[Deleted]

618 words

@tagged

notes:

Redstar

House on fire, Leave it all behind you,
Dark as night, let the lightning guide you.

 As warriorhood grew a far less distant prospect for the chocolate brown tom that Redstar had come to know, the red tabby she-cat had become even more invested in Mudpaw and training with him. She'd passed up patrol opportunities to ensure that the chocolate tom received as much training as his fellow apprentices and although Redstar knew that there were a few cats who had been grumbling a bit about her commitment to training up the apprentice, she didn't give a single thought. The truth was that training an apprentice was a task that the LightningClan leader absolutely adored. Becoming such a large part in a cat's future life as a warrior was a daunting prospect to many, but the red tabby she-cat, being the experienced mentor, took it in her stride. Watching Mudpaw grow, both in size and ability, had been an honour that she'd been blessed with.

That wasn't to say that Mudpaw's training was complete yet, of course not. The chocolate brown tom would certainly have a few more moons of training before Redstar could at last offer him the title of a warrior and give him his warrior's name. Even so, the red tabby she-cat was convinced that he was shaping up into a cat that LightningClan could be proud of. He was certainly something of a perfectionist and judged himself very harshly, but he was a good cat and, in honesty, Redstar had grown rather fond of him. When the day did come for him to be named a warrior, she'd certainly miss their training sessions.

Well, we still have a bit of a way to go.
Drawing in a deep breath, the LightningClan leader tasted the air for her apprentice's scent, her amber gaze surveying their camp. Redstar was content in his hunting skills, it was his skills in battle that the LightningClan leader wanted to focus upon today. They'd had training in fighting before, but today the tabby she-cat wanted to develop his skills further to a point that they could begin to pursue some further goals and she could teach him some more complex moves. She'd considered bringing along another mentor and apprentice pair, but she'd since dismissed the idea. Their training sessions seemed to be more successful when it was one-on-one.

A smile warmed her features upon spotting him and Redstar wasted no time in crossing the LightningClan camp to greet him. The sun had risen to its highest point in the sky, the weather far better than it had been in some of their earlier training sessions.
Redstar needn't give reason for approaching the apprentice, by now Mudpaw would know the drill. She'd had to lead a border patrol early that morning, hence a later training sessions, but she'd notified the chocolate brown tom and so he would be ready by now for today's training session.


"Mudpaw," she greeted him warmly, dipping her head, "Are you ready?" she inclined her head a little as she offered him the question, her amber gaze flickering over the chocolate brown tom. Today their training session would lead them to the Trampled Clearing, a site which had been established long before as LightningClan's location for battle training. With life bursting from all areas of LightningClan's territory, the grasses wouldn't be quite as trampled and flattened as they usually were, but they would still suit the purpose of training.

Wearing a warm smile, she waited expectantly for the chocolate tom. With such a beautiful day gracing LightningClan's skies, Redstar was eager to be out in the grasses once more.

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Fawn]

Mudpaw
10 Moons. Tom. LightningClan.

When Mudpaw had awoken, the first thing he'd done after a quick but sufficient wash was check Redstar's den, peering with a respectful hesitance into the darkened shadows of the old badger set, calling softly for his mentor. He always felt strange checking up on her like that, asking if she wanted him to do anything in particular today or go on a patrol - she wasn't exactly a typical mentor or an average warrior. She was the Clan's leader, and even after four moons he was still getting used to interacting with her as he would a regular senior warrior; she'd probably prefer that he relaxed rather than stood on ceremony. Unsurprisingly, somber orange eyes caught no hint of ginger tabby fur in Redstar's den, and after a bit of asking around, he found that she had led the dawn patrol herself - taking Darkcloud and Nightstep with her.

Mindful of the fact that he could make himself useful in her absence, Mudpaw first checked on Snowheart, wanting to be sure that his older half-brother had had prey brought to him that morning, then the earthen-furred apprentice could be seen marching to the nursery to tend to Dovekit and Robinkit, Darkcloud and Firebird's two daughters. He had just finished cleaning out their bedding and was bringing back soft fresh moss for the she-kittens and Firebird when a familiar voice reached his ears. Hastily setting down the bedding, Mudpaw dipped his head in that usual solemn, polite way of his; "Good morning Redstar. I'm taking fresh bedding to Firebird, I won't be long."

