camp FALL FROM GRACE ☾✩ leaves!

[nightbird]

it was a chilly morning in the forest, one she didn't particularly care to wake up for. she would much rather stay curled in her nest until the sun had warmed the ground a bit, but upon opening silver eyes she was graced with a sight that prompted her up.

leaves. everywhere. they were just left on the ground scattered? they would undoubtedly get dragged in to the warriors den if the weren't removed. an annoyed huff left the warrior as she begrudgingly rose to her paws and walked outside. the whole camp was covered in read and orange leaf litter, and maybe she would appreciate the beauty in the shades of autumn if they weren't so damn annoying.

nightbird was at work for a while, gathering large clumps of fallen leaves in her jaws and forcing them into piles. she had managed to get a few pretty good sized ones too. cats watched by her work without offering any help, this only made her more determined. and angry. why was she the only one who cared that the camp was in complete disarray? she thrashed her feathery tail angrily and kept working until she had cleared out a walkway into the warrior's den. at least now they wouldn't be dragged in to her sleeping quarters.

pleased with herself, she sat down and began to free her dark pelt from plants that had decided to cling to her. everything was fine, maybe she could even knock out the entrances to some more dens? she peacefully continued to groom her fur. the peacefulness ended with the sound of fast approaching paws. her heart dropped as she looked up to see a streak of fur barreling towards one of the piles. "sto-!"

the words hung in her throat as the other thunderclanner launched themselves into one of her neat little piles. the fragments of orange, yellow, and red flew everywhere. a bit of her sanity flew away with each leaf. one even had the audacity to land on her face.

nightbird was fuming now. unsheathed claws pierced a leaf that had fluttered down to land over her eyes and she aggressively crushed it into the ground. her tail swayed menacingly as she stalked over to her destroyed pile, searching for the perpetrator. "if you're so determined to dive into leaves, make your own pile." she said sharply and lowly, narrowing her eyes onto the other cat. why was it that whenever she tried to be helpful it went awry without failure. maybe this was a sign from those weird star cats that she should do nothing from now on. ​

[ RETURN FIRE WITH SUPERIOR FIRE ]​

 

[LIGHTSTRIKE .]

❝ WE HAVE YET TO CRASH ✧°.☀ ————————————
Yeah, there were leaves everywhere. They were pretty, but the apprentice found it equally irritating, considering that they liked to get tangled in his long fur. When he noticed that Nightbird seemed irritated on another level, enough so to be spurred into cleaning them up, he made sure to keep to the side, practically hiding in the apprentices' den while he watched. Did it look strenuous? Yeah, kinda. Was he going to help? No, not really.

The golden tom watched her go back and forth, slowly collecting the leaves and sweeping them into a decidedly more orderly pile. It was then the idea struck him, although it didn't immediately show on his face. Nightbird finally sat down, her work completed. Yeah, he was doing this. He knew he would probably be made to clean it up himself afterward if he made a mess. He wasn't a complete asshole.

Climbing to his paws, Lightpaw lowered himself, giving a wiggle of his haunches before he sprang out into the open, beelining for the nearest pile. Nightbird had cried out her protest, but it was too late, diving into the pile until nothing but his rear stuck out, paws still stretched out from the leap. From beneath the surface, he spat out a leaf. Oh, his mentor was here.

Wiggling deeper into the pile (and scattering more leaves in the process), Lightpaw gathered his feet beneath him and popped his head out to look up at her, a rather smug and gleeful grin plastered onto his maw. His fur was completely disheveled now, leaves tangled within his pelt and fur damp with dew. He didn't immediately reply, instead taking in her own expression, the result of his handiwork. "Chill!" he finally said. "I was gonna help clean up afterward anyway." The young tom grasped a leaf in his mouth, chin tilting upward to spit it at her playfully. It fell short, fluttering back onto the ground. "It won't kill you to have some fun."

Maybe he was towing a dangerous line, maybe he was on the right track. Who knew. Was it worth it, though? Probably. His grin shifted into something more genuine.

[penned by its_oliverr - ☀]

———————————— ☀.°✧ BUT WE STILL MAY AS WELL ENJOY IT ❞ ​

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[nightbird]

her claws pushed into the ground at the sight of the smug face of her apprentice popping out of the pile. nothing about this situation should elicit a grin, yet here lightpaw was flashing her one. she doubted he would have the same expression if she made him spend a moon doing nothing except pulling ticks from the elders.

nightbird held her stare waiting for an explanation. as he began to speak, she was almost excited to hear what excuse he could dig up.

chill? there was no way he was telling her to chill at this moment. the dark warrior scoffed, partially in shock. how could she chill when she had given hours of her day to a task only for it to blow up in her face. literally. "no. drop the help bullshit. you will clean it up by yourself." she declared through a clenched jaw. as bad of an idea it would be to beat up the apprentice in the middle of camp, it was extremely tempting.

as lightpaw spit a leaf in her direction, he received a heavy eyeroll. she decided the smartest thing she could do for the moment was leave. and she better come back to the scene as spotless as it was before his shenanigans. her back was already turned to stalk angrily away when he spoke again, igniting even more anger as she whipped around to face him again. she knew how to have fun. hunting was fun. progressing her skills was fun. her whole life was filled with fun!

