LEOPARDPAW.
apprentice of shadowclan
He'd spent so long impatiently waiting for the day he'd finally become an apprentice, setting him that much closer to becoming a warrior, that when it finally happened, it hadn't felt real. His whole first moon as the newly named Leopardpaw had passed in a blur, or at least felt like it had. That might have been concerning, if he wasn't certain he'd been able to retain Thonrbelly's lessons anyways. In fact, he felt like he was passing his training with flying colors already, a real protégé if ShadowClan had ever saw one.
It wasn't all soaring in the clouds and bathing in sunshine, however. As a kit, he'd never considered it would mean less time to spend with his family. Not significantly, but then he did have time with them, he was sad to realize he didn't have very much energy. Perhaps sharing a tongue or meal here or there, especially after the day was starting to wind down, but then he'd have to whisk right off to bed for fear of falling asleep on his paws.
Today he'd woken up at the usual time for training, but was pleasantly surprised when Thornbelly called it off after sunhigh, claiming hardworkers needed a day off every once in a while. The young tom had headed back to camp with a notable pep in his step, a soft smile on his features as he wondered what to do with the time off, until he instantly knew upon seeing his mother in the clearing.
Of course he'd asked Cocoaflower on a hunt, and that's how he found himself back out in ShadowClan's territory, specifically the Murky Swamp. He wanted to show her the new skills he'd learned and catch up on anytime they might have missed out on, as he promised her not too long ago that even if he was growing up, he'd never forget about his mother.
"I'm gonna catch a frog, ma. Thornbelly's told me the best way to go about it, but we haven't gotten to try it yet. I want to be able to impress him when we do," the charcoal bengal explained, setting his paw down with a splash.
✾ ℂ𝕠𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ✾
𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣
She hummed softly in amusement as she could see the puzzled expression that her son was wearing. Had she given her mother the same look when she had been told that some frogs burrowed deep in the mud? Perhaps, but she was willing to look as silly as she needed to for Leopardpaw to bring home a frog. Shaking her freezing paw clear of mud and murky water, her bi-colored gaze watched her kit cautious as he quickly stood up, ready to tackle this hunt head first. Noticing his hesitation, his eyes pointed down towards her paws, the Molly purred as she lowered her head to lightly nudge Leopardpaw’s dark spotted flank. “I’m alright.” She promised, stepping lightly after the young tom.
Cocoaflower watched with narrowed eyes as her son took off for the mudflat, unable to help keep a watchful eye on her kit, despite the fact he didn’t need his mother worrying over him. Suddenly her heart took a sharp dive towards the pit of her stomach as Leopardpaw came dangerously close to taking a full bodied dip into the cold water. Ears against her cranium as she let out a quick breath of relief, following after her kit at a much slower pace. “Don’t run on the ice.” Cocoaflower chastised, lowering her head to rub her cheek against the top of his head before her eyes shifted towards the mudflat. “You are going to stick your paw into the mud at the bottom and scoop away all the silt. Best way I can describe finding a frog is, their skin feels like little pebbles against your toes. Cold and hard.” Cocoaflower explained, lowering herself as she crouched beside Leopardpaw, lightly nudging her shoulder with his. “Do you want to try looking for one?” She hummed, her gaze amused.
#b48557
LEOPARDPAW.
apprentice of shadowclan
The charcoal Bengal lurched forwards as his mother slipped on the ice a bit, thinking he could possibly catch her before she fell for some silly reason, but drew up short as she quickly got her paws back underneath herself. "I don't think anyone really likes the cold," Leopardpaw pointed out, whiskers twitching in amusement before he fell silent to hear what else his mother had to say.
Being promised to learn a new hunting technique, one specifically good for hunting frogs in cold weather, his eyes lit right up. Thornbelly was knowledgeable, of that the apprentice had no doubt, but this was a prime example of why apprentices shouldn't be shy about looking to other warriors for even more guidance and teaching. There was so much to learn out there, so much to see even, it was almost overwhelming. "Yes, please!" He chirped, sounding like an excitable kit as he now stuck to Cocoaflower's side like the little shadow he was.
He watched closely as she stuck her paw into the cold water, giving an unconscious little shiver himself, before she swirled about and determined there were no frogs to be found. Understandably, the young tom looked a little dumbfounded by this new knowledge. Who would've known frogs hibernated like bears in the winter?
"Yeah, come on," he stated, hesitating only a moment to make sure she'd be okay on the ice before taking off to the other mudflat she'd pointed out. Of course, he slid to a halt on the ice right before taking a full-body dip into the unfrozen water.
