WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Deranged Llama

Evermist flicked her tail, nodding. "I see things." She meowed simply, giving Quailheart a small, almost sad smile. Deciding to change the subject off of herself, Evermist studied Quailheart. "Who's the father, may I ask?"

Quailheart wasn’t super obsessed with the father, as after all he was only a friend, she never intended truthfully to have kits with him, but she’d take them, and she didn’t hate the father after all, besides the kits deserved to have a father around, why she believed that was because she never knew her biological parents, they ran away when she was a newborn and her adoptive parents scorned her and had Yewclaw and her sleep on the other side of the nursery not allowing them to play with her adoptive littermates. She wouldn’t wish her kits not to know their father,” Whitewhisker. He’s a good friend of mine.” She finally meowed realizing the pause before she said that was rather long, and she was a wee bit snipid,” Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” She meowed appologetically.

[PhantomRiderYT]

Originally Posted by RosePelt145

As the fox turned on Hareflight, EaglePelt heard her wail. At that, the fox seemed to forget that the blind tom was clinging to its back as it attempted to pounce towards Hareflight. While the canine was distracted, EaglePelt wrapped his front limbs around its neck and slashed deep with his claws. The fox let out an eerie pain-filled caterwaul and threw EaglePelt off. As the blind tom landed a few tail lengths away with a painful umph! the fox ran off yelping. After a second, it was gone.
EaglePelt stood, pretty much unharmed. No injuries in need of a medicine cat, amazingly. Just a very dirty pelt and extreme need of rest.
He padded over to Hareflight. ''You were incredible'' he meowed. He licked all over her face, then nuzzled her cheek. ''You were absolutely amazing.'' As he spoke, he twined his tail with hers.

Her fur fluffed up in embarrassment, "It was nothing. You were the incredible one- you just leapt on that fox!"
She looked down at the ruined rabbit, "Too bad we were too late to save the prey."
She felt her heart melt as her twined his tail with hers and nuzzled her cheek, looking away shyly.

[Mauve]

Originally Posted by PineCone

The she-cat had watched her apprentice's reaction to her words. She chose not to comment on it. Despite his determined gaze and words, she still suspected her apprentice had some trouble finding where his loyalty stood.

She was confident, however, that even if as of now his heart still tied him to ThunderClan, that he'd one day cut the ties and come to see WindClan as his true and only home.
But for that to happen, she had to make him feel like he truly belonged, and make sure there was no reason for him to look back on his old life and old clan.

Her dislike for Jaypaw's previous mentor had grown when the apprentice mention the ... progress ... they had made. "Way to go and lose precious time ..." She muttered.
A particularly cold breeze went through her fur, and she was reminded of where she stood.

"Well, looks like we have some work to do then. Let's start from scratch. First step ... " She got up and stretched her limbs that had started to get numb with the cold. " ... defense."

With that last word, she pounced at her apprentice without warning, wondering what his reaction would be.


(Sorry this is so short (and kinda bad) :s, I don't have a lot of inspiration right now ...)

(No no it's great! I completely understand having a lack of inspiration, I hate those times =( )

Since his muslces were already tense from the dark thoughtr protruding from the shadows of his mind, Jaypaw was a smidge more prepared for Shiningfeather's surprise attack. Despite this, however, his yellow eyes went wide and all he could get up was both front paws before the warrior barreled into him, knocking him backwards. The two tumbled down the small hill, resulting with Jaypaw on his back and staring up at the sky. Black dots clouded his vision but the tom quickly shook them away, forcing his gaze to focus on his mentor's face.

"Okay, okay," he muttered quickly to himself, his brain racing to come up with any defense moves. He hadn't learned much, but from his play fighting days he did recall a bit of skill. As the muscle memory kicked in, the gray tom kicked up with his hind legs into Shiningfeather's soft underbelly - claws obviously sheathed - in an attempt to throw her off. Due to her size and obvious advantage of more experience, however, he was unsure how effective this would be in freeing himself.

[lone]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

Fawnskip did like the area. The lone tree stood apart from the bland moor, popping out like a rabbit among foxes. She liked things that were different, that did not blend in with everything else. She thrived to be unique, but it was quite difficult to do so when she had to adjust her personality to please her targets. She found that with Obsidiansky, there wasn't too much she had to change. She could still be the fun-loving feline she genuinely is, but she cannot freely flirt like she enjoys seeing how it makes him uncomfortable. Yet Fawnskip is looking to change that... perhaps when they reach their next destination. Right now, she doesn't have the patience she normally does to string Obsidiansky along. She wants to jump straight to the chase, and well, she's willing to cry for it, to wail to the heavens about lies such as how the world betrayed her. Maybe if she could get the dark-pelted tom's deepest sympathies...


