[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Year 6, Leafbare 23: The sun is visible behind clouds but its rays can't break through, it is cold and dreary.

R

obinpaw slipped into the hidden thicket, relieved at least that the icier patches of slippery rock she had encountered on the way here didn't exist in this small little grove. Her bright orange and black pelt stood out against the white-powdered grounds, and though the sun above tried feebly to thaw the snowy landscape, its rays did nothing to hold back the chill that spread all the way down her spine. At only six moons old, she had filed out into a more adult physique, but her paws still seemed awkward on her slender legs and there was kitten fluff lining the inside of her ears. Her tail raised above her spine, she looked around the tiny clearing, instantly realising that she couldn't see Finchcloud. "Finchcloud?" She meowed cautiously, her breath misting on the crisp air. The tom had gone ahead of her, and she'd lagged behind due to her not-so-graceful manoeuvring over the snow. "Are you there?"

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Finchcloud

So many times it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory

Hearing his name called at Robinkit's apprentice ceremony had been a surprise, but Finchcloud had been all too thrilled to respond to it, padding up to the young she-cat and touching his nose to hers. It had almost been too much to wait for Lionstar to conclude the ceremony by naming and revealing Duckpaw's mentor- Brushfire- and when the leader had finished Finchcloud had taken her out for her first exploration of the territory.

She seemed sensible, a little eager at times, and when they'd returned Finchcloud had reminded her to make sure the elders and queens had been taken care of before getting something to eat, and telling her they'd be doing battle practice the next day.

It was a cold day, thin clouds blocking the sun's heat, and Finchcloud hoped his apprentice's fur would keep her warm enough- the exercise certainly would. He trotted ahead, entering the clearing and taking a quick look around to make sure nothing dangerous was lurking before darting into the cover of a bush at the edge of the open space. Robinpaw appeared just as he settled, padding into the middle of the clearing and looking around, calling for him.

Finchcloud burst from the bushes, crossing the distance between him and Robinpaw in a heartbeat and skidding to a halt; one wide paw flashed out and- gently tapped her on the shoulder. "First lesson!" he instructed, fighting not to prance, trying to act the part of a warrior as he sat in front of the young calico. "Always be watchful. You never know what might be lurking just out of sight; if you're prepared you can react in a heartbeat. Our enemies won't have mercy just because you're young. The practice we'll do today will help you learn just how to prepare yourself to win the fights you'll probably be involved in. Okay?"

Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must FIGHT just to keep them ALIVE

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

W

here is he? Robinpaw had been certain he'd been just ahead of her, weaving in between the hefty trunks of TreeClan's forest territory. "I can't have taken a wrong turn..." The calico apprentice muttered, embarrassment trickling into her bright green eyes. Ravenpaw and Duckpaw would never let her hear the end of it if she lost her mentor on the second day of her apprenticeship, and Sunwind probably wouldn't let her set paw outside of camp again if she ever thought her only daughter was so absent-minded. Assuming the best thing to do would be to wait for Finchcloud to retrace his steps and find her, she paused in the middle of the clearing and sighed. She didn't know what to make of her mentor, though he seemed nice enough at her ceremony. She remembered the rush of excitement as Lionstar called for her to step forward, and suddenly it was as though ever drop of blood drained from her face into her paws. She was trembling with the overwhelming buzz of it all by the time she touched her small nose to Finchcloud's.

She had been so excited for battle practice, but now that she was lost and alone on her own Clan's territory, she had an inkling feeling that today wouldn't go as expected. She wasn't sure where the feeling came from, perhaps it was the pessimist in her trying to spoil the adventure at the beginning of her training. Maybe she should-

Robinpaw didn't have time to finish that thought, for a blur of motion surged towards her in the corner of her eye. She let out a squeak of alarm and didn't even get the chance to whirl her head around before a large paw tipped her shoulder. She stared up at Finchcloud, her jaw dropping open in astoundment. "First lesson!" The tom announced, sitting down in front of her as if he hadn't just leapt out of thin air. "Always be watchful. You never know what might be lurking just out of sight; if you're prepared you can react in a heartbeat. Our enemies won't have mercy just because you're young. The practice we'll do today will help you learn just how to prepare yourself to win the fights you'll probably be involved in. Okay?" Her fur still bristling from the surprise ambush, Robinpaw's expression hardened into one of deep concentration. She nodded, her eyes serious. "Always be watchful." She repeated back to him, her mind swirling with all this new information.

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Finchcloud

So many times it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory

Finchcloud nodded as Robinpaw repeated his advice, and he rose again, but motioned with her tail for her to stay where she was. "Later, we'll do a practice that will test your ability to listen to what's happening around you, but for now I'm going to show you a few moves, and then I want you to get used to using them in a mock-fight."

Backing away a bit, Finchcloud continued. "The leap-and-hold is a good one for most new apprentices to learn, and for cats smaller than their opponent. You leap on to the other cat's back and use your claws to hold on, and it puts you out of reach of the other cat's claws and teeth. It gives you the chance to get in a good bite, or rake with your hind claws- do damage as quickly as you can before they react. When they try to roll, to pin you beneath them, that's when you need to get off quickly. Try it. But try to keep the claws as sheathed as you can, okay? I'm not your enemy, remember that!"

