[Taxx]

SMOKESTORM

BlooRey DVD

Smokestorm sat stiffly at the camp's entrance, Dustpaw at her side. She was eager to get going, thrilled that she was going to be patrolling with her Clan's leader, and on edge about what they might find. The Sun Stones had been held this long, but she wasn't so innocent as to think that LightningClan wouldn't make another attempt to steal them back at some point.

They had both eaten, mentor and apprentice, and now they were just waiting for Hawkstar's arrival to get started. The young tom was shuffling in his own excitement, and a bit of nervousness as well- what if he would be tested? In front of his mentor and the Clan leader- he couldn't let down his mentor.

"Calm yourself." It was not an order, merely advice, and Smokestorm's glance was amused rather than annoyed. She understood what he was feeling. "So long as you keep in mind what I've taught you, you'll do fine. Neither I or Hawkstar will ask you to do something you can't handle. Perk up now, here he comes." Stilling his shuffles, Dustpaw sat straighter beside Smokestorm, both of them mewing a greeting at Hawkstar as he neared.

ooc: 

table (c)ulv of adoxography

[BlooRey DVD]

Hawkstar

may your dreams be larger than mountains

The big tom pulled himself from his nest that morning, pausing only to touch his nose to his mate's forehead. Pale gold eyes softened momentarily, seeing her curl in on herself now that his body heat was lost to her. Had he not made prior arrangements to attend a patrol with two Clanmates, the sand colored StoneClan figurehead could have remained in his nest all day. Heavy paws crossed the distance to the entrance of his den, and Hawkstar peered out into the waking world around him. Familiar faces passed by, each earning a friendly smile and a quick morning exchange as the tom made him way to fresh-kill pile.

Picking a modest mouse, he wandered toward the elder's den to share the prey with a long time friend. Fallenleaf was pleased at the company, but though he said nothing, Hawkstar couldn't help but note how little she was eating these days. He extended his time in the den as long as he could, but he knew Smokestorm and her apprentice Dustpaw would be waiting for him. Pleasantries exchanged, the sandy brown leader left his long-time friend and directed himself to StoneClan's entrance. He wasn't surprised to see two figures waiting there.

Briefly his mind flickered to the attempted take back of the Sun Stones spearheaded by his son some time ago. His memory indicated Smokestorm had been a part of that raid, a piece of information he found interesting, to say the least. He'd told himself long ago not to hold the event against the individuals involved. Hawkstar had doled out their punishments, and they'd all served their time. Since then, no complaints involving those individuals had cropped up. The StoneClan figurehead wouldn't go as far as to say the behavior would never occur again; he only hoped some of them would think before acting in the future.

As he closed the distance between himself and the two younger cats, Hawkstar offered a warm smile. "Good morning, Smokestorm, Dustpaw." He rumbled, his tail moving in a slow arc behind him. They returned his greeting eagerly, and the big tom laughed silently to himself. Dustpaw's reaction was especially amusing to the StoneClan leader; it was good, in a way, to know his rank still meant something to the youth of the Clan. "Are we all ready to depart?" He asked, gaze flicking to each to hear their response.

Smokestorm's confirmation left the tom to beckon the pair with his tail as he strode forward. "Excellent, then let's not waste a moment of our morning, hm?" His paws guided the patrol over territory long-since familiar to the tom, Hawkstar trusting his Clanmates would follow at an appropriate pace. You're 90 moons after all; they should have the energy to keep up. Another bout of silent laughter rocked his frame at the thought, though his sandy ears flicked to scan the surroundings. With a comfortable pace set, the StoneClan leader turned his attention on his two companions. Another friendly smile coated his muzzle as he glanced over his shoulder.

"How is training going? Is the path to warriorhood turning out to be everything you imagined, Dustpaw? Are you showing Smokestorm the respect she deserves?" He teased, his pale amber gaze flicking to the she-cat in question and inviting her to interject as she saw fit. His goal here was to start a friendly conversation to help the other two relax in his presence.

leader of stoneclan

and may you have the courage
to scale their summits

background image | harley king | Taxx | table by phoenix

Note: 90 moons

[Taxx]

SMOKESTORM

BlooRey DVD

Smokestorm rose as Hawkstar neared, her tail lifting as she straightened, giving the leader a deep nod of respect. At her side, Dustpaw was quick to mew a greeting, his own tail flicking in a mix of excitement and nervousness at the company he was going to patrol with.

"We are, Hawkstar," the gray-and-ginger she-cat replied, turning to follow as the big tom padded past, leading the way out of the camp. Smokestorm, a fair bit smaller than the big tom, lengthened her stride as much as she could, to keep up without having to break into a trot, while the young tom she mentored followed, keeping up with more ease than she.

That was okay- she wasn't about to condemn him for her own shortcomings. Glancing up again as Hawkstar spoke, Dustpaw blinked, surprised at the questions he was asked. "Of course I am!" he half-sputtered. As if she would have allowed anything else? "It's going great, Hawkstar," he added. "Smokestorm's teaching me a lot. She's a great mentor!"

The she-cat could hardly suppress a grimace- sure, she was trying, but whether intentionally or because he didn't want to point out the less stellar points, he hadn't mentioned the disagreements, the initial struggles she had to get him to actually listen, and her own irritation that at times led to her treating him a bit more harshly than he deserved.

"Dustpaw is an intelligent young cat," she commented, adding her own praise, but not with-holding as he had. "He's a quick learner, once he actually grasped that he needs to stop and think before rushing off." A glance at him, amused, and a flick of her tail at his shoulder. "Sometimes I actually get through to him. He's come a long way from the kit he was, even though he's got a long way to go yet."

ooc:

table (c)ulv of adoxography

[BlooRey DVD]

Hawkstar

may your dreams be larger than mountains

Hawkstar chuckled slightly, nodding his head to Dustpaw as the apprentice jumped up to defend himself. He listened patiently, pale gaze drifting to Smokestorm as the young tom began praising his mentor. He might not have known Smokestorm as well as he knew other members of StoneClan, but he could see something in her expressions, almost a sort of uncertainty with what Dustpaw was sharing. She added her own piece eventually, which Hawkstar found interesting. He couldn’t help but chuckle again with what she said, nodding his head understandingly.

“Ah yes, the excitement often gets to apprentices when they first start training. And sometimes long after that. StarClan above, Breezeflight used to have to sit there silently until I realized she was waiting to talk over my babbling when I first became an apprentice.” He flicked his tail against Dustpaw’s shoulder kindly, offering him a smile. “Oh course, that was eons ago. What I'm implying, Dustpaw, is that a little distraction is totally normal. After all, I somehow ended up Clan leader, and was certainly now always the most focused apprentice. From what Smokestorm has told me today, it seems you do offer her your full attention eventually, which is all that can be expected of an apprentice. Keep up the good work, Dustpaw. You’ll earn your warrior name yet. I know you will.”

His ears flicked as they approached the border, jaws parting to pull in the surrounding scents. He couldn’t identify anything out of the ordinary from where he stood now, and he hoped this would remain the case as the patrol continued. Glancing over his shoulder back at the other two members of his patrol, he flashed them a smile that could only be called playful. “Alright, entertain me as the old tom I am. I’m interested in hearing from both of you what you think is important to consider while on border patrols such as this."

leader of stoneclan

and may you have the courage
to scale their summits

background image | harley king | Taxx @jet | table by phoenix

Note: 90 moons