camp LIFE IN HELL \ slacking

[TEASELPAW]

'Tired' eyes faced the morning sun, sallow seeping through the clouds. Ugh- hunting. Hunting, again... the days blurred together, and every day he was not excellent Teaselpaw became less and less willing to even try. Third day in a row of hunting patrols and he was sick of it, hearing his name called out in the din of it all- and the company wasn't even good, no-one funny or entertaining. It was bound to the most boring of fates, and he would not stand for the dullness. He'd rather sleep in- and what would let him sleep in?

A cough shook his shoulders- fake, entirely. It wheezed from his throat, feeble; as faces turned to look at him, he dressed his ivory features with a pained, fatigued look as if the act of merely keeping his lava-hued eyes open was some herculean task. "Oooooh..." he grumbled, setting his rump upon the floor with an ungraceful thump, tipping his head back to lament to the sky. "I'm sorry, I just... I don't feel too well..."

Curling his thin tail around shadow-veiled paws, Teaselpaw carried faux-apology as well as he could through his posture. "Oh, what if I ruin the hunt..." Keening worry, another weak cough flitted from him. ​

PENNED BY PIN​

 

[betonyfrost]

POST CODE

• Being called for a patrol was nothing more to Betonyfrost than an opportunity to showcase one of the many ways in which she so often fails. Betonyfrost misses more than she catches. This is an indisputable, unchanging fact. Why did ShadowClan even bother with her at this point? Wouldn't it be better for everyone if she was ran off like the nuisance she is? Betonyfrost should try to remember to be more grateful for the life she is allowed here, but as with most things, she will fail in this too.
  
  It would be easier to be grateful if some brat wasn't coughing a lung up besides her.
  
  You'll make everyone else sick like that! The Betonyfrost in her mind sneers, teeth exposed. Outwardly, her expression remains passive, and the voice she speaks in exposes nothing of her annoyance, "I'm sure you wont ruin the hunt," No worse than Betonyfrost will, anyway, "Why not... maybe hold your breath when you feel a cough coming on?"​

• "[color=#ddafeb][b]speech[/b][/color]"

shadowclan warrior | blue mackerel tabby | 15 moons | tags​

 

[smogstar]

Crestfallen. Miserable. Lacklustre. When Smogmaw casts his gaze on Teaselpaw, he sees a reflection of his own personal qualities, an uncanny mirror-image of his mental self so to speak. And it appals him. It's offensive. And if the mackerel tabby possessed even a shred of self-esteem, then perhaps observing the apprentice's poor character would prompt some intensely-needed introspection.

As misfortune has it, the tom is obliged to be amongst the waxen-splotched brat for the duration of this patrol. Already did he have low hopes in the outing's success. Teaselpaw's presence only rubs salt into the wound. "Suffer in silence, please," he growls, pointing his snout towards the camp's exit. He wears his displeasure on the sleeve, much unlike Betonyfrost. Presuming the twerp doesn't put a can in it soon, Smogmaw's foresees his tolerance going kaput.

"Feel free to pay Bonejaw a visit," suggests the warrior, his tone resembling that of a threat. "I'm sure you'll have a lot more fun wasting away in that cave, wolfing down bitter herbs for that cough of yours." ​

 

[GECKOSCREECH]

✦ HOLD YOURSELF BENEATH THE BRINE ✦​

---

the ticking of time has not been kind to the likes of shadowclan, they've fallen into a hopeless cycle of endless hunting that only turns up in empty paws and an assortment of scowling faces. rinse, wash and repeat until the souls are too worn down and defeated to even want to lift a singular limb if they know they'll only be met with the same dissappointment. the effects of these long days without proper meals are starting to seep through the cracks, cats are growing irritable and frustrated with eachother.

geckoscreech isn't spared from this as the bellyaching coming from teaselpaw is quick to light her nerves with irritation that she tries to smoothen out. betonyfrost makes an attempt to still get the apprentice to accompany them on the patrol while smogmaw voices his own annoyance before suggesting that teaselpaw pays bonejaw a visit if he's feeling so ill.

eyes seem to vaguely narrow in suspicion as the lead warrior drew closer to the trio, she wasn't exactly born yesterday so his complaints fell short upon her ears. "oh please, i've seen a snake play dead better than you." geckoscreech scoffs. "so quit your whining and get to it unless you want to get fed to the foxes. i'm sure no one would complain about having one less mouth to feed." it's said with a slight rumble in her throat. ​

 

[GHOSTPAW]

Teaselpaw isn't feeling well. And Ghostpaw feels bad. Because he never gets sick, even if he looks it; never-ever. His mama always told him he had nerves of... something. Good nerves, she said. He thinks so. And he thinks it's true. And he thinks it's good. Ickness leads to sickness and sickness leads to death. Teaselpaw doesn't have nerves like he does, and that isn't his fault. Downcast gaze. Sad, so sad. Teaselpaw looks so sad and Ghostpaw's so sad. For him. He looks down at him with a worry-wart face (it's the same as all his others), and Betonyfrost is here too.

