tales of ye olden days [open]

"Great Starclan, what does an elder have to do for some cat to bring him freshkill these days?" Carpsplash was well-known for being a strong and independent elder who seldom appreciated aid from any cat, and yet, here he was complaining about a lack of delivered prey. With greenleaf on the horizon and life looking much brighter after being released from the claws of Asylum, the elderly tom found himself indulging in a simplistic life once more. His bones still creaked and everything seemed to exhaust him to no end but with the sun beating down on his worn coat once again, the former warrior was nearly content. Or, rather, he would be.

"Hey, you there! Bring me a fish or something. Warriors these days stuffing their faces and forgetting their elders... at this rate I'll be as slim as a minnow." The low rumble of his weary voice betrayed moons of griping. Carpsplash had decided at some point that he earned this rest, even if every ounce of his being protested otherwise. Feeling helpless during recent events had further driven him back from a reassured strength. He was little more than a worn-down old fool and that idea was condemning. But that wouldn't stop his indignation from getting in the way and he certainly wouldn't spend his time sulking in the shadows of the elder's den. Surely, it still reeked of Skyclan in there anyways.

Once the clanmate had returned, he took no time at all tucking the meal in closer. But he paused to snap once more, "Don't go anywhere, kit. Indulge me for a moment. I might be little more than a pile of fishbones but I do have stories and tales to offer of the many moons before you ever set foot in this forest." Dull eyes glanced upward, daring the chosen target to try and escape the ramblings of an elder.

Cloverpaw had just stood up, stretching her hind legs and letting out a satisfied sigh. It had felt so nice to enjoy a moment under the warm sun, but she had quickly grown restless, paws itching to get out of camp. Her head swiveled around, searching for her mentor or for any warriors that looked like they were heading out, readying herself to ask one of them if she could come with, when a sharp voice startled her to attention.

The bark had frightened her from how unexpected it had been, and she wasted no time obeying, nosing through the fresh-kill pile and meowing a quiet "Sorry, Carpsplash." She found a fat, pretty-looking silver fish and gently picked it up, trotting over to the elder and setting it down in front of him.

She dipped her head briefly, mumbling something about hoping he would have a fine day, and turned around quick to continue her search for a patrol to take her.. anywhere, really. But before she could even turn fully around, he was commanding her to stay, and his tone alone offered no room for argument. Being referred to as 'kit' made her ear flick, eyes narrowed a bit — she'd just had her ceremony! She was an apprentice now, and proud of that fact. She started to object, but she turned back to him and saw the challenging look in his eyes, and decided it better to keep her mouth shut. Besides, he'd offered her a story, and while usually it was kits the elders were telling those to.. she was eager to here about the forest. Besides, Carpsplash might have her tail if she tried to leave now.

A bit awkward with what to do, she eventually settled on laying down across from him, paws tucked under her chest. Even though she was comfortable, she couldn't help but shifting restlesstly. "I'm listening," she mewed, looking at him expectantly.

His eyes narrowed as he regarded the young apprentice. Thankfully, it seemed like she was wholly inclined to indulge him. The prey was more than satisfactory. An entire lifetime of eating fish had never stripped it of the singing flavors that danced across his tongue. Swiping his tongue over his maw, the tom dispelled the tiny scales that stuck to the short fur of his muzzle. Carpsplash hadn't considered stripping them away with his claw, he'd grown to ravenous during the wait. There was still a fair bit left when he had decidedly ate his fill; this he pushed back towards Cloverpaw and nodded for her to eat.

The elder wasn't entirely ignorant and had noted the way she sought for an out. What could be more interesting than hearing of her clan's history? There was a low huff as he muttered something about 'apprentices these days' before carrying on, "You're hardly old enough to swim the river, there will be plenty of more patrols to join in on. Besides, it's a dangerous place out there for those without much training." Wriggling his rump ever so slightly, Carpsplash drew attention to the tailless slope. It was an abnormal sight to see a cat without a tail and in his youth, it had bothered him, but moons ago he'd begun to embrace this strange fact.

There was a spark of something in the depths of his gaze as his rasped again, "My first time out in the river, my mentor tried to warn me of its dangers but I was fishbrained in my youth... before I knew it this giant salmon snatched away my tail. Cloudstone, our old medicine cat, swore he'd never seen anything like it before. Took me moons before I could walk right again. I swear I can still see those black eyes peering up from the river whenever I make it out there." It took little effort to bite back the hints of a smirk that twitched at the edge of his maw. Satisfied, for now, he leaned back and awaited her reply.

A cluster of older looking warriors had just been sitting by the entrance to camp, and while she had been busying herself looking for somewhere to go– and not staring at the elder while he ate –Cloverpaw had watched them all leave, disappearing into the territory. Her expression soured and a few of the mild curses she knew were starting to form on the tip of her tongue, but Carpsplash was speaking again.

She looked back at him and at his fish, a bit surprised he'd given the rest of it up to her the way he'd asked for it. She couldn't complain though, and happily took a few bites. StarClan, fish was good. Every day, she was supremely grateful to have outgrown the nursery.

...at least, until Carpsplash demonstrated his tail—or rather, lack thereof. She visibly recoiled, eyes widening in shock. A hundred inappropriate and personal questions immediately raced to mind, but before she could even begin to ask he had answered everything for her.

Suddenly, she had lost her appetite for fish.

"Is that– I mean, did that really– a fish ate your tail?" She gasped, eyes wide with horror at the thought. She curled her own tail around her, giving it a brief glance.  She couldn't even imagine.. she wouldn't set another paw in the river for the rest of her days if that had happened to her.

She hadn't even been in the river yet, and already she felt hesitant about it. She didn't want to get swallowed up by some freakishly massive fish. Wait— "It's still out there?" The poor cat's voice was barely above a squeak as she shrank into herself, looking horrified at the thought. Being an apprentice had quickly become a deal less appealing.