[Insidious]

Phoenix

The almost-warrior was perched high in a tree bordering TreeClan's camp, practicing his footwork on the branches above as Sunstride had instructed. It was unusual to see Crimsonpaw taking orders from anyone other than Grayowl himself, but he deciphered the beneficial outcome behind, on the rare occasion, doing as was asked by his mentor. The faster he completed his tasks, after all, the faster he could become a warrior and rid himself of the golden tom's training.

Speaking of golden tom's training...

From the corner of his pale green eyes, Crimsonpaw spotted from his treetop ledge Wormpaw's form accustomed closely to the apprentices' den. A grimace morphed his focused expression, the red-black-spotted tom nearly losing his footing due to such immense distaste displayed for the sight before him. The last time Crimsonpaw had spoken with Wormpaw was when they were still kits, the conversation routed to the idea of getting Wormpaw out of the den, if even for just a few moments. And now here they were again, the both of them apprentices, and Wormpaw still glued to a den. It was comical how some things never changed. With a new inclination upon mind (one that put his former thoughts of doing as Sunstride asked to rest), Crimsonpaw descended the tree and approached his fellow apprentice, his strides purposeful.

“Hey Wormpaw,” Crimsonpaw regarded smoothly, his shoulder knocking against the brown tom's own, its aggressive collision meant to be equally as rough as it had been. The tom settled into a comfortable sit directly at Wormpaw's front, eying Lionstar's apprentice thoughtfully. He had absolutely no inkling of an idea as to why Lionstar had wished to train this one in particular, his submissive behavior polar opposite to the TreeClan leader's own traits. But, regardless of why it had happened, Crimsonpaw couldn't claim to envy him like the fair share of apprentices past, present and future. There was only own mentor-apprentice pairing that Crimsonpaw envied: Onyxpaw and Grayowl. He could only hope that his sister was in the right mind to listen to his instructions and carefully ponder his advice, because Crimsonpaw would be doing precisely that if having been granted the honour. “I'm sure, with Lionstar's training, you've gotten used to being outside of camp. Let's see if our leader has managed to teach you anything useful – going to accompany me on a little hunting trip?” The tom's words were an order mixed with a touch of insult routed directly toward their clan leader and mentor to Wormpaw; Crimsonpaw lingering close by just long enough to catch Wormpaw's reaction and response, but not long enough to indicate that there was any room for excuses as to why he couldn't tag along.

[Phoenix]

Wormpaw
and you ask me what i want this year
and i try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

- - -

Just as he had found comfort from his nursery dwelling as a kit, the apprentice’s den had quickly become a similar anchor for the young tom. He knew its lay out and knew the cats who currently took shelter within it every night. Most importantly, perhaps, he knew where he stood in regards to the den. Had he voiced his thoughts, he would no doubt have received odd looks from felines all around him, but the den offered some much appreciated stability in his otherwise confusing life. It never moved and it never changed, cemented as it was in TreeClan’s camp. He could find his nest in the back of the den with his eyes closed. Barring Featherpaw, even with his fellow apprentices resting in their own nests, the area acted as a haven where he could be left alone to his thoughts.

Settled outside it with his back to the entrance, the tabby tom saw Crimsonpaw approaching before the first words had left the other apprentice’s mouth, and ignoring the unwelcome feeling of his heart sinking into his gut, he climbed to his paws, about to move out of the way. Instead of entering the den like Wormpaw had assumed – hoped, if he was not going to lie to himself – he would, the older apprentice roughly collided with the smaller feline, spotted fur mingling with striped before the latter fell away. Letting out a grunt, he stumbled back, surprised at the force behind the shove, before righting himself and looking up to see that Crimsonpaw had planted himself right in front of him, and if the glint in his eye said anything, he seeming to have no intention of moving. Wormpaw buried the trepidation that had started clawing its way to the surface of his thoughts, as memories, unbidden, of the last time his den mate had had that look in his eyes flooded his consciousness.

And sure enough, as those words, spoken with a hint of both a challenge and intent to insult, reached his ears, the dread multiplied as his mind made the connections between the similarities of the two situations. Not meeting the other apprentice’s gaze in favor of staring at Crimsonpaw’s paws, he gave a brief nod, shoulders hunched slightly in reluctance. Undoubtedly, he would disappoint the other apprentice if he declined the order disguised as an invitation, and even if he was one to rebel against direct commands, something in the other apprentice’s tone spoke of nasty consequences should he refuse to play along. In any event, the insult directed toward Lionstar sparked a need in him to uphold the leader’s reputation, so much so that he protested, ”Lionstar’s not a bad mentor,” a small part of him disliking how weak his voice sounded in comparison.

