PAFP Camp TICKLE THE IVORIES ❤︎ RETURN

[fitzgerald]

Fitzgerald is not certain what he feels upon returning home from his little endeavor? He is at least a bit happy to have discovered friendly new company; this means that he could return to Twolegplace to reminisce without fearing for his life. It is still bittersweet though... the structure is more or less the same as the one he is used to, but it still remains entirely different — not surprising that he struggles with wrapping his head around it all. With time, it probably won't hurt this bad. He just has to get to that point... somehow.

Nevertheless, there is a hop in his step as he returns to camp. At least the worst of the rain had waited for him to come back; had he been just a little bit late, the weather would have washed away all the scents, and he might have gotten lost. This forest is as much of a stranger as he is to it. He cannot yet wander in it like he owns the place.

"I'm back,"

he announces his return to anyone who may listen... even those who do not particularly care. Surely any and all disdain some of his peers may feel for him due to his dual-lifestyle will wash away, now that he has more in common with regular warriors.

"Did I miss anything?"

Set on the same day as Fitzgerald venturing into Twolegplace.
Please wait for either @Hawkstar or @Rosepaw!

 

[Hawkstar]

HAWKSTAR, 62 moons / SKYCLAN LEADER
A long-legged short-furred seal point tortie with one electric-blue eye; heavily scarred
Mentoring ROSEPAW ; mother of STARLITPATH
Prone to corporate attitudes, harsh words, hazing practices ; generally morally dubious
Tagging FITZGERALD, ROSEPAW

---

It was hard, trying to figure out which emotion to settle on for the news. One of her warriors, not five minutes (seemingly) after returning to the forest had decided to sneak off to find out if the grass was greener on the other side of the twoleg fence. For now, Hawkstar had settled on thinly veiled rage, her electric blue eye snapping from point to point behind a plasticky smile.

"A few bees in that brain, maybe." the pointed leader's face twitched unpleasantly, the plastic pulling over the seams of her scars and throwing them into sharp relief - garish. "Rosepaw tells me you took it upon yourself to find the local Twolegplace! Not even a moment to rest? Assist your clan with dens? Find a scrap for the kits to eat now that they were settled? Mm-mm, no, the housefolk and their lay-about kittens were more important than the duties needed here?" A glittering king to a serpent spitting venom, Hawkstar's teeth glinted in her awful rendition of a smile (snarl?). Stupid, stupid cat!

 

[Teaselpaw]

TEASELPAW

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

Teaselpaw busied themself around camp, ensuring everyone had what they needed. This new place was still unfamiliar, but it was safe. No rats lurked in the shadows, no sickness spread through their bites. And most importantly... Mama was here, alive. Still, worry gnawed at them. Cygnet and Rose… What did they think of her now? Teaselpaw longed for things to return to how they once were, but maybe that was foolish. Fading. Gone. Everything changed. Nothing stayed the same. It was scary, but inevitable. Change would never stop.

Their mind wandered as their dual-colored eyes followed a glimmer in the air, a brief smile tugging at their muzzle. It was such a nice-- Fitz? Their ears flicked at the familiar voice. Their mentor had returned. Hadn't Rosepaw rushed to Hawkstar earlier, looking urgent? Had they seen something on patrol? Curious... Blinking, Teaselpaw padded toward where Fitzgerald and Hawkstar stood, eyes flickering between them. But then--

Oh.

That look on Hawkstar's face wasn't a good one. Their mentor… had he done something Hawkstar hadn't approved of?

O...oh…

Teaselpaw swallowed hard, their gaze shifting to Fitzgerald, concern creeping into their expression. They… they supposed they understood their leader's frustration. Everyone had been working hard to settle in, to build a future here. But had their mentor really gone to the Twolegplace instead…?

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[SWALLOWPAW]

a dam breaks when fitzgerald comes back from his little outing. poison floods into skyclan's camp, their king standing upon the broken pieces. hawkstar berates the tom with so much force swallowpaw is reminded of maiseyleg. the raw, blood boiling anger over something that coffeestar would've waved a paw over. it's going to kill her someday, at least she has the lives to spare when it does.

there's nothing swallowpaw can do. fitzgerald is an adult who can defend himself. the girl spares an apologetic glance to teaselpaw in this time of need. to have your own sibling rat you out to the leader like that… she wouldn't know how to feel if her own littermates did the same. it's cruel— and what was rosepaw doing, outside of camp, anyways? the question comes to her but her maw stays shut. instead she glances nervous at those gathered around, anxiously waiting to see how this would go down.

ʚɞ

 

[flowercloud]

Flowercloud felt the air of distaste, it stung the back of her throat as her head turned to greet Fitzgeralds greeting. Her tail that was held high in a warm greeting instantly fell, her pawsteps slowing to a hault as Hawkstar spoke venom that laced her words.

