Soulpaws training.

[misty]

Soulpaw smiled and meowed,"Okay. So where are we going now?" She was wondering what MoonClan territory looked like. Was it wet and muddy like MistClan's or was it lush and green like FireClan's with lots of trees. She was so excited and could not wait to see it.

[@pple]

"You lead me, remember?" Haggarstar told her apprentice gently.

[misty]

She said,"Alright."She walked along the border, scenting the air for prey or danger. SHe padded along with her ears pricked and her eyes scanning the distance for anything moving.

[@pple]

"Soulpaw, stop." Haggarstar whispered, as she opened her mouth to taste the air. Wind did not blow. This troubled the leader. Something was wrong, seriously wrong. However, there was no forgein scent. Paranoid over particularly nothing, she only dipped her head toward the apprentice to move on. "I thought I sensed something, but nothing. Move on. It will be night soon."

[misty]

Soulpaw tipped her head and looked at her. She turned and lightly shook her head and walked along the border some more. She looked at everything, drinking in the scenery. After a while of walking she asked,"How big is our territory? How big is the clan?" She gasped and asked,"When can I go to my very first gathering?! I cant wait, how many cats are there? Do all the leaders go? Oh, can I go?"

[@pple]

"The territory is big enough to feed the whole clan," Haggarstar spoke, her voice wistful. Her yellow eyes glanced toward the falling red star across the horizon. The wind began to get colder, causing a shiver in her wavy dark pelt. It would be dark soon and she told her, "I will get the rabbit with me. Hold on," she told her as she ran toward the dead rabbit and picked it up in her jaws. She brought it over and dropped it as she told Soulpaw, "There are a lot of cats at the Gathering. You will go when it is your time. All leaders are required to go there. Who else would lead the clan there?" She smiled, ruffling the apprentice's head with her tail. "Come on, let's go back home." She gathered the dead rabbit and padded toward the fields once again, away from the boundaries.

[misty]

She nodded and bounded after her leader, her tail high, her mind filled with everything she had learned today. She kept up with her mentor and fluffed up her fur as the wind chilled her. When they got close to camp she asked,"Can I have a mouse before I go to bed?"

[@pple]

Haggarstar smiled, nodding. "Go ahead. You deserve a mouse."

[misty]

She smiled and picked a plump mouse from the top of the pile and laid down in a patched pf springy grass. She took a bite and let the juices seep into her mouth.

[@pple]

The black furred leader did not take a prey in her jaws. Not yet, she thought as her yellow eyes scanned the camp. The sky was wide and open above, its bright blue color darkening. Night was coming. Warriors were coming in the camp. Apprentices were not jumpy. They all looked tired. That made Haggarstar look back at her apprentice.

Soulpaw looked happy by eating that mouse. Her mouth watered for a prey to eat, but she had to check to make sure everybody was okay. She padded through the camp, smiled her silent greetings to every cat that pass by her. Elders waved their tail toward her in respect and admirmation. It was true.

Everybody loved her. She had led her clan through a couple of seasons. She stopped at the edge of the camp entrance. Well, not everybody loved her. What about Zephyrwind? Her mate did not speak a word to her ever since. It had been a half moon already and her yellow eyes waned toward the dark sky, wondering if he would talk to her again.

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[misty]

Soulpaw looked up at her leader after a swift swipe of her tongue around her jaws. Haggerstar looked as if she was somewhere else, not physically, but mentally. She was about to get up and walk over to her mentor to try to comfort her, but thought about, she probably wants to be left alone to think about whatever was on her mind. She lowered her self back to the coarse grass, still looking at her leader, her eyes dark with worry.

[@pple]

For a moment, Haggarstar would like to stand there and think endlessly all night, but then reality hit her. She glanced once at her apprentice and found Soulpaw's eyes filled with worry. She walked up to her and asked her, "What's wrong?" All of her thoughts of her mate was gone.

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[misty]

Soulpaw hesitated, thinking she should not say anything about what she saw but shrugged it off and meowed,"I... saw you standing over there, looking at nothing in particulate and I was wondering if you were okay... I mean, if I can I'll help."

[@pple]

Haggarstar smiled. She had to smile at that, really. Her apprentice was concerned about her and she wanted her not to worry about her. She was a leader and she should put her feelings and thoughts aside from the business of dealing with clan's issues. She must put her clan first before her. That was what she believe in. She believed that it was not fair for her warriors to suffer under her rule with overwhelming emotions. They need a solid, well-organized leader with no feelings attached.

This was something she once thought about before taking Zephyrwind as her mate. She knew having a mate and being a leader would get tricky. It was tricky, of course. Nothing was perfect. She knew it. Zephyrwind knew it. However, they decided to go together and went along with the flow.

Now, that she told her darkest secret to him, she could not share this with her apprentice. There was no reason to tell this apprentice otherwise. She kept this secret for many seasons then. There was no way to spill this secret in a few seconds and get herself into a chaos. There was something better left unsaid.

"Just thinking."

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[misty]

Something told Soulpaw that everything was not alright. She looked at her mentor, her indigo eyes searching her face. She sighed inwardly and meowed,"Okay Haggerstar, if you say so." she looked back at her mouse which suddenly looked un~appetizing, actually,the thought of eating made her feel sick. She pushed it away with her paw, swiping her tongue around her jaws. She meowed,"What will we be doing tomorrow?"

[@pple]

Everything was not all right. Haggarstar could read the emotion off her apprentice's face. So young and inexperienced, Soulpaw had so much to learn. Like how to mask her emotions and thoughts. It was a tricky lesson to master, but the leader had a feeling that her apprentice would master it with no problem at all. Perhaps she was wrong. She did not know that for sure.

