I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw | Closed

TEAM SHADOWCLAN

wιтcн ⛥

Apprentice

ι do noт eхιѕт тo ιмpreѕѕ тнe world. ι eхιѕт тo lιve мy lιғe ιn a way тнaт wιll мaĸe мe нappy.

29 posts completed

I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw Jul 26, 2016 7:18:23 GMT

Quote

Post by wιтcн ⛥ on Jul 26, 2016 7:18:23 GMT

she was restless. dainty paws carried the warrior towards the tallest tree in the territory -- the great sycamore. being in its presence soothed her, gave her peace of mind, and it wasn't uncommon for her to be found sleeping (rather peacefully) between its roots. sleep had evaded the torbie for the last few nights, and tonight was no different. she'd been on edge as of late, although she couldn't quite figure out the reason why. perhaps it was the threat of the badgers? or maybe it was the growing tensions between herself and her son, hailpaw?

shadowclan scent washed over her, brought in by a gentle breeze. it worried her not, for their territory was just north of the great sycamore. and as she made herself comfortable, nestling between its roots, the worries that made her pelt itch seemed to melt away. she let out a soft purr of content, eyes closing and tail curling around her body.

moments seemed to pass in her mind, though it had been hours and the sky was turning orange and pink with the first light of dawn. the she-cat's fur stood on end and she could feel the presence of another. she opened her eyes with caution, taking note of the shadow that loomed over her, and her heart pounded heavily in her chest from the fear that flooded her veins. inkclaw! and yet it wasn't him. as her green eyes took in the splotched gray pelt and dark tabby stripes, a brief sense of relief washed away her fear.

"hailpaw," she purred, a warm smile spreading across her face. it wasn't long for her smile to turn into a frown, for her son's eyes showed nothing but disapproval -- he'd found his mother dosing underneath the sycamore yet again.

with a shake of her head, the torbie she-cat rose to her paws, shame written across her face. what a disappointment she must be to him. compared to his father...

` r i v e r

Last Edit: Jul 29, 2016 15:25:38 GMT by wιтcн ⛥

TEAM WINDCLAN

` r i v e r

Warrior

aint no sunshine when she's gone

134 posts completed

I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw Jul 29, 2016 7:39:41 GMT

Quote

Post by ` r i v e r on Jul 29, 2016 7:39:41 GMT

Dark eyes darted back and forth amongst the foliage, rich hues of green greeting their owner in newleaf welcome. A warm light, soft orange, fell upon the forest, a telltale sign of the sun’s final hour above the horizon. Hailpaw, having returned from a day of training with Lightwhisker, had set back out into territory just moments after finishing his evening meal. His pacing, an inability to settle down as the other apprentices were doing for the night, spurred his mentor to send him on a quick scan for herbs around the territory. While he found it to be a rather trivial task — shouldn’t that cloud for a brain Peachpaw be doing this? — it was better than being trapped in camp. His paws carried him through ThunderClan territory, taking the opportunity to become more familiar with the landmarks of his home. Dandelion and poppyseed. Dandelion and poppyseed. His nose alerted him of their presence, shifting his direction to intercept their scent.

Another smell muddled with that of the herbs — distinctly cat and obvious from his own clan. Blurry images of early beginnings, the confined space of the nursery, and the soft face of Sorrelfeather began to materialize, recognizing his mother’s telltale scent. Even if they spent many moons apart, Hailpaw knew he would always be able to differentiate it in a heartbeat.Curiosity pulled him towards his mother’s scent, off the trail of the plants he was searching for. What would bring her out this far? And alone, by the sound of it. Back at camp, she had been nowhere to be found for hours, according to Ashpaw, and he doubted she was hunting.

He tasted the air for any sign of distress but, finding none to speak of, approached, scanning the area for the she-cat.

Of course. He should have known.

The torbie was contentedly curled beneath the sycamore’s roots, a sort of bleariness about her that suggested being awoken from a long, deep doze. He scoffed, shaking his head in disapproval and flicking his tail in annoyance. He, for one, was very glad he didn’t inherit her work ethic.

“Mother,” he meowed tersely in greeting, “have a nice... nap?” Sarcasm dripped from his words in plenty and he fixated Sorrelfeather with his mossy gaze.

