TGB - Thistle and Mouse

Biirdi
The she-cat was rather nervous on this day. It was in fact her third day in her new tribe, and also the day where she would begin her training. Her mentor in question was Mar. A skinny old bloke that most seemed to dislike. Tabitha wasn't one for disliking someone so soon, especially when Mar and her were obviously going to be besties. She had heard that Mentor and Apprentice sometimes go on to be best friends! Naming their kits after each other and having a super special bond. She wanted that, too! Nothing would get in her way to try and impress this Mar cat.
The plush grey she-cat stood still in the flood of cats, looking around to try and spot her mentor. Of course, it seemed as if all eyes were on her. What was wrong? Did she do something? She felt rather singled out. Shaking her fur, she looking around with a lazy smile. Oh, Mar cat, I'm sure you and me will make great friends! She thought happily

Takethra
Mar didn’t know why he hadn’t braced himself for disappoint. What had he expected? Perhaps the elation of finally having been permitted an apprentice had clouded his mind – whatever it was, it turned out that one of his children hadn’t crawled out of the grave to be mentored by him – not that he’d expected such a miracle – but..
His eyes returned from his paws to the little ashen runt broaching the camp a ways away. That was his.
A she-kit by the smell, aroma of milk still clinging to her downy pelt.
Damn his luck to the abyss. It wasn’t even a male. He could break her to bits as soon as train her up into a warrior! The old tom cursed under his breath before hulking to his feet.
He would not reject her – he couldn’t – what was her name, Acacia? Alcina had given him this chance and he would not shame himself by screwing up again. He could be responsible for the death of his kits and the reincarnation of the destruction god, but hell if he would do anything to get an apprentice taken away from him.
He was padding forward to meet the little creature, tail erect and shoulders bristling as he strode up to her. “You’re my apprentice, I take it?” He pulled up short to look down at her. “Well met, little mouse,” he barked.“Th’ name’s Bile.”

Biirdi
Oh, how exciting! Her very first and last mentor! She looked up at the tom with wide, adorable blue eyes that would have resembled her mothers so much if Fauna wasn't dead. Goodness, her new best friend! Why was it that he looked so...Ragged? Broken? What was the word...Half-dead, perhaps? He looked as if only half the fur he was given was still on his body. Large scars scattered his pelt, even on his face! Acacia couldn't picture herself with scars..At least, not big ones on her eyebrow like the tom had! She wasn't one to judge, though. He was beautiful in her eyes~
“Hello!” She chirped, a large smile on her face. “Bile, huh? Thats cool! Im Tabitha-- But you can call me anything you want! My siblings call me Acacia and sometimes 'Cia or 'Cacia but..Like I said, you can call me furball~! Whatever suits you!” She said, jumping to her paws. “Oh my, you're so tall! Do you think you can train me to be that tall...Bile?”
Bile? As in that disgusting stuff? What a weird name..

Takethra
Mar had overestimated himself once more – if he thought he could bear this with a willing heart and smile. Hell, was this Inky reincarnated? It would be just his luck, to be damned with an apprentice as bubbly, incomprehensible, and energetic as that little twerp had been.
“Acacia, hmm~?” Mar remarked, regathering himself. “I think I’ll call you Mouse.” His tail tetched, wending through the air with a flick as he was already turning around. “Come along, then. I’m going to take you out for your first lesson,” he said abruptly.
He didn’t even rightly know what this first lesson was, whether he ought to give it now, or anything. He would – he just wanted to see what she was made of. She had to have some merit, somehow. She wasn’t dreadfully small, anyway, so she had some potential as a warrior at least – or at least would not be completely deficient as one, anyway – so he had something to work with.
Not that he would take his claws out at her right away.
No, let’s start with something a little more subtle.

Biirdi
Her first lesson?! Wow! So quick! It seemed as if Bile liked to get straight to the point. Not to worry, the she-cat wasn't going to fall behind. Especially not on her first lesson! Clicking her teeth, she trotted after the tom in silence. Oh goody! What did he have planned for her? A present maybe? All toms seemed to have a present for her -- Especially Koosa! She wiggled her left ear with the feather he gave her behind it. Ah, it was so pretty. She wouldn't want to lose it one bit! Her tail bared a lovely tail charm that Eileen gave her, too! Did her mentor have any special things..? She couldn't really see with his behind in the way. "Mouse..!" She purred, puffing out her chest. Her mentor sure was regal! She wondered what Sheena and Cypress's mentor would be like -- Wait, not Cypress! She furrowed her brow. That stupid tom betrayed them! She didn't care...Or did she? No! Stop thinking about that, 'Cacia!

