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Post by Insidious on Aug 6, 2014 22:11:34 GMT -5
J U N I P E R P A W To many he was the sole essence of monstrosity, a creature built upon the concept of death, his bloody eyes an immediate warning of pending catastrophe when matched by any curious bystander. Of course, his unusual features had not passed over her head undetected when she had been nothing but a mere kitten in the nursery. He had managed to frighten her absent of even a glance, but she was quick to reason that it was unfair of her to be so judgemental based on appearance, and as a result of such she had rid herself of any and all impudent thoughts that dare strike her mind from thus point onward. It had been fatalistic, dare she say, that he all of cats had been appointed as her mentor shortly after she had been so hard on herself for being so horribly quick to judge him. It was supplying her with the opportunity to get to know him on a more personal level, and although her nursery-mates had cowered away in fear when he was elected from the crowd to proceed with her training, she had experienced no such hardship, for it was of the greatest honour to learn from a senior warrior that undoubtedly had a vaster field of knowledge and information to pass down to the newest generation of eager apprentices as opposed to the young warriors that were assigned to the majority.
Juniperpaw was wholesomely aware of Whiteshade’s former apprentice, Nightstep, and through knowing of the black-and-white tomcat that had learned from him first, she was also quite swift to identify the rate at which she would be required to excel if she wished to come even close to being as excellent in the eyes of her mentor. Determined to impress, the gray-and-orange apprentice had positioned herself just short from the warriors’ den, waiting patiently for her mentor in the hopes that he would be glad to see that she was as willing to learn as she was. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reasoning behind her longing to have a smooth training with Whiteshade, but she assumed it was only natural for apprentices to cringe at the idea of having a bad relationship with the cat that was supposed to teach them everything that they would come to use in their warriorhood. The small she-cat had every intention of putting Whiteshade’s words of wisdom to good use, and such was revealed through the glint that sparkled in the depths of her grayish blue eyes as she awaited his presence, poised in a neat sit, tail wrapped delicately around her dainty paws, and her chest puffed out in the highest of hopes that he would be as enthusiastic to teach as she was to learn.
Phoenix
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We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Aug 6, 2014 22:28:55 GMT -5
Whiteshade- - - One could hardly say that he had missed his time as a mentor. When he had been charged with the training of Nightstep, the solitude that he had grown accustomed to had been all but ripped away. Time had been devoted to molding the apprentice into a cat who fulfilled every bit of potential the alabaster devil had seen in him. He considered the endeavor a success; his former apprentice had grown from an untrained kit to a confident – if not slightly intimidating – warrior who could fight with a deadly accuracy and speed. Apart from his own role, the senior warrior attributed such an achievement to Nightstep’s iron determination and disposition, which had been somewhat similar to his own. Looking at the kit – his newest apprentice was so fresh from the nursery that he could have easily mistaken her for one – sitting before him, he saw much of the former but none of the latter.
Unlike before, he had no previous interaction with the young she-cat on which to form a solid impression, so he viewed her with the same relatively neutral, if not slightly condescending, lens that he applied to the rest of his clan. Crimson eyes, a deep blood red against brilliant white fur, illuminated in the bright sunlight, evenly met the equally intriguing pair – a mixture of blue and gray that, in this light, was similar to a stormy sky – of his apprentice. ”Juniperpaw,” He greeted her levelly, inclining his head slightly as he drew to a halt in front of her. Had he had to look down so far to address Nightstep at the beginning of his apprenticeship? ”It is always gratifying to come upon an apprentice so eager to learn.” Turning on his paw, he pivoted away, striding smoothly toward the exit to camp, his tail beckoning her to follow. ”Come with me. There is no reason to waste daylight.”
The first day was always the most telling. After putting her through her paces, those pitiful excuses for hunting crouches and pounces that kits called ‘skills’, he would know exactly how far behind – or, relative to her nest mates and his opinion on other apprentices, how average – she was. He would be able to confirm his opinion on whether or not she had the same potential as his previous apprentice; furthermore, he would know exactly the nature of her personality, whether she was as soft as she appeared. Without warning, he stopped and turned to face the she-cat, steeling himself for the overwhelming displeasure that would flood him should he feel her small body collide with his legs. ”Kits are fond of playing games, many of which involve hunting in one form or another,” The senior warrior commented as he lowered his haunches to the ground. ”Therefore, you must have some idea – or expectation, perhaps – of how to go about the process. Show me.” His tone was neutral, but he hardly expected to be impressed.
