WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[Random Melody]

Originally Posted by Noire

The kit did have spunk. Shockpaw lazily opened one eye as he stared at the toyger. She definitely did not frighten him. In fact, she amused him. She was hilarious. Then, she was adorable. She was an adorable little kit, and perhaps she should stay that way. Shockpaw did not have time to deal with slick mouthing kits. ‘’Haven’t you parents taught you how to be more respectful to your elders?’’ He carelessly replied. Her comment about him, made him open both of his eyes. At first he seemed alarmed, but then he half-lidded his eyes, and stared at her calmly. ‘’I’m listened to only when I wish to get heard. Other than that, ignorance is blissful, which I should be ignoring you now.’’ He smirked, and closed his eyes once more, hoping that his problem would go away.

However, she stayed, and continued to talk. Shockpaw only nodded his head, pretending that he was listening to her insult him. He hummed to rid her voice from his ear, and the fact that she was talking. It was quite mean that he was being this way with a kit, and older warriors who may have passed them could see that he was being harsh to the little one. This cared little to Shockpaw. He certainly didn’t care what others thought of him. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion.

The cream tom stopped his humming, and opened both his eyes and was disappointed that she was still there. ‘’What do I have to do in order to make you leave me alone? You’re so annoying!’’ He exclaimed, almost hissing. He knew that he would be taking it too far. He couldn’t hiss at a kit. There was so much that he could do, but hissing at a kit, was not one of them. Instead, the tom reframed himself, and gave her a sarcastic smile. ‘’Ohh, well look at-’’ He cut himself off, intrigued at the fact of what she said. Did she even know what she had said? His smile grew into a grimace, and he twitched his ears. ‘’Blood, huh? What tree did you fall down in order to lose a couple brain cells?’’ She sounded like an idiot to him. Then again, most cats sounded idiotic to him. But, this kit topped them all. She definitely had problems and Shockpaw did not want to be apart of them.

Sorrelkit dismissed his first comment with a flick of her striped tail, an amused look on her face. "Well lets see. Hm. My parents. Oh, right! You mean my mother, who leaves the territory every other day, and my father who goes chasing after her?" She purred silkily. Nope, she couldnt care less what they were doing or where they were. To be quite honest, she wanted them to stay away. Two less cats to annoy her, hm? "They're gone right now," She gestured vaguely with a paw, hinting that they could be anywhere. "Besides, im only respectful to those who earn it. And so far, little warrior," She added, sure it would tick him off as she was younger than he was, "All you've earned it a stream of insults. Perhaps if I wasnt feeling so tired i'd even give you a nice scratch."

She stretched, her mouth stretching wide into a large yawn. This brought the ringing back and she found herself straightening up, ears pricking to listen. The voices were softer as if they were afraid Sorrelkit would hear. But she was listening, oh she was listening alright.

Fire
Kill
Destruction
Pain
Blood
Death...
Death...

"Death..." Sorrelkit found herself whispering, her eyes taking a glazed-over look as the fur on her shoulders prickled up. She hardly heard the Tom hissing at her, already deep in her thoughts. But the voices cut off when she spoke the last word, and Sorrelkit let out a frustrated growl before snapping back to reality.

Her gaze fixed on Shockpaw just in time to hear his last sentence, and she gave him a cold stare. The amusement had vanished. "Mm. You know, you truly are a waste of time." She said, rolling her shoulders slightly as she sat back, giving him a look. Then she stood up, stretching her paws out before turning to walk off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of a conversation here."

[SuspiciousMindz]

Thrushflight casually walked through the territory. The one place he didn't have to pull his act, the one place he could surprise his clan mates if they happened to cross his path. The chocolate calico was headed straight for the small stream that ran close to where his friend's murder occur, though it was far enough away to not draw attention to themselves while Caramelblood washed their paws. His pale blue hues scanned the territory, praying to whatever was out there that none of his fellow warriors would witness this part. Of course they could play it off that they killed a hare while hunting, but where's the hare? There wasn't even a scent on them. In fact, they reeked of Thunderclan, they'd have to fix that problem and actually, Thrushflight had a mischievous plan to help Caramelblood with his problem. Nothing in his movements suggested it though as they arrived upon the edge of the creek. Turning to face Caramelblood, he tilted his head a little bit. "You should probably make this quick, don't need someone stumbling upon us while the creek runs red," he chuckled a little.

