LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS -EMBERFROST-

[aspenpaw]

She was running a little late to her first training session with her new mentor. As far as she knew, Emberfrost wasn't the kind of cat you wanted to keep waiting. She felt horrible, because she'd intended to make a good impression and show up early, be ready for whatever he threw at her. Instead, she was scampering out of her nest, having woken up late. She trod on someone's tail as she scrambled from the apprentice's den, and threw an apology over her shoulder as she hurried through camp, casting a longing glance at the fresh-kill pile, but knowing she didn't have time. Aspenpaw wasn't the only one to blame for being a little late, though.

"Where do you think you're going?" A deep, rich voice. If it had been kind, it would have been a very handsome voice. But this voice instead sent chills down her spine. She'd just stepped out of the thorn tunnel, into the open forest, and of course she couldn't get two pawsteps out of camp without someone deciding to bother her. Aspenpaw glanced towards her right, where Smoketalon sat in a ray of sunlight as if he were StarClan's blessing to the forest. 'Probably thinks he is, too.' She thought glumly, as her brother smiled pleasantly at her. But she knew he wasn't done with her. "Well?"

Aspenpaw attempted to keep her pelt smooth as she frowned at the dark tom, "I'm going to train." She replied simply.

The smile curved further, michevious and cruel. "Oh, right, you're still an apprentice, aren't you? I'd nearly forgotten. Why don't you clean the elders of ticks when you come back?" Smoketalon suggested. Aspenpaw felt a shudder run down her back at the idea of holding the stick with the mouse vomit on it. It was a disgusting task, but it was one of her duties as an apprentice.

"I think I should be taking orders from older warriors, like my mentor." Aspenpaw turned on her heel, cutting the conversation short before taking off into the forest, running towards the mossy clearing where apprentices often met their mentors. She could practically feel Smoketalon's cold gaze on her the whole way, and she knew he'd be back to bother her later. With her luck, he'd probably suggest his idea to an older warrior, and then Aspenpaw really would have to do what he wanted. She'd rather do any other apprentice duty at that moment.

Breaking into the clearing, the orange and white tabby caught sight of her mentor, and immediately dread rolled through her. She was really late. "I'm sorry, Emberfrost. I overslept." She said by way of greeting as she trotted up. "I promise it won't happen again."

With all the strength of a raging fire

Rabiddog Emberfrost | HOPE YOU DON'T MIND?

[Emberfrost]

Emberfrost had been given the honor of an apprentice by Turtlestar. Although Aspenpaw was nearly a warrior, and her siblings were themselves warriors, the incapacitation of her mentor left her in need of a new mentor. Emberfrost was lucky enough to be that cat. Of course, he didn’t believe in luck – perhaps Turtlestar saw something of her herself in the young tom. No matter, here he was now. He wished to be an exemplary mentor, and from all he knew of Aspenpaw, she was a sweet cat. Her family left something to be desired, in his opinion, and reminded him of his mentor, Addertuft, though her daughters turned out fine. Well, most of them, anyway. On the other paw, sweet cats did not often make the best warriors. (Not that Emberfrost would know too much about being a great warrior, as he’d never seen a truly dangerous battle, not anything more than a skirmish, and he himself was still barely out of the apprentice’s den.)

The day before, he’d instructed Aspenpaw to meet him at sunrise in the Mossy Clearing where so much training occurred. He’d gotten there a little bit before the sun rose, while dawn was still just a dream of the sleeping day, so that he’d already be waiting no matter what time she arrived.

As he sat, Emberfrost heard a few birds begin the orchestra of the new day. There would be plenty to do. He was hoping simply to learn where her skills were for this first session, how her hunting and fighting were. How well did Dustcloud – One-eye now – do his job?

When the sun began its rise, the mixed colors of the sky unblocked by any cloud, and Aspenpaw still had not appeared, Emberfrost lowered himself to the ground and began to wash. When he had finished washing and still she had not appeared, he decided to warm up and perhaps catch one of those noisy birds. It might make it more difficult for her when she arrived, should he actually ask that she catch one, but it also would make him more intimidating to be sitting there with fresh kill at his paws. He was not One-eye and he never would be.