There was no way he could not go, Wormpaw reasoned with himself, beating back the anxiety causing his tail to flick nervously by his paws. It seemed as if history was doomed to repeat itself.

- - -

i wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

[Insidious]

Stalking away, something equivalent to a grin of satisfaction glued to his jaw, the tom-cat was able to detect Wormpaw's counter comment, the fellow apprentice having stood up for his mentor and leader leaving Crimsonpaw to see a trait in him that he never thought Wormpaw able to possess: courage, or at least something along the lines of it. The almost-warrior spun to face the tabby at his heels, pale green eyes locked with a fiery intensity within the depths of Wormpaw's own. He felt almost challenged by Wormpaw's statement, eying him suspiciously to ensure it was in fact Wormpaw of all cats that was defending Lionstar's name. If the tabby had been standing behind Crimsonpaw, he would have been able to see the slight pricking of fur along the back of his neck, Wormpaw's view supplying him solely with a glimpse of the red-black-spotted tom's jaw hardening substantially. It was safe to assume that Wormpaw's newly found desire to stick up for his mentor disagreed with Crimsonpaw's sky-rocketed ego, the aggression that Crimsonpaw was all too well known for beginning to surface. “Just like I'm not a bad apprentice for telling the kits nice stories tonight, right?” It was clear, the way his eyes hastily narrowed into a pair of firm slits, that he didn't have plans of doing such a thing tonight and, therefore, was implying Wormpaw's statement as being ridiculous of him to believe.

Huffing impatiently, Crimsonpaw faced frontwards again, his pace nearly doubled as he threw another snide comment on the subject over his shoulders. “Clan leaders are nothing special; Lionstar's no exception. I'll eat my words that day the position is given to someone deserving.” Crimsonpaw dismissed the topic with a flick of his tail, no longer fond of discussing Lionstar. If he was thought to worship the ground their noble leader walked on, such an assumption was surely buried in the ground where it belonged. He questioned every move the large tom strove to make, every decision he claimed a benefit to their clan and every friendly, advice-bearing word spat from his mouth – all because a certain dark gray warrior did too. He likely wouldn't have such an opinion on Lionstar had he never met and bonded with Grayowl, but time could not be turned back to mend this unspoken tragedy. Everything happened for a reason, did it not? Surely there was a purpose behind Crimsonpaw having discovered this immense hatred for Lionstar. Or was it perhaps nothing more than an apprentice falling into the wake of their role-model? … Irrelevant.

Parting through a thick enclosure of foliage, Crimsonpaw halted and glanced backward to see how Wormpaw was keeping up. His mood had, unusually so, taken to a miraculous shifting as if he had never addressed his hunting companion in such a manner at all. He wasn't bi-polar as much as willing to put what was pointless behind him, hoping all too highly that Wormpaw wouldn't speak up like that again. It was like he was searching for a Crimsonpaw of his own, left to be the eerie, yet promising role-model Grayowl was for him. Although he'd never admit to desiring a puppeteer of his own, it was almost too noticeable in the glint of his green stare. “Smell anything?” Crimsonpaw mewed neutrally, the common question that followed a hunting routine left to be answered by the tabby furred apprentice. He was willing to put all dominance aside in favour of seeing what Lionstar had taught Wormpaw over the moons, more curious than anything to see if Wormpaw's odd personality was one even the leader simply couldn't crack.

[Phoenix]

Wormpaw
and you ask me what i want this year
and i try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

- - -

Having started to plod after the apprentice soon after he uttered the protest, he was completely unprepared for the sharp turn Crimsonpaw performed a moment later, eyes blazing as dangerously as the fire that had claimed a part of TreeClan’s forest not long ago. Barely halting in time to prevent himself from walking into his companion, the tabby did not even need to see the clenched jaw to tell that something – presumably his weak defense of their leader and his mentor – had sparked the other apprentice’s ire. Not one to stand up in face of another’s wrath, he took a few steps back, placing space between him and the incensed feline in front of him. The harsh words caused him to turn his gaze away, ears flicking nervously as the fur along his spine prickled ever so slightly in response to his anxiety. The full meaning of them was somewhat lost on Wormpaw, who, despite his general aversion to his fellow apprentice, did not think Crimsonpaw a bad apprentice. He tended to hang around Grayowl with an air of admiration that could be considered a basis for some worry, Wormpaw would admit, but that didn’t mean he was bad. Did Crimsonpaw think he was bad, either as an apprentice or a cat? He wanted to correct that opinion, for despite his volatile nature, the spotted feline was not bad.

