can't see for the shadows // dewpaw & junebug

[[:ripples:]]

♥ Junebug of shadowclan

HER CROUCH WAS BETTER THIS TIME- he could see the improvements as she made them, keeping her tail lower and her butt down, still taking the time to keep her balance. She didn’t look confident as she did it, not by a long shot, but she did look like she was concentrating. In fact, her face was so serious that he wondered if she was maybe actually a very serious cat. He worried about this for a moment, as he wasn’t very serious, but then put it out of his mind. He just had to train her to be a good warrior. There was nothing in the rules that said he had to be serious while he did it. She paused when she was close to the leaf, and then bunched up to make a leap.

IT WASN’T BAD FOR A FIRST TRY, but he could see that she was not confident in her landing, and she missed the mark, though she caught the leaf with her claws seconds later. She whirled around and seemed like a stone, her eyes dark and serious. He gave her a smile.

“DUDE, THAT WAS WAY BETTER! You did a really good job adjusting your crouch. Pouncing is also something that takes practice- you have a good start, but half of it is the finish, man! It’s hard to learn to land stable and all- and maybe you gotta get a little closer than I do, at least for now, since your legs are kinda short. Not in a bad way, though! I mean, they’ll get longer. Mine did. Don’t worry. So that will come in time, so I think the thing you need most is to work on your balance. Oh! And it’s always a good idea to take another swipe, even if you miss! Nobody cares how graceful the catch was if you bring home prey! So let’s say you got that leaf on a rescue swipe. Let’s find our next target.”

The tom swept his gaze around the little clearing, and his eyes settled on a small, smooth stone. “Crikey! Would you look at that. You’ve got to be careful with rocks. They don’t look like much, but they’re sneaky buggers, always ready to let you stub your toe on them. If you want to practice your pounce and landing a few times, do that- and then I want to see you catch that rock!”

words ♥ 404
muse ♥ good!
other ♥ Minteh Freshness

we all got our stories but please tell me
what there is to complain about

saved by [:ripples:] at request of Minteh Freshness on may 10, 2020

[Minteh Freshness]

Dewfall
Even after berating herself for her lack of a good pounce, she let herself calm down a bit after his words of encouragement. Sure, she was just starting out but if she wasn’t good enough, then he was gonna tell the leaders, and then they would get rid of her. She couldn’t let that happen. Listening carefully to what he had to say, she made sure none of it seemed like it was a trap. It all sounded reasonable, though she was sure the comment about no one caring how graceful a catch was, was a lie. Of course they would care. If she couldn’t catch prey on the first try, how would they expect her to fight in battles?

Clenching her jaw, Dewpaw looked at the stone the tom had pointed out. A quiet part of her, that was way deep down in her subconscious, couldn’t help but smile a little at the part of stubbing your toe on a rock. He made it seem like these things were actual creatures. But she mentally shook her head and ignored that part of her. Instead she focused on the rock. Maybe she should practice a few times, but she didn’t want to look like and idiot by jumping at nothing. But what if she missed again?

She hesitated. Maybe it would be better to look like an idiot when only one other cat was around, than to make a fool of herself and give him more fuel to give to Longstar and Brackenshade to get rid of her if she missed her catch again. Twitching her tail, Dewpaw turned away from the rock and focused on a spot in the clearing that she wanted to reach. The lilac tabby crouched down, same as the first time until she realized she needed to get into a correct crouch. She fixed it quickly, hoping he hadn’t noticed, and readied herself to pounce.

She missed the first time. And the second time, though she was closer than before. Her tail lashed before she crouched again. The third time was the charm. She reached the spot she wanted to reach, and while she felt a small amount of elation, she felt tired. Her muscles weren’t used to being tense so much. Especially after her scare at the caves. Her muscles felt on the verge of shaking so she decided to try for the rock now this time.

Dewpaw turned her gaze on it, crouched and crept forward until she was at a good length away. She felt a trickle of doubt but instantly shoved it down and leaped…landing squarely on the rock! She hopped up straight with a smile, feeling proud of herself for not falling short again.

