oSaC: Grandmentor

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

"Yo!"  Hopflight had heard that Tidefrost and Tigerpaw had only recently returned to Safe Haven after Tigerpaw's assessment.  Tidefrost had given an incredible report, and Tigerpaw had apparently passed with flying colors!  Hopflight didn't know how the little apprentice had put up with being around Tidefrost every second of every day for a week, hunting for her and making a nest for her, and probably grooming her pelt for ticks or whatever cruel tasks Tidefrost had made her do.  He chortled to himself.  Aah, if only he'd had the idea to make little Tidepaw his slave for a week.  That truly would have been a test for her patience.

In all seriousness, though, Tigerpaw had done well.  Hopflight was curious to see the apprentice of his apprentice (or as he called it, his Grandprentice).  He had seen Tigerpaw out and about, and heard stories about her from Tidefrost and other members of Safe Haven, but he had never formally spoken to her.

So here he bounded up to her after his greeting, skidding to a halt right in front of her.  He tilted his head and grinned.  "Tidefrost told me that you rocked your assessment!" he said.  "But of course, I expected that!  I would only ever give Tidefrost an apprentice who had great potential."

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw blinked up as she recognised the voice. "Oh ummm, Hopflight, she ... Tidefrost said that?!" She stuttered looking up from tenderly grooming the wound she had sustained though her assessment. The Healer had told her to keep it clean and visit daily for treatment, that way it would heal with little scaring.

But it wasn't that that had stunned her.  It was the fact that the Monarch, Tidefrost's old mentor, had approached her and spoken boldly to her. But of course he was a great cat. But never had she expected him to speak to her.

And now here he was congratulating her on passing her assessment and saying she had great potential.

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

Hopflight laughed in great, sweeping motion that seemed to involve every part of his body.  Head thrown back, one paw lifted, tail swishing, the deep rumble thrumming through his chest and releasing in a hearty chortle.  "Tidefrost's a grump, and she never sings anyone's praises.  But I've known her long enough to read her.  She was impressed, and so am I."  He recovered himself and winked.  "She said you took on a fowl at the end.  Very impressive for an apprentice your age!  Soon we'll move you on to juggernauts and banshees!"  He wondered if that was where she'd gotten that nasty wound on her shoulder, there.  It probably was.  Fowls' claws were dirty and sharp... though it looked like she'd gotten it cleaned and taken care of.  Good, responsible girl!  Not like those dunderheads who let their wounds fester until their limbs need to be cut off.

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw blinked as Hopflight laughed. But when he spoke of how he and Tidefrost were proud of her she felt her ears grow hot.

"Oh wow, umm thank you so much." She blinked looking at Hopflight with her missmatched eyes.

She wondered if any other apprentice had taken on a fowl at her age. Or weather the others had passed their assignments.

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

The Monarch looked down at his Grandprentice with great warmth in his eyes.  It was amazing to see that this humble little thing was the one who had just survived for a week out in the blackened world, hunting beasties and fighting off monsters.  He was glad to see such life in the residents of Safe Haven.  It was proof that they didn't have to become uniform soldiers in order to survive.  Everyone was still different.  There were those who were shy, those who were bold, those who were humble and the ones who were as arrogant and egotistical as he was.  "Did you know that Tidefrost was once my apprentice?" he asked, boasting slightly.  "She's one of our best, now!  Because of course she is.  I taught her well.  How is she as a mentor?"

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw smiled. "You mentioned it when I was given her. And Tidefrost sometimes mentions it during training." She smiled. Shifting her weight so her shoulder didn't throb so much.

"Tidefrost is a stern mentor she sometimes picks on things I do wrong and what I should have done. Or what I could have done better.  But she is amazing. Never a cross word. And she always pushes me to do my best." She added.

She often wondered if she was just like Tidefrost was as a kit.

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

"Good!" Hopflight said, with an even greater measure of pride and satisfaction.  "Yes, that sounds like her."  He picked up the stray thought that floated at the edges of Tigerpaw's mind, and paused to consider it.  Tigerpaw, like Tidefrost when she was young?  Hopflight had never known Tidefrost as a kid.  The gray vanguard had been found by TidalClan when she was about apprentice age, wounded badly from a massive wound to her leg.  She'd had no memory, or so she claimed, of what had come before.  There had been whispers that the injury would prevent her from becoming a warrior, and even more whispers when she was given to Hopflight, the lazy, unreliable warrior, to mentor.  But, miraculously, Hopflight somehow managed what even the medicine cat could not.  He had fixed her leg so it barely affected her daily life.  He'd straightened her walking pattern and developed an entire fighting style to accommodate it.  He'd always loved leaving others speechless.

He smiled and shook his head a little.  "No, you're not like little Tidepaw.  She was the most irritable, depressed, defensive little grump I'd ever had the misfortune of meeting.  She grows on you, though.  Like a weird, prickly fungus.  I'd hoped that if she'd been able to have a normal life, she would have turned out like you.  You remind me a bit of her familiar, and if that's not a good indication, then I don't know what is."  He reached out with a golden dappled paw and patted Tigerpaw between the ears.

