Father-Daughter Dance [Emberpaw]

[softears]

Softears ~ 67 ~ Senior Warrior ~ WindClan ~ Tom

The silver tom had waited his entire life for this day.  His gorgeous daughter - whom he'd dreamed about since becoming a warrior all those moons ago - was an apprentice.  She was finally old enough to go out of the Camp on her own and explore.  When Emberpaw was born with no siblings, a few of his Clanmates had asked him 'are you disappointing you didn't have a son?'  Softears had never been one to say many word and his answer to their inquiries did not break his usual.  A simple 'no' was all that he needed to say.  And there was so much love and so much pride behind that one word that few questioned him again.

And Emberpaw, in all her beauty and prowess had not let him down.  She was fierce and loyal and kind and generous and everything a WindClan cat should be.  She was perfect.  And she had been an apprentice almost three moons now and while the pair had gone out together before, it had mostly been on patrols while Softears had his own apprentice.  But today was the first time the pair were going out together and alone.  He knew that her mentor was takign good care of her, but he just needed to be completely sure that his perfect daughter was on track to becoming a warrior.  Man, if he had dreamed of the day she would become an apprentice, he awaited with baited breath for the day she would become a warrior.  He had so many expectations; they would hunt every day and go into battle side by side and have nests next to eachother.  He couldn't wait for the day when she took a mate and he was blessed with gorgeous grand-kits.

The large tom shook his head and cleared out the fantasies and daydreams (he hoped she would name one of her kits in his honour) and waited for her familiar orange pelt to appear over the rolling hills.  He had been relieved when she accepted his offer to meet out int he territory for some one on one time.  While he loved his daughter more then life itself and he knew she loved him, he was starting to get slightly worried that he was suffocating her and she would get embarrassed with her friends.  Who knew, maybe thats why she had agreed to meet with him in private.  To tell him to stop being so affectionate.

Well, only time would tell!

Tags// @emberpaw
Comments//Hope its alright I posted this! I've actually never had anyone adopt her so I am super excited to play with you

[Deleted]

Emberpaw was actually quite excited to spend a day with Softears, she worried sometimes that she might accidentally be distancing herself from her parents. It was a bit of a silly worry since she was busy as an apprentice and she still saw Softears often enough that she should not have to worry herself over that. Though when she agreed that she was free that day she might not have been completely truthful. In her excitement on telling her father that yes she would love to spend time with him she had forgotten not only to inform her mentor but that today was also suppose to be the day she was going to clean the Elder's bedding. Still, the elders could wait it was not like they were going anywhere anytime soon and she was certain she could convince one of the other apprentices to cover for her. Worst case scenario she was sure no one could fault her to wanting to spend quality time with kin. She did wonder why Softears wanted to meet out of camp, it did occur to her that maybe she had done something wrong and that he was going to scold her but she did not let that linger in her mind too long, he had been too happy when she agreed that she almost felt guilty for thinking that. She was only a few moons into her training but she was quick as she moved through the territory, confident and content with the familiar surroundings of the hills and grass under paw. The smell of rabbit was enticing and she wondered if she ought to stop and hunt but in the end she decided she did not want to waste too much time. Instead she focused on finding Softears, she could smell his scent carried by the wind, it certainly wasn't too hard to find her gray pelt amongst the open moorland. "Hello!" She called out cheerily as she approached him, "I'm here, what did you wanna do?" She asked as she looked up at him, she was still much smaller than her father but she thought that one day she might be just as big as he was.

Lemme know is this template too hard to read, I'll change the background // softears // xxx Words //

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[softears]

Softears ~ 67 ~ Senior Warrior ~ WindClan ~ Tom

"Hello!" Softears' head whipped around at the birdsong of a call that was his lovely daughter's voice. A smile shone on his muzzle as she bounded over the horizon toward him. I'm here, what did you wanna do?" She made her way over to him and he waited to reply until she was closer so he wouldn't have to shout. He leaned down and nuzzled her gently on the top of her head with his nose in greeting. "Hello, my lovely daughter." He was overjoyed that she had made it, not that he was too worried. Newleaf was upon them and this was the best time of year to be out in the territory. Although he wouldn't tell her, it had been something of a test, meeting her out here by the Lake's edge. He wanted to ensure that her tracking skills were up to par.

I was hoping to asses your training. I wanted to go over your hunting and battle skills to make sure your mentor is teaching you well." And of course, he was also just hoping to hang out with her. But he couldn't possible show the world just how soft his heart was (although literally everyone already knew that fact); he figured disguising their casual time together as training and practice would keep his big not secret hidden. "How has MENTOR been treating you? Are you satisfied with your training?"

