FLY A FANTASY — reed collecting

[LAGOONPADDLE]

Forever. She's going to be an apprentice forever.

It wasn't fair in the first place, getting named Lagoonpaw - an action that, in her eyes, deemed her too young and inexperienced by Cicadastar.

Inexperienced? Ha! As if!

The calico had lived here all her life, had already known how to hunt and swim by the time the RiverClanners had shown up. What was inexperienced about that! Some of the RiverClan warriors couldn't even do half of what she could do without being clumsy about it! Stars, Fishface couldn't even drink water without Lagoonpaw having to help him pull a reed out of his nose. Certainly, she deserved to graduate to her full name just for that alone!

And yet, with each moon that passes by, with each meeting Cicadastar calls, she continues her eternal apprenticeship.

As she does today, pulling reeds from the shore - thank the stars, it's not Fishface's nose again - to weave into dens. An apprentice task, boring, repetitive, dull. Why couldn't she just swim all day like she used to do before this star-blessed paw name was cursed upon her? Surely there were plenty of apprentices to do these tasks?

The calico already has a pile started, though knows it won't be enough. She grips the next reed in her mouth and tugs it, only for it to not budge. A tricky one, this stalk was. She tugs harder, lets out a growl as it hardly moves. Lagoonpaw couldn't believe this! She bites down harder, pulling the reed with all her strength.

"Come on... you... you stupid thING!" The reed finally frees itself from the ground, an unexpected action in the midst of Lagoonpaw's efforts. The lack of resistance holding her weight sends her falling back in a clumsy manner, the stalk flying through the air. She lands on her back with a thud, river-hued eyes glowering at the sky above.
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[honeypaw]

honeypaw was a little further down the bank from the other apprentice, doing the same task. it didn't really bother her as she was happy to help, but that didn't mean her heart was in the task. although she was collecting reeds, she kept misty blue eyes focused on the water in case something pretty was there, just waiting to be collected by her.

she wasn't aware of lagoonpaw's presence, until she heard the calico fighting with some reeds. honey glanced over with concern, and started a trot over there. sure she was abandoning her task, but a fellow apprentice needed some help it appeared. she watched, wide eyed, as the reeds were freed from the ground, and lagoonpaw went shooting backwards. the tabby quickened her steps. she wasn't moving, was she hurt?

"ohmygosh," came the slurred speech of a panicked honeypaw as she ran over. she took a second to regain her breath, and hopefully not sound as silly as she just did. "lagoonpaw? are you okay? i saw you fall, please say you're okay!," she added hurriedly, her voice full of concern for the other apprentice. maybe a bit of a dramatic response for a slight tumble, but honey couldn't help her worry.​

[ ONE HAZY PANOPLY ]​

 

[FERNGILL]

A snout wrinkled in determination was wrapped around Fernpaw's own pulling-reed, the dens awaiting his assistance- such that he would gladly supply! Perhaps a dream too star-reaching for reality, the tiny tom had made his vow regardless- that all the reeds that he picked would be the best ones, the strongest and most flexible, made to support the dens they constructed like no other! Ambition in his mind even for such a mundane task as this, Fernpaw hardly bothered to let outside distractions pull him away. Not the sounds of others snapping reeds, not Lagoonpaw's frustrated yell-

How could he have ignored what ensued afterward, though? The older apprentice flung backwards, and widened bug-eyes followed her as she soared and promptly crashed. Muddled pawsteps carried his kit-sized form over, a hurried toddle- and briefly pond water eyes lingered upon Honeypaw's worried expression, before falling back down to Lagoonpaw. Craning his neck, he studied her face. "Yeah, you okay? Those reeds are so stubborn someti-imes." Worry quavered a path across his tone, though he did not exhibit quite the same panic as Honeypaw.​

( penned by pin )​

 

[HOUNDSTRIDE.]