Takethra
“Yes, Mouse..” Hm. She seemed to like the name Mouse. Perhaps he ought to change it.
But no matter. She was following. At least she wasn’t disobedient.
He began treading outside of camp, rocks of the absconded clearing crunching underpaw as a crisscross of branches began shading their pelts. They’d go south, into where the Nightwatch reaches the Bog. She’d not know that territory. He cracked a smile. “I hope you don’t mind walking,” he said drolly, “Because we’ll be doing that for a little while yet..”

Biirdi
Acacia didn't understand how the tom talked. A little while yet? What did it mean? She wasn't sure -- so she just gave a big nod. "Okee dokee!" She said picking up the pace to walk by his side, but being wary so that she was just a bit behind him. "I don't mind walking, at least, not when I got someone to talk with!" She squeaked, looking up at the tom. "So whats trainin' gonna be like?"

Takethra
“Training…” Mar murmured, lips curling. He looked at her sidelong, green eyes gleaming.  The grey she-kit had fallen into step beside him. With all her gregarious prattle, he half-expected her to want to start and play ‘boop-n’-chase’ just like Inky had – was that a thing amongst she-kits? – well, whether it was or not, she was not doing it, so he was safe for now. Bracken crunched underfoot as he proceeded through the forest. “Training will be quite the adventure,” he growled jocularly, jaw hard in a grin. “You’ve got to prove to me whether or not you’re worth your piss, and that will take no small amount of effort,” he said coolly, tail flicking. “You’re bound to get plenty beat up and bruised and bloody, but you’ll have to get used to it.” His words were pompous, suave, and he looked down at her with a feigned disdain. “I hope you’re up to the challenge, Mouse.”

Biirdi
Tabitha felt a twinge of confusion, but she dared not to vocalize it. What was with this tom? Why was he so confusing? Of course she was worth her "piss"! Whatever that meant! What was piss anyway? It sounded a lot like pee, so she just guessed that it was that. "I make my pee, sir." She responded, lifting her chin slightly. "It's not worth me so I expel it from my body! If that is what you're asking." Tabitha said with a chirp in her mew. Ah, yes! The tom would surely be proud of her now that he knew! Maybe he didn't expel his pee from his body? She shrugged.
It was then that she realized that the tom must mean business, and if she wanted to mean business she needed to speak how he spoke and be like he was. She was his apprentice, after all! Tabitha also felt her paws throbbing a little. The plush grey she-cat slowed down a tad, looking up at her mentor with glossy blue eyes, almost wanting to say "are we there yet?" But she had a feeling he has a strict policy on complaining so she didn't, sighing softly, she pinned her ears and began to trek forward once more, catching up to her mentor. "Oh! I cant wait to see what we're gonna learn!" She said with a tiny bit of sing-songy-ness in her voice. "And of course I am up for challenges! I love challenges! Especially hard ones like hide-and-go-seek."

Takethra
Mar blinked. Especially hard ones like hide-and-go-seek… He almost pulled up short – but then, what was he expecting, that this little creature was somehow a genius? But hide-and-seek. Stars above – if that was hard for her –
He shook his head as though to clear it, looking down at her – the remark about the pee almost made him laugh, though with derision or pure amusement, he did not know. This cat – what was he doing with her? She was a friggin’ kitten – a she-kitten, no less – and he was to be her mentor.
It must have been some sort of act of vengeance on Alcina’s part – dumping her on him.
“Hide-and-seek…” Mar said tersely, recovering himself. They’d traversed a decent distance, he supposed; he could smell the bog decently enough, a bitter smell on the cold winter air, though its glimmering mere could not yet be seen through the heavy bracken. The ground underpaw was a cool slush of mud and rime. Hide-and-seek – now that was something like an idea.
“Well, I’m glad you’re up for a challenge,” the older tom purred, grinning coldly down at her as he was satisfied with their distance. They were a good distance from camp now; this would certainly prove a challenge for her. “Because I don’t intend to disappoint you~” He halted in his paw steps, turning smoothly to face her. “My first order as your mentor, little Mouse, is this.” He turned his face to a patch of mud on the ground, stirring it with his paw. “Stick your nose in this puddle.”

