- Sep 7, 2023
- 54
- 13
- 8
A new mentor.
The prospect was absolutely terrifying.
Sunlitpaw's previous mentor, the one that had taken them from Wolfsong's den and introduced them first to Clan life in it's entirety, was one of the cats that had bared his fangs at their father and fiercely declared loyalty for Sootstar. They did not train often at all, at random intervals whenever Thornrunner got around to them. But when they did train, it was tough. Lots of little nicks and cuts, being expected to figure it out the hard way. That if Sunlitpaw couldn't figure out how to protect themselves, they'd just keep getting picked at. They never had the courage to ask any of their littermates if they had a similar experience with their own - they recalled Bluepool holding down a rabbit for Featherpaw to kill, shortly after they had all entered apprenticehood. That must not have been an easy entrance to tutelage. Similarly, Sunlitpaw could not imagine Rivepaw had an easy time with Snakehiss, especially with how she had also been swiftly reassigned off of the cat that had at one time so ardently supported Sootstar.
Sunlitpaw had not gone out of their way to touch noses with Foxglare upon their reassignment, too busy compartmentalizing the loss of their father from Sunstride to Sunstar, many steps above them while Sunlitpaw was teetering on an edge of disappointing the strongest cat in all of WindClan. Too busy worrying about what their future with Foxglare would spell, about how all of her flaws would be pulled out from her and laid at his feet to fix. What if they just... weren't meant to be? What if Sunlitpaw was too much of a failure, what if Sunlitpaw couldn't perform to Foxglare's expectations? The idea made the apprentice tremble, although they tried their best to hide it where they sat next to the camp's entrance. They had woken up early for this - their nerves did not let them sleep long, drifting in and out until deciding to pull themselves up as the sun sat low in the horizon. Whenever Foxglare was ready, Sunlitpaw would also be ready. They wanted so badly to make a good first impression, to make Foxglare like her and maybe even go a bit easy on her. Her paws knead the well-trodden snow, feathery tail wrapped tight around them to hide the antsy movements.
Red and white moves in her peripheral, and Sunlitpaw straightens her posture as her eyes swivel to fix in on Foxglare. Her paws stop kneading, toes trembling too intensely to move with the dexterity needed to churn the snow. Their heart beat hard against their ribcage, staggering their breathing. Oh, please, please StarClan let Foxglare be kind. Let Foxglare be patient. Let Foxglare be... be... good.
The prospect was absolutely terrifying.
Sunlitpaw's previous mentor, the one that had taken them from Wolfsong's den and introduced them first to Clan life in it's entirety, was one of the cats that had bared his fangs at their father and fiercely declared loyalty for Sootstar. They did not train often at all, at random intervals whenever Thornrunner got around to them. But when they did train, it was tough. Lots of little nicks and cuts, being expected to figure it out the hard way. That if Sunlitpaw couldn't figure out how to protect themselves, they'd just keep getting picked at. They never had the courage to ask any of their littermates if they had a similar experience with their own - they recalled Bluepool holding down a rabbit for Featherpaw to kill, shortly after they had all entered apprenticehood. That must not have been an easy entrance to tutelage. Similarly, Sunlitpaw could not imagine Rivepaw had an easy time with Snakehiss, especially with how she had also been swiftly reassigned off of the cat that had at one time so ardently supported Sootstar.
Sunlitpaw had not gone out of their way to touch noses with Foxglare upon their reassignment, too busy compartmentalizing the loss of their father from Sunstride to Sunstar, many steps above them while Sunlitpaw was teetering on an edge of disappointing the strongest cat in all of WindClan. Too busy worrying about what their future with Foxglare would spell, about how all of her flaws would be pulled out from her and laid at his feet to fix. What if they just... weren't meant to be? What if Sunlitpaw was too much of a failure, what if Sunlitpaw couldn't perform to Foxglare's expectations? The idea made the apprentice tremble, although they tried their best to hide it where they sat next to the camp's entrance. They had woken up early for this - their nerves did not let them sleep long, drifting in and out until deciding to pull themselves up as the sun sat low in the horizon. Whenever Foxglare was ready, Sunlitpaw would also be ready. They wanted so badly to make a good first impression, to make Foxglare like her and maybe even go a bit easy on her. Her paws knead the well-trodden snow, feathery tail wrapped tight around them to hide the antsy movements.
Red and white moves in her peripheral, and Sunlitpaw straightens her posture as her eyes swivel to fix in on Foxglare. Her paws stop kneading, toes trembling too intensely to move with the dexterity needed to churn the snow. Their heart beat hard against their ribcage, staggering their breathing. Oh, please, please StarClan let Foxglare be kind. Let Foxglare be patient. Let Foxglare be... be... good.
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₊ ⋆ * ⊹ ₊ ☾sunlitpaw
