Starclan's Claws Site News

[Yukin]

The flower fields... They were wonderful right now. Bright in colors, vibrant with life, swaying gently in the breeze that came frequently nowadays. The sun shined brightly, coloring the petals with a yellow glow of sunlight, highlighting the light arrays of blues, yellows, and lime greens of the stems and leaves. There was a dense variety of flowers in this field; lilacs and daisies, carnations, and of course the ever present dandelions. It was amazing to see the varieties of color, and even more amazing to be out of the camp and into the open air.

Of course, nobody could see this young tom, an apprentice in Thunderclan, but at the time without a mentor. He was stalked beneath the heavy array of flowers and wild grasses. His body could be seen faintly through the thin outlines of the foliage. Deep blue-gray in color, with lightly rippling muscles, this apprentice was focused on one thing, and one thing only. His light blue-green eyes were focused tensely upon a large lilac in front of him, about fifteen or twenty feet away. A few quick bounds and he would be there, knowing his energy.

The target was orange and black, fluttering lightly because of the breeze, and without it, just for the sake of fluttering. With large wings, and a long black body, this butterfly was in for it. Skypaw knew that he could catch almost anything he set his sights on. He was untrained, as of this moment, but he was still young. He could get it. He was deadly still, legs muscles tensed, crouching as if ready to pounce. 'Ready...' he thought, preparing himself, the tip of his long tail flicking, 'Go.' It was like a mental command, and in an instant he was off.

One bound, two bound, three, and then crash. The hunter had landed, front paws out in front, eyes closed, chin on the ground. He had missed, and now had a large bouquet of flowers in his jowls, rather than the butterfly he had been chasing all morning. He opened his eyes, spat out the flowers, and looked up. The butterfly was gone. Flying away, and even when he tried to jump for it, repeatedly, he couldn't reach. "Dangit..." he growled, scrunching up his small blue-gray nose. "Oh well, at least nobody saw," he said, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

[Seasons]

Amid the raibow of colours, swaying upon thin green stems, Summerwind lay, relaxed and on the verge of a well deserved nap. The wind ruffled his grey fur, which seemed more silver under the rays of the afternoon sun. A light breeze teased his muzzle, and the Thunderclan tom thought he caught the scent of another cat. He inhaled again, rising on his haunches. Yup, definitely another cat, a Thunderclan youth by the smell of it, he thought, shaking the haze of sleep from his senses.

Raising his head above the colourful stalks and grass of the flower field, Sumemrwind kept his teal eyes peeled. Suddenly, he saw a young apprentice leaping at something...a butterfly! The winged insect seemed to float in midair when the feline jumped, just missing the delicate winged creature. The apprentice landed in a storm of petals he had just caused at his less than perfect landing. Chuckling under his breath, the tom loped over to the young cat, his ears catching the other's words.

"I saw," Summerwind called, stopping near Skypaw, a floppy grin on his face. His eyes sparkled with unsupressed amusement."Nice try Kiddo, but the updraft just swept that lucky butterfly from under you claws."

[Yukin]

Shoot. He hadn't expected to be seen. Skypaw looked up as the tom came nearer to him, and he looked at him curiously. Who was this cat? He didn't really remember faces too well, but at least he smelled of Thunderclan. What his rank was, what he was doing here, and all that important information Skypaw didn't know, but at least he knew that he had a good chance that this tom wouldn't hurt him.

"Well, I had hoped nobody had seen me," he said, smiling confidently. He wasn't going to let this cat dampen his spirits. But something about this tom seemed somewhat... off. Perhaps it was the smile that he was giving Skypaw, or the sparkle in his eyes, that were somewhat close to Skypaw's. "What're you doing here? And who are you?" he asked, looking curiously at the cat as he stood up, flower petals running off of his smooth coat. He wasn't the most polite apprentice you had ever seen, but at least he wasn't too bad.

"Are you talking about the wind taking it? Or my jump? 'Cause personally, I've got no clue why he's not in my paws right now," he said, looking up at the sky, seeing the butterfly had flown higher and further away from him. Looks like that butterfly would have escaped his end today, but there was always tomorrow. He looked back towards the gray cat, studying his form and his smile still, and said, "Name's Skypaw, by the way. I figure if I can ask for your's, you can at least know mine." He took a look at him, again, and gave him another confident smile, and said, "And I bet you know already that I'm from Thunderclan. I doubt you'd do that to another apprentice, am I right?" He didn't really know all of the rules of being a warrior, or a clan member, yet, but he was steadily learning. Curiosity was the key to learning, right? Good, because Skypaw had a lot of questions.

