camp IT'S RAINING SOMEWHERE ELSE ( FIRST CATCH ) ༊

[APPLEJAW]

Applepaw puts it all behind her. Her mother's death— something she would accept with steely eyes. Feeling she would only channel into becoming a better warrior. And accept she certainly did, nevermind the way she never go out of her way to see her mother's other litter as siblings. She does not wallow in Swanpaw or Comfreypaw's sick states. They would be fine– this, she was so certain in that she no longer saw it prudent to visit the medicine cats' den. If she was not bringing prey, someone else would. She would spend plenty of time with Comfreypaw when she could catch bountiful prey for them both. When she would stand tall as a member of ShadowClan's council.

Applepaw steps carefully across the forest floor. She would not yet call her steps a seemless glide, but she moves with precision, ears pricked. Even if purposely, she has set herself far far away from ShadowClan's countless— and she means countless— unwanted guests, the swamp feels impossibly louder. Every rustle of reed and drop of water feels like they threaten to reveal a stranger. Nerves do their very best to try and weigh down her steps— and in turn, she lets it roll off her back like swampwater. Visage of apathy. All she cares about is her hunt. The snipe wading in pondwater ahead of her.

( Perhaps arbitrarily, she had told herself her first prey could not be a frog or toad. She would not relegate herself to those surely, lazy sorts of prey ).

She is not worrying. She is not worrying about anything at all. Her crouch is steady, weight... balanced the way it ought to be ( she hopes ), shoulders spread the way they should be ( she hopes ), tail held just the way it should be ( she hopes ). And then she hears the hiss of her mentor's voice in her ear—

Applepaw springs.

She returns home, triumphant, and if anyone were to point out the slight wild twinge in her eye, she would ignore them. Her jaws clamp around the dead bird like it was a treasure she would never let go. She scans the crowd for a familiar green gaze, for a warrior she could trust. For a moment, she is frantic. And then she breathes. The catch is set within ShadowClan's pile of prey. And with pleasure— she notes that there are doing better than she had thought they might, at this time of year. Despite the strangers. Despite the sicknes. Applepaw spots strangers in their camp, amidst the nursery and in the wheezes from the Medicine Cat's den, but they were ShadowClan. They would not be chased from their home like the rest. Applepaw has had enough of that. " ...ShadowClan will remain strong, " she says, to no one and to everyone. Any other day, she may debate if it was ever strong to begin with— but today her gaze flickers across those of her clanmates, and gleefully, she deposits her catch.

ooc ༊ 𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂

• ooc: TL;DR: this is a lot of words to say she caught a snipe <3 optional mentor tag ( she wants attention ) @GRANITEPELT ! no need to wait :)
  

• 

• ( I'M OBSESSED WITH THE MESS THAT'S AMERICA. ) APPLEPAW. kit of shadowclan. eldest sister to swanpaw, ashenpaw, and garlicpaw. ( + birdkit, halfkit & tanglekit )
  —— she / her; confused by the use of others.
  —— currently 7 moons old as of 10.22.23. ages every 17th.
  
  longhaired blue torbie with a white chest, paws, and underbelly. A young cat you would describe as " bossy, " Applekit is quick to take charge of any situation she sees herself as the probable head of. A rule - follower to a T, and thinks herself better than the majority of her clan for this. Not ignorant enough to think herself above a warrior, but seeks to gain that status as quickly as possible. Intensely self - motivated to be the best in a mixture of blind, childish desire, and never wanting to be afraid of anything ever again.

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[Halfsun]

Halfkit thinks that Applepaw has to be the coolest of all of her older siblings. Garlicpaw was nice and Ashenpaw was… well… Ashenpaw, and Swanpaw was sick so she didn’t know him much. But Applepaw, she was COOL and Halfkit wants to be just like her when she grows up. When she sees the tortoiseshell she cat come trotting into camp, a bird clutched in her jaws, immediately she is scrambling to her feet. "OOOO what is it Applepaw?" she asks as she comes closer, peering at the prey that tumbles onto the pile. Her sister declares that ShadowClan will remain strong and Halfkit can only nod. Had they ever been worried that they were weak? She is not certain. In her eyes ShadowClan was the best clan, even better than all the other clans considering they all had to come to them for help "One day I’ll be big and strong like you and I’ll bring back LOADS of prey all the time!" she wanted to be the best ShadowClan warrior of all time!

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[Garlicheart]

Garlicpaw still feels lost. She feels without purpose. She's slowly working through her grief, trying her best to be strong and carry on in the face of this overwhelming despair that has flourished in her heart. She spends time with her siblings whenever she can, they are all she has. She's still getting used to her newest siblings. It shouldn't be this hard, they are very obviously her little siblings. Yet there's just....Some disconnect. She pushes it to the side usually, knowing that it's wrong to feel this way about kits who's only crime was existing. They didn't do anything wrong.

Her dull gaze lifts when she sees Applepaw enter the camp. Immediately she sees the bird in her jaws and she feels excitement bubbling up inside. Her muted expression melts away into excitement as she bounces over to her sister.

"Applepaw!! You caught a bird for your first catch, thats so cool!" She said excitedly, giving her sister an affectionate headbump on the shoulder. she thinks the world of her sister and this only proves to her that Applepaw is the best.

She looks down to Halfkit who declares that she will be just as big and strong as Applepaw and smiles. "One day we'll all be able to hunt together and bring back TONS of prey for everyone!" She says.

She feels a little better, for the moment. She can pretend that Halfshade is smiling down on them with pride, and while it threatens to bring tears to her eyes, it brings a sense of comfort as well.​

 

[GRANITEPELT]

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XXXXXGranitepelt has been curious if Halfshade’s death will impede Applepaw’s progress as his apprentice any further. The girl wants to be great—he knows that, still feels that radiating off of her pale fur, the smolder of her eyes when she looks at him. He’d hoped the criticisms and the rebukes he’d given her would further inspire her confidence, and for a time, it had… when she trots into camp with a sizeable snipe hanging from her jaws, the gray warrior’s eyes gleam with satisfaction. He’d sent her to hunt alone, and she’d returned victorious, her first catch impressive and sure to feed the multitudes of sickly and fragile.

XXXXX“Well done,” he says, padding past both Applepaw’s unruly littermate and her tiny sister. He surveys the catch, nodding his approval. “ShadowClan will remain strong.” He thoughtfully paws a stray feather from the bird, leaking pond water onto the camp floor. It will—until I dismantle it from within.

XXXXXAfter a heartbeat, he says, “Our elder’s den is empty, but I’m sure one of the many queens infesting our camp now would appreciate that. Ensure ShadowClan is fed first, though.” He all but ignores Garlicpaw and the kit—they all look a bit too much like their deceased mother for his taste.

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