Post by starstruck on Mar 27, 2012 21:04:09 GMT -5
The brown tabby tom stood tall in the pine forests of Shadowclan's territory. He had recently received his first apprentice Heatherpaw. He shook his head, she of all the apprentices in the clan. He didn't have a problem with her. Not at all. The fierce tom looked at his large paws. These paws should be training for battle. These paws should have been preparing to sink claws into the Riverclan warrior who murdered his brother. He closed his eyes and stomped his paw hard on the ground splashing mud upwards spraying himself in the face.
Perhaps this is why he received Heatherpaw as an apprentice. So he could learn patience. He felt like they could learn a bunch from each other. He sputtered a few things to himself before thinking. What could he teach her that would be easy to remember? Or he wouldn't mind repeating? He sighed. He was so unsure of himself as it was how would he be able to train Heatherpaw? He looked up to the sky as if he were looking for answers from Starclan. Looking for answers from Rockfall. Today he wouldn't get any.
He sat down looking at the distant trees. He couldn't use his flirtatious ways to win the respect of this apprentice over. He knew this much. He would have to be patient with her.He flicked his tail back and forth waiting for the downy gray she-cat to come out. He had reminded her this morning after he ate breakfast. He was just outside the clan camp waiting. Just waiting. He was nervous too. He dug his claws into the marsh. He just wanted her to accept him, he would do the same for her.
Today was the day to prove herself to her mentor. Today was her first chance at showing him and her clan that she could be valuable. Heatherpaw was going to remember how to get through the territory and not get lost. She was going to reach her destination, without the aid of her brother, or at least try to. Her entire body was quivering with anticipation as she began her journey out of the apprentices den. Waving goodbye with her tail to her brother, who was aggravating some kits, she grinned. Thankfully she had Downyfur to help her remember that she was to go out training, just not the location. The she-cat had almost forgotten…almost.
Heatherpaw had been playing with some of the other apprentices. She couldn’t believe that they were allowing her of all cats to play. Usually they would only play with her out of pity or because they were told to. But this time they had asked her to play. The light gray tabby could not have been more excited. Not only did she have the mental disability, but she had the disadvantage of being much smaller than the other apprentices, thanks to her being born far too premature. Even the majority of the kits in the nursery are bigger than she is. It would not come as a surprise to this she-cat if she did not grow any more. She had been told from the beginning she would not be very large, and would probably be quite small. But she never imagined this is what they meant. Now that she was off on a journey to train, her two front paws, the white tipped ones, were itching to move quicker. All she had to do now was remember where to meet her mentor. She could do this.
The forest was so vast and it made an apprentice like young Heatherpaw feel so inferior. But after a moon of training she was ready. She had been taught the layout of the territory many times, and had been around and around to each section until she could finally remember how to get to each. It had taken this long for her to remember, but the part that was the biggest surprise is that she had remembered. No one knew just how capable she was, or if her brain would be able to comprehend anything. This just proved she could be a warrior, it would just take time. She would probably be older than most apprentices by the time she was made a warrior, and those younger than she would be a warrior before she was, but she didn’t care. She could possibly be a warrior. Heatherpaw had to focus on the positives.
Finally reaching the meeting spot, she let out a mewl of delight as she realized she had done it. She had remembered where to meet him. ”Brackenfire, I remembered!” Heatherpaw exclaimed as she saw her mentor. Her bright blue eyes were wide with excitement. She was so proud of herself, even if this accomplishment was very minute. But to her, this was one to mark her progress. Never would she think she would remember anything. But she had. ”And I’m ready to train.” she added eager to get going.
Brackenfire turned around. He let out a warm purr and praise before gently touching the she-cat on her shoulder. He felt like it would be rude to say that he was proud of her. Would that be degrading knowing that she had the dissablity? He parted his jaws to speak but said no more. He knew would be training this apprentice far past the 12 moon mark. He was okay with that. Partially. It just meant that it would be awhile before he received his second apprentice. That was fine. He didn't mind. At least for now. His patience would only last for so long. So in all actuality was this a challenge? He realized that Heatherpaw may not be all that useful. He frowned for just a moment and started to think.
