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 Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:22 pm
 Bramblepaw paced impatiently back and forth in the WindClan camp. It wasn't long since she had been made an apprentice, but she was eager to get going, to run around the territory and see the world beyond camp...she swept her long white tail across the dust, waiting for her mentor to show up. I'll be the best warrior ever...the fiercest, the bravest, first into battle, last to leave. They will know me as Brambleclaw--no, Brambleheart...better yet, Bramblestorm the Mighty, swift as lightning and hard as rock! How could anyone think of conquering WindClan then? Or stealing our prey?! Now if only I could get my training started already!!
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:36 pm
Barkthroat paused at the mouth of the warrior's den, stretching, his claws digging into the earth in front of him. Behind him, the few still sleeping cats snored softly. A flash of pale fur in front of him caught his attention and he glanced up. With a purr of amusement, he watched his apprentice pace erratically about the clearing. Someone was certainly eager to get started with their training. She seemed almost preoccupied as Barkthroat walked up. "Ready?" He grinned. He was so lucky to have been picked to mentor an apprentice, but he knew he would have his hands full with Bramblepaw. Pausing for a moment, he forced an exaggerated yawn.
"Cause you know we could just go and rest for a little while. We don't have to start now. Maybe wait a few moons, even?" He regarded the young cat seriously as he could, hoping she didn't notice the slight twitch of his mouth as he fought a grin. "I'm sure Violetstar or Fleetingstar could move you back into the nursery, if you aren't ready." Maybe, if he was lucky, he could escape without an ear clawing for this one. After all, he was her superior. If only for a few moons. And even more so, anyone could tell that the apprentice was more than ready to begin.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:03 pm
Bramblepaw whirled around and hissed, her fur fluffing up. "Ready?!" she shrieked. "I was born ready, old warrior!" She lunged forward and swiped a paw awkwardly at his black ear. She crouched in a ready position, tail waving back and forth. "I could have killed a badger and chased its kits from here to Highstones and back the day I was kitted! I could have taken on ShadowClan single-pawed before sunhigh and made crowfood of every rogue in the forest with the effort it takes to yawn!" she boasted. "Will I ever return to the nursery? Never! Will I turn tail now and dishonor my warrior ancestors by being a cowardly kit all my life? Never! It's now or never--and I will never accept never, Barkthroat! Teach me the way of the warrior code that I may teach generations to come! I was born for this moment, and the moment is now!" Bramblepaw had never felt so alive in all her life. At last, a chance to get away from the cloying, sticky sweet of the nursery, to stretch her legs and do as all WindClan cats were born to do: to race the wind their first leader was named for, to challenge the very moorland in pursuit of rabbits. Her claws itched to get out and drag themselves through the ragged and tangled pelts of her enemies.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:18 pm
Barkthroat was startled back a step by Bramblepaw's vibrant reaction, feeling the weight of her paw clip his ear as she spun angrily towards him. He stifled a laugh as she continued her rant. Well, she was certainly dedicated to her clan. He would give her that, and when at last she seemed to quiet down, even though she seemed to still eb trembling with excitment, he nodded calmly. "Fine. I guess you are ready." He flicked his ears repoachfuly. He turned and walked toward the camp entrance, and mumbled to himself, though loud enough for Bramblepaw to hear. "I'm not that old." He paused only to glance over his shoulder once, eyeing his apprentice thoughtfully. "We'll be working on your hunting technique today. Near the Twoleg farm." And with that, he quickly exited camp, hoping that Bramblepaw would willingly follow instead of bowl him over in an attempt to hurry their progress. He passed quickly over the moor, the wind dancing through his pelt as he made his way towards the farm, hopefully with his apprentice in tow.
The line of trimmed bushes that lined the farm were a short distance away when Barkthroat finally stopped. He loved it here. It was far from any border. so no disgusting enemy clan scents interfered with the smell of the windblown grasses that covered most of WindClan territory. It was simple. And sometimes, he could almost imagine he was alone. Until he remembered the young cat that was, with luck, still with him. Not completely alone then. But close enough. Barkthroat spun to face Bramblepaw. "What can you scent here." He almost added "other than me and you." But he figured the touchy cat would figure the already implied statement as an insult to her intelligence. It wasn't beneath her. And if he was going to train her to become the best warrior she could be, he didn't need her hating his guts every step of the way. Maybe just part of the way. That would work too.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:29 am
Bramblepaw leapt after Barkthroat. With a grin of excitement, she realized that he was almost faster than she was. Keeping up with him was a challenge, but then, she enjoyed a challenge. Her heart pounded with exhilaration and the knowledge that she was ready. Better still, Barkthroat knew she was ready. She didn't want a mentor who tried to coddle her. "Just remember," she panted. "I'm as much a kit as you're an elder! If you aren't old, I'm not young!" Bramblepaw would never tell Barkthroat that she had had nightmares before of being an apprentice and forced back into the Nursery. I'm never going back there again! The wind blew through her soft white fur and her brown paws hit the ground furiously as she tried to keep up with him.
