Private Territory SkyClan the show must go on // teaselpaw

[stormcrow]

Stormcrow gets up early, before the sun has breached the edge of the horizon, the early new leaf air cool and crisp in her lungs. She pads out into the camp, stretching in front of the entrance to the warrior's den. There was something about being up before dawn; a softness about the world, which has yet to adjust to its inhabitants being awake.

After the meeting yesterday, Teaselpaw had looked… rather stricken. She sighs. They were like their mother; too soft, too trusting, too ready to defend someone who had done nothing to deserve it. Misplaced loyalty. Shaking her head, she heads towards the camp's entrance, sitting down next to it and wrapping her tail around herself, covering her paws.

She sits there, still as a mountain in the half light of the soon to rise sun, a silent observer. Her eyes are the only part of her that moves. Were she sitting in the tree tops, one might've mistaken her for an owl or some other bird of prey, looking for a rustling in the bushes to indicate the presence of her prey. Now her eyes search for Teaselpaw.

I NEED MY GOLDEN CROWN OF SORROW

MY BLOODY SWORD TO SWING

• ooc: @Teaselpaw
• 

  Stromcrow, - 42 moons / Skyclan warrior/scout
  Daughter of Snowveil, temporary mentor of Teaselpaw
  Strict, devoted, rational. Peaceful powerplay allowed.

  
  

 

[Teaselpaw]

TEASELPAW

Over hill, over dale, through the valley and vale do not weep, do not wail, I am coming home to you

Teaselpaw had been anxious, there was no denying that. Sleep had not come easily, their thoughts spinning in restless circles. Eventually, exhaustion had won, pulling them into an uneasy slumber. They often sang softly to Cygnetpaw to comfort her, but lately… it hadn't felt the same. And curling up against Rosepaw? Out of the question. Lavenderpaw, too… Their little family felt broken, just a bit. Because of Crowsight? Or… had their mother played a part in it, too? The Daylighters weren't bad, not exactly. Just different. Living slightly differently didn't make them wrong.

A sigh left them as they groggily pulled themselves from their nest, careful not to wake the other apprentices. They slunk toward the den entrance, squinting against the first light of dawn. Stretching out their stiff limbs, they padded forward and then froze.

Oh… oh no. Stormcrow was already there.

Panic flared in their chest. Had they overslept? Were they too late? A worried noise escaped them, and they hurried over, ears pinned back in apology. As they reached Stormcrow, they stomped a paw lightly against the ground.

I'm here. I'm here now.

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[stormcrow]

The young apprentice appears from the mouth of the apprentices den just as the sun finally peaks over the top of the world, stretching out their limbs. Good. They're timely, if nothing else. They seem to spot Stormcrow, immediately hurrying towards her, ears pinned back. Geez– it's not like she's scary, is it? Teaselpaw stomps a paw against the dirt, and Stormcrow guesses the meaning of it. Indication of their arrival. She nods.

"Follow me," she says, and without turning to look if they do, she heads out of the camp and into the territory. "I'm sure Fitz will have done what he could to teach you; it's not his mentoring skills being questioned." Her ears flick– she didn't need to justify herself to this kit, but she felt a strange need to, anyway. Perhaps it was her mother's soft but firm influence, a certain soft spot for the younglings of the clan. "I didn't want to take you from him, as some implied. Getting an apprentice is not a reward to reap, but fulfilling a duty to your clan. Duty comes before everything. That is what he must learn. You never put yourself first, always your clan, your leader," she stops suddenly, having heard a sound.

She signals with her tail for Teaselpaw to stop, and drops into a hunting crouch. Turning to Teaselpaw, she speaks very softly. "Can you hear it? Smell it? Tell me what you sense, young one."

I NEED MY GOLDEN CROWN OF SORROW

MY BLOODY SWORD TO SWING

• ooc: -
• 

  
  

  Stromcrow, - 42 moons / Skyclan warrior/scout
  Daughter of Snowveil, temporary mentor of Teaselpaw
  Strict, devoted, rational. Peaceful powerplay allowed.

  
  

 

[Teaselpaw]

TEASELPAW

Over hill, over dale, through the valley and vale do not weep, do not wail, I am coming home to you

Relief shone in their eyes at Stormcrow's simple nod. She wasn't upset with them for being late. That took some of the weight off their shoulders. A soft purr escaped them as they padded after her, but... Just once they glanced back. Longing. Searching. Was Fitz anywhere nearby? Was he watching them leave? He had wanted to show them so much. And now… now they were being taken away from him. Stormcrow was nice, more than nice. She was Snowveil's kit, after all, and they liked Snowveil. Straightforward yet kind. She had raised good children.

