Posts by WOLFBITE!

As nice as it was to keep himself busy, it was even nicer to have some downtime. Wolfsbane had already found a sunny spot to tuck himself into and was observing the camp through half shut eyes. Amberpaw's voice, naturally, caught his attention, and he raised his head to regard the patchwork apprentice.

Watching her with a mossball reminded him of when she'd just been a scrap dragging around a tattered mossball for comfort. The logic of that still confused him but he'd labelled it as one of the many mysteries about his daughter that he'd never understand.

He remained quiet as the younger portion of the Clan answered her. His childhood hadn't been focused on fun and games, and he couldn't really answer Scorpionkit, but he was content to see how Amberpaw responded. Funny, the things that passed for happiness these days.

It was a miracle that any of their apprentices made it to warriorhood. Confronting cats at the border alone, shouting from the top of Outlook Rock, doing any of the million things that made him wonder how WindClan had survived so long. There ought to be a bigger celebration each time an apprentice passed the warrior assessment since Wolfsbane didn't understand how they made it that long. (Perhaps the daredevil nature of apprentices explained why there were so few warriors in the Clan who hadn't joined as adults.)

He sincerely hoped that Tumblingpaw didn't fall since the last thing they needed to do was waste herbs on harebrained cats who couldn't keep their paws where they belonged. Unlike Minkpaw, Lizardbounce and Rulindil, he opted for the rougher approach, sardonically pointing out, "We'd better hope you don't live up to your name, for once."

Although he wasn't know for his fun and games attitude, Wolfsbane had heard that learning was supposed to be fun. Although the concept made sense to him in theory, he was unsure of how to train Olivepaw and keep things enjoyable. Training wasn't always fun, and that was supposed to help prepare the 'paws for life as warriors, when they'd have to put the needs of the Clan before their own pleasure. Although he'd considered it, the idea had ended up slipping his mind -

Until a painstakingly long morning spent in the company of an elder who wanted to hunt but who needed accompaniment, anyway. The chocolate warrior had wanted to refuse the job but, unable to back out gracefully, had found himself prowling the moors alongside the loquacious elder. The topic had turned to rabbit hunting and the elder had mentioned how, when she was training, the apprentices would race against each other to build up stamina for long dashes across the moor in pursuit of prey. That sounded fun enough, the sort of thing a few of apprentices might enjoy.

It was late afternoon when Wolfsbane called, "Apprentices, races! The goal is to see who can get from Outlook Rock to Fourtrees and back first. If Lizardstar approves, the winner will be free from duties for one day." That would leave tasks that had to get done and it seemed unfair to burden the losing apprentices - or warriors, if any felt the urge to join in - with them, but he was willing to pick up the slack. It wasn't like he'd ever actually had to do apprentice duties, being rogue-born.

Try as he might, Wolfsbane couldn't fault the girl's instincts. She'd had the luxury of a loving mother and two doting uncles, and although her life hadn't remained smooth, she knew how to keep herself safe. She was quick with her claws, and the only problem with that was that this time, those claws had been aimed against a clanmate. If only Petal hadn't been so traumatized that she jumped at the slightest touch - but that was something that the healers could probably talk her through better than he ever could. "It's okay, Petalpaw." It probably wasn't his place to make that judgement and reluctantly, he paid Rulindil a glance, mumbling, "You'll apologize to him when you feel better." He was still inclined to blame the former BloodClanner, despite Petal admitting that she was at fault, but if she was going to be apologizing to anyone, better it was to Rulin than to him.

His eyes cut to Fangkit as the child approached, more cheerful than he ought to be. There had always been something off about the kit although part of Wolfsbane's reluctance toward him was because of his parents, and the other part likely because of the way he'd been discovered, nestling beside his dead mother and siblings.

As Petal explained to Fangkit what had gotten her, Wolfsbane's eyes darkened. Barn cats, huh? He still barely had any of the story but the knowledge that they'd tortured her was enough to set his temper aflame. Bad enough they'd dare hurt a WindClanner, but his niece? He wasn't sure about Eaglespirit but Wolfsbane thought that Flint, at least, would probably be more than happy to teach those barn cats right from wrong. (Flint wouldn't have a problem with that, would he? Despite the other tom's failings, Wolfsbane still looked toward him as a moral compass, and Flint had surprised him before.)