Words || 453
Ooc || Couldn't quite get back into that groove of her not trusting him after those later threads lol
Tagged || [:ripples:]

[[:ripples:]]

♥ Junebug of shadowclan

HE WATCHED PATIENTLY AS SHE PRACTICED, glad that she was taking his advice. He tried to think back to the way that he had been trained, and exactly what had made things work for him, and was amazed at how hard it could be to remember back before he was able to hunt and fight and stuff. Junebug was not the most reflective of cats, and there was some part of him that realized that maybe being reflective and keeping a mental journal of his own training would have been helpful for this moment in his life, but that small part wasn’t very loud. Most of him said that he was doing a pretty decent job and that he had to remember that it was also his first day, so it couldn’t hurt to be nice to himself, too.

SHE WAS SO SERIOUS, THOUGH. Like, he had never seen an apprentice this serious. Had she even said one word the whole time they had been out together? If she had, they had been serious words. He didn’t even know that they made them this way, if he was being honest. He’d imagined that having an apprentice would be easy because, like, he was fun, and apprentices were fun, and they would basically just be able to play all day, and what wasn’t fun about that? He could see her disappointment with herself when she missed the first time, but smiled as it turned to pride as she improved both her crouch and her pounce. When she turned to the rock, he was sure that she would be able to land it, but he burst out in happiness when she did nonetheless.

“AH, LOOK AT THAT! What a kill! And it’s a big’un, too, my word! Won’t be able to bother us no more, and we’ll have a right hearty dinner!” His voice was all exuberance, and he gave Dewpaw a playful cuff on the shoulder. “Ya see, that’s how ya do it! Just takes some practice, is all, nobody’s born knowin’ how ta hunt but ya gotta start somewhere! I bet yer muscles are getting’ tired, though. How’s about I show ya that flying attack and we take the long way back so’s I can show you somma the borders? Maybe we’ll even hunt some furry prey if we get the chance, but no pressure- I don’t think I caught anything in my first week as an apprentice.”

words ♥ 408
muse ♥ good!
other ♥ Minteh Freshness

we all got our stories but please tell me
what there is to complain about

[Minteh Freshness]

Dewfall
Dewpaw’s pelt burned under Junebug’s praise. She wondered if he was mocking her, after all, it was just a rock. But it didn’t feel like he was mocking her. His tone and words felt genuine. She still didn’t trust him, probably wouldn’t for a long time to come, but he was slowly chipping away at her. At least she hadn’t gotten a mentor that was as lackadaisical as they came. He was enthusiastic in everything he said, though he was a little more laid back in his actions. And he seemed determined to get the lilac tabby apprentice to have a good time.

She tensed slightly when he gave her a cuff on her shoulder, but when once she realized it was playful and not harmful, she relaxed a bit. Junebug didn’t seem like he was out to get her. Maybe with how young he was, he was just trying to be a good mentor to his first apprentice. There was still the doubt there on her side though. Dewpaw couldn’t trust him completely, couldn’t trust anyone but her siblings completely. They had trusted their parents, and that had gotten Mousekit killed.

So, maybe she’d relax with him a bit, but she would do her best not to let down her guard. She nodded to him in agreement, letting him know she understood and was good with what he had planned for next, not that her mentor really needed her to agree in order for them to do it. It just seemed like it might go over better, and quicker, if she agreed. Plus, she didn’t really see any reason not to agree. It would be good to know their borders. She didn’t exactly want to be known as the apprentice who blundered onto another clan’s territory. That would probably make them suspect her senses even more than they probably did, and she didn’t want to give the clan any more ammunition against her and her siblings. They would show everyone. They would show everyone they weren’t defective and useless, that the clan didn’t need to get rid of them too.

She gave a short nod of determination, though it was more to her own thoughts than it was to her mentor.

Words || 370
Ooc || August prompt for lackadaisical!
Tagged || [:ripples:]

[[:ripples:]]

♥ Junebug of shadowclan

HE GRINNED AT HER. "Okay, so the trick with the jump-flip-kick is..." He described it as best as he could before doing a demonstration of the move that had taken him longest to master, and which, he had to admit, had never actually been useful to him in a real situation. Except to impress the other apprentices. He watched her face as he began the move, excited to show her how to be a warrior. He went through the motions with muscle memory, distracted by his student as he turned through the air in what was meant to be a slashing kick flip. As he made to land it, though, he fumbled his paws and ended up overshooting the landing, rolling to a dusty stop instead of landing on his feet as he intended. As his head stopped spinning, he shook the dust from his whiskers and laughed. "I guess I shoulda practiced that one a few times before tryna to show off. Give me another go" This time, he concentrated, closing his eyes, feeling his muscles bunch, and then opened them as he threw himself through the air, legs wheeling, and then landed with all four paws on the ground, plumes of dust rising from around his feet. "There. Maybe the best lesson is that you gotta give yourself the chance to fail and try again, 'cause if ya aren't failing at some things, probably you aren't trying hard enough. Let's go get a look at those borders!"

