FOOL'S GOLD [ scaring prey ]

[stormpaw]

( ✿ ) she's still getting the hang of the whole hunting patrol thing. she's been on a few so far, always sticking close to her mentor and never finding success in her own hunts, but she feels that now, after a moon of apprenticeship, she should be better at it. as she follows lupinesong and the rest of the patrol into the swaths of pine, anxiety chews at her stomach. a little voice in her head that sounds an awful lot like her mother tells her you're only a new apprentice! it's okay that you haven't caught a thing yet! chewing on her lip, stormpaw sees the reason in the thought. she's learning, that's what being an apprentice is for. another little voice interrupts the first in the tone of stormpaw's own cries. you should have caught something by now! you're seven moons and you've been on countless patrols! what if you're useless? what if you'd be better off living with dad as a kittypet?

realizing she's fallen behind as the thoughts consume her, stormpaw's white splashed feet tap quickly across the ground to rejoin lupinesong at her side. she does not voice her worries aloud, still feeling a little shy around the pretty warrior. as the patrol fans out to scent the air and set about hunting for their clan, stormpaw feels stuck. "i-i'll just go over here," she murmurs to her mentor and pads off a few fox lengths away, scenting the air and pretending she believes she's going to catch anything. dual-hued fern and ice eyes spot emberpaw not far away, crouched in an elegant pose, cinnamon smoke fur glowing softly under watery sunlight. interest piques the younger apprentice and she carefully stalks closer, making sure not to tread on any twigs or rustle any undergrowth. beyond emberpaw, bat crouches, also already successful in finding something to hunt. peering over at the prey her fellow apprentice has spotted, the swirled blue tabby watches the almost-warrior move closer and closer to her eminent catch.

just as it seems the cinnamon smoke is about to leap, the worst thing possible happens. a bit of fern brushes stormpaw's nose and it itches... then tickles... then achoo! a sneeze that perhaps sounds louder to stormpaw than it is in reality because of her mortification ricochets around the small clearing the patrol finds themselves in. the prey emberpaw had almost reached flees, along with bat's soon to be catch. odd eyes widen in fear, the fur on her spine raising as stormpaw backs up. "oh starclan, i am so sorry!" she meowls, and it comes out a squeak. her eyes squeeze shut, preparing for a volley of angry voices.

ALWAYS AN ANGEL ✿ NEVER A GOD

• // mentor tag @LUPINESONG, tagging those interested @Bat, @EMBERPAW. but feel free to reply before them "#758ba4"
• 
  
  
• STORMPAW ✿ SHE / HER, APPRENTICE OF SKYCLAN. MENTORED BY LUPINESONG. SISTER TO RICEPAW, DOGWOODPAW. 7 MOONS OLD, PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  blue tabby with low white and blue/green heterochromia a long-furred blue feline with darker blue curling stripes that splash across her chest, flanks and tail. white floods the fur around her neck, the tip of her tail, stomach, and paws. dual hued eyes of sky and forest make her pretty in an innocent way, and her body is small and lithe, although her fluffy fur makes her look larger.
  

​

 

[Batscreech]

Bat trailed alongside the small amalgamation of cats that formed a rather modest hunting patrol, the weather proving to be rather favorable. By now, he had begun to acclimate himself to the territory that was SkyClan's home- his paws no longer dragged against the leaf litter, nor did he trip over the thick underbrush that coiled endlessly around beds of soil. The same could not be said for the youngest of their group- Stormpaw- her aloof and vaguely anxious expression paired with a lack of perception caused her to seem entirely unfocused, her steps not nearly as light compared to her clanmates.

As the band of hunters travelled deeper into the forest, the patrol instinctively began to trail off in different directions, ears pricked, bodies kept close to the shadows, jaws slightly agape to catch anything that carried promise in the gentle breeze. Bird. Bat was immediately on alert, the scent of finch unmistakable. With his body now pressed close to the ground, he made his way slowly forward, the scent trail aiding him before his sight. He was silent, nigh undetectable as he slowly slunk forward, closer and closer- as close as he could manage before risking the alert of his prey. With hitched breath, his back legs began to shift as he prepared himself to spring forward- any moment now, he was almost-

'Achoo!' An unexpected sound reverberated throughout the space, frantically flapping wings and a petite form immediately making its way toward the sky above in turn. In a last ditch effort, Bat sprang into action, leaping into the air at breakneck speed with outstretched claws- but to no avail. He had fallen short, empty paws thumping heavily back down to the ground below as gravity overtook him. There was silence for a moment, broken by a frantic apology- it would not do well to pacify the hot anger bubbling swiftly to his bodies surface.

