good morning - hawkpaw

[foxbite]

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[style= font-size: 35pt; font-family: dawning of a new day; color: #E47833; text-align: center; line-height: 30px;]foxbite of thunderclan[/style][style= width:350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size:9px; text-transform:lowercase;]the thick-furred tom let out a sigh of relief as he stepped from his den and sunlight was his first greeting. the thunderclan warrior was purring loudly. this would mean a prey-rich forest this morning. having recently been assigned a new apprentice, the tom decided to wake him up and give him a tour of the territory. trotting up to the apprentices' den, foxbite weaseled his front torso underneath the bush and meowed, “hawkpaw, up and at 'em. big day today! after you've groomed and eaten, meet me at the rabbit hill for some new views of the territory. i hope you remember how to get there: we learned last time.” and, with that, foxbite turned and trotted past the camp guard, who he signaled to bed with a flick of his tail.

the tom cat was no quiet traveler. perhaps one of his worst skills was stalking and remaining quiet in the woods. it was easier in the winter when his bones were too stiff to go any faster than a walk. but now, with the energy buzzing through his brain, the warrior couldn't control the newfound spring in his step despite his old age of 46 moons. he reached the rabbit hill and swirled the sand around with his tail as he waited. the sounds of twittering birds, mice scuffling among the roots, and a nice breeze were foxbite's only companions for the moment. hawkpaw was going to be harder to have grasp new things quickly, he assumed. thankfully, foxbite had experience with apprentices.

[/style][/style][newclass=lauzlol05]width: 350px; height: 10px; background-color: #E47833; font-family: arial; font-size: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #fff; text-align: center; padding: 10px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 100%; -moz-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out; -webkit-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out;[/newclass][newclass=lauzlol05:hover]width: 350px; height: 10px; padding: 10px; font-family: arial; font-size: 8px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 100%; color: #fff; background-color: #121212;[/newclass][classy=lauzlol05]255 WORDS FOR SNOWY![/classy]

[Deleted]

[style=background-image:url(http://i47.tinypic.com/fxxxdl.jpg); width:460px; height:466px;][style=height:65px;][/style][newclass=middleimage]width: 352px; height: 360px; overflow:auto; font-family: georgia; font-size: 9.5px; color: 87645b; background-color: 1a0803; text-align: justify; padding: 10px; line-height: 105%; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; opacity: 0.0;[/newclass][newclass=middleimage:hover]width: 352px; height: 360px; padding: 10px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 9.5px; overflow:auto; line-height: 105%; color: 87645b; background-color: 1a0803; opacity: 0.9;[/newclass][style=width: 372px; height: 380px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/fd7ol1.jpg);][classy=middleimage]the apprentice's den was cold, he mused. cold, and lonely, in spite of all the warm bodies nearby, safe and happy in their own little dreamworlds. if only it were so easy for him to follow now. once upon a time, it had been, but that time seemed so far away now. once upon a time, he'd been eager to start his training, to meet his mentor, to join his nursery friends in the apprentice's den and dream about one day being chosen for the warrior games. he'd had a family back then too, two loving brothers who practically raised him themselves, telling him stories about their brave and bold parents who died fighting for thunderclan, playing with him whenever time allowed. it hadn't been a lot, but it had been home. this had been his home. and then, everything had started crashing all around him, and now the pieces of his happy little life were so shattered he couldn't hope to put them back together. it had started out so simple - his first mentor had been blinded in battle, only a moon into their training. hawkpaw had frozen up in the fight, and his mentor had jumped in front of him and taken what would've been a fatal blow. without his eyes, he'd been retired to the elder's den, and died of starvation over the next week. nothing could've been done for a cat who had lost his fight, and the blow to hawkpaw had been a vicious one.

