Heather that Ripples in the Wind (closed)

The early morning sun glistening on her silver pelt, Heatherstripe padded into the apprentice's den. It'd been a while since she'd been here, spending almost all of her time in the nursery caring for kits. Though her son Olivekit and former apprentice Auburnpaw had recently died, it was time to get back to work - even in her sadness - with a new apprentice. She gently nudged Rippledpaw, trying to wake him up. "Psst, wake up. Today's our first day of training." She smiled.

Rippedpaw's eyes shot open as excitement coursed through him. His first day of training! It felt like he had waited hundreds of moons for this moment. In an attempt to contain his zeal, he stood up slowly and streched. The young apprentice faced his mentor with a look of determination, "I'm ready. What's first?".

"Up to you," Heatherstripe grinned. Rippledpaw was certainly one for diligence, from the looks of things. Hopefully, training would be a breeze. "I'll be taking you out on a dawn patrol, you and me. I'll show you the borders and then you pick whether you want to learn to hunt or fight first."

OCC: it's Rippedpaw 😂

Rippedpaw's muscles pulsed with eagerness. The prospect of learning everything made him want to simply bolt off into the forest, but he had to think first. Control the excitement. He looked thoughtful for a minute and then finally nodded.
"How about hunting first?" He meowed. Hopefully it'd give him a chance to practice claw control before learning fighting. The young cat could not believe his mentor was letting him have a say in his training. It hadn't been all that long, but he already had so much respect for the older she-cat.

(oh crap, sorry! Blame my insomnia and generally tired eyes.)

"Hunting it is!" Heatherstripe laughed, her eyes shining. Though she would always have a soft spot for caring for kits, she did have to say she immensely enjoyed training apprentices. Many of them were barely past kithood, and their young, enthusiastic faces brought her joy. It wasn't something she often saw in older cats, scarred by loss, pain and sadness. But apprentices had none of than, eager to learn and with only fondly kindled memories of kit life.

But even when she was a kit, the silver tabby had none of that, from her birth, suspected and distrusted because of her mother's crimes. Had she earned her trust yet? She thought so, but she and Emberfall could never be sure. But still, the warrior had found reasons to smile and be happy, and it came from caring for the younger members of the clan. She took pride in watching them grow into warriors, and she treated her apprentices like her children. They were her family, blood-related or not, and she would do anything for them.

Heatherstripe was glad to see Rippedpaw's enthusiasm. "Alright then, let's head off." With a flick of her tail, she began to exit the apprentice's den, beckoning for her apprentice to follow.

(oh wow geez I did not mean to write that much. too much muse and i needed to get it out somewhere)

(totally okay! A lot of people have gotten his name mixed up. And I really do appreciate long posts, even though I'm not great with them myself. Also, fun fact I figured out today: Heather's kit is gonna be Ripped's mate sooo she is also gonna be like his mother in law)

"Yes, Heatherstripe," He nodded, too late for her to see as she had already turned. Rippedpaw could hardly keep himself from bolting after the warrior, but he controlled his steps and padded out of the den calmly. He was more of a serious cat, yet on the inside he held a more youthful spirit.

(By the time I'm done with Heather the whole clan will probably be related to her, lol.)

The two cats trod through the territory, a light breeze rustling their fur. The nippy cold of Leafbare was coming soon, and the weather had been taking a turn that way. Heatherstripe turned to Rippedpaw as they walked. She'd just see what he knew already, from stories or play-fighting. She wasn't expecting much, but maybe the other queens might've told him things back in the nursery. "So, tell me everything you know so far about ShadowClan. We'll be heading to their border now."

Rippedpaw frowned and thought for a moment. He didn't know that much about the other clans yet. What little he had heard was in passing conversations, or from the elders. The apprentice wanted didn't want to spew out some bias he'd overheard from the retired warriors. He wanted to give his mentor something at least factual, "They live in the marshes, don't they? And they eat rats". Despite never having eaten a rat, he had heard they weren't the best and shuddered at the thought.

"Correct. Though they don't always eat rats, they do sometimes, as a last resort." Heatherstripe nodded. He knew a little, at least. The pair quickly reached the border, clearly marked by a foreign stench. The warrior wrinkled her nose. How did ShadowClan live in this? She turned to Rippedpaw, making sure he was taking note of his surroundings. "As you have probably figured out from that stinking scent, this is the ShadowClan border. And like it or not, that's what they smell like." She chuckled softly to herself. "ShadowClan live in mud all year round, and are experts at attacking at night, so be very careful around here, especially after dark."

The smell hit the roof of his mouth and he growled in momentary disgust. However, he tried to ignore how bitter it was and simply memorize it for later. He nodded at his mentor's warning and looked out over the marshlands. He could not believe that cats could actually live there. Rippedpaw preferred the more open moorlands where he could stay dry. This was no time for dumb questions though, so he kept his mouth shut. Each clan had their own unique territory, and it wasn't his place to question the others for living differently.

"Do they cross the border often?" He meowed seriously. Heatherstripe's caution about them being skillful hunters bother him. His fur prickled uncomfortably at the thought of cats invading his clan's territory.

"Not in my life so far, at least." Heatherstripe answered. "Although once they came across here to return the body of a former WindClan warrior. Not attack, though. I don't know about the other clans. Anyway, do you have any questions about this border or ShadowClan?"

Rippedpaw shook his head as he ran through the route they had taken here. He wanted to memorize the whole territory by the end of the day. They had a lot of ground to cover before nightfall and he still wanted to get around to some training, so he held his tongue on less important questions. Those could wait for later.

(Apologies for taking so long!)

The two cats continued along the border, making scents as they went along. Soon, they'd reached a patch of land a little further into WindClan territory. Heatherstripe could scent a few rabbits nearby. This would be a good place to begin. "So, Rippedpaw. Show me what you think is the hunting crouch. That's the first thing you need to learn in order to hunt."

(That's okay!!)

Rippedpaw crouched down swiftly, paws underneath him and tail sticking out behind him. He had spend lots of time copying the apprentices when he was a kit and hoped this was similar to what she was looking for.