he just kept staring.. [weekly task, checking on the elders]

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It was a common task for an apprentice such as himself, yet the tom only recalled helping out the elders one other time. The blue abyssinian just barely contained the sigh in his throat, green eyes relaying boredom and an unenthusiastic glare. Perhaps the worst part of this task was the fact that he would have to ask the elders what they wanted– after all, he couldn't just stand in the entrance of their den and make them leap out of their pelts. Although... that thought was quite amusing... What if one had a heart attack?

A malicious, cold smile formed on the tom's peach maw. No, he wouldn't go through with it despite the sudden desire he had to scare the old warriors to StarClan and back, but he would definitely think about it for a later time. For now, the ashen apprentice would slink into the yawning mouth of the elders' den and peek around.

A few npcs rested inside, lazing about, while there was one currently telling a story to those who were willing to lend an ear. Swell. Just swell.

"Th' creepy one's here." He heard one of the older females mumble to their denmate, yet he would step in with an internal sigh. Silentpaw wasn't looking forward to the things they would say about him as he parted his jaws to speak. How could he minimize what he has to ask of them? At least two of the elders now had their eyes set on his smaller form, waiting for something to happen. "... Who needs... a nest change?" His voice was low, quiet– a few ears perked in surprise that he had talked at all, and his expression only darkened a bit to the trained eye. If there was one thing he would like to get away with, it was speaking. To the young tom, it was unnecessary: they could easily perceive emotion through the way one's body moved, so why were they required to speak? It made his throat ache every time, though likely from him not using it as a kit.

An older tom bowed his head, grunting as he stood and scooted over to the elderly npc she-cat. And so it began, with the blue abyssinian mix rolling old, gross nests and leaving the den in order to dump them. Quite a few moments later he would return, compiling makeshift nests of moss and feathers– whatever he could scrounge up, really. He felt dirty when handling others' things, but he knew there was more to be done.

"Ticks...?" Olive eyes scanned over the forms of the ancient warriors, watching as they checked one another. StarClan blessed him with that, at least, as a newer elder shook his head. "Okay... then... Pain?" An old molly raised her tail in silent confirmation, and the lean tom moved over to listen to her complaints.

This back and forth of miniscule tasks would continue, and at the end of it, his throat felt like it had been clawed out. A raspy huff left the apprentice as he flopped down into a tired heap of long limbs, one of the npcs giving a chuckle. "We exhausted the poor boy. Why don't I tell you the story of when—"

Nope. No. Definitely not. Silentpaw forced himself back to his paws, quick to turn and canter out of the den with a tired heave of breath. Any other time he would have tolerated a good story, but elders had a tendency to talk for far too long and he wasn't looking to get chewed out for falling asleep on some old cats while they talked about the times they were young and pretty.

Unfortunately, the tired apprentice stumbling out of the den at such a fast rate of speed would end with him clashing into someone's flank with a groan.

(( Feel free to input one of your characters as the cat he bumped into! I had to do the weekly task, but it also ended up as half an interaction thread :eyes: ))

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He certainly hadn't calculated what to do in the instance that someone would be basking in the sunny spot just off of the elder's hollowed log, and now it seemed he would pay for that mistake as large paws swatted at his head and earned a low growl. This sound only silenced once his dark eyes opened to the sight of the small, bristling she-kit, to which he would force back his overwhelming temper for the sake of not getting into a skirmish with a kitten. Another swipe to his head, and the tom pushed himself into an upright seated position. She couldn't have much longer in the nursery; with such a heavy hit and somewhat broad form, he'd almost guess she was about to earn her –paw any day now. StarClan save the poor soul who mentored this one: she was just about as fiery as an adder when you move too fast around it. Though, to be fair, he had poked the sleeping bear.

The tom quirked a metaphorical brow at the tortoiseshell kit, as if he didn't quite realize what he had done. "Watch... where you sleep." Silentpaw huffed, the phantom undertones of amusement barely reaching his gritty words. His throat ached horribly, and he debated going to get some honey to soothe it, but for now he would try to deal with this situation so he didn't have a spikey she-cat on his tail throughout apprenticeship.

Despite his words, he would extend a paw and aim to tousle the fur on the top of her head. Normally he wasn't fond of interacting with others in such a way, especially those he didn't know all that well, but it was the only thing he could come up with in order to release some pent up anger and exhaustion.

_「

The familiar scent of his brother had quickly caught his attention long before the youthful voice hummed from the rust-hued tom's jaws. Silentpaw could always appreciate his closest sibling: every time he felt anger burning under his short pelt, Ruddypaw was there to ease his nerves with a lighthearted joke and toothy grin. Normally he found playful attitudes to be unpleasant, but his family would always hold a special place in his heart.

Any dark tone to his olive eyes seemed to have swept away as the apprentice nudged his head against his ashen shoulder. Without a moment's hesitation, Silentpaw would take a seat beside his brother and affectionately lean into the red-ticked flank of the tom, savoring the moment he and his slightly smaller brother were at peace and the clan didn't have to worry about anything. He almost let a smile creep onto his maw, but he managed to uphold his stoic façade.

Another tom approached– a warrior, this time– and it took Silent a moment to process this as being his brother's mentor. He gave a nod of greeting towards Juniperthorn. When the older male commented on not taking the interaction with the she-kit seriously, his only response was an audible huff; whether or not it was out of amusement or something else was hard to pinpoint, but he seemed to be in a good mood for the time being. Maplekit wouldn't be getting any surprises any time soon, at least– except maybe a few more jumpscares seeing as how this time had been unintentional and it still managed to jar her so much.

_「

Perhaps if Maple was another apprentice he would have wrestled her a little after getting his head smacked around, but seeing as how she was still a kit (albeit, one moon younger than himself) he chose to just let the satisfaction of spooking her sink in. Fear was something he found to be very amusing to play with: some would run away and avoid him if they ever caught his gaze from between looming trees, and others, like Maplekit, would lash out first and foremost. Very few actually took a moment to assess the situation, but those cats often would be wasting precious seconds that could very well save their life one day. A low hum sounded in his throat, clearly pleased with himself even though no smile formed on his sandy maw. She would be a fun one to play with, for sure.

There was a quiet, intrigued challenge in his olive hues as he looked Maplekit over. She was doing her best to compose herself in a way that made her look in control, it seemed, but he could still see the fur on her spine bristling– was it from rage? Perhaps she was still shocked. Whatever the case, he was still in a pleasant yet tired mood; Silentpaw would huff with amusement, curling his tail close to his brother's haunches as if making sure the reddish tom didn't leave his side. The blue tom wanted to freak her out some more so badly, but he would have to wait until she was completely distracted.