fables not just of cats who they met in their life, but of the cats that those groups worshipped, helped them grow into a more optimistic cat.
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While on a hunting patrol led by a much younger cat, Aesop had been positive that they'd caught prey, only to realize that they'd simply captured a leaf. With this realization that perhaps their sight was beginning to fail them, they approached the newly appointed Basilstar, a cat who Aesop had watched grow up, and asked to move into the elder's den, where they now find themselves spending less time hunting leaves, and more time telling stories.[break]

Family

[ family tree ][break]
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Kassandra - Mother (Deceased)[break]
Harvey - Father (Deceased)[break]
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Hearth - Mate (Status Unknown)[break]
Jubilee - Daughter (Deceased)[break]
Prue - Daughter (Deceased)[break]
Asterface - Mate (Deceased)[break]
Rushstripe - Mate (Deceased)[break]
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Juniperfur - Daughter[break]
Burdockfang - Grandson (desolate)[break]
Patchflower - Granddaughter (riley)[break]
Pollenpaw - Granddaughter (silver)[break]
Silverkit - Grandson (Deceased)[break]
Palekit - Grandson (Deceased)

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