one step at a time [closed for dusty!]

Holly stepped out into the dew of the forest, looking back a little apprehensively at her new mini-follower. Quailpaw was cute and enthusiastic… And I can totally don’t know what to do with him… at all. He was her baby cousin, kinda. Shouldn’t she be less nervous?

She didn’t know her aunt Spottedfrog very well — the warrior returned just after Holly’s… well… not-so-fun time in her cousins’ terrible home. And then the molly’s kits came soon after. But Holly was determined not to let her down anyway. I’ll make Quail into an awesome warrior! Right. And Aunt Ash won’t regret giving him to me.

“Okay,” Holly started, clearing her throat a bit. “So first things first, I’m going to — um. Er…”

…she hadn’t thought much of what they’d do, besides going into Skyclan’s territory.

What did Ravenclaw teach her first? It was… fighting, right? It had to be! Every good warrior knew how to fight. But then, she sucked at hunting so maybe… oh, foxes. “…I’m going to teach you something. You uh, know what warriors do, right?”

Quailpaw stared at his new mentor with wide eyes. she stammered around, looking like she wanted an owl to swoop out of the sky and carry her away. awesome.

"YEAH!" he yowled loudly. lowering his voice, he answered confidently, "They kill stuff!"

Holly whipped around to look at her fluffy… and, um, apparently maybe-murderous… apprentice. That was, uh… not blood-thirsty at all.

So… maybe not hunting, then…? He probably wouldn’t get anything on his first try… But that’s bad to encourage, right? Starclan! What did Ravenclaw do when I wanted to fight dogs?!

Holly was, in fact, not opposed to fighting dogs. They were bad news! And it was a warrior’s job to take care of them, she knew that. But as an apprentice, she’d vibrated at the idea of it — it was exciting, thrilling! Now, though… With scars and a fear in her heart (one that had appeared, suddenly and out of the blue… that grew and grew and grew while Holly tried desperately to stuff it down or escape it), the young warrior only felt a kind of… nervous feeling, at the idea. And a spike of fear, at the idea of the little fluff ball behind her throwing himself at one. (Oh, Starclan. Would he?!)

In the midst of her heart beating faster, she realized that she used to feel invincible. This used to be exciting! And now it… wasn’t. What… happened to me? she thought, a little sadly, even as Holly turned her head to smile weakly at her apprentice.

“Sort of,” she answered, and then gestured with a flick of tail to her mini-follower to… well, follow. “Come on. I’ll show you the territory first,” which was neutral enough. Right? “It can be kinda a lot to remember, but you’ll get it eventually. And since you’re an apprentice, you won’t be out alone, so... Oh! That’s a rule to remember! Bloodstar doesn’t want any apprentices out by themselves. So don’t leave camp unless I’m with you, or another warrior, okay?”

It wasn’t safe! She strode, a little more firmly — and feeling more responsible. That was a proper mentor thing to say! I’ve totally got this.

So Holly kept walking, taking them through the trees and jutting stones of Skyclan’s territory. Feeling a little less nervous, she peppered her apprentice with tips about getting around. (‘Okay, okay, so you see this pine tree? With the scratches? So, that means you’re near Halfstone— that’s where we’re going. But don’t confuse it with the other marked one near the river! That’ll take you way the other way…’) She felt a little more confident as they came close enough to see the huge, split rock.

“So this is Halfstone! It’s a great place to hunt… I mean, kill things. When you want, I’ll show you how. Oh! And sometimes there’s foxes, but Bloodstar takes care of it usually,” she explained, with some energy, gesturing with a paw. “You don’t really wanna step in any holes. But other than that it’s a great place to train!”

Quailpaw hung onto every word his mentor said, as if Hollyshine was the leader herself. his huge eyes watched her like a hawk. "Cool! What do we hunt again?" he suddenly recalled how warriors would go on "hunting patrols" and bring back food for the clan to eat. so being a warrior was not just about killing stuff. sad.

he noticed a rustling bush. it had an unfamiliar scent. Quailpaw bounded towards it. "Hey! what's in there?" he squealed, poking his head through the leaves. beady black eyes glared back at him. "AAAH!" Quailpaw screamed, jumping back. the fox pushed it's way out, bearing it's fangs.