Training with the Bat

[Moonraven]

Whisperingpaw/Twistedpaw Training Tracker

Training Experiences
Hunting Lesson - Whisperingpaw/Twistedpaw
Rabbit Hunting Lesson -Whisperingpaw/Twistedpaw
Battling Lesson -Whisperingpaw/ Twistedpaw
Battling Experience -


Patrols -
Whisperingpaw | Sky Glade Hunting Patrol | Finished (Mouse Caught)
Twistedpaw | Sky Glade Hunting Patrol | Finished (Nothing Caught)

Meetings
Clan Meeting #1 - Whisperingpaw/Twistedpaw
Clan Meeting #2 - Whisperingpaw/Twistedpaw

Final Assessment -

[Moonraven]

Batglare grumbled softly to himself as he finished licking the new scratches etched into his powerful body. RiverClan's deputy wasn't the greatest fighter nor threat he's ever fought, but she wasn't the worst either. Batglare shook the thought from his head and made his way to the apprentice den. He was getting further and further behind in training his apprentices. He wasn't even sure how familiar Twistedpaw and Whisperingpaw were to each other. So that's why he wanted to do some pair training with them today.

If they got along well enough, the two might have new friends to rely on around the clan. If they didn't... well Batglare would simply have to make them get along. "Whisperingpaw, Twistedpaw." The stoic tom's loud growl rumbled through the entrance of the apprentice den. "Get up, we're going hunting."

@ChaosBringer. @TheNyanCatMinecart [Couldn't find a training tracker for either so made one mostly for myself. Bat will be going over battle training with both of them at some point in time since he didn't do it personally himself with either.]

[ChaosBringer.]

Whisperingpaw(81/100)


An orange apprentice lay in his nest, his claws digging into the moss and ferns he lay on. Whisperingpaw shifted and turned in his nest, whimpering softly as he dreamed of Hazypaw, Berryfrost, and his unknown parents. He shot up when a voice called his name, his fur bristling. Turning his head to the entrance, Whisperingpaw spotted his new mentor, Batglare calling for him and Twistedpaw. Licking his fur to make himself more presentable, he padded out to Batglare. 'Hunting... Yay..' Whisperingpaw thought, remembering the day he caught his first mouse with Berryfrost.


[ @Moonraven -Batglare] [ @TheNyanCatMinecart -Twistedpaw]

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

(WARNING: Every post I make with Twistedpaw may include internalized ableism and mentions of abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.)


~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN - AFAB SHE/HER ~

Small, skinny black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip, a crooked jaw, a mangled tail, and one blind eye.

Every eye was on her.

They gleamed with malice, judgment, hate. A desire to rip her apart.

"Look at that apprentice," one chuckled, its face twisted into a sneer. "Look at her, thinking she can do anything to defend him."

"Could someone that twisted ever become a warrior?" another scoffed.

"Defending a traitor!" a familiar voice spat. Willowsky's black face, splotched delicately with light gray, loomed in her vision. "Just what I'd expect from a monster. A murderer."

The voices rose into an eerie, wailing chorus.

"Weak! Traitor! Monster! Murderer! Ugly! Hideous!"

"Twistedpaw."

The black-furred apprentice's eyes shot open as a gasp slipped from her throat. She was greeted by the familiar sight of the apprentices' den, half blocked out because she only had one working eye to view it out of. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, leaving her gasping for breath as she swung her head wildly to take in her surroundings. Had someone said her name? It was too dim to see clearly, but enough blinking cleared her vision enough for her to make out the greenery of the walls and the lumpy shape of the apprentices sleeping on their mossy nests.

It was just a dream, she told herself, squeezing her eyes shut before opening them again. Just a dream. But it rang with the bitter sting of reality.

Why had she done something so hare-brained? Twistedpaw was just an ugly, disabled apprentice. She had no right to address the entire Clan, no right to fight against an exile she now knew was just. Cowtuft was my friend... Her eyes stung with tears that threatened to fall - another bitter bite. Her round black paws trembled. But I understand why Twilightstar exiled him. And I shouldn't have yelled. Or lashed out. She cringed at the memory of attacking Wolffang and the harsh words of Twilightstar. She'd never imagined the gentle lilac-gray leader getting so angry.

But Twistedpaw had deserved it. Like she'd deserved Willowsky's hate.

