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Post by Thorn on Mar 28, 2012 18:19:10 GMT -5
Skystar stretched out his limbs as he padded towards the apprentice den. Ever since the ceremony and seeing his kits apprentices made him slightly better. He was able to take some stress away from STormwind. He would have to organize a search patrol at some point. However the question was when. With no medicine cat the clan had to be careful. The tom blinked before pushing his nose through the small den. The tom nosed the she-cat shoving her roughly in a playful manner."Get up sleepy head you should be honored to have the leader mentor you ya know?" he had a look of amusement in his blue-green eyes as he pulled himself out.
He circled around before standing still near the camp entrance. His tail waved back and forth and his eyes narrowed against the bright rays of light shining down on his darker gray fur."Are you ready Timberpaw?"
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Post by Reed on Apr 6, 2012 19:27:42 GMT -5
Timberpaw had had trouble sleeping the night before excited at the prospect of being out training after moons of waiting. When she finally did get to sleep, she was rewarded with dreams of hunting and bringing back impressively-sized squirrels for her clan. Her dream self was just about to catch yet another piece of fresh-hill when something shoved against her and the world went black.
The she-cat jumped, startled, and then realized where she was and what time it was. Her mentor was in front of her - he had said something to the effect of get up and being honored to have the leader as mentor, though she didn't catch the exact wording.
"I am honored..." Her speech was slightly slurred, as the tendrils of sleep were still slowly pulling away from her consciousness. She yawned and followed her mentor, shaking to clear the last bit of fogginess from her brain and looking up at her mentor, purring at his question. "Of course! I've been waiting for this."
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Post by Thorn on Apr 8, 2012 21:08:37 GMT -5
The gray tom nodded at the she-cats response. Good. She was ready, or so she thought. The tom had a lot planned for her today. Leaders tended to be more strict with their apprentices because they wanted them to be the best warriors ever. Constructive critisim was good, but being down right rude and overbearing was not the way to make a cat a warrior. the gray tom grabbed a large thrush and dropped it at the she-cats paws. He nudged it towards her offering it to her."I caught this before the sun rose. It's fresh. It's a gift. We will be out until Sundown for sure. I have a lot I want to cover today. we will stop and eat again around Sunhigh. I figured we could work on hunting first so that you may catch your own prey for your next meal....I want to have you on regular patrols and what not." skystar mewed looking at the she-cat.
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Post by Reed on Apr 9, 2012 3:58:27 GMT -5
He nodded at her and then grabbed a thrush. She watched him, wondering what he was doing. Were they allowed to have fresh kill before they did anything? The usual rule was to feed the clan first and then eat. Maybe it was a special case thing, like how apprentices were sometimes rewarded with having the first pick from the fresh kill pile.
He then dropped it at her paws and nudged it toward her. She sniffed it as she listened to her mentor. He had caught it for her? Was it really okay for her to have it and not a queen or elder? But then he continued his explanation, saying they'd be out all day, and she understood. Of course he'd want her to have a big breakfast with those plans. She'd need her energy so she could keep up.
She purred in thanks and took a big bite of the thrush. It tasted wonderful, and she still felt a little guilty for taking it when there were cats in the camp that surely deserved it more.
It just means I have to catch something equally impressive for them when I come back.
"I can't wait! I've always wanted to learn hunting moves, and I want to start doing my part to help the clan." She blinked at him before taking another big bite. "You're eating too, aren't you?"
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Post by Thorn on Apr 9, 2012 9:23:10 GMT -5
Skystar watched her hesistate at first but nodded when she took her first bite."I ate after I brought prey from my patrol to the queens and elders. the tom mewed. He watched her carefully before twitching his whiskers and looking at the entrance. His reign as a leader has been a short one, he had many events that took place and had even lost a life. Those foxes were deadly. Should he have saved a WindClan cat fighting a fox alone to risk his own life? Starclan more than likely would have punished him if he didn't. What angered him about losing one life was the lack of thanks he received. He snorted before looking at Timberpaw again."After hunting I will probably show you the territory....teach you about the other clans and do a little bit of battle training. Tomorrow you will have a day off but be weary of apprentice duties.."
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Post by Reed on Apr 9, 2012 12:13:10 GMT -5
Timberpaw ate faster as he explained that he already ate. As long as he wasn't going hungry for her sake and other prey was brought for the rest of the clan, she didn't feel bad taking food from the clan. She would make it up to them later tonight, she was certain.
She listened as he explained the day's activities, purring and coughing a little as a feather tried to go down the wrong way. Once she recovered, she spoke. "It sounds like a good day! I get to learn everything!" Well, maybe not everything, but certainly the basics of everything. She didn't know it was possible, but she was more excited now than she was before.
