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Post by Kaeldra on Aug 16, 2022 0:36:17 GMT
Lily || she/her || 11 moons
Lilypaw grinned as the two of them rolled, Heronpaw snarling as he tumbled under her weight. He was so easy to rile up! Then he lashed out, catching Lilypaw on the ear and tearing the delicate skin there, and she let out a sharp cry of pain. She was suddenly eager to get away from him as he kicked her off, scrambling to his paws and huffing angrily.
Lilypaw shook her head as if trying to shake off the stinging, and a drop of blood fell to the ground, leaving a small scarlet stain. Lilypaw stared at it. Then, as if to top it off, Heronpaw started yelling at her!
“I was practicing my hunting pounce! I didn’t expect you to rip my ear off about it!”
Okay, so maybe it hadn’t been the best idea and she was getting a little defensive. But she had been bored! She hadn’t been able to catch any prey, so her grumpy denmate was the next best thing.
Heronpaw growled, obviously not pleased, but Lilypaw had to admit she didn’t feel much like hunting anymore and just wanted the pain to stop.
“Flare’s gonna be mad at you for hurting me,” she said, trying to get a jab in at the reminder she hadn’t caught anything. Like she was going to tell him that!
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Aug 17, 2022 0:18:07 GMT
minnowpaw Minnowpaw cheered internally at the success of her sibling complaint gambit. "That could be a good skill!" she responded eagerly, "If it sounds like there's a fox in a fit wandering the territory, no one will want to trespass! We'd have to do something about the smell though..."Her thoughts and words trailed off as they neared the water. Luckily the river wasn't frozen—another successful step in her plan to make friends! Spiderpaw seemed like a good prospect, too, going so far as to offer her first catch. He seemed a little twitchy about something, although maybe he was just like that. Or it could have been the cold, she figured; it was a little too sharp for her own tastes. With a shrug, she took the lead and approached the water, paws crunching in the icy grass at its edge. Shellspots had taught her and Heronpaw how to fish, so she felt fairly confident, even with Spiderpaw watching; however, it was not the most impressive hunting maneuver, as it involved a lot of sitting around waiting for fish to swim by. So Minnowpaw took her place at the water's edge, careful to hide from her reflection and angling herself in such a way to avoid her shadow falling on the river. Then it was just a matter of patience—admittedly, not Minnowpaw's strongest attribute. But anything was possible with sufficient motivation, and the keen eyes of her companion were enough to keep her body still and tensed for the perfect opportunity—well, most of her body; her tail did swish against the ground in excited anticipation. The flow of the river was sluggish, and if Minnowpaw had not been so keyed up she might have been lulled to sleep. As it was though, the soothing movement of the water was enough to keep her calm while she waited for her prey. Finally—after eons, it seemed—a new movement disturbed the steady flow. All of Minnowpaw's stored energy released at that moment, launching her paw into the water and swiping the fish up and out of its icy clutches. With a swift bite to stop the fish's flopping, the deed was done. She looked back towards Spiderpaw, triumphant. "Your turn!" she chirped. Her minor foray into the cold water had been too brief for her to immediately register the drop in temperature, but it was hitting her now. "But if you want to hunt somewhere else, I wouldn't blame you. The water's really c-c-cold." |
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Post by Kaeldra on Sept 5, 2022 5:20:20 GMT
Spiderpaw || Tom || 11 moons
Spiderpaw watched intently as Minnowpaw padded up to the water and sat. And sat. And sat some more. Her concentration never wavered, though, and Spiderpaw admired her perseverance. He supposed she must be very used to this way of hunting, having been part of “RiverClan” even when it was just herself, her mother, and her brother.
He wondered what that must have been like, to be raised with the expectation of more her entire life. To know that one day, everything would change and suddenly she would be surrounded with strange cats who were supposed to be like family. Was she happier now that her mother’s dream was coming true? Was it Minnowpaw’s dream, too, or did she miss the freedom of a simpler life?
