[ti]Open[/ti]Looking for that Thicc Tail

[Meow]

Scorchpaw hadn't seen even a whisker of Fattail around the MothClan camp. He hadn't gone looking at first, for fear that the cats of MothClan might grow suspicious of him poking around, but he was growing a bit worried for his friend. The fluffy tom's kittybrows furrowed slightly as he sat outside the apprentices' den, honey-colored gaze searching for a lone cat he could question. Perhaps it wasn't wise to let everyone know why he had decided to come to MothClan, to admit that he had developed some kind of relationship with Fattail, but he couldn't wait any longer. He needed to know the whereabouts of his friend.

Just then, a thick-coated orange tom caught his eye as he was passing by- another apprentice who appeared to be the same age as him. "Excuse me," Scorchpaw mewed, stepping in front of the other tom to cut off his path. A bit rude, but Scorchpaw was impatient... he needed answers. "I don't mean to interrupt your current task, but I'd like to know if you have knowledge of the whereabouts of a warrior named Fattail." Scorchpaw's words were smooth as he spoke to the other apprentice, though, inwardly, he was a bit annoyed. Surely Fattail hadn't been hiding out in the territory for several days straight. That would be lazy, and Fattail was anything but lazy.

[silverfang218]

Lionpaw has decided that he needs some food; he’d been hunting today, even though the medicine cats would likely disapprove considering how recently it was that he’d been hurt, so he feels like he deserves a nice piece of freshkill. His amber eyes blink in surprise when a big fluff of an apprentice steps in front of him. It takes Lion a moment to find the other apprentice’s face in that glorious mane of smoky fur, realizing that this must be Scorchpaw, the IvyClan leader’s defecting son. Honestly Lion respects Scorch for that, for looking for where one truly belongs no matter what everyone else says or thinks. Lionpaw manages to meet Scorchpaw’s eyes… until the smoky apprentice asks after Fattail. Lion’s eyes widen a bit, and he looks away before answering to try and hide the many emotions that flitted across his face. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Fattail died not all that long ago.”

It was likely common knowledge that Lionpaw was the only one who had seen what happened to Fattail, as there was no body to be found (since Fatty got hit by a train and all) and the only reason anyone knew what happened to the lazy warrior was Lion’s frantic telling of a story about how Fattail didn’t look where he was going and step in front of the giant monster. Seeing as how witnessing such a thing would upset most warriors, few if any MothClan cats had thought it strange how upset Lion became when speaking of it. “He died when he was hunting with me… wasn’t looking where he was going. Was unlucky; tried to cross the monster tracks as one of those giant monsters was running by.” Lion mumbles the story, sounding thoroughly distressed by the memory; he’s not faking the distress from the memory, only the reason behind it.

[pebble]

Jaysong had been returning from a solo patrol, a rabbit in her jaws, when she had seen Scorchpaw looking around for someone or something. She flicked an ear in concern as she set her rabbit down on the kill pile, working her way over to see what was up when her ears caught the words Lionpaw had said. Instantly, her green hues clouded with grief and she dropped her head, dragging her paws as she joined the apprentices.

"Fattail was a good apprentice. I enjoyed training him," She mumbled at the memory of her second apprentice. She had failed him. "H-He worked hard, honestly." He had met her expectations and for that, he had worked hard enough. She had failed to warn him about the trains enough, she supposed. She wouldn't make that same mistake twice.

[Meow]

Scorchpaw's kittybrows relaxed as Lionpaw quickly broke the news. The smoky-furred tom's expression immediately dropped, leaving behind blankness as Lionpaw looked away, continuing to explain what had happened to Scorchpaw's beloved Fattail. Perhaps StarClan liked to play tricks on him- perhaps they were displeased with his disloyalty, his thoughts of leaving his mother behind, and they figured they would hurt him as badly as he'd hurt his clan.

Fattail was dead. He'd been... run over by a monster.

Scorchpaw's chest ached with grief as his gaze dropped to his paws, his tail slowly lowering to rest on the dusty ground. Fattail had been the very cat who had given him the courage to do what his heart desired, to walk on his own path, and Scorchpaw would never get the chance to thank him. To think that the great Fattail had been so inattentive... had he not gotten enough sleep the night before? Whatever the reason, Scorchpaw had to close his eyes as he silently mourned his lost friend.

