"That's right! Will be here soon enough!" Palekit stood tall with smile. He couldn't wait for his ceremony, to meet his mentor and to start everything. Palekit watched Pigeonpaw flail around with exaggerated motions and gave a soft laugh and jokes, "Come on! Better learn faster or else you'll still be 9 moons when I become a warrior!"
"Oh! How would you find a good nest-place?" Palekit looked staring at the already taken spots. Some neat, other messy. Curiously, Palekit sniffs around the den while answering Pigeonpaw.
"I'm sure it's great! You get to learn more about your mentor. Learn their battle moves, secret hunting locations and much more!" Palekit mewed enthusiastically. Though he is a slow learner, he still loved learning more than anything. Oh, but he understood the feeling of wanting to have free-roam of the forest. Afterall, the kits couldn't leave even with a warrior. Pigeonpaw would know, it hasn't been too long since she left the nursery. Before apprenticeship, their whole world is just ShadowClan camp. Palekit smiled with a suggestion, "Learning too fast?"
Perhaps Pigeonpaw had already learn all there was to be an apprentice. Hunting...fighting... the territory... other clans...and the Gathering! Palekit was curious to know, his eyes widen as he asked, "Oh! Have you gone to a gathering?"
She/her - 8 moons
Short grey molly with a darker stripe and amber eyes
The collector - Heightened perception (smell) - Hulk SMASH
She was in fact pretty darn close to being a warrior, since despite being young she had done a rather good job of going to bug warriors to train her. But would she tell Palekit that? Nah, better let him be surprised when she was called forward to get her full name - whenever that would be.
"RIght," Nestplacemants. "so I personally think you'll want to be like close to the entrance so you can go in and out without worrying about stepping on others, but not right in front of the entrance because then they'll be stepping on you. And in leafbare-" wait, when was Palekit born now again? "-that's the time of the year when everything is colder, like you know how it's been getting warmer since you were first born, well it's gonna get colder again, anyway, so when that happens you don't want to be right at the edge of the den or right by the entrance since it won't be as warm-" she began to motion to where her nest was placed (aka where she had begun moving it after realizing her mistakes when first placing it down) "So I chose to have mine here, so that it's easy to get out but still warm at night and I'm out of the way of others!"
Pigeonpaw looked around for a moment, checking if she could use someone else's nest as an example to further backup her theory, but her cheeks became a bit redder and ears less purked up. "But I don't think most apprentices care that much about that, come to think of it." No nononono, smile. She still had more to tell Palekit about, and turned back to him. "Too fast?" She puffed up her chest and tilted her head to peer down at the kit from the corner of her eye. "There is no such thing when you're planning to become the greatest warrior Shadowclan has ever seen."
"I've been to gatherings yeah!" She had been to one but she would not admit to Palekit that she may or may not have slept through the second one she could have attended. "And oh buddy let me tell you -like you've been to meetings, but you think Shadowclan has a lot of cats? Wait until you're gathered in the clearing with four times that many cats! Like it is an absolutely massive crowd, and like you can go around and talk to whoever because they're not allowed tp bite you or be mean since it's the fullmoon. Plus, while you're chatting, you can look towards this big rock with all of the leaders, deputies, medicine cats and their apprentices on them, and the leader will announce all of the news from the last month, like also all of the new apprentices and warriors!!" She would not miss the gathering where her name was called out in front of the entire forest!
Ah, leafbare. The season that Palekit has yet to experience. Pale was born at the change of the season, he was rather too small to even remember the feeling of the frost. Perhaps rain in the new-leaf, but he couldn't remember seeing the snow. Palekit's little legs followed Pigeonpaw around and looking for a nice spot. Of course amidst summer, the outer edge den would've been a better choice, but Palekit was already used to the warm spot at the back of the nursery. Pale smiled, "Oohh! I see. I'll make sure to grab a spot as soon as I can become an apprentice. Then, definitely...the middle. Or the near the back. Hmm, I'm not too sure."
