Your first steps into a larger world|(private training)

[Spruceclaw]

Flurrypaw

The morning sun had just began to shine its rays on the rockclan camp when Spruceclaws brown head poked out from the warriors den. today would begin his new apprentice ,flurrypaw's, journey to become a warrior. spruceclaw went to the fresh-kill pile to retrieve his morning meal. he ate slowly as to give his young apprentice as much time to sleep as possible. after finishing up he padded softly over to the apprentices den and poked his head in. "Flurrypaw wake up. time to train. get something to eat and meet me by the camp entrance." He mewed before disappearing through the deen entrance.

(Sorry for my late post. Spent a long weekend working with some other YouTubers and stuff.)

[Flurrypaw]

My golden eye is hazier than usual in the early morning light. The shadows crawl and waver, Skitting in an invisible breeze, and I frown at them in slight irritation. According to my mentor's words yesterday, it's my first day of training today, and I don't want my eye to slow me down. With a slight yawn, I sigh and lower my head again. I know I said I'd be up with the sun, and I'd meant it. But maybe my eye just needs a bit more rest? I allow myself to drift off again into a sleepless slumber. Light as a feather.

It's his voice that wakes me up, and the sun greets my eyes. I cringe slightly and blink my golden orb until it settles in its complaint and greets her back. It seems a little less troubled now, and I trill a purr of relief at that. "Coming!" I call back, a joyful lilt accenting my tone like a sweet scent to honey. I stretch my maw in a wide yawn, and unfurl my tiny body, stretching each limb in turn. I smile at my sleepy den mates, at least those who remain, and bound out the entrance. I've only had fresh kill once or twice, but I know well where the pile is, and bound over to it, halting at its base. Waving my tail in anticipation, I select a mouse. It doesn't take me long to eat, and voices in my head remind me to chew slowly and swallow or I might just choke. That doesn't sound very fun. I swipe my tongue over my jaws one last time before trotting to the tabby tom's side. "Good morning! What we doing today?" I still carry that characteristic kitten excitement, and bounce from paw to paw like I've always done, unable to contain my excitement. Too antsy for patience, I Spring past him and head for the exit, tail waving behind me.

[Spruceclaw]

Spruceclaw waits patiently by the entrance as she eats her meal. as she approaches him he could see the excitement clear in her actions and body language. he sighed remembering what it was like to be a young apprentice on your first day. "Today well be taking you on a tour of the territory." He mewed almost with no point as she had already disregarded him and was moving on. he rolled his eyes she was impatient,maybe a little arrogant, and just a bit disrespectful. She would need to mature a bit if she had any hopes of becoming a warrior. but it wouldn't be the first time he'd worked with an apprentice with a similar attitude. Spruceclaw bounded after her easily closing the distance. "First we'll head over to the iceclan border." he mewed swerving to the left and gesturing with his tail for her to follow. when they arrived at the border he sat, waiting for her to catch up to him before he began speaking "this is the iceclan border." he mewed looking over at her before continuing "hear that sound? That's the rumbling of a mighty waterfall between our territories. a river splits us from them." he mewed "although their borders haven't been very active recently." he said as he peered across the border into iceclan territory as if hoping to catch a glance of one of them. he then shook his head his furr rippling over his firm muscles. he then looked down at her expectantly "any questions?" Spruceclaw asked turning to her.

[Flurrypaw]

(*hugs Spruce* he's so sweet! I personally would have grabbed her by the tail and cuffed her over the ears, then given her three days of strainght chores for good measure. Lol. Feel free to PM this account or Fallen if you want me to bring back Aster. Would need a plot though so she in't just like, "sup..." Then fading off again. Hence why she fell away to begin with. That and I was busy.)

I caught that eye roll. Sort of. It's a little difficult to see it with one eye, but oh well. I'm sort of surprised he doesn't scold me. Instead he just veers left and gestures me to follow, saying something about territories and Iceclan. I grin and bound after him. It's a little further than I anticipated, and he certainly keeps a good pace. My little legs are stumbling as I try to keep up with him, and I trip up a couple of times on loose stones and sticks. It doesn't help that I've got one hazy eye and a blind one. And the fact that I'm trying to take everything in at the same time doesn't help. By the time we reach the border, I'm a little puffed and a bit behind. I race to catch up, and skid to a halt on the pebbly shore, peering over the invisible line.

