private Hi doggy | Badgermoon

[Firefang]

Rarely did she spend much time with their deputy and she wouldn’t claim it was because the Tom was busy. She just… didn’t know what to say to him, he’d been her mentor for the final moons of her apprenticeship and he had thankfully not been a complete waste of space or air. Yet he was still goofy dopey old Badgermoon to her regardless of his ferocity in the field of battle, it was hard seeing him as anything but and yet she could say she was intimidated by him. Not of his strength or anything nor really of his authority but of who he was independent of all of that. She kept her distance only really spending time with him when they had a shared patrol or were witness to something another clanmate was doing.

She can’t say why she avoid him why she was “intimidated” maybe she fears his disapproval? She can’t say.

She breaks that today by searching him out being very sure his little brat of a tagalong that was his slimey yucky apprentice wasn’t with him before she slinks on over. The fact he was training Snakepaw was part of the reason she was willingly seeking him out, if he could handle him then well he could handle any apprentice sure she’d been his first but she’s certain he taught him far more about how to handle an apprentice then she ever had. Her own apprentice was far better behaved thankfully but she worried she still wasn’t doing as much as she should for him. She’d never speak her worried to anyone she thought but she just might be able to trust Badgermoon to give her advice and not to blab to everyone that she was getting nervous she wasn’t enough.

Her head is somewhat ducked ears folded back, she tries to look at him but her gaze hangs lowered. ❝Badgermoon❞ she starts almost beginning to feel as if she should just say fuck it and stomp away before any shame can mar her. But the fear she wasn’t doing good enough for her clan and more importantly for her apprentice holds her there. ❝Can we talk?❞

@Badgermoon ​

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[Badgermoon]

Badgermoon could hardly begrudge Firefang for not seeking him out often. They were very different people, despite the fact that circumstances had put them together, and though he wished for her friendship he understood that he was likely not at the top of her list for cats to hang out with. Moreover, she was the proud type, and he could easily imagine that being around him reminded her of her apprenticeship in an unwelcome way - before her warrior name and her own apprentice, back when she was still just butting heads with Rampaw. Nothing good would ever come from being pushy with his friendship, in his opinion, and so he allowed the sharp-tongued she-cat to become more of a colleague than a friend. There was also the complicating factor of Snakepaw, whose frequently-sour attitude did not mesh well with Firefang's hot-tempered personality. Therefore he was quite surprised, though not at all displeased, when the warrior appeared in front of him.

"Hey, Firfefangf." he mrowed through a mouthful of rabbit-meat. He swallowed and offered a small, slightly apologetic smile. "Of course we can. Here, take a seat - do you want some? It's pretty tasty." he nudged the half-eaten carcass towards her and waited expectantly for her to speak, curiosity and fondness clear in his yellow eyes. He did not appear to notice the clump of rabbit fur stuck to his whiskers.​

 

[Firefang]

Did she truly hang out with anyone; not really she was always so focused on her duties to truly stop and relax. Ever since becoming a warrior she’d been that way, always too busy to truly let the claws of loneliness sink into her. She’d never needed anyone, had always thought herself independent but sometimes she longed for the days of her apprentice hood where she could force the others to do as she wished with a simple snarky comment. She misses spending time with Snailstride, misses being around Icebreath, sometimes when she’d watch others mingle she was struck with a heaviness in her heart she didn’t wish to dwell on. Firefang didn’t have friends really not in the way Smokestep did.

Uncomfortably she begins to settle down besides him taking his invitation and lowering her maw to take a quick bite out of the carcass. ❝Thanks. Haven’t eaten a thing today❞ sometimes it just slipped her mind until her stomach could no longer handle the growling, it was a habit she’d adopted in leafbare and one that wouldn’t soon go away. Finally she looks up at him, licking her jaws before a huff of a chuckle purses past them. ❝You got some - ah never mind❞ a little bit of rabbit fur stuck to his whiskers may actually help her here. Was hard to get nervous and beat herself down while looking at that messy mug. Still she finds herself dancing around what she really wants to talk about.

❝How’s Snakepaw’s training going. Figure the little mousebrain has been givin’ you a hard time❞ it’s small talk nothing more just there to get herself comfortable and make things feel normal for her; there was nothing more normal then putting someone else down for her after all. ​

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[Badgermoon]

Something appeared to be bothering the dark-furred warrior. Badgermoon did not pry into what it was, even if he noticed the uncomfortable way she sat next to him and started to eat. "Ahh, well, I'm glad you're taking the time now." he lifted a paw and patted his stomach, which was slightly rounded. It would be inaccurate to call him pudgy, but he was a large cat, and clearly the abundant prey of newleaf had been treating him well. "I myself never miss a meal, if I can help it." he gave a low purr of amusement and then lapsed into silence, giving her the space to speak. She'd get to what she wanted to talk about in time, he was sure, which seemed to be ... Snakepaw? Really? She hates Snakepaw.

"Now, now, It's not nice to call people mousebrains, Firefang." the bicolor tom said in a tone of mock sternness before his face split into a grin. "I'm kidding. He definitely has bees in his brain sometimes, I must say, but I think he's a good cat all round." Badgermoon shook his head, pondering the question: how was it going? Snakepaw was certainly opinionated, and made his thoughts on their training sessions abundantly clear, but he was eager to learn and had already shown a deep loyalty to WindClan. "He's a willing student and faithful to his Clan. I don't think I can ask for much more than that. I just hope he opens his mind and his heart, a bit, someday...for his own sake, if no one else's." his brows furrowed and he let out a small sigh.

"A mentor's job isn't just to teach their apprentice how to hunt and fight...we also should show them what a warrior looks like, how a WindClanner should act, what a good life looks like...it's our obligation to guide them towards becoming their very best, for their Clan and for themselves." Badgermoon glanced over at his former apprentice and smiled, some wistfulness appearing in his yellow eyes. "I hope I was able to do some of that for you, Firefang...though as much as I would like to take credit for your success, I have a feeling much of it is your doing alone." he puffed out his scarred chest, just a little, attempting to make eye contact with her. "I think you should be proud of yourself. I certainly am proud of you, for what it's worth."​