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Post by Cloud of Diamonds on Aug 7, 2010 7:49:40 GMT -5
The partially spotted she-cat was even more nervous than usual today. She wasn't quite sure why.
Perhaps it was the fact that she was completely off in another world and at the back of her mind, her raven-colored fear lurked, waiting for her to be distracted so it had a chance to render her helpless.
Perhaps it was the fact that though it was well past dawn, she hadn't done a thing yet - but she was going to, of course.
And maybe it was because Crowclaw was still in camp, close by - not that she was aware of that.
She was lost in that most enticing (and sometimes disturbing) realm: possibilities. The MeadowClanner was thinking about when she would become a warrior, and all things related to it.
Friends, assessments, challenges, status, name...
Yet through it all the fear of her mentor was untouched - unusual, but then Palepaw tended to avoid unpleasant topics when it wasn't entirely necessary to confront him. Or perhaps Crowclaw (or the fear of him) was softening her up so he could (perhaps) get her.
But then, she was a fanciful cat - if she'd been thinking of such things at all. She was aware of it dimly, but only in a subconcious, easily waved away as uneasiness sense.
As to the she-cat's thoughts, which took place under glazed eyes and a vaguely twitching black-tufted tail, they were something like this...
Her desire to be friends with Swiftpaw and Peachpaw, (how would she bring them together? Would they still be friends when she was a warrior, in only a moon or so?) Assessments (would there be one soon? Would she be in it? Could she become a warrior after it?) Challenges (becoming a warrior, worrying about the ominous rumors that had been circulating) Status (how did she feel now, about the rumors, about being a ForestClanner? How would she feel about being a warrior?) and finally, name (Namely, hers. What would it be? Palefoot, maybe...or Palenose...
Or maybe Palefear, she thought as she gulped.
Her mentor was only tail-lengths away from her and he did not look happy.
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Post by Slug on Aug 7, 2010 20:14:54 GMT -5
How long had Palepaw been there, doing absolutely nothing? It made him wonder why he had been burdened with such a useless she-cat to struggle with. It was unfair. Crowclaw was a good, if not great warrior that supported his clan! Why did he get Palepaw, when there were plenty of others that deserved him more?
Well, no matter. He had a she-cat to scold.
"Palepaw," His voice foretold the ear-chewing to come as he padded his way over to the she-cat, lips curling as he caught scent of fear.
Only another reason to belittle Palepaw.
"Why is it that a perfectly trained apprentice like yourself, has not done anything to help support MeadowClan today?" Crowclaw asked smoothly, towering over the she-cat as he stared down his nose at her. "Sometimes it makes me wonder why you were allowed to be an apprentice, let alone mine."
Let the games begin.
"Palepaw, a real apprentice would be hunting, or doing something that would benefit their clan, but it seems you're not even capable of removing ticks from an Elder's back," The black warrior murmured, yellow eyes gleaming in the sunlight.
"Such a waste."
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Post by Cloud of Diamonds on Aug 8, 2010 22:14:23 GMT -5
Her instincts immediately sent her into fear mode. Hunched down, shivering, eyes wide, pupils now slits, tail whipping wildly. At this point the MeadowClanner now longer cared about concealing it; it was too hard to suppress. Let her be embarrassed. At least she'd be on her guard. And her head hung low too, after he finished talking. He was right. She was worthless. Worthless. She would never be a warrior. She was a disgrace to her ancestors and to MeadowClan. A failure.
"B-because I'm a horrible failure, Crowclaw." She mumbled, looking down. "I'm not worthy to be an apprentice of MeadowClan, of any Clan, you're right. I'm never going to be a warrior. I'm a complete and utter waste."
Only half of her believed this, but that half was overwhelmingly strong in the presence of Crowclaw. It also would not let her move, even though her mind was screaming for her to escape.
Sprucefur
The gray and white tom was very pleased with himself. Two mice today. Definitely something to show off to the ladies about. Now if only he could find any...oh, there was one! Poor damsel in distress, the poor thing looked like she was terrified. Who was that menacing black tom talking in such a scathing voice to her...Crowclaw! Of course, the villain would torment his own apprentice. Well, it was up to him to save her.
Carelessly dropping one of his mice on the fresh-kill pile, but holding onto the other one, he sauntered over to the odd duo.
Bending down to place his prey, he stood back up and looked the night-colored tom right in his eyes, staring cockily at him.
"Lay'ff durr lady, mouse-brain. Shesn't done'a thing ta joo." Then he winked at Palepaw. "Dun worreh, pretteh face, I'z get choo outta dis. We canz has some fun togeth'r later. And hurr, take m'mouse." He shoved toward her with his paw, offering it to his suffering Clanmate.
Palepaw's look of fear became mixed with one of puzzlement, which looked very strange.
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Post by Slug on Aug 13, 2010 6:55:23 GMT -5
"B-because I'm a horrible failure, Crowclaw. I'm not worthy to be an apprentice of MeadowClan, of any Clan, you're right. I'm never going to be a warrior. I'm a complete and utter waste."
