The Battle of the Silent and the Fierce

[Dakki ♥ ❤ ❥]

The sun had just begun to make its climb, but already there was life in Fogclan's camp. A little ball of fur sat in a corner, far away from every den and the entrance to camp. She was utterly alone; she enjoyed every moment of it. There was a small smile present on the she-cat's face, her fluffy tail wrapped around her little paws. This was her favorite time of day, right before anyone else got up and she had to hide from others. But why would she dash away from others? It was just one of her quirks, one of the many ticks that made her who she was.

Mothpaw yawned, her jaws snapping shut after it passed. It may be early, but she was wide awake. Her crystal blue eyes blinked rapidly as she scanned camp, holding her breath. Was that someone stirring in their nests? Her heart hammered in her chest and she stood, prepared to run into the wilderness if she so much as caught a glance of another cat. When nothing broke her perfect silence, she settled back into her seat. A little sigh rose her small body as she re-wrapped her tail around herself, closing her eyes as she smile returned.

This apprentice was an odd ball, that was for sure. She loved to please, yet she tried to avoid everyone else. She was a paradox, that was for sure. To add on to this, Mothpaw didn't talk. Nope, not one single word passed those little lips of hers. It wasn't like she didn't have the ability to talk, she knew she did. The she-cat simply didn't want to talk. She was quite the spectacle, a silent one who blended into her background. Not literally, that was hard with a cream coat. No, she was just a rather... dull being. She did have a personality, she wasn't a robot. Or was she? Mothpaw shook her head, her thoughts were just running in circles. She was this, but she was also that. It was the common tit for tat conversation that she always had with herself. She sighed, shaking her head. It was better just not to open her mouth, or her mind. Who knows what would come out.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, but they were unfocused. To escape the world around her, slipping into her own made up world. It was snowing, and she danced within the flakes. They fell upon her brown nose, causing the little one to sneeze. She laughed at the sound of her own sneeze, amusing herself easily. Mothpaw danced in the snow, dropped and rolled in it. One would expect to get cold, but in her world, snow was not cold. There was no temperature to this substance, nor did it melt when it fell on her form. It was perfect, no cold, no wetness. Why be present in the real world when she could disappear into a world that was her own? Why be active in her day to day life when in her world, no one questioned if she was mute or not. No one called her airy for not being with them. No one made fun of her wide eyes or her studying gaze. No. One. She was in her own element here, and she intended to keep it that way.

[Blossom]

The morning air was crisp, and a little chilly as Kestrelheart unfurled her body and stood inside the warrior's den. Almost every cat was still asleep. Perfect. No grumpy warriors to run into just yet. The newest warrior of FogClan could be quite grumpy herself, if she were to be awoken by anything other than her own pestering thoughts. This morning was not a grumpy morning. In fact, she was in quite the remarkable mood. It was a rare thing.

With one more look around the still-dim den, the tabby feline, carefully stepping over her fellow warriors, made her way outside. The air was colder still here, but it wasn't too bad. New-leaf was settling in quickly. It was only her short fur that kept her colder longer. Once outside, she stretched an elaborate stretch, purring her pleasure as her long limbs thanked her for moving again. They weren't used to being so still. It was a wonder she even ever got any sleep.

As Kestrelheart straightened from her last stretching position, her green eyes caught sight of a very familiar cat. The little creamy fur-ball was sitting all alone, day-dreaming as usual. The warrior grunted and then grumbled something only audible to herself. StarClan, you give me the impossible! It was a very popular thought, especially when she looked at her young apprentice.

Time to teach her a lesson about what happens to cats when they drift-off. A sly grin plastered on her tabby face, the she-cat crouched and began to slowly, quietly, stalk her way around and behind Mothpaw.

Closer. Closer. Just a little more....Now! Without making a sound, the toned warrior pounced and fell on top of her much smaller apprentice, landing with a thud. Ha! She was trapped. "Dead." That's all she had to say to her. By now, she knew what it meant.

Every time Kestrelheart caught her not paying attention, or off somewhere else in her mind, she would do this. She always repeated the same word. 'Dead.' It always meant the same thing. Because Mothpaw wasn't paying attention, at all times, because she wasn't ever-vigilant, even around those she thought she could trust, she had been killed.

As she said the word, her lips curled up to reveal practiced, sharp teeth. The tail behind the she-cat twitched in only slight irritation. Kestrelheart was in a good mood indeed. Ordinarily, she would have caused the absent she-cat some sort of mild pain, just to remind her of reality.

