not like your father [closed]

The moon was high when Wolfstar led Pippaw out of the camp, and the two toms were serenaded by crickets and frogs as they made their way through SkyClan's territory. Wolfstar was eager to get the apprentice's training started, and though it would have been kinder to maybe let him sleep the night off, and start in the morning, he'd always been a night owl, and Pippaw would have to get used to it, anyway. So they padded through the trees, the recent rains providing a thankfully cool barrier against the heat. "Since this is your first time out of camp I'm going to show you the borders first, okay? Do you have any questions, while we walk? You can ask me anything."

While some other apprentices might have protested not getting a full night’s rest, Pippaw had no problems with his first training being at such an hour. In fact, it made it all the more interesting and he couldn’t wait to start training with Wolfstar, so whatever time of day they started was perfectly fine. With the tall, lean tom easily keeping up with his mentor as the two of them padded along through the silent, thinly wooded forest, his abnormally large ears perked as Wolfstar began to speak. Nodding his head in agreement of where they were to go first, the leader’s next question made his brain work a bit more than he initially thought he’d have to. Thinking long and hard, the apprentice had many questions circling about in his mind, but after his recent observations simply around camp… there was one in particular that stood out the most.

”Yes…” he began, somewhat hesitant on if he should really ask the leader what he was thinking about. Wolfstar did say he could ask him anything… so might as well get it over with now, right? For his curiosity’s own sake, he supposed.

”Why was my father allowed to become a warrior?” He questioned with a tilt of his head as the two toms walked along side each other. ”Or… how did he even get so far as to earn his name?” It might not have been what Wolfstar was expecting to be asked on their first patrol together… But he wasn’t even that old yet and was already able to come to the conclusion that his father as a total fool for a warrior. He just had to ask some-cat one day or another and what better time than now, right?

On the other side of the border, Rosethorn was leading her apprentice, Webpaw out. He had been going very far in his training, and he was nearly ready to become a warrior. Still, extra patrols would only do him good. "Alright, Webpaw, I want to see what all you have learned. I am going to be staying back this training session, you are more than capable of being on your own. If anything gets out of hand, I'll go ahead and step in."

And so, after making sure all that was known, Rosethorn let herself fall behind, having Webpaw take the lead. Her pelt slightly bristled as she was sure she heard voices on the other side of the border, but as neither of them looked like Moonshine, or whatever cat she resembled, she was sure that it would be relatively safe, so long as they each stayed on their own side of the border. But, like she told Webpaw, if things got out of hand, she could always step in.

He'd been expecting questions about becoming a warrior, about hunting or fighting or obeying the warrior code... maybe even about how to become leader some day. Those were the questions that Wolfstar, as a 'paw, would have asked. But the words that left Pippaw's mouth were... surprising, to say the least, and the leader fixed him with a blank, but knowing, stare.

"Truth be told, that was... a bit before my time as leader," he admitted, measuring his pawsteps carefully as to make the least amount of noise on the forest floor. "But... Sunflower..." he trailed off. What was he to say? Sunflower wasn't a coward? That he deserved to be a warrior? That he provided anything for SkyClan other than someone to sneer at? Those were the things he couldn't say, because Wolfstar didn't want to lie. Not to his apprentice, not on their first training session.

So he finished with, "...is complicated."

His ears slicked back, and he fell into a lame silence, trying to recover the situation. But thankfully, a distraction in the form of two cats near the border - on their side, but still. Wolfstar eyed them from this distance, gauging one to be apprentice-aged, and the other, a warrior. He made a "hmm" sound, and then took a paw and pointed at them, leaning down low to speak with Pippaw. "They look a little close to our border, do they not? Perhaps someone should go scare them off," he gave the tom a pointed glance, and then crouched down, waiting.

Rosethorn had a way of always making training seem so easy. Even on his worst days, Webpaw liked patroling with her– she was far more excitable than he was, but she was nice to be around, and it never felt like a chore. Plus, he couldn't complain about extra time outside of camp.

His ears twitched as she let him know that he would be taking this patrol into his own paws. That was more than fine– it was glorified wandering to him anyway, and he was plenty good at that. Picking up the pace a bit to cut ahead of his mentor, he lead them even closer to the border. Stars, it seemed like the scents were always crossed.. he could never tell where ShadowClan ended and SkyClan started.

Webpaw wandered closer until he was barely a whisker away from crossing into the other Clan's territory, nose twitching as he scented the air. There wasn't anything to see, except–

The breeze picked up, bringing the sound of voices with it. The words were indistinct, but there were definitely other cats here. Tipping his head, he peered into the pines, eyes narrowed as he searched for the strangers. "Hello? You're pretty close to ShadowClan— who's out there?"

Listening to the leader, Pippaw found himself disappointed at the answer. To him, it was an obvious answer; his father didn't deserve to be a warrior, but of course he had no say in the matter. Not yet anyway...

Staying silent as the two moved onward, a strange scent caught his nose and perking his ears, he looked in the direction that Wolfstar was looking. As the leader spoke, low and behold he spotted the two ShadowClanners making their way along the border and his hackles instantly rose. Nodding his head in agreement with his mentor, Pippaw stalked forward with extended claws. His rump wriggled back and forth, and after a few moments he just couldn't take the suspense any longer. He needed to show Wolfstar that he wasn't like his father and never would be, and what better chance to do so than this.

Leaping out from the shrubs and racing towards the grey apprentice, Pippaw leaped at his opponent with his white paws outstretched and bowled him. Jumping up and giving his pelt a shake, the lengthy tom let out a hiss. "How dare you be that close to our border; marsh living mousebrains," he spat.

Pippaw used Jumping Strike, causing 4 damage (+3 from Webpaw not being focused on him) and costing 7 stamina.

Pippaw
20/20
53/60

Webpaw
13/20
60/60