« HAWKEYE »a lithe, stone-gray tabby tom with deep indigo eyes; blind in left eye with a long scar running down his face.
| wise, stoic, collected, quiet, distant | agile, fit, capable |
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MEET HAWKEYE...
So, Hawkeye... how do you know the Atari?
When you sit down in front of the tom, he looks at you curiously, ruminating your question. He's not too old, but suddenly appears like a wise elder in your eyes, the way a knowing and seasoned glint enters his features. He seems like the leader of this tiny group, or at least one of the heads from the confidence he holds in his steps and the power of his unwavering gaze.
"The Atari...? Why, yes... I used to be a part of them." Hawkeye pauses to brush some fur to the side, revealing the full breadth of a single slash mark scar embedded on his shoulder. You find that it's rather hard to miss, even when he didn't move the fur. He seems unfazed by your surprised expression."It was... a long time ago now," the tom continues, "when the current Crown wasn't in power, but my brother was instead. We were raised as potential heirs together... I was named Hawk due to my keen eyes, even as part of the Young. Therefore I was raised as a Trapper... the best one the Atari had seen in many moons, mind you."
A clouded, distant look enters in his right eye, the one that can still see. The other is blind, having a long gash running straight through it and his face — a clean and calculated scar, one that seemed rather intentional and precise. You briefly wonder if this has anything to do with his name. Almost as if on cue, he looks at you, dull amusement flashing in the indigo hue.
"...So you're going to ask about my eye, aren't you? It's alright. I'm not shy. I have nothing else to hide anymore." He blinks a few times, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he briefly ponders. "It was... a warning. A warning for the sins I committed against the Crown... against the Atari."
Uh... what? You betrayed them?
...?
We're not here to cause any trouble... we want to help you.
Hawkeye lets out a sound similar to that of a scoff, though it's hard for you to tell. He pauses another moment, analyzing you as if expecting you to admit your jest. But when it never comes, his eyes narrow again, looking skeptically amused.
"Help us? Why, I'm not sure if you noticed, but our numbers... are far from salvageable," he says quietly, not wanting his comrades to overhear. You can't help but agree; how many are there? Six, seven cats? You knew the rest had died, somehow... and by the look in Hawkeye's face, he only confirms your suspicions.
"As far as I'm concerned, you're only here to eat up what little prey we have left and cause a further rift in these crags and valleys," he continues coolly.
"While I imagine the vultures would be grateful for a meal outside of the sinewy mountain cats that have perished on our range, I don't entirely recommend it. For you, anyway. The birds would still love it."
You're perplexed at first; you can tell he's not speaking out of malice or hate, nor entirely mistrust. After all, the fact you admitted to wanting to help was enough to make the seasoned cat pause. Yet it sounds almost like... a warning. A thinly veiled warning that yells at you to get out while you still could.
But... we're RiverClan! You've helped us, and we don't abandon cats like that. Let us help — we have to have a chance together!
Hawkeye laughs again, a surprised sound that's both impressed and amused by your folly. He can tell you're serious and mean every word. He pauses again, as if running through all the possibilities in his mind.
"Seems I can't scare you off as easily as I thought I would. This RiverClan you speak of... this is it, right? All of you?" He gestures vaguely to the Clan behind you, milling around. "Well... don't be surprised, dear friend, if it becomes the desperate group you find in us today. I'm not entirely sure where you've come from nor what you truly want, but if it's survival... you'll have to fight for every breath you take."
He leaned a bit closer, lowering his voice again. "...And you might not have too many left where the Atari are concerned. Take my advice... don't cross them. And if you do..." He gestures now to his own group. "Please, leave the rest of them out of it. They've suffered enough."
With that, the tom walked away before you could say another word, his lithe yet toned pelt rippling through the spiky rocks and disappearing into the shadowy night. You are left feeling more unsure than ever, more questions than answers lingering in your head.
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AUTHOR'S DESCRIPTION / TIDBITS
Hardened by years of struggle; distanced by moons of suffering; pained by a family he'd never see again except at the mercy of their claws. This is how we find Hawk — or, affectionately nicknamed 'Hawkeye' — when RiverClan stumbles his ragtag group.
The idea of Hawkeye is to be someone related to the Atari in some way and has inside knowledge of their workings. In fact, he had the honor of being named the Claw of the Crown — promoted from being the Atari's best Trapper by his brother who'd been named Crown. Surviving the initiation and trials, Hawk had easily become a respected and valued member of the Atari... that is, until tragedy struck.
He won't tell you much about it; a tale of woe, betrayals, and death only ever serves to make others a little depressed. And he doesn't like that. Even some members of his group he'd been around for many moons still know about as much of his story as newcomers. He isn't shy about the gist — after all, he can't hide the glaring Claw of the Crown mark on him — but silent on the details. They all simply know that he left, somehow... and never looked back. Wandered on his own for a bit until he found some other cats, creating an alliance. Eventually created
(or joined, depending on how relevant we can make him for the small group's plot - i'm flexible!) the group that ended up becoming the Atari's enemies not too long ago now.
Hawkeye still has yet to have a formal confrontation with the leading family of the Atari since then; would they really recognize him anymore? Would anyone? There might be an entirely new Crown, he didn't know. In any battles he's tried to keep a low profile... and make sure anyone who might talk just loses the ability to speak again. But he still can't hide that large claw wound, so any attempts at being subtle were thrown out long ago.
He's not a ruthless cat, but can do what needs to be done. While he prefers his prowess in trapping/hunting, he can fight when he needs to. After all, as a Claw of the Crown, he had to do. Poised and proper in his speech and movements, you can tell he comes from 'royalty', though he's now many leagues from the luxury of his place in the Atari. He's adapted... but this new introduction of the mysterious RiverClan in the mountains may just change everything for him. He gets the feeling this isn't just an ordinary group passing by... no, it's going to shake the mountain peaks as he knows them. Perhaps forever.
While friendly to RiverClan, he will remain skeptical (NOT hostile, but just personally skeptical in terms of caution and
comments he might make) for awhile until they can "prove" themselves as truly helpful. Then he will warm up to them over time more and more... eventually taking their invite to join. You can think of him as one the wiser leading figures of this small group who is desperately trying to keep alive who he can, especially because he knows the ruthlessness of the Atari.
[I have left parts of him variable to be able to fit/mend to the story based on who the crown is and how old they are. To completely distance him from the current Crown he can be older, like 50-60 moons (which i'm leaning towards, assuming his Claw of the Crown days could be in his 20s or something). Or if it doesn't matter too much, he can be younger. This doesn't change the overarching plot or disrupt the Crown's family so that he's removed from it; just any interactions he may have within the Atari plot can have these cool little details. Open to suggestions for his character/relevance to the plot! <3]