#wcs oc

Hazepaw is a pure white tom with yellow eyes. He is a warrior apprentice of Oceanclan

Moon High POV Character 2: Electric Boogaloo, This time in stinky flavor

Design notes and his official ref are under the cut (spoilers for his warrior name and rank)

Sunhigh came around all too soon. It was tradition for those on the gathering patrol to sleep until midday, in Oceanclan. But Hazepaw had been up all night. The amount of sleep he'd managed to get after meeting with Moonpaw was pitiful. But Hazepaw couldn't let himself fall behind on training because of it. Nor could he allow anyone to suspect that he had been out later than he should have been. Still, that didn't mean Hazepaw was going to act happy about being woken up.

"Rise and shine, 'Paws. Time for some battle practice!" Called one of the mentors from outside the apprentice's den. Hazepaw made a drawn out groan, sluggishly lifting himself from the warmth of his nest. His paws ached as he stood up, likely from the long journey to and from the Gathering clearing. Daylight stung his eyes as he emerged into the open, dimmed only by a gathering of clouds. The scent of rain hung in the air, alerting Hazepaw that the day would be as miserable as he felt.

Pausing long enough to clean his pelt of moss, Hazepaw managed to wake up enough to be a functioning member of Oceanclan. At Sandybreeze's call he padded along, following behind the other apprentices as they headed to the edge of the forest and beyond towards the training grounds. The shift from earth to sand underpaw felt uncomfortable, and Hazepaw realized he'd begun to grow used to living in the Forest Patch. Or perhaps the difference in the ground was more noticeable with aching paws.

"Stars, Hazepaw, you look exhausted," commented Otterpaw as she fell back to walk alongside him. Hazepaw only managed a grunt in response. "Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"You could say that," he mumbled, avoiding the halfclan molly's gaze.

"Me too," Otterpaw admitted with a sigh. "I was up and down all night because of some bad dreams."

Hazepaw's body tensed a little at Otterpaw's remark. If she had been waking up a lot, did that mean she had noticed he wasn't in his nest last night? "That sucks," he replied, forcing his voice to stay even just as it had before.

"And what about you?" Otterpaw asked suddenly, her tone dropping almost to a whisper. "What were you up to?"

"Uh..." Hazepaw became even more ridged, his tail flicking from nerves.

"Relax, I won't tell anyone," Otterpaw promised. For once she sounded so sincere, and her expression showed she meant it, too.

Hazepaw sighed, deciding to trust Otterpaw. "I was out with a friend last night. We weren't doing anything wrong."

"Knowing you I bet you were getting up to all kinds of trouble," Otterpaw figured which made Hazepaw laugh a little.

"You think that's all I do? Get into trouble?"

"No, but you certainly make trouble, especially for others," Otterpaw snickered

"I've been on my best behavior though, I swear."

Otterpaw gave him a look with a brow arched in disbelief

"Ok, well. Mostly," he admitted. Otterpaw simply shook her head in response, although she didn't seem to be disapproving. She had a smile on her face and a glint of mischief in her yellow eyes.

Up ahead, Urchinpaw called back to her, asking if she'd come join him on the walk. But Otterpaw responded back, telling the wiry black tom to walk beside her instead. Hazepaw bristled, uncomfortable with having Urchinpaw hanging around. Otterpaw seemed to notice, then yowled;

"Nevermind, I'll come to you," before scampering on ahead. Hazepaw sighed, relieved at being left alone, and spared of Urchinpaw's annoying presence. But he was also left with a thought. Was Otterpaw really going out of her way to be nice to him? It seemed strange. Ever since the death of Tunafin, Otterpaw had been treating Hazepaw differently. As if seeing him so vulnerable had changed the brown she-cat's opinion on him. She still teased, but there wasn't as much bite to her words as there'd once been, when she was new to the clan. And now she was checking up on him, even being playful. Hazepaw could hardly believe what was happening. Otterpaw's still halfclan though. She can't be trusted, he reminded himself as he padded along. She's probably just trying to play some mind games with me. But was she really? Or was Hazepaw just so used to being messed with that it was hard to recognize Otterpaw's genuine kindness? He didn't know for sure. But there were more pressing matters to focus on, so Hazepaw pushed back his wonder to consider later.

As the patrol headed farther onto the beach, seagulls circled them from above. Their shrill squawking was warning, as if they thought the beach was now their territory to claim. They were trying to scare the clan cats away with their calls. Dumb birds. It should be you who's scared. We'll make prey out of you all! Hazepaw thought as he looked up at them. In the distance, beyond the screeching, he could hear the rhythmic crashing of the ocean's waves. How Hazepaw longed to see them again. The training grounds were close by the shore, but he'd yet to have a chance to train there. He was excited to finally be able to; and to get back to some semblance of normalcy, for Oceanclan standards. But the mentors had other plans.

