[Hellion]

Starlingpaw

You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
There's nothing left to fight Live free or let me die
You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied.

Ebony pelted from birth, the slender she-cat came from within the apprentice-den, wiping the last little bit of sleep from her stormy blue eyes, Starlingpaw greeted the day with a sense of regal nobility that was self proclaimed. Having woken with the dawn patrol as her alarm clock, her pelt shined with the early morning task of grooming.

Her siblings were all doing their own thing and while she missed being with them all the time in the nursery, she was content with now being able to make her own name. She did enjoy being the deputy's daughter and felt it was a cherished title and believed it be a kind of royalty.

Her tail flicked back and forth she crossed the distance from the apprentice den to the fresh-kill pile. Sniffing out with a keen nose she picked up the freshest piece of prey and carefully picked it up and carried it to a small sun spot in the camp clearing. Biting carefully and with elegance she took her time on picking the small mouse fresh clean and deposited the bones quickly before returning back to her warm spot and curled up there, watching the camp come alive. Hopefully Blackwolf would join her or maybe another apprentice if she was lucky perhaps her father would take her out hunting or training but only time would tell if anything interesting would happen.

Insects walk below, I'm on a wire
Fire will burn below, but I am higher

[Deleted]

Featherpaw followed her spotted mentor through the camp entrance, suppressing a sigh. They'd been out hunting all night, and somehow the only thing she'd caught was a glimpse of the same ghostly cat who'd appeared at her ceremony. She wasn't particularly bothered by it, but the tabby didn't mention it to anyone. She was just a new warrior apprentice, and it was probably her imagination. Exchanging a few words with Snowlark, she waited until the older warrior had entered her den before she let her paws drag. Her pads were sore, and her muscles ached. But for all her work, she'd only managed to catch an already crippled mouse. It was as if every time she got close to the prey, something would scare it away.

Feeling hopeless, and aching all over, she drug herself to the fresh-kill pile. Selecting a small finch, she paused and scanned the dimly-lit camp. Her light green eyes fell upon the dark figure of Starlingpaw. She'd spent her kithood beside the obsidian she-kit, though they'd never been all that close. Padding over to where the obsidian-colored apprentice lay, she crouched beside her, dropping the tiny bird. "Hi, Starlingpaw," she mewed, trying not to let her voice reflect how exhausted she felt. A loud growl from her belly prompted her to start eating the prey, sinking her small fangs into the bird's yellow breast.

Character; Featherpaw
Word count; 230
Notes; xD We can only hope that my Featherpaw RP-ing skills with improve with time. xD

[Hellion]

Starlingpaw

You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
There's nothing left to fight Live free or let me die
You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied.

Joining her was the diluted tabby she-cat, that the ebony warrior-in-training only knew as Featherpaw, nothing else seemed to catch her attention about the she-cat. Starlingpaw admittedly judged a cat by their parents, strong warriors bred strong warriors, weak minds carried on to weak offspring, rather cut throat in fact. However, Starlingpaw knew very little about her clan-mate but assuming she wasn't praised about within the nursery that her parents weren't that important. A relief was that Featherpaw wasn't talked about in a negative manner while their shared the nursery, being of the same age.

Her blue eyes watched Featherpaw as she dragged herself to pick up a meal and sat down, tearing into the bird. Her nose twitched, whiskers going from side to side as Starlingpaw watched her with her first mouthfuls of prey. Mother certainly didn't teach her manners. Starlingpaw thought of her ebony mother, the queen that praised poise within all her kits, her daughters most importantly. Graceful dignity was bred into Starlingpaw and her sister, but seemed to not pass on to nursery mates.

"Hello Featherpaw, enjoying hunting?" She asked knowing that Featherpaw and Snowlark had to be hunting, few cats would risk a night patrol with just two and no one practice battle training in the night, just common knowledge. Starlingpaw was simply being polite, not really seeking a great amount of conversation, after all she was just getting to re-know her former nursery mate, things always changed after -paw as add to someone's name. Starlingpaw was only intending to make polite jabs at her training to just be respectful, what else would be expect of the deputy's daughter.

