i'm good to go, and going nowhere fast * intro

[newtpaw]

the little frog hopping close to camp is quickly scooped up. newtpaw's fresh faced to being an apprentice, as such when she's got the thing hooked on her claw, watches the frog wriggle with an amused fascination. it's not a surprise when it escapes. "noo!" she howls in faux disappointment, a smile playing on her lips. white whiskers twitching, the calico stalks it in a sloppy crouch but quickly, keeping up with the fast moving frog.

the sense of comfort the apprentice feels from being inside camp is thrilling. she has been especially pleased to meet so many cats recently, although under sad circumstances going out of her way to spark bright eyed discussion, even if it hadn't been received particularly well.

it hops and hops, and she catches the offending prey between her paws and kills it clumsily, fully committing to taking the thing out. she regards the snack, bright eyed, picks it up and unlatches her jaw to drop the thing on the freshkill pile. it probably wouldn't offer much sustenance, if any, but food is food, and especially considering the events of late, who was she to turn away anything? something curious strikes her when the body lands.

she wants to hear what those around have to say, a question on her lips. "what's the biggest thing you've caught?" newtpaw asks in a hushed tone as if it's somehow scandalous. anything for conversation - it's the sustenance for her fluffy body, keeps her wriggling excitedly. it's always been her favorite way to spend her time.​

​

 

[smogstar]

Lounging at the camp's borderline, underneath the lofty pines' protective and shaded canopy, Smogmaw struggles to feel even the faintest echo of leisure. Briny mud bathes the thick silver tufts lining his underbelly, the chill of it seeping into his bones and inflicting a numbness that transcends the physical. Breathing comes in sharp and sudden draughts. His chest has been strained since returning from the journey. Weary and with dark shadows pooling beneath his eyes, the deputy observes the camp proper, where apprentices lay fresh-kill on the pile and older warriors romance about current affairs.

Life marches on, all while he sits solitary. The frigid emptiness in place of his mate becomes more pronounced with every sunrise.

His role in ShadowClan persists, he reminds himself, in spite of whatever hardships weigh him down. Suck down the knot in the throat, swallow it, and carry on. A mere loss will not shift the clan's expecations of him.

Begrudgingly, the tom rises to all fours, shaking free the loose needles that'd gotten stranded in his ashen pelt. Jaws pry apart in a yawn as he stretches. Fatigue has sunk deep, and each movement is more laborious than the one before it, but he cannot laze any longer. A hunting patrol, Smogmaw decides, ought to be in order. Watching Newtpaw drop a frog on the pile off yonder only solidifies the notion. He may not feel echoes of leisure, but the echoes of hunger proved difficult to overlook.

"Good catch, Newtpaw," he assesses on approach, voice crackly and, to his dissatisfaction, somewhat frail. "Must've caught that close to camp, hmm?" Apprentices like the black-and-white molly should not be venturing beyond the pine wall, at least not without a warrior in tow. Faulting her for enthusiasm would be disingenous, though, so he keeps the reprimand behind his teeth. "I-uh, I was lucky enough to land a rabbit last Leaf-fall," he goes on to answer, and a gloomy veil washes over his amber gaze. "Shared it with Halfshade." ​

 

[NETTLEPAW ♡]

Smogmaw was miserable- who wouldn't be? Nettlepaw honoured him for managing to be even slightly conversational after such an earth-shattering reveal, and the quite frankly atrocious manner of delivering it. Barraged by insensitivity at all angles, maybe it would do the deputy good to get involved in an actual discussion- and Nettlepaw was keen to keep said discourse flowing, as easy as the river wound past stones. Decorating himself with a smile, he padded over, dipping his head to the deputy and flicking his tail in agreement. It was a good catch, even if it wasn't far from camp- so, probably, a deeply unintelligent frog...

"A rabbit!" Nettlepaw was genuinely impressed, but soon gave in to the temptation to completely squander the image that he was taking this conversation seriously at all. Maybe a bit of foolish untruth would stir Smogmaw up a bit, make him smile. if he was even capable of it right now. Even the tiniest flicker would be nice to see, though. "I killed a stag once. Took me and five warriors to take it down, but I dealt the killing blow!" ​

penned by pin ♡​

 

[newtpaw]

"thank you! it was uh. very close." she offers him a toothy grin, gives the duck of a head of someone doing something they know they shouldn't have done.

she recognizes smogmaw's mood with a kind of dismay. newtpaw can't fault him, the illness that had wracked the clans, knowing of the following attacks, and for smogmaw, the long journey. it's been a lot to take in. although the events have seemingly passed her by - mainly occupied with discussion within camp, the gloomy feeling of the camp lingers somewhat.

newtpaw nods her head furiously, as if her energy is infectious and she can pass it on, like it will somehow be reflected in the tabby. the positivity painted on regardless she natters: "rabbit are so good for catching, they really fill you up! they're super fast too."

a stag? "wow!" her head swivels to greet the other apprentice and her eyes go round at his proclamation, the very idea a shock. "a stag? that must have been huge! i hope i get to take one down some day." she seems to think about something, her eyes brightening, "if you ever see another one you need to let me know!" settling back on her haunches she nods in anticipation of agreeing with herself newtpaw throws out the unrealistic suggestion in humor: "we should all go stag hunting."​

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[SCREECHSTORM]

A newt. A newt is the biggest thing Screechpaw's ever caught — which, in retrospect he supposes is a little funny, considering who is asking the question, though he's not about to admit that he still hasn't caught anything since he'd held a kit name.

Not when Newtpaw just caught a frog; small, but still bigger than his last catch. Not when Smogmaw speaks of rabbits, and Nettlepaw — always Nettlepaw, somehow catching better things all the time — claims he'd caught a stag. Screechpaw doesn't know when that would've been: he hasn't seen a stag on the kill-pile, has he?

"Oh- Oh yeah?" Screechpaw speaks, a spark in his eyes as he looks to Nettlepaw, to Newtpaw. "I helped catch an even bigger stag!" And whether or not Newtpaw — or anyone, really — believes him is still up in the air, but the slightly older apprentice gives Nettlepaw praise and throws out a suggestion that Screechpaw is quick to agree to.

"We really should!" he agrees with a quick nod. That way he can get out of camp, and see for himself if Nettlepaw really caught such a thing.

✦ ABOUT

• 
  
  SCREECHKIT ‣ SCREECHPAW, Apprentice of ShadowClan
  — Forestshade x Vulturemask
  — AMAB; He/Him
  — A black/red tabby chimera tom with mismatched green eyes.
  — Mentored by Chilledstar
  — "Speech"; Attack
  
  ✦･ﾟ: * — His loud entrance into the world bestows upon him a name apt for the path the tom forges. As the troublemaker of his unknowingly half-clan litter, Screechpaw is bound to be known for his curiosity-led escapes and poor attendance as he steps foot into his apprenticeship.
  

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