@Trashy Sky

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Noire

I should maybe hunt instead of looking like a weird stalker, Spiralpaw stretches to his paws as he stood up and started to make small steps. He dreaded hunting. It was the main skill he needed to improve on. It wasn’t that he was bad at it. In fact, it was pretty neutral for him. If he had the choice, he wouldn’t be hunting at all. More like, having others hunt for him. That way he would be able to explore the lands more, and fight in important battles. The tom did not quite catch on to the importance of hunting. It was a tiring thing for him to do, but he knew it was a skill that must be learned. Spiralpaw trotted around, hoping to spot an easy prey for him to catch.

The tom gave an odd look. If he allowed himself the option to go be with his friends, that’s where he would be at this moment. Not trying to hunt! The brindled tom pinned his ears against his head before he loosely made his way around. In the distance he could make out a cat. A smooth-coated abyssinian running after a rabbit. For a moment, Spiralpaw sat there and watched her work. He tried to pinpoint her next moves, so he could copy them. She wasn’t a bad hunter. Though slow would be accurate. She was travelling at the same speed of the rabbit, so there was no way she would be able to catch it quick enough. Spiralpaw stood up, his tail twitched behind him. Do I know her…?

The tom often forgot names, unintentionally, but he remembered a face like the back of his paws. Even if he haven’t seen a face in a long amount of time, Spiralpaw always remembered a face. He stepped up a bit, tilting his head. Was this her? That obnoxious, narcissistic, she-cat? It had to be her. She looked the same as she did before. But, then again...how would she appear differently if they hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks?

Spiralpaw sighed. He knew he shouldn’t bother her. He didn’t need the trashy remarks from her, the remarks that made her feel worthy and him unworthy. He didn’t want to hear her voice. That voice that seemed to ruin his life. Spiralpaw wondered why ever he decided to hunt, if he knew she was going to be there? Granted, the tom didn’t know she was going to come here. A lot of cats come here to hunt. Hunting was important. It meant feeding the clan. As long as the clan eats, then the clan grows strong. Although, if he still had his way, he wouldn’t be hunting.

The brindled tom let out a chuckle before he decided to get up anyway, and trot her way. She had ruined his day those weeks ago, so why not ruin hers? For the sake of their old first time? For the sake of getting back? Maybe, not storming off and handling the situation as if he were careless of what she had to say? Maybe that would work. It would work for him. And, the best part would be to ruin her current hunt. Though, it sounded petty. He didn’t care at this moment. The tom was devious. He always had been. A troublemaker--and trouble was what he was gonna start.

Spiralpaw quickly caught up to her, springing forward and throwing her a dashing smile as he slowed his pace to match hers. ‘’Looks like you’re having fun!’’ His ears twitched against a light breeze, and his maw curled into a smirk. He took a quick glance in front of them at the milky colored rabbit. He had no intentions on catching it, more so he was interested in steering her in the wrong path. Not the wrong path, per se, but a path of annoyance--because wasn’t that what he was to her? An itch in her pelt? ‘’Long time, no see. Remember me?’’

The abyssinian was so focused on the rabbit that nothing seemed to be able to break her concentration. Chasing after the rabbit, Caracalpaw stretched her legs out with each stride, hoping to increase her speed. Running always felt like flying to her. Well, she had never flown before, but she presumed it was like running without having to use so much leg power. The she-cat loved how the soft grass skimmed her paws as she glided over the moors. She felt free and happy, she felt like there wasn't a care in the world. Caracalpaw really appeared to be in her own world. Feeling the blood rushing in her ears, her eyes narrowed as she concentrated intently on the rabbit in front of her.

Suddenly, the she-cat stumbled as one of her paws landed in a shallow hole in the ground. She hadn't seen it since the grass concealed the hole, but either way she had stumbled into it and was desperately grasping for balance. She weakly looked ahead and saw the rabbit nearly slipping out of sight. No. She couldn't lose it now, the clan needed food. And this was going to help prove just how hard working she was. Caracalpaw gritted her teeth, concentration glimmering in her yellow hues as she regained her balance and immediately started to dash after it again. It was necessary that she got back the speed she had just lost. She refused to let such a dumb creature escape.