Biirdi
Acacia trotted along beside him, snorting up a bit of snot. Was she catching a cold? Only time would tell. Bah, she hadn't caught anything in the first six moons of her being alive, so it really would be unlikely that she caught a cold now. Or maybe that was a bad way to look at things.. She shrugged. Being so distracted by the little loogie that was blocking her nose, she didn't even notice that her mentor had stopped in front of the puddle until she stepped in it, and jumped backward in alarm. Tabitha shook her head, looking up at the tall sandy tom."Nose in the puddle?” She said doubtfully, looking down at the puddle. Bile had a reason, she was sure of it. He was probably the smartest tom in all the lands! Thus, she wouldn't hesitate any longer.  Bending down, she face-planted in the muddy water and stood there, willing to drown herself if that was the tom was asking. Ah.. Drowning herself though.. It seemed so scary! She began to feel hot from holding all the breath, then, the took a sharp intake from her mouth.

Takethra
“Tch, no, no,” Mar groused, almost calling her a fool before he caught himself – “I don’t want you to suffocate.” His tail flicked, and he stepped around to her. “Just clog your nose with mud,” he snorted. “There you go.”
What he had planned for her could not allow for the ability to track with scent. She would be perfectly witless for him. “Now,” Mar said imperiously, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws. “What I am going to ask you to do next may very well frighten you, but you are going to have to do it, for now that you are out here, you have no other choice.” His scarred face cracked with a smile. “Are you ready for your first challenge, Mouse?”

Biirdi
The apprentice snorted up the mud from the puddle, only to spiral into a coughing fit and sneezing the majority of the water and guck out. What was this? She couldn't smell anything! Was this what it was like to be blind? There was this odd feeling of pressure up her nose, but no matter how hard she breathed out, she couldn't get it out. Was something stuck? Would it be stuck forever? She didn't know! Jeez, she was only a apprentice. How does one even expect her to know these things. Scrunching her nose, she glanced back up at her mentor with a rather distressed look. The mud burned in her nose, but she kept moving the small black thing around to try and stop the burning. Eye twitching, she still attempted to offer Bile an excited smile. "Yeah! I'm ready!" she squeaked in a rather  nasally voice. Tabitha wondered what type or frightening thing Bile boo had planned. Bile boo. She thought the name was suiting, but she also decided that the tom might claw her ears if she said it allowed.

Takethra
That was better; now she wouldn’t be able to smell anything. All she needed was her ears to hear his orders and eyes to watch him disappear. Still, there was some dubiousness in his look as he observed the mud-and-snot smeared grin of his apprentice. Hm. Well.
“Good,” Mar said, crooked whiskers rising. He stood, tail high and still in the air. “Now, what I want you to do, Mouse,” he began, regally flattening his ears, “is find your way back to camp.” This would not be easy. She was new to Earth Territory – what Tribe was she from, Air? – and winter had the sun already low in the sky – and who knew whether or not she was hungry. His tail flicked. “So go. Run along, now.” The old cat’s expression was a smirk, as he was already turning away into the trees – a different direction from whence they’d come. “I’ll be waiting.”

Biirdi
“W-what?!” Was the only word she could think of that summarized her confusion and distress. Why would the tom just ditch her like that? Was he disappointed in her? Did he not like her pee joke? Oh! How she wished she could apologize! She didn't mean it, Bile knew that, right?! And if he didn't, it was joking enough to at least infer, wasn't it?? She shook her head and took a step back, bewildered. Then, the little grey she-cat laughed. The tom was just kidding, wasn't he! Hah! She shouldn't known. “Good joke, Bile! You really got me good.” Tabitha peered through some pushes where the tom disappeared, half expecting him to be there. She was crushed with disappointment when he wasn't.
'Ok, Tabitha! No problem.. Just don't panic and you'll be fine' She thought gingerly, sitting at the base of a tree trunk. 'Bile will come back. It's not like he would leave you here overnight!' She thought again, snorting. But would he? If he did, she was sure to die, and she couldn't die! She still needed to see Eileen! Ooh.. Her nose hurt now too. It seemed that if she ever wanted to get home, she would need to find a new way. But how? Half-blinded because of her nose, she looked up at the tree she was sitting under.
She had never climbed a tree before.
But she guessed that there was a first time for everything.

Takethra
Mar had not left, of course. How dreadful it would be to have an apprentice added to all the deaths he was responsible for. He’d withdrawn a number of trees away – from here he would watch her progress – and, stars forbid, if she didn’t make any progress, at least he could make sure she didn’t get picked up by a badger or any other ilk of the forest overnight.
But let her think she was alone. He heard her call after him, but did not respond, ears flicking as his venom-green eyes flashed to track her uncertain motions through the cold wood. She appeared to have taken interest in a tree. Well, that would certainly be safer for her – provided she didn’t fall out – and offer her a good vantage point to view the territory. Not an overly clever move, but it served what purpose he’d charged her with.
His tail swished over the hoary ground as the old cat watched.

