Getting to Know the Territory

[Restlessdreamer]

OOC: Your first character, my first time being a mentor. Let's hope this goes well...

@nocturnalacolyte
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Rainpuddle sat in Sunsetclan's camp clearing, looking at the apprentice den. The sun had just broken over the horizon, so chances were Cloudpaw was still asleep. It had been a while since she had trained an apprentice, and she wasn't entirely sure how this would go.

She had often seen Cloudkit... Cloudpaw, around camp, but the two had never really spoken.

Rainpuddle walked over to the apprentice den, and softly called out (trying not to wake the other apprentices).

"Cloudpaw?" she asked. "Are you awake?"

[Deleted]

The orange she-cat quietly groomed herself, making sure every hair on her body was in the correct place. Her fellow den mates were still asleep, luckily none of them were snoring too loudly. Cloudpaw's ears twitched slightly as she heard her name being whispered. Oh right. My mentor. That's why she'd been feeling slightly restless: Today was her first step to becoming a capable warrior of her clan.

The she-cat lifted her body of her mossy bed, strutting over to the den entrance where the white-patched cat known as Rainpuddle to her stood. Cloudpaw mustered her for a few heartbeats, before fixing her gaze on the she-cats eyes. "What will we be doing today?" The tabby asked in a hushed tone, tail swaying slowly behind her in a sign of muted exitement.

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[OOC] ah, if I ever write too much, just say it ^^' I'm really exited!

[Restlessdreamer]

OOC: I made Cloudpaw! (Looks like you did, too. Sorry if I got the colors wrong; I think I made her too dark. I can change it, if you want.)

badartist16.deviantart.com/art/NoturnalAcolyte-s-Gift-Cloudpaw-555636897
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Rainpuddle watched as Cloudpaw came out of the den. The apprentice looked calm, but her tail betrayed her excitement.

"What will we be doing today?" Cloudpaw asked in a hushed voice.

"Well," Rainpuddle began, "before I show you how to hunt or fight, I need to show you our territory. At least, the borders and other important locations."

Rainpuddle started walking towards the camp's exit, flicking her tail as a way of beckoning Cloudpaw to follow.

[Deleted]

The she-cat squinted slightly as Rainpuddle began to talk. Territory. I see. She thought, her lips sliding into an innocent smile. Hopefully my fur won't get too dirtied up.

As her mentor started to leave, Cloudpaw followed shortly. Even with the sun out, the ground was still rather chilly, but luckly not frozen. If she was honest, Cloudpaw had never even seen frozen ground, only ever heard it from other clans. The she-cat shook her head to clear it from thoughts and quickly trotted up to the site of her mentor. "Are there other patrols out already? It'd be fantastic to have the underbush for us." she asked, still keeping up the innocent smile.

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[OOC] Oh my starclan That looks fantastic! Thank you so much!

[Restlessdreamer]

OOC: Rainpuddle does not approve of your use of the word "starclan".

So, you like it? Yay!

(By the way, I'm making up the whole "warmer" thing, because I think Cloudpaw's first encounter with snow would be interesting.)

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"The dawn patrol has already left." Rainpuddle said, noticing that Cloudpaw was walking somewhat gingerly. "but they've got enough of a head-start that we shouldn't run into them."

Rainpuddle started walking towards the ocean, with the intent of heading towards Twoleg-place and the abandoned twoleg nest. The farther they went, the colder the ground got, and they encountered a thin layer of snow on the sand.

"You've never seen snow, have you?" Rainpuddle asked.

Most kits and young apprentices hadn't; Sunsetclan territory was slightly warmer than most, so the camp itself was almost always snow-free. However, snow could easily be found the farther away from the ocean you got, especially near Twoleg-place and the border with Leafclan. However, this was a particularly harsh leafbare, so finding snow on the beach wasn't all that surprising.

[Deleted]

Cloudpaw nodded, her tail twitching slightly at the thought of some silence. Her compfy thoughts were interrupted however, as she stepped on a cold stone. The she-cat hissed at the cold feeling, jumping slightly. "Urgh.. stupid stone.."

Cloudpaw lifted her head at Rainpuddles' question. "Not as far as I know." She tilded her head slightly, thinking for a moment before speaking again. "Why'd you ask?"

[Restlessdreamer]

OOC: MWAHAHAHA! I shall be making Cloudpaw SWIM and get very WET on her first day!

Keep in mind, Rainpuddle does not now about Cloudpaw's dislikes, and isn't trying to be mean.

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"I ask because you'll be seeing a lot of it today, and the rest of this leafbare." Rainpuddle said, stopping so Cloudpaw could rest her paws. "The camp and the beach usually stay snow-free, but the borders get just as much snow as everyone else."

Rainpuddle looked over at the sea, which was just a yard or so away. One could clearly see a small island just off-shore, covered in thick undergrowth.

"The sea is the first border you'll be seeing today. It extends from the corner of Leafclan territory, all the way to Twoleg-place, which is our second border." Rainpuddle looked back at the island, her mind wandering back in time.

"I was going to take you there first, and show you the abandoned nest, but I think you should see Sunset Island first. Every young cat should be familiar with the island. The swim is short, the water is shallow, and it'll give your feet a quick break. It's also great exercise for your first day as an apprentice."

[Deleted]

Cloudpaw followed her mentors' gaze across the sea, slightly trying to make herself bigger to see more. From what she could see, it was a rather small island, but with very thick underwood. The she-cat looked back at her mentor as she started speaking again.

