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Post by Fawn on May 28, 2019 10:22:55 GMT -5
'Goldenpaw's mentor will be... Honeynose.'
It had been a good fifteen minutes since Hawkstar had said those words - but Honeynose was still having a hard time believing them. At 39 moons old, the she-cat had been forced to watch as her friends and family were all given their own apprentices to train - Vipertail too - but she was mysteriously skipped over.
Time seemed to stand still for her when she touched her nose to young Goldenpaw's, smiling with open giddiness, fighting down the rising tide of nerves threatening to engulf her like a summer flood. "We should get started! I can show you around the territory, or I can show you the best place to hunt, and we can practice your crouch! How's that sound?"
StarClan, this is so scary! Honeynose's large yellow-green eyes took in the chubby kitten's round, earnest face, and earnestly hoped her nervousness wasn't overtly visible. Remember, he's a kit that just left the nursery so this is all new and exciting for him too. It was sort of comforting; Goldenpaw didn't look that uncertain. "I'm sure we can arrange to train with Blazepaw and Sunpaw too," said Honeynose kindly, remembering her own experiences training with her siblings. Maybe Goldenpaw would like that sort of thing?
"Congratulations, Honeynose!" Cloverspring purred, nuzzling her sister's flank. Honeynose flushed with pride, her eyes glowing. "Thanks Cloverspring." Then, more privately, "I hope I don't mess up terribly."
Before her sister could console her, however, Vipertail came into immediate view. Cloverspring fell silent as the sleek black-furred tom walked over, tail waving, green eyes alive and as bright as his namesake's.
Honeynose felt her skin heat up beneath her pelt. She wanted nothing more than to gush to Vipertail about how nervous and excited she was - but she managed to keep her paws firmly rooted in place and her muzzle shut. Good thing too, because Vipertail was the first to speak.
"Congrats, Honeynose. You'll do great." Vipertail glanced between the sisters, and then to Goldenpaw, giving the younger tom a friendly nod.
Honeynose felt a burst of butterflies in her belly. She had secretly hoped to become a queen - living in the nursery and bringing up the next generation of cats, like Duskflower and Mistcloud - but Hawkstar deemed her worthy of being a mentor instead. "I won't let StoneClan down," she mewed, suddenly shy.
Vipertail's gaze swept over her, did not linger like it used to, but instead settled on Cloverspring. They exchanged a few cooled looks, and the moment was over.
Honeynose cocked her head. Was something going on between... Nah, that was all in her head. Besides, her sister definitely would have told her if they had an interest in the same tom. Feeling as if she'd been ruffled enough for one day, the white-and-tabby she-cat turned to her new pupil. Senior Warrior || 39 Moons || StoneClan Honeynose Aqua || Made by Fawn || 471 Words Honeynose's Bio (in case you wanted to read up about her!) Backdated to Year 6 Leafbare 17: The sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky, but it is still bitterly cold.
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"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Aqua on Jun 2, 2019 20:57:38 GMT -5
Goldenpaw. Goldenpaw.It had such a nice ring to it. The young tom found it hard to believe that he was even old enough to be named an apprentice. Time had seemingly passed right on by him. Heck, it seemed like just yesterday he was stumbling around the nursery trying to catch his balance. His paws barely getting under him enough to keep him from falling. And now look at him. An official apprentice of Stoneclan. He could feel the skin under his fur flush a bit with embarrassment as the clan rooted him on. His mother and father cheering the loudest for him and his siblings as they were named. He grinned from ear to ear as his ceremony was coming to a close. "Goldenpaw's mentor will be... Honeynose."Yellow eyes blinked as the tom's head tilted to the side. Honeynose? He couldn't remember if he had met the warrior yet or not. He didn't exactly have many run-ins with a lot of the older cats while a kit. His head swiveled as a brown and white tabby she-cat stepped forward to touch noses with him. Ah. So this was his new mentor. She seemed fairly small in stature, making him question how good she was. Mother always said that appearances are often misleading so he hoped this was also the case. Goldenpaw blinked as the she-cat pulled away and began rambling on and on. She talked about showing him around the territory or how to hunt. Then she rambled on about training with his siblings, which made some of the fur on the back of his neck stand up in immediate irritation. Yellow eyes turned to glare in the direction of his sister. Her mentor gushing to the warriors at the other side of the clearing about his new apprentice. He would be fine training with his brother but pulling his sister into it was just asking for terrible trouble. "I'll pass on training with my siblings." Goldenpaw grumbled, trying not to sound overly rude about it. "And I'd be fine with either honestly. I haven't stepped foot out of the camp before so it'll all be new to me." He managed to fake a friendly smile at the older she-cat. That was when the thought of being able to hunt his own prey came to mind. His belly gurgled hungrily at the thought of what he'd be able to catch and eat. Mmm. One thing was sure about the young tom, he loved to eat. So the thought of food overtook his negative thoughts about his sister.