He noticed that the apprentices didn't seem to like her playing with them, except for today. He gave her extra time to play today and he noticed that they had asked her to play this time. He saw this as a good sign. Brackenfire also realized that the she-cat wouldn't get much bigger. It would be dangerous for her to go into battle, and battle training would be dangerous as well. Brackenfire was a formidable fighter and he would have to take it easy on her. It may also be dangerous for her to have kits so her being a queen could be dangerous. He then realized that her memory may or may not be strong enough for her to become a medicine cat, so in all actuality what use was she to her clan besides being friendly and optimistic?
"Yes, So you did remember Heatherpaw." The tom mewed. He looked down at his apprentice being around 3 times her size. He felt huge next to her. He couldn't help but blush with embaressment. He was such a fool sometimes. The bitter tom looked left and right. He still had to keep his mind on his own task when it came to his deceased brother Rockfall. He promised himself he would avenge his death not matter how long it took. He also promised himself if he ever found a she-cat to put up with his attitude that he would name his first born son Rockkit no matter what he looked like. Hopefully he had a brown pelt. A white kit being called Rockkit? That would be awkward.
Brackenfire scanned the pine trees. What would be a good thing to do? What would be something that would be easy to reteach? Toad hunting.....the worst part of hunting but it had to be done. Or frog hunting. At least frog hunting was fun. So that was it. He knew that it would be fun for him and fun for Heatherpaw. That was the best way to do things and it may help her remember as well. "How does Frog hunting sound for todays lesson? It's fairly easy and it can be rather fun with the right company and it's something I wouldn't mind teaching everyday for a moon! It never gets old!" He mewed.
The purr that Heatherpaw had heard from her mentor had instantly brightened the young apprentice up even more. He was glad that she had done something right. Maybe there would be more opportunities like this, times where she could show him that she wasn’t worthless. Her bright blue eyes were shimmering now, fully happy. If only her mother could see her now. All her life she had been compared to her mother, saying she looked almost identical to her. But Heatherpaw would only meet her mother when she joined the ranks of StarClan herself. Heatherpaw lived for the days her siblings would tell her about their mother. Some of the things they would tell would actually stick in her mind and stay there. She didn’t know what it was about the stories, or how they could stick. It was like her mother was putting those memories fresh in her mind each and every day, trying to help her daughter. Her mentor looked to be deep in thought, so Heatherpaw decided it was best to keep quiet. Keeping quiet didn’t include sitting still, however. It was more or less her glancing all around her, taking in the sights and sounds.
Heatherpaw beamed as he spoke, and she was very proud of herself. It was the little accomplishments that fueled her to not give up. It bothered her not one bit that her mentor was three times her size. Most cats were twice her size anyway, and her brothers are a good bit bigger than she is. Heatherpaw never saw the danger in having a mentor so much bigger than herself, she just saw opportunity. She cocked her head to the side wondering why he was looking so embarrassed. Had she done something wrong? ”Is something wrong, Brackenfire?” she asked curiously.
She awaited eagerly while Brackenfire decided what was to be done today. Whatever it was, she was going to try her best. Maybe she could get her brothers to help her when they returned. The more she practiced, the more it would stick in her mind. So their plan for today was frog hunting. That was something she had heard her brothers discuss before. They said it was one of the most mousebrained tasks ever. Or was that something about toads. She tried to get her brain to cooperate, but it wasn’t being kind to her today. Sighing and letting out a deep breath of frustration she continued to listen to her mentor. But Brackenfire seemed to think it would be something that could be fun. So why not give it a chance. ”Sure, sounds good to me. When I catch a frog can I give it to the elders?” Heatherpaw asked. She had made sure not to say ‘if’ she caught a frog but ‘when’. She was one determined little apprentice and she would catch a frog if it meant being there for moons.