However, he was not given the time to linger on that particular thought, for the subject of his worries turned once more and started forward with more haste. Ringing with a tone of finality that had no room for argument, the insult thrown over his shoulder caused the tabby shadow to break his stride for a moment, struck by the venom in those words. What had Lionstar done to deserve such loathing? Sure, his relationship with his mentor was not the smoothest, but he didn’t – and could never bring himself to – hate the leader for it. Lionstar had meant no harm, he knew that now, and part of him felt as though he had known it long before the leader confirmed the fact; surely the golden tom had not intentionally done anything to ruin the relationship between him and the spotted feline currently marching out of camp. And besides, a defiant part of himself spoke up, determined to defend his mentor even if the words would never be heard, I never said that Lionstar was special. I just said he wasn’t a bad mentor.

Accompanied by intangible, troubled thoughts and a very tangible, fairly unpredictable apprentice, he stepped from the camp and into the forest. Crimsonpaw seemed no longer bothered by the fierce anger that had controlled him for those frightening moments, apparently having discarded it by the wayside, and for that, Wormpaw was relieved. Far more comfortable with the forest than he had been as a kit, he no longer found the tall trees and their long shadows to be a source of anxiety, and as there was no rule they were breaking – right now, at least – he could put himself at ease. As at ease as he could become while in the presence of his den mate. With a tone similar to one of a mentor speaking to his apprentice on the first hunting trip though perhaps more carefully neutral, the other apprentice questioned him, spurring the smaller tom into action.

Scenting the air, Wormpaw easily identified the smells drifting on the wind, and turning to glance at Crimsonpaw, he offered quietly, ”There’s a squirrel by that tree and a mouse in the bushes over there.”

- - -

i wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

[Insidious]

Something closely related to surprise fluttered through the tom's eyes, unable to look anywhere other than directly at the source of the apprentice that had just, with unmistakable ease, identified two varying species of prey in a nearby, hunt-worthy proximity. Anger caused his heart rate to quicken, this emotion possessed solely for Wormpaw's unexpected level of skill as opposed to anything about him in particular. Crimsonpaw found himself scenting the air shortly after Wormpaw identified the nearby prey, desiring to see for himself and, hopefully, have his world make sense again through scenting nothing and therefore leaving him to believe Wormpaw of having shaky senses. But, surely enough, Wormpaw had been accurate in determining a squirrel by the tree and a mouse in the bushes. Light green eyes flickered between each named forest obstacle before returning to Wormpaw, attempting to disguise his inner distaste for his successes.

Apparently, Lionstar wasn't such a bad mentor. But this thought didn't settle well in Crimsonpaw's mind, dismissing it as rapidly as it had surfaced. Grayowl wouldn't approve of him having awe-struck thoughts about their leader, therefore he couldn't catch himself having them again. Instead, he'd simply need to find a way to prove that Wormpaw wasn't entirely benefiting from their training – something such as this surely enough to satisfy Crimsonpaw's immense desire to not only say that Lionstar was no good, but have a reasoning behind it as well. Angling his body toward Wormpaw's own, Crimsonpaw leaned closer, his voice barely above that of an inaudible whisper as to not scare away their nearby source of prey. “How about you go after the squirrel, and I'll go snag that mouse over there? A successful hunt – on both of our parts, of course – would surely impress our mentors.” His tone bordered encouragement, having left Wormpaw with the more difficult of the two tasks but not indicating in any way, shape or form that it had been his intention in the first place.

Nodding – having accepted the challenge for Wormpaw – Crimsonpaw slipped away, his body instinctively accustoming to the hunter's crouch he had learned and perfected from the perspective of not one, but two warriors. He wouldn't admit to aiming to show up his hunting companion, but he wore his ego proudly and it'd come as no surprise that this friendly expedition was a competition more than it was a simplistic hunt for the benefit of their clan.

[Phoenix]

Wormpaw
and you ask me what i want this year
and i try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

- - -

A slight frown worked its way onto his features as he watched Crimsonpaw's departing back, aimed more at the challenge before him than the feline who had already set off to complete his task. Even if it was better than fighting, hunting was far from his favorite past time, and as he turned toward his assigned target, he could not help but wonder if he could even catch the squirrel. They were fast creatures, and this particular piece of prey would doubtlessly disappear into the leafy boughs of the tree at the slightest hint of danger. As he crouched among the undergrowth, having found the squirrel, his eyes betrayed the worry he felt at disappointing both Crimsonpaw and Lionstar.

