Bleedingpaw's Training! [p]

[squidz]

- TRAINING TRACKER -

Overarching Requirements:

- Existed at least 2 months (real time): (2+/2)
- At least 100 roleplay posts with apprentice: (?/100)
- Attend at least 2 Clan meetings (with at least 2 posts each): (0/2 required)

Training Requirements:

Apprentices need at least five instances of learning experience that include the company of a warrior. The warrior does not have to be their mentor. 1 hunting, 1 fighting, 1 stealth lesson must be learned and the last 2 lessons can be of your choice.


Hunting lessons (0/1 required)

Battle training sessions (1/1 required)

Patrols (hunting, border, battle, herb collection): (0/x)

Stealth training (1/1 required)


Battle/Event/Etc. Experience:

Battle experiences (such as raids - requires a battle training session):

Events:

- Stealth Game w/ Hawkbite

Any other life experience where the character learns something substantial:

BATTLE ASSESSMENT: (0/1 required)*

*Apprentices must have taken a battle assessment with Dawnstar or Enforcers to earn her approval for a warrior ceremony. The only expectation is that she stated she'll be using an event or raid as a replacement assessment.

The character should not have recently been punished by a high rank, or have been caught in roleplay doing something that violates the Warrior Code or Roleplay Guidelines (that is punishable by a high rank.)

Characters who have not made these qualifications by the age of 18 moons will have to speak to Dawnstar to see where they need help. By 21 moons apprentices will have their place in the Clan reassessed by Dawnstar to see if they are fit for Clan life, and what they need to do to get their warrior name if possible.


[ @Rani - if Bleedingpaw has any experiences that i could link/fill in here, please let me know via VM and i can fill it out here! i know you have your own tracker too so you could link that if you'd like ]

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
very large & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes
[ shadowclan warrior | she-cat | 26 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

[sorry for the delay, finally got my footing in the riverclan roleplays hehe]

Briarsplash peered out of her den, grunting in self-protest as she forced herself to her paws. It was morning, a day or so after the ceremony for Bleedingpaw, and she'd have to take him out training. She was also training Duskpaw, but she'd give the other kid a break today — she didn't enjoy the idea of training both of them at once, especially since each of them had an entirely different struggle. Firstly, Duskpaw was blind, and now she was training a... well, she didn't quite know what Bleedingpaw had. But she didn't doubt it'd be a challenge for her to figure out.

Taking in a deep breath to mentally prepare herself, Briarsplash stretched her long limbs, fluffing out her pelt. Then she padded to the apprentice's den, clearing her throat before calling out.

"Hey, Bleedingpaw, you in there? It's your first day of training. Get on out here... uh, as soon as you're ready," she mended at the end, knowing she could come off prickly.

Her voice was surprisingly raspy and soft for her stature, and it was a little thinner than usual from her hesitance. She'd already had to pull herself together to train Duskpaw; now she was really going to have to concentrate to train this apprentice. Her desire to impress Dawnstar (and not fail her Clan in the process) spurred her forward, clenching her jaw and forcing her mind to settle.

[ @Rani ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 6 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

It was a bit of an odd transition to go from nurseries where the queens encouraged the kittens inside to not go waking up and playing at dawn (ever eager to eek out a wink more of sleep until they had to mind their rambunctious young) to the apprentices den where it was up by dawn or a scolding. (though that more depended on your mentor)
Luckily for Bleedingpaw, he'd been so eager to get going and started and so desperate to please he'd been up for about a half hour when Brairsplash came calling, eating an early lizard before desperately trying to clean off his messy fur. His disability kinda prevented all clean tidy eating and even now the apprentice came out with a bloodied muzzle and face, despite best efforts.


Embarrassment for his poor eating habits besides it was time for training!!!! OMG!!!


The apprentice scrambled to his paws and right out of the den at a decent clip despite how snake-ish the route ended up being, dogging Brairsplash's heels as he followed the enforcer out of camp.
"Im so excited Miss Brairsplash!!! Are we gonna do hunting first? Or fighting?" Probably not fighting, Miss Tiger had said his mentor shouldnt do fighting with him for a bit due to his age and disability "I know some sneaking already! I can show you if you wanna see, Mama says its really good but Quietpaw says you can always improve."


Actually speaking of Quietpaw... "Can you teach me to be smart as well? Quietpaw says that the best warriors are strong in mind as well as body and riverclan is weak because even if they have strong warriors they have weak minds and I dont wanna be like them." Being the strongest in body was never going to be a thing Bleedingpaw could do with his disability so anything else he could do was much needed.


