pafp jinkies scoob | ghost hunting


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"Fantastic news, Coldpaw-I've volunteered ya to come ghost hunting with me." It was the first thing out of the point apprentice's mouth as he continued to nudge a paw repeatedly into the side of the dark tabby tom trying to sleep in his nest unbothered. Any attempt to swipe at him for his meddling would be carefully avoided as he leaned back and bounced away to the entrance of the apprentice den, tail in the air and mismatched gaze wide in excitement. "Anyone else wanting ta come ya better decide now! If yer scared stay here! But otherwise gather 'round~" His muddy paws waved in excitement as he gestured around him, launching immediately into his pre-planned discussion on the matter.
"So I figure, cats who believe in StarClan go to StarClan when they die ye? What 'bout them cats who don't? I bet ya they're still here and I bet ya on nights this dark ye can see'em easier roaming 'round out on the moors! So let's go take us a gander at them ghosts!"
It made sense to him fully, Dandelionpaw had rationalized it after seeing Sootstar simply pick herself back up after dying. Nine lives meant she went to StarClan and came right back, but if you didn't believe then why would they let you in? He didn't reckon cats wanted to go somewhere they didn't have no faith in anyways too so it lead him to conclude that maybe they just hung out.


@Coldpaw | Coldkill

 
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THE HIGHER I GET, THE LOWER I SINK
I CAN'T DROWN MY DEMONS, THEY KNOW HOW TO SWIM


The last few weeks had been a bit of a whirlwind for Coldpaw. Up until recently the tom had spent the majority of his time on his own, stuck at that age where he was too old to be fussed over by the queens but too young to be properly utilized by Soot. And since 'apprentices' hadn't really been a thing, the young tomcat had been left to his own devices. And it had suited him well, because quite frankly Cold had needed some time to sort things out after everything that had happened. He'd lost all his friends and siblings to the others clans, had lost his parents in the great battle, and had been forced to leave the marshes in order to escape all the memories he kept tormenting himself over. Windclan had been good for that. Exploring the moors, teaching himself to hunt, practicing the fighting moves he watched the larger cats use against each other during spars- by the time Hyacinth acquired him as an apprentice Coldpaw had already introduced himself to most of the territory and the basics of hunting.

He wanted to say he preferred it that way, that the repetition of trial and error was less annoying than all the socializing he was forced into these days with actual patrols and training sessions with Hyacinth, but there was a small part of him that didn't hate it. After all, he hadn't always been an antisocial jerk. Before everything was taken away or had willingly abandoned him, Cold had been just like any other apprentice. Some, like Leech and Rose, would remember him as a loud and confident kit, just as quick to befriend someone as he was to fight with them, always bragging about how he was going to be Leader one day.

But what was the point of wanting to lead and protect a group that didn't know the meaning of loyalty?

The only reason he was here was because Soot, despite being harsh, demanded nothing short of complete loyalty from her cats. She would have never given up land or cats like Briar had, would have never let so many families be torn apart. That, if nothing else, was a quality he could endorse.

Typically at night Coldpaw would be out training with Hyacinth, but tonight she had given him the night off. He wasn't sure why- maybe the sight of him covered in Soots blood had made her sympathetic, but really he didn't need it. He would have preferred to have something to do to distract him, or at least that's what he told himself. His body, on the other hand, seemed to crave sleep.

Sleep he was definitely not going to get if a certain someone kept jabbing him in the ribs like that. Coldpaw groaned as he heard the familiar voice of Dandelion announcing that he was being volunteered for 'ghost hunting duty'. A lazy swipe toward the other tom would come up with empty air as they lept away, and to his utter dismay they began calling out to the cats around them. "Are all you barn cats so loud?" he complained as he sat up in his nest, blinking the sleep from yellow eyes as he slowly got to his feet. "And don't be mousebrained. There are no dead cats out on the moors. If our ancestors go somewhere when they die then the kin of other cats must have a place too. Why would we be the exception?"

It didn't make sense to Cold for dead cats to just be hanging out. If Starclan was real[/i], then what would make the clans so special to have an afterlife but not every other cat? "Plus, ghosts are invisible." he added, as if that alone was enough to trump everything in Dandelions argument.




windclan apprentice - male - 8 months - a large, dark grey tabby with yellow eyes
 

Rosepaw had been unable to fall asleep that night..he was to worried about Leechpaw. Every since the accident with Bumblekit his friend had completely shut himself of...He didn't know how to comfort Leechpaw in this situation. His mind was clouded with worry for his friend. That was why he was awake when Dandelionpaw walked up to Coldpaw's nest to wake them up. Rosepaw's own nest was more closer to the entrance since he liked to watch the star flowers up there since he foudn them pretty and shiny to look at. Tonight though not even that could ease his anxiety. Listening in on the two conversation his ears flinked a bit. Ghost...hunting?. Oh no, that...that sounded horrifying!. Rosepaw had never seen a dead cat before, not even the star cats!. He for sure wasn't brave enough for something like this but...he also didn't really wish to stay here in the nest either. Maybe it could be...fun?. Dandelionpaw was a cat he liked alot. Both of them were fond of flowers, and he was kind and funny!. Coldpaw would also come... he think.

