ShadowClan Life Before Destruction

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Shadomaru

When Crowhawk walked back into the clearing, he wasn't surprised with how empty it was. Oh well then it meant more room for him and Blackfrost. He walked over to the pile and dropped his vole in. He then chose a scrawny squirrel. No cat would probably want it and good food shouldn't go to waste. He looked at her setting she had chosen a mouse and smiled, not knowing what was coming next. He watched her scoop mud off the ground and he knew where this was going. He managed to dodge the ball of mud that was thrown at him, watching her run. "Oh. You shouldn't have done that." He muttered quietly. Dropping his squirrel he chased after her.

Blackfrost smirked at him as he impressively dodged the pawful of mud. “Very impressive, Crowhawk.” She purred with amusement before her eyes widened when she noticed that he was beginning to come after her. The dark-furred warrior skidded to her paws and giggled as she ran from the tom-cat. “You gonna catch me, bee-brain?” Blackfrost challenged her friend while looking back at him before sticking her tongue out at him playfully. She could feel her paws sinking into the thick mud that laid in the camp’s clearing, but she did her best to not let that slow her down.

[Ainz Ooal Gown]

Originally Posted by Robin-chan

Blackfrost smirked at him as he impressively dodged the pawful of mud. “Very impressive, Crowhawk.” She purred with amusement before her eyes widened when she noticed that he was beginning to come after her. The dark-furred warrior skidded to her paws and giggled as she ran from the tom-cat. “You gonna catch me, bee-brain?” Blackfrost challenged her friend while looking back at him before sticking her tongue out at him playfully. She could feel her paws sinking into the thick mud that laid in the camp’s clearing, but she did her best to not let that slow her down.

He liked the compliment she gave him and saw that she was surprised he dodged the mud she threw. But he started chasing, slowly catching her. "I'm gonna do more than catch you." He said. He was going to catch her. No matter what it took. He kicked it into overdrive when she stuck her tongue out. She was slowing in the mud, but it didn't affect him and he caught her easily, tackling her in the process.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Shadomaru

He liked the compliment she gave him and saw that she was surprised he dodged the mud she threw. But he started chasing, slowly catching her. "I'm gonna do more than catch you." He said. He was going to catch her. No matter what it took. He kicked it into overdrive when she stuck her tongue out. She was slowing in the mud, but it didn't affect him and he caught her easily, tackling her in the process.

The dark-furred female smiled as the two of them ran around the clearing like two kits that had just gotten out of the nursery. She glanced back at him, seeing that he was slowly getting more and more closer to her, obviously taking the challenge in catching her. Blackfrost’s eyes widened slightly at his words and then laughed to herself, wondering whatever that could mean. It didn’t take him long, however, to finally catch up to her and tackle her, catching the she-cat off guard as they tumbled into the mud as he had caught her. “Alright, alright.” She huffed up at him with a smirk, “You caught me, you bee-brain.” She admitted with fake disappointment. Blackfrost was, however, amazed by how fast he was on his paws.

[Ainz Ooal Gown]

Originally Posted by Robin-chan

The dark-furred female smiled as the two of them ran around the clearing like two kits that had just gotten out of the nursery. She glanced back at him, seeing that he was slowly getting more and more closer to her, obviously taking the challenge in catching her. Blackfrost’s eyes widened slightly at his words and then laughed to herself, wondering whatever that could mean. It didn’t take him long, however, to finally catch up to her and tackle her, catching the she-cat off guard as they tumbled into the mud as he had caught her. “Alright, alright.” She huffed up at him with a smirk, “You caught me, you bee-brain.” She admitted with fake disappointment. Blackfrost was, however, amazed by how fast he was on his paws.

He batted her ear playfully. "Of course I caught you." He said. "I told you before. I can beat anyone in this clan when it comes to running." He said. "Now then." He pinned her to the ground. "I wouldn't punish you for nearly hitting me with mud, in fact, I would reward you. So here it is. It's called the Crowhawk relaxation center. Now just relax," he quickly got a pawful of mud and smeared it on her face. "And watch out for the mud." He was holding back a laugh now.