Biirdi
Tabitha wasn't exactly sure how to do such an act as climb a tree. She took out her claws, to which she hooked in the bark. It was difficult, though. The bark was so cold due to the weather that it had hardened. But this tree also was very tall, perhaps one of the tallest trees she had ever seen. If some thing was going to help her see, it was the tree. She figured that if she didn't have smell, she needed better sight. Shaking out her pelt, she stuck her claws into the grooves of the bark, attempting to heave herself upwards. She wasn't very strong, but she managed. For the most part, at least. The pink-earth made it half the way to the first branch before she tumbled downward. “Ow!” She exclaimed, rubbing the back of her head and blinking in surprise. Shaking her head, the jumped at the tree again, only to become a little bit closer to the first branch before tumbling again. This went on for a good while of her just trying to get to the first branch. But she wasn't going to give up. She had no other leads! Finally, after what felt like hours of trying to get up, she got the hang of it. But, sadly for her, it had already begun to get darker and darker. If she wanted even a chance at seeing Earth-Tribe, she would need to pick up the pace.

Takethra
Mar could tell by her hesitance, general clumsiness, and of course the fall that she was not an experienced climber. Perhaps that was something he ought to teach her, if she was not capable of learning on her own. He wondered how much a mentor had to educate their ward on – just fighting or simple things he’d learned on his own when he was a kit, like this.
Well, at least she wasn’t wailing and crying about her fall. That was a small thing to not be wholly disdainful of. She hadn’t proved herself a whiner, yet.
His tail tetched over the frosty earth as he watched her. This would likely take a while – he hadn’t foreseen how much of his nap-times mentorship would consume – but there she was – she was actually managing to stick to the tree, now. That was good. She’d have to get further up to see where she was though. “Go on up, runt..” he murmured to himself.

Biirdi
Acacia was cold. The higher up she went, the more windy it became. She dug her tiny claws into the bark, holding onto dear life as a particularly long gust of wind ruffled her fur. Her wide blue eyes glanced upward, squinting in the wind. Biting her tongue, she clung onto the trunk again, pulling herself slowly upward. With each step, she became more and more experienced with the whole climbing thing. Until, after a couple more branches up the tree, she seemed to be good enough to go higher. It took forever for her to reach the top, though. It was almost pitch black when she made it to the top of the huge tree. A pine, it's leaves were thorny and the bark was somewhat spikey. She admired how tall it was. Was it ever as tall as she was? Would she grow to be this big? Yawning, she looked over what felt like the entire world. There was a couple mountains over to the side, and a bog to the other side. It was so beautiful.. So big and wide. Ah! Now she saw. A large dip in the trees and foliage. It HAD to be Earth-Tribe camp."HELLLOOO! IM LOST! HELP ME!" she screeched, hoping that they would hear her. Tabitha was rather disappointed when no one responded. She was just about to climb back down when she realized that what she could see up there she wouldn't be able to see down on the forest floor. Annoyed, she curled up on the branch in thought, staring at some pine cones that she realized something. If she plucked a pinecone and then threw it down on the ground then she would be able to tell what she wanted from up there from down there. She began picking and picking until finally, she threw them all down in the direction of the camp. Grinning at her idea, she began to climb back down. It was extremely difficult, in fact it was so difficult that she just ended up jumping from branch to branch. She was about on the third one from the ground when she missed it, tumbling to the ground as twigs picked and ripped at her fur. A large cut opened on her shoulder, she cried out in pain only to be cut off by landing on the ground. Tabitha sat there for a bit, sniffling and stunned as she tended to her shoulder. Licking it tenderly to try and stop the oozing blood.

Takethra
Mar was rather further unimpressed to hear her belting out her desolation – as though someone might hear her, once she’d gotten up into the tree. Sure, she’d managed to climb into the topmost branches, and in truth he was vaguely anxious that she did not fall from that height at least – but to have her go up there and holler, that removed most of his already meager concern. His ears flattened to the back of his skull.
He blinked, however, once he saw a dark shape falling from the tree, heart jumping – only to realize that it was a pinecone. He emitted a small sigh; getting him spooked for nothing. Another pinecone fell, and another. He noticed branches high above beginning to jostle with her gradual descent. Coming down. So she wasn’t going to weather the night in the tree; perhaps she would actually get around to poking about on her feet. He didn’t suppose she was so dull as to not remember any landmarks from whence they’d come. This could take all night he reflected absently – before his tail bristled at the sight of her falling from the tree.
How this inevitable event took him by surprise, he did not know – he just watched, eyes keen on her as she nosed her shoulder; he smelled blood. Heh. He wondered if it was her first blood. A small smile lit on his face; the first of much, he supposed. He was just glad she was taking it well enough not to whine and cry about it.

