ThunderClan Territory

[lio]

creeping through the territory, a blue-eyed tom kept his head low. he stalked between every tree that he passed, tail held against the ground as though he didn't care that prey may hear him. his ears, flat against his head, mirrored his feelings at that very moment. loneliness, anger, and sadness. the usually lazy tom hadn't felt these emotions in quite a long time, having slept them away in his struggle to remain relaxed and calm. but now, all he felt was sorrow. his somber mood flowed from his aura in waves, letting any nearby cat sense that he simply wanted to be alone.

alone.

that's what he always was. how could he have possibly been so mouse-brained as to think that stonegazer wouldn't have run off to join the battle? in the very depths of his mind, he felt worry for the older tom; had he come back safely? or did he obtain a fatal injury? shaking his head, the powder-furred feline swerved away from the path in which he usually took to sleep. no, the last time he had been there, he had been left abandoned by the one tom he actually wanted to be with. without a word, stonegazer had raced after the apprentice that had told them the news, and he couldn't even argue. the words that the other had spoken rang clearly in his mind.

'You do understand, however, at the first sign of trouble that I will be up and gone in an instant?'

ah, yes. he had known. it was still fresh in his thoughts, having only been a few sunrises ago. but, he could still not allow himself to get over it. oh, stop being such a wimp, powdernose. you knew it would happen, and were still stupid enough to try. stop avoiding the camp just to stay away from stonegazer and actually face him yourself! remember what you said, stress brings an early death. the tom, powdernose, closed his eyes and stopped, laying on his side. his stomach growled, having eaten only little food in the past few days. he had been more worried about staying away from stonegazer, afraid of what the cold tom may say. he was the one that abandoned you. why are you scared?

sighing, powdernose curled in upon himself, fighting away a shaking sob as his covered his face from the light of the cold sun. he was just a lazy tom that held no chance with the other, stronger, more focused warrior.

no chance at all.


( @Lonestar23 )
( ahh sorry if my wording is rather weird in this, i always try not to say the name of my character until i have a chance for it to be physically said, like in their thoughts or something. )

[lone]

Originally Posted by Spiral Whirl

Snowpaw was just smiling bright, the normal thing for him to do. He seem lost to the world for now. Mostly thinking about the kit games, while he would `stumble` across some games that made him remember certain memories. Their was one faded one, his best friend. Most likely he doubted it was Creampaw because well, it didn't really match up. Where were they now? Snowpaw furrowed his eyebrows, he didn't exactly know why he didn't remember their name or anything really. It'll come to him sooner or later, however. Then again, the apprentice would most likely ask before anything. Snowpaw was back in the world. He was staring at Caliapaw way longer than he needed to. He shook his head as a sign as he was back in the world. He turned his head, his ears perked for any sound that he could possibly pick up. However he wasn't surprised when he didn't. Either he couldn't hear it or their was no prey to hear. Snowpaw wish for the second one.

"Wait, huh?" Snowpaw blinked in confusion when his sister said something. He only heard a short part of `huh`. Mostly due to not paying attention and his left ear was facing her. He turned his head to look at her. Then he shrugged it off, if it was something that he needed to hear she could repeat it. He did realize how annoying it would be if it started to get worst, Snowpaw hated to repeat his words but now others would most likely do that to him if he couldn't make out what they were saying or whatnot. He seem to jump a little. "Yay! Okay, a quick game. I'm all about speed, yeah. Speed is key! Yeah!'' He nodded. Even if he didn't actually know how long a quick game was. Seriously, a half hour seem like a quick game. Snowpaw just guessed she would tell him. "Er, well... I think.. hide and seek could be fun? Was that what it was called?" He could barely remember the game names. To him you didn't need them. Just say, `The Thing where you do that and blah and that`. Then again, Snowpaw didn't get annoyed easily while others may get annoyed by saying that instead.

"Well one just seek while the others hide. Preeetty easy to me, if ya think. Unless you can remember a different one?" Snowpaw meowed, hide and seek was the first thing that came to him. While being the best he remembered. The tom's fur would help him hide and even if he was the seeker, his scent would be pretty useful. Snowpaw was one of the best seekers when he was a kit while being a pretty good hider in Leaf-Bare. "So, which role do ya want?" He asked with a flick of his tail. However she would most likely know the territory a bit better than him. He just walked around or went to the same spot over and over. He didn't have time to really scout out the territory but the tour when he was first a apprentice. Snowpaw was looking around for any nearby hiding spots to hide or look in. "Plus, who knows we may find some herbs. If I can tell.. which ones are a herb or not." The last part was mostly quiet, almost inauditable. "However, Caliapaw don't try to just look for them if you are the seeker or even hider. Cause that will probably lead to.. whatever your mind thinks about, Imma guess your job." He nodded, firmly.

The blonde she cat shifted her weight, trying to think of an excuse - she wasn't really into playing games. But, she did care about Snowpaw, and if this was something he wanted to do... she was mature enough to compromise. Which was why she had said a short game. "Okay. One round. I'll hide, you seek. Then I need to head back, okay?" She was thinking about patients that might already be lined up. If there was a real emergency, someone would come and find her... right? She was scared that something bad could happen while she was gone, and if someone was seriously injured or bled out as a result of it, then she wasn't likely to forgive herself. She stood there for a moment longer, waiting for a response from Snowpaw. Why did she feel like she needed to wait for that? Impatience began bubbling up within Caliapaw... by nature, she wasn't the most patient cat already.