Watching the apprentice pushing the mouse away, Haggarstar asked with her yellow eyes gleaming, "Not hungry anymore?" Then her ears twitched at the apprentice's innocent question.

She gave her apprentice a tiny smile and told her, "You saw the whole DawnClan territory. Now we will practice fighting moves tomorrow."

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[misty]

She looked up and meowed,"We really saw the whole territory? Wow that was fast." Soulpaw was so surprised that she had seen the whole territory, or at least the perimeter of it. She meowed,"Are we really going to practice some real fighting moves? I cant wait till tomorrow!" Her mind began to wander as she imagined her self fighting among a group of withering cats. Her claws slicing through fur, the feeling of triumph over the other clan.

[@pple]

Haggarstar replied, "Yes, we will."

At that, she said nothing. Her mind wandered to a beloved face. Zephyrwind...she still did not how to face him and get back together with him, after all.

[misty]

Soulpaw nodded and started to pad off to the apprentices den, quietly murmuring to herself along the way there.

"The sooner I get to sleep, the soon we get to start training."

[@pple]

NEXT MORNING

Every morning, when the red star rose toward the blue sky, hawks began to storm across the camp. They circled quietly with their shadows slowly lurking above the dens' roof. This gave them an intimidating taste which the leader caught some anixety from young warriors. The elders seemed not to mind the interloppers. It might be because they were used to seeing their appearances every dawn in their long lives.

As for Haggarstar, she padded over to the apprentices' den, expecting to see all apprentices racing up to the front entrance of the den, eyes wide as wild hares at her.

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[misty]

Soulpaw awoke with the early sun, blinking the weariness from her eyes. She stretched her back and yawned. Her deep indigo eyes glowed in the golden light as she padded out of the den. As she peered into the sky and saw the hawks she bolted backwards into the den once more. A few moments later she stuck her head out, checking for the hawks, instead she was met with the view of her mentor smiling. She slide from the den and meowed,"Haggarstar, what were those things?"

[@pple]

"Oh, those things."

Haggarstar tipped her head up, her ears twitching. The color of red was fading as the hues of blue appeared. The red star became golden, making the sky brighter. Hawks were flying in the circles, slowly bedding the sky with their dark wings. Eyes dancing with sunlight, the leader answered, "They are hawks. A type of bird that preys on hares like us. Their wings and talons are powerful enough to break a hare's neck with a single twist. Watch out for their beaks if they scoop low on a bad day." Chuckling lightly at a memory, she told her apprentice, "That happened to me once when I was a young warrior. I chased after two hares, but a hawk was following me as well. I had to fight it off to get the hares for the clan."

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[misty]

Soulpaw's dark blue eyes widened. "You fought of a hawk?" Her mentor continued to amaze her. "What was it like? Did you get hurt?" As always the inquisitive apprentice was full of questions.

[@pple]

Haggarstar had to pause in her actions while she walked through her mind. There was a long list of memories. A long life to live, she finally found a memory. Running the memory through her mind's eye, she remembered what it was like to be a younger cat.

Carefree, happy, and innocent as if there was nothing bad in the world, the young warrior dashed across the grassfield, her long legs brushing against the tall stalks of grass. The hare caught her vision. With another blink, she put her long legs to work. Fast like the wind, she made a long jump toward the hare. With a youth mind, she was soon taken by surprise of a hawk's wings into her side.

With a curse, she retorted, "Mousedung!" Gritting her teeth, her hindlegs dug into the hawk's belly, trying to push the annoying creature off her. The talons prickled her night fur. The beak poked on her muzzle. With a soft growl, she bit the hawk's neck.

The winged predator squealed in pain as it let the young warrior go. Great wings flapped, causing the grass stalks to wave back and forth. The warrior's breathing was ragged and heavy. With another grin, she knew she lost her prey, but the reason why she grinned was that she just fought a hawk.

Haggarstar told the apprentice the full story. When she finished, she looked at Soulpaw and waited for her reaction.

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[misty]

Soulpaw just stood there, looking at her mentor- and leader!- with her mouth open. She felt as if she herself was fighting off the hawk. After a while, when the shock had worn off, the she-cat asked Haggerstar what they were going to do that day. She hoped it wasn't just patroling the border again.

[@pple]

"Do you want to go hunting?" The leader questioned, then added, "Or practice fighting?" At the second question, Haggarstar peeked a tiny smile in, her yellow eyes glittering as if she just gave away a juicy hint to the younger cat next to her.

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occ: sorry that this post is short <3

[misty]

Soulpaw lifted her head. Her indigo eyes danced as she looked at her mentor. "I want to learn to fight!" Soulpaw meowed, almost yelling.

[@pple]

Haggarstar had to resist from laughing. It was obvious that the apprentice was almost shouting. The leader thought she saw Soulpaw's paws jumping from the ground a second ago. Still smiling, she commented heartily, "All right. That sounds great."

In a mentor-strict tone, she ordered, "You lead me. Take me to wherever you think it is best to practice fighting moves." She added, "I want to see how much you know."

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[misty]

Soulpaw thought for a moment. Before their trip through the territory she had been waiting in a field. The grass had been springy and soft. What had Haggarstar called it? Oh yes, the training fields. A fitting name. The young apprentice started off towards the training fields, her paws itching to train.

[@pple]

The black-furred leader had to smile. Her apprentice was doing well since she chose the right place to train fighting. Haggarstar's muscles itched with anticipation. It had been so long since she last fought. Her body desired for it, but her mind did not want to. Haggarstar did not like to fight. It was unnecessary. Unless she had to fight, that was a different story.

As she reached the training fields, she glanced around for any signs of danger. There seemed like there was no danger lurking by. However, Haggarstar did not let her guard down. Not yet. She knew that she could not trust the nature. It was powerful and wild. And unpredictable.

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