Patchpaw's Training[nimbles with patchpaw only]

[fleabittengray]

Runningwater, the nineteen mooned old ShadowClan warrior she-cat, padded towards teh Shady Creek. IT was early, the Dawn Patrol had just left, and she was waiting for her new (and first!) apprentice Patchpaw to come to satrt his trianing. She licked her paws as she sat down near a tree, happy that she had choosen the driest place to begin training. She would first begin by....what would she do? She glanced around and saw a frog hopping along. She would start with hunting! She was pretty sure that Patchpaw knew alot alread, becasue he looked pretty smart already, so she would just start with the basics to see where he stood.

The small grayigh-blue she curled her tail around herself as she looked at the sky. It looke dlike it might rain, so she hoped that Patchpaw was quick! Long whisker, with the little 'mountain' in them, twiched.

[*Nimbles*]

Patchpaw;
Patchpaw purred as his dream blurred in front of his eyes, as sleep drew away from him he slowly began to open one eye. He yawned and stretched, he didn't need to be awake yet... A few more winks of sleep...
Then, a sudden thought hit him. He had a new mentor! He had to be awake a while ago. He shook his head and pelted out of his den and into the forest, sprinting to the Shady Creek. He began to pant as he put on more speed until he skidded to a halt. He could scent Runningwater, but from his position, he knew that she couldn't. He smiled, thinking of how best to take advantage of this delicate position.
"Runningwater! Where have you been?" he called out to her as he strolled out. "I've been waiting since dawn!" he called in a friendly tone.

[fleabittengray]

Whiskers twiched in laughter as the tom came up to her from behind. She turned to look at him, eyes shining.

Oh, so I suppose it was your twin sleeping in the apprentices den earlier?

She asked, her tone joking. She wasn't going to be to tough on Patchpaw yet, only futher into his trianing. She picked up a paw and licked it, drawing it over her auds for a quick cleaning. She watched Patchpaw for his reaction, a smile hiden behind her prssed lips. She wouldn't let him think he could get it over on her!

Small gray-blue body shifted waeight as Runningwater stood up and walked to the creek. She motined with her tail for Patchpaw to sit besides her. Maybe today she would just show him some things she had learned form the Tribe! That would be fun! And it would maybe help her remember....

Come, Patchpaw, let us start with something challenging!

She smiled at him, allowing her white teeth to show, and waited for him to sit, Exciment corsed through her veins, carried by the blood that gave her body life.

[*Nimbles*]

Patchpaw;
Pathpaw purred and twitched his tail. Oh, so I suppose it was your twin sleeping in the apprentices den earlier? He smiled and wrinkled his nose, making a mock innocent face. "Aye, perhaps," he said and grinned. He twitched his tail with excitement, he could barely sit down! Adrenaline was coursing through his blue veins, making anything stationary almost impossible. He needed to feel the earth beneath his claws, feel the heart beat of a mouse die out in his jaws.. He needed to be alive!
"Challenging?" he said as he sat down, finding enough self-restraint to do so. "Sure," there was nothing more Patchpaw liked than a challenge! He loved how cats looked at him, he was a worthless kittypet, now a warrior! But still, they did not now of his heritage. Autumnstar and him were polar opposites to each other in everything, everything but genetics. "Well?" he said politely, waiting for the training to begin.

[fleabittengray]

Runnigwater alloud her smiel to be released more as Patchpaw answered her with mock innocence. She winked at him and mewed.

Hmm, then I just might have to have a word with them about slakcing off!

She licked Patchpaw between his ears and got up.

How would you like to learn how the Tribe cats hunted? I do not really know if it will work here, but it might come in handy some day!

She said. Exciment and sadness coursed through her at the smale time as she thought about her former home. She despretly wished she could remember what had happened. BUt she could only remember a shooting pain in the head then nothing. She just couldn't remember half her life. She couldn't even remember her mother's scent.

Looknig up at the darkening sky with saddened eyes, she breathed in deeply.

Might rain, so our training might be cut short.

She warned. She looked at Patchpaw again, wondering what his Tribe name would have been. She loved her's. It made her life in the Tribe not feel so much like a dream. Running Water In River.

[*Nimbles*]

Patchpaw;
Patchpaw grinned, he felt relieved at the friendly banter he was able to have with Runningwater. He twitched his tail and purred when she licked him between the ears, a new sort of feeling was in his stomach though, something more than hunger, but less than pain, a strange squirming feeling. He shook his pelt and watched Runningwater with his bright amber eyes. He was as tall as her now, and although she was his new mentor, he knew that his apprenticeship would be short-lived, he had almost completed the training. He felt more of a tom cat, rather than a kit.
Still, the strange feeling in his stomach irked him. What was it? It happened when Runningwater touched him, was it a strange Tribe trick she was doing, or was it something deep down inside Patchpaw?
"Tribe stuff? Wow. That would be great," he said, his mouth feeling very dry. He became aware of himself more, aware of his fur, the way it must look to her, the way his eyes shone brightly when he looked at her. What was this feeling? Was he going insane?
"I don't mind the rain, so there is no need to cut the training session down for my needs, but if you feel the need..." he purred. He wanted to make her seem like the weaker cat so that she'd stay out with him to train, but was it training he was really interested in?

