[Fae Magic]

An apprentice, what kind of sick joke was that? Don't get him wrong, Silverburr knew one day that he probably would be looked at to have an apprentice. But, in all honesty he had hoped he did not end up getting tied down to one. He did not mind the younger generation of his clan and in fact kept an eye out for them as they were the future of his clan. He didn't mind kits and apprentices but it was a whole other matter to actually have them as your own. He of course was not going to have kits anytime soon and it was more probable for him to get an apprentice. The thing was though, he didn't know how well he'd work with an apprentice. He was much more used to working with older cats who knew what they were doing. But, he was not used to having to teach from scratch like he was going to have to with his apprentice. Well, maybe. Briarpaw was an apprentice that he knew well enough. A young molly who recently lost her old mentor and was in need of a new one. Why they chose the silver dappled tabby Silverburr would never know. With his recent track record he wasn't sure he would be able to be stable enough to juggle his train wreck situation that ate at him and balance having an apprentice to train. He didn't even know how much training he had to do with her as he wasn't aware of what her former mentor had taught her. He hoped that this would work. He was not used to interacting outside of work so he didn't really know how to deal with an apprentice let alone one who had to change mentors due to some stuff that happened. Would she hate him because he was not her mentor? He worried that she would not like him and would be difficult to train or at the least think she knew more then him because of the fact he was new to mentoring and she had already had some training. 

Groaning inwardly the lanky tom rose from where he had been lying in his nest and stretched himself. He needed to relax and think positive...sure. After letting his spindly legs stretch out and get his body loosened up he headed out of the warrior den section and headed towards the apprentice area where he had hoped he'd find his new trainee. He hoped this worked out because if he didn't. He'd have one more thing people wouldn't like him for. Padding his way across he poked his head around trying to find the familiar figure of the pretty molly who despite her rank was actually near warriorhood already now that the other came to think about his new charge. 

"Briarpaw are you in here? I was hoping we would be able to go out today for a training session." Silverburr called out calmly. 

Was he too calm to the point that he sounded too uninterested or cold? He hoped not; it was of course just his nerves. He'd never trained anyone before and considering how old she was already and not knowing how much she was trained by her former mentor Silverburr did not know where to start or how to start and here he was more worried about the young molly not liking him instead of worrying about how to train her properly. 

"I know it's been a minute since we actually saw each other face to face since the ceremony. I apologize, I wasn't avoiding you." he added quickly hoping that she didn't catch onto his awkwardness and make fun of him for it. Last thing he needed was his own apprentice making fun of him like he had been all those moons ago.

Katara

Note: Sorry for the late thread! I finally got a bit of muse to work with to start a thread for them.

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

I t had been a moon like no other, and Briarpaw didn't feel like herself. After she'd horrifically injured Frostpaw at the Sunstones skirmish, she'd been unable to sleep nearly every night since. She couldn't stop thinking about the amount of blood the pale apprentice had lost, how Briarpaw's fur had been stained with it, her paws sticky with it until she'd washed herself in the nearest stream. She'd had to visit Kindleflare eventually, meekly asking for a poppy seed to help her sleep. Luckily, she'd earned sympathy since plenty of cats seemed to have heard about the outcome of the fight. Briarpaw didn't even know if Frostpaw had survived, and that's what was keeping her up at night: What if she had unintentionally killed her? Or injured her to the point she was struggling to heal? Or what if her wound had become infected? Any number of things could've happened, and she found herself looking forward to the next Gathering just to ask the nearest StoneClan cat if Frostpaw was okay. And then after that, Lynxfire had died. Frankly, Briarpaw was still in shock about that. She hadn't been all that close to her mentor, but for StarClan's sake she was her mentor. And she'd been one of the few cats she'd wholeheartedly respected. She'd been told it would be natural to grieve for her, but Briarpaw didn't feel sad - just overwhelmed. Instead of sulking about her den all the time, she'd tried to distract herself with hopping on any and every patrol she could. In the last quarter-moon, she'd joined the dawn patrol, the sunhigh patrol, and the evening patrol all in a single day - three times. When Redstar had performed the ceremony to appoint someone else as her mentor, she felt like it was wrong. What more did she have to learn? She was nearly a young warrior's age already - couldn't she be assessed and be done with it already? But, no, for the few moons yet she would be an apprentice, apparently she'd have to have a mentor. She was determined to dislike Silverburr when she touched noses with him during the ceremony, and she was still determined now when she heard his voice rumble through the apprentices' den. Since she was an older apprentice, she'd moved her nest closer to inside corner of the den as time had gone on, until eventually she'd inherited one of the warmest spots in the den, so she wasn't surprised that her new mentor hadn't spotted her immediately. She didn't raise her head at first, instead emitting a soft sigh as she readied herself for this. She'd have to be the regular Briarpaw, and it would be easy to fall into it as soon as she started. It always was. Slowly, she got to her paws, taking her time and realized this was a mistake when Silverburr's voice was heard again: I know it's been a minute since we actually saw each other face to face since the ceremony. I apologize, I wasn't avoiding you. Briarpaw couldn't help it, she let out a snort of amusement. She turned around in her corner, crystalline blue eyes narrowed as mischief suddenly sparked in them. She suddenly barged toward him like a bull, acting like she was going to slam straight into his legs, but instead swiftly slowing herself at the last moment and dipping her head to slip her entire small body underneath him and outside the apprentices' den. As cats do, she seemingly became liquid for a moment and emerged on the other side casually. "Are we going to go already? What did you say - something about avoiding me?" She made a face, acting as if she were insulted. "How dare you? I'm a delight." She already felt a bit better, acting like her usual self - and falling into it rather easily. Training today would be a fantastic distraction, and testing the limits of how much she could undermine Silverburr's authority in the situation would be even more of a fun distraction. She pranced a half circle around him, coming to a half a tail-length behind him. "What are we doing today, then?"

