Open Camp a voice once stentorian is now again, meek and muffled / introduction

[FIDGETPAW! FIDGETPAW!]

"Fidgetpaw…" He whispered. Again. "Fidgetpaw." A third time, slower. "Fid-get-paw."

It was strange to string together such an awkward set of syllables, ones that seemed to stumble over one another and sputter out of him. Each attempt forced his black lips to pucker and curve, twist and turn, to produce a word still foreign on his tongue. With each recitation, the apprentice prayed that Fidgetpaw would leave his lips as effortlessly as Finley had. He craved the moment that this name would feel a part of him, as if, with enough tries, it would finally seep through his skin and settle deep in his bones.

But perhaps this was the cost of becoming someone new.

He glanced up, half-expecting to see someone watching from the shadows of the apprentice's den, but it was empty. Okay. A soft breath of relief escaped his lips. I got this. With a few quick swipes of his tongue, he smoothed down the stubborn cowlicks in his dark, smoky fur. His paw brushed the red collar snug at his throat, and he paused, adjusting it with a silent, practiced tilt of his head. Then, steadying his breath, he rose.

Four long, gangly limbs carried Fidgetpaw into the mid-morning light. The cool leaf-fall air kissed his whiskers, and a shiver ran down his spine. Back at the Twolegplace, he could always count on a warm, fluffy bed and four concrete walls to shelter him from the bitter weather. He'd never woken to the rustle of pine needles or the feeling of damp moss clinging to his fur until SkyClan welcomed him into their ranks. There were firsts for everything, and lately, there seemed to be an endless amount of them.

Fidgetpaw spotted a figure nearby, calm and steady amid the morning bustle, and shuffled over to them.

"Um, hi," he squirmed, his voice soft, "I'm sure you've seen me around. I'm Fin—Fidgetpaw, if you, uh—I don't know—forgot." His eyes darted to the ground. Suddenly, that blade of grass looked fascinating. "So, I've been trying to remember all the parts of the code—because, y'know, that's important. And I could use some help."

---

 

[flowercloud]

Flowercloud let out a breath, her form feeling stifled from inside of the den. Soon... It would be cold, days she could even freeze in, but she would feel more fit than the warm days that still lingered like a toxic partner .. that came and went and leaving her feeling too warm.

Healing wasn't easy, her fur peeled behind her shoulders, yet she wanted to stretch her legs further than just the confines of camp. Alas, she would obey Swallowbreeze before the medicine cat confined her longer like last time. It was not unfun to hang with the other, she quite enjoyed Swallowbreezes presence, but it was suffocating to be stuck in a den all day- and even more so feeling quite useless.

A gentle and warm smile spread on the deputies face as a skittish apprentice approached her, the amber molly recognizing him. "Fidgetpaw, it's okay," she purrs softly, laying on her stomach and watching him with bright green eyes. "It's okay, I won't bite," she tries to reassure with a playful flick of her tail.

Fidgetpaw would go on, expressing interest in learning the code better and Flowercloud nodded her head. "Of course, can you tell me what you do recall? It's okay if you want me to start from the beginning." She was quite proud of the boy, she knew it was hard for him, and if only she could help him more so he didn't feel so... Nervous. Shed think on it, and then come back to him- yeah, that would work.

flowercloud - 36 moons - skyclan deputy - mentoring none

 

[Quailstep Quailstep]

​

QUAILSTEP

Quailstep looked up from the mouse she was finishing off after an early morning hunt, licking the prey-scent from her lips. Fidgetpaw was fairly new to the Clan - his inexperience made sense. His lack of confidence even more so. Still, a lack of confidence could prove a liability ats he trained - it wats good that he seemed comfortable enough to approach Flowercloud, but he could probably learn from everyone.

Quailstep shifted over to the pair, pushing the mouse towards the apprentice in an offer of goodwill. Maybe she could see if he'd train with Mallowpaw one day, considering both were on a sort of "make-up" track with their training.

"You picked a good cat to ask, Fidgetpaw," she mewed, blinking fondly at Flowercloud. "Our deputy here is very knowledgable!"