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Post by Fawn on Jun 15, 2019 20:39:24 GMT -5
Honeynose's ear tip flicked in a brief moment of uncertainty - does he have a problem with his brother and sister? I hope everything's alright - but the smile remained permanently fixed to her muzzle. "You're right, anything we do will be a new experience for you! How about--"
The tabby warrior cut herself off as a very loud, very demanding gurgle interrupted her. Honeynose giggled, tail waving to and fro in peppy rhythms. "How about we eat first, and then explore the territory? We can hunt first thing tomorrow, in the moss meadow."
Goldenpaw no doubt had only a kit's inkling of what the moss meadow was, but that was alright. The whole point of a mentor and apprentice pairing was to pass on knowledge and skill to the next generation. 'To help them embrace the honor and duty of being StoneClan, that is a mentor's job', her father had always said. Pink nose pointing toward the fresh kill pile, Honeynose led the way, grateful that the morning had been prosperous for their hunting parties. Selecting a sizeable chaffinch, Honeynose nudged it towards Goldenpaw as a gesture of friendship. "Here, this looks good, doesn't it?"
A purr welled up in her throat, hoping she'd mask her nerves that way. She didn't think she could swallow a single bite of prey right now - her thoughts were too loud and her body was too charged up, too full of uncertain energy that needed a proper outlet. Maybe I can ask Ospreywing for advice, later. The black and white warrior was no doubt going about his duties to the Clan; she didn't want to bother him, but…
Am I a good mentor, even if I still need help from my OWN mentor?
The she-cat chewed her lip, indecisive. Senior Warrior || 39 Moons || StoneClan Honeynose Aqua || Made by Fawn || 296 Words
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"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Aqua on Jun 21, 2019 20:27:13 GMT -5
Goldenpaw made a face as his stomach rumbled even louder. He had refrained from eating this morning due to all of the excitement of having his ceremony today. Being as famished as he was, it was difficult for him to focus on much. His mentor going on about how everything would be new to him. Her words essentially went in one ear and out the other, sadly. The tom staring towards the prey pile across the way. That was when his mentor even heard his stomach. "How about we eat first...."The tom felt his skin flush under his fur in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I really wasn't hungry before the ceremony....I was way too excited." He said, staring at his paws. Go figure, the first thing his mentor is going to remember is his noisy stomach. That was when the tom realized that it really didn't matter if she heard. He was so focused on food all the time, she'd have to get used to it. "But yes. That sounds like a good idea to me...even though I have no idea what the moss meadow is." He meows, getting to his paws and following after the she-cat. She takes first dibs, pulling a plumb chaffinch from the pile. But rather than eating it herself, she offers it to him. He eyes it at first before the hunger overtook him. He quickly begins to dig in, taking larger bites than he probably should. It didn't take long for him to scarf the whole bird down. Finishing off the last bite, Goldenpaw sits up and licks his lips happily. "That was delicious."
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Post by Fawn on Jun 30, 2019 23:10:26 GMT -5
"Don't worry, soon enough you'll know all the place-names in our territory. Maybe a few extra, if we happen to glimpse some spots in the other Clans." Honeynose chatted amicably as Goldenpaw ate; she couldn't help but marvel at the young tom's appetite. As a kit in StoneClan, he would have wanted for nothing; food, shelter, love, safety, all of these things would be provided - and in copious amounts.
Now that he was an apprentice, though, he was going to have to get used to prioritizing others' needs before he met his own.
Honeynose brushed off this concern for the time being. Today wasn't going to be about prey-eating, but about prey-catching. "The Moss Meadow is actually one of the closest spots to camp, we'll go there first," a slender tabby-and-white tail waved cheerily behind the warrior, who took her role as tour-guide seriously - and with a touch of nervous energy in her paws. "I had to go there a lot to collect moss for nests, and to soak them in water for our elders and queens, when I was your age. Nobody likes chores, but they certainly go faster if you have friends around to help you."
