[Deleted]

s p a r r o w s t e p
( TOM. 32 MOONS. WARRIOR. NIGHTCLAN. )

Sparrowstep wasn't the kind of cat to wax poetry about something. He cataloged the beauty of the everyday world in the same manner with which he cataloged the impressions of his clanmates and the Warrior Code he had been trained to follow his entire life: with quick, quiet efficiency. A sunny day or a quiet, peaceful clearing was something to enjoy simply because it was there, however fleeting. If one spent too much time trying to think about how green the leaves were or how still and clear the water was, one would lose the time to simply enjoy them.

Now, if the water suddenly cried out in pain and started crying perhaps Sparrowstep would have thought differently, but water was non-sentient and therefore Sparrowstep had no need to worry about whether or not it was displeased with his presence. Water was, Sparrowstep thought, remarkably simple like that. He rather thought he enjoyed that kind of simplicity sometimes, especially in comparison to the turbulent thoughts that had clouded his mind ever since he was old enough to understand just what his size meant in comparison to the other apprentices; just what it meant in terms of what kind of warrior he would be forced to become.

He certainly didn't miss the bitter days spent hovering at the edge of the pineneedle clearing, watching as his fellow apprentices became stronger and he only became... whatever it was that he was. Not smaller, but not really bigger, either. Even now he was well aware that, should he stand next to some of the bigger apprentices, they would dwarf him and it would appear as if he were the apprentice and they the mentor.

It was somewhat embarrassing, really, even now, and he was almost glad he had no apprentice of his own at the moment, as selfish as such a thought was.

Sighing, Sparrowstep crouched at the edge of the pond, lapping almost absently at the deceptive water within. It wasn't until a new scent drifted to him that he lifted his reddish-brown head, green-yellow eyes flickering in the direction of the scent as his whispers twitched, identifying it not as a foe but as a friend. That was a relief. There were too many potential foes these days.

"You're very quiet, you know," Sparrowstep murmured to the approaching cat, shaking his head with a faint stirring of amusement. "Don't fall in."

tags: Hellion.
notes: here it is! let me know if you need anything changed.

[Hellion]

♛

Living was hard there was the constant fear of not having enough food or being attacked while you slept. The death of her father had shook the young she-cat to her core but gradually she over came some of her fears. She no longer felt like a target, the shadows of the NightClan territory didn't hide danger at very shift. With eyes that saw the horror of the world Starlingcry had few friends and didn't consider herself the royalty of NightClan any longer. Her father's corpse had been buried many moons ago and there was no possible way he'd surprise her by being okay.

As a sign of good faith and mental healing, Starlingcry mentioned to her mother that she was going out of camp. The black and amber eyed warrior-queen nodded in approval, giving her daughter a soft nuzzle of encouragement.

Starlingcry had no real destination in mind but her paws found the path of ambush pond and without protest from the rest of her body she followed them. She felt the prickle of fear but quickly as it appeared she pushed it back. She wasn't some frightened little kitty-pet she was a warrior of NightClan. In her frustration at herself, Starlingcry growled and lashed out at the mud and water the filled the area.

Tasting the air she found the scent of a fellow clanmate. Instead of announcing herself she melted into a crouch to ease her away from him. All her recent interactions had been with her family, it was difficult to talk with fellow clanmates, all they saw was the former's deputy's coward daughter.

But by StarClan's will the wind changed and brought her scent down to her Clanmate who spoke up. Feeling as if fate wanted her to interact with the other cat she perked her head up and made herself known.

"I"m pretty capable of taking care of myself." Starlingcry answered, moving along the pools of water and pond with ease. Her mentor Blackwolf made it an important part of her training to be able to cross the ambush pond without any problems. Even as a shadow of her former self the she-cat still held on to her grace and agility that it took to maneuver the area. "You should be careful." The black she-cat added, looking him over. It was Sparrowstep, an older warrior compared to her 18 moons of age, but she appeared to be older in this moment. She grow upwards like her siblings and her father, and perhaps her remark was a stab at his small size. The she-cat rarely had a kind word to say when considering all that she had recently faced.

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