youre gonna go far, kid -- training

[Squirrelbite]

@legolas

Squirrelbite wondered why Crystalbird had chosen to give her an apprentice, something required for all deputies, which would therefore bring her one step closer to being TreeClan's leader. Perhaps this 'Oakpaw' was some kind of a problem kid, and Crystalbird was trying to humiliate Squirrelbite by giving her such a cat for her first apprentice.

If that was the case, then Squirrelbite would prove the white-furred deputy wrong, as she was determined to turn Oakpaw into both a powerful warrior and ally. 

She had told Oakpaw that training would start at dawn, and the sun was now beginning to rise. Instead of waking Oakpaw up, like most mentors would, Squirrelbite patiently sat at the edge of camp, waiting to see if Oakpaw could follow orders and take initiative. 

[Deleted]

A

s the sun peeked over the rim of the land, casting a warm glow on the face of a tabby tom, Oakpaw got to his paws with determination in his eyes. He had barely slept, not able to sleep when he was so anxious of the day to come when training started. He woke up early, before the crack of dawn, and waited, sitting on the edge of the apprentice den, for the day to come. When it did, he gracefully made his way to the fresh kill pile and found a measly mouse to eat. He wanted to eat light before training.

As he was eating, he spotted a bright red coat padding out of the warriors' den. It was unmistakably his new mentor, Squirrelbite, and he finished his prey quickly. Excitement coursed through his veins as he padded toward his mentor, tall with his head held high. He met her gaze with a calm expression and waited in front of her. He didn't know what to say, so she would have to speak first.

Made by Time Lapse of Adoxgraphy.

[Squirrelbite]

The sun was still rising as Oakpaw found his way to her, and Squirrelbite gave a nod of approval towards her new apprentice. "We're going to start your training with a territory tour." She explained, standing up and gesturing with her tail for Oakpaw to follow her as she began to walk, remembering her days with Beechroot as she did so. 

"And while we walk, we're going to review the warrior code, since so many cats seem to be forgetting it." Squirrelbite's voice was sharp. She wanted to make herself into a formidable mentor, someone that Oakpaw would strive to impress. That was the only way he would stand out among his peers, if he was constantly pushing himself to achieve more. "Tell me, what's the first rule of the code?"

[Deleted]

O

akpaw nodded and followed her out into the forest. He could feel the morning sun shine on his pelt through the trees, and he listened intently as Squirrelbite spoke to him. Like nearly all mentors he had heard of, they were starting with a territory tour, but that didn't bother him.

What did bother him was his lack of knowledge. He flicked his ear and bit slightly on his lip when Squirrelbite asked him what the first rule was. This was not the way to impress on the first day, and he already looked like a fool. He met her gaze slowly, a near apologetic look in his eyes. "We were never told that as kits."

Made by Time Lapse of Adoxgraphy.

[Squirrelbite]

((okay so im just gonna assume the warrior code is the same as in the books bc i don't see any alternatives))

Squirrelbite remembered when she had been a kit, how she actively sought out knowledge about TreeClan in order to make herself blend in with the others cats. It seemed that all of her hard work hadn't been necessary, since TreeClan cats didn't know anything about themselves anyways.

"Defend your clan with your life. You can have friendships with outside cats, but your loyalties must remain to your clan." The red she-cat recited the first rule as they walked. If Oakpaw didn't know that one, then it wasn't likely he knew any others, but she still might as well try. "Do you know any part of the code?"

[Deleted]

O

akpaw took careful steps as he walked with Squirrelbite, making sure his paws were quiet and he made no noise. His father had taught him how to do so, and he wished his father had also taught him the code, but now he didn't know it when it was important, and he walked, feeling like a fool.

He met Squirrelbite's gaze confidently. "Please do not think me stupid. I will try my hardest to learn the code tonight, after training, and when you ask me tomorrow, I will recite it all to you." His personal pet peeve was being called stupid, or looking stupid, and at the moment, he was pretty sure his mentor thought of him that way. He wanted to look better than the rest of the kits, something different,but at the moment, he didn't stand out at all.

Made by Time Lapse of Adoxgraphy.

[Squirrelbite]

Squirrelbite's expression didn't change, she still looked at him with the same even gaze, keeping her reaction to herself. Instead of responding, the ginger she-cat came to a stop right before the ground dropped off into a steep slope.

"This is the Fern Gully," She mewed, using her tail to gesture to the area below them. "It'd take the rest of the day to fully explore, so we'll save that for another day." Squirrelbite then continued on, padding parallel to the gully.

[Deleted]

O

akpaw stopped quickly so he didn't fall off a cliff, and he peered over warily. "Seems nice," he commented to himself, before turning to follow Squirrelbite to the next destination. He didn't have much to say, and he continued thinking about how stupid he felt, not knowing the warrior code.

Made by Time Lapse of Adoxgraphy.

[Squirrelbite]

Squirrelbite continued walking in silence until they reached their next destination- a large structure built of stone into the side of a cliff. It was crumbling, having been made by twolegs ages ago, and no cat really understood what it's purpose had been. Squirrelbite usually stayed away from it, not being much of a fan of twoleg-related things.

"We call this the Ancient Crumbling Temple. You can try to explore it if you want, but you'll probably just end up hopelessly lost." She mewed bleakly, already moving on.

[Deleted]

O

akpaw stepped up to peer into the dark opening of the Ancient Temple. It interested him, but he didn't get much time to look at it before Squirrelbite moved on. He trotted to catch up with her.

"Has anyone been lost to it before?" he asked. In the darkness, he would expect someone to get lost or crushed by stone, since it was named the 'crumbling temple.' But yet, it still interested him, and he made note to tell Midnightpaw about it later. Maybe they could explore it together.

Made by Time Lapse of Adoxgraphy.

[Squirrelbite]

At the thought of tunnels, Squirrelbite's mind began to drift. She hated enclosed spaces, but one day she might yet again find herself in a situation where she was facing an enemy in a tight place, and that meant she needed to learn how to maneuver herself in them. Oakpaw's voice drew her back, and she looked at him blankly for a moment before answering, gathering her thoughts.

Squirrelbite had no intention of having her first apprentice die in those tunnels, even if she understood the importance of getting to know one's territory. "I don't know. I'll show you around them one day, if you really want." Tonight, Squirrelbite decided, she would explore the temple.

[Deleted]

O

akpaw was pleased that Squirrelbite would take him through them sometime, and his thoughts of exploring with Midnightpaw floated away. He knew it would be dangerous to explore by himself, and if Squirrelbite explored with him, he thought it would be much safer.

Besides, no one would notice if an apprentice disappeared. It would cause a little more chaos if an apprentice and mentor disappeared. "Okay!"

Made by Time Lapse of Adoxgraphy.