SHE WAS SO SMALL, SO SERIOUS, so timid with herself. He wondered if she had been born with such a look of stubborn determination, or if she had become this way from outside influence. It was okay to be serious, but he couldn't help but wonder what else might be under that hard exterior. Before he turned to the border, he was overtaken with an irresistible urge. He jumped forward and then very lightly "booped" her on the nose, turning tail and running off in the direction of the border. "Catch me if you can!" He yelled over his shoulder, beckoning her to come and play.

♥ Minteh Freshness, I think you could end it with your next post, if that's okay? I feel like we've had them get to know each other, but I agree, it's hard to go back in time with them.

open up your mind and see like me,
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love, love, love, love

[Minteh Freshness]

Dewfall

As her mentor explained his "signature" move, she listened intently, wanting to retain as much detail as possible. He might test her on it later. She had never paid much attention to what apprentices had gone one about when she was still a kit. She and her siblings had been too busy trying to survive away from their murderous parents.

Dewpaw studied the ginger tom’s every move as he got set up to show her the move. As she watched, she noted that it didn’t quite seem practical, but what did she know about battle moves anyway? Nothing, that’s what. And she needed to learn so she could fight and defend. In the next second, her mouth dropped open. The young warrior had just messed up his landing somehow and ended up rolling a little distance. Or was that how he was supposed to land? It didn’t seem right, but again, what did she know?

But after a moment he confirmed that it had been a blunder on his part. He seemed so good-natured about it. But, he also didn’t need to prove himself to the clan. He was already a leader, and not affected longterm by the virus either. Dewpaw clicked her mouth shut once she realized she was still gawking like an idiot, and watched his reattempt the jump. After Junebug landed (correctly this time), she acknowledged that it did look impressive. He was a whirlwind of orange fur, muscles and claws, graceful yet deadly in the air, whether it was practical or not. Her pale blue eyes were lit up as she tried to go over his motions in her head again and again. She didn’t know if she could do something like that, her balance was so off that she’d probably end up like his first show each time she tried. But it did look cool.

"There. Maybe the best lesson is that you gotta give yourself the chance to fail and try again, 'cause if ya aren't failing at some things, probably you aren't trying hard enough. Let's go get a look at those borders!" Dewpaw felt grateful at hearing him say that, but she couldn’t help the distrust that rose again. This time though, her thoughts reasoned back. Maybe, he actually wasn’t out to get her. Maybe he actually was there to help. Why else would he speak words like that to her? Could she have lucked out and gotten a mentor that wasn’t trying to show everyone that she was messed up?

As she was dwelling in her thoughts, Dewpaw didn’t notice until it was too late. Her eyes were wide, mouth slightly parted as she stood there frozen after Junebug had very gently booped her nose. It wasn’t threatening, or injury sustaining. It was playful and soft and she didn’t know how to react. The only ones who had ever done something like that to her was her siblings, and even then they hadn’t done it that often. They had always been too busy staying alive to play or roughhouse or just be kits.

Dewpaw stared after his retreating form, his ginger fur slicked back by the breeze he was creating as he raced away. The smile was playful, his green gaze kind as he glanced back at her. Was this tom really a warrior? Really her mentor? She was so flabbergasted, she just couldn’t find any logical reasoning behind his behavior. The lilac tabby blinked a couple of times before she realized how far he had gotten. He was going to leave her behind! No matter his intentions, she didn’t really feel like being left behind. Even if it was Shadowclan territory, she didn’t know her way around and it wouldn’t do her any good to get lost.

So, narrowing her eyes so she could focus on his form, she started after him. The first few steps were at a walk, then she moved into a trot. Before she knew it, she was running after him, trying to catch up.


If she were honest with herself, she would acknowledge the smile on her face and the hope in her heart as she felt pounds lighter, chasing after her clanmate.

Words || 691
Ooc || Done! Also, this would be a finished training thread for them as well! DELAWARE
Tagged || [:ripples:]