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Post by Greymuzzles on Dec 11, 2018 19:50:26 GMT
A thin blue-grey line of light crept across the she-cat’s face, and she stirred, cracking her eyes open to observe the first weak traces of dawn. For a few short moments she was still, eyes narrowed against the faint trace of light – then with careful movements she unwound herself from her nest and slipped from her brother’s side, unwilling to linger even a moment more. The den’s entrance was something gained with ease—her nest was just a few short steps back from it, guaranteeing the earliest sun; giving an easy snapshot of the camp beyond—and she was through it in a trice, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. There she pauses, flicking her gaze about the silent camp in a quick reflexive scan before she dropped herself int a long stretch, content that all was right.
She rose again with a fluidity that belayed her unusual size, and almost immediately her eyes turned up towards the gold-kissed skies. She was in plenty of time to see most of the sunrise, as was almost always the case, and she settled quietly at the den’s size, content to watch the spreading, shifting light. A peacefulness enveloped her then—an ease the clan rarely saw—and for some time longer she was still, stirring only to flick her ears at a rustling from within the den, and afford an emerging Boar a cursory nod. Only when the sunrise had largely played out did she shift from her position, seeking a new and more insular vantage from which to watch the gathering dawn patrol and waking of the clan; a post not so in the way – and far less likely to be approached. It should have been a challenge, with a clan so large, but she was led to just the spot by an almost thoughtless turn of paws, and within moments she was freshly installed; eyes set to watch the camp itself. Such was the routine, now—save when she joined that first patrol herself—and the familiarity of it helped to soothe her mind; set her on her even ground for whatever troubles a new day held.
And she should expect trouble more than ever now, she supposed.
The thought tugged her gaze from where the patrol was leaving camp to a den she normally ignored shifted her idling mind to other, less certain concerns. She’d been made a mentor only the day before, and that meant that her days, for a while, would no longer follow their ‘norms’. Even now she wasn’t sure what to make of the decision or the paw, but all the same the duty fell squarely upon her form – and it was not something to be disregarded or ignored. She was responsible for the unseen tom, for better or for worse, and that meant that he must keep him at her side; teach him all that she safely could…
But for now…let him sleep a little longer; let her see how late he stirred.
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Post by Dreamgate on Jan 9, 2019 16:56:15 GMT
A placid breeze ran through the eerily empty den, sending a slight shiver through the apprentice. Dustypaw had been awake for quite some time now, however he had decided to stay in his nest, appreciating the isolation and much needed solitude from his clan. This was his first night as an apprentice, and since he's going to be the only one for a few moons before Sunkit and Beekit move in, he wanted to enjoy the solitude for as long as he can.
Another more unruly breeze swept through the den and the petite apprentice stood up on uneasy paws, letting his moon-like gaze travel across the empty den. The den is quite big, or so it feels like it - him, Beekit and Sunkit alone took up a notably large amount of room, not to mention the queens, and now apprentice's den feels like twice the size of the nursery with him being the only one inhabiting the space. Dustypaw sighed, he had to admit, being finally out of the nursery felt lonely, even if he had always longed for seclusion becoming an apprentice had brought he had never expected to miss the company considering how unpleasant Beekit always is, but at least the company of his mother was always far more comforting.
Dustypaw lifted his muzzle, perking up his dark tinted ears and listening out for activity outside the den - he heard faint squealing coming from the nursery's direction, presumably the kits, as well as murmuring just outside his den. The clan seems to be awake, perhaps it was time for him to finally step out of the comfort of the den and do some apprentice duties.
Dustypaw stiffened; apprentice duties! Now that he's an apprentice, he's meant to fulfil duties for the clan and train, but where was Tigerheart? He had always heard stories of Skyflower's days as an apprentice as Sunkit and Beekit were always so eager to listen, and from what he'd overheard, the mentor's almost always woke up their apprentices unless they were the first ones up. Does that mean Tigerheart's asleep? He narrowed his eyes, Tigerheart is most certainly awake, she always is. Almost every morning he'd see the ferocious Boar off in the shadows observing and guarding the clan, highly unlikely that today will be any different.
Sniffing and nervously giving his shoulder a lick, Dustypaw peered out the den entrance; he couldn't see Tigerheart, maybe she is asleep? Stepping outside, the small apprentice flinched as the sunlight rendered him blind for a few seconds, it was much brighter outside than he originally anticipated. The sun was almost up, and the camp looked much busier than it had sounded from the inside as cats were already busying themselves with duties - but Tigerheart was still nowhere to be seen, was she really still asleep?