His fellow apprentice had been liberal with his insults toward the TreeClan leader, and Wormpaw wanted to find some way to back his claim that the golden tom was not a bad mentor. This hunt was the perfect chance; it had practically been handed to him on a silver platter, but the more he thought about it, the more he was less confident in his abilities to prove his point. But it wasn't only the inability to defend his mentor that bothered him. Crimsonpaw had sounded far more encouraging than Wormpaw had ever heard him sound, and because the other apprentice seemed to think he could catch the squirrel, he was reluctant to disappoint the spotted tom.

Letting out a soft breath, he knew he had one chance. Muscles bunched like a spring. One paw inched forward. He pounced, paws outstretched and aiming toward their target. Right before he landed, the squirrel turned and saw him, and in that instant, it dashed for the tree, racing upward. Refusing to accept defeat that easily, he launched himself at the tree, awkwardly gripping the bark with his claws as he familiarized himself with an art form he had yet to truly learn. In fairly uncoordinated motions, he tried to climb higher and catch up with his prey. It disappeared from sight, vanishing into the leaves.

Bitter disappointment spread through the striped tom as he clung to the tree, and only after he tried moving did he realize that getting back down would be harder than he first imagined it. Legs trembling from the strain of such an unfamiliar action, he looked around him for an easy way off the tree. Perhaps he could climb up to the branch and turn around from there? Unhooking his claws from the bark, the tabby apprentice began to climb again, shakily pulling himself up onto the lowest branch. There he turned, eyes straining for any sign of the spotted apprentice as he worked to reconcile himself with the fact that he had disappointed both his mentor and his companion.

- - -

i wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

[Insidious]

He hadn't been worried about his part of the hunt. Mice were one of the simpler mammals for the clan cats to catch, and his confidence was only increasingly heightened by the fact that he had raked his claws through creatures of a matter far more delicate. His spring had been accurate, the quiet litheness that aided in approaching the oblivious prey having perfected his chances for a successful catch. It was satisfying to feel the life draining from the mouse solely due to the pressure of his enclosing jaws, though he knew it could never compare to the sensation of utmost power that only his evenings with Grayowl had ever been able to supply.

Arrogance was glued to his expression, relatively concealed from view with the mouse clenched in his jaw, as he pivoted to pursue the whereabouts of Wormpaw. He was cautious of his steps, not even he rude enough to take interest in ruining the tom's hunt – mostly because he was genuinely interested to see what kind of skills had been addressed and properly sharpened by Lionstar's watchful eye – as he trudged through the foliage, Wormpaw's scent at the tip of his nose and used to guide his direction. Crimsonpaw arrived at the base of a tree, eying it suspiciously, before he spared what he assumed to be a pointless glimpse into the branches above. He hadn't actually expected to see the striped apprentice perched upon one of the lower branches, the surprise inscribed within the narrowing of his emerald eyes. It was only when he considered that Wormpaw had perhaps gotten himself stuck that he dropped the mouse from his jaw, allowing it to lifelessly tumble toward the terrain in favour of regarding his companion with an amused tug at the corner of his lip.

“I see you haven't yet arrived at the part of your training that addresses tree-climbing.” His tone was one of pure mockery, finding himself thoroughly pleased with this but a pleasant opportunity to once again prod at their almighty leader. Crimsonpaw bundled up his haunches, rising into a position that allowed him to place his two front paws upon the bark's surface, prepared to climb up and save whatever remained of the leader's apprentice's dignity. Before doing so, however, he exchanged another thoughtful glance with Wormpaw, ensuring that he wanted the assistance before Crimsonpaw bothered himself with beginning to offer it. “Do you need some help, or can you manage?”

As much as he longed to muster up another insult for Lionstar, it simply wasn't needed. Wormpaw, if he so desired, could easily see the taunting glint alight in Crimsonpaw's eyes as he allowed the entirety of this situation to sink in. The squirrel had, factually, completely slipped his mind. It had never been about the squirrel, anyhow.

It had always been about Lionstar, no matter how indirectly.

[Phoenix]

Wormpaw
and you ask me what i want this year
and i try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

- - -

The rush of embarrassment he felt at his poor display of the hunting skills Lionstar had taught him increased tenfold at the sound of the other apprentice's voice, and he froze in his position on the branch, ears flattened against his head as he faced his intangible opponents: disappointment and shame. No longer was he alone. Crimsonpaw was there, and he had undoubtedly seen his pathetic attempt, and for one who seemed already so critical of TreeClan's leader, this was simply another mark against him. "Lionstar's not a bad mentor." He had done a bad job at trying to prove his point. With the negative emotions born of his failure curling maliciously in his gut, the apprentice peered down from the branch at the spotted tom below him, and he flushed at the sight of the mouse by the other feline's paws. It was unassuming, but it was there. In the end, that was all that mattered; Crimsonpaw had succeeded where he had failed.

