high tensions (quillpaw hunting lesson) [p]

[furrensic]

QUILLPAW
he/him. 7 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ no purrks ]

quillpaw can proudly say that he cares deeply for his family, he loves them. why wouldn't he? he's tied to them by blood, and for the moment, they haven't done anything to make him despise them. only irk him. however, maybe he's growing a bit of..resentment for his father despite their lack of interactions. darkfall's outburst at redrobin's event was enough to make his pelt burn with shame. his father is definitely below his mother on the likeability scale.

still, that's his father. he's tied to him by the blood running through his veins, the blue eye he adorns, his dark pelt. whether quillpaw likes it or not..he's related to darkfall. and lately, his family seems more separated than ever. even howl--- heronpaw was nowhere to be seen lately. she's too gloomy for her own good, but I'm sure she's fine, the apprentice reasons with a flick of his tail before he steps out of his nest and exits the apprentice's den.

it's early sunrise, the morning sun just barely peeks over the looming pine trees of the territory as he nears the warrior's den. he peers inside curiously, trying to spot his father. after a moments inspection, he gets a little impatient. "father!" the tabby calls, eyes narrowing slightly. it's clear he's not concerned about whether he accidentally wakes a few warriors or not – they should get up anyway.

"teach me how to hunt." it's not a request, it's a demand. as simple as that. let's just hope he doesn't explode on another cat on our way to the territory, he thinks with a small scoff as he waits.

[ @Dark ]

[Dark]

Darkfall: "The Spectre"

Shadow Fiend: Active| Beefed Up (T3) | Ultimate Predator: Inactive | Hulk SMASH! [Inactive]
___________

CW: Dissociation

The Spectre had some work to do. His recent demotion meant he had a lot further to go in order to make up for the slack that Darkfall had been guilty of in recent moons. It was a bit frustrating, but it was whatever. He felt that the punishment was too harsh fo rth eseverity of his actions, after all, he did have a point and anyone who said otherwise was simply lying. Could he have toned down the harshness of his words? Perchance, but it was far too late for that.

Oh well, he’d just have to do extra work in order to earn his rank back. Should be easy enough, right? The rising sun was beginning to deter the shadows that were cast over the camp. In one corner, the dark-furred tabby found himself watching over the rest of the camp – a force of habit. Though he was neither a guard nor an enforcer at the moment, it was hard to break that habit of watching who enters and leaves the camp. Part of it was that he didn’t want to lose another one of his children due to another cat’s neglectful oversight. Another part was that he felt that he had a responsibility to do so.

On this particular morning, he noticed a flash of movement towards the warrior’s den. It was Quillpaw. And he was… calling for him…? Cloaking himself in the shadows he expertly traversed through the camp on silent paws in order to find out what it was his son wanted. As if he were a spirit he appeared behind the younger tom, piercing gaze staring down at him. ”I’d like to think a son of mine would have better manners than that,” He said in a half-growl. Whoops, that was his morning “haven’t-spoken-to-anyone-in-hours” voice. Clearing his throat, he turned towards the camp entrance, signaling with a flick of his tail to follow.

”Very well then, come along.”

[ @furrensic AGH IM SO SORRY ]

[furrensic]

QUILLPAW
he/him. 7 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]

oh. so, it seems his father wasn't in the warrior's den, sleeping his life away. surprising. and a bit alarming ..how did darkfall sneak up behind him like that?

turning around, quillpaw gives an irritated snort. he returns his father's stare with an equally piercing glare, pupils narrowed into thin slits. manners? in what world did darkfall have the right to speak about manners? "ironic that you of all cats are talking about manners. didn't you have a little temper tantrum a bit ago? I suggest working on your own before speaking about mine." he scoffs. I'm more like a stranger rather than a son, he thinks, maw pulled into a tight frown.

still, despite his extremely sour words, the lithe tabby follows after the larger tom. he keeps his distance, gladly lingering a tail length or so behind the warrior. he'd be lying if he said he wasn't holding back a few smart remarks that were on the tip of his tongue. he's a bully (though he wonders, is it really bullying if it's the truth?), and his parents aren't exempt from his words.

"perhaps you'll be seen in a better light if you help around." he hums, not bothering to give any further explanation of exactly what he meant. it's a jab. one that quillpaw makes little effort to make discreet as the duo maneuvers through the territory, amber and blue eyes practically burning a hole in the back of his father's head. he dabbles in a bit of trolling.

[ @Dark IT'S OKAY DW!! ]

[Dark]

Darkfall: "The Spectre"

Shadow Fiend: Inactive| Beefed Up (T3) | Ultimate Predator: Inactive | Hulk SMASH! [Inactive]
___________

CW: Dissociation

“Tantrum?” The father of many laughed as he pushed through the camp and began waking towards their destination “Oh no, that was no tantrum. I was simply expressing my frustration over the blatant disrespect and weakness that warrior was showing.” A flick of his torn ear as he angled his head to half-grin at his son for a moment before turning back. “If it were a tantrum, Redrobin’s insides would’ve become her outsides. Was I a bit harsh? Sure. However, I don’t take kindly to warriors beneath me telling me what to do.”

