MALLOWPAW
Comrade-Storm's Character

Mallowpaw bounded forward, lifting her head to smell the aroma of scents that flooded her nose. A butterfly fluttered past her nose, and she quickly sprang up to try and catch it in her paws. Of course, it was too quick even for her, and it fluttered away unharmed. It's been so long since I've been out of camp! I forgot how great it is!

"Woah there, Mallowpaw!" Her mentor, Plumfall, called after her. "I know it's been a while since you've been out of camp last,but please - slow down, okay?"

Mallowpaw was not a cat who liked waiting, she liked to rush ahead and get things done quickly, but she sighed and reluctantly obeyed her mentor. Plumfall glided effortlessly through the trees to catch up with her apprentice, her ebony coat blending perfectly with the shadows.

She could hardly contain her excitement, though, and she kept leaping forward and bounding in circles around Plumfall like a kit. Mallowpaw had only been apprenticed to her less than ten sunrises ago, so she had only ever been to the training grounds when Plumfall had taken her around to farmiliarize her with the territory.

Now, I'm actually going to learn some real battle moves, thought Mallowpaw, and she leaped in the air to catch a falling leaf in her paws. She couldn't wait to be able to beat all the other apprentices in sparring matches once Plumfall taught her some moves. Mallowpaw looked back at Plumfall with pride in her eyes that she had scored her as a mentor. Ever since she had seen the warrior defend some apprentices from a hawk that swooped down into camp, she held her in high regard.

The training grounds was not far from camp, and it took them no time at all to get there. However, Mallowpaw could hear the sound of the rushing waterfall long before they arrived. The training ground was on top of a large rock slab that overlooked a cliff and a raging river that cascaded down the cliffs. Mallowpaw had a secret fear of falling off the edge and down into the depths of the canyon, but the slab was farther away from the edge than it looked.

"Ah, so we are here early," Plumfall remarked. "I expected as much, with the pace we were going. At least we'll have a little extra time to practice."

Mallowpaw turned to her mentor excitedly. "What move will you teach me first?" She asked eagerly.

"Well, first you will need to be able to perform and recognize the proper battle stances for all three of the clans," Plumfall leaped up onto the slab in a quick, smooth heartbeat. Mallowpaw followed her, though the leap was a little tall for her stature. "Good, now watch."

Plumfall spread her back legs out behind her, and poised for a spring. Her front paws were spread out wide, ready to leap forward or backward at any moment. "This is the signature stance of ElkClan for warriors preparing to battle. It is derived from the hunting crouch, but it allows cats to be able to quickly launch or dodge attacks."

 The pose made her look fierce, and that made Mallowpaw like her mentor even more. Plumfall relaxed and stood to her paws. "Now it's your turn. Try copying what I just did." Mallowpaw settled into a hunter's crouch just as Plumfall had taught her when she was a fresh apprentice. She tried as best she could to remember how Plumfall had positioned herself.

"Good, but bunch your paws closer to your chest," Her mentor added, adjusting Mallowpaw's position with her paws. "That's better."

"What do I do now?"

"You can relax now," Plumfall said. "One good thing to remember is to never be stiff in a battle stance, or you won't be able to move quickly enough." Mallowpaw nodded, accepting her mentor's advice.

Plumfall showed her the signature battle stances for both OwlClan and WolfClan. They were both very similar to ElkClan's, but different in their own way, and Mallowpaw was confident that she would be able to identify them. They spent a few minutes going over them.

Plumfall crouched down to the stance of an OwlClan cat, with her legs spread apart and her body curled, facing Mallowpaw. Her tail shielded her midsection.

"That's an OwlClan stance!" Mallowpaw said quickly.

"Very good, Mallowpaw! You are a natural at this," Plumfall praised. "Now, can you tell me the best way to attack?"

Mallowpaw thought for a moment. They had not gone over that. Plumfall expected her to come up with the best answer she could on her own.

