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Post by Blaze ♡ on Aug 7, 2016 15:16:54 GMT -5
Bronzepaw and Chickadee
A chilly breeze was enough to sent shivers running down Chickadee’s spine as she made her way through the undergrowth. The loner could sense hints of newleaf slipping through, but it still felt like leafbare. Her fur was thin and matted, her bony frame almost visible through her thin pelt. It had been an endless struggle of trying to keep herself well-fed and sheltered through leafbare, braving countless storms and teeth-chattering nights.
Chickadee recalled seeing groups of cats roaming around every now and then, and she’d been tempted - too many times - to ask them for help, but her timidness had always got in the way, and she wasn’t sure how those cats would view her anyway.
The tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat’s eyes flickered ahead, jaws gaping slightly. The mouthwatering scent of squirrel suddenly hit her, and excitement flared inside the feline. Squirrel! Food! Chickadee softened her pawsteps as she crept forward, checking occasionally to see if she was on track. The scent grew stronger and stronger until she actually spotted the animal itself, perched on the roots of a tree, nibbling furiously on a nut. The she-cat lowered herself slightly into an almost crouching position, tail lifted, head down. She’d seen this position and almost memorized it after watching the cats she’d spotted in the woods. Of course, it was slightly flawed, as her tail tip kept twitching and she wasn’t exactly watching where she was stepping.
"Bronzepaw!"
The golden brown tom's head shot up as he heard his name. Bronzepaw quickly scrambled to his paws and lifted his his head up high to keep some of his dignity. Rosewind was giving him an impressive look and she beckoned with her tail for Bronzepaw to follow her out of the den. Rosewind was Shiverclan's deputy.. and she was also Bronzepaw's mentor too.
"Bronzepaw, you need to wake up earlier", Rosewind sighed as she looked to the tom in mild disappoint. "You are going to be a warrior soon enough, you need to start being more responsible", the cream she-cat advised.
Bronzepaw shifted on his paws, giving his mentor a sheepish look. "I couldn't fall asleep last night", he meowed with a soft yawn.
Rosewind just shot him a look, rather annoyed with his answer. "I am going to be busy today with clan business. Your assignment today is to go hunting", she meowed and turned around on her paws, before padding away. She stopped for a moment as she looked back at Bronzepaw, "Don't disappoint me!", she shouted to him.
Bronzepaw's shoulders slumped as he sighed to himself. His amber gaze flickered around camp, searching another apprentice to come with him but it appeared that most of them have already left camp. The young tom let out another heavy sigh, Looks like it's just you Bronzepaw, he thought to himself as his paws guided out of camp. He shook his head and straightened his shoulders, forcing himself into confidence. 'I can do this.. I will catch a bunch of prey and Rosewind will be proud of him', he thought, feeling fiercely determined as he bounded off into the forest.
Bronzepaw slowed down to a steady yet soft trot. There were still leaves on the ground that the snow had uncovered from leaffall. He winced, thinking to how hard the past season was. Mistyhaze's litter of kits almost starved because of how skinny the queen had become during the leafbare. 'Anything will do... please Starclan', the dark golden brown tom prayed as he headed deeper into the forest. He just needed to find something. His eyes snapped open as a scent brushed against his nose. 'Squirrel', his eyes brightened as he recognized it. "That would feed Mistyhaze", he meowed softly to himself, excitement in his voice and he gave a small little hop in the air before he brought himself back under control. 'Only have one shot', he mused inwardly to himself as he slinked closer to the smell. Bronzepaw knew that prey was scarce and they would startle at anything then make a run back to their den.
The squirrel waved its bushy tail, still working on the nut held in its paws. It seemed completely oblivious to Chickadee, which was a good sign. But another scent - a cat’s - suddenly hit her senses, and a flash of golden brown in her peripheral vision was enough to distract her and throw her off guard. A faint yelp escaped the feline's mouth, and it was too late for Chickadee to take it back as the squirrel dropped the nut at once and fled in alarm. “N-no,” she breathed, voice tinged in despair. Her one chance for food was gone.
Chickadee’s green gaze narrowed as she tried to find the golden brown form, wondering if it had been just her imagination all along. Her ears pricked at the faintest sound of a voice, and Chickadee inhaled sharply. Had someone been hunting the same squirrel that she had been? It wasn’t likely… yet it was at the same time. The she-cat hurriedly scrambled after the direction that the squirrel had fled, wondering if it had run into the paws of the golden brown form she thought she’d seen earlier. She still didn’t know if it was her eyes playing games with her, but it was worth a look.
Bronzepaw's gaze was locked on the squirrel. The tom was so focused on the fluffy creature that he barely took notice of the scent of another feline in the area, let alone noticing the young she-cat that wasn't too far away from him. The young apprentice was on a mission. Hopefully, he could catch the squirrel.. that would indeed make Rosewind happy.
His eyes went wide as he saw the squirrel drop it's food on the ground and took off. "Oh no", he breathed and instantly looked down to see if he stepped on a twig or something. 'There is no twig', he frowned, thinking to himself as he surveyed the floor. That was strange, the forest floor where he was standing was barren so why did the squirrel get frightened off? He raised his muzzle into the air and took in a breath. Bronzepaw blinked as he noticed something was off about the scent. 'Feline.. not clan... a loner', his eyes were wide as he realized who it was.
Bronzepaw glanced around and shifted on his paws in a faintly nervous action. He tucked his tail in close to his legs and slinked off into the brush. The brown undergrowth would help conceal his dark brown fur so he could see who was on the territory. 'Hopefully.. it's someone I can take one', he thought, unsheathing his claws into the damp soil behind his paws. 'We can't have loners stealing out prey', he thought with a soft growl. Mistyhaze's kits were weak as it was and they really needed food more than any loner did.
Chickadee scrambled frantically after the squirrel, tail flying out behind her now, paws thumping the ground in frenzied determination. The little creature came back to sight as she spotted its fluffy tail disappearing into the brush. Little did she know that a cat was hiding behind it, and that it was the same golden brown form she’d seen earlier.
The feline was too focused on the prey, and she lunged forward in a desperate attempt to get the squirrel. Her paws slammed down on its tail, her claws unsheathing as she dragged the squirrel back towards her and gave it a bite on the neck. It was an incredibly sloppy kill, but the good thing was that, well, she had food!
The bad thing was that she had a somewhat ‘price’ to pay. What was it? Well, basically careening straight into whatever was hiding in the brush. Paws flailing, Chickadee felt her fur hit something solid, and she landed with an oof. Eyes wide, her gaze flicked around in alarm before landing on a golden brown pelt that blended with their surroundings. “O-oh!” Chickadee hastily dragged herself away from the cat, ears flattening nervously as her green eyes darted back and forth between the squirrel lying nearby and the amber gaze of the mystery cat. “S-squirrel,” she stuttered, and she snapped her jaws shut, trying to keep in the nervous rambling. But a few more words slipped out of her mouth nonetheless. “W-were you hunting it?” Chickadee shook her head, eyes shooting towards the tom before quickly looking away again. “Hunting, hunting. Must catch food. Two cats going after same prey,” she mumbled under her breath. Focus, Dee, focus!
