The hurt.x

[yami-chan]

ooc: i made this for joo summa!! :3

bic:

Jetpaw;;

Sleep would not come, even if he begged for it. The massive tom hissed softly in irritation, careful not to awaken the other apprentices even if he watched them through harsh blue eyes, narrow with envy for the lucky fools. Rolling onto his belly, Jetpaw focused absently on chewing his extended claws, cleaning the grit that he’d been reluctant to clear earlier. It had been many sleepless nights that he had waded through since Summerkit joined Faintclan, the mysterious scrap who seemed to suffer head trauma as she had no recollection of her past, as well as the absence in knowledge for her uncontrolled rage that changed the innocent kit into a red eyed beast.

Snorting angrily at the mere memory, Jetpaw lent power to a snapped head motion that brought out a heavy clump of dirt from between his talons. Satisfied when the hindrance was rid and dealt with, the large black tom stretched slowly onto his paws, emitting a deep growl as he shook the none existent sleep from his fur, trying to walk off the heaviness that clung to his shoulders as wicked as a burr. Stepping silently past twitching, dreaming felines, Jetpaw pushed his cranium through the apprentice’s den, giving one last spiteful glance at his empty bed. He stood little chance against finding any comfort in sleep, rather pressing his hopes on a midnight walk wearing him down than putting his luck into agonizingly laying in wait for exhaustion to claim him.

The night air was cool and serene after the rain which had wracked the clans for few days had finally passed, leaving the entire circumference of the camp rich and green with sparkling dew. The heavy fog which was found always draped across Faintclan terrain seemed thicker and scented more of freshly enriched soil. Venturing further into the fat rolls of mist, Jetpaw’s trained eyes flickered clearly around the camp, noticing that no one except for the guard lay outside of their dens. Figures. He angled his chin so that it was raised to drag in the night scents, hoping to catch a mouse or two and possibly fit in a starlit run. Or could it be that he was looking for someone; a possible companion of the night?

[Summerbreeze]

occ: Mmhmm~ yes, OK. I'll attempt to write something suitable.

Waiting.

Waiting on a log. Just waiting. For whom, she did not know. But Summerpaw waited. The thick fog around her was almost white, but despite the three moons she had spent with FaintClan, she still couldn't see through it.

Waiting.

Soon, as she was about to give up, a dark grey tom appeared through the mist. He came up to her and sat on the log beside her, tail swishing occasionally. Summerpaw tilted her head.
"Who are you?" she asked him calmly, spotting a distinct streak of light grey fur stretching from his shoulder to the base of his tail.
He turned his blue eyes toward her. They were emotionless. He licked his dark paw a few times and drew it over his ear. He was in no hurry to answer.

"My name is Jetpaw."

Summerpaw shook her head. "No you're not. You don't look anything like him. Or maybe you're Jetpaw another Clan?"

Jetpaw nodded.

"Then why are you here with me?"

Jetpaw looked at her in mild shock. He stood up and rester his long tail on her shoulder.
"I am here because I'm your-"

At that moment, a great hound lept from the trees with wide jaws. They closed on the tomcat and vanished completely.

Along with the whole world.[/i]
--

Summerpaw woke panting, eyes wide. She stopped herself as soon as she realized. This was her first night the the apprentice's den, she didn't wish to wake her Clanmates! She rolled over to go back to sleep and, as usual, checked everything was in order first. She noticed the real Jetpaw's nest was empty. Just visiting the dirtplace. she thought. She rose to visit for herself and prodded the moss just to check.

It was cold.

He wasn't on a patrol, was he? she wondered. But no, she couldn't recall his name being chosen. So she visited dirtplace, then stalked to the guard.

"Um, did you see Jetpaw go out?" she whispered.

No reply.

She looked at him closely. That's not possible, he's asleep on the job! she realized. She looked at the apprentice's den again, then finalized. She was going out to look for Jetpaw.