Dustypaw stretched, gaping his jaws in a yawn; well if Tigerheart was still asleep he may as well hang around camp for a bit, he thought as he began to lie down in front of the apprentice's den, hoping to have his pelt warmed up by the sun's comforting rays.
(OC: Sorry that I took long to reply, I was a bit busy over the holidays and generally didn't have the muse to write anything. I would've posted sooner nonetheless but this unexpectedly took me a few days to write)
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Post by Greymuzzles on Jan 10, 2019 21:24:06 GMT
Ooc: Not a problem! I expected things to be quiet over the Christmas period anyway.
Bic: Dustypaw was not, it seemed, an early riser. With the previous day left to him to use as he would, and his first day’s training looming before him, she would have thought he’d be relatively quick to rise—regardless of whether wakefulness was brought to him by excitement or dread. But it was not so. Rather than appear early as she had half-thought he would, the little tom remained noticeably absent from the stirring camp even as the bulk of their warriors began to emerge. It was not a good start, but Tigerheart held to her patience all the same, aware that it might yet be considered early; that he’d had no time to break the habits that kithood had surely trained.
Kits did not rise with the rest of the clan, after all…
But that was an excuse with a limited validity, and when the nursery came alive with its own brand of activity the she-cat knew that her patience must come to an end. Her apprentice was still nowhere to be seen, and the morning was hurrying away: threatening to be spent before he even appeared. It was that notion that at last prompted the she-cat to stand; turn her gaze firmly upon the apprentice’s den—
And pause in the very act of stepping towards it: find herself drawn short by the belated arrival of a small brown frame. The paw had shown himself at last, removing the need for her to wake him, but with that small positive came, too, a rapid negative: a fresh reason for ire to come her way. With the morning already advanced he should, by rights, have begun a search for her frame—or at the least spoken to another warrior—but instead he merely stretched and settled before the den, apparently content to let still more time go to waste. Whilst Tigerheart might have been willing to accept his late awakening, this new pause she was not, and she narrowed her eyes at the little tom: strode from her vantage and across the intervening gap.
“Dustypaw,” the word was clipped, even a little sharp—but delivered, too, near enough at hand to ensure that it needn’t carry across camp: quietly enough to avoid drawing unwarranted attention their way. “Have you not slept lon’ enough? There’ll be no mornin’ left at this rate.”
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Post by Dreamgate on Apr 6, 2019 10:33:11 GMT
Dustypaw jumped at the unexpected mention of his name, he hadn't even noticed the looming shape approach him. Letting his fur lay flat he sheepishly looked up and recognised the frame before him: Tigerheart.
“Have you not slept lon’ enough? There’ll be no mornin’ left at this rate.”
The little tom gulped down, his eyes falling to the floor in attempt to escape the unbearable eye contact. He should've known that lying in the sun would've been a terrible idea, he should've guessed that. But he didn't, and now on the first few moments of his first day of being an apprentice he was in trouble. Pathetic, he thought to himself, I'm just pathetic.
He stayed mute for a long, dreadful moment, waiting for something to happen, but what? What was he waiting for? A half-brained hedgehog could see that it was his cue to talk, explain himself, however there was nothing to explain. He was ignorant and decided to have a lay down. End of story. But that wouldn't suffice for Tigerheart, so he had to come up with something.
"I...uh, yes. Yes I... have slept enough. Sorry for... sorry..."
Dustypaw's mouth suddenly felt extremely dry as if he hadn't had any water for an entire moon, if there was anything else he wanted to say it won't be said. Instead Dustypaw briefly glanced up at Tigerheart and immediately shrunk back - she appeared much more intimidating when he knew he was in trouble.
However, Dustypaw felt thankful for Tigerheart keeping her voice low enough that no other cat in camp could listen into the conversation. He was relieved that he didn't have to be embarrassed in front of everyone as he usually is, perhaps this moment could be left and be forgotten as the day ensues. An almost sickly feeling in his stomach told him that that may not be the case.
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Post by Greymuzzles on Apr 8, 2019 20:26:41 GMT
The little tom was, at least, quick to react to her call – but she couldn’t say she was impressed with his response. He was plainly startled by her arrival, despite the fact that he should have known she would come—should have been paying attention to his surroundings besides—and her question was greeted by an immediate fall of his eyes. There was only one meaning for that, she knew: he was feeling guilty, and that meant he knew he had done wrong: knew that he should have chosen a very different course than the one that he had, for whatever reason, picked in its place. That was far from a good sign, for it suggested a carelessness of sorts; indicated that he might readily break the rules…if he thought he could get away with it.
