[Abyss]

A cold breeze wafted through the Lightningclan fields early that morning, the sun not having even rizen yet. As Leaf-Fall progressed in the valley, the temperature seemed to grow slightly colder by the day, sending shivers through the spines of many felines. While it was an average and comfortable heat during the day, as the sun fell over the mountains and disappeared, the moon taking its place, many cats sought for the warmth of their clanmates. Most of them, anyway.

Sleep hadn’t come easily the night previous. While some of the other Apprentices huddled together in collided nests, a particular lanky and gray she-cat remained curled up alone in her somewhat secluded portion of the Apprentice den. As per usual, her older golden sister had offered a spot in her nest for Goosepaw, but she had no desire to cuddle up with anyone, especially not her sister. Many times throughout the night she found her eyes opening, pulling her from a light sleep only to be met with darkness. She would shift her body to get more comfortable and then doze into her rest once more.

But, after who knows how long of sleeping on and off, that pull of awakening that brought her from her dreamless state got on her nerves. Green eyes slowly opening, Goosepaw immediately felt a chill wind its way down her back and through her tail. Within the time she had been asleep, a thick layer of light gray fog had rolled through the meadow. As her head lifted from her paws, narrowed and blurry eyes looking passed the entrance of the den, it was difficult to see the camp. One glance around her suggested that she was the only one awake, which wasn’t much of a surprise. Though, it was better this way. She wished to be alone anyway.

With a quiet yawn, the sleek Apprentice stretched out of her nest, winding her way through sleeping bodies before emerging into the camp. The sky was still partially dark, the sky only just starting to transition from deep navy blue to a much more blue-gray in color. She could see the darker shapes of the other dens, though any other signs of life were nowhere to be seen. Twitching one large ear, she slowly made her way towards the prey pile, stopping at the edge and skimming over it. Her head leaned down, snatching up a small mouse and turning, taking a seat in the center of the camp and chewing lazily on the rodent, not quite eager to finish it quickly. When the small creature was mostly bone and fat, Goosepaw’s smaller gray paw pushed the carcass to the side, looking around her. Granted, she enjoyed the silence and the lack of life within the camp. But Starclan it was boring.

Scanning the camp, narrowed green eyes landed on the silhouette of the Warrior den. With another flick of her ears, she stood from where she sat and made her way towards the den. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do once she got there yet, but she found absolutely no reason to go back to her own den. There was nobody there she wished to see at the moment.

As she emerged from the fog into the den, she was met with a similar sight of sleeping bodies. Not too far into the den, she found the familiar sight of her mother’s sleeping form. A small smile forced its way to the corner of her jaws as she carefully approached, her small and light paws luckily making hardly any noise when walking in the dens. Just as she reached the Deputy, a thought occurred to the Apprentice, causing one ear to twitch. While it was always a desire of her’s to spend some time with her mother, just the two of them, she knew that mother was typically busy throughout the day, so she didn’t want to disturb her sleep. Briefly looking through the rest of the large den, her ears perked at the sight of her mentor curled in his nest not too far away. Perhaps Nightstep would be ok with an early training day?

She went to take a step towards the tom, but froze for a moment, green eyes looking back to that of Owlmind. Gazing at the older she-cat, there was a ping of pride that went through her, but not her usual confident sort of pride. This was the kind of pride that the little ball of gray fire didn’t often allow herself to express. The feeling of pride when remembering that the gray she-cat that laid before her, one of the most talented and worthy cats in the clan, the well-respected Deputy, and the best teacher an Apprentice could ask for, was her mother. She once again found her jaws betraying her, a genuine warm smile crossing the gray she-cat’s face and her constantly thin pupils expanding within her eyes. She leaned her head down and slightly crouched her front legs, lightly pressing her dark gray nose against her mother’s. Just as she did so, a quiet yet somewhat audible purr rumbled through her chest, her eyes closing as well. When she pulled her nose away, she ,as gently as she could, brushed her prickly tongue across Owlmind’s forehead, forcing herself to pull back and turn. Sometimes she forgot how much she missed being able to sleep curled up against her mother in the Nursery, and it was times like these that made her wish she could still do so. But, alas, she had to become an independent Apprentice and eventual Warrior.

Her quiet paws brought her next to the sleeping form of her mentor. Her head once more leaned down, though this time her nose and muzzle found its way to his cheek, giving it a few small nudges in an attempt to gently stir him from his sleep.

986 | BlooRey DVD Ghost the Undead Goddess (Owlmind mentions <3)

[BlooRey DVD]

NIGHTSTEP

If I told you what I was

Manipulation.

