Ready, Set, Nope.

She hadn't been looking forward to this. Up until now, Mothpaw had been primarily accompanying her sister around camp as the she-cat recovered, so Thornbriar hadn't had to worry about truly training her. After the journey to the gathering however, Silentpaw had clearly recovered enough that she didn't need complete supervision. Eyes were on her to see how she'd handle the she-cat, as well as her newest apprentice, Silverpaw. The apprentice she'd been assigned just yesterday... Thornbriar groaned internally. How did people expect her to figure out how to deal with not one, but two kits? She wasn't incapable of handling difficult assignments but...

Kits.

Sighing, the she-cat mulled over her options as she stood from her nest and gave her pelt a firm shake. She, like usual, skipped the the process of actually taking the time to groom her pelt, and exited the warrior's den. She took enough care to weave around the nests of Asterspark and Wildstrike, but had no problem tromping on the other stray tails or paws that seemed to always stick out of someone's nest and in her way. The rising sun assaulted the she-cat's eyes in a way that could only be described as unholy as she stretched out her sleep-stiff muscles. She had half a mind to nudge Mothpaw awake and have her fetch Silverpaw, but thought better of it. With a sigh, she crossed the camp and looked at the opening to the apprentice's den. She narrowed her eye, considering the fact that she herself had been sleeping in here just a few moons or so ago, despite her age. Squeezing inside of the smaller den, she let her gaze slide over the sleeping lumps of fur. It didn't take her long to locate Mothpaw, after all she just had to look for the only nest she housing two cats. Padding over to the sleeping sisters curled tightly around each other, she prodded the much darker pelt till the apprentice began to stir. "Get up." She grumbled, gravelly voice lowered just enough so as to not wake up Silentpaw.

One down...

She turned around, having a somewhat difficult time moving her large mass easily in the more confined space. It took a bit more time to locate the younger apprentice, but as soon as she had she moved over to him to do the same. Weaving around the sleeping bodies, she nudged him into consciousness. "It's time." Having successfully roused both apprentices, she made her way out of the cramped den and bee-lined towards the camp entrance to wait for them. If nothing else, she was glad to be out of the apprentice's den. That was definitely one of the perks of being a warrior. Stray paws and tails aside, the den was big enough that she could navigate it without much difficulty.

At least one of them was calm.

Thornbriar had just opened her mouth to answer the little silver tabby's question when Mothpaw cut in with a flurry of chatter. She stared blandly at the kit, finding it hard to believe that she was actually as old as she was. And what was she on about with all this fox chatter? Quirking a brow at the little she-cat, she nearly sighed as she realized this would likely be a long trip. Eyeing the two 'warriors in the making' staring at her expectantly, she resisted the urge to return to her nest and pretend this had never happened.

"Patrolling." She grunted, turning and motioning with her tail for the apprentices to follow.... only to realize that they likely didn't know what tail signals meant yet. Looking back at them, she flicked her ear. "That... means come along. And no, we're not going to, uh, 'catch' any foxes." ... She hoped. The warrior turned her sharp green gaze to Mothpaw. "I don't exactly recommend seeking them out either."

It didn't usually end well.

The she-cat's rough, husky voice continued. "Today we'll be looking around the territory. I expect you both to pay attention to your surroundings. If you two behave, we can begin hunting practice after. Shadowclan territory may seem overwhelming to you right now, but if you're smart you'll be able to find your way around quickly enough." Thornbriar winced at the gravelly sound of her words. She wasn't used to having to talk this much... How did the others do it? "Use your nose, eyes, ears, and most importantly, your head. Right now it's Leafbare. That means things will look very different when it warms up. That being said, you will need to memorize landmarks, or consider yourself lost. I won't be very happy if I have to come out here and find one of you because you decide to go on an adventure." She looked pointedly at the young she-cat. If the kit was smart, she'd never have to go through something like that again... but that was a big if.

Thornbriar's ear twitched at the apprentices' hushed voices. She couldn't quite pick up what the kits were saying, but frowned nonetheless. "Pay attention." She growled, stopping and facing the two. She wasn't about to let them chatter away like birds when they had better things they could be focusing their attention on, they could do that in their free time. Even so, they had reached their first destination. Narrowing her good eye on them, she flicked her tail in the direction of the large, scorched trunk of what probably used to be a tree, but was now split and blackened. Thornbriar looked over the ancient tree, remembering a time when she and her brother had trained among the undergrowth surrounding the Burnt Sycamore. Now, in leafbare, the landmark was surrounded by enough snow and frost to give the scene a lonely, barren feel. Her gaze softened at the thought, but only slightly. Looking back at her apprentices, she nodded to them.

"Tell me what you think that is."