we just can't help ourselves -- patrol !

[Swift ✱]

MOONBEAM
say my name
and every colour illuminates
we are shining
and we will never be afraid again
▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

Moonbeam had been awake for a while now. She always woke up early enough and waited around camp for Dreamfeather to name who was on patrol. And if she wasn't on that patrol, she would go off for a little walk or chat with who would. The dawn hunting patrol had left and was back, bringing with them a few pieces of prey for the clan. It just so happened that the silver and black patched female was on patrol with three others at sun-high. She didn't mind patrols, perhaps she even liked them; they were a way to get out of the hustle and bustle of camp. The she-cat stood up and padded slowly across the camp clearing in the general direction of the exit.

"Jayblue, Brazenpaw, Martenpaw? Patrol!" she mewed cheerfully. She wasn't quite in the mood for wild apprentices that weren't hers to train along with Jayblue - who was actually the deputy's cousin, though it was hard to see the resemblance from where she stood - added to the mix, but Moonbeam still smiled like she always did; not letting on what she was thinking. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad outing and maybe she could go out and get back without having too much to deal with. Moonbeam stopped near the exit as she waited for the others to come and join her. She sat down with her large, bushy tail curled across her paws that seemed little in comparison.

Her wide, innocent green eyes blinked when, for a moment, she wondered if they would even listen to her out there. After all, she was barely a warrior herself. But she had been out on quite a few patrols as warrior since the ceremony, sometimes leading. Perhaps it was the deputy's way of getting her used to this way of things. But for Moonbeam, it was uncomfortable ordering warriors older and far more experienced than herself to come on patrol with her. She found it so much easier to ask them nicely - which she did. It wasn't that she felt out of place, simply out of her depth. But at least she and Jayblue were closer to each others' age so Moonbeam would have to go through the discomfort of telling an older warrior what to do.

✱ tagged | jayblue (dawn); martenpaw (dusk); brazenpaw (lynx)

[Dawn]

The time at which he and Brazenpaw returned last night had been quite late. Jayblue had gotten half the sleep he normally did, and when he heard a cat calling out his name, he reacted with a jerk, blue eyes blinking hazily. Dreamfeather and Voidstar had dictated that he and Brazenpaw go on dawn patrols, but he supposed they must have made a special allowance for today, as it was already near sunhigh. Almost too tired to be an asshole, he stalked over to the source of the noise, and as he lifted his lowered head, slowly Moonbeam came into focus. Good. He didn't half mind her, and they were very close to the same age, though how close he couldn't say. He didn't exactly recall her age, whether it was higher or lower than eighteen moons. It didn't really matter. He wasn't letting anyone but the most senior warriors push him around. And even then, Jayblue pretty much did his own thing.

The silver and black she-cat seemed to be in good spirits, and while he was never in such, he was too tired yet to be snappish. Trying to halt a yawn as it pushed out of his jaws, the blue-gray tabby looked at Moonbeam through watery blues, and finally mentally organized the names she had called out. "Guess it's just me and you three beauties," he murmured aloud, twitching long white whiskers. Let's see. There was Martenpaw, whom he despised, but also enjoyed arguing with when he got the chance. And then there was Brazenpaw. Jayblue didn't really know where they stood right then, but he wasn't about to call it friendship. Whatever it was, she'd saved his life, and wouldn't be in a hurry to forget it. Moonbeam, of course, wasn't too bad. He didn't know her well enough to dislike her. Or, to put it more accurately, what he did know hadn't lead him to dislike her yet. Anyway, she was leading this patrol.

Arching his back, Jayblue strained the muscles in his forelegs, tilting his neck up toward the brightening sky. He let out a sudden groan, as a bit in his shoulder gave a crack. The effects of being wrested out of the mud pit had been bad enough; after sleeping on it, he'd grown stiff and even more sore. This was going to be a very long patrol.

