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Post by Haunt on Jul 11, 2011 10:06:52 GMT -6
The heart that truly loves never forgets. C H A S M PAW So where does that leave me?
[/size] A tabby and white cat padded through the Dark Forest. He knew it was unique to all the territories, though it seemed everyone had their own land. So what was the point in calling it unique? His tail lashed, he needed to concentrate and focus. If he couldn't focus how was he expecting himself to succeed. Then if he doesn't succeed how will he go into camp at the end of the day. He knew that news travelled like wildfire through any camp and failure was something he did not ever want to hear in the same sentence as Chasmpaw. That would pretty much mark the end of his existance as he knew it, hanging on to every scrap of winning he gained. Trying to build himself a ladder to clarity. Clarity of who and what he was. MysteryClan ran in his blood, maybe that was why he felt like such a mystery.
Glancing around through those odd gray eyes of his Chasmpaw tried to locate his mentor. She wasn't behind that thick tree, or that one, or even behind that one. The moist ground made an odd sound under his paws even though he was no where close to the Swamp. He'd need to learn to fix that. Fast too, so stepping lighter he found that he could effectively silence three of his paws. The one that wouldn't shut up was naturally his left front paw, where his limp came from. Narrowing his eyes a bit Chasmpaw glared at his leg, wondering why it just wouldn't work right for him. Everyone else seemed to be able to remain silent.. Not that he had seen anyone out here so early in the morning and so soon in his apprenticeship.
Misthawk had told him to meet her somewhere out in this dreary forest. He just couldn't seem to recall exactly where it was. Silently cursing himself for his lack of a decent memory. This wasn't the thing to forget, especially on his first day of actual apprenticeship. The first time he had been allowed outside of the Camp by the guard. It was all new to him, the scents, the sound, and even the scenery. It was so up close, instead of just peeking over the camp walls. His nose was also unpracticed to pinpointing certain scents, so it was unlikely that he would be able to find her unless he was close enough for the scent to overwhelm him. Then only noticing the MysteryClan scent to it, not her own unique one. Even though he sought to be the best right of the bat, he would soon find that it was harder than he had been expecting.
Chasmpaw was still in shock and awe that he had been chosen to receive the deputy as his mentor. He was determined to be the greatest apprentice ever for her, Chasmpaw wanted to impress her with whatever skills she would teach him. He wanted to be a success so badly that sometimes he felt pains in his chest for not being great yet. As he walked across the crusted ground of his home, he tried to look towards the future and how it would feel to walk out by himself when he was a warrior. The haze captured his mind again and he couldn't picture past this moment. He was caught in the present and the only way to move on was to fight for his tomorrow.
Finally he caught something odd in his view, something that wasn't black or brown. Instead he caught sight of a blue-gray she-cat, moving forward her feathery fur could easily viewed now by the apprentice. She was much tinier than the other MysteryClanners. It was probably for that reason that he had been paired with her, he was of a slight figure too with an almost feminine grace to him. Not counting his paw of course. Silently with his tail hanging a bit he made his approach. Sitting down in front of her, he would speak out almost immediately. He hadn't remembered when he was told to meet her wherever it was they were. Maybe he was early, maybe he was on time, maybe he was late. Whatever way it went he assumed the worst of himself, when he wasn't praised by another.
"Sorry for being late, Misthawk. Terrible impression I'm making on my first day so far." He didn't make excuses for himself and didn't go on and on about his reasons for being late. There was no, 'I forgots' or 'i thought you meant the others'. Not a single one, he didn't even blame her for not being specific enough. Reasons were reasons and useless to anyone but those he ask to know and himself. He just sat himself in front of her and waited for her judgement. It was for her to decide if he was guilty of some crme, not him. That was somethng Chasmpaw always made an effort to do. If you can't accept your rightful punishments how could you ever call yourself mature and fit enough to become a warrior.
