THEY TRACK AND HURT | prompt, offering help

[Cloudyfur]

[prompt: Cloudypaw excels in stamina. How does she use this day to day? Is it something she is proud of?]

It had been a long day for Cloudypaw.

Early in the morning, she there had been training with Flamewhisker. They had worked on fighting, which she was bad at, so they had to go for a while until she managed to get it right. Around midday, she had been a hunting patrol, which she had thrown herself into with vigor. Every hunt she had gone on recently, she had caught at least something, and she wanted to keep that up. She wanted to put the days where she felt useless on patrol firmly behind her. Her haul hadn't been as impressive as some of the other apprentices, but she hadn't come back with empty paws. That was something she could be proud of. Then, she had taken it upon herself to a little practice of her own, doing by memory the moves that her mentor had shown her. The ones she had struggled most with.

She stretched as she finished her own private practice, then glanced up to notice that the sun was setting. With a glance toward the apprentice den, she noticed some of her denmates retiring for the day. With a blink she realized that she wasn't tired at all. Actually, she kind of wanted to keep working. The thought that she might have tired out by now before she came to Thunderclan didn't even occur to her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed another of her clanmates still working. Her head tilted in consideration for a moment. Then she padded over.

"Uh, need any help with that?" Cloudypaw asked with a shy smile.

Cloudypaw wasn't the most talented apprentice, she was sure of that. She doubted she would ever come close. If she put her all into it though, maybe she could be the hardest working one. That had to count for something.​

 

[crowflower]

The path to becoming a warrior was not always the same for everyone. Crowflower, in particular, took a little longer than the other cats her age. While her sister earned her warrior name at twelve moons like everyone else, Crow had to wait another two months before she received the same honor. Successfully tracking elusive prey through difficult terrain without being spotted is a skill she mastered quickly; Crowflower simply lacked a true warrior's heart. She was brave, but not enough to ever be much used in battle. Eaglestump had given her a hard time at first, but her mentor never gave up on her. Even if her fighting skills ended up being passable, at best. Which was perfectly fine for her. She was just happy to finally be out of the apprentice den. Being a "warrior" gave her a lot more freedom to slip away and explore as she pleased.

A majority of the elusive cat's time was spent in the woods, but, on beautiful days like this, Crowflower was inclined to complete some tasks in the camp and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. She could spend hours carefully cleaning nests and rearranging bedding. The repetitive tasks were somewhat meditative, and it was a good excuse to be around others without needing to interact directly.

She was humming to herself when Cloudypaw approached, methodically repairing holes in the bramble thickets which protected the nursery. "Oh," Crowflower said lamely, startled from the work flow. "Um." She seemed embarrassed to have been caught unaware and shifted her weight nervously. Despite her surprise, she realized she was rather pleased to hear the apprentice's offer. "Sure!" A shy smile crept across her face as she glanced at the plush grey she-cat. "I'm just filling gaps in the brambles with twigs from that pile over there." She gestured with a muddy white paw to the haphazard stack of oak and sycamore branches that had fallen in the last storm. "Sometimes the rain finds ways in and makes a mess so I check it every now and then." Nobody liked to sleep in a damp den, especially nursing queens with fussy babies.

"So..." she began after several peaceful minutes of companionable silence. "You had training today with your mentor, right? How did that go?" Crowflower wasn't normally one for small talk, but she decided she liked Cloudypaw and was curious to know a little more about her.
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