'What's wrong Brackenfire?' He looked at Heatherpaw for just a minute. A lot was wrong, but that would be a story for another day. "Nothing is wrong heatherpaw, I just have a lot of things on my mind, warrior things, no concern to you at this moment, but in time I think I will let you know." The brown tom mewed. The she-cat was ready to train. At least he got an apprentice who was willing to learn and not stubborn. He was the worse apprentice to train since he was so stubborn. He didn't listen to what his mentor said half of the time. All Brackenfire wanted to do was battle train. He did just that too. That was one thing he loved the most. He hated his mentor to pieces but when they battle trained they got along just fine. Perhaps that's what he was such a good fighter. Because that was all he trained for half of the time.
Brackenfire started walking. Leading Heatherpaw to the swampiest part of the territory. It was sticky navigating and his paws were covered with muck. It was a mousebrained task. He rolled his eyes at the thought however it would bring Brackenfire back to his kit hood when his brother Rockfall took him out when he was just apprenticed. Perhaps that is why he really wanted to go Frog hunting. He would have to teach Heatherpaw how to catch them of course. When you missed chasing them through the swamp was incredibly amusing. He could picture himself missing while he demonstrated. He couldn't help but let his whiskers twtiched with amusement. When Heatherpaw spoke again he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
"Well, you will catch a frog today Heatherpaw I promise. When we are done, we can bring all the frogs to the elders den. Whatevers left perhaps we can give to the queens. I'm glad you thought of your elders first Heatherpaw. I respect you greatly for that. As long as you say they are from your first day from training and are from you. That's the first thing we can do when we get back." He mewed. He continued walking through the muck turning his head every so often to make sure Heatherpaw didn't fall behind.
It wasn't much longer until they came to a small pool. He sat down watching the water. He could hear the annoying croaks and ribbiits of the frogs. You could occasionally see one jump into the water. His whiskers twitched as he waited. He supposed it would be time to demonstrate."Watch this Heatherpaw, this is how you do it." He mewed. He watched the water carefully. He also looked around to see if there were any that were in the swamps.If they were they blended in or were burried. He waited as one popped out of the water. It's head bobbling back and forth. With a swift movement his paw dipped into the muddy marsh water and tossed the frog out of it.The frog landed in the mud upside down. He bit it killing it instantly. Thank goodness he didn't have to chase after it."When you see its head in the mud water swipe your paw quickly. don't worry it took me a few tries. If it runs off well hops off don't worry chasing after them can be fun." He mewed with a sparkle in his eyes.
Heatherpaw still looked up at her mentor concerned, but didn't press the subject any further. Like Brackenfire had said, he would tell he when he wanted to, and if he wanted to. He was going to confide in her something and that made the small she-cat feel excited. She probably wouldn't remember later what he had told her, but she had someone who trusted her enough to tell her things. She just nodded at his response and eagerly awaited.
As she was led through the marshy part of the clan, she felt her paws become stickier and stickier. Making a slight face at the feeling, she padded onwards. Heatherpaw knew she would need a big time grooming after they finished training, but being out and actually training for the first time was worth all this icky gunk on her paws.
When Brackenfire began to talk again, Heatherpaw listened to him intently. He was just as determined as she was to catch a frog. Good, that meant that no matter what she would catch a frog today. He would help her, and she couldn't ask for a better mentor. And he had promised that they would bring back frogs to the elders. "Well, they have the most awesome stories ever and they don't ever mind telling them over and over. I like going in there, and I think they like me too." the apprentice admitted. He respected her? Well that was new, usually it took a while for her to gain respect. She still didn't have it from half the apprentices. But who cared, she was doing good. And to be able to immediately go see the elders would just add to this fun day. Maybe they could help her get some of the gunk off her pelt.
Heatherpaw continued to follow, it was a good thing she was light on her paws, she could bounce through all this muck easier. Once or twice she caught Brackenfire looking back at her, and she couldn't help but smile. He was making sure she was okay, and she liked that. She had someone to look after her.
