#cashewstep

"You're the tallest cat in the Clan, yet you hunch over and try to make yourself as small as a mouse. Straighten your back and hold your chin high, Cashewstep; You're better than that." - Apricotstar, leader of WindClan.

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It's the anxious boy again! I updated his design just a little bit and I love drawing him so much. The biggest challenge with drawing him are his ears, but I think I nailed them here. I'm going to be fleshing out his story and character more and him hunching over and making him as small as possible is something he's been doing since he was a kit, as he was taller than the others.

"I didn't want any of this to happen! The stars chose the wrong cat!" - Cashewpaw, medicine cat apprentice of WindClan.

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As a new apprentice, Cashewpaw faces the harsh opinions of his Clanmates and fellow apprentices. Though he's grown used to it due to it starting when he was a kit, it still hurts that his Clanmates don't trust him because of his background.

When his mentor has an omen about him saving or destroying the Clan, Cashewpaw is more ostracized than ever. He tries to tell his Clanmates that he'd never harm any cat and that he's a healer, but it falls on deaf ears.

During a particularly harsh leafbare when prey is scarce and then is tainted with sickness leading to the deaths of many of his Clanmates, Cashewpaw turns to his mentor for emotional support. But when his mentor lashes out at him, Cashewpaw hits his breaking point, crying that he didn't want this to happen and that StarClan chose the wrong cat.

"Please, just give me a sign..."

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Cashewpaw has seen a lot in their time as a healer-- or even as a small kitten freshly weaned from their mother's milk. They couldn't explain why they thrashed around, crying in pain and screaming about death, blood, and death to the Clans. It scared their Clanmates, causing whispers, rumors, and calls for Cashewpaw's exile entirely. But when the current healer listened to enough of Cashewpaw's 'nightmares', it was realized that their dreams weren't dreams at all-- they were visions and prophecies sent by their ancestors.

Taken in by the medicine cat when they were of-age, Cashewpaw was plagued with visions in the form of violent seizures that scared themselves, their Clanmates, and their family. Cashewpaw lived on-edge, constantly in a state of anxiety, fear, and dread for the next vision they'd receive. When their mentor noticed this, chamomile and lavender sprigs were put into their nest and woven into their fur to keep them calm and center themselves.

After a particularly devastating leafbare that massacred their Clan, Cashewpaw hadn't had a vision in many moons. When newleaf came and the threats around them were on the horizon, Cashewpaw makes a desperate plea to their ancestors.