First Apprentice as Deputy (Munbun- Cloudpaw)

[CaℳI]

@lazydayartist

Otterheart sat patiently as the sun shined lightly through the pines. He had told Cloudpaw they would start her training in the morning, and the sun was now lighting up the Stormclan territory as it lightly stretched it's beams for the morning. The sky was a beautiful light blue, almost no clouds in sight. The air brushed by Otterheart with a warm breeze. He knew it would be leaffall soon, but he was trying to get as much as he could out of greenleaf. He was ready for leaffall though and gladly welcomed some colder breezes during the day and cold nights where he could see his warm breath as he spoke. His giant fluffy pelt would keep him warm. 

He had planned to train Cloudpaw different from his past four apprentices. Possibly to honor his new role as deputy....or maybe just because he had grown bored with the same training in the same order. He had decided to start with something other then hunting. Fighting was always last. He liked making the apprentices wait to learn fighting skills since they were all too eager to get to that part in his opinion. He was sure he would like Cloudpaw. She seemed willing to learn and not a snob like some of the other apprentices seemed to be. He was just happy he hadn't gotten stuck with Frostpaw, of course he was sure he could train anyone thrown at him. He had always had sweet apprentices, some more hyper then others though.

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Cloudpaw got up restlessly as the sun began to rose. It had been hard, much too hard, to sleep last night, as ancieties and worries crashes through her mind like deer caught in a briar patch. What if her friends were jealous? What if the others made fun of her?
What if she wasn't good enough?
The last one made her stomach curl tighter than it had before, and not just from hunger. She crept around sleeping and slowly awaking forms of other cats and out of the unfamiliar den. Lily paw and Ravenpaw made it easier to sleep at night, but it still added to her insomnia last night.

The instant she saw Otterheart, all of those worries melted away like the dewdrops on the grass in the growing daylight. "Good morning! I hope I'm not too late? What are we starting with today?" Cloudpaw stared at the entrance of the camp. Her mother had hardly ever taken her out except for a quick stroll around the camp walls.

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Otterheart was going to start with clan boarders this time. He thought it might make Cloudpaw a little less nervous about her training and it would give them time to create some sort of bond. He smiled as Cloudpaw padded up to him. "No worries Cloudpaw. I want to make sure you have a good nose for our boarders before we start with hunting or training. We're going to be heading off to our left. There is a giant hill there where I will be able to show you all the clan." Otterheart started padding along. He knew they couldn't go all the way up the hill, but they could go quite a ways up. The top of the hill was Whisperclan territory though. "We share boarders with Whisperclan and Midnightclan. We won't go all the way up the hill though, because typically that is Whisperclan's territory at the top." He knew they wouldn't be able to see over the hill to Whisperclan, but he could still show her a great view of Midnightclan, Sunsetclan, and Leafclan from there. He would probably also break the news to her that he was born in Leafclan. He didn't want it to be awkward later, especially since some apprentices had already developed ideas about Leafclan and the type of cats that came from there.

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Cloudpaw smiled as she realized what they were starting with was going to be simple. She kneaded the ground with her paws, scanning her surroundings. Her first day as an apprentice. She was going to remember every color of every leaf and keep it close to her heart, to make sure she never forgot how much these moments she spent with Otterheart meant to her. She padded at a neat trot by Otterheart's side, trying her best to keep her pawsteps light. She inspected how he held himself and changed the way she padded along and purred with delight as her pawsteps grew silent. What they were doing could be dangerous, only a warrior and a fresh apprentice against what could be a whole clan patrol. She was reassured with the fact that her mentor is the deputy and would have more than enough skills to weasel hem out of a fight like a mouse down a rabbit burrow.
As they neared as far as they could go, Cloudpaw breathed deeply and took in each scent, letting them roll over her scent glands and stored them in her memory. "...Otterheart?" she asked, tail flicking lightly as she looked at her paws. "I hope I can meet your expectations." In that tiny little sentence, in her tiny little voice hidden so far in her tiny little body, there was so much fierce determination that could make anyone think twice about the shy, quiet female.

