Territory And The Sun Sets | Jaypaw

[.SHRIKEPAW. .SHRIKEPAW.]

Things were different, that much was certain.
Dustystar, a pillar of normalcy since Shrikepaw's beginning, now gone, whispers of war on the horizon, and the looming threat upon the moors left in the wake of both. He'd been itching to get out of camp given the atmosphere hanging around, so when Termitefur offered him to join them and Jaypaw on a casual little hunt, he'd accepted with a curt nod and on light paws. Perhaps the first time he'd seemed eager to leave his nest since his apprenticeship. The wind today carried that brisk leafbare chill, icy as the group moved along the moor with the sun's face hidden behind the clouds, shading the seemingly endless moors in almost a cool blue tone.
After Termitefur stated for them to meet back at a rock once they'd caught at most four pieces of prey or before the sun reached a quarter of the way to the horizon, Shrikepaw decided to trail after Jaypaw, quiet in thought as he followed the older bi-colored tom. He was still young, no longer a kit who's mother kept him from the dangers and politics of the real world in the warmth of the nursery but after seeing the injuries of the other cats... he couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea of what it'd be like in a real fight with another cat. Mice were toys... easy to pin beneath his paws and watch squirm, same with shrews and moles, their black beady eyes giving little flashes of white—their fear—as he loomed over them. But cats? Cats were big.
"Jaypaw?" Shrikepaw said suddenly, breaking the silence between the pair. It felt strange to call the other Jaypaw when he was as old and as big as some of the warriors, but he supposed it'd be weirder when he eventually get his warrior name. "What... do you think is going to happen with Skyclan?" His voice was flat, spoken with an air of apathy and dryness that juxtaposed the way his tufted ears were angled toward the older cat.
"Do you think they'll actually target our clan? I mean... that's silly, right? They'd be hare-brained to try and waste energy on fighting when prey is already so scarce. If they wanted to do that... wouldn't it be wiser to go after a different clan?" He kicked a pebble as he spoke, musing aloud as he asked the questions.

//ooc: @Jaypaw ⏾

​

SHRIKEPAW he/him, windclan 08 moons old.
black and white tom with pale blue eyes
mentored by none // mentoring none
littermate to ???
NPC x NPC / father/mother to none / mated to none
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by Angelkisses / @/Angelkisses on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Jaymoon]

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ Jaypaw ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☽⋆⁺₊⋆-

Jaypaw was glad for the distraction a hunting patrol provided, a hunting patrol on their own territory. He didn't fault Dustystar for her decision, he couldn't fault a dead cat, but clearly it was a bad idea - he knew this even before he went. His clanmates knew that. WindClan was meant to hunt on WindClan land.

Jaypaw shook his head. He was here now, in the moment, hunting in their own territory. Everything was okay.

Well, except for the fact that Shrikepaw followed him instead of hunting for his own prey. Jaypaw tried not to let that irritate him too much, after all, the other apprentice was younger and probably a little shaken up after the recent events. Jaypaw knew he was at least.

The older apprentice caught a faint whiff of a mouse and twitched his tail to let the other apprentice know to be careful. He stalked as he followed the scent, but he didn't get very far before he lost the trail. So much for getting anything done.

"Yes, Shrikepaw?" Jaypaw turned towards the younger cat. They might as well talk now that he had lost the mouse. But at Shrikepaw's next words, Jaypaw's paws froze and his heart quickened. "With... SkyClan..." he repeated. Wasn't this patrol meant to be a distraction? Weren't they meant to not think of what would happen next? The apprentice sighed, knowing those were just fantasies, knowing the world didn't stop just because he wished it to.

"I think... I think SkyClan also lost a lot. Not as quite as us, of course, but... Hawkstar might not want to seek revenge - we got... we got what we deserved, at least in her eyes. I hope."

 

[.SHRIKEPAW. .SHRIKEPAW.]

