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Post by Justice on Nov 1, 2017 21:49:43 GMT -5
Leaf-Fall Day 20, Valley Year 5. ------------------------------------ TreeClan || 29 Moons || Warrior-Queen This was a different thing for her. She hadn't thought she was going to be teaching anyone anything, no one but her own kits. She'd taught them what she could before coming to this clan, but now she was given charge over one of the apprentices. Pantherpaw, one of a pair of brothers that had been sent to RainClan for fostering when their parents died to or as a result of greencough. Something she hoped she never had to go through again. She'd been so afraid for her kits, so afraid for everyone. And then the fire...she shudered at the memory of being trapped, but forced her mind to the present as she poked her head into the apprentice's den.
"Pantherpaw? Its time to get up."
Was it too early for her to be getting him up? Too late? She had no idea. Having never been formally trained as an apprentice she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. But, she figured he'd tell her if she was doing something massively wrong.
But the den remained quiet, and so she picked her way among the snoozing youngsters until she realized he wasn't there. Flamepaw was also missing, so she went back out the way she came. Maybe they'd gone to get something to eat? She trotted to the prey pile and scented the area. No apprentices. So she looked around camp until she noticed them both at the camp entrance. And it looked as though they were preparing to leave. Which, apprentices weren't supposed to leave camp alone.
"Pantherpaw, Flamepaw! Stop right there!" Her voice was loud enough to carry as she padded over to the pair. "I'm sorry I'm late coming to get you for training, I swear I'll be on time from now on. But you'll get into trouble if you leave by yourself so please wait for me next time."
It never occurred to her at all that he was trying to sneak out, that they both were trying to sneak out.
My Power's Turned On, Starting Right Now I'll Be Strong @zen || Words
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2017 0:49:57 GMT -5
This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong.
Pantherpaw had woken his brother early, just as they'd planned. The two had hoped if they got up before the dawn patrol went out, they could sneak out of camp while there was only the camp guard watching anything. It was the perfect plan. If the guard stopped them, Flamepaw was just going to tell the cat that Pantherpaw needed to make dirt and wasn't comfortable going the short distance out of camp on his own, so Flamepaw was going along. Every cat in TreeClan knew Pantherpaw never went anywhere without his brother.
Once they had made it to the dirtplace they could get away and would have a little time before the guard thought anything was wrong. By then they could be half way back to RainClan! Or so Flamepaw thought. They never even got to the camp guard, however, as Moonfeather's voice broke the morning quiet of the camp, calling out to them. Flamepaw hissed in frustration and Pantherpaw's pelt fluffed out in alarm as the two toms turned to look at the she-cat approaching them. Flamepaw stood confidently beside his brother, a step forward, ready to protect and defend if he had to.
But Moonfeather didn't seem to realize what they were really doing. Flamepaw gave him a look, whiskers twitching. They wouldn't get in trouble! Pantherpaw just looked at his paws. They had only just been made apprentices, and he had only played along with the ceremony to make the Clan think he was over trying to leave, so they wouldn't watch him and Flamepaw so closely. It had been about a moon since their last attempt to leave and he was sure they were all beginning to think he and his brother had finally settled into TreeClan. That would never happen. Not ever. He wanted his mother, he wanted his sisters, he wanted to go home.
He glanced past Moonfeather, toward the warriors' den, with a momentary thought for Magpiewing. He wished Magpiewing could go back to RainClan with them. He was the closest thing to a father they had. But he had his own family here in TreeClan, a mate and kits. A real family. Black ears pressed against Pantherpaw's head at the thought. It wasn't fair, he knew. Magpiewing still spent plenty of time with both of them, even though he had his real family with him now. He clearly still cared about them both. It just wasn't fair that his family had to split apart like that, half of them staying in RainClan and the other half in TreeClan. It was awful.
Flamepaw spoke for him, while Pantherpaw brooded, “Right, sorry Moonfeather! We were just so excited to finally be apprentices. I....” He glanced at Pantherpaw, tilting his head slightly, but not seeing much other option, “I guess I'll go back and wait for my mentor.... Have fun, Pantherpaw! You can tell me all about your day later!” He gave his brother's shoulder a gentle headbutt before turning back toward the apprentices' den, glancing back at him once before slipping inside. And then Pantherpaw was alone with his new mentor. He continued to stare at his paws, his fur fluffed out and limbs stiff.
