Remember it Well [Wolfpaw + Windy]

[Duskwind]

The tom yawned. It was amusing how he didn't even attempt to regain his dignity. All the cat did was open his mouth as wide as possible before closing it and smiling to himself, green eyes bright and cheerful. It would be his first time taking Wolfpaw out training, and though most mentors showed their apprentices around the territory first, it wasn't a requirement, and therefore the tom had spent quite some time debating what to do with Wolfpaw. He knew the smaller tom wasn't the most... Agreeable character, and sure, he might be the moon compared to Duskwind, but there was no saying the deputy wouldn't find a silver lining. How bad could an apprentice be?

Poking his head into the Apprentice's Den, the sunny tabby flashed a blinding smile and opened his maw.
"Wolfpaw! Come on out before the sun decides to take a nap waiting for you! We've got to make good time, you know!"
He practically yowled, backing up and smiling innocently. A passing warrior chuckled at the young cat's spirited nature, but the tom was too focused on waiting for his apprentice to emerge from the den to actually notice that his clanmate was amused by him.

Showing the territory is boring, though I guess I can take him along the borders first and gradually make our way inbound. Maybe the borders will catch his attention.
Unaware of just how 'disagreeable' his apprentice was, Duskwind waited patiently for the tom to appear.

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[Wolfpaw]

"Wolfpaw, You monster!" Yowled a strange shadowy figure as his throat got slashed by Wolfpaw. "Muahaha, I now rule the forest. Let blood reign from my paws!" He growled out. All of a sudden Wolfpaw was awaken by his mentor calling his name. Wolfpaw woke with a jerk, "Whata nice dream" He purred to himself. As Wolfpaw got up and stretched his muscules he sprang forward outside the Apprentices Den. Wolfpaw was surprised to see Duskwind right there,"Ahhh" He yelped as he accidentally ran into his Mentor."Nice move" He mewed sarcastically to Duskwind. "Out Of ALL the mentors" He mumbled to himself.

Wolfpaw got up and shook his head from running into Duskwin. "Well, What are we doing today?" He mewed now in a excited tone. Wolfpaw began waving his tail. "Training I hope" He thought to himself. Wolfpaw awaited eagerly for an answer.

[Duskwind]

[Rofl xD Wolfpaw's dream cracks me up.]

It was when the tom heard the scuffling of paws on bedding that he decided now was the time to move out of the way. Of course, it is one thing to process information and another for your body to respond, and in Duskwind's case, the latteral did not occur as fast as he would have liked. It took a split second before the tom was knocked backwards by the sudden impact as his apprentice bolted out of the den. Though Duskwind was average-sized, he was still bigger than his apprentice, so it was definitely the surprise over size that sent him sprawling on his back. Of course, not one to be deterred, he rolled sideways and upright, not bothering to groom his pelt despite the tufts of dust and debris the poked out of it. Smiling resolutely, the tom stood up from his sitting position.
"Training of course! I didn't wake you up for the sake of seeing your reaction, you know."

He purred, emerald eyes light-hearted as he shook himself and stretched. It was funny how fast Wolfpaw had moved. With a bushy tail like that, Duskwind would have sworn it would slow the tom down, and besides; though Duskwind was just as tall as the next warrior, he was a light-weight with a more slender figure which granted him speed, so if any cat was going to be charging out of dens and knocking out the nearest clanmate, it was him.
Yeah, learn to stick to your duty.
He thought in amusement, smirking with good-nature at Wolfpaw.

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[Wolfpaw]

Wolfpaw immediately bounded after Duskwind on the way to the training hollow. Slicking his hair down with quick rasps of his tongue while running. Wolfpaw had not liked his result of his mentor, and he was determined to show it. "So, What are we going to learn first?" He tried to sound calm and not caring, but he was so excited. His eyes glittering as he looked up at his mentor. Wolfpaw had wished he had gotten a better a more serious mentor. Wolfpaw had ignore his Duskwind's friendly smirk, He was planning on making Duskwind work for his trust. "Hurry up and tell me!" He gritted through his teeth.

