Softpaw's Training [P]

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye was herself a bit startled by Sweetsap's approach; being intercepted in that way hadn't exactly proven itself a common occurrence. For a moment, Heroneye was almost expecting to be scolded. Perhaps her mentoring hadn't been satisfactory after all, or perhaps she had done something else to offend Softpaw or her mother.

But not so; Sweetsap seemed to be only interested in greeting her daughter. It was true that Softpaw was nearing the end of her training, so perhaps she felt it was a momentous enough occasion to warrant the visit. While parents coming to see their kits off before training was quite unusual (as well as embarrassing, apparently), Heroneye couldn't help but feel that the apprentice was fortunate to have such a parent.

Her whiskers twitched in amusement at Softpaw's comment and at her attempts to escape her mother. She supposed it was rather unreasonable to expect a younger cat to feel the same way; being embarrassed by one's parents was, from Heroneye's understanding, practically a rite of passage. "Yes, I'm afraid we must be going now." Heroneye offered a polite nod. If Sweetsap had no other comments, Heroneye would begin to lead Softpaw towards the camp exit.

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye was herself a bit startled by Sweetsap's approach; being intercepted in that way hadn't exactly proven itself a common occurrence. For a moment, Heroneye was almost expecting to be scolded. Perhaps her mentoring hadn't been satisfactory after all, or perhaps she had done something else to offend Softpaw or her mother.

But not so; Sweetsap seemed to be only interested in greeting her daughter. It was true that Softpaw was nearing the end of her training, so perhaps she felt it was a momentous enough occasion to warrant the visit. While parents coming to see their kits off before training was quite unusual (as well as embarrassing, apparently), Heroneye couldn't help but feel that the apprentice was fortunate to have such a parent.

Her whiskers twitched in amusement at Softpaw's comment and at her attempts to escape her mother. She supposed it was rather unreasonable to expect a younger cat to feel the same way; being embarrassed by one's parents was, from Heroneye's understanding, practically a rite of passage. "Yes, I'm afraid we must be going now." Heroneye offered a polite nod. If Sweetsap had no other comments, Heroneye would begin to lead Softpaw towards the camp exit.

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

Sweetsap gave a gentle and friendly nod to Heroneye, letting out a small grunt as Softpaw bounded to her mother and pressed into her for a moment. "I'll tell you about it later, see you mom." She purred, receiving a lick around the ears before the snowy white apprentice padded to her mentor, following her out of camp

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye felt a little guilty to find herself relieved that they had gotten out of that interaction so easily. Sweetsap seemed a nice enough cat (hence the guilt), but Heroneye had no idea what to say to her, and she wanted to avoid making a poor impression of herself whenever possible. Generally speaking, that involved avoiding making impressions of herself altogether.

"Alright," said Heroneye, stopping a short distance outside the camp exit. She couldn't exactly pick a place to train without knowing what was being trained, after all. "What would you like to learn?" Hopefully, Softpaw wouldn't want to learn something Heroneye was just as clueless in, such as herbs.

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye felt a little guilty to find herself relieved that they had gotten out of that interaction so easily. Sweetsap seemed a nice enough cat (hence the guilt), but Heroneye had no idea what to say to her, and she wanted to avoid making a poor impression of herself whenever possible. Generally speaking, that involved avoiding making impressions of herself altogether.

"Alright," said Heroneye, stopping a short distance outside the camp exit. She couldn't exactly pick a place to train without knowing what was being trained, after all. "What would you like to learn?" Hopefully, Softpaw wouldn't want to learn something Heroneye was just as clueless in, such as herbs.

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

Softpaw gave a small frown. "Uhm.... is there anything swimming related we could do?"

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye listened to Softpaw's request. She wanted further lessons in swimming? Heroneye remembered their first swimming lesson, all the way back in the mountains. Stars, that may as well have been a lifetime ago. Perhaps it hadn't exactly gone swimmingly (har har), but Heroneye was pleased to see the apprentice taking initiative to improve herself, instead of just picking something that came more naturally to her. Not to mention that it may be a good experience for her, being able to swim in their own waters--as opposed to those unfamiliar, distant ones.