It required tenacity. It required intelligence. But most importantly of all, it necessitated awareness. A keen connection with the surrounding area to ensure a perfect balance of truth and lies, a web so tightly knit it was unbreakable despite its near invisibility. Nightstep was constantly aware of his surroundings, even in the grips of sleep. Something roused him from slumber, a set of paws coming through the entrance to the warrior's den and shifting the balance of bodies residing within. A black ear pivoted imperceptibly toward the intruder, a single yellow eye cracking open a mere fraction so he could discern what was happening.

What he saw was his apprentice, Goosepaw, stopped before her mother. In a gesture that many would consider heartwarming, she bent to simply bask in Owlmind's presence. In their physical closeness. An ebony tail tipped twitched from where it rested intertwined with Palescreech's lighter tail. His mate remained asleep at his side, undisturbed by his rousing for he had yet to move more than the smallest of appendages in reaction to Goosepaw's approach. Through the slightest opening of his eye, Nightstep contented himself to simply watch what his apprentice did, taking every moment to read into her personality, her needs through her interactions with those for whom she cared deepest.

She was not as openly innocent as Cloudyfeather had been. Nor was she as praise-seeking as Thistlepaw. Goosepaw was fascinating to him, for her posture did not immediately scream what it was she desired so deeply. But family was important to her. Of that, he was undeniably certain. She had told him so in these moments where she'd mistakenly assumed no one was watching. An easy enough mistake to make, truthfully. But one that could cost oh-so-much if the wrong eye happened to be peering through the darkness.

A split second before Goosepaw turned away from Owlmind, Nightstep closed his eye and feigned sleep. His flank rose and fell in a slight off-beat to his mate's, a perfect imitation of a cat deep in sleep. Despite the sound of approaching paws steps, his ears remained tilted back; relaxed, unhearing, unworried. It wasn't until he felt the gentle press of a nose against his cheek that he stirred, a groan-like rumble escaping him much like it would a cat still caught in the claws of grogginess.

"Shadeheart, dearest... Did we not agree to wait until the birds were singing before you could come wake us?" He rasped with a sleep-clumsy tongue, jaws cracking open in a yawn as he moved to bury his muzzle against Palescreech's shoulder. The she-cat next to him stirred, a similar sound escaping her as she was drawn from her sleep by her mate's sleep-thickened voice.

"Mmm... You should be getting to your paws, not... Hiding in my fur." Came the equally tired rasp from Palescreech. When Nightstep spoke again, his voice was muffled slightly by Palescreech's shoulder. "They are your kits before sunrise, are they not?" Something akin to a laughing purr escaped the pale-furred she-cat. "It is passed sunrise. And she is not one of our kits, she is your apprentice. Therefore, your responsibility."

Another groan from somewhere beneath Palescreech, before the tuxedo tom shifted so he could sit up. Jaws cracked in another yawn, tail slowly unwinding from his mate's as sleep-dulled yellow eyes struggled to focus on Goosepaw's small frame. Momentarily bewildered, he made an effort to shake the sleep from his mind. "My sincerest apologies, Goosepaw. I thought you were one of my daughters." He rumbled, rising to his paws slowly. Dropping himself into a long stretch, he let his joints pop and crack to complete his morning routine.

Once satisfied, he turned a content yellow gaze back on his apprentice, motioning for her to lead the way back to the entrance of the den. "We'll talk outside, to avoid waking any other warriors, hm?" He whispered with a twitch of his lip before following after her.

Despite the show, his mind was already sharp, having eliminated any grogginess before Goosepaw had set one paw in his direction that morning. But playing at normalcy was something at which Nightstep excelled. His mask had already been firmly set in place long before the innocent she-kit had so much as thought about him. It may alter to accommodate new information, but it would never shift from its position. This apprenticeship would be too easy.

Slowing in the center of the clearing, he smiled warmly at the she-kit once more. "I hope you slept well, Goosepaw. Have you eaten yet? Or are you upholding your responsibility as a soon to be warrior, ensuring the Clan is fed first?" He teased, yellow eyes flicking over her briefly. "I happen to be famished. What say you we set off into the territory to test your hunting skills, so we can finally grab a bite to eat, hm?"

: Abyss  : A perfect gentleman >> :

ELL

[Abyss]

The reaction to her nudging the gray Apprentice received from her mentor was...irritating, to say the least. That very brief moment of secret pride and the tiniest tinge of heartwarming thoughts were long gone by this point, returning young Goosepaw to her typical state of irritation and annoyance. Expecting the grown tom to wake and do as was his duty as a Warrior and a mentor, the she-cat took a step backwards, assuming that he would stand and exit his nest. Instead, she was met with the rumbly and tired talk of the tom, his deep voice addressing her as Shadeheart. Without even opening his eyes to see his mistake, the black and white tom turned and dug his muzzle into his mate’s fur.

