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Post by gingerluna on Jun 20, 2019 14:15:27 GMT -6
thousand voices dead at my feet
Coalfur had no idea why Ashenstar had trusted him with Larchpaw. He was barely a warrior. He struggled to keep up in rabbit hunts, the thought of fighting made his head spin with panic, and the only thing he was half good at was stealth, which was useless. He knew he was going to disappoint Larchpaw, and everyone, but he owed it to the apprentice to try. Maybe if everyone saw how useless he was, she'd be assigned a better mentor. They'd barely spoken as they left camp, and now they were pacing through the territory in silence. He struggled to remember what his first day as an apprentice had been like. He looked over at Larchpaw. "So, uh..." he stuttered. "Anything you want to see?" |
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Post by niftyshark on Jun 22, 2019 19:37:44 GMT -6
Larchpaw thought a moon into her training would make her feel more confident. She thought she would get used to her new responsibilities and what was expected of her. She thought she would make new connections.
She thought wrong. Even after a moon, Larchpaw still woke up anxious. Even after a moon, Larchpaw still avoided direct eye contact. Even after a moon, she still messed up even the most basic apprentice tasks. She felt like a total wreck. How could she go on to be a warrior when she was like this? The thought felt so far away that she couldn’t even begin to imagine her life changing.
As nice as she thought her mentor was, he wasn’t comfortable with her. And she wasn’t comfortable with him. The moon didn’t change that, either, and the awkwardness almost physically hurt. The familiar silence stretched between them as they set out to train, and she wasn’t expecting him to say anything. The fact that he did surprised her, and she fumbled with a reply. “Um...” she trailed off nervously. “Maybe the... the herb meadow?”
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Post by gingerluna on Jun 26, 2019 18:19:09 GMT -6
"Yeah, that sounds good," Coalfur confirmed, adjusting their path so they'd head in that direction. They could practice some fighting techniques. Or he could show her how to stalk a rabbit. He'd figure it out when they arrived. He glanced over at her again, despair eating him away. He was failing her, and she knew it. "You're doing a good job." He wasn't too sure if he was telling the truth, but he had to try to encourage her. "We're....we're going to make you into a skilled warrior." He had to try, even if he felt like a total failure. Larchpaw deserved better.
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Post by niftyshark on Jul 1, 2019 9:49:26 GMT -6
“Oh... thank you,” Larchpaw murmured. She wasn’t so confident about her ever being a skilled warrior, and she struggled to hide that fact. She searched for something to say in response, uncomfortable with the silence, and all she came up with was, “Thanks for being my mentor.” Mousebrain. Like he had a choice in the matter. She was too embarrassed to correct herself though or add anything else, so she simmered in her mortification until she saw a wide meadow open up before them. Hills crested and fell in the distance, and in the very far distance, mountains cloaked in blue framed the sky. She fixed her amber gaze on them, taking in the scent of flowers as a cold breeze stirred the grasses.
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Post by gingerluna on Jul 2, 2019 22:12:43 GMT -6
Coalfur was comforted somewhat by her reply and the sight of the meadow. It was gorgeous, a difficult place to be upset in. "Of course," he answered, hoping that was the right thing to say. "I thought today I could, uh, show you some stalking techniques?" It was the only thing he felt he was good at. "It's important to get really close to rabbits before you try to take them down. Once a rabbit gets going, only the fastest warriors can catch them. So it's important to shorten the distance you have to run as much as possible." He glanced over at the field, wondering how they ought to practice. "What if I...pretend to be a rabbit? And you try to sneak up on me?" he said, looking over at her. "Does that sound good?"
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Post by niftyshark on Jul 15, 2019 10:40:59 GMT -6
Larchpaw knew rabbits were fast, but she didn’t realize that stealth was also needed to catch them. Where exactly could she hide? Some of the grasses were tall, but it wasn’t like they were in AspenClan’s forests or WillowClan’s marshes. Much of their territory was open. She looked at Coalfur and nodded. “Stalking practice sounds useful.” She waited until the black tom moved further away, then she slipped into a rudimentary crouch. The position felt a little odd, but she did her best to move through the grass silently.
She pictured Coalfur with long ears and a bushy tail, and she struggled to stifle a smile. Shaking her head, she focused again. Approaching him was easy, but she wasn’t sure what to do after that. Did she want him to pounce? To run towards him after a certain point? Deciding that the latter was more appropriate, when she felt she was close enough she burst from the grasses at a run, aiming right for him.
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Post by gingerluna on Jul 16, 2019 16:59:10 GMT -6
Coalfur stepped several paces away, not looking at Larchpaw but listening as best as he could. He heard her shuffle a bit in the beginning, but chose not to react, as he hadn't given exact instructions on when to start. Her initial approach was good, he could only hear the occasional rustle. As she leapt, he heard her, and somewhat instinctively he burst forward in a panicked shuffle. Her paws caught hold of his back, and he stopped, whirling to face her. "G-good job!" he said, gasping for breath and trying to regain his composure. "Gave me a spook. That's good, really good."