He whirled around, making a beeline towards Stormpaw, his piercing gaze bearing down into her with viridian fire. "Ya 'lil blighter- Yer well in it now." He came to a halt in front of her, his stance rigid as his ivory unguis glistened in the rays of light that bounced off of them from between the trees canopy overhead. "Maybe yer too daft 't do anythin' other than skive off, but it's no excuse 't send our scran up the spout. Think yer mates back in camp'll have a laugh when they get word our hunts got bugger all 't show fer it?" Bat's yellow-tinted fangs bared as he spoke, his head careening to close in on the younger feline who was directly in his line of fire. "Can't stand yer type- livin' minted in yer ivory palace. Skippin' a meals' a bloody privilege- and out 'ere, we're all just chavs tryin' 't bagsy anythin' we can get our mitts on."

There was a pause then, Bat's cheat heaving as his voice carried across the space- raspy and guttural- his accent growing thicker as he allowed his vocal control to slip. With a heavy exhale, he took a step back and allowed his posture to straighten, pulling himself away from Stormpaw. His hackles smoothed and the intensity faded from his hollowed eyes, and the next time he would speak his tone would be so soft it was almost inaudible. "Ya don't belong 'ere, poppet."​

​

OOC: Hover over the dialogue for a translation!

 

[FIGFEATHER]

Figfeather is assessing @Daisypaw today on his hunting abilities. The two departed just a little ways from the rest of the patrol for some space but they had not gone far. They hadn’t gone far in their assessment, however, Daisypaw had barely gotten to crouch before a high-pitched sneeze sounded several fox-lengths away.

For a moment, all was quiet as she shared a look of hesitance with her mentor. Then… there was scolding. Figfeather turns, dragging her limp leg against the grass, ”Great StarClan,” she meows with a roll of her eyes. ”C’mon.” As a lead warrior it’d be best that she checked up on what the fuss was. Tensions were high with Orangestar not yet returning and cats were growing fussy, if some type of fight broke out she best be there to settle it.

When she arrives she’s able to put context clues together. Stormpaw, one of SkyClan’s new apprentices, had been the source of the sneeze. It must’ve scared the group’s prey away because Bat was chewing her ear off for it, giving the young molly an exceptionally hard time. When he’s finally done talking off she fixes him a look with her sternly narrowed eyes that say ’calm down’.

Figfeather herself often lost patient with some of the daylight warriors, or former kittypets of the clan if they didn’t seem to understand the seriousness of clan life. Yet all of this was over a sneeze? An involuntary mistake? ”Don’t be so quick to dismiss her.” Figfeather says, having half a mind to scold him further in front of the apprentice, but she respects him far more than that. Besides… everyone was carrying a stick up their rear the past several sunrises, and she doesn’t blame cats for it. With Orangestar gone they all were getting nervous.

Now she looks to Stormpaw, her eyes gaze upon her more gently but a seriousness still burns within. ”Just try to be quiet next time. Bury your head in the dirt if you have to.” She was half-joking but on another paw… very serious. They couldn’t be losing out on prey because an apprentice had an itching nose.

​

 

[ricepaw]

Hunting with Cherryblossom is easy. Ricepaw has already gotten the hang of it down, often bringing back at least something scrawny, In turn, she doesn't pay too much attention when she hunts nor does she put in too much effort... Which is why when Stormpaw sneezes, she finds herself not too far away, not realizing she had been so close to someone. Oops. She sniffs the air- four scents linger in the air aside from her and her mentor, who more than likely isnt far beyond Ricepaw herself.

Her paws carry her over only to get smacked in the face with a warrior berating her sister. Was it really that serious? It's the height of Greenleaf. Prey would be back.

"It was an accident." Ricepaw calmly protests in defense of her sister, curly-fur beginning to raise atop of her spine. They could go on their merry way and go back to hunting; after all, it wasn't as if the prey won't be gone in the area for too long... She raises her head to keep pressing ahead, but Stars, this guy must have a yapping problem because he keeps laying in to her sister. Each word he speaks pisses off the princess even further, trying her hardest to bite her tongue until...