The Apprentice’s muzzle scrunched up and the slightest tint of her jaws showed through her maw. What is this? Listening to the mated pair speak back and forth as though she was just a flea tossed aside, she felt the fur on the back of her neck spike. It took quite a lot of effort not to growl in response to their sappy bickering.

Seeing that the older tom was finally waking up, as he should have been in the first place, Goosepaw forced her raised fur to lower and her teeth to be covered once more. But the wrinkled muzzle and her typical narrowed green gaze remained as her mentor turned his head to peer at her. The reasoning that she was provided with for his laziness only caused her annoyance to grow. Is his nose broken, or does he not know the differences in scents of his clanmates as every cat should? Luckily, the fiery she-cat had enough self-control not to say that out loud. She would never stop herself from thinking such things, though. No cat could stop her from being opinionated, and her mentor would likely discover this very soon.

As the two exited the den, her tail tip betrayed her, as it did often without her realizing, and twitched in irritation. But she at least attempted not to look quite as angered when they came to a stop. When her green gaze met her mentor’s, she listened to his questioning. But the way that he said what he did only got on her nerves further. She wasn’t a kit. She knew she would be a Warrior soon, and she knew what her duties were. She didn’t need reminded as though she were new to this. She was a new Apprentice, yes, but she wasn’t clueless. Her eyes narrowed further at the tom’s gentle teasing.

“I am fine, ” she stated, the natural growl in her voice that she had inherited from her mother shining through. At times it was hard to tell if it was her voice or if she was truly growling, and this case was no different. She couldn’t deny that her annoyance caused her current tone to be a mix of both. “Where will we be going?”
Words

I give what you deserve.

APPRENTICE |LIGHTNINGCLAN

BlooRey DVD / 499

[BlooRey DVD]

if I told you what I was,
would you turn your back on me?
Would you be scared?

His eyes watched her passively as she slipped through her various reactions to what was said. Though she attempted to hide it, he could read the irritation in the set of her ears, and the uncontrolled motions of her tail. His own displeasure was far more reigned in, not a whisker out of place as she growled at him. Instead, he observed her impassively, haunches lowering him to a seat while the voice deep in the confines of his mind sneered at the young she-cat.Insolent whelp. Years of careful grooming stifled the urge to rip her to shreds just enough that he could remain wherehe stood.

It wouldn't do to have him leap onto the seemingly innocent daughter of the Clan deputy. Especially not this early and this publicly. Oh but how fun it would be to teach her a lesson. He supposed he would have to find another way. Remaining silent for another moment, he let his eyes drop to her paws then back up, making it clear that he was scrutinizing her. Sharp yellow eyes then darted to the scenery around them, taking note of the close confines of LightningClan's camp. There are too many potential witnesses here.

Without a word, the tuxedo tom stood and turned, deliberately leaving her question unanswered as he exited the security of LightningClan's camp, making it clear that if she wanted to get any training done, she was expected to follow. His motions were elegant, but sure. He exhibited a confidence that could not be faked, built over moons of experience. He would never go as far as believe himself invulnerable, for even the greats fell; Whiteshade and Rookfrost had both succumbed to death in the end, after all. But death carried with it a beautiful finality. And he would never let himself fear such beauty.

Somewhere between LightningClan's camp and the Star Field, Nightstep halted. He stepped in a manner that had him facing his apprentice once more, yellow eyes staring her down as his features settled into an inscrutable expression. "Your prejudice is ill-fitting of you. And your body betrays you. Your tail communicates your disrespect just as clearly as your voice. I find it rather amusing that you can share a moment with your family, but regard me with disgust for deigning to share one with mine." His voice was even, informative, but distant. A far cry from what he'd exhibited earlier.

"If you find me unworthy of your respect despite my impeccable moons of service to the Clan, so be it. But know this: I care little for your pedigree. Yes, your family stands at the helm of this Clan. But does that speak of you or your talents? Absolutely not. Do not expect special treatment because your mother is deputy. You are an apprentice. You are my apprentice. And if respect is not within your realm of possibility, I expect you to at least show common courtesy for the time being. Owlmind's daughter or not, I will not hesitate to treat you as a kit if you continue to act as one."

A slight tilt of his head and a twitch of his lip akin to a smile. "I will, of course, offer you common courtesy in return, until you show me you are deserving of respect and time teaching. Now, if you will, your hunter's crouch."

Two could play at this game.

nightstep

senior warrior of lightningclan

~550 words Abyss Sorry for the wait!