[Dakki ♥ ❤ ❥]

When the apprentice got bored of snow, she dreamed up lush grass. It tickled her sides as it cut through her long cream fur. It was like brushing up against feathers, so soft and so comforting. It was like a mothers embrace. That's when she froze, when her world drifted away. A mother. She couldn't remember her mother. The small cat closed her eyes, squeezing them even tighter together. Why couldn't she remember? What was there that was blocking access? Willowpelt said that she was born into the clan and that her mother had died. A deep, ragged sigh pushed through her lungs and ruffled out of her mouth, her lips flopping together. Shaking her head slowly, she opened her eyes to the real world. The sun was beginning to come up, but the camp was still empty. Then, suddenly, she was pushed forward onto her face.

A startled yowl pierced the once quiet camp, a single word whispered into her little ear. She twitched, knowing at once who it was. Her mentor. She scrambled up and out from under the lanky warrior, finding it easy to wiggle her small body free. Her heart raced in her chest as she eyed her mentor, waiting for the cuff or nip that usually followed after she slipped into her own world. But, surprisingly, she only bared her teeth. Mothpaw studied her body language and saw no aggression or anger in her posture. The females tail twitched, showing that she was only slightly irritated. The she-cat raised her brow in question, no words leaving her lips. Then again, when did she ever speak?

Mothpaw realized that she looked twice her size with her fur all puffed up with her scare. Sitting down and closing her eyes, focusing on calming her heart and settling her fur back down. Once she was calm she opened her icy blue eyes and gazed at her mentor, a question posed in her eyes. Why was this female in such a good mood? She would be off sulking with a new scrape on her body to mend, tucked into her corner. She blinked rapidly, clearing the last of her world from her eyes. She watched as the last blade of grass fade away from her minds eye. She was fully back in reality, the world around her once again clear and in focus. If Kestrelheart wanted to scare the crap out of her, she had succeeded. But what next? She knew that soon her whip would crack and she would have to get back to work. No fooling around with this femme around. Mothpaw sighed, but made no other gesture of her slight confusion.

[Blossom]

Kestrelheart tensed visibly and narrowed her eyes in order to focus on the little one's mouth as it opened. By StarClan, if she spoke, that would just make her entire day. Though she hadn't been with her apprentice for very long, she'd always tried to get the little ball of fluff to speak, to say something. If she couldn't speak, if she couldn't stand up for herself in that manner, she'd be at a disadvantage in her entire life. However, the warrior knew that in order to pull words out of Mothpaw's mouth, she would have to be patient. Speaking is the one thing that Kestrelheart did not ever push her apprentice to do.

When the cream kit didn't speak, disappointment surged through her. Her ears folded back and she let out an audible sigh. That was all she did to express her longing for the young cat to speak, however. It wasn't likely that she'd pipe up any time soon. Might as well just move on and wait until the next time. One day, when they were more comfortable with each other and they had formed the bond that all mentors and apprentices seemed to form, she would ask Mothpaw why she didn't ever speak. That day was not today.

"Come, Mothpaw. There's lots to do, as you well know. There's no time to be getting lost in your own little worlds. We'll go out this morning before any cat wakes and do some..." Battle training? That's what she wanted to do. Hedgehogs would fly before one of Kestrelheart's apprentices didn't grow into an accomplished fighter. Her own skills were too formidable to be turning out defenseless apprentices. But no. She couldn't just teach her how to battle. It was high time she try her paw at passing on what she knew of hunting, though that was very little. She was not a good hunter in the least, though she could manage well enough if she had to.

"We'll go do some hunting this morning," she finally told Mothpaw, nodding her own approval at the idea. Perhaps, if she did not possess the skills to teach her own apprentice how to feed their Clan, she would recruit one of the more skilled hunters to help teach them both. There was always room for improvement, after all.

Without waiting for the young cat, the tabby warrior turned toward the camp's entrance and set off, tail waving to and fro behind her.

[Dakki ♥ ❤ ❥]

She knew that her mentor was waiting for her to speak, she could feel her eyes burning in her lips and could sense her anticipation. She popped open her little mouth but no words followed, she just couldn't say anything. Mothpaw's own body tensed and she stood frozen stiff. She could feel slight pressure on the back of her head, a thumping like someone was banging on her noggin. Why couldn't she talk? She knew that she had it in her somewhere, but it was not something that came to her naturally. Strange one, that is what she was. She knew that Kestrelheart longed for her to say something, but never forced it out of her. She respected her mentor greatly for that, and appreciated it even more. That didn't mean that she missed the disappointment that surged through the cat.

