ShadowClan Apprentices' Den

[alkaline]

sagepaw
he/him
shadowclan
white with grey-striped tail, green eyes
---

Sagepaw blinked in surprise at Larkpaw as he turned to look at her. He had been too busy inwardly laughing at all of his clanmates to really realize that he was being witnessed disrespecting his elders. "Oh, hello Larkpaw! What about that meeting, huh?" He tried to cover up his smile by giving his chest fur a quick lick, though he would be thoroughly disappointed if Larkpaw didn't find it all funny as well. Sagepaw chose not to mention his temporary concern at the Shadowledge. No cat will ever get dirt on him from him, he decided. No future deputy would be known to cower during one of Dawnstar's scoldings. Sagepaw settled himself down near his own nest, tipped his head to the side with amusement at Larkpaw. He really hoped to get to joke with her.

@Kat ((well hello then ^^))

[TeaHouse]

EmberPaw
Open

She sat in the area laying lazily by a patch of ferns.

[Rose]

Larkpaw
Post Count: 96/100

For a few stretched moments, Larkpaw just stood there, staring blankly at the tom who was supposed to be her brother. How many days had she spent as a kit, jealous that perhaps Dappledleaf loved Birchpaw and Sagepaw and Thornpaw better than she. It was a silly little thing, feeling jealous of your so-called siblings, fearing that your adoptive mother would prefer her own kin before adopted, unwanted throwaways. Thankfully, with Larkpaw's apprenticeship had come distraction, keeping her busy at all times and letting her forget of her kit-problems. Besides, Lark didn't expect Dappledleaf to love her anymore. Fablespinner hadn't, after all. Perhaps she just wasn't special. That was why she wanted to make herself someone special, because she hadn't been born with the trait. And that was why Deadclaw's words had rung true. Because Lark had woken up from her fantasy world a long time ago. And she had woken up with the exact same realization, the only cat you could count on was yourself.

An awkward smile tipped the corner of Larkpaw's mouth upward at her brother's joke. Was she supposed to laugh? Or maybe only offer him a smile? How many days had she spent trying to live up to Fablespinner's standards, and now, Dawnstar's? Because the most recent meeting didn't seem funny at all to her. If Lark didn't keep up doing her work and duties, she would have been up there beside Thornkit getting demoted into a kit instead of being promoted into an Enforcer. This time around she'd gotten lucky with the promotion, and the next time Dawnstar called a meeting at the Shadowledge, Larkpaw would hopefully be getting her warrior name.

Ambition was a funny thing. When Lark set her mind to something, she didn't stop until she could hold it in her bloodied claws. It was the way Fablespinner had taught her, and Larkpaw wouldn't change. There was no reset button on life. She wanted her name, even if it meant failing a hundred assessments to get it. The lithe grey she-cat realized belatedly that she'd zoned out, glaring at an unsuspecting nest of moss on the ground. "Sorry." She murmured, glancing back up to lock gazes with her denmate. "Just got a little distracted... Oh yeah, the Meeting. ...It was... Something." Amber eyes glinted with slight embarassment, and the young apprentice cringed at her own words. Gosh, she was terrible at communicating. "How is... Um, traini- Wait nevermind your mentor got demoted, right?

[ @val - Sagepaw | Eeep, I got a little carried away writing this, feel no need to make your post this long! ]

[Peachy Wolf27]

Marsh’Paw sat in his nest, staring at his stone. I’m bored, but I’m not sure if I should say hi to anyone or not.

@candy hearts.

[Ragwort]

Originally Posted by TeaHouse

EmberPaw
Open

She sat in the area laying lazily by a patch of ferns.

Cobwebpaw bounced beside her "HIYA WANT TO SEE MY BUG COLLECTION?! LOOK AT THIS BIG OLD CRICKETS?!!!"
he meowed around the Locus in his mouth...

[alkaline]

sagepaw
he/him
shadowclan
white with a grey-striped tail, green eyes
---

Starclan, was Larkpaw boring, Sagepaw thought. He nearly regretted thinking of his adoptive sister like that, but he was pretty sure he was funny. Did she not ever talk about drama? Admittedly, Sagepaw never spent much time with her, so he wouldn't really know her well. He wondered if the fellow apprentice even acted like one. Wasn't she just promoted, too? A bit of jealousy flickered in his eyes, but it died out rather quickly. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't impressed.

He stared at Larkpaw from his spot, watching her zone out. His heart dropped once he realized the other cat was not amused—what a disappointment. Sagepaw's ears flicked up once Larkpaw spoke, but he became somewhat disinterested. Was his sister always this awkward? "Yeah, my mentor got demoted. She'll be training beside me," Sagepaw confirmed with a nod. Except the nod was meant to hide the smirk that had managed to worm onto his face. Maybe he did pity the other cats who got punished, but he felt as if these other cats could've done more and tried harder. If these cats had done that, maybe they wouldn't have been punished.

@Kat ((I'm honestly impressed by the creators of walls of text, you're good!))