He didn't want to go anywhere with this she-cat. But... if she could show him TreeClan's territory, she could show him the way back to RainClan. He gave his chest fur a few quick licks and forced his fur down. He looked after his brother for a moment, wishing they could both go explore the territory together, but Flamepaw's mentor was no where to be seen. He took a deep breath. He could do this, for both of them, for Echoshade, for Fernkit and Dewkit... or, he supposed they were 'paws now.... He HAD to figure out how to get home.
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going. Justice
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Post by Justice on Nov 3, 2017 13:29:32 GMT -5
TreeClan || 29 Moons || Warrior-Queen "Its okay, really." She offered the two little toms a smile. "Have a good day Flamepaw." She called after him because she knew the brothers were close and wanted him to feel included. She'd see if she could get some joint training done with Flamepaw and his mentor so the brothers could spend some time together. Might help things go smoother for everyone. "Have you eaten yet?" Probably, as she was so late getting to him. "We'll be making a walk of the territory today, so you'll need your strength."
Moonfeather looked out towards the exit to camp, remembering when she'd first come here and sighing. "Its a terribly big world isn't it? Beyond camp there's so much more to see and explore. I can't blame you for being excited."
He seemed agitated, maybe because his brother wasn't going with them. Or perhaps she was reading too much into things. What did she know, she'd never had an apprentice before. Maybe...maybe having something in common would help transition things for him. "Being in TreeClan must seem strange to you, after living somewhere else as long as you remember. Its still strange to me, and I've been part of the clan for some time now. But I wasn't born here, I wasn't raised in these lands."
Was this even helping? She was used to her own litter of kits, and none of them were this closed off.
My Power's Turned On, Starting Right Now I'll Be Strong @zen || Words Notes : Well, she's trying.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2017 23:13:11 GMT -5
This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong.
She asked him if he'd eaten yet. Pantherpaw hadn't even thought about eating until Moonfeather mentioned it. He had just wanted to get out of camp, to go home, food hadn't mattered at all. But now that she had brought it up, he was pretty hungry. He shook his head slightly, glancing up at her. She went on about how the world was big beyond camp, and vague memories of his trip from RainClan to TreeClan flashed by in his mind. He had been too upset at the time to pay much attention to his surroundings. It had seemed to him, however, that he was being taken an awfully long ways away from home.
Moonfeather started talking again and he looked warily up at her as he listened to what she had to say. His ears angled forward sharply in surprise at her admission. Moonfeather wasn't born in TreeClan? His mouth fell open, words nearly tumbling out in his curiosity, but he stubbornly snapped it back closed a moment later and glared down at his paws. He was torn. He didn't want to talk to these cats. He didn't want to make friends here, because he didn't belong here. He WAS going to go back to RainClan, and soon, but making friends would only make him sad when he had to leave them to return to his family. It would make it harder. He couldn't let that happen.
But he was curious about where Moonfeather had come from. Had she been born in a different Clan? Why had she left? Or was she not a Clan cat at all? Why had she come here? Why had she chosen to STAY here? He fidgeted with anxious energy, fighting back the urge to ask the questions that whirled around in his head. He wished Flamepaw had stayed. His brother could have asked for them. A frustrated rush of air escaped his nostrils and he stood, padding away toward the freshkill pile to pick something to eat before he gave in to his curiosity and talked to the she-cat.
He felt a little bit bad. She was just being nice. But he didn't want to like her, couldn't let himself. He cast a glance over at her after he'd plucked a mouse from the freshkill pile, a bit concerned despite himself that he might have hurt her feelings by just walking away like that. So he brought the mouse back over to where he had left her and settled himself down for his meal. After a few quick bites, it occurred him that she might not have eaten yet either, since she'd been apologizing for being late. He looked down at the mouse for a moment, took one more bite, and pushed the rest of it toward Moonfeather, in case she wanted to finish it. This early, the freshkill pile didn't have much left on it, after all, since no hunting patrols had come back to camp yet.
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going. Justice
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Post by Justice on Nov 4, 2017 0:36:27 GMT -5
TreeClan || 29 Moons || Warrior-Queen So he wasn't talking to her. Great. Well, whenever one of her kits got surly she usually waited it out. They always came back when they needed her. But she wasn't Pantherpaw's mother, so perhaps that wasn't the best analogy. She sat down where he left her, watching him head back to the prey pile for a bite to eat. That was okay, she'd be on time from now on. She was just so nervous. What if he didn't like how she did things? Her siblings had teased her that she was a lousy huntress, since she did her best providing through fishing. Maybe she could teach him to swim? It wasn't like cold water bothered her.
