THIS is how it goes!

[SHADE. :D]

runespell

The summer sun was hot on his back, but Runespell was used to it, having grown up a BrightClanner. The lean brown tabby tom trotted on, not slowing his pace for his apprentice, Leafpaw. The young warrior was heading towards the Hollowed Oak, where he was going to teach Leafpaw how to fight. Afterward they could go some hunting. Runespell raised his head. He hadn't felt this happy for a while. They had recovered from the battle, the Tribe hadn't shown it's ugly face since, and everything seemed pleasent. Nobody was ill, nobody was dying, nobody was arguing or running away, or disappearing... Yes, Pecankiy still lurked at the back of his mind, but he was doing his best to forget her. She's dead. You can't bring her back, you mousebrain. Runespell blinked his one amber eye in the sunshine, and pushed his missing kit from his mind.

Runespell halted when he reached the tall oak tree, it's dead bark peeling away. A squirrel chattered away, high in the tree's branchs. Too high to catch. The warrior sat down in the short grass, exhaling deeply. He then waited for Leafpaw. He knew she wouldn't be long. She was surprisingly fast for one so young.

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

leafpaw

[/color] She mewed, turning. She had a feeling he was going to ask why she was in a tree, and beat him to it. "Don't worry, I didn't do too high. Just the first branches." The apprentice mewed, grinning.
[/ul][/size]

[SHADE. :D]

runespell

The brown tabby tom looked up as he heard a rustle of leaves overhead. At first he thought it was the squirrel, but the russet-coloured creature was still perched demurely on it's branch. The warrior turned his head, and froze. It was Leafpaw, in the branchs of a tree. His mouth went dry. Recently he had saved the tortoiseshell apprentice's life when she had climbed too high up a tree, and fallen. She would have died if he had not caught her. Before he could unstick his jaw to tell her to get down, Leafpaw had jumped groundward anyway. "You really should be more careful," he mewed weakly, blinking his amber eyes at the youngster. "It's alright. Just try to be earlier next time, okay?" The tom took a deep breath, still recovering from the shock.

"Right, today I'm going to teach you some fighting moves, okay?" he mewed. "I'd like you to attack me, please." The tom squared his shoulders and stood ready, amber eyes watching his apprentice.

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

leafpaw

[/color] She mewed, chuckling at the nickname she'd been using for awhile now. Her rump was up in the air as she looked up at the tom.

She jumped up as Runespell mentioned fighting. "Excellent!" Leafpaw mewed before lowering down and watching the tom, green eyes narrowed. She pounced after a moment, hoping to land on her mentor's
[/ul][/size]

[SHADE. :D]

runespell

Runespell tried not to smile, but he couldn't help it. Leafpaw reminded him so much of his Pecankit, his poor, dead kit. The tabby knew that he shouldn't put up with her nicknames and such, but he found that he was starting to like them. It was the sort of thing Pecankit would have done, had she lived to become an apprentice like Leafpaw. The tom smiled reluctantly. "Okay, then, I'll lighten up, Leafypaw." If a stranger had walked into the clearing at that moment, they may have mistaken Leafpaw for Runespell's daughter rather than just her mentor. Their bond was an odd one. More than mentor and apprentice, too complex for just friends. He didn't know it, but Runespell was gradually filling in the gaping hole that Pecankit had left - with Leafpaw.

"Yes," he mewed smilingly. As the tortoiseshell pounced, he stepped back easily to avoid her. "Try and make it less obvious what you're going to do, okay?" his voice was too encouraging. It was not like a mentor would talk to his apprentice. Her attack had been clumsy and not very well thought out, but he had made it sound like a very good try.

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

i'm going home
gonna load my shotgun

leafpaw

gunpowder and lead.

[/color] Leafpaw chuckled, smiling all the while. Ah...yes. It was sincerely a good side of Leafpaw.

After she landed, she turned her ears to Runespell's voice, nodding as she turned. She crouched again, moving to the right slowly, coming closer, but not pouncing. Then suddenly, without thinking it thoroughly, she jumped over her mentor, rebounding off a tree and attempting to land on her mentor's back again.
[/ul][/size]

[SHADE. :D]

runespell

Runespell blinked as Leafpaw landed again. He watched the tortoiseshell apprentice closely, trying to calculate her next move. He guessed that she would not use the same move as last time, and was not too surprised when she leapt. As she rebounded off his back, he sagged a little, but whipped around quickly. What was Leafpaw up to? He saw her flying through the air towards him, and dodged sideways. Her paws scraped his throat as he lunged to the left. He knew that, had this been a real battle, she could have badly injured him then. "That didn't work exactly," he mewed, smiling. "But you still would've injured me. That's the main thing." Runespell shook himself and took several pawsteps back.