When they finally reached their destination, Heatherpaw looked toward her mentor and grinned wide. She was enjoying this. Her attention soon drifted to the frogs hopping. Her eyes widened at the sight. There were so many of them! Just listen! She barely heard Brackenfire when he started talking, but looked his way and watched as he began to show her how to catch them. Her bright eyes were watching him intently, studying his every move. This is what made her a good apprentice, she paid attention to the details. Watching him, she sat in awe. It all happened so fast, but it was amazing.
Heatherpaw knew she could do this. Nodding as he told her what to do she looked back up at him. "So can I try now?" she asked eagerly. Her tail was twitching quickly in excitement. She was going to catch one, and she could hardly wait for Brackenfire to give her permission to try.
"Well, they have the most awesome stories ever and they don't ever mind telling them over and over. I like going in there, and I think they like me too." Brackenfire let out a mroww of laughter. His medium tone mew echoed through the forest. He had to admit he enjoyed some of the tales the elders told. He liked especially the one that yewfang told him about the day he defeated the entire clan of Riverclan all by himself. He couldn't help but let himself drift off to the days when he was a kit and was sitting the elders den all day. It was something he enjoyed."did you ever hear Yewfangs stories? That tom always told very long and exciting tales. Ask him about how he beat all of Riverclan by himself. it's a long one but you will love it i'm sure." Brackenfire mewed.
"So can I try now?" Brackenfire looked down at heatherpaw. His whiskers twitched with amusement at her eagerness. It made him happy that his apprentice was so eager to learn and that would be something that he would report back to their leader. He would have so much to brag about. He would make sure the other apprentices could hear as well so they knew how hard his apprentice was working to learn. She would make a fine warrior. It would take a lot of time and work but he would train her to be a wonderful warrior. He shook his head back into reality and just dipped his head.
"Of course you can try, when you're ready of course. Ill watch. If you're unsure of something just ask. I don't mind showing again. frog hunting is more fun then it is work. I think that's the best way to learn. Things seem to stick better when you're having fun." the warrior mewed. Brackenfire thought for just a second. Would she remember frog hunting the morning? In the morning, they would do some battle training just the basics. Then back to frog hunting then to battle, then frog, then battle, then maybe some rat and mouse...he drifted into his own train of thought trying to think of a nice routine to mentor Heatherpaw and of course how to make things fun. This was going to be a challenge and he knew it.
Heatherpaw was glad she was able to make her mentor grin and have a good time. It was nice to see others happy. When he said something about Yewfang she started to think. Had she heard a story from the elder before? She was constantly in the elder’s den so it was possible she had heard the story he was speaking of. The little apprentice was searching what little memory she had and trying to find stories she had been told. With a gasp, she realized she DID remember some of them. She nodded at the question, a huge grin forming on her face. ”I’ll definitely ask Yewfang then. I think they like having me around because I don’t complain if they don’t remember if they have told the story before. They can boast and change their stories all they want, but I probably still won’t remember. Remind me later which one to ask him, I might forget by the time we get back to camp.” she mewed. Though it was sad, it would most likely be true. Heatherpaw would forget half of their conversation before they reached camp again.
When Heatherpaw saw her mentor look down at her she was beaming. Her whole body was twitching with excitement as he began to speak again. So this could be fun? Downyfur said this was a bunch of foxdung work. But Brackenfire was her mentor, not her brother. Surely he would know what is best. ”I’ve got it in my head for now. Don’t know how long it will stay, but I think I can do it.” She mewed. So the trick was to just have fun. Well she could do that. Thinking back to just a few moments ago and seeing his instruction she took a deep breath.
Looking at the water she saw several frogs but how could she get to them. Heatherpaw knew patience was key to this. She had to wait for them to come to her. Sitting still until she watched one pop up she let out a little mewl of fright. She had not expected it to be so quick. She took a swipe but missed, and as it hopped out of the water, she tried to swat at it. Unfortunately it landed on the ground and began to hop away. So this is what Brackenfire had been talking about. With a grin, she began her chase laughing as she realized this was fun. It was then she realized she didn’t know what to do. Coming to a halt she turned back to Brackenfire. ”So what do I do if they pop out like that and I have to chase them? Do I just try and catch it and how quiet do I need to be while chasing it?”Heatherpaw was wanting to do this right.