She finished the last few bites of the thrush and licked the remnants off her mouth. "Changing bedding and checking the elders for ticks, right? Oh, and bringing food to the elders, queens, and kits. Forgot that one for a moment. I can do that easily."
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Post by Thorn on Apr 9, 2012 12:31:00 GMT -5
"And meding any broken walls in the camp, and helping out Frostbite by finding herbs if she needs it since she doesn't have an apprentice. Skystar added. When she saw the she-cat had finished he flicked his tail and padded out of the camp. The weather was warmer and he was grateful. THe clan's weren't fighting yet and they could live clan life without having to worry about defending their territory.
Skystar parted his jaws and pulled in all the scents around him. He wrinkled his nose at some of the surrounding clan territories but that was to be expexted to say the least."What do you smell Timberpaw?"
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Post by Reed on Apr 10, 2012 10:33:59 GMT -5
"She needs one," Timberpaw responded when Skystar mentioned Frostbite not having an apprentice. "I don't mind helping her or anything like that, of course, but what if she gets sick or something? Then who'll heal her? Or the rest of us? A clan's stronger when there's two cats with a superior knowledge of StarClan and herbs."
He flicked his tail and padded out of camp, and she was only a couple steps behind him. As they passed through the barrier, she looked around, enjoying the day. Perfect weather for learning things she had absolutely no training for yet.
When her mentor asked what she smelled, she tasted the air. "Umm...mouse, I think, it's a little far. And - ew - dirtplace. I think I smell some herbs...oh, and there's a squirrel!"
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Post by Thorn on Apr 10, 2012 14:31:37 GMT -5
"One can't force a medicine cat to take on an apprentice Timberpaw. They choose when they are ready. Just like I choose warriors to mentor apprentices when they are ready, or they come to me. Things take time forcing the matter won't do any good." The tom mewed as he continued forward. He sat down in the center of the clearing and nodded when she repeated things that she scented. So she had a good sense for prey but clearly didn't pick up the other clans. That would be something he would have to go over.
"the herbs you smell are probably Catmint. We tend to have a nose for them. THey help with green cough and white cough. You will have a small training session with Frostbite as well since most warriors should have a general knowledge of medicine. You are right there is a squirrel near by which you will be catching I hope. You missed two important things however. You taste the air you may catch a musty smell. Those are ShadowClan cats. The other smell is rather dusty and has the scent of tall grass, that is WindClan. You will come to recognize them soon."
Skystar then went into a hunters crouch. He was balanced perfectly. His tail was low and he was lower to the ground. He took a few steps rapidly forward not even crunching twigs as he grazed over them. He leaned up again and flicked his tail for Timberpaw to try." With that stance you will be able to catch mice, shrews, and squirrels. We will go over birds and rabbits another day." he mewed.
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Post by Reed on Apr 11, 2012 6:27:10 GMT -5
"I know that," she responded when her mentor spoke. "But it is a little worrying when the health of the entire clan is dependent on a single cat. I would think two or three medicine cats would be good for a clan, but I can see why you want as many cats to be warriors as possible too, so I don't know. I guess the clans wouldn't have survived this long if one wasn't sufficient, huh?"
She listened as he explained about the scents and what they were, confirming that there was a squirrel nearby and stating that she would be catching it. She hoped she could. A squirrel was a very impressive piece of prey and would at least partly make up for the thrush she had eaten. IF she could catch two, though...but she would find what she would find.
He then demonstrated the hunters crouch. She watched closely, trying to memorize the position so she could imitate it. She dropped down, trying to keep her tail low and straight and her body close to the ground without actually laying down. She crept forward as he had done, her long fur brushing the ground as she went. "Like this?"
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Post by Thorn on Apr 11, 2012 11:36:47 GMT -5
Skystar watched as the she-cat mimicked his movement. It was nearly perfect. So Timberpaw would have a knack for hunting. Skystar was rather impressed. He raised a brow however when the she-cats fur brushed against the forest floor. He shook his head back and forth and made a tsk tsk tsk sound with his tongue."Close but not quite." He mewed. "You had it nearly perfect. Just don't let your fur touch the ground you will alert the prey." he mewed."That being said why not go try to catch something. I will wait here. If a squirrel goes up a tree, don't go after it. I haven't taught you how to hunt in the trees and I don't want you to get hurt. Just stick to the ground. Good luck." he mewed. With a flick of his gray tail he dismissed the she-cat.
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Post by Reed on Apr 12, 2012 9:18:42 GMT -5
Timberpaw thought she had done a good job, so she was a bit disappointed with Skystar's reaction. When he told her what she had done wrong, she looked back and noticed her fur. Right...it was rather long, so she would have to keep a bit higher off the ground than some cats.
