You'll Be Safe with Me

[Storm]

BATSTRIKE
MothClan | Warrior | Tom | 14 Moons | Heterosexual

War. Double patrols. Double the size.

The morning patrol needed more bodies so Batstrike had volunteered himself and his apprentice. He saw it as an opportunity to give her a soft start to training. It would be a good chance for Cherrypaw to see the territories, that was if she hadn’t snuck out on her own already. His whiskers twitched a little annoyed at the thought of the kits he’d caught trying to escape camp before. The tom didn’t know anything about the young she-cat he was paired with, they could chat so he could get a feel for what he would be dealing with. Honestly, he wasn’t quite ready to start any other form of training anyway. He needed to devise a strategy, just from their short meeting at the ceremony he could already tell his apprentice was nothing like him. He hardly thought the way his mentor trained him would work well with her.

Batstrikes long tail flicked behind him. Smooth strides brought him nearer to the apprentice den before the dark feline dipped his head into the entrance. “Cherrypaw?” he coed wondering if she was still asleep here. Shadowstorm used to wake him up before the sun rose for training so hopefully she wouldn’t hold him stirring her at a decent hour against their relationship. She’d have to start getting used to a schedule now, she had duties to attend to. The days of lazing and rough housing as kits were long gone for him and now she had outgrown them too. It was time to start learning so she could serve the clan after him.

The black and white tom didn’t wait. He turned with a flick of the tail, his way of telling his apprentice to follow. Prancing back to the waiting patrol group he spoke over his shoulder, “We’re going on a patrol,” he wondered if she’d be scared since they were patrolling with the looming rouge threat or maybe she’d be too confident. He didn’t know, but he smiled at the thought. Maybe he was more excited to spend time with his apprentice than he knew. The group of cats rolled out of camp, Batstrike hung back at the edge of the tunnel though. Awaiting Cherrypaw with a grin. “We’ll stick to the back so I can explain the territories and what the patrols doing. Maybe I’ll even put you to the test if some trouble shows up.” He mewed mischievously before disappearing through the brush.

TAGS: noctemq

[noctemq]

Cherrypaw rolled over in the apprentice’s den, immediately feeling the warmth of another body next to hers. It was much more crowded compared the the nursery, and definitely more uncomfortable. The bedding was messy and spread out unevenly, as evident by the rock Cherrypaw could feel under her side, Since her vigil, she had chosen to rest in hopes that she’d be able to train immediately after. Sleep had eluded her in the earlier hours or the day as thoughts raced through her mind. What would Batstrike teach her first? How to hunt? How to fight? She was praying to Starclan that he wouldn’t make her clean out the bedding of the other dens, though the apprentice’s den definitely needed that to be done. Despite the countless number of options for training, Cherrypaw felt confidence swell up in her chest, She was the type to work hard to get what she wanted, so she was certain that she’d be able to handle whatever Batstrike threw at her.

Speak of the devil! Her dark chestnut ears perked up at the sound of his voice echo in the dark. The other sleeping apprenticed didn’t seem to notice. Carefully, she began to stand up until she noticed there was a foot right on top of her tail. The rocks surrounding the den held in heat for the beginning of the night, but by moonrise, they began to chill. Unconsciously the apprentice’s inside had all piled up next to each other for warmth. Cherrypaw left a little she-cat sized hole in the cuddle puddle once up, and she began to tip toe around the bodies to make her way towards the entrance of the den. Her spikey head popped out into the open, her eyes squinting as she adjusted to the light.

”I’m up,” she responded, her voice still soft with sleep. It would take a moment for her usual fiery self to be wake up as well. Cherrypaw stretched forward, flexing her claws out and yawning at the same time, before opening her bright brown eyes fully. She quickly followed behind Batstrike as he moved forward. ”Trouble? Pfft. That’s my middle name.” A challenging grin welcomed itself to her face as she jumped into the brush behind him.