Perhaps this is why he received Heatherpaw as an apprentice. So he could learn patience. He felt like they could learn a bunch from each other. He sputtered a few things to himself before thinking. What could he teach her that would be easy to remember? Or he wouldn't mind repeating? He sighed. He was so unsure of himself as it was how would he be able to train Heatherpaw? He looked up to the sky as if he were looking for answers from Starclan. Looking for answers from Rockfall. Today he wouldn't get any.
He sat down looking at the distant trees. He couldn't use his flirtatious ways to win the respect of this apprentice over. He knew this much. He would have to be patient with her.He flicked his tail back and forth waiting for the downy gray she-cat to come out. He had reminded her this morning after he ate breakfast. He was just outside the clan camp waiting. Just waiting. He was nervous too. He dug his claws into the marsh. He just wanted her to accept him, he would do the same for her.
Today was the day to prove herself to her mentor. Today was her first chance at showing him and her clan that she could be valuable. Heatherpaw was going to remember how to get through the territory and not get lost. She was going to reach her destination, without the aid of her brother, or at least try to. Her entire body was quivering with anticipation as she began her journey out of the apprentices den. Waving goodbye with her tail to her brother, who was aggravating some kits, she grinned. Thankfully she had Downyfur to help her remember that she was to go out training, just not the location. The she-cat had almost forgotten…almost.
Heatherpaw had been playing with some of the other apprentices. She couldn’t believe that they were allowing her of all cats to play. Usually they would only play with her out of pity or because they were told to. But this time they had asked her to play. The light gray tabby could not have been more excited. Not only did she have the mental disability, but she had the disadvantage of being much smaller than the other apprentices, thanks to her being born far too premature. Even the majority of the kits in the nursery are bigger than she is. It would not come as a surprise to this she-cat if she did not grow any more. She had been told from the beginning she would not be very large, and would probably be quite small. But she never imagined this is what they meant. Now that she was off on a journey to train, her two front paws, the white tipped ones, were itching to move quicker. All she had to do now was remember where to meet her mentor. She could do this.
The forest was so vast and it made an apprentice like young Heatherpaw feel so inferior. But after a moon of training she was ready. She had been taught the layout of the territory many times, and had been around and around to each section until she could finally remember how to get to each. It had taken this long for her to remember, but the part that was the biggest surprise is that she had remembered. No one knew just how capable she was, or if her brain would be able to comprehend anything. This just proved she could be a warrior, it would just take time. She would probably be older than most apprentices by the time she was made a warrior, and those younger than she would be a warrior before she was, but she didn’t care. She could possibly be a warrior. Heatherpaw had to focus on the positives.
Finally reaching the meeting spot, she let out a mewl of delight as she realized she had done it. She had remembered where to meet him. ”Brackenfire, I remembered!” Heatherpaw exclaimed as she saw her mentor. Her bright blue eyes were wide with excitement. She was so proud of herself, even if this accomplishment was very minute. But to her, this was one to mark her progress. Never would she think she would remember anything. But she had. ”And I’m ready to train.” she added eager to get going.
Brackenfire turned around. He let out a warm purr and praise before gently touching the she-cat on her shoulder. He felt like it would be rude to say that he was proud of her. Would that be degrading knowing that she had the dissablity? He parted his jaws to speak but said no more. He knew would be training this apprentice far past the 12 moon mark. He was okay with that. Partially. It just meant that it would be awhile before he received his second apprentice. That was fine. He didn't mind. At least for now. His patience would only last for so long. So in all actuality was this a challenge? He realized that Heatherpaw may not be all that useful. He frowned for just a moment and started to think.
