harder training thread

[Patchpaw [in.]]

THERE'S A WORLD THAT WAS MEANT FOR OUR EYES TO SEE​

---

The daybreak of dawn had barely cut through the sky and Patchpaw was already awake, pacing camp with a frown. She was one of the only cats awake at such an early morning, and she couldn't stop pacing. Everything was happening all so fast--it was only just yesterday that Mossypaw had been kitnapped by twolegs, and her dad lectured her and Cherrypaw hard on what to do when they came across a trap like that one.
And then there was Howling Wind, resting inside the medicine den with wounds that would've killed her had their patrol not found her. The resilient, powerful deputy of ThunderClan reduced to a fading consciousness and bloody snow by a cat gone mad who was once Howling Wind's friend, and the scene wouldn't leave the young apprentice's mind.

This is what happens to kitties like you.

No--! With a start, Patchpaw jerks towards the warrior's den, no longer patient enough for the sun to wake up before the warriors did. I have to train. For them. For all of them. She's careful not to wake any other warriors as she slips inside, her dark orange eyes scouting the den until she spots her mentor Rabbitnose snoring away in a nest. Next to him was, unsurprisingly, Sunfreckle, though she tried her best not to wake him, too. They looked peaceful together, and Patchpaw was sure it was for both of them after Sunfreckle was able to move back out of the nursery.
"Rabbitnose...!" Her voice is a whispered hush, barely audible in the stillness of a chilly leaf-bare morning. "Rabbitnose, are you awake? I was only wondering if we could start our training early. To be safe." As much as she hated waking him up so early from such sweet dreams, Patchpaw couldn't bear to wait any longer, not with recent events lingering on her mind like the bile in her throat.
@Rabbitnose ​

 

[Rabbitnose]

Rabbitnose was having anything but sweet dreams, unfortunately. He was nice and warm in Sunfreckle's embrace, but his dreams were bittersweet. He dreamed of his family, happy and whole. All four kits playing around him and Sunfreckle, healthy and safe.

You could say this was a sweet dream, but upon opening his eyes, he was left feeling cold inside as reality came to his senses.

He lifted his head sluggishly as he heard Patchpaw call him. She was asking about training. This early????

...........

Why not? Sure.

He slowly rose to his feet and carefully made his way out of the den to join her. He offered her a small smile.

"Of course." He said, then looked up at the early morning sky. " Hopefully the weather will allow us to." He added. He knew better than to trust the clouds.

" Well, off to the hollow!"

He was still waking up. He needed a moment, okay. He stumbled a bit as he started walking, shivering as a slight breeze ruffled his fur.

​

 

[Patchpaw [in.]]

THERE'S A WORLD THAT WAS MEANT FOR OUR EYES TO SEE​

---

Her eyes followed Rabbitnose's, eyeing the skies above. It was hardly the break of dawn, but the clouds didn't look any better than yesterday. At the very tops of the trees, the wind had begun to pick up and Patchpaw couldn't help the skin prickling along her neck; that was never a good sign.

She gives herself a rough shake, pushing through the snow despite her bony little frame. Now's not the time to focus on something as silly as wind... After all, it can't get worse than this, right? At least, it shouldn't hamper our training too much.

She's never had such a strange urge to train before, though, and even now she hesitates with the thought of laying another claw on someone. This wouldn't be trying to hurt someone, really, it'd only be out of self defense.
Patchpaw sighs softly and steels herself towards the sandy hollow. Her tail twitched in quiet agitation, and she trudges on in the snow. It was only piling further up, and she had to hop just to peek over some of the white mounds. The sandy hollow was only a little further up ahead, and thankfully, it wasn't too buried deeply in the snow, leaving a small curving trail leading down into the hollow. The previously-sandy floor was covered in a fine layer of flattened snow, and the huge fallen log with its outstretched branches had been knocked free of snow, as though apprentices and their mentors alike had arrived here before them and scuffled about.

"I'm sorry to drag you out of the warriors' den so early, Rabbitnose," and Patchpaw gives a small, awkward laugh, looking over her shoulder at her mentor. "I couldn't wait any longer, not with... everything else happening, that is." She gives him a small shrug and glances back out into the hollow, studying the many interweaving tracks of differently-sized paws that decorated its floor.
"So I was wondering... how did you arrive at ThunderClan, Rabbitnose?"​