Treehopper Pride

The Treehopper pride earned its name as this group of bastets is arboreal, making their homes in the holes of tree trunks. As a result, they are incredibly nimble, even for cats. They are less trusting of strangers then their anubite neighbors.

Silentstalker ♀

Sil and her sister were originally part of a large pride of bastets, though they did not live in the trees, as their large numbers protected them. Sil was restless around so many other felines, feeling she had no room to rise to any importance, and so would forever be little more than another of the pride's hangers-on. She had been thinking of leaving the pride for a while when her sister unwittingly provided an opportunity to do so.

When Archie managed to start a feud between herself and a pride leader, Sil convinced her twin to leave with her, and to find a new home where they could start anew. Archie, at the time pregnant, feared for her unborn kittens, but agreed that leaving would provide them with the best possible opportunity. They searched practically the entire forest, until chance led them to the clearing where Sandstorm and her pack made their home. Trees lined the area, and Sil, who had always loved heights, discovered many that were hollow. They planned to live quietly alone, but when Keverra joined them, Sil found herself the leader of a small pride.

Sil is not the best leader. She is, like most felines, extremely proud, and tends to think of herself first, and others later. The only exceptions to this rule are her sister and her nephew, as she places them above all other things. Of all of the members of the anubite pack, she empathizes with Kiri the most, understanding and sharing the strong familial bond. Despite her brash personality, she does provide for her pride, and they have never wanted for anything. In a way, she views the anubites she lives with a part of her pride, and does care for them - though, if questioned, she'd never admit it.





Snowarcher ♀

Where Sil is pugnacious, a firebrand, Archie is a mediator, who thinks before she speaks. She is a loving mate and mother, and she wants only the best for her family. Somehow, this quiet, unassuming feline found herself afraid for her life, forced to abandon everything she knew in order to save her life and that of her unborn children. She has told Sil and Corbeau only the barest outlines, and she refuses to tell her son anything, claiming he is too young.

All Sil and Corbeau know is that Archie was in love with a high-ranking leader from the old pride. This leader was head of some new faction, a plot that Archie got swept up in until she and the leader disagreed on one large issue. Archie planned to expose the plot, until her former love discovered that she was pregnant, and threatened to kill her kittens. Archie wanted to reveal him, but was too afraid of the risk he would pose towards the kittens inside her - the kittens he himself had sired. Turning at last to Sil, she allowed herself to be convinced to flee, deciding it was the best course of action to save the lives inside her that had not yet begun.

She gave birth not long after they met Sandstorm and her pack, and she gave birth to four kittens. Three were stillborn. The surviving kitten, a male, she named Thunderhead, and devoted herself to him entirely. She adores her son, the apple of her eye, and has fit into the mother-role so well it is almost impossible to believe that she was ever involved in some scandalous feline movement.





Corbeau ♂

Corbeau is an impressive feline. He is large, and with his thick coat and stubby tail (lost in some scuffle years ago), he seems more like a bobcat than a bastet. He has the gruff, stern persona of a cat twice his age, or a war veteran. He was born in the unforgiving lands of the tundra, where life was a seasonal struggle. The other bastets in the pride had the same form as him, the thick, insulating fur and powerful builds. Despite the harshness of life, his pride did quite well, and Corbeau grew up strong and healthy, as did his sister from a previous litter, whom he was very close to. When he grew his wings and his set of lethal claws, his father began to teach him to be a warrior. His wings, though, are almost useless, as they have a difficult time supporting his mass, and he is unable to fly for extended periods of time.

When he came of age, Corbeau left his pride, as most males did. His sister was upset, but she understood the wanderlust, and the two wished each other well, fully aware they would probably never see each other again. Corbeau traveled for several years before he met Archie, who managed to capture his heart almost instantly. He hung around the other Treehoppers, telling himself it was only a brief resting spell before he continued his lonely travels. A year passed, and he was still there, still as in love with Archie as ever.

Archie, like his sister, understands Corbeau's need to explore, and she does not begrudge him when he goes off and travels on his own. Despite his gruff exterior, he has a soft spot for all young creatures, and he views Archie's son as his own. He even cares for the little anubite Eagle, watching over both puppy and kitten with a stern yet loving eye.





Thunderhead ♂

Thunderhead (or Cloud, as he is often called) is Archie's only living son, but he seems to take after his aunt in temperament. They share the same sense of dignity, but Cloud is more of a "brawler" than his aunt is. He is perfectly willing to tussle with others, in play or seriousness. He will find any excuse to pick a fight, and many times his mother has laughed quietly and said that having Sil and Cloud together is like having two children to take care of.

Thunderhead is extremely fond of his adopted father, and he admires him a great deal. When Corbeau is around, Cloud is generally not far behind, pestering him with questions about this and that. The kitten is eager for the day when he becomes a grown up, and can see the world as Corbeau has.

Eagle, the anubite puppy, seems particularly interested in Cloud, and almost dead-set on becoming his friend. For his part, Cloud ignores her, or at most gives her a haughty stare. The lack of kits his age forces him to play with her, though he always reminds her very sternly that he is most definitely not doing so to be friendly. Eagle doesn't seem to care, and is just happy to have somebody to pal around with.





Keverra ♀

Keva wandered into the Treehopper Pride almost by accident one day (though, if you were to ask her, she'd remind you coldly that she never does anything by accident). She had been born by the seashore, a single kit to a young mother, and through some twist was born with fur the color of the sand. Her spots, she can't explain (much to her consternation). She says she had a very happy childhood, but went off on her own when she grew up.

As a rule, Keverra tries not to get attached to others, and often seems cold and airily distant. She is fascinated by the "how" and "what" of the world, and scoffs at anything she perceives as being the slightest bit mystical. For this reason, she finds the special powers of others equal parts irritating and frustrating.

It may be surprising that Keva would choose a dreamy goofball like Pilote to be her mate, but by way of explanation, she says that she finds his juvenile view on things refreshing, and besides, he's not a mate, he's a close companion. Like Corbeau, Keva often wanders off on her own, but unlike him, she doesn't remain loyal to her mate. Pilote is aware of her liaisons, as she has never kept them secret, but he says nothing. As for Keva, she simply views it as part of her quest for knowledge. To her, sex and love are just science. For whatever it's worth, though, she has never groomed any of the felines she meets, even those she brings back to the pride. She has only ever groomed Pilote.





Pilote ♂

Pilote never really grew up. Of course, he did physically, but he acts more like a two month old kitten than anything else. He is often lost in his dreams, which he will happily recount to anybody who will listen. He has trouble staying still, and has fallen out of trees more than once because he was distracted and started to chase his tail.

Pilote was born in the grasslands, and he chose to remain with them instead of roving off like most males his age. The only reason was his infatuation with an older male, one of the pride's best hunters. Pilote had adored him for as long as he could remember, and spent his days trailing the older bastet, hanging on to his every word. He was shot down several times, but only took the hint and left when the older male announced that his new mate was pregnant.

It almost seems like Pilote has gotten himself into the same situation with Keva. She often wanders off, and is very open about her liasons. Pilote is very aware of how similar the two cases seem to others, but he claims to have learned from his past mistakes, and if he honestly believes that Keva would choose him above all other felines to stay with forever, then who are the others to disagree with him?




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