WindClan: Life Before 2023's Fire

[lone]

Originally Posted by Lilly

As they emerged into the territory, Heathertail was taken aback by the serene moors that stretched ahead on every side of them. The one thing that still took her breath away, regardless of her age, was how beautiful WindClan territory was. How lucky she felt to be apart of a Clan where just pawsteps away there were endless moors to run along and plentiful rabbits and hares to chase after - well, at least when Greenleaf came around. Her jaw was parted just a bit in awe as she looked at Shrikecall, a smile forming on her face. Adrenaline was still pumping through her veins and she thought for a moment. Surely, patrolling the border was on a list of priorities, but she couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to run. To feel alive. "How about we sniff out a hare or two? I haven't ran in ages," she stated, eyes flashing at the mention of hunting. She didn't really even stop to consider that the deputy might have places hunting on a not so urgent duty list, but all she could think about was feeding her Clan. "Plus, I've heard rumors that you were a fast runner back in your warrior days. That was one of the things my old mentor said I was the best at, too. They said I could've ran for days," she continued, glancing over her shoulder with a smile directed at Shrikecall. With that, she faced forward once more and parted her jaws, trying to detect any prey scent on the wind that surrounded them.

The brown and white feline glanced around the territory, everything around him reminding him of what a proud and fierce Clan he lived in. Though those weren't normally adjectives used to describe WindClanners, any time Shrikecall thought of a Clan was tougher then most, WindClan came to mind. Being bias, he wasn't sure how much his opinion would count for in a real argument, but it was amazing to him that this Clan everybody thought was so weak had made it through so much. True, the other Clans had done the same thing; but most cats believed that they were stronger, and better. But WindClan? Well, Shrikecall had just heard some rumors flying around that weren't exactly the best about it. Which made him angry, although he knew better then to punish those cats. Gossip was the only thing they knew, and all they wanted to do was exchange tales and stories of different things. "Alright, sounds good to me; but we won't be able to hunt for too long. There are some other things that need attention as well." The tom mewed, lowering his head as he spoke. He felt somewhat bad, giving the she cat the option and then instantly putting it down later. "Or at least, I won't be able to. Of course you're more then welcome to- to hunt to your heart's content." He added more hastily. Making an enemy was not exactly the way to start his deputyship. He would much rather make-- well, not exactly a true friend, but at least an ally. Someone that he would be able to count on if he needed them. The Deputy smiled at the mention of his younger warrior moons and gazed wistfully off into the distance, absentmindedly scenting the air as he did so. "I loved running. It was the one thing that I always liked to think of as separating us from the other Clans, because we were able to run faster then them." He mewed with a sigh, before turning his gaze back on the she cat. If he had been younger, or even met her before he had become Deputy, he might have challenged her to a race. But there was no time for foolish things like that now...he had a job to do, and Shrikecall intended to carry it out well. The tom scented the air again, trying to see if there was any trace of hare anywhere.

[spade]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

Winterwisp watched Moonpaw dash off, an expectant expression on her face. The black and white she-cat was one of high expectations and didn't like 'average'. She didn't accept excellent either, she only liked perfect. Her expression didn't change as Moonpaw dashed past the first rock without any contact. Her scowl started to form once she approached the second rock. She couldn't see that Moonpaw's fur had brushed against the second rock, but she noticed her technique started to fail as the young cat approached the third rock. Winterwisp growled in frustration softly as Moonpaw eventually got flung back down. Idiot!, Winterwisp thought, flames flaring up in her eyes. She did not at all appear to care for Moonpaw's well being. Her job was to train the apprentice and that's what she was going to do. She would leave anything health related to the medicine cat. Isn't Surgestorm her uncle? I'm sure he'll love to take care of her for a few days and keep her in that stinky den. It'll be wonderful to get rid of her, Winterwisp thought, wrinkling her nose as she remembered the scent of the medicine cat den. It had been only a few moons since she had been in the den, and she had hated every second of it.

The WindClan warrior stormed up to Moonopaw angrily. "You idiot!", Winterwisp hissed at the young cat, clearly not impressed with her. "You've got to look further ahead and prepare yourself! It'll make things easier", Winterwisp snarled. It's so obvious. How can't she see that?, she thought, rolling her pale green eyes once again. "If you actually tried, then maybe you would be able to get it right!, the warrior scolded. "Now get up and try again!", Winterwisp ordered, her expectant expression immediately growing on her face again.

