The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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The greenleaf day was warm, and Swanpaw... Was stuck in camp. The apprentice just restrained herself from throwing a fit out of sheer frustration. How could Drizzlepool fall ill in such nice weather? Why would she get stuck with her of all cats as a mentor? Had Perchstar done this on purpose? It felt like they would never get to train at this rate, and Swanpaw's only bright spot was that her sister Pigeonkit was not yet apprenticed herself. She wasn't jealous of her other siblings who were well-into their training, of course, but she was envious. It totally wasn't the same thing. Hopefully, she thought, Pigeon would get a better mentor than sickly Drizzlepool.
With a huff, the pale apprentice trudged across camp to sit in the shade offered by the willow branch. She would never dare to climb it, of course... But at least it was decent shade in this greenleaf heat. Though hunting and swimming in the cool waters of the river would have been nicer.
Lavenderpaw was also shaded from the heat. Inside on the fine green-leaf day, he had finally coaxed Rainstep out of the medicine-cat's den from beside Drizzlepool's nest and into the warrior's den to wake Featherwing after his night guard duty for their shared duties in the rest of the day.
Drizzlepool's parents were like his as well. He didn't remember his parents, or his injury falling into the river which meant he didn't have use of his back legs, but Rainstep and Featherwing had cared for him with the same love as their daughter during her first illness.
Featherwing's voice was a rumble rough with sleep, "Come on, Rainstep, let's put the fresh moss in the nests." He licked his mate's cheek lovingly. "Aw, don't be sad, Lavenderpaw's here to help." Lavenderpaw's ears warmed with a little embarrassment but he nodded with a gentle reassuring blink.
Rainstep didn't move. Featherwing nudged his shoulder against hers to encourage her to come with him and Lavenderpaw. "Don't worry, you just stopped by the medicine-cat den. The medicine-cats say Drizzlepool only has a cold. She should be well in a few days." He looked back at Rainstep.
The queen stood stiffly and her eyes glistened. She spoke softly, "This is just like last time. They said Drizzlekit just had a little cold; she'd be well in a few days." The emotion spilled out of her, "Featherwing, what will we do if she dies!" She sunk with a stifled wail to the soft moss-padded floor within the tangle of reeds. "Maybe she's dead already..."
Lavenderpaw's soft yellow eyes were pained and tender. "Rainstep..." he murmured, going to the queen's side. He couldn't find any words. Featherwing encircled them both in a hug, "Now don't say that, sweetheart!" he told Rainstep. He gave her and Lavenderpaw a light touch on the top of their heads and met Lavenderpaw's eyes with steady reassurance, "How could she ever leave such sweet cats as you..." As Rainstep nestled nearly inconsolable into the embrace, Lavenderpaw felt the same spark of determination he had since he was a kit. "You rest. I'll take care of the moss."
* * *
Lavenderpaw dragged himself out into the sunshine, blinking against the sudden brightness. His soft yellow eyes calmly scanned the clearing. There were the piles of fresh moss gathered for nests, slowly crisping in the sun's heat... and under the shade of the willow tree, the pale form of his recent denmate, Swanpaw.
Drizzlepool's apprentice. Right. She would have nothing to do today. She looked bored, hot and bothered.
He scooted over beside her. "Hey, Swanpaw," he asked quietly, "help me with the bedding?" Adding, in case she was reluctant, "We'll be inside in the shade." It wasn't, Lavenderpaw could admit, the most exciting of duties. But it was necessary, oddly satisfying, and a good task to chat over.
He was a little eager to get to know his best friend's apprentice. He was aware Drizzlepool did not enjoy looking after younger cats in the same way he did, but they usually liked her. Except, ironically, it seemed, Swanpaw. It was just a little funny. He would have to find out the difficult way if Swanpaw was as annoying as Drizzlepool found her...
"...Lavenderpaw, right?" She did not know the tom well, just that he was another denmate. The way he dragged himself around must've been quite painful... Perhaps that was the reason why she had never seen him training properly. She was reminded of her first encounter with Drizzlepool when she was still a kit... She would keep her mouth shut this time. At least Lavenderpaw could talk.
The offer to help with bedding was quite the boring one, but Swanpaw was already bored sitting around camp. "Yeah, okay. It's better than nothing, right?"
"Yes, I'm Lavenderpaw," he answered her with a slight smile. It reminded him of the first time Drizzlekit had left the nursery; remembering names was always very good manners for a younger cat.
He caught the way her pale blue eyes darted to his back legs with a poorly disguised wince and the way her mouth clamped tighter shut. He chuckled.