Crowclaw felt something akin to disgust, though not quite disgust as it was disappointment. This pathetic, sniveling little fuzzball was scared of him-- not that he could blame her, really, but a few biting words shouldn't turn a cat into a shivering wreck.
He was going to change that. Now.
"Lay'ff durr lady, mouse-brain. Shesn't done'a thing ta joo. Dun worreh, pretteh face, I'z get choo outta dis. We canz has some fun togeth'r later. And hurr, take m'mouse."
...Correction: he was going to change that after he ripped Sprucefur a new one.
"Sprucefur, the only mousebrain here is the one with the terribly fake accent," Crowclaw drawled, checking his claws as they kneaded the ground. "Now, do me a favor and beat it. I do not appreciate you--"
Wait a minute.
"...Sprucefur, Palepaw is still an apprentice, but most importantly, she is my apprentice. Do not flirt with her, or there will be consequences," Crowclaw snapped, irritation-- and worry?-- flashing in his eyes.
It wasn't that he cared about Palepaw, oh no. It was completely and entirely because Crowclaw disliked the fact that revolting Sprucefur was tossing innuendos at Palepaw-- who was quite obviously still an apprentice. Yes, that was it....
Keep telling yourself that, Crowclaw.
"Palepaw," Crowclaw opted for a smoother, more calm tone, blatantly ignoring the fact that Sprucefur existed as he switched his attention to Palepaw. "You fear me, that much is obvious. However, your fear is irrational and borderlines terror, and I will not let it continue for the sake of MeadowClan," The warrior paused, and for a moment, it seemed like the tom had lost himself in his thoughts.
Then he shook his head, and spoke.
"I am your mentor, Palepaw. I can not and will not ever hurt you," Crowclaw settled on his haunches, glancing sideways at Sprucefur before adding "Despite what you and others might think about me, I don't harm my clanmates."
In public, anyways.
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Post by Cloud of Diamonds on Aug 13, 2010 9:03:44 GMT -5
Palepaw felt like running away so far no one would ever find her and she'd live her days out as a rogue. But that wasn't really an option. Her pelt was going to need serious washing after crouching in the dirt for this long. Of course, her brain was only throwing up these facts so she could ignore what was happening.
He knew. Crowclaw knew. It was the end of the world.
Well, not really, but her sense of drama was kicking in, what a surprise. She sighed in resignment. Figures. Well, as long as he didn't tell anyone else it couldn't be too bad. And if he did, well...life would go on. She just had to keep telling herself that or she'd die of despair.
She tried to ignore the fact that this was in front of Sprucefur. Not that she gave a mouse tail what he thought, but he was still a warrior. The cream-chested she-cat decided she didn't much like him. However much she might fear Crowclaw - she didn't really hate him, she wasn't that kind of cat - he had a point. She was much too young for flirting and she had no interest in toms, however close to being a warrior she might be.
She almost laughed at what he said about not hurting. Right. Next he'd have her believe that hedgehogs could fly. Crowclaw would rip a cat's pelt off if they so much looked at him the wrong way, she knew it. And that probably included her, although he wouldn't dare damage her too badly - Cedarstar would banish him. But he could easily rough her up in practice as punishment and no cat would ever know. The possibilities were chilling.
But she still had Sprucefur to deal with. Although Crowclaw looked like he was pretty far along in that category. Still, she should say something.
"C-crowclaw's right, Sprucefur. L-leave me alone. I don't want your mouse." Her voice was weak, but it had defiance in it. Even if she actually liked Sprucefur, she wouldn't dare defy Crowclaw. She'd sooner be trapped in a cave-in. But she didn't, so her defiance was real.
Sprucefur
His jaw dropped in an almost comical way as he stared at the piece of fox dung before him. What an idiot. What a total IDIOT.
His way of speaking was not fake, and it was not an accent! It was a preferred way of speaking! Crowclaw was so dumb.
"It's not an accent, moron, it's a preferred way of speaking. YOU'RE just touchier than the average insane badger." he snapped in normal, or what he liked to call, "boring" speech.
Palepaw marveled at Sprucefur's boldness and thought it was a shame it had to be ripped out of him. Though honestly, she didn't feel too sorry. Anyone dumb enough to get on Crowclaw's bad side paid the price.
He continued in this vein: "'Sides, who made you leader? And I don't think you're in much of a position to decide what's right for her." he growled. "At least I don't scare her to death. I can't imagine how scarred she must be from your company, tormenting her all the time like this. It's just evil. You're just evil. There's nothing inside you but cruelty." He assumed a solemn, proud stance, glaring at Crowclaw with "righteous" anger.
Then Palepaw spoke, and his jaw dropped at her, too.
"WHAT?! You mean...you don't even care? After I was kind enough to defend you and offer you prey, after I'm trying to rescue you from this maniac, you AREN'T EVEN GRATEFUL?!"
Palepaw considered it. For once in her life, she preferred Crowclaw to someone else.
"Nope."
