Sandocean

"...he said that if I didn't step in and change the Clans, the Clans would kill my son. I had no choice! I couldn't let my only kit die!"

- The Median speaking about Sandocean, her son, at The Gathering

Appearance & Personality
Sandocean is a chimera tom, his fur composed of two different colors. The majority of his pelt is a tan tabby color, but he has patches of a Russian-blue tone on his back, paws, and nose. He is a big cat, standing taller than most. His underbelly is a deep tan color, and he has dark, ocean-blue eyes, one of which has a splitting pupil. He is of average build.

Sandocean is a troubled tom. He used to be sweet and shy towards most cats, until he got older. When he was a medicine cat, he feared the destruction of his Clan, afraid that a lack of herbs may have resulted in the mass death of RiverClan cats. He was kind towards every single cat in his Clan, but extremely hostile towards outsiders, believing they're less important than cats from his own Clan. He has no respect for territory or possessions, and will cross into enemy territory for herbs, wanting to preserve those that grow in his own land. He was a code-breaker, but truly believes that he was doing the correct thing - like his mother, The Median, who he eventually left with to escape responsibility and follow his destiny.

Brief History
This tom arrived in RiverClan after being led there by a strange cat. He was adopted by Woolymask and befriended Dustpaw at a young age, the pair bonding over their 'weird pelts', Sandkit's fur being partially blue from his chimera, and Dustpaw's fur being partially pink from her albinism. He was The Median's motivation to mess with the Clans. Sandpaw trained as a warrior once she settled in RiverClan, but was often frustrated that other warriors wouldn't let him participate in battles, as he was a very new apprentice.

After the war with WindClan and ThunderClan, he was chosen by Dustfall to become the medicine cat apprentice of RiverClan. Around the age of twenty moons, he was still being underestimated by his Clanmates, and so his mindset shifted from a peaceful, aloof one to a hyper-protective one, protective of his Clan and extremely hostile towards all other Clans. He often upsets the other medicine cats by taking the herbs that grow on their territory.

He trained under Dustfall's mentorship for many moons, until her albinism rendered her blind, and Sandocean became the full medicine cat. Shortly after she left the den, he picked Turtlegarden as his apprentice. He also trained Pigeonpaw part-time after Spinheart suddenly died.

Sandocean gradually began to spend more time with his birth mother, Bravetail, formerly The Median. One night, the pair disappeared from RiverClan, living out the rest of their lives as rogues. This left Turtlegarden as RiverClan's medicine cat.

Kithood
A mother gave birth to Sandkit in the Moongarden, where she lived. Sulfurstar led the newborn kit to RiverClan, where he was adopted by Woolymask. Unknown to Sandkit, he had been lured there so Sulfurstar could manipulate his mother into meddling with the clans and becoming The Median.

Sandkit was a fast learner, spending his free time digging for scraps of things in his nest. He would show off his findings to the other kits and to his friend, Dustpaw, who he liked because of her pink fur patches, due to being an albino. They bonded over having weird-colored fur - Sandkit was a chimera, bearing Russian blue patches amidst his tan fur.

Sandkit was very attached to his adoptive mother, Woolymask. He knew he was not born to her, but it didn't matter to him - she was the cat who raised him. So when The Median stole him from the nursery and explained that he was the motivation for her crimes, he was confused. Had he done something terrible to the Clans? Was this his fault? And more importantly, did he have two mothers? Sandkit didn't know how to feel about this. What if Woolymask didn't want to be his mother anymore?

When The Median was accepted into RiverClan and took the name of Bravetail, Sandkit pouted in his den. He didn't want two mothers, however, isolating himself had severe impacts on his social life. He heard from the other kits that Bumblemeadow had abandoned the Clan, and worried terribly for his friend Dustpaw, who took the name Dustfall. Too terrified of Bravetail to leave, however, he remained in the den, often fighting with his denmates, namely Blazingkit and Silentkit. However, after a long conversation with his mother, Woolymask, Sandkit stopped being so afraid of his birth mother, and decided to finally open up to other cats again.

