camp CAN I BEAT IT? // intro

[Fidgetfoot]

❝ I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW ❞​

There was always something off with the apprentice. Not that his anxiety was rampant, or that he constantly looked as if he was going to cry. No, it was something else. Ever since they were born, they always moved. Wiggled, squirmed, once ran around the nursery and jumped high at their mother’s voice telling them to calm down. It didn’t exactly get better when they became an apprentice. In fact, it could’ve gotten worse?

If there was one thing about Fidgetpaw, it’s that he always moved. Yet at the moment, he was sitting still, green eyes burning a hole into the ground. How… strange? Don’t move, Fidget. He squinted. It was a strange sight to see. Not a single part of him moved- not a paw tapping, or tail tip wiggling, or even his whiskers twitching. That is until he slowly broke his focus, and suddenly the tail twitching began. A defeated look crossed their face. “I was doing so well.”
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[Badgermoon]

Fidgetpaw had been aptly named, in Badgermoon's opinion: every time he caught sight of the apprentice, they were moving. Twitching, shuffling, wiggling - seemingly anything just to be moving. He understood, he thought - it was how he felt in times of great stress, and he could only assume that Fidgetpaw was thus almost always under a great stress. This seemed to be proven in the apprentice's near-constant expression, which suggested they were always on the verge of tears.

Being ill-suited to help with emotional problems, Badgermoon thus tended to skirt around the boy. Presently, however, he passed by the green-eyed cat, only to stop short in surprise at their stillness. They're not moving? he thought with a raise of his eyebrows. It lasted a few moments before the familiar movement restarted, and Fidgetpaw seemed crestfallen at his inability to keep still.

"Yes, you were." the black-and-white tom agreed, a small smile softening his stern features. "That means you'll do even better next time."​

 

[parsnippaw]

Parsnipkit liked to people-watch, often times sitting in the mouth of the nursery as he stared out in to the camp. Today is no different, dual-toned eyes squinted as he shuffles in his place, waiting, watching. His most particularly favorite subject as of right now is Fidgetpaw. Or, for the past couple times the boy has seen the other in camp. Parsnip doesn't know why he found purchase in the others fidget-y nature, but it was... it was something to watch, all right.

Right now, though, the normally active apprentice is just... Sitting there. And Parsnip has half a mind to think its weird and boring, cause whats the point of people-watching if they're not doing anything? Suddenly Fidgetpaw breaks their trance, Parsnipkit blinking and stumbling out of the nursery to get a closer look. Badgermoon, he looks at the black and white deputy, compliments the other. "... It's not fun when you don't move, you know." Parsnip tries to helpfully meow, flicking his tail back and forth. Whats the point of being still if you couldn't play or have fun? He doesn't understand Badgermoon saying that Fidgetpaw would do better next time. Thats booooring. "Why did you stop?" cause Parsnip doesn't understand, he thinks he never will.​

"speech"​

 

[VENOMSTRIKE]

( ) He had to agree that Fidgetpaw had been aptly named though Venomstrike couldn't help but frown realizing that the younger feline was simply sitting there and still, it felt... Odd and somewhat uncomfortable to see for the moor runner though the large tomcat would walk over carefully before dipping his head in greeting to Badgermoon then focused his attention to Fidgetpaw with a tilt of his head. Parsnipkit was right to some extent about how it isn't fun when one doesn't move, Venomstrike could never find himself sitting down in one place... It would drive him insane, the thought itself made his snout wrinkle in discomfort before shaking his head and finally finding his voice to speak to the young cat "Why... W-Why... Why..." He frowned realizing that he was struggling to form a sentence but continued after clearing his throat "Why... Do you not w-want... To fidget... Fidgetpaw? ... D-do you struggle with... h... hunting? Trai... Training?"

He could understand the frustration if the constant movement and twitching ruined his ability to properly hunt or train though he was not certain, he wasn't the little apprentice but he wished to understand. His eyes kind as he would take a seat letting his short tail thump a few times against the ground. Fidgetpaw was... An interesting cat. Just like him, he liked to think. They both seemed to struggle with something... Maybe he could help the younger cat? It was a thought that he wondered but let out a snort deciding to wait for an answer. ​

( ME GUSTA LA MAÑANA; ME GUSTAS TÚ )

 

[HOLLYPAW---]

☽༺♰༻☾​

seeing fidgetpaw sit still as a tree was strange. hollypaw had nearly grown accustomed to his constant jittering, it felt wrong to see them so stonelike. soon however, it was broken, shattered with a twitch of a tail. fidgetpaw looked defeated, drawing the attention of multiple windclanners.

badgermoon offers some encouraging insight, and a kit speaks to challenge it. not moving isn't fun? even when she slept in the nursery, the apprentice was often still. a calm shadow in the wake of more rambunctious siblings. she had plenty of fun, but she wasn't going to argue with a kit so blatantly. she was an apprentice now. slept under starclan's watchful gaze just as the rest of the clan and in turn should act like it.

venomstrike came, searching for answers. lots of questions, fidgetpaw was practically getting interrogated. "must make you tired, moving all the time," hollypaw inferred. it made her tired just watching. "if you stop though, won't you have to get a new name? 'fidget' doesn't work if you're not fidgeting." what a great mediator she was being, presenting the outcomes for every option. she didn't care whether he stopped or not, but since she was here might as well speed along the decision making process.
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[SUNNVAR]

His own call to motion was far subtler than Fidgetpaw's. Though he may steel himself at times and remain so terribly still he might be made of stone, it costs a mountain's focus– that is, in the end, what Sunstride so strongly desires. Regardless of time or place in this world, he needs to busy himself. Even in rest it is intentional rest. In relaxation, he does it with skill. The moments of true thoughtlessness are few and far between, yet growing more frequent with comfort. Or, rather, distraction. But whatever it is has not bothered him any. In truth, he enjoys those moments of nothingness. It is quite clear that Fidgetpaw does not share his thoughts on the matter.