Can't stand yer type- livin' minted in yer ivory palace-

"Excuse me? What did you just say to her?" faux innocence, sweet venom leaks from her tongue, a twitch of an eyelid the defining factor that she was beyond livid. Is this all this guy did? Pick on new apprentices? Stars above, he's insufferable, and Ricepaw has met a lot of insufferable cats in her few short moons of living. "Last time I checked, you weren't perfect? So its like... Oh, I dunno... Maybe you should stop talking to her like that...? If she didn't scare all the prey away, they're certainly gone now from you..." she punctuates this with a yawn, unsatisfied with Figfeathers quip. Insinuating that Stormpaw was stupid, murmuring something about belonging (Ricepaw didn't care enough to catch most of it) under his breath... Oh, if she had been a warrior... Paws itch to leap at him in a frenzied way, her rage only bubbling for her sister, but...

A princess must be dainty. And if not dainty, then collected. Causing a fight wouldn't be either of those things. "If you hold your breath then eventually it goes away. You should try that next time." her voice is gentle towards her sister, but in typical Ricepaw fashion, still sounds a little know-it-all when she tries to give a good piece of advice.

𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚂𝙼 𝚂𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝙸𝙽 𝙿𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙾𝙽 -♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧ 𝙲𝙷𝙸𝚅𝙰𝚁𝙻𝚈 𝙵𝙴𝙻𝙻 𝙾𝙽 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝚂𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳

• @Cherryblossom
• 
  ❥ ricepaw ୨୧ ricekit
  ❥ cis female ୨୧ she/her ୨୧ 07 months
  ❥ apprentice of skyclan ୨୧ mentored by cherryblossom
  ❥ regal, curly-furred white she-cat with striking green eyes
  ❥ "speech, f0a78e" ୨୧ thoughts
  ❥ single ୨୧ not interested at all in love
  ❥ smells like hyacinths & lilies ୨୧ sweet & poisonous
  ❥ penned by chuff

​

 

[LIONPAW]

With @CROWSIGHT 's oversight, Lionpaw is steadily improving his hunting skills. He's comfortable with mice and squirrels for the most part, able to at least scale the lower half of an evergreen to chase them and secure a successful catch. Avians were trickier as they had wings to utilize in their escape; cats, obviously, were earthbound.

Although, the chocolate torbie point had his eyes set on a delectable-looking finch right now; he was close enough to pounce, body close to the ground and careful not to rustle any leaf litter below like the apprentice had been practicing. Would Lionpaw catch a bird today?

Achoo!

The brown-toned bird quickly flutters toward the branches above, deeming his attempt at a catch a failure. "Mousedung." Lionpaw swears under his breath, tail lashing in disappointment. Voices began to spring up nearby, tones varying but generally hovering in an annoyed sort, and curiously the long-furred tom heads in their direction. Lionpaw was irritated at his loss of a catch, too. Who had sneezed?

By the time Lionpaw arrives on the scene, his blue eyes are fixed on the sight of a familiar dark chocolate brown warrior berating... Stormpaw? The apprentice's chest seizes, jaws parting as the insults and criticisms kept spilling from the strange tom's maw. Figfeather had already begun jumping to Stormpaw's defense, deciding that the trainee's mistake was not worth this frustration. The torbie point agreed; any annoyance he possessed toward losing his prey was long dissipated. In fact, the boy found himself irked by Batscreech.

In a rare instance, the soft-spoken apprentice felt compelled to say something in his friend's defense. "Leave her alone." Lionpaw warns the older cat rather boldly, faux brows knitted together as he steps forth from his place on the sidelines. Maybe his mood is still muddled by Slate's outburst toward his mother, his heart stormy and troubled as his late father's memory was used against her, but at the moment he felt very sensitive toward other cats targeting the clanmates he was closest to. It seemed that nothing that Batscreech said was helpful... ever. Why doesn't he just leave Lionpaw's clanmates alone?

A strange, new sensation of anger boils in Lionpaw's gut, overtaking the tom's typically soft and kind features as they're now replaced with a blazing gaze and a displeased scowl. Ricepaw is giving Batscreech more of an earful than he could muster right now. He doesn't have the confidence to rant off the top of his head, at least not this time. However, it's uncertain how far he could be pushed if Batscreech continued this behavior.

