Something to Believe In [Closed]

OCC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_ZRWZv14SA

For once, Flamestrike was ready to go as soon as he woke up. No, the rest had not been easy, as was normally the case, but today there was something to be excited about. As much as the flame orange warrior could feel excitement these days, it warmed his chest. On the outside he looked as stone-cold as ever. But a spark of joy lit up in his eyes on this particular day. His long legs covered the ground from the warrior's den to the apprentice's den in only a few moments. At the entrance, Flamestrike poked his head in. The old den felt so cramped. In the moons sense, his legs had only grown, along with everything else. It appalled the tom that he had once lived here. He managed to just squeeze inside. Off to one side was the sleeping frame of his son. A soft smile threatened to break out across his muzzle. It was all new to him. Yet, there was something special about having his own kits within Shadowclan. Not only did they carry his bloodline, but they looked just like him. A low purr rumbled in his throat.

"Firepaw. Time for training." He meowed softly into the apprentice's ear. There was no reason to wake up the other apprentices. Flamestrike turned on his heels to exit and wait outside. His long tail flicked impatiently.

Firepaw was sleeping calmly until he heard the purr of his father. The young cat opened fastly his eyes just to see a flame-colored warrior walking to the entrance of the den. He stretched his paws, trying to stop feeling so sleepy and stood up with a smile on his face.
The dappled orange tom trotted behind Flamestrike, glancing back sometimes to see if he had woke up other apprentices by accident and reached him. The big and tall cat was waiting for him with a flickering tail. His bright green eyes, just like the eyes of his father, were looking at him with admiration. His whole body was warmed up because of the excitement of being trained by his father, the greatest warrior in all Shadowclan. He greeted him with a nod and a determined and enthusiastic expression.
"Good morning, fathe... I mean Flamestrike!" Firepaw meowed remembering that now his father was also his mentor and he had to show the warrior the respect of his newly acquired apprentice rank. The young and muscular apprentice wanted to prove his father that he was a worthy apprentice that deserved to be trained by him. After all, Firepaw was decided to be as awesome as Flamestrike or the leader and the warrior in front of him was the only one that could make Firepaw reach his whole potential. "I'm ready to start. What are we going to do today? Hunting? Battle? Explore the territories?"

"Where would you like to start?" Flamestrike meowed to his enthusiastic son, trying to keep his voice flat. He had been so strict and tough with Rushpaw before. However, he already knew that trying to be the same towards Firepaw would be futile. There was a pure energy about the young tom. The innocence of his son cut through all of the darkness and numbness of the warrior's reality. For the first time in moons, save for brief moments with Honeydrop, he felt something. His ear twitched uncomfortably at the feeling of well... feeling. His green eyes looked down on the apprentice for a moment. Was I once like that with Hazeflight? He mused internally. Memories of being held back as both a kit and an apprentice came flooding back. The frustration with himself had always been there. But once there had been a similar youth to that of Firepaw's.

"What do you think about seeing where the other clans live and our territory? Maybe practice some stalking on the way?" He had full intentions of showing Firepaw fourtrees. As an apprentice, that had become his happy place. His long legs made the trek seem easy. Regardless of whether or not that happened today, they would go there together sometime for other than a gather. The orange warrior waited for another cheerful response. His tail tip twitched in anticipation for the rest of the day, and their time training together.

Firepaw inclined his head a bit, like a puppy, thinking about what to do. The tom wasn't expecting that his mentor would ask him where they were going to train today. For the young and naive cat, all unknown places were something he wanted to visit and explore. But probably his father already knew all of them since a long time ago.
He flicked his ears once he heard the new question that excited him even more. "I would love to see all territories and learn a lot about them while you train me! I honestly don't have any favorite place because I don't know too much about the outsides of the camp." The apprentice only wandered sometimes in the marshes of Shadowclan and never left his own territory. He wanted to have that experience with his father.
"I guess we can start with the Thunderpath or Lone Stump. I heard that you can see a lot of the territory from up there and I like that idea." The flame colored tom waved his tail after saying that, waiting for the answer of Flamestrike. He glanced the place where the warriors and apprentices left the fresh-kill and thought that maybe this would be his first-day leaving prey that he hunted just like the rest of the clan. Firepaw was ready to prove his worth on the clan and that he could be a good warrior just like his father. He wondered how he was when he had his age. Maybe later he would ask him about his days before being a Shadowclan warrior.

