TLA: Tending to the Flower Gardens

Characters and Roleplayers: 
   Hazelpaw - full-of-teeth
   Palepaw - WintersCatch

Post Number: 
  Cory/Fallen - 15 Posts
  Winter - 14 Posts
  Total - 19 Posts
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  The small lilac tabby was uncertain of what exactly they were doing, but they wanted to get away. Training had been inconsistent up until recently, and the tabby missed the days they would spend bouncing from mentor to mentor, escaping camp and going to explore the territory. Small paws landed one in front of the other, lit up by the starry sky and brilliant glow of the aurora above. It was almost always like this, dreary and dark, but the aurora borealis and it's constantly changing colors kept them calm even on the darkest, coldest days. The small feline was determined to explore, even in this dim light. Soon enough, they were on the lines of another clan, having wandered past the gathering place to the borders of GaleClan. The stench and open fields caused Hazelpaw to snap out of their mindless wandering and pay more attention. 'Foxdung...'


  The chocolate apprentice hissed, having missed another bird. To her, she thought her mentor was being way to hard on her. There was a prey shortage, why was her mentor expecting her to bring in some prey? At least this gave her the chance to explore freely. 'It's pretty late.' She thought to herself, looking up, 'I'll explore a bit and head back.' The molly looked around, trying to find the log she remembered spotting earlier. It wasn't long before the apprentice had found and approached it.
  "Who knows, maybe there are lizards?" she meowed to herself, scrambling to the top, sending bits of bark flying.


  Not to far off was a large log covered in little critters. Insects swarmed around it, some spilling out of rotted sections, others crawling in a dotted line up and over it. The tabby came close, sniffing for any indicator of whose territory they were on - if any. A strange but familiar scent came from the rotting log, a small lizard following suit. Hazelpaw tried to grab it but was interrupted when bits of bark came tumbling down, a few hitting them square in the face. A yelp, then an angry growl as Hazelpaw sat back. They rubbed their face with a paw, snapping angrily at the perpetrator.
  "Hey watch it!" Hazelpaw huffed and wrinkled their nose.
  Sharp blue eyes ran from the paws, up to the stranger's dark eyes and dappled fur. Hazelpaw jumped a little and mumbled an apology, before standing up straight, all in a quick succession of confusing, aggravated movements.


  Palepaw's fur fluffed up, somehow more than it already was, at the sudden and strange voice. Her hazel eyes watched the other apprentice with a sharp interest.
  "Sorry about that!" she meowed after a long silence, "I didn't even see you there."
  The calico shuffled about a bit before leaping down.
  "I didn't expect to find anyone else out here, let alone another apprentice."
  She meowed, grinning, "I'm Palepaw! You aren't you from Galeclan right? Why're you here?" she asked, her expression quickly going serious.


  The tabby squinted up at the other apprentice. Though younger than they were, the apprentice seemed to be a bit taller - albeit the log made it harder to tell. Hazelpaw flicked an ear dismissively. They gave a quiet grunt, lashing their tail before taking in their surroundings. 'I really did go out pretty far, huh?'
  "Hazelpaw, nice to meet you. I was exploring and just went too far is all..." they mewed with a glare.
  Though the kind part of Hazelpaw urged them to smile and be considerate, the tabby instead continued to stare. Technically on enemy territory, they were to stand their ground if the other apprentice attacked, right? The other voice only used this to argue that kindness would stop a fight. Hazelpaw hugged aloud, deciding to stay either way.


  Palepaw began to smile again, "Alrighty! Just wanted to make sure you weren't a spy or something."
  She meowed, bouncing around the other apprentice happily, "Then again, a spy wouldn't let the cats they are spying know they are a spy, right?"
  Palepaw wondered if she made any sense, she probably didn't.
  "Well anyway! Why don't we keep each other company for a bit!" she said, stopping suddenly.


