Roadtrip [p]

[Dogfang]

Dog didn't bother being gentle when he jabbed Fawnpaw in the side, three mornings after her apprentice ceremony. He'd purposefully waited, mainly because he'd been avoiding training. All of the apprentices he'd had in the past had disappeared, save for one. He didn't want to deal with another disappearing act. To be truthful, it was disheartening. Not that he cared at all. Really. Get up. We're leaving." He ordered of the she-cat before exiting the den, his broad shoulders snagging against the doorway. The tall tom stopped at the food pile and grabbed himself a pigeon, beginning to tear it apart with quick precision. He'd woken up Fawnpaw well before dawn, - the sky was still dark - and they'd be out for hours hopefully, so he wanted his strength. Beside him sat a pile of herbs that he'd asked Liongrowl for. It was a combination of comfrey and burdock root apparently. He recognized the plants from his time alone, but had no clue what they were used for. Didn't really matter anyway, he didn't need them for their medicinal properties. The two herbs mixed together let off a sharp, somewhat unpleasant smell that make his nose curl as he waited impatiently for Fawnpaw. ? words written for Fawnpaw while listening to Critical Role Notes? We're heading outside Treeclan!

[Fawnpaw]

(Oh, they're gonna get along great! *cringes inwardly* they're gonna hate each other, lol)

It would seem that Fawn was the only new apprentice not buzzing with excited anergy at the prospect of their impending training. In fact, she wasn't looking forward to training at all. Yet she'd do as she's told, if purely for the satisfaction of becoming a warrior. Still here in the nursery she felt a major irritation that compared to their six moons, she looks like she's only half that and really ought to be in the nursery. Of course, she was only smaller in size, clearly not younger or possessing a smaller spirit. If anything, her will could do with a great deal of taming.

A sharp jab in the ribs awoke her upon the third morning - or night depending how you look at it - of being an apprentice and she responds with a sharp and threatening hiss. Recognising the scent and harsh voice of her new mentor, it's all she can do not to try and bite the brutish tom's paw of them and there. Once he leaves, the golden child huffs in irritation before taking her time to groom her ruffled pelt. She's well aware it's still dark, and she is certainly not apposed to keeping her mentor waiting. Once satisfied, she strolls out of the den, shoots him a glare, and grabs some sort of bird from the pile. Ears twitching slightly, she completely ignores the warrior as she eats, before swiping her tongue over her jaws and finally acknowledging his presence.

"Now, since you've finally decided you can't put of training longer than you'd clearly hoped, what are we doing?" Noticing the pile of herbs next to him, the child cringes in disgust before levelling her glare at him, appearing both calm and as though she's fantasising about clawing his eyes out at once.

[Dogfang]

Dog waited silently while Fawnpaw took her sweet time, not going to give in to the temptation of yelling at her. From what he'd gathered of the tiny she-cat so far, she'd get a kick out of it. They seemed alike in that sense, and he didn't like it. When Fawnpaw finally deemed to show herself and begin eating, Dog allowed the tip of his tail to twitch impatiently but nothing else. He allowed his curled lips and narrowed eyes to say the rest. He cocked his head slightly at Fawnpaw's question, toying with the idea of ignoring her. Eventually though, he sighed. No, he didn't mind treating Fawnpaw with the distaste she deserved, but it had been his choice to mentor her. Being in her company and not training her was a waste of his time. And sounded painfully annoying. With a jerk of his head he indicated the stinky herbs beside him. "Pick them up," he ordered with a smirk, then turned and began lumbering towards the camp entrance and out. At least with Fawnpaw carrying the herbs she might not be able to talk, and he'd have some peace as they traveled.

[Fawnpaw]

After what seems like an attempt at ignoring her, Dogfang orders her to pick up the herbs before lumbering off toward the camp exit. In her mind she compares him to some ancient old badger, bad tempered, old, and certainly not the nicest to look at. And yet she still obeys, scooping up the herbs and not giving him the satisfaction of outwardly showing her disgust at the taste. Thanks to her small size she has to trot a little to catch up with him, but she doesn't show any hint of displeasure at it, instead peering around them as they walk. She finds it helps the temptation of clawing his ragged pelt if she ignores his existence and instead pays closer attention to their surroundings. Seeing as she tended to avoid company, she'd often find herself exploring instead, so she was good at picking up on things she might need to memorise in order to hint at her location whenever she needs to. The herbs are disgusting, but she finds it easier to hold her tongue from snapping at the warrior when she's trying not to drop them.