"We could do an advanced swimming lesson," Heroneye said. She nodded, gesturing for the apprentice to follow, before starting towards the river. What exactly would an advanced swimming lesson entail, she wondered? More swimming, and for longer, she supposed. That seemed too simple, though. Too straight-forward. Something she would need to reflect on (and rather quickly, it seemed).

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye listened to Softpaw's request. She wanted further lessons in swimming? Heroneye remembered their first swimming lesson, all the way back in the mountains. Stars, that may as well have been a lifetime ago. Perhaps it hadn't exactly gone swimmingly (har har), but Heroneye was pleased to see the apprentice taking initiative to improve herself, instead of just picking something that came more naturally to her. Not to mention that it may be a good experience for her, being able to swim in their own waters--as opposed to those unfamiliar, distant ones.

"We could do an advanced swimming lesson," Heroneye said. She nodded, gesturing for the apprentice to follow, before starting towards the river. What exactly would an advanced swimming lesson entail, she wondered? More swimming, and for longer, she supposed. That seemed too simple, though. Too straight-forward. Something she would need to reflect on (and rather quickly, it seemed).

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

Softpaw purred gently in agreement to her mentor. "I suppose I can see how were supposed to swim properly." She mewed in a bit of a light and teasing tone, seemingly reading her mentors mind as she blinked with soft green eyes. Softpaw's white pelt prickled against the gentle breeze.

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye paused at Softpaw words. Briefly, she interpreted them to have a more harsh meaning, that the apprentice was displeased with how she'd been trained. And then she realized that Softpaw had been thinking about returning to their river. Of course, Heroneye didn't think Softpaw wouldn't say something like that unprompted, even if, hypothetically, she thought it. It was only Heroneye's own insecurities reflected back at her.

"Right," she said simply, continuing to lead Softpaw towards the river. The apprentice could be almost frighteningly observant at times, but she still hoped she hadn't seen the Lionheart's previous confused expression.

When they arrived at the river, it was time to begin training. "First, try swimming to the other bank and back, to warm up. " Plus, it would be a good opportunity to gauge how much progress she'd made, as well as for Softpaw to get more comfortable with swimming here, in RiverClan territory.

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye paused at Softpaw words. Briefly, she interpreted them to have a more harsh meaning, that the apprentice was displeased with how she'd been trained. And then she realized that Softpaw had been thinking about returning to their river. Of course, Heroneye didn't think Softpaw wouldn't say something like that unprompted, even if, hypothetically, she thought it. It was only Heroneye's own insecurities reflected back at her.

"Right," she said simply, continuing to lead Softpaw towards the river. The apprentice could be almost frighteningly observant at times, but she still hoped she hadn't seen the Lionheart's previous confused expression.

When they arrived at the river, it was time to begin training. "First, try swimming to the other bank and back, to warm up. " Plus, it would be a good opportunity to gauge how much progress she'd made, as well as for Softpaw to get more comfortable with swimming here, in RiverClan territory.

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

Softpaw blinked at her mentor, not noticing the confused look but noticing a tenseness in the air. "Is..... everything alright?" She asked her mentor gently, nodding in focus as she was ordered to swim back and forth. Softpaw inhaled softly, scanning her surroundings. "The water goes that way... so if I position myself slightly towards it I can keep control of my flow as well as go with the waters flow." she murmured, nodding to herself and then creeping into the water, just as she had planned. Softpaw paddled, struggling a bit at first but getting the hang of it as she ducked a small bit into the water. Softpaw crawled up to the other side, looking back to Heroneye. "H-heroneye!" Softpaw mewed, her green eyes a bit wide as she looked into the water. "Heroneye- oh no. I think somethings bleeding in the water!"

[Fits]

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye stiffened at Softpaw's question. "Yes. Focus on your training," she added, not unkindly. Heroneye's own internal world wasn't of any concern to the apprentice, and it really would be best for her to simply turn her attention back to her training. Root out any unnecessary distractions.