Warrior Apprenticeship
When Rivuletstar fell into a coma, Tigertide took over the Clan, and took territory from WindClan after they gave The Glade to ThunderClan, seeing it as an opportunity to prove they were strong. She made Sandkit into an apprentice, taking him under her wing, and briefly training him before the fight. Despite being unprepared, Sandpaw did well, fighting off a ThunderClanner named Flutteringpaw and escaping with minor scratches. He felt proud of himself, until Bravetail, Woolymask, Tigertide and Pebbleheart began fussing over his wounds. Deep down, he was hurt by this, wondering if he had somehow lost and not realized it. Woolymask attempted to comfort him, but he left, instead seeking the comfort of his life-long friend Dustfall.

Arriving at her den, Dustfall treated Sandpaw's wounds, and the pair went off on an adventure to decorate Rivuletstar's nest, in case she died from her coma. They went to the barn, where Dustfall discovered a surplus of catmint. She told Sandpaw how valuable the herb was, and continued to talk to him about other herbs as he picked pretty orange flowers that matched Rivuletstar's pelt. In the end, both cats returned to camp with lots of catmint and plenty of flowers to weave into their leader's nest.

The war raged on, as did Sandpaw's warrior apprenticeship. He trained with Tigertide daily, as they had to prepare for the war as best as possible. It was quite stressful for him, being trained by the only leader the Clan had at that moment, and he'd often escape to talk to the kits - the other apprentices were still too old for him, and he had left behind his pals when he was promoted to apprentice. The last battle Sandpaw fought in was the attack on RiverClan camp, when their medical supplies were shredded by Rosestar. Sandpaw tussled with Fadinglight towards the entrance of the den before Woolymask threw her son aside, seeing the deputy as far too strong of an opponent for her son. Sandpaw took this personally, and pouted once the battle was over.

As soon as he could, Sandpaw assisted the kits and apprentices in cleaning up Dustfall's den. It hurt him to see his friend so crestfallen, and so he talked with her about gathering more catmint from the barn. Dustfall expressed her fatigue and inability to continue on alone. Sandpaw recommended asking the other Clans' medicine cats to help her, but Dustfall instead turned to him, asking him to be her apprentice.

Medicine Cat Apprenticeship, Part 1
Sandpaw was thrilled to be his best friend's apprentice. Woolymask was proud of him, and he finally felt like he could show the Clan how strong he could be, because none of them could compare to his and Dustfall's teamwork. Sandpaw wasn't allowed to join the battles and stayed home in the ones that followed, but was involved in waking up Rivuletstar. Together, he and Dustfall snuck Mantisspring and Dayblossom into RiverClan camp. Dayblossom killed Rivuletstar to wake her from the coma, in the name of wanting peace. Sandpaw escorted them back out while Dustfall caught Rivuletstar up.

Unfortunately, the war didn't end. Rivuletstar led her Clan into one final battle, one that resulted in the deaths of Softweb and Rainbowstar, the rise of Fadingstar, and the surrender of Tigertide, from both the war and her duties as deputy. Sandpaw's own mother, Woolymask, was immediately elected as the deputy of RiverClan. The war was over, his best friend was his mentor, and his mother was his leader.

He and Dustfall had some moons of extreme training. Since Rosestar had ruined their herb stores, Sandpaw had no choice but to learn all the herbs RiverClan needed much, much faster than another medicine cat apprentice would've. He worked tirelessly, and it was clear that the friendship between him and Dustfall allowed them to be extremely efficient medicine cats, working faster than any pair in the Clan before them. Because of this, Dustfall felt as though Sandpaw was ready for his name earlier than most cats. Vinepaw, Firepaw and Roxiepaw had all been apprentices before him, and none of the three had their names when he was awarded his own name - Sandocean.

He continued to train under Dustfall, slowly mastering herbs, one by one. This was around the time when Magnoliapaw and him grew close. Magnoliapaw talked with him about the fact that she was a reincarnate, and the two decided to travel to different landmarks together, in hopes of triggering her flashbacks. They started with the river, where Magnoliapaw nearly drowned, due to her terror of swimming. Sandocean helped her cough the water up, and carried her back to his den, administering her thyme and poppy seeds while she recounted the results of their flashback-seeking. She'd seen her own death, trapped in a hole as a kit while another tom walked off. And though Sandocean reassured her that she was much too big to be stuck in a hole now, part of him was horrified that she'd died in such a way in a former life. How sad.

