Depth of Your Nature (Tag)

[Red]

So far the clan had been quiet yet everyone was getting on with what they were doing, as Heronstar preferred it most of the time. He wasn't a social butterfly like some of the cats he had seen round the camp, how they interacted with each other here and there. Some cats still had yet to actually have a conversation with him, it was just they way he was. All together he loved his clan the way it is, no leader could disagree with that part.

The weather wasn't exactly classed as bad to Heronstar and many other Waterclan cats, with rain came their true strength. The sun was still rising and there was a very slim chance that most other cats were even up at this time, why did they need to be? Waterclan had plenty of food to go round for a while so nobody really needed to waste the energy on a hunt in the morning. But Heronstar wasn't going for a hunt, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten up this early, and instead quietly made his way to the apprentice den.

Peeking his head in to see the familiar tortoiseshell figure among the other bundles of fur, "Morningpaw," He announced loudly in order to wake her up. "I'll be waiting at the main entrance of camp, training starts earlier now." Heronstar wasn't wasting time with sugarcoating his wake up call, he was tired and he assumed Morningpaw must have been the same. As much as he hated getting up before his normal wake up time, he felt that Morningpaw was getting older now which meant she was getting closer to being a warrior of Waterclan. She was going to have to get used to things like this sooner or later, Heronstar sure did and he still hates it.

With that he left the slight cover of the den and wondered slowly back into the rain where he could head for the entrance. Thanks to the rain the rocks that formed and overlapped each other round the edge of camp made his job of leaving camp a little more difficult, not much though, it just meant he had to concentrate a bit more on where he was placing his paws in order to mess up the entrance too much by pushing things out of place. That was something that really got on his nerves, the kits in this camp always seem to find joy out of misplacing things and moving them about. Like little rocks being rolled out of the soil, creating little unnecessary dents in the ground.

Sitting down on a small root that left the ground he looked up at the sky and took in a deep breath, this rain didn't bother him but it sure did add some issues when you left the camp. He wanted to go further into the territory today but it looked like it was yet another perfect excuse for him and Morningpaw to head to the lake again.

Notes: <3 // Tag: Yin

TABLE BY CHI OF ADOXOGRAPHY!

[Yin]

Surrounded by the warmth of the other apprentices, it was no surprise that she found herself in a blissful sleep. Her small frame was curled into a ball of black and orange, her tail managing to wrap around herself so that its tip rested close to her nose. The slow, steady rise and fall of her chest only broke its cycle with a heavier sigh when she shifted slightly in her sleep. The familiarity of the ground beneath her, the scents of her fellow apprentices that surrounded her, and the soft sounds of slumber made this one of the few times she truly enjoyed being in a larger crowd or near those she rarely interacted with.

Of course, this sense of comfort and security was only temporary. It only lasted as long as the moon was in the sky and as long as she was allowed to keep her eyes closed. That was why she was reluctant to open her eyes as the sound of her name interrupted the silence of the den. Her ears drew forward in acknowledgement instead, and she shifted slightly to curl into a tighter ball. "Nooooo..." She groaned, breaking her ball in order to pull one of her paws out from under her, letting it drop over her face. She did not want to get up. It was too early, and the warm bodies beside her hadn't even stirred yet. At least, not more than they usually did when another cat's name was called.

A moment passed without the she-cat stirring once more, and her tired mind slowly began to process what had been said. Her name, obviously. But something about training... Early? Ugh. That also meant the voice belonged to Heronstar... Shouldn't keep the chief waiting, that annoying voice of reason reminded her. Couldn't she go back to her dream instead? Wait, what had she been dreaming about? The water, probably. A body of water far more vast than the lake the territories surrounded. Such a thing was definitely something that could only exist within her dreams.

The dark paw on her face slipped over her nose and onto the ground as a sigh passed through her nose. With slow, sluggish movements, the tortoiseshell began uncurling herself, pushing herself onto her paws. She cracked open her eyes just a bit, revealing only a sliver of warm orange, before she picked her way over the other apprentices blessed with mentors who would let them sleep in. The first half of her body managed to get out of the den, but the other half lingered behind. Her hindquarters drooped down the ground, stretching out her tired muscles, before the rest of her body emerged from the den.

