[Fae Magic]

She was terrified. She could not help it! She truly lived up to her name as a meek little mouse. Scared of everything and anything that was bigger than her crossing her path. The stars above her gave no comfort to her as they started coming out to greet her. Night time was the perfect time that her clan loved being out and about; a lot of them tended to sleep in during the day after being out all night doing whatever they wanted. But not Mousepaw. She was different; always had been and always would be different and outcasted by her own family and probably half the clan as she was starting to find out not everyone was like her parents. That being said; she hoped her new mentor was not like her parents or she was going to be in for a world of hurt and frustration. She didn't want to go out there and train. She didn't want to kill prey for food. She was too soft hearted and too weak to have that kind of mindset. She had not determination and no backbone to speak of...she was the laughing stock of the clan. She wasn't even a cat in her own eyes! She just hoped that her mentor wouldn't hate her like her parents did. She didn't know a lot about Starlingcry as the little white and grey molly tried to stay away from the larger cats and tried not to get underfoot too much to cause a scene or be noticed. She was afraid of them. Afraid of herself and disappointed in herself as well. But that was another story entirely. 

Tonight though, tonight was her first time going out to meet her new mentor to start her training. She just knew that Starlingcry would be disappointed in the apprentice she was given and Mousepaw wondered how many times she'll have to come back to camp with her tail between her legs and a sinking feeling in her chest from yet another failure that she managed to get herself into? Oh Starclan help her if she would survive her apprenticeship to even be able to learn anything at all. The poor young molly had no self esteem or self confidence at all and it was rather heartbreaking to see such a timid and scared little creature like herself. She was no better then the mice that cats hunted; and she knew that clear as the starry lights above her head. 

The little tiny thing padded her way across camp; hunched over and low to the ground trying to look and seem smaller and more submissive than she already was as she slunk her way out of camp hoping not to be stopped or questioned of where she was going. She was instructed earlier to meet her new mentor at the entrance of camp so that she could begin her new training. What was this training going to be like? Would they go right off the bat into fighting and battle training due to the recent events? Or would it be hunting today? She didn't know if she had the stomach to sink her teeth or claws into another living creature that she knew as no better than herself. Maybe that's why she was so weak hearted when it came to the thought of killing another creature for food...because she was no better then the prey they sought. Or she was just being paranoid. Who knew? 

With her eyes downcast to the ground below her paws she did not realize where the heck she was walking or who was in her path when she suddenly ran smack dab into another body. She yelped in surprise and fright as she stumbled back; tripping over her own tail that had been tucked between her legs and flopped onto her back with paws in the air. Her vision spun for a second before she stared up at the stars above her in the dark sky. She forced the air back into her starving lungs that she didn't realize had been knocked out of her before she scrambled back to her paws and bowed her head crouching low to the ground looking scared and pitiful. 

"S-sorry! I-I didn't see you t-there!" she stammered timidly; voice like a soft child-like whimper. 

She dared to glance up without moving her head to find herself looking at a beautiful dark haired molly with long fur and striking blue eyes. Mousepaw gulped, eyes wide in shock and awe. She'd never been up close to another warrior like Starlingcry before. Really, she hadn't been up close with any warrior in fact as she was terrified of them. Even now, Starlingcry scared her. Not because of just her size but because of those striking eyes of hers that seemed to stare down Mousepaw. And of course, the insecure part of the apprentice's mind took over to whisper that the older warrior was much too beautiful than Mousepaw ever would be. The little apprentice quickly looked down at her paws feeling rude for staring. 

"S-Sorry miss Starlingcry. I-I didn't see you waiting there..." she mumbled not looking at her again not wanting to anger the other she-cat.

Hellion

[Hellion]

Starlingcry

and i tired to hold these secrets inside of me
my mind's like a deadly disease

She had known them, watched them pair themselves off together to becoming parents. Like her relationship with the late Dimstar, it had been a union to create another generation of loyal, fierce and strong NightClan warriors. However, when Mousekit came into the world, they didn't seem happy.

Starlingcry had visited them. Under the guise of wanting to wish the parents congratulations, in truth, she came to evaluate the young she-kit. As a mother to three strong warriors and grandmother to another set of three, Starlingcry felt it her duty.

The conversation had by Mousekit's parents had been brief. Starlingcry didn't bother to tell her parents their union had produced something less than desirable. They seemed to see it for themselves. Strarlingcry offered them a few parting words; suggesting they do their best with Mousekit and try again later.

