Posts by addercry

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]//it's real long im so sorry

Clan cats' names are given to their owner for a reason. Whether it be personality, size, coat color, etc. there's a specific trait or two that deems the named worthy. Thus it would befall to a cat with the prefix adder to be like the snake. And like the reptile this youth was.

Back when he was first born, the tom was deemed Adderkit due to his van markings. He was white as a cloud aside from his tail and on his head which were striking tabby markings, reddish brown in color. Due to this, he was given the name of Adder for his tabby tail that looked much like one. It would happen that he also developed the fiery personality of his namesake. His parents, Gingerfrost and Swiftleg, were poorly unprepared for this.

It started when he could first walk. Like all kits, he would venture from the nursery against his mother's wishes. Adderkit and his siblings would run amok throughout the territory. While his brother and sister were mainly excited to meet all the clan members they could before being brought back to their loving mother, Adderkit held more interest in the world. His curiosity lied in which nooks he could fit his small frame into and how close he could stalk to the birds in camp before they fluttered off in a flurry of feathers and twitterings. When hiding, he would stay quiet until someone passed. At the point a victim passed by his hiding crook, the small kit would launch an attack. Due to his nature he was often returned to a scolding.

"Adderkit you can't hide in places you aren't familiar with!" or "You can't bite other cats' legs!" or "Why can't you be more behaved?" and related statements are how he was greeted on his capture and return.

It goes to say that by the time he was old enough to not be bound to the nursery both parents were relieved. While his father had been away hunting, Gingerfrost had been confined to look after and feed the kits. By the time he was six moons it was safe to say that the she-cat was at her wit's end when it came to her rowdiest son.

Adderkit became Adderpaw and he was assigned to a mentor. Unfortunately, the young tom wasn't quite past his kithood. It seemed he wasn't quite ready to be an apprentice; he never focused on lessons and when he did he quickly lost interest. Though if there were one thing that really lit his fire it was compliments. Not just any ordinary praise, no. It wasn't the "good job" of his mentor nor the "you make me so proud" of his mother nor even the "great goin', buddy" of his father. The support of his siblings is what really revved him up. A few times the three would train together. Adderpaw was the first to start slowing down - boredom was worse an enemy than an outsider to the tabby van. Yet when Lilypaw flashed him a smile or Brindlepaw gave him a loud congratulations on learning a move, he felt himself invigorated with newly found energy. And so his two siblings became what kept him grounded to lessons. Without them he would have been behind severely.

With skill came confidence. With confidence came cockiness. It didn't take long for Adderpaw to learn that away from adult he was free to do as he pleased. Slowly the ways he acted began to change. At first it was a small shift in the way he held himself. Next it was gossiping among the other newer apprentices. Then came the foul talking to his siblings. The changes started to get dangerous even. Eventually his need to wander turned reckless. It wasn't rare to catch him sneaking out or leading other apprentices to a bug that would snap at them. (Once he'd led Lilypaw to an ant hill where she was thoroughly bitten. That little trick got him restricted from leaving his mother's sight for a solid half moon.)

Adders are venomous, and so was Adderpaw in a way. While he didn't have a gland that injected toxins through a bite, he did have a tongue that could be just as painful. He grew to have quite the nasty mouth. Some apprentices cursed lightly when they twisted a paw or landed wrong, shouted a word to get out a bout or frustration. For Adder, that wasn't the case. Curses implemented themselves into his daily speech, to the point where one couldn't talk to him without hearing a couple. Insults became common too. The boy became malicious at some point or another. He'd tease, poke fun, gibe, and anything in between. Consequently, not many were willing to put up with him. The large majority avoiding him didn't include his siblings though. They were always there for him. Even when he treated them worse than anyone.

It was their loyalty that killed them. The unconditional love they gave Adderpaw, everything they let him get away with. "He was the youngest. The two should have corrected him," some claimed. Others blamed it on his parents for being so lax. In truth, the blame was his. A fine line rests between fun and going to far. He'd never crossed it, just tested boundaries. But when he finally did step over that metaphorical line, it didn't end well.

Nothing is more tantalizing to a wild juvenile than things they shouldn't do. One thing the kits were always told was never to go to Snakerocks. "It's a pile of rocks," the olders clan members would say, "where snakes like to bask in the sun. Dogs can show up too." Of course the forbidden fruit of a place was like candy they couldn't have. And sadly Adderpaw was the kind of kit who would convince others to help him get it. Lilypaw and Brindlepaw took lots of convincing. Nearly six sunrises passed before Lily gave in, ever willing to please. It took less than a day to get Brindle to cave after her. So they snuck out.

"Since they bask in the sun, they'll be gone at night," was Adderpaw's hypothesis. He stood firm in the belief, not swaying on the unsound logic. Neither of the siblings could see a flaw either, assuming he was correct. As the trio neared the area, they saw neither snakes nor the dogs they'd once been warned of. Safety seemed promised in the calm dark. Once the rocks came into sight, Adderpaw felt his stomach twist with nervous doubts. They ate at him but he refused to back down. It had been his idea after all. The goal was to go up and touch the formation of messily stacked rocks. Any touch was fine be it by a paw, tail, or nose. As long as some body part contacted the rocks it was counted as success.

