private put me in coach || cherrypaw

[crowflower]

Although Cherrypaw has accompanied Crowflower on a variety of excursions--from hunting patrols, to border patrols, and even fun distractions like tree-climbing and sparring with other apprentices. However, it has been quite some time since their last private training session. As the begins to peak over the emerald canopy of the forest, Crow decides that today is the perfect day to spend some one-on-one time with Cherrypaw and measure how far he's come since the beginning of his apprenticeship. A part of her worries that he might be a little behind in his fighting skills, as it is not one of her particular strengths, but she is confident that he has learned much.

"Good morning, Cherrypaw," she says warmly when her apprentice finally emerges from his den. "I hope you slept well." She is content to chatter to him about various things going on while he eats his breakfast, then she leads him toward the Sycamore to begin their training session for the day. It is early enough that many cats are still dozing in their warm nests, but the forest is already alive with the cacophony of birdsong. A sleepy fog hangs over the trees, the pallid sunlight reflected in the glittering dew. "While it's quiet," Crow begins in a low voice, careful not to disturb the potential prey. "I would like to see a demonstration of your stalking skills. A good warrior is well-rounded, but a good Thunderclanner is measured in your ability to be stealthy." At least, that is what her mentor, Eaglestump, used to tell her. She has always suspected he told her that anecdote to make her feel better for her pathetic fighting ability. Regardless, she wants to see how Cherrypaw's hunting and stalking has improved before they move on to other tasks.

@Cherrypaw​

 

[Cherrypaw [in.]]

"THAT'S WHEN STRANGE SENSATIONS, START TO GROW"​

---

While Cherrypaw had many skills under his claws by now, being an early bird was decidedly not one of them.

For all the times his big sister’s kicked him in the groin in her sleep, it would’ve been no shock to learn that Cherrypaw hadn’t been getting great sleep these past few nights, but last night was a different story. Patchpaw had nudged him awake, notably in tears, begging she rest in his nest with him, and Cherrypaw had reluctantly agreed—on the condition that she didn’t kick him, of course. After that, she had huddled up next to him as Cherrypaw quickly fell back asleep, and barely another word was spoken between them.
Unfortunately, though, he continued to wake up through the night, until finally when the sun graced the entrance’s den outside did Cherrypaw give up on sleep. His sister, thankfully, had fallen back asleep sometime in the night, and he couldn’t risk waking her back up.

Ever so gingerly, he pulls himself onto his paws, careful as to not wake his sister up. Giving her head a comforting lick, he leaves the nest, stepping out into the all-too bright sunlight.

Crowflower’s talking to you, he recognized in his sleep-driven stupor, but he could only just barely make out Crowflower’s figure against the light.

"Good morning… I slept okay, I—I think."

Yep, definitely a little sleepier this time around. As he followed Crowflower out of camp with a heavy yawn, a handful of thorny branches smacked him right in his face, jolting him fully awake. Wincing and rubbing his nose, Cherrypaw follows along after her, feeling the soft morning mist brush over his whiskers with a fresh sigh of relief.

"I know… ah, a bit about hunting. I’m not the best at it." He chuckles quietly to himself. He steps forward, spindly legs balancing carefully on the twigs and dirt below him, before dropping himself into a low crouch. His tail twitches once, then twice, before it rests to hover barely a hair’s width above the ground.
A good ThunderClanner is measured in their ability to be stealthy, her words echo in his mind. He slowly begins to creep forward, paws barely twitching to move against the soft crackle of leaves, focusing himself on a particular shrub not too far away from where he was.

Suddenly, the scent of something small and rodent-ish catches his nose, and he stops dead. As though luck would have it, a small shrew sat nibbling on a little berry between its paws just underneath the shrub, its back to both cats.​

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[crowflower]

Resisting the urge to chuckle at Cherrypaw's early morning struggles is a lesson in willpower. Crowflower is unable to fully smother the amused smile twisting across her lips, so she makes a point to keep her mossy gaze fixed on their destination. "If all goes well, we can return to camp for a nap," she says, more for her apprentice's sake than her own. Although, she is already considering using that time for some personal exploration without the responsibility of an apprentice tagging along, so, maybe, a scheduled naptime is to her benefit as well.

"Nobody is perfect," she assures him. "I just want you to try your best so I can see what we need to work on later." Cherrypaw might be a little unsure of his hunting ability, but Crowflower knows that he will do just fine. Already, he carries his weight carefully, placing each paw slowly, precisely, so as not to disturb the leaf litter. He pauses, noticing the shrew that she had smelled upon their approach. Silently, she watches. unwilling to move or speak until Cherry makes his move.​

 

[Cherrypaw [in.]]

