Apprentices den

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Silentpaw listned as Jaguarstripe explained his mistake and he took note of that, making sure he woudnt do it again. His claw instinctively unsheathed again and this time he made no atempt to sheathe them. He might need them. The white apprentice was still wondering what to do next when he realised that his mentor was sprinting towards him.

The whole forest shook as he felt a heavy blow come to the side of his head and he stumbled feeling to dizzy to counterattack. A small trickle of blood went down from a scratch on his head where claws had met skin and when he shook his head small red drops of it scattered onto the brown ground. His mouth formed a silent hiss as his mentor lunged again at him and he could feel her grab his paw and the pain as it bent. He closed his eyes in pain but quickly twisted around and sank his teeth into her shoulder. He bit down hard and at the same time thrashed furiously at her flank with unsheathed back paws. He saw her jaws coming foward to bite him just second before they snapped shut on thin air. He had ducked at the last second, releasing his jaws off Jaguarstripes shoulder.

He managed to wriggle out of Jaguarstripes hold and span around to face his mentor and run again at her. His temple was bleeding a little and his left paw ached terribly. It throbbed with every step he took but he ignored it as he summoned enough strength to leap at Jaguarstripe. He decided not to go head on, worried that she would just deflect him now that he had felt her power and so he swerved right quickly as he neared her and then twisted around to leap onto her back. He aimed to dig his claws into her fur and bite her ear. His jaws open in a silent yowl, but all that came out was his breathing.

The fight, to Silentpaws ears, was quiet. If another cat had been randomly walking through the woods they woudnt really be able to hear the fight going on nearby and if they did hear a nosie from Jaguarstripe they would asume it was just another cat speaking. The only sound Silentpaw could hear was the thud of paws against the hard ground and the occasional rustle of leaves from the gentle breeze. It seemed almost unreal were it not for the pain in Silentpaws head and paw.

Silentpaw thought that if his mentor did dodge him, which was likely due to her expertise, he would just bounce off the ground and leap at her again. His fast approach with the twist did give a chance of sucess so he opened his odd coloured eyes wide and gave it his best shot.

[.:{Crag}:.]

Her plan worked. Jaguarstripe watched as Silentpaw was too stunned to move after being hit on the side of the head. Defiantly not good. A warrior aiming to kill could have had her apprentice in seconds. Cold and dead on the soil. Then came the second attack, which was another success. Silentpaw's paw bent beneath her weight and his eyes closed with pain. Served him right. He shouldn't of sat there like a confused kit for a moon. Suddenly, just before Jaguarstripe was about to latch sharp teeth onto a small, white ear the apprentice flipped around and sunk his teeth into her shoulder. Being a six moon cat, though, he had the disadvantage of kitten teeth, so the bite didn't hurt as much as it would if he was a few moons older. Almost purring at actually being hit by the first day apprentice, the deputy narrowed her eyes as Silentpaw wriggled away and immediately came at her again. The she-cat was glad he had learned not to let her attack first again. Now it was defense mode time.

Jaguarstripe knew that her apprentice was a fast learner, so she expected him to not come head on, but try to outsmart her. Not a bad idea, except for its predictability. Brown eyes evaluated Silentpaw as he launched at her, and was able to pick apart a combination of eyes and muscle movement to tell how the tom would attack. Although not perfectly right, Jaguarstripe was able to predict most of the strategy. Instead of Silentpaw hitting her, the deputy flipped onto her back, preparing to fling the tom into the air as soon as he hit her paws. It would be a pretty good sized throw, and would probably end up sending Silentpaw flying through the air to the other side of the clump of trees(unless of course he maneuvered himself in mid-air to land in the other direction, which was hard enough for a full grown warrior to do; let alone an apprentice) If the muted cat was thrown, the deputy would attempt to pin him down while he was still out of breath.

