well~here's~something---->new,, [Swift/Paint]

[☆§wìftflame☆]

It was just after dawn. Sun was just slanting into the clearing, casting creeping shadows across the misty clearing. Swiftflame knew she had a good time before Paintedpaw was supposed to be out for training, but the flame colored she-cat was unable to sleep any longer. Swiftflame was extremely nervous in anticipation for her first session of training with her apprentice. In fact, Swiftflame's head was still reeling with how fast thing were moving. It was only last night that she'd even learned of her being assigned to mentor an apprentice, and already here she was, preparing for her first training session. Swiftflame had mapped out a pretty solid training schedule as she tossed and turned in her mossy nest the night before, unable to sleep. But teaching properly was what Swiftflame was worried about. What if she was an awful teacher, or she was too sharp with him, or expected too much or too little? Swiftflame did her best to shove these worries out of her mind, but she couldn't help the small pit of nervous fear that had knotted itself into a small, hard ball in the pit of her stomach as she gazed in the direction of the apprentice den, waiting for Paintedpaw to emerge.

[/blockquote]

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Excitement woke the fresh apprentice up, that was certain. There was nothing that would hinder him from enjoying a wonderful training session today, and it was his first, so he desired for it to be awesome! After all, he was training to be a warrior now; training to be a warrior! He just couldn't believe it had arrived, so soon and so swiftly, that he barely had time to prepare and control the pure, raw excitement of it all. However, having been unable to rest more than a couple of hours last night due to all those thoughts and hopes gliding throughout his mind, he had time to control his excitement.

So, instead of bounding around blissfully like many apprentices desired to -- and like his energy yearned for him to do -- Paintedpaw padded to the entrance of the apprentices' den, pausing to take a few deep breaths to further calm himself down. To calm himself down more, he twisted his apex around so that he could rasp his tongue over his flank, grooming and flattening the fur. The rest of his fur was shadowed, but as he finished grooming and turned around, he took steps outside.

And that revealed his gleaming, well cleaned and flattened fur. Since he had been tossing and turning all night, he had licked his fur clean and flattened it from time to time, and once he awoke at the correct, assigned time, he got the finishing touches down. Thus, as the sun began to beat softly upon him, his sapphires gleamed with the pride of a fresh apprentice, and his coat shimmered to show how well he had groomed himself. Only to allow it to ruffle in the first training session.

He wouldn't mind the dirtiness of training, even the pain, if there was any. To become a warrior, it was no pain no gain, and several other laws that he vowed to abide by -- by the end of this day. Whether it would be difficult or not, he did not know, but he cared not as he clearly spotted his mentor. Lobes snapping into the air and a smile brightening his expression, he sprinted to his mentor, forcing himself to move with stealth.

"Good morning, Swiftflame," he said politely as he reached her. Glancing up at her, his face brightened somewhat more. Now that he had a second chance to clearly examine his mentor, especially in daylight, he had a feeling that he was going to enjoy his training sessions; seeing her in person, not as a warrior of the Clan but as his own mentor, seemed to confirm what others spoke about her. She was a wonderful warrior, and he didn't want that to be refuted. To start things off better, he cast her another cheery smile.

[☆§wìftflame☆]