When he came back with what was left of a mouse she was suprised. The gray she-cat beamed at him and finished it off. "Thank you. I'll have to get something to replace it later." She offered before burying the remains neatly and dipping her head towards the exit. "Lets go."
She padded at a slower pace, her long legs meaning she had to make sure she paced her stride to Pantherpaw so as not to leave him behind. "When we get close to the brook I'd like to teach you to swim, if you're interested. I know fishing and swimming isn't really a TreeClan thing, but it is what I'm the best at. And I think all cats should know how to swim, just in case." She knew she was ranting, but the silence was getting to her.
Moonfeather started walking, glancing sidelong at her new apprentice to make sure he was keeping up with her as they went along. "Have you ever had fish before?"
My Power's Turned On, Starting Right Now I'll Be Strong @zen || Words
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2017 1:22:47 GMT -5
This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong.
Trying to ignore the smile she shot him at his prey offering, Pantherpaw set to washing his paws, focusing on something else. She finished off the mouse and thanked him for bringing it to her, but he only twitched his ears in response. Then she indicated the camp exit and he pushed to his paws, alert and ready to begin the day. He followed her out, glancing behind him once in the hopes that Flamepaw and his mentor would be joining them, but they weren't there. With a soft sigh, he turned his attention forward again, paying close attention to his surroundings as they left camp.
His dark golden eyes widened up at her as she offered to teach him to swim, his gaze brightening for a moment, before he tore it away from her to stare down at his paws. Why was she making this so hard? As a kit in RainClan, he had been so excited to learn how to swim, nervous, but excited. He'd loved splashing in the water at the edge of the camp stream with his siblings. Ears flicking back against his head, he remembered the comforting sound of the stream while he curled up beside his brother and sisters as Echoshade's belly. He hadn't been able to sleep properly for days upon days when they'd brought him here, without the stream to lull him to sleep.
He still wanted to learn how to swim, and to fish too, but not from her. It wasn't anything against her, he just wanted to be back in RainClan, to have a RainClan mentor to teach him those things. So he remained silent, despite how badly he wanted to learn the skills he would need to be a proper RainClan cat. Instead, he returned to focusing on the territory around them, making sure to make note of anything he could use to remember his way later, so he could get himself and his brother across the border and home. Then Moonfeather spoke again.
“Of course I've had fish!” he blurted in a quiet, angry rush before he could stop himself. His tail lashed behind him in a flash of fury that he'd let himself slip up. Echoshade had weaned them from her milk to fish. It might have been a whole season since he'd had any, but he still remembered how they tasted. It was hard to forget flavors that strong. In comparison, TreeClan prey tasted like dust, dry and nearly flavorless. No land prey would ever be as juicy as a fresh caught fish, and the taste could never, ever compare. Food was food, so he ate it, but he missed fish almost as much as he missed his family.
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going. Justice
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Post by Justice on Nov 4, 2017 9:52:27 GMT -5
TreeClan || 29 Moons || Warrior-Queen The former queen let out a low bark of laughter, feeling pleased with herself that he'd finally spoken to her. And he'd given her an idea of what she could do to help him settle down with her as a mentor. "The brook isn't really much for fish, but I catch little minnows here all the time." And she'd teach any cat that wanted to learn how to swim properly. Perhaps not everyone liked it, but it was a skill that could save someone's life if they were to fall into the swift moving river.
The brook's waters were calm, shallow enough at the edges to safely teach kits to swim. A half grown apprentice would be fine in these waters. First, however, she got a little drink. "This is the closest point to camp, where most of our water comes from. The Sparkling Brook. Its pretty much a straight shot from here to camp, so its easy to remember, hard to get lost." And the number of times she'd gotten lost when she'd first ventured from the nursery were hilarious to count.
"The brook runs into the river, the river runs to StarClan's Claws and splits into the other clans in some fashion. Some more than others." Which she only knew from her trip into the valley, skirting the edges of territories and looking for a safe place to rest.
My Power's Turned On, Starting Right Now I'll Be Strong @zen || Words
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2017 17:33:54 GMT -5
This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong.
