Lionsbeach

[~Fierce~]

~Shypaw~
Shypaw watched Raccoonear anxiously, hoping that she didn't drift off into the sea. But, despite herself, she whooped as the turtle swam started to swim away. She smiled at Raccoonear's praise before she remembered the seagull she had caught. She bounded over to it and wondered how she was going to carry it back to camp. It was as big as her, wings and all. She turned to Raccoonear. "Could you help me with the bird? It's too big for me to carry by myself, which is a good thing since it'll help feed the clan. If this isn't enough, we can catch something on the way back." Shypaw said before she realized that she was rambling and the rasp of her voice was all she could hear. She looked away from Raccoonear, her blue gaze directed at the bird again.
@superstar

[pxxylo]

“Yeah, of course! I’m sure we’ll come across a shrew or such on the way headed back.” The molly mewed, waving out of the weather and stepping to the side to shake out her pelt. My, her thick pelt. It had collected so much water in such a short time, it was fascinating. After she seemed relatively dry, she padded over to the gull to help Shypaw.

The apprentice was right. The gull was pretty large, and seemed to be a very successful catch. She crouched, taking the tail of the seagull into her jaws. Wow, it was rather heavy. Kestrelstar will be proud to heard of the good things Raccoonear had to say about Shypaw, that was for sure.
@~Fierce~

[Captain]

Originally Posted by superstar

She crouched down, trying to control her ever-lashing tail as to not make a sound. As she slowly approached the patch of grass, she heard Snowleap’s offer. Keeping her eyes on the prey, she turned her head a bit. “Ah, I’m alright. I got this one.” she mewed in reply, turning her muzzle back in the direction of the rodent.

She had a favorite move, it took powerful force, but it always worked for her. She once tried to teach occultkit the move, (on a bug, of course. No kit had the strength for real prey at his age.) but even on the grasshopper they had spent hours trying to find, he couldn’t do it. On the thought of occultkit, she looked up. If stars are starclan cats, he must be up there, glistening bright. She shook her head. She had to think of him sometimes, but now wasn’t the time. It was time to hunt, and the mouse could scurry off at any time.

She glanced down at the paw she usually performs the blow with, and backed up, preparing to leap with the correct force. It was a precise move, but most importantly was angle. She spent about five seconds moving from side to side, getting into perfect position and posture. She then leapt, and oddly enough, it didn’t seem she would land exactly on top of the rodent. What?

She had one outstretched arm, and as she neared the sandy surface, the mouse came into vision. Then, with a dull thump she stroked the mouse with her paw, killing it. As she landed, she smiled, picking up the prey. Oh, what joy it brought her to perform that move, it was so fun.

♢ Snowleap ♢

The dark-furred tomcat nodded, stepping back a few pawsteps to let Raccoonear hunt in peace. He was never one to get in another cat’s way when they were focused on something. Watching her do her own thing, Snowleap wondered if he should go hunt something of his own while she did this, but for some reason, the Riverclan tomcat kept watching, interested in seeing the particular technique that she would use. They hoped it wouldn’t ruin their friend’s concentration in any way. Sitting down in the soft sand, Snowleap blinked as he continued to observe.

Watching her look up at the sky for a moment, the tall tomcat looked up too, wondering what Raccoonear was looking at. There wasn’t much to look at, especially during this time of the day, except for the occasional seagull that fell over their heads. He then remembered her talking to him about her littermate, Occultkit, who had died moons ago. Snowleap wished he had siblings to share fond memories with. Maybe if he had littermates of his own, then his parents wouldn’t have treated him so poorly. Though maybe they would’ve just be treated like he had been.

He tilted in his head to the side, curious, as the she-cat kept repositioning herself before leaping forward. It was an interesting display to watch, but Snowleap saw it as a teaching moment to himself. Not every tactic he used would always work, so maybe the dark-furred tomcat needed to learn a thing or two from his fellow clanmate. Losing himself in these thoughts, however, Snowleap’s ears perked up when he noticed Raccoonear lift her head, the limp mouse hanging from her jaws. She looked proud of herself. Good. “Nice work!” He meowed with a soft purr rumbling in his throat.

[pxxylo]

Originally Posted by tokyo_driftin

♢ Snowleap ♢

The dark-furred tomcat nodded, stepping back a few pawsteps to let Raccoonear hunt in peace. He was never one to get in another cat’s way when they were focused on something. Watching her do her own thing, Snowleap wondered if he should go hunt something of his own while she did this, but for some reason, the Riverclan tomcat kept watching, interested in seeing the particular technique that she would use. They hoped it wouldn’t ruin their friend’s concentration in any way. Sitting down in the soft sand, Snowleap blinked as he continued to observe.

