Starclan's Claws Site News

[hearth{rebirth}]

H I C K O R Y S M O K E
clumsy thunderclan warrior

It was just ahead of him, oblivious to his presence. One...no, two--three more pawsteps and he could dig his claws in deep to his prey. His mismatched eyes, one a blazing, liquid gold, the other a fierce blue, were narrowed, his short tabby pelt blending amongst the scattered leaves and the hard earth beneath his paws. His lanky form was held in a crouch that he had practiced and learned well over many moons. His ears were sharp, his muscles taut, and his tail was stiff behind him. Each long limb carried him forward effortlessly, belly fur nearly brushing the ground, his movements measured and as silent as a wraith.

The warrior arched his back, digging his long black claws into the hard soil as he rocked his haunches slightly to side to side, preparing to launch himself forward. Ready...now! Unhooking his claws from the soil, he darted forward, his brown tabby fur a mere blur as he landed hard on his victim, tossing it up into the air as he swiveled, dirt flying up around him, preparing to catch it as it fell to the earth.

The leaf fluttered down slowly as Hickorysmoke, a mature warrior of ThunderClan, rolled over on his back, purring and batting at it with his forepaws, sending it up and down...up and down in a constant motion. He knew he should be hunting for the Clan, but he had already caught two mice and a vole--surely he could play for a little while. He was only just out of apprenticeship after all; sometimes he wanted just to act like a kit again. Once the leaf had been properly mutilated by his long claws, Hickorysmoke rolled upright to sit down, washing his flank.

'What are you doing, Reaperclaw? Gloomypaw?' the gangly tom wondered mentally, and closed his eyes. His mind sought out those of his brothers. Through Gloomypaw's eyes he saw the edge of the forest, near Sunning Rocks, and smelled the sweet scent of chamomile, along with the threat of a rainstorm looming. He felt another cat behind him, one he felt a great respect for. Assuming it must be Sirenwhisper, Gloomypaw's mentor, he let his thoughts flicker to Reaperclaw. His heart was beating hard in his throat, every muscle stiff--a rabbit nibbled on a patch of clover in front of him.

Pulling back, as to not disturb Reaperclaw in his hunting, the tom opened his mismatched eyes and looked around with a lazy smile. A bright-winged butterfly floated leisurely by on the breeze and Hickorysmoke batted at it absentmindedly, causing the insect to jolt a little in mid-air before it rose back upwards, out of his range. The tabby followed it with his eyes until it was out of sight.

[Coffin]

From the edge of the Sandy Hollow, a pair of eyes watched Hickorysmoke's grand battle with the leaf. The eyes were dark blue, the color of fresh bruises, but seemed to lighten as they watched his energetic play. He looked like he was having such fun-- enough that she was tempted to give up her space in the shadows to join him.

She could take a few steps, couldn't she? Just take a couple of steps and walk into the open. Maybe she could say a few friendly words, something light and nice. Something normal. Hadn't she watched normal cats long enough to fake normalcy herself? It would be easy, right, easy to take a few steps and say a few words. Easy.

But she didn't. Instead, the slender she-cat stayed where she was, where it seemed like she'd always been-- in the shadows watching. There had been a time when she had, quite literally, been stuck so far down in a deep, dark pit that she had often thought she'd give up anything to be around others again. Times when she had welcomed pain just because it meant she wasn't alone anymore. But the funny thing was, after she'd made it out of that deep, dark pit, she was still alone.

Her fault, of course. She hung back from others, a shadow of silver and black. Watched them rather than interacted with them. It felt like she was often in a little bubble, floating along with her Clanmates but somehow seperate from them.

In the shade cast by the pines ringing the training area, Knottedpaw hunched, thinking only of how fun it might be to go and join Hickorysmoke. To play with leaves and talk about nothing. Instead, she sat, a slender figure with huge eyes like bruises, not hiding, exactly, but lingering back.

[hearth{rebirth}]

H I C K O R Y S M O K E
clumsy thunderclan warrior

Hickorysmoke was chuckling quietly to himself as he lay on the warm earth, gazing upwards, the mangled leaf now resting on the soft, almost fuzzy, white fur of his chest. The sun warmed his brown tabby fur and he closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation, the wind carrying a scent past his nose. His mismatched eyes opened suddenly as he scented another cat, and he tensed before relaxing as he realized it was another ThunderClan cat, a apprentice, most likely, by the smell. The warrior didn't bother to get up, wriggling around before turning over to lay on his side, flattening the leaf under his lean body.

