lesson four, manners. { red/lion }

[Redpaw ◂]

"Being unoccupied does things to you, doesn't it.." Aimless muttering could be heard through the thin foliage of a pine tree, most of the words muffled from birdsong that echoed around the forest, while the rest were spoken in too much of a low voice for even Redpaw herself to hear. It was unusual for an apprentice to be out by themselves so early, when the deputy would be organising the patrols of the day back in camp, but that was the precise reason Redpaw had managed to slip away so easily. She was perfectly aware that eventually Lionwhisker, or somebody, would come looking for her, but that was only further motivation to stay hidden, hopping between the branches of her tree, trying to find a position that would allow her to leap into the next tree without diving down into the forest floor and breaking her next instead. The latter seems more probable this far. She jumped down on a lower branch, challenging herself to maintain perfect balance while the thin piece of wood swayed beneath her paws, pine needles pressing against her pelt. One of her paws slipped, and with a hiss she lunged herself forward, hugging the tree's bark with her four legs as she searched desperately for a grip with her claws. She wasn't surprised to realise she was only a heartbeat too late to find it, and the next second she found herself rapidly sliding down the bark to land on the earth below with a soft thud. Another angry hiss escaped her mouth as she shook dirt from her pelt, still crouched among the leaves between the roots of the tree. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes idly followed her clawmarks that travelled down the tree's bark, before she turned to look ahead again, ears pricked. She'd checked that no cat was around before setting off on her unsuccessful little climbing adventure, but she wasn't certain that still applied now. With my luck, there's a whole patrol right behind me. hope this is ok omg that header looks legit evil tags // → lionwhisker

[→ lionwhisker]

lionwhisker

The echo of pawsteps sounded through the forest of VertigoClan territory. A ginger tom was parading through the undergrowth and the thick, dense foliage. The noise he made alerted every piece of potential prey in the area, but he didn't care. If feelings could manifest and materialize, the toms would become a swarm of angry hornets. Anger burned from beneath his pelt, leaking off of him and into the surrounding air. With every breath he took, he huffed another out of his nose, his deep, heavy sighs audible. All I did was ask for her to stay in camp once. Once! That's it! His thoughts were bullet trains, speeding through whatever lay in their path. His tail trailed out behind him, flicking angrily. He had caught her scent the second he neared the camp entrance, and knew he had to follow her. She was never the best at following directions. Why had Flamingstar chosen him to be her mentor? Surely there were other cats more... Level-headed, than he was.


Her scent getting stronger, the tom ducked into the nearby bushes, hoping to catch her off guard with a surprise attack. If anything, he could turn this punishment into a training session, maybe while giving her a nice cuff on the ear or two. Whether his claws would be sheathed or unsheathed might be debatable- it depended on if she argued with him or not. Holding back a hiss of annoyance, the pale warrior crept closer, his eyes immediately settling on the pelt of his pesky apprentice. He watched with slight amusement as she launched herself through the trees, narrowly missing actually landing on the branch. His whiskers twitched as he stayed hidden, his legs ready to pounce. At least she had a little bit of ambition. As she landed with a thump, she let out an angry hiss, and Lionwhisker watched her carefully. 


The tom let his muscles spring him upward and out of the crouch, just a moment before the she-cat head swiveled to face his direction. By the time she would recognize him, it would be too late. His lithe frame allowed him to have reasonable speed, and the apprentice hadn't been on the lookout for him. He sailed through the air, claws sheathed, aiming to land on the apprentice. He shifted his weight so he wouldn't crush her, but if he was successful, he could see how well she would react to it in battle. Prepare yourself, you pesky little cat.

