don't think || just do [open]

[• ruthie •]

p a t c hfoot

The cold stone did nothing against Patchfoot’s paws anymore. He had grown accustomed to this sort of weather on Boulderclan’s territory, and if anything it made it feel even more comforting and homely. He watched his surroundings, still as the rock he was standing on, and his ear twitched as the sound of a bird flitting through the leaves came from his left. Now that he was sure that there were no enemies, he continued on his hunt, swift on his white paws and as silent as the night. He avoided treading on a frail twig, knowing it would give away his position to any nearby prey. He was seeking out any large prey he could find; he was afraid the Queens were low on fresh-kill, and wanted to be sure that their bellies were full. While Patchfoot should be concerned for all of BoulderClan (and he definitely was!), he just had a connection with the Queens he didn’t want to break.

He felt the sun on his back, although it was not as hot as it could be. Being only new-leaf though, Patchfoot did not complain. However, it was always nice during geenleaf to be able to bathe out in the sunlight outside the den after completing your duties. Patchfoot felt his body warm up at the very thought, but knew he should not be concerned over that right now. He made his way for the rocky hillside, ears continuously swerving and on the search for hints of danger. When he got close enough, his steps almost completely silent by this point, he spotted an unsuspecting lizard resting on the rock. Most likely on the search for food himself. Patchfoot knew this was easy prey, and contemplated catching this and then finding more near the shallow creek.

The kill was swift. He ran for it from behind, forced to leap from a lower rock, and clawed at its legs to keep it in place, his teeth sinking into its neck. He paused, ensuring its death before releasing his grip on it and licking the blood from his maw. He thanked StarClan for giving him such easy prey and picked it up by the neck, carrying it off to return to the camp. But something stops him; a noise. Faint, but he heard it. He looked round, curious. No dangerous scent came to him, but perhaps he was situated in the wrong place. He stayed still, ready for an attack. No. No cat would be so foolish to enter another Clan’s territory, not so soon after the war. He relaxed at the thought and waited for the cat to show themselves, or move on and leave him to his duties.

words 450
tag open
notes first post![/size]

[[Midnight]]

Having a pelt as black as midnight itself was irritating in weather such as this. In leaf-bare, of course, it had its pros and cons, but it felt like nothing but a disadvantage entirely during the new-leaf and green-lead seasons. Once the temperatures starting to rise, Shadowheart felt his innards begin to overheat within moments of entering sunlight. He was probably being over dramatic, of course. He obviously didn't combust into flames the instant he stepped into the path of the sun, but he could sometimes swear there were moments where he felt the tips of his sleek chocolate-black fur singe. There was a smile on his face as he brushed his cheek along a tall stalk of green grass. His scent hovered thickly in the air as he began to mark a scent that smelled not-so-fresh.

BoulderClan, was the clear message he left. Shadowheart of BoulderClan.

[/b]

The tomcat had taken it upon himself to continue his hunting after little success in the dawn patrol. The prey seemed unusually skittish today, and it kept Shadowheart on constant edge throughout his adventuring. It could just be a fluke - or it could be there was something bigger than a cat hanging around. An unchained dog, perhaps. He was almost excited at the prospect of running into trouble. He'd not be keen on taking on a dog entirely by his lonesome, but it would certainly be a good thrill. Life had been incredibly peaceful the past moon or so. New-leaf was such a beautiful time of year, even if Shadowheart was bursting into imaginary flames.

In fact, the heat hindered hunting. The prey stayed hidden more, just like Shadowheart needed to keep in the shadows as much as possible to keep from overheating. He was just taking a moments break now, careening around the rocks and enjoying the cold stone beneath his pawpads.

As he rounded a larger stone, he stopped in his tracks. There was a familiar scent that filled his nostrils, and to investigate he slunk around the way he came and hopped up top the nearest boulder. The was nothing below, so he turned his head to his left. He saw the shape of a large tomcat, brown and white and long-haired. It was Patchfoot, a fellow BoulderClan warrior.

Shadowheart stifled a purring laugh when he saw the tom.

"Lizard got your tongue?" he greeted warmly with a friendly smile. From the looks of it, Patchfoot was having great success hunting in this spot. It made sense - the rocks kept things much cooler, especially so in their shade.
Patchfoot looked quite funny, his mouth stuffed with an awkwardly skinny lizard body. Perhaps Patchfoot wouldn't share in his humor, so the black-pelted warrior took a more respecful stance by leaping to the ground from his high point, to be at eye-level.