Insidious- - -
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Post by Insidious on Aug 7, 2014 9:46:22 GMT -5
J U N I P E R P A W The very essence of her mentor was chilling. The kit that lingered within her wanted to curl up into a ball, as though such a position would shield her from the threat that he posed, and she was rather disturbed with herself for having such a thought for more than a second. He was not going to harm her; she had to completely rid herself of such menacing impressions. A dark cloud of shame lapped at her heart, and she pressed her tiny claws into the ground - a notion for her own eyes alone - in disgust of herself as the white warrior ghosted by her flank and beckoned her with a fluid flick of his tail. Immediately, the beautiful kitten rose from her seat and pursuited him in obedience. She was mindful of his movements, thoroughly awed by his excellent momentum, and therefore she had been mentally prepared for his abrupt halt, enough so that she was able to bring herself to a timely stop as well much sooner than would have been required, should she have driven herself directly into the back of his legs. Nerves had her standing on the tips of her paws, and had she allowed her mind to wander for even a brief moment, she was certain she would have made the fatal mistake of knocking bodies. A sigh of relief departed from her small jaw, gathering herself into the neatest stance that she could muster in the hopes that her anxiety was going by unnoticed.
“Of course!” She leaped at the invitation to impress him in a presentation of her greatest enthusiasm, scolding herself mentally for her overly cheerful disposition, before she took a deep breath and lowered herself into the proper crouch. Her tail was well balanced, and although her footing could use a bit of work (not every apprentice could be perfect on their first try, after all), she liked to think that she was doing rather admirable. Juniperpaw liked to think that, one day, she’d be capable of being a role model, of sorts, for her fellow apprentices. She didn’t think anything short of excellence from Whiteshade’s ability to mentor, and she was anticipating the day that his training could reveal how it had benefited her to the rest of her clan. There was no denying that she was in a rush to grow up and prove herself useful. She was forgetting that she was still young, and that she was going to make mistakes along the way - the future was simply too promising.
Holding her hunter’s crouch for a few more moments to ensure that Whiteshade had gotten the fill of his analysis, she stood hesitantly, looking up at him with expectant, grayish-blue eyes. “How was that?” It took everything in her being to keep her voice from cracking, or pitching itself at an awkward, feminine squeal. It would be devastating if he could not hold her to the standard of a well-rounded apprentice. Perhaps she’d never quite match up to Nightstep in his eyes, but she was trying her best, and that would have to account for something. Ears flicking in Whiteshade’s direction in preparation to take in every bit of advice that he had to offer, she waited in silent patience, hardly even daring to breathe.
Phoenix
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We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Aug 14, 2014 22:05:20 GMT -5
Whiteshade- - - At the very least, he did not have an apprentice who did what so many of her den mates would have done and crashed into the backs of his legs. For that much, he mused dryly, he could be thankful. What high expectations he had of his clan's newest generations. He could hardly be blamed; at times, it seemed as though the habit of colliding with others continued long into warriorhood for some of the more absentminded or less intelligent felines he was supposed to call clan mates. His tail flicked. And to think that these were LightningClan's best and bravest. If his newest apprentice continued as she was, she would not, at least, end up among the ranks of those who could not notice when the feline in front of them had ceased to move. But that was irrelevant, now.
Crimson eyes glanced over her hunting stance, noting the clear imperfections to which so many - particularly beginners such as herself - were prone. Spurred into motion, he circled her as he might a piece of cornered prey, tail curling lightly in his wake as he went through the motions of analyzing her hunting stance. From his previous vantage point, he had already picked out the flaws on which he could offer advice - if he felt so generous - but he could hardly be expected to pass up such an opportunity for further intimidation, especially when it presented itself so nicely. It was a good test of character, he reasoned with himself, though he felt no guilt with which he had to contend. If she could not handle him merely walking beside her, then how would she survive the next six moons under his tutelage? Besides, there was little to fear from him, as any cat with a brain might reason out. He could hardly harm her this early in the game, and even preying on his own clan mates took moons of meticulous planning. As blinded as they were by fear - he simply had to look at them and they would quiver and quake; it was delicious - none of his potential prey seemed to realize, and he would hardly point it out himself. In any case, it would never do for any cat to gain too much confidence around him; he would never become averse to inviting his dear clan mates on walks with him through the mountainside.
