looking after the future. (wirepaw.)

[grimm]

adderstep couldn't help but huff around the mouth full of snake he carried.

the cold as setting in a bit more now and he could feel it prickle a little more under his shorter fur then he had yesterday. he didn't mind it, of course, but when he had to get belly deep into a marsh just to get the snake, his legs were definitely feeling the chill more then they normally would. his mood right then was less then it's usual, and he walked with a sense that he was mildly annoyed, which wasn't too far off. the soaked fur clung to his well toned legs, and any one could see the power that rippled off the tom in waves.

meandering into camp, he moved easily to drop the snake onto the pile of fresh-kill. it wasn't much, considering it was getting colder and harder to find any sort of food. the deputy tipped his head to the side and began to calculate better hunting routes. he'd prefer for them not to head toward the two-leg dump, but if they didn't start to pick up on hunting soon, that's exactly where they'd find themselves in the next few moons.

he moved away from the pile and sat himself down along the rim of the camp, by the entrance, to clean out his waterlogged fur. it was the perfect place to look after his clan and make sure that everything was up to par. the deputy needed a moment any way, lest he catch a chill with the wet fur he sported. pale green eyes looked on, taking in the queens that had brought out some of their kits to enjoy the refreshing air, and some of the elders who sat at the entrance of their den, sunning themselves in the dim light that managed to get to the camp center.

huffing quietly, adderstep shifted how he was sitting, and went about cleaning his legs, head dipping down to clean the muscle toned frame. one could easily pick out the scar across the left side of his face, pale and puckered against his dark fur.

now, what was he to do next?

[oilspill]

Wirepaw

    A small silver blue head popped up from the gathered group of elders. The small apprentice then proceeded to flounce off to the fresh-kill pile. Bouncing to a stop, she reached out a paw to start rummaging through it to find a good piece of kill. Yet she paused. The snake that sat up top caught her attention. That wasn't there the from the last hunting party.

    Picking her head up, Wirepaw scanned the camp for a cat who seemed to have come in from hunting. What she saw was the cat who was named after the prey. The energy of a thousand mice flew through her. Glancing back to the group of elders, she took the snake off the top of the pile and put it to the side near the bottom.

    A flurry of steps took her to the soaking deputy. "How'd you catch it?" Wirepaw blurted with every ounce her kithood's confidence. She stood with a similar confidence, her tail flicking around her as if possessed as a show of her energy. 

    "Why are you wet, did you have to chase it through the marsh?" she pestered further, whiskers twitching as if electricity coursed through them like their namesake. If didn't seem like she was going to lose interest easily.

[grimm]

the tom couldn't help but grumble under his breath at some of the water. some leaves had got caught in his fur, small, thin ones, that were a pain to get off, and he bit and tore a little at his fur. with all of his attentions turned toward his fur, he didn't even realize someone had bounded up to him until a high voice sang right by his side.

"how'd you catch it?"

jerking in startled confusion, adderstep turned his head to look at the apprentice, pale green eyes momentarily wide. he blinked at her, looked her over with the shivering anticipation found in all young cats, and tilted his head.

"i-"he began, only to be swiftly cut off by more questions.

"why are you wet? did you have to chase it through the marsh?"

the tom set his paws down and proceeded to sit more comfortably now that most of his fur was clean. he'd would need to sit and wait for it to dry out now. he twitched his whiskers and let his eyes shutter downward in their usual grumpy stare, and he considered the young thing in front of him. and she was tiny, especially compared to his own massive bulk. flicking his tail and swiping a paw over his head, he huffed at her, trying to ignore the shot of warmth at the kit-like attitude she was displaying.

"i had to be very careful of catching it to make sure it didn't bite me. not quite across the marsh, but it tried to escape into the deeper end of one of the pools, and i went after it."

while getting wet was a small price to pay to feed his clan, he still disliked it immensely, as one could tell the way he sneered as he spoke. he wasn't a riverclan cat, but then, not many cats would go into the marshes unless they were shadowclan, where they were born and bred for this sort of hunting. he twitched his whiskers for a moment, then tilted his head to look her over again. she was vaguely familiar, but her name was escaping him. it was almost on the tip of his tongue, as he considered her, when it hit him at the look over her whiskers.

"and you are wirepaw, yes?"

[oilspill]

Wirepaw

    Tilting her head about 45 degrees to the left was then followed soon after by tilting it again to a similar notion at the right. "That wouldn't have been good." she highlighted the obvious in broadway lights. Snapping her head back to it's normal position. "Doesn't seem like a nice day for a swim. It's getting cold." Wirepaw didn't seem to realize just how obvious her statements were. 

