GRAVELPELT.
warrior of thunderclan
He shouldn’t have volunteered for this, even if it meant the chance Hazelpaw could fall behind on her training while her mentor was out of commission on the off chance absolutely no one else wanted to step in. He’d seen her around camp, likely anyone with eyes had thanks to her showboating tendencies, and he’d gleaned enough of her personality from this alone to know they were a terrible match up. She was Wildstar’s daughter, even if not truly by blood. He was Gravelpelt, estranged son of Wolverineclaw and Ebonyrose. Not all of his Clanmates were rude to him, but he just knew Hazelpaw would be.
That’s why he put off approaching her for so long, hovering near the Apprentices’ Den before walking over to the freshkill pile to study the choices for the day, before inconspicuously glancing around camp for the apprentice. In basic terms, he was being a coward and it would be painfully obvious to anyone watching. So when Hazelpaw finally made her presence known by strutting out of the Apprentices’ Den, Gravelpelt couldn’t stop the sound of choking panic that bubbled up in his throat. He was the warrior, she was the apprentice. And besides, did he want to face Wildstar later when she was told of who exactly had set her daughter’s training behind?
No, he did not, and that’s what finally got his paws moving, even if a bit stiffly. Of course leave it to him to blunder right into Hazelpaw’s path and nearly trip the apprentice up. “O-Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! I was coming over to see about taking you out training because Snarlingbadger asked a warrior to step in because he’s feeling under the weather, as you probably know, and I just-“ Well, he couldn’t exactly mention he was panicking at the thought of approaching her, and now panicking even worse because he’d made such a spectacular first impression. His brain was filled with TV static at the moment, green eyes flitting around to look at anything but her face or eyes. “I was thinking we could head to Berry Flats to work on catching birds or rabbits, because they’re always out in abundance in the area this time of year.”
GRAVELPELT.
warrior of thunderclan
He felt like a leaf shivering in the breeze before the egotistical apprentice, desperately trying to cling to the branch and avoid the fall to the forest floor below. She took long enough to answer he likely was on the verge of a heart attack, and he released a burst of air in relief as she finally relented. It would have been quite the awkward scene if she'd refused and they had to go track down Snarlingbadger for him to get everything straightened out. Gravelpelt was already enough of a joke as it was.
"Well, with an attitude like that, it wouldn't be surprising," he cheered, as if his praise would even matter to Hazelpaw. With the brisk pace she set he was nearly left in the dust, scrambling to catch up and making an even bigger spectacle of himself in the process.
When they were finally out of camp, the berry bushes of Berry Flats coming into view, he felt like he might be able to relax. However, studying the fluffy tail of the apprentice before him, he wondered how much worse her attitude might become now that it was just the two of them. What could he show her hunting skills-wise that Snarlingbadger might not have yet? Offering her useful knowledge was likely the only way he'd be able to keep her appeased.