Moonpaw blinked a few times as she got to her paws, black dots spotting along her line of vision. A ringing in her ears was loud and very much apparent, making it hard to hear what Winterwisp was saying. Once she felt as though she wouldn't fall over, the young she-cat focused her attention on Winterwisp. Her mentor seemed upset, which made the feeling of guilt claw at Moonpaw. She hated that her first day of training was going this miserably, and flattened her ears a bit as she was scrutinized by her mentor. "I-I'm sorry Winterwisp," she squeaked, feeling bad for upsetting her mentor. She didn't want to be a burden, and she wished more than anything that StarClan had given her something other than the ability to memorized herbs. Why not running skills? she thought desperately. That would've been a lot more useful right now!

Straightening up as her mentor requested that she try again, Moonpaw glanced towards the rocks once more, this time with a more cautious expression upon her face. The last thing she wanted was to try that challenge of death again, but she wanted to prove herself to her mentor - and to herself. "Okay," she breathed, a bit of hesitation evident in her voice as she padded over to the first rock. She squared up in front of it, taking her time to plan before rushing at it. This time, she took off a bit slower, but was more concentrated on the rocks and their positions before. She dodged the first one okay, and slowed a bit on the turn, but as she cleared the second and third one, she sped up just a bit. The young apprentice finished the rock obstacle, only just brushing her fur on the last one. She skidded to a halt, sides, heaving, and beamed, looking over her shoulder at her mentor and waiting for her response. There is nothing she can say about that, she thought, but obviously didn't dare say it outloud.

[spade]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The brown and white feline glanced around the territory, everything around him reminding him of what a proud and fierce Clan he lived in. Though those weren't normally adjectives used to describe WindClanners, any time Shrikecall thought of a Clan was tougher then most, WindClan came to mind. Being bias, he wasn't sure how much his opinion would count for in a real argument, but it was amazing to him that this Clan everybody thought was so weak had made it through so much. True, the other Clans had done the same thing; but most cats believed that they were stronger, and better. But WindClan? Well, Shrikecall had just heard some rumors flying around that weren't exactly the best about it. Which made him angry, although he knew better then to punish those cats. Gossip was the only thing they knew, and all they wanted to do was exchange tales and stories of different things. "Alright, sounds good to me; but we won't be able to hunt for too long. There are some other things that need attention as well." The tom mewed, lowering his head as he spoke. He felt somewhat bad, giving the she cat the option and then instantly putting it down later. "Or at least, I won't be able to. Of course you're more then welcome to- to hunt to your heart's content." He added more hastily. Making an enemy was not exactly the way to start his deputyship. He would much rather make-- well, not exactly a true friend, but at least an ally. Someone that he would be able to count on if he needed them. The Deputy smiled at the mention of his younger warrior moons and gazed wistfully off into the distance, absentmindedly scenting the air as he did so. "I loved running. It was the one thing that I always liked to think of as separating us from the other Clans, because we were able to run faster then them." He mewed with a sigh, before turning his gaze back on the she cat. If he had been younger, or even met her before he had become Deputy, he might have challenged her to a race. But there was no time for foolish things like that now...he had a job to do, and Shrikecall intended to carry it out well. The tom scented the air again, trying to see if there was any trace of hare anywhere.

Heathertail nodded, having her thoughts of the priority list confirmed when he mentioned they couldn't hunt too long. Of course, she could get at least one hare under her paws before they moved on, but she was intrigued to go along with him on a border patrol. He seemed like a nice cat, and she had interest in getting to know him underneath the deputy title, which was strange for the usually shy molly. "That sounds good to me," she purred, ears twitching as she tried to listen for any sound of prey around them. As she felt her companions eyes on her, she looked over her shoulder at him, meeting his gaze with a smile. She was glad that he had asked her to come out. Rarely did she join a group patrol nowadays, mainly spending her time in camp. It would be soon before she would probably move to the elder's den, but that was still moons away. While Shrikecall might have been deputy, the she-cat looked past that tile to the tom she was sit. It didn't really matter to her, at least not when contemplating having him as a friend. He would just be a very busy friend.