[Dogfang]

Dogfang sighed pleasantly at the silence as they walked. "Peace at last," he murmured. The forest became denser and Dog had to stoop to squeeze through some of the smaller gaps of shrub and vines that he led Fawnpaw through. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about his new apprentice, and he definitely was intending to grill her for information on the way home. For now though it was still early and he was tired and much preferred the quiet. That, and he could feel the irritation flowing from Fawnpaw and that made the herbs in her mouth all the sweeter for him. They made a direct line for the far Treeclan border, where the forest became sparse and began climbing up a shallow mountain range. He'd had to travel over the range on his first trip to Treeclan and again when he'd left on the mission Beechstar had given him. Today though, when he and Fawnpaw left Treeclan behind after a few hours and stepped in front of the mountains, he stopped. Rolling his shoulders out, Dogfang turned to face the forest territory they'd left behind and sat down. At his back the mountains rose, and about halfway up the first peak was a large hole. "We're outside Treeclan territory now. Drop the herbs." The reluctant warrior tilted his head and waited for Fawnpaw to comply. "What do you see?" He ordered.

[Fawnpaw]

Fawn finds herself completely bored out of her mind and sending her mentor occaisional glares, yet she does not speak a word and mostly just keeps her eyes trained ahead as she pads along at his side, putting effort into keeping her claws sheathed and tail steady. This is probably the most worthless feline she's ever met, and finds herself wondering if it was possible to change mentor's simply because you don't like them. Probably not. She doesn't give the topic any further thought and instead halts her glares in preference for completely ignoring his existence.

Eventually she sees mountains beginning to rear up in the distance, but they don't seem to be getting closer thanks to Dogfang's slow and lumbering pace. Yet then again perhaps she should be glad for that thanks to her size and no doubt how far they have to travel today. She really doesn't cpfancy exhausting herself on the first stretch. Besides, she doesn't really care where they go so long as the tom keeps his trap shut. At least he doesn't appear to be a chatterbox. 'Good.' After what seems like forever they finally stop and Dogfang sits down before ordering her to drop the herbs. She does so gladly, spitting out the disgusting gag with a flicker of clear irritation, before sitting down and peering past her mentor toward the mountains. At his question she snorts slightly shrugging with clearly unaltered boredom. "Uh, mountains, obviously. Besides, aren't we meant to stay on, I don't know, our own territory?" She asks, peering at the tom with a raised eyebrow before re-deciding that she really doesn't care and returning her attention to the view. One mountain has a hole in it, she notes.

[Dogfang]

He'd been hoping the fire in Fawnpaw would come with some intelligence as well, or at least passion. Unfortunately, Fawnpaw seemed nothing but bitter, or in the very least daft. "Wow, really? Never would have guessed that." He drawled, irritation thick in his voice. He'd been hoping for a reference to the large hole in the mountain, or perhaps something of their surroundings. Whether or not Fawnpaw hated him, he was disappointed that she seemed petty enough to let it interrupt her training. "Perhaps if I were a proper clan cat I would care for your precious territory," he purred. "You need to be more flexible, Fawnpaw. You're seeing with your eyes and nothing else." Not that, logically, she could see with more. What he wanted was for her to use her brain. Well, perhaps there was time for her to warm up to him. Tipping his head, Dog indicated the pile of herbs. "Roll in it. Make sure it soaks in good. I want you reeking." His voice was flat and completely serious, though a flicker of amusement was glowing in his eyes. "Then follow me." He turned and began scaling the crumbling mountain, heading for the hole. He had to dig in his claws and take his time finding grips. It was more difficult than tree climbing, but the experience would be just as valuable for Fawnpaw as a form of practice.

