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(heya! if you wish to view Mosquitopaw's progress, refer to this tracker!)
STEALTH
The lockdown certainly put a damper on the territory tour, something she wanted Mosquitopaw to learn first, but predators got in the way. Well, she'd certainly rather have to train within camp if going out meant risking seeing her apprentice get skewered by fox fangs. Mudslide slinked near the hollowed out tree of the apprentice den, pale eyes glancing across every mossbed she saw untill she spotted Mosquitopaw. With a clearing of her throat, she spoke. "Training. Mosquitopaw." She said simply. If he was a bit tired, that was fine, it was still early. But, battle could happen at any time, and if she knew anything she knew that life certainly wasn't fair, no matter the circumstance.
She sat at the entrance, her ears twitching as she waited patiently. Or, semi-patiently. She still wasn't too happy about having an apprentice in the first place. She never wanted to build a bond with anycat. So, the sooner she got done with this, the sooner Mosquitopaw could become a warrior. And it wasn't that Mudslide didn't like him, quite the opposite actually. She thought his temperament wasn't hair splitting, and that was enough for her. But that was also a problem.
Tags:
@nyme // Mosquitopaw (respond when you can, I'm in no rush!!)
__________________
❝And the cats kill one by one!❞
- Hartebeest by Yalokre
The lanky black tom is slow to make it out of his bed, but he does make it. He's sluggish, not so bright-eyed today, bereft some of the usual nervous energy that would keep his ears perked and his eyes shining—but Mudslide is still given a small smile and a (he hopes) polite:
"Hellogoodmorning. M'here, sorry. You okay?" He's shaking bits of debris from his short pelt, slouching in the mouth of the apprentice's den like a long shadow. Copper eyes twitch watchfully to Mudslide's face. He is still torn between the understanding that it is not his place or responsibility to pry and the desire to do so, anyway—the same as he desires to fuss over nearly any and all of the cats he sees often. Nearly any and all clanmates, period.
The lanky black tom is slow to make it out of his bed, but he does make it. He's sluggish, not so bright-eyed today, bereft some of the usual nervous energy that would keep his ears perked and his eyes shining—but Mudslide is still given a small smile and a (he hopes) polite:
"Hellogoodmorning. M'here, sorry. You okay?" He's shaking bits of debris from his short pelt, slouching in the mouth of the apprentice's den like a long shadow. Copper eyes twitch watchfully to Mudslide's face. He is still torn between the understanding that it is not his place or responsibility to pry and the desire to do so, anyway—the same as he desires to fuss over nearly any and all of the cats he sees often. Nearly any and all clanmates, period.
Her apprentice was up, sooner or later. It was better than him ignoring her completely, so who was she to complain? He smiled at her, and her whiskers merely twitched in response. She stuffed and swallowed the pang that came in her chest, almost as though she were aching. No. No. No more connections. She'd break. She'd fail. The stars would make sure of it.
Curling her tail around her paws to buffer against the leaf-bare wind, she shifted a bit, twitching her long oriental ears as Mosquitopaw spoke, his words slurred and sluggish. Yep, he was definitely asleep mere moments before. She almost felt bad about waking him up, but then she'd get absolutely nowhere.
To respond to his last question, she gave a nod of her head, Yeah, I'm fine. Mudslide thought, pleased that he couldn't tell based on her expression alone. Or, rather her lack of expression. One simple gravely mew passed her muzzle. "Stealth." She said, raising herself to her paws to walk further into the clearing, near the edge.
Jeez... All of this would be a lot easier if talking wasn't the worst thing in the whole world. She'd just have to use her words wisely. She turned to Mosquitopaw and blinked. "Watch." She said simply, before her whole body stilled, as though a layer of permafrost had cemented her into place. Her breathing shallowed and she inched away into shadow. Not bothering to step out of her solitude, Mudslide spoke from the darkness. "How?" Maybe getting him to think a bit about it first would be easier, then she could correct things as she went.