"THAT'S WHEN STRANGE SENSATIONS, START TO GROW"​

---

By all accounts, this should've been an easy hunt and a very nice piece of fresh-kill to bring back for the camp. Unfortunately, it seems as though his drowsiness and strangely inattentive mind had other plans, as he hadn't accounted for the root placed just in front of his paw. As he pushes off the ground to leap forward, his paw catches the root, and with a yelp, he's sent himself crashing into the forest floor and face-planting the leaves where the shrew once was. It sat just a few inches from his nose, tauntingly staring at him before squeaking and running deeper into the bushes, where he couldn't reach it.

So much for an easy hunt, Cherrypaw grumbles internally, beginning to get himself back up on his feet to shake off the leaves that clung to his pelt. In fact, so much for attempting to give his mentor a good first-impression at all. He knew his hunting skills weren't as particularly adept as his fighting skills, but he hadn't wanted to give Crowflower the impression that they were that bad.

"Sorry. That was awful," He mutters to her with a weak laugh, stepping back again. While the crash had certainly woke him up, he still didn't quite feel right, and he knew why. He went quiet for a few moments, still staring back at the shrub as he shakes his paw to get rid of the light wincing pain. She mentions a 'nap', and while he's grateful, he can't help the slight twinge of annoyance in his stomach. Why, he wasn't even sure, but the thought of returning to camp afterwards just for a little nap bothered him greatly.
It wasn't her fault, though. Crowflower was sweet to him, and he appreciated her support.

Giving himself another quick shake, he turns to face Crowflower with an inquiring look. "I've been meaning to ask--feel free to not answer if you don't want to, of course--but I was curious about something. Where did you grow up? Here, in the clan, or somewhere else?"

There was also much more reason behind his question than he let on, but they would be acknowledged in due time.​

✦ ✦ ✦​

 

[crowflower]

Once again, takes a surprising amount of willpower to resist the urge to chuckle at Cherrypaw's fumbled attempt at hunting, though her eyes still glimmer with a hint of amusement. Stealth has always come quite naturally to her, as did a lack of depth-perception, which ultimately negated all of her natural grace. It was such an obstacle during her own apprenticeship that she ended up being held back several moons after her siblings until she was able to overcome her uncoordinated limbs to pass as a sufficient hunter and measly fighter. Thankfully, she doesn't have any cause to believe that Cherrypaw suffers from a similar affliction. An encouraging smile spreads across her maw and she waves a paw dismissively.

"It's a start," she counters. "We'll just have to spend more time on your agility. You're tall and strong, but that can make it hard to navigate the underbrush." A glow of excitement emanates from the black-furred molly at the thought. She enjoys feats of dexterity and speed, and her mind is already busy with potential agility courses to help Cherrypaw improve his skills. Many of which she used herself during her time as an apprentice. Keen green eyes flicker to inspect Cherry's paw. "Are you injured?" Although it doesn't look too serious, she wants to check before they move onto anything else. She doesn't want to have to bother Berryheart if she doesn't have to. Plus, it's good to learn how to walk off mild discomforts.

For a moment, she seems a little confused by Cherrypaw's line of questioning. A second later, her expression softens into a somewhat shy smile, as if embarrassed by his curiosity. "I was born in the Pine group with my family, but I was quite young back then. Thunderclan's where I grew up." Crowflower tilts her head curiously. "Why d'you ask?"​

 

[Cherrypaw [in.]]

"THAT'S WHEN STRANGE SENSATIONS, START TO GROW"​

---

Cherrypaw winces. He had wrenched a claw off and his wrist felt sore, but there was nothing majorly sprained or broken as he shook his paw thoroughly to rid himself of the slight twinge in pain. A part of him, however, was grateful for Crowflower's expertise in this area; the last thing he was was nimble and fast, like his sister. Most of his strengths lie in his fighting skills and ability to handle other cats bigger than him, but for a cat that was smaller, swifter and more dexterous than he was, he was at a complete loss--and he was about to be having his own warrior's ceremony in a month.
On that note, however, he had an awful feeling he would be alone during their ceremony.

Even then... He had so much to fit into in his last month of being an apprentice, and he was anxious to fit in as much as he could.

"I was only curious," Cherrypaw answers with a small sigh, gingerly setting his paw back on the ground firmly. He'd be fine; it wasn't hurting much anymore. "Were you always so scared about becoming a warrior, or did it always come natural to you?"

He starts on, continuing down their original path with his head focused forwards. He was a little nervous, but after hearing the situation with his sister... Well, it was easy to imagine something was clearly troubling him.
"For all the work I've put into my training, I've never felt so unsure about this. My own sister said she might not even be joining me when we become warriors--what kind of world is that, where I'll be alone? She wouldn't tell me why, just said that no matter what happened, she'd be there to support me when I do. God, she's an idiot--lovely, but an idiot. I'd rather be miserable with her than standing alone in our own ceremony that we're supposed to share together."

He laughs again, but it's forced. He's anxious, and it's clear in the agitated flicking of his tail and the lack of focus he's been dealing with since waking up. "I apologize. That was a bit much to put on you. I was only wondering."​

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