Inspired by @strawslurper0 lovely fanart of my Snow Angel AU, a little more Mapleshine and her mentor Uncle Ashfur.
They started out on shaky ground - Ashfur was unnerved by Maple for reasons he could never put in words, and Maplepaw was far too enthusiastic and pushed herself too hard. After Maple nearly got hit by a monster, they had a mature conversation. Ashfur finally saw an apprentice instead of an eerie cat he couldn't relate to, and realized he had been unfair to her. Maplepaw realized that her imagined perfect mentor was mortal and fallible, and pushing her expectations and herself was hurting both of them. Afterwards they flourished, Maple learning at a more relaxed pace, and Ashfur came into his own as a mentor and as a family member.