Bronzepaw twitched his ears as he could rustling near by. He sniffed the air again, recognizing it as a she-cat. 'She most be close', he thought as he settled down closer to the ground. The brown undergrowth did it's job, camouflaging him in plain sight. 'Too bad there isn't any prey around.. this would be the best place', he thought with slightly bitter thoughts. The only time he would have the best time hunting and there would be no prey in sight with a loner running around stealing their prey.
The dark golden brown tom twitched his nose as he could scent the blood in the breeze now and he frowned at that. 'She actually killed something on Shiverclan's territory'. He wasn't sure if the loner she-cat was just stupid or was she trying to start a fight. A thought itched in the back of his head, 'maybe she is slowly starving like the rest of us'.
Bronzepaw was jarred out of his thoughts when he felt a cat collide into him. He whipped his head around and stared at the she-cat for a few seconds, inwardly panicking even though the cat to appeared to be around his age. "What", he meowed, blankly as he gazed at her with wide eyes. 'She is pretty...wait what, loner! bad bad loner, stealing prey loner, pretty.. loner.. squirrel.. what', was basically his train of thought as he stared blankly at her for at least a full minute of absolute, awkward silence. Bronzepaw shook his head subtly, shaking himself out of his paws and pushed himself to his paws. He braced his shoulders against the bush, inwardly winced as some branches dug into his shoulders. "Yes, I was. It was my squirrel", he meowed in a serious, lets-get-down-to-business voice. He was frowning at her, his amber eyes shimmer with mild annoyance.
Chickadee snapped her jaws shut, trying to prevent herself from spilling out more useless, rambling words as the tom suddenly spoke. Her mint green gaze stared at him, lingering as she regarded his appearance. He has pretty eyes. They were a pretty coppery hue - a shade that reminded her of the leaves in leaffall. At the thought, though, the she-cat immediately frowned. No, no. Not now.
After a few more heartbeats, Chickadee finally managed to find her voice again. Her ears flattened even more at the tom’s expression that was anything but happy. It was serious and tinged with irritation. A large weight of disappointment dropped in her stomach as she comprehended his words. He’d been hunting that squirrel. “It’s yours,” Chickadee blurted out, tail swishing behind her in a nervous manner as she nudged the prey forward. “Y-you can have it." A lump had formed in her throat as she willingly gave up the piece of food. She wanted it so badly, because all she’d hoped to do was find something to cure the painful growl of her stomach. It took all of her willpower not to grab it back and flee, but she knew that would be a dangerous move, considering the fact that the tom was obviously much bigger than her in size, and could easily stop her if she tried. Chickadee backed up a few pawsteps, her fur fluffing in agitation as she watched the tom. Even with her pelt sticking up at all angles as it bristled, it wasn’t enough to hide her bony frame.
Bronzepaw narrowed his eyes at the she-cat as she spoke. 'Going to give up just like that..', he mused to himself and muttered softly to himself, "Really?". He honestly thought she would give up more of fight to keep the squirrel. Prey was terribly hard to find this moon. Bronzepaw keep an watchful eye on her as he took a step closer to the squirrel. His fur was bristling along the spine of his back, as he regarded her with caution. Glancing between the she-cat and the squirrel, he felt a small pang of regret. He was going to take the squirrel... Mistyhaze really needed it for her kits but the she-cat looked unhealthy.. bony. Bronzepaw closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, hoping that he wouldn't regret the next words that came out of his mouth, "I-I can help you find something else?", he asked in a soft tone, blinking his eyes back up to gaze at her.
Chickadee would’ve put up more of a fight for the squirrel, but at the same time, the she-cat was worried for the tom. And if she took it, she knew she would be unhappy for the rest of the day because she’d keep thinking about the tom and his condition. Of course, she didn’t know that he was catching food for an older cat who had kits to feed as well, and the other thing she didn’t know was the tom himself. He was a stranger, and yet Chickadee had given up her food to him.
So that explained her hesitance when the other feline told her he could help find her something. A brief jolt of hope shot through her, and his soft tone made her relax a bit - enough to make her fur stop bristling. Chickadee gave her tortoiseshell-and-white fur a quick lick before turning her mint green gaze back to the tom. “H-help?” She echoed uncertainly. She wasn’t sure. After all, she didn’t even know him, but the other part of her brain told her that she would have a better chance of getting something in her stomach if there were two cats looking for prey instead of one.
After a couple heartbeats of more thought, Chickadee finally made her decision. She gave a nod, ear twitching. “That - that would be nice,” she murmured.
Bronzepaw switched his gaze away from the she-cat, looking down at the squirrel. He frowned slightly at it and placed his paw on it. He rolled the squirrel on it's back, inspecting it while he waited the she-cat to catch up with her thoughts. 'Rosewind will be pleased', he thought with a soft purr.
Bronzepaw shook his head and lifted his gaze back up, fixing it on the young feline. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before nodding slowly, "Yes... I suppose I could help you", the tom meowed and shifted on his paws, "It's been a long winter", Bronzepaw added as an afterthought. The dark golden brown tom's shoulders slumped a little bit with that confession, he was tired of being hungry all the time. He blinked at her, 'I am suprised she accepted', he mused inwardly to himself. The tortoiseshell looked like she was about ready to dart off at any given moment. "Yes, it would be", he couldn't help but grin at her words. He let out a soft laugh and took a step towards her. Amusement was lit up in his eyes as he milled over her words, he would love for someone to help him hunt... hunting never was Bronzepaw's forte. "My name is Bronzepaw.. what's yours", he asked as he shoved the squirrel different into the brush to hide it. Cats weren't the only hungry animals around.
Chickadee blinked, taking in the tom’s words. "Long winter,” she echoed before nodding. “Yes, it has been…a long winter.” Her voice had become a little distant, and for a moment the she-cat was lost in her thoughts before managing to claw her way out of them again. “Right - hunting. Names.” Chickadee noticed the decreased amount of distance between her and the other feline, realizing that he’d taken a pawstep forward. She was slightly startled by the somewhat closer proximity, her eyes hesitantly meeting the amber orbs of the tom’s. But then the sound of his soft laugh and appearance of his smile allowed the rest of the remaining tension in Chickadee’s shoulders to vanish, and she gave a small grin of her own in response.
For some reason, hearing the tom give her his name comforted the she-cat, because it helped to have a name for the feline instead of something like ‘stranger’ or ‘mystery cat’. “Bronzepaw,” Chickadee repeated, letting the name roll off her tongue. She did think the name was rather odd, and even though she did, she didn’t act like it was.