He would make sure everyone remembered Fattail's legacy.

Scorchpaw's eyes only opened once more as someone else joined the apprentices, a silver, green-eyed she-cat whose countenance was heavy with loss and grief. Her words made his ears perk, though he waited for her to finish her thoughts before he responded.

"So... you were his mentor. You must've been very proud of him," Scorchpaw mumbled seriously, his gaze a bit intense as he stared at the she-cat unblinkingly. She, his former mentor, had known him best. She'd taught him everything he knew... something about that thought made his fur prickle. "I met him at-" There was a breath of pause in his words, though he quickly continued his sentence. "a gathering. I was down on my luck, but he offered me advice that gave me the courage to follow my dreams... I was hoping to tell him so, but..." Scorchpaw's lips drooped in a slight frown, something that only happened when the tom's heart was completely broken. "I suppose... that's not possible."

[silverfang218]

Lionpaw nods solemnly as Jaysong joins the conversation, recalling that Jay had been Fattail’s mentor not all that long ago. He can’t imagine Fattail being a very good apprentice, what with his unwillingness to do much other than sleep, but he’s sure that Fatty appreciates the sentiment from his mentor anyways, wherever Fatty is up in StarClan. Unfortunately for this little group, Fattail is not watching or listening at all right now.

Lion blinks as Scorchpaw tells the story of how he met Fattail. Unable to help himself, the moment Scorch is done speaking, Lion blurts out, “I’m sure he already knows.” Lion looks up, his eyes a bit wide as he responds in a way to try and reassure the fellow apprentice. While Lion does believe in StarClan, he’s never quite known what to think of the starry ancestors in the sky. He’s not quite sure why he’s decided to talk about them at all now, but he feels like he needs to step up and reassure Scorch that his gratefulness has been heard by Fattail. “After all, he’s probably looking down at us right now. He can see how grateful you are; from what I knew of him, I’d bet he’d be really happy he was able to help you.” Lionpaw tried okay, he’s not quite sure how to do this comforting thing.

Fattail, however, is not hearing a word being said about him. He had checked in on Milkkit earlier today, then found a nice, sunny place to take a good, long nap. He’s currently having a perfect dream; in the dream, he’s laying in a warm meadow with a certain white kit crawling all over him telling him all about her day.

[pebble]

Jaysong nodded, head bowed respectfully. "Agreed." She muttered in response to Lionpaw, sitting down so she could wrap her tail around her paws. She chewed her tongue absently, struggling not to break down crying. "He would've appreciated the words you've said, Scorchpaw. He was a gentle soul. A little lazy but, I couldn't have asked for a better apprentice- and friend." She muttered. She had sat silent the night she found out he had died. She still couldn't believe he would just waltz in front of the monster like that.

Clearing her throat, she lifted her head, deciding it better to remain strong. "Though, I'm sure he wouldn't want us moping about him for forever, right? We ought to remember him happily, not in this sad matter." She offered a weak smile to the younger apprentices as she twitched her whiskers. It had hit her hard, really. She had reared him up, trained him the best she could, and he went out in the next few moons. It broke her heart, honestly, but she was remaining strong for his sake.

[Meow]

Scorchpaw didn't quite feel the reassurance that Lionpaw had hoped to instill in him, though he appreciated the ginger apprentice's efforts, sending him a grateful nod. A great warrior like Fattail probably didn't have the time to be checking up on Scorchpaw, after all; he was likely busy up in StarClan, surrounded by adoring she-cats and fans he had earned during his lifetime. He was sure all of StarClan had greeted him warmly, and that took away some of the tom's sadness. Fattail may have been gone from his world, but he was out there somewhere, enjoying his afterlife. He would certainly miss that fat tail, though.

Scorchpaw returned Jaysong's smile as she mentioned that they shouldn't be sad when remembering Fattail. Indeed, this she-cat knew Fattail well. It was... attractive.

