The False Idolatry: Chapter 2
TwigPaw fiddled around, the first rays of sunlight slowly seeping into his sight, signalling the start of rising Sun. The luminous glows of bright light cast a light shadow of the Cycle Tree; the tree’s short silhouette began to grow stronger, placed at the start of the cycle to Moon. He licked his messy chest fur, grooming it flat against his body as he waited for his trainer to show up. Flicking his tail, he let out an exasperated groan and frowned. GlazeFoot, of course, wasn't going to come this early. He sighed, slumping down impatiently, his back arching up. “Tails, why did I wake up this early…?”
“Hey, buddy.” A voice cracked into his vicinity, breaking the silence. TwigPaw blinked in surprise, lifting up his chin; It was DayJitter. Probably going out for a morning stroll, TwigPaw had guessed.
“Oh- hi, DayJitter. It’s really early right now. What are you doing?” TwigPaw asked, tipping his head to the side.
“Mm, shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” DayJitter chuckled, lightly tapping his right front paw on the solid rock beneath them as he loafed down.
“Well…yeah, I guess. I woke up early.” TwigPaw sighed, admittingly, curling his tail around his paws.
“Hm, I woke up earlier than you. I just returned from a little rising Sun cleansing.”
“Oh, I guess you really live up to your name, hm? …Ahaha…” TwigPaw joked, chuckling awkwardly as he believed that DayJitter may not have gotten what he’d meant.
“Hah, nice one. Well, I’m going for a stroll around camp, see you. Do well at training!” DayJitter smiled and rose up from the ground, waving goodbye with his tail as he strode away.
TwigPaw watched as he disappeared from his sight, sighing as he also stood up, slowly forcing himself back to his dorm. He huffed as he dragged himself up the small slope and stumbled back into his den. His kindies, TwiddlePaw and DamPaw, were both snoozing, their light snores filling up the room.
TwigPaw dropped down onto his mossy grass nest, the soft bedding relaxing his tensed, lazy tendons as it cushioned him from below. He sighed and slowly closed his eyes, yearning for some shut-eye.
The image of paws and fangs flashed-banged into his sight, and he shot up, a shriek escaping from his throat. His fur stuck up in fear, and his eyes, though blurry with sleep, shot around the dorm.
“Hey! You’re finally awake, Twiggy! Come on, you can’t just oversleep!” TwiddlePaw’s voice rang inside his droopy ears, and he blinked, looking up at the two shapes, his brothers, standing over him.
“Come on. We need to get to training, Twig.” DamPaw meowed, still nudging him with his paws.
TwigPaw sat up, smacking DamPaw’s paws away, and bent towards his stomach to lick at his puffy flank fur. Finally, he looked up, sighing. “Tails, why didn’t you wake me up earlier? Plus, I woke up at the start of rising Sun, just took a nap out of exhaustion.”
TwiddlePaw and DamPaw looked at each other, their expressions a bit embarrassed. “Uh, yeah, we overslept, too. Anyways, let’s go!” TwiddlePaw grinned idiotically and leapt up, bouncing out of the den. Behind his tail, DamPaw followed, tail held high, though they knew themselves they were going to be teased for sleeping all the way to highest Sun.
“TwigPaw, you’ve got to keep your tail down.” GlazeFoot sighed, eyeing his apprentice with a tired expression.
“Oh- ah, sorry…” TwigPaw nodded and lowered his tail to the ground, stalking forward. His legs started to tremble with each step he took, and he frowned, trying his best to maintain balance. The starling in front of the bush that was hiding TwigPaw’s shape was grooming its feathers, brightly chirping every time they’re done with one spot. He grunted, tail wobbling, and glanced back at his mentor, who was crouching down. GlazeFoot nodded towards the direction in front, urging him to go a bit quicker in pace. TwigPaw gulped and began to take bigger strides, his balance slowly chipping away, making his strides more and more uneven in pacing. Once he got close enough to the bush, he could hear GlazeFoot whisper, “Jump!”