[/justify]

[Dusk]

Martenpaw

The day was still rather young, and typically Martenpaw may have still been curled up warm and happy nestled in among the roots of the great tree. She enjoyed sleeping in greatly, although she'd be quick to claw up anyone who had the gall to call her lazy, and figured she made up for it by putting in a good amount of effort throughout the day. Today, however, Dreamfeather had seen it fit to rouse the long-bodied feline from a blissful rest and set her out on an early morning hunting assessment. It might not have been so bad were they not just coming out of winter, but as they were, hunting so early meant trudging through frozen Tempestclan land and risking tripping into a bog that didn't give away underfoot the moment one put pressure on the sludge. Besides that, there was the fact that the birds and voles and various other forms of prey were just as loathe to step out of cozy burrows and brave the morning chill. Her fur, rich as it was, served admirably to keep out the cold, but warmth for herself didn't mean she'd had any luck with catching prey. After a couple of hour all she'd had to show for - albeit halfhearted - work was a scrawny vole who'd managed to give her a vicous nip on the nose before dying and two birds that were likely more feather than meat. Not impressive for the deputy's apprentice.

And slowly trudging back into camp to drop off her catch under the silver tabby's critical gaze, the last thing she felt like was heading out again. Who was Dreamfeather to judge her?! It didn't matter what that the older female thought of Martenpaw, the she-cat decided with some petulance. And she didn't immediately step up to head over when she heard the call for the patrol. Especially not once she heard the names of whom she'd be accompanied by. Jayblue. How wonderful. The last thing the she-cat wanted at the moment was to spend time with another of Dreamfeather's relations. She could hear someone stalking their way over to Moonbeam, but bent down to begin a leisurely grooming of her fur. Travelling through the thick brush of their territory often resulted in quite the array of twigs and dirt in her fur, and it was a lengthy process to wrestle small branches free of the tangles. It was never seen as good manners to keep a patrol waiting, but oh well. Eventually she was finished.

Standing, the she-cat made her way over to her travelling companions. "How goes it?" She called out casually. A smirk twisted up on her lips as she spotted Jayblue giving a stiff stretch, groaning in slight pain at whatever ailed him. "Getting on in age, I see, Jayblue," she mewed as she closed the remaining distance between herself and the two warriors. She sent a slight dip of her head in Moonbeam's direction. So there was the semi-new warrior she-cat. Lazy-ass Blue Boy. Herself. And then, of course, her sibling Brazenpaw. This sounded like it would be an interesting patrol.

[LYNX ♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv347/lovelywarriorlynx/brazenpaw22.png] the sun climbed higher and higher with each passing moment that the feline spent lurking aimlessly about, but it seemed to move slower than was natural. perhaps it was her own frayed nerves causing such hallucinations, or simply the fact that she'd spent the entire day from the moment she woke up being quite the opposite of productive. in fact, she hadn't done anything except avoid the imminent patrol that awaited her. it couldn't possibly be that bad but for some reason whenever a warrior made as if to approach her, the apprentice's heart pounded out of her chest. I'm going crazy. she told herself inwardly, a frustrated sigh working its way out of her as she lay down, cool in the forgiving shade of tempestclan's most famous tree, long tail curled up around her stocky frame. her gaze was narrowed, threatening as the female silently dared anyone to come near her, while her conscience wheeled. why on earth hadn't he been sent out yet? was jayblue up and about? why the hell was that last question relevant? the abyssinian's claws were protruding from her big paws, and she drove them idly into the sod, looking about her. ah! at last, she saw the stupidly attractive silver tabby emerge from the tree and call out-- of course, her own name. along with jayblue, no surprise there and, starclan above, the name of her eldest sister. wow, an interesting patrol indeed. especially accounting for the fact that if moonbeam and jayblue weren't the very same age, and a young age at that, then jayblue would be the oldest cat on patrol. ugh, a good opporunity for him to be a bossy asshole!" heaving herself up, ribcage pounding for some reason, the muddy brown female, youngest of course, meandered on over to the small party of tempestclan cats, all looking quite apprehensive to be with one another. she couldn't pretend she was too pleased either, but since there weren't really a large quantity of cats in her clan that she did like, it could have been a much worse arrangement. still, brazenpaw was skeptical about her pseudo-friendship with the gray tabby tom, whom she now glared at halfheartedly. "beauties." she sneered, rolling her eyes. she straightened a bit when martenpaw spoke up, and brazenpaw curled her own black-tipped tail, grimacing. "can we get on with this?" she snapped, fighting the urge to take the initiative herself as she was in the presense of (slightly) older cats and they ought to lead the patrol. she just wanted to be done with it already! "ay martenpaw." she added as an afterthought, then avoided the gazes of all three and twisted to give her shoulder a few solid licks, knowing she would look like hell anyway.