[Rose]

Larkpaw
Post Count: 98/100

Tufted grey ears flicking as Sagepaw affirmed her suspicion, that his mentor had been demoted, Larkpaw had wrack her brain to think which of the three demoted cats was Sagepaw's mentor. Ah, Cloversun. Or better yet, Cloverpaw. Lark didn't nessesarily care what their name was, but they'd let Dawnstar down, and ultimately, ShadowClan. That was all that mattered in her eyes.

Amber hues flicked back to lock with her brother's green ones. Something about his tone was... off. And just as she'd suspected, his expression was remorseful at all. In fact, it seemed to her that he was hiding a smile. That thought alone brought a genuine smirk to her face, pulling the corners of her mouth upward. If Sorrelflare, her mentor, had gotten demoted, that wouldn't have helped Lark gain respect for him. So she didn't expect Sagepaw to hold an ounce of respect for Cloverpaw. Cloverpaw had deserved her demotion. "You don't seem to hold much grief with Cloverpaw's new predicament." Larkpaw mused, fiery orange hues glimmering with mirth as she arched an eyebrow.

[ @val - Sagepaw ]

[alkaline]

sagepaw
he/him
shadowclan
white with a grey-striped tail, green eyes
---

Sagepaw looked up to see the amusement in his sister's amber eyes. So, she does find it funny! He let himself snicker, shifting to get more comfortable. "Would you?" Sagepaw paused, smothering his giggles. "Sorrelflare, isn't it? Wouldn't you be laughing if he got demoted?" He let himself laugh for a bit, though his giggles trailed off. He supposed that Cloverpaw wouldn't be laughing with him if she were here. Sagepaw did enjoy his training with her, and she had spoken up during the meeting to inquire about what would happen to him.

Sagepaw hid his face, and therefore any emotions, by kneading his nest. But he had questions. Would he want his apprentice to laugh behind his back? Surely not, but why would Sagepaw have been demoted in the first place? Perhaps he deserved to be laughed at if he were punished. But that doesn't make it any less humiliating. Should he be laughing at Cloverpaw for failing her duties to ShadowClan? Sage's paws froze for a moment, stuck up in his morality. What's the harm in laughing, anyways? His former mentor won't find out about this moment in Sagepaw's life, so why should he feel guilty? Sagepaw looked back up to his sister with his devious smile back on his face.

@Kat

[Rose]

Larkpaw
Post Count: 101/100

"Well, technically, I wouldn't be laughing outright, but I'd definitely find the name Sorrelpaw amusing." Truth be told, Lark was started to warm up to her stoic mentor. In fact, she appreciated that he was nothing like her former mentor, Foxshade, who had been too much of a wimp to even show his face. She still suspected that he'd been too ashamed of having a former loner for an apprentice that he'd not even tried to show up for training. Either way, according to Dawnstar, Foxshade had gone missing from the Clan, and Lark didn't even know what he looked like. So to try and take out her revenge on her former mentor for not giving her any training would be near impossible.

She shrugged, now, turning back to the conversation at hand. "Sorrelflare is a good warrior, I doubt he'll ever get demoted. Even Dawnstar knows xe is a bit more reliable than everyone else, otherwise she wouldn't have promoted him into an Enforcer." A glimmer of pride here, as Larkpaw recalled that certain part of the most recent meeting. It'd been the only good news, surrounded by so much bad. Well, except for the Kit Curriculum stuff. Sheesh, Lark could have used ways to spend her time when she'd first joined ShadowClan and had had to sit around the nursery for an entire moon.

Apparently, though, her brother was having second thoughts. It was easy for Larkpaw to identify the guilt and doubt displayed on Sagepaw's face, even if it was for mere moments. Even if he glanced up a moment later and flashed her a smile. A crease formed between the lithe grey feline's brows. It wasn't worried, moreso intrigued. At least, now that Lark had gained a handle on her fast-paced mind and gotten comfortable in this situation, it was much easier to speak. "Shouldn't feel bad for your mentor. If Dawnstar thinks Cloverpaw was incompetent enough to not deserve the rank of a warrior, then so be it. Besides, what type of warrior lazes about and ignores duties? I wasn't even born here and I understand the importance of working together as a Clan." She paused, and then flashed Sagepaw a smile of her own, matching his. "In fact, the only thing that would make this situation better would be if you received your warrior name before Cloverpaw."

[ @val - Sagepaw ]

[alkaline]

sagepaw
he/him
shadowclan
white with a grey-striped tail, green eyes
---

"Yeah, I guess Sorrelflare is a good warrior," Sagepaw commented. He almost forgot that the warrior had been promoted to an Enforcer. He had been too fixated on all the punishment to remember the positives in that meeting. Sagepaw absently wished his former mentor were as good a warrior as Sorrelflare. The white tom startled at Larkpaw's next words. How could she tell that he was thinking that? Sagepaw laughed it off. "What do you mean? I don't feel bad. And anyway, I don't pity the slackers in ShadowClan," he quickly corrected his sister. Mirth shook his shoulders at her last comment. "I guess I better train extra hard just so that can happen."

@Kat (( sorry this is so short ))