Snapping her head up, eyes narrowing, she caught sight of a tiny white dot on the horizon. Most would say that it was too far to even try for, but one thing that not a lot of WindClan knew about Heathertail was that she was determined. She crouched down and began to slink forward, signaling with her tail to Shrikecall that she had scented something. The hare, clueless to what was going on, began to hop closer to where Heathertail and Shrikecall were, it's attention focused on a patch of unusually tall grass that resided around a flower or too, atop a hill not too far away now. A smile slowly spread across the molly's face, and all her shyness that usually surrounded her disappeared. When she was on track for hunting, or in a fight - whether verbal or physical - no cat would ever be able to tell that she was more humble and shy than not. She continued to creep closer to the hare, body moving fluidly across the ground, tail straight and ears back; a hunting technique that had been perfected over moons and moons of hunting. After a few more sliding steps, the WindClanner took off like a bullet, streaking across the grass. Too late, the hare looked up to see Heathertail barreling down the hill towards it. The fightened creature sprang up and took off, but Heathertail was faster. Within moments, she lept towards her prey and pinned it down, killing it with a swift bite to the neck.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Lilly

Heathertail nodded, having her thoughts of the priority list confirmed when he mentioned they couldn't hunt too long. Of course, she could get at least one hare under her paws before they moved on, but she was intrigued to go along with him on a border patrol. He seemed like a nice cat, and she had interest in getting to know him underneath the deputy title, which was strange for the usually shy molly. "That sounds good to me," she purred, ears twitching as she tried to listen for any sound of prey around them. As she felt her companions eyes on her, she looked over her shoulder at him, meeting his gaze with a smile. She was glad that he had asked her to come out. Rarely did she join a group patrol nowadays, mainly spending her time in camp. It would be soon before she would probably move to the elder's den, but that was still moons away. While Shrikecall might have been deputy, the she-cat looked past that tile to the tom she was sit. It didn't really matter to her, at least not when contemplating having him as a friend. He would just be a very busy friend.

Snapping her head up, eyes narrowing, she caught sight of a tiny white dot on the horizon. Most would say that it was too far to even try for, but one thing that not a lot of WindClan knew about Heathertail was that she was determined. She crouched down and began to slink forward, signaling with her tail to Shrikecall that she had scented something. The hare, clueless to what was going on, began to hop closer to where Heathertail and Shrikecall were, it's attention focused on a patch of unusually tall grass that resided around a flower or too, atop a hill not too far away now. A smile slowly spread across the molly's face, and all her shyness that usually surrounded her disappeared. When she was on track for hunting, or in a fight - whether verbal or physical - no cat would ever be able to tell that she was more humble and shy than not. She continued to creep closer to the hare, body moving fluidly across the ground, tail straight and ears back; a hunting technique that had been perfected over moons and moons of hunting. After a few more sliding steps, the WindClanner took off like a bullet, streaking across the grass. Too late, the hare looked up to see Heathertail barreling down the hill towards it. The fightened creature sprang up and took off, but Heathertail was faster. Within moments, she lept towards her prey and pinned it down, killing it with a swift bite to the neck.

Shrikecall was glad that the she cat would be joining him throughout his duties; it could get somewhat lonely and besides that, she didn't seem as though she were too interested in him just being Deputy. Which is a nice change, he thought with a shrug. The tom knew better then to get attached to the individual she cat, however...of course he would care about her as a member of the Clan, but as just Heathertail, an individual warrior of WindClan; he knew he wouldn't be able to care too much. It wouldn't end well for either one of them, as he would most likely end up just having to pretend he didn't really care and she would get bored after a while. Shrikecall hated not sticking to something, but sometimes he didn't really have a choice, and as much as he would have preferred to develop bonds with different clan members...he wasn't quite sure whether he had the energy for that. "Good. Glad to have your company." He mewed, before returning his gaze to the moors. The snow covering the ground made it well near impossible to see, and Shrikecall's hues were unable to pick out any life forms other then cats nearby. A moment later he caught Heathertail's signal; surprised, the tom's hues narrowed as he slunk after her, brown fur standing out against the snow while his whiter areas looked as though they could have blended in perfectly. The Deputy watched as the light brown she cat took off, faster then he had imagined she could go.