[Swift ✱]

"Guess it's just me and you three beauties," Moonbeam looked at Jayblue oddly at his statement, a crooked and slightly bewildered smile on her face. At least he didn't snap at her for making him wake up. Martenpaw and Brazenpaw joined them, and Moonbeam was glad it didn't take too long to rally the troops. At least they were all here and ready to go. The silver she-cat kept quiet while Brazenpaw sneered at Jayblue's comment. Moonbeam blinked at the tom. Did none of that sort of thing bother him? It would certainly bother her. But then of course, Jayblue was the complete opposite to her. He could probably retaliate and then forget about it, whereas she would feel guilty afterwards. Moonbeam's white-tipped paws shifted a little step backwards towards the way out of camp as Brazenpaw's voice made her pause.

"Can we get on with this?" Moonbeam blinked at Brazenpaw for a moment with wide eyes. Maybe this patrol wouldn't be as easy as she had previously thought. She reminded herself that she was in the presence of Blackshard's kits, and their manners weren't up to scratch even though Blackshard barely spared them a glance. And Jayblue could be quite rude, though right now he seemed a little too tired to be his usual self. But then, he might come to in the duration of this patrol. "Yes, let's go!" she mewed lightly. She smiled brightly a short moment later, as if she'd forgotten to when she spoke. She began to bounce off out of camp, her bushy tail floating behind her. The she-cat's pace was not jumpy just because of the prospect of the patrol, but because she was anxious, though she felt silly for that. She suspected that the three of them would probably be at each other no matter that she was here so she might as well leave them to it. This would be fun, fun, fun!

[Dawn]

Jayblue ignored the somali apprentice as she approached, and let his eyes fall anywhere but upon her soon approaching sibling. "Oh, yeah. I'm practically ancient, compared to you, Martenkit," Jayblue sneered softly, shooting her an icy look that pretty much said what he thought of her. Brazenpaw continued her approach, taking what felt like ages to close the space between herself and the other three patrol members. He tried not to be antsy, pressing his paws into the ground to remain still, but he had the oddest urge to go running off into the forest without the others. Instead, he began to lick his shoulder awkwardly, so that his eyes were turned away from the she-cats. Even with his face turned away the tabby heard Brazenpaw's equally degrading tone, and could almost detect the roll of her eyes in her voice, had he not snapped his head back in time to catch it.

Still, the tom couldn't help but agree with her sentiment. He wanted to get on with this, get moving, and get done. He hardly noticed that Brazenpaw had started licking her own shoulder, as busy as he was scanning the crowd with anxious eyes. Pretending that he was looking for someone or something in particular, when in fact he was just passing the time, trying not to make himself look like too much of a moron. "Yeah, let's get going..." Jayblue muttered, his tone lacking malice, reverting back to quiet and halting. He didn't have much to say; he was just dredging up the energy to follow Moonbeam, paws heavy. Hearing her bright voice, he couldn't help but grit his teeth. Has she been at the poppy seeds, or what? This patrol is so tense I won't be surprised if we scare all of the prey off just by being around. I know I sure wouldn't mind running in the opposite direction...

He began to wake up a bit more as they padded through the low growing foliage, paws brushing at wet, loamy soil. It masked not only their scents but their sounds, for which he ought to have been grateful. He wasn't especially large, not like his cousins, and yet, unlike his runt of a sister, he was completely graceless. He was mostly just lanky with paws that seemed to have all different ideas on which direction to go. Apparently his father had been the same way as a young warrior.

Jayblue breathed in deeply, wondering if there would in fact be any hunting on this patrol or if it was borders only. If it was, he supposed there was no harm in putting his foot in his mouth, like usual. "Sleep well, Brazenpaw?" The comment ran with a current not of coldness but knowing, and perhaps a hint of dry humor. He was certain stupid Martenpaw would start an argument soon enough anyway, so he may as well get the ball rolling with a little conversation.