The point doesn't want to be here anymore. Turning to head in a different direction, Lionpaw glances at his best friend. "C'mon Stormpaw," He urges, a sharp edge still accompanying his tone as he flicks his glare momentarily back to the brown warrior. She didn't need to stand there and be subjected to Batscreech's bitter ramblings... or whatever he was going on about. "Let's just... try again." He meowed. Please don't sneeze this time.

𝐈𝐌 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 ✹ . + 　 　˚ 　　　　 · 　 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐈 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐈𝐃

• 

• 

  an apprentice of skyclan, lionpaw is seven moons and is mentored by crowsight. he is the son of doeblaze and blazestar. an amalgamation of his parents, lionpaw exhibits splashes of ginger and chocolate tabby patterns against a thick, longhaired cream pelt.　✦

​

 

[LUPINESONG]

❀‿ Lupinesong hopes she comes off as understand as she was trying to be about Stormpaw's slow start to hunting. She wasn't too concerned, not really. Stars knew that she only became the half-decent hunter that she was after moons of volunteering for every extra hunting patrol she could in an effort to dodge battle practice—she would do anything to avoid the creep of humiliation that came every time she was voluntold for a spar. So Stormpaw's trouble with hunting didn't really bother her, but it wouldn't be completely honest if she said it didn't make her a little antsy. She was her first apprentice after all, she didn't want to ruin it for the both of them, not in front of the whole clan. But some things could only be known truly in hindsight.

She hums in brief acknowledgement when Stormpaw peels off, the rest of the patrol splitting to stalk after their own hunts. It's a stroke of luck, really, that leads her to snag an easy catch of some plump, unsuspecting sparrow before the maybe-too-loud sneeze disturbs the quiet forest, and the yowlings erupt only moments later. The warrior hustles back toward the others to find some guy chewing out her apprentice like he was king of the damn forest!

"Excuse me," the tall she-cat murmurs as she drops her prey and moves through the gathered crowd of patrollers to stand in front of her young apprentice. "Hi, Batscreech, is it? Would you like to repeat that last thing you just said a little louder?" She tilted her head in faux-confusion, eyes narrowed and mouth tightening into what could be described as an "angry smile", "Must I remind you that she is a Skyclan apprentice like any other, and she'll be spoken to as such. It was an honest mistake, obviously."

She has grown more of a distaste for the snideness of her clanmates as she's gotten older, and she'd loathe to let herself meet the hostility thrown at Stormpaw with passivity. "Next time you have something to say to my apprentice, you can go ahead and speak to me. I don't think you'll find it necessary to talk to her following this time, thanks." Lupinesong straightens to her lofty height, fluffy tail still twitching with annoyance. She was so tired of old toms throwing their weight around at apprentices....

She sweeps a grateful glance toward Figfeather for her initial attempt to diffuse the situation, and twitches her whiskers at Ricepaw's sassy, yet sympathetic protest in defense of her sister. Again, not her apprentice, so she'd let Cherryblossom handle her outburst accordingly. Lionpaw, the sweetheart, defends Stormpaw and offers to remove her from the situation, and Lupinesong is apt to agree with her little brother, "Yes, that's a fine idea, you two are free to go sniff around back where I just was, I believe there's a flock of sparrows rummaging around the tree roots..." She turns to glance sidelong at Batscreech again, did he have anything else to say?

LOVE ME MORE, ⊹₊°❀‿ LOVE ENOUGH TO DROWN ME OUT.

• OOC:
• 
• 
  — lupinekit . lupinepaw . lupinesong
  — trans she/her. 16mo warrior of skyclan. formerly mentored by dandelionwish, mentoring stormpaw, single
  — bobbie x duke. littermate to crowsight & drowsynose. older half-sister of hollypaw, lionpaw, and candorpaw
  — a tall, pretty, long-haired black smoke with low white and green eyes
  — smells like sweet lupine flowers and young pine needles
  — "speech", thoughts, attack
  — fullbody by pikaihao and funnyguy by pin
  — penned by eezy

​

 

[EMBERFALL]

Rippling muscles reflected under the rays of sun peeking through the pines. Her paws reflect that of an experienced stalker, a tigress stalking through the undergrowth in silence. Emberpaw prowls forth, and she launches from her hunting crouch as a sudden 'tech! rings through the air. Her prey escapes through her paws and she looked baffled for a moment. Had she missed her prey? There was no way... she missed her prey. It registers seconds later as Batscreech starts scolding Stormpaw for causing everyone to fail their hunt, and she can notice the visible irritation in the air. A flaming gaze flicks to Batscreech as he insults the younger girl, then suddenly everyone is snapping at each other. Everyone rushes to Stormpaw's defense, and she solemnly sighs under her breath. When would Orangestar be back or Silversmoke? ”It's not that serious, everyone makes mistakes. Just the pollen.” Emberpaw states with an annoyed sigh as everyone continues to rabble about instead of just apologizing and returning to hunting. There were elders and kits that needed to be fed, yet they continued to insult each other. It was already a known fact that Batscreech mimicked his name as his lip flaps never seemed to seize, yet they still responded to him.


