we're both new at this (patrol)

Eagleheart stretched, trying to warm up his muscles in preparation for his first day as a mentor. The young tom had been hoping for a while now that he would end up with an apprentice. Lilypaw seemed like an eager young cat and he was looking forward to starting their training together. He was grateful that Crowstar had trusted him in training up his daughter. While the warrior didn't quite agree with everything Crowstar did, he was a noble clan leader and Eagleheart had looked up to and followed him since kithood. It was his duty to make sure she got the best training and he would do all he could.

After he flexed his claws and woke up a bit, the brown and white tabby set off for the apprentice's den to find Lilypaw. Once he reached the den, he peered inside to see a few sleeping bundles of fur. With a purr of amusement, he padded over to his own apprentice and shook her lightly with one paw to wake her.

"Time to get up," The warrior meowed gruffly, trying to keep up his tough appearance. He didn't want to come off as a push over on the first day, "We're going out to patrol the territory."

Lilypaw groggily got to her paws, looking up to her mentor with a smile. Getting to her paws with a bit of a stumble she opened her mouth in a big yawn. "Okay Eagleheart, I'm up." She mrrowed, shaking out her long fur as she stepped over her den-mates. As she left the den she took a big breath of fresh-air before turning back to look at Eagleheart curiously. "What territory are we going to explore today?"

"Uhm," He paused for a second. The young warrior hadn't thought too much about what specifically he wanted to do with the new apprentice. After cursing himself internally for not being prepared, Eagleheart said, "How about we just take a little tour? Get you out of camp for the first time? I'll show you the borders and we can practice stalking along the way." At first, the words were almost questioning, but he gained confidence in his plan as he went on. It seemed like many, many moons ago, but the tom remembered his own first time out of camp with Moonlight.

Lilypaw quirked an eyebrow as she looked up at Eagleheart, the older toms stern expression slipping away into nervousness as they spoke. Giving the tom a soft smile she meowed. "Sounds alright to me." Padding over towards the camp entrance.

OOC: It's short and late, sorry ;y;

occ: it's okay I am too haha

Eagleheart was relieved that she seemed okay with his idea. The warrior raced after his apprentice, berating himself for not being the one to lead the way. I'm supposed to be the mentor... Adderpaw would definitely say something if she were to see this, He heated up a bit in embarrassment, but tried to hide it. This was out of his element. Raising his own kits was one thing, but he wasn't in charge of their training, and he had never been responsible for another cat's kits. Let alone Crowstar's.

Once he got slightly ahead of Lilypaw, he hardened his features again. Once more assuming the position of serious mentor, and pushing back at all of the nerves. He lead her out in the forest for the first time. As they stepped outside of the camp walls, he flexed his claws to feel the earth beneath the m and tensed his muscles, ready to race out into the forest. He shot his apprentice an almost challenging look, but with a friendly glint in his eyes as he sprang forwards, letting the forest race around him. The warrior slowed down, remembering to curb his speed so the younger cat could keep up.

"Come on, Lilypaw!" He yowled lightly, sprinting deeper into Skyclan territory.

Lilypaw scoffed at Eagleheart, her 'brow' lifting as she watched him pass her and then break off into a sprint. "So much for trying to be serious." She muttered, her eye catching on the slight shift in his behaviour, the playfulness in the tom-cats eye. Lilypaw got it in that moment, the black and white she-cat looked to the trees, her Skyclan blood racing at the thought of running and leaping and feeling the bark under her paws. Begging for the heights, and she let it.

Claws unsheathed she launched into the trees, relishing the feel of bark easy to grip, the sound of the leaves moving apart as she leaped from tree to tree. She had done this before, having snuck out in the night when she was just apprenticed to explore. Lilypaw watched her mentor as he leaped and bound around and over bushes and obstacles, these objects slowing his run it seemed for Lilypaw to gain on him.

Just as Eagleheart called for her to hurry up, she launched down hopefully on top or in front of her mentor, with a gleeful grin on her face she yowled joyfully. "Got you! How's that for Crowstars daughter? Best Skyclan apprentice?!"

Shock crossed Eagleheart's features and he almost yowled out once Lilypaw disappeared into the trees. However, he quickly noticed that she was a natural. He was impressed with her climbing ability, a little jealous as well. The tom's muscular, bulky frame was good for attack, but not speed. Since he had practiced a lot, he was able to almost match Lilypaw's pace, but in no way was it as effortless for him. For now, he stuck to the ground, trying to keep up without the use of bounding from branch to branch. He used his hindlegs to push against any roots he ran past to propel himself forward faster.

A shocked yowl broke from his throat as his apprentice reappeared from the tree branches and flung herself on top of him. He rolled forwards, awkwardly hitting the ground and finally settling into a mess of ruffled fur. With in a moment her recovered, jumping back up on his paws and fixing the cheerful apprentice with discontented look. The words he spoke were almost a growl, but mostly just an unhappy grumble, "Not funny." It was mostly embarrassment that overcame him. Taken down by my own apprentice as soon as we left camp... Eagleheart played his embarrassment off as a mild anger.