that time, he'd been comforted, by clan and family alike. it was a tragic accident, they'd said then, you're not at fault, they'd said. he'd been assigned another mentor afterward, only to have him too fall only two moons afterwards, this time to a mudslide. again, he had comfort, and had quickly been assigned a third mentor. that one didn't last a week - badgers had torn her apart while they were practicing hunting; she'd made sure hawkpaw had gotten to safety, but couldn't save herself. afterward, the comforting became a little stale, and cats started to whisper... to hawkpaw, they might as well been screaming though. mentor number four lasted a bit longer than his predecessor; he'd died of green cough after only a moon in a half, and this time there was no comfort for the young tom. there were no soft spoken words, or gentle offers of friendship, just the whispers. his apprentice friends began to drift away, focusing on their training with their mentors, and one by one they became warriors. mentor number five lasted longer than the others - two and a half moons, and then she ended up asking the leader to be reassigned to another apprentice after she'd twisted her foot during a training session. 'he'll be the death of me!' he remembered her yowling to the leader. 'that apprentice is cursed! and if he's not, he's a murderer! warriors die around him and i'm not going to lose my life for him! send him from the clan before he kills someone else!'

[/color] her words still buzzed in his head like a swarm of bees, still echoed in his skull... oh starclan why?

small, oh so small paws found their way over green eyes, trying hard to forget, to remember what his brothers had said- oh, right. they weren't his brothers, were they? that was a crushing blow if he'd ever felt one. his brothers, who had been his rock for so long, who had protected and raised him, weren't even related to him at all. he'd overheard them talking to each other not too long ago, thunderstorm hissing to tigerfang that they had to tell him the truth. 'he's not ours tigerfang! he raised him, but he's not our blood, please we must tell him!' and that had been the killing blow, and that was how he found himself here, laying alone amongst a sea of faces, broken and hurt beyond belief. his mentors were dead, his clan thought he was cursed, his friends had all become warriors, and his brothers weren't even his blood. the only one who hadn't turned against him or kept secrets from him seemed to be cindermist, the young medicine cat of thunderclan, with whom he was close to thanks to his many, many trips into the medicine cat's den from accidents to battles. oh, and foxbite he supposed... but then again foxbite had just been assigned to him as a mentor; he hadn't had a chance to shatter his world even more. hawkpaw grimly wondered if this mentor would end up disfigured, dead, or just abandon him like number five had.

a noise came from the entrance to the den, but hawkpaw didn't bother looking up. "hawkpaw, up and at 'em. big day today! after you've groomed and eaten, meet me at the rabbit hill for some new views of the territory. i hope you remember how to get there: we learned last time."[/i] ah, foxbite. his mentor. wanting him to meet him at the rabbit hill... at least there were no badgers there he supposed. as foxbite began to leave, hawkpaw didn't bother to get up, merely laid there for a while longer, his feathery tail flicking at his side. he wasn't sure how long he'd stayed like that before he finally decided to not keep foxbite waiting any longer, and rose up to his paws from his nest. the other, much younger and yet larger apprentices didn't acknowledge him as the small thirteen moon old cat walked by, his head held low as he entered the clearing. he didn't bother eating, he didn't think he could stomach anything right now, nor did he groom himself. he just wanted this day over and done with as soon as was physically possible. his trek to the rabbit hill was short and sweet and quiet, only a single pause near a small pool of water to check his appearance and make a quick clean up before continuing onward, finding the thick furred tom waiting for him at the rabbit hill as he said... he found himself mildly surprised by that. he couldn't stop himself from walking up to the red tom a moment later, green eyes staring up at the larger, elder warrior for a moment. "hello, foxbite."[/color] he murmured softly, before turning his eyes downward. "...you can still run you know... go back to wildstar and ask for another apprentice. silktail's kits will be apprenticed within the week..."[/color] he mewed softly, trying to give this tom a way out. he didn't want to be betrayed again... didn't want to be left again... not right now...[/classy][/style][/style][/center]

[foxbite]

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[style= font-size: 35pt; font-family: dawning of a new day; color: #E47833; text-align: center; line-height: 30px;]foxbite of thunderclan[/style][style= width:350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size:9px; text-transform:lowercase;]as foxbite waited, he found himself waiting for much longer than anticipated. the deputy sighed and rolled lazily on his back; staring up into the trees. hawkpaw would show up sooner or later. one part of training and growing up was learning the forest you called home. the older tom quietly decided that, if he didn't hear word from the apprentice within the hour, he would go into the woods to find him. he didn't have to wait for much longer though. when hawkpaw gained view of him, foxbite wiggled his way into a sitting position and came nose-to-nose with his apprentice. “listen, hawkpaw.. i want to let you know before we start today that... wait, excuse me? hawkpaw, i would never do that to you. what kind of mentor do you think i am? i take my mentoring very seriously. no way in starclan i'd leave you like that. i train the best. if you want to turn tail now, you can. but i will train you properly!”