A) You think for a moment.  Maybe you should go for the midsection, which is only protected by the tail?
B) You have no idea. You look at Plumfall for help.
C) You see that she isn't in a crouch, so she can't quickly spring at you. You should attack first, quickly, before she can retaliate.

LIGHTPAW
livianicola's Character

Lightpaw didn't mind having Hareleap as her mentor. He was kind and never teased her about her small size. He wasn't a strict mentor, and their tasks so far had not been challenging. Still, she didn't like how her mentor was so timid. He never stood up to anybody, and she always got the easy tasks of taking care of the elders or gathering moss while the other apprentices got to go out and practice. It wasn't fair.

But today, it's going to be different, Lightpaw thought. They had just finished gathering moss for Blazelight's bedding when Blackpelt had appeared with Robinpaw. He told them that Elkstar had asked for them to take the apprentices to the training grounds and teach them the basics of battle.

How her heart had leaped for joy. Not for the fact that they would be learning to battle, but for the fact that she was going to be able to prove herself and show how strong she was. Then Hareleap would understand that they couldn't keep taking the easy jobs around camp. He would see that she would become the best warrior in ElkClan.

Oh, she could see herself now. A fierce battle against WolfClan. ElkClan was loosing. Then, she would burst in and save the day! She would chase off all the enemies and save her clanmates. Then they would all recognize and respect her. They would all stop teasing her about her size, and they would stop pitying her.

"Hey Lightpaw," Robinpaw snickered. "Are you daydreaming again?"

Lightpaw's daydream suddenly evaporated, and she was jerked back to the forest. They were almost upon the training grounds, it wasn't far now. She wondered if it would just be her and Robinpaw there, or if Mallowpaw, Mistpaw, and Shardpaw would be there too.

Lightpaw had noticed that Shardpaw was not in the apprentice den this morning, and she thought that maybe he had already gone to train with his mentor.

"Lightpaw... Lightpaw? LIGHTPAW," Robinpaw waved his tail in front of her face, which tickled her nose. A train of sneezes followed, and she tried her hardest to stifle them. "Aww, even her sneezes are tiny and cute. She'll never be a warrior." He snickered.

"Robinpaw," Blackpelt came to Lightpaw's aid. "Stop teasing Lightpaw. You know better than that. How would you feel if I started teasing you about how rude and obnoxious you are?" He gave Robinpaw a disapproving look, and the apprentice quickly apologized, walking away from Lightpaw.

Lightpaw wished that the warriors didn't have to defend her like that. She didn't care if Robinpaw teased her, she would show him one day. Besides, his mentor, Dovenight, wasn't even here to watch him. That would be humiliating in itself, she thought.

"It looks to me like we are almost there," said Hareleap. Blackpelt nodded in agreement. "I can tell by the scent that Mallowpaw and Plumfall came this way after morning patrol."

So Mallowpaw was already there? Great, Lightpaw thought, now that she's already had time, she is going to have an advantage. No matter, I'll just train even harder. She quickened her walk, keeping pace with the warriors.

Hareleap suddenly halted and sniffed the air.

"What is it?" Blackpelt queried. He gestured for the apprentices to stop with his tail. Lightpaw stood still, watching her mentor. What was it that he scented?

Hareleap breathed a sigh of relief, then continued to walk. "It was nothing, thankfully. Just thought I scented something... but we are near the WolfClan border, and there is a patrol going by just now." Lightpaw's eyes widened. Her mentor had a nose like no other; she guessed not even Blackpelt would be able to tell there was a WolfClan border patrol going by.

"Really? Oh, yes, I can just barely make out their scent," said Blackpelt. "I'll never forget what a good nose you have."

"Thank you," Hareleap dipped his head. "Now, let's get training before Plumfall and Mallowpaw advance too far." He joked, but it only made Lightpaw wary. Why did Mallowpaw get such a devoted mentor?

A shadow passed over Lightpaw suddenly. She looked up into the sky, startled to see a large owl resting on a branch just above them. Its wide eyes watched them.