[Duskwind]

Not bothering to glance over his shoulder, Duskwind carried on at a brisk trot. He knew he wouldn't have to wait for the tom; something told him Wolfpaw wouldn't be bested and that the cat would convince himself that rather than following, he was simply leading from behind. Concealing a highly amused smile, the handsome tom let his thoughts wander as his paws created a steady rhythm upon the ground. It was then and only after Wolfpaw's impatient hiss that the deputy halted, making sure to step out of the way in case Wolfpaw didn't stop fast enough. Turning his head, the tom looked down at the younger cat and smiled softly with a slight knowing look.
"You know Wolfpaw, patience is a virtue. And so far, it's one you're without, so before you get ahead of yourself, let's start with the basics."

Rotating fully around, he stood in front of the apprentice so as to block his way and face him directly.
"Hello Wolfpaw, my name is Duskwind. It's nice to have a conversation with you for the first time. As of now, I'll be your mentor, so I'll do my best to teach you the things you need to know to become a warrior of Frostclan, and you'll do your best to use that knowledge for the rest of your life in order to make good and thorough decisions. Even if the idea doesn't sound appealing to you, if either of us are going to enjoy this, I think we should give some acknowledgement that we'll need stronger communication skills if this is going to work, understood?"

He meowed, voice serious until he unexpectedly smile and flicked the tom lightly in the face with his tail; gentle enough not to hurt, but firm enough to make sure Wolfpaw was paying attention.
"I may seem like a push-over, but when it comes to someone else's benefit I promise I'll give you a show."
Grinning suddenly, Duskwind spun around and marched off back in the direction of the Training Hollow. Without glancing over his shoulder, he shouted,
"Well, did that give you some thought to chew on? Better hurry up so we can get as much work in as possible! Being an apprentice isn't all play, you know!"

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[Wolfpaw]

Wolfpaw bowed his head, "Yes Sir" he meowed respectfully to the Tom. He did respect Duskwind, He had worked hard to become Deputy. Wolfpaw's fur bristled with rage when Duskwind flicked his tail in Wolfpaw's face, "Idiotic crowfood eating Loner" He hissed under his breath. Wolfpaw had listened to Duskwind, no matter how much he disliked him, he still wanted to be the best Warrior Frostclan had ever seen. Wolfpaw listened focusing on every word Duskwind mewed. "Alright, May we please learn some fighting techniques now, Duskwind?" He meowed trying to hide his excitement. Wolfpaw had wanted to jump right into battle training. Wolfpaw hadn't liked Duskwind, but he was very eager to learn, "Well....Speak up" He mewed like he was the mentor and Duskwind was the apprentice.

[Duskwind]

Holding back a purr of amusement, the tom kept on walking as he smiled to himself.
Was I this lively at his age? No, I should say, was anyone that energetic and quick to argue?
Shaking his head he looked up grinning in an attempt to mask the humor he found in the situation. To Duskwind, there nothing more fun than meeting a cat who didn't realize how big a grave he was digging himself. Wolfpaw was lucky that the tom was laid back; if it were any other cat that lacked a personality that wasn't so easy-going, the apprentice might've lost an ear by now.

"Ask a little nicer and I might answer."
He meowed evenly with neither spite nor a teasing tone. Though Duskwind admired the tom's head-strong forwardness, it didn't mean he was going to just let the tom go right ahead and say whatever he wanted. Even a cat who could be as eccentric as Duskwind understood where to set the boundaries, and though he was perfectly fine with and actually encouraged a cat to speak their opinion, disrespecting someone for no solid reason wasn't something he was going to simply ignore. In fact, it wasn't even that it bothered the tom. Rather, he was weary of how other cats, even of different clans, would react to an arrogant young cat who was all too eager to curse you out. Not only for the sanity of all that was good in the world, but for Wolfpaw's sake too; there was no point in letting the tom surround himself in a world of enemies if it could be helped.

