Post by Fawn on Dec 15, 2019 2:40:05 GMT -5
Brookfall
52 Moons Tom RainClan Warrior
Salmon season was over. The salmon falls, while still pleasing to the eye and a beautiful place to rest on one's laurels, did yield a bounty in the cooler months. It took a little more experience than a budding apprentice likely had, but life without a little challenge wasn't much of one. Brookfall's tail languidly slid along the sun-warmed ground, yellow eyes fixed on the shimmering bodies in the water up ahead. It was a popular spot for today's lessons, as noted by the presence of not just his own apprentice Splashpaw, but also Emberlight and Sunpaw, Ferngaze and Sablepaw. The river, with its wide body and fast waters, would be too intimidating for RainClan's latest school of little minnows.
Though he knew the chance of seeing the pink-bellied salmon had passed, Brookfall found himself looking to the falls anyway, hoping for a glimpse. The salmon throwing themselves against the flowing water felt like a less-than-subtle metaphor for life. There was a certain... senselessness in pushing for certain things, in hoping for certain things. Brookfall thought of his littermate, Gorgeleap, and how the most cynical of their substantial litter would view the salmon falls.
A waste of time, too much effort, pointless
Those were the answers that sprang to mind, and Brookfall smiled to no one. How unfortunate that the most recent conversation he'd had with his brother in the past season had been the fictional one inside his head. Too much introspection, Brookfall. He chided himself, aware of how dangerous it was to venture too deeply into his own thoughts. There were shadows there that he had no wish to disturb. Focus on the here, the now, and what's expected of you.
The Clan would be expecting him to welcome Emberlight's and Ferngaze's presence with open paws. They would expect him to smile that affable smile of his, and even offer a friendly jest over whose apprentice would outshine whose. He would bury that desire to be alone with the sound of falling water, that desire to let his thoughts wander and stretch rather than focus on the task at hand.
So he did.
"Shall we make a wager? The first apprentice to catch something will have the honor of presenting it to Lilygleam." The older she-cat had been Silverstar's deputy before Emberlight had been given the new role, and she still carried clout amongst the Clan as a respected, wise senior warrior. Not to mention she was the mother of Silverstar, Gorgeleap, Stormfeather and himself.
Brookfall's gaze fell squarely upon Splashpaw's shoulders, and he regarded him with quiet thoughtfulness, gauging the young tom's interest. What kind of apprentice are you, Splashpaw? He didn't (thankfully) have the exuberance of his father, nor the stoicism of his mother. Also unlike Sablepaw, the runt of their litter, he did not seem overly thirsty to prove himself.
Rather, he seemed... normal. But Brookfall knew better than most that a seemingly kind individual could be hiding much, much more underneath.
We all eat lies when our hearts are hungry.
Valley-Year 7, Leaf-fall 12 The sky is clear with small wisps of cloud. A soft breeze stirs the fallen leaves from the ground, creating a comforting rustling sound. The temperatures are usual, with no extreme highs or lows.