Lichen [Completed]

Honest - Lichen is quite straight forward in every manner imaginable. He isn't afraid to tell you the truth, even if it isn't something you want to hear. He tries his best to own up to his own behavior, and admit when he's made a mistake.

Witty - One of Honey's greatest gifts was teaching her son how to have a sharp tongue. With his natural quick thinking, Lichen is capable of getting himself out of tricky situations with only his words; no claws needed! He also has a dry sense of humor, and is capable of seeing humor in every situation.

Idealistic - He is resilient and determined when it comes to what he believes in, and cannot easily be brought down by disappointment or failure. He daydreams quite often of what his future will look like, and has the courage to make it happen.

Impatient - In a way, Lichen's impatience was the root of his downfall. He can be short and snap at others when frustrated or annoyed, and is quite irritable normally. He is also antsy, and has several tics of restlessness, such as an eye twitch and unsheathing his claws to calm himself. Because of his young age, he may grow out of it—but for now, be wary of Lichen's moods.

Defiant - Because Lichen was raised as a loner, he despises any sort of conformity, such as the life of a kittypet. He also cannot stand when other cats try to tell him what to do or believe in—he'll do the opposite, out of spite and pettiness. This leads him to gain many fighting scars, and isn't well liked by many.

Self-destructive – Lichen has sabotaged any meaningful relationship in his short life, and most likely will continue. He has enough self-hatred where he purposely pushes others away, and accepts any mistreatment towards him. This behavior also causes him to take big risks in life, even if it was detrimental to his health or his morals.

On a foggy morning, Lichen and his siblings were born in an abandoned monster nest—gravel and concrete was where he took his first steps, and the smell of gasoline filled his lungs as he took his first breath. His mother was a frail, cream-colored molly named Honey. His dad was nowhere to be found, but based on how his mother described him, it seemed to be better that way (although, she once said Lichen shares the same emerald eyes). Because of their harsh environment, Lichen's siblings perished within a few days, leaving him as Honey's only son.

Lichen was fiercely loved by his mother and was reminded every day of her love – the two would have mornings of scavenging neighboring twoleg nests for food, and nights of hunkering down in sleeping monsters for their warmth. Despite her health, Honey taught her son invaluable lessons of life, like how to fend against wandering cats, trick silly twolegs for scraps, and avoid awoken monsters. By the time Lichen reached 6 moons, he was well-adjusted to the life of a loner, and when he was 9 moons (despite his mother’s warnings), he began to trek outside the familiar surroundings of the twoleg den site. He yearned for more – for something wild. That was when he met Birch.
Birch was a barrel-chested white-and-black tomcat who resided in the green grasses. The two tomcats met when Lichen found himself trapped with a paw stuck in a boulder's crack. Birch - after teasing Lichen, of course – freed the tabby from the boulder and led the way to his den, where Lichen’s injured paw was treated by Birch. The two tomcats spent the night together discussing each other’s life, and in the morning, Birch led Lichen back to the twoleg outskirts, where a frantic Honey was calling for her son.
From that point on, Lichen slipped away several times to see Birch, distancing himself further from his mother and becoming closer to Birch. Lichen would sometimes spend days at a time in the forests with Birch, and found himself thinking of Birch when they were apart. Unfortunately, Honey’s health began to deteriorate to the point of becoming reliant on her son – this greatly annoyed the young tom. He’d start his travels early at dawn when his mother hasn’t awoken yet, just to avoid her requests. Despite his mother’s health, he found himself addicted to Birch’s company, and wanted to spend every waking moment with him.
At 12 moons, tragedy struck – Honey had passed. Lichen found her after a moon-long adventure with Birch; she was curled under a sleeping monster, thin and stiff. She appeared to be dead for several days, and alone, surrounded by twoleg trash. At first, Lichen couldn’t believe it was her. He wasn’t gone that long, was he? It took him until dusk when he finally felt well enough to bury his mother. He began to hate himself deeply – he stopped eating, stopped visiting Birch, and wallowed in his misery. His mother was dead, and it was all his fault. Lichen began to grow resentful at Birch as well, and was set on never seeing the tomcat again. But that doesn’t mean he still didn’t want him.
After some time, Birch found Lichen alone in a junkyard. The white-and-black tomcat convinced Lichen to come with him back to the green grasses. Lichen obliged – after all, he had no one else, not even a father. Lichen and Birch stayed in the green grasses together, but life wasn’t the same – their relationship wasn’t the same. The two bickered and argued over everything, some fights turning violent, and usually ending with Birch begging for Lichen to take a look at himself. Lichen refused. After only a couple moons, Lichen came home to an empty den, and the stale scent of Birch. He had left him too. Lichen accepted his punishment and began to understand who he really was – a leech of everything pure and good. But maybe he doesn't have to stay that way?

Lichen is a lean silvery-gray tomcat with darker gray marble tabby markings, and eyes like chipped emerald.

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