Drowning those Anxieties [Twix]

[Twineheart]

[ Twix ]

Aspenpaw had been awake for a while now. Having risen from her nest without being called away by her mentor, the young she-cat had found herself eating her breakfast alone as usual. Her quiet dark amber eyes, watching the camp slowly come to life as the early morning melted into dawn. When she realized that Riverleap had probably been called away on patrol, she finds herself wondering towards the camp exit. Her stub of a tail waggling back and forth as she contemplates the exit. The reason being, she was afraid to leave camp. She'd yet to do so alone, since her arrival in the clan only a few short moons ago. The reason being was the trauma she'd endured during a dog attack, that had left her sister dead and her nearly dead. That was how the young tabby had found her way into the clan. 

Staring at the exit, Aspenpaw glances around. Wondering if any of the busy cats in the clearing would allow her to tag along with them. It didn't completely ease her anxiety but it sure helped to calm her nerves. No matter how much she told herself she was safe, she just couldn't rid herself of images of the snarling dog who'd nearly torn her to shreds. Every little noise that came into her ear shot made her jump when she was outside the camp walls, no camp was the only place in the world she felt comfortable currently. Something she knew had to change,

... but how?

[Twix]

Thistletail was on his way out of camp; planning on working on his climbing skills and potentially catching something to eat later. Not many in Sunsetclan were known for climbing, but it was one of his own personal hobbies he tend to enjoy. Luckily for him, at least part of their territory held some trees. The jungle; it held lots of thick foliage and trees, huge trees! He had practiced his climbing many times among them. As he neared the camp entrance, he noticed a cat was standing in front of it, staring directly at it, as if frozen. It took him a moment to finally realize who it was- Aspenpaw. She was a loner who had somewhat recently joined Sunsetclan, when they found her at the border, bleeding to death. Sparrowleaf had saved her, and afterwards she had stayed to live with the clan.

He didn't know much about the she-cat besides the stories passed around by the other warriors; those telling of how she ended up almost dead in our territory, though he had heard multiple stories among the cats of Sunsetclan. He guessed only few of them knew the true story. It seemed Sunsetclan was prone to having rumors and lies spread among their stories- just like Meadowpaw's death. The thought of it instinctively made the tom sink his claws into the sand beneath his paws. The black and white tom did his best to keep the death of his sister off his mind; even though he may have moved on from it, picturing her mangled body still kicked up flames in his belly. Flames of anger that never seemed to fully be extinguished.

Shaking his head to clear away the thoughts and taking a deep, calming breath, he returned to normal and padded over to the she-cat. "Are you thinking about leaving the camp? I could join you, if you'd like."

[Twineheart]

[ Twix]

Aspenpaw had been so focused on the camp exit, she hadn't noticed Thistetail's approach. So when the tom's voice sounded from behind her, she nearly jumped right out of her rugged pelt. Spinning around she stumbles a little into the tom. Flushing with embarrassment, she rights herself and backs up quickly. " Oh I'm sorry!" She exclaims, her voice slightly afraid. Would this tom get angry with her for her totally silly behavior?

Staring at him with her paws tucked under her in a slightly shy manner, she nods her head a little. " I was um... considering leaving..." She admits glancing away and letting her ears flick backwards. " but you probably don't want a silly apprentice tagging along..." She adds shaking her skull and stumpy tail waggling again. " I'd probably just get in the way..." She finishes with a defeated mumble. Here she was with a chance to leave camp and she'd gone and blown it!

[Twix]

Thistletail took a step back from the apprentice after she had bumped into him. He hadn't meant to startle her, and felt bad more than anything else, especially after he heard the hint of fear in her voice when she apologized. What happened to this poor she-cat to be this wary? He couldn't help but wonder. She only made him feel worse as he watched her backpedal from the idea of leaving camp, as if she was a nuisance. Maybe everyone in the clan didn't agree with taking in cats that weren't clanborn, but the topic never bothered him much. Everyone deserved a chance, after all. "It's fine, really," doing his best to reassure her, "If you want to tag along, feel free. It wouldn't bother me one bit."

[Twineheart]

[ Twix Apologies for taking forever to get back to you! I love your icon by the way! Did you make it yourself?]

