Open Border WC He was pointing at the moon...

[Rippleshade Rippleshade]

RippleShade​ ​ "Speaking" " Thinking"​ ⓘ Sunset on the Wind/Shadow border ⓘ The sun teetered on the horizon as the two cats marked their scent. Ripple followed his "mentor" as they explained the importance of border patrols. The older tom tried his best to pay attention and seem engaged, but the history of marking territory's and the fights they cause seemed to drag on. The dark tom nodded with a stifled yawn. "LightningGrowl... I think I get it..." He mewed, his voice dripping with respect. The rogue even bowed his head as he spoke. Some cats like the reverence he gives them, despite it being over the top. Not all cats are happy about their stinky new clan-mate and believe they should be treated with the upmost respect and dignity. After all, they could have chased him out like the other clans. The dark cats tail flicked behind him. The sun sunk lower behind the mountains as they walked, a soft breeze ruffling their fur. Ripple felt himself close his eyes as he took a deep breathe of the fall air. He turned to Lightning, "What do we do for leaf-bare?" As nice as the air felt now, he knew it only spelled disaster over the next few moons. @Eggmcbaconboy ​

OOC: Technically started for a RP with LightningGrowl, but please feel free to enter as well! Either with Ripple and Lightning or after the patrol with only Ripple!

 

[Lightning'growl Lightning'growl]

When Lightning'growl first heard he'd be getting an apprentice, he was over the moon. Finally! A chance to show off just how skilled he'd become—a chance to prove that his speed, his instincts, his whole existence as a warrior was something to be admired. StarClan themselves must've carved these paws, swift as the wind over the moor. Training an apprentice meant responsibility, sure, but more importantly, it meant an audience. Someone to watch, to learn, and maybe even to praise.

Of course, that fire fizzled fast the moment he laid eyes on his supposed "apprentice." Rippleshade wasn't some wide-eyed kit eager to follow orders—he was a full-grown tom, older than Lightning'growl in some ways. The leader's explanation of his… predicament… hardly made the blow any softer. Lightning'growl's ears flicked back, a scoff sliding from his throat as he forced a smile. Fine. So maybe this wasn't what he imagined. But if Rippleshade thought that would slow him down, he had another thing coming.

"Don't worry," Lightning'growl had boasted, chin high and whiskers twitching with confidence. "I'll make a proper warrior out of this nobody. Just watch." He threw himself into the role with all the vigor of a racer gunning for the finish line—drilling every detail, every rule, every little trick from sunrise to sundown. If Rippleshade so much as blinked during one of his explanations, Lightning'growl pounced on it like a hawk. This was his chance to shine, and he wasn't about to let some grown tom's shortcomings dim the glow.

But the cracks showed quickly. On one particularly dreary patrol, as Lightning'growl rambled about prey trails and the importance of seasonal awareness, he caught the sharp snap of Rippleshade's jaws as a yawn was hastily smothered. Lightning'growl whipped his head around so fast droplets of rain sprayed off his ears as they came out during another light drizzle on Windclan, green eyes narrowing into daggers. His tail lashed once, sharply, and he let out a huff that carried more than a little bite.

"Bored already? Typical." His voice was edged with smugness, though the faintest flicker of annoyance tugged his whiskers. "Sure, this stuff might make an actual apprentice want to crawl back to the nursery, but it's important. Vital, even."

Rippleshade's question—some half-hearted remark about winter patrols—earned little more than a raised brow before Lightning'growl turned back to the moor with a scoff. His paws carried him to the border that mirrored ShadowClan, damp grass squelching beneath his step. He sat with a flourish, tail curling neatly as though to punctuate his authority, before tossing his reply over his shoulder.

"Just try not to freeze to death, for the most part. Most of the prey goes underground when the cold sets in—hibernate, hide, whatever it is they do. Herbs? They die off, too. Which means we're running on scraps. Not exactly the season to be lazy." He stretched out one hind leg and scratched feverishly behind his ear, utterly casual, as though the lecture had been delivered from the mouth of the most seasoned warrior on the moors.

___________________ THEY DEFTLY MANEUVER ☆ AND MUSCLE FOR RANK ___________________

• "speech."
  "thoughts."
  actions.
  

• 

• LIGHTNING'GROWL he/him, windclanner, twenty-four moons.
  ☆ a dark chocolate-and-fawn tom with a patchy, chimera-like pelt and a touch of white, always wearing a clover on his fur.
  ☆ mentoring no one.
  ☆ no current relationships or family ties.
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by egg ↛ eggmcbaconboy on discord, feel free to dm for plots!

