[ --- ◆ the clan life ◆ --- ] - warriors - o&a

[clickbait]

【ｓｈｉｖｅｒｉｎｇｗｉｌｌｏｗ】

gender; molly rank; warrior age; 27 location; warrior's den > camp mentions; snowpaw, bitterfang, batpaw tags; snowpaw, bitterfang

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shiveringwillow stepped back in surprise at bitterfang’s attitude. she signed and padded forward again. she was surprised at snowpaw’s calm deminer. it felt like only yesterday when bitterfang announced that he had a new apprentice. she glanced at snowpaw and gave her a warm smile. “so sorry if i am interrupting anything.” shiveringwillow meowed, her body language reflected that of the medicine cat. “but i woke up with a back pain and would like some healing. that’s your job isn’t it?” the she-cat didn’t have time for grouchy medicine cats, she needed to go on a hunting patrol to make up for the prey she ate and will eat for that day. shiveringwillow hoped that what she was saying was obviously directed at bitterfang, she didn’t want to upset the young cat, she had a bright future. shiveringwillow turned to look back at snowpaw, she was talking with another apprentice. the grey she-cat had only seen this cat once at their apprentice ceremony. was batpaw their name? it didn’t matter much anyway, as the two would probably ever come in contact with one another on patrols. shiveringwillow turned back to bitterfang.
(190 words, lil shorter didn't know what else to say)

[shadowbaby]

Shadowclaw| She Cat|Warrior| Location; Hunting Grounds | tags; Pixie/Ashshade
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Shadowclaw sagged slightly in relief, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Ashshade. "Thank you." She murmured, continuing the trek to camp. She could feel the young cat starting to tremble beside her. "Hey Little one, it will be ok, we will be there soon." She meowed softly, then a realization struck her. "Little one, I never told you my name or got yours. I am Shadowclaw, warrior of Thrushclan. What is your name?" She barely caught the half mumbled response, "Pixie? Is that your name?" At Pixie's nod she continued, "Pixie, we will soon have you back to camp and there our medicine cat can help you. Don't be afraid of him, he seems all mean and grouchy - 'And he really is...' - but he has a soft heart underneath and he won't hurt you." Shadowclaw felt like biting her tongue as she lied about Bitterfang's kindness, but she had to reassure the scared young cat in some manner and encourage her to finish the trek to camp. She continued meowing comforting nonsense to Pixie until she glanced up and saw they were almost at the entrance to the camp. Shadowclaw stopped here and turned to Ashshade, "Ashshade, will you go first and I'll follow with Pixie. I am worried what the clan will think and I can't let her get hurt. Just, please just tell them she is young, injured, and no threat to our clan?" She gazed beseechingly at the tom, hoping he would be willing to go along with her plan.

((I'm going to wait to RP Pixie as she doesn't have much to say/do right now. She is currently in a lot of pain, exhausted, and very out of it. Reminder that she is only 5 moons so still technically considered a kit))

[radio.active.]

bitterfang▸tom▸80m▸medicine cat▸tags- snowpaw, shiveringwillow▸mentions- xx

For a heartbeat, Bitterfang was stunned. Nobody had ever snapped back at his comments, much less a warrior hardly a third his own age. The old tom blinked his shock away before he ducked into his den.
"Come on in," he called over his shoulder to Shiveringwillow. Then to Snowpaw, he said "What medicine would best suit back pain?" The question was practically kit's play for his brilliant apprentice, but it never hurt to keep her on her toes.
Bitterfang was known for his refusal to express emotions, but by StarClan, Snowpaw almost broke that streak. He had never wanted a family or kits, but he imagined that this is what made it so appealing to the rest of the clan. Watching Snowpaw grow and improve her intelligence and skills made his chest burst with pride. So much so that he almost - almost - wanted to announce it to the world.

embertail▸tom▸33m▸warrior▸tags- paleheart▸mentions- ashstar

Somehow, his heart rose and sank at the prospect of having his morning open. On one paw, he could dawdle about camp as he so chose without the concern of dealing with others. On the other, there was nothing to occupy his conscious. Perhaps he would go bother Ashstar for any solo tasks he could undertake to keep himself busy.
Yes, solo. His final thought was definite and solidified as he watched the standoff occur. With every word thrown out, he felt his will to stay awake dwindle away. The more he thought about it, though, the more he considered how much he disliked the idea of being alone with his thoughts. Somehow Sootpaw and Ravenfoot always found their way into his mind when he was left alone with himself. To his relief, Paleheart's voice broke his train of thought.
"It makes me wonder how we haven't slaughtered each other by now," he laughed, though it was only partly a joke. Tensions were high and rising still as leafbare crept closer. "I'm sure greencough will be the least of our worries."

poppystrike▸molly▸41m▸warrior▸tags- batpaw▸mentions- snowpaw, bitterfang

Poppystrike let out a chirp of laughter at her apprentice bubbled away. "Oh, don't worry about it. We all sleep late once in a while. And today's just going to be endurance training unless something else comes to mind," She said. "If Snowpaw would like to join us for a session, that is perfectly alright by me. Of course, make sure Bitterfang is okay with it too. You don't want to upset him." At that, she began trotting out of the camp, debating and pondering how exactly she should answer the last of his questions. Of course, Batpaw wasn't the first apprentice to question the warrior code. It was a simple part of growing up, but that didn't make it any easier to explain.
"Our ancestors decided medicine cats were not allowed to take mates and it has become an unofficial law of the warrior code," she finally said as they meandered towards the training ground. "I personally believe it's because medicine cats need to be able to focus on their duties, and families will distract from that."