@squidz

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
very large & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 27 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

[ bleeding is so cute i apologize for grumpy briar LOL ]

Briarsplash did her best to ignore the bloodied maw of the apprentice, figuring it wasn't so easy to clean up with what he had. Again, she didn't know what it was — she couldn't help the occasional curious glance back as she watched Bleedingpaw dog on her heels, noting how he seemed to walk along just fine... even as he wobbled all over the place. Part of her was intrigued, while the other part was nervous. How was she going to train him? Stealth seemed a little difficult... hmph... she knew she'd do her best, even as her mind spun. Before long she realized she'd kept the apprentice in silence, so she cleared her throat, playing it off as she was just thinking about a response.

"Oh. Uh... I was thinking stealth training." She bit her own lip for a moment. Why had she said that? That was the exact one she was the most nervous for. Regardless of Bleedingpaw's disability, Briarsplash herself wasn't the most stealthy and had struggled with that the most during her training. But, hey... she might as well get the hardest thing out of the way, right?

Besides, she was a little relieved to hear that he'd learned some things already. Should make her job easier. She glanced back at the apprentice, her eyes glinting. "... And yeah, sure. Once we get to the spot, you can show me some of what you know, alright?"

She led them out a bit further before coming to a halt in a shady part of ShadowClan's territory. She let out a slightly amused yet cynical huff as Bleedingpaw talked about being smart on the way there, settling down to her paws as she pondered a response. Briarsplash didn't really consider herself the most intelligent, but she knew how to survive with odds stacked against her, perhaps like Bleedingpaw himself. That was certain wisdom, to her.

She glanced at Bleedingpaw, noting the innocently curious look in his eye. It softened her abrasive resolve just a bit... the way only kits and younger apprentices could. "Getting smart is more of something you learn over time... it's not really like a lesson," she meowed, narrowing her eyes a bit in thought. "But, I can teach you ShadowClan's vales, and how to survive... which is smart in its own way. And we can start by learning how to be quiet in the forest. Show me what you've learned, kid."

At her words, a sudden determination flared up in Briarsplash. If she was going to be partially responsible for this apprentice's success, if he could make it as a warrior or not... well, there was no way she'd let him fend for himself. She had to teach him what she could... she had to succeed. With that she wrapped her plumed tail around her paws, waiting for the apprentice to demonstrate.

That instinct, buried beneath her abrasive exterior, was motherly... the remnants of a nurturing care she'd fostered long ago, yet never was to be. She'd still never opened her maw to speak about the incident that drove her into ShadowClan's paws that day... but its impact remained.

[ @Rani ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 6 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

It was so cool to finally be out on the territory for his training! Like sure he'd kinda been out before during the trip from the old camp to new and the brief period where he'd been run off but he was very scared and not looking at the time. Now though he was and it was amazing! The pines the scent the birds and the shrubs and grass was all so cool and Bleedingpaw loved it!



Wobbling along after his mentor the bengals golden ears were pricked, listening raptly to every word soaking it all in. So learning to be smart wasnt so much of a lesson as it was a process? Then how did riverclan never learn to be smart? Regardless he'd do his best to learn from Brairsplash and nodded vigorously at the orders to sneak.


Watching the bengal do so was a.... bit of an odd process. Dry dirt was rolled in to dampen the bright gold and a cedar shrub was rubbed against to muffle his scent until the apprentice, still somehow wobbly slunk into the bushes and promptly vanished.

-Shadow Fiend active!-

It was bizarre how he could faintly be heard on occasion, wobbles sending him shifting a leaf or errant branch but the sporadic random and odd nature of the movement made him even harder to pinpoint. And seeing him? Well as gold as his bengal pelt was the dappled pattern helped him well in the bright sunny day and several times he managed to hide in plain sight in a blinding sunbeam, blending in with the color. It wasnt perfect and even with his odd skill and Brairsplash probably spotted a flash of fur before it disappeared again, but with practice it'd be even better.


Even still the little tom was better then his disability would be made expected of him, and eventually concluded by wiggling out from the hollow under a tree root right in front of his mentor when all evidence suggested he was halfway across the clearing, grin on his face.


"How did I do? Was I ok? I can improve if you have tips!"

Yeah the kid had no clue what he'd managed and even looked oddly worried but hopeful that he'd earn praise and not a long list of corrections he expected and disappointment his birth mother had primed him to think he always brought.


