Private Territory ShadowClan Beneath the ashes / seal

[Flamerunner]

{$title} Let's be friends

FLAME OF SHADOWCLAN

To say Flame was worrying over some of the clan cats was... an understatement. He had seen the shell-shocked look on Seal's face when Marble had carried her back to their new camp. The little one hadn't seen much of the battle itself, but the aftermath had been enough. The sight of her mother lying still... Gone forever, he was sure it had seared itself into her young mind. According to Marble, it had been one of the most heartbreaking things she'd ever witnessed.

So Flame had taken it upon himself to help where he could. Small gestures, here and there, to make things just a little easier for the kit. Whether it was bringing her fresh prey or coaxing her to leave the nursery for a bit of sunlight, Flame made sure she didn't feel forgotten.

Even now, as he gently nudged her to join him for a walk, his watchful eyes never left her. The flame-point tom kept his pace slow and steady, matching Seal's smaller strides. He let her lead, allowing her to decide where they'd go.

" Do you ever think the wind hears our thoughts? " Flame asked softly, his tone light and musing as they padded along. His gaze flicked toward the trees, watching the way the branches swayed. There wasn't a destination in mind, not really. If Seal wanted to talk, he'd listen. If she wanted to hunt, they'd try that. And if she just wanted quiet company, he'd give her that too.

" I'd like to think the wind carries secrets with it. " Flame continued, his voice a gentle hum. " Not that we can ever hear them. We don't listen well enough. " He turned his head slightly, glancing back at the small kit.

Flame smiled, his heart aching for the little kit. " Come on... " he meowed gently, nudging her forward. " Let's see where the wind takes us today. "

RUN BOY RUN ——･ﾟ✦​

･ﾟ✦ —— THE SUN WILL BE GUIDING YOU

 

[Sealpaw]

┍❆

Seal, now Sealpaw she supposed, trudged alongside Flame with her head low and shoulders hunched. She didn't see why he had insisted on taking her on a walk. She was fine. She was alive and breathing which was more than others could say and-....and she was okay. That was enough, wasn't it? It would have to be.

She finally looked up from her paws at the question. "...The wind...?" Sealpaw paused, blue eyes squinting up at Flame as if trying to discern the intent behind the question. "Mmm, maybe..." Came the answer finally, voice soft and uncertain.

The thought of the wind keeping or telling secrets brought her mind back to the days before everything had collapsed in on itself for some reason. A memory of her and a few other colony kits attempting to sneak out of the camp to hunt sprang to mind. How Serpent had caught them all right at the edge of camp; back then she had wondered how the pregnant molly had caught them when they were all being so careful. Maybe it had been the wind.

Seal wondered how Serpent was doing now. Had her kits been born..? She had been excited with the idea of new playmates, even if they would be too small to do much of anything at first...

Lost in thought as she was, the kit hadn't expected the nudging from her current guardian and a small squeak of surprise left her before she stopped once more to consider. "I think... I think the wind is saying you should teach me how to hunt."

She couldn't be sad forever. She couldn't let everyone worry over her like Flame was doing right now when she was sure there were more important things to worry about.

❆┙

*•.¸❆

─WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW─

❆¸.•*

• 
  Seal
  — Shadowclan Apprentice
  — She/They
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  — Grey, Rosetted Tabby With Blue Eyes And A Bobbed Tail.
  #4c66bf

 

[Flamerunner]

FLAME OF SHADOWCLAN

" The wind. " Flame confirmed, his voice carrying an air of casual certainty as he peered over at Seal. Or Sealpaw. Whichever name she preferred, he supposed. It was too much trouble to fuss over such details. If his turn for a name came, it would come. No use getting tangled up in it. Though he did wonder what kind of thought Sable had put aside for him personally... He knew he could be a... Pawful.

His plume-like tail swept lazily over the ground, and he let out a wide yawn, stretching his jaws as if the conversation itself had gently lulled him into ease. His ears twitched, catching the soft murmur of Sealpaw's voice. Her words drew his attention fully, her suggestion bringing a spark of amusement to his blue eyes. The wind, she claimed, was telling him to teach her how to hunt.

