Eight months ago, during July of last year, the AC Monthly instructed us to create a character design and backstory using a name generated randomly from a website provided to us.

For that challenge, I received the rather unfortunate name of 'Mouththroat.' I fell in love with this character and all of the things I could create with the backstory I made for him convinced me to keep him.

Eight months later, I have revisited Mouththroat and his story.
I've revamped his design as well as created designs for significant characters involved in his backstory. Here they all are!

~ • ~

.• Mouththroat •.

The "main character" of sorts, and the one it was mandatory I create.
The short of this story is that Mouththroat found himself unable to communicate or get his way using words, and instead began using tooth and claw to achieve his ends. He started killed when necessary, but killing eventually became an emotional outlet for him and he began to seek out more and more victims, killing any cats from other Clans that were patrolling along the RiverClan border alone or in groups of no more than two, and any rogues or loners that wandered onto his territory.

His signature did not develop fully until several moons into his warrior-ship. During a battle with WindClan, he had begun killing cats left and right. When the smoke cleared, it turned out he had killed not only WindClan cats, but Beetlefoot, a RiverClan warrior, as well, when he had tried to stop Mouththroat's slaughter. Egged on by the outrage of both Clans, Mouththroat's father (who was leader at that time) took his son by surprise and executed him on the spot.

As a spirit(?), Mouththroat returned to have his revenge, killing his father with a single bite to the throat that left punctures in a pattern similar to the markings reminiscent of a cat's yawning jaws on his own chest. From then on, all of Mouththroat's victims sported this particular and methodical method of killing.

~ • ~

.• Beetlefoot •.

Not related to Mouththroat by blood, but the two were apprentices at the same time. Beetlefoot teased and bullied Mouththroat when they were both young. This led him to retreat further and further away from society, which, in turn, led to his inability to function in a social setting and his switch to violence as a means of achieving his ends instead.

As he grew, Beetlefoot matured and became a very respected warrior of RiverClan. He apologized many times for his teasing to Mouththroat during this time, but the apologies were not enough. When trying to stop Mouththroat from killing a WindClan apprentice, he was killed by several blows to the head and one bite to the throat. Even though his father was the cat with which Mouththroat perfected his signature, Beetlepaw was the first one to receive the iconic bite-mark.

~ • ~

.• Cedarbay/star •.

Mouththroat's father. He was the one responsible for his son's unfortunate name, and his son's death. He was also the victim with which Mouththroat perfected his signature.

He was not around a great deal in Mouththroat's life, especially during his apprenticeship and kithood. He also was never terribly close to his mate. He only really stuck with her as her mate for show and for the sake of Mouththroat having a technically 'nuclear' family, despite his never being around.

~ • ~

.• Peachface •.

Mouththroat's beloved mother. The two actually did not know a great deal about each other, but she was the only cat who could stand to listen to his poor conversation skills so the two grew close regardless. This was the only cat that Mouththroat had never even considered killing.

Peachface, like her son, is an outcast in her own right. She is schizophrenic and finds social situations just as difficult to navigate as Mouththroat does. She is kept mostly hidden away by her mate, however, so most cats simply thought she was shy or introverted.

In other news, my anatomy has improved drastically since the last rendition of Mouththroat :D

^ old one

^ new one

I'm also working on an animation meme (the Windows one) of this guy and I'm really happy with it so far ;w; but I gotta do commissions today instead of that, unfortunately.