private IT BECOMES A PROBLEM || pikesplash

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
FOUR MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

He's not had much luck, recently. It was starting to drain him, both mentally and physically. Not only was sneaking out alone in the middle of the night unsafe, but it was almost growing increasingly uncomfortable. The leaf-bare winds were cold, and the frost bitter on his paws. Not to mention, the increase in security around the territory overall, and the lack of crowfood in the past week. Then there was the shame, of course. The guilt. The realization that he might have caused a clan-mate to become ill, even if the elder recovered a few days later. There was also a genuine difference in the pride he felt when the clan praised his lies, as opposed to any genuine achievement he made.

Perhaps the weight of what he was doing was just simply growing too burdensome for a young cat like him to bear, but regardless.... the idea of admitting it all to the clan, even if it hadn't been going on for very long, was a frightening prospect. Other apprentices were already catching fish and prey, even those of a similar age to him, but Nettlepaw... hadn't. Not truly, anyways.

Ultimately, it was this chaotic flurry of thoughts that kept him awake most of the night, and as the moon reached it's highest peak, Nettlepaw had already wandered quietly from his nest. Sneaking out of camp requires sneaking past the guard, but Nettlepaw heads out through the dirt-place tunnel to avoid drawing attention. It's worked before, after all. A thin veil of snow crusts the ground, a blanket of white that he can see against the black of the sky. Blind as he is, that was just about all he could make out, but at least the shroud of night didn't seem to slow him down as much as it would a different RiverClan cat. After all, what was the difference between night and day for Nettlepaw? Blindness was normal for him.

And so, if Pikesplash were watching, perhaps the warrior would be proud of how well Nettlepaw has learned the RiverClan territory, how effortlessly he travels, even in the shadow of the deepest night. He has learned every tree, every patch of reeds, every fallen log, and thus, the boy navigates far more gracefully than he had when he had first started training a moon ago. Every now and then, a root or a twig could cause him to stagger, but with more training, the boy would clearly do just fine.

On this night, Nettlepaw follows his nose, hoping to catch scent of something, anything, that he could take back. He wasn't even just looking for crowfood at that point, but he finds it anyways. A frog, dead and swollen, picked apart by a bird's beak. Nettlepaw realizes, as he examines the carcass with paws and nose alike, that this was something he would be unable to place onto the fresh-kill pile. Bitterly, Nettlepaw kicks the frog away.

@PIKESPLASH
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[PIKESPLASH]

Nettlepaw was acting a bit too suspiciously for his liking. While he understood apprentices needed time away from their mentors, Nettlepaw made him worry. It wasn't like he didn't think his apprentice couldn't be alone, it's just that the light colored tom had a habit of getting into trouble. Being frustrated was okay. He understood that much. When he had joined this clan he had no idea how to hunt for himself nor did he know the taste of fish or voles. He had been born and raised as a kittypet, only to be abandoned by his twolegs. Learning how to hunt and swim was not easy given the fact that he had to train alongside younger cats. He can only imagine Nettlepaw laughing at the idea of the Pikesplash from moons ago, still warrior aged training alongside cats the same age as him. Despite picking up clan life he still retained some of his kittypet softness as Cicadastar pointed out.

I wonder if he's seething... The silver tom shakes his head at the thought and takes care in tailing Nettlepaw. It seemed Boneripple's teachings have worked, his paws less noisy. Pikesplash was no Shadowclanner but he had improved in remaining silent. Nettlepaw might not have known but Pikesplash struggled with land prey because of how noisy he was, which may have added to his awe towards his apprentice. As for fish he was an excellent hunter. Regardless, green eyes are impressed every day by the tom. If only your mother can see you now. She would be so proud. He can imagine her smile seeing her son traverse through their territory with ease.

However, something is out of place. Was that? No it couldn't be... No one would consider it. Alarm bells started ringing in his ears at Nettlepaw appearing to be disappointed by a frog he kicked out of the way. It was not enough evidence for him to say that the apprentice was doing something horrid. Sneaking out was breaking a rule already which he should reprimand and drag him back to camp to pick ticks, but he had a feeling he would see something. Just what are you up to?