Orange eyes blinked open as a droplet of water landed on her nose before she tilted her head to the sky, taking a few more steps to feel the rain on her pelt. Her eyelids closed once more. "Mm..." It was hard to tell whether she was trying to put off the inevitable or just enjoy the rain while trying to wake up more, but she was soon enough opening her eyes again and heading for the main entrance. Her attention turned to the larger black and white tomcat as she neared, and she raised her tail in greeting while her head was forced to turn away to poorly hide a yawn.

now to take twenty posts to figure out how to write a new character

[Red]

His ears perked when the slump footsteps grew closer to him, each step was a little painful for him to hear. Heronstar could tell that Morningpaw wasn't happy about his decision to wake her up so early compared t what they were used to and he didn't like it either. Still, there was good out of it when it came to waking up early. They practically had the whole territory to themselves which meant that nothing was disturbed and pretty much peaceful.

"I don't particularly enjoy waking before the sun has," he gave empathy a go, trying to relate to the same feeling of tiredness that Morningpaw was clearly showing. "But it means we get the territory to ourselves." Thankfully. The camp was nice and calm but the territory was even calmer. For a moment one could actually forget that they had duties and others to tend to or even that they are part of a clan. Not that he preferred to live without a clan, or fantasise about it, it just meant he could let go for a bit.

He pushed himself up to stand and actually use all four legs to keep balance before hoping off the branch. Heronstar wasn't old compared to some cats he had seen and known, but he could certainly feel the age creeping up on him ever once in a while when it came to standing after sitting for a while. Especially in the cold, that always made it worse for him he had noticed.

Before Heronstar planned on actually leaving the camp he used his paw to adjust a couple small rocks that had been pushed out of place, either by some strong kits or the rain. As he did so he spoke again, "You'll be pleased to know, I am sure, that we'll be heading to the lake today." And he certainly was sure about that. Many cats had different views of the lake, Heronstar seeing it as a spot to drink from as well as Waterclan's eye of the territory. Once he had finished adjusting what had been bugging him Heronstar finally took lead to push some reeds out of the way to leave camp.

Blue eyes adjusted easily to the new surroundings that differed from the camp. Much more dense and feral, things weren't placed strategically but instead grew where it needed to. He glanced behind him so that Morningpaw would follow and waited to the side. Once he could see her he smirked to himself, she looked tired and he was exactly the same. Even his voice was a little croaky still.

"I'm sure you know where the lake is," he smiled as he walked forward a little and looked out at the surroundings. A few trees here and there but also some rocks to make up for the flat areas. To anyone watching him it would appear that Heronstar was merely looking out for any potential danger or planning a route. After that he turned around to stand next to Morningpaw, still focusing on the forest in front of them. "Let's see who can get there first." And with that he swiped his paw to knock her to the side, not enough to push her over though. Using his back legs he leaped forward and started running, Heronstar wanted a head start and that was how he was going to get it. There were little rules when it came to how Heronstar went about certain situations, including mentoring.


Notes: Bring it // Tag: Yin

TABLE BY CHI OF ADOXOGRAPHY!

[Yin]

As her mouth managed to close itself as the yawn escaped, her head drooped down slightly. She pulled her head forward so orange eyes could squint against the drizzling rain, focusing her attention once more on her mentor. "I'd still prefer to sleep," her soft voice held an extra edge of droning, dragging out some syllables and lightly rasping. A quick drink could fix her voice, but she doubted she would fully wake up until she was completely soaked and shivering. While the rain could eventually do that, she would much rather dive head first into the lake. There was less standing around, and her fur would be evenly wet and clinging to her sides rather than splattered here and there with water.

Morningpaw tried to resist another yawn, her eyes squinting more and ears turning back with the discomfort and strain. The yawn managed to break free despite her efforts, and she turned her head away once more. She shook her head as soon as she could close her lips once more, and the shake quickly ran down her spine, tossing her mottled pelt. Orange eyes returned to Heronstar as she stilled, noting how the tomcat was now standing. That just meant the time until they would start whatever the chief had planned was shortening. She just hoped he would let her wake up a little more first. For now, however, she was content with blinking to keep her eyes open while watching Heronstar... rearrange stones. She wanted to ask what he was doing, but, at the same time, she wanted to figure out that mystery herself.

Blackened ears perked up at the mention of the lake. It was a step in the right direction to waking the apprentice up, and she managed to keep her eyes open this time. "Really?" A black and orange tail flicked behind her, showing the excitement just beginning to bubble within her. It was diluted from her usual interest, but that was to be expected when her mind was just as tired as her body.