She left the camp feeling guilty. It was only her first night, what if someone found out? What it she got told off? Would she be punished? How she hoped not. She tried scenting for him. She still wasn't good at that. Well, evidently, she'd only been an apprentice for one day in these conditions. If it was clear, it would be easier! After a few moments, she picked up a faint trance of his scent and followed it slowly and carefully.

What are you doing out here Jetpaw? So far out in the night, be careful![/color][/font][/i][/size]

[yami-chan]

Jetpaw;;

Still in a position of aggravation, Jetpaw snorted purposefully before seething madly out of camp. It hadn’t been difficult for the black pelted tom as his fur melted nicely with the bleak features of the night. He noted that the guard was also asleep, making escape all the more sickeningly easy. Once Jetpaw’s large rounded paws hit the damp soil of Faintclan, he began to strictly scold himself for foolishly expecting anyone to appear to him at a night such as this, one that wasn’t in any particular way different than any other. Stalking further into a large upbringing of foliage, the apprentice slowed in stride and squatted down to listen to the whispering winds, hoping to catch any noise that would preoccupy his mind from wandering as it often did these days.

It’s her fault.

The crude comment lingered for about a second against the tom’s lips, such an unsavoury taste bringing a mean scowl upon his facial disk. Raising a paw to rub a harsh attack at his ear, Jetpaw shook himself once to empty his mind of Summerpaw; the new addition already an apprentice but for the few days she had been recruited into the clan. Starting up a deeply concentrated sift through the pockets of darkness, the large tom closed his blue visuals and breathed in heavily, catching the scent of mouse on the gentle breeze. Instinctively moving forward at a slow crawl, his eyes still closed, Jetpaw probed the inky blackness for a small heart beat that belonged to the creature twitching among the extended fronds.

Feeling the faint fall of footsteps thrumming as vibrations against his pads, the black feline rose slightly taller and quickened his pace, weaving expertly through the gaps in the undergrowth and being careful as to not upset a single stalk. Jetpaw knew that the mouse’s dusky head had risen as he could feel the movement caused by fronds brushing against his whiskers. Practically dashing for the piece of meat, the large apprentice burst past the encasement of foliage and leapt for the mouse, crashing on top of something much larger than the creature he had been stalking. Looking up just in time to see the brown bottom of the mouse disappear under a hole dug beside a pine, Jetpaw snapped his neck to face the unlucky fool who had caused his failure in capturing a bite to eat, blue eyes now blazing with cold fire.

”Look here you lousy badger, why don’t you watch where—“

Here he paused, recognizing Summerpaw under the bright shine of the moon.

”Oh…it’s just you. What in Silverclan’s name are you doing out here? You may be an apprentice now, but none the less still a kit as you were just apprenticed. I can’t even fathom what Silverspirit was thinking letting you stay.”

Ooc: Your post was amazing! Good job, I enjoyed reading it ^^[/b]

[Summerbreeze]

occ: Yours are always amazing, I'm just trying to raise my standards a little. (Ha, globes. Funny word)

Truding through the dense night air, Summerpaw resorted to using her ears and whiskers for navigation. The trace of her Clanmate's scent was almost too faint to follow now. Disappointment began to pull at her throat after having gone so far astray. Suddenly, she heard rapid pounding on the ground, getting closer and closer at an alarming rate. Before she knew it, tiny scutting feet passed in front of her and a weight landed on her back, knocking her to the damp earth.

Then, the familliar growl of a hostile voice came from above her. She trained her shocked globes on her attacker, slowly recognising the dark pelt and fierce, blue eyes. He snarled at her. After he'd finished, she spoke his name.

"Jetpaw?"

It was a stupid thing to say, really. Her ears drooped at she realised she must have taken his meal away. Her weight shifted as she pushed against his paws.
"I'm sorry, Jetpaw. I didn't mean to get in the way... I was only wondering where you went, so I tried to track your scent. I obviously didn't do a very good job. I'm sorry."