The thunderpath? Flamestrike entertained the idea for a brief moment. He remembered his first time seeing a monster roar past. The terror and thrill of it all had been a memorable experience. While it was a dangerous place, as long as Firepaw stayed back a bit, it sounded like a good place to start. The orange warrior turned towards the camp entrance and slid out into the territory, all while flicking his tail for the apprentice to follow. It would be his son's first time seeing Shadowclan territory outside of the confides of the camp walls. His green eyes darted back to look over his kit's features. Hopefully, the young tom would find it as amazing as he still did. The other clans teased them for living in the mud, but Flamestrike loved it. Shadowclan was truly his home after all these moon. Even if it was not where he was born, it was where he had grown up. It was exciting to be able to share that with his own kin.

"This is it, Firepaw." He announced, gesturing towards the marshy and pine filled lands. Flamestrike did not finishing walking as his apprentice surveyed the territory. If they wanted to cover a good portion of the territory by the end of the night, there would be no time to stop. After allowing the younger cat to look around for a moment, Flamestrike took off in a sprint towards the thunderpath. Without a doubt, Firepaw would be following. There was no need to explain his intentions towards the flame colored apprentice. Soon, the tangy stench of the thunderpath hit his scent glands. Flamestrike stopped just short of the sight of it. Before they reached it, he did have to say a few things.

"You have to be careful here. The monsters can easily steal the life of any cat. They crush cats without ever stopping. Even the strongest warriors have fallen under their paws. Stay off the path itself, only on the edge." The warrior cautioned, allowing his tone to become serious. The stern nature of the words was merely a matter of caution. If his sons were to ever be taken by monsters, Flamestrike would never be able to live with himself. Once more, a sense of responsibility swelled in the tom's chest. As they crept towards the smooth, black path, his eyes never left Firepaw.

The apprentice followed his father with quick steps since Flamestrike was taller than him. He looked the marshes and was happy to feel the wet ground of his territory. Firepaw couldn't think of a better place to be than Shadowclan. The tom glanced some scared frogs and Bird that ran away when the two flame-colored cats appeared and the youngest of them was excited about the idea of catching his first prey or learning his first battle moves.
Soon the smells of the mud and marshes were replaced by a different scent that wasn't exactly from the forest. Firepaw looked the hard and dark gray path where the monster sometimes appeared and stood close to his father, listening carefully to every word. He knew that the Thunderpath was somehow a dangerous place but, despite that fact, Firepaw was curious about how these monsters looked and respected their ability to kill warriors so easily. The young tom understood that he had to be careful around here and hoped that some day he would be able to see one of the Thunderpath's monsters. "Here is the border between Shadowclan and Thunderclan, right?" He asked his father who always kept an eye on him since they arrived. "Where are we going now? Do you any favorite place of Shadowclan, Flamestrike?" He meowed curiously.

Flamestrike nodded at his son's questions. It was incredible how much kits picked up without ever leaving camp. He had known so little when Hazeflight first showed him the territory. But his relationship with the clan was very different. He had not been born there. The early moons were filled with him sitting by and watching the workings of camp life. Firepaw would never have to endure all the extra moons as a kit and apprentice. The warrior found himself thanking... someone for the fact his sons would have a better life than him. Not that it had been all bad, but regardless, he was thankful. Once more, the crooked smile caused his maw to twitch. It still felt strange to have something to be happy for. To be blessed with a beautiful mate and kits. His apprentice would be a constant reminder of it all.

