ThunderClan Territory

[CloverFlame]

Talonfeather’s ears pricked as he sat waiting for his apprentice to arrive for their training session. He was quite anxious to get back to the clearing to check on his mate, Amberfall, who was due with kits any time now. Anxiety washed over him as the thought occurred to him that his kits may be born while he was out here training. However, he had a responsibility to train Doepaw to the best of his ability no matter what. He still hoped that someone would fetch him if Amberfall started to have her kits though.

With a flick of his tail, he rose, sinking his claws into the ground as he awaited his apprentice. This was his first apprentice and he was eager to prove he could handle her, even with her lack of sight, he was determined to make her one of the finest warriors in Thunderclan.

@Arie

[Arie]

[COLOR="PaleGreen"]

Originally Posted by CloverFlame

Talonfeather’s ears pricked as he sat waiting for his apprentice to arrive for their training session. He was quite anxious to get back to the clearing to check on his mate, Amberfall, who was due with kits any time now. Anxiety washed over him as the thought occurred to him that his kits may be born while he was out here training. However, he had a responsibility to train Doepaw to the best of his ability no matter what. He still hoped that someone would fetch him if Amberfall started to have her kits though.

With a flick of his tail, he rose, sinking his claws into the ground as he awaited his apprentice. This was his first apprentice and he was eager to prove he could handle her, even with her lack of sight, he was determined to make her one of the finest warriors in Thunderclan.


@Arie

{ Doetraining }

Doepaw was having a mild anxiety problem. That was what she'd decided to call it as she stood on the threshold to the training cave. This was her first lesson with a new mentor and she was slightly worried and so she stood out there in the heavy rain that made her short fur cling to her even smaller frame. Taking deep but shivering breaths she pushed through the bracken that surrounded the cave and then smelled the dry ground and picked up the scent of Talonfeather, the warrior who'd been assigned to continue her education to become a warrior. She was nervous though and every step that the young grey/brown molly took towards her mentor the more she shook. Not just from the cold, no from her own anxiety that'd been a large part of who she is. She'd only really been talkative to one other apprentice and that'd been Willowpaw from Shadowclan of all places. Her friend had an eating disorder that made Doepaw a bit more secure and better feeling about her own blindness that she'd been born with. She sat down a tail length from Talonfeather and tipped her head, curiously like a bird. She was a curious one, despite her anxiety and she sometimes just wished others would look past her anxiety and see who she really was. Her good old friend who'd retired now, Doeflame - her name sake - had been one but... he was sleeping most of the time. She would have to face the challenge of a new mentor alone. "So. So. So... what're we doing today?" her voice was quiet, nervous and yet with a small hint of curiosity.

[Arie]

Originally Posted by Aquilex

Astralpaw's ears twitched as he heard his mentor's words, and his light blue eyes glowed with a fierce eagerness. He stood, lashing his tail and raising his chin as he glanced pointedly at the camp entrance. Without waiting for Spiritfox, he broke off into a slow trot as he made his way to the exit.

Spiritfox had made his way to the training cave and now stood, facing Astralpaw. The old warrior might be old and stiff but he would still pose a challenge especially for a untrained apprentice like Astral. He looked at the apprentice with a amused but aware glint in his eyes. He may have been caring and fatherly before but now it was time to see if his apprentice could manage to get Spiritfox himself in the dirt. If he could he most certainly deserved a day off, but Spirit was far from confident that that would happen because you gotta believe in yourself when it comes down to it. Eyeing the grey and white apprentice he said, "So. Its our first battle training. Like before when we hunted I want to see what you can do and then I get something to work out from. I'm not giving you any advice before I see how clever your mind works when faced against an opponent. Don't go easy on me Astral, just keep your claws to the ground and not my skin and we shall see how far you can go." He stood ready then, constantly making sure that he did face Astral and that the apprentice would have no chance to catch him unaware.

[Aquilex]

Originally Posted by Arie

Spiritfox had made his way to the training cave and now stood, facing Astralpaw. The old warrior might be old and stiff but he would still pose a challenge especially for a untrained apprentice like Astral. He looked at the apprentice with a amused but aware glint in his eyes. He may have been caring and fatherly before but now it was time to see if his apprentice could manage to get Spiritfox himself in the dirt. If he could he most certainly deserved a day off, but Spirit was far from confident that that would happen because you gotta believe in yourself when it comes down to it. Eyeing the grey and white apprentice he said, "So. Its our first battle training. Like before when we hunted I want to see what you can do and then I get something to work out from. I'm not giving you any advice before I see how clever your mind works when faced against an opponent. Don't go easy on me Astral, just keep your claws to the ground and not my skin and we shall see how far you can go." He stood ready then, constantly making sure that he did face Astral and that the apprentice would have no chance to catch him unaware.

