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The black-furred tom stepped between the long stalks of grass and into the trampled clearing that served as a training area. Firesky had called him from the apprentices den that morning, informing him of a training session they would have later, after she'd finished with her duties as deputy. So, Weaselpaw had lingered in the LightningClan camp until he could see Firesky was almost through. Then, he slipped out of camp and made his way to the training clearing. There, he sat, curling his tail over his paws.

He fixed his golden gaze onto the sky, the sun peeking out from behind a cloud, yet doing little to warm his fur. The harsh leaf-bare still gripped the Clans, and it seemed as though it would never let them go. Weaselpaw, born at the turn of leaf-fall, had never really known warmer weather, so the coolness didn't bother him quite as much as the rest of the Clan. However, from what he had heard from the others, this was one of the coldest leaf-bares the Clans had faced, and even now, at the start of new-leaf, it felt like the dead of leaf-bare. Weaselpaw lowered his gaze to the grasses around him, waiting for his mentor to appear for their training session.

[Hellion]

I promise I wont go on the dusk patrol

She told her mate Russetfall as sh rounded up the patrols, having already told Weaselpaw to wait or her, it didn't take long for the calico she-cat to leave the camp. Gathering herself in a brisk pace to warm up her cold toes she heading toward the clearing, the cool air filling her lungs.

The short distance did very little to warm up her fur but she was at least able to hold back her shivering. From her vantage point she was able to see the clear outline of Weaselpaw, the new deputy walked with purpose into the clearing with a warm smile toward her new apprentice.

"Nice to see you here to do some training. I'd like to just see how much you know. Let me see a hunting crouch." She asked him, Firesky had trained one cat before him, Thornyowl it wasn't going to be a hassle to train another one. She was already set and read to train him, it was just now a matter so see how much training he would need.

She remained standing but a few tail lengths away to allow him room to move about to show her his best hunting crouch, the first test.

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Weaselpaw's eyes snapped to his mentor as she entered the clearing. He didn't speak or return her smile, but focused intently on her words. When she finished, he nodded and rose, his tailtip flicking out behind him. Gold eyes focused on an empty spot on the ground a short distance before him, and he lowered his body to the ground. Haunches tensed, he dropped down, bent lanky legs making him look vaguely like a spider. His belly fur came close to touching the ground, but didn't. He straightened out his tail and stilled.

Weaselpaw calmed his breathing, taking silent, steady breaths. The skinny tom focused on the empty spot, envisioning something, anything, but emptiness. He remained still and waited, knowing Firesky would be watching him closely, inspecting his technique.

A hawk screeched overhead, causing the apprentice's ears to twitch, but otherwise, he remained still. The pressure of knowing he was being judged weighed on his shoulders, but he tried not to let that make him lose focus. Instead, he allowed that pressure to drive him to perfection.

[Hellion]

A calcultaing she-cat was before him, Firesky was watching his every move, his form was correct and the deputy noted to praise him for it, however she felt he was striving possibly for to much perfection. If he waited until every hair on his body went to it's correct place, or the wind blew a certain direction he would miss his chance.

Although she was happy with him she'd do her best to tell him gently to ease up on the perfection. She rose up to her paws and touched her tail to his forehead a silent way to tell him to ease up and relax, the first test was done.

"I'll tell you how I feel you are doing after this evaluation. Now, I'd like to know what you know of other clan battle tactics. Battle training is what I will be focusing on so right now I don't need to know where you are, I will train you from the basics. " She told him, her tail flicking a few times before giving him the floor to recite what he knew of the rival clans.

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Weaselpaw felt the tail tip touch his forehead, and in silence he relaxed and rose, his own tail tip flicking out behind himas he fixed his gaze to the she-cat before him. He remained on his paws as his mentor spoke again. He felt talking was mostly unnecessary, but he liked that Firesky got her point across in few words. She drug the speaking out a little longer than he would have, however, but she couldn't be blamed for that. Weaselpaw was a strange cat of as few words as possible.

The seven-moon-old apprentice lowered his haunches, sitting and curling his tail around his paws as Firesky spoke. Immediately after her request, he looked down at his paws and began thinking how he would answer her question. After a few moments of thought, he responded, his voice quiet but audible. "TreeClan. Stealthy, using brush to their advantage. Aerial attacks from trees. NightClan. Ambush. Likely to surround and use shadows. Possible attacks from trees. RainClan. Use water to advantage. Cornering techniques. StoneClan. Cornering techniques, ambush from higher ground." Weaselpaw finished speaking, his words having been short and to the point.

He kept his gaze low and waited, his tail tip flicking quickly, once, a habit he had picked up and couldn't stop. Weaselpaw flicked his gaze up to his mentor momentarily, trying to assess her expression, before glancing back down at his paws. The skinny tom didn't know much about the other Clans, but he had done his best to think of the most logical and possible tactics for each Clan, based on what little he knew of them. He just hoped it would be enough.

[Hellion]

He was formal and lacking in the ease and grace of normal conversation. While Firesky understood that was simply how he was, part of her the mothering part wanted him to break away from the strict behavior and relax a little more, but that would take time and trust. Wagging her short stump of a tail the calico deputy nodded for him to relax and too into consideration what he knew of the Clans. "You have good answers and I'm proud that you know so much, not for my evaluation of you in detail." She told him and moved to sit across from him and smoothed down her chest fur with a few quick licks.

"You are skilled and no doubt in that, however perfection is something you will never meet." She told him bluntly but kept her voice warm. "You can try and try to achieve that perfect crouch or battle move but no matter what you won't make perfection. The key point is to crouch when the time is right and stay silent until you strike. What you can prefect is your timing and stealth. Firesky spoke evenly, going off the mental list in her head. "If you wait until your body is in the perfect place you will miss the chance for a meal and that might cost a cat their life." Firesky meowed som what harshly as she talked to him, making it clear that perfection wasn't possible with lives were at stake.

"Are you willing to strive to learn those skill to be a benefit to your clan instead of being the perfect warrior?" She asked him, wanting to know what was in his heart not just what he thought she wanted to hear.

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Weaselpaw sat in silence as his mentor spoke. His tail curled upward slightly at the praise before curling back around his paws. Gold eyes blinked as he watched his mentor. Firesky went on, speaking of perfection and how he'd never reach it. Weaselpaw narrowed his eyes slightly, but held his tongue. He'd speak after she was finished.

"Are you willing to strive to learn those skill to be a benefit to your clan instead of being the perfect warrior?"

Weaselpaw's tail flicked somewhat harshly, and he swallowed, biting down an odd anger. He spoke quietly again, but this time, his voice was tight. "Perfection is only tried for when there is time. I will train to be a great warrior, not always a perfect one." Weaselpaw averted his gaze as he spoke, knowing his words would likely anger her. He didn't want to incur more wrath upon himself by appearing defiant, so instead he gazed at his paws, and waited for what may come.