A Berry Among The Fallow [p]

[Rose]

Berrypaw
Post Count: 62/100

Trembling with excitement, Berrypaw practically tumbled out of the apprentice's den as she woke up to a cheerful (in her opinion) and early dawn. The sun, however much of it was showing, seemed to glow with enthusiasm, making Berrypaw feel particularly happy. She had only just turned nine moons, and Berrypaw felt vibrated to the core with happiness! Why? Because her hard work as an apprentice had most definitely paid off.

She'd started off her apprenticeship in the most humiliating of ways (and Berrypaw was not proud to admit it), as she'd spent the entire first course, from the age six to seven moons, hiding away in her nest. She had deemed it justified at the time, curled up uselessly in her nest as she contemplated the disappearance of Skyleaf, her adoptive mother. But Berrypaw had moved on... Mostly.

She was still terrified that if she got too close to others, that they would disappear. Just as Shiningmoon had done. Just as Skyleaf. And just as Tawnypaw. Familiar guilt gnawed at the young apprentice for a few moments. Was she the reason why all these cats were disappearing?

She was not the reason all her loved ones were going away ... Right? A small sigh left the small, fluffy apprentice, and she just ended up shaking those thoughts away. Heterochromatic eyes flicked upwards as a falcon swooped past overhead, and Berrypaw's eyes dilated with excitement for a few moments. But not because of the bird. Moreso because of the feather it'd dropped. As the thing drifted slowly towards the ground, Berrypaw rose onto her haunches, batting happily at the thing. She was probably a bit too old to be playing, but Berrypaw would always be a kit at heart.

[ @NinjaBloss - Fallownose | Just wanted to put this up before I forgot! You can take as long as you want with responses, as I understand that you're probably very busy :0 ]

[Ian]

Fallownose lay on his side in the clearing, his fur slightly fluffed out to protect himself against the chilly breeze. His flank rose and fell steadily as he breathed, and his amber eyes were half-lidded as the sun began to rise. With everything going on, he had been too restless to sleep in the warriors' den and instead had found a comfortable spot out of the way in the clearing.

The sound of a cat tumbling out of a den caused the deputy's ears to prick upwards, and he slowly rolled onto his belly. His jaws parted in a giant yawn before he finally fully opened his eyes and spotted Berrypaw just outside the apprentices' den. The young molly seemed in a chipper mood, and it caused a quiet purr to rumble deep in Fallownose's chest. It always cheered him up to see the younger members of WindClan enjoying themselves and not having to worry about the more prominent things going on.

The dark gray tom slowly raised his hindquarters in a stretch, chest brushing the ground and claws unsheathing to prick at the ground as he held the pose for a moment. He then dropped his hindquarters and raised himself on his forelegs until they were straight and held that position for a moment before fully standing up. Fallownose shook out his pelt and twisted his head to groom the remaining flecks of grass out of them before turning back in time to see Berrypaw bat at a feather.

"Good morning, Berrypaw! That was a very nice catch," he purred as he waved his tail in greeting to the apprentice.

@Kat

[Rose]

Berrypaw
Post Count: 73/100

Batting happily away at the feather, Berrypaw's world had blurred only to pinpoint that single floating detail. Only when a voice cut through her thought-process (or rather, lack of it), did Berrypaw snap out of her momentary trance and look towards the source, quite taken with surprise at seeing WindClan's deputy approaching her.

The small she-cat felt her pelt heat up with embarassment that she'd been caught executing such a kit-ish act. But at least Fallownose did not seem to be annoyed at her. Smiling carefully at the larger grey cat, the speckled she-cat waved her bushy tail in reply, miming Fallownose's subtle movement. "H-hi." She offered the words with a hesitant smile, a corner of her traitorous brain wondering if she was holding him up somehow.

Squaring her shoulders in an attempt to give herself a mental boost, Berrypaw turned fully towards the WindClan deputy. "Thank you, but I don't think this could hardly be called a catch." The apprentice admitted regretfully, gesturing to the feather that now lay on the ground.

