Dholepaw's Interview

[In case of unaware, the pronunciation of Dhole is /'dōl/ ]


A lithe black she cat entered the small, stone covered cavern. Her bright green hues were a light and glowing in the dim light that was able to filter through the lichen that creeped over the small crack that was the entrance. She watched, as her questionee sat before her, looking around nervously. She had to admire the few ounces of bravery he had. The large apprentice sat in front of her, trying not to make eye contact, attempting to find something to look at rather than the she cat in front of him.

“Greetings Dholepaw. I have come to ask some questions, and I want honest answers. This is just my way of getting to know cats around here, no worries. Oh! Where are my manners, I'm Nightbreeze.”

“Uh h-hi. Um I'm Dholepaw, oh wait I guess you already knew that. You just said that didn't you? You know my name. I'll be quiet now. Sorry ma'am.”

“No worries little one, I want no pressure on you. Now we can start the questions now that we have had our pleasant introductions. Now, tell me Dholepaw, what do you think you are best at? I mean, you are apprenticed aged, seven moons I believe?”

“Yes ma'am. Oh gosh, Uhhh greatest strengths, that is what you said? I hope I'm doing this right, oh Starclan. Umm, I guess my manners? Momma always told me to be respectful, don't lie to the Warriors and leaders, be polite, all that stuff, but that's pretty normal, right? I am just a normal apprentice.”

“No no my dear, every apprentice is special and unique in their own way. And manners, yes manners is a very good quality. A young cat who knows respect, not always something I see in cats your aged these days. Now, anything else? If not, what are your weaknesses?”

“Um, not that I know of. I don't like boasting, and don't want to be prideful. Oh wait, that's the same thing. Sorry, umm. Weaknesses. That one is a bit easier I guess. Umm, I guess my big paws. Everyone always laughs and messes with me because I always trip up. I don't like when they laugh at me.”

“Prideless, I like that. Humility is a great attribute. Oh, a klutz are you? That's quite alright, you'll just grow into your paws. Lots of kits and young apprentices have big feet, you be fine in no time. But I don't blame you, looking like a fool, no fun is it?”

“I-I wouldn't considered myself a klutz, mostly because I don't know what that means, but I think I'm just clumsy. But no one has ever told me that I'll grow into my paws, only that I'll just keep falling on them for the rest of my life. I've been told many times that I'll never make a good warrior. That I'd be best as a kittypet, so that if I fall, I'll land on their soft fuzzy floors. But I don't want to be a kittypet! I like it here, in the forest! Will I really have to leave the Clan if I fail at being a warrior?”

“Oh no, struck a nerve. No my dear, you simply keep training until you are good enough. The only reason you would have to leave would be if you chose to leave, which is all up to you. Either that or if Gyrestar were to kick you out because you did something terribly wrong….”

“I can be kicked out?! Oh no no no no I-I can't. I'll fail, I'll be a apprentice the rest of my life. What if I'm always going to be an apprentice? What if I'll do something wrong ? What if I never learn? What if Gyrestar gets mad at me because I can't learn how to be a warrior? I can't be kicked out thisplace! This is my home! I-I can't do this, I can't!”

“Whoa whoa whoa, Dhole honey, calm down. Don't get ahead of yourself now. You'll only make things worse if you keep telling yourself that-“

“I'm going to fail! I'm never going to be a warrior! I won't live up to my name! I'm a failure!”

The dark feline moved over to the panicking apprentice.

“Dholepaw, I need you to calm down okay? Let's keep going, don't think that you'll be a failure. Think about things as if they were in the best situation that you can imagine, okay? Can you do that? Now, you mentioned your parents and your name, what's the story there?”

“Oh uh, my parents. They were two loners, they lived in Twoleg place, but didn't actually belong to a Twoleg. Their names were Mystic and Tobias. They were really nice, from what I remember. I was the oldest of three kits. I had a little brother, and a sister, she was the runt. I got my looks from my mom, y’know the orange and white markings? My eye color, the aqua green, came from my dad and his dad, and my size and ears came from my dad too. Yeah, thanks to dad for my funny curled ears and ginormous paws.”

