Post by ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 on Nov 13, 2020 18:39:38 GMT -5
Leaf-fall, year 8, Day 19: With so much wind lately, pollen-heavy plants like ragweed and goldenrod, can agitate even the strongest of sinuses.
Just testing out and trying to get a feel for Ravenpaw!
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RAVENPAW
Just testing out and trying to get a feel for Ravenpaw!
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RAVENPAWl i g h t n i n g c l a n 
a p p r e n t i c e
Open your eyes, choking on his breath.
a p p r e n t i c eOpen your eyes, choking on his breath.
An inky black-brown figure wove through the dancing grasses, his nose wrinkling with discomfort. His throat felt itchy and sore and he couldn't stand it. He sneezed, sending a flurry of pollen bursting away from the Leaf-fall flowers. His paws were agitated, fidgety. He kept shifting weight from one to the other, as if he couldn't wait to dart away over the grasses. "Stop shifting around." Galestorm grumbled, turning her eyes to frown back at him. "You know I told you that a warrior should like, you know. Walk with a bit of pride. Not jerk around like a nervous kitten." Ravenpaw looked away without a word, frustration choking him and making it hard to speak. How was she not as bothered by the itchiness as he was? Was she comfortable like this? He had no idea how. It felt like his ears and throat were full of angry bees.
Galestorm looked even paler against the golden-yellow hillside than she did in camp. She was such a contrast to him, in more ways than just one. She was silvery, sturdy, athletic. He was gangly and awkward-looking, skinny and dark-furred. She was determined to prove herself (and her apprentice) to her clanmates, that she was strong. He just wanted to understand the world around him, and the cats around him, which were often much more confusing than the world. At least the world did not pretend to be something it wasn't, say words it didn't mean, or smile even when it felt sad. Galestorm was more confusing than most. She wanted him to be "the best apprentice", but had no clear definition for what that even meant. Without instructions, Ravenpaw was left lost on how to satisfy her. His pounces were unbalanced, his demeanour was strange, he was too slow, too fast, too easily distracted, too focused on pointless things, too small to fight, too big to be a tunneler... her criticisms were so numerous they often spun around his head in disjointed spirals.
"Right." Galestorm halted, gesturing with her tail to the hillside. "We're going to hunt here." Ravenpaw blinked. "Hunt what?" He asked, staring at the empty landscape. Not even a tuft of grass stirred to indicate the presence of a single living thing. Galestorm huffed. "You've been training six moons now, Ravenpaw. Figure it out. Use your nose. Find something." She shook her head, then nodded in the opposite direction. "I'll be hunting on this side, if we split up we'll probably round up more prey." Ravenpaw stared at her with a flare of alarm. "Wait, we're hunting solo? Isn't that dangerous...? Against the rules...?" He frowned. What if something happened? He wasn't a fully-trained warrior, he wouldn't know what to do if a coyote came along. And was Galestorm even allowed to send him off on his own? Galestorm shrugged. "You need to learn to be more independent before you get your warrior name. You rely on me too much. This is a test of your ability to stand on your own four paws without me propping you up," She meowed. "Understand?" Ravenpaw didn't quite meet her gaze, but nodded reluctantly. Weren't mentors and apprentices supposed to be close? He felt as though an entire ocean stretched between him and Galestorm. He half-wondered if she was sending him off on his own in the hopes that he'd be eaten and she'd be done with him.
On his own, he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. He still felt irritated and unwell, but his mind felt freer, like the wings of a bird unfolding to feel the kissing wind beneath its feathers. He opened his mouth to sip at the wind, hoping to catch a snippet of scent. No luck. He opted instead to put his nose to the earth, picking up traces of his clanmates who had passed through here. How interesting it was to think that everywhere a cat went, they left a piece of themselves behind. No matter how many times the same cat passed through this spot, they would never get that piece back. Rabbit? He paused, eying the grass to see where the source of the scent was. There, a small, rounded little collection of pellets. Rabbit droppings! He smiled. Not so useless now, am I, Galestorm? He thought proudly, following the trail with his tail lifted crookedly to the wind. He lost a few times along the way, owing to the somewhat blocked sinuses that made it difficult to smell, but the traces were definitely getting stronger... or was he misinterpreting it? Uncertain, he raised his head again to scan his surroundings.