Tags// @emberpaw
Comments//It is a little hard to read but I also have really poor eyesight. Would it be possible to add a single coloured background just to the text area? Or make the text larger but a few pixels? I'm zoomed in as far as I can go apparently. :/

[Deleted]

Emberpaw nodded slowly though her paws itched with her eagerness, she did not want to look overly excited in front of Softears since she wanted her father to see how much she had matured in the little moons of training she had. Despite wanting to appear more serious she mostly failed for she refused to remain still and she bounced a little at the thought of training with her father. "Great! I can show you what I've learned," She said excitement lighting up in her eyes, her mentor had once told her she was becoming too prideful but she knew she was going to be a great warrior so there could be no harm in showing off. "My mentor fine," She told them though her voice dropped a bit in excitement only to mellow out as she continued on, "I feel like I'm learning too fast though, I'm not sure if my mentor can keep up." At this she shrugged then she dropped in a hunters crouch but as she did so she skipped around a bit, her tail up and waving in her playfulness. "I bet there isn't any apprentices that's are as fast as me," She gloated, confident in her abilities and comfortable enough around Softears to brag about it too, "I'm going to be the fastest warrior Windclan ever seen."

Is this easier to read?  // softears // xxx Words //

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[theAfanc]

Softears ~ 67 ~ Senior Warrior ~ WindClan ~ Tom

"I feel like I'm learning too fast though, I'm not sure if my mentor can keep up." Softears chuckled. He honestly didn't knwo much about the cat who had been chossen to train his precious daughter but as soon as the name had been announced, he began watching the cat more closely. "Well if you feel that is true, you can always come to me for a little extra work. I am always here for you, PRincess." He reached down and nuzzled his nose on her head. "I'm going to be the fastest warrior Windclan ever seen." In Emberpaw's luck, she had inherited her mothers smaller stature but unfortunately, her father's longer pelt. The two didn't always work together to create a speedy cat but he was happy to see she had goals.

But WindClan was known for their fast cats and he didn't want to see Emberpaw's dreams get crushed. Still, he knew that she could do anything she set her mind too. "Just remember, it isn't always about conforming to the Clans sterotypes. I knew I would never be fast, so I settled for strong. Play to your best abilities." But he knew it probably was no use. She was stubborn and knew what she wanted, much like her mother. And he loved them both so much for that. They were able to take charge where he could admire them from the back lines. "Why don't you prove your speed and go find a piece of fresh kill. Bring it back to me and I will gauge how fast you are."

Tags// @emberpaw
Comments// Much!

[Deleted]

Emberpaw purred happily as she listened to her father, with his confidence in her she really did think she could do anything she set her mind to. Sometimes she wished Softears was her mentor, he wouldn't make her do pointless tasks that were nothing but grunt work though she had tried to see the importance of cleaning bedding and removing ticks from the elders and queens she could never grasp why they did not just do it themselves. Still, she knew better than to try to give the full reason to her complains to Softears, even she wouldn't disrespect her clanmates out loud. 'Just remember, it isn't always about conforming to the Clans sterotypes. I knew I would never be fast, so I settled for strong. Play to your best abilities.' She nodded at his words though she wasn't quite fully listening, she did not really consider the fact that larger size and speed did not go together but instead she thought she could be as big as Softears but still be as fast as her mother. She just had to work hard enough and train until she could out race anyone. When Softears finally gave her a task she was gone immediately, she would not give the rabbits a chance to hide in their burrows. Unfortunately, one of Emberpaw's fatal flaws was her impatience.  It was new-leaf so the rabbits that mingled around the moorlands were still fairly skinny not yet having fatten up yet but they were also distracted creatures and they had their young to watch. She knew to keep downwind from the rabbits but from her position on the hills they could easily see her red coat if even one looked up. As she came close to a family of rabbits she was quick to choose her target, she could see a larger, plumper creature but as she moved closer the prey ears twitched in alert and before they all got wind of the signal she rushed forward. They had caught her scent too quick and as the rabbits ran she switched her target to a small, skinny thing that could not keep up with its strong legged brethren. She thought she might have been able to chase down the bigger one before it went into its burrow but it would have taken longer for her to catch it then the prey she now clamp her jaws around. This task was about speed for her, not size of prey. She trotted back to Softears with her tail held high, dropping the piece of fresh-kill at his feet. "How'd I do?" She asked, slightly winded.

; // softears // xxx Words //

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[softears]

Softears ~ 67 ~ Senior Warrior ~ WindClan ~ Tom

Softears waited by the Lake, turning back toward it once his daughter took off.  He was happy to see that she was eager to show off what he had learned but he also hoped that some semblance of humility would eventually find its way to her.  He knew that a cat too full of themselves would only turn their Clan against them.  She had to know the balance between feeling like the best and making everyone else think she was the best.

The aging warrior used the ebb and flow of the Lake's water to count the time it took her to return.  He had no expectations (other then amazigness) for how long it would actually took her and he had to admit he was very impressed when she returned.  "How'd I do?"  He didn't say anything for nearly a minute as he looked over the piece of prey she came back with.  It was a bit skimpy but it was still only the start of the season so perhaps they were all this way.  He nodded, "As impressively as I could have dreamed for."  He reached down with his nose and nuzzled her ear gently, showing his pride rather then speaking it.

