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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2017 1:15:38 GMT -5
Maplebrook
The silver tabby female had learned from her mistake from her first training session with her young apprentice so the young warrior made her way from the warrior den with a nod of greeting to her fellow clan mates as they passed her on the way to do their morning duties as she made her way to the apprentice den, two fat mice hanging loosely from her jaws. The silver pelted female was all to aware of the outbreak of greencough within the Treeclan camp and as a precaution had taken to hunting not only for the sick but also for her apprentice Fawnpaw, the sleek cream coloured kit did not need to get sick. Maplebrook however was someone who suffered through greencough before and thus she was safe from this particularly bad outbreak of the potentially fatal disease.
According to Falconstorm, Bluejay was very sick and that had the younger she cat worried about the blue eyed healer. She had been a lot busier hunting for the sick when she could as well as making sure her apprentice got to go on a few more border patrols. Hopefully the young she-cat would remember all that Maplebrook had taught her though this stressful time., Dropping the mice at her paw's Maplebrook stuck her head in the den, the smell of sickness faintly clung to the air but Maplebrook did her best to ignore it as she slipped further into the den.
" Come on Fawnpaw, we have to get some training done today, I bought you a mouse for breakfast" The tabby cooed softly, gently nudging her small apprentice in an attempt to wake her up. Maplebrook was a patient she-cat, there was little doubt of that but there was a clear urgency in her voice that left little room to be argued with.
However that did not stop an tom cat apprentice to glare at the warrior in annoyance for distrubing his sleep, the fully fledged warrior merely chuckled at the apprentice's scowl but her long silver flecked tail flicked in annoyance at the young tom.
Mentioned: Fawn ( Fawnpaw), Unknown NPC |
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Post by Fawn on May 17, 2017 10:16:18 GMT -5
 Fawnpaw 7 MOONS - SHE-CAT - TREECLANThe peculiar quiet emptiness of the apprentices' den had Fawnpaw wishing for her nursery days. They'd been so excited to become 'paws - her, Amberpaw, Aspenpaw, Finchpaw, Thornpaw - they'd scarcely been able to contain their excitement when their mothers told them it was finally time for their ceremonies.
And yet... At least in the nursery, they'd been safe, protected from this sickness. Moonfeather wasn't fretting over Amberpaw and Aspenpaw, Fawnpaw didn't lie awake at night, wondering with a fragile heart if she would ever see her siblings again.
When Maplebrook's sweet voice filled the hollow section of the fallen tree, Fawnpaw squirmed in her nest, a gray-shaded ear swiveling towards the sound. Groggily rising, Fawnpaw shook off clumps of moss, trying to look chipper for her mentor's sake. "Good morning, Maplebrook." Big green eyes caught Finchpaw glaring at the silver tabby warrior for the interrupted sleep, and she gave him a scolding bat on the ears as she passed by. He's back one day from the hidden thicket and he's already rude.
At least Thornpaw was behaving himself.
With the promise of a juicy mouse for breakfast, Fawnpaw stepped out into the sunlight, stretching as birdsong filled their ears from nearly every direction. The forest was busy this morning, but Fawnpaw liked it. If the birds were singing, that was a good sign. It meant prey was plentiful, not that she... knew how to catch birds yet.
"Thank you for the mouse. Has... has anyone else come back from the hidden thicket yet?" Like my brother or sister? She knew even before she'd asked that the answer was probably no. Moonfeather would've fetched her at once if her siblings had come home in the middle of the night.
Finchpaw was the first to actually recover and return so far, but it gave Fawnpaw hope that Aspenpaw and Amberpaw wouldn't be far behind.
I realized I finally had a family
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2017 10:55:06 GMT -5
Maplebrook
The young mentor gave a small smile at her young apprentice as she batted the male apprentice's nose in scolding. Maplebrook remembered a time when she was the same, glaring at the warriors who dared disrupt her sleep. A perfectionist Maplebrook made sure her nest was tidy before she left and having all these young and somewhat lazy cats around, messing up the purposefully built nests had Maplebrook silently ticked off but she supressed it as the cream kitten approached her. Maplebrook always presented herself as a cat with unlimited patience and while her apprentice was quick learner, she would have to make a note to speak to Thornpaw's mentor as he seemed to be distracting to the young female.