[fleabittengray]

Runningwater raised her brow at her apprentice and cleared her throat (one of the words i have never learned to spell) The nineteen moon old she-cat looked around and spotted a small clearing. That would be a good place to start!

Come, Patchpaw, I shall show you how we hunted.

She flicked her tail, indicating that she wanted the young tom to follow her. Looking around, she spotted and mouse. But she didn't.'s stalk it. She looked around quickly and whispered to Patchpaw.

Sit down besides me, And do not move.

She crouched down low and watched the mouse carefully with deep sky blue eyes. The warrior looked up at the sky and, to her surprise, there was a bird circling the mouse. She smiled and flicked her tail again, mountain whiskers twitching in anticipation. Any moment now.....

Like lightning, the bird flew down and picked up the mouse. But before the bird could fly away, Runningwater raced toward it, pinning it to the ground. She bit into its neck and let out a long breath as it slowly went limp. She moved the bird over, exposing the dead mouse.

A two in one deal!

She called over to Patchpaw, who was about two feet away.

I didn't think a bird would come here, but StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting must have wanted you to see some action!

[*Nimbles*]

Patchpaw;
"Why doesn't the Clan question your loyalty? he said. There was no malice in his voice, just curiousity which all apprentices held. "You use old hunting tricks and you talk about your tribe and StarClan as if they were the same," he said quietly.
Although the hunting trick was amazing, he was also very curious as to Runningwater. He felt a great like towards her. Naturally, he should be in ThunderClan, and she should be in her tribe, but both things went wrong and here they were, together in the same Clan. Things seemed too coincidental now.
He twitched his long slender tail and began washing his sleek grey fur, waiting for Runninqwater's reaction. He was either going to get bitten, or she would explain, either way, he was curious to know her reaction. Something about her made him smile, and he longed to know what. Was it their past, something which they both shared, or was it her looks, personality, or could it be the whole package?
His golden eyes waited with baited curiousity. His heart slowly began to thud and the time stretched between them. This was it. How he was going to die, under the paws a she-cat whom he asked the wrong question to. These thoughts whirled in his mind as he waited.

[fleabittengray]

Runningwater froze as her appretnice asked her a rather personal question.

"Why doesn't the Clan question your loyalty? You use old hunting tricks and you talk about your tribe and StarClan as if they were the same." he said quietly.

Runningwater sighed, and began to lick her chest. It was a story that not even she knew everything about. She got comfortable, wrapped her tail around her paws, and faced her apprentice.

"Well, Patchpaw, I guess it is becuase I am not from around here. My ways are different, although I adpated to yours quickly." She bit her lip, wondering how to reply to his other words. "And they sortof are the same, the Tribe and StarClan. They are both ancestors that have passed on, continuing to look after their kin and Clan or Tribe members."

She said, flicking her tail. She tried to remember how exactly she had come here, but every time she thought about it, all she could remember was a huge headache and yowling. Maybe it would all come in time. She looked at Patchpaw, sne saw a bit of fear in his eyes.

"Why? Thinking of joining the Tribe? Going up to the mountains anytime soon?"

She licked the top of the apprentice's head, and smiled to show that she wasn't mad at him for asking her about the Tribe.

[*Nimbles*]

Patchpaw;
Patchpaw grinned and ducked his head. "No, nothing like that, it's just that loyalty is questioned all of the time and it's strange that no one seemed to question your loyalty." He twitched his tail and licked his lips before he stood up and began to dig a shallow hole for Runningwater's prey. He quickly finished and looked at Runningwater. "Shall I go and catch some prey so that you can secretly assess me?" He said this quite innocently because he knew that Runningwater would have to assess his skills, he also knew that she would probably do it in secret.
He grinned and licked his paw before pulling it over his face to clean his thick muzzle. He no longer wanted to speak of loyalty, he too was torn between two clans. His mother's Clan, ThunderClan, or his chosen Clan, ShadowClan. He snorted softly, if his mother cared that much, she wouldn't have dropped him off with Twoleg's now would she?
He flicked his tail, thinking about his mother, Autumnstar, pierced his heart like a thorn, so her preferred not to. He preferred not to question anything and he felt more compelled to believe that he was just StarClan's kit.