Surprising herself, Caracalpaw almost seemed....faster. Perhaps it was just her, but even if it was, it seemed to motivate her and a small smile cracked through on her maw. The abyssinian finally managed to regain the distance between the rabbit that she had had before, but now her muscles were tiring and she could only match the pace of the fluffy, white animal. Frustration started to take over her and a frown quickly replaced the faint smile. She probably wouldn't be able to last much longer. What a waste of a good piece of prey, Caracalpaw thought, disappointment shimmering on the surface of her yellow orbs.

As if she was struggling enough, a voice broke through her emotions and Caracalpaw nearly stiffened, although she continued to run. The abyssinian didn't turn to look at who the voice belonged to. Mostly because she didn't want to. It was a voice that she recognised too well. One that brought her anger, annoyance and disgust. Memories quickly flooded into her mind. The rock, the words, and the dark atmosphere of the conversation. She was much to disgusted to look at the tom who had brought her such bad memories. Caracalpaw didn't have time for such idiocy.

A scowl formed on her face as the apprentice realised she wouldn't be able to ignore him forever. "I was having great fun before you came along," Caracalpaw replied sourly, only giving the brindled tom a mere glance. "There's a reason why it's been a long time since we've seen it other," the she-cat continued bluntly, her eyes bored. "And yes, I unlike you have a great memory," Caracalpaw said flatly, showing her disgust through her yellow eyes. She was sick of hearing the voice that this arrogant tom owned. She was having a perfect day before he had to come along it and wreck it with the sounds that came from his voice box.

If it weren't for the fact that she was hunting a rabbit, Caracalpaw would've taken her time to imagine breaking the tom's voice box. The joy of seeing him speechless, literally. The rabbit. Right, that's what she was here for. She had gotten too caught up in her emotion of disgust that she had almost forgotten about the milky coloured animal. She focused on the animal again and surprisingly, felt herself gaining speed. For a moment, she was confused as to how she seemed to be so magically running faster. But then the realisation quickly hit her and her eyes narrowed. That's right, she wanted to run away from the stupid apprentice next to her.

[doghouse]

Originally Posted by ArenMoto

Already sitting just off to the side, watching curiousky as the rest of the kits play wrestled, tumbling over each other. Seeing Tortoisekit walk out, I would sheft my head slightly, tail wrapping around my body as I sit up.

Tortoisekit saw a she-kit about his age, although nearly twice his size, as he was half the size he should be, and he gave a little bounce of excitement, his eyes bright. The dark furred tom raised his head and tail and scampered forwards until he was about a half a tail length away from her. “Hi!” he said, then gave his chest fur a few embarrassed licks, realizing that he'd said that louder than he'd meant to.

[Barnabas]

@Ludicrous Lunacy

Brambleflash walked into the clearing from the warriors den. He was on his way out of camp to soak himself in the nice cold stream outside of camp, but je didn't feel like going alone. He looked around the camp for at least one warrior or Apprentice. He isn't the kind of tom to be by himself all day. He searched the clearing then let out a long loud sigh. He heard the birds chirping and he licked his lips. I'll have to hunt before I eat anything. The clan comes first!

[Ludicrous Lunacy]

Originally Posted by #1Warrior

@Ludicrous Lunacy

Brambleflash walked into the clearing from the warriors den. He was on his way out of camp to soak himself in the nice cold stream outside of camp, but je didn't feel like going alone. He looked around the camp for at least one warrior or Apprentice. He isn't the kind of tom to be by himself all day. He searched the clearing then let out a long loud sigh. He heard the birds chirping and he licked his lips. I'll have to hunt before I eat anything. The clan comes first!

A lean Siamese walked out of the warriors den, their blue eyes dim and pelt slightly rumpled with sleep. Shaking themself slightly, the warrior's crossed eyes cleared and flicked around camp, looking for someone to talk to and not step on. Upon a closer look, the elegant she-cat was regaining weight, but was still rather gaunt from the impact of yet another leafbare. The cat, Rainshade, finally let their gaze land on a slightly blurry cat. Careful not to fall over, they trotted briskly over, ears flicking around to try to hear any other cats they may have missed sight of.

