[Insidious]

Juniperpaw

To many he was the sole essence of monstrosity, a creature built upon the concept of death, his bloody eyes an immediate warning of pending catastrophe when matched by any curious bystander. Of course, his unusual features had not passed over her head undetected when she had been nothing but a mere kitten in the nursery. He had managed to frighten her absent of even a glance, but she was quick to reason that it was unfair of her to be so judgemental based on appearance, and as a result of such she had rid herself of any and all impudent thoughts that dare strike her mind from thus point onward. It had been fatalistic, dare she say, that he all of cats had been appointed as her mentor shortly after she had been so hard on herself for being so horribly quick to judge him. It was supplying her with the opportunity to get to know him on a more personal level, and although her nursery-mates had cowered away in fear when he was elected from the crowd to proceed with her training, she had experienced no such hardship, for it was of the greatest honour to learn from a senior warrior that undoubtedly had a vaster field of knowledge and information to pass down to the newest generation of eager apprentices as opposed to the young warriors that were assigned to the majority.

Juniperpaw was wholesomely aware of Whiteshade’s former apprentice, Nightstep, and through knowing of the black-and-white tomcat that had learned from him first, she was also quite swift to identify the rate at which she would be required to excel if she wished to come even close to being as excellent in the eyes of her mentor. Determined to impress, the gray-and-orange apprentice had positioned herself just short from the warriors’ den, waiting patiently for her mentor in the hopes that he would be glad to see that she was as willing to learn as she was. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reasoning behind her longing to have a smooth training with Whiteshade, but she assumed it was only natural for apprentices to cringe at the idea of having a bad relationship with the cat that was supposed to teach them everything that they would come to use in their warriorhood. The small she-cat had every intention of putting Whiteshade’s words of wisdom to good use, and such was revealed through the glint that sparkled in the depths of her grayish blue eyes as she awaited his presence, poised in a neat sit, tail wrapped delicately around her dainty paws, and her chest puffed out in the highest of hopes that he would be as enthusiastic to teach as she was to learn.

[OOC: I didn’t specify their training. I figured I’d leave it up to you which one they do first. I also didn’t specify whether it was the morning or the evening, seeing as I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not Whiteshade would be teaching her in the dark as he had with Nightstep. Phoenix]

[Phoenix]

Whiteshade

- - -

One could hardly say that he had missed his time as a mentor. When he had been charged with the training of Nightstep, the solitude that he had grown accustomed to had been all but ripped away. Time had been devoted to molding the apprentice into a cat who fulfilled every bit of potential the alabaster devil had seen in him. He considered the endeavor a success; his former apprentice had grown from an untrained kit to a confident – if not slightly intimidating – warrior who could fight with a deadly accuracy and speed. Apart from his own role, the senior warrior attributed such an achievement to Nightstep’s iron determination and disposition, which had been somewhat similar to his own. Looking at the kit – his newest apprentice was so fresh from the nursery that he could have easily mistaken her for one – sitting before him, he saw much of the former but none of the latter.

Unlike before, he had no previous interaction with the young she-cat on which to form a solid impression, so he viewed her with the same relatively neutral, if not slightly condescending, lens that he applied to the rest of his clan. Crimson eyes, a deep blood red against brilliant white fur, illuminated in the bright sunlight, evenly met the equally intriguing pair – a mixture of blue and gray that, in this light, was similar to a stormy sky – of his apprentice. ”Juniperpaw,” He greeted her levelly, inclining his head slightly as he drew to a halt in front of her. Had he had to look down so far to address Nightstep at the beginning of his apprenticeship? ”It is always gratifying to come upon an apprentice so eager to learn.” Turning on his paw, he pivoted away, striding smoothly toward the exit to camp, his tail beckoning her to follow. ”Come with me. There is no reason to waste daylight.”

The first day was always the most telling. After putting her through her paces, those pitiful excuses for hunting crouches and pounces that kits called ‘skills’, he would know exactly how far behind – or, relative to her nest mates and his opinion on other apprentices, how average – she was. He would be able to confirm his opinion on whether or not she had the same potential as his previous apprentice; furthermore, he would know exactly the nature of her personality, whether she was as soft as she appeared. Without warning, he stopped and turned to face the she-cat, steeling himself for the overwhelming displeasure that would flood him should he feel her small body collide with his legs. ”Kits are fond of playing games, many of which involve hunting in one form or another,” The senior warrior commented as he lowered his haunches to the ground. ”Therefore, you must have some idea – or expectation, perhaps – of how to go about the process. Show me.” His tone was neutral, but he hardly expected to be impressed.

Insidious

- - -

[Insidious]

Juniperpaw

The very essence of her mentor was chilling. The kit that lingered within her wanted to curl up into a ball, as though such a position would shield her from the threat that he posed, and she was rather disturbed with herself for having such a thought for more than a second. He was not going to harm her; she had to completely rid herself of such menacing impressions. A dark cloud of shame lapped at her heart, and she pressed her tiny claws into the ground - a notion for her own eyes alone - in disgust of herself as the white warrior ghosted by her flank and beckoned her with a fluid flick of his tail. Immediately, the beautiful kitten rose from her seat and pursuited him in obedience. She was mindful of his movements, thoroughly awed by his excellent momentum, and therefore she had been mentally prepared for his abrupt halt, enough so that she was able to bring herself to a timely stop as well much sooner than would have been required, should she have driven herself directly into the back of his legs. Nerves had her standing on the tips of her paws, and had she allowed her mind to wander for even a brief moment, she was certain she would have made the fatal mistake of knocking bodies. A sigh of relief departed from her small jaw, gathering herself into the neatest stance that she could muster in the hopes that her anxiety was going by unnoticed.

“Of course!” She leaped at the invitation to impress him in a presentation of her greatest enthusiasm, scolding herself mentally for her overly cheerful disposition, before she took a deep breath and lowered herself into the proper crouch. Her tail was well balanced, and although her footing could use a bit of work (not every apprentice could be perfect on their first try, after all), she liked to think that she was doing rather admirable. Juniperpaw liked to think that, one day, she’d be capable of being a role model, of sorts, for her fellow apprentices. She didn’t think anything short of excellence from Whiteshade’s ability to mentor, and she was anticipating the day that his training could reveal how it had benefited her to the rest of her clan. There was no denying that she was in a rush to grow up and prove herself useful. She was forgetting that she was still young, and that she was going to make mistakes along the way - the future was simply too promising.

Holding her hunter’s crouch for a few more moments to ensure that Whiteshade had gotten the fill of his analysis, she stood hesitantly, looking up at him with expectant, grayish-blue eyes. “How was that?” It took everything in her being to keep her voice from cracking, or pitching itself at an awkward, feminine squeal. It would be devastating if he could not hold her to the standard of a well-rounded apprentice. Perhaps she’d never quite match up to Nightstep in his eyes, but she was trying her best, and that would have to account for something. Ears flicking in Whiteshade’s direction in preparation to take in every bit of advice that he had to offer, she waited in silent patience, hardly even daring to breathe.

Phoenix