The rush of guilt strengthened. She'd disobeyed rules, she'd failed at trying to do something useful, and now she'd angered her fellow apprentice for something she shouldn't have done in the first place! Her gold-tipped ear twitched a few times and her tail swished in frustration.

"What are you even doing out here? I thought you weren't meant to leave camp at night by... yourself." Her voice trailed. Ironic, I'm doing the same thing.[/font]

[yami-chan]

Jetpaw;;

The growl had been almost instant as he reacted sourly to Summerpaw’s brainless comment, signature blue eyes blazing further as he narrowed them tighter with a cold sigh. The ginger apprentice before him always seemed to bring an air of spiced frustration, though this time her despairing movements caused a slight twinge to quell his livid rage. He took the opportunity to cover the strange take-over by rolling his eyes in an open manner that Summerpaw would catch. Jabbing his forepaw so that it could make contact with the young femme’s chest, Jetpaw chose a slightly lighter tone that would take the edge from his usual harsher bite. ”Don’t worry about the stupid mouse, I’ll catch something better. And don’t apologize to me for doing a poor tracking job; you should be saving that for when you have a mentor. Besides…at least you managed to uncover my location so I’m guessing you didn’t do too terrible.”

Sniffing, Jetpaw spun on his heels and took a couple of paces that would allow him to locate another piece of prey, as well as divert his attention from Summerpaw, fearing that his tone might become overly gushy. Tail switching from either side, the lordly tom stuck his nose into various air pockets in hopes of detecting another scent, ears twitching irritably when he could find none and the night continued remain void of any sound except for the whispering wind. Again Jetpaw spun on his heels, trudging back toward Summerpaw bitterly but conscious not to voice it. As he had not spoken anything remotely stinging, the tom was able to hear his den mates questioning tone, her speech as feeble as her body language. Struggling to keep his voice tame, Jetpaw unfurled his claws and dug the aggression straight into the roots, ripping up the thin bodies as they were his venting victims.

”You must be seriously sorry to be asking something that seems quite obvious. Look, if you really do feel that terrible about losing me my meal I’ll personally teach you some good tracking and stalking techniques. If I do this will you promise to stop your worthless self pity?” The midnight furred apprentice paused suddenly after his response, working to bite his lower lip as he thought his sudden offer to seem strange for his usual cold and distant mannerisms. Searching for Summerpaw’s reaction in awkward silence, Jetpaw withdrew his talons from the earth as he was now fidgeting uncomfortably.

[/blockquote]

[Summerbreeze]

Summerpaw tilted her head slighting, not believing that Jetpaw would actually do that, but then her ears pricked yp and her mood lightened. "You're really do that, Jetpaw? You'd really teach me?! Really! Thank you!"

Instead of jumping around as she had done previously in kithood, she stopped herself and sat to attention, tail curled nearly around her paws. She had learn to somewhat discard Jetpaw's hostile tones, but that didn't explain why he had gone out of character and acted... a little softly towards her. Well, things change, I guess.

Summerpaw hoped Jetpaw would teach her. He was a cat to be admired, so skillful and sleek while hunting, always able to navigate through the dense fog that surrounded FaintClan. To prove herself is what she hoped to do, to catch Jetpaw his favourite fresh-kill. Although, of course, she had no idea what that was.

"Jetpaw, what's your favourite food? Can I catch it? Can I try? I promise, I will catch something for you!" she mewed, dignified. "I will do what you say and I will keep my mouth shut and I will-"
She broke off, realising she must be annoying the fur off his back and doign exactly what she was aiming against. Instead, she just shut her mouth and stared at him eagerly.

[yami-chan]

Jetpaw;;

The wild fidgeting ceased upon Summerpaw’s excited outburst, where Jetpaw was left with enough space for raging, as the femme’s delight had startled him. He refused to be caught off guard by the ginger apprentice, and therefore would wedge in any possible cover up he could. ”Yes, I’ll teach you! If it’ll help bring a stop to your weak hunting skills then it’s no skin off my back.” The large tom flicked his tail in annoyance, using the swept motion as an excuse to look away from Summerpaw. Her exuberance was quite taxing to his patience, but for some reason Jetpaw felt no reason to spite at the young apprentice and her joy at being tutored by him.

