Talk of the Future

Pangolinpaw | WC: 262

When Hyenalaugh first came to him and asked Pangolinpaw if he wanted to switch ranks, the apprentice had initially been eager to accept the offer of becoming a hunter. However, upon further thought of the recent events that lingered in his memory, he had instead declined and asked for time to collect his thoughts. Although he’d vaguely known in his heart what he wanted to pursue, speaking with Rootpaw on the matter had greatly reinforced this desire. Still, there had been valid reasons he would’ve wanted to stop training as a warrior, and they didn’t go away just because he changed his mind. Now that he had planned what to say and ask of the deputy he felt ready to face him to discuss it.

So, lifting himself from his nest with a huff, the tom stepped forward and cast a glance around camp. Ah- *There.* He spotted Hyenalaugh across the clearing assigning clanmates to dawn patrols. Lucky that he wasn’t on one today; he wanted to get this done before he could stall any further. It was a conversation that needed to happen, and despite how the last one of those necessary talks went, he couldn’t procrastinate on it. This one would pertain more relevantly and putting it off wouldn’t work.

Pangolinpaw sat patiently to wait until his mentor saw off the last of the patrols, rising to his paws to quietly pad over. Once he got the older cat’s attention he began to slowly sign, *’I want to stay a warrior, but I have a few questions. Are you busy?’*

Hyenalaugh | WC: 71

Hyenalaugh patted his sister on the back as she went off on a patrol and as she was leaving, he looked around to see his apprentice coming. **"Oh hey kiddo!"** He watched him sign. Warrior... Questions... The deputy nodded.

**"Questions? No problem! Wanna go someplace private or are you ok here?"** Hyenalaugh was well aware that his apprentice wasn't much of a people person so he offered to go somewhere else.

Pangolinpaw | WC: 177

Pangolinpaw went silent for a moment, thinking, before he quickly nodded and led his mentor away to a slightly less active part of camp. This would have to do; he didn't want to have to be alert for predators at the same time as he was trying to communicate. Which, speaking of, he realized it might be too difficult to convey his questions properly through sign since it was with Hyenalaugh.
He highly preferred not to be verbal with anyone other than Rootpaw, but it was either he talk aloud or he take ages to sign slowly enough for the deputy to understand.

*This is for Rootpaw,* he reminded himself, gathering his thoughts of what to ask. Then he began, **"Can I still hunt on patrols and when I'm not training?"** Pangolinpaw asked attentively, meeting the other warrior's eyes somewhat. It would be a shame to have to give up hunting entirely, but if it was necessary he would oblige.

Didn't hurt to get confirmation on it first, though, before he gave up on the idea altogether.

Hyenalaugh |  WC: 155

Hyenalaugh made a hearty laugh. **"Of course you can! If it makes you happy, you may hunt. No one will stop you from feeding the clan."** He gave his apprentice a warm smile.

**"Even though Giraffestar taught me to hunt, I'm not very good at it. So I wouldn't be the right cat to teach you proper hunting techniques. But I know you're close to Rootpaw, so if Russetdream doesn't mind having you tag along, you are more than welcome to go train with him some days."** Hyenalaugh explains. He wanted to place a paw on Pangolinpaw's shoulder but he didn't think he'd like that much.

**"You should be happy with your role, so if you change your mind and want to be a hunter, I will not be upset. You understand? No one would be upset."** Hyenalaugh gave Pangolinpaw a serious look. He meant what he said, he wanted his apprentice to be happy.

Pangolinpaw | WC: 657

Pangolinpaw’s ears angled back for a brief second while Hyenalaugh lived up to his namesake. *Like uncle like nephew,* he mused inwardly. How unfortunate that he got stuck with the boisterous tom as a mentor. Another grudge to hold against Giraffestar. How silly it was for him to dare believe he escaped the noisiness of the nursery *just* to be assigned someone equally as loud as Thornpaw seemingly prided himself on being. Akili, the deity of wit themself, must have been playing a prank on him. One he didn’t find quite so amusing, but could do nothing except live with and adapt to the at times harsh volume of the deputy’s voice. At least he was understanding. Or perhaps agreeable was a better term for it; he doubted if he truly understood his motivations. In any case, the apprentice would have to learn to tolerate the loudness or else he’d never get anywhere in his training. He dipped his head, **”I won’t let it distract from my main duties.”** The spoken promise was almost entirely to himself, and the devotion behind it deeper than even he could fathom. What he considered his main duty was definitely a departure from that of his fellow warriors. His nose wrinkled slightly when Giraffestar was brought up and his shoulders stiffened. Rootpaw being mentioned afterwards definitely looked to have caught him off guard as well, **”Yes, Root and I are… good friends. I want to be able to protect him.”** He replied somewhat awkwardly, finding something behind the large tom to direct his attention to.