He noticed that the apprentices didn't seem to like her playing with them, except for today. He gave her extra time to play today and he noticed that they had asked her to play this time. He saw this as a good sign. Brackenfire also realized that the she-cat wouldn't get much bigger. It would be dangerous for her to go into battle, and battle training would be dangerous as well. Brackenfire was a formidable fighter and he would have to take it easy on her. It may also be dangerous for her to have kits so her being a queen could be dangerous. He then realized that her memory may or may not be strong enough for her to become a medicine cat, so in all actuality what use was she to her clan besides being friendly and optimistic?
"Yes, So you did remember Heatherpaw." The tom mewed. He looked down at his apprentice being around 3 times her size. He felt huge next to her. He couldn't help but blush with embaressment. He was such a fool sometimes. The bitter tom looked left and right. He still had to keep his mind on his own task when it came to his deceased brother Rockfall. He promised himself he would avenge his death not matter how long it took. He also promised himself if he ever found a she-cat to put up with his attitude that he would name his first born son Rockkit no matter what he looked like. Hopefully he had a brown pelt. A white kit being called Rockkit? That would be awkward.
Brackenfire scanned the pine trees. What would be a good thing to do? What would be something that would be easy to reteach? Toad hunting.....the worst part of hunting but it had to be done. Or frog hunting. At least frog hunting was fun. So that was it. He knew that it would be fun for him and fun for Heatherpaw. That was the best way to do things and it may help her remember as well. "How does Frog hunting sound for todays lesson? It's fairly easy and it can be rather fun with the right company and it's something I wouldn't mind teaching everyday for a moon! It never gets old!" He mewed.
The purr that Heatherpaw had heard from her mentor had instantly brightened the young apprentice up even more. He was glad that she had done something right. Maybe there would be more opportunities like this, times where she could show him that she wasn’t worthless. Her bright blue eyes were shimmering now, fully happy. If only her mother could see her now. All her life she had been compared to her mother, saying she looked almost identical to her. But Heatherpaw would only meet her mother when she joined the ranks of StarClan herself. Heatherpaw lived for the days her siblings would tell her about their mother. Some of the things they would tell would actually stick in her mind and stay there. She didn’t know what it was about the stories, or how they could stick. It was like her mother was putting those memories fresh in her mind each and every day, trying to help her daughter. Her mentor looked to be deep in thought, so Heatherpaw decided it was best to keep quiet. Keeping quiet didn’t include sitting still, however. It was more or less her glancing all around her, taking in the sights and sounds.
Heatherpaw beamed as he spoke, and she was very proud of herself. It was the little accomplishments that fueled her to not give up. It bothered her not one bit that her mentor was three times her size. Most cats were twice her size anyway, and her brothers are a good bit bigger than she is. Heatherpaw never saw the danger in having a mentor so much bigger than herself, she just saw opportunity. She cocked her head to the side wondering why he was looking so embarrassed. Had she done something wrong? ”Is something wrong, Brackenfire?” she asked curiously.
She awaited eagerly while Brackenfire decided what was to be done today. Whatever it was, she was going to try her best. Maybe she could get her brothers to help her when they returned. The more she practiced, the more it would stick in her mind. So their plan for today was frog hunting. That was something she had heard her brothers discuss before. They said it was one of the most mousebrained tasks ever. Or was that something about toads. She tried to get her brain to cooperate, but it wasn’t being kind to her today. Sighing and letting out a deep breath of frustration she continued to listen to her mentor. But Brackenfire seemed to think it would be something that could be fun. So why not give it a chance. ”Sure, sounds good to me. When I catch a frog can I give it to the elders?” Heatherpaw asked. She had made sure not to say ‘if’ she caught a frog but ‘when’. She was one determined little apprentice and she would catch a frog if it meant being there for moons.