’Maybe I could gain something from this? Teach those clan brats the true skills of a real warrior.’

Jetpaw sighed and redirected his attention to the femme, looking her over once or twice as if in mental preparation. ’At least she’s not jumping around like a kit…’ Feeling slightly at ease upon noticing Summerpaw’s calm attention, the black tom was able to bring a rise to his shoulders as he gathered himself for the femme’s lesson. He was, however unfortunately delayed by another upbringing of questions. It proved a difficult task to reign in a string of foul rages, Jetpaw’s ears flattening at the level of idiocy Summerpaw’s question held. He hadn’t a clue what his favourite food was; he just hunted to feed himself and the other yapping mouths of Faintclan. A strange feeling of sadness knocked against the tom’s chest, and Jetpaw was forced to look away from the ginger feline as he raked his brain for a witty response. ”W-well…I like winter hares. But they dwell much too close to Wolfclan’s borders since they like the cold…I’ve only ever been able to catch a few.”

As if catching the note of weakness to his tone, Jetpaw snorted roughly and snapped his blazing gaze back toward Summerpaw, his lips pulled steeply into a snarl. ”J-just what do you think your saying? As if you could catch anything like a winter hare! Their speed is tricky and they always make quick escapes into Wolfclan territory where we obviously can’t follow! Mouse brain.” The Faintclan tom shook his skull vigorously before resuming a calmer posture, taking a moment to let the fur on his back lie flat. ”Anyways…before I can even allow you to start hunting, your going to need to know some of the basics. Now, it is said that the greatest hunter has the ability to either slow or quicken his heartbeat to match that of his prey. Even greater still, the best skilled hunter can completely muffle the sound of his heart beating so that it will appear to have stopped, that way his prey can’t detect their enemy by heart vibration. So…”

Jetpaw stood and took a couple of paces back from Summerpaw, seating himself down so that he was fully facing the feline with a cold, calm stare. ”We are going to work on some breathing exercises. Try and match your heart beat with mine. Remember to listen and feel your surroundings.” To this, the black tom closed his eyes and resumed a slow and heavy breathing pattern, his chest rising fully before receding lazily back.

Ooc: awwie Summerpaw is soooo cute! <3[/size][/blockquote]

[Summerbreeze]

The small apprentice cowered and shrank back under Jetpaw's harsh comments, but she soon righted herself. She was going to act strong for her second mentor. Am I allowed to have two mentors like this? she wondered.

She watched as Jetpaw sat and slowed his heart rate. She was rather amazed at the way it had decreased so rapidly. She calmed herself down and shut her eyes. She was aware of her whiskers twitching in anticipation, but was impressed with herself as her heart beat slowed.

"Like this? Is this right?" she asked the large grey tom. She kept her eyes closed and relaxed further, imagining herself sinking into the mist. Soon, however, in her calmness, she picked up a trace of mouse. She sensed its movements, staying perfectly still. It found a seed almost right in front of her paws...

Her eyelids opened and she spied the mouse, plump and preoccupied. All of a sudden, Summerpaw pounced, gripping the mouse in her claws and giving it a harsh bite to the neck like she had seen her mentor do.

She looked down at her prey. It took her a while for her to soak in what she'd done. But, when she did realise...

"I did it! I caught a mouse! A MOUSE! Yaaaay!"

She bounder around Jetpaw in joy. "Jetpaw! Jetpaw did you see that?! No, you didn't you had your eyes closed... BUT WOW! It was... there was this mouse, and it stopped and WHOOSH! I caught it! I really did I caught it! I-"

She sat down in silence, mouse by her paws.

"I caught a mouse for you, Jetpaw."

