Life is a journey, not a destination. [P Darkenedwind]

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    [justify][font=times][size=8]Neonpaw sat inside the clearing of camp, waiting eagerly for her first day of training. Sure, she'd been out of camp before... but now she's an apprentice, meaning she'll have an actual purpose, a reason to leave camp, a reason to do something interesting for once.. Giving her paw a nonchalant lick, she scanned the crowd of cats wandering about for her mentor, wondering if he'd forgotten about her. Nah, just give it time. She told herself, still struggling to contain her excitement. It's still pretty early... She knew that there were some warriors not yet awake, but she couldn't help but want to get an early start, to learn the territory and learn to hunt, practice fighting and, for once, be of some sort of use to her clan. Continuing to look, her bright green eyes flickered from right to left, scanning through all the different cats for the sandy pelt of Briarstorm.


    Just be patient. She told herself as she couldn't spot him anywhere. With a sigh, she rest on her side, laying her head on her paws, eyes turning to the ground. You'll get to train soon enough. She though, trying to calm her eagerness to go, forcing herself to wait and not just get up and run out of camp at that very moment. There's still all day. She told herself. ... but I want to go now. Right now. She thought with another sigh, once more lifting her head to scan the area for her mentor, still yet to be seen. No sign of him at all. With a final sigh, she rest her head back on her paws and began tracing lines in the dirt with her claws, trying to distract herself from the day, which seemed to get slower and slower by the second.

    The post was edited 1 time, last by ✶lime ().

    [glow=yellow,2,300]Briarstorm[/glow]



    Briarstorm was late. Admittedly, and horribly late. Maybe going out last night after just being assigned an apprentice wasn't the best idea, but he just had to share the good new with Maplewind. He had, in vain, waited at the border all night and wound up falling asleep, missing the she-cat whether she had been on the other side of that gorge or not.


    Then, like the fool he had started off being already, he hadn't woken until the sun was warming its pelt, only a few hours from the middle of the day! 'Mousebrain!' he scolded himself as he ran for camp, grass and a few leaves still in his pelt.


    Once he arrived on the island, he shook his pelt clean and gave it a few quick licks to at least look presentable and not like he'd just been chased by hounds. Teal eyes swiftly scanned the camp, cursing at himself yet again as he saw his new apprentice, Neonpaw, trying to wait patiently. Quick to get back on his paws, the rushed tom hurried over, a smile on his face.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting." he smiled lightly. "I guess I over slept. Are you ready?"



    [justify][font=times][size=8]Three... four... five... She counted the lines in the sand as she made them. six... seven... eight... The time seemed to go on forever, each second lasting a minute, each minute lasting an hour, it seemed. nine... ten... ele- She jumped a bit at the voice of her mentor as he seemed to appear out of nowhere. "That's okay." She said with a slight shrug, bringing a small smile to her face. Of course she wasn't about to tell him how bored out of her mind she'd been, or how early she'd been up to wait for him. "So, does that mean we can go now?" She asked, a new excitement in her voice as she realized, now that her mentor was here, something could be done! She thought of all the things to do; hunting, fighting, patrols, anything and everything she could think of, she expected. Though, that little voice in the back of her head told her it was probably not going to be as exciting as the fictional part of her mind was making it out to be. "What are we going to do first?" She wondered aloud.

    [glow=yellow,2,300]Briarstorm[/glow]




    The tan tom purred with a chuckle, whiskers twitching in amusement. He remembered being just as excited when Rainclaw had first taken him out. The blue tom had left his nephew with all the experience and skill to pass onto this she-cat in front of him.


    "We're going to start with hunting." he nodded. He didn't want to fish or go near the borders at all right now. He already felt enough guilt, after all. So, instead, he would teach her what RiverClan cats had to know for when the ice was too thick to fish: hunting prey. "If you can handle it."


    He teased with amusement, tail flickering across her nose as he started away from the camp.