"It's going to be okay," he repeated uselessly. There wasn't much he could do but wait for Petal to calm down and, if she wished it, talk. Uncle or not, he could only assume that she'd claw him the way she had Rulindil if he pushed her before she was ready.

Was this Lizardstar's second meeting? WindClan went through leaders so fast that Wolfsbane could barely keep track of them. During his six moons in the Clan, he'd served four leaders, and if the trend continued, the next week's meeting would be delivered by a different warrior. Snorting to himself, the warrior left his post near the camp entrance and ambled toward tall-rock.

He felt himself still as Lizardstar called his name but stepped forward with the others. He hadn't expected to be given another apprentice so soon - he wasn't even close to finishing with Olivepaw - but rather than argue the decision, he offered Birchpaw a tight smile. At least Lizardstar trusted him with an apprentice, which was more than Jasperstar or Eaglespirit had.

Amberpaw's name change caused him to cock his head slightly. Did she no longer want the name her mother had bestowed upon her or was Lizardstar intent on changing everyone's name if they hadn't been born with a clan one? By that reckoning, his own name change would be coming soon, a thought that scared him more than it excited him. Worse than Monarchpaw's new name, however, was her new mentor. Snakeleap. Wolfsbane had a bone to pick with the sleek chausie and the idea of his daughter learning under the other tom set his teeth on edge. He simply couldn't bring himself to trust the viper of a cat.

His own name, called as deputy, confused him; for a moment he simply stared at Lizardstar in shock. "But Eaglespirit…" But Eaglespirit hadn't wanted to keep the mantle of leadership last time he'd had it, and he probably didn't want to be put in the same position twice. The only other candidate he could think of was Stormfeather but perhaps because part of him was still his father's son, Wolfsbane figured that he was a better choice than her. Slowly, he met Lizardstar's eyes, unsure of what to say. Who'd have thought a cultborn cat like him, still half a rogue, would end up such responsibility?!

Could all they think about was Petal's leg? It was broken, but as far as Wolfsbane figured, ten minutes wouldn't save or destroy the limb - but those ten minutes might help Petal keep it together, and that was more important in the long run. However, he couldn't argue when faced with the medicine cat and her apprentice. He let out an unhappy huff and nodded, shooting Petal a small smile as he promised, "I'll be there." There or outside the medicine den, if Rosevenom and Minkpaw really needed the room, but certainly not gone.

"Fangkit, want to help me look for hurt cats?"

It had been a few weeks since he'd been told to hand out the weekly tasks and during the elapsed time, Wolfsbane had nearly forgotten that he was assigned the duty. He'd spent the morning trying to figure out what that awful gnawing feeling meant he was forgetting, and it wasn't until the sun was high overhead that the realization struck him. Ambling on large paws toward an empty space, he called, "Come for weekly tasks!"

His pale eyes darted toward Snake as the larger tom answered his call. Wolfsbane had no great fondness for the warrior, and although a small part of him was tempted to give Snakeleap a less pleasant task, he stifled the urge. He'd swallowed the urge to be petty for moons, and considering how much he'd accomplished since, it seemed foolish to break now. " . ratpaw . , host a Clanwide defense lesson - things that would be useful to kits and elders in addition to warriors and apprentices." Considering how easily the dogs had flooded their camp, it seemed prudent to have a plan of action if a similar scenario occurred again.

He then shifted his attention to Fangkit, pleasantly surprised that the kit had appeared. He'd written Fangkit off once Snakeleap had adopted him, but in this case the apple hadn't fallen besides the tree. The short time he'd spent with the kit searching for wounded cats had been pleasant, despite his lingering anxiety over Petalpaw's broken leg. " HENRIK   I've seen you dissecting prey. Without wasting any other freshkill, mind sharing with everyone what you learned?"

