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Post by glowlynose on Dec 15, 2010 19:37:55 GMT -5
Rain couldn't help it, he was spirited back to his days on the ranch. All of a sudden he was younger, more carefree, his soul lighter and for the first time in a long time, he remembered what it was like to be happy. He'd forgotten what it was to have fun, and not a care in the world. It's an odd sort of realization, the realization that you've been missing something you hadn't known was gone. His eyes began to sparkle and he genuinely smiled. He didn't smirk, or sarcastically grin, he smiled. Analucia had always told him that he looked so handsome when he smiled. He supposed she was right, though he'd never seen himself smile before. But right now his face felt nice, like smiling was its natural state and not smiling was a burden that had just been lifted.
Oh, he could almost smell the fresh hay in the barn, see the chaff floating in the streams of light from the barn window, taste the sweet summer air. And then his best friend was right there beside him. Although he had never loved her, she still held a special place in his heart, and to see her so near, if even in a mere memory... it lifted his heart.
But then he was suddenly pinned to the ground, and a different scent, a real one took hold of his nostrils. It was the earthy, tangy, scent of PineClan, with this one defining thing that made it Gingerstar's scent. He absentmindedly wondered what it was that set her smell apart from the rest of PineClan. What was it set Gingerstar apart from any other cat in the first place?
In any case, it didn't matter, since she was pinning him down. Again. What was it with her and pinning? Did she get some sort of high from pinning him to the ground? Was this going to be a normal thing? It wasn't like he minded the ground, he just didn't care for being forced to spend so much one-on-one time with the dirt that... well, wasn't the most sanitary stuff in the world. So he struggled out of Gingerstar's hold, though it took him a while this time. Oddly, he started laughing in his struggle. This was actually fun!
"Touche, Gingerstar, touche. I's weird, havin' fun, ain't it? Nice tah get a release now 'n' agin." He smiled again, this time for someone else to see, and once more he marveled at how good it felt on his face.
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Post by Whiskers on Dec 16, 2010 16:30:36 GMT -5
Ah, the feel of fresh meet underneath her paws. Having a cat pinned underneath her claws was so much more satisfying than just a mouse or a squirrel or something. She couldn't keep the devilish twinkle from her eye, the superior smirk as she stared down at Rain's surprised face. She was waiting for him to yowl and grumble and complain about how she was crushing his lungs or something. She was ready to spit back a quick "Oh take it like a tom" and dig her paws in harder. She had prepared several clever, derisive insults, just in case she needed them when he called her 'Spice.' But none of this happened. Once again, and it was starting to get a little annoying, Rain surprised her. He laughed. It was a wheezy laughter, but laughter was laughter and enough for Gingerstar to be put off her game. The pressure of her paws lifted only slightly, and Rain wiggled away. Thank goodness no one was watching her. The cats in her clan knew of her reputation as, not only a fierce fighter, but a stubborn one. Once she had a cat pinned, they would stay that way until they told her exactly what they did wrong and how they might avoid the position in the future. Rain had avoided that and that was embarrassing, even if no cat was around to see it.
Gingerstar backed away from Rain a step, and the energy that had filled her during the fight was brought back in as she carefully composed herself. She did this even as Rain continued to chuckle and grin weirdly, as if he meant these smiles for her. But that couldn't be, since him being nice to her had never happened before and never should happen. But the smiles were different than his usual...they just didn't sound as sarcastic as they usually did...but no, Gingerstar couldn't consider the possibility that he was just being funny and nice to her. This was just one of the many tricks he had underneath his fur, tricks meant to gain a smile from Gingerstar. Well he wouldn't get one! She had learned from previous mistakes the way toms could be when it came to what they want. They would be manipulative, two-faced, snake-eyed, kind upfront, but conniving underneath it all. This pleasant Rain was just an appearance. He had to be; the other possibility was just impossible...right?
And so the fun disappeared, though Gingerstar was kind of reluctant to put a stop to it. She had to though. She was already letting her guard down enough, and if she let it down anymore then he'd just take advantage of her.
