Post by xvinn on Apr 1, 2024 1:53:12 GMT
sparrowclaw (he/him) | galeclan
Sparrowclaw could not understand for the life of him why Basilstar insisted upon continuing to make him a mentor. Was there truly no other cat in GaleClan suitable to teach the young apprentices of the Clan? There was also a part of him that wondered if the leader somehow felt guilty for bypassing the warrior as being a suitable deputy in favour of Wapatofur.
Yet perhaps, in this case, it was Wapatofur who had made the exact recommendation and request that Sparrowclaw be the one to mentor his younger sister, Nutriapaw. He couldn't see why in StarClan's name someone would assume he enjoyed teaching rabbit-brained young cats who couldn't tell the difference between a wren and a finch. And while Sparrowclaw in theory saw no issue with cats switching Clans, he sometimes wondered if Nutriapaw would have better enjoyed learning to swim and catch fish over learning to run long distances and chase rabbits. Though, simultaneously, perhaps Wapatofur's knowledge of knowing that Sparrowclaw did not care of where a cat was born was part of why he might have been chosen. He never treated Nutriapaw any different from his first apprentice, Rabbitchirp, despite the fact that the latter was born and raised in GaleClan, whereas Nutriapaw was born in ShoreClan and had lived almost all of her kithood there.
To Sparrowclaw, though, it did not matter where one was born, it mattered simply where they laid their loyalty to. Who would they protect with their life? Sparrowclaw had admittedly asked Nutriapaw once very early on in her apprenticehood if she understood that she may one day have to fight her family in ShoreClan and if she understood that if one of her own family members was about to take the life of a GaleClan cat, she would have to forego any feelings for her family and potentially even kill them. After that, he never saw a need to ask again. If Nutriapaw should go back on her word, that was on her own conscience.
The one upside Sparrowclaw saw to having an apprentice meant that he always had a sparring partner. He always treated Nutriapaw as an equal when it came to battle. He didn't see a point in those early sunrises of battle training in going lightly on a new apprentice. After all, if OrchidClan had attacked that very day, they would not go easy on Nutriapaw and would tear her apart if they got their claws into her pelt. He naturally would give her constant constructive criticism when she was sloppy or when she let her anger get the better of her - a flaw that Sparrowclaw never hesitated to point out. Overreacting and succumbing to wrath often made a cat in battle become careless and haphazard, which in turn made their weak spots open for the attack, which Sparrowclaw would always take. He also made sure she needed to understand that sometimes she would lose - as much as that hurt, but that losing a battle was the chance to become stronger. It was the opportunity to see what she did wrong in order to prevent it again. Nutriapaw certainly needed to learn to take her losses with perhaps a little more grace, as far as Sparrowclaw was concerned.
He was thankful that at least the apprentice seemed to strive towards becoming an excellent warrior. It made their sparring sessions all the more entertaining, and though he would never say it aloud to her, he appreciated the fact that he often honed his own skills alongside her, especially now that she had grown larger than her mentor. Her blunt attitude never perturbed him, given his own nature and frustration around cats who were too sensitive to hear the truth. GaleClan needed strong cats, not weak warriors.
He was thankful that Nutriapaw was nearing the end of her apprenticehood, as he desperately missed having some damn room to breathe without having to worry what his apprentice was getting up to. The air was cold, and Sparrowclaw made sure to get up early enough to stretch his limbs and try and warm himself up for the long awaited day that was Nutriapaw's assessment.
Sparrowclaw thought back to Rabbitchirp's assessment. He'd felt quite an amount of pride in both she-cats, though he would never admit it. But his pride came in very different waves towards the two of them. In Rabbitchirp, he saw a cat very much unlike himself, a cat who had not been afraid to get to know the cold-shouldered tom, who had been open and receptive to him admitting his own faults in the way he approached her and treated her. He was proud when he watched her receive her warrior name, even though he knew that she would perhaps never become the greatest fighter that the Clans had ever seen. She was still his first apprentice, and had over time even become a cat that Sparrowclaw might reluctantly call a friend.
Nutriapaw, on the other hand, was a cat who Sparrowclaw saw quite a bit of himself in. He often treated her the same way that his own mentor had treated him - pushing her constantly knowing that she could handle it. When she would get her warrior name, something that he was not worried about her not achieving, he would hold a pride in knowing that she would become a great asset to GaleClan. She would strive to become greater than she was the day before, and would not hold herself back when she needed to step up. Perhaps she was a bit more reactive than Sparrowclaw, and it was something he had hoped that she would be able to get a handle on, but there was only so much he could do. His job was not to mold her into the cat he wanted her to be - it was simply to teach her the skills she needed to be a functioning warrior.
They did not move far out of camp before Sparrowclaw sat down, looking out over the horizon. A small part of him prayed that Nutriapaw would be competent through today so he could talk to Basilstar about seeing her promoted. He didn't want to have to put up with another moon of being a mentor to a cat who was clearly capable. "You're leading a two cat hunting patrol today," Sparrowclaw instructed, looking at her. He gave no more instructions than that, just as Wapatofur might if he had chosen the young cat to lead a real hunting patrol. He wanted to see how she instructed Sparrowclaw, and wanted to see how she would go about catching whatever she was able. Of course, with it being quite cold, the goal was not necessarily to actually catch anything - sometimes hunting patrols failed, and he would also be interested to see how Nutriapaw would handle that should it come to it. Would she handle it with grace, or feel frustrated at the failure and let it show? It was also important to Sparrowclaw to see how Nutriapaw handled working with other cats - being a warrior was not a thing that one did alone, it was something that required constant teamwork. He didn't care about her ability to catch twenty rabbits on her own if she couldn't catch a single one while working with others.
