[ never ] [ enough ]

[Crowzerplorodon]

ooc|
This role play was continued off a board in FogClan's camp:
www.forest-of-fate.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=fccamp&thread=739&page=1

bic|

"Apprentice first, eh?"

Blackpaw beamed at the warrior. For a second there it looked like Russetfang would lapse into a depressed coma or something. But the warrior recovered, and Blackpaw was glad. He didn't want Russetfang to lose his good mood.

Tail high in the air, the tip quivering in excitement, Blackpaw made his way to the camp's exit, slipping between the hole quickly and waiting for his warrior partner on the other side. Idly Blackpaw wondered what the other apprentices would think if they saw him -- just him -- going out hunting with a warrior. A warrior that wasn't even his mentor! Oh, they'd be jealous for sure!

His green eyes blinked. That didn't sound right, not at all. He wasn't going out to hunt because he'd get to show off -- no way! He was hunting because he wanted to aid his clan, and Russetfang made good company. Very good company. But he couldn't help feel a little bad. Somewhere inside him Blackpaw realized that coming back to camp with more prey than a warrior, no matter what warrior, would make him look good. Really good.

His ears flattened against his head; Blackpaw was very disappointed in himself. But he quickly pulled together, not wanting to be gloomy in front of Russetfang.

[Slug]

Russetfang padded after the apprentice, barely squeezing through the entrance. Tail weakly twitching, the warrior lost his smile when he saw the look on Blackpaw's face-- it had been there, he was sure, but it was gone in a matter of seconds. Had he imagined it? Possibly. It looked all too real, though, much to the warrior's confusement. Had he done something?

Russetfang opened his mouth to ask, but shut it quickly. He really didn't want to make Blackpaw upset. A inkling thought kept gnawing at his mind, though. Was it something Russetfang did? And if so, what had it been? Shaking the troubling thoughts from his mind, Russetfang regained his smile-- though it was a feeble atempt-- and gave a shakey, nervous purr of encouragement toward Blackpaw.

"Are you ready, Blackpa'?"
--x

ooc: Sorry if it's short. :C

[Crowzerplorodon]

"Are you ready, Blackpa'?"

His ears pricked as Russetfang came out from the exit. Of course he was ready! The apprentice gave a happy nod, turning once or twice as he got ready to go.

"Definitely!" He said, trying maybe too hard to seem cheerful. "Do you have any place you wanna go? Or just where ever the scents take us?"

Despite his previous worry, Blackpaw was ready to get going and hunt with the warrior. It was just going to be good fun, not to show off or anything. And maybe Russetfang could practice hunting and learn to be good at it, even in his state. After all, he wouldn't have been made a warrior if he couldn't hunt at all. Blackpaw snorted at the thought of a warrior who couldn't hunt.

[Slug]

"Definitely!"

Russetfang purred at that, amused that the apprentice was so eager. Russetfang remembered when he was an apprentice. So eager to serve his clan and so happy to do just that. He remember his mentor like it was just yesterday. He was a fine tom, strong and loyal. He taught Russetfang many things as a apprentice.

But those lessons were no longer of use to him after his "inccident". Russetfang had to find new ways now to hunt and battle, to adapt to his body's changes. It would be harder, yes, but it would be so worth it...

"Do you have any place you wanna go? Or just where ever the scents take us?"

Russetfang was quickly jarred out his thoughts, the question hanging in the air for a moment. Then he replied "Anywhere you feel like, Blackpa'." Said the warrior, another purr rising in his throat. Suddenly, an idea popped into the warrior's mind. "And maybe you can help me find some new hunting tricks, y'know, to help me with my... well, y'know." He added, wiggling his butt for emphasis, grinning foolishly-- impishly-- at the apprentice, ignoring the sudden pain that burned in his tail like a wildfire.

[Crowzerplorodon]

Blackpaw chuckled at Russetfang's antics. The apprentice was almost in awe of the older tom, because of his ability to make such a passing joke on his disability. It was something that Blackpaw really looked up at. His own tail twitched in glee as his paws kneaded at the ground.

"Anywhere you feel like, Blackpa'."

He purred softly, already having an idea of where they should go. Just a few days ago he scented a large amount of mice close to the hollow FogClan used for training. They could go their and the excess of prey would be an easy target for Russetfang who was going to learn some tricks to hunting.

"Alright, how about near the hollow then?" He offered, green eyes wide as his head jerked toward the direction of the hollow. "I think there'd be a lot of prey and stuff, you could practice new techniques there."

[Slug]

"Alright, how about near the hollow then?"

That sounded like a good idea. Now that it was early New-leaf, the prey would be waking from their slumber, and the sandy hollow was a good place where barrows would be. They could catch a couple voles and some mice-- maybe enough prey to feed the clan! Ah, who was Russetfang kidding? With Russetfang's crippled status and Blackpaw being an apprentice, it was only logical that they would bring back little, but enough all the same. Of course, Russetfang could be wrong about Blackpaw, seeing as he never seen the apprentice hunt before.