  Hazelpaw watched the apprentice a little too intently. Her bouncy attitude and positivity drew them like a mouth to a flame. Hazelpaw was always rather bitter, refusing to let anyone see inside. They swallowed. If they were this positive, would cats bother to speak to them at all? What about Reclusivescar...?  
  "No, I don't think a spy would disclose their status as such," they replied.
  Hazelpaw sat down, white tail curling around lilac and brown paws. Naivety like this was not good, but somehow the apprentice still seemed  quite clever. It was all really confusing to the tabby.
  At the response, their blue eyes widened. "Right..."


  Palepaw's tail curled happily, "Alright, good!"
  She plopped down next to them.
  "So why are you out so late anyway?" she asked, rolling onto her back, "It is very strange to be out so late on another clans territory?"
  The dappled molly stared up at the sky, "What clan are you from anyway?"


  Hazelpaw stifled a smile. At least there was no risk of attack from Palepaw. The lilac feline looked up at the lights above, scars stretching and scrunching up in various places, making them look more mangled than before. Could they tell the apprentice where they were from? It probably wouldn't hurt anyway.  
  "I'm from DuskClan. I've been walking a while and headed out later than usual is all. Isn't it late for you to be out as well?" 
  A little laughter escaped Hazelpaw, the torbie's cheer becoming infectious. It was nice, as much as the tabby hated to admit it. Their white tail fluffed up.


  "Yeah, I guess so." Palepaw meowed and stuck her tongue out.
  "...But my mean mentor said I couldn't come back to camp until I hunted something."
  The tortoiseshell rolled back over, "It was late enough so I thought it wouldn't matter now, so I decided to explore!"
  Palepaw began to purr happily, "Glad I did, cause I met you!"


  As Palepaw rolled closer, the tabby began to feel their ears tingle. Their eyes widened, tail curling closer.  
  "Aww... That's rude, but I guess prey is running short as it gets colder huh?"
  They frowned and shuffled their paws against the grassy floor, gently nudging a beetle, who scuttled away with a little more fear than before. Hazelpaw was beginning to zone out when Palepaw suddenly commented on exploration, then how nice it was to meet them. Hazelpaw could feel their face burn up as their ears stood upright. Palepaw was very... Sweet. And cute...  
  "W-well... Maybe I can help you catch something?" Hazelpaw made eye contact only briefly with the younger apprentice.  
  "Th-thank you. And I am glad to have met you."


  Palepaw shot up happily, "Really!"
  Her tail wagged happily, "I probably don't have to bring anything back. My mentor probably wouldn't mind if I came back with nothing, so you don't have too.. But if ya really want too!"
  The dappled molly began to bounce happily, "Alright let's do it, this is gonna be fun!"
  She began to pad off.
  "C'mon!" she called back.


  Hazelpaw scooted back slightly, trying to keep up their tough appearance. They were still technically enemies, it was just that they were now so far from DuskClan it wouldn't matter if they helped. Hazelpaw couldn't claim it was DuskClan prey if they wanted to. Their ears still tingled, but they shook it off as they stood up, jostling their fur with a good wiggle before bounding off after the torbie.  
  "We should probably stick to the neutral territory just in case, don't you think?"
  Hazelpaw was glad to have found someone so cheery, although the apprentice seemed almost too adventurous. They grinned mischievously before hiding it and trotting a little faster to catch up.


  Palepaw nodded, "Yeah, I guess so."
  She purred happily, "This is fun! Like an adventure!"
  The cheerful apprentice looked at Hazelpaw. 
  "I've never been off of Galeclan territory!" she meowed, quickly turning into a run.
  "I can't wait to see what's out there!" she said loudly, her eyes sparkling in excitment.


  Hazelpaw looked around, avoiding the gaze of the other apprentice for at least a little bit. Carefully, they sniffed for prey, laughing softly before turning back to face the GaleClanner.  
  "Shhh... I know it's exciting but you might want to be quiet else you'll scare away the prey," they murmured, smiling.
  The smile made their blue eyes twinkle, but distorted the scar slightly. Their silky white tail waved gently as the tabby watched Palepaw take off excitedly. Hazelpaw's smile widened, shimmering lights spilling into the clearing. They raced after the other, pausing at a slight ridge to hopefully spot something, instead taking in the view.