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[Wolfpaw]

Wolfpaw's fur bristled with pure rage, his eyes widend and he let out a hiss. "Im...Sorry.....May we please....train, Duskwind?" He mewed every word slowly and with a hint of sarcasm. Wolfpaw looked up at Duskwind with a edge of pure hatred in his eyes, but soon it disappeared and he looked proudly at his mentor, "I did get lucky enough to get the best mentor in the Clan." All the hatred and meaness left Wolfpaw, He was ready to learn.

"So, May we please train now," Wolfpaw looked like he actually was sorry, "Please?" Wolfpaw was practically jumping out of his fur with excitement. "Cool it Wolfpaw, Come on, If you want to be the best warrior you can be, then you have to control yourself." Wolfpaw controlled his excitement, But was still waving his tail. "I can't wait!" He thought to himself.

[Duskwind]

Though the tom didn't turn to look at Wolfpaw, he felt the cat's anger die down. Perhaps he'd worn himself out, or had given up on trying to push things faster? Either way, the tom had quieted his voice, and while Duskwind was almost sorry that the cat wasn't blowing up again, it was also nice to savor the silence for a while.
"Of course. I didn't take you out here to enjoy the scenery, though if you're more sentimental than I can take you out daydreaming some time."

He joked in a play on Wolfpaw's own words before smiling and slowing to a stop. Despite their conversation-filled walk, they had already reached the hollow, and the sunny tom inhaled as the scents of the forest filled him.
"Alright. Since you're so eager to be up on your toes, how about I teach you a thing or two about fighting? It's New-leaf now, which means they're be a lot of warriors from other clans training their apprentices just as hard, and it's always good to know basic self-defense."

He meowed matter-of-factly. Stepping down into the center of the small clearing, he turned and smiled patiently at the apprentice.

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[Wolfpaw]

Wolfpaw had grown tired of trying to make an enemy out of Duskwind. He thought that it would be much better to just do what he is told without an smart attitude, unless of course Duskwind pushes him. Wolfpaw had talked to Duskwind the whole way to the training hollow. Wolpfaw nearly jumped with enjoyment when he talked about learning the basics, "Atleasts it is some kind of training" He thought to himself.

Wolfpaw had bowed his head after Duskwind had finished, trying to show respect. "That sounds great, I want to learn everything there is. I want to be better than all the other Apprentices in the whole forest!" He mewed with excitement. "And it will happen, I swear on Starclan it will." He meowed each word with confidence like he meant it and knew that it would happen. "Alright, So how do we start?" He mewed as a smile spread across his face.

[Duskwind]

Cocking his head to the side curiously, the golden cat stared at the smaller feline for several moments before grinning slowly in amusement. Though he didn't say anything, his eyes flickered humorously before he blinked and shook himself.
"Alright, then you aim for that goal. But remember, your denmates will also help you become the best warrior you can be. There will be times in the future when you train alongside them, so don't forget that respect to your peers is just as necessary as respect to your elders."

He meowed in a softer tone that was new to the normally eccentric tom. Maybe it was because he was faintly reminded of himself when he was younger that he felt a connection to the apprentice, but something told him to go with his gut-feeling. After all, Wolfpaw also seemed like the kind of cat to act by instinct over sensibility.

"Alright, that's the spirit. First of all, let's go over some facts. Now, don't take any of this as offense when I put it straight-forwardly, but you're still an apprentice, so you're smaller than other cats obviously. In battle, you'll be going up against full-grown warriors, or even creatures who aren't cats. When you find yourself confronting such obstacles, remembering the things you're taught will be vital. You've play-faught with the other cats your age, right?"
He meowed, green eyes uncharacteristically calm as he spoke to the younger cat.

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[Wolfpaw]

Wolfpaw shook his head as Duskwind, hanging on to every word his mentor mewed. "Of course I will show respect, But what if the cats don't deserve respect? Can I be disrespectful then?" Wolfpaw was actually curious, he wanted to learn as much as possible.