✾ ℂ𝕠𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ✾
𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣
If anyone could catch a frog in mid Bare-Leaf, she did believe that it would be Leopardpaw. His eyes gleamed with determination as he gazed out at the half frozen swamp, her own bi-colored gaze fluttering to gaze out at the marshland. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, the Molly gently trailed her long black and golden patched tail across her sons back before she trailed a bit further away from her child, ears twitching as she listened for any signs of life.
Nose twitching from the cold, she could tell that today was one of the more colder days for the week. There wasn’t much scurrying around, but that only proved to bother the Molly as the goal for today was to hunt. Frogs to be exact. Luckily, she had learned a trick from her own mother when she had been a very young apprentice, one she was going to put into action as the dark spotted flank of her son was beginning to flash at the corner of her eye. “Hmm?” She hummed as he called for her, one golden and one blue eye fluttering towards the boy as she could see that he was suddenly realizing that the frogs might not be out and about, today at least.
Smiling, she walked closer towards Leopardpaw, her left right paw slipping slightly on the icy ground, but it didn’t deter her from reaching her kit. “Well, today is really cold and the frogs don’t like the cold.” Cocoaflower admitted, her gaze soft as she looked at her sons slightly disappointed expression. “But, my mother taught me a bit of a trick of how to find frogs in Bare-Leaf.” Using her muzzle, she lightly nudged Leopardpaw in the direction of a mudflat that wasn’t completely frozen. “When it warms up, you can try out that new technique that Thornbelly has been showing you. For now, your mom will show you something else.” She hummed.
Reaching a paw to dip into the dark murky water, her skin prickling at the cold that pinched at her paw. “Frogs don’t like the cold, so when it snows they like to dig and burrow deep in the mud.” She explained, her toes reaching for the mud at the bottom as she scooped away the bottom. “Sometimes, if they don’t dig too far. You can find a frozen frog.” She hummed, although she wasn’t feeling much of anything in that mudflat, she pulled her paw out of the water, giving it a little shake before she looked down at Leopardpaw. “Shall we give it try? Theres another mudflat over there.” Cocoaflower used her muzzle to point towards another very wet area of the marsh.
LEOPARDPAW.
apprentice of shadowclan
Perhaps he was a momma's boy, as he slowed as she asked him even as he could obviously barely contain his excitement. Perhaps it was also in the way he seemed to glow under her praise, easily accepting the lick across the ear like a sunflower basking in the sun. This wasn't to say his father's attention and love was anything to scoff at, but Cocoaflower's presence made him feel like he could take on the world. She truly allowed him to flourish in every way he possibly could.
He released a short burst of a purr before falling silent, clearly slipping into a mindset more fit for hunting. Clearly he was going to valiantly commit himself to the task of hunting and catching a frog, especially now so after declaring such to his mother. If only he'd learned what kinds of prey, if any, could be caught in the swamp during Leaf-bare.
It was unsurprising that, after only a few minutes, he was wandering back closer to his mother and almost bashfully kicking at a broken off hunk of ice. "Uhm, mom?" He waited to ensure he had her attention, glancing out over the swamp to avoid her gaze. "Where exactly do you find frogs, huh?"
✾ ℂ𝕠𝕔𝕠𝕒𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ✾
𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕟 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕣
Leopardpaw had pleasantly surprised her with a day out, her bi-colored gaze flickering towards her dark pelted son, a skip in his step. Despite the cold of the typical Bare-Leaf day, she felt warm and fuzzy. Delicate paws stepped along the wet marshland that made up the Murky Swamp, the webbed skin between her toes kept the moisture at bay, but it also helped her move quietly. Cocoaflower was a better huntress than she was a fighter, but her skills weren’t noteworthy amongst the ranks. However, her mate was one of the better fighters in the Clan, someone her kittens could look up to. “Slow down, Leopardpaw. The swamp isn’t going anywhere.” She hummed in amusement as she had to hurry after the young tom in order to keep up with him.
Thankfully her episodes of random queasiness had already subsided for the day, pupils narrowing slightly as she looked away from her boy in order to peek around their surroundings. Because of how wet the swamp could be, snow didn’t exactly settle well without melting, but ice was notorious in this region. “Watch your step.” Cocoaflower hummed in a motherly tone, her eyes turning back towards the charcoal bengal. Now standing beside her son, she looked down at him curiously as he declared that he wanted to attempt catching a frog. Were they even out and about in this cold?
Instead of voicing her concerns, she simply smiled and lightly swayed on her paws to bump her shoulder blade affectionately against his. “Then let’s catch frogs today, hm? You will impress them all, my love.” She purred, giving his ear a quick kiss before she began to walk closer to the water’s edge that hadn’t frozen over. “I’ll keep my eyes out for any frogs.” Cocoaflower promised, although she had her doubts.