camp PLAY WITH FIRE ◜♡◞ LAMPREY ADMIRATION

[BLACKPAW]

"Hey, Curlykit."

In no doubt does Blackkit recognize the voice at complete instant, this belonging to no other than Sharppaw who decides to bother her in this good evening. Absentmindedly, she chews onto her stick and tilts her head to stare up at the apprentice who has been standing stiffly before her. Blackkit's eyes roll to the side at the ever familiar mock name. "Haaa? What do you want, Mosspaw?" She is surprised he wants to do anything first with anyone— especially her— when he's always training away in his own world. What is it that can be important for him to seek her out?

Her gaze still lingers over Sharppaw's intense presence and she squints her amber eyes, wondering if he has any bad intention with her. "I have a prey for you." A prey? Blackkit noticed a different scent from his way, but doesn't dwell over it until now. She remembers the time when she had given Sharppaw a carp as he didn't eat anything, mentally consumed by his self-training. She plans to question the prey's whereabout, but he kicks something over to her and a shriek leaves her jolting. A slimy long and thing creature wiggles, its front lacking a face but instead it bears a circle of infinite sharp teeth.

Blackkit plans to curse Sharppaw off to the sky, shoving the gross thing back at his direction, but a realization sinks into her. Horror slowly dies out into... admiration. "Wait a second," she gazes intensely at it and her wide eyes sparkle. "I know this!" Her adoptive father would tell her about the life of sea that he ventured across with the twolegs in his earlier years, and as she wanted to know more about the marine animals, he shared all that he knew, including this eel-like critter. She will never admit it out loud, but Sharppaw is actually amazing to share this to her...

"WHOA! This is so COOL! It's a fish that can eat other fishes! It's known to drink blood with its many teeth!" Completely marvelled, as deeply distracted, she throws her stick at Sharppaw's face and admires it closely.

"One, two, three..."

Then Blackkit starts counting its horrifying teeth.

| @SHARPPAW, but no need to wait!
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[FERNGILL]

Stars, what- was it? It writhed around desperately, looking like a thrashing worm- it took Ferngill a good few seconds to see it had horrible, beady little eyes, and then- teeth. It was an eel, cookie-cutter mouth lodged open. He'd seen one before, long, long ago ... its form was a hazy, greenish smudge in his memory, and he wrinkled his nose thinking of it. Sharppaw watched on as Blackkit got- got horribly close to the thing.

Ferngill winced. He didn't want to throw himself headfirst into the action, and interrupt some- some... bonding moment, so he wouldn't whip in and kill it, but ... stars, it didn't look comfortable, wriggling around with its jaw agape like that. Was this... cruelty? Was this ... breaking the Warrior Code, even- not killing something to be eaten?

"Um, I - I hope you're planning on eating that," Ferngill said with a wince, unable to silence the twist in his gut, the undeniable uncomfortable feeling that came with looking at something with ... too many of something. Too many teeth, like spiders had too many eyes... was this thing like a mosquito, puncturing you, giving you ... a disease, or something?​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[FOXTAIL]

Foxtail was padding over to the prey pile, when a shriek screeches into his ears. His fur bristles in alarm, and any thoughts of grabbing of grabbing something off of the prey pile escapes his mind. Who... Who in StarClan was that? His gaze whips in the direction towards the nursery, and he sees... Blackkit, Sharppaw- wait a minute. Is that the terrifying eel from earlier today? The one that Foxtail fished out, and threw back into the river? It's flopping around on the ground!

Foxtail's own stomach twists as he pads over to the kit and apprentice, following shortly after his fellow lead warrior. "...That's the same fish from e-earlier..." Foxtail comments, but his voice trails off. I thought I threw it back into the river. Blackkit counts and counts, and he can't help but wince as it continues to wriggle on the ground.... "Um- I-I hope you're planning on eating that." His ears twitch at Ferngill's voice; and he gives a silent nod of agreement. It has way too many teeth for his liking, but it's suffering.

