the king and the jester [p]

[furrensic]

QUILLPAW
he/him. 8 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]

the whole day so far has been a bit of a lazy day for quillpaw. having woken up at the crack of dawn, he was one of the first to leave his nest and exit the stars forsaken apprentice's den. he doesn't have a huge problem with any fellow apprentices, if he's honest, just..some of them are very loud. too talkative for their own good. the first that comes to mind has to be his mother's new apprentice, cloverpaw – who, he's now making sure to steer clear of. perhaps he's just too judgemental. but, oh well.

it's also a warm day. there's a very light breeze that passes through occasionally, and the sounds of songbirds echo through the air every once in awhile. perfect for relaxation. and the apprentice welcomes this with open arms – paws? anyway..despite an annoying part in his brain yelling at him to get off his butt and be useful, do something – lounging near the edge of camp under some shade, head resting on his paws and eyes closed. he silently hopes that if he appears asleep, nobody will come over and bother him.

that is, until his stomach growls and..oh no, he's hungry. heterochromatic eyes slowly crack open, narrowed into his usual glare as he slowly sits up. he stretches his limbs, jaws parting in a yawn before he stands up and heads towards the prey pile. he eyes it curiously, head tilting to the side before he decides to snatch a thrush. this'll do, he decides. glancing over at the spot he'd been lounging, his gaze eventually drifts over to the apprentice's den. oh!

I could take a nap after..although, I really do need to train. sleepypaw became sleepysunrise, and she isn't much older than me, he thinks as he pads over to the hollowed stump. how embarrassing of me..ugh, he grimaces as he sits down, thrush dropped between his paws.

[ @Weekend-Wondering ]

[Weekend-Wondering]

Marshypaw
Male / 6 Moons / ShadowClan / Sexuality Unknown
Russet tabby tom with cream-brown fur around the torso, blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes, and a naturally sinister expression

“Well there’s no point to misery without joy, now is there? Just like there’s no point to beauty without brains! That last part is something that you, my friend, need to work on!”
~Marshypaw

✽❀✽

Marshypaw’s eyes shot open wide in the early morning, thoughts rousing him awake as if the apprentices den was suddenly caving in. This was the young tabby tom’s very first morning as an apprentice, and he was hoping to make the most of it. Raspberryswirl, being herself, did not seem like the type of cat to be too extremely strict about wake up times, training sessions, and all of the other work-related attributes of training things that Marshypaw was afraid might start to haunt him during the beginning of his journey through apprenticeship. Especially with this being his first day with her new rank and title, Marshypaw did not expect any tremendously massive workload, so when he awoke, he allowed himself to feel at peace first. The newly made apprentice slumped up onto all four paws, and maw widening in a deep, long yawn, he stretched. It was never a good idea to start the day off with panic and rush, apprentice or not, and Marshypaw valued mental sanity over everything else when it came to mornings. And what better to do to start his day then walk around? So once he finished fully waking up, blinking away the last bits and pieces of dizziness form his vision, Marshypaw grunted and started his way towards the entrance and exit to the apprentices den. I’m sure Raspberryswirl will come out and fetch me whenever she needs me, The young tom thought to himself, satisfied with his behavior and actions. Being herself, I’m sure she won’t kill me for taking a walk a few laps around camp. That’s simply unrealistic, now isn’t it?

He appeared in the light of the morning, stepping outside of the apprentices den and wincing at the sudden change of lighting. Well, wouldn’t you know, there was something that wasn’t changing from the nursery, the detah of one’s eyes upon exiting his den. Marshypaw blinked away the pain, similarly to how he had blinked away sleep, and once it was all gone, he muttered nonsense underneath his breath and wandered in the direction opposite fork the apprentices den, entering ShadowClan’s camp. His gaze hopped along to each and every cat who had already made their way into the clan, and on his way, he recognized a dark gray tabby tom who he had learned identified by the name of, ‘Quillpaw.’ Marshypaw knew nothing of the apprentice other than his name, so assuming he would be just as average as the rest of ShadowClan, with a huff, Marshypaw moved onto the next cat. Oh, I’m sure I’ll have interacted with every apprentice by the time I reach warrior hood, seeing as we’e stuck sleeping in a big lump of growing cats every night. Just like we’ll meet, we’ll probably adjust. No need to rush it now, yes? Marshypaw finished scanning the clearing for any vividly unique personalities, and once he found himself uninterested 8n it all, he returned to planning out his little walk. Turning away from the small morning crowd and starting his way around the ring of the clearing, Marshypaw exhaled, tails wishing behind him rhythmically as he walked. Once I’m finished walking, I’ll go fetch some prey, maybe walk some more, who knows… burn something, joking… do whatever until Raspberryswirl arrives, I suppose. I’m sure she won’t take too long.

