LightwingShe-cat;; 30 moons;; Warrior;; Apprentice- Duskpaw;; Tags- Blizzardstep,
Blood rushed to the tips of her ears for maybe the fourth time in that short, early-morning conversation when he mentioned her hunting capabilities. It's nothing anyone else couldn't do... She muttered under her breath. Lightwing didn't mind being praised for her hunting skills, but only when she felt she immediately deserved it. If she'd brought back a particularly big haul, she wouldn't mind an appreciative "well done." When she hadn't done anything distinctly outstanding, she certainly didn't want compliments.
Lightwing listened intently and nodded as he talked about his tentative plans with Wolfpaw for the day. Even though all he said was subject to change, he had definitely put more forethought into these plans than usual. Do you have any further plans with Duskpaw after the hunt today? She thought carefully for a moment, she had been thinking of letting her apprentice have the day off after they'd hunted, since they'd had such a hard day of training yesterday. She didn't want Blizzardstep to think she was shirking her responsibilities as a mentor by not training, though. I think I'll have him do some odd jobs around camp after the hunt, she finally decided on. He can patch that hole in the warriors' den that's been keeping everyone so cold at night, maybe check in with Aridcloud to see if she needs anything. She attempted a nonchalant shrug, which ended up much more stiff than she'd intended. She recovered with a graceful sweep of her tail and carried on. Then he can take it easy if no one else needs anything. She figured this was a decent plan; she was able to let her apprentice have a lighter day, while not being completely useless.
There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind though, as she looked at the large white tom she was about to go hunting with. A sort of sorrowfulness that after the hunt they'd go their separate ways and not see each other until that evening when everyone headed back to their nests. She knew there was nothing she could do about it; if Wolfpaw needed to work on battle training, then Blizzardstep would be out there training him. Blizzardstep was a wonderful mentor, with or without the careful planning Lightwing instituted in her own teachings; it couldn't be helped. She wished, briefly, that there were a way they could spend the whole day together, then mentally shook her head of these thoughts. Training came first.
On the plus side, she hadn't taken a nap in the sun by the stream in a very long time. Maybe, with her afternoon free of training she could catch up on some missed sleep. The sun was clearing the horizon now, and the sky was devoid of even the wispiest of clouds. Just after sunhigh, the warm golden rays would be in the perfect position for sunning by the creek. She could sleep peacefully with the babbling of the water lulling in the background, hopefully blocking out any unwelcome thoughts.
Consoled by the prospect of a relaxing day filled with hunting and napping, she smiled contentedly at Blizzardstep before realizing she had. Then the embarrassed she-cat became acutely aware of how awkward the silence had become. She had been lost in thought for so long she hadn't even noticed. Unable to think of anything more to say, she busied herself by counting the heartbeats between each uncomfortable twitch of her tail.