Juniper
POSTED ON May 7, 2023 23:37:49 GMT -5
Post by Juniper on May 7, 2023 23:37:49 GMT -5
CHARACTER APPLICATION
JUNIPER
age IN MOONS 50 | gender Female | PRONOUNS She/Hers |
BREED Mixed | CLAN Loner | player riley |
PERSONALITY
If I had to choose just two words to describe Juniper, it would be 'shrewd' and 'cryptic'. See, Juniper is something of an opportunistic healer. She knows herbs and treatments for most ailments you'd find in the wild, and will even heal up anybody that comes up to her needing it. For a price, of course. Usually in the way of fresh-kill or shiny baubles. But Juniper isn't completely heartless! She won't turn away any cat who needs help, even if they have nothing to give her. She'd just call it an owed favor and help those who seek her skills.
She's aware there are other healers out there, of course. Healing knowledge isn't meant to be hoarded like herbs. But Juniper never strays too far from her home, a den made in an abandoned fox hole, so she's easier to find in an emergency. The only time she can't be found at or around there is when she's restocking. Juniper is a bit lazy though when it comes to restocking. She'll wait until her supplies are down to the dregs before trekking halfway across the forest to bring back herbs.
She's aware there are other healers out there, of course. Healing knowledge isn't meant to be hoarded like herbs. But Juniper never strays too far from her home, a den made in an abandoned fox hole, so she's easier to find in an emergency. The only time she can't be found at or around there is when she's restocking. Juniper is a bit lazy though when it comes to restocking. She'll wait until her supplies are down to the dregs before trekking halfway across the forest to bring back herbs.
HISTORY
Her mother was a kittypet named Lila whose twolegs owned a garden of herbs. That's how Lila met Juniper's father, Cormorant. Cormorant knew herbs, had been taught them by his mother who'd been taught them by her mother. It was a long standing tradition in their family. Cormorant was hoping to collect the herbs that grew in Lila's garden and Lila grew interested in what he was doing.
That was the start of a beautiful friendship which grew into a beautiful romance. Once Lila discovered she was to have his kits, Lila left her home to join Cormorant in the wild. Cormorant was happy to have her, inviting her to live in his den with him. They would grow old together and live their lives happy and in love and die side by side of old age!
Unfortunately that dream died with Lila. Something went wrong with the birth and Cormorant, for all his knowledge of how to treat sickness and wounds, knew nothing about helping queens give birth. Lila died and one of the kits was stillborn. Cormorant buried them beneath a holly bush and did his best to push past the grief for his surviving kits.
There were two, a ginger tom and a gray she-kit. The tom was the first born, followed by the stillborn, and the she-kit was last. Lila had wanted to name them after the herbs that brought them together, and Cormorant honored that wish. The tom was then named Burnet, after the red flowers of the same herb, and the gray she-kit named Juniper after the berries. After a thought, he named the stillborn Holly, figuring she deserved to be named even if she didn't live.
The next hurdle was KEEPING his kits alive. With Lila's death there was nobody to feed them. They weren't old enough to digest anything BUT milk, so he couldn't just chew up some prey and shove it down their throat. So loathe though he was to do it, Cormorant picked them up by their teeny tiny scruffs and carried them toward Lila's former home.
He was in luck, because the older female was outside. She took one look at him and the kits and started crying, like she KNEW Lila's fate. And perhaps she did. In the few times before that Cormorant had encountered Lila's housefolk, they'd always been kind to him and never chased him off. Perhaps they'd even known where Lila had disappeared to. Either way, the twoleg was kind enough to take in all three cats.
They fed the kits from little itty bitty... things. It LOOKED like milk but didn't have the sweet comforting scent of it. Whatever it was, it kept the kits alive and healthy. Cormorant was entirely grateful to the twolegs, but as nice and comfortable as the life of a kittypet was, he was still a wild cat. They tried to give him kittypet food, but he turned his nose up at it and went hunting. He even did it in the garden of herbs that they still maintained, even if the ghost of Lila's voice followed him every paw step.
He wouldn't make that choice for his kits though. Once they were in the process of weaning, he snuck them bits of fresh-kill alongside the kittypet food the twolegs were giving them. Once they were strong enough that he was confident they'd be okay, he gave them a choice. Leave with him or stay with the twoleg. If they did stay, the only thing that would change is they'd see him less. He'd still visit them.
Luckily both kits decided they wanted to be wild.
Left home with cormorant. Explored twolegplace more. Cormorant taught both of his kits the herbs their mother taught him. Juniper had a better head for it and went out of her way to learn more than he could teach her.
The family stuck together, longer than most loner families. They settled in a pine forest in a hollow tree. Burnet was the best hunter and kept the three of them well fed while Juniper kept them healthy and healed their wounds.
