flicker and shine [glimmerpaw]

[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

Everything else aside, Johnnyflame was excited to have a new apprentice. There was something about being trusted to train the next generation that made his blood sing with accomplishment, and as the meeting faded to an end and the crowd began to disperse, the bobtail tomcat was quick to lean over and give the younger shecat a nudge.

"Ready to start your trainin?" he asked with a grin, practically bouncing on his heels as he nodded toward the camps entrance.

Being entrusted with not only the child of the deputy, but of a cat he considered his good friend had him wanting to do exceptionally well, and he was eager to impart whatever wisdom he could. The best place to start though?

"I hope your feeling up to a hike, cuz today is all about borders."

Given their most recent trouble, it seemed fitting.

@Glimmerpaw

---

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[Glimmersun]

Glimmerpaw nods with purpose, entirely ready to start training proper. She has a lot to live up to, and she can't wait to prove her worth. The climbing exercise awhile back had dampened her spirits a bit as she really wanted to live up to SkyClan's speciality as well, but she hasn't been great at climbing so far. That can change, though!

That's not what she seems to be learning first however, which is fine. Learning more about the boarders is also super important, especially with how bad some of the cats not born into the clan have been with them. She doesn't understand how they can't take simple things with the seriousness it deserves, it makes them look like the weakest link the rest of the clans think they are. Well, she won't be making that mistake. "Sounds good to me. I'm sure my paws can handle it." She says, giving a small smile.​

 

[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

Her enthusiasm was a good sign, one shared among most apprentices. A part of him was envious that he'd never get the chance to experience the excitement of receiving his 'paw' name or first mentor, but he loved his twolegs and wouldn't have traded them for anything.

"Alright! Let's head out, then." he called, padding off toward the entrance and slipping out into the woods beyond. He purposefully began to steer them toward one of the borders, but rather than talk about that, he began to teach her about the land they walked on currently.

"This is the pine forest. You'll notice that there's not a lot of cover on the ground, which can making hunting prey or hiding from danger a bit tricky. That's why we've learned to use the trees to help us." he explained as the walked. It would be a while before she learned to use the trees properly, and even then there were some who preferred to remain on the ground, but it was still a skill he intended to have her learn.

"In fact, us Skyclanners are the only clan that's known to use the trees to our advantage like that. It gives us an advantage over our enemies, and puts us closest to Starclan. Windclan would argue that last point, but they don't walk in the skies like we do." Johnny said, adding a mischievous wink at the last part.

Windclan was as far from Starclan as they could get.

Eventually the border came into view, pine trees giving way to tall oaks and dense underbrush. Johnny signaled for her to slow with a flick of his ear, and then gestured toward the invisible scentline. "Alright. Take a deep breath and tell me what you smell- I want you to try and figure out what border we're at." he said, relieved to find there was no passing patrol to bother them.

[/b][/b]

---

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[Glimmersun]

She dutifully follows, trying not to fall too far behind as she's still not used to going that far from their camp. It's easy to get enthralled by all there is to see, despite how familiar feeling it might be. At least she has a reason to be curious and not feel too weird about marveling at the new sights and sounds. Even so, her focus remains on her mentor until they make their first stop.

It's interesting seeing more pine trees coalesced together rather than the more cultivated space where SkyClan lies. It's a bit intimidating while also being calming to be under so much shade, in a weird way. She definitely prefers the sky being more visible, but it isn't that hard to imagine taking a peaceful nap under one of these giants.

When Johnnyflame comments on the forest floor, nodding in agreement about how challenging hunting could be without much cover. Climbing trees to have the upper hand isn't something she could say she'd consider if she wasn't born into the clan she was. She's definitely ready to learn when it's taught to her, even so. She also laughs at the WindClan remark, having to agree. She remembers their raid on the camp, even if vaguely. She's sure they won't be seeing the same stars as the two of them will.

When they arrive at the first boarder, the new smells coming from the other side immediately hit her. It's not exactly unpleasant, just different. It's earthy in nature, same as them, but oak trees were a bit more mild, unlike pines. It's much more dense as well...how interesting. "These trees aren't as sharp as the ones next to us. Kind of similar to us, yet I can tell there's a difference. This is ThunderClan, right?" No other clan save for maybe ShadowClan comes to mind, but she's pretty sure they don't border them. ​

 

[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

Johnny rarely felt like an important cat. Useful, sure, but important? Not particularly. But as he lef Glimmerpaw out among the pines explaining the Skyclan ways, the way she set her attention on him and the territory he spoke of left him feeling like maybe he was. Training the next generation was nothing to scoff at, he knew, and he wondered if Thistleback would be proud of the cat Johnny had become.

Stars, he missed that cat.

"Right ye are. Thunderclan is one of the groups we actually share a border with, so chances are you'll catch a glimpse of them pretty frequently when patrolling out here." he explained, trying to give her a good idea of things. " Usually we're civil with each other, but that is not an invitation to cross the border, no matter how friendly you become. It's a clan law, and breaking it would have severe consequences."

Bright yellow eyes shifted sideways to land on her with a stern look mixed with expectence. He wouldn't tolerate his apprentice being the reason for another fiasco with Thunderclan, and he fully intended to make sure Glimmerpaw understood the consequences.

"Now, this is a scentline." he said, bring her up to the exact spot on the border where the Skyclanner scents were strongest, not just the typical scent of familiar clanmates, but strong and purposeful, in waves that would be difficult to ignore. "We make them by scratching things, rubbing on them, and so on, and we use them to tell other cats 'hey, this place is taken!'. It's considered extremely disrespectful to cross another groups scentlines, and any good joiner or visitor will stop and wait for a patrol to find them before going any farther."

Scentlines and borders were extremely important, and he fully intended to make sure Glimmer understood how they worked and why the clan used them.

"Tresspassing in a groups territory is probably the best way to get attacked, because those groups have kits and elders and queens to protect. Even a single piece of stolen prey can mean the difference between someone going hungry or not, and so borders -and by extension the territory within them- are fiercely guarded. Even the most friendly Thunderclan cat would be within their right to claw yer ears off for bein' in their land unwelcomed."
[/i][/i]

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[Glimmersun]

Glimmerpaw understands Johnnyflame giving her a warning about trespassing since it's a hot topic, but she still would not be making that same mistake. Not that she would say she's better than those not born into the clan, but she would not be the one to let the clan down. She already cares very deeply for the rules, as they are in place for a reason.

She gives a serious nod to the look he throws her way, hoping to show to him that she understands the severity. "Right. You'll see no attempts from me to break any laws in the code, unless it's important business or a necessity." Even then, it's not necessarily her decision to make. Hopefully there won't need to be a time where breaking the code means life or death when she's by herself, or without someone else to guide her.

She continues to not raise any debate towards her mentor's lesson on how scent markers are formed, and how it's a reasonable thing to be seen as an enemy if they are ignored. Makes perfect sense in her mind, so there's no contempt to be found. It's not easy being a clan cat, and even if she had no choice to be born in this life, she obviously respects what has been put in place by those more wise than her.​