Has Marshypaw walked around, the sun began to drift up into the sky, and more cats- apprentices, kittens, warriors, everybody, began to enter the clearing. He made sure to give each one a little glance as they wandered out and about, and eventually, his state returned to Quillpaw. The dark tabby apprentice was still hanging around in the clearing, now sitting down with a thrush at his paws at the center of the clearing, near the nursery. Marshypaw’s whiskers twitched with interest. Finally, he gave in to his urges and started int eh older apprentice’s direction. Marshypaw gracefully dipped his head and snatched himself a piece of prey of his own, a mouse, as he passed it, not slowing down in pace as he went. He came to a halt in front of the apprentice, mumbled a, “Why, mind if I join you?”, a sound that was muffled by the presence of the mouse in his jaws. Marshypaw was a bit tired today, and he did not wait for an answer to come before slumping down and dropping his mouse in front of him. “Well, whether you do or not, here I am, ahem- deal with it- ahem. Sorry, my throat’s feeling… odd… today. Anyway, now that we’re here, sir, why don’t you introduce yourself to me? That’s my only request, and a humble request, at that!” He left this off with a bright smile.

✽❀✽

// So sorry that this is a bit short! There’s a family gathering in my area and I’m being dragged into sociability, tsk. \\

~ @furrensic ~

[furrensic]

QUILLPAW
he/him. 8 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]

just as quillpaw dips his head, preparing to begin plucking the thrush, a muffled voice catches his attention. oh, great, he thinks as his eyes land on the cat who dares to interrupt his meal time. it's one of the new apprentices, marshypaw. the young tom doesn't even wait for an answer before he sits down across of the tabby with his own meal. frown already forming, he shoots the russet tabby a nasty glare as he lifts his head to fully view him.

"actually, I do mind." he retorts. "so, do me a favor and go annoy someone else." he snaps with a short wave of his paw. unfortunately for him, marshypaw doesn't look like he's leaving just because of some words. with an exasperated sigh, he listens to the apprentice continue to drone on, eventually pressing him for his name. this effectively earns the russet tabby a death stare. how could quillpaw's name not be known? the mere thought makes his features twist into a scowl, staring at marshypaw like he's personally wronged him.

"it's quillpaw, which you should know considering I'm dawnstar's grandkit of all things." he answers in a snippy tone. "now, go away. I'd like to eat without someone testing my patience." he grunts, lowering his head once more to begin plucking the feathers from the thrush. hopefully, marshypaw will simply decide to take him and his mouse elsewhere. his smile's almost sinister in a way, which quillpaw finds very, very odd.

[ @Weekend-Wondering no worries!! ]

[Weekend-Wondering]

Marshypaw
Male / 6 Moons / ShadowClan / Sexuality Unknown
Russet tabby tom with cream-brown fur around the torso, blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes, and a naturally sinister expression

“Well there’s no point to misery without joy, now is there? Just like there’s no point to beauty without brains! That last part is something that you, my friend, need to work on!”
~Marshypaw

✽❀✽

At that moment, a Marshypaw had wanted nothing more than to end his boredom struggles with some sociability. He thrived on drama and social interaction, resulting in his constant desire to bother anybody and everybody decently interesting who he set his sights on. Unfortunately for not-so-jolly ShadowClan residents like Quillpaw, this usually led to the, being bothered constantly. Despite the fact that Quillpaw and other apprentices with similar personalities made it awfully clear that they had absolutely no interest in speaking with him, Marshypaw saw no point in acknowledging, let alone addressing, any pessimism that was snapped and/or snarled in his direction. As gentle and polite as he could appear, Marshypaw was self-centered when it came to the way he behaved during arguments. Just so long as the russet and cream tabby’s personal needs and desires were satisfied, he was happy with whatever came his way, and he would simply fend off any rude/brutal comments off with some sassy remarks of his own. Because of this, when he had first approached Quillpaw, Marshypaw was not worried in the least that Quillpaw would view his arrival as something bad and get angry with him. Of course, he knew that this situation was always a possibility, but it simply was not one that he cared much about. In fact, the angrier Quillpaw is, the more interesting, yes? The newly made apprentice asked himself, squinting. Yes! More draAamAaAAaaA!

