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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 24, 2009 10:46:58 GMT -5
Bubump... bubump... bubump...
Shallowpaw leaped forward, jumping in the air and driving his claws in between the raven's wings. He bit down on its neck and landed gracefully, his eyes glowing as he turned to his stone-faced mentor.
Lilypaw crouched for one second too long, and as she leaped with a frustrated squeak after the squirrel, she heard a deep rumbling laughter before her. She whirled around and pouted slightly.
"I'm sorry, Brokentail." She sighed.
"How was that, Stonesearch?" Shallowpaw asked. The large grey tom padded up to him and sniffed at the raven.
"That was a rather unclean kill. Do it again." The tom instructed. Shallowpaw sighed crossly and scented the air for more prey, aware of his mentor's infuriatingly calm expression as he watched. What does he expect me to do, call the birds here and tell them to die before my paws?
"That's alright, Lilypaw. You tried your best. Just remember to always watch where you're putting your paws, alright? That squirrel was a bit flighty. You have to remember what you're up against." He meowed, smiling at her. She smiled back.
"Ok! I'll get it right next time, Brokentail!" She meowed eagerly. All she wanted was to impress her mentor. She scented the air and stalked after a pigeon, which she managed to catch - barely.
"Well done, my apprentice! I am proud of your fast improvement." Brokentail purred.
Shallowpaw stalked after the mouse, his body low to the ground. He hesitated, and then leaped, catching and biting down on the mouse in almost a perfect catch. He turned and looked at his mentor, who was approaching with his tail raised and that stupid calm expression on his face.
"How was that?" Shallowpaw demanded. He can't possibly find fault in that kill! The apprentice watched as Stonesearch sniffed his kill and shook his head.
"Good, but not quick enough. Again." He instructed. Shallowpaw hissed softly but did as his mentor requested, feeling as if his fur were being rubbed the wrong way.
"Do you think I've improved that much, really?" Lilypaw asked, beaming.
"Oh yes. You are certainly talented." Brokentail meowed, smiling at her. She trotted along by his side, feeling pride and gratification bubbling up inside of her. He's impressed by me. He thinks I'm talented. She thought happily.
Badum... badum... badum...
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Post by Brambleclaw on May 24, 2009 12:42:14 GMT -5
Heart full of anticipation, Polarpaw flew like a bird through the sky. He landed softly on the ground, smiling as he looked over at Canyonfur. The tom had taken Polarpaw and his son Rootpaw out for some hunting practice, which was proving a great success. Polarpaw dropped the starling before his mentor, who smiled and nodded quietly. Polarpaw sighed, wondering how his dad was doing and whether or not his mentor might show up. He caught scent of a cat and smiled as he noticed Lilypaw.
"Hey sis." He said with a smile.
Rootpaw watched his dad with a sad smile. Even if Canyonfur was deaf, he was a great guy and very wise indeed. As his dad padded over to him with a dead mouse in his jaws, Rootpaw wondered if he might actually be able to mimic the clever moves of a hunter. The fiery golden tom scented the air, and eventually caught the whiff of a vole. Stalking close to the ground, he leaped but fell short. Luckily for him, his father wasn't one to get mad. He only brought critique that was helpful, not hurtful. Rootpaw nodded and scented the air for prey again.
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 24, 2009 15:52:05 GMT -5
Lilypaw turned and blinked, then smiled widely at her brother.
"Hey, Polarpaw!" She chirped happily, bouncing over.
"I caught a pigeon!" She purred. Brokentail followed at a more serene pace, lashing his tail and grinning.
"Yes, she's quite the hunter." he purred.
Shallowpaw sighed crossly as Stonesearch critiqued him once more.
"Can't I ever do anything right for you?" He demanded. Stonesearch looked at him and then smiled - for the first time that day - down at his apprentice.
"You do everything very well, Shallowpaw. I see the makings of an excellent warrior, and you learn quickly, but you'll never be the best warrior you can be if you settle for 'good'. You must keep pushing yourself to be even better, every time. Perfect is something you simply cannot reach, so you must continue to strive for it." Stonesearch meowed. Shallowpaw blinked. Wow, that makes sense... He thought, bewildered by the depth of knowledge his mentor had. A new respect filled Shallowpaw's chest towards the dark grey tom.
"Ok, then what now?" He asked eagerly. Stonesearch smiled.
"Let's work on mice some more. You need to use more stealth, my apprentice." he meowed, ruffling Shallowpaw's head-fur with a paw. Shallowpaw sneezed softly with laughter and then trotted after his mentor. I guess he's not such a bad guy after all.
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Post by Brambleclaw on May 24, 2009 18:12:03 GMT -5
"Looks like." Polarpaw said with a grin, looking around. The others were crazy not to be out on such a nice day. Oh well. He sighed, but smiled at his sister's catch. She would be an excellent warrior one day.