Aspenpaw felt a wave of surprised relief at Thistletail's words. He didn't seem mad at all! Shocked but grateful at the same time, Aspenpaw scrambles to find words. " Oh... well... if your sure..." She says, her dark amber eyes on his a moment. She nods her head a little and takes a breath to calm herself. " Where... where were you planning on going?" She asks him curiously. Trying not to think about the chance of running into dogs. if she wasn't so afraid of this possibility she might even be excited about leaving camp. but at the moment her belly just writhed with discomfort and fear. Trying to hide how nervous she was, she licks at her ragged fur and straightens up a bit. If I want to stay in this clan I have to be useful... which means leaving camp, she thought.

[Twix]

Thistletail gave a small shrug. "I don't know, honestly. Just out. I was going to see if I could find a rabbit or two.." He could still clearly see her anxiety even though she tried her best to hide it. He wasn't going to judge. If she needed someone to leave camp with her for her to feel safe, that was fine. There were times in his life where he never wanted to leave camp, either. Not because he was scared though, it was because he was too depressed to do anything else. but someone had helped him then; and he'd return the kindness by helping this she-cat now. "If you'd like to pick where we go, feel free. I'm down for anything, and yes, I'm sure you can come."

[Twineheart]

[ Twix ]

Aspenpaw listened to Thistletail speak, her skull nodding slightly so he knew she was indeed paying attention. Her head however spun with anxiety over the fact she would soon be exiting the safety of camp. Gulping down air, she digs her claws into the sandy ground below to stop the shaking of her front limbs. Having glanced down at her paws, Aspenpaw looks upwards dark amber eyes blinking. " Oh well..." she says tail tip twitching nervously. " I suppose we might find some rabbits near the Leafclan border..." She suggests, hoping to keep them far from the twoleg border where dogs might be lurking.

[Twix]

The white tom noticed her front legs shake even though she did her best to stop them. How awful it must be to be this afraid to leave camp. He would have reassured her that it was safe here, but then imagines of Meadowpaw flashed in his head. His sister's mangled body after an innocent night on the territory with the other apprentices. The horror of his realization was that.. it wasn't safe. Anything could happen, anytime, to anyone. Aspenpaw may never have heard of the mysterious case that was Meadowpaw's death, for she had arrived in the clan long after it had happened, but if she did.. it would only increase her anxiety. The fear that she wasn't safe, even among her clanmates, would probably drive the apprentice to madness.

Thistletail hoped she never learned of what befallen his sister. Slowly he let his tail rest against the she-cat's flank, in an attempt to calm and reassure her. "Don't worry, I promise you'll be safe with me. If you want to hunt near the Leafclan border, then that's where we will hunt." He waited to see if his response worked before he moved off.

[Twineheart]

[ Twix Sorry for very late reply ]

Aspenpaw's trembling seemed to calm some when Thistletail laid his tail against her ragged furred flank. She glances sideways at him taking a deep breath, her thickly furred ears perking at his words. She glances away and nods some. " Thank you..." She mumbles, embarressed but grateful at the same time. Feeling somewhat better about leaving camp, Aspenpaw rises to her paws and waits for Thistetail to lead. When he moved the large and rather bulky she-cat followed after him quickly. She kept very close to him, so close in fact that her fur brushed his ever so slightly as they walked out into the Sunsetclan territory. The soft sand giving away under their paws as they trod onwards in the direction of the Leafclan border.

[Twix]

He gave a determined nod before leading the two of them out of camp. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. The tom darted across the sand at an even pace, making it easy for Aspenpaw to keep up with him as he made his way toward the Leafclan border. His strides were graceful, and he was able to run across the sand without his paws throwing up sand behind him. A trait he picked up easily thanks to his tree-climbing hobby. As they began to near the border a few trees poked up along with sparse grass and other growth. He began to slow his paw steps and open his mouth, gingerly scenting the air, checking for signs of prey or danger. He eventually picked up a faint rabbit scent, as if it had run through here earlier that day. He stalked off slowly in search of a fresher scent. He figured Aspenpaw would be off doing the same, after all he smell no sign of any threat. There was no dog, fox, or badger scent at all. Nothing decided to come out into the cold too often anyways; now that it was leafbare, everything seemed to stay tucked away in their dens for warmth. He had to hope to even find some kind of prey to bring back to the camp. So many cats had gotten sick lately with the spread of greencough.. they had to make sure to bring back enough to keep everyone's strength up.

