WE NEED OXYGEN TO BREATHE | assessment

[SILVERSMOKE]

Eight moons ago, Silversmoke had been standing before a kitten in this very spot: one of the first days of training had taken them to the sandy ravine where he'd made the black smoke learn how to defend himself. Now, Crowpaw stood before him, ready to become a full warrior of SkyClan. Their tenure together had been a long one, full of the ups and downs associated both with mentorship and with having an adolescent son. There was a tiny tug of grief in his heart about it coming to an end, Crowpaw wouldn't need the lie now that his training was coming to an end. In the end, Silversmoke knew only be a small facet of the long life that Crowpaw had ahead of him. The faux-parenthood felt like something he would cling onto more than Crowpaw, but, perhaps they could still be friends when it was all over. There was so much advice he still wanted to give the other that he almost had to bite down on his tongue to keep quiet, and for once, Silversmoke's often-agitated eyes were softer: 'Even if you fail, I'd be proud to call you my kit.'

He cast a glance to Johnnyflame, the witness to ensure Silversmoke was being impartial, and nodded his head when the chimera signified he was ready. He'd let the Daylight Warrior take over if he believed the spotted tabby's bias was showing, but, the Lead Warrior was confident it wouldn't come to that. He'd made the test more difficult than Chrysaliswing's had ever been, if only to prove how little he cared to give the black smoke a free pass into adulthood. "To start your assessment, I have three questions for you." Silversmoke's feathery tail wrapped around his paws as he stared down the apprentice - down was perhaps the wrong word nowadays. He didn't have to bend his neck so much to talk to Crowpaw, youthful features had filled out into something more mature and ready for warriorhood - time would tell if his personality would match that, for that part of Crowpaw had been Silversmoke's biggest concern. "Question one: a loner comes to SkyClan's border asking to join, what do you do?" He paused for a moment. "Question two: You are hunting a mouse when suddenly, it runs into ThunderClan territory, what do you do?" A final pause, then, a final question. "Question three: What sets SkyClan apart from other clans?" He made a small gesture to indicate that Crowpaw should start answering.

@Johnnyflame | @CROWPAW!

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[CROWSIGHT]

It's time isn't it? No it was not because Johnnyflame was with them that raised his suspicions, what raised them was his mentor being more aloof. Silversmoke had always been aloof, yet it reminded him of when they were first assigned mentor and apprentice. How many moons did they share? His gaze doesn't leave his mentors back. It's smaller than I remember. He thinks of a small black kit staring at awe of his mentor, wanting to be as fierce as them. He admired Silversmoke. Looked up to him. Silversmoke was not only his mentor, but his father. Not by blood mind you, but the silver tom looked out for him as if he were kin. The realization that their time together as mentor and apprentice was coming to an end was sorrowful, but there was a twinge of happiness. We'll be warriors. Equals sort of.

A small smile curls from his lips before he sat across from Silversmoke, hazel eyes focused solely on his mentor. At the mention of his assessment and what it entails, he nods. I'm going to make you proud, I swear it. And so, he listens to the questions and waits. Waits for a sign to respond. When he is finally given one he dips his head in respect towards Silversmoke before looking up again and answering. "For question one, I'm not allowed to bring them into Skyclan's territory and camp. That is not my decision. That is for Orangestar and her council to decide. All I can do is tell them to wait and stay there to ensure they don't cross the border. I'll ask an apprentice to fetch Orangestar or a lead warrior to the scene, and if there is an older warrior who isn't a lead warrior, I'll go fetch Orangestar or any lead warriors to the scene. If a lead warrior or Orangestar arrives, I will step aside as they decide and remain on guard just in case the loner decides to attack." Did that sound too wordy? I mean it's situational. I have less work if a lead warrior is next to me or Orangestar is on the patrol herself. You're not being super specific here Silversmoke. Hazel eyes narrow, as if telling his mentor off for not giving him more specifics on the situation. Hopefully this is okay. It's better to be safe than sorry, right? If anything Silversmoke may feel pride in his apprentice having answers to different situations.

Crowpaw understands that he won't know if he's passed until he responds to all questions, thus he continues. "For question two, leave it. The second warrior code states we aren't allowed to hunt or trespass on another clan's territory. If I were to chase the mouse, I'd be breaking the law. I suppose the only thing I can do if weep at my failure to catch it before it ran into Thunderclan territory, before shaking it off and finding something else within Skyclan territory." Forgive him for adding some humor to his answer. Although, maybe Silversmoke might've chuffed had this not been an assessment. The answer was clear. No hunting or trespassing on another clan's territory. No matter how tempting it was.