She was constantly wanting to go, either thinking out and carefully executing a plan or just running headfirst into something blindly. It felt like things were more of a hit-and-miss game then anything else these days. Her entire life was a hit-or-miss game. Without waiting much longer for a response from Snowpaw, Caliapaw slipped away into the woods, not really caring whether he was watching or not - the game wouldn't take that much longer. She needed somewhere that was easy, but not too easy for Snowpaw to find her in... a spot that was likely to have a few herbs nearby, so she could gather them on the way back, and a spot that was close by so that he wouldn't have to go far. In and out of the trees the blonde-furred medicine cat slipped, searching for a nice bush to hide herself behind.

Her light fur would stand out against it, sure, but since the weather was still cold and it was still snowy, Caliapaw was pretty confident it wouldn't stand out that much. If only she had been born a white cat. All she would have to do was close her eyes and find a comfortable hiding spot and she would be pretty well hidden. The she cat continued moving along, her body slipping comfortably into one spot in particular. It was behind a couple of large bushes, and while there were no herbs nearby, it looked like there could be just a little ahead - or a little bit behind the bushes, Caliapaw could definitely grab some of those quickly before she left.

Sighing, the she cat settled down, wincing a little as her underbelly brushed the ground, and then settled closer down, wrapping her tail around herself. Her fur wasn't long enough to completely keep her warm, but at least she wasn't completely without fur; when she was younger, an elder she used to like listening to had told her stories of cats who were completely without fur, who lived with the twolegs. Caliapaw had loved those stories. Perhaps someday, there would be another elder with stories like those... or perhaps, someday, there would be one of those cats without fur.

Originally Posted by hiraeth

creeping through the territory, a blue-eyed tom kept his head low. he stalked between every tree that he passed, tail held against the ground as though he didn't care that prey may hear him. his ears, flat against his head, mirrored his feelings at that very moment. loneliness, anger, and sadness. the usually lazy tom hadn't felt these emotions in quite a long time, having slept them away in his struggle to remain relaxed and calm. but now, all he felt was sorrow. his somber mood flowed from his aura in waves, letting any nearby cat sense that he simply wanted to be alone.

alone.

that's what he always was. how could he have possibly been so mouse-brained as to think that stonegazer wouldn't have run off to join the battle? in the very depths of his mind, he felt worry for the older tom; had he come back safely? or did he obtain a fatal injury? shaking his head, the powder-furred feline swerved away from the path in which he usually took to sleep. no, the last time he had been there, he had been left abandoned by the one tom he actually wanted to be with. without a word, stonegazer had raced after the apprentice that had told them the news, and he couldn't even argue. the words that the other had spoken rang clearly in his mind.

'You do understand, however, at the first sign of trouble that I will be up and gone in an instant?'

ah, yes. he had known. it was still fresh in his thoughts, having only been a few sunrises ago. but, he could still not allow himself to get over it. oh, stop being such a wimp, powdernose. you knew it would happen, and were still stupid enough to try. stop avoiding the camp just to stay away from stonegazer and actually face him yourself! remember what you said, stress brings an early death. the tom, powdernose, closed his eyes and stopped, laying on his side. his stomach growled, having eaten only little food in the past few days. he had been more worried about staying away from stonegazer, afraid of what the cold tom may say. he was the one that abandoned you. why are you scared?

sighing, powdernose curled in upon himself, fighting away a shaking sob as his covered his face from the light of the cold sun. he was just a lazy tom that held no chance with the other, stronger, more focused warrior.

no chance at all.


( @Lonestar23 )
( ahh sorry if my wording is rather weird in this, i always try not to say the name of my character until i have a chance for it to be physically said, like in their thoughts or something. )

Grey paws stepped heavier then usual along the ground. Today, it didn't matter whether the prey heard him coming - the tom would be unable to catch it anyways. He didn't feel much like running, or jumping, or creeping along the ground... which was unusual for him. Anger burned within the normally emotionless blue eyes, as he kept them fixed straight ahead on a single target. To be honest, Stonegazer had been feeling a lot lately. Anger. Denial. Frustration. Guilt. Yes, guilt. It was a new emotion for the tom, who was so used to getting things right. Anyone would have thought he was immune to guilt, from the way that he acted. He was always right, wasn't he? He knew how to act like a warrior. But, he had recently left a cat who had shown nothing but kindness to him. Kindness that Stonegazer hadn't exactly repayed. And he didn't like the feeling that it gave him, in his stomach. Where was Powdernose? He knew the lazy tom was normally hanging around the clearing; and yet recently, he hadn't been there.

Where is that goofy fluff-head? Thinking that, and staying completely serious while doing so, was no great task for Stonegazer - for any other cat, however, it might have seemed a much greater one. The stoic grey tom continued through the territory, looking almost bored as he stepped heavily through it, his paws landing on the ground with dull thuds, scaring off any prey that would be close by. He walked with a limp - a nasty looking gash, one that was beginning to scar up in one leg being the thing that was keeping him from moving normally. There was another one behind his ear - this one didn't look quite as nasty, but it was, in fact, deeper then the one on his leg. There was a small chunk taken out of the other ear, and several smaller scratches on his face. They wouldn't scar, probably... but the one on his leg and behind his ear definitely would. Stonegazer didn't care.

It didn't matter that they would scar, because scars were trophies... he had fought someone, and he had survived. They were not something to be ashamed of. A familiar figure came into sight ahead of him. For a moment, there was curiousity - then realization. "Powdernose?" At first the word was spoken in a low, skeptical voice... just in case the tom before him was not, in fact, his friend. The steps did not change, remaining heavy and continuing at the same pace as he approached the other cat further, and then once he was nearly on top of him, Stonegazer was able to realize that this was indeed the other tom. "Where have you been? You haven't been around the clearing." This last statement was spoken rather accusingly, as though Stonegazer expected Powdernose to feel guilty for not being where he was expected to be.

