To Train Those With ;;Cold Hearts;; |PRIVATE|

[CelestialStorywriter]

[[This is a private thread between Fallingmoon and I. If you want to join, just ask both of us, but PM us so this isn't interrupted.]]

Waterpaw's tail twitched in annoyance, her piercing dark blue eyes scanning the land surrounding her. She was waiting for her mentor, Leapingtiger, to show up, and Waterpaw wasn't exactly the most paitent of cats. A cold breeze ruffled her fur, even though it was newleaf. It didn't surprise her. It would only start getting really hot when it became greenleaf.

The cold didn't faze her at all. She was used to feeling cold, and not because leafbare had just ended. Her heart was frozen, and it got colder every day. She became ever more detached from the world as time went on. She knew she needed to be saved, but she doubted anyone cared enough to.

So, she waited.

[Fallingmoon]

Leapingtiger leapt into the clearing, paws wide on either side and eyes glowing, like an actual snowy tiger, jumping out of time. He rfront paws hit the ground with a smooth fshhhh. Her backpaws hit and there was a warm smile on her face, and her eyes glew with warmth and happiness. The cool morning didn't really effect her, since her fur was so thick and long. She paded to the center of the clearing, reciting once more the words she'd thought of the night before.
"Good morning, Waterpaw. Isn't it cold out?"

[CelestialStorywriter]

Waterpaw raised a brow at her mentor's "dramatic" entrance, but said nothing of it. "I suppose." She said with that uncaring tone she was infamous for using. "But I haven't really noticed." Her voice was quiet, clipped to a point where you had no idea what could possibly be going through her mind. She stood, watching her (annoyingly) happy mentor with calculating eyes. Her gaze was unblinking, her unreadable expression set in stone.

[Fallingmoon]

Leapingtiger just stared back, overjoyed as if a mouse had just lept into her paws. She mewed repectfully back, dipping her head,
"Well I think we should start with some densif training, against rats." Her face had grown seriose, but her eyes still shown. "Rats are alomst like mice, but they are smart, cunning and deadly in groups. If they corner you, you'll get killed. If you fall you'll get injered horribly." Her words where carefull, yet firm, almost frightened.

[CelestialStorywriter]

"I know what a rat is, thanks." Waterpaw interjected her irritably. "Rats are the reason why I was out of camp the day my father tried to murder me." Waterpaw said it so simply, as if it wasn't the most terrifying day of her life. Which it was. "I'm sure you remember that." She watched her mentor's reaction carefully. It was true. Waterpaw, or Waterkit back then, had (foolishly) decided to fight off some rats to prove that she was worth being made an apprentice early. It had all ended in disaster when her suicidal/mentally ill father had found her.

She still had nightmares. Not that she'd ever tell.

[Fallingmoon]

Leapingtiger was almost choked for words and she said,
"I know, I am so sorry." She hesitated, her eyes growing soft with sadness, "I knownhow you must feel. But next you meet them, they'll try to run away with you around." A fainmt smile ticked the edge of her lips, hopfully that could sooth him. She sat down, about a fox-lenght away from Waterpaw.

[CelestialStorywriter]

Waterpaw felt anger flare inside of her. "I don't want your pity." She snapped. "And what do you know? With your perfect friends, your perfect family, your perfect life. How could you possibly know how I feel?" She hissed, her dark blue eyes blazing. "And there are already cats in AshClan who run at the sight of me, but for reasons other then my fighting skills." She growled, reffering to how everyone kept their distance to her now, afraid that she would break like her father did. It only served to make her heart grow even colder, and her pain even worse.

[Fallingmoon]

Leapingtiger slitted her eyes, cold fury blazing her her eyes. She stood up and hissed down,
"Hah! Perfect life you little run-away! Don't you even think anything at all in this huge forest wet world that anyone has ever came up to me with open arms. So what, people think you'll go crazy?! So what you just a little cute defencless kit who looks so hungry, so poor!" She rtolled her blue and and unsheathed her claws into the safter sand. Her tail was lfuffed up and lashing and her claws shown clear and sharp in the sunlight. "You don't dare go near perfect life unless you facing a kittypet who eats slop and sleeps in warmth because I no where near that! You haven't had the apprenticehood of cold laughter and sneering, name calling. You haven't had a warriorhood with bloody claws as a game!" Her fury held her words tightly, but fear pulsed from her to.

[CelestialStorywriter]

Waterpaw was slightly taken aback, but she didn't let it show. "At least people actually paid attention to you." She hissed through gritted teeth. "They didn't ignore your presence like you were some kind of disease." This was bad, Waterpaw realized. She was losing control of her emotions, she was beginning to get choked up. The pain of loneliness was beginning to catch up with her. "They acknowledged you. They didn't refuse to be in your company because of something someone else did." Her voice was rising. This was very bad. She couldn't spill her heart out in front of anyone! But unfortunately, that was what was happening.

[Fallingmoon]

Leapingtiger's fury suddenly turned to concern and her fur flattened as she took a step toward Waterpaw.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. . ." Leapingtiger hesitated, as if she might ofence him again, curling her paw slightly back. The cool wind did seem to freeze her then to, kept her there even though she felt like curling up.

[CelestialStorywriter]

Waterpaw attempted a glare, but failed. Miserably. "You didn't scare me..." She growled, trying to sound fierce, but failed. Again. She stood there, head hung low, with tears threatening to spill. She noticed she was shaking with the effort to not cry.

[Fallingmoon]

Leapingtiger walked up to her with big round blue eyes.
"I'm sorry again though." She sat beside her and put her muzzle close to Waterpaw's ear, "I'd never try to hurt you." Her tail layed around Waterpaw, toutching Waterpaw's tabby tail. Even though Leapingtiger felt warmer beside Waterpaw, she was still cold to the bone. Had she really frightened her first apprentice granted to her her on her first training session? This had all ended miserably, starting with their quick tempers. Now she huddled beside Waterpaw at a time she thought they where going to have a bit more fun.

[CelestialStorywriter]

[[-sniffle- Is this a touching moment or what?]]

Completely against Waterpaw's will, she cried silently into her mentor's shoulder, sniffling pathetically and hating herself for it. The terror of when her father attacked her, the sorrow of when her mother had died of greencough, the shock of when she found out her father was suicidal, and the loneliness of being outcasted by her Clan... it all meshed together into this one moment.

[Fallingmoon]

Dream, Dream, Dream . . .

Leapingtigerjust ducked ehr head under Waterpaw's chin trying as much as she could to try to confort her. She felt sad to, yet not like that. She was sad, happy, yet furiouse and overwhelmingly sorry. If she wasn't Waterpaw's mentor this would never had happened. Yeah, how goo dis this huh? Your first apprentice and you blew it! She thought bitterly to herself, but showed no sighns of it. She was happy Waterpaw actually rubbed the world with ehr paw now, rain splash her, yet she would soon be under the full-leaf oak, protected from the rain ina dry, warm shelter. She hoped that, yet she'd never know. She just kept as she was, one session was normal to miss.