A) You look up with fear. "Th-there's an owl up there!"
B) You decide to ignore the owl, and perhaps it won't bother you. 
C) You nudge Hareleap to see what he thinks. "Look!" 
D) You stare at it with wonder, curiosity and fear, all at the same time.

BLACKPELT
Degal_Heartfang's Character 

If there was an apprentice that Blackpelt didn't want to practice his mentoring on for a day, it was Robinpaw. Still, Dovenight had told him last night after the meeting that he was to be Robinpaw's stand-in-mentor while she went on a journey.

It wasn't that he didn't like Robinpaw -- Blackpelt rarely disliked any cat -- it was just that he knew Robinpaw was going to be a challenge to handle. Dovenight, with her brutish teaching methods, was probably the best possible mentor there could ever be for a trouble-making apprentice like that. Ever since she'd became his mentor, all of the rabbit droppings and burrs in their nests had come to an abrupt halt.

I'm sure he's not like he used to be, Blackpelt thought, remembering the fiery red ball of fur that used to scamper around camp. He's been an apprentice for almost four moons. He's got to have at least matured a little. After all, he's over halfway through his training.

Robinpaw had obeyed quickly enough when Blackpelt woke him up. Still, he'd been a little surprised to see Blackpelt instead of Dovenight. Whether the apprentice was relieved or disappointed, Blackpelt could not tell.

"What are you doing here?" Robinpaw asked, yawning and stretching.

"I know it's sudden, but Dovenight has gone on a journey and asked me to fill in your training for you," Blackpelt replied. The morning sun flooded into the apprentice den, the light glistening off his ebony fur. "Don't worry, only for a few sunrises." He chuckled.

Robinpaw seemed too tired to react to anything just yet, so Blackpelt could not tell what he was thinking. "We'll meet Plumfall and Mallowpaw near the camp entrance since we've got morning border patrol with them."

"Eugh, Mallowpaw?" Robinpaw groaned. "She's probably been up for shadow-marks. She has energy like an annoying fly!"

Blackpelt chuckled. Well, he's not wrong, but that's not how I would have put it. "Come on, they are probably waiting for us." The apprentice groaned again but followed Blackpelt.

Sure enough, Mallowpaw and Plumfall were already waiting at the camp entrance. He noticed that his mother looked more tired than usual, which worried him. Mallowpaw will probably be her last apprentice before the elder's den. He knew that she would be very reluctant to retire. She'd stay a warrior, at least until she started to lose her ability to hunt.

Very few cats knew or remembered his mother's kittypet origins. If any did, they didn't treat her any differently. She'd proved herself long ago. Blackpelt could hardly believe that his mother had once lived the life of a kittypet.

They set out on patrol. "We'll only be covering the WolfClan border today," Plumfall said. "Elkstar said its time to take the new apprentices to the training grounds and learn some battle moves."

"Then, all the apprentices will be training there today?" Blackpelt asked.

"All but Mistpaw and Shardpaw." Said Plumfall. "Tigerbranch has already taught Shardpaw some battle moves, and they are going with Dovenight and Smokespot to the Keeper's Cave. Mistpaw is needed for hunting and patrols today, and besides, she is already ten moons."

"Then why is Robinpaw coming if Mistpaw isn't?" inquired Blackpelt.

"You have to remember that you've never really mentored before, so Elkstar thought it best to spread Robinpaw out among you, Hareleap, and I," Plumfall said. Blackpelt nodded.

The patrol did not take long, and they didn't scent anything out of the ordinary, besides stale lynx scent, but it was days old and was headed deeper into the mountains. They also caught wind of a fox in WolfClan territory as they were marking the border.

They were beginning their way back to camp when Plumfall halted. "This is where Mistpaw and I will leave you to head over to the training ground. You'll head back to camp and see if Hareleap and his apprentice are around." Blackpelt nodded, guessing quickly that Plumfall wanted to get some extra training in with her apprentice before the others arrived.

"Hey, no fair! Why do they get to go on ahead?" Robinpaw whined.

