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Post by Fawn on Sept 25, 2012 20:37:49 GMT -5
[style=font-family:Almendra SC; font-size:54px;]Lionstep
Lionstep greeted the returning dawn patrol with a polite dip of his head, the light chatter of queens and their kits in the nursery a pleasant thrum to the young deputy's ears. After the returning patrol dispersed, Lionstep too took his leave, intending to go on another hunt to add to the fresh kill pile - when Duskpaw coming out of the Apprentices' den jogged his memory.
It's been a while since I've heard from everyone's respective mentors. He himself had been busy looking after Dawnpaw, but that was no excuse not to keep tabs on everyone; Let's see, I know how Noblepaw is coming along, as for Littlepaw and Joypaw - they could've learned how to catch mice backwards for all I know. Intent upon his apprentice-progress-check, Lionstep's large golden ears swiveled and he put his nose to work, searching for the familiar scents of Bloodtalon or Leafscar. Bloodtalon did not appear to be in the camp, so he logged that into his mind for later, and instead set out to track down Leafscar. Leafscar was an older warrior, complacent in nature as well as a decent mentor to young Littlepaw, so it was with a respectful mew that he poked his head into the warriors' den, calling out; "Leafscar! Are you there?"
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2012 20:44:55 GMT -5
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| [bg=667744]Juggling warrior duties and an apprentice was not as hard as the tom had expected. Littlepaw was an eager cat, and the tom was more than happy to share his knowledge with the apprentice. After a long day with her, he retired the the warrior's den. He slept in late that morning, and was just arising when he was approached by Lionstep.
The elder warrior greeted his deputy with a nod and responded, "Yes, I am here presently." It was unlike the brown tabby tom to sleep in, and he was just getting ready to head out when Lionstep caught him. With slight embarrassment, the warrior gave his chest a quick lick. "How may I be of assistance?"
Any request made of him, Leafscar would obey, regardless of what it was. He was slightly pleased that Lionstep seemed to have something that required his specific attention. Feeling needed in the Clan was a great happiness for Leafscar. He settled himself in a seated position, ears pricked and shoulders in a formal posture, waiting for what the golden tom had to say. With a grogginess still clouding his mind, he wasn't able to guess what it was, but he couldn't imagine it being anything particularly special.
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Post by Fawn on Sept 26, 2012 0:05:15 GMT -5
[style=font-family:Almendra SC; font-size:54px;]Lionstep Lionstep smiled at the elder warrior. Leafscar was always so easy to deal with, it made the TreeClan deputy's day go just a tad smoother, and he appreciated that immensely. "All I need is a progress-report on Littlepaw," he mewed, relaxing into a siting position, plume-of-a-tail twitching occasionally as it lay near the entrance to the Warriors' Den.
"How is her hunting coming? And the fighting techniques?" Lionstep did not know the depth of Leafscar's abilities on the battlefield, but he trusted the older tom, and was confident that everything Littlepaw needed to know to become a great warrior, Leafscar could teach.
It had been what, one and a half, two moons since Littlepaw had started her apprenticeship? Though their time together had been short, Lionstep still expected a decent amount of progress to be made on behalf of Leafscar's experience and Littlepaw's eagerness to learn.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2012 15:21:26 GMT -5
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| [bg=667744]Blinking in slight surprise, Leafscar nodded. "Of course!" He was hardly able to give Lionstep a proper analysis since he had only begun training his apprentice, but he was more than happy to report what he could. "She's coming along. I've been working with her on hunting different types of prey, but Littlepaw still has a long way to go." The she-cat had a lot to learn, but she had plenty of time too. "With hunting and fighting, they both come rather naturally. She's an easy apprentice to work with."
