Her fur spiked as Cricketsting finally padded toward her for a change, and her puplis narrowed into slits. "Doesn't matter. When you heard about it, you could've done something about it," she countered venomously. "And believe me, jackass, I've shouted his ears off twice now. Frankly I don't think your snake of a leader holds a heart or brain, because the first time he called me the manipulative one and the second time he just didn't care." Believe her, she'd be more than happy to make it a third, only this time she'd be speaking with teeth and not claws.
She snarled at Cricketsting as he lowered his voice to a whisper. "If you have a problem with it, you can either make me or you can go hunt somewhere else." Her narrowed eyes flashed with blatant challenge, daring him to step over the border and give her a reason to give him a piece of her mind.
Cricketsting looked on with anger for the ThunderClan warrior. He had enough ‘chit-chatting’ with them. This was a waste of time to both individuals. “Forget about me thinking I'm a thunderhead, cause it seems like you’re the thunderhead here,” he remarked. As he lashed out his anger with a hiss, there was a bubble that kept bobbing around in his chest that wouldn't pop. Is he really feeling guilty for not stopping this sooner? No, no, it is not his fault!... He did went missing because he tried to pull a prank that went nowhere….If he wasn’t gone from camp for a couple of sunrises, he could’ve voiced his opinion that kidnapping was a bad idea… so maybe it is his fault?
Fine! The warrior thought to himself as he shook his head, I’ll go hunt somewhere else! The confused, but surely angered warrior swished his tail as he turned away, not bothering to look back at the ThunderClan warrior. Thinking back to the last statements of the conversation, Cricketsting remembered how the ThunderClan cat said that Skystar called them manipulative and when the second time they talked, the ‘star stopped caring. If Cricketsting was none the wiser, he would’ve guessed that there is a certain relationship between Skystar and the other warrior. As much as that seemed fascinating at first, Cricketsting doesn’t care and rather not think about it at all. He longed for hunting, and that’s what he is aiming for, not solving a damn mystery about damn cats that kept annoying Cricketsting with their own problems that the cream tabby neither heard of it or been in it!
(Sorry for the wait, I really enjoy roleplaying this! )
Char Site updated (10/11/22), added Blazingpaw and Goldenkit!
During most or few roleplays, I will do a flashback that was conjured in my characters' thoughts. Please do not respond to the flashback unless you have the power to read minds or smth.
@Castle
---
After the apprentice's den fiasco, Echosong decided to take it a bit easier on Crowpaw. A bit. "How about this. If you are willing to listen to me without throwing a fit, I will change our plans to make things less... intense." With a quick glance up at the midday sun, the molly began to think as the led Crowpaw towards the Smallpines. The first destination of their trip.
"We are still going on a tour of all the borders. It's important that you know all the nooks and crannies, as many battles tend to happen here. When you get put on border or hunting patrols, you will go to one of the borders. Knowing every little bit of our home could be the difference between life and death for you and your clanmates." She stopped talking for a moment to allow the apprentice to explore the Riverclan border, sitting in the shade with her tail wrapped neatly around her paws. Once they were done, she could continue.
"Before we leave here, I'm going to teach you the basic hunters crouch. Each new border will be a new necessary technique for you to learn. Ok?" Once Crowpaw answered, she crouched into the basic stance. "When hunting on the ground, it's important to keep your pawsteps light. Prey have very good hearing, and one wrong step could alert them. Keep your tail close to the ground, don't stick it up in the air or drag it along the earth. Both will alert your prey." Before she continued, she stopped to make sure they didn't have any questions.
"I guess I can do that..." The apprentice huffed at their mentor's deal. They still didn't feel like it was all too fair for them to be bossed around by another cat. Shouldn't Crowpaw have the liberty to do as they please? This whole "training" business felt like a huge brainwash scam in their opinion. But Crowpaw had no power here. They had to do as their sibling said would be best -- stay in ThunderClan.
They let out a gruff sigh as they follow Echosong through the territory. She sure likes rambling, they thought. Crowpaw let their eyes wander the area; watching every bird, insect, tree, or interesting blade of grass they came across on their path. This border they were on was pretty, at least.
