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Post by Fawn on Jul 2, 2014 10:25:38 GMT -5
EAGLETALON of StoneClan 50 Moons. Tom. Senior Warrior.
After so much sickness and death, a relative peace had finally settled over StoneClan once more. Eagletalon's heart had been hardened by the successive bad luck his Clan had been dealt lately, and he had soldiered on as best he could - the only thing a cat like him knew how to do.
Shaking the dew from his dense golden-ruddy coat, the senior warrior signaled for his youngest and newest apprentice, Redpaw, to stick close. Despite the greencough outbreak, Redpaw was young and spry and promising, something Eagletalon could only be grateful for.
"Can you smell that? Concentrate," Eagletalon had come to a stop at the edge of a sparse and small patch of woods on StoneClan's territory (arguably the only part of their land that bore any resemblance to the other Clans'), his scent-glands working to pick up a fresh whiff of mouse somewhere in the dry leafy detritus.
As he had become accustomed to doing more and more lately, the battle-scarred warrior looked over Redpaw with a critical, appraising eye; he could not claim to know much of the young tom's temperament, but he had seen the glow of curiosity and the spark of adventure within the ginger kitten. That was good. StoneClan would need cats like him to ensure their future; it was his job now to nurture that spirit and keep the weight of the world from breaking it down.
But for today, he would focus on teaching the young tom how to hunt. Birds, StoneClan's signature prey, would be mastered at a later point in Redpaw's training; mice would be a good place to start.
Word Count: 270 Words Tags: @nadia
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2014 13:46:52 GMT -5
REDPAW
The sickness had come faster than Redpaw had ever seen before. All he knew was that cats were dead and StoneClan numbers dwindled down faster than her could ever think could happen. The ginger tom shook his head as he walked by his mentor. He was happy to be out of the camp and learning today, for it was going to take his mind off of other things.
When Eagletalon signaled for him to get closer Redpaw obliged. He did a trot to catch up to the older tom and he stood by his side as they walked. His ears perked to Eagletalon as they stopped and he spoke. Redpaw then took a good breath of the air to gather all the scents. He took a moment to gather the strongest scent and he perked at it.
"Isn't that a mouse Eagletalon?" He asked then. Curiosity was now in his eyes for he wanted to explore, and to catch prey. He wanted to do his best to start bringing his clan back to life, and he figures that by catching prey and bringing home fresh kill, that would be the best way.
The young tom looked at the older one then and his tail flicked with excitement. He knew that he was about to have fun, it was just a matter of if he would get in trouble as well. He knew this was a learning process and he wanted to learn it the best that he can.
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Post by Fawn on Jul 11, 2014 13:47:13 GMT -5
EAGLETALON of StoneClan 50 Moons. Tom. Senior Warrior.
"Well done," the older tom mewed, noting with a sense of pride that the kitten had likely learned the different prey scents while he'd been confided in camp. It was good for would-be apprentices to pay close attention to their surroundings, especially at an age where information sunk in quickly and was not so easily replaced.
"Can you guess which direction it came from?" This was all basic, routine sort of practices, things he had gone over what felt like a hundred times before - but, perhaps, in his climbing age, he had come to appreciate routine. Eagletalon was still a bit of a bold, reckless, mouthy sort of tom who could finish a fight as quickly as he could start one, but maturity and somberness was a good look for him, when his blood had cooled down a bit.
His close friendship with Hawkstar and Hailstrike had made him a better warrior, even if he hadn't been consciously aware of their influence.
Overhead, a sparrow fluttered above them in the thin, spindly branches, Eagletalon's large amber eyes observing the movement. Had something spooked it, or had their presence in this tiny patch of forest been enough to disrupt it's usual patterns? It would be important to find out which was which.
He parted his jaws and let the scents flood in again, whether friend or foe reached him first.
