pafp FALSE CONFIDENCE / stuck in tunnels

[SNAILSTRIDE]

[ please wait for @SMOKEPAW to reply first - thank you! ]

Snailpaw was one of the first to learn of the gossip that day - Wormtail had found some strange mushrooms deep within the tunnels. A lot of the tunnelers he'd eavesdropped on had been raving about them and with chronic curiosity and a fear of missing out, the older apprentice wanted to know what all the fuss was about. They had explored the entrances of the tunnels in their youths, curious to see if a life underground would be better suited to their needs, but as they aged, their long fur only seemed to grow more fluffy and it became difficult for most to tell where the hairs ended and the muscles began. That had taken him out of consideration for tunneling quite quickly. When there was a gap in duties, Snailpaw took himself underground, all the same, their haunches constantly wiggling in excitement as they traversed new lands. The first thing Snailpaw noticed was the smell of damp earth and clanmates burning into his nostrils, distracting them from all else around. Then, they noticed that without wind and weather, the air seemed stale but warm, comforting yet suffocating all at the same time, like an embrace that went on too long. They understood why tunnelers would like the underground, it was like being greeted by an old friend.

Except, for Snailpaw, the old friend had vicious claws. The routes ahead all looked the same to the tabby, and when they used what limited space they had to look over their shoulder, the routes behind were identical too. They would have thought the truffles would have an obvious smell to them but blinded by everything new, their nose was about as useful as a kitten in a raid. When the thought of being lost entered their head, it did not take long for the idea to tumble and tumble and tumble until they began to feel panic grip their heart. They spun around and crawled forwards until they reached a fork in the tunnels - mousedung, which way had they come from?! They looked for familiarity, a root jutting through the earth or a rock kicked down into the deep, but to unadjusted eyes, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Bile rose in Snailpaw's throat, and exhausting all other options, they let out a desperate plea. "Hey uh... I need help over here! Serious help! I'm uh... I'm lost!". Perhaps they should have asked Icepaw for help, but with Snailpaw's selfish intentions, they hadn't felt right pestering the other.

They let out a surprised yelp as their arched spine hit the top of the tunnel, desperation causing their claws to unsheathe. They pictured the dirt above caving in on them, the horses they'd grown to love trampling the earth until they turned into mush, and... and... "Please! I can apologise la—". Kerthunk. Snailpaw's body hit the side of the tunnels and slid down until they lay prone on the ground, the slow rising and falling of their flank being the only indication that the apprentice was still alive. Their eyes stared vacantly off into space, all muscles ceased moving - in the stress, sleep had taken Snailpaw.

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[SMOKESTEP]

TAGS — Well, this is a bit awkward.

Smokepaw had been out with Sootstar, memorizing the main routes of the tunnels, when Snailpaw's plea had echoed towards them. They'd quickly rerouted to assist the lost apprentice, but Smokepaw had arrived first, and it seems he'd arrived just in time to watch them... pass out. He hopes. In the dark it's a bit difficult to see the rise and fall of their sides, but the warmth still radiates off him. All's well, I guess, he thinks, and prods Snailpaw's side with a small paw. "Why'd you even come down here, mousebrain?" he wonders aloud, doubtful that the other apprentice can hear him. Maybe he'd reserve his harsh language aboveground, but all cats knew the dangers of the tunnels. Only mousebrains deserving of the title would venture down here unaccompanied.

Smokepaw's ears twitch as he tries his best to feel wind on his whiskers. If he could just follow a breeze, he'd be able to lead Snailpaw out of here easily. Well, he supposes they'll have to wake up first, too. "Ugh," the tomcat grunts, frustration brewing. What kind of moor runner even wanted to be underground? He'd thought that they hated the cramped space of the underground; the earth that separated them from their stars. He supposes he must be an odd duck of a WindClanner to prefer the tunnels, but.... Smokepaw presses his paw into Snailpaw's side again, hoping to rouse them awake. "Hey, get up," he demands. He seems more comfortable speaking sternly in the dim underground. "I'll lead you out."​

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[SNAILSTRIDE]

They awoke with a jolt as a paw jabbed into them, jumping up and hitting their head on the ceiling of the tunnel. A quiet 'ow' escaped the marbled tabby as they began to rub the soil from their ears, cranium tilting as their confusion grew. What was Smokepaw doing? What were they doing... 'oh, the tunnels!' Remembering where they were and what they were doing, the long-furred feline's gaze shifted rapidly about, searching for the prize they'd risked their position for. Large pupils fluttered forwards as Smokepaw spoke again, the promise of escape attracting the apprentice's attention. Right, that was what they had wanted before... they fell asleep. Their parents hadn't wanted them in the tunnels because of such a thing, and grimly, Snailpaw agreed. Freak accidents could happen all the time underground, they didn't want anyone risking their life to drag them out of a bad situation. Realising that was exactly what Smokepaw had done, the apprentice's belly lay flat against the ground. "All you tunnelers are always talking about the fun stuff you find down here, like... those mushrooms! I'd love to see mushrooms! But uh..." They should've asked someone to bring some up for them.

They should've done a lot differently, hindsight was just as much of a killer as curiosity was. "Sorry, sorry! I'll follow I just, I don't know which direction I came from. Thank you, sorry," Apologies were all they could offer to the darker tabby at that moment, but as they allowed themselves to breathe the stale air more deeply, and tried their best to flatten their fur, they imagined other compensation they could give Smokepaw. Would he like a bird feather? The skull (gross) of some long-gone prey? Maybe something from the horseplace! Momentarily, the apprentice frowned - Sootstar probably wouldn't like the latter. Speaking of their leader... "So uh... this can stay between us, right?" They were nervous, though their usual talkativeness might not have given it away. It seemed likely that half of WindClan could've heard them crying for help, but they chose to be oblivious, their ears pinned for fear that it would all be for naught. "I was doing something cool and... and fell in or something! Or maybe we don't talk about it at all? That might be better actually I mean, I might actually have to try getting along with my mentor if I suddenly turn out to be this... heroic tragedy lost in the tunnels and—" They suddenly stopped, casting a quizzical glance to Smokepaw. "Can we go a little faster?" The tunnels were making them claustrophobic.

