torture? surely not! [Chewpaw]

[Deleted]

Breezefeather almost sighed, though the action would have been a violent expulsion of air rather than the customary soft sigh. She wanted to, though. Do something violent, that is. She'd thought about it many a time, destroying a tree, slaughtering a mouse and rending it apart limb by limb, even attacking another warrior. She didn't, of course, but the thoughts were there, all the same.

Who would have thought that Breezefeather, the distant and aloof warrior of Riverclan, would have harbored such emotions; was she not the very embodiment of apathy? Some would say so, but those some had never peered into the deep, dark depths of this warrior. Dark, for the murderous desires in which she refused to indulge; dark, for the lack of light that reached down there. And yet, something had scratched the surface. Dawnstar, the leader of the black she-cat's clan, and an apprentice.

Breezefeather didn't want an apprentice, never had, never will, yet somehow Dawnstar had seen fit to bequeath the warrior with a mewling brat of a cat. The very one that had been downed and injured the day Dawnstar had transferred mentorship to Breezefeather. It was contrary of the warrior, to be pissed that the apprentice hadn't even been able to start training right away (sooner started, sooner finished), but pissed she'd been. Naturally, however, the warrior hadn't vented her anger, and had instead forced it all inside; and when the apprentice had recovered enough to train and the warrior had put it off for long enough, Breezefeather had confronted the kit and told him when and where to meet her for a session.

And don't be late, she had told him. And yet, here she was, waiting. She loathed being made to wait.

[Chewpaw ♥]

The day went slowly. Chewy had been dreading this moment. As he finished helping the elders, he knew he had to leave. He looked out the entrance, the sun was too high, he was late. No, no no! he thought. A better word to use would be shit, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't aware of such foul language. He did blame himself. Letting the time get past him. He should have left minutes ago, just to be barely on time. As he smiled at Adderbite, he walked away.

Out the entrance, in the camp clearing she was. He felt his stomach twist and a knot form in his throat. He wished Dawnstar had time for him. He didn't argue with his leader. She had been sad that he was being held back from being a warrior because of her. He could already be having his ceremony in 1 moon, if she trained him. Told nothing to her about the fact that one look from Breezefeather made him want to wet his fur (instead of pee his pants, just go with it haha). He smiled reluctantly as he padded slowly to her. He wanted the few fox-tail lengths away to be as long as possible.

He finally met her. He wanted to speak, but the knot in his throat prevented him from. He needed water to help it. He tried to swallow his own saliva, it helped. She looked angry. He knew she didn't want an apprentice. He didn't understand why of all warriors Dawnstar chose her. He nodded his head at her and waited for the torture to begin.

[Deleted]

There he was, the little lump of fox dung, slinking up to her. He looked like he'd done something he knew he shouldn't have done, and he was trying to make up for it by looking as miserable as possible. Ha, Breezefeather thought contemptuously, he probably arrived late on purpose. It was no great matter, really; all it meant was that she'd have to devise some sort of punishment for him... which was actually somewhat loathesome for the she-cat, believe it or not. A waste of time, an implication that she actually cared...

"You're late," she told him callously. "I trust that nothing is amiss in the elders den?" That question, of course, really didn't require an answer, but right at that moment, Breezefeather was feeling spiteful enough to demand one. And so, she stared at him, hard eyes daring him to answer or not.

[Chewpaw ♥]

Chewy swallowed. And man it was loud. He tried to get all the saliva he could down his throat. The knot was still there. And along with his topsy turny stomach, life was miserable. He avoided eye contact with her. Her eyes burned through his soul. Making him sake in fear. This cat could destroy him in seconds. "Everything is fine," he choked out. His voice had cracked. What was this? Was he going through puberty or something? He knew she would notice, maybe even laugh. His nightmares echoed in his head, her laughter as she ripped him limb from limb.

