The world put a lot of pressure on the leader's daughter. She could never figure out how her older siblings did it - ignored all the stares, all the shakes of heads, all the expectation put on her back. How much she must be like her father, or how little, or how much she should lead or work harder simply because she was the daughter of the leader... Sometimes, it all felt so much that she thought about running away, like the others she had been told about, like the others that left when she couldn't even open her eyes. She wished, sometimes, that they had taken her, too. But she knew she was too scared to do that, and would never amount to anything more than a meek, scared leader's daughter who can't do anything right.
It was the third training session that she failed. It was the third training session that Raccoonpaw succeeded with flying colors on. She could see the sigh on Hemlockstar's shoulders before she even had to confront her father and tell him she couldn't do it...
again. She felt like a failure all around, never seeming to be able to find anything that stuck. Sometimes she thought it was just because Raccoonpaw was always such a know it all, always pushing her out of the way so that he could do better, and sometimes she thought it was purely her own incompetence. Really, she wasn't sure who she was anymore, and she was getting ready to think that she truly was not meant for clan life - that her mother, Princess, would take her to live with the humans instead.
Sycamorepaw avoided the main camp area for the evening, not daring to meet anyone's eyes, and especially not trying to look towards her father's den, where she watched her mentor Figmask dart into the den without even glancing her way. He was surely going to tell Hemlockstar that Sycamorepaw was worthless and couldn't retain anything. It was surely time for her to get kicked out.
Her mind wandered to her nest, and Sycamorepaw felt herself slip away from the camp, at least emotionally. She was ready to find her favorite trinket - a little marble that Princess had given her shortly before becoming an apprentice - and slip away unnoticed, rather than continue dealing with the stares, the whispers, the head shakes. She was so far into wondering what house she would try to get favor at with the humans when someone cleared their throat in front of her, making her jump.
"I didn't meant to startle you," Hemlockstar said softly, his tail resting on Sycamorepaw's shoulder. "I know it's been a tough day. Can you follow me? I have something that I want to discuss."
She was being kicked out for sure. Nodding silently, tail dragging, Sycamorepaw didn't dare meet the burning gaze of Raccoonpaw from outside the den, where he watched without blinking. She didn't dare meet the eyes - however kind - of Figmask, who watched them go. Instead, she felt another presence join them - Appleglow, another warrior. Younger, only recently made a warrior. Having another cat besides just her and her dad calmed her, knowing that he wouldn't dare kick her out with Appleglow here... surely, anyway.
The trio didn't say anything as they walked to the training hollow, where Sycamorepaw's anxiety grew. As they approached, Hemlockstar nodded encouragingly at Sycamorepaw. "Alright, this is just a test to see how compatible you two could be as a mentor and apprentice pair. Figmask and I agree his teaching style just isn't right for you - and that's nothing against you, I promise." Sycamorepaw felt as cold as ice, only melting slightly as her father's warm pelt brushed against her. "We think you just need another mentor. Appleglow graciously agreed to give it a try."
Another mentor. Not being kicked out. Sycamorepaw almost felt dizzy with relief, and she allowed herself to nod once more. "Th-thanks," she managed to stutter out, nodding clumsily at her father. "I... I thought I was... gonna get kicked... out," she trailed off, seeing Hemlockstar's wide eyes.
"No! No, of course not," he purred, pushing her forward with his nose. "We don't do that, and we wouldn't even do that, no matter how long training took. This is purely to help you and means nothing against you. If it doesn't work out, we'll keep trying something, even if it means teaching you myself," Hemlockstar said, a hint of humor in his voice as he nudged at his daughter again. "Just try your best, that's all I ask. There will always be a place for you here." He paused, nodding over at Appleglow. "I'll leave you to it," he said, turning back to main camp.
The silence stretched for a little, lingering in the air, as Sycamorepaw shuffled her paws on the ground. "So... uh... I'm not good at hunting like Raccoonpaw. I can't.... seem to get the crouch right at all."
Appleglow nodded brightly, his own tail raising. "Oh, don't worry about that!" He chimed, his voice cheery and excited. "It took me three tries after my littermates got a hang of it too - that's why Hemlockstar wanted me to help you. I know that it's tough trying to listen to someone that doesn't quite have the same brain; so let me give you some tips on what I do instead."