Thinking that she wouldn't begrudge him finishing his self-given task, Mudpaw's steps quickened, carrying him to the nursery where he disappeared, exchanging polite words with Firebird and kittens both, half-wishing he had the time to bring them something softer to sleep on. It wasn't unusual for queens to line their nests with soft things - like bird feathers, but this was LightningClan, birds were rarely caught here, but comfy tufts of rabbit fur would do just fine. He glanced at the fresh kill pile, wondering if he should tell Redstar what he wanted to do - but the possibility that she had an important assignment for him was enough to make him reorganize his priorities, instead coming to a neat stop before his mentor.

Thinking back to her earlier question, Mudpaw spoke up, curious. "What should I be ready for?" Was it another hunting lesson? He preferred those to battle training, more so because he was feeding the Clan now and not preparing for fights meant to occur at an unknown time later on. Battle training was important, and he was eager to serve his Clan any way possible, even if it meant unsheathing his claws in defense of those he cared about.

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Word Count: 459 Words
Tags: @littleflower

[Deleted]

R E D S T A R

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It was a pleasantly surprised smile that warmed the red tabby she-cat's features when Mudpaw informed her of the task he was undertaking. Although, thinking deeper about it, tending to the needs of his clanmates wasn't something that she should be too surprised about, regardless of the fact that he hadn't officially been asked to carry out such an activity. Having gotten to know the chocolate brown tom in the four moons she'd been mentoring him, she'd grown to know the undying care and loyalty that he offered to his clanmates.

Giving a polite dip of the head, she let her eyes follow him on his route back to the Nursery. Whilst he finished his task, she allowed herself to mull over the day ahead. Perhaps when they'd finished their battle training session, she would see if the apprentice was up for a little hunting before they returned to camp. The weather was fine and it seemed a waste to not seize up the opportunity for a hunt. The fresh-kill pile was by no means dwindling, but life was, and constantly proved to be, unpredictable in the clans and there was no harm in bringing back a few extra morsels of prey. The worst case scenario was that a few warriors put on a little more weight, but even so, that was hardly a problem; LightningClan were, generally, skinny, something that made them ideally suited for life on the moors and grasses.

Redstar almost didn't notice Mudpaw's return, blinking in surprise when his question reached her ears. "What should I be ready for?"
Blinking off her surprise, the LightningClan leader broke back into a broad grin, "Action," she responded, albeit a little vaguely, a glimmer of humour dancing behind her luminous amber orbs.
Nudging him lightly, she rose to her paws, her gaze sweeping out across the camp before her. Despite having already ventured out on this clear morning, the red tabby she-cat was still brimming with energy and an itching to get moving. Perhaps, rather than meandering down to the Trampled Grasses as she'd planned, she could take him for a run?

For a heartbeat or so, Redstar dwelled upon the idea. A run. She adored feeling the grass beneath her paws and the wind in her pelt, there was something that simply felt wonderfully free. She had a renown love for running and the chances were, if there was the opportunity to run, she would take it up. Her limbs quivered beneath her at the mere thought of a headlong sprint in the sunlight, honey-amber orbs brightening.
If they were to run, it would get Mudpaw's blood running and heart racing, saving them the effort of a warm-up when they reached the training grounds. It seemed obvious which was the better choice.

Sporting a white-fanged grin, she turned to her apprentice, "Come on then," she purred, giving an expressive flourish of her tail, "We're going for a run."
Without further words, or even giving Mudpaw the chance to object, her limbs jerked into action and she lurched forward, swallowing up the ground easily. She didn't even glance over her shoulder, trusting that her apprentice would be following.

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Tag: Fawn
Word Count: 535
Notes: ---

[Fawn]

Mudpaw
10 Moons. Tom. LightningClan.

