Break 'em up (Snakepaw)

[Badgermoon]

Well, his first apprentice had come and gone. Granted, he couldn't take much credit for Firefang's success - she had shown promise from the very beginning, and he had been her second mentor, with only her last few moons of training completed with him. Nevertheless, he certainly hadn't made her worse, and considering her sharp tongue and sharper claws he felt satisfied with his work. Perhaps he was to become the go-to second mentor, for he knew that his newest apprentice was also coming off of a less-successful pairing. In his typical fashion, the black-and-white tom rose with the sun, stretching luxuriantly in the frosty newleaf morning and taking a few minutes to groom the flecks of grass and dirt from his coat, trying in vain to flatten his chest fur over the gnarled pink scars. Reminding himself of the incident with Bluepool and the puddle, Badgermoon stopped considering his appearance and instead marched towards the general huddle of sleeping apprentices, white-tipped ears flicked up as he sought one particular dark-coated cat. "Snakepaw?" he hissed, not wanting to wake the entire heap but wishing to rouse his own apprentice. "Up we get, it's time for training." was it cruel to do this at dawn? He didn't think so - it was good practice for going on dawn patrols as a warrior, and whatnot.

@SNAKEPAW​

 

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — The green-eyed tom reserved mixed feelings toward being assigned Badgermoon as a mentor. He was not the Moor Queen herself, but unfortunately, she was a tunneler and could not teach him the ways of a moor runner. Besides Sootstar, Badgermoon was the next best choice; he was the deputy ( which was close enough ). He fought valiantly in WindClan's battles and was, as far as Snakepaw was aware, dutiful and loyal. However, Snakepaw couldn't say that he always agreed with Badgermoon's decisions, namely the one to bring an orphaned loner kitten into WindClan recently. Would Sparrow prove to actually be useful despite not having clan blood in her veins, or would she just be a waste of space?

Then again, on some occasions, Sootstar could also be known to take in outsiders as well. At least she sought to recruit burly rogues and scrappy youths for the sake of fortifying the ranks, not just because she had taken pity on them. Not that Snakepaw fully trusted them, even after moons of living in WindClan, but at least they could fight and hunt for themselves instead of being just another helpless mouth to feed.

A soft hiss wakes Snakepaw from his slumber, drowsy green eyes blinking and wandering about the sea of sleeping apprentices. "Wha...? Urgh..." His gaze eventually finds Badgermoon. Oh. His old mentor rarely ever took him out this early; maybe they themselves weren't early risers? Clearly, Badgermoon was. Snakepaw supposed that made sense, but StarClan, he was in the midst of a good sleep.

The black tom got to his paws, accidentally bumping into his denmate and earning a groggy complaint from them. He stepped over more nests and climbed out of the den until he reached the deputy, still in the midst of blinking the sleep from his eyes. "So what will we be doing today, then?" Snakepaw inquires. He would be lying if he wasn't secretly hoping that Badgermoon had some awesome battle move to show him, something that only the most dangerous and ruthless cats knew how to execute. Whatever the lesson was, Snakepaw was so ready to actually learn something new.​

 

[Badgermoon]

If Snakepaw felt Badgermoon was a trifle soft-hearted for WindClan, he would not be wrong: he did not try to make it a secret that he tended to show compassion in ways that his superior did not. That softness didn't incline him to disobedience, however; his loyalty to Sootstar was also no secret. In a few moments, two emerald eyes had emerged on a dark-furred face and he offered a grin of greeting, turning tail and heading briskly for the camp's entrance, hardly caring if the apprentice had to trot to keep up with his longer legs. "First I want to see how you run." he mrowed decisively, angling himself in the direction of Rabbit's Run and lengthening his stride yet further. "Speed and stamina are fundamental qualities of a WindClan warrior. With those honed as well as your agility and intellect, you'll be unstoppable."