The tears fell this time, hot and wet, carving trails across her round cheeks. No one would notice. Twistedpaw always kept to the farthest, darkest corner of the nursery. She'd caused Willowsky to go mad. She'd caused her father to leave. And now, after finally gaining some confidence to talk to her Clanmates, she'd bashed it by acting irrationally at an exile.

I had to try and defend Cowtuft. But it was worthless. So worthless.

Was she destined to destroy everything she touched because she'd been born so broken and... and wrong? Twistedpaw wondered if she really understood anything at all.

She was about to curl up and go back to sleep when she noticed a massive, hard-muscled silhouette standing in the entrance to the apprentices' den. A familiar scent cut through the musty, stuffy air. A jolt ran through Twistedpaw. Batglare! He'd been the one who'd called her.

Without thinking, the small, skinny apprentice sprang from her nest and bolted toward her mentor. She'd gotten better at controlling her movements with her mangled tail, though she had some near misses, barely avoiding a trailing tail or muzzle. She burst into the open air, trying not to cringe at the frigid blast that slammed into her face like a badger's paw. Already, she could feel her crooked jaw and mangled tail stiffening up. Great...

"S-s-sorry, B-Batglare!" she stammered in her signature distorted voice, sniffling and wobbling dangerously as she hastily tried to balance on three paws and wipe away her tears. Did he notice them? She hoped not. "Wh-what are w-we d-doing t-today?" Had he said it? Or had he just called them? A fresh wave of fear and embarrassment shot through Twistedpaw. Oh, StarClan, how incompetent I am! She'd made a fool of herself in front of the entire Clan, and she was sure Batglare was still heavily disappointed in her. She kept her gaze averted, down at her paws.

Wait, why was there something orange? Twistedpaw looked up and squeaked in surprise when she saw Whisperingpaw, Batglare's other apprentice. She'd planned on talking to her before... Well, before she'd made a fool of herself at Cowtuft's exile. A fresh wave of panic shot through her. If they didn't hate me before, they certainly hate me now. She was nothing more than a deformed disappointment. Twistedpaw shimmied back, mumbling a quick, nearly incoherent "H-h-hi" before looking at her paws. Oh StarClan, she was trembling badly. Everything felt ruined. Everything. Though she wanted more than anything to become a warrior, had she messed up everything? Like I'm prone to doing...

@Moonraven @ChaosBringer.

[Moonraven]

[Was on a hiatus, sorry for the delay]
Batglare glanced over at Whisperingpaw as the apprentice slide out of the den first, silently. Batglare watched him for a moment with steely unnerving eyes before they turned to Twistedpaw as the other apprentice burst out of the den. Unlike Whisperingpaw, Twistedpaw proved to be an emotional mess as normal. Batglare knew that Twistedpaw had quite the trying time during Cowtuft's exile, and still hadn't recovered from that.

Her outburst towards Wolffang had both been rather humiliating and alarming, though Batglare took it in stride. It merely showed him that clearly he was doing something wrong as a mentor, obviously he needed to fix something there. Then there was Whisperingpaw, as quite as he was, Batglare's noticed that he had quite the temper and was also prone to outbursts when it suited him. However, like Twistedpaw, Whisperingpaw had lost someone dear to him. Both cats had their flaws, and both he was sure were going to give him a rough time with their tendencies to be... overly passionate.

"Hunting." He replied evenly to Twistedpaw's stuttering question. His gaze drifted towards Whisperingpaw as Twistedpaw greeted him. He hadn't a clue what was going through Twistedpaw's head, but knew it was nothing good as she trembled like a leaf. "Twistedpaw, calm yourself, breath. Silence your thoughts and doubts, we've work to do and I need you focused." Batglare grunted cooly. While waiting for her to calm down, he looked to Whisperingpaw.

"You've gone hunting before with your late mentor, correct?" Though spoke as a question, he didn't wait long for an answer. "So you know how to properly hold a hunting crouch and stalk, and what did you catch?" He asked Whisperingpaw while occasionally glancing at Twistedpaw to make sure she wasn't going to follow over or pass out.

@TheNyanCatMinecart @ChaosBringer.

[ChaosBringer.]