She would need to watch for that, it seemed. She wondered if she would have to watch out for laziness, too.
‘I…uh, yes.’
Tigerheart flicked an ear at the belated, stammering response, eyes fixed on the tom as he worked his way through his chosen words. She was no more impressed by that answer or the manner in which it was given than she had been at his first reaction to her arrival, and she wrinkled her nose in silent declaration of that fact. She had expected some sort of excuse or explanation, but instead there was just this meek apology: a plain answer to the question posed. She supposed, in a way, that it was good that he didn’t attempt to justify himself if there was no reasonable justification to give, but it was also—so far as she knew—out of the norm for such a new paw, and that very fact left her just a little out of her depth. Just for a moment. But she rallied, turning from him with a faint grumble and twitch of tail: deciding to accept it for what it was.
“Keep a better eye on the sun, paw. Don’t expect me to be lettin’ this go again.” It was a warning as much as it was a rebuke, but she determined, for now, to let it go at that: decided that she’d not allow this matter to waste still more of what morning they still had. Besides, she’d said what she’d needed, so that was that.
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Post by Dreamgate on May 1, 2019 15:05:40 GMT
He could feel the she-cat's glare on him, it was unbearable. He shut his eyes tight and hoped that he will be able to vanish into thin air, avoiding anymore trouble or issues caused by him. But that's not possible, that's just cowardly thinking, because that's what he is: a coward.
There was a momentary pause, no more than two heartbeats, but it felt like an entire moon had gone by. But the silence ceased as he heard a quiet grumble rumble within his mentor's throat. He opened his eyes and saw her shadow begin to move away from him.
“Keep a better eye on the sun, paw. Don’t expect me to be lettin’ this go again.”
Murmured the large Boar, clearly dissatisfied but willing to let go of the matter. Dustypaw felt a euphoric relief flush over him at the sound of the she-cat's grumbled reply. Yes! Oh, thank Starclan it's over. However, he knew it was no time to get excited; he had already disappointed his mentor with his foolishness first thing in the morning, but he wasn't about to settle for being a bad apprentice! He's going to have to work hard in order to impress his mentor and not appear like a spoiled kit in front of her, but he was prepared for it, or so he thinks.
Anyways, he wasn't about to ignore the clear warning which Tigerheart had given him, so he quickly padded up beside Tigerheart, careful to not overstep and end up in front. Instead he kept his muzzle in line with her shoulder - not too far back and not too far up front.
“Thank you, Tigerheart. I promise it won't happen again!”
He murmured, making careful glances towards his mentor to see any sign of... well, anything really. Dustypaw knew he ought to be careful with his mentor, her reputation for being aggressive may show whilst being her apprentice, so it's best to not anger or upset her if it can be helped. Though, it doesn't seem to be going far too well as of right now.
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Post by Greymuzzles on May 1, 2019 19:35:03 GMT
She wondered, vaguely, if the little Boar would think the same way. As far as she was concerned there was no point in dragging a paw’s indiscretions out any longer than was necessary to see the appropriate lesson turned their way, for young cats always made mistakes, but others, she suspected, would not look upon it the same. In her old clan there had been a tendency towards holding errors over a cat’s head—grinding their noses into them again and again—and observation had led her to suspect that much the same trait lurked in certain Treeclanner frames. Dustypaw might have noted that too, were he observant enough—or merely unfortunate enough to experience it first-hand—so it was just possible that he might expect this error to be held over him for days or even weeks on end. But he was new to this, and even if he wasn’t…it was a minor error compared to the countless others that could be made. So small, in fact, that it wasn’t worth holding on to for any longer than was necessary to turn that rebuke his way.
It was for that reason as much as the rapid passing of the day that Tigerheart left the matter alone with those few gruff words – and so far as she was concerned, all that then mattered was the reaction that they might draw from the tom’s frame. That response could give her further clues of what she was in for through the next moons, and investment in that knowledge ensured that her attention lingered on his smaller form. Her attention might not have been obvious to a casual observer, but it was there nonetheless: ensured that her eyes remained angled back towards him even as she padded away. And from that vantage, watching from the corner of her eye, there was indeed information to be gained.
She saw him perk, no doubt relieved that he had gotten away light. She saw him scurry forwards, hastening to gain her side. She saw, too, how he measured his quicker stride, apparently matching it to hers: setting himself a line that was not to be crossed nor trailed behind.
