[Moonraven]

He got the feeling that no matter how much work he put into the apprentice, he wouldn't get the results he was hoping for. The apprentice was too old and set in their way. It might have had a bigger impact if he had gotten Maggotpaw straight out of the nursery instead of Whisperinghive, but what's done was done. If he could get the brat to act a little less spoiled, at least in his presence, he'd count it as a win.

Batglare assumed the apprentice would have a rougher time when it finally met someone with more impact in its life, who finally told them no. For now, Batglare would have to work with what he's been given. The words gifted to him sound nothing more than a gift to butter a cat up and get what Maggotpaw wants. They sound hollow, feel hollow, and make Batglare's hackles rise, but he forces them flat a heartbeat later.

"Stop that." His growl is low and monotonous, with no real anger in the voice. "Empty placating doesn't work on me. If anything, telling me what I want to hear to get what you want is beyond frustrating and manipulative." Batglare couldn't tell if it was doing it on purpose or not, though. If no one has ever pointed out such a thing, he could understand why Maggotpaw thought nothing of it.

"It makes me want to distrust you and not believe a word out of your mouth. You said that you like fish, that I believe, and I took the time to bring you all here, to a place that fills me with guilt and sadness, to show you where you can find fish and try to teach you a lesson you don't need to know, because I know it will make you happy. I don't get anything out of this except your joy." Batglare wasn't a known conversationalist, speaking about his feelings and thoughts was not his strong suit, but the time training Featherblossom had been a blessing in disguise for him. It pushed him out of his comfort zone and helped him more than he could have ever expected.

"I am trying to build a decent relationship with you as mentor and apprentice, build a bond for lack of better terms. Yet it seems that all you see me as is a means to an end, using me to get what you want, and it hurts in some way. I am not telling you to behave and be careful around the water because I need you to be good, but because I care about your well-being and don't want to see you drown. As for your demands and impatience, one wrong word or move at the border in front of an opposing clan could start a fight, and lives could be lost. Respect and self-control could mean the difference between life and death in the clans." His eyes dim and grow haunting, watching someone die right before your eyes, and drag home corpses knowing that if you had just shut your mouth...

"As your mentor, I take my duty seriously to guide your paws and teach so you don't make the same mistakes I did. To protect and care for you until you can do so on your own, and in turn, do the same for your future apprentice. To do that, I need a little bit of trust and respect, and your words make it seem as if I am simply a tool for you to use and disregard as you please. I'm not sure what I've done to make you think so little of me, but I do not appreciate it. So since we're here now, I'll teach you how to fish. After that, I'll take you home and speak to Twilightstar about finding you a new mentor. If any old cat will do as your mentor, we can find you a different warrior. I can't continue training someone whom I will grow to distrust and resent."

Batglare can't recall a time he's ever asked for a reassignment. But he's never been given an apprentice like Maggotpaw. Even the apprentices, he doesn't have strong everlasting bonds with; he's never felt the need to reassign them. He's never felt he couldn't trust them or felt used by them. It was a disgusting feeling, and Batglare didn't like associating Maggotpaw with it. So it was better to cut ties now. If Maggotpaw was so stuck in its ways, to a point where Batglare couldn't even blame the apprentice... it'd be too much of a struggle to continue this training.

"Come here," He sighs after a moment, calling the apprentice to his side as he sits down by the water, carefully angling his body to keep his shadow out of the water "When fishing, you avoid casting your shadow on the water. It's just like when you hunt, you avoid letting prey pick up your scent or see you as they'll flee."
@nyme [Maggotpaw]