Shrikepaw's whiskers twitched at the residual and staling scent of the mouse Jaypaw had been trailing. He mused over the words, chewing on them like they were a root to gnaw upon as his left ear slowly turned toward the border before angling to stand facing Jaypaw once more. What he said made sense—after all, it was Windclan that had trespassed and essentially started that specific encounter—but there had been reason behind that, right? Molewhisker's death, prey shortage... Shrikepaw's jaw flexed momentarily before relaxing. "You hope?" He asked, his usually flat tone tilting with the question. "The way everyone is acting in camp, you'd think there was a pack of bloodthirsty monsters lurking on the other side of the gorge. They acted like we were going to be slaughtered any second when that patrol came back." His tail gave a flick, his eyes narrowing behind his fur. He remembers the way cats cried, screamed, and argued in the clearing, having been busy fetching bedding for the caretakers when that whole commotion happened. That didn't exactly breed the idea of a permissive event coming on the winds.
"I just... why Skyclan? I know we share a border with them but..." He trailed off, his mind wandering to those rampaging waters he'd seen during his territory tour when he was freshly apprenticed at the gorge. The warnings he'd been given about it. They weren't necessary, per say—Shrikepaw would rather he be picked up by a flock of hawks than ever go near water like that after the flood—but they stuck inside of his skull along with the gaping black maw at the points where the water disappeared under the earth. His pelt itched as he pictured Dustystar's body being thrashed around in those waters only to be swallowed up in that darkness to end up who knows where, his fur suddenly heavy on his body. His eyes flicked down toward his paws, making sure they weren't muddy.
"What do you think the gathering will be like? Think they'll bring it up?" Shrikepaw shifted the topic, not wanting to think of Dustystar or the gorge now as he moved his paw to go back to walking. He wondered if Jaypaw had been to a gathering yet, what it was like. It felt surreal to imagine so many cats together in one space—how many clans are there? His mind whispered, curious as he tried to imagine essentially four Windclans in that clearing with the looming trees—but it felt... important. Something he himself hadn't quite been able to experience yet and hoped to soon, at least before he was a warrior.

​

SHRIKEPAW he/him, windclan 08 moons old.
black and white tom with pale blue eyes
mentored by none // mentoring none
littermate to ???
NPC x NPC / father/mother to none / mated to none
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by Angelkisses / @/Angelkisses on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Jaymoon]

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ Jaypaw ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☽⋆⁺₊⋆-

Jaypaw looked at the apprentice quizically. Was he trying to get under his skin? Or was he really that clueless? The older apprentice wasn't sure which of the two was worse.

"You.. Shrikepaw, you know I was on that patrol, right?" His eyes flicked to the moors, to the direction of the SkyClan border. To the gorge that swallowed Dustystar. "You didn't see what I saw. There were ten of us. Ten of us, Shrikepaw. How was SkyClan supposed to take that? As us simply trespassing to catch some prey? Or WindClan invading their territory with a patrol as big as two or three combined?"

Jaypaw shook his head. There was no debating this, Shrikepaw had not seen what he had, had not been there. How could the young apprentice understand?

"I don't know what's going to happen with SkyClan. I wish I knew. I wish I could say it will all be alright." the apprentice lowered his head. "But I can't. Because I don't know what's going to happen. I can only hope."

The tensions were high already as it was, before this... patrol. Before this ambush. "I think the gathering will be full of tension, just like last time. Just like the one before. But there's rules now. The gathering is a time of peace, I've seen it with my own eyes, I've sat next to a RiverClan warrior. I think, if there's retaliation, it won't be at the gathering."

Do we have to talk about this? Jaypaw would rather talk about literally anything else but this. "Let's go back to the hunting, Shrikepaw." he suggested, the tip of his tail flicking. He wanted a distraction, a good hunt, not to talk to an apprentice who had too much on his mind and nothing to show for it in terms of prey caught. Without waiting for an answer, Jaypaw turned around and walked away from Shrikepaw, not caring if the other followed him or not. If he did, they could hunt rabbit together. If he didn't, well, there were always rodents and birds for him to catch by himself.

 

[.SHRIKEPAW. .SHRIKEPAW.]

Shrikepaw stopped as Jaypaw asked the rhetorical question, head turning slowly to the other. His eyes may have been hidden behind that thick veil of white fur but he tilted his head, tail held straight before waving slightly. "No... I just started talking about this because the clouds reminded me of it," He said after a long pause, tone dry and oozing sarcasm as he stood there motionless for a moment, the words like an auditory eye roll before they became more serious and meaningful in his deadpan voice, "I know you were there. That's why I asked. I thought you might have some insight or a better idea than anyone else would, giving me actual, like... observations rather than just more rumors. You're more... approachable than, like... Goldenroar or something."

His ear gave a flick, head tilting as Jaypaw painted the scene of the patrol, how many cats were there. Yeah. That does sound quite... off-putting. If a large group of cats came into Windclan territory like that, he'd also assume something bad was about to happen. If he were a Skyclanner, he'd also probably attack Windclan if ten of them just trespassed onto their territory. But, nonetheless... he blinked as he dismissed the train of thought, deciding to not dwell on that right now as Jaypaw acknowledged his question about the gathering.

