.New Mentor=New Apprentice.

[flamewhisper]

Bluepaw was wondering if she had hit the nerve hard enough, when she felt her mentor go down. She had done it, and by herself! For the first time she actually felt confident in something. She watched her mentor get up, amazed she had brought down a cat that much bigger than her.

She was about to ask how she had done and if it was done correctly, when her mentor spoke. She listened to her mentors words, taking them in best she could. Then she heard something that startled her and caused her to freeze. Explain what she did, and what she was thinking?

"Um..Well...I don't really know what I did, to tell you the truth. I just acted on instinct and anger." She mumbled, shifting some loose durt under her paws. "I remember thinking i wanted to take you down, and somehow distract you, and it just happened." She felt dumb that she couldn't remember all the details, just the anger and how she acted on her instincs, like they were pushing her forward, showing her what to do.

What confidence she had was now gone. How would she know if she had messed up if she couldn't even remember what she had really done. All she remembered was latching onto her mentor's leg, then her mentor going down. Shifting the dirt once more, she wondered why she had been born so strange.

[kittykow]

Longlily

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The long-legged she-cat was taken slightly aback. Anger? Her apprentice had brought this all about on such an insignificant emotion? No previous training (although Longlily had been joking, it was still a possibility and at the front of her mind) and no instructions did Bluepaw have, and despite this, the tiny blue she-cat that had been placed under Longlily's care had come up with this all on her own.

"Anger?" Longlily's mew was high-pitched. "Why, exactly were you angry?" Her voice continued upwards, much to Longlily's dislike; she pushed down her emotions and rolled them into a small, tight ball, like she was collecting moss, and shoved them deep into her heart.

Anger is un-important and petty! Most other emotions are too!


The thought shocked her, reverberating around her skull in the form of a voice that she recognized all too well--one whose name she had not thought in moons and would not think for moons to come; she didn't think it now. In fact, these words and ones like them, that he had imprinted into her mind so long ago, had not been through her skull in so long. Why now?

Pushing this away, as she had the emotion of anger, Longlily decided to deal with herself later. Right now, I am focusing on Bluepaw. And that is all.

She continued with hardly a pause, her voice much calmer and level then it had been seconds ago: "Explain this to me and then I want you to take another round; don't use any of the same techniques or maneuvers, and focus on what you're doing while your doing it so that you can explain it to me throughly afterwards. " This sentence was accompanied by a sharp look, likely in reprimand to what had just happened. Longlily did not want a repeat of the anger-controlled mind in her apprentice on the first day; while this could be used to one's advantage during battle, it could also be used against one. She voiced this to her apprentice.

Trivial emotions can be used against you!

She pushed away the voice. The fur on her shoulders started to raise, but she forced it flat. She needed to pay attention to her apprentice now.

Not her father.

O/C: Sorry for the wait, Flame! D= and haha, the thing about Longlily's dad just came to me as I was writing this; I couldn't resist and it'll be coming back~ -la-

[flamewhisper]

Bluepaw listened to her mentor, shame filling her. How could she not remember what she did? Her mother's voice came into her mind and she felt her eyes sting as tears threatened to come.

"You will never make it as an apprentice."

When her mentor asked her why she was angry, she just scowled at her. "That doesn't matter." She hissed, venom filling her voice. She didn't like her mother and her mentor wasn't going to get her to talk about her now. Without a word she walked past her mentor and into the bushes.

So, she had to keep tabs on every one of her moves? Then that's just what she'd do. Sniffing the air she found out which way it was blowing, and following a feeling in her gut, found her way downwind as silently as possible, pleased when she didn't make a noise. Why did she do this? She didn't know why. Why did she do what she did next? She also didn't know.

When she was sure her mentor was convinced she was still in the direction she had entered the bushes, she eyed her back leg. How would she get to it? Her eyes trailed the bushes to where she found a gap just shortly to her left. That was her next move. Moving quickly and silently to the spot, she readied herself for the attack.

"You'll be a disgrace on day one."

Shaking her head she gave a silent growl at her mother's voice. Digging her claws into the earth she lunged herself at her mentor's back leg. When she was only a tail length from her, she dug her claws into the earth causing her back legs to swing around, both aimed right for the tendon.

(Ooc- It's all cool, considering how I'm putting in little snippets of her mother's words as well. )

[kittykow]

Longlily

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Doesn't matter, huh? Well, no matter what you want to think, Bluepaw, it does matter. More then you would like.

It was so tempting to open her jaw just ever so slightly and let these words escape her maw, to let them come out and play further with Bluepaw's emotions just as Longlily's had been by her own father. But she stopped herself; now was not the time to tease and torment, and she didn't want to be like her father besides that.