[Echoflame17]

x [ ＴＩＧＥＲＴＡＬＯＮ！]

xxxxgender. tom x rank. warrior xage. 32 ms xapp. fawnpaw xcrush. none xmentions. pebble, pale, ember, nettle, acorn xtags. patrol xx────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

indenttigertalon was rather glad he had kept to sitting at the back as the commotion in camp occurred, it allowed him to hit his tail on the floor in anticipation to get moving, as well as allowing him to express his opinions clearly on his face. sure, he was suspicious of any outsider, but he would not attack them for just....living. as his eyes trailed the camp he noted the fluffed up pelt of pikepaw and his heart went out to her and milkpaw. how hard it must be to be hearing this type of talk in the camp. however he believed the two did not need to worry, they had been raised clan cats, and as a result, too many they had earned the title of clan cat, not an outsider. "blackpaw, tigertalon, what's the hold up? you're moving like a bunch of elders. we need to get moving if we want to bring back a decent catch." the voice of buzzardclaw snapped him out of his thoughts and the ginger-brown toned tom skidded over to the group gathering for the patrol "sorry buzzardclaw" he meowed, ear twitching, a small quirk, and a sign he needed to release some energy. at least a hunt would release some of that energy. he made a mental note to talk to paleheart and his sister later about the argument that had just occured in camp, and to perhaps spare or do something energetic with either acornheart, nettelblaze or embertail, if they should be up to it. "good morning all, I hope you are all well" he greeted each in turn, going to stand by his apprentice fawnpaw.

x ( ＰＩＫＥＰＡＷ！)

xxxxgender. molly x rank. apprentice xage. 10 moons xmentor. buzzardclaw xcrush. blazepaw xmentions.patch, fierce, ashstar - xtags. buzzard, fawn, black / patrol xx
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indentpikepaw was not really taking much attention to whatever ashstar was saying. she was far to caught up in her own mind, trying to rid the memories of her father's cold coffee-coloured pelt lying motionless on the ground before her. her ears twitched as buzzardclaw began to speak to her, her head dipped in embarrassment, though the lasing of her tail slowed significantly. she may be embarrassed but she was certainly, in her own way, relieved he had noticed. she was never good at concealing her negative emotions, nor was she the best at speaking out about them. there were only a few cats she could do that with, poppystrike certainly, her apprentice friends, and buzzardclaw. during her first moon or so as an apprentice she had begun to look up to buzzardclaw like a daughter would look up to her father. with her father dead when she was just 5 moons, and with buzzardclaw being the only other significant male figure in her life when she became an apprentice, it was almost inevitable.

"Good morning, Pikepaw, though judging by the long face I'd say it's anything but good. What's the matter? You look like you just got a thorn pulled out of your tail." she glanced up at him, her amber eyes beginning to glisten with the first signs of tears. she opened her maw to reply when fawnpaw joined them "good morning pikepaw and you as well buzzardclaw." right on cue, pikepaw yawned, covering up the tears and hoping fawnpaw would think they were just the tears one cried whilst yawning. she turned her head momentarily to buzzardclaw, giving him a slight, barely noticeable nod of her head, hoping he would take it as her way of saying 'talk later' "good morning fawnpaw" she smiled a little smile "I'm quite excited for a hunt. are -" before she could finish she was interrupted by the sound of another felines yowl.

the molly's ears swivelled around as she pinpointed the cat the yowl had come from. fiercegaze. "What do you mean, unknown? They're going to attack camp, murder, and steal! They ARE rogues after all! If there's a patrol to find those rogues, count me in." pikepaw's body stiffened, this was it, this was potentially one of her biggest fears coming true. she had never really like the grey spotted warrior and her distrust towards outsiders, whether they meant any harm or not. pikepaw was half outsider on her mothers half, her father a clan cat, and she meant no harm to the clan at all! the most harm she ever did was seriously exacerbate an older cat for attempting to boss them about. her tail fur began to puff up slightly as she glanced around for the familiar cream coloured pelt of her friend milkpaw, knowing she was also an outsider by blood. as the argument played out further, her long fur began to fluff up a little more, as more and more cats chimed in, she recognised the voice of patchwater agreeing with fiercegaze. this is it. she thought. the time has come, what next, they will start driving out outsiders who are now clan members. pikepaw moved a little closer to buzzardclaw, seeking comfort and safety in being so close to her mentor. though her safety did not last long as he stood up and all attention was on him.

listening attentively to what he said, she agreed mostly with the points he made. yes, herself being an outsider, she was much more inclined to be more friendly and accepting towards any outsider, but would happily, without hesitation, fight them to keep her clan safe, that is, only if they attacked her clan first. which, so far, they had not. her ears pricked up even more if that is even possible when ashstar called for silence, speaking his part. she was about to mouth something to buzzardclaw about ashstar speaking up sooner, when her mentor stood up and walked to the entrance, signalling the beginning of their patrol. she glanced at fawnpaw and hurried after him, her fur still a little fluffed up. once again the apprentice inwardly sighed as blackpaw joined them. not her favourite cat in the clan and one she often attempted to boss around. she was in no mood to be dealing with a lazy cat this morning and just hoped blackpaw would get wind of that, otherwise, she would be met with a very hostile pikepaw. that being said, should blackpaw show her mischievous side, the side pikepaw found rather amusing, she would be met with a rather friendly pikepaw.

[carpe noctem.]

