GROUSEPAW THE TRAILBLAZER "the sky above us shoots to kill. rain down, rain down on me."
[ @Rani[bleedingpaw] ]
grouse learnt quick that 'big enough for the apprentices' didn't mean comfortably. packed to each edge of the stump's walls was nest after nest, and grouse had to dance (or more so stumble) over each of them, careful not to mess up the precious beds of his thirty-something denmates. he hadn't really picked one for himself yet. he had spent the previous night sleeping out in the clearing, finding the stump far too stuffy for his tastes. that didn't mean he wanted to move out, though.
to be honest, sleeping in the medicine den was a far thought in his mind. it made him shift uncomfortably. ha. haha. he wasn't too keen on it, that was for sure. in fact, it made his fur crawl. not that he didn't like mossfreckle- it's just, grouse wasn't a fan of acting like he was some holier-than-thou bigshot by leaving his rightful place among the rest of the 'paws. not that he believed in hierarchy anyway. in his eyes, he was equal to the whole of the clan. there was nothing for him to earn.
so, passing his tongue over his teeth, grouse found an unclaimed nest near one of the walls and dropped a smooth riverstone in it that had previously been clutched between his teeth. he turned to spot the new apprentice padding in, eyebrow ridge raising.
"ey, kiddo. welcome to the big-kid den." he greeted, accented words, grinning like a coyote. "heard you're a frequent visitor to the med den. s'pose we 'ought to get acquainted then."
Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 5 Moons
Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend
The new apprentice was really struggling to create a nest here and was kinda making a mess but had so far turned down every offer of help down flat, grinning like a loon. He was an apprentice now! That came with apprentice-y things like making nests and Bleedingpaw needed to master that just as much as cool stuff like fighting, even if his disability did not make it easy. So, even with his cobweb bandages covering still fresh wounds and the absolute mess he was making Bleedingpaw was overwhelmingly happy, shining in a way his insecurity didnt often allow.
It seemed today this insecurity wouldnt even be able to falter him when a larger, older and cooler apprentice piped up nearby, startling the pretty bengal with a jolt.
This was.... Oh Grousepaw, right! The new Mr Small Herb Cat! Looking over at the other tom the very young apprentice grinned wide, seemingly not noticing the way his head involuntarily wobbled around even standing still and chirped a happy "Hi Mr Grousepaw! Congratulations on being the new trainee herb cat!" before he turned to climb the (lumpy) lip of his nest only to tumble right in with an "Oof!"
The little tom popped right up however, seemingly not feeling any of the pain he must have felt jostling his patched wounds like that, and after inspecting the webs to make sure he wasnt being a bad patient and dislodging his Mamas work before it was 'time' he refocused, not at all phased by the sharp grin. His family had a lotta danger-sharp-vicious grins after all, and so far only Moonpaws actually spelled danger for Bleedingpaw.
"Thanks for the welcome! I do spend a lotta time in the herb cat den yeah, I was mostly there to visit Mama and I guess I wont spend as much now that shes not a herb cat anymore but I get hurt a lot even when I try not to soooooooo...." So he'd be in there anyways. Really there was a lot to pick at here should Grousepaw have the curiosity: Why did Bleedingpaw wobble so strangely, why didnt he react to the pain, why did he not look like Lostspark or any of her kits (should he not recall the kittens entrance to the clan), how did he get his current injuries, why was his fur (a golden cashmere bengal, unheard of in anything but showcat kittypets) so strange, why was he so friendly?
Of course, the recent kitten seemed oblivious to the questions he caused and just grinned, full of innocence, at the older tom, chirping a "I promise to bring you lots of herbs to make up for it and be a good patient though! I wont be a burden."
GROUSEPAW THE TRAILBLAZER "the sky above us shoots to kill. rain down, rain down on me."
[ @Rani[bleedingpaw] ]
the kid, bumbling and off-balance kid tumbled into his nest, grouse raised an amused eyebrow.