[Redpaw ◂]

Surely enough, even on the off-chance that she would be discovered, there was only so much trouble she could possibly find herself in. After all, she and Greypaw had already disobeyed the warrior code enough times to make tasks like caring for the elders from dawn to sundown seem like ordinary apprentice life, instead of unexpected chores. And so even as she heard a suspicious rustling sound from somewhere nearby, the first thought to pop into her head was prey, instead of the more probable assumption. She'd been gone long enough, hadn't she? And Lionwhisker wasn't one to shrug these things off as easily as Redpaw might have liked. If she'd been smarter, she'd have known he was on her trail, his annoyance only contained by thoughts of her punishment flashing through his mind. But these were the situations Redpaw didn't care to be smart in, and a yelp of surprise escaped her mouth as, a heartbeat later, her flaming eyes widened at the sight of a muscular body surging through the air with enough speed to barrel right into her before she could do much to react appropriately. "What!-" A flash of glimmering blue eyes was the last thing she could see before her sight was cut off as the creature collided with her. Without thinking, she let every muscle in her body go limp, allowing her attacker, whom she briefly acknowledged was a cat, carry her off her paws. Rolling away from the tree in a tangle of dark grey and orange fur, the apprentice squealed in terror, before realisation began to sink in, and the overwhelming scent of the cat on top of her registered as her mentor. Lionwhisker. So he'd found her after all, much quicker than she'd anticipated. This is what you get for underestimating him. Or any cat. Ever. "Get off me!" she protested through gritted teeth, battering helplessly at the tom, aware of her blows doing little to the much bigger, heavier cat weighing down on her. Perhaps this was her mentor's sick idea of a peculiar sort of battle training, but this was a game she wasn't playing. And while she wasn't naive enough to think that Lionwhisker would let go of this so easily, the apprentice still felt a powerful sense of indignation surging through her, giving her hisses a new intensity. "I'm not asking again!" good job red this is totally the best way to get him to listen 2 u tags // → lionwhisker

[→ lionwhisker]

lionwhisker

There was something suddenly exhilarating about being in the middle of battle again. Though it wasn't actually battle, good luck telling the brain of a cat that. The warriors claws were sheathed, and he was being careful to balance his weight so he didn't crush his apprentice, but the second he collided with her and felt her go limp beneath his paws, adrenaline kicked in. It was an automatic reaction- he couldn't help it. His breathing picked up a little, and his vision gained both clarity and sharpness.He lifted her up with her paws, giving her a chance to wriggle out of his grip, the two of them performing some sort of odd tango as they flew toward a nearby tree in a fury of fur. Lionwhisker growled slightly, trying to intimidate his apprentice, ignoring her weak cries of confusion and irritation. His tail flicked behind him as he pinned her down, her paws battering his chest and stomach, but barely registering. Pushing her a bit harder, the tom pushed his face next to hers, their muzzle parallel. He shot out an angry breath with his nose. "Maybe next time you'll think about asking me before you leave camp." He said, snorting. His tail continued to twitch behind him. Giving a bit of a shove, though considerably gentle for what the tom could do, he gave her a hiss to match hers, and stared into her eyes. "It seems to me that you think you don't need a mentor. I don't think that's true. Prove me wrong by getting out of this one."


The tom continued to hold her down, discreetly aware of how hard he was pressing. He didn't want to hurt his apprentice, just intimidate her and teach her a lesson. The two were already different as it was, he didn't need her being difficult on top of it. She still had so much to learn, and he was prepared to teach her, but only if she obeyed without question. Briefly, he mused about the time he got into trouble with his brother as an apprentice, but ignored it. Redpaw and Greypaw were nothing like he and Tigerstorm. Through his reminiscing, he watched his apprentice carefully, waiting for her to devise her plan and make her move.

[Redpaw ◂]

