With Each Step, We Draw Nearer [Closed]

"Are you ready, Cloudpaw?" He meowed lowly, padding up behind the recently named apprentice. This was not the first he had mentored. The previous young cat placed into his paws had gone missing during the flood. Thinking of her was something he tried not to do often, as the loss of any young cat filled him with grief. It was a tragedy to see the potential of life stripped away so easily. That aside, the warrior was eager to begin their training. Moons of pent up planning and hope for the near future invigorated his paws. This would be something to help channel that. And to prepare the both of them for what was to come.


Burntstag offered the younger tom a warm and encouraging smile before turning towards the camp entrance. He wasn't even quite sure where to begin. Normal introductions were territory tours and hunting basics. But he was not the average warrior. Perhaps a review of clan basics would be far more appropriate. After a brief pause he mused, "Tell me, apprentice, what all do you know of the clans who rule this forest we walk in? And their history?"

Cloudpaw's ears perked back, seeing the large warrior approach him. He wasn't quiet ready to begin training- or at at least that's how the young apprentice felt. He put a lot of thought into it, it was nerve wracking to even think about leaving the camp and being in the unknown, where warriors told stories about how they were attacked by large predators like foxes and badgers... He didn't give Burntstag a response for awhile, just looked at him straight in the eyes as he got lost in thought.

Getting distracted by the way the other male turned, he was snapped back into the moment of now. "I don't know." He simply put, sadly it was true. He didn't know any of the recent history other than the tales of old repeated by an elder multiple times. However it did bring him a sense of excitement, he was going to be apart of this ongoing history. "I know that the stars above us bring us wisdom and what's to come..." The younger feline wasn't sure what else to say.

Burntstag allowed the comfortable pause to settle between them. For a moment, he almost wondered if Cloudpaw had heard him. But then he realized the younger tom was simply lost amid his own thoughts. The calico warrior would have laughed aloud at the scene if it weren't for the fact that he did not want to interrupt such deep concentration. How many times had he found himself wondering into the rabbit hole of his own conscious? It seemed that he and the younger cat had something in common besides the clan allegiance they bore. His whiskers twitched instead of making a sound and his maw was unyielding in its usual neutral expression. And then, finally, Cloudpaw spoke. The words were not quite what he would have hoped, but, young minds were impressionable. At an age not much younger than his apprentice's, Burntstag had believed he would follow in his father's footsteps. Now, he would rather rot among the rat of carrionplace.

Nodding slightly, encouragingly, Burntstag accepted the answer. But, of course, he could not leave the conversation there. Too much belief in Starclan could be damaging to one's health. With a slow exhalation of breath, Burntstag meowed lowly, "Most of paths have been dictated by our own paws. Starclan sent Lichenmask, who nearly killed off half the forest. It's hard to see wisdom in something like that. The first thing you need to know, Cloudpaw, is that you are the master of your own success and destiny." Saying his father's name without allowing some measure of venom to creep into the words was nearly impossible but he cut off any further by clenching his teeth and taming his tongue. The full history lesson could wait for later. Much more important things needed to be shared if this tom was going to grow up into a proper cat. His ear flicked as he waited for a response and settled back on his haunches. They were far enough away from camp now and there was little urgency to their training. There was still a whole day ahead. After a short moment of contemplation, Cloudpaw could learn how to hunt.

The apprentice strolled along with his mentor, actually glad that the larger male was being patient with him along with making a little chatter. He lifted his head as his bright amber eyes watched, the trees were swaying sweetly in the wind. The open unknown of the new territory made his fur itch, growing slightly worried that something bad cloud happen at any moment. But, the bubbling of joy being in a new envoment soon began to take over his overall mood; getting out of his head be began to listen to what Burntstag had to say. As much as Cloudpaw wanted to listen to his mentor about how Starclan wasn't always in the right, it didn't interest him. He got caught up in his own head for a second as the warrior explained that the fate of each and every cat was brought apon themselves in their own actions. "I really hope that doesn't happen anytime soon..." The awkward feline took a seat on his rump, following after the long haired calico, he gazed at his face, however unable to pick up any emotions other than the slight disgust of the topic. "As much as I would like to lead myself , you're supposed to be doing that." He tried to joke slightly, offering a pathetic smile and small laugh to his words. His tail wrapped around himself, he already wanted to get started and distract himself with a lighter topic of interest.

"I suppose you're right." He'd paused for a moment, ear twitching at the words, before letting out a low laugh. It was his position and duty after all to set the younger tom's paws on the right path. And that was what he would do. As they made their way through the territory, Burntstag pointed out several different parts of the territory, types of plants, landmarks and the marshier areas. Soon, Cloudpaw would be an expert of the lands that comprised his home. As the warrior lifted his maw, there was the scent of frog nearby. It was a Shadowclan staple, one that he was sure the apprentice had already tasted in his kithood. It appeared this was the time for a hunting lesson. Drinking in the scents, he slowly padded in the direction of the frog. Each step was gradual, slow, as he sought not to scare away their prey. His feathery tail signaled for Cloudpaw to watch, silently. He crept forward and pounced in one fluid motion. Claws sunk deep into the rubbery flesh of the frog and sunk into it's throat. The life was ended swiftly, and with that, there was more prey for the cats back at camp. Gathering it up gingerly between his teeth, the warrior turned back to the apprentice and meowed as he dropped it, "That crouch I used is the standard Shadowclan hunting crouch. You should practice it, and learn it, in order to best hunt for the clan. Go ahead. That small patch of heather can be your target." He nodded to a half-dead cropping of undergrowth. It was small and half-broken, given the earlier floods. Burntstag was eager to see the young cat learn and watched with interest in his intense gaze.

The member 'Ripped' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 4