Like Oil and Water [Closed]

The day was unpleasantly cold for both Poppypaw and his fellow short-furred Clanmates. A slow, but chilly breeze cut through the trees even to the heart of ThunderClan territory, rustling the leaves of the bushy undergrowth. A young tom with a white face sat beside the camp's entrance, waiting for the patrol he'd been put on to gather. His face had an obviously sour note to it. 'Leaffall sucks already. Leafbare's gonna be even worse. Of course it will.' He had his paws and tail tucked close to his body, red fur fluffed against the cold. The apprentice was anxious to become a warrior, too long had he been forced to sleep beside two whole litters of siblings, each one of them a total idiot. Some of the others were okay to be around, but that was because he'd never heard them talk. 'Hurry up now, the prey isn't just going to wander into camp,' he thought with a sneer on his face to reflect the tone of his thoughts. His tail would lash if it wasn't nearly numb from the cold.

When Hailpaw woke up that morning, she knew that a wonderful day was ahead. Leaf bare was already working its magic, and the air was frosty with chill. Most apprentices would have been grateful to stay within their dens, snuggling into the warm moss, but not Hailpaw. The weather was the coldest that it had ever been since her birth, but something like that couldn't bother her. Thanks to Blizzardshine, and probably Artemis, she had a thick, fluffy pelt that was keeping her warm. There were more important things to occupy her mind today--like the fact that the sun was finally back. One glance at the pale sunlight filtering through the fern-woven den had been enough to get her out of her nest. After StarClan-knows-how-many days of perpetual darkness, the sun was finally back. It was a nostalgic sight that she remembered from her kithood, one that she had feared would be forgotten forever. While they had been injured in the war, her littermates were alive and seemingly alright now. Everything would surely be fine.

As the stocky she-cat bounded over to the camp exit, she could hardly be in a better mood. The first member of the patrol she had been appointed to, Poppypaw, was already waiting there. "Good morning!" She chirped energetically, skidding to a stop by the red-furred tom. "Wow, you've turned into a literal ball of fluff! Are you sure you're Poppypaw?" The tom was obviously in a bad mood, an observation that Hailpaw tossed aside. Tilting her head slightly, she offered him a wide grin.

As the morning light began to infiltrate the Warriors' den, Violetfall pushed herself to her paws.  Shaking moss from her pelt, she trotted towards the Camp exit, where two apprentices were already waiting for her. She breathed in the chilly Leaf-fall air, thankful that the wind could not cut through her long pelt. The sun was shining once again, and for the first time since the eclipse had begun, she was going on a fully, naturally lit patrol, which in itself deserved some celebration.

She held back a laugh as she caught the end of Hailpaw's remark, though she couldn't help but smile. "Good morning, you two!" She greeted them cheerfully. "Are we ready to go?" She turned towards the camp exit, leading Hailpaw and Poppypaw into ThunderClan territory at a brisk pace.

The tom’s gaze hardened further at Hailpaw’s comment. One of Blizzardshine’s scraps. Though he respected the former leader, her children all seemed spoiled beyond compare. His claws, hidden beneath his chest, stretched out before re-sheathing themselves. “And you look like Leafbare itself sneezed you out.” His green eyes narrowed ever so slightly at her before Violetfall appeared. ‘Finally, we can get going. Once this is done I'm gonna lay right in the middle of the den and no one can tell me otherwise.' He stood up, feeling the chill immediately biting at his once-warm legs and belly. "Can't wait until this StarClan-forsaken season is over already," he muttered before following the warrior out of camp. The sooner this patrol was over the better.

At Poppypaw's response, Hailpaw frowned slightly. It was quite clear that he had not appreciated the joke regarding his appearance. Was he being a grump because he was cold, or was he always a grump? Now she had a mystery to investigate. Bouncing back to her cheerful self almost immediately, she gazed down at her own fluffy, white pelt. It was as clean as she could maintain it to be. "I suppose you're right!" She exclaimed, amusement in her tone. Leaf bare was a season practically made for her; with her fur being the color it was, she would have little trouble stalking prey in the snow. While the clan dreaded this particular time period, a small part of Hailpaw was actually looking forward to seeing snow for the first time in her life. "Morning, Violetfall." The last member of their patrol had showed up by now, and she greeted the warrior with a radiant grin.

Bouncing along behind Violetfall, Hailpaw eagerly followed the warrior out of ThunderClan camp. Poppypaw's remark that did not escape her ears, and she threw the tom a small smirk. Too bad for you. She felt the urge to talk to him. Even though he was in a bad mood, she wasn't put off in the least. How far could she push him before he snapped? What kind of reaction would she get out of him? In a way, he reminded her of the past Pricklepaw. "Do you wanna huddle with me?" She teased, tilting her head mockingly, "I've got plenty of fur!"

Hailpaw's enthusiasm combined with Poppypaw's sarcastic remarks made for an interesting dynamic between the two apprentices. As the tom grew more and more agitated, the she-cat became increasingly smug. Violetfall shook her head. "Calm down, you two," she reprimanded mildly. "Prey isn't going to catch itself, you know." She lifted her head, beginning to scan the area for prey.