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Peace
Dec 2, 2007 14:23:41 GMT -5
Post by Mooneyes on Dec 2, 2007 14:23:41 GMT -5
Mooneyes stared into nothingness with her silver eyes. If you don't look hard enough, you might think she is blind and deaf. Mooneyes isn't paying attention to anything, nor does she want to. An uneaten shrew is at the base of her paws. She enjoys this time of peace and quiet, a time that she can have to herself. When no clanmates are pestering her to do this or do that. When no deputy is asking her to go on a patrol.
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Peace
Dec 2, 2007 20:53:33 GMT -5
Post by K a r m a on Dec 2, 2007 20:53:33 GMT -5
Hazelpaw on the other hand was really busy, running from one end of the camp to the other, then out into the forest, and back again. The chore was getting very, very repetitive, but the pale brown tom didn't complain. He would march into the elders' den, pick up a bundle of old, dry moss, then bound all the way over to the other side of the camp where he would use it, and a few dry leaves, to patch up a hole in the wall of the apprentices' den. Mistheart had not specifically asked him to do this, but he slept right by the hole, and the cold draft that usually seeped in was starting to get on his nerves. And especially now that Leaf-Bare was here, Hazelpaw was sure that some of the other apprentices would appreciate this as well. Surely they had noticed the piercing cold in the dead of the night. After this he would pelt back out into the forest to fetch some new, clean moss for the elders, and maybe a mouse or two if the prey could be found. Then he would dash back to the elders' den and start all over again. Passing Mooneyes for about the third or fourth time, Hazelpaw mewed a quick greeting to her, and headed back on his busy way.
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Peace
Dec 2, 2007 21:12:48 GMT -5
Post by Mooneyes on Dec 2, 2007 21:12:48 GMT -5
Mooneyes nodded in greeting to Hazelpaw, now watching the antics of the busy apprentice. She watched as he dashed to one side of the camp, then to the other, then out to the forest, then back to the side he originally started with. The antice made her dizzy as her head turned left and right. For the first time, she seemed to notice the shrew. Blinking her eyes, she suddenly realized that she was quite hungry. She teared at the flesh, chewing contently as she continued to watch Hazelpaw.
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Peace
Dec 2, 2007 21:43:03 GMT -5
Post by K a r m a on Dec 2, 2007 21:43:03 GMT -5
Hazelpaw was back at the apprentices' den now, surveying the shrinking hole for the fifth time. Tilting his head to one side, he noticed that it had grown much smaller than how he had first found it. In fact, it was nearly completely filled up. With a small sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, the small brown tom spat out the bundle of crusty, fall-apart moss he was carrying in his jaws and carefully packed it into the small opening. He then patted a few stray leaves on it and stood back to admire his work. "That should keep the wind out," He murmured to himself before scraping a paw-full of snow over top of it, just in case. Heading back out into the forest, the apprentice passed Mooneyes yet another time. Maybe I can join her after I'm done, He thought to himself, and once he was out in the forest, he quickly caught a vole for the elders. With the prey and another bundle of fresh moss clamped in between his jaws, Hazelpaw rushed back for the last time, dropped the fresh-kill on the ground in the elders' den, and carefully lined up the moss near the stone walls. He then padded over to join Mooneyes at the Birch Tree Stump.
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Peace
Dec 2, 2007 21:57:03 GMT -5
Post by Mooneyes on Dec 2, 2007 21:57:03 GMT -5
"Hi, Hazelpaw." Mooneyes meowed to the hazel-colored apprentice. "Here." Mooneyes pushed an un-eaten rabbit towards Hazelpaw. "I'm not hungry." she told him. Mooneyes had a soft spot for apprentices. After all, Saplingpaw and Streampaw had trained alongside this apprentice not that many moons ago. Letting out a sigh, she returned her gaze to the fluffy clouds that dotted the blue sky, her eyes distant and far away, as though a piece of the sky have lodged it into her eyes. Mooneyes forced herself to finish her shrew, and started scratching at the base of the birch tree, burying the ivory bones.
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Peace
Dec 2, 2007 23:24:09 GMT -5
Post by K a r m a on Dec 2, 2007 23:24:09 GMT -5
"Hey, thanks!" Hazelpaw exclaimed, quickening his pace to get to his meal faster. He was starving, having had to look after the elders for over a few hours now. Not to mention he had patched up that hole in the apprentices' den as well. Pulling the rabbit a little closer to him, Hazelpaw crouched down and sunk his teeth into the soft, juicy flesh, chewing happily. He was glad to be done and over with his punishment. He hoped Mistheart would be satisfied now. He had done more than his share after all. Turning back to Mooneyes, the brown tom swallowed and acknowledged the warrior's heavy sigh by meowing, "What's the matter?" It seemed like such a beautiful day, it just didn't seem right to be upset on a day like today. Hazelpaw looked up at the cloudy blue sky as well, but couldn't see anything worth interest. Maybe he was missing something. Maybe what Mooneyes saw was visible only to her and her alone.