He could not ignore the derisive tone with which the other apprentice had addressed him either, and hurt caused yellow-green eyes to widen. The words themselves were yet another jab at his mentor's failings, and while they were incorrect - they had covered tree climbing a little bit - it was a failing on Wormpaw's own part that should not have reflected at all on his mentor. Like the ground-dwelling creature for which he was named, the apprentice preferred having all four paws firmly on the ground, and climbing was far from a pleasant experience. He had simply been unable to bring himself to practice it as much as he should have. It was no fault of Lionstar's that his apprentice did not feel at home among the birds in the tree tops. But Wormpaw couldn't say that, for Crimsonpaw would undoubtedly dismiss his words, and to add that he had been taught how to climb trees would only give the other apprentice more fodder. Wormpaw wasn't about to knowingly do that.

"I think I can get down," The striped tom called down to the figure who, for all the world, appeared to genuinely care for his safety. Waiting for the other apprentice to move out of the way, he shakily descended from his perch, claws gripping the bark and muscles straining. He hated climbing. With the hesitancy of one obviously unpracticed in such an art, he made his way down before simply leaping off the side of the tree, tail in the air for balance, and landed on his paws with minimal stumbling. Once his heart calmed down and he had basked in the momentary delight of being back where he belonged, Wormpaw turned back around to face Crimsonpaw. "Good - Good catch," He murmured awkwardly, forcing a small smile on his face as he gestured to the mouse between them with a paw.

- - -

i wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

[Insidious]

“Suit yourself.” Crimsonpaw spoke fluidly, his tone betraying the pleasantness he felt in regards to this a most wondrous display of the teaching methods of Lionstar he had formerly brought into question. Allowing his claws to slip free from the bark's surface, the spotted apprentice back-pedaled, wishing not to turn his back on Wormpaw and potentially risk missing his adventurous expedition down the side of the tree. Pale green eyes observed each awkward shifting of the fellow tom's body, his hind legs folding into a content sit, a smug grin glued to the side of his jaw until the moment Wormpaw impacted the ground once again. He remained silent for a few short moments afterward, searching for a sign that his companion's collision had been unbalanced and therefore painful, though so it seemed he had managed to get himself out of the situation free of pain. Crimsonpaw held back the displeased expression prodding at the corners of his mouth, instead focusing his attention upon the mouse just beneath his paws newly being addressed by the striped apprentice.

“Thanks,” Crimsonpaw mewed, at long last remembering the squirrel Wormpaw had been attempting to catch now that they had returned to the subject of their prey. “I assume the squirrel escaped into the tree?” Crimsonpaw looked toward the forested obstacle that had moment's earlier been holding Wormpaw hostage, putting two-and-two together and deciphering such as being the reasoning behind him having ascended the tree in the first place. A half-snort half-laugh escaped Crimsonpaw, returning his attention to Wormpaw before gripping his captured mouse between his tiny claws. “Pity you'll be returning to camp empty pawed then. Let us hope Lionstar finds the time to review squirrel hunting, or perhaps tree-climbing.”

Or both.

So it seemed insults were becoming Crimsonpaw's forte, the tom able to dismiss an insult directed to one of his own clan with a horrid ease. He snorted again, turning on his heel – the mouse newly enclosed within his jaw – and beginning to follow the pathway back to camp. He knew that there hadn't been one moment throughout the duration of this hunting trip where he hadn't been too hard with his fellow apprentice, but he simply wasn't bothered with contemplating his arrogant actions. He cared not for the feelings of those around him – Grayowl had been of help in teaching him to be thoroughly hollow, especially so when involving those with a connection to their golden leader – and was therefore able to dismiss his behavior with a cold flick of an ear. From what he knew of Wormpaw, he'd find some pathetic way to blame himself for how all of this had went so horribly wrong and he had failed to meet the expectations of being the leader's apprentice. But, truthfully, Crimsonpaw couldn't claim that such hadn't been a sideline goal of his.

Putting others down, after all, allowed him to bring himself up.

[OOC: this can perhaps end the thread? Unless you want to end it with Wormpaw's input. ^^ Either or is perfectly fine with me.]