The tabby froze. "Swimming?!" the fur on her back bristled, clearly showing a sign of distress. "What do I look like, a fish?" After a few seconds of starring at Rainpuddle, Cloudpaw muttered a short "Urgh fine.", her nose still wrinkeled in disgust. "If I get ill, I'll tell Mintpaw that you are the one responsible." She snarked, tail swishing as she watched the waves roll in.

[Restlessdreamer]

OOC: It's the sea, not a river. Also, you would have to tell Mintpaw; Sparrowleaf and Ratstar are visiting the other clans.

anotherwarriorrp.proboards.com/thread/25656/ratstars-mission-updates

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"If I get ill, I'll tell Mintpaw that you are the one responsible." Cloudpaw said, obviously disgruntled. Rainpuddle had already waded out, the water just touching the hairs on her belly.

"I understand being afraid if it's you're first time swimming," Rainpuddle began, "but the sea is a big part of Sunsetclan heritage, our way of life. Where do you think all those fish on the fresh-kill pile come from?"

Rainpuddle waded out a little further, to the point where the water soaked her belly. Still, it was shallow enough that Cloudpaw should be able to still touch the ground with minimal effort.

"If you start to sink, I'll catch you."

[Deleted]

[OOC] Whoops I guess I typo'd hard. Thanks for the link, I'll go read it.

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"If you start to sink, I'll catch you." Her mentors' words sounded reassuring, but Cloudpaw still couldn't brush off the feeling of slight fear and disgust. "Dad never told me that the sea was so big." She muttered, carefully putting two of her paws into the surprisingly 'warm' sea. "I thought it was smaller."

Cloudpaw stood there for a second, before making a small leap into the deeper area of the water. Imminently, her fur started soaking up the water, heaving her down. The she-cat growled slightly, slowly making her way to her mentors side.

[Restlessdreamer]

OOC: There are lots of plotlines all going on at the same time, it's understandable to miss one.

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"Dad never told me that the sea was so big." Cloudpaw muttered, carefully putting two of her paws into the sea. "I thought it was smaller."

"The sea is very big." Rainpuddle chuckled, watching as her apprentice waded over. "It reaches far beyond the horizon. No cat in any of the clans has seen the other side."

Rainpuddle walked onto the island, shaking her fur off slightly, and looked back to check that Cloudpaw was okay.

She started to crawl through the undergrowth, approaching the center on the island.

[Deleted]

"No cat in any clans has seen the other side." Rainpuddles' words echoed in the amber tabbies mind, and she froze for a second before wading over to the shoreline. "I'm sure there's lots of big fish out there, right?" she chuckled, before adding "Maybe even bigger than the ego of some cats I know."

Finally arriving at the small stretch of thorn-free land, Cloudpaws' fur was dripping wet and clinging to her skin, making the she-cat feel extremely uncomfortable. but apparently it wasn't over yet, as her mentor crouched down and made her way through the thorny growth. This is going to be great. Cloudpaw thought to herself, scoffing slightly before she, too, crouched down and followed her mentor.

[Restlessdreamer]

OOC: Hehehe... Cloudpaw must be miserable right now...

Also, remember that tom from Rainpuddle's history (if you read it)? Yeah, that's supposed to be him. I actually didn't think of what he would look like until now.

Part of me wants to name him, but that would take a name away from another player. If he did have a name, the prefix would probably be Otter.

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Rainpuddle emerged from the undergrowth, standing in a small clearing. It smelled strongly of Sunsetclan, and the ground was littered with paw prints; some were recent, maybe only a few days old, while others were ancient, made by cats long forgotten.

Images of a handsome dark brown tom with warm yellow eyes entered Rainpuddle's mind, as she breathed in the sweet scent of the sea combined with that of the undergrowth.

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(OOC: FLASHBACK! Why? Cause I feel like it!)

The two cats lay in the island clearing, sharing tongues.

The dark brown tom whispered in Rainpuddle's ear, tickling it with his breath.

"I love you, Rainpuddle..."

Rainpuddle smiled, licking his chest. She looked into his eyes, and said:

"I love you, too...

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Rainpuddle wanted to stay in the memory, but knew that the moment ended long ago. She heard the undergrowth behind her move.

"You okay, Cloudpaw?" she asked, watching the apprentice crawl through the undergrowth.

[Deleted]

Cloudpaw crawled out of the thorns, shaking slightly. She sat down and quickly licked her chest before looking up at her mentor and sneering "I probably lost half of my hairs, but yeah, I'm fine." Sighing, the tabby moved over to her mentor and looked around, taking in the different scents that seemed to just float around in this place. It definitely smelled like her clan, but other than that Cloudpaw could barely distinguish between scents.

"A lot of cats come here every day, no?" She asked, paws kneading the soft ground as the chilly air slowly started to creep up to her.

[Restlessdreamer]

"Plenty of cats come here." Rainpuddle sighed, letting the memory slip to the back of her mind.

"Ever since our clan began, even. It's a great place to avoid twolegs during greenleaf; the undergrowth is too thick for them. Most cats who come here do so to speak to each other in private, though. To tell each other... secrets. There is a lot of history here."

She looked back at Cloudpaw, who looked exhausted.

"We can rest here for a few moments, before continuing on to Twoleg-place, if you like."