SkyClan Territory

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

The ebony feline’s whisker twitched in amusement as the tom’s jaw dropped and his prey fell to the ground. With her rank, Auroraflame had received interesting reactions from the younger cats before, but this one was new to her. “Well, I’ve certainly seen bigger catches made by an apprentice, but for a new one like you, it’s good,” Auroraflame said, giving the tom a warm smile. She wasn’t going to lie and say that he’d just made one of the biggest catches she’d ever seen, but she would say the truth, and just try not to be so harsh about it. She wanted to him to be proud of himself and what he had done, but she needed to motivate him to do better at the same time.
“I remember your ceremony. I see that Hawkstorm has already done well to teach you,” Auroraflame remarked. The she-cat had a pretty good memory. She could remember lots of things, yet there were time where she would forget the smallest of things. Small, but important things. Ceremonies were something she did her best not to forget, whether she was involved, or not. The naming of a new warrior or apprentice was always a joy for everyone, and Auroraflame found that it was a great way to remember everyone’s name. The inky deputy was one of those cats who tried to remember the names of every single clan mate. With a big clan, cats constantly being ranked up, and new kits, she would often struggle to remember names. But ceremonies were her tactic, and so was patrols.
“Has Hawkstorm taught you anything else yet?” Auroraflame asked suddenly. She had lots of time on her paws right now, so she might as well use it to assess the skills of this apprentice. She wanted to know where he was at with his training, even if he was still young. Perhaps she would do some revision on her training with Chirppaw. The young she-cat was a fast learner, but she got easily distracted with the state of her pelt. It could become quite frustrating at times, but there was nothing she could do about it. She could only hope that as a warrior, Chirppaw wouldn’t care as much about her pelt as she did now. After all, it was a good thing to want to look presentable and pretty, but if it wasn’t good to worry too much about appearances, as it would get in the way.

Timberpaw had been proud. Very proud...until she uttered those words. So, his defenses kicked in. The tom stared down at his catch for a moment, an unreadable gaze in his eyes as he pawed at the small bird. It was small. Yet, it had appeared so big when he first caught it. So, amazingly large. Now, that the deputy talked of it being small - and that she seen bigger, that fueled him on. ''I could had caught something bigger. Definitely a lot bigger prey out there - but, you know, it's the thought that counts. I'm satisfied that I caught something that could feed the clan.'' Even if it were very little. Which was something he didn't want to add. He wanted to remain proud that he was helping out with the clan. He was still a beginning apprentice, and Hawkstorm had told him to start out ''one step at a time'' Timberpaw was that type who wanted to perfect everything on the first try. Not fail. He didn't like the quote: practice makes perfect.

Timberpaw briskly nodded his head at her next words, a slight close of his eyes. He was satisfied with his current mentor, and the type of training he was receiving. It was small training, but Timberpaw usually liked to excel in everything. Hawkstorm wanted to teach him slowly. Just so he could get the hang of everything, but Timberpaw knew he was doing well. ''That is correct.'' He answered, respectively. ''I really enjoy him as my mentor.'' He added.

Auroraflame had asked him if Hawkstorm taught him anything else yet. Timberpaw recently had just became an apprentice and started his training a few sunrises ago. So, the young tom shook his head, his pelt rustling gently along with the action. ''He have not taught me anything except the basics of hunting.'' He nudged down to his kill to indicate his skills. No, Timberpaw haven't learned any battling moves yet, nor did he know much moral skills. But, they were bound to happen. Though Hawkstorm was more of the mentor who liked to play around. Try to get Timberpaw to open up more instead of appearing as a melancholy robot of some sort. Everything to Timberpaw was about straightforwardness; work.