"Morning Fawnpaw, I thought we would do hunting training today" she spoke softly, the female was a little tired from all the extra duties she was taking on to makeup for the sick cats and when Fawnpaw thanked her for the mouse she gave a tired smile to the sweet little thing before the kitten spoke. Maplebrook sighed softly, already knowing why the young cat was asking, her family were sick and while it did not look good from Maplebrook's perspective she was no medicine cat and could not give an accurate desciption of their condition. Settling her long tail on her apprentice's head she managed a small sigh before speaking.
" No,no-one has come back yet, your siblings are still in there" She admitted, giving her apprentice a comforting nuzzle. " Come on Fawnpaw, I know it's hard but no news is good news in this sitation and you need to be trained so that you can help the warriors and older apprentices, we are a little behind in our duties due to this outbreak" The female spoke, her voice tainted with emotion, she felt for Fawnpaw she really did but Maplebrook needed her to focus, her family would be alright but Maplebrook had a limited amount of time she could set aside for the training due to the extra work placed on all the warriors.
Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on May 19, 2017 16:27:10 GMT -5
Fawnpaw 7 MOONS - SHE-CAT - TREECLANFawnpaw felt the end of her mentor's tail tickle her nose, the tabby limb placed reassuringly over her head. "Okay, I understand. What do I get to hunt first?" I should focus on helping out wherever I can. Maplebrook looks tired. Everyone looks tired. It hadn't escaped her notice at all that the remaining warriors were busier than ever; one of the elders had grunted that this looks a lot like leaf-fall - a time when the Clan prepared for leafbare - despite the warm weather.
"What was the first thing you ever caught?" Fawnpaw asked, trying to push the subject towards something a little more pleasant. While Maplebrook formulated an answer, Fawnpaw tucked into the mouse, appreciative of the warm meal; she hadn't realized how hungry she was until she'd actually bitten into it. Half the Clan was sick but... at least there was plenty of prey to be caught.
With a bit of luck, Fawnpaw realized as she eyed the fresh kill pile, when she and Maplebrook returned there would be one more piece of fresh kill to add. My first catch! Fawnpaw didn't want to set herself up for failure by wishing to catch a bird or a squirrel, but she couldn't pretend she wasn't eager at the idea. What if she did catch a squirrel? They were so fast! Maybe if they saw one out there and she was a good enough huntress...
Fawnpaw could picture herself bringing the squirrel back to camp, her eyes glowing with pride. I could use the squirrel fur to line Aspenpaw's and Amberpaw's nests, for when they get back.
Now she had to catch one. Had to.
I realized I finally had a family
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2017 1:38:25 GMT -5
Maplebrook
The tabby female nodded as her young apprentice confirmed that she would try her best to focus on the task before her, learning to hunt and then enquired as to what she may be catching. Maplebrook paused before removing her tail from the cream coloured she-cat's head, satisfied the kitten could focus on what Maplebrook was about to teach her. When Fawnpaw asked what she might be catching Maplebrook was caught off guard, prey was so plentiful, they really could catch anything if they were quick enough. However the older female decided to start her young protegee on some easier prey, moles and squirrels were sometimes to quick even for an experience and talented huntress like herself.
" I am not sure, perhaps a frog or mouse" was the answer the emerald female gave before sitting in a confortable position to wait for her apprentice to eat her breakfast. Fawnpaw's next question still managed to get the silver tabby to pause. 'what was her first catch?' ....Oh yes, a particular foolish mole had been unfortunately enough to stumble upon a apprentice Maplebrook and her mentor. " First thing I ever caught was a mole and even then it was not the most impressive for the apprentice's of my generation. The best caught a rabbit" She spoke fondly, memories of the sandy brown tom that had bested her flickered through her mind. The young mentor secretly wanted Fawnpaw to catch something like a squrriel but she could only hope her apprentice watched when they got to the place where they would be hunting.
Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on May 20, 2017 9:02:54 GMT -5
Fawnpaw 7 MOONS - SHE-CAT - TREECLAN"A frog?" Fawnpaw mewed, clearly surprised. "Isn't that what NightClan cats eat?" Even if she didn't outright say it, there was a tone of ew in her words that made Fawnpaw's opinion of frogs and other pond creatures pretty obvious. I don't want to catch a frog. She would if that's what they found but... yuck. Amberpaw and Aspenpaw probably caught mice or birds for their first outing; she didn't want to be the only one who returned with a slimy wet frog from the marshes.