But still…

Teaselpaw gave a quick, flustered shake of their fur before snapping their attention back to Stormcrow, letting out the faintest 'mrrp'. It's not his mentoring abilities being questioned… then what? Loyalty? But he was loyal. Wasn't he? Teaselpaw believed he was. They wanted to believe that. They blinked, owlish and wide-eyed, as they stared at Stormcrow, nodding at her words. Duty before everything. But hadn't he scouted ahead for everyone? He had done his part. And what of Rosepaw? Hadn't he gone after Fitzgerald on his own? He wasn't supposed to leave camp alone either, but he hadn't been punished for it.

Odd. It didn't sit right.

A soft sigh left them, ears twitching as they stopped to scent the air. Listen. They heard plenty. Too much. Saw more. Sometimes things that sent a shudder coursing through their small body. Things they shouldn't be able to see. Things they didn't want to see. No. Focus.

Their ears swiveled, frustration flickering beneath their pelt as they forced themselves to concentrate. Sort through the noise. A bird. Teaselpaw blinked, glancing at Stormcrow before raising their tail toward the sky. Then, carefully, they lifted a paw high.

Would she understand?

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[stormcrow]

Stormcrow watches Teaselpaw closely, noting their frustration, their ears, all of it. There was something else going on underneath the young apprentice's fur. Curious. After a while, they point their tail to the sky and lift a paw high in the air.

"Yes," Stormcrow replies. "Bird." She pauses for a moment, trying to figure out what Fitz would've told them, where to start– eventually landing on starting over. "When hunting birds, the most important thing to be aware of is the sound you're making. Which should be none. Birds hear better than you think. Not a very good sense of smell though, so you don't have to worry too much about which way the wind is blowing, like you have to be with mice and squirrels. Their sight is good too, though, so don't go around trying to sneak up on them head-on," another pause, this one shorter. She looks over at Teaselpaw. "Alright, now– Fitz must've shown you a hunting crouch, right? How to pounce? Hunt this bird– doesn't matter if you get it or not, not right now. Right now it's about form. Technique. You won't be perfect yet, but I can't teach you if I don't know what the starting point is." She nods her head in the direction of the bird. "Go."

I NEED MY GOLDEN CROWN OF SORROW

MY BLOODY SWORD TO SWING

• ooc: -
• 

  Stromcrow, - 42 moons / Skyclan warrior/scout
  Daughter of Snowveil, temporary mentor of Teaselpaw
  Strict, devoted, rational. Peaceful powerplay allowed.

  
  

 

[Teaselpaw]

TEASELPAW

Over hill, over dale, through the valley and vale do not weep, do not wail, I am coming home to you

Teaselpaw hesitated, their whiskers trembling momentarily as they stared at the other. Stormcrow's words echoed in their ears, but that awful, thick weight in their chest refused to ease. Even as she gave instructions in that calm, matter-of-fact way, their heart pounded a little too loud. It was always like this. Everyone looked at them. Expected things. Expected better. And Teaselpaw never really knew if what they gave was better... Did they succeed? Did they make those around them proud? Did they do good? Still, they nodded slowly, swallowing down the nerves. The tips of their ears were hot, flushed with the weight of being observed. Stormcrow wasn't Fitz and yet there was something grounding in her steadiness, in how she didn't doubt Teaselpaw even when they doubted themselves.

A deep breath was taken in, until finally a firm nod was given. An affirmation that they understood what she told them. With quiet care, they sank low to the earth. The tension that lived in their shoulders all the time finally had a place to go, bleeding into the tight, steady coil of a hunter's crouch. Their paws moved slowly, deliberately. Back even. Tail held low and still. They hadn't thought much of it before, this motion had been carved into their bones from days and days of doing it over and over with Fitz watching them and encouraging. But now, doing it in front of Stormcrow, they wondered... was it right? Was it good?

No time to dwell. The bird was preening, blissfully unaware, but Teaselpaw kept Stormcrow's voice in their head like a guiding current. Don't make a sound. Sight is sharp. Don't go head-on. Wind doesn't matter here. Each pawstep was precise. Weight shifted carefully. A single leaf crunched underpaw, and they froze, scared that they lost the prey. Do not move, wait, wait, wait....! And then the bird resumed its casual flutter of wings. They moved forward again. A little closer. Closer still. Every breath shallow. Every muscle tight.

Without another second to spare, they struck. Teaselpaw launched forward in a burst of controlled speed, forepaws shooting out to meet feather and flesh. A flurry of wings met them, claws sinking down. There was a beat of silence. A flutter. Then stillness. The bird, now limp beneath their paws, was theirs. Teaselpaw blinked down at it, chest rising and falling with quiet disbelief. Their claws slowly retracted, gaze flicking toward Stormcrow, a question in their eyes that they didn't dare speak aloud...

Was that... good?

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