i'd be lying / double intro

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    ( please wait for wolftooth. ! )


    [ TAGS ] - Duskcloud had fallen into a routine since his warrior ceremony. It was difficult to believe that this many seasons had passed. He had seen eight cycles of the moon since then; everything and nothing had changed since then. He still sneaks quiet glances up to a broad shoulder and overgrown teeth, still treads lightly through the underbrush and tackles his brother as if they were still kits. Still, he was older, and knew more today than yesterday. That doesn't stop him from acting the part of Wolftooth's old apprentice, overeager and excited to be alive. The feline's pace slows minutely, trailing behind the older warrior to bat at twigs and leaves with a silent precision. Practice made perfect, after all, and Duskcloud has had plenty of practice goofing off in ways that most of his clanmates would never notice.


    Most of them.


    "You missed the leaf on the left," Wolftooth tells him, and Dusk makes a point of turning to pounce on it, crinkling it loudly underneath soft paws before darting back to his place at his side. For a heartbeat or two (which might be a record), he keeps his eyes on the path in front of them, but as they get closer to camp a certain reckless bravery seeps through his skin. Duskcloud turns his head slightly to look up at him, tracing the line of his jaw just barely hidden by thick fur down to his broad shoulders.


    This time, the snap of a twig is totally accidental. The most undignified hissing sound shoots out of his mouth, back arching and silvery coat puffing out instinctively as his mind scrambles to register the parts of this world that don't revolve around his patrol partner's dignified appearance and graceful stride. It was a stick. Just a dry twig that he hadn't managed to avoid, but that stick and his hiss sent off a chain reaction of a few mice and birds fleeing. They were't technically here to hunt, but — well, embarrassment burns hot anyway. Duskcloud squeezes his eyes shut, berating himself for his distraction with harsh swats of his tail from side to side. What a stupid mistake to make in front of the person who had helped teach him to walk with grace. His tongue tangles with the word mousebrain, but he manages to stutter out a harsh, desperate, "Sorry!" instead.

    It did not feel so long ago that Duskcloud was Duskpaw. Much of the apprentice he'd known then remained strong in the young tom he was today, and he always thought it was more of a reflection on Duskcloud than Wolftooth that he kept his stout heart and energetic step. He had met a few who thought certain personality traits were best left behind with their kit suffix, but he doubted any would have succeeded in that with Duskcloud, had they been his mentor instead of Wolftooth. Unless- well, that was a somber thought.


    It was possible Duskcloud could have developed a similar admiration for them. Wolftooth was very careful never to broach the topic, partly because it seemed his former apprentice might remain unaware, and partly because he was hoping he might...grow out of it. Another mentor may have been less kind. His own certainly would have, seeing it as an opportunity for manipulation. Disappointment could be a powerful punishment.


    And it was not that Wolftooth was easy to please. He was difficult to disappoint only because disappointment was a failure on his own part; it was his responsibility to make clear to any apprentice what standards they were to fulfill.


    When all was said and done, he was glad Duskcloud had been his to train. Even in moments like this, when his youthfulness led him astray, just as it did when an apology was as quick on his tongue as the snapping of a twig. He turned partially to face the chagrined warrior, face not unkind. A trace of mirth warmed the edges, watching the raised parts of his fur flatten slowly. "Weren't we hunting leaves, anyway?" He asked, eyes smiling.

    Unlike the duo, Lynxflight was here to hunt. It was her regular schedule, for the senior warrior, three times a day on a solo patrol using the sun to time her outgoings and returns. She could not work without an orderly schedule set in place, otherwise. There were plenty of responsibilities and duties to tend to during the day - they had to fit in a particular time slot in order to be completed. The fawn huntress prowled through the undergrowth on silent paws, serpentine body slithering and twisting to navigate through the roots that scattered themselves across the forest terrain, whiskers twitching with each step forth to measure the width of her path ahead.


    It was until her triangular auricles managed to pick up on the conversation between the duo that she diverted her attention away from the hunt, emeralds as eyes narrowing into slits out of sheer curiosity. Naturally, she was overwhelmed with interest to investigate. Emerging from the ferns, Lynxflight allowed a light-hearted smile to bless wheat-hued facial features. "What are you two doing here?"

    The tread of steps he heard and felt alerted Wolftooth to her arrival a few moments before she fully appeared, which gave time for his expression to smooth itself into composed neutrality, lacking the open humor with Duskcloud. It remained warm, though more subtly. It was nothing personal- merely his chosen course of association with those he did not know quite as well. Lynxflight was deserving of respect still, not only for her position but for being a clanmate, and so Wolftooth inclined his head her way. He glanced momentarily at Duskcloud, dark eyes indecipherable.


    "We were just checking the borders," he answered easily and evenly, "but we were going to train shortly, if you wanted to join us." It wouldn't be a one-on-one session, but it could prove a learning experience for Duskcloud to handle several opponents. If she was amenable to participating, of course.

    [ TAGS ] - / tysm! don't worry about proper responses though we welcome anything <3


    He had tried to be what other people wanted him to be, once or twice. His brother was the sort that everyone could admire, strong and sturdy and almost obedient. Everything that Dusk wasn't once he got comfortable with someone in any way more personal than sharing a home. Like his former mentor, Duskcloud could be a little...selective when it came to friendship. Part of it was that he found himself constantly in search of very particularly company, and part of it was that people were, just perhaps, a little put off by the same traits that Wolftooth found faintly amusing. Or maybe they can all just see him look at the older warrior like he put the stars in the sky and didn't want any of that nonsense.


    Even after his fumble, he found himself back to staring in just a short moment, responding to the subtle smile with a giddy one of his own as he settles down, fur flattening and eyes going soft, heartbeat slowing. It's only Lynxflight's presence that startles him out of it, turning to glance back at the senior warrior with a strange amount of guilt, as if she'd caught him stealing something from the medicine den or shirking his duties. "We were —" he rushes out, but Wolftooth beats him to the rest of the sentence and he doesn't mind in the slightest.


    Training, though. He swallows down a dozen convoluted feelings that tangle like yarn. "I'm not your apprentice anymore, you know." It's not like he really minds. The chance to show off is a bit too promising to pass up anyway. "I bet I could beat you both."


    Probably not.

    Checking the borders. That was smart, considering their current situation with BloodClan. There could be no repercussions from their victory, no more injuries, but retaliation was expected and as such the clan had to be prepared. In a way, Lynxflight almost hoped that BloodClan would come back for more, just so SkyClan could get their second victory and she could get her own slice of the cake, having missed out on the previous battle due to her disappearance. She was nowhere near a bloodthirsty cat, but she wished to teach those vile rogues a lesson. "Good idea" the fawn molly mused, emeralds as eyes glancing back and forth between the duo. They appeared close. How so?


    It was not until Duskcloud mentioned his past of being the other's apprentice that Lynxflight figured out where their relationship came from. It was always nice to see a friendship between mentor and apprentice, something she had managed to form with Cloudedpaw. It was a different sort of bond, albeit an important one. A smile of amusement crossed her facial features at Duskcloud's challenge. "In that case, yes, I would like to join you two"