    The apprentice then stood there for a moment of complete stillness. and you are wirepaw, yes? Wirepaw, was that her. Of course it was, apprentice she was, with wiry whiskers. "Yes, Wirepaw I am." who says it like that? Starclan, how says it like that? "I am Wirepaw, yes." There we go, correct ordering.

    Let's change the subject a bit. But to what? Wirepaw's ear flicked to try and catch if she was being called or if she was hearing things. No, of course she was hearing things. She didn't know how to go about this- "How far did it go before you were able to catch it?" There we go, back on the prey.

    Wait, Adderstep was sitting, maybe she should sit too. It must be rude to be standing like she would take off at any moment. Sit sit. Wirepaw reclined to sit where she was. She couldn't describe it as a slow recline or as a plop, but it wasn't the most graceful either. 

[grimm]

adderstep peered at her, watching her turn her head to and fro, waited to see her response. usually the other apprentices, while still being respectful of him, shrank under his gaze or tried to cut short their conversations as quickly as possible. the tom couldn't help but commend her fearless attitude.

"That wouldn't have been good. Doesn't seem like a nice day for a swim. It's getting cold."

the deputy blinked at her, a long, slow blink, and sent a glance over his muscled frame to the fur that was drying much too slowly for his liking. looking back up at her, he twitched his whiskers and quirked a brow.

"really? i wouldn't have guessed." he said, his tone dry.

the deputy tipped his head for a moment, and brought up a paw to swipe at his face again, cleaning his whiskers, only to pause as she spoke up to his question on her name, and was mildly amused, if such a thing was possible, as she fumbled over the grammar of her words. adderstep filed her name away into the back of his mind, and let his eyes turn away from her to cast a glance around the camp, watching as another cat wandered in with a lizard. nodding his head as he passed, he watched him move on to the warrior's den.

"How far did it go before you were able to catch it?"

adderstep turned his attentions back to her when she brought up another question, and he paused to think about it. with how quickly he had been to catch the damn thing, his mind was a little fuddled. maybe some of the marsh water had gotten in between his ears? his low voice rippled out of him, easy and fluid, as he watched her sit down before him. her eyes wide and curious, he couldn't help a bit of affection trail up through his heart at the easy curiosity this cat showed.

"i had to chase it through some undergrowth and some tree roots? but by the time it got to the water, it was about a fox length ahead of me and i more or less had to dive in after it. keeping a hold of it was a tad harder to do, wet as it was, and it gave me a good few hits with it's tail with the way it was squirming."

[oilspill]

Wirepaw

    She was confused by the flat tone. Had she said something wrong? Her confusion riddled around in her brain, but didn't touch the surface. Wirepaw was still curious, she wasn't going to let uncertainty show. This was the clan deputy! Whom which had diverted his attention from her. Who was it? Turning her attention to whatever Adderstep was looking at, she saw another cat bring in prey. 

    That's nice, it seemed he brought in a lizard. She was just on a hunting trip earlier, she forgot what she brought in though. Maybe it was still on the pile? Wirepaw could probably go look and check what it was-!

    Wirepaw, desist, you are in a conversation with somecat! Adderstep deserved to be given a degree of respect! She should just abruptly walk out of dialogue.  He's already answering her question. Let's think of some more intelligent questions-!

    "How'd you fit through the roots?" oh my Starclan, she did not just say that. Wirepaw was internally screaming at herself. Was that the only thing she was questioning? Quick, think of a better question before he can answer! "Did you think the snake was venomous? I find it odd it didn't try to bite you, unless it wasn't venomous." That... I don't know if that's going to make up for the slip. Nice try though, Wirepaw! 

[grimm]

"How'd you fit through the roots??"

the questions really came out of no where, he could suppose, but his head swiftly turned look down at her again from where he had spotted one of the apprentices heading out of the camp to meet up with their mentor. he looked momentarily baffled by the question, an expression of mild confusion and shock on his face.

"did you think the snake was venomous? I find it odd it didn't try to bite you, unless it wasn't venomous."

adderstep let his eye lids fall down again into that easy half mast of a slight scowl, and his tail gave a proper twitch as she tried to turn the conversation all the way around from where her first question had brought it. he huffed, one ear twitching in his mild annoyance. ah, but could he quite blame her? she was still young, maybe he should let this one slide?

"i went around the tree after swiping at it to make sure it would come out the other side." he stated slowly, peering down at her with a solid stare. "And from the looks of it, it was a venomous snake. it's a bit more of an advanced hunting technique, because one needs to know to bite right behind the head and you need to have the strength if it's a larger sized snake."

he stood and shook his fur out, still feeling some of the heavy drag of the water, and frowned. he sat himself down with ease.

