Dayfall
Windclan Warrior
“Again” Dayfall grunted, quickly ducking as Lavenderpaw was swiping at his face and noticed the look of frustration on her face. The two of them were currently training, but he could tell that the apprentice wasn’t putting her full strength into it. Dayfall couldn’t help but question: why the small molly currently pulling her punches? Was it because they were training together? The ginger tom was calculating her movement by the direction of her gaze, watching her every move carefully. Something that Dayfall had learned early on within his warrior training was to be a quick observer, figure out his opponent’s weak spots and use it to his advantage.
Stopping for a moment, the two-tone ginger warrior saw that she was panting heavily, his eyebrow arched as Dayfall realized that it was perhaps because of the heat that Lavendarpaw wasn’t feeling well. Windclan was different from the other clans, they didn’t have many trees covering their territories. Letting out a soft sigh through his nostrils, the large tom turned around and flicked his tail “Come on, we’re going for a walk” He said, and began padding towards the direction of the docks. It was another hot day within Windclan, the harsh sun was beaming down on them. The last thing Dayfall needed was for Lavendarpaw to suffer from a heatstroke, he promised her family that she would be looked out for. The tom had a sense of protectiveness towards her, to make sure that Lavendarpaw was safe while training under him.
His bi-colored ember eyes lit up when spotting the docks, but Dayfall nodded for Lavendarpaw to walk ahead of him. The tom was a gentleman, making sure that any female around him was safe and comfortable. Making it towards the shoreline of the lake, Dayfall let out a soft sigh of content when feeling the cool water hitting his paws. It wasn’t until an idea hit him, as he remembered doing this with a couple of apprentices from Riverclan when he was still training, a half smile appeared on his face “We’re gonna do something a bit different today, let me know if you’re comfortable with it” Dayfall said, giving her a look. The tom didn’t want the gray molly to perform anything that didn’t make her feel safe, it was the last he wanted.
“When I was training to become a warrior, I had a sparring session with a couple of Riverclan apprentices once at a gathering” Dayfall began, remembering Pebblebelly and his siblings. It felt so long ago since that gathering, when things felt easier. The two-tone ginger tom was quiet for a moment, thinking of the happier times.. Mostly thinking about Tinyflame. It wasn’t until he heard Lavendarpaw calling his name that he snapped out of it and cleared his throat “Uh sorry” He apologized with a small smile, looking down at his paws for a moment. Looking back at the young molly, the large tom nodded “When a Riverclan warrior is near a body of water, they become your worst enemy.. They’re practically fish” Dayfall explained, lifting his left paw for a moment to allow the water to drip from his paw and into the water. A small grin appeared on his face “Today, we’re going to think like them.. Use the water to our advantage” Dayfall said, knowing it will help boost Lavendarpaw’s confidence in training.
“Shall we begin?”
Lavenderpaw
Windclan Apprentice
The little she-cat grunted with the effort of trying to hit her mentor. Missing once again, Lavenderpaw felt her heart sink in her chest. It felt as if she would never get anything right. Lavenderpaw had truly been trying her hardest, and yet she could tell that she had disappointed her mentor in how he sighed when he decided that enough was enough. Her lilac-brown ears drooped as she followed behind him.
Her tail dragged behind her, scoring a faint line in the long grass as she felt entirely ashamed. She hoped, secretly, that she wasn't the most awful apprentice she could be...and yet, she was also certain that she was one of the most useless. Her hunting was definitely better than her fighting, which always fell flat and left her feeling embarrassed and awkward.
When Dayfall gestured for her to go on ahead, Lavenderpaw sped up and padded on forward awkwardly, just wondering where and what they were doing.
"O-Okay..." She started, looking at her mentor as he padded into the water. She swallowed, she had never tried to swim before, nor had she even been near water...! She wasn't a Riverclan cat, she didn't belong in the streams and rivers of the territories. As her mentor explained, she was finally beginning to get why he had brought them out here.
Maybe this would be a chance for her to prove that she could be a good apprentice after all. She nodded her head quickly, wading into the water alongside Dayfall. She winced at the feeling of the water swilling around her paws, the strange sensation hard to adjust to, but she quickly adjusted and was able to move around.
"Let's give it a try..."