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 it's easy just to pretend

• ooc : —
• — pikesplash / riverclan warrior / masculine pronouns / 47 moons
  — bisexual / single / looking / open to flirting and crushes
  — short haired silver mackerel tabby with green eyes
  — may powerplay minor harm / can powerplay healing
  — biography / @ on discord for plots
  — penned by velou

​

 

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
FOUR MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

The frog is forgotten a few minutes later, when Nettlepaw scents the air in the hopes of finding something else, living or dead. The night seemed eerily quiet, however. He detects hardly anything at all, and what he does find is faint and stale. Narrowed eyes glimmer in the darkness as he begins to make his way toward the river that bordered ThunderClan, silently hoping he'd have better luck on the shore. Frost stings his paws as he reaches the edge of the water, ice creeping along the edges of the rushing current. Sniffing, Nettlepaw thinks he's finally got something, but it isn't prey. A lone goose rests in the reeds nearby, perhaps too tired to continue the journey with the rest of it's flock. Nettlepaw makes a point to avoid the creature, knowing it'd give him an angry lashing if he made any attempt to chase it off.

Instead, he turns around and begins to make the trek back in the direction of camp, having come up empty thus far. As he walks, however, he soon becomes aware of another smell. The wind shifts, and Nettlepaw can swear he's detected... Pikesplash? The boy freezes, ears swiveling and nose twitching as he tries to locate the source. It wasn't a faint scent, it was fresh. Present. Had his mentor been following him, or did Pikesplash also happen to sneak out alone when he thought nobody else was looking? Feline brows crease with confusion, tail tip twitching behind him. For now, he remains still, trying to work out if he's been spotted or not.
​

​

 

[PIKESPLASH]

Why is he coming here? He watches in silence as his apprentice nears the river, tilting his head in confusion. Late night hunting? Thinking? No, he's looking for something. The urge to approach from the shadows is strong, yet he has a feeling this is not the end. His apprentice is doing something or was trying to do something away from prying eyes. He doubts it's to meet with another cat given the fact the only cats nearby would be from Windclan or Thunderclan. His apprentice loathes Windclan so any meeting with them is crossed out. As for Thunderclan he doubts Nettlepaw cares much for them. In any case he continues to watch, until it appears that his apprentice has finally noticed him. Looks like it's time.

"Mind explaining yourself?" His voice is low as he approaches Nettlepaw. If the tom tried to run off from him he would give chase, but Nettlepaw should know running would only confirm that he was doing something wrong. Pikesplash can only really punish him for one thing and that is going off alone without another present at such a late hour. Sootstar had all given them direct orders and those orders were to be safe and thus all of them were now required to go in pairs. Nettlepaw can retort that he wasn't alone given the fact that Pikesplash had followed him, but it was only because he saw the tom sneak out in the first place.

Nettlepaw is a bright lad, however he needed to be put in place. With his disobedience during the gathering and now the sneaking around in the middle of the night? While he didn't particularly mind his young apprentice bossing him around, there were limits and it had been crossed. "Don't even try and think of an excuse." It was a warning. One that he hoped Nettlepaw would take seriously. Frustration slips from his voices when he adds "Just what was so important that you had to come alone in the middle of the night?"

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 it's easy just to pretend

• ooc : —
• — pikesplash / riverclan warrior / masculine pronouns / 47 moons
  — bisexual / single / looking / open to flirting and crushes
  — short haired silver mackerel tabby with green eyes
  — may powerplay minor harm / can powerplay healing
  — biography / @ on discord for plots
  — penned by velou

​

 

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
FOUR MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

It is unfortunate, he thinks, that Pikesplash has finally caught up with his young apprentice's recent escapades. His eyes, sightless in the dark of wintry night, reflect the bitterness of the cold that surrounds them. Inside, however, heat rushes through heart and veins, boils within his mind. While part of him rages, the other settles into some sort of relief. After that elder had gotten sick, Nettlepaw had considered calling it quits, determining that scavening may not be as safe as he had initially thought.