"I'm glad to see at least someone is still a good hunter in this heat," he commented, thinking in the back of his mind how his fur tips were starting to singe.[/center][/blockquote]

[ϟlightningϟ]

Eaglepaw and Firepaw padded side by side, chatting. "How've you're hunting lessons been?" Eaglepaw asked seriously, her blue eyes glittering. Firepaw hesitated. "Eh....they still need work. My mentor says I talk too much! Imagine that!" That made the serious young tortoiseshell crack a smile. " Maybe you could keep talking to a bare minimum while hunting at least...." Eaglepaw chuckled. Firepaw kicked at a pebble with a sigh. "Thought you'd be on my side! I don't think I talk all that much...." the ginger and white tom mumbled. "Oh come on, Firepaw. You're the chattyest cat I know!" Eaglepaw scoffed insensitively. Her brother took no offence and gave her a long glance. "You don't know how to cheer others up, do you?" he asked teasingly. "Nope. That usually involves lies that are useless and cause pointless trouble." Eaglepaw replied with a sniff. The young cats stopped once they noticed the warriors ahead. "Hello, Shadowheart. Patchfoot." Eaglepaw greeted formally, bowing her head in greeting. Firepaw was less polite and gave the cats a friendly grin. "Heyya Shadowheart. How's it goin' Patchfoot? What're you guys up to? Anything fun? Eaglepaw and I were just on a walk. Guess what we were talking about. How much I talk! I personally don't think I talk too much. what about you?" Firepaw rambled endlessly until Eaglepaw flicked her tail across his muzzle. "Stop rambling, Firepaw." she sighed.

[• ruthie •]

p a t c hfoot

Patchfoot turned his head when he heard another warrior. Shadowheart - named after his courage and loyalty to BoulderClan. He snorted at his little joke, surely not one to take that so lightly, however let it past. No one liked a stick in the mud, and it was rather amusing. He let the lizard drop to his paws and he sat down, tail curling around his paws and in turn, covering the prey. Not on purpose, but at least it was out of the way for now. It was always nice to see other warriors outside of camp doing their own part. He licked his maw clear of the lizard’s blood, whiskers twitching.

“Having problems with the heat?” he questioned, humour apparent on his own voice, “Your fur even looks like it’s burning a little! Might want to find some shade soon.”

It was always fun to have someone to be good humoured around. Patchfoot wasn’t sure how often he spoke with Shadowheart, it was difficult to keep track. But if not, then he could get to know the fellow. He seemed like a nice warrior, a strong one at the very least, and that was always good to have in an ally. Tail swaying gently, in a good mood now that he had his prey and now someone to keep him company, at least until he went back to camp. He would hope Shadowheart intended on staying out here, heat or no, until he got some prey.

His head turned immediately when he heard chatting. Two apprentices, no doubt. His tail flicked in irritation now at their carelessness, and watched as the two siblings approached them. He nodded to Eaglepaw in return, however Firepaw earned a stern look from the warrior.

“I know you were, I could hear you about a tree length away!” he berated, “You should work on your voice, Firepaw. You won’t be catching any prey with a tone like that! You speak so loud you scare all the animals off!”

Patchfoot was never one to keep his opinions to himself, nor would he try and tone them down for apprentices. If they needed to learn something, they’d learn it the first time and no more questions! He looked at them both. Firepaw was definitely the feistier of the two, and while that was appreciated in a warrior, he was a bit too excitable. Perhaps that was nice when he was a kit, and only barely acceptable as an apprentice, but in Patchfoot’s eyes if he continued to act like this when he is a warrior, he had little hope for him. Was that harsh? Of course it was, but as mentioned: Patchfoot is never one to be very soft with people. If someone needed to hear an opinion, it was going to be as blunt as can be so he can get his thoughts clear.

words 480
tag shadowheart, eaglepaw & firepaw
notes i love everyone xD[/size]

[ϟlightningϟ]

"I am sorry for my brother's noisy way of speaking, but wasn't that a bit harsh, Patchfoot? StarClan knows he needs to learn when to shut up, but at least think about others before you speak." this time, Firepaw was the one to shut Eaglepaw up. "No, Eaglepaw. don't go getting yourself into trouble for me. I was foolish to speak so loudly. Patchfoot, thank you for your opinion. I'll try to follow it, but you see, my voice is naturally quite loud. I'm still learning how to tune it down." the ginger and white tabby mewed with a slightly mischievous smile. "Now I know you probably don't remember how rambunctious you were as an apprentice since you're so ol-" Eaglepaw gave her brother a smack upside the head. "Stop you're constant chatter." she sighed impatiently. "I was wondering if we could join you in hunting. I will keep my brother as well as myself in check if so. I'm sorry for being so impolite before." the tortoise shell and cream she cat said softly yet clearly. Annoyance toward Patchfoot was clear in her clear blue eyes as she nearly glared at him. Firepaw grimaced as he noticed his sister's instant dislike for the older cat. He kept quiet for his sister's sake and looked at the two toms with curiousity in his amber eyes.

