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Post by Twilidramon on Jul 7, 2014 15:17:19 GMT -5
Squirrelstar's ears pricked as she heard Alderpaw's yowl. Eyes wide, she watched the young cat begin to stumble and slide.
She leaped into action, grasping the young cat by his scruff. The two skidded together for a moment, and Squirrelstar felt her pads scrape uncomfortably against the hard ground. It took several heartbeats for her to regains her footing, and only when Alderpaw stopped sliding did she let him go.
Her heart pounded in her ears, and though she was worried she couldn't help but growl, "What was that about?!"
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Post by sparky on Jul 7, 2014 17:13:06 GMT -5
Alderpaw was too shocked to respond for a few seconds. His heart was beating faster then he thought possible. "I could have died!" He thought. He forced himself to meet his mentor's hard stare, his eyes wide with distress.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention and I tripped!" Alderpaw looked down, his ears pressed to his skull.
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Post by Twilidramon on Jul 7, 2014 19:35:01 GMT -5
Squirrelstar could not keep her nostrils from flaring. She could tell that the young cat was sorry - it was an accident, a voice inside said. Let it go - but she ignored it. She could not afford to be lenient, not after what had happened to the leader before her... and her second apprentice. She had been too lenient then - she didn't make that mistake with Shadowpelt, and she wasn't about to make that mistake now.
"In this territory your mind cannot wander," she growled. "You cannot afford to put a paw wrong - it will be the last mistake you ever make. Even senior warriors have to watch their paws. Awareness is a key trait in a MountainClan cat, Alderpaw, and if you can't master that then you won't make it long out here... you think I'm being rough on you now, but the mountains have no mercy."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Understand?"
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Post by sparky on Jul 7, 2014 23:09:36 GMT -5
"It won't happen again Squirrelstar." Alderpaw promised, his voice regaining some strength. After being scolded the fear that he had felt was being replaced by shame. His own day dreams had almost sent him plummeting of off a cliff! "I'm sorry. I should have been more focused."
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Post by Twilidramon on Jul 8, 2014 6:42:57 GMT -5
Squirrelstar grunted. "Very well," she mewed. We'll see sooner rather than later if he is really keeping his mind on the world around him, she thought.
She got to her paws and led the way to the FlameClan border. The sound of the river that served as the dividing line between their territories grew louder and louder until they came to a cliffside. Squirrelstar craned her neck - the river below gnashed itself against the rocks of the gorge, but there was no FlameClan scent here.
"FlameClan do not mark the gorge as their boundary," Squirrelstar explained, figuring that Alderpaw would ask. "Neither do we. It was decided long ago, when FlameClan was part of ForestClan, that the gorge made a much better marker than scent did.
"The land slopes downward from here; the walking gets easier when the cliffs become hills. We will follow the stream until we get close to the Moontree, and then I will show you our border with OceanClan."
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Post by sparky on Jul 8, 2014 9:26:49 GMT -5
Alderpaw nodded, hanging onto every word Squirrelstar said. He followed her as they padded away from the gorge, following the stream. Although she mentioned that the walk to the OceanClan border was easier, he kept himself at attention, imitating his mentor's pawsteps exactly.
They kept walking down the path, the sun beating down on their backs. A breeze swept past them, and Alderpaw breathed in a wet, salty scent. He hesitated, trying to decide between waiting for Squirrelstar to explain it, and asking her himself. After a few seconds of deliberation, he asked.
"Um, Squirrelstar, what's that smell?"
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Post by Twilidramon on Jul 8, 2014 16:57:08 GMT -5
Squirrelstar breathed in the smell, too. Her whiskers twitched.
"That, Alderpaw, is the ocean," she meowed. "When the wind blows just right, you can smell it anywhere in the Valley - and rightly so. It's the biggest bit of water I'll bet any cat has ever seen, warrior or not. OceanClan smells a bit like it - more cat and fish than salt, though."
She took a few more steps, moving beyond Alderpaw. He was keeping up nicely since the slip - there was no indication that he was hurt.
"The Moontree is just ahead - we will not be getting too close today, but it's something that's hard to miss even when you're far away," she told him. "Then we'll take a whiff of OceanClan scent and head back - it's starting to get late."
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Post by sparky on Jul 8, 2014 21:29:06 GMT -5
Alderpaw's ears twitched at the mention of the Moontree. Excited once again, he bounded after his mentor for a few steps before remembering to keep himself calm. He followed after her slowly again. Even as they transitioned to flatter lands he placed his paws exactly how Squirrelstar had, in the exact spot that hers had been. After a short walk Alderpaw froze,staring in awe at a massive tree that had come into sight.
The tree towered over the rest of the forest, it's white bark reflecting the sunlight. It's branches reached nearly out of sight on their journey to the stars.
"Wow," He meowed, his eyes wide. "It's amazing."
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Post by Twilidramon on Jul 8, 2014 21:41:44 GMT -5
Squirrelstar stepped aside, allowing Alderpaw full view of the Moontree. They were a distance from the river they had been following, and a small crop of forest grew between them and the sacred wooden giant. Its leaves sparkled and swayed, the bark pristine and white-silver. It never ceased to strike awe into those who looked upon it.
"This is the Moontree," Squirrelstar told him. "Here is where we gather to meet the other Clans at the full moon, and it's here Raventail goes every half-moon to learn the secrets of StarClan."
Squirrelstar rubbed her scent onto a nearby bush. "All four Clans scent around the Moontree - it does not belong to any of us," she told him, shaking a leaf from her shoulders. "In the full moon-light it seems to... glow... but you will see that at your first Gathering."
She stretched. "Any questions before we move on?" she asked. The Moontree never ceased to strike questions into the minds of young cats - though they were told most of these stories as kits, there was always a detail or two they wanted to know.
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Post by sparky on Jul 9, 2014 0:02:07 GMT -5
Alderpaw began to speak but then cut himself off and looked away, embarrassed. Before he could stop himself again, Alderpaw blurted out, "Where did Moon come from?" After the words left his mouth he looked down sheepishly. He started kneading the ground, mortified that he would ask his Leader a question about a kit story.
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