NOTES: wιтcн ⛥ poor mum

Last Edit: Jul 29, 2016 7:39:53 GMT by ` r i v e r

TEAM SHADOWCLAN

wιтcн ⛥

Apprentice

ι do noт eхιѕт тo ιмpreѕѕ тнe world. ι eхιѕт тo lιve мy lιғe ιn a way тнaт wιll мaĸe мe нappy.

29 posts completed

I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw Aug 3, 2016 4:20:41 GMT

Quote

Post by wιтcн ⛥ on Aug 3, 2016 4:20:41 GMT

despite wanting, quite desperately, to escape her son's scrutinizing gaze, the warrior forced herself to stand her ground. why was it that she shied away from her son as though he would harm her? perhaps it was because he was just like his father, his presence just as commanding as the tom who'd shattered her heart. her son was... intimidating, if nothing else.

"Mother," his greeting was tense, as though he didn't even wish to speak to her, "have a nice... nap?" the sarcasm that dripped from hailpaw's words made her flinch. her own bright green gaze reflected hurt -- was she really such a disappointment to him? she was an excellent warrior, still providing for and protecting her clan when needed. it was just... sometimes she needed time to herself.

"i wasn't doing anything wrong, hailpaw,"she mewed in defense, "i couldn't get much sleep in the camp, and the great sycamore..." she trailed off, green gaze lifting up to gaze at the tree. "it gives me peace of mind, helps me sleep much better." returning her gaze back towards her hailpaw, silence stretched between the two of them.

"so," she finally began, "how's your training coming along?"

` r i v e r

TEAM WINDCLAN

` r i v e r

Warrior

aint no sunshine when she's gone

134 posts completed

I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw Aug 7, 2016 1:10:05 GMT

Quote

Post by ` r i v e r on Aug 7, 2016 1:10:05 GMT

The hurt in his mother’s eyes wasn’t exactly satisfying, but it did strike a chord in Hailpaw that spoke of success. His words had hit home, clearly — he had chosen them well, inflicted damage. She had asked for it by sleeping on duty, right? He regarded her with the same coolness his father tended to, stance rigid and tail lashing.

A moment of sympathy sprouted in his heart at her explanation, his olive eyes softening ever so slightly when she mentioned “peace of mind.” With the turmoil back at camp, the lack of a leader and the threat of a cat-killing badger, he had begrudgingly felt that same discomfort. With everyone on edge, getting restful sleep was no easy feat. But, then again, he wasn’t lazing around in sycamore trees. Now, more than ever, they should be working hard. Not wasting time. The stirring of sympathy faded.

Neither seemed ready to break the silence between them, an awkwardness that should not have existed between mother and son. In his very early youth, six months ago, his eyes were warm, joyful, upon seeing her. Now they just reminded him of what he didn’t want: mediocrity.

“So, how’s your training coming along?”

With this, he sat, curling his tail around his paws tightly. He never minded talking about his training, so his tone lightened a touch.

“Well - of course. Father has been moving me on to more complex moves.” A brief flicker of ambitious glee lit up his gaze, hot and fiery. “He says soon I’ll be able to take on half the clan.”

NOTES: wιтcн ⛥

TEAM SHADOWCLAN

wιтcн ⛥

Apprentice

ι do noт eхιѕт тo ιмpreѕѕ тнe world. ι eхιѕт тo lιve мy lιғe ιn a way тнaт wιll мaĸe мe нappy.

29 posts completed

I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw Aug 8, 2016 4:43:36 GMT

Quote

Post by wιтcн ⛥ on Aug 8, 2016 4:43:36 GMT

the shift in his tone was just what she was aiming for. she knew little about her son -- all thanks to his father -- but his greatest passion was training. inkclaw had made certain of that when he was but a kit. and while his brother had been playing games suitable for a kit, hailpaw had been training with his father. she'd hated it, wanted her son to be a kit while he could and not have to grow up so fast, but there had been nothing she could've done.

such a coward... i allowed inkclaw to morph hailpaw into everything he's become. how could she have been so weak, to allow her son to follow the same dark path his father was on? "Well - of course. Father has been moving me on to more complex moves." why was this not surprising? what was inkclaw thinking? did he want their son to grow up thinking that fighting was the answer to any and all problems?

"well," she mewed, forcing a smile to her face, "that's wonderful." silence fell between them once more and the torbie she-cat's heart broke because of it. this wasn't right, this awkward silence between mother and son. she had never wanted it to come to this, yet here they were. starclan, how she hated inkclaw for sinking his claws into their son so young.

