Post by Tealraven on Jun 11, 2022 18:13:54 GMT -5
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( me changing my post formatting for the fourth time in three pages? of course not, I would never )
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"Would you? Splendid!" Sootfall leaned back to give her room to jump down and join him. Then he reached over, plucked up his own catch, and trotted over to add it to their growing pile on the shore. He dropped his trout atop the others with a wet smack. The silvery fish gleamed temptingly in the sunlight and his stomach gave an appreciative growl. "Whoops!" He chuckled sheepishly. "That'll teach me to go fishing before breakfast."
The silver tabby returned to Littlefin, who had busied herself with grooming. A worthwhile endeavor, Sootfall always believed. He gave his chest fur a few licks. "I bet you're good in a fight with moves like that." He had become a warrior shortly after she was apprenticed, so he'd never seen her in action. Fortunately for him, that also meant she'd never had to watch him fail spectacularly in combat training. "I'm better at defense, myself." When he'd sparred with the other apprentices, he'd always performed best in simulated patrol groups, where someone else could take on the brunt of the combat while he harrassed the opponent from the sides.
"I've never really cared for battle. More of a lover than a fighter, you know." Truth was, if he'd actually applied himself instead of mooning around after his fellow apprentices, he might have done well; he just hadn't bothered to try. "Like this business with OwlClan." Sootfall waved his tail vaguely in the direction of the border. "I don't see why we can't simply talk over the confusion about the Mossy Stones. I'm sure it's all an honest misunderstanding."
"Long? Scaly?" Willowpaw's mew came out in a strangled squeak, voice cracking with alarm. She looked from her companion to the water and back again, gulping cartoonishly. "But-- but that's just a nursery story! Something queens tell us to keep us from going near water before we learn how to swim." She blinked several times in rapid succession. "R-right?"
Her tail skipped over the slick, moss-covered rocks behind her. "There are no monsters. It's probably just a really big fish! Or maybe an eel! Or a... water snake...?" The cheerful tone she'd managed to keep thus far took on a desperate edge. With each word she slowly took a step back, one paw at a time, until she stepped on her own tail and yelped, thinking something had jumped out at her from the rear.
In the same moment, Softpaw shrieked beside her, slipping on the rocks. The fluffy grey apprentice wobbled and pitched forward into the pond. "Softpaw!!" Willowpaw cried. She dashed forward, overwhelmed with concern, and in her haste she turned a forepaw on the treacherous rocks. Whump! Down she went. Willowpaw slammed her chin on the ground and tasted blood.
But at least she didn't end up in the water, where her fellow apprentice was now thrashing about for dear life. Grunting, Willowpaw pushed herself to her feet. "Hang on, Softpaw! Remember your training!" She called. She cast her green gaze up and down the bank, searching for something Softpaw could hang onto. At the base of the waterfall was a long, broken branch that must have gotten swept down the creek. She hurriedly limped over to it and struggled to pull it free, but the darn thing was stuck fast in thick mud. Willowpaw sank her teeth into the damp wood and tugged hard. "Almost there!!" She could feel it coming loose. Just a few more heartbeats would do it... if Softpaw could stay above the water that long.
( me changing my post formatting for the fourth time in three pages? of course not, I would never )
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SOOTFALL
odd brook / with littlefin
"Would you? Splendid!" Sootfall leaned back to give her room to jump down and join him. Then he reached over, plucked up his own catch, and trotted over to add it to their growing pile on the shore. He dropped his trout atop the others with a wet smack. The silvery fish gleamed temptingly in the sunlight and his stomach gave an appreciative growl. "Whoops!" He chuckled sheepishly. "That'll teach me to go fishing before breakfast."
The silver tabby returned to Littlefin, who had busied herself with grooming. A worthwhile endeavor, Sootfall always believed. He gave his chest fur a few licks. "I bet you're good in a fight with moves like that." He had become a warrior shortly after she was apprenticed, so he'd never seen her in action. Fortunately for him, that also meant she'd never had to watch him fail spectacularly in combat training. "I'm better at defense, myself." When he'd sparred with the other apprentices, he'd always performed best in simulated patrol groups, where someone else could take on the brunt of the combat while he harrassed the opponent from the sides.
"I've never really cared for battle. More of a lover than a fighter, you know." Truth was, if he'd actually applied himself instead of mooning around after his fellow apprentices, he might have done well; he just hadn't bothered to try. "Like this business with OwlClan." Sootfall waved his tail vaguely in the direction of the border. "I don't see why we can't simply talk over the confusion about the Mossy Stones. I'm sure it's all an honest misunderstanding."
WILLOWPAW
abandoned camp / with softpaw
"Long? Scaly?" Willowpaw's mew came out in a strangled squeak, voice cracking with alarm. She looked from her companion to the water and back again, gulping cartoonishly. "But-- but that's just a nursery story! Something queens tell us to keep us from going near water before we learn how to swim." She blinked several times in rapid succession. "R-right?"
Her tail skipped over the slick, moss-covered rocks behind her. "There are no monsters. It's probably just a really big fish! Or maybe an eel! Or a... water snake...?" The cheerful tone she'd managed to keep thus far took on a desperate edge. With each word she slowly took a step back, one paw at a time, until she stepped on her own tail and yelped, thinking something had jumped out at her from the rear.
In the same moment, Softpaw shrieked beside her, slipping on the rocks. The fluffy grey apprentice wobbled and pitched forward into the pond. "Softpaw!!" Willowpaw cried. She dashed forward, overwhelmed with concern, and in her haste she turned a forepaw on the treacherous rocks. Whump! Down she went. Willowpaw slammed her chin on the ground and tasted blood.
But at least she didn't end up in the water, where her fellow apprentice was now thrashing about for dear life. Grunting, Willowpaw pushed herself to her feet. "Hang on, Softpaw! Remember your training!" She called. She cast her green gaze up and down the bank, searching for something Softpaw could hang onto. At the base of the waterfall was a long, broken branch that must have gotten swept down the creek. She hurriedly limped over to it and struggled to pull it free, but the darn thing was stuck fast in thick mud. Willowpaw sank her teeth into the damp wood and tugged hard. "Almost there!!" She could feel it coming loose. Just a few more heartbeats would do it... if Softpaw could stay above the water that long.