"Have your parents never told you to listen to and follow your mentor?" He hissed, ears flattening in a bit of aggravation. The tom flexed his abnormally long claws and tried to hide a soft smirk. Making sure he had sheathed his claws again, he sprung at the small she-cat. Time for battle practice, He thought internally, but didn't say it out loud. She'd catch on. Eagleheart made sure to distribute his weight evenly so he wouldn't crush her, but pinned the apprentice firmly to the ground.

"Do I have your attention now?" He questioned, raising an invisible eyebrow to Lilypaw.

Lilypaw's face fell drastically as Eagleheart glared down at her, his throat rumbled, and Lilypaw flinched. Lilypaws eyes looked down to her paws in shame, she just wanted to have a bit of fun! Was that too much to ask for? Paws shifted and tail flicked, as she was picking up her head to apologies she was knocked to the ground.

The she-cat fell to the ground with a gasp, surprise making her loose her breath in that moment. Giving a frown and a light hiss Lilypaw pulled her legs under her and started thrumming at Eaglehearts belly, pulling her front paws under to push at her mentors chest in an attempt to shove him off. "Yes you do!" She huffed.

Eagleheart gave her a strange look as she batted at his stomach in an attempt to make him move. That's going to get you nowhere, He refrained from rolling his eyes and simply looked down at it. As she spoke, his eyes gleamed. Now she's paying attention.

"Good," He started, voice low, "Now try something different. I'm heavier. You can't out attack or outweigh me. You need to be quick and smart."

"Now show me what you've got," Eagleheart hissed challengingly. His muscles eased up, giving her some space to move. Of course he didn't expect her to be a great fighter yet. She needed guidance and some room to move. Eagleheart could easily best her, but it didn't matter if he could win. What mattered is what she could learn. Once we get past your distractions, I'm going to make you one of the best warriors in the forest, The tom silently vowed.

Lilypaw scoffed as she looked up at Eagleheart, shimmying around to see where she could get some give. Huffing she managed to just barely slither out from under Eagleheart, once free of her mentors clutches. Shaking her fur out to flatten it from it previously ruffled state she glared at Eagleheart, clearly assessing him.

Eagleheart was a big cat with long claws and a powerful form, it was true that she would have to be very clever on how she attacked. Eyes shifted and flicked to the trees, to the rocks and bushes. She could use those! Eagleheart wouldn't be able to evade since he'd be a lumbering badger compared to her!

Confidence in herself made her bolder as she walked up to her mentor, standing on her back paws quickly she battered at his head before darting away and ducking, hopefully forcing him back into the bramble bushes. She'd trap him and go for the kill!

"Clever," He admitted, noticing her eyeing her surroundings. Eagleheart admired the fact she was picking up on things so quickly. But he wouldn't allow her to trap him. The warrior raced forwards, following after her. Instead of continuing to attack, he waited for her. He had to wait for her to get close enough for him so he could catch her and engage her in combat.

Lilypaw was quick to realize her method was exhausting, huffing a little she stepped back. Legs shuddering just the tiniest bit as she stared the tom down like a hawk. If she wanted to stand a chance she'd have to change how she approached the problem, she'd have to use the trees. Shooting up the nearest tree with the densest leaves and tried to immerse her white pelt, moving silently. She waited, hoping for Eagleheart to drop his guard just the tiniest bit, and to regain her energy before she shot down from the tree, trying to land on his back to sink her teeth lightly into his scruff.

This could end badly... Eagleheart thought to himself before hauling himself up the next tree. If she wasn't going to come face him right away, he would follow her to the trees. His powerful muscles helped him scale the bark, but it wasn't as fast going as the smaller cat could manage. Once high enough, he allowed himself to leap into another nearby tree.

"I'm not going to sit around and wait for you to attack me!" He yowled to her from a few trees away.

"No duh! You should try it sometime though! You're big and brutish enough that even the most ill-balanced kit could give you a good whopping!" The apprentice taunted, holding back a chuckle hiding her frustrations. Claws helped her climb the tree, pressing her ever more as she went higher small and light body allowing her to go higher more than a cat like Eagleheart could.

Her heart raced as she slowly padded onto a branch, it shook under her paws, if Eagleheart was going to hide, she was going to bring the fight to him. Lilypaw crouched the branch giving a creak before she leaped from her tree and onto her mentors, the feeling of wind in her fur as she basically soared through the air making her proud. Though as she descended and came to his tree she had missed the branch! Crashing into the trunk she quickly dug her claws in, slithering down just a little bit.

Hissing quietly Lilypaw pulled back a paw to see a bit of splinters and blood in her pads, shrugging it off she turned to leap onto the next branch, lowering herself as silently as possible to get to Eagleheart. And, as she saw him, she leaped once more, hoping to knock him out of the tree.

Panic rose up in Eagleheart's chest for a rare moment when Lilypaw missed her target. He almost leaped out after her, but she recovered quickly. Pure, Skyclan blood! He remarked to himself proudly, as he watched her next moves. He was fairly prepared when she leaped at him. His claws dug into the branch so he could get a solid grip and not fall. Now that she was close, he stuck forward to grab her scruff with his teeth. Through the fur, he tried to speak.

"You're good, but be careful," His tone was a bit fatherly, as if he was speaking to his own kit. Eagleheart released her as soon as she was settled and balanced on the branch with him.