[Deleted]

Waspwing, gently picking his large frame up from the tight ball he'd been curled in as he slept, stretched out his limbs. There were a lot of warriors in the den - granted, it was the biggest den in the camp, out of necessity; the warriors were the lifeblood of the Clan.

All tiredness quickly forgotten, Waspwing's mind flashed back to the evening before. Amongst the hustle and bustle of Clan life, a long overdue ceremony had finally been performed. Beetlekit, now Beetlepaw, had been cleared by Dawnblossom and Sandblaze to finally begin his training after the fox attack that had cost him his paw - and injured Sootpaw.

Hawkstar had gathered the cats together, and under the light of the moon, before the Clan settled down to sleep or keep watch depending on their instructions, the newly named Beetlepaw had been entrusted to Waspwing. 

his first apprentice!

Waspwing's first emotion was delight. Then the nerves set in. Then a determination, that despite the awful things that had befallen the kit in the early moons of his life, he would receive the best education in the art of being a warrior that Waspwing was capable of giving. 

He would give this his all.

Stopping at the entrance to the apprentice's den, he called out "Beetlepaw? Are you awake? It's time for your first training session."

Keeping quiet, to avoid waking the others (including his beloved Meadowpaw who, StarClan love her, was cranky if woken up without having had enough sleep) he settled down to wait for his apprentice to poke his head out of the den.

270 / Fawn @kahani (Meadowpaw mention) BlooRey DVD (Hawkstar mention) Silver (Sandblaze mention)

[Fawn]

BeetlepaW

Will you be my breath through the deep, deep water

The day he'd feared would never arrive finally did. Beetlepaw had stood before the Clan, his parents proudly looking on (or as close to pride as he had ever seen on Skunkspots' face) as he was given a new name and a mentor. Beetlepaw had done his best to stand up straight, to project confidence and mental stability even when his physical stability wasn't always sound.

Beetlepaw snorted, picturing how he must have looked to the gathered cats, and to his own mentor - a cat he hadn't known the name of until the ceremony - standing there with three good legs. The apprentices' den was foreign to him, and as he'd made his way to where his littermate's nest was, his gait awkward enough as he tried not to step on any tails or limbs sticking out, Beetlepaw couldn't help wondering if he really belonged here.

I'm three-quarters of an apprentice, Beetlepaw sneered internally, silencing that inner critic with a retaliatory remark. That's more than enough to be a warrior. If it wasn't, then he'd just have to be three-quarters of a warrior too.

When Waspwing went to fetch him that morning, Beetlepaw had been fitfully slumbering near the space his sister had occupied. Cicadapaw had welcomed him to the den with her usual warmth and giddiness, and Beetlepaw's gratitude had manifested as an embarrassed flattening of his ears and a murmured thanks when he realized Cicadapaw had made a nest for him. She had lined it with the softest feathers and the cushiest moss.

Despite this luxury, Beetlepaw's dreams, electrically charged from the ceremony, were anything but peaceful.

He was reliving the ceremony again, watching himself stand before the rock pile, trying not to call unnecessary attention to his missing foot. It was just like he'd suspected. He had looked pretty pathetic standing there. He could see Palekit and Ashkit gawking at him from the nursery, while sharp ears caught the words but how can he be a warrior without a foot? Mistcloud shushed the blunt tom-kit, but it was too late. He'd already heard it.

Beetlepaw wanted to glower at his former denmate in defiance, but that would only look childish. Instead, he looked back at Hawkstar - and gasped.

Gone was the friendly but mighty visage of the Clan's leader. Gone was the sandy coat, the stocky body. In its place was a sleek vulpine form, with eyes so bright orange, Beetlepaw felt them burn him like fire.

The fox sneered, long muzzle leaning down, hot breath washing over him as it spoke. "What shall we call you when you haven't any paws left?"

Beetlepaw kicked out, rocketed from the horrifying dreamworld by a surge of adrenaline - and his mentor's voice calling into the den.
"Y-Yeah, alright." He croaked irritably, trying to soothe his frazzled nerves. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears, and the faintest echoes of a crunch of teeth on bone made his fur stand on end. Beetlepaw took a second to lick down the spiked parts of his pelt, trying to let go of the lingering sensations of fear. He walked out of the den, squinting at the assaulting light of dawn, feeling far from rested but ready to get the day going regardless.

"I'm here. Now what?"

Can't stay in the shallows, please tell me I won't wash away

@calico || 6 Moons || StoneClan || 539 Words

BlooRey DVD (Hawkstar mention)
@zen (Cicadapaw mention)

[Deleted]

All things considered, Waspwing and Beetlepaw made for an... unconventional pair. The large warrior combined with the tiny apprentice, only just big enough to be out from underneath his mother's fur. 

Waspwing knew that Hawkstar had evidently decided that, despite both of their flaws, they had much to learn from each other. That must have been why Hawkstar had made the decision to entrust the training of the apprentice to Waspwing, despite the fact that he'd never had an apprentice before.