When the tom - Bronzepaw - prompted her with a question of what her name was, the tortoiseshell shuffled her paws in a manner that seemed to be of embarrassment. “It’s…um, Chickadee.” Her ears twitched and she dropped her gaze. “Like - like the bird. I was, ha, named after a bird.”
Bronzepaw took a step away from the other feline, putting a little more space between them. His gaze flickered over towards the bush where he buried the squirrel. He shook his head, peering back at Chickadee with slight amusement flickering in his eyes, "Long winter", he repeated in a soft tone with smirk.
Bronzepaw titled his head to the side as he stared at her. "That would be my name", he chuckled, his eyes soft. She seemed friendly.. well as friendly as a loner could be. 'I like the way she says my name', he absently thought to himself as he regarded her with curious eyes. The golden brown tom shrugged his shoulders, "At least, it's better to be named after something graceful. I am pretty sure my mother named me after a rock", he admitted with wrinkle of his nose.
A small mrrow of laughter escaped Chickadee at the tom’s words. “A rock?” She echoed, lips tugging into an amused smile. It faltered slightly when she noticed him staring at her with a curious light in his amber eyes, and her ear twitched self-consciously. Is there something on my muzzle? Face? A burr, maybe? Chickadee lifted a paw to her cheek, claws unsheathing as she gingerly combed it through her fur for any possible things that had decided to hitch a ride on her.
“So…” she mewed, mint green eyes flicking to the ground as she moved her paw back down. It seemed easier to talk that way than to have to face Bronzepaw’s amber gaze that seemed to be calculating her. “Um - in terms of hunting… should we, um, stick close together? A few tree-lengths apart or…?”
Bronzepaw nodded his head and let out a soft sigh. He rolled his eyes, an amused gleam shining in his eyes. "Yes.. a hard substance, that is shiny", he meowed, couldn't help but tease her as she echoed his last word. The young tom pranced on his paws, trotting over towards Chickadee and then brushing past her.
The golden brown tom shrugged his shoulders, looking over his shoulder at her. "Close together. Let's fine something then I will evaluate a plan", he meowed, lifting his chin trying to convey his authority. He could totally run their little hunting patrol with no problem. Bronzepaw veered off into the bushes, beckoning with his tail for Chickadee to follow along, "C'mon!", he called without looking back. The forest seemed quiet, though the tom had high hopes that they would be able to find something and Chickadee would at least not starve.
Chickadee felt her fur flush hot in slight embarrassment at Bronzepaw’s teasing words, and she gave him a half-hearted glare before it completely disappeared when his fur briefly brushed against hers as he passed by. She caught a whiff of his forest mixed with something else scent, and her mint green eyes blinked in mild confusion. I can’t tell what that other smell is. It’s not bad… but it’s a little odd. Shaking her head, Chickadee turned her attention back to Bronzepaw. “O-okay,” she mewed shakily before hurrying after the tom, slowly quickening her pace so that she could keep up with Bronzepaw's strides. The tortoiseshell was having slight issues, as being deprived of food for a while had made her a little weaker, having to stop at one point when she started wheezing. Chickadee squeezed her eyes shut, willing it to stop as she tried to gulp in more air but getting stopped by coughs that spilled out of her throat.
At last, they died down a bit - enough for tortoiseshell to pull herself together and stumble after Bronzepaw, trying her best to catch up as little coughs still rattled in her chest. I guess they’re not quite over yet. But they're better than the huge coughs I was having before it. Ignoring the lingering pain in her chest, Chickadee tried to keep herself focused. She had pretty high hopes for this hunt; Bronzepaw seemed to be quite confident and she had no problem with him leading the hunt. “Sorry,” Chickadee rasped in apology. “I've been kind of - um - having breathing issues. Coughing...and things." The small tortoiseshell blinked. "Coughing," she mumbled again, but this time she was speaking to herself. "Dee's coughing problem has gotten worse."
xx
Ivykit(paw) and Stormpaw
The young she-cat awoke as she feel the nest shift then a soft breeze go across her fur. She twitched in her sleep and curled into a tight ball of fur. She blinked open her eyes once she tucked her head under her tail, 'I don't want to wake up', she thought, morosely. Her stomach grumbled loudly in the quiet of the den. Shortly after the loud grumbling sound, she then felt a sharp kick on her back and heard some half-angry, half-sleepy mumble come from one of her littermates. 'Oh stuff it', she thought, feeling briefly annoyed. It was not her fault for feeling hungry. Ivykit let out a sigh and slowly unraveled herself, pushing herself to her paws. Her gaze flickered over her sibling, who were luckily still sleeping. She growled under her breath before padding lightly out of the den. The rest of the nursery seemed to be asleep as well, besides her mother, Creekflower. 'What is she doing up anyway?', Ivykit thought to herself as she peered curiously at her mother once she was outside of the nursery. Creekflower looked as if she was going to head out for a patrol. Ivykit couldn't help the pang of jealously. Her mother had slowly yet willing started to go back to her warrior duties since Ivykit and her siblings were about 5 moons and 3 quarters old. "I wish I could just be an apprentice now", the gray she-kit grumbled under her breath. She trudged over towards the fresh-kill pile since her stomach was reminding her once again why it was a bad idea to skip dinner last night. It wasn't her fault that the elders told such great stories.
A soft breeze whispered through the air, gently ruffling Stormpaw’s fur as he slipped into camp, a triumphant gleam in his pale blue eyes. Dangling from his jaws were two - not one, but two - plump squirrels, and closely behind him was his mentor, Ebonylynx, who had a small smile etched on her muzzle. After being apprenticed for roughly one moon and much of his time spent trying to perfect his hunter’s crouch, Stormpaw had finally caught his first batch of prey. To say that he was happy was an understatement, as he was completely thrilled about this accomplishment.
The light gray tabby meowed a muffled thanks when Ebonylynx told him he could take a brief break, and that later on she’d take him out again for battle training. His mentor left with a flick of her tail as she disappeared into the warriors’ den, and Stormpaw trotted over to the fresh-kill pile to deposit his prey. His pale blue eyes landed on dark gray form of Ivykit, who was slowly trudging her way over. A small smile of amusement curled his lips up. “Hey Ivy,” he mewed, not bothering to add in the -kit suffix to the younger feline's name. “Hungry? I just caught those squirrels - they’re fresh.”
Ivykit paused for a moment as the entrance of camp rustled. She watched Stormpaw and his mentor, Ebonylynx make their way into camp with curiously and slight tang of envy. 'Soon...', she thought to herself. She watched the young tom cat converse with his mentor before making his way to the fresh-kill pile. Ivykit twitched her tail before finishing the walk to the fresh-kill pile.
