Please save me from this helper! (For Middy and Steam)

Curlypaw had padded over to the marshes with hopes that no other cats would be there. Apparently she was right, because when she got there the only thing that she could smell was mud and frogs. Focusing on the frogs, she decided to catch one. Sliding into a near perfect crouch, she set her eye on a muddy green frog, oblivious to her lurking danger. Cautiously, the gray tabby took a step towards it, sure that her footsteps were silent. Somehow the frog still was able to hear her, and leaped away before she could catch it.
"Oh fox dung," the apprentice muttered, looking around for another frog to catch.

Crowpaw had headed out to the deep marshes to hunt prey for the clan. As he approached he could hear a bit of movement. The marsh floor made it easier to determine that the sounds were indeed pawsteps. He approached closer. His eyes widened as he saw somebody he didn't expect. Curlypaw was quietly trying to hunt a frog. 'Well she's trying to be quiet and step lightly but she's putting too much force on one paw which can make her steps sound louder.' he thought. He flinched as he heard her steps get louder. He hoped that the frog didn't hear her but as she got closer, the frog lept away. He sighed softly as he heard Curlypaw mutter in defeat and soon head farther probably to find another frog. 'Time to make myself visible.' he thought to himself. He quickly went after her. "H-Hey C-Curlypaw! Wait f-for me!" he whisper-shouted to the she-cat.

As Curlypaw scented the air, she scented one of the cats that she wanted to stay away from the most. Her thoughts were confirmed when he called out to her. Crowpaw was such a pain in the neck! But now that he called out to her she couldnt just ignore him.
"Hey Crowpaw, I'm trying to be in a quiet place to not scare away the prey, so having more than one cat here can take that away," she responded, knowing it was too farfetched that he would take the hint and leave her alone. She ducked into another crouch, spying the ground for prey.

OOC: I know this isn't relevant but it's kinda funny. Me knowing that Crowpaw might be Cedarpaw's mate one day makes this situation kinda weird. He has a cute crush on Curlypaw's sis. :3 How do ya think Curlypaw will react when she finds out that one of her annoying "helpers" is in love with her sis?

IC: "B-But Curlypaw...I-I can help y-you w-with your hunting form." he whispered to her. "Y-You were putting too much pressure o-on one o-of y-your paws thus creating some n-noise. While you were t-trying t-to step l-lightly, you weren't in b-balance and kept p-pushing hard on t-the ground. So the m-marsh f-floor doesn't help e-either." he said softly while looking to the ground hoping she wouldn't take his advice and evaluations too badly.

OOC: Jay Bird and I are actually doing a topic right now with that in it. Curlypaw is probably going to be so conflicted and keep all of her emotions inside until she explodes, as usual.
Also, after you post one more time Steam can jump in with Daypaw.

IC: As Crowpaw kept speaking and made no move to leave, Curlypaw sighed. Couldn't this tom just realize that she didn't want help? She could figure out hunting on her own. Not even focusing on what she was being taught, the gray she-cat turned and looked the other apprentice straight in the eye.
"Look, I know you are just trying to help me, but you don't look like my mentor. How many times do I have to tell you that I dont want your help?" By now, she was to exasperated to care about the feelings of the other apprentice. "I get it, when I hunt to much noise. Thanks for telling me what I already know. Now please leave before I die of irritation."

OOC: Alrighty!~ Sorry for not posting a bit sooner!

His ears flattened as he tried to not meet Curlypaw's gaze. He flinched at her words as he felt a lot of guilt. "I-I'm sorry Curlypaw...I-I thought y-you wanted some h-help with y-your hunting." he apologized softly. "B-But you k-know I'm a-always here t-to help you." he stated. "P-Please don't feel l-like i'm d-dragging you down. I-I just want you t-to do your b-best." he said to the she-cat

Daypaw had been listening intently to their conversation from a surprisingly close distance, his dark tabby pelt shrouded in the shadows. He had followed Crowpaw for a while now, as he often followed his siblings around. Redstorm hadn't always been around to train him, so he took interest in what his brothers and sisters had been doing.

He watched Curlypaw recoil and wince at Crowpaw's insistence, and that's when the tom knew it was time to intervene. He could sense that she was really annoyed with him, and the last thing Daypaw wanted was for the two to come to blows. When he'd be leader, he'd have to settle disputes without violence all the time. This could be practice for that.

Daypaw came out of the darkness of the bog, his large dark tabby pelt glistening with moisture as he almost seemed to materialize out of nothing. "Brother," he mewed, his voice low and calm, but still very sharp and threatening," Curlypaw clearly doesn't want your help. Go work on your own hunting and let her work on hers. " His last words were more of a command than anything, and they carried an icy edge to them.

