Private Kick Me When Im Down - Flea

[Mothbite Mothbite]

Still so young, Desperate for attention!

indentttSomething's been nagging at Mothbite, recently. Possumgrin had been called out for shirking his Night Guard duties. If he was leaving off those duties, what else was he ignoring? Mothbite cant help but think back to the 'group training' venture. At the time, he'd been happy to spend time with who he thought was a friend, and let Fleapaw and Lostpaw hang out together. Had that all just been a setup to hoist Fleapaw's training off on somebody else?

indentttIt leaves a sour taste in his mouth. Had all of his interactions with Possumgrin been part of some elaborate scheme?

indentttStill, he hasn't been the one most hurt by this. If Possumgrin hasn't been training Fleapaw, who has? The little spitfire has a huge amount of willpower and spirit, and a clear love of fighting, but has she been taught how to harness it? Like, at all? For a little thing like her, rushing into a fight without thinking is a clearshot way to get hurt, or killed. That's something Mothbite knows from experience.

indenttt"Hey, Fleapaw. Can you come with me? I wanna check on something." He calls out to the apprentice from where he stands in Shadowclan's camp. He's a little nervous about asking her for something so directly - Fleapaw has gotten on people's asses for less before. But she had been a bit kinder to him since he had helped save Tickpaw, so maybe it would be okay? If she did end up attacking him... well, he supposes he could work with that too.

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Mothbite | 20 moons | Shadowclan Nightguardbababbnihfibnfdifdhfhabbabab

 

[Fleapaw]

-

There was some downtime between training sessions with Froststorm and herb gathering, especially with Possumgrin shirking her off like he usually did. She was getting a little tired of chasing after him all the time. What started as a fun game, wasn't fucking fun anymore. It was actually really annoying, and she was beyond over it. Even so, Flea still held out, hoping that he might start caring, if for no other reason then to just keep up appearances… But really she knew hoping for that was bout as good as wishin' on dogshit.

Fleapaw knew he didn't give a fuck about her. He never did and never would. It was still just as frustrating as it'd been before, but at least now she wasn't entirely doomed to fail. Froststorm promised that he would make her a warrior, and he hadn't given her a reason not to doubt him yet.

Fleapaw was thoughtfully mulching a mouthful of frog when Mothbite called. Her eyes refocused as she was pulled from her thoughts. The ruddy she-cat stopped midchew and gawked from across camp. "The hell is it that you can't check on it by yourself!" She gargled out before slurping up her drool and swallowing.

Flea gives him a long, irritated look, but eventually sighs, gets up, and buries her half-eaten meal. Small brown paws then scrape the ground before coming to a stop in front of him. "Fine. Where we—" She stifled a burp, "—goin'?"A couple of moons ago, she might've told him to shove it. His title didn't mean anything to her, so just because he asked didn't mean she was gonna do it. Hell, appointing a sloppy piece of shit like Possumgrin really took the bang out of the title he weilded. But... Mothbite was there for her when she needed it. He helped her when she needed it, even with how shitty she'd been to him before. Fleapaw still didn't know why he did that, but it didn't matter. She wasn't one to leave her dues unpaid.

So many thunderclouds over my bed.

FLEAPAW

8 MOONS
SHE/HER
- Undersized cinnamon solid with folded ears. She's thin but stubby with very messy fur.
"SPEECH" - crimson | 'THOUGHTS/EMPHASIS' - crimson

Fleapaw values family the most with survival at a close second. In conversations, she is blunt, fun-loving, and clever. She is guided by her desires which often leads her astray. Despite her abrasive personality, she cares deeply for those she loves and will do anything to protect them. Due to her experiences, Fleapaw is corrupt and has minimalistic, if any, morals. She does not care for the warrior code and its restraints. Neither does she believe in StarClan. Growing up in a kitten mill, being separated from her mother, and ending up on the streets have deeply affected her view of the world.