Astralpaw's eyes darted around as he evaluated his surroundings. Perhaps he could use his environment to throw his mentor off-guard or something. Realizing that his enemy could've swept him off his paws with him having staying still so long, so Astralpaw began to pace back and forth in order to make himself harder to hit.

[CloverFlame]

Originally Posted by Arie

Doepaw was having a mild anxiety problem. That was what she'd decided to call it as she stood on the threshold to the training cave. This was her first lesson with a new mentor and she was slightly worried and so she stood out there in the heavy rain that made her short fur cling to her even smaller frame. Taking deep but shivering breaths she pushed through the bracken that surrounded the cave and then smelled the dry ground and picked up the scent of Talonfeather, the warrior who'd been assigned to continue her education to become a warrior. She was nervous though and every step that the young grey/brown molly took towards her mentor the more she shook. Not just from the cold, no from her own anxiety that'd been a large part of who she is. She'd only really been talkative to one other apprentice and that'd been Willowpaw from Shadowclan of all places. Her friend had an eating disorder that made Doepaw a bit more secure and better feeling about her own blindness that she'd been born with. She sat down a tail length from Talonfeather and tipped her head, curiously like a bird. She was a curious one, despite her anxiety and she sometimes just wished others would look past her anxiety and see who she really was. Her good old friend who'd retired now, Doeflame - her name sake - had been one but... he was sleeping most of the time. She would have to face the challenge of a new mentor alone. "So. So. So... what're we doing today?" her voice was quiet, nervous and yet with a small hint of curiosity.

Talonfeather meowed a greeting to his new apprentice, his tail twitching with excitement, “I thought we’d work on hunting techniques today, and maybe go on a hunting patrol later,” He said, rising to walk closer to Doepaw. Unsure where to begin, the russet Tom shook his fur uncertainly. He didn’t want to make her uneasy, so he tried to be as laid back as possible, “So uh, what do you know about hunting?” Talonfeather inquired, hoping to get a baseline he could work with. He wished Amberfall could be here! She would know exactly what to say. Although it would be pretty irregular for a mentor to bring their mate on a training session.

[Arie]

[COLOR="PaleGreen"]

Originally Posted by CloverFlame

Talonfeather meowed a greeting to his new apprentice, his tail twitching with excitement, “I thought we’d work on hunting techniques today, and maybe go on a hunting patrol later,” He said, rising to walk closer to Doepaw. Unsure where to begin, the russet Tom shook his fur uncertainly. He didn’t want to make her uneasy, so he tried to be as laid back as possible, “So uh, what do you know about hunting?” Talonfeather inquired, hoping to get a baseline he could work with. He wished Amberfall could be here! She would know exactly what to say. Although it would be pretty irregular for a mentor to bring their mate on a training session.

{ Doetraining }

Doepaw tipped her head again. Her mentor's voice was surprisingly soft, but it carried a soft edge of what was it... worry? Like he didn't actually have time for this. It was one of Doe's many talents, her nose not being good but hear ears being able to define between the different voices and tones of her clanmates. And this was definitely a slight stressed tone. She began shaking slightly, was it possible that she was causing her mentor stress? No it could not be. She had only just shown up, but maybe... maybe she was late? She had no clue but she pawed at the ground slightly. What did Talonfeather expect her to know? She had only been apprenticed for a quarter of a moon and for that... well she had had a panic attack when she was out in the forest and had been stuck caring for the elders ever since. Not that'd she'd really minded truth be told. "Eh.. Eh. I. I. I have only been out in the forest... once?" Her voice was shaky and nervous. "It was only.. to see the territory. And I tripped.... over something and it triggered a panic attack."

Originally Posted by Aquilex

Astralpaw's eyes darted around as he evaluated his surroundings. Perhaps he could use his environment to throw his mentor off-guard or something. Realizing that his enemy could've swept him off his paws with him having staying still so long, so Astralpaw began to pace back and forth in order to make himself harder to hit.

Spiritfox did not take his eyes off Astralpaw as he watched the young apprentice walk back and forth. He himself was lying in a position ready to spring but also to go on the defensive should he need to. "Stop pacing. You're wasting vital energy. When you pace like that you're only tiring yourself out and not your opponent." Watching the apprentice with sharp eyes and he saw the indecisiveness in Astralpaw's eyes. "Little one. Don't be afraid to attack me, I may be old but I can still give you a proper push in the dirt should it be needed." He then sat further back on his haunches and flicked his tail lazily giving the apprentice time and an obvious advantage. He needed to get Astralpaw's confidence up and therefore just kept tracing him with his eyes, constantly keeping an eye out for a feint or any sign that Astralpaw was finally manning up and would go ahead and try to do something, anything to be honest.