At first it was quiet, the three youngsters nearing the clearing with no trouble. Despite being the one to suggest it, Adderpaw ended up going last thanks to the youngest sibling card he played when they were decided who led. Brindlepaw ended up going first, followed by Lilypaw. Adder would go after both of them. Nobody wanted to touch the same area and appear cowardly, so they fanned out with roughly a fox-length between each. Hushed steps rustled through the grass as the three advanced, cautiously at first. The closer they got, the more excited they became. Brindlepaw picked up his pace to a trot. He was the first to reach the rocks. His paw thumped against the stone victoriously. Lily's did the same not too far from him. The third of the group was about to do the same when a cry sliced through the silence.

Brindlepaw had gotten nosy. There was a space in the rocks near him, dark and mysterious. Tucked in the shadows, there seemed to be a figure, still as the crumbled mountain it called its home. Leaning to look closer, the tom didn't have time to react when a hiss reached his ears. He moved, but too late. Long fangs had already dug their way into his cheek. Nausea overwhelmed him at the two pinpricks. Apprentices just shy of seven moons were still small. An adder's bite was enough to kill a grown warrior.

The first to react was Lilypaw. Ever the caring and worrisome one, she abandoned her post where she'd touch the rocks. She didn't run home though. Didn't run off to where she should have gone, to where she should have been still. Her dainty paws moved fast as light to their toppling brother whose name she screamed out. Maybe if she'd been quieter, maybe if she hadn't been running so fast, maybe then the snake wouldn't have bitten her too. The skin of the underbelly is delicate, softer than the rest. It didn't take much for the reptile to rear and strike the vulnerable area. A yell of surprise and pain escaped her form as her legs caught on each other and she collapsed.

Adderpaw never did touch the Snakerocks.

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As much as he wished he could say it, the death of Lilypaw and Brindlepaw hadn't changed him for the better at all. In fact, when he returned that night he claimed he'd seen them leave and followed after. "I'd been talking about Snakerocks earlier and they must have gotten brave," was the lie his boldly told his mother and father when he returned. The news wasn't taken well. His mother was distraught, getting to the point where she left the clan after Swiftleg didn't return from a patrol days later. He had gone too was the general conclusion. No body was found and no scents of trespassers were detected.

Just over nine moons, Adderpaw is over the death of his siblings. As much as he can be anyway. He hides behind bad attitude and a fiery temper. The narcissism is a front, but it's enough to drive most anyone he doesn't want to be around away. He has few friends and he knows it's his fault but blames it on anyone else. Clanmates think his callousness is because of an upbringing where he was rarely ever properly punished or the traumatic passing of his kin. Adderpaw knows they're wrong though. He'd always have ended up like this. Truth was found in the fact that witnessing the death caused him to shut himself away, but the rudeness was not his sibling's fault. They'd done nothing wrong. Aside from perhaps believing too much in a lost cause.

They never should have trusted a snake.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]the sounds of fighting drifted to the tom's splotched ears. his head swiveled with piqued interest. strong, alabaster legs lifted his lean body from its resting space on the ground. trained paws carried him over the ground in near silence, form low to the ground and shoulders hunched. reaching the scene, adder's olive eyes focused on the clashing felines. his rust striped tail puffed and bristled with aggression as the scent of shadowclan swelled around his nose and mouth. slit pupils focused on the white she battling silverpaw. claws unsheathing, he would attempt to leap in a way that would allow him to knock over the she-cat. if that succeeded, adderpaw would then aim a swipe towards towards her face.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]adderpaw caught a flitting look of worry in the shadowclan apprentice. how naive she must have been to think they could cross into thunderclan territory and not be bombarded. his ears twitched to the other tom in an acknowledgement of his presence. nothing more though, for as far as he was concerned silverpaw was no longer apart of this fight. the van's brief lapse into thought left his guard down for just a millisecond too long. by the time he realized that snowpaw was striking it was too late to evade. sharp razors sliced through his cheek, warm blood trickling from the new wounds.

the red liquid trickling in a stream over the white fur of his face sparked the fight in him. eyes narrowed to thin slits, adderpaw hissed at the other with anger. Lunging at her, he would swing at her legs in an attempt to knock her off balance. if she fell, he would then leap on her in a pin and try to bite down on her throat. while his explosive temper loaned him strength, it also made his movements less precise.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]sun shone against a white pelt, reflecting off as if it were snow. rust colored ears splayed lazily in a show of relaxation as a similar tail swayed across the ground like a graceful snake. disinterested olive eyes scanned the vicinity of the camp, jumping to the fresh kill pile frequently in a silent plea for their owner to grab a bite. in spite of that, the van mix made no move to the towered clutter of kills. in fact, adderpaw was considering moving further away.