[AbsurdJinx]

Originally Posted by Jingle

"The warrior code is a list of rules of which every clan cat should follow." Halestar started, looking down at the apprentice with a slight smile.

"Rule one is- Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from the other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle.
Rule two is- Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.
Rule three is - Elders and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders.
Rule states that prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.
Rule five is - A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.
Rule six is that newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their
warrior name.
Rule seven can be said that a cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.
Rule eight is that the deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies or retires.
Rule nine states that after the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.
Rule ten says that a gathering of all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time.
Rule eleven says that boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.
Rule twelve says that no warrior may neglect a kit in pain or in danger, even if that kit is from a different Clan.
Rule thirteen says the word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.
Rule fourteen states that an honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or it is necessary for self-defense.
And the last rule of the code is that a warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet."

The leader cleared her throat and looked at the cat, a small smile on her face. "This code was granted upon us by our warrior ancestors, and it helps keep our clan's running in the right direction. Each one has a purpose in our day-to-day life. However, sometimes it is necessary for them to be broken, but these are in some rare circumstances." She explained.

Onyxpaw listened intently to Halestar, his eyes displaying his interest. Being that he grew up in the Evil Era, he felt he still lived in that time. To him, the warrior code seemed not to exist. He was the son of a leader, and during the Evil Era, he could've gotten away with anything. After all, how would the mother of a tight-knit family during dark times punish her son for doing something her own followers were doing?

He shifted his paws, glancing down at them as he moved. His ears swiveled nonchalantly as he wondered how to go about what he was going to say. Finally, clearing his throat of any blockage, Onyxpaw spoke while looking up at his mentor. ``All those rules were broken during the Evil Era. Why should they still be followed after having failed us? Besides, you said it yourself - sometimes it's necessary for rules to be broken... Though it may be rare, it still happens. Clearly, there's some flaws in our code.`` Onyxpaw flattened his ears, adopting a rather angry look as he spoke of the code he was being forced to follow, but failed to believe. A scowl was featured on his face, and his eyes narrowed with a powerful distaste.

Though Onyxpaw was a genuinely quiet, insecure tomcat, he was not afraid to stand up for the strongest of his beliefs. Onyxpaw continued in a tone of disagreement as he spoke the words straight from his mind, ``Why should I be forced to follow something I cannot believe in?`` Before Halestar could even respond, he spoke again from his mind, but on a slightly different topic. ``And what is it with SkyClan? Why do we welcome them into our forests when they killed my mother? Why did we celebrate the death of such a great leader? Why did you choose me as your apprentice?`` The questions were shot so quickly from him, that he failed to realize he was letting his true thoughts and emotions show. But right now, he needed to let everything out, and get an answer. If he were going to share an honest relationship with Halestar, it was required that the two were truthful with one another - especially early on into their possible mentor-apprentice connection.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Shadomaru

He batted her ear playfully. "Of course I caught you." He said. "I told you before. I can beat anyone in this clan when it comes to running." He said. "Now then." He pinned her to the ground. "I wouldn't punish you for nearly hitting me with mud, in fact, I would reward you. So here it is. It's called the Crowhawk relaxation center. Now just relax," he quickly got a pawful of mud and smeared it on her face. "And watch out for the mud." He was holding back a laugh now.

“Pffft..” Blackfrost hissed, rolling her eyes at him as he went on about being the fastest at running, “I get it, Mr. Speedy Paws.” She murmured as the warrior looked up at Crowhawk as he talked about rewarding her. “Hey, what are you-” Blackfrost wasn’t able to finish her sentence before getting a pawful of mud smeared on her face, while hearing him laugh above her. The she-cat uttered a playful growl and shook her head. “Bee-brain!” She spat up at him, causing some mud to hit his face as well, “It’ll take moons to get this filth off of my face!”

[wickedvirtues]

Rosekit slept next to her mother, the small tortoiseshell was exhausted from staying up late and watching the stars in the sky.

@Little Bird

[Ainz Ooal Gown]

Originally Posted by Robin-chan

“Pffft..” Blackfrost hissed, rolling her eyes at him as he went on about being the fastest at running, “I get it, Mr. Speedy Paws.” She murmured as the warrior looked up at Crowhawk as he talked about rewarding her. “Hey, what are you-” Blackfrost wasn’t able to finish her sentence before getting a pawful of mud smeared on her face, while hearing him laugh above her. The she-cat uttered a playful growl and shook her head. “Bee-brain!” She spat up at him, causing some mud to hit his face as well, “It’ll take moons to get this filth off of my face!”

