SkyClan Training Plateau

[Teza]

Originally Posted by Rabbitpaw

She purred as Bluepaw came to a stop, and mewed, "eventually, we'll do both. But, as of right now, you'll need to see the territory, so we might as well start with hunting."

Bluepaw's big blue eyes went wide with wonder. "Really? I'm gonna bring back the biggest bird any apprentice has ever caught!" she declared. She giggled a bit, trying to stop herself form jumping around anymore. "Where do I start?"

[Ag75 -- GONE]

Originally Posted by Liquoris

Bluepaw's big blue eyes went wide with wonder. "Really? I'm gonna bring back the biggest bird any apprentice has ever caught!" she declared. She giggled a bit, trying to stop herself form jumping around anymore. "Where do I start?"

(Yay, your on!) "Well," she mewed, "It depends, for now lets start with the orders, and then if we smell anything we'll move deeper in," she suggested.

[Ag75 -- GONE]

Originally Posted by Liquoris

Bluepaw's big blue eyes went wide with wonder. "Really? I'm gonna bring back the biggest bird any apprentice has ever caught!" she declared. She giggled a bit, trying to stop herself form jumping around anymore. "Where do I start?"

"Also, we're supposed to join Avocetrose on our patrol, so we can fetch her before we leave." (Duskflight is going to join us (: )

[Teza]

Originally Posted by Rabbitpaw

"Also, we're supposed to join Avocetrose on our patrol, so we can fetch her before we leave." (Duskflight is going to join us (: )

((Kk))

Bluepaw smiled and nodded. "Okay, let's do it!" she exclaimed, unable to control the urge to jump around any longer.

[AbsurdJinx]

@Duskflight

[ Don't answer right away - I know you're busy with other things, this isn't important, take your time responding, stay in school... obama ]

FeatherPaw trotted her way into the Training Plateu, anxiety radiating off her. Her head was lowered, so her chin was nearly a whisker-length above ground. Her tail hung limply behind her, swinging with every step she took, and her paws scuffed against the ground as if she lacked the strength needed to properly walk. Her gaze was locked on the ground, and uneasiness spread throughout her.

On the way to the training area, she had jumped at every sound. She could only hope no hunting patrol or cats on a stroll had noticed her passing by, leaping in fright at every noise. She may as well call herself a frog, as she practically jumped all the way to this place.

She was expecting GrouseStar to meet her here, where they could perform their first training session. Honestly, she was extremely nervous about training. Not an ounce of excitement. She was confident, though, confident that she'd screw up. FeatherPaw came to a halt by the center of the plateu, where she cowered and aggressively whipped her head around to stare into the surrounding undergrowth. She was a very paranoid cat, as one could easily determine.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

@Duskflight

[ Don't answer right away - I know you're busy with other things, this isn't important, take your time responding, stay in school... obama ]

FeatherPaw trotted her way into the Training Plateu, anxiety radiating off her. Her head was lowered, so her chin was nearly a whisker-length above ground. Her tail hung limply behind her, swinging with every step she took, and her paws scuffed against the ground as if she lacked the strength needed to properly walk. Her gaze was locked on the ground, and uneasiness spread throughout her.

On the way to the training area, she had jumped at every sound. She could only hope no hunting patrol or cats on a stroll had noticed her passing by, leaping in fright at every noise. She may as well call herself a frog, as she practically jumped all the way to this place.

She was expecting GrouseStar to meet her here, where they could perform their first training session. Honestly, she was extremely nervous about training. Not an ounce of excitement. She was confident, though, confident that she'd screw up. FeatherPaw came to a halt by the center of the plateu, where she cowered and aggressively whipped her head around to stare into the surrounding undergrowth. She was a very paranoid cat, as one could easily determine.

Grousestar was a bit ashamed that he hadn't gotten a chance to train with apprentice at all yet, he would have liked to train her as soon as he had proclaimed himself as her mentor, but alas, things had gotten rather busy with moving the clan and recovering from the battles that they had gone through and hadn't a single chance to train with Featherpaw at all, but now he finally had time to get to train the young she-cat. He had told her yesterday to meet him at the training plateau this morning and had naturally gotten there before her, he didn't want her to get there and her stand there all alone because he was late. He knew that the she-cat was paranoid and he knew that him being late to the ordeal wouldn't help her in the slightest, and actually, he had chosen himself as her mentor solely because he wanted to help her become less scared of the world.

And so the brown tabby had waited there in the training grounds since the crack of dawn, simply listening to the birds singing in the trees, watching the clouds pass by through the branches of the leafless leafbare trees, just about as happy as could be, the cuts and scraps and wounds from the liberation of the clans healing nicely, they wouldn't leave any scars luckily enough.