"I wouldn't know. Haven't been to a gathering yet. Felt... like a good way to ask about it," He meowed, his words softer and more... melancholic despite his flat speech as he gave a shrug. He was young, he didn't know how this stuff worked or what to expect. To him, gatherings sounded like bigger clan meetings with more cats talking and faces that would be unrecognizable at a place that wasn't camp. However, he dropped the topic once Jaypaw suggested on focusing on hunting again, catching onto the fact the older tom didn't want to continue the conversation. Shrikepaw lowered his head, shadowy tail tip flicking like it were a dismissal of his own curiosity, an acceptance, and moved to follow instead as the breeze shifted. It carried the faintest scent of bird on its icy tail as the wind blew over the pair through the waving grass. Cardinal, He internally acknowledged, recognizing the scent with a small glimmer of pride in his chest at his own memory retention.

​

SHRIKEPAW he/him, windclan 08 moons old.
black and white tom with pale blue eyes
mentored by none // mentoring none
littermate to ???
NPC x NPC / father/mother to none / mated to none
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by Angelkisses / @/Angelkisses on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Jaymoon]

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ Jaypaw ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☽⋆⁺₊⋆-

The older apprentice sighed at Shrikepaw's comments. It made sense, but then again, Jaypaw wished he wasn't as approachable, if it meant being asked uncomfortable questions like those. All he wanted was to have a moment of peace from all the fighting and all the trouble, yet he had been denied just that. At least Shrikepaw dropped it, after Jaypaw made it clear he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Instead, the pair followed the scent of a cardinal through the moor towards a heather bush. The red cardinal sat on the bush, pecking at the plant, possibly looking to get its belly filled. Jaypaw signalled for Shrikepaw to lower his body and circled around to the other side of the bush, leaving Shrikepaw to leap at it, shall it escape Jay's grasp - which was a very likely outcome, given the nature of cardinals. He crept closer and closer until the cardinal was within leap distance, then glanced at Shrikepaw. This was their chance.

The apprentice's paws disconnected from the ground as he leapt into the air, limbs outstreched and claws unsheathed. But cardinals being cardinals, the bird was quicker than Jaypaw and escaped his grasp, even if by mere feather-length. It flew away from Jaypaw, but with any luck, right into Shrikepaw's position.

 

[.SHRIKEPAW. .SHRIKEPAW.]

The flutter of wings, the sharp chip of alarm, a prey animal's natural instincts once a predator makes its appearance as it tries desperately to save itself. It's a flurry of stark red against the cold, pale lit moors as it tries to dart toward the sky away from Jaypaw. But as the cardinal's wings caught the breeze, muscles flexing to take another beat that would bring it higher to defy gravity, was it slapped from the air by a paw and bounced right back onto the hard ground with a soft thud. Shrikepaw wasted no time once his white hind paws reconnected with the earth, pivoting his weight to pounce after the dazed, incapacitated songbird, black forepaws landing squarely to pin it beneath his weight as the small, fragile creature struggled. Its beak was open, chest rapidly rising and falling while it kicked and squirmed. Usually, he'd pause at this moment, watching his prey as primal fear overwhelmed it, but there was no time as its chips raised into a terrified crescendo of bird song. He only had a moment to observe, a split second, before he sank his teeth into its neck and listened to the crunch, it immediately falling limp between his jaws.

His shadowy black tail whipped briefly before Shrikepaw lifted his head, the bird dangling from his mouth as he turned to look at Jaypaw, ears perked. The entire sequence had happened very quickly, but Shrikepaw could already tell that finding anything in this area would be a bit difficult now: he'd still somehow lingered too long and the alarm had been raised. He dropped the bird on the ground, sighing to himself as he briefly glowered at its bright red feathers in irritation. "Everything to Fourtrees probably heard that," He meowed, mechanically scraping dirt over the cardinal for them to pick it up later. If they find anything else, that is.

He flexed his claws against a tangling of long grass, paw raised mid-motion as he thought about it. "Think we should split up or try flushing things out of burrows together? Like... I go in one side and you catch at the other?" He asked, glancing up as he finished half-burying the bird. He was becoming more comfortable in the tunnels anyway, reasoning out that it would be good practice and a decent way for them both to try and gather more prey to bring back before they were to meet back up with Termitefur. However, if Jaypaw wanted to be alone... well, Shrikepaw wouldn't force his presence on the older cat anymore than he already has.