[/justify]

[Dusk]

Martenpaw

The young apprentice gave a frown, glaring daggers at the heftier warrior with eyes narrowed beneath her brow. Pompous tom, Jayblue still thought himself better than most other cats in the clan; especially those younger than himself. It was a wonder he was even tolerating the fact that two apprentice-age she-cats would be present in the patrol. She bit off the start of an acid remark, ears instead flicking casually as she brushed off the "kit" jibe. Martenpaw had - grudgingly - learned a bit from their earlier encounters, and was learning not to rise to the bait which he so neatly laid out. "Well, you certainly move with all the grace of an Elder," she simpered innocently, downy tail swishing neatly behind her as she spoke. Besides coloration, the tom didn't much match up to the rest of his large family. Secretly the she-cat was glad that he failed to align with many of the common family traits; it would have disgusted the she-cat to draw many comparisons between Jayblue and her mentor.

With a shift the feline swapped her attention to her approaching sibling and greeted her sister with a short wave of the tail. A bemused look flashed momentarily across her features as she glanced around at the other three composing the body of the patrol and noted their restlessness; irritability in the group showed in the way they shuffled and moved in jerky motions. "Good Starclan, everyone's a bit antsy today now aren't they?" She gave a short laugh, uncaring whether or not her statement was appreciated by her current companions. "'Specially you, Brazenpaw." The she-cat gave a small exhale as she heaved herself forward, following casually after the rest of the cats. It wasn't a sluggish motion, just languid, unwillingly to push herself to meet with the expectations of the others. What did it matter if they had to wait up for her? The patrol would have to go at a restrained pace anyways, or Dreamfeather would have their hides for doing a poor job of watching borders. It would take one rogue scent to have the deputy down their throats.

Her mind wandered as they worked their way through the mixed territory of marsh and forest, generally remaining detached from the group and instead staring out for any possible signs of prey to snatch up for a snack. At least Jayblue wasn't blundering about stirring up as much noise as a blind badger. Odd, though, that he was interested in raising some form of conversation. And with Brazenpaw of all things. It wasn't that she looked down on the shorter-furred sibling, only she'd assumed the blue-boy was largely scornful of their entire rogue lot. "Since when did you two start talkin'"? She blurted out without thinking, surprise making her loose words before she could think them through.

[LYNX ♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv347/lovelywarriorlynx/brazenpaw22.png] she almost felt bad for her entire lack of manners toward moonbeam when the silver-dappled female hesitated a moment before answering, seemingly astonished, but then brazenpaw felt herself fighting to hold back a sharp bark of laughter. seriously? she wondered how moonbeam had actually lived her entire life in tempestclan with reactions like that to a little bit of impatience. that wasn't even a taste of the impudense that the scruffy apprentice was capable of, and she had to have learned that kind of thing somewhere, hadn't she? she had always seemed her sharp attitude and that of those around her was simply due to the nature of the clan they were raised by, but starclan above what was up with sweets-cheeks-moonbeam then? probably treated nice cuz she's pretty, her conscience snarled all of the sudden, and brazenpaw was startled even by herself, wondering where a thought like that came from. but she was quickly distracted from that when her sister spoke, and the reply that she cast martenpaw was little more than a half-joking sneer. after a moment, though, she added, "I'm usually a shining ray of sunlight right?" sounding more bitter than she had meant to. "I've just got things I'd rather be doing. like napping, or training." she added hastily, as if backpedaling. falling into step with the rest of the small party of cats, brazenpaw let her long tail hang low, brushing along the scrubby fen grass while her paws trod the marshy ground with expertise, like the rest of her clanmates. it came natural of course, but she couldn't help being a bit jumpy about the terrain after the evening before's traumatic events-- her muddled green gaze flitted toward the patrol's only tom before narrowing, staring stonily forward. it was as if he sensed her thoughts, though, because he spoke to her suddenly. sleep well? she was startled enough that she was caught between a snarl and a laugh, and managed to emit only a rough cough, "well? I-," she scrambled for words, looking shiftily toward her other clanmates before gaining her composure and dipping her head with something like mock civility, "brilliantly, thanks for asking pal." she retorted at last, rolling her eyes before biting her lower lip and glancing at her sister, "well well, look who's suddenly interested in my business," brazenpaw snapped, "I'll have you know that jayblue is my clanmate and, oddly enough, sometimes clanmates are allowed to exchange words, ok?" with a sniff, the rusty hued female twitched her whiskers and cast martenpaw a challenging look, suddenly quite aware of jayblue near her and moonbeam not far off.