Watching her look up at the sky for a moment, the tall tomcat looked up too, wondering what Raccoonear was looking at. There wasn’t much to look at, especially during this time of the day, except for the occasional seagull that fell over their heads. He then remembered her talking to him about her littermate, Occultkit, who had died moons ago. Snowleap wished he had siblings to share fond memories with. Maybe if he had littermates of his own, then his parents wouldn’t have treated him so poorly. Though maybe they would’ve just be treated like he had been.

He tilted in his head to the side, curious, as the she-cat kept repositioning herself before leaping forward. It was an interesting display to watch, but Snowleap saw it as a teaching moment to himself. Not every tactic he used would always work, so maybe the dark-furred tomcat needed to learn a thing or two from his fellow clanmate. Losing himself in these thoughts, however, Snowleap’s ears perked up when he noticed Raccoonear lift her head, the limp mouse hanging from her jaws. She looked proud of herself. Good. “Nice work!” He meowed with a soft purr rumbling in his throat.

She grinned, looking down at the mouse. It seemed to be full grown, it was a perfect catch! The molly stepped away for a second, shaking sand out of her pelt. Ew. She hated sand. It gets in your fur and it takes a good shake to get out, and even with such a forceful shake there’s still bits in your pelt. Ugh, sand. After giving up on getting any sand out of her pelt, she trotted over.

“Thanks, Snowleap!” In normality, she would have denied it and laughed nervously. But she had to learn to take a compliment, and accept kindness. The one condition was, return the kindness and more. If she kept on denying kindness people would get annoyed, so she had to stop it, and fast. Luckily, that was something she could do.

Unlike her constant worrying and wondering about possible outcomes, denying kindness was something she could stop quickly. Her jaws parted, trying to catch the scent of something. It smelt…foul but faint. She wandered over to another patch of grass, crouching down.

What in Silverpelt is that? It’s red with black spots and smells kind of bad. Clearly a bug. It seemed so small and delicate, she wanted to touch it but she worried that if she did decide to touch the ladybug, it would be harmed. She simply smiled and stood.

“Just a bug, it smelled a bit odd, thought it was something else.” She nodded, feeling slightly guilty for becoming distracted by a bug. Though, it was a rather pretty bug. It was such a vibrant shade of red. This is where the Molly’s obsession with ladybugs began.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by superstar

She grinned, looking down at the mouse. It seemed to be full grown, it was a perfect catch! The molly stepped away for a second, shaking sand out of her pelt. Ew. She hated sand. It gets in your fur and it takes a good shake to get out, and even with such a forceful shake there’s still bits in your pelt. Ugh, sand. After giving up on getting any sand out of her pelt, she trotted over.

“Thanks, Snowleap!” In normality, she would have denied it and laughed nervously. But she had to learn to take a compliment, and accept kindness. The one condition was, return the kindness and more. If she kept on denying kindness people would get annoyed, so she had to stop it, and fast. Luckily, that was something she could do.

Unlike her constant worrying and wondering about possible outcomes, denying kindness was something she could stop quickly. Her jaws parted, trying to catch the scent of something. It smelt…foul but faint. She wandered over to another patch of grass, crouching down.

What in Silverpelt is that? It’s red with black spots and smells kind of bad. Clearly a bug. It seemed so small and delicate, she wanted to touch it but she worried that if she did decide to touch the ladybug, it would be harmed. She simply smiled and stood.

“Just a bug, it smelled a bit odd, thought it was something else.” She nodded, feeling slightly guilty for becoming distracted by a bug. Though, it was a rather pretty bug. It was such a vibrant shade of red. This is where the Molly’s obsession with ladybugs began.

♢ Snowleap ♢

Seeing the she-cat trot away, shaking sand from her fur, he couldn’t help but chuckle a little. As much as the dark-furred tomcat adored the beach, he hated sand too, especially with his long coat that had to be groomed constantly. “At least you caught the mouse,” He commented after she began to head back over to him, though he didn’t expect her to hear him. He smiled wide at Raccoonear when she didn’t deny his compliment. “You truly are a great hunter, my friend!” A gentle purr rumbled in his throat, trying to show genuine appreciation towards his clanmate. He thought back to the night they met and the pain they had shared at the stump she had shown him. She truly was a skilled, respectable warrior and Snowleap was honored to have met her when he did. He hoped that they would share many more days like this. It was a simple hope that he held onto, especially since it wasn’t often that he got along with another cat so well. Honestly, Snowleap was surprised she wanted to be around him so much, considering his first impression.

