Feathers and Leaves [Closed; Training Topic]

Wrenspring found himself enjoying the life of a mentor. He was certain he had stumbled at first, trying to figure out all of the many things that should be bestowed onto the next Skyclan warrior was a weighing duty. But as they trained together; he found himself learning as much as she did. Things were easier with something to focus on and he tried to make every session as insightful as it was fun. Today they would be practicing hunting among the trees. It was a more complex art, combining balance and targeting abilities. The anticipation made his paws seem lighter, as this was one of his favorite activities as a trueblooded Skyclan cat.

"Are you ready, Ivypaw? Did you sleep well?" Wrenspring was less tactful in his rousing of the she-cat, and likely caused several other apprentices to blink away. There was a broad smile across his maw. Redfall and him had briefly mentioned training their apprentices together but it had yet to happen. His friend and he still hadn't chatted much about the silent divide between them. The gray and white tom tired to be open and understanding but it was hard to apologize in passing between patrols. Besides, he still loved his friend. Regardless, at the end of the day, that was still Redfall and not just the apprentice who had disobeyed his leader's commands.

Wrenspring shook his head. These were thoughts for another time. He glanced to Ivypaw at his side as they made their way out onto the territory. For now, on foot. Each moment in the trees and through the air would be saved for later. His own anticipation built at the thought, "We're going to work on hunting in the trees today. It's way harder to keep your balance and catch prey at the same time. It's actually quite dangerous... but since we're Skyclan cats, we have nothing to worry about!"

Ivypaw blinked open her eyes sleepily, mumbling something about why it was so early. "I'm up, awake, completely rested," she muttered after her jaws cracked open in a wide yawn. She sat up groggily and shook scraps of moss off her pelt before padding out of the den. Following her mentor into the forest, it took a long moment for Wrenspring's words to sink in. "Did you just say hunting in trees?" she exclaimed, wide awake. "That sounds really cool! But what if I fall off and break my bones and can't train anymore?" she worried. Then she shook her head. "Nah, that won't happen. I'm sure I won't fall out of a tree. I'm from SkyClan!" Her eyes glimmered with excitement when she raised her head to look at Wrenspring. "So what should I do first?"

Although she had to blink the sleep away at first, Wrenspring was grateful his apprentice was quick to rise. He had heard some of the other mentors complaining about how hard training a young cat could be. But he found it exciting and Ivypaw was a great apprentice. Already the tom looked forward to her warrior ceremony. Even if their session together would end, patrols never ceased and of course they would still be clanmates.

As she expressed concern about soaring the tree tops, his whiskers twitched with a mild amusement. Yet, she was quick to recover and find some confidence in her own abilities. It was something he had come to expect. Besides, the fear of trees was easy to overcome with cats whose natural abilities were sharp as theirs. With a wink, the warrior remarked, "Sagelight and Honeysong are experts at fixing bones. We have nothing to worry about." A flicker of his crooked tail bore a reminder of that expertise from his own time as an apprentice. With that, he dashed to the skinny tree ahead and began to swiftly haul his way up to the lower branches.

Once the apprentice was at his side, he began to explain the fine art of tree hunting, "You want to make sure you focus on staying in the lower branches. As you know already, they'll hold your weight better and you are less likely to fall that way. Prey might go higher, but only hunt from the same tree if you're going to go for something higher up. Never leap tree to tree on thinner branches or, uh, well your hunting trip will end real quick." Wrenspring added an awkward laugh, trying to make the situation seem a tad less tense than it was. Hopefully his instruction covered all the basics well enough. He flickered his tail to get her attention before leaping to the branch next to the one they were on, then creeping forward and leaping to the next tree, grasping a leaf firmly between his paws as he landed.

The feeling was exhilaration, perhaps due to the underlying thought they were so high up and so much was at stake. However, in his moons as both an apprentice and a warrior, he had never fallen. Turning back to look at Ivypaw he called out, "Try for that leaf on the branch next to me!"

Ivypaw quickly followed her mentor up the tree. She stopped when she was on the branch with her mentor, digging her claws into the rough bark so she wouldn't fall. Stay on the lower branches. Easy, she began repeating the instructions in her mind. No thin branches, she added, oblivious to the situations's actual danger. "Yeah, I hope I don't fall out of a tree. That would be embarrassing," she mewed, her voice steady with no signs of fear. Then she copied Wrenspring, leaping to the branch near her. She wobbled slightly before regaining her balance. "I can do it," she mumbled before fixing her gaze intently on the leaf.

Carefully judging the distance between the branches, she wiggled her haunches and sprang. With her paws outstretched, it was as if she was soaring like a hawk. Ivypaw landed on two and a half paws, steadying right before she was going to fall. Then she stretched out a paw and prodded the leaf. "Does this count as success?" she asked, twisting to look at Wrenspring.

As she spoke, he simply offered and encouraging smile. Wrenspring dipped his head with a slight twist of the head and encouraged her forward. She sprang and his bright green eyes watched as she sprang forward and landed on the branch. It was a clumsy effort, not entirely smooth. For a moment he was concerned she would teeter off the edge and he was prepared to lunge forward. However, the apprentice found her footing and he grinned, "I'll say so! Practice makes perfect." His tail flickered and he offered more direction to his eager, young student, "Try a few more leaves and then we will go for the real deal. You'll be catching squirrel like a Skyclan warrior in no time!"

Ivypaw nodded, determination flashing across her gaze. Fixing her eyes onto another leaf, she leaped without hesitation, paws outstretched. Again, she trembled and nearly fell, but she clung onto the branch for dear life. She tried a couple more times before she felt like she could run around with ease. "I think I've mastered it!" she purred excitedly as she arrived back to the branch where she first started. "I really feel like I could explore the entire territory without touching the ground!" Ivypaw added when she remembered some clanmates chatting about how SkyClan cats could do that.