The Beginning of a Legacy [boulder]

The sky was clear, the air was warm, and Blackfang's leg stung like a foxbite. Of course, that never stopped, but today especially the big tom had no desire to let it show on his face or in his movements. There was a young gray cat tagging along with him, and Blackfang was supposed to teach him how to survive in this rough world. There was, therefore, no room to display his own lack of power against his fate. It wasn't as if any cat had instructed them to go so far away from camp to do their training, but Blackfang was determined to prove (to himself and to everyone else, whether they knew it or not) that he was still capable of getting around. Maybe he'd never get assigned to fast patrols, but he was useful, by StarClan!

And one day this new apprentice would be, too. Boulderpaw, was his name. Blackfang confessed that he didn't spend much time around the kits and queens - quite apart from his bulky self feeling distinctly unwelcome, kits held no allure for him - but he could tell the young tom had grown quite a lot, and would likely turn out as large as himself. Perhaps he was even destined to take Blackfang's place one day, a senior warrior devoted to the cause. Wouldn't that be a sight to see with dimming elder's eyes, he reflected. A better legacy to leave than "the cat that survived."

But of course he didn't know Boulderpaw at all. Maybe he'd turn out more of a -heart or a -face than a -claw. "Boulderpaw, talk to me," he began without any preamble or pleasantries, "What do you see, what do you smell? What are we out here to do?" The apprentice's first answer would be the most instinctive, and would probably show what frame of mind he tended toward, fighting or hunting or maybe just a desire to run out and experience the world. Besides, Blackfang didn't believe in strictly scheduled training sessions. He was here to help a younger cat along in life, not turn him into a mindless path-trodder who couldn't think for himself.