OOC: I heard the code mentioned? lol

Tagging

SPEECH

THOUGHTS

 

[SUSIE]

Susie watches from a little ways off, half-lidded eyes tracking the exchange between Fidgetpaw, Flowercloud, and Quailstep without much effort. She's sprawled near the camp's edge, front paws crossed neatly, tail tip twitching with idle impatience. It's too early for all this talking—too early for nervous stammering and soft smiles and whatever this little lesson-in-the-making is turning into. Still, she can't help watching him. Fidgetpaw. The way his fur sticks out near the base of his neck, the way he can't seem to figure out what to do with his paws when he talks. It's… almost painful. Like watching a bird forget it has wings.

When Quailstep pushes her mouse forward, Susie snorts under her breath. "He doesn't need food, he needs a backbone," she mutters, mostly to herself. The words come out rough but quiet—not cruel, just matter-of-fact, the way she always sounds. After a beat, she stands, stretching until her spine pops. Then she pads closer, not bothering to mask her approach. "Hey," she says, tone flat but not unkind. "If you're gonna learn the code, you should learn it doing something useful." Her green eyes flick from Flowercloud to Fidgetpaw. "You can recite the rules all you want, but it won't mean anything until you see why they exist." Not that she even knows the code herself yet, but she's sure she's right about that. Words are just that; action is what drills lessons home.

 

[FIDGETPAW! FIDGETPAW!]

"Fidgetpaw, it's okay. It's okay, I won't bite."

At the sound of Flowercloud's voice, the tight knot in Fidgetpaw's chest began to loosen. His green eyes flickered up to meet hers, drawn by the warmth and reassurance in her tone—no hint of scolding or impatience despite how restless he stood before her. The playful flick of her tail made his own twitch in response. He ducked his head, a sheepish grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Of course, she wouldn't bite. He knew that. He just wished his paws would believe it, too.

Before he could answer Flowercloud's question, Quailstep approached, the scent of fresh prey clinging to her pelt. As she nudged a half-finished mouse toward him, the apprentice blinked. "Oh, um—thank you," he murmured in earnest. The warrior praised him, and warmth stirred in his chest. His ears perked up, his expression brightened, and the anxious edge in his posture eased.

It felt good to do something right.

"I… I think I remember the first few." Fidgetpaw began. A small smile spread across his face as he looked at Flowercloud and Quailstep. "Defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life. And—um, don't hunt or trespass on other Clan's territories! Elders and kits must be fed before everyone else…" Fidgetpaw paused, fictive brows furrowing. His gaze lowered to the mouse at his paws. "And… prey should only be caught to be eaten."

The apprentice found himself standing a little straighter, holding his head a little higher, pleasantly surprised by his own recall and satisfied with his progress thus far. However, that moment of pride was short-lived as another voice, sharper than the others, cut clean through the air.

"Hey. If you're gonna learn the code, you should learn it doing something useful. You can recite the rules all you want, but it won't mean anything until you see why they exist."

Fidgetpaw froze. His smile faltered, lips parting as if to respond, then closing again when the words refused to come. Susie had no intention of sounding cruel, but she spoke with a firmness that made him recoil. It was the kind of the tone that didn't leave room for second-guessing.

"W-Well, I know that," Fidgetpaw stammered, his voice growing weaker and softer by the minute, but his eyes, narrowing, flickered with a coolness he couldn't put into words. He glanced at the spiked collar around Susie's neck and stifled an annoyed tsk. You're one to talk.

The young tom didn't care whether her words had an ounce of truth behind them; he only operated on the assumption that she was also new to SkyClan, and yet she spoke as if she had moons of experience. And the thought of being lectured by a peer—perhaps even someone his junior—made his face grow hot with embarrassment.

He dropped his gaze, jaw tightening, unsure if he was more upset with her... or himself.