TwigPaw collapsed onto the ground with a loud thump, grunting. He could hear the beating sound of a flapping bird above him, the frightened shrills of a bird slowly fading away into the distance. Great. TwigPaw huffed. I missed again.
GlazeFoot slowly walked into TwigPaw’s vicinity, the light sounds of pawsteps mixing into the silence of the area, making TwigPaw a bit scared. “TwigPaw.” GlazeFoot sighed, “You’re supposed to leap above the small bush, not brush your belly against it.”
TwigPaw opened his eyes, his gaze flooded with shame. GlazeFoot seemed to notice and sat down next to where his trainee was lying on the ground. “Look, I want to help you. I’m not disappointed, if you think I am.”
TwigPaw blinked. “You aren’t…?” He asked sincerely, but then, he understood. “You’re just lying…to get me to feel like I’m not the failure I am.”
GlazeFoot flicked his tail, his smoke colored fur flowing in the air as a cool breeze hit the two. “You’re not a failure, alright? You just need time. Even if you’re as bad as you are right now, you can still get better. Not everyone starts out as nicely as others, but in the end, they all tried their best.”
“But…even if I’m trying my best…are you sure I’ll get better?” TwigPaw paused, looking away. “Even you admitted that I’m bad at this…” His voice was frail and wimpy.
GlazeFoot flinched and sighed. He began to stand up, shaking his furry pelt. “You know what,” He nudged TwigPaw with his paw pretty roughly, making his trainee flinch away. “What do you want to do?”
“W-well…I want to improve on…leaping?” TwigPaw meowed as he rose up from the ground, his paws staggering a bit as he stood.
“Hm. Sure.” GlazeFoot nodded. “Well, you want to practice that right now?”
TwigPaw nodded. “Well…yeah.” He stood up on all four paws and shook his tail. He looked down to find his stomach fur messy, and began to lick at it, wetting it so that it was plastered to his flank.
“Clean yourself later. You’re still going to get messy.” GlazeFoot meowed, flicking his ear as he took a small step closer to TwigPaw.
TwigPaw glanced at him, then back to his ruffled pelt. With a small sigh, he slowly bobbed his head up and down a few times in understanding. “Yeah, okay.”
As he raised his tail and brushed it against his trainee’s back, his bachelor blue short fur making contact with TwigPaw’s burnt umber messy pelt, GlazeFoot cocked his head to the side, meowing, “Alright, get to the training grounds. We’ll be training there for the rest of the time.”
“Mhm. Alright…!” TwigPaw managed to crack a nervous smile onto his face, the edges of his muzzle twitching slightly.
GlazeFoot slowly smiled back, ears slightly flicking back and forth. “Okay, then. Let’s get going.” As he spoke, his smile faded to his resting face, muzzle down and sometimes seemingly blunt in expression. The two trod through the part of the forest, beams of light not blocked by the coverage of trees shooting onto their pelts, making their fur shine warm golden in color. The gentle aroma of the forest was breathed in and out by all the living creatures that reside here, their scents brewing into the scent of fresh greenery and soft, tender grass to create a delightful smelling fragrance out of the chilled breezes of Pre-Frigid Time.
TwigPaw blinks slowly, taking in the pleasant scent of life as he follows his trainer. He could hear the rustling of leaves underneath his paws with every step he took forward, the crunching a satisfying sensation. Fragile, golden, and reddish-brown leaves stirred around in the cold zephyrs that brushed past his pelt; some small fragments of the leaves that had been smashed had gotten caught in his not-yet-detangled fur.
GlazeFoot turned his head to look at TwigPaw as they continued to walk, the satisfaction and glee in the young tom’s face sparking a glint of amusement in his trainer’s eyes. As TwigPaw glanced back at GlazeFoot, only to realize that he was watching him with a friendly expression, his elation of being able to witness the pleasant ways of nature quickly faded away into slight awkwardness. He shook his pelt as the uneasy sensation washed into his heart and mind, making his steps quick and reserved as the two followed the trail. GlazeFoot seemed to notice, the mentor’s own tranquil expression fading away as he looked away to face the front.