[AbsurdJinx]

@bad company

Smokethorn currently was relaxing by the entrance to camp with his rat-like tail curled at his side and his head risen lazily. His thoughts were a jumbled mess as he struggled to figure things out. Should he visit Sunsong, or hunt for the clan? He figured the best thing to do would be to hunt, and then bring fresh-kill back for Sunsong. After all, she was expecting, and he'd best be killed before he let his mate wobble across camp simply to eat. Then again... she didn't eat much. But this time, she was eating for more than one cat, and even if she refused to eat, he'd make her. He'd remind her of their unborn kits, and he'd remind her of themselves.
[ahhh short >< ]

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by wolybro

@AbsurdJinx

[were finally doing this <33]

Sunsong slipped out of the nursery with a small huff. She wanted to have a fresh bit of air from the place, it had felt it had been awhile since she had freedom from the place of camp. She held guilt for burrowing herself in the nursery during the Era. She would hold it against herself, if it were her choice. She felt guilty that at the time with everything happening she felt to scared to even step foot out of the nursery. Though at the time she wasn't completely useless, helping with the kits behind den walls and newly made mothers during the stressful time of the Era. But she had avoided almost all of her loved ones because of her fears because of guilt. She knew there were warriors risking their lives everyday against the cats who disagreed with starclan, with the cats who had ice oozing into their hearts. She felt guilty she couldn't do more then watch kits, but she did her job well. During this time she didn't speak to her kits (now made apprentices) and her mate often, she thought they had more important business to attend to then her. As seen, there were more cats who needed protection, prey for strength against the battle that was taken with Ratnight and Bucknight. She made have not been risking her life daily but she was bringing and helping new lives into the clan during the harsh time. But to her, she felt that could've done more.
That it wasn't enough.
So to step outside of the clearing felt refreshing, the new leaf air hitting her nose as the chilled breeze ruffled her thick, long fur a bit. Amber eyes looked up to the sky and she smiled a bit, feeling her stomach twitch a bit with live movement. She was expecting kits soon, and she had her eye on motherless kits that were in the nursery too to take care of. She had her familiar scent of warmth and milk, practically radiating off of her that it was relaxing to anyone who walked by. She sat down, curling her tail around her paws neatly as she turned her gaze to the ground. She had not seen her mate Smokethorn in awhile, and that saddened her. It truly did, to her he was her one and only, her other half if you say, so to not have that for what seemed like moons at a time, was frankly heartbreaking to say the least.
Her smile turned into a frown.
She figured he had important warrior duties, seeing as all of the clans were rebuilding themselves after the era, it would be no surpise to Sunsong if her mate was working his tail off in trying to make sure the clan was in its best state, prey in the fresh kill pile(prey that reminded her that she didn't help hunt for), secure borders(borders she often didn't get to see from her time in the nursery), and the training of any apprentice he had (which she couldn't relate to, seeing as she had never trained an apprentice, and it has been moons since she had practice any of her warrior skills). Cats often forgot that she was a warrior aswel, even at often times Sunsong didn't feel like it, feeling like her warrior training was a waste seeing as she never helped the clan by using them.
She sighed.

[ ahhhhhh i swear i responded to this sorry its late ]

Smokethorn was only padding around camp. It was his sixth lap around the entire clearing, actually, and he felt as if he could lap it a million more times. He had breath for ages. His long legs and skinny structure supported his speed, though he wasn't running. He was casually walking, his paws brushing against the ground as he walked, almost as if he didn't care enough to lift his paws with every step. His yellow-green eyes surveyed the area, and beneath them lied a lazy smile. He enjoyed the fresh air that forced his short, thin fur to dance, and brought his body to a light shiver. The ground was cold below his tough paw pads, but he didn't mind.

During the Evil Era, he hadn't seen much of his kin. Sunsong kept herself locked in the nursery, and Smokethorn just hasn't seen Adderpaw or Leopardpaw anywhere. So he's kept distracted with a bunch of hunting and border-patrolling. He felt as if Sunsong were too busy in the nursery to see him, and perhaps she would be much too stressed to love him properly. He didn't want to add on to her stress, so he kept his distance, for her sake. But now that the Evil Era was over, and he's left a while for Sunsong to recover, he was ready to see her once more. It's been moons since their last meeting!

And then he saw her. He came to an abrupt halt, his colored hues studying her as he struggled with what to do. Should he approach her? How should he approach her? It were as if they were young again, and he had a kit-crush on her, and was nervously wondering how to make his first impression. We're mates! What's there to be anxious about? They've seen each other in their worst, in their best - this should be easy, it should come natural... And it did. After observing the thick golden locks of her pelt, and the soft amber eyes that he fell in love with, Smokethorn launched himself forward like a kit just out of the nursery. A bright, genuine smile lit up his features, and his gait was a lengthy bound.