She was distracted by her thoughts when Obsidiansky broke into a run, but quickly was brought back to reality when he took off in a blur. Fawnskip took a moment to register her shock, but then she was after him as well. ``Cheater!`` she called ahead in a playfully accusing tone. She was about a couple fox-lengths behind him, her strides lengthy and swift in an attempt to at least catch up to him. However, she stumbled slightly, causing her to slow and fall behind by a fox-length or so more. Fawnskip still gave it her all trying to make this a challenge, but she was very much aware of the fact that she would not be gaining another victory. When the two of them came to a halt, though, she certainly would not let him go on believing he'd won fair and square. No, she'd playfully deny and deny and, well, deny.

The feel of the wind through his pelt was what the tom lived for. It was what he just loved doing. Every cat had something that calmed them down, or that made them feel happy... Obsidiansky's was running. Especially with a friend, and Fawnskip? Well, she was the newest addition to his group of friends. She was different then the cats he normally befriended. She seemed like she was in the inner circles of a "popular" group of cats - besides Sagewhisker, no one else he knew really had a lot of friends. It was what he liked about those cats. They were the hidden gems of the Clan, and selfishly, Obsidiansky was glad that he got to spend so much time with them even if it meant they were alone sometimes. He would, of course, work on getting them more friends. That was another thing he loved to do.

He just loved other cats in general, helping them and being helped by them... spending time with them... the only thing he didn't tolerate was bullying. And, flirting was something he just wasn't comfortable with. Compliments were okay, but when they were given in a flirtatious manner, it made him feel sort of weird all over. He was forgetting all of his current troubles. They were gone, far away to where they could never bother him again. Which made Obsidiansky even more pleased. "Catch me if you can!" He called back over his shoulder, slowing down just the slightest bit in order to speak to Fawnskip before he sped up again. The spot he was taking her was just ahead. It was, to him, the prettiest spot to spend until the sun went down. Watching the sky turn all sorts of colors and the moon become visible along with Silverpelt, well, it was just about one of the most magical things he could think of.

The little things in life were what really seemed to impress him. A smile, a sweet scent, a friendly word, or the perfect weather... those were the things Obsidiansky liked. Oh sure, he liked big things as well, grand gestures were certainly never overrated, but if you wanted to approach him romantically... bit by bit was the way to do it. Unfortunately for Fawnskip, he was not the type of cat to rush into anything - being spontaneous in matters like that wasn't him, not anymore. He didn't want to go back to the way he used to be. So he was going to fight it with every part of him... with every part that wanted to fight back, that was.

Originally Posted by Cloudy

At the small hint of a smile approaching Obsidiansky's maw, Canineheart beamed, gracious for the happiness. The she-cat gave a little skip, her heart was light as air. She hoped that even though it was a small grin, that it was an authentic one. Canineheart flicked her tail tip on to Obsidiansky's shoulder, though not so much in a flirtatious way, as much as comforting. The awkwardness that stained his stature was almost infectious, but Canineheart discarded it, trying to make sure that their conversation, which hadn't been as bad as before, didn't become too terrible. As Obsidiansky muttered his thanks, Canineheart caught the blush creeping on to his complexion; though she didn't regret making the compliment, she hated making the tom feel awkward. And as she trotted forward, enraptured on her own thoughts of the future to come, she almost forgot of her companion. Would Sagewhisker get in the way, or Fawnskip? Both of the she-cats seemed to be obsessed with Obsidiansky. As she continued on her way, Canineheart almost missed the comment that the tom had made. But she waited a few moments, as the words finally registered, and she whipped around to face Obsidiansky. "Sorry," she meowed, her emerald eyes darting everywhere, trying calculate how long she had zoned out. "I- well, life's been good. I've really only been focusing on my warrior duties, and that's sort of been distracting me. Cats haven't been bothering me, which is a surprise. She let out a little chuckle, her eyes flashing with amusement. "How about you? Are Sagewhisker and Fawnskip doing okay?"

