stuck in reverse (failed hunt)

weedpaw

the view between villages
Nov 7, 2023
37
11
8
𓆝 . ° ✦ On this particular day, the sun shines brilliantly down on Weedpaw. It's the perfect weather for the apprentice to venture into territory. He has been beyond camp walls before. Though he wasn't supposed to and it had been dark at the time, Weedpaw feels confident enough to wander just outside camp on his own. He had not been that much smaller than he is now, but with his new apprenticeship he has a reinforced stroke of courage. Besides, his mentor is still recovering from her injury, and Weedpaw wants to be proactive in getting a move on things. He cannot allow Fluffypaw and Daisypaw to surpass him in training.

Weedpaw makes sure that his morning chores are done before he steps outside, though he admittedly avoids running into any warriors- especially lead warriors or Cherryblossom- on his way out. He knows not to wander far, recalling Orangestar's decree not to approach the unclaimed border alone or under eight moons. Weedpaw has other plans anyway. The black and white tomcat trots into the wood which surround camp. Despite his negligible training he keeps his steps as light as he can possibly manage, though he does shuffle over the leaf and pine litter of the forest floor. He kicks a stone or two. He is by no means stealthy.

But soon enough he does spot a morsel of a squirrel several foxlengths away through the underbrush. It's small- surely very young- and clearly has not yet detected the young apprentice. Weedpaw smiles gleefully to himself when he realizes what this opportunity means: he can prove himself stronger and quicker than his siblings despite not being apprenticed to someone in his pedigree! He crouches down, just like he remembers he was taught when pouncing on moss in the nursery. Weedpaw creeps forward, just close enough to the brush but without stepping into it. He's so focused on creeping closer that he doesn't even register any of the rustling or shuffling he's doing.

Once Weedpaw has drawn close enough, he wriggles to ready himself and then... He pounces!

Of course, instead of sailing through (or preferably over) the brush, Weedpaw crashes straight through it. It snags all four of his paws and legs, tripping him up and sending him head over tail. The only thing that Weedpaw has done successfully here is falling flat on his back and scaring off the squirrel that wouldn't have even fed a grown warrior. He fails his catch, and now he's on his back staring straight up at the sky trying to catch his breath. Fretfully, he hopes that nobody has seen or heard him, and that he hasn't incurred any bruises for his mother to question him over.

✧ ° . ✶ . ° ✧
  • ooc: —

  • WEEDPAW — HE/HIM ・ 6 MOONS ・ SKYCLAN APPRENTICE ・ PENNED BY CARAT!
    longhaired black tomcat with low white spotting. born 11/9/23 and ages realistically 1 week every Thursday. Follow along with his growth here!
 

Twitchbolt held a certain fondness in his heart for Butterflytuft's brood. Kin of his best friend and his late mentor, both... the blood in their veins had long been friendly to him, and for that he would repay them by never greeting them with sharpness. Despite Weedpaw's best efforts at avoiding being seen, his absence would eventually be noticed; Twitchbolt did not recall seeing he and Sorrelsong leaving together. With a raked-through sigh, the scruffy tom shouldered out of camp, wild, vigilant eyes scanning every surrounding for the black-and-white tom.

He found him after a thump, a rustling, tumbling sound- wide eyes found Weedpaw in a heap, his mentor nowhere to be seen. The scent of squirrel was fresh, but not slaughtered... he could surmise some sort of accident had happened. With a soft exhale, he moved closer, clearig his throat as he drifted into Weedpaw's view.

"Weedpaw, why are you out here alone?" His tone was not harsh, but carried within it a certain fray of exasperation. In a slightly calmer manner, level and concerned, he added, "Are you hurt?"
penned by pin ✧
 
Unlike Weedpaw, Fluffypaw wouldn’t dream of leaving camp without her mentor. She practically has to be dragged from the apprentice’s den in the morning—Greeneyes does everything but scruff her like an overgrown kit—and then she clings to pelt like a bit of foliage caught in the fur. Her jade eyes are round with barely-tempered fear as she sets paw into the territory beside the lead warrior. Twitchbolt’s spiked coat catches her eye, and then she tastes the air. Weedpaw’s familiar scent caresses her tongue, and she, against her better judgment, rushes from her mentor’s side to go to her flattened brother.