Emberfrost spotted a robin at the edge of the clearing, a thing surprisingly fat for so early in the season. Silently, he rose to his paws and crouched, eyes and ears strained toward it. He recalled his habit to swish his tail before he pounced, so he made sure to hold it still while he snuck forward. At the last moment before he leaped, the bird flew off, and Emberfrost impatiently charged. While he didn’t come close to catching the robin, a startled mouse zoomed out. Pivoting quickly, Emberfrost reached out a paw and sank his claws into the mouse. It squealed and squirmed, and he tossed it into his mouth and bit its neck. Still, the damage had been done, and he was reminded that he was still young and himself had much to learn. As much as the idea of being imperfect annoyed him.

Yet only now was the sun getting higher, and still Aspenpaw was nowhere to be found. With a sigh, Emberfrost sat back down in the center of the clearing, the admittedly scrawny mouse at his paws. He licked himself clean again. Finally, while he was swiping his paw over his ear, he scented and heard her. “I’m sorry, Emberfrost. I overslept. I promise it won’t happen again.” At least she didn’t try to blame anyone else and kept her excuses short and sweet.

Emberfrost rose to his paws. “Good morning, Aspenpaw,” he mewed smoothly. “Today, I just want to see what you can do.” He completely brushed past her tardiness. “Have you eaten yet this morning? You look a bit rushed. Take a moment to catch your breath. I don’t need you exhausted before we even begin. It’s going to be a long day.” He nudged the fresh-kill forward. He did not intend this to be a test of her dedication to the warrior code, though he knew that it could be perceived as such; after all, “Elders, queens, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders.” And yet, here he was, her mentor, offering her fresh-kill first thing in the morning after she rushed in late. Whether or not she accepted it, whether or not she considered the offer for a long time or accepted it immediately, he would think no less of her. No matter what, however, it would give him a better idea of who she was, and that was quite important, to say the least, for his training plans.

aspenpaw is TAGGED | 796 WORDS | NOTES: OF COURSE I DON'T MIND. I got excited. It's been so long since I've RPed Emberfrost<333

[aspenpaw]

Normally, Aspenpaw was very meticulous about being on time. She liked to do everything that she could as right as she could to prove that, though she may lack some skill in both hunting and fighting, she could still be a valuable addition to her Clan. She had imagined up a stern talking-to that ended with a punishment, but was pleasantly surprised when Emberfrost seemed to understand.

"Good morning, Aspenpaw. Today, I just want to see what you can do.”

Aspenpaw's ears twitched as she took a quick seat, trying to give her mentor every last bit of her attention. The idea that he simply wanted to know where she was at skill-wise made her nervous. Would he regret being chosen as her new mentor? Would he sigh and say perhaps she wasn't made to be a Warrior? Nervous anxiety crept into her chest as she remained quiet, even as he continued to speak.

“Have you eaten yet this morning? You look a bit rushed. Take a moment to catch your breath. I don’t need you exhausted before we even begin. It’s going to be a long day.”

Her amber gaze dropped down to the fresh mouse, which she could smell very well and which made her mouth water with even the thought of getting to eat it. She hadn't eaten, and her encounter with her brother had left something to be desired of her morning so far. It would seem, at first sight, that StarClan was giving her a good piece of the day to make up for her wayward morning. Aspenpaw moved her gaze from the mouse to her mentor, studying the tom and wondering if this were some sort of test. She'd done nothing to deserve a piece of food she didn't even catch herself. She'd been late to their first training session, and she was old enough now- the eldest apprentice in ThunderClan - to know better. "Thank you, Emberfrost. I feel better now that I've sat for a moment." The ginger-and-white apprentice replied, though she made no move for the mouse between them.