[fleabittengray]

Small, grayish-blue she-cat lifted her head towards her appretnice scanning him with deep sky-blue eyes. She listened to him speak, drawing his paw over his think set muzzel. "Sounds great. How long do you wish to hunt for?" she asked, wrapping her tail around her delicate paws. Long, "mountain" whiskers twisched as she held in a smile. He was cute, and had some deep thoughts for his age. She wondered what had caused him to ask about loyalty and everything, but decided against asking him. Shaking her frame as she stood and walked 'round him in a circle, she waited for Patchpaw to answer her patiently. Looking up at the sky, the long black hairs between her ears fell over her eyes like that of an equine. She blinked, wondering if indeed the Tribe on Endless Hunting had infact followed her here. If they lived alongside StarClan in the star strewn sky.

That's when a strange question esapced from between her lips. "Patchpaw, do you truely beileve that their are ancestors watching over us?" she uttered softly to the young tom-cat. A soft breeze ruffled her pelt, blowing her black "forlock" out of her face as she turned to Patchpaw, waiting again for an answer. Long, slender body stopped circling the tom, and Runingwater looked at him.


He wasn't an appretnice to her, really. He was more like a friend. The two were the same size, and he was almost a warrior. He was as strong as she, and knew as much about the forest as she did. Possibly even more, considering he was born here. Removing her sky blue eyes from his own optics, she blinked to the ground, unable to meet his gaze as she waited for his answers.

[*Nimbles*]

Patchpaw;
Patchpaw twitched his ears when he heard Runningwater begin to talk again. How long do you wish to hunt for? He flicked his tail and grinned. "Well, why don't you and I just hunt until we have enough for the Clan? You can assess me as we go... The two of us can catch more than just one," he said softly. To be honest, he didn't want to be left on his own. He was in one of those moods where if he was left on his own, he would ponder the past too much.
Her next question startled him. Patchpaw, do you truely beileve that their are ancestors watching over us? He mulled over her question in his mind as he pulled out a small thorn from between his claws. Then, the answer came to him. "I like to believe it. It tells us that we aren't alone in anything, but I think that some cats like it because they have something else to blame for their mistakes..." he realised that he hadn't actually answered her question. "I think that i'd need more proof to believe in it, but I think that StarClan has been forced on us, we haven't had a choice whether to believe or not... I just find it hard to believe in miracles and StarClan... I mean, if you don't believe, you're against the warrior code which instantly makes you a bad warrior... " he said as he lapsed into a peaceful silence.
His amber eyes glowed as he confessed his dark secret. "What about you?" he said, turning the question back on Runningwater. He had really become fond of the she-cat, in more ways than one, but he appreciated her company and the fact she treated him like a warrior, rather than a dopey apprentice.

[fleabittengray]

Fae listened with ears percked. awaiting teh answer to her question. His answer rather surprised her, untill she remembered the first question she ahd asked. But this wasn't what she was worried about now. Right now, she wanted to know what Patchpaw thought about her second question. His answered rather surprised her, comfermining her thoughts about him being rather mature for his age. But, unexpectedly, the question was placed on her. The first thought that came to mind was to tell him that of corse StarCLan was true, that it was no lie. But she she better be honest with this tom-cat.

"Patchpaw, I honestly beleave in the Tribe of Endless Hunting, but sometimes I wonder about StarClan. It just makes no sense ot me that there can be more then one set of ancestors, watching of every cat at every given time. But I am beginging to beleive it, but it will take time."

She spoke sweetly to the tom-cat, bending her cranium to lick the tom between his eyes, her own closed. Her mind drifted to when she was older, to when she would have kits. She wondered if this was how queens felt, caring for their little ones.

[*Nimbles*]

Patchpaw;
Patchpaw has his eyes closed and listened to her answer intently. When she stooped and licked him on the brow, he smiled. "Perhaps they are the same things but under different names," he offered. "So in believing one, you believe in them both," he said and nudged her gently with his maw. He opened his eyes and looked at Runningwater curiously. It seemed that they were both curious about the same things. He looked at the she-cat with a new found respect.
He smiled and jumped forward before flashing Runningwater with a sly grin. "Perhaps you have your mountain tricks, but when you are this agile, nothing can stop you," he said as he stretched his back with a wink.
He ran forward, at a fast speed and ran straight up the tree, using the ripples in the bark to held him climb. He loved climbing trees, something he prided himself at. As he came to the top of the tree he padded along with caution and leapt again, knocking at a birds' nest. To his anticipation he heard a large sqwark. The chicks' mother was back.
He grinned and as the mother came to protect her chicks, he firmly connected with her chest until he drove her from the tree, killing her instantly. He then left the chicks as they were. "They are beginning to fly, they will be leaf-bare's prey," he said softly to Runningwater.
To be honest, his skill was good, undeniably good, but his heart wasn't in it anymore. He no longer wanted to be an apprentice, but a tom cat. He wanted friends and family. He wanted for someone to care about him, and for him to care about them in return.