private TWIST OF FATE — badgermoon

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The familiar breeze was nice, as was the fresh air and the absence of stuffy herbs and medicines clogging his nostrils. No scolding from Vulturemask, no complaining from the other medicine den occupants... simply the silence of the moors. Badgermoon had taken it upon himself to volunteer to bring Snakepaw out for a little bit, which the apprentice genuinely felt appreciation and relief for, but it was hard not to feel immense guilt and shame for what had happened in the first place.

Snakepaw slouches slightly as the pair sits watching the moors. "I suppose you're disappointed." Disappointed in him for how he handled the fox, disappointed that their training had been halted for the time being. What if Snakepaw had grown rusty, had forgotten his training and had to start over? He's fairly certain that he could jump back into lessons with little issue, but it's undoubtedly a worry that weighs on his mind. It was the dark-furred apprentice's dream to graduate into warriorhood as one of WindClan's finest, to make his parents proud, to be seen as valued and great in the eyes of Sootstar. He also wanted to prove to dung-faced Firefang that he was Badgermoon's best apprentice, but... would that be able to happen now that his leg was injured?

Perhaps Snakepaw's despair could be seen as a bit overdramatic, but the black tom has truly never experienced an injury before. He didn't know what to expect out of the healing process or how things would be after he was discharged. In fact, there was a small part of Snakepaw that wondered if Vulturemask would sabotage him in some way.

// @Badgermoon ​

 

[Badgermoon]

Between Vulturemask's...unique...personality, the confined space, and the overwhelming reek of plants, Badgermoon could hardly blame anyone for being desperate to get out of the medicine den. Snakepaw's escape attempt from the other night had made it clear that his apprentice was practically begging to get out of there, even for a little while, and so he'd offered to take the black-furred youth out for a (supervised) outing. The broad-shouldered tomcat's head was tipped up to catch scents on the breeze, inhaling deeply and with evident satisfaction, but he glanced down in surprise as Snakepaw spoke. Disappointed? "I'm not disappointed in you, Snakepaw. I'm just sorry your training has had to stop while you heal." he blinked - it had never occurred to him that his apprentice might think he had somehow earned his disapproval. "But things happen. You lived, you're healing, and perhaps you'll even end up with a fetching scar like yours truly." he grinned and brushed a paw along his own scars, twisting over his chest like gnarled tree roots.

"I do hope you learned why it's good to be there for your Clanmates, though, and be kind to them: because sometimes, things happen and you need their help." he paused, his mind drifting to certain cats, before correcting himself: "Or, if not being kind to them, at least working alongside them. You don't have to be friends with everyone, but a good warrior is there for his Clanmates. That's all I'm saying, 'cos it's a foolish cat, not to mention a lousy warrior, who refuses to give or receive help...so I hope you're proud of yourself for that."​

 

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Snakepaw always found it curious how he had been assigned to such a patient and optimistic cat. There were plenty of WindClanners who were bloodthirsty and deadly, or perhaps more so cold and brutal, and then there were cats like Badgermoon who appeared upbeat and friendly on the surface. Even his mentor undeniably had a darker side to him; surely Sootstar did not choose him to be her deputy for his amiability. "Hm." He manages to acknowledge Badgermoon's advice, dimmed gaze glued to the ground. "It doesn't help that some of my denmates are utterly insufferable," Not to mention some of the older cats, too, but he wouldn't dive into that right now. "But if I must..." He doesn't promise to try, at least not verbally, especially knowing that he likely wouldn't be able to keep it. His clanmates were mousebrained and never seemed to agree with him on anything; how would he be expected to work alongside them as warriors?

The apprentice's eyes flick toward Badgermoon's chest scars; they are pretty distinctive, with one obviously from Sootstar's loyalty ceremony. Some scars were ugly, in his own opinion, but the mark of a high rank was one that most WindClanners dreamed of having. Snakepaw had always wondered what his scar would look like... if he ever got the opportunity. "That one is from SkyClan's deputy... correct?" Snakepaw meows, with a pointed look toward the marking opposite the one made by Sootstar's claws. The battle with SkyClan occurred when he was a newly-made apprentice, which seemed so long ago now.

"Would you kill her if you had the chance?" Snakepaw inquires, the topic of conversation shifting although he's secretly glad to do so. He wonders if there is a desire to kill underneath his sunny exterior; he's seen a certain drive for battle in Badgermoon in spars. Would he spill another cat's blood for the sake of revenge?​

 

[Badgermoon]

It was true that Badgermoon had not been promoted simply for his easygoing personality; indeed, sometimes his inclination towards friendliness got in the way of work that needed to be done. Snakepaw seemed to take his words under advisement, and he felt content with the youth's reaction. "Fair enough, but y'know, that may not change when you become a warrior." the bicolor tom said with another grin, shifting his weight and curling his dark tail around his body. At least sleeping out under the stars meant one didn't need to be pressed up against any Clanmate they might find particularly irritating.

He watched as Snakepaw studied his scarred chest, and he gave a soft huff at the mention of Orangeblossom. He could still see the damned she-cat's foul brown eyes, feel the raw satisfaction of his claws and teeth sinking into her. He still resented that she had escaped with her life. "Yes. Her name is Orangeblossom." his nose wrinkled and he flexed his claws against the sun-warmed soil.

"Of course." The deputy's response was immediate and delivered in a tone of some surprise: he had not thought anyone could even contemplate otherwise. "She's a SkyClanner...the second-in-command for the Kittypet King himself." he rasped his tongue over his whiskers. "I'd love another chance to put her in the ground...she never should've survived our first encounter, but she got lucky." Badgermoon glanced down at his scars again and grimaced. "She's got some reminders of me on her, though, for what it's worth."

He studied Snakepaw, his yellow eyes glinting with interest. "What about you, Snakepaw? Do you feel ready to kill?"​