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Post by maddy ★ on Nov 18, 2011 21:08:21 GMT -5
s h a d e s t a r
Shadestar had already been wide awake for three hours when the first warriors began peeking out of their dens. He had already gone to fish on his own and caught a couple of minnows in the reed bed just inside camp for himself. His tail swished back and forth with anticipation as everyone else woke up. Despite being tough on the outside, he was still excited every new morning looking for a fresh start. He loved seeing cats go out on patrols and watching the fresh-kill pile rise throughout today. He loved the order and organization of a Clan.
But today was even more exciting for him. He had just taken on a new apprentice yesterday. He gave the young cat a night of rest and to meet his denmates before taking him on a tour. Shadestar impatiently waited to show Kestrelpaw the territory he loved so much and would die to protect. He wanted to raise the apprentice to love it just as much as he did. Although he had heard rumors about the kit's fear of water, Shadestar dismissed it. Kestrelpaw's apprentice ceremony had been very sudden, he hadn't even told the kit that his leader was to mentor him. But Shadestar took a fancy to the young cat.
Eyes locked on the entrance of the apprentice's den waiting for the tom to exit, Shadestar ignored the passing warriors greeting him. Feeling agitated, he got up and paced around camp completely oblivious to the worried stares being cast towards him. He wondered if he was already too overbearing of the tom the first day of training but realized it didn't matter. Why wasn't he out of his den yet? The leader decided this was worthy of a long lecture. If the kid has any hope to become a warrior in my clan, he has to act like one! Shadestar justified his strict thinking.
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Post by hannah on Nov 18, 2011 21:29:38 GMT -5
kestrelpaw ;[/font]
Kestrelpaw spent most of the previous day in sheer excitement. He had just been made into an apprentice. For the moons leading up to his ceremony, he worried over who would be his mentor. Nothing prepared him for the news he had received: Shadestar, RiverClan's mighty leader, would be his mentor. He could have died then and there.
Any other kit would have been over the moon. They would have felt honored.
Kestrelpaw felt condemned. He was convinced he would screw it up. To add to his fears, he felt pressured to succeed in the eyes of the Clan. He couldn't fail his leader. Not when he was his apprentice.
He told himself to get a good night's sleep, and he did.
When he awoke to the sunlight streaming into the apprentice's den, he knew he was in trouble.
My first day and I'm already late, he sighed, oh well. Shadestar can wait. He wasn't much for rules. Be ready at sunrise? Sunrise for him was when the sun was up. If the sun had risen into the sky, he considered it sunrise. He wasn't late. No, Shadestar was simply early.
He skittered out of the apprentice's den and into the sunlight, yawning in the morning sun. His amber eyes glinted happily.
His mood changed when he saw Shadestar across the camp clearing, tail flicking impatiently. Kestrelpaw cast a longing glance towards the fresh-kill pile, but knew that would be the wrong move.
He padded over to Shadestar, his head bowed in greeting. When he raised his head, his eyes shone brightly.
"Good morning, Shadestar!" he chirped, "are we ready? What are we going to do?"
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Post by maddy ★ on Nov 18, 2011 22:06:23 GMT -5
s h a d e s t a r
Shadestar glanced over to the apprentice's den, surprised to actually see his apprentice there, shaking out his thick pelt. That will be hard to swim with. That's what he gets for not being Clan-born, Shadestar kept his secret prejudice against non-Clan cats hidden under wraps. He knew he was already unpopular with certain warriors and while it shouldn't matter to him, it kind of did. Only slightly. Not really. Just... whatever.
"Are we ready?" Shadestar replied curtly. "The question is, are you ready? I've been up for three hours already-" he decided not to include that wasn't required for the apprentice just to make himself seem more frightening, "and you've just lumbered your lazy bum out of bed? The dawn patrol has come and gone! Don't think because I picked you to be my apprentice that I think you're better than the rest or will let you get away with things. I'll probably be harsher than them!" He paused, searching the small apprentice's eyes. "Now. I will forgive you this one time, but listen. If it happens again, I will not be so forgiving. So watch yourself," he spat, long tail puffed out.
He paused a moment, considering. Should he take the punishment further and not take Kestrelpaw out today and leave him to the elders' bedding? I'm not that cruel... he murmured.
"So? What do you have to say for yourself? Did you have a hot date that was more important than your Clan leader?" he said expectantly.
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Post by hannah on Nov 18, 2011 22:18:52 GMT -5
kestrelpaw ;[/font]
Kestrelpaw stared up at his leader, crouching in defense. His ears lay flat against his skull, his eyes downcast.
He'd already managed to disappoint and anger his mentor on his first day. Fantastic.
He didn't know waking up early was so important. If he had known that, he never would have wanted to become Kestrelpaw. In fact, he was perfectly content as Kestrelkit, the bumbling ball of fur that often wound up in the medicine cat's den. He rather missed that kit... Look at you, he scolded himself, thinking of yourself in third person. No wonder everyone thinks you're mouse-brained!