[oilspill]

Wirepaw

    Had she done it? She probably had. By how Adderstep stuck on the scowl, she could tell she was wearing on his patience. Just her luck she'd start on it again somehow. Maybe... Wirepaw's head craned down the slightest bit, yet cocked to keep up the show of plain curiosity. "Advanced? So, like, you feint at it and do the ring-a-round and strike?" she repeated as if to confirm she understood.

    Maybe this conversation isn't the best to hold with the deputy. Shouldn't an apprentice talk over hunting techniques with their mentor? Most likely. Yet, an apprentice must be open to learn from all sources right?

    Yet Wirepaw does not simply pick up on social queues. "How much strength would you say is needed? I'm sure you could produce enough, but do you think I could?" Wirepaw finishing the question quickly to lean back sharply as water droplets flew from Adderstep. How far she stretched one would think she was afraid of water making contact with her. Yet she rebounded quickly back into a normal sitting position. 

[grimm]

his keen eyes noted the way she dipped her head ever so slightly, and after moons of watching cats for small tells, he realized that she knew exactly how his annoyance had flared bright for a brief moment. her head tipped to the side still told him all he needed to know, and he kept quiet, knowing another question was inbound.

"advanced? so, like, you feint t it and do the ring-a-round and strike?"

the simple way that she explained it had him snorting and then giving a small chuckle. a surprise, all thing considered, that he could laugh like that in front of someone, if you could call it much of a laugh, before he nodded his head.

"yes, like a feint with a 'ring-a-round strike. you have to be quick enough on your paws not to get bit at." he explained.

he didn't quite mind the run down of hunting techniques, by passing that she had a mentor she could ask questions to, as it offered him a chance to see the future that would soon be growing all the brighter. looking her over, his mind already tried to think of what she would be better at. fighting or hunting? or perhaps a solid mix of both?

"how much strength would you say is needed? i'm sure you could produce enough, but do you think i could?"

and so, the questions continued. giving a minor huff, he took another chance to look over her, tilting his stoic head to the side and considered her frame, looked over her jaw, about the muscles in her neck. while it could still be still be quite unpredictable to simply look and guess, his keen eye could try and guess if she'd be good at it. he supposed she could, of course, but she'd need a fair amount of practice and experience before she should try running out and catching adders on her own.

"a fair amount of strength is needed. snake bodies are entirely made of muscles, so biting through that, while it's moving about trying to escape, or to bite you, is a lot harder. i'd say you might be able to, but you'd need quite a bit of practice, making sure your fast enough to evade. " he paused, and let his eyes drift back to her face, his inspection done. 'give yourself some moons before you even consider chasing after snakes."

[oilspill]

Wirepaw

    The snort, although weird sounding coming from the serious deputy, was comforting. It was unusual to have somecat laugh at something she said, and Wirepaw relished it. Relaxing her neck, her head perked up again, yet it still lay lazily at a neutral position. 

    Wirepaw tried to remain still as she fought the sudden urge to scratch at her foreleg. This lead to a slight twitch of her back leg which she disguised with adjusting her sitting position. The apprentice then become suddenly aware of his study of her. Adderstep was assessing her strength. Don't itch it, the tickle will be gone in a moment. 

    To say she was pleased by his evaluation was an understatement. The desire to scratch vanished as she openly wriggled in excitement. He said she could be able to! That's cool! Wirepaw quickly stopped as she remembered who had just gotten the inspection from. She settled to happily swinging her tail around behind her. 

    Wirepaw even openly chuckled at the afterthought the deputy made. "I'm not running off to chase adders anytime soon. I'll stick to frogs." she tried to quell whatever worry he had. "Like you said, I need practice before I do such a thing!" 

    Wirepaw suddenly thought of practice. They drifted to her training with Sparrowflight. He was a nice enough tom, tried to teach her what he could. Wirepaw thought he was a good mentor. She quickly drew in her drifting before it became too evident she had started.

[grimm]

"i'm not running off to chase adders anytime soon. i'll stick to frogs. Like you said, i need practice before i do such a thing!"

adderstep couldn't help but twitch his whiskers in an attempt to quell his relieved amusement. adjusting his tail over his paws, he nodded his head once, serious and almost sagely, before tipping his head at her. he hadn't quite been paying attention to what she had been doing before this conversation, but he briefly wondered if she was needed else where. he found he didn't mind her fluttering about him.