Word Count: 230 Words Tags: @nadia
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 18:09:50 GMT -5
REDPAW of StoneClan 06 Moons. Tom. Apprentice
He heard the compliment and he could also hear some pride in the older toms voice. Redpaw could not help but smile at the fact that he made his mentor proud. It is true though that he learned of the smell from the dens back at camp, but he will not admit that out loud. He wanted to keep his own pride, which was noted with his slightly puffed out chest. He waited for his mentor to speak, and when he did, Redpaw had to actually stop and think of which way it came.
In all reality, Redpaw could not remember at all, so he figured that he might as well guess. No harm in guessing right? He lifted his nose to try and catch the scent again, but it was gone now and he sighed lightly. "Did it come from our right?" He questioned his mentor then. He hoped that Eagletalon would know that he did not catch the true direction and would help him with that.
Redpaw just hoped that he would be a good hunter. He wanted to better the clan, even if it is just by being able to hunt mice. Redpaw wanted to make the clan proud, and he was determined to do just that. He noticed that his mentor heard something else and he strained to hear it as well. But all he could hear was fluttering wings, so he knew that it was prey that he was not able to hunt just yet.
Fawn
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Post by Fawn on Aug 6, 2014 16:29:35 GMT -5
EAGLETALON of StoneClan 50 Moons. Tom. Senior Warrior.
Before Eagletalon could offer much of an answer, the unknown creature or thing stepped out of the shadows; Eagletalon recognized him by the tall black-tufted ears that jutted towards the sky, not unlike those on that damnable lynx in the mountains. "Rookfrost." It took Eagletalon a brief moment to control his voice; he had seen the Medicine Cat present at the battle that had drove his Clan out, and it was hard to just let the past be the past. Somehow, at over 50 moons of age, Eagletalon still had something of a volatile nature when it came to defending his Clan.
But the code - which still mattered, in spite of everything - made him draw breath, and swallow down as much of his distrust and resentment for the shadowy, cold healer to address Redpaw with more self-control.
"Redpaw, this is the Medicine Cat of LightningClan." Eagletalon indicated that his apprentice was to show the jet-black healer some sort of respectful gesture, despite his own instincts urging him to simply give Rookfrost the cold shoulder and move elsewhere to conduct their hunting lesson.
~*~
Icy gray eyes looked once to Redpaw and then to Eagletalon, remembering the tom more by his distinctive scarring and his penchant for getting on the healer's last nerve than anything close to a name. So he didn't use it. "Greetings." That was his unfeeling single line of dialog, preferring to keep conversations to the bare minimum, which was to say nonexistent.
Rookfrost supposed he should have made another effort to inquire about the young tom's training - that was the banal, useless sort of politesse expected in a situation like this, wasn't it?
Or perhaps he should have recalled the name of StoneClan's medicine cat and made some sort of askance about her well-being, in light of this nasty bout of Greencough all Clans seemed to have suffered from.
----- @nadia 310 Words Featuring Rookfrost, Med.Cat of LC.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2014 16:58:57 GMT -5
REDPAW of StoneClan 06 Moons. Tom. Apprentice
he jumped around when his mentor mentioned a name and he looked at the other cat. He could feel the tension coming from his mentor and he looked between the too. "Rookfrost." Redpaw could hear the disdain in the voice then and he started to wonder what was going on. He looked at the ground then as he waited to see what was going to happen, but then his mentor spoe once more. "Redpaw, this is the Medicine Cat of LightningClan." Redpaw looked at the other tom then and he dipped his head down in a greeting.
"Hello Rookfrost." He lifted his head back up then and he felt the tension still. It was not just coming from Eagletalon anymore, but from both of the older toms. He had no idea what he was supposed to say now, so he just shuffled his paws on the ground and he waited. He wanted to go back to hunting, this was just to awkward for the tom. Redpaw wanted to be free of this tension, he just wanted to learn so he could become a warrior.
But Redpaw had to be polite so he waited to see if one of the toms were going to speak. He wanted to know if he was supposed to say something or if he was supposed to stay quiet like he was doing right now. What was he supposed to do in this kind of situation.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 8, 2014 20:18:46 GMT -5
EAGLETALON of StoneClan 50 Moons. Tom. Senior Warrior.
