ShadowClan Territory

[Arie]

Originally Posted by chaton

{ i'm sorry this took so long arie, i hope you enjoy }

Fennelhaze blinked, tilting her head in question. "Wait... toads and frogs are... different? Oh well! It still tasted good." The she-cat laughed softly at the realisation. It didn't even change much, she hsd quite enjoyed the taste... although it was a bit chewier. She could get used to that though, something told her it wouldn't be the last time she'd be eating one of those. As Fennelhaze kept her gaze on Driftstep, now completely covered in the mud she had sent them falling into, she struggled to hold back a laugh. This was just so much fun! Soon, she felt her own legs get swept off though, a gasp taking shape on her face right before she collapsed into the mud, getting caked in more of it than she had already been. Fennelhaze settled her gaze on her friend, a soft laugh was present as she spoke. "Drifffffft! You didn't tell me you could... trip stuff! I thought you were just good at squishing!" Taking her paw, the she-cat scooped up some of the mud that surrounded the two, using the small amount she gathered to throw some at Driftstep. It would be hilarious... for her! "Watch outtttt Drifffffft... You'll be the one eating mud... right about... now!"

"Of course frogs and toads are different! Toads are bigger!" they proclaimed as they stared at Fennelhaze for a moment... Nellel as even more weird than they were! Driftstep was shocked though when mud came flying for them and sent them reeling back again. Oh the battle was on it seemed! "I can alwayysss squishh Nellelll" they dragged out her name again. It was a fun name to say and they were just... enjoying themselves. Slowly rising to their paws again despite their wobbliness and with mud covering their otherwise quite pretty face they stared down at Fennelhaze. Slowly they dragged themselves out of the mud, their large body making it harder for them to actually move, even without the hindrance of their wobble. It was slightly disheartening for them but they wouldn't let it show, they were having fun! Well they were always having fun when they were with Nellell.. Nothing bad could happen. Well it could... Such as the sudden rain that begun falling down from the sky. "Nellel! I shall come rescue you!" With that Driftstep launched themselves into the now sloshing mud trying to get to their ginger and white friend. Dragging her out with her scruff they deposited her on the at least not muddy ground. "Nellelll is safe! From the rain!"

[Socks]

Originally Posted by RedHead

"Denying perfection is denying the hard work to get there." Lightbubble meowed, tilting his head a little. "And that's not exactly the best way to become a warrior but well... you do you kid." The creamy tom shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He would give advice and wise words but he wasn't going to force them upon Littlepaw. If the tom wanted to be "just good enough," then that was his problem and his thing to deal with. Not Lightbubble's.
The tom fell silent to watch his apprentice pounce at the fern, his ears flattening as he missed the fern. "Well, if you're aiming to kill your prey by squishing it, then do it that way." Lightbubble meowed, glancing at the ferns now crushed underneath Littlepaw's stomach and back legs. "If you want to jump with more power like that, then the aim is to jump higher and land closer and harder. Not jump farther and land softer. Your goal is to stalk as close to the prey as you can, you know. So you don't have to jump like that and possibly twist a leg." Lightbubble twitched his tail, glancing around before pointing his paw towards a clump of wildflowers. "Try that one now. Remember, get close, and jump less."

Littlepaw stared at his paws while he listened to the words of his mentor. Lightbubble's advice was good, he seemed okay at this mentoring thing. He wasn't one to deny someone's good aspects because of one thing he didn't like, he just usually tended to focus on what he didn't like. Such as some of the ways this mentor of his spoke. Kicking out with his back legs, he trampled the fern he'd failed to leap on. His attention turned to the wildflowers he was pointed towards. "Yeah, alright." He nonchalantly lowered himself once more, focusing his eyes on bunch of colours that blurred together with the more he stared. Jump higher and land closer, all right, easy enough. He slithered forward until he felt like he was close enough, closer than previously but not enough to get a face full of pollen. He lined his body up and with one swift movement pushed himself up, outstretching his paws so they crushed the flowers under his weight. "There, dun it!" He turned with a more happy look in his eyes, still rather nonchalant with his posture.

[nocturnal]

Originally Posted by x ghostie

jaypaw blinked then stuck his tongue out. "blehh!! i can use my t..touch for h..hunt..ting too!" he huffed, didn't they just use all their senses..? wasn't hunting LIKE battling? what was the difference, actually? prey could battle you. like birds-- and leaves! wait, no leaves aren't prey. jaypaw's thoughts contuined to ramble on for a moment. he just stared blankly at fallenheart, nodding along.

he snapped back into reality. jaypaw stared at fallenheart for a moment in pure confusion before slowly nodding. "ye...yesssss,, sir, " he squinted his eyes and glanced around. trying to piece what he caught from fallenheart.

"sc..scenting! yeah, that. got it. one.. er.. mommeeenntt?" jaypaw rolled his shoulders nervously. trying to relax, he closed his eyes. he scrunched his nose up, parting his jaws slightly to take in the scents around them. everything was unfamiliar but.. not really.

''i can smell.. you. the grass-- uh, the trees. the pinetrees. oh! oh!" jaypaw reopened his eyes, grinning. "a mouse, wait--" he paused. "or am i just..smelling the mouse i ate..-- uh, " he furrowed his brows in confusion.

