Patch

Appearance
Patch was a long-haired dilute calico tom. He was mottled with white, cream, and light blue-gray with a mask-like pattern around his small blue eyes. He was fluffy with thick, sleek fur, pointed, cone-shaped ears, and a tuft sticking straight up from the top of his head. He was still a kitten at the time of his death, but noted to be very large for his age.

Personality
Not much is known about Patch's personality, but through inferences, he appeared to be a very cheerful and optimistic young tom. He was somewhat naïve and idealistic, but due to his age, it was to be expected. He was rather loud and rowdy, as evidenced by his behavior with Wild in the nursery, but overall good-natured and well-intentioned. He was also shown to be impatient and was not against bending rules if he thought he could get away with it. He was very much in-touch with his brother's feelings and wanted to keep him happy.

Pre-Series
Patch was born to Blueflower and Crowstalker in Marsh Colony alongside his brother Wild. Their parents stopped being mates very soon after they were born, and they were so torn up over their own emotional issues that they were quite distant from Patch and Wild, and only checked on the brothers every now and then. The pair was instead raised mainly by the keepers and other cats in the nursery, without any real parental figures to look to. Because of this, they had a very strong bond, and were about as close as they could be.

As they grew older, however, they became disruptive in the nursery due to their above-average sizes, so they were made into new-claws a couple of months early. It was really just an excuse to move them out of the nursery, though; they were not officially new-claws, as they had no mentors and were still not allowed to leave their base. Essentially, it was field training without much structure. About a month went by, and the brothers became restless doing tedious new-claw tasks around their base without purpose. Patch noticed that Wild was feeling particularly bitter, and so in an effort to cheer him up, he formulated a plan with him: they were going to sneak outside, hunt down tons of prey, and impress every ranger in the Colony upon returning with their catches. Surely that would get them attention. Surely that would make them real new-claws!

It seemed like a great idea, and so they set off on the expedition. Unfortunately, though... their little adventure went terribly wrong. While passing the Alliance Lake, Patch had the idea of trying to catch a fish - wouldn't the rangers find it impressive if they came back with rare prey? Wild was intrigued and encouraged him to make an effort. Patch did so, but he did not know how to swim properly, and he ended up getting pulled out to the deeper water. His paws got tangled in a clump of weeds, trapping him beneath the surface, and Wild couldn't free him in time. Patch drowned, leaving his brother with severe trauma and survivor’s guilt.

Patch's death was never publicly announced to the other Colonies, as it would have been an embarrassment that would be hard to live down. He was young enough at the time of his death that Hawkshell was able to keep the tragedy quiet. This caused Wild to resent his Colony even more, feeling unloved and unwanted.

Wildfur
Wildfur was Patch's brother and only littermate. Due to their parents' distance and their lack of playmates their age, the two were very close and did everything together. Patch and Wild genuinely loved each other, and Patch's death had a lasting impact on Wild. Wildfur still blames himself and regrets his decision to go along with the escapade more than anything.

Blueflower and Crowstalker
Blueflower and Crowstalker were Patch's parents. Because of their early separation, Blueflower was miserable and bitter, and while she loved her kittens, she did not put much effort into being their mother and didn't pay them nearly as much mind as she should have. Crowstalker felt out of place visiting them and did not want to be around Blueflower, and so he did not often come to see his kittens. Patch's relationship with them was not very strong.

After he died, Blueflower felt guilty and responsible deep down, but she did not want to acknowledge her part in it and instead lashed out at Wild, pinning the blame on him. Crowstalker was similarly affected and distanced himself from Wild even further. Patch's parents were very upset by his death, but were unsure how to properly handle it.

Trivia
Coming soon...