​

SHRIKEPAW he/him, windclan 08 moons old.
black and white tom with pale blue eyes
mentored by none // mentoring none
littermate to ???
NPC x NPC / father/mother to none / mated to none
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by Angelkisses / @/Angelkisses on discord, feel free to dm for plots.

 

[Jaymoon]

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ Jaypaw ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☽⋆⁺₊⋆-

Jaypaw watched as Shrikepaw's body disconnected from the ground and leapt into the air after the bird, slamming it down midair. Despite the alarm raised by the cardinal, they were still successful - one bird was better than none. "Good job, Shrikepaw." he congratulated the other as he approached, brushing his tail over the younger tom, in praise and perhaps a bit of teasing. Maybe he had been a little too harsh on the apprentice, though the questions sure were a bit too much.

"I like that idea." he smiled, genuinely, deciding that his frustrations shouldn't be vented out on the young cat that did not cause any of his problems. "You're good in the tunnels and I'm fast on my paws. We'd make a great team for catching rabbits."

Jaypaw ruffled his pelt, straightening his fur before winking at Shrikepaw and turning around to look for some good burrows. There weren't any rabbit holes nearby, but perhaps.... "I think there's some good burrows over this hill. What do you think? You know more about the tunnels than I do." It was true for the most part - Jaypaw felt the most free with the wind in his fur and grass beneath his feet while he ran. Even without the added trauma of the tunnels during the flood, the earth never appealead to the apprentice. And now he had double the reason not to go anywhere near it.

So if Shrikepaw was to be of help in the tunnels, he would gladly take it. And if the apprentice needed a little convincing, a little support, a smile or a brush of the tail, he would give it gladly. He would even allow Shrikepaw to believe that there could be something more, besides hunting partners, between them. After all, one never knew.

 

[.SHRIKEPAW. .SHRIKEPAW.]

Shrikepaw's muscles twitched at the brush along his flank, one ear snapping toward the point of contact as he felt his skin heat up slightly underneath his pelt and his chest warmed slightly at the praise and compliments. He wasn't going to think too hard on it, already filing the situation away, before Jaypaw winked at him with that genuine smile on his face and briefly halted all mental tracks, short-circuiting his analytical mind for a second. What...? He blinked, pale eyes thankfully hidden behind that thick mess of white fur covering them, as he processed the brief change in tone between them and the gestures.

He wasn't much for physical touch or affection, usually only tolerating his own family when it came to those things, so there was a slight level of discomfort as he sat there after Jaypaw turned away to look around, but it was underscored by his insatiable curiosity and thirst for understanding. Was Jaypaw being playful or was the older apprentice teasing Shrikepaw? Was this normal? It wasn't exactly unpleasant, after all Shrikepaw did strive for praise and support from his peers and those more experienced than him, but it was different and new. Shrikepaw clicked his tongue, the corners of his lips quirked ever-so slightly like he was fighting a smile. "Geez, don't gotta lay it on so thick, Jaypaw," He responded dryly, though the tone seemed to hedge with a sort of humor in it that he rarely expressed. He stepped over the mound where the bird was stored, tail waving casually behind him from the slight ego-boost as he refocused on the task at hand, head turned to the hill where Jaypaw indicated.

"Yeah probably. Most of these burrows are pretty simple as well, from what I remember. They have maybe one or two openings and aren't that complex to navigate..." He paused, silent for a second as the gears in his head turned and mulled over his memories, "That is if the rabbits haven't dug new tunnels in them or anything... I think it's been a few days, though, since any tunnelers have hunted here so I don't think they would, so we should be fine." He glanced at Jaypaw, briefly checking to see if he'd be okay with Shrikepaw's reasoning, before moving to lead the way over the hill and toward a few of the burrows. He tried to not think of how his body was hyperaware now of how similarly the grass brushes against his fur like Jaypaw's tail did as he walks.

The wind had shifted here over the hill, blowing from the south now and perpendicular to the pair. Shrikepaw knew this wouldn't carry their scent toward the rabbits, but it would make it slightly more complicated to pin-point which burrows were occupied and which weren't. "You're probably better than me at figuring out how the wind works," Shrikepaw commented, returning the subtle compliment Jaypaw had given about his knowledge of the tunnels, head angled toward the other as he looked for Jaypaw's input and opinion. He just needed to be directed at where the rabbits were, after that he could slip under the earth like a black and white gopher.

​

SHRIKEPAW he/him, windclan 08 moons old.
black and white tom with pale blue eyes
mentored by none // mentoring none
littermate to ???
NPC x NPC / father/mother to none / mated to none
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by Angelkisses / @/Angelkisses on discord, feel free to dm for plots.