IT'S EASIER TO RUN || Hailpaw

[FLICKERFIRE]

She prefers to hunt at night, and it's a rare cool evening where the breeze is fresh. She is sure Hailpaw is tired and would prefer to curl up in her nest, but Flickerfire has decided she's taking at least one of her brand new assigned tag-a-longs wherever she goes, and Dawnpaw is recovering from rat bites.

Lucky Hailpaw.

"The frogs really get goin' at night," she says, tossing her words over her shoulder to the smoke trailing behind her. "The whole marsh kinda sings. It's nice. The forests are a lot quieter at night, 'less you like owls."

She steps carefully around a pool of stagnant water. A lizard, disturbed by her pawsteps, darts for better cover. Flickerfire's eyes catch the movement, and before the little green creature can get to safety, her teeth are puncturing its hide. It's little more than a mouthful, but she couldn't let it go to waste.

She turns and drops the lizard at Hailpaw's feet. "Want it? Before we get too far?" She doesn't mind a short rest. Part of this excursion has her feeling nostalgic, though for what, she cannot say. Perhaps those nights she and Moth had blundered through the swamp, talking about nothing.

She brushes the thought away before it can linger too long.

@hailpaw.
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PENNED BY MARQUETTE​

 

[hailpaw.]

Hailpaw too enjoys the peace that came with the setting sun. Something about the darkness and cooler temperatures helped her to relax, and ease her mind. Part of her had been thrilled with the idea of a private training session with Flickerfire, and was grateful that she’d been given the opportunity. On the other paw, she would still enjoy getting plenty of rest for only Starclan knew what kind of events she’d be rudely awoken for in the morning. Perhaps Flickerfire would be kind enough to grant her the day off tomorrow? Or at the least a later start. Somehow, Hailpaw held high doubts for that dream.

Nodding along, she feels awkward responding about the frogs, instead deciding that she would rather listen to their songs unless her mentor required a response. Taking the lizard greatfully, she would gaze at her mentor with concern, debating on commenting on the change in her tone. “Thank you.” In the end, Hailpaw would settle in to eat the lizard, knowing that if Flicker wanted to discuss it, chances are she’d bring it up on her own.
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✦ ★ ✦​

 

[FLICKERFIRE]

Flickerfire watches her younger companion begin to nibble at the lizard, feeling herself being watched. The tortoiseshell is antsy, isn't sure why. She feels her paws itching all the time now, to do something, but it's never enough for her to be on her own and do her own thing anymore. Briarstar has expectations of all of the ShadowClan warriors, and Flickerfire's disdain for many of them keeps her from being half the contributor her higher ups expect her to be.

She waits for a moment, ears twitching to the sound of crickets. "Where'd you come from? 'Fore you joined ShadowClan. You weren't born in the marsh, were you?" Damned if she can remember, but she realizes she's never asked Hailpaw about her origins before. Hadn't ever thought to.

She paces, unaware that the motion might make the younger cat nervous. She just needs to move, that's all. Every now and again she lifts her head to fix a piercing fiery stare at the treeline, as though someone who no longer walks the forest may rustle through it with shining gray fur.

"Family?" She asks, turning to look at the young smoke. "Do you have any?"
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PENNED BY MARQUETTE​

 

[hailpaw.]

Freezing, Hailpaw would feel her body tense as Flickerfire danced dangerously close to topics she would rather do anything else than to talk about. Indeed, her mentor’s pacing would make her nervous, willing her to do the same. In place she’d remain, glued to the spot, staring at the lizard below her. No longer could she meet her mentor’s eyes. She couldn’t. Slowly she’d raise her eyes to meet her mentor’s as she managed to choke out a single word, “Dead.” Was she born in the marsh? As far as she was aware she was. Always out of reach before the clans expanded, she lived with her family, and a few other loners before the clans ultimately drove them out. Of course she was sure it wasn’t exactly intentional. However, she knew that they had died around the time of this “great battle” that everyone had been talking about. She didn’t know many details. What she did know however, was that she was alone. “What’s bothering you? You’re jumpier than a frog.” Bending her head back down in an attempt to finish the lizard, (but really only succeeding in nibbling at it) she’d await her mentor’s response, hopeful that her attempt to change the conversation would be successful.
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✦ ★ ✦​

 

[FLICKERFIRE]

Flickerfire stares at Hailpaw as she answers the question: "Dead." It's all she says. She doesn't say where she came from. Doesn't say where she'd been. How they'd died.

