private local hero at the open mic .. dovepaw

[hazecloud]

With some time between patrols, Hazecloud wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. Her typical crowd of friends were busied with their own duties and assignments. Her siblings unaccounted for, though that was typical for the pair, the silvery warrior was left feeling a little... alone. She preferred to be in the presence of company if only to deter her mother from dragging her into a conversation she would prefer to avoid. Quickly, she approached the first cat that passed her. Mistaking him for a warrior, Hazecloud didn't realize she was going after Dovepaw until he fully turned to face her.

"Hi, Dovepaw." The surprise wasn't hidden in her voice. "Can you join me outside? I was planning to get fresh reeds for some nests." Something simple, though she didn't share she was also looking for specific flowers to line her nest. Something more fragrant to replace the ones wilting in her bedding.

@dovepaw. ​

 

[dovethroat.]

The offer surprises him. It is not as if Dovepaw is woefully unpopular (though he certainly does not feel like he was exactly part of the in-crowd, considering that he was practically a young man having to board with toddlers), but a warrior approaching him and suggesting that they go out on an outing together was certainly unexpected. He turns around, his mouth half-full with prey and his eyes wide and confused, as if he was just as surprised as Hazecloud was.

To someone who does not recognize his face, he certainly looks like a warrior. He's large, even by warrior standards, and muscle seems to pack onto his frame more and more by the day. That does not mean the confusion does not sting a little, though.

"O-Oh." He mumbles, quickly ridding his mouth of food. "Um. Um, s-sure, sure, y-yeah, I—s-sure." He blinks, absentmindedly trying to place his paws in a more "proper" placement, though he quickly realized he did not even know what that would mean.

[⋆]​

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[hazecloud]

Hazecloud is a bit more distant that she does not take any particular notice in his awkward fidgeting or even the fact that he still had prey to finish. Her eyes seemed to look over him, more observant of what was around the pair. He agreed, though, and that was all she needed. Personally, Hazecloud would see nothing wrong with bringing Dovepaw out anyhow. He had never been reassigned a mentor post Hyacinthbreath's exile, and the young tom might as well be a warrior in all but his name. She could hardly see any trouble coming out of their low-stakes journey.

"Perfect! Wonderful, I don't like traveling alone if I can avoid it." After another sweep to ensure their escape, the silky cat began to lead on. "Have you seen all those twoleg bits in the river? It's been getting a bit more scarce now, I hope none of the fish tried eating it." Smalltalk. Truthfully, she didn't know what she could talk about with Dovepaw that wasn't going to erupt another bout of awkward tension. Anything regarding training would associate his previous mentors demise, but also bring up the obvious he was the oldest apprentice in RiverClan. That there were warriors younger than him.

She wondered, for a moment, if she had ever seen Dovepaw around any cats his own age or rank before that wasn't out of obligation. Considering he was eating alone, she didn't imagine he had many friends. "Watch out for that- oof!" She called attention to the gnarled root, turning her head to it only to be caught bu another, hidden underneath the sedge. Sand greeted her chin and into her nose, making her sneeze and shake her head.​

 

[dovethroat.]

Dovepaw was a bit hyper-aware—though that did not mean he was not wont to have his own blindspots. When it came to how he was acting, though, he was one of two polarities: either almost comedically unaware or overthinking everything he might do to the point of it paralyzing him. Right now, he was mostly in the latter. He took awkward steps, shuffling closer to Hazecloud.

Because Dovepaw was undeniably a young man at this point in his life, he was given certain leeways that other apprentices were not granted. He was thirteen moons, he could very well tend to himself—it was still "against the rules", yes, but nobody particularly cared. "R-Right, uh," he swallowed awkwardly. "Me... m-me neither." Though he did most of his day-to-day activities alone, regrettably.

"No, I h-haven't," Dovepaw said, telling the truth. He was actually quite bad at fishing—he did not focus much on it. Unusually, most of his prey catches were on land, in spite of his skill in swimming. "I-I—wh—huh?" He half-yelped, certainly sensing a bit of judgment emanating from Hazecloud before she tripped over a root and fell to the ground.

Immediately turning back to face her, Dovepaw lowered himself a bit. "I—A-Are y-you okay? D-Do you l-legs hurt? A-Anything? Do you n-need any help?"

[⋆]​

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