Post by Jos on Oct 10, 2020 23:55:52 GMT -5
[googlefont=Rock Salt]
Ain't nothin' gonna break-a my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down
Squirrelpaw
Squirrelpaw woke bright and early for his trip around the territory. Just before dawn he crawled out of the apprentice’s den and into the main camp, where he began to groom himself. Starting with his paws, he washed his face and whiskers, then moved to his chest and shoulders, his big fluffy tail, and finally his claws. He gnawed between his toes to clean them of dirt and debris, then rasped his tongue over his pads for good measure. He believed that looking good lead to feeling good, and feeling good lead to working good. Squirrelpaw always wanted to do his best for Beetlejaw.
He knew the three legged warrior had suffered unfair scrutiny since losing his leg. If Squirrelpaw failed, the apprentice knew that it would look even more poorly on Beetlejaw than it did any other ‘regular’ warrior. So far Squirrelpaw had found Beetlejaw to be a straight forward, practical mentor who had his apprentice’s best interests in mind. But recently Squirrelpaw had come to feel a little bit more for him. Something familial, as though Beetlejaw were his father. Having grown up in the shadows compare to his brother, on whom their mother doted almost exclusively, the young tom had often felt left out in the adult affection department. As an apprentice it was difficult to get used to the one-on-one attention he was getting, and Squirrelpaw did not know what to do with it all.
So he did what he always did: over prepare, and over compensate. He worked longer, harder, earlier, later and with higher standards for himself than he ever had before. In fact, as his den mates had begun to fill out as they grew, Squirrelpaw was a scrawny scrap of pelt. He hardly ate, only when he was forced to or he absolutely had to. With his fur slicked down from his early morning groom, he forgot that his ribs could be easily seen, whereas they were usually hidden beneath his thick pelt. He waited anxiously for Beetlejaw, looking like a skeleton dressed up as a cat—a very eager cat, but still. Skeletal.
He knew the three legged warrior had suffered unfair scrutiny since losing his leg. If Squirrelpaw failed, the apprentice knew that it would look even more poorly on Beetlejaw than it did any other ‘regular’ warrior. So far Squirrelpaw had found Beetlejaw to be a straight forward, practical mentor who had his apprentice’s best interests in mind. But recently Squirrelpaw had come to feel a little bit more for him. Something familial, as though Beetlejaw were his father. Having grown up in the shadows compare to his brother, on whom their mother doted almost exclusively, the young tom had often felt left out in the adult affection department. As an apprentice it was difficult to get used to the one-on-one attention he was getting, and Squirrelpaw did not know what to do with it all.
So he did what he always did: over prepare, and over compensate. He worked longer, harder, earlier, later and with higher standards for himself than he ever had before. In fact, as his den mates had begun to fill out as they grew, Squirrelpaw was a scrawny scrap of pelt. He hardly ate, only when he was forced to or he absolutely had to. With his fur slicked down from his early morning groom, he forgot that his ribs could be easily seen, whereas they were usually hidden beneath his thick pelt. He waited anxiously for Beetlejaw, looking like a skeleton dressed up as a cat—a very eager cat, but still. Skeletal.
Ain't nothin' gonna break-a my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down
352 Fawn