Pantherpaw listened intently as Moonfeather explained where they were, and how the brook eventually led back to RainClan. His ears angled forward sharply as his gaze followed the water as it wound lazily through the trees. Was it really that simple? All they had to do was make it from camp to the brook and follow it back to RainClan? His paws itched to take off, to go home now that he knew how to get there, but he couldn't leave Flamepaw, so he stayed put.
Hoping to hurry this little adventure along, he nodded to show he had heard and understood her explanation. She might have gotten him to talk once but he was going to be more careful around her from now on. He looked either way along the brook and tilted his head at Moonfeather, waiting for her to lead him to their next destination. He didn't really care where it was. He didn't really need to know anything else about TreeClan's territory except how to get OUT of it.
The sooner they could finish their tour, the sooner he could get back to camp, back to Flamepaw, and tell him what he'd learned today. Then they could plan that trip back to RainClan and see Echoshade again, and Dewpaw and Fernpaw too. His fluffy tail twitched behind him as he waited impatiently, shifting on his paws, ready to move on.
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going. Justice (short, sorry)
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Post by Justice on Nov 16, 2017 22:55:34 GMT -5
TreeClan || 29 Moons || Warrior-Queen Moonfeather watched the young tom, wondering how she was going to get through to him. She had a few ideas, but rather or not he'd go along with them was another matter. But, she had to try. "Would you be interested in learning to swim today as well?" She could teach him, maybe that would help them bond. She wanted him to be able to trust her, to come to her when he needed help. He only had his brother, so she felt like he could use a grown cat he could trust.
Depending on what he said they'd either start an impromptu lesson in swimming or head towards the border, which was the next place she had in mind. She thought they'd make a circle of the territory, with landmark locations pointed out so he could always find his way home.
But she had to see. "I was thinking about asking Lionstar to send you to the next Gathering, if you wanted to go?"
My Power's Turned On, Starting Right Now I'll Be Strong @zen || Words
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2017 15:39:16 GMT -5
This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong.
Her offer to teach him to swim was tempting, and Pantherpaw hesitated as he stared up at the she-cat for a long moment. Eventually he shook his head. The only thing he wanted to learn from Moonfeather was how to get home, and she'd already told him that. The sooner they could get this territory tour over, the sooner he could plan with Flamepaw how to get back to RainClan. Once they'd gotten back home, he could be assigned a proper RainClan mentor and they could teach him how to swim. Her next words were hard not to respond to as well, but he was being more careful about her now. She wouldn't trick him into talking again.
If he went to the Gathering it would be a chance to see Echoshade and Dewpaw and Fernpaw. There was no guarantee they would be there, but there was a chance at least one of them would be. However, unless Flamepaw could also go, he didn't want anything to do with it. It wouldn't be fair if he got to go see their family while Flamepaw was all alone back in TreeClan's camp. In the end, Pantherpaw settled for a shrug. Lionstar would pick whoever he would pick, and if he and Flamepaw were picked, great, but if not, it would just give them a good chance to plan their trip home while half the Clan was at the Gathering.
He looked up and down the brook before trotting off a short distance, to where the stream wasn't as wide, and backing up for a running start to leap to the other side. He made it, standing there triumphantly with his black tail raised behind him and waiting for Moonfeather to join him, to show him where they were going next. He was sick of standing around with her asking him all sorts of questions he didn't want to answer. He shifted from paw to paw to show his eagerness to be off, hoping she would get a move on already.
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going. Justice -waves pompoms for Moonfeather- don't give up, you can do it xD
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Post by Justice on Nov 20, 2017 16:26:59 GMT -5
Still not speaking to her. The young warrior just sighed and swam across the stream, not bothering to jump it as Pantherpaw had done. it was faster to just take the shallow swim across. She did give her pelt a quick shake to dislodge the water before rejoining him. "Alright then, lets continue." She padded along at a pace she hoped wasn't too fast nor too slow for the young tom, coming to the border that now stood between LightningClan and TreeClan. "This is the Open Woods, one of our borderlands. LightningClan stands on the other side. Our neighbors are a fierce lot, and they've had enough suffering recently with the fire. So if you ever find yourself wanting to hunt the borderlands, choose a different one."
She padded along again, bringing him through the different landmark locations in TreeClan and softly giving a running commentary of how to reach home from each of them.
@zen Notes : sorry bleh.
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