Swiftflame was unable to stifle a reminiscent flashback to sear through her mind at the sight of Paintedpaw trotting so proudly out of the apprentices den, his coat gleaming. Seeing him transported her right back to her own first day of training. She hadn't slept a wink the night before, and had fallen asleep halfway through her mentor's carefully deliberate attempts to get her to stalk a mouse. Barely hiding a grin, Swiftflame greeted her apprentice in an equally friendly manor before gesturing with her slim, flame-colored tail for him to sit for a moment. Before she began, Swiftflame reminded herself to stand taller and took a small breath to calm herself. If she hadn't been so apprehensive about teaching her new apprentice, Swiftflame might have found it funny that she was just as nervous as he was about making a good impression. Paintedpaw wasn't the only cat in the clearing whose pelt was silky from incessant grooming. Looking up determinately, Swiftflame said in a surprisingly steady voice for her nerves the words she had rehearsed so many times; "All right, Paintedpaw. I thought we'd start out by leading a little border patrol of our own to help you get to know the territory, and then we'll move deeper into the forest and get started on hunting." Swiftflame paused awkwardly, unsure of exactly how to start off their journey. She had decided previously that it would be best to illustrate the day's plans to Paintedpaw, who seemed like a sharp and eager to learn apprentice. Figuring there wasn't much more to add while they sat here in camp, Swiftflame twitched her ears in a request for Paintedpaw to follow before heading out towards the forest at a measured pace, making sure to keep it slow enough so Paintedpaw could become familiar with his surroundings. As she walked towards the camp's enterance, Swiftflame was already debating with herself which route to take and which important details to point out to Paintedpaw along the way.

[/blockquote]

[OOC:Don't worry, she'll get teachier once they're in the forest xD]

[.&&. Snowsong.]

A surge of excitement tickled the fresh apprentice's spine as he greeted his mentor and she returned the greeting. The second she gestured for him to seat himself down beside her, his haunches were on the ground, his tail wrapped neatly around his paws as he allowed his benign sapphires to glance up at the she-cat's face. He couldn't suppress the great smirk that forced its way onto his lips and stubbornly demanded that it remain on his face. With fur prickling up in a few spots, his excitement pretty much radiated from him, accompanied by some nervousness.

"All right, Paintedpaw. I thought we'd start out by leading a little border patrol of our own to help you get to know the territory, and then we'll move deeper into the forest and get started on hunting."

If his trembling had been obvious before, it certainly was obvious now. From the tip of his lobes to the end of his tail, there was a shaking about him at those words. At first, it was uncontrollable, almost frightening as his entire figure shook with anxious excitement. But then, Paintedkit forced in a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down, and his trembling gradually died down to the twitching of his whiskers.

Once Swiftflame beckoned for him to trail after her with a flick of her ears, the young apprentice was on his paws again, striding somewhat swiftly after his new mentor. His smile grew quite a bit as energy immediately slammed into him, especially when he caught up with his mentor. The second they exited the Camp entrance, there was a burning flame within him, and his gaze scanned the area, taking in as much information as his mind could register.

This is awesome! Haha, such humorous excitement. But, who could blame him? He was just so excited to be able to have his first training session start out so wonderfully.

[☆§wìftflame☆]

Swiftflame's racing thoughts had finally begun to calm just as the tell-tale sound of crunching leaves and snapping twigs announced her apprentice's pursuit. Eying the hollow up ahead as her turning point, Swiftflame stopped and spun around abruptly, paws twisting in an expertly rehearsed dance as she retained her footing. Her unannounced spin would have disrupted the sharpest apprentice, and Swiftflame expected Paintedpaw to be thrown off guard by her sudden stop. Squinting slightly in the light of the slowly rising sun, Swiftflame meowed, "Here's your first two lessons, Paintedpaw. First, always be prepared for the unexpected. If everything goes exactly as planned, you're probably having a nice dream from too much fresh-kill. Being prepared will help you keep the advantage going your way."

[/b]

Swiftflame delivered her first lesson with a very slightly noticeable nervousness, but with a rather quiet authority Swiftflame hadn't known she possessed. Swiftflame was rather proud of herself from keeping the quiver out of her voice, and gained ore confidence as she gestured towards Paintedpaw's aptly named paws in transition to her next lesson. "Also, I thought it might be a good idea to teach you a little lesson in stealth."[/b] Swiftflame backed up slightly so she could demonstrate her points as she spoke. "The skill of a soundless step is a very useful one, and you'll use it your whole life as an apprentice and a warrior. Now, the trick is to keep control of your tail for balance, and watch your paws to make sure there's nothing loud underfoot. That could alert your presence to prey or even a loner or a rogue. Place each step softly, and just imagine yourself sliding along a smooth as water."[/b] Swiftflame ended on what she thought was a good note, and locked eyes with her apprentice, wanting to make sure he'd understood everything she'd said. They were two very important lessons in Swiftflame's opinion, and if he could master the art of a silent walk, he was more than halfway to a hunting crouch, something she also aimed to teach Paintedpaw later that day....and how to find prey...and maybe some fighting...and there's the warrior code...