'What's wrong Brackenfire?' He looked at Heatherpaw for just a minute. A lot was wrong, but that would be a story for another day. "Nothing is wrong heatherpaw, I just have a lot of things on my mind, warrior things, no concern to you at this moment, but in time I think I will let you know." The brown tom mewed. The she-cat was ready to train. At least he got an apprentice who was willing to learn and not stubborn. He was the worse apprentice to train since he was so stubborn. He didn't listen to what his mentor said half of the time. All Brackenfire wanted to do was battle train. He did just that too. That was one thing he loved the most. He hated his mentor to pieces but when they battle trained they got along just fine. Perhaps that's what he was such a good fighter. Because that was all he trained for half of the time.
Brackenfire started walking. Leading Heatherpaw to the swampiest part of the territory. It was sticky navigating and his paws were covered with muck. It was a mousebrained task. He rolled his eyes at the thought however it would bring Brackenfire back to his kit hood when his brother Rockfall took him out when he was just apprenticed. Perhaps that is why he really wanted to go Frog hunting. He would have to teach Heatherpaw how to catch them of course. When you missed chasing them through the swamp was incredibly amusing. He could picture himself missing while he demonstrated. He couldn't help but let his whiskers twtiched with amusement. When Heatherpaw spoke again he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
"Well, you will catch a frog today Heatherpaw I promise. When we are done, we can bring all the frogs to the elders den. Whatevers left perhaps we can give to the queens. I'm glad you thought of your elders first Heatherpaw. I respect you greatly for that. As long as you say they are from your first day from training and are from you. That's the first thing we can do when we get back." He mewed. He continued walking through the muck turning his head every so often to make sure Heatherpaw didn't fall behind.
It wasn't much longer until they came to a small pool. He sat down watching the water. He could hear the annoying croaks and ribbiits of the frogs. You could occasionally see one jump into the water. His whiskers twitched as he waited. He supposed it would be time to demonstrate."Watch this Heatherpaw, this is how you do it." He mewed. He watched the water carefully. He also looked around to see if there were any that were in the swamps.If they were they blended in or were burried. He waited as one popped out of the water. It's head bobbling back and forth. With a swift movement his paw dipped into the muddy marsh water and tossed the frog out of it.The frog landed in the mud upside down. He bit it killing it instantly. Thank goodness he didn't have to chase after it."When you see its head in the mud water swipe your paw quickly. don't worry it took me a few tries. If it runs off well hops off don't worry chasing after them can be fun." He mewed with a sparkle in his eyes.
Heatherpaw still looked up at her mentor concerned, but didn't press the subject any further. Like Brackenfire had said, he would tell he when he wanted to, and if he wanted to. He was going to confide in her something and that made the small she-cat feel excited. She probably wouldn't remember later what he had told her, but she had someone who trusted her enough to tell her things. She just nodded at his response and eagerly awaited.
As she was led through the marshy part of the clan, she felt her paws become stickier and stickier. Making a slight face at the feeling, she padded onwards. Heatherpaw knew she would need a big time grooming after they finished training, but being out and actually training for the first time was worth all this icky gunk on her paws.
When Brackenfire began to talk again, Heatherpaw listened to him intently. He was just as determined as she was to catch a frog. Good, that meant that no matter what she would catch a frog today. He would help her, and she couldn't ask for a better mentor. And he had promised that they would bring back frogs to the elders. "Well, they have the most awesome stories ever and they don't ever mind telling them over and over. I like going in there, and I think they like me too." the apprentice admitted. He respected her? Well that was new, usually it took a while for her to gain respect. She still didn't have it from half the apprentices. But who cared, she was doing good. And to be able to immediately go see the elders would just add to this fun day. Maybe they could help her get some of the gunk off her pelt.
Heatherpaw continued to follow, it was a good thing she was light on her paws, she could bounce through all this muck easier. Once or twice she caught Brackenfire looking back at her, and she couldn't help but smile. He was making sure she was okay, and she liked that. She had someone to look after her.
When they finally reached their destination, Heatherpaw looked toward her mentor and grinned wide. She was enjoying this. Her attention soon drifted to the frogs hopping. Her eyes widened at the sight. There were so many of them! Just listen! She barely heard Brackenfire when he started talking, but looked his way and watched as he began to show her how to catch them. Her bright eyes were watching him intently, studying his every move. This is what made her a good apprentice, she paid attention to the details. Watching him, she sat in awe. It all happened so fast, but it was amazing.