For all the warrior knew, Blackpaw could catch enough prey to equal his own weight...

"I think there'd be a lot of prey and stuff, you could practice new techniques there."

Blackpaw's voice echoed through Russetfang's train of thought, once again pulling the tom out of his pondering. Russetfang admited that he'd been thinking alot today. Was that a bad thing? No. Yes. Possibly? Meh. He would wonder about it later.

"Sure, Blackpa'. The hollow sounds like a great idea." He smiled at the younger cat, tail quivering like a tunning fork. Then the russet tom grinned, showing his teeth in a humerous manner. "Are you fixing to be my mentor, Blackpa'?" He teased, poking Blackpaw's flank with a paw, careful not to scratch the apprentice with his over-grown claws.

[Crowzerplorodon]

"Are you fixing to be my mentor, Blackpa'?"

The apprentice grinned, sitting up tall and puffing out his chest. He pointed his ears straight for the sky and fluffed his fur out in an attempt to look twice as big -- it wasn't much bigger.

"Yes Russetpaw," the apprentice stressed the appropriate suffix. "Today I'll be taking you on a trip around the territory and we'll hunt." Blackpaw quickly let out the breath he had been holding to keep himself upright before greedily sucking in more air. His fur flattened and he shrunk back to his normal size.

The image of Russetfang as an apprentice flashed in his mind. The tom was smaller, much smaller, his fur seemed brighter and his ears were raised in enjoyment. No injuries marked him at all. Blackpaw felt his shoulders drooped before picking them up and tossing out the thought of a fuller Russetfang. "Let's go then!"

The tip of his tail flicked before he began a slow run to the hollow. Green eyes glanced over his shoulder to make sure the warrior was following him before they turned back to the path in front of him.

[Slug]

"Yes, Russetpaw,"

Russetfang grinned at that. It had been so long since he'd heard that name. It felt... good. Really good. In fact, it made the warrior feel young again. Or younger, in this case.

"Today I'll be taking you on a trip around the territory and we'll hunt."

That sounded like a good idea. It wouldn't hurt to retrace and renew their borders, too. Hopefully they wouldn't have any encounters with other clanners, though. The Clans have been very testy lately. Russetfang shuddered at the battle, glancing at Blackpaw. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the warrior knew they wouldn't stand a chance, but his heart said "Bring it on!".

"Let's go then!"

With a merrow of laughter, Russetfang bounded after the apprentice, purring all the way. "I'll be right behind you, Blackstorm!" He yowled after the black tom, limp tail brushing the ground.
--x

ooc: Sorry. It's a little short. ^^;

[Crowzerplorodon]

"I'll be right behind you, Blackstorm!"

Oh, he liked the sound of that. The sound of a warrior name used to describe him. Blackpaw could not wait until the day his leader and mentor decided he was ready for the title and was given his true suffix. His black fur seemed to shiver with excitement.

His paws barely touched the ground as the tom bounded through his clan's territory, ears alert for any noises, nose prepped for any scents. His green eyes were lidded to give him a clearer view of his surroudings, not one muddled by the undergrowth he sped passed.

The familiar trail didn't take long to navigate through, and soon the apprentice was slowing down, the scent of many other cats flooding his nose -- but they were all stale. He knew now they were really close to the hollow. A few scents in particular he could pick out. His own and his mentor's, from their last visit, Hailstorm's, the medicine cat had probably come for herbs, and various cats he could pick out be scent alone. Blackpaw gave himself a mental pat on the back for being able to recognize almost all of the scents.

But there was one scent in particular that stood out. Nice and fresh.

Mouse!

[laur]

A flash of bright ginger fur weaved through the dense woods of FogClan. A small, lithe she-cat silently weaved between trees and bushes, her bright pink nose twitching thin white whiskers on the search for something. Closer and closer she came, until finally she skidded to a halt and peered out behind a bush. Panting, her eyes locked on the thick pelt of Russetfang. She turned, then piercing his apprentice Blackpaw's fur with her pale green gaze. Collecting herself, she padded out from behind the bush and over to the two toms.

"Hey, Russetfang!" Gingernose purred, her thick-banded ginger tail curling up behind her. "Mind if I hunt with you guys? I've got nothing else to do." She stepped closer to the tom, her green-hazel eyes glittering in the dappled sunlight. She admired Russetfang's strong build, eyeing him up from head to toe before locking her eyes with his. Twitching her whiskers, she added, "I see you're with your apprentice. I can hunt somewhere else if I'm intruding.." Gingernose's gaze fell, her tiny orange paw scuffing the dirt in front of her. She was toying with the tom, seeing what she could get out of him. Waving her tail to and fro, she shot a quick glance at Blackpaw before sending her prying eyes up towards Russetfang's broad face once more.

[/center]