A confident grin stretched across his face, "You sound as if you doubt that I will become the best Apprentice, Why is that?" Wolfpaw was already zoning out of his conversation, he was too focused on being in a battle, "Of course I play fought, but they always said that I played too rough." He snapped, He felt offended.

"But they were too easy to fight with, I want a real challenge. I want to learn advanced moves and techniques. Im positive I can handle it, I swear it." Wolfpaw's confidence was practically glowing off of his pelt. "Duskwind, Frostclan has more warriors than Blazeclan, How come we don't attack them and take their territory for ourselves? It would be the obvious thing to do." Wolfpaw cocked his head, in interest.

[Duskwind]

Blinking in slight surprise as his apprentice's list of future achievements grew longer and longer, the deputy had to stifle a purr of amusement at the cat's dreams.
"Well, aren't you quite ambitious? Having a goal is good. It helps you aim towards where you want to be. And respect, as I like to think of it, is a privilege. Just remember; if you don't give it, you lose that privilege yourself. Once you find no need to respect a cat and let them know, that cat also has equal rights to disrespect you, so keep in mind that it's always an eye for an eye. I've never met a cat nice enough to still respect the disrespectful."

It was good that Wolfpaw was asking so many questions, though Duskwind was beginning to wonder if Wolfpaw's true goal was to become as strong as possible or to gain as much knowledge as he could. Maybe he hadn't sorted it out himself yet? That was fine though.
Being young is all about finding your dreams. It's great to have more than one. Like an experiment!
Closing his eyes and nodding to himself in silent agreement, he opened them again in slight surprise at Wolfpaw's next inquiry.
"Doubt? Not at all. To be honest, you're one of the most inspiring apprentices I've ever had."
He meowed with a sincere, matter-of fact tone. It was true. Wolfpaw was so spirited that it really amazed Duskwind by how much could go on in that little head of his.

"And about Blazeclan... True, we have more warriors. But more lives are born every day, and if we were to attack Blazeclan, we too would lose many warriors. Sure we've got the advantage in numbers, but remember that their warriors are trained too, so quite possibly blood would be shed from both sides; not just Blazeclan. Not to mention the fact that the idea of us Frostclan cats hunting in the thick forests doesn't make all that much sense."
Glancing over his shoulder at the snow-ladden ground, he smiled at the cerulean sky.
"We Frostclan warriors; our skills lie in finding cover where there is none. Our speed and power through the thickest of terrains is what allows us to survive in this climate, while Blazeclan warriors are the only cats who could survive in their territory. And there's the Warrior Code to mind, though I think that's mostly an honor system. If you want some firm proof that taking over Blazeclan would be bad news for Frostclan, then try living in their territory alone for a moon. Their woods are thick and the prey there have many hiding spots. Here, we can chase our meals in the cover of the snow. Most of our warriors have bright pelts, so I doubt we'd blend in well with the trees."
Emerald eyes soft, he looked back down at Wolfpaw and grinned.
"So what piques your interest? Don't plan on becoming a conquerer one day, do you?"
Though his words were meant as a joke, Duskwind truly had faith in this tom's ability. Wolfpaw had a lot of hopes for the future, and the fact that he'd asked why Blazeclan was let alone rather than asking when Frostclan would decide to launch an invasion reassured Duskwind that Wolfpaw would make an honest, loyal warrior. He trusted the young cat to follow the best interests of his clan. Besides, it was impossible for an evil feline to be made out of this eager apprentice! Or at least, that was what was going through Duskwind's mind.

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[Wolfpaw]

Wolpaw stared and listened intently as Duskwind spoke. Wolfpaw wanted to speak out right in the middle of Duskwinds answers but he knew that would be rude, so he held his tongue until Duskwind had finished. "But Duskwind, Yes it would cause bloodshed, but bloodshed is essential in moving forward. Sure being powerful might take a few sacrifices but you have to be willing to take them. Take our prey for example, they see their brethren get killed everyday, yet they know what they have to do to live, but they make sacrifices as do we." Wolfpaw mewed in an debating way.