He looks back over to Sharppaw. "...I-I now see why y-you wanted to 'save it for later'," Foxtail says to the apprentice, a frown forming across his maw. Disappointment radiates off of his fur, didn't he tell Sharppaw no? "Our food is n-not a toy for you to p-play with," He stammers out with frustration, his ears pinning back to his skull. He also glances over to Blackkit; she won't know any better as she's only been in RiverClan for a moon. But Sharppaw? He... He should know better.​

𝐨𝐨𝐜 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭

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  credit to raphaelion (via da) for the artwork <3
  
• Foxtail

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  lead warrior
  23 moons
  warmhearted
  timid
  experience: trained
  backstory: [HYPERLINK]
  biography: [HYPERLINK]
  credit to trops for the chibi <3
  

  cisgender male [he / him]
  eyes: green
  pelt: cinnamon/chocolate
  fur length: long
  parents: dawnflower and redfur (riverclan npcs)
  

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  ​

​

 

[pebbletail]

(☼) "great starclan, blackkit," the voice rumbles out of a half-smiling, half-worried pebblepaw as he approaches the scene. "be careful with those teeth, ay?" worried eyes glance between ferngill and foxtail as the two lead warriors confront sharppaw. pebblepaw decides to stay out of that particular argument and focuses on the little kit, who is counting the sharp teeth with fervor.

crouching beside her, although out of range of the great flopping thing, he takes a closer look, feeling his stomach swoop with disgust. "it's best not to play with our food. it dishonors it, and starclan," the boy informs the younger cat, blinking kindly at her. "this... what is it called again?" he frowns, wondering if he's ever been told. "this thing, is struggling for water. i think it's best if we let it go, or, uhm, kill it to put it out of its misery." white tufted ears flatten as he realizes how bluntly he's put the options, but blackkit is a smart girl. she's going to be an apprentice soon, so she has to understand.

"if you ask the queens, you can see if you could keep some of the teeth, i bet," he tells the shadow-spotted girl. "just, uh, give the fish mercy, that's all." ember eyes find foxtail again, wondering if he's managed this situation alright. his mentor seems angry, lips tight and ears pinned back. pebblepaw gives him a sympathetic look. the lamprey flops particularly hard and the apprentice jumps slightly, remembering blackkit's words. it drinks blood. he shivers.

I DO NOT HAVE WINGS, LOVE ☼ I NEVER WILL

• // " #848DAE"
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  PEBBLEPAW ☼ HE / HIM, APPRENTICE OF RIVERCLAN. MENTORED BY FOXTAIL. 11 MOONS OLD, PENNED BY LAVS
  
  
  a large blue tabby with low white and vitiligo. pale blue fur covers the length of pebblepaw's stocky body, sliced through with darker tabby stripes and spots. baleful orange eyes peer out of heavy set sockets, and his muzzle, paws, and tail tip are dashed with white.

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[SHARPPAW]

| Please wait for @BLACKKIT's response along with this!

After Foxtail threw this creature back into the river, Sharppaw thought he could move on in full ease, but his original plan to show it to Blackkit becomes a trouble that continues to bother him at the corner of his mind. At first, it was meant to be a trick, but it's when he finally caught it, he thought it could be a... nice gesture of sort for her to admire it as she have a deep passion for water animals. Sharppaw doesn't understand the appeal of what simply eats or are to be eaten, but he eventually comes to admire her special interest. Then seeing upon Blackkit's reaction unfold entirely to the thing, however...

He's utterly perplexed, more horrified of her than even this odd thing itself.

"Wow, you're even a lot weirder than I thou—" Blackkit's stick is thrown at his face and he nearly explodes, but watches in dismay as the other is just counting its teeth even as it's thrashing about right before her face. His furs bristle, worried she'll get bitten and pierces his claws into the prey, dragging it away from her. "Curls, back off!—" he spits and before he decides to kill it now that she got to see what it's like alive, his breath held at two lead warriors approaching. Already, the air is tensed with frustration and dissapointment. A famillar atmosphere that he has been through many times since he was a kit.

Composed, Sharppaw calmly explains his reason of getting the prey back:

"I wanted to get this for Blackkit who's a massive fish lover, taste and knowledge wise. I thought maybe she'll want to eat it and we can share together, otherwise I'll put it back in the river if she doesn't want it." Foxtail did indeed say no about keeping it and Sharppaw knows that a lead warrior's word is final, but he doesn't understand the harm in this thing. Although then having to hear from Blackkit's rant about how the critter is known to drink blood from other water preys ( more than eating their flesh? ), it now doesn't sound like this thing is safe to eat after all. He mentally curses.