[lio]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Grey paws stepped heavier then usual along the ground. Today, it didn't matter whether the prey heard him coming - the tom would be unable to catch it anyways. He didn't feel much like running, or jumping, or creeping along the ground... which was unusual for him. Anger burned within the normally emotionless blue eyes, as he kept them fixed straight ahead on a single target. To be honest, Stonegazer had been feeling a lot lately. Anger. Denial. Frustration. Guilt. Yes, guilt. It was a new emotion for the tom, who was so used to getting things right. Anyone would have thought he was immune to guilt, from the way that he acted. He was always right, wasn't he? He knew how to act like a warrior. But, he had recently left a cat who had shown nothing but kindness to him. Kindness that Stonegazer hadn't exactly repayed. And he didn't like the feeling that it gave him, in his stomach. Where was Powdernose? He knew the lazy tom was normally hanging around the clearing; and yet recently, he hadn't been there.

Where is that goofy fluff-head? Thinking that, and staying completely serious while doing so, was no great task for Stonegazer - for any other cat, however, it might have seemed a much greater one. The stoic grey tom continued through the territory, looking almost bored as he stepped heavily through it, his paws landing on the ground with dull thuds, scaring off any prey that would be close by. He walked with a limp - a nasty looking gash, one that was beginning to scar up in one leg being the thing that was keeping him from moving normally. There was another one behind his ear - this one didn't look quite as nasty, but it was, in fact, deeper then the one on his leg. There was a small chunk taken out of the other ear, and several smaller scratches on his face. They wouldn't scar, probably... but the one on his leg and behind his ear definitely would. Stonegazer didn't care.

It didn't matter that they would scar, because scars were trophies... he had fought someone, and he had survived. They were not something to be ashamed of. A familiar figure came into sight ahead of him. For a moment, there was curiousity - then realization. "Powdernose?" At first the word was spoken in a low, skeptical voice... just in case the tom before him was not, in fact, his friend. The steps did not change, remaining heavy and continuing at the same pace as he approached the other cat further, and then once he was nearly on top of him, Stonegazer was able to realize that this was indeed the other tom. "Where have you been? You haven't been around the clearing." This last statement was spoken rather accusingly, as though Stonegazer expected Powdernose to feel guilty for not being where he was expected to be.

as a familiar voices sounded near him, powdernose flinched. his tail curled up from where it had lay over his snout, eyes opening slowly. because i've been avoiding you, his thoughts screamed, but instead, he answered, "i don't know." claws flexing, the tom sluggishly raised his head, regret briefly flashing upon his features before it slipped away. "why would you care?" now, the phrase may have been uncalled for, as stonegazer had mentioned that the possibility of him running off was very high, but at that very moment, the words had just slipped out with no thought put into them. powdernose couldn't care less; he was filled with a medley of emotions, and none of them held any common sense within them. ears flicking, he lowered his head once again and tried to block out the prescence of the other tom.

"just leave me alone." the words, though sour, held a hidden sadness in every syllable. powdernose had always been horrible at hiding his feelings, especially ones that he rarely felt. it'd been a long while since he had experienced the bitter, clawing sensations of utter helplessness. sorrow tore at his very soul, a stone weighing down his heart.

a stone.

stonegazer.

mentally, he smacked himself upside the head, nostrils flaring. stop thinking of him, you idiot. what's done is done. he's only here to scold you for not going to the battle and just wasting away instead of contributing to the clan. powdernose huffed dramatically and rolled over, turning towards a nearby tree and facing himself away from stonegazer. he didn't feel the need to be scolded; if he did, he would most likely break down. his heart felt heavy, his mind fogged by the evil voices that weighed him down.

it'd been so, so long. too long, in fact, as the clearest of details had blurred to nothingness. he searched and searched in his mind for the reason he had felt the melancholy dread, but no matter what, it wouldn't surface. it was as if a barrier had been created to keep him from prying into his deepest of memories. all he knew, was that even it couldn't top the feelings that grew within him now.

how could a single tom possibly cause him to be this way?

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Dust

[Went ahead and moved it to the territory to make it a bit easier ^^ ]

Silversky seemed a bit deflated at first upon hearing her answer, but quickly perked up as she continued. Ears positioned forward and tail raised into the air once more, the warrior danced on his paws as he was unable to contain his excitement any longer. Any tense muscles and anxious thoughts were shaken loose as he spun in place to turn his gaze back towards the entrance of camp. Perhaps it had been too long since he had an apprentice. "I'd be glad to! We should get moving so we can get around the border around say... sun-down? We'll go ahead and hunt while we're out, it's good practice for when new-leaf comes around." He meowed quickly as he looked back at the apprentice with large eyes. Anticipation was rolling from his pelt in waves as he dipped his head towards the entrance. "Try to keep in pace with me. Don't want you getting lost in the territory." Giving Featherpaw a reassuring smile -despite his serious warning - the silver warrior quickly made his way to the bramble entrance and squeezed his way into the territory.

--

Waiting to make sure the apprentice was able to make it out of camp, Silversky kept a steady stride heading south of the Thunderclan camp towards the Shadowclan border. Tensions were high with Shadowclan, so he didn't want to stay around that area for too long, but it would be a bit before they got there. Occasionally checking to see if Featherpaw was in stride with him, adjusting his speed if she ended up falling behind or getting ahead, the tom remained silent as he seemed to scan the entire forest, his jowls slightly parted and ears and eyes constantly moving back and forth to detect any strange scents, sights, or sounds near-by the duo. Thankfully, nothing seemed out of the ordinary and the tom resumed a relaxed posture as to two traveled through the woods. He remained silent for a bit, the only sound to be heard were leaves crunching underneath each heavy paw-step until he finally spoke up.

