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Post by Fawn on Sept 22, 2020 19:42:28 GMT -5
Backdated to early Greenleaf, Year 7, at the start of Moonpaw's apprenticeship.Brackenstride if you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize It was weird being on the receiving end of an apprenticeship ceremony. Brackenstride could feel the weight of two sets of expectant eyes upon him as he touched noses with Moonpaw. The first was his father, obviously; Lionstar upon the Ancient Stump stood taller than anyone in the camp, and it was from this high position that Brackenstride felt the pressure to do well. It was no secret that Lionstar took apprenticeships very, very seriously; he was always going on about how young paws were the lifeblood and future of TreeClan, and must be nurtured appropriately.
The second set of eyes came from Moonpaw's father, Darkstone. An rough looking dark tabby with a damaged ear and a stern expression on his face, Brackenstride met his gaze unflinchingly. What? Don't think I'd do a good job? Darkstone's gaze did not waver, if anything the tom's eyes hardened, trying to read the intentions of Lionstar's only son.
Brackenstride shrugged off the pressurized stares, fixing his attention on Moonpaw and then jerking his head towards the camp entrance. "Let's get out of here. I'll show you the best places to hunt. We'll join a border patrol later or something." He didn't want to traipse through the woods essentially talking the whole time. There were some things that, if he were smart, Moonpaw would be able to pick up just based on observation.
Or identifying the right scents.
"Good luck, Moonpaw. I'm proud of you." Rumbled Darkstone, having stepped away from congratulating Graypaw to issue the same to Graypaw's littermate. Darkstone glanced at Brackenstride. "Take care of him."
"As long as he doesn't walk right into Demon's den covered in rabbits' blood, he'll be fine." Brackenstride snorted, and again gestured for the younger tom to follow. "Come on." 33 Moons TreeClan Tom
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INVENTORY
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Post by Lucense on Sept 22, 2020 21:38:21 GMT -5
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> HE | 6 MOONS <Moonpaw squinted at Brackenstride as his new mentor approached him, reluctantly touching noses. He had waited for this moment for so long, but now that it was finally here, for some reason, he wished it hadn't come so soon. He couldn't help but wish it had waited just a little longer. As much as he wanted to get out of the nursery, at the same time he didn't feel like he was ready for the outside world just yet. He refused to show this side of him in front of everyone so he put on a more serious face. Moonpaw didn't respond to his father's gesture; his eyes were fixated on Brackenstride, wanting to begin this faster so it ends faster. He wanted to find his spot in the apprentice's den so he could reassure himself he's no longer going to be watched so closely by his mother on every step he takes. That was his least favourite part about the nursery. Shrikesong would keep such a careful eye on him he felt like he'd never be free of it. But now he was, and that felt good. Finally I have at least some freedom, he thought to himself. Silently Moonpaw gave Brackenstride a sharp nod as the tom motioned toward the entrance of the camp. His ears perked up a little at the mention of Demon, but he didn't say anything and instead followed Brackenstride outside. His legs itched to run, to explore on his own, but he knew that he would have to obey his mentor. Just barely he managed to hold himself from running off into the woods, into unknown lands, and possibly run into danger. He couldn't defend himself yet, and for as long as he would be so defenseless, he would have to stick by other cats' sides for protection, as much as he hated it. Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Sept 26, 2020 21:53:22 GMT -5
Brackenstride if you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize Moonpaw wasn't much of a talker. Brackenstride expected to hear the young tom's voice piping up right about now, the two of them having covered a fair bit of ground. A short glance over his shoulder confirmed that Moonpaw wasn't just wide-eyed and gawking at everything; the apprentice seemed observant, but he also seemed... detached.
Great. I get to train a four-legged stick in the mud.
Maybe Moonpaw would surprise him, but Brackenstride already had his doubts. "The first landmark on our territory that you're gonna see is the Great Maple. The other way out of camp leads straight to the Sparkling Brook. You ever been?" Brackenstride didn't pay much attention to the youngest members of the Clan.
After leaving the nursery behind, he had no reason to look that way. He occasionally brought a piece of prey to the queens, but that was more routine than actual interest. He did know that sometimes queens to their kits to the sparkling brook for a brief stretch of the legs, and their first taste of water that didn't taste faintly of moss. 33 Moons TreeClan Tom 181 words Lucense quote by muhammad ali |
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Post by Lucense on Sept 28, 2020 17:52:47 GMT -5
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> HE | 6 MOONS <Moonpaw followed Brackenstride in silence, not really thinking of anything at that moment but rather taking in his surroundings. He knew knowing his surroundings and his territory would be very useful later on, so he focused on looking for things to help him identify where he was. A certain mark on a tree, a patch of ferns, anything he could use to help him orientate in his own home lands. When Brackenstride looked back at him at one point, he realised his mentor had noticed his silence. But Moonpaw couldn't help it. He didn't like speaking unnecessarily. Now if he was spoken to, then he would probably answer with more than a simple nod, as some questions just simply required slightly longer answers than that. One such question came pretty soon after. "Once," Moonpaw meowed shortly. "My mother wouldn't let me out long. Don't know why."Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 4, 2020 7:06:43 GMT -5
Brackenstride if you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize So he DOES speak! Brackenstride let his tail curl into lazy half circles as they walked. "Queens are protective of their kits. Before you were born, a NightClan patrol attacked us right in our camp." It was meant to be given as some light trivia, no more extraordinary than lightning hitting a tree.
