let the day go on and on (c)

Subject: let the day go on and on (c) Tue 9 Jan 2024 - 13:25

Well, if there was a single thing good about this journey, it was that SkyClan was no longer on the verge of starvation. Though Bubblepaw still felt the lingering ill effects from two to three moons of rarely eating, nowadays when she went hunting, she actually managed to catch some prey. Today she was on a patrol with a few cats she didn't know too well--including one of the newer apprentices, Honeypaw. The two of them had wandered off to hunt and found themselves in the same general area. Bubblepaw wasn't too familiar with this "new" territory yet, so she felt a lot safer sticking with someone else... even someone she didn't know that well.

Cold snow crunched under her paws. The warriors from their patrol were farther off now, the thought of which made the chilly winds seem to bite further beneath Bubblepaw's pelt. She turned to offer a friendly smile to Honeypaw, to reassure herself more than the other apprentice. Hopefully the scar on her face wouldn't ruin the effect. "Cold today, huh?" she meowed brightly. As if to accentuate the statement, she shook out her fur, sending a small flurry of snow in a cloud around her. Her soft gray color made her look almost like a cloud herself. "What kind of prey do you think we should hunt? Do you have a favorite?" Wait, she'd forgotten to introduce herself. It really had been a while since she'd tried to make a new friend. Her face felt warm. She laughed at herself a little. "Oh, and I'm Bubblepaw, by the way. You're... Honeypaw, right?"

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⸙ Larchpaw ⸙ ~ ♡ Hedgepaw ♡ ~ ◈ Dovetail ◈ ~ ○ Bubblebeam ○
⸙ WindClan ⸙ ~ ♡ ShadowClan ♡ ~ ◈ RiverClan ◈ ~ ○ SkyClan ○
⸙ Apprentice ⸙ ~ ♡ Apprentice ♡ ~ ◈ Tier 3 Warrior ◈ ~ ○ Tier 3 Warrior ○

~~PM me here or on Discord if you want a topic with any of my cats!~~
~Wonderful Signature by Xaandiir!~

Number of posts : 703 Age : 26

Honeypaw

Honeypaw was excited to go out on a big hunting patrol with some new faces, depite her hunting and social anxieties. She mostly traveled at the back of the group - no Brackenpaw or Shatteredpaw for her to follow or talk to - and listened to what they talked about. She did what she was told.

She wasn't surprised the other apprentice knew her name, even though she didn't know hers. I'm always only around Brackenpaw and Shatteredpaw, she realized. Bubblepaw...

"Yes, I'm Honeypaw. It's really nice to meet you, Bubblepaw," she mewed, her voice slightly raspy. All her constant training on top of her illness was beginning to take its toll, but her eyes were still bright. "Even though we den together, I don't really... talk to other cats much," she confessed, her pelt burning. "And, I really like quail. They're tasty!" she purred, snatching a quick glance at the she-cat. "But I've never caught one myself. What about you?" she asked, attempting to deflect the attention from herself.

name. uwubers timezone. EST discord. @ uwubers code.kiikko

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"I hope that we can meet again one day, you and I," she mewed, "under peaceful skies."

Love Letter to WCC

Subject: Re: let the day go on and on (c) Sat 13 Jan 2024 - 18:53

Bubblepaw felt her grin grow a bit more genuine as Honeypaw responded. "Well, there's a lot of apprentices in the den," she said warmly, "so that's okay. I don't think I know everyone's names, either. But now you know one more!" Somehow, the cold weather didn't seem quite so bad anymore. Her thick pelt must have been helping to keep out the cold. At the thought of quail, a loud rumble came up from her stomach. Embarrassed, she flicked an ear and laughed. "I guess all those moons of hunger back at the forest still got to me. I've only had quail once or twice, and I wasn't the one to catch it, but it's definitely one of the best. I like any kind of birds, though I'm not picky. Blue jays have the prettiest feathers!" Her long-furred tail waved once behind her. They were on a hunting patrol, after all, so maybe she ought to try and hunt something. Pale-green eyes narrowed as she grew quiet for a moment, surveying the trees above.