[CloverFlame]

Originally Posted by Arie

Doepaw tipped her head again. Her mentor's voice was surprisingly soft, but it carried a soft edge of what was it... worry? Like he didn't actually have time for this. It was one of Doe's many talents, her nose not being good but hear ears being able to define between the different voices and tones of her clanmates. And this was definitely a slight stressed tone. She began shaking slightly, was it possible that she was causing her mentor stress? No it could not be. She had only just shown up, but maybe... maybe she was late? She had no clue but she pawed at the ground slightly. What did Talonfeather expect her to know? She had only been apprenticed for a quarter of a moon and for that... well she had had a panic attack when she was out in the forest and had been stuck caring for the elders ever since. Not that'd she'd really minded truth be told. "Eh.. Eh. I. I. I have only been out in the forest... once?" Her voice was shaky and nervous. "It was only.. to see the territory. And I tripped.... over something and it triggered a panic attack."

[/CENTER]

Talonfeather nodded slowly, trying to decide where to start, and put his mate out of his mind, “Right, well we’ll begin with a hunting crouch,” The Tom meowed, stretching his long legs out in front of him before dropping into a crouch. Holding his tail a few inches off the ground, he brought his paws slightly closer together for greater thrust on his pounce. “Try to keep low enough to stay out of sight, but not so low that your belly fur drags on the ground. Twitching his tail, the russet tom prowled forward a few steps, trying to demonstrate how long of strides to make and how to keep his steps light. “When you’re hunting rabbits, you want to make sure you kee as quiet as possible because they have excellent hearing. A rabbit could hear the swish of your fur, or a twig breaking as you step on it. Mice are more likely to feel your pawsteps on the forest floor. Talonfeather flexed his claws anxiously into the ground, guiltily realizing he was kind of rushing his apprentice in an attempt to return home to Amberfall. Chastising himself for putting his own interests before his apprentice’s welfare, he decided to slow down slightly and demonstrate one more time before giving her a turn, “Now your turn, take your time and relax,” he encouraged.



Bramblepaw stepped into the training cave, barely glancing at the other apprentices that we’re training. He had recent been injured, nothing major, but enough to keep him from training, so he was very excited to begin training. After he had trotted further into the cave, he sat back on his haunches, licking his white chest fur as he scraped his claws against the stone floor. His tail flicking as he waited for his mentor, Mintberry, the tabby tom sat, pondering what he would be learning today. He knew what to do to hunt, but he couldn’t seem to transfer the knowledge from his mind to his paws and he often tripped over himself when trying to hunt. A fleeting thought crossed his mind that he might be learning to fight, he didn’t know much about fighting, but what he did know felt so natural to his paws. His strong, athletic frame helped him quite a lot when play fighting with other apprentices. His greater size gave him a strength advantage, but he was still decently fast.
@SuspiciousMindz

[Aquilex]

Originally Posted by Arie

Doepaw tipped her head again. Her mentor's voice was surprisingly soft, but it carried a soft edge of what was it... worry? Like he didn't actually have time for this. It was one of Doe's many talents, her nose not being good but hear ears being able to define between the different voices and tones of her clanmates. And this was definitely a slight stressed tone. She began shaking slightly, was it possible that she was causing her mentor stress? No it could not be. She had only just shown up, but maybe... maybe she was late? She had no clue but she pawed at the ground slightly. What did Talonfeather expect her to know? She had only been apprenticed for a quarter of a moon and for that... well she had had a panic attack when she was out in the forest and had been stuck caring for the elders ever since. Not that'd she'd really minded truth be told. "Eh.. Eh. I. I. I have only been out in the forest... once?" Her voice was shaky and nervous. "It was only.. to see the territory. And I tripped.... over something and it triggered a panic attack."







Spiritfox did not take his eyes off Astralpaw as he watched the young apprentice walk back and forth. He himself was lying in a position ready to spring but also to go on the defensive should he need to. "Stop pacing. You're wasting vital energy. When you pace like that you're only tiring yourself out and not your opponent." Watching the apprentice with sharp eyes and he saw the indecisiveness in Astralpaw's eyes. "Little one. Don't be afraid to attack me, I may be old but I can still give you a proper push in the dirt should it be needed." He then sat further back on his haunches and flicked his tail lazily giving the apprentice time and an obvious advantage. He needed to get Astralpaw's confidence up and therefore just kept tracing him with his eyes, constantly keeping an eye out for a feint or any sign that Astralpaw was finally manning up and would go ahead and try to do something, anything to be honest.