"Oh yes, very fun. It'll be even more fun when you get your throat ripped out by a Fogclanner because you were stupid enough to hide behind a rock. And running away won't save you from say, a fox, or a whole patrol. And it certainly won't protect Pineclan. But oh, at least you'll get some fun out of it before your foolish actions get innocent lives killed."
A voice in her head spoke up then, one she hadn't heard in a while-- the mentor voice. Okay, enough of the soul-crushing, Gingerstar. You're being a little harsh, even for you. It's time to teach him, it said.
Gingerstar's eyes narrowed a bit at this, and she breathed a sigh in reluctance before caving into this logical idea. "But," she winced, already regretting the words coming out of her mouth, "that doesn't mean we can't use escape as a legitimate strategy. You surprised me. And that was," she paused, and it was only through her teeth that the word squeezed out, "good."
"That does not make you any less of an imbecile though. Never hide behind something like a rock. You need to hide your scent immediately if escape is your only option. Locate something foul-smelling as quickly as you can to disguise yourself. And keep your own nose open, you should have at least smelled me coming and should have expected an attack. Is that clear enough for you, Rainpaw?" |
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Post by glowlynose on Dec 16, 2010 18:55:15 GMT -5
Aaaaaaand Rain's good mood was gone. Did she pride herself on being able to crush happiness with a single fell stroke? She must. He could tell that she enjoyed it by the way she stood up taller and her eyes shone when she corrected him. What a nutcase. Maybe I should join another clan or something.
But no, he couldn't. Something was keeping him here, and his dream had told him to stay. You never disobeyed a dream. If you did... things happened, things that weren't good. Heck, if you didn't pay attention to a dream, your whole life just might fall apart, and once that happens, you can never remake it. So the smile fell away from his face and his ears and tail started to droop, and pretty soon, it was like he was back on his journey again. His rain clouds came back to cover the sun. Maybe this was the way he was supposed to be, not happy. Happiness felt good, but how long were you really supposed to feel good?
"Wait jes' a second here. You mean to tell me that y'all actually kill each other? Y'all don't jes' get out aggression 'n' then go back 'n' lick yer wounds and jes' forget about it? I could die?" Rain had never considered death as a viable option before, but apparently these clan cats lived in a constant state of "Oh my gar, I could die today. -soscared-" What a... what a sad life. To live in fear of attack every day is not to live at all. And to think that some cats had reputations as warriors, that they prided themselves on how well they could hurt somebody else... it was just heartbreaking. In any case, he didn't fancy dying, so he'd have to make sure that he became an extra good warrior. He would impress Gingerstar somehow. If he didn't, living in PineClan would be worthless. If he didn't somehow earn the respect of his leader, nobody would respect him.
"Holy bologna, I ain't never thought about dyin' before! I thought you'd just got a centipede up your britches for bein' so serious all 'a' the time. And for the record, I warn't running away, I was making you chase me. But then I decided that since my life warn't at stake, I'd try to catch ya when ya came by. Ya never gave me a chance." He looked up at Gingerstar now, and all he could think about was how long his training was going to be, and how unfairly he was going to be treated. He bet none of the other apprentices got their good moods killed on their first day of training. He bet that they didn't even do any battle training their first day. Gingerstar just hated him and was going to be as cruel as possible in an attempt to drive him away. Well, he was just as stubborn as she was!
"Yeah, I got it, Spice. I'm a stupid loner who don't know the territory yet and I ain't never fought before in my life, so not doin' everythang perfectly my first try makes me unworthy or pathetic or somethin'. 'S good advice though. Next time I'll be sure to visit the dump before hidin' behind any rocks." It really was good advice, he was just angry and felt like being sarcastic. He'd remember her words for the next time though. Maybe he'd even ambush her one time. Yeah, that would be fun. If he really stuck with it, he was going to be the best warrior PineClan had ever seen! Stealthy, strong, stubborn, and respected by everybody in the clan! It would take some work to get there, but it would be worth it. Cowboys never gave up anyhow.
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Post by Whiskers on Dec 27, 2010 0:38:45 GMT -5
And all the smiles were gone. The laughter stopped. Rain's brow furrowed and Gingerstar recognized his grumpy expression and everything felt a lot more normal. She relaxed, letting her tail uncurl from around her legs and sweep back and forth. This is how it should be between them. There wasn't any room for laughter and things, she would do her best to make sure such insanity never happened again.