Now, with Pikesplash having nearly caught him in the act, there was a realization that he could tell the truth, that he could, perhaps, relieve himself of the weight across his shoulders.

Yet, the boy is stubborn. Often for little reason other than pride. Flawed by his impatience, driven by his greed. He was no diamond, polished and pure, but a dull and jagged piece of crumbling coal, burning with hostile flames. Some might look at him and blame his past, his trauma. It had sharpened his edges until his mind and tongue were knives. Truthfully, though, it was not the past which defined him, but the present. Nettlepaw's inability to move beyond his own grief, his own anger.

The war which rages within his mind distracts him from the truth, and instead of honesty, he looks to Pikesplash with defiance. Rebellion. The fire which has burned within him since the Yellowcough pandemic.

"I can take care of myself." Nettlepaw bites into the wintry air, voice as pointed as a dagger. "Just because Smokestar is scared of WindClan doesn't mean I am." Bravado, though it masks a deeper insecurity. "I'm hunting. What are you doing out here?" The boy tries to shift the focus of the conversation, vocals accusatory and bold. The roar of his heart-beat drowns out the noise of the nearby river, as Nettlepaw awaits his mentor's response.
​

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[PIKESPLASH]

He doesn't understand it. Why Nettlepaw is so adamant in taking care of himself. You're still a child. The tom had lost his mother so young not to mention the whole yellowcough ordeal displaced them as well. He can't fathom how a child would take it in considering he never faced these things when he was Nettlepaw's age. When he was Nettlepaw's age he had already lost his mother. Whatever happened to her he has no idea. Maybe she was still alive somewhere. In any case, he lost her when he was less than two moons old. Her name? Her face? Her voice? He has no memories of such things. It's all a blur. What he does know is that he had a mother at the very least and siblings. How many? He doesn't have a clue nor does he remember what they look like. It's been too long. Family within the clan he does have, yet most are not blood related. Maybe there's something wrong with him, but these cats are more kin to him than anything in the entire world.

A black tipped tail flicks in frustration at the mention of their leader being scared. He waits and is given an explanation of what the tom is doing and then is asked a question in turn. The response is immediate. "Taking care of you." Did Nettlepaw really think he wasn't cared for? While Pikesplash knows he could never replace his apprentices mother nor does he ever want to, he wants Nettlepaw as crazy as the tom drives him to be happy. "If you're not afraid of Windclan then you're stupid," he adds. Quite a twist isn't it? Nevertheless he takes a step forward. "Being afraid is not weakness. Smokestar's orders aren't out of weakness Nettlepaw. If you're so brave then why don't you go face Sootstar yourself?" He doesn't actually condone such a thing and think his apprentice would be the biggest buffoon in history if he ever took this as a sign to fight a Windclanner.

"You're reckless. You have no patience. You're bossy. You're defiant. You're too proud for your own good. You can't even fight well. You will always struggle hunting. And if you grow up and start a family of your own it's a very real possibility you wouldn't ever know what your kits look like or your mate. You're littermates will grow up and they'll change, but you wouldn't be able to see it." Without a doubt hearing this is not easy. It's not intended to be. It sounds very much like Nettlepaw is loathed. Then, a sigh, "Taking care of yourself isn't as simple as you think. You're forgetting others worry about you whether or not you want them too. If you keep going recklessly you'll wind up dead and you'll be leaving your littermates behind."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 it's easy just to pretend

• ooc : —
• — pikesplash / riverclan warrior / masculine pronouns / 47 moons
  — bisexual / single / looking / open to flirting and crushes
  — short haired silver mackerel tabby with green eyes
  — may powerplay minor harm / can powerplay healing
  — biography / @ on discord for plots
  — penned by velou

​

 

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
FOUR MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

Nettlepaw's ears are flat against his head, fur bristling angrily as Pikesplash goes on, calling him stupid for not fearing WindClan. Pikesplash claims he's there to take care of the apprentice, before pointedly challenging the boy to face Sootstar himself. Did the warrior really think Nettlepaw wouldn't?

