I wake up and chase my dreams (stag)

I can do anything, anything, anything

[attr="class","itdscroll"]Alligatoreye turned on his paws, thick body balancing precariously on his big paws, and he bounded up towards his leader, chin dipping respectfully, belying the mischief that giggled in the breathy spaces between each of his words. His hefting movement was reminiscent of a clumsy apprenticehood, filled with tripping and tumbling into the river, each memory soaked with the same cold water and embarrassment that had accompanied each incident. The young warrior came to a halt in front of Magpiestar and mirrored the older tom by seating himself too, eyes wide open with curiosity. He wondered if sitting so regal and majestic just came naturally, or if Magpiestar had been practicing it throughout his long, long lifetime. The mild warning in Magpiestar's words did not escape Alligatoreye, who ducked his head again, his recalcitrance costing him. "Alligatoreye, you are young indeed if you still believe I am granted such luxurious long sleep. I do hope you haven't sunken to the point of mocking an old man." Alligatoreye coughed and rolled his big shoulders, resisting the urge to shuffle his paws together like an embarrassed apprentice. The desire to mock and tease was so strong that he was a sharp inhale short of swallowing his tongue in an effort to hold all that facetiousness back.

"I am quite sprightly," he agreed with a chirpy meow, only to mouth the word sprightly a beat later, making a face. Alligatoreye was fairly certain he'd never uttered that word before in his life. Was he blushing under his fur? He was. That was fine. This was fine. "I don't think I have yet," he replied to Magpiestar's question, recalling the warning tone all too well. Having Riverclan's esteemed and austere leader eye him with that heavy gaze was a humility check in of itself, which was never something he'd admit, being a self-proclaimed and proud dashing rebel. Nonetheless, a confrontation with Magpiestar's calm words caused him to wilt like a drought-heavy flower. Alligatoreye bit his tongue in a concerted effort not to add anything else, as what he'd said was already doubtful enough, but the young tom simply could not resist. If Honeyrose were here, she'd either be stepping on his paw or shaking her head in sheer disgust; Alligatoreye couldn't say that he'd blame her either. "But I bet I can trust you to correct me if I do," he said and died inside. 

TAGGING stag

I can do anything, anything, anything

[attr="class","itdscroll"]The older tom was smiling faintly, but that was before Alligatoreye spoke, and he ended up facing a disapproving brow instead. The younger tom flicked his tail and glanced away, squinting at the river, as though by focusing on the immense force of nature behind him, he might escape the fur-clad one before him. Alligatoreye found himself unfamiliar with the sensation of disapproval from any sort of father figure, having not really had one, and so he tried to shrug away the itchy feeling that rose up from within his intestines and crawled down his spine, spider-legs scritching away at his skin. "After all these moons, you still have not asserted yourself over your own wandering tongue." Alligatoreye coughed, tail twitching again, and dragged his eyes from the shining white caps of the river back to his leader, who was gazing at him like Alligatoreye had just stepped on a kit, or maybe a very small apprentice. He's one of those old cats who's got the disappointed-parent stare down, the younger tom thought, inanely. He cleared his throat and wrapped his tail around his own big paws, subtly stepping on the spastic tail tip to prevent his tail from twitching right out from under its own skin. "I hear that I assert too much too," he meowed and stepped harder on his tail, hauling his gaze up so that it stayed on the other tom and didn't flee like an abashed kitten. He was embarrassed at his own display and couldn't imagine what Honeyrose's mortification would be like, if she were here to witness him right now. But now stopping felt as though it would require biting on his tongue and Alligatoreye wasn't looking forward to that pain.

"If you need correcting, my son, it is already too late." Ah, well, this I can deal with! Alligatoreye allowed himself to slouch, shoulders slumping with relief as he reverted to his patented smirk, eyes brightening up. There was nothing quite as awful as letting someone down, though Alligatoreye was still trying to deny he'd felt at all contrite just now. Alligatoreye didn't do contrite. Not in his nature, not one bit, the tom nodded to himself firmly and meowed, "If it's reassuring at all, Honeyrose used to. But now that I'm her voice and my own, it's a little harder to keep me in check," and he released his tail tip with this statement, chuckling to himself to think of the silent hell Honeyrose would be raising right now. "Would you like to fish with me, Magpiestar?" He meowed, tilting his head toward the river and its flashes of fish scales spin-wheeling amid the sun's reflection and white caps of foam. The river was in true beautiful form, if Alligatoreye were of a mind to appreciate such a sight; his gaze was fixed upon Magpiestar instead, fascinated despite his juvenile pride. He felt the alien urge to prove himself, despite his words, and was unsettled by said urge. The silence appeared to stretch on for miles in his ears, like pulling his head apart from one eardrum to the other, and Alligatoreye blurted, "I'm much better at fishing than shutting up, I can promise you." 

TAGGING stag