ShadowClan Territory

[RAT KING]

Crocusblaze watched Blackadder with wide amber eyes, interested in what she was doing. He was mildly amused by how long it took the she-cat to process what he had said, and a small purr rumbled from his throat. "Yes, they do bring me joy," he told her warmly. "Coming back to check on their progress every day makes me happy. They're growing, and the seasons are shifting! You should try and be happy too, if ya can manage it," he teased her lightly, clearly meaning no harm by it.

"No, maybe they don't benefit me directly. But look at the little shoots coming out of the ground, or the flower buds that haven't opened yet. They just have so much potential," he said in a warm, breathy tone. "Sometimes...I come out here and peek around the tree branches just to see if any birds have nested," he admitted. "I like to watch the chicks sometimes too, bring them little bugs I find when I flip over rocks. They're full of potential too, and they'll be grown so soon, and whether they end up feeding the Clan or migrating away to start their own families- it doesn't matter, they're all important," he explained. Perhaps he was rambling.
@S-oft

[BEAR.]

Foxpudge wasn't immediately fond of the idea of being helped, hell.. he wasn't sure how they could help him, but he didn't complain. "Foxpudge." A name that was once fitting, now left a sour taste in his mouth at the memory of the last dozen moons.
Starvation, sickness, pain. What weight he once had was now reduced to near bones, though a part of that was because the taste of most food wasn't appetizing to him. He only had one craving...

"Beats me." He shrugged weakly at the other warrior, wincing. He supposed he could lean on Fallenheart, but he didn't want to slow anyone down.. so gritting his teeth he did his best to quicken his pace to match the others. "Don't worry about it, I can do this."

[ @Casper, @bmkmb, @Blissie Bliss, @Mentallyunstable, @DarkNight ]

[Sweetie]

Stormlily padded with a little bounce in her paw steps and hummed as they went deeper into the territory. "Okay, so first off I want you to tune your ears to the forest around us and try to tune in on one of those sounds. Hearing, taste, touch, smell, and sight all five things were very essential to hunt. Looking down on Nightpaw the warrior gave a grin as she was eager to work with her.

@Estelle

[teddy.]

The she cat couldnt help as her lips pulled back into a sneer of confusion. She was might to be cunning! Sly, smooth... not confused and ever so slightly intimidating from this hippie flower-power weirdo. "Joy can be seen as a weakness, you get happy and you... let your guard done? It's not great." She murmured, her mind buzzing with questions.

She chewed her lips, her cheeks slightly heated under the black fur. "Well, as an apprentices, I loved watching the tadpoles grow and wiggle, they their little legs would appear and then their tail would disappear! Utterly fascinating... I wouldn't say joyful but I must admit, I was addicted to watch them." She admitted rather reluctantly but her childhood secrect being revealed was somewhat relaxing slightly.

@Salt

[RAT KING]

Crocusblaze breathed in the air, pleasantly relaxed even with the odd company who had chosen to join him. "See, you understand! Everything is always changing--the tadpoles, the weather, time- it's a wonderful thing to watch," he purred. The cat could see Blackadder was both confused and beginning to relax, and they were close enough to each other for him to feel the warmth coming off her pelt.

"I know you must think that I'm nuts," he chuckled kindly. "But being happy, and letting your guard down- it's wonderful! It feels safe to be with somebody else like that." His amber eyes gleamed with earnestness, and his tone was soaked in it. He hummed to himself happily in thought as he relaxed in the warm spring sun. "I don't sound much like a ShadowClanner, do I? Hah."

