Private Thread Oh How The Light Glistens [18LN20]

Like a ray from the dazzling sun
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The bright red tom scurried after his mother, paws thumping against the ground as he made his way through ShadowClan's territory. Most areas were pretty familiar to him now, but each time he went out it still felt like an adventure. 'Hmm it's a bit stinky out here. I still like it though. I like the plains the most though, I have a bit more room to run around, and I get less soggy.' Dazzlepaw had no issues with his home, but after visiting each part of the territory, the forest plains easily became his favourite. 

So, they were going to be practicing his crouch again today? His hunters crouch was something Dazzlepaw had worked hard on, as he knew it was a fundamental skill. He sometimes felt a little heavy on his paws, but for the most part he felt like he was doing an okay job. With a wiggle of his hind legs, Dazzlepaw lowered himself to the ground, making sure he didn't put too much of his weight on his back legs. He felt his paws slightly sink into the mud beneath him, but it was inevitable for such things to happen in leafbare. He wasn't really sure if he was meant to just stalk forward or actually try to catch something, but he knew Clovershine would give him any pointers he needed. Stalking forward, almost into a bush Dazzlepaw made his way forward. There was no destination in mind, for he more just wanted to practise the movement. If any prey hit his senses though, he woud go right after it. 

Even in the darkest shadows, there is always a glimmer of light. We just have to look for it.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🍀 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Clovershine watched Dazzlepaw with a delighted gleam in her eyes, her heart swelling with pride as he slipped into his crouch. She could see he’d been practicing; his balance was better, and his paws barely made a sound despite the squelching mud beneath him. She stifled a chuckle at his comment about the 'stinky' marshlands, a fond smile spreading across her face.

"You’ve got it, Dazzlepaw!" she whispered encouragingly, stepping lightly to the side to give him space. "Your crouch is fantastic Dazzlepaw, especially on this soggy ground. Just remember, ShadowClan warriors don’t mind a little mud, we make it work for us." She nodded approvingly as he stalked forward, her voice low and warm with encouragement. "And that’s a good pace, nice and steady. That way, if you catch a whiff of something tasty, you’re ready to strike before it knows you’re there."

She watched as he padded a little farther, his focus sharpening. That’s my boy, she thought, beaming. "If you like, you can give that bush a good pounce" she teased gently. "Imagine it’s a big, plump rabbit. Just be sure you’ve got your weight evenly spread, so when you land, your paws can hold steady. Remember, the wind is your friend or your enemy when it comes to rabbits, they'll smell you before they see you."

"They're fast too" Clovershine explained, she knew rabbits were going to be a hard catch for Dazzlepaw, especially while he is so young, but this wasn't a real rabbit, so a bit of practice wasn't going to hurt.

Her tone softened with admiration, her gaze following his every move. "And once we’re done here, how about we take a little detour toward the plains? We could try a run through there before heading back, give those paws of yours a chance to stretch."

Like a ray from the dazzling sun
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'Yeah well.. it's still stinky. Surely not all ShadowClan warriors like the mud, cause it's a little gross and I don't like soggy paws.' He could still remember the time he left camp with Emberdust, in which she showed him how to play within the murky puddles of ShadowClan's territory. It might have been a little uncomfortable at first, but after he got used to it, his outing with Emberdust remained one of his favourite memories. 

Attack the bush? Well, alright! Wiggling on his haunches, and not caring about being silent at all, Dazzlepaw flicked his tail in excitement before diving right at the bush, his bright red pelt flying through the air before disappearing into the thick set of leaves and branches. There was a moment of pure silence before a disheveled looking mackerel head popped out from amidst the bush, looking happy as ever. A few leaves a twigs decorated his fur, but the young tom hardly noticed, stepping out of the bush with a peppy step. He gleamed at his mother, waiting to see her reaction to his 'mighty', ungraceful pounce at the bush.

While running around in the less damp, more open areas of the forest was more appealing to Dazzlepaw, he wasn't exactly full of speed. He wasn't slow, but he definitely didn't hold that speed that he could have been gifted from his unknown WindClan ancestors. He desperately wanted to chase a rabbit, but had little chance of catching one unless he went with a more stealthy strategy. 'Okay!' He squeaked, for his voice was still yet to fully mature. It felt like he was growing bigger every day, for he was close to the size of Clovershine now. He still had a little bit of growing left in him, and would likely get just a bit taller than Clovershine, and he still had lots of bulking out to do as well. 