The tom nodded understandingly as Canineheart spoke, shifting the rabbit in his maw slightly, struggling to keep it there right. "Well-" He began, then stopped as the creature slid a little. The sound of his voice was muffled by it, and he wasn't sure why he was having such a hard time keeping a hold on it. It could have something to do with him wanting to smile at the same time, though Obsidiansky could have sworn he hadn't been smiling - the rabbit should be staying put! His eyes, however, told a different story - lit up with a sort of fiercely happy light that betrayed his pleasure at being out here at the moment. Now that he was confident he could act normally around Canineheart, without worrying about offending her in any way or messing anything up with her, Obsidiansky felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. Perhaps this would work out after all. Maybe this messy tangle would just... untangle itself, and he could sit back and watch it happen once more. Though if Obsidiansky was going to make a move at all, he had better do it soon. He was already getting older, and pretty soon? Pretty soon it just might be too late. "Like I was saying, they're doing good. Fawnskip's been... herself, and Sage's been doing alright. I've been working on helping her through this, it's kinda rough on her... I think... I mean, y'know, she told me how she felt and I, uh... guess I wasn't as responsive as she wanted, and if it doesn't work for her this'll be her secret big heartbreak..." His words were muffled and a little slurred as he spoke, trying to talk around the animal in his mouth. He probably shouldn't have told Canineheart anything about Sagewhisker's confession, but he'd figured it wouldn't do much harm, especially since he hadn't responded exactly positively, not in the sense that he had chosen her, anyways. Not... yet.

[Sage]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Sitting in the clearing, the dark tom's tail was curled tightly around himself. With the weather getting colder, and prey getting scarcer, Obsidiansky was beginning to get more and more worried for the future of the Clan. This feud with ThunderClan was only going to hurt them in the end, and he wondered if Blazingstar knew that. Still - he wouldn't question the leader. Perhaps he was questioning Blazingstar's judgement more because of what had happened to Sagewhisker, but he wouldn't be confronting the tom anytime soon. Obsidiansky didn't think there was a need to make that public. And besides, there were always two sides to every story... so what was the tom's? He couldn't ask. So Obsidiansky was just going to have to sit and wonder and make sure that he didn't get himself involved in any more drama.

Seeing his friend in the clearing (doing what appeared to be hunting), the tom got up and padded over toward Sagewhisker, his eyes fixed more or less on the ground. He didn't really want to make eye contact with her at the moment - things were so confusing for him he wasn't sure how to keep it from getting worse. "Hey... Sagewhisker, um..." It wasn't like him to feel awkward around his friend.

Maybe it had something to do with his recent encounter with Fawnskip that was making him more nervous, or maybe it was that he honestly wasn't sure what to think about her. Why did everything have to be so complicated when it came to feelings? Couldn't it for once be simple, like a, a... a in and out type of thing. A very quick type of thing. Something that wasn't this, that was all Obsidiansky wanted. "How've you been?" It was the first question that came to his mind.

The first one that wasn't quite as touchy-feeling, anyways.

Sagewhisker’s eyes widened at the sound of the voice behind her. It was Obsidiansky, she could recognize the sound of his voice anywhere. She hesitated in turning around, for she somehow knew that the conversation would be awkward and full of suspense. Sagewhisker regretted many things that she had done, but admitting her feelings to Obsidiansky had torn their relationship. There was a gap that she believed would never heal. Well, by itself anyway. But there is a small flicker of hope left for their relationship. Sagewhisker was willing to repair their relationship, but Obsidiansky had to be willing to repair it as well.
She couldn’t believe she was afraid to talk to her best friend. After all the two had gone through, she was afraid to say something to him. To face him. The two were always meeting accidentally. Ever since she confessed her feelings to him.It was never on purpose. It felt rude to not say ‘Hello’ or ‘Hi’ if she saw him.

The tortoiseshell molly realized that she was just standing there and turned to face the tom. Their gazes locked and she was breathless. Gone. She couldn’t talk, she was frozen. Gone. Sagewhisker took a deep breath and smiled faintly. She felt distracted, focused on something beyond. She tried to hide her depression, but it bled through her disguise. It wasn’t very obvious, but she was sure he could tell. For her knew her… the real her. Sagewhisker couldn’t imagine a world without Obsidiansky. She deeply wished she didn’t feel so deeply for him. Her emotions pulsed throughout her body and she continued to look into his eyes.
She realized she was staring and quickly looked away. When she gained her confidence again, she looked back up at him. “Oh, hehe, Hello.” Sagewhisker replied. “I’ve been, er, good. I guess.” It was so awkward talking to him. She felt as if they had never even met before, as if they were total strangers, as if they had never shared those moments together. She hated it. In fact, she loathed it, this feeling.