Tellin' me I'll never be good enough

 

[Mothbite Mothbite]

Still so young, Desperate for attention!

indenttt"Cuz' it's you I'm checking on!" Mothbite hadn't gone into this without expecting some backtalk. Fleapaw had gotten a little bit less... testy in the last moon or so, but there's only so much progress you can make in just that that time. "Let's get out of camp, I don't want to cause a fuss."

indentttHe stops a little while out of camp, in a small clearing with some miraculously dry soil. He tamps it down with a paw just to test it for hidden mud. "Yeah, this'll do. We can do this here." He turns back to face Fleapaw, his face steely and his muscles tensed. "Alright, come at me." He's expecting Fleapaw to charge forward at full force, but he's braced himself. He's not the most confident fighter, but he's pretty sure he can handle this.

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Mothbite | 22 moons | Shadowclan Nightguardbababbnihfibnfdifdhfhabbabab

 

[Fleapaw]

-

Fleapaw gives a long roll of the eyes at his answer. Long as she knew him, he'd always been a nosy rat, and time hadn't changed that. Flea supposed she could humor him. Any lectures he had planned, she could just zone out for.

They stop outside of camp, and she gives him a lidded stare… until he starts squaring up. Wh—huh? She blinked, "You brought me out here to fight?" Where the hell did that even come from? There were plenty of times she wanted to smack him upside the head but now wasn't exactly one of them. "Uhhh, not saying I don't want to, but is this payback?" Fleapaw couldn't remember the last time she gave him a hard time but she also couldn't think of what else it could be… "If you found something in your nest, this time it wasn't me."

So many thunderclouds over my bed.

FLEAPAW

8 MOONS
SHE/HER
- Undersized cinnamon solid with folded ears. She's thin but stubby with very messy fur.
"SPEECH" - crimson | 'THOUGHTS/EMPHASIS' - crimson

Fleapaw values family the most with survival at a close second. In conversations, she is blunt, fun-loving, and clever. She is guided by her desires which often leads her astray. Despite her abrasive personality, she cares deeply for those she loves and will do anything to protect them. Due to her experiences, Fleapaw is corrupt and has minimalistic, if any, morals. She does not care for the warrior code and its restraints. Neither does she believe in StarClan. Growing up in a kitten mill, being separated from her mother, and ending up on the streets have deeply affected her view of the world.

Tellin' me I'll never be good enough

 

[Mothbite Mothbite]

Still so young, Desperate for attention!

indenttt"Huh?" Mothbite blinks dumbly a few times, before coming up out of his fighting stance. "No, way! That bastard's been shirking off all of his duties, I figured he might not be training you either. I wanna make sure you know how to fight!" He thought he'd gotten a chance to do some cool posturing, but Fleapaw completely ruined it. Now, he's left babbling like an idiot again, trying to explain himself.

indentttHe hopes Fleapaw doesn't really think he'd beat up an apprentice for 'revenge'. Hell, he can't think of a single cat here that would. Sablestar would probably have their pelts for starting pointless fights with kittens, and there's no telling what Cizadabuzz's punishment would be. Just the idea of having to make penance to the dark-eyed medicine cat makes his skin crawl. Even without that, Mothbite doesn't think he has it in him to do something like that. He knows he's a hot-tempered pain in the ass, but even the most ill mannered and annoying apprentices don't deserve a beat down!

indentttStill, he does want to watch Fleapaw fight. He has a sneaking suspicion they have the same sort of weakness, in a battle. Their hot tempers rush into fights that their small, frail bodies can't win. It's how Mothbite got the scar across his flank, in the battle for the colony. He'd been so in his head about proving himself to Ghost that he'd forgotten that the opposing tom was much bigger than he was, and easily able to overpower him. Over time, Mothbite had learned to turn tail and run from most conflicts, not letting his anger win out over his instinct for self preservation. He doubts the same will be possible for Fleapaw.

indentttCrouching down again, he calls out to Fleapaw. "So, come get me! Show me everything you know, and don't hold back!"

