Palepaw's Assessment

Kestrelstorm yawned as he trotted out of the warriors den. After meeting Tigerpaw, now Tigerstrom, he had chosen to move in with the regular cats of the clan. The tall warrior stretched, flexing his paws as he waited for his latest apprentice, Palepaw, to come out of the apprentice's den. He had told the tom to meet him as soon as the sun peeked over the crest and he was curious if the tom would be on time.

Palepaw had, indeed, arrived on time. He peeked his head out of his dead and trudged over to his mentor, bleary eyed from training in the Dark Forest. His uncle stood tall as ever, but all he could manage was a slouch.

"You look tired." he commented gruffly. "Perhaps I should just postpone your assessment." Kestrelstorm narrowed his eyes. Foxflight was never tired or slouchy, and always showed respect when coming out for training. It was true, Kestrelstorm held Palepaw to very high standards, but it was paying off.

"N-No, I'm fine." He said in response. He quickly shook out his pelt and stood up taller, but his eyes still showed the deprivation of good sleep. Why he chose this path he didn't know, but he had to continue on. "Where should we start?" He asked after a moment of silence.

Kestrelstorm narrowed his eyes and then relented. "You go on ahead. Try and catch three pieces of prey. I'll be watching." Kestrelstorm instructed, dipping his head and flicking his tail, meaning he meant now.

He nodded respectfully and padded off onto the territory. With the sun shining and the winters snow melting away completely, rabbits and birds of all sorts were coming out of hibernation. His paws picked up speed as he looked, soon stumbling upon a patch of rabbits. Thankfully, he worked well under pressure. With a quick lunge, too fast for the largest rabbit to move, he lunged, striking his claws onto it's head, killing it dead before it could take another breath. Proud of his fast accomplishment, and dropped his kill in an empty patch next to a bush.
Next, he'd attempt to get the others who scurried off. With a slow, running start, he trotted after the patch the rabbits had made with their thumping feet. He followed the trail to a burrow and he cursed under his breath. It'd be difficult now, as they tunneled deep underground. Flicking his tail in dismissal of the loss, the tom picked up scent of a robin. Not preferred, but still good prey. He stalked it as it ate of worm out of the grassy ground. Staying downwind, the tom moved forward ever so slowly. Slow, careful steps... He struck out a paw fast as lightning, striking the bird down as it attempted to fly away. It's wings flapped, hitting his face repeatedly, and he flinched, but bit it's neck, careful not to be too messy.
He dropped the bird by the rabbit, and set off again. This time, he hid in a bush, and waited. He soon remembered that Kestrelstorm was watching him, and though he was fine under pressure, he couldn't get a new weight off his shoulders. Soon shaking the feeling away, he patiently awaited any sign of prey. Soon enough, a cautious and nervous-seeming rabbit leaped by, sniffing around. Palepaw waited, perhaps too long, before lunging out of the bush. His hind legs had gathered all too quickly, though, and a cramping feeling caused him to shift awkwardly, missing his catch. Getting up, he raced after the rabbit, though wincing every step and slowing down. The rabbit fell through a hole, and Palepaw tumbled, but caught the rabbit in his claws.
"Whew," He breathed, grabbing it in his mouth, and slowly getting up and putting it by his pile. He waited for Kestrelstorm to appear. His tiredness seemed to be tumbling way, but he needed better rest soon.

Kestrelstorm watched his apprentice, noting mistake after mistake. With a shrug, he concluded that the tom had in fact caught the prey required, therefor passing that aspect of the test. Standing straight, the tall warrior trotted over to his apprentice. "Alright, now go drop those off in camp and meet me in the training circle for your fighting test." with a nod, the apprentice was dismissed and Kestrelstorm headed to the clearing to prepare.