foxbite snapped before rising off his haunches. what was he supposed to say? that hawkpaw wasn't some damned apprentice? that there was nothing he should worry about? foxbite was one of the senior, senior warriors. there was always the possibility of his age getting the best of him. but he wouldn't tell young hawkpaw that. not after what's he'd been through.. his tail swished beside him to shrug around hawkpaw's shoulders. as an afterthought that he may have been harsh in the begging, foxbite took a deep breath and tried again. “i understand that you've been through a lot in your short life. i went through two mentors myself. but i learned many valuable things from all of them. and i know that they both were proud of me in the end. i know that all of your past mentors will be watching over you.”

with a gentle purr, the older warrior reclined back and studied his new apprentice for a moment. hawkpaw was quite small for his age, but there was a coldness in his eyes. and in the way he talked. one, no doubt, that was from moons of scars and a wounded heart. the orange tom's heart ached for the apprentice. knowing that, because of his size, he would probably be chosen for the games. wildstar was a smart leader and had a knack for choosing winners. and played smart not to pick the bigger ones. it was intelligence she liked.. but foxbite was about to test his new apprentice on just that. foxbite always knew how to make his apprentices' training fun. maybe a little fun was just what this one needed. “did you think i called you out here this early to sit around? up, hawkpaw. tell me what you smell.”

[/style][/style][newclass=lauzlol05]width: 350px; height: 10px; background-color: #E47833; font-family: arial; font-size: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #fff; text-align: center; padding: 10px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 100%; -moz-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out; -webkit-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out;[/newclass][newclass=lauzlol05:hover]width: 350px; height: 10px; padding: 10px; font-family: arial; font-size: 8px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 100%; color: #fff; background-color: #121212;[/newclass][classy=lauzlol05]465 WORDS FOR SNOWY! AHH, LOVE THEM!! :)[/classy]

[Deleted]

[style=background-image:url(http://i47.tinypic.com/fxxxdl.jpg); width:460px; height:466px;][style=height:65px;][/style][newclass=middleimage]width: 352px; height: 360px; overflow:auto; font-family: georgia; font-size: 9.5px; color: 87645b; background-color: 1a0803; text-align: justify; padding: 10px; line-height: 105%; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; opacity: 0.0;[/newclass][newclass=middleimage:hover]width: 352px; height: 360px; padding: 10px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 9.5px; overflow:auto; line-height: 105%; color: 87645b; background-color: 1a0803; opacity: 0.9;[/newclass][style=width: 372px; height: 380px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/fd7ol1.jpg);][classy=middleimage]in all honesty, hawkpaw had truly been thinking - hoping, vaguely - that foxbite would take up his offer and just walk away right then, wait the last few days for the new batch of apprentices and let hawkpaw fade away into a distant memory. the new apprentices would fight amongst themselves to have a mentor like foxbite. this tom was a close friend of wildstar herself, and it was no secret to the vigilant hawkpaw just how much around thunderclan was handled by the thick ginger furred tom when no one was looking... or at least no one that was noticed. if foxbite fell... he didn't want to think about what that would mean, both for wildstar's already shaken heart and thunderclan as a whole. he didn't want to think about the chaos that would reign or the sorrowful wails that would ring out. all he wanted was for life to be like it had been before, a vain wish upon a distant dim star but one he made every night anyway. alas however, hope was dashed and thoughts were proven wrong as foxbite lifted himself upon his haunches and snapped a vicious reprimand at hawkpaw, telling him that he wasn't going to just walk away, that he was going to train hawkpaw and do it well, and that if hawkpaw wanted to walk away he could do it right then. the small apprentice didn't budge, nor flinch, only blink and stand stock still. he was used to getting yelled at - mentors number two and five had liked to snap at him too, one in annoyance (number two) and the other in distrust (number five).