"But you've caught that yourself, and you've sat here just as long. If either of us should eat that mouse, it should be you." She murmured. They weren't on a hunting patrol, and therefore it wouldn't be wrong for either of them to really eat the mouse. But if Nettlefang had done one thing when raising her, it had been to engrave the Code into her mind. There were younger cats, and plenty of the elders, who could use that mouse. If the patrols for some reason came back empty-pawed, it would be a nice feeling to give the mouse to a hungry mouth that couldn't hunt for itself. Shifting her weight uneasily, Aspenpaw offered a small, shy smile. "I can wait until after our training is done." She said, and for once had finality in the way she spoke. Very rarely was Aspenpaw certain of her decisions, but she knew she'd only feel guilty if she ate that mouse.

"What should we start with?" Aspenpaw asked, tail curling neatly around her paws. Once again, the apprehension built in her chest. Would he be disappointed? She was average at best, and that was being generous. She wouldn't blame him for looking upset about being her mentor.

With all the strength of a raging fire

Rabiddog Emberfrost | YAY 8D

[Emberfrost]

Watching Aspenpaw decide about the mouse was the most interesting thing Emberfrost had seen so far this morning. Of course, all this morning really had yielded for him so far was an embarrassing failure to catch a fat robin – though thankfully nobody saw that, so his pride and reputation were preserved – and the wait for his older apprentice. She was only half his age, exactly half his age. Most mentors were much older than that, though Emberfrost was barely a warrior himself.

“Thank you, Emberfrost. I feel better now that I’ve sat for a moment.” When Aspenpaw didn’t move, Emberfrost knew, before she even turned the offer around on him, that she was turning him down. She was a good Clan cat and apprentice, politely offering back to him what he probably should not have offered in the first place. And she sounded so confident about it, too. Emberfrost had heard that she wasn’t the most confident apprentice – having unpleasant parents and siblings, siblings who became warriors before you – couldn’t be the best confidence booster. A good mentor would want to build her confidence. He wondered if One-eye had been working on that, or if he simply goofed his way into her heart. A good mentor would build her confidence. Emberfrost wasn’t certain how good of a mentor he wanted to be. “If you can wait until after the training, so can I, I should think.” Emberfrost plucked up the mouse, padded to the edge of the clearing, and buried it beneath a tree.

He returned to her and sat down to listen to her question. Although, if he were a good mentor, tried to build her up to be better than even her siblings, not only would he gain her appreciation, but also, he thought, perhaps the admiration of his Clanmates. So young a warrior taking such an apprentice and making her a fantastic warrior – that was the sort of thing he could live with. It wasn’t as if he had any friends or popularity to make cats think well of him.

Of course, Emberfrost knew exactly where he wanted to start, and without telling her his plan, he began: “I said it’s going to be a long day. I wanted to talk first. Training is just as much for the body as it is for the mind, and if one is unwell, it will harm the other, and training will go nowhere. I wish to know how you’re doing, how you feel about training, whatever you want to tell me. I know that all that you’ve been through can’t have been easy, and it’s all pretty fresh. So, where are you right now?” He swished his tail. “And, of course, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s completely fine. You don’t need to tell me, and I won’t feel hurt or disappointed.” He paused, looking into her amber eyes, holding his gaze firm and strong. “I’ll say that again. No matter what happens, I won’t be disappointed.” Of course, how could he be disappointed? This was a fascinating opportunity for him. As he awaited her response, he did not drop his gaze or turn away, but remained entirely focused on her. He’d get to all that physical training stuff, of course – just in a little bit. And once he began the training, he wasn’t going to let off.

aspenpaw is TAGGED | 561 WORDS | NOTES: boop this post went in a different direction than I was expecting it to lmao

[aspenpaw]

She still wasn't sure if the tom was testing her or not, but Aspenpaw felt better after turning the mouse down. Instead of berating herself for being weak, she basked in her own pride for herself for sticking to her decisions. Still, her anxiety bubbled in her stomach as Emberfrost watched her think about it, and she was more relieved than anything when they continued their conversation. She gave a quick nod as the tom responded, moving a ways away to bury the fresh kill. Her stomach protested slightly, but Aspenpaw could manage a spot of hunger as long as her conscience was clear. Aspenpaw's ears perked as the tom began speaking, and when he met her eyes and spoke those words, she felt her pelt prickle with unease and her chest tighten with emotion. In response to his firm eye contact, Aspenpaw's own eyes widened, unable to hide her shock.