The last time he had to explain himself was... never! It surprised him to do so, though it shouldn't have since he was no longer a -kit anymore and RiverClan's newest members were not as familiar with him. What was once unquestioned when he was the youngest cats' playmate, now asked for an explanation. Perhaps that was why Drizzlepool did not like young cats so much?
"It's not painful," he reassured her. "I can't feel my back legs." He did not mind explaining. "I was injured when I was a babyand I don't remember itso it's normal for me."
"I can fish," he told her. Returning her curiosity with his own, he added, "How do you like swimming?"
It was common knowledge her litter was adopted into RiverClan, just one more reason why he was curious how her training was going. "Perhaps if we finish with the moss we can fish from around camp. I can tell you all the tips Perchstar taught me?" he offered.
"Right," he agreed with amusement when Swanpaw accepted the task. He beckoned her over to the piles of moss with a nod of his head. "The nursery and elder's den are always the priority for fresh nests. Sandyshell often collects her own for the medicine-cat's den with her other supplies, but it's always polite to ask. If there's any left, the warriors and apprentices can add it to their nests."
After distributing the moss, there was only one more task. "Check the moss there is fresh and clean and there are no thorns or twigs." It was not exciting but it was methodical and therapeutic, a task on which a mind or conversation can rest or wander to more exciting things. "You'd be surprised what a busy cat walks into camp and into their nests," he commented. "Every cat doesn't have time to make up their nests every day, which is why it's an assigned duty." As unexciting as it may be, Lavenderpaw explained it thoroughly to Swanpaw. It couldn't hurt to achieve excellence in all her duties on the path to a warrior. He settled companionably into the task beside her.
"I wasn't going to ask, but thanks for the explanation." Swanpaw muttered, ears fighting not to lay back against her skull.
"I haven't gotten to swim too much, actually... Or hunt. Or do battle training. Drizzlepool's been sick." Swanpaw was trying not to be bitter, but a sick mentor was not how she'd imagined her training going. "I'd like to try fishing though, if we can finish this?" Like an apprentice would be able to teach her much, but it would be a start. "Perchstar is teaching you? What's that like?" The leader was an important cat and always seemed busy to Swanpaw, but she had also taken her and her siblings in when they were kits. She was someone to admire.
She listened to the explanation about the moss nests, trying very hard not to grumble. This was... Boring. Truly boring. How anyone could stand to be in camp and do such menial tasks was beyond Swanpaw's limited understanding, but she supposed that it gave Lavenderpaw something to do. She did as instructed, helping distribute the moss to the nests, and her nose wrinkled at being asked to check on the nests for debris.
Finding a thorn in one nest, Swanpaw grimaced as she tugged it free. "Maybe if they took the time to groom themselves after coming into camp, they wouldn't track in so much garbage." Swanpaw grumbled.
"You kind of asked without saying anything," Lavenderpaw said lightly. "Sorry, responding to that was habit." Because of Drizzlepool ~ Swanpaw would get his meaning. The warrior was his best friend and kind of his only friend. He was learning communication with others was quite different.
He felt apologetic for Swanpaw's discomfort. He thought back to how he had not waited, when learning to fish, for Perchstar's verbal instruction before joining her in what she demonstrated to him. Anticipating the unspoken needs of queens and kits was helpful while he was the oldest -kit in the nursery for quite some time, but as a warrior apprentice it seemed he was stumbling in communication. This was only a small stumble, though, and he flicked his ears to shrug the moment off.
His soft yellow eyes widened a little in surprise, brows quirked. "You haven't swum much?" She surely meant only swimming the river for training? RiverClan kits were often restless until they could get their paws wet and it was an everyday enjoyment for everyone. Especially in the heat of green-leaf, and even for Lavenderpaw, bathing in the sun and in the water, in either order.
Swanpaw was not extremely enthusiastic but that didn't put Lavenderpaw off. "Shallow pools around camp are the next best place to learn to fish after the sunning rocks, as well as relax and cool off. We'll deserve it after this," he promised her.
"Perchstar is a good teacher. I admire her, of course. She is very generous." Lavenderpaw was lucky to have been born in her time of leadership, and perhaps Swanpaw and her siblings were, too. He was even luckier to learn from her as well.
He could feel Swanpaw's silent grumbling like a storm cloud over their heads. But it was almost like allowing her these undisturbed complaints allowed Lavenderpaw to let his go as well ~ the frustration he was not able to join Drizzlepool in the same training, the missing her almost every day, the bitterness she was sick even if it was not her fault...
He huffed in sympathy as Swanpaw tugged a thorn free with a displeased grimace. Lavenderpaw didn't know what it was like to be anyone else but him, so he did not fully understand her turning her nose up at a simple camp duty, but their feelings were not completely devoid of similarity.
