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CHAPTER FOUR: THE IMAGE AND THE CAT

Now that we know what the prefix and suffix are, what we can and cannot do, why not move on to actually forming the name for your cat? We know the basics, but can we make our own name now?

We'll want to create an image of the cat through the use of a name, and we'll want to represent them respectively.

Let's choose our cat.

Here we have a pale gray tabby she-cat, she's very lean and very fast. She's known mostly for being a good hunter, and is very maternal and considerate. At birth, we wouldn't know the last few things, but she would still be gray. So, what are some nice gray/related gray terms to describe a she-cat?

We could use...

Silver
Dove
Kestrel
Cloud
Mist/y
Ash
Smoke

That's not all, but some of the more common, appropriate ones. Let's use "misty", because she's very pale, and "misty" is also a very feminine word.

Now that we have our prefix for the cat, let's move on. She's grown up past her apprentice days, and Mistypaw is ready to become a warrior. We know she would have been a recognized hunter, both beautiful and fierce, but also for being a passionate, motherly cat. Is it safe to note her abilities in her name? Is she really better than the other cats at what she does? Most likely not, a twelve month old apprentice wouldn't be more experienced than a forty-six month old senior warrior.

Maybe recognizing her hunting skills isn't the best path. But, she is a beautiful cat, very pale and lean. Perhaps, if we denote her appearance a second time, she would be more recognizable at a Gathering. Let's see... Mistypelt is obvious, but then again, she is an obvious cat. It has a ring to it, but maybe that's not the right way to go. We can always go a step further, and encourage her beauty and particular mystique. Mistypool could be appropriate, or maybe Mistyriver, Mistystream, or Mistybrook. They all enhance that basic appearance of her fur, and add a certain quality that says, "Yes, I am a she-cat, and I am very pretty."

Here are some questions to consider when making your name:

-- Do I have an acceptable prefix?
-- Does it make sense to be a name given at birth?
-- How does it represent my cat?
-- Can I match it with a suffix?
-- How should my suffix represent him or her?
-- Is it best to encourage their appearance, or personality?
-- Have I successfully described my cat?

Now, let's see if the method REALLY works. I want to use this cat to start off with as a reference. I'm doing this off the very top of my head, so it's fair. :)

There are loads of words that stick out for a strong, burly brown tom like that, but personally I think "oak" identifies him much better. Obviously he's going to be a good fighter by the looks of the photograph, and "oak' definitely describes a very strong subject. Him being brown, it would work as a birth-name, because the bark on an oak tree is very thick and dark.

For his suffix, well, I think we'll go with something to accent his superb fighting abilities. Just looking at the image you can tell he's a brute, so we'll go with a common word that represents strength: Claw. We won't need to describe anything else about him, obviously, his expression does enough of that!

So, our equation equals: Oakclaw! A perfect match!