[Sage]

Originally Posted by Constellation

Lynxpaw was ready to fling the pebble back into the air, but another voice spooked the Tom causing him to unsheathed his paws and arch his back. It was only another fellow apprentice. One that Lynxpaw seen around, sometimes even joked with, or caught himself hanging with to expand his friend circle. It was nothing wrong with having Mothpaw as a friend - she was his best friend for Starclan's sake, but sometimes Lynxpaw liked to hang out with the boys. Tom time, as he liked to call it. "Dude!" Lynxpaw shouted, narrowing his eyes after he managed to get ahold of what was going on. "Don't sneak up on a Tom like that. I could've had a heart attack!" Lynxpaw, always the dramatic one. He had went through a tremendous change after becoming an apprentice. From the sweet kit to the more troubling boy that loves to get attention. It wasn't so bad when others thought about it...he was still the same. And, everyone changes, right?
Lynxpaw rolled his eyes at Rowanpaw at his words of sarcasm. "Thanks for that insight, genius." Lynxpaw knew that! Perhaps what he said before sounded stupid, but in his defense he didn't think anyone was around to hear him say that; it was embarrassing. In order to make up for that little action, he used a claw to move the pebble around for a moment, his gaze staying intently on the other tom. "I beg to differ, I think pebbles can move! And, they can be a lot of pain too," he snickered, and suddenly flung the pebble he was playing with to hit the ginger Tom. "All, they need is a little push." He flashed a cocky smile. When Mothpaw came into view, Lynxpaw smiled at his friend. "Hey, Mothy." He purred, then glanced towards the other apprentice; Rowanpaw. When Mothpaw asked the Tom who he was, Lynxpaw sauntered over towards him, hitting him playfully with a paw to his chest. "Mothy, you're telling me that you never met my main tom?" He joked, feigning a disappointed shake of his head.

@Sage

@Mystical

Rowanpaw leaped back as Lynxpaw lashed out. He laughed slightly but quickly reverted back to his carefree look. "Nah you're not that skittish, are you?" Rowanpaw meowed, a smile crossing his face. He snickered, but it was interrupted by the sound of another cat approaching. He jumped slightly at the sound, the hair on the back of his neck rising. The cat approaching them was a calico molly, she seemed familiar. Rowanpaw had seen her around camp before, but he had never thought to greet her or anything. He just didn't see the need. Rowanpaw already hung around she-cats a lot, but Rowanpaw didn't see the harm in introducing himself this time. It only seemed polite."Hello, Rowanpaw's the name. And who might you be?" Rowanpaw glanced at Lynxpaw and a cocky smiled covered his face. He sat back on his haunches and began to groom himself, thoroughly. "If you would have told me, a stunning she-cat would be joining us then I would have groomed myself properly." Rowanpaw teased. "I can't have myself looking like a piece of crowfood, now can I?"

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Random Melody

Hunterfang couldn't help but crack a grin and smirk at Lynxpaw's words. "I'd have to teach you some battle moves first," He teased lightly, flicking his tail over his brother's ears playfully. "He's an idiot, but I doubt you could take him just yet." Of course, he didn't want Lynxpaw fighting Ratheart. And not out of worry for their father. No, Ratheart could go fall in a ditch, Hunterfang couldn't care less. Ratheart was dead to him. Disowned completely. The black and white Tom fluffed up his fur and shot another look toward Ratheart, who had now turned and was walking away to the warrior's den, still looking lost. By the time Hunterfang turned back to Lynxpaw, his brother had yelled something and dashed off across the clearing. And, sighing, Hunterfang followed after him quickly, but slower than his brother. "Lynxpaw!" He called as he walked, tail tip twitching irritably. He frowned when he saw the direction Lynxpaw was actually headed and he stopped. "Hey! Watch where you're--" And he cut off, cringing, as Lynxpaw crashed into Sorrelpaw. "...Going."

Sorrelpaw shrieked when Lynxpaw barrelled into her, and she sat back on her haunches, claws sinking into the ground. She shrieked a growl at her brother, fur prickling up slightly as she bared her teeth. "Watch it, furball!" She snarled. The growls that came from her were loud and fierce, something she'd picked up from other apprentices around. She continued to glare for a moment before letting her fur flatten, and she whirled around to face Springwind when the Tom spoke again. She was beyond annoyed at this point. Heck, she was furious. The Toyger's tail lashed violently from side to side behind her and her ears were flattened down against her head. "Yeah, fantastic idea." She spat at her mentor's words, but for a split second the anger faltered when she got a better look at Springwind. Oh, he looked terrible. The apprentice's expression went blank, staring at him silently now. Well, what happened to him, then?