A run? We're going running? Mudpaw's bewilderment over this declaration was short-lived; firstly, because he didn't mind doing so, and secondly, because Redstar had already taken off, thus making up his mind for him. As expected of the leader of LightningClan, the ginger she-cat was as fast as the wind, and Mudpaw's somber sights widened slowly as the distance between them grew by a mouse length with every couple of steps. Great StarClan, how am I supposed to keep up with her? Mudpaw had inherited not the lithe, light-boned structure of his mother Dovesong, but the stockier, rounded more compact features of his father, Windstrike. Despite the obvious pitfalls of his own physical similarities to his sire, Mudpaw wasn't necessarily upset by this. After all, why be mad over something you could not change? Inheriting a few stockier traits than was useful for a LightningClan cat wasn't worth crying over, it was already well within the serious young tom's mindset to adapt as necessary. He had a steady heart and a stable mind, compared to his more aggressive, fire-blooded siblings; not so competitive that Redstar outpacing him was cause for frustration, Mudpaw kept up as best as he could, not wanting to be completely out of breath and out of energy by the time they reached their initial destination.

Surely there was more to today's lesson than running across the whole of their beloved moorlands. Mudpaw still took time to give his attention to the surrounding vegetation. There was nothing quite like the moorlands, of that Mudpaw was sure; he could feel it in his chest, a certainty, a kind of irreversible truth that fell in the same category as the spring bringing the rain and the winter bringing the snow. They were lucky to live in a place so beautiful; others might argue that living on an island like RainClan was worthy of envy, or that there was something to marvel at in TreeClan's forests, but Mudpaw could only shake his head at this.

He was a LightningClan cat, right down to his bones. Feeling lighter of heart than he had in a while, Mudpaw, the blood pumping in his ears from their invigorating run, allowed himself to slow into a dog trot, waving his tail to catch his mentor's attention—a silent concession that he couldn't quite keep up her hare-like pace.

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Word Count: 394 Words
Tags: @littleflower

[Deleted]

R E D S T A R

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It was quite simply the most wonderful feeling, to be streaking across the moorlands, the sun warm upon her back and the ground nothing but a blur beneath her. The mad sprint lasted for a considerable time, the red tabby she-cat really lengthening her strides, allowing herself to open up and really swallow the ground. Adrenalin coursed through her veins, flanks heaving and eyes wide. It took a moment for the LightningClan leader to acknowledge the gesture of the tail that Mudpaw gave, a signal to stop. Although she could've certainly run for longer, the red tabby she-cat was content to slow. She'd had enough to keep her happy for at least the rest of the day, a breathless smile plastered across her features.

Slowing to accommodate for her apprentice, she offered him a grin. They had made a considerable amount of ground in their wild run, putting them much closer to the Trampled Grasses. Travelling at this pace, they wouldn't take too long at all to reach their destination. Which reminds me, I haven't actually told him what we're doing today...
Giving a brisk shake of her whiskers, Redstar informed the mud-brown tom of her plans for the training session, "Hopefully that got your muscles warmed up," she purred, tipping her head slightly to one side, "Your hunting skills are progressing nicely, so today we're going to work a little more on battle training and hopefully moving onto some more complex moves."

For a moment the red tabby she-cat thought she caught a strain of rabbit scent, but upon a further few intakes of breath, she realised it was an old scent and that initial excitement melted away. Blinking it off, she turned her attention back to the chocolate brown apprentice, "I believe we were working on the belly rake last time?" she looked to him for some sort of confirmation that her memory wasn't deceiving her, "Have you had the chance to work on it much since?"
Battle training had never been Redstar's preferred area of training. That wasn't to say her fighting skill was lacking, she did have to be able to fight competently as LightningClan's leader, it was more that she adored the thrill of the hunt, which came from her love of running. Even so, she was curious to see how today's session played out. At the age of 10 moons, Mudpaw was no longer a kit just out of the nursery, he was shaping into a warrior and approaching the day that he'd shed the title of 'paw. As he grew larger and stronger, they could start to explore more difficult and complicated battle moves, which, even to Redstar was fun.

It was always fun trying to think up interesting new techniques that the enemy hadn't seen before and what better opportunity to do so than in today's training session? Furthermore, with the plans to claim the Sun Stones fully formed in Redstar's head, she wanted to ensure that the chocolate brown tom was prepared. She likely wouldn't include him on the battle patrol, but even so, it was always good to ensure that her cats were well prepared when a battle was looming on the horizon.

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Word Count: 532
Tag: Fawn
Notes: ---

[Fawn]

Mudpaw
10 Moons. Tom. LightningClan.