he did flinch however, when foxbite's tail flicked over his shoulders, green eyes closing as he waited to get pushed away. mentor number five's work yet again. she never hurt him, she was too afraid to do that, but she did shove pretty hard if he ever got too close, something tigerfang and thunderstorm had vainly rimmed her about. when the shove never came, and only calm and gentle words, hawkpaw's eyes slowly reopened back to the light of the day, staring up curiously at his new mentor as he told of his experience in losing mentors, how they were proud of him, and how he was certain that all of hawkpaw's mentors were watching over him in starclan. he wanted to believe that, oh he wanted to believe... but not all his mentors were dead, and not all of them cared that much about him... "cherrysong isn't..." ah, right. that was mentor number five's name, cherrysong. no, she wasn't dead; she just refused to acknowledge hawkpaw even existed now, refused to believe she ever had contact with the russet reddish tom whom she had titled 'cursed'. there had been no other choice but to reassign her another apprentice and hawkpaw another mentor - hawkpaw wasn't getting trained, and cherrysong was no where to be found wherever he had been after she'd left the medicine cat's den. but that had been some fireworks to see between cherrysong and tigerfang not long afterwards though...

slowly, he watched as his new mentor reclined back, taking in the small apprentice's size and form. he silently wondered what was going on through the tom's head, what he was thinking when he observed him. he'd said he wouldn't abandon him, but if hawkpaw had learned one thing in thirteen moons of life, it was that talk was cheap, and promises were made to be broken. hawkpaw was well aware of his unusual size, many often made reference to it in some way or another, some not as kind as others... and in fact, it had been kind of a clue a while back that he wasn't related at all to his family. thunderstorm and tigerfang towered over most of the clan, and bore such soft fur and powerful muscles and bright unique colors. and then there was hawkpaw, with his ruddy colored coarse feeling fur, his feathery like tail, and his small, small body. the odd sheep out, the one who didn't belong. it hadn't been much of a surprise to know he wasn't related to them really, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less to hear it from their mouths. "did you think i called you out here this early to sit around? up, hawkpaw. tell me what you smell."

[/i] green eyes blinked rapidly as foxbite's voice suddenly broke through his stupor, and with a small nod, the little tom closed his vivid eyes and raised his nose into the air, parting his maw to take in more scents as they came on the breeze.

one, two, three deep scenting breaths, and then he began naming off all he could smell. "...there's a mouse not too far from here, digging something up. i can smell dirt in its scent. a rabbit, but the scent's stale, maybe a day, two days old... fox, a little more recent, but it smells strongly of death and sickness, i don't think its a threat anymore... talonfall was also here about two hours ago with gingerpaw... and..."[/color] he sniffed harder, trying to identify the final scent on the wind. "...rain. i smell water in the air."[/color] he mewed, reopening his eyes to stare back at foxbite.[/classy][/style][/style][/center]

[foxbite]

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[style= font-size: 35pt; font-family: dawning of a new day; color: #E47833; text-align: center; line-height: 30px;]foxbite of thunderclan[/style][style= width:350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size:9px; text-transform:lowercase;]as his tail looped around the young tom’s shoulders, foxbite felt the apprentice flinch. he let it linger there for a moment more before recoiling from him. foxbite couldn’t hold back the slight hiss at hawkpaw’s mention of cherrysong. “she was unfit to be anyone’s mentor… there’s something mentally wrong with her, i believe. no matter how unqualified she was, she will look at you in a few moons and be ashamed that she couldn’t have shaped you into a fine young warrior like i will have done. as i do with all my apprentices,” he added with a puff of his chest. his eyes gleamed with amusement as he tried to spark something in hawkpaw to laugh, agree with him… something. sighing softly, foxbite waited his new apprentice’s observations of the rabbit hill. being older than most apprentices he’d begin working with, foxbite wasn’t quite expecting hawkpaw to nail everything in the surrounding area.

