mission failed [Timberpaw]

is...is this Windclan's border?


Hailpaw was on his own personal journey to Fourtrees. ever since the gathering, his mind has been reeling in the mystery bathing Morningstreak's death. and everyone seemed so busy or tense that not only him but most of the apprentices were complaining about slowed training sessions. so it just gave him more time to think, more time to get bored and restless. it wasnt a random decision, either. this was all planned out. carefully. like, days. he mapped out from camp to at least the edge of his territory before Fourtrees, he stole a traveling herb mixture from the medicine cat den, even waited for the right cat to be on guard so he could sneak out. it was flawless. except one thing.

now he was completely lost.

or, well, he was. but this overwhelming stench and the moors that stretched out ahead of him definitely spelled out Windclan. how did he get here?! it was a straight shot from the edge of his territory to his goal! well, he did get carried away and explored a little bit. maybe he got his directions confused? either way, this was definitely not where he wanted to be.

and it was really late to think anymore than that because, although there were way too many new scents to register any threats, he heard the brushing of paws through soft grass. without even processing what he was doing, he dove into a bush, his brightly white tipped tail twitching nervously out from the twigs.

TIMBERPAW.
weep for yourself my man, you'll never be what is in your heart.
weep little lion man, you're not as brave as your were at the start.

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The grass tickled his paws cowered as the predator prowled onward. His whiskers quivered with anticipation, jaws parted to drink in the wind-choked air. His muscles were tense, held in some variation of the hunter's crouch. Then the wind shifted and it hit him. That scent. That stench. That whatever-it-was-that-didn't-belong. Timberpaw's head shot up, pale green eyes round like a deer caught in the headlights. There was a glimpse of something pale that was there and then gone, just barely visible between the skyward reaching blades of grass.

Timberpaw froze, his breath caught in his lungs. For a moment, the apprentice just stood there, waging an internal battle of his own. What was that? A shiver lulled along his spine - three parts terror, one part curiosity. Why does it matter? You're absolutely alone, just leave! Out of sight, out of mind, right? Leave it to Timberpaw to talk himself out of any kind of confrontation. It was probably just a rabbit anyway - but that was much bigger than a rabbit. A rabbit does NOT smell like that. W-what if it follows you back?! Cue another spike of terror. Timberpaw - you're fine. Breathe. It's okay. Be a warrior! Do your duty! Yet he was absolutely terrified.

Slowly, Timberpaw crawled forward. He placed each paw gingerly, as quietly as he could - it hadn't occurred to him that his very presence had been the cause of commotion in the first place. Timberpaw craned his neck through the tall grass, green eyes round and weary. And then he saw it, the long, feather tail that breached from hiding.

It moved!

Timberpaw just about leapt out of his fur right then and there. He gasped, scrambling back and fumbling on his paws. "W-What are you doing!? You can't be here!" The tom tried to sound assertive, yet he had no assertive bone in his body. The apprentice's voice wavered with tense uncertainty. He crouched (more defensively than anything else) and green eyes never strayed from that brilliantly white tail.

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your grace is wasted in your face, your boldness stands alone among the wreck.

ooc: this post is really incoherent and awkwardly written. it'll take me a while to get back into his character, haha. also, i feel like the dark text is too hard to read - i may change that.

oh no! he was caught!

as soon as he heard the nervous shout behind him, he tore out of the bushes, leaving clear evidence of his past residence. then Hailpaw whipped around to face his enemy head on. he honestly didn't process the all but threatening tone in the stranger's voice, but he was in mid-panic, and it wasn't until his yellow eyes examined what he was dealing with that he let himself calm down. jeesh, this cat was more afraid of him! so, from what he could gather, this was a male Windclan apprentice. and, judging by how the poor thing handled himself, the apprentice didn't seem any more experienced than he was. not that it seemed like he would put up much of a fight anyway.

but he was cute. and Hailpaw didn't want to judge him based entirely on this alone. besides, he couldn't leave now. the apprentice would most definitely run back to camp and alert his leader of his, well, trespassing. whether the white tom meant to do it or not, technically that was exactly what he was doing. and if he wanted to do any more investigating, he could not let this get wind to his leader. he was just lucky that he wasn't caught by a patrol!

