Food pile is a little low... (Closed Patrol)

Oakpaw jumped out of the apprentice den bright and early, ready to train. Sadly, he looked around and couldn't seem to find Brackenberry, the tom seemed to have been gone for a bit. Shaking his head, he then brightened, he could find a couple of other apprentices and a warrior! Sitting beside the camp entrance, he waited.

When Oakpaw woke, so did Dovepaw; the trio slept beside one another beneath the stars each night. The tom had stepped on her paw as he stood for the first time that day and she woke easily, groggily watching him trot toward the camp entrance. Once the apprentice was awake, it was nearly impossible for her to fall back asleep—especially when the first light of morning had begun evaporating the dew.

She grabbed a smaller, scrawny rabbit from the prey pile—it was difficult for her to eat a whole one yet—and noted that it only had a few pieces of fresh-kill, strange for Green-Leaf. She brought the remains of the rabbit to the elder's den, and vanished behind the dens. For a few heartbeats, it was as though she had never been there.

And then a yowl pierced the air as she leapt on top of Oakpaw, claws sheathed, blue eyes wild and teeth bared. "Mousebrain," she teased as she scrambled off him, ears pricking. "You look lonely. Goin' on patrol? I'll come.

"It's not like I have anything better to do," she muttered, scraping shallow scores into the earth with a claw.

Ooc: hey, Oakpaw, uv called him Owlpaw twice now. And 2, so how about after this, I know you'll like this Malpe, posting order, so I suppose it's me, then dove, then whoever goes next, talon or silent, doesn't matter. Alright, cool, let's go!

Talonpaw watched the two go about quietly, his expression blank. He had been awake, his mind racing. He wasn't a heavy sleeper, and normally thoughts kept him up late at night. To be fair, he had quite a bit to think about.

He thought of Dovepaw, leaping on Oakpaw with grace and excitement. Was she better than him? Talonpaw had been studying her with cold scrutiny. So far, he hadn't been blown away. If she was anything like her brother, Oakpaw, she was resourceful yet self-aware; she knew where her skills lied. Watching her, he almost resented her.  They had the same mentor, Slatethroat. Already Talonpaw could see that they had somewhat of a bond. The gray tabby hated it. Soft mentors make soft apprentices, and soft apprentices make soft warriors, he thought, scowling. There was a hint of green jealousy, though, as much as Talonpaw despised it.

His scowl disappeared as he heard them talking about hunting. Ah, he thought, a perfect time to gauge her abilities. He trotted over to them, a half-interested look on his face. "Hey, can I join? I've got nothing to do, right now. And some fresh food sounds pretty great." He smiled warmly at them, although it felt weird as he was slightly looking down upon them. He'd never get used to being taller than his friends.

Silentstrike came padding back into camp, relieved that he hadn't found any intruders on the clan territory. He was already somewhat hungry from the patrol he had just gone on, especially considering the fact that he hadn't eaten breakfast. He wasn't one hundred percent sure if the kits, queens, and elders had eaten yet, either, so he decided to wait. As soon as he saw Oakpaw, Talonpaw, and Dovepaw gathered near the entrance, he almost immediately decided that this would be a patrol. But they had no warrior? He could fix that in a snap. The Fresh Kill pile looked like it could use some tipping off, anyway. "I hope you guys aren't planning on sneaking out. You'll need a warrior with you to leave camp. Do I need to tag along?" He asked, sitting beside the group. He was so much taller than the three of them- it almost scared him. He'd have to get used to seeing all these smaller apprentices.

OOC: Another thing, try to avoid OOC posting, as it fills up topics with what may be considered spam~ :D

Oakpaw nodded, a sly grin on his face. "No no, no sneaking," he meowed, " not as long as your here. You tagging along would be great! Let's go!" He knew Silentstrike should have probably led the way, but he would be right behind him, it wouldn't be a problem. Plus, he got to show what a great leader he was! Plodding along, he led the way into the territory, then looked behind him. "You coming guys?" He called.

Ooc: K

Dovepaw lowered her ears as Silentstrike arrived, dejectedly brushing away her hope to sneak out with her friends. Whatever. Talonpaw and Oakpaw are clumsy anyway; we'd probably get caught. Rolling her eyes at the brown tom's tone and posture, she leapt after him, landing beside him so that their flanks brushed as they walked. Dovepaw loved the moors, the great sweeping tallgrasses with the faint scent of rabbits and moorhens.

What struck her, as the group traveled quietly away from camp, grasses springing up in their wake, was that Talonpaw seemed stranger than usual. He was never the friendliest cat of the bunch, but he appeared colder. With a chill, she noticed that he was much taller than her or Oak, and his muscles rippled beneath his silver coat. He was getting much stronger. Did his attitude have something to do with Slatethroat?

