LET'S GET DOWN TO BUISNESS ( quill )

[ThistleBack]

Before the sun could even fully rise, before even a crescent of yellow could mound over the pine nettles. Thistleback leaks into the apprentice’s den like wraith, a task he hadn’t had to do since Coyotepaw was stolen by the tyrannical Windclan witch. The days following, he was able to focus on his pregnant and stubborn wife but a scowl never left his maw not even on the good days.

" rise and bloody shine twinkletoes " he aims to lift and topple the sleeping tabby out of the moss. An evil cackle spills from his jaws, but between joking and serious always lie Thistleback. " have I got some news for you " The warrior’s gruff tone is clipped but carrying amusement.

" good news, it rained in the night so the prey trails will be fresh for our hunt " his white tipped tail lashes. " bad news, you’ve been reassigned. " he barks around a devious smile . " no more aimless wandering, sleeping in- from now on out, anywhere your tail is you can bet your arse I’m a whisker away " Thistleback’s military tone carries on as he plants himself at the den exit.

" I’m going to make a decent warrior out of you, now get yourself groomed up- and congratulations on your new mentor... or should I say... welcome to hell " he finishes with another low cackle and trots out of the den to wait for his new apprentice.

It was easy to exist around Thistleback, it was not easy to be his apprentice. It made for a tougher cat, the man knew what he was doing. A method to all madness.


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OOC INFO REF

• — @Quillpaw
  
  
• — Thistleback | thirty-two moons | cis-male
  — warrior of Skyclan | leaves rarely
  — bisexual | fallen for Deersong 9.29.22
  — formerly mentoring Coyotepaw
  — very muscular piebald black and white tom with spiky fur and cold silver-grey eyes. Wears a purple collar with brass clasp.
  
• 
  
  

​

 

[QUILLSTRIKE]

I FEEL LIKE AN ASTRONAUT IN THE OCEAN​

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Sleep was always hit or miss with Quillpaw. Sometimes he'd go weeks without having an issue, sleeping like a rock until sunrise, and other times it was a nonestop issues, sleep either evading him completely thanks to a mind that wouldn't shut up, or being stolen from him after a few hours by some annoying memory that had him jumping awake like someone who realized their alarm for work hadn't gone off to wake them that morning.

And of course, after the exciting day he'd had, sleep hadn't come easy to Quill that night.

He didn't regret fighting with that npc or hurting them, mainly because when something was deserved then it was deserved. But he did refret the impulsiveness of his actions. He shouldn't have done it right there in camp where Bristlekit and Twitchpaw and the others could see, because now all he could think about was how they wouldn't look at him the same again. Quill had purposefully kept hidden all the part of his past that were shameful to him. Not a single Skyclanner knew of the abuse he'd suffered from his father or the exhausted looks of regret his mother would send his way. They didn't know that he'd spent more time running the streets than he did at home, or that the only coping mechanism he'd had -albiet a poor one- had been with his claws and teeth. And they definitely, definitely didn't know that he'd run away from his family to join them.

In their eyes, Quill was just some orphaned street kid that had decided to move in.

Now, that secret wasn't as tightly held as he'd like. Blazestar, Thistleback, Dawnglare- every single fucking cat that had been standing there staring at him now knew that he had an enemy out there, one that would do to Quill exactly what the Chimera had done to that NPC- if not worse. It left him feeling anxious and aggitated that someone might read between the lines and figure him out, and how was he supposed to look anyone in the face again after that? Because it wasn't entirely fear that kept Quill from letting his clanmates know what he'd been through; it was shame.

And the last thing he ever wanted was for them to look at him like he was weak or something worth pitying.

Maybe it was luck or perhaps just part of the grand design that was his punishment, but no sooner had he managed to find sleep did he have it ripped away from him.

"Rise and shine, twinkletoes."

It caught him off guard more than he'd like to admit, not just because it was such an abrupt awakening, but because he wasn't used to having an adult in the apprentices den. "What the fuck, dude?!" he snarled as he scrambled to his feet, mismatched gaze searching through the darkness for the culprit responsible only to land on Thistleback. Thistleback? Why the hell was he-

" have I got some news for you "

And just like that, Quills day got that much worse.

He stood there, silent and seething as the older tom spoke, explaining- with no shortage of satisfaction- that Quill was now hisapprentice, and that any semblance of freedom he'd had before that moment was officially over.

Be it through sheer exhaustion or some successful exercise of self-control, Quill said nothing the entire time Thistleback stood in his den, only glaring daggers that he knew would never be sharp enough to cut the tom.

It was only when he was left standing alone in the dark silence of the apprentices den, did Quillpaw allow what had happened to actually sink in. The tension in his shoulders drained as he let out a deep sigh, something torn from his chest with more heaviness than one would expect from a kid his age. "Fuck." he whispered, raising a paw to his forehead as he tried to calm down. He had already told himself that he would accept whatever punishment Blazestar decided to hand him, not only because he wanted to stay, but because he did regret letting the clan see him like that.

Accepting his punishment would be Quills way of apologizing without having to actually say the words, but this? Being given to Thistleback as an apprentice? He wasn't sure he had it in him. He already wasn't sleeping well, felt like he was emotionally walking the edge of a knife, and now had to repress the parts of him that were going to absolutely despise being ordered around and run into the dirt.

After a moment of clearing his head, he did eventually get himself straightened up- and if he took an extra minute or two just to spite the other tom than so be it.

As he slipped out of the apprentices den he couldn't help but shiver lightly against the chill. The sun hadn't touched the land at all yet and everything was frigid and cold, burst of white clouds leaving his maw with each exhale. Quill wasn't entirely unfamiliar to the feeling since he had a habit of sneaking out of camp to stargaze, but being dragged out here unexpectedly left him feeling unprepared and colder than usual.

He said nothing as he made his way over to where Thistle was waiting on him, reminding himself with the steady mantra of 'your sorry, so just do it' that he wanted to make things right with Skyclan even if he had to endure whatever hellish training the bi-color tom had in store for him. It didn't keep the pissed-off look from his expression though, or encourage him to speak to the tom any more than he absolutely had to.

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skyclan - male - 8 months - bisexual - homoromantic - single - very tall tabby tomcat with broad shoulders