[SuspiciousMindz]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The purr that came from the she cat set a bright smile on the tom's features. He was quite obviously pleased with her reaction. Though for whatever reason, it appeared that he wasn't quite that happy a moment later. "And why is that, hm?" Blazingcomet asked with his flirtatious purr. The sudden tone in her voice, sounding almost upset, made him curious. And frustrated. Did she already have an interest, or a mate? Or worse, someone she didn't know she was in love with? Ah, that was the worst. Especially when the tom was so close. But in this moment, he knew he had to have her. Had to win her heart so he could proudly remark on it later. Had to be the keeper of her heart, and he would keep it - right up until he got bored. He needed something exciting in his life, after all, because to be honest? Drizzleshard was getting boring. "Is something wrong, my little yellow rose Petal?" 'Yellow rose Petal.' It sounded almost as though he already considered her to be his own. Yes, the orange tom could get quite posessive, and not everything he said sounded as neat as he thought. But maybe - just maybe - he could win her heart through this.

Petal gave a small shrug before deciding that it was better she just spoke up. "I knew one of you clan cats before. He had to sneak out to see me, he told me he couldn't be around me. Isn't that the same with you?" she inquired, her round green hues focused on him, a hurt emotion in the back of them. They were clear, you could see her hurt about the loss of that friend -- or more than a friend. She waited a few heart beats before continuing. "Like, isn't it a rule, you cannot come see domesticated cats like myself?" she asked. "Don't lie to me," she finished, her tail thumped on the ground a few times. She hated lies and she'd know if he lied. The small feline waited now, the anxiety welling up in her chest.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Suspiciousmindz

Petal gave a small shrug before deciding that it was better she just spoke up. "I knew one of you clan cats before. He had to sneak out to see me, he told me he couldn't be around me. Isn't that the same with you?" she inquired, her round green hues focused on him, a hurt emotion in the back of them. They were clear, you could see her hurt about the loss of that friend -- or more than a friend. She waited a few heart beats before continuing. "Like, isn't it a rule, you cannot come see domesticated cats like myself?" she asked. "Don't lie to me," she finished, her tail thumped on the ground a few times. She hated lies and she'd know if he lied. The small feline waited now, the anxiety welling up in her chest.

Uh-oh. This was a code red for Blazingcomet, and he needed to do something about it fast. "Ah, um..." The tom's voice trailed off and he thought fast. Going to see a domesticated cat - let's see, what was something believable and short that would get her attention again? "Well, you would be well worth the risk. And besides - rules were made to be broken." The tom gave her a charming smile, hoping that she would buy his flirtatious comment. Petal seemed like the type to want to believe those things - and besides, Blazingcomet was sort of hoping to see the other she cat again. Drizzleshard most definitely would not approve of him sneaking around behind her back like this. And yet... he was beginning to grow tired of his mate. So what was wrong with having a little fun in the meantime?

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by SamCats

Dawnpaw listened intently to her mentor's words, ears pricked and eyes wide open and alight with excitement. She mulled over his question for a moment; she'd wanted to be a warrior most because it meant that she could fight to protect her Clan. Of course, hunting was important too, and she'd be just as determined to feed her Clanmates, but...

"Can we try fighting first?" She meowed as politely as she could, not wanting her eagerness to come off as obnoxious or annoying. She was smart enough to know that if her mentor liked her, they'd be more willing to help her, meaning that she'd probably complete her training quicker.

Pebbleheart smiled, his tail curling as he chuckled at her enthusiasm. She seemed very excited to train, which was amusing. Better than a whiny apprentice. He smiled, his ears pricked and he let himself give a little purr. He felt like he'd enjoy her company. They were both very cheerful of course, but she was so optimistic and eager to train it rubbed of on him as well.

"Sure!" Pebbleheart mewed, grinning. "The best place would probably be the Training Platue. I'll meet you there in a few minutes." He mewed, giving her a little dip of his head. He was excited to mentor the young she-cat. He seemed like her ideal type of apprentice and he felt like they could bond.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Doodle

Marblestrike didn't move from her spot, not even acknowledging anything the tom had said. Had she been in a better state of mind, she would have given Palmettoleaf even more attitude, but she had now lost the ability to do so. Her eyes stayed fixed on the ground in front of her, and she pressed her curled paws even more against her chest, hoping the pressure would stop herself from shaking. She was all too aware of the other feline's tail resting on her and she could practically feel his gaze burning into her pelt, but still her head stayed tilted down, burning its own hole into the dirt.