He walked a couple of more steps, before stopping and casting his eyes over their surroundings. This would be a good spot. They were in a small clearing within the wooded forest that made up their territory. There was enough cover in the edges of the clearing to provide adequate cover for prey. “You’ll come to learn, Quillpaw, that strength is everything in this clan. As a ShadowClan warrior, you cannot afford to be weak. That’s why I was angry. I was angry at their questionable methods of teaching, and I was angry about her disregard for what your mother was saying because they thought they knew better. She and I may not always get along but she knows what she’s talking about — usually. I can understand not wanting to spar with claws, as UnShadowClan-like as that may be, however, don’t use the medicine cats as an excuse and then when they say that it’s fine, act like you know more than them.”

He turned to face his son fully this time, azure eyes studying the mismatched blue and amber ones. “We can’t afford weakness. It’ll get you killed. Treat every spar, every training session as if your life depends on it, because you never know when you’ll need to use those skills you’ve honed so well. As much as I wish to protect you and your brothers and sisters from seeing battle or from being lost and hungry in the wilderness, I can’t do everything. What I can do, however, is be sure that you are learning properly and give you the knowledge you need to survive the cruelty of the clans.”

The Spectre had to admit it, he liked the little tom. He was a little rough around the edges, but if he focused that scathing criticism and anger into his training, he’d grow to be an amazing warrior. He ignored the other comment that the younger tom had made, the one about being seen in a better light if he helped around. Darkfall may have been bothered by those words, but he wasn’t. Quillpaw had every right to be angry with him, considering his mostly absent part of his life, but well… Darkfall had been starting to make an effort, and so too was he. This whole being a father thing was new to him, something he had yet to get used to as he didn’t have a father figure at all during his life. As far as getting his rank back, he was confident that it wouldn’t take too long.

“We’re here.” The massive tabby said at long last explaining why they had stopped. “Show me what you think a hunter’s crouch would look like.” He wanted to see how far along Quillpaw was before beginning the lesson. His younger brothers and his first two apprentices grasped the concepts quite easily, however, he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to do some one-on-one work with any of his children. Perhaps like him, Quillpaw would be a natural born hunter — or better yet, perhaps he’d take after both of his parents and be proficient in everything. The prospect of watching his son, being able to help mold him into a top-class warrior had The Spectre itching to teach him.

[ @furrensic ]

[furrensic]

QUILLPAW
he/him. 7 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]

quillpaw's nose scrunches up in distaste. so, if a warrior throws a fit ..it's not a tantrum, just expressing their frustration. but he's certain if a kit or an apprentice did it, then it'd be considered a tantrum. the hypocrisy. "if I recall, you were showing weakness at that dreadful family meeting. so." he comments nonchalantly, followed by a shrug. the warrior's next words earn him a mildly concerned and questioning stare. how delightful! now he's admitting he'd kill a clanmate if his little feelings got too hurt.. definitely a cat i'd want as an enforcer.

seriously, what the hell's wrong with this disaster of a family. is anyone in it normal besides him?

slowing to a stop, quillpaw's gaze flickers across the small clearing his father leads him to. shrubbery and other plants provided cover, as well as the looming pines that little sunlight filtered through. ear twitching, his attention turns back to his father. his eyes widen for a split second before they narrow once more, head tipping to the side in a mixture of boredom and maybe just a spark of curiosity. what's this? is darkfall really beginning a lecture? what a fatherly thing to do considering he's been mostly absent for the majority of quillpaw's life. he almost wants to laugh at the irony, corner of his mouth threatening to quirk up in a smirk.

"unshadowclan-like, please," he grumbles with a small snort, shaking his head. "ah, yes. you've made it extremely obvious that you're so eager to protect us all. thank you, father, really." he sneers, sarcasm dripping from his voice. as much as he hates it admit it (and he will never do so aloud), the large tabby, unfortunately, did make sense. and that irritates him. a lot. how dare someone so...so..petulant be right about something! well, nothing to worry about. I'm far from weak and very far from stupid, he thinks. for some reason, there's a nagging little voice that argues he is weak. how alarming.

"over with your lecture already? sad." quillpaw remarks. it's at this moment, following his father's order, that he realizes he..does not know what a hunter's crouch looks like. he'd rather die than ask for a demonstration, and he figures it shouldn't be anything too complicated -- it's a crouch! so, he drops into a simple crouch that's definitely not right, unbeknownst to him.

[ @Dark ]