Insects walk below, I'm on a wire
Fire will burn below, but I am higher

[Deleted]

Featherpaw raised her eyes from her prey, hardly keeping from wincing at Starlingpaw's question. Why'd she have to ask about hunting? "Oh it's fine," she answered quickly, trying not to sound suspicious. "I've been working on my crouch a lot, and we've been all over the borders, too." She tried to draw the black apprentice's attention away from hunting, keeping her voice casual. Starlingpaw was Roughthroat's daughter. What if she complained to her father that she wasn't a good enough warrior?

She swallowed a bite of the finch before asking, "How's training going for you?" She was certain that the other she-cat would have plenty of bragging to do, so she worked on her finch some more. She didn't have to know the young deputy's daughter to know that she was ambitious, proud, and sometimes arrogant. Featherpaw wasn't bothered, though. It was in the nature of some cats to think themselves better than others, and for now that was okay.

She spit out some feathers that she'd accidentally taken a bite of, flicking her ears back in concentration for a moment before twitching her whiskers with silent laughter.

Character; Featherpaw
Word count; 188
Notes; ~

[Hellion]

Starlingpaw

You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
There's nothing left to fight Live free or let me die
You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied.

Well that wasn't the reaction she wanted, her eyes kept on Featherpaw, wondering if she ought to dig deeper into how she avoided going further on the subject, but pushed it aside. Not all cats were lucky to have two wonderful parents like she was blessed with. Wetting the side of her paw, Starlingpaw washed it over her face, nose twitching slightly.

A question was directed her way and quickly the ebony she-cat's chest puffed up and out, pride swelling in her chest followed with arrogance, not yet having learned respect and to be polite. "Blackwolf is going to take my battle training today hopefully, I've only went hunting a few times mostly patrols." She answered sweetly as Featherpaw dug once more into the finch at her paws, appalled at the actions taken by her fellow she-cat, Starlingpaw couldn't take it anymore.

"Is that how you eat? I've seen crows treat their meals better." Starlingpaw chirped out, eyes wide as she watched the tabby munch on the small bird. "A she-cat ought to eat like one, you eat all tom-ish" Continued the night colored she-cat, her blue eyes growing from prey to Featherpaw then back again, a rather unsettling sight.

Insects walk below, I'm on a wire
Fire will burn below, but I am higher

[Deleted]

The young she-cat could practically see Starlingpaw's ego expand. She flicked her ears in acknowledgement to the black cat's words. Snowlark had yet to let her go out on a patrol, and for good reason. She was damned near cursed when it came to hunting, and it would be embarrassing for everyone involved if she were to try to hunt in a patrol. She was glad that she hadn't been assigned Blackwolf. Such an ambitious cat would never tolerate her failures. However, she was sure her companion would have no problem enduring his rigorous expectations.

She was in the middle of chewing a mouthful when the snide remark of the black apprentice caught her ears. Swallowing fast, she looked up, an expression of absolute disbelief upon her face. "Oh, and the way I eat my prey will matter so much in a battle!" Featherpaw's voice was dripping with sarcasm, her gray-green eyes mocking. "It's so reassuring to know that my fellow clanmates have graceful eating habits! Now I can rest assured that NightClan will be skillfully protected!" She rolled her eyes, spitting out each word with disdain. "And it's just fantastic to know that there's some tangible difference between the standards that toms and she-cat's are held to! I'll be sure to take that into consideration next time I'm slaughtering my enemies!" Her ears lay back against her skull and her tail twitched with irritation and she glared into Starlingpaw's wide eyes.

Then, staring straight at the black she-cat, she reached down, took a huge, messy mouthful of finch, and chomped noisily, crunching a tiny bone, a yellow feather stuck on her whisker.

Character; Featherpaw, the sassmeister.
Word count; 273
Notes; Featherpaw, your sarcasm is dripping. It's making a puddle on the floor.

[Hellion]

Starlingpaw

You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
There's nothing left to fight Live free or let me die
You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied.

Who ever gave out personalities surely had one heck of time when they gave out these, the lady like Starlingpaw and the feminist Featherpaw, didn't they see this coming? Starlingpaw didn't and was met with surprise with such powerful words leaving Featherpaw's maw that her own threatened to drop but it wasn't lady like to do so, instead she held her mouth shut tight, so tight in fact it started to hurt.

Blue eyes narrowed into dark slits, a storm was raging but wouldn't dare breach further then quick words or swift actions. Pushing up to sit, Gracklefire's daughter's chest shoulder's squared and her head went up, in self proclaimed nobility.

