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Post by niftyshark on Jun 20, 2019 13:27:04 GMT -6
Shrikestar was waiting in a clearing, tail wrapped around his paws. He had Hollowecho instruct Webpaw to go there—the apprentice would have no idea who was hosting his assessment. The tom was more than ready to be a warrior especially since his brother was one already. It was up to Webpaw to prove to himself that he was ready; Shrikestar was only there for guidance. The sun was shining straight overhead and promised to be a good day, so there was no better time to go through a warrior assessment. He quickly ran through what he wanted Webpaw to do, and when he was satisfied, he relaxed a little more.
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 20, 2019 16:32:09 GMT -6
Webpaw made his way to the clearing that Hollowecho had told him to go to, the forest tauntingly silent. He knew he was due for his assessment, more than due in some other's opinions, and his stomach was in knots. Even for an easy going tom like him, he was incredibly nervous. He knew he should be a warrior by now, but he had struggled with land hunting and fighting, delaying his warrior ceremony. Hopefully now, he would be able to prove that he was ready. Webpaw rounded the corner into the clearing, and his eyes landed right on Shrikestar. "Shr-" he attempted in greeting, but his throat closed up from nerves and surprise. Coughing a little to clear his throat, he dipped his head respectfully and tried again, "Shrikestar."
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Post by niftyshark on Jun 20, 2019 19:04:13 GMT -6
Shrikestar’s eyes locked on Webpaw when he appeared, and his smile was wry. His reaction would be much the same if their positions were switched. “Webpaw,” he greeted. “This is a perfect day for your assessment. You’ll do fine.” He could tell the tom was nervous, so he didn’t want to delay him. “I want you to catch three fish, all from different streams. You’ll also need to mark the border, and then after that you need to catch a squirrel. This has to be done before the sun sets, and I’ll be watching you until then. Do you have any questions?”
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 20, 2019 19:20:34 GMT -6
The grey tom almost became immediately overwhelmed, but forced himself to calm down and listen to Shrikestar's instructions. He hoped it wouldn't be viewed as disrespectful, but he stared at the ground as he listened, finding it easier to focus. Webpaw nodded his head occasionally, as if making mental notes, and then paused once Shrikestar finished speaking. Glancing back up, he worried his question might be a dumb one, but still asked cautiously, "Do you want me to mark all of the borders, or a specific border?"
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Post by niftyshark on Jun 20, 2019 19:30:45 GMT -6
Shrikestar shook his head. All of the borders would take well into the night to do. He smiled kindly, hoping to put Webpaw at ease. “No. But you can choose any border you’d like. Whatever is closest or most convenient for you to get your tasks completed.” He waited for a moment to see if the tom had any more. It didn’t seem like the case, so he nodded. “If that’s all, then feel free to start. And remember, you will succeed. There has never been an apprentice who hasn’t.” Even his own training took longer than normal, and now he was in a position he never expected to find himself in.
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 20, 2019 19:41:14 GMT -6
Webpaw nodded his head in silence, mulling over the territory and building a map in his mind. Three fish from three different streams, marking a border of his choice, and then a squirrel. Feeling that he had a sufficient route built, he nodded his head one final time and took off in his chosen direction. He had mapped out a route that would cross him over three different streams in the direction of the AspenClan border. It would be convenient to mark, and should also be a prime area to find squirrels with the thicker woodlands. Webpaw quelled his fear that he might not be able to get the squirrel and pushed on to the first stream.
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Post by niftyshark on Jun 20, 2019 19:51:44 GMT -6
He watched Webpaw go, then waited a few moments. When he was sure the apprentice was definitely out of sight, he set to following. He didn’t know where Webpaw was by sight, but it was easy enough to follow his scent. He wanted to keep far enough behind that Webpaw ran no chance of encountering him. That would only make the tom feel even worse, Shrikestar could tell. When he heard the sound of a stream in the distance. He stopped and sat by a thick bush, ears angled and listening.
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 20, 2019 19:58:26 GMT -6
The excitement in Webpaw made him want to dive straight into the water, but he knew that would be the least effective way of getting a fish and probably the most effective way to hurt himself. He knew that would be something he'd never be able to live down, so he forced himself to calm down and dutifully took a good spot by the stream. While it killed him, he waited motionless, eyes locked onto the forms moving in the water. Finally, one swam into his target range and his paw flashed into the water, claws gripping the fish to pull it out. It hit the ground with a satisfying thud and he quickly bit into it before it could flop back into the stream. "Yes!" he mewed under his breath, then picked up the fish to head to the second stream.
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Post by niftyshark on Jun 20, 2019 20:59:13 GMT -6
Shrikestar spent more of his time waiting. He estimated how long it took to catch a fish, and when he felt that time was up, he drew closer carefully. Just enough that he could quickly hide if he saw Webpaw in the distance. He didn’t, so he moved closer still. The stream was empty of anyone when it came into view, and he could see wet stones and soil. He nodded his approval to himself.