Blinking thoughtfully, Honeynose purred at the fond recollections of her days spent with Hazelpaw and Heronpaw, the two dearest friends any cat could hope to have. Oohhh, remember when we watched the running stars together? It had been a beautiful, clear night. Perfect to watch the spirits of StarClan shoot across the sky. Honeynose's heart ached a bit for Fallenleaf, the kind, matronly elder who had kept them company that night, but her thoughts couldn't stay on melancholy thoughts for long.
"We're nearly there. Keep close, but don't walk too fast - you'll get stomach cramps." Honeynose tried to bop Goldenpaw's nose with her tail, wanting to be a playful, fun mentor, since she probably wouldn't be the most knowledgeable. I just have to try my best. I can always ask for help. If Cloversong and Sedgefoot can do it, so can I.
Confidence gently bolstered, Honeynose immediately began to relax as her paws felt the soft cushy moss underneath. It was such a sharp contrast from the rough, scratchy rock of StoneClan's territory. The pads on her toes had hardened, like any good warrior's, but that didn't mean she preferred it that way. No, if Honeynose had what her heart truly desired...
The moss-carpeted interior of the nursery was where she'd prefer to be. Warrior || 39 Moons || StoneClan Honeynose Aqua || Made by Fawn || 413 Words Phoenix BlooRey DVD (Perseids mention <3)
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"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Aqua on Jul 3, 2019 21:25:02 GMT -5
Goldenpaw purred happily at the feeling of something on his stomach. He hated that just pure empty feeling your stomach gave you when you didn't eat normally. Although, in this tom's case, he ate way more than the normal cat his age would. So it wasn't uncommon for him to have that awful feeling. How he hadn't gotten straight up fat in the nursery was beyond him and his peers. Because he was known to just gorge himself in whatever food he could get a hold of. His mother often yelled at him for this but he couldn't help it. "The Moss Meadow is actually one of the closest spots to camp, we'll go there first..."His mentor's words snapped him back to the conversation. He nodded, still not too sure where this place was. But it sounded like a decent place to go on a hunt or just run around to get out some energy. "Alright. Well show the way." He meowed, getting to his paws. While it might not show, the tom was excited to get going. He wanted to learn his way around the territory as quickly as possible. Mainly because he wanted to know the best places to hunt but that was besides the point. Goldenpaw blinked as Honeynose bopped him on the nose with her tail before making her way out of camp. Alrrrright then. He wasn't too sure what that was about but he didn't dwell on that thought for long. He quickly padded after the she-cat as they stepped out of the camp. "Stomach cramps eh? I've never experienced those before so I'll have to keep that in mind. Thanks." He said, wondering if it was the same feeling as eating too much.
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Post by Fawn on Jul 10, 2019 11:21:08 GMT -5
"We're going to the Sky Springs next," Honeynose announced, walking contently through the mossy terrain of the meadow, automatically lightening her steps in case any mice or other little critters darted away into their rocky hideaways. It was a habit more than a necessity; no living prey animal would be out in weather like this. Honeynose spoke above a low breeze, calling over her shoulder to Goldenpaw. "This place isn't bad for hunting, actually. But cats come here so often for moss, I think the little animals are learning to stay away."
The softness she associated with the moss meadow, however, was edged with frost, the moss dead and flattened under her paws. Normally a place of serenity and sweet-smelling wildflowers for Honeynose, it had become a noisy, barren place as her pawpads crunched through the frost. Footprints were left in the wake of the apprentice and mentor, Honeynose fluffing up her fur against the bitter cold. Maybe it would be better if we only explore half the territory today, and the rest tomorrow? Goldenpaw was going to burn a lot of energy, just dealing with the biting wind.
"It's usually much nicer here," Honeynose smiled in sheepish apology. "But I'm afraid all the little prey animals are asleep or hiding for leafbare. We can still catch birds though, not all of them fly away when the seasons change."
It was easy to see StoneClan's territory in leafbare; already a region with sparse growth and short plantlife, with the absence of any flora, Honeynose could see the rocky expanse of their mountainside home stretch on for foxlength after foxlength. In the distance were the naked husks of the little woods, and a frozen, sluggish stream just after. That was the boundary line between StoneClan and RainClan. We'll end our tour there, I think.