He’d probably never ask, of course. He didn’t know her well enough, and knew he wouldn’t appreciate such prying into his own hopes and dreams. But maybe someday they could be something like friends, and he would know more about her. The idea made his paws prickle in a way he wasn’t familiar with.
The silver apprentice’s paw suddenly flashed into the water, scooping a decently sized fish onto the stones with a splash and entirely derailing Spiderpaw’s musing. Before he could react, she had pinned the flopping creature down and delivered a quick bite to still it. Minnowpaw’s eyes shone as she looked back at him, thrilled with the success of her catch.
Then her teeth chattered as the adrenaline seemed to wear off a bit, and she was kind enough to offer to move on elsewhere to continue their hunt. Spiderpaw wanted to agree, to find some vole or shrew away from the icy water, but determination set his gaze. If she could do it, so could he.
“No, it’s okay,” he said, padding up to take a place a little ways down from where Minnowpaw had made her catch. He tried to emulate what she had done, fixing his stare on the water and trying to catch any flicker of movement under the surface. Then the waiting began once more.
He sat, tailed curled tightly around his paws to keep them warm. He kept one free, ready to strike the water as soon as the shiny silver scales appeared, but it soon grew numb from the cold with waiting. Still, Spiderpaw refused to give up. He didn’t want Minnowpaw to think he was the type of cat to back down from a challenge, especially knowing Shellspots was her mother.
Finally, something glinted in the water and he thrust his paw forward. Spiderpaw hoped his form was good; he hadn’t practiced it as much as he perhaps should have. But luck was on his side, and a fish flew out and onto the bank. It was a bit smaller than Minnowpaw’s, and his kill wasn’t as clean as hers… but he had done it!
Spiderpaw couldn’t keep the smile off his face, though he tried to be nonchalant about it.
“Well, that’s one piece of p-prey down for b-both of us!” He spoke cheerfully even as the chilly water made him shiver. Hopefully the hunt for land prey would warm them back up. “Now I guess we’ll have to head into the trees and find something else,” he suggested, glancing over in the direction opposite of where they had come from.
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Sept 7, 2022 0:40:23 GMT
minnowpaw Spiderpaw's enthusiasm was infectuous; Minnowpaw let out an ungraceful laugh, breath stuttering. She was still chilled from her foray into the river's icy waters. She had to admire Spiderpaw's resolve, that was for sure; she wouldn't have been half as enthusiastic about fishing if she'd realized how cold it was going to be. "Nice catch!" She eyed the two fish they'd caught, stomach grumbling. She knew better than to be tempted, though; Shellspots had instilled in her at a young age the importance of bringing ones prey back before indulging. She was still a little shaky on the reasoning behind all of her mother's rules, but breaking them certainly wouldn't help make RiverClan all that it could be. Still, shivering took a lot of energy, and they had more prey yet to catch. Following Spiderpaw's gaze, Minnowpaw nodded in agreement. "Back to the trees it is! I'll let you lead the way this time, it's only fair." She gestured for him to go on ahead, exaggerating her acquiescence. For all that she was eager to get to know Spiderpaw and all of the other apprentices, she didn't really know much about them to begin with. Where would Spiderpaw lead them? Would he try to meet up with some of his siblings or fellow apprentices? Maybe not, based on their earlier conversation. Did he prefer to hunt prey on the ground, or was he ambitious in tackling tree-bound critters? Only time would tell. Other questions wound their way around her mind, but she was too inundated to voice them all. That didn't stop her from voicing any of them, though. "What was the first prey you caught? Mine was just a mouse, not a fish, but I think fish are more interesting than mice. What do you think everyone else will get? Maybe not everyone will get two pieces, but I hope that's not the case!" She quieted, realizing she was rambling. "Sorry," she said, chagrined, "I'm just excited to be training." |
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Post by Kaeldra on Sept 8, 2022 4:40:55 GMT
Spiderpaw || Tom || 11 moons
Hearing Minnowpaw’s stomach growl made Spiderpaw realize just how hungry he was, too. He knew Flare wouldn’t be happy if they returned with half-eaten fish – one of his and Shellspots’ rules – so he only let it sharpen his resolve to quickly catch something else. They had burned up a lot of their time waiting for the fish to appear, anyway, and their deadline was rapidly approaching.