She let out a small murmur to her apprentice's back, however. She herself didn't hear the words clearly and assumed her apprentice didn't either, but what she was meaning to say was:

"Well, let emotions that count fuel your next maneuver."

Longlily wasn't sure what her apprentice was up to, but she decided that she would humor her; Longlily studied the leaves on the bush that Bluepaw had just pushed herself through. The sunlight danced on them, creating shadows on the leaf beneath the one above it, which was casting a shadow. The shadows and sun patches on the leaves as they moved created a ripple, like that of the river's surface on a calm day, and that ripple made the dappled pattern dance. Watching this sunlight/leaf/shadow dance take place made Longlily fell hypnotysed; she wanted to dance, too.

Something made her ears prick--what...? It was a growl. Her head turned, slowly, to see what was behind her. Her mind screamed at her: Bluepaw! And it was right. The apprentice was....

Longlily's eyes grew wide. Her apprentice was using her front claws to hold herself to the ground and using gravity and speed, force, to bring her hind legs--her hind claws around to connect with the tendon in Longlily's leg.

Her eyes snapped quickly from their wide open position to analyzing her apprentice. Her front paws were spaced evenly, but if they were moved ever so slightly, her balance would be much better (not to say that is wasn't already good) and if her claws were extended just a fraction less, then the motion of her hind legs would be smoother. In an instant, Longlily's had checked all of this, and had time to marvel over the fact that she had received such a skilled apprentice, before she went down.

She lay there for a moment, her mind refusing to think anything. But then she stood slowly and shook the dust out of her fur and purred. A warm feeling of pride was lighting in her chest, quite successfully pushing away the negative ones from before.

Your pride will hurt you when it comes back to bite,[/b] Longlily's father's voice snarled in her head. When you're proud of some cat and they throw that pride you had in them right back into your face, it hurts. The pride from before isn't worth the hurt from after. It never is.[/b]

Longlily didn't want to believe her farther's words, overheard so long ago to some other cat, forgotten. She wanted to be proud of her apprentice. I want to trust Bluepaw! she screamed in her mind at her farther, not letting a single thing flicker across her face or in her eyes. And I want Bluepaw to trust Bluepaw too!

[flamewhisper]

Her eyes were fierce, filled with anger, hatred, but also concentration, as her back legs connected with her mentor's back leg. The moment her back legs hit, she released her front claws from the earth, causing her to do a swift flip before landing back on her paws.

Bluepaw blinked, staring at her downed mentor, then at her paws. She had just done something really cool! 'You will never do anything right.' She shook her head and internally stomped on her mother's words. It was barely day one and she was already proving her mother wrong.

"How did I do, Longlily?" She asked, her fur, standing from her attack, flattened out, and her tail dropped, slightly swaying side to side. She felt calmer than before, her anger from earlier gone. She had kept tabs on every move and thought she had made. Her mentor couldn't be mad at her this time.

"You have never pleased me, how do you expect to please your mentor?" She shook her head at her mother's words. She would prove her wrong and show her that her birth wasn't a mistake.

[kittykow]

Longlily

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“How did you do?” Longlily repeated at her apprentice. “How did you do? Bluepaw.”

She paused to make it more dramatic.

“You did amazing, Bluepaw.”

This is when the apprentice shook her head, causing Longlily’s brow to furrow. Why was he shaking her head? Was she upset or angry with the praise? She went back of the words in her head, the ones that she had just mewed aloud, but couldn’t find a sore spot in them.

“Anyway,” Swiftly brushing her thoughts aside in favor of hearing just what exactly her apprentice had done, Longlily swept her tail to the side and meowed her advice: “The spacing of your front paws was very good, but by moving them just slight from how you had them…” She moved her front paws to show Bluepaw how she had had them. “to something more like this…” She moved one paw out and up just by a fraction. “it would have increased your balance ten-fold.”

She stepped back as she went on, keeping her eyes trained on Bluepaw. “Further, if your claws had been extended just a bit less in your hold on the ground, your movement through the air would have been much smoother.” She nodded approvingly.

“Now, tell me what you were doing and how you did it.” Longlily’s eyes sparkled as she meowed these last words. Not once had those eyes left her apprentice. Yes, tell me! she thought. Enlighten me, please!

O/C: Short, sorry =P not too much muse right now...

[flamewhisper]

Bluepaw looked back at her mentor and realized she shouldn't have shaken her head. A smile came for her mouth when she got praised. She liked praise and was happy to not get criticized.

As her mentor explained how she should have placed her paws, she moved her paws just like her mentor would show her. Paws further apart, better balance. Got it. She thought, her tail flicking with concentration. Claws extended less. She thought as she dug her claws into the earth, then drew them back a a little bit. Her mentor definitely gave her more information than her mother. All her mother would do was criticize her and tell her she would never get better.

