A Bear in the Bush (Closed)

Bushpaw knew that being alone was simply not an option. Cat who had feelings made connections, and in order to properly play the part, she needed to form relationships. Having friends, family, and a mate would make her seem more appealing and relatable, which would make it easier to get cats to follow her when the time came. Plus, having cats who had trusted her for a long time would be helpful as personal assistance. They would think they knew her well enough that she could never do anything outside of the personality she put on around them. If she acted good enough, they would fight, vouch, or even break the warrior code for her. As long as she acted like she loved them as much as she made them love her. That made it clear that forming relationships was necessary. For friends, she had decided on Aspenpaw, the rather impulsive she-cat. Building more of a bond between her and Flintpaw would also be great, because nothing showed friendliness more than someone who loved their family. Of course, she still needed the mate character. And she was pretty sure that she had picked out the perfect fool. Bearpaw was muscular and strong, but not too aggressive or macho. While someone physically strong was great, it could make her seem like she "loved" him for that reason, so his insecurity would help her seem more genuine. After being blamed for Beepaw's death, a lot of the clan was suspicious of the tom, and on top of that he was born an outsider. Adding in the factor of how unnerving the big battle had been, she was pretty sure she could find enough insecurities in him to make him grow fond of her.
If she said she didn't care about any of those things and it was wrong for anyone to do so, she could probably gain some emotional ground there. Just pretending to understand him would make him completely fall for her, she was sure of it. She had positioned herself in camp so he couldn't see her staring intently at him. Giving off a creepy vibe would completely ruin what she was going for. Casually, she padded over to the tom, her expression thoughtful.
"Good morning Bearpaw," Bushpaw greeted brightly, making sure not to have to much energy. While she wanted to seem positive and happy, acting insensitive or overly-excited would only make her job harder. Sitting down beside Bearpaw, she was just far enough away so that their pelts weren't quite touching. Once again, she noticed how big his paws were, and felt certain she made the right decision. He would be perfect. Careful not to let him see her studying his feet, she looked into his hazel eyes. Though she wasn't sure why anyone would actually be attracted to him, she did her best to seem interested. Her eyes were open slightly winder than usual, giving off a cute look of innocence. If that wasn't enough to make him notice her appeal, than he was tougher than she had thought. "Would you like to go hunting with me?"

His body still ached from the battle that had occurred not long before. The sensation had only been made worse by his inability to slow down. If the clan needed something done, Bearpaw would not hesitate to act. But ever since fighting against Lichenmask's band of exiles, the tabby had felt something weighing down on him. Aspenpaw's death had not brought him any solace. Instead, he was troubled by what the manic tom had left behind in his final moments, a message for Bearpaw himself, engraved into another cat's feature forever. Birdflight would never see as she had before. It was a horrific act of revenge meant for the Thunderclan apprentice but had been inflicted on another in his place. Seeing it, that empty socked... remembering the blood pouring down his own claws. Nothing had ever affected him as much as the knowledge that his clanmate not suffered that same wound. One he had deserved.

He now sat in camp, only for a brief moment. The early morning had already been filled with patrols, making sure none of the rogues who had fought beside the exiles were lurking about. His paws felt like they had been crushed under boulders. But he paid no mind to that as his thought briefly drifted to the memory of Birdflight's face. Bearpaw was unable to take the image from his mind. For some reason, this had imprinted itself to his mind and grasped on with inescapable fury. Normally not the time to spend too much time inside himself, being a cat of action, it was strange to be constantly be bombarded by something as trivial as a thought. Visiting, or at least attempting to aid, the warrior had done nothing to ease the pit within his chest. It was for this reason he had no issue burying himself in patrols.

When Bushpaw approached, his eyes flickered up and merely attempted to register her presence for a moment. This apprentice was not one that he knew well. But he could easily conjure up the name of a clanmate. There was a mild interested in his eyes as he nodded in response. Although they had not interacted much, Bearpaw was appreciative of the company outside of his adoptive kin. Perhaps this would be a good way for him to shake the images that haunted him and get to know another clanmate. The prospect was enticing on all levels. While hauling himself back up to his paws proved to take more effort than he hoped, the apprentice gave no outward appearance of his struggle. With a soft smile that was interrupted by his oversized fangs, the tabby meowed lowly, "That sounds great. We should head out. More prey the better."

