The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Subject: i like your confidence (c) Sat 15 Jun 2024 - 16:49
Larchbreeze stretched languidly by the entrance of camp, making sure that he wouldn't cramp up walking around the moors today. The last thing he wanted was to look like a fool in front of his new apprentice. His apprentice... He'd just gotten his name the other day, and now he was already being trusted with the position of mentor. To the leader's son, no less. A good night's sleep had made him realize that, more likely than not, it was out of a lack of warriors with the recent disappearances and deaths rather than some kind of acknowledgment of his skill. However, they wouldn't have granted him an apprentice if they'd thought him unworthy, no matter how few warriors they had compared to the sudden boom of litters. So, he forced his ego to settle down slightly, tempered only by the reality of how many cats had vanished.
It didn't matter why he'd been named Falconpaw's mentor. All that mattered was that he do his best to teach him everything that he would need to know... and that he avoided dogs at all costs. He was in no rush to retire. The thought felt like a pack of wet snow hitting the base of his neck, so he shook out his fur to force it away. Stop thinking about that. Focus. He'd gone to wake up the apprentice a minute ago, so Falconpaw should be here soon. Larchbreeze stretched out his legs and groomed his paws in the meantime, trying to look unbothered. What would his apprentice be like? Would they form a strong bond between teacher and student? It would probably end up more brotherly than parentlike, given how young they both were. Either way... he couldn't deny that he liked the idea of the little tom looking up to him. It would feel nice to be in that position. All he had to do was not screw it up. When he finally caught sight of Falconpaw trotting out, the young warrior dipped his head. "Well, kid. You ready to go?" he asked, golden eyes half-squinted in a smile. "There's a lot of territory out there, but I'll do my best to show you all the basics. So you'd better pay attention, okay?"
Subject: Re: i like your confidence (c) Fri 21 Jun 2024 - 16:48
FALCONPAW
Gonna make a heartthrob out of me...
Finally, he was an apprentice. Falconpaw didn’t know what took so long, but it didn’t matter now. He got his new name, he got his mentor; he was ready to explore the world beyond the small stretch of territory he’d seen with Ryepaw as kits. Larchbreeze had come to wake him a little while ago and Falconpaw had finally convinced himself getting out of camp was worth more than a few extra moments of laying around. He took his time stretching, making sure each individual limb was warmed up and ready to walk before he made his way over to the entrance of camp. He could smell gorse and fresh dew blowing in off the breeze, and his whiskers tingled with anticipation. Alright--he was awake. He was ready to go.
Falconpaw padded up to Larchbreeze with a broad, slanted smile already forming on his muzzle. ”I’m always ready,” he purred back with a swish of his tail. ”I’ll pay attention so long as you keep it interesting.” Falconpaw winked and a warm laugh bubbled out of his chest. After a half-bored yawn, he went on, ”Lead the way, Larchbreeze. Show me what’s out there for me.”
Subject: Re: i like your confidence (c) Sun 14 Jul 2024 - 16:27
Larchbreeze nodded in approval of Falconpaw's attitude. A bright, engaging young tom, with a healthy wanderlust and desire to see what was out there. WindClan blood through and through--as expected from the son of Tigerstar, he supposed. But he felt a spark of kinship, ignited by the flame in the apprentice's eyes. Thank the stars he'd gotten an apprentice that he could understand. The warrior's grin widened. "Absolutely," he said. "As a WindClan cat, there's only one appropriate way for me to show you the territory. We'll be running out into the middle. Follow me, and stop when I stop. I'll try and slow down enough that I don't lose you... but no promises." With that, he turned, squared his shoulders, and sprinted through the gorsebush entrance of camp.
The yellow early morning sky stretched like a blanket over the rolling green moors. As he picked up speed, Larchbreeze felt the familiarly pleasant sensation of wind stirring his fur, rustling his whiskers, entering his lungs via breath and being expelled just as quickly. He was the wind. Of course, true to his word, he did slow down just enough that he never lost sight of Falconpaw. But his paws hit the hard ground and kicked off with such speed that any but a WindClan cat would see him vanish in the dust. Running came so easily, it felt like breathing. It felt intuitive, innate, instinctual--a natural state of being. But they wouldn't be running the full length of the territory today. Larchbreeze headed to the tallest hill on the territory. It would be a great vantage point to show his apprentice all the major landmarks by which he could always find his way back to camp. And if things went well enough, they could start on hunting lessons. After the final sprint up to the top of the hill, he slowed to a stop, feeling his lungs heave for oxygen, but not winded. He could run the entire forest and not feel tired. Golden eyes sparkling, he glanced down to see how Falconpaw took it. "You all right?"
Subject: Re: i like your confidence (c) Sat 3 Aug 2024 - 18:55
FALCONPAW
Gonna make a heartthrob out of me...
Falconpaw’s ears swiveled further forward, standing to attention at Larchbreeze’s instructions. He wasn’t so foolish or self-possessed as to think he could beat his mentor in a race across the territory, but maybe, just maybe, he could at least keep up with the older tom. But it didn’t really matter either way. Falconpaw didn’t care if he got left behind. In truth, he might’ve preferred it, because it’d give him a chance to explore the territory without someone prodding him in the right direction. What mattered was just the chance to run, to stretch his legs and feel the wind blowing through his fur. It was hard to hide the way he lit up at the prospect.