` r i v e r

TEAM WINDCLAN

` r i v e r

Warrior

aint no sunshine when she's gone

134 posts completed

I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw Aug 10, 2016 23:02:27 GMT

Quote

Post by ` r i v e r on Aug 10, 2016 23:02:27 GMT

The heavy silence in the air was palpable and thick. Sorrelfeather's words hung between them, falling like stones after a few moments of the prolonged halt in conversation. When speaking with any other cat, Hailpaw seldom found himself lost for words — rarely had to struggle to converse. Although they were not always kind, they came easily. He looked at the laboured smile on her face, so forced it looked sad, and averted his gaze. Why bother with the false happiness? Even a squirrel could pick up on the awkwardness of the encounter. The strange churning feeling in his stomach rose up to his throat, a lump forming. He swallowed hard, returning his hardened eyes to hers, which seemed laced with heartache.

The eyes he inherited from her. So similar to his own olive green. A clear familial relation. A quiet memory of dappled shadows on the nursery floor came to mind, soft fur and gentle affections...

For a brief moment, he allowed Father to exit his mind, allowed the constant thought of him looming over his conversations to fade away. For all Hailpaw was, all the aggression and coolness and ambitions, the she-cat before him was still his mother, as different as they were.

He took a minute step forwards, his stance relaxing noticeably if she was paying attention. His voice lost the cruel tone, settling into a neutrality that couldn’t exactly be described as warm but lacked the iciness of before.

“I haven’t really been sleeping that great, either."

NOTES: wιтcн ⛥

TEAM SHADOWCLAN

wιтcн ⛥

Apprentice

ι do noт eхιѕт тo ιмpreѕѕ тнe world. ι eхιѕт тo lιve мy lιғe ιn a way тнaт wιll мaĸe мe нappy.

29 posts completed

I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw Aug 11, 2016 8:56:08 GMT

Quote

Post by wιтcн ⛥ on Aug 11, 2016 8:56:08 GMT

her smile faltered once hailpaw's gaze, a much darker shade of green than her own, shifted away from her. her heart ached at the lack of communication she shared with him -- why did it have to be this way? it wasn't for lack of effort on her part, either. she'd tried, time and time again, to build a relationship with her detached son, but to no avail.

he was always busy with his father, a factor the autumn-colored she-cat had absolutely no control over. she only wished...

his gaze returned to her and her breath hitched in her throat. there was so much pain, so much heartache, swimming in those green pools of his. ~~"i haven't really been sleeping that great, either."~~ no matter how different she and hailpaw were, she was still his mother. she had given him life, had brought him into this unforgiving world and, although it took her a moment to muster up the courage, she now stood before her son.

she stretched forward, pressing her nose ever so lightly to his forehead. times are troubling right now, hailpaw. she mewed, her voice as soft as the gentle breeze the rustled the sycamore's leaves. but things'll get better, you'll see!

` r i v e r

TEAM WINDCLAN

` r i v e r

Warrior

aint no sunshine when she's gone

134 posts completed

I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU, Hailpaw Aug 18, 2016 4:01:04 GMT

Quote

Post by ` r i v e r on Aug 18, 2016 4:01:04 GMT

The cool touch of Sorrelfeather’s nose, soft as a butterfly, made Hailpaw freeze, eyes widening and tail falling limp to the floor. He flinched, though it was a movement born out of surprise rather than disgust, and blinked. It took him a moment to register her words, which caused him to scoff at quietly.

“but things'll get better, you'll see!”

Her optimism grated on his nerves, but the dark tom bit his tongue, shifting a touch backwards to retain the level of personal space he required. Only in battle training did he dare allow another to maintain any sort of physical contact. He hadn’t grown up with tender touches, not for moons now — flinched upon any sort of warmth and compassion. The sad truth was that most the time proximity to another often translated to punishment and discipline. His mother leaning forward could have led to anything; a cuff across the ears, a cool shove against his shoulders. Her gentle act of affection was unexpected and, though his initial reaction was to pull away, was not entirely unpleasant.

The tabby tom sighed, eyes displaying just a sliver of the confusion his heart felt.

“Do you really believe that?” his voice was softer now, lacked the venom that it often did. He felt suddenly exhausted, the anger radiating from him just minutes ago drifting away like a leaf down a fast-moving stream.

NOTES: wιтcн ⛥