[Caspian]

Originally Posted by canineantics

Hearing softened approaching pawsteps, the tall RiverClan tomcat turned his head to see Wormbite carefully making his way inside. His partial blue gaze flickered down to the mouse that the other oriental was holding and then back up to his blind eyes. “Hello, Wormbite.” Pikestar greeted his close friend and loyal shield, watching him lean against the wall of his den. It seemed… idiotic to ask if he was okay, because clearly Wormbite was far from it. Would it be better or worse to press the Dark Lord about it? Ultimately, they would decide to just not say anything and simply dig into the mouse he was gifted.

His stomach grumbled irritably, reminding him of his manners. "Thank you... I can't remember the last time I ate..." He admitted, his voice a soft murmur before he took a hefty bite. Stars, the taste of fresh prey-blood on his tongue felt delicious. While he continued eating, the long-furred RiverClan leader listened intently to the dark-furred oriental’s words. A WindClan kitten? Hm. Was that something that Pikestar needed to be involved with? A couple seconds passed by before he silently decided otherwise, Fawnlight could handle that herself. She was an adult now, and would come to him if she needed his help with anything regarding that. She would, right? He hoped so. Moving on, Wormbite soon mentioned to him that all the shields had gathered and discussed various safety concerns and other matters regarding RiverClan life. Ah. "I'm all ears." Pikestar remarked in-between bites, "I'd love to hear what you all discussed." Without me. A small voice in the back of his head whispered, but he pushed it away immediately. Pettiness was something he tried to avoid while being a clan leader. He wasn't perfect, but Pikestar knew that there was no ill intentions behind his shields' little meeting. Whatsoever.

As the young apprentice made his way towards the stick, the tall oriental tomcat watched intently, observing the small tom’s every movement with his partial gaze. It had been quite some time since Pikestar had trained an apprentice, especially in the skillful art of combat. They certainly didn't wish to lead Bouncepaw astray, or disappoint him with this simple mini training session. Pikestar observed him in complete silence as a single breath was made before the RiverClan apprentice struck. Quick in his movements, Bouncepaw surprisingly was able to repeat Pikestar’s own technique perfectly. He nodded approvingly as the stick was quick to shatter into bits against the younger cat’s attack. “Exactly like that.” The oriental longhair remarked, a proud smile slipping onto his expression, “Excellent work. Now tell me, when do you think a move like this would be useful in battle?” Pikestar tilted their head to the side as they said this, peering down at Bouncepaw. Perfecting moves was one thing, but knowing when to use them was also quite important.

“I… am not sure, young one.” Pikestar would eventually admit, feeling like he was only making matters worse. Their attempts to answer Fishkit was surely giving the RiverClan kitten only more anxiety and dread regarding the difficult matter. He was never good at these kinds of things, especially when it came to children as young as them. Perhaps it was a good thing that he was only a father to Birdpaw anymore. He already was as terrible as ever with soothing his adopted daughter’s worries. Pikestar knew, no matter what, he would not be able to heal the hole in Fishkit’s heart that their precious mama had once filled. Should he have immediately taken the youth back to the nursery, and let a queen handle their questions? Mayhaps. Anyone in RiverClan could surely be better at this than he could ever be. Though, the small kit's question made the long-furred tomcat nod, almost immediately. "Of course, that is why I offered." Pikestar said simply, leaning down and touching his pink nose gently to Fishkit's forehead, "I could tell you a story to help you fall asleep if you want." He didn't often tell stories to kittens, but it was something he had always wanted to try doing. What stories could he tell?

Bouncepaw felt a surge of intense pride swell over him as his leader complimented him. When it came to the question when to use it in battle, he had a few good guesses. “I believe that it would be useful in these ways: if an enemy cat is trying to get you from behind, you can use this move. It also comes in handy when your front paws are being restrained from striking”