I stumble backwards as a wave of scent hits me. Unfamiliar, and without the warmth of family that ours holds to me. Without that familiar sense of home and belonging. And then, after that initial response, I realise that it's faint. Weak even. I walk forward on tentative paws, and sniff at the bank. I pace up along the river a little ways, still sniffing, then trace my way back to him. Then I peer out at the landscape with a shiver. "I don't think anyone lives here..." I frown, because I'm not sure. Our scent line is so strong, but theirs, it's like it's drowned in the river beside it. Multiple times. And is now lying wheezing on the far bank like a dying thing. At his question about my own questions, I give a little nod. "Why is there so much snow? I mean, I know that they are supposed to have snow, but it looks like there's too much of it. I can't see anywhere a cat could possibly live." I peer at him curiously, wondering if he can sate my fretting about this unknown clan. "It's like all the snow has fallen on top of them...Why do we never check that they're alright up there? Why are we not all friends like the stories?" I frown. Because, amidst the tales of woe and fear and fighting, and heroic felines, there have been stories of the four great clans as one. United and strong, and caring for each other well. Maybe that was just that. A story...

[Spruceclaw]

(Id love to have aster back. i just don't know of a plot we could do. i think paleheart and dewmask be having relationship problems that might work. idk though)

Spruceclaw frowned as she spoke the same thing he had been thinking. he sniffed the air ever more thoroughly trying to detect even the faintest scent. he continued to think until her words penetrated his thoughts. "Hmm? Oh... yeah its a lot of snow but not as much as there will be in winter. believe me there held up in some hole up there." he mewed continuing to scan the countyside. Spruceclaw smiled at her. if only the world were so simple. "Politics mostly everyone wanted to be there own leader so they split." He mewed "one thing we all have to accept is that life isn't a story. if it was there wouldn't be so much hatred and bloodshed. if it were there wouldn't be borders and rules keeping two cats that love each other so far apart." He mewed his voice was monotonous as he spoke the last part. he shook himself and nodded before looking down to her and smiling. "I don't think they'd appreciate us coming to check on them." Spruceclaw mewed. "Okay, ready to move on?" He asked curiously.

[Flurrypaw]

(Gah! Is that a hint at him and Aster I spy? *peers into eyes* I can tell if you're lying...)

I can't seem to pull my gaze away. I feel like there's way too much snow there, and it's a little unsettling. This is probably the longest attention span I've ever had. I pay no mind to that and instead tilt my head, one ear twitching in my mentor's direction. I may not be watching, but I'm definately listening to him. He goes on about how life isn't a story, and all the bloodshed and terrible things I've heard in the stories about our own time. I shiver, because I don't really want to encounter bloodshed. He goes on a little more, his voice droning a little in my mind. And then he mentions two cats in love, and my gaze flicks to him. It's so monotone that I almost miss it. I don't. I tilt my head as I peer into his gaze, trying to decipher the meaning behind those words. "Who is this cat?" I want to ask. I don't. Instead, I nod at his question, and get to my paws. "Where to next?" I ask in an excited tone, all former worries forgotten at the prospect of adventuring further through our known world. 'Some day I'll find an Iceclan cat...'

[Spruceclaw]

(Lol.No...perhaps... duh)

spruceclaw nodded and turned toward the next border they would visit. he slowed his pace a little as he noticed that she had a little trouble keeping up last time. he easily weaved his way through the boulders and rocky terrain that dominated rockclans territory. he stopped to check over his shoulder every once in a while, watching her like a hawk. this was the hardest part of their journey as hr had led them through the heart of the territory to see how she would cope with it. he finally stopped at a rocky outlook and turned to wait for her. when she reached him he turned to look out over the vast plains. "This is fireclan." he mewed gazing down over the fields. "These cats are Quick and nimble." he mewed. unlike the icelcan border the scent of both clans was strong here and his nose flared at fireclan stench. "They use their speed and agility to hunt the quicker plains creatures such as rabbit." he mewed. then he looked over at her expectantly "any questions?"

