morning patrol [closed]

Mistyrain woke with the sun, glad to be getting back into the rhythm of things. Not long after SkyClan's return after the flood, she had fallen ill - not so much that she could no longer preform duties around camp, but she had not gone on many patrols and another warrior had taken over the training of her newest apprentice, Lightpaw, for a time. The deputy was now ready to resume training with the young tom, to her delight.

"Lightpaw!" she called quietly, standing just outside the apprentice den. Peering in, the familiar den brought memories of her apprentice days to mind. Those were good times, even though she had faced the trial of choosing her Clan. Although she was still a young cat, her position came with great responsibility that was foreign to many of the young apprentices. "We're going on a border patrol this morning, and perhaps we'll hunt too if we have time. Don't be long, the sun waits for no one." The sun was already peeking over the horizon, which told her that it was just about time for the dawn patrol to be leaving. With one last glance into the apprentice den, Mistyrain retreated towards the entrance to the camp, where she took a seat waiting for a sleepy Lightpaw to emerge from his nest.

Many things did not come naturally to Lightpaw. Apprenticeship was among them. Thanks only to relentless training—both from Mistyrain’s temporary replacement and Lightpaw’s own extra efforts—had he managed to match his similarly-aged denmates. Maplepaw’s sudden illness hadn’t helped; focusing on keeping one’s tail off the ground and one’s paws away from any fallen twigs was much harder when one had a sick sister back in camp to worry about. But she had gotten better, as had Mistyrain. Soon, Lightpaw’s skills would be on trial; he could only hope he wouldn’t disappoint.

Lightpaw’s stomach dropped at the sound of his name. Holding as still as he could manage, he waited for Mistyrain to leave; then he sat up and went about smoothing down his fur. The habit had come from Sandpaw, and stuck when Lightpaw realized he found it calming. Presentation wasn’t everything, but there were times when it helped. Once he was satisfied with the state of his pelt, the pale tabby stood and wove his way through his denmates’ nests into the early morning light. Sure enough, Mistyrain was waiting by the camp’s entrance. His ears twitched back; he'd kept her waiting. ”Sorry, Mistyrain. I didn't mean to take so long,” Lightpaw meowed, voice low in an attempt to hide his nervousness. ”Where are we starting?”

The she-cat studied her apprentice for a short moment. She felt bad for having had to leave him with a temporary mentor, but there was nothing to be done about it now. She hoped he had adapted well - he had always struck her as a hardworking young cat, even if he lacked some confidence. "It's okay, don't worry about it! You haven't been training with me. Let's get going, we're going to check a section of the border with ThunderClan, starting by the river." Mistyrain beckoned with her tail, beginning a brisk trot that led she and Lightpaw out of camp and towards the river.

As they checked and marked the border, she interrogated him about his progress. "I know you're nearing the end of your apprenticeship, how do you feel you've been progressing? Is there anything you think you specifically need to work on?" she asked.

"Now that we're done checking this stretch of border, why don't we hunt for a little while? I'd like to watch your technique, go ahead and try to make a catch." She retreated into the trees a little ways so as not to disturb any potential prey, but still be able to see Lightpaw as he hunted.

The scolding he’d been braced for didn’t come. Lightpaw allowed himself a moment of relief before hurrying after his mentor. Of the types of patrols he’d been assigned to so far, border patrols were his favorite. One could hardly check borders from the trees, so his insistence on remaining at ground level often went unnoticed…and, if he was honest with himself, the slow, methodical process of making sure no intruders were planning to cross SkyClan’s boundaries made Lightpaw feel important. Like a true SkyClanner.

When Mistyrain asked him what he thought of his progress, Lightpaw hesitated. In truth, the only thing he was confident in was combat, and he’d never been part of anything more intense than casual sparring—how much of that confidence was justified? He stepped back, thinking over his answer. There was one thing in particular he needed to work on, but, frankly, Lightpaw would throw himself into a pack of dogs before he would let SkyClan’s deputy know her own apprentice couldn’t climb. What if she told Tinystar? ”I’ve kept up with my siblings,” he said instead, ”but my hunting could use some work.”

Fittingly, Mistyrain decided it was time to get some practice in. She disappeared into the trees, and Lightpaw turned away from the border, trying to find something that hadn’t been scared off by their patrolling. He couldn't disappoint her. Not this early. Soon, the pale tabby's eyes fell on a bushy tail; a squirrel had wandered nearby to sit on one of the many small rocks littered across the ground. He crouched and advanced toward it, more careful than ever to keep his steps light. It only noticed him when he pounced, by which point it was too late to run. Lightpaw broke its neck easily, then, with the bundle of russet fur held tightly in his mouth, looked toward where he had last seen his mentor, searching for approval or a critique.

Lightpaw attempted to catch Squirrel, using 3 stamina. The attempt was successful!

Lightpaw
20/20 HP
77/80 SP (-3)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3