It didn't take long to cross the Moss Meadow. Honeynose scaled a few protrudent rocks, almost sneezing as a few fat flakes tried to melt on her nose. "This is the sky springs right here," her thin tabby tail swept out across the area ahead of them, the pools of water in varying states of frozen or unfrozen. The pools came in all sizes, and instead of reflecting the majesty of a blue, cloud-studded sky, they were gray and lifeless, the sky above a gloomy swath of winter hues. Honeynose's pelt burned. This wasn't a great first day out, she couldn't pretend otherwise. But hopefully he wouldn't mind... Warrior || 39 Moons || StoneClan Honeynose Aqua || Made by Fawn || 405 Words
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"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Aqua on Jul 24, 2019 16:41:55 GMT -5
The orange and white tom looked around him, taking in the Moss Meadow. Well, as much as he could see from where they had walked. It seemed like it would be an interesting place to attempt to hunt for prey. Or at least lay in the sun during better weather for a catnap. But before he could get a better look, Honeynose announced they were moving on. The tom blinked before bounding up behind her to keep up. While he wanted to look, he knew it was best that he doesn't lose her on his first day out and about. He kept close to the she-cat, glancing around them as she spoke about the moss and prey. He could see where it would be a popular hunting spot. It provided a nice open area that you could see just about everything in the clearing. Although, right now it was frosted over, it was still decent. And when warmer weather came, he knew the growth would come alive and make it all green once more. "I see." He meowed in a distracted manner as she went on about birds or something of the like. That was when the she-cat turned and bound up a few rocks along the edge of the moss meadow. The apprentice followed right behind her, scaling the rocks with very little trouble. The area the came across now was a place with lots of water. There were various pools all over the place. Some were small, almost the size of him, while others were a little larger. The tom approached one of the smaller pools, gazing down at the frozen surface. He wasn't quite sure he understood how these pools formed like this. In fact, he wondered why they didn't all pool into one big area or how they even filled up at all. He didn't see any visible streams coming down into the area. He tilted his head. "I don't understand this place." He meowed, glancing at Honeynose for a moment before looking back. "How are these still full of water? There's no stream here."
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Post by Fawn on Aug 8, 2019 18:51:31 GMT -5
The she-cat's whiskers twitched, surprised but not displeased by his question. That means he's thinking and taking in his surroundings. Honeynose responded with a beaming smile. "You've forgotten about the rain, Goldenpaw! Every time it rains, it replenishes the sky springs. Each pool is a lot deeper than it looks. Some cats even come here to swim during greenleaf."
Even with the heat causing the water levels to diminish, and in some cases turn a few of the smallest pools to glorified mudpuddles, the sky springs were still an excellent place to escape the scorching summer sun.
"If you're thirsty," said Honeynose, stepping lightly to the rim of a small frozen pool, one white paw hovering over the frosty surface. "I can show you how to crack the ice." It wasn't especially difficult, once you got the hang of it. Honeynose had had enough times result in freezing wet paws to become something of an expert. Not that she spent her time far from camp in leafbare.
The threat of greencough was very real with a pelt as thin and fine as hers.
Warrior || 39 Moons || StoneClan Honeynose Aqua || Made by Fawn || 173 Words
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"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Aqua on Aug 10, 2019 17:06:32 GMT -5
Yellow eyes stared down at one of the larger pools as Honeynose made a comment about the rain. "But puddles would dry in the sun right? So then these must be very deep..." He mumbled. This was a very strange place to him. And while he was curious about it, he couldn't do anything here. Everything at this point was cold and frozen making it near impossible to test anything now. He shrugged, if he could remember to in the future, he'd come back to explore this further.
"If you're thirsty, I can show you how to crack the ice." Goldenpaw's ears perked at this as the older she-cat stepped up to one of the pools and held her paw over the frozen surface. The tom tilted his head and come up beside her, wanting to see this. He had no idea you could break the ice with your own paws so he wanted to see it. "I'm not all that thirsty but I want to see what you do to break it." He meowed, watching her paws closely as if she was going to do some sort of magic. "Then maybe I can learn how...."
Made by Aqua || Tagged: Fawn || Words: 196 Oh goodness that's an awful post....