He stretched out his long, powerful legs, parting his jaws in a yawn, tongue curling as he enjoyed the sensation. Closing his maw, Hickorysmoke tilted his ears, listening to the sounds of the forest around him. Opening his eyes halfway he peered leisurely, but discreetly, around the Sandy Hollow, trying to locate where the other ThunderClan cat was without being too conspicuous.

There--a blotted shape that didn't quite fit in with the foliage and the brush, half-hidden amongst the shade of the trees, but not done intentionally. A small smile tilted the edge of his muzzle, and he was half-curious as to why the other cat didn't come out to play. Deciding to invite them out in the most open way possible, he lazily climbed to his paws, digging his claws into the ground as he arched his back, stretching before relaxing.

"I sure wish some other cat was here," Hickorysmoke meowed, as if to himself, trying to put a distinctly mournful note to his voice. He sat down hard on the sandy earth of the Hollow, his long legs stretched out on either sides of him, too long to tuck against his sides and making him look a little silly, though he didn't realize it. "Being all alone is so...saddening."

[Coffin]

Knottedpaw enjoyed watching the warrior. He seemed to be having fun with his leaf, amusing himself as he tossed it around. The tom wasn’t that much older than she was, at least she didn’t think he was. Slender Knottedpaw’s training had been delayed, so instead of having the skills of a senior apprentice she was more on par with one near the middle of their training. If she was right, and she couldn’t be sure since he was too far away for her to make out his face clearly, this was Hickorysmoke. The one whose brother was the Medicine Cat’s apprentice.

She didn’t know him that well, seeing as most of her time was spent with her mentor. It was harder for Knottedpaw to catch up with the other apprentices; which was probably why Hickorysmoke had become a warrior before she had. Not that the young she-cat minded. She would be named when she was ready. She had faith in that.

Watching the tom, Knottedpaw was almost certain it was Hickorysmoke, she rested her head on her paws. He was certainly well-built, wasn’t he? Perhaps it was shallow, but she couldn’t help but notice. Even from the less-than-ideal vantage point she had, she could tell he had a strong, athletic form beneath his handsome coat of brown tabby. Closing her eyes, Knottedpaw began to ‘sketch’ in her mind the way he had looked with the leaf.

She had only just begun when he spoke, gently shaking her out of her thoughts. Opening her eyes, Knottedpaw absently swiped a paw over her face, awkwardly unable to reach the stinging pricks in her scruff. Ah, well, that was fine. It was more of an itch than a pain. Anyway, she was used to it. Lowering her paw again, the silver apprentice blinked slowly as she listened to his voice, floating towards her on the gentle breeze stirring the air. He sounded so somber, she thought, as if he’d bored with entertaining himself.

Finally, she took a deep breath, sidling out from her cover of leaves. The black rosettes on her otherwise brilliantly silver fur looked like dabs of the shadow clinging to her pelt as she tentatively took a step closer to the lolling warrior. “Perhaps you shouldn’t kill your playmate in the future.” Knottedpaw suggested with a shy smile, giving the mangled leaf a pointed glance.

[hearth{rebirth}]

H I C K O R Y S M O K E
thunderclan warrior

Hickorysmoke's ears swiveled upwards as he heard the other cat emerging from the brush, and his eyes slid fully open, both of them resting on the she-cat who emerged. A smile stretched over his muzzle and he straightened to a more elegant sitting position, his long striped tail brushing through the dusty earth behind him. A apprentice, certainly, he noticed--perhaps a bit younger than himself, this was Knottedpaw. Her fur was certainly lovely, Hickorysmoke noted absently, rising to his paws and glancing down at the leaf that had been flattened under his body as he heard her speak.

For a moment, he was embarrassed that she had seen him being so kit-like, a hot flush rising up underneath his fur. Mere seconds later, he shook it off with a smile on his muzzle. Hickorysmoke was just happy she had come out to talk with him. Perhaps she'd like to play with him? Clearing his throat, the brown tabby blinked his mismatched eyes almost mischievously before he spoke.

"Well, I can't help that," he quipped, his voice playful and warm as he raised his black-tipped tail high up behind him, as if in greeting. "I'm just so strong, you know, that no other can stand against me." He lowered into a playful crouch, scooping up the remains of his first playmate and tossing them in the air. The pieces of leaf scattered to the wind and Hickorysmoke watched them attentively before turning a warm, friendly gaze to his new companion.