It wasn't until the tom reassured her that she tore her blue eyes from inspecting the ground and met his gaze. She couldn't help but feel that in doing so, he could see right into her and see how truly broken she was. I'm damaged, and now he knows it, the thought wouldn't leave her mind, but still she didn't look away, rather following him as he settled down beside her. The molly still didn't utter a single word though- she didn't trust herself to. It was like by speaking, she'd break down more than she did now. But his words echoed within her mind anyways, making her feel a rare bit of gratitude to the tom that she'd just met. She wanted to feel safe, like he had said she would. And, with him pressed up against her, for a moment she did. Marble almost pressed her head into his neck for comfort, but then he spoke once more. Then, memories resurfacing, the fake security she had felt vanished as she looked back away, fixing her attention on the river.

She felt her eyes burn with unshed tears, but oddly enough the pain hadn't come back quite yet. Rather, she felt empty, like this wasn't really happening. Like she hadn't been the one to live her life, rather she was watching another feline's life. No, surely this couldn't have happened to Marble? Surely none of it had happened to her? But it had, and once the reality set in once more she had to choke back a sob- ah, there was the despair. She knew it couldn't have been far behind- it never was, it seemed. She wanted to lean on someone, shove her face into a trusted one's fur and cry her heart out- and then feel better afterwards. But she couldn't do that now; there was no one she could do that with, and she didn't feel close or trusting enough of Palmettoleaf just yet to do that.

Back when she was younger, Slip would've been the cat that held her while she cried.

A grey and white face filled her mind, and a sob broke out from her. The molly squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to let the tears loose. What happened? That was what Palmettoleaf wanted to know? Marblestrike's mind played the memory over, repeating itself more than once and driving her insane, making her panic worse. Her shaking had gotten worse, and she was sure the tom beside her could feel it. Sobs were almost a constant now, making her breath come in large gasps whenever she could. The molly wanted to calm down- she was overcome with a need to tell her story, now that it was being asked for. And asked for by such a gentle, compassionate cat too. At least, she hoped he was. She still was finding trouble letting her walls down, struggling with her habit of letting no cat in, and from the want to let someone in anyways.

Finally, once her hysteria calmed a bit, she was able to speak- at least, she hoped so. She would try, anyways. When she finally answered the tom's question, her voice was quiet and rough from crying. "He's dead." Teary eyes locked with Palmettoleaf's, searching for what he was thinking, or what he was feeling. Looking for a hint that he would be anything like the tom that had broken her trust before, that he was anything like the cat that had made her the way she was before. Searching to see if he would be anything like her father was. "Dead. Gone. Slip..." She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut once more when she felt tears coming on again- she wanted to compose herself now, so that she'd be able to tell her story. At least, tell it in a way that Palmettoleaf would actually be able to understand.

She wanted to open up to him, to try once more to trust. To try and let go of the pain, to move on and try to be happy and do what she was meant to with her life. After all, she couldn't live in a state of depression forever, could she?

(Palmettoleaf will make an excellent therapist for her lol)

Never before had the tom thought that she would have the ability to cry. Oh sure, everyone did, but Palmettoleaf hadn't expected it of Marblestrike. Just looking at her she seemed to be as stony and cold as her namesake, and just as beautiful as well. But it was scary to know that this could be broken away. Of course that was what the tom dealt with all the time, this kind of thing, didn't he? Yes. Absolutely he did. But there was still... that eerie thing about it, that scary transition that he wasn't quite sure how to deal with. Even after all this time of doing his best to help other cats, he still wasn't used to seeing them suddenly cry. And Marblestrike was the worse. She just seemed to crack, like one chip after another had finally shattered her exterior and now he was seeing her vulnerabilites. Wait... okay, never mind, she wasn't. She wasn't crying. She was going to be okay. But, he could see the unshed tears in her eyes.