[/blockquote] status; Fine~ *french accent here* character; Chasmpaw word count; 849 muse; Alright I guess, it is a starting post though. Never expect anything wonderful from me with those. quote; Proverb other; Yay for training ^^[/sup] |
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Post by Lightbulb on Jul 11, 2011 11:19:03 GMT -6
Misthawk paced about in the dappled undergrowth of the Dark Forest, where little light trickled through from above. While this wasn't an issue for her or for any cat, whose slit-pupilled eyes could see in the dark, it was often an advantage in hunting- something she need to show Chasmpaw today. Chasmpaw. Her new apprentice. Just the idea of it made the usually confident deputy feel nervous. Young cats unnerved her, really.
It had been so long since she had mentored a cat… Truly after Pondpaw- or Pondgrass now- Misthawk had been convinced that she would never again be given an apprentice. As her apprentice, Pondpaw had been timid and unmotivated. He was a decent warrior now, but he would never be a great one, and Misthawk had felt as if she'd failed her own true mentor, Pebblefur. Well, how was Misthawk supposed to mentor properly, anyhow? She was no good with other cats, not like Pebblefur had been. She couldn't communicate well with the young apprentices. How many of them made it through the teaching sessions she offered?
This time, though… Chasmpaw was a talented youngster, no one could deny that, and Misthawk would give credit where credit was due. He was clever, and despite his unique problems- such as his limp- Misthawk felt that the young tom with the startling eyes had much more potential than Pondpaw ever had. Chasmpaw had a drive to succeed. Misthawk coud not help but be reminded of her own fierce determination as a young cat to become a great warrior and a credit to her Clan, no matter what. Chasmpaw showed similar motivation. Yes, perhaps this apprentice could succeed where the other had not…
Of course, he was not a large cat, and there was the limp. But what was Misthawk good at, if not coming up with fighting techniques to turn seeming flaws into advantages? Misthawk had been observing Chasmpaw, and he had good speed, reflexes, agility. He could think on his feet, which was the most important quality in a warrior as far as the deputy was concerned. He was teachable.
It remained to be seen whether he could find her, though. Misthawk had given her apprentice instructions on where to come to train, but had been purposely vague. How long would it take him to locate her? Would he go back to camp right away after the first difficulty, or would he continue seeking? It was more than anything a test of motivation and drive, although also in part a test of how capable the new apprentice was at tracking. Still, if Chasmpaw could not locate Misthawk himself and she had to go find him, that was normal and she could teach him. But if he went back to the camp… Misthawk would be very disappointed. And so would the apprentice, because Misthawk did not go easy on those who fled their responsibilities.
After a few moments more, Misthawk lifted her head and scented the air, opening her mouth slightly to allow the smells of the forest to flood her senses. She smelled MysteryClan cat, and nearby. Chasmpaw! If Misthawk had been given to expressing emotion, she would have purred. She trotted towards the scent, carefully weaving her way through the underbrush as she disliked getting leaves and twigs tangled in her pelt when it was not necessary to do so. The apprentice spotted her from a good ways off, and came to her repentantly, offering apologies as he sat before her in the little glade where they had intersected.
Misthawk felt like she should probably reassure him- that was what any other mentor would have done, surely- but they best she could do was a solemn nod. "Do not worry yourself, Chasmpaw. Today we will be working on silent movement and on stalking. It is unlikely that we will catch any prey today, because that is not the point. In both hunting and fighting, controlled movement is of the utmost importance. It provides the foundation for everything else that I will ever teach you. It is especially important for cats like us, who rely on wits and agility rather than brute strength. I have no doubt that you can do this, Chasmpaw, do not prove me wrong." Her tone was ominous, Misthawk could tell, and she wondered if this was a bit too much for an apprentice's first day. Still. He could handle being challenged, and if he couldn't he would never make a great MysteryClan warrior.
"Now. Watch what I do, and then I want you to try and imitate me." Misthawk told her apprentice. She needed to know just how much his limp hampered him, and see him in motion so that she could work out ways to… well, work around it. Or with it.
Crouching low and picking up her paws, Misthawk slowly moved across the muddy ground towards the thicker undergrowth. She moved in slow-motion, gracefully, every movement perfectly intentional. It would be ridiculous to mess up now, in front of an apprentice, after practicing this her entire life. With no more than the faintest of rustles, she vanished into the bushes, then turned around and came back out, slightly less careful, to gaze seriously at her apprentice. "Now you try. Come over there."