༄ ─── ❝ ( 𝐒𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓　 !! ) 　　 ✾ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
( ranking : warrior )　　( gender : female )　　( age : twenty-six )　　( tagged : blazepaw, fiercegaze )　　


xxxxxxxxSwancrest flicked her snowy-white ears forwards as she listened to the Thrushclan deputy, Rushwing, announcing the morning plans to the clan. Her willowy frame was tucked against an overturned log, her forepaws pressed together and her snowy tail gently set upon her feet. Her eyes, which had been studying the clouds as they moved through the azure-blue sky, quickly shifted to Rushwing as he mentioned her name. "Lastly, Swancrest, take your apprentice blazepaw and a few other cats of your choosing on a border patrol to the opposite end of the territory from where my patrol will be going. feel free to hunt along the way if you please, but take note of any unusual scents."

xxxxxxxxSwancrest nodded her head dutifully, making a mental note of his words before he dismissed the clan. She gave her lithe pelt a brief shake before lifting herself up to her paws, beginning to scour her view to see if she could notice her apprentice, Blazepaw. After padding about for a few idle minutes, Swancrest finally identified Blazepaw, who she noticed seemed to appear slightly impatient. The all-white molly smiled softly in greeting. "From the looks of it, you seem ready to go," Swancrest said warmly, flicking her tail to gesture the apprentice to follow her. "I'll round up a few cats and we can head out of he-" Swancrest was interrupted by a sudden burst of chaos in the clan. It appeared as though Fiercegaze was speaking out, and Ashstar and Rushwing seemed to be quick to shut her down. As the drama continued to unfold, Swancrest couldn't help but want to leave. She hated unnecessary conflict, and in all honesty, the warrior thought the arguement was just embarrassing. Her lip curled as she grimaced before watching Fiercegaze pad up to her.

xxxxxxxx"If you can handle that mouth of yours, then I see no problem with you tagging along." The typically soft-spoken molly replied to Fiercegaze, her tone almost like a mother scolding a child when they misbehaved.

⊰ ─── ❝ ( 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐑𝐄　 !! ) 　　 ◆ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
( ranking : rogue )　　( gender : male )　　( age : thirty-five moons )　　( tagged : open )　　


xxxxxxxxSpectre was sprawled out upon a sturdy branch of an old maple tree, his massive frame supported by the thick arm of the elder tree. His piercing yellow gaze scanned his surroundings, his elevated position in the tree allowing him to see from a much more impressive angle, letting his watch unsuspectingly on any who may stumble across his current place of residence. Indeed, hidden within the shelter of the trees, it would be difficult to notice the maine coon without actively searching for him. It a cat were to simply be hunting a ground squirrel or enjoying a mere walk, the towering black rogue could likely strike them unsuspectingly.

xxxxxxxxHis smokey-black muzzle was tinged crimson as he divulged on a particularly plump sparrow he had caught that morning, ivory fangs sinking into its flesh, the rewarding meaty taste slipping down his throat with a satisfied gulp. The rogue had found that this new territory he had stumbled upon only a few days ago to be particularly full with prey, and while he was in no regard a cat to be considered any fan of living somewhere permanently, he could certainly see himself settling down for the moon, raking up a few more tasty meals before continuing on his journey of wandering.

[-solar eclipse-]

➴ 𝐀 𝐂 𝐎 𝐑 𝐍 𝐇 𝐄 𝐀 𝐑 𝐓
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xx27 moons old ⟶ warrior ⟶ tom ⟶ mentors; blackpaw ⟶ interest; open ⟶ location; camp ⟶ mood; on edge
xxtagged; rushwing, creekgorse, minnowpaw, blackpaw
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As he turned his attention to the young apprentice, he couldn't help as a smile crept onto his face as she complimented his catch, remembering the scratch from the rabbit on his cheek. "Don't worry, Minnowpaw, you will be. You might even be better than me too." He commented, before his smile quickly fell once Fiercegaze started.

He was one of the first cats to flatten his ears at the younger warrior's outburst, not every rogue was like that, or any similar to what Fiercegaze had experienced. He could attest to that himself, considering a few rogues took care of him as a kit when he wandered from the clan as a kit. He bit his tongue as she continued with Patchwatcher's question, digging his claws into the ground. He'd been sure for most of his life that his father had been a rogue, and now she wanted to run her mouth about how the clan wasn't weak for not taking any rogues or loners. But there were plenty of warriors that were half-clan.

He was briefly grateful for the older warrior's sharp tongue, nearly antagonizing her even more, not that he cared much, she had the entire clan either in a frenzy now. He forced the fur on his spine to lower, having not realized it was up in the first place, turning to the apprentice once again, getting ready to speak when the deputy started to help Minnowpaw himself, as well as Creekgorse.

Noticing Blackpaw, he raised a brow at his own apprentice slinking back into the camp, as if no one would notice, wondering how in the world he would deal with this. He was almost thankful that she would be with Buzzardclaw and Tigertalon on a hunting patrol, and not with him, especially since he couldn't guarantee that she would stay with the patrol.

➴ 𝐁 𝐋 𝐀 𝐙 𝐄 𝐏 𝐀 𝐖
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xx10 moons old ⟶ apprentice ⟶ she-cat ⟶ mentor; swancrest ⟶ interest; open ⟶ location; camp ⟶ mood; angry/upset
xxtagged; swancrest, fiercegaze
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Turning her head to see her mentor, she tilted her head but her flicking tail tip was obvious that she simply couldn't wait any longer when she was practically itching to start the day or really, start anything. She was grateful that she'd be on a border patrol with her mentor, when the warrior started up her yowling racket. She didn't bother to hide her anger, lashing her tail at her words. Fiercegaze just really wanted to pick a fight, didn't she? That was her best friend she was insulting! With her ears practically pinned to her head and her eyes like daggers, she couldn't help but sneak a glance at Pikepaw, worried for her since she was half-rogue.

She opened her own mouth to make a remark when Buzzardclaw cut her to the chase, quickly shutting it as he reprimanded her before Ashstar continued it. She was quite disappointed the older tom didn't continue, she would've very much liked to see Fiercegaze be scolded like a kit. Although Pebblestripe's reasoning with her seemed to calm her down, she was still bitter over her outburst.