As Rain talked-- well, ranted-- though, her relative calm was disturbed by what he was spitting out of his teeth. Rain had no idea what he had signed up for...did he? Had Rain just joined on a whim then? Did he take one look at Pineclan and think of how much fun he was going to have frolicking in fields and munching on food other cats caught for him? He probably thought that protecting territory was pointless and saw their fights as stupid, petty squabbles. Some of them were, but that wasn't the point of clan life.
She scoffed at Rain as soon as he was finished, too annoyed to even form words at the moment. Though Rain claimed he wanted to join Pineclan and become a warrior, she did not know why. He knew nothing about anything-- about the warrior code, about her way of living, about the risks that warriors went through! Before she could teach him anything about fighting, she had to teach him everything about clan life! Honestly, why had he wanted to join something he knew nothing about? She remembered, vaguely, something about family and it feeling like home...something gushy that sounded like a lie (and it probably was).
Nevertheless, he was in and he was her apprentice. For a moment, that was all he was. Gingerstar forgot all about the fact he was a worthless loner weaseling into her life just to undermine her and saw him as a stupid, mindless apprentice who she had to, somehow, make a warrior out of. And right now it looked like she had to start from scratch.
"Continue having that tone with me and I'll take you there myself," she said sharply, as if she was talking to a mousebrained, mischievous kitten. If she was going to educate him, she didn't need this attitude.
"And yes, we kill each other. It's unfortunate and, according to the warrior code-- you do know what the warrior code is, don't you?-- we are not to take a life if it's unnecessary. But things happen. And we assume the worst of our enemies. Always. That's rule number one."
"Rule number two: Never give your enemy a chance to attack. There's no time for breaks, for hesitance, no time to prepare for your moves. You have to dominate the fight if you want to win. So," her smirk was back, "we're going to try this again. And you're going to attack me. And you're not going to run away." [/size] |
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Post by glowlynose on Dec 27, 2010 0:41:20 GMT -5
Rain could already tell that this new position of him being an apprentice was going to wear on his pride, probably on a daily basis. Gingerstar had exactly what she wanted- total power over him. He couldn't have any fun without her say so, couldn't eat without her say so, probably couldn't even breathe without violating some part of their sacred Warrior Code.
Oh, now she was really laying into him. She must be proud of her abilities to make somebody feel lesser and totally incompetent, which he probably was. He couldn't fight, had no idea what he was doing half the time, and had to constantly tread on glass for the fear that he would end up breaking some rule nobody had told him about and he'd get in trouble. The best thing about him was that he was stubborn, he guessed, though he didn't see how his stubbornness was a plus if it was constantly pitting him against Gingerstar. It was just his luck that he'd have to spend the better part of every day with her until she deemed him worthy to be a warrior. There was no telling when that would happen. As far as he knew, he might remain an apprentice until he died. Hooray?
He heaved a sigh and looked down, mumbling a defeated, "Yes'm." He would lose this battle and many more after it. Poor Crowpaw would probably get tired of seeing the burly apprentice in his den, but he couldn't help it that Gingerstar wanted to use claws.
"With all due respect 'n' such, Gingerstar, is me attackin' you actually going to accomplish something, or d'you just want an excuse to claw me agin? 'Cause I'll only do it if there's gonna be some useful trainin' in there." With that, he stood up and got himself in a battle stance. He wouldn't attack until she answered his question, but at least she knew he wasn't about to quit.
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Post by Whiskers on Dec 27, 2010 0:42:55 GMT -5
Rain's tiny, meek little "Yes'm" sent shivers of delight up Gingerstar's spine and the urge to cry out "VICTORY" to the trees. It was the sound of sweet submission, along with the hint of what resembled...respect? Or it was fear. Gingerstar had gotten to the point where she couldn't tell the difference, and hadn't really cared which one a cat had for her. As long as she knew they weren't going to try and...
Anyway.
