got a lot to not do / snailpaw

[rainpaw]

Rainpaw's idea of a good time did not usually consist of sneaking out from camp, trudging through snow, and ending up staring into a gorge with a fall that would likely kill her. But lately, the camp had been feeling strained and sickly, and Curlewnose had encouraged her to take a break from working in the tunnels. Under those perfect conditions, she had been susceptible to Snailpaw's suggestion of heading out. The social scene of WindClan was... well, she thought there was room for improvement, but Snailpaw was usually an exception. She was pleased that they had invited her. Spending time with them at least ensured that she wouldn't be thrown any dirty looks or insults. At worst, she would face down a flurry of jokes.

The deep snow Rainpaw had been struggling through finally gave way to some more solid, rocky ground as she reached the edge of the gorge. Rainpaw clambered up onto one, shaking off the snow that was clinging on her fur all the way up to her chest. A small frame and fresh, soft snow mixed terribly. But the farther from camp she got, the more she was set on having a moment of rebellion- as long as the weather didn't worsen, she would stay out for a while longer, frozen whiskers and all.

"Do you think there's any way to get down to the water? Maybe if we follow the river farther down?" She asked, peeking at the water far below. Her eyes shifted from one section to another, hoping to see a flash of scales or a telltale ripple. She couldn't remember ever seeing a fish, and she wanted to get a glimpse at least- probably not a bite, though, since she had heard they gave cats terrible breath. Her gaze only faltered for a moment, flicking across the land across the gorge. Just over there was RiverClan's territory... "What's our plan if a RiverClan patrol shows up? Or a WindClan one, for that matter?" She asked, although she wasn't too worried about either possibility. It wasn't the sort of weather that lent itself to patrols, and she guessed no one in WindClan would notice their absence. The tunnelers would think Rainpaw was up above, and the moor runners would think she was below, and both groups would probably just assume Snailpaw was sleeping somewhere.​

 

[SNAILSTRIDE]

The marbled tabby strutted towards the gorge like a peacock, their smile beaming with authenticity as they led their fellow apprentice to pastures seldom explored. Camp could be monotonous at times, the snow had zapped everyone's energy and hunger left even the kindest of warriors cranky at the smallest slight - it was not a place that suited Snailpaw well. Still, after their tunnel excursion, they didn't want to travel to dangerous places alone; with one wrong thought or too much adrenaline in the apprentice's body, they were liable to get stuck someplace nasty again. Rainpaw was his lifeline, but also his friend, and they'd make sure that the tunneler didn't regret her companion that day. With snow stuck to their fur and paws, the apprentice took a brief moment to shake it out of their hair like a wet dog, some of the flakes flying over the side of the gorge. When they'd finished, their attention fell onto Rainpaw, their eyes enlarging at her question. "Oh uh, I hadn't thought of that!" Perhaps they'd been hoping for a magical path down to the river that no one else had ever seen, but the life of a clan cat was rarely as easy as that.

"Maybe? The river has to lead somewhere, right? It doesn't just end, surely! We'll be able to find a way down no problem and get you a glimpse at them fishies! Ooh, maybe we can even see what one tastes like!" Dipping their paw into icy water sounded about as appealing as chores, but if it gave them a chance to see what they were missing out on, they'd risk frostbite. Thrills were chronically missing as a WindClanner, it was all survival, survival, survival, and death. They wanted to feel the wind on their whiskers and feel hope, they wanted to experience what the world had to offer outside the borders and if they couldn't do that, they wanted to be comfortable. They didn't want to survive, they wanted to live. The gorge was the closest to the freedom they'd attain for now, even if glancing too long down into it sent the feline's stomach somersaulting. Rainpaw spoke again and they offered another glance, confident (or perhaps just blissfully naive) this time. "I can talk down any RiverClanners no problem! You've just got to be nice and respectful and most cats will let you off with a warning! We can say we... got lost chasing a rabbit or... saw a fox and it went onto their territory and we wanted to warn them... something like that!"

It wouldn't be the first or last time they had lied to get out of trouble or to preserve a secret. Lying never felt good to the slate feline, every instinct gnawed at them to give up and tell the truth, but there were times when self-preservation was important. If a RiverClanner showed up, that would be one of them times. As for WindClanners... Snailpaw's smile dropped in consideration. They'd gotten lost in the tunnels and accidentally attacked a clanmate, their behaviour hadn't caused any obvious consequences, but they had the feeling they were standing on thin ice. Still, they rolled their shoulders in a shrug and tilted their head sweetly. "It was all my idea! I'm used to taking the heat for things, I'll make sure you don't get in trouble for it, I promise!" They stopped talking to move to the edge of the gorge, crouching as they peered over the edge in search of fish. Had a cat ever dived from this high up to catch one?