 

[Rippleshade Rippleshade]

RippleShade​ ​ "Speaking" " Thinking"​ ⓘ Sunset on the Wind/Shadow border ⓘ Rippleshade stuttered for a moment. His throat burned as bile rose,'shit.' he offended his mentor. He had gotten too casual with the cat that was supposed to be his teacher. The new clan cat bowed his head further in apologies. The grass felt slick under his paws and his head filled with worry. ' Ill make a proper warrior out of you!'He had recalled what his mentor had promised during the ceremony. "I'm sorry, LightningGrowl..." he mewed, his head still hung low. despite his age he was acting like an apprentice. "Please, continue. Its no excuse but I was just tired from helping rebuild the dens this morning. Your explanations was very captivating." It didn't hurt to flatter yourself out of trouble, right? It wasn't an complete lie either, he really had been helping one of the mollys rebuild their dens. Embarrassment flashed through the tom. His ears grew hot as his ratty tail flicked nervously behind him. he closed his eyes as droplets of rain hit his face. "sorry" He muttered. "I'm sure you were disappointed to hear I would be your apprentice right? I promise ill be a good enough warrior to make you proud." The dark cat looked up to meet his mentors eyes for the first time tonight, working extra hard for his brownie points now. The sleek tom sat down and groomed himself as if bored by his question.[I]'ah... a freezing cold death. so that's what awaited them come leaf-bare... it was not the time to get sick or injured.'[/I]He stood in thought for only a moment but Lightning had quickly gotten back up and was several paces ahead of him, already to the next scent marker. Rippleshade picked up his pace, his hind paws occasionally slipping in the wet grass. "What if there was a place with no leaf-bare?" he asked, he glanced up as the cold rain sprinkled down on the pair. "Year round prey and herbs, no needing to worry about starving or getting ill!" He waited for the cats answer, despite their differences, Ripple truly did think Lighting was a wise cat. He reminded him of the elders that could talk for hours about their warrior moons and the things they learned throughout life, but he was only a young warrior ! He wondered what stories he'd tell when he grew old, he wondered if he would be in one. ​ @Eggmcbaconboy

OOC: -

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[Lightning'growl Lightning'growl]

Lightning'growl chewed the inside of his cheek, humming thoughtfully at Rippleshade's self-proclaimed title of failure. "Disappointed? Nah, that's not the word." His whiskers twitched with a flash of pride, tail flicking high. "Don't get me wrong—there's definitely something in me worth seeing. They wouldn't hand me an apprentice this early if I wasn't special." He puffed out his chest and strutted a circle around Rippleshade, each step light as wind-tossed feathers brushing through the grass. The drizzle slicked his orange pelt, but he carried himself like the storm was just another stage light. "I think they picked me 'cause you're an odd case. And me? I'm more than qualified to make you the best warrior yet. Catching up might take you moons longer than our other apprentices, but luckily, you've got me."

When Rippleshade's soft question broke the air, Lightning'growl tilted his head, one ear flopping with a lazy weight. "No leaf-bare?" His grin twitched, half amused, half serious. "Can't even imagine it. Pretty sure it's nature's way of taking a break, anyway. If the prey never got to rest, we'd run the whole moor dry with all the mouths we've got to feed." He arched a brow at Rippleshade, studying the tom as if gauging whether his answer—practical, but tinged with a gloomy edge—was enough to satisfy that odd curiosity.

Before Rippleshade could reply, a sharp crack split the stillness. Lightning'growl's pupils dilated sharply, ears pricked high as his head snapped toward the ShadowClan border. His jaw clicked shut, then opened again in quick little chatters, the sound rattling like a squirrel's warning. He sank into the grass, paws curling deep into the soil as his gaze swept the trees beyond. For a heartbeat, the cocky tom looked every bit the trained warrior he boasted of being.

And then, just as quickly, his shoulders rolled back, and his snark slid into place again. He pounced with featherlight paws, landing right at Rippleshade's side, the sudden closeness punctuated by a rough, dismissive lick across the other tom's ear. "Hmph. Thank StarClan there aren't any ShadowClan cats skulking around today." His tail lashed, but his smirk was playful, almost daring. "Clans've been at each other's whiskers enough lately. No reason for us to get tied up in it too."

"So! Tell me, Rippleshade—do you really not remember anything about yourself?" Lightning'growl's voice rang with a mix of mischief and genuine curiosity, sharp green eyes narrowing as though the tom might suddenly blurt out some secret if pressed hard enough. Maybe it was a touchy subject—most cats would probably tread carefully around a Clanmate with no memory. But Lightning'growl wasn't most cats. The mystery gnawed at him, a flickering flame in the back of his mind, and every now and again it slipped through in questions he couldn't quite stop himself from asking.

He padded close to the border, shoulders rolling like he owned the stretch of grass beneath his paws. Droplets clung to his whiskers as he lowered his head for a quick sniff, the familiar scent of damp earth and ShadowClan musk settling in his nose. A short chuff slipped from him, half amusement, half dismissal, before he straightened again and gave his tail an easy sway, gesturing for Rippleshade to keep up.

No need to linger longer than they had to. The markers were sharp and fresh, their work here already done. Lightning'growl stretched his stride, moving on with the effortless spring of a tom who couldn't stand still for long, ears flicking back as though expecting Rippleshade to fill the silence behind him.

___________________ THEY DEFTLY MANEUVER ☆ AND MUSCLE FOR RANK ___________________

• "speech."
  "thoughts."
  actions.
  

• 

• LIGHTNING'GROWL he/him, windclanner, twenty-four moons.
  ☆ a dark chocolate-and-fawn tom with a patchy, chimera-like pelt and a touch of white, always wearing a clover on his fur.
  ☆ mentoring no one.
  ☆ no current relationships or family ties.
  ☆ peaceful and healing powerplay permitted / / underline and tag when attacking
  ☆ penned by egg ↛ eggmcbaconboy on discord, feel free to dm for plots!