He could see her pain. And time after time as he had done before, Palmettoleaf wished that he could take it from her. Wished that there was something he could do. That was what he was here for, and yet he still didn't seem to be good at it. He wasn't taking her pain away from her yet. He needed her story, he needed to know how to help. The tom pressed his pelt against hers closer, trying to make her feel that he was there. "You're okay. Everything's... okay." Except he couldn't say that, because he didn't know that it was. And yet he was saying it. Telling her that it was okay. But that was before he heard the words that came from her maw, and his optics became wide with alarm.

Dead? Dead. She had actually said... but who was Slip? No, he hadn't heard her wrong, she had clearly said that someone named Slip - what kind of a name was that? - was dead. Palmettoleaf's features contorted in a mixture of confusion and worry as he took a close look at the she cat. Yes, she had meant dead - whatever was going on here, it wasn't good. That much was obvious. "Marblestrike? Can you tell me... what happened, or do you need a second?" Okay. So now he knew this was definitely trauma related, he could at least make her feel better. Slip. Nope, no recognition of that name. Sounded like a loner's, which Palmettoleaf definitely wouldn't know. But then again... not all loners knew each other. That was what he had thought, that all the loners knew each other and it was kind of like having dozens of individual Clans, and they would come together for their own Gathering - that fantasy had soon been smashed, but secretly, the tom still held a glimmer of belief that something like that could be true. Maybe the different loners really did get together? His green optics held flickers of worry, flickers of anxiety as he glanced over the broken she cat.

Oh StarClan, how could he fix this? He couldn't. He had started something that he couldn't fix, and that was what scared the tom. The fact that he had thought he could do something and was now learning it was impossible, and now he was prepared to give up. To walk away just like that and pretend that she didn't need his help. "I'm here for you." Maybe he was saying that as much for himself as he was for her. This was kind of awkward, being around a stranger - but it wasn't like she was from another Clan or anything, and it wasn't like she was someone who he absolutely - positively - had never seen before in his life. He had seen her. He was pretty sure he'd heard something or another about her reputation along the line. Who knew, perhaps he had even held a previous conversation with her at some point!

But whatever it was, Palmettoleaf didn't feel quite so awkward knowing that there were going to be some different things in the future for them. He knew that things were never going to be the same. This was a turning point in a friendship, albeit a potential friendship but one that he was sure had been blossoming, and now he wasn't so sure. Now he was nervous that he had just done something to break their future friendship. "It's okay. You're safe. No one can hurt you, I've got you - I've got you." The most comforting words that he could think of to say, and even they weren't perfect. They were fragile and broken, just like she was. Palmettoleaf wasn't a perfect knight in shining armor.

He wasn't that eloquent, he wasn't that strong, he wasn't that unique. He was every cat - and his own cat. Everyone. He was everyone's... it was confusing to explain, but it was an explanation nonetheless. And he needed to think now, of how to approach this broken feline... of how to make her realize he wasn't planning on hurting her. At all.

[bobtail]

Originally Posted by CandyFlossCat

Pebbleheart smiled, his tail curling as he chuckled at her enthusiasm. She seemed very excited to train, which was amusing. Better than a whiny apprentice. He smiled, his ears pricked and he let himself give a little purr. He felt like he'd enjoy her company. They were both very cheerful of course, but she was so optimistic and eager to train it rubbed off on him as well.

"Sure!" Pebbleheart mewed, grinning. "The best place would probably be the Training Platue. I'll meet you there in a few minutes." He mewed, giving her a little dip of his head. He was excited to mentor the young she-cat. She seemed like his ideal type of apprentice and he felt like they could bond.

Dawnpaw nodded eagerly, glad that her request had been accepted and not considered rude. So far, Pebbleheart seemed to like her, which was good, and she didn't want to ruin it before she could even figure out her own opinions on him! She quickly realised that not replying with more than a nod could be disrespectful, and she could be rather paranoid sometimes, so she hurried to correct her probably nonexistent mistake.