[Swift ✱]

The patched she-cat continued padding ahead quietly. It felt unusual for her not to be chattering away but there was no one to chat to, so she kept her maw shut. And she knew that if she opened her mouth she would probably say something wrong. She could tell from the way their eyes held a skeptical look that they wouldn't hesitate to judge her words and actions. But she wouldn't be put off by this when she was leading the patrol. Moonbeam knew that that was just how they behaved. Roughly. Was she still not accustomed to these things after growing up in Tempestclan? Maybe, maybe not.

She kept one ear on their conversation and one ear on the land. She felt no urge to butt in at any point because she wasn't part of this thing they had going on. Perhaps it was just that she didn't run in the same circles as them. Perhaps she was just the odd one out in the clan. After all, she wasn't known for her rough words, her draw to fighting nor her determination. In fact, Moonbeam was perhaps the very opposite of what the rest of the clan were, excluding a select few. As an apprentice, she hadn't noticed how astranged she was but as a warrior, she was seeing things a little differently. She wasn't really one of them. Yet she had grown up a Tempestclan cat. Of course, she was technically a rogue that the clan took in because if her clanless mother.

Whatever set her apart her from the rest of the clan didn't change the fact that she was still on this patrol. The she-cact continued her hasty walk through the territory at the head of the small group as voices sounded behind her, having conversations that didn't involve her. For that, Moonbeam didn't mind. “I'll have you know that jayblue is my clanmate and, oddly enough, sometimes clanmates are allowed to exchange words, ok?" Moonbeam walked on, her green eyes skimming the ground ahead for any sign of prey she could bring back to camp. But she couldn't help thinking that Brazenpaw sounded very defensive at her sister's statement about her and Jayblue.

Then Moonbeam decided that there was no prey for her to find. And anyway, that wasn't the aim of this particular patrol so it wasn't that important. But it would have been nice to have found something. It seemed there was less and less prey everyday in the clan. Whether it was some cats being very greedy or a territory slightly lacking in prey, she couldn't be sure. She hadn't seen anyone taking more than their fair share, so maybe the prey were just hiding on them all. Or maybe something had scared them off. Moonbeam hadn't caught any strange scents of rogues, though. Moonbeam simply continued to ponder this while the rest of the patrol babbled on, filling her head with conversations that she had little interest in, though she listened all the same - just so she knew what was happening.

[/justify]

[Dawn]

"He’s the devil in disguise, a snake with blue eyes, and he only comes out at night." Jayblue stalked along, head down, ears back, eyes alert. His tail lashed but his fur lay flat. "Well, you certainly move with all the grace of an Elder," In response Jayblue murmured in a venomously sugary tone, "Thanks, sweetie. You too." Things couldn't have been going better. To think he had to endure this for the next two moons. "brilliantly, thanks for asking pal." Jayblue shook his head, annoyed. "Oh, my pleasure," he retorted dryly, taking a half glance at her facial expression before regaining focus on the path ahead. He made a genuine effort to scent the air for foreign scents, trying to distract himself from the rest of the party. A movement off to the side caught his attention, but it turned out to be only a leaf, animated by the wind. It wasn't long before he became aware of Martenpaw's little 'take her time' act. He had decided he'd had enough of Martenpaw already now. In fact, he'd just as soon it was a patrol of three, not four, with the spunky, loud mouthed apprentice at home. When she blurted, "Since when did you two start talkin'?" he rolled his eyes and was about to bite back a reply, jaws already opening with lips pulled back to show fang, when Brazenpaw beat him to it. "I'll have you know that jayblue is my clanmate and, oddly enough, sometimes clanmates are allowed to exchange words, ok?" He increased his pace a bit, not noticeably but putting a small amount of distance between himself and the sisters, as he heard the note in Brazenpaw's voice. "Just keep your mouth shut, okay, Martenpaw? None of us need any more trouble." His voice was unusually brusque, clearly eager to change the subject and move on. It was unlike him, not wanting to start a fight as usual. Closing his words off sharply, Jayblue moved to walk next to Moonbeam, and forced his voice to maintain a calm, low pitch. "I heard that Voidstar was looking to give you an apprentice out of the next litter," he commented in his best attempt to be civil. Another motion among the green grabbed his eye, and this time it turned out not to be a breeze but in fact a flash of pale brown fur. Giving Moonbeam a look, he fell in a hunting crouch, edging forward with tight muscles. Hardly taking a second to access the situation, Jayblue leaped forward and bluntly put his paws down on the hind end of the mouse. It squealed in alarm, but he cut that off as he tossed it up with his paws and got a firm hold, biting it to the neck. It seemed worthy enough to share with someone else, but he certainly wasn't going to pipe up and say so. Jayblue wasn't feeling that polite, nor that outgoing. He didn't want to wolf it down now in front of the others, though, and besides, his stomach was no longer growling in protest. So he dug up a very fast patch of earth, and then snapped up the little body in his jaws to drop into the opening. Maybe later he'd think of bringing it to the medicine cat, or asking Brazenpaw if she'd like some. Just because he owed her one. Rejoining the patrol line, he quickly memorized the spot where the kill was buried, so that he could come back afterward.