His eyes gleamed good-naturedly as he turned his back on Robinpaw, looking over his shoulder and waiting for her to follow his direction.

Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must FIGHT just to keep them ALIVE

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

R

obinpaw was about to rise to her feet the moment her mentor moved, but then he motioned with his tail for her to stay exactly where she was. She didn't budge, hanging on to his every word. "Later, we'll do a practice that will test your ability to listen to what's happening around you, but for now I'm going to show you a few moves, and then I want you to get used to using them in a mock fight." The tom meowed, and a surge of excitement rose in her heart. Even the level-headed little she-cat couldn't hide how much she had been looking forward to learning her first battle moves.

Finchcloud paced backwards a bit, his large paws crackling against the forest debris that littered the clearing. Robinpaw pictured the move playing out in her mind as he spoke, and tried to imagine how she would be able to hold on to the shaggy mane of a pelt that Finchcloud possessed. There was something playful in Finchcloud's eyes as he gave her the details of the move, but she thought nothing of it. She probably should have, considering her mentor's sneaky ambush only moments before. He was starting to seem like the kind of cat to always want to do something unexpected.

She nodded when he told her to keep her claws as sheathed as she could. "I promise I'll try." She swore to him, though was a bit worried that she might accidentally break that promise if she nearly fell. He turned his back to her, and Robinpaw lined up behind him, judging the distance she would have to leap. The calico apprentice took a breath, then sprang with every scrap of strength in her rear legs. She landed square on the tom's back, and her attempt at keeping her claws reasonably sheathed wasn't exactly successful. She winced when her petite little claws sank into his fur, attempting to cling on to the larger cat's back. She could feel her weight tipping sidewards and couldn't recover. With a muffled yelp of alarm, Robinpaw slipped from her mock opponent's shoulders. She used her tail to twist her body as she fell, landing with a thud on her feet. "Sorry, Finchcloud!" She mewed, green eyes round and apologetic. "Balancing up there was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I hope I didn't hurt you."

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TREECLAN WARRIOR

FINCHCLOUD

Got that sunshine in my heart

Finchcloud waited, patient gaze on the young she-cat as she took a moment to plan her attack. He bushed his fur in an attempt to keep her claws from meeting skin; it was unlikely that she was going to be able to keep her claws tucked away completely. A few small scratches would be worth it if she could manage the attack- he'd hope that actually going through the motions of it would help Robinpaw get a feel for how it felt. She could practice the move with her denmates as often as she wished, but she'd be able to balance on his shoulders, her body leaner and smaller.

Somewhat. Her weight landing full on him was more than he'd expected and his legs bent. At the same moment her claws pricked through his pelt, instinctively trying to brace as he swayed. She slipped off, falling to the ground at his side, and he straightened once more, smoothing his pelt. The slight sting was nothing- he'd certainly had worse- and he shook his head to calm her. "You did great for your first time. The more you practice that, though, the better you'll get. Let's try one more time, and then I'll show you something else, okay? Don't worry if your claws unsheathe on their own; I'll try to hold as still as I can this time." Maybe another time he'd actually spar with her: an enemy wouldn't just sit there while she leaped on them, and while it was good for her to get used to the motion of the attack, it'd be equally helpful to learn how to deal quick damage before her enemy retaliated.

"Ready?" he asked, though he was already turning his back to her and lifting the fur between his shoulders again. "Go for it!"

Notes | ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

Got that good soul in my feet

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

H

e doesn't think I'm a complete mousebrain. Robinpaw thought, breathing a soft sigh of relief. Her mentor's gentle encouragement gave her confidence in herself, despite being fresh out the nursery. She nodded at Finchcloud's reassuring words, eyes brightening somewhat at his praise. "Okay. Then let's keep practising." She replied, a new determination glittering in her pale green eyes as she readjusted her stance in the snow. She bunched her rear legs behind her, trying the judge the distance she would have to leap to land on his shoulders properly. With a quiet intake of breath, Robinpaw launched herself. It was a powerful leap. She landed perfectly once again, her paws meeting her mentor's thick, fluffy mane. She managed this time to keep her claws as sheathed as possible, but the lack of grip as she tried to balance herself upon Finchcloud's shaggy pelt resulted in her sliding right off him again.

She landed perfectly on the packed snow, an expression of frustration with herself drifting across her face. Of course she hadn't expected to be TreeClan's greatest fighter from her first training session, but she at least hoped she would have been able to master such an easy move. She tried to shove her self-doubt down into her heart and focus on what Finchcloud had just told her. That practice would make her a great fighter, not talent. That they'd focus on something else now, perhaps something that would be more suited to her. She twirled her tail. "I'll get it." She promised both herself and her mentor. "Eventually." She smiled. "I'll try balancing on logs, maybe, so I can get used to not falling on my tail."

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