Finally Featherpaw appeared in the training grounds, Grousestar spotting her immediately and unable to begin purring out, the tom rising from his original laying position, stretching slightly and approaching the apprentice slowly, his tail held high.
"Greetings Featherpaw, glad to see that you could make it." Just like whenever he spoke with any other cat, there was a purr to his voice, a lighthearted tone that never really seemed to falter except when his clan was threatened. "Are you ready for your first day of training?" He questioned with a smile, tilting his head slightly.

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

Grousestar was a bit ashamed that he hadn't gotten a chance to train with apprentice at all yet, he would have liked to train her as soon as he had proclaimed himself as her mentor, but alas, things had gotten rather busy with moving the clan and recovering from the battles that they had gone through and hadn't a single chance to train with Featherpaw at all, but now he finally had time to get to train the young she-cat. He had told her yesterday to meet him at the training plateau this morning and had naturally gotten there before her, he didn't want her to get there and her stand there all alone because he was late. He knew that the she-cat was paranoid and he knew that him being late to the ordeal wouldn't help her in the slightest, and actually, he had chosen himself as her mentor solely because he wanted to help her become less scared of the world.

And so the brown tabby had waited there in the training grounds since the crack of dawn, simply listening to the birds singing in the trees, watching the clouds pass by through the branches of the leafless leafbare trees, just about as happy as could be, the cuts and scraps and wounds from the liberation of the clans healing nicely, they wouldn't leave any scars luckily enough.

Finally Featherpaw appeared in the training grounds, Grousestar spotting her immediately and unable to begin purring out, the tom rising from his original laying position, stretching slightly and approaching the apprentice slowly, his tail held high.
"Greetings Featherpaw, glad to see that you could make it." Just like whenever he spoke with any other cat, there was a purr to his voice, a lighthearted tone that never really seemed to falter except when his clan was threatened. "Are you ready for your first day of training?" He questioned with a smile, tilting his head slightly.

FeatherPaw flinched simply at the sight of GrouseStar, and she discreetly stepped back, avoiding his gaze. She was trembling with anxiety, and her nervousness wasn't very difficult to spot. Before looking away, she had managed to sneak a quick glance at him, admiring his confident nature. Her belly fur brushed against the ground, and her tail was curled at her flank. She was obviously attempting to appear as small as possible.

She did, however, find some comfort in his lighthearted tone. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to help her relax. FeatherPaw could only nod in response to his questions. She had even attempted to speak, but nothing escaped past her parted lips. She closed her mouth, shifting away from GrouseStar by a few more kittensteps.

She always felt guilty after acting this way around another cat, but she couldn't help it. Anxiety controlled her, and it demanded her to shy away from those willing to approach her. FeatherPaw, though, strongly disliked her own nature. She believed she could be much more than a worried she-cat. She often dreamed of herself being a self-confident, carefree molly, but honestly, she struggled to see herself like that. Sure, she had once been like that, but that was only around one cat - her mother-figure, the cat who raised her. The only cat she had ever been open around was her deceased guardian, Shrike. Together, they were a troublesome duo who would often disrupt the peace of their housefolk's home.

With a quiet cough to clear her throat, FeatherPaw gathered the courage to briefly look at her mentor. What got her attention most was his smile, and with the slight tip of his head, she had to admit his adorableness. He reminded her of a curious kitten, which caused a breathy giggle from herself. She hadn't heard herself laugh in ages, but she didn't like the sound. She flattened her ears at her opinion of her own laugh, and averted her gaze from GrouseStar's line of vision. She even shuffled her body in her attempt to make herself smaller. FeatherPaw, in this moment, wished she could just become invisible. Nobody would miss me anyway, She concluded. Tears threatened to flood her eyes, but she was quick to blink them away. She wouldn't dare shed a single tear in front of anybody.

She tried to clear her mind of the depressing, haunting thoughts to focus on training, but she couldn't. Heck, training didn't excite her in the smallest. She couldn't find an interest in it. Really, she just wanted to curl up in her nest and sleep forever. FeatherPaw couldn't feel pain in her sleep.

[Asikari]

Asikari flew to the training grounds, when she got there, she skidded to a stop.
So, what did I miss? The dragon winged cat asked, hoping she didn't miss anything.

[The Cannibal]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

FeatherPaw flinched simply at the sight of GrouseStar, and she discreetly stepped back, avoiding his gaze. She was trembling with anxiety, and her nervousness wasn't very difficult to spot. Before looking away, she had managed to sneak a quick glance at him, admiring his confident nature. Her belly fur brushed against the ground, and her tail was curled at her flank. She was obviously attempting to appear as small as possible.