“I’ll say that again. No matter what happens, I won’t be disappointed.”

The ginger-and-white she-cat gaped for a moment, unsure of how to respond. A roaring storm of emotions swirled in her chest and mind, battling with one another for the spotlight. She was grateful, that Emberfrost seemed to understand her when they hadn't even really known each other, and frightened that he didn't realize how fantastically average she was, and angry - yes, a little angry - that it seemed every cat who wasn't her blood relative could accept her. "Um, t-thank you, Emberfrost." Her voice was once again meek, uncertain, as she did her best to maintain eye-contact with the tom. It unnerved her - she wasn't used to having this much attention on her, and she shuffled her paws anxiously as she considered how to answer his questions. "Dust-um, One-eye, he was a really good mentor." And then she realized she might be making the tom think he wasn't as good, and she scrambled to reassure him, even though he clearly wasn't distressed. "I mean, of course, I'm happy to have you as a mentor as well. But- I just mean, it's not that I don't...know how to do what One-eye was training me to do. I just...I don't think I can." Aspenpaw murmured, her gaze dropping to her paws. "I'm a miserable fighter. An average hunter - I get too excited, or nervous, and I forget how to do things." Pausing, the smaller she-cat glanced up at her new mentor, her ears pinned against her head, as if she were awaiting a sudden storm of disappointment, despite him reassuring her.

"I don't know if I'll ever be a warrior, at this rate." She finally added, more as an observation rather than a complaint. It was one thing Aspenpaw didn't do - bellyache. She was simply stating the facts. She wasn't skilled naturally, like Smoketalon and his fighting skills, so she felt she had to work three times as hard as most cats to achieve a simple back-kick. Her amber eyes flicked up to meet her new mentor's, her expression hesitant. She felt horribly sorry for Emberfrost - considering he was granted her as his first apprentice.

With all the strength of a raging fire

Rabiddog Emberfrost | well i love it ok

[Emberfrost]

Emberfrost watched patiently as his apprentice anxiously babbled, seemingly trying to comfort him. He let her go on and finish – there wasn’t a point to cutting her off, and she seemed like the type who just needed someone to listen to and believe in her – patiently wrapping his tail around his paws. “I’m a miserable fighter. An average hunter – I get too excited, or nervous, and I forget how to do things.” Then she looked up, ears pinned against her head, and told him what seemed to be a great fear, stated with the most confidence he’d heard from her so far, the confidence of long-held belief.

“Trust me, you’ll be a warrior, and you’ll be a great one. You have lots of heart, and there’s more to being a warrior than fighting or hunting. How many battles have you seen? And we hunt every day. I’m a better hunter now than I was when I received my warrior name,” he meowed, rising to his feet and arching his back in a stretch. “So, don’t doubt yourself, Aspenpaw. I don’t just believe you can do it: I know you can do it. So you’re not vicious like Smoketalon, so you don’t catch every piece of prey that comes within ten foxlengths of you. Nobody does. This doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t be a warrior. How many permanent apprentices do you see around? You would be the first, in all the history of all the Clans.” Emberfrost didn’t actually know if that was true or not, but it sounded good, so he said it.

He stretched forward, his claws scraping up moss in front of him, and then he stood upright. “Now, I’m going to ask you to show me your stances and a few techniques you know, without actual prey to hunt or an actual opponent to fight. Then we’ll go from there.”

Of course, Emberfrost figured he’d use the entire day and tire her out. If she was too tired from working, perhaps she would be too tired to be so self-deprecating. He’d be sure to be encouraging and positive, the model of a supportive mentor. Perhaps it would make her curious why he had no real friends, perhaps she had not noticed him before – he wasn’t the most outgoing cat in large crowds, after all, and he mostly kept to himself. Perhaps it wouldn’t make her think twice. He’d have to walk a line, so she didn’t think he was coddling her and lose confidence, but also he needed to help her along. It seemed to him that Aspenpaw was hurting, and it was more in her head that she couldn’t move forward. Of course, he hadn’t actually seen her do anything yet, so maybe he was getting a bit ahead of himself.

