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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Subject: Moss in Our Ears [c] Thu 10 Aug 2023 - 17:32
Silentpaw
Gender: Female Rank: Apprentice
Silentpaw wandered out of the camp, the day cloudy and overcast. She lifted her nose to the sky, testing the air for any interesting scents, and continued when nothing caught her attention. One of the older cats had pushed her toward one of the cats closer to her age and signaled for her to follow the other apprentice.
The white she-cat wasn't sure what was going on but assumed that things would become clear soon enough with the older apprentice by her side. It wasn't often that Silentpaw was allowed outside of the camp, so she was happy to just be given permission to leave - even if it was under the watchful eye of Swanpaw.
As she understood it, there was something wrong with her. Other cats sometimes noticed things faster than her and would turn their heads when their kin opened their jaws, expression changing despite nothing happening. Silentpaw wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but it was something that made the older cats more protective of her. There was almost always someone keeping an eye on her - especially when she left the camp. For that reason, Silentpaw was always accompanied by another cat.
Usually, it was older cats, but Silentpaw wasn't going to complain about her new companion. She'd noticed that cats her age were a lot more fun to be around anyway. Smiling, Silentpaw nudged Swanpaw's shoulder, a curious glint in her eyes. One of the older warriors in the camp had bundled them up with old, stinking moss from the nursery, but Silentpaw wasn't sure what to do with it.
Were they supposed to get rid of it somewhere? And what would they do after that? Leave the nursery - the kits - with no bedding? Or was there a stockpile somewhere that she didn't know about? So many questions and so few ways to ask them. Silentpaw, more than ever before, wished she could understand her clanmates so at the very least she wouldn't feel so behind and confused all of the time.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Thu 10 Aug 2023 - 18:24
Clearing out and replacing the old moss of the nursery was far from a task that Swanpaw enjoyed, but she knew it was a necessary one, so the apprentice did not grumble as she had the first time she had done this task with Lavenderpaw. Another apprentice had padded up to her, nudging her shoulder and seeming curious.
Silentpaw, she recalled what one of the warriors had said. Swanpaw offered the younger apprentice a small smile. "Hi," She couldn't recall how much the younger cat could actually hear, but Swanpaw also didn't want to stick her foot in her mouth and be rude like she had with Drizzlepool not talking.
Turning, Swanpaw picked up the moss and padded toward the edge of camp, beckoning with her tail for Silentpaw to do the same. They would get rid of this, and there should be plenty of fresh moss near the medicine den to replace the old with.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Wed 16 Aug 2023 - 8:46
Silentpaw
Gender: Female Rank: Apprentice
Silentpaw smiled back at Swanpaw, her tail lashing with excitement as she followed the other apprentice. This was so fun! Despite the stinky moss tucked under her chin, she was looking forward to venturing out of the camp with little supervision. Perhaps a little unsure of what she was supposed to be doing, Silentpaw made her way to the shallow part of the river that surrounded their camp and dove in before without so much as a splash and swam to the other side before dropping the moss on the ground beneath a tree.
With the smelly moss away from her face, Silentpaw heaved in a breath of fresh air, relieved to not have the scent clogging up her nose. Momentarily forgetting her job and the other apprentice, Silentpaw scanned the area and padded a little further from the river, leaving the camp - and Swanpaw - behind.
A shiny object ahead caught the white apprentice's attention and the bounded toward it before dropping to the ground to fish it out from under some greenery. She churred happily and rolled what appeared to be a pebble made of water toward her, a grin on her face. She'd never seen such a pretty rock before! Grabbing it in her jaws, Silentpaw turned blue eyes bright with joy, and scanned the area for Swanpaw. Only, Swanpaw wasn't there. She had expected to see Swanpaw following her with the same excitement, but the other apprentice was nowhere to be seen.
Oh, she'd run off before even seeing what they were supposed to be doing, hadn't she? Silentpaw frowned, upset with herself. She always did this! She got too excited and ran around, looking at everything interesting with little care for safety. With an annoyed huff, Silentpaw looked back toward the river that flowed around the camp, craning her head to see if Swanpaw had followed her at all.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Wed 16 Aug 2023 - 14:51
Swanpaw had expected Silentpaw to follow, and she was happy to drop the soiled moss away from camp. "Alright, there's more moss back at-" She began, but the realization that the younger apprentice was beside her made Swanpaw stop in her tracks. Her ears flattened, frustration and a little bit of panic rising in her chest. Where had her clanmate gotten off to so quickly? She had turned away for only a moment!