No, they weren't going to be the first one to do so, even Snailpaw knew that would be an awful idea. "I can tell with these questions, you don't really get in trouble much, do you? It's not a bad thing! It's just... I'm very surprised you agreed to come out this far with me! Camp that bad at the moment, huh?"

​

 

[rainpaw]

Although Snailpaw didn't have a surefire way to get down to the water, Rainpaw's fur wasn't ruffled. The corners of her lips raised as he reassured her that she would get to see fish. The river did indeed keep going, and the giant rift it dug in the landscape had to flatten out eventually, didn't it? She didn't consistently go out on patrols of the moor, but even she knew that WindClan's territory sloped downward from the camp. They shared a border with ThunderClan, too, and she thought she remembered water close to that section. As she looked down the river, tracking where it wound through the moors, Snailpaw moved on to addressing her other concerns. She had to give it to Snailpaw- they did have plans for what to do if they encountered patrols, and they weren't terrible. Her ears did flick back at the idea of Snailpaw solely taking the blame, though. The marbled tabby suggested it like it would be no big deal. Rainpaw, on the other paw, had been hoping for something that would shift the blame off of the both of them. Though maybe that wasn't possible, since they were doing something wrong.

She would keep thinking on it. In the meantime, she was facing down Snailpaw's questions. She ducked her head a bit, in a tiny show of self-consciousness. Rainpaw approached just about everything from an intense angle- the backup plans for if they had been caught had seemed necessary, but apparently her desire for them had been telling a whole story about her. "I mean, there's not much trouble with rules I can get into, when I'm in the tunnels most of the time," She said after a pause, straightening up from where she had been leaning over the edge. "so I guess you're right." Rainpaw raised her brow. Frankly, she was a little surprised she didn't get in trouble more often. She was no over-sleeper like Snailpaw, but she had tested the limits of acceptable behavior before. She had snapped at Firepaw multiple times, but so far warriors were willing to look the other way for it. They probably assumed that it was just apprentice politics that would solve itself, although Rainpaw wasn't sure.

She paused, considering the latter part of what Snailpaw had said. She squinted for a moment, and then her expression cleared, paired with a forward twitch of her whiskers and a little toss of her head. "Well, I'm not opposed to getting in trouble, as long as it's worth it. And, yeah, camp is bad, and hanging out with you is a lot better. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're a lot easier to get along with than most of the other apprentices." Plus, not many of the other apprentices would offer to take the heat for being caught out by the border. Then again, that was probably because most of them wouldn't be out by the border. That was the trade-off with Snailpaw, but like Rainpaw said, it was worth it. Usually. She wasn't above pestering Snailpaw if they shirked their duties too much, but she was in no place to comment on that, and she was trying to focus on their good qualities. A little smile graced her face as she said, "I think if we go in the direction of Fourtrees, the gorge should be... less gorge-y, and we can 'glimpse fishies.' If we can make it that far before my paws freeze off." She slipped down from the little rocky outcropping she was perched upon. Walking into the snow again wasn't pleasant, but the perk of frozen paws was that they were at least numb.​

 

[SNAILSTRIDE]

At nine moons old, trouble was synonymous with the marbled tabby. Their mentor was a prideful sort and, Snailpaw didn't use the word lightly, an asshole. They'd rather not admit to the leader that they were struggling with their unruly apprentice, and they were sure that Shrikewing had fabricated reports about their progress to hide the shame, but it didn't stop Snailpaw from getting it in the ear whenever his mentor was able to find him. Trouble was always worth it, and their smile grew wider as Rainpaw admitted her inexperience with the matter. They'd protect her from the worst consequences, they struggled to keep promises but that one would break their heart if they forgot it. The tips of their ears warmed as Rainpaw complimented them, slowly, they nodded in agreement. "Thanks!" WindClan's apprentices were lovely in their own rights, but they worked themselves too hard to impress the adults. Snailpaw had been the same at the start of their apprenticeship, wide-eyed and hopeful for the future, it hadn't taken the tabby much convincing that validation from a mentor was the best thing since warm prey. Alas, that dream had shattered like ice, and though not content with where they were now, they at least found themselves free of a lot of burdens.