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Peace
Dec 3, 2007 22:43:48 GMT -5
Post by Mooneyes on Dec 3, 2007 22:43:48 GMT -5
Mooneyes seemed to be snapped back into reality by Hazelpaw's meowing. "Oh, nothing." she meowed. "I'm just... thinking, that's all." She scraped harder at the hole, careful not to hit Hazelpaw with any of the flying dirt. Mooneyes dug down deep into the base of the tree, and knocked the ivory bones into the hole. They fell to the bottom with a clinking noise, and Mooneyes turned, and began scratching dirt over her prey. It seemed to take forever for the hole to fill up, but it finally did after a few minutes. When Mooneyes is finished, she proceeded to walk over tho hole, her paw prints embedded in the soft earth. After a few heartbeats, she stepped back and surveyed her handy work. "There." she meowed in satisfaction.
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Peace
Dec 9, 2007 15:15:58 GMT -5
Post by K a r m a on Dec 9, 2007 15:15:58 GMT -5
Hazelpaw watched with interest as Mooneyes buried the bones of her meal. The gesture showed a deep respect for the prey and for the fact that it had given up it's life to provide her with something to eat. Hazelpaw knew this very well, yet he still felt his fur heat up with embarrassment, as he himself would usually just leave the bones lying on the ground somewhere. Rarely had he ever given thanks to StarClan for providing him with a meal. Like most other apprentices, Hazelpaw was usually too lazy to go through the whole process of burying a couple of bones, but when he watched loyal and respected warriors, they always seemed to go through this gesture of thanks, no matter how tiring it may seem. Did that make him unworthy to become a warrior? Quickly finishing his rabbit, Hazelpaw copied Mooneyes' actions by digging up a small hole to place the remains of his meal, sending up a quick thanks to StarClan. He felt like a warrior now, admired and envied by all his apprentice friends.
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Peace
Dec 9, 2007 15:50:24 GMT -5
Post by Mooneyes on Dec 9, 2007 15:50:24 GMT -5
Mooneyes watched in turn as Hazelpaw buried his bones. "Good!" she meowed in approvel when Hazelpaw finished. Blinking her silvery blue eyes at the apprentice, she meowed "You'll be a warrior in no time!" Apprentices should show gratitude for their prey, and Hazelpaw did just that. Mooneyes knew that Hazelpaw will make a great warrior.
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Peace
Dec 9, 2007 21:17:52 GMT -5
Post by K a r m a on Dec 9, 2007 21:17:52 GMT -5
"Thanks!" Hazelpaw exclaimed, proudly beaming up at Mooneyes. "To tell you the truth though, I don't usually do that." The pale brown tom gave his chest a quick lick. "Mistheart is always telling me to do so, but I guess I've never really listened to her. I'll promise you this though; I'll be doing it for the rest of my life now. I just realized that I may never become a warrior if I don't show my prey the proper respect. I don't know why apprentices don't take it seriously when their mentors tell them to bury their bones, I guess they just can't be bothered to take the extra time and show some thanks. I'm not like that anymore though, I think seeing you do it has made me change, though I don't know why I couldn't have changed earlier, having seen it done all my life. Maybe I'll even set a good example for the other apprentices." Hazelpaw couldn't help but to sit up tall and proud. It felt good to finally be able to do what's right. He also felt that his speech had been extremely cheesy and flushed hot with embarrassment.
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Peace
Dec 10, 2007 22:37:34 GMT -5
Post by Mooneyes on Dec 10, 2007 22:37:34 GMT -5
"Don't worry. It's not new for apprentices to not bury their brey bones, even though they know that they should." Mooneyes meowed, then flushed red hot with embarresment when Hazelpaw conplimented her. "I'm glad that I made you change, Hazelpaw." she meowed. "And yes, please do set a good example to other apprentices. They should respect their prey! If there isn't any prey, then we wouldn't even be here!"
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Peace
Dec 18, 2007 23:12:23 GMT -5
Post by K a r m a on Dec 18, 2007 23:12:23 GMT -5
"That's true," Hazelpaw agreed with an eager nod of his brown head. He was just about to say something more, when his ears twitched reflexively, picking up the faint sound of murmuring. No doubt it was coming from a bunch of his Clan mates, gathering around something he could not quite see from such a distance. There had been a sudden commotion on the other side of the clearing, and Mooneyes seemed to sense it right away. Before he knew it, she had left his side and melted into the forming crowd of cats. Curiosity driving at his paws, the brown tom pulled himself to his feet and bounded after the older warrior, coming to a stop beside Faithpaw at the edge of the group. He too noticed the unfamiliar scent that drifted through the air and flooded his nostrils.
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