Training Together (Blackpaw + Cinderpaw)

[Kelly]

It was early, and Cinderpaw was bored. The sun hadn't even peaked over the horizon yet! Everyone was either asleep or out on one of their patrols. Why couldn't she be assigned to one of those patrols? Well, maybe it was because she probably wouldn't have woken up for the patrol. Waking up herself because it was time to wake up was a completely different then being forced to wake up for clan duties. Even if she was an apprentice now, she still didn't want to wake up before the sun rose! That was insane.

Yet, here she was, sitting in the apprentice den, watching Blackpaw sleep and feeling the breath of her brother against her back. Maybe it was a little creepy, she decided, watching Blackpaw sleep. But Cinderpaw was really, really bored. And the older apprentice was proving amusing as he slept. Of course, it wouldn't be amusing much longer. With a sigh, Cinderpaw rolled onto her stomach, pale eyes gazing intently at Blackpaw as she reached forward to poke him with one paw.

“Wake up, Blackpaw!” She whispered, practically snapping at the older apprentice. Hm, some wake up call for the tom, she thought with a grin. “Go hunting with me!” Being pushy was easy enough. And Blackpaw didn't seem like the type to get mad at her. Beside, she had a good excuse for asking him to go with her, and not her mentor. Both of them had crap mentors!

Her ears flattened. Mistpelt wasn't a crap mentor, actually. She was just really busy – being deputy took a lot of time, after all. But that meant less time between the two of them and Cinderpaw felt really behind in her training. She could barely stalk prey right, let along fight if it came to it. And Ashfang was never training Blackpaw for whatever reason. Maybe he was busy too? Even if he was, it couldn't be good for Blackpaw.

Training together was a smart idea.

[Crowzerplorodon]

ooc; uh. Just a little confused. Cinderpaw says hunting, but this is battle training...? I'm have Blackpaw comment on that.

Green eyes snapped open, clouded with sleep and annoyance. Who was waking him up now? It had been late when he finally got back to camp and he would have liked to slept much, much longer than he had. The darkness in the den said that the sun wasn't even up yet. And yet, someone had the audacity to wake him up by poking him repeatedly. Oh, they were so dead.

"Shut up and sleep, Cinderpaw. Not hunting with you. Too early." He groaned softly, closing his eyes again. It wasn't like he could actually kill the small, gray she-cat. Maybe ignore her. Yeah, ignoring her would work. He would just force himself to go back to sleep and wake up later in the day to do whatever he had to do. Maybe Ashfang would actually be up for some training today.

Blackpaw doubted it, drifting back into a half-sleep. His mentor was never around. And when he was, the gray tom always had 'something else to do'. Numerous times Blackpaw had to tag along with other apprentices just to get some training in. He envied Cinderpaw. She had the deputy training her. And her brother had Russetfang. Blackpaw liked Russetfang.

"Nevermind. Get up. I'm going to show you some battle moves." He could use some practice, and Cinderpaw could probably use some too. Mistpelt had to be just as busy, after all... Plus, the apprentice could show off to her mentor later. "C'mon, before you wake some other apprentice up."

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[Kelly]

“But why!” She hissed in irritation, upset that the tom had more important things to do then go hunting with her. Not that she was more important than sleeping. Well, in Cinderpaw's mind, she was. Blackpaw should love to go hunting with her! No matter how conceited that sounded! Her pale gray eyes narrowed as her fur fluffed up, and she almost growled. In fact, she was half way through making the noise when Blackpaw cut her off. Training? With Blackpaw? That was even better than hunting! She could show off to Mistpelt what Blackpaw taught her and she could train with Blackpaw! The she-cat nearly shoke with excitement, eyes shining with glee that the older apprentice was going to be kind and take her out for practice, much like the time she had gone out with him as a kit. Oh, she remembered that day well. How fun it was, roaming with Blackpaw in the woods. Yeah, Falconpaw had been there too. But Blackpaw! Never would she have thought that an apprentice of all cats would treat them, kits, with respect like that.

“Ok Blackpaw!” She mewed, trying to keep her volume down. Cinderpaw nudged him softly, then dashed out of the apprentice den, skin a little warm over what she had done. Hopefully, Blackpaw would mistake her readiness to leave for just that, readiness to leave, and not slight embarrassment over her actions. Fur fluffed up against the cold, Cinderpaw sat by the exit of camp, tail swishing back and forth impatiently. Blackpaw better not have been kidding, or else she was going to barge right back in there and make a scene- promptly waking up any apprentice who was still sleeping. “Blackpaw!”

[Crowzerplorodon]

Oh. StarClan. Why. Were. She-cats. So. Annoying? Blackpaw hissed, rolled over in his nest, pawed at the moss, then rolled back over. That last thing he wanted to do right now was leave this warm den to go training with Cinderpaw. Maybe he could... Wake up Willowpaw? Or Sootpaw? Maybe even Falconpaw? One of those toms would make things more bearable, surely. He glanced over to Willowpaw, opening his mouth to call the silver apprentice's name, then stopped. He couldn't do it. Bah, he just couldn't wake up his friend much like how Cinderpaw had woken him up. That would be plain rude, much like Cinderpaw. Blackpaw hissed softly, casting one last look at Willowpaw before slipping out of the den with narrowed eyes. “Keep quiet, Cinderpaw, and follow me.”

He barely brushed by her as he exited, hurrying to the training hollow. Maybe he could beat some civility into the young she-cat. Not that he would actually hurt her, because there was no way he'd do that to a clanmate. But teach her a lesson or something like that, just to make sure she never did this again. How was he supposed to be at top game if little apprentices were waking him up before the sun? Was this how warriors felt when their apprentices were too eager?

… Did this count as apprentice training?

Blackpaw brightened slightly. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. But if it did, then that was a wonderful way to start the day. Before he knew it, they were at the training hollow, the soft dirt pressed against his paw pads. Oooh, it was rather cold, wasn't it? He shook his head, turning to face Cinderpaw. “Kay. Come at me, try to knock me down, no claws, blah-dy blah blah.”

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