[Deleted]

Ghostpaw, having just returned from a lesson with his mentor, was settled in the main camp, giving his fur a few quick licks. It never seemed to obey him at the best of times. 

The smell of freshly killed prey surrounded him from where he sat. As greenleaf fully got underway, the prey continued to run nicely, so the cats were full-fed once again. Long may it continue. 

Warriors, their apprentices in tow, filed out of the camp, heading to their respective lessons. Yet more warriors came in from hunting, depositing their catches on the pile, before heading to shady corners to share tongues with their friends. 

Ghostpaw was looking forward to being a warrior. But he was realistic enough to know that he still had a lot to learn before he'd receive his warrior name from Foxstar. He was patient enough to be a dutiful apprentice to Hollystorm. He would learn all that he could so that he could protect his clan and his clanmates with his life should the need arise. 

The sight of a particular apprentice, his sister Crowpaw, crossed his vision. He snapped out of his stupor.

"Crowpaw! Would you help me with something? It's nothing urgent or anything, but if you have the time, I'd appreciate it."

214 | Taxx

[Taxx]

CROWPAW
APPRENTICE OF NIGHTCLAN

Crowpaw pranced into camp after Thornscar, a squirrel- her first- hanging from her jaws. It felt like the ultimate catch: second only to birds, which they rarely hunted anyway. Squirrels were fast and flighty, and it took skill to catch them before they escaped to the treetops. Straight to the nursery she took the prey, for Starlingcry and Stoatclaw, the adopted mother to Sootfeather’s quickly growing kits.

That done, she stepped back out into the clearing, shaking her head to whisk away tufts of squirrel fur clinging to her whiskers. Ghostpaw’s voice pulled her attention to him and she brightened, instantly hurling herself toward him with a huge spring and coming just short of crashing into him. A purr broke from her and she reached out a playful paw, batting at his ears. “Ghostpaw! Sure, I can help. What do you need?”

watch me, i'll make a name for myself

@calico

[Deleted]

Ghostpaw purred as he didn't dodge the (thankfully sheathed) claw in time, getting a biff around the ear. He knew he could count on his sister, his littermate, to cheer him up.

He knew he could be far too serious sometimes. 

"I was wondering if you'd done much in the way of battle training yet? Hollystorm took me out with Briarthroat and Scrap-paw, and I was no match for her at all... She was too quick, too strong and too... into it. So I was wondering if you could train a bit with me, if you could get the time,  so that doesn't happen again. I want to actually put up a fight."

Ghostpaw purred at the memory of the feisty she-cat putting him through his paces in an extremely one-sided fight. He certainly learned a lot that day. Hollystorm was patient with him, Briarthroat didn't seem to mind that, compared to Scrap-paw (who wasn't that much older than him) he looked like a kit on his first time out. Scrap-paw, for her part... she seemed to enjoy herself.

Realising he'd wondered off into daydream again, he shook his head as if to clear it and then dropped easily into a crouch. 

"Come on. Try and knock me off my paws."

Keeping his centre of gravity low to the ground to make him harder to disrupt, he began to circle her, slowly. 

238 | Taxx Fawn (Hollystorm/Scrap-paw mention) williams (Briarthroat mention)

[Taxx]

CROWPAW
APPRENTICE OF NIGHTCLAN

Ghostpaw hardly tried to duck her paw and the light bat connected, flicking the ear and purring back at her brother. She calmed as he spoke, nodding in response. “Yeah! Thornscar’s been teaching me a bunch. I can help you, of course.” She couldn’t help her whiskers twitching at the thought of her brother getting trounced by Scrap-paw, but she didn’t doubt it either. Older than she and Ghostpaw, the former loner was tough.

She watched as Ghostpaw dropped into a crouch and began to circle her; her blue eyes fixed on his prowling form, narrowed in thought even as she kept still herself, just her head moving to watch his progress. Only when he began to move past her line of sight did she finally move, and she did so in a rush. Spinning around, Crowpaw hurled herself at her brother, fully intending to crash into him. It might not knock him over, seeing as how he was fairly well-balanced, but sparring in close quarters would force him out of that low crouch and make it easier for her to accomplish her goal.

Claws sheathed, Crowpaw sought to get her paws around Ghostpaw’s neck, hind paws braced on the ground, intent on dragging her brother down one way or the other.

watch me, i'll make a name for myself

@calico

[Deleted]

Ghostpaw, intent on his circling and making sure his balance didn't falter, did not at all prepare himself for Crowpaw's outstretched (and thankfully sheathed) claws as she leapt. 

Memories of his fight with Scrap-paw abounded, flooding him, distracting him from the here and now and Crowpaw. He didn't want it to go the same way this time, he wanted it to end better. Even if he didn't win, he still wanted to put up a fight that was worthy of his time under Hollystorm and worthy of her tutelage. So it was with difficulty that he pulled his head out of the clouds, back down to the present. 

He lifted his head at exactly the wrong moment.

Crowpaw, paws outstretched, had gained momentum, her head behind her paws and her full weight coming toward him. Her paws went around his neck, as she'd planned - but what she hadn't planned on was the sickening crunch of bone against bone as the two collided in a very painful head-butt. 

Ghostpaw attempted to roll with the contact, but the pain in his head was spiralling. He just hoped that his hard head hadn't hurt Crowpaw too much. 

198 / Taxx Fawn (Hollystorm/Scrap-paw mention)

Hopefully i'm not flat out godmoding right now, let me know if I need to change anything. 

[Taxx]

CROWPAW
APPRENTICE OF NIGHTCLAN

Crowpaw hurled herself at Ghostpaw, hoping to crash into him and bowl him over, half-expecting him to leap away or something, but he didn’t. He stood still, and lifted his head just as she closed the last tail-length, her paws sliding around his neck as her head snapped forward to nip at his ears, and their heads smacked together painfully. Crowpaw staggered backward with a short yowl of pain, her forehead throbbing, her ears ringing.

“Yow!” Eyes squeezed shut, Crowpaw shook herself and rubbed a paw over the aching spot, only to have it increase the painful sensation, and left that off quickly. “Great StarClan, Ghostpaw, you’ve got a hard head. Maybe that’s your advantage; just go headbutt some cat and they’ll be no match for you.” Peeking open an eye, she blinked down at her brother and reached her tail around to brush the tip against his nose; she continued, her voice bubbling with amusement: “Maybe you should ask Foxstar to make your warrior name Stonehead.”

watch me, i'll make a name for myself

@calico