Narrowing her eyes at the warrior, she was tempted to beg her mentor for her not to come on the patrol. Especially with how she was acting. Blazepaw herself could be a kittypet or a rogue, she didn't know, she was taken in the clan regardless. She didn't bother to hide the anger that made her lip curl when Fiercegaze made her way towards them, practically grinding her teeth to keep in a low growl. "I can name plenty." She remarked in a low voice, before continuing in a louder voice. Even if her mentor would be upset with her later, it would be worth it.

"Like that you might not want to be near me, I might be part-rogue, like half of this clan!" She momentarily tried to bite her tongue, but she didn't really want to. If she didn't say anything now, then she would be tempted to claw her face if Swancrest allowed her on the patrol. "You practically insulted half the clan with what you said, so maybe do everyone a favor and keep your mouth shut from now on." She kept her gaze on the older cat, although her thoughts were mostly if her best friend was doing alright. Usually Blazepaw made a few smart and maybe a little snippy comments, but it was clear that what Firecegaze had said had practically ruined any possible friendship between the two.

[yeeee.]

Ａｓｈｓｔａｒ
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|53 moons| ◆ |leader| ◆ |location : highrock| ◆ |w/ no one (open) // mentions Rushwing, Fiercegaze, Pebblestripe & Bitterfang|

Ashstar was not one to be infuriated. It wasn't as if it was just extremely difficult to do, it was borderline impossible. Sometimes the Russian blue wondered if was normal to have such control over you emotions, as if a switch could be just flipped and they could be turned off, immune to whatever circumstances happened to be at paw. It was times like these he could feel his switch being played with. What he offered was - in his opinion - a completely valid, and thorough explanation. More of one could be granted, but as the leader of the clan - one who had ultimately guided his clan through times difficult and prosperous for nearly twenty moons - he did not think one would necessarily be needed. His words was not law, and what he stated was open to be talked about. But in a respectful manner. And what more of an explanation could there be? At that point, he would not be speaking from facts and the code, but from a standpoint of emotions. Something he had never been good at, and found to be unnecessary in this particular scenario.

But it didn't come to that. Instead, Fiercegaze ignored his explanation. It irritated this tom to no end. No, it beyond irritated him. She had the audacity to not merely disrespect him, but also his deputy, and then yowl back at the tom she was arguing with when he had just ordered silence. It did not help that the obnoxious Buzzardclaw had opened his mouth, but still. The leader's word demanded respect, and yet, it was not what he was receiving. Ashstar felt a rare spike of anger course through his slate grey pelt, and at that instance, the leader was about to come down from his rock and deal with this issue, face to face. If his words did not carry the weight they should, then perhaps his physicality - his presence - would. As Fiercegaze brewed there, ready to blow - once again sparked by the words of another feline that should have departed on patrol anyway - Pebblestripe approached her, and spoke to her. Basically, she said what Ashstar said, but perhaps in a more... personable way. And that calmed the irate molly down enough for her to stop yowling her rage to the clan.

At that point, the angered Russian blue felt some of his anger disseminate. Immediately, he began to analyze what had just happened. Why had it happened? Had he truly not explained it thoroughly enough, or had Fiercegaze simply not respected him? But quickly, as always, the tom came to a relatively reasonable conclusion. It had nothing to do with my authority - the other cats silenced when called upon. It's my stance. I must've come across as cold, and dismissive. That must've sparked her anger even more rather than stem it, in spite of what I said. My authority still must be respected, as without it, truly terrible things will happen to this clan. But, perhaps my disposition is a bit... of-putting in this situation. Next time, I will welcome objections, and deal with each one directly so it will not come to a battle of emotion and desperation. My clan's opinions are important, and if I stifle them, it will cause unease and misery. I need each cat to understand fully understand my actions. I will not allow them to undermine my authority of force me to explain my each move, but for certain things, I will try to be a bit more... accessible. Or, better yet, let Rushwing handle it. As leaf-bare approaches, we must remain unified, as it will take the strength of each individual cat to survive. I will ensure that happens.

Ashstar watched the fierce silver molly pad over to Swancrest and start talking to her. All anger gone and situation thoroughly evaluated, the gray tom leapt down from his rock, thankful for that rather eventful clan meeting to be over with. As he did, he heard his deputy mew his thanks. In turn, Ashstar nodded in response to his deputy, knowing he'd have plenty of time to discuss this with him - and much more - rather soon. Instead of mentioning it now, the leader figured it was best to let his deputy lead his patrol. It was so rare to see Rushwing actually angry, and that just solidified how out of line Fiercegaze was. To get one of the most patient toms' in the clan bristling first thing in the morning was an accomplishment, one that she should definitely not be proud of. For now, the slate grey tom decided he would watch the camp to ensure everything else went smoothly. After all, Fiercegaze had ruffled a few pelts, and he did not want that to ruin the typical flow of the camp. After a few minutes of steady observation, the leader remembered something - he needed to talk with Bitterfang. But it seemed that at the moment Bitterfang was swamped with visitors, so the stoic leader decided he would wait. But at some point, he would need to speak to the older tom. It was important to ask if the medicine cat was well-stocked, which typically wasn't his concern. But there was more.

It had been moons since Thurshclan had experienced their last true trial, or major conflict. Ashstar had always been paranoid. So, he wanted to know, had the tom had any strange dreams lately? Probably not. But with so many rogues appearing at once, surely something might be amiss. Since there were no other clans, the medicine cats' Moonpool meetings had since ceased. Maybe it was time to visit and make sure that there weren't messages waiting.

If only Ashstar knew what was to come. Not even Starclan would be able to protect the last clan standing.

Ｂｕｚｚａｒｄｃｌａｗ
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|48 moons| ◆ |warrior| ◆ |location : the forest| ◆ |w/ Pikepaw, Fawnpaw, Tigertalon, Blackpaw (mentions Fiercegaze & Pebblestripe)|

To say he was angry was an understatement of outstanding proportions.