Doing this training session had brought Jaguarstripe back to a time many moons ago: When she was an apprentice. Her mentor had done a very similar thing to her; only the 'run and find' had started with three other siblings, and four mentors were hiding. This made things very hard for she and her siblings. Rainwing had actually punished Jaguarpaw later for not finding him fast enough; and not just by beating her senseless in battle training. That very same day she had smart mouthed to him, and was sore for a week after that punishment. In ScarClan it was very important to respect your elders, and even not making eye contact could get you into trouble. Don't think that the cats in the Elder's Den can't teach you a lesson either! They may be old, but they still have claws. Jaguarpaw had learned in barely her first moon of training that lesson.

So far Silentpaw seemed to be doing a decent job of respect. For his sake, he had better continue.

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Silentpaw had learned by now not to be surprsied at anything that jaguarstripe did, after all she was full fo surprises. So when she flipped up onto her back the apprentice was unprepared but able to chnage his strategy. He felt hard legs kick him up into the air and he twisted to land feet first onto the hard soil. He hit the ground running back to his mentor. He wasnt going to sit there dazed and wait for her to pin him. No way! He shook his head to clear the dizziness as he ran and this time instead of dodging to the side he went head on. Or so it seemed.

At the last second, he ducked down as low as he could possibly manage making it appear that he was trying to slide under her and then when he was right under her chin he leaped up forcefully, his claws still unsheathed. If this manouver worked he would be able to claw at his mentors throat and chest. If she dodged him last second he would attempt to spin in mid air to kick her in the face as she moved away. anything else and he woul have to improvise. I can do that he thought confidently, I've been doing that all day after all.

A small memory tugged at the back of Silentpaws mind. he was thinking of all the times he and his sister Viperpaw had played together as kits, her never ending chatter filling his ears. He had never been annoyed ny her talking and though one might expect him to feel jelous he felt almost the opposite. He loved to hear his sisters voice to hear her be able to voice her opinions and speak freely to all she wanted. He was grateful that she had not shared his curse and was allowed to speak her mind whenever, wherever. Of course that could get her in trouble in ways Silentpaw coudnt. She could talk back, he could only listen or use his claws. And more out of common sense and sensibility than respect he knew that he'd rather keep his claws to himself than show his mentor what he thought about something. Like right now he wanted to yell "Time out! How did ou do that move. Can you teach me?" but all he could do was watch and try to learn on his own. He felt so alone.

Silentpaw pushed up with is back legs and let the rest of fate continue with its course. Dodge or other he was ready, he'd always be ready. If only he could speak he should have been named Readypaw!

[.:{Crag}:.]

The apprentice landed on his paws: A good sign. Jaguarstripe flipped to her feet quickly, watching Silentpaw closely as he ran toward her. The tom seemed to be coming head on, then ducked down at the last moment. That must have meant he was going to slide under her. Powerful legs flung the ScarClan deputy into the air, but then something strange happened: Silentpaw jumped with her. She had not been expecting this and was quite impressed at the tom's strategy, although he ended up clawing at her underbelly instead of her chest. Jaguarstripe landed softly on the ground and dug her claws into the soil to gain better traction. The scratches on her stomach were stinging, but they didn't bleed, as her apprentice hadn't gotten enough hold to cause a real injury. Instead of praising Silentpaw on his victory, another test came to mind. Was the tom too excited about hitting her to pay attention when she came again? There was only one way to find out.

Less than a heartbeat passed before Jaguarstripe launched into the air toward the mute tom. Paws outstretched before a tiny body, the ScarClan deputy unsheathed her claws, hard brown eyes narrowed into thin slits. Her plan was much more complicated this time: for now the she-cat's goal was to pin Silentpaw and move on to the next part of training. Jaguarstripe would act as though she was just aiming to land on the white tom, then use her weight to pin him. Instead, though, she would drop to the ground at the last heartbeat possible and roll beneath him. This would most likely trip Silentpaw and set everything up for a pin. After getting up, Jaguarstripe would immediately flip and place her paws on the white tom's chest. After all, what apprentice had ever beaten their mentor on the first day of training? Even the legendary Rockheart, her father, had been pinned easily for the first moon of his training, only to become one of the best fighters in the clan. All four of his offspring had lost on the first day as well.