He would stand up from his nest as he almost soundlessly approached the two apprentices by the entrance his smile soft and gentle. " Can..can i c-come too?." he asked through a whisper wanting to avoid waking the other apprentices up in the den. Glancing between the two he blinked at Coldpaw's reply to Dandelionpaw's talk about the none starclan believer being stuck down here on earth. To be honest he thought Coldpaw stated a valued point. Why would only the ones who believed be allowed in for?. Didn't that just force other cats to have faith then?. Force somebody's belief on some other cat...didn't really sounded fair. Coldpaw was so smart!. His eyes shine up a bit in admiration for the dark pelted apprentice. Smart and cool!. Rosepaw's cheeks heated up a bit.

" An-anyway...even if..well uhm...we see a ghost or not..it sounds like a fun..adenture...right?." he tried, not wanting Dandelionpaw to feel stupid or anything with his idea!. If he really wanted to go ghost hunting what harm would it do?. Even if he felt very scared just thinking about them actually meeting one...but he would try to be brave just like Duskfire!. Otherwise...he could always hide behind Coldpaw.



 

TELL ME, HOW DOES A MAN CHANGE THE UNIVERSE?
Ghosts? Molepaw hadn't believed in them, not really- though as a loner he swore he saw mysterious figures in the night... He always assured himself it was just his tired mind needing sleep. Yet now that he was in WindClan he heard stories of StarClan, at first he hadn't been sure but... everyone believed in them! Besides that, he saw proof! Sootstar had died and come back to life, no cat could just do that!

The cats on the patrol like Weaselclaw and Hyacinthbreath were confident she had been dead too, and Molepaw felt like they were the type of cats who had seen a few dead bodies in their lifetime to know. He trusted his clan-mates, he believed, he knew they were real and watching over WindClan. But ghosts still roaming the earth...? Molepaw wasn't sure, but anything was possible. Despite a ghost hunt sounding scary he was too intrigued to resist, besides... no one would call him a chicken.

"Maybe- cats who weren't good in life stay on the ground with us. I mean- I hope not but..." He begins to meow, theorizing. "You know uh- how Sootstar lost a life? Do you think... she has nine spirits then too? Do you think when she died a spirit was released and uh- it walks the earth now? Waiting for all nine souls before it can go to StarClan?" The words just begin to tumble out, and he regrets announcing his theory the moment all his words had escaped.

That was rather silly, wasn't it?
Hopefully no one thought him to be an idiot... He braces for questioning looks.
 

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Were all barn cats loud? Some of them! You learned to make yourself heard when there was no structure to be had or heirarchy to follow. He raised his voice to get a word in edge-wise with the older cats back where he was from, but also cause so many of them were old and hard of hearing you had no choice but to yell. His Pa wasn't super loud, he had a good whoop in him on occasion but Harefur didn't shout or make his presence known as obviously as his son did. Dandelionpaw wasn't shy.
"Sounds to me like yer..." He moved to stand around off to Coldpaw's side with a smile, green and gold eyes glinting mischief and amusement but not a drop of malice as he continued, "...scared." His tail flicked out behind him as he strut forward to the den entrance, pausing only for a moment to address the crew willing to go out into the great dark beyond that was the moorlands at night. "Course ye can come, Rosepaw! Even if there ain't nothing out there it'll be fun to go catching fireflies anyways!" He had a back-up plan, of course, to there being no ghosts to hunt; and that was just normal tomfoolery and fun times. Dandelionpaw could say that, if he had a specific skill, it was finding amusement one way or another despite the means.

A muddy paw raised to his mouth as he considered Molepaw's musings, unsure how to feel all about that. Sootstar had to go to StarClan cause that'd be stupid if she just stayed here when they had apparently chosen her specifically to lead WindClan.
Though if he got to StarClan and there were nine Sootstar's he was liable to leave. Being a ghost sounded like a much more fun arrangement than being scolded for being bad at being dead nine consecutive times in a row.
"Molepaw if'n we get out there and a Sootstar ghost yells at us then ah'm blaming you."


 
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THE HIGHER I GET, THE LOWER I SINK
I CAN'T DROWN MY DEMONS, THEY KNOW HOW TO SWIM


The grey tabby would straighten up a bit at the other toms words, yellow eyes narrowing at the friendly challenge. He was pretty certain they both knew he wasn't scared and that Dandelionpaw was just playfully baiting him, and it would have been easy for Cold to wave them off and go lay back down- after all, the camp would be quiet with other gone, so he wouldn't have to worry about any noisy barn cats poking and prodding at him while he tried to sleep- but he didn't do any of that. "Whatever. Let's remember whose asking who to go with them- if anything, I'd say your looking for someone to hide behind when you start jumping at shadows." he replied as he got to his paws, the small smirk in the corner of his mouth almost good-natured as he stretched out and loosened his muscles.

During this time, two other decided to join them. Rosepaw made their way over and asked if they could come along, with Molepaw quickly approaching to throw in their two cents as well.

He was caught off guard to find that he actually agreed most with what Molepaw was saying, because if there was any scenario where actual ghost cats could be on the moors, it was probably one of those two options that Coldpaw would bet his prey on. It made sense there there'd be some kind of requirement to get into Starclan -or any place like it- and that cats who weren't deserving of it wouldn't be able to get in. And the question posed about Sootstars nine lives was a far more profound question though, warranting a bit more thought. Instead of admitting to this though he simply snorted in amusement and followed after Dandelionpaw, tail flicking against Rosepaws side to tell them to keep up and not fall behind.



windclan apprentice - male - 8 months - a large, dark grey tabby with yellow eyes