[Hellion]

Love doesn't discriminate
Between the sinners and the saints,
it takes and it takes and it takes

Curling his tail protectively around Larkflower, his head nestled snuggly against her neck. She smelled sweeter somehow, it was comofrting. He had no desire to leave her side, content to keep her warm all day. Up until the distant hum of camp life nudged at his ears. Calling for him to get up. He tried to stay, pinning his ears back, pretending nothing was going on. He clung to the peace of their early morning until he couldn't any more. Slowly uncurling himself from his spot around Larkflower, Sunnyheart gave a gentle nudge to her cheek. "I've be back later," His voice soft, gentle enough not to disturb the fur on her ears.

Upon uncoiling himself, Sunnyheart stretched. Legs extending fully behind him to waken his still sleepy muscles. It didn't take long for his body to wake up, nevermind his head and heart wanting to be back with Larkflower. Venturing away from Larkflower, Sunnyheart greeted the day and his clanmates.

Normally he'd head out for a hunt, get his heart pounding. That would not be the case for his morning. Larkflower continued to sleep and no other cat made a better hunter partner than his beloved. He preferred to do training in the later hours after the apprentices had gotten a chance to finish their chores. His day was already off to a different start, might as well change everything up.

Heading for the apprentice den, he peeked inside. Searching for the she-cat under his care. "Goldenpaw, you can skip your morning chores and come with me," His words were a bit louder, likely waking any still slumbering apprentices.

Sunnyheart

background image | Ginger Justice for all Larkflower mentions. | table by phoenix

[Ginger]

A quotidian routine had fallen into place.

Wake up, do chores along with her two sisters and the rest of the apprentices, train a bit on her own, and eventually get with Sunnyheart near the end of the day to learn new things. Some would call this too much, but Goldenpaw loved every second of it. She loved constantly having something she could do to help the clan. She loved constantly having something she could do to improve herself. 

Goldenpaw was beginning to find that she was a bit of a natural at the things she was learning, picking them up almost immediately. It was exhilarating to be doing something that just felt right. 

As she lay in her nest, patiently waiting for the other apprentices to wake so that they could begin their chores, Goldenpaw became aware of a presence. 

"Goldenpaw, you can skip your morning chores and come with me."

A break in the quotidian? Unusual, but exciting. Goldenpaw raised her head and turned it to Sunnyheart, eyes twinkling with excitement.

Gently, so as not to disturb the other apprentices, who already seemed a little jostled by Sunnyheart's loud voice, Goldenpaw got up and made her way out of the den. Once the two were a little bit away from the entrance, Goldenpaw looked up to her mentor.

"What are we doing today?"

---

225 words
Hellion

[Hellion]

Love doesn't discriminate
Between the sinners and the saints,
it takes and it takes and it takes

He smiled at Goldenpaw's excitement. A charming look is given to the young she-cat. Thankful he didn't have to wait long for her to get ready, they ventured out of camp.

"We will be doing some battle training, I'm sure you've heard talk of tension between TreeClan and NightClan. It might spill over into our lives. You must be ready for anything," He spoke matter-of-factly. Finding no purpose in lying or sweetening the truth of their situation.

He was no stranger to fighting. He found that his natural size and strength suited the art. Scars the lined the skin under his plush fur were evidence of that. Nightmares that sometimes plagued his sleep remained a side-effect he could do without. Despite the moon since her death, Sunnyheart could still picture the moment when Mapleheart died. Expression painfully painted on Firesky's features when her daughter's body was brought home.

Fear crept into his heart at the thought of outliving his kits. Even before they were born, Sunnyheart knew he'd sooner die for them. Larkflower included.

Shaking himself to rid the thoughts, he picked up the pace. Trotting away from the sour memories and finding the way to the training ground with ease. Plenty of moons were spent here, learning and perfecting his skill.

"What's the first step when you find yourself in a fight?" His question came as he found himself a spot to sit, across from Goldenpaw.

Sunnyheart

background image | Ginger | table by phoenix

[Ginger]

At Sunnyheart's mention of battle training, Goldenpaw's ears perked up. However, she did not want to betray that this was what she had been looking forward to ever since she was born! If there was anything that Goldenpaw was, it was a fighter. This was truly her moment to shine. To glisten. To be golden.

Trying to contain her overexcitement, Goldenpaw simply nodded at her mentor, her eyes the only thing displaying her feelings. That determined yet happy twinkle was one that was quite characteristic of the young she-cat.

With a perk in her step, the large apprentice followed after Sunnyheart, taking in all the scents around her and working on identifying them. Rabbit.. maybe a day old. Bird. What type? Oh yes, pheasant! Definitely recent. If LightningClan was lucky, one of the experienced warriors would catch the pheasant and supply a great meal for quite a few cats. 

At Sunnyheart's question, Goldenpaw narrowed her eyes. What did she always do first when she was play-fighting her sisters? Well, usually she would throw a harmless taunt at them before capitalizing on her huge size against their smaller ones. But she only knew to taunt them because it was one of the only ways to get her two sisters to put up a good fight. Especially Goosepaw. Her grey-furred sister was an okay fighter when she was in a regular mood, but when Goldenpaw could get her a little mad, then Goosepaw could suddenly become a decent match. 

I know to taunt them and use my size because I know them. With a hum, Goldenpaw looked up at Sunnyheart. "Analyze your opponent and find weak points."

 

---

275 words
Hellion

[Hellion]

Love doesn't discriminate
Between the sinners and the saints,
it takes and it takes and it takes

Pleased with his apprentice's reply. Sunnyheart stood long enough to take a few steps back, giving a wider gap between them. "That's a solid tactic," Without warning Sunnyheart rushed the apprentice. Colliding with her and using his bulk to push her over.

He came to a halt once she was down, standing over her. "Sometimes attacks come out of nowhere. While it is smart to analyze your opponent. Sometimes it's not possible," Sunnyheart spoke as he took a few steps back. Allowing his apprentice enough space to get back on her feet.

"When you don't have time to prepare for an attack you need to remember key areas of attack. Eyes, nose, ears, and belly. Those are weak points on every cat. When ambushed aim for those areas so that you can create enough space and then analyze," Sunnyheart paused, recounting in his head every fight he had been in. How that tactic suited him every time.

"When you can analyze when you can't trust your gut. Always remember the goal isn't to maim or kill your opponent. Your goal is to come home to camp and celebrate a hard-won victor," Sunnyheart eased his own heart but twirling his tail. Sending away the memories stirred up. "Now, you have some time. Analyze me and try to take me down," The bulky golden tabby, widened his stance. He relied heavily on his size, lacking the LightingClan born gift of agility.

Sunnyheart

background image | @gingder | table by phoenix

[Ginger]

Goldenpaw exhaled sharply as Sunnyheart knocked her down. Getting back up as quickly as possible, the large apprentice quickly learned what her mentor taught. The element of surprise was one that was often used in battle, and sometimes she would not get the chance to analyze her opponent in-depth.

Grunting in agreement, Goldenpaw acknowledged what Sunnyheart said. She had no plans to be a killer. She only wanted to be victorious. She wanted to leave a legacy. She wanted stories of her great battles to be passed down for generations. Golden the great. 

Snapping back into the moment, Goldenpaw looked at Sunnyheart, analyzing where to attack. He was large. While she too was large for her age, she still was much younger than the warrior, making her much smaller. She had to be quick with him.

Rushing forward, Goldenpaw raised her tail and arched it forward, attempting to block out her mentor's eyes as she darted under his belly and pushed upwards with all of her might, hoping dearly that it was enough force to dislodge Sunnyheart.

---

177 words
Hellion