His ears twitched in curiosity as Raccoonear wandered off, having smelled something else. However, instead of leaving her be, Snowleap followed the she-cat, intrigued on what she had discovered. The dark-furred tomcat crouched down beside her once she had stopped. Following Raccoonear’s gaze, the tall warrior’s icy blue eyes rested upon a small red bug with black spots. “Woah..” Snowleap whispered under his breath, blinking at the tiny delicate ladybug, “I’m surprised this little fella is out here during leafbare..” He glanced at the molly beside him, seeing her so transfixed upon the bug. It was interesting, seeing Raccoonear so interested in something so simple, but it made Snowleap smile again. The Riverclan tomcat liked seeing her happy.

Standing back up when she did, Snowleap blinked at her with his head slightly tilted. “Oh?” Snowleap meowed, curious to what she thought, “What did you-” The tall warrior’s words were cut off as his eyes noticed the small bug leaving the grass and flying through the air. He suppressed the urge to swipe a paw at it and simply stood there, frozen, as the ladybug landed on his muzzle, right between his nose and eyes. Snowleap said nothing, scared of starling it and simply glanced between the bug and Raccoonear. The bug moved across his nose a little, making his muzzle itch, but it mostly stayed still.

[pxxylo]

Originally Posted by tokyo_driftin

♢ Snowleap ♢

Seeing the she-cat trot away, shaking sand from her fur, he couldn’t help but chuckle a little. As much as the dark-furred tomcat adored the beach, he hated sand too, especially with his long coat that had to be groomed constantly. “At least you caught the mouse,” He commented after she began to head back over to him, though he didn’t expect her to hear him. He smiled wide at Raccoonear when she didn’t deny his compliment. “You truly are a great hunter, my friend!” A gentle purr rumbled in his throat, trying to show genuine appreciation towards his clanmate. He thought back to the night they met and the pain they had shared at the stump she had shown him. She truly was a skilled, respectable warrior and Snowleap was honored to have met her when he did. He hoped that they would share many more days like this. It was a simple hope that he held onto, especially since it wasn’t often that he got along with another cat so well. Honestly, Snowleap was surprised she wanted to be around him so much, considering his first impression.

His ears twitched in curiosity as Raccoonear wandered off, having smelled something else. However, instead of leaving her be, Snowleap followed the she-cat, intrigued on what she had discovered. The dark-furred tomcat crouched down beside her once she had stopped. Following Raccoonear’s gaze, the tall warrior’s icy blue eyes rested upon a small red bug with black spots. “Woah..” Snowleap whispered under his breath, blinking at the tiny delicate ladybug, “I’m surprised this little fella is out here during leafbare..” He glanced at the molly beside him, seeing her so transfixed upon the bug. It was interesting, seeing Raccoonear so interested in something so simple, but it made Snowleap smile again. The Riverclan tomcat liked seeing her happy.

Standing back up when she did, Snowleap blinked at her with his head slightly tilted. “Oh?” Snowleap meowed, curious to what she thought, “What did you-” The tall warrior’s words were cut off as his eyes noticed the small bug leaving the grass and flying through the air. He suppressed the urge to swipe a paw at it and simply stood there, frozen, as the ladybug landed on his muzzle, right between his nose and eyes. Snowleap said nothing, scared of starling it and simply glanced between the bug and Raccoonear. The bug moved across his nose a little, making his muzzle itch, but it mostly stayed still.

She noticed Snowleap’s confusion at her quick brushing off of the Ladybug, and began to feel awkward. She tried to brush it off, and tried to not seem childish, to be obsessed with ladybugs. Her eyes followed it with fascination as it flew off, landing on Snowleap’s muzzle.

She let loose a small giggle, trotting over. “What do you think it is?” She smiled, her gaze set on the red bug. Although she had no idea what it was, she was simply in love with this odd bug. The color, the spots, the way it flew about so quickly.

She watched it inch across his muzzle, beaming with interest. ”Oops,” She mewed, due to her stumbling back as the bug flew off to Starclan knows where. Getting back on her feet, she remarked. “Interesting bug…I think that bug was rather beautiful.”

[Captain]

Originally Posted by superstar

She noticed Snowleap’s confusion at her quick brushing off of the Ladybug, and began to feel awkward. She tried to brush it off, and tried to not seem childish, to be obsessed with ladybugs. Her eyes followed it with fascination as it flew off, landing on Snowleap’s muzzle.

She let loose a small giggle, trotting over. “What do you think it is?” She smiled, her gaze set on the red bug. Although she had no idea what it was, she was simply in love with this odd bug. The color, the spots, the way it flew about so quickly.