__________________
❝And the cats kill one by one!❞
- Hartebeest by Yalokre
Stealth. His mind goes to Shadepaw and then there's this restless ache in his chest that makes it almost impossible to focus. All because, what, he hasn't seen her in a while? Because her nest doesn't smell much like her anymore? Nor does Wildpaw's for that matter, now that he's thought about it, and then he just keeps thinking on it and the ache gets sore, tender around the edges and—
How? Oh, stars, he's being ridiculous. The only thing he needs to be thinking about is training right now. Stealth. Mosquitopaw's face twitches, panicked and mildly embarrassed as he realizes he's lost his mentor to the darkness and has no idea how to explain it to her. How? How should he know? You'd know if you had watched. Mudslide doesn't talk much, but she had said that much. Watch. And now, how? Hhh...Mosquitopaw swallows and, true to himself, starts out with a rickety and unsure "Uh..."
Shadepaw, again. She had been good at this sort of thing. Is good at this sort of thing. He glances around as if expecting to be able to spot Mudslide with enough staring, scuffing nervously at the ground as he does. "You have to be...y'gotta be quiet? An' careful. Uh. B-But maybe not too careful 'cause then you're thinkin' about it too much an' uh. Sh—, uh, Shadowclan shouldn't have t'think about this sorta thing that much. It should be...easy? Practiced." He pauses, tailtip twitching. "Is it easy, Mudslide? For you? W-Was it always easy? ....Should I try it now?"
Stealth. His mind goes to Shadepaw and then there's this restless ache in his chest that makes it almost impossible to focus. All because, what, he hasn't seen her in a while? Because her nest doesn't smell much like her anymore? Nor does Wildpaw's for that matter, now that he's thought about it, and then he just keeps thinking on it and the ache gets sore, tender around the edges and—
How? Oh, stars, he's being ridiculous. The only thing he needs to be thinking about is training right now. Stealth. Mosquitopaw's face twitches, panicked and mildly embarrassed as he realizes he's lost his mentor to the darkness and has no idea how to explain it to her. How? How should he know? You'd know if you had watched. Mudslide doesn't talk much, but she had said that much. Watch. And now, how? Hhh...Mosquitopaw swallows and, true to himself, starts out with a rickety and unsure "Uh..."
Shadepaw, again. She had been good at this sort of thing. Is good at this sort of thing. He glances around as if expecting to be able to spot Mudslide with enough staring, scuffing nervously at the ground as he does. "You have to be...y'gotta be quiet? An' careful. Uh. B-But maybe not too careful 'cause then you're thinkin' about it too much an' uh. Sh—, uh, Shadowclan shouldn't have t'think about this sorta thing that much. It should be...easy? Practiced." He pauses, tailtip twitching. "Is it easy, Mudslide? For you? W-Was it always easy? ....Should I try it now?"
Shallow breaths puffed from her marbled nose, her body sinking slowly to the ground, claws unsheathing to keep her balance. She watched Mosquitopaw with keen eyes, the shifts in his expression and his obvious disorderly unease. Large ears twitched as he spoke. Wel.... He was kinda right. But he was also very clearly thinking about something else. Scrambled words entered her ears, and Mudslide just crouched in her dark solitude and listened. "Quiet, careful, still." She added, her voice ringing out from the shadow.
She then took a stray leaf and rubbed the side of her cheek onto it. After a lot of cuddling with Roachflare, she might smell more like him than herself. Oh well, it's not like she couldn't handle that. She then pierced a claw into the leaf and reached out to her apprentice, her face still hidden by shadow, but marbled paw pads snuck after him.
She gave out a soft and non-threatening growl, using it to prompt the apprentice to take the leaf. Maybe he'd realize her scent was on it and use that to his advantage. Though, she had a few more questions to answer, unfortunately, but she couldn't find her own voice. She cleared her throat a few times, but the mews that came out weren't her own... [Lybirds Lullaby] It was Mosquitopaw's. "Find." she said, her raspy cadence lost to the voice of another. Oh, she hated this.
Then, she walked away, still in shadow, winding as far out to the edge of the clearing as she could, her tail and body low. If Mosquitopaw was smart, he'd use his nose of his to track her.
__________________
❝And the cats kill one by one!❞
- Hartebeest by Yalokre
Mosquitopaw Training [p]
