Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Feb 6, 2013 21:53:21 GMT -5
Nightpaw ~~~~~~~~~ The tom watched with keen interest as his mentor agreed to his request. Moving quietly as to make sure he didn't disturb his mentor's hunt, the black and white apprentice crept slightly closer, to take a closer look at the tom's positioning. Nightpaw noticed the older tom's gaze flick down to the ground every now and again, and he knew that Whiteshade was making certain that nothing was in his way, nothing would make a sound and alert the mouse of his presence. Nightpaw's ears flashed up as the ghost of a mentor pounced. He made it look so easy, and his blue eyes flashed with something close to envy. The tom decided that one day, he'd be as good as his mentor was at pouncing, at being fluid. The tom's tail curled as his mentor caught the mouse. Nightpaw didn't pay much attention to his mentor after he'd caught the mouse. Instead, he'd closed his blue eyes, remembering what Whiteshade had done, visualizing himself doing the same thing.
The tom slipped into a crouch, his eyes still closed, feeling his balance rather than trying to find it. The sound of paw steps had Nightpaw straightening, eyes blinking open to glance back at his mentor as the white tom approached, catch successfully pinned in his jaws. When Nightpaw was asked if he had any question, he gave a slight shake of his head. "Not about what I saw, no. Thank you for demonstrating, Whiteshade, sir." With a dip of his head and a flick of his tail, Nightpaw glanced around, jaws parted. Just as before, he figured that Whiteshade's hunt, and the scent of blood had warned any other prey in the area. He wondered if they would continue, or return to camp. It was getting darker as the moon rose in place of the sun. "If I may ask... What is the plan now?"
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We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Feb 8, 2013 11:16:09 GMT -5
WHITESHADE 565 words || for Nightpaw | Nightpaw's species must be dying out, He mused as he inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the younger tom's gratitude. It was a shame, for polite apprentices were already far too rare. He could count himself lucky that his was part of this dying breed. In light of this recent discovery, he found himself feeling uncharacteristically generous, a feeling that he hoped would disperse soon. But there was no sense in not hurrying it along. Nightpaw's answer had implied that he had questions, but they were irrelevent to the lesson. Indifferent to the entire situation, the albino tom found himself waiting expectantly for the apprentice to ask them. But when Nightpaw did not, he prepared to move on, not about to give the younger tom a second chance.
As it turned out, his apprentice gathered enough nerve to ask the question he was about to answer, providing a convenient transition. The warrior had not been unaware of the growing darkness, instead choosing to ignore it in favor of continuing the hunt. Though he generally enjoyed this transition period between night and daw, he also believed in the importance of aquainting an apprentice with the dark early on in training. The sooner the small thing familiarized itself with the whole other world that revealed itself during the night, the better, for attacks during this time were not unheard of. Training in the gathering gloom was just the start, and farther down the road, he fully intended to keep Nightpaw out until the moon was high in the sky, even if doing so meant cutting back on his own rest. He was more accustomed to this life of hard work, and he would not deny that part of him was eager to see another cat struggle with something he found so easy. And in the end, if his apprentice could manage to perform just as well in the inky black as he did in the day, the albino tom knew that he would be at a level far above that of his peers. And he would not settle for an average apprentice.
Any other mentor might have acted according to the exhaustion he could see in the small black and white form in front of him, but true to his hidden, ruthless nature, he ignored it. Even though the apprentice had set foot outside camp for the first time just a few days ago, his mentor refused to lighten up anymore than he already had. Nightpaw could handle the pressure and hard work, and if he could not, then he would have to figure out how. Soft, emotional warriors were the result of easy training riddled with far too many compliments and not enough criticism, and he refused to let his apprentice join their ranks. With a flick of his tail, he gestured coolly to the mouse at his paws. "Catch two more mice," He instructed, completely aware that he had made the task unnecessarily hard by specifying the desired prey. But good tracking required some of the same precision and focus that was needed when hunting a specific piece of prey and ignoring the rest. If he was launching a surprise attack on a StoneClan cat, Nightpaw had to be able to ignore the other distractions and focus completely on his prey. "Bring them here, to me. Then we will retrieve the rabbit and return to camp." |
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Conquer the monster in your head, and then you'll fly |
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GaleClan Medicine Cat
INVENTORY
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Post by BlooRey DVD on Feb 15, 2013 2:44:17 GMT -5
Nightpaw ~~~~~~~ The black and white tom knew there was no arguing with Whiteshade. No matter how exhausted he was, the apprentice knew the moment Whitedhade instructed him to find and catch two mice, and then they would return to camp, that Whiteshade was serious. Nightpaw dipped his head, fully ready to take on the challenge. The quicker he completed it, the quicker they could return to camp. It would do no one any good to complain about it and try to get Whiteshade to change his mind. He had a feeling Whiteshade wasn't about to change his mind. "Yes, of course Whiteshade, sir." He spoke, making sure his words were clear. He didn't want to mumble something incoherent in front of a tom such as Whiteshade.
Giving himself a shake to clear his foggy mind, the black and white tom blinked blue eyes, fighting off any exhaustion that was trying to get the better of him. He flexed his claws, jaws parting as he drew in the scents around him. Alright, Nightpaw... Let's get this over with. He thought to himself. He couldn't wait for the soft feeling his nest would give him. Something told him, however that morning would come all too soon. Still, he couldn't dwell on that. Not until he had caught the mice anyway. A scent drew his attention to the left, and his ears pricked, following the scent, hoping to catch a sound. After a moment, however, Nightpaw identified the prey as a squirrel. Slinking low, he peeled away from it, heading right instead. His jaws remained parted as he sucked in the scents around him, searching out that one specific scent.