tagged Fae Magic

704 words

[Fae Magic]

He peered into the area and scanned each nest before noticing the movement of a figure in the back. His green eyes peered closer just in time to take note that the figure was coming at him at an alarming rate. His eyes widened not expecting the apprentice to rush him and froze about to scramble back until he realized that there was no need as the nimble molly slipped straight through his legs and outside behind him. He blinked a moment wondering what just happened before he turned to look over his shoulder at her in surprise. Well, she certainly was not what he expected. Briarpaw was a pretty molly with striking blue eyes that a lot of cats envied; or so he imagined. He figured growing up Briarpaw had quiet the admirers on her tail. 

He had seen the look in her eyes when they finally met face to face at the ceremony. As stated before Silverburr was not the biggest on socializing so it was no surprise that he hadn't talked to Briarpaw or gotten to know her outside of him passing by or noticing her in camp. He was in his own world and doing his part. He had noticed though that Briarpaw had quiet a dedicated and strong willed personality. Or he had assumed so at least as he had noticed she had been going to great lengths to stay out of camp by doing chores and helping with all sorts of patrols. Whether that was her way of coping with whatever happened to her during the time she lost her mentor or because it was just the way she was much like Silverburr who was a major workaholic. He wasn't sure, but he did know that if she kept up that kind of dedication and hard work they would get along just fine. Although, he had noticed that she was not too keen on him the moment they met at the ceremony. He could see it in her eyes; she was determined not to like him and he feared that they would not be a good match for each other to work with. 

That thought altered a little when she spoke, she was not mad at him? And was being playful? Was she willing to give him a chance or was this just a ruse of some sort? The silver tabby tom didn't know for certain. He cleared his throat and turned to face the pretty apprentice and gave her a half smile trying not to come off as rude or uninterested. 

"Well, that was some sort of a good morning welcome." he commented with mild amusement as he watched her prance around him; keeping his eyes on her as much as possible. She was a tricky one and probably meant to cause mischief if the look in her eyes was any indication but at least she did not seem hostile towards him as if she hated his guts because he was replacing her old mentor. 

At her question about what they were going to do today he paused and hoped his next words weren't ones that made her think he didn't know what he was doing. He honestly didn't know what he was doing cause he never trained an apprentice before but honesty was always a good start no matter how weak it made you seem sometimes. 

"Well, honestly, I never had an apprentice before you Briarpaw and unfortunately I'm not one who knows how to work well with others who don't know how to work outside of camp. I don't know what Lynxfire taught you so far so I'm not prepared on where I should be starting." he gave her a sheepish look before turning to face the camp entrance not wanting to see her reaction to his weak and unprepared response. 

"I was hoping that you'd tell me what you have learned and show me how far you've come before I set plans on where to start from there. Since I don't know the extent of your training I don't know where I should begin. Not to say you are not ready or fully trained...I am just needing to see what grounds i'll be working with. I hope you understand." he rolled his shoulders awkwardly and shifted his stance obviously not comfortable. 

He was not used to talking to others and it clearly showed. He didn't know how to handle interactions well. Well, not anymore due to recent events that made him second guess everything he did. He sighed at last and cleard his throat as he glanced over his shoulder at her looking a bit pitiful as he spoke with a honest and kind of lost tone.

"Look Briarpaw I know I'm not what you expected to be placed with and honestly I do not consider myself well trained to work with...err frankly I don't do good with other interactions and I've never trained anyone before. I'm used to working with senior warriors. Starclan rest Lynxfire's soul, I never wanted to have lost a great warrior clan mate so I'm a bit intimidated to have to fill in such paws." he looked at the apprentice. 

"I'm kind of lost on where to begin all of this..." he flexed his claws into the ground and looked at them. "I am much different when it comes to doing my duty...training an apprentice never crossed my mind as something that was meant for me...I thought I was the last cat in this clan that would ever receive an apprentice. And I honestly feel that I will not be good at training whatever parts you need of me to do." he confessed. 

"But, I have a job to do and I never like backing down from a job assigned...so if you would be kind enough to work with me and give me a chance I'll do my best to set you on the right path and finish off your training as quickly as possible so that you can become a warrior." he didn't want to meet her eyes afraid of the judgement or hurt that he may find there. 

One thing people didn't often see of the silver dappled tom is that he was a bit insecure when thrown out of his element. He was a cat with feelings just like everyone else, not a robot like some would think because of his hard core morals and hectic workaholic nature.

Katara
Note: insecure baby!