"Maybe I will!" The apprentice snaps bitterly. He could cross the twoleg bridge and lie in ambush. Of course, he'd be caught by a WindClan patrol, but he stubbornly denies such a possibility. Pikesplash isn't done yet, however. He goes on, points out every flaw Nettlepaw has, before pointing out the effects of his life-long blindness. The inability to see his own family, his own mate and kits. He wants to be angry, to rage in the face of his mentor, claws unleashed upon flesh to tear at whatever expression might be perched across the warrior's face. Instead, Nettlepaw just feels an overwhelming sense of sadness.

Pikesplash goes on to press that others would worry about him whether he liked it or not.

"I'm not trying to get myself killed." Nettlepaw responds, voice bitter though sullen with gloom. "And I don't need to see to know my own family. I don't need to see to fight. Didn't you see how I ambushed Feathergaze? And... and I can hunt fine too. I caught a robin on a hunting patrol." The boy points out, voice quiet, heavy as his eyes, though Nettlepaw would never allow such tears to fall. "I can hunt. I won't have to bring in crowf- I won't- I... " It slips, he stumbles over his words with realization, and though his eyes are blind, he wonders if suspicion whips across his mentor's face.

"Aren't you proud of me?" Nettlepaw inquires, referring to how the apprentice could overcome his obstacles regardless of disability. It's a genuine question, but at the same time, it is a small attempt at manipulation.
​

​

 

[PIKESPLASH]

The sudden anger he's met with is not surprising. The two of them scarcely understood each other. They could get along sometimes. In most cases their relationship was strained and maybe it was all due to the difference in personality. If Nettlepaw had someone like Smokestar would he be less reckless? Less defiant? When he is snapped at all he can do is snap in return and hiss "NO YOU WON'T!" Don't be stupid! You're only going to get yourself killed! It's moments like these he's glad Nettlepaw is unable to see. The young apprentice can't see the ugly expression he's making. Teeth bared and ears flattened against his head.

His rage is still present when Nettlepaw begins to answer. There is sadness in his voice. It's as if he were going to attack the young tom and the tom was saying anything to be spared. Pikesplash in this moment is someone to be feared. The tom's slip up raises immediate suspicion. The rage he feels has simmered, but there is something there. What did you do? Crow...Crowf-... He hasn't pieced it together yet. He said he was hunting. The events that transpired tonight play and for some reason he can't let go of the frog. Any normal cat would've just moved on without giving it a second thought. Before he's able to think more on it he is asked a question.

"I am proud of you." What wasn't there to be proud of? Nettlepaw had overcome so much already with his shortcomings. Did her first mentor have to go through this too? He thinks of Catfishleap and when he was given her to mentor. She had been 9 moons? If he remembered correctly and it was safe to say that there was a difference. If you were the same age as her would it be any easier? He looks down at his apprentice. No, it wouldn't. He's never dealt with this before, but it was his time it seemed.

There's a moment of silence shared between them. Before Pikesplash opens his maw to say "It was you wasn't it?" Ripplesplash had gotten sick and if he was correct it wasn't because of yellowcough or because the elder was old. The question is damming. Nettlepaw could lie his way out of this, but the answer was already becoming clear. I don't want anymore lies. "Just because I'm proud of you doesn't mean you're excused from your mistakes. It doesn't work like that. You're going to be punished. Don't come up with any more excuses all I want is the truth. The more you lie the worse your punishment will be."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 it's easy just to pretend

• ooc : —
• — pikesplash / riverclan warrior / masculine pronouns / 47 moons
  — bisexual / single / looking / open to flirting and crushes
  — short haired silver mackerel tabby with green eyes
  — may powerplay minor harm / can powerplay healing
  — biography / @ on discord for plots
  — penned by velou