[Twineheart]

[ Twix Thank you for your patience with my slow replies <3 ]


Aspenpaw had followed Thistletail in silence as they traveled. Her anxiety levels seeming to drop as they got further from the twoleg border and nearer the Leafclan one. When they reached the border however she was not very happy when Thistletail broke away from her to hunt. Taking a deep calming breath she has to fight herself not to follow after him. Your safe, she reminds herself scenting no danger nearby. There are no dogs, she reassures herself relaxing slightly and scenting the air for prey. The chilly leafbare wind nips her nose as she attempts to find something worth hunting. At last she does, a small vole could be heard and scented rustling amongst the root of a tree right on the Sunsetclan border. Creeping forward Aspenpaw falls into a rather poor hunter's crouch. Her anxieties and fears had caused her training progress to be stunted. Moving forward she nears the vole, but when within a fox length of the creature she accidentally trips over a stone. The action caused a vibration in the ground that the vole felt and automatically the little creature scurried off into a burrow. Sighing Aspenpaw stands up straight, her stumpy tail wagging back and forth in annoyance with her own clumsiness.

[Twix]

It didn't take long for Thistletail to find a fresh rabbit scent. He instantly dropped into his hunter's crouch and moved silently through the sparse growth in search of it. He caught sight of a bush up ahead that began to shake, causing a few of it's leaves to fall to the ground. He had no doubt that the rabbit was hiding inside. He stalked off silently, moving closer and closer.. when suddenly the rabbit shot out of it's hiding place and straight into the tom's paws. He didn't have time to think- and slammed his paws down on the rabbit's spine. The skinny white creature let out a cry of terror before he had a chance to lean down and nip the back of it's neck, killing it. A low growl rumbled in his throat, feeling disappointed towards such a messy kill. Everything probably heard it's cry and have ran off by now. Great. He should be happy he found something to bring back, but he knew Aspenpaw wouldn't be happy at the idea of moving to a new area to hunt.

He made his way back to the apprentice to find her standing alone, looking rather agitated. She must have missed her kill. He sat his rabbit down at his paws. "It's alright if you messed up, you'll have a chance to try again later. Sadly we're going to need to find a new hunting spot, because this rabbit probably scared off everything before I was able to kill it."

[Twineheart]

[ Twix ]

Aspenpaw who was scuffing the snow with a paw in her agitation, nearly jumps out of her skin when she hears the shriek of an animal nearby. Her ragged fur stands on end and her eyes glass over as she remembers the day her sister had been killed. Flashes of fur, and gnashing teeth. Her sister's bloodied and battered remains laying on the ground. A terrible snarling of the dog who killed her as it attempted to do the same to her. but suddenly Aspenpaw is brought back to the present by a voice. Fur still standing on end, her ears flicker back and she pants some. Her thickly furred ears flickering to catch what the tom said, images of blood and teeth still flashing in her eyes. Shaking her head and blinking her amber gaze rapidly she tries to pull herself together. " Oh okay." She says softly, having forgotten her agitation with missing her quarry. " Just n-not the twoleg border..." She adds voice sounding distant and anxious. " Please." She finishes her eyes pleading.

[Twix]

The white tom's gaze was filled with confusion and sadness. It quickly became obvious that she was having problems again; her eyes stretched wide in horror and her whole body shaking. Thistletail's heart broke to see her so afraid, and he padded up to her slowly and touched his nose to her ear; an attempt to calm her. "It's alright," he whispered softly. "And I'm sorry. You can decided where we go, okay? You can even lead if you want. How about this time we hunt together?" He thought she'd feel more at ease if she decided where to go, and if he stayed beside her this time. While he waited for her answer he went back over to his freshly killed rabbit and snatched it back up in his jaws, waiting expectantly for Aspenpaw to decide where they were headed next.