"You are very good." He added.
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 24, 2009 18:46:10 GMT -5
Lilypaw smiled.
"You, too! It's so awesome being an apprentice!" She exclaimed. Brokentail smiled at her and she smiled back at him. He was so nice to her. She liked it. He nodded and turned to the forest.
"I'll go do some hunting. Catch up when you're ready." He meowed. Lilypaw's smile faded slightly as he left. But... I wanted you to stay. She thought, sighing. She turned back to her brother and smiled.
"So how are things as an apprentice for you?" She asked.
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Post by Brambleclaw on May 24, 2009 18:51:18 GMT -5
"Good enough without all the stares I get. I was not being disloyal!" He yelled the last sentence as if talking to some mysterious cat who didn't trust him. He saw Rootpaw in the distance hunting, but said nothing.
"You seen Midnightsun?" He asked with a frown and a sigh. He had yet to actually train with his own mentor, always being taught by Canyonfur. Did Midnightsun not trust him either?
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 24, 2009 20:00:39 GMT -5
Lilypaw thought for a moment and then nodded slightly.
"Yeah, he's been looking around for that kit of Mistrose's still. They're good friends. I think he feels he failed her. Poor guy." She mewed sympathetically. She blinked.
"So he hasn't trained you yet? You should ask him about it. I can tell he's not neglecting you on purpose. He's probably just somewhat forgetful." She laughed.
Shallowpaw leaped on the mouse and once again delivered the death blow. He turned to Stonesearch and frowned.
"I think I could have made a cleaner cut." He meowed thoughtfully, studying the marks from his claws and teeth in his prey. Stonesearch approached and studied it and then shook his head.
"Nope. This was the best kill you've made today. Good work, apprentice. You can be done for today, unless you want to care for the elders to pass the time." Shallowpaw nodded. He liked being around the elders. They could share so much wisdom. He dipped his head.
"Thank you, Stonesearch." He meowed.
"Yep. Make sure to round up the other prey you caught." His mentor instructed. Shallowpaw nodded and raced away to do as the tom had asked.
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Post by Brambleclaw on May 24, 2009 22:29:20 GMT -5
"Tried. Can't seem to find him." Polarpaw said with a shake of his head. "Do you think he still loves Mistrose? I bet that's why he keeps looking." He inquired, wondering if it were true. Canyonfur would tan his hide and beat him out of ShadowClan if he ever found out, he was strangely protective of his mate. Of course, Polarpaw had never been sure why. But he figured it was like how he was protective over Dogpaw. Because they were related, maybe because they seemed at a loss because of something. Polarpaw shrugged but remembered to question his mentor on it later.
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 25, 2009 9:40:53 GMT -5
Lilypaw shrugged.
"I don't know if he ever did love her. Maybe. They seemed more like friends though. She was pregnant when they met, after all," Lilypaw meowed, wrinkling her nose. That reminded her of Mistrose's kits. Rootpaw and Shallowpaw were the only ones left. The third had gone missing - and apparently Midnightsun was searching for it. She wondered where Necktarkit could have gone...
"It's too bad that she'll never be an apprentice, like her brothers."{/b] Lilypaw murmured. She turned at the sound of a snapped twig and saw Shallowpaw, of all cats, carrying a heavy load of prey in his mouth. He looked at her and then raised his tail in greeting. She nodded to him.
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Post by Brambleclaw on May 25, 2009 20:07:19 GMT -5
"Well, I bet they'll find her soon. She was a newborn so where could she wander? I think someone took her and gave her a good life." Polarpaw said, waving his tail in greeting at Shallowpaw. The apprentice was probably doing wonderfully without his sister. Both boys were. They'd never known her, though, so they probably didn't care much anyway.
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 25, 2009 21:06:35 GMT -5
Shallowpaw watched the two siblings for a moment and then turned away, just as Lilypaw said;
"I hope you're right!" He padded forward with his mouth full of prey. His thoughts wandered towards Necktarkit, the sister he knew only in dreams and faint memories. I wonder where she is now...? He thought, sighing through his prey. He padded into the camp and saw Midnightsun looking in the Apprentice's den. Shallowpaw dumped his prey on the pile and raced over.
"Who're you looking for?" He asked. Midnightsun turned and looked down at him.
"Polarpaw. He's not here, though, it would seem. I was going to take him battle training but I guess he went off somewhere." Midnightsun meowed worriedly.
"He's out hunting with Canyonfur and Rootpaw." Shalloepaw informed the mentor. Midnightsun didn't seem surprised.
"Oh. Um... Ok. I guess..." He sighed and walked away without saying anything more. So he searches all morning and then hurries back to find his apprentice has already left without him. Tragic. Shallowpaw thought.