[Storm]

BATSTRIKE
MothClan | Warrior | Tom | 14 Moons | Heterosexual

The lean tom pretended not to hear her last comment, or maybe she would think he was ignoring her. Hmmm, she’s much to confident, he thought with an amused twitch of his dark whiskers. He had already let the patrol know this was his apprentices first outing with him so they’d be staying out of the way, just close enough so the group gave off a large and strong appearance to any possible enemies. Once the tom regained sight of the patrol he slowed his pace to match theirs. They’d stick a few fox lengths behind the rest. Batstrikes cold yellow gaze rolled to the side to examine the she-cat. She’s a bit small to be his apprentice, but it wouldn’t matter she seemed to have a personality big enough to make up for that.

“So tell me,” he mused, “what is it you want from me?” his tone serious he let his gaze return to the land before him. Tail hanging level behind him as he stretched his square head down to be level as well. The ragged scar that laid at the base of his scruff was fully revealed in this position. They were still deep in their territory so there was no need to be on guard yet. “I mean obviously I’ll teach you what you need to know. We can go through your new duties and what will be expected of you once you’re a warrior. I’ll teach you about our territories and patrols today, but none of that is any fun.” He grinned, excited but anxious of how she’d respond. “Tell me about yourself. Your parents, friends we could train with, your goals and what you want to be good at as a warrior.”

The tall feline didn’t want her to feel interrogated so he chattered on though it was quite unlike him, “I guess I can share too,” he blinked thoughtfully, “Like many from our young clan I wasn’t Moth born. I’m close with my former mentor, Shadowstorm- who it’d do you good to show your respect for, and my brother who’s here as well, Pinetuft. I’d say they’re my family.” He glanced back to her again, Shadowstorm told him to watch out for her like he watched out for him so he guessed that meant she’d be family too no matter what. “I don’t fight quite like most warriors, but I am skilled in battle in my own way.” He was proud of that, he had figure out his tactics on his own, but he’d let her know his downfalls as well. The tom didn’t want to be arrogant, “I’m not the most skilled hunter of our clan though and my nose has never been the best. So if you smell anything you let me know. We can be a team like that.” He mewed friendlier as he offered a smile to her.

He grew quiet then, ears standing tall with interest. He wanted to gather as much intel on his apprentice as he could from the start. It normally took him a while to get to know new cats, but seeing as they’d have training to get to this was important to him. The way he had posed his question he was looking for quite a mature response, but maybe he had set his hopes to high. Batstrike would be annoyed if he had to restate his questions in a simpler way and pry the information he wanted out of her.

[noctemq]

Cherrypaw's head bobbed up and down with curiosity as she continued to keep up at her mentor's pace. Spending a few moons in the nursery had made her recollection what the surroundings outside of camp looked like seem distant. Some things were different than her hazy memory of wandering into the Mothclan camp for the first time, but a lot of it was look exactly how she remembered it to be; lots of rocks that felt uncomfortable on her unseasoned paw pads.

"Uh, she pondered out loud, trying to think of what question she should answer first. The latter about herself would be easier and also required less thought, so Cherrypaw addressed that first. "I don't have many friends yet, but that's okay. Redpaw is nice," she started, recalling the rock he gave her during their apprentice ceremony. -- I guess," Cherrypaw quickly added to end her sentence with a noncommittal shrug. She didn't want to seem soft to Batstrike or anything. Time to change the topic."I'm not from Mothclan too. I think my parents would have been called 'loners' or something. They don't steal kits or anything like that, though." She didn't know what type of opinion Mothclan, especially Batstrike, would have on cats like her parents, so she figured it was better to clarify than to let others fill in the gaps. Batstrike's scar quickly threw her focus off track and her eyes focused on it for a bit. "That's cool. Did you get that in a fight?"