"You're...Knottedpaw, right?" he asked genially, taking a few pawsteps forward. The sunlight filtering through the small gaps in the trees that ringed the Sandy Hollow cast dapples that played over his short tabby fur. "I'm Hickorysmoke, one of the newer warriors." Most of the Clan knew one another, but it was courteous to introduce yourself, or so Hickorysmoke believed.

[Coffin]

Knottedpaw giggled slightly at the warrior's silly response, her eyes following his paws as he scooped the remains of the leaf into the air. It fell to pieces as it drifted downward and her paws itched to bat at some of the drifting bits. Instead, she took a slight step forward, batted her eyes at the older tom. "Oh, yes. That leaf knew the risks, didn't it?"

So he was Hickorysmoke. He confirmed. And he even knew who she was. "Yes, her. I mean, yes, I'm Knottedpaw." The she-cat stumbled over what she was saying; her lack of communication skills combining with her painfully shy nature. "You're the, um... the one who--your brother's the medicine cat's apprentice, right?" She asked curiously.

As he took steps forward, she shied back slightly. It wasn't very noticeable, just a duck of the head mostly. The she-cat hadn't dealt much with other cats, let alone handsome, older toms.

[hearth{rebirth}]

H I C K O R Y S M O K E
thunderclan warrior

Noticing the way she ducked her head, pulling back slightly from him as he approached, Hickorysmoke stopped politely and sat down on the ground a tail-length from her. He washed a white forepaw and drew it over his face twice. Upon hearing her first question, his ears seemed to prick up. "Oh yeah. It knew the risks when it began to taunt me," Hickorysmoke growled, trying his best to sound threatening, his tail flicking behind him.

Her next question made Hickorysmoke pause, then sigh good-naturedly. 'Gloomypaw, you're so well known now,' he thought with a smirk on his muzzle, amused. The black tom had been so timid when entering the Clan, and had now gained a position that (if he were to succeed the current Medicine Cat) would bring him a lot of attention. No doubt his small brother was feeling the pressure already to succeed. And if Gloomypaw ever became the Medicine Cat...he'd have all eyes on him, for certain..that'd make him even more skittish than he already was.

"Yeah, I'm his brother," meowed the tabby, lifting his mismatched gaze to Knottedpaw. He heaved a dramatic, heavy sigh and tossed his head to the side, bringing one paw up to his chest, over his heard. "Alas, all cats seem to know me only because one of my brothers is the Medicine Cats' apprentice..." He wondered if Reaperclaw was getting the same treatment...yeah...probably.

[Coffin]

Knottedpaw couldn't help but laugh at Hickorysmoke's oh-so-threatening growl. Eying the scattered remnants of the poor, dead leaf, the silver-pelted apprentice nodded sagely. "Ah, yes, those oak leaves are mouthy buggers. But their confidence never matches their abilities." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, changing the deep, bruised color to something lighter.

She could tell he noticed her instinctive flinch away from his approach-- embarrassed, she dropped her eyes. It had become a habit to shrink away from others, to try to fade into the background. It was also something she had to work on if she ever wanted to be a warrior. What good would a warrior be if she was always hiding from her enemies?

Her eyes lifted again to dart over his face and once again she was struck by how it was a good, easygoing face, as he spoke about his brother. Afraid she had insulted him, Knottedpaw mewed, "I just... I remember when you three first came but, I, well." Knowing she would start stuttering again, she paused and took a breath to steady herself. "His was the only name I could remember. Because, um, I remembered when he and--and Sirenwhisper announced his apprenticeship."

[hearth{rebirth}]

H I C K O R Y S M O K E
thunderclan warrior

Hickorysmoke considered his new companion with oddly serious gold-and-blue eyes, his long striped tail wrapping around his haunches and coming to rest over his paws. She seemed a little nervous around him, he noted privately to himself, and lifted his head slightly, vowing to make her realize she could relax a little around him. Maybe she was always like this. She certainly seemed shy, not coming out to greet him at first...ah, well, this warrior could change that!

"That's understandable. No matter how much he tries to blend in, Gloomypaw always manages to stick out like a badger in a fox's den," the tabby meowed with a lighthearted mrrow of laughter, giving her the friendliest look he could muster. A sparrow darted across the sky overhead, and his eyes were instinctively drawn to it, his thoughts turning briefly to the fresh-kill he had buried before back to the cat opposite him.

