RiverClan Apprentices' Den

[iliri]

Gladepaw
long-furred, scarred, dark brown classic tabby with amber eyes
purrks: n/a
she/they | rc apprentice | 6 moons

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Gladepaw’s heart raced in her chest, though not as wildly as it had been when Pikepaw first startled her. The sound of his laughter did little to ease the tightness in her stomach, but at least it broke the tension. She blinked slowly, trying to steady her breath, her tail flicking behind her nervously. The feeling of awkwardness hung around her like a cloud, but she couldn’t help the faintest flicker of relief when he assured her it was okay. Her flattened ears relaxed a little, though her face remained flushed. She had never been great at these kinds of interactions - especially with someone like Pikepaw, who was clearly more comfortable with the whole thing. She never quite knew what to do in these situations. Pikepaw had tried to make her laugh, but the words she’d wanted to say felt trapped in her throat. “I-I guess…” Gladepaw started, a stray paw brushing along her nest. “I-I didn’t m-mean to hit y-y-you so hard, th-though…” She paused, then looked up at him, her amber eyes softening. She could still feel the awkwardness lingering in the air, but something in Pikepaw’s words helped her release some of the tension she’d been holding in her shoulders. The idea that she hadn’t messed everything up gave her a bit of hope that she wasn’t a complete disaster. “I-I’m fine,” she added quickly, glancing away for a moment. The heat in her face hadn’t entirely left, but she didn’t want to seem like she couldn’t take a joke. “J-just… s-surprised is all.”

Her tail curled around her paws, and she hesitated before continuing. “You d-didn’t mean to-to make me feel l-l-like this, Pikepaw. I’m… I-i just d-don’t handle s-sudden things very w-well.” She wasn’t used to receiving attention in the form of something like this. Most of the time, her interactions were muted; just words spoken out of necessity or politeness. But Pikepaw wasn’t like that. He was bright, louder, and, well, certainly more confident than her. It made her feel... unsure. Her whiskers twitched as she tried to process what she was feeling. She wanted to be able to brush it off and laugh along with him, but the anxiety still clung to her like a second skin. When he offered to get her something to eat, she was caught off guard for a moment. Her eyes widened slightly as she registered the gesture. Gladepaw had never been one to accept favors - especially not from someone she barely knew. But his warm smile made her hesitate. It wasn’t pity nor condescension. It was just genuine kindness. The same warmth that had helped break some of the tension just moments before. Her ears flicked nervously as she processed his offer. “I-I don’t… I don’t n-need anything,” she stammered, still not entirely sure how to act. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, but the thought of someone doing something nice for her made her feel exposed. “But… th-thank you. It’s k-kind of you to o-offer.” Gladepaw shifted in her nest, unsure of whether to reach out or pull back, her mind still racing with thoughts that didn’t quite line up.

She wasn’t used to accepting things from others. It felt like she was somehow imposing. But at the same time, there was that soft, comforting feeling that bubbled up from her chest, something unfamiliar yet warming. She glanced back up at Pikepaw, her expression a little softer than before. “I’m... I’m s-sorry again. For th-the—um, for the h-hit. It wasn’t s-supposed to be th-that hard,” she mumbled. “I just… I g-got scared.” The words felt a little too honest coming out, but somehow, she didn’t mind. A part of her wanted to believe that she could do better. That she could be a bit more like Pikepaw. More open and less afraid of feeling embarrassed. She took a slow breath and met his gaze once again, her tail gently twitching behind her. “Maybe we c-could… hang o-out more?” she asked softly. “I mean… wh-when we’re n-not scaring each o-other with f-f-feathers?” She gave a small, tentative smile, the awkwardness lingering but fading just enough to make her feel like she was taking a step in the right direction.

@Daragca

[Daragca]

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Pikepaw
he/him | Riverclan Apprentice | 6 moons
Lyrebird’s Lullaby
The Fool
30/100

Gladepaw was so unsure, Pikepaw could practically feel it radiating from her and it troubled him. Made him double down on that weird feeling he had, something like guilt he supposed. She spoke about not handling sudden things well and all of a sudden he wanted to squirm, perhaps life hadn’t been so kind to her as it had been to him. He hadn’t even thought about that as a possibility, despite all of her scars. She apologised again and swore she didn’t need anything but he couldn’t leave it like that.

”Wait a sec!” He exuded some more confidence, which surprised him as he still didn’t feel just great. He nipped out of the apprentice den at lightspeed, tail flickering. Nipping into the warrior’s den where he’d stored something in Mama Wisty’s nest. He clutched it delicately between his teeth and trotted back. ”llooook eejf ek.” Oh wait he still had it in his mouth, he took it and placed it at her feet. ”We can totally hang out, look I know ya said you didn’t want any prey but let me give ya this, I insist.” He nudged it closer.

Upon closer inspection it was a tiny clumsily made figure, sticks and lumps of mud lobbed together then dried to make a little cat. ”It’s meant to be Owlstar, but it sorta turned out as just a lumpy cat, so it could be anyone you want it to be. Maybe someone that means a lot to ya.” He smiled in earnest, it was honestly a pretty poor figure but it was distinguishable enough to be a cat. ”Maybe when we’re hanging out we can try making some of these together, that way no ones gettin’ pranked or nothing!”

He’d made the little blob a while back whilst lazing in the clearing, he’d meant to give it to Owlstar herself. But became all to embarrassed at how it turned out. She’d probably be offended he’d made her fat, but he liked it anyway. So he’d kept it for Mama to look after until he decided where to put it. But giving it to Gladepaw, seemed like the right thing to do. To make amends so to speak, that way she wouldn’t have to apologize over and over. And neither would he for spooking her too bad. He felt rather grown up giving a gift, in fact he didn’t think he’d given a proper gift before.

[ @iliri ]