"no need for the whole. . . "mr" thing. just, grouse is fine." his tail swayed in mild amusement, amber eyes fixated on the little lad, a bemused smile replacing his usual lazy grin. "and, no worries kid. uh. it's not your fault, really that yer in the den a lot. 'm sure lost 'n moss think the same. you're all'aight, kiddo."
he spared a cursory glance around the den, considering his own words with more careful tact. "guess we'll be sharin' a den frequently either way you cut it, heh? well, it's nice to officially meet you, i s'pose."
__________________
grousepaw is shadowclan's medicine cat apprentice
they and mossfreckle have a semi-closed den policy.
GROUSEPAW THE TRAILBLAZER "the sky above us shoots to kill. rain down, rain down on me."
[ @Rani[bleedingpaw] ]
the kid, bumbling and off-balance kid tumbled into his nest, grouse raised an amused eyebrow.
"no need for the whole. . . "mr" thing. just, grouse is fine." his tail swayed in mild amusement, amber eyes fixated on the little lad, a bemused smile replacing his usual lazy grin. "and, no worries kid. uh. it's not your fault, really that yer in the den a lot. 'm sure lost 'n moss think the same. you're all'aight, kiddo."
he spared a cursory glance around the den, considering his own words with more careful tact. "guess we'll be sharin' a den frequently either way you cut it, heh? well, it's nice to officially meet you, i s'pose."
Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 5 Moons
Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend
Congrats Grousepaw, you broke the child, he looks downright striken now. "But calling someone Mister or Misses Sir or Ma'am is respectful and being respectful is good! Youre an important herb cat now and Mix Mossfreckle specially chose you so I should be respectful!" At least thats what the kitten was taught by Miss Rosa because she was only mom to good kittens and Bleedingpaw was a bad kitten so he needed to be respectful to get the stuff good kittens got. And while no one in shadowclan had laid out the same expectations no one seemed to mind it so he'd kept things up. Now though with Grousepaw refusing he just looked confused and befuddled as to what to call Grousepaw and hesitantly tried out a "Herb-cat grouse?" instead.
.....Eh Grousepaw would tell Bleedingpaw what he wanted to be called, so the bengal just focused on his other words. "Im happy to meet you too!" And he honestly was.
"Oh! Can you help me with something though? I know no ones really got to settle down yet and has only spent one night in here but I really wanna be near my big sisters! Do you know where their nests are so I can move mine next to theirs? I think it'd be super cool and maybe I can ask them about apprentice stuff because Sleepypaw and Quietpaw are super cool and I wanna be just like them!"
Honestly Bleedingpaw didnt know if Grousepaw knew the bengals older sisters but they were super cool and special like him so he had to right? Yeah that made sense to the little tom, as much sense as that by sleeping near his sisters it totally meant that their wisdom and coolness would rub off on him.
Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 5 Moons
Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend
Congrats Grousepaw, you broke the child, he looks downright striken now. "But calling someone Mister or Misses Sir or Ma'am is respectful and being respectful is good! Youre an important herb cat now and Mix Mossfreckle specially chose you so I should be respectful!" At least thats what the kitten was taught by Miss Rosa because she was only mom to good kittens and Bleedingpaw was a bad kitten so he needed to be respectful to get the stuff good kittens got. And while no one in shadowclan had laid out the same expectations no one seemed to mind it so he'd kept things up. Now though with Grousepaw refusing he just looked confused and befuddled as to what to call Grousepaw and hesitantly tried out a "Herb-cat grouse?" instead.
.....Eh Grousepaw would tell Bleedingpaw what he wanted to be called, so the bengal just focused on his other words. "Im happy to meet you too!" And he honestly was.
"Oh! Can you help me with something though? I know no ones really got to settle down yet and has only spent one night in here but I really wanna be near my big sisters! Do you know where their nests are so I can move mine next to theirs? I think it'd be super cool and maybe I can ask them about apprentice stuff because Sleepypaw and Quietpaw are super cool and I wanna be just like them!"
Honestly Bleedingpaw didnt know if Grousepaw knew the bengals older sisters but they were super cool and special like him so he had to right? Yeah that made sense to the little tom, as much sense as that by sleeping near his sisters it totally meant that their wisdom and coolness would rub off on him.