---

 

[TAWNYBEAM]

"That she is,"

Tawnybeam chimes in, literally pushing his nose into the business of others. His shoulder butts into Flowercloud's, a teasing but sincere smile on his face—the two of them have slowly but surely fallen into that old rhythm, with even more contentedness from Tawnybeam than before. He finds it easy, and not even the ever-illusive rank of deputy can save her from him. Tawnybeam can't agree more with Quailstep's assessment of the situation. Fidgetpaw seems all too anxious about the prospect of memorizing the warrior code, and Flowercloud—alongside the rest of them—should be able to provide him with something useful.

He's surprised by Susie's cold attitude; not because it's anything new, per say, but because he disagrees with what she proposes. Knowing the reason is all fine and dandy, but Fidgetpaw won't be helped by that if he struggles with the basics of it.

"The fundamentals are important,"

he cuts in, shocked by his own wisdom. Maybe he's getting old. He suppresses a snort at the idea, knowing full well that the senior warriors would use his pelt as nest linings if they had heard his inner thoughts. He may as well be apprentice-aged compared to them.

"Why they exist will come with time, like the warrior code itself."

He remembers his own struggle with understanding all of it; the list had seemed so long, and so needlessly complicated... now, he is actively teaching it to Almondpaw. Fidgetpaw, too.

Poor thing. He seems to curl up in on himself, the little relief that Flowercloud's gentle approach had given him now all gone under Susie's scrutiny.

"Uh, think about it this way... a lot of the code is about something that you do often. Like the Gatherings- and border patrols. Does that ring a bell?"

 

[Hawkstar]

fart

HAWKSTAR.

in the woods somewhere

Hawkstar's triangular face splits at the point with the expanse of her grin. "It's always a good day when our young warriors to-be show some genuine interest in the code. Keep trying, Fidgetpaw, don't doubt yourself so much. What does the code say about new warriors? Is there anything they should do once they learn their warrior name?"

Electric blue settles on the apprentice with a sort of warmth usually reserved for the smallest kits and maybe Milkheart, if Hawkstar were to be caught off-guard in the nursery. It's a rare sort of expression from such a severe woman, but her expression doesn't waiver despite the other warriors that milled around them.

 

[Rain Rain]

R A I N
​ what a shame we all became ​

Rain stirred where she was dozing outside of the nursery, nearby conversation catching her attention. It'd only been a few days since she arrived, but being cooped up was already wearing at her. She figured she could at least enjoy some of the weak mid-morning sunlight alongside her breakfast. After she'd eaten, however, she found eyes slowly drifting shut.

Blinking her eyes open, she saw a small gathering of cats collecting around Fidgetpaw, a new apprentice to the clan. She hadn't spoken with him - or, really, most members of the clan. He seems to have attracted the attention of several warriors, including another newcomer, Susie. She realized with a start that they were discussing the Warrior Code. Was that one of those rules and laws she'd heard about? She could only half-hear what they were saying. Her ears grew hot with embarassment as she considered her next move. She should know what the rules were, right? But she was also hesitant to bring up the fact that she actually has no idea what she's doing as a clan cat. She just assumed everything would be explained eventually. She peered around, trying to make it look casual. Then, hefting herself to her paws, she sauntered a few steps closer and re-settled in a patch of earth she could argue was warmer. She allowed her eyes to close once more, to disguise her eavesdropping, though her ears were still turned toward them.

"Uh, think about it this way... a lot of the code is about something that you do often. Like the Gatherings- and border patrols. Does that ring a bell?"

She heard someone - Tawnybeam? - say.

Gatherings?

What were Gatherings? She, not for the first time since arriving at Skyclan's border, wanted to wail like an overwhelmed kit. Instead, she tried to focus on what Hawkstar was saying. Something new warriors had to do? Would she have to do that once she'd given birth and took up warrior duties? There was so much to learn!

such fragile

✦

broken things

• OOC:
• KEY:
  

  "speech"

  
  

  'thoughts'

  
  attempted action
  

  "other character's speech"

  
  
• 
  

  sleek grey she-cat with white paws, tailtip, face, and chin
  she/her
  loner
  15 moons
  pregnant!