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Mothbite | 22 moons | Shadowclan Nightguardbababbnihfibnfdifdhfhabbabab

 

[Fleapaw]

-

Fleapaw blinked, caught off guard by his answer. So he knew that Possumgrin wasn't training her right? Irritation bubbled beneath her pelt. Well fuck if he was so goddamn concerned, why not tell Sablestar or chew Possumgrin out himself? Mothbite was a Night Guard. He had the authority for that stuff. Unlike her, they would listen to him if he came complaining.

She gives a sharp scoff. "Don't see why you're so damn worried." She crunches her nose but decides to leave it at that. Her shoulders rolled as she dropped into a stance, claws flexing in the dirt. "Not like it affects you."

Could he really blame her for being suspicious? The way he approached her was weird as hell—and it's not like they were best pals or anything. How was she supposed to know he didn't mean trouble? But maybe this was just the kind of sappy nonsense Mothbite got up to. Bunch of well-wishing crap.

Still, if he really wanted to spar, she wasn't about to say no. It was just Mothbite, but even then… it was kinda exciting. Not like she got chances like this often—not with one of their oh-so-mighty Night Guards. Sure as hell Possumgrin wasn't showing up for her when it came to battle training.

As soon as Mothbite braced, she bared her teeth and shot forward. The apprentice charged him head-on, claws swiping toward his face.

He didn't want her to hold back? Fine, she wouldn't.

Fleapaw: 30/30 HP
- Undersized
- Rolls a 1d15

Rolled a 1d15 → 3

Shape me into something worthy

FLEAPAW

8 MOONS
SHE/HER
- Undersized cinnamon solid with folded ears. She's thin but stubby with very messy fur.
"SPEECH" - crimson | 'THOUGHTS/EMPHASIS' - crimson

Fleapaw values family the most with survival at a close second. In conversations, she is blunt, fun-loving, and clever. She is guided by her desires which often leads her astray. Despite her abrasive personality, she cares deeply for those she loves and will do anything to protect them. Due to her experiences, Fleapaw is corrupt and has minimalistic, if any, morals. She does not care for the warrior code and its restraints. Neither does she believe in StarClan. Growing up in a kitten mill, being separated from her mother, and ending up on the streets have deeply affected her view of the world.

'Till I'm someone that I love

 

[Mothbite Mothbite]

Still so young, Desperate for attention!

indentttFleapaw charges him head-on, just like he was expecting. He braces for the hit, feeling the sharp sting of claws raking across his muzzle, but stands his ground. Even though it was part of his plan, he still cringes a bit at the prospect of asking Cicadabuzz for healing herbs. Maybe if he just washes off the blood, his dark fur will hide the wounds?

indenttt He doesn't waste much time reeling from the blow, instead jumping into action as soon as the apprentice's claws leave his face. In her rush to get to him, she's left herself open to a counter-attack. His body uncoils like a striking adder, springing towards Fleapaw's neck and biting down on her scruff. His shoulder comes down over hers and the weight of his body pins her to the ground. It's a struggle - Mothbite doesn't have the same dramatic size advantage over Fleapaw that most other cats do. Still, he's able to subdue her.

indenttt 'Damn, he really didn't teach you anything!' Mothbite would have commented aloud if he didn't have his mouth full of fur. He releases Fleapaw's scruff, but places a steady paw on her back, just to keep her from jumping up to retaliate before he can speak, though he's not sure how effective it'll be.

indenttt "You'll get yourself killed, rushing in like that." Mothbite tries to keep his tone lighter, but it's not possible to dance around the grim reality of his words. "It only takes one chance for an enemy to strike, and when they do, they'll overpower you." He lifts his paw, releasing the apprentice. "Never give them that chance, Fleapaw."

indentttHow many moons ago was it, that Mothbite had failed to listen to his own advice? He'd gotten headstrong, letting his emotions take over, and tried to go head-to-head with a cat far larger and more powerful than himself. It wasn't a fight he'd forget soon. Especially not after Ghost had given him that scar on his flank to remember it by. If he hadn't turned tail and run, he'd probably be dead.

ababaugfbiufhufbdfduibabababa

Mothbite | 22 moons | Shadowclan Nightguardbababbnihfibnfdifdhfhabbabab