Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖
Cottonbright padded through RiverClan’s camp, weaving between the large, knotted roots of the ancient willow tree that sheltered the clan. The early morning sun filtered through the hanging branches, casting dappled shadows across the soft earth beneath her paws.
Mintwhisker had turned out well enough in her eyes - he was cautious and quiet but he was ready to serve RiverClan with everything he had. Cottonbright had poured her heart into his training, guiding him from his first tentative steps into the warrior world to his naming ceremony. And now, barely a moon later, Boldstar had entrusted her with another apprentice - Sturgeonpaw.
The weight of such a responsibility filled her with both honor and a touch of anxiety. She was determined not to disappoint him, but that familiar self-doubt, though quieter than it once had been, still whispered at the back of her mind.
Cottonbright paused near the apprentice's den. Sturgeonpaw had a lively energy about him, and she couldn’t help but feel that this would be a different experience from training Mintwhisker. She just hoped she could live up to their expectations.
Shaking out her white fur, she mentally prepared herself for the day’s training session as she called out his name into the den. "Sturgeonpaw?"
2
Cottonbright & Sturgeonpaw
Some Training
RiverClan Camp
FROM RIVERCLAN:
Cottonbright, ♀ Anxious Warrior
Nettleplume, ♂ Cynical Medicine Cat
Merrypaw, ♀ Steadfast Apprentice
Otterwhisker, ♀ Adventurous Elder
FROM THUNDERCLAN:
Brindlespice, ♀ Selfish Warrior
Bravesong, ♂ Gracious Elder
Leopardrose, ♀ Striving Warrior
Wildcry, ♀ Fierce Elder
FROM WINDCLAN:
Cloudflare, ♂ Suave Warrior
Barleyswipe, ⚧ Ornery Elder
Heatherkit, ♀ Sweet Kit
FROM SHADOWCLAN:
Palestar, ♀ Stern Leader
Honeyglow, ♂ Reserved Elder
Emberdust, ♀ Artless Warrior
Duskpaw, ♂ Opportunistic Apprentice
FROM WHITEHART & BEYOND:
Ahryndae, ♀ Princess of Camelot
Lelouch Von Noon, ♂ Marquess of Noon Cattery
Kosmo, ♂ Visionary Feral
Montgomery (Monty), ♂ Sentimental Semi-Feral
Sturgeonpaw had spent a good portion of the morning trying to rearrange his nest, and the nests of his sisters so they all had enough space. There were a lot of apprentices in the crook of the tree roots now, and Mintwhisker's absence still didn't leave quite enough space in his mind.
He had collected some moss and rearranged it so that his siblings - most of who were out patrolling or on elder duty - would have some when they got back. He had also taken the liberty of plucking a bird he had found in the freshkill pile for feathers, bringing it with him when he had gone to visit his dame in the elder's den. Now, the feather were mixed in with the moss. He sat, for a moment, contemplating how he was going to arrange the bedding... when his name was called.
Not hesitating for a second, he scrambled out of the den, emerging to bouncing in excited circles around his mentor - not bothering to shake the feathers that were still stuck to his face and fur.
"Are we going out? Are we going to the river? The gravelpath? The field?" He chirped, his masked face blinking up at Cottonbright.
Characters:
Coldgaze: (M) Ruthless Riverclan Deputy
Lawn Gnome: (F) Motherly Semi-Feral Shecat
Redpaw: (M) Thoughtful Shadowclan Apprentice
Sootbounce: (M) Bubbly Shadowclan Warrior
Sturgeonpaw: (M) Altruistic Riverclan Apprentice
Sunstrike: (F) Anxious Thunderclan Queen
NPCs:
Quailcall: (F) Fierce Thunderclan Warrior
Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖
Cottonbright couldn't help but chuckle softly as Sturgeonpaw bounded out of the den, feathers still clinging to his fur. His energy was contagious, and she found herself smiling despite the nervous flutter in her chest. The sight of him bouncing around in circles, asking a flurry of questions, made her a bit dizzy!
"S-slow down, Sturgeonpaw." Came her purr, her tail flicking playfully at one of the stray feathers stuck to his ear. "You’ve still got feathers on you. You’ve been busy this morning, haven’t you?"
Her lime-green eyes softened as she looked down at him. He had the same spark that Mintwhisker had, though it was different in its own way. Where Mintwhisker had been cautious and deliberate, Sturgeonpaw was brimming with curiosity and eagerness. Cottonbright felt that same surge of responsibility she had when training her previous apprentice, but with Sturgeonpaw, it seemed like she would have to channel his boundless energy in the right direction.
"We are going out, but we’re starting with something a bit closer to camp today." She began, her tone gentle. "Let's start our by going to the Upper West Bank. Does... that sound alright?"