They slowed as they reached a hedgerow. Bramblepaw sat down to recover her breath. She gazed around at the Twoleg nest just beyond. It was a perfect place, she could tell when she took a sniff at Barkthroat's command. She could smell few other cats and plenty of prey. She recognized the scent of prey from the fresh-kill pile. "I...can't scent many rabbits, but...I think I can smell mice? Then there's another prey scent, but it doesn't smell good. Smells bad, actually, but smells like prey. And..." It smelled slightly of crowfood, slightly of blood. "Dog?" she hazarded. "It smells stale, but it sounds like what the elders say dogs smell like." She glanced up at Barkthroat expectantly.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:25 am
Barkthroat waited patiently for Bramblepaw to catch her breath befre she tasted the air. Her description wasn't much of a surprise for him. He nodded. "Right on, Bramplepaw." With a flick of his tail, he gestured towards the Twoleg farm. A stale scent that smelled simultaneously bitter and wet. "They have a dog there. It never leaves the farm grounds, so we're safe. And we'll try to find a rabbit in a little while." He sat down, his fluffy tail held behind him. " For now, go down there a littles ways." He gestured again, this time towards the moor, still measuring his apprentice's reaction to his odd command. "Pretend that I'm a rabbit. I want to see how you stalk me." So if it was a little different. It would help him at least see first hand how Bramblepaw would hunt a rabbit. Or, at least, hunt her mentor. "Humor me here. Just try it."
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:07 pm
Bramblepaw hesitated. "But what about the strange prey-scent?" she asked. It bothered her, but she didn't know why. "And I've heard that the Twolegs sometimes let it out." Suddenly, she realized that she sounded like a queen in the nursery, always complaining about danger, or whining that they ought to be careful. The odds were Barkthroat was right, even if he wouldn't answer her question about the weird smell. She sighed. She'd bother him about it later. Until then, she had to show him what she had learned from watching the apprentices. Attempting to startle him, she leaped at him. The grass around her crackled and she realized too late that a real rabbit would have heard her long since, and she was much too tired for a proper chase. Oh well, I'm not turning back now!
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:45 pm
[What is the weird prey scent? Is it the dog?]
Barkthroat studied his apprentice for a moment before glancing back towards the farm. For all her bluster, maybe there was a little softness in her too. "Even when they let the dog out, it never leaves the Twoleg place. And judging on how stale the scent is, I'd say we're in no danger." Back when he was little, even younger than Bramblepaw, as a loner with his parents, he had encountered a dog. It had been tied to a Twoleg via some sort of line, but it had lunged at him as it passed. Barkthroat closed his eyes for a moment, a slight shudder running down his spine.
He snapped back to attention when he had the subtle sound of fur against grass, and realized that Bramplepaw was no longer beside him. He turned in time to see her flying at him, and he tried to move out of the way, but felt his tail get snagged by his apprentice. Wincing slightly, he nodded. "Good first try, but you need to pay better attention to the ground and the grass. Keep your paw steps light. A rabbit could hear you coming long enough to escape. We may be fast, but when given enough warning, a rabbit will always escape." He demonstrated sneaking forward, using the pads of his paws to move.
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:07 pm
((Oh, sorry--rats! Sorry I didn't tell you...))
Bramblepaw felt her paw land on Barkthroat's tail with a shiver of triumph. True, she had been a little noisy, but at least she had managed to get him. If only I wasn't so loud! I could pounce and stalk as a kit, for StarClan's sake, I could sneak up on cats! What's so different now that I'm an apprentice? I should be better, not worse! Some part of her yanked her back to his instructions. She nodded at his advice. "Yeah, I thought I was a little loud." As he demonstrated the approach, she tried it. A gust of wind ruffled the grass at this edge of the moorland, throwing the blades against her. They rustled as she edged past them. Snarling and lashing her tail in frustration, she stopped and sat. "It's hopeless! I'll never get it right! I just make too much noise!" She fumed and stared at the ground with her greenish-amber eyes. If she couldn't hunt properly, then she was a poor warrior; she would never be given an apprentice, no one would like her, she'd just be a klutz all her days...unconsciously, her claws slid out to make holes in the firm ground. "What am I doing wrong, Barkthroat? I'll bet I'm the only apprentice in the history of WindClan who can't do this! I'm a failure and it's only my first day!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:26 pm
Barkthroat watched carefully as Bramplepaw tried again, the wind and grass throwing off her quiet stalking. He lay the tip of his tail on her shoulder as she vented her anger. "It's your second try." He exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. "You can't expect to be brillant and perfect from the start. I never expected that from you. No one could. Everyone makes mistakes. All you have to do is learn from them." He spoke calmly, trying to sooth his angered apprentice. He could feel her tense's coming off her in waves and he saw the rivets in the gorunds her claws had made. "You aren't doing anything wrong. You just need to watch your timing." A small spark of anger flashed in his usually calm gaze, then it was extinguished. But you don't get it! You're not a failure because its your first day. You haven't had any practice except stalking your siblings in the nursery, and even then you never had wind and grass to contend with. You're doing extremely well."