Her light brown fur stuck out against the snow, but as soon as she caught up to the hare, Shrikecall knew it didn't stand a chance. He couldn't scent anything else around-- why was it so much harder to hunt in his senior moons? Though his senses were deteriorating, Shrikecall did his best to see if there was anything else around. Yes-- there was the faintest scent, but he couldn't figure out which direction it was coming from and eventually headed towards the warrior and her freshly caught kill. "Nice catch. I couldn't scent anything else here-- shall we move on?" He asked. Shrikecall was a cat that, once he was sure everything was gone, he was just going to get on with his life, no questions asked. Investigating wasn't really his type of thing, unless he really cared...and right now there were more important things. The fresh-kill pile had looked full enough to him when he had last seen it, and the hare was big enough to feed at least two cats.

[spade]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Shrikecall was glad that the she cat would be joining him throughout his duties; it could get somewhat lonely and besides that, she didn't seem as though she were too interested in him just being Deputy. Which is a nice change, he thought with a shrug. The tom knew better then to get attached to the individual she cat, however...of course he would care about her as a member of the Clan, but as just Heathertail, an individual warrior of WindClan; he knew he wouldn't be able to care too much. It wouldn't end well for either one of them, as he would most likely end up just having to pretend he didn't really care and she would get bored after a while. Shrikecall hated not sticking to something, but sometimes he didn't really have a choice, and as much as he would have preferred to develop bonds with different clan members...he wasn't quite sure whether he had the energy for that. "Good. Glad to have your company." He mewed, before returning his gaze to the moors. The snow covering the ground made it well near impossible to see, and Shrikecall's hues were unable to pick out any life forms other then cats nearby. A moment later he caught Heathertail's signal; surprised, the tom's hues narrowed as he slunk after her, brown fur standing out against the snow while his whiter areas looked as though they could have blended in perfectly. The Deputy watched as the light brown she cat took off, faster then he had imagined she could go.

Her light brown fur stuck out against the snow, but as soon as she caught up to the hare, Shrikecall knew it didn't stand a chance. He couldn't scent anything else around-- why was it so much harder to hunt in his senior moons? Though his senses were deteriorating, Shrikecall did his best to see if there was anything else around. Yes-- there was the faintest scent, but he couldn't figure out which direction it was coming from and eventually headed towards the warrior and her freshly caught kill. "Nice catch. I couldn't scent anything else here-- shall we move on?" He asked. Shrikecall was a cat that, once he was sure everything was gone, he was just going to get on with his life, no questions asked. Investigating wasn't really his type of thing, unless he really cared...and right now there were more important things. The fresh-kill pile had looked full enough to him when he had last seen it, and the hare was big enough to feed at least two cats.

Heathertail stood over her catch, looking over as Shrikecall joined her. For some reason, she felt excited that he'd witnessed her catch, although when he merely moved on so quickly, a brief look of sadness overtook her. It only lasted a moment though and she nodded, burying the hare so they could come retrieve it later. She was sure the snow would keep it concealed, and made sure to place it under enough dirt so no other predators would be able to sniff it out. "Of course. Off to the borders now, probably?" she asked, looking at Shrikecall once she was done. A little bit of her shyness came back as she started to wonder if he'd brought her out here as a friend, or as an extra paw to help keep the borders secure. The former seemed to entice her, but the latter option made her feel bad. Realizing that her ideals of gaining a friend might be too far-fetched, the light brown she-cat shook her fur to detangle the speckles of snow she had acquired on her run. She needed to focus now on helping Shrikecall with the borders of WindClan, and not so much on play-time.

"You said RiverClan first, right?" she questioned, tilting her head as she waited for him to lead the way. Her eyes held a questioning glaze over them, and a certain shy tone had entered her voice. For a rare moment, the true Heathertail had shined through, but now that they were on a different task she felt a bit overwhelmed. Suddenly, she began to worry if she would be of any help at all at the borders, despite her senior warrior status, and knowing the borders like the back of her paw. She glanced around as she waited for the deputy's answer, sure that he would tell her and then want to head right off. Silly. He just wants another pay to help with the borders. You're better off with kits as friends. You're too soft and motherly for any warrior to take you seriously, she thought with a very slight wince as she tried to dislodge it from her brain. Of course, a part of her knew that she might be overthinking this, and that Shrikecall was just focused on being the best deputy. Which he should! she thought firmly, bringing her gaze back to her companion and smiling as she awaited his instructions, ignoring the chaotic tornado that circled around in her head.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Lilly