It wasn't a quail or a blue jay, but she did see a sparrow hopping from pine branch to pine branch. The fluttering of its wings disturbed a few needles, which was the only reason that Bubblepaw spotted it. "Hang on. Lemme catch this," she whispered to Honeypaw. She squared her shoulders and prepared to pounce up on the tree. When she did, her claws set into the bark, just like Wolfblossom had taught her. But she remembered Rainfrost's words and kept her tail straight so that she could balance. The sparrow didn't appear to have seen her yet. All she had to do was make it to that branch, and then... Whoops. In her attempt to climb, she rustled a branch too hard, and a large clump of snow fell onto the ground below. That alerted the sparrow. It let out a chirp of alarm and flew away far quicker than she could reach it. Bubblepaw frowned. Oh well... she'd done her best. She leapt down from the tree as gracefully as she could, ignoring the growl of her belly. "Well, that coulda gone better," she said lightly. "I bet you'll do better!"

Bubblepaw tried to catch a sparrow, but was unsuccessful. -3 SP

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⸙ Larchpaw ⸙ ~ ♡ Hedgepaw ♡ ~ ◈ Dovetail ◈ ~ ○ Bubblebeam ○
⸙ WindClan ⸙ ~ ♡ ShadowClan ♡ ~ ◈ RiverClan ◈ ~ ○ SkyClan ○
⸙ Apprentice ⸙ ~ ♡ Apprentice ♡ ~ ◈ Tier 3 Warrior ◈ ~ ○ Tier 3 Warrior ○

~~PM me here or on Discord if you want a topic with any of my cats!~~
~Wonderful Signature by Xaandiir!~

Subject: Re: let the day go on and on (c) Sat 13 Jan 2024 - 18:53

The member 'Ash' has done the following action : Dice roll

'Hunting Dice' : 9

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♪~Founder/Owner of WCC~♫
~Forever a RiverClan Warrior~
~Please pm Administrators with queries as I'm not active~
let the day go on and on (c) Mistpe10

Number of posts : 703 Age : 26

Honeypaw

Honeypaw met Bubblepaw's warm smile with one of her own. "I guess I do," she agreed. "This is nice, we should totally go on more patrols together, don't you think?" she purred, "It's nice to have the company of another she-cat after being around my brothers so much." Honeypaw didn't realize how much easier it was for her to talk to a she-cat around her age. This interaction in particular felt somehow effortless.

Honeypaw's whiskers twitched as Bubblepaw covered up for her hungry belly. "No worries," she said. "I've never caught my own quail either, but the other day, Rosepaw brought in this huge one and she let Brackenpaw share it with me! I've been hooked since then." She quieted down when Bubblepaw turned her attention toward the trees.

Honeypaw froze, crouching low as her new friend stalked her sparrow. She watched intently with narrowed eyes, studying her movements and her technique. As the branch rustled, knocking snow to the ground, Honeypaw sneezed. "That was just bad luck," she said to Bubblepaw encouragingly. Her blue eyes scanned the undergrowth for movement, ears pricked to pick up even the slightest sound. She stayed perfectly still.

In the distance, Honeypaw picked up on the soft cooing of a dove. Signaling with her tail, she stalked forward through the undergrowth, skillfully dodging around thick fronds and over vines, as light as snow falling on a quiet leafbare night. As she moved closer, she heard the cooing grow steadily louder. Above her!

Honeypaw's eyes snapped up, and she saw the dove sitting in the dense conifers several branches above her. A shard of ice pierced her heart as she was flooded with sudden anxiety as the prospect of climbing the tree. Images of her first night as an apprentice flashed behind her eyelids, the shining talons of an enormous predatory bird, its huge, malicious eyes, the tearing of flesh, the scent of blood...