Didn't matter much when Cormorant got sick. He was old, and his sickness didn't respond to any of his herbs. Juniper did everything she could, but couldn't save him. He passed in his sleep, and she and Burnet buried him.
Juniper and Burnet stuck together, but moved into an abandoned fox den. They kept their days mostly the same, but one day instead of bringing back prey, Burnet brought back a cat that had a cough that Burnet asked her to look at.
Juniper gave the cat tansy for their cough and Juniper berries for strength, but said they owed her a favor. In response, the cat brought back feathers for her nest.
That was the start of her reputation. More cats started to show up, sick or hurt, and all asking for help. Some brought fresh-kill, some brought nest things, some even brought herbs they knew she used. Juniper helped all of them, even the ones that brought nothing, but for them she made them owe her favors.
Juniper thinks herself old now, and more often uses those favors as an excuse to have cats bring herbs and fresh-kill so she doesn't have to go far from her shared den with her brother.
That was the start of a beautiful friendship which grew into a beautiful romance. Once Lila discovered she was to have his kits, Lila left her home to join Cormorant in the wild. Cormorant was happy to have her, inviting her to live in his den with him. They would grow old together and live their lives happy and in love and die side by side of old age!
Unfortunately that dream died with Lila. Something went wrong with the birth and Cormorant, for all his knowledge of how to treat sickness and wounds, knew nothing about helping queens give birth. Lila died and one of the kits was stillborn. Cormorant buried them beneath a holly bush and did his best to push past the grief for his surviving kits.
There were two, a ginger tom and a gray she-kit. The tom was the first born, followed by the stillborn, and the she-kit was last. Lila had wanted to name them after the herbs that brought them together, and Cormorant honored that wish. The tom was then named Burnet, after the red flowers of the same herb, and the gray she-kit named Juniper after the berries. After a thought, he named the stillborn Holly, figuring she deserved to be named even if she didn't live.
The next hurdle was KEEPING his kits alive. With Lila's death there was nobody to feed them. They weren't old enough to digest anything BUT milk, so he couldn't just chew up some prey and shove it down their throat. So loathe though he was to do it, Cormorant picked them up by their teeny tiny scruffs and carried them toward Lila's former home.
He was in luck, because the older female was outside. She took one look at him and the kits and started crying, like she KNEW Lila's fate. And perhaps she did. In the few times before that Cormorant had encountered Lila's housefolk, they'd always been kind to him and never chased him off. Perhaps they'd even known where Lila had disappeared to. Either way, the twoleg was kind enough to take in all three cats.
They fed the kits from little itty bitty... things. It LOOKED like milk but didn't have the sweet comforting scent of it. Whatever it was, it kept the kits alive and healthy. Cormorant was entirely grateful to the twolegs, but as nice and comfortable as the life of a kittypet was, he was still a wild cat. They tried to give him kittypet food, but he turned his nose up at it and went hunting. He even did it in the garden of herbs that they still maintained, even if the ghost of Lila's voice followed him every paw step.
He wouldn't make that choice for his kits though. Once they were in the process of weaning, he snuck them bits of fresh-kill alongside the kittypet food the twolegs were giving them. Once they were strong enough that he was confident they'd be okay, he gave them a choice. Leave with him or stay with the twoleg. If they did stay, the only thing that would change is they'd see him less. He'd still visit them.
Luckily both kits decided they wanted to be wild.
Left home with cormorant. Explored twolegplace more. Cormorant taught both of his kits the herbs their mother taught him. Juniper had a better head for it and went out of her way to learn more than he could teach her.
The family stuck together, longer than most loner families. They settled in a pine forest in a hollow tree. Burnet was the best hunter and kept the three of them well fed while Juniper kept them healthy and healed their wounds.
Didn't matter much when Cormorant got sick. He was old, and his sickness didn't respond to any of his herbs. Juniper did everything she could, but couldn't save him. He passed in his sleep, and she and Burnet buried him.
Juniper and Burnet stuck together, but moved into an abandoned fox den. They kept their days mostly the same, but one day instead of bringing back prey, Burnet brought back a cat that had a cough that Burnet asked her to look at.
Juniper gave the cat tansy for their cough and Juniper berries for strength, but said they owed her a favor. In response, the cat brought back feathers for her nest.
That was the start of her reputation. More cats started to show up, sick or hurt, and all asking for help. Some brought fresh-kill, some brought nest things, some even brought herbs they knew she used. Juniper helped all of them, even the ones that brought nothing, but for them she made them owe her favors.
Juniper thinks herself old now, and more often uses those favors as an excuse to have cats bring herbs and fresh-kill so she doesn't have to go far from her shared den with her brother.
APPEARANCE & FACECLAIM
PROPERTY OF CYNEFIN, © CYNEFIN STAFF TEAM
TEMPLATE MADE BY SIFR © 2014
TEMPLATE MADE BY SIFR © 2014