(Finished!) Another Day, Another Hour

[Wolfy]

FIREPAW

//Out of the fire, my paws will lead me.\\

Firepaw watched as Paintedstar took control of the patrol and turned to lead ZephyrClan out. Firepaw waited for Stormtrick to follow the tuxedo leader and took up his rank next to Ashstorm. He looked up at his mentor and let out a small purr. He wondered in his head if Ashstorm would teach him anything new today. His tail flicked slightly with pure excitement and followed the patrol out.

As they were leaving the camp, Firepaw felt like his fur would fall right off. He was really excited. But why? It's not like he hadn't gone hunting before. Ashstorm had taught him everything he knew so far and there was room for improvement. But something stirred in his stomach. It was nerves. He hadn't been hunting with Paintedstar and he dreamed to please them, but he still felt slightly unsure of himself. Letting the older warriors run ahead of them, Firepaw made it a keen aspect to run with Ashstorm, his anxiety felt hot on his ears. He'd talk with Ashstorm soon about his wariness. Ashstorm would know what to do, he hoped.

[Dawn]

* STORMTRICK

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If I could I relive those days
I know the one thing that would never change


Well, the patrol was off. The paws of Zephyrclan cats padded onward swiftly as though carried by the wind, which ruffled their fur, parting Stormtrick's along the edge of his spine. It was greenleaf, though, the best of all the seasons, and it didn't matter about the wind that would normally bite past his fur; they were out and moving, and the air was warm and unusually still. The wind threw up a bit of dust on the horizon, too far away to obscure his vision or the vision of the cats on the patrol. Other than that, though, things lay silent and motionless. Stormtrick's blue lights flickered over the landscape, which was familiar and welcoming. Though, as a younger tom, he had often wondered if he hailed from a different clan, he now felt quite at home here in Zephyrclan. Certainly both of his parents were Zephyrclan warriors, but he had always felt drawn too far past borders, becoming too curious about others, which had led him astray when he was a younger warrior. Now that he had seen many snows and many flowerings, was older than the leader herself and not far behind the deputy, he was at ease with his life. He didn't often want anything more than to patrol and hunt and simply be alive, eating and breathing. The dusky gray tom didn't hunger for romance, like his young friend, Runningfox; he didn't care that he was without family, Dawnpaw's death ceasing to haunt him. No, he was perfectly content. Or, so it would seem so, by the easily laid grin on his face, well worn features friendly and open, vivid blue lights searching for a bit of movement in the grass. But sometimes it felt like something was missing. It's ridiculous to think so, but I can't help but wonder about it sometimes...

He tried to shake his troublesome thoughts away as he followed behind Paintedstar. I remember that not too long ago we were on a patrol together... But I was the one leading. It was nice to be just behind her, though. He was the oldest of the four, and was glad that Firepaw allowed him to go first. As an apprentice Stormpaw had been far more full of himself and charismatic; but this tom seemed nervous, and he hoped to smooth it over with a bit of praise; hopefully he would do well, so that Firepaw would feel Paintedstar was impressed. It was hard to know just how their new leader's mind worked, though. He himself didn't know too much about her, only that she was a respectable warrior who had been around long enough to be leader.



