private you actin' kinda shady (icepaw)

[NIGHTMAREFACE]

// @icepaw

ACHOO

The tiny woman hunches over, a forepaw rubbing hard at her nose. "ACK! This damned dirt!" She hisses. She's accustomed to burrows and tunnels like these from her youth, but she's still learning the ins and outs of these tunnels. Regardless, she's got an apprentice to train, and by the stars she will not let this youngster perish underground. "As I was saying," Nightmareface throws a look over her shoulder, but it's pointless. One can't see a thing down here, but she knows Icepaw is just behind her. "Keep marking where you've been. Last thing you want is getting trapped down here in this maze. Until you memorize these paths like the claws on your paw, you mark every few steps, understand?" She waits a few heartbeats, hardly giving her any time to answer. "Understand?!" She snaps again, wanting to make sure her charge really gets how important this lesson is.​

 

[icebreath]

TAGS — Icepaw jumps a little when their mentor sneezes; sudden noises in the darkness always catch them off guard. Maybe they should work on that. But then again, it's always good to be on high alert, right? But maybe not, when it's at the expense of her sense of ease...

Nightmareface's hissed remark interrupts their mental tangent, which is probably for the best. But then her mind slips again, wondering if the molly's getting sick, and then she worries about the prospect of her being quarantined with the rest of the infected cats and what Icepaw will have to do in the meantime for training. Who would she like most as a substitute mentor? Curlewnose is really nice...

Once again Nightmareface cuts into their musings, and she doesn't sound congested; Icepaw reminds herself that the dirt and dust down here can probably irritate a cat's nose pretty easily, like the molly herself had implied. So it's back to business. The little apprentice looks forward with a serious expression, nodding along despite the darkness blotting out their vision. They part their jaws to offer verbal acknowledgment, only to jump again with a sharp intake of breath when the heated question is repeated. "Understood!" they reply, making sure to rub their flank against the tunnel wall to leave their scent behind. Their pale gaze drifts upward — a pointless action, but a reflexive one — for a few moments, before she looks ahead again thoughtfully. "Where are we right now?" they venture. "I mean, what's above us?" It's a question they ask somewhat frequently, always wanting to get their bearings as best as they can.
​

 

[NIGHTMAREFACE]

A grunt leaves her as she continues on, feeling her way with ivory whiskers. Her tail whips from side to side as she halts, pondering. "Uh...somewhere near Outlook Rock....I think, yeah." She's still learning her way around these moors. It'll take moons to completely memorize them. "By the time I'm done with ya, you'll always know where you are!" She proudly declares before continuing on, nosing her way through the darkness.

There's a rushing sound and the bicolor stops again, ears pricking. "Y'hear that? Underground river." She sniffs, taking in the smell of damp earth. "We'll find another way. No matter what, you stay away from the sound of water. It's a death sentence unless you're some fish-breathed RiverClanner, HA!" Twirling back around, she unceremoniously shoves her way past her apprentice. It's a tight squeeze, but she wriggles through, probably pressing poor Icepaw into the dirt wall. "Keep up! This way!" ​