Apprentices den

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Silentpaws white paws twitched in his sleep as the young apprentice dreamed quietly. His odd coloured eyes were shut tight, as if afraid to open them and his claws were strangely unsheathed. Tonight he had been named an apprentice, a ceramony that Silentpaw had long awaited. He had been sent to his new nest in the apprentices den, warned to prepare himself for a new chapter of his life. Silentpaw turned over in his sleep and nothing could be heard except his quiet almost inaudible breathing.

The memeory of the ceramony floated into Silentpaws dreams...

"Until he recieves his warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Silentpaw" Silentpaw gazed around the clearing at the ctas that surrounded him. He looked up at his new menotor, Jaguarstripe and wondred why she had been chosen to mentor him. He knew well enough how respected she was, a great mentor as well as the deputy of the clan. Why him? Him, a cat that had been mocked and ridiculed since its birth, a cat that lacked a key element of life: the power of speech. All he could feel in his little chest was nervousness, mixed with pride and excitement. He kept his face serious hoping that his mixture of emotions wasnt showing. The next thing he remembered was lying on his new nest, gazing at the half moon that seemed so far away. The loud call of a bird echoed in the distance.

Silentpaw twitched again in his sleep, his unsheathed claws still out. Outside the den, it was still dark, it would be sunrise in a few hours. Silentpaw continued to sleep, completely unaware of the hard day that was yet to come.

[.:{Crag}:.]

Inside the Warrior's Den, a small she-cat lay in the Deputy's nest. Though only moments ago, only the faint rise and fall of her side showed that she was alive, now she was stirring. Dark brown eyes blinked open, and jaws erupted in a small, quiet yawn. Jaguarstripe was a morning cat. On her first day of training, she was the most awake apprentice, though her mentor had poked her awake much earlier than now. After only a few moments of stretching, the deputy was as awake as she could get. She had been given her third apprentice yesterday, and didn't exactly plan on letting him sleep in on his first day of training.

As quietly as possible, Jaguarstripe weaved in and out of the lumps sleeping warriors. The night before, she had informed one of the senior warriors that he would be leading the dawn patrol, so there was one thing she didn't have to worry about. As she stepped outside, a happy sigh came from the deputy's nose as the crisp morning night air cut through her fur, sending a great chill through her from nose to tail tip. Brown eyes gazed silently at the sky, and Silverpelt gazed back. Her parents were up there, and it took a tremendous amount of willpower not to whimper at the thought that they were gone. There were other things to be done, and the ScarClan deputy refused to act in such a kit like behavior.

Jaguarstripe padded over to the Apprentice’s Den, thinking over how Silentpaw should be trained. She wasn’t going to go easy on him- that was for sure. There was no such thing in her eyes. In fact, she may go even harder on him. He would have to get used to things being hard for him. Taking a deep breath and stepping into mentor mode, Jaguarstripe padded into the den, avoiding tripping over the only other cat in the den besides Silentpaw: his sister, Viperpaw. She guessed that her mentor wouldn’t be long in waking her. Once in front of her newest apprentice, the clan deputy started to batter his belly with her paws. It was a rude awakening, but it was how Jaguarstripe mentored: Harsh, strict, and the one who only accepted perfection.

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[glow=red,2,300]Silentpaws green and blue eyes blinked slowly as he concentrated. A large black bird was just in front of him and he was perparing to leap. He inched fowards slowly, his claws unsheathed and his stomach growling with hunger. The white apprentice leaped into the air, his paws were just about to touch the soft black feathers...[/glow]

Silentpaws eyes snapped open and the apprentice leaped up out of his nest, his jaws open in a silent yowl. He found himself staring into the harsh brown eyes of Jaguarstripe. He calmed down almost imedeatly, although his belly still hurt from his mentors battering. He took a deep breath and nodded. He had already known that he'd be woken up sometime way before morning. What they didnt tell him was that being an aprentice was hard. Every kit heard it from the apprentices. So Silentpaw just waited for Jaguarstripe to tell him what to do.

The young white cat felt like sighing. Today was going to be so annoying with his...disability. He woudnt be able to even ask simple questions or say if he understood or not. But he woudnt give up. That was his own personal code: To never give up. He had a problem, he'd overcome it, if there was an obstacle he'd get past. Nothing was going to stop him. He didnt need to be the most perfect cat of the lot. He just wanted to be respected and not looked down upon like some stupid handicap. So the young white cat just stood and waited for his mentors orders, determined to do well on his first day of training.