"I mean... I kinda noticed? We're a grumpy lot, aren't we? Hehe, everyone wants to take after the senior warriors, not me though! Can you imagine if I tried to take after Juniperfrost?" The tabby fluffed out their fur and exaggerated their scowl, looking more like a cat that had swallowed a wasp than the senior warrior they were imitating. "'Rainpaw, this is far enough! Get back to camp now." They deepened their voice as well as they could, blinking in surprise when they realised that they didn't mind the pitch. Marking it down for consideration later, Snailpaw laughed off his mocking of the irritable warrior and jumped to their full height. The day they truly became like that would be the day that StarClan ended the world. The mean bones in the apprentice's body tended to be hidden behind their flippancy. "Anyways! Fourtrees-way, got it!" They looked toward the direction of the gathering place, even more excited for the journey than they had been when they started. 'Glimpsing fishies' was one thing, but seeing where all the cats gathered for the moon was a new experience entirely!

Hopefully, if the gorge flattened before they saw Fourtrees, they'd at least be able to go to this month's gathering. WindClan did not have many friends, but Snailpaw hoped to change that. "Eh, you'll be fine. If not, we'll hold a vigil for your paws!" His own did not feel amazing pressed against the persistent frigidness of the earth, but it was a discomfort they could ignore until it was pointed out. Giving a little hop, Snailpaw began the walk towards Fourtrees, their tail high in the air with the promise of new sights ahead. "Ok so... this might be a weird question and if it is, uh, my bad?" They looked over their shoulder, giving no indication that they felt awkward about their 'weird question'. "About the tunnels... I know you guys have to avoid being beneath lakes but like, say if the tunnels flooded, do you reckon a fish would be able to survive there? All they need is water and food, right? What's your opinion on it? Life almost seemed too easy as a fish, live in water, eat whatever bugs floated your way, and eventually get maimed and murdered by a RiverClanner. If only being a WindClanner was that simple.

​

 

[rainpaw]

"A grumpy lot" was certainly a generous assessment of WindClan's apprentices. Rainpaw could come up with much more colorful terms for Firepaw, but she saved any comments on that in favor of giggling at Snailpaw's Juniperfrost impression. The attempt at a stern expression on Snailpaw's face was the funniest part- it didn't look right on their cheery features and they looked almost pained instead. "Yeaaah, I don't think taking after Juniperfrost fits you," She mewed, giving an amused shake of her head. No, taking after Juniperfrost did not come naturally to them. Rainpaw wondered if it came naturally to her. She modeled her work ethic after the older warriors, but they had a gruffness that she didn't have... and didn't strive to gain. She was partial to warriors such as Curlewnose and Sunstride. They contributed to the clan, but were made of kinder stuff. It was good to have that sort of variety in the clan, she thought. She hoped that if anyone caught her and Snailpaw heading to Fourtrees, it would be one of those warriors.

Although, ideally, they would not be caught at all, and the trek along the gorge would be easy and her paws would stay intact. "Alright, worst case scenario, a vigil sounds good. As long as it's got a sad speech to go with it," She said with a nod as she followed after Snailpaw. It occurred that if there was any real damage to her paws, digging would be a lot harder. Smokepaw hadn't had major injuries from the tunnel collapse, as far as she could remember, but even his paws were less dexterous than they had once been. Oh, she needed to stop worrying. She was supposed to be having fun and feeling free, like Snailpaw seemed to be doing. They were speaking again, starting their question off with an apology that had her furrowing her brow in a curious way.

And by the end of it, she was bursting out laughing. "What?" Although she sounded baffled, there was no contempt in her voice- she just hadn't been expecting the question, despite Snailpaw's warning that it would be a weird one. It made sense, if she thought about it, though. She had mentioned the tunnels and they were both going to look for fish. It wasn't out of nowhere, it just wasn't a question that her mind would have generated. "Okay, wait, let me think about it." She recovered, searching for a serious answer in her mind. She had been warned about flooding in the tunnels, but never considered the implications it would have for non-WindClanners such as fish. "I think it really depends on them having food. There are bugs down there, but if it was flooded, they would drown. So it depends on if the fish could find... worms in the walls, I guess. Oh, and if water didn't keep coming in, I think the tunnels would eventually dry back up, too, so the fish would die then." She dodged around a deep patch of snow, opting to go over a bump in the moor instead. "Other than that, I think it'd be fine for the fish. They'd be safe from getting eaten by any cats, at least."

She tilted her head thoughtfully, and then added, "Isn't it weird to think that other clans don't have tunnels? Like, here, we've got tunnelers and moor-runners 'cause of our tunnels, but everyone else just has one kind of warrior. We would be doing the same exact kind of training. That's what I've heard, anyway." She glanced at Snailpaw, trying to judge their reaction to the idea.​