Sorry you got stuck with me ((Closed for Pinely))

Shellwater made her way out of the warriors' den, maneuvering carefully around the bodies of Otterleap and Sparkwillow who slept right by her. A ray of sun broke through the cloudy sky, a stream of warmth cutting through the morning chill as the slim calico she-cat padded into the apprentices' den. Smiling at Snowpaw, who was sound asleep, as she passed her, the experienced warrior went past the others to a mossy nest near the back of the den. She nudged her apprentice, Toadpaw, with a mottled black-and-orange paw. Her best friend Morningfog's son. He deserved a better mentor than some scarred, disfigured she-cat. "Wake up- it's time for training," she whispered gently.

Toadpaw stirred in his nest. He tucked his head under his paws, hoping the prodding would stop. He grumbled as he lifted his gaze to see the blurry outline of a calico. "I'm up, I'm up," he complained, forcing himself onto his haunches. Sure, he was excited to be an apprentice, but not the waking up early part of it. His groggy eyes met Shellwater's. "What are we doing today?" he whispered, following her away from the sleeping apprentices around them. He felt his fur tremble as he eyed her scarring.

Shellwater nodded at the black-and-white tom. "Today we'll be doing some battle training, Toadpaw," she informed him. "After that, we'll go on a patrol and I'll take you fishing. Sound good?" the disfigured warrior inquired as they padded out of the sleeping apprentices' den. The sun still hadn't completely risen, leaving the easten clouds tinged shades of orange, pink and yellow as the dim stars in the west faded into the sky's noncommittal gray. It was a beautiful morning. Despite her ugly scars, the RiverClan she-cat knew how to appreciate beauty. She noticed her apprentice's slight hesitation at the sight of all her scars- claw marks in her fur evident whenever she moved, and a deep gash on the bridge of her muzzle that had permanently injured her nose and disfigured her face- but she chose to ignore it, painful as it was. Shellwater was used to it, after all.

His eyes were fixed on her for some time. He wasn't afraid of her noticing his staring. A scarred, disfigured cat and a one-eyed apprentice. This was on purpose. Toadpaw shook the thought away, and listened to Shellwater. His bitter thoughts depleted at the sound of battle training. "Okay," he piped, feeling vigorous energy beginning to wash away his sleepiness. "Sounds good!" he affirmed. Toadpaw followed the battle-scarred she-cat.

Shellwater smiled a half-smile at her apprentice's newfound enthusiasm. Maybe I can teach him how disfigurations aren't always a bad thing. Once they reached the clearing in the territory, between the forested area and the river, the calico warrior turned around to face her apprentice. "The honor of every RiverClan warrior is to fight for their Clan," she informed him, a fire in her burnished orange eyes. "To defend RiverClan territory from enemy cats is the highest glory attainable. Of course, hunting for the Clan and serving it in other ways are all useful and appreciated, but the best way to show devotion to your Clan is to defend it with your life. That is how I got my scars- trying to drive a WindClan warrior off of RiverClan territory. I am not ashamed to bear these scars, for they show that I have earned the highest honor known to Clan cats. Besides, they are also a mark of my skill in battle." The mottled black-and-orange she-cat sat down in front of Toadpaw. "Tell me, what advantages can you gain in battle from being disfigured?"

ooc: Sorry I haven't been posting quickly lately. ;w; I've been a little busy~

ic: Toadpaw half-listened to his mentor. Blah, blah, blah. Let's get to the exciting stuff, he remarked, his gaze wandering off. He glanced at her as she mentioned her scarring. What advantages? None. I wasn't disfigured in battle. I was disfigured from the beginning. However, his eye steadied to look into hers. "Intimidation?" he guessed. Toadpaw knew the she-cat had a point about her scars, but what was her stance on a blind cat in battle? No one would be intimidated by that. A blind cat was an easy target, wasn't it? And he was half of that already.

The tom felt his heart sink. He usually wasn't bothered by such things. He would be just as good of a warrior as any of his denmates, right? His adoptive mother was blind, and she was a warrior. His voice dropped into almost a whisper. "I guess I can smell and hear better than the other apprentices." His eyesight was terrible, but his ability to hear an approaching cat was remarkable. Toadpaw could identify a Clanmate by the weight of their pawsteps.

Shellwater listened to Toadpaw thoughtfully. She had never thought of her scars as intimidating, and she rather liked the thought, though she doubted other cats saw them that way. Her apprentice still seemed to think of his missing eye as a bad thing- but she has a tip that would make his skills even more formidable. She nodded at him. "Intimidation is good, but we have something better." A wolfish grin spread across her once-pretty features. "They underestimate us, Toadpaw. They see our disabilities and assume that we're weak, that we're no threat. And that gives us an advantage." Getting up from where she sat, the calico she-cat prowled across the clearing, scars visible as she moved, exaggerating a slight limp. She moved almost past a bush... and then, quick as lightning, pounced upon it with claws unsheathed and tore it to shreds, leaves flying everywhere. Then Shellwater walked back over to Toadpaw, a glimmer in her almond-shaped orange eyes. "Ready to learn?"

