Mistakes Of Our Past (Closed)

The crisp light of dawn was just beginning to peek over the treetops high above when Leopardstar slipped out of his den, the curtain of lichen swaying in his wake as he walked purposefully across the clearing towards where the apprentice's den lay in shadow.  Today would be the first day of training for young Aspenpaw, and though he was eager to begin teaching her all about the ways of a warrior...he was strangely hesitant as well.  The bright silver tabby, daughter of both his noble deputy and one of his most loyal warriors, reminded him greatly of another she-cat he had once trained long ago.  He could only pray, with all of his mortal might, that Aspenpaw wouldn't follow down the same path Sharptooth had trod...

Ducking his head into the warm bramble den, the leader caught sight of his apprentice through the darkness and let out a low hiss; "Aspenpaw, it's time to go."  He waited to see that the molly had indeed woken up before backing out of the den and sitting down beside the near-empty fresh-kill pile, dragging his tongue over his shoulder in a few brisk grooming brushes.  The sun touched his black-tipped ears - illuminating the old V-shaped notch - as it rose steadily higher in the sky; soon enough, the prey would be rising with it.

With her tapering tail flicking absently, eyes shuts tightly with irritation, Aspenpaw stretched her jaws in a wide yawn. Her eyes blinked open steadily, revealing light chartreuse depths, which were still foggy and unclear with the sleepiness crawling over her. The tabby glanced up, seeing through her blurred vision golden paws by the entrance. The source of the hiss that had called her name had been her mentor. Aspenpaw had nearly forgotten that she was now an apprentice!
That would explain why she had awoken in a new den - one in a clump of ferns, not in the bush that shielded the nursery. Somehow, the fatigued feeling had now vanished, and was now replaced with excitement. The leader was taking her out, to experience the territory for the first time! Jerking her head up, to see that Leopardstar had exited the den, Aspenpaw jumped into a standing position and trotted towards him, eyes shining with fierce determination. She would show her father and the leader that she truly did deserve to have him as her mentor, by training extra hard.
The tabby's pelt gleamed once the golden rays touched it, outlining her sharp features, lighting her thin black stripes. She observed the location of the fresh-kill pile, seeing that it was empty. Perhaps her prey would be laid there shortly. She'd assure that she would catch something and deposit it there, for she was well-prepared and ready.
Aspenpaw was ready as she'd ever be.

(occ: sorry for the wait ':D and also sorry for the short post)

Leopardstar smiled slightly as the silver tabby she-cat emerged from the den, nodding in greeting before rising to his paws and extending his spine in a long stretch.  "Good morning Aspenpaw, ready to head out?"  His gaze flashing down towards the bare patch of earth beside him where only scraps of the usual prey pile remained, his slender tail flicked impatiently.  "I would offer you a bite to eat, but as you can see we'll need to chase it down first."

《ooc》it's fine!~ <3 sorry for my late reply!

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"Good morning, Leopardstar! Yes, I'm ready."
The undeniably spirited determination that had laced into her tone was distinct. Her relentlessly intense eyes were glittering with excitement, even with her attempts to conceal it. Aspenpaw glimpsed in the direction that her mentor had directed his gaze to. The fresh-kill pile - the free, empty prey pile. Her fierce eyes flashed meaningfully to the leader, "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be abundant with prey once this session's over! I'll work hard to provide ThunderClan with the best kills." Her tone was dead-serious, and her boastful, wide stance indicated that she was being sincerely honest. Yes, she'd be the best hunter, and the best fighter. She'd make Dustcloud proud, Marshstorm proud and Leopardstar proud. She'd show everyone her mighty skills, and that wasn't false.

Leopardstar's black-tipped ears twitched in an amused sort of way at Aspenpaw's animated decrees of expertise and skill, and he couldn't help the appreciative chuckle that escaped his jaws. "I'm sure it will be, you could probably take down prey with your determination alone." His hazel eyes sparkled jokingly, but there was a hint of truth in what he said. A positive attitude always helped when learning new things, but sometimes such confident apprentices could be prone to recklessness. For now, though, he would encourage her. "Let's head out, the prey is waiting."

Taking the lead, Leopardstar scaled the ravine and soon enough the landscape faded into a maze of trees and shrubbery, the leaves beginning to turn the colors of leaf-fall. After a little while of walking, the two cats came across a small clearing where sunlight spilled onto the ground, the shadows of leaves high above casting dapples over their pelts. "Okay Aspenpaw, show me your hunters crouch. I'll give you tips once I see what you know already."