A new chapter SparrowxShade

[megasaffe]

"I ate before I left, but if you want to teach me how to hunt, i'd be happy to learn! Do I need to be quiet?"

The apprentice had noted the grief in her eyes, but ignored it, he was more focused on learning the vitally important skill which would help him and his whole clan survive.

He whispered to her "I can't help it, Sparrowclaw... But i'll try not to let it distract me from being the best warrior Meadowclan ever took in. What are we hunting today?"

[RiiRii]

As the she-cat looked up between the gaps in the trees, she could see the sky becoming painted orange and peach.
Looking back towards her apprentice, she flicked his nose quickly with her tail and brushed past him.

"Lets go closer into our territory, the closer we are the less chance we have of being accused for stealing prey." she walked onwards, stopping at the sight of a small brown rabbit busy digging up dirt in the long brown grass. She nudged Shadepaw's cheek softly and gestured with her head towards the rabbit.

"Let me show you..." with this said, she dropped down into a crouch. Creeping slowly towards the rabbit with her stomach up hovering above the ground and her tail stretched out. Ears pinned back, taking a slow deep breath. Suddenly she stopped, rabbit near her and she then hunched up.
Leaping, claws unsheathed and mouth wide, she met the neck of the rabbit and swiped it off the ground. Standing with it dangling from her jaws, before walking back to Shadepaw and dropping it down in front of him. "Now, your turn. Scent for a creature."

[megasaffe]

Obediently, Shadepaw lifted his head to scent the air, mouth slightly open to detect even the faintest scents. At first he smelt nothing but the dank wetness of the fog that had clung to his fur- when he got back to Meadowclan he would have to go and lounge in the sun for a while to clear it- but then scents came to him, gradually: A rabbit, Sparrowclaw's familiar scent, The lingering smell of the rabbit his mentor had just killed, warm and comforting in front of him, and what he thought was mouse, though he couldn't be sure.

"Sparrowclaw... Is that a mouse in the bushes over there?" He whispered, being able to hear the rapid pulsing heartbeat in yonder direction.

[RiiRii]

As her apprentice asked, the she-cat twitched an ear and listened in the direction Shadepaw had implied to. There it was, scuffling through the dirt underneath the bush. A mouse. Must be coming out after a long winters sleep.

"Yes, you're correct." the she-cat meowed, her paw on top of the rabbit she had killed. "Here is a hint when you go to stalk prey such as a mouse in a bush." she lowered her body slightly, being careful of not brushing her belly fur over the floor. "Carefully stalk it like this, one paw gently touching the ground and making sure not to trod on any twigs or dried grass. When you are near the bush, find a small opening where the mouse could be and then catch or wait until it leaves the safety of the bush and then pounce. Make sure to shift your weight properly and make sure your pounce is correct." As she spoke, she mimed the instructions and jumped forward slightly, landing a centimetre away from the rabbit and turned to face her apprentice. "Give it a try"she whispered. "Make sure you're downwind of the prey too. If you're upwind, it will smell you."

[megasaffe]

"Downwind... that's where I can smell it but it can't smell me..." The apprentice muttered to himself before mimicing his mentor's steps, keeping his belly low, but not so that it was touching, keeping his crouch balanced and his weight low on his haunches. Silently, so as not to alert the mouse, he stalked, keeping his body in perfect alignment with the ground, he stalked, all senses intent on his prey. Silently he waited, until the mouse came out from under the bush, a seed in its (paws, hands? Idk XD). He chose this moment to pounce. The mouse let out a small squeak that was quickly silenced, as he killed it with a swift bite to the neck.

Shadepaw raised his head towards the sky, and muttered: "Starclan, thank you for the bounty you provide."

He picked up his mouse, tail held high, and returned to his mentor where she was waiting, and placed his catch gently in front of her.

[RiiRii]

Shadepaw's movements were perfect!