"Th-that sounds great!" She meowed, mentally cursing herself for stuttering. What if Pebbleheart thought she was a nervous wreck? No, she'd appeared too chipper already for that... Gah, she was overthinking this way too much! She should just go to training, try her hardest, thank her mentor and go back to camp to rest. Smiling a little awkwardly, she tried to calm her nerves and put on a brave face to let her mentor know she was ready for this, and wasn't just some overactive or anxious kit.

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by SamCats

Dawnpaw nodded eagerly, glad that her request had been accepted and not considered rude. So far, Pebbleheart seemed to like her, which was good, and she didn't want to ruin it before she could even figure out her own opinions on him! She quickly realised that not replying with more than a nod could be disrespectful, and she could be rather paranoid sometimes, so she hurried to correct her probably nonexistent mistake.

"Th-that sounds great!" She meowed, mentally cursing herself for stuttering. What if Pebbleheart thought she was a nervous wreck? No, she'd appeared too chipper already for that... Gah, she was overthinking this way too much! She should just go to training, try her hardest, thank her mentor and go back to camp to rest. Smiling a little awkwardly, she tried to calm her nerves and put on a brave face to let her mentor know she was ready for this, and wasn't just some overactive or anxious kit.

Pebbleheart chuckled, his tail swishing and his eyes shining with amusement. He liked her excitement. Most apprentices weren't this happy to have to train, Dawnpaw was thrilled apparently. Pebbleheart gazed towards the Platue, his ears pricked. They'd have plenty of open space to practice battling, which was good. He didn't like closed areas in fighting, it limited his movements. Not that this place was too cramped, but still.

"Good!" Pebbleheart said cheerily, his eyes shining. So his idea wasn't totally mouse-brained! Good. She seemed a bit nervous, but so was he, so they were even. He grinned, showing his friendliness..he hoped. Was he weird-looking just smiling at her? Okay, okay he didn't need to think this over too much. They were just going to do some training. Simple, right? At least, he hoped it was simple. He didn't want to make a fool of himself just yet, or ever really. Who wanted to look mouse-brained?

[Doodle]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Never before had the tom thought that she would have the ability to cry. Oh sure, everyone did, but Palmettoleaf hadn't expected it of Marblestrike. Just looking at her she seemed to be as stony and cold as her namesake, and just as beautiful as well. But it was scary to know that this could be broken away. Of course that was what the tom dealt with all the time, this kind of thing, didn't he? Yes. Absolutely he did. But there was still... that eerie thing about it, that scary transition that he wasn't quite sure how to deal with. Even after all this time of doing his best to help other cats, he still wasn't used to seeing them suddenly cry. And Marblestrike was the worse. She just seemed to crack, like one chip after another had finally shattered her exterior and now he was seeing her vulnerabilites. Wait... okay, never mind, she wasn't. She wasn't crying. She was going to be okay. But, he could see the unshed tears in her eyes.

He could see her pain. And time after time as he had done before, Palmettoleaf wished that he could take it from her. Wished that there was something he could do. That was what he was here for, and yet he still didn't seem to be good at it. He wasn't taking her pain away from her yet. He needed her story, he needed to know how to help. The tom pressed his pelt against hers closer, trying to make her feel that he was there. "You're okay. Everything's... okay." Except he couldn't say that, because he didn't know that it was. And yet he was saying it. Telling her that it was okay. But that was before he heard the words that came from her maw, and his optics became wide with alarm.

Dead? Dead. She had actually said... but who was Slip? No, he hadn't heard her wrong, she had clearly said that someone named Slip - what kind of a name was that? - was dead. Palmettoleaf's features contorted in a mixture of confusion and worry as he took a close look at the she cat. Yes, she had meant dead - whatever was going on here, it wasn't good. That much was obvious. "Marblestrike? Can you tell me... what happened, or do you need a second?" Okay. So now he knew this was definitely trauma related, he could at least make her feel better. Slip. Nope, no recognition of that name. Sounded like a loner's, which Palmettoleaf definitely wouldn't know. But then again... not all loners knew each other. That was what he had thought, that all the loners knew each other and it was kind of like having dozens of individual Clans, and they would come together for their own Gathering - that fantasy had soon been smashed, but secretly, the tom still held a glimmer of belief that something like that could be true. Maybe the different loners really did get together? His green optics held flickers of worry, flickers of anxiety as he glanced over the broken she cat.