Buzzardclaw was livid. The older warrior could upset at times, yes. When his clanmates did not carry their weight, or did something foolish. But this, this was beyond foolish. The patrol should have been left, in his most honest opinion. And yet here the grizzled warrior was, standing at the broad entrance that would lead him out of camp, and subsequently away from this hare-brained dispute, forced to witness the last embers die out. What a waste of time this entire "debate" had been! And not because it was an argument, oh no, that was not it at all. It was that fact that not only had precious time been taken away from patrols, but the fact that there had been no real resolution. The tom knew this, because as he stood there, Fiercegaze just had to get in the last words. Experience and prudence for the clan? As if you have more experience than me. As if you know better than me, who has seen almost twice as many moons as you. And if not me, the deputy. But no. And once again, talking as if you walked among the stars when that happened - you grandmother probably was not even alive then! and then she had the audacity to bring Shadowclaw in it - Shadowclaw! The warrior was rather serious and hardworking, and her heritage was a very sore spot for her. It was something she could not help, but she had worked hard to overcome that shadow over her legacy. Although Buzzardclaw was not very close with her, he did note Shadowclaw was a solid warrior, as she actually did her tasks and did not dally about running her mouth, like some cats. And then, to add even more insult, she had also indirectly insulted his own apprentice, who was half-rogue herself. And probably half the clan, to be honest - since there was only one clan, of course there were going to be warriors with loner/rogue heritage, because there was literally no other "pure" warrior blood around! Attacking her own clanmates' heritage, acting as if reasonable, direct orders are up for debate - this molly is goin' to cause some serious problems down the road if someone doesn't rope her tongue in real quick. It wasn't his job to play "kitsitter", but he'd be darned if he let Fiercegaze slowly claw away at the reason and morale of this clan. Gritted his teeth, the scarred tom turned his head from the wonderful scene of tranquil forest in front of him, back to face Fiercegaze. A mistake on his part.

The silver molly was just strutting off, head held high. As if her body language alone was not enough of an indication that she thought she had won some prize by disturbing the clans' peace, she walked a safe distance away and lashed her tail. At this point, Buzzardclaw released a poor veiled snarl, his wicked claws sinking into the cool, peaty earth. The pure audacity of this molly, to disrespect authority - that hadn't made a mistake yet, mind you - and even then act as if she were better than him. That little tail lash was daring him to say something, as if his opinion and experience were somehow subpar to her own. The scraggly tom opened his mouth again, this time ready to end this debate with his next words. However, before the fury driven words could escape his scarred throat, Pebblestripe stepped forward. The silver molly was one of the warriors Buzzardclaw had genuine respect for, as she had the ability to calm situations quickly spiraling out of paw... like this one. As the older molly disagreed and then respectfully yet firmly explained her position, somehow Fiercegaze calmed down. Thank Starclan Pebblestripe has the patience to quiet this harebrained kitten down. If she kept running her tongue Starclan only knows what would have happened. Dispute calmed for now, the older warrior turned his attention to where it should've been in the first place - his warrior duties. But that would not be the end of this little "disagreement. Oh no, Buzzardclaw knew better than that. It would come up later, hopefully when he did not have a more important task in front of him and could end it once and for all.

Thankfully, the rest of his patrol gathered relatively quickly. The sly midnight apprentice, Blackpaw, mosied over to him in slow motion, an innocent smile - that the warrior knew was anything but innocent - plastered over her muzzle. Buzzardclaw did not like the apprentice. Not one lick. She was lazy and a liar, two things he could not stand. So how to handle her? Typically the older warrior did not hold others to his standards, as he knew it was impossible to force others to do the same as himself. So, he tried to lead by example most of the time. Work hard, and others will follow, right? Well, that applied to warriors. Apprentices' were a whole different situation. It was his job, as a warrior, to help instruct her on how to be a warrior.Even if she was not his own apprentice, he still played a role in her development, as he could see her skills with a fresh gaze and help her mentor, Acornheart, figure out a plan for her. And from what he had seen? Even before Fiercegaze had gotten him riled up, the sly apprentice had it coming to her. Her laziness, disobedience and perchance for lying was unacceptable. But now? When Buzzardclaw was so angry he could cursed out half the clan? Blackpaw was going to be on the receiving end of the tom's ire.

After her sassy little remark, Buzzardclaw focused his attention single dark brown eye narrowed and whiskers twitching, "At the rate your moving I'm gonna lose my other eye, all my whiskers and have the fur offa my hide." After analyzing her for a second longer, the tom leaned in, making sure the warning he had to offer was for her ears, and her ears alone. "A bit early for a morning stroll, innit?" the tom sighed, not even bothering to hide his displeasure, before continuing. You may slack off around the others and cause mischief like a sly little crow, dragging yer paws and rolling yer eyes when it's time to do actual work. But your laziness 'n mischief today could cost the clan an' important meal. So you best believe I'll be watching you like a hawk, and everything you do will make it back to Acornheart. So make sure it's good things." Unwavering with his stare, the senior warrior made eye contact with Blackpaw, letting his words sink in. The senior tom heavily considered stating more, but decided nah, less was more. Let's see what the apprentice did. If she did something foolish, he would be sure to give her a punishment befitting of the crime. Surely she had learned her lesson around him, and the weight of his words would do enough on his own. But if not, oooh if it did not, Buzzardclaw would be sure to make her pay for her foolishness, so in the long run the clan wouldn't have to.


Out of all of the apprentices, Buzzardclaw believed Blackpaw needed the most help. Laziness, deceitfulness and, ironically, rudeness were three of his pet peeves, and all were wrapped up within Blackpaw. If someone didn't do something soon, she would be stuck in a very difficult spot. If she messes up once, I am going to make her regret it. I could give her a little "warning" before we leave, but there's no point. The scraggly tom sighed. This was going to be a difficult patrol, as he was not going to slack on Blackpaw. If she was with him, then she'd be held to a similar standard of Pikepaw. It was imperative Blackpaw became a decent warrior, and if she hated him in the process, then fine. It was a price he was willing to pay. It was his duty to make sure his clan did well while he was here, not to be everyone's little friend.