"A'right. Everybody stop. We're gonna do some battle practice right here," Silverdrop meowed, using her tail to block the group's path.

"Wait, like, we're not gonna go to the training grounds?" Precious, one of the eldest apprentices, asked. Her voice was laced with a permanent attitude that Hazepaw had come to expect. The she-cat wasn't really snooty though, it was just her voice that made her seem that way.

"The area's swelled up with water from the storms and high tide," responded Ripplesnout, one of the mentors. "It's too dangerous to go there. And this place is as good as any to practice what we're testing for today."

"What are you testing us for?" Urchinpaw piped as he sat on the silty ground.

Sandybreeze was the one to answer; "Today you'll all be assessed on your progress with battle training. That way we can see what each of your strengths are, and what you require more practice with."

"You will be sorted into pairs. Then, you will all fight at once, in order to simulate a real battle," chimed Driftbreeze, the mentor of the newly named Currentpaw. "Stonepaw, Currentpaw, and Whisperpaw, you three will have to sit on the sidelines and observe the action for today. Try and learn as much as you can from your peers in the meantime."

"No fair!" Currentpaw griped, his sister, Stonepaw, caterwauling in agreement.

"Yeah! How come the older apprentices get to fight?"

"Because we haven't learned how yet," Whisperpaw murmured.

"Yes w-" Stonepaw was interrupted by a jab to her flank from Currentpaw, who hissed under his breath for her to be quiet. Hazepaw arched a suspicious brow. Were they trying to hide something, he wondered. Instead of dwelling longer, he decided to chalk their behavior up to their eagerness. Perhaps the pair had been preparing to learn how to fight on their own, and Stonepaw wanted to show off. But Currentpaw was usually the sort to want to prove himself. So why would he silence his littermate for wanting to do the same? It was odd.

Ignoring the young cats' protests, Driftbreeze herded the three newest apprentices somewhere out of the way. Then Hazepaw stepped forward, awaiting his opponent assignment. He decided he could question the antics of the littermates some other time.

"Precious, you'll be fighting against both Urchinpaw and Shimmerpaw. And Otterpaw, you get to face off against Hazepaw," Otterpaw's mentor, Kinkfoot, instructed.

So Otterpaw's gonna try and fight me? This'll be interesting. Hazepaw suppressed a smug smirk as he turned to face the mentioned brown she-cat. There was no way he was going to lose to that halfclan rat. Meanwhile, the marble she-cat, Precious, looked nervously between  her two opponents. Can't say I blame her, Hazepaw thought. But he knew Precious was being challenged more because of her upcoming warrior's assessment. Her mentor was probably using today's practice to determine if Precious was ready for her promotion. Hazepaw was only slightly envious to not be one of her training partners. He wanted to prove he could hold his own, even against a wiser foe. But he also knew that fighting one on one with Otterpaw would help him prove himself more. Taking down an enemy without the aid of a clanmate was no easy task. But it was seen as a great accomplishment. And right now, Hazepaw could use the boost of confidence winning solo would bring. Especially with how tired he was, and after being on the losing side of a few border skirmishes. Besides, at least Otterpaw could be seen as an honorable opponent, having full clan blood. Meanwhile Precious had been born and raised a kittypet, corrupted by softness. She would probably use dirty tricks to win her battles. Hazepaw wasn't in the mood to deal with something like that today.

The other apprentices around him began to size up their opponents, and Hazepaw realized he needed to start doing the same. Otterpaw was poised and ready to pounce the heartbeat she was given the chance. Hazepaw lowered his head, flexing his muscles, ready to take her on. She was smaller than he was in every way. She'd be an easy enemy to take down.

"A'right 'Paws," Silverdrop meowed, "begin!"

At once, Hazepaw barreled towards Otterpaw, striking out at her with a powerful paw. Otterpaw lunged to meet him, easily avoiding the blow as she came within range. Then she swung around, attempting to throw a hit of her own. Hazepaw intercepted, grabbing the brown molly by her forepaw and pulling her closer, snapping his jaws to grip anywhere he could latch onto. He managed to bite Otterpaw on the shoulder, met with harsh slaps to the face as he held on.

"Ow, Hazepaw!" Otterpaw yelped. "This isn't a real fight, get your teeth out of me!" Oh right, Hazepaw realized he was being too rough. This was only a test. He didn't want to get in trouble for taking things too seriously. Not today, at least. So, the white tom relented, allowing Otterpaw to break free from his grasp.