The bright side of it was: "It's a way to earn the appreciation of warriors," he said in a low voice, almost as if sharing a secret between them, "Every cat appreciates coming home to a fresh nest. Some will notice you did it and take you out the next day." Lavenderpaw's apprenticeship was overseen by Perchstar but shared between all the warriors. It was a thanks he had found came with doing the menial task.
With the thoughtfulness Perchstar and Poppyshine put into assigning Lavenderpaw his own duties, he suspected Swanpaw staying in camp while Drizzlepool was sick was not an oversight but rather intentional for her to help here. Instead of moping around, the completion of this task would see another warrior taking her out tomorrow, he bet.
* * *
In the meanwhile, the pair of apprentices had earned something fun in the last of the afternoon. Cooling off in the series of scattered shallow pools around camp, Lavenderpaw showed Swanpaw a slightly deeper one. Though not any deeper than Lavenderpaw could easily stand in, small fishes swum beneath its peaceful surface.
He admitted it was not much of a lesson, "Fishing is mostly patience and practice. However ~" he shared with her what he had learned from Perchstar, "~ actually pulling a fish out of the water takes grace and strength..."
Lavenderpaw considered what an average apprentice learned. "...just as much as a specialised fighting move." Though Lavenderpaw was not allowed to spar himself, he added, "It looks very similar to a front paw strike." He unsheathed his claws and struck out a sleek muscled fore-paw with a woosh and glistening flick through the air. "You try," he encouraged, watching the younger apprentice closely.
Once Swanpaw got the movement down, they settled side by side on the edge of the pool. "The fish here are much smaller than in the river, and are often disturbed by playing kits, so are much quicker." He had never been able to catch one as a kit, and even now, it would be slightly more difficult for him than his and Perchstar's usual fishing on the sunning rocks.
"Kits often like these because they can eat a whole one to themselves." He was excited to see the looks on both the sisters' faces if Swanpaw brought Pigeonkit a fish she had caught. "After we have a snack, why don't we take our catch to share with Pigeonkit and the others?"
Lavenderpaw positioned himself so that his shadow was not cast over the water, ensuring Swanpaw did too. He waited stone-still for an oblivious minnow to meander lazily in his direction.
With sudden grace and power. he shot out his poised fore-paw, scooping it easily out of the water. He blinked his eyes closed in gratitude as he killed it swiftly, putting it aside in the shade of a small tree's roots to begin a pile.
He watched Swanpaw with interest out of the corner of his eye as he settled still again to wait for the next fish.
* ☽ *
OOC: since they are kind of in camp, 10 can count as just a failed catch and not a predator, ok?
p.s. i like to say 1 is a very skilful or easy catch and the highest number is the most difficult or clumsiest, is that fun?
Lavenderpaw {chance: 1~7 with disability penalty}
27 / 30 SP {-3}
Swanpaw {chance: 1~9}
60 / 60 SP
Last edited by isla on Tue 11 Jul 2023 - 18:52; edited 1 time in total
Mistpelt
Characters : Mistpelt Clan/Rank : RiverClanWarrior Number of posts : 15502 Age : 30
"...Oh." Swanpaw ducked her head, feeling her fur grow warm with embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to." At least she hadn't directly stuck her foot in her mouth, but it was still a more awkward situation than she wanted to be in with her own clanmates.
"Well, training. The little pools around camp are... fine, I guess. But Drizzlepool's been sick sooo..." The wispy-furred she-cat shrugged. "I want to swim in the river, though it does seem rather daunting." She admitted. "Must be nice, you have the most skilled cat in the clan to teach you!" And how could Perchstar be anything but, if she were the leader? Swanpaw found herself wishing that she had her for a mentor, or Owlcall. They were both some of the best Riverclan had to offer, anyone would be lucky to have them for mentors. She listened as Lavenderpaw explained about fishing, and sat next to the tom, watching his movements. She was careful not to let her shadow fall across the little pool just as he was, knowing from what little training she did had that shadows could startle prey and alert to their presence. Lavenderpaw seemed to catch a minnow with ease, and Swanpaw's pale gaze turned to the pool of water intently. She'd catch something, she did not want to be outdone.
Swanpaw had never been a particularly patient cat, and it was evidenced by the way her fluffy tail twitched back and forth as she waited with a paw slightly raised, watching as the fish darted to and fro. It seemed to take forever before one finally neared, but perhaps it only felt that way to her. Seizing the chance, her paw shot forward, claws extended. They brushed against scale, and Swanpaw hooked the fish awkwardly towards her, its' silver form landing on the ground beside her. A quick smack with ehr paw was enough to kill it. It wasn't an impressive catch by any means, and hardly enough to feed anything more than a kit, but she was still proud of it. "How was that?" She asked, glancing back toward Lavenderpaw. The idea of taking it to Pigeonkit and the others was a decent one, and she nodded at him. "I think she'd like that... I hope she's apprenticed soon. The rest of our siblings are, it can't be fun being the odd one out." She added.
Swanpaw attempted to catch a fish for -3 sp. Catch successful. 57 / 60 sp
"Well done!" Lavenderpaw praised Swanpaw warmly when she managed to catch a fish as well.
"You didn't let your shadow fall over the water." He was pleased he hadn't needed to tell her. "You held yourself back until the right moment." He had seen how difficult that had been for Swanpaw, but she hadn't lost patience. "Your strike caught it. You did it." Her movement was a little awkward, but would become more and more natural with practice he was sure. Not bad at all.
"Impatience is normal, and it's okay as long as you wait just like you did then. If you save all your energy up, impatience is even helpful. Try to put it all into your final movement." If Swanpaw trained herself to keep still, the release of her poised strike could be more powerful, Lavenderpaw guessed.
"In that moment," Lavenderpaw told her, "you have more time than you think you do. Your focus slows down your perception of time's flow." Swanpaw had seized her chance so hastily, it may have made her more clumsy than she really was. "You can take a breath. Collect all your strength before you move."
"But that was very good," he concluded, soft yellow eyes alight. "We should catch something else before we eat, right?" That was the rule for all apprentices, to feed the clan first. It was something Lavenderpaw strived to do here every day now, to add his small catch for the kits.
He was happy Swanpaw liked his suggestion. "I hope so, too," he agreed. "It's not always so fun," he teased her a little. "But it's not always so bad, either," he balanced it out.
"This is fun," he added in a light friendly tone, with a little surprise for how the afternoon was turning out. Swanpaw wasn't so bad, not at all.
He dipped his paw into the pool for another fish. He had held his breath when Swanpaw's claws had just grazed her minnow's scales and he held his breath now. Just barely, he scooped the slippery little fish out of the water. "Quick. I told you." He smiled.
☽ ☽ ☽
OOC: feel free to invite pigeonkit/downfive if you like!
Last edited by isla on Mon 17 Jul 2023 - 2:44; edited 2 times in total
Mistpelt
Characters : Mistpelt Clan/Rank : RiverClanWarrior Number of posts : 15502 Age : 30
"Thanks," Swanpaw mewed, and then Lavenderpaw was talking. The praise was... Nice, Swanpaw realized. SHe would never have gotten that from Drizzlepool, she was almost certain of it. A purr caught in her throat as she ducked her head.
"I've never been a patient cat. I'm glad it can sometimes be useful." She... Wasn't really sure how true Lavenderpaw's words were, but she'd take them. Most cats complained about it, while Swanpaw just wanted to get things done and keep things moving.
"...Maybe." She couldn't imagine how being the odd one out would be anything but an uncomfortable feeling. Being such wasn't her main worry, really. "Still, I'll be glad to share a den with her, anyways."
She watched as Lavender caught another fish, "Good catch!" She mewed, before her own gaze settled back on the water intently.
Swanpaw was self-conscious, and unsure of his words, so Lavenderpaw just gave a tiny shrug. What did he know? He could only tell her what he had learned with Perchstar and in his own experience. Every cat learned in their own way, and Swanpaw would find hers.
Lavenderpaw hummed in agreement. Having all the siblings as den-mates will be nice. "I'll be glad to become a warrior as well," he admitted with a little excitement showing. Perchstar's and the clan's trust in him seemed to be increasing.
"Thanks," he replied, her words warming and causing an ear to flick in slight bashfulness. He joined her again in staring into the water. No fish came near and the pair remained still for the moment.
* ☽ *
Last edited by isla on Mon 17 Jul 2023 - 23:22; edited 1 time in total
Mistpelt
Characters : Mistpelt Clan/Rank : RiverClanWarrior Number of posts : 15502 Age : 30
"Same, honestly. I know I haven't been an apprentice as long as most of you, and my training's hardly begun, but I still dream of becoming a warrior... Sooner rather than later, hopefully." Right now the dream seemed like it was being stifled, but surely things would change. "You've been an apprentice for a bit, right? Do you think you'll get to be a warrior soon?" She had no idea what Lavenderpaw's training was really like, aside from what he'd just told her about fishing with Perchstar. But he'd helped her figure it out, so he must've been skilled even with the challenges he faced.
![Stuck in Camp [Lavenderpaw] Mistpe10](https://i.servimg.com/u/f80/12/50/89/25/mistpe10.gif)
![Stuck in Camp [Lavenderpaw] Sig2](https://2img.net/h/i105.photobucket.com/albums/m235/Nightshade302/siggys/sig2.gif)