“Alright, then. Are you ready to show me some moves?” Emberfrost never moved his gaze from her. It was a social skill he needed to work on, not staring, because he was always staring. There was so much to see and watch, so why look away? Well, Emberfrost, because sometimes some cats don’t like that and think it’s rude. But enough of chastising his etiquette. Emberfrost was ready to teach. He’d been thinking about it for a while, how he’d do it, and now he was here, ready to go with his plan.

aspenpaw is TAGGED | 559 WORDS | NOTES: boopboop, look how he likes to psychoanalyze, this goofy guy

[aspenpaw]

Aspenpaw felt a strong wave of relief flood over her when Emberfrost announced that she'd be a warrior. It was one of her deepest fears, that she'd somehow forever be an apprentice, or even worse - be given her name out of pity, and end up continuing to do apprentice duties anyways. She heard rumors that there was a cat in WindClan who was like that, and Aspenpaw didn't ever want to be stuck in apprentice duties like that. As her mentor carried on, Aspenpaw tilted her head slightly, and found herself feeling quite silly for not considering the facts he was stating. "I-I guess that makes sense." The she-cat murmured, nodding her head. She was the eldest apprentice - there weren't any elder-aged apprentices running around. And surely she couldn't be the worst apprentice to have ever existed. Surely there were other cats with skills worse than her. So where were they? Her stomach twisted at the thought, but Aspenpaw decided that she shouldn't be focusing on stuff like that for the moment.

“Now, I’m going to ask you to show me your stances and a few techniques you know, without actual prey to hunt or an actual opponent to fight. Then we’ll go from there.”

Aspenpaw nearly leapt to her paws as soon as the tom was standing, her chest tight with anxious energy - she wanted to prove she'd learned at least a little, to make Emberfrost a little proud to be her mentor. Determined to prove she wasn't as much a waste of space as her brother let on, Aspenpaw shifted her weight nervously back and forth as the tom stared into what felt like her very soul, and asked if she was ready. With his piercing gaze, Aspenpaw suddenly felt the urge to shrink away and scurry off, but she tried to put on a brave face as she gave him a quick nod. And then she realized she wasn't speaking along with the nod, and scrambled to reply. "Uh, yes, Emberfrost. I'm ready." She spat out, as if the words were clogging her throat. "What do you want to start with? Hunting?" Hunting was, particularly, her better skill out of the two that were taught to apprentices. Aspenpaw was slightly small, making hunting easier for her than fighting. Not that she was spectacular at hunting, either. Even though she was a young, small-ish she-cat, she still managed to blunder through the forest as if her paws were ten times their size. Nevertheless, Aspenpaw always felt more comfortable practicing hunting rather than fighting.

With all the strength of a raging fire

Rabiddog Emberfrost | I'm sorry if this is crap Dx I'm so sleepy

[Emberfrost]

Emberfrost watched while his apprentice seemed consumed with self consciousness, he himself patiently and coolly sitting. He let her finish, let her ask her question -- “What do you want to start with? Hunting?” -- and then rose to his paws and nodded. They’d start with hunting. He wanted to see her stances, see her confidence level. He wasn’t lying when he said a lot of what it takes to be a warrior is in the mind. If he had to smack the young Smoketalon upside the head in front of everyone, then that’s what he’d do. The younger tomcat was a very talented fighter, but Emberfrost prided himself on being smarter. He might not be the strongest or the fastest, but he had a ruthless cleverness and an ability to shame and harm without remorse. He once deliberately hurt an older apprentice when he was still Emberpaw, just to show he could, just to get Addertuft off his back and stop berating and start teaching. Mentor and apprentice both played it off as an accident, though Emberfrost doesn’t know whether that other warrior thinks anything of it now. It’s been a while and it was a small event, so it reached few ears but Sleetclaw’s.