He rolled off her, not caring about anything right now. "Oh Starclan. That was funny." He said. "I'd rather be a bee-brain than a mud-face right now." He said, laughter still in his voice. "And don't worry. Part two will come later." He smiled. This was actually a three step operation. That is, if the cat he was "rewarding" didn't rip his fur off after the second part. "Good luck getting it out." He added.

[RedHead]

Originally Posted by Constellation

Chrysanthemumshade blinked her eyes slowly. Her green hues stared at the tom, giving him, at first, what seemed to be an odd look, but nonetheless because a baffled one, until she understood him. It was a first, surely. Never had she heard such a name being called, and it made the tip of her ears heat up. She started to awkwardly thump her tail against the ground at the thought of making a new potential friend. She couldn't believe that finally...after so long of wishing upon to Starclan, that she got a friend. Well, maybe it was a one-sided thing. She scrunched her nose, and realized that she had a lot to wonder about the larger tom. Realizing that she was too lost in her thoughts, she finally mewed, "Sure, big fellow. Why not." She never had a nickname before, besides the given nicknames by her siblings. She then giggled, shaking her head. "Blame my mother. She wanted to name me after a plant. Well, my sister and I." Chrysanthemums were somewhat of a pretty flower, somewhat delicate, but Chrysanthemumshade couldn't agree more with Wolfglare. Couldn't her mother name her after a simple flower, such as a Lilly, or a Tulip, or a Sunflower? Anything of the sort that made other cats remember her name? So, being given a nickname was adored by the grayish she cat.

"Woah, hold on, wait." She fluffed out her tail, getting to her paws and staring at the male as if he committed a terrible crime. Going back to their earlier conversation, did he really just say what she think he just said? Did he really just say he wanted to get to know a cat? All of them? Every single strand that made up who they are and what they do. It was somewhat creepy in her eyes. Like a stalker of some sort. And, though she wanted to get to know cats, she didn't think she wanted to get to know them on that personal level. "What drives you to even want to do that? It's such a weird concept--I'm not judging you or anything, so no need to be mad, just saying." She gingerly slinks back behind him until she appeared on his other side, looking out into the distance outside the Warriors den. The sun was hot, seeping into the den. Personally, Chrysanthemumshade enjoyed the sun. She could recall how her mother used to say flowers bloom with the help of the sun. A lot of things her mother told her, and allowed her to sink in every little thing to remember.

"But a cat only will allow you to know what they want you to know. Analyzing their actions?" She looked at him once, still not quite understanding what drove him to be that way. She figured he was a learner. He liked to absorb others around him, and it was nothing wrong with that. Chrysanthemumshade tried her best to that little delicate flower her mother named her after, but instead she felt like a thorn that pricked everyone until they were bleeding that Crimson liquid. Cloverwhisker never had that type of treatment, which the grey feline could never comprehend.

She took a seat again, allowing the sun to warm her pelt. Though it only glowed on her. She turned to look up to him, taking notice of his large size. No wonder others seen him as intimidating. He sure could play the part in her eyes! She felt a little scared at first, just because of his size, the look in his eyes, and his entire expression. He looked serious all the time, and quite rude when she first encountered him. But now, all the she cat could see was a large fluffy cat that sat around the crowd, and avoided being in it. Nothing wrong with that, right? "Your goal is pretty...abnormal, but I suppose if it makes you happy. Though I will never know what you're trying to get out of it. Satisfactions, maybe?" She asked, before turning away. Surely, she hoped she hadn't offended him again. He was the cat that didn't care much what other cats thought about him. Sometimes she wished that she had that sense of confidence. "I don't think a cat would want you to observe their every move..." She trailed off, giving an awkward giggle to clear out some awkward tension, that she knew she would start. Then, she shifted her weight, lifting one paw up. "If it was me, I guess it would depend on how the idea was approached. If it were a broad statement with a strange cat coming up to me and saying they want to know every little thing about me--yeah, I would be creeped out. But, if I didn't know the cat's intentions, then I couldn't get mad at them." She put her paw down, sinking it onto the ground as she finished. Thumping her tail once again, she giggled once more, "Then again, I'm not that much of an interesting cat to get to know." She snorted. "And, I would love to meet the cat that you choose to experiment on." She joked. She didn't think there were many interesting cats in Shadowclan. But, on the other hand, she didn't allow herself to get to know anyone but her siblings.

