Dark Forest Training

[Rapid]

"Unsheathed, I want to see how fast you are on your paws, because when we are done, you will show me what you are really made for," he said, bristling his fur and twitching an ear.
@~Eclipse_Lake~

[sock]

Originally Posted by Rapid

"Unsheathed, I want to see how fast you are on your paws, because when we are done, you will show me what you are really made for," he said, bristling his fur and twitching an ear.
@~Eclipse_Lake~

Cody unsheathed his claws, and without warning, launched at Carnivore. He aimed for his paws, hoping to throw him off balance.

[Tess_Potter]

@~Eclipse_Lake~

Violetpaw looked around for her mentor.

(gotta a plot idea.)

[Rage]

"I am Rage, seeker of vengeance, bane of the clans. I searched for this place all my life and now I am here."

[Pitou]

**Figwind & Sunsetpaw**

The lilac she-cat took in a deep breath. It was like a new day, a scent, a feeling, rather, that she hadn't experienced in seasons, not since she'd walked among the living. The freshness was exhilarating. It had seemed like nothing she'd done so far had had any real impact. That vivacious little tripod apprentice from so long ago had been so promising. She was an illegitimate spawn of her dear son and the seed she'd planted into the mind of the lost orphan, living every day just under the nose of the father she'd always longed to find, had begun to sprout, possibly even better than she'd hoped when Pigeonstep had gone to her mentor, the at the time secret side piece of her son, and spilled his dirty little secret to the volatile she-cat. But then the headstrong newly-made enforcer had to go get herself swept away by damned twolegs. Her little ploy with the herbs being in danger had been a mild but frustratingly minor success, having left her son ragged with worry over his precious plants, stressing out Dawnstar and a group of other warriors over what turned out to be nothing. Attempting to connect with her son since then had been meritless. She was determined that she'd get him back around, after all maybe his valiant efforts to protect the herbs had simply warded off whatever invisible threat had plagued them. She smiled passively. But now there was something new, a shiny little toy, and she could feel the little mind opening up to her beckoning. And a whole new scheme was taking root, building the dark forest she-cat's hopes. This would be the one, she could feel it. Her son had grown soft for this little scrap, that she could see. She knew her son better than anybody, even if that ungrateful brute shut her off from everything, she knew him.

Figwind rose and fluidly turned as the small gray and white apprentice walked joltingly, her pale eyes wide and searching curiously, up to her place. She sat down and turned soft, motherly, or rather great-grandmotherly, green eyes down on the newcomer. Of the same name as her mother, by default as far as Figwind had gathered. A child who'd never been given a name, how awfully depressive. And she looked so much like that goody-two-shoe daughter of Elmshadow, holding Elmshadow's sickening gray where her namesake had been the bright golden of her own mother. But the eyes were uncannily similar to her mother, but also so different. There was a different light in them, a light that boosted Figwind's hope. She smiled gently. This apprentice had what her mother had never had, grit, and eye for death, and a steeliness against trauma. Sunsetthorn had been dragged down by her bleeding heart, letting it take her into a dark place of solitude where she would never accomplish anything. Sunsetpaw was different though, she could see it already.

"Hello, child," Figwind cooed warmly.

Sunsetpaw cocked her head and smiled at the nice-looking lilac she-cat. She was in a strange land, remembering nothing except going to sleep in her nest. Having been taken out of camp had crossed her mind but she didn't know of anybody who would do that. She could be dreaming but it all felt so much more real than any dream she'd ever had before. "Hi! What's your name? I'm Sunsetpaw! Miss Star gave me that name because everybody started calling me that because it was my mother's name, I guess. Where is this? Are you also Shadowclan or somebody else?" Her scent was confusing. It held a faint familiarity to it and certainly didn't smell like any of the border Papa Elmshadow had taken her to.

Figwind let out a soft chuckle then lowered herself to even her eye level with that of the young she-cat, "I am Figwind. I'm not sure you would've heard of me but I am Elmshadow's mother. So that would make me your great grandmother."

Sunsetpaw sat back, her head cocked. "Great G...Mother...Great. Mkay! Why are you here and not at home then?"