@squidz

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
very large & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 27 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Briarsplash had watched in silent approval as the dappled tom had tried to cover his scent and pelt to match more of the earthy hues of their territory — but her eyes had widened the moment she saw Bleedingpaw dip into the shadows, almost as if he'd just... disappeared.

Not perfectly, of course — his occasional wobbles would ruffle leaves here or there, and a glint of his bright golden pelt would stick out in between the greens and browns and grays, but... she was shocked, if she was honest, at how seamlessly he'd already blended in. She immediately felt a pang of guilt for being so internally skeptical and mentally prepared herself by the time he popped out after the impressive first display.

"You did... really well, actually," she meowed, unable to hide the note of pleasant surprise in her lighter voice. She felt a stab of hope — maybe she had a chance at turning him into a true warrior after all. There is a bit of a shift in her attitude, a newfound glint in her eye — a confidence returning that had faltered at first. The 'paw had potential... with some tweaks, she could turn him into a true shadow fiend.

"I've never been the best at stealth myself, but I got a few tips... otherwise, kid, I'd say you're a natural," she added with a faint chuckle, relieved and encouraged. It was like several of her doubts could just melt away now, replaced by her urge to be the best warrior — and now mentor — she could be for her Clan.

She stood up and padded nearer to him before dropping into a stealth crouch; even with her stockier form and her large paws, she still showed skill with her moons of practice, gliding across the ground.

"This is similar to hunting, whenever we get there — you wanna make your pawsteps light, like they're just part of the wind. Put more weight on your haunches and be mindful of your size — even your tail brushing something can be enough to alert someone. You wanna keep yourself as tight and slick as possible..."

She demonstrated by doing her best to "shrink" herself as much as possible, slinking through a gap in between two bushes. Even with her broad, fluffy coat and plumed tail, she only managed to brush one or two leaves on her way in, otherwise blending into the shadows... that is, until she stepped on a twig. She let out a mrrow of embarrassed amusement as she stood up, casting him a glance.

"...But don't do that," she huffed, trying to shake out her initial embarrassment. She had never been the most... graceful.

[ @Rani ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 6 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

The golden bengal looked as if Brairsplash had hung the moon itself. He done well! Brairsplash had thought he did good! All those hours of practicing and learning how to sneak around the camp, unseen or noticed by the warriors had payed off and now he had an actual skill he was good at to show off and help the clan with. It was a balm to that little worry that he wouldnt be good for anything, a forever burden on his home until they got tired of him and discarded him.


But yes, tips good Bleedingpaw always loved tips and tidbits to improve himself, hoarding knowledge like a dragon to be smarter or better. He didnt even care if it was delivered meanly, though Brairsplash had been nothing but kind in her educating so far.


He just had to figure out how to keep his pawsteps light it seemed and, on top of keeping his tail in check, that was no tough task! Well, maybe kinda. See part of Bleedingpaws wobbling came from a medical lack of balance but the other came from muscle spasms he was slowly learning to weaponize. Muscle spasms that got worse when he tensed. So trying to keep a tight firm form like his mentor would only make his wobbling worse, eventually prompting a twitch right into something and ruining his stalk. Something quickly evidenced by a complete failure of Bleedingpaw flinging himself right into a bush while mimicking his mentors form.


Shame, it may not work for him but it really was a perfect replica of an advanced experienced cats hunting crouch.



Giggling at the crunch of the stick under the enforcer and at his own tumble the bengal gamely pulled himself from the brush, shaking to loosen caught leaves before asking "I dunno if I can do 'tight and slick' Miss Brairsplash, doesnt feel right. If I just do small does it work instead because I can do small, look!" A declaration that turned out to be true as, utilizing one of the strange benefits to his condition, Bleedingpaw basically folded himself like origami. After so long of limbs going in all directions oft uncomfortably the apprentice had ended up with limbs far more flexible then most cats who lost that to routine muscle mass as they left kittenhood. They did the same actions, same steps and stalks and movements for so long eventually unless they specially stretched their limbs developed limits and didnt twist as far. Not Bleedingpaw though, who jolted so random and strangly he'd retained his bendyness and it allowed him a strange sort of form.


It was small like the stance Brairsplash had demonstrated, balancing his weight, but not firm or tight and more loose to account for the random movements the tom couldnt control and he did not stalk so much as slithered and wiggled in silence, still taking in account his mentors words, through the brush.