Ivykit stared at the fresh-kill pile, looking quite displeased by the section of prey that was being offered. The grey she-cat let out a soft huff before other than that, her distaste was not made vocal. Her green eyes flickered over to the tom, finally acknowledging him. "Hello Stormpaw", she meowed in a light, polite tone. Not that she had anything against the tom, just who could be so chipper in the morning? It was ghastly. "I see that", she meowed with a small nod of her own. "Though there is no way I could eat a whole squirrel by myself". Ivykit added with a laugh, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she looked the apprentice. Well, if her lazy siblings would wake up, she would have no problem eating it or if her mother was here, she could share with her. "Have you seen the size of me?", she meowed, her whiskers still twitching in amusement from her laugh.
The light gray tom narrowed his eyes slightly at Ivykit’s greeting, picking up on the polite edge to it. He mentally shrugged it off then, happy mood still not dampened. After all, he did just catch his first batch of prey. With a faint chuckle of amusement at the other feline’s words, Stormpaw settled himself on a comfortable position on his stomach, paws splayed in front of him as his pale blue gaze settled on Ivykit’s vivid green ones. “Really?” he mewed, eyebrows raising a little as he grinned. “I figured maybe some kits have large appetites. Though,” he paused, giving his fur a lick, "in just a few moons you'll be an apprentice." The tom rested his chin on his paws, releasing a small sigh of content. “Well, I’m here, and I’d be willing to help eat some of the squirrel,” he meowed, the corner of his lips curling in a smirk. Stormpaw hadn’t gotten to eat yet, having spent a chunk of the morning hunting with Ebonylynx.
Ivykit settled down near Stormpaw. She tuckered her paws neatly under her chest and curled her tail, comfortably around her. Her gaze briefly flashed around the clearing, mentally tracking some of her clanmates. She focused her attention back onto Stormpaw, meeting his blue eyes. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him with an exasperated look. "I am not a big cat", she muttered, mostly to herself. She wasn't sure if she should be offended or not by Stormpaw's remark. She eyed the squirrels he had laid down on the fresh-kill pile. They looked impressive, though Ivykit wasn't sure how a cat would expect to eat all that by themselves. Ivykit couldn't help but preen at the thought. "Yes, very soon", she purred gently with a bright gleam in her eyes, "It is going to be wonderful". Ivykit was going to make sure that she would become of the best warriors that Falconclan had ever seen. She could just picture her warrior ceremony now.... Ivykit let out a soft huff of a laugh, "I can see you that you are here", she meowed and gave a small nod of approval. "And alright... but just this once", she warned lightly. She didn't like to make a habit of sharing meals with cats she didn't know well. Yes, they were clanmates but they didn't have an intimate relationship and she would not be controlled by her stomach's desires.
The gray tabby tom met Ivykit’s exasperated look with amusement, whiskers twitching slightly as his ears angled toward her, trying to catch her muttered reply. “You aren’t a big cat,” he agreed, then went on. “What I said was that you might have a big appetite.” Stormpaw rubbed his muzzle with a paw before nodding at Ivykit’s next words. “Oh yes, it will be wonderful.” He paused, then went on, voice taking on a dramatic edge. “It will be glorious.” Shifting his paws, Stormpaw cleared his throat. “Anyway, yeah, the ceremony is exciting.” A look of nostalgia glittered in his eyes as the memories of his own ceremony flooded back. How happy he’d been, standing up there before the whole clan with the leader in front of him. I bet the warrior ceremony will be even more amazing. He broke out of this thoughts after a few heartbeats, a smile curling his lips up when Ivykit agreed to sharing. “Well,” -- he stretched a paw forward -- “She-cats first."
Ivykit rolled her eyes at Stormpaw's logic. "I do not have time to have big appetite", she meowed as she began to paw at one of the squirrels. "Have you seen the size of my siblings? My brothers eat like badgers, therefore I never had the chance to gain a large appetite", she pointed out as she eyed the squirrel, that she pawed towards her. The creature was bigger than she thought and unfortunately more hairy. She made a face as she imagined the hairy balls she would get later in the afternoon. Ivykit looked at Stormpaw and let out a snort of laughter, "Totally", she confirmed with an teasing edge, her eyes bright with amusement at his dramatic antics. She nodded, looking at the squirrel with a critic eye. The belly had tender meat, she would start there since Stormpaw uttered the words 'she-cats first'. 'At least he has manners', she thought as she took a chuck off the squirrel, then clawing the skin off. She wasn't going to choke any more hair down than she had to.
“Badgers?” Stormpaw echoed, eyebrows raising in amusement. “I could imagine…” He shook his head, whiskers twitching. “Well, here’s your chance to start gaining a large appetite." The gray tabby grinned a little when Ivykit gave a snort of laughter at his earlier remark about the ceremony being glorious, happy that he’d made her laugh. He watched as she silently analyzed the squirrel, then take a chunk off. Stormpaw briefly looked over the squirrel as well, settling for the thigh area, bracing one paw against it to take off a piece before biting off a chunk, chewing slowly.
Ivykit swallowed her mouthful of squirrel and cleared her throat before she meowed, in matter of factly tone, "They are monsters". The grey-she rolled her eyes at Stormpaw's words and let out a soft snort, before nibbling on another piece of the squirrel. "I don't believe it works that work", she let out a murrow of laughter. "I think I am just going to be a small eater for the rest of my life", she meowed with clarity. She felt like she was already far too old to start a lifestyle change, anyways being a small eater has its perks. Like when it was going to be leafbare, she wouldn't need that much food because she won't have to eat that much to satisfy herself.
The gray tabby let out a snort as he chewed on his piece of squirrel. “Monsters?” His whiskers twitched a little, and then he nodded. “Well,” he mewed, pausing briefly in thought. “That’s not a bad thing necessarily. Being a small eater has its benefits, especially in leafbare.” Stormpaw finished off the last of his piece of squirrel, and then asked, “Are you going to have another chunk of it?” The tom gestured towards the prey. He knew that Ivykit had already said she was a small eater, but there was still a good bit of squirrel left since it was so big. And he didn't want to just end up eating the rest of the prey and looking selfish.
Ivykit gave Stormpaw a solemn nod. "They truly are", she meowed in a grave meow then warned him, "Be prepared when we move into the apprentice den". She took another piece off of the squirrel and chewed slowly. If she ate too fast, her stomach would always ache afterwards. "It has perks, I don't have to worry about dying in dire situations", she agreed once she finished swallowing her food. There was a semi-playful gleam in her eye and she gave a brief smirk. She twitched her nose as she looked at the squirrel in question, "I think I will have a small piece, than you can eat the rest", she muttered as she pawed the squirrel closer so she could tear another piece off for herself.