"Teaching young Redpaw here the distinguishing scents. Fortunate that you should come along, he'll be able to recognize the smell of LightningClan now." Eagletalon mewed coolly, stepping aside so the healer could go on his way if he chose to.
Rookfrost gave an emotionless response. "Fortunate indeed."
Without another word, Rookfrost moved over the terrain like a shadow, only the sway of his jet black tail gave any hints at a goodbye; the medicine cat had only been passing through. Eagletalon watched him for a long time, frowning now that he was once more alone with Redpaw. He'd never liked that tom; to Eagletalon, he was always giving off the impression that he would prefer only himself for company, as if talking to others was a chore and it was only his own trade that held any interest for him.
Why a cat like that would've been summoned to such a noble line of work was beyond Eagletalon's understanding; StarClan works in mysterious ways, he surmised. Maybe that particular tom had a natural gift, or something that made him worthy of the position.
"Sorry," said Eagletalon, feeling as though he should apologize for the little interruption. "Let's get back to hunting, alright? Can you show me that hunting crouch I taught you before?" They had spent a few days practicing it back at camp, shortly after Eagletalon had given the young tom a tour of the territory and the borders.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2014 12:27:16 GMT -5
REDPAW of StoneClan 06 Moons. Tom. Apprentice
His ears perked to his mentor as he spoke to the foreign medicine cat. He could feel the tension between the two older toms and he shrank in his spot as he let the two of them speak. He knew that it was LightningClan was the reason that StoneClan had been chased from their lands before, but Redpaw was not sure why there was still so much tension between some of the members. Maybe it was because she was not old enough to really remember the issue.
He watched though as the LightningClan tom left them and he shuddered a little. He looked to Eagletalon then with a questioning look on his face. "Eagletalon, I know that LightingClan chased us from our lands before, but why are you so tense around him?" His words were probably something that Eagletalon may not have wanted to hear, but the younger tom was curious, and his curiosity tends to get him into trouble.
He looked around before his ears perked back to his mentor as the tom apologized for the interruption. He shook his head then and he walked up to his mentor and his tail touched his mentor's shoulder lightly. He heard his mentor's request then and he nodded lightly before he lowered himself into a crouch. It was all wrong though. He looked unbalanced and he felt just as unbalanced. What was he doing wrong?
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Post by Fawn on Aug 10, 2014 16:10:43 GMT -5
EAGLETALON of StoneClan 50 Moons. Tom. Senior Warrior.
"Eagletalon, I know that LightingClan chased us from our lands before, but why are you so tense around him?"
The battle-scarred sandy-hued warrior had not been anticipating this question, but it made sense; obviously Redpaw would have picked up on his apparent dislike for the jet black LightningClan healer. He did not respond immediately, but chose to think on his words carefully, wanting to pick the right ones that wouldn't give Redpaw the wrong impression or unintentionally give Redpaw the notion that he should somehow hate LightningClan for past transgressions.
"It's hard to forgive, and it's hard to forget what happened to StoneClan because of LightningClan and RainClan." Eagletalon would correct his hunting stance in a moment, circling the younger tom, his voice calmer than it normally was when he recalled the crimes committed against himself and his kin. "Rookfrost was present at the battle to chase us into the mountains; you could say it's the fact that he doesn't seem particularly apologetic over it that's rubbed my fur the wrong way." Some medicine cat he was; they're supposed to be fair and patient and unbiased, and yet that shadow-hearted tom had been participating.
A resentment crept over the deep, golden fire of Eagletalon's eyes, before he shook out his fur and seemed to regain his sense of composure; "Your stance is a little too wide, Redpaw, bring your back legs a little closer together, then try again." That would get the tom's crouch a little more centered, and bring his belly off the forest floor. "Mice can feel the vibrations in your paws when you move, so we'll have to make sure we get your stance right before we can start hunting them."