She hadn't expected them to treat Mousekit so harshly. Not a usual visitor to the nursery, Starlingcry had overheard a few things she would rather forget. It never occurred to that Mousekit's parents would be so cruel. However, she did not interfere, it was not her place nor her right.

It remained that way until the night Mousekit had been named her apprentice. Starlingcry, having trained her fair share of apprentices over her seventy-two moons of life didn't expect such a role. The she-cat had been considering for some time returning to the nursery as a queen to once again bare for her clan a litter. Training an apprentice would put that on hold, not that she minded. Mousepaw's training would be beneficial to the clan in equal measure.

Delegating to her son Coalmask to give Mousepaw her message, Starlingcry had waited. Sleek thick fur, carefully groomed, fluffed only by the wind. The senior warrior lost herself in thought until a certain small frame collided with her. Jumping to her paws, Starlingcry composed herself upon realizing it was Mousepaw. The she-cat's stammered Starlingcry waited. No sense rushing the she-cat to point she couldn't recover.

"That is alright Mousepaw, next time pay better attention. Our territory is dangerous for you to have distracted paws," Her words came out icy, but with them came no malice or judgment. Just a cold and cool personality.

"Now that you are here we can start, keep up with me and watch your paw steps, we will visit the pine needle clearing first " Starlingcry moved just enough to flick her tail to tilt Mousepaw's head to meet her gaze before taking the lead.

Starlingcry picked a moderate pace, mindful of Mousepaw's shorter limbs compared to her own. Elegant despite her age, she traveled over the territory with ease. Stamina built up from moons upon moons of walking about the forest helped. She could walk the entire territory thrice before tiring.

The gradual shift from heavy thick forest to thinner woods of the clearing quickened Starlingcry's pace until their arrival. She stopped once they cleared the meager threshold of bramble that kept the landmark protected.

"The Pineneddle Clearing, are you aware of what we use this area for?" Starlingcry's attention went to Mousepaw, silently awaiting her answer.

i'm meaner than my demons. i'm bigger than these bones.

@tagged | background image | control | table by phoenix

Fae Magic

- Starlingcry is rusty because I haven't used her in a while!

[Fae Magic]

The young she-cat couldn't help but think that Starlingcry reminded her a lot of what she would think a queen would be like. Something about the way that the older warrior portrayed herself seemed very high and mighty. Not in a bad way really but it wasn't something Mousepaw was used to. There was seemingly an ageless beauty and grace about the black molly that Mousepaw found herself envying but at the same time being afraid to admit it; being afraid to say that she wished more upon herself then she was given. Any young she-cat faced with someone better and prettier would always envy that one cat and wonder why on earth they had everything working for them while the world worked against said individual. Mousepaw would not lie and say that she was not just in awe of the older warrior but also a bit intimidated. Okay maybe a lot intimidated but what in this world did not make the apprentice feel like she presented nothing to this world? 

Words graced her ears with a sense of coldness and straight forwardness; a bluntness about them that Mousepaw was familiar with. Everyone used that tone with her, even her parents although theirs was much harsher in words and tone then Starlingcry's. But, Mousepaw was not a stranger to that tone of voice. But, she also could sense that it held something more then just what was heard behind those words. Mousepaw did not know Starlingcry very well if at all besides reputation of fleeting words whenever the white and grey molly would listen but a part of Mousepaw had a sense that Starlingcry was not as cold as she portrayed herself to be. A thing that Mousepaw was secretly good at was listening; she had to be even if those words she heard broke her spirit. The black warrior's words although were cold also held a strength to push Mousepaw into action more then they may have been meant to discourage her by the tone. Normally, the little thing would shrink away from the coldness and the harshness of words; not ever daring to think past the meaning to hurt her to take note of their true intention. Starlingcry's words as she spoke may have sounded commanding and icy but they were words that held a strength to push Mousepaw forwards not to bring her down for her clumsiness. Something that the little apprentice was not used to combining in her brain to register that maybe not everything spoken to her was meant to hurt her feelings. 

The gentle touch of feather like fur under her chin made her lift her head from where her eyes and head had been downcast; too timid and frightened to look at the other cat in front of her in case she had been mad for her blunder. But instead she found herself meeting those icy blue eyes of the older cat for the first time properly as if Starlingcry had silently encouraged her to keep her chin up and not be afraid to look her in the eyes. Social distancing and lack of affection let alone touch was something Mousepaw was very much used to and expected. The simple gesture of the older molly lifting her chin up in a silent command was more then Mousepaw actually had expected and something stirred inside of her; something that longed for the affection and attention to be shown that her presence was actually mattered by someone. 