But Brackenstride still felt his heart clench with untreated rage and disgust. "Always keep your eyes open. Last thing you want to be is the reason someone else gets hurt."
The last, poignant conversation he had with TreeClan's former deputy, Gorsetail, wrapped itself around his trapped emotions. Were they being insulated or smothered right out of him? He couldn't say.
Brackenstride's posture stiffened before he gave his pelt a good shake. "That's it up ahead. The Great Maple. It's so old and so massive the elders think the roots stretch all the way to camp." The sight of sunlight through thick green foliage pulled his thoughts out of a dark place. The tree was truly spectacular, and one of his best memories was climbing it with his mentor Feathercloud.
33 Moons TreeClan Tom 183 words Lucense quote by muhammad ali |
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INVENTORY
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Post by Lucense on Oct 4, 2020 8:14:16 GMT -5
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> HE | 6 MOONS <Moonpaw simply nodded as Brackenstride answered his question at least enough to shed a bit of light on why he was never let out more than once. He didn't entirely understand still why they had to be kept in even after the attack, but at least it made at least a little more sense in his mind. Moonpaw followed Brackenstride in silence to the Maple. When they reached the tree, Moonpaw had to step back a few steps to take a proper look. For once he was silent not by choice, but of amazement. "How did it grow to be so big?" Moonpaw asked, turning away from the tree for just a moment to look at his mentor before leaping forward and running to the tree trunk. Must have been here for longer that the Clans have been alive and living here, he thought to himself, padding up close to it and craning his neck to look up. Moonpaw looked at his mentor again. "So is this where we got our name from? This Maple?" he asked, now genuinely curious about how did the tree come to be here and what its' story was. He sat down for a little moment by it, not taking his gaze off Brackenstride for even a second. Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 7, 2020 20:08:50 GMT -5
Brackenstride if you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize To be fair to Moonpaw, when the tom did open his mouth, it was with a question that briefly stumped Brackenstride. Despite being the son of the Clan's leader, the subject of TreeClan's name never really came up. Brackenstride didn't care much for history; it didn't seem relevant to the present, though 'history' had a way of sneaking up behind him and ripping his claws out one by one. A slender golden tail snaked behind him thoughtfully.
"I don't think it was for the Great Maple, but the whole forest. Otherwise, we'd be MapleClan. Of all the Clans in the valley, we have the most forest on our territory - even NightClan." He couldn't confirm that about NightClan exactly, having never been too far into the enemy Clan's private lands, but did that matter? As far as he or anyone in TreeClan was concerned, the forest they called home was superior to their neighbors.
"My mentor, Feathercloud, taught me how to climb this tree and others like it." Brackenstride walked forward until his whiskers almost brushed against the smooth bark, and raised up, stretching out his front paws until he could sink his claws into the trunk. He drew his nails down, enjoying the sensation of resistance against his claws, scratching at the bark and releasing the faint scent of cut maplewood in the process. "Think that's something you can do, Moonpaw? I'll teach you if you want. Chasing prey through the trees is tough, I'm not gonna lie and say otherwise." said Brackenstride. There was a glint of challenge in his eyes as he faced the black and white tom, but it was clear the decision was up to Moonpaw all by himself.
It was risky, learning to find your balance, especially on thinner branches higher up. Obviously they weren't going to start Moonpaw's training on one of the most difficult tasks a TreeClan cat could perform. 33 Moons TreeClan Tom 315 words Lucense quote by muhammad ali |
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Post by Lucense on Oct 10, 2020 5:59:38 GMT -5
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> HE | 6 MOONS <Moonpaw nodded thoughtfully after he got his answer from Brackenstride. Makes sense, we aren't Mapleclan, we're Treeclan, after all, he thought to himself. The apprentice glanced at the tree again, but then his mentor spoke about climbing trees like it, making the tom turn back to his mentor. Moonpaw's ears perked up at the question of if he'd like to possibly learn to climb trees, and he turned his head back up at the tree and looked up, still listening to Brackenstride's words. It's high, but the view could be pretty from the top, he thought to himself, looking back down and to his mentor. "When do we start?" Moonpaw asked, his pale yellow eyes staring right at Brackenstride. He tried to hide the excitement of learning from his gaze, but some of it did slip on, reflecting in his eyes. Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 13, 2020 2:20:26 GMT -5
Brackenstride if you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize Brackenstride grinned. That's better. "Soon. We'll get the basics for hunting out of the way, then see how you do in some smaller baby trees so Lionstar doesn't have my hide if you fall out." Or Shrikesong or Darkstone. Both of Moonpaw's parents were steady, dependable warriors, but if they weren't out for blood the second he accidentally caused Moonpaw to get hurt, Brackenstride would eat his own whiskers out of shock. "For now, let's get this little tour of the territory out of the way. Pay attention, the sooner you memorize what everything smells like, the easier it gets. One of my sisters, Lilybreeze, is blind as an eyeless toad but she gets around fine." Visual markers were great and all, but any Clan cat worth their pelts knew how to detect things with their other senses; smell, hearing.
Lilybreeze's unblemished senses probably made up for the absence of sight. He hadn't really thought about it before now, but he remembered her struggles and her triumphs, how she'd been taken in under their father's wing to make sure she got the training she deserved.
With renewed incentive to finish this first step, Brackenstride waved Moonpaw after him as he walked off into the brush. This mentoring thing wasn't gonna be too bad. 33 Moons TreeClan Tom 209 words Lucense quote by muhammad ali OOC: Finished! <3 |
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