Whisperingpaw(101/100)


As Whisperingpaw stood in front of Batglare, his dull eyes flickered around then slowed down onto Batlgare. It was cold outside, and he didn't want to be out here. He wanted to plop down in his nest and cry. Grief and regret swirled in his mind, with voices who nagged him all day who were no help. Before he could say anything to his new mentor, an apprentice burst out of the den Whisperingpaw just came out too. Twistedpaw... Well, they looked like a mess, apologizing and stuttering. Was their face wet from crying? Maybe, but Whisperingpaw was too tired to care. His eyes darted over to Twistedpaw as they squeaked. Had she not seen him? Was Twistedpaw too caught up in their mind to even see him? Whisperingpaw was orange for Star-clan's sake. Nodding a greeting to her, Whisperingpaw looked back to Batglare as they spoke to Twistedpaw for her to calm down. Crap, now he's talking to me.' The young tom thought, his fur prickling. Whisperingpaw's ears perked up as his mentor spoke about his first hunting lesson. "Yes-" He answered, and soon after Batlgare spoke again. "I caught a mouse."

@Moonraven. @TheNyanCatMinecart

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN - AFAB SHE/HER ~

Small, skinny black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip, a crooked jaw, a mangled tail, and one blind eye.

Fear and another emotion she couldn't explicitly identify - humiliation? Anticipation? - shot through Twistedpaw as Batglare's stony gaze fell upon her. She tried not to cower away, keeping her ears straight and her eyes upright, though she couldn't control the wince that quickly jerked her face to one side before it settled into a normal expression. At least, as normal as she could manage. Her nerves were shot; she felt like she was on the verge of throwing up; and no doubt her eyes were shining with fear. Its stench was sure to be clinging to her matted black pelt. But Batglare's reply was even, spoken in nothing more than his customary strict tone.

Twistedpaw felt her muscles relax a little, but that didn't stop the nausea from roiling in her stomach like a stormcloud. He doesn't seem mad at me. Batglare had always been helpful, lenient, willing to guide Twistedpaw through her trials and troubles. However, that didn't change the truth. That didn't change how she'd humiliated herself, losing whatever fraction of respect she'd garnered from her Clanmates - and shaming Batglare in the process. He said he wasn't disappointed in me before, she thought, feeling her knees resume their knocking, but he is now. He has to be. I'm a failure. With Whisperingpaw, he'd be more than glad to pass her aside for someone easier to deal with. Right?

Her mentor - her and Whisperingpaw's mentor now - returned his gaze to her, giving Twistedpaw an order to calm down. We've work to do, and I need you focused. Another pang of guilt shook the small black she-cat. I'm always a mess. A twisted, emotional mess. She was sure Batglare was tired of having to help her all the time.

A mess. A disappointment. A monster. That was all she was. Any happiness she'd had, any honor she'd gained, all of it had been thrown into the sky the instant she'd tried to defend Cowtuft.

More tears burned her mismatched eyes, one seeing and the other cursed into blindness. She missed him. I had to protect him. No, she hadn't. You fool. You mouse-brained, ugly, worthless fool... Oh, why hadn't she listened to Flutteringkit and Willowsky?

But what could Twistedpaw do now? Nothing. She tried to grit her teeth, but her treacherous crooked jaw only slipped so it hung at a worse angle. Leaf-bare wind kissed the inside of her mouth. She'd forgotten about the cold. Her heart sank past her gut and all the way to her round, broad paws. She could already feel an ache starting in her jaw and tail, the horrific tail she couldn't hide. No matter what I do, I'll always be a mess. I'll do nothing right today. I won't catch a thing, and Batglare... Batglare will realize he made a mistake. That I'm a monster, and like Willowsky said... I shouldn't be a warrior.

Panic and pain clutched her all at once. Then Twistedpaw remembered that Batglare had told her to calm down. I'm already failing. StarClan, why couldn't she just be normal?

But "normal" didn't exist wherever she went. So, Twistedpaw forced her head to lift, blinking back the tears and allowing herself to feel the dreadfully cold wind as it touseled her matted black pelt. She hadn't listened to anything Whisperingpaw and Batglare said amongst themselves, and she'd missed the orange apprentice's greeting. Probably for the better. Twistedpaw, feeling like it wasn't her place to talk, remained silent as she watched them. Should I say something? Try to be involved in the lesson? she wondered. But every time she opened her jaws, she made everything worse. And Whisperingpaw wouldn't want to listen to her garbling voice. So, Twistedpaw waited for Batglare to lead them out.