Medicine Cat Apprenticeship, Part 2
Sandocean was in a place of peace for the moment. His friend Magnoliashadow had earned her warrior name, Woolymask was leading a healthy Clan, and Dustfall seemed more relaxed than ever. However, this time of peace was allowing negative thoughts to multiply in his mind. Looking back at it, Sandocean realized how intense his life had been, having been led to the RiverClan by Sulfurstar, his birth mother nearly destroying all five Clans, his adoptive mother becoming deputy out of nowhere, becoming the medicine cat apprentice suddenly... and - the thought that kept repeating itself in his mind - the fact that nobody trusted him to act on his own. As a warrior apprentice, other warriors would often push him out of the way to "protect" him. It hurt him deeply, but he'd found sanctuary in being a medicine cat. Nobody could tell him to act correctly... until they did.

It started with the medicine cat apprentice of WindClan, Vinetwirl, whom he met on the WindClan-RiverClan border. Their conversation was friendly at first, when Vinetwirl asked for some horsetail behind Sandocean. He accepted, asking if he could in turn take a bit of catmint from the barn. When Vinetwirl refused, he was confused. He had just allowed them to take horsetail - why couldn't he take some catmint? He knew he wouldn't take all of it. He decided Vinetwirl was being selfish, and in an extremely out-of-character act of defiance, padded straight past them and took catmint from the barn anyways. They pleaded for him to stop, and he was nearly at the border again when he dropped it, rushing away without the catmint in the end.

Because of his nerves about the situation, Sandocean had stayed home from the Gathering of the Red Moon. As soon as the scarlet light had flooded the clearing, he'd paced around camp, guarding the nursery as he stared at the sky, wondering when whatever monster originated at the Gathering would attack his camp and his cats. His mind raced. What if it destroyed the herb storage, as Rosestar had done so long ago? And if Dustfall didn't return home? He'd be in the exact same position. He swore to himself in that moment that if he survived this night, he would never allow that to be a possibility. And as if that new profound fear was not enough, the Clan arrived home, several cats carrying Rivuletstar's body.

Of course, she'd only lost one life. Sandocean knew she had many more. But as he rushed into the medicine den, begging for Dustfall or Woolymask or Rivuletstar herself to explain, he was shoved away, underestimated the same way he was as a warrior apprentice. Rivuletstar croaked something out about the death of Sulfurstar, before Woolymask and Dustfall interrupted. Now Dustfall, the one cat he'd trusted to see his full potential, was telling him that "she'd explain later." He fled the den, running straight into Bravetail, who was nearly in tears, begging for an explanation. Sandocean regurgitated what little bits he'd overheard. He was visibly upset, but in this state, another key change was blooming in his brain. Bravetail insisted on joining him when he announced that he was going to the barn to steal the catmint back. Bravetail pleaded for him to stop as she followed him, when Sandocean whirled, yelling at her. He explained that they were the same; that she had ruined the Clans to save the cat she loved, Sandkit, her son; and that he would do the same to save the cats he loved, RiverClan, his home. And in that moment, Bravetail fully understood him.

Sandocean sent Bravetail to head home ahead of him, for Vinetwirl was approaching. They were distressed, upset with Sandocean for having returned for the catmint. This time, he did not fall victim to their heartbreak. Sandocean continued over the border with the mouthful of catmint and did not look back, rejoining Bravetail on the other side.

Shortly after this, Sandocean's time as a medicine cat apprentice ran out. Dustfall - an albino she-cat - had never had the best eyesight, and one day, she called the tom over, showing how damaged her eyes had become. She entrusted the medicine den to him before stepping down, putting her faith in him to uphold the ways of the medicine cat, and find a new apprentice. And though Sandocean would sorely miss working with his best friend, he knew it was for the best.