[Seasons]

The amused smile remained plastered on his face. By Starclan, this apprentice sure was a talker, and a strange one at that! Taking a few paw steps closer, the bloom stalks brushing his coat like familiar fingers, he meowed to the young tom's first question, "They call me Summerwind. I too am of Thunderclan." Skypaw was peering up at him curiously, as if he wanted to know anything, everything about him. About the his hunting skills, he replied with a shrug, "Well, I meant the wind took your butterfly away, but truthfully, your pounce wasn't the best I've seen either." The silver tom laughed, his muscled body shaking with humour. He did not do it mockingly, only as a friendly joke.

My, the apprentice had many questions. A mind full of them, surely, Summerwind thought. And it was clear the young one was knew to the clan for he did not even realize the scent of his own clan sewn like a badge on Summerwind's coat. "You're new here, aren't you kiddo?" the tom said, with a slight cock of his head."Who's your mentor? " The warrior almost chuckled. Now who was the one full of questions, he thought with a smile.

OOC: Sorry Yukin for the late reply! I was away on vaca.

[Yukin]

Skypaw was very curious about this tom. He seemed very relaxed with him, which was good in a way, but also bad. Skypaw's attitude could completely do a backflip if anything suspicious came upon him while talking with this Summerwind cat. He had a brow raised, still curious and questioning, his smooth tail flicking back and forth. "It's not like I meant to jump like that!" he said, with the prideful arrogance of an embarassed kit, "That was... practice," he said, nodding his head, a slight angry look on his face. He was trying very hard to hunt and help out Thunderclan, but he was so used to not being seen as he failed at something. It was different when you were with your family, because it was funny; when you were seen by a stranger, it was just embarassing.

The mentor question opened Skypaw's eyes a little, so that they were normally wide and he looked at the tom with wonder and astonishment. "Mentor?" he asked, a little confused, though he knew what a mentor was... slightly. "Yeah, I'm really new to Thunderclan. Don't know a whole lot of cats; you're the first I've had a conversation with, actually," he nodded, a smirk now coming onto his face, "No mentor yet. Nobody's really noticed me." It didn't bother Skypaw one bit that nobody had actually noticed him yet, but he did like having a conversation with Summerwind. "What about you, Summerwind? Are you a warrior? Or... um..." he paused for a minute, trying to think of other positions in Thunderclan that he could suggest, "What are you in Thunderclan?" he rephrased the question, tilting his gray-blue head to the side with curiosity.

(ooc. No problem! My schedule's been hectic too @.@)

[Seasons]

Summerwind found it strangely difficult to tear his teal eyes away from Skypaw's blue ones; they were so wide all the time, brimming with questions! Nodding his head in understanding, the warrior meowed, "Well, welcome to the clan kiddo. And you're right." He flicked his tail at his silver chest, "I'm a warrior of Thunderclan, been here for a while." He chuckled at the apprentice's words. "And no one's noticed you yet? That's cause they haven't talked to you!" If they had, with all his questions, Skypaw would be impossible to ignore, Summerwind was sure.

Gabbering on, the tom continued, "Well, if you want to improve on your hunting skills, you'd better find yourself a mentor soon!" Thinking pensively, Summerwind asked, "If you're new, have you heard of the warrior code?" Getting the sinking feeling in his gut that the youth had not, he meowed, "'Cause I could give you a crash course of Starclan if you like." Hey, it wasn't as if the warrior had more important things to do, other than napping amongst the flowers, the feline thought to himself, amused.