"My dreams and goals are complicated, i want to become leader so I can rid the forest of any impure cats. I think that once we did that, then the clans would be able to have peace and live in harmony" He paused for a moment to look at Duskwind, "Going back to my Blazeclan attack thing, here is an example of making a sacrifice for greatness. What if Starclan spoke to you, and told you that you had to kill me so you could live, or they would take your life away. What would you do? Let me live and you die or me die and you live, Because you know that you could contribute more to the Clan if you were alive." Wolfpaw was speaking his mind at it felt great.

"The Warrior code was meant to be broken and questioned, it has flaws, Starclan makes flaws. And we should be able to catch them. Yes, Attacking would go against the Warrior code, but do we not break the Code every single day we live? Sometimes patrols cross other Clans borders, yes may be on accident but it still happens, Cats do kill others in battle even when it is not for self-defense, What if a leader is driven out because he has betrayed his clan, And they needed a new leader, surely they would not be able to name a new leader with the old still alive, Most of the time Clans break the treaty at the gathering. What if Starclan sent you a dream saying that a certain colored kit would grow to be a murderer, and you saw that same kit drowning in the river, Would you save or let him die? Starclan has no power, all they do is tell you what is going to happen and leave you with no knowledge of what to do. They do nothing except give us a nice place to go when we die." Wolfpaw stared defiantly at his mentor, hoping he had made sense.

Wolfpaw shrugged his broad shoulders, "Anyways," He mewed, "We should get to learning some battle techniques" He meowed excitingly. "I really want to be better than all the others, I really do" He looked happily at his mentor.

[Duskwind]

Though Duskwind was listening quietly and with interest, he didn't dare butt in, for he was paying close attention to his apprentice's words. Flicking his ears, he blinked through the intensity of Wolfpaw's words and looked at the tom with wide-eyes.
"Well, here's my one response. Are you really just an apprentice? Because I feel like I just spoke with a Starclan warrior."
Laughing to relieve himself of the slightly uncomfortable feeling he'd gotten speaking to Wolfpaw, Duskwind smiled at the little cat. The tom really did have a sensible head on his shoulders, but what startled Duskwind the most was how well the apprentice had made sense out of such seemingly dark subjects. Yet the tom had shed a different, new light on the topics, and they didn't seem so preposterous when he phrased them the way he did.

"Sacrifice is a way of life. No, really, it's a part of life. But aren't we surviving just fine without Blazeclan's territory? Prey continues going into the open because they must do so to stay alive, but we're doing just fine on our own like this. And cats with mixed blood aren't that bad. Your birth doesn't decide anything about who you are inside."
He murmured, voice softening as his gaze grew distant. Was he remembering his half-brother, Moon, whose mother was a kittypet? Or perhaps himself, who, though having only clan blood running through his veins, had been raised as a loner? He wasn't too sure why cats discriminated against others because of background, but wasn't it enough to appreciate that you could be born into a clan? It was no one's fault where they were born, or to who. He himself had never known his birth mother, so was it really that strange to be different? What was so wrong about something you had no control of? It was like wanting to kill a cat just because they didn't know the answer to a problem.

Still, he tried to shrug it off. Wolfpaw was smart, and maybe with a few words of wisdom he would open his perspective to other views.
"Ok! Enough about Starclan for now. We can talk more back at camp if you like, but right now, we train physically, not verbally. And I'll make sure to teach you everything I know so that you can be the best. If I let you down, you can come attack me if you want."

Purring in amusement, he rose to all fours and backed up. Now was the time he would teach Wolfpaw a small part of what it meant to be a warrior of Frostclan. Sure, fighting was vitally important to the survival of a cat and their clanmates, but there was a lot more to it. It took great heart and spirit to throw yourself out on the battle field and fight not only for yourself, but for the cats you loved and cared for; to fight for the ones you wanted to protect was an honest, exceptional feeling to have.

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