Medicine Cat
Sandocean thoroughly disliked being alone in the den, especially with his change in mindset. He spent as much time as he could mingling with the cats of the Clan, a bit overwhelmed. He wanted to have another medicine cat as soon as possible, but was unsure of how to pick. There were no cats like Dustfall, and he was troubled, afraid that if his apprentice wasn't just like her, he'd fail her. Turtlekit put a lot of effort into distracting the medicine cat, however, asking him to take him swimming. And while Sandocean kindly refused, explaining that he had duties to take care of, the kit happily sped away, only to return later and ask the same question again. The kit was a nice distraction from Sandocean's mind, and he eventually agreed to take him swimming, crossing camp towards the ocean shore.

He let Turtlekit splash around in the shallows for a while, simply sitting back and relaxing. Turtlekit was ready to become a warrior apprentice at six moons, hence why Sandocean was okay with taking him swimming. However, the thought of making him his apprentice instead had come to mind, and was confirmed when Turtlekit reported scenting a herb nearby, leading Sandocean to a patch of poppies he'd never seen before. When Turtlekit eagerly agreed to be his apprentice, he gave him the name of Turtlepaw.

His new apprentice was a natural medicine cat. Sandocean taught him the basics of healing - wounds, poisons, illnesses and aches - and he caught on immediately, and even innately feared deathberries; a healthy fear many medicine cats struggle with instilling in their new apprentices. He'd also told his apprentice about the Moongarden, and to no surprise of Sandocean's, he asked to go swimming the next time they visited, at the half-moon medicine cat gathering. Medicine cat gatherings had been sparse for many moons, often without the full attendance of all medicine cats. And, though a few cats were missing, nearly every medicine cat arrived for this meeting.

Sandocean led the way to the Moongarden, taking a shortcut through the dry riverbed, and doing his best to protect Turtlepaw. In reality, he was acting overprotective of his apprentice, terrified of what the other Clans might do to him. He was outwardly aggressive towards the other medicine cats, except for Pigeonpaw, who he saw as no threat. He allowed Turtlepaw to play with the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice while he glared around at the other medicine cats, constantly on edge. He made it clear that the others should stay away from his Clan by the time they all left, proud of his efforts.

Back at camp, Bravetail approached him, asking about the medicine cat gathering. Sandocean was a lot more comfortable with his birth mother now that the similarities between them had been revealed, and the two talked for all of sunhigh beneath the Highskull. Eventually, Sandocean left to collect some dock leaves, but his relationship with his birth mother was finally healing over. Conversely, his relationship with Woolymask, his adoptive mother, was shaky. Though she was always polite and loving towards him, Sandocean was standoffish and cautious around the she-cat who had raised him. The pair's relationship was tense.

The only cat Sandocean was truly at ease with now was Turtlepaw. The cat was like a little brother to him. After a couple moons of training, Sandocean took him on a trip to the Moongarden, so the pair could swim for a while, as the territory was dry as ever. And there, standing in the water, Sandocean gave his apprentice the full name of Turtlegarden, both for his nurturing nature, and love of the Moongarden.

He was pleased that Turtlegarden was such a fast learner, but reluctantly discovered that his attention was also being drawn towards Pigeonpaw, Turtlegarden's medicine cat best friend. Spinheart- Pigeonpaw's mentor - had suddenly died and left the untrained medicine cat alone, effectively ridding ThunderClan of a medicine cat. And, after Turtlegarden pleaded, he agreed to go and give the ThunderClan medicine cat some training. Pigeonpaw was duller than he'd imagined, failing to understand even the concept of death, something fatal if Pigeonpaw were to be a good medicine cat. Sandocean eventually succeeded in teaching the young apprentice that dead cats don't come back, and was then able to begin to teach basic herbs. He spent time training both Turtlegarden and Pigeonpaw now - but he was not happy.

His talks with his birth mother Bravetail had increased in frequency, and the two discovered just how similar they were to one another. Sandocean began to feel homesick for the wild, feeling his destiny was to truly live as a rogue, without borders or cats to train. And so he left without a word to the other cats. He knew Turtlegarden, though young, was ready to lead the Clan, and that his apprentice would continue to help Pigeonpaw. He felt no remorse as he left, glancing back once at the Highskull to appreciate Woolystar, the mother who had raised him, and Magnoliashadow, his best friend, and the future deputy of RiverClan. Then, he turned away with his birth mother, and fled the ways of the Clan for good.