The senior warrior stopped by her shoulder, staring down at the apprentice."Passable," He offered neutrally before extending a paw and shoving her none to gently to the side. Without waiting to see if she would stumble or fall to the ground completely, the senior warrior continued, coolly listing the flaws in her stance, "Barely. Your paws are too close to each other. You are off balance. Your shoulders are too tense. Breathe - unless you wish to visit StarClan sooner rather than later, in which case I am sure Rookfrost could mix up a concoction in his den that would assist you in your endeavors." He gestured imperiously with his tail. "Try again." Scarlet watched her for any sign of displeasure at the debatably tactless way he had summarized her faults. Most apprentices, he could imagine easily, would be facing him with fire in their eyes and their fur standing on end. Luckily for them - and fortunately for the sake of the clan - most apprentices were not under his tutelage. Very little would be accomplished if they did not heed the promise that glinted in crimson depths. If you have a problem with my teaching methods or if you wish to argue with me, kindly do not waste your breath or my time and return yourself to camp. I have better ways to spend my day.
OOC: Insidious I didn't realize that she had stood up until I finished the post, but don't really want to change it if I don't have to XD Also I added a few flaws that I would imagine a nervous apprentice would have around him - like possibly forgetting to breathe. - - -
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Post by Insidious on Aug 15, 2014 10:00:17 GMT -5
J U N I P E R P A W She would be among the last of LightningClan to give in to her fear of the albino without just reason, finding that he deserved far more respect than what those petty feelings could have her offering. She stayed completely still as he circled, only releasing the breath that she had been clutching tightly in her chest when he directly addressed it as being among her problematic flaws. There was far more of them than she had been expecting - was she truly so bad? They hadn't even gotten to the real hunting and she seemed to be failing miserably - and before she could even begin to contemplate how to fix them and how to improve, she felt the sharp jab of one of the senior warrior's paws in her side. Inwardly, she winced. Outwardly, she stumbled on unprepared limbs and only caught herself from performing an embarrassing - likely amusing in his eyes - fall with a precious moment to spare.
When she next looked to him, there was only confusion in her bright eyes for a few seconds before she swallowed her disbelief and nodded, accepting his request that she try again. When she had been in the nursery, she always imagined that her mentor would have friendly criticism to offer and would help her become a better warrior by showing her the ropes. Whiteshade was far from what the kitten in her had been able to conjure, and although she found his teaching methods to be a touch more aggressive than what she had been anticipating, they were teaching methods nonetheless. Perhaps someone like her, so open-hearted and good-willed, could use someone like him as her mentor to make sure she didn't go through her life believing that she could avoid hostility around every corner. It was about time that she leaned being a warrior wasn't going to be the same as being a kitten. Whiteshade only wanted to help her be better than what she was for the sake of the Clan - right? - and she had every intention of cooperating through thick and thin, even if that meant withstanding a few more blows from her, admittedly, intimating mentor.
This time, when she lowered herself into her hunting stance, she was more mindful of where she placed her paws and, as soon as she thought she had them right, worked on relaxing her shoulders. She took deep, calming breaths the whole time - a visit to Rookfrost's den would, she mused with sudden hesitation, be no less foreboding than this lesson - and realized how silly she must have appeared before when she was too frightened to even breathe in the red eyed menace's presence.
She wasn't going to let herself be afraid of him anymore. Even though she'd be mousebrained if to fully believe there was nothing lethal about him - the glint in his sharp eyes was only the slightest bit misleading - there was a lot that he would be able to show her throughout her next few moons as an apprentice. This time around, she was more prepared for the worst. If Whiteshade planned on giving her another hard nudge, should her stance still be a work in progress, she hoped she'd be able to sustain herself from stumbling like the weak little kitten she didn't want to be anymore.
Phoenix
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We are born with a DNA blueprint into a world of scenario and circumstance we don't control |
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Co-Captain
INVENTORY
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Post by Phoenix on Aug 26, 2014 22:44:36 GMT -5
THIS ONE IS THE NIGHTMARE THAT GOES ON On the bright side, she did not fall like he had half expected her to. In a show of what seemed to be more luck than actual skill, she caught and righted herself after a few moments of flailing, which he recalled with a dispassionate gaze as she lowered herself into another hunting crouch that was - fortunately - not too similar with the first. While still not perfect, the positioning of her paws had improved, and he could practically see the gears in her mind turning as she reminded herself to relax her shoulders, and then to keep taking those deep, calming breaths that every queen employed at least once a day when faced with the tiny menaces the rest of the Clans called kits. This time, he chose to not pace around her as he had before, instead merely allowing his crimson gaze to scan her stance. Silently, he approached her again, tail curling in the air behind her. For his own amusement, he raised a paw and simply held it there for a few moments, expecting to see her tense in preparation for him to give her another shove.
