Posts by oatpaw

The apprentice's den was quiet and warm, if a bit stuffy, since it was so crowded, but Oatpaw didn't mind much. it was comforting to be surrounded by clanmates. The golden brown tom was curled up on the edge of the big cluster of cats, his breathing slow and deep as the faintest hint of morning sun began to seep through the walls of the den. with a huff of protest, Oatpaw pushed his face deeper into his paws for a few moments, but ultimately decided it was time to start the day.

Leaf-bare was never good to anyone, but it was especially rough on the curly-furred tom because of his bad leg. It tended to ache in colder weather, and it could get quite painful at times, but he would never admit it. He didn't want anyone worrying about him too much, and he certainly didn't want any special treatment. No, of anyone asked, he would just tell them that he was fine, grit his teeth, and push through.

Oatpaw stood up slowly, doing his best not to step on anyone as he crept along the edge of the den, back leg limping behind him. He thought he felt it bump into something, and, not sure if it was a clanmate or not, whispered an apology just in case.

He stepped out into camp, the weak leaf-bare sun hardly warming his fur, but hey, at least it was something. He began to stretch out and groom his tangled fur, a contented purr rising from his throat.

Oatpaw had deflated a bit when Wolfpaw spat at him, the word feeling like a blow to the gut. He really tried to not be a burden on the clan, and though he worked hard, he still had his doubts about his usefulness. Hearing someone announce his incompetence out loud was certainly demoralizing.

However, the golden brown tom did his best to brush it off. He simply smiled at Wolfpaw and curled his tail around his paws. "It's fine!" he said cheerily. "Just tired, I'm sure."

Oatpaw was an early riser, unlike most apprentices, so it was a surprise to see so many up and awake at this hour. He limped out of the apprentices' den, shortly after Brackenpaw, his curly fur sticking up in all sorts of places.

"Good morning!" he greeted, giving a friendly wave of his tail. The handicapped tom arrived just in time to hear Lobeliapaw's idea. Now, Oatpaw was all for creative thinking, but he was fairly certain that apprentices couldn't go out without a warrior, or at least without letting someone know that they were going to be gone.

"I'm not sure if we're allowed to do that," he said quietly. "Uh, besides, didn't you just become an apprentice?"

hey guys
i'm bringing this gay baby here
umm if anyone wants to plot with him hmu!!

Oatpaw lifted his head as a bitter, unfamiliar scent travelled into camp, accompanied by the familiar scent of his den mate. Green eyes narrowed with confusion, the tom's gaze darted over to the camp entrance to see what all the fuss was about.

"Starclan!" he yelped, springing to his feet as fast as he could; he stumbled a bit as his bad leg pulled him to one side. He quickly staggered over to Whitepaw, ready to help. He wasn't quite sure how, but he wanted to whatever he could. "Are-are there more?"

Oatpaw had been stretching in his nest; he had enough room, as most of the apprentice's were already out and about, so there was only a handful left in the apprentices' den. Oatpaw would normally be awake and going by now, but he had been up quite early the past few days and it was catching up to him.

Just as he began to leave the den, he nearly crashed into Thornstar, who was calling for him. He reeled back just before they collided, a cheerful grin plastered on his face. "Sorry about that!" he chirped. "Yeah, Im fine. Why d'ya ask?"

Oatpaw didn't really want to go out and hunt today. It was cold, so his leg hurt more than usual, there was hardly any prey about, and there were snakes on the loose. Not the ideal conditions for anyone, really, but especially him.

Oatpaw hadn't really received much formal training. He had been stuck in the nursery for an extra two moons on account of his bad leg, and so he was only two months into his training. He hadn't been assigned a mentor, so there was that. He had been shown crouches and such, but nothing more. And he definitely couldn't climb.

So when Pinefang searched up above for him, he pushed his way through some bushes, snow falling on his head. "Right here," he said quietly. At the warrior's question, he felt his ears burn despite the cold. "Uh, not yet! But I bet I will soon."

Oatpaw may be optimistic, but he wasn't oblivious. By now, he could tell when someone was sympathizing for him; little nuances like side glances, nervous tail-twitching, those sorts of things. They may be subtle but he had learned to pick them up. He knew that Pinefang was going to ask about his leg, but she stopped short. He was grateful for her concern, but doubly so for deciding not to say anything.

"I'm pretty sure we have Sunningrocks right now." Oatpaw mused, shaking the snow out of his fur. "Maybe we could try there." Besides, Sunningrocks had a lot less leaves thay would rustle when his leg brushed up against them.

Oatpaw nodded. Right, just in case. He stayed silent as he sifted through his brain, trying to think of good hunting spots. In all honesty, he wasn't the best hunter, so he couldn't really be the judge of where would be best.

/mobile

"Hi Tanglefoot!" Oatpaw greeted the warrior with enthusiasm, his green eyes bright. Despite it being so cold as of late, he did his best to stay positive. What was the use of being a downer?

The curly furred tom padded lopsidedly over, head cocked with curiosity. "What're you doing?"

"Hi!" Oatpaw greeted the two apprentices with a cheery wave of his tail, his green eyes bright. It was good to see Whitepaw was getting better. He couldn't imagine how much it would suck to be able to use a leg and then not be able to. He only had to deal with never being able to use it, so it wasn't something he really missed. You couldn't lose what you never had.

"Hey, Whitepaw, is your leg feeling better? If it falls off or something I can teach you to walk without one." he joked with a grin.

Oatpaw nodded at Whitepaw's comment about their legs. "Yep! I mean, you'll be fine soon, I'm sure, but for now we can be bad-leg buddies." he giggled. Having a useless leg was probably something that made others uncomfortable when he jokes about it, but the way he saw it, it was fine as long as it was him doing the jokes. When anyone else making fun of it, all it did was make Oatpaw hate them and himself.

"Okay" Oatpaw chirped, loping after Pinefang. He didn't quite know the territory well enough to lead the way. After walking for a few moments, he hesitantly opened his mouth. "Hey Pinefang? Can I ask you something?" he inquired, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Oatpaw licked the curly hair on his chest a bit nervously. He wasn't quite sure how to go about this. "Um, its just that I feel like..." he trailed off, struggling for the right words without seeming like he was fishing for attention. "Do you think I'll become a warrior?" He finally got out, voice small. He shot a nervous glance at his back leg, covered in snow as it was dragged behind.

Oatpaw had been looking for some sort of relief, words that would put his fears to rest, but from the way Pinefang suddenly tended up, he could tell that wasn't how this was going to go. He swallowed thickly as she scrutinized him, now hyper-aware of himself; his smallness, his leg, everything.

Oatpaw looked at the ground and shifted a bit, sittting down across from Pinefang. He nodded slowly. He had a feeling that the truth wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he had to know.

Oatpaw's whole body seemed to relax as soon as Pinefang confirmed it was possible for him to graduate to a warrior. The curly-furred tom listened intently, nodding once in a while, ears forward. He knew that it would be hard to become a warrior; he had accepted that long ago, when his apprentice ceremony was delayed for a few moons. But as long as he knew he could do it...Well, that was enough.

"Thank you, Pinefang." he said quietly, blinking slowly and gratefully at the senior warrior.

i probably should start plotting with oatpaw lmao
anyone wanna do anything with him