“excellent hawkpaw! yes, that’s right! though you missed the starling nest up there, it wasn’t anything you would’ve been able to smell without practice. scents and tracking are my specialty. though you could say the other clan knows me for my wicked bite, eh?” foxbite chuckled, flashing his large ivory teeth. he had gained his named for just that, but he was too passive in the clan for anyone to know it. “so, rain is in the air, hmm? what do you think that’ll mean for the clans? i think i’m one of the only thunderclan cats who actually enjoys the rain: light drizzles, though. none of those awful storms. though your brother, i’m sure, enjoys them. his namesake, of course. thunderstorm and you used to be close… did something happen between you two?” foxbite waited a moment for a reply, but then decided to not bring up something this personal on the first day of lesson.

“my apologies. now, how about a game? i want you sit here while i run to a random place in the forest. then, use your nose to come to confront me; i'm an enemy warrior that you scented on the territory. how would you handle it?” foxbite slipped over to the trees and gave his apprentice a parting word of advice. “let your imagination run free for bit, little -paw. choose who i am, why i'm here, and how i should act. that'll help you be able to distinguish smells of cats rather than forests.” and, with that, the warrior was gone. he took off at a high speed run until he'd circled the hollow once and had ended up at a small stream near windclan. the smell of windclan smacked him in the face. they were the last clan to have a victor in the hunting challenge of the games, and they’d taken advantage of it.. a hunting party of them had been on the thunderclan side of the stream. grumbling, foxbite awaited his apprentices’ return.

[/style][/style][newclass=lauzlol05]width: 350px; height: 10px; background-color: #E47833; font-family: arial; font-size: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; color: #fff; text-align: center; padding: 10px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 100%; -moz-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out; -webkit-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 0.9s ease-in-out;[/newclass][newclass=lauzlol05:hover]width: 350px; height: 10px; padding: 10px; font-family: arial; font-size: 8px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 100%; color: #fff; background-color: #121212;[/newclass][classy=lauzlol05]489 WORDS FOR SNOWY! <3 <3[/classy]

[Deleted]

[style=background-image:url(http://i47.tinypic.com/fxxxdl.jpg); width:460px; height:466px;][style=height:65px;][/style][newclass=middleimage]width: 352px; height: 360px; overflow:auto; font-family: georgia; font-size: 9.5px; color: 87645b; background-color: 1a0803; text-align: justify; padding: 10px; line-height: 105%; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease-in-out; opacity: 0.0;[/newclass][newclass=middleimage:hover]width: 352px; height: 360px; padding: 10px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 9.5px; overflow:auto; line-height: 105%; color: 87645b; background-color: 1a0803; opacity: 0.9;[/newclass][style=width: 372px; height: 380px; background-image: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/fd7ol1.jpg);][classy=middleimage]the moment he'd mentioned cherrysong, the exact moment that she-cat's name had left his tongue and entered the air, a small hiss had escaped his new mentor's maw, seeming to almost pierce the air the name had occupied like a claw through soft flesh. again, hawkpaw flinched, but this time in shock, his young green eyes flashing in his utter disbelief as foxbite told him exactly how he felt about the she-cat. this honestly was a first for the small tom; when one mentioned her name to anyone else in the clan before she'd been paired with him, you'd only hear the best of the good things. how beautiful she was, how efficient she was, how she could make the most unruly of apprentices snap to attention and how she left a trail of broken hearts behind her. up until around the time of her abandonment of hawkpaw, tigerfang had even shown an interest in her; one that had been crushed the moment it was clear she all but hated said tom's beloved sibling. 'she was unfit to be anyone’s mentor… there’s something mentally wrong with her, i believe. no matter how unqualified she was, she will look at you in a few moons and be ashamed that she couldn’t have shaped you into a fine young warrior like i will have done. as i do with all my apprentices.' this... this was the first time anyone outside his small circle of friends had taken his side, and had so honestly. soft greens flicked up to foxbite's own as he puffed his chest out, seeking past the sparks of amusement any indication that he was being less than honest, that there was something else he wasn't seeing without looking hard, almost as if he were trying to reach into the deepest parts of the older tom's soul in his search. and as foxbite let a sigh escape him, hawkpaw lowered his own gaze, and the smallest of smiles graced his maw, broken and uncertain, but still there nonetheless. his search had given him nothing to be suspicious about, and he almost, almost was tempted to let his walls, so carefully crafted and built to keep the hurt out, fall down... but he stopped himself, the smile disappearing as quickly as it came. he wouldn't let them fall, he wouldn't give in to his trusting nature, not yet... but still, a small crack had appeared in them, so very small but oh so very significant, because it was there when before it hadn't been.