Marshypaw stopped and readied himself to speak to Quillpaw just as the dark tabby apprentice dipped his head, preparing to feast on his thrush. Marshypaw, voice muffled because of the mouse held carefully in his teeth, asked a question that he had no intention of waiting on an answer for; Mind if I join you? It was funny- the moment that sort of question left Marshypaw’s mouth, it was immediately solid-fact that your opinion was invalid- it wasn’t a question anymore, and instead, it was just a, ‘Hey you, I’m joining you. Fun, right?’ So just as usual, Marshypaw seated himself with a smile of half-joking gratitude. Quillpaw’s eyes landed on him as he interrupted his soon-to-be meal, frown already forming. Marshypaw noticed it, but it did not appear to affect him. Well, it seems he isn’t exactly… in the most wonderful mood, I see- on, so be it. I’m sure he’ll cooperate in a single conversation quite well, just this one’s, yes? But it was not long before Marshypaw ended up with a nasty glare shooting in his direction. He watched with widening eyes as Quillpaw lifted his head to get a full view of him, but he was not upset. Instead, Marshypaw’s smile grew. Oh, how entertaining! It appears he hates me already! And that, everybody, means drama. Fortunately for Marshypaw, that was exactly what he wa where for, and it was exactly what he was earning himself. Obviously, he always made the best decisions. So joyfully, Marshypaw ignored the glare for the time being.

He listened with perking ears as Quillpaw retorted that actually, yes, he did mind, and with curiosity gleaming in his heterochromatic gaze, Marshypaw raised his head. Then to add onto it all, like a cherry on top, Quillpaw told him to go annoy somebody else. Marshypaw blinked, thinking, Oi! What an odd person! At that, the russet apprentice whistled, and after a small and silent pause, he simply told Quillpaw, “Well, you’re… unique-!” He purposely narrowed his eyes and drew out the word, ‘unique’, just to add some spark to the words. Then allowing his eyes to return to their normal state, he decided to give Quillpaw the reaction that he felt the grumpy apprentice actually deserved. “Oh, well, my apologies, my friend. I simply expected decent levels of social flexibility from somebody your age… but I suppose cats fall behind… on occasion. You being one of them, apparently, of course I should have lowered my expectations, and for that, I apologize dearly! Hmph! But worry not, I’m quite sure you’ll become more talented in the future, yes?” Depspite the harshness that could possibly be found in these passive aggressive words, Marshypaw flashed a smile of assurance, as if to exaggerate the, ‘But worry not!’ of it all. Marshypaw took a strangely large amount of enjoyment from trying to cut his clanmates emotionally. If they were not kind to him, he would make that nice and clear- politely. If you smiled and apologies while chewing somebody out for being a jerk, then you looked confident in your words and success, but if all you did was snap and growl, you just looked insecure. Marshypaw preferred to win, so he stayed prideful and smiling as glamorously as he possibly could, though always keeping that sinister hint in each beam.

Anyway, after this, Marshypaw found himself rather reluctant to leave Quillpaw already. The dark apprentice had just proved himself to be too interesting to leave so early. So Marshypaw kept talking, refusing to acknowledge Quillpaw’s sigh of exasperation with anything more than a sharp smile that silently said, ‘Shut up, I’m speaking’. Again, that self-centered nature and love for personal benefit was quickly revealing itself. Marshypaw, eventually, ended up asking Quillpaw for his name, hoping to get more information from the dark tabby apprentice than a simple name- a name that he secretly already knew, at that. If asking a question as simple as, ‘Now, what might your name be?’ could earn Marshypaw more information about a cat, then he would snatch the opportunity without a moment of hesitation. And that he did- he pressed Quillpaw for a name as soon as he found the chance. Now, Marshypaw did not care much for clan history, so he never bothered to pay too much attention to Dawnstar and her gigantic tree of family members. Instead, he kept to himself and loved on his own drama, without the interruption of little baby-kings like Quillpaw. So when Quillpaw gave him a death stare, Marshypaw raised an eyebrow. But the russet and cream tabby apprentice’s smile did not falter. For some reason, it just kept growing, slowly reaching some creepily unnatural lengths. Was it something I said? Of course! Goodness, I KNEW he was insecure! Wherever Marshypaw had picked that assumption up form in the beginning was unknown, it was just one of his instinctive decisions (many of which turned out to be utterly inaccurate, but he just discarded those ones in the end.) When Quillpaw started to scowl, Marshypaw resisted the urge to whistle again. Instead, he simply muttered in a brisk whisper, “Oi, a feisty one!” before falling sienna again to hear out what all Quillpaw had to say.

