ıllıllı eмвerclan // rp тнread ıllıllı

Hawkkit's unblinking gaze remained locked on Shadowstar's as he spoke. She had an uncanny habit of staring cats down when they spoke to her. She never fidgeted, never looked away, never showed any signs of unease or discomfort--or any other emotion, for that matter. She simply stared, her gaze measured and unfaltering. As Shadowstar finished speaking, however, a rare flicker of emotion crossed her gaze. She blinked in surprise, her eyes studying his own for any sign of teasing or spite. But she couldn't find any. He looked completely serious.

The surprise faded from Hawkkit's gaze as quickly as it had come, and the same nonchalant demeanor as before settled over her. She could feel the eyes of others burning into the back of her skull, but she paid it no mind. She simply remained silent, studying Shadowstar with the look of vague interest that she always seemed to direct towards others. She wasn't sure why he had given her the opportunity to voice her opinions on who she wanted as mentor. As far as she knew, it wasn't custom in a clan. She couldn't remember ever having done anything to catch the eye of the clan leader--so why her? The beginnings of a frown tugged at her lips, but she managed to suppress the urge. Shadowstar wasn't any more proud of her than the other apprentices. Sure, she was a bit different, that fact was obvious. But why should that make her any more special? No...Shadowstar was testing her. For what, she didn't know. But she would have to make her words count, or else land herself under the eyes of suspicion.

"I don't mean to sound unappreciative, Shadowstar. But I don't think there are any options open for me to choose from. Every warrior here already has an apprentice," she murmured, her gaze drifting around camp as she eyed each warrior in turn before coming to rest on Shadowstar once more. "Apart from Honeydapple, of course. But I don't think that Honeydapple would be able to manage taking on an apprentice. Not with her kits on the way." Hawkkit cocked her head slightly, almost in a curious, bird-like manner. She smiled--only the slightest curve of her lips. There was something mocking about the sudden glimmer in her eyes, something almost smug about the ghost of a smile that graced her face.

You want to find some reason not to trust me? Fine. I'm willing to play your little game, Shadowstar.

"Unless you are willing to take me on as your apprentice, it appears as if I've been left without any options at all."

--

Pepperedstep trudged across camp, dragging his kill over to the fresh kill pile. Any kits standing in the way at the time might have been flattened, as he stared directly ahead, with no intentions of moving aside for anyone or anything. He wasn't angry at anything in particular. He was simply tired. More often than not, his weariness translated over into irritation. In other words, he could be quite the old grump. Even though there were a small number of things that cheered him up, it always proved best to simply leave him be during one of his 'moods.' The large cat dragged a mouse away from the pile, settling down beneath a solitary tree in the rear of the camp and nearly devouring it whole. He then rested his head on his paws, gazing out at the rest of the cats as everyone began to return from their hunting trips.

--

"Alright, Silvershadow. No mumbling. No stuttering. No excuses. Just the truth. You were angry. Bad mood. Needed alone time. Anger makes a cat do stupid things, right? He of all cats should know that. Besides, there are still evening patrols that need to be arranged. You still have time to redeem yourself..."

Silvershadow continued to try in vain to reassure herself that she wouldn't have to face Shadowstar's wrath as camp rapidly came into view; however, the closer the got, the more apprehensive she felt. Silvershadow had never been a very confrontational cat. In fact, as an apprentice, she had been considerably flighty. Of course, Silvershadow had grown somewhat more responsible with age. Somewhat. Even so, her level of maturity still had a bit of catching up to do. And so, like any young apprentice, she feared retribution. Which is why she had such difficulty owning up to her mistakes. But now, she stood only a few pawsteps away from the camp entrance, and she couldn't really prolong the situation. So, dropping her kills beside the camp entrance, she strode in with her head held high and her chest puffed out, loudly announcing her entrance.

It would be an understatement to say that she was a tad bit dramatic.