"Right, now I'm going to attack you," he mewed to Leafpaw. "I want you to defend yourself, okay?" The tom ran at Leafpaw, his white paws flashing beneath him. He lashed out for her eyes with a paw, to disorientate her, then leapt, sailing over her back. As she turned, he would lash out at her eyes with a paw. That is, if the first part of his attack had worked.

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

i'm goin' home
gonna load my shotgun

leafpaw

gunpowder and lead

[SHADE. :D]

runespell

Runespell felt paws push into his underbelly as he leapt over Leafpaw. He was carried into the air, but managed to twist and land on his paws. The tom shook himseld, turning around quickly to see Leafpaw poised at the end of a tree branch. Worry pumped in his heart. He remembered what had happened at their last training session. He was about to open his mouth and tell her to get down, when she leapt. Runespell realised what she was intending to do, and leapt sideways, narrowly avoiding her outstretched paws. As she hurtled towards the ground, he too leapt, aiming for where she would land. The lean brown tabby stretched out his snowy forepaws, tail streaming about behind him, amber eyes narrowed in concentration. If he timed this leap correctly, he would crash down on Leafpaw seconds after she landed - giving her no chance to roll out of reach.

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

i'm going home
gonna load my shotgun

leafpaw

gunpower and lead

[SHADE. :D]

runespell

As the brown tabby tom sailed towards his apprentice, he realised something was wrong. The climb up the tree had cost her - again. She just had not listened to him. Runespell splayed his paws so that he landed over Leafpaw, but did not hurt her. He stepped aside and peered down at her. "Leafpaw, just concentrate of your breathing, okay?" he mewed, trying to keep calm. "Just concentrate, and you'll be okay." Runespell sat by her side as vigilantly as a father guarding his sick daughter, his light amber eyes anxious. He blamed himself. He wasn't a strong enough mentor. He should have enforced the point, made Leafpaw realise that climbing trees had a serioisly bad effect on her. He had not, and because of that, the tortoiseshell might die. It was all his fault!

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

i'm going home
gonna load my shotgun

leafpaw

gunpower and lead

[/color] The tortoiseshell muttered, taking an intake of air after every word. She glanced up at her mentor, leaf green eyes apologetic. She gave a sheepish grin, glaring at the trees now. She let out a sigh, rising slowly to her four paws, shaking each one of them out before looking at Runespell. "I think I'm all set now." She mewed quietly
[/ul][/size]

[SHADE. :D]

runespell

The brown tabby tom breathed out in relief as Leafpaw's breathing relaxed a little. He waited anxiously, his amber eyes slightly narrowed. As the tortoiseshell managed to gasp out words, Runespell's heart slowed back to it's usual pace again. She was alright. Now he trembled with anger. "I told you to remember!" he hissed, his anger fueled by the realization that he had almost lost Leafpaw. Runespell reached forward and licked her between the ears, his nerves still jangling furiously. The warrior took a deep breath. "Right, that's enough battle training for now," he mewed, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. "Just... Just go hunting, okay? Bring back as much prey as possible." Runespell blinked, then his tail stood straight up. "And I don't want to find you in any trees, okay?"

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

i'm going home
gonna load my shotgun

leafpaw

gunpowder and lead

[/color] Leafpaw asked, her eyes bright with curiosity as she looked at the tom, cocking her head slightly to the side.
[/ul][/size]

[SHADE. :D]

runespell

Runespell felt the waves of anger coming from his apprentice, and felt a twinge of regret inside of him. But he pushed it away. Leafpaw had to learn that she couldn't just do whatever she liked... The tom blinked as he watched her retreating shape. As she turned, quizzing him, his ears flattened. "I... I don't treat you differently!" he blustered. "I... I don't have to justify myself! I told you to hunt!" Runespell turned his back on her and stood, breathing deeply. He wasn't doing anything differently than he did with Grainpaw... Didn't Leafpaw like him, was that it? The tom steadied himself after a moment, his anger fizzling out. He regretted snapping at Leafpaw. She hadn't meant any harm. The tom swallowed, then stood up and turned. When Leafpaw got back, he would apologize to her. The tom licked one white paw and drew it over his muzzle, thinking. He thought about his kits. His grown kits. He was a grandfather now. It felt odd.

[&&R.A.V.E.N :3]

i'm goin' home
gonna load my shotgun

leafpaw

gunpowder and lead