Fawnfrost, his sister. Wolfsbane's maw twitched in a grin, fondness lighting his eyes as he considered a task. " morningfire , take some cats to the farm. See if you can find some sheep-fluff to line the nests with or if the twolegs have done anything interesting recently."

Although Rulindil loathed him, Wolfsbane had no particular distaste for the other tom. He hated that he'd scared Wolfs' niece, but aside from that incident, nothing about the other cat really registered on his radar. However, he'd always been sensitive to distaste and paid back hatred with hatred. As Rulindil approached, Wolfsbane's posture grew noticeably cooler and his voice lost the affection it had adopted when he spoke to Fawnfrost. " RULINDIL , I heard you climbed the apple tree recently. Teach some of your clanmates how to climb." Climbing wasn't a skill that was common on the moor, given the general lack of trees, but it was worth learning.

Finally, he addressed Minkpaw and Monarchpaw. Although he hadn't assigned anyone one else tasks to do together, he figured that the pair wouldn't mind. " Mink that Plays with Lizard  and softheart. , the weather's been nice recently but I don't trust it to stay sunny. Organize a game to play next time the rain starts; if the two of you prefer, you can host the game even if it's not raining."

Life had been busy lately - or perhaps Wolfsbane simply found it easier to run himself ragged than to wander around unsure of what to do and who to approach. WindClan had been his home for moons; his memories of Liverpool's imposing features and tightly run group were fading. The faces of his siblings and mothers, once vivid, rarely came to mind anymore. He'd escaped the shadow that Liverpool had cast, and if he hadn't found peace, he'd found something approaching it.

There were times, though, that he felt nothing but melancholy. He wasn't friendly in the slightest with Tort or Snake but he'd watched as their relationship developed, and it made the fact that he had no one hit home harder. He hadn't been in a relationship since Poppywish had abruptly left his father's group, and although he got along with Lizardstar and wasn't nearly as antagonistic to Flint as he'd once been, he wasn't sure that he was friends with either of them. All the rich chocolate and white tom had was his family: Fawnfrost and Monarchpaw, and he hadn't had any real one-on-one time with either of them recently.

The sun was starting to sink toward the edge of the moor as he made his way toward the apprentice den. The temperature had cooled noticeably, now a far cry from the broiling heat that had oppressed the Clan the whole day. With the hunting patrols back and only a few evening patrols left, peace was starting to settle over the camp. Wolfsbane moved carefully through the short grass, rounded eyes searching for his daughter's familiar white and orange pelt. Even in the fading sunlight, he recognized her quickly, increasing his speed and bending his head to offer her a fond nuzzle. "Hey, kiddo. You want to go on a walk?"

softheart.

As usual, Wolfsbane was sleeping soundly. He wasn't plagued by nightmares or restlessness, and almost never had trouble with the sleep that sometimes seemed so elusive to his Clanmates. Curled on his side with his thick tail tickling the edge of his cheek, the tom didn't stir when Lizardstar left the camp or when Smokehaze sneaked out after him.

He awoke to Smokehaze's frantic yelling. Before he even comprehended what she was saying, he found himself on dark paws, energy wiping the last traces of drowsiness from him. Lizardstar was in trouble. Even if he hadn't recently been made deputy, Wolfsbane would have tried to assume some semblance of control.

But where to start? He couldn't rush in headfirst so, seizing on the first question that came to mind, he asked rapidly, "What happened? Where is he? Is he hurt?" Chances were that the inky leader was injured, and if Smokehaze could describe what had happened, Rosevenom stood a better chance of knowing what to bring.

" Lizardbounce  tell the kits and anyone else interested some stories about your life, and see if they have any interesting stories of their own to share." It felt odd to be giving the leader orders but Wolfsbane fought to keep his tone steady. Lizardstar had requested a task, after all. Denying him or using softer phrasing differently would have been even odder. " DUCKSTAR , find a group to go stargazing with. If any of the newcomers join you, take the chance to point out starpelt." Starpelt did have significance to their beliefs, although some aspects of StarClan worship still confused Wolfsbane--lessons for newcomers about the Clan's religion wouldn't be amiss. " CAIMAN ." Wolfsbane focused on his new apprentice. The boy still seemed so meek and although he'd rejected most of his father's teachings, Wolfsbane hadn't yet dismissed the value of assertiveness. "See if Rosevenom or the medicine cat apprentices need a hand collecting herbs or organizing the medicine cat den."

