[PRP] Grumpy-Puss (Treebark/Nettlepaw/Watch)

[belloblossom]

Jolene - No, wait, it was Nettlepaw now, was having a hard time adjusting to Clan life. Ha! If she was honest with herself, from the moment she'd been born into the world, she'd really had a hard time adjusting to life, period. The life she came from, the life of a kittypet, leaving her perfect mother and her perfect sister and her perfect kits behind... the memories of her past and her choices would haunt her until she found her place in the ground. That's one thing that she appreciated about LostClan: they didn't believe in a wishy-washy afterlife. It sounded like their fellow Clan cats believed that upon your death you were launched into the sun, burning for eternity...? She hadn't been totally listening when Lostsun had been telling her the basics, if she was honest.

She wasn't free from lengthy explanations, either. Lostsun had given her a teacher, or a "mentor" as they were called in this Clan. Why did joining a regular group of cats have to come with all this new vocab? It wasn't enough that a Clan cat's name seemed to change every other day, but there were ranks and seasons and expressions like mousebrained and it was all so much tedium to get through it all. Still, it was the job of her mentor to try to explain it all to her.

Nettlepaw rolled her eyes to the roof of the Apprentices Den. That was another thing - everyone had to nest together, based on their ranks. Kittens and queens - mothers, but never fathers - got to stay in the Nursery. Medicine Cats had their own den as did Leaders, but everyone else had to bunch together. It was humiliating, to be put with the other apprentices, cats so much younger than Nettlepaw was, but they were all on the same level of warrior experience. Experience... experience she would have to gain, even though Lostsun had seen fit to give her the grouchiest mentor, it seemed, in the entire Clan. Someone who matched Nettlepaw in attitude, certainly. Nettlepaw wondered not for the first time since the start of her apprenticeship, if Lostsun's goal was to get rid of two troublesome cats with one blow, by having Treebark and Nettlepaw claw each other to death.

It won't do me any good to prolong my training today. If I spend much longer in the den, she very well may come and drag me out of it. Nettlepaw thought with a shudder, getting to her paws. She padded out of the Apprentices Den and cast her gaze around, squinting in dim lighting. Now, where was her mentor? @DragonGirl1031 @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

Watch had been awake for a while now. He'd always been an early riser, but as his fur had gone from grey to silver, he found himself less able to bed down for the entire night. More often than not, the silver tom would rise from the nest he shared with Petalfrost to walk the moonlit forest. Today, he sat on the gnarled root of Warbler's Call, resting after one such walk with his eyes closed and face lifted, enjoying the early morning breeze.

It was nice, Watch thought, this new life he had found. To think that only a few years prior he had been wandering the river, lost in this strange place so far from his ocean home. Now he had a purpose once more, a mate and children, a job to do. Particularly ones that didn't mind his wanderings. Watch flexed his claws, accompanying his stretch with a wide yawn. He would be leaving again soon, yes. His paws were starting to itch for another adventure. But today, a patrol would have to suffice.

His ear flicked and those sunset eyes of his followed the sound. "Good morning, Nettlepaw," The older tom purred in greeting, his voice a rumble of water over stone, "Settling in well?"

@belloblossom @DragonGirl1031

 

[DragonGirl1031]

She wasn't sure how she'd been so lucky to be saddled with this particular apprentice. Perhaps it was LostSun's way of getting back at her for something? Maybe she'd leave a nasty mouse present in his den as payback. Treebark smiled to herself as she gave a long stretch. It was another day of trying to beat the clan's ways into her unwilling apprentice. The she-cat gave a soft sigh and heaved herself to her paws.

A quick grooming and she was ready. Surprisingly her apprentice was already waiting for her; along with another member of the clan. "Nettlepaw, Watch. Good morning to you both. Are you ready to go?" She'd have to show Nettlepaw the edges of the territory they claimed, and warn her about what to watch out for. It'd be nice to have an older set of paws along to help out.

@belloblossom @Blinded By Silence

 

[belloblossom]

Nettlepaw was surprised at the accompanying voice of another LostClan cat. She turned her head to see a silver-furred tomcat with thick fur around his muzzle and neck. It must be a hassle to try and groom himself, she thought as he approached and asked her about whether she was settling in well or not. She scoffed.

"Hardly." She replied. "Everyone's so odd here. There's so much to learn about the customs or culture here and it's all so much effort just to bring myself out from my nest." She sighed and rolled her eyes to the branches above, the trees looking all and imposing from the ground view. "But if I don't get out of my nest, Treebark will have my hide. She isn't that much older than me - and she wasn't even born into this, so I don't know why she has to act like she's better than me just because she's my mentor." She was explaining exasperatedly to the tomcat across from her. "I'm not going to let her push me around - I don't let any cat push me around." She said defiantly, sticking up her chin at the very idea of it. Nettlepaw had had more than enough of other cats bossing her around.

