Do I Have What It Takes ~Darkpaw's Training~

Having been waiting outside the warrior den, Darkpaw's emergence quickly caught Lionshine's eyes. “Are you ready for your first day of training?,” he asked as he approached her. His curled tail rested easily along his back, he'd mentored enough apprentices at this point that he felt at ease in his approach. Of course, there was the inherent unease of getting to know another cat, but if he'd handled Badgerthistle for this long he was sure any apprentice would be comparatively easy going. Lionshine was often near and around the nursery anyway, from all the time he spent with Swiftsnow.

Swaying his tail slightly to readjust how it laid, Lionshine tilted her head. “Well, first day of training may be a bit too strong a term for it. We're just going to get you more acquainted with the territory - properly,” she clarified, flicking his tail towards the camp entrance to emphasize the loop around the territory that they'd be doing.

“We are,” he answered with a soft nod. Lionshine tilted his head, trying to gauge Darkpaw's excitement. “Though, I want to remind you, as an apprentice you still aren't meant to leave camp unsupervised or without specific instruction. Trust me, it's more rewarding to go on a stroll when you're familiar with the territory and don't have to worry about the rest of the Clan trying to bring you home.”

With a flick of his tail, he gestured to the camp entrance. “Let's get going, maybe we'll even catch something while we're out.”

“I'm glad to hear it,” Lionshine purred with an affirmative nod. “To start, we're going to go through the wetlands to get to the training levee. We'll probably spend a lot of time there, so it'll be good for you to be able to find it easily.” With it being the middle of leafbare, he tried to pick a path with as little snow as possible. Still, Lionshine's fur was long and he could handle the cold fairly well. He wasn't sure how Darkpaw would handle it, though, especially with this being her first proper jaunt into the territory.

“Let me know if you get too cold.”

As he continued to lead the way, Lionshine hummed in thought, considering an answer. “The training levee is a bit big. I'd say it's bigger than the Gathering Place, so we've always got plenty of space. There aren't usually enough apprentices to make it feel crowded at all,” he responded, analyzing the space in his mind as they padded alongside the stream.

“Once we get closer to the river you'll be able to see the edge of SunClan's territory.” He gently gestured to where the river would be, though it wasn't in view yet. “The rushing water makes it hard to accidentally stray across borders,” Lionshine added with a soft laugh.

“Several have tried - and succeeded,” Lionshine answered, thinking about MoonClan's lost territory. “MoonClan actually used to have territory across the river, but SunClan took it a few years ago. I heard Foxlily once managed to swim across without thinking about it. All in all, though, it's not too hard to cross - especially if you're a good swimmer, and if the river isn't particularly rough.” With it being leafbare, the river wasn't too aggressive... yet. Newleaf's floods would make it lethally unruly.

“I don't think anyone's crossed the border in a while, though. The Clans have been pretty good about staying apart from one another.” Tilting his head down at Darkpaw, he gave her a soft smile. “I'm sure I don't need to remind you not to cross into SunClan territory. Not just because of the code, but SunClan cats have a reputation for being harsh on trespassers.” As they grew nearer to the river Lionshine could see the grasslands of SunClan's territory coming up from the horizon, the dead grass beneath the snow sticking out sharply from beyond the dark river water.

Lionshine hummed in thought, considering how to word his answer. “I guess they think it's what StarClan wants from them. The Warrior Code instructs us all to protect our territory, and I've heard that SunClan is a very traditional Clan, most of the cats who live there have a lot of faith in the Code and in StarClan.” He paused as he watched the grasslands from across the river.

“SunClan cats can be as different as any other group of cats, of course, but they have a reputation for being traditional and full of pride for their Clan. They don't normally take well to outsiders, they follow StarClan diligently, and they have a reputation for being... stubborn.” The fur on Lionshine's neck prickled slightly as he thought over SunClan's reputation, uncomfortable with thinking that his own outsider roots would be looked down upon in SunClan (on top of being in MoonClan to begin with). Even with MoonClan's considerable leniency in recent days, the insecurity he felt growing up prickled at him now. She shook it off, smiling over at her apprentice.

“Well, let's keep on our way to the training levee, hm? We might even be able to see the Gathering Place from there.”

Lionshine nodded. “Almost. Just a little past the training levee is the river with the Gathering Place on the other side. I think the conditions will let us see it once we get there, it shouldn't be too much longer,” he answered as they continued to walk along the river, getting nearer and nearer to the training levee. “What do you know about Gatherings, Darkpaw?”