Oh StarClan, how could he fix this? He couldn't. He had started something that he couldn't fix, and that was what scared the tom. The fact that he had thought he could do something and was now learning it was impossible, and now he was prepared to give up. To walk away just like that and pretend that she didn't need his help. "I'm here for you." Maybe he was saying that as much for himself as he was for her. This was kind of awkward, being around a stranger - but it wasn't like she was from another Clan or anything, and it wasn't like she was someone who he absolutely - positively - had never seen before in his life. He had seen her. He was pretty sure he'd heard something or another about her reputation along the line. Who knew, perhaps he had even held a previous conversation with her at some point!

But whatever it was, Palmettoleaf didn't feel quite so awkward knowing that there were going to be some different things in the future for them. He knew that things were never going to be the same. This was a turning point in a friendship, albeit a potential friendship but one that he was sure had been blossoming, and now he wasn't so sure. Now he was nervous that he had just done something to break their future friendship. "It's okay. You're safe. No one can hurt you, I've got you - I've got you." The most comforting words that he could think of to say, and even they weren't perfect. They were fragile and broken, just like she was. Palmettoleaf wasn't a perfect knight in shining armor.

He wasn't that eloquent, he wasn't that strong, he wasn't that unique. He was every cat - and his own cat. Everyone. He was everyone's... it was confusing to explain, but it was an explanation nonetheless. And he needed to think now, of how to approach this broken feline... of how to make her realize he wasn't planning on hurting her. At all.

Marblestrike could practically feel the surprise from the tom as he witnessed her during this weak moment. He wondered if he didn't do well with cats that were crying- but, then again, this was his fault. At least somewhat; he had triggered it. She wasn't sure if she was happy about the way this had gone or not. Part of her still didn't want to tell this story, wanted to keep trying to forget it even if she failed at doing so. But another of her was so happy, so relieved to be able to get this off her chest. She raised a paw to swipe at her eyes, getting rid of some of the moisture that rimmed her eyes before the tears could spill out once more. Now she needed to compose herself, at least if she had any hope of actually getting through this story. The mottled molly was sure more crying was in the future, but the less she did the better. She still felt awkward about it, being the closed off feline she was. A big part of her mind was yelling at her still to run away from Palmettoleaf, telling her that he had seen and witnessed too much. It was telling her not to trust him, warning her of what happens when you let a cat in. But she forced that part of her into the back of her mind, trying to ignore it. Her mind was made up; she was going to tell him. If things went bad again... well, then it'd fully be her own fault for trusting another. What could be the worse that happens? She had learned that death was the worst case, and she wasn't afraid of that. If she died, she'd get to see Slip again and could finally stop worrying about everything.

A shaky sigh left her small- and now seemingly weak- body, and when the tom pressed his body up against her Marble fought against the urge to scoot away. He was being comforting and caring, she reprimanded herself. He wasn't doing anything to trick her, he wasn't going to attack her. He just wanted in, wanted to listen to her story. And she would tell it- right now. "No, everything's definitely not okay," she whispered in response to Palmettoleaf, ears pinned back against her head. She drew in another large breath and it hitched in her throat from her crying- but at least the tears had stopped, and her eyes were now somewhat dry. They didn't feel like they were a moment away from pouring over, at least, and her vision was no longer blurred. When she turned her gaze back on Palmettoleaf, she could see clearly the concern etched on his face. It helped to convince her that his words weren't phony, that his care was genuine. It gave her that last push to begin talking.