Palekit was sure he'll figure it out when the time comes.
Too fast? The question ringed inside his ears. Of course, his thoughts couldn't catch up. He was still thinking of nest placement before Pigeonpaw began moving on. Palekit gave an exaggerated mew, "Oh come on, Shadowclan's greatest would still need to think before the best sleeping spot!"
He was thinking of Owlthroat, who had the best spot in during Green-leaf, warm and slightly breezy. Palekit would definitely like something like that.
"Really!? That's so cool!" Palekit's ears stood up hearing of the word gathering. He had always been curious what the other clans were like. To imagine a place with 4 times as much cats ShadowClan had was almost unbelievable to him. He couldn't wait to talk to the other cats, almost a little too curious how the other clans function. Were they the same as us, or completely different? He heard of stories of how big ThunderClan cats were, or how agile the WindClan cats and don't forget, the otter-like RiverClan.
"Have you been able to talk to them? What were they like?" Palekit asked, almost hammering away Pigeonpaw with all the questions.
She/her - 8 moons
Short grey molly with a darker stripe and amber eyes
The collector - Heightened perception (smell) - Hulk SMASH
"You betcha! I talked to two Windclan apprentices who seem really nice." The grey apprentice tilted her head while thinking. "They seem more scrawny than we in Shadowclan. Like they have muscles, but they are mostly in their legs and shoulders, like they're really, really built for running with longs legs at that, but sometimes I wonder they'd fall apart if you aim somewhere else yk?"
She gathered her mossball again and began to pass it from paw to paw where she was lying on her stomach. "Riverclan are pretty recognizable by the smell (well, they are in exile, so no smelling them now) like they love swimming so that too, but mainly because they eat fish." Pigeonpaw had only seen a few small fish in a river once, and only knew what they smelled like because everyone said that Riverclan smelled like that. "Like they complain that we feast on toads and whatnot, and then they go grabbing those things from rivers." She scoffed a little without any actual animosity in her voice. "Fish smell a lot worse than toads."
"Thunderclan are pretty basic, but I've heard they're good at climbing. Their leader is a little hotheaded though." She paused to search her mind for anything else about Thunderclan, but there wasn't really anything noteworthy.
Pigeonpaw flopped back down on her side and tossed the mossball up into the air. "Shadowclan's the best though! ... And... when I'm leader, it's gonna be even better!!" @goodacacia
"Oohh! I can't wait to see others! I would like to show them how great we are, too!" Palekit laughed softly. Almost a little too excited.
"Yes! I've heard. The fast cats that roam the moors! The slick RiverClan cats, a-and the ThunderClan cats. They say those cats welcome all cats from anywhere!" Palekit mewed, looking at Pigeonpaw for confirmation. Of course, these are just what Palekit picked up from conversations and stories he heard. Palekit nods in agreement with Pigeonpaw, "Yes! ShadowClan is the best. We can sneak through the shadows, quick, agile, and the best at fighting!"
Like every ShadowClanner, Palekit takes a lot of pride in his clan. Even without meeting other Clans, he believe his Clan was the best. Of course, the other Clans are great. But Shadowclan...ShadowClan is home, and home is always the best.
Palekit gasped with his eyes sparkling, admiring the young apprentice for their passion and dream. "You'll be leader! Y-you want to become a leader?"
♧SpiderPaw♧
Male | 11 Moons | ShadowClan Apprentice | Mentor: Bristle’Thorn | Posts: 40/100
sleek, small black tom with sapphire eyes and long scar on his side
Purrks: Flock Together T2 [ACTIVE]
Interaction For: Open!
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There it was, that anxious feeling again. His heart rate sped up and he felt fidgety. But why? He was doing better now! Starting to keep up more, and he found something he was good at! They were improving. Maybe it was getting scarier because he didn’t want to be a warrior yet? Nonsense. Every apprentice longs to become a warrior! Why would he be any different? He had to stop.