"Easy, Lynx," Hunterfang chided when he reached his brother, gently brushing his tail over Lynxpaw's shoulder. He blinked in surprise when Sorrelpaw started snarling, and instinctively, a low growl rose in Hunterfang's throat. But he quickly pushed it back and took a deep breath. "Sorrel, don't," He said warningly, earning a condescending, harsh look from Sorrelpaw, but the Tom only brought his gaze back to Lynxpaw. Then, he finally brought his gaze to Springwind... And flinched. Oh, what had happened to his former mentor? Springwind looked terrible. Had he been... Crying? Hunterfang felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over him. He should had been there for Springwind sooner. Whatever happened, it wasn't good. So what had happened? He wanted to know... Why his mentor looked so upset all of a sudden. But he didn't want to bring it up. So, for a long time, he just stared at Springwind, brown eyes flickering with concern, before lowering his gaze again. He didn't have to avoid Springwind anymore and he wasn't going to, but right now he didn't know what to say to him. So he said nothing, turning his gaze to Lynxpaw. "....We should go train too, Lynx."

Lynxpaw didn’t think he needed them. These battle moves Hunterfang was talking about. Only because Lynxpaw carried enough confidence that he could have every clan mate running from him, if he wanted. But, because he enjoyed spending every moment with Hunterfang, he didn’t mind a few battle moves. It was like Hunterfang had no faith in him! Lynxpaw was all claws. He was always ready to throw down when another proved they deserved a swipe on the cheek from a paw. When Lynxpaw ran into his sister and her mentor, he blew a raspberry in Sorrelpaw’s face. “Stay out my way then!” Back then, his toyger sister was a weirdo...even now she was one. Others were afraid of her, but Lynxpaw wasn’t. This was the same Molly he shared a mother and father with. This was the same Molly who nursed from the same queen with him. To Lynxpaw, they had that normal siblings bond that all siblings shared. He couldn’t stand her, she couldn’t stand him. As Hunterfang took up for him, Lynxpaw smiled greatly. He felt like he seized the entire world. “Aha.” He teased the female.

Springwind didn’t think he was ready to be in the outside world, interacting with others. Having to bury your mate and litter was just...overwhelming. It was too emotional for him, but he still needed to tend to duties. “Sorrelpaw, behave yourself.” He softly, scolded. Really, no power settles in his voice as he flicked his tail, lowly swishing behind him. He had gave a gentle nod towards Hunterfang. A small part of him was proud that the young warrior had an apprentice of his own. He just hoped Lynxpaw turn out as great as Hunterfang was. Springwind was ready to move out, “Let’s move along, Sorrelpaw.” His voice was quiet, he moved slowly, trekking about as of every step was painful. And, it was. Because he simply wanted to curl in a ball and cry. He refused to every hunt hare again. Hare was Beefire’s favorite meal. Oh, well, there’s the waterworks coming along. The white and grey tom cleared his throat.

“Okay...” now, Lynxpaw was quite baffled. The older warrior was usually so laid back and fun to be around. Why did he act like someone stole the last piece of his favorite prey from the food pile? Lynxpaw looked from Sorrelpaw’s unreadable expression to Hunterfang’s expected expression. He was waiting for him - but why wouldn’t they ask Springwind what was wrong with him? “So, are we just gonna completely ignore the fact that Springy’s gone mad at the world?” Cue the awkward chuckle from the male toyger as he flicked his tail upward. “Do I always have to do everything myself?” Lynxpaw gave a roll of his eyes, and instead of following instruction from Hunterfang, he trotted after Springwind, causing the sulking tom to stop abruptly in his tracks. “Alright, Mister Springy - what the heck is wrong with you?” Lynxpaw was generally curious. Really, nosy. If no one bothered to ask, then he would. Private or not.

Springwind was certainly taken aback. He looked back at Hunterfang, giving a questioning glance. His eyes were glossy, and he sighed. Lynxpaw didn’t mean any harm...but Springwind didn’t want to others pitying him for his losses. Moondream been taking care of him; bringing him freshkill (despite the girl not liking to hunt), she kept him company, she tried to cheer him up, and nothing ever worked. He wanted his niece to live her life as a warrior, not someone who was devoted to him while he was in this heartbroken mess. “I, um..” Springwind blinked. His pelt was heating with embarrassment. He didn’t want to tell the young boy why he was so sullen. Lynxpaw wouldn’t understand, so instead Springwind managed a shaky smile. “Um, how about we train together?” He asked, turning a hopeful gaze to Hunterfang. He didn’t need to be lonely right now. Especially if Sorrelpaw was counting on learning something today. “Battle moves you were going to practice, eh? Maybe Sorrelpaw and Lynxpaw could size each other up.” He shrugged, then looked down, and continued walking.