"No, I can tell you." Her words were weak though, contradicting what she had said- she sounded like she was going to cry once more at any second. Marble closed her eyes briefly, but quickly flitted them back open when instead of helping to calm her, memories appeared behind her closed lids and only served to make her more on edge. "I'm a small cat," she started, seemingly out of nowhere- and surely, she figured, Palmettoleaf would think this statement was completely unrelated to her story. But no, it had just about everything to do with it. "I was one of the smallest of my litter- one of, though, not the." She found that while starting her story, she couldn't easily look the tom in the eyes, so instead she turned and stared back at the river- it seemed that watching the water swirl past made talking much easier. "Slip was the smallest. The runt; the weakest." She practically spat her last word out, and even just saying it felt bitter in her mouth. That wasn't ever what she had thought when Slip was alive; that was what her family thought.

"My other two brothers were just perfect. Big, strong, healthy- everything Slip wasn't. And, because I was smaller than the two of them, they often left me and Slip together in favor for each other. They left us out of all their games, but Slip and I didn't mind so much- we had each other, and we much preferred being with each other than them and all their arrogance." The bitterness was clear in her voice, and her tail flicked disdainfully behind her. "We'd find our own thing to do... like swimming. We would swim in this pond together, all the time. Just distance ourselves from problems in the den and have fun swimming." Yes, the pond had been their safe place. Had one of them been picked on by their brothers, they'd leave and go there together. Or, if Marble couldn't find Slip she'd go to the pond and he'd be there, just waiting, and vice versa.

"It wasn't that bad; Slip and I could handle. Sure, it hurt when they would tease us and call us weak, but they were our brothers. Siblings are bound to be mean to each other every so often, right?" That was what many cats claimed, but Slip and Marble had never been mean to each other. She just couldn't help but make up an excuse for her brothers- their treatment to Slip and her had been wrong, but she still loved them. They were her littermates, after all. "No, it wasn't them that was the problem. It was our Father. He was tough on us, and with how successful our two brothers were, he was always pushing us to be like them. Slip and I just weren't good enough, weren't strong enough." The molly suddenly fell quiet, blue eyes stormy with unspoken thoughts. "He was especially hard on Slip, though. I realize it more so when I look back on it now. We didn't think much of it back then, cause he always said how much he loved us, how he was only looking out for us. He just wanted us to grow to be good, strong cats, that's what he told us."

Her voice was soft and weak, as the emotion started to get to her head again, clogging her throat. "That's what he said, and we believed him. All of us did. We thought he was a good, loving father, if a bit tough." Marble shook her head; it was hard to go on after this point. This was where the trauma came in, where the betrayal showed up. "He wasn't- not at all," she whispered after a bit, eyes steadied on the water moving on and on, steadily moving away. How she wished she could just float away from her problems like that. "Well, one day Slip and I were headed back to the den after a day at the pond... we were still only around five, maybe six moons. Our father stopped us before we reached the den and asked Slip if he had chased this cat off our territory- apparently some loner had tried to stake a claim of our home, and Father decided to test Slip and make him chase this cat off. Of course, Slip hadn't- he told Father he hadn't even tried, that he knew he wouldn't be able to. It was an unreasonable request, for a kit to be sent off to chase off a full grown cat, especially with him being so small... and yeah, not as strong as the rest of me and my siblings."

Marblestrike shook her head once more; this still confused her, she still hadn't quite made sense of it all. She just didn't understand why what happened had happened. "Well, then Father lost it, telling Slip that he was useless and a disappointment. Slip got mad as well... I had never seen him so mad before, Palmettoleaf. He's always been so timid, so quiet... but that day, I guess he had enough. Maybe Father had always been doing stuff like this, I realize now, but... Slip had never told me. I don't know why he didn't tell me; I told him everything, and I had thought he told me everything." Slowly, Marble forced her eyes onto the tom beside her, the pain so very visible within them before she spoke again. "Father didn't like being talked back to. We all knew he didn't, so we never did. But, he had never reacted like he did that day before. He snapped." She paused again in her story, not quite able to get the words out right away. "He killed Slip." Despite how difficult it was to say, and how hard it was for her to look another in the eye- without saying some sort of sarcastic or rude remark- she kept her eyes trained on Palmettoleaf. Each soft word murmured felt like a stab to her heart. "He murdered him, right in front of me. And what did I do? I stood there. That's it. I didn't do anything. If Mom hadn't had stepped in... I might not be here, either."

