[Mica]

Eaglepaw
RiverClan
she/her | 7 moons | 24/100
[Golden and white tuxedo tabby with green eyes]
Purrks: Dreamwalker, HK T2
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[Dusklion - @taillow ]
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Dusklion's disappointment in the clan had Eaglepaw softening a little, closing her eyes and sighing. All she wanted was a stable home. Ever since she had been brought to this wretched place by that dumb eagle, and taken in by Rushwater... she had never had any stability. Any friend she made disappeared, any family she had abandoned her, and the only place she could live in was a constant reminder of how horrible cats were. Eaglepaw would have left long ago to become a loner, maybe find a group of rogues to live with, if she hadn't been so ill-trained and unprepared. So, she was stuck.

Dusklion's mention of this "Lionstorm" had her perking up a bit, glancing up at the Head Lionheart. "No, but I'll take a wild guess an' say the Lionhearts are named after 'im?" She tried, curiosity overcoming her frustration. One of the best ways to get Eaglepaw to calm down was to tell her a story. Fadingsun had learned that during training, and Tansypaw had learned that while chatting in the medicine den. Eaglepaw loved stories--loved histories, morals, warnings passed down from generation to generation.

As Dusklion began her story, Eaglepaw continued to pad along the border, long grasses and tall reeds brushing her fluffy golden pelt. The sound of a stream trickled nearby, and that soothed her further. She nodded when appropriate to show Dusklion she was listening, even as she poked her head into a group of reeds and giggled as their long stalks tickled her cheeks. Dragging her face out, Eaglepaw glanced over her shoulder to watch Dusklion as she continued her story. Her face furs were all puffed up due to the ferns, so she sat down to swipe a paw over her face.

As she smoothed her fur down, a glint caught Eaglepaw's eye. She paused, setting her paw down and dipping her head to get a better look. Huh. It was hard to see, but it seemed that partially buried in the ground was a piece of.... shiny rock? Eaglepaw had never seen a shiny rock like that before. Dusklion's story still in the back of her mind, Eaglepaw began digging. Her white paws were quickly stained with grass, clumps of dirt stuck in her feet furs. She wanted the shiny thing! Maybe she could bring it back and gift it to Mossypaw, to show him that she still thought about him.

But as she continued digging, the shape of what she had previously thought to be a stone revealed itself to her. Several thin, small triangles linked together in a circle. Eaglepaw's breath hitched, and before she knew it she was digging faster, breaths sawing out of her as recognition struck. This was Rushwater's collar. The thing the twolegs had put on him before he returned. Giving up on her paws, Eaglepaw lunged down and took the chain in her mouth, the metallic scent--so similar to blood--flooding her mouth, cold stinging her tongue as she ripped the chain out of the ground.

The apprentice went tumbling, the chain dropping from her mouth in a chorus of clinks. Scrambling to her paws, Eaglepaw stared with wide, blank eyes at the chain. It had been snapped, one of the links tumbling loose from the movement. It was rusted over in places, and something that looked horribly like blood coated other links. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move as she stared at the chain. How... how had he gotten it off? Had he snapped it and run? Had someone else broken it? Had someone hurt him? Eaglepaw whirled to Dusklion, her voice shaking. "It's Rushwater's." She whispered.