Posts by softheart.

✦ ✧ ✦ Amberkit had been weaned as soon as her mother refused to continue to let her nurse, shoving the patchwork calico a piece of mouse and letting her figure it out by herself. It wasn't the nicest way of weaning a kitten, but it had sufficed and she hadn't suffered all that much from it. The quiet kitten was desperately trying not to spend much time in the nursery as she was, well...starting to get a little bit too big for her nest in the confines of the nursery. With all the queens and kittens crowded in there and with Amberkit being almost 6 moons old, she was far too big to be squished in the nursery with all of the mewling babies and sleep-deprived mothers.

Rosekit was trying to desperately get Milkkit interested in the idea of food, kindly offering to share a shrew with the girl. "R-Rosekit is right, you might...n-need to eat something if you c-can't find any milk." Amberkit stuttered softly, appearing beside her denmate and giving the kitten a small dip of her head in greeting. Would they be able to convince the girl to eat a bit of solid food?

✦ ✧ ✦ Amberkit’s attention was drawn to the sight of Eaglestar perched atop the meeting place, muddy hazel eyes keeping on the strong leader as she slipped from the nursery. She settled down just outside of it, ears perked curiously as she listened intently. She might’ve zoned out a bit at the first part; none of that applied to her since she was still a lot, but the moment Rabbitpaw was called forward, Amberkit jumped back to reality. Maybe she would be named an apprentice today?

✦ ✧ ✦ The shaky words that came from Minkkit resonated with Amberpaw on so many levels that it was almost a little frightening to the newly-made apprentice. Yes, she had been nervous, terrified to become an apprentice and...she kinda still was. The patchwork calico had only been an apprentice for a couple of days now, but she was still awaiting a mentor to be assigned to her so she was mostly just doing things around camp. Checking elders for ticks, getting yelled at for being too harsh, crying because the elders had yelled at her-- she was doing okay. Sort of. Not really.

Amberpaw slunk over to where the deputy and her fellow nervous companion were settled, ears pulled back against hr head. "I'm...still nervous about being an a-apprentice. Going from doing nothing as a k-kitten to doing e-everything as an apprentice-- it's a lot to s-swallow..." Amberpaw was going to continue but she quickly stopped herself, voice dying off as she glanced from Minkkit to Morningfrost. Maybe she should let the older cats speak.

✦ ✧ ✦ Amberpaw wasn't quite sure how she had gotten to the Shadowclan border, but she had come here with a plan. Wolfheart had left Windclan, whisked away by some cat named Hornetsting, if she could remember correctly. Amberpaw had overheard a couple of warriors gossiping about the situation while she was picking through the pelts of elder's to remove the ticks and fleas wrapped in their fur; she had slipped out soon after she heard the news, sliding through the camp entrance under the cover of night. To Shadowclan she went, picking her way over the lands and following the scent of swamp and marsh. She missed her friend, just the mention of Wolfheart's name made her stomach clench tightly and tears sting at her eyes. Who was this Hornetsting? Why did he come to Windclan to take one of her friends away? Amberpaw didn't understand, but she was going to find out exactly why soon enough.

The anxious calico paced at the Shadowclan border, the undersides of her eyes glimmering with salty tears. Wolfsbane was going to have her head on a platter when she got home, but for now...she was here to find out why Wolfheart had left. Her friend had hit her head something awful and forgotten about who she was, but she still wanted to see her friend. She was one of the only cats she could confide in back home; why did she leave? The patchwork calico stuck out like a sore thumb against the dull background of the swamps, hunched over and sniffling, tears rolling down her soft cheeks.

She was anxious, terrified, sad and angry.

// {WolfHeart} ;))

✦ ✧ ✦ "Amberkit?"