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

O rdinarily, it was Briarpaw's goal to make any warrior's life as difficult as possible, but with Lynxfire it had been different. She'd admired her and even been a little bit afraid of her, which was probably healthy for someone like her. After having her as a mentor, and then gaining a new mentor that Briarpaw wasn't the least bit intimidated by, she couldn't help but want to be difficult. But... she was afraid she'd get brushed off for 'acting out' with everything that'd happened recently. When Silverburr turned and remarked on her little good morning trick, she just flicked her tail, her blue eyes still shining with mischief. He then sobered and began to speak, and for just a moment Briarpaw looked confused at the honesty in his words. What on earth was going on? He looked away sheepishly as he explained he wasn't sure where to begin with her, that she was his first apprentice, he didn't know what training she'd had with Lynxfire, blah blah blah... Briarpaw couldn't believe it. How was he so unflinchingly honest? Did he have an ounce of pride within him? The apprentice was used to the verbal battle she often had with warriors trying to put her in her place, so doing one thing to try to challenge Silverburr only for him to practically show his belly in defeat was a bit unnerving to her. Did he even want her to respect him? Quite puzzled, she sat still and waited as a silence lapsed between them, and she tried to figure out what on earth his angle was. Then he spoke again, and it got worse. He basically confessed he couldn't be the kind of warrior she expected to be placed with (check), that filling Lynxfire's paws would be a difficult task (check), and that he thought he'd never get an apprentice because he wasn't competent enough. The last one was just a baffling confession in itself - who told their new apprentice he didn't think he was competent enough to ever be a mentor? "...so if you would be kind enough to work with me and give me a chance I'll do my best to set you on the right path and finish off your training as quickly as possible so that you can become a warrior." Briarpaw was silent for another moment after Silverburr finished, and she had never felt more desperate to make fun of someone in her entire life. The only thing that stopped her was when his gaze met hers, he looked half-pleading, half-nervous and maybe even a little bit afraid. What was he afraid of? My response, she reasoned. She wasn't known as being the nicest cat around the Clan, though she wasn't exactly cruel either. Just a touch judgmental. If Silverburr knew any of that about her, he'd had to know it was a mistake to be this honest with her. In that moment, she gave in. She had plenty of time to make fun of him, she just couldn't let this go on. "Okay, first of all," she said, sitting closer to him, "that isn't how you talk to your apprentice. You can't confess you have no idea what you're doing! Do you think anyone has any idea what they're doing when they first become a mentor? It's called faking it till you make it. I mean, you just made it too easy for me to undermine your authority! Look at me, I'm doing it right now!" Despite basically roasting him, she kept her voice low and her tone casual so their Clanmates wouldn't suspect anything was off. She was doing him a favor, really; if anyone else had heard everything he'd said, they'd probably go straight to Owlmind or Redstar and have her reassigned to someone else. "You shouldn't say you don't know what you're doing, just ask me questions instead. 'Briarpaw,'" she continued, taking on a deeper tone in imitation of Silverburr, "'tell me all you learned with Lynxfire. I'm going to assess you on the skills of a warrior to see what you need to work on.' See! That's what you should say. I can't believe I have to train you to be a mentor." She let out a purr of good humor, now taking a step back and seating herself again. "Now, to answer what you should have asked... I hunt really well, especially chasing down rabbits, and my tracking is so-so. I'm good at fighting too, Lynxfire taught me a lot of tricks to help me since I'm a bit smaller and quicker than others. I've been on patrols plenty lately, so I know the territory well, and Redstar taught me tunneling. I haven't been to a Gathering yet, though." Hopefully that gave him a good idea of how to proceed. She was kind of proud of herself for not taking the opportunity to mercilessly make fun of him, and considered that he was probably lucky he was going to be far more prepared for his next apprentice. "Maybe you can assess my hunting skills today?" she suggested.

tagged Fae Magic

814 words

NOTES: Lmfao! I kind of love their dynamic already. xD

[Fae Magic]

Silverburr's confession made him seem weak. it was obvious to anyone. Briarpaw had gone through a lot and apparently didn't care too much for his brutal honesty no matter how much he was coming from the heart. It made him seem less of a warrior then he actually was. But he didn't see honesty as a weakness and frankly he rather tell her straight up that he was not confident in training her. She hardly needed any training anyways but he didn't want to make himself look too bad then he already had. When she came to sit beside him and opened her jaws to reply he could tell that there was going to be something he didn't like coming from her and he was right. She was sassy and blunt an although her voice was soft she did not hide the fact that she didn't care for his words and called him out on his stupidity for making himself seem like a lesser warrior who wasn't worth the time of day let alone training her. Her words kind of stung but he understood where she was coming from. Even so, he couldn't help but feel a bit angry. 

"I understand that I came off to seem like i'm not a capable warrior in this clan. Honesty is not a weakness and I rather not pretend to be something that I am not. I have done that for far too long. If I think I am not able to do something I'll say it even if it's to you an apprentice. Besides, you have had the experience with another mentor and honesty you and I don't need to be here right now as you are nearly done with your training. I'm here to brush up on what still needs to be done and that's it. I'm just the ticket to your green light to become a warrior nothing less. That's the truth. If I come off to seem weak to you because what I said then so be it. I don't have to prove myself to you. I don't see the point in me having to train you when your almost done and me claiming that I'm not experienced with training others and that I don't see myself going to do a good job does not hide the fact that I did earn my warrior name for a reason. No matter how pathetic I seem to you facts are fact Briarpaw." he glared at her with a little more fire in his eyes like he used to have when he was the 'general' he was out to be before.