Anyway, a 'Yes'm' was better than the snarling she had been getting from him and she would be smirking and purring if it wasn't for the . bit of disappointment that crawled into her brain, crashing her brief celebration and filling her with the nonsensical feeling of already? It was hiding underneath her happiness, but it was growing as the seconds passed, and it was seriously confusing. Why should she be disappointed? She loved crushing the spirits of those she hated. She lived for it. Her whole mission, when taking Rain on as her apprentice, was to chase him away. She was making serious progress too and here she was getting disappointed in Rain, for doing what she wanted him to do?
Well...you do like fighting. And he was fighting you, tooth and claw there, for a while...you miss that adrenaline rush, is all, her mind reasoned out. There was no other explanation.
Maybe that's the reason why she decided to pick a fight for no good reason. Because she liked it, and she liked seeing Rain all fiery and snarly and she liked crushing that fire, only to rile it up again. 'Sides, she still needed to chase him away from Pineclan, and to do that she needed him to hate her.
"I always want an excuse to claw you, Rain," she quipped, a spark in her eye as she prepared herself for battle, assuming a stance herself. "But as your mentor, I am to provide you with every learning opportunity possible. And I teach by example. Whenever you're ready." She met his eyes and challenged him with her whole body-- her gaze, her grin, her wiggling, anxious toes. And oh, she was having fun again, already. [/size] |
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Post by glowlynose on Dec 27, 2010 0:44:22 GMT -5
Rain decided to spare any frills and just go for it. He knew that Gingerstar would be able to predict any standard moves, the only problem was that he didn't know what those moves were. For all he knew, Gingerstar might be able to predict any move he might make. He wasn't very fast, so he couldn't count on speed to save him, and he wasn't very clever. All he could do was wrestle with her and hope that his greater size meant greater strength. Hah, some battle strategy. Oh well, it was better than no strategy. Right?
He started to circle her. He'd won a battle before. She was just a rat, that was all. He'd beaten those rats, though they'd been climbing all over him and trying to drag him down into the heart of their mob. He was bigger than them, so he'd won. He was bigger than Gingerstar, but she was smart, cunning, trained, and hated him with every fiber of her being. She had the advantage in this case. He would lose, and he would continue to lose for a long time. He would lose until he had learned enough about her fighting style and had learned enough battle moves to baffle her. Haha, she was probably wondering why he wouldn't give up already. Clearly, she wanted him gone. It must anger her that he refused to leave.
They were still circling- or rather, he was. Her sparkling eyes were burning holes in him and his resolve. Wait wait wait. What in the pit was this? Her eyes were sparkling. They were sparkling and he noticed it. They were sparkling and he noticed it and that just was not right! He was a guy, guys weren't supposed to notice those things! Now he was facing her again. Maybe she wouldn't expect this move...
Rain ran towards her, making out like he was going to dive for her paws again, but he pulled up at the last second, slamming the top of his head into her chin. That should disorient her long enough for him to swing around to her side and push her over. But cripes, she was strong! He couldn't push her over, even when he dug his claws in to get a better grip. He braced himself for a good clawing, but did not release his grip on her shoulder. Now was not the time to give up. [/center] |
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Post by Whiskers on Dec 27, 2010 0:46:07 GMT -5
He didn't barrel at her, like she expected the stupid loner to do and had prepared for. He circled her, something that brought a fleeting instance of panic, a random memory, to the front of her mind, recalling brown fur, yellow eyes and a weight against her back...
Only she had trained, specifically, to make sure something like that never happened again. The panic was squashed with a slow blink and she told herself that she was not going to lose. She was strong. He was bigger than her, but she knew how to handle that. He had natural strength given to him by nothing but his tomhood. It was untrained strength-- and she let herself consider the fact that, if trained, he would be a winning warrior, a cat she would consider an asset to her clan, albeit a boorish one-- while hers was careful, calculative. She had the upper hand here. There was only so much damage a blind badger could do, tearing up bushes and raking flowers out of the dirt, before the stupid creature ended up hurting itself.