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw giggled, under Hopflight's great paw. She was still amazed at how he had greeted her back from her assignment. Did he greet all the apprentices that had come back, or was this a little special treatment he showed her.

After all she knew how close he and Tidefrost were, maybe it had been the grey she-cat he had wanted to speak to? She didn't want to ask and sound rude. She actually enjoyed the Monarch's company, and though it was odd seeing him out of his leading role, she started to see that he was quite a kind cat behind his hard exterior.

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

Hopflight cocked his head and smiled at her again.  "You know, you can ask me all of those questions that I can see floating around in your mind," he informed her.  "No, I don't make a point of welcoming all apprentices back from their assessments.  But I do want to get to know everyone who lives here in Safe Haven.  You're all worth talking to—to have made it this far, you really have to be something."

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw smiled. "It's nice that you want to get to know everyone." She smiled. "U may not know what the clamity was like, since I was born here in safe haven.  But I think highly of you for leading many here. You truly are a great cat in my mind. I only hope that I can be just as great one day." She smiled,  thoughts from her mind spilling free like a waterfall.

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

That was more like it!  Though it had become almost second-nature to pick up on stray thoughts while in conversation with another cat, Hopflight was much happier when cats said what was on their minds.  "I'm sure you will be!" the monarch replied.  "It'll just take a bit of time and training.  As your Grandmentor, I'll be watching closely to see how you progress.  And I'm very much looking forward to it!"  He leaned forward and sniffer Tigerpaw's wound.  "I can heal this for you, if you'd like.  Though I know some cats like to let their wounds heal naturally when they can afford it."

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw smiled at her Grandmentor. Thought the thought of him watching her closely made her strive to make him proud. For he was almost like a second father to her. Even though she had yet to admit it.

She winced slightly as Hopflight sniffed her wound. It was still a little sore. "It would be nice for it to be healed. It's given me a small limp." She said blinking her missmatched eyes. "It won't scar much will it?" She asked.

She didn't mind scars as her fur would have covered it. But scars did come with the line of work she had chosen and she knew sooner or later she would sustain one that would stay with her.

But the Fowls talons had gone quiet deep so she knew there was a chance it would scar. That's what the Healer had said anyway.

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

Hopflight peered at it again and prodded it with his healing powers, just to observe it.  "The bugger got you good," he said.  "I can probably heal it so the scar won't show, if you want!  But I like scars.  They're beautiful, and they tell stories.  Imagine one day when you have an apprentice, and they're complaining about something or other, and you point to the scar on your shoulder..." he drew back and placed his paw on his own chest, doing his best imitation of her voice.  " 'Do you see this scar, my apprentice?  Why I got it when I was your age and I killed a fowl all by myself, after surviving for a week on my own in the ashen world!  Now shut up and show me more battle moves!'  Aah, that'd be fun."  He dropped back down to his normal standing position and flashed her another toothy grin.  She was a very pretty dame.  She was going to be absolutely gorgeous when she grew up, with those beautiful lillies, those bi-colored eyes and her long, soft fur.  "Anyways, I can heal it with a scar or heal it without.  It doesn't really matter to me, so I'll let you choose!"

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw winced a little at Hopflight's touch but  could feel his auma.

When he spoke in a tone imitating her own, she laughed. No scars were good, but a scar with a story was even better. Like Hopflight said. She would have something to talk about. Something to show the other kits. And in time her apprentice.

Tigerpaw flashed her own small toothy grin at him. And nodded.  "A scar with a story. My first battle wound." She smiled back at him.

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

Hopflight's expression lifted into a brighter smile as he heard her choice, and he pranced around her in a little circle, cackling.  "Good choice!  You know tom's can't resist a dame with scars."  He whirled around and bent his head towards the wound on her shoulder, closing his eyes.  Shimmering auma, the color of the ocean, swirled around him, flooding into her wound.  The pain cooled, and her wound started to knit itself together again.  When he lifted his head, there was a faint scar slightly visible through her long fur.  Three claw marks depicting her first battle, and her first victory.  "Beautiful girl," he chortled.  "I look forward to hearing more stories of your battles, wildcat!"

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw smiled, as Hopflight's auma swam around him into her wound. She could feel it growing cooler, more soothing, the pain was easing greatly. And soon, there, just visible under her long cream fur was three scars, the ruminants of her win with a beastly Fowl.

She smiled up at her Grandmentor. "My first battle story." she smiled. Crouching down and testing her newly healed leg, No pain what so ever!

"At least I'll have a story to tell a Tom when I meet the one for me" she giggled, leaping about. No pain, no limp.

{ Hopflight | Monarch | Safe Haven }

"I like the way you think, little dame!" he said approvingly.  Yes, toms were going to fall all over themselves trying to get her once she came of age.  "Thanks for talking with me," he said, ruffling her ears again.  "Keep up the good work, alright?  Give Tidefrost a few more gray hairs while you're at it, too."

{ Tigerpaw | Vanguard Apprentice | Safe Haven }

Tigerpaw giggled. "I'll make you proud Hopflight." She smiled and nuzzled his chest.