Hollowpaw's Assessment [closed]

Brindlewhisker sat outside of the thick Gorse wall that encased the camp, thick tail wrapped neatly around her paws as she sat waiting.  After speaking with Ashstar a few days prior, she had decided it was finally time for Hollowpaw to be given his final assessment- rightly so as he was one of the eldest apprentices left within the Clan. The fact that her first apprentice had already grown so much made her feel quite old, and part of her was surprised that the rambunctious young tom hadn't sent her to her grave with all the commotion he had caused. Shifting her paws, Brindlewhisker glanced up at the sky as she withdrew from her thoughts, pleased to see that there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the air seemed to be filled with a faint warmth that would lure creatures from their dens; perfect for hunting. Glancing over her shoulder, she scanned the small gap in the Gorse wall for movement, eagerly awaiting Hollowpaw's arrival.

Hollowpaw padded over to where his mentor sat, a grin slowly spreading across his muzzle. He had been waiting for this day for so long. He could finally prove he was able to become a warrior. That had been the only thing on his mind for quite some time, excluding his dreams of teaching Shallowpaw a lesson or two. The tom had once been a scruffy, unkept kit. But now, he was a large, almost full-grown cat with a sleek black coat and handsome features. He was still as arrogant and stubborn as he had always been, but perhaps that would come in use one day.

"Morning, Brindlewhisker!" he greeted, giving a friendly flick of his tail. Despite the differences between the two cats, Hollowpaw still considered the she-cat a friend of his.

"Morning," Brindlewhisker mewed, "I trust that you got enough sleep, as you have a long day ahead of you." She added, voice warm. Hollowpaw had been unfortunate enough to train solely during the hard moons of Leafbare, but it was evident enough that all the rigorous training he had endured during the cold, frozen moons had paid off- he was now the size of the warrior and had the strength of such. Jerking her head in the direction that they were heading, Brindlewhisker picked up a brisk trot as they padded further into the head of Windclan territory. "Let's begin before the weather turns." She called, climbing a steep, rocky ridge. The freezing weather had dried the earth of the ridge and made the soil lose underpaw, but on the other side of the ridge it was much more stable and green- a fitting place for an assessment.

Turning back in the direction of her apprentice, she beckoned the young tom forward with her tail."I trust you know the deal- you have a set amount of time to catch whatever prey I chose. The duration of the assessment will last from now until sunset." She began, running through a brief summary of the test, pondering what she wished to see her apprentice catch. "I think that it's only fitting that you catch two rabbits, a hare, and a bird- although it's not mandatory that you catch a bird, you should at least try." She finally stated, listing off his requirements. "You may begin now, but remember that the assessment will only end once you've caught what I asked of you, or if I call it off. Good luck, and remember that I'll be watching." She finished, nodding slightly as she gave Hollowpaw the green light to begin his final assessment.

Hollowpaw nodded, and began to follow his mentor as she led the way. Once they were there, she turned and listed the things he had to catch. Two rabbits, a hare, and a bird if he could find one. That sounded simple enough. He was sure he could do it.

The dark tom nodded and set off, opening his jaws to breathe in the scents of the territory.

Soon enough he caught the scent of a hare. He crept close, close enough to see the hare, and pounced without a second thought. Some might have said that he pounced too soon, but the hare was now lying still at his paws. It appeared to be a rather old one, which is why it hadn't sensed him coming earlier, but it was still a decent catch. With an arrogant smirk, Hollowpaw buried the prey and continued on to try and find something more.

The member 'BelleBlueWolf' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Brindlewhisker had made a wide arc the moment Hollowpaw had set off, easily keeping herself out of view and downwind from the dark tom. Her brindled brown and grey fur easily blended into the dull, half-dead landscape that surrounded her and it enabled her to crouch within the long, brittle grasses to observe. one hare down! She reflected, proudly watching as Hollowpaw snagged his first catch of the day- hopefully everything ran smoothly for the young tom.

Watching as Hollowpaw buried his catch and set off one more, Brindlewhisker rose to her paws and began to pad quietly after the apprentice, allowing distance to stretch between them as she didn't want to disturb his tracking or accidentally flush out any nearby prey. Only two more rabbits and a bird before they could officially call this assessment a success!

Hollowpaw glanced around, sniffing the air. It was still chilly, though, so the apprentice opened his mouth once more to get a better grasp on the scents around him. He padded forward, then caught a faint scent. Eagerly he crept closer, and was glad when he saw a small pile of droppings close by. They were a rabbit's, and they were fresh so the scent he had picked up belonged to it.