[Fawnpaw]

(I think I'm just as lost as Fawn, lol)

Clearly Dogfang things her stupid. Fawn narrows her eyes irritably at the tom as he drawls out sarcasm like it makes him worth anything. Yet she doesn't allow her irritation to show any more than that, and instead shrugs, slightly indignant. "Well, what else am I supposed to point out, that stupid hole up there, perhaps? The fact that the forest seemingly ended back there?" At least she's not as stupid as she seems, though she certainly doesn't care for proving it. Much. She's not really sure, she tends to get carried away at times and ignore basically everything in an effort to ground herself. Hmm. Bad tactic, perhaps.

As he goes on talking she peers up at him as he proves more so that he must be mad. What on earth is he even prattling on about? 'Not a proper clan cat, mousebrain.' Either way, she still finds herself a little curious of what he means by that. However as he goes on about her seeing with only her eyes or some sort of spiritual nonsense she rolls those exact eyes right back at him. Yet her irritation has faded slightly in the face of her confusion and curiosity.

At first when he tells her to roll in the herbs, her eyes narrow skeptically, completely convinced this is some sort of crude joke. She's even more convinced of this fact by the glitter of amusement in his eyes. And yet considering they're outside of their territory, and she smells quite clearly of Treeclan, she starts to see the sense in the matter. He must be getting her to disguise her scent. Unwilling to make more of a fool of herself by allowing her temperament to get in the way any further, she merely offers a stiff nod and rolls in the herbs. The pungent smell is almost eye watering, yet it makes perfect sense to her by now as she gets up to shake her coat out slightly. Tail twitching she trots after him before slowing her pace to better her footing on the unfamiliar terrain.

'Where we going, anyway?" She questions, ears twitching slightly as she peers around. She still doesn't like him, that much is clear, yet she doesn't think it a good idea to be anything but obedient upon someone else's territory. She still thinks this a stupid and reckless idea, yet she would rather do as she's told then get caught or have her coat flayed - by either stranger or her own mentor, seeing as both are an equally liable outcome.

[Dogfang]

Dog let out a dissatisfied humph and smirked. "Yes, that was exactly what you were supposed to point out. The fact that you're no longer in the forest is rather important. And you'll rarely find enemies struggling to climb the steep mountains behind us, but it is entirely possible that they will make use of the cave system that begins in that hole." The labyrinth stretched all the way through the mountain in a multitude of natural caves and tunnels. He'd had to pass through it three times in his lifetime now, when coming from The Alley, and again when he searched for his brother. The caves had never been properly mapped and it was ridiculously easy to get lost in them. Dogfang glanced over his shoulder as Fawnpaw began following him, his nose wrinkling at the foul odor wafting from her. He was at least pleased she'd listened to him. "To the only place worth going," he replied simply, continuing to climb. "You might not think so, but in a way you'll have an advantage with me as your mentor." The tom grunted as he reached the cave mouth, pulling himself onto the flat surface. He hovered in the shadows, waiting for Fawnpaw. His topaz eyes remained locked on her form, just in case she was to slip during the climb. He was almost positive she hadn't had experience climbing rocks before. Still, it would be a valuable skill that not many other Treeclan cat's possessed. There weren't too many rocks in Treeclan. "I'll teach you far beyond the restraints of the borders. If you're interested in hard work, I'll teach you how to fish like Iceclan and climb like Rockclan. If you can get over your bitterness, I'll teach you how your size can turn larger enemies against themselves, and then leave them in a pool of their own blood." He bared his teeth in a mock smile when Fawnpaw finally reached him, wondering if he'd perhaps interested her now, or if he'd only made her angrier. It mattered little to him. He gave Fawnpaw a brief second to rest when she finally reached the cave system, then turned and padded inside. "Keep close. If you get lost in here you could be walking forever, and I certainly wont waste the time looking for you." Notes? Ahahaah Dog enjoys being mysterious! Hopefully you'll be surprised many more times yet xD

[Fawnpaw]

At his clear dissatisfaction the emotions inside her ripple in familiarity. She doesn't show it on her face, but despite how much she hates the tom even so far, she hates anyone being disappointed in her. Her ears flicker slightly, yet her scowl remains steadily in place. 'He hates you...' Her thoughts murmur, teasing her. She lashes her tail slightly once he's turned away from her. 'Let him' she hisses back in her mind, eyes narrowing slightly. 'He spcertainky wouldn't be the first...' She fears hatred of others more then she'll ever let in, yet she disguises it too quickly with her own to even consider a better path of rectification. She follows after her mentor almost sullenly, putting all her attention into the mimicking the way he climbs the rocks so she doesn't fall back down again. No doubt all he'll do is laugh anyway.