"I'm sorry, Shadestar," he bowed his head respectfully, "It won't happen again."
At least, he hoped it wouldn't. How was he supposed to wake up before sunrise every morning? Was he supposed to have some internal alarm clock that went off every morning before dawn? How did that even work? He'd have to ask another apprentice when he remembered to.
"I want to learn," he vowed with a solemn nod. He flicked his tail eagerly.
He just wanted to get out of camp now; the fresh-kill pile was taunting him openly, daring him to request a meal before he left. He wasn't sure how much longer he could resist.
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Post by maddy ★ on Nov 18, 2011 23:01:00 GMT -5
s h a d e s t a r
"Well," Shadestar huffed and puffed. "Very well."
Shadestar pivoted on his heels towards the camp exit, signalling with his tail for Kestrelpaw to follow. His coat brushed against the reeds, sunlight hitting his pelt as he passed onto the open marsh. He was bursting with pride, hoping even though their (one sided) quarrel that Kestrelpaw was just as thrilled. He cast an expectant glance at the apprentice waiting for an amazed ooh! or ahh! at this new world.
The dark pelted tom listened to the river lazily churn over the rocks, practically hearing the fish cut through the water swiftly. He watched ThunderClan's forest sway in the wind, leaving a longing glance at Sunningrocks. Despite moons and moons ago before Firestar, Hailstar giving it up to ThunderClan every RiverClan cat still thought of it as theirs. And it was. He left himself a mental note to talk to Hollowsky about it, and this time she wouldn't talk him out of it.
"So," he started, not quite sure how to explain the territory. It was rather simple. "This is the marsh, and it spreads for most of our territory. Down over there is the Twoleg farm but those ones won't typically won't bother us. Beyond that is where the horses graze, but it's still our territory," he gestured with his tail as he spoke of where all these places were. "I can take you to walk around if you like. It's all similar to where we are now but, if you like..." he trailed off not exactly sure what he wanted to do. Suddenly it seemed to hard to train an apprentice. I'm just rusty, he told himself.
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Post by hannah on Nov 18, 2011 23:35:23 GMT -5
kestrelpaw ;[/font]
The tomcat followed dutifully after his leader, his tail swaying behind him. He was eager to explore the land beyond the camp. What awaited him outside the safety of camp? He was eager to find out. As soon as he stepped out of camp, the roaring sound of water pounded his ears.
He shrank back in fear, his ears flat against his head again. He hesitated, scrambled closer to Shadestar and crouched at his paws. He wasn't sure he could do this after all.
The sound of water terrified him. Being in the water itself terrified him more.
He mustered up the courage to continue, backing away from Shadestar and putting some distance between him and his mentor.
He listened attentively as his leader explained everything under his control. Kestrelpaw nodded every now and then to show he was listening. It was much easier to focus on his leader's voice than it was the rushing sound of the river. He looked off towards the Twoleg farm, the term drawing a curious stare from the young apprentice.
"What's a farm?" he questioned.
Anything to avoid the river.
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Post by maddy ★ on Nov 19, 2011 12:20:28 GMT -5
s h a d e s t a r
Shadestar looked down at his apprentice, listening to his question. At first he found it to be absolutely frog-brained and refused to answer but reminded himself that Kestrelpaw was brand new to this. Might as well explain, he told himself.
"A farm is where Twolegs take care of big, hooved animals like horses. They normally keep to the other side of the path," he gestured to the dirt path that led to the Twoleg bridge across the falls. Shadestar got up, realizing he had only brought his apprentice a couple pawsteps outside of camp and he still hadn't gotten to the best part of his tour.
He stood up, muttering something about the river and led Kestrelpaw over to the banks. "Look at it," he said, a smile in his voice. "This is where you'll be spending a lot of your time hunting. I'll teach you how to fish soon. You've surely played around in the reed bed catching minnows when you were a kit?" Shadestar glanced down at his apprentice, waiting for some kind of feedback from the small cat. "Your fur might make it somewhat tough to swim, but you'll get the hang of it soon..." he added softly when there was no immediate reaction. Is he that awestruck? he wondered as concern boiled in his stomach.
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Post by hannah on Nov 19, 2011 13:22:26 GMT -5
kestrelpaw ;[/font] Kestrelpaw nodded in understanding. Sort of. What were horses? He had heard of them from elders and other cats, but he had never seen one with his own eyes. He'd make it a priority to see one some day. They even sounded strong: horses. He could almost picture their strength and their size. He followed Shadestar's gesture towards the dirt path, and he looked out towards the bridge.
"So they keep near WindClan territory?" he questioned, his head tilted slightly. His ears flicked. He had heard of WindClan before when other cats came back from Gatherings; they always brought stories from other Clans.
As Shadestar began to trot away, Kestrelpaw followed after him obediently. He had no idea where he was going; what all was there to see in RiverClan territory? As far as he was concerned, RiverClan's territory included camp, the reeds around it, the river... and that was it. He didn't know what else there was to see, really.