The brown she-cat growled as she backed up, her tail lashing wildly. She yowled as she lunged towards Hazepaw again, ducking beneath him. What!? From his backside, Otterpaw turned like a snake to grip Hazepaw's haunches, pulling him down to the ground. Then she threw herself onto his back, swiping at his flanks with claws sheathed. If that had been a real attack, Hazepaw could be seriously injured, he realized. To counter her, the white tom shook his body, trying with all his might to fling her away. Otterpaw eventually lost her grip, sliding as she was thrown, and spraying sand everywhere. Hazepaw shook his pelt from the debris, preparing to attack Otterpaw again. But before he could, Shimmerpaw came pelting past, Precious right on her heels. The black smoke molly was avoiding the surprisingly fast kittypet's blows, her eyes wide with fear. A bit of blood trickled from above one of her eyes, and Hazepaw wondered if Precious accidently used her claws against her. None of the warriors said anything about it, though.

Just then, Urchinpaw shoved past, intercepting Precious in her chase and knocking her to the ground. The pair of apprentices tussled on the beach, feigning hisses and swipes as they fought. They were getting in Hazepaw's way, preventing him from reaching Otterpaw.

"Watch where you're going!" He snapped, but was left ignored. When Hazepaw's attention returned to where Otterpaw once stood, he noticed she was no longer there. Instead she'd come around while he was distracted, then jumped on him, pushing Hazepaw onto to the ground once again. She forced him to roll onto his back, pummeling his delicate underbelly, tearing away at his long fur. Even with her claws sheathed she was doing damage. Hazepaw was sure his belly would be bruised after this. As quickly and roughly as possible, Hazepaw got his back paws underneath the brown molly. He pushed up into her, easily throwing her off himself once more. Huffing to catch his breath, the white tom rolled onto his belly and crouched. Just in time to watch Otterpaw fall on top of Shimmerpaw. Precious took advantage of this, shoving the brown molly aside to take hold of her enemy. Shimmerpaw shrieked, summoning Urchinpaw to her rescue. But he too was caught in the former kittypet's grasp, brought to the ground and forced to submit to her power. Hazepaw chuckled, realizing he'd underestimated the marbled she-cat.

Beside her, Otterpaw shook out her pelt, locking her eyes back on Hazepaw. She bared her teeth in a snarl, challenging him to come fight once more. Hazepaw took the invitation without hesitance, rising to his paws. He gave his haunches a calculating wiggle before going after his opponent once again. This time, Otterpaw rose onto her back paws to catch him, griping Hazepaw by the shoulders as she came back down. Her teeth snapped as she tried biting his neck and face. Hazepaw narrowly avoided her bites, backing up to break from her grip. But Otterpaw was surprisingly strong, holding him in place. With greater might the white tom managed to pull himself from the halfclan molly's paws. But his paw slipped as he moved, causing it to turn in an awkward angle along the shifty ground. Pain shot from his wrist up his forepaw, causing Hazepaw to yelp. Otterpaw took notice of the new weakness within him and used it to her advantage. She struck out, pulling the white tom's injured paw out from under him, making him fall with an audible thud. Then she got on top of him again. This time she gripped his scruff, holding him with a paw and forcing the white tom into surrender. Hazepaw allowed himself to go limp beneath her. He couldn't fight anymore with the pain he was in. He knew when he was bested. Even if it hurt more to admit that.

Triumphantly, Otterpaw tilted her head back and caterwauled her victory. The mentors around them began to praise her in response. They congratulated Precious, too, on her win against her pair of opponents. Both she-cats looked so proud and smug. They quickly abandoned their faux enemies to speak with their mentors, leaving the remaining three cats to recooperate.

"Hazepaw, you alright?" Urchinpaw padded towards him, checking the white tom over. "You took a hard fall."

"Why does it matter to you?" Hazepaw growled, pelt burning with humiliation. The last thing he needed right now was to be picked on by Urchinpaw. It was bad enough he'd lost his fight against Otterpaw of all cats.

"Is it a crime to check up on my clanmate?" Urchinpaw snapped back, his voice filled more with concern than anger. "Y'know, just because we don't get along well, doesn't mean I don't care."

"You've never acted like you cared before," Hazepaw pointed out, thrashing his tail. He was in no mood for Urchinpaw's anticts. But the wiry black tom wouldn't let up. 

"Well, you never let me!" he defended, his voice raising. But before Urchinpaw could catch the attention of their other clanmates, he softened his tone. "I've always tried to be friendly with you, Hazepaw. But whenever I try to joke around, you escalate things and turn it into a problem." 

"I do not!" Hazepaw countered.

"You take every joke too seriously! You think every little teasing word I say is a threat, and act on that assumption."

Hazepaw hesitated for a heartbeat, repeating the other tom's words in his mind. He thought back to all the disagreements and fights the pair had gotten in over the moons. Then, he began to realize the problems he'd always griped about had been escalated by his own actions. Hazepaw's pelt burned warmer as he came to understand Urchinpaw's side of the argument. "...Guess I hadn't noticed before," he admitted.