That was…interesting. More so for the fact he was doing it without being told.
She wondered how long he’d be able to keep it up.
‘I promise it won’t happen again!’
“…We’ll see.” she turned her eyes fully forwards once more, habit demanding she shift more of her focus to the land as they left the camp behind. Treeclan territory was, she knew, about as safe a place as once could hope to find—but one never knew. Danger could arise at any time, as the rogues had shown only a few moons before.
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Post by Dreamgate on May 5, 2019 18:48:18 GMT
Dustypaw's pelt prickled as his mentor, in his eyes, doubted him and his promise. He hesitated in saying anything further, in fear of making yet another mistake which would upset Tigerheart. But as the two marched further, he realised he had no clue where they're going or what they will be doing today. Whether or not Tigerheart was upset, she was going to teach him nonetheless, so might as well change the subject and simply ask.
“Uh, s-sorry for asking, but what are we going to do today?” He asked meekly, assuming that he was supposed to know already - which he clearly didn't. He flicked is dark brown-tipped ears as he suddenly wished for there to be more apprentices around, getting advice or any hints as to what he's meant to do as an apprentice. He only ever got stories from the elders, but they were stories and so he never got a good idea of what was required to be done for the first day.
Glancing at his mentor, he patiently waited for a response, hoping she didn't expect for him to know already. Was it always so nerve-wrecking to be an apprentice? No elder has told stories where they seemed nervous, or was it just because Tigerheart is his mentor? Or is it because... he's just a coward? Hopefully it's the latter.
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Post by Greymuzzles on May 15, 2019 20:52:06 GMT
Ooc: Sorry for the delay - somehow managed to miss the fact that you'd replied...
Bic: She scanned the undergrowth ahead of them almost reflexively, golden eyes searching for out-of-place shadows; for any movement of foliage that did not fit the prevailing breeze. Of course there was nothing to be seen—there rarely was—but she could no more have kept herself from such things than she could forbid herself the right to breathe. It was ingrained—and so too, to an extent, was the aloofness of her manner; the silence into which she slipped the moment those few words had passed. She’d learnt to forgo unnecessary chatter long, long before…
But there was a difference between forgoing aimless talk and forgetting when one was meant to speak.
Unfortunately Tigerheart had fallen prey to the latter. It was only when Dustypaw spoke up anew that she realised she had failed to explain what they were to do, and the realisation drew her up short, leaving her balanced on a fallen log and frowning, for a moment, at the forest view. She would be the first to admit (even if only silently) that she was not the strongest at socialisation, but this was an omittance hard to forgive, for it was basic—and it wasn’t as if this was her first paw. The first Treeclanner, yes, but not the first of them all.
Perhaps her mind was still too full from the announcement. Perhaps she still hadn’t quite process that Dustypaw was hers to train. She wasn’t sure – but regardless she soon tracked her eyes back the little Boar’s way: gaze, for a second, down at his smaller frame.
“…We will walk the territory,” she stated but a beat later, dimly hoping that he wouldn’t place too much emphasis on her pause: wouldn’t realise that she had forgotten to say before. She knew the routine, even if so much of it was different here, in this meeker clan, but she had to re-accustom herself to mentorship’s demands. And remember that Claws did not exist here: that this little one was not to be pushed so hard. “It is important that you learn the land.”
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Post by Dreamgate on May 28, 2019 23:32:20 GMT
His mentor's silence had sent the little tom's mind whirling with brief panic. Had he said something wrong? Was his mentor ignoring him? He flexed his claws as his pelt seemed to be set on fire with growing distress, and looking up at his mentor, who stood perched on an old log with a frown, he knew that something was amiss. Opening his jaw to frantically apologise for being so clueless, he was silenced by his mentor's sudden reply.
“…We will walk the territory,” she declared, her words sending faint echoes through the woods, or so he thought. Her words were ringing in his mind, making him more nervous than it really should. She hadn't said anything to frighten or upset him in any way. But her silence, her pauses and her curt words unsettled him. He couldn't help but feel at fault in some way, she must be upset with the disappointing apprentice she had been given and so she's ignoring him, or trying her best to do so.
He hung his head low and nodded at Tigerheart's final comment. She's just being formal, he thought. After all, it is her duty to train him so even if she was ignoring him she'd still have to put some effort into being a mentor otherwise he would never earn his warrior name and then she'd be stuck with him forever. She definitely doesn't want that, surely.
