[Hellion]

Houndpaw

Pale green eyes watched the shadows cast by the moon against the rocks of their new home. He was within running distance of his sister and n the dark shadows of the half moon he patrolled around. It wouldn't be likely he'd defend against anything but he would easily send the alarm if it was something he couldn't handle.

Paws scraped the rocky ground and each sharp little rock dug into his paws but he didn't utter a sound, it was mental training, mind over matter. Houndpaw's large plume of a tail swayed back and forth creating shadows on the ground. It was clear he was more restless, then the first nights on the mountain, it was safe to assume it was because of his recently acquired apprentice status that Houndpaw was struggling to sleep. He wanted to hurry up and get his warrior name and be able to do things on his own or protect his sister but he would have to get used to the idea that he and Brindlepaw weren't attached at the hip, even if he was uncomfortable with it.

Pausing he looked upward toward the sky and thought weakly of his father, no much emotions was sent out to him, but he still wondered what he would think, not that Houndpaw needed his approval but it was still nice to ponder on his father's morals if he had any for that matter.

[Fawn]

[smear:361a03]Brindlepaw[/smear:ff8c2e]
6 Moons || StoneClan || She-Cat

The moon was bright and full and too distracting to allow sleep to come to Brindlepaw easily. The pretty tortoiseshell kitten stretched in the entrance of the apprentices' den, her thoughts on a great many topics, never lingering for too long on one subject before something else would snag the she-kitten's attention. Large glistening dark amber eyes peered out at the sharp stone enclosure that had become their camp, her memories of StoneClan's actual home within the forest somewhat hazy, fleeting like a dream she had trouble recalling.

Houndpaw. Spying her brother's large, intimidating form stalking along the outer-cropping of jagged stone and chunks of mountain that had crumbled many many moons ago, the tortoiseshell made an immediate step towards the cat closest to her heart. Purring by way of greeting, she felt much smaller, almost as if she was still in the nursery when she stood next to Houndpaw. They had only just become apprentices - but it was as if Houndpaw had started growing like the mountain weeds!

The top of her head nudged his shoulder gently, somehow recalling the bit of gossip she'd heard the younger warriors discussing earlier. The moon is full, right? That means we should be attending our first gathering right about now.
"What's got you up so late, Houndpaw? Can't sleep?" Mewing with her usual gentle, high vocals, Brindlepaw could wager a guess as to what had gotten him up out of his nest at such a time of night. He was patrolling their camp, wasn't he? Ever vigilant, ever serious about his job of protecting others.

Brindlepaw had come to assume that he intended to protect the whole of StoneClan, not just his sister - that's what warriors did, didn't they? Their loyalty and sense of kinship went beyond blood relatives, er, at least that's what they'd been taught.

[Deleted]

&& i will try to fix you
cloudpaw

---

Silver paws ghosted the ground, a thick fog making tracking prey difficult. It was a real test of her skills, and the near-warrior flexed the knowledge bestowed upon her by her mentor, tracking her prey with a practiced ease. By scent alone, the she-cat chased down her target, for it's silent movements and the thick fog made using her nose and ears irrelevant. Mere heartbeats before finally closing in, the scent of the trail she'd been following changed abruptly, from prey to something much more sinister.

Blood filled her nostrils, mixed with the scent of water and wind. Pointed white claws dug into the dirt, a vain attempt to cease all forward motion. From the fog, a solid form rushed out, all blood and fang and evil. Eyes of blood staining a sea of white, long, pointed canines parted for the attack, the monster exploded from the fog, a ghost in plain sight.


With a start, Cloudpaw flipped over, finding her body resting on all four paws, instead of her previous position on her side. Her narrow sides heaved as her breaths came fast, her heart pounding against her ribcage. Deep blue eyes scanned the nests around her, her mind slowly realizing that she was safe within StoneClan's makeshift camp. Knowing further attempts at sleep would be futile, the newly made apprentice rose and stretched, eventually tiptoeing her way away from the sleeping cats.

The light of the moon revealed to her two familiar pelts, and she slowly made her way over to them. Brindlepaw and Houndpaw, apprentices of her age, were sitting close to each other, sharing what seemed to be a tender moment. Cloudpaw hesitated, not wanting to spoil their bonding. After a few heartbeats, she shook herself gently, before padding over to sit beside Brindlepaw. She said nothing, just dipped her head in Houndpaw's direction, her pelt just barely brushing Brindlepaw's.

---

{six moons} stoneclan {she-cat} apprentice

[Hellion]

He knew she was there far before she appeared beside him, while is ears flicked in acknowledgement of her presence a deep rumble that was his own purr showed his happiness to have his sister near him. Her nuzzle eased him to sit but he was still alert, eyes watching the shadows, the moon creating ever moving darkness against large rocks, his eyes seemed to center on those areas, mentally preparing for a sneak attack even if they were seemly safe from harm.