“Oh I can see it now, but your ears are wonderful. I once knew a cat like that with the curled ears. It was one of my brothers friends. He lived with Twolegs and he was called, oh gosh, an American Curl I believe. A special name for special cats, like you. Now that answers my family background curiosity, but what about your name?”

“Oh yeah, my name, forgot, sorry ma'am. My name was given to me by both my parents. They decided together that I should have a strong sounding name. So in result, they called me Dhole. I remember faintly that they said a Dhole was some type of dog like creature with a fiery red pelt. The said it was fast and strong, like I would be one day. Although they never knew that my paws would be too big and I could barely step outside without falling on my face.”

“Aw, I'm sorry to hear. Dhole sounds like a great name though! Definitely one I've never heard of. Now, how did you get to the Clans? Obviously something had to happen for you to get from Twolegplace to Thunderclan.”

“Oh yeah, that. Well uhh, it's not exactly the most perfect story here, but if you insist. So uh, it started soon after me and my siblings were born. My sister, the runt, died. Her body wasn't keeping up and she wasn’t breathing. She died, and so did a part of our family as a whole. We all grieved, even me and my brother, though we were too young to know what was going on. We moved, and as we traveled, we came across a Twoleg kit. It spotted us and grabbed its mum and dad. They picked us all up and took us to their den. That's where we lived, as a family for a while. Then something happened. The Twolegs stuffed my dad, Tobias in a cage and left. They came back, but we didn't know where he was. The next day the Twolegs went out again and returned with him again, although he was different. He wasn't as loving as caring, as emotionally and romantically attached to my mum. We didn’t know, but we heard rumor that they took him to some place called the Cutter. I still don't know what that is but it sounds terrible. My dad spent the rest of his days getting fat, just eating up all the food and sleeping all day. He never wanted to play with us, or go out with mom. It was weird.”

“Oh no dear, that's terrible. I too have heard of the Cutter and everything I've heard, sounds like nothing good. I heard it takes away the desire to be a wild cat. Terrible, it's something we should never be robbed of.”

“Yeah…. That wasn't all of it though. We uh, we continued on and the Twolegs assigned us names, just because they're weird like that, I mean can't they see we already have names? I was something they called, Hot Sauce. I don't know what that is but it sounded weird. My brother, Atlas, was called French Fry. Still, don't know what that was. And my mother and father were called Peanut Butter and Jelly. Still, no clue there. Twolegs are so bad at naming things, like really. We all secretly rejected the names, not that I think the Twolegs noticed. But the only one who didn't reject it was my brother. He liked the name and insisted we called him that. Then, the day came, and it was the day everything started falling to pieces.

“The day came, and we knew something was up. The Twolegs had cleaned their house perfectly and out on their nicest furs. Then strangers came in, a Twoleg family of four, the parents, a young kit and a newborn kit. They took a glance at us and charged. I can say, I have never run so fast in my life. My mother and I we ran away, hid under some of the Twoleg seats. He heard them calling to us with our dumb kittypet names, ‘Jelly! Hot Sauce!’ They cried. Ugh it was horrible. I was able to see, something that crushed me, the Twolegs holding and petting my brother Atlas, or French Fry or whatever. Finally they took my brother, stuffed him in a cage and sent him home with the new Twolegs. That was the last I ever saw of him. My mother and I, the only sane ones left, we…we had to escape. Then the day came. They stuffed my mom and I in a cage and took us outside, heading towards their monster. My mum, always the protector and thinker, had jammed her paw in the latch, leaving it open. She told me to run, run away and never return. She didn't want to go back. So she pushed it open and shoved me out. As I heard her…as I heard her calling, she told me to run and not look back. Finally- I-I made it to the bushes and turned around. Gone. The monster, the Twolegs, m-my m-mother, g-gone.”