"Y-yes Starlingcry." Mousepaw finally found her voice as she forced her paws to stay firm as she followed the other out of the camp and into the unknown territory. 

Her eyes took in everything she could as her ears twitched and turned on her small head picking up the new sounds that once were muted to her ears by the barrier of camp. The scents outside of camp were different but oddly calming unlike the usual stuffiness and almost constricting presence of camp. MousepaUm...w had never had the guts to go outside of camp even after her apprenticeship had started without training. When she was old enough to leave camp even with others with her she never dared step foot for some reason. Not even with her new friend Breezepaw that she had met. Mousepaw's attention snapped back over to the dark figure beside her when her words broke the silence of the night forest around them to tell her about their outing and to ask her a question about the territory. She tilted her head looking at her as she walked processing how she would answer and found herself stumbling over a rock in the ground making her stumble. She yelped as she stubbed a toe but she scrambled to continue walking; even if she was limping for a few steps as she got used to the pain in her foot. She didn't want to disappoint her mentor by wanting to leave as soon as she got out of camp because she didn't watch her step like Starlingcry had said. Her entire body grew flush of emberassed heat at her mistake as she had been told a few moments earlier before leaving camp to watch her step as the territory was dangerous for a young none-experienced apprentice herself. 

"Um...for training apprentices?" she looked a bit confused trying to remember what stories Breezepaw had told her about the territory. She didn't remember if it was to train or to hunt.

"I-I don't remember what Breezepaw told me about it...I don't know if it was for training or hunting..." she looked around the area. "You could hunt anywhere really if you thought about it even in the training clearing for apprentice couldn't you?" she glanced up at the older molly afraid that maybe her words where a bit childish.

Hellion

[Hellion]

Starlingcry

and i tired to hold these secrets inside of me
my mind's like a deadly disease

Admittedly, Starlingcry felt inclined to wonder on behalf of Darkstar why they were paired. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy mentoring, she valued it a close second to motherhood, she held concern for Mousepaw. Starlingcry had lived plenty of moons and understood herself well. There was a quiet nagging in the back of her mind that her desire for perfection wouldn't go over well with the small Mousepaw. Not one to give up the challenge, Starlingcry only wished Darkstar had given her such information.

Those thoughts alone, if heard, could be twisted to imply Starlingcry didn't want to mentor Mousepaw. Which was not the case either. She simply held worry for the she-cat. A natural occurrence whenever she mentored a cat. Added to that was the stark difference in their personality. Quiet confidence was something Starlingcry prided herself on.

Relying on her drive and unwillingness to give up, Starlingcry would make it her mission to teach some of it to Mousepaw. Even if she felt a bit under qualified for the task. She had never experienced life as Mousepaw had. Her own life would not aid her, in a way also delighted her. Mousepaw, if molded into a solid warrior would put her name among the great warriors of NightClan. A cat capable of taking the unwanted and cultivating a valued warrior.

When Mousepaw answered her question, Starlingcry dipped her head in agreement. The closest gesture of praise Mousepaw would receive for some time. "You were correct the first time. We train here and while you can hunt almost anywhere if you take notice of the scent of this place. No prey animal will come close," She explained, Starlingcry took in a deep draw of the scents around them, larger than needed but she did it to encourage Mousepaw to do the same.

"As we train together, our scents get stronger here, the undergrowth holds on to it. No amount of rain or snow will rid this place of our scent. Prey animals may be stupid, however, most are not asking for death. Besides, easy prey makes for lazy warriors. NightClan does not have lazy warriors," She reaffirmed for Mousepaw, guiding the apprentices through the training ground to the opposite side. A small break in the barrier made way to a smaller less used trail.

"Think back on what you've heard of our territory. The smell you notice. Where should we head to next? What location is closer"? Starlingcry carried on walking while she talked, already having the idea in mind. Unlike some mentors, she found no reason to mock or belittle her apprentice's wrong answers if she gave any. An answer was better than nothing, trying worth more than giving up.

i'm meaner than my demons. i'm bigger than these bones.