Hickorysmoke's mismatched eyes were lazily half-lidded as they turned to Knottedpaw. "By the way, I wanted to ask you something," he remarked casually, flopping down on his side and lounging in the dusty earth, ignoring how it billowed up a little around his lean form. He blinked at her hopefully, his face upside down. "Do you like to play?" He squirmed around in the sandy earth for a moment, it coating his sleek tabby fur and making it dull and dusty.

[Coffin]

Knottedpaw fidgeted slightly, her paws shuffling, as Hickorysmoke's two-colored gaze studied her. What was he looking at? As casually as possible, she licked a forepaw and swiped it over her muzzle. Dropping her eyes again, they never seemed to meet his for very long, she absently washed her whiskers.

She didn't really need to be so nervous around him. After all, he'd been perfectly friendly and good-humored. He was pretty funny, actually. Still, even knowing that, she couldn't help being shy, giving him a tentative smile as he joked about his brother. "I bet that would be interesting to see. A badger in a fox's den." She laughed a little trying to imagine it.

"Oh, really?" As he flopped down, Knottedpaw raised an eyebrow in bemusement. Some of the dust that came up stuck to her wet whiskers, but she didn't mind. "Play?" The apprentice asked with a grin. "What's that?" Haughtily, she stuck her nose in the air, the effect ruined by the way the corners of her mouth twitched. "You're going to have a heck of a washing to do after that." Knottedpaw observed, her tail flicking back and forth. On impulse, she batted a gumball at him, grinning as the prickly little ball stuck to his now-dusty fur.

[hearth{rebirth}]

H I C K O R Y S M O K E
thunderclan warrior

Hickorysmoke purred a little, almost happy to be so dirty with his fur dull from the dust, and pushed himself to all four paws. He rocked his haunches back and forth, as if preparing to pounce on something, lowering into a half-crouch, his eyes glowing. "I don't mind! It only takes a little while!" he meowed, and blinked as she flicked a prickly ball at him casually with a forepaw. It snagged in his short tabby fur and he grumbled, flopping down on his haunches and dipping his head to pry it away with his teeth.

It tickled and pricked his nose and he nearly sneezed but pulled it away and spat it out, wrinkling his nose. "Yuck," he declared seriously, before turning to Knottedpaw, his tail swishing back and forth. "You sure you don't know what playing is?" His voice was teasing, his mannerisms not unlike those of a kit that was hungry for the attention of its nursery-mates and eager for the joys of simple play. Hickorysmoke stretched out his long legs luxuriously and peered at her hopefully.

"I'll just have to teach you!" He declared, his voice still playfully teasing, but it held a bit of seriousness. His warm, bright eyes darted around the clearing before they rested on the small ball she had flicked at him and a smile stretched his maw. He snagged it with a forepaw and pulled it closer to him. Lowering himself slightly, he batted it towards her so that it skidded over the warmed earth, bouncing a little, almost invitingly.

[Coffin]

Knottedpaw, a fastidious sort of cat, could not, for the life of her, see what it was about getting dirty made Hickorysmoke so happy. One could say staying clean was almost a religion for her and, in many ways, she used washing as a kind of prop. It was a throwback to when she had been younger and keeping her fur clean was one of the few things she could control.

Still, she had the funny urge to roll around in the dust now, seeing how much fun the tabby tom was having as he did it. Ducking her head to hide her barely stifled chuckle as he mumbled and grumbled at the sticker-ball, her ears pricked forward as she replied, "Well... I have this idea about play... Isn't it supposed to be fun?" It was said with mock coyness, and she batted her eyes for effect.

"Teach me? Why, how thoughtful of you." Knottedpaw smiled, a genuine, dazzling smile without any veiling shyness. Raising an eyebrow at the tom, she continued, "You certainly look to be an expert at play." He flicked the gumball back at her and, tracking it carefully, she crouched instinctively. Tail-tip flickering from side to side, the she-cat did a stiff-legged pounce, coming down right on top of the little ball. It prickled her paws a little, but her pads were so tough it didn't really hurt at all.

Neatly, she nipped it up in her teeth, then glanced over at Hickorysmoke. "Grrr, want some of my tasty rabbit?"