The sun was rising must faster than Jaguarstripe had anticipated. It was fully above the horizon now, though only by a little bit. It had felt like only heartbeats ago she had been sprinting away from camp with Silentpaw on her heels. They still had so much to do, and with so little daylight to work with. For a heartbeat Jaguarstripe was angry at StarClan for having such little sun, but quickly took it back. They were lucky to have the Sun at all; without it things would never work as they did now. They would have to wrap up this lesson soon, though, if they were to finish all that the deputy had in mind. In fact, they really didn't need light; maybe Jaguarstripe would wake Silentpaw for a little late night hunting! No, the she-cat may be a hard mentor, but she understood that apprentices needed there sleep in case the camp was invaded.

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Silentpaw felt delighted that his move had finnaly hit its mark but he woudnt allow himself to get too self-confident. Pride comes before a fall he quoted in his mind, a phrase he had heard his father speak often. So when he landed and turned to face his mentor, he was still tense and ready for the next movement. His previous sucess had given him new energy and he ran quickly at his mentor. He realised she had jumped into the air and was coming at him. He imedeatly thought she was going to land on him and reared up to meet her with outstreched claws. Instead she landed right in front of him and he felt himself lose footing and then he coudnt feel the ground for a few seconds. Then he hit the soil with a thud and although he attempted to roll over to escape his mentors paws, he was too late and he was pinned, his mentors face only inches from his own. He struggled quite uselessly for a while, his paws struggling to escape her pin and lunge out at her. But he was barely an apprentice and she was a full grown warrior. He soon gave up and looked at her straight in the eyes, his odd coloured ones seeming to say, Okay. Now what?.

he wondered briefly if she would be mad at him for getting pinned. That seemed unfair, considering nearly all apprentices got pinned on their first time. He gazed at Jaguarstripe betting that she had been pinned first time too. But he didnt really know. He pushed up lightly with his paws, as if to say can i get up now? He felt a frown cover his face but didnt mind that it was showing because it was hiding the feeling he felt inside. Defeat. He shoudnt have excpected so much but for a while he thought he might actually get some praise on the first day. I'll just have to work on that he thought grimly and let out a mute sigh as he waited for the next part of his training.

[.:{Crag}:.]

Jaguarstripe nodded approvingly. Her apprentice had put up a good fight. The small she-cat released her grip on the tom and sheathed her claws, sitting for a moment. It could now officially be considered morning in ScarClan territory; the Sun was now shining brightly to wake the prey that would be sitting in the middle of the camp after the hunting patrol had caught it. The next part of training would be learning about the other three clans in the forest. It had been several hours since either cat had a break, and though Jaguarstripe was not particularly tired, she was assuming Silentpaw was. As if to give the mute apprentice permission to get comfortable, the deputy pressed her belly to the ground and tucked her paws beneath her. The sunlight shined on her ginger and black pelt, making it glow. This showed off her rock-like muscles which were shoved into a tiny frame. Odd for a regular she-cat, but not a ScarClanner.

"Silentpaw, it is time you learned about the other three clans." Jaguarstripe meowed, "As you know, or I hope you do, ScarClan is not the only clan in the forest." Dark brown eyes twinkled slightly at even the mention of the great group of cats she was born into. This deputy's loyalty has never been questioned because it is so obvious in her daily conversation. Every time ScarClan is mentioned Jaguarstripe tended to squeak by a tiny bit of emotion. Her siblings and a few other cats in the clan knew it was just about the only feeling she allowed herself to show. Soon Silentpaw would know this as well. The she-cat twitched an ear and began to rhythmically lick a paw. In between strokes, she continued,

"The first clan is JaggedClan. Their leader's name is Cragstar, and he is not much larger than I. Don't get your hopes up though, he is a worthy opponent in battle." Jaguarstripe flicked her tail thoughtfully. JaggedClan was the only clan she really respected; as their trial actually involved effort. "Their deputy has died not long ago, and I have yet to meet the new one; though I hear it is a she-cat. The medicine cat is Mapledrop, and the Overseer currently is Tangleweb, who, oddly I have never seen. JaggedClan is known mainly for climbing rocks and surviving among them, causing their trial to be to climb The Jagged Hill." Jaguarstripe paused before starting the next clan, letting the information sink in. When she was an apprentice her mentor had told her about the clans while fighting, making it very hard to concentrate. The deputy did spare this of Silentpaw, her one bit of mercy for the day.