A lopsided gait would tip-off even the slowest of mice, and then this hunting lesson would end on a failure rather than a success - and Eagletalon had no intention of letting it play out that way.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2014 20:35:59 GMT -5
The young tom could swear that he saw a look of shock on his mentor's face when he asked the question. But it had quickly left with understanding as well. He noticed that Eagletalon had to think, and Redpaw let him think. He was not going to pressure the older tom. Redpaw wanted to be sure that he got the right story, so honestly, he would probably go back to the camp and ask others as well.
He listened to his mentor and he nodded lightly. "So Rookfrost acts like he does not have any regrets for what they did to us?" The ginger tom looked up to Eagletalon and he sighed lightly. He had stayed in his crouch and he had not even realized that his legs were starting to hurt from the odd way that he had placed himself. His ears perked back to his mentor as he started to correct his stance and he nodded lightly.
He left the stance and then corrected her back legs like Eagletalon told him to do. Once he was sure that he was how his mentor wanted him, he lowered back down into his stance. His back legs were closer to him than they had been last time. But were they too close now? Mice can feel vibrations, well that made things a little harder for this tom, for he was not the most silent of them all when it came to walking.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 14, 2014 20:33:20 GMT -5
EAGLETALON of StoneClan 50 Moons. Tom. Senior Warrior.
-----
"Better." Praised the senior warrior, referring to his stance. "Now I want you to practice stalking forward. Try it on your own first, then I'll show you an example to follow." Redpaw's question still echoed in his mind, and as much as the subject irritated him, he wouldn't let it become the focal point of their hunting session today. Rather than let it drop, however, Eagletalon did respond after a moment's thought. "Given that medicine cats are supposed to be peaceable and unbiased, Rookfrost gives off a level of apathy I wouldn't expect a healer to show. I don't know him," confessed Eagletalon, aware that they were of a similar age, he and the medicine cat. "But it's a challenge to look that cat in the eyes knowing he doesn't seem to feel any remorse towards us for what's been done."
And that was as much as he wanted to say on the matter. "Anyway, show me your stalking." It would do no-cat any good to dwell on the past; if this sometimes harsh life as a warrior had proved anything to the experienced, muscular feline, it was that assuming the worst was over sometimes did more harm than good. You didn't have to expect bad things to happen, but you had to retain some level of sense on the matter; as long as there were five Clans made up of such diverse felines, and the leaders and deputies would come and go over the moons, war was bound to start up again.
Sometimes it would have nothing to do with StoneClan. Sometimes it would have everything to do with StoneClan; the key here, was not to lose heart. Losing sight of what was important to him would be crippling; the abandonment of his urge to fight and protect his home and kin would be like removing his heart from his chest. Eagletalon was absolutely certain he would always rise to the occasion should StoneClan need defending, but sometimes, every now and again, his resolve needed a supportive boost.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2014 22:36:32 GMT -5
His ears perked to Eagletalon and he nodded lightly. He kept the crouch that he was at and he started to stalk forward. He felt like he should have lowered his body more, so he did and soon the fur on his belly was scraping against the rocks on the floor. He stopped after a few yards and he looked at Eagletalon. "How was that?" He questioned his mentor then.
He was hoping to hear good things about it, but there were just some things that made things horrible. He listened to his mentor then and he nodded lightly. "So the remorse that a Medicine Cat should feel, he doesn't. Doesn't that mean that he should not be a Medicine Cat?" His vocals held words that could hurt the feelings of a cat if they were to talk by, but he was sure that Rookfrost was not coming back just yet.
He smiled then as his mentor asked for his to stalk a little more and he obeyed happily. He was learning and this was good, it also proved that he was going to be able to progress to a warrior if he kept learning like he should be.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 16, 2014 1:26:59 GMT -5
EAGLETALON of StoneClan 50 Moons. Tom. Senior Warrior.
"So the remorse that a Medicine Cat should feel, he doesn't. Doesn't that mean that he should not be a Medicine Cat?"