small ears flicked up to a point once his mentor spoke again, this time praising his young apprentice for his observations of the rabbit hill. 'excellent hawkpaw! yes, that’s right! though you missed the starling nest up there, it wasn’t anything you would’ve been able to smell without practice. scents and tracking are my specialty. though you could say the other clan knows me for my wicked bite, eh?' the young tom's emerald gaze flicked up towards the tree line at that, noticing said starling nest after a moment of searching. so he missed it... well, what else was new? he flashed his gaze back to foxbite almost as soon as he'd turned it away, catching sight of the flash of ivory behind his ginger muzzle, and for a moment he wondered if that was the reason he'd been named foxbite. tigerfang's name had come from his massive fangs, twice the size that was normal for a cat, and twice as deadly; it was a name well earned. the young tom blinked as another part of the sentence clicked in his mind. 'tracking and scents?' it was new to him, as most of his mentors hadn't been the best in that respect. mentors one and three were more all rounded out of them all, and while he'd had a decent amount of time with the first one, number three hadn't had a chance to teach him. mentor two was a fighter in every sense of the word, and mentor four was an expert spy at best. cherrysong... well, he wasn't sure - she never told him. 'so, rain is in the air, hmm? what do you think that’ll mean for the clans? i think i’m one of the only thunderclan cats who actually enjoys the rain: light drizzles, though. none of those awful storms. though your brother, i’m sure, enjoys them. his namesake, of course. thunderstorm and you used to be close… did something happen between you two?'

[/i] the sudden change of subject had hawkpaw's fur on end, his eyes flashing with unidentifiable emotions for a good few seconds. it took a moment longer before he was able to get himself calm - from anger, sorrow, disbelief, he wasn't sure. perhaps a mixture of the three...

one breath, two, three, and then his eyes were closed, his tail tip flicking behind him rapidly. he decided to answer the question about what rain meant for the clans first, that'd give him time to form a believable excuse at least. 'it depends i suppose. a small shower, i'm certain shadowclan will enjoy it, it'll bring out the frogs and lizards. thunderclan and windclan might huddle in the dens, but riverclan will be out and about, perhaps even frolicking when they think no one's looking.' his whisker's twitched slightly in humor at the mention of riverclan frolicking - as if. with birchstar as leader, he doubted anyone in the clan would be 'frolicking' for a long time yet. 'if it's a storm however, i feel for windclan - sunstar's deathly afraid of thunderstorms, that's why she didn't come to the last gathering. the clan made her stay behind... at least that's what i overheard.' he shrugged his shoulders at that, reciting off what he'd overheard a young windclan apprentice whisper to another windclan apprentice a bit too loudly. that night clouds had overhung the starry sky, and although the moon was in full view, thunder could still be heard off in the distance, so instead of sunstar, the deputy had appeared. most leaders had assumed sunstar was sick. 'riverclan's river might overflow depending on the amount of water from a storm, and shadowclan and thunderclan have the chance of fallen branches and broken trees from wind damage, even fire if the ground and trees are dry enough.' he finished there, having gone on as long as he could, until he finally found a good excuse for his lack of interaction with thunderstorm. there was no way he was gonna just come out and say he and thunderstorm weren't brothers to just anyone, especially not this tom of all cats, but... he didn't have to keep secrets like the one he was gonna give, heck foxbite might even know this one himself. 'as for thunderstorm, he might like the rain too, although he's been pretty depressed lately. i think he saw dustface over the border a while back. he hates him for what he did to wildstar you know. thunderstorm dearly loves her.'[/color] he let the extra phrase 'more than me.' go unsaid, but it still rang out in the silence anyway. that should be more than a believable excuse any day.