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[rainpaw]

There were only so many tunnels under the moor, and that limitation meant that Rainpaw found herself running into her fellow tunneler apprentices more often than not. She was used to hearing chattering in a tunnel up ahead but not... yelling for help because someone was lost. The call didn't sound like any tunneler she knew, and no tunneler warrior would get lost. No tunneler apprentice in their right mind would go so far away from their companion that they couldn't just find their way back to them, either. Rainpaw paused, ears straining for any further noise. There was another short burst of words, and Rainpaw's eyes widened as she finally recognized the voice. What was Snailpaw doing down in the tunnels? She thought. Rainpaw's own companion didn't seem to have heard, so she called to them that she was going to go help someone, and not to worry too much about her- she had been marking the tunnels as she went down them, and could get back easily... or at least that was the idea.

She hurried through the tunnels but, ultimately, Rainpaw had been farther from Snailpaw than Smokepaw was. As she approached them, she could already hear Snailpaw chattering away to someone. In the darkness of the underground, she couldn't make out who it was, but a few sniffs told her it was Smokepaw. If there had been more room in the tunnel, she might have come up alongside him and bumped a shoulder against his, but there wasn't room for that. Instead she just piped up, voicing the question that had been rattling around in her head. "Hey! Snailpaw, what're you doing down here?" They were pretty deep in the tunnels, where the wind was no longer sending its coldest breezes in. The deeper one got, the more it turned into a maze. StarClan knew it must have been alarming when they got lost. "Are you okay? I heard you calling for help- and did I hear something about mushrooms, too?" That part had reached her ears as she made her way over, when she hadn't been able to pick up Snailpaw's conversational tone well.​

 

[SMOKESTEP]

TAGS — Smokepaw takes a pace back as Snailpaw jolts awake quicker than he'd expected. He doesn't make any attempt to hide the small smirk that twitches onto his lips when his fellow apprentice hits their head on the roof of the narrow tunnel- not that it's easy to see in the dark, but really, he thinks it is ample penance for diving into the tunnels without thinking about it. Not to mention, he supposes he feels a bit protective of the space. This is where tunnelers thrive, of course, but he can't thrive aboveground in the same way Snailpaw can't down here. He needs to preserve this arena of skill as much as possible, and that means he can't let outsiders traipse in whenever they please. He keeps that philosophy to himself, though.

His ears twitch as he appraises Snailpaw's excuses. "Even we don't go down here without a partner, mousebrain," Smokepaw chuffs. You should've asked Wormtail to show you the mushrooms if you wanted t' see them so bad." But whatever- it's not like there's any use berating them further when they were already apologizing and begging to be led back out. Unfortunately, their request becomes hard to honor when Rainpaw trots into the scene. Smokepaw's whiskers twitch, a tiniest hint of schadenfreude tinging his muzzle with a grin. "What did you want the story to be, again?" he asks Snailpaw, head tilting, before he turns back to address the other apprentice (the one that actually belonged here): "oh, hey Rainpaw."

Without another word, Smokepaw presses forward, letting his whiskers graze the sides of the tunnel he navigates. He supposes Snailpaw has earned his assistance now that they've withstood his ribbing.​

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[SNAILSTRIDE]

"Well you know me I'm a lone wolf, I gotta do things by myself hehe! Ok so I actually got cold paws about asking someone for help I mean, do you blame me? I'm not a tunneler, I wouldn't be able to convince anyone." They argued their case meekly, knowing it was just an excuse for not wanting to inconvenience their clanmates. He acknowledged Wormtail's name with an ear twitch, crawling after Smokepaw in relative silence as guilt began to grow in their system. Reassured, they grinned as Smokepaw agreed to fabricate something for them, though some of that old fear flashed over their eyes as another grey tabby suddenly popped into view. Their bristled fur touched the top of the tunnels, a feeling they couldn't get used to, and they prepared for a bollocking from a warrior until a soft voice came from them. Rainpaw, oh thank StarClan. She asked him a question and they 'ummed and ahhd', looking to the back of Smoke's head for guidance. 'Foxdung! We haven't mad a story yet!' Their paws shuffled, staining them a ruddy brown the more they needed into the tunnel soil. "I- We were searching for- Land mushrooms and-"

If anyone deserved the truth, it was probably Rainpaw. "I got lost trying to search for mushrooms. I... I know I shouldn't be down here, I'm sorry." Their ears pinned back in defeat, they slinked after Smokepaw like a guilty dog. They were comforted by the presence of other apprentices, some of them weren't always the nicest to the marbled tabby, but he saw them as friends, perhaps even allies in WindClan's cruel political climate. "But! If anyone asks, I uh..." They looked around for ideas, grimacing at how close the walls were to their form. Their whiskers brushed against them every once in a while, great comfort in any other scenario, but here he felt trapped. They breathed in that musty old air and bombastically mewed the first thing that came to mind. "I fell into one of the entrances! Yep! Heavy snowfall had blocked it from view and... whoopsies, there I go! I went deeper in because I... was... I saw prey down here when I fell and... the clan's hungry and I wanted to give them something! Is that believable? I don't want to fake heroism or good intentions or anything but... you'd believe me if I told you that story, right?" If they didn't believe it, then they'd look hopeless to the pair to give them a better story.







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