"For question three, we have daylight warriors." The tom uses his tail to point to Johnnyflame who is present. "Johnnyflame is a daylight warrior. Daylight warrior's are warriors who don't wish to leave their twolegs, but also wish to be part of the clan. They're called daylight warriors because they come in and participate in clan duties during the daytime and return home when night falls. No other clans have daylight warriors." It may be a little uncalled for to use the other lead present during all this, but Crowpaw saw nothing wrong with using the resources in front of him. Besides, it wasn't like he was insulting Johnnyflame. All he was stating was a fact. This should be enough, right? Unless you'd like me to go into great detail about them wearing kittypet accessories and what's not allowed and what is. That would be long and tiresome.

‧₊˚✩彡 nothing compares to the fever dream

• — crowpaw / skyclan apprentice / masculine pronouns / 11 moons
  — undecided / single / open to flirting and crushes
  — long haired black smoke with hazel eyes with polydactyly
  — may powerplay minor harm / can powerplay healing
  — biography / @ on discord for plots
  — penned by velou

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[SILVERSMOKE]

Taciturn as he concentrated, the air around the Lead Warrior was uncomfortably silent, only broken by the occasional tweet of a passerby bird. Blinks slow, Silversmoke eventually nodded his head. "You've... hit most of the circumstances, I think. Correct. It's by the judgment of Orangestar's council that loners and kittypets are allowed to join. It's not that regular warriors aren't trusted, but giving everyone the power to accept or deny a joiner is dangerous." StarClan knew what arguments could be caused over such things and what sort of injustices could occur. He saw no reason to turn most loners away even if he didn't trust them, but what if Chrys was the first to find them? Well... there'd certainly be a lot less joiners. Question two came and went and the statuesque tom didn't even blink at Crowpaw's joke, though the corner of his maw twitched as he tried to hide his amusement in front of the other Lead Warrior. "Correct. It is alluring to chase prey wherever it goes, but it is no longer ours to hunt when it leaves our territory."

Question three arrived and Silversmoke's broadened pupils shifted towards Johnnyflame, briefly catching the chimera's eye before letting his gaze shift downwards. His heart tightened in anticipation of an answer like one his past apprentice may have given; hatred based on the heart rather than the truth had little place in SkyClan and the tom had never seen himself as evil for distrusting those that put a Twoleg on equal footing as a forest cat. Daylight Warrior or not, he'd defend them in battle, hunt with them where necessary, he didn't think others that disliked them could say the same. He waited for a warning, but such a thing never came. At least, if some of the spotted tabby's opinions had seeped into Crowpaw, they weren't existent on the surface. Finding Crowpaw's eyes, Silversmoke nodded once more, the tension leaving his tightened chest. "Correct. We are also the only clan so accepting of outsiders, it is usually only nepotism that permits cats to join the other clans. We are also the strongest climbers: put a RiverClanner or WindClanner near a tree and they'd sooner drop dead than know how to climb it." A ghost of a smile pressed upon his maw. "Any of these answers would've sufficed. You have passed the first assessment." One down, two more to go.

Now, came the hardest assessment for Crowpaw: the hunting test. There was a shuffle of paws before he reminded himself that if Crowpaw wasn't ready to pass it, then there would be no shame in holding him back. Too many warriors had been allowed to pass when they weren't ready (just one, Butterflytuft, but it was enough), it wouldn't sting his pride knowing there was more to teach the other. "Your next challenge is to hunt a crow. They're a large bird, but you are a large cat, tracking one will likely be harder than fighting it should it see you. As this is a specific bird I'm asking you to find, you will be given until next sunhigh to bring one here. Now go." It would be a test of either his tracking or his climbing to be able to bring such a bird back, would he recognise its call? Would he know where he's more likely to find one? Silversmoke turned his head to Johnnyflame once the black smoke was out of earshot. "Do you want to keep an eye on him, or should I?"

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[CROWSIGHT]

text hereAt his mentor's uncertainty he summons all the willpower within him not to complain or retort. After all, As much as he wanted to wring the silver tom's neck for one giving him a horribly stated question, but for not even knowing the correct answer themselves. Finally, when he is given a proper answer that he's passed, his rage simmers. I better be correct, don't think I won't bring it up to Orangestar if I got this question wrong because you weren't specific! As silversmoke clarifies somethings, such as it's not that warriors aren't trusted with such duties. It's more so in comparison to the council and Orangestar, they['re going to make up the bulk of the population. If more than half of them can wave their paw and allow anyone to join, then they'd be increasing their risks of bringing someone into their clan. Their home who is dangerous. I hate joiners the most in leaf-bare. Don't you know we have a lot of mouths to feed? At least come any other time! Whatever the case, the apprentice nods in understanding.