the young russet tom was kept from slipping into darker thoughts as his mentor spoke up again, this time for the reason they'd come out there in the first place: they were finally going to get to training now. 'my apologies. now, how about a game? i want you sit here while i run to a random place in the forest. then, use your nose to come to confront me; i'm an enemy warrior that you scented on the territory. how would you handle it?'[/i] in spite of himself, hawkpaw's eyes sparkled at the mention of a game, unable to hide the excitement flashing behind them. thirteen moons old was old enough to be a warrior in every sense, but it was still quite young, and would be that way for a while yet. sadly, though, because of certain... events, he didn't have that many playmates anymore. fawnpaw was still his denmate, and his truest of best friends, but she was often with thunderstorm training, and then there was reedpaw, tigerfang's apprentice, but they hardly ever spoke. he wasn't even going to go to thunderstorm and tigerfang, either. this would be the first time he played anything similar to a game with anybody but himself in weeks! as foxbite began to move into the treeline, hawkpaw trembled slightly, his green eyes locked on his mentor like a beam... was it so terrible to be this eager to have a chance to play? perhaps, in hawkpaw's case, it was. 'let your imagination run free for bit, little -paw. choose who i am, why i'm here, and how i should act. that'll help you be able to distinguish smells of cats rather than forests.' and with that, he was gone, disappearing in a rustle of grass and brush, leaving hawkpaw all alone in the clearing. the tabby apprentice slowly lowered himself to the earth then, his belly brushing the dust as his tail lashed about, waiting for as long as he could whilst taking deep breaths to keep himself calm. a while passed, and as he calmed himself down, the slightest urges of darkening thoughts began to press against his excitement. this was a game wasn't it? a training game but still. however, foxbite wasn't in immediate scent range or sight anymore... could it be possible that...?! no! he shook his head harshly then, trying to banish the thoughts appearing. surely foxbite wouldn't do that would he? leave hawkpaw in the clearing while he went somewhere else and forgot - abandoned - him. no!

still, he reminded himself grimly, talk was cheap. actions spoke louder than words, and while it seemed out of character, it wasn't out of the question, not in hawkpaw's young and battered heart. he'd even given foxbite the choice to leave him earlier; perhaps he'd actually taken up the offer this time. still trembling, this time from a different emotion rather than excitement, hawkpaw lifted himself up to his paws and began to move, desperately trailing the scent of his mentor, trying to keep the scent in his nostrils. he had to know, had to see for himself; if he was wrong, he was wrong, and if he was right, he was right... but was it wrong for him to desperately hope he was wrong? slowly, he made his way around the hollow, holding on with a white knuckled grip to that scent. he'd lost it a few times, more than he cared to count, and when that happened he searched frantically for something; the scent, a track, a broken twig, anything to give him hope that no, there was still a trail, and that no, he'd not been abandoned like this again. he'd always find it again, and the relief would hit so hard each time that he thought he'd be knocked off his paws. as he continued to follow the scent of foxbite, he began to notice another strike of scent coming up with it: the unmistakeable scent of the moorlands - windclan. this wasn't unusual in the least, with the last victor the hunting warrior game being a windclan apprentice, but it still settled dread in hawkpaw's heart. his first mentor had been blinded in a battle, his spirit broken to the point of starving himself. what if...?! what if...!!

not even starclan themselves could've stopped hawkpaw from bolting into a run then, his paws barely grazing the ground as he abandoned the scent trail in favor for frantic searching. he looked behind the tall grasses, the large rocks, the massive trees: nothing, not a hint from foxbite, and all the more windclan scent. and the more he searched, the darker his thoughts turned. windclan had the run of thunderclan's hunting grounds, but still there were times when there would be fights between the two clans, especially from aggressive warriors looking for one... what if this had been the plan all along? to lead him here in hopes of having him run into a stronger and more aggressive opponent? what a perfect way to get rid of the 'cursed' apprentice indeed. again, he had to shake that thought away, banish it to the furthest corners of his mind to rot. he couldn't think like that, not now or ever. it was truly unbelievable; in a matter of moments, this game had become a nightmare - where was foxbite?! and that's when he stumbled over his own paws, clamoring to the ground with a hard thud... right in front of his mentor. as his all too wide-eyed and wild gaze landed upon the large ginger form, all form of panic escaped him, leaving the stone weight of relief crashing down. he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, all that mattered was that no, he'd not been abandoned, and no, windclan wasn't attacking his mentor. the nightmare he found himself in wasn't real... it wasn't real...[/classy][/style][/style][/center]