"I, erm, have something…to tell…you…" she trailed off nervously, glancing toward Oak for comfort. Shoulder blades tensing, she whispered: "No one knows except for me…it's a secret that you must swear to Starclan you'll keep."

ooc: i feel like such a skrub minecraftnerd i knew his name omg // since the other topic was never finished, dove is just gonna spill her secret about slate here ovo

Talonpaw walked quietly behind the trio, his eyes on his own paws as he continued to think. Due to his contemplative state, he was completely oblivious to their conversation. He resisted the almost-instinctive urge to raise his hackles. As he kept walking with his friends, he found himself getting more and more angry. Who is Slatethroat to have favorites?! The big old fool doesn't even talk to me!

Talonpaw's eyes burned with icy blue fire. I'll show him someday. There's no way Dovepaw's better than me in any capacity. Put me on the battlefield against her and I would demolish her. I would hunt three times as many prey as her! What does she have that I don't?! Talonpaw found himself shaking, somewhat surprised at his own inability to maintain his composure. He was normally better than this. He took a loud, deep breath, calming himself down.

"No matter," he murmured, not even realizing he had said it out loud," We'll see soon enough..." His eyes raised from his paws as he took interest in Oakpaw and Dovepaw, chatting quietly in front of him. He could not hear what they were talking about, however.

OOC: AAAAAAA I'M SO SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS MY TURN ;w;

IC: Silentstrike smiled at the three younger apprentices. He was only joking about sneaking out, he was sure that they wouldn't, but they seemed to take him seriously. "Wait up now, you can't go off without me." He mewed seriously. He trotted over beside Talonpaw, who seemed confused and angry all at once. "What's up? You look... Confused? Upset? What's wrong?" He glanced at the trio of apprentices ahead of him, hoping they wouldn't get too far.

"What is it Dovepaw?" Oakpaw asked. He put his paw on his chest and said, "I vow I will keep it a secret." His ears pricked with interest, his tail twitched. Dovepaw was his friend in the nursery, an he was excited to have such good friends as her and Talonpaw. Although he and Talonpaw weren't in the best place now... With narrowed eyes, he remembered the fierce battle that took place between his and the other young tom. He knew it wasn't over, not yet. Shaking his head, he came back to reality, waiting to see what Dovepaw would say.

Whiskers twitching with amusement toward Oakpaw, the beautiful apprentice landed a glance behind her toward Talonpaw, dropping a few paces back so that she walked in the middle of the toms. Dovepaw opened her mouth, making sure all the attention was on her.

"I…" Starclan, why did she feel so shy all the sudden? These were her two best friends, the ones she'd known from kithood! Something about Talonpaw had seemed off lately—there was tension between them that had never been there before—but that didn't matter. It was probably nothing; she figured she was overreacting. The mud-and-cream she-cat flicked her ear, as if to dismiss the thought.

"I like Slatethroat, I think!" It came out all at once, and her ear-tips reddened. "Not just like—" she clarified, "I like like him." That made it much more obvious. "And I think he likes me too," she added, looking to her friends for a reaction. Her eyes were bluer than usual, as they usually gained more color when she was excited.

Talonpaw's thoughts were interrupted as Silentstream's words found their way into his ears. He looked up at the warrior, almost surprised he had spoken to the apprentice. "Upset? No." he replied simply, lying through his teeth," Confused? A little." He jerked his muzzle towards Dovepaw, who was speaking with Oakpaw ahead of them."I was just wondering why I have to share a mentor. Me and Dovepaw both have Slatethroat. I'm fine with it, to be fair, now that I think about it." He dismissed the topic quickly.

Then Dovepaw dropped back to him, trying to include him into their conversation. When she gave her confession, his mind went blank for a moment. His jaw went slack, and his eyes were a cloudy and icy blue. He then looked at Dovepaw, staring deep into her bright blue eyes. He found sincerity and veracity in those pockets of blue. So that's it?! They're in love?! The young gray apprentice's mind raced with bewilderment. He smiled at his friend warmly before laughing loudly, his voice suddenly deeper than normal.

"What's to fall in love with?!" he scoffed," he's barely even a cat. I haven't seen a single emotion escape him in my entire life!" While the apprentice's emotions were playful, underneath a storm was brewing. Dark and violent thoughts were the first to enter Talonpaw's mind, and he almost entertained them. They contained impulsive rage, pure bewilderment, and even flutters of jealousy and more passionate emotions. Talonpaw shut them out soon enough, refusing to even delve that far. "And he's your mentor. Good luck loving him when all he's going to do is scold and belittle you!"

OOC: Yeah that hit Talon hard in the feels XD