[viv]

dawnpaw

he/they ○ thunderclan ○ apprentice

the sun goes down, and i feel the light betray me

There were so many rules about hunting. Dawnpaw had learned this quickly: you must hunt in your own territory, you must respect the prey that give their lives so that you can eat, and you must feed the clan before you feed yourself. The first he could understand-- there was never enough to go around. The second, maybe, he guessed. The third? No. How was someone supposed to hunt on an empty stomach? It didn't make any sense.

Though Dawnpaw was quite certain that everyone must swallow a mouse or two while out on the hunting patrol, Dawnpaw did not say anything, nor did he partake in it himself. He didn't want Thunderclan to have more reasons to single him and his sister out; they had to do their best to fill the freshkill pile as much as they can.

Unfortunately for Sparkpaw, this meant being woken up before the sun had even lifted over the trees in the territory. Dawnpaw drew his forelegs down into her fur, trying to nudge and shake the apprentice into consciousness.

"Sparkpaw!" He hissed into her ear. "Wake up, we have to go hunting!"

 @riley

[Riley]

Sparkpaw was dreaming. She dreamed she was fighting one of the other Clans, and that there were cries and screams and yowls about her. Her claws were tinted red with the blood of other cats, and her own maw was covered in the stuff as well.

Rather than being scared or worried, Sparkpaw was elated. Battle was where she thrived. A split second reaction could mean the difference between life or death, for yourself or a loved one. All of her senses came alive.

The shaking was weird though. Was there an earthquake? A tree or a stone falling? Sparkpaw found herself pausing, 'brow furrowing in thought as she looked around.

The dream dissolved, and Sparkpaw found herself awake with her beloved brother trying to practically shove his paws through her rib cage. "Whaaaaat?" she whined to him, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. "I don't wanna go hunting. Hunting is boring. Can't we go taunt one of the other Clans instead? Or see if Acorntwig needs help? Or find a fox to stick our heads in it's mouth? Literally all three of those sound more fun than hunting."

Whining aside, Sparkpaw forced herself away from her warm nest and shook her pelt out. That was as much pelt maintenance as she scared to do.

viv

[viv]

dawnpaw

he/they ○ thunderclan ○ apprentice

the sun goes down, and i feel the light betray me

Dawnpaw scoffed, his paws still bouncing into Sparkpaw's chest like he were trying to revive her.  "But I'm hungry," He came the protest. "And they keep saying we can't eat until we feed everyone else first! So we have to hunt!" Plap, plap, plap, his paws went, before his sister brought herself from her nest. He started padding out of the apprentice den.

It was a dewy morning; the kind that offered to bring a scorching afternoon later. He shook himself out and considered Sparkpaw's other colourful suggestions. He was pretty sure that she was being sarcastic about the fox, at least. "We're not allowed to go to other clan territories, I think," his little nose scrunched. There were so many rules to remember. "And I don't wanna eat leaves for Acorntwig. I wanna eat real stuff like-- like mice and, uhh... birds and..." He hesitated.

Anything that's not twoleg pellets, was what he meant, really, but he did not say out loud. He was partially confident Sparkpaw would understand fine enough.

He shook himself out a second time to dismiss the lingering taste of stale kittypet food from his tongue, the memory bringing a sour scent to his nose. "Besides!" He went on, marching out of the tunnel leading into the forest. "Maybe if we catch a whole bunch of prey they'll make us warriors before anyone else. And then we'll be the best." He nodded.