[Yukin]

Skypaw sent a roguish grin towards the big tom, and said, "Thanks. I like being in Thunderclan. Kinda suits the way I am." He was excited now that someone was talking to him. Life as a kit sure was boring when you didn't have someone you knew to talk with, or play with, or anything. Talk about stunting a poor kitten's growth, even in the social department. Skypaw, however, smiled, and said, "I knew you were a warrior! You were all silent and cool when you came up to me; you must be like so awesome!" When Summerwind commented about how nobody had noticed him because he hadn't talked to anyone, Skypaw looked away from the tom, and up at the sky, thinking. "Wait a minute..." he said, looking back and raising a brow again at this tom, "Is that a good or a bad statement? Is it that hard not to notice me once I get talking? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"Who can I get to mentor me?" he asked, outright and ready, his eyes wide with question. "Who's available? Who's the best? Who can teach me how to be the best Warrior I can be for Thunderclan?" he readily stampeded Summerwind with questions, his eyes burning to know the answers. "I don't know a lot of warrior code; I don't know much about anything. All I know is that I'm here in Thunderclan, and that there must be other cats somewhere, but other than that, I know nothing." He had to say it all at once, hoping that once he had answered all of Summerwind's questions, that he would answer his. He really wanted to know how to get better, stronger, and be the best he could be.

[Seasons]

Summerwind laughed heartily, his chest shaking with the force of his amusement. Had the young tom just called him awesome? "Well, I'm may not be that awesome..." he meowed, modest but pleased. As Skypaw shot questions out of his mouth quicker than he could blink, Summerwind wondered why such a talkative tom like him hadn't made any friends with the other apprentices thus far. Well, he did say he was new... Flicking away a red bloom that had blown in his way, he held up on paw to the eager apprentice. "Hold up there, kiddo. My memory isn't as fast as your tongue." Backtracking, he replied, "Yeah, that's what I meant, with you talking so much, how could anyone not notice you? It's better than being meek eh. And about the mentor thing. Our leader, Jacklestar, chooses the mentors...but we haven't had a clan meeting in a while"

At that thought, a frown appeared on his forehead, but it soon disappeared as he remembered Skypaw's question on who was the best mentor. The silver tom gave a suggestive look to the other cat and waggled his brows. "Well...I can't really say who's the best mentor for ya, but..." His words trailed off, but the meaning was obvious. Laughing again, Summerwind continued, "I'm just joking. I'm not the best warrior in Thunderclan, but we all fight with conviction, honour, and loyalty." His tail flicked gently at Skypaw's chest. "Note that as part of the warrior code." Teal eyes catching the apprentice's own gaze, Summerwind's whiskers twitched then stilled with an air of sombrety. "But not all is good in the four clans, that is Riverclan, Windclan, Shadowclan, and us, Thunderclan..." the warrior warned. His voice turned hushed, softer than the buzzing of nearby bees. "I've heard a rumour that rogues are coming, the nasty devils. Keep a sharp eye, Skypaw."

[Yukin]

Skypaw smirked at Summerwind, and nodded his head. "Yessa. You're probably super awesome! Any warrior in Thunderclan is awesome, Summerwind. All of 'em are!" he said proudly, even though he didn't base these statements on facts. He was just confident in the fact that Thunderclan was amazing, and it would always be. However, when Summerwind told him to hold on, Skypaw's ears flopped backwards a little. He had been talking to much, huh? "Well, sorry if I like to ask questions..." he muttered, not really wishing Summerwind to hear. "When will we have a clan meeting? I'm interested in seeing the other apprentices, and getting a mentor. Y'know, that kinda stuff!" he asked, the burning desire to learn and become better clear in both his voice and his eyes.

'Conviction, honor, loyalty?' Skypaw thought in his head, puffing out his chest a little as Summerwind's tail flicked towards it. "Conviction?" he asked, wondering what in the world that meant, "I know honor and loyalty, but what's conviction?" Then, he learned about the rogues. "Rogues?!" he burst, eyes wide, jumping to his feet and staring at Summerwind with awe. "Like, they're coming to attack us, bad?! We should be on guard!? Stuff like that!?" he was either excited or worried, but it was impossible to tell which. "Summerwind, what if---" he trailed off, and bit his tongue. He would have finished, asking about his family being one of the rogues, which was hopefully impossible. He would hate to know that his family, after he was separated from them, became rogues to fight against the clans, and eventually, fight against him. "We have to stop them," he said bravely, fire reaching his eyes, a serious expression on his face. His tail was flicking so that the white streak could look almost like a flag he was waving, though he wasn't going to surrender. He was ready to fight as hard as he could.