[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Constellation

Lynxpaw didn’t think he needed them. These battle moves Hunterfang was talking about. Only because Lynxpaw carried enough confidence that he could have every clan mate running from him, if he wanted. But, because he enjoyed spending every moment with Hunterfang, he didn’t mind a few battle moves. It was like Hunterfang had no faith in him! Lynxpaw was all claws. He was always ready to throw down when another proved they deserved a swipe on the cheek from a paw. When Lynxpaw ran into his sister and her mentor, he blew a raspberry in Sorrelpaw’s face. “Stay out my way then!” Back then, his toyger sister was a weirdo...even now she was one. Others were afraid of her, but Lynxpaw wasn’t. This was the same Molly he shared a mother and father with. This was the same Molly who nursed from the same queen with him. To Lynxpaw, they had that normal siblings bond that all siblings shared. He couldn’t stand her, she couldn’t stand him. As Hunterfang took up for him, Lynxpaw smiled greatly. He felt like he seized the entire world. “Aha.” He teased the female.

Springwind didn’t think he was ready to be in the outside world, interacting with others. Having to bury your mate and litter was just...overwhelming. It was too emotional for him, but he still needed to tend to duties. “Sorrelpaw, behave yourself.” He softly, scolded. Really, no power settles in his voice as he flicked his tail, lowly swishing behind him. He had gave a gentle nod towards Hunterfang. A small part of him was proud that the young warrior had an apprentice of his own. He just hoped Lynxpaw turn out as great as Hunterfang was. Springwind was ready to move out, “Let’s move along, Sorrelpaw.” His voice was quiet, he moved slowly, trekking about as of every step was painful. And, it was. Because he simply wanted to curl in a ball and cry. He refused to every hunt hare again. Hare was Beefire’s favorite meal. Oh, well, there’s the waterworks coming along. The white and grey tom cleared his throat.

“Okay...” now, Lynxpaw was quite baffled. The older warrior was usually so laid back and fun to be around. Why did he act like someone stole the last piece of his favorite prey from the food pile? Lynxpaw looked from Sorrelpaw’s unreadable expression to Hunterfang’s expected expression. He was waiting for him - but why wouldn’t they ask Springwind what was wrong with him? “So, are we just gonna completely ignore the fact that Springy’s gone mad at the world?” Cue the awkward chuckle from the male toyger as he flicked his tail upward. “Do I always have to do everything myself?” Lynxpaw gave a roll of his eyes, and instead of following instruction from Hunterfang, he trotted after Springwind, causing the sulking tom to stop abruptly in his tracks. “Alright, Mister Springy - what the heck is wrong with you?” Lynxpaw was generally curious. Really, nosy. If no one bothered to ask, then he would. Private or not.

Springwind was certainly taken aback. He looked back at Hunterfang, giving a questioning glance. His eyes were glossy, and he sighed. Lynxpaw didn’t mean any harm...but Springwind didn’t want to others pitying him for his losses. Moondream been taking care of him; bringing him freshkill (despite the girl not liking to hunt), she kept him company, she tried to cheer him up, and nothing ever worked. He wanted his niece to live her life as a warrior, not someone who was devoted to him while he was in this heartbroken mess. “I, um..” Springwind blinked. His pelt was heating with embarrassment. He didn’t want to tell the young boy why he was so sullen. Lynxpaw wouldn’t understand, so instead Springwind managed a shaky smile. “Um, how about we train together?” He asked, turning a hopeful gaze to Hunterfang. He didn’t need to be lonely right now. Especially if Sorrelpaw was counting on learning something today. “Battle moves you were going to practice, eh? Maybe Sorrelpaw and Lynxpaw could size each other up.” He shrugged, then looked down, and continued walking.

Sorrelpaw hissed rather loudly at her brother's words, jerking her head forward and snapping her teeth just inches from his muzzle before pulling back and spinning around on her paws to face Springwind again. But her gaze went blank once more when her eyes rested on him, not saying anything at all when he scolded her. There was this dull tone in his voice... Sorrelpaw didn't like it. For some reason. Her eyes narrowed after him when he started walking away, and she hardly gave Lynxpaw or Hunterfang a glance, quickly padding forward to catch up to her mentor's side. "Uh, Springwind--" You look like fox-dung, what's got you all down in the dumps? She was gonna ask, but Lynxpaw's voice cut into the conversation and the she-cat's jaws snapped shut, tail lashing in annoyance. Leave it to Lynxpaw to interrupt. "Insensitive jerk." She snapped at her brother, fur bristling slightly. She really had no right to talk about insensitivity, but she was just looking to call her brother out on whatever she possibly could.