[hearth{rebirth}]

H I C K O R Y S M O K E
thunderclan warrior

Hickorysmoke's eyes lit up with satisfaction as he saw her pounce on the round, prickly ball, and his tail swished back and forth in pleasure. Good, she was going to play with him after all! Lowering the front part of his body so it his chest was inches away from the ground, he swayed his haunches back and forth playfully. "I'd love some!" he mewed, his mismatched eyes glowing faintly. "I could use some tasty rabbit to fill my belly!"

His paws curled slightly, as if clenching on to the flaky, sandy earth below him, and, moving his body slightly in a movement not unlike a dog shaking itself, a shower of dust came from his pelt. Hickorysmoke was somewhat glad his pelt didn't keep in dirt, dust or water very easily. Normally after getting dirty, all he had to do was shake himself and his coat would be back to its sleek, shiny brown tabby color. Though it was a bit sad--he did ever so like being dirty. It made him feel as if he were breaking rules, and being mischievous.

"Oh yes, and I'm the master of play! The very creator of play!" Hickorysmoke meowed in response to Knottedpaw's earlier comment. His coat glowed under the sunlight, and he chanced a glance upward. A cloud passed over the sun briefly, shrouding the Hollow in dimness, before it drifted away. Oh, to be like a cloud...such a thing was so far out of reach, but it still appealed to the tom, who enjoyed his freedom as much as he enjoyed his play.

Turning his gaze forward, he considered Knottedpaw with a focused, but mischievous, gaze, slinking forward, belly inches from the ground. His eyes were on the ball she held between her teeth, and by the way his tail was swishing back and forth, as if he was about to pounce, his intent was obvious.

[.:Archangel:.]

OOC: Grawr. I'm too lazy to log out of Arch's account. Which she should have done herself, but, meh. Whatever.

Knottedpaw tossed the little ball high into the air, pouncing on it again as it came down and bounced around a little. "Nope, sorry. This rabbit is so fat and tasty I think I'll have to eat it all." Teasingly, she nabbed the stickler-ball again, head and tail high as she pranced around with it. Truth be told, she looked quite silly, but she didn't really care at the moment.

She was having too much fun.

Pausing, tipping her head to the side curiously as he crouched down, Knottedpaw realized too late what Hickorysmoke was doing. The gumball fell from her muzzle as she tried to hop out of the way, but she still ended up with a face full of dust. "Ah-CHOO!" She sneezed squeakily, inhaling some of the powdery grains. Giving him a pout, which amounted to a pained grimace on her face, she snatched the ball up again. Her words were garbled around it as she mewed, "Why, what a dust storm you created, Hickorysmoke!"

It was so out of the ordinary to see the young she-cat so carefree. Normally she maintained a quiet, almost mysterious aloofness from her peers. It cost her some to keep that distance, but she'd never felt completely comfortable unless she could check for room to back up. So it was a shame that, as Hickorysmoke began to edge towards her, the guarded look came back into her eyes. Misreading the impish gleam in his two-toned gaze, the ball dropped from her mouth as she took a step back.

[hearth{rebirth}]

H I C K O R Y S M O K E
thunderclan warrior

The lean brown tabby froze immediately in his careful advance as soon as he saw Knottedpaw drop the ball in her mouth and take a step backwards. Hickorysmoke straightened up to a standing position, taking a few pawsteps back, as if he was being respectful. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered, sounding quite different than his usual carefree drawl and dramatic way of speaking. A voice so usually filled with confidence and carefree playfulness was reduced to this...He sounded strangely like his brother, Gloomypaw, who often spoke in broken stammers and mews that were filled with uncertainty.

He felt the urge to step forward, to ask Knottedpaw why she had suddenly got that guarded look in her eyes, but sensed that she'd just step back the further he went. He felt self-conscious and a little hurt, believing that he had somehow done or said something wrong. It was all just harmless play...right? Hickorysmoke's gaze was drawn to his white paws, and he studied them as if they were the most interesting thing in the world, his banded tail laying in the dust behind him.

Then Hickorysmoke's blue-and-yellow eyes lifted as he looked at her, his ears laying back slightly on his head. What caused her to step back? 'Why? Does she think I'm going to hurt her or something? I don't understand this at all...' the warrior thought, a little melancholy. His eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation, replaying the words he thought. His body was stiffened slightly, muscles tensed under his tabby coat. 'What...what is wrong...? Knottedpaw?'