pafp COME ALIVE — stealth “practice”

[GRAVELSNAP]

The weather has turned rather suddenly, painting the moorlands in a sharp shade of white. Snowdrifts serve as good cover, and paired with the long shadows of the late evening, Gravelpaw’s monochrome form is harder to pick out amongst the lack of color. Normally their stark white pelt makes them stand out like a sore tail against the flat land, but in the snow it sends to give them the slightest advantage. So what better time to practice, than when they’ve finished all their tasks and it’s snowing?

They crouch low, slinking closer to their target: a small she-cat, pelt dark and smoky. They don’t think she’s noticed they’re here yet, with their pawsteps so soft on the snowy ground. They aren’t well trained in stalking yet—their mentor tends to focus on speed and agility over stealth—but they think they’re doing a good job. Or at least, they’d be doing a good job if they weren’t attempting to sneak up on the leader. But what better way to practice? If they manage to stalk up to the leader of the clan, then they can surely sneak up on anything!

Gravelpaw shakes their tail a few times, creeping along until they’re within pouncing distance of Sootstar. The tickle in their throat draws out a cough or two, though they’re quickly muffled by a snowy-white paw. Then they wiggle their entire body once, and pounce. They aren’t aiming for her tail, but a few hairs away, hoping to mark the snow beside her. Whether or not they succeed, the black and white apprentice looks up at the leader, wide-eyed and slightly panicked. They can just see it now—the mistake they’ve made, bothering Sootstar for such a stupid thing. "Sorry…"

// pls wait for @SOOTSTAR !!
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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[SOOTSTAR]

Pressure applies to her tail, in immediate reflex she flicks it away from the holder. Her head cranes around, dark fur on the scruff of her neck bristles in concern before piercing eyes land on Gravelpaw murmuring a regretful ...sorry.

Green eyes soften and her fur lies flat, "It is fine." she assures blankly. "I am a mother, I have been trampled by kittens about your size relentlessly before, a pounce on my tail is nothing in comparison." She explains upon drawing her tongue over a paw, resuming her grooming session. Gravelpaw may not be a child anymore in a WindClanner's eyes, but he was only slightly larger than a three moon old, even if twice the age.

"You're a bit old to be using cat tails though for pouncing practice, aren't you?" She inquires curiously, assuming that the feline was working on hunting rather than his skill in stealth. ​

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Spoiler: TAGS ★ 01/07

( primary character / "speech" / ic opinions )​

╰ ★ ჻ 001 GENERAL INFORMATION ,
· SOOTSTAR, female — she / her
╰ ‣ 34 moons . pisces. ages on the first
╰ ‣ windclan leader . marsh-born . believes in starclan
╰ ‣ former soldier of the marsh group

╰ ★ ჻ 002 VISUALS & AESTHETICS ,
· DOMESTIC FELINE, smells like heather and wet dirt , status — 100%
╰ ‣ blue smoke . scarred chest, difficult to see through fur . green eyes

╰ ★ ჻ 003 MENTALITY & MANNERISMS ,
· ESTJ-A ❝ EXECTUTIVE ❞ , Slytherin, Lawful Evil
╰ ‣ Cunning, brash, fierce, confident, self-reliant, envious & selfish
╰ ‣ finds great difficulty in relating to others . can be cruel, usually shows mercy to those she can find sympathy with
╰ ‣ sole key to her heart is loyalty, if you have her trust, she often shows a completely different side of herself. Aggression tends to manifest from her extreme paranoia
╰ ‣ Appreciates titles such as "miss, m'am" etc

╰ ★ ჻ 004 INTERACTIONS & RELATIONSHIPS ,
· SOOT CLAW x PEBBLE BREEZE, sister to Pebblenose
╰ ‣ heterosexual. mate to Weaselclaw
╰ ‣ mother to Windpaw & Sootpaw
╰ ‣ mentor to Smokepaw & Coyotepaw
╰ ‣ average fighter . skilled hunter .
╰ ‣ will start fights . unlikely to flee .
╰ ‣ attack in underline . penned by user @ava.​

