back to the basics [Frostpaw]

[Tigerstar]

Tigerjaw
"It's a revolution, I suppose
We're painted red to fit right in"

It was early morning for the territories around the lake. Frost made the long hill grass glitter like the stars on Silverpelt. Although the air was frigid, making any cat with short fur shiver, something in the chilly breeze could make any cat feel cheerful. Tigerstar padded out of the WindClan camp, his head held high above his lean shoulders. Being the leader had gone surprisingly well so far. He was actually good at it, and it made him proud to be in charge of his Clanmates. He had less time to do the thing he loved, however, and that was hunting. Chasing rabbits all day long was the thing he adored most. A lot of warriors enjoyed training their apprentices or fighting, but Tigerstar was quite the opposite. You just got an apprentice. You've barely even trained her, he told himself. He wondered, not for the first time, if he would like training Frostpaw to be a good warrior. Frostpaw was a quick learner, a lot like Tigerstar when he was younger. Though he was just afraid that Frostpaw would find out and be devastated, maybe even leave the Clan due to her heartbreak. I can't let her know, he thought, It would hurt her too much. The leader didn't want to see the lively young cat like that- the way she played with the kits and falling leaves... he wanted to save her innocence, wanted her to treasure it. He knew he'd have to tell her eventually because he was her father. Of course she'd be curious to know why he stopped visiting her and her mother. Tigerstar, being the brother of the murderer, felt like he was also the blame for Froststar's death. Although he had tried to get Charredpelt off of their leader in time, he'd been too late. He could never forgive himself for that.

He lead Frostpaw, who was trudging behind him like she was upset or angry, to a place where he knew a lot of rabbits lived. There was an abandoned badger sett that he thought would be a perfect place for the first day on the hunt. A couple families of rabbits had settled there- it was the main source of WindClan's food at the moment. The rabbits over there practically dominated from anywhere else and came crawling out of the dark hole every now and then. He figured that he could teach his apprentice a few hunting moves before they got too close for the rabbits to smell them, and when one popped out of the hole, she could dive in and take it out. They walked in silence, Tigerstar being too frightened to shatter it and wondering why she was being so slow. When they went to the Moonpool a few day ago, Frostpaw was playful and lively, running ahead of him as if it were a race. She acted like a kit on it's first day out of the nursery, but today she was... different.

Once they got a little closer to the den, Tigerstar noticed that the sun had completely risen above the horizon. The sky was dark and cloudy, suggesting that it may snow. Great, the tabby tom thought angrily. He didn't remember snow very much. He had been born before leaf-bare last year, and when he was a kit he played through the cold, wet snow once. He didn't like it at the time, but it had only snowed once last leaf-bare. It only spat snow this leaf-bare, but Tigerstar thought that it would actually snow for real. He wanted it to, suddenly, because he thought that it wold perk Frostpaw up. Had she seen the powdery white stuff before? Tigerstar wondered if she would play in it or play with the kits back at camp. The mere thought made the young leader purr happily. After a few moments of thinking, lost in thought with visions of Frostpaw scampering in the snow, Tigerstar decided that they should stop before they got too close to the old sett. He could see a small, dark hole on the next hill over, an outline of black from this far away. "This is close enough," he meowed, turning around to see his crestfallen apprentice. He still had no idea why she was acting this way, but for now, it didn't matter. They needed to hunt. Frostpaw still didn't have any idea what they were doing, so Tigerstar started out with, "I'll teach you a few moves first, though."

[Deleted]

She had been playing with the kits in the nursery, completely ignoring her apprentice duties when Tigerstar had called for her. With a grimace, she apologized to the little ones, pushed Sparrowkit off her tail with a sigh. Sparrowkit, Mossykit, and Heatherkit complained as she stood up and Frostpaw dipped her head to them and explained, "I'm sorry little ones but Tigerstar called for me. I probably have more apprentice duties to do." She paused and looked over her shoulder, eyeing her leader and mentor as he waited for her. "Duty calls, young ones." Their mother pushed herself through the tall grass shielding the nursery and ushered them inside. A purr rumbled in her chest as she watched them bound back into the den with the she-cat. Frostpaw dipped her head to their mother, quietly thanking her for allowing her to play with her kits, before turning tail and bounding over to where Tigerstar sat beneath the Tall Rock. It did not surprise Frostpaw when he explained that he would be training her today. After all, she was an apprentice. If she was going to become a warrior someday, she had to train in hunting and fighting. Like any apprentice, of course she wanted to get her warrior name. She also did want to protect and provide for her Clanmates. But today, like most days if she was honest with herself, she just wanted to laze around and play. She would tackle the training stuff later.

Now here she was, treading out of the camp and onto the open moorland with her mentor. She did not know what he would be teaching her today. Fighting or hunting? she wondered, hoping for the latter.


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