OoC: Um, yeah. This is… less than perfect. I'm still getting used to Misthawk, I suppose. It works well enough, though, so I'm just gonna leave it as-is.
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Post by Haunt on Jul 11, 2011 13:22:03 GMT -6
Loving can cost a lot but not loving always costs more and those who fear to love, C H A S M PAW often find that want of love is an emptiness that robs the joy from life.
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Chasmpaw bit down a little on his tongue to make sure that he paid attention, sometimes it was so hard for him to focus. The dull ache that the biting caused was enough to get him to keep his mind on Misthawk. The real test would be to see if he could remember everything of importance. He had a memory that tried to catch sand with a net. Chasmpaw was eager to prove himself and work hard, he was excited to start training, but it didn't show through his slate gray eyes.
He nodded when Misthawk finished speaking about the importance of silent movement. Without knowing it he had been practicing that on his way over here, but he knew that if he followed and listened to his deputy he would be able to be even better at it. He just hoped his limp wouldn't hinder him too much in this challenge Misthawk had given him. That is what she had done, with that last sentence she had made it impossible for failure to enter his mind for even a moment, not that it would have anyway. It just solidified his need to succeed.
He watched her move with grace and silence that he had never seen so close before. She made no sound like the fog that often settled over MysteryClan's territory. Chasmpaw definitely hadn't been that quiet when he had made an attempt earlier. Calmly he waited for her to end her treck acxross the crusty earth. He noticed that she picked up her feet with a certain delicacy and she was low to the ground, but not enough to dirty her longer fur.
When it came time for his own attempt Chasmpaw lowered himself to the ground. As intentionally as his mentor he made his way slowly towards the thicker undergrowth. He picked up his paws fluidly as she had done, imitating Misthawk as best as he could. For the most part he moved without a sound, but then he would have to step with his limp. He wasn't sure how he would be able to get around the thump that his limp caused without him even trying to step hard. No matter how slight of figure Chasmpaw was, his foot still managed to make a noise. Even when he was a kit it had caused him to make noise that the other kits didn't.
The first few attempts with his lame paw were pitiful, the motion that worked with the rest of his body didn't mesh with the dip that his limp caused. So he tried to stagger step forward, in other words he moved with his three good paws, then skip using his lame paw in the order until he had to move it forward. It was an odd way to move and on occasion he screwed up the order and ended up making noise again, but despite how silly he looked it seemed to be effective.
He kept his weight on his good paws and sort of scrunched up his body when he moved so no pressure would really have to be given to his bad paw. Chasmpaw was getting better at this stagger step by the time he reached the undergrowth and he moved slowly through it without stepping on any twigs to finish the task he had been given. Hopefully his work and effort would please Misthawk.
"How was that, Misthawk?"
He asked her in an almost whisper and looked up expectantly for her critiques on his technique. Though he may have not been as quiet as a normal cat was capable of being he just hoped that she knew he was trying. Chasmpaw expected perfection from himself, but most of the time he sabotaged his own attempts at it.
Maybe with a few more runs he could perfect his stagger step or maybe Misthawk had seen a better way for him to move than he was capable of seeing in his position. It's sometimes easier to solve a problem by stepping away from it and not being a part of it. She also had many moons of experience that he did not have and he respected her for it. Chasmpaw knew that she had become deputy for a reason and he was sure that as their training together progressed he would see for himself why that was. Hopefully some of her ability could rub off on him in the process.
Chasmpaw wondered how the day would continue and if he would even pass this first test of skill. Would he be able to hunt and fight? Yes, he was certain that he should. Even if it took him moons and moons of hard work and training he would be as skilled as any other apprentice and warrior that made MysteryClan their home. He would make Misthawk proud and he would make himself proud. If he didn't succeed he was frightened that the pieces of his mind that didn't make sense would never be able to fit back in place. He needed to find his place in this world. Chasmpaw had his heart and mind set on that.
[/blockquote] status; Finished character; Chasmpaw word count; 856 muse; decent quote; Merle Shain other; No worries, I think my post was kind of redundant, but I do love my Chasm <3 so it's all good. [/sup] |
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