He listened to her listing off everything that she did and needed left to do and huffed standing up on his paws. He looked stiff and obviously still put off with her backlash of him. He should not care what this apprentice thought of him. He wouldn't be working with her for long. He gave her a stony look and gave her a firm nod once she finished. 

"Alright then, if that's the case lets go see how you're day Briarpaw." there was a bit of sarcasm in his tone as he mocked her the way she had been mocking him moments before. "The sooner we get done with this the better and the sooner I can get your bratty tail out of my fur." he gave her a look that clearly stated he didn't like what she said and her disrespect of him.

"When we get done and you become a warrior feel free to gloat and tell everyone how bad and weak of a mentor and warrior I am." he added under his breath as he flicked his tail sharply to signal them needing to go. 

He was probably acting like an immature brat but how could he not whenever he was dealing with his own crisis and then having to deal with a wreck of a she-cat that was thrown at him? They were very much different cats and there didn't seem to be a lick of respect between the two of them. It was going to be a long short training session if this was the way their relationship was going to turn out to be. She didn't respect him because she thought he was weak and stupid for plainly telling her how he felt on the situation at hand and he didn't like her mockery of him.

Katara
Note: Sorry I was feeling kind of angsy with his reply lol

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

A s much as Briarpaw sassed back at others, she was actually surprised when Silverburr's expression made its gradual change from sheepish to annoyed to something close to anger. Had she just unintentionally hit a nerve? I'm just the ticket to your green light to become a warrior, nothing less. That's the truth. If I come off to seem weak to you because of what I said then so be it. I don't have to prove myself to you. Apparently she had. Briarpaw blinked at him as he went on, seemingly reaffirming everything he'd already said, except in an angrier and slightly self-deprecating way, and it all just made her wince. She hadn't even been trying to make fun of him! What was his problem? "What is your problem?" she demanded, voicing exactly what was on her mind. "I was trying to help. You said you wanted to work together or whatever, and I wanted to help you act like a better mentor. For the record, I don't think you're pathetic," she retorted. "Don't put words in my mouth. Like you said, you're not used to doing this kind of thing, and it's your first go at it. I get it. I was just trying to help," she repeated, sullenly, and refused to apologize. She wasn't sorry for anything she'd said, especially when she'd actually had good intentions. Obviously, Silverburr wasn't used to dealing with her type of personality, and she wasn't used to having to listen to someone with his type of personality. Nonetheless, despite her instinct to make fun of others all the time, she didn't want an uncomfortable remainder of her apprenticeship, nor did she want a mentor who hated her, so she supposed they'd have to make this work somehow. His gaze was still like ice when she finished explaining what she'd done with Lynxfire, and she would've voiced her approval of the look if he hadn't already lashed out at her. So sensitive. Actually, you know what? She was going to do it anyway. "Now that's a good look on you," she complimented. "That stony look right there. That's the way you should look at a new apprentice, you'll scare them right into submission." She flicked her tail, her tone for once not sarcastic in the slightest. His was quite the opposite as he retorted, The sooner we get done with this the better and the sooner I can get your bratty tail out of my fur. "Hey," she protested. "I am not bratty." At that precise moment, she saw her father, Addertail, emerge from the warriors' den nearby and thought maybe he would have something to say about her 'brattiness'. "Okay, I'm a little bratty," she amended. "But I'm also a treasure, and you'll learn that soon enough." She padded past him, determined to show him the best parts of her personality now that he was apparently convinced he'd seen the worst parts. As she passed, she heard him mutter something but didn't quite catch it. "What was that?" she mewed, cocking her head. Well, if it was important, he'd have raised his voice. "I'm ready to chase rabbits!" she sang, weaving another half-circle around him before darting toward the camp exit.

tagged Fae Magic

574 words

NOTES: Not what Briar expected at all, but this should be interesting. xD

[Fae Magic]

Was she offended just as mu ch as he was? Did she have a right to just fly off the handle like that after his outburst making himself feel like a jerk all of a sudden just because she decided to back lash on him for speaking his mind? It was a two pointer there and honestly Silverburr didn't know how to react at first. Her original words seemed so harsh and judgementel in his ears but at the same time the look on her face seemed to give away that she didn't mean anything too harsh about that. The older warrior knew that his outburst and honesty was not something she was used to most likely. Lynxfire was not someone who had a personality like Silverburr so the complete opposites between the two mentors was probably not something Briarpaw knew how to handle. He figured she already lost the respect for him and he didn't know if he should be upset about it or not or just say he'll gain it back somehow. In all honesty, she didn't need that much training and because of that should he not care whether she respected him or not? Of course he should care, they would be working together eventually after she became a warrior so it was probably something that would make their relationship better as clan mates. 

The silver dappled tom stared at her a long while not knowing how to react as her moods seemed to switch back and forth from angry to seemingly not to care. He cleared his throat and shook his head as if trying to regain composure and his thoughts at the same time. He didn't have any wise words or comeback to say to her outburst on the matter of his own verbal vomit so he went along with her change of mood. He didn't know if there was anything to fix on the matter and figured it would be best to just let it go for the moment and focus on what they were paired up for to begin with. Standing to his paws he followed the pretty molly and tipped his head towards the entrance of camp.