Eventually the reasoning behind the offense that Quillpaw seemed to take from Marshypaw’s ‘mistake’ were shown tot he russet apprentice, and as he listened, Marshypaw’s just blinked and stared. Quillpaw started out by straight up telling him his name, but the second retort that left the dark tabby’s mouth was the one that Marshypaw found amusing. As Quillpaw told him that Marshypaw was supposed to already know his name, considering the fact that he was Dawnstar’s grandson of all things, the words popping out in a snippy tone. Marshypaw’s amusement grew obvious on his face,and with narrowed eyes, he felt his wide smile begin to fade into a smirk. Oh, confident in his ancestry, is he? He barely resisted the urge to start chuckling himself into a pulp on the spot. Ah, and he’s considering HIMSELF famous for it, even, ha! Oh, what a CHILD! His eyebrows furrowed as Quillpaw kept on speaking, telling him to go away, adding in the fact that he wanted to eat without somebody testing his patience. Oh, fun, some more things for Marshypaw to nip at Quillpaw for telling him. This was already proving to be one of the most entertaining interactions that Marshypaw had had with somebody not just during his apprenticeship, but during his lifetime! But seeing as he had been spending his days trapped in ShadowClan’s nursery for so long, that was no surprise, was it? Now that he was being given the chance meet all of the angsty teenagers of the shadowy-empire, things were finally getting interesting. Things were getting amusing, that was it. As Quillpaw lowered his head once more to pluck the feathers form his thrush, Marshypaw sighed and mumbled a, “Tsk…” But he did not move. He stayed, ready to be more bothersome.

This was going to be a fun response for the russet and cream to spout out. Marshypaw wanted to make it nice and clear that he wasn’t going to be leaving, and instead, he was going to try and find personal comfort here. So casually, with a sigh and soft smile, he gave up on sitting straight and flopped down onto his back beside Quillpaw and the dark tabby apprentice’s thrush. As he began to spoke, with a lazy paw, Marshypaw attempted to start helping and plucking some extra feathers from Quillpaw’s thrush. “My, my… now we’re back to the social issue, Quillpaw. Quillpaw, grandchild of the colossal Dawnstar herself, unable to perform tasks as simple as communicating eith a clanmate… seems unfortunate. But yet again, have no fear, have no fear… you’ll stop slacking off one day, I’m certain.” He smiled sinisterly as he made his next comment, exposing his teeth. “Anyway, I apologize again, I hadn’t the slightest idea that you were the wannabe-famous type. But dear me, Quillpaw, are you convinced that fame is inherited??? Funny, then, how I had no idea you were related… hm.” He quit trying to pluck feathers, and tilting his head, he blinked up at Quillpaw. “Now, I’m afraid I won’t be leaving, Grumpus. So if you excuse me, I will be eating beside you. Now that we’re on the same side of things, then, why don’t you introduce yourself properly? You know, without acting like you’re a god, maybe?”

✽❀✽

// Uh oh- I’ve really gotta find a way to curve this interaction into something that will actually make them friends, man ;-; \\

~ @furrensic ~

[furrensic]

QUILLPAW
he/him. 8 moons. dark grey tom; tabby markings; light grey markings, amber and blue eyes.
[ mind reader ]

quillpaw's ear twitches as marshypaw speaks up once more and, for once, he actually feels shocked. he blinks, almost stunned it seems. he's no stranger to being passive aggressive, he's been it himself (although now, he's just plain aggressive), but he's never experienced someone being passive aggressive towards him. and, talk about a hit straight to his already faltering ego. '--but I suppose cats fall behind… on occasion,' ...'I’m quite sure you’ll become more talented in the future, yes?' – all said with a smile that, quite frankly, he wants to claw off of the younger tom's face. he's a saint (far from it), though, so he keeps his claws sheathed and jaw clenched.

this 'paw was by far the most irritating little rat he's ever met. interrupting his meal time was already bad, but now the little brats throwing jabs at him! even worse, with a dopey grin on his face like he's completely innocent or something, too. one that just keeps growing and growing, giving marshypaw an unnatural appearance in his eyes.

