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Post by revenantraven on May 2, 2019 11:00:51 GMT -6
Hazelblossom | Mid-Newleaf | The Clearing
A gentle breath of wind swept through the glade, though the stiff, frozen grass beneath Hazelblossom's trembling paws remained still. The pale glow of the early-morning sun, soft and warm and light as it danced across wispy tendrils of low-hanging fog, was too bright. The brisk frost-scented air, sharp as a razor-edged sheet of ice, was too cold. Hazelblossom could feel both her eyes and nose running, and she snuffled wetly as she prepared herself for the quick burst of movement the technique required. Her sides heaved and her legs quivered weakly, desperate for respite; she had been at this for an eternity, having risen long before the the sun - which was still little more than a faint flush of color on the distant horizon, though surprisingly radiant - and slipped quietly from the Warrior's den. The clearing around her was coated in a thin, crystalline layer of rime, which glittered beautifully in the dawn's rose gold brilliance, so that the world around her seemed to shimmer when she rocked her weight back onto her hind legs.
In her mind's eye a scarred, vicious tom was making for her across the meadow. He snarled as he barreled towards her, teeth bared and ears twisted flat, and she braced herself for the moment he drew close enough to touch. Not yet. He was so near that she could imagine his gnarled face in detail, could picture the hard black eyes and curling lips, the flaring nostrils, the spray of white whiskers. It wasn't enough. She had to wait.
Almost. Almost. Now! Hazelblossom leapt deftly aside, spinning with her claws unsheathed in an effort to rake them along the tom's phantom side. She failed. Of course she failed. Her hind paws slid on slick, icy grass, and rather than spin with the grace of a seasoned Warrior she tumbled to the ground like a clumsy apprentice. A breathless yelp ripped itself from her throat as she collided with hard, frozen turf, and a white-hot flash of pain flared in her hip. For a long moment after she lay still, teary-eyed and panting. I'm an idiot. The voice in her head was bitter. A mouse-brained idiot. It's hopeless. I can't do anything right; it's no wonder cats ignore me. The tears in her eyes spilled over onto her cheeks, tracing dark paths through her spotted gray-orange-white fur. She wanted to disappear, to vanish from sight. Would it matter if she were gone? Probably not.
She wouldn't leave, though. Perhaps she was too afraid, a coward in her own right, or perhaps she was simply too stubborn. Maybe both.
Hazelblossom blinked back a fresh stream of tears as she rolled to her paws, head hanging low on her neck. Her body quivered from nose to tail, but she steeled herself, gathering what remained of her will to try, and settled back into position. Legs squared under her. Weight on her hind end. Muscles coiled tight, ready to send her airborne. The imaginary tom was running towards her again, just as before. She was waiting again, just as before. She would keep trying like she always did, pushing until she collapsed. Someone would notice her eventually. If she trained, and trained, and trained, they would have to.
(Sorry it's kinda rusty. I haven't RPed in a long time.) |
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Post by niftyshark on May 9, 2019 19:16:03 GMT -6
He was so close. He could become a warrior any day, once he passed his warrior assessment. He practiced as much as he could, but he was still convinced that it wasn't enough. That he wasn't enough. He didn't give any indication that he felt that way, but he felt it so much that he didn't know how it wasn't visible to others anyway. Maybe everyone around him secretly knew, but kept quiet out of pity. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
There was no logical reason for Lizardpaw to feel the way he did, but he couldn't shake the clingy thoughts no matter how he tried to dislodge them. They stuck like a troublesome burr, and he had since given up trying to change them. Laying in his nest, he stared straight ahead, awake since before dawn. He wasn't assigned to the dawn patrol, so there was no real reason for him to get up to do anything. As the dawn sun peeked through the den and glared right in his eyes, he decided then that it was a sign he should find something to do. His only other option was to let his thoughts consume him, and he didn't think he'd last much longer under their weight.
With slow stiffness, Lizardpaw stood and waited for the feeling to return to one of his paws before he padded out of the apprentices' den. He scanned the immediate clearing, but the cats that lingered around seemed occupied, still and without the time to entertain him. He moved a short distance away from the dens and looked towards the other side of the clearing. The only clanmate who seemed to be moving with any effort was Hazelblossom. He drew closer, but her concentration appeared so deep that she didn't seem to notice him right away. He took advantage of that to watch his former denmate. She was already a warrior, so why was she trying so hard? His head tilted slightly but he didn't dare interrupt her, interest piqued as to what she was doing. He didn't even realize he was smiling slightly.
(It's fine, the post was really good! And thanks for your patience, I had a busy week)
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Post by revenantraven on May 12, 2019 12:28:03 GMT -6
((Oh, it's absolutely fine! I get it! Thanks for being so patient about the wait on my end too haha; I got busy over the last few days. I really appreciate the compliment, too. ;u; It means a lot!))
Hazelblossom had practiced several more passes - better, this time, though she fell twice and her hip had begun to ache fiercely - before she realized that she was being watched. She caught a glimpse of someone in her peripheral vision and turned, embarrassment prickling at her skin. It was a tom, his sleek brown-black body only faintly visible against a backdrop of equally brown-black trees. Lizardpaw, her memory supplied. He was staring at her, a slight smile curving his lips. How much had he seen? Was he laughing at her, or was he simply feeling happy?
She flushed, cheeks heating. How humiliating. She'd thought she was alone...
Well, you should say hello, at least. Hazelblossom took a shaky step forward. She was breathing heavily, her feathery tri-colored fur clinging to her slender frame in sweaty clumps, and as she made her way towards Lizardpaw. Each step sent a fine tremor through her body from her ears to her paws. She was utterly exhausted. "Oh, uh, hello Lizardpaw!" She offered him a polite nod, fighting to keep the shame from her face. "You're up early."
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Post by niftyshark on May 20, 2019 18:46:50 GMT -6
She looked a little startled, and it caused his smile to shrink a little. Did she not want to be approached? He considered his response for a moment, cautious about being where he wasn’t wanted, but she didn’t seem too turned off, so he continued, expression back to being fully cheerful. “Oh, I guess I am,” he agreed, deciding not to mention that she was too. “I couldn’t sleep well, so I wanted to find something to do. My assessment will be any day now, so keeping myself occupied until it happens is my plan.” Lizardpaw knew Hazelblossom received her name a short while ago, and he almost started to ask her about advice, but something held him back. He wasn’t sure what caused him to make such a decision, but to him it didn’t feel like the right time. “It must be nice to finally be in the warriors’ den.”
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