The calico apprentice stiffened as she lifted her head, muddy hazel gaze landing on the one cat that she had come to see. The cat that she missed so dearly, one of her only friends in Windclan, now in Shadowclan. She tried to find it in herself to feel a twinge of happiness for her friend, but she could only find the anxious guilt eating away at her stomach and the anger at the tom who had taken their loyal clanmate from them, from Windclan. Her thoughts screamed that it was all her fault, that somehow she was the reason that Wolfheart left, but the small fragment of realism in her grounded herself enough for Amberpaw to rise to her paws and be mature about this situation. As mature as a 6 moon old, newly made apprentice could be.

"Who's H-Hornetsting? Did they m-make you leave?" Amberpaw wasted no time in interrogating the grey molly, betrayal flashing in watery eyes as she crossed the border. "W-Why? I m-miss you, why did they take you from u-us?" Her voice was tight with emotion but she refused to let herself lose control, coming so close to Wolfheart that their noses almost touched. She wanted to hug her friend so badly, but she needed answers.

"I w-want to talk to them, t-they can't just take you from us! You belong in Windclan, Wolfheart, your home is Windclan, not here!" Amberpaw's voice had risen into a full-on yowl, a swirling storm of emotions was the calico as she stood in front of Wolfhart. Why did you leave? What does Shadowclan have that Windclan doesn't?

✦ ✧ ✦ Amberpaw already had tears welling in her eyes as Wolfheart explained why she left Windclan, why she left her home to come here, to Shadowclan. She couldn't understand why, but she was trying not to break down in front of Wolfheart, trying her best not to cry. The grey warrior wrapped her paws around the messy calico and for once she let it happen, sniffles coming from her before she curled closer to her friend, ears flat against her head.

"I miss you..." Amberpaw mumbled into the molly's fur, hazel eyes glossy as she tried her best not to cry. Tears were surely to come with her next few words. "I just want y-you to be happy, Wolfheart...even if it's here, I just...I miss y-you...everything's d-different without you..." Her voice was shaky as she took a moment to collect herself, the little apprentice shaking from all the emotions surging through her veins.

The voice of another quickly shattered the atmosphere, but Amberpaw wasn't all that bothered by the interruption. Bumblepaw...she had never met a Shadowclan apprentice before. "I'm A-Amberpaw, Wolfheart's friend from W-Windclan. It's nice to meet you..." The apprentice pulled away from Wolfheart to nod towards Bumblepaw, a free paw trying to desperately wipe the tears away from her cheeks.

✦ ✧ ✦ Amberpaw had been back from her short rendezvous to Shadowclan, tiptoeing around her dad and trying her best not to get caught. She hadn't said anything about her little trip and she planned for it to stay that way; if Wolfsbane had caught her, he would most likely have her head on a stick. Starclan knows how mad he'd be if he even so much as caught wind of his daughter leaving camp.

The patchwork calico apprentice was busy cleaning out a nest in the elders den, brushing new moss into a pile and trying her best not to shy away from the rough words of the elders. Some of them were nice, but most of them were just as crabby as they always were, complaining about how she forgot a tiny little stick in their moss or that their feathers weren't soft enough. She was trying her best but it never was enough for the elders, it seemed. The calico was about to give up, the burn of tears starting to work its way through her nose before she caught sight of Hawkpaw, strolling into camp with a bundle of herbs in his maw. He looked...happy, content?

"D-do you need help with those, Hawkpaw?" Amberpaw hesitantly called from across camp, waving her paw sheepishly to hopefully grab his attention.

✦ ✧ ✦ Eaglestar had stepped down and Amberpaw wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She hadn’t known Morningstar well, he was an authority figure that terrified the meek apprentice more than she would’ve liked to admit. The patchwork calico girl came to sit between Wolfsbane and Graceful, leaning into the towering figure of her father as her chin tilted up, hazel eyes locked on the new leader.

✦ ✧ ✦//slam dunks gal back in here

Amberpaw had been silent, unusually so. Curled into the corners of the apprentice den, disappearing from camp at dawn and not coming back until the sun set behind the horizon. She would watch the sun rise, watch it pass over her head as she sat in the grasses, muddy gaze following the sun until it disappeared from view. Rose to her paws, silently slid back into camp and repeat. When the sun rose so did she, following the curling fingers of watery sunlight out of camp and back into the territory; neglecting her apprentice duties, neglecting what little relationships she had. Who was she? Amberpaw. Hmm. Amberpaw.