Just beyond the rise, he caught a rustle of movement. He dropped down low, ducking below the grass. LightningClan cats hunted by out-pacing their prey, but Ravenpaw wasn't much of a runner. He was likely to trip over his own paws, so opted instead for a stealthier approach to hunting... much to the frustration of Galestorm, who had wanted her apprentice to be as fast as she was. Peering through the grasses, he spotted a small group of rabbits happily grazing on the hillside. His green-gold eyes flickered from one to the next trying to choose a target. The one closest him was a small rabbit, hardly bigger than a kit. His heart softened. It must be a young one. He sheathed his claws, ears flattening. Not this one. He thought. He's hardly even gotten to live yet. It took him a moment to realise that he had called the young rabbit 'he', not 'it'. Huh. He lowered himself quitely to the earth and watched the rabbits for a moment. Another young one hopped over to the small rabbit and kicked him before darting away. Ravenpaw realised with a surge of surprise that they were... playing, just like kits did in the nursery. Did rabbits live out their lives just the way the Clans do? Talking in a language no cat can translate, telling stories of hero rabbits that fell to feed feline bellies? His heart twisted slightly.
Suddenly, he noticed a flicker of movement above his head. A split-second later, the thump of a rabbit warning sounded and the long-eared creatures scattered. Ravenpaw flattened himself to the ground, staring upward. A silhouette of an approaching hawk was outlined against the piercing blue sky. Ravenpaw glanced back at the meadow, only to realise that one of the baby rabbits was still in the open, confused as to why the others were gone. The hawk dove just as Ravenpaw did. The little rabbit was soft as kitten-down as Ravenpaw crashed into it, grabbing it in his paws and shoving it underneath his belly. A shriek emitted from the tiny creature's mouth, but Ravenpaw pinned him beneath as a 'swoosh' sounded just above his head. He hissed viciously as the hawk soared higher and circled, a frustrated glint to its sharp eyes. Hawks were ambush predators. Her cover blown, her meal gone, the dark brown bird retreated. Ravenpaw felt a tremble beneath his stomach, and slowly rose to free the little rabbit kitten. He seemed frozen with utter shock at first, staring wild-eyed at the carnivore that had saved his life. Then he ran, and disappeared back down into the burrow. No profound moment of understanding between two species. No sense of gratitude. Just... gone.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF STARCLAN DO YOU THINK YOU JUST DID?" An angry yowl made him jump, and whirl around to face the wrath of his mentor, who was no streaking down the hill towards him. "You could have been hurt!" She snarled, bewildered and panicked. Ravenpaw flattened his ears, her unexpected fury scorching him to the bone. "The hawk- it, it would've... would've killed the rabbit." He meowed helplessly, knowing it was a useless explanation. "And so what?" Galestorm bristled. "Your life is far more important than the life of a stupid rabbit!" She stared at him, eyes wide, shaking her head. "Never, never pull a stunt like that again, do you hear me? Thank StarClan nothing happened." She huffed. "You've proven you're not ready to go off on your own, and you will not leave my side until we get back to camp." Ravenpaw rippled with fury. He had done a good thing! He hadn't been hurt! And anyway, the only reason he was alone because she'd told him to go off alone, and he'd said it was a bad idea! But one pointed look from Galestorm and his jaws clamped shut. He didn't glance back towards the burrows as he trotted away with his mentor, heart still pounding from the adrenaline and from his frustration. But if he had, he would have seen a small group of rabbits watching them leave with beady eyes and twitching noses.
Galestorm looked even paler against the golden-yellow hillside than she did in camp. She was such a contrast to him, in more ways than just one. She was silvery, sturdy, athletic. He was gangly and awkward-looking, skinny and dark-furred. She was determined to prove herself (and her apprentice) to her clanmates, that she was strong. He just wanted to understand the world around him, and the cats around him, which were often much more confusing than the world. At least the world did not pretend to be something it wasn't, say words it didn't mean, or smile even when it felt sad. Galestorm was more confusing than most. She wanted him to be "the best apprentice", but had no clear definition for what that even meant. Without instructions, Ravenpaw was left lost on how to satisfy her. His pounces were unbalanced, his demeanour was strange, he was too slow, too fast, too easily distracted, too focused on pointless things, too small to fight, too big to be a tunneler... her criticisms were so numerous they often spun around his head in disjointed spirals.
"Right." Galestorm halted, gesturing with her tail to the hillside. "We're going to hunt here." Ravenpaw blinked. "Hunt what?" He asked, staring at the empty landscape. Not even a tuft of grass stirred to indicate the presence of a single living thing. Galestorm huffed. "You've been training six moons now, Ravenpaw. Figure it out. Use your nose. Find something." She shook her head, then nodded in the opposite direction. "I'll be hunting on this side, if we split up we'll probably round up more prey." Ravenpaw stared at her with a flare of alarm. "Wait, we're hunting solo? Isn't that dangerous...? Against the rules...?" He frowned. What if something happened? He wasn't a fully-trained warrior, he wouldn't know what to do if a coyote came along. And was Galestorm even allowed to send him off on his own? Galestorm shrugged. "You need to learn to be more independent before you get your warrior name. You rely on me too much. This is a test of your ability to stand on your own four paws without me propping you up," She meowed. "Understand?" Ravenpaw didn't quite meet her gaze, but nodded reluctantly. Weren't mentors and apprentices supposed to be close? He felt as though an entire ocean stretched between him and Galestorm. He half-wondered if she was sending him off on his own in the hopes that he'd be eaten and she'd be done with him.