The mere realisation that her mentor might have been as caught up in what she considered to be an unnecessary fight to actually enjoy its thrill, sent shivers down the apprentice's spine, forcing her eyes to grow wider as the golden cat's only response to her demands was a prompting growl. Is he for real? In response, the she-cat only continued to struggle helplessly, growing more and more desperate under Lionwhisker's crushing weight. "Maybe next time you'll think about asking me before you leave camp." His words, hissed close to her ear as he thrust his face into her own, sent a new wave of rage flowing through her veins, threatening to overwhelm her. I don't have to ask you to do anything! I'll do as I please! Blinded by barely contained fury, she was prepared to let her instincts guide her, bracing herself to unsheathe her claws and allow her mind to believe she was battling a real enemy. Perhaps then, her sense of survival would kick in, and Lionwhisker would be beaten in his own game. The thought comforted her, but her momentary satisfaction vanished as the tom shoved her harder, and locked her in a captivating stare. "It seems to me that you think you don't need a mentor. I don't think that's true. Prove me wrong by getting out of this one." The words, while hissed in a less than intimidating tone, were met with a glare through a pair of slitted eyes. "Perhaps I do need a mentor," she retorted, the first hints of a snarl clear in her voice. "But perhaps that mentor isn't you!" Painfully aware of her scathing reply, as well as of Lionwhisker's steadily growing pressure as he remained on top of her, his paws effectively pinning her to the ground, the apprentice gave one last desperate shove. She was battering at him with all four paws, her lips drew back in a furious growl, but she still couldn't dislodge him. What's the point of battle training if it isn't fair? Still, her eagerness to beat the older cat was still strong, her dignity intact. She hadn't lost the fight yet, and she wouldn't behave like a defeated kit until she was one. Her mentor's eyes were gleaming as he watched her like a hawk closing in on its prey, and she knew there was no tricking him now. No neat tricks, at least. But why should she feel obliged to play fair? He wasn't. Not in her point of view. And so her expression hardened as she returned his scorching stare, her thoughts whisking angrily in her head. You've got nothing to lose. Hissing angrily, the she-cat suddenly slashed at her mentors belly with her hind paws, claws unsheathed, briefly reminding herself to be careful enough to not actually draw blood, but still do the damage required to distract her mentor. "Now, get off me!" whAT IS FAIR tags // → lionwhisker

[→ lionwhisker]

lionwhisker

What a stupid, stupid apprentice. She continued to struggle beneath him, with no apparent plan on how to get herself out. The ginger warrior twitched his whiskers in amusement. Anger was still coursing through his veins, spreading through his pelt like wildfire, but he managed to remain level headed enough to keep from crushing the she-cat. Her replies to his scathing comments only increased his rage. "Of course you need a mentor." He spat, flicking his tail. "Someone has to put your stubborn ass place. Might as well be me." The she-cat continued to fight against him, and he sighed, becoming bored. "If you had any other mentor, they'd be skinning you alive right now."  Redpaw continued to batter him with all four of her paws, the warrior still clearly pinning her to the ground. The tom was a single thought away from unpinning her and giving up- it was clear she was too stupid to get herself out of this. Suddenly, he pelt a prick on his underbelly, and he realized she had unsheathed her claws. 


The tom jumped back, a vicious snarl emerging from his tone. He gave Redpaw a second to scramble onto her paws, though he was too blind with rage to take note on whether she did or not. Then he sauntered toward her, using his lithe frame and speed to his advantage over the apprentice, and darted at her. Claws sheathed- though only by a hair- the tom struck the apprentice upside the head, with enough force to send her flying. He didn't care if she gained a slight injury now- it might do her some good. Closing his eyes to swallow the rest of his rage before he did something dangerous, Lionwhisker took a deep breath before he spoke. "That was uncalled for, and you know it. The warrior code calls for no fighting with your clanmates. Do you know what I could have you doing now?" His voice was on the rise with rage. "I'll have you confined to camp- no, the elders den- for six moons! Regular punishments don't seem to work, so perhaps I ought to invent a new one. Does cleaning out the dirtplace for a moon suffice? Or perhaps I should just let Flamingstar deal with you." He sighed deeply, attempting to contain his rage. Opening his eyes, he stared at his apprentice, his icy eyes burning holes in her pelt.

[Redpaw ◂]