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Post by Fawn on Aug 25, 2019 21:31:39 GMT -5
With her apprentice's rapt attention on her, Honeynose gently touched her paw to the icy surface and leaned just enough of her weight to break it, cracks spiderwebbing from underneath her paw pads, the largest chunk breaking free and displacing the rest. Honeynose breathed in the powerfully cold scent, feeling it settle deep into her lungs. "Make sure you don't put too much weight on it, or else you'll fall in or splash yourself." Honeynose shook the paw she'd used to break the pool, casting off a few chilly bits of ice that tried to melt on her pads.
"Would you like to try?" she asked, tail waving to the other pools around them. "If you start with a small one, you'll be just fine."
While he decided, Honeynose took the opportunity to lap up a few icy tonguefuls of water, which elicited a little shiver as she felt the coolness all the way down into her belly. Honeynose once again looked to her apprentice, wanting to give him the chance to choose what they did next. "Or we could go on past the little woods to see our border with RainClan, the stone stream. I know it's cold, so I thought I'd ask!" Her teeth showed white with her smile, breath pluming in soft clouds between them. "We'll do the rest of the territory tomorrow, and maybe squeeze in some hunting practice."
That's what mentors did, right? They tried to get through training as diligently as possible. Honeynose wasn't much for hurrying; she wanted to get comfortable with Goldenpaw before she spent the next 6 moons trying to teach him to be a warrior. But that just wasn't the way things worked. He was here to learn, and Hawkstar was counting on her to teach him. I'll just have to do a little of both, then. Warrior || 39 Moons || StoneClan Honeynose Aqua || Made by Fawn || 308 Words OOC: up for a new thread?
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"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Aqua on Aug 28, 2019 19:43:23 GMT -5
Goldenpaw watched eagerly as his mentor placed her paw on the frozen surface then carefully leaned forward. The ice under paw cracked and spread until a chunk totally broke free, revealing the water underneath. The tom blinked. Why did something so simple fascinate him? "It's so simple....why didn't I think of that..." He mumbled, as his mentor shook her paw off.
The golden and white tom stared at the cleared water when Honeynose asked if he'd like to give it a try. Yellow eyes peered back at her and the tom nodded. "Yes. I'll give it a little try." He turned from this pool, approaching one of the much smaller pools. Unlike the she-cat, he would have to be a little more careful. He was a little on the chubby side for a young tom so he had more weight to work with. Which meant he would have to learn his own weight and strength when doing delicate things such as this.
The tom gets up to the edge of the small pool and places his paw onto the ice. He then leans forward ever so slowly, watching as the ice splinters underneath him. He continues to lean until the ice completely breaks. But unfortunately the tom wasn't fast enough to back off and splashed into the freezing water. Luckily the pool he chose was very shallow so he didn't completely fall in. But he got a definite wake up call as his paw was soaked with the ice water sending shivers up his spine.
"Oooooh oh oh. That's cold!" He whined, shaking off what water he could. He made a face, unable to totally dry his fur. "I guess I'll need to practice pulling back faster...." He chuckled, his whole body getting cold now from that small mistake. "We could walk past the border but I'd like to get back to camp soon, I'm freezing now." He meowed, shivering abit as he spoke. Being wet in this sort of weather was not a good thing for any cat. In fact, it made him more prone to getting sick and he didn't want that. Not now.
Made by Aqua || Tagged: Fawn || Words: #356 Yup. I'm fine with that.
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Post by Fawn on Sept 7, 2019 10:22:47 GMT -5
"Let's go back now, I don't want you to get frostbite." Honeynose whisked her tail against Goldenpaw's flank, attempting to turn him in the direction of home. "Good job for your first try! It just takes a lot of practice, that's all. It's easiest in Newleaf, when the water's not so cold but there's still a little ice on top." I didn't think our first lesson together would be about cracking ice, but at least it's a start! Goldenpaw was attentive, and clearly had his own thoughts and opinions on things.
The young ginger tom seemed neither pushy nor insolent, and for that she was incredibly grateful. I got lucky for my first 'paw, she thought, tiptoeing through the frosted, dead moss as quickly as she could. It would feel so good to be back in StoneClan's camp, curled up in her nest insulated with birds' feathers and a few tufts of rabbit fur. "If you can retrace our steps, feel free to lead the way home." Might be good tracking practice for Goldenpaw, or at least distract him from his cold, wet foot. Warrior || 39 Moons || StoneClan Honeynose Aqua || Made by Fawn || 182 Words
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