After a little while, the two finally reached the training grounds, a forest gap where no plants stood in the way of training. As TwigPaw and GlazeFoot entered the area, TwigPaw could feel that the soil was mildly soft, but slightly chilly to the touch. In front of them was MoonPaw and his kindlemate TwiddlePaw, jabbing their forelimbs at each other as they dodged each other’s attacks swiftly, their claws sheathed safely in training, and both being a good skill match. On top of a massive boulder that settled right next to the training grounds, RipplePad and SapWhisker observed the two trainees whilst exchanging clan news as well as reporting to each other about their own trainee’s progress. As they approached, SapWhisker straightened up as she spotted TwigPaw and GlazeFoot, who were looking for a spot to train in the open space. TwiddlePaw’s tail stuck up into the air in joy as the two came into his view, and he murmured something to MoonPaw, which she nodded at and paused with the combatting.
“GlazeFoot! Come up here with us!” RipplePad called, his tail tip flicking left and right as he quickly rose to his paws. Arching his back as he prepared to jump down from the boulder, he sprang down the rock and landed confidently, shaking his pelt as he stood upright.
GlazeFoot shook his head, taking a step forward. “Not right now, RipplePad. I’ll have to set TwigPaw up so he knows how to boost his leaping skills.”
Watching GlazeFoot decline the offer, TwigPaw didn’t notice his brother sprinting towards him with a playful grin. As TwiddlePaw slammed into TwigPaw with a teasing cackle, the air was knocked out of TwigPaw’s body, a loud “oof” escaping him as they both hit the ground. TwigPaw shoved TwiddlePaw off of his body, snarling in anger as TwiddlePaw rolled onto the ground, laughing his tail off. “What was that for?!” TwigPaw hissed, certainly vexed to the max.
As TwiddlePaw giggled uncontrollably, he managed to chuckle out a few words. “HAH! Did- pft…did you see your face? AHAHAH!” TwiddlePaw snorted, his paws twitching in laughter.
TwigPaw let out a huff and flipped onto his side, slowly getting up, his tail still fluffed up from the shock of the surprise attack. “Was it really that hilarious?” He scoffed and shook his pelt, throwing off the leaf bits and dust stuck on his fur.
In the distance, MoonPaw let out a snort, barely able to contain her laughter any longer. Seeing that, TwigPaw’s fur shot up once again in intense embarrassment, scuffling his paws as he looked away.
SapWhisker, sitting up on the boulder, sighed. “Trainees…” She mumbled, but then called out loudly, “Get up, giggles! Are you going to train, or are you going to roll around like an incapable kindie?”
TwiddlePaw’s giggling ended as his trainer’s voice reached him, and slowly rolled only his chest, pushing himself up. His fur was dusty and tinted brown from the particles of soil stuck in his fur, and shook rapidly, scattering the earth onto the ground. TwigPaw took a step sideways farther away from his kindlemate, not willing to get any of the dust onto his own pelt.
RipplePad let out an entertained purr, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he chuckled lightly. SapWhisker looked down at him, her eyes softening, and began to smile in a friendly manner. “Alright, you embarrassing bundles of meat and bone, you should continue training. GlazeFoot, we can add TwigPaw as well, if you want.”
GlazeFoot hesitated for a second before nodding. “Sure. Be sure to teach him proper leaping, though. We’re aiming to improve in pouncing.” He meowed firmly as he placed one of his pearly white paws in front, though not taking any step forward.
“We’ll make sure of it.” SapWhisker meowed, flicking her right ear.
GlazeFoot looked at SapWhisker, then to TwigPaw, seemingly waiting for his trainee to give him his opinion.
TwigPaw blinked, realizing, and answered in a rush. “Uh, yeah, we cou- can train. If you ne- um, if you want me to.”
GlazeFoot nodded. “Alright, then. You are to join MoonPaw and your brother. Remember to pay attention to the details. I’ll be going back to camp for a little while, I have some news to report to CometRhythm.”
