[mochi]

Originally Posted by hxneysuckle

[ OPEN ]

The sun hurt his eyes.
He hadn't been out of the Apprentice's den in multiple days. His pupils were narrowed, lids lowered in a squint. His lopsided, swollen lips were pulled back in a grimace. Yellowed teeth glinting in the bright light, Hogpaw finally retreated from his safety in the den in order to force himself to eat. He hadn't done so in a while- his stomach had been growling and growling non-stop, forcing him from his nest and into the outside world. Hogpaw didn't want to go out. He hated the looks the Clan gave him, the disgusted sneers aimed at him. He was ugly. He was a monster. A cream-colored disgrace plastered in mud.
No matter how hungry he was, he was always fat. His snout was deformed, his pelt stinking of mold and rotten hare. Hogpaw looked down at his paws, avoiding the gaze of his Clanmates. Silently, he dragged himself to the fresh-kill pile, picking up the scrawniest piece of prey he could find before moving back to the shadows. He hid within them, hoping others could not see him as he ate. Due to his overbite, every chew sent food flying over his chin, chest, and paws, making a large mess. He barely took a few bites before he felt full. He pushed the half-eaten prey away from him and crouched down, looking around the clearing.
Off on the opposite side of the camp, Hogpaw spotted a fellow WindClan cat sitting alone. His ears perked and he stood, taking a deep, snort-like breath. Maybe, if he kept them some company, they would like him? Maybe they weren't like the others. Maybe.
Hogpaw pulled himself to his full height and began his journey over to the lonesome feline. He sat down near them, giving the biggest smile he could manage, showing off all of his yellowed, rotten teeth. After a few heartbeats, the ugly tom began to speak, visibly trying to pronounce words clearly.
"Hello! You looked lonely, tho I thought you would like a friend. How hath your day been?" he inquired, trying not to cringe as his lisp became worse than ever. He looked at his Clanmate with a hopeful stare, hoping desperately that they would not abandon him just like all the others. Cowpaw, his best friend, hadn't spoken to him in moons. Boulderstrike, his mentor, went missing.
He just wanted a friend.

Rosepaw
Stupid mentor. The apprentice growled inwardly as he bent over, twisting his spine to get to the clump of dirt on his haunches. Stupid dirt. He spat out the cluster, glowering at the taste of dust and grass on his tongue. His guts churned with hatred as sharp chartreuse eyes scanned the rest of his creamy, reddish-brown pelt for any more imperfections. His mentor just loved to see him squirm around in the mud and blemish his beautiful coat. The harsh words and occasional beating left him with an exceedingly foul taste on his tongue, even worse than the dirt. All because Rosepaw couldn't do anything about it. He was still only a weak apprentice after all.

Delicate, pointed ears twitched as the sound of pawsteps neared him and stopped not too far away. The apprentice slowly turned his head to rest a barbed, unwelcoming glare on the newcomer. Hogpaw. Rosepaw leaned away from the horrid smelling tom, not bothering to hide the look of pure disgust on his face at the other apprentice's revolting smile. The more Hogpaw spoke with that signature lisp and disgusting overbite of his, the more a loathing snarl grew across Rosepaw's face, crinkling his petite nose and revealing the sharp white point of a canine. "Awful, now that that you showed up." He hissed, getting to his paws and lashing his tail behind him aggressively. "Wait, no." He corrected himself, padding a half circle around the other tom, his head still reared back from the stench that rolled off in waves from Hogpaw. "It was already bad, you just made it worse." With that, Rosepaw turned and stalked away from the other apprentice, the disgusted scowl never once leaving his attractive features. He may still only be a weak apprentice that couldn't do anything about his mentor, but that didn't mean he had to suffer through an interaction with that thing.