training through trials [closed]

Today it would just been the two of them. Stoatstar's other apprentices had been assigned to patrols or duties around camp. But Tigerpaw was a newly named apprentice and needed to start somewhere. The leader's sleep addled mind was only made worse by current circumstances. Every so often, he'd stumble slightly over his own pads. His mind was sharp. He needed rest but there was no way for it to come. Perhaps Dovefrost would have offered poppy seeds if the tom had asked, yet Stoatstar never would, he needed to be awake. Letting out a yawn, he briefly considered that if Tigerpaw's mother was here, the leader would never hear the end of needing to rest.

"Alright, Tigerpaw, you want to hunt or fight today? I'm not going to waste our energy on a territory tour, you'll learn as we go." Stoatstar had stopped in a half-clearing that was dotted with patches of deadened bracken and grass. Swatches of ice and snow coated most of the foliage. Starclan, he couldn't wait until it was warm again, although it seemed like that would never happen.

Even someone as young as Tigerpaw could notice that his leader was tired. And, well, who could blame him? The apprentice would be twice as tired if he had to lead an entire clan of loud and rambunctious cats. He would never say anything, of course. That would be plainly disrespectful and while he liked to skate the line between enough and too much rebellious behavior, Stoatstar was as close as one could come to being Tigerpaw's idol. Upon hearing the question, the young cat tilted his head slightly. He'd heard stories about the first day of training being boring and just a tour of the territory, so he was prepared to do a day of walking. But hunting or fighting? He liked either of those. "I think... I wanna learn how to fight!" he decided after a moment's thought.

Tigerpaw seemed to think about it for a moment by settling on fighting. Even in a sleep deprived state, the leader found himself briefly entertained by the idea of fighting. It was fun to see young cats develope into talented fighters. Based off the enthusiastic answer, he assumed Tigerpaw would bring some energy to their spar. Crouching, his tail flickered back and forth, "Okay then, attack me." Narrowed orange eyes fixated on the young apprentice, waiting for him to make a move.