Softpaw had crossed the river without too much issue. Heroneye wasn't too surprised; this was something Softpaw could do during their first swimming lesson (albeit with more trouble) and she would have only continued to improve if she continued practicing on her own.

But just then, something surprising did occur. Softpaw was inspecting the water, eyes wide with alarm as she claimed to see blood in the water. Heroneye leaned over to look, and sure enough, there was a cloud of red swirling in the river. Her first thought was to turn to Softpaw, but since she appeared uninjured, she looked back at the river. She found herself staring for quite a while, but she still couldn't make out anything far beyond the murky surface.

"Probably just a fight between fish," Heroneye had said before she even realized her mouth was moving. Well, that was surely a reasonable explanation, right? Some fish were themselves hunters, so surely it was probable that this was nothing more than leftovers from one such fish's midday meal. Nothing more.

"Let's move upstream," she said. There didn't appear to be anything there, but diving right into the source of a mysterious cloud of what may or may not be blood probably wasn't the smartest idea. If Softpaw agreed, Heroneye would lead the apprentice further up the river, away from that ominous spot.

(i'm not too sure what softpaw saw so feel free to correct me if i misinterpreted it so i can make edits ^^)

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

[MangoBearGoGrr]

Originally Posted by Fits

Heroneye
| she/her | RiverClan | Lionheart |

Heroneye stiffened at Softpaw's question. "Yes. Focus on your training," she added, not unkindly. Heroneye's own internal world wasn't of any concern to the apprentice, and it really would be best for her to simply turn her attention back to her training. Root out any unnecessary distractions.

Softpaw had crossed the river without too much issue. Heroneye wasn't too surprised; this was something Softpaw could do during their first swimming lesson (albeit with more trouble) and she would have only continued to improve if she continued practicing on her own.

But just then, something surprising did occur. Softpaw was inspecting the water, eyes wide with alarm as she claimed to see blood in the water. Heroneye leaned over to look, and sure enough, there was a cloud of red swirling in the river. Her first thought was to turn to Softpaw, but since she appeared uninjured, she looked back at the river. She found herself staring for quite a while, but she still couldn't make out anything far beyond the murky surface.

"Probably just a fight between fish," Heroneye had said before she even realized her mouth was moving. Well, that was surely a reasonable explanation, right? Some fish were themselves hunters, so surely it was probable that this was nothing more than leftovers from one such fish's midday meal. Nothing more.

"Let's move upstream," she said. There didn't appear to be anything there, but diving right into the source of a mysterious cloud of what may or may not be blood probably wasn't the smartest idea. If Softpaw agreed, Heroneye would lead the apprentice further up the river, away from that ominous spot.

(i'm not too sure what softpaw saw so feel free to correct me if i misinterpreted it so i can make edits ^^)

( @ChromeSpooky_Hwaa - Softpaw )

(It's ok :3 It's a realistic response LOL. I totally forgot to ask you and this is my fault, I have to unfortunately kill off Sweetsap, so I was going to ask (but I didn't :sigh: ) if they could find her in the River?
Buttt, sense Heroneye's reaction actually fit in well, could they maybe finish her training here and then check it out afterwards....? If you agree with it all. )

Softpaw looked down to the water, looking up to her mentor, "Fish fighiting... a-alright" She murmured, she followed her mentor upstream on the other side, "I should've swam back....dang it." Softpaw meowed to herself, though loud enough for her mentor to hear. "Heroneye, do you think that the water being a darker color makes it deeper? Because in the river back there,the part where it was a bit shallower I could see a bit clearer, and the deeper dip where the blood was, it's darker.... or maybe the blood was making the water darker?" Softpaw asked her mentor, wondering if her question was reasonable and realistic, or dumb and stupid. Softpaw gave a small sniff, shaking off her water filled pelt, her bright white fur fluffed out against a gentle breeze, making her cold to the bone.