“Oh, I’ve been dealing with worse denmates,” Stormpaw meowed, coughing loudly and muttering Darkpaw under his breath. That tom drove up him a tree with his constant bragging about practically everything - including things like how he had the most comfortable moss for his nest. Stormpaw knew that he himself was a bragger, but he didn’t boast about things as ridiculous as bedding. And not only that, Darkpaw had always purposely slept in a direction where his tail would flop right in Stormpaw’s face, which would make him sneeze and then wake every other apprentice in the den... subjecting him to cranky, short-tempered denmates. Darkpaw seemed to make it a daily goal to somehow annoy Stormpaw.
"Your brothers are going to seem tolerable to me,” the gray tabby mewed now, whiskers twitching. Then he chuckled at Ivykit’s next words, nodding. “Well. If you’re not the one dying in the dire situation, I probably will be the one laying there and starving while you remind me the perks of being a small eater.” The gray tabby’s blue eyes flicked to his stomach, then back at the squirrel. “I eat way too much for my own good,” he muttered, now trying to decide if he should finish off the squirrel or not since Ivykit was only taking a small piece.
“Oh, I’ve been dealing with worse denmates,” Stormpaw meowed, coughing loudly and muttering Darkpaw under his breath. That tom drove up him a tree with his constant bragging about practically everything - including things like how he had the most comfortable moss for his nest. Stormpaw knew that he himself was a bragger, but he didn’t boast about things as ridiculous as bedding. And not only that, Darkpaw had always purposely slept in a direction where his tail would flop right in Stormpaw’s face, which would make him sneeze and then wake every other apprentice in the den... subjecting him to cranky, short-tempered denmates. Darkpaw seemed to make it a daily goal to somehow annoy Stormpaw.
"Your brothers are going to seem tolerable to me,” the gray tabby mewed now, whiskers twitching. Then he chuckled at Ivykit’s next words, nodding. “Well. If you’re not the one dying in the dire situation, I probably will be the one laying there and starving while you remind me the perks of being a small eater.” The gray tabby’s blue eyes flicked to his stomach, then back at the squirrel. “I eat way too much for my own good,” he muttered, now trying to decide if he should finish off the squirrel or not since Ivykit was only taking a small piece.
Ivykit laughed at Stormpaw's words, "Oh really", she meowed. She understand the tom's annoyance well, living her brothers has been the worst experience of her life so far. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to share a den with other apprentices, that weren't even your siblings.
The grey she-cat let out a snort at Stormpaw's words. "Just you wait... you will see", she meowed with absolute certainty. "You will come to dislike them eventually", she smirked at him, like Ivykit dared him to prove her wrong. Ivykit let out a small murmur of laughter at his words. She pawed at her piece of the squirrel, not ready to bite back into it, just yet. "I will laugh in your face then force my portion of food down your throat", she meowed with a slight twitch of her whiskers. Her green eyes held a mischevious gleam in them.
The gray tabby only raised his eyebrows in response to Ivykit’s smirk, before shaking his head with a small smile. He sighed a little as he stared at the squirrel, then pawed it towards him, taking a bite. Stormpaw glanced up when Ivykit spoke again, his cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk as he stared at her for a moment. And then, after swallowing his food, he rolled over on to his back. “Ouch," he mewed. "I didn't know you would be that cruel," His voice was laced in mock pain, and, after a heartbeat, he sobered up. “You wouldn’t be able to get that food down my throat,” Stormpaw said, rolling his eyes. “I would just end up swiping you to the side if you even tried, cause you’re so tiny.” The tom knew that Ivykit really wasn’t that small; she was decent sized, at least for a kit close to becoming an apprentice, and had long legs. Good for going after birds, which required tremendous jumping power if it meant getting the animal before it managed to fly away. Stormpaw just felt like ruffling her fur a little, just to see how she would react.
She let out a small laugh as she saw what he looked like. "Awww. don't you have the cutest little cheeks ever", she teased, her green eyes gleaming mischievously. Ivykit's fur started to bristle along her spine and she narrowed her eyes at Stormpaw. "Hardly", she huffed and shook her head. "There is no way you could possibly swipe me aside", she laughed and twitched her tail. "I am going to get bigger soon", she meowed with a slight wrinkle of her nose. Growing was taking longer than she thought it but she was grow taller eventually.
A faint cough of surprise slipped out of Stormpaw’s throat at Ivykit’s remark, but he recovered quickly, a smile appearing on his muzzle. “A chipmunk?” He proceeded to puff out his cheeks, crossing his eyes a little before returning to his normal expression. The gray tabby’s whiskers twitched a little, then tried to hold back his laughter at Ivykit’s defensive response. “Alright, alright, don’t get your fur in a knot, Ivy. I know you will.”
And the words, of course, rang truth. A few days later, a bleary-eyed Stormpaw stumbled out of the apprentices’ den, clearly exhausted. His lovely denmate, Darkpaw, of course, had bothered him. Again. But the gray tabby had somehow managed to grab just a few bits of sleep even with the other tom yakking in his ear, and despite having the feeling that he might just end up faceplanting in the camp clearing from lacking sleep, he knew he couldn’t. Not with the possibility of an apprentice ceremony, which he thought he’d heard from the leader’s conversations yesterday. There was no way he was going to miss that.
Thankfully, Darkpaw was still asleep, but it wouldn’t be long before he got up as well. A grimace was already making its way on Stormpaw’s face just at the thought of it. The gray tabby sighed, muttering curses under his breath before flopping down in a shaded spot in camp where he wouldn’t be hit by the sun. He kept his chin propped on his paws, eyes just thin slits of blue. Stay awake, stay awake. The words chanted inside his head like a mantra, and Stormpaw lay there now, half in reality, half in sleep mode. If what he heard was true, then it wouldn’t be long before he saw Ivykit and her siblings become apprentices, and he tried to hold onto that thought to keep himself awake.
-time skip-
Ivykit padded out of the nursery. Her head was held high and there was spring in her gait as she made her way across the clearing. She spotted her lazy friend, Stormpaw, resting among the shadows. 'Soon', she thought with a determined flicker in her eyes. Her apprentice ceremony was scheduled for sun-high and it was close to that time. She was going to be a warrior apprentice and one of the best the clan had ever seen. She would show them and earn the respect of everyone around her. She was confident about that.
The slender she-kit seemed to be quite pleased about something. There was a happy aura that surrounded as she padded closer to Stormpaw. "Stormpaw! Wake up otherwise you are going to miss my ceremony!", she urged him to gather to his paws as she circled around him. In the half-moon from that fateful lunch, the two had become close friends. And Ivykit had even grown an inch or two! Her kit fur was almost gone, it was being sleek and beautiful, especially as her dapples became more apparent on top of her silvery gray fur. "Remember I was there for yours! And I politely cheered", she cooed at him with a playful laugh. She wiping his ears with her tail, knowing how much it aggravated him. There was a bright, mischievous flicker in her green eyes as she gazed down at Stormpaw.
