[KARAZHAL]

• Glacierpaw's excitement was read not in the face, but in the twitchiness of his paws and leg muscles. Every inch of the leggy tom buzzed. Even from cats that were morning people, he was getting looks. Glacierpaw stretched backwards and forwards to ease the tension building up in his hindlegs. He wanted to bolt through the snow, but he knew he would waste valuable energy doing that. He just needed to wait until Pumafang returned with the warrior he'd been looking for. StarClan seemed to grace him with promptness. Soon, his mentor appeared atop a snowbank, looking fierce as always. He gave Glacierpaw orders to move out for hunting. The apprentice had moons to his name now, and he was close to becoming of age. In new-leaf, if Lionstar and Pumafang approved of his progress, he'd be named a warrior. Because of this, Pumafang's training had intensified in both frequency and strenuousness, a combination perfect for Glacierpaw's founts of energy. Pumafang's command this time required him to journey away from camp into the deep woods. Although he would be isolated from everyone else, Glacierpaw did not complain. The prey wouldn't be dancing out in the open close to camp; he would have a better shot at hunting away from the thick scent of TreeClan cats. He'd been there many times before, but always on the heels of his mentor. Glacierpaw held his head high to find the sun, but it was hidden behind overcast skies. The cold winds whistled through the trees. Glacierpaw's dense pelt kept out most of it thankfully, so off he went, his deer-like legs crossing the snow with ease. When he'd put many fox-lengths between himself and camp, and the sounds of TreeClan abated, Glacierpaw put his nose and ears to work. The snow muffled noise, and there were hardly any natural sounds in the winter-bound woods. All of the sounds he'd gotten used to as a kit and young tom were snuffed out. No geese quacking from the river. No songbirds whistling freely in the trees. Only the soft pnuf-pnuf-pnuf-pnuf of his paws breaking through the snow crust. He found a big pine with a wide skirt of branches. The tree's needles were coated in snow, but underneath was completely dry and surprisingly comfortable thanks to the bed of yellowed pine needles at its base. Glacierpaw crawled underneath the boughs weighed down by snow. He pushed apart the dried needles and wriggled inside, allowing the pine scent to envelope him while he waited very patiently for any sight or smell of prey. current calendar Leaf-bare 17: All bodies of water are completely iced over, even the river. Though the snow falls slowly, it is persistent. Prey tracks are quick to disappear, and scents are blanketed by the snowfall.

GLACIERPAW of TREECLAN • apprentice • 10 and a half moons • #4a6c92 out-of-character remarks Hellion thank you for offering up duskrose as his warrior overseer for his hunting training thread! if anyone else is interested in participating, please hit me up on discord

[Hellion]

Duskrose,

Warrior of TreeClan

Prompted to attend his company. Duskrose had been given a task. Not typically the one chosen for such missions due to her more distant personality, Duskrose agreed without hesitation. Her permantly strained relationship with Blazefang of LightingClan had created a fissure with her and her Clan. Neglected by the tom cat more by cirimstance then out right malice. Duskrose welcome the reprie. TreeClan had been nothing but a home to her. She owed the Clan as a whole her time, love and loyalty.

She took the chance to prove it, even if her intentions were unknown. Her motivation and connecting to LightingClan kept quiet. Safer that way. TreeClan needed dedicated warriors now more than ever.

Advised to wait a few moments before following after him. Duskrose elected to pick an underused path. The easiest way to avoid Glacierpaw picking up on her scent. Snow helped as well. Her nose a bit numb, muddling the scents. Not by a drastic amount but enough she quickly came to rely on sight and sound to follow the apprentice.

Nearing the same pine tree that Glacierpaw had found. Duskrose studied the disturbed pine needles and snow. It wasn't a far leap to assume that Glacierpaw had found himself a place to sit and wait for prey to come near.

Which left him vulnerable to attack. Usually safe within the depths of their clan, the rising tension with NightClan made no part of the territory sound.

Edging closer to the young tom-cat, Duskrose crept low to the ground. A forepaw swinging out to catch his flank, a soft-paw strike but enough to pull his attention.