    [justify][font=times][size=8]Hunting! She thought with joy. "Of course I can handle it!" She scoffed, though an amused look rest on her face. Trotting quickly after him, she wondered how hard hunting could be. It's just killing an animal that is way smaller than you. She told herself, thinking that this was going to be a breeze. Just jump on it and kill it with your weight. She began planning how she would do this. How come others have such a hard time? She wondered, thinking about overhearing apprentices talking about failed catches and how hard it was to hunt. Maybe they just don't try hard enough. Yeah, that had to be it.


    Though, doubt lingered in her mind, and though thoroughly confident she could hunt easily on her first try, she knew there had to be more to it. "Is hunting hard?" She asked finally, breaking out of her thoughts as she followed her mentor.

    [glow=yellow,2,300]Briarstorm[/glow]




    Briarstorm looked up, thinking of a way to answer the apprentice. "Well, it's certainly not as easy as just walking around the borders can be. That can be hard too though... However, it's your first hunting trip, so don't be discouraged if you can't catch anything. They can be fast and smart..."


    The tom looked around them, enjoying the last bit of green-leaf before leaf-fall settled in. He could hear them, the prey. A mouse, a bird... a mouse seemed more realistic to catch than a fast flyer that could alert other prey.


    "Perfect..." he nodded. "Follow me."





    [justify][font=times][size=8]"Okay." She mewed, all though she couldn't see why her first catch wouldn't be caught today... it was just hunting, after all. There didn't seem to be anything so difficult about it. What could go wrong? She wondered, lost in thought, trying to create scenarios in her mind where she wouldn't catch anything... but all that came up was her pouncing, killing, and walking back to camp with a bunch of prey. This'll be easy. She told herself.


    "I'm coming!" She called as she realized that, while she was lost in thought, her mentor had begun to pad away. I wonder where we're going... perhaps there's a spot where the prey run. She thought, having no idea where prey lived, or anything about them really. Picturing in her mind a field full of mice, little did she know what a reality check she was in for: the forest wasn't the nice, magical place she'd always dreamed it would be.

    [glow=yellow,2,300]Briarstorm[/glow]




    The warriors footing quickly grew quiet, and he motioned for his apprentice to do the same. The putty cat moved close to the ground, his haunches moving with ease as he sunk into the brush. Briarstorm glanced at the she-cat, whispering; "Absolutely quiet.... Watch and learn."



    A blue eye winked and his ears flickered to the mouse. Swiftly, he dashed, watching the mouse still as it perked up and started to make a mad dash. Briarstorm was quicker though, more experienced, and batted the poor thing before pinning it, and biting down into it.





    [justify][font=times][size=8]"Wha-" She stopped and silenced herself as she noticed her mentor stalking a mouse. Only one? Where are the rest? She wondered as Briarstorm had leaped after the mouse. Didn't they all live together, like she and the other members of the clan did? As he killed the mouse, she turned to him and asked, "Where are the rest of it's clan?" She didn't understand why a mouse would be so stupid as to go out on it's own.


    Thinking back to moments ago, she replayed what she remembered of her mentor's style. He... he leaped after it, stayed quiet, and killed it by biting it. She thought. So, all she had to do was quietly chase a mouse and kill it. Easy enough... right? "Oh, and when we find it's clan, can I try hunting too?"

    [glow=yellow,2,300]Briarstorm[/glow]




    The young warriors eyes rolled teasingly as he set the mouse down in front of her.


    "Well, Neonpaw, mice don't travel in clans. Usually, they live by themselves, or with their mates and kits." he taught tail twitching. "Or if they're young, siblings and mothers. Sometimes, you'll have to scare a mouse out of it's den. You have to be quick with them, or they'll scurry away fast."


    A paw nudged the mouse, showing it's head. "When you go to kill them, you have to bite quickly. If they squeak, they'll warn other prey."