She grinned toothily back at him in response to his own smile. Apprenticeship was something Cherrypaw didn't know too much about; only that kits constantly fantasized about it. She figured it was the step that would transition her to warrior status, but specific examples eluded her. That's where she saw Batstrike come in. He would be the one the guide her through whatever challenges would face her in the next few moons. She had heard a lot of past apprentices both praise and complain about their mentors, so hopefully she would be a good fit with her own mentor. Cherrypaw wasn't the more difficult she-cat to get along with, but she definitely wasn't the easiest. Her blunt, almost border-lining rude attitude often got her into more trouble than she intended to be in

Right as she was about to say more, Cherrypaw hushed herself. There was no need to babble in a hurry, especially since the patrol had just started.

[Storm]

BATSTRIKE
MothClan | Warrior | Tom | 14 Moons | Heterosexual

Redpaw… Hmm, who was his mentor again? Batstrike should have payed more attention to the ceremony. He did remember seeing the kit, but having Cherrypaw assigned to him pulled his focus away from the rest. He would figure it out later, even if she just ‘guess’ he was nice it would do them good to have someone to spar and compete with. His thoughts wandered shortly as she spoke, so the parents probably aren’t around then… He didn’t care where she came from or what her parents had done. As far as he was concerned what mattered was who she was. “You are your own cat. What matters to me is what you do, not what they’ve done.” He spoke bluntly, letting her understand some of his expectations. He had high hopes for his first apprentice, but he didn’t want to push her away by forcing her to work past her limits.

Tail swishing behind him, he paused for a bit before speaking again. His expression grew soft, “Well, I can’t help with friends. I don’t have many either, but you’re a part of my family now. So, there’s that.” He didn’t know how she’d take that, but it was true. He would watch out for her with all he had, just as he had been told to. He was confident enough in himself to say such things too, he didn’t fear her taking him lightly because he had plenty of skills to offer. Batstrike had always been distant to most, but he held his little group dear to him.

Her question caught him off guard, the toms ear twitched as his gaze grew blank on the surroundings. His scar was hardly cool to him, it only served as a reminder. The tom had a perfectionist hidden in him and he took his failures hard. “The cat that spoke with me after your ceremony.. The black tom with a busted leg. That’s my old mentor Shadowstorm. We were attacked by a stray dog.” That was all the information he was willing to offer up on the topic. He had gotten off lucky from that encounter. They both could have died and barely put up a fight against the monster that had snuck up on them. He let out a sigh, he’d be sure she learned how to defend herself too. She would be able to protect herself if not anything else by the time they were done.

The cat picked up his head as they passed by their territory that bordered MistClan. The clans were at peace with each other, but Carrion Hill was filled with two-leg junk. Batstrike wouldn’t have been surprised to find rouges hiding among the stench. “Look,” he gestured with a tilted head to the piles of trash they called their land. “MistClan lays just past this part of our territory. We don’t have many issues with this border because it’s not the best for hunting. You’ll only find aggressive rats there, so don’t let the smell affect your focus.” MothClan had the worst land of all the clans, but it made the cats here tougher. Only a strong clan would have made it here. He’d make her sprint and dodge through the two-leg junk one day to check her agility, maybe he’d make her deal with the rats on her own for as long as she could. They had a lot to cover, there was plenty to learn. Even as they patrolled he was starting to come up with ways to ensure she’d be a successful warrior. He wondered if she’d become a skilled fighter or if they’d have to go on hunting trips with Shadowstorm to teach her better hunting skills than he possessed himself.

[noctemq]

Family. That was a nice thought. Cherrypaw’s ears flicked towards Batstrike with a bit of contentment; she had kept herself distanced from a lot of her clanmates unintentionally, and it was nice to know there were cats that had her back. She had only warm feelings for Mothclan, especially since they practically saved her life, but had felt like the odd one out since everyone had already formed their peer groups before her arrival. There had been a few welcoming souls that made Cherrypaw feel like this was home, and now Batstrike played a role in that. Her biological parents loved her dearly, but were busy with their own hectic lives on the street. If only they knew those wild cats the rogues spoke so poorly of were not as uncivilized as they thought... With each moon, Cherrypaw found herself adding new members to her new self-made family,