[[Midnight]]

Shadowheart was sitting back on his haunches looking quite comfortable. His eyes were a large window to all of his thoughts, which were running from contentment to amusement. He let out a hearty chuckle at Patchfoot's jesting and found that he instantly liked Patchfoot. He didn't know the warrior well, but was familiar with his gruff way of telling that truth. Shadowheart respected the truth, and so respected Patchfoot. But it was nice to know that he also had a sense of humor that so far seemed equal to his own. Feeling in a great mood, his smiled and prepared a witty comeback, when his ears swiveled and his attention was pulled away.

The two apprentices were approching the warriors. Shadowheart's first observation was, of course, that they were not quiet in their approach. They both looked very happy to be there, however, and Shadowheart watched in silence as they stood before them and gave each their own greeting, which varied in character. Shadowheart narrowed his eyes in a manner of thoughtfulness. He was in no hurry to speak and did not return a greeting right away. Patchfoot was the first to acknowlege their presence with his wise words of sensibility.

Shadowheart found himself agreeing with what the senior warrior said, but had taken no offense to the apprentice's enthusiasm. It was certainly true that any rodents around the area were now aware of the four cats if they weren't already. But Shadowheart knew that the Clan was well fed at the moment, and the apprentices probably wouldn't learn their lesson just yet. Come leaf-bare, when hunting was so difficult that the best warriors in the Clan were usually unsuccessful, they would understand how important it was to be aware of their surroundings. Shadowheart made a mental note to remember this moment for when he had an apprentice of his own.

Contrasting with Patchfoot's frown, Shadowheart's face was smiling. He looked at the brother and sister duo, watching their passive expressions they shared. His ears were rounded forward with attentiveness to their words.

"You two are hilarious," he noted, his yellow eyes flicking from Firepaw, to Eaglepaw. "Patchfoot is more correct than you could hope for, though. Firepaw's naturally loud voice may have disturbed the creatures from here to GoldenClan."

He laughed, a quiet chuckle but one filled with good humor. Turning directly Patchfoot, he directed his words to the apprentices, his tone serious.
"Patchfoot was doing well before you showed up. He might decide to hunt you, instead."

[/blockquote]

[• ruthie •]

p a t c hfoot

Patchfoot’s patience with the two apprentices was running thin. So thin, in fact, that his ears were penned back as Eaglepaw spoke and his tail twitched. He wasn’t giong to bother tot ry and hide it - Patchfoot wanted these apprentices to know that they were getting out of line, and this disappointed him. Out of the two, Eaglepaw was usually the more well behaved and much quieter. Seeing her speak out against Patchfoot, not only in front of another apprentice but another warrior also, Patchfoot wondered what was going through her mind.

It didn’t usually occur to him that were it him and his sister, he may do the same thing. Duskwhisker meant the world to him, so it was important that she was as safe and respected as possible. During her moons as an apprentice, Patchfoot would always be around to make sure she was doing fine and his fellow warriors didn’t hurt her emotionally or physically as well as he could. But that time had passed, and Duskwhisker was capable of looking after herself. Patchfoot never thought of the past much; it was thoroughly boring and a large downer to his mood most of the time. So at the moment, he never even thought that Eaglepaw was just doing what any sibling would do.

“Old?!” he hissed, nearing the last straw. These two really needed to learn their boundaries! What were those mentors teaching them? He was about to berate them some more, but Shadowheart had taken a turn to speak. He let a low growl rumble in his chest, eyeing Eaglepaw and Firepaw. His eyes went to Shadowheart, who while he agreed with him, was over-riding all that he had said in Patchfoot’s opinion. He was trying to make a point to this kits, and they weren’t going to take it seriously if he just joked about it!

He looked at Shadowheart when he finished, snorting and whiskers twitching.
“Mhm,” he mused, tone as serious, “But I’m thinking the meat on their bones won’t be enough to make up for the prey’s that been scared off.”

words 350
tag shadowheart, eaglepaw & firepaw
notes i love everyone xD[/size]

[ϟlightningϟ]

Eaglepaw was nearing the end of her patience as well as her fur struggled to lay flat. "Hm, I don't think our parents would be thrilled with you if you did that to us. In fact, you'd be shunned from the Clan. I hate to say this to a Clanmate, but if you so much as lay a paw on my brother, I'll shred you without hesitation." the young she cat said witha dangerously calm tone. Firepaw was shocked by his sister's boldness. The ginger and white tom didn't like where this was going one bit. He shifted uncomfortably next to his sister, gaze downward. "Uh....she didn't mean it. We'll go now. Sorry for bothering you and..." he tugged on his sister to lead her away, but an angry light sparked in her now electrifying blue eyes. Her fluffy tail swished from side to side as she glared directly into Patchfoot's eyes. Her ears were pinned back with furious anger as she waited for his answer. Verbal tennis was a match she would win with her quick wit and quick thoughts. Her claws sunk into the earth as she tried to keep herself from attacking the tom.