"I've never seen a mole before. They live underground, don't they? How did you catch it?" Maplebrook had long, slender limbs, maybe it wasn't such a stretch to picture her mentor reaching in and scooping out the hapless creature? Moles were not common on the TreeClan fresh kill pile; it was only through elders' tales that she even knew what they looked like at all.
Strange creatures... Like mice that didn't like sunlight
While they talked and traveled, Fawnpaw kept her senses as open as fresh flowers in spring, trying to pick up everything. There was so much bird-chatter it was hard to concentrate, but Fawnpaw was soon learning how to distinguish between distant sounds and closer calls. Before long, Fawnpaw was naturally starting to step lighter, trying not to scare away any prey while she catalogued each interesting noise or flash of plumage in the sunshine.
TreeClan was beautiful. We're so lucky to live in a place like this. With the sunlight dappling the trees, and the leaves waving in the faint breeze above, Fawnpaw felt immense respect and admiration for her mother. To have made the journey all the way here, with two young kits, to make sure they had a better life than the one they left behind...
Fawnpaw softly promised to give her first piece of prey to her mother. A small thank you that wouldn't even begin to cover everything Moonfeather had done for them.
I realized I finally had a family
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2017 22:00:40 GMT -5
Maplebrook
The silver female paused in her walking when Fawnpaw mewed in surprise to her statement of a frog being potential prey and the emerald eyed she cat's bright gaze narrowed slightly " I know they seem gross Fawnpaw but sometimes they are all that we can find" her words were soft but held a hint of scolding in them, Fawnpaw needed to learn that she could not be picky when it came to prey after all, Leafbare was harsh for those who were a little more selective in their diets.
The she cat softened when her apprentice asked her what a mole was like. "They look like a big black rat, except they live underground and eat worms, while they are blind they have the best sense of smell so you have to be careful when sneaking up on them. They don't like sunlight" She explained calmly before her ears twitched in alarm and a smell ringed through her subconcious and she brightened considerably before lowering her body to the ground and glanced at her apprentice.
Silently telling her to do the same as she whispered so that only the kitten could hear " Sssshhhh squirrel" she hushed before her bright green eyes locked onto the unaware creature. " let's take it down together, just so that you can watch what I do" She whispered before waiting for her apprentices confirmation.
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Post by Fawn on May 21, 2017 9:21:32 GMT -5
Fawnpaw 7 MOONS - SHE-CAT - TREECLANFawnpaw could sense enough of her mentor's tone to realize she was being scolded. Rather than mumble a quick 'sorry', Fawnpaw let those words soak in, trying not to start an argument about how she didn't want her first catch to be a frog. Maplebrook was right, of course, prey was prey and she should be thankful for whatever they caught. That didn't make it any easier for Fawnpaw to stop wishing they could catch something better.
StarClan seemed keen to answer her prayers, however, as Maplebrook crouched down and shushed her excitedly.
"Let's take it down together, just so that you can watch what I do."
Afraid to startle their prey, Fawnpaw nodded, her pale paws kneading the ground with earnest excitement. A mixture of anxiety and joy chased each other around her stomach like butterflies, and she had to remind herself to stay absolutely still. I won't mess this up for Maplebrook. Refusing to be the cause of a missed catch, Fawnpaw instinctively crouched lower, her gaze locked onto the squirrel as if Maplebrook had told her to memorize it.
It was busy digging at the roots of an enormous oak tree. Fawnpaw would've been impressed with the size if she wasn't so fascinated, so fixed on the squirrel. It still had its fluffy winter coat on, and Fawnpaw admired the luxuriously thick tail the squirrel had, which gently batted the air almost like a cat's.
That's why Feathercloud's such a good climber, Fawnpaw realized. She has a tail just like a squirrel's!
I realized I finally had a family
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 5:04:00 GMT -5
Maplebrook
While the young she cat was all to aware of the keen eyes of her apprentice watching her every move Maplebrook was simply in a state of pure focus, her bright green orbs were narrowed on the squirrel as she nodded to her apprentice, hoping the young cat would understand her and stay where she was as Maplebrook crept around on silent paw's to the other side of the squirrel blocking one of it's exit's and giving enough time before it ran up the tree.