[CaℳI]

OOC: She's so cute! ;__;

IC:

Otterheart stopped when he got to a comfortable stop on the hill. He looked back at Cloudpaw as she said his name. In that moment she was so absolutely adorable, Otterheart might have just sat down and cried...if only he ever cried. but instead he gave her a kind and reassuring smile, his eyes full of pride already, "Oh Cloudpaw, I know that you'll do more then meet my expectations. You'll surpass them by far." His voice was soft and gentle. "Cloudpaw, you're going to be an elite warrior. You'll be great."

He smiled at her again before wrapping his paw lightly around her and taking his face down to her level as he turned her to look at the huge view they had. They could see the whole territory from here. Otterheart imagined he might be slightly intimidating. He was one of the largest cats in the entire clan, but he also had a giant heart. "You see all of that Cloudpaw? All the way down to the river. It's all ours. Stormclan territory. And in just a few moons you'll be expected to protect and defend it, against all types of dangers. Whenever you hunt, whenever you defend against intruders, whenever you're walking about chatting with your friends- all of Stormclan is with you. You're never alone."

He peeled his eyes on the river, starting to explain where their territory ended."The platform rock in the middle of the river...is where our territory ends and Midnightclan's territory begins. The rock is typically both ours and Midnightclan's territory. It's one of the few things that any clans have agreed to share. Whenever you meet another Midnightclanner on the rock in the middle of the river, be respectful. They shall return the same respect to you." Of course he wasn't sure of that. He knew Midnightclan rarely sat on that rock, but he figured if you were respectful to any cat, they should treat you the same way.

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Cloudpaw felt her pelt grow warm with appreciation and confidence, lended by this senior warrior. She honestly didn't think she'd be able to survive with any other warrior as her mentor. She needed a leader, and she got the best thing she could have ever counted on. She took a deep breath and shook her head to get herself focused on her lesson, ears pricked forward as she examined the land laid out before her. She didn't mind as Otterheart placed a paw around her, it reminded her of the times she would hide her face in her mother's soft belly fur whenever a hurt warrior came back. It was comforting and safe to pick out every thrumming vibration of his voice as he spoke his next words. She held them to heart, she would have to repeat these words to her apprentice--if she ever got one.

Her ears flicked curiously as he told her that they shared something with another clan. "So if I catch a water mole on that rock and a Midnightclan elder comes up and tells me that's their mole, do we have to share that meal too even if they're full fed and I just got off hunting patrol and was looking for a simple meal?" Her questions seemed to get a little..out of paw. She tilted her head, as if trying to imagine the scene. It wouldn't be pretty. She had often heard apprentices' stomachs growling in complaint as they headed out to go hunt for the Clan. She figured she would have to wait her turn as well.

If there was one thing that scared her as an apprentice, it was the punishments. She didn't mind cleaning out bedding or taking food to elders, they had nice stories. but she couldn't begin to fathom the shame of knowing she had broken the warrior code.

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Otterheart was a little taken back over how clever Cloudpaw was. He laughed a deep but gentle laugh while trying to think of a response."Well...it would be...your prey, or well....it's an elder and you should always respect your elders. Maybe, erm...you should share. Okay, okay, so if that were to ever happen..." He wasn't exactly sure where he was going with this. Finally he just decided the best response was the most simple one. "You know what. If that were to ever happen you should probably just go catch a fish from the river." He smiled, quiet happy with his reply now.

"And honestly, Midnightclan doesn't really go on the platform too often. In all of my 12 moons in Stormclan, I have never seen a single Midnightclan cat on that rock. So it's probably a safe bet that they don't go there too often." He assured her, not realizing that she might wonder why he had only been in Stormclan for 12 moons. He didn't mind if she asked, eventually she would surly know he was Leafclan born. He thought about the platform for a moment, him and Silentsong had spent a good amount of time there when they had first met.

His eyes scanned over the other clans, Sunsetclan and Leafclan. Whisperclan couldn't be seen from here, they were just over the hill behind them.