by no means is he insecure (he definitely is, deep down), but he's sure anybody would be irked if a child came up and disrespected them. actually, he's pretty sure this is the first time this has ever happened to him. it's disturbing...perhaps a bit interesting but also confusing, and he's certainly not a fan. his anger is rising, bubbling up inside him and threatening to spill over at any second. inhaling, he focuses on plucking the thrush's feathers. and for a second, he's almost convinced marshypaw's given up. but no, it's the opposite. the tabby has gone so far as to flop down beside quillpaw and reach over, attempting to help pluck the feathers from the bird. which, in response, quillpaw lets out a hiss and snatches the bird away, pulling it closer to his chest.

"your presence is sickening! do you find enjoyment in being a nuisance?" he spits, pupils contracting into slits. he feels like whatever power exists is definitely against him, as marshypaw speaks up once more. boom, another hit to the ego that leaves him just as shocked as the first did– staring at the new apprentice with a bewildered look. okay, this is weird. "wanna-be famous?" he repeats after he plucks the last few feathers. okay, he admits, this is a tad interesting, but far too infuriating. "hah! i'm far prominent than you are, or you'll ever be. and, I can socialize just fine, but imbecile's like you -- it's like talking to a newborn kit. pointless."

grumpus? what in the actual hell. quillpaw's muscles tense, jaw clenching as his ears go into airplane mode once marshypaw makes it very clear he isn't leaving. and he's pretty sure if he did stand up and walk away, the idiot would just follow him. "I pity your mentor." he states. he cringes at marshypaw's suggestion, glaring at him. "why don't you try and not, you know, be a pest, maybe?" he mocks. he's not sure if he absolutely despises this kid or if he's annoyed..though interested, by his sharp tongue. both, definitely both.

[ @Weekend-Wondering ueue no worries!! I'm sure quill will come around ..begrudgingly. marshy has absolutely humbled him LOL which he's not used to, so he thinks he's interesting ]

[Weekend-Wondering]

Marshypaw
Male / 6 Moons / ShadowClan / Sexuality Unknown
Russet tabby tom with cream-brown fur around the torso, blue and yellow heterochromatic eyes, and a naturally sinister expression

“Well there’s no point to misery without joy, now is there? Just like there’s no point to beauty without brains! That last part is something that you, my friend, need to work on!”
~Marshypaw

✽❀✽

Odd as it may make the young tom-cat seem, Marshypaw was certainly enjoying this interaction. The older he grew, the more of a hobby humbling others became, and the more obvious it got that it was working whenever it did. So far, Quillpaw was seeming completely on the defensive, but that was nothing Marshypaw needed to fear. It would simply make their interaction more enjoyable for the dramatic young tom-cat. If Quillpaw felt similar positive feelings towards their currently ongoing encounter, he definitely did not show them, because all he had really done so far was glower, glare, sniff, sneer, and snarl at Marshypaw, even though all Marshypaw had done at first was step forward and kindly “offer” to take a seat beside him. Heck, he had even helped pluck feathers from the grumpy apprentice’s thrush, and even still he appeared to remain on Quillpaw’s bad list. Despite Quillpaw’s constant pessimism, Marshypaw’s smile stayed genuine, and his appreciation for this interaction of theirs did not falter yet. He would get bored of all of this sad ego-beating eventually, but for the time being, the young tom was happy as he could ever be to be pleasantly and passive aggressively hurting Quillpaw’s feelings. It was quite fun watching the older apprentice try and brush off the words that left his mouth with that grumpy, unhappy personality of his, and with each snap that left the dark tabby tom’s mouth, Marshypaw’s expression flashed with a sudden sinister, obvious pleasure, beaming as he happily threw out comments and remarks. That was an interesting and very noticeable trend in hsi behavior around cats like Quillpaw. But oh, who has any right to judge me for it? The russet and cream tabby tom asked himself, grinning to himself silently. Quillpaw himself? Ah, funny thing… he can barely even stick up for himself, it seems… NOPE!!! I’ll save that for later once I’m actually speaking to him… improvisation shows one’s true PERSONALITY!!! So gleaming, he waited for a reaction to be provoked from the dark tabby apprentice.