Her sweet voice warmed his ears at first he didn't see a reason for her to comment, a warrior should always be on the look out for an attack, the mountain wasn't their home, it was just a resting place, a refugee that could easily turn on them. Yet he thought for a moment longer and saw why his sister felt that way, she didn't see the darkness of a warrior's life, she wanted to see the joy and happiness and seemed to shy away from the ferociousness of warrior hood, while he accepted it as daily breathe, he wasn't going to force her to think in such a way.

"The Mountains are no more our homes then if we were fish on land. We are of the stone not of the steep mountains. We are no more an annoyance then an asset to such a mighty being." His voice was gruff and to the point but it in no way negative, but as he noted the change of scents around him it was clear that Cloudpaw had awoken from her slumber to join his sister on her side, while he remained close to her other side he didn't outwardly show the accepts of a new comer, he simply nodded in silent greeting and didn't utter another sound.

[Amber]

[Fawn]

[smear:361a03]Brindlepaw[/smear:ff8c2e]
6 Moons || StoneClan || She-Cat

Brindlepaw's gaze swiveled from Houndpaw over to the pretty she-kitten that had just taken a seat beside her, an affectionate smile gracing the tortoiseshell's muzzle once she recognized Cloudpaw. Now what's got HER up too? The gray she-cat certainly wasn't patrolling and keeping watch like the steel-eyed would-be soldier on Brindlepaw's opposite side. "Hello," she whispered to Cloudpaw, tone friendly and soft so as not to disturb the other sleeping cats. The almost poetic statement of her brother - his usual speaking style, as if he were not from this era but of a far, far older one, a time of legends - caused the mottled ears of the smallest of the three to rotate in his direction, warm burnt-orange eyes wide.
"It takes some getting used to...but... I like it better than our old home." A small confession, Brindlepaw's gaze diverted to study the earth at beneath her feet, as if she might hide in Houndpaw's shadow and avoid spilling more of her feelings out into the open air. Pressing close to Cloudpaw, she trembled once down the length of her small body, memories painting horrible, bloody picture across the walls of her mind.

"At least here, no one can chase us away again. I don't want to go back to the forest, not where the other Clans are." As much as it horrified the kitten to think about it, Brindlepaw could recall every horrifying moment of the night StormClan had attacked - the sounds of cats screaming and dying, of white-bodied, red-eyed demons slaughtering everything they came across, of Hawkstar losing a life - of Cloudpaw's mother killed right in front of her eyes by one white devil in particular. Stealing a quick glance at Cloudpaw, she recognized in her best friend that they were both far from over the incident... 3 moons had passed, but 3 moons was not enough time to heal from the emotional, psychological damage that had been inflicted. Looking then back to Houndpaw, anxious for his response, Brindlepaw couldn't help but admire her brother's resolve and strength of character.

Not only was he certain about how important it was that they go back 'home' (despite Brindlepaw wanting very much to consider this place their new permanent home), but she had no doubts at all that he would become a very fine warrior. He could hold his own in battle, but Brindlepaw... She knew in her heart of hearts that after all she'd seen, raising a claw against another cat would be enough to twist her soul in two.
I can't. I just can't. I don't even want to think about it.

[Deleted]

&& i will try to fix you

---

Soft silver forepaws shuffled slightly as Cloudpaw readjusted to press closer to her friend. Her tail shifted to lie behind and around Brindlepaw's hindquarters, in a sort of embrace. Sitting so closely to the multi-hued she-cat, Cloudpaw could breathe a little easier, the vision of the red-eyed demon beginning to fade from her eyes.

"It takes some getting used to...but... I like it better than our old home." Brindlepaw cast her gaze downward, and Cloudpaw gave her friend's cheek a gentle lick. She knew the main reason Brindlepaw wanted to stay in the mountains, for it was something she herself felt. It was fear, fear of the other Clans, fear of the memories.

Thoughts of her mother darkened her mind, and she smiled bitterly, missing the silver-shaded form of Dewdrop. Before long, though, a darker, more sinister thought crossed her mind. What had happened to the bodies? Cloudpaw shuddered at the thought of their fallen Clanmates left to become crowfood.

Brindlepaw continued to voice her fears, and Cloudpaw pressed closer to her friend, sharing her pain. Her tail embraced the other apprentice tighter, and she exhaled in a long, quiet sigh. They would get though this, through their pain, their fears, somehow, together.

