[Abyss]

She had to hold back a verbal laugh. Battle training? Rosepaw? Rosepaw going into battle would be like if a rock grew wings and began to fly. It wouldn’t happen. As a matter of fact, she was sure that Rosepaw would never willingly be a part of a battle. Not a real one, at least…..or even a fake one. The idea of getting any of her precious fur ruined or breaking one of her perfect claws would make the Apprentice lose her mind. Unfortunately for her, a duty of every mentor was to teach their Apprentice to fight, or at least defend themselves.

Waterstep’s blue gaze was currently locked on Skychaser’s own dual-colored eyes. The white tom wasn’t a mentor himself, yet as of late he had been spending a lot of time with the likes of Silentpaw, one of the much older Apprentices. It seemed as though he was picking up the tom’s training, since Shellfur wasn’t around too often to do so. With this in mind, the two Warriors had come together to discuss how the Apprentices were coming along. The topic of battle training came up, leading to the current predicament.

“She will complain, or be unwilling to do so. But I believe some battle training between Rosepaw and Silentpaw could be interesting.” She flicked her tail, scanning the camp briefly to catch sight of a particular orange-pelted coat emerging from the Apprentice’s den.

“Rosepaw! Come here!” She called to her Apprentice. She had a feeling that Rosepaw would try to avoid the call or “get distracted” by something else. So she stared intently at the she-cat, eyes narrowing and tail tapping against the ground behind her to signal that she wasn’t going to allow her own Apprentice to avoid her.



Deep blue eyes scanned the Rainclan camp, watching each and every moment. Gnawing on a bone from a piece of prey he had already finished, Silentpaw was surprised to find the morning uneventful. Normally he was heading out on a patrol or to do some fishing. But for once he didn’t have his name called. Instead, he laid at the edge of camp, watching as cats went about their business. He saw a few groups head out for patrols, which he was slightly envious of.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long for something to finally happen. At the sound of his name being called, his ears perked and he looked around him, knowing who had called but not where they were. Once his eyes landed on that of Skychaser, a smile appeared on his face. He gripped the gnawed bone in his jaws, tossing it out of the way, before he trotted towards the older tom. He found his curiosity growing as he realized that Skychaser wasn’t alone. He was alongside the uniquely-coated Waterstep, of whom he had interacted with a few times. He knew that she, like himself, was a lover of water, considering her name and all.

As he reached the two Warriors, he tilted his head.

Swimming with fish between my paws and water through my fur.

Ghost the Undead Goddess / 505

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

The white tomcat had enjoyed the small moment between himself and one of his former apprentices, pleased with her growth as a Rainclan warrior within the last few moons. Between the flood and earning her first apprentice, Waterstep was taking new steps within her rank in the clan that lived among the river and reeds. The older warrior was sure that if the uniquely coated calico had been older with more moons of experience then she might have been in the same paw-steps as Emberlight currently was.

But, in their active lives as warriors there was no time for what ifs.

There was hardly any time for slow moments as Waterstep quickly jumped into the true subject of buisness, working to improve her apprentice through training as so many mentors did before her and so many more would after her. Skychaser remembered the time he spend training the wise she-cat, basically as well as he remembered his own apprenticeship to Larkwing. May she hunt peacefully within Starclan. The duel eyed male could only happily thank their ancestors that youngsters like Rosepaw and Silentpaw didn't have to experience the terror he did when he was their age.

The Civil War, though a distant memory to most, still a haunting nightmare to some.

Flickering an ear, Skychaser merely chuckled at his fellow clanmate's critical judgement of her apprentice's distaste to water. It wasn't like the golden and white tabby she-cat was the only one within the Rainclan ranks that felt that way, why even the alabaster tom himself wasn't about to go leaping into the water with wild abandonment. He also preferred to hunt land prey to the fish that swam within the liquid blue pools of the river or streams.

A small chuckle rose from the chest of the white coated feline, tail flickering as it wrapped around his nimble paws. "Remember Waterstep, every cat learns differently." And not every cat was cut out for the harsher life of a warrior, as clan life had shown before with those who stayed within the warmth of the nursery or the medicine cat's den. Turning his blue and green gaze from the calico next to him, Skychaser called out to another golden and white apprentice, though not his own he had been aiding within his training. "Silentpaw!"

It didn't take long for either similarly looking apprentice to make their way over, though the younger she-cat moved with obvious slowness as though she feared the possibilities of what Waterstep may or may not make her do. It wasn't uncommon knowledge that Russethawk's only daughter was a bit of a drama queen, as well as a princess who wanted what she wanted when she wanted it. It wouldn't be a surprise to any cat to know that her rather bratty personality probably didn't mesh very well with Waterstep's more stiffer dynamics.

Teal pools shifted, ever readable of emotions as nervousness thrummed beneath her thick, soft pelt. It seemed her water loving mentor wasn't alone this time as the pale form of Skychaser sat next to her. In all honesty, Rosepaw didn't know much about the senior warrior except that he had two different colored eyes and that he was aiding in a fellow apprentice's training... Who happened to be joining them as Silentpaw made his way towards the trio, his pelt similar though darker than her own.