Her tail flicked in annoyance at herself and she tried again, looking back to make sure fur tips were just barely off the ground before creeping forward once again. her movements were quieter this time around, so she stalked off to do the task Skystar had asked of her. She headed in the direction of the squirrel she had smelled earlier. Why track another piece of prey when she knew where this one was?
The squirrel was digging around in the undergrowth, but she could see it from its movements and from the tip of its tail, which was poking out of the bracken. She crept toward it slowly, attempting to keep her movements as quiet as possible...
...and then stumbled while trying to avoid a twig in her path.
Mouse dung! The squirrel heard her and headed for the nearest tree. She pounced and managed to knock it off the tree as she came down. She had it pinned for a moment, but with a terrified squeal it wriggled free of her grasp. Another pounce and she had it by the tail with one paw. Before it could escape, she pinned it with her other paw and killed it with a quick, hard bite.
Timberpaw stood a moment, panting from the exertion. It was a clumsy kill, and a very near miss, and she had caused the squirrel a lot of pain and torment in the catching. Would Skystar be mad at her?
Well, clumsy or not, we do need to eat, and it's not like I intended to fumble that much...
She grabbed the squirrel by its tail and padded back to her mentor, dropping it at his feet. "I think I need to work on not being clumsy," she stated, sure he had heard the struggle to catch her prey. Maybe if she admitted to her mistake, he wouldn't be as disappointed in her.
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Post by Thorn on Apr 12, 2012 19:25:01 GMT -5
Skystar watched her and couldn't help but grin when she caught the squirrel.. He remembered when he caught his first piece of prey. It was worce than that. He ended up crossing boarders nad it was a huge hole. He had to apologize to Rowanstar for that one. Skystar shook his head back and forth and stood up instead of sitting down lsitening and watching."Bury it we can come back for it." The tom mewed.
He waited before flicking his tail against the she-cats flank."Yes the catch could have been better but its best to point out the good things. Putting down an apprentice is not what I want to do. For starters you did better than me when I caught my first piece of prey. I crossed into ShadowClan territory and started a boarder fight. I wasn't even trained to fight! Boy did I learn fast..." the tom mewed with a hint of amusement in his tone.
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Post by Reed on Apr 13, 2012 7:41:25 GMT -5
Her fears were unfounded. Skystar agreed that the catch could have been better, but he wasn't angry with her. Instead, he shared the story of his first catch and how it had gotten him in trouble with ShadowClan. She tried not to laugh at that. To think someone as great as their leader could have made such a mistake...but she supposed it was common enough. She'd heard tales of other apprentices and even warriors who had done the same thing.
"I guess we all make mistakes when we're learning, huh?" She buried the squirrel near an oddly-shaped stone, where she knew she'd easily find it again. "I'll do better with the next one! I'll bring back enough fresh-kill to feed the entire clan!" Well, maybe not, but it'd be nice to catch so much...
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Post by Thorn on Apr 15, 2012 7:51:54 GMT -5
Skystar purred. He loved that his apprentice was so eager to learn. However he didn't want to praise her for all the good things she had done today only because he didn't want it to go to her head. He dipped his head at her words and flicked his gray tail for her to follow. He supposed he could show her the territory and hunt at the same time. He padded towards WindClan's boarder and sighed. He and Nightstar were not the closest bunch of cats. They would quarrel more than talk peacefully.
"Take in the scents here Timberpaw and remember it. This is WindClans boarder. Windclan is lead by Nighstar who is a large black tom is deputy is Pinespot, a brown tabby tom. Both are noble cats, but will do anything to be able to test their claws." He waited a few moments before padding upward to where the abandoned two-legs nest was. He parted his jaws and snorted. Summer and Church were still lurking around.
"This is the abandoned two-legs nest Timberpaw." Skystar mewed. His blue green eyes didn't even want to look at it. However he knew Timberpaw diserved to know about this place and that's the only reason why he parted his jaws to speak to her."Rowansky, when he was an apprentice, found my best friends body in there, He was a noble deputy that would never be forgotten. His name was Tigerflight. You weren't born when he was a deputy. That's how long I've been a leader you also weren't born when Crimsonstar got chased out. He didn't have a deputy but StarClan chose me to lead. I picked Stormwind as my deputy at the time. When I picked Stormwind I believe you were just a kit. We also, found Stormwinds body here. They were murdered.....by what I don't know. But it was moons ago....so what ever it was isn't around anymore." Skystar mewed.
He paused just looking at the building. He wanted to go inside. What if whatever killed them was living there. He unsheathed his claws knowing he had more than one life to lose. However, it would be a foolish move since the claw marks on their bodies showed that they didn't even have a chance.
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