The she cat found herself staring at his pelt again. The thickness, and the fur that covered around his neck, making him look like he had a lion's mane. She could only imagine how lucky and unlucky he felt with that pelt. And, his large size. He was probably one of the most majestic toms she ever met. He was definitely larger than her brother and their father combined. Could she even imagine how his parents appeared? She had laughed when he complimented his fur, in a way. Hibernation did sound well to her. She could sleep for all moons entirely rather than the warmer or colder ones. Oh, how her mother would chide her for thinking such a thing. "I could understand that." She commented, and looked down at her own fur. It wasn't as thick as his, but it was a nice medium type of thickness that kept her at a constant temperature. Not too cold. Not too hot. "Ya wouldn't mind sharing yer pelt right? Ya know those cold moons could freeze a cat in time! I'm sure with that thick pelt, you'd be able to save the whole Shadowclan!" She joked lightheartedly. She cleared her throat, taking note of the small hint of her Irish accent that she hated with a passion. It wasn't as thick as it was when she was a kit, but it still annoyed her because she feared that it would annoy others, so she kept her voice softly pitched, somewhere between sultry and soothing.

The she cat gave a sheepish grin, looking out the den, and into the morning light. She got up to pad to the mouth of the den, staring at sun high. The sky, such a gorgeous color of blue as it were everyday except the rainy days, which were gloomy, and grey, and cloudy. Chrysanthemumshade sighed, her mind drifted to an earlier statement he had said. The way he seemingly got offended when she asked if he would be friends with a cat with different views. Her mind caught hold of what he said about Halestar, and what he thought of her as. Initially, she agreed with him. She would never abandon a soul because they didn't share the same beliefs as her. "I kinda wish that...ah, never mind." She stops herself before she sounded stupid. She did wish that the all the clans got along. What's the use of being friends with cats of the different beliefs, yet lived in the same clan as yourself? And, those cats from different clans? Some might believe the same things you do, yet it's wrong to even began a relationship with them. Chrysanthemumshade saw nothing wrong when it came to Shadowclan, and she knew that if she said any of the kind then Wolfglare was sure to judge her loyalties. But, that was the problem. She didn't know where her loyalties laid. She only stayed in Shadowclan because of her siblings---she would never leave them, and Shadowclan was the only home she knew. Where would she go if she did choose to leave? Be a loner...? Surely not! Chrysanthemumshade refused to take that chance. She would stay home.

Gently, Chrysanthemumshade looked back at the time, then forward, and flicked her tail. "Everyone has fear. Some more than others." Her green hues glanced back to look at him, as she wrapped her tail around herself. "And, we don't know that. There's a lot of cats that we don't know their intentions. What if they do come back? What if their is some living in our clan?" She squealed, shaking her head to rid the horrible thoughts. "I just think that Halestar needs some motivation. Some support, which we all are." She shrugged then got up, and padded towards him. Though she could see that she was immensely smaller than him, this did not stop the she cat from getting into his face--well, most likely meeting halfway of his chest fur, but she looked up at him, glaring with her green hues. "I'm sure you have some fears, don't you, Wolfglare?" She don't know why she asked, but she was positive it was true. Everyone had fears. She could name a lot of hers off the bat, but the tom looked like he emitted out fear instead of having any. "Or, perhaps you just mask it behind all that poofiness?" She glowered before she pulled away, swishing her tail to the side.