Cherrypaw’s mouth formed into an “O” in response to Batstrike’s story behind his scar. The stiff tone in his voice told her to not question any further, but curiosity still bubbled in the back of the young she-cat’s throat. Maybe this would be more appropriate to talk about some other time. Usually, Cherrypaw would press on, but her gut told her it was probably a bad idea to do so, especially if she managed to tick him off and have to continue the rest of the patrol in punished silence. Her naive mind still viewed scars and other battle wounds as trophies to be shown. ”Yes, I survived! I was stronger than whatever was thrown at me!” They said to her whenever she managed to see an adorned warrior. Though, she did begin to notice that their eyes usually told a different story, and Batstrike’s expression confirmed this. Maybe scars weren’t as cool as she thought they were.

She looked forward ahead at Carrion Hill and her nose wrinkled up in disgust. Yep, that was appropriately named. ”Why would we even want this in Mothclan territory? It doesn’t look useful or anything,” Cherrypaw frowned before swiping a paw over her nose to help prevent breathing in the scent. She’d rather smell the earthiness beneath her claws instead of whatever was rotting over by the border. The smell reminded her of those two-leg stone homes; between the homes, there was always large silver tree trunks filled with black pelts. Those black pelts were filled with junk like this and smelled just as terrible. Cherrypaw thought she had escaped the weird scents and sights of the two-legs, but it was just always around the corner. She made a mental note to avoid this area is she could help it.

[Storm]

BATSTRIKE
MothClan | Warrior | Tom | 14 Moons | Heterosexual

Batstrike chuckled at Cherrypaw's disgust.  He hadn't even noticed it, but he had grown used to the stench of some of their territories.  The tom did miss the crisp smell of the forests he used to call home, but he only realized things like that when he wandered near the expansion of trees.  He thought about her question for a while before forming his answer, "Well, the other two clans were already established so MothClan had to take whatever land we could get." His long tail flicked behind him, she was right.  Batstrike didn't find this territory particularly useful other than maybe for training purposes and just the sake of being able to claim it. He would have to argue that point since he couldn't think of anything better.  "It may not appear useful, but we'll train there one day and you'll see.  MothClan warriors  are used to a little harsher lifestyle than the other clans, that's what makes us so strong.  We thrive here in less than ideal situations and that's why the other clans respect us." 

With no signs of a disturbance the patrol continued past Carrion Hill with little fuss.  "If you didn't like that, I've got more to show you," he joked lightly.  The patrol was now heading towards the border they had set out to check, the one that the outsiders had been threatening.  Thunder Trails wasn't as bad as the territory they just passed, but it had its own downfalls.  It had its own kind of metallic and rusty stink, rouges had been spotted there, twolegs too occasionally.  A big concern though was the monster that roared across its path mercilessly.  Destroying anything that wandered onto its predetermined trail.  They were far enough away to miss the warning sign of its arrival, the rumbling of the earth, but sure enough its howl echoed into the patrols ears.  He grinned as he watched Cherrypaw's reaction to the beasts call.  He'd leave her in anticipation until they got there, maybe they'd see one sleeping there as they checked the border.  

The group of warriors in front of them became more tense as they neared their destination, not because of the passing monster but the looming threat of the rouges. Batstrike's sharp yellow gaze scanned up ahead more cautious now, he picked up the pace slightly so they hung close to the back of the patrol.  He visibly loosened his joints that had grown stiff as he quietly padded along.  The tom didn't want to scare his apprentice to much, he tried to appear relaxed for her sake.  He was on edge though, even if it was unlikely their particular group would encounter any danger. The patrol cautiously dipped through some brush one after the other, their chattering voices quiet now until they made sure the area was safe.  The lean tom paused before pushing through the leaves, "This is our border with the rouges," he stated stoically, "I know you can probably handle yourself, but stick close to me for a bit for my sake."  He nodded to her as if she had already agreed to his request and then disappeared through the thick as well. 