His lackluster description of their relationship felt like a huge understatement considering thoughts of Rootpaw seemed to pervade every aspect of his mind. His very actions now were driven out of concern for his safety. Nodding along respectfully to the rest of what Hyenalaugh was saying, a spark lit in his eyes at the prospect of more time spent with the young hunter. His gaze switched quickly back to his mentor’s face, **”I’d appreciate that.”** It may not be showing much but he could hardly contain his excitement! His eagerness soon simmered down to match the serious tone the deputy took on. *You should be happy with your role,* his thoughts echoed. He would be happy so long as his friend was kept well away from harm. Not like his mother who met a tragic fate, the details of which had been lost and blotted out over the moons. Whatever happened to her would *__never__* happen to Rootpaw, though. *That* he was confident in. He was less certain that no one would be upset if he changed ranks, but then again that would require them caring about him at all. And he was sure they didn’t. Although, maybe what he was trying to make clear was that *he* couldn’t care less about it. About whether he was Pangolinpaw’s mentor or not.

He didn’t know if that notion should make him feel any differently than he did, but so far all he’d been was frustrated in his apprenticeship, so it didn’t really have any effect. Whatever bond he’d heard they were supposed to have formed by now clearly wasn’t there. *Are Root and Russetdream like this too? Or do they like each other well enough?* Hm, it’d be good to make note of how they interacted next time he could. Rootpaw’s enemies were his, after all. Sort of brushing off all that Hyenalaugh said, Pangolinpaw opted to continue with what he’d planned to ask about from the start. **”It might be a problem that I… don’t like fighting other cats very much. I keep forgetting not to use my claws since they’re always out and I don’t want to end up hurting anyone when we’re training.”**

The apprentice paused to take a breath before making a small request, **“Do you think you could just remind me to sheathe them whenever we have sparring lessons from now on?”**

Hyenalaugh | WC: 74

Hyenalaugh nods. "Luckily, we don't fight other cats often. Usually just predators." He listened to his apprentice's concerns."I can remind you, sure. I don't really want you to scratch me just as much so you don't want to, haha. But accidents happen and I won't hold them against you." Hyenalaugh smiled, **"Whatever makes training easier, I'm down to accommodate. We'll work together to get you where you wanna be in terms of skills."

Pangolinpaw | WC: 244

Pangolinpaw's tail flicked uncertainly at the reassurance, hoping it was true that he wouldn't have to go against another cat in a real fight. He didn't want to give himself the chance to become someone who *enjoyed* hurting others. Or maybe he just wasn't ready to admit that some part of him already did. It's what helped whenever he felt angry at someone, and considering there would occasionally be joint sessions with Thornpaw...  well, it wasn't hard to see how that could go badly. Regardless, this conversation had gone decently for what it was. Reservations about Hyenalaugh aside, it was relieving to know that his mentor was very flexible when it came to this.

With it Pangolinpaw could perhaps begin to trust that he'd learn what he needed from the older tom. That someday he could protect Rootpaw properly and face no risk of losing someone he loves again. That had to be how this would all work out. The apprentice would accept nothing less. With a polite dip of his head he dismissed himself, **"Alright, thank you. I'll go get ready for training then."**

His gaze immediately fixed onto the shared warriors and hunters den. *I should bring him a mouse before we go and make sure he's up so he doesn't get scolded for sleeping in until sunhigh again.* A fond smile lit up his face at the thought of waking a drowsy Rootpaw.

Yes, all of this was well worth it.

[END | Pangolin's WC: 1340 | Hyena's WC: 300]