The way he had described the offending process, made her see a new light. She never had thought of it that wym at, and her brain was plagued with it. The she cat shook her head. Suddenly, she became slightly anxious as she looked at her paws. It was nothing out of the ordinary for her. "I don't get about the whole judging a cat. Others are going to be who they are. What's the use of judging them?" She asked him. "What do you get out of it? It's not like they're asking you to critique them. After all, no one is perfect." She huffed, softly. Yet, she tried to be. Every cat she came across, she tried to fit their expectations. It was a hard job. The hardest she ever done. And, she failed plenty times. Many times to the point she gave up. But her mother, that strong Irish attitude flung itself at her, and forced her to continue on. Chrysanthemumshade pushed the thought down, and looked back up at the tom, blinking. At first she was only analyzing him, trying to decipher everything about him in a short amount of time. She didn't want to stare for too long. That would had been ride, but a couple seconds of looking at him gave her no data to collect. If only she could read his mind, enter his thoughts, or be some type of conscious to him. He was a large mystery to her, too secretive in her opinion. She didn't want him to think she was scared of him--which she kinda was. She didn't think he was that evil. Or, evil at all. His mind seemed to be in good shape, open to all possibilities.

Chrysanthemumshade shook her head, ruffling her pelt. She gave a small smile while looking away from him, and found it, again weird that he wanted to get to know a cat that much. Or, the fact that he didn't like talking about himself. "Yeah', you sure are humble, aren't you?" She teased lightly, but it was nothing wrong with displaying humility. If that's what he was showing. "Do you expect to get to know a cat without them getting to know you?" She truly didn't think a cat would actually allow the tom to know many things about them without them knowing much about him. Wasn't getting acquainted somewhat like a chain reaction as well?

Wolfglare calmly licked a paw and drew it over his head, an act that made his fur rustle quite a bit. With that much fur, it made sound when he moved. That was why Wolfglare had to keep it clean, especially when he went hunting. When his fur was newly groomed if was soft and poofy, and made no sound at all. But as it got later in the day, like now, then his fur would get a little dried out and start to rustle with every move he made. The tom hated that noise. At her acceptance of the nickname, his eyes kind of kit up in surprise. He had meant that in more of a joking way, but his tone hadn't really been joking, so it seemed she took it seriously. At the mention of her mother, Wolfglare perked his ears a little. "Well then, I fully blame it on your mother." He meowed, mock exasperation on his features. Then a thought occurred to him. He knew about the first part of her name, but why the second. "Why 'shade' for the other part of your name?" The tom meowed, cocking his head slightly. "My mentor suggested my name be Wolfglare because I was always 'glaring at him with those icy blue eyes.'" The tom let out a small snort. "As you can tell, I didn't have the nicest mentor."

Her surprise at his goal hurt Wolfglare a little. Even though he knew she meant no harm, he still had thought that she would be on board with it. The tom shook his head a little. "It's not as bad as you think. I was thinking of using one of my siblings. I mean, they wouldn't think it would be weird, and I already know most of them. It wouldn't just be a complete stranger." Wolfglare meowed, flicking his tail a bit. guess I should've explained that earlier.. As Chrysanthemumshade slunk behind him, the warrior shifted forwards a bit, to avoid her fur brushing his. The tom hated any physical contact, he hated being close to others. Physically and emotionally. It was pretty funny that he wanted to get to know a cat, but he never wanted anyone to know him. "That is why I would be doing this with a cat that already trusted me." He meowed at her next statement. Wolfglare would never just get to know a random cat without a reason. The only time he ever done that was right now. It had all started when Chrysanthemumshade had asked him if he was okay. And now Wolfglare was telling her his goal in life. Woah, wait... Really? Tge more Wolfglare thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. He was actually talking to cat that had just walked up to him and started talking. No reason, no explanation, just a simple conversation. The make didn't do "just simple conversations." His time was going to be wasted! But, she intrigued him. Wolfglare didn't know why, or more importantly, how, but this she-cat seemed to have caught his attention. Maybe it's her I'm supposed to be performing my goal with.... It sounded crazy to Wolfglare. He barely knew her! But maybe that's why they had such a "unique" meeting. So Wolfglare would know that it should be her. But I've already told her my goal... Maybe that's why it should be her? Because she'll know what I'm doing?" The idea still sounded crazy to Wolfglare. But maybe crazy was what he needed right now.