She didn't remember noticing the camp taking on a starrier light and scenery. They were faint, she hardly noticed them. She felt light on her paws and her chest felt free of fire and pressure. Oh, that pressure... It was immense. Unbearable sometimes. She felt like she couldn't breathe when her heart would really start racing. Did that happen just now? Had she gotten so worked up that she passed out? The occasional break from the pressure and pain.
Useless
Useless
USELESS.
Her ears drooped. Perhaps, she should turn around and head back into the den where she'd wake up. That's how this usually went... just no faint stars. That was new. Her paw reached out and scooped one up, it twinkled on her paw pad and for a moment, Rainpaw felt peace. A soothing wave of relief and peace. She almost didn't want to leave, no. She almost stayed. However, a small coo caught her attention. Weird. Normally, she didn't hear other cats during these episodes. She turned around and just within in the entrance of the den, she saw him.
"Dad?"
What was he doing? Her blue eyes peered a little closely to see herself beneath him. He was pressing on her chest. Rainpaw held a paw up to her own chest in that moment, but felt nothing. She was almost grateful because that looked like it hurt. Was he hurting her? Why... why would dad be doing that?! No no no... that can't be right? Surely he wouldn't be hurting her, right??
"Please work!"
O- Oh? She was right! He was just trying to help, so that means... that means her family did care? Tears welled at the corners of her eyes and Rainpaw drew closer, just a couple pawsteps. The starlit glimmer around her seemed to be fading and she was starting to feel a little more stable on her paws. Still, she stood. Still, she looked over Darkfall's pleading stance and her own limp body.
Was it working?
Was she... was she going to be okay after all?
[THIS POST CANNOT BE INTERACTED WITH DIRECTLY UNLESS BY A STC/DF CAT]
Her out of body experience felt like it'd been dragging on longer than normal. Was something wrong? Time seemed to slow for her. Everything was in slow motion. Her father seemed desperate. Her smaller frame shifted a little closer to her father. She wished she could feel his warmth right now, but things seemed to be getting colder and colder. She'd start shivering soon if this kept up.
Rainpaw's blue gaze tore itself away from Darkfall and her limp body on the floor, to the entrance of the Apprentices' Den. Something seemed to be tugging at her to leave. The outside looked so bright, so warm, so welcoming. She nearly took a step towards it but grew suspicious. However, she was fixated on the light, unable to pull herself away from it. She simply stared, waiting.
Shadow Fiend: Inactive | Beefed Up (T3) | Ultimate Predator: Inactive | Hulk SMASH! [Inactive]
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CW: Dissociation]
Darkfall had many regrets, many of which haunted him night and day. If only he had been there sooner, if only he had done more, if only he did this, if only… There were a lot of hypotheticals that plagued the former enforcer and at one point they had become debilitating – enough to completely disrupt his life.
This would not be one of them.
Eventually, Rainpaw’s breathing and heart rate returned to normal. Despite this, she would not awaken. He didn’t know what to do. He was by no means a medicine cat, and though he hated to admit it, he wished his former mate were here instead.
Stopping his assault on Rainpaw’s ribcage, he gingerly flipped her back over onto her stomach. He was hesitant to move her, and he didn’t dare leave her in case something happened while he was away. He was at an impasse, one that could determine the fate of his darling daughter.
Leaning down, he did the only thing he could: he began grooming her. As if she were a newborn, he licked her fur the opposite way in which it grows in order to try and stimulate blood flow. Would it work? He hadn’t the slightest clue, but it was worth a shot. It was a race against time, and he would do everything he could in the hopes that someone else would come across him and get her mother, or Mossfreckle – hell, even that rascal Grousepaw to provide assistance to his kin.