[Seasons]

Summerwind saw Skypaw's ears flick back on his head for a moment, then smarter upright again. He thought best not to mention the second of doubt because nothing could really bring the apprentice down anyway. That's what Summerwind liked about Skypaw. "I don't know when the next gathering is," the large silver tom said sagely, loving the feel of the afternoon sun on his fur. At the young apprentice's question of conviction, Sumemrwind cleared his throat and said, "Conviction is when you ask no questions. You do what you must do because it is right. Pour your heart and soul into the task, and you cannot go wrong kiddo." He gave a chuckle at the irony of the 'ask no questions' part of his speech.

The warrior shuffled his paws a little, maybe regretting the telling of rogues to Skypaw. He might have blown the whole thing over proportion, and Summerwind wasn't even sure if the rogues would attack... "Now, don't take my word for fact," the tom said, raising a stern brow and moving to stand beside the apprentice. He began to walk, assuming Skypaw would follow alongside. Just be ready, that's all." At that, Summerwind frowned and rethought everything. "Actually, it migh be best for you to stay in camp if there is an attack. Don't get me wrong or anything kiddo, you've got the conviction of being a warrior, and that's great. but if you don't know how to defend yourself against killer felines...well then, we've got a problem." Summerwind braced himself for Skypaw's eyes widening in disbelief, and his angry words that Summerwind didn't think himself good enough to battle. That wasn't the case. The Thunderclan warrior just didn't want Skypaw to get hurt, or even die needlessly.

[Yukin]

Skypaw could only look at Summerwind, and nodded. He was impatient for the next meeting. He wanted to train, and become stronger, and be a warrior. He couldn't wait around for this forever. He wanted to fight, and hunt, and help out around Thunderclan. Summerwind's definition of conviction sounded exactly like the spirit that Skypaw had, and that he knew he spoke of all the time. "One hundred and twenty percent, man!" he said, smiling widely to show his baby-sized teeth, "That's everything and more that I have! And even more than that goes in no matter what, so that's gotta count for something, right?" He closed his mouth, though smirked slightly, and then joked, "Kinda skipped the 'don't ask questions' part, huh?"

When Summerwind told him that, maybe, it would be best to stay at camp, then Skypaw furrowed his brows at looked at the tom quite sternly. "You really think that?" he asked, standing as tall as he could, looking into Summerwind's eyes. "Being a warrior means that you're not gonna sit back and watch the others get hurt, Summerwind. To me, being a warrior means protecting everything with your life." For once, Skypaw sounded serious, and the way that he looked at Summerwind, with a serious tone in his voice, almost made him seem grown up. "You said it yourself that if I pour my heart and soul into it, I can't go wrong. I can't just sit back at camp and watch, Summerwind. I gotta help." He wasn't completely sure about fighting, but he knew he could do it. "I just need some training... and... like you said," he eased off the serious look on his face now, "Maybe they won't even attack us. But if the time comes..." His eyes flashed with energy again, and his blue-gray and white tail whipped back and forth, as he said, "I wanna fight with you and the other warriors."

[Seasons]

A bemused smile stretched over Summerwind's face as Skypaw spoke of his love for Thunderclan, of his conviction of being a warrior. Not only did the young apprentice have heart, he though with an unfounded sense of pride, but he had soul as well. The soul of a warrior. But the silver's warriors smile turned to a frown as Skypaw spoke battling the rogues. "You are not a warrior yet," Summerwind reminded the gray tom gently, feeling a kindling sense of deja vu. He himself had been the same as an apprentice...heck, every apprentice thought the same way. They would thoughtlessly through themselve's into into a rogue's gaping jaw if it meant living, dying for their clan.

The air seemed to still around Sumemrwind, and he knew there was only one course of action he could take. His teal eyes growing brighter yet darker at the smae time, as if the starts were just winking into the night sky,he bore his gaze into Skyeye's blue one, saying somberly, I will teach you, if it is what you truly desire." Summerwind didn't even know if there was a rule against training apprentices that weren't your own, but he couldn't let Skypaw foolishly join a battle and die. Not on his watch, no way.

