private A STORY IS IN YOU &. SNAKEBLINK

[frogpaw]

Curled ears still ring with the sound of battle and the mourning wails of clanmates. He had not been able to look at Clearsight's body before they had cleaned him for his vigil. Though he was no newly-weaned kit, it had been the first taste of battle– and what a sour, acrid taste it was. Even still he stands on the edge of sickness, as if a great beast crawls up his throat. If it slides out, it will ruin him. Ruin RiverClan. He swallows through the tightness, afraid of just that, and rises from his place of rest. Snakeblink is a steady mentor, but the raid has left them off kilter. Between necessities and healing, they have not been as attached as is typical. He misses the routine; even then, his paws are unsteady and his gait uncertain. Interrupting this tenuous peace feels taboo. There are too many questions to allow to simmer.

His head ducked and body low, though lanky limbs and broad paws add more to him than he can hide, Frogpaw walks the outskirts of RiverClan camp in search of the tom's familiar patterned pelt. "Snakeblink?" There's a frown of concentration on the young tom's face as he tries to catch his attention. "When will I learn more about fighting?" The river was as familiar as his bloodstream; he knows the territory like his own whiskers. But in that battle, he knew nothing. Had nothing. It was this foreign beast in his throat, and he doesn't know how to chew it up.

˗ˏˋ〚  OOC NOTES REFERENCE INFORMATION 〛´ˎ˗

• ooc: —
• 
• FROGPAW. APPRENTICE OF RIVERCLAN. EIGHT MONTHS OLD
  —— npc x npc, has several npc siblings. mentored by snakeblink.
  —— loyal to riverclan, but somewhat uncertain of his place there.
  —— unknown sexuality. single, not actively looking or interested.
  
  a lanky, slender black smoke with low white and soft blue eyes. his ears are gently curled, and each paw has at least one extra toe, making them seem broader and larger than a typical cat's.
• "speech"

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[Snakeblink]

MAYBE I'D BE A SAINT IF I WEREN'T ————————————​

It's easy to keep yourself busy in the aftermath of a battle. There is no shortage of wounded to take care of, destroyed walls to weave anew, patrols to run. There's a lot of slack to pick up with so many of theirs in the medicine den and Snakeblink throws himself into the work: it's easier than thinking about everything that went wrong. Everything that he could have done right and didn't.

Keeping busy feels easier, feels right; hence it’s not until Frogpaw seeks him out that he realizes he has been neglecting his apprentice. He isn’t just a warrior anymore: he’s a mentor. He has to remember that.

Although, listening to the adolescent’s quiet question, he wonders if a part of him hasn’t been trying to avoid this very situation.

When will I learn more about fighting?

Slowly straightening from his crouch (Frogpaw caught him during a rare break) Snakeblink’s mouth twists into an uncomfortable grimace as he thinks his answer over. Truth is, Snakeblink doesn’t enjoy fighting — not unless he can win, which is a rare occurrence — and he has been dreading this aspect of mentorship since Frogpaw was assigned to his tutelage. He can’t stand the thought of the young tabby coming out of his apprenticeship with the same major flaws that have plagued Snakeblink most of his life: he’s supposed to make him better, not hold him back with his own faults.

He wants his apprentice to be… perfect. To keep him safe, to keep Riverclan safe.

(To make up for the fact that he’s not.)

”Ah… You, fighting?” He drawls thoughtfully, looking Frogpaw up and down. He’s solidly built, and he would look quite fearsome already if he didn’t try to make himself smaller (if he didn’t move like me, Snakeblink thinks, both charmed and peeved by his apprentice’s self-sabotaging). He has the making of a decent fighter, perhaps even a good one.

Snakeblink has no idea how to make that potential into a reality, though.

”I'm afraid there’s nothing there for me to teach,” he says, gesturing at Frogpaw with his tail. ”And with some of our best warriors in the medicine den…” He sighs. ”But yes, it’s high time you learned. We can… try… some maneuvers now, if you’d like, but in the future it would be better if you went to another warrior for this.”

He can at least show Frogpaw how to jump enemies from behind, or to drown them; but for anything more straightforward, he hopes another warrior can pick up his slack. He resolves to ask one of the others for assistance in this. It’s his job to make sure Frogpaw gets all the training he needs, even if it’s not by him.
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——————————————————————————————————— so god damn lonely ​

ooc. information.

• ooc: local man says things in the worst way possible, more at 6
  
• — Snakeblink • he / him. 37 ☾, riverclan warrior
  — a sleek, skinny tabby with long ears and a scar over his right eye.
  — gay, not actually evil, penned by @Kangoo
  
  
  

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