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Post by niftyshark on Aug 3, 2019 18:48:51 GMT -6
Her paws touched Coalfur firmly, and she was surprised when she thought she detected him as being startled. She did that? She was half-worried she overstepped, but half of her was admittedly pleased that she could elicit such a reaction. It was confirmed when he referenced his fright, and Larchpaw stared at him in wonder. It took her a few moments to realize she still never said anything, so she cleared her throat. “R-really?” she asked shyly, scuffing the ground and averting her gaze when the compliment fully sunk in. “I’ll... I’ll try to keep it up. Your praise means a lot.” It took a lot for her to say, so she quickly changed the topic. “What are we doing next?”
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Post by gingerluna on Aug 8, 2019 16:02:12 GMT -6
Larchpaw looked delighted, if not nervous, and Coalfur brightened at her words. His breath slowed. It was strange, to be looked up to. He was so distracted by his joy that he nearly forgot he had to come up with another activity. "You deserve it, really," he said. He truly meant his praise, but he was also stalling until he could think of something else to do. Larchpaw was fast. Maybe he ought to see how fast. "If you think you're warmed up, you can see how quick you can run to that tree and back. Then maybe we can practice your skills on some real rabbits." They'd scared off all the prey here, so they might as well use the field as much as they wanted before leaving. Coalfur was starting to sound like a real mentor. He wondered why he felt so much better today, compared to his other training sessions with Larchpaw.
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Post by niftyshark on Aug 14, 2019 21:30:55 GMT -6
Larchpaw looked at the tree that Coalfur indicated. He wanted her to run? It seemed like an easy enough task. She was about to nod, but Coalfur mentioning real rabbits had her eyes widening slightly. Was she ready for it? She swallowed nervously. There was only one way to find out. She looked at her mentor once more before she took off running for the tree. Her muscles were already loose, and while she was fast enough, she felt slow compared to what she saw from many of the warriors.
She looped around the tree and sped towards Coalfur. She slowed down when she reached him, and her gaze tentatively rose to meet his. “...Was that fast enough? For a rabbit?” Worry gnawed at her that it wasn’t, but she avoided mentioning that.
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Post by gingerluna on Aug 17, 2019 14:48:37 GMT -6
Coalfur watched as Larchpaw sped off. She placed her paws well, and she was fast enough in his mind. It was difficult to judge without someone running alongside her. He supposed speed would be better assessed in group training. Oops. "You don't have to be fast to catch rabbits," he replied as she questioned him upon her return. "You only need to be fast, or stealthy. As long as you're good at one, you'll be okay." His words sounded...good? That was strange. "At first, it's best to sneak up and save your speed. Once you've practiced and you know yourself, you can try running them." He began walking towards the open moors. "I think you're ready. What do you say?"
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Post by niftyshark on Aug 19, 2019 20:31:32 GMT -6
It seemed contradictory, to either sneak up on or chase rabbits, but Larchpaw didn’t question it. She simply nodded, confused, but hoping it would become clear when it came down to trying it. Coalfur seemed confident in their ability to catch something, so she nodded again. “Yes... I’m ready. I think.” She added verbal confirmation, assuming that he would like it better. She wasn’t sure if she was actually ready—she certainly didn’t feel like it—but she was learning that it was better to pretend to be confident. Sharing her worries didn’t always help, and neither did responses to try and reassure her. Worrying too much was just a problem she had, and a problem she needed to deal with. Larchpaw followed him to the open moor, then looked around. There were no rabbits in obvious sight.
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Post by gingerluna on Aug 22, 2019 17:52:55 GMT -6
"You just have to be ready to try. No one said you have to catch a rabbit on your first try," Coalfur said, hoping he sounded comforting. He scented the air as they reached the moor, but all he smelled was grass. "We'll have to walk a bit. Stay low," he murmured, stepping forward and pressing his belly low to the grass. He snaked through the field, hearing a noise up ahead, and sniffing. Rabbit. He could see it shuffling up ahead. He glanced over at Larchpaw, nodding. If she was half as quiet as she'd been earlier, she had a good chance at catching it.
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Post by niftyshark on Aug 31, 2019 20:18:26 GMT -6
Taking Coalfur’s comments to heart, Larchpaw crouched low. She followed her mentor, then slipped past him. She could smell the rabbit now too, and she angled herself in that direction. She didn’t know exactly where it was, and that made her nervous. She wanted to do well.
One paw in front of the other, and she knew she was getting closer. Suddenly, she saw a bit of movement through tall blades of grass. The brown fur of the rabbit was close, just out of reach.
She bunched her muscles, then launched herself at the rabbit. It immediately took off, and Larchpaw ran after it as fast as she could. She extended a paw and tripped it, then put all her weight on it to hold it down. It struggled and squirm, and she had to avoid a few kicks before she could finish it off. Shocked by what she just managed to do, she looked at Coalfur, beaming with pride.
(End with your post?)
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Post by gingerluna on Sept 7, 2019 16:15:56 GMT -6
Coalfur stayed low, standing up as the rabbit panicked and Larchpaw darted after it. He felt pride glow in his chest, watching as she tripped and tacked it. He bounded forward, a cry of pride and triumph scaring away any rabbits brave enough to remain after the previous struggle. "Larchpaw....I....you...." He couldn't find the words to express how proud he felt. "That was amazing! Your first kill, you..." He looked down at the rabbit. "You did so well, I'm so, so proud of you!" And decently proud of himself, even if he'd only had a small part in all this. "Come on. Let's take your kill back to camp. The whole Clan needs to know about this."
(fin)
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