Heathertail stood over her catch, looking over as Shrikecall joined her. For some reason, she felt excited that he'd witnessed her catch, although when he merely moved on so quickly, a brief look of sadness overtook her. It only lasted a moment though and she nodded, burying the hare so they could come retrieve it later. She was sure the snow would keep it concealed, and made sure to place it under enough dirt so no other predators would be able to sniff it out. "Of course. Off to the borders now, probably?" she asked, looking at Shrikecall once she was done. A little bit of her shyness came back as she started to wonder if he'd brought her out here as a friend, or as an extra paw to help keep the borders secure. The former seemed to entice her, but the latter option made her feel bad. Realizing that her ideals of gaining a friend might be too far-fetched, the light brown she-cat shook her fur to detangle the speckles of snow she had acquired on her run. She needed to focus now on helping Shrikecall with the borders of WindClan, and not so much on play-time.

"You said RiverClan first, right?" she questioned, tilting her head as she waited for him to lead the way. Her eyes held a questioning glaze over them, and a certain shy tone had entered her voice. For a rare moment, the true Heathertail had shined through, but now that they were on a different task she felt a bit overwhelmed. Suddenly, she began to worry if she would be of any help at all at the borders, despite her senior warrior status, and knowing the borders like the back of her paw. She glanced around as she waited for the deputy's answer, sure that he would tell her and then want to head right off. Silly. He just wants another pay to help with the borders. You're better off with kits as friends. You're too soft and motherly for any warrior to take you seriously, she thought with a very slight wince as she tried to dislodge it from her brain. Of course, a part of her knew that she might be overthinking this, and that Shrikecall was just focused on being the best deputy. Which he should! she thought firmly, bringing her gaze back to her companion and smiling as she awaited his instructions, ignoring the chaotic tornado that circled around in her head.

The Deputy stood up as straight as he could, hues sparking with authority-- for a moment he had almost forgotten himself so far as to further congratulate the she cat, but once again... he knew better. Probably would have been a nicer time if I wasn't Deputy. He thought with a sigh, before he glanced over at the light brown she cat as she spoke. She sounded almost uncertain, like she didn't really want to be doing this...funny. I would think that, just like everybody else, all her suggestions would be lined up in her head ready to share with me as soon as I spoke to her. And yet she seems disappointed. Shrikecall shrugged, knowing that it wasn't really up to him anyways. If they really wanted to share ideas, they should talk to Blazingstar; but most cats didn't seem to be able to get that through their heads. "Uh-- yes." He mewed, clearing this throat to try and gather up as much authority as possible. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep up a good conversation, since the tom wasn't much of a conversationalist...truth be told, he would rather be showing a cat what he meant rather then saying it, but that didn't always work too well. Besides that, everyone always wanted to engage in conversation with him. What was it like? Did he like being Deputy? Did he ever want to be just a regular warrior, or an apprentice again? What had his life been like? All the questions annoyed him, but Shrikecall knew that the polite thing to do was humor them.

"Um, yes. Heathertail, you know I'm happy to listen to whatever suggestions you might have in the future for the Clan. No promises, I'd talk to Blazingstar if I were you, but feel free to go ahead with whatever you want," Shrikecall mewed. The well worn words seemed to come out of his mouth almost as though they had been rehearsed a hundred times, although he stopped when he saw the expression on her face, just then analyzing the earlier tone in her voice. The tom stopped and glanced at her almost as though seeing her for the first time before he sighed. "Or is there something else bothering you?" He asked. That was a question he hadn't had to ask often, which was nice...but when he did, he was able to get good insight into his clanmate's problems and try and help them. Though Shrikecall wasn't the best at helping with problems, he was fairly good at listening-- although he did have the somewhat annoying tendency of pushing his thoughts onto others.

[spade]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The Deputy stood up as straight as he could, hues sparking with authority-- for a moment he had almost forgotten himself so far as to further congratulate the she cat, but once again... he knew better. Probably would have been a nicer time if I wasn't Deputy. He thought with a sigh, before he glanced over at the light brown she cat as she spoke. She sounded almost uncertain, like she didn't really want to be doing this...funny. I would think that, just like everybody else, all her suggestions would be lined up in her head ready to share with me as soon as I spoke to her. And yet she seems disappointed. Shrikecall shrugged, knowing that it wasn't really up to him anyways. If they really wanted to share ideas, they should talk to Blazingstar; but most cats didn't seem to be able to get that through their heads. "Uh-- yes." He mewed, clearing this throat to try and gather up as much authority as possible. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep up a good conversation, since the tom wasn't much of a conversationalist...truth be told, he would rather be showing a cat what he meant rather then saying it, but that didn't always work too well. Besides that, everyone always wanted to engage in conversation with him. What was it like? Did he like being Deputy? Did he ever want to be just a regular warrior, or an apprentice again? What had his life been like? All the questions annoyed him, but Shrikecall knew that the polite thing to do was humor them.