A chuckle rolled out of him, light and warm, before he finally turned to face her, his lips curling into a toothy grin. " You know what? " he said, his tone cheeky. " I think I can hear that too. "

Leaning closer, he dropped his voice to a whisper, his grin widening. " Alright, what do you want to learn to hunt? Frogs, maybe? I've been practicing with those slimy little things. " he added with a wink, his expression positively mischievous. " Mostly to prank the other warriors, though. You'd be amazed at the looks on their faces when one of those jumps out of their nest. "

His tail flicked with playful energy, and he leaned back again, watching Sealpaw with an expectant gleam in his eyes. Whatever she chose, it was clear Flame intended to make the lesson anything but dull.

RUN BOY RUN ——･ﾟ✦​

･ﾟ✦ —— THE SUN WILL BE GUIDING YOU

 

[Sealpaw]

┍❆

"Frogs?" She couldn't help the way her face scrunched up at the thought, she'd always avoided them when she took prey from the freshkill pile. They looked so slimy that she wasn't sure if they'd actually be edible even if seeing some of the others eat one proved otherwise. "I...don't think so..."

She shook her head vigorously to emphasize her dislike of the idea before glancing around. There had to be something nearby to hunt that wasn't a frog. "How about, um..." This was Sealpaw's first time outside their camp, now that she thought about it. What was there in this place to eat? Vampire had brought in weird rocks once that had some kind of meat inside, she recalled. There was also the usual fare of squirrels and birds. And she had also seen-

Faint movement breaks her out of her thoughts, blue eyes zoning in on something small crawling onto a rock but a few tail lengths ahead. A lizard. An anole, she thinks? Or was it a skink? She wasn't sure of the difference, just that one had given Vampire a bellyache once. Without thinking the tabby darted forward, her chaperone forgotten entirely in favor of the lizard ahead. Rear end wiggling for a brief moment as she crouched, leapt towards the reptile with paws outstretched. She landed squarely on the lizard's tail, turned her head back to call out to Flame that she had caught it but movement underneath her paws had her snapping her eyes back to her catch.

Half of the lizard was gone.

All that was left behind was the tail, flailing underneath her paws as if it had a mind of its own and the apprentice jumped back with a yelp of surprise as her 'catch' continued to writhe on the ground with the rest of the lizard now nowhere in sight.

❆┙

*•.¸❆

─WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW─

❆¸.•*

• 
  Seal
  — Future Shadowclan Apprentice
  — She/They
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  — Grey, Rosetted Tabby With Blue Eyes And A Bobbed Tail.
  #4c66bf

 

[Flamerunner]

FLAME OF SHADOWCLAN

The kit didn't seem too thrilled about frogs, fair enough. They could figure something else out. Flame's mind wandered for a moment, thinking about what else he might've spotted nearby, but it seemed Seal had already set her sights on something.

Blinking in approval, he watched her go for it, his sharp gaze carefully tracking her movements. Every step, every crouch, he made a mental list of pointers he could give her later to help refine her hunting technique. Despite it being her first try, she'd done better than he expected. She even managed to catch the slimy thing! Well... part of it, anyway.

The laugh bubbled out of him before he could stop it, his eyes twinkling with amusement as she sat there, tail beneath her paws and the lizard long gone. " And then there's that. " he teased, padding forward to inspect the wiggling tail. After a moment, he gently bumped her shoulder with his own. " Hey, you did okay! Not bad at all for your first try. "

Straightening up, Flame glanced around the area, his ears swiveling for any sign of movement. " Alright, alright, follow me. " he murmured softly, his voice taking on a quiet, instructive tone. Dropping into a smooth crouch, he motioned with his tail. " Mimic my movements as best you can. Keep quiet. Stay low. "

With practiced ease, Flame crept forward, his paws making barely a sound on the ground. It wasn't long before his sharp eyes caught sight of a bird perched nearby. His breath hitched for a moment. A kestrel. Not just any bird, a prize!

Flattening himself against the ground, he shot Seal a quick glance, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. A subtle wink was all the warning he gave before he launched himself forward in a blur of speed. Just as the bird spread its wings to take off, Flame leapt, his paws striking true. The kestrel flapped wildly in his grasp, but his teeth sank down into its neck, silencing it instantly.

A clean, swift catch.

Feathers and meat, they could use it all. Rising to his paws, he turned to Seal with a muffled grin, the bird still clamped in his jaws, he lifted his tail high, his expression proud. " Jus' like tha'! " he said through a muffled chuckle, his eyes locking onto hers with a mix of encouragement and pride.

RUN BOY RUN ——･ﾟ✦​

･ﾟ✦ —— THE SUN WILL BE GUIDING YOU

 

[Sealpaw]

┍❆

She couldn't help the way her ears pinned back when the tom laughed; she'd done her best, he didn't have to laugh about her failure.