She looked around, ears flattening as she finally spotted Silentpaw... Across the river. And moving away from her. "Hey- Wait!" Swanpaw called after the other apprentice, diving into the river to go after her. Had Silentpaw even heard her? It didn't seem like she had.
Swanpaw pulled herself out of the water, gaze sweeping the reedy riverbed for her wayward clanmate. "Silentpaw!" Swanpaw yowled, following the tracks that the other apprentice's paws made away from the riverbed. It took a moment to find Silentpaw's pale pelt. Something in the foliage seemed to have caught her attention, and Swanpaw couldn't help a little growl of annoyance as she bounded forward.
Silentpaw looked almost annoyed as she stared back toward the river... And toward Swanpaw. The pale apprentice met her gaze with one of equal annoyance, in her mind it had clearly been directed at herself. Yeah, cleaning the dens wasn't a fun or interesting task, but that was no reason to run off! Whatever object that interested her was in her jaws, a pebble of some kind. She was tempted to grab it... It would make Ravenpaw jealous, she thought. But Ravenpaw wasn't here, and this wasn't what they were supposed to be doing. There would be time to explore and find pretty pebbles after they'd finished their task.
Coming up beside the apprentice, Swanpaw nudged her roughly. "What do you think you're doing? Drop that!" She huffed, "There's fresh moss back at camp, not out here." Swanpaw nudged her again, this time in the direction of camp.
This time, she would be sure to keep an eye on Silentpaw.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Mon 21 Aug 2023 - 8:22
Silentpaw
Gender: Female Rank: Apprentice
Silentpaw padded closer to the river and rounded a bush before Swanpaw came into view and embarrassment heated the skin beneath her fur at the sight of the angry apprentice. She stopped, hesitant to continue toward the furious Swanpaw, and even contemplated turning and fleeing for a moment. She'd never seen a cat so angry - much less had that anger directed toward her. she'd clearly done something wrong, but weren't they supposed to take the moss out of the camp?
Why was Swanpaw so angry? She'd only gotten distracted for a moment, besides, there was tons of moss all around them, why couldn't they gather that for the nursery instead of letting the kits sleep on the hard floor? Silentpaw's blue eyes were wide and apologetic as the other apprentice got closer and she let out a confused churr when Swanpaw nudged her, dropping the pebble with a grunt of indignation. There was no need to be so rough, she hadn't even gone far!
Whirling around, Silentpaw turned to face the older apprentice, her paws planted firmly in the ground. The white she-cat clearly hadn't heard a thing Swanpaw had said and swerved around the other apprentice to point at the nearest patch of moss that surrounded the base of a nearby tree. With a huff, she clawed up a long strip of it and dangled it toward Swanpaw, both confused and frustrated.
Was this moss not good enough? Was she supposed to just stay in the camp while everyone got to help out, keep things clean, and have fun together? What kind of life was that!? Regardless, Silentpaw knew that there wasn't much she could do if her entire family wanted to keep her locked up in the camp for the rest of her life.
Why though? Just because she was different? It made no sense! She had claws and teeth to protect herself with, she could swim and run just like her older clanmates! Sighing, Silentpaw blinked, searching Swanpaw's gaze for any understanding.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Tue 22 Aug 2023 - 10:35
Swanpaw had to admit, the other apprentice had seemed apologetic... Until her own outburst of irritation with her had made itself clear.
Silentpaw pointed at a patch of moss, and Swanpaw wanted to scream. They had fresh moss at camp! It was clear that Silentpaw hadn't heard a word she said, and Swanpaw sighed, eyes closing for a moment in frustration as the other apprentice moved past her to claw at the moss, frustration obvious in every move. It was clear that neither seemed to quite understand the other or what they wanted, but as Silentpaw turned toward her with the moss, Swanpaw thought she understood.
Padding forward with a sigh, Swanpaw collected her own share of moss, then pointed back at camp, hoping Silentpaw would understand. "Back to camp, then. This is enough." She sighed. She'd have to show Silentpaw where the moss others had already collected was, it would seem, but at least this would ensure that there would be no need to collect more for a while.
Silentpaw watched Swanpaw's internal turmoil with a mixture of guilt and anguish. She felt bad for getting so mad, especially when Swanpaw was clearly just as confused as she was. It was just so frustrating trying to be like everyone else! No matter what she tried or how hard she wanted it to happen, she just couldn't seem to connect with her clanmates. Whatever was wrong with her - she hated it! Silentpaw avoided the other she-cat's gaze and shook the bits of dirt from her moss before bundling it up into a more manageable load - they should head back now.
With her tail lashing, Silentpaw waited for Swanpaw to finish collected the soft, damp moss before turning to return to the camp. She kept her gaze firmly ahead and let her mind wander. She should be more careful from now on and think more before acting. It wasn't even Swanpaw's fault though that she was so upset - she had just been the cat unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire. Swanpaw had just been doing what they had been told to do - it was her that complicated things by running off and getting distracted. Silentpaw faltered for a moment before coming to a stop. What was she thinking!? She couldn't leave things like this!
Suddenly, the slender apprentice spun back around and rushed back toward the Swanpaw, her eyes glistening. With a weak purr, Silentpaw thrust her muzzle against Swanpaw's and dipped her head, brushing the side of her jaw against the she-cat's shoulder as a silent apology. The ferocity and speed of her movement caused her to drop her moss, but she didn't care, she felt horrible for being so mad before. Leaning back, the white apprentice blinked apologetically at her companion, trying to convey the guilt that she felt.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Sat 2 Sep 2023 - 15:41
Swanpaw finished collecting her moss, noticing how Silentpaw seemed to avoid her gaze. Maybe... Maybe she had been a little harsh? A mix of guilt and confusion tugged at her as she kept pace with Silentpaw as they headed toward camp. Silentpaw’s gaze remained forward, while Swanpaw kept an eye on her clanmate as they walked.
Swanpaw had been watching her, but the suddenness with which the other apprentice turned to her was still startling. So too was the weak purr and... No, that couldn’t be tears glistening in Silentpaw’s eyes. The range from anger to confusion to - Was this an attempt at an apology from the wordless she-cat? It seemed like it – was one that Swanpaw too was becoming accustomed to. Awkwardly, Swanpaw lightly pressed back against the other she-cat, hoping that might get her own message across. “You too, huh?” She muttered, “Sorry for earlier.” She mumbled, somewhat awkwardly. She didn’t know if Swanpaw could understand her, but she still felt it ought to be said, at least.
Silentpaw stared hopefully at Swanpaw, her blue eyes wide. Did she understand? Was she still angry - or worse - even angrier? Thankfully, Swanpaw didn't seem upset with her anymore and Silentpaw purred harder when she accepted the contact and reciprocated. The other she-cat's throat vibrated in turn - but not with the usual purr that Silentpaw was used to. With a shocked expression, Silentpaw leaned back and crouched low to inspect Swanpaw's throat. What was that?
It was a shame she hadn't been paying attention, otherwise, she might have noticed Swanpaw's mouth moving in time with the vibrations. Silentpaw backed away a few paces, her ears pricked. She wanted Swanpaw to do it again, but how could she get the other apprentice to understand that? After a moment, she reached out and pressed a paw to Swanpaw's throat, hoping to feel the same thing once more. Then, with a flick of her tail, opened and closed her mouth a few times - mimicking the unfamiliar method her clanmates used to communicate.
It was a long shot, but Silentpaw was determined to one day understand why she was different from the others. It was about time that she takes things into her own paws and stop waiting for others to explain things to her. Very few cats seemed to want to take the time to help her - so she would just have to help herself.
It seemed as though something had startled Silentpaw as she leaned back. Maybe Swanpaw had been too forward in trying to apologize? But no, she seemed... Curious, Swanpaw thought, the other apprentice's gaze locked on her... throat?
Silentpaw took a step back, and then lifted a paw. To her throat. It took effort, but Swanpaw managed not to recoil in surprise at the move, watching as Silentpaw's mouth opened and closed. Still, no words came forth, and it was then that Swanpaw remembered she hadn't heard the other she-cat utter a single word so far. "You want to speak, don't you?" Swanpaw tipped her head, watching Silentpaw curiously. The moss nearly forgotten at her paws.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Tue 3 Oct 2023 - 7:54
Silentpaw
Gender: Female Rank: Apprentice
Was it connected? Was something really happening when the other cats made those odd mouth signals? Was this the missing piece of the puzzle all along? Silentpaw waited, more patiently than ever before, until Swanpaw finally opened her jaws. The other she-cat's throat rumbled softly under Silentpaw's paw, and she yanked her leg back as if she'd been burned or snapped at by a fox. The white apprentice stared at Swanpaw for a moment, shocked, then furrowed her brows.
What did this mean? Had she just failed to interpret what her clanmates had been trying to tell her this whole time? Swanpaw, unfortunately, seemed just as confused as she was, but that didn't deter the white she-cat. Her blue eyes glinted with excitement and, suddenly, Silentpaw snatched a discarded bit of moss from the ground, holding it in the air between them from her claws. If her theory was correct, those mouth movements actually meant something!