“I-I I don't know what to say Dholepaw. I'm sorry for asking. I didn't know…”

“It's… It's okay. I think I needed t-to tell s-someone. But t-that was t-he last time I-I saw m-my m-mother.”

“Oh darling, come here, you're a mess. Let me help.”

She reached forwards, wiping her black tail over the splotched toms face, clearing the tears.

“Now, do you want to continue?”

“Y-yes.”

“Okay, go on then…”

“So I ran, I ran and ran. I had no idea where I was going, I just couldn't go back. I couldn't. So I ran. I spent several nights in Twoleg place wandering around. And just so you know, for a five moon old kit, that place is terrifying. Anyways, I eventually escaped, finding the edge and climbing out. Then I was faced with the forest, and I entered. That's when Ravenstorm found me. She found me and took me in, I've been here for almost two moons now, but I still feel so weird and out of place here. How will I ever fit in with you?”

“Dear, you don't need to fit in. Besides, what even is ’fitting in’? Be yourself, be you, be free, be unopposed by what others think of you. Be who you want to be, but you need to tell me, what do you want to be?”

“I want to be someone who is trusted, even if I don't seem like a trustworthy cat. I don't feel responsible for anything, really. I feel useless and unimportant. But I want to be somebody who is known for being helpful, not someone who is popular. I want to help make a difference, to show people that I can surpass their expectations, I got that from you.”

“Did you now? Guess you finally relaxed some?”

“Yeah, it may take a while for me to warm up to people. I don't normally like talking to cats, especially ones I don't know. But now I know you, so it's easier.”

“Oh darling, you don't know the half of me. Come now, you can go, you must be starving.”

“Always am, always will have an appetite.”


As the young apprentice left, the black she cat smiled. This was a great way for her to get yo know cats on a more personal level. It was great to discover the stories that were left untold. She was trying to make it her goal to see those untold stories were heard. Who knows who may be listening? Maybe it could inspire some one some day. She just hoped Dholepaw here had discovered he shouldn't live on what others think of him.


[Also, as I began developing this character several weeks ago, in preparation for introducing him as a new kitty, here is a more in depth personality:]

Dholepaw is a broad and muscular feline. His muscles ripple in strength and he seems to be a mighty and strong warrior, but he has no idea of his strength. Dholepaw paws are large and clumsy. He is always tripping and being a total klutz. He hates when others seem to laugh at him when he trips. He gets embarrassed easily and takes things to heart. All he wants is to please every one all the time. Even on multiple accounts has Dholepaw been told that he can't make every one happy, but he still strives to reach that. He hates when others seem him as weak or incompetent because of his clumsiness. He just wants to be understood. Dholepaw was named by his parents after a wild dog by the name of Dhole. Being the biggest kit of his litter, they gave him a Warriors name, something that they thought would promise strength and triumph in him, and boy how he failed them. He hates fighting, but hates talking too. If he's forced to, then he will, but he likes to stay secluded. He has a habit of interacting with inanimate objects, talking to them like old friends, and every cat thinks him a lunatic. He hates it, but every time he tries to make a true friend, he gets shot down and destroyed, which pushes him further into solitude. Dholepaw has insecurities. He has insecurities about basically everything, his friends, his family, his Clan, his life, what's he's doing, how others think off him. And the list continues on. He worries, worries about everything and just wants everything to turn out for the best. One can say he is an optimist, but he sees it more as a positive thinker. For him, the label optimist is exaggerating things, for him an optimist is some one who is happy go lucky all the time without a care in the world. That an optimist is some one who acts like nothing bad will ever happen. He knows bad things happen, he just has a reason to try and prevent that. Dholepaw is constantly hindered by what people think of him. He is constantly plagued by the fear of rejection. He strives to be perfect, think that will please everyone. He doesn't always know it, but people do like him, he's just too consumed in trying to not mess up and not screw up that he doesn't see what's right in front of him.