Curlypaw let out a huff of frustration as Crowpaw kept insisting that she needed his help, or at least should have it. Frankly, she was so tired of his foolishness that she was almost to the point of raking him across the nose. But of course, he was her clanmate, she she couldn't do that. She was about to tell him off unsuccessfully again before Daypaw intervened. She thanked StarClan that they had led him here, so that she wouldn't have to spend the day she should have been hunting arguing. And also, he was kind of cute, the perfect saviour.
"Thank you, Daypaw! You saved me from an afternoon of lecture!" the gray she-cat thanked graciously. Then turning to the other tom, she continued. "See? I'm not the only one who can tell that I'm fine. Do you see now, or do I have to spell it out for you still?"

He flinched at Daypaw's command. His fur fluffed up in fear. He slowly backed away from the two cats and suddenly he turned and quickly left to go back to camp without saying a word. His heart was hurting and he now had a secret fear of Daypaw. He had never felt fear like this and it startled him. Once he made it to camp, he dashed to the apprentice's den to hide himself from any cat.

Daypaw watched his older brother fluff up and leave with confusion. He seemed scared, noted the apprentice, Was I really that mean to him? Soon enough, it didn't matter anymore, as Curlypaw had Daypaw's attention. He chuckled at her gratitude, waving it away. "It's nothing," he replied," I don't like being bossed around either. " He took a second to actually look at her, and was proud that he did. She was pretty.

"Well," Curlypaw started, "If I could tell off Crowpaw like that, trust me, my life would be a whole lot different." The gray tabby smiled and looked into Daypaw´s eyes. She still stuck to her first conclusion that he was cute, but now noticed how... strong he seemed. Not just physically, but when he was talking too. It was something she could get used to, something that inspired her to be the same. All of the sudden, like a blow to the chest, she realized that she had a crush on him. No, she couldn't put aside her duties for her clan to go chasing after some random tom she just met. Trying to push those treacherous thoughts aside, she realized there was a slightly awkward silence. So she broke it.
"So, how do you do it?"

Daypaw thought about it for a moment, his pale brown eyes leaving Curlypaw's blue ones as he looked at his paws. "Well," he started," I just say what I want them to hear from me. I make it clear what I expect them to do with what I told them, and it normally works." The tom laughed warmly," It also helps to have a deeper voice. " His voice had always been deeper than normal, and paired with his size, made him seem a lot older than he actually was. " What I want to know is how you're brave enough to go into the marshes by yourself. I'd never be able to do this."

"I guess Ill give that a try," Curlypaw replied, eyes bright. For a second she just imagined herself saying firm commands in a commically deep voice, and she stiffled a laugh. She realized that she was smiling and blushing abnormaly, and forced herself to make a more casual, but still happy expression. How hard would it be to not start going head over paws for Daypaw? If only there was a cure for this. When the dark tom started talking again, she looked back up at him. Though it felt really good to have been complimented, this was an easier problem to face than getting the though of love out of her head.
"It isnt really about being brave, you see. It is just having enough motivation to take the risk. And for me, peace and quiet is enough of a reward to risk it for," she explained thuroughly. Explaining things to cats that werent idiots was always much more care free than explaining the same thing to some stupid cat.

Daypaw laughed along with Curlypaw, finding her to be truly funny. Normally when he laughed, it wasn't as genuine. But now, and here, of all places, he felt relaxed. As Curlypaw made her next joke about peace and quiet, the brown tabby laughed again." You have no idea," he chirped, rolling his eyes," Try having eight sisters! And having to be the big brother to all of them. " To be fair, being a big brother wasn't that much of an issue for Daypaw. He liked to think that it was just preparing him to be a leader. Sometimes, though, it was a lot to deal with. Daypaw didn't have a lot of time for self-reflection because of it.

"Eight sisters? My single sister, Cedarpaw, is friendly, but it is hard to imagine being related to the majority of the apprentices in this clan," Curlypaw replied, gigling slightly. For some reason, Daypaw just encouraged her tendancy to relax and be happy. It was a trait very few cats had. "I bet you are a great big brother to them though."
She hadnt even tried to sya the complimet. It was as if some weird instinctive hormone had spoken instead of her usualy practical brain. Silently scolding herself, she made a mental note to try to not be so fallen for this tom. He was a clanmate who had stopped an annoying cat from annoying her, that was all. That excuse seemed lame even to her.