Marshypaw spoke up again, and when he caught sight of Quillpaw’s ears twitching, his yellow and blue eyes fell narrow with interest. Alright, so that was… a slightly unusual reaction, then. Hopefully there would be more to come, Marshypaw decided. Marshypaw kept on speaking, and eventually, Quillpaw blinked in shock. That was when Marshypaw felt as if he had truly won himself a victory. The older apprentice seemed decently if not fairly stunned by now at the sound of his words and comments, and satisfaction clear in his face, Marshypaw barely resisted the urge to chuckle to himself. Well, this was… easy. His predictions that Quillpaw might be a bit (if not very) insecure were slowly but surely nearing confirmation, but he still had his doubts. Chances were, anybody faced with the remarks and retorts coming from Marshypaw’s maw would feel at least slightly out of place upon hearing them. Heck, even Marshypaw made himself self-cautious every once in a while, he was just that rude of a tom-cat sometimes. Quillpaw continued to listen fairly oddly quietly as Marshypaw kept on talking, and eventually, the russet and cream tabby apprentice noticed something that sparked his curiosity. Perfect, now Quillpaw’s jaw was clenching. He was angry, that was for sure, but was he holding something in? Was he putting effort into not tearing Marshypaw apart? Marshypaw’s gaze softened slightly, but his heart stayed risen and his smile remained genuine. Aw. It feels odd to call a defendant of ShadowClan’s Murder-Queen cute, but here I am. And watch, he’s probably plotting my demise right here on the spot, tch… what a WONDERFUL apprentice! Clearly Marshypaw’s definition of ‘wonderful’ had absolutely nothing to do with ethics. Instead, wonder equaled drama, because that very word honestly describes Marshypaw as a whole, and everybody who has met him one-on-one even once probably agrees.

Then finally, Marshypaw made his lack of concern for Quillpaw’s anger quite obvious by flopping down beside the tom-cat and trying at plucking feathers from his grumpy denmate’s prey. Of course, Quillpaw did not appreciate this, and in response, he hissed at Marshypaw. The russet and crew, tabby allowed his eyes and smile to widen, paw inching back and away from the truth at the sight of Quillpaw’s anger. As he drew his paw back, after a quick whistle of teasing admiration, Marshypaw laughed, “Oh?” As Quillpaw snatched the bird away and pulled it towards his chest, Marshypaw shook his head in exaggerated disappointment, and then he sighed. “Goodness, one would think you were a prey-greedy kitten with that attitude, my friend. I simply suggest practicing keeping control over your anger issues a bit more… though that’s just me, you do you, sir. Stay a narcissist for all I care, you’ve got personality, and that’s just fine, yes?” Offering a smirk, Marshypaw nodded at his own words. Ah, beautiful! He probably hates me to death by now- well, wouldn’t that just be lovely? Drama??? But… oh… The multi-colored tabby felt his eyebrow punch as his next thought crossed his mind, and he lightly hit his lower lip in annoyance. Well, wouldn’t it be a bit more dramatic if we became friends? Rivals? Frenemies??? Ah, crud- where underneath the stars above is this interaction headed?! Only one way to find out: just keep on being himself, and Marshypaw would walk into a new relationship with this cat, whether that be a good or bad one. If they were at one another’s throats by the end of this, great. Just two guys crushing each other’s egos whenever they felt like it, that was always fun. If they were besties by the end of it, Marshypaw was just fine with that as well. That would be an interesting transition. But what if they managed to be both at once? That would either make life really weird and freaky or really entertaining and hilarious- or… both. Marshypaw always preferred to have the best of both worlds.

They seemed to be leaning towards the whole at-each-others’-throats thing at the moment, though, as Quillpaw blew up in his face again. The dark tabby apprentice told him that his presence was sickening, and at the sound of that, Marshypaw tilted his head curiously. Sickening, am I? Well, then, that would explain his reluctance to let me touch the thrush- ah, whatever. He’s just stubborn. Just feisty. He was unintentionally funny, that was what he was. Marshypaw planned on happily letting the dark gray apprentice know that whenever the chance revealed itself. When Quillpaw asked him if he took enjoyment in being a nuisance, Marshypaw’s instinctive answer was abotu to be, Well, duh, but the young and dramatic tom stopped himself. After a quick moment of thought, he shrugged and continued to just go with improvisation. “My presence is sickening, is it? Well, sickening is a severely strong word- but I suppose you have equally severe issues with your emotional security, I ought to leave you be. As for the enjoyment I take in a being a nuisance, hm… I would phrase it differently. I take enjoyment in making angst apprentices aware of the truth in which they generally refuse to admit, and oh, Quillpaw- I have to sympathize with you deeply, you- you just cannot accept an honest truth on your own. Like a small child, in a way. Physically strong or not… unfortunately, you have the emotional self-control of a whining kitten. “ He made sure to lower his voice when saying his last words, letting the sound of his acted-out-pity flow through his speech. He squinted at Quillpaw when the apprentice continued to speak.