"My favorite place?" For a moment, the orange tom looked thoughtful. But in reality he was already decided. Moons of finding solace in the empty clearing of fourtrees in between the gatherings had made it almost like his haven. In the business of life, Flamestrike hadn't been able to visit there in sometimes. While he so longed to share that with Firepaw today, it was too far of a trek, "It's not really in a territory. You'll have to wait for the gathering to see it." He remarked, looking down as his young copy. The full moon was coming up soon and Flamestrike was sure they would be chosen to go together. For now, though, they had plenty of Shadowclan territory to explore. The warrior turned to head back into the thick of their marshy lands. His long tail beckoned for the apprentice to follow.

Wait for the gathering? Firepaw was so excited that he couldn't think of any other thing than that! The idea of a place where he was able to see and learn about the other clans got stuck on his head for a while, but no clan was better than Shadowclan for him. It was his home, the place where he was born and had a lovely family with Flamestrike, Littlebrook, and his brother Gingerpaw.
The flame colored younger version of Flamestrike followed him after he waved his tail.  Firepaw trotted after him, enthusiastic about the next place to see. Maybe his father would teach a great spot for hunting or some amazing battle moves! No matter which one, nothing could erase the smile on the muzzle of the tomcat and his happiness seemed to last forever around the warrior that he admired.

It wasn't long before a scent wafted into Flamestrike's nose. Typically, the warrior smelled prey before he heard it. It was not that his hearing was poor, his sense of smell was simply far better. He quickly pinpointed the prey and its location. Frog, to the right ahead. His tail waved in a signal for Firepaw to be silent. They didn't want to scare it off. However, the pair was far enough away that the warrior decided it was the perfect time for a hunting lesson. As silent as a mouse, Flamestrike crouched down. His paws were light as to not sink into the mud. The warrior inched forwards, careful not to brush up against any of the undergrowth. He wanted Firepaw to have a good first example of hunting. While the orange tom was not the most skilled hunter, his technique was passable and usually he came back to camp with something.

Once he was close enough in range, Flamestrike sprang. His claws caught in the frog's soft skin and shortly after his teeth sunk into its throat to cut off any attempts at sound. A successful catch. The older tom turned back to his kit with the catch proudly displayed in his maw. Quickly, he buried it into the soft earth near a pine tree with large and snarled roots. After he finished, Flamestrike turned to his flame colored son and began to explain, "That was a basic hunting technique. I'd love to see you try it. Make sure to keep your weight evenly distributed and avoid brushing up against your surroundings. Any noise will alert the prey."

The apprentice was following his father almost jumping because of the happiness until he saw his waving tail. He stopped and close his mouth looking at the flame colored tom crouching and moving slowly to a prey that he just noticed. Firepaw watched at the warrior with widened up eyes, curious and excited about he was teaching to him until he finally leaped and caught that frog without being too noisy. It was a perfect catch.
Firepaw approached his mentor, who was burying the fresh-kill, waving his tail excited. "That was awesome, Flamestrike!" He meowed before the older tom started to explain about the hunting skills. The apprentice nodded firmly showing that he understood and smelled the air while he also put a lot of attention on any noises. He closes his eyes, trying to have more concentration and finally perceived something. The flame dappled smirked quietly as he opened his green eyes and started walking to the frog. However, it was harder than he thought to keep quiet when he was so bug and heavy. Every step wasn't noiseless as the warrior's and Firepaw was getting nervous. What if he couldn't do it? No... he was sure he would make it no matter what. He had to the best in everything to prove his worth!
Even with the mud sounding under his paws, the young cat managed to approach the frog without being noticed by it but still pretty further than Flamestrike was before. He lowered his body, imitating his father's previous actions and jumped with his jaws open and claws unsheathed. However, that it was to expect, the animal was too far and had seen the cat leaping to it so the frog jumped a second before the claws of Firepaw touch them. But the scared frog didn't know about how stubborn the orange tom was. The apprentice didn't give up and quickly moved his body forward attempting to catch the frog. It was messy and clumsy, so, even when the prey was in his mouth, the young cat lost his balance and fell, covering his face in the mud.
The prey fought for a while until it finally died and Firepaw returned to Flamestrike with his fur dirty and messy. It wasn't really something to be proud about and Firepaw knew it but still, he tried to keep his mind calm and dropped the fresh-kill on his paws, in front of the warrior. "I'm sorry, father! I'm going to do it a lot better next time..." He meowed looking directly to the green eyes of the older tom.