``Sunsong!`` He cheered in a rather breathy tone. Only she was capable of taking his breath away. Smokethorn came to a sudden halt before his mate where he stood and looked over at her with admiring eyes. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily - the consequences of having a gorgeous molly take your breath away. He simply stared at her through wide, loving eyes. He didn't need words - he was with the love of his life, and that was all that mattered.

[BluBunnie]

@Noire

Chilleap looked back at his new apprentice, he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He didn't mind teaching other cats but he hated cats who complain, and younger cats tend to complain a lot. He looked ahead, "I am teaching you the basics of fighting today. It's going to rain soon and we don't need to be out in the territory while that happens." He said.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"Hey!"

The newly made apprentice protested, but he too, was laughing. It was pretty funny if he were being honest. After all, he had been a big fat liar in the past-- and while the joke stung, knowing it was true, at the same time he was amused by it. He liked it, even. Though 'liking it' and tolerating it wasn't really the same thing, Pinepaw was pretty sure he liked the joke his friend had made. After all, what did he have to fear now? Surely she wouldn't leave him. That had kind of been his thing, and while that was all in the past now, he would still be sort of sensitive to things like that. "I'd rather be a big fat liar then a skinny-- uhh-- kit?" He guessed, the tip of his tail twitching back and forth, before he began to laugh again at his ignorance.
　
Having not quite lived the type of life that normal kits would, Pinepaw was somewhat unaccustomed to name calling. Name calling, real playing... both were alien subjects to who had been a master manipulator. No longer. That was all in the past, though sometimes Pinepaw really did wonder would it have been better had he stayed as he was. A cat who wasn't the best, but who seemed to get a lot out of life. And he did! He really had gotten quite a bit out of life-- as far as life went, that was. He wanted to get as much out of being an apprentice as he could before those moons too, were taken from him. He was worried about his future. Really worried.
　
Having grown up as a manipulator, what if the future ended up holding the same for him as it would for the rest of the manipulators, liars, and cats who were just not good ones... banishment or death? He was terrified, to be honest. What if one day he ended up being deputy, or leader? Pinepaw couldn't do that! But that was way, way in the future-- and the tom knew that he had nothing to worry about for the moment being, at least. Perhaps sometime in the future there would be plenty to worry about. Not that Pinepaw wanted that. Missing her grin completely, the tom's expression flashed triumphantly. He had done it. He'd finally pinned Adderpaw, like he'd wanted to; and gotten back at her.
　

"That's right, you're trapped. I win, Addy."

Pinepaw hadn't really thought of nicknames before, but he supposed it was something normal friends would do. You would think, as a playacter himself and loving sarcasm, he would be able to tell when his best friend was joking-- but no, he didn't see her mischievious smile and thought that he really had won. The poor tom had a lot set in store for him if he thought he would be able to beat his friend that easily.
　
The patterned feline looked at her mentor in surprise. Yes, she had already heard his way of speaking before, but listening to it again it seemed to be worse then before. Oh, of course she would never point that out or make fun of that! She knew much, much better then to do something so cruel and horrible. She'd feel awful if she did. Besides that, although Heartpaw didn't have too much experience with bullying-- she did know what it felt like to be told someone hated her. She could still hear Rainpaw's hateful, mean words playing back in her head and then his words: I hate you.