[[Midnight]]

Shadowheart was not the type to openly belittle someone, especially in front of others. He himself avoided the awkward if possible, and never liked to put others on the spot. He was still a fresh, young warrior, too, and hadn't yet developed his weaker points. He simply was not the bossy type.
He didn't appreciate such showy display of disrespect, however. He watched Eaglepaw's next series of reactions through slitted eyes. He thought to himself that her words were as sharp as the talons of the creature she was named for. She was bold, but also stupid. She needed an ego push. He looked to the warrior standing next to him. Patchfoot could certainly take care of the situation, and Shadowheart was eager to see what he would do. He felt, though, as a warrior bystander, that he couldn't simply ignore the apprentice's attitude and leave it all to Patchfoot. He at least needed to acknowledge that Eaglepaw was in the wrong. He figured he'd be doing her a favor in the long run.

He stood and crouched his body in a battle stance, his face growing serious.

"Spoken like a warrior, Eaglepaw, but a warrior needs to be ready to back up her words."
With a hiss, he arched his back and took a step forward. His claws were sheathed, but by the fierceness of his gaze and his muscular form, he looked highly intimidating and one could not guess whether he was being deathly serious or joking around. He wondered what Patchfoot's next move would be, but his yellow eyes remained fixed on the two apprentices.

[/blockquote]

[• ruthie •]

p a t c hfoot

With every spoken word, Patchfoot slowly got to his feet. His fur was on edge and his eyes were slits, watching this apprentice. She wasn’t even worth being called an apprentice - he would need to have a word with both her parents and her mentor. They were not doing a very good job of taking care of this girl and helping her learn the ways of a warrior. Unlike Shadowheart, his claws were unsheathed and gently digging at the ground, creating small marks. He was not going to attack this poor cat with his claws unsheathed, however he was intending to intimidate her.

“You need to learn respect, Eaglepaw!” he spat, “You’ll ‘shred me’? Do you know who you are talking to? I don’t care how close you and your brother are, but if you think you can get away with threatening a warrior of your own Clan like that, you are not ready to even be an apprentice.” his words were meant to sting, and he sent a glance at Firepaw, as if to say the message was also for him too. He glanced at Shadowheart, nodding in agreement with him and stepped aside to give them room, hissing. It was at this point he had sheathed his claws, in case his anger got the better of him.

His eyes moved to Firepaw and Eaglepaw in turn.
“Go ahead, Eaglepaw. Prove yourself.” his tone was evidence that he didn’t believe she could do anything. She was seven moons, barely even an apprentice anyway, so he doubted she had learned much in that time. He was still on all four paws, ready in case either of them decided to take their attention from the readied Shadowheart to Patchfoot. He was relieved the warrior had decided to take this more seriously. He would be sure to keep this meeting in mind, as he wanted Kestrelstar to know about this.

Up above them, which did not go unnoticed by Patchfoot, the sun was beginning to fade. Very slowly, but surely. Clouds were closing in, however for now they were light and fluffy, merely coming to lessen the rays down on BoulderClan, as of yet not completely.

words 365
tag shadowheart, eaglepaw & firepaw
notes i love everyone xD[/size]

[ϟlightningϟ]

"I know respect, Patchfoot. I don't need to learn it. And I wasn't threatening, I was promising." she answered calmly. Eaglepaw looked at both warriors with her recovered calm reserve. "I know perfectly well that you will not attack either me or my brother unless we give you physical reason to. I may be young, but I'm not stupid. If you are trying to scare me, it's not working. I am ver sorry for being so unforgivably impolite. My brother is quite the chatterbox and I get caught up in defending him too easily. I hope you will forgive me. I know I'm in the wrong." she said apoligetically. Her gaze held regret and shame. Firepaw looked astonished as the warriors looked ready to battle them. "They wouldn't hurt us, would they, Eaglepaw?" he whispered. "no." she answered certainly. Her brother relaxed a little and bowed his head slightly. "I'm also sorry for starting all of this. I'll be careful to keep my noise down from now on. I know I ramble and get my sister into trouble a lot....please don't hurt her. She was just defending me. Sure, she got carried away, but wouldn't you do that for your best friend? The reason she defends me so boldly and stupidly is because we're not just siblings. We're best friends. I'm really really sorry." he said honestly.

