Description
'Forever Young' by Youth Group:
"Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not
Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power, but we never say never
Sitting in a sand-pit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad men.
Can you imagine when this race is run
Turn our golden faces into the sun
Praising our leaders, we're getting in tune
The music's played by the mad men
Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever, forever?"
The exact Wikipedia entry for a Cactus Cat is as follows:
"The cactus cat was generally described being a bobcat-like creature, covered in hair-like thorns, with particularly long spines extending from the legs and its armored, branching tail. The creature was said to use its spines to slash cacti at night, allowing juice to run from the plants. On later nights, the creature was said to return to drink the now fermented juice. The then drunken creature was said to shriek throughout the night."
San is approximately the size of the average Earth bobcat, and has a nearly similar coloring and fur pattern; but he (like other Cactus Cats) has sharp and course fur littered with intermittent spikes and a great many more clustered in the end of his tail. But their tails are used more for appearances and intimidation than as a natural weapons. His eyes, like other Cactus Cats are irridescent and appear to shift depending on the light.
(And though it says words are better than pictures, I thought I'd spot you with an excellent visual for : http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w7ilNrFnHH4/S9OYd-ICVhI/AAAAAAAAOKY/yhwhHmFYBbE/s1600/cat-cactus.jpg)
Personality
Cactus cats, by their nature, are isolated creatures--they don't travel with packs and only meet twice a year to mate. Otherwise they are nomads that roam the desert on their own. The very same was true for San, who was raised by his mother until he was the age of six, when she left him to his own devices. However, among skillls of hunting and stealth, his mother taught him the sacred art of making Cactus Wine. And unlike many other Cactus Cats, San was well-known for travelling great distances, out of the desert and out into the woods to trade with the elven villages.
Becuase of his solitary nature, San can come off as callous, but he deeply cares (even if he doesn't act like it). He's quick to bring up a joke, and will always share wine--for a small price.
Equipment
Unlike many of his more-feral cousins, this Cactus Cat wears bands of leather and silver around his ankles and his neck, along with a feather-capped, wide-brimmed black hat. But he doesn't carry any weapons, his claws and teeth are clever enough arms to assist him in a scrap. But he carries a pack that holds several earthenware jugs of wine, which he transports from village to village to spread his wares.
History
The humans have built a settlement in the deserts, and they've turned to shooting Cactus Cats. Partly out of fear of the speaking gypsy felines, but partly for sport. The soldiers are using their skins as trophies as well, making spiked boots and gloves. It's part of some Earth fashion statement, but it's not something San wants to be a part of. He has had to flee the desert, and take refuge in the distant forests. And the worst part is that he's running out of wine...