backwritten follow your instinct - catfishpaw

[PIKESPLASH]

( tags ) He's never trained someone before. Cicadastar has given him Catfishpaw as an apprentice and she will be the first cat he will ever teach. Maybe others in his position might feel offended, given the fact that technically he didn't receive an apprentice that was 3 moons. He was given someone else's apprentice to finish training. Stoneshade's specifically, which he had no problems with. In terms of confidence he didn't have much in himself so he was relieved that he was given an older apprentice. To him it meant that if his teachings were terrible, at the very least she had Stoneshade's to help her get by.

Pike has never spoken to Catfishpaw beforehand, so he had no clue what her demeanor was. Petalnose was proud of him so he figured he should at the very least try and hold his head high. He couldn't give up on himself because if he did than he was also giving up on Catfishpaw. That's why he waited a day or so before he took Catfishpaw with him. He needed to access the skills she already knew and what he could help her improve on or teach. It would be unhelpful for Catfishpaw if he were to focus on something she was already well versed in. They only had a few moons together before she would become a warrior after all!

The pair would arrive to at the Beech Copse, an area that Catfishpaw would be more than familiar with. However, this time she would not be with Stoneshade. He hoped Catfishpaw wouldn't be too upset that today they wouldn't be training. Green eyes gaze at the apprentice by his side, "Sorry I made you wait, but I figured a day or two would help us try and readjust a little to this. I'm not Stoneshade, so I don't know what's already been taught." Honesty is needed in order to establish a healthy relationship. To be her mentor would mean he would have to be hold himself accountable and ensure that his failings wouldn't be hers. He pads a tail length in front of her and turns to face her, "I hope you don't mind if I make you do a little test. Don't worry, this isn't an assessment. I think It'd be pretty messed up if the first day of training with me was an assessment.

I think I would've thrown myself in the river if that was the case... He flicks his tail at a nearby willow tree, "The first thing I would like for you to do is climb to the top of that tree. All I ask is for you to try and climb as fast as you can." Maybe she thinks this is unfair, considering Riverclan is known for their swimming skills. Climbing and land hunting isn't thought when you think what's a typical Riverclan cat. Despite Riverclan not being the best at climbing compared to other clans or land hunting, these were essential skills for every cat to have. It was better to be safe than sorry. Imagine Riverclan completely foregoing land hunting? If the River suddenly dried up and no one knew how to hunt on land anymore? That would be a travesty.

Putting those thoughts aside, he would smile at Catfishpaw. "I know I said go as fast as you can, but try to be careful. Know your limits. If you can't reach the top, then mark your highest point and wait for me at the bottom of the tree. Oh, and after these tests I'll check in with you and ask if there's anything specific you would like to work on. Alright! It'll be a pleasure to work with you Catfishpaw, and feel free to start whenever you're ready!"

// @Catfishpaw , the training thread that took place before the badger attack​

 

[Catfishleap]

'cause my girl's made of peaches♡—————————————————
Her apprenticeship had involved being passed around from cat to cat so far. Sometimes she wondered if it was her that was the problem, but then again she couldn't think of anything that she's done that would prompt a mentor to trade her out. So, instead of dwelling on such a specific type of "abandonment" she would focus on trying to get better and better despite the hiccups. She had cats to impress, she couldn't fumble what was given to her.

When Pikesplash grabbed her for their first training she had tried her best to appear more... more. She wanted to seem competent, graceful, thoughtful, because well sometimes she didn't always convey these ideals. So she had walked with him with a high head and a tight mouth, it nearly killed her to not start chatting but she wasn't going to fumble this first impression.

They came to the familiar Beech Copse, it was just like it had been every other time she had been, which means she will do just as well as she's ever done. Her ears flick to attention as Pikesplash finally addresses her, eyes tracking onto him. She nods to his apology and then listens intently to his explanation for the days training, which wasn't going to be training. She allowed herself a little smile at his comment on a messed up first day assessment, truthfully she would have smiled even if it was an assessment, even though he was right that it would be a rather intense first training session. She was however ready to prove that she wasn't worth dropping, okay so maybe the constant mentor swapping did get to her a little.

Her tail was wagging in anticipation as she waited for his trial. Maybe she would be able to blow him away with her hunting, after all she proved to be proficient in it. But, even if it wasn't, she was also good enough at fighting. Well, good was a bit of an overstatement maybe but it was fine. She would work on it. The one thing she wasn't prepared to hear the blue tabby say was for her to climb. Climb? Geez, maybe the assessment would have been better. She couldn't mask the surprise and apprehension at the prospects but instead of dwelling on it she spun around on her heels and sized up her obstacle. "Okay, so I just have to climb a tree, easy enough." she muttered to herself as she hunched up her body, tail swishing, readying herself for the first jump up.

