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Often described as being what a warrior should look like, Pineclaw has always taken great care in his appearance. For a cat that often gets wet, Pineclaw spends a lot of time grooming himself, but this is somehow not the vanity he shames others for. The spitting image of his late mother Sandlily, Pineclaw is a golden ginger tabby tom. He has rich orange stripes that stand out against the pale ginger and white fur. The white extends from the top of Pineclaw's throat, to his belly, his feet and even his tail tip. Pineclaw has wideset and soft amber eyes.
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For a ShoreClan cat, Pineclaw has always been on the larger side. It is what gives him an edge in battle, and though it makes him a slower swimmer and runner, Pineclaw more than makes up for it in brute strength.
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allegiance description

a golden tabby tom with a white chest and paws.

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All Pineclaw has ever wanted to do was be a good warrior. To serve his clan and StarClan, and to one day die gloriously. It's all any seasoned warrior can hope to ask for. Pineclaw is an old head, and it shows. He holds on to tradition with a desperate, iron claw as he watches his clanmates and the rest of the forest fall into dishonor and degeneracy. Although Pineclaw is loyal to a fault, he does express empathy for others in a way that can only be read as patronizing.
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Pineclaw has a rather dim view of those outside of his clan, and even then, he often quietly judges his clanmates for not abiding as closely by the code, and by StarClan's will as he believes that they should. Pineclaw typically keeps these harsh comments close to the vest however, and many clancats are unaware of how he truly sees them. Since the death of his mate, his opinions of others have only become crueler and harsh.
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Pineclaw not only believes in StarClan, but has a rather dogmatic and black and gray view of them despite having never seen it. He was raised to believe wholeheartedly in StarClan, and Pineclaw does so with vigor.
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When he lost his mate, Pineclaw's personality notably dimmed. He became withdrawn and easily agitated. The veneer of the kind and loyal senior warrior who believes in StarClan in a normal amount began to slip.