It was at this time Tigertalon arrived. "sorry buzzardclaw" the handsome stripped tom mewed as he bounced up, his entire lean body literally trembling with energy. His little tick - his ear flicking - was going crazy. That noted, the senior warrior acknowledged his apology with a simple tail flick, electing to do a marvelous act - keep his mouth shut. At this point, Buzzardclaw knew the best thing to do was to use his anger to actually do something productive. He'd done enough damage with his coarse words already. "Morning Tigertalon, though nothing has happened yet make this morning particularly "great"," the tom grunted, the bitter taste of Fiercegaze's argument still fresh on his tongue.

Directing his attention elsewhere, the warrior began to think about what was about to happen. This was a patrol where he needed to be attentive, because should a dire situation arise, his experience would be quite helpful solving it. So it wasn't as if he could get lost in his own head and just go on automatic, hunting to his full desires - his warrior duties were not merely to provide a good catch, but to provide feedback to the apprentices and be fully present. Provide feedback to the apprentices. That quickly, the tom remember had Fawnpaw had interrupted him asking Pikepaw what was wrong. She had given him the small, a little indication to 'talk later' but the tom could not stifle the dreadful feeling of worry in his chest. He glanced at his apprentice, giving her one last glance. She still looked pretty rough, as Pikepaw had never been one good at hiding her feelings. But at the very least, she was not crying any more. "If I see anything wrong in the slightest, I will pull her aside and confront her. But it's not like I can do it discreetly at the moment, and I'm sure I'd embarrass her if I did it now.

Turning back towards the entrance, the older tom mewed in response to Fawnpaw, "The heart of the Hunting Grounds. In other circumstances, I would let us hunt around it an' potentially test out yer nose, Fawnpaw. However, given that leaf-bare is mere sunrises away and loners are running amok, it's the safest route an' best use of our time if we go to the most prey-dense area. Make no mistake, your tracking skills will still be tested, but today will be as simple and hopefully, standard as possible." Glancing over the patrol, the scraggly warrior looked so angry - which he was! - but it was slowly fading into motivation. His single eye danced over the cats, never belying his true thoughts. I will bring back enough prey to feed the entire clan, and give everyone back safe. That's what's gonna happen.

"Let's get moving - this prey isn't gonna catch itself. Stay lively, don't stray more than three foxleaps apart, and let me know if you so much as see a strange pawprint." With that, Buzzardclaw briskly trotted out of the camp, ready to be at the hunting grounds already. As they finally emerged into the territory and everyone spread out a little bit, the scraggly tom cast a glance at Pikepaw, slowing his pace ever so slightly. Are you sure your okay?

Ｍｉｎｎｏｗｐａｗ
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|6 moons| ◆ |apprentice| ◆ |location : leaving camp| ◆ |w/creekgorse, acornheart, rushwing (mentions Fiercegaze)|

She was just so, so, so excited. This was practically the best day of her incredibly short life. She got to go on a patrol with her mentor, her favorite cat, and the deputy! While Rushwing was an authority figure and she tried to show him the ultimate respect, he was so much fun to be around the molly felt more eagerness and excitement that nervousness in his presence. He brought an energy to the group that seemed to cheer up the most gloomy of cats. Yet, even the typically oblivious molly could feel a cloud hanging over the group of cats when she asked her question. Immediately, the silver molly wished she'd phrased it differently or waited - she did not want to annoy anyone, although curiosity and concern gnawed at her. There was a very real chance that they would come face to face with a loner, and Minnowpaw had been told how to act by her mentor. Yet, the young molly could not help but wonder if there was truth to Fiercegaze's words. After all, she was a fully-fledged warrior, and from the way she spoke it was as if she had dealt with many a loner before. And her mother's murder... the mere thought of it made the young apprentice's stomach churned. Minnowpaw had not know her Fiercegaze's mother had been murdered in the camp, as she was not in existence when it happened, and it was not really something talked about over a nice meal. Were loners to blame for that? Minnowpaw wondered. And yet, even the usually nosy molly was scared to ask. It was such a fresh wound, obvious to even the young molly due to the way Fiercegaze had spoken. If they were, then how did they know the same thing would not happen with these loners?

Minnowpaw could feel the joviality of the group shift with her question. Rushwing, who had just been playfully prodding her and purring, fell silent. But only for a second, before he answered her question, thankfully not sounding too annoyed. "absolutely not. there is a fine line within the warrior code that we must follow. what fiercegaze was suggesting is plain reckless and boarder-line rouge-like itself. we do not attack cats who have done no harm to us. if they were to attack one of us or seem to try and take territory from our lands, then yes, we would form a patrol to go and chase them off. but we will not be risking our lives and blood over some harmless loners who have done nothing as of yet. Minnowpaw nodded, trying to understand exactly what the deputy was saying. Then her own mentor, Creekgorse, pipped in, simplifying things in Minnowpaw's mind. With a gentle touch to ear, as if to emphasize the point, the silver molly nodded, her own baby blue eyes gleaming as they met her mentor's proud brown ones.

As Rushwing noted that allegiances were good, Minnowpaw then fell silent and still as she processed the information delivered to her, her little muzzle scrunching up with effort. There is a fine line within the warrior code that we follow? I-is it something I'll know when I get to it? I won't mess up, will I? And well, Fiercegaze did sound a bit reckless... I guess trying to deal with a problem that isn't there is just impossible. Th-th-the darkforest? The young molly felt her blood run cold. Minnowpaw had only ever heard her mother, Heroneye, mention the Dark Forest. It was a place where the most evil of souls went. Cats who murdered in cold blood, cats who lied and manipulated to achieve their own pleasure and dreams, cats who completely destroyed the livelihood of others for nothing more than a laugh. So, it's better to make peace than fight. That makes sense. After all, fighting does not mean cats come to an agreement, right? It basically just means everyone gets mad to the point it comes to blows, and then maybe if they calm down they can agree on something. Ugh, it's so confusing - hopefully it will make sense when I'm older!