"I much prefer new-leaf. I don't know, leaf-bare always is so barren. You've never seen new-leaf have you? I suppose not since you were just apprenticed. Trust me, it's a beautiful sight! Not to mention all the prey will come back." Silver's tone was light and airy at the thought of the forest bountiful with prey once more. "This leaf-bare has been pretty rough on all the clans. With Shadowclan's camp being destroyed quite a few moons ago, and then this battle." He scoffed quietly to himself, keeping a steady pace as his eyes continued to scan the path in front of him. "It's been pretty eventful. Hopefully full bellies and better attitudes come with new-leaf," He chuckled, looking back at Featherpaw. "I should mention, we're on the way towards the Shadowclan border right now. Make sure to stay alert, but if we come across a patrol just stay quiet, alright?" The damage had already been done. Silversky assumed the Shadowclan cats wouldn't cause them any more trouble, but it was always good to stay weary. "I don't think I'll take us too close, but just enough so you're able to recognize the scent."

Pushing through a patch of entwined brambles, Silversky stopped abruptly, lifting his tail to motion for Featherpaw to remain still. The tension was building up in the pit of his stomach. Hackles beginning to raise, Silver parted his mouth once more to scent the air around them. After a few moments, the tension dissipated, leaving a warm, reassuring smile plastered across his maw. "No worries, we're alone." Stretching out his body, the warrior took a seat in the forest floor debris and motioned for Featherpaw to come near. "Alright, here's your first task!" He voice was wavering with excitement, "Go ahead and give the area a smell, tell me what you smell."

As soon as they’d left the camp, Silversky’s words had flown away from her head and she was bouncing left and right, giving everything a curious sniff. Her bright blue eyes scanned everything in sight and she gave the occasional prod to a bush. When she found herself lagging behind, she would quickly stop what she was doing and scurry after her mentor. The full-grown tom had long legs, unlike her, where she had short legs which still had yet to grow. A grin of triumph would grow on her maw when she managed to skip ahead of her mentor, but then her smile would drop as Silversky quickly took the lead again. As they came to a small log, the she-cat paused before leaping over it with enthusiasm. She landed on a pile of dry leaves, making a loud crunching noise. The apprentice soon came to notice her mentor’s alert stance. He seemed to be searching for something but she wasn’t entirely sure of what he was searching for. If he had been searching for prey, he would have to be prepared for disappointment. With all the noise she was making, the prey would be far away and hidden somewhere safe. Feeling guilty, Featherpaw stopped her cheerful prance and fell into step beside her mentor.

“Not yet,” she said in response to his question. She had been born sometime in green-leaf. It had been a glorious season. Everything was bright and prey was plentiful. It was a bit hot for someone with thick fur like hers, but it gave her a good reason to hang about in the rain. She’d not yet had the chance to experience new-leaf, but she was definitely excited for it. She had heard about the plants growing back and the prey returning from their warm burrows. She couldn’t wait for leaf-bare to be over. Personally, she thought that leaf-bare was okay. She had thick, long fur to keep her warm. She was also never short of prey, mostly because she’d been a kit just a few days ago so she had had prey delivered to her nest. Albeit, despite all of this she couldn’t wait for leaf-bare to be over because she wanted it to be new-leaf. The Ragdoll murmured her agreement as her mentor made a comment on how hard this leaf-bare had been for the clans. She acted as if she knew just how hard it was, but she truly didn’t. I wouldn’t know. I’m still just a kit, she thought to herself. At that, she felt guilty that she had always had enough prey while the warriors and apprentices had to go hungry for a bit longer. But it was apart of the Warrior Code and they had to follow the Warrior Code. Perhaps she would understand better when she was older.
At the mention of the ShadowClan border, her solemn expression was immediately replaced with one that held excitement. Featherpaw obediently nodded and resisted the urge to race ahead. It’s not like racing ahead would do her much good. She didn’t even know where the border was so she would just get lost. She stopped where she was and waited for Silversky to be in front of her before she followed, always staying close and making sure that she could see his tail at all times.

After a few minutes the tom came to a sudden stop, one which Featherpaw had not been expecting and she nearly bumped into her mentor. The apprentice looked around warily, expecting something to jump out at her. A few seconds later, Silversky became less alert and sat down on the forest floor. Once he was seated, she moved forward and plopped down on the spot in front of him. She left her tail to wave around in the air, rather than curling it around her paws like she usually did. She resisted the urge to scan her surroundings and instead put all her attention on her mentor. Tell me what you smell. The words echoed in her mind. It was a simple task but Featherpaw felt very nervous about it. What if she scented something and identified it incorrectly? She was a new apprentice! She didn’t know enough yet! Pushing down her panic, she rose to her paws and walked around. She sniffed underneath bushes and tasted the air. Many scents overwhelmed her but she picked out the peculiar ones. She padded back over and sat down in the same spot. “Well….” she began nervously. “Underneath that bush over there, I think there was a rabbit. It’s gone now but I think it’d been searching for food earlier.” She’d only been able to remember the scent because a few days ago, her adoptive mother had given her a small morsel of a rabbit and she’d remembered the mouth-watering scent. “And over there,” she continued, using her tail to indicate at the roots of an oak tree. “There was a yucky scent. I think it was a fox!” It was actually a badger scent, but she didn’t know that. If she ever came across a disgusting scent, she would normally identify it as a fox’s scent. She hadn’t actually sniffed a fox before, but she’d heard it didn’t smell pleasant.