The cream cat's tail flashed back in forth as she gazed at her mentor, wishing that there was something she could do. She had the urge to say sorry for her lack of speech in some form. So the apprentice rushed forward, pressing herself against the stripped warrior. A soft, rumbling purr rattled in her throat as she licked the she-cats leg. This was way out of her comfort zone, but she did it anyways. Mothpaw quickly scrambled backwards, her heart pounding slightly in her chest from being so close to the female and sharing an almost intimate moment with her mentor. Blinking her wide, blue eyes several times she let her eyes roam everywhere else but on the cat.

When Kestrelheart spoke she listened closely to her words, her little ears fully perked and alert. She sighed softly, knowing that she probably wanted to battle train. There was nothing wrong with learning how to fight, but with her tiny size she wasn't much good at it. She much preferred to hunt and stalk, she was very good at stalking so far. When it came to catching anything... Well she had a lot to learn. But she was a new apprentice, so that much was obvious. She noticed that the tabby cat had trailed off though, not finishing her sentence. Mothpaw tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes as she studied the cat. She was defiantly thinking something over, maybe on which training to do.

"We'll go do some hunting this morning."

Those seven words caused the apprentice to make a chip like sound, leaping up into the air with excitement. Yes! Hunting! A large smile spread across her lips as she happily trotted behind her mentor, a little skip in her step. Hunting, hunting! They were going hunting! Mothpaw giggled to herself, her whole body thrumming with energy.

When the two cats reached the forest her eyes grew wider, if that was possible, as she gazed at all the trees and bushes. It made her feel so small! The trees towered over her, and bird calls could be heard. She paused in mid step, spotting a spider crawling around on a web. She dropped into a hunters crouch, but she was slightly off balance. She only was able to walk a few steps before she tripped over her own paws, sending her head first into the spider web. Mothpaw squeaked, jumped backwards and shook her head back and forth. The sticky stuff was everywhere! She sneezed a handful of times, trying to get rid of the substance. When that didn't work she swatted herself with her own paw, but it was hard when she couldn't see it. Turning to her mentor she sat there, helpless to the spider web. Her eyes were wide and damp with tears. That paired with her fluffy, tiny body made her look super cute, with a little pinch of pathetic.

[Blossom]

Kestrelheart, oblivious to the tiny battle going on behind her between her apprentice and a spider web at first, kept on moving. Her longer legs propelled her forward much faster than her small apprentice could move. This, she forgot sometimes and left Mothpaw behind. Not that she always kept going; she always doubled-back to find her. Mothpaw was her first apprentice and the tabby warrior had a lot of learning to do, a lot of adapting. Mothpaw would always hold a special place within her, because Mothpaw was a puzzle piece falling into place; her first apprentice. All warriors needed to have at least one apprentice before having any chance of becoming their Clan's deputy. With one so young, Kestrelheart considered herself on the fast track.

The farther away she got, the more aware she became of her apprentice's absence beside her. Her steps before had been springy, excited. Now there was nothing. The warrior's head whipped around, green eyes glaring into the fog that always seemed to surround the oak forest they lived within. The fog was light this morning, which she was grateful for. It would be easier to smell for prey without breathing in the suffocating fog. "Mothpaw," she called experimentally, sighing shortly after. With the kit's light creamy fur, she was difficult to find. Only her eyes shown through the fog, and that was just barely.

Kestrelheart turned, making her way back to wherever Mothpaw had seemingly stopped. She was so lost in thought at that point, thinking of her apprentice and how her training was going, how they were getting along, that she nearly stumbled over the fluffy mound of fur. "Oof," she sounded, looking down immediately at what obstructed her path. Mothpaw was sitting, nestled between her forelegs. There was a spider web wrapped about her, all over. How had she managed that?

Mothpaw's mentor scowled, staring at her apprentice for as long as she could stand without growing slightly irritated. "How in StarClan, Mothpaw? How did you manage this?"

As she spoke, she nipped at the bit of fur between the kit's ears, trying to snag onto the bit of web there. It was meticulous work, the spider web was most difficult to grab onto and even more difficult to keep in sight so that it could be pulled off. By the time she'd finished, half of it was clung to her own fur while the other half dangled from her paws. There were no words to describe her expression at that. One ear was erect, the other bent down in utter irritation at the spider's web. The spider had found it's way onto her nose, to further her irritation. "Mouse-dung," she spat, lifting a paw to swat at the black creature. It scurried away before she could kill it, moving into the white fur along her chest. "Get the spider, Mothpaw." There were cats that had been bitten by spiders, she'd seen one. It wasn't pretty. He'd died two days later. Some spiders weren't dangerous, others were. She wasn't willing to take the chance. "Get. The. Spider. Please. Right now. Get it off," she repeated, trying her best not to move.