Swiftflame's train of thought ended quite abruptly as she realized just how much there was to teach Paintedpaw, and how far there still was to go. I really don't want to take things too quickly and cram too much into his head at once... Swiftflame resolved immediately to pay close attention to see if Paintedpaw was being overwhelmed, and to try to take things slowly.[/size][/blockquote]

[.&&. Snowsong.]

His mentor's abrupt spin was definitely not expected, which showed as he snapped into full attention, jerking to a sudden stop with his shoulder fur bristling and sapphires wide in shock. It took him a few seconds to realize the yowl that sounded was his, considering how his jowls were hanging open as he stared at his mentor. There was a faint hint of panting from the sudden shock, but it almost immediately silenced as a faint fit of laughter began to develop. Laughter toward himself, how surprising.

"Here's your first two lessons, Paintedpaw. First, always be prepared for the unexpected. If everything goes exactly as planned, you're probably having a nice dream from too much fresh-kill. Being prepared will help you keep the advantage going your way."

Paintedpaw nodded at Swiftflame, etching every important, relevant detail about his first to lessons firmly into his brain. Once she gestured, with her tail, at his paws, he glanced down at them.

"Also, I thought it might be a good idea to teach you a little lesson in stealth. The skill of a soundless step is a very useful one, and you'll use it your whole life as an apprentice and a warrior. Now, the trick is to keep control of your tail for balance, and watch your paws to make sure there's nothing loud underfoot. That could alert your presence to prey or even a loner or a rogue. Place each step softly, and just imagine yourself sliding along as smooth as water."

After watching her closely, extremely closely with great concentration, and listening with care, he gave her a nod. When she paused, their eyes locked, he realized that it was most likely his turn, to give it a try. So, with an excited nod, he padded back, before using all the details she had just spoken. He began to 'prowl' carefully, and, gradually, his steps began to grow quieter and quieter, though his tail still twitched from time to time.

[☆§wìftflame☆]

Swiftflame sat perfectly still, head cocked slightly as she watched Paintedpaw attempt a silent walk. As he practiced he improved rapidly, and soon he had the placement of his paws almost perfect, though his twitching tail would certainly give away his position to anyone as it rattled the thick greenleaf branches overhead. Swiftflame pointed this out, but was unable to find anything else the apprentice needed more than good practice. Standing up again, the flame-colored cat paced around her apprentice, locking her own emerald eyes with his, whose shade were that of sapphires. In the space of no more than a second, Swiftflame mentally compared her own apprentice to the behaviors of other apprentices she had commonly seen. She realized immediately the superior intelligence and drive Paintedpaw seemed to have, and saw enormous potential within. Promising herself once again not to overwork her unusually mature apprentice, Swiftflame spoke once again.

"Paintedpaw, you're doing great. You've really got the potential to make a fantastic warrior from what I've seen so far. We've got a long way to go, though. So, I though I'd give you a little more practice with that walk by using it in your hunter's crouch."

[/b]

Pacing slowly as she spoke, Swiftflame explained first the crouch, pointing out to Paintedpaw how his belly should almost brush the ground as he walked, and how he should prepare to pounce on his prey, gathering his strength in his hind legs before launching himself forward.

Now, when you pounce, you want to make sure you don't close your eyes or take your eyes off your prey in any way, or you'll miss it."[/b]

Swiftflame decided to let Paintedpaw try out the crouch and pounce, and then try hunting some prey for real.

[/blockquote][/size] [ooc:ehh no muse]