Figwind sighed with a regretful smile. "Well, it is the way of life, dear one. Some seasons ago, I died. I now live forever in the great afterlife, a position that has granted me the ability to visit with those I love through their dreams."

Sunsetpaw's eyes widened. "Do you see Papa Elmshadow too? I can't wait to tell him that I met my GreatMo! I bet he's so happy! Do you think I could meet my mother like this too then?! Everybody calls me like her but I don't know her."

"Hush now. You must not tell anybody you are here. This is our very own secret, do you understand? Not everybody can walk with those they love that have moved on so we wouldn't want to come across like we're bragging now, would we?"

Sunsetpaw huffed slightly but the idea was striking a chord. She looked back up and asked, "But what about Papa Elmshadow? He can know, can't he?"

it made her pelt crawl the way the little she-cat kept saying Papa Elmshadow, as though her son deserved any of the respect of a family tom. Nevertheless, she plastered on a pleasant face and answered, "No, not even Elmshadow. Just think, we can use this little secret to surprise him. We will tell him when the time is right, but for now this must remain between just us mollies, yes?"

The gray and white apprentice thought for a moment then nodded eagerly. "So what are we going to do?!"

Figwind rose to her paws, the relief in a tense moment past, and walked around the too-young apprentice. "Well, I've noticed you've had an early loss. You haven't seen your mentor around lately, have you? I can help you with that. We can get your training started."

Sunsetpaw sprang up excitedly, "You mean it! Oh yes yes yes!" It didn't completely register that Figwind had referred to her mentor as a loss. It was true she hadn't seen Goody since her apprentice ceremony but she figured the warrior would show up sooner or later. For now though, she loved the idea of staying up on her training.

"Well then, let's start here." She crouched down, her paws tucked squarely beneath her, her feathered tail hovering low over the ground, the muscles rippling through the long fur draped over her shoulders.

Sunsetpaw studied the dead warrior for a time before crouching down and emulating the stance. Her paws found a sturdy position beneath her and she focused on lowering her tail much like how Figwind's was positioned. Her pale eyes looked to Figwind for approval.

The lilac dark forest she-cat rose and glanced over the apprentice's form. There was room for improvement but there was more benefit in the moment to praising than correcting. Most of the sloppiness would be corrected naturally as she grew stronger and more practiced. "Beautifully done, you're a natural. Now try stalking forward. One paw at a time and keep your posture low to the ground but let nothing touch the ground."

Sunsetpaw wavered a moment, letting the jumbled instruction sink in. Move forward but slowly, stay low but not too low. She watched as Figwind demonstrated the stalk then attempted to copy it. As she walked, focusing on her paws, she'd notice that her tail was lifting. So she'd pause and mindfully lower her tail again. When she continued, she noticed her belly fur picking up the shadowy litter over the marshy ground. So she stopped and pressed into the ground to lift herself slightly higher then continued forward. By the end when she thought it was coming together, her legs were howling in protest but the sweetness of feeling it all come together was overshadowing. Figwind watched with a small, blank smile. The little she-cat was truly a natural. She corrected herself before Figwind could say anything at all. It didn't come together immediately but the little apprentice was recognizing the correct form and methods. It was encouraging. After a while, she could see the strain in the muscles showing through her soft kit fur, but it was just in time as the stalk looked as perfected as it was going to get with untrained and unconditioned muscles. Her smile widened. She could work with this, oh indeed she could.

"You're a marvel, truly. We can move on to killing something."

Sunsetpaw's face brightened, a smile splitting her fluffy cheeks. Killing was helping. Whether it was killing prey for the clan or killing to help a cat to this great afterlife if they wanted to go. But now she was beginning to see what Miss Ivy had been saying about helping with her mother. GreatMo seemed real happy to be here and she could still see everybody she loved. Maybe her mother was in the great afterlife too, watching her and MooMoo and Papa Elmshadow! And Sunsetpaw had helped her there!

"We'll start with something small. A mouse, perhaps?" Figwind's green eyes turned as a scrawny mouse slipped out from beneath a pale hedge. "Do what I've taught you. Stalk and then pounce, aim your claws for its throat and do it quickly."