She did, however, find some comfort in his lighthearted tone. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to help her relax. FeatherPaw could only nod in response to his questions. She had even attempted to speak, but nothing escaped past her parted lips. She closed her mouth, shifting away from GrouseStar by a few more kittensteps.

She always felt guilty after acting this way around another cat, but she couldn't help it. Anxiety controlled her, and it demanded her to shy away from those willing to approach her. FeatherPaw, though, strongly disliked her own nature. She believed she could be much more than a worried she-cat. She often dreamed of herself being a self-confident, carefree molly, but honestly, she struggled to see herself like that. Sure, she had once been like that, but that was only around one cat - her mother-figure, the cat who raised her. The only cat she had ever been open around was her deceased guardian, Shrike. Together, they were a troublesome duo who would often disrupt the peace of their housefolk's home.

With a quiet cough to clear her throat, FeatherPaw gathered the courage to briefly look at her mentor. What got her attention most was his smile, and with the slight tip of his head, she had to admit his adorableness. He reminded her of a curious kitten, which caused a breathy giggle from herself. She hadn't heard herself laugh in ages, but she didn't like the sound. She flattened her ears at her opinion of her own laugh, and averted her gaze from GrouseStar's line of vision. She even shuffled her body in her attempt to make herself smaller. FeatherPaw, in this moment, wished she could just become invisible. Nobody would miss me anyway, She concluded. Tears threatened to flood her eyes, but she was quick to blink them away. She wouldn't dare shed a single tear in front of anybody.

She tried to clear her mind of the depressing, haunting thoughts to focus on training, but she couldn't. Heck, training didn't excite her in the smallest. She couldn't find an interest in it. Really, she just wanted to curl up in her nest and sleep forever. FeatherPaw couldn't feel pain in her sleep.

{I'm so sorry about how late this reply is!}

The brown tabby wasn't phased as he saw his apprentice visibly flinch as he approached, he knew what he was getting himself into when he elected himself as her mentor, he couldn't expect her to randomly be cured of whatever shyness or fear she held on the first day of training, or at the first sight of him one on one with her, but he planned to try and help her throughout the moons he would spend with her, that was his goal. Besides, just about every apprentice was nervous on the first day of training! It was something new, the first time that their parents weren't right behind them, they were there with just their mentor, a cat they most of the time hadn't really known beforehand. So really, Grousestar expected any apprentice to be like this on their first day of training.

So while he wouldn't be able to 'cure' her of any sort of fear or nervousness, the tom could try and make her feel as relaxed and as comfortable as ever and so he kept his light-hearted, gentle tone, a tone he used with all cats of the clan, to make them feel at ease because sometimes he feels they treat him differently because he was the leader, and that's not something he wanted.

Seeing her back away a few more steps, Grousestar simply stopped his approach and sat down with his tail curling over his paws several fox-lengths away, not at all wanting to intimidate her in any sort of way.
"If you're not ready to start Featherpaw, then that's quite fine too. I won't actually be teaching you much today, it's sort of meant to be an evaluation so I can get a sense of what you know and how you work best, nothing too hard." Mewed the tom with that same light smile of his, drawing a paw up and casually beginning to rasp his tongue over it before bringing it up and using it to wash his forehead and behind his ears to the best of his ability, his eyes remaining carefully on Featherpaw, though ready to look away if she gave any sign that she didn't enjoy his gaze being near her, knowing that some cats didn't like eye contact at all and naturally he would respect that. As her mentor, he wanted to everything in his power to make sure that she was comfortable and at ease in his presence. Because if they didn't have trust, then she wouldn't learn anything. Trust was key in this.

"Just tell me when you're ready and we'll begin. I want to analyze how you think you should hunt first, again, nothing too hard, just pretend you're hunting a mouse use uh.. Use that leaf over there as your 'mouse'." He said, nodding towards a single leaf that was near the far right side of the training grounds before turning his head back to her and smiling gently, ready to watch her whenever she decided she was ready to show what she knew to him. He would say nothing else after this, he would simply fall quiet and wait and see, he wouldn't push her, he wouldn't do anything at all, he would quite simply wait.

Don't worry, she'll get out of this little phase little by little the more you train with her, this is how she'll be permanently. She'll learn to know that other cats, ones of her clan, won't hurt her in any sort of way, not if I have anything to say about it. Thought the tom to himself as he waited there, quietly washing himself.

