ROCK LOBSTER // whisker attacker

[DARTERWING]

(=^･ｪ･^=))ﾉ彡♡ — Though a drypaw, Darterwing was not afraid of water’s existence. If a cat spent every waking moment in RiverClan being fearful of seeing and getting close to water… well… it’d be quite impossible to transverse the territory. Besides… how would they get water? Did they expect cats to bring it back for them in wet mossballs? Darterwing would not allow her phobia to make her dependent on others, she was still just as capable as any other warrior of taking care of the clan and self.

Darterwing finds a shallow stream and treads on a bed of pebbles to get towards it. Shallow water was not a fear at all, she’d even dip her paws in it at times, but not today. Just a quick drink before she returned to her hunting party further up river. The cool water is refreshing on her tongue and throat that grew sore from running around the territory, she can feel her chin grow damp as it graces the surface of the water. All was peaceful.

Until- ”YOWWWW!” Darterwing’s howl pierces the air and she darts away from the water, a tremendous weight latched onto one of her whiskers. Something was attacking her and it would not let go! The creature can barely be seen in her peripheral vision. Darterwing tries to shake it off, a paw futilely bats at her water attacker, certain if it didn’t let go it’d tear her whisker right out!

//its a crayfish — tags​

 

[Fawnpaw]

"✧ why am I the only one awake?"​

Fawnpaw was always wary of fish. Whenever she watched the goldfish that drifted in the bowl at her old home, it’d just stare at her. It went by the name Robert. Or, rob to the children. He was small, with large sweeping fins which rippled through the waters. rob would have looked very handsome if it wasn’t for his ..behaviour. He’d simply ignore any creature who crawled or padded past his bowl, swimming around in the never ending void of water, blinking with his big lids. Of course, Fawn never had an opinion about him. Tried to befriend him, because that’s what she does but after several attempts, she gave up.

Fawn wasn’t let out much in her days, so she never seen much fish in her life. The second - and last time she ever seen a fish was when the children brought her to a friend’s. she recalled it as uncomfortable. As the children were chasing her, putting disgusting twoleg ornaments on her fur (very itchy) and pulling her fur with this hard object meant to straighten her fur. Then she wandered to the pond they had. It was big. Very. She crouched down and saw a fish. It jumped at her and she scrambled back, terrified. Til this day on, she was very alert when fish were around. Yet… not so much. She ate them now.

now, as she was trotting peacefully, she came to Dartenwing. The loud howl made her jump out of her skin. The molly was thrashing along, near the riverbank with a terrified expression. There was something…hanging to her whisker. It was small, red and blurry as the molly shook her head up and down. It had small pinchers, snapping rapidly. She quickly stepped forwards. "Dartenwing! You alright?" she stopped, before lifting her paw and attempted to wack the crimson creature towards the river. It flew into the air, and landed onto the shore, before scuttling of, clacking its pinchers with threat.

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✦ ★ ✦​

✧ Info OOC୧ .˚ₓ

• .
  
• 
  FAWNPAW
  ー named for her soft features and heart
  ー。 cis female - she/her
  ー Cream tabby short furred cat with brown eyes
  ー Scottish fold x Japanese bobtail
• 
  none today
  

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[FERNGILL]

A scream split the air- and ever the first (or, wishing to be the first) to stick his neck out and be a brave hero, Fernpaw came running. Still, he lagged behind Fawnpaw- though he did not have a moment to sulk about it, for his attention- and bafflement- was soon overtaken by a flailing creature hanging off the end of Darterwing's whiskers. It seemed to have whiskers itself... and clamps for claws! And despite the fervour with which the warrior was shaking it, rattling the very life out of it no doubt, it was hanging on strong. Did it prey on whiskers- why else would it want to pinch them so much?

Before he could stumble forward to do anything Fawnpaw batted at it, sending it flying away- though Fernpaw had not the keenness of sight to see whether it'd ripped one of Darterwing's whiskers out as it had been dislodged. That'd be a painful pluck for sure!

Bug-eyes of pond water hue studied the scrap of a creature for a few long moments, confusion written across his face. "Weird lookin' fish," he hummed, brows furrowed as if thinking so hard was a headache. ​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[CRAPPIEPATCH]

A sudden screech cutting through the quiet, slicing the peaceful atmosphere in two, has Crappiepaw springing to their paws immediately. Without thinking, the apprentice takes off in the direction they think—no, they are fairly certain—the noise had come from. Fernpaw and Fawnpaw are both ahead of them, both other apprentices already appearing to be lending their aid to the warrior.