When she was told to tell her mentor what she was doing and how she did it she smiled. "When I walked into the bushes i decided to surprise attack you, instead of come out and attack you head on. I noticed a hole in the bushes and went from there. I saw you and noticed how far you were. I realized that if I jump attacked you, my jump would be short, and I couldn't run attack cause you would have time to dodge, and it isn't very surprising. That was when I realized that if I wanted to get to you, I would have to take extra measures. I knew that if I lunged and the second my front paws touched down and I dug my claws into the earth, instead of stopping, my back end would keep going, I would just have to direct it." She explained, a smile on her mouth. She really hoped her mentor would be proud of how well she explained everything.

"You can never be proud of a mistake." She remembered her mother saying, but she just ignored it. If she did good today, she could prove her mother wrong.

[kittykow]

Longlily

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A purr rose in Longlily's throat as she listened to her apprentice explaining her movements. The thought process of her apprentice was very orderly and unique, and quiet smart. Longlily wondered how she could have possibly been doubting this apprentice--she wondered, too, how this apprentice could have doubted herself.

She clearly had brains and she clearly had talents. Her eyes trained themselves on Bluepaw's, and Longlily had to wonder what had made her apprentice the way she was; why did she doubt herself and why did she feel worthless? It was clear the the mentor that one day, Bluepaw would be anything BUT useless to her clan and clan mates.

"Amazing," meowed the older female RiverClan cat as soon as Bluepaw finished her explanation. Her tone was warm, quite different then what she might have used before. She didn't quiet realize that she had said that word aloud, however. She went on:

"I think that after one more go, you will have earned a quick training session, and then you can be done for the day. Don't want to over work you on your first day." Laughter. "Catching fish is so much fun. So earn the treat, okay?"

Mentor circled apprentice, slowly, waiting to see how she would attack this time. "I'm a moving target now," she meowed as she went. "No more surprise attacks. Let me see what you would do in a real one-on-one battle."

Excitement was surging through Longlily's veins, racing from her heart to paw tips. I am proud of Bluepaw, she thought, and I am going to make Bluepaw proud of Bluepaw as well. Her eyes narrowed just a fraction. Past words shouldn't matter in the present.

It's present words that should matter in the present.

[flamewhisper]

Bluepaw swelled with joy when her mentor said she had been amazing. She couldn't help it when a huge smile crossed her muzzle. If only her mother were here, she could throw her cruel words right back at her. She had already proven that she could be a good fighter, and her mother wouldn't be able to tell her otherwise again.

As her mentor began to talk about finishing the day up and catching fish, her ears pricked and her interest was caught. She would have to earn the treat? Her ears went back at this, unhappy that she hadn't already earned it. If her mentor wanted to see what she would do, she would show her.

As she watched her mentor circle her, she began to think of how she could battler her. First she would have to surprise her, she was pretty good at that. Next she would have to attack. Well, she knew how to do that, she would just have to think of something she hadn't done yet. After that she would find some way to wear her down, or just get her in a position where it would be hard to attack. Now that she had her whole scenario down, she went back through the steps.

First, the surprise. Puffing up all her fur, she slammed her paw down and hissed. She knew her mentor would probably be expecting that, but it wasn't the full surprise. In one swift motion, she faked a lunge to her left then dove straight under her mentors legs, kicking the vein with her back leg as she slid out from under her.

Next was the attack. In one solid motion, she shot to her feet, flipped around, and lunged onto her mentors back, clinging to it with her paws. Finally, get her in a position she couldn't fight back. With a strong growl she bit the back of her mentors neck, but not hard enough the break skin or do damage. Just enough to show what she could do.

What do you think of this plan? She thought as she held on.

[kittykow]

Longlily

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In moments, the warrior she-cat was on the ground and Bluepaw was at her neck. The breath was knocked out of her, and she would have normally minded but she didn't this time; pride and surprise filled her. She twisted gently, and knocked Bluepaw away, then purred: "Amazing, Bluepaw," as she stood back up. She shook out her fur, and sat, curling her tail around her front paws, to face her apprentice.

"It was all very good--from the surprise to the executing of the attack. I don't have anything to scold; let's fish now, shall we?" Her eyes twinkled, and she stood again, beckoning with Bluepaw to follow her to the water's edge. She didn't check to make sure that Bluepaw was following her; she was confident that she was. Longlily's mind was filled with warm but hazy thoughts as she sat down at the river's edge.

