HONEY I'LL KNOW FOR SURE (WARRIOR ASSESSMENT)

[FORESTSHADE]

// @SHARPPAW. @Poppypaw @CHILLEDGAZE. backwritten warrior assessment! Thanks for doing this with me so I get to rp out her victory :D

You will compete against two of your peers. If you bring back the most prey on a leaf-bare hunt, you pass. If one of them brings back the most, you wait another moon and try again. Go.

Chilledgaze's instructions sent the torbie and her denmates off into the marsh in completely different directions. The assessment began just as the sun broke the horizon. Forestpaw's pads numbed quickly to the cold, and she did her best to fluff out her thick pelt to keep out the bitter leaf-bare air. She can only hope her nose doesn't freeze out here; she'd be doomed, then.

Her first catch was quick. A snipe, picking around near the Burnt Sycamore. She'd then looped around, following the northern thunderpath. For hours she'd found nothing. Her paws kicked at the frozen ground in frustration, a soft growl escaping her. If all she found was that snipe, she'd fail for sure unless her peers magically caught nothing all morning. But then, a scrabbling. Before thinking, she leapt, trapping a stray mouse beneath her paws. It was dead within a heartbeat, her teeth sinking into the back of its neck in a swift motion. Judging by how much time had passed, she guessed it was nearing sunhigh. So, she turned, heading back to collect her first catch. Two whole catches in leaf-bare...impressive, if she did say so herself! Surely it's more than Sharp-paw or Poppypaw! Hopefully....

---

The torbie arrives back at the meeting spot, just outside camp. She drops her two catches and parts her jaws to scent the air, finding out she's the first one back. She imagines Chilledgaze had been lurking around watching them from the shadows, so she bets they're around here somewhere. Her denmates should be back soon, too. She can feel the sun on her back, hinting that it's high in the air. Waiting, waiting...her ears twitch when finally she hears pawsteps approaching. Forestpaw shoots back to her feet and immediately trills, "How many did you catch?" Please be less than two, please be less than two!​

 

[SHARPSHADOW]

† Leafbare was cruel.

The wind howls away any promises of prey. The birds sit atop their branches. Lizards and toads sit hidden away. A quick run to carrionplace is out of the question. Potential death sat on the table now, in other forms, besides Starvation. Her only chance, she had startled into ruffled feathers, and then it was almost if it was never there at all. Shadows sit too dark against the snow. Her face is too silver, her voice, too-much. The weight of her tail was strange and debilitating. Every drag costs her a catch. Today was no different.

Sharppaw returns with dragging feet and a frown deep-sewn. His pads are freezing, but he can barely care. The entire thing was stupid. Why did an apprentice who hadn't cared for so long still get to become a warrior at the same time. No set-back, no push-back, no nothing. Just a stupid competition in the middle of leaf-bare and an icy stare at her throat. She's quick to interrogate. her voice grates. Sharppaw visibly cringes, rubber-black lips against teeth. His crooked tail is snow-soaked. "F-f– nuh-thin." What good was effort or discipline, if you could catch a bird or two?​

 

[CHILLEDSTAR.]

the deputy had been watching. and they couldn't have been more proud. they didn't think they said it enough, they probably did barely anything other than a quick nod of their head to show their approval. they should have told forestpaw how proud they were. they had been so hard on them at first but it wasn't because they hadn't cared. it was because they cared too much. they wanted everyone to know that their apprentice could do just fine as a warrior. blind or not, they were a damned good apprentice, and they'd be even better as a warrior.

as they walked inside the camp, they watched forestpaw and sharppaw before nodding their head.

"two during leafbare? quite the show off, hm? you're gonna make a fine warrior, forestpaw. you pass."

they laughed, lifting their paw to rub the top of forestpaw's head. proud of you, kit.