The dark tabby nodded along as his apprentice named the senses. Being able to detect other cats' scents was important during patrols and battles. The forest smelled of pine, and it lingered on the pelt of most ShadowClan warriors, however faintly. Then Fallenheart paused, also opening his maw slightly to scent the air. Mouse, yes, along with a few birds in the distance, though Fallenheart wasn't concerned about that. The mouse... in a bush to the left. Turning in said direction, the warrior meowed, "Good." He glanced at his apprentice, then said, "Pay attention, Jaypaw. There's a mouse in that bush over there. I'm going to give you a quick example of hunting before your turn to try. The leaves and dirt are disguising the mouse's scent, if that's why you're confused." The warrior opened his maw to say something else, then shook his head. "Just watch for now and I'll explain everything later."

Dropping down into a hunter's crouch, the warrior shifted his weight to his back legs. He crept forwards, stepping lightly as to not alert the mouse. There was no wind as of right then. Eventually, a curious nose peeked out of the bushes, followed by the body of a grey-furred rodent. Fallenheart pounced. He landed softly, blocked the mouse from escaping with his paws, then delivered a quick bite to the back of its neck. It died instantly. "So, any questions?" Fallenheart asked with a smile. As he awaited Jaypaw's reply, he began digging a shallow hole to bury his prey in.

[pidgeon]

Originally Posted by BILL.

What a joke.

If Falcondive was younger and foolish, maybe he would have believed her.. but it all felt like false reassurances after the last time she acted remorseful toward him.

No, he would not believe her. Icestar was more of a constant in his life-- as much as he despised the black she-cat-- and that.. said a lot. "No, you have not." His voice was a shaky growl, his pelt bristling. "Stop that. Stop lying to me. You never cared. Not after that first time-"

It was like being hit in the chest with a brick, struggling to convey how he was feeling after all those moments of isolation and loneliness. Hatred. "You should have just left me outside of camp to die. At least I would have been with cats who actually gave a damn about me! They died because of this stupid Clan and no one batted an eye. No one cared when they went missing. Not you, not the others.." he sucked in a short hiss. ".. they left me alone.. I have never been anything but alone. And you have always been more focused on yourself to care to see beyond that."

Hailstorm was at a loss for words. Was there really nothing she could do to mend things between them? It was all her fault, and she knew it. She had let him down, and no excuse in the world could heal that. After frowning at her paws for a long moment, she padded forward.

She didn't say a word. Just stood close to Falcondive and rested her head on his shoulder in an embrace. Flames of self-hatred flickered in her chest, wishing that things could be different. That she could start over.

[BEAR.]

When Hailstorm approached him soundlessly, Falcondive instinctively flinched back-- preparing himself to be struck for his behavior toward the older warrior.

Instead he was embraced, and he froze. Unable to fully process it.

It was.. nice? He could not.. remember..

.. the last time he had been held..

"why?" His voice had grown wheezey as he struggled to maintain his composure, to not break down more than he already had, to not.. be weak..

It was not working. No amount of him trying to be strong would stay the tears that welled in the corners of his eyes.

[ @Casper ]

[Exis]

Frecklepaw padded through the territory, trying to find something to do.
@Hazel Nut

[Cobra]

Meadowsong sighed. "Hello."
@Mentallyunstable

[Exis]

Frecklepaw turned twords the unknown cat, “Hey who are you?”
@Hazel Nut

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Scum

Houndsong chuckled softly at the generalisation of her daughter. She hummed, shaking her hear with a fun smile. "Oh she had her reasons... just needed someone close to her, someone stable. Dogpaws getting better," She said with a chirp, starting to groom Scorchpaw as she fell back into her own motherly ways towards him. "The kittens are thriving! Maybe one day you'll meet them," She hummed happily, her energetic exterior beginning to settle now she had a reason to.

"Well if there were reasons she never shared any." Scorchpaw huffed, though he decided to drop it instead of continuing to be angry about that. Dogpaw was who she was he supposed, even if she did seem insufferable and angry at the world with little reason. His mind was quickly switched to focus on the prospect of meeting some other kittens though, more of his little nieces and nephews. This time ones he would actually be bigger than. "Would they even want to meet me? Or see you? Since you know... you kinda left them?" Scorchpaw had never understood Houndsong's wandering tendencies. It reminded him a bit of mom and dad, they both were wanderers and didn't enjoy... taking care of him.

[pidgeon]

@BILL.

Hailstorm folded her ears back as she pressed her face into the fur on his shoulder, fighting back tears herself. Her tail was resting motionless in the pine needles as she stood there in silence for a long moment.

"Falcondive," She muttered, her voice shaky. "I can never possibly make up for the harm I've done. I'm so sorry for staying away." She took a step back, giving him space and looking him in the eyes.

"You are the most important person in the world to me, yet I've treated you so unfairly. I've never been good at...at talking to cats, and I didn't know what to do for you. So I did the selfish thing, and stayed away. And I'm...I'm so sorry. I know I've said it again and again, but I mean it."