Even in the darkest shadows, there is always a glimmer of light. We just have to look for it.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🍀 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"I said that they would smell you before they hear you, not that they wouldn't hear you at all" Clovershine let out a warm laugh, her blue eyes sparkling with delight as she watched her apprentice barrel into the bush, not exactly graceful, but no cat needed to be, they needed to be efficient and he did pounce into the bush after all.

She moved closer to inspect the aftermath of his 'mighty pounce' tail flicking with amusement as he remerged, covered in a variation of twigs and leaves. "Hmm, didn't know I was dame to a twig monster" she chirped playfully as she picked out the twigs and leaves from Dazzlepaw's mackerel pelt.

"Well look at you now" Clovershine cooed, her eyes softened as she reminisced on the days of Dazzlepaw's kithood and how bubbly and energetic the little tom was, and he was still so full of energy, perhaps that's what Clovershine found so endearing and memorable. "From being a tiny kit to being as fierce as a fox and ready to take on the forest" she purred, brushing a stray leaf from his ear with her tail.

As her words seemed to spill out due to her emotions, she paused for a moment, letting out a warm laugh, mostly at herself "Buuuut you'll have to graduate from bushes first" she thrummed playfully. The cream lynx point she-cat took a few bounds away after Dazzlepaw was clean enough and gave him a warm smile.

"I'll tell you what, being a ShadowClan cat means getting a little muddy every now and then, just think of it as mud helping you camouflage for you to sneak up on others better" she explained "It also masks scent.. to an extent, that's what that 'stinky' scent you're smelling does" she added "Muddy paws and all, you're well on your way to mastering our territory, I can see it now"

Clovershine nudged Dazzlepaw playfully, admiring how he'd grown, it wouldn't be long now until he was nearly eye level with her now. It was hard to believe how quickly how he, Redpaw, and even Duskpaw were changing, and she could already picture them as powerful warriors. "One of these days, we'll head to the marsh together, and I'll teach you a few tricks for sneaking up on those rabbits."

Her whisker's twitched with amusement as she paused for a moment, glancing around, it had been getting rather cold recently, colder than she would like, but it was expected, it was leaf-bare after all "Who knows, you might just find that they're easier to catch than you think. Though I still think WindClan is better at it"

Like a ray from the dazzling sun
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'Dame of a twig monster that is going to eat you!' The young tom said with a playful growl, taking a powerful leap out of the bush and onto his mother. His paws wrapped clumsily around her shoulders as he flipped around to try land on her back so her could bring her to the ground. He wasn't sure if he had a proper hold on her or not, but he dived in to bite her softly anyway, gently tugging at the looser skin of her nape like he had done as a kitten. His legs pummeled her side before her let go, rolling across the ground for a moment before swiftly standing up, giving his pelt a quick shake sending dust and dirt flying everywhere. 

His heart warmed at his mother's affection, sending a small smile across the red tabby tom's face. Having Clovershine as had both its pros and cons. It meant he got to spend endless time with one of the cats he loved most, but it also meant he was more inclined to misbehave around her, feeling more comfortable to defy her orders or mess around. For the most part he was a pretty well behaved apprentice though. Keep him away from his brothers and he showed nothing but love and playfulness. 'Whadare we gonna do next?' He asked, copper eyes following a leaf as it tumbled across the ground alongside the gentle breeze. 'I'm gonna be so fast that not even the WindClan cats can catch me. And so strong that ThunderClan is scared of me and so good at swim- no RiverClan can keep the swimming to themselves. Water is fun but not in leafbare.' He hace curled up slightly in disgust as he thought about having a damp, soggy pelt right now. It was almost as bad as the stinky mud!

Even in the darkest shadows, there is always a glimmer of light. We just have to look for it.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🍀 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Clovershine let out a joyful purr, playfully swatting at her son as he scrambled around her, She couldn't help but laugh as he climbed onto her back on an attempt to knock her off balance, but she had experienced too many moons with her lame leg to know that trick.

