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Post by Willowspirit on Apr 7, 2017 16:28:16 GMT -6
Hickorypaw
Willowspirit had taken a small nap after her vigil, though she was unable to sleep well in her new den. She had a small mouse for breakfast, groomed herself, and then quietly padded into the apprentices den.
Although she was extremely confident in her abilities as a warrior, Willowspirit had no idea how to interact positively with other cats, let alone train one. Oceanstar must've been out of his mind to give her an apprentice, his very own daughter nonetheless, but Willowspirit was in no position to question his perplexing decisions.
"Hickorypaw," She called out gently, her eyes resting on the new apprentice. "Come on, eat something small and let's get going."
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Post by Hickorypaw on Apr 7, 2017 21:14:21 GMT -6
Hickorypaw's ears quivered when she heard her name called. Her eyes opened slowly and she recognized her mentor's shadow in the entrance before it disappeared. Her paws tingled with excitement but she tried to act as collected as possible as she stood and stretched. The mottled tabby stretched and gave her chest a few quick licks before leaving the den. She'd hate to keep Willowspirit waiting.
She spotted her mentor waiting and gave her a polite nod before hurrying to the fresh-kill pile. Hickorypaw selected a small shrew and ate it as fast as she could without making a mess. She didn't want to dawdle but she equally didn't want to look like a slob in front of her new mentor. When she was finished she licked her whiskers clean and approached Willowspirit with a nervous smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm ready." She peered around Willowspirit to see outside the entrance. Once as a kit she'd tried to sneak out with Plumkit but it hadn't happened. This would be her first time outside of camp. "Where are we going?"
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Post by Willowspirit on Apr 7, 2017 21:48:12 GMT -6
Willowspirit's injuries were stinging, as they clearly weren't healing properly, and she was doing her best not to let that put her in a sour mood. Somehow, she was going to train this apprentice without any major disasters, and hopefully she would turn out better than Willowspirit did.
Biting back a warning about how fast Hickorypaw had eaten her meal, Willowspirit nodded at her apprentice, waving her tail as she began to walk out of the camp, leading Hickorypaw into the territory. "Well, before you go out wandering the territory alone, you need a tour of the place. So you don't get lost."
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Post by Hickorypaw on Apr 8, 2017 2:53:51 GMT -6
Seeing the territory seemed like a good move. She gave her mentor an agreeable smile and nodded. "I would like that," she replied with a good-natured nod. As they walked she kept an eye on Willowspirit, subtly trying to get a feel for her new mentor. She seemed to have a few unhealed wounds on her pelt that Hickorypaw made no comment of. It wasn't her business after all and she imagined Willowspirit had the sense to take care of herself if the need arose.
She tried to split her gaze between Willowspirit and the territory. She remembered marveling over how tall the grass had been on her last trip and was pleased to see her head now stood above the fronds. "Wandering alone?" She repeated thoughtfully. "That doesn't seem particularly wise for an apprentice. I didn't think I was allowed out of the territory without supervision?"
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Post by Willowspirit on Apr 8, 2017 9:49:00 GMT -6
Willowspirit shrugged, walking at an even pace and making sure that Hickorypaw didn't fall behind. "If it is a rule, it isn't a very well enforced one." Her own sister, Brightwing, had started sleeping in the territory while she was an apprentice, so Willowspirit doubted that Oceanstar cared who went out alone and whatnot.
Now at a large hill, where new-leaf's plants were just beginning to grow, Willowspirit stopped. "This is the Dandelion Hill. There's a lot of good prey here, but you also have to watch out for hawks from above."
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Post by Hickorypaw on Apr 8, 2017 16:03:10 GMT -6
Hickorypaw hummed thoughtfully to herself. "It doesn't sound safe." Still, she supposed if Willowspirit said it was ok then she might take a walk in the territory herself sometime. See what all the fuss was about. Hickorypaw liked her company and being surrounded by family, she didn't understand a greater need for solitude.
The dandelions were just beginning to bloom with newleaf. Hickorypaw padded forward an stuck her nose in one, almost immediately sneezing as she inhaled pollen. Her nose was speckled with orange when she pulled back. The apprentice sneezed violently again before having the sense to rub the pollen off her nose with a paw. "Do we hunt hawks?" She asked, slightly muffed by her paw.
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Post by Willowspirit on Apr 8, 2017 16:12:59 GMT -6
Hickorypaw was right that it wasn't safe, but it happened anyways, and Willowspirit wanted her apprentice to be prepared if she ever did go out alone. "No," She flicked her tail, already starting to pad away from the spot. "Hawks hunt us. I've never had the displeasure of fighting one, but I know they can carry off a fully grown cat."
Next up on their stop was the Sun Stones at the TreeClan border. "Past these rocks is the forest of TreeClan." Willowspirit explained, taking a moment to rest. She doubted Hickorypaw had ever done this much walking, and they still had a long ways to go. "The Sun Stones are nice for sunning, but you might run into a prickly TreeClan cat, so I don't advise coming here alone."
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Post by Hickorypaw on Apr 9, 2017 20:05:20 GMT -6
Hickorypaw cast one more curious glance at the sky. She wondered when she might see a hawk for the first time. They had to be big if they hunted cats. "Father told me Rockclan cats hunt hawks," she replied, wondering if it was true. Not that she doubted her father's wisdom.