Astralpaw wasn't a genius, but he wasn't stupid either. He knew that his mentor was giving him an obvious advantage. Flushing with embarrassment, the apprentice whipped around to face Spiritfox and sprung at the tom with his weight focused in his paws.

[lone]

Out of everywhere in ThunderClan, the territory was the best place to unwind. Acornstep couldn't count the number of times she'd had to get away out here, and it seemed like the older she got, the more she found herself coming out here. She'd just become a warrior a couple of moons ago; it felt weird, honestly, that such a big change came at such a young age. She'd completed her training and everything was in order, of course, but somehow it still felt... off. Like maybe she'd found a way to fake her way through the entire thing. The she cat sighed, finding a more secluded spot to settle down. She knew she should be hunting, but it was the middle of the day, and so hot that she was afraid she wouldn't be able to concentrate. It wouldn't do the Clan much good to deal with one of their clanmates overheating, especially since Tallmarsh was busy as it was. The shade would provide a good place to wait until it cooled off a little, and then she would venture out to go hunting. True, later in the day was the more popular time, so she could run into a good dozen other warriors, but that was the price she'd have to pay for waiting. It'll be fine. The Clan will be fed, one way or another. There wasn't a shortage of prey right now, thank StarClan, which meant they had the luxury of waiting out the warmer, more uncomfortable parts of the day.

@bright !

[Arie]

[COLOR="PaleGreen"]

Originally Posted by Aquilex

Astralpaw wasn't a genius, but he wasn't stupid either. He knew that his mentor was giving him an obvious advantage. Flushing with embarrassment, the apprentice whipped around to face Spiritfox and sprung at the tom with his weight focused in his paws.

Spiritfox sighed as he watched Astralpaw jump. He stepped put of the apprentice's way with the reaction time of an experienced warrior and with a well placed paw he sent the small apprentice hurling into the dirt. Eyeing him careful Spiritfox walked over and nudged him. "Your eyes betrayed your move. You were looking at the exact point on where you wanted to jump, by following that I knew if I had to move left or right to avoid you and where you would be mainly unbalanced. Also the weight in the front paws are good if you're standing on your backpaws but when you jump like that it'll only make your reaction rate slower. You need to be fast, you need to be light and use your youth to your advance. And don't be afraid of hitting the dirt little one, everyone does. I heard of windclan apprentices being purposely trapped in burrows so they had to find their way out. Be happy we're not doing anything that drastic.

Originally Posted by CloverFlame

Talonfeather nodded slowly, trying to decide where to start, and put his mate out of his mind, “Right, well we’ll begin with a hunting crouch,” The Tom meowed, stretching his long legs out in front of him before dropping into a crouch. Holding his tail a few inches off the ground, he brought his paws slightly closer together for greater thrust on his pounce. “Try to keep low enough to stay out of sight, but not so low that your belly fur drags on the ground. Twitching his tail, the russet tom prowled forward a few steps, trying to demonstrate how long of strides to make and how to keep his steps light. “When you’re hunting rabbits, you want to make sure you kee as quiet as possible because they have excellent hearing. A rabbit could hear the swish of your fur, or a twig breaking as you step on it. Mice are more likely to feel your pawsteps on the forest floor. Talonfeather flexed his claws anxiously into the ground, guiltily realizing he was kind of rushing his apprentice in an attempt to return home to Amberfall. Chastising himself for putting his own interests before his apprentice’s welfare, he decided to slow down slightly and demonstrate one more time before giving her a turn, “Now your turn, take your time and relax,” he encouraged.

{ Doetraining }

Doepaw sniffed. She was not impressed by this mentor's advice and teaching. She was slowly getting over her anxiety towards training and was now getting slightly more frustrated. He kept explaining things like she could actually see him, which she obviously could not. She did try though but the crouch she made was no where similar to the normal thunderclan hunting crouch. And as she heard him move across the floor she sighed and sat up her ears twitching and tail lashing. "Hey. Hey. I can't see you.... I'm sorry, but... You're demonstrating things without explaining it. I can't SEE YOU! Stop demonstrating it. How should I know how much a tail length is when I've never seen a full length tail, how should I know what is a twig and what is a branch when I've never seen one nor been told the difference." She sighed and then laid down on the floor. She was useless, she knew that but her mentor had just pointed out exactly how useless she really was. Her grey and brown tabby fur was getting dustier by the second but she didn't care. "I'm sorry.... I know this is trouble for you, but I rely more on your voice for instructions and maybe you can help me by touching my shoulder or whatever is out of position? I just... I can't see you and it gets me agitated when others keep acting like I can actually see what they're doing."