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 20, 2019 21:09:39 GMT -6
He was relieved to hear the second stream as he approached. Setting the fish down a fair distance from the bank to make sure it didn't accidentally slide into the water, Webpaw positioned himself at the water. Unfortunately, this time he found himself too eager and when he reached into the water, he missed the fish. "Mouse-dung!" he hissed to himself, but forced himself to take a deep breath to relax. Missing a fish doesn't mean it's over. Just focus on getting it this time. It took a short time of waiting, but at least fish were pretty dumb and sure enough started swimming by him again. He waited until the right moment this time, catching his second fish. Picking up his new one and grabbing his old one, he took off toward the third stream at a faster pace to make up for the time lost.
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Post by niftyshark on Jun 20, 2019 21:39:23 GMT -6
It took him a moment to find Webpaw’s scent again, but when he did he continued to track it. He kept his senses out to listen for the apprentice and anything or anyone else that might be around. He drew closer to a second stream, but when he heard splashing he froze and zipped behind a rock. After a few long, tense moments, Shrikestar relaxed when he realized no one was coming towards him. He spent his time examining his claws before he felt safe to move to the second river. Webpaw was gone, so that could only mean he was successful again.
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jun 21, 2019 21:27:39 GMT -6
The third stream was a little farther away than the second one, so his jaw was beginning to feel a little strained by the time he reached it. Webpaw dropped the fish, opening and shutting his mouth for a moment to flaw out his jaw before turning his attention to catching his third and final fish. His jaw would get plenty of a break then. Crouching down at the edge of the river again, he took a deep breath and became still again, eyes focused on the water. This stream seemed to be a little less populated, so it took a little longer than he would have preferred for the third fish to meander into his target zone. When it finally did, he was on it immediately, swiftly pulling it out of the water and killing it. Knowing he would be away for a while since he still had to mark the AspenClan border and then catch a squirrel, he dug a deep hole in the earth to bury the fish. "On to AspenClan," he mewed to himself once he finished packing down the dirt, and took off at a steady jog.
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Post by niftyshark on Jun 25, 2019 23:46:15 GMT -6
The third stream came and gone, and Shrikestar had no doubts at all that Webpaw would do fine as a warrior. The tests of skill weren’t particularly hard, but they were numerous, and when they were timed, there was a lot of pressure. If an apprentice could successfully navigate that pressure, they could handle warriorship. Webpaw clearly could, since he only had a squirrel and the border left. The sun wasn’t close to sinking yet, so there was plenty of time. Humming pleasantly, he kept a moderate pace as he followed Webpaw towards the AspenClan border.
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jul 5, 2019 6:26:13 GMT -6
Despite his minor setbacks, Webpaw was relieved to see that he hadn't really lost any time. He decided to give himself a break from hunting for a moment, and focused on the AspenClan border next. He followed along the border, inspecting and marking as he went. The grey tom had to remind himself not to rush, knowing it would look really bad if he missed something like evidence of a breach.
Once he was finished updating the markers and satisfied that their border was uncrossed, he focused on his final task: finding and hunting a squirrel. He glanced up at the sky, glad to see that he still had a fair amount of time, but this task made him a little more nervous than the others. He didn't have to hunt just any land prey, it had to specifically be a squirrel, which were one of the more challenging from what he'd heard.
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Post by niftyshark on Jul 5, 2019 17:25:26 GMT -6
Shrikestar’s steps were careful as he neared the AspenClan border. He eyed it carefully, warily, as if he expected an enemy warrior to jump out at any time... a specific warrior he didn’t want to see. He sighed, shaking off his thoughts, before he determined where Webpaw was. It wouldn’t do to let himself be seen. He trailed back like usual, waited a while, then moved forward. The border was freshly marked, and he nodded to himself, almost thoughtlessly, as he ticked off his mental checklist. There was only the squirrel left, and Webpaw’s status would be determined.
(Fin with your post?)
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Post by matchesrulezu on Jul 8, 2019 17:58:14 GMT -6
He felt like the sun was sinking lower and lower, taunting him as he struggled to find a squirrel. Webpaw was about to yowl in frustration when he finally caught sight of one. His breath caught in his throat as he silently lowered himself to the ground, staying as still as possible. The grey tom was about to rush forward, but he paused, taking a note of where they were located being so close to the AspenClan border. Fortunately, they were far enough away that he felt confident pursuing the squirrel. Continuing his crouch forward, he focused more on silence and steadiness rather than speed. When the squirrel seemed to focus more on its surroundings, he froze, always careful that he stayed downwind. After what felt like ages, it was finally within striking distance and after pausing for a moment, he jumped forward. Webpaw briefly wondered if the squirrel might be younger and a little too comfortable, as his pounce caught it by surprise, rendering an easy kill. He let out a sigh of relief and clasped the squirrels tail firmly in his mouth, running toward where the fish were buried.
He was relieved that the fish remained untouched and he made quick work of pulling them out of the earth. Unfortunately, carrying three fish plus a squirrel proved a greater challenge than he had anticipated. Webpaw couldn't run too briskly or he risked dropping something, but he trotted steadily through the forest back to camp. The sun's position was in his favor and he knew that he would make it back in time. He would finally be a warrior.
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~ finn ~
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