He ran at her. Her eyes stayed trained on him the whole time and she saw the duck of his head-- going for her paws again! She knew he was stupid, but she had thought him smart enough to try something knew. Muscles tensed, she prepared to really crush his face into the ground this time--
There was slight jerk. A minute movement, her eyes barely caught it. She only had time to take a step back, rather than escape the move, and so his head barreled into her chin, and she saw the bright sun explode above her. Instinct kicked in. She braced her whole body, claws anchoring themselves to the soil while she blinked the pain out of her eyes and her mind. He had attacked her shoulder, a smart move, and the force he exerted let Gingerstar know the perfect way to gain the upper hand: she let go
Her claws left the soil and she let all Rain's built-up strength topple her over. He rolled with her, of course and she used her legs to kick him off of her and then hop back on top of him. She used all her strength to press him into the ground and then spat out some of her own blood by his head.
"Fantastic," she panted, truly meaning it. "It seems there's hope for you yet, Rain." [/size] |
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Post by glowlynose on Dec 27, 2010 0:46:51 GMT -5
Rain definitely did not expect to start rolling head over heels. Oh, Gingerstar was a cunning opponent, alright! He had fully prepared for a good clawing. He had been mentally and physically ready for the searing pain that would have come from his flesh being torn, and instead, he fell. How pathetic. He should have seen that one coming. But he hadn't seen it, and he'd been sucked into her trap and rolled over and over and over again, narrowly missing tree trunks and rocks. Well, he missed the larger rocks. Unfortunately, some smaller, sharp rocks sent little pricks of pain up his shoulders and flanks where the rats had bitten him and Crowpaw had so diligently tended to him.
The weirdest thing was that he was enjoying this. It tested him, and he'd hardly been tested at all his entire life. He relished it. Challenges gave him a chance to prove himself to, well, himself. Oh, and Gingerstar! He needed to prove himself to her too. There was just something about her that demanded it.
"Fantastic. It seems there's hope for you yet."
It was strange how good hearing those words made him feel. She was so close to saying that she was proud of him! He imagined that this was what every apprentice felt like when they got a compliment from their mentors. It felt good. It must feel even better to stand before the entire clan with your chest puffed out and your fur groomed until it gleamed brighter than the sun and everybody knowing that you'd finally earned your place in the clan. Earning that would mean that he'd earned Gingerstar's respect, and everyone would respect him. He would finally have a place in the world! He wouldn't have to wander anymore.
Rain needed a place in PineClan. From this moment on, he would fully devote himself to his warrior training.
"Why, thankee, miss," he said, feeling the warmth of self-gratification and happiness washing over him. She was almost proud of him! And she was being nice to him! His day was made.
It was easy to get out of her hold this time. She was only holding him by his one shoulder, so all he had to do was weasel out sideways and stand up. She said he had promise! Wow, he was acting like an apprentice. What was up with that? [/center] |
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Post by Whiskers on Dec 27, 2010 1:41:08 GMT -5
Once again, he escaped. Gingerstar really hated it when her apprentices did that, and her ears twitched a few times out of the sheer agitation it was causing her. She thought she was putting enough pressure to keep the damn tom still, but she was letting up. She wasn't paying attention. She was really looking forward to keeping him down until he begged and begged and begged to be let up again...
But he really was improving. Usually apprentices just stumbled over their feet and couldn't do anything to her the first few moons. Then again, apprentices weren't usually massive toms filled with muscle and stubbornness like Rain here. He was definitely the most unique apprentice she had ever trained. This thought brought an idea to light, something that she should have already, probably, considered. If Rain wasn't like other apprentices, he shouldn't be trained like them. She needed to think of a new set of...games, she'd call it. Harder games, that would really challenge him and hone his talents--
What was she even thinking? Clearly she was getting carried away with the adrenaline of the battle, or perhaps it was the taste of blood going to her brain. She shouldn't waste her time creating fun, challenging training activities! She needed to chase Rain away!
Well, perhaps you could just make them challenging and impossible. Frustrating. Ridiculous. Then he'd give up and walk away, join another clan maybe. There's always that.
She cleared her throat. "Well don't thank me yet. You showed me that you could, at the very least, use that birdbrain of yours. Let's hope it wasn't a one-time thing, hm?" Standing up, she trotted closer to him, getting into his personal space and raising her chin so she was, pretty much, his height. "Now...one more time? Or are you ready for something new?" [/size] |
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We have a cbox again and we're opening the place up as a closed, members only rp