"Try this."He took a few steps away from her, crouching low in the grass. He slowly moved forward until the beginning of a breeze tickled his whiskers and he froze. The grass bent towards him but did not make a sound because he was not trying to move past them. When the gust quieted into the normal stillness once more, he took a couple silent steps forward before coming out of his crouch. "It might work better if you're having trouble moving through the grass."
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:32 pm
((I'm assuming it's early morning?))
Bramblepaw calmed at her mentor's words. She sheathed her claws and smiled a little foolishly. Mouse-brain! No one's perfect on their first try--even Violetstar and Fleetingstar probably weren't perfect on their first day! "You're right, Barkthroat," she mewed. "I just...I'm not used to it. I'm sorry. I'll try to be more patient." It shamed her that he was so patient with her and she wasn't patient with herself. I guess I've always been like that...I mean, I had four siblings, I've always prided myself on being the eldest and fiercest! Once again, she had to drag herself away from her innermost thoughts and paid heed to what he did.
"Okay," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I might try that..." She padded forward as softly as she could. The wind blew again and she crouched as still as she could. Pausing, she waited until it died back down before taking a few steps. In the increasing light of day, she paused as she scented something that made her whiskers quiver with excitement: rabbit! She tensed and waited for it to appear. When its brown ears poked their way over the grass, she tore after it.
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Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 11:46 am
[I guess that works, if he's just taking her out if should be morning, right?]
Barkthroat took a breath when he saw that Bramblepaw had quieted. "Don't worry, Bramplepaw. Everyone has their faults." Then he noticed the almost far away look to her multi-colored eyes. For a moment he wondered what she was thinking about, before he purred with amusement. "Apparently, paying attention is one of yours." He watched her attempt the technique he showed her before she tore off after a rabbit. He followed after her a few steps, just keeping his fleeing apprentice in his sight line. He hoped she caught the rabbit when she finished. Bramblepaw needed the confidence boost. Maybe she would stop ragging on herself long enough to realize she had the makings of a great warrior.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:19 pm
Bramblepaw reached out a paw and just managed to snag the rabbit's tail with her claw. The rabbit dragged her for a short way before the tumbled in a heap. Swiftly, Bramblepaw delivered the killing bite and got up with a shake. She stared at it. What was it that the elders say you always do...? Oh yeah! "Er, StarClan, I thank you for this rabbit's life to feed the Clan..." Or something like that. She triumphantly picked up the rabbit and brought it back to Barkthroat. "I caught it!" she grinned, a little needlessly. Excitement flooded her veins, and she felt more alive than she ever did. "Did you see it?" she asked breathlessly. "Wow...wait 'til I tell my siblings!" She suddenly became aware that she was boasting. In a rare moment of modesty, she stopped and sat demurely. "What do you think?" she asked her mentor, eager to please. "Oh yeah, and thanks...for what you said about me."
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:15 pm
A purr of amusement once again escaped the proud warrior. "That was great, Bramblepaw. Exactly right!" Barkthroat called out to his triumphant apprentice. He was so proud of her. Her first day and she had caught a rabbit. He watched as she carefully dragged it back to him, felt the pride coming off her in waves as she grinned happily. Much changed from the frustrated cat she had been minutes before. "I bet your siblings will be very proud." He nodded with a proud smile tugging the corners of his lips. He almost burst out laughing when she forced the excitement and pride into submission, and spoke calmly. Attempting an equally serious expression, he spoke. "What I think is that my apprentice can outrun any rabbit in in our territory!" He gently prodded her in the side. "But come on, you just made your first kill. It will do you no good if you can be giddy with excitment!!" Barkthroat appreciated her modesty, but just now, for once, was not the time for it. He grinned.
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:47 am
Bramblepaw nodded and glowed with pride and appreciation. "Well, I think you're the best mentor in the Clan!" she purred enthusiastically. "What do I do with the rabbit now?" She hoped fervently that they wouldn't have to go back to camp; she felt as if she could fly to the moon right now, if only she sprouted wings and feathers like a bird. She grinned. "Did you catch a rabbit on your first day, Barkthroat? Where you excited?" she asked. It had occurred to her that she knew little about her mentor. About any cats in the Clan. Elders told the stories of the olden days, and they mentioned leaders and warriors she had never heard of, things happening to cats she had never met and never would meet. It hadn't bothered her as a kit. As a kit, she felt that such stories could have no effect or no parallel in her life. Just goes to show you how wrong I was. All the cats in the Clan were once where I am now; well, not the kits, and I guess not the medicine cats, but all the warriors, our leaders, the deputies, and the elders...what was it like? "I'll bet you did," she added confidently.
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