"Um, yes. Heathertail, you know I'm happy to listen to whatever suggestions you might have in the future for the Clan. No promises, I'd talk to Blazingstar if I were you, but feel free to go ahead with whatever you want," Shrikecall mewed. The well worn words seemed to come out of his mouth almost as though they had been rehearsed a hundred times, although he stopped when he saw the expression on her face, just then analyzing the earlier tone in her voice. The tom stopped and glanced at her almost as though seeing her for the first time before he sighed. "Or is there something else bothering you?" He asked. That was a question he hadn't had to ask often, which was nice...but when he did, he was able to get good insight into his clanmate's problems and try and help them. Though Shrikecall wasn't the best at helping with problems, he was fairly good at listening-- although he did have the somewhat annoying tendency of pushing his thoughts onto others.

Heathertail listened as he spoke but was barely listening - something about bringing her opinions forward for the Clan. Sure, she had thought that first coming out here, but now being out here... With company other than a kit or apprentice, no less, and the senior molly realized how much she missed having a friend. Not an apprentice, or a kit to play with, though quite nice, but an actual friend. Growing up, her shy attitude and tendency to turn away from group activities had led to her not growing too many close relationships with any cat, and when Shrikecall had invited her out into the territory, her brain instantly went into overdrive, thinking that this could be her chance to make a true friend within the Clan. Someone she could hunt with. Why does it have to be the deputy though? He's probably too busy to have friends anyhow, she thought, a solemn look crossing her face. She wished she were better at expressing her thoguhts and feelings, and also wished that she hadn't let her shy side get it's way so easily just now.

"Oh well. I mean... I do have some ideas. But I just thought..." the WindClan molly trailed off, glancing at her paws. She shook her head, becoming flustered once more while trying to think of the correct response to give, what Shrikecall would want to here. She didn't want to just come out and admit that while she was popular amongst the Clan, she felt lonely as ever sometimes and was excited about the possibility of making a friend. "It's alright, I was just excited to have some company around my age, that's all," she decided to say, feeling that this was an appropriate statement. She brought her amber orbs back up to Shrikecall, their depths radiating warmth as she looked at him. A soft smile graced her features before she began to head back in the direction where they had started, absentmindedly letting her fur brush slightly against Shrikecall's. The whirlwind of thoughts started to clatter around in her brain but she tried to tune them out, fighting mentally with her shy side to get it to go down again.

[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Lilly

Moonpaw blinked a few times as she got to her paws, black dots spotting along her line of vision. A ringing in her ears was loud and very much apparent, making it hard to hear what Winterwisp was saying. Once she felt as though she wouldn't fall over, the young she-cat focused her attention on Winterwisp. Her mentor seemed upset, which made the feeling of guilt claw at Moonpaw. She hated that her first day of training was going this miserably, and flattened her ears a bit as she was scrutinized by her mentor. "I-I'm sorry Winterwisp," she squeaked, feeling bad for upsetting her mentor. She didn't want to be a burden, and she wished more than anything that StarClan had given her something other than the ability to memorized herbs. Why not running skills? she thought desperately. That would've been a lot more useful right now!

Straightening up as her mentor requested that she try again, Moonpaw glanced towards the rocks once more, this time with a more cautious expression upon her face. The last thing she wanted was to try that challenge of death again, but she wanted to prove herself to her mentor - and to herself. "Okay," she breathed, a bit of hesitation evident in her voice as she padded over to the first rock. She squared up in front of it, taking her time to plan before rushing at it. This time, she took off a bit slower, but was more concentrated on the rocks and their positions before. She dodged the first one okay, and slowed a bit on the turn, but as she cleared the second and third one, she sped up just a bit. The young apprentice finished the rock obstacle, only just brushing her fur on the last one. She skidded to a halt, sides, heaving, and beamed, looking over her shoulder at her mentor and waiting for her response. There is nothing she can say about that, she thought, but obviously didn't dare say it outloud.