But, are daylighters really expected to give up everything?

She didn't agree, worried eyes tossing to Fitzgerald, then back to Hawkstar. She could lie, say he was up early on a dawn patrol- but then she'd keep doing what got her in trouble with her own kids. She couldn't lie, and the anxiety bubbles in her throat as she thought. But she couldn't just sit here and let daylighters be ridiculed, because she didn't like them. Not like Maiseyleg, not again.

"Hawkstar," she spoke, dipping her head. Don't screw this up for yourself, flowercloud. Carefully, she spoke, her mouth dry. "It has always been that Skyclan be open to change, open to daylighters, and some have even proven themselves to be strong warriors. Fitzgerald, and many others sacrificed their home to be here with us. There are many of us still left- why should... We suddenly close the borders? We need to know what's out in our new territory. New... Gossip, or even dangers we may be going into blind without those heads out there...."

Maybe, it was the fact she was not a full-blooded Skyclanner, that she felt the desire to protect those who chose both sides of the coin...

"Fitzgerald, do you have anything to report?" She asks, a hard gulp coming from her throat as soft green eyes turned to the other.
​

 

[Rosepaw]

Oh, I can't stop feeling I want her love ♡

The little chocolate lynx point stands next to Hawkstar with his little head raised proudly and an expression of smug satisfaction on his maw as the leader turned on the returning Daylight Warrior with teeth barred, his tail is raised high an haughty behind him and he blatantly ignores the wary looks from both Teaselpaw and Swallowpaw. The medicine cat apprentice being soft was fine, surely it aided in healing others but it was his brother being so openly appalled that made him bristle slightly and when Flowercloud arrived to soothe the situation he grew angrier still.

His mother speaks and it takes all of his willpower not to turn and glare at her, his jaw tightening and his nose wrinkling as he holds his tongue; he wants to tell her this is why their father left, because he wasn't forced to join SkyClan like he should've - that letting him go back to a twoleg nest made him weak and unwilling to stay with them. If Fitzgerald wanted to go scurrying back to being a kittypet then he could and he could never come back then too! Rosepaw looks away sharply, eyes burning, his brief bout of confidence at having delivered his report to Hawkstar fading into a dull rumbling ache in his chest. Finally he can hold his silence no longer, "A patrol and information gathering was for Hawkstar to decide, not some-" His blue eyes flit over the Daylighter, lips curl in a sneer, "-...not him."

But all my dreaming is not enough...

Rosepaw

— Apprentice of SkyClan
— He/Him
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— Chocolate Sepia Tabby w/low white & blue eyes.
#ef6c71

 

[Fujimoto]

┍

Returning to the comforts of twolegplace had been a lingering thought on Fujimoto's mind. Not long after Hawkstar rallied them at the discovery of their new territory, actually, he began to gently prod the idea but with no real weight to it.

His upwalkers had been his only pair, their nest the only of it's kind he walked into. He still missed them something awful, and he didn't anticipate to simply replace them (not that he even knew how to do that, being born into the life). And as Hawkstar pointed out to his Clanmate, he knew there was plenty to do in preparation for the warriors that shied from that life. Especially for Lostmoon and the kittens they picked up along the way.

Fitzgerald was definitely a bold fellow to meander about without even a glimpse of hesitation, and his lack of awareness for what he had done gave him secondhand fear what the leader was about to hand him.

The Sun Guard stood with his lips pursed tightly together, keeping every thought to himself but his eyes said just as much of what he was thinking. This was risky work.

‎┙

 

[fitzgerald]

There are plenty of things that Fitzgerald expects, courtesy of a mind liking to run wild with fantasies, but disapproval from the leader specifically is decisively not one of them. The pair had not always seen eye to eye, that much is true... Hawkstar's seriousness clashes with Fitzgerald's light-hearted approach to many things, but that had seldom been point of trouble. Up until now.

Fitzgerald's eyes involuntarily look for Rosepaw in the crowd. At least Hawkstar's expression quickly brings his attention back — his case would not be helped by sticking his tongue out at an apprentice, even if that is what he wishes he could do.

"Huh?"

Very slick. Fitzgerald cannot help it.

"You didn't say we couldn't leave..."

A hot flash of embarrassment licks up his entire body; everybody's eyes are on him, and his leader had already decided that he is entirely in the wrong, so his words will matter very little from now on. This is unfair... his paws shift uncomfortably. He had not been born a warrior, and so these so-called noble duties had never came to mind very easily for him. If orders are given, he can at least do what he is supposed to do.

He had thought Hawkstar understood. Apparently not.