    He moved it back over, and bowed his head, thanking StarClan. After that, he dug a small hole, and hid the prey carefully.




    [justify][font=times][size=8]"What stupid creatures." She mumbled, wondering why they didn't just all cooperate. All right. Be quick, and don't let it make any noise. She told herself, trying her best to learn, though she'd still yet to see any real challenge. She watched as he bowed his head and buried the mouse. "Why do you do that?" She asked, tipping her head to the side in curiosity. "Bow your head, and then bury it. What if you lose it?" She didn't understand why. Perhaps he wanted better prey... but didin't all prey help the clan?


    "And I wanna catch something too!" She added eagerly, impatiently awaiting her chance to catch something. Maybe I'll catch a super fat squirrel! Or a rabbit! Or a bird! All kinds of different prey ran through her mind as she pictured herself walking into camp with too much prey to carry.

    [glow=yellow,2,300]Briarstorm[/glow]




    "I was thanking StarClan for the prey." he smiled. "Something you should learn to do too. Every last piece of fresh-kill is a blessing. And I buried it so other animals wont scent it as well, or find it and eat it. We need to hunt more down, and we can't just keep carrying our food around. I'll remember it's here."


    The tom flickered his ear teasingly. "Now, lets see here..."


    Briarstorm started focusing, and leaned forward. "Over there," his ears flickered in direction. "Is a squirrel. Now, you have to remember, be fast and make little noise. Don't let them squeal, and stay downwind."




    [justify][font=times][size=8]All right... you got this. She told herself, feeling a bit nervous for the first time today. She scrunched her head down, butt wiggling in the air. She crept forward, managing the silent part, and stayed downwind. She crept closer and closer, until she was a leap away. Don't let it squeal. She told herself, determination gleaming in her eyes. She leaned back, wiggled her haunches, and soared through the air, claws unsheathed. I'm doing it! She thought for a split second. But then, she landed about a foot away, tumbling head over paws. The squirrel chittered and scurried up the tree, leaping from branch to branch, putting much distance between the two. I... I missed. She thought miserably. "I'm sorry, Briarstorm." She murmured, head down, eyes full of sadness. "I failed."


    This is a lot harder than it looks. She realized for the first time.

    [justify][font=times][size=8]"Really?" She asked, wide eyed. "Even the leader misses prey?" She'd always thought the leader to be invincible, the best hunter, and always doing things perfectly. "If the leader misses... how am I ever going to catch anything?" She wondered aloud, a hint of despair in her voice. She'd had so many plans of this being easy, and her doing so well, pleasing her mentor and her clan. But now... now, it all seemed so hard, so impossible, like she'd never catch a single piece of prey.

    [glow=yellow,2,300]Briarstorm[/glow]




    "That's not what I meant." the tom nudged her. "When I first started out I missed my first three prey. Rainclaw would just laugh and tell me I'd get it one day. I know for a fact from the elders that our leader had trouble catching squirrels. It was hard for everyone the first time around, but you saw me catching prey, and you know our leader does too."




    [fancypost bgcolor=; border: 0px solid; text-align: justify; font-family: times; font-size: 8pt; color: #000000; height; 400px; width: 300px; overflow: auto]"All right, if you say so." She murmured, wishing she'd caught the prey. "Can I try again?" She asked suddenly, a feeling popping up in her chest. She was certain she'd get it this time around. She had to. If she didn't... how could she ever be a decent warrior? Really, who'd ever heard of a warrior who couldn't catch prey? What if she was this bad at fighting? At patrols? Would she even be allowed to become a warrior? Neonpaw's brow furrowed with worry as she vowed to try harder at her training than anything else she'd done, ever.

    [glow=yellow,2,300]Briarstorm[/glow]




    The tabby smiled lightly, happy she was asking. Briarstorm didn't want her to lose faith in herself, because she might falter in doing other things too. One's outlook on themselves really did effect their own actions.


    "Of course you can. Breath deeply and seek out your prey."