　
They had stung. Though they weren't directed right at her, they stung like crazy. And of course, they would always hurt a lot to the feline who had believed so solidly that Rainpaw was her best friend. It would take some time before she would believe that quite as comfortably again. The multicolored feline's hues flashed with aggravation... not aggravation exactly, but worry.
　
She was worried about having Rookpatch for her mentor...she liked the tom, of course, but what if she did something wrong? She didn't want to upset him! And Rainpaw, what was going to happen to the tempermental grey tom? Was he just going to go away and get hurt, or would his new mentor...whatever his name had been...talk him out of it? Heartpaw was hoping for the latter.
　
It was definitely not ideal, as she would have liked to be the one to talk him out of it, but she didn't know if she had the energy or the motivation at the moment. "No! No, no, no... it's fine. I know you're trying to get better, I don't mind," She flashed a bright smile in the tom's direction, her hues lighting up along with her features. He was nice. And that was what mattered, wasn't it? Having a nice mentor, one that would be able to train her without sending her bursting into tears? That had been one of Heartpaw's biggest fears, was just bursting into tears.
　
On her first day.
　
In front of everyone.
　
But that was irrational, as she realized now with her partly getting along with the tom. At least it was a partly-type thing... it definitely could have been worse, couldn't it? It could always be worse. And she knew it. "Oh good, I got it right. I hate it when I get someone's name wrong. But you have a nice name, it's really interesting! I've never met anyone with the suffix Rook before... it's cool." She mewed with a smile. Heartpaw tended to talk faster when she was nervous. And while at the moment she wasn't truly terrified, she still wanted to make a good impression. At least some sort of impression that would hopefully change him for the better... or not at all. Her Mom used to tell her if you couldn't change other cats for the better, you shouldn't try to change them at all.
　
Besides, she thought he was just fine the way he was. His next words were hard to sort out, but Heartpaw did so the best she could. Different thoughts went through her head as he spoke, but she didn't dare interuppt him. I like to run too!-- Aww, I'm sorry about your parents-- Not many friends? I'll be your friend! I'll be your bestest friend, I need a new bestest friend-- her grammar had never been the best-- and a mate! I want to meet her, I best she's the awesomest, most wonderful, prettiest cat in the world! Once he was through talking, Heartpaw raised her head and grinned. She didn't say anything, until she realized what he had asked.
　

"Oh! Uh, I like running too, and exploring, and talking-- but you could probably already tell that, huh? And I love making friends! Speaking of which, you want to be best friends? I need a new best friend. I love having friends, too. I have no idea who my Dad is and my Mom...recently... disappeared, I guess would be the only way to put it. I have a step-brother. I don't have a lot of friends either, I used to have a best friend-- he was my bestest friend-- but he was kinda mean to me, so I'm trying to figure out whether or not I should make up with him. What do you think? If someone was mean to you, would you do that?"

She asked, cocking her head to the side. Heartpaw awaited the tom's response, a smile fixed on her features as she did so, and her eyes gleaming with excitement. After everything that had happened, a nice, civil, friendly conversation was exactly what the feline needed. She liked Rookpatch a lot.
　
The question was: Did he like her?

When she had spoken the playful insult, she hadn't even thought of their past, it hadn't crossed her mind in the slightest, but if it had, she would have immediately felt regret for saying it. Luckily enough though it went smoothly and the both of them were left laughing in a goodhearted nature, truly showing how their friendship had progressed. Earlier on, Pinepaw would have very likely taken offense to it, and Adderpaw might not have said it at all. To see that they were able to joke like this? It was truly a good visualization of how far they've come over the past moons. Not to mention what they've gone through together what with the Evil Era, Pinekit becoming Pinepaw, Adderkit becoming Adderpaw, Adderpaw going through several mentors.. So much has happened and it has truly developed them as friends, but the thing that has developed them most? Was Pinepaw admitting that he had put up a facade, he had been using her, and the fact that she was able to give him one last chance to make up for it. That is what has truly changed them.
"Oh is that so? Well what if I called you a skinny little kit then?" She retorted with a laugh, her eyes almost seeming to light up with her smile.

Despite her nature, Adderpaw hadn't really ever got into name-calling, she had never really gotten close enough to another cat to feel comfortable about teasing them like that. She felt like it would be bullying or mean if she happened to go around doing that, but if she knew the cat, like she knew Pinepaw, then it was all in good fun. She was actually able to be herself without worrying about hurting another cat's feelings and that's another reason why she liked Pinepaw so much. Adderpaw was a free spirit and sometimes, other cats tried to keep her down, but not Pinepaw. Being with him.. She could flourish into who she truly was.

The yellow tabby let the brown apprentice land on her, her stomach fluttering giddily as it appeared he had missed her grin and had no clue that this was all a trap. Sure she'd let him have his moment of triumph, let him feel like he had truly pinned her, but she wouldn't let it last too long, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at him, a grin placed widely on her muzzle as she waited for the right moment to do this.
"Yeah, you got me alright! I'm done for, finished!"
There was a small pause before she let out a short laugh.
"Or so you think! Hyah!" With that, she would carefully, but forcefully push her hind legs into his stomach to send him flying off of her, not too hard, but hard enough to where he likely wouldn't be able to prevent himself from being thrown off.

