[Deleted]

Smokefur was quickly becoming worried at the time it was taking Coyotepaw to finish his apprenticeship, not to say he didn't have good reason to be behind in his training. Even though Smokefur had done her best to make sure Coyotepaw was healthy enough to return to his duties there was growing doubt in her mind that he was capable of functioning as a warrior. With these fears lingering Smokefur devised a plan to study Coyotepaw and Shadowpaw was the key to everything. Her apprentice would attend a battle training session with Sunpulse and Coyotepaw! Smokefur was incredibly pleased at how well everything had come together, Shadowpaw could learn battle moves whilst simultaneously working with a patient in need. Just as well Smokefur would gain valuable insight into the life of Nightclans' most abused apprentice. Smokefurs' pleased state was evident as she led their group towards the pine needle clearing, a look that was not shared by the lethargic Coyotepaw. The dark pelted tom had done his best to mind his manners for Smokefur, she held a special place in his heart and had been there more than anyone after his mauling. In his mind he was doing her a favor by working with her apprentice, and Coyotepaw could see himself getting along will with Shadowpaw if they ever had more of a chance to interact.

Fawn BlooRey DVD

[Fawn]

curiosity is not a sin...

...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity

Shadowpaw

Shadowpaw kept pace beside his mentor, though inquisitive golden eyes kept drifting over to the much older apprentice walking with them. He was trying not to stare at Coyotepaw's scars, highly curious about the damage done and how the tom was healing. He was supposed to be focusing on battle training - but battle had never been his forte. All that strategy and innate talent had been given to his sisters, not him.

His paws walked a different path.

Despite feeling a sense of... dread, that he was going to embarrass himself in front of everyone present (though the now dour-faced Sunpulse looked as if nothing phased him), Shadowpaw welcomed the change of pace. Defensive training was part of being a medicine cat; though he regretted one day having to fight another hostile Clan cat, he understood the importance of doing so.

As they walked into the pine needle clearing, Shadowpaw instinctively parted his jaws a fraction of a mouselength to let the scents of the area waft in. I can smell pine sap and chervil. The sweet aroma of the latter made his whiskers twitch and his nose quiver, as if he might sneeze.

They were here. He wrenched his attention away from the plantlife, and as he stood waiting for instructions, he caught Coyotepaw's eye and smiled politely. He's going to flatten me, isn't he? StarClan, what if he accidentally aggravated an old wound during the spar? Shadowpaw's expression dropped, a look of mystification settling onto his features. Did he try his best, or did he hold back?

He wanted to talk to Smokefur about it, but he didn't want to offend Coyotepaw if the tom happened to overhear. Putting his trust in his mentor, Shadowpaw decided to wait, glimpsing between Sunpulse and Smokefur.

medicine cat apprentice of nightclan

@poptart, BlooRey DVD | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix

[BlooRey DVD]

41 Moons Tom NightClan

He hadn't been surprised when Smokefur had approached him, requesting a battle training session between Shadowpaw, her apprentice, and Coyotepaw, his apprentice. Of course, nothing really surprised him anymore. But that was besides the point; he'd taken too long in getting Coyotepaw to warriorhood, and this was no doubt Smokefur's way of assessing just why that was. She could have just asked. He thought flatly, the spark-lacking orange tabby plodding down a familiar path by virtue of that familiarity alone. No doubt she'd just come to the same conclusion as the rest of the Clan; Sunpulse was incapable as a mentor.

Of course it would be no fault of the apprentice. Everyone simply pitied Coyotepaw. Why wouldn't they? He'd been severely injured, having to claw his way back through rehabilitation and relearning all the skills of an apprentice. Sure, Sunpulse may have gotten caught up in a certain black she-cat's company, but training a rehabilitating apprentice was not exactly a moss-walk. And if it was, the moss was littered with countless claw-sharp thorns that were invisible from the surface. For every step forward he and Coyotepaw made, there were three steps back kindly waiting for them.

His jaw worked with every thought flashing through his mind, the tension giving him a headache on top of it all. As the ground below his paws gave way to pine needles, Sunpulse slowed to a stop. A brief moment of silence stretched out between the four cats as dull amber eyes drifted over the gathered cats. Although he held no doubts concerning Smokefur's abilities, as the only warrior among them, Sunpulse figured it likely made the most sense for him to lead the training session, despite the incompetence others may have labeled with with. If Smokefur wanted to add anything, she would simply have to interrupt.