"if ruining hard work is what's fun now, then i'd happily die" she began, taking a moment to breathe deeply in attempt to calm herself. she knew the statement sounded a bit harsher than she had meant, but anger often got the best of the girl. "besides, i have fun all the time," nightbird added in a much less venomous tone to try and soften what she had said before. he offered her a smile that showed he had not had malicious intentions. she may have been cold, but she wasn't completely devoid of a heart. even though she wanted to, she couldn't continue berating him when he looked at her that genuinely.
​

[ RETURN FIRE WITH SUPERIOR FIRE ]​

 

[LIGHTSTRIKE .]

❝ WE HAVE YET TO CRASH ✧°.☀ ————————————
Even if he had expected a reprimand of some sort, it didn't stop his expression from souring, taking on a more guarded and indignant look. She really knew how to be a stick in the mud when she wanted to be, didn't she? For the time being he refrained from blurting it out, knowing all too well it would land him far deeper into trouble. Instead Lightpaw waited out her outburst, only snorting in reply to her comment on fun.

Nightbird seemed to finally be done, the two staring each other down and the apprentice weighing his options. As much as he should avoid an actual punishment, he was still sour over being yelled at, and wanted to bite back at least a little. Slowly, that smug grin returned, Lightpaw letting out a hum and receding into the leaf pile. "Yeah?" he said from within. "Prove it." The lump shifted and shivered, a ball of tangled leaves and fur bursting out of it, paws outstretched for his mentor and a playful yowl cutting into the air as he tried to bowl into her chest and bring her to the ground.

[penned by its_oliverr - ☀]

———————————— ☀.°✧ BUT WE STILL MAY AS WELL ENJOY IT ❞ ​

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[nightbird]

she frowned as lightpaw retreated back into her formerly perfect pile. he was making it very difficult to forgive his former actions, especially with the smug little face he had just flashed her. then the apprentice challenged her, to what she didn't know, but suddenly she was prepared to be the most fun creature on the planet. nightbird was nothing if not competitive.

what she wasn't ready for was his reemergence from the pile. she had watched as the leaves stirred, but his quick lunge at her had caught her off guard. she was fully expecting him to just go ruin another pile and call it fun. but this, this was much more her speed.

as outstretched paws made contact with her chest, she was pushed to the ground from the force. after all, she was not a big cat. attacks stemming from brute force often bested her, especially when she was unsuspecting. she much preferred to be on the offence for this reason. it was a lot easier to plan a strike when your mind wasn't overwhelmed by self preservation. "lucky," was all she muttered before reaching out with her front paws to grab leaves from one of her still untouched piles. one moment they were between her paws, and the next they were swiftly released, shooting upwards and aiming towards the younger tom's face. while they were still floating down, she took her hind legs and attempted to shove the apprentice off of her so she could regain her footing. ​

[ RETURN FIRE WITH SUPERIOR FIRE ]​

 

[LIGHTSTRIKE .]

❝ WE HAVE YET TO CRASH ✧°.☀ ————————————
It was probably far easier to learn and exploit the weaknesses of another cat when actively placed in charge of training them. As for Lightpaw? He had plenty. The young tom had plenty of brute strength to spare, as Nightbird had quickly been made aware, yet he seemed to be utterly abhorrent at making use of it. It helped that he wasn't that much smaller than his mentor despite his age, but natural ability paled in the face of sheer skill and experience.

When his surprise attack made content, a victorious grin flashed across his face, fully focused on the surprise on Nightbird's own as the two hit the earth. She twisted under his grip, white paws pressing harder in an attempt to keep her there. Freeing herself wasn't his mentor's immediate goal, as he was made quickly aware, letting out a yelp as leaves were flung at his face. It was then that legs were promptly shoved into his belly, Lightpaw letting out a grunt and forced off of his catch. While she got to her feet he shook the leaves from his head, immediately dropping back down into a crouch for another spring.

Tail lashing, his eyes darted about her form, only briefly considering his next move before he decided to simply go all in. For a moment he lowered further only to spring again, that toothy, determined smile ever-present as outstretched snowy paws once again tried to drag her to the ground. Should he succeed, he would wrap his paws around her neck, trying to sink teeth into her scruff with a playful growl.

[penned by its_oliverr - ☀]

———————————— ☀.°✧ BUT WE STILL MAY AS WELL ENJOY IT ❞ ​

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[nightbird]

eyes bore into him as she stood. she watched as he crouched back down. another launch was sure to follow soon. predictable movements, based on instinct rather than skill. she wondered how long he could go at these energy rich attacks before he got tired.

nightbird held her stance strong, no evidence of what her next move might be on her face or her body. lightpaw's muscles contracted, he brought his body even lower. a pounce was sure to follow, but she was ready for it this time.

agile paws carried her away from his attack as she sidestepped away. the warrior would wait until he had landed before positioning her own leap from his side. she jumped from her spot, extending her front legs to hopefully meet with his shoulder, an attempt to pin him on his side. if sucessful, she would aim a sheathed paw for a harmless cuff on the tabby's ear. ​

[ RETURN FIRE WITH SUPERIOR FIRE ]​

 

[CLOVERFIELD]

{ ꕥ } Clover had been half asleep when he noticed Nightbird leaving the den and not sensing it was for any interesting reason like a secret elope or a murder, she'd fallen right back into slumber. About an hour later, Cloverfield creaks an eye open when her much needed beauty sleep is interrupted by the near constant shuffle of leaves and a scuffle. She grunts and rolls about, squeezing her eyes shut harder as if that'll take her away from the commotion outside. It's in vain and she gives up with a hyperbolic sigh, loud enough to earn her a glare from cats already up and actually moving.