”I don't know the answer to that, Redpaw. It's not my place to decide who should and shouldn't be a Medicine Cat. Only StarClan and other Medicine Cats can speak up on that sort of thing.” It was fortunate too, that he had no say in the matter of healers and their dispositions. He knew little of herbs and of saving lives, unless 'saving lives' included standing in the path of an oncoming enemy so that a Clanmate might scramble away to safety. Or if 'saving lives' included protecting a nursery full of queens and kits from a fox grown too bold to live. But poppy seeds? Chamomile? These were as foreign to him as was the concept of two-legs, which were little more than stories passed down from the Clan elders.
Eagletalon drew the focus back onto his apprentice, having noted with some furrowing of his brow that Redpaw had chosen to go so low as to allow his bellyfur to scrape and brush against the rocky terrain underneath him. ”You'll drag some pebbles and twigs with you if you stalk that low. Here, watch me.” Not only for the sake of having to do less cleaning later, but for the sake of actually catching something, was allowing your belly to touch the ground beneath you.
With ease that came from many many moons of doing this very same action, Eagletalon slid into an easy hunting crouch, his body low but not so low as to touch but the tips of the grass blades, not low enough to touch the moss and the pebbles and the clumps of clover that occasionally cropped up as he stalked a simple straight line, eyes fixed as though locked onto some invisible prey. Eagletalon repeated this a few more times, turning to Redpaw. ”Now you try it.”
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2014 22:39:17 GMT -5
He made no acknowledgement to his mentor's words about Rookfrost. Redpaw did not want to think of the old cranky tom anymore. The ginger tom waited for his mentor to speak then and he thought of things. What did it mean to be a Medicine Cat then? As the tom thought, he was brought back when his mentor spoke then. So he was too low. He observed his mentor then and he even started to correct himself.
He watched his mentor and stood up as he tried to focus on catching every movement that his mentor was making. Once he was told to try, Redpaw nodded and he dropped back down. This time, he was low to the ground again, but no where near as low as before. He barely felt the blades of the grass as he moved forward to the invisible mouse he saw.
Yep, he was imagining a mouse, but the scent was strong. Was he imagining it? He quickly but quietly turned his head to look at Eagletalon. He needed confirmation that he was not imagining this mouse.
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Post by Fawn on Aug 21, 2014 16:25:20 GMT -5
EAGLETALON of StoneClan 50 Moons. Tom. Senior Warrior.
The mouse had not gone unnoticed; out of habit, Eagletalon had lowered his stance and begun to quiet his breath, adept at holding it for a period of time after so many moons of practice; as much as he preferred to go after larger prey such as his namesake, a mouse was a mouse, and he was hardly going to be picky over what the fates lined up for him. Not after such a harsh, unyielding leafbare drenched in sickness. ”Remember what I taught you, Redpaw,” his mew was quiet, barely above a whisper. ”What direction is the mouse in? If you find it, you can try catching it—be mindful of where you place your paws.” It would be a difficult task for a cat who had just begun his training, but contrary to popular belief, StoneClan was full of exemplary warriors and exemplary apprentices; they had a funny way of surprising you.
With tall, sensitive ears, it was no great feat to detect the tiny creature with the rapid heartbeat snuffling around near the base of several trees, a subtle flick of an ear indicating the general direction of the mouse – just in case Redpaw needed a little guidance. He was the sort of mentor who preferred his pupils to figure things out as they go along, but he could recall Reedfang giving him the occasional (and sometimes much needed) bit of help whenever he was stuck. It was important for the ginger tom-kitten to learn at his own rate, of course.
Awaiting his apprentice's actions, Eagletalon kept his posture low and still so as not to disturb Redpaw's chance at a first-time-hunt. Good luck, and if you don't catch it it's not the end of the Clan. Redpaw didn't strike him as the sort of tom who let his self esteem take a huge dive after one mistake, but he'd have to see how things played out to be absolutely certain of this.
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