The ginger tom padded eagerly back into the trees, grateful that Minnowpaw was fine with venturing away from the river. She seemed in good spirits today, and hunting with her was comfortable, though they had yet to try anything that required teamwork. He wondered if they would get the chance today.
As they walked, Minnowpaw began asking questions and then answering them herself before he had a chance to. Realizing her misstep, she stopped abruptly. He huffed a laugh at her sheepish apology.
“It’s fine,” he assured her. “It is kind of exciting. This is our first real assessment as apprentices, y’know?” Flare and Jay used to test the littermates on things they had been taught, but this felt different. More official. He was about to ask if Shellspots had done something similar, but realized he technically hadn’t answered her questions yet.
“Um, the first prey I caught was a shrew. It was kind of stringy, actually.” He exhaled in another laugh. He’d been so proud of it, but looking back it wasn’t much to look at. He continued, “Galepaw probably caught some land prey like a mouse or something, he doesn’t seem too keen on fishing. Melodypaw might’ve gotten a bird.” Spiderpaw wanted to comment that he didn’t think Lilypaw or Bluepaw would catch anything, galumphing about as they did, but refrained. He didn’t know Minnowpaw well enough for that yet.
Once they had walked for a short while, Spiderpaw paused to scent the air. He drew the air over his tongue, hoping for a hint of some prey, and smelled… fish. Drat, he thought, hastily bringing a paw up to wipe at his muzzle. I forgot how strong fish scent can be. I hope I can wash it off quick. Trying to play it off, he turned to Minnowpaw.
“Can you smell anything?”
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Sept 10, 2022 22:58:18 GMT
minnowpaw Though she had fairly limited experience with reading others—most of her interactions thus far had been with her brother and mother—Minnowpaw was reasonably confident that Spiderpaw was as excited about their assessment as she was. He was more subtle about it, though it would have been hard not to be. Yet, like her, he seemed to be brimming with energy, an anticipatory tension strung tight through the lines of his body. Also, he didn't seem too put off by her yammering. His reply was a pretty big hint, too. "It does feel more real, somehow," she agreed. A thought occurred to her. "What is it like, having your brother as a mentor? I can't imagine Heronpaw trying to teach me anything." Just imagining it was enough to inspire the echo of a headache; Minnowpaw couldn't deny that she loved her littermate, but by the stars he could be annoying. Granted, Flare was had weathered a fair few more moons than Spiderpaw, but surely some of that sibling rivalry persisted, she thought. Shrews were not unknown to Minnowpaw, but they were not her favorite by any means; like Spiderpaw, she did not enjoy the stringiness. As he listed his littermates' first catches, a pattern made itself apparent to her. "You all caught prey from different heights!" she pointed out, laughing. "You got something that digs, Galepaw got something that scurries, and Melodypaw got something that flies. I don't even remember what Heronpaw's first catch was, he didn't make nearly as big a deal of it as I did."When Spiderpaw stopped, Minnowpaw did so as well, waiting for him to take the lead, as she had offered. A strange look crossed his face as he wiped his muzzle, and Minnowpaw tilted her head. An inquiry almost burst out of her, but she held her tongue; if she just waited an extra moment, her question would probably be answered without her even asking. Her restraint was rewarded shortly by Spiderpaw asking his own question. Minnowpaw took in the air and grimaced, noticing the fish more than anything else. "I smell fish," she replied, with another grimace to accompany the statement. "Sorry, I didn't think about that." She paused to think. "It should be quieter, with the snow. Maybe we would have an easier time hearing something? I guess I would have to stop talking for that to work, though." Minnowpaw's voice trailed off into a mumble as she finished speaking, feeling somewhat foolish for doing what Spiderpaw had earlier criticized his brother for. |
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Post by Kaeldra on Sept 13, 2022 1:50:00 GMT
Spiderpaw || he/him || 11 moons
Spiderpaw had never considered that having his older brother be one of his mentors might be strange. After all, it had been that way since he was a kit, and now he just happened to have more teachers to ask for pointers.