Dragging herself from the warrior's den is half the battle, the other half is trying to make sense of scene before her. Is this what counts for apprentice lessons these days? How anyone can have fun rolling around in a bunch of cold leaves and getting that weird tree sap smell all over them is a mystery to her. Clover's got a feeling that the not so little squirt started it first by making a mess and that at least quirks some amusement into her expression. No good deed goes unpunished. "You know, no one should have a smile that cocky." Herself included probably. "You should, like, wipe if off his face." Her tone is teasing but it'd certainly be entertaining, though he's putting up a good fight.​

( PRINCESS OR QUEEN ; TOMBOY OR KING )

 

[LIGHTSTRIKE .]

❝ WE HAVE YET TO CRASH ✧°.☀ ————————————
No, yeah, she saw that coming. Not that he didn't expect her to see it coming! He totally expected that. It's not like it was a real training session. Lightpaw hit the earth rather than his mentor, but barely had time to recover himself when she slammed into his side, the golden apprentice letting out a sharp oof! as he tumbled to the ground, now pinned by Nightbird and flinching at a cuff over his ear. In spite of it all he still bore a that same smug, challenging grin, a determined glint to his eyes even as he stared up at her from his position on the ground.

From a distance away called out an onlooker, Lightpaw recognizing her as Cloverfield when he twisted his head to stare. Without much thought, he lashed his tail once. "Gonna have to come do it yourself!" he called out challengingly, pointedly sticking out his tongue. Blegh. Dirt.

With foresty hues flickering back up to Nightbird, he abruptly twisted beneath her, flipping onto his back and gathering his paws to try and shove them into her belly, if not to shove her off then to at least dislodge her so that he could scramble free and leap to his paws.

[penned by its_oliverr - ☀]

———————————— ☀.°✧ BUT WE STILL MAY AS WELL ENJOY IT ❞ ​

​

 

[nightbird]

as she held the apprentice, cloverfield's approach gained nothing more than a flick of her shadowy ear. her teasing tone made her ears tilt back ever so slightly. she was one to talk. only just emerging from the den for the first time when the rest of the clan was bustling with activity. then she had the nerve to tell her what she should do with the smug apprentice pinned beneath her. maybe she would have sided with her fellow warrior, but something about her words had rubbed nightbird the wrong way.

she was willing to pay cloverfield no mind, but of course lightpaw had to offer a rebuttal. was it not enough for him to challenge one warrior? "your big mouth is gonna get you killed some day," she huffed, slightly annoyed. he would learn his lesson eventually, but now she was over their 'fun'. he twisted beneath her and pushed her off, but she gave no effort to thwart his attempts. the molly just moved a few lengths away and shook away any leaves that had joined her pelt.

night watched as he got back to his paws, and was reminded of how this all began in the first place when she glanced across her destroyed piles. more than before after their little scuffle. "as much fun as i was having, you're going to need energy to fix the mess you created." she said, gesturing to them with her tail. lightpaw could try however much he wanted to get out of it, but she would stand firm and the expression on her face said just that. "maybe cloverfield can help as well. i'm sure she'd be happy to tell you what you're doing wrong." she added, a small sarcastic smile sent in the other warrior's direction.​

[ RETURN FIRE WITH SUPERIOR FIRE ]​

 

[LIGHTSTRIKE .]

❝ WE HAVE YET TO CRASH ✧°. ————————————
Rather than garner a response from the challenged, he got one from Nightbird instead. Lightpaw let out a snort. "Yeah, right. Fat chance." He would just beat them too. By the time he was a warrior, he would be untouchable. Although the attempt to get her off worked, his expression crinkled at the ease. She let him do that. Instead of moving in for retaliation, she stepped back, leaving the apprentice to roll to his paws.

The look he gave her was less than amused, although not quite annoyed. "Didn't even break a sweat. If you're old and tired, just say so." Lightpaw cracked a sly grin at her at that, his comment - in his mind - in good humor. No, he didn't think she was old. At least, not really.

Following her comment on letting Cloverfield help, a noise of indignation caught in his throat. "Hard pass." Nightbird already nagged him enough. He then twisted around, the golden tom peering at the scattered leaves. His own pelt was decorated with plenty. "Why do you even care about them? They're just leaves." No, he absolutely did not want to clean them up. It was inevitable, but it wasn't as if he wanted to.

[penned by its_oliverr - ]

———————————— .°✧ BUT WE STILL MAY AS WELL ENJOY IT ❞ ​

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