from where we came [closed]

Thistlepaw.

It was time for them to train alone. She'd been his apprentice for a while now but recent events had kept his paws too busy for a personal training session. He liked to invest in his apprentices, to get to know them, to sharpen their skills. This she-cat was no different, regardless of the blood that ran through her veins. The one thing he wasn't sure of was the thoughts that ran through her head - she'd hardly voiced much of anything to him in the past. And now. Stoatstar swallowed, wondering out the circumstances impacted her compared to the rest of the clan. They were all gripped underneath the claws of dark shadows. It was a unique misery in and of itself, one that was slowly driving him mad as leader of the clan. However, it was Thistlepaw's father who had taken down the forest. While Stoatstar appeared to be a conduit for this evil, Dawnhawk was the one who created it.

The thoughts that danced in his head were distracting. It was tempting to talk instead of train but certainly not needed. Besides, who knew if she'd even indulge him in conversation. Because of all of this, their walk through the forest was oddly silent. After quite some time, he stopped, "Alright. Hunting or fighting, your pick. I'll teach you both eventually. Although, I'm sure you've already picked up a think or two on patrols." He looked at her expectantly, shocked to hear himself speak as much as he did. Maybe taming his tongue for so long was finally getting to him.

The molly wanted to disappear. She was of the full hope the ground would open up and swallow her whole. After all, what had happened to allow her father to live bearing such a ghastly wound? And what of that of the former warriors shrouded in darkness and reeking of scents that made her eyes burn with disgust- how had they come to appear, but she couldn't sprout wings like a bird and leave her entire life behind?

The thought of running away, from taking off in the opposite direction on the way home from the gathering had been so overwhelmingly enticing that for a moment she let it simmer, but brushed it away thinking about her sister, Achelois.

Or was it Loonpaw now? The eccentric molly had been calling herself a weird blend of them both, while Achlys had struggled to even consider herself as Thistlepaw. But now... the emergence of her father, Klaus, as Morningstar had made her deeply reconsider her roots and ties, and the calico had silently begun to align with the clan she resided in more than her own blood relation. Well, to be completely fair, she now had a large amount of family in ThunderClan, but the oaks had begun to appear more friendly to her than a great majority of those she shared a den with.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she continued to follow Stoatstar along in a silent state of being, keeping each pawstep light to avoid outward detection of movement. Little things she had picked up living amongst the Forgotten Order would forever stick with her, and the subconscious stalking was definitely one of those quirks.

He turned to ask a question, and Thistlepaw realised that she was going to have to speak- her sisters were not here to deflect away for her. She decided to keep it succinct.

"Hunting." The calico was wholly aware of her need to practice fighting, but she honestly lacked real trust in the tom to ensure she wouldn't strike out with claws unsheathed. Silently she awaited direction, giving the leader an equally expectant look.

One ear flicked and he dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement of her answer. So, it seemed that she wasn't going to be pried apart easily. Letting the silence site between them was uncomfortable for him, whose nature was to let his tongue run wild. But as he swallowed back budding words, it was less painful than normal to be contented to the lack of speech. Perhaps it was the unending burden of his mind and lack of sleep had finally tamed the overactive part of his mind. Noting his racing thoughts, swimming through the fog of his mind, Stoatstar quickly determined that was hopeless.

"Alright. I'm sure you've hunted before. I don't know what life was like for you as a rogue but stalking in the undergrowth can be hard for cats now used to it. You seem stealthy enough, I imagine it won't be much of a challenge for you." Stoatstar crouched, demonstrating a few Thunderclan specific techniques as he slipped through the deadened foliage with Thistlepaw in tow. After a while, he set his sights on a squirrel darting about. Prey had started to become more active. If only there weren't Dark Forest cats around to snatch it up as they saw fit.

Pushing away the bitterness, he crept forward, zeroed in on the target. It wasn't the most skillful kill and the creature almost slipped from his grasp but the little tom caught it just in time, swiftly ending its life with a nearly inaudible squeak. Turning back to Thistlepaw, he meowed, "Something like that but better." He wanted to write it off as the weakness in his limbs or the many things that distracted him but regardless, Stoatstar was unforgiving in his own critiques. There was a bird to the right, pecking softly at the roots of a tree. It was barely visible from their position but with enough skill, it could be caught. His tail flicked, pointing it out to the apprentice before nodding her forward encouragingly.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6