Despite his broad shoulders, it was clear that he had internalized the ways of the moor-cats, and his body had the wiry traits of a classic WindClanner: powerful hind legs, light on his feet, capable of swift, nimble movement. It came at the expense of brawn, but that was more than a fair trade in his eyes. "What do you think you are most and least skilled at, Snakepaw?" Badgermoon tossed the question over his shoulder, glancing back at his companion with a look of intense curiosity.​

 

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Badgermoon was up and trotting along now, hardly a gentle transition from post-slumber grogginess to active-and-awake. He figures that the deputy is just trying to make the most of their time and perhaps try to get Snakepaw's brain into motion for the morning, but that doesn't mean that Snakepaw is appreciative at the moment. The obsidian apprentice made a few longer strides in order to keep close to Badgermoon's side; it would be embarrassing to fall behind, but good stars, his muscles seemed to be screaming at him for waking them up!

Snakepaw falls into a manageable pace eventually, the haze beginning to clear from his sleepy mind. Right, running. What kind of moor runner would he be if he couldn't run? Why, of course he could do so — he had legs, didn't he? However, not all cats were built the same; some were slower than others. Snakepaw, on the other hand, was a pure-blooded marsh cat and was built for speed. It was time to show his new mentor what he was capable of.

As they approach Rabbit's Run, Snakepaw ponders Badgermoon's inquiry. The egotistical side of him wants to answer with "everything", but deep down, he knows that would be a lie ( which he isn't happy about ). As much as Snakepaw wants to be the best at everything, he knows he isn't quite up to speed with the older and more experienced apprentices... yet. In time, with training, maybe Snakepaw would turn out to be the best warrior WindClan has ever seen.

"I'm real good at stealth 'n sneakin' around. And I'm quick. I always beat the other apprentices in a race." That was a fib, as Snakepaw didn't always come out as the winner, but he probably won more times than not. As for what he could improve on, however, "... I'd like to get better at hunting." I haven't even caught a rabbit. However, to spare his own pride, he omits the tidbit from the conversation.​

 

[Badgermoon]

Stealth and sneaking around...ordinarily I'd say that's best left to ShadowClanners, but Icebreath's ability to be stealthy certainly came in handy in SkyClan. Badgermoon's mind ticked along as he listened to Snakepaw recount his (multiple) talents and (singular) area of weakness. "Very good." the scarred tom said happily - the boy had been honest with him, or at least not wildly overstated his abilities, and had given him at least a preliminary sense of where his attention was to be directed. Badgermoon slung his yellow gaze over the Rabbit's Run and spotted a large stone with a lingering cap of snow, farther out from where the two cats were standing. It was along a straight stretch of Rabbit's Run: a perfect opportunity for Snakepaw to show his speed. "Let's stretch first - that's important, you know - and then see how quickly you can get to that rock with the snow and back." instructed Badgermoon, gesticulating with one speckled paw, before beginning to stretch: hind legs first, then right...​

 

[SNAKEHISS]

❪ TAGS ❫ — Snakepaw's ears prick up as his task is explained to him — a dash to the rock and back. That didn't seem so hard; it would be just like any other race he's ever participated in... except this time he'd be trying to impress his new mentor. Briefly, the tom pictures himself gearing up to compete with Gravelpaw and Dazzlepaw for first place. Shoving his victory in their stupid faces provided him with plenty of motivation!

After reluctantly participating in some stretching, something he's never done before ( or more so chooses not to do ), Snakepaw rolls his shoulders and lines up at the edge of Rabbit's Run with the target in sight. Three... two... one... and he's off! So far his strides were long and graceful, his body clearly built for racing along the moors. Snakepaw darted like a hare with its tail on fire until he reached the rock marker. His transition to the turnaround was nothing if a tad slippery, his hind legs seeming to slide on a patch of mushy ground, before he sprinted back to where Badgermoon was standing.

The black-pelted apprentice skids to a stop, his flank rising and falling as he caught his breath. His shoulders and calf muscles burned from the stress, especially when he had to regain his balance and make up for lost seconds during the slip-up. "How was that... was that good?" It better have been. StarClan, his lungs were crying for air!​