"You need to be more aware of what is going on around you. I could've have gotten the drop on you and you'd be half way to StarClan," Her words stern but not cruel, she backed away in the same breathe and watched him. Word of advice, for every ten heart beats you check the area around you. Scent or sight. That way you are prepared,"She came from a place of fondness, a strong almost maternal desire to keep the youth of their clan safe if the opprotunity presented itself.

She was a bit like spring;
wild as the wind
fickle as the weather,
but her love ran deep as tree roots.

Words 390~ Tags KARAZHAL Notes: i hope this is still the plan lol if not jsut let me know <3

[KARAZHAL]

• Glacierpaw's head laid on the pine needles, and he settled in while snow fell slowly all around him. It was quite mesmerizing. He'd seen snow for the first time with Asterpaw, and here it was, all over again, white and soft and cold and fluffy, covering the whole world like a hundred thousand dandelion puffs. Though, this stuff didn't tickle his nose. Nestled amongst his thick neck ruff and the soft pines, the apprentice was incredibly comfortable and could've probably gone to sleep to really complete the Great Sphinx appeal. His long tail flowed straight away from his body, flicking and poking occasionally out from under the tree. The tom's focus, though sometimes intense, could be better described as a fixation. When given a task, he put his whole heart into it and subsequently forget everything else around him. Glacierpaw saw the squirrel inching around some pinecones. He tensed like a spring. Suddenly a paw tapped his flank, and Glacierpaw launched into the air. His head thunked against a branch. "Uhnnn...," he groaned. His eyes fluttered repeatedly in Duskrose's direction. She was going to send him to StarClan? "Wha...what?" The tom had taken her literally until she started giving him advice. Wait, is this an assessment? He was pretty sure Timberfrost had mentioned those were done at nine and twelve moons, and they were critical to earning one's warrior name. Leave it to the clever Pumafang to throw him off by using another warrior. Under the tree's low skirt of branches, it was impossible for tall Glacierpaw to stand up all the way, not unless he wanted to weave himself in between the sticky boughs. So he lay there on one side with all four paws up, ready to defend himself from the cat that'd just snuck up on him. "Did Pumafang send you?" he asked in that soft timbre of his, despite his defensive posture. Her voice sounded stern, but not in the same way as Timberfrost's was. "He said I have to return with prey whatever it takes. Does that mean you'll try to stop me, whatever it takes?" Since his speed was his strong point, he figured he'd outrun any threat, but he had a feeling he'd have to fight for his food before returning to TreeClan camp. current calendar Leaf-bare 17: All bodies of water are completely iced over, even the river. Though the snow falls slowly, it is persistent. Prey tracks are quick to disappear, and scents are blanketed by the snowfall.

GLACIERPAW of TREECLAN • apprentice • 10 and a half moons • #4a6c92 out-of-character remarks Hellion i'm still tryin to figure out glacierpaw's personality development so i apologize for rusty posts

[Hellion]

Duskrose,

Warrior of TreeClan

Duskrose ensured he had enough space to recover, scooting back in the powdery snow. Ignoring the sharp coldness to her rump, one of the more uncomfortable feelings. A flick of her tail helped rid herself of the annoyance. Her attention fully on Glacicerpaw.

With his guess that Pumafang sent her, she nodded along. "A mentor shares in their apprentice's success, its only fair assessments are done by a warrior that wouldn't directly benefit," She explained, a fleeting memory of her own warrior assessment crossing her mind as she did. Her heart longed for those days when life was simple. Learn all that you could, follow direction and prove yourself. Warriorhood muddles things, complicates them to the point finding right and wrong is impossible.

She hoped for Glacierpaw's sake he had a good head on his shoulders. Maturity to help him stay on the proper path, not stay true to himself and their ways.

Realizing she had lost herself in thought, Duskrose's ear flicked to catch the end of Glacierpaw's question. She was quick enough to understand what he meant.

"Yes, I'll try and strike your flank when I have the upper paw on you, but it's leafbare we need all the prey we can get regardless of your assessment. So when I think you are going to catch what you have insight, I won't attack you," While it hadn't been Pumafang's direct command. Duskrose couldn't justify attacking Glacierpaw and possibly scaring away a much need piece of fresh-kill.