“Weedpaw! Haven’t you learned your lesson about leaving camp without a warrior?” Her chastising is harsher than Twitchbolt’s. She and her littermates had gone on an ill-fated excursion before their ceremonies, and it had almost ended in their deaths by adder bite. The cream-colored she-cat frowns down at her brother before sighing, echoing Twitchbolt’s own exasperation. She extends a paw to help Weedpaw up. “What were you doing out here, anyway?”


  • ooc: mentor tag @GREENEYES
  • imfwvC1.jpg
  • Fluffykit . Fluffypaw, she/her w/ feminine terms.
    — “speech”, thoughts, attack
    — 6 moons old, ages realistically on the 8th.
    — mentored by Greeneyes ; mentoring n/a ; previously mentored n/a.
    — skyclan apprentice. butterflytuft x dandelionwish, gen 3.
    — penned by Marquette.
    lh chocolate tortie/cream chimera with jade eyes. frightened, clingy, anxious, gentle.


 

How unfortunate for him that Deathpaw had been lurking close by to watch from one of the tree branches as he himself was playing 'hide and seek' with his own mentor. It was always hilarious fun for him to watch as his mentor run around searching for him in absolute panic!, constantly worried what their clanmates might think if he lost his own apprentice to get shunned because of it. Of course because of that he couldn't help but to play games on them like right now. Never had he thought he would end up spying on Weedpaw as he made the biggest hunt failure he had ever seen!. He snickered to himself as he watched with amusement as Weedpaw got scolded by Twitchbolt and his own sister.

" Maybe he come out here wishing to die!." he called down all the way up from the trees branch with a grin spreading across his maw as he hoped his comment had stunned them all. Not even caring that he just had exposed himself Deathpaw would stretch out his legs before seating up, knowing that sooner or later they would have find him out anyway so why even bother to keep himself hidden anymore for. " I mean if i had made the biggest screw up hunt like Weedpaw just did i would have prayed for starclan to take me too!." he sneered down at Weedpaw with amusement as he snickered at them. It for sure had been fun to take wittness of it. Next time, Weedpaw should invite him out with them so he could watch them fail over and over again!. It would benefit them both he believed. At least he would get a good laugh out of it.


 

Sorrelsong would not make a good mother. Within days of being assigned to Weedpaw, she had simply... lost him.
With pursed lips, the molly studied the camp, checking wordlessly inside the apprentice den, then a nursery. Surely a black and white tom would not be hard to find in a forest. At least, that's what she had thought.
When she hears the tom's name in Twitchbolt's voice, it was with a spark of relief that she made her way out of the gorse walls. Worry set in as soon as found him, surrounded by a little group of cats all worried about him - and Deathpaw.
She arrives on huntress's paws quite and sure, narrowing her eyes at Fluffypaw's comment. He's snuck out before? She watches passively as the other's worry about him, fighting the urge to mother him the way Butterflytuft would. Instead she focuses on his forum. With a small nod, pride takes root in her chest. She hadn't gone through most hunting techniques yet and his stance - while off balance - was promising. Though.... he did sneak out of camp which was.... not as promising. Sorrelsong understood the urge - oh did she - but it draw a bit of her ire. The scars on her back throb in the memory of teeth and fear scent. It had not been that many days ago. Are all young cats so foolish enough to be brave or are we just blessed this season? She would have a word with Weedpaw, but there was no need to chastise him publicly. She starts to turn, intent on retrieving freshkill, chores and minor punishments already dancing on her tongue when Deathpaw speaks.
She flicks an ear, huffing slightly at the tom's snarky questions. Weedpaw had done nothing to warnt such a comment.
"Weedpaw, there you are," She flashes a soft, sincere smile as she makes her presence known, she approachs the bi-colored tom. Her apprentice, yes, but right now, her clan mate. "Were you practicing that move like I told you too?" She tilts her head, resisting the urge to lick his head in silent comfort. Instead, she turns to Deathpaw, eyes wide in fake confusion before she lowers her eyebrows and glances around.
"Where's your mentor Deathpaw?" She looks to Twitchbolt with fake concern, before training her graze back to the apprentice. Are you out here alone? Because, well, I think I heard Cricketcall complain about ticks..."
  •  