Leafscar was in no rush to train her; apprentices needed rest and fun, enjoying their younger years before taking on the full responsibilities of a warrior. Still, the warrior was quite pleased with how much Littlepaw had learned since the two had first started their training together a mere moon ago. The tabby tom was lost in thought for a moment, his green eyes reflecting something far away, but he returned to the moment. "I had hoped to take her on a patrol soon and aquatint her with the other Clan's borders. Perhaps, also, it is about time she had her first gathering?" The Gathering was still a time away, but he knew Littlepaw would be excited to go and meet the other Clans.
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Post by Fawn on Sept 26, 2012 17:05:51 GMT -5
[style=font-family:Almendra SC; font-size:54px;]Lionstep "That's certainly something I'll think about. I can put in a good word for her to Distantstar." mewed the golden deputy, Lionstep already building a tally of who would be a good option to bring to the next gathering. There were several apprentices who had yet to have to attend their first gathering, and he definitely hadn't forgotten about them. "Now she has no issues with any of the other apprentices, correct? She's not having any kind of social troubles?" It was an odd question for the deputy to ask, but Lionstep had learned long ago that there was more to apprenticeship than training and hunting. One had to be able to develop the social skills they needed to get along with their fellow Clanmates - and sometimes their enemies - after all, one of these apprentices may someday grow up to be the next deputy! It was a good idea to make sure everyone was on the right track, and if they weren't, he and the other mentors would try and set them back on track with as little pain and frustration as possible.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2012 20:53:50 GMT -5
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| [bg=667744]Leafstar shook his head. "Littlepaw gets along well with the other apprentices, I believe. She also has her Blossompaw and Swiftpaw looking out for her," the tom meowed. He wasn't quite sure what the relationship between the siblings was exactly, but he was aware that they were relatively close.
It reminded him a little of his own siblings. The three had always been close, they were his support system during bad times, and he always looked out for his brother and sister. He adored them, as any cat adores their family, but always remembered that the Clan came first. Leafscar was funny like that; he had a strange way of balancing his affections for others, but it worked. "Anything else?" the warrior questioned.
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Post by Fawn on Sept 28, 2012 22:35:42 GMT -5
[style=font-family:Almendra SC; font-size:54px;]Lionstep "Glad to hear it," Lionstep mewed, whiskers twitching, ears swiveling as he heard the footsteps of a patrol coming in. "That's all my questions for now - though I would appreciate it if we could allow Littlepaw and Dawnpaw to train together soon." Thinking back to his kindly apprentice, the golden warrior let out a goodnatured purr. "I think making things a bit more...fun might be good for all the apprentices. Perhaps even a competition between them all." Now there's an idea. Wouldn't that be something to get excited over? A competition where they would compete against each other and practice their skills at the same time. He could split the apprentices into two teams, and have them perform a 'mock' battle - whichever team had the most cats who were victorious would be the overall winner. He wasn't sure what sort of prizes he could offer, but he could always pass out 'mock titles'. As for hunting, it could be a timed event (they'd have maybe half a day) to hunt the most prey. It could be a team competition and a solo event.
There could even be a section of the 'competition' where they had to answer riddles from the elders! That would certainly get their brains working, not just their instincts and their thirst for battle...
And then the last event would involve teamwork as a whole, it would be a 'team mission' where they had to retrieve something, and perhaps a few volunteer warriors could get in the way of that mission, pretending to be foxes or enemy cats...
The TreeClan deputy chuckled to himself.
And Sagefur says I'm boring.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2012 19:07:15 GMT -5
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| [bg=667744]"That sounds interesting," the warrior commented. "A competition could motivate them and teach a few extra skills along the way. What do you have in mind?" Leafscar had never heard of a competition between apprentices before, but it seemed like a forward proposal.
The tabby tom had a couple of his own ideas to submit to Lionstep's plan. Leadership was something that most cats didn't get to experience until being a warrior; leading patrols was the best most cats got. Hopefully, Lionstep's idea would also consider the safety of the apprentices. Leafscar didn't know what he would do with himself if Littlepaw ever came to any harm.