"Now, I want to watch your technique."  He explained how, when the time came for her to move on to becoming a warrior, her mentor and leader would be stationed around to watch her in silence and in hiding.  He was going to mimic that now.  She would hunt normally and he would watch, giving her pointers along the way.  "How does that sound?"
Tags// @emberpaw
Comments// I am soooo sorry for the delay! Things have been super stressful and cray

[Deleted]

Emberpaw watched Softears nervously, her confidence dropping to be replaced with anxiety as she watched her father investigate the rabbit she had brought. It was only a minute but during that time of silence she could not help but worry about how she could have gotten a much bigger rabbit if she tried harder. She pawed at the grass under her feet as she sat and waited, her thick tail neatly covering her paws to hide her claws as she tore up grass. 'As impressively as I could have dreamed for' She relaxed instantly at his words, she nearly sighed with relief but she caught herself before she showed how anxious she had been. Despite being encouraged about her catch though she began to worry a bit about her future assessments. "Am I going to have to go after more rabbits?" She asked a little sullenly, "I wanna learn some fighting moves!"

sorry this is a bit short, my brain is fried ; // softears // xxx Words //

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[softears]

Softears ~ 67 ~ Senior Warrior ~ WindClan ~ Tom

"Am I going to have to go after more rabbits?  I wanna learn some fighting moves!"  Her voice had dropped and she was clearly not interested in hunting any longer.  Had any other apprentice - especially his own - asked for a shift in topic he would have had a stern eye and paw and demanded his request be followed.

But Emberpaw's hold on his heart was too strong and Softears caved like a scruffed kitten.  "Of course, we can work on fighting."  He burred the rabbit near the edge of the lake so they could return later to bring it home to the fresh kill pile before moving to a section of land that didn't sport such an incline.  A level ground would give him a better opportunity to judge her technique overall before moving to odd terrain.  

He crouched into a defensive stance.  "Show me what you've got!"

Tags// @emberpaw
Comments// ew short post is short...

[Deleted]

Emberpaw happily followed behind her father as he looked for flatter ground, her paws skipped a bit as she anticipated doing something that was actually interesting. As she saw Softears take a defensive position she was beginning to doubt her decision to ask for fighting training from her father. While she had all her trust in Softears and knew he would never hurt her she noticed an issue immediately. She had minimal battle training and despite her fluffy coat her father was of course much larger than she was. She crouched down much like she did before springing after a rabbit whine accessing the situation. She certainly could not just bowl Softears over like she could with other apprentices, she would have to get sneaky if she wanted to catch him off guard. She moved in closer to Softears, keeping low to the ground but still in his line of sight. She paused for a moment to think, she was worried she was taking too long but she began to get frustrated as she realized she did not know what to do. She thought of charging him instantly maybe that would surprise him. How funny it would be to be able to surprise an experience warrior! She shook her head, the idea was too silly she had to take this seriously. She quickly ran to one side using the flat ground to gain speed quickly before she decided to run right into him. She had expected that she might have budged him even a little bit but as she prepared to jump on him she had miscalculated her speed and distance. She lost her footing and went sliding only to be stopped when she fell on Softear's flank. "Ow, you're like a fluffy boulder!"

; // softears // xxx Words //

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[softears]

Softears ~ 67 ~ Senior Warrior ~ WindClan ~ Tom

Softears watched quietly from his crouch while Emberpaw circled him, doing her best to figure out how and where to strike.  He was patient and silent, letting her figure out her best move from any angle.  That was part of what made him such a confident and good mentor - his patience was unmatched by anyone else in WindClan.  While he had many moons left in him still, he had already taken some of the feistiest apprentices and turned them into seasoned warriors.

After a few moments, Emberpaw decided on her action plan.  And it included running strait for him with little to no thought to the next movement after that plan failed.  But she never even got that far because his clumsy and perfect daughter tripped on what appeared to be nothing on the flat terrain and went baroling into him.  He lifted a paw to gently stop her from going passed him and stifled a chuckle.  Softears found it next to impossible to find fault in anything his beautiful daughter did but even he had to admit this one was a mess up.

"Good," he joked.  "I am sure your opponent would be caught completely off guard by you flying into them with your belly exposed."  He nudged her to his feet and dropped back into his crouch.  "When you are facing an opponent larger then you, you have two options.  There is nothing that says you cannot tag team a fight, especially if you feel outmatched or unsafe.  Find another apprentice or a young warrior and pull them into your battle.  Anything that grants you the upper-paw will help you later in the battle.  But if you are alone or no one is available to help you, your best option is to go for their softest and most exposed area - the belly.  Use your size and your speed to your advantage."  He nodded at her as a motion to try again.

Tags// @emberpaw
Comments// I know you are away right now but I wanted to get a post in anyway before I forgot.  Nor rush at all - I haven't exactly been speedy with my replies XD