pafp SCRUB DOWN FOR LIFT OFF — questions

[MARBLEPAW]

Each dawn brings Marblekit closer to apprenticeship, and then, by proxy, to warriorhood. Each day, her belly cramps, a touch uncertain about the life that's unfolding before her, about the path laid by Siltcloud that she can't help but stumble along to. Her mother had been a warrior, and there's Lilacfur, who sits on Chilledstar's council, fierce and loyal and upright. It's in her blood to do great things—but so too is it in her blood to wreak havoc, to cause chaos.

The uncertain pale she-kit sits near camp's entrance. The morning dew is still fresh and gleaming on the marshgrass; the air is cool, untouched by swelling greenleaf heat. A wiry black warrior shivers through the foliage guarding camp, her amber eyes clouded and deep in thought. Prey hangs from the she-cat's jaws. Marblekit's eyes squint, then narrow, focusing on Briarthorn's gait, the purpose she walks with, the naturalness of her existence. Will that be her, soon, ploughing into camp with a frog in her jaws for the queens, for the elders?

She pushes herself to her paws, hesitant. "Briarthorn?" Her tone is bold, but polite, and she makes sure to stay out of the older she-cat's way as she approaches her. "Did you... did you have a good hunt?" Even as young as she is, she can feel it's an awkward start, and her skin burns beneath her light tabby pelt. She sits, shuffles her paws. "How old were you when you caught your first prey? What was it?"

It will be me, soon, she thinks, and she does not know if she is proud, frightened, or wary of the idea. It will be me.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: please wait for @Briarthorn
• 
• Marblekit, she/they w/ feminine and non-gendered terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 5 moons old, ages realistically on the 1st.
  — mentored by n/a ; mentoring n/a ; previously mentored n/a
  — shadowclan kit, formerly a rogue. siltcloud x lilacfur, gen 3.
  — currently mated to n/a.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh fawn tabby with dull green eyes. courageous, curious, introspective, observant, judgmental, snarky.
  
  

​

 

[Briarthorn]

.·:*¨༺🕷༻¨*:·. Briarthorn had never known what it felt like to be uncertain about her place in the world. From the day she could form a coherent thought, she knew her role, her path. Briarkit had been observant, drinking in bits of information as she patiently awaited her apprentice name, a mentor to show her the way. Briarpaw was a protector, a steely-faced apprentice who excelled in throwing quick offensive jabs, she learned quickly to lean into her talents, fine tune where she lacked. Briarthorn had always belonged somewhere, her place in Shadowclan had never been thought with uncertainty.
Tired obsidian paws still pick themselves up with each step as she slips into camp, large ears flattened outwards, as though they could offer a drop of shade. Her catch falls onto the pile, and the soft thrum of tiny paws hitting the ground draws her attention in Marblekit’s direction, where the kit is put under an expectant stare. It wasn’t everyday a kit tried to approach her, Singepaw was typically the one likely to get away with a bold approach. The question makes the warriors ear flick, and absentmindedly she hooks her recently deposited catch on a singular claw, pushing it in Marblekits direction while she dove back into the vault of her memories.
"Around your age. Maybe five moons." Briarthorn finally replies, giving Marblekit a quick once-over. "I was apprenticed at four moons, it was how things used to be." The further context is added after a heartbeat, stars knew Briarthorn would not find herself responsible for a wayward kitten. "Why?"

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ALL YOU HAVE IS YOUR FIRE ⋅ ࿏ ⋅ AND THE PLACE YOU NEED TO REACH ──┐‎

• 
  
  
  

• 

• 
  BRIARTHORN ꔫ she/her, warrior of shadowclan, 12 moons.
  ⭃ slender, lean-muscled black she-cat with sharp hazel eyes & large ears.
  ⭃ daughter of Forestshade && Vulturemask ࿏ sister to Screechpaw && Sweetpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​

 

[MARBLEPAW]

Briarthorn is quiet, even when she parts ebony jaws to respond to Marblekit's query. The pale tawny she-kit listens intently, dried-moss eyes widening a bit at the warrior's admission. "Around your age," she says, flicking a jet-dark ear. "Maybe five moons." So she had been a huntress already, whereas Marblekit feels strange, stunted at the possibility of venturing into the marsh for prey. She imagines it now, crouched amidst reedlike grass, the earth squishing between her toes, imagines frogsong and cricket's cries like a static around her. She tilts her head to one side, solemnity darkening her features.

"Why? Well, I..." They blink, then shuffle white-tipped paws. "I guess I'm nervous about my apprentice ceremony." Their whiskers tremble. "My hunting crouch still isn't that good."