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Post by Greymuzzles on Jun 1, 2019 11:44:03 GMT
He had had noticed her failing, he didn’t point it out. Quite the opposite in fact: the little tom remained mute in the face of her answer, seeming to cave in on himself almost as soon as she turned her gaze upon him; began to speak. That deepened the frown already resting on her features, and for a moment she lapsed into fresh silence, lingering in her pause. She had said nothing that should have brought such a droop to his form—should have sent his gaze scurrying so rapidly towards the floor—and the oddity of that reaction, her own confusion of its cause, only allowed the moment to drag out still more.
What, she wondered, had she done to make him behave like a kit rebuked?
Tigerheart ran her words back through her mind, tail-tip twitching as she evaluated them; considered their delivery too. Common sense stated that there must have been something in them to draw out his response, and yet even if that was true she couldn’t guess what it was. It was a puzzling, frustrating thing, and at last it dragged a sigh from her as she gave it up for lost: turned to the forest once more. This was going to be a long day, she suspected. This was going to be hard if Dustypaw continued to react outside the norm.
“…Come, little paw.” There was a trace of resignation in her voice, for the day stretched out ahead of her: already promising to be more awkward than it ought. But there was no point in lingering here or trying to press the reasons out of the smaller cat, so the warrior stepped down off her log: took a few steps on.
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Post by Dreamgate on Sept 18, 2019 15:40:26 GMT
Dustypaw lifted his head slowly and gave his mentor a curt nod as Tigerheart's authoritative voice beckoned him and soon joined her, step for step, as he had done before. He wondered what his mentor thought of him, just yesterday even Dustypaw felt eager (to a degree) to have Tigerheart as his mentor. But after his terrible sleep-in just this morning he was sure Tigerheart had lost any respect or pride - if she even had any to begin with - in him. The tom blinked sadly to himself, why can't he just be kicked out of the clan? He'll be no use as a warrior...
What's the point in being so broody? Alright, alright, I can fix this.
He glances nervously at his mentor. Dustypaw doesn't wanna stay on Tigerheart's bad side forever - it'll be miserable for the both of them.
"So... uh... Where are we going exactly?" Came the meek question, breaking the silence that encased the two cats. He felt incredibly warm and slightly dizzy from the anxiety that went along with the question, why did he have to feel this way? Is this how all apprentices feel? No one ever mentioned the panic that came along with mere communication between mentor and apprentice. Unless... everyone kept it to themselves? Maybe. That's what he'd definitely do.
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Post by Greymuzzles on Oct 6, 2019 19:15:51 GMT
Thankfully, the little tom didn’t need any further prompt. He started after her almost as soon as her words hit the air, and so there was no need for further pause: nothing extra to delay her form. She didn’t even need to stall those first steps to wait for him; was able to slip smoothly back into an even stride, confident that her apprentice was close on her paws. She could hear him there, holding again to the line he had set himself, and though to her ears his passage made enough noise to wake the forest, she had to admit that she approved of the place he had apparently picked himself. If he continued to shadow her like this then she might, at least, be freed from the need to worry about where he was or how readily he might be defended should trouble find their forms. If he continued like this then she mightn’t need to track him so closely at all.
But it was only the first day, and she’d be a fool if she truly believed this manner would hold sway. Little paws were easily spooked and even more easily distracted, and once he relaxed into his new-found role she was sure he would be the same. It was merely a question of how long that would take – and how long his meekness remained.
‘So…uh…where are we going exactly?’
The she-cat flicked an ear at his question, honing in on the nervousness it contained. If that lingering tone was anything to go by then the meekness might never leave his frame…and that would make his training far harder than it needed to be. She was not the right cat for meekness—but it was only the first day. Perhaps it would go away.
“The Sentinel.” She sent another fleeting look back towards him, wondering how he’d react; wondering if he’d at least shaken the dejection from his frame. “Then on to the river—and further, if your paws can ‘andle it.”
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Post by Dreamgate on Jan 29, 2021 0:56:30 GMT
(OOC - whoo, it's been a while since I roleplayed, apologies if my writing has since gotten worse, haven't had much practice. )
The small shock of anxiety he earned from asking a question slowly dispersed as Tigerheart declared that "The Sentinel" is their first destination. The Sentinel... Dustypaw overheard many stories of it. If he remembered correctly, it was basically a big tree? It was a popular place to train and hunt, and according to Skyflower, that's where cats earn their Tree Hunter ranking. But how big can one tree possibly be? The trees he's seen outside camp grounds were already huge. That's the entire thing with trees, they're big!