Head cocked to the side, Silentpaw wiggled the moss, waiting for her companions to do something. After a moment, she made an overly exaggerated expression of curiosity, hoping to get her point across. What was it? If she was right about all of this, the rumbling and seemingly useless flapping of their jaws had a purpose and Silentpaw was determined to figure out what all of this meant!
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Tue 3 Oct 2023 - 11:42
Swanpaw watched Silentpaw's reaction, eyebrow raising. The other apprentice was startled still, and confused... That she didn't seem to hear her at all was obvious, of course. But she seemed so surprised by the way her throat moved while speaking... Was this how Silentpaw interacted with the world, like her name would suggest? At first Swanpaw had just chalked it up to the apprentice being difficult to be difficult, but that no longer seemed to be the case.
Silentpaw grabbed a bundle of the moss they had been carrying, and her gaze turned back to Swanpaw's with curiosity written all over her. "The moss?" Swanpaw nodded at the stuff her denmate held, her own curiosity piqued. Silentpaw wanted to understand something, so did Swanpaw. The question was, what?
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Wed 18 Oct 2023 - 13:16
Silentpaw
Gender: Female Rank: Apprentice
Silentpaw's whiskers twitched thoughtfully as Swanpaw seemed to turn everything over in her mind. She and Swanpaw barely hung out, so it was understandable for Swanpaw to not understand the odd ways in which she communicated. Tail twitching, Silentpaw resigned herself to being patient because, after all, everyone else was forced to be patient when she was confused too. Finally, Swanpaw's jaws opened, her mouth moving silently in that ever-frustrating manner.
With-holding a snort of annoyance, Silentpaw examined the way Swanpaw's mouth moved, then set the moss down. Okay...that was definitely something. After a moment, the white she-cat sat down - this was going to take a while. Then, she placed a paw on the moss and tried to mimic the way Swanpaw's mouth had moved. She had to press her mouth together...then make a weird 'o' shape before closing her jaws. Silentpaw hesitated for a moment before doing it again, clearly uncomfortable.
What an odd way to communicate. Obviously, nothing was happening, but that was just because she was doing something wrong. When Swanpaw communicated like this, her throat vibrated, when she did it...nothing happened. How was she supposed to imitate something like that? She knew how to purr, hiss, and growl - that came naturally to her, but whatever this was...it was different from any of those things. It was far more complex. Frankly, all of this was a mystery to Silentpaw.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Thu 19 Oct 2023 - 7:21
It was strange to feel as if her every movement were being scrutinized, like how a curious cat would examine something they had never encountered before. She watched as Silentpaw opened her mouth, seeming to try and mimic Swanpaw's speech, but no words came forth. Speaking came as naturally to Swanpaw as breathing, but that didn't seem to be the case for Silentpaw. Swanpaw watched her for a moment, thinking. It seemed clear to her that Silentpaw was trying, she wanted to learn, and her earlier frustration was linked to it. Swanpaw had never spent much time around the apprentice before today, but if that was what she dealt with daily... Swanpaw thought anyone would be frustrated by it.
"I don't know how to help you with this." She muttered finally. "I wonder if Sandyshell might be able to figure something out?" She mused, more to herself than to Silentpaw. Surely the medicine cat would be able to do something about this, but what, Swanpaw couldn't possibly begin to think of. But the medicine cat seemed like a logical step, at least to her.
Subject: Re: Moss in Our Ears [c] Wed 25 Oct 2023 - 17:09
Silentpaw
Gender: Female Rank: Apprentice
Swanpaw's mouth opened again, forming shapes and moving in ways that Silentpaw couldn't even begin to fathom. Her frustrations coming to a head, the white apprentice whirled around, her tail lashing aggressively. It was no use! They always did it too fast for her to even try to comprehend what was going on! Besides, how was any cat supposed to understand that nonsense anyway? It made no sense! Not just that though, no, she would be able to put up with it if they at least tried to help her! A growl built in Silentpaw's chest.
It was pointless getting this angry. She wouldn't understand any better by blaming Swanpaw. Taking deep breaths, Silentpaw turned back around and half-heartedly gathered up the discarded moss. Several bits fell to the ground in her haste, but Silentpaw couldn't find it in her to care. She just wanted to get back to the camp and forget this entire interaction! Clutching the moss in her jaws, Silentpaw spun back towards the camp, beckoning with her tail for Swanpaw to follow.
Huffing, Silentpaw stared straight ahead as she walked, not looking back in case she accidentally made eye contact with Swanpaw. This entire day was such a mess...she was so embarrassed! Ears pinned against her head, Silentpaw trudged on, not even realizing that she'd entirely forgotten the smooth, shiny pebble that put all of this into motion in the first place.