"Plumfall is going to give Mallowpaw a little extra training. You're three moons ahead of her, remember?" Blackpelt said. Robinpaw grumbled but turned to follow his mentor back to camp.

They found Hareleap and Lightpaw in camp, as usual. Poor Lightpaw. Finally, she's an apprentice, but everyone still treats her like a kit. She never got to stray far from camp, and got most of the easy jobs. That was most likely why the other apprentices sometimes teased her because, in turn, all the harder things like patrols and hunting were left to them.

Blackpelt had always felt a little sorry for the small she-cat, but he knew that the last thing she would want is for cats to feel sorry for her. 

He approached Hareleap, who greeted him with a nod. "You've probably heard from Elkstar already that we're taking the apprentices to train," Blackpelt said. Hareleap nodded again.

"Yes, I've just been informed. We were just about to leave," The tom said.

"Then, we can go together," Replied Blackpelt. There was probably no need for us to come back to camp, but it did give Plumfall some time to work with Mallowpaw. She likely thought that it would be hard for Mallowpaw to learn with the other apprentices around since she was easily distracted.

They headed out of camp and were well on their way to the training grounds. It was on the very edge of ElkClan territory, and it overlooked a canyon with a rushing waterfall. Apprentices trained on a hard, flat stone. The stone was an excellent place to practice because they would also get balance training from not being able to dig their claws into the rock. There was also an area of soft dirt around the stone for sparring, 

Robinpaw waved his tail in front of Lightpaw's face, causing her to let out a chain of short sneezes. Blackpelt was startled for a moment and almost laughed, but he didn't want to hurt Lightpaw's feelings.

"Aww, even her sneezes are tiny and cute. She'll never be a warrior." Robinpaw teased.

"Robinpaw," Blackpelt said sternly. There was friendly joking, and then there was taking it too far. He should never have touched on Lightpaw's dream of becoming a fierce warrior. "Stop teasing Lightpaw. You know better than that. How would you feel if I started teasing you about how loud and obnoxious you are?"

The disapproving look he gave Robinpaw was enough to make the apprentice quickly apologize and scurry on ahead. Blackpelt sighed, shaking his head. He could have left out the part of Robinpaw being obnoxious -- he knew it might have been uncalled for -- but it irked him to see Lightpaw teased like that.

"It looks to me like we are almost there," said Hareleap. "I can tell by the scent that Mallowpaw and Plumfall came this way after morning patrol."

Blackpelt nodded. "Yeah, they split from us around here." He noticed that Hareleap had paused briefly to sniff the air for a moment and gave him a questioning look.

"What is it?" Blackpelt asked.

Hareleap breathed a sigh of relief, then continued to walk. "It was nothing, thankfully. Just thought I scented something... but we are near the WolfClan border, and there is a patrol going by just now."

Blackpelt sniffed the air himself to see if what Hareleap said was true. He did, in fact, catch the faint scent of WolfClan on the wind. "Yeah, I can just make out their scent. I'll never forget what a good nose you have." Still, the thought worried him.

A) You will check it out later while the apprentices are training. It wouldn't hurt to check it out. Plus, you wanted to make sure that WolfClan didn't cross the border.
B) Hareleap was right about it just being a patrol, after all, he has the best nose in the Clan. You don't think it's worth your time and energy to investigate.
C) You think you should check it out now, just to be safe. Hareleap can take the apprentices to the training grounds.

A/N

I know, I know. It's cringey, haha.

So at first, I was going to just write everyone's story in separate chapters but then I realized that it would be way to many notifications for people. It would also be way to many words to put them all into the same chapter. Instead, I split them up into groups. (Mallowpaw, Lightpaw, and Blackpelt are in the apprentice training group. Thats why this chapter is kinda themed around apprentices.)

~

So I want everyone to vote, do you like longer updates but longer time to post them (Not as long as it took me to post this one, lol) or shorter updates but less time to post them?

(Im putting this after the end of every chapter because I'm not sure if everyone reads through them all)

~Queen