[Flurrypaw]

(*peers deeper into eyes, then slinks away and huffs* fine, I believe you.)

I twitch my ears forward, and hop to my paws, following him deeper into our territory. I don't really understand why we don't just go along the borders. Maybe he wants to show me more of our home? Either way, he moves a little slower this time, which I'm glad for, and I lope after him a little awkwardly seeing as this terrain is a little more awkward. At one point my golden eye fails me, and my blind blue orb isn't much help, so I stumble. I end up tripping over a rock and crashing my shoulder into a larger one. "Ouch!" I hiss under my breath, right ending myself and shaking my head to clear it. Then I bound after him to catch up, not bothering to mention my now achy paw. I slow to a stop a little awkwardly when we reach the border, and peer out into the neighbouring territory. I instantly recoil because their scent is a lot stronger. Like grass and heather, and it sort of smells bitter. I cringe, and he seems to have the same reaction. "Fireclan smells funny." I announce, screwing my face a little. Then I peer up at him. "Do you know any Fireclan cats? Are they nice? Do they all smell this bad? Are they actually on fire, or is that just their name? Because Iceclan is all ice, but I don't see any fire."

[Spruceclaw]

Spruceclaw nods in agreement as she to points out the stench. he is about to say something when he is barraged with questions. he inwardly flinches and slinks away as his eyes widen at her sudden burst. "Umm... me personally? No I've never met one. they seem to often have quite a bone to pick with us." He mewed knowing that his very own mentor had been involved in some disputes between the two clans. "Maybe you should ask my mate. she seems to know a thing or two about fireclan toms." He mewed under his breath. then he frowned and looked at her with a smile "dont actually ask her about it, or tell her i said that. ok?" He asked giving her a smile. "I'm sure plenty of them are nice just not all the time. and they're not near as good looking as us rockclanners." He mewed striking an exaggerated humorous pose. "Ready to move on?" He asked.

[Flurrypaw]

I nod, offering him a curious look as he slinks back. Maybe I should have held my tongue and asked one at a time? Oh well. I perk up, ready for his answer, but am slightly disappointed by what I get. I was sort of hoping he could tell me what they're like. "Well. That's not very nice of them, is it? What'd we ever do to them?" Clearly the question is rhetorical, and I give a little 'humph' at the end of the sentence. Then I realise fussing isn't that interesting, so I peer at him with head on one side as he mentions his mate. Then quickly clears himself up and says not to mention it. I giggle. "Okay, silly." I aim a lousy little bat toward his ears, a grin sparking up to my shimmering eyes. "I'd love to meet her though. Your daughter, Silentpaw, is real nice." I tell him sincerely, a smile on my face. I giggle again at his comment, and exaggerate my own response with an eye roll. "Don't kid yourself." I tease, but I make sure to say it jokingly, and am soon bouncing and ready to go. "Yup! Where we going now?"

[Spruceclaw]

(Oh she done went and kinda, jokingly, sarcastically messed with spruces ego)

"oh cool you've met silentpaw?" he mewed with a grin befor continuing "I don't really know what we did to them. i wasn't around at the time." he mewed as he wondered about that too. he laughed a little. but before he said anything she jokingly took a stab at his ego. he gave an exaggerated shocked gasp and acted hurt emotionally but was obviously joking. "What do you mean?who couldn't love this?" he asked gesturing to himself. he then turned and took the familiar path to treeclan. this time goin along the border to allow for quicker passage. He sighed as they arrived and cast a longing glance across the border. "This is treclan. They get their name not only for the dense forests that dominate their territory but their ability to do this." he mewed running over to a tree on his side of the border and scampering up. he needed to show off after the jab at his pride earlier. he jumped from one limb to another before gazing down to her and smiling.

