The Darkness Inbetween | Lambpaw

[Mosspool]

Mosspaw sat quietly, eating her mouse. The hunting patrol she had went on had been long, and it was best to get rest after that much work. Else she might not be able to give her best effort tomorrow. Her gaze wandered as she ate to Lambpaw nearby, catching on the other apprentice's missing tail. She knew the story behind it, at least vaguely. Though little more than that.

"What was the dog you fought like?" Mosspaw questioned suddenly, eyes shining with curiosity. "If you don't mind me asking." She dipped her head politely. It had occurred to her, after she had spoken, that she might come off as rude.

"I have just never seen one up close." She offered in explanation. From the scary stories she had heard as a kit, she knew the animals were not to be trifled with. They were terrifyingly large creatures, with jaws that could tear open any warrior in a single bite. However, she also knew that they could be driven off by teams of cats, as long as they had enough coordination and skill. Thunderclan claimed to have done so, from what she had heard, so Riverclan warriors could certainly manage it. If she was to ever face one, knowledge of a firsthand account would certainly be useful.

Besides, she was curious.​

 

[LAMBFANG.]

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I'LL MAKE MYSELF BELIEVE

Lambpaw was expecting to be able to eat her fish in peace, but it seems once of the younger apprentices had other plans. Or, not quite so much younger, if she's remembering right — sometimes Lambpaw forgets there's not so much a gap between her and the other apprentices, what with her warrior ceremony coming up so soon. Mosspaw's certainly not so young as to be a bother, and Lambpaw's not so solitary as she often seems. "Don't mind," she rumbles easily, brown eyes peering down at Mosspaw.

There's a silence, following it, as Lambpaw chews her food and waits for Mosspaw to finish her polite explanation. A quiet that stretches a bit too long afterwards, as the senior apprentice considers her words. "Be glad y'haven't," Lambpaw warns lowly. She takes a breath, continues. "Was a huge beast, all black fur, black eyes, and big teeth. Snappin' and barkin' all angry-like. A young'un, the warriors said. I'd hate to see one full grown." She stops, swallows thickly, remembering the fight itself. She leans down, slowly, to take another bite of her fish. Her face is stone.

I CAN SLEEP EASILY ALONE
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₊°✧ info ; visual

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• LAMBPAW named for her sheeplike coloration.
  — she/her. 12 moons.
  — riverclan apprentice, mentored by clovernose.
  — stoic and unyielding. poor social skills.
  
  casual character, low activity. penned by saturnid.​
• "SPEECH"
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• 

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[Mosspool]

What remained of her mouse forgotten between her paws, Mosspaw listened attentively to Lampaw's every word. She intended to remember as much as she could in case she needed to face down a dog one day.

To her disappointment, most of what Lambpaw told her aligned with what she had heard from other accounts. She already knew that dogs were big, toothy monsters filled with rage. For a moment she was almost disappointed. It was the last sentence that finally caught her attention. "It was only a child?" Mosspaw breathed in awe, eyes going wide for a moment. In her mind she had imagined some old, grizzled dog had been the one to tear the other apprentice's tail away. A real monster, one from the stories used to scare kits.

The thought that even a young dog could be so dangerous...

It made her shudder.

Her next question slipped from her mouth almost without thought. "How did you survive?" It was, she told herself, a good way to learn what to do in such an encounter herself. Mosspaw stared up at the older apprentice, utterly entranced by her words.​