Hunterfang was just confused as Springwind walked past, only giving a frown in response to the warrior's nod. His tail tip flicked slightly and everything seemed to fade away for a second. What was going on with his former mentor? Why did he look so depressed? Hunterfang wanted to follow but he had an apprentice to train... And said apprentice was now scampering after Springwind. It took Hunterfang a moment to realize what his brother wanted to do, and he quickly headed over to stop him. "Lynxpaw--" He started, but it was too late, Lynxpaw had already asked his big question. Hunterfang flinched, then wrapped his tail around Lynxpaw and pulled him away from the two. Springwind seemed kind of stunned into silence at the moment, so Hunterfang took the chance to speak up. "Sorry about that, Spring. Lynxpaw's pretty darn nosy." He mewed, ears flattening as he gave his brother a warning glare. "Lynxpaw, you can't just go around asking questions like that." When was Lynxpaw going to learn?

Sorrelpaw had to admit she was relieved when Hunterfang came over and started to scold Lynxpaw. A part of her found it honestly amusing, and she found herself smirking at her brother despite herself, because she knew how big of a role model Hunterfang was to her brother. Being scolded by him couldn't be easy on Lynxpaw, huh? The toyger sighed and turned back to Springwind, then flinched and turned back around abruptly. Because she'd realized she'd turned to him to see if he was okay. And no. Sorrelpaw didn't care. No caring here. The she-cat shook her head, then pricked her ears when Springwind started to speak. Wait-- What? That meant she'd be stuck with her brother all day long! "Do we have to do that?" She turned back to her mentor, eyes wide. No, she definitely didn't want to have to put up with Lynxpaw all day long. He was annoying! And then there was Hunterfang who thought he could scold her, too. Bah! She was going to be stuck with two of her annoying family members!

Hunterfang was pretty surprised when Springwind turned and asked if they wanted to train together. "Sure," It was all he could say. He paused and looked down at Lynxpaw. "That alright with you, kid?" He flicked his tail over the apprentices ears and looked back up at his former mentor. He wanted to know what was wrong with Springwind, too. So maybe once the apprentices were busy with their battle training together, Hunterfang could take the chance to ask him? That sounded okay to him. He was worried for Springwind - After all he was the closest thing he had to a father. And he really, really wanted to know what was wrong.

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by Sage

@Mystical

Rowanpaw leaped back as Lynxpaw lashed out. He laughed slightly but quickly reverted back to his carefree look. "Nah you're not that skittish, are you?" Rowanpaw meowed, a smile crossing his face. He snickered, but it was interrupted by the sound of another cat approaching. He jumped slightly at the sound, the hair on the back of his neck rising. The cat approaching them was a calico molly, she seemed familiar. Rowanpaw had seen her around camp before, but he had never thought to greet her or anything. He just didn't see the need. Rowanpaw already hung around she-cats a lot, but Rowanpaw didn't see the harm in introducing himself this time. It only seemed polite."Hello, Rowanpaw's the name. And who might you be?" Rowanpaw glanced at Lynxpaw and a cocky smiled covered his face. He sat back on his haunches and began to groom himself, thoroughly. "If you would have told me, a stunning she-cat would be joining us then I would have groomed myself properly." Rowanpaw teased. "I can't have myself looking like a piece of crowfood, now can I?"

@Constellation

Mothpaw growled under her breath, glancing away from the two toms so she could look back at them with at least a decent fake smile. She had to at least try to be friends with Rowanpaw, because any friends of Lynxpaw's were friends of hers, right? She hoped so because the way she saw it Lynxpaw was trading her out for Rowanpaw. She had been sure they had been best friends. She was pretty sure best friends stayed best friends forever. But that was only one of the reasons that Mothpaw was uncomfortable around the ginger tom. He was flirting with her, which surely was hardly close to appropriate for their age. He had called her stunning, and said he would have groomed himself if he knew she was coming. Mothpaw gave him a rude glance, one that before that present moment you could have never seen on her. "You didn't know I was coming because he couldn't tell you, he didn't know I was coming." She stated, finding it hard to not growl as she spoke. Turning her gaze to Lynxpaw she tried to keep the stern look in her gaze, but looking at her best friend she found it hard. "How could I know him if you never told me about him? You know I'm not the most socialized cat!" Instead of sounding stern, she sounded hurt, and quickly looked away from him before he noticed that same feeling reflected in her eyes.