What was her name? Amberpaw. What clan was she from? Windclan, no. Rogue. Rogue? She missed her mom. Where was her mom? Oh, she had left her in the snow, left her to freeze. Amberpaw. Amber. Like the color of the sunset, deep oranges and reds painting the canvas of purple at sunset. Amber. Somebody had named her, she wasn't quite sure. Was it Wolfsbane? Graceful? Amberpaw.

Paws drug her back to camp, calico fur disheveled and matted, the apprentice stinking of mud and something else foul. Somewhere, deep down inside, she felt bad for the cats who had to see her like this, but she just didn't feel like grooming herself. If she didn't care, who else was going to?

She didn't care anymore. Slumped in a pathetic pile of mats and stink, she tried to forget what she had been thinking about. Whatever.

✦ ✧ ✦ Familiar faces and some not started to appear and it made Amberpaw nervous, ears lowering against her head as she tried not to let her instincts get the best of her. Muscles tensing under thick matted fur, she looked like she was about to book it for the nearest den when Morningstar and Scorpionkit had come up, their leader asking if she was alright. She didn't want to draw attention to herself, she didn't want to bother anybody with her problems. Amberpaw felt like a burden just sitting here with more cats starting to worry for her well-being; Ivynose, Lizardbounce and Flurrypaw.

She could smell herself and it was embarrassing how much she had let herself go. She knew that she must've looked rough, but Amber hadn't realized how bad it had gotten until she saw the looks on her clanmates' faces. Her fur prickled uncomfortably, tears welling up in hazel eyes before she desperately tried to rub them away.

"E-Everything...I miss my mom, I miss W-Wolfheart, everything s-sucks." Amberpaw's voice barely rose above a whisper, but she hoped it was audible enough for Morningstar. She felt sick, nausea spreading through her body like a slow hand dragging across a table, seeping into her veins. Why did she feel like this?

✦ ✧ ✦ The mismatched orange and black calico came stumbling through the entrance to camp, barely avoiding some of the debris from the earthquake that had shaken the ground violently on which they stood. Amberpaw had never experienced anything like it; she had been on patrol with a few warriors and other apprentices for hunting practice when the phenomenon struck, causing most of the apprentices to panic and the warriors feebly trying to console the terrified apprentices while also keeping their panic at bay.

The small apprentice was wobbly, hazel eyes wide as she stumbled into camp, eyes immediately searching the sea of faces until she spotted her family, Graceful and Wolfsbane were okay....they were okay, they were alive. Some of the cats were still flustered and horrified, but a few select warriors such as Milkdream and Wolfsbane were doing their best to keep everybody calm and to formulate some kind of plan. The calico molly, on unstable legs, made her way to her aunt and dad, pressing her side into her father's to calm both him and herself down.

"W-what was that thing?" Amberpaw was gesturing to the ground, eyeing it like it was going to split in two and swallow up the Windclan camp. She was shaken rather badly, trembling a bit but forcing herself to try and remain as calm as possible.

1/5

✦ ✧ ✦ Amberpaw had never seen a turtle before so when Morningstar batted the animal into camp, it had naturally attracted her attention. The calico was looking a little bit better, not quite so matted and finally smelling like she groomed herself. Following after Wolfsbane quite closely, so close that she might've knocked into him had he stopped on a dime, came to inspect the turtle first before saying anything. The animal had a shell that looked to be impossible to get into, Amberpaw's nose brushed against the hard surface and she pulled her head back, muddy gaze wide and confused.

"I-is the shell for protection or for...h-hunting?" Amberpaw asked softly, looking to her dad and Morningstar before trotting over to Mammon's side, trying to get a closer look at the animal without getting in its face.