[Flurrypaw]

I nod happily. I quite like his daughter, she's very nice, and doesn't quite suite her name like my brother does, but oh well. I glance over the border again, still curious, but accepting the fact that he too, is too young to know. I frown, narrowing my eyes and taking in their scent. Then I turn my head back to him with a smile. Only to start laughing at his over exaggerated act of being hurt. It's actually quite hilairious. At his next comment to try and regathering his pride, I tilt my head and narrow my eyes, as if squinting to try and see what he's talking about. Then I close my good eye and it's like turning off the lights on a moonless night. I suppose there's a bit of sunlight leaking through the eyelid of my golden orb, but my blue eye is blank. "It would help if one could see what you're talking about," I shoot back with a grin and a giggle before opening my good eye so I can see again. Chuckling, I shake my head slightly, and twitch my ears in the direction he's looking.

Getting to my paws, I flick my tail and follow him as we cut along the border. He seems in a hurry to get there, and I bound after him. If he likes this clan, then maybe they aren't so bad after all. We pull to a stop, me panting slightly. But I certainly don't miss the longing glance he tosses over the border. I slot that in my mind for reference, then look up at him. "Do they really eat kits? My brother says they do." I twitch my ears slightly because, though I am sort of joking, if it's true, I'm still certainly small enough being a new apprentice. Then he tells me more about them and, in sole effort to boost his ego I assume, bounds up a tree almost effortlessly. At least from my perspective, I've never seen a treeclanner. I prick my ears, and gape slightly at him before adding up the things I've gathered. "So, talking about separating two cats in love with a border, and that longing glance over the border. And now knowing how to climb trees despite the fact that Rockclan doesn't teach that because the only climb able trees are here." I murmur this under my breath, more to myself than anyone. I'm certainly glad he's too high up to hear me. I giggle and, albeit very awkwardly, I scramble up onto the first branch and gaze up at him with a mischievous smile. "Did your Treeclan girlfriend teach you that?" One can tell I'm teasing, but there's always a chance I'm right.

(Edit: Umm...*pokes Spruceclaw* buddy, ya died on me )

[Spruceclaw]

(Wow flurry managed that tree really well. youre not aster you're flurry a rockclanner . yeah sorry with school,youtube, and gaming tournaments i been busy.)
Spruceclaw let out an amused purr. "No they don't eat cats." He mewed. "As long as yoh stay on your side. "Besides its the fireclanners that eat cats." he mewed. Spruceclaw looked down at her throwing a fake confused look on his face "what treeclan girlfriend?" he asked his false confusion still on his face.

[Flurrypaw]

(Nah darling, did yah miss the 'albeit awkwardly' part? lol)

My eyes widen at that comment. Is he sure? I shrug, then remember I'm perched on the lowest branch of a tree, so I grip on with my claws and watch how he holds himself. Being a visual learner, or as much so as one can be with one mostly working eye, I find it easy to judge exactly how he holds himself in the tree, then mimic it with a few minor adjustments. "Look at me! I'm a squirrel!" I'm tempted to go up on my hing legs and pretend to eat a nut, but I don't because that would be very dangerous. Despite my outburst, I'm still very wobbly on my legs, and not used to being so high up. Glad I'm not far from the ground, nor the rock nearby that's practically right underneath, I jump down to the ground and peer up at him with a giggle. "The one you're separated from, of course. I may be silly but I'm not stupid" I offer him a roll of my eyes, before flitting back to the task at hand -or paw- with a bounce in my springy stride. "Where to next? Oh, let me guess...kittypet border? Or...that Boneclan or whatever it's called?" My ears flicker forward with curiosity for what I might see.

[Spruceclaw]

(That moment when you thought you already replied and waiting for the other person to reply and then you see you never replied anyways. yeah i saw your post in thd thread with acacia but was too lazy to edit my ooc comment so, sorry about that.)

"Careful now. wouldn't want to fall and break a bone. that would set back training a bit." he called down as he hopped higher in the tree. he saw her uncertainty almost as if she wanted to do something but was a little scared to so she just kind of stood there awkwardly. He let a small grin reach the corners of his mouth as he noticed her little awkward moment. he then faked another confused look. "I'm not sure i know what you're talking about." he mewed. he wished he could just be open about it to any and everyone but that sort of thing was frowned upon while they were in separate clans. he then leaped down behind her eager to move on from the private subject. "One last stop to make." He mewed before leading the way towards desthclan. "Unless you have questions?" He mewed before glancing over his shoulder at her and raising an eyebrow.