By the time Echosong has crouched down in front of them, Crowpaw had completely misheard Echosong. They were so into the scenery that they forgot to pay attention. They stared and furrowed their brows at her. What was she doing? Shoot. Maybe I should've been paying attention. They tried to backtrack what she said, but nothing came to mind. All they could remember was the border patrol nonsense she spouted, but as she began explain hunting on the ground, it clicked in their brain. "Oh! Uh, right, okay." A sheepish smile curled their lips. Maybe she didn't notice they weren't listening...
@Castle
--- Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Crowpaw was young. Not only that, but they were brand new to clan life. Things like patrols or rules were most likely brand new concepts to them. She remembered being the exact same way. Coming from a warm twoleg den to a muddy, dark clan camp took a long time to adjust to. She could remember constantly rolling her eyes at over-eager apprentices who were begging to go training, or stern warriors who wanted to go hunting during their free time. Were they crazy? Of course not. They were clan-cats. She just didn't understand at the time. Getting mad at Crowpaw for being in the same boat she had been in all those moons ago would only turn them away from wanting to learn.
Wordlessly, the she-cat moved from her hunters crouch to stand in front of her apprentice. After a quick scan of their clearly not crouched stance, she took matters into her own paws. A silver paw shot out with lightning speed, wrapping around one white paw and moving it to the correct position. A quick jab at the bend of their arm would ensure they crouched down. She silently made her way around Crowpaw's body, moving their limbs around in the dirt until they rested in a perfectly placed position.
"You're in the hunters crouch. Memorize how it feels. Keep your tail low, but not too low. Keep your paws light. Repeat that back so I know you're listening this time." Her eyes shot along the border, quickly scanning for any Riverclan patrols or potential threats. When she was satisfied the border was safe, she turned back. "Then I want you to sneak across the border in this pose, get used to it. Ok?"
Crowpaw's smile dissolved as Echosong towered over them. Then, without any warning, she started poking at them?? "Gah! Hey, what are y--" Before they could even retort, Crowpaw was shocked to find themself in their very own hunter's crouch. They blinked in surprise, looking down at the positioning of their paws and making note of how low their tail was. The irritation was still there, bristling in the back of their mind, but Crowpaw was more fascinated than anything. Is this really how cats hunted?
Looking back up at Echosong, Crowpaw nodded. They stood and then repeated the crouch as best as they could. They felt so...cool! They'd never learned anything before this, so getting to do something new like this was thrilling to Crowpaw.
When challenged to cross the border, Crowpaw looked over at the border and then back at Echosong. They sat there blinking for a second, and then finally started creeping their way over the scent marks. Moving like this was so...strange, but they felt as if they looked so mature and professional. So sneaky! They wiggled their haunches playfully, unable to ignore the thrill they felt. They just couldn't help but smile at this point. "Look at me! Crow is sneaky!" They exclaimed in a sort of loud whisper. Crowpaw's tail was higher than it should be now, lashing excitedly.
@Castle
--- Have my shoulders been this tense the whole time? The thought floated into her head as she felt said tension slowly evaporate, the heavy weight that seemed to settle there all but gone. She had seen it. That little spark in their eyes. A gleam that indicated to her that she had broken through that wall of stubbornness. She hadn't knocked it down of course, she would be naive to think so, but a crack was a success none the less. Once the initial confusion melted away, her apprentice seemed pleased with this new information. They even perfectly replicated it!
Echosong watched contently from where Crowpaw had left her, happy to let them get used to the new position. Even better, they seemed to be able to pick up the scent marks with ease, something she had trouble with way back when. I accidentally crossed onto other clan territory more than a few times... While Crowpaw was getting... admittedly a little close at times, she was happy to let them have this moment. Until blue eyes spotted a critical mistake.
Bounding towards the apprentice in a similar pose, careful to avoid twigs or leaves in her path, Echosong quickly caught up to the super sneaky kitty. She kept pace with their speed, even going so far as to shout whisper over:"You'd be even sneakier if you kept your tail level like this. Remember raising it too high or brushing it too low will tell others where you are. Pay attention to your surroundings too. Do you hear any prey nearby?"