The session continued, Appleglow giving tips for Sycamorepaw, until she finally managed to perfect her crouch. She arrived in camp feeling relieved, her tail held high, finally able to tell Raccoonpaw that she could do it, too.
---------------------------------------------------
"Hey, Sycamorepaw, you ready for training yet?" The sun wasn't even up yet, and the young cat groaned in frustration. It felt like she hadn't slept in years. Even though her mind knew that wasn't true, she found herself dragging out of her nest, yawning deeply. Appleglow waited for her with a mischevious look. "Or if you're too tired, we can skip out on our lesson of swimming-" Sycamorepaw cut her mentor off with a look of horror; he knew how much she was looking forward to learning that skill. Appleglow said nothing, but chuckled, letting Sycamorepaw, now newly energized, lead the way after a quick meal.
It was a great day for it, despite the fact that the sun was only just rising. The autumn air was warm with lingering summer rays, the heat already making ripples in the air, the humidity making Sycamorepaw's pelt feel extra hot. It would be lovely to even just dip her paws in the water, but the thought of being able to swim sent her extra energy.
"What do we do first?" Sycamorepaw said breathlessly as the pair arrived at the lake, staring at the sparkling dew in the sunlight. Appleglow could only laugh, shaking his head and making a motion over towards some birds. "Oh, right." Sycamorepaw dropped her voice to a whisper at the same moment she dropped her hindquarters into a crouch. Prey first, swimming later.
Channeling everything Appleglow had told her the night previously, Sycamorepaw took a wonderful leap to catch her first piece of prey. "Excellent," Appleglow praised, nodding at her in pride. "First thing is always to remember we have a clan to feed. We can bury it nearby and take it back when we're ready. Next, we assess that the lake is safe. Really, we want to make sure no predators are nearby drinking, because they use this freshwater too. Today, it looks great, but keep that in mind before you run in headfirst to any situation outside of camp. We don't have guards out here to watch and make sure nothing happens." Sycamorepaw kept nodding along, eating up every word her mentor said. "Second... we check the water temperature." She followed Appleglow to the edge, feeling the crisp water on her paws. "If it's too cold, we don't want to swim. Fishing would be ok, since we only get our paws wet, but if we get cold and wet and walk back to camp that way, we'll have whitecough or greencough on our paws, and no one wants that."
Another nod, and the pair finally waded in to their bellies. Sycamorepaw let Appleglow's coaching wash over her, soaking it in like moss, as she stepped out further and further, until she could no longer touch. Ever so gently, she was floating, and then she was swimming, Appleglow cheering beside her. Sycamorepaw had learned a second skill in less than a full day!
After the session was over, Sycamorepaw felt lighter than she had since her apprenticeship started. She knew that she could, and would, belong in her clan. Even if she was the leader's daughter, she would find her own path. She knew she would.
[1,465 words]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[the patrol ignores the rogues]
-- cats on patrolAppleglow | he/him | HP 100% | HUP 0% | Sick: NSycamorepaw | she/her | HP 100% | HUP 0% | Sick: N
-- custom predators / prey
prey:
bugs, scraps, eggs | 1 FP
mouse, shrew, minnow, chipmunk, songbird | 2 FP
frog, small fish, bat, squirrel, snake | 3 FP
rabbit, woodpecker, trout | 4 FP
weasel, turkey, raven, goose | 5 FP
predators:
foxes, coyotes, bobcats, bears
-- level 3
experience: 273/400
-- items in inventory used
n/a
-- active quests | monthly tasks
active quest -- n/a
Monthly tasks completed:
task 2 - autumn colors in Appleglow
-- inventory
eggs (1FP) x6 | chipmunk (2FP) x2
songbird (2FP) x3 | squirrel (3FP) x2
weasel (5FP) x1 | turkey (5FP) x2
coltsfoot (1) | horsetail (1)
thyme (1) | dock (0)
mint (1) | feverfew (1)
daisy leaf (1) | catchweed (2)
cobweb (1) | watermint (1)
goatweed (1) | bindweed (1)