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[Dusk]

Martenpaw

Martenpaw flashed that innocent smile upwards again, a hard glint in her eyes as she neatly accepted Jayblue's "compliment". Indeed, this patrol was looking up to be quite the wonderful series of events, and they weren't yet a quarter way through their assigned border. 'All we need now is some lousy badger to come along and kill us all as we bicker over who outta go where and what tree can be shared by whom.' She rolled her eyes skyward. For a moment the lithe feline sipped at the air, not much caring to try and differentiate between the volley of rich swamp-forest scents that the breeze carried. If a stranger was on their land, they'd know right quick. There was something to distinctive about the mix of earth and water that couldn't be emulated by any creature; cat, badger, fox, or otherwise. It all felt a jolly waste of time. Moonbeam was the only cat focused properly on the patrol, which was fine and dandy since she was the designated "leader" of the motley assortment. The apprentice, for one, would much rather be off by herself, another reason for her hanging towards the back of the group.

Her russet head pulled back slightly in surprise to her littermate's rather volatile response, mossy green eyes blinking rapidly. Something was up with the other apprentice, Martenpaw decided, she was normally not so intolerant of the quips, having dealt with them since kithood. Brows rose curiously. "Relax, sis, it was just a question. No need to go around taking off heads with that sparkling personality o' yours this morning." She could have let the whole thing go as though it had never happened, but that would have been something that required good judgement. Good judgement was in severe shortage for the long-bodied she-cat. The rogue-blooded cat sniffed quietly, raising her head with chin jutting in a defiant challenge to Brazenpaw's anger. For a moment she said nothing, pace simply faltering as the two both slowed to argue as the warriors moved slightly ahead. This situation required a careful sort of handling. "I'll say what I like!" Came her retort to the Blue Boy's irritated call. Damned warrior, thinking he could shove himself into anyone's business just because of his rank. 'I'll show 'im, just like everybody else when I'm one o' the ones in charge.' Eye flicked back and forth between the ruddy apprentice and the stocky tom. "You wanna relax," she addressed her sister with false mildness. "I mean really, you'd think I was getting between you and yer boyfriend or somethin'." She gave a shake of her head before noting the scent of fresh-kill. The apprentice looked over in time to spot the gray-blue tom burying his catch. "Hmph, good job," she meowed with a smirk, inwardly grateful for the distraction.

[lace !]