He remembered she had taken account to the fact that he was late. She had told him earlier not to be. He obviously didn't listen. He was having trouble staying conscious with the fear running through his veins. He wanted to pass out. What would happen if he did. I remember once, I fainted and my brother was fierce. He kicked me in the head. I woke up minutes later, head in the grass, and I was gasping for air. Would Breezefeather do that to him? "I know I was late," he meowed. He regretted it the second he spit it out. He sounded angry as if she told him something over and over and over and he was like shut your vole hole! "I am sorry, I was helping Adderbite, and the time just got away from me," he explained. Mousebrain! Now he was making excuses. What if she though it was a bunch of fox crap? He looked around her, still avoiding her eyes. He wanted to beg for mercy, or pitty for Pete's sake. He cleared his throat. "Again, I am sorry," he repeated. What if repeating it made her more angry? What if it was like the statement before? Did she want him to shut his vole hole? He kept over thinking things.

[Deleted]

"'Sorry' is an empty word; sorry doesn't change anything. It didn't make you miraculously on time, did it? No," the she-cat said as she looked down at the apprentice, "sorry is a useless word. I don't want excuses, I want you to own up to your wrongs and do it right. You might not even get a next time, next time..." she scowled. That was treading too close to her own cares and woes, what few that she did have left.

So, instead of move any further into such treacherous territory, she spun around and flicked her tail harshly. "Come, we're going to the river."

[Chewpaw ♥]

"I'm sorry," he automatically spit out. RAT SCAT! He did it again! All bad things had to happen now, with the worst Riverclan, maybe in all the clans, warrior. AHHH! Those thoughts, the ones she said, vanished form his mind. They weren't thoughts anymore, they were reality. He tried to smile, but is muscles forced his lips to quake. The fear was showing. She was all he expected and more. "I can't take back the past, I can only make a new future," he mumbled. He felt like a medicine cat or something. Maybe an elder. They always said weird things like that, almost prophecies.

A command had escaped her lips. He followed her, but he kept a distance. His breath was soft, but he knew that would change. With his disability, by the time they got to the river, his breath would be very heavy. He looked at her back. From the back she looked beautiful. The fear wasn't so intimidating when she wasn't looking at you. It had to be her eyes. Those green monsters crushing you. They were like two big green tractors running him over, plowing him to pieces. Planting him as the grass, the artichokes, or the watermelons. Making part of this earth, which at this moment felt like hell. He looked away from her. He felt as if she was going to turn around and there they would be. He padded faster, but he wanted to keep his distance.

[Deleted]

They padded along, and Breezefeather didn't even spare a glance backwards, not even to see if the cat was still following her. What was the point? The moment he moved away from her, the moment he fled, she'd know, she'd hear; the cat plodded like a badger, lumbering about and making enough noise to scare away what little prey there was during leafbare. That would have to be rectified, she vowed grimly. Even if she had to beat it into him.

She didn't say anything as the moved along, either. What was the point to that, either? The only thing that could really be said during such time time would be meaningless nothings, 'getting to know you' crap, or orders. Meaningless nothing, phaugh, Breezefeather disliked such a thing, and orders, well, there'd be plenty for when they were needed. Which wasn't now.

It felt as if ages had gone by, until they finally reached the river. Ages, spent in the company of an apprentice; but they were within eye sight of the river, the cold, cruel, dispassionate river. "Alright," she said as the apprentice neared her, "show me what you can do."

[Chewpaw ♥]

She never looked back, the whole tiem. He was glad. His breaths were heavy. How out of shape he was. He went to the water and dran. He knew Breezefeather wouldn't be to happy about it, but it rid of his knot and butterflies.

He looked at her. She wants me to hunt? he thought. Or did she want me to attack her? he added, no way, never. So he decided it was to hunt. He laid by the water. He watched it and had a paw slightly touching the water. A sweet salmon came by. it was huge. He quickly extended his claws and went for it. But the fish quickly swam away. He sighed in disappointment. He had caught a fish before, but now the pressure was on. He got, and walked behind Breezefeather. "Sorry, " he mumbled.

[Deleted]

"Not as bad as my first time fishing." Scarfoot said padding up to the apprentice and his former mentor, "Breezefeather said I looked like a lame duck!" More quietly he added to Chewy, "Although, seeing her mood, you'll fare no better." So she got a new apprentice, he thought. But something is off, she seems, different. Glancing back at Chewy, he realized he was terrified. Oh, no, he thought, while he finished lamely, "So how's the prey running, er, swimming."

