#poolmask

As kittens, the two were actually very close, having been born around the same time (with Rye being older). Pool was a shy little kit and struggled a lot with going outside, even with his mother's encouragement. It was Ryekit, with her boisterous can-do attitude that managed to give him the courage to try and do things for himself. From there, the two were essentially inseparable with Ryekit leading the charge and Poolkit right there alongside her (though usually he would stick around the aftermath of her mess to try and clean it up). While their friendship is far from perfect, with Ryekit often blaming Poolkit for her misdeeds or him being disgusted by her messiness, it's something special to them, with Ryekit not minding when Poolkit didn't want to talk or Poolkit believing Ryekit when she swore, for once, she didn't do something.

It was that close bond that, in true Po3 spawn tradition, lead them to sneaking out of the camp the night on the night of their apprentices ceremonies - a tradition made by the other apprentices to welcome new kits into the den. In what was suppose to be a quick trip to the Ancient Oak, turned into a nightmare as the two found themselves lost in the woods and eventually stuck in a not-very-well-hidden empty cave after a storm hit. With nothing but time to lose, Ryepaw insists they explore, a way cooler discovery then marking some dumb tree in her opinion, and without any other options, opts to follow her in.

The caves are dark and winding, the sound of water dripping in the distance and Poolpaw can feel his breath getting tighter as the walls around them feel as though they're closing in. In his panic, the two are separated in the dark tunnels and Pool shuts down, terrified and struggling to breath. Ryepaw tries to urge him forward, starting to get creeped out herself by the dark ancient tunnels and stiffens in horror at the scent that hits her: fox. Desperate to save her cousin and herself, she tries to urge the immobile Poolpaw to move already but he's frozen stiff in his panic and she can only listen as the pawsteps of the creature get louder and louder.

There, in the darkness, with yellow eyes stares down the ragged and hungry-looking fox while Rye desperately tries to tug her much bigger cousin back. But Poolpaw won't budge, staring ahead with glassy and ragged breathing, and so, Ryepaw makes a choice as the fox stalks close.

She turns and runs, fear, desperation, and pure terror fueling every pawstep.

It's not too far as she runs that a black-furred cat darts passed her, expertly navigating the tunnels before launching itself at the fox before it can even get a hair on her child's back. Hollystar (in this universe!) fearlessly attacks the fox, bringing a patrol with her after the missing apprentices and drives it away. From there she lies with her only son, gently licking his back to soothe him from his fear and murmuring reassurance while Ryepaw can only stare.

Shaken, terrified, and now riddled with guilt, Ryepaw can only stare at her poor crying cousin and furiously feel ashamed of herself. It's only when Berrynose, surprisingly soft with the apprentice, gently snaps her from her stupor and helps guide her out from some fresh air.

The two's friendship is never the same again. Poolmask still feels that sting of abandonment, acutely aware that she had turned and fled to leave him to die even if he can understand why. Ryepelt is riddled with guilt from the incident but the more and more rejected she is by Pool the more frustrated she gets, it was moon ago! Why can't he just get over it? It wasn't like he actually died...even if he almost did.

eventually i think the two would work things out, either by talking it out or some fun mirror situation where pool gets attacked again like the fox magnet he is and rye comes to help him