Winterwisp sat down, curling her tail around her paws. Her sides heaved. Not from exhaustion. From anger. How hard is it for someone to perfect something as easy as that?, Winterwisp thought, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Start actually trying and maybe, just maybe you might be able to become a warrior before you're 40 moons old," Winterwisp muttered to herself. Shaking her head slightly, the warrior started to focus on Moonpaw once again. Moonpaw cleared the first rock without any trouble, same with the second. The black and white she-cat's pale green hues focused intently on Moonpaw as she approached the third rock. She managed to pass it without slamming into it. She wasn't going fast enough. I know she can go faster but she's not pushing herself! Winterwisp thought irratably. The young apprentice now appeared to be awaiting a response. The warrior could guess her apprentice was most likely expecting some nice praise. But nope, she wasn't going to give her that. "You didn't go fast enough!" Winterwisp hissed, standing up before slowly circling around her apprentice. "You need to go faster! Speed is one of the main focuses in this challenge!" Winterwisp snarled. She felt herself starting to breathe heavily in annoyance again.

Might as well move on. We'll get back onto that another time, Winterwisp decided. "We'll do some more of that next time. Moving on," The warrior declared. "Seeing as you don't seem ready to tackle battle moves, we'll try hunting moves," Winterwisp said coldly, her eyes piercing into Moonpaw's. Quickly glancing around, Winterwisp searched for something that would help her. She found a rather large rock. "Imagine this is a hare. Show me what you would do," Winterwisp commanded, moving back to let Moonpaw show her. The WindClan warrior decided it would probably be better if she could see what Moonpaw already knew before working on that and building up to make her moves perfect.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Lilly

Heathertail listened as he spoke but was barely listening - something about bringing her opinions forward for the Clan. Sure, she had thought that first coming out here, but now being out here... With company other than a kit or apprentice, no less, and the senior molly realized how much she missed having a friend. Not an apprentice, or a kit to play with, though quite nice, but an actual friend. Growing up, her shy attitude and tendency to turn away from group activities had led to her not growing too many close relationships with any cat, and when Shrikecall had invited her out into the territory, her brain instantly went into overdrive, thinking that this could be her chance to make a true friend within the Clan. Someone she could hunt with. Why does it have to be the deputy though? He's probably too busy to have friends anyhow, she thought, a solemn look crossing her face. She wished she were better at expressing her thoguhts and feelings, and also wished that she hadn't let her shy side get it's way so easily just now.

"Oh well. I mean... I do have some ideas. But I just thought..." the WindClan molly trailed off, glancing at her paws. She shook her head, becoming flustered once more while trying to think of the correct response to give, what Shrikecall would want to here. She didn't want to just come out and admit that while she was popular amongst the Clan, she felt lonely as ever sometimes and was excited about the possibility of making a friend. "It's alright, I was just excited to have some company around my age, that's all," she decided to say, feeling that this was an appropriate statement. She brought her amber orbs back up to Shrikecall, their depths radiating warmth as she looked at him. A soft smile graced her features before she began to head back in the direction where they had started, absentmindedly letting her fur brush slightly against Shrikecall's. The whirlwind of thoughts started to clatter around in her brain but she tried to tune them out, fighting mentally with her shy side to get it to go down again.

Shrikecall looked worriedly at the she cat for a moment, his hues glinting with anxiety before he sighed. As always, he had failed at doing what he wanted to do most; make a connection. Make the connection that he was just a warrior, though a warrior with considerably more influence in the Clan; he was still just a warrior. A member of the Clan like everyone else who wanted to make things work out for the better. And it was difficult to do that when cats were always looking at him either as though he were completely strange, or as though he wasn't a good cat. I try, and I try... he thought, his thoughts finally trailing off. He didn't have time for any of that, not if he wanted to patrol the borders. The tom sighed when she cut off her first statement and then began a second, and he figured the two-- while having a significant amount in common-- were not supposed to be the same. She had deliberately changed her second one. But why? What did she think Shrikecall was going to do? Great...is she scared of me now? I'm supposed to be protecting her, not only as a clanmate but as her Deputy-- and if she's scared of me, that's going to make it very difficult. Shrikecall sighed, before his hues flashed in aggravation. Why did everything have to be so complicated all the time? Couldn't, for once, there be a nice simple way out of things?

