[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Time and again boys are raised to be men There was a strong sense of apprehension as Birchspots led Skypaw through the long, tufted grasses. The golden stalks swayed around them in the wind, softly rustled by the Leaf-fall breeze. His silver pelt stood out much stronger than the dusky brown coat of his apprentice, but that mattered little. Today wasn't about hunting. Today was a lesson in something Birchspots despised with all his heart but understood was apart of the life of a Clan cat. You couldn't run from it any more than you could run from the need to slaughter prey or breathe air. He trotted down the hill towards the trampled clearing. Like most things on LightningClan territory, you could see it before you were near it, the small dip in the land where the grass was shorter than its surrounding plains. The small warrior emerged into the clearing, his golden eyes taking in his surroundings. As always, he was alert for trouble, tasting the air carefully to check for the presence of a terrible predator. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if harm befell Skypaw, and he feared that his confident student would rather stand and fight a threat than run back to camp. He refused to allow any more cats he cared about trot into Silverpelt far before their time. He sat down in the middle of the clearing, tail tucked over delicate paws, whiskers twitching. "The most important thing I want to teach you about fighting," He began, twitching an ear. "Is how to know when a fight is necessary and how to avoid one if it's not." He smiled, knowing that this probably wasn't what Skypaw expected. "I know that's not the most exciting thing to hear, but too many warriors..." A particular oriental black molly sprang to mind. "... leap to the conclusion that anything can be solved with claws and teeth. Sometimes, you need to use your brain, too." Unsheathing his claws, Birchspots scored a line along the ground, his claw-marks leaving a clear border. "This is going to be our scent boundary." Birchspots nodded to the line. Then, he confidently stepped across it, forcing himself to appear tense but wary. "If I'm an enemy warrior that's just stepped over the boundary, what do you think I should do?" Impatient they start and fearful they end words: 379 / tags: Hellion BIRCHSPOTS