  Palepaw started to pant, stopping for a moment and quickly returning to Hazelpaw.
  "How did you get your scar?" She asked suddenly, staring at the lilac apprentice's face.
  "I don't often see apprentices with scars, especially none as badly as yours, it must be an interesting tale?" the dappled molly meowed, excitement and curiosity filling her.


  Hazelpaw slowed, coughing a little - more out of shock - as Palepaw stopped and returned to them. They gently dug a claw through the earth, eyes flashing wide at the question. Their pupils dialated as memories tried to resurface. Swallowing heavily, Hazelpaw looked up at the apprentice. They noted the small clawmarks on the torbie's chocolate dappled cheek before tentatively reaching to their own.  
  "It's a long story... I wasn't totally supposed to be here. It was either scars or no me at all..."  
  Hazelpaw nearly continued to speak, but they felt to self-concious about the scars. They stared at the floor, asking why they responded at all. It was better than lying, anyway, right? Their white tail lashed, hiding clear irritation.


  Palepaw continued to stare at Hazelpaw with a, mostly, blank face, before a grin smeared acrost it.
  "Alrighty, but ya gotta tell me at some point alright! I bet theres a cool story to go along with it!" The torbie purred, before turning back around.
  "C'mon, I think I saw a rabbit up ahead!" she meowed, quickly trotting off.


  The tabby remained staring at the floor, glancing up every few moments to see Palepaw, hazel eyes rather expressionless. Hazelpaw began to worry about saying something wrong, when suddenly the other feline smiled a bright, kit-like smile, and the tabby began to calm. They grimaced slightly and twitched their whiskers. Stories can be told any number of ways, but I don't think this story will ever be "cool." Hazelpaw felt almost appreciative of the GaleClan's cheer and curiosity towards what they had to say, but it was overlaid with fear of how they might react in turn. They smiled, slowly and genuinely, before looking for said rabbit.     "This will be fun I'm sure," they chirped, looking to the stars, hoping quietly for an easy catch.


  Palepaw bounded off, searching for the rabbit. It wasn't long before she found something to hunt, though it hadn't been the rabbit. It was another bird, a quail, sleeping in a bush. The eager apprentice quickly went into a crouch, trying to remember the little she knew about forest hunting. Moor hunting was definitely her favorite, she loved to race after her prey, but this was fine too. Palepaw crept forward rather quickly, before launching herself into the bush. She felt her claws sink into flesh, but the bird quickly. The spotted apprentice became tangled in the bush.
  "Why must I have long fur?" she hissed, trying to pull herself out.


  Soon the dappled feline was off, leaving Hazelpaw to slink quietly behind her and hope something might cross their path. Sure enough, a small snake came racing through, scaly torso wriggling furiously. Hazelpaw was delighted, dropping into a crouch before springing, grabbing the tail of the snake. Most despised it as prey, but Hazelpaw found delight in its eyes and shimmering scales, and they always made a game out of carefully pulling it apart to eat. The creature hissed and squirmed, reaching back to bite the apprentice, who swatted forcefully at its head in shock. The blow caused the snake to recoil and  early hit the ground with its head, before Hazelpaw quickly reached forward with another paw. The creature nearly escaped before they crushed its head. Sloppy but complete. Burying their catch somewhat, the tabby heard hissing and growling not far off. Palepaw was caught in a bush, long fur clinging to the branches as if it had a mind of its own. Hazelpaw mrrowed in amusement before rushing over to help. They pulled at some of the twigs, unwinding fur with their claws, allowing Palepaw to do the rest.