"Yes lets go see how you do with that. You said your good with hunting and battle training." he mused to himself as he followed her prancing steps and looked up at the sky in thought looking at the positioning of the sun.

"The hunting patrol will be home soon; perhaps you can show me how well you do with hunting later on another time. You said tracking isn't your strongest point so we should focus on that. I can assess you on your tunneling and hunting later as you claim you are good at those. I want to focus on your weakest trait and build up from there." he offered. 

She was definitely a interesting character to deal with but she had been honest with him about how she was so he decided he should keep his own honest mouth shut and stop looking so weak. If she wanted him to act like a mentor then he won't hold back. He has no clue how to act like a mentor whatever that meant but he sure as heck knows how to order people around and take charge of missions. That's how he needs to look at it. With his usual keen and critical eye when it comes to his duties. That's what it all was; his duty to his clan. 

"Let's head to the training grounds and we can start from there. So you tell me tracking isn't your strongest point; what part of that do you have a hard time with grasping? Is it the scent issue, the hearing issue, or just in general not being able to be silent enough to track someone down with stealth?" he asked; he wasn't mocking more of trying to get a feel of what points of the whole tracking thing she was having a hard time on. 

"If you are good with hunting the tracking should be just as easy on you. Tracking is no different then hunting. You use tracking with your senses to hunt down prey right? That is no different when it comes tracking other things as well. If one sense is stronger then the others then you can use that as an advantage. There is no problem if you lack the ability to be able to use a certain sense over another. Just means you are more skilled at that one thing that you can use above someone else."

Katara

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

T hough Briarpaw didn't catch sight of his change in posture, she did hear his change in tone, and heard him clear his throat before he spoke, which she took as a good sign he was taking control of the situation. She half-turned to catch his words as he started rattling off his thoughts that sounded more like mentorly commands now, and she nodded approvingly. Finally! Now she could work with him. After this, all she'd have to do was try to keep herself from making fun of him too much in case she bruised his ego again. Her Clanmates' inability to take a joke or a sassy comment was forever going to be a great tragedy to her. I want to focus on your weakest trait and build up from there... Let's head to the training grounds and we can start from there. Briarpaw nodded, and swung back around to head out of camp ahead of him, waiting for him to catch up before falling into step slightly behind him, so he could take the lead from then on. "Sounds good," she mewed, liking this side of him much better. As a cat who knew herself quite well, she was aware she couldn't handle having a mentor that couldn't take command of her with ease. She was someone who craved attention and enjoyed playfully batting at other cats' authority, so anyone who was sensitive to those traits would never get along well with her. If Silverburr had a side of him that took control easily, she figured that was the side that would get along best with her. Sure, he'd still see catty, bratty Briarpaw pretty regularly, but she was more than willing to listen if he dared to command her. And he was finally daring to do so. So you tell me tracking isn't your strongest point; what part of that do you have a hard time with grasping? Is it the scent issue, the hearing issue, or just in general not being able to be silent enough to track someone down with stealth? Briarpaw tilted her head, mulling over his question for a moment as she tried to grasp her reasoning with why she couldn't track as well as she could hunt. "I think it's just... I lose focus a bit too easily," she admitted. "And scent trails can be difficult to follow. I can pick up a scent well enough, but following it is different. Prey can move about a lot, and if trails collide and the one I'm following is staler than another, I've lost it a lot of the time." She didn't like confessing this, but it was something she wanted to improve with, and on the off chance Silverburr had a few pointers, she could take a blow to her pride by admitting this to him. "Tracking is different than hunting," she insisted. "Hunting is when the prey is already right there, the scent is fresh and they're waiting to be caught. If I've not found it yet and I'm following a trail, it's totally different!" She paused as he went on, explaining that if one sense wasn't as good as the others, she could make up for it with her other senses. Why hadn't she thought of that before? She'd always been focused and frustrated by scent trails and losing them; maybe it was time for her to admit she just wasn't the best at deciphering scent trails, and focus on her other sense. "So... you're saying if I'm not that good at scenting prey, I should compensate with my good hearing and eyesight?" She'd always had keen hearing and eyes, always eagerly picking up details in her surroundings. "I've seen tracks in the mud before, but I thought paw tracks were unreliable compared to scent trails."

tagged Fae Magic

634 words

NOTES: <3

[Fae Magic]

He did not understand the feisty apprentice at all but at least they were getting somewhere. He didn't know what her game was but she seemed a bit more comfortable with getting down to business when he started focusing more on the training aspect of things. Okay, well maybe he could do this as long as he focused on training. He did well when he was focused. He wanted to focus on getting to know her but right now she needed to start training; not get bombarded by his sappy side that wanted to bond. He'd see a side of her soon enough to get a feel of what kind of partner she was. As they walked through the territory heading for the training grounds he tipped his head back slightly to look at her as she explained her issues with tracking. A raised brow was all she received as he was mulling over how to explain an idea he had to help her with it. First, though, they needed a scent to track down. 

"Actually, tracking and hunting down prey are rather similar. It's the intent behind what you are doing that makes you think that they are different. One is to find something whether cat or prey. The other is simply tracking down with the intent of killing it. But both can be paired together. It's how you go about thinking about it. If you are good at hunting, then reserve the process you go through to hunt and make it simply tracking by changing the intent. So, lets say you are hunting down a squirrel right? In you're mind's intent you are there to track it down and hunt it for food. That is no different then tracking something else down just taking the killing part out of the equation." he explained carefully. 