“Mmfff?” Was all the tom could manage after feeling something brushing against his ears, and he lifted a paw, swiping at it sloppily. And then he jerked his head up, blinking rapidly as the sound of his name being called registered in his mind. “What? What? I’m awake, no, I wasn’t - fox dung, I felt asleep, didn’t I?” Stormpaw slammed his face into the ground, emitting a noise of frustration, then glanced back up, meeting the familiar green gaze of Ivykit, who was looking at him with a flicker of mischievousness in her eyes. “Stooopp,” he whined, now more alert as he batted her tail away from his ears. “You know I’m ticklish,” he added under his breath. After a moment of grumbling, the gray tabby blinked at her, registering her words now before grinning widely. “Great StarClan, it is today!” He meowed, excitement tinging his voice. At Ivykit’s next words, he blinked, trying to think of it. After a few heartbeats, the memory of it surfaced in his mind. He did remember Ivykit being present as a small fluffy ball of silver amongst the sea of pelts. Despite remembering, Stormpaw purposely delayed his response, pretending to think about it. “Oh… I don’t know. Let’s see…” He dragged it on for a few more seconds before laughing, giving Ivykit a nod. “Of course. Yes, you and your polite cheering,” he mewed, a mrrow of laughter escaping his throat.
After a brief groom, Stormpaw slowly got up, tail flicking behind him. He shot a quick glance at the apprentices’ den, half tempted to wish that Darkpaw would oversleep and be late to the ceremony so that he would get in trouble, but that wouldn’t be right, even if the other tom was a pain in the tail. He turned his attention back to Ivykit, blue eyes flicking over her. The she-cat had definitely grown, but he still towered over her just the slightest. And the dapples that Stormpaw hadn’t seen before were now visible on her silvery fur, which gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight. He had to admit that Ivykit did look rather nice, but he pushed the thought away. Couldn't think that now. The tom's eyes locked with hers, a small smirk curling his lips up. “You better be a hard worker and show your brothers who’s the best out of the litter, yeah?” The tom raised a paw, gently cuffing Ivykit over the ear. "I'm still going to be the best out of all the apprentices though," he added, a little bit of his old arrogance / over-confidence coming back. Then after a moment, he spoke again, but in a rather serious tone. “The first few moons can be a little tough, though. Do you know who you want for your mentor?” Of course, it was up to the leader to select mentor and apprentice pairings, but Stormpaw was just curious to know Ivykit’s preference - if she had any at all. Every warrior trained apprentices differently, and his own mentor, Ebonylynx, was great, somehow tolerating all of his jokes and antics, yet still making him train hard.
Ivykit raised an eyebrow at Stormpaw and pulled to a stop in front of the tom. She let out an impatient huff and couldn't help but stomp her paw against the ground. Although, she made sure that her paw landed dangerously close to Stormpaw's face. "No, you weren't and yes, you did", she scoffed with a fierce shake of her head. She peered down at Stormpaw, her green eyes holding a slightly curious look. "Did Darkpaw keep you up... or are you tiresome from your own doing?", she asked as she took a slight step back so that the tom could push himself to his paws. She let out a snort at his words and danced back around him. "I wouldn't have to resort to this actions if you remembered in the first place", she muttered, flashing him a somewhat annoyed, amused glance. "But yes, it's today!", she couldn't help but squeal in happiness and playfully tackled Stormpaw, tucking at his ears. "I am going to be an apprentice!", she practically shouted at him. "You stupid jerk... I still cheered, though!", she laughed at him, her green eyes sparkling as she playfully pawed at his muzzle.
As Stormpaw moved to get up, Ivykit slid off of the grey tom. She slid into a sitting position with a single smooth movement and curled her tail neatly over her paws. Her chin was high in the air, showing that the she-cat had easy confidence, she was going to be an apprentice today and she was going to get her name with class. Ivykit turned her head away from gazing around him to give Stormpaw a frank look. "Really, there is no competition. I have always been the best", she tossed her head, throwing Stormpaw a playful smirk. Honestly, the siblings each had their own special talents, though Ivykit was better. She was a she-cat. Bravekit and Swiftkit were trying to keep up with her. Ivykit let out a soft snort and nudged Stormpaw with her shoulder, "You only have a few hours of being the best apprentice then I will step up", she couldn't help but tease her friend. She couldn't stop the sharp glance she gave Stormpaw when she heard the tone that was in his voice. Ivykit tilted her head as she mused over Stormpaw's words in her head. She let out a soft hmm and twitched her tail. "I don't want a fool as my mentor. I want an experienced warrior, those had already had apprentices and they have shown to be capable warriors", she meowed with swift words. It was apparent that Ivykit had already put much thought into the question. "I think I would like either, Poppydawn or Raggedfinch", she meowed, her gaze flickering around to finding the said warriors instinctively .
“It was Darkpaw who kept me up,” the gray tabby mewed, his blue gaze darkening almost automatically at the mere mention of the other tom. “Apparently he was determined to not let me get any sleep.” Stormpaw sighed, then shook his head. “Whatever. Don’t waste your time on him, it’s not worth it.” He was rather surprised by Ivykit’s tackles and playfulness, and as she situated herself into a sitting position, Stormpaw mirrored her pose, his own tail flicking forward to rest over his paws. He blinked when her paw came to poke his muzzle, and, after recovering from his initial surprise he returned the gesture, patting her muzzle with a paw before grinning. “I know, I know, thank you for your supportive cheering.” The tom paused for a bit, ears angled forward as he listened to Ivykit. Occasionally he’d wince at her talking volume - she was practically shouting now. “The ears, Ivy, mind the ears. I’d like to be able to use them for quite a few more moon cycles,” he meowed, chuckling a little. It wasn’t too bad, but sometimes it’d be a little too much for him. Ivykit mentioned her brothers, Swiftkit and Bravekit, who Stormpaw thought were decent, but apparently they were a lot worse than they seemed (according to her).
“Only a few hours?” He echoed now, eyebrows raising slightly. “Well, we’ll have to see about that, won’t we Ivykit? Don’t get too excited.” A smirk appeared on Stormpaw’s muzzle before he added, “Though I’m sure you find hunting quite a lot of fun after you learn the position and everything. Soon enough we’ll be bringing in all this prey and getting so much praise from the leader and Clanmates…” Stormpaw’s features grew a little dreamy at the thought of it, though after a few heartbeats he snapped out of it as he caught the names of the preferred cats Ivykit wanted as mentor. “Oh, Poppydawn or Raggedfinch…” he mused, whiskers twitching thoughtfully as he glanced at the mentioned Clanmates. At the way Ivykit had responded, it seemed like she’d put in a lot of thought into this already, and Stormpaw was in fact rather impressed. “I suppose we’ll see who [leader] chooses,” he meowed, blue eyes flicking over to the leader’s den.
