[Insidious]

Take Hold of Your Rebel Soul

Becoming an apprentice was a reasonable upgrade, for no longer was she confined to the nursery where Lilyfrost’s supervision was a constant threat to her thrill-seeking. Winding through NightClan territory—and this time with permission to do it, a strange, foreign feeling if ever there was one—made her heart soar, but she tried to mask her excitement with a healthy dosage of been here, done that. Her kitten paws had graced these paths once before (or so she thought, for she’d be lying if she claimed to remember the entire way), so really, in her expert opinion, there was nothing holding her back from being named the first six moon old warrior.

She’d give RainClan a piece of her mind next. If she went straight for TreeClan again, the real threat, then they’d recognize her pattern before she even established it. There was only one issue—

“Darkstorm?” Graypaw purred, ducking beneath a low-hanging branch as the two of them walked. She thoroughly considered trying to dodge her territory lesson entirely, but it helped for her parents to see her ‘making an effort’ and ‘trying to learn the ropes of warriorhood’ like an ordinary, everyday apprentice. The less she was on their mind, the more she could (hopefully) get away with; and even better if she was out of sight under the guise of training with her mentor. Her tone was honey-sweet, but the determination in her eyes to get her way was sharper than the blade of a knife when she tossed a glance over her shoulder. “I propose that the two of us split up for a while, what do you say? I’m sure you’ve got better things to do, and the same goes for me.” The territory lesson, while crucial, sounded the most boring to Graypaw. A cat like Darkstorm, strong, imposing, and everything Graypaw wanted to one day be (although she’d never admit it), surely couldn’t be bothered with an aimless stroll.

Graypaw kicked her pace up a notch, searching vehemently for an opportunity to duck into the bushes, or take a sharp left, in the hopes Darkstorm would be convinced not to pursue. “Remember when I said this probably wasn’t going to be an easy arrangement?” She reflected innocently upon her first words to her mentor at her apprenticeship ceremony when hers and Darkstorm’s names were called. “I plan to follow through for as long as our lessons are a bore, so I won’t tell if you’d sooner take me up on my offer.” It was a good offer, too, but whether or not Darkstorm turned it down wasn’t a huge concern. No matter what happened, Graypaw was determined to create some fun for herself.

Graypaw, 6 Moons, NightClan

@zen /darkstorm || 450 || training thread #1, territory patrol

[Deleted]

If it feels good, tastes good,
It must be mine...

---

Darkstorm had been named a mentor. With a proud curl of her tail, she had strode forward to meet her new apprentice. Graypaw. Her mentor's granddaughter. It was only fitting that she be chosen to train one of his kin. The traditional touching of noses occurred, and then the little she-cat had tried to tell her just how their relationship was going to be. Blackwolf's kin indeed. She had informed the little brat that it was fine with her. She liked a challenge.

Which brought her out in the NightClan territory to get Graypaw a foundational knowledge of her home. It wasn't the most exciting lesson to teach, but she wasn't about to let her apprentice go getting herself lost in her own territory. She allowed the younger she-cat a slight lead on her, not in any attempt to humor her into thinking she was the one in charge of this little outing, but so she could keep a better eye on her. If she tried to make the kitten follow behind her she just might just attempt to slip off while her mentor focused on what was ahead of them. If Graypaw had been smart about wanting to make their relationship difficult, she wouldn't have warned her first. She was on alert for trouble now.

The sweet purr of her name that came from her apprentice's muzzle had the dark tortoiseshell's fiery gaze narrowing suspiciously. A light snort escaped her nose at her apprentice's suggestion that they split up. Yeah, she was definitely about to leave a brand new apprentice to wander the territory alone. It seemed as though Graypaw was trying to appeal to her sense of pride, suggesting this task was beneath her, not worth her time. Nice try. The kitten picked up the pace, and with a roll of her eyes, Darkstorm lengthened her strides as well.

“Tell me, Graypaw. Are you trying to become as useless a warrior as your father?” Darkstorm replied dryly, rather than dignify the younger cat's request with any sort of answer, “What sort of warrior do you hope to be if you won't even learn about your territory properly? There is more than to it than trees and dirt and rocks. There are the best places to plan an ambush. The best places to catch prey. Knowing your surroundings will make you a better warrior. This is not just a stroll through the woods. This is a battle plan.” She stared down at her apprentice with an intense orange gaze, “However, if it's only a stroll through the woods you want, you're free to go. I won't waste my time on a cat too lazy to learn and too stupid to understand the opportunities to better herself that she's passing up.”

---

Heroes always get remembered,
But you know legends never die.

Insidious

[Insidious]

Take Hold of Your Rebel Soul

“Please,” Graypaw spat unwittingly, “it’s impossible to be as useless as him.“ On the inside, Graypaw felt thoroughly insulted that her mentor would think to compare her to someone like Bonetail, but it just so happened to also be her favourite somehow-warrior to poke fun at. She would’ve been more than happy to turn their lesson into playful banter with a touch of agreement about Bonetail’s hopelessness, but Darkstorm, it seemed, had different plans. When she asked what type of warrior she planned to become—as if it was even a question that she planned to be the best—she whirled around, gray hair fluffed up in obvious annoyance, with a grimace she was certain would send a fox running with its tail tucked.

“I already know all of that.” Graypaw responded haughtily with her nose scrunched so high up that it practically sat between her ears. “You seem to have forgotten when I came all the way out here to ambush Lionstar. Obviously I plan to be the kind of warrior who gets things done while the rest of NightClan sits around moping about our lost land.” It was her favourite card to pull, and not because it was the only card she had.

Graypaw took a big step forward. She didn’t quite enter Darkstorm’s personal space (she wasn’t that brave) but it was enough to hopefully reinforce that she had sharp kitten claws yet that were barely used and ready for their first real victim. “It’s a little difficult to find the best places to catch prey, or the best places to plan an ambush, when my mentor is too busy standing around and arguing with me.” She definitely started the argument. It was definitely her fault that they were standing around. However, Graypaw, stubbornly as ever, just wanted to sound right to her own ears. Graypaw whirled again, back turned towards Darkstorm, in an effort to end the conversation there. Little did she know that she was standing in a prime location to be ambushed if she was an intruder, and it would take no time at all for Darkstorm to flip the tables and take her by surprise.

Graypaw, 6 Moons, NightClan

@zen /darkstorm || 362 || training thread #1, territory patrol