it's complicated ☣︎ azaleapaw

[Mintshade]

Azaleapaw is not who she would pick for an apprentice. She knew why she was given the girl, that her harsh and pushy manners would sculpt her into a proper WindClan and unburden her of her kittypet origins. Mintshade was rough, ruthless, if any cat could a pampered cat of their poor habits and teach them what the cruelty of the world was truly like it was her, yet she didn't want waste her time. She kept forgetting she had an apprentice, training her was the last thing on her mind, she kept leaving her behind on patrols-finally it was pointed out to her and she begrudgingly made an attempt only to forget again. Ugh, she didn't want to be bogged down like this. She wanted to be free to do what she pleased without having to cart along what was essentially dead weight, but eventually a little notion wormed its way into her head. If she trained Azaleapaw especially well and quickly, she could be promoted sooner and it would not only get the blue she-cat out of her fur but also show how excellent she was at what she was assigned to do; she would earn more credibility with the clan and they would complain about her lazy habits less.
She had chosen the night, cloaked dark and peaceful and without much others to disturb them; she enjoyed hunting in the dark for her pelt melted into the shadows and vanished and the rabbits were none the wiser to her presence. She could be perched right above their burrows and they would nibble idle about without worry. Acid green eyes lifted upward, took in the stars above as she waited for the apprentice to finally catch up to her before she muttered out a question that almost felt directed elsewhere than to her.
"Speak up, kid. What was that?" Repeated, more firmly now, a strange thing she had not thought to be asked before. Can you tell me about them? Sharp eyes directed upward, tell about who? The stars? What was this child asking of her? Mintshade narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, "StarClan? Oh, StarClan. Sure. I suppose that is something I have to teach you isn't it? Saw them myself, you know. The great battle it was...something. Bloody, violent. I thrive in such things, but I won't deny there is something jarring about seeing a spirit rise from a cat you had just slain..."
The black she-cat's long crooked tail lashed behind her and she snorted dismissively, "Not that I regret it. We defend our own and so I did. Blood on my paws won't deny me entry, they may even allow you in once you have proven to WindClan your worth." The thought did occur to her then that if Azaleapaw was not allowed into StarClan that it may be her own doing. Wasn't it her job to ensure their cats were prepared to be warriors? Loyal and duty bound? If the ex-kittypet failed to earn her place, gain entry...would that mean Mintshade herself was to be denied?

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[Ooc]
Prompt: WindClan is a very faithful clan and are proud to live out their lives right underneath StarClan’s watchful eye. How does your characters faith bring them closer to their clan-mates?
- @Azaleapaw
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[Azaleafrost]

It was something that she thought about often. Windclan always sung Starclans praises and worshipped them like they were gods. Were they??? She always thought they were just spirits.

Spirits that can control the weather, apparently. She wouldn't soon forget about the lightning strike at that gathering. It scared her. What happened when you got hit by lightning??

She didn't know much about Starclan. She always figured they hated her too. But since she has to visit the moonstone to become a warrior.... She thought perhaps she should ask someone to learn more.

Who better to ask than her mentor?

She has spoken quietly at first, admittedly. But Mintshade heard her, and that's all that mattered in the end when asking questions.

She had heard stories of the Great Battle and how gruesome it was. She often wondered if she would ever experience such a thing.

"They just... Lifted from the bodies? Are they really covered in stars?" She asked, almost innocently.

She kept listening and thoughtfully looked at her paws. Had she not proven herself already? Well, there was the.... Murder, though even though Reedstrike tried to kill her first.... She still contemplated his murder and would have done it even if he didn't try to kill her too.

Was Reedstrike up there?

"What happens to cats who are bad?" She asked.

Where did they go? Was there a Starclan for bad and evil cats????

"And how do I know when I've proved myself?"

She hadn't spoken this much to her mentor before. She often just nodded and spoke when she needed to. But now that it was just them, Azaleapaw thought it would be a good time to ask her questions.

And she had one very important one, too. One that would likely decide how she felt about Mintshade entirely.

"..... Do you think I'll become a good warrior?"
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[Mintshade]

"Just floated up...like smoke rising from snuffed fire." It was a sight you didn't forget easily and she never would, something that would remain pressed within her mind for the rest of her life. Nine lives gifted from StarClan was a sign of a cat worth following, that it was her sister was a bonus. StarClan were more real than most things, more real than the wind itself for she could see them and not just feel them. She'd known them too.

"Alright, alright, one question at a time!" The dark molly grumbled in reply to the sudden tirade of curiousity, she supposed it was a good thing to know more about StarClan. Azaleapaw may prove to be more loyal for it, shake her kittypet blood from her more properly. Mintshade waved a paw nonchalantly, turning to flop over into the grass so she could stare upward at the sky at a more befitting angle; basking below it. "Bad cats...can't say. Figure they go to StarClan too and just have to pay it all back maybe? Or they wander as ghosts, maybe StarClan doesn't let them in. Hard to say who fits the mold of bad, so long as we follow StarClan surely you can only be good?"
She thinks of the cats she's killed, the glee at defeating her foes. She wonders if StarClan approved of such displays, but until told otherwise she would defend WindClan with the vehemence of the beast she always was in combant; a dead enemy was no longer a threat.
It was the last question that made her falter and she exhaled a sigh so deep it was a wonder she wasn't left gasping for air again. Azaleapaw being a warrior...to be a GOOD warrior. It would mean Mintshade had failed her if not.
"You have to be, I won't accept any less. We've got a lot of work to do, but you can keep up...can't ya kit?" White curved smile in the dark, maybe if she trained her real good she could be rid of her quicker. Early ceremonies were a thing after all.
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[Azaleafrost]

She bombarded her mentor with questions she'd admit, curiosity having gotten the better of her. She just had to know. Being so unsure of what awaited her after death was unsettling when everyone else knew what laid beyond deaths dark embrace. She sat and listened to Mintshade speak like a good, well behaved apprentice.

She tilts her head in thought on Mintshades theories on what happens to bad cats. Wandering the land as a ghost... Haunting the living....... Sounds like fun, honestly. But doesn't Starclan do the same thing, sort of? They visit dreams and stuff..... She figures Starclan are just good ghosts.

Bad ghosts are just homeless because they don't deserve the peace of Starclans home.

Good cats follow Starclan....But what if bas cats follow Starclan? This was so complicated. Why did she ask this.

Mintshade asks if she can keep up, and she immediately looks to her. " Of course I can, I do my best every day and I don't rest until everything is done." She says with confidence.

Her kittypet blood didn't hinder her at all, and she believes she's proved this time and time again. It was still her goal to force these wildborn cats to accept that she was just as capable as them.

And Starclan as her witness, she will.
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