private FOR THE FATHERLESS IN YPSILANTI

[FLINTWISH]

Flintwish has an apprentice. Late to her own warrior ceremony, she is deeply suspicious of her own ability to impart success upon the newly-named Branchpaw. It's not like she has no cause for confidence. Forestshade had passed her, and Scalejaw had told her she had promise. Even Smogstar had acknowledged some sort of ability inherent to her, with the caveat that she was not harnessing it.

But how could she? She had spent so much of her life beneath everyone else — even Granitepelt had made sure she knew that, rotting in her sick-nest. "Are you better yet?" he'd asked, with all the patience of a debt collector. Even once she had recovered, she had not been free of his scorn: "Don’t think the Clan will forget about you getting two doses so easily. It’s up to you to prove you deserved to live over the weaker cats." She had lived by those words like scripture, but she had never been a good believer.

Even now, with Granitepelt's corpse in unmarked earth, he sways her. The scar in her shoulder ripples as she guides Branchpaw out of ShadowClan camp. His apprentice, named for a cat that Flintwish had indirectly had a paw in killing. Adrenaline pumps through him on this first outing. It is the first time he is truly meeting Ferndance and Needledrift's kit, despite having shared camp with them for six long moons now, despite knowing the older litter to a less impersonal degree.

His paws carry the duo west towards the Thunderpath by Highstones, tufted ears twitching all the way for signs of monster activity or predators. It is during this journey that Flintwish finally finds the words to speak: "We're gonna, um, avoid the Burnt Sycamore today." Underwhelming. Disappointing, maybe. But Flintwish does not want to chance another encounter with twolegs, not when it is only his apprentice and himself. He would not be responsible for another of Ferndance's brood going missing. He inhales, glancing down at Branchpaw to really take in the kit for the first time. He looks like Chittertongue. Flintwish does not grimace. "Is there something that you're, like, really excited to see? Or do?"

used to be one of the rotten ones ( and i liked you for that ) //

• ooc. @BRANCHPAW
  
• FLINTWISH —— warrior of shadowclan, mentoring branchpaw . granitepelt x starlingheart . littermate to nettlepaw, ghostmask . mates with ashenfall ✦ penned by meghan
  
  ✦ a small, slate-blue tom with mismatched blue and green eyes. hard to approach and harder to enjoy, but beneath his spines he seems to have a good heart, and cares for his clanmates
  ✦ unlabeled gender / he, she, they pronouns / 15 moons & ages every 12th
  ✦ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / underline & tag account when attacking
  —— will start fights / may flee / may show mercy. tends to fight dirty on account of granitepelt's teachings. will fight tooth and nail to win, as this is one of the few ways flintwish can prove his worth to himself
  
  ✦ "speech", thoughts, all opinions are in character
  ✦ full biography — msg on discord for plots — toyhouse
  

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[BRANCHPAW]

𓆱 Branchpaw had been excited to meet his mentor, and even more so to see the outside of ShadowClan’s camp for the first time. Flintwish leads him as they set out, and the boy trails behind her. The skip in his step is subdued—for now. He doesn’t know Flintwish well, but she’s his cousin, isn’t she? Starlingheart’s kit, somehow related to him by blood. The lilac-striped tom has never been known to be wordy, speaking rarely and brokenly since the day he’d first learned how to form words. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to his mentor that Branchpaw pads along at their tail with his maw shut gently, comfortably.

It isn’t until Flintwish speaks that he opens his mouth in turn. "What’s bad about the Burnt Sycamore?" He asks, words flowing freely. Sycamore, a somewhat unwieldy word that only leaves his maw with ease because it’s the name belonging to his cousin. Maybe Flintwish wants to avoid it because of what Smogstar said at the meeting. There are twolegs there, maybe, and twolegs are bad. He nods in understanding, but doesn’t correct his question. Instead, he turns to finally meet the other tom’s eyes when Flintwish asks him a question. "Hmm… I’m excited to hunt." Thoughtfully, he muses over what else they could do, and finds that he doesn’t know. "What is there to see?"

archers never make good kings 𖠰𖠰 fly headfirst into everything

• ooc: —
• 
• BRANCHPAW ❯❯ he/him, apprentice of shadowclan
  𖠰 fluffy lilac tabby with white spotting and amber eyes. quiet but cheerful, very naïve.
  𖠰 son of ferndance and needledrift ; brother to bonepaw, bloodpaw, shadepaw, snowypaw, gigglepaw, morelpaw
  𖠰 mentored by flintwish
  𖠰 peaceful and healing powerplay permitted
  𖠰 penned by foxlore

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