He stalked closer and closer, then leapt and attempted to kill the creature right there, but the prey had spotted him last minute and made a dash for it. Hollowpaw growled to himself and gave chase, racing after the large rabbit. He soon caught up with it, and ran ahead, turning to stop the rabbit dead in it's tracks. Swiftly he batted out a paw and clawed the creature in the side, leaning his head out to bite it's neck. Proudly he buried the prey and set off again, hoping to catch his last rabbit and a bird if he could.

OOC: He's having luck so far :3

The member 'BelleBlueWolf' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Brindlewhisker continued to follow Hollowpaw, still downwind of the young tom, eyes narrowed as she watched him follow the tracks of a creature. Pausing beside a particularly thick swath of heather, she continued to observe as he went after a rabbit- the approach was a bit clumsy, and he had leaped far to early, but he caught the creature nonetheless. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as Hollowpaw buried the rabbit, rising to her paws to stealthily follow him- just one more rabbit and a bird! A fierce swell of pride blossomed within her chest, Hollowpaw was clearly ready for to the trials of becoming a full blown warrior.

It then took the apprentice a little while before he came across another scent, and he grinned. It was a bird. A thrush, it seemed. Hollowpaw stalked forward, remembering that he should be extra careful with birds as he was unable to chase them if they made a break for it. He patiently crept forward, narrowly avoiding a large stick, and waited for a moment. Once the bird was in the perfect position, the muscular tom pounced, landing squarely on the thrush's back. It scrabbled and pecked at his paws but Hollowpaw gave a quick but sharp bite, first to its wings to stop it from flying away, and then its neck.

The body was limp in his jaws, and he gave a satisfied huff before looking for his next prey. A rabbit was the last thing he needed to catch. Just one rabbit! He was so close!

OOC: He hasn't failed yet lmao.

The member 'BelleBlueWolf' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

ooc) ahhh momma brindle is so proud of hollow, he's doing so good (':

Brindlewhisker had continued to track Hollowpaw as he journeyed further and further away from camp, ears pricked in curiosity- what was he going to go after now? The woodsy, musky scent of thrush filled his nose- ah, so he was going to try his luck with a bird? She quickly froze and dropped down to press herself against the prickly heather, watching with narrowed eyes as Hollowpaw began to stalk after the bird, a twinge of approval filling her as she noted how careful his approach was. Pride filled her as he managed to take down the plump creature- hunting birds on the moor was always difficult, but the fact that he was able to hunt one only validated the fact that Hollowpaw was ready for his warrior ceremony.
Just one more rabbit!

Proud of his previous catches, the strong tom sauntered on, raising his muzzle every now and then, taking in the scents of the territory. Even though it was leafbare, Hollowpaw was a strong tracker and picked up a scent rather quickly. It was, luckily for him, another rabbit. However, that meant he needed to be extra careful to avoid messing this up. This was the last piece of prey he needed to catch to become a warrior. And he was determined.

He stalked forwards, mirroring his approach on the thrush, and waited. He was patient, and waited for the prey to begin munching on any grass it could find, and then he sprung forward, pinning the rabbit to the ground. He ended it with a swift blow to the neck. The dark apprentice grinned and turned, scanning the area around him.

"Brindlewhisker! I did it, I caught all the prey!"

The member 'BelleBlueWolf' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Brindlewhisker let out a sigh of relief as Hollowpaw brought down his final rabbit, a thrill of excitement creeping down her spine at the sight of the dark tom easily ending the brief hunt. "Not even any of Mottleheart's apprentices could of done better!" She reflected, still salty slightly bitter over their fallen friendship. At her apprentices triumphant call, she emerged from her final hiding spot among the prickly heather, picking her way towards the tom with shining eyes- not a single loss! Even the most skilled Warriors lost a catch from time to time, and yet her apprentice managed to go above and beyond her expectations.

Padding towards Hollowpaw, she let out a loud 'mrrow' of content; she could not of trained him better. "Congratulations Hollowpaw- I knew you'd go above and beyond what I predicted. Ashstar will be very pleased to hear of such a monumental success." Brindlewhisker praised, glancing down at the soon-to-be-warrior affectionately. It seemed like just yesterday that he was a scruffy, awkwardly lanky apprentice and now he was the same size as her, matching her in both strength and speed! "I could not of been prouder," She added, reaching out to gently cuff the darker tom's ear, "But I'll spare you all the soppy praise and reminiscing for after your warriors ceremony. For now we should gather up everything you caught and return back to camp." She finished, beckoning Hollowpaw to pick up the freshly-caught rabbit, before setting off back in the direction of all his previous catches.