[ti]Private[/ti]Training With a Twist

[Fireflake]

[They're in MistClan's camp right now, but they're headed to the meadow, so I figure the thread belongs here.]

Buckleap padded through cave on his way to his second apprentice. The tabby tom couldn’t help but think of his first apprentice’s first lesson, and he was equally unable to control the fond look that touched the corners of his eyes. He'd asked that apprentice to meet him at the meadow, to test his tracking abilities and how well he could handle himself alone, but it didn’t seem like a smart move to pull today. The tension at the border between MistClan and MothClan was steadily rising as their neighbors tried to nudge the line further and further back, and hostilities could easily make for an unpleasant first day if the apprentice happened to accidentally wander over the border. Besides, Buckleap was decidedly more interested in Twistpaw’s walk to the meadow than he had been in Leafpaw’s.

So, instead of moves from his first day as a mentor, Buckleap went further back to his first day as an apprentice. Sticking his head into the apprentice den, the tom narrowed his yellow-green eyes and squinted through the dim light in search of that grey and white pelt. He couldn’t actually remember a time when he’d been in there, and he had no idea where the young she-cat slept, so he didn’t have an awful lot to go on. That was fitting, he guessed, because he didn't have an awful lot to go on about the apprentice herself.  Besides what she looked like, and the fact that she had just been declared fit for training, she was drew a blank in his mind. The tom continued to scour the den. “Twistpaw, are you awake?”

[Broadwaykat]

It often was that newly-made apprentices found it very hard to sleep on their first nights in the den. Maybe it was a blend of nerves, or for some it was the first time away from their mother, but Twistpaw had found no problem whatsoever in falling asleep. She had nabbed for herself a comfortable nest and made it as spacious as she possibly could, splaying out and conking out some time in the early evening. Of course, she was perfectly excited to begin training; but she was equally tired after the nest of her own making. And the heat that sapped the air made it terribly hard to even want to be awake for too long.

By the time morning had rolled along, Twistpaw was just beginning to wake up when she heard her own name being called. She didn't hurry for anything, but somewhat gracelessly propped her back legs, then her front legs up in the nest, tucking one front paw up against her chest in a position rather like a hunting dogs as she peered through the gloom and finally spotted a larger figure blocking the entrance. 

"Buckleap...is that you?" She asked, narrowing her blue eyes against the gloom to bring the figure into focus. A little thrill went through her. If he was about to take her training somewhere, maybe it was a good thing that she'd gotten a good, early night's sleep.

[Fireflake]

"Do many cats come looking for you first thing in the morning?" Buckleap replied. The thin light that crept into the den shone on the side of his pelt, lighting up the dark stripes and white chest that marked the tom. He was, undeniably, the same cat that had calmly walked to the front of the crowd and touched noses with Twistpaw, harboring a touch of excitement in his eyes.

And she was, undeniably, the same cat that had been assigned to him to shape into a fit warrior. Though, Buckleap was pretty sure... yes. Stepping out of the way, early rays of sunlight pierced the den and lit her face more clearly. Waking her a little, hopefully. "Come on. We're going to the meadow. I'll show you some things on the way."
With no more warning that that, the warrior turned to stroll toward the waterfall.

[Broadwaykat]

Buckleap, it appeared, was not much for pleasantries - he was a very abrupt fellow, only seeing if she was awake to immediately demand that they should move out and start their training.

Not that she minded this, of course. She was more than eager to finally - finally get to training, something she had been waiting for for ages.

"You think I could sleep, thinking about going to train for the first time in...like...ever!" She asked, as she padded after him in her slightly lopsided way, occasionally tucking her twisted foot up to her chest to manouver around the more slippery rocks and surpassing the entrance of the waterfall. 

"What kind of things, though? I've seen some of the territory. But not much." She hopped a bit to keep up, not wanting Buckleap to think that she was going to slow him down any. Honestly, she was just curious about anything. She wanted, no...needed to learn everything!

[Fireflake]

Buckleap's only response to the apprentice's enthusiasm was a snort of amusement, though his long ears pricked to listen. He paid more attention to the way she walked, from her lopsided gait to the way she lifted her paw toward her chest when it was in the way. Seemingly satisfied with this, he focused on the path ahead, deciding to test how well she could match his own usual pace. He didn't speed up any, but he didn't slow down either.

The warrior flicked his tail around as he pointed out various features in the landscape. "Well, if you look to your right, you'll see a tree, and if you look down a bit, some grass. Now, to your left, there's some more grass, and some more trees."
That shtick grew tiresome quickly. "Honestly it's mostly just that, some water, and prey. It's all very exciting the first time, though, especially when you've had to wait so long. Maybe I'll take you to see the barn today, if we have time."