RiverClan Training Island

[MEAT ANGELS]

Originally Posted by Slushie

[ @TeamRiverRipple ]

Goosepaw stared blankly ahead, though he was listening intently as he sunk into Ravenmist's side. The story sparked something in his chest. Hope? Desire? Admiration? Maybe all of those. He glanced over at her as she finished. "Well, that wasn't so bad," he commented. "I mean, from the way you were acting, I thought somebody had died or something. But it all turned out all right. Right?" He glanced down at his paws, where he had been absentmindedly pushing sand into a small pile. "It was a brave thing to do, right? Both smart and brave. I... I wish I was both of those, y'know?"

Ravenmist smiled shyly at Goosepaw. "You're all of those and more."

[dino.]

[ @TeamRiverRipple ]

He gave the sand pile a pat with one of his forepaws, shaking his head. His ears fell, pinning back to his skull. "I'm not," he murmured. "When Icestar and ShadowClan drove me out of my barn home, I made the stupid decision to confront them. I was seven moons old - barely apprentice-aged - and I was facing these three warriors almost three times my size. I asked them to leave, y'know? That this was my home. That they couldn't take it, because I had nowhere left to go. And then this one she-cat, Dawn-something I think her name was, attacked me."
He glanced over at his left shoulder, were three dark scars were clearly visible through his short, pale grey fur. "Then I made the cowardly decision. I ran from them. And I guess... I guess I've never forgiven myself for making that decision. Or ShadowClan, for that matter."

[MEAT ANGELS]

Originally Posted by Slushie

[ @TeamRiverRipple ]

He gave the sand pile a pat with one of his forepaws, shaking his head. His ears fell, pinning back to his skull. "I'm not," he murmured. "When Icestar and ShadowClan drove me out of my barn home, I made the stupid decision to confront them. I was seven moons old - barely apprentice-aged - and I was facing these three warriors almost three times my size. I asked them to leave, y'know? That this was my home. That they couldn't take it, because I had nowhere left to go. And then this one she-cat, Dawn-something I think her name was, attacked me."
He glanced over at his left shoulder, were three dark scars were clearly visible through his short, pale grey fur. "Then I made the cowardly decision. I ran from them. And I guess... I guess I've never forgiven myself for making that decision. Or ShadowClan, for that matter."

Ravenmist dug her claws into the ground, feeling uncomfortable. "This isn't my department.. Maybe I should call a good friend of mine to help you with this issue?" She looked to a tom nearby. "Oi, Brightwhisker!" She called. "Need some help over here!"
@Spiderfrost

[Spiderfrost]

Originally Posted by TeamRiverRipple

Ravenmist dug her claws into the ground, feeling uncomfortable. "This isn't my department.. Maybe I should call a good friend of mine to help you with this issue?" She looked to a tom nearby. "Oi, Brightwhisker!" She called. "Need some help over here!"
@Spiderfrost

@Slushie
Brightwhisker perked up at the sound of his name being shouted from nearby. The lynx point tom blink dark blue eyes in the direction of Ravenmist and smiled in mild confusion. Getting up, the warrior made his way to her and whom he knew vaguely as Goosepaw.

"You called?" he asked, looking more closely at the duo before noticing the gloomy mood. The blue eyed warrior frowned. "Is everything ok?"

Brightwhisker crouched down by Raven mist to peer down at Goosepaw in concern.

[MEAT ANGELS]

Originally Posted by Spiderfrost

@Slushie
Brightwhisker perked up at the sound of his name being shouted from nearby. The lynx point tom blink dark blue eyes in the direction of Ravenmist and smiled in mild confusion. Getting up, the warrior made his way to her and whom he knew vaguely as Goosepaw.

"You called?" he asked, looking more closely at the duo before noticing the gloomy mood. The blue eyed warrior frowned. "Is everything ok?"

Brightwhisker crouched down by Raven mist to peer down at Goosepaw in concern.

"This guy has some.... emotional trauma. Any suggestions?"

[dino.]