Cherrypaw had made herself seem like a trouble maker, but Batstrike had been pleasantly surprised from their stroll so far.  As the bush opened up for the train tracks his long tail lashed behind him as the patrol and he checked for any immediate threats to face.  Everything seemed clear besides the stink and dust the previous passing monster kicked up, he waited until the rest of the scattered out patrol came to that decision as well.  With the all clear and a sigh he turned to speak to the little she-cat, "Everything looks okay... I'm going to help the others mark the border.  Feel free to explore here a little or ask any questions."  He hoped she wouldn't wander off, but he did want to give her a little freedom.  Batstrike was confident he'd notice another monster coming with plenty of time to ensure she would be out of its way.  The only thing he was worried about was the rouges, he'd just be extra watchful of her.  

[noctemq]

Cherrypaw didn't like the idea of training in what seemed to be an overgrown pile of dirt and crow-food, though not a single twinge of doubt passed through her body; whatever challenge Batstrike would throw at her, Cherrypaw was sure she would be able to overcome it. Hopefully it wouldn't be battling those rats! Cherrypaw had heard that sickness sometimes follows after a rat bite, and elders have told her scary stories about how some cats had even died afterwards. Part of her felt like that might have been lies to make sure she didn't try to escape camp through the dirt tunnel while the other part of her believed it. She wasn't the type of obsessively groom herself as well, but the thought of just a waft of that smell sticking onto her pelt made her lick and swipe her paw over one of her ears reflexively. No thank you.

She quickly grew alert to the deep growls of monsters in the distance. It once was a familiar sound from her earlier kithood, but now it was something menacingly unfamiliar. "I know that sound," she stated with some uncertainty. Cherrypaw could feel it's identity on the tip of her tongue, but the fog-like memories from some moons ago eluded her. She stretched out her neck upwards, as if bringing her ears an inch closer to the source would jog her mind. Another roar passed and she huffed with thought. "I swear I've heard this before!" The energy in her voice grew while keeping a volume low enough to not announce the patrol's presence to every living creature. She looked to her mentor for an explanation.

Suddenly, Cherrypaw felt like the air around her prudently tightened. It left a weird feeling against her whiskers when the surrounding warriors grew more vigilant. Was there trouble up ahead? She looked up to Batstrike to observe his reaction; he seemed much more placid than the rest, and she was much too emotionally dense to catch his act. Questions circled around her head, but she kept herself quiet for the safety of the patrol. In her mind, this moment was much more intense than it probably was in reality. The moment ended as quickly as it had started, and she was back to her relaxed self.

"Okay!" She had responded to the loosening of her reigns maybe a little too quickly, but Cherrypaw was eager to finally be able to explore outside of camp without getting in trouble upon her return. With a little hop in her step, she bounded away from her mentor to the edge of the monster's path. She pawed at the weirdly colored rock with hesitance, then sniffed her paw. Smelly. Those lines on the rocks were so unnaturally straight! She would have went further into the path to investigate those bright yellow rocks, but that opening was just too easy to be spotted in, especially if there might be rogues nearby. Cherrypaw padded away from the monster trail and sat up on her hind legs to see if she could spot anything across it. Nope, she was still too small. She imagined a group of rogues across the path before balancing back onto all of her legs properly. That would be too much excitement for her first patrol.

[Storm]

BATSTRIKE
MothClan | Warrior | Tom | 14 Moons | Heterosexual

The black and white tom let his ear perk at her comment. Had she escaped from camp one day and been scared back by the monsters roar? No, she seemed much too excited about the recognition, this must have been from her life before she joined the clan.  It was possible.  He grinned at her hushed enthusiasm, he was impressed that she already understood the situation called for a degree of discreetness.  Batstrike decided he would indulge her with an answer when her eyes fell on him expectantly.  "You may remember it from before you joined our clan.  It's a very memorable sound," he matched her low tone, "You can ask the elders about the monsters that run their paths faster than cats with long legs like me.  That's the noise it makes when it's hungry to eat up any cat mouse-brained enough to challenge it."  Many of the elders stories were silly tales to keep curious kits out of trouble through fear, but there was no need to make anything up about the malicious beast they just heard.  Only the truth was needed to credit how dangerous the big monster was.  