Then, without waiting much longer, Larchbreeze was gone. Falconpaw gave a small yap of surprise before gathering his own limbs to take off after the flame-marbled tom. His mentor didn’t abandon him completely, at least, but Larchbreeze was still fast. Falconpaw was surprised at how hard he had to focus just to keep up with the rhythm of his legs. It left him little time to really appreciate the territory around him. He was also surprised at the way they burned with the stretch. It made sense, he guessed--he’d never really run like this before, even if the drive to pumped through his veins. Even catching that rabbit as a kit had mostly been thanks to gravity tugging him downhill. He’d yet to learn explosiveness beyond what came intuitively, and his stride was made a little clumsy by his long, still-filling legs, but run Falconpaw did. He ran hard enough to feel the shock from every paw-to-ground connection thrumming through his legs, to feel his whiskers stinging a bit from the force with which the wind tugged at them. It felt amazing.
Larchbreeze led them to the top of a big hill, and by the time Falconpaw joined him, his chest was heaving painfully. His breath pitched unevenly as he tried to take in as much air as he could. Even winded, he lifted his chin to meet Larchbreeze’s glittering eyes. ”Me?” He said through one of those gasps, words ragged. ”Of course I am. It was just a little run.” Falconpaw gathered his expression into a wobbly grin before turning away from his mentor. Now that he actually had a chance to look… the territory was beautiful under the golden wash of dawn. It was nothing like the dull, too-bright midday sun he’d gone venturing out with Ryepaw under.
Falconpaw’s tail flicked side to side. He spent a few moments taking in their surroundings before tilting his head up to face Larchbreeze. It took him a few moments longer to gather his breath enough to speak without sounding--and feeling--painfully winded. ”’S pretty out here,” he commented idly, tail swaying. He had to fight hard to resist commenting on the fact he’d seen it before, even though Larchbreeze didn’t seem the type to care too much about getting him in trouble. ”Real easy to see why WindClan’s the best, I guess.” Falconpaw sniffed. He didn’t care much for Clan superiority or politics, not any more than the average cat did… but when he looked across their territory, it was hard not to imagine the other Clans feeling at least a little jealous of their sprawling fields and rolling hills.
Subject: Re: i like your confidence (c) Fri 6 Sep 2024 - 12:31
He shouldn't be comparing himself to an apprentice. He knew that. Still, it was difficult for Larchbreeze to swallow the sense of pride he felt at his running ability. Falconpaw was a pure-blooded WindClan cat, the son of the leader, and Larchbreeze had run him into the ground. Though of course he'd been holding back to keep from tiring the apprentice out too much. He allowed himself a brief moment to relish in his own skill before pushing it away, and trying to resume the mindset of a mentor. He couldn't deny it was difficult to do. His natural competitiveness made it difficult to wrestle some kind of teacherly instinct from deep within him... but eventually he managed. Looking out at the wide, golden stretch of the moors helped, as did seeing the wonder with which Falconpaw regarded it. "Yes, it's gorgeous, isn't it?" he agreed. "Especially in greenleaf, and early in the morning too. Though you'd be hard-pressed to find a time that our territory doesn't look wonderful. I thank the stars every day that I wasn't born in the marshlands." He shuddered theatrically, then swished his tail. "Eventually, I'll show you every inch of it... though we haven't got time for that today."
For a few more moments, he just regarded the wonder around them--the yellow horizon fading into blue, the seemingly endless moors stretching out, the rise and fall of the hills around. Then he got back to business. "We should probably start with the hunting basics, hmm? There are plenty of rabbits around--it would be a shame not to catch a few." Larchbreeze smiled briefly at Falconpaw. "Of course, I'm sure that you'll grasp it in no time, but it wouldn't hurt to go through the steps just in case. Use your senses, first of all. Not just your eyesight, though that's important. Your hearing, and especially your sense of smell, are great tools for hunting. With some practice, you'd probably be able to catch a hare even with your eyes shut. What I like to do is find a vantage point like this, and then scan the area for any hint of movement. If there's a breeze, I check for the scent of rabbit... and it's pretty easy to find."
True to his word, it didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for. Larchbreeze's tall ears twitched once, his focus completely still, until he gestured with his tail at the base of a hill a little ways away. "There. Do you see that? The grass rustling right over there. It's moving a little bit differently than the rest, see? And if you catch the whiff of it, there's just a hint of rabbit-scent. That means we're downwind, which is good. We don't want the rabbits to smell us coming, or we'll have a more difficult time running them down." Hopefully he was touching on all the points. He was great at doing things, but he wasn't too confident at explaining them. Maybe showing would be the best way of teaching. "Approach with stealth. Be quiet, but most importantly, be fast. You want to get decently close before trying to run them down, or they'll get away from you. Now watch."
In the movements so familiar to him that they were nearly second nature, the tom sunk low to the ground, half-crouching as he walked smoothly downhill. The grass concealed most of his form in a moment, save for his ears peeking up over the green expanse. Eyes narrowed, he kept focused on his destination. The scent grew stronger as he crept closer. Soon, he could see it--the hint of brown fur, held placidly still. Poor rabbit had no clue what was coming for it. Without warning, he stood up and broke into a sprint.
Larchbreeze is attempting to catch a rabbit... Success! -2 EP
Within a few moments, it was over. His stealth had been successful, and he'd moved so quickly that the rabbit probably hadn't even had time to comprehend what was happening before his teeth met its neck. A quick glance towards heaven served as his thanks, though as always, it combatted with the fierce pride in his own accomplishments. Still, Larchbreeze kept his gloating inward as he trotted back to Falconpaw, keeping the self-satisfaction from his face. He buried his rabbit in a shallow clump of earth and climbed back up the hill, before nodding once at his apprentice. "Well? Think you can do it? It's your turn."