Morningpaw was quicker to follow after Heronstar this time. There was no dawdling to stretch or enjoy the rain, and there was little desire to curl into a ball and fall asleep once more that would have caused her to linger just within the camp boundaries. She ignored the tug of the reeds against her short, sleek pelt until she was through, stretching before briefly shaking herself off once more. Orange eyes squeezed shut for a moment before blinking open, and her head turned to glance at Heronstar as his voice reached her ears.

"Of course I do," she huffed, taking slow strides to follow after him, only to pause when he did. Orange eyes glanced around, trying to figure out what the tomcat was looking for. Or at. Both? It's way too early for this. Her whiskers twitched with mild frustration before her attention returned to the chief. "First?" She would have asked more had it not been for the paw coming at her. Her reaction time was off, and the swipe was enough to make her stumble back. "What was--" the complaint died on her tongue when she righted herself and noticed that Heronstar was no where near her anymore. "No fair!" She huffed, tensing her muscles before sprinting off.

She did not follow her mentor, however. Instead, she made a beeline for the stream near the camp.

it's on like donkey kong

[Red]

Though Heronstar had his eyes on the path he had already planned for himself he couldn't help but turn his attention to what the apprentice had chosen to do. He had hoped that she would follow after him either in aggression or just to simply overtake, but clearly she wasn't that kind of cat. Even if she chose a different route to what he wanted he was sill happy with her decision, clearly tactical.

He had a choice of just letting Morningpaw go on her own path since she was letting Heronstar take his own but that was too easy. She had speed and the water on her side, there was no chance the tom was going to let her win even a little race. It was a smart decision on her part, the stream led to the lake. As he ran and jumped from rock to root he changed course, heading in the direction of the stream. He could have tackled her if he really wanted to and he almost was going to but the tom didn't want to be that aggressive in a race with his apprentice, if anything he just wanted to keep an eye on her. That was something Heronstar always struggled with, trusting others. Morningpaw was actually pretty capable of defending herself but he didn't know what she was going to do, whether she wanted to just follow the stream or make an unpredictable move.

By now he was near the stream, close enough to hear it but not running through it. Morningpaw was actually a little ahead of him, whether or not she could hear him e did not know. The lake wasn't that far from the camp and he knew they were approaching quickly, Morningpaw was going to win if he didn't do something.

Using his back legs once more to push himself off the ground and over the stream to land on the other side, he closed distance on Morningpaw. Close enough to the apprentice he looked at her before a small fog appeared around him, surrounding the pair in a mist of cloud. Heronstar was much more familiar with his senses when it came to using his ability to emit a mist but Morningpaw on the other hand, he had yet to see. Any cat could hear the stream close enough to them to know they were heading in the right direction...but footing, however. Losing footing on ground that you can't even see meant you would either fall or have to slow down.


Notes: His competitive spirit is really showing here. Sorry it's not that good of a post // Tag: Yin

TABLE BY CHI OF ADOXOGRAPHY!

[Yin]

Dark paws breezed over the ground, brushing briefly against grass and stone before moving onto the next area a stride or two away. Her figure blended well against her leaf-fall surroundings. Black and orange meshed with the fallen leaves, and the darkness of a not yet rising sun left only the smudge of white on her chest easily discernable against everything around her. If stealth had been her mission, she probably could have hidden in the leaves at the base of a tree. However, her quick movements soiled any chance of true cameoflague.

Orange eye squinted before rapidly blinking once more. It was too early for this. It would probably take her at least a week to get used to the new time to rise, and, until then, she would have to fight against her tired body. The slowed for a moment, shaking off her pelt once more, before continuing her sprint. The stream was soon in sight; a few more fox lengths and she would have a clear sprint to the lake. Excitement began to bubble in her stomach at the mere thought of reaching the lake. It was enough to almost make her miss the shroud of mist that slowly crept around her. Almost.

Her ears flicked with annoyance, and she squinted against the veil. Yet, Morningpaw did not falter. She continued forward, stumbling only once, until her paws splashed into the stream. The she-cat immediately made a sharp turn to follow the stream. Her first encounter with the stream flashed in her mind, yet the feeling of fear that had engulfed her when she fell into the stream as a new apprentice did not emit from the flash of memory. It only fueled her, and her tail raised high as her paws continued carrying her forward.

Down the stream she went, keeping to the water as much as possible and letting its current carry faster. "Your tricks won't stop me, chief!" She called out, slipping almost immediately after. Morningpaw regained her footing quickly, and her excitement grew.

sorry for the delay |D