As concentration breaks and the apprentice begins to move again, Sunstride cannot help but chuckle. He had been observing in silence not so far from the scene, his own tail flicking in a rhythmic thump against the ground. His side rests lightly against the dirt and his ears are perked, curious. Any following his gaze would see it pinned directly upon the youth. "It is a terrible fight, to go against one's nature," he offers in a voice that might be kindness. "It makes you stronger to do so– as long as you do not lose yourself in the process. I am certain Fidgetpaw will not change so much that he will lose his name."

＞ˏˋ〘  OOC NOTES ╱ REFERENCE ╱ 07.10.2023 𝘏𝘈𝘕𝘋𝘚𝘖𝘔𝘌 𝘈𝘚 𝘓𝘐𝘍𝘌 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘗𝘖𝘐𝘚𝘖𝘕 〙ˊˎ＜

• ooc: —

• 

• SUNSTRIDE. named for his coloration and his bold chasing of fate.
  —— cis male, he - him. approx. 40 moons old. lead warrior of windclan + former rogue.
  —— gay, monogamous. mate to wolfsong from 07.05.2023.  npc x npc, no larger family.
  —— has recently regained some of his earlier lightness, but maintains his steady facade.
  
  sunstride is broad and bold– a creature standing above most of windclan, though not a beast beyond its borders, with fur that flames red and deepens to a burnt amber with every whorl and stripe. his eyes, in comparison, are a pale summer's blue, still as bold as the rest of him.

• "speech"

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[Fidgetfoot]

❝ I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW ❞​

The young apprentice sharply flinched as they heard the deputy speak, eyes widening and looking up at him. It surprised him, the sudden speaking of a clanmate… Was he that focused on not moving? Part of him almost forgot he was in camp, the ground looked very attractive after all. Fidgetpaw nodded at Badgermoon’s comment, a small amount of determination fluttering into his heart. Until Parsnipkit spoke. They looked down at the kit, raising a brow in confusion.

As he went to respond, he found no words coming out, only a nervous squeak as a much larger warrior approached, basically answering the question. “I-If I don’t move then I can sneak up on rabbits. Sometimes, I feel like they can just hear m-my tail moving.” It probably wasn’t entirely false. He knew that one once heard his paws tapping and he remembered chasing it until he tripped over his own paws, taking a tumble into the dirt… Or he convinced himself that the rabbit heard it. They weren’t sure.

Fidgetpaw looked at Hollypaw as she spoke, tilting his head. “N-No, not always. I… I think I’m used to moving.. So I don’t get tired.” That wasn’t a lie, that one he hadn’t convinced himself to believe. He did grow concerned again as Hollypaw suggested that if he stopped moving, then he’d have a name change. That would be awful… would be sad, too. The apprentice liked his name, though it wasn’t exactly ‘normal’. What would he even be renamed? Brownpaw? Rabbitpaw? Nothing seemed fitting. “I.. I don’t want to always stop moving. Just… For a few moments? Like-Like that one!” They sighed, eyes glued to the ground again. “M-Maybe without having to focus so hard…” There was much for the apprentice to practice with this one.
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[RATTLEHEART]

It's sort of funny, just how similar and different Rattleheart and Fidgetpaw were at the same time. Both could be undeniably dominated in life by their anxiety, but the tunneler wasn't quite as prone to restlessness like Fidgetpaw was. One would think his own title was for something similar, but really the rattle part of his name was because of the rattling quality to the way he breathed. A strange trait he had picked up before he had ever joined Windclan, he really wasn't sure what had started it. Although he had a feeling it was related to the same attack that had ended up leaving him with a wounded shoulder before he had ever stepped foot into Skyclan territory.

That wasn't to say the older tom was never prone to the same type of constant movement that Fidgetpaw had earned his name from. In his worst moments, Rattleheart occasionally found himself constantly pacing back and forth, the rhythmic movement a way to loosen the ever-present tension in his chest. There had even been occasions when he had ended up circling around Venomstrike, nuzzling at his best friend with such frantic enthusiasm that it could've been seen as something more akin to headbutting. He'd always found himself frantically apologizing after those incidents, even if the moor runner had never seemed to mind.

Even with the gap between them, there was still a sympathetic look in Rattleheart's gaze as he approached, a little smile curled on his muzzle. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get better at it with time. You're an apprentice, you've got plenty to worry about right now. It doesn't surprise me that you find yourself fidgeting a bit more than the rest." A soft chuckle left him then, looking around to see if he could catch a glimpse of his sister anywhere nearby. "Just ask Scorchstreak about what I was like when I was younger. I probably would've brought one of the tunnels right down on my head if I hadn't learned to control it." His tone was comedic, although a brief shiver did run down his spine at the thought. It had been a while since any of the tunnels had collapsed, and the thought of getting stuck in one... horrifying.
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[ PENNED BY EO ]​