[Thistledawn]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

”I’ll be proud of you, I can promise you that. Even if you fall down flat on your face in front of the entire Clan.” Blazingcomet’s whiskers twitched when he said this last part, but he managed to keep from smiling… as difficult as it was. His golden eyes scanned over the younger cat. Cherrypaw was definitely going to have the abilities of a good warrior. She had a certain power to her, feminine, but sweet... and smart, she knew what she was doing - all important things. She was brave and loyal and would someday make the Clan proud. Blazingcomet didn’t have any doubt about that. And yet he was worried for her, wondering if she was going to grow up and find happiness like he thought he had - he wondered if he was teaching her everything she needed to know.

At some point, Cherrypaw was going to get older and start noticing toms a lot more. Blazingcomet knew this. And at some point, they were going to notice her too - he’d discovered that toms became interested in she cats a little before they returned that interest, or it had been that way for him and his friends. Perhaps she would meet a nice tom, or maybe he would be flirty (like Blazingcomet himself) - but Cherrypaw was almost like a daughter. More like a younger sister, really, but the age difference was almost great enough for them to be father and daughter. ”Alright. Ready to keep going?” He asked, striking a playful fighting pose, although the training was serious. He wanted to make sure that Cherrypaw had the skills she needed to fend off attackers, especially with the tension brewing between other Clans - Blazingcomet wasn’t sure if SkyClan would ever get involved in these battles, but he wasn’t going to take the chance that she would be unprepared if she were forced to take part.

The tom would do his best to keep his apprentice out of the battle, if it were to come to that, but in the end… she was the only one who could decide whether or not she was ready to fight. After all, Cherrypaw knew herself best. Besides, even if there wasn’t a battle, she could always use these moves on any ill-meaning young toms who came to woo the pretty feline. Blazingcomet knew a few she cats who would probably be laughing if they knew he was doing this… he had been, and still was, a flirt, and it should be expected that he would be helping his fellow toms, but instead… here he was, doing the exact opposite. It was definitely funny. What do you think of this, Drizzleshard? The tom hated the fact that he wasn’t with his former mate. Although he liked Petal, maybe even loved her, it was hard for him… he’d always thought that he would be with her forever.

A warm and fuzzy feeling enveloped the white apprentice. She knew he was joking about the last part (she'd playfully wrinkled her nose at him when he said it), but what Blazingcomet had said boosted Cherrypaw's confidence in herself, whether she needed that confidence boost or not. She didn't think she needed the approval of any other cat, but the apprentice didn't hate that feeling she got when she knew other cats accepted or believed in her. It made her feel less lonely and more important. For a moment she wondered how her relationship with Blazingcomet would change after she became a warrior. Cherrypaw considered their relationship to be a close one. Well, she was closer with Blazingcomet than she was with any other older cat. Would they continue to talk and maybe even train together every once in awhile? It was weird to think about training everyday with her mentor and then suddenly not. There were other thoughts that were weird to think about too. Would Blazingcomet accept another apprentice once Cherrypaw got her warrior name? She assumed he would. Wasn't training apprentices one of the greatest perks of being a Clan warrior? The blue-eyed she-cat shook her head as if that would shake out her jealous thoughts. Her relationship with Blazingcomet was going to be whatever it was meant to be or whatever Cherrypaw shaped it to be.

"Let's do it!" Cherrypaw mewed, striking an equally silly pose. She was still a little bit tired still, but this little break gave the apprentice the oppurtunity to get her breath back once again. Her blue eyes sparkled with determination as she tried to focus once more on training.