Bearpaw was one to follow the rules, so after snagging a nearby [NPC] warrior to join the hunt, it would be better than going out alone. Even though his ceremony was long overdue, the tom did not think too much of it, not consider the fact that he should be able to hunt on his own. He was simply contented to follow the rules, and apprentices were not supposed to be out alone. Cloudheart [NPC] was rather distractable and would likely just do his own thing. With a slight flick of his tail towards Bushpaw, the tabby headed out after the warrior who had already charged off on his own. He walked in silence, not seeing the need for conversation.

"Great! Let's get going," Bushpaw purred, smiling up at Bearpaw. While she wouldn't exactly describe herself as a small cat, he was a bit bigger than she was, and she had to look slightly upward to talk to him. But that didn't make a difference, and was just further proof of just how useful he could prove to be. Though it looked like he was baring his teeth at her, she could tell it was supposed to be a smile, so she returned it, hoping it looked appreciative. His voice was just as deep as she had suspected, and she was careful not to seem to notice this. While Cloudheart joining was slightly discouraging, she knew they would hardly even notice him. It was more worrying that the other apprentice felt the need to bring along a warrior. It was possible that he didn't want to be alone with her, but it was probably more likely he just wanted to follow the rules. Just like the good little apprentice that he was. Deciding that was the case, she followed the two toms to the camp's exit, just to see that the warrior had already gone ahead into the forest. Internally, she thanked the Lords. He really did have his head in the clouds. This would be the perfect time to begin warming up to the tom next to her.
"Well, it looks like Cloudheart's already on his way," Bushpaw reasoned, making sure to keep her tone warm and friendly. Due to the fact that she hadn't really interacted with Bearpaw too much before, she was sure he wouldn't notice her change in personality. And if he did, hopefully he would just think she was interested in him. While that was technically true, it wouldn't be for the reason he thought. Before she had spoken, she could tell his silence was intentional. Now she was starting to suspect that how introverted he was could pose a bit of a challenge, more than anything else really. But it was nothing a little bit of peer support wouldn't be able to fix. Asking about his day, or just making small talk of any sort, would probably not seem welcoming to him, maybe even a bit off-putting. Something a bit more personal, but not in anyway intrusive. Already she could tell he was invested in the rules, and she wanted to talk bit about his interests before moving on to subjects that he might be more sensitive about. "You know, I've noticed that you're probably the most rule-abiding cat in our clan. I like that about you."

Hunting was the thing at the forefront of the tom's mind. In his usual focus, Bearpaw allowed his massive paws to lead him through the forest. As the warrior disappeared ahead, he merely considered how distractable the other cat was. He hoped that he would never be like that. When Bushpaw made a remark about it, a low huff comparable to a laugh rumbled from his throat. There were few things that he found amusement given his focused and driven personality and the sound was a bit shocking, even to himself. The massive tabby glanced down at Bushpaw, once again allowing the crooked, fanged smile to briefly flit across his features. At this moment the tom found a strange feeling cause his head to tilt ever so slightly, barely noticeable to the eye. His face gave nothing away. But, he considered for once, that the cat standing next him had nice fur. Nice fur? What a ridiculous thought.

Allowing the idea to slip away, Bearpaw turned his gaze back to the territory in front of them. The strange thought was quickly forgotten but managed to still urge from the back of his mind to look at Bushpaw. He almost growled aloud but stopped himself. Never before had he let himself even consider being attracted to another cat. Yet his inherently caring and sweet disposition seemed to have finally chosen this time to appear. Perhaps it was in the wake of everything with the Shadowclan exile, the battle, Birdflight. Perhaps his mind was desperately searching for a way to truly dispel the trauma that had begun to embed itself into his brain. Whatever the cause was, the apprentice did not want it. This was a hunting patrol, not the time to think about being mate with a cat he didn't even know. Mates? Oh, Great Starclan.