"as you should. frogs give you a chance to pick up your speed and agility. " he told her wisely. "when hunting in the marshes, that especially helps, since you nee to be able to be quick to not get caught in a deep pool. however, learning how to swim is also a good trait."

he remembered an apprentice from his own apprentice years who hadn't learned how to swim by his eleenth moon, mainly from his fear of the murky water. all cats dislike water, more so then others, but some can adapt to it, as Riverclan did in example, but considering the amount of watery marshes around here, Shadowclan also took to learning the skill. the apprentice ended up having to learn after one of the nastier apprentices had knocked the poor tom into the water. adderstep, at the time adderpaw, had to be the one who had to drag him back out. after that, the apprentice had taken more lessons from his mentor to swim properly.

it took quite a few moons before he could do it well enough to be left alone.

[oilspill]

Wirepaw

    Frogs aren't the tastiest, Wirepaw preferred the hissing lizards that like to crawl on the trees more. But Wirepaw had a great 'gift' to not have a cautious bone in her body. This lead to a few head first charges into a few deep water marshes after a frog. Good to say she learned quickly in her first moon. She still caught the most of them, though.

    Adderstep was talking again, giving her more advice. She couldn't help but think back to her most recent plunge. Wirepaw's controlled flailing got her out of the water just before her mentor could  go in to get her. "Yes, deep pools are bad." Wirepaw released the memory as a nervous chuckle.

    "But swimming is good! We certainly have our share of waters! You'd think we'd have fishy waters." Wirepaw's attempt to joke probably wasn't the most appriciated, especially with Adderstep's seriousness, but it couldn't hurt to try. "Riverclan is certainly good at it, it can't hurt to be trained in it, with our dark waters." 

    Wirepaw was quiet for a moment, her eyes casting downward in thought. Actually, her whole head was tilted downward. "You know, there's not a lot of apprentices I can learn to be a warrior with." The statement was quieter then her usual upbeat tone. "Not that I can blame that most of them left to be with their closer family..."

[grimm]

"yes, deep pools are bad. but swimming is good! we certainly have our share of waters! you'd think we'd have fishy waters!" adderstep's sudden snort of amusement Was sharp and brief, and the tom couldn't help but roll his eyes. "riverclan is certainly good at it, it can't hurt to be trained in it, with our dark waters."

adderstep shifted his seating and couldn't help but to agree. while he disliked getting his fur wet, he wouldn't vehemently protest it, even if he did hate having to dry his fur out. he found it amusing when other clan cats, on their borders no less, managed to side step into one of the more shallow marshes during a skirmish. the way they darted back out, yowling like their tails had caught fire were amusing at best.

"you know, there's not a lot of apprentices I can learn to be a warrior with. not that i can blame that most of them left to be wit their closer family...."

the deputy froze, stock still, at her admission, and he felt his relaxing shoulders tense up once again. brows furrowed down and his face began to scowl again. yes, it was a sad thing to think about. he disliked the emptiness of the camp, the unnatural silence that drifted through the dens and the whispering, the starclan damned whispering, made his teeth bare in despair. he knew the feeling wirepaw was telling him. his own sisters had deserted him for the rebels and he lashed his tail in quick sucession, once, twice, a third time, and then it stilled. he looked down upon the young apprentice, and he leaned forward just enough to press a nose to one ear, a simple affectionate move to try and quell her saddness.

"this is true. there is not many." he intoned softly. "we shall see more soon, i should hope. and if anything, you may ask more advice from me any time you like. with no fellow apprentices to help learn with, it is a tough time for all."

[oilspill]

Wirepaw

    She tensed when she felt a touch at her ear. It was a move most unexpected, but it gave her comfort nonetheless. Wirepaw slowly relaxed with Adderstep's reiteration of the truth accompanied by soft reassurance and comfort. Letting out a small sigh, she uttered her gratitude. "Thank you Adderstep..."

    Slowly picking her head back up, Wirepaw plastered on a smile. "I hope to take you up on that offer again soon." she confessed, trying to hearten in him she was fine again. It was a small lapse, Wirepaw would make sure she didn't divulge again. 

    Reigning in her insecurities to fasten them away, Wirepaw decided she would leak one more personal thought. She had regained her usual volume "You know, I often find being with the elders helps to block out the stillness." Wirepaw glanced over her shoulder of gathered few elders just outside their den. 

    Wirepaw could pick her mother out from them easily, the one on the far end. Her mother could tell stories with the rest of them, often repeating some of them to the oldest. Wirepaw loved the stories. "They tell the oddest tales. Sometimes I doubt they can be true. Especially the sillier ones."