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Post by Brambleclaw on May 26, 2009 19:41:05 GMT -5
Polarpaw sighed and shook his head.
"Wonder if Midnightsun gave up yet. Best go check." He said with another sigh as he hurried off to find the camp. Obviously his mentor cared little about him, because otherwise he may want to spend quality time hunting or battle training or lecturing. All that sounded nice if it were not from a translator and a deaf tom, but from a real mentor who cared. Frankly, Polarpaw wondered if his mentor even did.
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 26, 2009 19:54:21 GMT -5
Midnightsun sat miserably beside the Warriors den as Mistrose squeezed out.
"You don't have to torture yourself." She told him. He looked at her and then sighed.
"Yeah, but I feel guilty. And now I'm failing my apprentice, too. I'm just a failure as a warrior all around, aren't I?" he sighed.
"No, you're just trying to be too great a warrior. You need to relax every once in awhile. Necktarkit... she's gone, Midnightsun. You just have to face that fact. I hope she's out there having a great life somewhere, but I know that I'll never see her again. All I have is hope." She meowed, smiling a little sadly. Midnightsun looked at her and then sighed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right..." He murmured.
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Post by Brambleclaw on May 27, 2009 18:30:19 GMT -5
Polarpaw padded into the camp with his tail smoothed by a gentle breeze. He spotted Midnightsun sulking near the Nursery, having a chat with Mistrose.
"Can we please train?" He asked as he sat down next to his mentor with a frustrated inward sigh. He just wanted to have some quality time with the cat who was supposed to train him.
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 27, 2009 18:59:49 GMT -5
Midnightsun saw Polarpaw and stood. He nodded to Mistrose and waited for him. When he started complaining, Midnightsun sighed. He supposed his apprentice had a right to be frustrated with him.
"Well, since I've been waiting for quite some time that'd probably be best. Are you sure you're not too tired to train?" He asked, trying not to sound irritable. He'd been sitting there waiting, searching, asking other cats if they had any idea where his apprentice had run off to. It was embarrassing.
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Post by Spottedleaf ~Dapps on May 30, 2009 11:39:39 GMT -5
"I have barely done anything." He said in a monotone voice, trying not to portray his frustration. He'd only been out for a short spell and his mentor thought he was too weak to do anything. He remembered at the meeting, his mentor thinking that ThunderClan keeping the kits was an outrage. Yet he hadn't helped. Polarpaw had, though, and he was a better cat for it. But no, Midnightsun was just another ShadowClanner who looked down on his father. At least Coilsnake had done something. He was no bump on a log. Polarpaw tried not to hiss with frustration.
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on May 31, 2009 9:38:06 GMT -5
OOC: Yeah except he wouldn't do anything without Articstar's permission. lol.
BIC: Midnightsun looked down at the apprentice and wondered at how grouchy he was. I guess I must be dissapointing him. Oh well, he should learn that life's not all daisies and sunshine. The tom thought, flicking his tail.
"Shallowpaw informed me you went out on a hunt. I'm glad you didn't use up all your energy, because today we're going out for battle practice." He meowed, motioning for Polarpaw to follow him out of camp. He was getting somewhat irritated by his apprentice, but he hid the emotion. No cat ever tried to understand why Midnightsun felt responsible for Necktarkit's dissapearance. After all, he'd been looking after them when Mistrose went to find her mate. Midnightsun remembered how Articstar had not wanted to rescue her mate's other kits... It had pained him to think of any kit being abandoned, left to suffer... it reminded him of Necktarkit. But what was he supposed to do? At least they were safe. He tried not to be angry with his leader. All he had wanted was to help, but she had said no, so what could he do? Nothing.
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Post by Spottedleaf ~Dapps on Jun 2, 2009 12:46:31 GMT -5
[]
Polarpaw merely nodded and followed his mentor. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all. Battle Training was okay, and Polarpaw knew that it would save his life if another Clan attacked. He had a fierce personality and enjoyed fighting, o this would be his favorite part of apprentice training. He wondered excitedly what he'd learn first.
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Post by .:-Aikoa-:. on Jun 2, 2009 15:27:20 GMT -5
Midnightsun led his apprentice through the territory and down into a small alcove where the ground was soft and not as damp as the rest of the territory. He turned and looked his apprentice up and down, then nodded slightly.
"Alright then. Let's start with a few basic ideas. What is your number one objective when battling against another cat?" She asked evenly.
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Post by Spottedleaf ~Dapps on Jun 2, 2009 16:01:24 GMT -5
Polarpaw nodded.
"Winning, isn't it? Defeating the enemy, but not killing them unless need be." Polarpaw remembered Icefire, and how horrid that must have been. He could hardly believe any cat was dark enough to destroy an old Clanmate.
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