Waspwing was determined not to let Beetlepaw's injury stop him from reaching his full potential. In fact he refused to let it. 

If he could cope with the ever-changing moods of his beloved, he could cope with this. 

"I'm here. Now what?"

"I'm going to take you on a tour of the territory, but first, I want to ask you a question. There is no right or wrong answer, I'd just like your opinion.

What kind of warrior would you like to be? The strong but fair type? The complete tyrant? Or would you rather forge your own path, much like I did when I was your age?"

Fawn / 193 / Sorry about the wait! Forgot this post existed :')

[Fawn]

BeetlepaW

Will you be my breath through the deep, deep water

"A fully functioning one," Beetlepaw quipped before he could stop himself. The charcoal-coated tom flattened his ears slightly, the large appendages twisting like gnarled branches as he tried to push through his obstinacy for a real answer. "Strong but fair, like my father." Even Valiantstride's name denoted nobility and strength. He didn't want to be known as the weakling of his family; the never-quite-good-enough warrior.

Beetlepaw hadn't expected that question from Waspwing. He didn't know him well; he'd guessed, at most, that this would be a 'do as I tell you' sort of lesson. Beetlepaw begrudgingly appreciated his input being taken seriously. "How did your mentor let you forge your own path?" Beetlepaw asked, fixing his serious gaze on Waspwing. "Adults are bossy." Only a pawful of warriors, in Beetlepaw's eyes, were actually kind and patient enough to offer those sorts of opportunities to their apprentices.

His own parents, and perhaps Hawkstar.

Can't stay in the shallows, please tell me I won't wash away

@calico || 6 Moons || StoneClan || 152 Words

[Deleted]

Waspwing let a purr of amusement escape in response to Beetlepaw's quick wit.

Evidently his injury didn't destroy his sense of humor.

Beetlepaw's proper answer wasn't too far behind. "Strong but fair, like my father."

Waspwing made a mental note to keep Valiantstride abreast (teehee) of his son's progress. He knew the tom worried about him. 

Beetlepaw's question briefly caught Waspwing off guard, but by the time he had followed up with "Adults are bossy.", Waspwing had already started purring, a strange sound to be coming from such a large cat who was the very image of threat. 

"My mentor... his name was Sandheart. He knew full well that I wouldn't listen to the majority of the things he said anyway. I wasn't the most... studious apprentice."

Waspwing looked slightly embarrassed as he looked at Beetlepaw.

"Do as I advise, not as I did. Anyway... He knew that I wouldn't listen, so he made me feel like I had a choice in what I wanted to do. When I felt I wasn't doing something because I had to, I was more inclined to do it. Between the two of us, I became a warrior. Then he left."

For a moment, Waspwing stared at the sky. Was Sandheart up there somewhere? Looking down proudly on his apprentice who now had an apprentice of his own?

"So, where would you like to go first? Our border with RainClan, LightningClan or StarClan's Claws?"

Waspwing was determined to give Beetlepaw just as much choice as Sandheart had given him. 

271 / Fawn

[Fawn]

BeetlepaW

Will you be my breath through the deep, deep water

'Then he left' made it sound as if Sandheart had flown away like a robin for the winter. Beetlepaw's gaze sharpened, "you don't have to soften your words for me. Death is death." That was another thing older cats did, they sugarcoated their words as if that would somehow lessen the harshness of the truth when it finally arrived. For Beetlepaw, he already knew death was not some distant thing that happened to others; it was a very real, very present part of warrior life.

It made him shudder to think of dying young, but he saw no point in cushy words like 'left' or 'departed' or 'moved on'. Beetlepaw preferred to call it what it was. No more, no less. "Sorry about your mentor," Beetlepaw added, realizing he'd been a little callous.

Thankfully, the conversation shifted, and Beetlepaw's attention shifted with it. The charcoal tom gazed in several directions, as if he might be better able to judge the distance from one border to the next. He had a vague idea of where StarClan's Claws were - supposedly it was in the center of the valley, a place for all Clans to congregate under the holy light of the full moon. That piqued Beetlepaw's interest, but he wasn't ready for such a lengthy trek.

"Which one's closest?" Beetlepaw's expression tightened in thought. Weren't they at war with LightningClan? Something always seemed to be going on with that Clan, it was a frequent conversation topic during the lazy moments at camp. Beetlepaw stretched his front legs, stiffening his one good back leg to support his weight while he limbered up. He didn't want Waspwing thinking he was weak, just because he wouldn't move as fast or as far as an average apprentice. But it stung his pride to 'go easy' on this first training exercise.

'Be careful now, so you don't pay for it later.' Skunkspots' cautionary words hung in his mind like cobwebs, and he yielded to them.

Can't stay in the shallows, please tell me I won't wash away

@calico || 6 Moons || StoneClan || 328 Words