Because that was how things worked. Yes.
GROUSEPAW THE TRAILBLAZER "they say that i am the sick boy. easy to say when you don't take the risk, boy."
[ . ]
grouse's head canted slightly to the side, he shook his head at the even more grandeous and ego-stroking moniker. "just grouse," he repeated earnestly, "grouse. not herb-cat grouse, not medicine cat grouse, not mister or miss grouse." he grinned, "just grouse, just like you're just bleedin' to me. we're the same."
"let me let you in on a secret, kid," grouse lowered his voice and ducked his head a bit, so he was at the almost-kit's level, and in fictitious clandestine urgency he spoke, a smirk tugging at his attempt to be serious. "special herb cats are- get this -just normal cats that people think are special. we ain't no better than you or anyone else." he smiled as he lifted his head back up, giving his own chest fur a proud lick.
grousepaw tilted his head up as bleeding asked about where his sisters slept. he spared a cursory glance. "ehh, well, i'll be honest, kitto, i don't know exactly where sleepy an' co sleeps, but i know its sommmeewhere over here." he nodded over his shoulder and turned with a flick of his tail, making sure to walk a bit slower than he normally does to be courteous to the young apprentice. he made his way to an area that was vaugely where he knew sleepy's nest was, and shrugged. "like i said, somewhere in this area. give or take a tail-length or so. i dunno quiet, but i know sleeps is pretty cool. kinda uptight, and broody, but she's all-right." his grin widened a bit, in genuine fondness. yeah. she was all-right. annoying the daylights out of her was a fun pass time.
__________________
grousepaw is shadowclan's medicine cat apprentice
they and mossfreckle have a semi-closed den policy.
Flashpaw vibes in her nest. After a while she leaves the den. [Closed activity posts]
__________________
"Underground look around not a sound can escape
Freakin out I'm how many hours away!"
____________________
Paris, Alec, Bean, Glitch, Indy, XxGhostStarsxX, PeanutCash, Morrigan, Hollyheart, Dolomedes, Marigoldwhisper, and iliri all reside in here. They will never escape :>
QUILLPAW he/him. 7 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]
ah, yes - lunchtime.
with a mouse clamped firmly in his jaws, quillpaw slinks into the hollow tree stump. his gaze sweeps across the den as he makes his way to his nest, eyes narrowed into an icy glare for anyone who meets his gaze. a silent warning that reads: do. not. bother. me. then again, that's how he usually looks majority of the time. one could argue it's just his natural resting face, however he's usually in a bad mood. save for the times where he humors himself.
settling in his nest, the tom drops the mouse between his paws. with a content hum, he begins eating his meal. mealtime, for him at least, is a time where he can relax and not get his temper tested by his just oh So lovely clanmates. capital S for sarcasm. hopefully I can enjoy it in peace, he thinks as he eats away.
Quietpaw
Shadowclan apprentice
Purrk: Mind reader(permanently active)
Ah, seemed her nest was in need of altering again. Quietpaw observed with much annoyance as she sat over the circle of moss she slept in every night. It was quite bothersome really, that her nest became the tad bit messy every night she slumbered in it. Being the neat freak she was, Quietpaw just couldn't let this stand.
Grumbling, the apprentice started picking any stray pieces of moss she found and smoothed them back down in different places. She repeated this process and rearranged her nest for a couple of minutes before finally feeling satisfied. Well now she was exhausted...time to reap the rewards of her hard work. Stepping gingerly into her nest she circled before plopping down and resting her head on her paws. Perfect.
Goopywhisker offered to show Moonpaw a few hunting tricks, to which the apprentice rudely declined. How was the young tom supposed to learn with that STENCH?
(Closed)
GROUSEPAW THE TRAILBLAZER "they say that i am the sick boy. easy to say when you don't take the risk, boy."