And, assuming that Pinepaw had, in fact, been thrown off by her 'expertly' timed kick, Adderpaw would roll back over onto her paws and come racing at him with a laugh.
"Never underestimate the great Adderstar! It's a grave mistake, for now I must teach you a lesson!" She yowled as she came barreling for him, tail raised in the air from her excitement.


Rookpatch didn't know what was going through his apprentices head and he wasn't sure that he wanted to know what was going through her head. It was likely something along the lines of, Wow he really talks funny, I wish I didn't have him as a mentor. I wish I could actually have some cat that could talk. And truthfully, the tom wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle hearing that if he could read minds, his self-confidence was already so fragile, and to hear something like that? He'd practically be sent back to his apprentice days. He'd be an inconsolable mess and it would likely take him a step backwards in getting better with his speech. Right now, the calico was so incredibly fragile it was like having a glass cat, both in his mind and his physique.

So after he had spoken, he had looked away, not even wanting to see a hint of what she was thinking about, too scared that she'd make that face again, or flinch at how horrid he truly did sound. He hated that he was scared of his apprentice, but he couldn't help it, so many cats had ridiculed him and left him because of his inability to speak normally and he.. He couldn't bring himself to see another one follow the same route.

His ears swiveled and his pale green gaze was brought to glance over at Heartpaw as she responded, at her smile.. He showed confusion, hesitance and maybe even a bit of disbelief, but regardless, he mirrored the smile a little and dipped his head in thanks, figuring that the head gesture was enough and that he didn't need to actually say it. He found himself searching her demeanor, the exact opposite of what he wanted to do seconds ago, but he found himself wishing to know if she had truth behind her words. It.. It seemed like she did. He wanted to believe that she did. So he nodded again and offered the same smile.

You need to stop thinking that every cat is out to be mean to you.

Then again.. Many of the cats that I've met don't want to have anything to do with me..

His mind felt like it was in constant turmoil of fear and doubt and everything in between, leaving him scared and confused with no one but perhaps two cats to help. But when he was able to talk to others, others that actually seemed to care a little bit about him, he was distracted from these fears, the paranoia, the internal turmoil, he could actually become a cat and not an empty husk of a terrified creature. And right now? His apprentice was able to distract him from these fears, simply by talking, forcing him to focus his attention on her. What she said, caused him to smile a little more, a quiet, strange sounding chuckle escaping him.
"Y-Y-Yuh-who- You th-th-think-hink s-so? Huh-H-Have you-ou-who ever-er s-s-suh-suh-heen-seen a ruh-r-r-ruh-rook? Y-You c-c-can s-s-see t-th-th-th-them-hem uh-out-out on the.. The m-m-uh-muh-moor s-s-s-some.. Suh-sometimes-times. {You think so? Have you ever seen a rook? You can see them out on the moor sometimes.}"

It appeared that the calico tom was trying to warm up to the young cat, but perhaps it would take a little more time to do so. He wanted to be able to warm up to her, to be able to feel a little more comfortable around her, but it was hard to do when he's only known her for a short while of time. But it was good that she was able to get him to smile, and it was even better that he was trying to speak to her, though he was clearly hesitant about doing so. But he did it. He had spoken to her and was continuing to speak to her. It was a good sign.
When he was done speaking, he looked to her expectantly, ears perked and ready to listen to what she had to say now.

The tom remained quiet as he heard her ramble on, the fact that she was rambling and seemed to go on forever caused him to smile a bit more, glad to see that she was eager to speak to him, few cats were. She would wait till she was done to respond to her, just as she had done for him.
"Y-You.. You really-really wuh-want t-t-to-to-to buh-b-buh-be b-beh-est-best frien-fr-friends?" Asked the tom with eyes that seemed to brighten a little, it wasn't often that a cat said they wanted to be his best friend, or really a friend at all, so the idea that his own apprentice wanted to be his best friend? It definitely made him brighten up a bit.
As for the second part of the conversation, he glanced at his paws before shaking his head slowly.
"I..I-I d-duh-duh-hon't don't l-luhl-l-l-luh-hike-like t-to buh-he-be uh-uh-around muh-muh-hean-mean cuh-cats... {I don't like to be around mean cats..." In a way it was an answer to her question, vague, but clear enough to show how he feels about it. He wouldn't want to be near a cat that was capable of being mean, unless it was in the defense of a friend, but even then he'd likely be weary of them. His gaze glanced back at her before looking back at the ground.