[Deleted]

(OOC: Scarpaw, you were not invited to this thread (this is called 'thread jacking,' what you just did)
Please refrain from jacking other people's threads.)

_____________________________

The cat dipped into the water, and she watched critically as he dipped his paw into the water, and waited. A fish came by, and naturally, the apprentice went for it, trying to hook his claws on the fish's body and bring it out. He failed, miserably, and then trudged back to behind Breezefeather, muttering a certain word.

"What'd I tell you about being sorry?" the she-cat berated, her gaze withering as she eyed him. "Sorry doesn't catch any prey, now, does it?" The black warrior was almost tempted to pause and let the apprentice sweat under the scruitiny of the oh, so mighty rhetorical question (she'd noticed that people were never really sure if they should answer those sorts of questions.) In the end, she decided that a slight pause was all that was necessary.

"Now, tell me, what went wrong," the she-cat ordered, "and no skimping details."

[Chewpaw ♥]

Chewy looked down at the floor. He was ashamed. He could feel his lips quivering. He took a deep breath. Her rhetorical question wasn’t what he expected. He nodded his head in agreement. Sorry wouldn’t catch prey. He wanted to say yes, but he knew she wouldn’t like that. She wanted to explain what he did what. What did go wrong? He tried to replay the scene in his head. It was sketching. His mind pondered with ideas. What would be the best way to word it? I suck mouse brains? He thought. He took a deep breath. “I’m not sure, maybe I was too slow,” he mumbled in response to her question.

[Deleted]

"To slow?" the she-cat asked of her new apprentice. "Indeed, you were too slow." Her tone was dry. Best not to let the apprentice know that you think he's being an idiot. Oh, wait, she's already done that, silly her. "First thing first, you didn't catch a fish. But, you also made several beginner mistakes. You don't put your paw in the water when fishing; that just startles them. Second, you were too slow. Your instincts are off."

"You need to made sure that you're not casting a shadow on the water, because fish can sense light changes, and for all we joke about it, they're not totally stupid." Granted, they were still pretty stupid creatures. "Try it again, and keep practicing. Fish until you've scared them all away, or 'til your paw falls off. Whichever happens first."

[Chewpaw ♥]

A light bulb went off in his head. Or in a way exploded. He backed up from the river. His eyes scanned the scene. There was one. He walked to it. His shadow was no longer visible. Could you guess what it was? He was hiding it with a tree. He crouched down on the edge of the river. It was time.
He watched the river carefully. He was feeling a bit confident, but not cocky. There was a juicy salmon coming closer and closer to him. He felt his muscles tense and prepare themselves. With one swift movement his paws hit the water. He felt the salmon with its claws, but it got away quickly. He grunted in frustration.

[Deleted]

She watched the tom. Clever, that, hiding your shadow within a shadow. She had to give him credit for that. Still, she scrutinized him heavily as he watched the waters and subsequently shot a paw through the surface and hooked onto the fish.

He did it! she thought to herself, and then amended that when the fish flopped its way out of the apprentice's claws. "So close," she drawled out. "Again."

They would stay out here for as long as she wanted, and for as long as it took. In fact, Breezefeather was even beginning to think that she would have to leave him behind eventually. Maybe she'd have to do a demonstration or something.

[Chewpaw ♥]

Breezefeather actually seemed a bit sincere. Did she really mean so close? he thought. Most would think this wasn't a big deal, but within her voice, Chewy heard a bit of appreciation or of being proud. Maybe he was just over judging things, but it was very possible. Chewy obeyed her commands. He stared back at the water. He tensed his muscles and prepared himself. A small trout was swimming down the river. He prayed to Starclan he could catch this one. His paws shot into the watter like a bullet. He lifted then from the water. Dangling from is paws was the trout. It was tiny. His claws went from on side to the other. He moved away from the water with the prey. He grabed it with his jaws. He just crunched to kill it. Most cats snapped their spine, but he didn't know hoe yet. He dropped the crushed fish to the ground.