Sorry everyone, I had a writer's block with this one and totally couldn't just get my lazy butt to write and edit it. Now to reviews:
Songmistle: I'm actually planning to have a gathering come up soon, so those names were totally appreciated. I don't think I can easily use Leafpaw, seeing as their already is one, but for the rest I'll try to incorporate them into the gathering (or maybe an out of gathering meetup, though you should have to figure out what it is)
"So, what are we going to do now?" Rowanpaw asked. She was bouncing up and down as she and her mentor passed through the perfect pathway once again. It was a bit unnerving to see the beautiful she-cat sweeping down the path majestically. But that was supposed to be a good thing, right? A majestic mentor could teach her that skill.
It was sunhigh already because Flowerpool had spent forever chatting with her warrior friends about something or another, while Rowanpaw had to sit quietly in the corner with barely contained excitement. All her siblings had already gone out with their mentors touring the territory, learning their first hunting skills, or something of the sort. The only exception was Robinpaw, who was delighted to have her mentor chat with her favorite warrior, but less delighted to not watch, but go out with Larkpaw and Beechnose.
"Darling, of course, we're going to tour the territory," Flowerpool responded. "We'll go around finding the perfect spots to look at, perfect spots to hunt, perfect spots to sunbathe… I suppose if you think you might do a bit of mischief I'll have to show you the perfect places to get herbs."
"How is getting herbs a punishment?" Rowanpaw meowed, personally offended for her sister.
"Oh, you know, it's boring and useless work." Flowerpool shook her head sadly. "Hardly ever do use their herbs, never needed them, we're such a perfect Clan. Such a waste of perfect she-cats and toms who can never get mates."
Rowanpaw trudged along, determined not to get into an argument with her mentor on their first day. She didn't disappoint herself, though it wasn't easy. Instead of going along the borders and teaching her all the scents (even though she knew some already), Flowerpool made her walk random zig-zags around the whole territory at her slow and sweeping pace. Every so often she would let out a little ah-ha! and go into tour-guide mode, droning on and on about how the place was so perfect. A few bits were actually useful, like the area with fallen nuts being good for hunting or the sturdy oak trees in a clearing that were good for learning to climb. Some bits were useful in a more concealed way, like how when mentioning how beautiful a mossy tree was, it was good thick moss for bedding and for getting water, or how at a gurgling stream she let it loose that some watermint grew along the sides. Rowanpaw knew Flowerpool wouldn't approve of this knowledge she gleaned, but all the same, it was useful.
When they came back to camp, Rowanpaw wasn't tired at all, but Flowerpool seemed to differ. She made this big fuss about the long walks she had taken, and how simply exhausted she was, effectively having three toms rush to her, guide her to her nest, and worship her like a queen.
"Hey, Rowanpaw!" Lemonpaw called out and she saw her yellow and white sister bound over to her. Pretending not to hear, Rowanpaw continued off, not really knowing where she was going but Lemonpaw caught up to her.
"I almost caught a finch!" Her sister exclaimed. "I just barely missed it!" She lowered her voice. "I haven't been officially taught how to do it yet, so it's pretty good, don't you think?"
"That's great," she replied unenthusiastically.
"And tomorrow she's going to do fun games to teach me all about the finer points of hunting." Lemonpaw continued, and Rowanpaw flattened her ears. Sensing that this wasn't a good moment, Lemonpaw backed off a bit, leaving the russet she-cat in peace to drag a mouse to a new nest waiting for her in the Apprentices' Den.
The next morning she woke up groggily, along with the rest of her siblings. Most of the other apprentices were already out, though Rowanpaw did notice Swanpaw staying in and getting her beauty sleep. She herself was prepared for a slow morning, and then going out with Flowerpool to hopefully make some progress, but of course, the others had different ideas.
"I've got to go now," Leafpaw meowed importantly. "Dawn patrol. I promised Rabbitfur I'd be there right on time, and that I would work hard. No time to waste."
With that one of the eight were already gone. It didn't help much how when she tried to get back to sleep, the only thing she heard was them chattering about the great day before. Lemonpaw, as she had already heard, had almost caught a bird with no practice at all, but it was new to her that Maplepaw had already gotten in trouble and Larkpaw had mastered a couple battle techniques without any training at all.
Feeling slightly more cheerful she went outside to join with the rest of them for a morning meal, but her attitude was diminished when one by one the rest of her littermates left.
"Elder's moss," mumbled Maplepaw when she asked why Herblight had called him. Sunpaw had also left with his mentor calling, with the explanation that he had not yet finished the tour from the other day.
Robinpaw was acting superior as they ate, before she trotted off. "Amberstorm is going to show me what perfect prey looks like. So unlike the rest of you my prey won't be stinky and bad, it will be perfect." She she-cat had stuck her nose in the air, and unlike the others, Rowanpaw wasn't sad at all that she had left.
The real shock though, was when all of her remaining sisters left to go play hunting games, to practice hunting crouches and leaps, and to practice identifying herbs. All of the sudden, she was left alone.
"Darling, time for your first perfectness lesson," she heard her mentor call. A bit grumpily she followed her til they were in the center of their territory, right next to the mossy tree they had seen the day before.
"So," Flowerpool started, "What do you know about LightClan's expectations?"