Honeypaw shook her head to clear it. Now's not the time! she urged herself, but her paws felt frozen in place. She worked to steady her breathing as the dove continued to coo above her. She couldn't dare glance back at Bubblepaw now, to let the apprentice see the fear in her eyes. Taking a breath to steady herself, she bunched her haunches beneath her and sprung straight up into the air in one fluid motion, landing perfectly on the first branch without missing a beat. She kept her eyes locked onto the bird. This will feed my clan, she told herself, I have to feed my clan no matter what. She bunched her muscles to prepare for the next spring. Judging by the distance, Honeypaw could make the next two branches in one leap if she focused. If StarClan is on my side...

Rolled a 9. Honeypaw didn't even get a chance to catch the dove. -3SP

As if she'd spoken the words aloud, the dove took off at once, leaving nothing but a flurry of feathers in its wake. Honeypaw hadn't even gotten the chance to leap. She stared at the branch where the dove had been perched just a moment ago. "Rabbit dung!" she cursed aloud. It was all for nothing!

Honeypaw jumped out of the tree, landing lightly in the snow. Her heart began to slow now that she was on the ground again. Her pelt burned with embarassment as she found Bubblepaw again, ears slicked back against her head. "I had bad luck too," she mewed. She couldn't help but blame her nerves, her hesitation, on the lost prey.

name. uwubers timezone. EST discord. @ uwubers code.kiikko

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"I hope that we can meet again one day, you and I," she mewed, "under peaceful skies."

Love Letter to WCC

Subject: Re: let the day go on and on (c) Sun 14 Jan 2024 - 21:16

The member 'uwubers' has done the following action : Dice roll

'Hunting Dice' : 9

______________________________________

♪~Founder/Owner of WCC~♫
~Forever a RiverClan Warrior~
~Please pm Administrators with queries as I'm not active~
let the day go on and on (c) Mistpe10

Subject: Re: let the day go on and on (c) Mon 29 Jan 2024 - 22:17

Bubblepaw's ears pricked forward as she watched Honeypaw try. Hunting had never been her strong suit, so maybe her new friend would be better at it? The words caused a stirring of warmth in her chest. New friend. Yes--she was good at talking to other cats, wasn't she? That was her strong suit. It was a shame that apprentice assessments just focused on claws and teeth and how many birds you could catch. If it was a competition on how many friends she could make, then she'd definitely be worthy of warriorhood.

Unfortunately, it seemed like an unlucky day for both of them. Bubblepaw winced at the other apprentice's bad luck as the bird flew away, seemingly unprompted. Seeing how upset Honeypaw was, though, she leaned forward and offered a brief brush with her shoulder. "That's okay," she said warmly. "That means we've gotten all of our bad luck out of the way, right? So we'll definitely succeed next time!" Her friend's bad mood seemed a little bit too bad to just have been brought on by the hunting mishap, though. Bubblepaw knew she wasn't really one to talk--she had plenty of problems she was keeping to herself--but the thought caused her to frown slightly. "Hey, Honeypaw, are you okay? Did you get hurt when you jumped down or something?"

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⸙ Larchpaw ⸙ ~ ♡ Hedgepaw ♡ ~ ◈ Dovetail ◈ ~ ○ Bubblebeam ○
⸙ WindClan ⸙ ~ ♡ ShadowClan ♡ ~ ◈ RiverClan ◈ ~ ○ SkyClan ○
⸙ Apprentice ⸙ ~ ♡ Apprentice ♡ ~ ◈ Tier 3 Warrior ◈ ~ ○ Tier 3 Warrior ○

~~PM me here or on Discord if you want a topic with any of my cats!~~
~Wonderful Signature by Xaandiir!~

Number of posts : 703 Age : 26

Honeypaw

Honeypaw let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, that's right, next time," she mumbled, her eyes fixed on the ground, no longer swaying beneath her paws. "Hurt?" her head snapped up, looking Bubblepaw directly in the eyes with her huge blue orbs. "O-oh, n-no, I'm not hurt, it's just..." Honeypaw trailed off. How can I tell another cat about what's happening to me? she considered, If I'm going to be a warrior SkyClan can be proud of, I can't let my clanmates think I'm weak!