“It’s great,” he answered honestly. “He remembers better what it’s like to be our age, so he teaches really well. It just kinda clicks.” He paused, thinking, then added, “But I know what you mean. Now that I think about it, Galepaw teaching me anything would just be weird.” He shook his head at the notion. If anything, he’d be the one teaching Galepaw and Melodypaw, but he’d probably get too frustrated with their antics to make much progress. He didn’t know how Flare did it.
“Huh,” he said in response to Minnowpaw's observation, wondering how he hadn’t realized it sooner. “I guess we did. Neat.” It was satisfying in a strange way, and he tried to recall if there were any other instances where the three of them had formed such a pattern, but came up blank. "Maybe we'll do it again today," he joked.
He was grateful when Minnowpaw admitted that she was having trouble smelling beyond the cloying fish scent, too. Thank StarClan it’s not just me. When she suggested listening for prey instead, he perked up. Of course! In snow like this, it’ll be easy to track.
“Good idea,” he said aloud, and immediately turned his focus to the snowy trees before them, ears pricked for any trace of movement. He wanted to tell Minnowpaw that her talking was fine; he didn’t really mind. But then a chunk of snow fell from a tree to his left, followed by a rustling up above.
“I think there’s something up there,” he motioned with his muzzle to the tree in question. “I think it’s a squirrel. You go around that side, and I’ll chase it right into your paws,” he suggested, eyes never leaving the swaying bough.
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Sept 19, 2022 23:51:28 GMT
minnowpaw "It must be different having grown up with him," Minnowpaw mused aloud, "I've only known him as he is now. He is a good mentor, though! He's just different from Shellspots. For me, I mean." She hoped Spiderpaw didn't take offense; there was no slight against Flare intended or even suggested, she thought, with the statement, but it was undeniable that Flare and Shellspots had different approaches to training, among other things. "She always makes everything look so easy."For so long—her entire life, really—Minnowpaw had been following in her mother's footsteps. Following Shellspots' instructions, her dreams. The path had seemed so clear when it was the only one she saw, a future so obvious it was almost like it had already happened. Flare and his family's arrival had changed that, ever so slightly. Was she following in Flare's footsteps now that he was mentoring her? She didn't know where that path led. It didn't matter anyway, she figured. They were a Clan now; their paths wouldn't diverge so far as to be especially distinguishable. Spiderpaw's agreement jerked her out of her thoughts. As his attention caught on a patch of falling snow, she followed his gaze to a nearby tree. A light rustling was faintly discernible, and she was certain Spiderpaw had heard it too, if his unwavering attention was any indication. He outlined a strategy and she nodded, hoping he caught the motion in the periphery of his vision; she figured she'd talked enough for the time being. With a tensing of her limbs in anticipation of the cold underneath her paws, Minnowpaw stalked to the opposite side of the tree. She let her eyes stray from the branch that Spiderpaw was trained on—better that she focus on where she was going as to not make any more ruckus to scare away their prey. Once in position, she returned her gaze to the branch. "Ready when you are." |
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Post by Kaeldra on Oct 3, 2022 0:03:52 GMT
Spiderpaw || he/him || 11 moons
Was that a trace of wistfulness in Minnowpaw’s voice? Spiderpaw had never heard the she-cat say anything negative about her mother, but perhaps there was more simmering under the surface than he realized. She always seemed to be like a little copy of the silver she-cat, albeit a bit more excitable and immature. It had never occurred to him that Minnowpaw might find her mother as unreachable as he did, so assured and confident while her kits tried to make her proud.