FROM RIVERCLAN:
Cottonbright, ♀ Anxious Warrior
Nettleplume, ♂ Cynical Medicine Cat
Merrypaw, ♀ Steadfast Apprentice
Otterwhisker, ♀ Adventurous Elder
FROM THUNDERCLAN:
Brindlespice, ♀ Selfish Warrior
Bravesong, ♂ Gracious Elder
Leopardrose, ♀ Striving Warrior
Wildcry, ♀ Fierce Elder
FROM WINDCLAN:
Cloudflare, ♂ Suave Warrior
Barleyswipe, ⚧ Ornery Elder
Heatherkit, ♀ Sweet Kit
FROM SHADOWCLAN:
Palestar, ♀ Stern Leader
Honeyglow, ♂ Reserved Elder
Emberdust, ♀ Artless Warrior
Duskpaw, ♂ Opportunistic Apprentice
FROM WHITEHART & BEYOND:
Ahryndae, ♀ Princess of Camelot
Lelouch Von Noon, ♂ Marquess of Noon Cattery
Kosmo, ♂ Visionary Feral
Montgomery (Monty), ♂ Sentimental Semi-Feral
"Sound alright? It sounds great!" He had been worried that he would be the only apprentice out of his siblings to not get to leave the camp this moon but thankfully Cottonbright seemed smarter than that.
He took a moment to bat feathers off his face, not bothering to remove all of them off his body and fur. His sisters would probably get them later when they noticed. "I was making a nest, or prepping nests. For Hailpaw and Merrypaw and -" He stopped himself before he listen ALL of his family. Cotton was probably more familiar with them than he was in some way. "Well, you know."
Characters:
Coldgaze: (M) Ruthless Riverclan Deputy
Lawn Gnome: (F) Motherly Semi-Feral Shecat
Redpaw: (M) Thoughtful Shadowclan Apprentice
Sootbounce: (M) Bubbly Shadowclan Warrior
Sturgeonpaw: (M) Altruistic Riverclan Apprentice
Sunstrike: (F) Anxious Thunderclan Queen
NPCs:
Quailcall: (F) Fierce Thunderclan Warrior
Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa. Pressure that'll tip, tip tip 'till you just go pop, whoa.
❖ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❀ ⭒ ❖ ⭒ ❖
Cottonbright's whiskers twitched in amusement at Sturgeonpaw's enthusiasm. She let him ramble about the nests he had been preparing, a warm smile crossing her face as he mentioned his siblings, but stopped himself short. She knew Hailpaw, Merrypaw, and the rest of his family well enough from her time in the clan, and it was endearing to see how much he cared about them.
"I see." She said with a soft purr, acknowledging his effort. "That was very thoughtful of you. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the fresh bedding when they return."
Her gaze drifted to the camp entrance, where the sunlight filtered through the willow branches. The Upper West Bank would be a perfect place to start his training - calm, with plenty of opportunities for him to practice his skills while staying close enough to camp. She wanted to build his confidence before taking on bigger challenges.
"Alright then, let’s head out." Came the soft trill of her voice, starting to pad toward the entrance of the camp, her white tail swaying behind her.
FROM RIVERCLAN:
Cottonbright, ♀ Anxious Warrior
Nettleplume, ♂ Cynical Medicine Cat
Merrypaw, ♀ Steadfast Apprentice
Otterwhisker, ♀ Adventurous Elder
FROM THUNDERCLAN:
Brindlespice, ♀ Selfish Warrior
Bravesong, ♂ Gracious Elder
Leopardrose, ♀ Striving Warrior
Wildcry, ♀ Fierce Elder
FROM WINDCLAN:
Cloudflare, ♂ Suave Warrior
Barleyswipe, ⚧ Ornery Elder
Heatherkit, ♀ Sweet Kit
FROM SHADOWCLAN:
Palestar, ♀ Stern Leader
Honeyglow, ♂ Reserved Elder
Emberdust, ♀ Artless Warrior
Duskpaw, ♂ Opportunistic Apprentice
FROM WHITEHART & BEYOND:
Ahryndae, ♀ Princess of Camelot
Lelouch Von Noon, ♂ Marquess of Noon Cattery
Kosmo, ♂ Visionary Feral
Montgomery (Monty), ♂ Sentimental Semi-Feral
"Yessss!" Sturgeonpaw was three steps ahead of Cottonbright on the way out of camp, trailing feathers as he went. He never did work up the courage to sneak out - not when he was following around his siblings - so this really was one of his first excursions beyond the camp boundry.
"Do you think there will be prey out? Or are they all sleeping? Otterwhisker said she was a really good swimmer, and I wanna bring her something."
Characters:
Coldgaze: (M) Ruthless Riverclan Deputy
Lawn Gnome: (F) Motherly Semi-Feral Shecat
Redpaw: (M) Thoughtful Shadowclan Apprentice
Sootbounce: (M) Bubbly Shadowclan Warrior
Sturgeonpaw: (M) Altruistic Riverclan Apprentice
Sunstrike: (F) Anxious Thunderclan Queen
NPCs:
Quailcall: (F) Fierce Thunderclan Warrior