She watched it inch across his muzzle, beaming with interest. ”Oops,” She mewed, due to her stumbling back as the bug flew off to Starclan knows where. Getting back on her feet, she remarked. “Interesting bug…I think that bug was rather beautiful.”

♢ Snowleap ♢

The tall warrior’s face became warm with embarrassment as Raccoonear stared at the ladybug on his muzzle. “Well, it’s obviously a bug,” He said in a quiet voice, “I think my mom told me, when I was a kitten, that twolegs call this a ladybug.” Snowleap tried to remember the memory of his youth, even though he often hated thinking of his parents and what little they had taught him. He slowly sat down in the soft sand, being very careful not to shake it off or scare it away. Snowleap couldn’t get over how much his friend seemed to be fascinated with the odd creature. He hoped to keep it around as long as possible so that she could admire it. It seemed like forever that he sat there, frozen in place, trying to not do anything wrong.

“Oh..” Snowleap murmured, disappointed when the ladybug fluttered off somewhere else, “I hope I didn’t scare it or anything.” He knew that he wasn’t really the best when it came to dealing with small, fragile things, being as big as he was. Breathing in another breath of the salty ocean air, the tall tom leaned back for a moment to let himself relax and stretch after being still for so long. “We really got distracted, huh?” Snowleap said with a light-hearted sigh escaping him as he smiled at Raccoonear, “Yeah, quite beautiful.” He said this while looking at her for a moment before turning his gaze towards the shore, almost like he was lost in thought.

[pxxylo]

Originally Posted by tokyo_driftin

♢ Snowleap ♢

The tall warrior’s face became warm with embarrassment as Raccoonear stared at the ladybug on his muzzle. “Well, it’s obviously a bug,” He said in a quiet voice, “I think my mom told me, when I was a kitten, that twolegs call this a ladybug.” Snowleap tried to remember the memory of his youth, even though he often hated thinking of his parents and what little they had taught him. He slowly sat down in the soft sand, being very careful not to shake it off or scare it away. Snowleap couldn’t get over how much his friend seemed to be fascinated with the odd creature. He hoped to keep it around as long as possible so that she could admire it. It seemed like forever that he sat there, frozen in place, trying to not do anything wrong.

“Oh..” Snowleap murmured, disappointed when the ladybug fluttered off somewhere else, “I hope I didn’t scare it or anything.” He knew that he wasn’t really the best when it came to dealing with small, fragile things, being as big as he was. Breathing in another breath of the salty ocean air, the tall tom leaned back for a moment to let himself relax and stretch after being still for so long. “We really got distracted, huh?” Snowleap said with a light-hearted sigh escaping him as he smiled at Raccoonear, “Yeah, quite beautiful.” He said this while looking at her for a moment before turning his gaze towards the shore, almost like he was lost in thought.

“Hm…I don’t think you did. Most good things are fleeting moments anyways,” she said, without realizing the last thing she said was rather odd until a few seconds after she had already said it. Oops. Her eyes widened, and she quickly looked away, noticing that Snowleap’s gaze was towards the shore.

There wasn’t much out there, aside from the occasional fish leaping up. Guess he’s just thinking. Everyone thinks…maybe not reckless people but hey, even they have troubles to think about to. She resisted from spacing out, shaking her head and tearing her gaze from the mesmerizing waves of the endless ocean.

Bursting with empathy, she glanced at Snowleap, noticing him losing himself in thought. What was he thinking about? One would pray not his parents…from what he’s told me, they treated him like chickenscratch. “Good things are fleeting moments, and bad things feel like eternity” is what she told Occultkit, who denied it and said it wasn’t fair. Life wasn’t fair though, and like Snowleap, cats just had to deal with it. You can’t change the past, but in the moment of thinking about how badly Snowleap’s parents treated him, she never longed to more, even more than the event of her brother dying perhaps.

Oh god. Oh no. Not now. Not now, goddamnit! Stop it! Stop, stop, stop! She couldn't control it. Her eyes became misty, distant and welling with tears. She looked a bit…mad. She was about to cry after all, and it was probably the worst time possible.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by superstar

“Hm…I don’t think you did. Most good things are fleeting moments anyways,” she said, without realizing the last thing she said was rather odd until a few seconds after she had already said it. Oops. Her eyes widened, and she quickly looked away, noticing that Snowleap’s gaze was towards the shore.

There wasn’t much out there, aside from the occasional fish leaping up. Guess he’s just thinking. Everyone thinks…maybe not reckless people but hey, even they have troubles to think about to. She resisted from spacing out, shaking her head and tearing her gaze from the mesmerizing waves of the endless ocean.