He was grateful when Minnowpaw simply nodded, accepting his hunting strategy without too much fuss. For a few heartbeats after he had spoken, he worried he was being too presumptuous, telling her what to do. But she was on it, silently stalking to the spot he’d indicated. The squirrel was none the wiser, Minnowpaw’s silvery pelt not quite blending in with the snow but similar enough that it wasn’t a concern.
Assured that Minnowpaw was ready, Spiderpaw shifted his entire focus to the squirrel. It had scuttled along the brank to the trunk, and was hanging upside down as it scanned the snowy ground. If he simply ran for it, there was no doubt it’d just bolt right back up and out of the reach of either of them. He had to be smart about this.
Spiderpaw glanced around, and spotted another tree nearby whose branches brushed up against the first. Taking care to be as quiet as possible, he snuck around the other side of the tree and began hauling himself up the trunk, hearing Flare’s lessons in his mind as he did so.
Pulling himself onto a bough, he crept along it as far as he dared. The squirrel was about a tail length further down the trunk now, still blissfully unaware of the two sets of eyes trained on it. Spiderpaw shuffled forward a tiny bit more, glancing at Minnowpaw. He nodded to her. We got this.
With a powerful leap, he launched himself out of one tree and toward the next.
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Oct 3, 2022 23:26:36 GMT
minnowpaw Minnowpaw watched Spiderpaw in voiceless wonder as he clambered up a nearby tree. And here I thought Melodypaw was the one who knew how to fly, she thought absently, still having difficulty comprehending her fellow apprentice's strategy. I would never have thought to climb the tree to get to the squirrel, she thought, almost ashamed. Had there been some kind of shortcoming in her training so far? Were the other apprentices ahead of her in some substantive way? She shook the thought away—mentally, so as to preserve her physical stillness in hopes of snaring the squirrel. It still seemed oblivious to both of them, eyeing the ground unconcernedly. It changed its tune very quickly. Spiderpaw rocketed out of the tree and landed with a crash. The brittle branches swayed and creaked dramatically with the sudden weight, and the squirrel wasted no time in skittering down the trunk to the tree's base—and right into Minnowpaw's eager claws. She pounced, snapping the small neck cleanly with the faintest whisper of fragile bones breaking. She peered up at Spiderpaw in the tree, giddy with success. "Nice one!" she called up to him. Her ears pricked as another sound nearby caught her attention. After a moment of listening without being able to discern what exactly the sound was, she called up to Spiderpaw again, this time in more of a whisper. "Come on down! I think I hear something." |
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Post by Kaeldra on Oct 5, 2022 18:06:56 GMT
Spiderpaw || he/him || 11 moons
Spiderpaw didn’t have the chance to see Minnowpaw’s catch — he was too busy making sure he didn’t tumble out of the tree to look down — but he heard her victorious cry and he knew their plan had worked. He was about to call back to her and congratulate her on the kill, but before he could she was telling him to come back down in a more hushed voice.
He pricked his ears, suddenly alert for danger. He was suddenly reminded of Flare and Noctus, and the time they had caught a squirrel as a team before a pair of hungry foxes had decided to fight them for it. His brother had given the whole family a fright when he staggered back home, a huge wound stretching across his shoulder. It was only thanks to Noctus and Miku that he’d made it out alive, he said.
If that happened now, what would they do? As much as he liked to think his training was going well, Spiderpaw knew he and Minnowpaw were no match for any foxes.
He quickly dropped back to the forest floor, pulling a claw slightly in his haste to be back on the ground. Even if it was a fox — and he prayed to StarClan it wasn’t — he wasn’t about to leave the younger cat to face it on her own.