The dark grey she-cat twitched her nose in slight distaste. "I am sorry about that", she meowed with a gentle nudge of her shoulder. She couldn't help but tease him, hoping to brighten Stormpaw's mood. "You could move your nest next to mine, I will protect you from Darkpaw", she chuckled lightly as she flickered her tail at him. Ivykit laughed as Stormpaw batted back at her. "I am a wonderful friend", she boasted with a teasing gleam in her eyes. As of now, she had been a great friend for Stormpaw, semi-supportive and properly entertainable when he needed it. Also, she could withstand boasts about his training for awhile before she whacked him with her paws.
"Yes, hours!", Ivykit smirked back at him and flickered her tail, "I am not getting excited, I am determined". She stuck her tongue out at him. Although, Ivykit was determined to be the best apprentice that she could be and she wouldn't mind surpassing the rest of the apprentices. It would take time, of course, but she would be perfect. Ivykit titled her head as she listened to Stormpaw's and dipped her head in agreement. She smiled at Stormpaw, "We will make a pretty good team, won't we?", she purred in a soft tone. She could just imagine how much prey could they manage to catch them, between the both of them."Hopefully, Tawnystar chooses wisely", she meowed with a slight wrinkle of her nose as she followed Stormpaw's gaze towards the leader den. She did not want Elmwhisker as a mentor, that tom was too playful and Mistlefoot was too playful and distracted to possibly teach her anything useful.
“It’s not your fault,” Stormpaw meowed, frowning slightly. “But,” he mewed, a soft laugh rumbling in his throat at Ivykit’s next words, “Thanks. Maybe I will.” His pale blue eyes gleamed in amusement, his mood lifting now. “And you’ll even protect me?” The tom threw his head back, a paw raising to touch his chest in a dramatic manner. “My, my, what a wonderful friend,” Stormpaw purred in response to Ivykit’s boast. Since that day they’d shared that squirrel, an unlikely friendship had blossomed between the two, filled with support, yet with much argument and rivalry as well. Stormpaw had no doubt that the competition between them would grow stronger now that Ivykit was becoming apprentice - very soon, perhaps in a few heartbeats as he glanced at the sky - but he didn’t mind.
“We will make a good team,” the gray tabby meowed a little belatedly, but still with a grin. He shot another glance at Tawnystar’s den, and, upon spotting the she-cat, inhaled sharply as the summoning call suddenly rang out, loud and clear from the leader’s throat. Stormpaw’s gaze shot over to Ivykit, his pale blue eyes lightened with excitement. “Come on, you furball! Tawnystar just called the clan for a meeting, and in just a few moments you’ll be up there for your ceremony!” The tom didn’t waste another heartbeat as he scrambled to his paws, tail flicking behind him as he hurried over to find a spot, pausing halfway for Ivykit. He glanced over his shoulder at her, then at his surroundings as he watched Clanmates slip out of the dens and make their way over. He shouted a hello towards his mentor, Ebonylynx, who smiled at him, green eyes bright. Now this will all be perfect if Darkpaw doesn’t wake up yet, Stormpaw thought silently as he waited for Ivykit.
Ivykit and Stormpaw and Skytail
Ivykit brushed her shoulder against Stormpaw, giving him a look. "Still, I am sorry about Darkpaw keeping you up at night", she meowed in a calm, sincere tone as she gazed at her friend. The edges of her muzzle curled up in a soft, barely there smile and let out a laugh. She swished her tail, her green eyes flickering with amusement at his words, "Yes! I will protect you and your sleep". Her meow was laced with laughter, although her eyes were lit up with amusement, they held a serious gleam in them, too. Darkpaw had no right to keep Stormpaw from getting his precious sleep. Everyone needed sleep to function properly. Ivykit tossed her head, knocking her shoulder against his and huffing, "I am wonderful, I am glad you are finally noticing", she smirked up at him.
Ivykit beamed at Stormpaw as she heard the next words he uttered out of his mouth. Of course, he would agree with her. She was typically right about most things. "Of course! We will be the best apprentices", she smiled, ignoring the fact she had just told Stormpaw that she was going to the best apprentice ever. She could share the title with Stormpaw... it wouldn't be too painful. As she lost in internal thought, Ivykit missed the leader exiting from her den. Her thoughts snapped back to the present as Stormpaw poked fun at her. The grey she-cat leaped to her paws, her eyes shining brightly. "It's time!", she purred and trotting swiftly at him. Making sure to stretch out her legs so that she would catch up him with easily. She would stay at his side for now. It looked like Creekflower was busy grooming Swiftkit and Bravekit. She was going to avoid that.
Although unknown to Ivykit, her father was heading towards her direction. "Stormpaw", Skytail first greeted the apprentice before his gaze flickered over towards his only daughter. Creekflowre and Skytail were a newly mated couple, though most had doubts about their mating as the two were only seen together on patrols and the nursery. The older warrior narrowed his blue eyes at his defiant she-kit, Ivykit. Sometimes he wished she was a bit calmer but then again, it was always interesting to see what she would do next even though it drove Creekflower crazy to keep track of her kits. "Ivykit", Skytail meowed with a twitch of his whiskers, "C'mon, let me help you", he meowed, grabbing her by her scruff before she could start to complain.
"No! Dad! I don't need help", Ivykit hissed and tried to kick out at him as she saw that he was going her neck. She let out a groan as her father picked her up and plopped her between his paws. She slouched, glaring down at the dirt. She was definitively not going to look at Stormpaw, he probably thought this was hilarious. "My ceremony is going to be any second now... we don't have time for this!", she grumbled, her tail lashing at her father's stomach.
Skytail rolled his eyes at Ivykit's behavior. He let out a soft hum of acknowledgment at Ivykit's complaints as he licked at the fur that was sticking up on her back. "I am sure, sweetheart", he meowed as he groomed her fur back to its original pristine state. It didn't know how she had gotten dirty, she had just left the nursery. Yet, he did see her tackle her friend, Stormpaw. His blue gaze shifted towards the apprentice and he narrowed his eyes at the storm. He was shaping to become a good warrior, just a couple of more moons to see if his progress was still, actually progress.
A surge of gratitude rushed through the tom at Ivykit’s sincere concern for him, and he let out a soft purr and mrrow of amusement at the same time as he listened to the silver she-cat speak, falling over at point in an exaggerated manner when Ivypaw knocked her shoulder against his. At the arrival of Skytail, Ivykit’s father, Stormpaw padded back over, dipping his head in greeting to the older tom. “Hi, Skytail.”