"Ready for some battle training?" Skychaser asked in a gentle rasp, a soft light within his duel colored gaze as he looked at each apprentice. Though he wasn't exactly prepared for Rosepaw's rather dramatic reaction to his words as her teal gaze quickly grew massively round and her body seemed to quiver with anxiety. He couldn't help but find a small similarity between her and her mother within that moment in time, as Ashflight had decided to flee the clan to birth her youngsters in the mountainside.

Perhaps it ran in the family.

"You know..." Rosepaw squeaked in a small voice, glancing back and forth between Waterstep and Skychaser before glancing at the older apprentice who certainly had loads more experience with the art of fighting than she did. "I don't really ever plan to fight any cat... ever... So if I could just like sit this one out?" Goodness gracious, she could only imagine the horror of having to roll around in the dirt while tussling with another feline.

What if she broke a claw or something, or worse, her pelt got ruined. And she really hadn't been lying, Rosepaw had absolutely no desire to take part in something so brutal as to fight within another cat. She really wished her uniquely calico mentor would stop making her do things, like swimming or fishing or battle training.

Rosepaw of RainClan

Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
❀

9 Moons. 805 Words. Abyss @zen Fawn (Ashflight/Russethawk mentions)

[Abyss]

As her previous mentor made a comment to her, a small smile pulled at the corner of her jaws. She remembered back when he used to give her advice like that when she was younger. She was probably such a handful back then, almost like she was now as a Warrior. Always wanting to swim every chance she got. She was a dutiful Apprentice, but she was known for wandering and exploring, even when she was supposed to be focusing on one thing or another.

Now, here she was with her own Apprentice. Though, this Apprentice was much more of a handful than she had been. At least when she was younger, she had a desire to learn. Rosepaw, on the other hand...not so much. In fact, in the time they had spent together, it seemed like the complete opposite. Rosepaw had no desire to learn. She didn’t want to swim. She didn’t want to fish. She didn’t want to fight or learn to defend herself. It was like she expected the rest of the clan to do all of the work for her while she just watched and nuzzled up to her dear loving father. Waterstep respected Russethawk, as many cats did, but his spoiling of Rosepaw had caused many problems and would continue to do so. His darling princess had to learn things by herself eventually. She couldn’t stay by his side hiding under his fur forever.

The two Apprentices approached, one more nervously than the other, and the calico’s vibrant blue eyes locked onto Rosepaw. At the mention of battle training, she didn’t notice if the young tom had any reaction, but her own ginger Apprentice was quick to react. She watched the she-cat’s pupils expand widely and her body begin to shake nervously. When she spoke, requesting not to partake in this training, the she-cat’s eyes narrowed.

“You do not intend to ever fight? In that case, what would you do if you saw one of your parents being attacked by another cat? Sit there and watch? Run away?” She shook her head, standing to look down at her Apprentice. “Even if you don’t wish to fight, you must learn sooner or later. Every cat must learn to defend themselves.”

Her eyes returned to Skychaser and Silentpaw.



When he approached, he was unsure of what this would be about. But when Skychaser brought up battle training, the ginger tom’s ears perked and his eyes momentarily gleamed. He didn’t necessarily enjoy fighting, as he had learned over time, but he had a feeling that this was meant to be a test. He was getting older, after all. He had become an Apprentice of the clan later than the typical clan-born cat, so it was normal that he wouldn’t become a Warrior at the same age. But he was curious as to when he would become one. Perhaps this training session might further improve his chances?

While he found himself somewhat excited, blue eyes turned to find that his assigned partner didn’t seem quite as interested. If anything, she didn’t want to be a part of this at all. One ear bent to the side, slightly sad that she didn’t want to train with him. He lightly tilted his head at her, a questioning gaze in his eyes. He watched as the calico who mentored Rosepaw somewhat sized up the younger she-cat, but surely that wasn’t what she needed?

Looking back to the other she-cat, the tom got to his feet and took a few small steps towards her, lightly nudging her shoulder with his muzzle and offering a comforting smile. “Don’t worry. Will be gentle.” Over his time with Rainclan, the tom had gotten a bit better at speaking, though he still didn’t speak in completely full sentences. He could only hope that he could convince Rosepaw to join him. She was a bit younger than he was, so he could understand if she was nervous. He would be sure to try and help her rather than just rush into the fake fight.

Swimming with fish between my paws and water through my fur.

Ghost the Undead Goddess / 677

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

The alabaster tom with duel colored hues merely flicked an ear at the sudden harshness of his former apprentice, the uniquely colored calico she-cat quick to dish out a dismissive tone towards her apprentice's rather... dramatic and hysterical remarks about fighting. Waterstep was correct though, should anything happen to cause danger or damage, every cat within Rainclan should be aware on how to protect themselves with both offense and defense.