The branch was honed in on as she leapt off the sandy ground, sending a small spray of sand out as it failed to cling to her feathery feet. Her front legs curled over the branch and her claws frantically grasped to the stick. Oh Starclan, her back legs were dangling from the branch desperately trying to scramble onto the trunk of the tree that seemed to be just a little too far away. A grunt escaped her as the weight of her body started to become too much for just her front legs. Her claws sheathed into her white paws as she thumped into the sand, landing on all four feet.

Her eyes narrowed at the tree, the universe now only consisted of them. Whatever Pikesplash was going to say wasn't going to be heard.

Again sand flew up as she did. Her claws sunk into the bark again, this time a little closer to the trunk. She lifted her back foot and it hooked into the tree, propelling her whole body onto the first branch. Nothing was stopping her now, she had figured it out. Why did Skyclanners seem to think this was such a tricky skill to master. Her eyes found the next branch she needed and once again she flew through the air, up until the point her stomach landed against the branch instead of her front legs. A small over estimate on her part ended up in her falling into the sand. A slightly bigger thump sounded as she just barely fell on four feet. Coughing at the strike she had received. She had to salvage this with Pikesplash quickly "I'm like really okay!" she said it before he could even ask "I'll give it another try-" she coughed again "I just need a second to catch my breath." yeah, so she really fumbled this.
and soft grass in the moonlight♡—————————♡penned by WriteAboutRadish
​

 

[PIKESPLASH]

( tags ) Her surprise and apprehension caused him to give her a nervous smile. It was evident that she was unprepared for this type of test, which meant a few things. One, she was not that great at climbing trees. Two, she was simply surprised by the fact. Three, he might have started the test on something odd. After all, it was typical to be testing on hunting first than climbing. Four, she could have been upset at his choice. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be taking back what he decided on if she was upset with his choice. It did amuse him a bit when she suddenly spun on her heels and sized up the obstacle. His ears twitched at her voice. I'm not sure I would say climbing a tree is easy? Getting up is okay, but the getting down part is daunting. The higher up you are, the more difficult it'll be. Not sure how Skyclanners leap down from trees with no fear. Clayfur does it, but last time he lost a tooth or something... Yeah, maybe let's not think about that. He shook his head and green eyes focused once more on the apprentice.

The truth of the matter was that he wasn't going to judge Catfishpaw too harshly on climbing, after all Skyclanners excelled in the art of climbing. That was not to say that a Riverclan cat couldn't be as skilled as a Skyclanner, but if one thought about it... Riverclanners focused on the water, their way of life included the water. In the river there was no climbing so to speak. There were only a few places where they would need climbing in comparison to the other clans. He himself was not that great at climbing, but he was able to scale a tree if need be to run from threats such as dogs. The sand isn't helping, I should keep that in mind. Watching Catfishpaw was strange because he had never trained someone before and he wasn't sure what a mentor was required to do. Other than pass on skills, which he compared it as being a parent of some sort. Maybe I should pretend she's Silverkit or Otterkit? He slightly rose, rump leaving the sand when he saw Catfishpaw struggle to scale the tree. The urge to rush to help her was strong, but she was not a kit. Maybe I shouldn't have pretended she was like those two...

However, he did rush over to her before he even heard the thump. Unfortunately, despite all the sand he kicked up, he didn't make it in time to soften the blow. It seems that Catfishpaw was already prepared for him to voice his concern about her tumble. Despite the fact that she was trying to reassure him that she was okay, he was not believing her in the slightest. It was clear to him that she was not okay and if she desired to attempt this further, but she would rest beforehand. Clearly she was not in the state to get a quick breather and then continue as if she hadn't essentially gotten the wind knocked out of her. She would hear him sigh, "No Catfishpaw. You'll need more than a second to catch your breath. If you want to try again that's okay, but I would ask that you make sure that you are ready." A mentor is supposed to encourage and be patient. He's not sure if she thought he was looking down at her. He hopes not. I just want you to be okay.

Pikesplash is not one for awkward silences so he fills the space between them, "Don't be so hard on yourself. I think you did pretty good! I mean, the sand isn't very stable which makes it a little bit more difficult to climb and climbing isn't exactly what Riverclanners are known for. I'm not the best climber either, so don't worry that I'm upset with you or anything like that." A confession that he tested her on something he himself was not too shabby probably puzzled her. He wouldn't blame her. The point of the test he was giving her was to see what she was good at and what she needed some help in. Climbing was one of them, which he could teach her. Although I think it would be better to try somewhere else. Dirt is more solid than sand to start on. ​