“Ah, okay. See you later, then.” TwigPaw meowed, curling his tail as his trainer slowly turned and walked away into the distant undergrowth, disappearing between the greenery of the forest.
RipplePad’s gaze rested on the bushes GlazeFoot padded through, the branches still rustling just a bit. As the leaves finally stopped wobbling, he blinked and turned to face TwigPaw. “Leaping, correct? Right, then.” He shifted to look at SapWhisker and MoonPaw. “SapWhisker, what do you think about combat leaping?”
SapWhisker’s whisker twitched slightly as she nodded slowly. “That’s good. The trainees would need the knowledge when pouncing on threats. MoonPaw, are you in?”
MoonPaw blinked for a second, then replied in a cheery tone, tail lifting. “Of course! I’d absolutely love to leap better, so I can use it in battle and also hunt prey! …Also, to jump on JewelPaw.” She added in a whisper, grinning.
RipplePad seemed to notice and padded closer to his trainee, using his shoulder to nudge MoonPaw in the ribs. “You better not!”
MoonPaw chuckled in response, flinching away from the rough nudge.
SapWhisker rolled her eyes playfully as she watched the two talk, twitching her scarred bob tail, but then rose up from where she lay on the boulder. She braced herself for a leap and landed nimbly on her feet, stabilizing her footing as she recovered from the landing. As she walked towards RipplePad, her tail stump wobbled with each stride she took. “Let’s start.” She spoke, whiskers twitching as a light breeze hit her. “Here’s what we’re going to do. One of you trainees will stand in the middle of the area and pretend to be an enemy or type of prey. Another one of you will stalk towards them and pounce. Now, the pretender must try to fight back. Meanwhile, the one that doesn’t have a role will observe, and when it’s their turn, they take all the errors or good examples they saw from the previous act, and try to improve their own skills. Sounds good?” She turned to face the three young cats, who all nodded.
“Very well.” SapWhisker meowed. “RipplePad, can you assign the roles?” She glanced back at the greyish navy colored tom.
He nodded, and RipplePad’s gaze rested on TwigPaw. “TwigPaw, since you want to improve at leaping, you’ll train with…” He flicked his ear and faced TwiddlePaw. “TwiddlePaw, you choose your act.”
TwiddlePaw’s tail rose up in delight as he understood he was to be the pretender, responding enthusiastically. “Really? Yes! I’ll be…an evil enemy!” He let out a supposedly maniacal cackle after he finished, which sounded rather stupid than intimidating.
TwigPaw cringed at the stupidity of his brother, a wave of embarrassment fresh and hot overtaking him, disappointed in his shameless kindlemate. “TwiddlePaw…can you, like, not…”
“TwigPaw, don’t be such a hater, y’know?” TwiddlePaw replied sarcastically, a wide grin spreading onto his face.
“...Okay. Well, are we going to start? Like, now?” TwigPaw asked, longing for the conversation to be over and the actual process of training to begin.
“Of course, once TwiddlePaw stops laughing like a croaking toad.” SapWhisker meowed dryly, her gaze pinned on her trainee like sharp, frigid icicles seemingly ready to pierce through TwiddlePaw’s skull at any moment if he let out another chortle. As TwiddlePaw noticed, he shuffled his paws together, standing upright.
MoonPaw’s tail drooped in disappointment, and she began to pout childishly. “Why do I not get a role…? I’m perfectly fit for acting and pouncing, you know? TwiddlePaw’s just immature.”
In the distance, TwiddlePaw narrowed his eyes, whiskers twitching.
“You will, once their turns are finished,” RipplePad assured her, and turned to pad towards the boulder, clawing his way up once he reached it.
“Alright, TwiddlePaw, stand there.” She meowed, cocking her head toward the center of the training grounds.
TwiddlePaw nodded and bounced towards the middle of the area, grinning in visible excitement. TwigPaw blinked and glanced back at SapWhisker, who was looking at the bushes. Flicking his tail, TwigPaw turned around and padded toward the clusters of greenery.
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