"Alright Shadowstar, before you start making accusations, I'd like to say one thing. I don't think it's fair that--that...." she trailed off, blinking when she realized that Shadowstar wasn't waiting for her with claws unsheathed. He didn't look angry, or disappointed...in fact, he wasn't even paying attention to her. Instead, he seemed to be having quite the serious discussion with Hawkkit. Silvershadow cleared her throat, taking a few steps away from the two. After a single moment of hesitation, she scrambled back over to where she'd dropped her prey by the camp entrance.

"Sheesh...that was close. Do you think he noticed me?" She mumbled under her breath around a mouthful of fur, her gaze flicking over to where Sootskies sat across the way.

[font=andale mono]Hawkkit smiled softly at Shadowstar's words, dipping her head in acknowledgement. Despite his words, she took great satisfaction in the fact that the leader of Emberclan was soon to be her mentor. All of his talk about speaking with the deputy and taking the time to deliberate over who her mentor would be was all for show. Of course, she understood the necessity of keeping up appearances; otherwise, it would seem as if he were choosing favorites. But the fact of the matter was that everyone had apprentices already--there were no other options. Either he would be her mentor, or she would be left without one.

"I will be. Thank you, Shadowstar."

Her eyes followed him as he walked away, heading off to deal with the troublesome deputy. She watched the two for a few moments, vaguely curious as to how the situation would play out; however, a low growl nearby drew her thoughts away from the quarrelsome duo, and she turned her gaze towards Blizzardpaw, who looked none too happy about the outcome of things. She blinked, watching as he padded up to Shadowstar and Silvershadow and demanded to go out for training. She cocked her head in that same, bird-like manner as before. Did he really expect for Shadowstar to think well of him by behaving in such a way? Hawkkit herself had never been one to anger very quickly. She always treated her elders with respect, even if they were undeserving of it. Many would consider it kissing up, but she had simply learned at a very young age to always know her place. Even so, she was constantly regarded with suspicion and distrust. It was as if possessing a little more maturity than the other kits and young apprentices her age was so uncommon for these clan cats that she was singled out for it! Of course, she didn't mind being something of a pariah in the clan. In time, these cats would come to trust her. Or be dealt with before they had good reason not to. But one couldn't rush these things.

Patience, after all, was a virtue.

--

Silvershadow stared down at her paws, absentmindedly shuffling at the ground. Every once in a while, she glanced up at where Shadowstar stood speaking to Hawkkit, her eyes darting back to the ground before he had the opportunity to catch her watching and shoot her a disappointed look. Anyone looking her way might think she had some kind of nervous tick from the way her gaze continuously darted up, down, up, down, up...

"Gah! Shadowstar!"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she glanced up a final time to see the charcoal tom sitting in front of her, staring directly at her. She stared back at him with wide eyes, taken aback by his sudden appearance. A few awkward moments of silence passed between them, in which Silvershadow fought to compose her thoughts. In the time that it had taken for him to finish speaking with Hawkkit and make his way over to Silvershadow, all of her earlier confidence had all but disappeared. Now, she feared to open her mouth, for she knew that she would only stumble over her words in an attempt to find some excuse, rattling off anything that came to mind. She'd make an outright fool of herself! Feeling somewhat cornered, she let out a breath, looked him in the eyes, and opened her mouth to make some audacious statement that would surely earn her double patrol duty...only to be interrupted by Blizzardpaw as he approached and demanded to be taken out for training. Almost immediately, she turned her attention to him, disregarding Shadowstar completely.

"Of course! Sorry that I wasn't around to take you out earlier. We'll leave right away." She flashed Shadowstar a sweet, almost knowing grin. There was a bit of a challenge in her eyes as she spoke again. "I'm sorry, Shadowstar, did you need something? No, I suppose not. Well, it looks like I have an apprentice to attend to. Don't worry, I'll be back in time enough to organize evening patrols. Come on, Blizzardpaw." And with that, she was gone, gesturing for Blizzardpaw to follow.

