Not So Little Anymore [c]

Gender: Male
Rank: T1 Warrior

Fresh from her ceremony, Cedarstalk led Littlepaw out of the camp to begin their first day of training. It was still surreal to him that he was already a mentor, and the young she-cat probably felt the same way. Becoming an apprentice was a big step in a warrior's life and Cedarstalk was determined to set his new apprentice's paws on the right track just like Acornstem had for him.

With a deep breath, Cedarstalk padded a little further into the forest, glad to see that is was a beautiful day out. Sunlight streamed through the trees, leaving dappled spots of light on the forest floor. It was the perfect day to start Littlepaw's training.

"Take it in, enjoy this moment." He meowed softly as the forest opened up around them. "Breathe in the scents of the forest and tell me what you smell." Cedarstalk opened his jaws, allowing the earthy scents to flow over his tongue. There was a myriad of creatures and plants in the forest; mice, moss, dirt, and even the trees had a unique scent to them that pretty much screamed 'Thunderclan'.

For a moment, Cedarstalk wondered if he was starting too small.

Of course, they could start with hunting, but it seemed like a better idea to get to know the basics before anything else. Yes, he would show her how to use the skills she was born with first, then they could move to bigger things.

He also didn't want to overwhelm Littlepaw with information. Asking her to hunt before teaching her anything else would be like throwing a hatchling from a tree and asking it to fly. So, they would take her training one paw step at a time.

Gender: Male
Rank: T1 Warrior

Littlepaw's reaction was exactly how Cedarstalk remembered his first time in the forest being like. The towering oaks and song of birds overhead. The scent of fresh prey and the way the leaves and dirt felt under paw was all so new and exciting - Littlepaw was bound to be over the moon. One look at her confirmed the young warrior's thoughts - she looked overjoyed.

He listened to Littlepaw as she took in the scents around them, listing off everything she could smell. He laughed softly at her descriptions - he'd felt the same way when Acornstem brought him out here for the first time. "After being out here enough times, you'll start to recognize even faintest of smells."

The tom padded a little further out into the forest, beckoning for Littlepaw to follow him. "And yes, that's squirrel you smell. Our territory is rich with prey when you know where to look. Mostly squirrels, birds, and mice, but there's other prey too." The squirrel was closer now, but Cedarstalk wanted to see if Littlepaw could pinpoint where exactly it was.

So, he came to a stop, signaling for Littlepaw to do the same. "Now, that squirrel you smelled, try to use your senses to find where it's hiding. Your nose to smell, your ears to hear. Where do you think it is?"

Gender: Male
Rank: T1 Warrior

Cedarstalk purred proudly and nodded. Moments later, a brown-furred squirrel emerged from among the roots of a large oak tree, a nut clasped in its paws. From their vantage point almost a tree-length away, he could see the bushy-tailed creature nibbling on its morsel, unaware to their presence.

The red and white tom considered his options for a moment, then sat down, tail curled around his paws. "When you hunt squirrels, the most important thing is stealth and speed. They rarely venture too far from the base of a tree, so if they notice you, they'll climb far too high for any cat to reach."

"Some cats are good climbers and can follow them, but the risk is usually never worth the danger of falling - so stay on the ground. Once you get close, strike quickly, a squirrel will not hesitate to flee if it thinks there's danger." He mulled over everything his knew, but that was the gist of it.

Amber gaze on Littlepaw, Cedarstalk smiled gently. He wanted to see what she was made of and what he had to work with. Getting a handle on her raw talent would help him figure out where to start. "So...now that you know that. Do you want me to show you a proper hunting crouch so you can catch it?"

Of course, Acornstem had showed him how to hunt before she had asked him to do it himself. If Littlepaw wanted a demonstration first, that would be just fine. "If you'd rather me show you first, that's okay too."

Gender: Male
Rank: T1 Warrior

Cedarstalk nodded calmly. He would rather demonstrate it for Littlepaw than let her try and fail. "Of course, now watch carefully." He dropped into a hunting crouch, his legs settled neatly under him and his tail hovering just barely over the ground. Voice a whisper, Cedarstalk looked at Littlepaw and gestured to his tail. "You want to make sure your tail doesn't touch the ground, otherwise, you'll make a lot of noise and end up scaring your prey. But don't let it trail too high or you'll make yourself obvious - you want to blend in with the forest.."

The squirrel, still a good distance away, was oblivious to their presence, so Cedarstalk crept forward on silent paws, displaying all of his skills so Littlepaw would have plenty of information to work with. He maneuvered around the various leaves and twigs on the ground, sneaking up on the squirrel as if it was no different from walking.

So engrossed in its food, the squirrel didn't even notice him approaching. This worked in the young tom's favor - a hungry squirrel was less likely to notice you than a squirrel that had nothing in its paws to focus on. He got closer and closer until, finally, he was within pouncing reach. Faster than lightning, Cedarstalk ran forward, his teeth bared and claws tearing into the soil. The squirrel barely bothered to look his way before it turned, ready to flee.

Unfortunately for the squirrel, it was too little too late. Cedarstalk pounced, his paws closing around its furry body before he dipped his head to nip the back of its neck. His fangs severed its spine for a quick, easy, and painless death. With a pleased hum, the red tom straightened and with the squirrel in his jaws, padded back to Littlepaw before depositing the squirrel on the ground in front of her. "Any questions?"

Cedarstalk used 3 SP to catch a squirrel and was successful!