the great escape || open

[tawnypaw]

tawnypaw
" all the pretty people died, innocence is out of style "

It had only been a day since Tawnypaw’s apprentice ceremony and already she was breaking the rules. She knew that she couldn’t be outside of camp without a mentor or a trained warrior but that didn’t stop her from stepping out into the unknown. Her mentor was busy today and she held no qualms against him. He was a busy feline who had duties to uphold which meant that the tortoiseshell she-cat would be placed aside for the time being. Oddly enough the fresh apprentice did not mind being set on the backburner, in fact she preferred it. She liked being alone although she didn’t bristle when company approached. She was more than happy to share her thoughts and her ideals on life, but she wasn’t sure her fellow counterparts wanted to hear her grim thoughts.

The small she-cat padded further into the territory. The soil beneath her paws felt soggy and foreign compared to the rough surface in camp. But it didn’t bother her, it was a welcomed change. Sunlight poured its light down onto her clan lighting up every sparkling pool of water that dappled the ground. It had rained a few days ago and puddles seemed to be everywhere. Water was another foreign concept to her. The only thing she drank was from a ball of moss otherwise she had drunk a variety of queens’ milk (since none of the queens nursed her for very long). She really didn’t understand why they thought of her as an ill omen. They always regarded her with caution as if she was scent above from the abyss. The thought intrigued her and although she knew her clan mates were just being superstitious she liked to believe that an entity (even one as black as Abyssclan) took an interest to her—that it had selected her for a purpose that would remain unknown to her until the time drew near. It was those thoughts and the superstition that surrounded her that made her eager to wake up in the morning.

Tawnypaw stopped in midstride, her paw hovering over the earth. She parted her lips and drew in the flourishing scents. She was too young to pick out each individual scent but she could pinpoint the source of water. In fact the she-cat wasn’t very far from the river. With swift paw steps she trotted in that direction, unsure what treasures would unfold in front of her. The sun warmed her tortoiseshell pelt and she wished her pelt didn’t consist of so much black. Her round orange eyes glanced around the terrain. She wanted to be careful as to not run into any predators or worse—a patrol. The she-cat wasn’t fond of being scolded and even though it had happened only once she wanted to avoid it at all costs.

Soon enough she was close enough to hear the river. Her heartbeat tripped as a wave of delight crashed over her. A grin stretched across her muzzle and she propelled herself forward. Her pelt felt like it was being boiled beneath the hot sun and even the breeze ruffling through her pelt didn’t quell the heat. She hurried down the bank, her paws sinking into sand. She stood there for a moment, wriggling her toes in the unfamiliar substance before she trekked into the shallow part of the river. Tawnypaw was surprised that steam didn’t radiate from her pelt. For a little while she wadded around in the shallow end. She didn’t dare venture out into the current without the proper tools or lessons. She liked the feeling of the water lapping against her fur and how the cold replaced the heat. The young she-cat sat down, the water stopping at the base of her neck. She was almost completely submerged and she wondered if she unclawed the ground beneath, if the water would sweep her away—into a place she was destined to be.

[ words ; 654 ]
[ tagged ; open ]
[ notes ; none ]

[cressfur]

cressfur WORDS: 472 TO: TAWNYPAW NOTES: n/a STATUS: finished

sitting beside the river, paw poised over the water, cressfur waited. the sweltering heat did not make for good fishing conditions, as many of the fish chose to stay at the cooler bottom of the river. however, the warrior had managed to catch the few fish that wandered to the surface, and now they lay beside him on the muddy bank of the river, baking. cressfur himself was getting a little too hot for his liking. taking his catches in his mouth, he trotted up the bank to higher grounds. the fish were soon buried and cressfur made his way carefully back to his fishing spot, testing the water. it was moving much too quickly for his liking here - perhaps if he was trying hard he could have swam against this current, but for a relaxing dip it was much too fast.

so, cressfur began his walk upstream, enjoying the still air (though perhaps it was a bit too humid). it wasn't long before he came across a still spot that he liked, and as he was sliding into the cool water, he turned his head slightly to the side and saw another cat.

naturally, the sudden appearance of this fellow feline startled him, and with a splash he was out of the water and bristling on the bank of the river. as soon as he got a good look at the other cat, his fur flattened and he grinned. tawnypaw was a new apprentice in the clan - he'd heard of her. she was interesting. most cats in the clan thought she was an ill omen. cressfur didn't see it. starclan were good cats, and they wouldn't kill a mother and most of her kits only to send a message that a certain cat was evil. there were much easier ways of doing that sort of thing.

cressfur had to admit, though, tawnypaw's attitude didn't help. she always seemed to be off on her own, and she was much too quiet and mysterious, as if she was encouraging the rumor. the warrior was convinced that if she appeared friendly, bubbly, halfway normal, the clan would consider being kinder to her. however, tawnypaw didn't seem to care what they thought, another thing cressfur couldn't fathom.

however, he quickly leaped back into the water, lifting his head above the surface, letting the cool seep into his fur. he waited for a moment before he spoke. "hey, tawnypaw!" he ducked under water for a moment, twirling around, bubbles streaming from his lips, before he popped back up beside her. "water you doing, out here with no mentor?" he laughed, ducked again, and reappeared out in the middle of the river. as an experienced swimmer, he could easily paddle against the lazy current here. grinning once more, he tilted his head, looking at her.