Sunsetpaw smiled and lowered herself, mindfully placing her paws and tail, then she stalked forward on aching muscles but keeping her mind present to hold her body in the position in needed. Then she stopped, crouched deeper, and pounced. The mouse didn't move until the small apprentice leapt off the ground. It made a mad dash back for the hedge but Sunsetpaw was already on top of it. Her claws dug through the mouse's flank.

"Bite it!"

Sunsetpaw immediately dropped down to do as she was told. The mouse tasted dusty but it fell still immediately as her teeth punctured the taut skin of its neck. She looked back to Figwind who was smiling a smile she hadn't yet seen. It was prideful and hopeful. And Sunsetpaw felt the pride trickling through her. She'd caught the mouse and it had felt so nice.

"Oh yes, dear child. You are excellent." She would do, she would do quite well indeed. "Now, go back to your nest and sleep. We'll meet again soon enough. But you'll need as much rest as you can get for the training to come. I do so love you, my dear."

Sunsetpaw faltered. That had been something she'd heard others say before but she wasn't sure she'd ever heard somebody else say they loved her. She brushed it away and smiled, bouncing excitedly. "Oh yes yes, I can't wait. Thank you! And I love you too! Maybe I can come back tomorrow night?! Oh yes yes, can I?"

Figwind's smile grew and she leaned forward to lick the apprentice's forehead. "We shall see, my sweet. Go get some rest."

[19796]

RedFang woke up not in the warriors den he looked up at the blood red sky "what the-?" he was inturupted by cats yowling and fighting "oh this is-im in the darkforest" he groaned "well nothing to do now but to ask how to get out of here"

Little does he know once you train here you always do

[19796]

Originally Posted by BEAR.

Well, this wasn't StarClan.

Darkbelly's eyes narrowed as he peered around the warm glade, confusion in his eyes while he tried to process where he was. He knew StarClan's territory well having been a member up until recently, and the WindClan warrior had no recollection of this landmark. Interesting.

There was no cat in sight, so he opted to settle down on the grasses. This was a dream, after all-- and he wasn't in a rush to go anywhere if someone wanted to speak to him.

[open]

RedFang scrambled around looking a little scared then saw a cat "hey do you know where we are?" he said a litttle panicked

[BEAR.]

Years had passed since he truly walked this part of the forest, lost in the abyss of darkness he now called.. "home." How any cat could call it that with a straight face was beyond him, Foxbite hated it here. It was a punishment he accepted with grace, but every moment felt like an eternity. Torturous.

In the beginning, he was optimistic - Foxbite sought to save souls from damnation. Perhaps if the lure of Illusion had not pulled him away from morality, he would not have befallen the path he followed. He would not have hurt so many along the way. Speculation on his end mattered not, he could not change the past, maybe he could change the future.

But he could never find a dreamer, not outside Whisperpaw, not until now. Maybe it was some sick sort of curse - an additional punishment stacked against his good intentions. The dreamer who called toward him was panicked, understandably so. In this land of darkness, dreams were nightmares. "You need to wake up. You don't belong here."

[ @Red_Fang ]

[Pitou]

**Figwind & Risingpaw**

The young gray and white apprentice crouched down, ready to pounce on a floating wisp of mist but she stopped, straightening to look around. This place was different than her usual dreams, and so vivid. Her ears perked and she smiled, recognizing it quickly. She turned in a circle then meowed, "Greatmo?!" She spun quickly, falling backwards on her haunches as the dizziness washed over her. She waited a moment then stood back up. "Greatmo? You here?"

The feathered lilac she-cat moved languidly out of the shadows, "Hush now, sweet one. I'm here, no need to wake the rest of the dead."

Risingpaw smiled brightly, unfazed by Greatmo's mild admonishment. "Guess what! I'm not Sunsetpaw annymore, nope nope. I no longer live by being called the same as my dead mom! Miss Star gave me a new name, she did! I went and asked her, I think you'd be proud because I asked her myself, I did! And she said yes! She said I could be called by Risingpaw instead!" She remembered Papa Elmshadow's warning about decorum or whatever but she didn't think that completely applied when talking to her Greatmo.She was family after all.