[atrb=cellpadding,30,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,background:url(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15865368/nd/00009k2x.png);width:350px;border:1px solid #dfdfdf;border-radius:60px;][style=background:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/14sl0l5.jpg) repeat;filter:alpha(opacity=40);opacity:.4;border-radius:20px;text-align:center;margin-bottom:10px;border:1px solid #ccc;height:100px;] [/style][style=background:rgba(255,255,255,.4);color:#999;padding:10px;font:2.0em helvetica;letter-spacing:4pt;border-radius:20px;text-align:center;margin-bottom:10px;border:1px solid #dfdfdf;]TWITCHPAW[/style][style=background:rgba(255,255,255,.4);color:#999;padding:10px;font:1.0em helvetica;border-radius:20px;text-align:justify;border:1px solid #dfdfdf;] WORDS 1269   TAGS patrolers   NOTES yay for random join! Life wasn't about sleeping. Or at least it wasn't to Twitchpaw. Life was about getting out into the world and enjoying what it had to offer. Life was about taking risks and accepting the consequences of your actions. That was the code Twitchpaw lived by; inside. Outside, she was forced to be polite and gentle, caring to others and cautious of the forest. She found it no fun; what did being cautious ever have to offer? The guarantee of safety? It wasn't worth it. And it wasn't guaranteed, anyway. You could be wading through the undergrowth, ears pricked, maw open, body alert, and you could die right then and there. An enemy cat could attack and slit your throat, or an eagle could swoop from the sky and rip you to shreds. Perhaps even a badger could waddle through forest and crush your tiny bones. So what was the use in being safe? You were bound to get hurt and die anyway. Why be boring while at it? Life was about fun. Good, rough, dirty fun. Every moment of every day. As her father once said, "Why take life seriously? You won't get out alive anyway." And he was right- everyone lived and everyone died. Life was just a lot longer and sometimes, a lot more painful. But life did have it's ups- as well as its downs. Take the beautiful clear-skied morning, as an example. Twitchpaw found it a blessing- the rough blanket of winter had just left the forest. Some mornings still brought cold, unpleasant frost, freezing any new herb growth and forcing the prey to hide away. Not to mention it made the mornings almost unbearable- having to wake up at the first signs of dawn and jolt out of your warm nest- stepping out of the den and into a nice, bitter pawful of ground frost. Sometimes I could swear we were living in the arctic. Twitchpaw thought bitterly, flicking a drop of shivering dew from her paws. Her claws itched as they reunited with the ground- wanting to tear into the hardened soil and rip it to shreds. Caught up in thoughts, the calico apprentice hardly noticed her claws subtly sinking into the frost-bitten dirt. They sheathed and unsheathed within the ruts many times, carving in a steady mark. Looking down, the female realized what she was doing, and lifted her paws up quickly- jolting toward the fresh-kill pile. A wave of sadness swept over her as she realized the pile was slim- early risers must have cleaned it clear. Staring at the decaying remains of a shriveled vole and half-eaten finch, the HollowClan apprentice licked her lips bitterly. Perhaps I should run out and fetch some kill, bring a few to the elders. She mused silently, flickering her tail with each word. Letting out a slight purr, the mossy feline jumped up and weaved her way around the clearing to the exit. Peering over her shoulder quickly, she darted out of camp and into the still forest. Her mentor was probably going to look for her soon, but she didn't care. They could wait; she was serving the clan. Of course she was hunting for herself, too, but naturally, she would bring a mouse or two to the elders before settling down to mange herself. If she caught that much- of course. If she only caught a measly squirrel or so, she could just eat it herself. The elders had probably eaten anyways by now, right? Right. She reassured herself. The frost-bitten leaves were cold and crunchy under paw, causing a small ruckus among the morning hours of the forest. Several starlings had already heard the she-cat coming, and alerted the flock. Twitchpaw didn't mind, though. She was sure she would find something deeper on. The sun was beginning to rise more and more into the sun, beginning to touch the forest floor with tendrils of shallow light. Patches of light were scattered on the bracken-covered floor, melting the frost off. After a few more pawsteps, the feline found herself slinking easily through the undergrowth- stealthily, soundlessly, effortlessly. Now if only I could find something... She mused quietly, attempting to turn it into a joke. Opening her maw to taste the air, the scent of fresh mouse squirmed passed her nose. Pricking her ears instantly, the apprentice flashed her body in the direction of the trail and crouched low. A rustle in the roots of a scraggly tree several mouse-lengths away gave her the location of her prey- which was oblivious to the predator lurking just steps away. One... Two... Three! She counted down silently, leaping on the final count. Catching her back paw on a thorn, the she-cat staggered slightly, and for a moment, was afraid she was going to lose the prey. The white forest mouse was already on the move, scurrying around the root of a tree. With a sharp intake of breath, Twitchpaw gave a final small leap and swiped the root with her paw- hoping to catch the creature. She closed her eyes, not wanting to watch it scurry away if she missed. She knew how to deal with consequences, but that didn't mean she liked them. A moment later, she felt blood pulsing on the pad of her paw, and the mouse was squirming against the ground. Sending a killing blow to the head, the small calico purred with satisfaction as the mouse lay limp in her grasp. Pawing it toward her, she flicked her tail in delight. Nice catch, Twitchpaw. She congratulated herself- taking on the mocking voice of her mentor. If only they could see her now! Scooping the mouse up in her jaws, she fought hard to resist the tugging urge of temptation to devour the prey whole on the spot, as the blood rushed through its veins in the final moments. Holding her head high, the apprentice crashed through the undergrowth with pride, blind to the path in front of her. Until a voice sounded from afar. "Hmph, good job."