After a moment of thought and reflection, however, hesitation crept into her expression and she crept closer to the older tomcat, lowering her mew in hopes that her question wouldn't be overheard by every cat in LostClan. "Though... I don't know how things work with mentors and apprentices, either." She looked to the tomcat, who seemed old enough that he may know more about the Clan workings than she. "Are mentors allowed to punish their apprentices? We're called warriors when we grow out of apprentices, so are mentors allowed to get vio-" Her question was cut off by the arrival of her mentor.

"Speak of the monster..." She muttered under her breath and then turned to face Treebark, her shoulders bristling defensively. "Ready to go where? You haven't told me anything about where we're going or what we're doing? I haven't eaten yet. Can't we wait until I've eaten at least?" She asked her mentor, trying to keep the frustration from her voice. @DragonGirl1031 @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

"Mm, well. Isn't everyone odd everywhere?" He chuckled to the once-housecat, "But that's the fun of it. Learning how other cats live their lives, the in's and out's, the why's and how's. It gives you perspective. All cats could use a bit of that, regardless of where they are born and raised." The old tom stood to his full height now and shook out his long fur as he let his new clanmate gripe. Ah, growing pains never changed, regardless of one's age. He could sit and explain to this she-cat that apprenticeship was not about seniority and that warriors did not always mean battle-ready, but, it was not his place. His bright red-sun eyes watched just over Nettlepaw's shoulder at her approaching mentor. The old cat cleared his throat as she moved within earshot to save the grumbling apprentice from embarrassing herself.

"Well met, Treebark, good morning," He called his voice loud enough to cover Nettle's mumbling, "I am ready, yes. Thank you for allowing me to shadow you on patrol this morning, I hope I'm not interrupting Nettlepaw's training?"

@DragonGirl1031 @belloblossom

 

[DragonGirl1031]

She gave a stern look to her apprentice. Teebark could have sworn she told Nettlepaw exactly what they'd be doing this morning. She had, hadn't she? Well she'd give Nettlepaw the benefit of the doubt for this one. "We are doing a patrol this morning. Meaning we are refreshing our clan's boarders and making sure nothing dangerous has crossed them."

The she-cat gave a nod of her head when her apprenticed asked to eat first. "You may for this. Keep in mind if we were charged with a hunting patrol we wouldn't be allowed to eat until the rest of the clan had been fed first." The tone in her voice brooking no argument that this was the law and it would be followed. "Go grab something from the pile, one piece for each of us." She turned to look at Watch, "unless you've already eaten?"

Treebark smiled. "You are always welcome Watch. Of course not. She needs to learn to work with others as well."

@belloblossom @Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By Silence]

"No, no. Not yet. I usually wait until Petalfrost has woken, eat with her and the children." His long tail swishes behind him, "But they'll all be well into their day once we've returned, so, I'll join you, yes." To Nettlepaw, he adds, "Mouse, if there is any. It's my favorite. Well, rat, but we don't find many of those around here. Thank you."

He settles down again, ready to break his fast for the day, "I think that may have been the hardest thing for me when I was learning the ways of the Warrior. Back on the Sun Chaser, it was every cat for themselves. We ate when we could, there was always much work to be done."

@belloblossom @DragonGirl1031

 

[belloblossom]

Upon hearing Watch's words, Nettlepaw began to get the impression that she was talking to the wrong cat about her feelings. He seemed jolly, like he'd never seen hardship in his lifetime. How like a tomcat to speak down to her about how 'everyone is odd'. Next he'd tell her to see the good in every cat. She turned away to her mentor, pushing down the feeling of rising bile in her throat. Finding that her mentor was giving her what could only be described as a stern look, she took pause and then braced herself for conflict.

Nettlepaw glared right back at Treebark, going so far as to flatten her ears as she demanded.
"What?! What's with that look? I was just asking a question. Aren't apprentices supposed to ask their mentors questions?" She simmered down when Treebark said that she could eat before they went out and she sighed her frustration out. Nettlepaw did not like the feeling that she was getting falsely accused, but with Treebark, this seemed to be commonplace. How was Nettlepaw going to get through this? Five whole moons was the SOONEST that cats became warriors, but in LostClan, you needed a special story, apparently, to become a warrior. Stories needed time to build and how was she supposed to get a good story with her mentor being so icy all the time? Not to mention that she still had to learn how to hunt and how to fight, too. LostClan was so... so... peculiar!