[Dust]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

As soon as they’d left the camp, Silversky’s words had flown away from her head and she was bouncing left and right, giving everything a curious sniff. Her bright blue eyes scanned everything in sight and she gave the occasional prod to a bush. When she found herself lagging behind, she would quickly stop what she was doing and scurry after her mentor. The full-grown tom had long legs, unlike her, where she had short legs which still had yet to grow. A grin of triumph would grow on her maw when she managed to skip ahead of her mentor, but then her smile would drop as Silversky quickly took the lead again. As they came to a small log, the she-cat paused before leaping over it with enthusiasm. She landed on a pile of dry leaves, making a loud crunching noise. The apprentice soon came to notice her mentor’s alert stance. He seemed to be searching for something but she wasn’t entirely sure of what he was searching for. If he had been searching for prey, he would have to be prepared for disappointment. With all the noise she was making, the prey would be far away and hidden somewhere safe. Feeling guilty, Featherpaw stopped her cheerful prance and fell into step beside her mentor.

“Not yet,” she said in response to his question. She had been born sometime in green-leaf. It had been a glorious season. Everything was bright and prey was plentiful. It was a bit hot for someone with thick fur like hers, but it gave her a good reason to hang about in the rain. She’d not yet had the chance to experience new-leaf, but she was definitely excited for it. She had heard about the plants growing back and the prey returning from their warm burrows. She couldn’t wait for leaf-bare to be over. Personally, she thought that leaf-bare was okay. She had thick, long fur to keep her warm. She was also never short of prey, mostly because she’d been a kit just a few days ago so she had had prey delivered to her nest. Albeit, despite all of this she couldn’t wait for leaf-bare to be over because she wanted it to be new-leaf. The Ragdoll murmured her agreement as her mentor made a comment on how hard this leaf-bare had been for the clans. She acted as if she knew just how hard it was, but she truly didn’t. I wouldn’t know. I’m still just a kit, she thought to herself. At that, she felt guilty that she had always had enough prey while the warriors and apprentices had to go hungry for a bit longer. But it was apart of the Warrior Code and they had to follow the Warrior Code. Perhaps she would understand better when she was older.
At the mention of the ShadowClan border, her solemn expression was immediately replaced with one that held excitement. Featherpaw obediently nodded and resisted the urge to race ahead. It’s not like racing ahead would do her much good. She didn’t even know where the border was so she would just get lost. She stopped where she was and waited for Silversky to be in front of her before she followed, always staying close and making sure that she could see his tail at all times.

After a few minutes the tom came to a sudden stop, one which Featherpaw had not been expecting and she nearly bumped into her mentor. The apprentice looked around warily, expecting something to jump out at her. A few seconds later, Silversky became less alert and sat down on the forest floor. Once he was seated, she moved forward and plopped down on the spot in front of him. She left her tail to wave around in the air, rather than curling it around her paws like she usually did. She resisted the urge to scan her surroundings and instead put all her attention on her mentor. Tell me what you smell. The words echoed in her mind. It was a simple task but Featherpaw felt very nervous about it. What if she scented something and identified it incorrectly? She was a new apprentice! She didn’t know enough yet! Pushing down her panic, she rose to her paws and walked around. She sniffed underneath bushes and tasted the air. Many scents overwhelmed her but she picked out the peculiar ones. She padded back over and sat down in the same spot. “Well….” she began nervously. “Underneath that bush over there, I think there was a rabbit. It’s gone now but I think it’d been searching for food earlier.” She’d only been able to remember the scent because a few days ago, her adoptive mother had given her a small morsel of a rabbit and she’d remembered the mouth-watering scent. “And over there,” she continued, using her tail to indicate at the roots of an oak tree. “There was a yucky scent. I think it was a fox!” It was actually a badger scent, but she didn’t know that. If she ever came across a disgusting scent, she would normally identify it as a fox’s scent. She hadn’t actually sniffed a fox before, but she’d heard it didn’t smell pleasant.

A test of confidence to start off their training. There was always time to fit multiple sessions into one - what Featherpaw didn't know was that Silversky had been up all night putting together his plans for the day. It was laid out in a neat time schedule, but stopping to test her was never a bad idea. It might put them a bit behind schedule though... Nonetheless, Silversky watched with quiet anticipation, taking notice of her slight hesitation. It was understandable. He was asking quite a hard task of her, considering all she probably smelled was things brought into the nursery and around camp. He'd have to start slowly so Featherpaw would be a bit more comfortable. Pulled from his thoughts, the silver tom parted his jowls once more, scenting the air around them with haste.The last thing he wanted was trouble on their first day! Slowly, Silversky rose to his paws, watching the apprentice from a few tail-lengths away as she made her way around the area, scenting what Silver himself had been able to smell beforehand. Once the young molly returned, Silversky listened intently as she reported her findings. "Excellent, yes very good!" He praised rather warmly, his eyes shining with approval.

"See? You did just fine for your first time." He meowed, rising to his paws with a huff. "Nasty huh? Here, follow me." And with that, Silversky maneuvered his way to the roots of the large oak tree. Shuffling around the base, he inhaled the stale scent of badger. "Hmmm.. here, come stand right here." The silver ragdoll motioned with his tail for other to come stand next to next to a hole in the roots about a few tail lengths deep. Bits of grass and moss were strewn about in the dark den, a few strands of hair littered across the floor. "Badgers. Vicious things. Thankfully, it looks like they cleared out." Breathing in the scent once more, he continued, "About... a week old so we should be good! Let's get a move on before they get any ideas about coming back, eh?" Turning away from the roots, Silver slipped through the surrounding patches of brambles, crunching leaves underneath his paws. Keeping a quick pace, he moved parallel of Shadowclan's border for a few moments before stopping once more. The area was less dense than before, huge oak trees erect into the sky with little to no foliage.

