Training With Grandpa [CLOSED]

Jaystar woke up before the first rays of sunshine could appear. He opened his green eyes in the lonely den and yawned, looking around. If he was honest, he missed the warrior’s den. Even though he wasn’t exactly the most social cat, he enjoyed sleeping with his fellow clanmates under the same reeds. He didn’t feel alone...

The leader stretched his body once more and walked slowly to the exit of his home. Outside, the fresh breeze welcomed him and the camp was waiting for him in a soothing silence. It felt like ages since he did something like this but it remembered him the old times when he was the deputy and he had to take over different apprentices because the clan didn’t have enough warriors. However, this time was different too. He wasn’t going to train any cat. Lightpaw was his son’s, his own kin. The poor tom has to grow without a mother... just he do when he grew up without a father and an absent mother who was busy being deputy.

The tall grey tom entered the apprentice’s den and he soon fixed his eyes on the pure white pelt of his grandkit. Jaystar walked to him and touched his shoulder with one paw. ”Wake up, Lightpsw. It’s time to train... I’ll wait you at the entrance of the camp. Fetch something to eat before going...” With those words being said, the leader left and as he stated, he waited patiently.

The leader smiled gently at him and purred back. ”Good morning to you too, Lightpaw Follow me. I’ll tell in our way what I’ve got you today.” He mewed as he stood up, leaving the camp. He let his body sunk into the stream that surrounded the camp and without many difficulties, he moved forward to the shore of the other side. He looked back to check that the young tom was okay, even if the stream wasn’t deep enough to cause him troubles. Once he was with him, he led the way to the river.

As they traveled together through Riverclan’s lands, the leader glanced at his apprentice with a smile. ”First of all, you will need to learn Riverclan’s territories and borders. Our land is filled with prey, especially with fishes and water rodents. That’s why the domain of the river is so important for us. As a Riverclan cat, you will learn our fishing and swimming ways, skills that no other clans teach to their apprentices. For today, we will visit the river, the Sunningrocks and the Gorge and I’ll teach some basics of swimming in our first stop. Sounds okay to you?”

The leader chuckled by the optimistic attitude of his grandkit. Playfully, he rubbed his forehead with one paw, messing with his fur a little in a fatherly way. He was happy. Despite the worries and burdens of his leadership, his family was what made him feel alive, with a purpose. Lightpaw and Aspenpaw were the younger ones of his family and in these days of training and development, he wanted to show them the legacy of those who lived before them. Maybe one day... they would tell their kits his own life story.

"We're here." He announced. The sound of the river sounded as calm as ever and the sunshines reflected their light on the clear water. On the shore, large and warm rocks could be seen and the leader made his way to them. With one paw, he pointed one of them. "Sit here, Lightpaw. I have a story to tell you." He mewed smiling. Once the apprentice was in his place, the leader looked at the river, remembering those days when Ivystar, the previous leader, was alive. The white-furred tom did not know who she was and what she did for her clan. He probably didn't even know she was his great-grandmother. With a purr, he started the lesson. "This place you see is the Sunningrocks. You might have heard that this section of the river is usually under conflict because both Riverclan and Thunderclan want them for their own hunting territories. Moons ago... before you were born or even your parents were alive, there was a war here. I was a new deputy by then. My mother, Ivystar, took Fishstar's place when she passed away and she named me as her deputy. But her leadership only had a few days of peace..." With a movement of his head, he pointed the forest on the other side of the river. Even from his side, he could smell the scent of Thunderclan.

"Thunderclan, the clan who lives in the woods, came to Ivystar claiming for the Sunningrocks that belonged to us by that time. Blizzardstar had a meeting with Ivystar in leafbare. She wanted her to give up the Sunningrocks to Thunderclan. Of course, Ivystar rejected such a thing. This place is one of our best hunting spots and the clan needed the food that it provided. So... we went to war." As he said those words, the leader remembered that night. The hisses, the claws, the blood and chaos. He even could remember the adrenaline that ran through his veins and how brave his clanmates were. "Both clans fought with ferocity but in the end, Riverclan's warriors demonstrate to be the strongest ones. Since that day, I saw the true mightiness of our clan, young Lightpaw. Ivystar guided us to greatness and she never failed to prove that Riverclan would not be beaten so easily. She won all the battles she entered and always came back home with fruits of her efforts and blood." He made a nostalgic smile and then turned his face to see the apprentice. "Your great-grandmother is remembered as a strong and mighty leader, Lightpaw. You have her blood as well as I have it. If your work, I'm sure you can be as amazing as she was. Even more."

The tom smiled widely by the response of his apprentice and kin. There was no doubt. He was a good cat and if he kept training, he would be a loyal and strong Riverclan warrior, just like his ancestors before him. "Calm down, tiger. I know you will achieve great things but we have to start with something, right?" After purring that, the leader walked to the river calmly, choosing a spot of shallow water where the current wasn't strong enough to swipe a young cat like him away. He made a movement with his tail, inviting Lightpaw to join him.

The water around his webbed paws felt as cold as ever but at the same time, it was like a warm embrace. The river was his life, was part of him, an extension of his body. For a Riverclan cat, that was water meant and one day, his apprentice would see that too. "Water is the most important thing in our lives, young one. It provides food, shelter and protection. But it can also bring death if you're careless. We, Riverclan cats, have learned how to use it in our favour by training our apprentices how to fish and swim." He walked in deeper, letting the water reach his neck. Once he was ready, he separated his paws from the muddy ground and started swimming in circles with strong, long movements of his legs. His chin was raised up and he moved swiftly, like a fish.

Jaystar came back to the apprentice's side, his fur soaked in water. "One day, you will swim like that. But first, you need to learn how to not drown yourself. First of all, everything about swimming is about coordination between the different parts of your body: legs, breathing, your head and tail. Try to imitate what I did here, where the water isn't deep enough to reach your mouth."

The leader didn’t the sudden outburst of the apprentice. It was not a surprise considering that he was Stormstrike’s son and he already knew what his son’s personality was. That was why he only smiled at him, comprehensively. ”I know you’re eager to be the best. But sometimes it’s better to be a little patient. All your wait and hard work will be rewarded one day. Is a rule of life.” He mewed after the pure-furred tom apologized.

From his spot in the shallow water, he glanced at the tom and even if at first, he seemed fine, he had the same trouble he had when he was an apprentice. Jaystar walked to him and licked the bridge of his muzzle in a fatherly way. Then, he stepped back a little to leave him his own space as he recovered from the splash. ”I’m sure you will because that’s how I started too. I looked like a fish struggling to breathe in the shore and always ended up making too much noise with my paws. But look at me now. I love water and it has become part of me too. You will learn that too. Now, let's try it again. Try to keep your head up and don't raise your front paws too much or the splashing will blind your sight." He instructed his apprentice giving him a short demonstration next to him, in the shallow part of the river. Lightpaw had the spirit to learn and that was all he needed to be an experienced swimmer. In no time... he would be a warrior... a cat that his father would be proud of.