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[Firefang]

Part of her greatly envies Gravelpaw; to be trained by Soostar must've been a great honor but all the same there must've been such a tremendous pressure to be the best you could be even she thought little of Gravelpaw's actual capabilities when she thought of how the leaders apprentice ought to be. Much like his brother he was too soft, fragile and timid in her eyes she thought even the weakest gust would blow him over but he was still her apprentice and he'd been doing something right considering he stayed Sootstar's apprentice. Still it's brave for him to go after her on his own free will, she'd never even think of touching the leader much less pouncing on her it's hard for her to even put together the thought Sootstar was capable of being a kind mother with the idea she had in her head of what their leader was like; fierce and powerful someone no cat should mess with. She feared her as much as she respected and wanted to be like her - but it was so obvious that she didn't know Sootstar as the cat she was beneath the rank and reputation.

She keeps her head dipped as she approaches curious as to what was going on ❝are you trainin'? That wasn't an awful pounce❞ her head tilts gaze focused more on Gravelpaw then the leader, her words far more tempered as she speaks it's the closest thing to a compliment he's likely to have heard from her but it's still not much. ❝If you want I can help❞ she's looking more to look good in front of Sootstar then anything else but she's also just plain bored, her mentor was done with her already for the day but she still had energy despite everything. She wouldn't mind budging in on another apprentices 'lessons'.​

( PLACE ME IN MY CASKET TONIGHT ; BECAUSE IM ALREADY DYING INSIDE )

 

[bunnywhisker]

It was hardly a commotion. Bunnywhisker had been busy clearing the light dusting of snow off of the kill pile when she heard any semblance of noise. By the time she glances over, Sootstar's already softened for the apprentice and accepted an apology. For what, the moor runner pieces together with the remnants of Sootstar's words and Firepaw's eventual offer. There's no true use in Bunnywhisker here - however with more snow piled onto her freshly killed pile, she decides she can waste time another way.

"Yeah," she agrees with Sootstar and Firepaw, glancing over to Gravelpaw with a slight smile. Like the apprentices, she's healthily aware of the leader's gaze. Unlike them, she isn't entirely afraid of a little horseplay and teasing around the leader. The brown tabby motions towards Firepaw with a flick of her ear, "Sootstar's right - you should upgrade to something a bit bigger. And since Firepaw's offering...!" she isn't too subtle with her suggestion. Gravelpaw could practice his stalking and pouncing so much more by giving Firepaw a good 'ole tackle. At least, in her opinion.
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[GRAVELSNAP]

Sootstar’s immediate reaction is to bristle and whirl around to face them—success! They’ve managed to startle their star-blessed leader, though until she speaks they aren’t certain whether that’s a good thing for them or not.

To Gravelpaw’s surprise, though, the she-cat doesn’t reach out to correct them with a cuff to the head, as their father or their mentor would. Instead, she reminds them quickly that she is a mother, and has dealt with such annoyances before. They don’t know how she remains so calm, though, because dealing with kits like that sounds like a nightmare. "I was practicing sneaking," they explain, black tail swishing behind them, "and ambushing, too." Sootstar must know a lot about sneaking and ambushing; she has the perfect look for it, small and agile. They open their mouth-

Before they can ask the leader a question, a familiar black tabby joins the conversation by complimenting Gravelpaw’s pounce. Or, it isn’t a compliment. Maybe? They can’t tell, but there’s something insincere about it—Firepaw isn’t normally this friendly to anyone. It’s kind of creepy, actually. She must want something from them.

They’re saved from whatever Firepaw wants by Bunnywhisker, one of the warriors they’ve grown to like. The warriors suggests that Firepaw can help him by being his target, and Gravelpaw lets a smile slide onto their maw. If she’s willing, they’ll take the practice. Bunnywhisker is right, Firepaw is closer to their size—larger than a cat’s tail, though Sootstar seems the better option in terms of dodging ability. But… they’ll have to face opponents their size in the future, so perhaps it’s best to try it now. "You could be target practice," they say with a shrug.
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[ DEATH OF A DREAM ]​

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