Wolfglare flicked his ears slightly at the sun shining through the den as it was setting. His pelt was still hot, but he knew how to deal with it. Soon it would be nighttime, and Wolfglare could go out and enjoy the only cool part of the day in summer. "Yes. My goal is abnormal. But that's what makes it so interesting." He meowed, casting Chrysanthemumshade a sideways glance. "Not satisfaction. Knowledge." This time Wolfglare genuinely smiled, but her head was turned, so she didn't see it. Wolfglare wondered why she kept turning away. Am I scaring her or something? Eh, he shouldn't worry about that. "Well, of course I wouldn't be a stalker. The cat would know of my plan, and I'd be outright about knowing them." He said this like it was common knowledge that the other warrior should know. I'm sure your not boring cat. Woah wait, did I really just think that?! Wolfglare's eyes widened in surprise. Maybe it was just the way she seemed to be able to understand what he said, unlike most cats, but Wolfglare felt like she'd be an excellent cat to get to know. "Oh don't worry. You might already know them.." He meowed, a small smirk flashing across his face. He was becoming more and more on board with his idea of using her as "the cat he was going to experiment on." She seemed interesting enough.

He looked down at her again, taking notice that she seemed to be staring at his pelt. Wolfglare found this a bit odd, but let his gaze quickly scan over her own pelt. He had to admit that hers looked soft, the gray fur looking a little silver in the darkening den. Her fur wasn't nearly as long as his, that was for sure, but it looked like it kept her cool in the warm green-leaf moons like these. He wondered if she got cold in the leaf-bare months though. At her words, surprise and a little bit of horror entered his gaze. "Share my pelt with all those cats? No way! I don't like other getting close to me." He meant it in the physically way, even though emotionally it was true to. I wonder if she wants to share my pelt... Is that why she asked? The thought scared Wolfglare slightly, but intrigued him at the same time. He wanted to know what she actually had thought when she said those words. His ears flicked as he caught her small Irish accent poking out. Wolfglare thought accents were interesting. He himself had a little bit of a British accent, but you couldn't tell beneath his deep, gruff voice. He did well hiding it.

Wolfglare stared at a streak of sunlight laying across the ground, watching the little bits of dust dance in the air. He slowly looked up, to find Chrysathemumshade now in front of him, looking out to the sun, which was still lowering itself in the sky. The warrior shifted a little bit, flicking his fluffy tail through the air before settling it back down behind him. He wanted to ask what she was about to say, but he felt like he shouldn't. Besides, if she didn't want to say it, then you don't ask about it. Right?

At her next words, Wolfglare's thoughts immediately went to his parents. The two as been avid EE supprters, but you wouldn't know that if you just looked at them. You never know a cat's true intentions. Taht, Wolfglare knew, was true. "Yeah you never know what another cat's true intentions may be. So I guess I could understand why Halestar's a bit paranoid." That was just being nice. Wolfglare knew that Halestar was really paranoid.
"I'm sure you have some fears, don't you Wolfglare?" Wolfglare's eyes widened, and a memory flashed across his mind. Yowlling of cats suffering, and throwing themselves into battle. Screeches of pain and triumph. Blood, pain, everything. Two black paws, covered in blood, a helpless apprentice on the ground, dying. The malicious golden and blue eyes of two different cats, staring at him with pride. Wolfglare stumbled backwards a bit, his eyes wide and his heart beating fast. The tom quickly composed himself, shaking his head. "I have fears. But you're right, I hide them under all my poofiness." He meowed, a guarded look overcoming his features once more. He had never wanted to experience that again, but the memory was there, vivid once again in his mind. Wolfglare looked at Chrysanthemumshade. She was the one who had sparked the bringing of that memory, of his crazy idea. What was she doing to him?

"Well, cats are cruel. They judge one another, even though there is no point to it. They just need something to do because they have nothing to do with their boring lives. They make no effort to set goals in their lives, so they have to find something else fun." Her final words really hit Wolfglare. He realized he was right. A cat would never let them get to know them, unless he let them get to know him. "Well, the thing with that is..." He laughed a little, flicking his ears uncomfortably. "I'm afraid o getting close to others. I might get hurt."