[yami-chan]

Jetpaw;;

The shallow pattern of his own breath was the only thing he was capable of registering, that and the grinding sound of Summerpaw’s quicker pants scraping against his slower pace, though the in take and release soon began to ease dramatically. Jetpaw had to release his talons from their sheathes to refrain from opening his eyes, having little desire for his concentration to be broken by the mere shock of learning how quickly the ginger femme caught on. ’I definitely won’t let it happen!’

His brows knitted together in irritation, the black tom’s ears twitching upon Summerpaw’s circulation of bombarding questions. Snapping his chops curtly, Jetpaw blinked his blue visual open, the narrowed windows catching the body of a small creature becoming instantly engulfed under white spears. A…mouse?’ Momentarily caught off guard, the young apprentice was silent against Summerpaw’s jubilant cheers, though he was quickly able to envision a deep orange sunset streaking his sight with red.

Picking up a single paw, the young apprentice viciously cuffed the femme across the ears, his lips pulled back in a silent snarl. ”Don’t get all happy about catching something as small and worthless as a mouse! B-besides, it must have just been beginners luck! And another thing; stop bouncing around like a kit! You’re training to become a warrior, so act like it!” His throat closed up immediately, the tom’s chest heaving painfully as he jerked his skull away from the shining ginger she-cat. Was he jealous?

Snorting roughly, Jetpaw gingerly reached over and scraped the limp body to roll to a stand still by his front, the tom keeping his head turned away from Summerpaw. ”A-anyway…good job I guess…not many newbies are able to pull that kind of stuff off on the first try. So now…where going after winter hares, and their located on Wolfclan’s borders. Follow if you want.”

Before picking himself up to depart, the black tom scraped dirt over the mouse, telling himself he’d come back for it later. Wolfclan’s borders weren’t far from where he and Summerpaw were situated, the winds already nipping playfully at his skin before his paws even began hitting patches of snow. Ears pricked and whiskers trembling, Jetpaw spotted a single winter hare sitting purposefully upon the mountain cat’s border markers. Without hesitating, the apprentice squared his shoulders and leaned forward, his muscles tight as he began cutting past wind streams.

Barrelling forward on light paws, the brute crashed into the body of his prey, Jetpaw’s successful hit being drawn out due to the fact that he had altered his figure to become weightless and narrow, therefore having the capability of ignoring scent boundaries as he had jack knifed through the winds too quickly for a scent to be peeled off. His only flaw had been jump calculations, his large figure causing him to roll much father into Wolfclan’s territory than anticipated.

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Ooc: Summer, you remember that Sakura is going to be joining us right? You can post before her or after, it’s up to you ^^[/size]

[Summerbreeze]

occ: I'll just catch up in Summerpaw's POV. And LOL I said scent glands.

Summerpaw took the hit and hasty words silently, though she didn't stop little pierces of angry and sorrow attack her mind.

She watched Jetpaw cover the mouse in dirt. "To retrieve it later," she mumbled, too quietly to be talking to anyone in particular.

Upon his announce of departure, Summerpaw nodded curtly. She'd never been so far out of camp before. It excited her. What she looked forward to the most was the chance of redeeming herself and catching Jetpaw his favourite prey. She doubted that she would be able to though, Jetpaw had described them so they were out of her ability.

She stood and watched as Jetpaw sensed a hare, watched him bracing himself, watching the way his muscles tensed under his fur. The dark tom pounced, his strong legs propelling him forward at a rapid rate, enabling him to smash his form into the hare's side. Wow... Jetpaw...!

She watched with a light nervous smile as he tumbled further away. Summerpaw took a few steps forward to where the hare originally was. As she breathed, she caught something in the air. Her head shot up and she opened her mouth slightly, rolling her tongue back for her scent glands to work. She didn't recognise that smell, but it wasn't friendly.

"Umm... Jetpaw? I think you've crossed the border. Wouldn't it be better for you to come back now...?" she asked, timidly.