[Abyss]

Narrowed green eyes watched as the black and white tom sat where he stood, seemingly looking her over in silence. There was something about the way he sat, the way he looked at her...that only frustrated her further. It wasn’t as if he were returning her glare or twitching his tail. To anyone else, he wasn’t even doing anything. He was just sitting there, looking her over. Even in her own mind, what he was doing wasn’t wrong or ill-intentioned. But that was the problem. Moons of speaking to older cats, her body movements never changing from what they currently were, typically resulted in glares or remarks about how she was supposed to be friendly to her clanmates or show proper respect. Yet her mentor did not. He merely stared at her. Looked her over.

Before he promptly stood and began to walk away. Her eyes only narrowed further at this action. Even though she was inclined to stay put, she stood and began to follow, not attempting to catch up or get closer. She merely kept pace, eyes never leaving the tom. Perhaps he was just another one of those cats. The ones who basically ignored everything you did and said and got straight to the point. A cat who, when assigned as a mentor, merely did as they were expected to: train their Apprentice. Getting to know their Apprentice wasn’t truly a requirement. As long as the young cat being trained eventually became a Warrior, the mentor’s job was complete.

After walking in silence, Nightstep finally stopped, turning to once more sit and look her over. When she stopped and met his eyes, she found that this was different than the little eventless scene that happened in camp. He began to speak, and it became exactly what she had expected, or at least similar. Why he was saying these things to her outside of camp was unknown, but that wasn’t important at the moment.

She listened to his first little speech, almost feeling more irritated that he was pointing out things about her that were either known by many or were out of her control. Most cats twitched and lashed their tails when upset. She did take note of his final statement of family, but her mind focused in on his comment about her voice.

“As I am sure you will learn, my voice and how I speak means nothing. I use the natural growl that I was given at birth proudly. I will not change how I talk just because someone else sees it as disrespectful.” Her voice was, in her head, neutral and the way it was naturally. It contained her typical growl that it did any other time. Her irritability hadn’t changed since they left the camp, but it didn’t come through in her voice.

As the tom continued to speak, she was surprised by the fact that her face did not change expression. She had many thoughts in her head about different things that he said, but she let him speak. She showed him, as he seemed to desire, some common courtesy, and did not interrupt him. Even though she had lots to say to his words.

When he finished, the she-cat did not move. She remained where she stood, staring at him, appearing to take in everything he had said. She didn’t blink. She didn’t move. She played his words in her head multiple times. Finally, the gray she-cat also sat down, looking the tom right in his yellow eyes as she began her turn in this verbal battle that he had unknowingly started. With any luck, her mentor would take his own advice and do as she had done: show common courtesy and be quiet.

“I do not show respect towards them just because they are my family. Redstar is my Leader, Owlmind is my Deputy. Even if I was not a member of their family, they would still automatically earn my respect because of the power they hold over me and my future in this clan. I don’t expect special treatment from them or anyone else, nor do I want it.” Her tail flicked behind her and she slightly raised her chin as her next words came forth. “I would prefer that they see me as any other of their Apprentices. It is my job to prove to them that I am worthy of becoming one of their Warriors, and I intend to do so.” For the first time that morning, her eyes widened slightly, or at least weren’t narrowed as much. “It is, in fact, my goal to learn from you so that I can fulfill that job. If I were to go just based on what I have heard about you from other cats, I am sure that with your help I could become a great Warrior.” Her first nice words of the day. Granted, nice words could sound odd when spoken with a voice that naturally sounded aggressive, but they were still truthful.

For a moment, it was like she was done. But she was not, and her expression once more changed. Her eyes narrowed again, but this time they did not narrow in irritation. If anything, her expression had just become serious, more menacing and matter-of-fact. “But I am not that sort. Stories can be fake. Stories can be exaggerated. I don’t decide who I respect based on tales from the past. I decide by listening and watching.” She flicked her tail once more, ears slightly rotating as she continued. “Perhaps you really are some fantastic Warrior that has fought many battles, trained many Apprentices, and earned a name in the clan. But what does any of that mean to me if I didn’t see it myself? I wasn’t alive back then, so how do I know that you’ve really done any of it? All I know of you is what I have heard, and only fools believe everything they are told.”

Finally, she only had one final portion of his speech to address.

“If common courtesy is all you will give me until I show I deserve respect, then go ahead. But the feeling and intention is mutual.”

As she at last was done, the she-cat stood once more and turned, only slightly facing away from him and looking forward. She lightly rolled both shoulders, gently stretching her previously sleep-driven muscles. She then adjusted herself and got into her crouch, one paw somewhat ahead of the other, her legs bent to lower her closer to the ground, her tail just barely hovering above the ground, and her ears slowly rotating for any sign of the prey that she knew wouldn’t be there.

I give what you deserve.

APPRENTICE |LIGHTNINGCLAN

BlooRey DVD / 1117