Not sure... She's lying, he thinks. Teaselpaw would mess up. Some people are loud diers, and others quiet diers, mama told him. If he's a loud dier, he can't help it. He should stay at home. Ghostpaw shakes his head. "Nuhh... m-my friend swallowed his coughs once... and his eyes popped right out..." he knows it. He saw it. And Teaselpaw's eyes will fall out, too. He doesn't want that to happen. He- it shouldn't, he doesn't think. Would Smogpaw take them? His eyes? "He's a loud dier," he tells him.

His ears nudge on his head with Geckoscreech's words. She was his mentor, and scary, he thinks. Sometimes. Concerned, he looks at Teaselpaw. "She's gunna feed you to the foxes... and take your mouth... You won't have no eyes, either... You gotta get better right now," he advises. If he didn't he would die. To Geckoscreech or the cough-keeps.​

 

[LlLACPAW]

"You could at least put a little effort into it yeah. This isn't the plays we put on for Pitch and Mom." She agrees with Geckoscreech with words that feel like salt choking her tongue. 'I'm sorry Tea, shit I don't mean it-' The molly was a lead warrior of their clan, it was only right to agree with her first. Even then, the majority of those here wouldn't agree with her helping her brother keep up his farce.

'Its fine. It'll be fine! I can just... help him shirk them off another time, or switch tick duty with him. That would fix it right? Then he won't be mad at me?' She wracks her brain, going through several different instances, but for the most part, there's at least a 30% chance that will hold true. Its not one percent though, so there's still a chance it will turn out okay. "Where are we heading out to today anyways?" Of course, Lilac herself wasn't exempt from her own form of slacking off, according to the adults. Repeated instructions were often necessary for her, too much time spent thinking of other things instead of actively listening. ​

 

[EERIENIGHT]

Teaselpaw is sick. Has a funny little cough that doesn't sound right, but he must be sick all the same.

And, the apprentice looks sad. Sad to miss out on hunting, as if sickness would ruin his skill and the patrol's skill. No catches in the midst of leaf-bare when it was supposedly important - despite the fact that Eeriepaw was convinced the world was dying, so that meant prey must be dying faster too and that warriors should be catching them better than ever, in this supposed leaf-bare; so easy that Eeriepaw shouldn't have to go on patrol with them.

But... If Teaselpaw was going to be able to get out of hunting because he was sick...

Gears start turning in his head, start turning even before Geckoscreech calls him out with claims that the sick apprentice isn't even sick. A threat to feed Teaselpaw to the foxes is uttered. Eeriepaw would rather be fed to foxes than to hunt.

So, he too is sick, Eeriepaw decides. He too can't go on hunting patrols. Ever.

The dark tom blinks before letting out his own cough.
​

 

[PITCHSTAR]

there is a conflicted expression on pitchstar's gaunt features; one of worry for his baby brother, and one of irritation that his baby brother would even think of faking illness to get out of hunting. but it's probably for the best that teaselpaw's simply faking it, rather than truly ill. pitchstar loves his aunt, he does, but he thinks that she doesn't know shit about healing illnesses.

"tea, why are you tryin' to hack out a lung? you know, everyone needs to contribute to the clan," pitchstar chimes in after his lead warrior, however... her threat to feed his baby brother to the foxes if teaselpaw didn't stop playing hooky has the leader's eyes narrowing and hackles rising. she will be doing no such thing. "oh, fuck off, geckoscreech. i'll sooner feed you to the foxes than tea."

his irritation with his lead warrior is brief, dissipating as the rosette tabby circles his younger siblings. lilacpaw asks where they're heading out to, and pitchstar sees a chance to flip this situation around in his own favor. "tea, li, why don't we go out on a hunt together instead? you can show me all that you've learned so far." pitchstar tries for a grin, but it turns out looking more like a toothy sneer. he hasn't had time to spend with the little shits, with the responsibilities of leader hanging over him like a particularly nasty storm cloud. he hopes that this would be the perfect opportunity to do just that.​