Looking back at Featherpaw, the warrior tilted his head to his left. "That's the border about a few paw-lengths away. You might be able to smell it already - it's similar to our scent, but more earthy." He meowed briskly. "Go ahead and give it a smell. I'll keep look out, nothing will be sneaking up on us." There was a playful edge to his voice, but as promised, Silversky began to pace around the small clearing, ears and eyes alert for any danger.

[lone]

Originally Posted by hiraeth

as a familiar voices sounded near him, powdernose flinched. his tail curled up from where it had lay over his snout, eyes opening slowly. because i've been avoiding you, his thoughts screamed, but instead, he answered, "i don't know." claws flexing, the tom sluggishly raised his head, regret briefly flashing upon his features before it slipped away. "why would you care?" now, the phrase may have been uncalled for, as stonegazer had mentioned that the possibility of him running off was very high, but at that very moment, the words had just slipped out with no thought put into them. powdernose couldn't care less; he was filled with a medley of emotions, and none of them held any common sense within them. ears flicking, he lowered his head once again and tried to block out the prescence of the other tom.

"just leave me alone." the words, though sour, held a hidden sadness in every syllable. powdernose had always been horrible at hiding his feelings, especially ones that he rarely felt. it'd been a long while since he had experienced the bitter, clawing sensations of utter helplessness. sorrow tore at his very soul, a stone weighing down his heart.

a stone.

stonegazer.

mentally, he smacked himself upside the head, nostrils flaring. stop thinking of him, you idiot. what's done is done. he's only here to scold you for not going to the battle and just wasting away instead of contributing to the clan. powdernose huffed dramatically and rolled over, turning towards a nearby tree and facing himself away from stonegazer. he didn't feel the need to be scolded; if he did, he would most likely break down. his heart felt heavy, his mind fogged by the evil voices that weighed him down.

it'd been so, so long. too long, in fact, as the clearest of details had blurred to nothingness. he searched and searched in his mind for the reason he had felt the melancholy dread, but no matter what, it wouldn't surface. it was as if a barrier had been created to keep him from prying into his deepest of memories. all he knew, was that even it couldn't top the feelings that grew within him now.

how could a single tom possibly cause him to be this way?

The harsher words spoken by the younger tom were enough to make Stonegazer upset, but he tried to keep his temper, watching Powdernose with a curious gaze. "Because you are a clanmate, and I need to make sure you're alright." He could understand how the other cat might be upset that their little outing had been interuppted. Especially since Powdernose had been much more into it then Stonegazer had. The grey tom's icy, cold eyes scanned the younger cat for any signs of injury. In the battle it had been hard to tell who was there and who wasn't. "If that's what you really want, I will." His own voice was huffy now, offended that he was being sent away when all he was doing was trying to help. It was so irritating, the tom wasn't quite sure whether or not he could handle much more.

Still... perhaps he could try and understand where Powdernose was coming from? What the younger tom was thinking and feeling right now, since Stonegazer had left him to go fight in the battle? It had been a bloody battle, one that could have caused many more lives to be lost, and he was thankful that WindClan had retreated. Perhaps war was not the grand thing he had thought it would be. A glorious fight that honor would be found in, although he should have expected as such. The battle from the Evil Era was still new in his mind, memories from it coming up every day when he saw - or didn't see - different cats around the clearing. Some had been lost, and it had taken a toll on ThunderClan. Cats had been lost now, too... Stonegazer missed every one of them. "Before I do go, I want you to know that I am... concerned about your mental health. I hope it was not my leaving that caused this."

His last words were phrased an unspoken question, though he was almost too proud to admit that it could have been his fault. It wasn't his fault, though! It wasn't! The tom would have been a good deal angrier if Powdernose had come out and placed the blame on him. He had done what he needed to do, defending his Clan... and while the other warrior's mental state was concerning, it certainly wasn't his fault. Sulking and feeling sorry for yourself were signs of immaturity, and Stonegazer rarely tolerated those things. Still, the other cat looked so sad that it was almost enough to make the ice-cold warrior have sympathy.

Another new emotion, one that rarely showed up in the grey tom, considering he was not the type of cat to feel sorry for anyone. Especially when they hadn't done much for him to feel sorry for them in the first place. Still, perhaps the grey feline could show a little grace towards the other cat. Some understanding certainly wouldn't do much harm... and maybe, if this current mental state was Stonegazer's doing, he could help undo it.

[wolfie]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The blonde she cat shifted her weight, trying to think of an excuse - she wasn't really into playing games. But, she did care about Snowpaw, and if this was something he wanted to do... she was mature enough to compromise. Which was why she had said a short game. "Okay. One round. I'll hide, you seek. Then I need to head back, okay?" She was thinking about patients that might already be lined up. If there was a real emergency, someone would come and find her... right? She was scared that something bad could happen while she was gone, and if someone was seriously injured or bled out as a result of it, then she wasn't likely to forgive herself. She stood there for a moment longer, waiting for a response from Snowpaw. Why did she feel like she needed to wait for that? Impatience began bubbling up within Caliapaw... by nature, she wasn't the most patient cat already.