”It's typical Greenleaf stuff.” She states as her long tufted tail flicks as she stalks off further from the others. There were further important things to do instead of involving herself in a useless conversation, especially with Figfeather there (who knew how to handle situations, unlike Slate). Perked ears flick idly as she glances at the canopies before giving the ground a sniff, ready to track her next prey.
​

 

[Batscreech]

For a moment Bat was stunned- the way the entire patrol turned against him in the blink of an eye as a means to defend this little liability in her mistake that had cost them a proper meal for not only themselves, but the whole clan- it was not the kind of reaction he expected to receive. His bewilderment quickly made way for confusion, the overlapping yowls and lesser voices of reason causing his head to buzz. But beyond that, why weren't they angry? They were lucky they were in a position to waste prey- but it didn't mean they should be so lenient- Greenleaf only lasted so long, and if it had been a harsher season, this would have meant starvation.

His gaze rapidly flickered between the rapidly accumulating crowd- Figfeather and her stern but much more lenient tone, Ricepaw and Lionpaw snapping back with their own combative words, Lupinesong with her stoic demeanor and commanding tone, Emberpaw with her nonchalant outlook. His ears rang and his thoughts swam with everything and nothing at the same time- it was all too much. Typically, he accompanied his newfound clanmates on patrols as a means to escape moments such as these- the camp was always much too loud and the amount of swarming bodies was nothing less than stifling. And yet here he was, experiencing all of that and more- all of that and worse. He felt himself beginning to crack again, his only hope being to quell his looming breakdown so that he didn't shatter completely.

Bat's eyes, having widened slightly but which had also transitioned into something strangely vacant- as if the life within them had dissipated- turned to settle onto Lupinesong with an uncomfortable intensity. His expression was unreadable and he became uncharacteristically silent, everything that he was synonymous for- being cocky, cruel, insufferable by all accounts- drained out of him so that the only thing left was a voided body. He latched onto her words with a great effort, forcibly willing out every other voice that reverberated and pulsated throughout every inch of the space that suddenly seemed uncomfortably cramped. Whether what he exhibited was self control or complete mental detachment wasn't something he could answer for himself, and yet it seemed to aid in quieting the threat of a renewed outburst.

"Would you like to repeat that last thing you just said a little louder?"

The mahogany pelted tom would not respond until the she-cat addressing him had aired out everything she wished to. Hazy viridian orbs shifted slowly to rest on Stormpaw before she could be ushered away by Lionpaw, poising as one of her many valiant saviors. Bat's voice was unnervingly flat as his jaws parted to speak. "She don't belong 'ere." He shifted his weight slightly, though not in a way that would convey nervousness. "Yer easy fer now- but once 't's brass monkeys out 'ere, yer lil' birds mistake'll throw a spanner in the works 'n put the lot of ya under the cosh." Shockingly, there wasn't a single insult to be found- his statement as nothing more than it was- if she didn't shape up come Leafbare, the whole clan would have hell to pay so long as she was expected to assist in putting food into their mouths.

"Now- left, right, left, right, innit? Think they call 't walkin.'" With his final statement closed, he turned and made his way in the opposite direction at a rather sluggish pace. He made sure not to follow the trail left behind by Stormpaw and Lionpaw, both of which had retreated to see what they could do for themselves alone. He would not return to camp with empty jaws- and he would wander the forest in search of replenished prey for as long as it took. Whether he was left to do so alone or not was none of his concern, his indifference about everything and everyone intense after such an emotionally straining ordeal.​

​

 

[Daisydrop]

Hunting had not come easily to Daisypaw at first, his tail dragging on the ground and paws shuffling the earth beneath him, but he had a good mentor to teach him what he was doing wrong in a way that made it known that it was something every cat went through. No one was born with the ability to hunt, to climb, it was all things that a cat had to learn. Just as RiverClanners had to be taught to swim, WindClanners taught to tunnel, SkyClanners had to be taught to climb up and down the trees and every cat, no matter their background, had to be taught to hunt. There were some unlucky few that had to be self-taught, the threat of starvation weighing heavy on their minds as they stalked prey for the first time. In a clan though there were others to pick up the slack while one learned, no matter what season it was.