"It wouldn't kill you to act little lady like, she-cats can be strong warriors and beautiful queens." Starlingpaw's words sounded like a strong scolding, trying to prove her point. "My mother Gracklefire is a great example, she once took out two TreeClan warriors and still has enough respect for herself to eat and behave like a she-cat." Starlingpaw brought her mother up easily and sweetly, a faint smile creasing her face, but something about Featherpaw's words cut her. Perhaps the silver tabby wasn't seeing the connection or thought that one couldn't have the balance, in that moment Starlingpaw was going to prove that she could be that balance, beauty and ferocity.

Insects walk below, I'm on a wire
Fire will burn below, but I am higher

[Deleted]

Starlingpaw was stunned into silence, then her eyes narrowed into slits. Featherpaw swallowed her bite, the last giant mouthful having been the end of the little finch. The black apprentice's retort was clipped but civil, but Featherpaw was still unimpressed. Pushing the little bird out of the way, the silvery she-cat lifted herself to a sitting position, rolling her eyes. She considered making a snarky comment about Gracklefire for a moment, but realized it would be both uncalled for and an instant way to make an enemy out of her clanmate.

"Oh, so you're saying that in order to respect myself I have to behave in a way that you deem acceptable?" she scoffed. She saw the ebony she-cat's pleased expression, but rolled her eyes. Starlingpaw, like so many others, didn't seem to understand. There was no need for unreasonable double standards and ridiculous behavior all at the expense of young she-cats for the pleasure of... who, exactly? Sure, they could be, but they didn't have to be, and it didn't make them any more or less of a cat.

Character; Featherpaw
Word count; 179
Notes; meh heh heh :3

[Hellion]

Starlingpaw

You can't take away my strength
Fix these broken veins
There's nothing left to fight Live free or let me die
You can't take away my pride, I won't be denied.

Well that didn't go according to plan, in her head Starlingpaw had hoped that Featherpaw might see the errors of her way but instead, Featherpaw just pushed her own agenda ahead of them both. While Starlingpaw saw the tabby's point, her short life was just so heavily concerned with traditions, it would take more then StarClan's will to change her mind.

Flicking her tail back and forth in an effort to tease her temper, her black paws kneaded the ground below her for a moment just taking in the sensation of meeting a cat just as head strong as she was, in that moment Starlingpaw found a friend, rough and difficult as their meeting had been, it was fate.

"I like you Featherpaw. You are the first cat that hasn't back down from their own feelings around me, I admire that in you." Her words were true and honest, a very different tune she was singing, but it was warm and inviting.

"Although I think you are entirely mouse-brained and have know idea what is like to be a she-cat and act as one" She teased, a sparkle in her eye. "Lets be friends Featherpaw, I'm sure two she-cats like ourselves can get along arguing might do us some good, broaden our minds. Mother always said a good warrior should know something of the world, but a great warrior sees both sides, good and bad." Starlingpaw recited her mother's words as if she practiced them in front of a puddle. "What do you say? Care to learn everything about the world?" A sweet smile was worn by the ebony she-cat, a sense of knowing was growing between them, an acceptance that while they can both be different as the sun and moon, they were both light and could guide each other through anything.

Insects walk below, I'm on a wire
Fire will burn below, but I am higher

[Deleted]

Featherpaw witnessed her companions frustration with some smugness, and though she forced her expression to remained unimpressed as the apprentice kneaded at the stone floor, she nearly allowed a small, indulgent grin to show through. At the ebony she-kit's words, however, she let out a laugh. "As if the likes of you would make me 'back down,'" she snorted, but her eyes sparkled with amusement.

The truth was, she liked Starlingpaw. She was gutsy, and even though she held herself to mouse-brained standards and ideals, she was at least entertaining to spend time with. Perhaps with time the she-cat would learn to think for herself. She felt herself warm at Starlingpaw's suggestion. "While I highly doubt that you'll be the one to teach me everything about the world..." The tabby rolled her eyes, though a slight smile lit her face. "I think you'll make for some exciting conversations. Why not?" She grinned, her tail waving playfully behind her.

Character; Featherpaw
Word count; 159
Notes; I'm meeeeelting.