pafp find a pen ✧ assessment

[lichenstar]

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It was hard to believe how fast she'd grown... granted, she'd been 'inherited' halfway through her training of course, but the time had slithered past exceedingly quick. Perhaps it was just that it had been so full of hardships, the sun had felt faster and faster, rising and setting to new horrors. Finally free of the heavy smog of yellowcough, it meant normalcy could return and with it... new warriors would need to fill their ranks, just as they were always meant to. Hesitation clung to her paws that afternoon, seeking out Dipperpaw (and a certain silver victim to help out today) to give her a final test.

She was an exceptional fighter, which gave Lichentail some great relief that she might not die at a border skirmish or some inevitable battle. However... even Petalnose had taken note of her wandering mind alongside the river... she'd witnessed her paws lose their place when sharing their skills as a bird hunter. "Lightningstone will be your competition for today," she begins explaining, glancing towards the wide expanses of their territory with a nervously fluttering heart. He was a prime example of all that Dipperpaw would need to be to join them in warriors den... strong, well-practiced and patient. He was certainly one of their more stealth-inclined members.

"If he is to be your peer, you should have no trouble keeping up with him." She casts the stoic warrior a small glance of appreciation for his time today, she is still unsure if he is bothered by her presence every time they skirt past one another.

Drawing in a small breath to steady her nerves, the deputy is uncertain why she is the one that is anxious for this event- it was Dipperpaw whose success or failure would lay out the next few moons of her future. Maybe it was a nagging sense of foreboding... or maybe she was afraid of what it would mean to depart from her side as a mentor so soon. They didn't see eye-to-eye, clearly, and while the two shared in their emotional negligence, it was not a source of bonding despite the similarity. "Your assessment focuses on hunting- we've entered leaf-bare. We cannot afford warriors who cannot hunt when prey is scarce. It is sun-high now, you each have until the sun touches the river to catch as many prey as you can. There are other hunters out here, be careful not to disturb their hunts in your rush to win."

Maybe Smokestar would be a little less furious with her if she managed to get these two to restock the fresh-kill pile a little more than usual... It would not stop her from doing her own hunting later though-- her paws still itched to flee camp where prying eyes could find her. She looks to the grouchy tom cat with a small smile, "Don't go easy on her. Whenever you're ready, make the call and we will begin. I'll be watching but I won't interfere. Lost prey is on your paws." Hopefully other onlookers would not try to help the young girl in an effort to prevent another Ferngill. It would not benefit anyone to inflate her skills falsely.


--- please wait for @DIPPERPAW and @LIGHTNINGSTONE to post first !! onlookers are welcome but interference will be punished.

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WELL IF YOU WANT MY BLOOD I'LL MAKE SO MUCH BLOOD

THAT YOU'RE GONNA FUCKING DROWN​

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[LIGHTNINGSTONE]

Lichentail was a cat Lightningstone once cared very little about. She had been an assignment, much like Buckgait had been all those moons ago. A target for his keen eyes and listening ears to report on, memorize. But those days of being Cicadastar’s eyes are over. He is no longer a spy, but a clanmate - one he wants his remaining kits to be proud of. He now lives in a clan that is becoming less cautious and afraid of the screaming voice of their leader, instead sheltered under a new reign’s watchful and protective eye. And with Lichentail as deputy and mentor of one of his daughter’s, he supposes she can be trusted a bit more now too.

He accepts the job without much fuss - assessments were vital, after all, and he would be a good competitor. His paws are practiced and accurate, his leaps and swipes solid. He stands at Lichentail’s side in silence, nodding when she looks to him before he gives his full attention to Dipperpaw.

“I never go easy,” He rumbles, tail lashing once. His curled ears stand tall on a lifted head, claws flexing in the mud. “I’m ready.” An equally skilled hunter as he is a fisher, he bears no nervousness. If she can keep up with him, she has earned her name.​