@Moonraven @ChaosBringer. (I apologize for how Twistedpaw is acting - Cowtuft's exile made her go into a sort of relapse. Chaos, Moon and I planned for Twisted and Bat to talk through some things during this roleplay. Is that okay with you? Don't worry, they'll both get a training session in.)

[Moonraven]

This was going to be a long lesson. Batglare internally grumbled to himself after he caught Whisperingpaw's answer. Twistedpaw was not calming down in the slightest, he didn't know why he even thought telling her to calm down would work. Batglare's intense glare swung back to Whisperingpaw, who although reek of similar distasteful emotions, was in a better state than Twistedpaw. He didn't seem to be plagued by the same self-doubt that hindered Twistedpaw.

Still, Batglare was sure that he'd find some other problem to deal with about him later. Batglare gave a low grunt as he rose and led the pair out of the camp and into the territory, ignoring how the blistering winds slammed against his bulky body. It was no windier or colder than any other leaf-bare day, but today felt extra cold for reasons unknown to him.

In the past several days, an unwanted sheet of white snow covered the territory, making hunting much colder and harder. No cat wanted to be outside for very long, and Batglare was the same—less for his sake and more for his dour apprentices. Both Whisperingpaw and Twistedpaw would have to learn how to conquer their emotions to put their duties before themselves.

The Clan would not wait for a cat to heal or feel better about themselves, it needed to be fed and guarded. However, Batglare didn't want them to think their feelings weren't valid either. As much as it pained him, he would have to take some time after the lesson to properly sit down and talk with the pair. If he started now, it would intervene with his plans and he'd get off track. They need to focus on the here and the now.

"Stay behind me," Batglare ordered, setting off towards Sunset Grove, leaving tremendous paw prints in his wake. The immense brown and white warrior used his bulk to block most of the wind as they moved through the snowy land. He pinned his ears back and twitched his nose, picking up the strong scent of rabbit well before he reached his destination. His keen eyes picked out the small cluster of rabbits a few tree lengths away.

"Head in the here and the now," Batglare's remained more for Twistedpaw's sake as he turned his head to look back at both apprentices. "Can either of you scent or see what I can?" His gruff voice cut through the bellowing wind with ease.
@ChaosBringer. @TheNyanCatMinecart [Since I wanna make sure they get this training in, Batglare will be having them focused on getting this hunting done, and then he'll check in on how Whispering and Twisted are doing after].

[ChaosBringer.]

Whisperingpaw(103/100)


Whisperingpaw shook out his fur to get rid of snow flakes and crusties of old, dead leaves if they were there. Twistedpaw was acting like some of the voices he heard sometimes. Emotional. Wait... Weren't they the one who attacked a warrior for saying something about Cowtuft? That murderer? The cat who killed his first mentor? Oh, ho, ho. Whisperingpaw would give Twistedpaw a hard time for that.

Shooting a slight hostile glance towards Twistedpaw, the orange tom followed Batlgare into the territory, wincing slightly at the horrid winds and the frigid cold that followed. 'Fox-dung.' Whisperingpaw swore in his head, his fur prickling at the cold. As his paws crunched in the chilling snow, most of the wind was blocked by his mentor. Whisperingpaw raised his head to hear Batglare speak. Sniffing the air and feeling his lungs freeze in the cold, the scent of rabbit filled his nose.

'Rabbit. Whisperingpaw thought, his eyes flickering around the area in search for the critters. He caught a glimpse of one and spoke. "A cluster of them..A few tree lengths away."


[ @Moonraven ] [ @TheNyanCatMinecart ]

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN - AFAB SHE/HER ~

Small, skinny black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip, a crooked jaw, a mangled tail, and one blind eye.

When Batglare began to move, Twistedpaw followed him like a lost kit. The bite of the snow against her paw pads was familiar and foreign. She knew the feeling, and she hated how the heavy sensation of cold water clung to her fur like gorse thorns. It dragged her down, too, slowing her movements so each rabbit-hop of ground covered felt like a tree-length. She was miserable. Her thoughts weighed her down enough; her discomfort was already plain among the mentor she'd disappointed and the apprentice who she feared would steal his attention. She didn't need leaf-bare to add to that. Normally, she'd press against Batglare to ward off the heat, but now... I don't deserve it. He wouldn't want me now. And what would Whisperingpaw think? Pain seared through her at the thought. But she didn't deserve comfort.