A telltale sharp sniff announces the calico’s presence, and they slink closer to get a better look at whatever it is that has Darterwing shrieking like some sort of hawk. Their movements are stiff, unhurried; the dappled she-cat is surely not in too much danger, if Fernpaw is not concerned.

Watery green eyes settle on the warrior, wide and curious. She looks more shocked then injured, but they cannot be certain until she answers Fawnpaw’s question. "Did it take your whisker?" They look to the spot where the creature had been. Perhaps it stole her whisker as a trophy, or maybe it has a collection of its own. Oh, whiskers could be an interesting addition to their hoard, if any clanmate is willing to sacrifice one of their own.
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[ FORTUNE LOVES THE BOLD ]​

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[DARTERWING]

(=^･ｪ･^=))ﾉ彡♡ — With a swat of an apprentice’s paw she is saved, but not without one final ripple of searing pain erupts on her maw. Immediately she sits down and begins to rub her face with a forepaw, convinced she was going to catch a glimpse of smeared blood. She’s never had a whisker falling out cause bleeding before, but a whisker getting ripped from your face brought on a new type of pain she’s never experienced before. It was over in mere seconds at least.

”Oh, I’m fine now darlin’…” Darterwing meows to Fawnpaw with a grateful look in her eyes. She was about to ask what it had been when Fernpaw with furrowed brows announced it had been a weird fish. ”Weird? Weird how? That thing must’ve had teeth!” Some horrifying river fish had teeth, she knew of. But all the stories she had heard stated they were large, this fish had been small enough she had hardly gotten a proper glimpse at it. Even with a glance around she fails to spot the crayfish giving irritated clacks of its claws, a whisker likely gripped in the other.

Crappiepaw’s question is one she shares to, she shrugs as she rubs on the area the whisker was ripped from again. ”Dunno… but golly it sure felt like it! You cats are in the river swimming around all day long, I take a drink and I’m viciously attacked! If that’s not a sign from StarClan I don’t belong near the river I dunno what is.” She humors with a hoarse laugh, but truthfully she believes it a little. Time and time again she has relearned the water is not for her. — tags​

 

[FERNGILL]

Crappiepaw was soon to join, and he offered his fellow apprentice a sunny little smile that pushed past the storm-cloud of his frown. Still, the possibility of Darterwing now having a severed whisker was such a staid concern that he did not let the other distract him, soon setting his bulging gaze upon the warrior's face once again. Weird how, she asked, and he nodded his head slowly in thought. "Was just... not really like any fish I've ever, uh... seen..." Not caught. "They don't normally have teeth." With all his prowess for swimming, Fernpaw was not at all familiar with the typical characteristics of the river's piscine prey population.

Her joke brought a giggle from the gawky tom, whiskers twitching as he trilled. "Or, or- maybe it just liked you and wanted to drag you into the river with it," he hummed, balding tail flicking in a small motion toward the water. He supposed signs were meant to be interpreted- and he doubted he could actually get a dry paw to swim. ​

✦ penned by pin ✦​

 

[CRAPPIEPATCH]

The warrior assures them that she is alright, though perhaps she is down one whisker now. That weird fish might have grabbed and taken off with one of Darterwing’s whiskers, but none of them are able to tell. Crappiepaw moves closer, squinting in an attempt to tell whether there is a missing whisker on her muzzle. The dappled she-cat claims that the offending creature just have had teeth—that is no fish that they know of, and Fernpaw says the same.

Idly, he wonders if there exist any fish with teeth like a cat’s. It is a terrifying thought, and so they cast it away, to the deepest trenches of their mind. They will not be suffering nightmares over that, thank you very much.

Darterwing jokes that the whisker-attack is a sign from the stars that she belongs on dry land and not in the water, and the calico giggles along with her and Fernpaw. "Maybe when we swim, they are too afraid to attack. All the kicks." With one hind leg, they imitate their swim-kick, unsure whether the others will understand what they are talking about. "Or you are just unlucky."
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[ FORTUNE LOVES THE BOLD ]​

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[DARTERWING]

(=^･ｪ･^=))ﾉ彡♡ — Darterwing hums at Fernpaw’s explanation, a fish that has never been witnessed by him… Whatever had latched onto her couldn’t have been common, even to the swimmers of the clan! Crappiepaw hypothesizes that it must be because they are afraid of the kicks when they swim, it makes sense and she grins. ”Hmm… good thoughts, I’m going to go with I’m just unlucky!” A purr of amusement rumbles in her throat, at least the strange creature was gone now…

”Well… back to huntin’! Best get back to your mentors too.” Playfully she bats a dismissive paw to shoo them off.— tags​