❝  Stagnation's a hell'f a beast to beat, is it not? He knows the feeling. Not of being underestimated, perhaps, but of walking the same worn path on repeat. His paws have memorized their way around camp by now, as they had in all the other places Hound called home before. The edges of twolegplace, the riverbank, the marshes where ShadowClan now resided– his life's a slow curve, a spiral up and up but never even a step tighter, never with any sign of reaching its peak. Even with all the excitement they'd have at times, it wasn't....enough. That pale wanderlust rears its head every few nights, and Houndsnarl's left anting to wander off. Whether it's loyalty or guilt keepin' him here, it's something, it's enough. Maybe apprenticeship never ends the way Lagoon hopes for it to. Or maybe it does for those lucky few. Luck has most certainly never been a friend of his.

Could very well explain why that wayward reed, high up in the sky, comes down, down, down right to the warrior's head. The stalk's firm enough that the sensation's not a wet flop but a thwack that tickles the fur of his ears. Much like Lagoonpaw herself, Hound staggers back 's'if his paws had abandoned him. He rears up, claws extended as he shakes off the unknown assailant. "Feckin'–" he cuts himself off with a sharp inhale of annoyance. Now that he's settled some, the origin's clear. A trio of apprentices, huddled near the bank. And around one particular prone form. He picks up the wayward reed between his teeth, and joins them. And, wordlessly, drops it directly atop Lagoonaw.

†  ooc notes information †

• 
  ooc: hound plays fetch, apparently
• ──── houndsnarl. trans male, he/him pronouns.
  ──── approximately 30 moons old, or 2.5 years.
  ──── bisexual with firm male preference; single.
  
  ──── a chocolate tabby with ( stylized ) low white and intense lime eyes. lean and lanky,  with whiplike musculature and a long, quick stride. hound's notable features include his impressive height, the long scar across the left side of his face from nose to jaw, his very deep, dense fur, and the confident manner with which he conducts himself.
• "speech"

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[CRAPPIEPATCH]

Crappiepaw tugs aggressively at reeds, silently helping the other apprentices. They aren’t too far down river from Fernpaw, but far enough away to make them nervous. When they spot Lagoonpaw suddenly fall over, accompanied by the reed that goes flying through the air, they drop the reeds they’re tugging on.

The other apprentices they’re working alongside go to check on Lagoonpaw, but Crappiepaw’s eyes follow the reed that’s been launched into the air. It goes up, up, up, and then comes back down, down, down… directly onto the head of a disgruntled-looking Houndsnarl. The tortoiseshell tom makes their way over to the warrior, frowning at the curse he lets out. "That looked like it hurt," they observe dryly, narrowing their eyes in what is definitely not sympathy, but poorly hidden amusement. Bright eyes track the warrior’s movements as he grabs at the reed and deposits it right on top of Lagoonpaw—a smile tugs at the corner of their mouth, more amusement at the reed being passed from cat to cat.
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[ FORTUNE LOVES THE BOLD ]​

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[LAGOONPADDLE]

The embarrassment Lagoonpaw feels as a crowd of younger apprentices surrounds her is enough to hide the dull pain in her shoulders from the collision with the ground below her. Fellow apprentices - younger, yet will probably become something like... Fernpebble, Honeyflower, and Crappiefin, all before Lagoonpaw is able to become something like Lagoonstream.

"I'm fine, I --" she clammers out, pelt hot, "I'm just fine. Stupid reed didn't want to budge."

How embarrassing. This whole reed thing probably solidified it. How they're all able to just collect them so easily, while she struggled with a single tricky reed.

Speaking of -

She feels the stalk hit her chest, river-hued eyes blinking in confusion, before spotting Houndsnarl above her. A warrior. Great. Just great. She'll certainly be held back for longer, now that a warrior had seen what had happened. She quickly gets up, grabs the reed in her mouth.

"Back to work," she announces, mostly to herself, but looks back at the other apprentices before dropping the stubborn reed into the pile.
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