- "And he let that happen. You let that happen."
- —Nettlewing
Nettlewing is a bulky, dense-furred dark gray tabby and white she-cat with golden eyes and dried nettle leaves in her fur.
Nettlewing is a Stemclan medic who has served under Rookstar's and Rainstar's leaderships. She was born an only kit to her mother Silksong and her father Smokeplume. At six moons old, she was apprenticed to her aunt Sageleaf due to her mother's and the medic's request. This was a controversial decision among her Clanmates and many believed this was nepotism, since Sageleaf had refused to take on an apprentice before. Her father Smokeplume left the clan shortly after. Moons later, during Sageleaf's absence, several cats in Stemclan became seriously ill from drinking poisoned water. Nettlepaw had to take charge as no other medic was present near camp at the time. Unfortunately, due to stress and not having been taught its' exact identification method, she mistook a poisonous plant for a similar-looking herb. As a result, several cats in the clan died, including Nettlepaw's own mother Silksong. This tragedy only worsened the Clan's opinion on Nettlepaw, some even believing this was a deliberate action. As a result, Nettlepaw became even more isolated in the Clan. Nettlepaw became a medic a moon early when Sageleaf went missing without a trace. She was named Nettlewing and honored for her patience.
History[]
The Scorched Earth[]
Coming soon...
Sageleaf's Regret[]
Coming soon...
Personality[]
Nettlewing is an impatient, snarky cat. She is blunt and doesn't care for false niceties, oftentimes being straight-up rude to cats who she dislikes, or even just ones who accidentally interrupt something she's doing. She is known to take her anger out on others. She is not very sociable and spends little time in the camp, mostly wandering the plains. Nettlewing holds a deep resentment for how she was treated as an apprentice. She strongly dislikes Rookstar, blaming them for not trying to stop the Clan's treatment of her. She is very dedicated to her job.
She is very paranoid about her position in the clan and her safety. As an apprentice, after accidentally poisoning multiple cats, her Clanmates grew distrustful of her. Multiple cats called for her exile or punishment. Nettlewing is fearful that the cats who lost their loved ones might one day decide to avenge their deaths. As a result of that, she is always on high alert when her Clanmates are near.
She is a very jealous cat - jealous of those who grew up in a normal environment, living their lives without experiencing abuse or fear that their Clanmates might turn on them, jealous of those who have kin or close friends in the Clan, jealous of Wildrose and the admiration she had gained in the short time she'd been living in the clan. She worries that, now that she isn't the only medic in Stemclan, she may be exiled and replaced by Wildrose.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Silksong:[]
Sageleaf:[]
- «She opened her mouth to speak, but froze as Silksong sent her a furious glare. Then slowly, she turned around, leaving her sister standing there, bristling and snarling at the sobbing apprentice. She knew there was no use arguing with her sister, not anymore.»
- —Sageleaf in Sageleaf's Regret
Sageleaf is Nettlewing's aunt and mentor. When she was a kit, her aunt was a distant, but friendly presence. As Silksong pushed Nettlekit to become a medic's apprentice, Sageleaf approved and promised to take her niece under her wing. As her mother became stricker and snapped more often, Sageleaf often tried chimming in to try and calm her sister down, but it had no effect other than making Silksong even more furious. Soon, she stopped trying to intervene.
Initially, Nettlepaw adored Sageleaf as the only positive influence in her life, especially as her mother got more and more cruel after Smokeplume left. When Silksong died and the Clan turned on her, Nettlepaw clung to Sageleaf even more. However, her mentor became very distant with time, only really speaking with Nettlepaw when quizzing her on herbs or asking her about the patients. Slowly but surely, the illusion of a perfect, loving aunt faded as Nettlepaw started to realise that Sageleaf never really protected her. She never yelled at or insulted her, true, but she barely tried to stop Silksong. She only adored Sageleaf so much, because she was kin and because she was really the better out of two bad options.
After Sageleaf disappeared, Nettlepaw was devastated and spent days helping look for her. When it was time for her ceremony, she wanted to ask Rookstar to name her Nettleleaf, but stopped herself.
Nettlewing has very complicated feelings about her aunt. She loves Sageleaf and misses her dearly, but she also resents her for not doing more to protect her.