She was constantly wanting to go, either thinking out and carefully executing a plan or just running headfirst into something blindly. It felt like things were more of a hit-and-miss game then anything else these days. Her entire life was a hit-or-miss game. Without waiting much longer for a response from Snowpaw, Caliapaw slipped away into the woods, not really caring whether he was watching or not - the game wouldn't take that much longer. She needed somewhere that was easy, but not too easy for Snowpaw to find her in... a spot that was likely to have a few herbs nearby, so she could gather them on the way back, and a spot that was close by so that he wouldn't have to go far. In and out of the trees the blonde-furred medicine cat slipped, searching for a nice bush to hide herself behind.

Her light fur would stand out against it, sure, but since the weather was still cold and it was still snowy, Caliapaw was pretty confident it wouldn't stand out that much. If only she had been born a white cat. All she would have to do was close her eyes and find a comfortable hiding spot and she would be pretty well hidden. The she cat continued moving along, her body slipping comfortably into one spot in particular. It was behind a couple of large bushes, and while there were no herbs nearby, it looked like there could be just a little ahead - or a little bit behind the bushes, Caliapaw could definitely grab some of those quickly before she left.

Sighing, the she cat settled down, wincing a little as her underbelly brushed the ground, and then settled closer down, wrapping her tail around herself. Her fur wasn't long enough to completely keep her warm, but at least she wasn't completely without fur; when she was younger, an elder she used to like listening to had told her stories of cats who were completely without fur, who lived with the twolegs. Caliapaw had loved those stories. Perhaps someday, there would be another elder with stories like those... or perhaps, someday, there would be one of those cats without fur.


Grey paws stepped heavier then usual along the ground. Today, it didn't matter whether the prey heard him coming - the tom would be unable to catch it anyways. He didn't feel much like running, or jumping, or creeping along the ground... which was unusual for him. Anger burned within the normally emotionless blue eyes, as he kept them fixed straight ahead on a single target. To be honest, Stonegazer had been feeling a lot lately. Anger. Denial. Frustration. Guilt. Yes, guilt. It was a new emotion for the tom, who was so used to getting things right. Anyone would have thought he was immune to guilt, from the way that he acted. He was always right, wasn't he? He knew how to act like a warrior. But, he had recently left a cat who had shown nothing but kindness to him. Kindness that Stonegazer hadn't exactly repayed. And he didn't like the feeling that it gave him, in his stomach. Where was Powdernose? He knew the lazy tom was normally hanging around the clearing; and yet recently, he hadn't been there.

Where is that goofy fluff-head? Thinking that, and staying completely serious while doing so, was no great task for Stonegazer - for any other cat, however, it might have seemed a much greater one. The stoic grey tom continued through the territory, looking almost bored as he stepped heavily through it, his paws landing on the ground with dull thuds, scaring off any prey that would be close by. He walked with a limp - a nasty looking gash, one that was beginning to scar up in one leg being the thing that was keeping him from moving normally. There was another one behind his ear - this one didn't look quite as nasty, but it was, in fact, deeper then the one on his leg. There was a small chunk taken out of the other ear, and several smaller scratches on his face. They wouldn't scar, probably... but the one on his leg and behind his ear definitely would. Stonegazer didn't care.

It didn't matter that they would scar, because scars were trophies... he had fought someone, and he had survived. They were not something to be ashamed of. A familiar figure came into sight ahead of him. For a moment, there was curiousity - then realization. "Powdernose?" At first the word was spoken in a low, skeptical voice... just in case the tom before him was not, in fact, his friend. The steps did not change, remaining heavy and continuing at the same pace as he approached the other cat further, and then once he was nearly on top of him, Stonegazer was able to realize that this was indeed the other tom. "Where have you been? You haven't been around the clearing." This last statement was spoken rather accusingly, as though Stonegazer expected Powdernose to feel guilty for not being where he was expected to be.

"Yeah, okay. I know, I know." Snowpaw chuckled, he did it find a bit amusing about how much his sister cared about her job. The apprentice didn't really like it, however he wasn't clueless to the fact she cared about it. Truth be told, he would trust his life with all his siblings. He wasn't fairly close to anyone but he would. For him, trust came easily unlike a lot. He found it easy. He didn't hold much grudges. He was too dense to the subject of betrayal. It lead to being his biggest weakness. Snowpaw was a bit too gullible, he could argue for moons about something. He didn't give up, easily at least. He'll soon accept that someone told him a lie. Question the cat. Forgive them and forget it. Usually, their were those special cases where he didn't forget. Snowpaw's sadness was anger. Snapping at those who tried to comfort him, it was a whirlwind of drama when he did. He would regret it.

Snowpaw slowly walked away from the place, to count. He closed his eyes. "One, two.. three.. four.. five, six, seven, eight, nine, and.. ten!" He counted, opening his eyes quickly. "Sis, here I come!" He waddled around in the snow. Sniffing for her scent or her pelt color. He blend in easily with the snow, luckily for him. He climbed up a tree, slowly but surely making his way up it. He hauled himself up on a tree branch, scanning the territory. His blue eyes squinted as he looked for her. He stepped forward, thinking he caught a flash of her fur. He furrowed his eyebrows when he couldn't find it. He was at the edge of the branch, leaning forward. In a quick movement the ground under him seem to slip away, well bark in this case. Snowpaw claws dug into the bark, as his body hang limply. What was with him being so clumsy today? "Starclan, why do you do this?" He mumbled as he hauled himself up it, grunting in effort. His pink tongue rolled out of his mouth, climbing down the tree. It wasn't like he meant to be clumsy or almost break his leg but the territory just seem to be against him today.