As for passing the second question with flying colors, he can't help but puff out his chest towards Silversmoke with pride and a small smile cracks from his maw. That one was easy! While it was understandable that Silversmoke would fear his answer due to past circumstances and how things have been as late, Crowpaw thinks it moronic. His biological father was a kittypet. His mother was a kittypet when she first joined and is now a lead warrior. Johnnyflame is also a kittypet and holds a lead position. Their former leader was a kittypet at some point in his life. The only thing that set him apart from the likes of Edenpaw was that he was born and raised here. He knows nothing of the world of kittypets outside of what he's learned from other's, but deep down he knows he has the blood of kittypets flowing through his veins. In short, he didn't hate them. The only thing he hated was when kittypets for some reason wanted to join or bother them during leaf-bare. Don't you have food? This leaf-bare we had plenty of cats join us, sure they're daylight warriors but they have to learn too. Means less paws are bringing food for the clan.

Crowpaw isn't sure what to say when he's told other optional answers he could've given in order to pass. All he can do is nod. Sometimes I wish they tell us how these things work. We apprentices can only guess so much after all. I wonder how Owlpaw is doing on her own assessment. Thoughts drift to the red tabby who worried endlessly when it came to battling. He's snapped from his stupor when Silversmoke announces his next assignment. I had a feeling I was going to have to hunt. Black paws shift nervously as he listens to his instructions. "I'll be back," he replies before running off in search of a crow.

By the time he returns with a crow the moon glimmers. He'd gone quite the distance to find it after all and carrying it back wasn't exactly easy. This isn't a mouse or anything. Unceremoniously he drops it. "I brought a crow back Silversmoke. it's a good enough size, right?" While he wasn't given directions to bring a certain size back, he still worried that he may have not brought a big enough one in order to pass.

‧₊˚✩彡 nothing compares to the fever dream

• hope it's alright to make a separate thread for the actual hunt which can be found here! i wasn't sure how to make it fit in this post. it's vague on whether or not silver was watching him the entire time or johnny.
• — crowpaw / skyclan apprentice / masculine pronouns / 11 moons
  — undecided / polyamorous / padding after oddpaw and owlpaw
  — long haired black smoke with hazel eyes and polydactyly
  — may powerplay minor harm / can powerplay healing
  — biography / @ on discord for plots
  — penned by velou

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[SILVERSMOKE]

Back against the moon, there was an almost ethereal glow to the wisps of maine coon fur on the edges of his form. Just as the apprentices would have their vigils come next moon, the spotted tabby was committed to his own - it'd be beyond mousebrained to come back to the sandy ravine at dawn when Crowpaw could've finished his assessment at any time. Blinking blearily as the aforementioned tom came into view, the tension in Silversmoke's shoulders immediately vanished at the side of a black corvine within his grasp. The hardest assessment for Crowpaw passed with a night to spare - had he been a more emotional tom, he may have begun crying then and there. In the dark, his smile grew, no matter how much he tried recalling sour memories to keep the happy look at bay. "I don't remember mentioning a size." Tired eyes blinked in recollection and, confident he wasn't forgetting anything, nodded. "You have passed the second stage of your assessment, congratulations." The final stage of Crowpaw's assessment should be easy for him, it was the thing they'd spent most of their time doing, but... first. "Go back to camp and rest. Meet us here again at first light."

---

One contrived timeskip later and Silversmoke was back at the sandy ravine, presumably staring down his apprentice. There was a reason he had wanted him to rest up. "Your final assessment before becoming a warrior of SkyClan begins shortly." Paws squared on the soft earth below, a hungry glint appearing in the odd-eyes of the Lead Warrior - it was likely an all-too-familiar stance for Crowpaw. He didn't think he needed to speak for the other to know what this last challenge would be about, it was only for the spectator's sake that he broke his silence. "We are to fight until one of us pins the other. I don't expect you to win, but I expect you to hold your own as any SkyClan warrior should." 'And if that means fighting dirty, then so be it. Better dishonourable on the field of battle than dead.' It had been one of his first rules for Crowpaw to follow, that if one could not rely on their strength and dexterity, they would have to find power in their cunning instead. He tilted his head somewhat to keep the black smoke visible in his emerald eye, unsheathed claws twitching at the promise of finding skin.

This was more likely to be a dance than a spar, two large combatants hoping to find a victory over the other - one had better senses, the other had miles more experience. Perhaps he should've dragged some of his meeker clanmates out to watch the spectacle, if only to understand what battle should look like and why he was afraid of their pacifism. "Begin." With that, Silversmoke jumped to the side to begin his circling of Crowpaw, watching like a hawk as he awaited his apprentice's first move.

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