"Elegant, Graceful, Pretty, Perfect," Rowanpaw recited.
"Excellent!" Cried the golden she-cat. "Now, Darling, obviously you aren't at such… skill level yet, but never fear, we will get there eventually. What is most important now is that you learn from others. So what can you learn about being perfect by observing the other warriors? Take me for right now."
"Well you were born with a pretty pelt," Rowanpaw meowed, feeling a bit annoyed.
"Yes yes, well I was lucky. What else?"
"And you act all stupid and helpless in front of toms."
"And you see how that act makes them feel good helping me, it makes their lives more perfect," her mentor explained.
"And you're so calm and relaxed even when you shouldn't be!" Rowanpaw burst out. Flowerpool seemed to take it as a compliment and beamed.
"Exactly! I never fret, or get angry, all of which other cats see as imperfect. Let that be a lesson to you, dear."
The rest of the lesson wasn't any better. Flowerpool had her examine some other cats, and beamed when she came upon qualities such as their slender and not fat bodies, their sense of playful humor, and their kind fluttering eyes that made them look so pitiful. After that she coached her on the elegant way to walk and sit, making Rowanpaw's body ache, and then taught her the correct way to groom herself. Rowanpaw had never thought that there had to be one way to do it, but apparently there was. The conversation then moved to a much less comfortable topic.
"When you see a tom coming towards you," Flowerpool started. "Sit down and wash yourself like this." She demonstrated?
"Why?" Asked Rowanpaw, repulsed by the idea.
"Because it makes you look unattainable, darling," Flowerpool explained. "It will make you seem even more perfect."
Rowanpaw greatly disagreed, but she kept her temper. That tip followed with a series of advice on how to act to get toms and all of that. It was especially annoying when Flowerpool went on about choosing your mate; a lot more detail into that subject than Rowanpaw would've appreciated.
When she was finally let out for a break before the rest of the training, she was very glad. Even though she wanted to learn warrior skills, she was all too certain that those wouldn't be coming from her mentor.
After taking a long time in the sun and purposely feigning deafness to the she-cat, Rowanpaw wandered back in LightClan's territory with Flowerpool. It wasn't too bad what they were doing; Rowanpaw was excited to finally walk along the border to the other Clans, which she hadn't experienced on her night-time excursions. While they walked Flowerpool made rude remarks to the other Clan's scents, while stopping about every five fox-tails to show Rowanpaw the correct places to mark the border, and how to do it perfectly.
Finally she snapped. "Does there have to be a certain way?" She asked angrily. "Why can't we just mark the borders and be done with it?!"
"Darling…" Flowerpool meowed hesitantly. "You aren't suggesting that we do something imperfect, are you?"
"So what if I am?" Asked Rowanpaw, and feeling a new wave of boldness, she continued. "Everyone knows that the idea of being perfect is just a scam for us to do what they want, and the more we fall into the trap the stronger it becomes!"
"Rowanpaw!" Flowerpool shrieked. "Go back to camp and no training for the next two days!" The pretty warrior gave a dramatic show of being drastically frightened before stalking off and leaving Rowanpaw to camp, with nothing but the promise of no perfectness training.
It sounded more like a reward than a punishment.
When she arrived in camp it was fairly empty as the border and hunting patrols were still out, and warrior training was going on with the rest of the apprentices. Not for me, she thought bitterly. But then again, it's a worthwhile price for speaking my mind. Someone has to.
Picking up a plump lifeless squirrel, she dragged it over to the nursery to give to her mother who had stayed in the nursery expecting yet another litter of kits. She was rewarded by a warm welcoming and a relaxing meal curled around with Roseflower. Debating whether she should talk about what was happening, she made up her mind, but Roseflower had already brought it up anyway.
"So I suppose Flowerpool told you that instead of training you should bring me this squirrel?" The russet queen asked with a glint of amusement in her eyes.
"Uh… not really," she replied anxiously. "I sort of… got in a bit of trouble questioning perfect techniques and… she got really mad."
"Of course." Roseflower shook her head at the thought. Rowanpaw finally blurted out the question that she had been wondering.
"Are all mentors like that?"
"What?" Her mother asked.
"I mean, do all mentors act like that," Rowanpaw asked. "So conceding and drippy and strictly by perfectness. Is every cat trained to act all sweet but have no sense at all? Does everyone learn more about grooming than patrolling borders?"
Her mother sighed. "I see what you mean. No, most cats are not like that, but unfortunately you got her."
"Robinpaw was talking about how awesome she was a quarter moon ago," Rowanpaw added.
"Flowerpool and I have always had our disagreements," Roseflower told her. "True, she is a very perfect warrior, and it is right for Robinpaw to honor her on that level, but I have always been a bit more about work than she has. I have no right to say she isn't a good cat, but I don't respect her."
Rowanpaw rolled her eyes exasperated. "It's just all about such silly things she decides to teach me! It isn't fair!"
It just didn't make sense for the rest of her littermates to go on becoming great warriors, while she was still unable to catch a mouse. Why had Flashstar given her such a warrior as Flowerpool? It was a mouse-brained idea, and here Rowanpaw was suffering the consequences.
Well, that was the chapter. I have no promises on when the next one will come out, but it should pick up on a bit more plot, and a bit more aggression. Anyways, please check in to see it when it's published!