The admission feels terrible coming out of her mouth, but she's honest—honest to a fault, some might say. Her limbs feel stiff when she lowers herself to match her denmates; will she ever look like Briarthorn, lean and carved from stone, her pelt glossy and well-groomed, her jaws full of fresh-kill for a vulnerable Clan? Her claws protrude from their pouches, and she lets them sink into the marshy earth, contemplative.

『 out of character. 』 ✧･ﾟ:* 『 about. 』

• ooc: —
• 
• Marblekit, she/they w/ feminine and non-gendered terms.
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — 5 moons old, ages realistically on the 1st.
  — mentored by n/a ; mentoring n/a ; previously mentored n/a
  — shadowclan kit, formerly a rogue. siltcloud x lilacfur, gen 3.
  — currently mated to n/a.
  — penned by Marquette.
  
  
  sh fawn tabby with dull green eyes. courageous, curious, introspective, observant, judgmental, snarky.
  
  

​

 

[Gigglepaw]

Gigglekit knows that one day, Marblekit and Sycamorekit will leave the nursery to become apprentices, a full moon before Gigglekit and her siblings get the chance to join them. She knows this, and yet she doesn't like to think about it - because that would mean two less playmates, and ones that were her cousins, at that! So when Gigglekit hears Marblekit speaking to Briarthorn about apprenticeship, she can't help but lean in to hear more.

"That's okay though, isn't it?" Gigglekit asks when Marblekit states that her hunter's crouch isn't that great. "You can be good at fighting, instead, right? Not everybody's good at hunting." She looks to Briarthorn for confirmation. Gigglekit doesn't know what she'll be good at by the time she becomes an apprentice, but if Marblekit is worrying about it, maybe Gigglekit should start to, as well.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎OOC ᓚ₍ ^. .^₎ .ᐟ.ᐟ INFO ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

• !
  

• 

• GIGGLEKIT ✩ kit of shadowclan, four moons
  → blinks incessantly & uncontrollably.
  → peaceful and healing powerplay permitted.
  → penned by Archivist → .archivist on discord.
  

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[HARRIERTEETH]

જ➶ "You would be correct, Gigglekit." The woman speaks gently as she slips her way over toward the small gathered group. Her thick frame slowly sits down, the stiffness in her shoulder annoying her this morning but not hampering at least. Her warm gaze lingers on Marblekit then and she dips her head as if to put emphasis into her words of encouragement.
"It's why you train as an apprentice. You'll figure out what you are good at I'm sure." Once upon a time she had walked the path of a warrior. She had been happy then too, able to prove herself worthy to keep serving her home. But now her paws are on a different path and she equally has respect for that which she left and what she does now. She can understand Marblekit's hesitation as it is a big step towards the unknown.

"I'll make sure to always believe in you, Marblekit. You have potential." To her every kit has the potential to do great things. To be the better generation and to improve Shadowclan. ​

 

[Briarthorn]

.·:*¨༺🕷༻¨*:·. The expectant stare does not relent, even after the kitten does her best to answer her prompt, taking not of the way their paws nervously shuffle themselves into the ground. My hunting crouch isn’t that good, Marblekit admits with her whiskers trembling. A brow bone quirks, but is quick to fall flat as Gigglekit bounces over, assuring his denmate that everything would work out. Frankly, Briarthorn didn’t see a destined fighter in front of her. "You’ll never learn anything if you can’t look a cat in the eye. You aren’t supposed to be good at anything yet." Arguable, but for simplicity’s sake Briarhorn is willing to let the comment slide. "You won’t make anything of yourself without work, either. If you aren’t good at your crouch, keep practicing until you are." It seemed rather obvious, did it not? Harrierteeth offers the same sentiment as she, though her words were coated in something sweet and motherly. "Gain some confidence." Is the last bit she can think to offer, sealing her less-than-ideal advice with a dismissive shrug.

‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎┌── ALL YOU HAVE IS YOUR FIRE ⋅ ࿏ ⋅ AND THE PLACE YOU NEED TO REACH ──┐‎

• 
  
  
  

• 

• 
  BRIARTHORN ꔫ she/her, warrior of shadowclan, 12 moons.
  ⭃ slender, lean-muscled black she-cat with sharp hazel eyes & large ears.
  ⭃ daughter of Forestshade && Vulturemask ࿏ sister to Screechpaw && Sweetpaw
  ⭃ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ⭃ penned by Noor ↛ @toyangel on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
  

​