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

{I'm so sorry about how late this reply is!}

The brown tabby wasn't phased as he saw his apprentice visibly flinch as he approached, he knew what he was getting himself into when he elected himself as her mentor, he couldn't expect her to randomly be cured of whatever shyness or fear she held on the first day of training, or at the first sight of him one on one with her, but he planned to try and help her throughout the moons he would spend with her, that was his goal. Besides, just about every apprentice was nervous on the first day of training! It was something new, the first time that their parents weren't right behind them, they were there with just their mentor, a cat they most of the time hadn't really known beforehand. So really, Grousestar expected any apprentice to be like this on their first day of training.

So while he wouldn't be able to 'cure' her of any sort of fear or nervousness, the tom could try and make her feel as relaxed and as comfortable as ever and so he kept his light-hearted, gentle tone, a tone he used with all cats of the clan, to make them feel at ease because sometimes he feels they treat him differently because he was the leader, and that's not something he wanted.

Seeing her back away a few more steps, Grousestar simply stopped his approach and sat down with his tail curling over his paws several fox-lengths away, not at all wanting to intimidate her in any sort of way.
"If you're not ready to start Featherpaw, then that's quite fine too. I won't actually be teaching you much today, it's sort of meant to be an evaluation so I can get a sense of what you know and how you work best, nothing too hard." Mewed the tom with that same light smile of his, drawing a paw up and casually beginning to rasp his tongue over it before bringing it up and using it to wash his forehead and behind his ears to the best of his ability, his eyes remaining carefully on Featherpaw, though ready to look away if she gave any sign that she didn't enjoy his gaze being near her, knowing that some cats didn't like eye contact at all and naturally he would respect that. As her mentor, he wanted to everything in his power to make sure that she was comfortable and at ease in his presence. Because if they didn't have trust, then she wouldn't learn anything. Trust was key in this.

"Just tell me when you're ready and we'll begin. I want to analyze how you think you should hunt first, again, nothing too hard, just pretend you're hunting a mouse use uh.. Use that leaf over there as your 'mouse'." He said, nodding towards a single leaf that was near the far right side of the training grounds before turning his head back to her and smiling gently, ready to watch her whenever she decided she was ready to show what she knew to him. He would say nothing else after this, he would simply fall quiet and wait and see, he wouldn't push her, he wouldn't do anything at all, he would quite simply wait.

Don't worry, she'll get out of this little phase little by little the more you train with her, this is how she'll be permanently. She'll learn to know that other cats, ones of her clan, won't hurt her in any sort of way, not if I have anything to say about it. Thought the tom to himself as he waited there, quietly washing himself.

[ No! No apologies! I know how busy you must be & I demand that this rp be on the bottom of your to-do-list ]

FeatherPaw felt warmth spread throughout her at his easy-going nature. She feared the worst of her mentor. For example, what if he had been harsh? If he had been quick to throw her into battle training? Of course, her mind automatically drew her to the worst case scenario ever. Her heart practically pounded against her chest, and she wondered if GrouseStar could hear it. She shuffled her paws anxiously, her gaze locked on her feet as she listened to him speak.

She silently thanked him for adjusting to her... her... disability? Her nature? Her anxiety. Whatever - she was just thankful to have such a nice mentor. FeatherPaw risked a brief glance at her mentor. He had a gentle smile that would relax anyone's tensed muscles - with the exception of FeatherPaw. Her movements were robotic, which such stiff muscles. GrouseStar looked like a warmhearted cat, and he most definitely proved that he was when he spoke. She averted her gaze, and instead, she looked at the leaf - er, `mouse` - he pointed out.

All she could do was stare blankly at the leaf for what seemed like ages. She didn't want to move in front of GrouseStar, as she was sure he'd be able to pick out a few of her flaws just by the way she walked. Heck, she was sure he found something wrong in just her appearance. She certainly did. She was born a jet-black molly, but as she aged, flecks of white began to paint her pelt. She hadn't thought very highly of herself before, personality-wise, but since the added specks of white, she hasn't thought very highly of herself both appearance-wise and personality-wise.

She didn't hear anything from GrouseStar except the faint laps of his tongue passing over his pelt. Tears flooded her eyes as she continued to stare at the leaf - but no, it was not the leaf that brought water to her eyes. She felt so strange in training - standing before her mentor who awaited her movement. FeatherPaw couldn't move. She couldn't. She bit back a sob, refusing to cry in front of others. Then she couldn't breathe, and she couldn't see. Everything before her was blurry. She shifted back, gasping for breath, and aggressively shaking her head as she repeatedly murmured the words `I can't` and `I'm sorry`. As she did this, she didn't look at GrouseStar as she expected to see him disappointed or furious with her cowardice. As she pictured her mentor's look, her gasping and words quickened - worsened. Her head swirled, her stomach ached uncomfortably, and her chest tightened. She couldn't think.