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[bg=0A1F29][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=border,0,true][th] × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × Paintedstar felt Firepaw hesitate behind her. She knew he must be nervous, the poor thing. But he had to learn to control his feelings, for he was going to be around her and older warriors for the rest of his warrior-hood. Pausing for only a moment to scent the air, the she-cat continued forward, eager to find a place to hunt. The clan needed to be fed, and it was new-leaf, so where was all the prey? Flicking her tail, she felt Stormtrick behind her. She could feel his breath on her tail every now and again, and it was comforting. The warrior was older than herself, like her deputy, Ripplesurf, but she knew he thought she was qualified to be leader anyway. That's how most, if not all, of the cats in ZephyrClan felt. Paintedstar had the dreams of being leader since she was young, and they only grew when she was an apprentice and warrior. She thought about her time as deputy, though. Her ambition was not as strong, then, even though she was as close as she would be until she was leader. But becoming leader meant that Swishstar had to die, which was not something the tuxedo she-cat was fond of. The previous ZephyrClan leader had been someone Paintedstar had looked up to. But Swishstar had gone far too quickly for the she-cats taste. She was only seasons old when the leader left ZephyrClan, and Paintedstar had felt nervous about being such a young leader. The other cats within ZephyrClan had supported her, but it was a scary thought for the she-cat nonetheless. There were many older warriors for her position, so why had Swishstar chosen her? Shouldn't a leader be someone who was experienced as well as noble, loyal, smart, and so on? Then, as Paintedstar had received her nine lives, she realized Swishstar had chosen her because of her traits and her personality. The she-cat had told her that ZephyrClan needed a leader like her, young and sophisticated, someone who would lead them for many moons. Someone like herself. Paintedstar still had her doubts, but she knew the clan supported her, and that's all she could ask for. Going back to the breath of Stormtrick on her fur, the tuxedo she-cat felt a little more at ease as they padded onward. Soon, they would find a good spot, and the warriors and Firepaw would set out, aiming to hunt. They would bring back plenty of prey, and the clan would be fed for another day. But only a day, the she-cat reminded herself. The clan had to bed everyday, and that meant constant patrols. But that was the life of a warrior, a life she had been born into. And taking on the leader status meant she would instruct the clan and guide it as forest life went on. ZephyrClan would face many bumps in the road, but they would face conquer them together. The future of ZephyrClan looked bright, but how long would it last? Stopping finally, the she-cat scented the air once more, to be certain she smelled plenty of prey. The she-cats eyes darted to the gorse bush on the edge of the grass, where leaves rustled and the mouse of a tail slithered on the ground. The poor thing was probably eating some sort of seed. Another scent drifted past her nose, and she whipped her head to the tall tree on the other side of the grassy clearing. Down by the base of it's roots was a squirrel, back turned to the patrol. It was nibbling away at a but, smashing it against the root in a failed attempt to crack it. Paintedstar's mouth watered as she heard the soft chirping of birds. Finally, the she-cat waved her tail for the patrol to disperse. They had plenty of prey to hunt. Weaving away from the patrol, the she-cat dropped into a crouch as she crept toward the base of the tree. She watched the squirrel carefully, aware of her body position. Her belly was low, almost dragging against the grass at the bottom of the field. Her tail was strait and only a mouse-length off the ground. She slid one paw forward, judging the distance she would have to jump. If she leaped now, she might miss. But if she moved any closer, there was a good chance the squirrel would notice her and try and run. Sighing mentally, Paintedstar hunched up and leaped, surprising the squirrel. She landed with a thump and dealt a killing blow to the back of the neck. Proudly, the she-cat buried the squirrel and padded back toward the center of the field. She had to see how Firepaw would do. × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × && You love me you love me not ~

[Wolfy]

FIREPAW[/size]

//Out of the fire, my paws will lead me.\\

Firepaw watched Paintedstar and followed her out into the midst of the forest in ZephyrClan. He followed silently, leaving Ashstorm to follow up behind Stormtrick. He watched carefully what Stormtrick did and I tried to mimic incase Stormtrick did anything Firepaw didn't know yet. Finally, Paintedstar halted and Firepaw laid low for a bit. He watched Paintedstar scent the air and then she waved her tail for the patrol to scatter. She must have scented the prey around them. Firepaw followed Paintedstar's orders before slinking away from her, careful not to brush anything. He assumed that from where the other warriors were going, he was on an odd track. He wasn't going anywhere the other two warriors were, but he ignored it and followed his nose. He could scent a fresh life in front of him in the forest and he wasn't about to let it get away from him that fast. Firepaw dropped himself into a lower hunting crouch, awaiting the actual sight of his prey.

He could hear it, nibbling on something, probably a seed, and then at last he spotted it. It was a mouse of a decent size and it was hustling about, trying to acquire the food it had found. Firepaw lowered his fluffy, orange pelt into the camouflage of the forest, he hid in the brambles, but right where the sun was shining down on him. He assumed the mouse wouldn't spot him for he blended with the colors way too nicely. In a moment he would jump. The mouse got closer and closer...now! Firepaw sprang strongly with his back legs out of the brambles and landed squarely on the mouse, pulling his neck down to bite his prey with a killing blow. He sat up proudly with the dead body in his jaws. Slowly he bent back down, careful not to disturb anything else in the forest and dropped his prey in the dirt he had scraped up. He buried it before continuing on with his hunt, hopeful thinking infecting his mind.

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{let us just finish this, shall we? lynxers/minteh;; thread closed}

[MiNTY♥]

xx closed