"What?" Bearpaw's eyes snapped back to her as he slowly processed what she'd said. It took a moment for him to come up with a response but finally, his fangs grazed the lower part of his maw as he spoke, "It's my duty as a future warrior. I would hope any admirable cat would follow the code." Another cat might have come up with a way to thank their clanmate for the kind words or have a whole speech prepared on the importance of the code. Bearpaw's matter-of-fact ideals left him less than ready to handle a compliment of anything. For once in his lifetime, the Thunderclan tom was not entirely focused on the hunt ahead of him. It reminded him of the desire to be with his kin, sharing tongues, but different in a way. Maybe they could be good friends, hang out with him and Harepaw. That sounded nice. He shook his head in another futile attempt to dispel the strange thoughts bombarding his mind. As his pawsteps slowed, Bearpaw finally added lowly, "Perhaps we should hunt?"

ooc: this was one of the hardest things to write bc bearpaw experiencing attraction is as weird for him as it is for me to write him experiencing it lol

"Yes, most cats follow the code, but I can tell how important it is to you. Not all cats have that level of honor," Bushpaw replied, eyes focused on Bearpaw like he was the most interesting cat in the world. In truth, she actually did have a bit of use for someone who would follow the rules all the time. Soon enough, he would be following her every word without question. All she had to do was make herself more important than the warrior code, which may pose to be a bit of a challenge. But that wasn't to be done today. Today was just to get him to fall head over tail for her, so she could wrap him around her paws in later moons. The way he shook his head as if to clear out thoughts was not missed by her, and she made a mental note of that. Best case scenario, he was shaking love-struck thoughts out so he could focus on feeding his clan. His words supported that, though she guessed she wasn't that lucky. While a cute appearance and appealing personality would be what got her deep into his head, he was smart enough not to be totally enraptured by her yet. 
"Yes, hunting is a good idea. That's the reason why we're out her, isn't it?" The level of cheeriness Bushpaw added to her voice almost made it seem like a joke, but not so much that Bearpaw might wonder if she took him or hunting seriously. Giving the other apprentice a warm and cheery smile, she did her best to make her eyes seem to sparkle. Other cats used that word to describe it a lot, but it was really just widening her eyes and raising her brow ever so slightly. It had nothing to do with what her eyes themselves actually looked like. Scenting the air with a bit of exaggerated movements, she quickly caught the scent of a squirrel. Though those were by far the easiest to catch, catching a rather large one would be impressive. Lowering her chances of missing were even better, because she while she knew how to play it off if she happened to miss, catching it would make this patrol go a lot smoother. Trotting after the scent with an aura of innocence, she quickly spotted the gray rodent. Crouching down, she stalked towards her target. Her eyes were fixed, noticing the squirrel's every movement, from the way it was digging to the occasional twitch of its tail. She made sure her technique was perfect for the situation. Skilled and silent, as well as with a bit of a bounce in her step. With calculated force, she jumped at the squirrel, an excited smile placed on her maw as she leaped for it. Before it had any time to even notice her, her claws were around it and she killed it with a swift bite to the neck. Picking it up, she grinned as if this was something that didn't happen every day. Glancing at the sky for just a moment, she whispered something incoherent to give the appearance of thanking StarClan. Faking energy she smiled as she trotted back over to Bearpaw and dropped the squirrel on the ground. "That squirrel was pretty mouse-brained, or in this case, squirrel-brained. It didn't even see me when I was a whisker away from it!" Humble brags disguised as humor worked on most, though she wasn't sure if he would like this. Realizing she had taken a risk, she hoped it went over well.

OOC: I hope you don't mind if I use the hunting system. Bushpaw actually still needs to requirement.

