[Lightning] Among the [Maple]s (tagged)

[Babylonranger]

Lightningflame smiled at his shy, new apprentice.  The white-and-black tom felt he was hiding his panic quite well, truth be told.  His mind raced back to his early days as an apprentice, trying to recall what he had to do.  What had his mentor done first again?  Hmm, test strengths and weaknesses, visit the Skyfield, go over the territory boundaries and landmarks -- aha!

"Maplepaw," he said, "why don't we start your training with an exploration of Stormclan's territory.  We can get to know each other better along the way."  He hoped the calico she-cat would grow to feel comfortable with him in time.  Training Maplepaw was going to be incredibly awkward otherwise.

His fluffy black-tipped tail raised like a banner as the young warrior strode toward the entrance to camp.  "Come on!  It'll be fun!"

Ooc:  Well, it'll be interesting anyway, I'm sure, eh nomstar?

[nomstar]

OOC: Nice title XD

She sat stiffly in front of him, listening to his every word. I hope that he likes me.. She listened to the birds calling outside of camp. They chirped to each other. Back and forth. She closed her eyes and imagined flying above the tree tops, the wind whistling in her ears and ruffling her short tortoiseshell fur. She looked at her mentor, surprised to find Lightningflame at the camp entrance. he got up and hurriedly and padded lightly towards her mentor. Where are we going first?

[Babylonranger]

Ooc: Thank you! :-D

"We'll stop by the Murky Hollow first," Lightningflame said, shortening his stride so his smaller apprentice would have less trouble keeping up. "You'll have battle training there." The Hollow wasn't very far from camp so it did not take long for the pair to arrive.

"Take a look, but we won't go in today," the white-and-black tom said. "See the river and the waterfall at the far end?" he asked, nodding towards them. "They make the ground slippery in there. We start training at this end and go further in once I'm sure you can keep your grip." He turned his yellow gaze on Maplepaw. "Any questions so far?"

[nomstar]

She was glad when he slowed down. The murky Hollow? That doesn't sound very nice. She wrinkled her nose at the thought. When they arrived she looked at the waterfall with interest. That's kinda cool. When her mentor asked if she had any questions, Maplepaw stiffened and looked down at her paws. No.... not really.... She mumbled to the ground. The young cat still didn't feel comfortable around this cat. What if he's mean? No, he can't be. but the thought was still there, nagging her.

[Babylonranger]

It was like watching a flower wilt because someone breathed on it. Lightningflame blinked in worried confusion. He had seen Maplepaw looking at the Hollow with a fair amount of interest. but as soon as he attempted to turn the conversation back to her, the young apprentice seemed to shrink in on herself. Shyness wasn't something he'd had to deal with when he was younger. The white-and-black warrior had always been gregarious, and Daisyhop hadn't been a quiet littermate either.

"You're sure?" the young tom asked gently. "Maplepaw, you know that if something's bothering you you can tell me, right? I promise not to bite your head off." He chuckled, saying, "I don't bite apprentices anyway, not since I was one myself."

[nomstar]

I'm fine. She murmured, still not making eye contact with him. What should I say? I don't want to sound like a mousebrain, but... I want him to like me... She blinked anxiously at the ground. I feel like I should say something... W-where are we g-going next....? Maplepaw mumbled. She wasn't really concerned, she just wanted to draw all the attention from her and get moving again. 

OOC: Just a quick question, how old is Lightningflame? And do you have any plan for him in the future?

[Babylonranger]

((Ooc: He's about 15 moons; I didn't have any major plans for him, but he's family with Roselocke's Thistlepaw, so she might have a bit of a plot going. Or she just wanted a mostly close family, of which Lightningflame is a part. *shrugs*))

Lightningflame bit back a sigh. Well, he'd tried. And it was only the first day. With any luck, she warm up to him enough to crawl out of her shell for a bit. "Ok," the black-faced tom said, remembering to be quiet. He smiled at her and decided where to go next. "We'll stop by the Bubbling Pool and the Shallow Pool," he said with a nod. "If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask."

[nomstar]

OOC: I was thinking that they could become really close friends, like Lightningflame becomes very protactive over her even when she becomes a warrior. Sort of a fatherly figure who she can consult in.