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She giggled good-mannerly at his struggled attempts to answer her, flicking her tail at his shoulder to keep him calm, to keep nervousness at bay. It was their first day. It was bound to be awkward and hesitant until they found their happy medium with each other..and then he crashed down the happy wall that she had with him. She skittered back from him, sending pebbles rolling down the hill as she stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief. "What do you mean 12 moons." she asked, her voice dark and suspicious. "Weren't you born in Stormclan? You're our deputy! What are you? A loner? A rogue? A kittypet?" she ended in a hiss, voice seething with rage and hatred.

Its quite amazing how you never think that what you're doing is wrong when you're swirled up in your own little hate ball and seeing red. Especially when you're an apprentice, meant to hold up the weight of the whole clan, to be raised killers and hunters and cold-hearted beasts. It made Cloudpaw afraid. Very afraid. Right in front of her could be a very dangerous enemy or her greatest friend, and she had no way of telling. When she agreed to be his apprentice, when she touched her nose to his, she didn't realize how hard it would be to make her own decisions.

Right then, her greatest decision was to trust him as her deputy, mentor, and friend, or as an outcast, potential killer, and reject. It made her blood run cold and her paws seem to stick to the heating up grass. This cat was her future.

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Otterheart sat back for a moment, calm as always. He always held himself in a very respectful manner, and he wasn't easily irritated by others, especially his young apprentice. He spoke like he always had, gentle and kind. "No, no. I'm not a loner, rouge, or kittypet. I was born and raised a Leafclan warrior." He wasn't sure how Cloudpaw would handle that, but he was going to explain it the best he could. He figured the best thing to do was open up to her since they would be together training, for a long while. "You see, I left Leafclan 13 moons ago, and found Stormclan 12 moons ago. The cats here took me in and I became a warrior of great Stormclan. Many Leafclan cats are not as they seem at the gatherings. Many are scared of Silverstar, they don't wish to follow her, but they have no other choice. I never liked Silverstar so it was an easy choice to leave." He didn't wish to continue his story on but he hoped little Cloudpaw would understand.

"Because Silverstar is a mouse brain of a leader..." He blamed Silverstar partly for his kit's deaths. How could she have not known about the badger hole. "My kits were attacked when they were very young...about your age actually...by badgers. All three of my kits perished in the attack." His eyes filled with sorrow for his kits. "I couldn't stand to stay in Leafclan any longer, I had nothing left there. So I left."

He now looked out over the hill, focusing his bright green eyes on Leafclan. You couldn't see much of anything over there, the trees were too tall and thick. They never did seem to stay on the ground. Leafclan was the clan master of the treetop. "Cloudpaw, you'll meet all types of cats from different clans in your lifetime. It's important that you show all of them worthy respect. Now don't get me wrong, all Stormclan cats should be shown respect no matter where they come from. You will meet cats from other clans that don't like Stormclan, and that's fine. You just uphold yourself with so much dignity, so much honesty, and so much respect that you won't leave them any other choice but to see you as what you will be. A Stormclan warrior filled with bravery and honor, and even if they don't want to, deep down they will see you as an honorable cat. Now again, I'm not saying to let yourself get walked all over. Always stand up for what you believe in. I believe in Stormclan, and I believe in Otterstar."

He thought about the name Otterstar for a moment, if he were to outlive Otterstar....he would also be Otterstar. How odd. "And you should too. If Otterstar, Nightstar, and the cats of Starclan saw me fit for deputy, I assure you I'm well fit. I love Stormclan with all of my heart, I would gladly defend this clan, and each of the cats here with my life." He gave her a small but genuine smile. Many cats said they would defend the clan with their lives, but Otterheart truly meant it. If he had to die and that meant just one apprentice, or one of his fellow warriors, or one little kit got to live, he would feel as if his time in Stormclan was well served, and he would live out the rest of his second life, in Starclan with the other cats who had died for their clans. He then looked down at little Cloudpaw and smiled, "And that includes you." He would never let harm come to Cloudpaw as long as she was his apprentice, that was a given, but he wondered if she knew, that they would forever have the bond as apprentice and mentor. Even if 12 moons from now, when he would become a senior warrior, if she ever was in trouble, he would still be there for her. He hoped she would go easy on him now that he had try to explain that not all Leafclan cats were evil like the young Stormclan cats often thought.