Though, since he wouldn't be fighting for a fair few moons now, Clovershine decided a little win for Dazzlepaw wouldn't be a terrible idea, she laughed as she was wrestled to the ground, feeling a swirl of pride as he pummeled her with all the enthusiasm of a growing warrior.

"Oh? The twig monster is feeling brave today?" she teased, giving him a gentle nudge as he rolled off of her and sprang back up. She returned to standing easily, but differently to most as she had to adjust her gait with her stiffened leg. "But I won't be so easy on you in a few moons, you know."

She swiped at him gently, her green eyes sparkled as she took in Dazzlepaw's determination. Seeing him like this, so happy and full of life and ambition, filled her with a warmth that no leafbare chill could ever touch. Not even when the cold would chill her to her bones.

As Dazzlepaw shared his bold dreams, Clovershine's heart swelled with affection, she knew Dazzlepaw could reach far if he put his heart and mind to it, but being as fast as a WindClan cat and striking fear into ThunderClan cats was a bit of a stretch to her. "Fast enough to outrun a WindClan cat, hmm?" She mused, tilting her head.

"And strong enough to scare ThunderClan too? Well, with that spirit, who could deny that?" she touched her nose to his forehead, her voice softening "But remember, my little twig monster, being a great warrior is more than strength or speed. It's about heart and kindness too."

She gave his ear a gentle lick, laughing as he crinkled his nose at the though of leafbare's frozen waters. Clovershine found it rather amusing that Dazzlepaw would even be thinking about that side of the territories, but she supposed it was because of all those stories she had shared. And who could blame him for having spirit, it was what a lot of cats needed.

"Don't worry, I think RiverClan can keep their soggy pelts too" she purred, nodding in agreement with her apprentice, flicking her tail upward in a playful expression. "But if you want to practice some hunting moves, I'll be right here to help you make ThunderClan and WindClan both jealous." she cooed before leaping into a few stray growing bushes, slipping out bounding to and fro

"Catch me if you can, Speedy fox!"

Like a ray from the dazzling sun
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'Yeah well I'll still be able to beat you in a few moons. I'm actually really strong and really powerful cause you're my dam. I'm gonna be just like you, but even better.' He giggled before dodging her swipe with an upwards leap. He took in his mother's words, but didn't respond, filled with too much energy to think about the complexity of being a warrior. Kindness would come as her grew, although he already acted quite sweet around those he cared about. For now he was more focused on just doing well so he didn't fall behind his brothers. 

When his mother leapt into a bush, Dazzlepaw was quick to follow after her, for any chase was exciting for the young tom. His paws scrambled across the forest floor, and he felt his pelt snag on twigs and branches. Despite these setbacks, after a few moments he managed to catch up to Clovershine, even though her graceful darting between the bushes gave her an advantage. Her stiff leg slowed her down, meaning it was inevitable that Dazzlepaw would eventually catch up. Chasing her through the bushes was harder, and made the chase last longer than it would have on flat land, but finally the red mackerel tom felt his paw brush against his mother's tail, in which he reached out to grab it with outstretched paws. 'The bushes are cheating! I get stuck in the so it takes me soooo much longer to get you!'

Even in the darkest shadows, there is always a glimmer of light. We just have to look for it.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🍀 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Clovershine’s laughter filled the air, her eyes sparkling with pride as Dazzlepaw’s determination carried him through the undergrowth. "Oh, really?" she teased, glancing back with a playful smile as he finally managed to brush his paw against her tail. "I’d like to see that strength in action! You’re well on your way, my mighty warrior!"

She slowed her pace just a touch, making sure her son could keep up as he struggled through the bushes. "Ah, so the bushes are cheating, are they?" she mused, her voice full of warmth. "But maybe they’re just here to make you stronger. You’re learning how to get around them better every day—and one day, you’ll be darting through this forest faster than I ever could, stiff leg or not!"

She let her tail flick near his nose, an affectionate gesture. "I know you’ll be amazing, Dazzlepaw, because you’ve got so much heart. And you know what? Being just like you, with all that kindness and strength? That would be the greatest honor for any cat."