The black and white tom approached Aspenpaw, standing in front of her and off to the side. “Go into your crouch, your position once you’ve spotted your prey. Ah, wait.” He’d had an idea. Swiftly, though not hurriedly, Emberfrost dug up the dead mouse and plopped it in the clearing a ways in front of Aspenpaw. “We can practice on this. Thank you, StarClan. Aspenpaw, for now, say this mouse doesn’t know you’re here, and get into position.”

Once more, Emberfrost took up his position off to the side and before her, visible from the corner of her eye. He was fully confident that, if needed, Aspenpaw could be named a warrior tomorrow, skill-wise and heart-wise, but she just needed to have faith in herself. Perhaps practicing on a dead mouse could help. Either way, Emberfrost was considering drills he could put her through -- holding in position, holding still, practicing body isolations (moving only the tail, only the ears, only the left paw) to increase awareness and control over the body. That would be hard, and it might be more breaking down before building back up, but if it was what was necessary, it was what Emberfrost would do. He might be the kindly supportive mentor now, but it almost certainly wouldn’t be too long before he broke from the persona and pushed harder than One-eye ever could have considered doing, pushing Aspenpaw to work harder than perhaps she’d ever thought herself able to.

It was a bit of an experiment he was trying out. Emberfrost was pretty sure it could work.

aspenpaw is TAGGED | 466 WORDS | NOTES: your post was great! Don't worry about it (on the other hand,
it's been so long since I've done a training thread lmao)

[aspenpaw]

Aspenpaw felt an immediate rush of anxiety as her mentor agreed with her suggestion, even though it had been her suggestion, as if he had suddenly tossed her into a pit of snakes and told her to begin pawing at them playfully. The young she-cat tried to keep the apprehension off her face, but she was often an open book, so as Emberfrost began to instruct her on what to do, her expression was one you would see on the face of a cat who was, indeed, just tossed into a snake pit. She very nearly sighed in relief when he stopped, told her to wait, and grabbed the mouse. Maybe they would take an easy day, relax, eat, get to know each other- nope, he was going to have her use it as a practice prey. Deflated, Aspenpaw nodded as he told her to pretend the mouse was alive, and unaware of her. "Yes, Emberfrost." The apprentice replied, her tone obedient but her expression nearly panicked. What if she failed to accurately hunt a piece of prey that was already dead? It was almost worst than not having any prey there at all - at least she could pretend her prey was wherever she wanted. 'Oh, well, you see, it started to run, and that's why my leap landed so far off from where I was originally aiming!'

Yeah, right.

Sighing softly, Aspenpaw crouched down, her stance average. Her paws were too close, causing her to teeter slightly, and she tried to compensate by leaning and crouching further, which caused her belly fur to brush the ground - an action that would normally be okay, but wasn't suggested, seeing as they lived in a forest, and her belly fur could easily cause noise if she brushed something. Her tail, however, was carefully held above the ground, completely still, even as her ears flicked nervously and her whiskers twitched as if she were about to sneeze. She could see Emberfrost watching her from the corner of her gaze, which only made her more nervous. 'Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.' The mantra inside her head quickly evolved. 'Don't mess up. Don't mess up. Don't mess up.'

She forgot her paws, and as she shuffled them anxiously, she nearly stumbled and toppled over. Pelt heated with embarrassment, she quickly corrected her weight, her paws now further apart but still not quite right, and forgot her tail - it swished through the air, and had there been a plant behind her, she would have surely hit it with it, but instead it moved harmlessly through the air. Pinning her ears back in concentration, Aspenpaw focused on her tail, and it stilled once more, and she stubbornly kept her gaze on the mouse, refusing to look at Emberfrost and reveal just how nervous she was. "Is this good, Emberfrost?" She finally asked, voice small and timid, as if he were already berating her for her horrible posture. She could feel a slight tremble in her hindquarters, though it wasn't due to exhaustion but simply anxiety and worry.

With all the strength of a raging fire

Rabiddog Emberfrost | #worstpersonever