❝ ❧ ever since she was a kit called upon by her ancestors to answer their call, violet has felt control and choice slipping away from her. she had been given a destiny, and this became more and more apparent as she grew. she would see signs in the world around her and receive visions of moments still yet to come. all of it, she never wanted and certainly never asked for. yet they still came, they persisted, and this built up pressure on the young feline's shoulders to just... submit already. because of this, violet has nurtured a melancholic, philosophical nature and a dissociative dreaminess in response, all of which has become characteristic of the she-cat herself. while she appears wistful and delicate on the surface, on the inside she is quietly burning; keeping the tiniest, rebellious flame alive on wicks of willpower. she will bend, she will tremble, she will twist - but she will not break, and she certainly will never burn out.

❝ ❧ pensive, reflective, and thoughtful, violet is often noted for being mature and wise for her age, hosting what some may call an old soul, but she is neither timid nor shy in her approach. though she may not speak often, she will always speak with purpose. she is a cat who thinks deeply and feels even deeper, and these are both strengths and weaknesses on her part. with her natural proclivity to empathy, violet tends to connect with most other cats easily, and she makes a point to watch what she says and when she says it. she is highly understanding and compassionate, willing to extend a moment of kindness, reprieve, and relief to others, even if she doesn't receive it back. this makes her a soothing presence to be around. her gentleness reflects her tender heart, which is stronger and heavier than it first appears. for those expecting an easy pushover, they will not be able to find it in violet, as not even the stars themselves can push her down a path she does not want.

❝ ❧ violet is a quick learner, thanks to her natural curiosity, though she is prone to daydreams and rumination that can make her seem as though she is in a world far away from here. she is drawn to the unknown, to the mysteries and anomalies that make life interesting and wondrous. though she knows she shouldn't, she can't help but be fascinated by what lies beyond the horizon, beyond clan lands. she highly values ideals such as choice and freedom, as these are both things that have been scarce in her life before. she is encouraging and supportive of others in their endeavors, failed or not, as she finds there is something truly beautiful in the emancipated soul. with her curiosity, melancholy, and idealistic dreaminess, cats will either see her as being wise and sagely... or as something of an odd duck. violet tends to be unconcerned with what others think about her, as she usually has more pressing matters on her paws.

❝ ❧ when alone and left to her thoughts, violet descends into territory of self-loathing and contempt. she had, more or less, ran away from her home in an effort to try to escape supernatural forces beyond her control. she knows her decision was selfish and perhaps even cowardly. but surely, she should be allowed to make her own choices, live her own life, just like any other cat? she never asked to be chosen by the beyond. she never asked to be marked for the life of a seer. she only ever asked to be allowed to be herself. now, in a new land with bridges left burnt to cinders behind her, she begins to wonder if she should even be allowed to be herself, or if that is a luxury that will only destroy her.

❝ ❧ "chosen by the stars", she believes the term is. but violet much prefers the more accurate and succinct "cursed" instead. when she was born, the night sky shone with deep violets amongst the navy blue and black. when she turned one moon old, the violets seemed to bloom earlier than usual. the evening before her apprentice ceremony, the setting sun stained the darkening clouds violet. violet, by all means, should have had a great destiny laid out for her.

❝ ❧ where she comes from, cats are "marked" by the beyond from birth and raised to become seers in quiet isolation. in the small society violet was born, seers were often considered one of the most important roles, for they were the ones who used their innate connection to their warrior ancestors to foretell the future and interpret the messages from beyond. they are simultaneously respected and feared, because their ancient ancestors in the beyond were known for being particularly vengeful. but if her ancestors wanted a powerful seer, they forgot to take into account that violet wasn't just a mouthpiece for them - she was also a living, breathing cat with thoughts, opinions, and dreams of her own. she never asked to be marked for the life of a seer; if anything, she came to dread and despise the visions she'd receive of loved ones passing, of bloody battles on the horizon, of illnesses wiping out their numbers one by one. no, violet never chose the life of a seer, and the beyond would soon find out that not even the stars themselves could push violet down a path she does not want.

❝ ❧ instead, she chose to hide the visions and strange dreams she would receive, for better or for worse. her apprenticeship suffered when she failed to get sufficient sleep, too overwhelmed to even allow her eyes to close. but the worst of it is the inescapable fates that inevitably come to pass, no matter what the young cat tries. could she have prevented the death of her mother by warning her about the abandoned badger set? the death of her two siblings to greencough in the middle of a prosperous greenleaf? why would her ancestors show her visions of terrible futures she couldn't change? any warnings were brushed off, attempts to distract them or push them down a different course met with stubborn rejection. or perhaps they were simply punishing her for not following the fate they'd chosen for her? seers were meant to live an isolated hermit lifestyle, away from their home clans to be able to convene better with their ancestors and foster neutrality. it soon begins to feel like an attempt to usher violet towards her predestined role by slowly taking away the ones she cared for the most.

❝ ❧ her mother, father, siblings, and even her first mentor all fall over the moons. she had tried to save them all, desperately. but perhaps her true destiny was to be doomed to fail. violetpaw begins to feel badly, as though her actions have made her selfish in her pursuit for the smallest taste of freedom. "freedom", however, is a loose term. she is near constantly haunted by omens, big or small, and she is unable to escape them no matter how hard she throws herself into hunting, into exploring, into gathering herbs. no matter what, her pawsteps always lead her back to her nest at night and back to her nightmares.

❝ ❧ until the predictions of death and destruction are shattered by one single vision during the night of her warrior ceremony: an unknown forest, full of strangers' faces and enticing scents, far away from the sky her ancestors reside in. could this forest be her chance for freedom? with nothing else left in her life, perhaps a weaker soul would have succumbed to destiny. instead, violet chooses to escape. she chooses to shed her old name and start anew. she chooses her own path.

❝ ❧ the journey is difficult, but not impossible. she knows how to hunt, gather, and fend for herself. she knows the basics of healing to keep herself healthy, and feels no fear when experimenting new remedies on herself. after all, what does she have to lose? even the loneliness doesn't sting as badly when her curiosity for the unknown keeps her on her toes. most promising of all, the further she gets from her home, from the beyond, the less the visions and signs seem to come to her. her nights are still full of dreams of futures yet to come, but they're hazy and distant. she lives on her own for several moons, searching for the land brought to her in her dreams with relentlessness.

❝ ❧ but through it all, she cannot help but feel like a puppet within her own skin, and she often fears how much is her choice and has much has been and will always be the choice of those who came before her. is she truly evading fate, or is it only waiting in the shadows for its turn to come? her soul is a flame, and she is constantly surrounded by water. but even when she feels as though she's drowning, violet pulls herself up and out before the suffocation sets in and her fire is extinguished.

❝ ❧ but fate is fate for a reason, and the young cat's predestined path must be walked, even if that means dragging violet down it by the tip of her tail... if water cannot quench her fire, then perhaps they will just have to wait for her to burn up and burn out - all on her own terms. just as she would want.

a small dark gray rosetted tabby she-cat with light blue eyes

faceclaim: raven