When Treebark told Nettlepaw to bring back one piece of prey for each cat present, Nettlepaw's eyes looked to Treebark's own looks with mock concern.
"Why, Treebark, is there something wrong with your legs that you can't get your own prey? Maybe you should stay in camp and rest while Watch and I go out!" She mewed, her voice verging on babytalking her mentor. When Watch expressed that he wouldn't eat until he met up with his mate and kits, she glanced at him and after a half-second, nodded to him. Well, at least that was one less cat she had to worry about, apparently. @DragonGirl1031 @Blinded By Silence

 

[DragonGirl1031]

She smiled that Watch usually ate with the others. "We're happy to have you join us today." Treebark listened to Watch talk about the old days. It sounded hard. Not being able to rely upon others and having a lot of work to do. It was much better to share the load.

Sunclan help her! This apprentice simply could not take a hint! Treebark took a slow deep breath. Clearly she'd have to spell it out for Nettlepaw. "I never said you couldn't ask a question. That look as you put it, was to reenforce my statement. There are rules here and they will be followed or you will face the consequences." Treebark did her best to keep her voice reasonable and calm despite Nettlepaw already wearing on her last nerve first thing in the morning.

The snark Nettlepaw had been showing all morning, coupled with her last comment was the final straw. Treebark snarled and lightning fast reached out a paw to smack Nettlepaw a top the head. "And apprentices should do as their mentor instructs! Since you cannot do that, YOU will STAY with the kits while Watch and I go out for the patrol." She was on her paws with her tail fluffed out as she glared at her apprentice. "Surely even YOU can manage that."

Now she would have to go to Lostsun to have another cat assigned to the patrol so they could go. She hoped there was a spare cat who could join them. Why did her apprentice have to be so difficult!

@belloblossom @Blinded By Silence (I'm so sorry for the late reply. and Treebark loosing her temper. XD )

 

[belloblossom]

Nettlepaw was not having a great morning and honestly, while she'd been looking for community among other cats, she was close to having it with her mentor. This entire Clan seemed so... so backwards! Her dumb mentor should be teaching her how to hunt and fight, the only two things that you really needed in order to be a capable cat and warrior. She didn't need to be spoken down to like she was the same age as an average apprentice - she was a fully grown cat, for goodness sake!

"I understand rules." She growled. "What I don't understand is your method of enforcing-" Her next jab was cut short when Treebark struck her. Her claws may've been sheathed, but it still left Nettlepaw's ears sore and she leaped to her paws, her own claws out and digging into the ground. She would not fight, would not lower herself to her mentor's level, but this was an indignity that she would not stand for.

"What is your problem?!" She yowled. "You... You think you can bully me into submission by hitting me? Would you strike a kit because it didn't understand your rules? Would you attack your fellow Clanmate for giving you attitude? You're unpredictable and mean and I do not deserve to be treated by you or anyone else like this! LostClan was pitched to me as being a welcoming home to all cats, from all walks of life, but you have only expected the impossible of me! How am I supposed to learn from any cat who so clearly despises me?" She whirled around to Watch. "And you! You do nothing to stop her! If this is the hospitality of LostClan, then maybe I don't want to be here! You can fight amongst yourselves, but I'm... I'm going to go talk to Lostsun this moment about you." She struck an accusing paw out, barely remembering to sheath her claws as she pointed at Treebark. "Let's see if you ever get an apprentice again, you mangy, coldhearted, menace of a teacher!" She spat, turning around, her tail lashing her eyes full of angry tears.

It wasn't her fault. None of this was her fault. Treebark treated her like a kit who hadn't opened her eyes yet, but seemed to expect her to be able to do and know everything that a cat who had been born into the Clan could. Her entire world had been flipped on its head, time and time again and she'd wanted to find some sense of stability away from the Twolegplace. Everything had seemed so friendly when she'd come to join LostClan, but clearly that was just a façade! No, she couldn't be at fault here. It was clearly the faults of her mentor, or of Watch for just standing by and watching her - in fact it was all of the Clan cats who just watched her struggle and never stepped in.

It's not me. It's not me. I need to get out of here. They'll never believe my word over one of their own, if they're all like Watch and Treebark. She thought. Still... the least she could do would be to tell Lostsun she was leaving. @DragonGirl1031 @Blinded By Silence

(This is the last post I'll be making for Nettlepaw in this RP! I look forward to whatever she leaves in her wake and thank you for helping me figure out what direction my snobby she-cat wanted to go in next! <3 )