They arrived at the training area and he paused here before turning towards her and sat down with a focused and intent look on his face as he further explained. 

"Another good way of tracking something down is imagining it in your minds eyes. You are good at picking up scents right? You are familiar with all of them. Mice, squirrel, snake, bird, cats. Even the plants around here because it was something you grew up with. Just like cats. You grew up knowing their scents and in your mind you have a face to put to those names. Well, what if those faces and names that you put to the scents you know and turn them into colors? Like a color trail or paw prints in your thoughts. Get rid of the distraction of visuals and close your eyes. Pick out one scent that you'd like to focus on. Put a color to that scent and imagine it as a colorful trail line in your mind. Image the scenery that you are familiar with and picture yourself following that trail and then actually physically do it." he tipped his head at her. 

"Go ahead and try it. Close your eyes and pick out a live scent around you. But, instead just follow it; use your stealth practice that you've already learned and use that when you get close enough but don't make it as an intent to kill whatever you find. Think of it as a scouting mission. You are here to pick up their trail and catch up to them to watch them not to take them out." He instructed.

"I'll go over with you on that other subject in a minute; I'd like to see if we can't get you to focus on what it is you're searching for."

Katara

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

B riarpaw listened doubtfully as Silverburr explained how he approached thinking about hunting and tracking, that they were more similar than she was thinking. She didn't understand what her thought process had to do with anything, but instead of offering a sassy comment, she just sat down in front of him after he sat. They had arrived in the training area, and unexpectedly she felt an ache for her former mentor as she recalled the training sessions she'd once had with her here. For a moment, she could've sworn she caught her scent in the clearing, but she shook her head quickly. It wasn't possible; it was probably just an old scent, or more likely her mind playing cruel tricks on her. She hadn't expected to miss Lynxfire so suddenly. Her eyes clouded in the moments she reflected, and she curled her tail tightly around her paws and grounded herself to the present, on the sound of Silverburr's voice. He would be a good mentor. He had to be. Well, what if those faces and names that you put to the scents you know and turn them into colors? Briarpaw tilted her head, curiosity alight in her blue eyes now. Could that really work? She'd never heard of such a thing before, but if he was suggesting it, then maybe it was something he did himself. Intent and visualization weren't concepts Lynxfire would've ever taught her about; she was more of a paws-on sort of mentor, but that had been good for Briarpaw, who usually needed to do something herself before she fully understood. It had never occurred to her she still had things to learn about being a warrior in the mental aspect. Go ahead and try it. Close your eyes and pick out a live scent around you. The apprentice nodded, closing her eyes and inhaling, opening her jaws slightly to allow her senses to extend. She could smell the stale scents of other LightningClan cats that had been here training, but laid over that were fresher scents. A rabbit had definitely come through here, but it had been at least a few hours ago. The sharp tang of herbs nearby made her wrinkle her nose, and for a moment it distracted her. Her claws flexed into the earth, already frustrated by the overwhelming amount of scents, but she took a deep breath and tried to focus on one scent at a time. The stale-ish scents of her Clanmates could be gray. The rabbit was orange, but dull, because it was from awhile ago. The herbs were a bright, glaring green, she decided, and once she acknowledged that, it was easier to ignore them, because they were only in one place. Another scent was nearby, a field mouse - bright, sunshine yellow. Briarpaw sank into a half-crouch when she fixed her attention on it, keeping her eyes closed because it seemed to help her separate the colors she was visualizing. The bright green of the herbs faded behind her as she tracked the yellow scent, which she visualized as increasing in saturation as she moved across the clearing and into the tall grasses beyond. She kept her pawsteps light, knowing a mouse would sense her coming through the earth first, but was so focused on the yellow scent that she ran straight into a patch of spiny gorse. She recoiled, spitting, and hoped the mouse hadn't been nearby. "Ugh!" She opened her eyes, her focus on the scent fading as she looked around for Silverburr. "Why didn't you warn me?" she complained, her whiskers twitching. She wasn't annoyed; in fact, her eyes were alight with eagerness. "It's working! I think it works better for me when I keep my eyes closed, though." Maybe once she got better at visualizing scents, she'd be able to track them with more focus with her eyes open as well. She was glad she didn't live in the forest like TreeClan, with all their trees and wild undergrowth; only on the moors of her Clan's territory would she be able to get away with tracking anything with her eyes closed. Briarpaw closed her eyes again and moved around the patch of course, her focus sharpening once again on the yellow scent trail. Other scents came up along the way, but as long as she didn't visualize a color for them, she was able to easily ignore them. Finally, the scent was so strong she was sure she had to be breathing down the mouse's neck, and she opened her eyes to find it nibbling on something just a few fox-lengths away. She was downwind, thankfully, and peered around once again for Silverburr. "I did it!" she whispered once she spotted him, her tone hushed but excited. "So what am I doing if I'm not taking it out?" she murmured, waiting for his instruction.

tagged Fae Magic

825 words

NOTES: <3

[Fae Magic]