”Please wake up,” He cooed gently, a sharp contrast to the rough tones that The Spectre had used in recent moons. Darkfall had to save his daughter, the idea of failure didn’t even occur to him. ”StarClan… please…” He said in a cracked voice, eyes beginning to well with tears. StarClan, the ancestors of the clan cats, had been what he looked to in times of need for many a moon. Despite this, however, his faith had begun to waver. What good had StarClan done for him? They took everything and everyone he loved. They never sent aid despite the struggles his family faced and never offered aid. They weren’t there when he needed them most, but now… Now he found himself praying to the ever-familiar cats who held the weight of the stars in their paws. It was too soon, far too soon for Rainpaw. He hadn’t yet mended their bond, he still… He still had unfinished business.
”I’m sorry… Rainpaw… Please… Please wake up,” He was begging now. It was pathetic, and had The Spectre had any say, he’d have wrenched control right back from Darkfall in order to prevent such a disgusting display of weakness. That didn’t matter though. The shadow fiend of an alter ego was held at bay during this moment as the gentler of the two, the original did what he could to revive his daughter. Failure wasn’t an option. It couldn’t be.
[ Soon, as promised ]
__________________
Little Disclaimer: I live in EST (UTC-5) and my sleep schedule is completely messed up, so posts may be erratic My Characters
She/her - 8 moons
Short grey molly with a darker stripe and amber eyes
The collector - Heightened perception (smell) - Hulk SMASH
A click of her tongue as the grey apprentice's gaze drifted along the roof of the den, sunken in thought. "Yeah, something like that. I think." She wasn't sure how the other clans handled outsiders wanting to join, and everything that she had learned was from chit-chat during border patrols, overhearing her clanmates gossip, or the brief run-down that she had gotten before her first gathering since her own parents had never talked too much about it all. Shadowclan had recently taken in a pawful of new cats, three if she remembered correctly (a new warrior, a former riverclanner... and that one pretty molly who pigeonpaw could have sworn she had seen before) but she couldn't determine whether that was a lot or a few.
Her amber eyes drew back to Palekit and her chest puffed a little, if jokingly. "You betcha!" She grinned. The first time she had left the nursery, drawn out by Dawnstar's call for a meeting and seeing the massive leader standing atop the Shadowledge (now replaced by the Grimpeak)... had left something brewing in the back of her mind. "Like can you imagine leading a clan? Standing on the Grimpeak? Getting to roar for a battle to begin and give fresh warriors their names?" Yeah, she was gonna do that someday! @goodacacia
Nightpaw was woken up by the bright morning light after turning in his sleep. Wow, this was…not normal at all for him to be asleep this late. Though judging by the fact that there was no one storming into the den telling him to get up made him pretty sure he was alright. Well, there didn’t look to be that much to do today. Oh yes, he could groom his fur of course. He gave his fur a thorough wash but after that he once again had nothing to do.
"Alright, I’m bored. Anyone got any good stories or something?" Nightpaw said, looking around the apprentices' den at everyone who was still in here at this time of day.
[Open!]
__________________
"You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road
And I'll be in Scotland before ye
Where me and my true love shall never meet again
On the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond!"
"Woooww! That's so cool!" Palekit exclaimed, pressing his paws in the ground excitedly. The little bundle of fluff jumped up and down around Pigeonpaw with a big toothy smile on his face, "You're right! Then you'll get to bring everyone to gatherings, sit with the other leaders!"
"And you'll get to take charge of the clan!" Palekit's mind fumbled to think of all the cool things Dawnstar got to do. Despite respecting his Leader and appreciating all she does for the clan., the leading position wasn't for him. Palekit didn't have the ambition to make all the important decisions for his clan. To him, becoming the best warrior he could was more important. In his eyes, it was the way he could be a helpful "Command battles, make important decisions and most important...protect the clan!"
"But I think I'll stick to becoming a great warrior!" Palekit exclaimed looking at the older cat, "Though, I think you will be an awesome leader!"
Palekit pads up the apprentice, beaming with a smile. "And when that happens, you can definitely count on me!"
Re: ShadowClan Apprentices' Den
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