"You're right, friend. He's likely enjoying a bounty of prey and women up in StarClan, enjoying his afterlife to the fullest. I'm sure he would want us to do the same with our mortal lives," Scorchpaw decided, his tail lifting itself out of the dirt. He was much happier now. Scorchpaw was an incredibly strong believer in StarClan. It had never even occurred to him that there was a possibility of StarClan not existing, so there was no possibility that Fattail wasn't enjoying hordes of pretty she-cats and prey. "Why don't we go do something fun in his honor? I think we should go on a walk to all of his favorite places- you know where he liked to frequent, do you not..." Scorchpaw blinked at the silver she-cat, and then glanced at the ginger apprentice. He had no idea who these cats were. "...companion?"

[silverfang218]

Lionpaw is not sure where Scorchpaw gets his grand ideas about Fattail but Lion isn’t sure that Fatty wouldn’t be happier if he was just allowed to laze around at his own leisure. I suppose that’s for Fatty himself to decide. Lionpaw slowly nods to Jay and Scorch’s ideas that being happy is a better way to honor the fluffy-tailed warrior.

“You two go on ahead. I think I’ll go hunting or something like that. I didn’t know Fattail all that well, so I'll just honor him in bringing the clan a big fat bit of freshkill in his name.” Lionpaw wants no part of this tour; he doesn’t know if he can take a whole guilt trip walk through. He might actually break… well, break more anyways. He starts to walk away before realizing that he never introduced himself to Scorchpaw. He looks over his shoulder and mews, “I’m Lionpaw. It was nice to meet you, Scorchpaw.” With a wave of his tail in farewell, Lion goes on with his day, leaving Fatty’s former mentor and Fatty’s boyfriend alone together.

[pebble]

Hm. Jaysong wasn't sure if Fattail had any other favorite places than the camp but, perhaps this young apprentice knew more about him than she did. She dipped her head to acknowledge Lionpaw's departure from the two, watching him with perked audits before she rose to her mitts, arching her back in a stretch and nodding towards Scorchpaw.

"I'm Jaysong, by the way. Is my pleasure to meet you," She ducked her crown in respect and then looked towards the camp entrance, kneading the ground slightly to flex her toes. "Lead the way, Scorchpaw." She smiled gently at him, eyes holding kindness and slight affection for the younger.

[Meow]

Scorchpaw blinked at Lionpaw as the other tom explained that he hadn't known the thick-tailed warrior that well, and that he didn't feel like he should join them on their walk. "I see. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lionpaw," Scorchpaw responded in farewell, watching as he walked away. He'd been a strange, nervous fellow, but Scorchpaw was grateful for his help. Perhaps he would have to find Lionpaw later to thank him for the information, and maybe get to know his new clan mate. He was here to stay, after all, and it would benefit him to make more friendly connections... he couldn't have Mothstar questioning whether or not he was actually making an effort to fit in, after all.

Then, Jaysong introduced herself. "Ah, yes- Jaysong," Scorchpaw repeated, giving her a small nod. He supposed she would be his only companion for the evening- not that he minded. Though, when she told him to lead the way, Scorchpaw stood still for a few moments, not sure what to do. Scorchpaw, of course, loved Fattail... but he didn't know very much about him. Nor did he know much about the MothClan territory, as most of the duties he'd been given so far had to do with the elder's den. He'd mostly been tending to Palestorm. Her ticks.

She had so many ticks.

"Right. Well, then... let us be off," Scorchpaw murmured after a moment, his expression giving none of his emotions away as he turned to stride out of camp, his tail curled up confidently. Maybe if he just walked around enough, they would eventually find a place that Fattail liked. Soon, the pair was leaving the rocky terrain of the MothClan camp, heading out into the sparse forests that surrounded it.

Scorchpaw might as well take this chance to get to know Fattail's former mentor. There was something to learn here. He was sure of it. "It is my understanding that you are a fabulous warrior, Jaysong. I feel as if I have much to learn from you," Scorchpaw mewed seriously. "So, tell me... what is it that you love most about battle? Is it the thrill of spilling blood? The excitement that courses through your veins?" Scorchpaw hummed at the thought. One day, he hoped he would get to experience battle. "Or perhaps the togetherness you feel as you protect your allies? I've always wondered what a true warrior chooses to fight for."