At least she was listening and using her brain. This training exercise wasn't about using the physical aspect of hunting and tracking but more of the mental state of mind. Something that Silverburr knew Lynxfire had not worked with Briarpaw. The apprentice's former mentor had always been a hands on type of mentor but Silverburr was one who liked helping others use their brain more then their physical strength to hunt, track, or fighting. Work smarter not harder was his motto and if Briarpaw could get the hand or at least the idea of what he was trying to portray maybe she'd be able to hone her skills a little more. As he sat back and watched the young apprentice close her eyes he could make out the many different expressions that crossed her features that made his whiskers twitch in amusement. But, she seemed to get a hold of the concept he was trying to explain to her as her face relaxed into a more focused look as she started moving with her eyes closed; tracking something. His ears had picked up the sound of the skittering feet and the scent of the mouse a little while before she had as she was first getting the hang of trying to distinguish what was what in her minds eye. He sat back watching as she began moving for where the mouse was hiding but ran smack dab into a thorn bush making him wince and give a sheepish look whenever she made a jab at him about not warning her. But he could see...she wasn't actually mad. She was excited which made him smile. He was glad he was able to help her and that she seemed to start getting the hang of his sort of training. He always did find it exciting when he got a hold of new knowledge and techniques that he'd never even learned about before. Even he learned knew tricks every once in awhile and he was far from being an apprentice. 

When she finally was nearly on top of the mouse she opened her eyes to look over her shoulder at him and ask what the heck she was supposed to do. Well, the lesson wasn't meant to become a hunting session; she was merely supposed to track whatever she was trying to find so he merely tipped his head down by him and gave a small smile. 

"We don't need to kill it; the excercis is merely to help you learn to track. Come back over here and I'll explain some more." he told her. His pale green eyes had a glint of excitement in them that showed how happy he actually was that she got the hang of it. 

Wrapping his tail around his paws and leaned down into a crouching position to be more level with her and looked at her. "Alright, now how did that feel? You mentioned you find it easier with you're eyes closed right? The only problem was the fact that you're eyes were closed and that you couldn't see the bushes in front of you. You did good with trying to catch a live scent. Lets try that same technique but this time focus on the vegetation." 

Katara

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

S ilverburr offered her a grin to show he approved of her work, and a small flash of pleasure went through her. He wasn't so bad after all, she just needed to quit comparing him to Lynxfire and quit trying to ridicule him for no reason in particular. All in all, he'd managed to teach her something new even after claiming he was her one-way ticket to becoming a full warrior and she had little else to learn. And he was one of the most sincere cats she'd ever met, which made her want to make fun of him, if only because she was disarmed to encounter someone so... genuinely decent. She twitched an ear in acknowledgement of his instruction, and without question turned away from the field mouse. Her own blue eyes brightened as she glimpsed a reflection of her own excitement in her new mentor's eyes; clearly he was as pleased as she was right now. "It was different," she said, flicking her tail. "I've never done anything like that before. I didn't love running into the gorse, that's for certain." Her eyes flashed playfully at him. "I thought it was easier for me to separate scents with my eyes closed, but I'm not sure that's practical." He seemed to agree, because his next instruction was to focus on vegetation. She shifted her paws, willing to learn now, but not fully understanding. "You mean... should I try to track vegetation now? Or like... assign a scent to it, like I did with the prey? I don't think gorse has a strong enough scent, does it?" Briarpaw wrinkled her nose, trying to recall what it might have smelled like the moment she ran into it, but could only recall the shock and prickle of its branches as she'd run into it. She opened her jaws to inhale the scents around her, closing her eyes to utilize her new 'trick'. She could smell the trail of the field mouse behind her, still strong since it scuffled in the area she'd just left, but other scents were gathered around too. A strong herb scent, and a couple other scents she preferred to label as 'green' because they were more undergrowth than other things. She couldn't put a name to any of them, but their locations felt strong enough. When she opened her eyes however, she glanced around and found she'd missed several other vegetative areas she'd missed because she was so used to their scents. "You should teach this trick to the medicine cats," she mewed, before frowning as another thing occurred to her. "We live and sleep near many of these scents, like the gorse. How do I assign a scent to something I'm so accustomed to? I hardly smell it anymore."

tagged Fae Magic

479 words

NOTES: <3

[Fae Magic]

She was improving and she was excited about his little trick. Maybe he wasn't so half bad after all huh? Honestly, Silverburr hadn't spent much time with the apprentices on a personal level and not many had really asked him to help train. No one really asked for his help he just gave it so not many knew of his little tricks on how to hone your instincts. A half grin crossed his features; perhaps she'd be his best yet. He listened to her words and the questions in her statement as she spoke and he tipped his head playfully. 

"Scents are scents pure and simple. Regardless of how you look at them; we aren't born with just one instinct. If one attribute doesn't work very well we go and hone the others that are best but good to never neglect the one that's not so strong. Put simply. It's the same uelogy as before when I mentioned putting the scents to faces. Trees and bushes have their own particular scent even if we are accustumed to them on a daily basis. The cats of the clans and you're friends are no different than the plant life. They are different and unique in their own way even if you are around them so often that their scent doesn't even register in your brain outside of something familiar you are aware of in your mind's eye." he said softly and looked at the trees and bushes and gorse around them.