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Post by Fawn on Sept 29, 2012 21:39:39 GMT -5
[style=font-family:Almendra SC; font-size:54px;]Lionstep The golden warrior swayed his tail in thought. Though his words came out calm, his amber eyes were gleaming, conveying the deputy's excitement over the idea, the tom intending to bounce ideas off of Leafscar.
"The kind of competition with three stages - a stage to test their fighting skills, their hunting instincts, and a little something more challenging for the last one --" The broad-shouldered tom paused, whiskers twitching, before his eyes lit up further. "A final challenge that has them all working together as a team to overcome certain obstacles."
That'll definitely get their minds going, but I can't do this alone. Turning to the trustworthy warrior in front of him, Lionstep let out a friendly mew, "Would you be interested in helping out?"
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2012 21:29:54 GMT -5
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"Certainly," the warrior meowed immediately, a sense of eagerness to his voice. The tom was practically jumping at the chance to assist his Clan. Of course, even had he not been enthusiastic about Lionstep's idea, the warrior would have gone along with it. Leafscar nodded to the deputy's description. "Sounds like a good versatility of challenges. Just let me know how I can help."
Of course, in Leafscar's eyes, it would have to be up to the apprentices whether or not they chose to participate. He certainly wouldn't force Littlepaw into something she didn't want to do, but the tom had a feeling that she would be as excited about it as he was. Infinite potential, it seemed, rested in the contemporary idea.
(ooc: sorry for the short post)
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Post by Fawn on Oct 3, 2012 22:09:21 GMT -5
[style=font-family:Almendra SC; font-size:54px;]Lionstep Lionstep purred, pleased by Leafscar's eagerness. He's always been a helpful, reliable cat. TreeClan's lucky to have him. "I'm happy to hear it, I'll be needing extra eyes during the mock-battle portion, just to make sure no one's getting too out of line or fighting too...intensely," mewed Lionstep, thinking back to when Noblepaw had injured Dawnpaw. It still stung him like an angry wasp every time he recalled that scene, remembering the way Dawnpaw had crouched in fear, terrified of her own Clanmate.
That's something that'll need to be resolved, or else we might have an incident like that at the Challenge. Knowing Noblepaw, the battle-eager tom had absolutely no intention of not participating, the tom would probably be shouldering his way through the throng to get to Lionstep first, eager to announce his willingness to accept his challenge.
"I'll also need a few warriors to pose as enemy cats and dangerous animals during the last challenge, I think that would put things into perspective, that the life of a warrior is never predictable, and they'll have to learn to deal with whatever comes their way." Speaking in a distracted tone, Lionstep glanced around camp for Distantstar, but the TreeClan leader seemed to be living up to his name, and was rather distant from the deputy's line of sight - heck, he might even be in the camp at all.
I'll talk to him about it later. Lionstep dipped his head to Leafscar respectfully, pulling his attention back to the warrior who deserved it.
"I know I can count on you, Leafscar."
ooc: Oh no problem! I know everyone's busy this week. :] |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2012 23:18:49 GMT -5
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As Leafscar listened to the deputy, he reflected on his own part to play in the scheme. The brown tabby tom began to realize he wasn't paying attention, and his green eyes refocused on Lionstep, though the warrior seemed a bit distracted as well.
The tom figured it was only natural, seeing as the idea they were to bring forward was unique and, of course, still required the approval of Distantstar. Leafscar wondered how the leader would take it; as friendly as he was with all of his Clanmates and as empathetic, the leader was a cat that the senior warrior had always been unable to read. He greatly admired Distantstar, of course, but in away the warrior could say he was almost afraid of him.
Almost. "Just say the word," Leafscar meowed. "Anything I can do for you, I'd be happy too. And if you need a little more help, I'm sure I can convince a few other warriors to take up the opportunity." The TreeClan warrior figured that the exercise would not only help the apprentices, but also give the warriors a reminder of what they were to be focusing on as well. Quite a few cats became lazy and content with their skills as they got older, but that would have to be changed.
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