his restless fidgets grew more so as the time continue to crawl by slow as a snail. adder's nose crinkled in an irate huff, tail lashing to and fro faster and with less rhythm. the tom's paws splayed with weight as he stood. he needed to find something to do or he was going to lose his mind. as his exotic green orbs danced over to the fresh kill pile once more he mused over the option of going hunting. it would sate his craving while giving him something to do. maybe, was the thought he decided on.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]adderpaw felt a pool of pride in himself at successfully pinning snowpaw down. it ebbed slightly at missing his designated target, but the cry that ripped from the she-cat let him know that this was effective to. his plan had been to bite harder, really give her something to remember next time she came to a border. a move on her part had been unexpected though and he found himself instinctively releasing her shoulder to escape the flurry of kicks she delivered. snow was small but she could definitely deliver a hit when she wanted.

adder shook off whatever pain he was feeling and let our a vigorous growl. the noise was accompanied by him rushing at her once more. this time he was attacking with a different plan in mind. adderpaw would charge towards her, using his bigger frame and gained momentum to attempt to flip her over with a well-place bump close to her underside. if he got her on her back, adder would then attempt to rake his claws down her stomach multiple times.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]the voice of his fellow apprentice drew adderpaw's attention. his gaze locked with the vibrant green of bearpaw. he scanned the tom over, ear to tail, as if inspecting a piece of food. after a moment passed he gaze a nod. "sure. who else is comin'?" the way the brown tom was searching clued him in that he wanted someone else to tag along. adder didn't much care who it was as long as they could hunt and stay quiet.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]theres a moment where adderpaw suddenly noticed how young this apprentice was. momentarily he wondered if he should be attacking her at all. that was before, once again, her paws lashed out in repeated kicks. somehow he was caught off guard by this for a second time and that caused something sour to boil in him. staggering back in shock, he looked back to the cloud colored she only to feel a hit against his legs. while only one gave out, the move had him stunned and he fell to the ground with a thud. adder recovered quickly this time and aimed a blind swipe up towards her.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]the livid feeling in adderpaw drained as the two shadowclanners retreated. he watched them run off with half a mind to follow them. dapplebreeze must have had the same idea because she pursued. his haunches droped in a lazy stance, deciding not to follow. the adrenaline roaring through his veins slowed with the thrill of battle dulling. an ear flicked as his eyes surveyed the trees in a dare for the two she-cats to come back. they didn't. the apprentice humphed and finally eased his body into a sit.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]at the she-cats claim, adder's olive drab visionaries bounced to the white apprentice. he identified her as whitepaw. both of these cats were next to strangers to him; neither were who he'd interacted with all to much before. in fact adder didn't have too many friends in the clan. maybe this hunting trip could be a time to change that. or it could just end up being an annoying waste of his time. then again, life wouldn't be fun without taking a few chances. who knew? this outing could actually be entertaining.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]the other two left before adderpaw. he followed, positioning himself at the back of the group but not lagging behind too far. colored audits perked at she-cat's words. so it was whitepaw. at least he knew the names of his clanmates. "he didn't say it," the apprentice commented in a mumble.

despite his isolated demeanor, he was actually looking forward to getting out of the camp. hunting was a bonus. having some time away from the many cats of the clan would do him good. if he got some food during the break, well that was a bonus.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]one of adderpaw's whiskered brows raised in amusement at the other tom's odd recovery of introductions. he stayed quiet, not adding his name to the pot. if they didn't know who he was then it wasn't his problem. names weren't needed for hunting anyhow.

the scent of squirrel drifted to his sensors, nose twitching at it. the flick of bearpaw's ear ahead of him alerted that he, too, smelled the rodent. dropping smoothly into a crouch, adder slunk across the forest ground carefully. his steps avoided any noisy obstacles such as rocks and leaves as his orange and white body drifted leisurely towards the scent. he wouldn't make an attempt to catch it, as bearpaw had invited him along and he saw that as reason for the brown tom to make the first catch.

[justify][font=trebuchet ms]hunting. that's what he was doing. it was a perfect excuse for why adderpaw was currently halfway across the dark terrain of the thunderpath. a outing to get away from camp turned into an unscheduled hunting trip. unfortunately the last bird in his grasp managed to flutter from him. luck would have it that he'd injured the thrush's wing as it wasn't taking to the air. the crippled bird was a tornado of feathers as it scurried to the across the border to shadowclan

he wished he could say that he'd thought twice about crossing the path to the neighboring clan's territory. adder wasn't a liar though. in truth, the tom simply looked both ways and rushed across with his body pressed low to the ground. the prey was almost to the shoulder of the thunderpath, almost to its goal. it didn't make it there before adderpaw's claws found it again. a harsh bite to its cranial area ensured its captivity, the body going limp. a distant noise of rumbling reminded him of his position on the thunderpath. looking over his shoulder, the van deemed the run back too dangerous. he decided to wait on shadowclan's side just until the rumbling was gone or the monster passed. its not like it was patrol time. nobody'd find him. one by one his colorless paws stepped from the black pathway onto the natural ground of the forest. gingerly the apprentice's body entered a sit, the thrush dropping to his forepaws as he awaited the time for his crossing.