Straightening up, the silver molly nodded eagerly, mewing, "I understand. Thanks for explaining it to me!" As the tom finally announced they were heading out, the apprentice found herself once again quivering with energy. She had never met a loner before, and now that she thought about it, they should have wonderful stories to tell - after all, loners did not really have a place to call home, right? That's why they intruded on clan land, to find shelter and food. Who knew what amazing places these loners might have gone, and if they were friendly, maybe she could find out for herself. Now if I do a good job of finding these loners, then I can show of what Creekgorse taught me, impress Rushwing and possibly make a new friend! But still, the question lingered in her mind. Heroneye had mentioned so many different types of Dark Forest cats. While doing so, she had mentioned some of them were exceptionally smart and cunning. How would they know if one of these cats joined the clan? And what will we do? She had so many questions! Her eyes darted from cat to cat, so wide and eager they were practically overflowing with curiosity. But Minnowpaw knew she could not waste all of the warriors' time with these questions. No, she had to do what was asked of her and find these loners. Rushwing is super nice and Ashstar can survive literally anything! Surely whatever comes our way we can handle. I just need to do my part so that everything to go smoothly! At this point the molly fell in line behind the deputy, silent yet bubbling with excitement and curiosity.

[jaculus]

blackpaw !
▸ mentions tigertalon ▸ tags buzzardclaw, pikepaw, fawnpaw
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a concoction of excitement, defiance, and hesitance bristled through blackpaw’s pelt, her little black nose scrunching up with a delicate confusion. the midnight she-cat chose her next words to buzzardclaw with thinly veiled care, feeling the crackle of the thin ice she was treading. the older tom’s intensity seemed to blistering a tad more than usual. the gaze of his one steely eye seemed overbearing, a challenge and a promise to strike back at the next words should she choose to engage him in this battle of wills. but no matter, blackpaw wasn’t foolish enough to pick petty exchanges where her chances were slim to none. clearly, a piece was missing here, a factor she had failed to be present for.

”you should come catch the sunrise with me sometime, buzzardclaw.” blackpaw gave him a cheerful twitch of her ears, a glimmer of mirth in her deep green eyes. ”and no worries. you know me, never a bother. besides, i do love a good analogy. perhaps ashstar will name me blackcrow!” she held her tongue there, feeling herself nimbly on the edge of his ire. blackpaw often thought of herself as a dancer of sorts but instead of the dance of battle and bloodshed, she weaved with her words, often on the edges of others’ tempers and comfort. undoubtedly, she could channel her propensity for scheming and cunning problem-solving into more noble endeavors but those thoughts had yet to even formulate in her mind. in the bigger picture, however, where else would she seek out the thrill and excitement her conniving mind provided her?

drawing back, the tall apprentice took the other members of the hunting party. there was energetic tigertalon, a sight that drew a slight mischievous twitch of her tail. they were often schemers in crime and she more than appreciated his sunny and rather trusting disposition.

”good morning, blackpaw!” fawnpaw broke in blackpaw’s thoughts, drawing her green eyes to the dappled she-cat and the fiery pikepaw closeby. ah, pikepaw. blackpaw pushed aside her bristling thoughts, turning towards the two fellow apprentices. ”morning!” she purred back. undoubtedly, one of the apprentices had noticed her empty nest as the morning peeked into the apprentices’ den and it more than highly unusual that blackpaw was not the last apprentice to wake. she was typically an immovable rock, cocooned in her nest. trying to bypass any possible questions, the midnight apprentice gave the two a curious gaze. ”who put a thorn in buzzardclaw’s nest this morning?” she gave a shake of her unkempt pelt, amusement dancing on her words. her eyes swept over pikepaw’s fluffed up fur, an air of moodiness around her. another edge to dance around.

[Captain. A. Stark.]

❝ ━ ━ 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐏𝐀𝐖x ━ ☽
xxROLE APPRENTICE xx MENTOR POPPYSTRSIKE xx LOCATION TERRITORY xx MENTIONS NONE xxTAGGED POPPYSTRIKE

indentbatpaw's nose twitched as he saw poppystrike's mouth open to start speaking, his tail waving anxiously in the air as he chortled in relief at her response. he was glad he didn’t have a different mentor - he wouldn’t want anyone else. she seemed to understand his hectic personality and what he felt was wrong about himself. she was always ready to listen when he needed her to. the male followed her, small paws almost moving at the trajectory of a quadratic - seeming to bounce as he moved. his mother used to say that she rarely saw him “walk,” he was either jumping around, he was running, or he wasn’t doing anything at all. he supposed in a way, that was accurate, but he didn’t like to think about fawntuft. she was a sensitive topic for him - the molly had neglected him and left him at a tender age when he was depending on her the most. the grief of his father’s death on the thunderpath had completely violated his positive feelings, he had been counting on his mother to support him and help him overcome the loss. but it seemed that the dreaded feeling had lead her to a veracity greater than his own. she had just abandoned the problem whole, walking away from her kit like a cat would walk away from crowfood. that was how he had felt at that moment.. just like an unwanted piece of prey. nobody wanted it because they found it repulsive. he found that all had worked out eventually though, his mother had found a place with her newfound love, now skirting around the forest and other two-leg areas with a burly rogue. lucky for him, he had turned an apprentice shortly after that, so self maintenance was just around the bend. the dame that had raised him had simply changed her life while he changed his mind, and although he would always be mad at her, and in fact didn’t even like seeing her, he couldn’t hold it against her too much. he tried not to think about her. the tom shook his whole body, as if it would eradicate the thought entirely as he gulped, continuing to dance behind his mentor as they traveled out of camp and into the mouth of the forest. he thought of their territory almost like a hungry beast, and they lived right in the belly. it demanded protection, but in turn provided them with shelter and food - of course, this wasn’t entirely accurate, but he liked making up metaphors. it helped him feel so much more insightful and wiser than he actually was… not that he wanted to be or act like an elder at such an early age. his time would come, but the feeling was nice. “unofficial?” he questioned, cocking his head slightly as he drifted a little faster to pad beside poppystrike. “well, all cats need to focus to focus on their duties. even warriors, but they’re allowed to have mates and kits. perhaps it’s because there are so many warriors, and at a majority, two medicine cats. what if we had medicine cats, or if warriors had more medicinal knowledge? it could be a required part of training so all cats will have a chance to do everything except maybe be a leader and a deputy in their lifetime.” he queried mildly, getting a little lost in his thoughts. although.. it wasn’t a bad idea, but he knew that poppystrike’s answer would most likely support tradition.

