private BAD MOON [pinepaw]

[iciclefang]

It is before dawn; there are still stars in the sky when Iciclefang goes to rouse Pinepaw from her nest. The mother's nose is cold, insistent, devoid of maternity. "Rise. We have much to do before the sun is up." She gives no further instruction — and her daughter knows better, no doubt, than to question her further. Their paws, one set of white, one set of ginger-and-black, tread river-wet sand until their paws sift.

Under the Beech Copse, Iciclefang turns to Pinepaw, her blue eyes gleaming. "You are close to your ninth moon. By my ninth moon, I had fought in real battles." There is no judgment in Iciclefang's tone — but it is unyielding, flat, matter-of-fact. "You will grow soft in RiverClan's bounty if you are not careful."

Iciclefang's tail lashes out behind her. "Do you feel that chill in the air, Pinepaw? Leafbare approaches." She begins to circle her apprentice; her eyes are snakelike, burning sapphire in a mottled face.

Without warning, Iciclefang rushes toward Pinepaw and flings her forepaws out at her daughter's stocky limbs. She aims to bowl her over, or at least set her off-balance; if she's successful, she will aim to pin her into the sand beneath them and hold her tightly in place.

"Do not sheathe your claws," she hisses into Pinepaw's ear. This is your trial, and you will succeed.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: @Pinepaw ⭒
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — 28 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Pinepaw ; previously mentored Cicadaflight
  — riverclan lead warrior. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.

​

 

[Pinefrost]

-ˋˏ ༻ ❆༺ ˎˊ- Over these past nearly three moons, Pinepaw has become a true echo of her mother. No longer pattering on the Lead Warriors tail like a lost kitten, Pinepaw walks beside her mentor, her strides mirror the older mollys. Most of the time, anyhow. As Iciclefang likes to remind Pinepaw, even without words, there was still much to correct.

Her mentor prompts the apprentice to stir, words as cool as the warriors nose. Rise. Blinking sleep from her eyes, Pinepaw silently obliges with a silent yawn as she stumbles from her nest. "Okay, okay 'm awake." When the duo ducks out of the apprentices den, golden hues glimmer with subtle surprise at the lack of color overhead, and the appearance of waning stars. Whatever Iciclefang had in store for her today, it was bound to be good.

It feels like a long trek, though Pinepaw has taken it a dozen times by now. Toes flex against the chill of the dampened sand, and her posture straightens when Iciclefang finally turns to face her. She talks of real battles, and Pinepaw's interest is piqued, ear beginning to twitch with interest. "I know." The comment is a soft one of acknowledgment, she had heard stories of how Iciclefang had been a fierce opponent, even as a -paw. Ever since her mother had delivered that hard smack to the girls jugular, she was always on alert, always ready for something to be thrown her way. Iciclefang's lesson that day had lived up to its purpose.

Pinepaw's chin lowers slightly, pupils thinning like a prowling foxes to make a worthy rival in the face of her mothers reptilian, and she watches Iciclefang slink a circle around her without so much as a blink. Iciclefang breaks her smooth gait and begins charging for Pinepaw, the apprentice has no time to avoid colliding with her mentor, but in the split second she has to react the girl lowers her stance and squares her shoulders to root herself to the ground. She had no intention of making Iciclefang's attempt to knock her down an easy one.

Paws that could be her own knock against her with the force of her mentors weight behind them, and Pinepaw inevitably loses her balance, giving her snake-eyed mother the perfect opportunity to pin her. Pinepaw's gaze burns under the furrow of her brows. She bares her teeth, she had been waiting for what her mother had promised her those moons ago.

Her mother's grip around Pinepaw is strong, but the brawny tortoiseshell has the power of raw strength on her side, a talent her mentor had made sure to make her utilize. With all the force the apprentice could muster, she'd aim to bring in her hindlegs close and use her claws to deliver a series of rapid scratches against experienced warriors underside, or even simply to shred away some soft underbelly fur, just as she had been taught to do. Though her true intent would be to earn just enough leeway to shove her front paws against either side of her mothers chest or shoulders and use her grip to throw the molly off. If her move was successful, Pinepaw wouldn't skip a beat, rolling to her paws with a lash of a dappled tail.

A familiar sensation burns in Pinepaw's throat, and without a word, the apprentice would take the offense, springing for her mother in a head-on lunge towards her, claws outstretched. She had no plan, only to gain the advantage and live up to whatever her mentor hoped, to make the mother feel her same fire from her daughter's paw.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── AND I BEG TO BE TESTED ⋅ ࿏ ⋅ BY GODDESSES RESTING ──┐‎

• 

• 
  PINEPAW ✩ she/her, apprentice of riverclan, 6 moons.
  ⭃ stocky, coarse-furred tortoiseshell she-cat with large, white dipped forepaws, a white tail tip and muzzle. Honey hued optics take the shape of almonds.
  ⭃ apprenticed to Iciclefang.
  ⭃ daughter of Iciclefang && Stormywing ࿏ sister to Cragpaw && Crabpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[iciclefang]

Pinepaw wastes no time vacating her nest, even as she blinks the sleep from her amber eyes. Iciclefang can feel her curiosity palpating from her in waves, but the older tortoiseshell keeps her silence until they've reached the Beech Copse. In response to her mentor's assertion that she had fought in battles by her ninth moon, Pinepaw is quiet: "I know." Iciclefang flicks her sapphire gaze over her daughter, over the rippling expanse of her plush coat, over the stocky, well-fed body, and she allows herself a small smile. "Do not fret. RiverClan will take back what is theirs someday. Other Clans grow restless. You will meet another in battle before your warriorhood comes, if I had to guess."