Oh Brairsplash you may get this one to warrior with his and your determination, but abandon all hope all ye who think this will go predictably in the slightest. For now probably best to not gag thinking a shoulder shouldnt move like that and react to the apprentice looking excitedly and expectantly up at you.


@squidz

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
very large & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 27 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Briarsplash let out a huff of intrigue as Bleedingpaw explained why it didn't work for him. She was about to tout off on how this was how it was supposed to be, how she'd been trained and apparently every other warrior — but his apt display of what felt better to him quickly shut her up. Tilting her head, the Enforcer watched in interest as he moved a bit looser and more fluid, which helped him not jerk around so much when his wobbles did come... and actually made the rustle of the bushes sound somewhat natural, even when he did wobble.

"...Huh..." She grunted, her sassy retorts dying on her tongue as Bleedingpaw spun around to face her. His eyes were bright with expectation, waiting for her words and praise... she shook her head while a crooked, incredulous little smirk just barely parted her maw.

"You got a point there, kid... guess we don't need the conventional approach of it doesn't work, eh?" She mused, walking around to get a better look at his form. The way he folded himself up was... strange, admittedly, to her. Yet fascinating at the same time.

"Keep that up... nice and loose, but still keeping yourself as tucked in as possible, balancing your weight..." She meowed instructions in her raspy voice as she watched her apprentice practice again as she said, combining the basics she'd just taught with his adjusted, improved stance for his condition. To her utter surprise... it seemed to be working. And she wasn't exactly gonna complain, even if it hadn't been what she'd expected. Not at all.

"I think you're really gettin' it, kid..."

[ @Rani ]

[Rani]

Bleedingpaw
Shadowclan Apprentice | He/Him | 6 Moons

Just a Scratch | Shadow Fiend

It was kinda funny to see a grin this massive on a shadowclan cat but then again it wasnt like Bleedingpaws pelt color was normal for his clan either. The little tom was generally just more happy and gentle then most of his clan, especially with his age, but it was inevitable that he'd loose that eventually to the harsh reality shadowclan supported. Though with the cats around him being kind like Brairsplash.... Maybe he'd last longer then one might expect.


Listening to the enforcers instructions with rapt attention the minute corrections were taken in stride and implemented immediately with only minor struggles before it smoothed and the method improved. Even the half compliment statement was taken as if it was a blessing from Dawnstar herself, Bleedingpaw beaming at his mentor before trying out the new crouch proper.

Keep low and too the well hidden spots, dont touch anything lest it make noise, keep balanced, stay downwind aaaand pounce! ....HE DID IT!!! It was only a butterfly and a weird rock he for some reason felt attached to and stored to bring home to examine later, but he proudly brought the bug to the enforcer and dropped at her paws. But he did that!!!!

"What happens next? How do I use that to get like frogs and lizards and squirrels and mice and birds and everything? Is that it or are there extra special tricks I need to do, I wanna learn everything!!!"


@squidz

[squidz]

~ BRIARSPLASH ~
very large & fluffy dilute gray tortie she-cat with goldish-green eyes
[ shadowclan enforcer | she-cat | 27 moons | abrasive, standoffish, loyal ]

~

Briarsplash let out a small, raspy chuckle at the apprentice's eagerness. Honestly, it took a lot for the grumpy she-cat to be pleasantly surprised, let alone somewhat friendly or encouraging. But she was so incredibly relieved at Bleedingpaw's apparent skills — both for her own sake and his, admittedly — that she found herself in a much better mood for once. She watched as he lay down the little items at her paws; a butterfly, and a... rock...? She let out a half-amused, half-confused huff and pawed at it with her large, gray paws while she responded.

"That'll be more for hunting training, which we'll work on another day. First, I'm gonna run a test — something that you'll likely do again in your warrior assessment," she meowed with a glint in her eye, both enthused at the idea of the test, and as a warning at the same time. "I'm gonna close my eyes and walk to the next clearing over there. I want you to try to sneak up on me, get me by surprise. Remember, stay downwind if possible, so that I don't smell you. ShadowClan is known for being one with the shadows... and you're part of that identity now. Don't forget that." It was something her mentor had told her, enforcing the idea especially because Briar had been an outsider before. She'd taken it to heart, wanting desperately to prove herself back then.

With that, the enforcer gave her apprentice a firm nod before padding off to a nearby thicket, settling herself down in between some trees and bushes, waiting to see what strategy he would do...

[ @Rani ]