Back when she was half apprentice half warrior, she failed so badly at hunting for the first few moons of her training, now she was impressed her apprentice had mastered it on his first day of being an apprentice.

Looking to the side, she shifted her gaze to the rabbit and picked it up. Allowing it to hang limp from her jaw and she turned to leave, gesturing with her tail for him to follow. "You coming?" She meowed through a mouthful of fur and forcing the urge to swallow back as the rabbit blood and taste sunk down her throat. She was incredibly hungry, but she had much to do. "next we're going to gather moss for the elders and nursery, it's a dull task but it has to be done. "

[megasaffe]

"Of course! Would you like me to take the Rabbit and the mouse back to the Elders first? I want to show them my catch and yours!"

Shadepaw had always had a good relationship with all of the elders, spending most of his kithood in the elder den, happily listening to their tales of Starclan; it had shaped him into the deeply faithful cat he now was. He knew how proud they would be to see his very first catch as an apprentice!

Gently, he picked up his mouse and her rabbit, and waited to say if she would say yes.

[RiiRii]

She nodded slowly, walking onwards and flicked her tail and headed back into the camp. Walking towards a rock and pushed it up with her nose. Moving her nose around around and then neatly swiped the moss by the roots and putting them into a neat batch.
She repeated this several times and then rolled it into a big batch, carrying it with her towards her apprentice.

"There." she lashed her tail, flicking her ears and walking towards him then past him and looking towards him. "Coming?"

[megasaffe]

"Yup! Lead the way!"

Shadepaw followed his mentor into the main camp, into the elder's den. Once there, he was greeted by loud purrs as he put down his and Sparrow's catch, and quickly recounted his session, leaving out the part about that beautiful Pineclan apprentice...

[RiiRii]

The older she-cat turned her head back to look at the apprentice, flicking her tail quickly and then laughed softly. There he was carrying more than he could, but she wasn't going to complain. He was a brave apprentice and something in her gut told her he would make a great warrior.

As she leaped neatly over a rock, her paws landed softly on the ground. Making sure he was able to keep up, she pushed through the brambles into the camp and then placed the moss down near the elders den. Turning to wait for her apprentice to arrive, she wrapped her tail neatly around her paws and looked up to the sky. Yeah, there the sun was, appearing over the vast mountains and slowly turning the sky light from dark.

Another hard day was done with, now she could finally do something she has been wishing to do all day. Eat.

[megasaffe]

"Sparrowclaw, I've spoken to the elders and they all said they would be fine with the rabbit you caught... Would you like the mouse?"

Shadepaw put the still warm mouse in front of her, charged off to the fresh kill pile, and returned with a small shrew, which he bit into hungrily.

"I'm sorry I was so far into my thoughts today, I shall try and be on time tomorrow! Are we hunting again, or can we do some fighting moves, or both?"

He swallowed down the last of the shrew and licked his lips, thanking Starclan in silence for his meal.

[RiiRii]

Smiling, the she-cat took the mouse and chewed on it hungrily. Thanking silence to starclan and licking her paws after. "Tomorrow we're doing battle training." After she finished her food and licked her paws to clean her fur, removing bits of leaves, grass and other bits and bobs that stuck to her lean pelt.

"Did you have fun?" she asked, cocking her head to the side and wrapping her tail more around her forepaws. "If you have any questions, let me know."

[megasaffe]

"I have just one question... Can we go back over hunting again, soon?"

He purred at his mentor and licked her ear respecfully.

[RiiRii]

The deputy laughed softly, nudging her apprentice and cuffing his ear. "Tomorrow you want to do hunting training?" she tilted her head and wrapped her tail neatly around her forepaws.

"Now let us just rest up and relax." she stretched out, purring silently and then watched her apprentice.

[megasaffe]

Shadepaw rolled around on the still-warm ground, enjoying the warmth on his pelt. When finished, he stretched out, and laid next to his deputy silently, their pelts just touching.