Gratitude flooded over him when Redstar caught his signal and drew their group of two to a halt; he resisted the urge to flop belly-down on the grass and pant, that would hardly be very dignified of him. Instead, he settled on drawing focused breaths, willing the sound of his own blood beating in his ears to fade like a light summer rain, even if his heart was thundering inside his chest as though a storm. Great StarClan, she's fast. He'd seen lightning on the moorland before, a bright white flash of light that was gone before he could say anything, yet the sight of it had been seared into his eyes—an affect he'd found strange and disconcerting until he'd found out it was the same for everyone. Now he understood why they were called LightningClan; quite a few in their number were almost supernaturally fast, and he thanked StarClan for whatever speedy gifts they had been given, even if he hadn't quite necessarily been... blessed, in such a way.

Logically speaking, he was probably faster than the average NightClan, TreeClan or StoneClan cat. As far as RainClan cats went, it was difficult to imagine them being very fast at all. Fast to jab at the water, certainly, but sitting all day at the river bank? He doubted very much that they were decent jumpers, either. That was more StoneClan and TreeClan's area of expertise. When Redstar spoke to him, as always he was focused and quietly determined, feeling more appreciative of their run now that he knew it had served a purpose. Muscles sufficiently warmed, Mudpaw nodded somberly. They were working on the belly rake, and it was a difficult move to practice without someone to help you by playing the victim or the attacker. Mudpaw grimaced; it wasn't at all to say he had deliberately avoided practicing this move, it was the fact that he hadn't enjoyed practicing this move at all, because it meant practicing with Gustpaw and Blazepaw.

It wasn't as if they ever turned down a fight, and Mudpaw had been right in not trusting them to take training a little too far by getting some extra pummeling in. Fighting Blazepaw always felt like fighting a real warrior, his brown tabby brother was a little too enthusiastic sometimes, but Mudpaw had soldiered on and he was ready to show Redstar the results of his progress. "Training with you is easier," he confessed, having found his breath again. A warm breeze blew over the short brown hair of his shoulders and tips of his ears; if the sunshine lasted, today was going to be a good day. "But with Blazepaw and Gustpaw's help, I think I've gotten better." He had gotten better, but it was ultimately up to his mentor to determine if he was ahead of or behind the curve. Mudpaw was sincerely hoping for the former, but if it was the latter, then he'd perhaps try his luck training with an apprentice he wasn't related to, or possibly seek help from Frostfire.

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Word Count: 510 Words
Tags: @littleflower

[Deleted]

Redstar

It was with curious eyes and pricked ears that Redstar listened as her apprentice answered her question. The grass was springy and the ground soft beneath her paws. Her heart-rate still not quite at it's usual speed from their run, the soft breeze was cooling and pleasant as it caressed her soft fur.
'Training with you is easier.' ... 'But with Blazepaw and Gustpaw's help, I think I've gotten better.'
The red tabby she-cat gave a satisfied nod at his response. "I'm glad to hear," she purred softly, amber eyes warm. With luck, his hard work would have paid off. Redstar had never particularly known any cat to get worse, so as long as he had been practising as he'd told her, she was confident that he either already had or soon would master the technique.

For a little walk, she allowed quiet to take over, simply enjoying being out in the cool air. It was too nice a day not to appreciate it. Perhaps she would see if any of her clanmates wished to accompany her out hunting later? If the skies remained clear then the sunset would certainly be a sight to behold and, living on the moors, their view of the sky was almost uninterrupted.
Redstar was so lost amongst her own thoughts, that she almost didn't notice when they reached the trampled grasses. If she hadn't stumbled over her own paws, which was something unusually clumsy for the nimble she-cat, then she could have quite happily carried on in her own little world.
Blinking and giving a brisk shake of her pelt, her eyes fell to Mudpaw once more. "Well then, let's see if that practise has paid off." A smirk accompanied her words, a gleam in her honey-amber eyes.

She drew to a halt in the centre of the clearing, where the wildflowers were the tallest. The grasses were supposed to act as some sort of a cushion, should a cat fall, but in this place they were hardly trampled at all and they grew up past Redstar's belly. Any other cat might have chosen a spot where the grass had been flattened, but Redstar thought of it as a challenge.
Gathering herself together, she faced the muddy coloured tom, taking a confident stance.