As he listened, though, he realized there was a strangely familiar quality to the noise. Fur flattening, he took a few pawsteps forward. He didn’t think they were in any danger. After a few more moments of waiting, the sound rose in volume and he recognized the distinctive whine of Lilypaw.
“Well if you hadn’t totally freaked out on me—”
Spiderpaw sighed, turning back to Minnowpaw.
“It’s just our denmates,” he said, rolling his eyes dramatically. “We’d better go see what the princess got her tail in a twist about this time.”
Never a dull moment around here, that’s for sure.
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Sigh
New Warrior
159 Posts
EST; he/him; mid-twenties
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Post by Sigh on Oct 8, 2022 13:59:44 GMT
minnowpaw Sometimes, Minnowpaw thought, it was better to not know. The noise she had heard, for example, could have been another piece of prey, a successful finish to their assessment. Or it could have been a predator, a danger to outrun or outwit or perhaps to fall prey to themselves. In that short span of time between noticing the nearby sounds and finding out what they were, those two scenarios were still so full of potential and possibility, the chance of being predator or of being prey. Somehow, the reality was worse than both options. Sure, neither she nor Spiderpaw were getting mauled by a fox, but they did both have to listen to their denmates squabble. Loudly. While they were trying to hunt. Minnowpaw groaned—a noise still quieter than the racket Heronpaw and Lilypaw were making. She followed Spiderpaw resignedly. As they approached their denmates, the conversation became clearer, snatches of indignation and irritation filling the air. The situation started to piece itself together in Minnowpaw's mind. Still, she thought it might be diplomatic to ask anyway. "What happened to you two?" she broke in, eyeing the pair. Heronpaw seemed fine, if a bit fluffed up, but Lilypaw was bleeding the slightest bit. I already knew this was bad, but this really can't be good. |
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Post by Kaeldra on Nov 9, 2022 2:22:12 GMT
Lily || she/her || 11 moons
Lilypaw’s ears flattened as Heronpaw berated her, and she glared off in the opposite direction.
You’re the one that doesn’t get it, she thought angrily, listening to him go on and on about her “ruining their assessments”. You’re the son of the leader so you get all the special treatment.
The small she-cat was about to fire back another retort about how if he was so upset about it he could just leave her alone and go get his prey for the assessment, when another silver head suddenly came into view, along with an orange tabby pelt.
Oh, this is just great, she thought, rolling her eyes. Now he can scold me in front of everyone.
”What happened to you two?” Minnowpaw cut in, seemingly hesitant to get herself involved but doing so nonetheless. Before Heronpaw could get a word in, Lilypaw whirled, anger and embarrassment burning at her paws.
“Your stupid brother is just telling me all the ways I ruined everyone’s assessment because I scared him and he attacked me!”
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Riley
Head of Advertising
349 Posts
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Post by Riley on Nov 21, 2022 5:40:00 GMT
Heronpaw would have gone on berating Lilypaw, but a rustle in the undergrowth cut him off. He jerked his head around to glare at the interruption, and the appearance of his sister and their denmate, Spiderpaw, did nothing to make that glare go away. "What happened to you two?" Minnowpaw asked, gaze going back and forth before settling on the blood on Lilypaw's nose.
He opened his mouth to answer, but Lilypaw got there first. "Your stupid brother is just telling me all the ways I ruined everyone's assessment because I scared him and he attacked me!" Heronpaw's mouth shut with a 'click' and he scowled at everyone. "The kittypet," he spat the word, knowing at least that Minnowpaw would know the insult he meant it as, "thought stalking and pouncing on me was a good idea and it somehow didn't occur to her that I would defend myself from an unknown hostile."
He directed his scowl to Lilypaw in particular and spat, "You're lucky a bloody nose was all I gave you! Do you have any idea how badly this could have gone? If my claws had gone just a LITTLE HIGHER I could have accidentally gotten your eye! I would have blinded you! Then where would you be, huh?! StarClan Lilypaw you need to THINK before you act!"
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