Yet perhaps, in this case, it was Wapatofur who had made the exact recommendation and request that Sparrowclaw be the one to mentor his younger sister, Nutriapaw. He couldn't see why in StarClan's name someone would assume he enjoyed teaching rabbit-brained young cats who couldn't tell the difference between a wren and a finch. And while Sparrowclaw in theory saw no issue with cats switching Clans, he sometimes wondered if Nutriapaw would have better enjoyed learning to swim and catch fish over learning to run long distances and chase rabbits. Though, simultaneously, perhaps Wapatofur's knowledge of knowing that Sparrowclaw did not care of where a cat was born was part of why he might have been chosen. He never treated Nutriapaw any different from his first apprentice, Rabbitchirp, despite the fact that the latter was born and raised in GaleClan, whereas Nutriapaw was born in ShoreClan and had lived almost all of her kithood there.
To Sparrowclaw, though, it did not matter where one was born, it mattered simply where they laid their loyalty to. Who would they protect with their life? Sparrowclaw had admittedly asked Nutriapaw once very early on in her apprenticehood if she understood that she may one day have to fight her family in ShoreClan and if she understood that if one of her own family members was about to take the life of a GaleClan cat, she would have to forego any feelings for her family and potentially even kill them. After that, he never saw a need to ask again. If Nutriapaw should go back on her word, that was on her own conscience.
The one upside Sparrowclaw saw to having an apprentice meant that he always had a sparring partner. He always treated Nutriapaw as an equal when it came to battle. He didn't see a point in those early sunrises of battle training in going lightly on a new apprentice. After all, if OrchidClan had attacked that very day, they would not go easy on Nutriapaw and would tear her apart if they got their claws into her pelt. He naturally would give her constant constructive criticism when she was sloppy or when she let her anger get the better of her - a flaw that Sparrowclaw never hesitated to point out. Overreacting and succumbing to wrath often made a cat in battle become careless and haphazard, which in turn made their weak spots open for the attack, which Sparrowclaw would always take. He also made sure she needed to understand that sometimes she would lose - as much as that hurt, but that losing a battle was the chance to become stronger. It was the opportunity to see what she did wrong in order to prevent it again. Nutriapaw certainly needed to learn to take her losses with perhaps a little more grace, as far as Sparrowclaw was concerned.
He was thankful that at least the apprentice seemed to strive towards becoming an excellent warrior. It made their sparring sessions all the more entertaining, and though he would never say it aloud to her, he appreciated the fact that he often honed his own skills alongside her, especially now that she had grown larger than her mentor. Her blunt attitude never perturbed him, given his own nature and frustration around cats who were too sensitive to hear the truth. GaleClan needed strong cats, not weak warriors.
He was thankful that Nutriapaw was nearing the end of her apprenticehood, as he desperately missed having some damn room to breathe without having to worry what his apprentice was getting up to. The air was cold, and Sparrowclaw made sure to get up early enough to stretch his limbs and try and warm himself up for the long awaited day that was Nutriapaw's assessment.
Sparrowclaw thought back to Rabbitchirp's assessment. He'd felt quite an amount of pride in both she-cats, though he would never admit it. But his pride came in very different waves towards the two of them. In Rabbitchirp, he saw a cat very much unlike himself, a cat who had not been afraid to get to know the cold-shouldered tom, who had been open and receptive to him admitting his own faults in the way he approached her and treated her. He was proud when he watched her receive her warrior name, even though he knew that she would perhaps never become the greatest fighter that the Clans had ever seen. She was still his first apprentice, and had over time even become a cat that Sparrowclaw might reluctantly call a friend.
Nutriapaw, on the other hand, was a cat who Sparrowclaw saw quite a bit of himself in. He often treated her the same way that his own mentor had treated him - pushing her constantly knowing that she could handle it. When she would get her warrior name, something that he was not worried about her not achieving, he would hold a pride in knowing that she would become a great asset to GaleClan. She would strive to become greater than she was the day before, and would not hold herself back when she needed to step up. Perhaps she was a bit more reactive than Sparrowclaw, and it was something he had hoped that she would be able to get a handle on, but there was only so much he could do. His job was not to mold her into the cat he wanted her to be - it was simply to teach her the skills she needed to be a functioning warrior.
They did not move far out of camp before Sparrowclaw sat down, looking out over the horizon. A small part of him prayed that Nutriapaw would be competent through today so he could talk to Basilstar about seeing her promoted. He didn't want to have to put up with another moon of being a mentor to a cat who was clearly capable. "You're leading a two cat hunting patrol today," Sparrowclaw instructed, looking at her. He gave no more instructions than that, just as Wapatofur might if he had chosen the young cat to lead a real hunting patrol. He wanted to see how she instructed Sparrowclaw, and wanted to see how she would go about catching whatever she was able. Of course, with it being quite cold, the goal was not necessarily to actually catch anything - sometimes hunting patrols failed, and he would also be interested to see how Nutriapaw would handle that should it come to it. Would she handle it with grace, or feel frustrated at the failure and let it show? It was also important to Sparrowclaw to see how Nutriapaw handled working with other cats - being a warrior was not a thing that one did alone, it was something that required constant teamwork. He didn't care about her ability to catch twenty rabbits on her own if she couldn't catch a single one while working with others.
haze ● 1221 words