"I see. Well I do appreciate your company-- y'know, being deputy is a lot lonelier then most cats think. I don't really have the opportunity to make really personal attachments-- it would slow me down in the end. Make it harder for me." Shrikecall mewed. He wanted her to understand that while had nothing against her, they wouldn't truly be able to be friends. He felt a sting of sympathy for the senior warrior, but that was the way things worked in his mind. A moment later, when Heathertail's fur brushed against his own, he could feel alarm bells ringing in the back of his mind. He could almost see everything going down in flames, and he stiffened, muscles tensing as he did so. Don't. Don't. Don't. That was the only word that came to mind, replaying over and over, bothering him and taunting him, making him feel uncomfortable. And a second later he calmed himself and glanced over at the she cat. Maybe it wouldn't be the best idea to have her along. It could get dangerous-- especially if she set the miniature alarm bells to ringing again.

[spade]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

Winterwisp sat down, curling her tail around her paws. Her sides heaved. Not from exhaustion. From anger. How hard is it for someone to perfect something as easy as that?, Winterwisp thought, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Start actually trying and maybe, just maybe you might be able to become a warrior before you're 40 moons old," Winterwisp muttered to herself. Shaking her head slightly, the warrior started to focus on Moonpaw once again. Moonpaw cleared the first rock without any trouble, same with the second. The black and white she-cat's pale green hues focused intently on Moonpaw as she approached the third rock. She managed to pass it without slamming into it. She wasn't going fast enough. I know she can go faster but she's not pushing herself! Winterwisp thought irratably. The young apprentice now appeared to be awaiting a response. The warrior could guess her apprentice was most likely expecting some nice praise. But nope, she wasn't going to give her that. "You didn't go fast enough!" Winterwisp hissed, standing up before slowly circling around her apprentice. "You need to go faster! Speed is one of the main focuses in this challenge!" Winterwisp snarled. She felt herself starting to breathe heavily in annoyance again.

Might as well move on. We'll get back onto that another time, Winterwisp decided. "We'll do some more of that next time. Moving on," The warrior declared. "Seeing as you don't seem ready to tackle battle moves, we'll try hunting moves," Winterwisp said coldly, her eyes piercing into Moonpaw's. Quickly glancing around, Winterwisp searched for something that would help her. She found a rather large rock. "Imagine this is a hare. Show me what you would do," Winterwisp commanded, moving back to let Moonpaw show her. The WindClan warrior decided it would probably be better if she could see what Moonpaw already knew before working on that and building up to make her moves perfect.

Moonpaw's demeanor changed from exghausted yet excited, to ashamed. She hadn't been fast enough, that was true... 40 moons seemed like an awful long time to be an apprentice, and the way Winterwisp had said it made the apprentice shiver a bit. Now more than ever she was determined to make her mentor proud of her and straightened back up, though her heart felt full of guilt for practically failing at her first day of warrior training. Mom would be so disappointed in me, she thought helplessly, glancing up at the sky briefly as she remembered her deceased mother. From what others had told Moonpaw, her mother Birdflight had been an excellent warrior; a fast runner and skillful hunter. She'd died giving birth to Moonpaw, and that along with now her mentors constant badgering, was something she carried around every day with her.

She shook her head and refocused on what her mentor was telling her now. A large rock. As a hare. I can do that she thought, eyeing the rock intently as if it were an actual piece of prey that she could catch at the end. Although it seemed like fighting and agility would need some work, she had practiced her hunting techniques with her uncle since he had been a warrior before being a medicine cat, so Moonpaw felt a little more confident going into this. "Well, you'd start by making sure you're downwind, so the prey doesn't smell you," she stated aloud as she began to move sideways, so that her mentor would know what she was doing. "Then, you wanna make sure you're completely still and flatten yourself, but don't touch the ground." As she lowered herself to the ground, she glanced at Winterwisp to gauge her expression, gulping. "Next, you wanna move forward slowly, then leap," she continued, turning her attention back to the rock. Slowly, the apprentice crept towards the rock, keeping as still as she could (with a few twitches here and there that weren't that noticeable), before... "Gotcha!" Moonpaw leapt from where she was and landed just before the rock, pretending to give it a killing bite and swat it over the head as if it were a real hare.