[[Midnight]]

Shadowheart gave Eaglepaw a very disappointed look. He was not impressed by this apprentice. He at least expected her to live up to her challenge, not try and take back her harsh words with a few pretty lines. His tail lashed and felt a million one-liners coming to mind, that might break the ice and smooth things over. But he felt that more action was necessary here in this situation. His muscles felxed as he crouched low to the ground, pupils dialating.

Should he go for the torso? Maybe smack her upside the head? Well, he was giving her too much warning as it is. He hoped that she'd continue to act like an oblivious brat and not notice how serious he was.

With a quick spring, he leapt towards the apprentices, cutting inbetween the two of them. His moves were quick and as smooth as honey as he shot his right paw out and swiped at her lower ankles, hoping that her legs would give over and she'd fall to the ground. His claws, of course, were sheathed. He was just hoping to teach this apprentice a lesson; that a true warrior spoke with more than just words.

Besides, it would be nice to see how battle training was coming along these days. Shadowheart himself was one of the best fighters in the Clan, and always longed to teach what he knew to an apprentice of his own. Hopfully Patchpelt hadn't planned on redeeming his own honor - he might be offending the warrior if he was stealing his ideas.

[/blockquote]

[• ruthie •]

p a t c hfoot

Patchfoot kept his eyes on Eaglepaw. He only smirked with approval when Shadowheart went in for a swipe. He had not planned on a rebuttal, not yet, however he would be sure to teach them both how to properly defend themselves when he was going to leave. But right now he wanted to see where this was going, and to maybe move on to find some more prey to take back to camp. Maybe he would even make sure the two apprentices caught something too, or make sure that they would be put to the elder den chores for at least a moon. Speaking up against a warrior, insulting him and then scaring off precious fresh-kill for the clan. Well yes, the last one wasn’t warranting any punishments, but he would add it anyway.

“Forgive you for speaking out against a warrior; threatening him - and do not say you didn’t - insulting him, and then when you realise you are going to lose a fight, you back out?!” Patchfoot demanded, “Shadowheart was correct - you must stand up for what you believe in. You did not. It doesn’t matter if it’s against another warrior of your own Clan! What you did for Firepaw was… Commendable, but the way you did it was not.”

He felt he was dealing with this rather well. Firepaw’s hurried exclamation brought around how he felt for Duskwhisker when they were younger, however he would never treat older warriors with such disrespect. He would not even treat any younger or the same age as him in that way unless he was incredibly angry, and Patchfoot couldn’t remember the time he was even that furious.

“Don’t take my comments as a compliment, neither of you.” Patchfoot decided to warn, tail calming itself. He licked down the fur on his shoulders, knowing that the physical commotion had ended - at least for him - however he wasn’t sure what Shadowheart’s next move was going to be. Patchfoot was more than used to speaking over brawling cats, so he was not phased by any movements the warrior and apprentices made. He just hoped he wasn’t being completely ignored by the siblings, which would only cause his irritation to rise again. Which was unfortunate; he had planned to spend the day in a nice, calmly manner with his hunting and patrols. He supposed life never went the way you wanted it to.

words 403
tag you guys
notes <3[/size]

[ϟlightningϟ]

Eaglepaw yelped with surprise as her paws were swept from beneath her. The young apprentice quickly rolled away from Shadowheart and leaped to her feet. Her tail was lashing as she awaited the black tom's next move, hard determination to prove herself in her eyes. Once she heard Patchfoot's words, her ears drooped once she realized fully what she'd done. "Yes, you are right." she sighed, still keeping a wary eye on shadowheart as she spoke. "I was wrong. I see that fully now. I'll take any punishment, just please leave my brother out of this. He didn't do anything too bad...." Eaglepaw pleaded, her pride deflating.

Firepaw's eyes widened in surprise as Eaglepaw fell to the ground after being attacked. Anger filled his whole being when his sister plead to the warriors. This was so unlike her! She was too proud to show defeat! "Patchfoot, Shadowheart....please....I-i'm sorry! Just...I hate seeing her like this. Please...just this once, can we have one more chance? Eaglepaw's not usually like this. I promise this won't happen again...please...." Firepaw said desprately, absolutely loathing how he'd just seen his sister. Eaglepaw just didn't back down. No, not unless she was scared out of her fur. She really thought Firepaw'd let something bad happen without trying! "I know it's ridiculous to ask, but.....until now, Eaglepaw hasn't done a thing to anger any cat...." he continued.