indentthe clans have been running on a fiscal warrior code the whole time they ran, that there would be different roles for everyone in the clan. never had he heard of someone being both at the same time, although he had heard tales of medicine cats having kits. it only led to shame in the clan - and most said that starclan would also disapprove. but it was weird. starclan was there to support and guide cats as they went through their life - why wouldn’t they support change? everything had to adapt at some point, he was quite sure that his ancestors did as well. it wasn’t correct to question starclan, which was why he never said it aloud, but it would always baffle him. he felt himself shaking his pelt again, a common action which indicated he was thinking unsafe thoughts. looking up, batpaw felt the slight droplets of early morning dew splash against his pink nose and ears, making him move uncomfortably as his thick pelt fluffed up gently. he felt like a giant poofball, walking through the forest with a pretty molly beside him. if he was watching himself through the eyes of a rogue or a kittypet, he would’ve laughed his mousebrained heart out. there was no need to be embarrassed though, there weren’t any cats around to tease or judge him for something he couldn’t exactly control. besides, it would most likely smooth down by itself by the time they returned to camp. the youngster’s ears suddenly pricked, as his waving tail came to a stop high in the air, claws shuffled to hold his place in the ground. he smelled something.. his stomach seemed to sense the same thing because it let out a low growl, making whatever that was hiding in the nearby bush completely scatter. with a frustrated snarl, his eyes flashed maliciously, before darting off to find it. there was no way he was letting prey go, just because he did something idiotic. he would catch that thing. the apprentice’s body agilely crashed through the various shrubbery, chasing the poor animal until he couldn’t anymore. his legs suddenly felt very heavy, and burned as if they were on fire, breaths coming out in quick paced gulps for air. the small cat collapsed face first into the ground - letting out a small “oof” as he fell. he felt as if he had been lit on fire with a torch of shame.. he should’ve been able to catch it. the tom huffed with anger and self disappointment, turning on his back with his belly exposed to the sun, tired out as he waited for poppystrike to catch up. as soon as he caught her in his peripheral vision, he jumped up, shaking out his fur of dirt and moss clinging to it “poppy..poppystrike, i thought i had it. it got away though, i’m sorry for running away but running away made me realize something.. i’m not a very good runner. i can’t run for very long..” he sighed, licking away a leaf that he spotted on his front leg, before his golden orbs flicked up again. “perhaps it’s my thick pelt or my short legs, but either way, i want to know how i can run.. like really really fast.” he grinned, disappointment melting away in a candle of newfound hope and optimism. that was what he was like.. once he was setback, he always tried to rebound with twice the positivity and four times the cattitude.

[bunsniff]

PATCHWATCHER >> mentions; ashstar, fiercegaze
Patchwatcher continued to calculate the cats around him--specifically his leader Ashstar. He could tell much was on the tom's mind, but he didn't dare approach to bother him, nor did he try and make it obvious he was keeping an eye on him. He understood that quite the many pelts were ruffled this morning, but different opinions are rogues had always been a part of the clan--just not so viciously spoken out loud. He flicked his tail and grinned at remembering Fiercegaze's spat. Sure, she had irritated the leader--and Patchwatcher had too--but he quite liked how outspoken she was.

CREEKGORSE >> apprentice; minnowpaw // with; the patrol
Creekgorse tried his best to shake off the discussions that had been made in the camp. Keeping that on his mind truly wouldn't help their cause. He needed to move past it and been the best warrior and mentor he could be. He kept his eyes ahead and flexed his muscles beneath his pelt as he prepared for what they would find. He hoped whatever happened, it would end auspiciously for everyone.

ASHSHADE >> tags; shadowclaw, pixie, ashstar
Ashshade felt anxiety at the idea of facing the clan alone with the news of bringing a rogue into camp--especially after the outburst that had taken place shortly before. But he had to do this, he promised to help his clan-mate. He warily looked at Pixie and nodded his head slowly when he understood she indeed needed their help. "I will try my best, Shadowclaw." He paused momentarily and began to pad ahead in the direction of camp. "I will try to get their before you two so I can hopefully get a hold of Ashstar." With that, he dashed forward, his red coat mixing well with his surroundings. He soon made it to camp with Shadowclaw still helping Pixie limp her way to camp. He was somewhat panting after the run, but he soon spotted his leader looking like he was in deep thought. Sadly, Ashshade would have to interrupt that. "Ashstar." He called the tom's name as softly as he could without gathering too much attention. "I need to speak to you... About something fairly important." He soon was several inches away from his leader as he lowered his voice to a hushed tone, knowing Shadowclaw and Pixie could come into the camp and start chaos at any moment.