@Rockfall
apologies for the style changes!
testing out a bunch of stuff atm ^^;
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻ CROWPAW | THEY/HIM
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After being corrected, Crowpaw was quick to lower their tail back to it's correct positioning. This crouch would take some getting used to, but they were more than willing to learn; especially after Echosong gave them the task to detect any prey. Was he....hunting?? Would learning this stuff meant they'd be able to hunt for their own meals?? This was so exciting! They never fathomed that they could learn this sort of stuff. They were used to living off a scavenger lifestyle -- finding anything they could to survive...so to say Crowpaw was stoked to be learning this sort of thing was a huge understatement.
I can't wait to tell Raven about all the stuff I'm learning!!
Crowpaw was fully engaged now. They squeeze their eyes shut to focus on their hearing; angling their ears in all directions, trying to catch the slightest of sounds. "Um...I hear...birds?" They quietly reported, unsure if that counted for the answer she was looking for. Birds could always be heard -- they were the loudest kind of prey...was that a lazy answer? Crowpaw's chest began to heat up as they peaked through one of their tightly-shut eyelids to look for their mentor's approval.
@lumina (no worries! New style looks good )
---
It was endearing to watch Crowpaw excitedly adjust to their new skills, quickly taking her advice to better their stance. It was a stark contrast to merely an hour ago, when both Echosong and Cinderstar had to berate the apprentice's lazy attitude. Heck, she'd had to carry Crowpaw out of their den, and now here they were practically vibrating with enthusiasm. The guilt that still fizzled within her for causing those hidden tears early was all but gone. Tough love was all that was needed. The hard part was over; now for the fun part.
"Birds." She repeated quietly, almost as if pondering their answer. Of course they were right, the whole forest danced with their songs. Cardinals, robins, sparrows; all sorts of feathered creatures fluttered around the two cats. "Are you telling me or asking me?" Despite her stern tone, her blue eyes were light. Crowpaw was doing excellent, there was no need to continue her harshness. "Can you scent anything? Preferably the earthy scent of a mouse? That would be a great first catch for you. Bird's require a bit more practice."
She stayed quiet for a moment and allowed her apprentice to scout, content to stay crouched beside them and scout out her own prey. A few rodents scuttered nearby, evidenced by their small squeaks and even smaller footprints left behind in the dirt. Alright kid, let's see what you pick up.
Their nose wrinkled and brows furrowed again. Why didn't Echosong originally tell them to scent a mouse, then? I could catch a bird. They thought, flattening their ears. Nothing's too hard for Crow! Frustrated, they suddenly decided that they wanted to impress their bossy trainer with their hunting skills. If they could master the hunter's crouch this easily, then surely catching a mouse would be like stealing a mossball from a kitten, right?
"Fine, Crow will find a mouse." Crowpaw declared with a huff, lashing their tail to show determination. "Then, Crow will catch the biggest mouse!"
Squeezing their eyes shut again, they dropped their maw and began tasting the air, trying to ignore the birds chirping overhead. To their surprise, it didn't take long at all to catch the overwhelming scent of several rodents nearby. They purred, letting out another excited whisper, "I smell mice! Lots of them are around us!"
Brown paws raced towards their destination with a fervor that even she was surprised by. There was much to do today, and marking the border was only the start of that list of tasks. Glancing behind her to see how her patrolmates were faring with her exacerbated pace, she slowed ever so slightly as they approached the border.
"Welcome to Smallpines Cactuspaw," she stated with a grin. "Since we haven't formally toured this part of our territory I'll excuse any missteps as we mark the border. Riverclan's scent is particularly strong in this area, so make sure you stick your nose in to familiarize yourself with it."
Wrinkling her nose in an exaggerated grimace towards the fishy smell, she began to brush up against the low foliage surrounding the area.
"Rainhound, you're free to move on your own, just holler if anything's amis. Cactuspaw I'd like you to stay close by. With the amount of rogue activity and how close we are to Riverclan, I'd like you within eyesight of myself."
Re: Smallpines
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