"Of course you need a mentor. Someone has to put your stubborn ass place. Might as well be me." It wasn't looking like Lionwhisker even had to lift a muscle to resist her blows, and instead his expression was only growing neutral, as if putting up with her was nothing but another chore to him. "If you had any other mentor, they'd be skinning you alive right now." Shutting her jaws together, her mouth formed a tight line of rage. Which would still be much better than your showing off. But it wasn't until the first hints of pain registered in the tom's mind that Redpaw began to finally feel triumphant. A sudden sense of alertness overtaking his previously smug expression, he jumped backwards, his mouth twisted in a ferocious snarl. Briefly the apprentice wondered if she'd have enough time to dart out of the way, except, as she looked up again, she knew she barely had time to even answer her own question. Lionwhisker was already advancing on her, and before she could lift a paw, his lithe frame was a breath away from hers, paws extended. A shriek of pain escaped the she-cat's mouth as her mentor landed a blow on top of her head, and she felt her body knocked backwards, collapsing on the ground a fox-length away. She lay there motionless for a couple of heartbeats, her mind spinning, her breath coming in gasps, until Lionwhisker's voice jolted her back. "That was uncalled for, and you know it. The warrior code calls for no fighting with your clanmates. Do you know what I could have you doing now?" Redpaw had several ideas, but as she looked up to take in her mentor's expression, suddenly she couldn't help but shrink away by the powerful wave of his rage. "I'll have you confined to camp- no, the elders den- for six moons! Regular punishments don't seem to work, so perhaps I ought to invent a new one. Does cleaning out the dirtplace for a moon suffice? Or perhaps I should just let Flamingstar deal with you." His yowl was shrill, the sound piercing straight through her eardrums, and all the apprentice could do was stare mutinously down at her paws as her mentor listed out all the possible reasons he thought would help their already disastrous situation. She could hear him sighing audibly afterwards, annoyance radiating off of him and feeling the air with a reek of acute frustration. But the blue-grey apprentice still offered no response. She continued to lay in the same position she'd landed in, her hind paws sprawled out behind her, her head bowed as she tried to gather her thoughts. How could this be going so horribly wrong? "One would think by now you'd have realised none of those help," she muttered, trying to keep her voice to a low hiss, when what she really wanted to do was yowl in exasperation. Finally looking up, she held her mentor's gaze, trying not to flinch away from his intimidating blue stare. "Maybe all you need to do is just let me be for once!" Her voice was rising to a pitiful wail, and she stopped herself before she could say more. The pause lasted for several long moments, before she glanced down at her paws again. "Since punishments have all worked out so well this far." awwww now she's trying to get him to feel sorry for her A+ redpaw tags // → lionwhisker

[→ lionwhisker]

lionwhisker

Could mentor request a new apprentice? Was there some sort of exchange service for that? The tom certainly hoped so. He could practically imagine the conversation that would play out when he asked Flamingstar. Hey Flamingstar, my apprentice is a total jackass. Can I trade her for a mouse? The tom pushed back a small smile of amusement as he continued to stare down the blue she-cat. He hissed with indignation, the apprentices blubbering about self expression only serving to further his irritation. "Stop." He said, ending her whine with a flick of his tail. "Warriors don't whine." He sat down, sheathing his claws, staring at the apprentice as she lay sprawled out in the dirt. "Now sit up." He ordered. "You look pathetic." 


He knew he was being a bit harsh, but she had snuck out of camp, broken the warrior code, and patronized him. How in the world was he not supposed to be irritated by that. Besides, he felt no remorse at knocking her silly. He hadn't done it hard enough to do any damage. The way he saw it, it was an eye for an eye. Licking a paw to smooth out his ruffled fur, the tom began grooming himsself as he waited for his apprentice to pick herself up. It seemed as though most of her fight was gone, which was just as well, because the ginger tom no longer felt like quarreling over mundane things. She did wrong, and now she would be punished. Whether he let Flamingstar know of her infractions was menial- though he more than likely wouldn't. He would just punish her himself. Though what punishment, he wasn't quite sure. He knew elder duties wouldn't work, and the dirtplace didn't even begin to make up for her wrongdoings. 


Refusing to wait any longer for Redpaw to pick herself up, Lionwhisker gave his chest fur a couple licks, and wrapped his tail around his paws neatly. He gazed around the forest lazily, thinking of his words. "You can be you as long you listen to me while you're doing it." He paused, going quiet for a while.After a couple moments of his silence, he shifted his gaze back to Redpaw. "Now as I was mentioning before, you have to be punished. For starters, no gatherings for three moons." He stopped and waited for her reaction, before continuing on the pile more of punishments he had in mind.