"I almost had it..." Sealpaw pouted, a single paw reaching to bat the tail around as it finally slowed its flailing and grew still. The shoulder bump from the tom knocked her out of her pity party briefly, blue eyes studying the other before padding after him to do as told. "Okay..."

Following Flame's advice she crouched, grimacing at the feeling of her belly grazing against mud as she trailed after him. Keep quiet. Stay low. Keep quiet. Stay low… It was a near mantra in her head as the tabby did her best to emulate him, with pawsteps that were almost silent but not quite. He saw the bird before she did, it almost looked like the usual fair of birds but with a beak as curved and sharp as a cat's own claws. Was…Was it a good idea to go after this one?

Before Sealpaw could open her mouth to voice her concern the tom had launched forward in a flash of claws and teeth- the bird hadn't even stood a chance. She wanted to be that good of a hunter…

"That was so COOL..!" She near-shouted, dashing forward to catch up to her chaperone, bouncing in place in front of him. "Me next, I wanna catch a bird next..!"

Excitement nearly won over the recent lesson of low and quiet as she pricked her ears, listening for the telltale flap of wings while she fidgeted in place. This time she'd catch something for sure.

❆┙

*•.¸❆

─WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW─

❆¸.•*

• 
  SEALPAW
  — Shadowclan Apprentice
  — She/They
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  — Grey Rosetted Tabby With Blue Eyes And Bobbed Tail.
  #4c66bf

 

[Flamerunner]

FLAME OF SHADOWCLAN

Flamerunner puffed out his chest proudly, casting a pleased glance down at Sealpaw as she admired his catch. A friendly wink accompanied his amusement, he had to admit, luck had been on his side today. This wasn't your everyday prey. A kestrel? The Stars must have winked some fortune down at him. Or something like that. Chuckling to himself, he set the bird before Sealpaw, his tail flicking idly. " You can certainly try! But don't be too hard on yourself if it doesn't work out, okay? Birds are tricky little things. " he meowed, swiping his tongue over his muzzle before settling down to watch her.

" First, you listen... Yes, just like you're doing. That's excellent. " he praised with a nod. " Second, make sure you're downwind. Don't want them catching your scent before you even get close. And finally… stealth. Stealth is everything. Move like a shadow. Be as quiet as can be. " His gaze flickered down to the kestrel for a moment, thoughtful.

He'd definitely use some of those feathers for his nest… Maybe he could share a few with Marble, Seal, and Fleakit too. Nobody really looked after Fleakit much. Maybe, just maybe it was about time someone did.

RUN BOY RUN ——･ﾟ✦​

･ﾟ✦ —— THE SUN WILL BE GUIDING YOU

 

[Sealpaw]

┍❆

Birds are tricky things.

Flamerunner did not have to tell her twice. Back before the colony split she'd chased the sparrows and never once had she even come close to catching one, even if it had been more for fun than for food.

"Mmhm..." Sealpaw gave a murmur in response to the advice, ears still straining to listen for the faintest hint of a bird nearby. Or at least she was before a thought came to her. "...Can birds REALLY smell? They don't have noses, they have beaks. Beaks are mouths." That much was obvious. They used their beaks to eat, and she'd certainly never heard a bird sniff around (not that'd she'd ever gotten close enough to test this).

Mysterious sense of smell or not, the kit decided that she was going to catch one just like Flamerunner. Body low to the ground, she crept forward towards the sound of feathers ruffling. It probably wasn't going to be as cool of a bird as the one her friend had caught but that was ok. This was just practice. Pushing through the underbrush she spotted her target: some small bird with its beak (or nose, if Flamerunner was to be believed) buried in the muck at the edge of one of the pocosin's many many ponds. Paws slowly moved toward it before it looked up suddenly as if startled by something and in kittish panic Sealpaw sprang forward, flailing to catch it before it could get too high off the ground.

All that served to do was send her tumbling into the mud that was much deeper than she and perhaps even Flamerunner had anticipated, Sealpaw struggled out of the muck to stumble wailing back to the flame point's side. The bird long gone by now. Sealpaw looking far more brown than grey. "I MISSED..."

❆┙

*•.¸❆

─WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW─

❆¸.•*

• 
  Sealpaw
  — Shadowclan Apprentice
  — She/They
  "SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  — Grey, Rosetted Tabby With Blue Eyes And A Bobbed Tail.
  #4c66bf