"Umm, I guess, the last time I was in a tree, Brackenpaw and I got attacked by an owl, is all," she stammered, struggling to find something to cover up her anxieties. But Honeypaw knew what a terrible liar she was. At least this way I am telling a part of the truth, she settled. After all, it was true that the owl attack had left Honeypaw with tree-climbing anxiety. Bubblepaw didn't need to know just how much using her teeth and claws bothered her... right? But it didn't stop her pelt from instantly burning with shame. Honeypaw hung her head.

"Sorry, Bubblepaw, it's just really hard for me," she admitted. "I'm not sure why, and I've only ever told Wolfblossom about it." She looked up, her pale blue gaze deep and pleading for understanding. "The truth is, I really hate the scent of blood, whether it belongs to another cat or even prey." She winced. "I just don't want everyone to know about it. I want to be a strong warrior that SkyClan can be proud of, after all."

name. uwubers timezone. EST discord. @ uwubers code.kiikko

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"I hope that we can meet again one day, you and I," she mewed, "under peaceful skies."

Love Letter to WCC

Subject: Re: let the day go on and on (c) Tue 13 Feb 2024 - 21:36

Bubblepaw frowned sympathetically at Honeypaw's words, feeling a twinge deep inside her chest. Another part of her, though, felt warm. Something was making her paws tingle. She wasn't... the only one who hated blood like that? It wasn't just her and her sisters? Honestly she kind of hated that the brief flutter of excitement was her reaction to the she-cat opening up to her like this. However, she'd do her best to express her feelings. She pressed close to her friend, offering the silent brush of her feather-soft tail as support. "Hey, it's okay. I get exactly what you mean." Pale green eyes met Honeypaw's with understanding, as well as a spark of kinship. "When I was younger, a pack of foxes invaded SkyClan's camp--just ran right in and started attacking. One of them tried to get into the apprentice's den, where I was at the time." Recalling the way that its jaws, sharp white teeth nearly thicker than her paws, had snapped at the entrance caused a shudder to run through her that she couldn't suppress. The way that Sunfire had gotten attacked so harshly, the way that her heart froze within her chest, were things that she could never forget. "The warriors drove it off, but I mostly huddled in the corner the whole time. I was so scared I could hardly breathe."

And--even worse, moreso than the foxes, the time she'd had to fight other cats. The time she'd actually gotten hurt instead of just scared. The pink scar over her eye, fur shredded away, a permanent reminder of her loss. Bubblepaw blinked hard, glancing away for a moment. "That's not even it, either. I was on a patrol with my dad and some other warriors when we got into a skirmish with ThunderClan. I lost pretty bad... that's how I got the ugly scar on my face." She turned back, though, managing a smile. It would be best if she didn't dwell on it--she didn't want Honeypaw to pity her, or anything. Maybe she could just forget about the scar altogether. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to dump my own stories on top of yours. I was just trying to say--I get it. I feel the exact same way, Honeypaw. I hate fighting, I hate blood. It makes my stomach twist and I feel like I'm gonna be sick. You're not alone." Pensively she stared into the distance for a moment. Unfortunately, she didn't know how to assuage the actual fear that Honeypaw mentioned... whether or not they could be strong warriors to be proud of. "As for becoming a warrior... I don't know. I love my Clan and my family, but just like you, I worry too. About whether my aversion to fighting will make me unworthy. But, hey!" Tiny white fangs glimmered as Bubblepaw broke out into a real smile. "That just means we're both going through the same stuff. And if I end up making it, that means you can make it, too."

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⸙ Larchpaw ⸙ ~ ♡ Hedgepaw ♡ ~ ◈ Dovetail ◈ ~ ○ Bubblebeam ○
⸙ WindClan ⸙ ~ ♡ ShadowClan ♡ ~ ◈ RiverClan ◈ ~ ○ SkyClan ○
⸙ Apprentice ⸙ ~ ♡ Apprentice ♡ ~ ◈ Tier 3 Warrior ◈ ~ ○ Tier 3 Warrior ○

~~PM me here or on Discord if you want a topic with any of my cats!~~
~Wonderful Signature by Xaandiir!~