[bobtail]

Originally Posted by CandyFlossCat

Pebbleheart chuckled, his tail swishing and his eyes shining with amusement. He liked her excitement. Most apprentices weren't this happy to have to train, Dawnpaw was thrilled apparently. Pebbleheart gazed towards the Platue, his ears pricked. They'd have plenty of open space to practice battling, which was good. He didn't like closed areas in fighting, it limited his movements. Not that this place was too cramped, but still.

"Good!" Pebbleheart said cheerily, his eyes shining. So his idea wasn't totally mouse-brained! Good. She seemed a bit nervous, but so was he, so they were even. He grinned, showing his friendliness..he hoped. Was he weird-looking just smiling at her? Okay, okay he didn't need to think this over too much. They were just going to do some training. Simple, right? At least, he hoped it was simple. He didn't want to make a fool of himself just yet, or ever really. Who wanted to look mouse-brained?

Dawnpaw returned her mentor's smile with one of her own, her tail tip twitching nervously. From the awkward silence, it would appear that both of them were anxious and had no idea of what they were doing. She wasn't sure whether or not she should be happy about that. It meant that Pebbleheart was capable of emotion, unlike most of the warriors Dawnpaw had seen marching through the camp as if following a schedule. And that meant that she could be open with him, and could let him know if she was struggling and he would be able to help. Hopefully.

The apprentice suddenly realised that the silence was stretching on too long and she padded a little closer to her mentor. "Should we get going, then?" She meowed nervously, hoping that her eagerness showed in her gaze and voice and wasn't overshadowed by her concern. She tried to imagine how exciting the training would be: what would she learn first? How strong would she be after this? Could she take down a warrior? When would she learn how to fight badgers? What was the best way to hunt mice? Squirrels? Birds? She was so excited!

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by SamCats

Dawnpaw returned her mentor's smile with one of her own, her tail tip twitching nervously. From the awkward silence, it would appear that both of them were anxious and had no idea of what they were doing. She wasn't sure whether or not she should be happy about that. It meant that Pebbleheart was capable of emotion, unlike most of the warriors Dawnpaw had seen marching through the camp as if following a schedule. And that meant that she could be open with him, and could let him know if she was struggling and he would be able to help. Hopefully.

The apprentice suddenly realised that the silence was stretching on too long and she padded a little closer to her mentor. "Should we get going, then?" She meowed nervously, hoping that her eagerness showed in her gaze and voice and wasn't overshadowed by her concern. She tried to imagine how exciting the training would be: what would she learn first? How strong would she be after this? Could she take down a warrior? When would she learn how to fight badgers? What was the best way to hunt mice? Squirrels? Birds? She was so excited!

Pebbleheart gave a tiny purr at her smile, hoping he wasn't screwing up too much. Their was an awkward silence in the air, and he wondered if they should head off towards the Plateu before things got even more awkward than they were. If that was possible. Pebbleheart snickered. "Just be glad you didn't get someone rude as a mentor, that'd be a terrible time" he joked. He hoped his apprentice liked jokes. But what if she didn't? He was still overthinking this stuff! He should just relax, open up a bit more and do some training with her.


His tension relaxed when she asked. "Oh! Yeah, before it gets too full." He decided, giving a little nod. He walked in the direction, hoping Dawnpaw followed and didn't loose him. He saw a glimpse of the area, grinning. Good, they weren't too far off. He didn't want to loose half the day walking towards the training area, that'd be pointless. He turned to Dawnpaw with a smile. "So, excited to be a warrior in a few moons?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. He remembered he was thrilled to become a warrior, though he was unsure if that thought had changed since then.