  Palepaw pulled herself back, struggling with the branches before finally popping back.
  "Thanks!" Palepaw purred with a laugh, now laying on her back.
  "We don't have many bushes on the fields, I don't like them." the dappled cat hissed, pulling at the twigs in her fur, grumbling angrily about her long furr. She eventually gave up, standing.
  "I'll.. I'll work on that later!" the molly meowed, shaking her ruffled fur.


  Hazelpaw wrinkled her nose and smiled as Palepaw came staggering out of the branches. The tabby sat down, poking one of the twigs in the other apprentice's fur.  
  "Oh, no problem!" They laughed and glanced back at where their catch lay.  
  "I live amongst undergrowth and tall trees everywhere. I could know them better, but bushes do serve as a good hiding place. They can be... Messy."
  The twigs took a number, but hid well in her dappled fur. Hazelpaw's brow furrowed somewhat, the tabby sniffling a little.
  "I think I caught a snake..."


  "Think?" Palepaw meowed, heading off towards the rustling of leaves were coming from, hoping it was the bird.
  "Did you only leave it half dead?" Palepaw laughed softly, though it faded as she stalked the hurt bird.
  Her claws must have hurt it wings badly enough that it couldn't fly, but she wondered why is didn't just run. 'Birds can run right?' s"he thought to herself as she followed the loud rustling.


  "Well, I did definitely catch it. I-It's over there somewhere," they mewed, gesturing in its general area.
  Hazelpaw heard rustling, the smell of bird tinged blood indicated it was probably injured. Slowly, they lowered their head to peer at it, blue eyes searching for feathers of any sort. Oddly enough there were already feathers on Palepaw's claws, leaving Hazelpaw to assume that was why the torbie got caught in the bush at all.


  Palepaw hadn't really heard Hazelpaw, her attention was now on the bird. She struggled to silently crawl through the undergrowth, and it was a but before she finally reached the bird. The bird, as she had guessed, had been unable to fly, and it struggled to move through the forest dragging its wing.
  "This was rather easy," the apprentice mumbled to herself, pinning the bird down and sinking her fangs into the bird's neck.
  It thrashed for a bit before finally going limp.
  "Goth it!" Palepaw called out, having picked up the bird and heading back to Hazelpaw.


  Hazelpaw went quiet as Palepaw lowered to catch the bird. Tentatively they watched, ready to help if needed. Their thick white tail was curled somewhat in focus. Blue eyes widened as the bird quickly had its neck snapped, the poor creature already restrained by tattered wings. The bird thrashed, reminding Hazelpaw of the snake they had just caught and how it had tried to bite them. They mrrowed at the thought, grinning when Palepaw returned with the bird.


  Palepaw dropped the bird, spitting out a few feathers with it.
  "That was a fun hunt!" she meowed, bouncing a bit.
  "Thanks for the help too!" 
  The dappled molly leaned forward and nuzzled Hazelpaw on the shoulder.
  "I should probably be heading back though. It was nice to meet you though Hazelpaw!" Palepaw pulled back and leaned down to pick up the quail, but paused a moment.
  "I hope I can see you again, I'll look for you at the gathering!" she meowed, picking up the rabbit.
  "Bye!" The torbie meowed from around all the feathers, before dashing off back towards Galeclan territory, a little more spring in her step.


  Hazelpaw smiled, quietly pawing at one of the feathers from Palepaw's recent catch. The bird was rather large, and would be well appreciated by her clan when the torbie returned, Hazelpaw was sure.
  "Indeed it was. I'm glad I could help!" Hazelpaw mewed cheerfully, face redding up with heat as Palepaw nuzzled them.
  They looked up at the sky, slightly darker but with brighter lights. It was getting just a bit later now.
  "Yes, so should I," they began, trailing off.
  "I am so glad we could meet! S-s-see you soon!" the tabby stammered, delighted.
  Their tail puffed up, standing a little to straight. It was a shock, but Hazelpaw couldn't have been happier. They had made a new friend and gone on quite an adventure. Their ears tingled and their paws danced with delight as they raced off to find their snake and start the long treck back to DuskClan.

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Fin!!