[Redpaw ◂]

It wasn't like Redpaw had expected her mentor to understand. Sure enough, she'd been told mentor and apprentice shared a special kind of relationship, which had only given the young cat false hope. Her and Lionwhisker did share a special relationship, of course. A relationship which consisted of special hate. "Warriors don't whine." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, her red gaze noxious. "I'm not a warrior though, am I," she muttered, though an invisible force still tugged at her paws, prompting her to do what any other apprentice would and obey her mentor by sitting up. But the she-cat only shifted her body slightly to pull in one hind paw, challenge shimmering in her eyes as the two cats merely continued to stare at each other. But the tom showed no more interest in resuming their quarrel, instead proceeding with sitting back on his haunches and beginning to groom himself. The she-cat tipped her head to one side, trying to comprehend the logic behind his actions. Except, there wasn't any, at least none that she could see. He was being plain rude, naive even if he thought this would convince her to co-operate with him. But it still wasn't like Redpaw was looking to blame him. She didn't want to co-operate with him, or anyone else. He was wasting his time, because the young cat's interests lay elsewhere. Beyond ordinary apprentice training. Perhaps beyond anything clanlife had to offer. Finally the she-cat's ears pricked as Lionwhisker gave his chest fur a couple of prompting licks, and the apprentice pushed herself up to balance her upper body on her forelegs. A rebellious air was still lingering about, but she suppressed any more complaints she itched to get out as Lionwhisker returned his pale blue gaze on her. "You can be you as long you listen to me while you're doing it." For once, the tom's statement was met with a confused twitch of the apprentice's whiskers. She remained silent, but her mentor said no more. And yet, Redpaw could still sense that while his promise was implying that she was still allowed some freedom, it wouldn't be the kind that she'd be satisfied with. "Now as I was mentioning before, you have to be punished. For starters, no gatherings for three moons." Now it was the blue she-cat's turn to be silent. She returned the tom's icy stare closely, anticipating his next words. But there were none. Lionwhisker was looking at her intently, as if he was expecting a response. Rising to her paws, she began to pace towards him, her eyes still burning with resentment, though her face wore that same puzzled expression from several heartbeats ago. "Well, I.. Thanks for the favour, I guess," she commented, uncharacteristically casually, settling beside the orange tom. "Gatherings are boring and pointless anyway. Catching up on my sleep is much more appealing to me. If everyone else is so keen on pretending to be friends with those mange-pelts from TempestClan for the sake of a bunch of dead cats, you guys can suit yourselves." Satisfied with her retort, she smirked at her mentor, red eyes glimmering mischievously. "We can still continue that tree-climbing exercise I signed myself up for. Unless you've got more lecturing to do." aND NOW SHE'S BEING A LITTLE SHIT tags // → lionwhisker

[→ lionwhisker]

lionwhisker

He would rather be cleaning out the elders den than be sitting here listening to her whine all day. The ginger tom continued to stare blankly at his apprentice, watching as she slowly sat up. Well that's step one. He thought bleakly. At least she heard one of the words he had said. Suddenly, the she-cat bit out a scathing reply, "I'm not a warrior though, am I?" She asked sarcastically. Lionwhisker shrugged absently. "Not if you keep this attitude up." He said. "Hell, if you keep this up, I'll have you stripped back to a kit." It would serve her right, after all. All he asked her to do was obey what he said and not get into trouble. Honestly, how hard was that? He watched her face contort through a series of odd emotions at his statements, but the tom still felt indifferently. She was propped on her forepaws now, so the warrior assured himself he hadn't actually hurt her. He wouldn't have been surprised if the apprentice had milked her injury for a whole moon. StarClan knew she had the attitude for it.


As the she-cat began responding to his first punishment, the tom interrupted. "Alright then." He said calmly. "I won't punish you at all." The tom had forged a new idea. "In fact, I won't even train you. But when Greypaw is receiving her warrior name and you aren't, I want you to think back on this conversation and remember it." He stared at the she-cat for a long moment, the tom turned his back on the blue furred warrior, swishing his tail. There was strong mouse on the scent line from the east, and he wanted to investigate. "Oh yeah," He said, not bothering to turn around. "You can continue your little exercise if you want, but don't expect me to help when you break your neck. I would have offered to help, but you clearly don't need any." He finished, jerking his head toward the claw marks at the basin of the tree. Now stop being a pain in my ass. He thought.