Marshypaw
Male / 6 Moons / ShadowClan / Sexuality Unknown
Russet tabby tom with cream-brown fur around the torso, blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes, and a naturally sinister expression

“Well there’s no point to misery without joy, now is there? Just like there’s no point to beauty without brains! That last part is something that you, my friend, need to work on!”
~Marshypaw

/Takes place just after the main time skip, making him 7 1/2. I still have to edit the header, I’m just knocking out the early-early apprenticeship rps with it still there! ^^ \

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Marshypaw, in all honesty, had not been paying his surroundings any attention whatsoever while pacing back and forth around ShadowClan’s camp. His mind and thoughts had been dancing totally elsewhere, and with his eyes on the ground, the chances that he would have caught even the slightest glimpse of Willowpaw were very little, if not non-existent. Naturally, he had not seen her, resulting in him running full speed into the unsuspecting tortoiseshell she-cat. Marshypaw had never been the type of cat to avoid thinking about his flaws. As confident as he always appeared to be, he could be humble if those who he interacted with never gave him any reason not to be. He was more than prepared to apologize for this whole accident and admit that he was behind it, and whether his mistake was unintentional or not, it was still his fault. He could only hope that Willowpaw would be accepting with his apology and not chew him out for walking into her. Though, normally it’s quite obvious when somebody has a… nasty personality, let’s just throw on that label! He fought the urge to smile. It was already awkward enough as it was, he didn’t want to worsen his situation with this apprentice by laughing at what would probably seem like some voice in his head. So I’ll make a small assumption and say that… Willowpaw cannot be too bad, can she? I’m sure she’ll simply let me know that it’s alright after my apology, then walk away! Perfect!

It was rather rare for Marshypaw to purposely miss an opportunity to formulate some sort of dramatic scene with somebody, with his fall being the perfect chance to start something entertaining up, but Marshypaw had not been in the most wonderful state of mind today anyway. His mindset usually took a turn just a few minutes after his occasional mood drop, but conveniently, he was not in his usual happy place when he bumped into Willowpaw, causing him to have some trouble noticing the fact that something dramatic could easily be started from all of this. When he hit the ground, Marshypaw felt the pain of the ShadowClan ground’s impact strike hard on his spine, but he wasn’t too surprised. He quickly recognized and acknowledged the fact that he was clearly been paying no attention to the cats and objects around him, so it was no surprise that he had fallen to the floor like a ragdoll. Blinking and stiffening, he took a quick, dizzy Look around until his tortoiseshell denmate appeared, the figure of an apprentice forming in his blurry viewpoint. Marshypaw identified her, finally managed to blink away the final bouts of dizziness, and did not bother to get up from the ground yet. He gazed up at Willowpaw and prepared to speak, thinking over the situation. Well, it seems that she… uh… SCREAMED when I bumped into her, so I’m assuming she’s a bit of the jumpy sort, isn’t she? Marshypaw’s eyes fell into narrow slits. Well, hopefully she won’t assume me of frightening her. That certainly isn’t how I want to get rid of my boredom at the moment… some pleasant drama would be nice!

It was just before he started speaking when Marshypaw caught sight of the water in Willowpaw’s eyes. The russet and cream tabby apprentice felt his own eyes widen at the sight of it, his heart twisting with sympathy. Ah! Not only is she jumpy, she seems… well, I won’t say wimpy, but… sensitive. Awkward, maybe… possibly even lacking of confidence? He felt his brow pinch, eyes flashing with pity. Well, I shoudlnt make any more assumptions, but if everything I’ve thought already is correct, then I’m sure she’ll have QUITE the personality, won’t she? Finally, Marshypaw could feel the dramatic mood coming back to him, hobbling along back into his mind and allowing him to re-enter his usual, happier, better mood. Still, Willowpaw was on the verge of tears, probably even crying by now, and he had a feeling he should do something about it instead of just stand and watch. To Marshypaw, he would not be very much of a gentleman if he just sat and stared while a lady in distress broke down in tears. But Willowpaw’s voice appeared too quickly for him to say much, and when she spoke, she spoke fast. Marshypaw forced himself to lean towards her with the nearest ear perked, struggling and barley managing to catch onto the words that left her apprentices mouth in high-pitched, lightning-quick stutters. Marshypaw was deathly silent as he listened to the apprentice speak, feeling his own brain and thoughts begin to whirl at the sound of the chaos that came tumbling out from Willowpaw’s mouth, and with his jaw falling slightly with confusion, he gasped at her. Well, she’s awfully talented at the whole panic thing… is she not? The most I can do to aid her is be patient, I suppose… but goodness, she’s… a lot. Easily overwhelmed, I’ll say!