Snowpaw sigh in defeat when he gave up searching. He look everywhere. Sure, he was rusty but he never fail this bad. He was ready to call out her name before he caught a whiff of her scent. He blinked, following it. Their was a faint one repeated sentence coming from him, "Imma get ya." He didn't realize how creepy it was. Snowpaw was too focused on finding his sister. Luckily he didn't call it quits. He poked his head through the bush, getting a mouthful of wonderful leaves. He slowly weaved through it, determine to find her. When he came out from the other side, Snowpaw had twigs and leaves stuck in his white fur. He spat out the mouthful of leaves, looking around for Caliapaw before finally seeing her. He slowly crawled forward, then dropped his body in the snow right in front of her. His blue eyes blinked up at her. "Hi. I found you." Snowpaw purred in sasfisction. No doubt about it his smile was wide and big. He was tempted to poke her in the nose but decided against it.

He rolled in the snow a bit, trying to get the leaves and twigs out of his fur. He did, picking out the last few twigs that stuck in there. His fur was messy and ungroom. A normal look for him. Snowpaw stood up, looking at Caliapaw. "Now like you said, we should return now? Oh, guess what! I almost died.. kind of." He exclaimed, as he told her what happened with the tree. After his probably over-told story, he added, "Trees just really are out for me today." He didn't have a fear of heights but he was scared unlike in the story he told her. Snowpaw fibbed to make himself look better. Everyone unusually caught on and thought it was just well, him being funny.

[SacredMadness]

Originally Posted by 2018 Okapi

Peachrain smiled whispering,” Use your nose.” She hinted in amusement that she was using her eyes for prey not nose.

She smelled the air and recognized something. She used her stalking technique and followed her nose.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by DismissedDreams

She smelled the air and recognized something. She used her stalking technique and followed her nose.

She silently observed Willowpaw, curious about what she smelled. She followed her with her nose and eyes.

[lio]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The harsher words spoken by the younger tom were enough to make Stonegazer upset, but he tried to keep his temper, watching Powdernose with a curious gaze. "Because you are a clanmate, and I need to make sure you're alright." He could understand how the other cat might be upset that their little outing had been interuppted. Especially since Powdernose had been much more into it then Stonegazer had. The grey tom's icy, cold eyes scanned the younger cat for any signs of injury. In the battle it had been hard to tell who was there and who wasn't. "If that's what you really want, I will." His own voice was huffy now, offended that he was being sent away when all he was doing was trying to help. It was so irritating, the tom wasn't quite sure whether or not he could handle much more.

Still... perhaps he could try and understand where Powdernose was coming from? What the younger tom was thinking and feeling right now, since Stonegazer had left him to go fight in the battle? It had been a bloody battle, one that could have caused many more lives to be lost, and he was thankful that WindClan had retreated. Perhaps war was not the grand thing he had thought it would be. A glorious fight that honor would be found in, although he should have expected as such. The battle from the Evil Era was still new in his mind, memories from it coming up every day when he saw - or didn't see - different cats around the clearing. Some had been lost, and it had taken a toll on ThunderClan. Cats had been lost now, too... Stonegazer missed every one of them. "Before I do go, I want you to know that I am... concerned about your mental health. I hope it was not my leaving that caused this."

His last words were phrased an unspoken question, though he was almost too proud to admit that it could have been his fault. It wasn't his fault, though! It wasn't! The tom would have been a good deal angrier if Powdernose had come out and placed the blame on him. He had done what he needed to do, defending his Clan... and while the other warrior's mental state was concerning, it certainly wasn't his fault. Sulking and feeling sorry for yourself were signs of immaturity, and Stonegazer rarely tolerated those things. Still, the other cat looked so sad that it was almost enough to make the ice-cold warrior have sympathy.

Another new emotion, one that rarely showed up in the grey tom, considering he was not the type of cat to feel sorry for anyone. Especially when they hadn't done much for him to feel sorry for them in the first place. Still, perhaps the grey feline could show a little grace towards the other cat. Some understanding certainly wouldn't do much harm... and maybe, if this current mental state was Stonegazer's doing, he could help undo it.

powdernose's ears swivelled before they rested flat against his head. he hadn't gone to the battle, knowing that he would not survive very long with the current state of his mentality. claws digging small indents into the ground, the tom looked towards stonegazer with a cold gaze, lowering the usual laid-back posture he held. "i'm fine." no i'm not. "you did nothing of the sorts in which could make me like this." lie. they're all lies. tail curling around his form, powdernose got to his feet and pushed past the other, movements tense. i must get away.
once he was past stonegazer, he ran. his paws carried him blindly towards an unknown area, tail whipping behind him. surprising, he moved quickly. powdernose's paws made a soft thump against the ground with every step, chest heaving due to not running so much in quite a while. his nose twitched and he skidded to a stop, breathing ragged as he fought to catch his breath. even getting away from the one that caused him so much pain was a struggle.
he couldn't do anything right. stonegazer had done nothing wrong; it was powdernose who was creating false accusations. he had been warned of the battle, and still decided to try and get closer to the tom. the threat had grown too high at that time, how could he have been so stupid?
with a silent cry, powdernose collapsed on himself, trembling uncontrollably. he couldn't help it. the pain was just oozing out, like the dam had been destroyed and now all the feelings were rushing to freedom. what had stonegazer done to him? why was he suddenly like this?
he shook, breath shallow as he allowed his emotions to claw at his very soul. eyes clenched shut, powdernose curled up into a small ball, looking more vulnerable than he had ever been. it was as if stonegazer had torn a whole into his chest and ripped through his heart, pulling it out and tossing it into a river. but it was still beating, still breaking. and powdernose hated it.
oh, how powdernose hated stonegazer for making him feel this way.

(ahh sorry if this is repetitive i'm typing this at like two in the morning)