Maplebrook kept her body low her eyes focused on the hapless creature as she slowly to avoid any sudden movement before it was time began to creep forward, driving her prey into the clutches of her young apprentice. She meet the gaze of the younger she cat and nodded, it was time. The huntress leapt at the squirrel which all the elegance of a practised hunter as it made a mad dash for freedom towards the smaller she cat with Maplebrook hot on it's paw steps. " Grab the head Fawnpaw then bite down hard" the instruction was clear despite the frenzy of the hunt, she hoped she had shown her small protegee how to hunt and the reward may be great.
Her bright eyes gleamed in excitement, hopefully her apprentice had watched what she was doing and now it was time for her to follow her instincts, Maplebrook knew that Fawnpaw would know what to do. She believed in the creamy coloured kitten with all her heart and could not help but feel a sense of pride when she heard talk about how Fawnpaw was such an observant little thing and then her own name followed as lucky to have the kitten for an apprentice and yes she was lucky. Maplebrook could not imagine how hard it was for Moonfeather to watch her precious kits spend more time with cat's that were not her and be powerless to stop them but Maplebrook had promised herself that she would do both Fawnpaw and Moonfeather proud and when Fawnpaw had an apprentice of her own would she look back on the teachings of the silver tabby with pride.
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Post by Fawn on May 22, 2017 19:53:29 GMT -5
Fawnpaw 7 MOONS - SHE-CAT - TREECLANWow, she's so good at this. Maplebrook made hunting look effortless. Fawnpaw knew it was far from the truth, but what her eyes saw and what her head knew were two different things. Watching the tabby warrioress appreciatively, Fawnpaw's gaze never wavered, though she did cock her head to one side in slight confusion as Maplebrook didn't move where she'd expected her to.
Why did she go that way? She finally understood when Maplebrook passed by the tree the squirrel had initially climbed down from; she's cutting off it's escape route! So caught up in what was going on, Fawnpaw saw the cue from Maplebrook but didn't react immediately. Stuck in observation mode, it wasn't until her mentor actually spoke that she was jolted into action.
Fawnpaw sprang forward to cover the distance and collided messily with the squirrel. The rodent screeched and tried to bite her; Fawnpaw yelped, tusseling on the grass with the (still very much live) prey, until she could finally get her teeth onto it's neck. She bit and pinned it down, flanks heaving, until the squirrel stopped moving. I did it.
The apprentice let go and turned to Maplebrook, her tail waving high and happy behind her, a surge of adrenaline passing through the kitten's body in an excited shiver. "I did it! I-I mean we did it." Fawnpaw respectfully bowed her chin to her mentor, and then rubbed the top of her head against Maplebrook's frong leg in thanks. "I want to use the squirrel's fur to make Aspenpaw's and Amberpaw's bedding really nice for when they get back."
Her eyes were bright as stars, her heart still racing. She felt like she could catch anything. I'm going to be a warrior. I really am.
Hoping Maplebrook wouldn't mind, Fawnpaw asked her next about Moonfeather. "Would it be alright if I gave this squirrel to my mother?" If the elders needed it more, she'd bring it to them herself, but... maybe she could show Moonfeather first?
I realized I finally had a family
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2017 5:57:16 GMT -5
Maplebrook
The tabby cat was practically smiling from ear to ear as her young apprentice managed to take down the rodent with little effort and she could not help the surge of pride she felt at the pure excitement that radieated in the kits eyes as she practically bounced up to her. proclaiming she had done it then quickly changing it to they, Maplebrook smiled again, she had not done much, merely shown the female the way and then used the kitten's natural instincts to help guide her further on how to be a great and efficient hunter.
As the cream kitten rubbed her head against her front legs Maplebrook was a little surprised but nevertheless reached down to nuzzle the kit in return. Lowering herself to a sitting position Maplebrook listened with fascination at the kitten's high speed talking about her intentions with her catch. " Go ahead and do what you want Fawnpaw, it's your catch" She let the pride and approval shine through as she spoke before she glanced back at the path they had first taken to arrive.
"I must go see Lionstar before i start my duties but I can take you to your mother, I promise we will hunt again tomorrow" She explained, a little unhappy that her time was cut short but she had arranged this meeting with their leader days ago and she was not the type to just blow him off and for now Fawnpaw would have to be satisfied with her impressive catch as the tabby female could not put off her duties much longer.
After all, with all these cats gone the healthy warriors were working overtime to make sure everything got done and even though she had only been training with Fawnpaw for perhaps an hour or two it already felt like ages and her body was exhausted from lack of sleep.
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