The grey and white tabby cat sat and thought for a moment, purring softly in general contentment. He couldn't help but have his mind drift back to those poor WindClan cats.Hmmm...he remembered a thought that had passed by his mind earlier. "Blackadder, I have an idea I might need your help with. I'd like to bring those cats up in the Waterbarn something, mind coming with me?"
@S-oft

[Estelle]

Nightpaw stayed rather silent as they were walking, repeating in her mind again and again the question she wanted to ask her mentor. Eventually she glanced over to Stormlily and started to speak quietly "S-stormlily...yo-you know the si-situation with the wind-windclanners.." she started nervously "w-well...I would rea-really like to he-help with something- anything, s-so Beastspark said th-that if yo-you'd allow it, he-he'd take me to the wa-waterbarn to s-see if there's an-anything I ca-can do, b-but only if you al-allow it" she finally finished, her stutter bothering her quite a bit as she spoke "p-please? I th-think it cou-could be a g-good experience" the young apprentice added shyly behind her already quiet words, hoping her mentor would allow it. (Didn't really know where to place this- sorry)

Once arrived Nightpaw looked around, taking in the sight of the forest. She remembered seeing it one time before- but that was already a few moons ago. The young apprentice nearly started to get lost in her own thoughts when her mentor's voice brought her back to reality
"al-alright" she gave a nod, trying to seem as determined as she could, and turned to face the forest.
There were so many interesting things around her to look at- things her eyes absolutely wanted to see- making it hard to consentrate on tunning her ears to the forest. She decided to close her eyes, trying to concentrate on the forest sounds the best she could; the young apprentice heared the wind blowing threw the trees, some of them making a cracking sound, and some faint other sounds here and there.
@Shimm

[RAT KING]

(Going with they/them for this RP)

Crocusblaze trotted out into the territory, humming softly to themself as they went. "A nice day isn't it, dear?" They called to the apprentice they knew would be trailing them. For a first apprentice given to a warrior under two years old, Elfinpaw was certainly a challenge. But, they were not worried! A cat regardless of their origins or setbacks could become a warrior, fit to serve ShadowClan to the best of their ability. They eyed the younger she-cat warmly with their deep amber eyes.

Finding a place where they knew from past hunting trips that mice liked to nest, first they sat down to talk to their new apprentice. "Now Elfinpaw, before we get into what I'd like to do with you today...I want to talk," they said softly, their voice lowered to match their serious agenda. "I know this will be an adjustment period for both of us. I'm young, and I've never had an apprentice before. Things might be difficult for a bit as we both find our footing, so to speak. But I don't want you to see me as just some big ol cat you've got to stick with just to earn your full name. Before I'm your teacher I want you to know I'll be your friend at any time you might need me to be," they told her coolly.

"And I don't want to dance around it like training you won't be difficult- or that'll be the same as training any other 'paw around here. But I want you to feel comfortable talking to me, and as much as I'll be teaching you, I want you to teach me too. So we can both do this together, sound good?" They said gently, but the conviction in their meow was clear.

@Moonraven

[Moonraven]

Her paw pads extra sensitive today to the point that she could feel the slightest indent in the ground from paws far larger than her own. Her ears danced around, swerving every which as she picked up all different types of sounds. There was something in the trees over there! Something hit the forest floor over there! Oh! What a nice scent where was it -- oompah! The tiny feline backed up when her face collided with something fuzzy and soft, thank goodness it wasn't another tree. She felt so bad when she ran into trees, they were just minding their own busy being stuck in the ground and some random cat runs into them. It couldn't be a pleasant experience for the poor trees.
"Terribly sorry, I apologize." Her voice had a unique airy and distance tone not exactly like a bird tweeting, but it wasn't a sound most would expect came from a maw of a cat, whether it be bad or good was for another to decided. After giving her nose a soft rub she plopped her rear end onto the ground. Considering she just ran into her new mentor she assumed that they weren't moving anymore so that meant she should sit down. She makes sure her ears are pointed in the direction of their voice so the warrior knows that she's paying attention even though her face may be in the wrong direction.
"I know that you are my friend," She begun tweeting with such a familiarity it would be difficult to tell that this was the first time she had a proper conversation with Crocusblaze. "All cats are my friends unless they're mean. I suppose they still might be my friend but I wouldn't be happy that they're mean." She continued to twitter and tweet as she often did. Elfinpaw would shut her maw if asked but saw no reason to since they were talking to each other.
"So you will teach me and I'll teach you? I would think I would like that very much. Although I'm not sure what it is I need to teach you?" She purred softly, not fully understanding what Crocusblaze was talking about 'comfortable' she felt perfectly fine with the cat. "When you stop would you mind letting me know, my daddy uses his tail but anything will do, I just need a light tap. You see today I have a terrible case of flitterbugs infesting my head so I'm having trouble paying attention." Elfinpaw blamed her inability to pay attention to imaginary bugs. "You won't have to do it all the time just sometimes. I haven't been outside the camp in a little so the flitterbugs are swarming." The petite tortie gave a dreamy smile while blinking her sightless eyes.
@Salt