The she-cat's paws her already getting sore from the long trip. They were still kit-soft and hadn't hardened to the outside world. She carried on stoically though, not willing to complain on her first day of training. Hickorypaw wanted to make a good first impression. When they finally stopped again she was grateful though and sat down without a word. "So we share the rocks?" She asked with a tilt of her head.
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Post by Willowspirit on Apr 11, 2017 20:42:41 GMT -6
"I don't know what RockClan cats hunt. Maybe." Willowspirit shrugged. She supposed that since FireClan was extending their borders, she should know what prey live there, but she bitterly remembered that she had never been to the new territory, since she hadn't been chosen for a patrol. "Well, we've been sharing it for as long as I can remember, but apparently we've fought over it before."
With a twitch of her whiskers, Willowspirit began to pad away, towards the Blossom Ponds and Reed Beds. There wasn't much left now, and she hoped Hickorypaw was keeping up well enough.
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Post by Hickorypaw on Apr 13, 2017 2:11:58 GMT -6
She had hoped Willowspirit would know a little more to sate her curiosity but it made sense that she didn't. They weren't Rockclan cats after all. Hickorypaw just liked learning new things. "I think it would be scary to hunt a hawk or a big bird. Mother used to tell me one would take me from the nest if I was naughty." She shuddered at the thought. It hadn't stopped her from rebelling though.
When a small pond appeared in front of them Hickorypaw bounded ahead. Her paws ached but she was thirsty enough to forget about it briefly. She dipped her head and had a deep drink from the pond to soothe her parched throat. Once she was sated the mottled she-cat looked around, noting the budding flowers and greenery. "It's so pretty here!"
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Post by Willowspirit on Apr 13, 2017 16:08:32 GMT -6
Willowspirit couldn't imagine how RockClan cats hunted hawks, they were hard enough just to fight off. She supposed that they hunted in groups, but that was just a theory, and she didn't have any more detailed thoughts on the subject. They would both find out eventually, when FireClan officially extended it's borders.
"It is." Willowspirit agreed warmly, flicking her tail. This was her first new-leaf, and she was secretly in awe of all the gorgeous plant life as well, though she didn't show how much she appreciated the scenery. Hickorypaw probably already thought that she was unprepared to be a mentor after not knowing RockClan's hunting habits, and she didn't want to make herself look like even more of a kit. "The Reed Beds are around here as well, you'll like those too."
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Post by Hickorypaw on Apr 23, 2017 1:23:39 GMT -6
Hickorypaw dipped a white paw into the water and swirled it around. She giggled and pulled it back, shaking off droplets of cold water. Willowspirit mentioned reef beds and she immediately began scouting for them. There were so many different things to find in Fireclan territory. Every time she took a glance there was something new to see.
"Are we close to the other border?" She asked over her shoulder as she delved into the reed beds. The tall fronds caught at her pelt as she moved past. "You seem to know so much about our territory." She hoped she wasn't annoying Willowspirit with all her questions but she wanted to learn as much as she could as well.
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Post by Willowspirit on Apr 23, 2017 11:59:18 GMT -6
Willowspirit found Hickorypaw's boundless enthusiasm to be amusing at first, until she thought back to her own days as an apprentice. Ashfire had been her original mentor, and back then Willowspirit still had a flame of hope that things would work out and she would outgrow the family drama that had darkened her kithood.
Letting her paws guide her, Willowspirit was only drawn out of her thoughts by Hickorypaw's voice, glancing over with a dry look on her face. "Almost. We're going to visit the graveyard first, though." Willowspirit mewed, waving her tail as she waited for Hickorypaw to finish getting to know the reeds.
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Post by Hickorypaw on Apr 23, 2017 15:17:51 GMT -6
The tips of Hickorypaw's ears quivered. "Graveyard?" She'd heard ghostly stories about the place from Lilybarb, about it being a haunted place. Rather than fear she felt excitement, yet apprehension. Still she trusted Willowspirit, and her father. Oceanstar wouldn't have allowed a dangerous place to remain in their territory without doing anything about it.
Either way she moved closer to Willowspirit's side as they walked, tail waving in the soft breeze. "Whose graveyard is it? Do we bury our cats there too? Are you sure it's ok to go there, what about ghosts?"
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Post by Willowspirit on Apr 23, 2017 15:33:00 GMT -6
Willowspirit began padding in the direction of the graveyard, going slowly so that she could quell any of Hickorypaw's fears before they arrived. Personally, Willowspirit had never been frightened of the idea of 'ghosts', from a cat or two-leg. She didn't even really believe in CloudClan, finding the whole thing to be rather nonsensical and just a whole lot of wishful thinking.
"No, we would never bury our dead somewhere that was made by two-legs. The graveyard has been around since.. Well, a long time, and cats have been going there for ages." The silver she-cat explained calmly. Willowspirit supposed that it would be best if she didn't go around teaching apprentices that spirits weren't actually real, so she held in her true feelings on the matter. "Besides, the only ghosts that exist are in CloudClan, and they can only walk in our dreams."
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