Now that he'd been an apprentice for three moons he had started to get the hang of things, his hunting wasn't perfect but it was good enough. It hadn't come as easily to him as climbing had, but he was getting there and was consistently catching prey, not always on the first try but by the time they came back from their patrol in the territory he almost always had a piece of prey or two hanging from his jaws, pride ripping through his pelt. He had been crouched down, getting ready to jump towards a mouse that he had spotted when a sneeze shot through the air and his head shot up just as the mouse ran away, eyes looking to Figfeather before the two were moving back towards the patrol as a volley of insults were shot Stormpaw's way. He couldn't help the way his tail lashed behind him, ears pinned to his head as Batscreech angrily spat out that Stormpaw didn't belong here.

He was going to stay silent, he really was, but when others began to chide in to tell the warrior off only for him to speak again that Stormpaw didn't belong here the apprentice found his face twisting in frustration. "You act like you were born knowing how to do everything, and seeing as you don't understand how things work around here I'd call you a liar if you said it was true." He'd accept whatever punishment Figfeather could have for him for speaking out, though he was sure that even if he did get one because of his outburst she'd be proud of him at the end of the day for sticking up for a clanmate - he knew he wasn't going to regret his words one way or another. "Making mistakes and learning is part of growing up and becoming a warrior, and being understanding that not everyone is perfect and learning can take time is part of being in a clan so if you don't agree with that maybe you don't belong here." With that his jaws would snap shut, pelt bristling as he waited for whatever would happen next. Stars, if everyone was like Bat then the clans wouldn't exist!

CAUGHT YOU RED 🌺 HANDED IN THE BISCUIT TIN

• 

• 
  ♡ SH blue w/low white & blue eyes
  ♡ cannot properly control emotions
  ♡ born november 8, 2023. ages realistically
  ♡ sexuality unknown ; interested in no one
  ♡ adopted by Butterflytuft and Dandelionwish
  ♡ brother to Weedpaw and Fluffypaw
  ♡ easy to befriend ; easy to upset
  ♡ "speech", thoughts, attacking
  ♡ peaceful powerplay allowed

​

 

[CROWSIGHT]

Lionpaw's hunting skills were improving he was grateful. Hunting was not his strong suit especially when it came to anything other than birds. He trained with Owlheart in private or asked Oddgleam for tips, his mates was very helpful. Even though he was a warrior, he still had much to learn and improve on. Silversmoke had trained him to excel in battle, not so much in hunting. As he told Owlheart when they apprentices, what use was knowing how to fight if he couldn't hunt? T

Hazel eyes watch in interest as his brother attempts to catch a bird. With a sneeze, his chances have been tarnished. Crowsight is not disappointed. After all, birds have always been much more difficult to catch than other prey. Besides his brother still had many moons to go before his training was completed. However, Lionpaw thinks otherwise. After all, the torbie wanted to become great. Greatness came with experience and time. Before he could say something their attention is snatched by the sound of another sneeze.

The smoke watches as his brother pads of in direction of the sneeze, following seconds afterwards. He would not make the mistake of leaving his brother alone. The scene that lies before them also irritates Crowsight. He is glad that Figfeather is speaking in defense of Stormpaw, but what he is not prepared for is his own brother voicing his thoughts as well. Had this been a normal and reasonable lecture from Batscreech he would've cuffed his brother and sent them to pick ticks from the elders. However, a surge of pride swells in his chest at his younger brother who is normally so soft spoken speaking up for a clanmate who is being bullied.

Crowsight says nothing, but there is a small smile on his maw. Not towards Batscreech, but towards everyone who is speaking in defense of Stormpaw. When Lupinesong arrives to witness what is going on, it is understandable that she is enraged. After all, this is her apprentice. Stars knows if someone started bullying Lionpaw because he couldn't do something he only began to learn, he would unleash a storm on them. The relationship he has with Lupinesong is rocky so he dares not to speak for or against her. All he does is keep a lingering gaze on her as she tells their apprentices to go off together and try hunting.