Heatherpaw knew she could do this. Nodding as he told her what to do she looked back up at him. "So can I try now?" she asked eagerly. Her tail was twitching quickly in excitement. She was going to catch one, and she could hardly wait for Brackenfire to give her permission to try.
"Well, they have the most awesome stories ever and they don't ever mind telling them over and over. I like going in there, and I think they like me too." Brackenfire let out a mroww of laughter. His medium tone mew echoed through the forest. He had to admit he enjoyed some of the tales the elders told. He liked especially the one that yewfang told him about the day he defeated the entire clan of Riverclan all by himself. He couldn't help but let himself drift off to the days when he was a kit and was sitting the elders den all day. It was something he enjoyed."did you ever hear Yewfangs stories? That tom always told very long and exciting tales. Ask him about how he beat all of Riverclan by himself. it's a long one but you will love it i'm sure." Brackenfire mewed.
"So can I try now?" Brackenfire looked down at heatherpaw. His whiskers twitched with amusement at her eagerness. It made him happy that his apprentice was so eager to learn and that would be something that he would report back to their leader. He would have so much to brag about. He would make sure the other apprentices could hear as well so they knew how hard his apprentice was working to learn. She would make a fine warrior. It would take a lot of time and work but he would train her to be a wonderful warrior. He shook his head back into reality and just dipped his head.
"Of course you can try, when you're ready of course. Ill watch. If you're unsure of something just ask. I don't mind showing again. frog hunting is more fun then it is work. I think that's the best way to learn. Things seem to stick better when you're having fun." the warrior mewed. Brackenfire thought for just a second. Would she remember frog hunting the morning? In the morning, they would do some battle training just the basics. Then back to frog hunting then to battle, then frog, then battle, then maybe some rat and mouse...he drifted into his own train of thought trying to think of a nice routine to mentor Heatherpaw and of course how to make things fun. This was going to be a challenge and he knew it.
Heatherpaw was glad she was able to make her mentor grin and have a good time. It was nice to see others happy. When he said something about Yewfang she started to think. Had she heard a story from the elder before? She was constantly in the elder’s den so it was possible she had heard the story he was speaking of. The little apprentice was searching what little memory she had and trying to find stories she had been told. With a gasp, she realized she DID remember some of them. She nodded at the question, a huge grin forming on her face. ”I’ll definitely ask Yewfang then. I think they like having me around because I don’t complain if they don’t remember if they have told the story before. They can boast and change their stories all they want, but I probably still won’t remember. Remind me later which one to ask him, I might forget by the time we get back to camp.” she mewed. Though it was sad, it would most likely be true. Heatherpaw would forget half of their conversation before they reached camp again.
When Heatherpaw saw her mentor look down at her she was beaming. Her whole body was twitching with excitement as he began to speak again. So this could be fun? Downyfur said this was a bunch of foxdung work. But Brackenfire was her mentor, not her brother. Surely he would know what is best. ”I’ve got it in my head for now. Don’t know how long it will stay, but I think I can do it.” She mewed. So the trick was to just have fun. Well she could do that. Thinking back to just a few moments ago and seeing his instruction she took a deep breath.
Looking at the water she saw several frogs but how could she get to them. Heatherpaw knew patience was key to this. She had to wait for them to come to her. Sitting still until she watched one pop up she let out a little mewl of fright. She had not expected it to be so quick. She took a swipe but missed, and as it hopped out of the water, she tried to swat at it. Unfortunately it landed on the ground and began to hop away. So this is what Brackenfire had been talking about. With a grin, she began her chase laughing as she realized this was fun. It was then she realized she didn’t know what to do. Coming to a halt she turned back to Brackenfire. ”So what do I do if they pop out like that and I have to chase them? Do I just try and catch it and how quiet do I need to be while chasing it?”Heatherpaw was wanting to do this right.