Finally it came to him. His pupils dilated slightly as adrenaline began to snake through his veins. Crouching low to the ground, the young apprentice crept forward. His tail was still, just above the ground, and his belly fur stayed clear of the scraping earth below him. As he advanced, one foot in front of the other, black trading places with white, Nightpaw forced himself to remain focused and to remain calm. The mouse was scuttling along near the base of a tree. Nightpaw wondered, for a moment, if perhaps the mouse was tired as well, which would explain why it seemed so inattentive. Pushing such silly thoughts from his head, the apprentice shifted his weight, preparing to pounce. He took an extra moment, eyes focusing, making sure he had the right distance. The light was different in the darkness of night, mainly because... Well there was no light, save for the slightest glow the moon gave off. When he sprung, he was silent, a near invisible blur in the darkness. He landed with surprising accuracy, jaws clamping shut around the mouse, allowing him to finish it off quickly.
He made his way back to his mentor, depositing the mouse without a word, before turning and heading off in a different direction, jaws parted to catch any scents. This time, it took him longer to find the mouse, and he could feel the exhaustion once again pawing at him. He knew he couldn't let it get the better of him. Instead of blindly going in and trying to catch the mouse, Nightpaw took a moment to blink away the sleep from his eyes. He flexed his claws once more, allowing the adrenaline, tinged with something else seep through his veins. His eyes became eerily focused and his senses alert as he slunk forward. He was almost motionless as he inched towards the mouse. His jaws were open, waiting for the mouse to fill that spot. This time, he didn't take as much time to spring. He leapt high and silently through the air, landing and killing the mouse in a series of quick movements, leaving the poor creature no time to react. He trembled slightly, reining in the excitement he could feel buzzing through him.
Picking up this mouse, feeling its warm body trickle blood into his mouth, he picked his way back to Whiteshade. By the time he pulled to a stop by his mentor, he was more or less back to normal, save for the eerie glow in his eyes. He dropped the mouse beside the other one he'd caught, glancing up at the sky, towards the moon. He couldn't read the moon like he could read the sun, but he figured it had taken him some time to track and kill both the mice. Focusing his gaze back on his mentor, Nightpaw spoke again. "Two mice. Got them."
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We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Feb 15, 2013 12:53:09 GMT -5
WHITESHADE LightningClan || Senior Warrior | And then, just like that, he was alone. The apprentice was gone, his black and white pelt vanishing in the gathering gloom as he hurried off to complete his task. Crimson eyes watched him go, indifferent to his destination so long as he returned with the two mice, before he turned slightly, to watch the last traces of light fight valiantly against the darkness. Hind limbs folded beneath him as he silently sat, tail coming to wrap around alabaster paws. The sunset cast a strange effect over his white pelt, one that he had often utilized to his advantage both in and out of battle. A small smirk touched his lip as he shifted his gaze upward, tilting his chin ever so slightly toward the sky. It was almost pathetic, the way the lingering light clung to its hold in the heavens, struggling to survive the overwhelming dark that had come to lay its claim. It was this fight that it lost at the end of every day, yet it continued to fight, continued to struggle. It was like a rabbit that clutched at its last vestiges of life, even as the spark left its eyes. There was some remarkable about such spirit and stubborness, and had he been any other cat, he might have appreciated that. Instead, he found himself amused at the way it fought against the inevitable and continued to do so day after day.
The sound of approaching paw steps, not unusually loud but easily detectable by keen ears, caught his attention, and intense red eyes pinned the returning apprentice, following his movements. He had no desire to comment, and it seemed as though the younger cat had similar reserves. Their interaction consisted of him setting a mouse at the ivory paws before turning and disappearing once more. This time, he did not watch the younger cat go, instead focusing his attention on the mouse at his paws.
It was small and still warm. He studied the small form with the air of a curious kit, though he knew that he had already discovered anything that could interest him about the piece of prey. Like any life form, it was delicate, easy to kill. An unsheathed claw dangled over the catch, which lay there, oblivious to the demon's scarlet gaze. There were so many ways to end its miserable life. A simple blow to the neck. He lightly dragged a claw across its small throat, refraining from breaking the skin. A gut wound, slow and painful. His claw traced a circle on the creature's belly. Open the chest. Gash along the back. Snap its spine. Bleed it out. With the gentleness of a mother handing her kit, he delicately placed his claw on along its body, following his thoughts along its atanomy, crooning to it in his mind. The monster was very close.
And then he was interrupted once more, and with his monster snarling as chains wrapped around it once more, shoving it back, he composed himself in an instant. The tom straightened up, claws sheathing as red eyes found his apprentice. Four words were spoken and acknowledged with the slight incline of his head, his crimson gaze barely dropping to the second mouse. He was not unaware of the glint in the younger tom's eyes, though he chose to ignore it in favor of returning to camp. "Acceptable." The single word was spoken quietly as he rose to his paws, though he was not without praise of his own brand. Compliments were not to be given too heavily, lest they became meaningless. He nodded again at the younger tom as he ghosted past the black and white figure. "As promised, we will fetch the rabbit and head home. Well done, Nightpaw."
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