His obscure train of thought was quickly thrown off the tracks as his mentor gave a brief glance in his direction. For a moment he worried that Tigerheart somehow heard his thoughts and was silently judging him. Forcing his fur to lay flat, he awkwardly matched his mentor's short gaze before she looked away, hoping that he might be able to mask the fact that he was mentally debating tree heights. When she did and then continued speaking he almost sighed with relief, happy to be free of his mentor's eyes that were most certainly analysing and judging him.
"Then on to the river - "
The river? He couldn't remember hearing anything about a river within the territory, though he never asked for any information on the territory either. His tail twitched slightly in frustration with himself. Why can't he be like the other apprentices and be chatty and outgoing? Why must he make himself suffer by only learning things through eavesdropping and overhearing conversations that he's never been apart of? If he just had even a slight bit of courage he could've gone round to every cat in camp asking as many questions as he could think of. He could've known every nook and cranny before he ever even set a whisker-length outside camp. He could've impressed Tigerheart with his knowledge and boldness, unwavering whenever she spoke or looked at him. Instead, he's fearful of his own clanmates, and his mentor even more so. He knew that Tigerheart can't hear his thoughts, but if she did, how much would her disappointment in him grow? Probably a lot. Most definitely a lot.
"- And further, if your paws can 'andle it."
Dustypaw looked down at his paws as soon as Tigerheart mentioned them. They could barely handle keeping him steady when conversing with his seniors, he doubted that they could handle journeys of that length, especially on his first day. Did Tigerheart know that? Was she aware that a puny apprentice like him couldn't handle that much walking? Was she testing him? Is this a way of seeing if he's worthy to be her apprentice? Or anyone's apprentice for that matter? His head suddenly started feeling light and dizzy as thoughts began swarming him like angry bees. He mustn't fail this, he can't. He will go on until they've covered the entire territory.
"My paws... I... I can handle it. I can..."
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Post by Greymuzzles on Feb 4, 2021 22:16:24 GMT
Ooc: Your writing's just fine--Dustypaw comes across very nicely here~
Bic: Would he be able to handle it?
Now that she’d spoken she couldn’t help but question it, for the distance just to the river was a long one for a cat that was so soft and so small. Had she still been in her birth clan she’d barely have even considered it at all, for she’d only trained other Claws—and Claws were expected to start travelling on their own four paws from the very moment they could reliably walk. There were few concessions made for those bred to fight, and the result was a strain of apprentice that was toughened even before they were set beneath a mentor’s sight. The clan’s regular relocations had made sure of it. If you were born a Claw, you learnt to keep up or you were left behind.
But this was Treeclan, and there were no Claws or relocations here. No, here the average warrior would be shredded by those considered ‘average’ amongst her one-time peers, and here Treeclan stayed put from moon to moon and season to season, keeping their kittens sheltered within the nursery until the day they were sent out to train. They didn’t leave camp and they certainly didn’t get toughened any other way, so how far, then, could a new little paw go before it became too much of a strain? The truth was that she didn’t know, and she flicked her tail uneasily as she confronted that very fact. She’d known this would be different to any other apprenticeship she had managed before – but how much different? Where were the lines to be drawn?
Suddenly she felt as nervous as if this were her first and only apprentice; not just the first Treeclanner. It unsettled her all the more, and she shot another quick look back, wariness flickering briefly in her gaze as she eyed her new paw. They both had to learn, she realised. Only her mistakes, if she made them, would be so much more damaging than his…
‘My paws…I…I can handle it. I can.’
The she-cat paused as the little tom spoke up, his voice brimming with nerves and with doubt. She half-turned to face him, too: eyed him for a long silent moment as he stared at his paws as if he could somehow will them to be strong; somehow wish them into handling the walk. There was naivety behind that, she knew, but the sentiment itself was admirable…even if his voice betrayed that he didn’t believe his own words. She didn’t believe in them either, if it came to it.
She couldn’t say that, however—she wasn’t about to tear him down in such a way—so instead she offered up a crisp “we’ll see,” hoping he would take it as a challenge to meet, and not as the dismissal it might otherwise seem. She hesitated a moment too, wondering if she should say more, if she should advise him not to push too much too soon – but instead she turned abruptly away, deciding that such words would do the opposite of what she wanted to achieve. She wanted him to show her his limits. She wasn’t going to tell him where they ought to lay.
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