"Yeah, clearly," Urchinpaw snorted. "Look Hazepaw. I'm sick of all this bad blood between us. Can we let bygones be bygones already, and start trying to act like clanmates?" 

"...Fine," Hazepaw agreed, although it almost pained him to do so. Maybe he hadn't given Urchinpaw a fair chance. Maybe he'd let his biases blind him from seeing the other tom's genuine interest in becoming friends. It almost embarrassed Hazepaw to think that he hadn't noticed before. Hazepaw's thoughts then rounded back to Otterpaw. She'd been the same as Urchinpaw, seeking his alliance. He considered things for another heartbeat. Perhaps it wouldn't be the worst to act civil. For the three of them become friends. He'd told Moonpaw that they were. But that had been a lie. A painful one, Hazepaw realized. He didn't have any genuine friends in the clan besides Whisperpaw. Though reluctant, Hazepaw decided he could let himself become closer with Urchinpaw and Otterpaw.

"C'mere," Urchinpaw summoned, offering his shoulder for Hazepaw to lean on. Hazepaw rose to his paws, trusting the wiry black tom to support his weight. It felt strange to be so close to him physically. But Hazepaw decided it wasn't so bad. Urchinpaw smiled at him softly, relief glittering in his eyes. Maybe their quarrel was something the tom had been grappling with in his mind for a long time. Now, he wouldn't have to worry about Hazepaw's reactions as much anymore. Hazepaw swore to himself he'd at least try not to overreact if and when Urchinpaw decided to tease him again.

Together, the pair made their way over to the rest of their clanmates, Shimmerpaw following at their heels. She soon pulled ahead of them to stand beside Ripplesnout, who helped to clean her injured forehead. The dark tabby tom purred at her, assuring she did her best in the fight. Beside her, Precious was being praised by her mentor, Bellapool. She boasted about her skilled fighting and promised that she'd hold the marbled siamese molly's assessment soon, after speaking with Wavestar. Hazepaw's own mentor Sandybreeze approached, agreeing with her fellow warrior. Then she made her way over to the two defeated toms. Otterpaw came around to stand at her side. She rubbed against her aunt, then beamed at her denmates.

"You two fought awesomely," she commented. "Nice use of teamwork, Urchinpaw!"

"Learned it from you," he complimented back. "Never thought a teamup would be the best approach to fighting. It sucks that Shimmerpaw and I lost, though.'

"You'll do better next time," assured Otterpaw before giving her attention to Hazepaw. "And Hazepaw, you're so strong! There were a few instances where I thought I'd be crowfood. You're really good at battling."

The heat that had crept through Hazepaw's fur before turned from a singe of embarrassment into a warm glow of pride.

"There's still a lot of improvement that needs to be done," Sandybreeze interjected. "But yes, you did well, Hazepaw. Work on strategizing more, and you'll be on your way to becoming powerful warrior."

Part of him wanted to thank his mentor for the compliment. But a voice in the back of his mind prevented Hazepaw from speaking up. It almost sounded like his mother, telling him not to thank others for skills he personally possessed. Instead, Hazepaw gave a grunt and held his head high. Sandybreeze chuckled, flicking her tail to prompt him and the other apprentices to follow her.

"That's enough practice for today. A couple of you got too rowdy, so we need to get you patched up before we do anymore training. We'll come back and work on your flaws tomorrow," announced the deputy, sweeping her gaze over each young cat.

"A'right youngins, that means we're goin' home," Kinkfoot ordered, taking lead of the patrol.

"No fair, no fair!" Stonepaw whined, stomping her paws. "We didn't get to do anything!!"

"Quiet yourself," Sandybreeze hissed before turning her attention to Scallopfall, Luckysong, and Driftbreeze. "Get to teaching your apprentices the basics. That way they can join us for tomorrow's lessons. We'll meet you back at camp later. But be sure to return before the weather sours. We can't afford to lose any more cats to the storms."

"Alriiight!" Currentpaw cheered. Stonepaw laughed triumphantly, leaping onto her brother to start a playful brawl. The littermates tussled along the beach with glee, still behaving like kits. Meanwhile Whisperpaw kept her composure, highlighting how a proper apprentice should behave.

"They're still fluffy behind the ears, they'll learn to take things more seriously with time," Urchinpaw mewed in Hazepaw's ear. He could barely supress the purr that began to rumble in his thought. Hazepaw chuckled.

Tulippaw is a cinnamon and white she-cat with a nicked ear and hazel green eyes. She is a warrior apprentice in Grassclan. Her mentor is Swiftcloud, formerly Ambereye

Can’t believe I never uploaded this gal! I think she’s going to be the last Grassclan cat I post a ref for, unless somebody requests any of the remaining cats in the roster. 

Design Notes: