Listen to Your Fear (Week 6, Floodpaw)

[Juniper]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,600,true][atrb=height,500,true]

[atrb=width,600,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=07071d] The harsh climate of leaf-bare was beginning to recede; the she-cat could feel it deep in her bones. Bright skies hailed her entrance from the den she had taken an afternoon nap in. Her pale muzzle lifted to bask in the warming rays of the sun. Her dark eyes were partially closed, allowing little bokeh circles to float before her vision. They were pale and iridescent, and quite reminded her of water. She dipped her great head and trod over crackling leaves from the previous leaf-fall. Most had disintegrated to pieces but there were still a few old ones left. The wide array of color vanished as she exited the camp clearing. Dark shadows leapt to meet her, and that scent of sweet sycamore greeted her nose. And pines and evergreens, or maybe it was something else. Her paws dusted the forest floor lightly as she sprang along the trail to the Reflection Pool. It was not an ideal location for training apprentices, but she felt there would be less distractions. Around this time of day, when the sun had risen to its peak, most cats gathered at the Acorn Place. Tilting her muzzle to the canopy of the woods, she breathed in the scents of prey. Yes, prey. Finally, rabbits and voles began trickling back in after the brush with the pesky Twolegs. They were very inactive at this time, but Silverclaw feared they would return to destroying the woods. Paws scuffled the muddy banks of the lake. Narrowed eyes peered across the expanse of clear water. At last she had reached her destination. She looked about the place. So far, there was no sign of the gray apprentice she was awaiting. She used this time to stretch out her limbs, cramped from her earlier nap. Battle and hunting tactics/tips ran through her brain. This was the first apprentice she had received since being a Warrior. She was determined not to make this her last. For finally her leader trusted her enough to present her such. But Silverclaw knew that trust would not last long. Icestar had no idea what was coming… “Silverclaw speaks” Silverclaw thinks Silverclaw does Word Count; 353 Tags; Floodpaw? OoC; A nice short post to start things off!

[shocky !]

Floodpaw, for all his gusto and excitement about finally becoming an apprentice, was slightly uneasy. Oh, sure, he was eager to train - he had been eager for the six previous moons, and he would undoubtedly be eager for the next six as well. But why did Silverclaw have to pick the Reflection Pool to train? Even the name sent a shiver down his spine. Pool. Why not something nice and subtle, like Reflection Tiny-bit-of-water, or Reflection Puddle. There, that was much less intimidating. Hopefully the pool would be nothing more than a little puddle, and the name was just used to scare impress new apprentices like him.

The grey tom quickly finished off the bird he was gnawing at. His meal had taken him a bit longer than it should have, his ears twitching with uncharacteristic nervous as he tried to waste time. The sun was shining and the air was warm, but Floodpaw didn't notice any of that. He exited the camp quickly, paws treading lightly on the forest floor. He had agreed to meet Silverclaw there, and he wouldn't let her down. He would show her that he was a strong, capable apprentice. And maybe she would forget about the whole Pool thing and just let him go hunting. Anything that didn't involve the water.

The long-haired grey tom took a deep breath to calm himself as he padded through the trees and down the slope towards his mentor. He made out her pale pelt and swallowed, trying to hide his nervousness. This was mouse-brained - he was supposed to be excited, not behaving like a kit. The apprentice shuffled his paws and gave his errant chest fur a few quick licks as he sat down in front of her. Then he straightened up and tried to lock his bright eyes with her own. "Morning, Silverclaw," he said cheerfully. "What are we starting with today? Hunting? Fighting?" Just not swimming.

[Juniper]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,600,true][atrb=height,500,true]

[atrb=width,600,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=07071d] Silverclaw faced the far side of the expansive piece of water that mirrored her own pelt color. The tips of her paws touched the water, which lapped at her extended claws. She was standing and gazing as if she were contemplating swimming across. Suddenly, a wavering fear-scent hit her nostrils. Wondering if perhaps it was prey, she slowly revolved on the tips of her paws. She swung around, hoping the potential prey wouldn’t be frightened off before her apprentice arrived. Maybe she could teach a lesson on catching prey today. But no. It was merely another cat – a stormy gray apprentice by the looks of it. Nervously, it padded forward. Somewhat warily, the she-cat approached the newcomer. As the apprentice ducked from beneath the shadows, she could now see his appearance more clearly. He had a pure gray coat with fur that seemed silky and long. Light gray hairs framed his face, and a pale pink nose was half obscured as he licked his fur. When he peered up at her, lime green eyes with flecks of gold gleamed into her dark amber ones. Floodpaw had arrived at last. With a gaze that held a mixture of fear and anxiety, he greeted her. Silverclaw gave him a long, cool look, scrutinizing him for a while. He seemed timid and easily frightened, definitely not the sort of cat she was expecting. When they had first met just a few sunrises ago, he seemed eager to learn but now… So is this what Icestar sent me? she thought bitterly. Obviously the Warrior had lost the favor of her leader. But she was grasping too tightly to first impressions. Silverclaw herself was somewhat anxious about their first encounter, and besides, who knew how long it would be before she left the Clan permanently? “Hello, Floodpaw,” she said stiffly, inclining her head in greeting. Her pawsteps led her closer to the apprentice until they were just a tail-length apart.

[/color] “Why don’t we start with… Can you swim? Even in shallow waters?” she queried politely, her amber gaze flicking over to the waters and back to the gray apprentice. Hmm, perhaps he was a bit too young to begin that. Quickly, she decided, “Actually, you’re too young. Why don’t we tour the borders a bit and see how you respond to any enemy Warriors who cross or prey we happen by?” This time, she hoped her first impression would shatter to something much better. She loped on by, closer to the edge of the lake and headed in the direction of their borders with SoulClan. Maybe her new apprentice was actually a promising Warrior. Or was that just wishful thinking…?

“Silverclaw speaks”
Silverclaw thinks
Silverclaw does

Word Count; 446
Tags; Floodpaw
OoC;
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[shocky !]

Floodpaw kept a keen eye on his mentor, trying to make himself look carefree and cheerful. It was an easy deception since that was his personality for the most part, and yet the chill of the water nearby scared him to death. He couldn't explain it, which was even more aggravating. It wasn't like a family member had drowned or he had almost been swept away as a kit. No, it was just that water was dark. Frightening. Life-draining. The worst pain in the world and it hurt and it pulled at your life and made you forget about everything and everyone you ever loved and... he shuddered. It didn't do well to think about it.

He focused his gaze on Silverclaw, apprising her. She looked like a good warrior, certainly a better one than he would make if this phobia kept up. She was watching him critically, and in that moment he knew her to be smart. Hopefully, she liked him, because if she did, he felt that he could learn a lot from her.

“Can you swim? Even in shallow water?”

Or not. Floodpaw froze, his pelt beginning to fluff. His legs locked and for half a second he thought they were going to give out. The icy hand of terror clutched his poor, small heart. He swallowed and tried to keep his composure, dipping his head, and was about to reply when she quickly changed her mind. Tour the borders. The long-haired grey tom let out a sigh of relief, licking his chest hair anxiously so she wouldn't see the uneasiness that had been written all over his face. Floodpaw took a few moments to let the fear go out of him, and turning so that his back was too the pool, he gradually relaxed.

“That sounds great!” he told her cheerfully, his paws itching to go. The tom's green eyes brightened and he flicked his ears anxiously, ready to tear off after her. This, he could do. “Which border shall we go to first? And don't worry about enemy warriors! If I see any, I'll tear their fur right off. You just watch!” He made a few swiping motions with his claws, though on the last one he pitched a bit forward and had to fix his balance, huffing sheepishly as he did so. Floodpaw rolled his lime green eyes and took an eager step away from the pool. With the water behind him, he wasn't so scared, and he felt like he could keep up an easy prattle for ages.

He had half a mind to ask if her if she knew any good stories but decided that it wasn't the right time. No, right now he had to act like a warrior! The grey apprentice's eyes gleamed. Here we go.

[Juniper]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true]

[atrb=width,600,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=07071d] Silverclaw managed to keep up an aloof stance as she studied her new apprentice. But this cold front instantly shattered when Floodpaw’s still kittenish voice piped up. She smiled for perhaps the first time in her depressing life, her amber eyes light and gleaming softly. She consoled herself that no matter how clumsy or inept the young apprentice might be, he would still earn a place in her heart. She even considered trying to stay in AspenClan for the remainder of his apprenticeship. Then she could leave conscience-free, knowing she had done at least one good deed to counteract all the horrors that would soon come to plague her adoptive Clan. Amber eyes sparkled as the thin rays of the sun filtered through the dense forest. She gave another glance towards the glittering Reflection Pool before sweeping it sideways and aiming it in the direction of the SoulClan camp. She meowed quite casually, “I thought that perhaps we could renew our scent markings over by the SoulClan border.” She stared at the stormy gray apprentice, waiting for any objections. Her paws were twitching with anxiety, apprehension, and anticipation intermingling. Lately, she had gotten extremely fascinated with the Clan, for she believed that SoulClan might just be her true birthplace. It seemed to make sense at least. SoulClan cats were reputed to be quite aggressive like her. And besides, they currently had the best hunting, something that helped fuel her enthusiasm for tracing back her family. The dark gray she-cat turned tail and plunged through the forest, not bothering to wait for a response. A mere glance into the mostly obscured sky revealed it to be nearly sun-high. In response, Silverclaw quickened her pace, waving her tail behind like blades of grass blown by wind. She hoped fervently that Floodpaw could keep up – or at least track her lingering scent. At last she sighted the melded wooden obstruction that marked the boundary between AspenClan and SoulClan. She bounded neatly into a pile of cracked leaves and twisted around to wait for her apprentice. “Silverclaw speaks” Silverclaw thinks Silverclaw does Word Count; 342 Tags; Floodpaw OoC; Quick little post, hope you don’t mind.

[shocky !]

There was a moment of tension - or, at least, Floodpaw felt like there was, but what did he know? He stared at Silverclaw, waiting for a sign. Would she approve of him or disapprove of him? Anxiety was building up within him, which was unusual, since he was generally a carefree cat. But this was one of those times where what was happening was actually important. Silverclaw's impression of him would make or break his whole apprenticeship. He waited, tense, fur on end... and then she smiled. Her eyes brightened. And it was such an out of place expression for her that Floodpaw smiled back. He was going to like her, the grey tom decided.

Yes, he was going to like her.

He brightened at her suggestion of renewing the scent markers on the SoulClan borders, padding along behind her as she sped off. It soon became obvious that just padding wasn't going to enable him to keep up with her - the long-haired apprentice was going to have to run. As Silverclaw began to disappear from his view he upped his pace, panting faintly as he caught up with her. Okay, this was okay, he could do this. The grey tom had spent much of his kithood rolling around and play-fighting, but he wasn't used to exercise, and it was definitely going to take awhile before he was up to par with his mentor.

Up ahead, he saw a large obstruction, and slowed to a stop as Silverclaw whirled around. Floodpaw padded up slowly behind her, feet moving slowly through the leaves. The apprentice spent a few moments trying to catch his breath, and then he looked up at the great wooden object. "Woah," he finally said breathlessly, starting at it as if he expected SoulClan cats to burst out at any second. "What is that?"

[Juniper]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,600,true][atrb=height,500,true]

[atrb=width,600,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][bg=07071d] Vague memories of her own moons as an apprentice swept over the dark gray she-cat. She recalled those happier times, when she had abandoned the longing for her parents as a kit, and when she had not yet grasped the horror she would face as a kinless Warrior. Despite all the hard work she had done, she felt carefree, from her thoughts at least. She had struggled hard to maintain the rigorous training, so hard that she didn’t have a moment to wallow in dark ideas of murder and treachery. And now that she was mature enough to handle her own apprentice, she was sure she could relive those cheerful times she had in the past. This was what she concentrated on. Silverclaw’s ivory paws led her to the boundaries of their territory, the stretch of land that bordered both AspenClan and SoulClan. She paused, her eyes dancing along the wooden structure as if calculating something. But in reality, she was allowing her apprentice to regain his breath. She knew how tiring it was to suddenly have to adjust to a schedule that called for much strength and stamina. Her pure gray apprentice, whose fur was a calm shade just a touch lighter than her own, gaped in wonderment at the dividing barrier between the two Clan territories. The newly made mentor allowed another smile to flit over her face as she studied Floodpaw’s amazed expression. “This,” she began dramatically, for the benefit of her young companion, “is our boundary marking. It’s like a Twoleg-made tree.” She extended a paw and nudged at the wooden thing. Dust flew off the gnarled surface in flurries. Her nose wrinkled as the pungent stench of Twolegs entered her nostrils. The she-cat peered through the openings in the wooden object with feigned disinterest. It definitely wasn’t advisable to let Floodpaw know of her secret visits to the territory. Sure, she was at first merely checking up on the other Clan, but now that she was meeting one of her recruits, a handsome snowy white male… Silverclaw shook her head, mentally trying to clear her mind. Her ears flicked and her nostrils twitched. She turned to the younger gray male, her dark eyes questioning. “What do you smell? What can you hear? Go ahead and see if you can detect any sign of SoulClan cats,” she urged him. Then she herself followed her instructions, drinking in the asphyxiating scent of SoulClan and Twolegs intermingling. She coughed and spluttered at the sudden intake, then backed off in embarrassment. “Mmm, and go easy on the sniffing,” she cautioned, glaring at Floodpaw in case he burst out in laughter at her predicament. Silverclaw tucked her tail in, draping it over her front paws as elegantly as she could. She felt the blood that had rushed to her head earlier ease back down, but the heat of it still prickled her face. She gave a few quick licks to her chest fur and as much as she could reach of her back, hoping to flatten the rising furs. Then, she trained her gaze back onto her apprentice, chiding herself for temporarily neglecting him. Hopefully, he wouldn’t try to copy her and would breathe in slow, easy inhalations of the putrid air. “Silverclaw speaks” Silverclaw thinks Silverclaw does Word Count; 543 Tags; Floodpaw OoC; To Aspen cats, SoulClan smells the worst.