She trailed behind, letting the frigid winds whip at her matted black fur and sink into her flesh, turning her horrid mangled tail and twisted jaw into a stiff, painful mess. She couldn't even puff out her fur. She was too lost to do anything.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. The noise was dull in Twistedpaw's numb ears, muted by misery. She kept her head lowered. No one wanted to see her face. Her ugly, shameful face. Not even Batglare.

But she had to see where he was taking them, so she lifted it briefly. Her mentor's massive, heavily-muscled figure stood out starkly against the world of white, a dark silhouette save for his white markings, which melted into the sea of snow. There was Whisperingpaw, too, his orange pelt a beacon, a splash of a marigold flower in a barren world.

Then his green gaze fell upon her.

Angry. That was the first word that came to mind. They were narrowed, glittering more than the sun on the snow. Filled with distaste. Dislike.

Her eyes filled on instinct, and she quickly looked away. Batglare didn't want Twistedpaw showing her emotions, and if Whisperingpaw saw, he'd only hate her more. I deserve to be hated, don't I? I expected it. Her stomach grew tighter; her throat closed up. Twistedpaw tried desperately to hold back the boiling tears and to contain her sniffles. Hopefully, they'd think the snot came from the cold.

I deserve this! This is what I expected! I shouldn't be upset. I deserve it. I need to hold myself together. We're training. Twistedpaw had caused enough disruptions, been enough of a failure. She didn't need to make it worse.

Like she made everything worse.

Twistedpaw found herself retreating into her mind. Any attempts to battle it off, to come back to reality, were a failure. The discomfort of leaf-bare vanished to be replaced by the agony of self-deprecation.

They hate me. They all hate me. I can't do anything right. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I need to be a warrior, I need to be better, I was doing better, but my featherbrained self decided to make it worse...

Batglare's voice reached her mind as if from far away, ordering the apprentices to stay behind him. Twistedpaw tried. She really did. But her paws veered her off course so she barely tread in the huge dents he left in his wake. She didn't realize she was shaking until she had to scramble over a snowbank and found her paws shaking so much it was difficult to alter her slog through the snow. Dusted with white, Twistedpaw kept following. Each step, each icy breath, rejuvenated her self-hatred.

Whisperingpaw hated her. Batglare must, or at least, she'd disappointed him.

Disappointed the cat who cared about her most. Who had been like a father as well as a mentor, who had treated her with patience and kindness.

She nearly crashed into his flanks when he stopped. Her face heated. Every action was a downward spiral into another issue that stemmed from Twistedpaw. A mistake, a failure. Willowsky had been right about everything. Her mother was always right.

Batglare's orders to remain focused helped to bring Twistedpaw a bit further into reality. She was freezing and aching with pains no normal warrior would experience. Focus. I need to focus. Deep breaths in and out. She realized she'd been able to fight back her previous tears; at least, they'd vanished, and her cheeks didn't feel wet.

But the panic and anxiety was setting in. As Whisperingpaw answered and Batglare's attention turned, Twistedpaw found herself shaking even harder. All she could focus was on how she'd mess up. Make mistakes. Ruin everything. How everything she'd worked for had been driven into a pier of ruin and set ablaze.

No, no, focus... focus...

Twistedpaw opened her mouth to reply, following Whisperingpaw's gaze and trying to locate the herd of rabbits.

All that came out was a huge sob as her legs collapsed from under her, and she landed with a large crunch in the snow. It was so cold, and her tears were too hot, digging into her eyes like claws. She shook like a blade of grass caught in a gale, tossed about, wanting to throw up, but her throat was too closed up to do so. Her nose ran freely.

Her emotions had overloaded her brain, and here she was, the ultimate disappointment displayed before her mentor and his new apprentice.

@Moonraven @ChaosBringer. (I promise the apprentices will get their lesson! However, Whisperingpaw's look set her off + she won't be able to focus on anything realistically if she's dealing with all these emotions. I talked to Moonraven about this, and it'll be better if she talks through things now, puts some thoughts to rest, and has some character growth/learns how to handle her emotions better. )