"I'll give you a bit of a headstart if I can strike you three times before sun high, you've failed. I've gotten you once," She further explained, edging herself out of the small nook they had crowded together in. She left with a parting flick of her tail to find a different area to watch him from.

She was a bit like spring;
wild as the wind
fickle as the weather,
but her love ran deep as tree roots.

Words ?? Tags KARAZHAL Notes: two more posts and done? it's an old thread </3

[KARAZHAL]

• Glacierpaw nodded to show he understood. Having learned underneath Pumafang, he memorized some of his mentor's mannerisms and methods so it made sense for Pumafang to pick someone he wasn't as familiar with. He remained in his defensive posture while Duskrose spoke, unsure if she was going to press him into close quarters combat. Glacierpaw usually fought in open areas, all the better to utilize his legs, so being cornered would be a valuable lesson to learn how to get out of. However, Duskrose confirmed his question instead. He wasn't the most accurate hunter. He was fast, sure, but prey were agile and he now had an added distraction of a warrior following him. Still, he was grateful she wouldn't attempt to steal his prey like a rival predator would. He had no reason to think she would lie about it. Glacierpaw lowered his paws and rolled over, pulling his long legs under himself so that he could stagger to his feet. He shook off leaf litter, and his huge ears waved around, flapping like two flags in the wind. "I understand. I'll do my best," Glacierpaw said seriously, as if Duskrose had just informed him of war orders. When the she-cat slipped backward out from under the tree, Glacierpaw slithered on the other side. He nibbled the inside of his cheek as he contemplated the best way to evade his assessor. The snow crunched under his paws, leaving prints wherever he stepped. There was little he could do in that regard so he decided he would just hunt out in the open and keep an ear out for the tell-tale crunching of pawsteps. He meandered through the brown bushes and leafless, tangled vines. Sniffing a squirrel on the other side of a thicket, Glacierpaw began to stalk. Slowly, slowly he crept out of the brush and peered out. His ears bent backward in an attempt to catch Duskrose, but when he didn't hear anything giving her away, Glacierpaw shot out from the briars like a bolt of lightning. The acorn dropped from the squirrel's mouth in shock, and the fluffy gray rodent sprang to the tree trunk. Glacierpaw didn't dare to stop, not when he was at full speed. He unleashed his claws like Pumafang taught him and stretched out his whole body. His front legs dug in, followed by his hindlegs, and while it was clear that the squirrel was a better climber by instinct, Glacierpaw scrambled after it like a SkyClan ancestor imbued him with energy. Glacierpaw's green eyes flashed hungrily as he chased the squirrel. It shot one way, then zigzagged the other way, trying to evade him. He hung onto the tree trunk like a bobcat. The two spent two full minutes juking each other out until the squirrel abandoned the tree for another one. Seeing his chance, Glacierpaw sprang, flying through the air with all his claws unsheathed. He landed on the squirrel like a diving owl. Air screamed its way out of its crushed lungs; he bit through its neck quickly, thanking StarClan for its meal, and hastily his eyes flew around his surroundings, expecting Duskrose to appear out of nowhere. He knew he couldn't spare the time and focus to dig a hole in the cold ground to bury his prey. He lifted up his head, prey in mouth, and he sprang onto a oak tree, hugging its base while he hopped up to a branch. "If I can strike you three times before sunhigh, you've failed," she had said. He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth. The squirrel's blood was warm on his tongue, and he ignored his desire to sate his hunger with it. If he could keep a hold on it until sunhigh, he would pass. Glacierpaw stared down from his vantage point, trying to hide himself from sight in case Duskrose was close. current calendar Leaf-bare 17: All bodies of water are completely iced over, even the river. Though the snow falls slowly, it is persistent. Prey tracks are quick to disappear, and scents are blanketed by the snowfall.

GLACIERPAW of TREECLAN • apprentice • 10 and a half moons • #4a6c92 out-of-character remarks Hellion i hope it's realistic for treeclanners to climb trees xD i wrote this whole post before being like "wait, is this one of their traits?" Glacierpaw is king of avoidance.