He doesn't notice the prey soon stills, his claws pierced more deeply into it.

Pebblepaw arrives with his thoughts and explanation before Sharppaw huffs, unintending to make this display for Blackkit such a big deal. Nevertheless, as completely absurd her reaction was, seeing how delighted she became brought sparks of joy he didn't ever think it could bring. Maybe her reaction would be the same anyway if he shared it as dead, but at what chance will she get to see it alive even as an apprentice? In the end, Sharppaw dips his head to the lead warriors and gazes at Foxtail. "I apologize I didn't listen and made this prey seem as it's a toy, Foxtail. I will accept any punishment."

But he made Blackkit the happiest.

Somehow, that reward outweighs any punishment that he can ever get.
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[BLACKPAW]

Blackkit doesn't give her full focus to Sharppaw even when she catches him making the weirder comment, only rolling her eyes before she reaches to the fifteenth tooth. However, the counting dies off when the prey pulls away and few clanmates arrive. She plans to excitedly share what Sharppaw caught for her, but her joy shatters apart when everything falls into tension because— they're in trouble?... Her heart leaps and almost gets caught in her tightened throat as she watches the disapproval build from the older RiverClanners, especially Foxtail, with Sharppaw getting the most scolding in this instance.

She finds Pebblepaw crouching by and she shifts closer to him, almost hiding in fear. The apprentice provides the explanation of the problem they're both displaying and shame runs through her, and there it is again with the StarClan mention. This group must hold a significant impact to the Clans, she thinks. Blackkit slowly nods at each line Pebblepaw makes. Her forepaws shuffles, a display seemingly being she's embarassed, but they are held in tremors out of guilt. She was so excited about the prey that she didn't consider its own life! Her adoptive father would've been so upset at them, even more than Foxtail...

Then she listens to Sharppaw's calm explanation with a deeper frown. Knowing him, she doubts him and thinks that he's lying. From the way he was being stealthy about the prey that he threw over, it had to be done as a prank. The urge to tell on Sharppaw burns against her tongue for everything he did and said to her, but she reflects further on the weight of his words. What if Sharppaw does mean them, as he was actually being nice beneath the mischief that he, for some reason, thinks is better to make out of his generosity than being straightforward with the gesture? Blackkit's eyes widen.

Hearing he'll accept any punishment, terror strikes across Blackkit as she recalls darkness— she instantly stands and holds the dead prey with him. "Wait! Sharppaw doesn't mean to treat it as toy, Foxtail-honor and Ferngill-honor!" She exclaims, hoping her support will bring ease over, especially for Sharppaw. "I do love eating and learning about water animals a lot, so I'm really glad he showed it to me this way! As said genuinely. Even though he may did it for entertainment, perhaps, he did also consider her passion. He wouldn't pulled this stunt if he didn't care about it at all.

"This prey is not usually placed in the freshkill pile, and by the time I'll be an apprentice and get to hunt more, they might bcome scarce because of the weather change. I wanna see that all of the water animals RiverClan's home have so much! But, I'd be very happy to eat it with him, truly." Although despite the defence, she knows it doesn't reduce the discomforting fact that they lacked consideration for the prey's eventual struggle, so she... places a quick kiss on the prey's head and blows another up to the sky, then Blackit lowers her body, bowing before the RiverClanners in a form of apology.

She steps on Sharppaw's forepaw with her own, quietly hissing only for him to hear, "Thank StarClan for the prey with me, Mosshead," and now loudly, "Thank you most kindly, StarClan, for giving RiverClan this prey and I deeply apologize for disrespecting your favors!... Um..." What can she say next? "I love you, StarClan! Mmmwah!" she blows an extra kiss to the sky as to give StarClan every love it deserves. Hopefully, they won't be too upset at her and Sharppaw. She gives the lead warriors a pleading look, her lips quivering, "Please don't punish Sharppaw!... Only until if I get sick eating this prey, then he will have to fix my nest 'til I become much better!" Blackkit puffs her chest as she ignores Sharppaw's baffled "Oi, oi, oi..."​