[.:{Crag}:.]

Jaguarstripe watched quietly as Silentpaw rose to his paws, obviously waiting for an order. Her facial expression didn't change as the deputy turned, flicking her tail for her new apprentice to follow. Once again, she avoided the lump that was Viperpaw, and padded out into the moonlit clearing. The night was somewhat chilly, but it wasn't bad, and the breeze felt quite nice to her. She would miss it when sunhigh came around. Somewhat amused by her own ups and downs when it came to Greenleaf, the spotted feline didn't bother looking back to see if Silentpaw was following. After all, it wasn't likely that he would be curling back up as soon as she left the den. Well, I guess he could've thought it was a dream, but if he did he'd be in big trouble with his new mentor.

Jaguarstripe continued, her paws making no noise on the stone they called their camp. Soon she had entered the territory and was staring at the open land before her, trying to decide what would be the best way to start training. There were the other clan options: Hunting, fighting or tracking. Then there was the good clan options: Self Defense, Climbing, Swimming, Conditioning, Water fighting, Rock fighting, or fighting in thick foliage. Of course there were many others. Jaguarstripe had always thought the other clans didn't take training seriously. Usually mentors started out with 'exploring the territory' but that would have to be done on Silentpaw's own time. She wasn't going to waste training time on it, though of course would be doing a surprise inspection say... in a few days. If he didn't know every rock, tree, and bramble, his mentor would not be happy.

Without even really thinking, Jaguarstripe started with a brisk trot in a random direction. The first test she would have with Silentpaw would be how well he could keep up. It was still dark, so the apprentice would have to rely on scent to navigate through ScarClan territory without falling behind. If he did, his mentor would not be happy. To her even a kit could manage this simple task. Luckily for Silentpaw, this territory wasn't that thick in foliage, and there wasn't much to trip on. In fact most of it is open; with only a few clumps of trees and bushes here and there.

This was going to be a hard day for Jaguarstripe's new apprentice, because she was already planning what to do next.

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Silentpaw folowed his mentor out of camp, brushing softly against his sister as he passed her. He hoped she would sleep a little longer before she had to start training. Silenpaw squinted in the darkness, waiting for his mentors instructions. None came. The silence was eerie as they moved across the ground with no sound except a small rustling of leaves as the wind brushed through them. suddenly the ground turned stony underneath and Silentpaw could hear a clicking noise coming from his paws. He looked down to see that his claws were still unsheathed and tapping against the stone. He sheathed them quickly, wondering why they had been out without his noticing.

Looking up he realised that his mentor had started to pick up her pace. He trotted behind her, his pawsteps could now be heard as he made an effort to keep up. She seemed to only be going at a trot but the fact that he coudnt see her made it worse. He began to jog faster, and began to scent his way more than see. he trpped twice over his own feet and once caught his foot and collapsed in a small hole. His mentor made no sign of stopping so he just sprinted to catch up and trtted behind her tail again.

Silentpaw was so tired already, his paws ached from running and keeping up. He narrowed his eyes and silently vowed that he'd keep going even if he died on his paws from exauhstion. The young apprentice felt a new strebgth and hope enter him. Bring it on he panted in his head and continued to follow Jaguarstripe, breathing heavily but quietly.

[.:{Crag}:.]

Not even slightly out of breath, Jaguarstripe looked over her shoulder. Silentpaw wasn't doing bad. She speed up a little more, now at a mid paced jog. Her face stayed hard as stone, brown eyes staring up at Silverpelt occasionally. Slowly the clan deputy began to pick up the pace again. Now her speed was a full out run, though not a sprint yet. A cat from a different clan would never survive this even just before their trial. Well, to Jaguarstripe they didn't even seem like trials in the other clans. All they had to do was run through some trees, climb a big, rocky hill, or play hide and seek with another apprentice. Terrifying. She snorted, beginning to get out of breath slightly, though she could go on quite a ways before stopping.The ScarClanner didn't bother looking back to see if her apprentice was keeping up.