​

 

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
FOUR MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

He's defiant. It's clear upon his face, within his body language. The way his ears curl back against his skull. The way his teeth glint, bared in the starlight. The way his fur bristles along his spine, and how his tail lashes back and forth with frustration. Nettlepaw can only imagine that Pikesplash must look the same, with a fanged expression poisoned by irritation. The apprentice turns his sightless eyes away, toward the side. He doesn't want to listen anymore, but the accusation that hangs in the air heightens the tensions and demands the boy's reply. Though the elder's name remains unspoken, Nettlepaw instinctively knows what his mentor refers to. He had hoped Pikesplash wouldn't notice the slip, but now it hung over his head like an executioner's axe. Guilt and shame mingle with wrath, the white hot of Nettlepaw's fury. He can hardly deny it, now.

"He got better." Nettlepaw points out bitterly, "I didn't know it would make him sick! I just wanted to show I could be useful, like the other apprentices." The admission is spoken with frustration. "Everyone else was talking about their first catches, except me. And I still haven't caught a single fish, while all the other apprentices are out on the river every day, helping to feed the clan." Voice rises as frustration shifts to anger once more. "Maybe it's your fault. You're supposed to be my mentor. If you were better, I'd have caught a fish by now. I never would have had to scavenge for crow-food!" Shifting blame, the boy's blind eyes flicker back toward Pikesplash, narrowed into murky daggers of aquatic green.
​

​

 

[PIKESPLASH]

He will not stand down. No, he will not. He's not going to bend backwards he won't. For that reason he bares his teeth at Nettlepaw's defiance. They're both not of sound mind anymore. The mention of Ripplesplash getting better as if that was a saving grace made him hiss, "It's called crowfood for a reason!" Did you seriously think all of a sudden it wouldn't make anyone sick?! The smell alone tells you not to eat it or even touch it! And then... The fire in his belly is gone hearing Nettlepaw's next set of words. He knows that feeling all too well. That helplessness. The feeling of not being enough. Most of his life he led that way and he never thought he would live this long. His frame begins to tremble as he's taken back to his younger moons. All the while his apprentices words continue to pierce his heart.

The cat before him is not Nettlepaw. His trembling has worsened. It looks as though he wants to hack up something and it sure feels like it. Bile burns his throat as he swallows it down and releases a shaky breath. He knows that Nettlepaw is here, yet everything tells him that it is not him. While he can no longer remember the memories have lingered within him. Without a doubt Nettlepaw can sense the sudden spike of fear and confusion. Not again! His green eyes dart around his surrounding rapidly and it doesn't help. He's trapped. When frustration is replaced with anger that is the final nail of the coffin.

Those words. My fault. myfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfault. And for an instant when he meets Nettlepaw's eyes a gasp escapes him. The cat before him is none other than his mother. A mother who blamed him for everything. Nitpicked everything about him. Who told him he would never amount to another or be picked unless he changed. It was his own fault no one would look at him. His own fault that he was pathetic. She was kind to him once but he can't remember why she changed. All he knew was that he was cuffed for being himself. He had to change. No, he needed to in order to be chosen. To be loved by twolegs. My fault they left me!

Everything that Nettlepaw has said has become noise. All Pikesplash can see is that he needs to create distance. He is prey and he'd rather strike before he was eaten. As a result Pikesplash would hurl dirt at Nettlepaw before attempting to ram into him to send him flying. Would any of their mothers be proud of them, of the way they were now?