Robinpaw's enthusiasm didn't strike Wolfsbane as odd. From what little he'd seen of the apprentice, she was the determined sort, the type of cat who he might have once despised but had grown to respect. Her desire to push herself into Clan life would serve her well, although his view might have been less rosy if he knew how ragged she was running herself. "Okay," he acknowledged, ears twitching as Smokehaze spoke up.

Although Smokehaze's mutter had been aimed at herself, she had the dubious luck of being within Wolfsbane's earshot. He regarded her silently for a moment, searching for jealousy or derision in what she'd said. "Then join them." Surely she had nothing against playing. He hadn't met a single warrior during all his time in WindClan who objected to apprentices enjoying themselves, and if she did, it was likely because she needed to unwind herself. (The same, of course, could probably be said about him, but Wolfsbane had always viewed himself in a more forgiving light than he'd viewed anyone else in.)

The arrival of Bubbles, Lizardstar, and Amberpaw meant that there would be three cats competing, four if Smokehaze accepted his offer. Amberpaw's participation meant that he wouldn't be an impartial judge, but unless the final call was very close, his connection to her wouldn't even come into play - and he'd have someone to root for now. He waited another minute to see if anyone else would arrive and then announced, "Let's go."

Once, Wolfsbane hadn't been allowed near the nursery for fear that he would abuse his adopted home's hospitality. That time had passed long before he'd rescued and adopted Monarchpaw, and ever since his daughter had moved to the apprentice den and his sister, Fawnfrost, had decided to become a warrior, he'd found that he barely had any reason to go to the nursery.

The reason he found himself near the nursery now had nothing to do with what the others had once thought he might do to the den's inhabitants or anything to do with his family members. He was there for Fangkit. The kit was an interesting fellow, and although Wolfsbane had initially found him a bit odd, the boy had won him over when they'd searched the camp for injured warriors.

Between his jaws were the hindlegs of a small creature; spitting the animal out, he placed a paw over it and called, "Fangkit? Found a frog you might like to see." Chances were, Fangkit hadn't even seen a frog before. This wasn't the area of the territory where they were common, but he thought the ivory child might enjoy a chance to play with the tony amphibian.

HENRIK

If he noticed Smokehaze's sudden anxiety, Wolfsbane had the sense not to comment on it. He remained still throughout her brief story, only the occasional grimace on his maw betraying that he was paying attention. Although part of him wanted to know why Smokehaze had been following Lizardstar, it wasn't a question that would occur to him until later, when the excitement was just a memory. "We'll take a medicine cat," he started to respond, but before he had a chance to elaborate, Hawkpaw and Rosevenom approached.

Sparing a glance for Blossompaw and Chillypaw, he tried to answer Rosevenom. "I can try to go down, but I'm not sure how deep the hole is." He was tall, but Wolfsbane doubted that he was quite tall enough. Chances were, either he'd squash Lizardstar or they'd both get stuck. Would they be able to haul out Lizardstar if he climbed and held a stick that one of them gripped? But that would require a stick, which was hard to come by in the territory, and Lizardstar would need the strength to pull himself up - and so far, they hadn't heard a peep from him.

throw suggestions at me!

wolfs' name is technically a rogue name and he's been trying to work up the courage to change it for a bit (and i'm finally ready to do it too lol). i'm not that creative when it comes to choosing names so i'm stuck big time

prefix doesn't have to be wolf- c:

Fangkit was a clever little guy. Of course he'd figured out a way to show everyone the insides of a squirrel without letting anything go to waste. Although he hadn't known the first fact, Wolfsbane didn't step forward until Fangkit bellowed out the second. "Do I want to know whose pawpad you initially compared that to?" He'd accepted that there was some joy to playing with kits when he'd become a father, but Wolfsbane couldn't imagine allowing either of his children to press a messy, bloody chunk of muscle against his pawpad to compare the sizes.