[Hellion]

Gracklefire

---

Her fur didn't care the usual shine, the loss of her mate had the ebony she-cat unlike herself in many ways. Rarely did she speak out at gatherings, didn't bother to make polite conversation with warriors she grew up with, instead Gracklefire kept to herself. Fire orange eyes were normally kept downcast, only moving up when either her name was called or the sweet scent of one of her kits crossed her nose, Gracklfire had become a shell of who she used to be.

Having been chosen as the mentor for Snakepaw came as a surprise to the she-cat. Her last apprentice Shadowpaw had been a strong and clever she-cat but died when a sickness over took her body, Gracklefire was present when her apprentice took her last breath, it was a hard sight even for the coldest warrior. Snakepaw from what she learned had suffered her own sickness in the highs of the green-cough pandemic, the same one that weakened her beloved mate.

The duties of training a new cat would perhaps bring a kind of purpose to the older she-cat, allow her to find some kind of comfort instead of sad memories of a mate long gone into the ground. Taking on the more stern aspects of her personality, Gracklefire didn't wait for the young apprentice to join her as she walked toward the muddy pool but instead left a message with her daughter Starlingcry to remind the young apprentice of their hunting training.

Gracklefire practically ran the entire distance from the camp to the muddy pool, using the rush of endorphins to bring herself a little more out her sorrow to at least focus on her apprentice. Feeling the more solid ground give way to mud she slid to a stop, a splatter of mud along her front feet and chest. Flicking her long tail twice she turned to see and opened her maw to taste the air for any sign of Snakepaw.

---

Where nothing breaks and nothing hurts.
There's a waltz playin' frozen in time
Blades of grass on tiny bare feet
I look at you and you're lookin' at me.

@ruby

[Deleted]

Snakepaw dashed wildly after her mentor determined to keep pace. But was shocked to find how difficult it was. She had only been allowed short walks to get fresh air when she was saying with the medicine cats.
Her strides quicken as Gracklefire took a steady lead through the marshy ground. Snakepaw sank almost belly deep in the mud and it sucked at her paws and gurgled with every pull of her legs trying to keep up. 
At one point she lost sight of Gracklefire, but it wasn't for long when the younger tortoiseshell strode into the clearing after her. Much more focused on her speed then on her grace, Snakepaw slid to a halt just behind Gracklefire and skirted face first into the mud.
With a splash, Snakepaw's chin smacked the ground and she shut her eyes tight to keep the mud off.
With a hiss she sat up fast and shook herself, a poor attempt as the mud clung to her fur and flicked off in spiky clumps making Snakepaw look more like a damp bramble then a scrawny she-cat.
Snakepaw shook each paw in turn with a loud low growl rumbling from her belly. She didn't mention her fall, to embarrassed and to determined to pay any mind to it.
Pretending the run wasn't totally exhausting, she looked up to her mentor, grouchy, but determined. "So what are we doing today?" 'and why drag me out to this stinking place?' she added in her head. The mud drying on her fur. She shook another for paw only to lick it and rub the mud from her face.

[Hellion]

Gracklefire

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The addition of her apprentice had Gracklefire turning off her earlier thought patterns and focusing full on the task in front of her.The tumble that her apprentice took had her thinking back to her own kits, most of them had the grace and beauty like their mother, some had the larger frame but still commanded the area like their father.

Allowing the apprentice a moment of time to clean off most of the mud, Gracklefire took the liberty to stand up and shake the stiffness from her hind-legs. It had been sometime since she actually spent time with her apprentice but it was important she kept herself focused on the task.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. I thought we could spend sometime working on hunting by trying to catch a few frogs, they are some of the fastest prey we hunt." Gracklefire meowed, pointing with her tail toward the soggy ground. "A reminder to your safety, the ground can sink away, don't put all your weight into one place and if you need a break take one on a log or low branch." She added, leaving their meeting place and taking a few strides into the mud before jumping onto a log. "Show me what you can do." Gracklefire meowed aloud, siting and watching her apprentice.

---

Where nothing breaks and nothing hurts.
There's a waltz playin' frozen in time
Blades of grass on tiny bare feet
I look at you and you're lookin' at me.

@ruby