[ @TeamRiverRipple @Spiderfrost ]

"Wait, you don't-" he started to protest, but Brightwhisker was already making his way over. Goosepaw grit his teeth, eyeing the warrior warily. "I don't have emotional trauma," he finished, eyes shifting from Brightwhisker to Ravenmist and back again. "Ravenmist was just telling me how she got her warrior name, because my warrior ceremony is coming up pretty soon and I have no idea what I want my suffix to be. And she's really smart and super brave, y'know? She made the smart choice and the brave choice when it mattered, and I made the stupid, cowardly decision. So now I'm left wondering what I have to base my name off of."

[MEAT ANGELS]

Originally Posted by Slushie

[ @TeamRiverRipple @Spiderfrost ]

"Wait, you don't-" he started to protest, but Brightwhisker was already making his way over. Goosepaw grit his teeth, eyeing the warrior warily. "I don't have emotional trauma," he finished, eyes shifting from Brightwhisker to Ravenmist and back again. "Ravenmist was just telling me how she got her warrior name, because my warrior ceremony is coming up pretty soon and I have no idea what I want my suffix to be. And she's really smart and super brave, y'know? She made the smart choice and the brave choice when it mattered, and I made the stupid, cowardly decision. So now I'm left wondering what I have to base my name off of."

Ravenmist rolled her eyes. "See? Emotional trauma, like I said."

@Spiderfrost

[Spiderfrost]

@TeamRiverRipple
@Slushie

Brightwhisker saw the unease in the apprentices eyes towards him and made a point to back off a step or two so it wouldn't feel like he was looming over them. At Goosepaw's explanation, with Ravenmists' own interjection, the tom gave them both patient--if exasperated--smile.

He focused his attention to Goosepaw first.

"Apprentices get their names for more than just acts of bravery. They get them from traits, fur color, aspects of their personality, and yes, things they do." He explained as she settled down to sit by the female warriors side, brushing up against her.

"And sometimes the name an apprentice gets can be completely nonsensical. Did you know we have a warrior in our clan named Sassafrasfire?" he grinned. "Personally, my name, 'Brightwhisker' was given to me because i was the lightest fur color in my litter and my whiskers are white too. I didn't do anything noteworthy other than passing my final assessment and bathing in mud that one time and i once got smacked in the face by a fish the first time my mentor took me fishing at the river."

With that, he turned to Ravenmist with a pointed look and jabbed his paw at her.

"This kit is just nervous and needs encouragement. I don't know about any other deep seated issues, but he just needs someone to reassure him everything is fine." Brightwhisker tilted his head then in thought and turned back to Goosepaw.

"Wait, why isn't your mentor here with you telling you everything is going to be ok? I mean, I'm fine to do it, but you don't know me perhaps beyond a passing glance. But my words could mean little to you and in that case it would be better to hear these reassurances from them."

[dino.]

[ @TeamRiverRipple @Spiderfrost ]

Slowly but surely, Goosepaw began to relax. Brightwhisker was big, but he could tell he was friendly, and that put him at ease, even if just a little. He listened carefully, though he dropped his gaze once again to the small pile of sand at his paws.
"I want my name to make sense," he admitted. "And I don't really want to just be named after how I look. I want to be named for something memorable. Like, if I have an apprentice of my own, or even kits in the future, I want them to be able to look me and say, 'Hey, that's my dad' or 'Hey, that's my mentor' and be proud. Or maybe I become deputy. I want my Clanmates to think I'm someone who can protect them." Then he paused, suddenly realizing how it may sound, and looked back up at Brightwhisker with an apologetic expression. "N-not that there's anything wrong with your name, of course! That's not what I meant."
At the mention of his mentor, he glanced away again, smacking the sand pile so that the grains scattered across the shore. "She's pretty busy. But your words are comforting enough, so... thank you. Uh, do you have any suggestions? About my name, I mean."

[Spiderfrost]

@TeamRiverRipple @Slushie

Brightwhisker gave an understanding smile an waved his tail.

"Hey, it no problem. You sound like you've got big dreams, like you want to accomplish something great and that you can and you want your name to reflect that." The tom hummed in thought.

"Gooseflight, you just want to take off and do things. You don't want to stall. Or Gooseheart, you've got big dreams and you want to give your all. Maybe Goosewing? Because you want to show you can take others under your wing and protect them?" Brightwhisker offered.

"If it so important, I'm sure if you speak with Lionstar he will understand how important you take the meaning of your name."