[Yukin]

Skypaw looked down at the ground when Summerwind's short comment came up. He knew that he wasn't a warrior; it was common knowledge that not only was he too young, but he was inexperienced. Sure, he could probably give some cat the fight of his life, and he thought he could win, but it wasn't a definite. "I know I'm not a warrior..." he said somberly, and his left eye twitched as he realized the fact somberly. "I'm gonna be a warrior someday, though," he said, raising his head, looking confident again. "Just because it's not official, I can still be a warrior, y'know?" he said, his look changing from confident to questioning, almost asking for reassurance. "I just want to fight, and help, and protect," he said, though not with the same fire he had said that almost same phrase before with.

Summerwind's offer almost escaped his ears, as the wind had barely started to flow into the fields, but he heard it nonetheless. "You sound as if that's a last resort to get me to shut up," he said, frustrated at Summerwind's tone. "I don't want you to teach me just because I'm stubborn. I want to be taught to fight and to train." His motives were very clear, that he would give his life to Thunderclan, even though he hadn't even said it yet. "Summerwind," he said, walking closer to the tom and sitting next to him, and he looked up, "I like the offer, but if you're gonna sound somber about it then you might as well not have said it, right?" His tone was playful, joking with Summerwind, but Skypaw's eyes were shining with happiness. "I'd like to spend time and train with you, but only if you're willing," he said, nodding, and smiled roguishly at him. "Or, at the next meeting, I can get a mentor and then kick your butt someday," he offered, smiling broader. He wanted to cheer up Summerwind, and get his happy attitude back, not the sad tones that had now infected him.

[Seasons]

Summerwind honestly hadn't meant to offend or put down teh young apprentice in any way, but apparently, he had. The warrior sighed, thinking that this is what he got for being serious. The whole somber act never really worked for him. Still, he couldn't help feel irritated at Skypaw. You couldn't just expect to be a warrior, just like that. Not everyone survived battles, not everyone was lucky. The wind began to pick up, playing the fur flat against his broad back and sweeping the flower blooms in rolling waves against the breeze. Raising his voice to be heard clearly above the whispering of the flower stalks, Summerwind said, "I only spoke seriously because it is a serious question, Skypaw." It was the first time he hadn't called the apprentice kiddo. "Warrior-dom isn't all about excitement and glory you know...and believe it or not, it's not only about protecting the clan. It's also about being smart and making wise decisions."

A frown furrowed between Summerwind's brow as he realized he wasn't being easy-going anymore. And apparently, Skypaw did not deal well with seriousness. A small smile curved the corner of his mouth at the gray apprentice's try at a joke. He shrugged non-chalantly. "Another mentor? he asked. "Well, the offer's still up for grabs, but it's your loss. I am the best after all." The silver tom gave a fang-flashing grin, laughter crinkling the corner of his teal eyes. For a moment, doubt assailed him. Did Skypaw really respect him enough to want to train with him? Or did the apprentice simply want a friend because he had not made his own yet? The thought troubled him. He not only wanted to be Skypaw's friend, but a respected elder as well...it was only fair to want to be thought of that way by a seasoned warrior.

[Yukin]

(Sorry it took so long. Finger's are finally healed!)

Skypaw merely looked up at Summerwind, curiosity in his big blue eyes, and after Summerwind's first comment, about the serious question, he started to change. His eyebrows furrowed, and his mouth morphed into a stubborn frown. This was not the Summerwind that he knew so far. He had a very serious side when he wanted to have one, didn't he? "I'm not an idiot, you know," he said, defiance now in his voice; this was not a joke. "I get that. But at the same point in time, making wise decisions sometimes means that you need to sacrifice yourself. Making a wise decision could mean that you go and jump after a kit that's being attacked, or detouring a rabid rebel away from the camp. Any situation can be a dangerous one that's worth your life getting lost in the end," he said in a mouthful, and he nodded surely, still looking serious. "That's why you have to be willing to risk it, no matter what happens."

As Summerwind's words had the hint that he would leave Skypaw's sides, his eyes opened too much to keep the serious expression going. "No! Summerwind, I didn't mean it like thattttttt!" he yowled, tackling Summerwind as a hopeful attempt to get him pinned so he wouldn't run. "You can be my mentor, 'kays?! If you're the best, like I think you are, then you're the mentor for me! Got it!?" There was worry in his voice; it was easy to tell that he was worried that Summerwind would leave and not say another word on the subject.