why wait? | [shaded|havoc training]

[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/orangebackground.jpg] Leaf-barefall was taking a firm hold on the moorlands; no more times of relaxation and ease for the warriors of the lake. The gusts and breezes across the hilly territory were no longer warm, nor did they playfully tug on the fur anymore. These breezes held the bite of winter in them, strong and potent as they pushed around snow flurries and left cats freezing in their wake. Havocflare found he could still enjoy the weather, for now, though only if the sun was high overhead to give some warmth. Those irksome drizzles and storms had finally come to an end, at least; no sane cat enjoyed damp pelts and nests after all. The deputy was wiling to take anything pleasant he could get. Little time had been left for himself since his ceremony, what with all the reassuring the clan and organizing patrols, but he felt more that he'd neglected a certain female apprentice. The tom could try to enjoy himself in a few moments of relaxation, but sooner or later -probably sooner- the guilt of not working to train Shadedpaw would gnaw at him until even rest was not enjoyable. True, they'd trained together a few times, but not as often as he would have liked. Thus, the cat was padding quietly through the camp, with saffron coloured eyes searching for the gray furred she-cat. What were they to do? He hadn't had an apprentice for quite some time, and his training skills were bound to be somewhat rusty. In fact, the tom had considered holding off on training until he'd watched Stormtrick with his own apprentice just to get some fresh ideas. The dusky tom hadn't been in much of a mood for much, though; not since -Havocflare swallowed dryly as a memory dredged itself up- Ripplesurf had been announced missing and presumed dead. And then he'd come back, but there was an odd rift taking its time to mend. The situation was odd, Havocflare being deputy in the stead of his long-time friend, and Paintedstar had not mentioned any change in ranks. There was no point in waiting for things to clear up before training Shadedpaw. He'd just have to wing it and hope for the best. It was already past noon, most cats were out to finish their duties before the sun set and it wasn't hard to spot his apprentice. "Ah, Shadedpaw," he mewed loud enough for her to hear without his walking all the way over to her. "How would you like to go training today?"

[Wolfy]

ShADeDpaW

If I die young
Bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song.

[/right]

The chilly weather was coming into ZephyrClan quickly, especially on the moors. Even though there was a hint of warm weather, the breeze that flew up through the small grey she-cat's fur was sometimes unbearable. Shadedpaw blinked her soft green eyes around the camp. She spotted her brothers of course, she would find them in a crowded gathering. Rustlepaw was enjoying a patch of sunlight on his burnet pelt. Firepaw and his mentor Orioleflash were padding softly into the camp, Firepaw shivering. Alarm built through Shadedpaw, but she figured it wouldn't be a big deal. Orioleflash probably took him to the Lake. She looked like she had it under control. She had missed out on training for a while, Shadedpaw had. Since her mentor had become deputy, she hardly saw him enough to train. Of course they had trained a whole bunch when she was younger, but lately she found herself missing out. To take advantage of his absence, she went to the recent medicine cat, Toxicwinter. He, although incredibly spiteful, trained her in the ways of medicine. She wanted every scrap of knowledge she could get. It was important to her after all to be the best warrior she could be.

Suddenly, her grey ears flickered up and when she turned around, she saw her mentor calling her over to ask if she'd train! She wanted to jump in the air like an excited kit, but she refrained. She was super excited however. Of course she wanted to train! She wanted to hunt, to fight, to listen and learn. What else could she be doing of her spare time? Nothing. Thinking of tomorrow instead of now. She let out a soft purr thought and got up from where she sat. Stepping lightly, she padded over to Havocflare. "I'd love to go training, Havocflare! Anything, training or fighting, I'm ready."[/color] she said with such pride that she didn't feel embarrassed after she had said it. Sitting back down, she curled her tail over her paws and looked up at him, awaiting the assignment.

OOC: Sorry it's partially crappy/short and that it's late. :[ It's been a bad few days.

[Dusk]

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[atrb=background, i339.photobucket.com/albums/n480/Shardclaw/orangebackground.jpg] As the tom listened to his words echoing in his head, and the little gray apprentice turned towards him eagerly, a pang of sadness struck him. No, sadness wasn't the right word for what he felt. Discomfort? Guilt? He couldn't exactly tell. Saffron gaze fixed upon Rustlepaw and Firepaw for a short moment, the two resting from their own tiring training. They were making progress, surely, but was Shadedpaw thriving as well? True, she was growing in size and skill, physical and mental capabilities increasing as she aged; how much of it was his own doing, though? Surely Shadedpaw had not simply waited for him to teach her all she needed, he hadn't been there enough for that. There was no way Havocflare could blame his apprentice for seeking lessons from others, he could only blame himself for failing to be there for the she-cat like a proper mentor. The tom blinked. Perhaps this...feeling -whatever it was- would go away once he could confirm for himself that Shadedpaw's skills were not being wasted by his inept handling of mentorship. It made some sense. If her two brothers were made warriors beforehand, however, he would never forgive himself. 'No, I refuse to allow that,' the tom thought determinedly. He didn't care how little rest he got, from now on, the tom would set aside time daily for her. Lost in his own resolutions as he was, Havocflare at first failed to notice that he was being spoken to. In fact, he looked down on the younger she-cat, who continued to stare up excitedly at him with a look of readiness in her eyes, in momentary confusion. Then he caught himself and cracked a smile, sharp white teeth glinting in the midday light. "Good!" The gray-furred feline was still as energetic and passionate of her cause as ever, he liked that. With a sweep of his tail, the deputy turned and gestured for the apprentice to follow, jerking his chin towards the exit of the camp. He led the way quietly for some time, snow beneath his paws squeaking slightly. The moors had an almost fairy tale element to them in the ever deadly season of winter; the pixie-dust layers of snowfall were deceptive in how they made the rolling hills seem like some sort of wonderland. Always perfectly masking the dangers brought on by the cold. A frown briefly flashed on his maw, brow furrowing in concentration as he considered his options. "Battle training, how about it? Leave what prey there might be to the hunting patrols, eh?" He spoke aloud mostly for the sake of better organizing his thoughts, though any input from his smaller companion was welcome. Gold eyes appraising, he looked down to asses Shadedpaw's thoughts. ooc;; Yeah, sorry this rambles quite a bit. Exploring Havoc's character.