Against all odds, someone actually speaks for him. The fur that had arisen along his spine now lays flat again. Flowercloud, of all cats, is on his side... gratitude floods him, warm and welcomed, but there is no time to say anything. He will let his eyes dot he job for him. Thank you.

"I-"

Fitzgerald gets cut off almost instantly. That's always what happens if you don't fit in quite right — he might be piece of the enormous puzzle that is SkyClan, but his sides have not been cut with the same amount of care and precision, and so he sticks out like a sore thumb. He is acutely aware of Teaselpaw's presence... the way they are now taking in all of their mentor's "mistake". Why did he get an apprentice anyway? He will only fail them.

"I, I will say what I found, thank you v-very much."

He stumbles a little; who wouldn't in such a situation? But Fitzgerald has to stand up for himself, under not only Hawkstar but Rosepaw's scrutiny.

Be normal about this, he pleads with himself.

"I scouted ahead, if you will... I thought it's important that we know where we are? Anyway, yeah, I found the housefolk and I met some housecats. Apparently there are already some "wildcats" hanging around these parts. We aren't the first here."

Surely that is important to know? Even Fitzgerald understands the implication; that they have rivals here, and prey would not only be caught by SkyClan warriors.

Fitzgerald cannot resist the urge to curl up in on himself any longer. He lowers himself, and his tail wraps around him in an effort to keep him safe, but his gaze remains determined. Flowercloud's support gives him some strength.

"I'm not sorry for feeling homesick. Or is that something that only the true warriors of SkyClan get to struggle with?"

 

[Teaselpaw]

TEASELPAW

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

Teaselpaw didn't think Fitzgerald was an unkind cat… And whatever Fitz had been doing, it was for the good of the Clan, right? It had to be. That was what warriors did, they made the hard choices, they carried burdens apprentices like them could barely understand. So why was Rosepaw acting so… smug about it? Their tail flicked uncertainly as they hesitated, glancing between the gathered cats. Fitzgerald stood there, doubt flickering in his expression, and Teaselpaw found themselves stepping forward, offering a small, hesitant smile in his direction. Maybe… maybe that would help? Maybe if he saw that they weren't doubting him, that they still believed in him, it would ease his mind.

Their mother had joined the conversation, speaking to Hawkstar in defense of his mentor, then asking for a report from Fitz. That would explain everything, wouldn't it? Surely, once the truth was laid bare, this tension would ease. But then Rosepaw spoke again, his voice sharp, his words biting. Teaselpaw blinked, their head tilting slightly. Why was their brother so angry? They had a home now, a place to belong. So why did frustration still linger in his face, in the tightness of his stance?

" Not some-- " Not some what?

Fitzgerald was older than Rosepaw. He was a warrior. He knew things, understood things they didn't yet. Frowning slightly, Teaselpaw let their gaze linger on Rosepaw, searching for an answer in his expression. But when none came, they gave the faintest shake of their head before glancing toward Fujimoto. The other tom remained silent, yet there was a tension in the air, thick and heavy. They could feel it, creeping into their fur like the first chill of leaf-fall. Their mother had spoken in defense of Fitzgerald...

That settled it.

With a newfound boldness, Teaselpaw stepped forward, moving to sit beside their mentor, wide eyes blinking up at their leader, almost owlish like. They didn't say anything, hardly did... But their presence was a quiet statement of its own. A silent comfort. A silent I am here for you.

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[Hawkstar]

HAWKSTAR, 59 moons / SKYCLAN LEADER
A long-legged short-furred seal point tortie with one electric-blue eye; heavily scarred
Mentoring ROSEPAW ; mother of STARLITPATH
Prone to corporate attitudes, harsh words, hazing practices ; generally morally dubious
Tagging person here

---

Flowercloud's gentle personage was something Hawkstar knew that many in her clan appreciated. She was the "most reasonable" between the two of the, the kinder, the more approachable. And also the stupidest. She sat there, prattling, spitting off defenses of some fool that had taken his own leave without the careful decision making of his leader. What blatant foolishness... and disrespect (and of course, it was the double-sleight that Hawkstar felt more pulled to call upon)

Every word puffs out her short fur even more, every syllable like another bit of spittle landing proverbially on her cheek. She can feel Rosepaw puffing up next to her, his own rage spinning and tumbling - her own barely hinged mirror compared to the concern and false sincerity that was plastered everywhere else around her. Snake-like venom pools in her mouth again, and her one eye narrows with distaste to focus on Flowercloud. "I will speak with you in a moment but as for you -"

She whirls back on Fitzgerald, almost poised to strike with the venom dripping from her bared fangs. "Of course there are already wild cats here, you buffoon! Do you think I chose this area for the ambiance alone? Generations of elders' stories passed down about the ancient clans and you expect me to lead you to .. what? A hole in the ground with no more hopes and prospects than the wasteland we just left? and you thought, 'hm, I'll go to the kittypets across the way' for that information instead of - oh, I don't know - volunteering yourself for a patrol or a mission? Maybe offering your services as a warrior as I have deemed you? As I thought you fit for? Was I wrong? Maybe instead of training your apprentice, I should release you from your duties."

