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: Lean Paws [Closed] Tue 3 Oct 2023 - 22:08
Acornstem sat at the entrance of the camp as she waited for Nettlepaw but instead of her standard look of excitement...There was dread. Her paws felt heavy, her stomach sending sharp pains through her if she thought too hard about it. She knew being deputy wouldn't be all perfect but she had hoped that the terrible situation with Trufflesnap would be the last hardship for a while... But then two warriors had gone missing and now their prey had disappeared. Their fresh-kill pile was a shadow of it former self as they barely had enough to keep it filled. It hadn't been easy to try to discover how to ration out their food - with her and Mottlestar having refrained from eating much as it was within the Warrior Code that the elders and kits were to be fed first. She would happily deal with the pangs of hunger if it meant her Clanmates could sleep easily...
But it also meant that it had been harder of late to have the energy to do her duties. Her training with Nettlepaw was certainly one of the things that had been put to the wayside as it was hard to teach him how to hunt when there was nothing to hunt and other matters demanded her attention. But she had promised to make time, they could try locating some sort of prey or maybe just focus on fighting... She wasn't sure - but her doubts and fears about the prey crisis had caused her to decide that their training would take them closer than she would like to the Stony Hollow. It was dangerous - mostly with the harsh storms that had come with this terrible Leaf-Fall but it had always been a better place to hunt when it was safe.
She...She didn't like it - exposing Nettlepaw to such risks even if she was planning to make sure he was alright with it first before they even set paw in that area and knew the dangers but... No, maybe she would wait and recruit other warriors to hunt there with her...? She shook her head with a huff - she wasn't sure. But either way, hopefully they could find something if the two decided to do hunting...
Nettlepaw took a moment to approach the entrance to camp, greeting the odd cat as he bounced along. His tail curled behind him excitedly, spotting the she-cat and making his way towards her without any further distractions. It was far too tempting to remind someone of the most recent dream he had, or stand in the entrance to the elders den and ask them what they thought of the other Clans. It never failed to entertain, though he had no time for that anymore. He was an apprentice; no longer a kit with little else to do. Nettlepaw had spent most of his kithood recovering from a sickness that had led to his later apprenticeship, time that he was desperate to make up for.
Thought had been comfortable in his nest, where his hunger could be slept away, training was important. The ginger tom was excited to stretch his paws outside of camp, regardless of the gnawing in his stomach. It was a welcomed distraction. He padded through the camp clearing, his mind quiet. Admittedly, he missed the singing of birds that he woke up to so often and the laughter that warmed his chest. He hoped it would return soon. The apprentice glanced around for the deputy’s form, his ears perking once he spotted her by the camp entrance.
“Hello!” Nettlepaw chirped as he bounced over, his tone out of place against the atmosphere of camp. He closed his mouth slowly as he read the expression on her face, an expression many more cats had worn since the start of the hunger, particularly the warriors. After a moment he spoke, in a softer voice, “I’m looking forward to exploring outside of camp.”
Acornstem perked up at the sight of Nettlepaw, a smile crossing her face despite the doubt and fears that plagued her. No, she wouldn't let her worries cloud their training - if there was trouble, she would deal with it herself. For now, it was better to focus on her apprentice. She stood up, swishing her tail as she she motioned for him to follow. "Well then, we should get started!" she purred as she turned and padded from the camp, pausing only for a moment to make sure Nettlepaw was right behind her.
"Now, I haven't quite decided what we ought to do today, so I will leave it up to you," she meowed a little bit into their journey, glancing over her shoulder. "I can just show you the territory, or we could practice fighting or try hunting..." There was a pause, a wince. "Not that...We've had much luck with the hunting part as of late...But we'll still need to make sure you know how your hunting crouch!"
Up to him? The apprentice’s eyes slightly widened with the responsibility, with the choice — Nettlepaw made sure to keep up with her, bouncing along on his paws as they walked further away from camp.
The apprentice nodded with a wide grin - even as he glanced around himself in awe, tempted to slip away and in investigate new smells and sights, he always turned his attention back to Acornstem.
“I love to explore.” It was as though she had read his mind; Nettlepaw rose his head, reigning in some of his excitement, “is there a part of the territory you like the most?”
At the mention of hunting his ears perked, pausing for a moment as Acornstem winced. It was no secret that the deputy had forgone meals - Nettlepaw watched with guilt in his stomach. He had to eat, too, as did every cat; but he felt guilty that other cats had forgone important meals in order for them to eat.
“When I know my hunting crouch and there’s prey again— you’ll get the first thing I catch.”
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