As Cherrypaw trotted loose Batstrike padded off on his own to check the scent marker for any old disturbances or signs of an unauthorized cross over.  His yellow eyes flicked between checking for an ambush and checking on Cherrypaw as he refreshed any stale parts of the border with the rest of the patrol.  He watched carefully as she inspected the trail the monster left in its wake. "Like I said, the monster tears up anything in its way.  It can wear down its surroundings just like a river would so be sure to stay off its trail when you feel it coming." he called as he continued his work.  The tom didn't know the twolegs actually made the trail for the monster to run along, so the explanation that the unnatural monster made the unnatural terrain seemed logical to him.  He shrugged as he looked up to see if any of the other cats found something out of place, but it seemed that all was well for the most part.  There would be nothing to report on the rouges today, a short break in the war MothClan had proclaimed in response to all the deadly rouge activity.  

Once the patrol finished up their duty they slowly gathered to head home.  Batstrike chatted briefly with the group before the others hesitantly dipped out and left his apprentice and him alone in the territory.  The tom rolled back on his haunches to sit, tail flicking a little annoyed to lay around his paws.  The other cats hadn't said anything, but they didn't jump on the idea of going on ahead without the young warrior and his new apprentice.  Their worries may have been well placed in the inexperience tom and the reportedly reckless she-cat alone at the border with the rouges they were at war with, but Batstrike felt it truly was an insult to him.  He was more than confident the patrol checked the border thoroughly for threats and in his ability to protect Cherrypaw need be.  It came across as doubt in his skill as if the tom wasn't already hard enough on himself.  He shook the thought away and refocused on the reason he asked to be left behind.  They wouldn't remain for much longer anyway, just enough time for his apprentice to fulfill her need to explore and the patrol to get far enough ahead she couldn't cheat on the first task he was planning on giving her.  He watched from his position patiently, waiting for her to notice the group had disappeared.  

[noctemq]

Oh, Cherrypaw had heard her fair share of monster stories. It seemed to be a favorite among the elder's den since it made kits quickly hush up in a mix of excitement, fear, and awe that would spark off of their little pelts like a wildfire. She had seen them before she joined Mothclan, but was certain that the cats she was with called it by a different name; it was like a distant whisper in her mind, just out of range, that would probably nag at her for the following moments. "I'll make sure to stay away from it... She said quietly with a level of sureness. Cherrypaw loved a good fight, but she knew which ones to pick, and those were the ones she could win.

The young apprentice lifted her head away from the unnaturally smooth rock path, yet still remained close to it for a moment. It was a decent border for Mothclan from the rogues; the monsters would eat whoever tried to cross... but with no discrimination. An amused thought of a monster allied with a clan crossed her mind and it was quickly shaken out. Starclan was probably not powerful enough to get into a monster's mind, so there was so way anything like that would ever happen.

She backed away from the monster's trail to join her mentor. Cherrypaw was eager to explore more, but was trying to keep a facade of nonchalance. Her days of sneaking out as a kit had given her a small preview of Mothclan's territory, but she had never successfully made it as far as she did today with company. Maybe she'd be given more privileges if she decided to actually follow the rules for once? It was worth a shot... for today at least. She could definitely get used to this higher level of freedom. "What now?" Cherrypaw turned to her mentor with the tilt of her head. Separating from the rest of the group hinted that Batstrike had something planned; she was sure that she would be ready for whatever he planned on tossing at her, but Cherrypaw was still hoping that he'd reveal his plans to her if she asked beforehand. Her other den-mates had told her about all the surprise drills that they were doing, and she'd rather avoid those if she could. Her fur stood fuzzy on some ends, revealing the anticipation she was trying to hide.