{ i might take one, if no one ends up swiping him~ it might be pretty hard rping four cats, though, so i'll leave my choice up for grabs until i'm sure there's no one else who wants him x3 }

Silvershadow let out the breath that she had been holding as she slipped out into the forest; once again, she had managed to avoid confrontation, with the added benefit of getting to spend some time showing off battle techniques. Content with the outcome of things, she glanced momentarily at the young apprentice as they walked, grinning slightly at his words.

"I'm an awful influence, aren't I?" She stuck out her chest, lifting her nose high up into the air. "Blizzardpaw, if there's one thing you learn from me," she began, taking on the mocking tone of some wise, learned sage. "I want it to be that you should always own up to your mistakes and remember to always take your responsibilities seriously." She paused, her expression thoughtful. "Actually, I...I suppose that makes two things. Very well then, two things!" She declared with a self-satisfied nod. Despite her amused tone, a hint of guilt managed to creep into her voice. She had neglected her duties not one today, but twice--and here she was making light of it. In front of her apprentice, no less. She pushed the thought away, trying to ignore the nagging feeling of guilt that continued to claw at her stomach.

"I say we go find some real cats to practice battle techniques on," she mused, catching wind of the other cats out training in the forest. "Do you think Sootskies and Sandpaw would mind if we paid them a nice little surprise visit? They wouldn't even hear us coming. Whadya say, Blizzard...paw?" She trailed off, her earlier excitement fading away to make place for concern as she glanced down at the apprentice, who gazed forlornly at the ground. All earlier traces of anger were gone. He simply looked...dejected. Silvershadow watched him in silence for a few moments, considering how best to console him. Since his naming ceremony, Silvershadow had picked up on his volatile disposition; his mood seemed to change with the direction of the wind. It was a wonder that she'd managed to get along with the temperamental young apprentice so well. Silvershadow had never been great with kits or apprentices. She herself was still very young for a warrior, and she tended to lose her patience with them fairly quickly. But when it came to Blizzardpaw, she tried to be a little more understanding of him than the others, if only for the mere fact that he was her apprentice. Apart from the bond that they shared as mentor and apprentice, however, she also couldn't deny the fact that she felt a strange familiarity to him. With his fiery ambition and double-sided nature, being at one moment quick-tempered and full of vexation, and amiable at another, she was constantly reminded of a young Shadowstar when she was in his presence. And though she wasn't sure of the extent of his troubles, she didn't want to see the young cat go through the same inner turmoil that her old friend once had.

"Hey, don't let that mouse-brain ruffle your fur. I know that it would be easy to make an enemy of him, but I wouldn't try to hold anything against him. He's always been a difficult cat. If snapping at him makes you feel better, then do it. He probably deserves it," she murmured. He was quite obviously upset, and given the sharp look he'd sent Shadowstar's way before they left, she could only assume that he was the source of Blizzardpaw's foul mood. She wasn't quite sure yet what Shadowstar had done, but she didn't doubt that he'd done something to get under Blizzardpaw's fur, and she didn't want him to believe that he was at fault for whatever had happened, given that Shadowstar could probably blame a cat for a bout of bad weather.

"Anyway, you should focus on your training. Not trying to please some grouchy old tom." She flicked the tip of her tail across his ears, running on ahead of him. "One day, it might just be you curling up in the leader's den. And Shadowstar's opinion won't matter then. But we have to prioritize with these things--first, your training. Then, we can start planning for your trip to the moonpool."
After a few moments, she paused, glancing back over her shoulder at him. A hint of mischief glinted in her eyes as she watched him, the hints of a smile creeping onto her face.

"Besides...I'm the one you should be trying to impress."

Flashing him a wicked grin, she raced on ahead, calling back to him as she went. "Now, come on. How are you ever gonna become the best warrior in all of Emberclan if you can't even keep up with an old bag like me?"