The tortoiseshell sighs. Would she have, at Hailpaw's age? She'd been even more aggressive, feral, defiant. Might have raked her claws over the ears of the idiot asking the question - since when has she become the idiot?

She feels her skin prickle beneath her fur as Hailpaw asks her why she's pacing. "You're jumpier than a frog." She snorts. "You're moodier than a caterpillar changin' into a butterfly," she retorts. "Let's move, then, huh? Maybe... walkin' will be better. Bury your scraps. It'll attract predators."

She gives her pelt a shake. A thin miasma, a mimic of morning dew, has settled of the swamp. She begins to pad rhythmically along the bog, pawsteps trailing thoughts, memories.

Why has Hailpaw's addition made her feel so nostalgic? It makes no sense. Moth hadn't been her mentor, had she? It'd been entirely different.

Hadn't it?

She says, "Mine are, too. Dead. Came from the oak forest where ThunderClan is now." Why is she even sharing this? She doesn't know. "You don't have t'tell me anything. I know we don't know each other that well yet. I guess I'm just in that kinda mood." She flicks her tail tip.

"Scent the air," she says. "We're nearing a Clan border. Tell me which one."

// doesn't matter to me; it can be Wind or Thunder if you want!
​

PENNED BY MARQUETTE​

 

[hailpaw.]

Ears flickering in response, Hailpaw would have little time to protest before burying the scraps of the lizard, before falling into line behind her mentor. She was hesitant to press anything further, but felt uneasy with the silence that hung in the air. “Oh… I-I’m sorry.” What else was she supposed to say? Was there truly anything that could be said to ease the pain? To ease the memory of your parents being dead? Shaking her pelt to prevent herself from falling into that rabbit hole of remembering, she’d focus on what she was now being instructed to do. A careful inhale would help to ease her mind, as she refocused. It wouldn’t take long to pick out the scent of rabbit, her only real clue as to what Windclan could smell like. “Windclan.”
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✦ ★ ✦​

 

[FLICKERFIRE]

Hailpaw is quiet, stumbling over her apology to Flickerfire. The tortoiseshell gives her a bemused look, eyebrow quirked. "Sorry? What for? Quit bein' weird before I push you into that bog water." With an errant gesture towards some stagnant water, she snickers to herself, bounding forward a few pawsteps in a brief burst of adrenaline.

Hailpaw must not have come to terms with whatever had happened to her kin. Flickerfire knows what that's like, knows better than to dwell on it if it was bad. She doesn't exactly love talking about Fern and Leaf, either... the only one who even knows about it is as dead as they are.

With a sigh, Flickerfire gives Hailpaw a nod of affirmation. "WindClan. Right. Bunch of rabbit-eaters. Their leader used to live here in the marshes." She blinks thoughtfully. "Sootstar. She's a real bitch, but I liked her when she was on our side. Now she's just..." Flickerfire waves her paw. "One of them."
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PENNED BY MARQUETTE​

 

[hailpaw.]

Almost involuntarily her ears would flatten against her head with the comments to stop being “weird” and apologizing, she’d give her fur a shake as she listened to Flickerfire, head tilting to the side as she spoke. What had the Windclan leader done to make her react in such a way? While she knew basic information about the clans, something such as this? She had little idea of what to make of it. “What did she do?” Come on Flicker! You’ve got to tell me! There’s no way that you can say that and not tell me!
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