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 it's easy just to pretend

• ooc : —
• — pikesplash / riverclan warrior / masculine pronouns / 47 moons
  — bisexual / single / looking / open to flirting and crushes
  — short haired silver mackerel tabby with green eyes
  — may powerplay minor harm / can powerplay healing
  — biography / @ on discord for plots
  — penned by velou

​

 

[Nettlepaw-]

NETTLEPAW ♂
RIVERCLAN
APPRENTICE
FOUR MOONS
BLIND IN BOTH EYES
BIOGRAPHY AND TAGS
APPRENTICED TO PIKESPLASH
PLAYED BY SHEOGORATH​

---

There's something wrong about the silence that stretches on afterward, the tension that hangs in the air, shifts from something different than rage. Nettlepaw is still staring sightlessly at his mentor, teeth bared and ears flat. Any change of Pikesplash's expression goes unnoticed, though the eerie quiet that stretches on between them sends alarm bells ringing through the young tom's mind. Did I hurt his feelings? Nettlepaw can't help but wonder, though he's far too upset to care.

All too quickly, everything changes, from ominous still to an explosion of movement. The dirt splatters the boy's fur and he ducks as if by instinct, a mere second later and the frame of his mentor is hurtling toward him, feline frames crashing together. Nettlepaw lets out a shocked screech of alarm, but he doesn't go flying without a fight of his own. He's learned enough from his spars to know that his goal in any fight was to hang on as if his life depended on it, because in many ways, it did. Nettlepaw momentarily clings to Pikesplash with claws that aim to pierce skin, heart racing with a sudden panic as his paws are thrust off the ground with bruising force. He's ripped away by the warrior's momentum, flung several tail-lengths away where he hits the ground with an aching groan.

The fear melts into the roaring fire of his rage. He's attacked me! The boy could hardly believe it. This was no training exercise, he thinks. With such heightened emotion, he can only assume that he struck something raw with his words.

"Get away from me!" The apprentice snarls, snaps his fangs through bitter cold air. He stumbles over a stone as his thoughts race, before finally rolling onto his paws again at last. The creamy tom crouches, ready to spring if need be, a growl tearing past his throat as he stares blindly upon his mentor. "You have fish for brains!" Nettlepaw spits, lashing his tail. "Attack me again and I'll tear out your eyes!" He fluffs out his fur, trying to look even bigger than he already is, brazen bluff thundering past his muzzle as the boy bares his teeth once more.
​

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[PIKESPLASH]

A yowl pierces the cool air followed by panting as claws sink into flesh. It is only for a moment, so pain is fleeting. Maybe it's due to the adrenaline that he can't feel the scratch left behind by Nettlepaw. In any case a wave of relief washes down him, seeing the poor tom being flung. Distance. Oh, he is grateful for it. That is exactly what he needs now, considering Nettlepaw is not one who would not comfort. Unlike Catfishleap who took a step back when needed and asked if he was alright, Nettlepaw was brutish and demanded from him. Even though it is not required for an apprentice to be nice towards their mentor, a cat can very least be considerate. The world needed a more gentle paw.

He releases heavy pants as words are leave that maw. He is aware of that, yet he can't decipher what it's saying. All he knows is that there is rage and a sense of disappointment. Ears are pinned back in fear while green eyes dart around haphazardly on its surroundings. The apprentice may think that he proved himself to be threatening to Pikesplash, but he couldn't be more wrong. For you see, Pikesplash wasn't afraid of the tom before him. He was afraid of the reminder Nettlepaw brought to the surface. A mother who was cold and demanded absolute control. A mother who made him into the weak pathetic weird cat others have called him.

Long ago there had been a time when Pikesplash was an adventurous sort. Curious and eyes glimmering with hope. A young kitten who would tussle with his littermates, someone who was unafraid of hurting another. There was only one thing to do now. Without any warning the silver tom would quickly turn and dart away from Nettlepaw and towards the gorge. A place where Nettlepaw couldn't follow.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 it's easy just to pretend

• ooc : and pikesplash is out! <3
• — pikesplash / riverclan warrior / masculine pronouns / 47 moons
  — bisexual / single / looking / open to flirting and crushes
  — short haired silver mackerel tabby with green eyes
  — may powerplay minor harm / can powerplay healing
  — biography / @ on discord for plots
  — penned by velou

​