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[attr="class","appbody"]When Pinekit and his siblings were born, they were lauded as "miracle kits" due to the conditions of their birth. The story starts off happy, with Lightningtail and Sandlily, two warriors of ShoreClan who were deeply in love. The couple was young and in love, but found their story cut short when Lightningtail died in a battle with GaleClan. Sandlily was devastated and briefly considered joining him in StarClan, as she felt as though she could not live without her mate.
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But then she discovered that she was pregnant. Sandlily became convinced that her pregnancy was a gift from StarClan, as their kits would be the last reminder of their father. Although Sandlily had been ambivalent towards StarClan at best prior to Lightningtail's death, she became a devoted believer when she realized she was pregnant. She in turn, would raise her kits to believe in StarClan just as wholeheartedly. Out of her three children, only Pinekit really seemed to buy what she was selling. It was often a point of contention in the small family unit, as Lionkit and Goldenkit were adamantly "not interested" in the StarClan zealotry their mother was spewing.
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Pinekit was the eldest of his siblings, and by far the largest and strongest. Although he was a physical clone of his mother, Pinekit seemed to take after his father. Commanding bordering on bossy, and opinionated. Sandlily was not discreet with her favoritism of her eldest son, and this caused some animosity between the siblings that never truly was resolved.
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His apprenticeship was the first instance in Pinepaw being humbled to any degree. While in the nursery, Pinekit had had free range to do whatever he pleased, and this combined with his mother treatment of him and his belief as a "miracle kit" gave him entitlement no one was quite sure why he had. Many of his elder clanmates, as well as his own mother, suspected that it was because Pinepaw lacked a strong male role model in his life, which was why he had been assigned to Beechpelt.
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Beechpelt was a senior warrior who frankly, did not have the time nor the patience for his apprentice's antics. He beat the entitlement (allegedly) out of Pinepaw with a force and quickness, forcing him to do all of the work that he felt was "beneath" him. While he was disgusted with his apprentice's behavior, Beechpelt also understood the circumstances. He truly took Pinepaw under his wing, and in the seasons to come, Pineclaw would speak of his old mentor with a sort of reverence that even his mother doesn't receive.
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The most notable part of Pinepaw's apprenticeship is when Lionpaw got sick. No one, including Waspdrop, knew what was causing his sickness. All they knew is that the young tom had a painful lump in his belly that would not subside, and Lionpaw soon perished from this mysterious illness. Sandlily interpreted her son's death as being a punishment for his his indifference to StarClan, and his destiny as a "miracle" kit. Goldenpaw was essentially left to grieve her brother on her own, as Sandlily made it clear to Pinepaw that Lionpaw's death was not one to be mourned.
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Though he still missed his brother, Pinepaw took his mother's word and held onto it with an iron claw. He had to, otherwise nothing made sense, and his mother's cruelty would be...Cruelty.
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When a border patrol turned into battle with OrchidClan, Pinepaw and his mentor Beechpelt happened to be present and partook in the fight. Pinepaw managed to wound an OrchidClan warrior, and noted for his bravery in battle, was given the name Pineclaw. Pineclaw was made a warrior almost an entire moon before Goldenpaw received her warrior name, and it only made the tension between the two remaining siblings worse.
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Much of Pinepaw's early days as a warrior were uneventful. Though he had earned his warrior name because of a skirmish with OrchidClan, the forest was relatively peaceful at this time. Pineclaw maintained a close relationship with his former mentor, who did his best to try and guide his former apprentice in the right direction. Beechpelt knew that Pineclaw had it in him to be a good warrior, but was concerned for his warped view of StarClan and his own destiny.
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As the seasons came and went, and Pineclaw had not one, but two separate apprentices, he began to feel as though he was ready to start his own family. He believed that it was part of his duty as a proper ShoreClan warrior to help the next generation continue on, and while he certainly had his options in mates, he felt no connection to anyone else in that way. That was of course, until he began helping the recently appointed deputy, Riverrock, with some of her mentoring duties. Having had several of his own at this point, Newtstar felt that Pineclaw would be more than able to help take over some of the duties to help mentor Riverrock's recently appointed apprentice, Drizzlepaw.
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Truth be told, Pineclaw and Riverrock had never really gotten along. They had grown up side by side, their mothers having once been friends prior to Lightningtail's death. Where Pineclaw was steadfast and traditional, Riverrock was quick on her feet and with her tongue. The two often butted heads, with Pineclaw taking issue in Riverrock's often unconventional approach and he in turn, being as stubborn as a badger. It was not long however, before the two began to grow close. Where he once would have scoffed at Riverrock's tactics, he soon came to appreciate her for the talented warrior and diplomat she was meant to become. In the smallest corner of his mind, he liked to fantasize about a future where he would see Riverstar of ShoreClan, with himself as her deputy. Proud to serve until it was his time to go to StarClan.
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So when Riverrock told him that she was pregnant, Pineclaw was almost disappointed. Due to her age, it very quickly became a concern that no one wanted to speak into existence. Riverrock insisted on retaining her position as long as she could, and got to stand alongside Pineclaw as they watched their apprentice Drizzlepaw receive her warrior name.
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From the moment the kitting began, Pineclaw had a sinking feeling in his belly. He knew the risks, and had been sending silent prayers to StarClan since he had found out about the pregnancy. He was excited to be a father, and to have a legacy that carried on into the next generation. But it was clear from the moment that Riverrock began to deliver that something was not right. There was too much blood, and one after the next, kits came out already dead. Pineclaw was horrified, and when he was sent out of the den when Riverrock began to bleed too much, he knew. He knew that his feeling had been right, and that StarClan had been trying to warn him.
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Pineclaw knew even before Bumbleflower and one of the queens came out of the den what had happened. His love and the future they were building together was gone in an instant.
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He didn't even stick around to hear that one of the kits had survived. Frankly, he didn't care. It was clear to him now, that StarClan had killed his family. Where many cats would forsake their faith with this belief, Pineclaw saw it differently. Having been raised from birth to believe he was special, he came to see this as a punishment for straying from his destiny. He is a warrior of StarClan, and he understood that now. All personal attachments were unnecessary and obviously something that StarClan felt were a distraction.
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The few friends Pineclaw had were dropped with an ease that concerned others. Pineclaw didn't just shut others out, he completely withdrew from the social aspect of clanlife. He kept to himself and kept his head down, including from his own daughter, Bluekit, who would be raised by another queen. However, Pineclaw does not consider Bluekit, now an apprentice, to be his daughter. In his eyes, Pineclaw has no kin left.