Legacy, Legacy

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Wolfcall opened his eyes.

Oh, how desperately he just wanted to go back to sleep - to close his eyes and be blessedly unconscious for another few hours. Since Blossomstep was still in the nursery with a few of the kits, sleep had come fleetingly for the deputy. He'd long grown used to her beside him at night, and even though Murkpelt, sensing her son's unease, tried to substitute, it wasn't the same. Still, he appreciated the companionship and the warmth, and as he untangled his long legs, and forced himself to his feet, Wolfcall rubbed his cheek along her upturned chin, purring a simultaneous "good morning" and "goodbye" to the still sleep-drunk she-cat. She'd had the dusk patrol, and wouldn't be up and about for a while longer. But Wolfcall had something he needed to do.

Pausing at the entrance of the warriors' den, the deputy yawned, white fangs flashing sharply in the pink glow of the morning rays. He ran his tongue over his teeth, grimacing at the feel of his parched mouth and making a mental note to head towards the creek... but first, his apprentice. Wolfcall padded heavily towards the apprentices' den, slinking inside and letting his eyes readjust to the gloom. He identified Bloodpaw, curled among his littermates and looking like a full-grown warrior next to some of the smaller apprentices. His eyes slid to Mistpaw, and Adderpaw in turn, gaze warming on both his daughters as the sight of them filled him with love and affection. Resisting the urge to lean in and rasp their pelts affectionately with his tongue, Wolfcall drew away. His ears flicked thoughtfully as he studied Bloodpaw's sleeping form. Wolfcall himself was a taller than average tom, and Bloodpaw, even just near the end of his apprenticeship, was nearly the same size as he. His son was going to be a force to be reckoned with by the time he was a warrior.

Wolfcall had had a sneaking suspicion that his apprentice was leaving camp on his own. It started innocently enough - the young tom being overly tired for their training sessions, as if he'd been out all night. But he'd noticed recently that Bloodpaw had freshly-healing wounds, claw marks. Nothing too concerning, of course, and likely something that would not even need a medicine cat's attention... but something that a clanmate wouldn't do. So who had? The deputy prodded him gently with a paw, voice low, "Up and at 'em kid, let's go."

Bloodpaw had been curled up between a few other apprentices when his dad poked him awake. He almost thought it had been another apprentice from being so sleepy. He looked up quickly with his eye half open and opened his mouth to warn the other apprentice to not be touching him right now, but his sight landed on Wolfcall and he swallowed his words immediately. Was it time already? Bloodpaw groaned as he got to his paws. He winced when his movement irritated some scratches along his body, but immediately tried to hide it. He was sure his dad could see at least some of them, but if he wasn't going to ask, Bloodpaw wasn't about to bring it up.

He smacked his lips and gazed tiredly in the direction of the creek. He needed water before he did anything today.

"Drink first?" He whispered. Great Starclan his eyes felt sticky. He licked his paw and swiped it quickly over his face a few times. He thought by sleeping for three days and then going out for most of the night for one night then back to sleeping a few days would be a good idea, but that fight had left him more tired than he would have liked.

Wolfcall nodded, not waiting around to chat before heading out into the forest. The creek wasn't far, and he didn't make much conversation as they walked, preferring to let a companionable silence fall between them. Once at the creek, he lowered his head to drink, savoring the chilled water as it flowed over his tongue and moistened his throat.

"How did you sleep?" he finally asked, not allowing any hint of suspicion or knowledge creep into his voice. Once Bloodpaw had sated his own thirst, he continued on, heading in the direction of Halfstone.

Bloodpaw followed after his father without another word and pretended not to notice that his scratches were being eye-balled. The silence was welcomed on the way to the creek, because Bloodpaw had to desperately think of some kind of story to tell his dad. The problem was... he couldn't find a logical explanation for it. As he lapped up the much needed water into his mouth, he resigned himself to just having to tell the truth.... most of it. Then came his father's question. How did you sleep? Dang it dad... you're horrible... He thought to himself, in reference to how Wolfcall basically put him on the spot but not really, allowing him to lie or dodge the question if he liked. That in itself had to be some sort of test, which was pretty clever of Wolfcall to do. He knew his son too well.

"I didn't sleep too great... so I went for a walk." Bloodpaw padded after his dad, but paused a moment before speaking again. He too was testing his dad, to see if Wolfcall would just call him out on it or not. Only a moment later, he thought better of it. Maybe testing his mentor might not be wise... Ugh.

"I had a disagreement with another apprentice... but we're both fine. So what are we doing today?"

Check.

What a cheeky little bug, Wolfcall kept his eyes forward and himself a step ahead of Bloodpaw so that the apprentice couldn't see the smile threatening to break his aloof facade. He'd been half-expecting some wild story about running through a thorn bush, or something equally as far-fetched, but no... there it was, the truth. Probably not the whole truth, if he had to guess, but the initiative was there.