[Ever]

Originally Posted by Empress Of Evil

Dazzlinggaze had no problems with sleep. Nothing much really came to haunt her at her times of rest, except for the occasional nightmares. The replays of her loved ones death. She didn’t try to avoid sleep, if she did she would wake up every day feeling cranky and zombie like. The she-cat had instead been dealing with things such as her paranoia. She didn’t trust her apprentice one bit and with every glance she took at Tawnypaw, suspicion danced in her emerald gaze. Nowadays, Dazzlinggaze hardly trusted anyone, whether they were her clan mates or not, she just didn’t trust this particular cat more than the rest. Tawnypaw was the image of her mother and the tabby could clearly see it. She didn’t like being so close to a cat of close relation to ShadowClan’s former leader, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She was supposed to train this cat and that’s what she was going to do. Even if she didn’t like her, even if she was almost certain she was somehow planning a comeback with her mother, she wasn’t going to stop her from having a good education. No matter what anyone might have done in the past, every deserved to have equal rights. In this case, Tawnypaw should still be trained to become the best warrior she could become.

As much as she hated to admit it, training the daughter of a powerful cat meant that she probably had more potential than the average apprentice. Dazzlinggaze couldn’t let that just go to waste. She had to use what she had and turn this young cat into something great. A cat that was better than her mother. It was going to be hard, but at least it would be challenging. Remembering that her apprentice was still standing in front of her, she quickly turned her cold gaze towards the young cat. In her eyes, the usual blankness was replaced with coldness and suspicion. Her guard was higher up than usual and she didn’t let herself reveal anything. There were some cats in the clan that were very observant and calculating. They were the ones that were never noticed by their clan mates, but they knew everything about everyone else. They were the cats that Dazzlinggaze took extra caution with around them.
Well there she went again, drifting off into her thoughts again. Giving her head a small shake, she pushed them all to the back of her mind and refocused on Tawnypaw, who was now in a hunting crouch. It was average, but it was debatable that she was only a mere apprentice. And a new one with that. The warrior quickly noted that her rump was up too high and her limbs weren’t relaxed but focused in the way that they should be. However, she had at least managed to keep her legs, belly and tail in the correct places. But there were still quite a few things that she would have to work on. Her vibrant gaze scanned over the apprentice before giving a small dip of her head as a sign that she could relax and sit down. The warrior quickly ran her words through her head once more before deciding they wouldn’t be too hurtful in any sort of way. After all, for all she knew, Tawnypaw could be the most sensitive cat in the clan. She was quite doubtful of it, but there was that small voice as the back of her mind that agreed.

"It was….average,” Dazzlinggaze began, her voice louder and clearer than before. "You need to lower your rump and relax your legs. If they’re too stiff then you’re going to get nowhere if you try to leap,” the she-cat continued. Her voice wasn’t friendly, but it wasn’t mean. It was just blank with suspicion twisting through it. "However, your legs, belly and tail were positioned correctly so well done for that,” Dazzlinggaze said. She was giving Tawnypaw praise, although her voice hadn’t exactly had approval written all over it. It had just been as blank as the statement before. "Try it again, but this time, relax your limbs a bit more while still keeping your muscles concentrated,” Dazzlinggaze advised. She got into a hunting crouch, one where her tail was straight, her belly was low but not too low, her limbs were relaxed but not too relaxed, and her eyes and ears were focused. "Copy me.”

Tawnypaw could feel heat bubbling in her chest as she watched her mentor pick apart her hunter's crouch. She'd been practicing hard for this moment and here she was getting called average on the first day. She'd expected better from that and the disappointment from her mentor's words made frustration surge within her. However, she didn't let that show on any features except her eyes. They were slit as she watched her mentor perform the task. Tawnypaw couldn't be mad that her mentor could do it perfectly, but she wanted to be mad about it. She took a deep breath and quickly licked a shoulder to ensure her thick tabby pelt was still laying flat and relaxed. She wouldn't let her mentor's suspicion win over her irritable side so quickly.

Instead the apprentice took a deep breath and mimicked the mentor's position. She lowered herself the way she had before, but this time she made the small corrections that were needed. The adjustments made new muscles burn in different places but she didn't mind, it was a good distraction. Her tail twitched as she maintained her balance, remaining low and staring at her mentor deadpanned for some sort of approval.