- Sep 17, 2024
- 22
- 7
- 3
cw: mention of past child abuse, paragraphs marked (*)
Hemlockshine remains eerily silent as he leads his apprentice away from camp. He wants to be far enough away that his Clanmates won't hear him shouting and question his skills as a mentor even further. They don't have the apprentice that he does, Owlpaw has proven that he requires a far firmer paw than even Hemlockshine had first anticipated. What a rebellious brat, his veins running, undeservedly, with pure river water, purity he has no respect for. Lichenstar has softened the Clan, it seems; the leaders of Hemlockshine's youth would have eaten a twerp like Owlpaw alive.
A glance is cast over his shoulder, to make sure they're far enough away from camp, and alone. Then the midnight-pelted warrior whirls on his apprentice with a hiss of, "You s-sss-spoiled little- do you even unders-stand how blessed you are?!"
*Shame curls in his gut. Reedfang would make him repeat that sentence over and over again until he could say it perfectly, all the while scolding him for still speaking like a baby. "You were b-buh-born RiverClan, you were r-raised RiverClan, y-you practically have r-river water running through your veins for how naturally s-ssswimming comes to you. And yet here you are -" he makes a wide, sweeping gesture with his tail, "- acting like a r-rogue in the middle of c-cuh-camp, in front of damn near our entire c-council! And - and for what?" Some stupid kittypet goes unsaid, and he doubts Owlpaw can fill in the blanks as well as he swims.
"And this - this doesn't just affect you," he continues, every word spit from his mouth like it tastes as foul as rotten fish. "It reflects p-puh-poorly on me as your mentor, even th-though I have done everything I can to ins-sstill some sense of - of respons-ssibility and respect into you, ever since Lichenstar thought it wise to tether me to you. And if you c-can't even understand s-something as basic as respecting those who outrank you, you'll be a liability t-to the entire Clan!"
Finally, the flood of words stops, if only for a moment while Hemlockshine catches his breath. His pelt burns with rage and mortification, the memory of how many times he'd stuttered just now burned into his brain. Gradually, the anger trickles away, leaving him with nothing but Reedfang's disapproval lingering over him like a specter. "You've deeply disappointed me," he says flatly, barely able to look at Owlpaw. "Don't do it again, or I'll send you back to the nursery myself."
*He remembers being so hurt by that implausible threat, the mere idea that pushing back, trying to defend himself against his father's impossible standards, made him no better than a bumbling, spoiled kitten. The words had rolled so easily off his tongue, for a moment he could've sworn Reedfang was speaking and not... The heat of embarrassment rapidly chills, his pelt prickling up along his spine. "G-Go back to camp and complete the task Beefang set for you." Taking a deep breath, he turns and quickly strides further into the territory, in the opposite direction from camp.
Hemlockshine remains eerily silent as he leads his apprentice away from camp. He wants to be far enough away that his Clanmates won't hear him shouting and question his skills as a mentor even further. They don't have the apprentice that he does, Owlpaw has proven that he requires a far firmer paw than even Hemlockshine had first anticipated. What a rebellious brat, his veins running, undeservedly, with pure river water, purity he has no respect for. Lichenstar has softened the Clan, it seems; the leaders of Hemlockshine's youth would have eaten a twerp like Owlpaw alive.
A glance is cast over his shoulder, to make sure they're far enough away from camp, and alone. Then the midnight-pelted warrior whirls on his apprentice with a hiss of, "You s-sss-spoiled little- do you even unders-stand how blessed you are?!"
*Shame curls in his gut. Reedfang would make him repeat that sentence over and over again until he could say it perfectly, all the while scolding him for still speaking like a baby. "You were b-buh-born RiverClan, you were r-raised RiverClan, y-you practically have r-river water running through your veins for how naturally s-ssswimming comes to you. And yet here you are -" he makes a wide, sweeping gesture with his tail, "- acting like a r-rogue in the middle of c-cuh-camp, in front of damn near our entire c-council! And - and for what?" Some stupid kittypet goes unsaid, and he doubts Owlpaw can fill in the blanks as well as he swims.
"And this - this doesn't just affect you," he continues, every word spit from his mouth like it tastes as foul as rotten fish. "It reflects p-puh-poorly on me as your mentor, even th-though I have done everything I can to ins-sstill some sense of - of respons-ssibility and respect into you, ever since Lichenstar thought it wise to tether me to you. And if you c-can't even understand s-something as basic as respecting those who outrank you, you'll be a liability t-to the entire Clan!"
Finally, the flood of words stops, if only for a moment while Hemlockshine catches his breath. His pelt burns with rage and mortification, the memory of how many times he'd stuttered just now burned into his brain. Gradually, the anger trickles away, leaving him with nothing but Reedfang's disapproval lingering over him like a specter. "You've deeply disappointed me," he says flatly, barely able to look at Owlpaw. "Don't do it again, or I'll send you back to the nursery myself."
*He remembers being so hurt by that implausible threat, the mere idea that pushing back, trying to defend himself against his father's impossible standards, made him no better than a bumbling, spoiled kitten. The words had rolled so easily off his tongue, for a moment he could've sworn Reedfang was speaking and not... The heat of embarrassment rapidly chills, his pelt prickling up along his spine. "G-Go back to camp and complete the task Beefang set for you." Taking a deep breath, he turns and quickly strides further into the territory, in the opposite direction from camp.
┌── i wonʼt soothe your pain
⋆⋅☾⋅⋆
i wonʼt ease your strain ──┐
- /@owlpaw.
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HEMLOCKSHINE ✩ he/him, warrior of riverclan, 21 moons
⭃ a tall, lithe black smoke tom with blue eyes and low white. he is cold, composed, and willing to resort to manipulation to get what he wants. he is incredibly vain, to the point that anyone who mars his pretty face is in for a world of pain. please note that hemlockshine will be prone to saying and doing awful things that i, as his roleplayer, do not condone. all of his opinions are ic only.
⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking ↛ see battle info here
⭃ penned by solaire ↛ @funeralscythe on discord, feel free to ping for plots.
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