Willowpaw started by telling Marshypaw that it wasn’t him, it was her, and stiffly, Marshypaw cocked his head to the side. Raising a single eyebrow, he proceeded to listen. He was pretty sure that he could confirm a lack of confidence and high level of anxiety in his nervous denmate by now, seeing as the very first thing she had done was tell him that running into her wasn’t his fault at all. Unrealistically, she had fallen right into the mindset that she was the issue, that she needed changing, and she handmade the mistake, all when Marshypaw thought that it was quite obvious that the fault laid in his owl paws. But still, he listened politely and respectfully as Willowpaw rambled and blabbered. The tortoiseshell she-cat told him that she felt that she should have walked differently, and because of her ‘weird walking’, she had entered his pathway. Marshypaw had a small urge to laugh at the seemingly delusional apprentice’s words, but he was too busy staring at her in disbelief to say anything. She wasn’t lying to him, was she? She actually believed her own words… it was… odd. It was dramatic. As Willowpaw kept speaking, Marshypaw could feel his heart lifting. As she went on about how she was delusional, horrible, and again, it was her fault, Marshypaw came to realize that this was his perfect chance to escape his boredom. This was the perfect time to be dramatic! He was going to take it to heart, and he knew it. So when Willowpaw introduced herself with her name, he smiled brightly and made sure to tell her, “Willowpaw! Quite a lovely name, then! I, personally, find it pretty!” It would have felt awkward to not compliment her, so here they were. Marshypaw felt no shame whatsoever.

Now, then, back to taking notice of the tears in Willowpaw’s eyes. Marshypaw felt a frown cross his face, and squinting at Willowpaw, he backed up slightly. It was becoming obvious that Willowpaw did not have the best amounts of control over her emotions, panic and anxiety in particular, but what was somebody like him to do other than give her some space? I need to assure her somehow, but there’s a possibility of worsening this entire situation with a singular word, so I’ll have to be incredibly careful with it all. He shifted his paws with some discomfort. In other words, I’ll have to tread carefully here. Her confidence is… most likely… delicate, for lack of a better term, so this will take some effort. If I want my pleasant drama, I’ll have to make sure that I don’t come off as too frightening. He straightened, sighing lightly. Well, then, so be it. Her personality is worth the struggle, it’s interesting! Something NEW! Awkward as she is, she’s unique, and I would be an idiot to ignore that, would I not? Here goes SOMETHING! Marshypaw kept a smile on his face, a small smile of assurance. When he spoke, he kept his voice soft and gentle. “Hey, you were walking just fine! Please, allow us to avoid the self-blame game, I suggest we leave it at the fact that I was talking to myself and not paying attention! Willowpaw, you called yourself, yes? Well, Willowpaw, let me assure you, you have not done anything wrong. In fact, it’s nice to see somebody humble!”

He flicked his tail over her ears in an attempt at a comforting gesture, though he made sure to not make contact, respecting her personal space. He didn’t want to frighten the young she-cat anymore than she had already frightened herself. Then keeping his voice leveled and light, he sat down beside her as he spoke. “Now, worry not, I am not frustrated with you in the least! In fact, I would like to thank you for not getting angry with me for bumping into you! Whether you realize it or not, you’re kinder than many of your clanmates!” He tilted his head a little. “And as for tears, feel no shame, no shame whatsoever! Tears are simply the natural method of calming oneself down, allow them to flow without blockage! I will think no less of you, no matter what I see, that’s all I’ll say.” Marshypaw glanced around briefly, and catching sight of the prey pile a few mouse lengths away, an idea popped into his head. Straining to reach the stack, he hooked his claw on the nearest mouse, and politely, he dropped it in between them. “Now, how about a snack to take your mind off of things, Willowpaw? Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”

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// Why, thank you. Yes, his quote came to me when I was half-asleep, and good thing, because it’s decently in character. \\

~ @Myling ~