Originally Posted by Zero to Hero

Surgestorm smiled wider when he finally convinced Oriolekit to help him, feeling strangely proud of himself for persuading her. "To get rid of ticks," He meowed matter-of-factly, not really thinking about it much at first as he grabbed a bundle of moss from some stones nearby. The tom wrinkled his nose as he drew closer to the roots of the tree. He could hear the mice panicking in their tiny burrows, but ignored the tiny urge that itched for him to dig and hunt for them. He dipped the moss in a murky puddle that was near the area, pulling away as he waited for the moss to soak up the vile substance. "I guess its more to make our elders feel more comfortable," He meowed. "I'll gladly do this if it make their last few moons better for them. I'd want that if I was in their position." The medicine cat turned to look at the kit once more, trying to laugh off his somewhat serious-sounding words.

Oriolekit stopped moving the leaf towards the mouse bile, and instead grabbed a piece of moss just as the medicine cat had done. She dropped it in another murky pool of mouse bile, and then backed up a bit, but not to let it soak, to get the smell out of her nose. She turned away from Surgesorm, snickering at his serious sounding words. She knew that leaders, deputies, and leaders were meant to be serious, and she knew the words he said were important and she agreed with him, but the serious way he said was funny, to Oriolekit a least. It might not have been to apprentices, or warriors, leaders, queens, deputies or even other kits but she didn't care. She wasn't ashamed of what she thought was funny, she was afraid of the lecture she would get for it.

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The feel of the wind through his pelt was what the tom lived for. It was what he just loved doing. Every cat had something that calmed them down, or that made them feel happy... Obsidiansky's was running. Especially with a friend, and Fawnskip? Well, she was the newest addition to his group of friends. She was different then the cats he normally befriended. She seemed like she was in the inner circles of a "popular" group of cats - besides Sagewhisker, no one else he knew really had a lot of friends. It was what he liked about those cats. They were the hidden gems of the Clan, and selfishly, Obsidiansky was glad that he got to spend so much time with them even if it meant they were alone sometimes. He would, of course, work on getting them more friends. That was another thing he loved to do.

He just loved other cats in general, helping them and being helped by them... spending time with them... the only thing he didn't tolerate was bullying. And, flirting was something he just wasn't comfortable with. Compliments were okay, but when they were given in a flirtatious manner, it made him feel sort of weird all over. He was forgetting all of his current troubles. They were gone, far away to where they could never bother him again. Which made Obsidiansky even more pleased. "Catch me if you can!" He called back over his shoulder, slowing down just the slightest bit in order to speak to Fawnskip before he sped up again. The spot he was taking her was just ahead. It was, to him, the prettiest spot to spend until the sun went down. Watching the sky turn all sorts of colors and the moon become visible along with Silverpelt, well, it was just about one of the most magical things he could think of.

The little things in life were what really seemed to impress him. A smile, a sweet scent, a friendly word, or the perfect weather... those were the things Obsidiansky liked. Oh sure, he liked big things as well, grand gestures were certainly never overrated, but if you wanted to approach him romantically... bit by bit was the way to do it. Unfortunately for Fawnskip, he was not the type of cat to rush into anything - being spontaneous in matters like that wasn't him, not anymore. He didn't want to go back to the way he used to be. So he was going to fight it with every part of him... with every part that wanted to fight back, that was.

Fawnskip huffed in response to Obsidiansky's call which seemed to tease her more than anything. Despite her frustrated huff, a discreet upward curl of the corners of her lips gave away her joy. She was content in this moment, racing with Obsidiansky along the moor under the thoughtful gazes of Starclan. The wind caused by her quick running disturbed her pelt, brought a ringing to her ears which she folded back to stop the sound, shoved her whiskers against her cheeks, and forced her to narrow her eyes to ease the stinging tears. She loved running, adored it even. It was her favorite past-time, besides flirting, and could easily make her day. It brought out the best side of her, the genuine side.

She wondered where they were heading? How many spots did Obsidiansky have? Fawnskip didn't favor any place in Windclan territory; there were no places where she had a special moment that was dear to her heart, no places that she thought were beyond beautiful. The she-cat, gaze flickering towards Obsidiansky rather than the steps in front of her, pushed herself to speed up. She'd caught up quite a bit from when the tomcat slowed to call back to her and was now just a fox-length behind him. Fawnskip gathered some stored energy and launched herself forward with a grunt of effort. She landed lightly, which enabled her to smoothly continue running, this time alongside Obsidiansky.

``Are we -`` pant ``almost there?`` Fawnskip had used a lot of her energy to catch up with the tom, energy she normally stored away for later. Now, she was tiring and was ready to lie down and simply talk with Obsidiansky, maybe slither her way into his heart somehow? He was still one of her targets, but she intended to make him one of her friends as well. How could she break his heart, but then win his friendship as well? She'd cross that bridge when they came to it, but until then she'd have to go with the flow. Point was, Fawnskip would win this battle, and she was determined to return to camp victorious.