A twig snapped, but Jaguarstripe didn't flinch. She had smelled the patrol coming a while earlier, although she wondered which mousebrain had made the noise. It probably scared all the prey from here to the edge of the territory. Brown eyes glanced up as five cats stepped out of the bushes. One was a senior warrior, whom she got up to greet. It was obvious he was leading the patrol. "Good morning Swiftheart." Jaguarstripe meowed, "Boarders in check?" Her tail flicked casually. The clans were at peace now, because of the plentiful amount of prey, but she always asked.

"As always Jaguarstripe." Meowed the tom, dipping his head to the deputy, "Although if a certain cat steps on another twig we may not be able to eat for a moon." Swiftheart's voice turned to a growl as he stared at one of the older apprentices, who was staring at his paws. With that, the warrior flicked his tail in farewell and lead the patrol in the direction of camp.

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Silentpaw got up as soon as Jaguarstripe got her paws off of him. He waited until she lay down before he sat down to, tucking his white paws under his snowy pelt and looking at his mentor with huge odd coloured eyes. His fur fluttered slightly in the breeze and gave him the image of a little floating cloud. He hated his pelt it wasnt right for a Scarclanner, it didnt match what he felt inside. Inside he was a warrior of Scarclan, but on the outside he was a fluffy cat. He felt like growling to himself, only he coudnt.

Silentpaws ears pricked up when he heard that he would be hearing about the other clans. Of course he knew there were three other clans, Peakclan, Jaggedclan and Timberclan. Scarclan was always in his opinion, the best. He could tell by the sudden flash of pride in Jaguarstripes eye, that she thought the same. He straightned up proudly and waited to hear about the other clans. Jaggedclan seemed to be an okay clan but Silentpaw was only hearing names of cats and so he coudnt judge. When he heard about the trial he flicked his tail in intrest and wondered what the trial involved. He was sure he'd find out later.

Suddenly Silentpaw raised his head, his nose to the air. He scented cats, lots of them! Seeing that his mentor was calm he sniffed the air again and realised that he recognised the scent. But before he could put a name to it, Swiftheart emerged from the bushes. Silentpaw dipped his head politely, unable to greet the patrol. He fel a pang of amusement and then pity at the apprentice who had stepped in the twig, although his eyes betrayed nothing. That could be him someday! He watched as the patrol left and turned back to his mentor waiting for her to continue her speech.

[.:{Crag}:.]

Jaguarstripe watched the patrol disappear in the distance, heading toward the TimberClan boarder. That clan, in this deputy's opinion, was simply fast. That was the only advantage they had: Speed. Everything else they failed miserably in. She believed ScarClan could pummel them in battle, but then again they had been at peace for so long she could barely remember the last time they had fought. Jaguarstripe knew it was good for her clan, but some part of her longed to sprint into a mob of fighting cats, adrenaline pumping, and muscles ready to defend the great group she had grown into. The she-cat forced the thought out of her mind, though, because she would never put her clan in danger like that. It would be healthier for ScarClan to strengthen themselves first; and what a more perfect time than Greenleaf?

Jaguarstripe got comfortable for the second time. The ground was soft and warm with fresh grass, and the softer part of the small deputy wanted to curl up and nap. Of course she would never let herself do that. Hard brown eyes instead locked on the apprentice, making eye contact before speaking, "The next clan you will know of will be TimberClan. They are the fastest in the forest, and their trial is called Voyage of the Winding Forest. They must run through a thick clump of trees without getting pinned by the Overseer." Jaguarstripe meowed this confidently without giving away her opinion about the clan, "Their leader's name is Shiningstar. She'll be easy to recognize at gatherings for her emerald green eyes." The feline's tail swished back and forth in the Greenleaf breeze, as if in deep thought for a moment. For what seemed like the tenth time today, speaking with Scorchstar could not leave her mind. Why was this so important to her?