  • pagedoll-png.1774

    — A chocolate point tabby molly with icy blue eyes and a slightly uneven pelt. She has small scars on her back, her shoulders and a slightly crocked tail.
    — 44 moons old; ages the 1st of every month
    — aro/ace. ; currently not looking
    — child of NPC and NPC :: sibling to Duskpool, Shadowfire and Smokefang
    — Mentoring Weedpaw
    — Sky Clan; warrior since 3/11/24 ; loyal to Orangestar, Flora, and Duskpool
    — Not hard to befriend ; trusts easily
    — "speech", thoughts, attacking
    — peaceful powerplay allowed
 
𓆝 . ° ✦ Twitchbolt's exasperation is no foreign feeling to Weedpaw. Plenty of adults- his parents and relatives especially- had found themselves frustrated by himself and his siblings. They were just that age where they'd become equally adventurous and careless in the same stroke. Weedpaw stays on his back, looking upside-down at the lead warrior. Embarrassment burns hot in his ears and throat. At least he can be relieved that Twitchbolt doesn't seem angry with him.

He flips over and tries to shake the debris from his pelt, though a few needles and leaves cling to his tussled fur. When Fluffypaw appears, he allows his sister to help him to his feet. "Um..." Weedpaw begins slowly. He weighs the consequences of lying to the lead warrior, but figures it's far too obvious that he came out here alone on his own. It isn't like he fraternizes with his fellow apprentices enough to be tempted or dared. "I'm alright," he replies "I was just trying to practice hunting. It already feels like I'm behind." Weedpaw looks down at his paws. Guilt forms like a boulder in his stomach, especially at Fluffypaw's words. He thinks back to the night he'd snuck out with his siblings and had nearly been killed (or worse, had his mother bitten) by an adder.

Though that guilt is soon replaced by anger when Deathpaw appears. His ears flatten as he glares at the other apprentice "Shut up...!" he begins in a nasty snarl, but ends up trailing off when Sorrelsong appears and he remembers himself- no longer blinded by the anger that had taken him. He half-expects his mentor to join in on the chastising, but lights up in surprise when she instead seems to back him up despite his defiance and failures. "Oh! Um, yes," he answers with a nod "Of course. But I think I need to be shown again." He glances from Sorrelsong and back to Deathpaw, feeling more smug than anger now.
✧ ° . ✶ . ° ✧
  • ooc: —

  • WEEDPAW — HE/HIM ・ 6 MOONS ・ SKYCLAN APPRENTICE ・ PENNED BY CARAT!
    longhaired black tomcat with low white spotting. born 11/9/23 and ages realistically 1 week every Thursday. Follow along with his growth here!
 

It did not take long for many to join him- Fluffypaw, another apprentice he was prone to keeping an eye on... Sorrelsong, too. Both of them were comforting additions to this little mishap- it was Deathpaw who twisted the mood between his paws and soured it rather remarkably. Weedpaw spat his ire before Twitchbolt managed to do so... though it was quite the aggressive, brief burst of scolding, like a little bold of electricity rumbling from the young apprentice's maw. "Have some tact, Deathpaw," Twitchbolt ordered, his voice taking on an inarguable authority, urging away the thought of another apprentice dying- let alone one of his best friend's children. He could not bear to know another apprentice that would never see their warrior ceremony. Logically, it would happen again... but as long as his paws prickled with life, he would try tirelessly to prevent it.

When his gaze shited again to Weedpaw, it softened ever-so-slightly. They were not family, but there lay within him an unshakeable connection to Butterflytuft's children- their kin had always been kind to him, and in turn he would offer them the same. "Your enthusiasm is- is- is already miles ahead," he encouraged gently, "There's plenty of time for your abilities to catch up. Especially under Sorrelsong's watch."
penned by pin ✧