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[Needledrift]

Needledrift had never found a day that she thought not fit for training. Every day was a good training day, as her apprentice.... apprentices now.... would have to be able to provide for their clan no matter the weather or circumstances once they were warriors anyways. And so, the gray and white warrior often set up little pop quizzes to challenge her warriors-in-training. Today's quiz was perhaps the most different of their recent adventures, presented in the form of a game.

"- you will be separated into two teams today. In your teams, you will act as opposing hunting patrols. Your target -" She gestures to a low hanging branch where a fat, almost-ready-to-fall pinecone hung above her head. "- is this pinecone. You will have to choose who among your teams will 'catch' the prey. Once the pinecone is 'caught', you will have to get it to me without the other team stealing your catch!" It is an exercise both in teamwork and in opportunism. ShadowClan cats should not just be loyal to each other, but stealthy and pragmatic.

"Two rules, though." She continues as the apprentices begin to titter among themselves, no doubt moving to pick their own team members in an effort to keep themselves with their chosen friend groups. "Claws sheathed at all times and absolutely no name-calling, spitting, kicking, hitting, or whisker-pulling if your team doesn't win. Is that clear with everybody?"

She raises a non-existent brow to each of the gathered apprentices in turn and waits for her verbal cue to begin the game. @mothpaw @TADPOLEPAW ​

 

[Wheattail]

Wheatpaw was not a team player.

She wasn’t necessarily opposed to the concept, though. The fox-like feline had no fragile ego that needed protecting, nor was there a chip on her shoulder telling her that help was for the weak, nothing of the sort. The Somali lookalike had spent so many moons in solitude, though, that continuing as she had just seemed natural. It was what the wanderer was comfortable with, and she was in no hurry to fix what was not broken.

That was why when Needledrift announced their exercise for the day, amber eyes immediately rolled in mild annoyance. Wheatpaw even wasn’t participating out of a desire for self-improvement or some sense of Shadowclan patriotism, it was because the warrior explaining the instructions was one of the few she had grown to call friend here, even if never aloud. “If any of you pull my whiskers when we win, you will have much more to worry about than Needledrift.” she announced to the other cats once the rules were concluded, sharpened amber eyes making it impossible to tell if the she-cat was exaggerating or not.

Even still, a small feeling of guilt shot through her as the teams were assembled. Wheatpaw had no doubt she was one of the better hunters among the apprentices thanks to the time spent fending for herself, but would it be fair to use those skills when the wanderer would abandon Shadowclan eventually? The idea of other cats congratulating her efforts or even coming to rely on her, unaware that one day she would be gone without a trace, it didn’t sit right with the she-cat.

As such, Wheatpaw would play a character. Ambling over to a quickly assembling team, the apprentice would announce her presence with a forced yawn. “One of you can get that blasted pinecone, I could not catch a wink of sleep last night.”​

 

[APPLEJAW]

Applepaw stands among the other apprentices, younger than them – and she would not let that stop her. Her bored expression is no mask, though. Really, this seemed more like a kit game. What use was there in hunting fake prey when they could go out and hunt real prey? The stealing part of the game while more interesting, didn’t seem to have much practical use.

Qualms aside, she will participate, just in case this somehow was actually some incredibly - effective training method. " Are there team leaders? " If so, she would like to be one. Either way, she would amble over to the decidedly not - Wheatpaw team. Applepaw rolls her eyes at their words, as if someone too sleepy to catch a pinecone was any threat.

" I'll do it, " she quickly volunteers, unwilling to go through the game of you’re it Wheatpaw was trying to initiate on their own team. " Am I expected to pretend that this is real prey, or can I just pick it up? "

ooc ༊ 𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂

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• 

• ( I'M OBSESSED WITH THE MESS THAT'S AMERICA. ) APPLEPAW. kit of shadowclan. eldest sister to swankit, valeriankit, and garlickit.
  —— she / her; confused by the use of others
  —— currently 5 moons old as of 9.3.23. ages every 17th.
  
  longhaired blue torbie with a white chest, paws, and underbelly. A young cat you would describe as " bossy, " Applekit is quick to take charge of any situation she sees herself as the probable head of. A rule - follower to a T, and thinks herself better than the majority of her clan for this. Not ignorant enough to think herself above a warrior, but seeks to gain that status as quickly as possible. Intensely self - motivated to be the best in a mixture of blind, childish desire, and never wanting to be afraid of anything ever again.

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[COMFREYPAW]

Comfreypaw sits neatly beside Applepaw, amber eyes gleaming in Needledrift’s direction. “If there are team leaders, I think Applepaw should be one,” she says, joining her tortoiseshell friend and giving Wheatpaw a half-apologetic glance. She doesn’t mind the strangely-spoken ginger she-cat, but really, she couldn’t pick anyone’s team except her best friend’s. That would be silly.

She listens to Applepaw’s question with pricked ears, then nods. “It’s easier if we can just pick it up,” she points out. Really, she hopes there’s more competition than Wheatpaw… the other apprentice doesn’t seem the least bit interested in what’s going on.

✧ INFO.

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  — comfreykit . comfreypaw
  — she/her, apprentice of shadowclan
  — bisexual ; single
  — short-haired charcoal tabby with amber eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — art by Meadowllark

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