He watched with barely disguised amusement as the tom started grooming Ivykit’s spiky tufts of fur back to its original state of neatness. When the dappled silver she-cat slouched completely, her gaze avoiding Stormpaw’s, it was then that the loud laughs finally escaped his mouth as he was no longer able to contain his amusement. The gray tabby’s laughs ceased slightly when he caught Skytail’s gaze flickering over to him and narrowing as if silently analyzing him, and he felt a faint pang of nervousness under the older tom’s shrewd gaze. Stormpaw managed to shake off the nerves in a few heartbeats, meeting Skytail’s blue eyes with his own, holding his gaze for moment before glancing back at Ivykit. “Your father’s doing it for your own good, Ivy,” he meowed with a grin. “You want to look nice and presentable, don’t you?” Stormpaw questioned, even though he knew that Ivykit was simply frustrated that her father was grooming her right then and there when she clearly didn’t want him to.
The gray tabby’s eyes flicked over to the apprentices’ den, gaze widening and then narrowing at the sight of Darkpaw, who’d briefly poked his head out of the den entrance before retreating. Was the tom purposely not attending the ceremony, or was he simply planning to watch it from the apprentices’ den? Either way, Stormpaw hoped the other tom stayed there, just because he really didn’t feel like dealing with him at the moment.
Stormpaw sat down briefly to give his own pelt a grooming, seeing as it had gotten all fluffed up and spiky. After doing so, he got back to his paws, glancing over his shoulder every so often to see if there was still a good spot to sit. By now, a pretty good amount of Clanmates had gathered, but a few were still making their way over.
Ivykit let out a laugh at Stormpaw's antics and flickered her tail in amusement. She glanced up at her father, who nudged her back into place. "Almost done, Ivykit", he meowed in a soothing voice. Kits were always so impatient, although he could remember his apprentice ceremony. His mother practically had to sit on him and his siblings.
Ivykit's eyes flashed in annoyance as she heard Stormpaw's words, which she took as unlawful teasing. She cast a piercing glare towards him, before lashing her tail not caring that it was whacking her father in the chest with her tail. "I looked fine before he even started!", she hissed, giving another lash of her tail. She wiggled more out of her father's grip before he finally released her. The gray she-cat pushed herself to her paws and twisted around to face her father. "You didn't have to do that", she scolded Skytail.
Skytail shook his head at Ivykit and nudged her towards the crowd of clanmates. "Hush now, Ivykit", he meowed in a stern tone. "Say Goodbye to Stormpaw and go up to join your brothers in front of the high rock", he meowed giving her another nudge with his muzzle. The warrior looked back to Stormpaw before giving him a small smile and stalking away to join his mate, Creekflower.
Ivykit let out a huff of annoyance and stomped her paw. "See you later, Stormpaw", she meowed at him. There was a slight edge to her voice. The fun-loving she-cat appeared to be in a grumpy mood now, she wasn't all too happy with the grooming. She was clean and now she is even cleaner! Ivykit trotted off to join Swiftkit and Bravekit where they were eagerly waiting.
The gray tabby waved his tail in farewell, then found a place to sit near one of his denmates, Redpaw, who he greeted. Once everyone was settled, Tawnystar began the ceremony, and Stormpaw watched with barely contained excitement as Ivykit and her siblings received mentors and were officially named as FalconClan apprentices. His voice rang above his Clanmates’ as he cheered loudly, throat feeling almost raw from the volume he was shouting. His fur had fluffed up in a sort of weird mix of anxiousness and happiness during this whole time, his tail swishing behind him at a frenzied rhythm. “Ivypaw Ivypaw!” he yowled, occasionally switching to ‘Bravepaw’ and ‘Swiftpaw’ for the she-cat's brothers.
By the time the ceremony was over, Stormpaw’s voice was hardly working, but he bounded over to Ivypaw and her mentor anyway, grinning widely. “Congrats, Ivy,” he managed to meow, pale blue eyes glittering. He gave his chest fur a quick lick, trying to flatten the tuft that was sticking up, before glancing back at his friend.
“Well if it isn’t Stormpaw,” a very familiar - but irritating - voice suddenly drawled, causing Stormpaw himself to flinch, ears flattening. He didn’t need to look to know it was Darkpaw, who had finally decided that he was going to grace them with his presence, which Stormpaw could do very nicely without. “Congratulating the new apprentices, eh?” The black-and-silver tom’s yellow eyes flickered over to Ivypaw, a smile curling up the corner of his lips. “Oh yes, you… you’re Ivypaw now. Congratulations on that,” Darkpaw meowed.
'You’re Ivypaw now?' Stormpaw thought with contempt, barely managing to bit back a hiss of annoyance. Did the other tom really not know Ivypaw’s name till now, or was he just being stupid? In FalconClan, all the cats knew each other’s names, but apparently Darkpaw didn’t. “Yes, she’s now Ivypaw,” Stormpaw snapped, but his voice was barely audible as it came out in a raspy whisper.
“Hmm?” Darkpaw stepped closer, ears angling towards him. “I didn’t hear what you said. Lost your voice, didn’t ya?”
Stormpaw’s eyes narrowed at the mocking edge to the black-and-silver tom’s meow, but didn’t reply, instead glancing at Ivypaw and then her mentor, Raggedfinch, knowing that maybe it wouldn’t be wise to continue bickering with Darkpaw in front of the older warrior.
Ivypaw purred softly to herself as she stepped forward to touch noses with her new mentor. She was pleased, Raggedfinch was going to be her mentor. She held in a smirk, she would definitively be one of the best apprentices the clan has ever seen. She took a step back with her mentor, listening to Tawnystar call the meeting to a close and the rest of her clanmates cheering their names. Her gaze flickered over towards her siblings, Bravepaw and Swiftpaw who were practically glowing with happiness than she looked towards her parents, Skytail and Creekfeather. They looked like they were about to burst with pride. She let out another soft purr of happiness.
"Stormpaw!", she grinned as she noticed her friend approaching. She took a few steps away from her mentor to met him."Thank you", Ivypaw meowed with a loud, rumbling purr and swished her tail. She titled her head to the side, "Are you alright?", she mused with faint amusement at the sound of his raspy voice.
Ivypaw twitched her tail as she noticed someone else was coming close to them, someone she knew Stormpaw detested. She opened her mouth to warn Stormpaw of Darkpaw's presence but it was too late. Ivypaw narrowed her eyes at Darkpaw, not particularly liking his tone. She huffed as he turned towards her, "No dip sherlock", she grumbled, rolling her eyes at Darkpaw, "Did you not just hear Tawnystar?". He certainly wasn't the sharpest thorn in the patch. He wasn't worth her and Stormpaw's time.
Ivypaw swished her tail in a dismissive manner towards Darkpaw, turning back towards Raggedfinch with a smile. "What are we going to do first?", she asked her mentor, padding back towards him after she nudged Stormpaw to follow her and ignore the imbecile known as Darkpaw.
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