Toadpaw's eyes glowed. She was back in front of him quickly. He'd hardly seen her when she had become a flash of calico fur among the bushes. He was interested now. "Yes," he mewed, feeling his claws slide from their sheaths.
"Teach me to do that!" He watched her from one side of his face, facing the bush. I bet she coordinated that... She won't fare well against a surprise attack!

Toadpaw whipped around to face her. Excitement rushed through his paws and up his legs. He remembered to sheathe his claws at the last moment, so that he battered her large frame with his small paws. He shoved his weight into her, hoping to knock the she-cat that was considerably larger than him.

Shellwater's ears pricked as the apprentice made his sudden move, hearing the sound of his paws hitting the ground a few moments before they reached her. She hid a smile as he rushed at her. Good- he learns quickly. Ready to make the experience a teaching moment, the warrior didn't dodge like she could have, but instead let his full weight knock into her. She didn't resist as he shoved against her, but instead used his own weight against him, propelling him over her and onto his back, landing hard- but not painfully- on the soft dirt. The scarred calico she-cat turned around quickly to face him, in her battle stance, burnished orange eyes sparkling. "Get back up, Toadpaw!" she called. "An enemy warrior won't stop to show mercy- they'd pin you down and claw your face. You need to be quick!"

Toadpaw found himself staring up at his mentor, huffing as he hit the soft soil underneath him. He was dazed for a moment, and his eye was wild in surprise. However, he realized his mistake as Shellwater began to speak. He rolled back onto his belly, tail lashing. Toadpaw tried to work a plan in his mind quickly. She was right; an enemy wouldn't show mercy.

The tomcat rushed forward. He was much smaller than her. Maybe he could try faking her out? He made a jump to the left, then to the right, then backward. He continued to dance around her, heart pounding. Maybe she already knew his plan? When he was perfectly aligned to her chest, he dove underneath her. However, he didn't take into account her long fur. Her fur blinded him, and his paws struck wildly. His aim was to hit her soft belly fur. If Shellwater didn't react quickly, he could dash on the other side of her, unscathed.

Shellwater watched with interest as he jumped left, then right. But a glance of his eyes staring at her chest was all she needed to deduct his next move. Preparing herself for when he would dart under her, her mind had a flashback to her fight with Lionfur by the WindClan border, when she tried the same move as an apprentice on a much older and more experienced warrior. What had the golden-furred tom done? Ah. As Toadpaw slid underneath her belly, suddenly blinded by her long-ish fur, she immediately pressed her advantage and collapsed on top of him, knocking the wind out of him but making sure he could still breathe. He would as pinned underneath her now. What now, Toadpaw? Cone on... Use your brain...

The small apprentice felt the air escape his lungs again as the large she-cat collapsed onto him. His claws scrabbled on the soft dirt, and he realized that she was allowing him to breathe. In a real fight, he'd be crow-food! However, Gorsepaw still could not move from underneath her weight.

He saw the small stump of her tail wiggling above his ear. If only he could move to bite down on it. He had to think of something else. Gorsepaw kept attempting many things. Snagging a claw on her (it was hard to reach her anyway), struggling, and kicking wildly. Nothing seemed to work. Defeated, the tom slumped underneath her. Hopefully, in a battle, he wouldn't have to come face-to-face with a tailless cat that had him pinned.

Once she was satisfied that the tom had been beaten, Shellwater got off him and let him up, wincing as she did so. Her sides ached from the apprentice's battering, but that only showed how good of a job he'd done. The calico she-cat sat by him, licking a paw and drawing it over her torn ear. "Good job, Toadpaw. I'm impressed. Any WindClan cat would be unlucky to meet you across the border." She shook out her scarred orange-and-black pelt. "Even though lacking a tail makes balancing and swimming a problem sometimes, you saw that it can be an advantage. What else did you learn?"

The tom didn't believe he deserved her compliment. He couldn't even defend himself! "Not to leave my guard down," he answered, shaking off his pelt as he got onto his paws. He'd have to be much more careful in a real battle. "And everything has its advantages and disadvantages?" Toadpaw looked up at Shellwater for approval. Though, he'd much prefer to fight a blind cat over a normal-sighted cat.

Toadpaw looked back at the camp. He could still feel his paws itching to scratch and run, but he noticed his muscles felt duller than before. He parted his jaws to get his breath back and to taste RiverClan territory. Salty and damp air from one direction, and more forest scents from the other. Hopefully I'm better hunting and tracking than I am at fighting...

As the two cats broke from their training and their voices started to ring softly in the small clearing, fog started to filter into the clearing. It was silent as it moved without a single sound - the only thing giving it away other then simply taking notice of it was the chill in the air as followed the thick mist. It rolled straight for the two RiverClan cats, almost seeming to pause in its motion as it began to curl around their paws. The air that surrounded the two cats was thick - almost all scents being swallowed by the strange fog that had rolled into the clearing and held an unnatural coldness to the air - causing it to almost feel like the freezing cold of the dead of night instead of the brisk chill of morning air.