✦ ✧ ✦ Amberpaw felt a small twinge of uncomfortable energy settle in her gut as she heard the announcement from Tortoiseshell. Kits were a good thing, weren't they? She didn't have much experience in the ways of kits and motherhood, she was still so young herself. Amberpaw had only turned nine moons old a few weeks ago and even now she felt old as she slid from the apprentice's den, stretching out growing limbs as she came up to the side of Wolfsbane, gently nudging the taller tom's shoulder to let him know that she had appeared.

Watching Snakeleap and Tortoiseshell interact...maybe it was just her, but the sight of a healthy relationship was enough to make her internally cringe. It was cute and she was happy for them, but how did they do that? She didn't say much of anything, staying close to her father and giving the expecting parents a small dip of her head.

✦ ✧ ✦ Amberpaw had never been the greatest hunter...now that she thought about it, she wasn't the best fighter either. All of her skills were about average; she could beat a smaller target in sparring and she could run after smaller game, but anything that was bigger or scarier than her had her cowering in fear, tail between her legs and her patchwork fur standing on end. She was trying, desperately so, to try and push herself out of her comfort zone with more sparring sessions with bigger apprentices and more hunting patrols, but she would always freeze up, the alerting signs of a panic attack coming on, causing her to run away and calm down before she actually had one.

She was trying.

"C-could I come with you? I'm not the best h-hunter, but I can try to h-help." Amberpaw spoke up as she appeared from the apprentice's den, long calico fur standing up in several, wild chunks in a form of bedhead. She wasn't sure if she would be able to give the older warrior any tips, being an apprentice herself, but Rosebrier would still need somebody to go with her, even if Amberpaw was just a young apprentice.

✦ ✧ ✦ There were more cats going out on the hunting patrol than Amberpaw realized, the group of Windclanners slowly getting larger with each face that came around, interested in joining the half training session half patrol. She was almost dead silent as she listened to the conversations around her, wincing a bit as Rulindil and Robinpaw got into a bit of a spat, though it seemed to quickly resolve itself as the rest of the patrol gathered around more closely. Turning for a moment to acknowledge Fangkit with a small nod and a tiny glimmer of a smile, "I'll try to save something for you, just depends on if I actually catch a-anything." The calico apprentice called back to the kitten, giving him another small grin before turning her attention back to Rulindil who now seemed to be the unofficial leader of this patrol; she hoped that he actually knew what he was doing, there were only a handful of warriors in the clan that knew what they were doing. Windclan was a patchwork quilt of cats from many different backgrounds and ways of life, it seemed.

Deep down somewhere in her heart, she hoped that Rulindil could teach her something useful so that she could bring back some prey for her dad, Wolfsbane. She hadn't seen much of him as they were both busy and in different dens, she didn't want to face the fact that she might actually miss her adopted father.

"C-Chitlin?" Amberpaw inquired as she stepped forwards, a slight tilt of her head signalling her confusion as the lead of the patrol spoke up. Was that just a fancy word for 'friends'? She wasn't exactly the most educated cat in Windclan slang, but she had never heard that specific word before.

✦ ✧ ✦ ""i c-caught something! i did.. did it!"

The prideful meows of a molly barreling into camp pulled Amberpaw from the apprentice's den, crawling her way out of the den with claws pulling her up onto the surface of the warm ground. Groggy eyes searched camp for the source of the yowl, squinted muddy eyes landing on her aunt who was jogging into camp with a plump mouse clutched in her jaws. Grace had caught that? She could recall that her aunt wasn't the best hunter (and neither was she); with this new information remembered, Amberpaw couldn't help but feel a sense of pride grow in her heart as she trotted toward Fawnfrost, the tiniest of smiles curled on her face.

"D-did you really catch that, aunt Grace? It...you did a good job, it l-looks really tasty." The calico apprentice spoke softly as she leaned up to sniff the mouse hanging from the molly's jaws. It was definitely a great catch on Grace's behalf.