On his own, he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. He still felt irritated and unwell, but his mind felt freer, like the wings of a bird unfolding to feel the kissing wind beneath its feathers. He opened his mouth to sip at the wind, hoping to catch a snippet of scent. No luck. He opted instead to put his nose to the earth, picking up traces of his clanmates who had passed through here. How interesting it was to think that everywhere a cat went, they left a piece of themselves behind. No matter how many times the same cat passed through this spot, they would never get that piece back. Rabbit? He paused, eying the grass to see where the source of the scent was. There, a small, rounded little collection of pellets. Rabbit droppings! He smiled. Not so useless now, am I, Galestorm? He thought proudly, following the trail with his tail lifted crookedly to the wind. He lost a few times along the way, owing to the somewhat blocked sinuses that made it difficult to smell, but the traces were definitely getting stronger... or was he misinterpreting it? Uncertain, he raised his head again to scan his surroundings.
Just beyond the rise, he caught a rustle of movement. He dropped down low, ducking below the grass. LightningClan cats hunted by out-pacing their prey, but Ravenpaw wasn't much of a runner. He was likely to trip over his own paws, so opted instead for a stealthier approach to hunting... much to the frustration of Galestorm, who had wanted her apprentice to be as fast as she was. Peering through the grasses, he spotted a small group of rabbits happily grazing on the hillside. His green-gold eyes flickered from one to the next trying to choose a target. The one closest him was a small rabbit, hardly bigger than a kit. His heart softened. It must be a young one. He sheathed his claws, ears flattening. Not this one. He thought. He's hardly even gotten to live yet. It took him a moment to realise that he had called the young rabbit 'he', not 'it'. Huh. He lowered himself quitely to the earth and watched the rabbits for a moment. Another young one hopped over to the small rabbit and kicked him before darting away. Ravenpaw realised with a surge of surprise that they were... playing, just like kits did in the nursery. Did rabbits live out their lives just the way the Clans do? Talking in a language no cat can translate, telling stories of hero rabbits that fell to feed feline bellies? His heart twisted slightly.
Suddenly, he noticed a flicker of movement above his head. A split-second later, the thump of a rabbit warning sounded and the long-eared creatures scattered. Ravenpaw flattened himself to the ground, staring upward. A silhouette of an approaching hawk was outlined against the piercing blue sky. Ravenpaw glanced back at the meadow, only to realise that one of the baby rabbits was still in the open, confused as to why the others were gone. The hawk dove just as Ravenpaw did. The little rabbit was soft as kitten-down as Ravenpaw crashed into it, grabbing it in his paws and shoving it underneath his belly. A shriek emitted from the tiny creature's mouth, but Ravenpaw pinned him beneath as a 'swoosh' sounded just above his head. He hissed viciously as the hawk soared higher and circled, a frustrated glint to its sharp eyes. Hawks were ambush predators. Her cover blown, her meal gone, the dark brown bird retreated. Ravenpaw felt a tremble beneath his stomach, and slowly rose to free the little rabbit kitten. He seemed frozen with utter shock at first, staring wild-eyed at the carnivore that had saved his life. Then he ran, and disappeared back down into the burrow. No profound moment of understanding between two species. No sense of gratitude. Just... gone.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF STARCLAN DO YOU THINK YOU JUST DID?" An angry yowl made him jump, and whirl around to face the wrath of his mentor, who was no streaking down the hill towards him. "You could have been hurt!" She snarled, bewildered and panicked. Ravenpaw flattened his ears, her unexpected fury scorching him to the bone. "The hawk- it, it would've... would've killed the rabbit." He meowed helplessly, knowing it was a useless explanation. "And so what?" Galestorm bristled. "Your life is far more important than the life of a stupid rabbit!" She stared at him, eyes wide, shaking her head. "Never, never pull a stunt like that again, do you hear me? Thank StarClan nothing happened." She huffed. "You've proven you're not ready to go off on your own, and you will not leave my side until we get back to camp." Ravenpaw rippled with fury. He had done a good thing! He hadn't been hurt! And anyway, the only reason he was alone because she'd told him to go off alone, and he'd said it was a bad idea! But one pointed look from Galestorm and his jaws clamped shut. He didn't glance back towards the burrows as he trotted away with his mentor, heart still pounding from the adrenaline and from his frustration. But if he had, he would have seen a small group of rabbits watching them leave with beady eyes and twitching noses.
You grimace, then smile.
1465 words