[/b] A feminine voice sounded. Twitchpaw stopped in her tracks, jumping. As her heart beat calmed down, she purred. Thanks! She thought naively. Until she realized the voice belonged to Martenpaw, and she wasn't talking to her.

Dropping her catch and parting her jaw to scent the air, Twitchpaw's heart began hammering in her chest. She could scent a patrol, and they were near. By the lingering scents, it was composed of Martenpaw, Jayblue, Moonbeam, and Brazenpaw. Skittering backwards into the brambles, the apprentice pawed her catch under the bush, lapped it up, and crouched low. Ears pricked for more signs of the patrol nearing, she could see tuffs of fur through the thinning bracken. Slithering backward another inch or so, the calico rammed herself into a minute briar patch. One pierced the base of her tail, and she bit back a harsh yowl. Creeping back forward, she stepped on a loose one, and dropped her mouse. Mouse-dung! She yowled.

Iinstantly, Twitchpaw regretted going out into the forest. She was going to get caught for sure, now. Looking around guiltily, she crouched low and picked up her prize, savoring the flavor it left in her mouth. They would probably make her put it toward the clans stock, and make her go without breakfast as she was sent to Voidstar for punishment. Briefly, she amused herself with the thought of what he would do to her. Confine her to camp? Make her treat the elders? Clear moss? Nothing was a punishment to her. Each new task was a new adventure waiting to happen. She just had to find that adventure.

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[LYNX ♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv347/lovelywarriorlynx/brazenpaw22.png] yeah, she'd been way too defensive, and everyone around her had seen it. now she was the fool and jay was embarrassed and martenpaw was the freakin' victor. meanwhile moonbeam was as delightfully innocent as ever. the apprentice narrowed her muddied eyes after the solitary tom within the group as he chose to move off and have a little chat with the prettiest of the ladies- no surprise there, moonbeam would probably be pleasant as ever with a boring reply and a charming smile. "yeah martenpaw, this patrol is stupid enough without your help." she muttered under her breath, and though she spoke to her sister she couldn't tear her gaze away from jayblue's lanky blue-gray frame and the way he looked so nice next to moonbeam's soft silver pelt. stupid. she finally managed to look away in time to hear martenpaw tugging at her strings again, trying to get brazenpaw to explode. would it work? brazenpaw wasn't even sure what to do or how to defend herself. hell no he wasn't her 'boyfriend' but if she said that she would only be delivering a wonderful treat to her sister, who looked as though she was anticipating another overly-defensive remark from the half-blind female. "ugh whatever, you're wasting your breath making yourself sound like a nosy furball." brazenpaw finally hissed a bit wearily, wishing she could hide under a bush until the patrol moved on. she chose to ignore jayblue's successful catch, as she didn't want to call attention back to the almost-friendship that had been between them for a heartbeat, and now under the humiliating watch of her sister that spark would probably just shrivel and die. she and jayblue would be at each others throats again in a week. suddenly she pricked her ears, having heard a fair bit of rustling in the brush not far off, and it was all of the sudden followed by a sharp yowl from a young cat.it sounded like her clanmate twitchpaw, and she rolled her eyes. "great. company." she snarled quietly, but stood still, rather fond of the idea of leaving the warriors to deal with the newcomer.