[ . ]
grouse's head canted slightly to the side, he shook his head at the even more grandeous and ego-stroking moniker. "just grouse," he repeated earnestly, "grouse. not herb-cat grouse, not medicine cat grouse, not mister or miss grouse." he grinned, "just grouse, just like you're just bleedin' to me. we're the same."
"let me let you in on a secret, kid," grouse lowered his voice and ducked his head a bit, so he was at the almost-kit's level, and in fictitious clandestine urgency he spoke, a smirk tugging at his attempt to be serious. "special herb cats are- get this -just normal cats that people think are special. we ain't no better than you or anyone else." he smiled as he lifted his head back up, giving his own chest fur a proud lick.
grousepaw tilted his head up as bleeding asked about where his sisters slept. he spared a cursory glance. "ehh, well, i'll be honest, kitto, i don't know exactly where sleepy an' co sleeps, but i know its sommmeewhere over here." he nodded over his shoulder and turned with a flick of his tail, making sure to walk a bit slower than he normally does to be courteous to the young apprentice. he made his way to an area that was vaugely where he knew sleepy's nest was, and shrugged. "like i said, somewhere in this area. give or take a tail-length or so. i dunno quiet, but i know sleeps is pretty cool. kinda uptight, and broody, but she's all-right." his grin widened a bit, in genuine fondness. yeah. she was all-right. annoying the daylights out of her was a fun pass time.
Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 5 Moons
Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend
The same? Grouse, as he'd demanded to be called and Bleedingpaw wasnt going to fight him on, was seriously confusing the little kitten and (though at first it looked like he'd just wobbled and unbalanced himself) the kitten tilted his head, sitting down to really listen to the explanation.
One that felt both obvious and not at all. Sure they were normal cats Bleedingpaw could get that, but they had to have something special to be chosen right? The high ranks were the best of the crop to be elevated as they were, leading because they were better then normal cats. And because normal cats were better then a freakish Bleedingpaw bar his 'perfect' coloring (a fact Rosa had hammered in before dumping him to hide her shame in having a son like him) so they were far above him. The high ranks stood above and had special privileges and abilities from starclan like Mama being blinded then not and dreaming of the dead and Miss Tiger being able to un-die at will! It wasnt like any old cat could heal or lead like they did.
But.... Then again Mama wasnt perfect either. She'd failed a lotta Bleedingpaws siblings even if she was the best Mama to him and even left her rank. And Miss Mistlewhisker wasnt the first deputy and the last ones had failed and disappeared in shame. A high rank could fail, but did it just mean that they werent the right fit or that all could do so.
The apprentice didnt know and so, thoughtful expression still in place simply nodded at Grousepaws teachings and went back his nest work, needing to reflect more. The older tom had given him a distraction too.
"Sleepypaw is the best older sister, I cant believe you know her too! I didnt think she had friends," Ah ouch, the typical little kid sibling jab that they didnt know was cutting "but she hasnt ever mentioned you to me before so I guess I just didnt know!" also cutting but probably less painful to Grouse then Sleepypaw. No one ever liked to hear the object of their fascination(?) didnt even mention you to the sibling she seemed closest to.
Not that Bleedingpaw seemed aware of any of the implications or background, sniffing around the nests for the one that smelled like his sister and wobbily moving his nest closer to it once he found the one. "Does Sleepypaw have a game she likes? I havent found a cool one that the apprentices like because the only games I know are baby games and Im not a baby anymore." And Bleedingpaw wanted to play with her (and other apprentices and siblings) more now that he wasnt a squishy kit.
He had to be honest with himself. He'd been so caught up training other cat's apprentices that he'd been neglecting his own. Sure, she could learn from others, but this was a responsibility he didn't want to push on other cats. He already dealt with the chaos that was training other warriors' apprentices.
"Brownpaw," Hawkbite would coo into the Apprentices' Den. The day was early, she probably wasn't awake yet. When she did make an appearance, Hawkbite would step aside so she could exit the den -- speaking of, they needed to really start working on building it more. The new camp wasn't quite up to par yet. "Let's get this territory tour up and going, yeah? Especially now that we're in a new area. You can come learn it with me."
Re: ShadowClan Apprentices' Den