From the words that came from Marshypaw’s mouth afterward, Quillpaw appeared bewildered. He repeated, ‘wannabe famous’ as he plucked away the last few thrush-feathers, and Marshypaw smiled gently. Casually, he confirmed as if quizzing the apprentice, “Wannabe famous. Correct!” He listened silently as Quillpaw told him that he was far more prominent than he was, even than he will ever be. Marshypaw kept smiling, but his eyebrows furrowed. Really? So fame is all he’s after? Oh, this poor, poor soul. He’s… cursed with stupidity, so it seems. Marshypaw resisted the urge to snicker at the thought, and like the pure gentleman-saint that he obviously was, he stayed silent and patient as Quillpaw spoke. The dark tabby apprentice casually told him that he could socialize just fine, and Marshypaw purposely narrowed his eyes doubtfully, glancing both ways as if to say: Uh… riiiiiiiiiiiight… but technically he stayed quiet. Quillpaw then told him that when it came to imbeciles like him, it was like talking to a newborn kitten, pointless. Marshypaw was not too happy with the title that Quillpaw had given him, so his response came pretty quickly, unusually direct and aggressive in the beginning. “Imbecile… goodness, big word for such a child.” Instead of faltering, his smile just sharpened for a moment, as if trying to match the slightly less passive tone of those last words, but quickly, he recovered from it and returned to his normal go-lucky-drama-smiley state. “And I’m sure you view quite fondly of yourself and your social abilities, Quillpaw. It’s natural for issued cats like you to be blind to their struggles- I’m helping you, see, I’m kindly addressing the issues that you have yet to acknowledge in yourself. Funny, isn’t it? A newborn kit such as myself putting so much effort into supporting you?”

Eventually, after Marshypaw made it nice and clear that he did not plan on leaving, Quillpaw tensed, clenched his jaw, and told him that he pitied the dramatic apprentice’s mentor. Raising his eyebrows again, Marshypaw made his suggestion, a suggestion that Quillpaw cringed at. Then as if forming up a little remark of his own, the dark tabby apprentice mocked Marshypaw, asking him with a falsely passive air if he could quit being a pest, and Marshypaw sighed. “Well, I treat others with the respect that they prove themselves to deserve. Unfortunately, you seem… problematic. Now, Dear Grumpus, hear me out here, may you?” Marshypaw slipped himself up and onto his feet, and once he was standing, he turned to face Quillpaw. Then surprise surprise, his smile finally faltered. Then surprise surprise again, that was just a small, second-long-smirk-break before he went right back onto smiling, this time dreamily. “I understand, you wish to keep your childish reluctance to introduce yourself properly- OR!!! Or maybe you simply aren’t as social as you might try and think you are, sir. Allow me to demonstrate a proper introduction, a proper conversation starter, because you appear to have the misfortune of slacking off there.” Then with a grunt, Marshypaw dipped his head and bowed a little. He also put on a deep, edgy, and grumbly voice to mimic Quillpaw, The Great Grumpus. “’Why, greetings. It’s nice to meet you, Marshypaw, you look mighty-fine today.’” Then twirling around until he once again faced Quillpaw, Marshypaw added, “And then I’d say, ‘Yes, hello, Quillpaw, my pleasure-‘ oop, wrong phrase, my apologies- ‘Thank you! You look nice and pretty yourself today!’ And see? That, my dear friend, is how a conversation works. You just have to learn to not be… well, a kit.” The smile. It was actually starting to hurt. But. It. Would. Not. Freakin’. Leave. Heck, even if Marshypaw wanted to stop smiling, something would probably keep that from happening.

✽❀✽

// I am so sorry if it ever autocorrects Quillpaw to Grillpaw. It’s an annoying typo, but a weirdly awesome one nonetheless- Also, I’ll try to quicken up my replies here, I’m pretty sure they’re passing my bump policy, so… whoops ;-; \\

~ @furrensic ~