Suddenly Jaguarstripe went into a full out sprint. She stretched her legs as far as possible, trying to make it considerably difficult for Silentpaw to keep up. In fact, she was sure he wouldn't be able to. The deputy jerked suddenly to the right, weaving in and out of a clump of trees. Then, a jerk to the left, then back to the right again. Jaguarstripe leaped over bushes and rocks and made sharp turns. This would be extremely hard for Silentpaw to do, and if he managed it it would be a miracle. She pushed harder, sending grass flying in the air as she picked up even more speed. Another clump of trees was coming up, and Jaguarstripe looked over her shoulder to be sure that Silentpaw wasn't close to her tail as she climbed a tree in record time. She perched herself on one of the higher branches, scanning the surrounding area for her apprentice.

Brown eyes met the horizon. It was starting to lighten, although no sun was up yet. The sky was clear of any clouds and the stars were still visible. It was beginning to warm up, but it was still chilly. Jaguarstripe sat on her perch, regaining her breath and keeping watch for Silentpaw. This was the next test: First of all, how would her apprentice react to losing her? Secondly, would he find her? If Silentpaw came beneath her tree and didn't find her within a few moments, Jaguarstripe would leap from the tree and hopefully land on top of him. That would be the third test: Self Defense. After that things weren't planned as clearly, but she was sure she would have them done before this next session was over.

Jaguarstripe didn't plan on returning to camp until sunhigh.

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Silentpaw could feel his legs aching in pain as he continued to follow his mentor. the pace gotfaster and faster and faster. Silentpaw was running as fast as he could, his jaws open gasping for air, his claws unsheathed again to stop him from slipping on the forest floor. His mentor suddenly went into a sprint and Silentpaw began to fall behind. He tried to run faster, streching his legs and pushing everything he had to keep Jaguarstripe in sight. Then he saw her pelt zoom to the right and was gone.

Silentpaw continued running really fast for a while, trying to follow his mentor by scent instead of sight. This was partly the reason why he didnt see the hole in front of him. Silentpaw felt his paw slide into a dent in the ground, as if in slow motion, and then he was spinning through the air. He hit the ground shoulder first and the white aprentice felt as if all the air had been knocked out of him. He sprang to his feet and twisted his head to lick his shoulder. Just a graze he thought to himself, his odd coloured eyes searching the darkness for his mentor. He sighed and put his nose to the ground and tried to trace his mentors scent. The white tom felt that without his speech his sense of smell was amplified, just as hearing was amplified for those who were blind. The trail went left and right, through bushes and under rocks. Silentpaw wondered how annoyed his mentor would be when he found her. Because he would find her. He had to, it was out of the question that he failed.

Suddenly Silentpaw stopped, his nose to a tree. Slowly, his eyes looked upwards towards the dark shadowed top branches. He felt a flicker of fear and sudden surprise course through him. Too late, he realised where his mentor was and it was too late to try and prepare himself. All he could do was stand there with knowledge that his mentor was somewhere up that tree. And most probably going to attack him.

[.:{Crag}:.]

The sky had lightened slightly by the time the ScarClan deputy heard the crackling of leaves as Silentpaw approached. Noise. That was not acceptable. The muted apprentice would have to learn to keep his paws light an unnoticed. Only a kittypet should be storming through the forest; he might as well have a collar with a bell. Tail lashing with frustration, Jaguarstripe followed Silentpaw with her eyes as he searched, nose to the ground. Another tail lash. He was oblivious to his surroundings with his eyes on the ground. Had she been in a bush, she would've attacked him. Surely by now the tom would've learned that the deputy wanted perfection? She had to use some willpower not to hiss out loud at his mistakes.

Jaguarstripe stilled herself within the branches of the tree. Thick leaves blocked the sight up into the tree, but she could see down just fine from the angle she was sitting at. Suddenly the white pelt of Silentpaw was seen with her hard brown eyes. So he had found her! The deputy waited a few more seconds, and her apprentice looked up with fear in his eyes. Emotion. They would have to work on that. Jaguarstripe shook her head slightly and dug her claws into the soft bark of the tree. She had been proud that the tom found her, but the fear in his eyes had made it fade away. A fierce JaggedClan warrior could easily see the weakness in fear and use it to their advantage, just as this she-cat was about to do. She stayed still for a little while longer, wondering if Silentpaw was expecting her to climb down to him and tell him what a great job he had done. If that was the case he was due for a wake up call.