But he would not repeat the same trick twice in a row, especially so soon one after another.
Unreadable scarlet locked with innocent blue-gray for the briefest of seconds before he flicked his gaze away and used his paw to do nothing but nudge one of hers forward into the proper position. "Better," He acknowledged shortly, with a slight nod as he cast another glance across his apprentice. She was not wholly hopeless, he decided idly, tail flicking through the air behind him. It was the first day and in two tries she had a relatively passable hunting crouch - any other mentor might have been ecstatic. He would withhold ultimate judgment until later; it hardly mattered now that she had listened to and applied his barked instruction, for anyone with any amount of short term memory could do so with relative ease. The coming days would be indicative as to whether she was truly capable of learning and remembering what he told her.
"However, unfortunately hunting consists of more than simply standing still and waiting for a rabbit to hop into unsheathed claws." He did not sound particularly saddened by the fact. The hunt only added to the thrill of the eventual catch, though she hardly needed to now that; he doubted that she would even understand the sheer bloodlust that drove the monster hidden within him. "A bit more skill is required to be considered an effective hunter." A pause. "Would you be able to maintain this position in order to stalk your prey?" Whiteshade | LightningClan | Senior Warrior | Confrontation - Jekyll and Hyde Insidious WITH SATAN HIMSELF BY MY SIDE
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Post by Insidious on Aug 27, 2014 21:14:06 GMT -5
J U N I P E R P A W - - - - - - Against all odds, and perhaps against her better judgement, too, she liked to think that she could maintain the position that she had found in order to stalk her prey. Although she certainly wasn’t the greatest apprentice throughout all of the forest, she didn’t consider herself as being the worst, either. She had caught on to how a proper hunters’ crouch was supposed to look extremely quickly, and even though it was hard to tell whether or not Whiteshade was impressed by this, he didn’t look displeased which was enough to keep her heart beating at a steady, normal rhythm. She had flinched slightly against the rising of the white warrior’s paw, prepared to withstand yet another biting swat, but all he did was correct the position of one of her paws. She hoped that she wasn’t forming a new habit in which she was obsessive over avoiding being knocked over - all she knew was that she didn’t like how close she had come to falling flat on her face before, and that she’d more than likely do everything in her power to keep that from happening.
The gray-and-orange apprentice tested her momentum while in the hunters’ crouch, taking a few strides forward and then backward. It didn’t feel as comfortable as it did to normally walk, and although her steps felt slightly awkward and off balance, she was managing.
Managing, however, was not the same as succeeding. She knew she’d have to do better if she wanted to become a skilled hunter. Prey, after all, would not be as forgiving of mistakes as her Clanmates.
With a sigh, she accepted that there was room for improvement and looked to her mentor from the corner of her eye, unsure of whether or not he’d be okay with her speaking up instead of simply waiting for instruction like she had before. “What am I doing wrong? This doesn’t feel right.” She sincerely hoped that he’d correct her kindly, for she’d likely never be able to sit close to him if he tried knocking her down again, forever destined to be on edge in his company.
All she wanted to do was learn. She wanted Whiteshade to teach her how to do things properly, and how to succeed at being a warrior of LightningClan. She would never be so disrespectful as to question his methods of teaching, just like she’d never go behind his back and request a new mentor from Redstar herself. She was determined to see Whiteshade’s mentoring through to the end, even if she did feel a little unease when they were standing this close. He would not harm her, he would only help her - it was his job. She knew that she was doing something wrong when she walked in her hunters’ crouch, and he’d hopefully be content to see her recognizing such a factor on her own and aiming to fix it.
She just wanted to get to the point of being able to fix it herself, but that, sadly, meant staying exactly where she was to listen to the words of a far more experienced warrior. What he’d have to say to her was important, it was crucial, and it was relevant to her success. As soon as she allowed herself to stop focusing on all of the negative possibilities, she’d be able to benefit from his tutelage better. - - - - - - Tags: Phoenix Word Count: 596.
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