---

C L O U D P A W

[Hellion]

His ear twitched as both she-cats expressed their fear of their first, while Houndpaw had greeted the war like an old friend, he didn't dare show his own fear. He didn't fear the old and more powerful warriors of StormClan nor did he fear the struggle of living in the mountains, in fact he had quickly gotten used to it, the fear he carried deep in his heart was the thought of losing Brindlepaw.

While for the better part of the battle she was relatively safe from harm, he fought hard and faster then ever before simply because he thought she was in danger, while he hadn't had much former training prior to the war he was naturally born with it and able to defend himself long enough to survive and limp away with just a few wounds and a new sense of empowerment knowing he was able to hold his own with Valleyfall's wisdom.

Since he hadn't bothered to make many friends, Houndpaw clearly didn't care that Cloudpaw had remained near him despite his crypt words. He assumed without much difficulty that Cloudpaw and Brindlepaw had formed a relationship some other time, a rare time Houndpaw wasn't connected to Brindlepaw's shadow which normally occurred when they were training. The smokey hued tom-cat didn't stir much and actually maneuvered himself to be a few hair lengths apart from his sister, his jaw opening to drink in the night scents, his longer canine teeth reflecting the moon's light which made them appear slightly more menacing, but he didn't say a word or even made a sound.

Tags[ Fawn ]
Notes - can something big and scary come after them?

[Fawn]

[smear:361a03]Brindlepaw[/smear:ff8c2e]
6 Moons || StoneClan || She-Cat

There was very little Brindlepaw could say further on the subject, with Houndpaw falling silent and Cloudpaw already in perfect understanding of her feelings. The good news was that further conversation was spared, the bad news being that it was due to an unexpected arrival. A pair of lamp-like eyes glittered in the darkness, a beam of moonlight projected from the sky having been caught and reflected in that strange pair of eyes. Brindlepaw stiffened, instantly feeling the icy claws of unease grip her stomach, apprehension making the blood in the she-cat's veins stir, her sense of fight or flight being particularly strong and easy to trigger after what StoneClan had suffered.

Subconsciously pressing closer to her friends, she could tell by the way her stoic littermate had grown still as well that he had detected the same thing she did, in her panic she almost forgot to engage her sense of smell to further put a name to those eyes. Please be a Clanmate out late. Was it an owl? A skunk? A...f-fox? But no, none of those animals would be senseless enough to attack a couple of StoneClan apprentices... Meekly, the pretty tortoiseshell stole a glance at Cloudpaw, suddenly all too aware of just how kitten-like each of them appeared. Only overly-large Houndpaw looked anything like a warrior.

With each of them having only minimal training thus far... They were like sitting ducks.
"Let's go back to the den," she whisper-hissed, voice shrill from fear.

There was very little time to react, however, when a small brown creature darted forward just as the malodorous scent reached Brindlepaw's nostrils. Weasel! And a big one at that! They were known to kill rabbits and squirrels just as easily as cats could, it wouldn't be out of the question for one to kill a kitten as petite as herself and Cloudpaw. The creature was unnaturally fast, moving with a deftness that made Brindlepaw feel as if she were backing up in slow motion, all the fur on her pelt standing upright, spitting in shock.

[Deleted]

&& i will try to fix you

---

Silence fell over the trio, each lost to their own thoughts. Cloudpaw's eyes drifted to the stars above them, little pinpricks of light that seemed much closer than they used to be. 'It's almost like we could touch them.' Her thoughts again wandered to her mother. 'Are you up there, mom? Watching over us?' The glittering stars didn't reply, their cold light shining down weakly upon them.

Brindlepaw tensed beside her, and Cloudpaw tore her gaze from the silent sky. Her gaze touched her friend's face briefly, before following the multihued she-cat's gaze. Cloudpaw's blue eyes widened at the pair of eyes boring into their very souls. Slowly, she stood, the fine hairs of her coat rising in fear. "Let's go back to the den." Cloudpaw barely had time to nod her assent, when the body belonging to those eyes moved.

A long form slid from the shadows, low to the ground. Brown fur caught her eye, and then its scent hit her. Weasel. She skittered backward as well, nearly pawstep for pawstep with Brindlepaw. Fear clogged her mind, and her heart raced to pump adrenaline filled blood through her body.

Her face contorted into a petrified snarl, hissing as the creature darted forward. Her entire pelt fluffed out, making her look at least a small bit bigger than she was. Her claws scraped against the stone beneath her, as her mind and body tried to figure out just how to handle the situation.

Cloudpaw's first instinct was to run away as fast as she could. But with the speed the weasel moved, there was no way she could outrun it for long. Another very prominent instinct was to just curl up into a ball and wail like a kit, but that was illogical and simply her young mind crying out for a savior. So, she settled for hissing and spitting, somehow hoping it would change its mind and leave them alone.