Bursting with empathy, she glanced at Snowleap, noticing him losing himself in thought. What was he thinking about? One would pray not his parents…from what he’s told me, they treated him like chickenscratch. “Good things are fleeting moments, and bad things feel like eternity” is what she told Occultkit, who denied it and said it wasn’t fair. Life wasn’t fair though, and like Snowleap, cats just had to deal with it. You can’t change the past, but in the moment of thinking about how badly Snowleap’s parents treated him, she never longed to more, even more than the event of her brother dying perhaps.

Oh god. Oh no. Not now. Not now, goddamnit! Stop it! Stop, stop, stop! She couldn't control it. Her eyes became misty, distant and welling with tears. She looked a bit…mad. She was about to cry after all, and it was probably the worst time possible.

♢ Snowleap ♢

Her words made his brows crease. “Most good things are fleeting moments anyways.” The words echoed in his head, almost like they were mocking him. Why do they have to be fleeting? Snowleap wondered this. Why did all the good things in his life have to end so quickly? He hated that and just thinking about it made him utter a soft sigh. The tall tomcat glanced at Raccoonear out of the corner of his vision, seeing her looking at him. It was then that he wondered how many times he had gone silent and drifted off in his own mind. Perhaps it truly was a problem of his, yet no matter what he did, such a habit would never go away, unfortunately. He would always be a thoughtful feline, but maybe Raccoonear wasn’t so different from him.

His claws unsheathed from his paw, digging into the sand underneath him. Snowleap was losing focus on what they had come out here for in the first place. Yet he couldn’t think about hunting not now. Would Raccoonear think poorly of him if she knew this? The tomcat hoped not. Truth be told, he wished they could just take a break. He wished that they could both just go for a walk and not have to think about all these troubling things. He knew it was leafbare and Riverclan needed food, but he couldn’t remember the last time he had just relaxed and did something for himself. It frustrated him and the irritation was getting to him, feeling like how he did when he was in front of that stump. Why? Why did he have to be like this? And why in front of her? Would the Riverclan she-cat see him at his lowest over and over and over again? Until she got tired of dealing with his emotions?

Without thinking, Snowleap stood up and took off down the beach, towards the shoreline. He said nothing, only ran, his paws a blur underneath him as he made his way towards the ocean water that lapped against the sand. If anyone, Raccoonear would understand, right? The need to take out such a big rush of irritating emotions? It was stupid. He was stupid. His icy blue-eyes locked onto a seagull that was floating in the more shallow waters of the ocean. Snowleap kept running, seeing that the bird’s back was to him and the sound of the crashing waves kept him from being heard. He needed to hunt, hunt, hunt! Push all those awful thoughts away and focus on what was important, yes? Yes! Once he reached the water’s edge, the dark-furred warrior leapt forward, tackling the white bird into the freezing cold water. It wasn’t deep enough to pull him under completely, but his nose stung with the salt water as he tussled with the prey, sinking his claws into its warm body until it went limp. The water felt so cold against him, so much different than the calming waters that the streams within Riverclan’s territory held. He was foolish for doing this. A fool. A reckless fool through and through.

[pxxylo]

She watched the riverclan warrior’s eyes. A flurry of emotions. He didn’t want to hear that. I hurt him. Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. She was in tears already, but at the thought of hurting him, she was crying even more. She could tell that all he wanted to do was forget about all of it and just relax for once. He had been trying so hard to prove his loyalty lately, and never gets a breather. She let out a sad excuse for a sob. It sounded more like a strangled sob from a weakling. She closed her eyes for one second, and glanced next to her. She wanted to comfort him, and offer that they just head out for a walk, and assure him they had caught enough, that he was enough, but he was off.

He was running. Away. Because I hurt him with my words. I’m so insensitive, I can’t even think before I speak. She slammed one paw on the ground, now full blown crying. Wait. If he sees my crying, won’t he feel bad. Stop. Stop. Stop, goddamnit! With Snowleap gone, she thought he was out of hearing range. He clearly wasn’t. “I haven’t cried in so long…why can’t I stop!? Stop, goddamnit! I’m crying, and I can’t STOP it! Why does it hurt so much? Why can’t I CONTROL it?!” why am I crying in the first place? Oh. Right. Because I feel bad. Snowleap has gone through enough, and here I am, making it worse.

She looked up, watching him catch the gull, and fall in the water. Was that water deep? Raccoonear has Thalassophobia. Fear of deep water. Anxiety filled her. Anxiety, grief, anger. Too many. She would break eventually. She watched, worried that Snowleap would drown, or worse. She wanted to go, run, help. But it was like something was stopping her. All she could do was watch while she sobbed uncontrollably.
@tokyo_driftin