Holding his gaze, she spoke once more. "Are you ready?"
She gave him little time to respond. Only a few short heartbeats passed before she was bunching her muscles, her eyes narrowing until they were barely dark slits.
And then, drawing in a deep breath and with outstretched paws, she leapt.

Tag: Fawn
Words: 430

[Fawn]

Mudpaw
10 Moons. Tom. LightningClan.

Mudpaw had learned long ago that Redstar's smirk was usually benign. That still didn't make the chocolate tom relax any better than if he were facing a more unpredictable ally; something about having a cat smirk at you just before a mock battle made the fur on the back of his neck prickle, and too much exposure to Gustpaw and Blazepaw had trained him into the habit of expecting a pummeling. Once those initial alarm sensations had passed, however, Mudpaw felt his state of mind return to a place of normalcy—and determination to do well.

He always gave his very best, but there was something different about today. After they had slowed to a walk and approached the trampled clearing, it had occurred to Mudpaw that he was coming within the right age for warriorhood. It would have made him redden with horror from nose to tail tip if anyone suggested he was getting ahead of himself, or making the decision for Redstar, but there was no use pretending he hadn't noticed. That was the natural progression of things, wasn't it? Mudpaw hunkered down until his belly was to the floor, his ears flinching back against his skull for protection as the ginger warrioress leapt at him.

It was absolutely crucial he learned as much as he could from her, no matter what happened in the future, Mudpaw wanted to become a warrior she and his parents could be proud of. He didn't want to be the best, at least not in the way that Blazepaw or Gustpaw wanted to be the best; he simply wanted to be the best Mudpaw that he could be. In that same vein, the chocolate tom tried to work with his bulky body type rather than fight against it; lowering himself to the ground gave him a sturdier defensive position, protecting his underbelly from cheap shots (not that he expected any from Redstar, of all cats!). Thinking fast, Mudpaw nearly rolled to the side, but the tall wildflowers gave him pause. What if they hindered his side roll? There was always a chance he wouldn't roll away hard enough, they wouldn't flatten down fast enough, and he'd leave his underbelly fully exposed to his attacker's claws.

Think, Mudpaw, think. Reassessing the situation with somber eyes, Mudpaw chose instead to lunge forward, pushing himself into the field of wildflowers ahead, where he could better wheel around and get a sense of Redstar's attack patterns.

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Word Count: 405 Words
Tags: @littleflower

[Deleted]

Redstar

Redstar's eyes never once left the chocolate-brown tom, her amber eyes searching for even the slightest indication of his next movement; a twitch of movement in his muscles, a flick of the tail. He had assumed a sturdy, position, She had to mentally remind herself to keep her claws sheathed, almost forgetting in the heat of the moment that this was merely a training session. The light wind grazed her side as she landed nimbly, barely a tail-length from the apprentice. Although she was keen to see how his battle skills were progressing in general, she was most interested to see if he'd managed to perfect his belly rake. She had to try and devise a situation in which he could demonstrate the movement to her, although there was always the chance that he wouldn't take the opportunity for the move, but she wanted to at least offer it to him.

Her paws never staying in one place, she was a constant blur of ginger fur. The darting back and forth was a good tactic to confuse your opponent and ensure a minimum of strikes, but the one disadvantage was that it was rather disorienting, which she was very much aware of. Nevertheless, it was a tactic that she frequently used and she had her reasons for it; it was very effective. Every so often she would try to sneak in a paw strike to get a feel for how he responded to the attack, then she would dart away again. She wasn't as quick as she usually was; the long grasses and wildflowers got caught around her paws and more often than once she found herself stumbling slightly, but was able to recover quickly each time. But even she was surprised when her paws got snagged amongst some grasses and she went flying towards the ground.

She met the earth with a thud, a shudder passing through her lithe body. Instantly she was looking for Mudpaw, her honey-amber eyes darting about in search of the chocolate brown tom. She still hadn't got him in a suitable situation to display a belly rake. The best way to do so that she could think of was to have him pinned down. In such a situation, the belly rake was ideal for regaining the power in combat. But getting Mudpaw pinned down was easier said than done. From what she'd seen so far, he was turning into quite the warrior and he was of a far more bulky build than she was, in spite of his younger age.
She would simply have to watch his actions and, if the opportunity came up, she would have to take it.

Tag: Fawn
Words: 456
Notes: Sorry! I'm a little rusty!