---

C L O U D P A W

[Hellion]

The dark and pathetic scent of fear filled his nose and it wasn't from him. Growling in instinct he looked toward his sister first to what brought fear into her eyes, then to Cloudpaw. The two females started their careful and slow retreat as Houndpaw took into attack mode. Without a word he stepped in front of them, careful to align his body to where his sister was carefully protected by the bulk of him. The weasel who had thought to sneak into the camp in order to steal an easy meal from the fresh-kill pile, saw the three apprentices as a simple distraction, easy to take out in the pursuit of its meal.

The threat was placed upon StoneClan's fresh kill pile but the panic that was felt from his sister's pelt had him in over protective mode. The smokey tom let out a loud growl that brought the weasel undivided attention upon himself. Narrow green eyes caught the gaze of the vile creature as he stalked forward, the weasel knowing now he was in for a fight set course for the large tom.

With their eyes locked neither of them were going to take the first move. Houndpaw who wasn't afraid let out a powerful yowl before bursting forward with his claw outstretched he made a full force tackle into the weasel. He wasn't going to try and out smart it weasels were already stupid to begin with, he was trying to just scare it off, prove that even young StoneClan cats were strong enough to fend it off.

The weasel on the other paw was hungry and wouldn't give up the easily for a meal. Rearing up just as the apprentice came within distance, he gave no mercy as he racked his claws down the front of the cat, Houndpaw yowled in shock as the top part of his muzzle was cut open with the sharp claws, leaning to the right he used his fore paw to swipe at the weasel's shoulder, feeling the blood pool within his claws he knew his contact was good.

The weasel who was still rearing to go dove and bit and tugged on Houndpaw's left leg which caused him to be unsteady on his feet, forcing him to stumble back. Using that moment the weasel claws at Houndpaw's exposed neck but his lengthy fur prevented too much damage.

Rage built up within turning sharply to lower himself down before lunging upward to grab the exposed neck of the weasel. With a loud yelp the weasel fell limp in his jaws, not dead but clearly not moving in order to prevent Houndpaw's jaws from crushing the life out of him. Growls rumbled in his throat as he gave a few more moments to instill the fear within the weasel before slowly releasing it, but placing his paw with claws extended against it's wind pipe.

"Go before I take it's life. I will join you once I'm done. Go now sister." He spoke hoarsely, his breathing slightly labored, his throat sore from the sound made during the fight. The weasel now realizing it's end was near started to thrash about it's back arching up to kick and attempt to claw at Houndpaw's body but before any more damage could be done, Houndpaw used his long canine teeth to bite hard into it's neck, holding it until the weasel's life blood flowed out and the pulse no more.

Bloodied and bruised Houndpaw removed himself form the scene, returning to where his sister and friend were hidden without a word he laid down, panting as the adrenaline finished it's rein inside his frame, a tired feeling coming over him.

Tags[ Fawn ]
Notes maybe a little powerplay but i figured Houndpaw was the only fighter out of the group and clearly would protect Brindlepaw from the weasel at all cost.

[Fawn]

[smear:361a03]Brindlepaw[/smear:ff8c2e]
6 Moons || StoneClan || She-Cat

There wasn't a single part of her body that was not trembling, her breath coming out in short, desperate pants as the kitten struggled to get a grip. Sweeping bushy plume up towards her mouth, Brindlepaw bit down on it soundly, digging through the fur to sink her own teeth into the tender skin below, using it to anchor herself back to reality.

The weasel's snarling was awful, and to the pretty tortoiseshell female, they were an unwelcome reminder of the war, her eyes reflecting the same terror she'd felt that day, pressing close to Cloudkit as they wailed and wailed into the darkness - visions of white demons and black nightmares stalking through her memories.

She prayed to StarClan that Houndpaw would be alright, and had been just about to go sprint to the warriors' den to fetch someone when a battle-scarred sand-colored tom appeared, his neck-fur spiked upward in an expression of vigilance.
"What's happening?" He barked, and Brindlepaw gestured with her worried tail to the returning victor, Eagletalon able to sense the dead weasel even before Brindlepaw uttered another word about it.

"Are you alright?" The mentor to Cloudpaw, this inquiry was for everyone present, though special attention was given to young charge instinctively, Eagletalon feeling slightly more responsible for her well-being then in comparison with the others.

Brindlepaw darted forward to press her muzzle into Houndpaw's shoulder, able to scent the weasel's blood stuck in his fur and slick around the burly tom's jaws, a feeling of surprise breaking through some of the worry. When has he gotten so strong, that he can kill a weasel all by himself?

Eagletalon was likely thinking along the same lines, though it was difficult to tell, his expression giving nothing away as he herded the apprentices back towards the safety of their makeshift camp.