She speaks fearlessly; the prospect of war has never dampened her spirits. Iciclefang knows Pinepaw will fight for RiverClan with the ferocity of LionClan, but will she be prepared to defend what is hers, rightfully, by blood?

Her attack is swift, but Pinepaw sees it coming; the stolid apprentice hunkers down, her formidable shoulders squared. Iciclefang does not have an easy time wrestling her daughter to the ground; though they are matched in height, Pinepaw is built stronger, and by the time the mentor manages to pin her protege, she is nearly breathless. "That is a good tactic to stay upright, but you have to commit, and you have to know you'll get injured if you go on the defensive."

Pinepaw bares her teeth. Iciclefang bares hers in return. In the pale glow of the fading stars, they lock eyes, fire searing ice.

Her daughter's raw strength does not surprise her; she had felt it in Stormywing's limbs seasons ago. Pinepaw uproots her, back claws searing through her belly fur. Iciclefang hisses in response; she unsheathes her claws and attempts to sink them into Pinepaw's shoulders, hoping to draw some blood before she is battered away.

Iciclefang stumbles backward; she feels the thin, seeping scarlet lines in her sides where Pinepaw has battered her. There's a wild, adrenaline-fueled glint in her eye now. She is enjoying this. There is challenge here where there has not been before. "Not bad," she mews, and as Pinepaw begins to lunge toward her with outstretched paws, Iciclefang uses her speed. She aims to twist her nimble body just out of reach of Pinepaw's claws; however, they catch just the edge of her flank, and she retaliates by aiming to swipe her own across Pinepaw's shoulder.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — 28 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Pinepaw ; previously mentored Cicadaflight
  — riverclan lead warrior. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.

​

 

[Pinefrost]

-ˋˏ ༻ ❆༺ ˎˊ- Iciclefang reaffirms Pinepaw's quick decision to root herself, though not without the praises own critique. "Commit. got it." The apprentice burns the words into her brain as she executes her defensive move. Commit.

Her mother's claws leave a stinging sensation in their wake, and Pinepaw shakes against the needle pricks, feeling the warmth of her own blood blossom from the cuts. She feels the discomfort roar against her movements as Pinepaw lunges, only catching the edge of her mentor's flank as the other tortoiseshell twists out of her reach. Iciclefang is faster than her, and the warriors claws catch against already torn skin effortlessly.

Hissing against the pain, Pinepaw feels another burst of molten motivation, and as her mother had twisted just out of her grasp, the apprentice shifts from her rigid posture and instead curves against her opponents jab before aiming to swipe her own claws against Iciclefang's ribcage, hoping to hinder her mentor's movements just enough to give Pinepaw enough time to ram her less injured shoulder into Iciclefang's flank and bowl the more agile molly over.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── AND I BEG TO BE TESTED ⋅ ࿏ ⋅ BY GODDESSES RESTING ──┐‎

• 

• 
  PINEPAW ✩ she/her, apprentice of riverclan, 6 moons.
  ⭃ stocky, coarse-furred tortoiseshell she-cat with large, white dipped forepaws, a white tail tip and muzzle. Honey hued optics take the shape of almonds.
  ⭃ apprenticed to Iciclefang.
  ⭃ daughter of Iciclefang && Stormywing ࿏ sister to Cragpaw && Crabpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

​

 

[iciclefang]

Pinepaw echoes Iciclefang: "Commit. Got it." Her daughter is breathless, but she does not let it slow her down. The lead warrior can feel the speed burning in her own limbs, just as she can feel the power exuding from Pinepaw's. Her build lends to fiercer attacks, to stauncher defenses, and oh, to see that in action fills her with a pride she cannot name.

Her apprentice moves almost expertly, having learned the rhythm of her mentor's movements during battle. Pinepaw leans into Iciclefang's jab, and instead of drawing away and letting the flesh tear from her body, she aims a hefty swipe at Iciclefang's ribcage. The fur there parts; new, thin red lines sprout, beading with blood. Iciclefang hisses in Pinepaw's face, but before she can retaliate, her daughter has shoved her shoulder into her stomach.

She staggers backward, the wind sucked from her lungs. She will be bruised where Pinepaw had slammed into her. "Excellent," she rasps after a moment; her head rings, and she thinks she will be licking blood from her fur until sundownm, but she is still nearly dizzy with adrenaline. "The two of us could go on like this forever — and that's exactly what you don't want."

Iciclefang's blue eyes narrow. She begins to circle her daughter again, though she makes no move to attack this time. She mews, "In battle, there are only two conclusions: win, or lose. Losing can look like death or retreat." She flicks her tail out behind her, as though to balance on a low-hanging branch. "There is no shame in retreating when there is no need for you to die. Do you hear me? Not every battle is meant to end in death."

She studies Pinepaw for a moment. Though her daughter has remained upright, she no doubt needs a moment to catch her breath — and, admittedly, her mentor feels the same way. "Say you had knocked me down. Say you were quick enough to pin me." Iciclefang focuses her curious gaze on her daughter's face. "In the heat of battle, what would you do next?"

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Iciclekit . Iciclepaw . Iciclefang, she/her w/ feminine terms.
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — 28 moons old, ages realistically on the 17th.
  — mentored by Smokestar ; mentoring Pinepaw ; previously mentored Cicadaflight
  — riverclan lead warrior. mudpelt x icesparkle, gen 2.
  — former mate to Stormywing ; current mate to no one.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh tortoiseshell and white she-cat with ice-blue eyes. confident, capable, proud, dry, conceited, condescending, distrustful.

​