Figwind sat down, wrapping her long tail around her paws and watching her great granddaughter. "Risingpaw," she drawled, tasting the name on her own tongue. She gave a small smile. "It's very fitting, I'd say. You will rise beyond anything Shadowclan expects."

Risingpaw puffed out her chest, her smile widening. After a moment, she meowed, "So what are we going to learn today?!"

Figwind stood up and paced past Risingpaw. "Today, we hunt." She knew the apprentice was not yet ready to learn to kill but the more adept she got at killing prey the easier it'd be to switch over to bigger matters. She stopped and crouched down. "You remember the crouch, yes? And stalking? Last time you killed a mouse. This time I want you to kill like your clan needs the prey. Listen, there's a bird just around that tree there. Birds are alert, flighty, and fast. Stay silent and hidden as long as you can but when you commit you must go fast, there's no time for hesitation. Go."

Risingpaw crouched down, copying Greatmo. Her pale eyes moved toward the tree the older warrior had pointed out, locking on it as she spoke. At the word Go Risingpaw stalked forward, moving quickly but showing off her new silent moves she's been practicing. She stopped before rounding the tree, collecting herself, then she moved cautiously around, thanking the great afterlife that the scrawny feathered thing was facing in the opposite direction. She paused a moment, considering how much hunting was like being stealthy in battle. Then she locked on the bird and sprang out of her hiding place. As soon as she emerged, the bird turn then unfolded its wings and beat upwards, taking off along the ground then rising up into the dark sky. Risingpaw sat back and watched the sickly bird blending into the black night sky above. Eventually she turned back to Greatmo, unexcited about facing the she-cat after a failure. But Figwind moved up behind Risingpaw, flicking her tail comfortingly over the young apprentice's back. "We all lose them sometimes." She looked down, meeting her son's kin's pale eyes. "You must have more patience with birds. That was a lot of ground to cover and you gave the bird enough time to get into the air. You also took a big risk coming around that tree without knowing where exactly it was or how it was positioned. Take a wider arc next time, it keeps you in the shadows and distanced so you cann get eyes on the bird before being too close and possibly alerting it to your presence. Go ahead. Try again."

Risingpaw nodded. She moved out away from Greatmo and sniffed the harsh air, searching for the prey scent. Eventually she found a line and followed it. Stopping, she arced out and found another bird, looking eerily the same as the last sickly bird, pecking away at the misty ground. Risingpaw waited, taking slow measured steps forward, until her paw came down on a dead leaf hidden beneath the gloom. The bird stopped pecking and looked up. Risingpaw dropped lower, holding her breath and not moving a muscle. When the bird went back to pecking. Risingpaw didn't hesitate any longer, she moved quickly out of her hiding place and covered the ground between her and the bird before the bird could readjust and see her coming. Its wings began to unfold but she was already there. She pounced, landing on top of the boney bird and crushing it into the ground. She quickly bent over and bit into its dusty flesh and it fell limp. She picked it up, though it tasted foul in her mouth, and carried it proudly back to Greatmo. She dropped it and looked up at the warrior.

Figwind smiled and gave a small nod. "That was well done. Now sweet one, it is time to return to your nest. Get your sleep and go pull your breakfast from the freshkill pile, you've earned a good meal. I love you, dear child."

Prideful warmth flooded the young apprentice and then that cozy feeling when Greatmo told her she loved her again. She didn't realize it'd feel so nice to have somebody telling her they loved her. She nodded and jumped forward, rubbing her head on the lilac she-cat's chest affectionately even as she began to fade away and everything darkened again. "I love you too, Greatmo!"

[Saki]

Originally Posted by Red_Fang

RedFang woke up not in the warriors den he looked up at the blood red sky "what the-?" he was inturupted by cats yowling and fighting "oh this is-im in the darkforest" he groaned "well nothing to do now but to ask how to get out of here"

Little does he know once you train here you always do

Stormyeye

Stormyeye glanced at the newcomer. Oh, perhaps one more cat to add to his sick little plan.

' ' Get out? You can't get out til' ya wake up. But until then let us talk a bit. Now, what clan are you, in the living world ' ' He meowed. .