"The true warriors of SkyClan are those that are pushing through their own troubles to make sure our kits have enough to eat and our apprentices are not left spinning in their own wake while their mentors decide that their own plans are more important than their education. Rosepaw here could track you through unfamiliar territory and back without a scratch on him. Could you confidently say that Teaselpaw could do the same under your tutelage?"

 

[fitzgerald]

Hawkstar is like a hedgehog right about now, and if it weren't for all the nerves and the fear and the shame, Fitzgerald would find the concept funny. She fluffs herself up, fur more like threatening spines than a soft cover over. Would she ever get angry enough to actually physically lash out? With a tight swallow, Fitzgerald worries that he shall be the reason for a violent outburst at this rate.

"I didn't say that!"

he defends himself, voice rising; he does not yell, not in anger, but he cannot keep the volume contained when he gets into quarrels like this. This is dangerous — he has to explain himself to his leader so that he can come out with some of his reputation intact, but he does not know if that is considered overstepping.

"There... these are new cats, not even the housecats seem to know them. They could be dangerous-"

But he does not get the chance to finish. Hawkstar berates him like she is his mother and he is a kit. His ears press back against his skull in submission.

Then, she hits a nerve, one that Fitzgerald did not even deem to be sensitive.

"No!"

Teaselpaw... he had thought of them as a burden, not because they are bad but because they force him more into the SkyClan side of things. That is something he had always wanted, but a whole apprentice padding after him and trying to learn from him is a scary matter.

It is also the only thing that could still save him from Hawkstar's wrath.

"I can... I can do better."

All the fight leaves him then. He would prefer to do this elsewhere, away from curious eyes and the judgment of Rosepaw, but this will have to do. He doubts Hawkstar would ever want to see him in her den, apart from maybe cleaning it like a 'paw.

"I'll teach Teaselpaw. I'll focus on them."

Fitzgerald forces himself to not tremble. Just don't take them away from me. Don't reassign them, he pleads. It may as well be a death sentence.

 

[stormcrow]

Stormcrow doesn't speak at first; only listens. Fitzgerald has returned from his wandering, as oblivious to his insubordination as a kit rebelling against its parent. She did not have a distaste for daylight warriors, not all of them– there were those among them that fulfilled their duties to the clan, who despite their attachment to two legs and late night comfort, were good warriors. Fitzgerald… she'd thought higher of him, foolishly. He'd left them in their hour of greatest need. Her head swivels as Flowercloud speaks up– speaks up against Hawkstar, in defense of the foolish tom. The insolence… had Flowercloud not been deputy, Stormcrow might've reprimanded her for it, but she didn't doubt Hawkstar would do it herself. It wasn't her place to reprimand a deputy.

Hawkstar continues to lecture– Teaselpaw is brought up, the small thing attempting to support her mentor. A misplaced show of praise worthy loyalty. Loyalty that should be reserved for their leader, the warrior code… an idea begins to form, taking shape like moss under paws, as the panic flickers on Fitzgerald's face.

"Perhaps…" She begins softly, as a predator treading lightly approaching its prey, "perhaps Teaselpaw should be reassigned to another warrior while Fitzgerald figures out where his loyalties lie. I would be happy to pick up his slack in the meantime."

 

[Fujimoto]

┍

Fujimoto is unable to stop the heat of shame from hearing Fitzgerald's defense spread across his face. Hawkstar was less than pleased, springing herself into action as though the tom were another foe stepping into their territory. Not even Flowercloud's support could save him, and the Sun Guard audibly gasped to hear her threaten Teaselpaw's apprenticeship from his responsibility. Hardly out of the Daylight life himself, Fujimoto hadn't had the chance to train yet. He couldn't recall the tom having an apprentice before her, it would be a dishonorable act to not even complete training one's first.

Fitzgerald fought against it with more force in his tone than he had fighting to save his own hide. It shocked the tom at first, but he would understand the same. To have Teaselpaw taken away would be no different than taking the tom from his place in SkyClan, he would have been disproven of his capabilities to be a Clan cat for her. It would be a mess of a reputation to have, and one that he viewed himself teetering on the edge of as well.

Stormcrow's remark of taking on Teaselpaw sent an uncomfortable chill down the Sun Guard's spine. "I-it's not your place to decide." Fujimoto swallowed hard and struggled to fight against the urge to pull back into himself like a startled turtle. "P-preying on opportunity in your own Clan's conflict d-d-doesn't look well... in my opinion."

‎┙