[ @NinjaBloss - Fallownose ]

[Ian]

Fallownose's lips quirked in amusement at Berrypaw's slightly startled expression. It was endearing watching the apprentice act like... well, an apprentice. Too many of them had had to grow up too fast during his time as both a warrior and deputy due to ShadowClan. It was nice to see that they could act like kids again.

"Well, I think it's an excellent catch. Who knows what that feather could have done if you hadn't stopped it? It could've attacked me in my sleep!" the dark gray tom said dramatically, raising a paw to his chest. "Berrypaw, I think you just saved my life!"

Fallownose knew that Berrypaw could be pretty shy, so hopefully, his playfulness would allow her to open up somewhat. He didn't want the apprentices of the Clan to think he was some significant scary authority figure that they had to act carefully around. He knew how to have fun too!

@Kat

[Rose]

Berrypaw
Post Count: 98/100

Berrypaw could not help herself, unable to stop the smile growing on her face as Fallownose went on jokingly, telling her how amazing her catch of a feather was. Nor could she stop the giggle bubbling up her throat as the WindClan deputy took up dramatics, pressing a paw to his chest and declaring that she'd saved his life.

By now, Berrypaw had figured out that the larger tom was not making fun of her. He was merely playing along, and it was... Helpful. It helped Berrypaw open up further, helped her gain confidence. Skies, she was very glad WindClan had such a nice, amazing deputy. Now, how could she repay him? For one thing, she could not run away when he was clearly being so kind to her.

A glance towards the feather that now lay on the ground, and as a sudden idea came to mind, Berrypaw picked it up, brandishing it between two of her claws and holding it out towards Fallownose. "Do you realize how dangerous this it? I couldn't possibly leave it lying about." And with those words, and a small shy smile, Berrypaw tucked it away in her shoulder fur. "It'll just have to be my weapon now." She murmured softly.

In truth, the speckled molly didn't care for the dramatics much, she was just glad to be up and about with someone so kind to her. And now, she was glad she could add another trinket to her collection of knickknacks. Another little prize memory she could hold on to.

[ @NinjaBloss - Fallownose ]

[Ian]

The slate-gray tom internally relaxed as Berrypaw grinned. He was pleased that his efforts to make her more comfortable had succeeded enough that she even played along. "Mhm, very dangerous. You best make sure no irresponsible kittens get their paws on it, or who knows what damage they could cause," Fallownose said sagely as he lowered his paw back to the ground.

"Anyways, how has your apprenticeship been going? I know it can be stressful sometimes, but I hope you're enjoying it." He remembered what Batglare had told him about Peachfrost and wanted to check in on Berrypaw to ensure she was doing alright without stressing her out. Plus, it was part of his job as deputy to make sure apprentices were getting trained.

@Kat

[Rose]

Berrypaw
Post Count: 115/100

Truly, Berrypaw found that she was ever so greatful for Twilightstar's choice in deputy. Almond-shaped, mismatched eyes sought Fallownose's face for a few moments, searching for any type of possible hidden motive behind the question he'd asked. But again, she spotted nothing. Fallownose just really, genuinely seemed to care about her apprenticeship, and whether she was struggling or not. It made her heterochromatic eyes want to tear up with a suddent bout of emotion. Here was a cat who reminded her of what she'd want for a parent. Someone to look up to. Someone that was fun and caring and so, so nice. Someone, who wasn't dead like Shiningmoon or missing like Skyleaf or just entirely nonexistent, like whoever Berrypaw's father had been. Her heart ached for someone like that. Yearned to find a place in WindClan, a home in the midst of her clanmates. "My training is going well." The quiet molly began shyly, absentmindedly pawing at the ground beneath her. "Thank you for asking. And.. and for helping me learn those battle moves." The words were soft, undoubtedly hesitant. As Berrypaw didn't know if she was to thank Fallownose for helping her with such a menial task or not. Surely, Fallownose helped WindClan cats all the time! She felt mildly humiliated, bringing up the topic of battle, seeing as it'd taken her quite a while to adjust and adapt to the new battle moves. On top of that, it still made Berrypaw slightly queasy, the thought of drawing blood.

[ @NinjaBloss - Fallownose ]