 

[FOXTAIL]

He briefly glances over to Pebblepaw, and his gaze softens as he watches the near warrior sit next to Blackkit. His apprentice softly murmurs to the former loner, explaining that even though RiverClan hunts and eats fish from the river, all prey must be respected for the life they give. No matter how.... uneasy this fish makes Foxtail feel, it did not deserve to suffer all the way to camp. Pebblepaw's gaze meets his, and in that moment... he senses how Pebblepaw is looking towards him; wondering if he handled the situation correctly. The young lead warrior gives his apprentice a silent nod; Blackkit isn't as familiar with clan customs and rules compared to other kits— Pebblepaw explained it with such patience... understanding... and kindness. He's turning into a real fine warrior, Foxtail momentarily thinks, I feel so proud of him.

His tail twitches, and he looks back over to bengal feline as the young tom speaks directly to Foxtail. "I wanted to get this for Blackkit who's a massive fish lover, taste and knowledge wise." Sharppaw explains, and the lead warrior remains quiet... ears still pinned to his skull. He further explains how he thought Blackkit would like to share the fish with him, but Foxtail can't help but doubt him. "...If y-you intended to share it with her, why did you bring it to camp a-alive?" He questions, briefly noticing how Sharppaw silently digs his claws into the suffering fish. There's no point of throwing it back into the river, it's going to die. It's the merciful thing to do anyway; and he wonders if it's still alive now, with Sharppaw's claws digging into it. "...It seems like to m-me, you brought it back to scare h-her." And not to eat it, since do you even have the stomach for it?

"I apologize I didn't listen and made this prey seem as it's a toy, Foxtail. I will accept any punishment." Foxtail's tail swishes and he opens his maw, but before any words can come out, Blackkit's voice rings out. He pulls his gaze away from Sharppaw and onto the kit... and he holds back a sigh. Blackkit is not familiar with our clan customs and traditions, He tells himself as she exclaims, I need to be patient with her. "...I understand you do not believe he m-meant to treat it like a toy," He carefully mews to her, not speaking with the same harshness Sharppaw received. "But he c-caused this fish to suffer in it's last moments of life... It did not d-deserve to be treated that way." Even if he intended to show it you, it was cruel. I hope you understand this.

"It won't be l-long until you r-receive your apprentice name," Foxtail continues carefully, he admires how passionate Blackkit seems to be about fish, but... this isn't the way to do it. No piece of prey— whether land or from the river— should have to go through such misery.... And he senses she feels discomfort, knowing that the bizarre eel had to suffer in it's final moments. "I p-promise you, your mentor will show you all what our rivers provide to us." And even more than that.

He silently blinks as Blackkit gives her thanks to StarClan.... well, that's one way to do it, huh? She'll get the hang of it. He silently thinks, and he glances back over at the lamprey, which has gone limp. Seemingly Sharppaw dug further into it, and his stomach twists at the sight of the... butchered fish. There's no way that's edible anymore. He can only think, and he lets out a sigh... and he calmly shakes his head. "I know y-you mean well, Blackkit... But I cannot allow this to be c-consumed. You and Sharppaw can share something e-else from the prey pile." He knows she won't be happy with him in a moment, she plead and plead, but he looks over to Sharppaw.

"Before y-you share a meal, make sure to discard this... r-ruined prey. Bury it outside camp." He says with a calmer tone, his tail slowly swishing behind him. "Tomorrow, y-you'll spend the day assisting the e-elders." This is all part of being an apprentice— even Foxtail had his fair share of doing apprentice chores when he made a mistake. "...I'll m-make sure Silverstrike k-knows." And with that, the lead warrior pads off... hoping his appetite will come back to him soon.​

𝐨𝐨𝐜 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭

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• 
  
  

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  credit to raphaelion (via da) for the artwork <3
  
• Foxtail

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  lead warrior
  24 moons
  warmhearted
  timid
  experience: trained
  backstory: [HYPERLINK]
  biography: [HYPERLINK]
  credit to trops for the chibi <3
  

  cisgender male [he / him]
  eyes: green
  pelt: cinnamon/chocolate
  fur length: long
  parents: dawnflower and redfur (riverclan npcs)
  

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