"This is an assessment of your skill, and a learning opportunity. Claws will remain sheathed for the duration of the training session." He meowed flatly, his gaze drifting to the surroundings rather than the two apprentices. "If aggression becomes too prevalent during your sparring match, the session will be terminated." With a quiet inhale, he fixed them both with a hard stare uncharacteristic of the formerly-rhyming tom. "Your aim is to outmaneuver and overpower. Use your instincts, use your skills, and use your heads. Places, both of you. And demonstrate your battle stances." He rasped, rising to his paws in preparation of making any adjustments required of their stances.
--
Word Count: ~400 words
Tags: Fawn @poptart
Notes: Feel free to have Sun adjust any position related stuff in your posts, and have him signal the start of the sparring

The night has a thousand eyes, and the day but one;
Yet the light of a bright world dies with the dying Sun

[Deleted]

Smokefur was a bit surprised that Sunpulse had abandoned his characteristic rhyming, she honestly had no idea he COULD stop rhyming if he chose. It was obviously cause for concern and she was going to be watching him as much as the apprentices, the work of a medicine cat never slowed it seemed. Coyotepaw was a bit concerned as well, however he had a bit more insight into his mentors changed mindset. In the scarred apprentices' mind it was his fault, he had confronted Sunpulse and absolutely ruined the relationship between his mentor and sister breaking the poor toms heart. It wasn't the first mistake Coyotepaw had made and he was well aware that it wouldn't be his last. He was incapable of making mistakes it seemed, and with that in mind he forced himself to assume a poor battle stance which Sunpulse was quick to correct. Embarrassment caused a fire to burn beneath Coyotepaws' pelt as doubt crept into his mind, could he actually lose to medicine cat apprentice?

Fawn BlooRey DVD

[Fawn]

curiosity is not a sin...

...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity

Shadowpaw

The lack of rhythm in Sunpulse's speech caused Shadowpaw to sneak a glance at Smokefur, wondering if she'd noticed too. There wasn't much time to dwell on it, however, as Coyotepaw was already getting into position. Recalling the thousand-and-one times he'd seen his sisters and his father slide into a battle stance, he tried to copy the posture he could clearly envision.

He doubted he look anywhere near as capable and skilled as his sisters, but he would accept anything that wasn't 'hopeless'. Shadowpaw felt exposed, as if he had fallen out of the protective cushioning of the medicine cat's code - and flung headfirst into the wild world of the NightClan warrior. Now he had to worry about scars and conflict. Wounds that needed treating, but not by him.

Sunpulse signaled the battle, and Shadowpaw's antsy feet carried him towards Coyotepaw, but rather than make the first move, he seemed indecisive. Coyotepaw looked about as awkward as he felt.
"Don't sweep the ground with me," mewed Shadowpaw with a hint of a smile, trying to break some of the tension. "I still have herbs to sort after this."

Self-conscious, the medicine cat apprentice was grateful his sisters weren't here to witness his first real sparring session. He didn't know if Darkpaw could hold back a comment or two - and he knew Thornpaw couldn't. Shadowpaw, with slightly narrowed eyes and body language that gave him away as being about to strike, moved in to attempt a swipe at Coyotepaw's shoulder.

medicine cat apprentice of nightclan

@poptart BlooRey DVD | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix

[BlooRey DVD]

41 Moons Tom NightClan

Dull, critical eyes swept over both apprentices as they slid into their battle stances. Pausing by each, the tom wordlessly adjusted their stances, the touch of his tail tip and variable pressure indicating just what they had to move and by how much. No praises were offered either once they finally assumed adequate poses. Instead, the golden warrior simply turned away and padded back to assume his prior seated position. One last passing glance verified neither had slipped out of their corrected stances, before Sunpulse gave a simple "Begin." and settled back on his haunches to watch the proceedings.

Each apprentice had had some semblance of practice in a sparring scenario, he presumed. They should know what the goal was, especially considering he'd reminded them not more than a pawful of heartbeats ago. He examined Shadowpaw as the medicine cat apprentice seemed to murmur something to Coyotepaw, immediately picking out how the healer's weight shift gave away his intentions. With a fraction of a frown and a twitch of his tail tip, Supulse slid his gaze toward his own dark-coated apprentice, waiting to see whether or not Coyotepaw would recognize the tell and react accordingly.

Storing any comments until the first round ceased, the senior warrior flexed his claws as thoughts tumbled through his mind in quiet contemplation. Unspent energy seemed to radiate from him, leaping off his pelt and crackling in the air. He was on edge, and he was not the carefree, rhyming tom he'd once been. Moondance had tried to speak to him about it once, but she'd managed no more than a pawful of ground out, flat sentences before he stalked away under some premise of providing for the Clan.

He'd prove them wrong.

Not long ago, he wouldn't have given a rat's tail about what the Clan thought of him; only one she-cat's opinion had mattered.

But now? He'd show them all.
--
Word Count: ~330 words
Tags: Fawn @poptart
Notes: You guys can skip me next round, or have Sunpulse intervene when one 'round' has ended ^^

The night has a thousand eyes, and the day but one;
Yet the light of a bright world dies with the dying Sun