A black fluffy tail grazes his brothers shoulder followed by a low whisper, "I'm proud of you." Lionpaw isn't given a chance to respond as he saunters over to Stormpaw and offers a small smile. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. Let Lupinesong and the others handle Batscreech. Come, join Lionpaw and I. I'll teach you both a trick when it comes to birds." I'm only really good at hunting birds. Let's see... How much does your apprentice know? It's not my place to interfere with my sisters training, but there is something both of them need to know.​

 

[stormpaw]

( ✿ ) immediately upon making eye contact with bat, fury ignites in his gaze. stormpaw shrinks back as the earthen tom spits anger in an accent she can hardly understand. his words are accompanied by vigorous nodding and cowering from the spittle that froths at the tomcat's maw. "i-i'm sorry," she whispers, and curses her voice for giving out at such a pivotal moment. you don't belong here, he says, and stormpaw agrees wholeheartedly, dual-hued eyes wide and teary as she imagines being laughed out of the clan by her clanmates, forced to seek out her father's twolegs for a home.

as bat seethes in front of her, a calmer voice interrupts, her sweet savior sailing in in the form of figfeather. the ginger lead warrior clicks her tongue at bat, narrowing her eyes as if to tell him to calm down. stormpaw catches her breath, not realizing her chest had been as tight as it was, and she meets the olive gaze of this woman she respects and nods. "y-yes of course, figfeather!" her words tumble out, and she snaps her jaws shut again. of course, now that complaining had ensued, the whole clan is bound to gather, and the first watcher arrives in the form of stormpaw's sister. ricepaw gets up in bat's face, her curls bouncing as she dares him to speak again. lionpaw arrives, and the blue-dappled girl flushes hot beneath her fur at the idea that her best friend might've been affected by her stupid error.

he's not the most confrontational and so when he joins ricepaw in bat's face, odd eyes widen in appreciation. thank you, she mouths, ears pinned to her skull still. he moves towards her, suggesting they hunt elsewhere, and she is quick to agree, taking in a big breath to calm her fluttering heart. then, at last, lupinesong intervenes, ice cold anger in her tone. stormpaw feels as though she may cry at the defense shown from her mentor. i haven't yet let you down? she wonders vaguely as the pretty molly curls her lip. emberpaw addresses stormpaw herself, immediately forgiving her for her mistake, and now the girl's eyes water at the care her clanmates seem to show for her.

bat retreats, though not without one last biting word, and stormpaw can't bring herself to call after him in apology yet again. instead she turns with lionpaw and offers a small smile to crowsight. "o-okay," she will mumble, and press into lionpaw's fur.

ALWAYS AN ANGEL ✿ NEVER A GOD

• // "#758ba4"
• 
  
  
• STORMPAW ✿ SHE / HER, APPRENTICE OF SKYCLAN. MENTORED BY LUPINESONG. SISTER TO RICEPAW, DOGWOODPAW. 7 MOONS OLD, PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  blue tabby with low white and blue/green heterochromia a long-furred blue feline with darker blue curling stripes that splash across her chest, flanks and tail. white floods the fur around her neck, the tip of her tail, stomach, and paws. dual hued eyes of sky and forest make her pretty in an innocent way, and her body is small and lithe, although her fluffy fur makes her look larger.
  

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[FIGFEATHER]

Figfeather’s fur bristles with rapidly growing irritation, each clan-mate striking the match with each retort. Ricepaw, Lionpaw, Emberpaw and even Daisypaw, to her dismay, speaks out of turn for their rank. Lupinesong, while justified in their frustration, adds more fuel to the fire than what is needed.

At last, she snaps. ”ENOUGH!” A hiss that held a similar anger to a queen whose bratty kits would not listen. ”I will not have apprentices talking back to warriors. I won’t have warriors squabbling with apprentices.” She fixes the apprentice with ablaze amber eyes before slicing them across Bat’s departing form as well.

It was humiliating having Stormpaw be subjected to this. Who would want to remain in a clan filled with bickering kits? If she was Stormpaw this would be enough to make her high-tail out of this disaster. For once, she might not blame someone for turning tail.

”I won’t hear another word, we have hungry bellies back at camp. Get hunting.” She tells them all sourly. Daisypaw is given a stone look, her exact thoughts unreadable. Turning around she stalks off into the forest leaving the apprentice to decide if he’d like to rejoin his mentor or go his own way.

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