The Halfstone loomed ahead of them now, the sunlight showing through the split in the center. Wolfcall paused, letting Bloodpaw's confession hang there for a moment. "We're going to spar," he said simply, turning now so that his back was to the Halfstone, and his eyes could be on Bloodpaw. "Or are you too sore from your wounds?" He raised a brow expectantly.

There was a silence there for a moment that Bloodpaw was going to allow to just... be there. He wasn't giving up anymore information without being prompted and he was going to hold his ground on that. He didn't think there would necessarily be any big issues between Skyclan and Shadowclan over some snotty little apprentices flailing angrily at each other, but just in case, Bloodpaw wasn't going to be the reason names were being thrown around between clans. Then his father finally spoke and Bloodpaw's eyes lit up. Wolfcall may have been able to keep a stone face, but Bloodpaw couldn't quite contain himself this time. It was like presenting a little girl with a pony on her birthday.

"Too sore?" Bloodpaw asked almost as if he were offended. "Dad, a couple of kid scratches isn't going to bother me." He backed up about two leap lengths away from his mentor and lowered into a crouch. At that moment, his wounds bit at him to remind him that they were there. Bloodpaw forced himself not to flinch and kept his eyes staring intensely into Wolfcall's yellow ones.

"I'm ready. Instruct me, but don't be easy on me. I'll never learn to handle pain if you do." And with that, Bloodpaw hoped he wasn't about to regret saying that.

"I won't be easy on you. I'm sure you can handle it." Bloodpaw smirked. His claws flexed out of his paws and he dashed forward with a growl.

Bloodpaw used Leap and Hold, -10SP. Wolfcall is stunned for 1 turn.

20 HP / 70 SP

The member 'Bloodpaw' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Effect Dice' : 2

His taunt about being too sore to spar had been successful, and he watched the determination settle in Bloodpaw's stance as he crouched, readying himself. Don't go easy on him, huh? The deputy smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't-" his words were cut off by the apprentice's dash forward, and before he had the chance to get out of the way, Bloodpaw was atop him. He could have allowed his son to relish in the victory of surprising him, but that wasn't the way to teach, now was it?

Instead, before Bloodpaw's weight even got the chance to settle, Wolfcall was already moving. Dropping a shoulder, the deputy rolled on to his back, bringing his hind legs up to Bloodpaw's belly and kicking off with all the force he could muster. He slipped from under the apprentice and twisted to regain his footing, crouching a fox-length away and lashing his tail. "Try again, come on."

--
Wolfcall used Duck-and-Twist, costing 25 stamina.

100/100
280/255

Bloodpaw thought for sure he'd had his old man. He was going to do what Briarpaw had done to him... but no. Wolfcall was an older and more experienced warrior. Bloodpaw rolled off of his dad's shoulder and tumbled once across the ground before springing  back onto his feet. A wide-eyed expression sat on his face for a moment. He needed to remember that one. Bloodpaw shook off his surprise and got back into a fighting stance with his paws spread evenly in a rectangle below him. His head lowered and lined his head, neck, shoulders, back and tail. This stance no longer hurt him, as his muscles had gotten used to the feeling.

"I'll bet you can't keep doing that..." Bloodpaw growled. His ears flattened against his head and he charged again. He weaved one way and then another, feinting attacks to the left and the right before finally twisting his body around so that he slid across the ground on his back. His goal was to slide underneath Wolfcall and attack his belly. Hopefully... this worked out as well in his head as he imagined it.

Bloodpaw used Belly Rake, causing 7 damage and - 10SP
12 HP/ 60 SP

"That's a bet you'd lose, little one," Wolfcall snapped back. If there was one thing he knew about his son, it was that Bloodpaw had a tenancy to be easy to rile. Backtalk, sass, challenges, those were things he knew to do to get his opponent's blood pumping, his head fogged with rage, and make it easier to slip up. If Bloodpaw was one of those types of cats, now was the time for Wolfcall to learn it, so he could correct it.

He saw Bloodpaw coming in for an attack, debated slipping out of the way, and then decided better. He needed to get a handle on his apprentice's fighting style, too. And the only way to do that was to actually let him land an attack. His amber eyes followed Bloodpaw as he slid, claws raking along his belly, and he winced, kicking back at his son as the velocity of his slide took him behind Wolfcall. He whipped around, leaping to the side and crouching with his shoulders low and teeth bared. "Don't stop, use the momentum and come at me again!"

--
Wolfcall did not use an attack this turn.

93/100
255/280

Bloodpaw braced himself for an attack that never came. He sprung to his paws and was already moving again, not fully registering Wolfcall's words as he raced behind him again, this time aiming for his tail. Come at you again? You don't need to tell me that, dad. Bloodpaw thought, sort of amused, as he went to sink his teeth into Wolfcall's tail and use his momentum and weight to try to pull his adversary off balance.

Bloodpaw used tail yank, dealing 2 damage and -10SP
Wolfcall is stunned for 1 turn
12 HP / 50 SP