"The tracking by color doesn't always work for certain things of course but it is very useful in many ways. Gorse does not have much of a scent; and even if we are aware of the scent so often we can discard it because it's unimportant. That's where your minds eye needs to come to focus on. There is also the echo location or third eye technique. This is a bit more advanced method though you are welcome to try it. Think of it this way. Depending on how familiar you are with the trails and woods we live in you don't have to have you're eyes open to navigate. When we have our eyes open we can easily be distracted by varies of  objects in the path and make our mind wonder from the task at hand." he added before squinting towards the gorse thoughtfully as he explained to the young molly.

"All life has matter and all life has a scent. A spirit. This excersise has worked for blind cats for generations. Even those who grew up with no sight from the beginning. You familiar yourself with the scents you grow up with but the only difference is you give that object a meaning. Don't consider it just a piece of bush that shelters you from the wind and rain but more of a life with a scent and spirit. When you close your eyes you have to focus on the scent that you know in your mind as gorse instead of just a backdrop. It would help often if you visualized what's in front of you without your eyes being open. Again it's a bit more advances depending on how familiar you are with the territory. Every clan has a landmark that makes that particular part of the territory unique to it's name. Go ahead and try it." he offered stepping back.

"Picture the gorse as the scent you are familiar with and put a picture to it when you put the picture to it then picture it where you saw it last when you ran into it." he didn't know if his instructions were clear enough and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry...it's a little difficult to explain, I don't train apprentices or anyone this way usually...they don't expect this sort of training out of the 'general'" he rolled his eyes at the nickname. 

At the mention of the medicine cats and training them he gave a awkward look and looked away from her. "Yeah well...I doubt they'd be willing to learn from a warrior with no experience in the herb department. Kind of weird...I wouldn't want to disrespect them like that....they got their own ways of finding stuff without the need of my technique.  I trained myself this way when I was in my apprentice age. Every spare moment I had off training duty was trying to find a new way to learn..to grow stronger...to have something unique that made me a better warrior so that people wouldn't make fun of me cause of my appearance...so I ended up with this technique and honestly you are the very first I've taught my hidden talent to so you should feel honored." he added with a joking smile.

Katara

[Katara]

BRIARPAW

SHE QUIETLY EXPECTED GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO HER, AND NO DOUBT THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID.

E cholocation? Hm... something about that sounded familiar, but Briarpaw couldn't quite remember where she might've heard it from. She was quite positive it wasn't from LightningClan, for some reason. The image in her memory was one from a Gathering, which meant she'd probably heard it from a cat in a different Clan. Try as she might though, she couldn't recall what it meant. The concept of 'third eye' wasn't helpful either, since she had no clue what that meant. Instead of opening her mouth to ask him right away, she kept her mouth shut - truly, a great feat for her. If it were any other cat, nothing would've stopped her from interrupting them and demanding what they'd meant, but she was forming some respect for Silverburr very quickly. He went on, articulating this new method, and she tilted her head at him, hanging on his every word. She had never considered the fact that blind cats seemed to get around just fine in areas they were familiar with. One of the elders had gone blind last season, but she'd had no problem finding her way to the nursery one morning when Briarpaw had been asked to change out the bedding. She couldn't help feel nothing but pity for the older cat, having no idea how someone would be able to get around without all their five senses intact. But if it was true that Briarpaw could track prey more easily with her eyes closed, then the same logic held when it came to navigating through any familiar area, just as Silverburr said. Her other senses would strengthen as soon as she removed sight as an option. When he suggested that she try it, she looked taken aback. "I don't know this part of the territory well, but... okay!" She was always up for a challenge. The young she-cat snuck a quick glance at her surroundings, committing them to memory, before closing her eyes and allowing herself to visualize what she had seen. She breathed in, letting the scents wash over her, and picturing the tall grass waving in the wind directly below her, and the gorse off to the side where she'd run into it. As she visualized them, their scents suddenly came to her; faint, but distinct nonetheless. It was as if her simply acknowledging their existence in her visualization made all the difference, and she was able to slowly detect the scents of everything around her. She walked forward a couple paces, picturing the way the ground sloped gently beneath her paws as she knew it would, and easily avoiding the gorse before she came near it. She stumbled a bit when her paw found a half-buried rabbit burrow that she hadn't seen, but when she opened her eyes, they were shining at her mentor again. "I think you explained it just fine!" she declared. Briarpaw trotted back to him, her tail high in the air with pleasure at the fact she'd learned something new today. "I don't think you'd be disrespecting them," she disagreed, but she wasn't exactly an expert in the department of respecting others, so maybe she wasn't one to talk. She listened curiously as he went on, explaining how he'd taught himself this method, how he'd trained to grow stronger so others wouldn't judge him. "Your appearance?" she questioned. She looked him over, trying to find something out of place, something she might tease him for, but found nothing. If anything, she was jealous of his silky, long spotted fur. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if any cat tells you you're anything other than handsome, then they're just a stupid furball." She flicked her tail dismissively, as if her opinion entirely settled the matter. She pricked her eyes, pleasure flowing through her as he informed her she was the first cat he'd ever taught his trick. "I usually say this sarcastically, but for once I'm being honest when I say I actually am honored," she beamed at him. She looked at him for a moment longer, feeling happier than she could remember being in a long time, and whipped around. "Anyway... how about a real challenge? First cat to catch a mouse wins!" she crowed, darting off through the tall grass, fully intending to use the skills he'd just taught her against him.

tagged Fae Magic

743 words

NOTES: Aaaand finished! <3