One Paw After Another

Jaystream walked slowly so the other tom could stay close. Another apprentice, uh? His mother really trusting in him to handle more than one apprentices. It wasn't like he didn't like young cats learning from him but he wished he could one day why Ivystar truly chose him as her deputy. He was unsure, quiet and lacked any social abilities when it came to talking to other warriors. How could he be a good leader in the future? Why, after all the time that Ivystar wasn't for him as a mother, did she decided to give him such a high rank? He sighed, letting those thoughts away as they reached the Beech Copse.

The gray tabby tom looked back at Duskpaw and smiled, fatherly. "Welcome to the Beech Copse, Duskpaw. This will our training spot for today. This is one of the only places where Riverclan has trees perfect for climbing training so we're going to start with that. Then, we will work on your swimming skills, all right?" He didn't know the apprentice too well so this would be a great chance for bonding with him. The only thing he knew was that he was Splashwillow's son.

The brown tom with big yellow eyes full of excitement had followed his mentor,the deputy,Jaystream, with great enthusiasm.  He didn't say a word as he followed until the came to the beach copse"all right"He mewed eager to begin. He moved closer to his mentor ready to start.

Jaystream was happy to see that his new apprentice was an enthusiastic one and he looked quite confident too. With a flick of his fluffy tail, the tom beckoned the closest beech tree and he walked to it, waiting for his apprentice to follow him. "Climbing is about using all the strength you had in your hind and front legs. Your front paw works as supporters and your hind legs as a boost while you climb. You must always keep your claws unsheathed and don't forget to be sure that they are deep inside the log or you might fall."
The tall gray tabby showed the young tom how to start. He did a small jump and dug firmly his claws so Duskpaw could see how to embrace the tree. He then jumped off, landing on his four paws so he could continue the lesson. "Now you do it. I'll be right behind you, watching over your steps. Remember, one paw after another and the faster the better."

Duskpaw watched intently every movement so he wouldn't forget. The yellow eyed tom cat then nodded and bunched his muscles as he leapt up and gripped the tree digging hid claws deep into the bark as he hugged it. The tom at first hesitated trying to remember the part about the actual climbing before he flattened his ears a bit and used his back legs to push himself to the tree each time he dug his claws into the bark to stay rooted to the tree

The deputy watched the first attempt of his apprentice with a proud smile. He followed him and climbed behind him until he reached his side, pinning his claws on the wood. "Good job there. Now, get to that branch. You should always choose the branches that are large enough to handle your weight and keep your claws unsheathed almost all the time. Keep going like you did before. Every time you move a front paw you must do it quickly because you might lose balance. I'll wait behind, following each of your steps." He purred, giving Duskpaw the confidence he needed to keep moving up.

Duskpaw blinked slowly and gave a tiny nod. He smiled a tiny bit "alright"he mewed and pushed himself to the branch that had been point out to him. Each movement was slow but he soon reached the branch and climbed up onto it keeping his claws unsheathed as he clung to it as not to fall off for any reason. The yellow eyes tom though refused to look down or he would lose any confidence he just gained.

The tom followed the young cat from behind and quickly, he reached another close branch that was higher than Duskpaw's. He smiled at him from above as he laid down there, keeping his claws always dug into the wood. "Good job, Duskpaw. Even if in Riverclan we don't have many trees to climb is good for any apprentice to know how to do it. It is better to be prepared for anything." He said with a soft voice.

His green eyes then focused on the view they could see from above. From there, they could the river, the Thunderclan forest, and the Riverclan territory covered by just some splotches of frozen puddles. Somehow, the daylight reflected on them, making the reeds shone with a beautiful colour. "You see that, Duskpaw? This is all our territory. A territory filled with clear streams full of prey and reeds that protects us from the sight of predators. Here is where our clan lives. And beyond our river, you can see Thunderclan's forest." He said with starry eyes, admiring like he was a young apprentice being on his first trip out of the camp. However, that naive happiness soon disappeared when his eyes met the Gorge. That place... always gave him bad memories of how he almost lost Cinderpaw forever. "Over there, beyond the Twoleg bridge, you can see the Gorge. Is a dangerous place not only because there is where a lot of skirmishes with Windclan happen but because a lot of cats died from falling from the falls." He mewed seriously, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"So d ont go there?"Duskpaw finally mewed as he managed to draw up the courage to lift his head and look to their territory listening as his mentor told him certain spots. He had to agree the territory look really neat from up in the tree but Duskpaw felt certain he couldn't make a habit of climbing and staying up on trees."so....how..how do we get down?"He asked.

The tom contained his chuckle as he looked back at his apprentice, noticing how uncomfortable was he being so high. Standing up, the warrior put his claws on the log and, glancing down a couple of times making sure his paws were firmly stuck in the tree, he began to climb down putting one hind paw lower than other each time he moved. Once he reached the branch of the apprentice, Jaystream showed him how to do it. "This might be a little harder but don't worry. Is like climbing up but in reverse. I will be a few steps under you so if you slip I can catch you. Don't be afraid. You've been doing great." He mewed trying to give him courage. He climbed down a bit more and waited for Duskpaw to move.

Duskpaw nodded standing a bit more he started to follow his mentor's instructions. When one paw sloped and a yowl escaped his maw. Thoughts of falling sprung into the brown Tom's mind. But just last second he just barley managed to snag his claws into the bark. His breath coming quick his ears flattened

He noticed that one of his paws slipped and he moved quickly, aiming to catch him with his jaws if it was necessary. But Duskpaw acted fast and he grabbed the log again when he was about to reach Jaystream's head with his hind paws. "Be careful! We're almost there and plunge your claws deeper into the tree."

The warrior reached the floor first, jumping back when he was sure that he would get no harm from that height. Jaystream stayed there, waiting for his apprentice to come down after his first lesson.

Duskpaw gave a shaky nod and dug his claws in deeper as he descended. Once close to the ground he leapt down and shook out his fur and looked to his mentor."So what now"he mewed.

The tom said nothing and just pointed a small stream that came from the river of the clan. He walked to it, hoping that his apprentice would follow him and then turned his eyes back to him. "Your next and last lesson for today is swimming, a skill that every Riverclan cat must know. I know that water must be a little cold but try to handle it for a bit." He mewed comprehensive before looking at the stream excited.

The deputy walked toward the small river, letting his paws enter the water. In just a few seconds, Jaystream was submerged from his paws to his neck. He moved his paws coordinated with his breathing, just like he always did. "Look how I move: head up and tail raised up. Remember to synchronize your breathing with your paws."

Duskpaw followed his mentor taking his silence as a means to follow. He listened and nodded pushing his nervousness down he drew into the white a sharp intake of breathe was the only indication the cold water got to him. As he moved in deeper he tried to remember to breathe in sync with his swimming. He flattened his ears a bit. As he did as instructed"l..like thi...this?"He asked the cold water making him stutter his words unintentionally

Not wanting to freeze the tom, Jaystream approached him and helped to return to the shore. "That was great for your first attempt, Duskpaw. You're natural. Once the days get warmer, we will improve your swimming, making it quieter and faster, okay?" He licked his feathery fur after shaking his paws so he could be less wet. He waited for his apprentice to finish up cleaning himself and then he stood up, ready to go. "I think that's enough for today. Tomorrow I'll organize a hunting patrol so I hope you meet at dawn in the entrance. I'll teach some things about hunting and fishing."

OOC: I'll create your hunting patrol soon ;)