Flamestrike simply nodded at the praise from his apprentice. He was never the best at accepting a compliment, especially since for the majority of his life, most had not been directed towards him. The warrior watched with interest as Firepaw then proceeded to try to copy what his father had just done. It was off to a good start, but quickly dissolved as his kin struggled to finish the kill. The whole thing was fairly messy, but in the end got the prey. Flamestrike's whiskers twitched in amusement as he looked at the scene. However, once Firepaw padded over, he managed a crooked smile. His eyes shine with pride at the catch. No matter how poor, his son had managed to bring back food for the clan. The technique would come later.

"That was a great start." His rusty and underused purr rumbled in his throat. Deep green eyes locked with the worried flame colored apprentice's. Flamestrike nodded towards where he had buried his own prey, signalling for Firepaw to do the same, "The technique will come easier with practice. But for now, you can be proud of the fact you caught something for the clan. I'm sure your brothers would love to see it."

The apprentice nodded at his father's words and picked up his fresh-kill to buried it next to the spot where his mentor buried his. He turned back to approach Flamestrike once again, who seemed proud of him even when that catch was awfully bad. The only good thing was that he caught something and he was happy to help his clan, however, the ambitious apprentice wanted to improve even more than that because he knew that he wouldn't be so much help if he kept that poor technique. He hoped to be the greatest hunter and fighter one day. "Yeah! I'm sure that Gingerpaw also caught something! Maybe one day we can do a patrol all together with Littlebrook too, as a family." He meowed, happier than just a moments before. "Do you want me to try it again or are we moving somewhere else?" He asked, staring at the flame-colored warrior with expecting eyes.

'As a family...' A knot caught in Flamestrike's throat at Firepaw's words. He wanted so desperately for his kit to know the truth. His features instantly became expressionless, not wanting to give away the so carefully guarded secret. Firepaw was too young to know. The kits could not know. No one could know. Both Flamestrike and Honeydrop would lose their pelts. He blinked slowly. After a moment, the orange warrior managed a soft smile, "Yes. We will all have to come out sometime."

"Let's hunt for a bit and then head back." The tom waved his tail as he disappeared into the undergrowth. His mouth opened slightly to taste the air. With his thoughts racing, Flamestrike's eyes scanned the clearing. Not long after the first catch, his claws had sunk into another. Hunting was good as the night sky began to lighten up.

Firepaw looked to his father concerned about his sudden expressionless face. Did he say something wrong? The apprentice didn't think too much about it and just focused again on the hunting.
With his nose, he caught the scent of another prey, different from the previous frog. The dappled orange cat followed the smell to a small clearing of marsh, where a pair of lizards were laying around. The young apprentice lowered his body, trying harder this time to be quieter, and approached the reptiles hidden in some bushes. When he couldn't walk anymore closer without leaving his hiding spot, Firepaw prepared himself to jump quietly. He put all his strength in his hind legs and leaped to the biggest lizard. The animal heard him but the tom's move was faster than its running and he caught the prey between his unsheathed claws before he bit with his jaws. The prey soon died and Firepaw returned to the spot where Flamestrike and he buried the other two frogs. Firepaw was prouder of himself than the last hunt because he was sure that this second time his technique improved. There was still some things to change but for now, the flame colored tom had hopes that he would be a perfect hunter in the future.