Fawn's paws scramble on the rocks slightly, and she finds it to be more of a struggle then she first anticipated to climb this mountainside. Yet she keeps all reaction other than irritation and anger from her face as she struggles to keep up, refusing to let her tiny form slip. "And that's the most helpful answer you could come up with?" She returns bluntly, scowling at his back. Yet still, she can't help her spark of curiosity at what he thinks to be the 'only place worth going.' At his next comment she scoffs and rolls her eyes, yet offers no further reaction. 'Sure, I'll believe that when hedgehogs fly' she muses, yet does not speak it out loud, concentrating instead upon the climb.

When her stumbling, scrabbling paws finally reach the top, it is a relief to stand upon flat ground, even if it is still hard. Treeclan possesses a bare minimum of rocks and the like, so the most climbing she's ever done is up the small tree in camp that kits and apprentices practice in. It's smaller then it first looked, though it'd been a good escape from the younger kits when they tried to bug her about friendship. The elder kits knew better, fortunately. They knew of her bitterness, her hatred for almost everything. Yet not of herself, for that is something she keeps hidden amongst her spite. Her ears subconcpsciously prick with interest as her mentor starts talking, and no matter how much she dislikes him, she's got to admit he's not as useless as she first interpreted. Besides, she may be the smallest, but from what he's telling her she'll probably be the most skilful apprentice in the clan. Fishing and climbing, straying beyond the border limitations, learning how to fight in favour of her size. Her eyes flash slightly with fiery ambition, and at the mention of leaving cats in a pool of blood some sort of darkness within her stirs restlessly. She shoves it back down and forces herself to only allow a nod.

Fawn finds herself glad of the moments rest, however brief, before she pads after her mentor into the cave. She's not really sure where such a thing could lead to, and her ambition wavers into uncertainty. However, at his words her ears flit slightly and she hurries to keep up with his ambling stride, glad he doesn't move overly fast. Obedience really isn't her tune, yet she finds it'd be best if she obeys and follows his command, even if she gets a little fiesta. She has no doubt of the sincerity of his threats.

(Oh know, I think she's going to grow to be a female Tigerstar *shudders*)

[Dogfang]

His words seemed to have made Fawnpaw sullen, but Dogfang didn't allow himself to dwell on it. If she could be so easily cowed then that was her issue, not his. With him as her mentor she'd have to deal with his disappointment many times over yet, he was sure. Though he hadn't expected her to actually care at all what he thought. Funny. He smirked as Fawnpaw continued to climb. "It's the only one I'm willing to give." She seemed to be struggling slightly, but that was to be expected. Tree bark was flakier and had more grips, whereas the rocks he'd chosen were quite smooth. "The faster you go the easier it is to grip. If you hesitate, you'll slip," he offered dryly, lying down to rest his chin on his paws. When she finally reached the top he gave her a few seconds rest, pleased by her nod. He hadn't really expected much more. Inside the cave mouth four tunnels split into separate directions, a and Dogfang knew that inside each of the four entrances were thousands of extra tunnels. He loved exploring them, especially since they weren't well known by most clan cats. It was more of a rogue secret. After a moment of deliberation he chose the second tunnel to the left and started walking. The passage became thin and dark and twisting. Dog's shoulders grazed against the walls, a few times he had to outright shove himself through with a grunt. "trenta small spaces." When the tunnel split off he took a turn to the right, then chose another tunnel on the left. Every time a new passage appeared he took it, leading Fawnpaw on a twisting maze. Eventually, they hit a dead end and Dog sighed. The warrior turned to Fawnpaw, though he could barely see her in the pitch black, even with his eyes. "Right, count to one hundred then try to find your way out. I'll be running around the tunnels to confuse you, so don't bother trying to follow my scent." Hopefully she'd be smart enough to remember the strong herbs she'd rolled in. They should have left a good, strong scent for her to follow. With a last nod Dogfang disappeared, calling over his shoulder, "If you're not out by sundown, don't bother coming home!" Notes? Hahaha that could be interesting xD I think Fawnpaw has a nice streak though