Jaguarstripe emptied her mind of every thought about kits, Scorchstar, and even queens. Right now she had to concentrate on Silentpaw; the mentor had to work just as hard as the apprentice in order for things to be successful. This she had learned from her own mentor, and after moons of experience teaching.

"The last clan we will speak of will be PeakClan." The deputy started, eyes once again glazing into seriousness "They are mostly skilled at hiding among rocks, which I suppose would come in handy when hunting... Their trial involves staying out of sight for three sunrises without another apprentice finding you. Usually their pelts are dark gray or black, but I have seen as bright as ginger pelts as well." Jaguarstripe stifled a yawn; to an apprentice this would be interesting information, but a warrior who knows it all could easily be bored. It was easily hidden, though, and her eyes betrayed nothing as usual. Not even a whisker twitched on the she-cat's face, moons of mastering this skill had really payed off.

Jaguarstripe stood and stretched her paws out in front of her. The morning had been a long one, and although she wasn't planning on letting Silentpaw go so early, the urgency to speak with Scorchstar was burning in her pelt.

"You are to spend the rest of the day hunting," Ordered the deputy, "Don't come back until dusk, and don't even consider eating until returning. I want to see how well your instinctive skills are before learning how real ScarClanners hunt."

With that, Jaguarstripe turned and bounded away into the bushes, heading back toward her home.

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Silentpaw listned intently to the rest of jaguarstripes explanation of the clans. he listned well, it was something he was used to doing, considering that he never had a chance to speak in a conversation. He wondered if he would be faster than a Timberclan cat or beter at hiding than a Peakclan one. He quickly shook off the thought. he was a Scarclanner and he would be best at what Scarclan was known for: stength, both emotionally and physically. Silentpaw suddenly realised that that was one of the things he was really good at, not showing his emotions.

Suddenly Jaguarstripe got up and left, leaving him with orders to hunt for the rest of the day until dusk. Silentpaws first thoughts were, how in the name of Starclan was he going to survive the whole day without eating? he hadnt eaten since yesterday before his ceramony. But his eyes narrowed at the prospect of a challenge and he rose to his feet. He padded softly and silently through the bushes, his ears pricked for the sounds of prey. The scent of a robin came to him and he slunk through the bushes until it was withen his sight. He placed a paw in front of him and pushed himself slowly fowards towards the bird. Suddenly his fur snagged on a bush, causing it to shake. The bird was in the air before Silentpaw could blink.

Standing up angrily, he looked elsewhere for prey. Greenleaf meant that prey was pleantiful and so he had many chances at catching prey. He came across a vole which was busy searching for food. Silentpaw crept closer and clser and then...leaped. He landed onto the vole, his sharp teeth sinking into its neck and ending his life. Silentpaw stood up proudly, the vole in his jaws. The sun was still high in the sky so he buried it and continued looking.

The day passed slowly for the young white apprentice. Having no training whatsoever in hunting he wasnt exactly the best. But the forest was plentiful and Silentpaw got many chances. He learned quickly from his mistakes and before long gathered a good amount of prey. Three voles, a large rabbit, two birds and a mouse. An entire days hunting for an apprentice with no training at all. Silentpaw was just stalking a large looking mouse when he realised it was getting hard to see. He looked up to see that the sun had disapeared from the sky but there was a faint glow in the air, indicating that there was still light somewhere. Silentpaw decided he had to start getting back. He made an attempt to catch the mouse and managed to hook its tail and drag it back to kill before it could get away. He admitted to himself that the mouse looked too fat to be fast anyway.

Silentpaw proudly added the mouse to his pile of prey and started to head back to camp, dragging as much prey as he could behind him.