Biirdi
The tiny she-cat began licking at her scruff, whimpering ever so slightly. Oh, she knew it! She couldn't do anything without someone else! "Biiille.." She whined, looking over her shoulder tearfully. Where was he? What if she died? Oh, the little she-cat was so tired. She could just imagine her nest now, snuggling beside Seven. Sleepily, she rose to her paws and began to look around for the pinecones she dropped, furrowing her brow in thought. What was it about the tribes that made them so different? The mentors, the leaders..Oh! The amount of cats! And which place has the most cats? The camp! So the closer I get to camp..The more signs of cats there will be!. And with that, Tabitha began trotting her way back in the direction she had set up on the tree. Ill be there in no time flat! She thought, skipping a long and forgetting about her wound.

Takethra
Mar had quite expected her to give up and curl into a ball, with the advent of that fall and the little wound it’d garnered. She was certainly keening enough to give him the impression of giving up.
His tail skimmed the grass behind him as he watched, beginning to become dreadfully bored.
But his ears perked, he straightened a little bit, when she got upright and began to peruse the ground – before starting to coast away at a canter.
That was more like it. Mar got to his paws to pursue, steps grazing the cold earth as he followed her in the growing shadows. What was she up to? Had she been spooked, saw something she wanted to chase? Or could she have possibly come up with a way to return?
She wasn’t going in the wrong direction, at least.
Well, this might prove to be more interesting, after all.

Biirdi
Tabitha squinted through the darkness as she pushed through the undergrowth, her eyes burning as the wind threatened to cover them with frost. Her pelt was thick. She would live, no matter how much it felt like her pelt was on fire. "Gah--!" She gasped, her nose drooling. In fact, her nose felt like a ice cube. She wouldn't be surprised if the little black thing fell off. Frowning, the Pink slowed down and began to look around. Was she going the right way? she was, wasn't she? Ah! This cold was so hard to see through. It was almost like staring at the sun. Biting her tongue, the plush grey she-cat made her way through the bushes, taking note that the tree line was thinning and how the grass seemed to be flatter. She was close, she could feel it.

Takethra
Mar followed at a slower pace, watching her fleeting shadow as it darted through the brush in the distance; ideally, she hadn’t just gotten frantic and started running around at random – she at least appeared to have some sort of method to her madness. They were going in something like a straight line, anyway.
Night wind tousled his bristly fur, bare skin on his scars chilling; he smelled his ward’s pathetic mucous, the blood from her fur; she would definitely be quite eager for home, now. And they – they actually seemed to be getting close…
Hmmm…

Biirdi
The Pink-Earth began to slow down, getting more and more tired as the night dragged on. "Oh.." She yawned, her eyelids drooping. "This isn't a nice game..Bile.." She said, trudging through thorns that pulled at her skin and fur. The terrain seemed to be flattening out more and more, and she was beginning to hear voices. "Earth-Tribe!" she squealed in delight, forgetting how tired she was as she bolted forward. Aha! She just needed to push through the undergrowth and.. The Pink-Earth tripped on a root. How ironic. Huffing, she blew her fur tuft out of her face before getting up and running to the edges of Earth-Tribe camp, her eyes wide with awe and her nose drooling all over her muzzle.

Takethra
“Not bad,” Mar sat, tail-tucked smugly around his paws, preening his crooked whiskers as his apprentice came tumbling into camp.
The old warrior had already arrived; as soon as she’d gotten close enough, he’d broken off her trail to reach camp first. No sense in letting her think she’d beaten him, if she was yet capable of feeling competitive, even if most of Earth-Tribe was already asleep. There was only the guard posted, giving him strange looks, and even stranger looks at the arrival of his trainee.
Tabitha was all over in brambles, and her cut had dirt stuck to it – and her face was an appalling sight. But she’d made it. And she wasn’t mewling or whining or weeping. In fact, she looked positively exhilarated.
So she hadn’t given herself over to the pain, or the fright of the unknown; fear hadn’t overcome her. A little creature that he could step on, so dauntless.
Whether that was stupidity or bravery, it was too early to tell.
But perhaps she wouldn’t be such a disappointment after all.
“You can clean out your nose, now, Mouse,” he said, standing, tail flicking, already turning away to retire to the warrior’s den, to his mate. “And then get to sleep. Tomorrow, you’ll not be allowed to have breakfast, alright.” His gaze was hard on her, before flashing a wicked grin over his shoulder. “Sun-up is when your real training begins.”