[RAT KING]

"Okay, I understand little one, I'll make sure I give you a little heads-up when I stop next time," they promised her after listening intently to her response. Their gaze was always as gentle as it was now, though they were beginning to grow fond of this young cat. They could tell they were a dreamy type, easily distracted, though they did not fault her for it. "And if you ever need me to repeat anything just let me know, I'm aware I talk oddly in comparison to cats around here." It was no fault of their own, but words did not seem to fit into their mouth the same way they did for other cats- not that they were aware of exactly what had happened to them but Crocusblaze had been shipped from a breeder in Japan, and had lived their early life comfortably as a kittypet. They had to say they were much happier in ShadowClan, though they weren't entirely a fan of so many binding rules. Regardless, they'd do their best to make sure Elfinpaw ended up trained up right and they wouldn't let their personal opinions cloud any training sessions if they could help themselves.

The long-furred grey and white tabby cat loomed over the apprentice, however unintentional it may be. They were a large cat, half Maine Coon half Japanese Bobtail- though they hadn't inherited the short tailed trait from their mother- they had to be over twenty pounds. Physically it was all well trained ShadowClan warrior muscle, but the warmth and compassion they gave off sure fit a cat of such stature.

"Now!" They said loudly to make sure the little she-cat was paying attention in case she had begun to drift off mentally because of her 'flitterbugs'. "I did bring you out this way for a reason. I know you've smelled prey from the freshkill pile. The first step in learning to hunt is identifying your target in your surroundings. Now I know you can't see," that part was blazingly obvious when looking at the cat. "Listen to what's going on around you, listen for the little scuttling of paws under roots or in fallen leaves, and most importantly where it's coming from. Scents can be tricky dearie- on the wind it can lead you to prey, but when the sky is still it can linger. Smell from a squirrel on a branch can make it's way to the ground, but by the time you're looking around the little bugger is long gone," they explained.

"So, with that...Elfinpaw, tell me what you can find, and how you know it's there."

@Moonraven

[teddy.]

Originally Posted by Salt

Crocusblaze breathed in the air, pleasantly relaxed even with the odd company who had chosen to join him. "See, you understand! Everything is always changing--the tadpoles, the weather, time- it's a wonderful thing to watch," he purred. The cat could see Blackadder was both confused and beginning to relax, and they were close enough to each other for him to feel the warmth coming off her pelt.

"I know you must think that I'm nuts," he chuckled kindly. "But being happy, and letting your guard down- it's wonderful! It feels safe to be with somebody else like that." His amber eyes gleamed with earnestness, and his tone was soaked in it. He hummed to himself happily in thought as he relaxed in the warm spring sun. "I don't sound much like a ShadowClanner, do I? Hah."

The grey and white tabby cat sat and thought for a moment, purring softly in general contentment. He couldn't help but have his mind drift back to those poor WindClan cats.Hmmm...he remembered a thought that had passed by his mind earlier. "Blackadder, I have an idea I might need your help with. I'd like to bring those cats up in the Waterbarn something, mind coming with me?"
@S-oft

"You're as crazy as a Windclan cat but I must admit it makes... sense for you to keep an eye on these small things, to make sure life is returning," She murmured, baffled by the way Crocusblaze moved and spoke. She watched with wide eyes, captivated by him.

Her ears twitched with curiosity. What could they possibly bring them they dont already have? "What do you mean? What are we bringing them? You know Icestar wouldnt exactly approve of us mingling with them or such," She murmured but stood, giving a quick nod. "But I'll come to make sure your ditzy head doesnt get stuck in a hole or something."