The gray and white warrior groaned.
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Post by Slug on Aug 19, 2010 4:55:49 GMT -5
"It's not an accent, moron, it's a preferred way of speaking. YOU'RE just touchier than the average insane badger."
"Said the MeadowClanner who was getting touchy about his preferred way of speaking," Crowclaw drawled smoothly, idly looking at the other warrior with smug eyes.
Crowclaw: 2. Sprucefur? Zero.
"'Sides, who made you leader? And I don't think you're in much of a position to decide what's right for her. "At least I don't scare her to death. I can't imagine how scarred she must be from your company, tormenting her all the time like this. It's just evil. You're just evil. There's nothing inside you but cruelty."
And that's when Palepaw spoke.
"C-crowclaw's right, Sprucefur. L-leave me alone. I don't want your mouse."
Silence.
Then... "WHAT?! You mean...you don't even care? After I was kind enough to defend you and offer you prey, after I'm trying to rescue you from this maniac, you AREN'T EVEN GRATEFUL?!"
Nope.
That one word triggered something in Crowclaw. He didn't know what it was, or where it had come from.
All he knew that he never been more happy as he smiled at Palepaw-- actually smiled, chest rumbling loudly with amusement.
There it was. That edge of defiance creeping into Palepaw's voice. If anything, this was probably the first time Crowclaw had something to be proud of about his apprentice.
Now if only he could nudge that defiance in the right direction... well, that would be an interesting sight.
But enough with this touching moment. Crowclaw was starting to get nauseous.
"As for you, Sprucefur..." He began, his tone clipped with ice as he stared, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"You are in no position to tell me how to train my apprentice," His voice was dark, heated anger peaking through his cold tone. "Palepaw is my apprentice. Mine to raise and train. You, on the other hand, are not her mentor. You have no right to tell me how to teach her. Do you understand this? Can you even comprehend what wrong you have just done in telling me, Palepaw's mentor, what I can't and can do? Because advise and control are two different things, and you seem to be having the problem of telling the difference between them."
His words came to a sudden halt as he took a sharp intake of air, nostrils flaring with barely controlled rage.
And then the storm after the silence happened.
"Do not let this happen again, Sprucefur, because rest assured. If it does, I will be quick to tell Cedarstar of it."
And like that, the storm calmed, and only Crowclaw was left, a taunting smile on his lips as his threat-- no, promise hung in the air.
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OOC: omj fail post is fail. Dx
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Post by Cloud of Diamonds on Aug 19, 2010 11:18:45 GMT -5
Steam was practically coming out of his ears. But inwardly, he was sighing, realizing defeat, and faintly, ever so faintly, realizing that he might have been a bit foolish. But that was all irrelevant. He had to leave. He was beaten. It was enough to make him want to kill something. But even Sprucefur, reckless, somewhat vain, somewhat idiotic Sprucefur, knew when he had been conquered.
"Dis ish not durr end, Crowclaw." He hissed, staring directly into the black tom's eyes. He had redadopted his usual way of speaking. Who CARED if it sounded slightly strange? He would keep speaking this way, loud and proud! No cat would stop him, not even Cedarstar himself. It did not sound stupid, it did not sound fake, it was original and creative and gosh darnit he would DO IT!
Growling and muttering to himself, he spun around (hoping his tail would hit Crowclaw's face) and padded off quickly, ears burning partly in shame, partly in embarrassment. But he would hide it. He would be strong. He would be a warrior of MeadowClan! And he would live to fight another day - against his arch rival, Crowclaw! Dang Cedarstar, he would just be more subtle with his insults.
The gray and white tom enjoyed being dramatic in his head.
Palepaw
Though it was true that she had wanted him gone, now she was alone with her mentor again, and she gulped. What might he do to punish her for her fearfulness? Surely he would. Perhaps Sprucefur was right. Maybe Crowclaw was full of nothing but cruelty and this was all just a ruse to gain her trust so he could hurt her more. She felt slightly ashamed of thinking so badly of a cat, let alone her mentor and a warrior of her Clan, but this was Crowclaw. The most scary, unpredictable cat alive. Just look how he had sent even Sprucefur away with barely any effort at all. And that was only with words. The she-cat shivered.
But she had to pretend to be brave, so he wouldn't bear down on her even more. Ohhhh, it was going to be hard. Because what if she made a mistake? Ohhh, she would get it. But she would do that anyway being scared, so she might as well pretend to be brave and it might be better...maybe he would be less mad if she weren't paranoid...
Ohhhh, it was going to be impossible. Thank StarClan she had only a moon or two left of being an apprentice. Thank. StarClan.
Well, at least she had an excuse for leaving.
"I-I'll go help the elders, Crowclaw. I w-won't fail, I promise." She dipped her head awkwardly to him and padded off to the elders' den as quickly as possible without running.
If only she had someone to talk to about all this.
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Post by Slug on Aug 19, 2010 11:40:27 GMT -5
OOC: THIS THREAD HAS NOW ENDED. Thanks for reading !
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