Hailpaw let his fur flatten comfortably and let his tail lower, trying his best not to spook the apprentice away. any wrong move and he could go flying toward camp. but he had to be quick about this. any second a patrol could still come. especially if he came with a patrol. cats could come searching for him at any minute! the anxiety of the situation had the tip of his tail twitching, but he stepped closer calmly and fluently. "Hey, calm down! It was an accident. I was on my way to Fourtrees and I got turned around--"

he looked at him with comforting eyes. "Hey, I'm Hailpaw, by the way. What do they call you?"

TIMBERPAW.
weep for yourself my man, you'll never be what is in your heart.
weep little lion man, you're not as brave as your were at the start.

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The other apprentice whirled around like fury white lightening, squaring up to Timberpaw as if he were going to put up a hell of a fight. His heart caught in his throat as he locked eyes with the trespasser. Feline talons slid out of their sheathes, purely on instinct, which rooted Timberpaw where he stood. Thank Starclan too, for he might have turned tail right then and there.

For a moment, Timberpaw wasn't sure what to do. The two toms faced each other - the air thick with tension and aggression. The Windclan apprentice hadn't really thought this far ahead, and to be honest, he was more concerned about facing whatever onslaught this intruder brought on. But then something seemed to change. The aggression faded from the stranger's demeanour, his fur began to flatten and his tail lowered. Timberpaw eyed him cautiously, hardly aware of his exhale of relief when the other relaxed. Still, he couldn't be too sure.

The stranger took a calm and assured step forward, fixing Timberpaw was reassuring eyes. The tabby rocked his weight back, but couldn't refuse the comfort he felt from the stranger's complete one-eighty in attitude. This was no enemy, at least not yet - if he was, he must have been an evil mastermind of sorts. "Hey, calm down! It was an accident. I was on my way to Fourtrees and I got turned around--" The intruder spoke genuinely, stroking some particular heart string that made Timberpaw compelled to trust him. "Four trees? Why do you want to go there?" Cue the curious tilt of the head.

The white tom introduced himself to be Hailpaw, was it because his fur was as pale as the hail that fell in the blackness of night? Timberpaw almost envied that name - it almost seemed silly that he might carry a name attributed to the forest, when he came from the moors. He might as well have been named 'Barkpaw' or 'Treepaw'. "Pleased to meet you, Hailpaw. They call me Timberpaw." Pleased to meet you? Was it really a joyous occasion? After all, each predator stared down the barrel of their enemy, momentarily locked in mutual understanding.

"You're from Thunderclan, right?" Timberpaw remained where he was, but inspected the apprentice with curious green eyes. He wondered what it was like to live in the forest, under the cover of leaves and weaving branches. Was it confining? Claustrophobic? The tabby took comfort in sleeping under the lights of silverpelt. Speaking of trees: "I-I can take you to Four Trees, if you would like." Why was he offering to help the trespasser? Perhaps it was because Timberpaw knew, had the roles been reversed, that being stranded in enemy territory would have him on his wits end.

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your grace is wasted in your face, your boldness stands alone among the wreck.

"Take me?"

Hailpaw stiffened in surprise at the offer. it wasn't like it was a bad deal, it was just sort of, out of nowhere. he did take notice Timberpaw's vast change in temperment. instead of fear sharpening his eyes, his gaze wondered over him in curiosity. so it wasn't as if Hailpaw didn't notice Timberpaw soften up a bit. but enough to take a tour on territory that wasn't even theirs?

although, this cat's name did compete in this confusing game he was playing. it was almost as if they had switched clans from birth. Timberpaw, tabby and named after a tree, was way more Thunderclan sounding than Hailpaw, both which his name relating to weather/sky and his pelt more Windclan than a Clan that hardly suits him with his bright coat. it was weird. but he honestly couldn't imagine it being any other way. maybe he could have adapted to moor life, but the trees comforted him much more than any star could.

but now here he was, asking to be escorted by an enemy cat, knowing well that both of them could get in serious trouble. but that isn't the thing that was putting Hailpaw on edge. it was the jab at his pride when Timberpaw clearly suggested he would have no idea how to get there by himself. and besides, he found the idea odd of such a skittish apprentice leading him around. he felt a sort of need to be dominant in Timberpaw's presence.

but just because Hailpaw didn't want to be taken there, didn't mean Timberpaw was out of the picture all together. "No! No, it's fine! I had it all planned out--I just got turned around--I'll be fine!" the white tom quickly answered, smiling nervously. then his eyes brightened. "But--maybe you could tag along? I need help investigating the events that took place last gathering. And you would be perfect."