The member 'Squirrelnose' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 4

ooc: fine by me! want to start another topic soon? bear just got his warrior name :)

As she spoke of honor, Bearpaw listened, drawn in by her words. The distraction was easy, but a mixture of being unwelcome and something he seemed to desire in the most personal depths of his being. It was a feeling that made his claws knead the ground in confusion. When she added a response to his question of hunting, the apprentice shook his head slightly and turned towards the open forest. Perhaps the scent of prey would draw him back into the goal of hunting, bring him back to the patrol. Somewhere ahead their patrol leader was likely already in the midst of a catch. Bearpaw cursed himself internally for allowing himself to get caught in conversation with another but it was as easy as talking with his kin, or even Harepaw. They'd never really spoken before either, which only made the feeling that much more unusual.

As she broke away for a quick cat, instead of heading out on his own, the massive tabby's paws were stuck to the forest floor as he watched after her. As she leaped and tore down the sizable squirrel, his eyes flickered with something akin to awe. Not only was the she-cat's pelt marvelous underneath the light of day but her skill was awesome. Bearpaw trotted over to her, closing the distance. Never before had he stumbled in his speech and yet now words stuck to the back of his tongue. Shaking away the ridiculous feeling, his teeth bad touch against the fur of his maw as he congratulated her on a lovely catch, "That was great, Bushpaw. You did well."

After an awkward pause, he gave her a stiff nod and turned away. His maw parted slightly to seek out something nearby. Bearpaw tried his hardest to deaden the fall of his paws. No matter how hard he had tried, the apprentice was still not the most skilled. Yet his drive and persistence usually lead to an eventual catch. He shoved away thoughts of the other apprentice, berating himself once more for allowing her to cause such distracting thoughts to run through his head. There was small sparrow pecking at the earth ahead. Creeping forward, the tom kept his sights trained on the little creature. It wasn't much but it was at least something. One cat's hunger would be staved off for now. The blood roared in his ears as he padded forward. Once close enough, Bearpaw leaped. He felt it underneath his paws, claws just barely snagging the feathers. There was wild chirping as it slipped through his grasp and flew up into the sparse trees.

"Mousedung!" He swore. Bearpaw's gaze immediately shifted back to the ground as his claws sunk into it with frustration. So much for an attempt.

The member 'Reindeer Ripped' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 7

"Thanks Bearpaw," Bushpaw replied, a pleased smile forming over her maw. A well-placed blink was enough to make it seem like the compliment had charmed her. Eyes focused with the illusion of complete interest, she watched as Bearpaw tracked a bird. Immediately she could tell that stealth was not his forte. His big paws were made for fighting rather than silent stalking. Any trained warrior would be able to tell he was coming, so using him in a sneak attack would not be the best idea. Of course, sneak attacks were risky and she didn't intend to have to do any, so his obvious strength was worth the small flaw. As soon as the larger apprentice's paws came down on the bird, she was sure it was going to get away. The size of his paws were enough to slow them down, and the sparrow was able to escape. This was good. Celebrating in success was great, but encouragement in failure was something more easily remembered by most. Padding up to him, she noted his frustration. "I'm sure you'll catch something next time." Her voice held the cheeriness of encouragement while still remaining gentle, even though she was sure she could be a bit less meticulous now. He had already began to fall for her, but she needed to hold that attraction for a while, until it was secure enough for him to not question a thing she did. 
Opening her mouth, Bushpaw scented the air, quickly detecting the scent of a mouse. Following her nose, she soon saw the small brown creature by the base of a tree. Slipping into a crouch, she tried to show sleek and perfected technique. Even if she failed to catch it, if she looked like she had flawless technique, it would seem more like bad luck and less like her fault. Slowly approaching the creature, she suddenly pounced for it, leap graceful yet peppy. Claws unsheathed, she shot her paws at the small rodent, immobilizing it long enough to finish it off with a quick snap of her fangs. Picking the dead mouse up, she dropped near where she had placed the squirrel she had already caught. "Your turn! I'm sure you'll catch something this time."


OOC: Sorry for short post, I have a bad headache today. Hopefully Bush will become a warrior in the two weeks, would you like the next topic to be before or after that?

The member 'Squirrelnose' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 1