Fae Magic | background image | control

[Fae Magic]

Mousepaw couldn't help but sigh in relief whenever she saw the slight not the older warrior gave her letting her know her plunder was the right answer after all. Thank goodness Mousepaw paid attention to what Breezepaw had told her in their brief conversations. But would her knowledge be enough to impress her mentor? Mousepaw might be meek but she did have brains; she was just a bit afraid to use them in public in case she got yelled at or beaten up in worse case for 'mouthing off' to others. She had smarts, just too afraid and never got the chance to do so half the time because her flight or fight instincts were not kicked hard enough. But as she listened to her mentor the more she wanted to impress the warrior and get her approval making Mousepaw subconsciously dig deeper into herself to try harder instead of giving into her anxiety that told her that she would fail her mentor and her apprenticeship altogether. Her eyes watched the dark molly with a spark in them that never was part of Mousepaw's expressions before. The new look shone of hope and determination. It spoke of a new cat blooming inside of her. Something within the little apprentice stirred wanting to make a difference and show her mentor that she was worth something after all and that she could do this and learn. 

She listened to her explanation of her answer she gave and tilted her head thoughtfully as she looked around. Well when she put it that way that made a lot more sense. Why would prey want to be around where predators would be scented daily? Some are stupid enough but not many so that definitely made sense. She nodded as she silently agreed with Starlingcry and looked around the clearing as the other took a deep breath of the air and she realized by the almost exaggerated inhale that she was probably wanting her to take her lead which of course Mousepaw deep. Closing her eyes and took in a large breath trying to take in all the scents she could around her. She was used to the different scents of cats and camp. She was used to the smell of certain types of prey that was hunted with the overlapping scent of death and blood that occupied the scent that was unique to the animal whenever the hunting patrol returned. She unfortunately was too shy and scared to leave the camp very often so she was not accustomed to many other territorial scents. The question actually kind of stumped the apprentice and she paused trying to think back to what she had heard and trying to use her brain to remember what scents she remembered clinging to her friends from when they left camp. Her gaze turned to look around and she scented the air in each direction as her brain overworked to click direction to scents like a puzzle piece.

Frowning her head cocked to the side with her eyes still closed as she took a few more tentative scents, 

"Well, I know there are six different territories off the top of my head. This is the Pine needle Clearing which is where apprentices are trained now that I think about it; I had forgotten the name earlier but now I remember. Then here is Muddy Pools...I've been there before and it's not very pleasant.; smells stinky and earthy. There's the Bat Cave, Cricketpaw told me it's a cave where bats populate and it's at the edge of the borders of the mountains which makes sense, Ambush Pond I know is where we get most of our water supply. I have been there before when I'm thirsty. The water there taste better then something you find anywhere else, Branch Trail is one of the best places to hunt birds cause of the low hanging branches hey like to populate and that's where we find a lot of moss for our nests, and finally Black Woods, there was a fire there a long time ago from what i heard of its history but its also where Smokefur goes to collect herbs cause despite there being a fire in those woods its a place where a lot of herb grown." she said listing off the locations and what she knew of them. 

"I know the pond is closest cause of our water supply but other then that id assume the caves are farthest away and everything else in between; this clearing being the second closest. But i font go out in the territory very often so i never paid too much attention." she admitted a bit sheepish. "Last time I came out here alone I became lost but for the life of me I can't remember where it was.." she looked around her. 

Hellion

[Hellion]

Starlingcry

and i tired to hold these secrets inside of me
my mind's like a deadly disease

If it was praise that Mousepaw sought with her explanation, she was seeking it in the wrong cat. Starlingcry expected her to know every detail of NightClan territory, the fact she could name the black woods as a place for herb gathering was the only surprise. Unless warriors were asked by Smokefur or Shadowchaser, they rarely realized the importance of the area.

"You will need to know our territory like the back of your paws. Your ability to navigate will be a major factor in your success as a warrior," Starlingcry reminded her. "From where we are the branch trail is closed, but we will not go that way, it is close to the deer path and I will not have you trotting so close to the TreeClan border," Starlingcry told her, flicking her tail in the direction away from the branch trail.

She had little faith in Mousepaw's battle prowess and would not be testing it any time soon. In the direction of the black woods, Starlingcry kept a moderate pace knowing that Mousepaw could keep up if she focused on her stride and didn't chat as much.

Once the grass started to turn dusty from the wind which stirred up ash and coals, Starlingcry's nose hurt with the acidic smell of burnt wood. "Careful of where you walk, we can't trust the trees to stand forever given they are burned out. If you hear a crack run," Starlingcry warned, parting and heading in a different direction then her apprentice. "Explore to make it to the other side, I will meet you there," Starlingcry commanded, disappearing behind a hollowed tree trunk. Unknown to Mousepaw, the she-cat intended to practice a bit of ambush technique on the young she-cat to remind her of the importance of being aware even in such a dull and least interesting of places.

i'm meaner than my demons. i'm bigger than these bones.

@ tagged | background image | control