She glanced at Bluepaw from the corners of her eyes, and felt lucky that she had received such a capable cat as her apprentice, as the cat that she was to be a mentor for. Despite appearance and first impressions, she was beggening to see--had actually seen there for minutes at a time--the capable and wonderful fighter that Bluepaw really was. Not to mention that the she-cat apprentice was very smart as well.

Longlily tore her eyes away, and tilted her chin to the sky, checking the sun's position. She meowed, "Do not let your shadow fall over the water. Since the sun is over there," she used her tail to point. "We have to stand on this side--which we are. And don't lean over the water, either. If you let your shadow fall over the water or peer in, it will startle the fish."

The new mentor flashed out her claws for a moment. Watching the fish at the bottom of the stream, she hesitated--and then flashed forward and swooped down with her paw, hooking the fish out of the water. If flopped down onto the side of the stream, onto the bank, and flopped around before Longlily killed it with a well aimed blow.

She looked up to Bluepaw. "Try," she said simply. "You'll get the hang of it in no time."

[flamewhisper]

Her eyes watched the water with doubt as they followed the patterns of the fish. Fighting her mentor was one thing, but catching a fish was another. She had come to find through swimming that it isn't easy to maneuver like you would on land. No, your moves have to be quick and suffice, without a mistake, or the current catches you.

Dipping her paw into the water, she tested the current. It pulled on her paw, a thin line of skin appearing in the parting fur. It was a bit fast, but she might be able to do it. Watching the fish, she extended her claws, before retracting them again. The water was deep enough, she would have a little fun.

Tightening the muscles in her back legs, she lunged into the water, just ahead of one of the fish, cutting it off just in time to catch it between her sharp, powerful jaws. Coming back to the surface she shook off the water and killed the fish quickly. She hoped her mentor wouldn't mind her bit of random fun. The fish were still there, only a few had swam off.

[kittykow]

Longlily

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The mentor was more then a little surprised to see her apprentice dive head first into the water to retrieve the fish. She was silent a moment before blinking at Bluepaw and laughing.

"That's definitely one way to catch a fish," She purred, before picking up her own fish and depositing it near Bluepaw's. "How much more would you like to go on before we head back?" I honestly wouldn't mind if we kept at this all day...But if Bluepaw is tired and wants to head back, well, Bluepaw is tired and wants to head back.

The she-cat's green and gold eyes sparkled with the reflection of the water that the fish swam in. Turning her head away towards the fish, Longlily found herself realizing that she was a lucky cat to have received Bluepaw as an apprentice. The warrior was a bit surprised at her own thoughts; it was not very often that she found herself feeling thank full. But here she was, doing just that.

A fish darted into the corner of her vision, and without thinking, she swooped down and hooked it out of the water before aiming a sharp bite at it. How ever, it slipped from her grasp and fell back into the water, but not before its fin slapped her across the nose.

Longlily let out a disgruntled, indignant nose, embarrassed, hoping that perhaps Bluepaw hadn't seen. (although she knew that the apprentice had.) So, turning to her, she meowed briskly, "You saw nothing, alright?"

[flamewhisper]

Bluepaw was watching the fish when her mentor asked if she wanted to keep fishing or head back. She wanted to keep fishing, she loved the water, but she was extremely tired from all the training. Thinking hard on what she should do, she decided it was time to go. She needed rest, and figured her mentor did as well.

However, before she could say anything her mentor snatched a fish from the water. Except, she didn't get it, it got away before she could bite it, slapping her in the face as if stating how it felt. A tiny laugh escaped her mouth before she could stop it. She knew this would be the only time she ever saw her mentor embarrassed. When her mentor told her she saw nothing she looked at her and, with a serious face, said, "Saw what?" With a wink she turned towards the water and spotted the same fish. It was easy to see because of the claw marks.

On one fluid motion she pulled the fish from the water and killed it before throwing it to the pile. She smiled at the dead fish as if she had taught it a lesson to not slap her mentor. Turning to her mentor she accidentally let a yawn slip. She guessed she was more tired than she thought.

[kittykow]

Longlily

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Longlily purred, her fur still warm from the embarrassment. She was quiet proud, however, of the skills that Blupaw had just exhibited to her, catching that slippery fish.

She drew her tail over Bluepaw's ear to show this to her, then meowed, "It seems that you're tired--we have enough fish, so let us head back to camp." Her eyes sparkled as she picked up the fish that she had caught and the fish with the claw marks so that Bluepaw would only be required to carry one.

Perhaps life wasn't so bad, after all.

///comments: Sorry for the shortness! not much to say. Should this end it, or would you like to end it? Or even like for it to keep going? <3

[flamewhisper]

(ooc-I like your ending, so it will end here. We can start a new one where she is going on a patrol, since we got the fighting and fishing all in this one.)