Vivere est militare

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

Bearpaw was sleeping in the apprentice's den, having been told to get extra rest after his fight with the fox the day before. He hadn't been injured in the battle, but his sister, Sorrelpaw, hadn't been so lucky. Regardless, Bearpaw wasn't about to complain about getting his much-needed beauty sleep. Unfortunately, his plans for a nice day of napping were interrupted by a voice from outside of the den. Lifting his head, the tom cast his gaze toward the den's entrance, his blue eyes narrowed. Ah, it was Stormwatcher. Bearpaw listened to what the warrior had to say and smothered the jolt of pride at his words.

Grunting, the tom got to his paws, shook out his fur, and padded out of the den, tail-tip flicking back and forth impatiently. It was nice to be acknowledged by a warrior such as Stormwatcher, but why couldn't it wait until he was done with his nap? With a yawn, Bearpaw processed everything Stormwatcher had said. "How could I refuse that offer?" He muttered, only being half sarcastic.

Though, he had to admit, it was quite the honor to be singled out by a well-respected warrior like Stormwatcher. So, with a dip of his head, Bearpaw turned to the older tom, his paws kneading the soil with excitement. "So, what's the plan? What're you teaching me?" Most of his battle experience came from the combat with the foxes, so he was looking forward to some proper training for a change.

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

With a flick of his silky tail, Bearpaw followed Stormwatcher to the moss-covered practice area and had to resist the urge to collapse right then and there. It was so comfy under his paws - just like a nest. He resisted though and turned to look at the experienced warrior, his blue eyes icy. Stronger. He'd never thought about it before, but Stormwatcher made a good point. To protect his sisters and the rest of Skyclan, he needed to be strong. His thoughts drifted to Sorrelpaw and he remembered fighting the fox - remembered how it gripped her in its jaws and tore her up. The warrior was right, he didn't just want to be stronger, he needed to be stronger.

Bearpaw had always expected his instincts to take over in a fight and, so far, they had. But what would happen when it wasn't a wild fox, but a seasoned warrior that he was battling? A cat with just as much training and just as much to fight for would be infinitely harder to fight than a fox was. Primarily because he couldn't just sink his teeth into a cat and kill them - it was against the code. With a nod, Bearpaw lifted his head, chin high. "Alright, I see what you mean."

At Stormwatchers mention of the trees, however, Bearpaw hesitated. He'd not yet learned to climb and whether it was a lack of training on his mentor's part or a lack of willingness on his end, he wasn't sure. It was just so high up and so...far to fall. Regardless, the brown and white apprentice schooled his expression into one of interest and watched as the warrior navigated to a low branch. He didn't respond to his words, but nodded along as he examined the other tom's technique. He had a lot of time to make up for if he wanted to navigate the trees like a true Skyclanner.

Then, the warrior leapt from the tree, soaring gracefully to the ground and landing without so much as a sound. The moss was definitely a good place to practice if you weren't worried about practicing being stealthy. With a brisk nod, Bearpaw made his way to the tree, somewhat uncertain. "You want me to climb up there and tackle you?" He asked, brow quirked. "No claws, right? Just pin you to the ground?"

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

Bearpaw flicked his tail uncertainly, but nodded in agreement, nonetheless. He may be a brute, but he wasn't in the business of harming his clanmates. Though, knowing that Stormwatcher was a seasoned and gifted warrior did quell his concerns for the most part. Huffing with amusement, Bearpaw shrugged. He wasn't an easy tom to please by any means, but he did like the way Stormwatcher talked. Of course Skyclan was the best in the forest, they were the strongest, most loyal cats out there - anyone would be a fool to think otherwise.

"The other clans are weak at the moment." He meowed gruffly. "But I agree, we should keep on our toes and not underestimate them." Words came easily when the topic was Skyclan's strength and the other clans' weaknesses. The fur along his spine lifted slightly, though, at Stormwatcher's observation of his hesitance. It wasn't neccesarily that he didn't know how to climb, it just wasn't exactly his strong suit...

With a sniff, he stepped back to watch Stormwatcher demonstrated the best way to climb and search for good paw-holds. Feeling spurred on by the older tom's confidence in him, Bearpaw strode up to the tree, his claws unsheathed. Okay, okay. Gotcha." A Shadowclan warrior hardly seemed like a challenge, though. Instead, Bearpaw found his mind wandering to the fox that had sunk its nasty fangs into his sister - the thought made his blood boil.

The brown and white tom kept that mental image in his mind as he scaled the tree more or less easily enough, finally reaching the branch Stormwatcher had first leapt from. Digging his claws firmly into the bark, Bearpaw peered down at the warrior, his blue eyes dark and focused. In his mind, it wasn't a fellow Skyclanner, but a rabid fox gnashing up at him from the roots of the tree.

With little preamble, Bearpaw launched himself from the branch, his paws outstretched as he bowled into Stormwatcher from above. His claws pricked into the warrior's skin perhaps a bit too harshly as the two tumbled to the ground. then, the haze of anger faded and Bearpaw sheathed his claws, stepping off of Stormwatcher with little more than a quiet, apologetic grumble. He was fine - Bearpaw was more focused on how he'd done. He hadn't been graceful by any means, but it hadn't been too bad, right?

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

Bearpaw narrowed his eyes at Stormwatcher, a little put off by his energy. Being a more laid-back, lazy tom himself, he tended to have a hard time getting to know her more...excitable clanmates. They seriously drained his energy sometimes. Though, it was nice that Stormwatcher wasn't as soft as some of their other clanmates were. He and the older tom had similar ideals, at least, as far as he could tell. Sunfire was similar in that respect, though he was more serious than Stormwatcher - a quality Bearpaw appreciated far more than he let on.

Regardless of his hesitance towards the warrior, however, Bearpaw couldn't help but crack a smile at his infectious enthusiasm. It certainly was true that no other clans could navigate the trees as deftly as Skyclan could or hunt as effectively in among the branches. Not only that, but Skyclanners were also accomplished ground hunters.

After making a successful leap at Stormwatcher, Bearpaw found his paws and stared at the warrior, waiting for praise or any sign of approval. Stormwatcher, it seemed, was much more vocal with his praise and Bearpaw cringed away slightly at the volume of his voice before a small smirk spread across his face, it had been pretty great, hadn't it? Well, of course! He was Bearpaw, son of the strongest warrior in Skyclan!

Flexing his claws into the tightly packed earth, the brown and white tom lashed his tail proudly. "Of course it was great." He meowed gruffly. "I have the best warriors in the forest to teach me." It wasn't often that Bearpaw offered any praise of his own, but he didn't mind throwing out a compliment or two once in a while if it was deserved. Then, his gaze darkened. "Stormwatcher. If a cat ever used that move on me, how would I get myself free?"