The ground grew moist beneath his paws, and before he knew it, he was standing on the bank of the river. He shrank back in surprise. AS Shadestar began to talk about the river, Kestrelpaw did his best to ignore the rushing water, choosing instead to focus on his leader's enthusiasm. He seemed so excited for the young apprentice... and Kestrelpaw was anything but excited.
"I... uh... I don't like the river," Kestrelpaw confessed, "I never played by the river as a kit. Most of the time, I stayed in camp."
Where I was safe, he added silently.
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Post by maddy ★ on Nov 19, 2011 15:14:40 GMT -5
s h a d e s t a r
"Well, it's still our territory... but I suppose it's near the WindClan territory. You can see their moor across the falls," he mewed. Shadestar himself had only been across the Twoleg path once in his life during a flood. Border patrols hardly had to visit that side of the territory as WindClan can't physically cross the gorge. In fact, the only border RiverClan even had trouble with was the area around Sunningrocks.
Shadestar flexed his claws into the soft earth, glancing down at his apprentice. "You're a RiverClan cat, you're going to have to get used to the river..." he said sternly, doubt rising in his throat. Perhaps Kestrelpaw would never truly be a Clan cat. Or he'd be one of those half-hearted type of warriors. He figured that this would be a welcome challenge, any other of his warriors would probably give up with Kestrelpaw. "When I'm done with you," he meowed, "the river will be your favorite place to be, just like it is mine. Do you see that?" he said pointing with his tail at the spot where a flash of silver splashed in the water. "That's a perfect catch. You'll be an expert at catching them in no time."
He paused for a moment, thoughtful. Picking himself up and padding right to the edge where water met land, he leaned over, staring into the depths of the water. "You wait..." he murmured half to himself. Movement a few whisker-lengths below the surface caught his eye and his paw shot out in a flash. The fish wriggled on the muddy banks before Shadestar administered a death blow.
"And that is how you catch a fish," Shadestar mewed proudly. "But, as I said, we'll get into that later."
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Post by hannah on Nov 19, 2011 15:37:38 GMT -5
kestrelpaw ;[/font]
Kestrelpaw narrowed his eyes as he stared at the gorge. An elder's tale drew to the front of his memory. "Didn't a RiverClan cat die at the gorge?" he asked, flicking his tail towards where he imagined ThunderClan's territory would lay. "A ThunderClan cat killed him, right?" He only vaguely recalled the story. He couldn't place the names of the two cats, and he wasn't even sure if he had the tale right. Something about a gray cat.... Graysomething-or-other... he shrugged. It didn't matter much.
He stared up at his leader and mentor, nodding sheepishly. How am I supposed to learn how to fish if I hate the river? he thought in fear. He'd have to try, though he already knew it would be a failed attempt.
Somehow, he highly doubted that he would be an "expert" at catching the fish. Even now, the sight of the river repulsed him and scared him. His heart was racing a thousand beats per minute, and it was taking all of his self-control not to go running back to camp with his tail between his legs.
He forced himself to watch as Shadestar approached the riverbed, though he remained rooted to the spot. He was not going any closer; you couldn't make him. His ears flat against his head, he watched as the fish flew out of the air. He stumbled backwards in surprise as Shadestar killed it.
"That's disgusting," he hissed. He didn't detect the pride in Shadestar's voice; he was too busy worrying that he would be forced to confront his overwhelming fear of water. And when that happened... he knew it wouldn't be fun-- for mentor or apprentice.
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Post by maddy ★ on Nov 19, 2011 18:35:46 GMT -5
s h a d e s t a r
Shadestar's tail twitched with irritation. "What exactly have you been eating for the last 3 moons? How do you think we get fish? They just magically fall from Silverpelt at night into the fresh-kill pile?" he hissed, temper growing out of control. He didn't care, Kestrelpaw must be doing this to purposely irritate his mentor. "To be a warrior, you can't be so spoiled! I had forgiven you for being tardy, but honestly? You can't expect me to put up with this. Get yourself together and tomorrow I will be assessing your hunting skills."
He stood up, ears against his head with his tail in the air and stalked off. He thought he heard Kestrelpaw begin to protest, "I don't want to hear it!" he snarled loudly and returned to camp. He brushed against the reeds feeling completely different than he had previously this morning. It was past sunhigh and he figured that the evening patrol would be leaving in a few hours. Glancing at the fresh-kill pile, he saw the number of fish dwindling. Shaking his head, he stormed into his den and lay down in defeat.
He was upset at how easily angered he had been and felt slightly guilty for deserting Kestrelpaw back by the river and hoped he could get back to camp. Surely he could, but he reminded himself how rude the apprentice had been and didn't even care if he left the Clan. I had taken him on as a challenge, remember? Don't give up, he told himself. Squeezing his eyes shut tight and clawing at his bedding, he tried to calm down. Where was Hollowsky at?
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