The tiny ScarClanner suddenly launched from the tree, long, powerful legs casting her downward to her apprentice, whiskers plastered to her face. Jaguarstripe aimed for the apprentice's shoulders. This would cause some pain but not damage Silentpaw's back like it would've if she had aimed lower. Obviously this was the next test. It wasn't likely that the tom could dodge the first leap, but she expected him to at least be able to defend himself a bit. If she landed in the spot she wanted, the deputy would wrap her paw around, hopefully tripping Silentpaw and pinning him easily. This would be a complete fail of this first test of fighting. If he managed to throw off her aiming, causing her to land on his back haunches, Jaguarstripe would then leap off then quickly leap back again, hopefully pinning him in a swift and fast motion. This would be a pass, though she would still not approve. The best way Silentpaw could do this would be to completely dodge her attack, causing her to land on ground instead of apprentice. If this happened, she would simply nod her approval and they would continue on to the next test. This would be passing with flying colors and extremely unlikely for a first day apprentice.

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Silentpaw knew what was coming before he saw his mentor leap down from the upper branches of the tree. In the seconds that he stood there he saw the flash of disaproval in her eyes and the quick lash of her tail. The white apprentice knew he had done something wrong, but he had no time to think about it and attempt to correct his mistakes. Jaguarstripe had leaped and he knew he had to get out of the way.

Silentpaw leaped to the side, his already tired limbs forced into action by his willing mind. He was not going to fail on his first day! Although the apprentice had skipped out of the way pretty quickly, it was not enough. Silentpaw felt his mentor land where his back haunches were and he imedeatly, instinctively flipped around to ram his skull into his mentors head or flank. The move was really sharp and quick, even Silentpaw himself was amazed at the speed at which he had reacted . Wether the attack hit his aim or not, Silentpaw had already leaped off his mentor and was moving speedily in a wide circle, his pawsteps quick and light hardly making a noise. His blue and green eye were narrowed in concentration, not revealing any emotion. All his fatigue had been forgotten, all he felt was the will to win this fight or go down fighting.

Silentpaw wondered if his mentor would attack him after all. If she did he would be ready for her, to try and dodge. He waited, on the tips of his paws, ready for anything.

[.:{Crag}:.]

Jaguarstripe didn't even flinch as Silentpaw dodged partially, causing her to land on his back haunches. At the last second the deputy changed her plans of pinning him right away, deciding to test her apprentice in however well he could launch a counter attack. He whipped around, attempting to butt his head into her, but of course Jaguarstripe sidestepped before he had the chance to. "Too slow!" She hissed, lashing her tail. On the inside though, the she-cat was thinking about how Silentpaw had real promise. He had the makings of a great warrior. Maybe, just maybe, he could end up like she or Tigerfrost. After all he was her apprentice, and the only thing she would ever expect was perfection. If that didn't happen, she would never claim this tom as her apprentice. If it did, though, the deputy would brag about him for moons to come. It was the way she worked.

Narrowing stone-like brown eyes in concentration, Jaguarstripe watched Silentpaw carefully. His strategy wasn't very smart; letting the larger cat attack first, and in addition to that, he was not even really moving. Just circling the opponent wasn't going to get you anywhere. "Letting an experienced, battle trained warrior attack first?" Growled Jaguarstripe, "Do you really want them to have the advantage? Well, the mistake has already been made." With that the small she-cat launched herself at Silentpaw. This time her strategy was more on pain then on getting him on the ground. This mistake could eventually be life threatening to the tom, and she had to make him learn. Jaguarstripe's eyes narrowed as she aimed to hit her apprentice on the side of the head with her claws out, then throw her weight on him and hopefully get his paw to bend beneath her. It was odd, but had worked countless times in battle(though of course she was aiming to break the paw then, not just twist it) In addition to that, she would attempt to grab Silentpaw's ear in her powerful jaws. This of course would only hurt the tom while he was pinned(well, maybe not the paw).

The sky was lightening as the sun peaked over the horizon. ScarClan territory was glowing now, with an orange tint that twolegs would sit and gasp about for moons. It was normal temperature for Greenleaf, rather than the cool chill of night air, and the sky promised a clear day. The planning in Jaguarstripe's head returned: They would go to the Crooked Creak where the water was the deepest and practice fighting wet. It was not time to go to the Elemental Plateau. Just as her mentor had, this deputy demanded the apprentice to earn the right to such excellent training grounds. Silentpaw would probably not be ready for at least another moon or two. Hopefully he wouldn't take as long as Lynxtail; who didn't earn the right until a hefty nine moons old! By that age Jaguarstripe could've easily beaten her brother in battle before you could say 'mouse'.

The clan deputy would be sure Silentpaw was ready before he reached seven moons.