She looked nervously at his smile for a second. The Bubbling pool? What's that? She smiled at the thought of water and bounded ahead. I love swimming! I wonder if we can stop to swim? She ducked behind a clump of ferns and tried to sniff out the water. She couldn't taste it on the air, so she decided to head back to Lightningflame. That was when Maplepaw realised that she couldn't scent or hear or even see her mentor. Fear striked through her. Where am I? She spun round and began to quickly pad in the direction that she thought that she came from. but even after what seemed like several moons, she hadn't even found a trace of him. I'm lost! 

[Babylonranger]

((Ooc: Sounds good XD. He was the same with Daisyhop until he got his tail handed to him.))

The white-and-black tom grinned at Maplepaw's eagerness at the mention of the two pools. He chuckled as the young calico she-cat sprang ahead before following after her. However, his good humor faded as he continued forward without catching sight of his apprentice. Foxdung, I can't have lost her already! For crying out loud, it was only their first day! Dread turned his blood to ice as Lightningflame focused on following Maplepaw's scent-trail.

"Maplepaw!" he called out, hoping she was close enough to hear him. The young warrior continued tracking his apprentice, noticing that she had turned around at one point, likely in an attempt to get back to him, but she'd gone off in a slightly different direction, fear tainting her scent. He called out to her again, "Maplepaw!"

((Ooc: I'm not sure if you missed this or not, but just in case, I'll tag you nomstar.))

[nomstar]

OOC: Yeah, sorry. I must have XD

Maplepaw! She heard her mentor's cry, somewhere behind her. Lightningflame? She mewled, her voice shrill with fear. Where am I?  She crouched down behind a clump of ferns. Every branch and every rock seemed to be an enemy, waiting to catch her. What should I do? The little cat put her head on her paws, tears brimming in her eyes. I wish I had never come here! If only Goldenpaw was here! She missed her friends back at camp. Her bright yellow eyes scanned the undergrowth around her. LIghtningflame, please help me!

[Babylonranger]

((Ooc: No worries. XD))

Relief flooded through the white-and-black tom as he picked up the shrill mew of his name. Inhaling deeply, Lightningflame noted that his apprentice's scent was becoming more fresh. "Stay where you are, I'll be right there!" he called out before padding quickly through the undergrowth. It was not long before he found the frightened she-cat huddled under a fern-patch. His yellow eyes scanned her worriedly, looking for injuries but not seeing any and not smelling any blood.
"Maplepaw," he said, helpless to prevent a relieved smile from breaking out across his masked face. "Are you alright?"

[nomstar]

She looked up hopefully as Maplepaw scented her mentor. He popped round the bush, looking concerned. Maplepaw, are you alright? She stood up quickly, not knowing what to say. Sorry. She murmured eventually, tears brimming in her eyes. Not Lightningflame will hate me for being a scardy-mouse! She walked out from the clump of ferns, not wanting to meet he mentor's gaze. I've ruined everything!

[Babylonranger]

Well, I suppose that answers that question, Lightningflame thought, seeing how dejected the trembling apprentice looked. "Hey, hey, hey," the white-and-black tom said in a softer voice than he normally used. "Maplepaw, I'm not angry. I used to get lost in the territory sometimes when my mentor first started showing me around." The warrior draped his fluffy, black-tipped tail over the young, calico she-cat as he tried to comfort her. "I even ran ahead a lot; got myself into all sorts of trouble. I'm just glad you're not hurt or worse. The forest can be dangerous if you're by yourself and you don't know where you are."

[nomstar]

She was barely listening to her mentor. I've failed everything. A single tear dripped down her face and landed on the grass beneath his paws. I'm just glad your not hurt or worse. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Calm down. It's fine and you're okay. She opened her eyes and looked at her mentor. Okay. Can we go to the bubbling pool now? She didn't want Lightningflame to think that she was a mousebrain or anything, so she stood up tall and tried to look confident. You can do this Maplepaw.

[Babylonranger]

A wry smile flickered on the black-masked warrior's face for a moment before he nodded at Maplepaw's question and shoved any reservations he felt to the side. He'd seen the tear, yes, but it seemed that his apprentice wanted to put on a strong front. Lightningflame doubted she wanted attention called to feelings at the present time.

"Yes," he said. "We can go to the pool now." Rising to his black paws, the tom looked around to re-orient himself and padded towards the Bubbling Pool, keeping to a pace he knew Maplepaw could easily keep up with. "Do you have an idea of how to track scents?" the white-and-black tom asked, looking at the younger calico she-cat. He could at least try to do some teaching while they walked.