​

[ NOBODY ELSE MATTERS, GIRL ]​

 

[Poppypaw ★]

Poppypaw didn't know why she had been picked for this competition but she was sure going to win it, that much she knew. At least, that was her expectations going in. Her rivals had been Sharppaw who always seemed to secondguess himself and thus was a weaklink when it came to hunting (at least in her opinion) and the other was a blind apprentice. How was she going to lose to a blind apprentice? Very easily, actually! A surprise to her when she wandered back to where they had started their hunts under the watchful eyes of Forestpaw's mentor and their very own deputy. The red and white apprentice glanced around, unsure if the older warrior was anywhere nearby but since they weren't there just yet she was going to see if she couldn't pull a fast one to make herself feel better over the fact the tabby had apparently caught TWO bits of prey; a snipe and a mouse. Unheard of, annoying, she cheated somehow or maybe Poppypaw was just bad at this. She had spent an alarming amount of time getting distracted by a shadow cast by the trees above that looked hilariously like cat with its paws up in the air. If anyone had been there she was going to joke 'look, it's Pitchstar' but sadly she'd been alone and it wasn't funny if there was no audience for her wit.
Sharppaw is there first, empty pawed as her and finally sputters out a nothing and before she can even speak Chilledgaze arrives, does not wait for her to speak and promptly tells Forestpaw she won. What.
"HEY-HOLD ON! You didn't even listen to me! What if I had prey buried, huh? What if I had more than two? Not even gonna give me a chance to say nothing? Your face stripe is dumb and so are you!" With a haughty stomp she turned to make her way back to camp because this had been a waste of her time. She could've been playing pranks on Frostbite instead.
​

 

[FORESTSHADE]

Ears trained towards the first to arrive, she hears Sharp-paw first. Nothing. Nothing! It really isn't something that deserves any sort of positive reaction or excitement, but it brings a grin to Forestshade's face. One down, one to go! She turns her attention towards what must be Poppypaw, but before the she-cat can give her count, Chilledgaze's voice reaches her ears. She can barely believe the words she hears. Her mentor tells her she'll be a fine warrior, and that she passes! She must've beaten Poppypaw, too!

"YES!" She yowls, leaping high in the air. When she lands, her fluffy tail lashes wildly through the air like a whip. Poppypaw's complaining isn't even registered - she passed! "I'm the greatest hunter in the forest!" The striped apprentice declares, an elated laugh accompanying her words. Turning her gleeful face towards her peers, she continued on joyously, "And don't you two frog-brains ever forget it!" It's all in good fun. Of course she doesn't mean harm by her words. But right now, in this moment, she is the best damn hunter to ever walk this marsh (in her mind). She'll make sure everyone knows it!​

 

[SHARPSHADOW]

† He knows, he knows. He knows she's won. Unable to meet the deputy's eye, he allows his head to fall. He'd known, as soon as the apprentice appeared with not one, but two catches at her paws. (He'd known, the moment he'd started). Show-off. Chilledgaze says what she'd already been thinking. And clearly, they had known too. Before the chirp of Poppypaw's voice can sound, Forestpaw– Forestwhatever– is declared victor.

Irksome. Annoying. Poppypaw agrees, and she makes it known. Loud, loud, before she stomps off in a tizzy. Sharppaw offers her a sidelong glance, frown-written. That was a possibility, wasn't it? It wasn't fair. Ridiculous. She jumps for joy like a newly-weened kit. And her declaration is nothing but insane. Who was she to declare that? Who, but a stuck-up apprentice, someone with skin too-tight for her fur. Someone who did things without ever trying. (Since when did trying matter?) She hardly deserved it. Sharppaw knows he'd never be allowed to claim such a thing of himself. Why should Forestshade?

"...Don't get ahead of yourself," grumbled low. (Mutterings of a sore-loser). Not like he believed himsef the holder of that title, but it was impossible to believe, dangerous to think. Her own downfall, maybe. That's what Rainshade always said. Disgruntled with the way of the world; she held no words, no more of them. She can only exhale a breath; blustering chill past her nose. Ears flat against his skull, Sharppaw follows behind Poppypaw.​