pafp SUCK IT UP // spar

Scarletpaw

atelophobia.
Mar 19, 2024
64
18
8
// please wait for @SQUIRRELPAW
tagging @skyclaw and @badgerstripe since they'll be here too!

She thinks her uncle has probably noticed her lack of motivation as of late. It's been hard to move on and train while she grieves the death of her great grandmother, one of the only maternal figures she had left in her life. Her uncle is gone, now, too, along with her cousins. All she really has left are Mottledpaw and Meadowpaw...and, of course, Skyclaw, the very reason Howlingstar is no longer here with them. Her heart still aches when she thinks about it, but every time the thought flashes in her mind, the memory of her body being flung from the Highrock, she forces it away and remembers that she has to trust her uncle. He knows best. He, like her mother, believed that ThunderClan would be strongest without kittypet blood tainting its walls, and they're stronger now, aren't they? They have to be, or else it's all for nothing.

And now is her time to prove that strength.

She squares off against Squirrelpaw, a denmate she's always liked well enough, but one that is notably not as...accepting of ThunderClan's new regime as Scarletpaw is. Her uncle and mentor sit off at the edge of the Sandy Hollow to watch, the former urging her to show the other she-cat what a true warrior looks like. She'll do just that. Lowering her head between her shoulders, she bares small fangs and lashes her tail, waiting for Squirrelpaw to make a move before she instead opts to begin the match. She darts towards her on light feet before pivoting at the last moment and leaping left to hopefully throw her off balance. When she lands, she pivots again, this time towards Squirrelpaw and pounces, attempting to leap on the she-cat's back and batter her ears.
 
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Squirrelpaw couldn't fathom why Scarletpaw and her sisters would blindly follow after Skyclaw. After everything he'd done, all the cats he'd hurt. He'd killed their own grandmother, for Starclan's sake! Were they really that blind, or just plain mousebrained? If she stopped to think about it long enough, then maybe she would've come to the conclusion that deep down, they were just scared like the rest of them. But the apprentice didn't want to think about it anymore. Her mother had been hurt during Skyclaw's mutiny, and seeing her denmates stand at his side infuriated her. They didn't deserve her sympathy anymore.

A hint of apprehension burned in her stomach as she faced off with the dark-furred molly, memories of moons of innocent kithood spent playing with one another plaguing her mind. But she pushed those thoughts away, and tamped down any emotion other than anger. She recalled the images of Smokefur hitting her mother, Skyclaw standing above them all like a tyrant. And Scarletpaw, taking his side. Rage surged forward once more, and she let it feed her as she bared her teeth in return. "You chose wrong," she hissed low enough that their onlookers wouldn't hear.

Sand pushed between her toes as she unsheathed her claws into it, muscles tensing in anticipation. It was clear that Scarletpaw was waiting for her to move, but she chose instead to wait, gauging her opponent's movements to prepare for the first strike. She crouched as the other apprentice finally lunged, darting towards her before suddenly pivoting to the side. Squirrelpaw lurched as she tried to follow, but was thrown enough that Scarletpaw was able to leap onto her shoulders. She hissed as paws violently battered her ears, bunching her muscles and aiming to throw herself backwards, hoping to pin Scarletpaw beneath her with the weight of the fall. If successful, she would try to turn herself around to kick at the girl's side with her hind paws.

  • [ mentor tag @Lightflower ]

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  • SQUIRRELPAW she / her, apprentice of thunderclan, 8 moons
    lh blue torbie with high white and green eyes // slender but fluffy // excellent climber
    single, crushing on no one // flamewhisker x flycatcher // mentored by lightflower
    sister to bugpaw, ravenpaw, sunpaw, falconheart and stormfeather
    peaceful and healing powerplay permitted // underline and tag when attacking
    penned by limerence@limericks. on discord, feel free to dm for plots
 
She continues to swing her paws wildly, dual-toned eyes narrowing. The hiss from Squirrelpaw barely registers as more than a distant echo in her mind. You chose wrong. She swings harder. She isn't here to listen to dissent (others may call it reason) - she is here to prove herself, to prove her uncle right. Skyclaw is right; he has to be. Her heart thuds in her chest as her battering is interrupted by a sudden shift in the other apprentice that throws her off balance. The she-cat braces herself for the fall and lets out a sharp breath as her body hits the ground. Pain flares along her side as she's pinned - Squirrelpaw is stronger than her, after all. But she doesn't have time to dwell on that pain.

"I chose ThunderClan's future," She spits through clenched teeth as Squirrelpaw's weight presses down on her. Her voice remains low, so that only her opponent can hear. She has to get up. She can't let herself be pinned like some helpless kit. She take her opportunity when the other begins to kick at her, causing her teeth to grit as the blows land. With a fierce determination, she twists, trying to snake her way out of this position. The moment she finds even a fraction of space, she aims to shove herself free and use her back legs to kick Squirrelpaw off balance, eyes blazing. See? I'm not weak, and I'm not wrong! She peeks to the side, seeing Skyclaw's eyes on her, and she knows she won't let him down. Not after everything they've sacrificed.
 
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In the days following her grandmothers death, the other apprentices had made their stances clear on her. On her and her siblings. It didn't matter that Meadowpaw had had second guesses, it didn't matter that her heart had nearly torn in half when they had buried Howlingstar, when Burnstorm had left. None of it mattered at all. None of it except one thing, her sisters. She had made a vow to herself, that she would protect them no matter what. So wherever Scarletpaw or Mottledpaw went it was not surprising to find Meadowpaw not far behind, if she could.

She stands to the side now, tail lashing and a snarl rippling across her maw as she watches the spar, pacing like a caged animal. She wants to help, she wants to do something, anything at all, but she had been ordered to watch to watch and to learn. Its just a practice fight she tells herself, but there is something in their movements, in the words spit upon the ground with a certain venom that Meadowpaw cannot hear, that makes her anxious "Finish it Scarletpaw!" she calls out, trying to keep her voice encouraging and not shaky.
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  • 84967382_V32sMk7nP8HRBgb.png
    MEADOWPAW THUNDERCLAN KITTEN ; SHE / HER
    LIGHTSTRIKE X MOONWHISPER SISTER TO SCARLETPAW & MOTTLEDPAW ; MENTORED BY PALEFIRE
    A large fluffy red tabby kitten with a white chest, stomach, tail, muzzle and stripe running along her back. Her eyes are a deep, forest, green and in her pelt one can usually find flowers woven
    easy in battle + no formal training