Flickering a long, white tail, Skychaser moved to part his pale jaws to respond when the ginger and white apprentice's lip started to tremble, aqua pools filing with possible tears. "Rosepaw." His voice was a gentle rumble as always, temperament even and calm while a small smile made it's presence known. "Waterstep is right, even if you don't plan on fighting others it would be smart for you to learn to defend yourself."

"But!" Rosepaw squeaked, her voice uneven as she tried to contain the tears threatening to burst from her teal hues as she shifted her wide, nervous gaze from her multi-colored mentor to the older tom who had taken up Silentpaw's training as the other apprentice with a similar pelt sat quietly near her. "If I don't ever leave the camp then I won't have to worry about that! The other warriors will take care of me!" Her voice quavered ever so slightly, fear starting to bubble within her chest.

It wasn't all about being dramatic to the pretty she-cat, while yes she didn't miss to mess up her well groomed pelt or break a nice, sharp claw, Rosepaw also was absolutely terrified of such violence in general. She didn't want to be apart of that rough and tough mess, like the horror stories of the looming war between Treeclan and Nightclan that were told to her and her siblings.

In all honesty, all the prissy feline wanted to do was earn her name so she could lounge within the nursery all day long, or to lay in the sun contently as cats took care of her and the others that chose to avoid the harsher life of a fighting warrior. Why, Rosepaw even dreamed of the day a tom swept her from her paws, taking her heart happily so she could finally have a family over her own.

Ever the romantic she was.

Skychaser's whiskers wriggled as he tried to contain his amusement at his former apprentice's rather unruly apprentice, curious as to how she ended up the most rotten of the four offspring to come from Russethawk and Ashflight. He gave another tail flicker, pleased with Silentpaw's attempt to calm his clanmate as she about panicked within the spot she sat beneath the steady gazes of both warriors. The young ginger and white tom had a good heart within his chest, offering to be gentle for the frantic she-cat.

Wide teal pools moved to look at Silentpaw, finding his almost reflective blue pools that were a bit lighter than hers. Had they been closer in age, it could almost seem like the two duel coated tabbies could be littermates. Rosepaw's heart continued to hammer in her chest as she realized she wasn't going to be able to worm her way out of this battle pratice, similar to the way she hadn't been able to worm her way out of being haphazardly tossed into the river by her calcio mentor not too long ago.

Ears shifting to lay flat against her head, Rosepaw gave a whimper of defeat. "Promise you wont hurt me?" Her soft voice quavered as she tried to sit tough, but that rising nervousness within her stomach made her almost want to gag.

Rosepaw of RainClan

Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
❀

9 Moons. 624 Words. Abyss

[Abyss]

The calico Warrioress listened to her Apprentice’s defense and reasoning behind not learning how to fight, but this only caused her eyes to narrow further. She opened her mouth to speak, but the larger form of Silentpaw stepped forward, attempting to more gently coax the she-cat into the training. She watched momentarily as the two Apprentices exchanged a moment. The older tom made a gesture of gentleness to his battle companion, while she seemed to hesitantly accept defeat, though the fear was still very apparent in her voice and body movements.

Waterstep released a sigh, looking to Rosepaw. “Regardless, you must learn. It matters not how, or with who, you just must.” Blue eyes landed once more on the other Apprentice. “Silentpaw, you two may participate in this training right outside of camp, if you wish.” As her statement finished, she dismissed the two with a flick of her tail.

As the older ginger and white tom lead the way away from the two Warriors, Waterstep watched the two depart with another sigh. “What am I going to do with her, ” she stated, voice only low enough for Skychaser to hear. “Rainclan has taken up neutrality from the politics and affairs of the other clans, but that does not mean that none of them will force us to take part. Should our home ever be attacked, I only hope that Rosepaw will be able to realize her mistake in abstaining from learning to fight.”

Her gaze fell on her previous mentor, an unreadable expression on her face.



When Rosepaw’s teal eyes locked with his own dark blue and her quivering voice fell from her jaws, a warm smile crossed the tom’s face.

“Promise.” He leaned forward once more, lightly brushing his tongue against her cheek in a comforting manner. As the younger she-cat’s mentor spoke, his gaze turned to the calico, his ears flicking at her words. He nodded, looking back to Rosepaw. “Follow.” While his singular-worded statement may have sounded like an order in any other context, his voice held more of a questioning but also encouraging tone, his body turning towards the camp entrance.

His dark eyes looked back every few seconds, checking to see if his companion was following, his paws stopping to wait should she stop and grow hesitant. He didn’t want her to be scared, even though there was no way for him to prevent it from this feline.

As the two exited the camp, the tom did not go far. His paws merely brought him only a few fox-lengths from the edge of camp, his body turning to face the other Apprentice. He lightly tilted his head, wide eyes looking to her. “Ready?”

Swimming with fish between my paws and water through my fur.

Ghost the Undead Goddess / 449