Splashpaw's Training

The calico warrior lifted her nose into the air. Breezefeather took a deep breath and let the familier scents wash over her scent glands. "Hmm, you're right- but hold on. I smell something." She flicked her tail in a 'follow me' motion. Breezefeather glided along the forest floor, not making a sound as she swerved round bushes and leaped over fallen logs until she reached a holly bush, where a wood-ecker was pecking away at the main branch. The black and white bird hopped to the floor and began pulling at a maggot which fell on the floor. Breezefeather dropped into a crouch and crept forwards. When she was close enough, Breezefeather lunged forwards. The bird flew upwards but as she landed, the warrior planted her hind paws into the ground infront of her lowered chest and sprang upwards, hooking the wood pecker with extended claws.
"Never caught a woodpecker before." Breezefeather puffed as she buried the bird. "Did you see how I dug my back legs into the ground beneath my chest? That gives you more spring. Try it and aim for that fern over there."

Ooc: Didn't know they had woodpeckers lol

Splashpaw observed the way that Breezefeather jumped at the woodpecker, missed, but then leaped as soon as she landed. To Splashpaw's amazement, she actually caught it. After listening to more instructions, she readied herself and leaped. When she attempted to do as Breezefeather asked, she nearly fell on her face, but had successfully jumped. "I did it wrong..." she lowered her ears a bit in shame. However, as Splashpaw went to repeat it again, she smelt a mouse. "Look under that bush!" she whispered excitedly. "I'll scare it towards you." Splashpaw snuck around, and once she saw that Breezefeather was ready, startled it out of its hiding spot and straight towards her mentor. "Catch it!"

Breezefeather nodded, then waited for the mouse to run straight into her outstretched claws. Her white paws pinned the rodent to the floor while she bent down and nipped it's neck. "Good thinking, Splashpaw. Now, keep trying that spring." The calico warrior nodded to a low hanging branch. "Try it towards that oak branch. Remember, push off with your hind legs, which should be underneath your chest when you land the first time."

Splashpaw basked in her mentor's praise before focusing on the task at hand. "Okay!" Splashpaw approached the tree enough that she knew that she could make the jump. She launched herself through the air, sprang again (properly), and hooked her front paws onto the branch, clawing her way the rest of the way up. "I did it!"

Ooc: aww Splashpaw <3 soo cute

Breezefeather was shocked. She was thinking it would take her apprentice a couple of tries to manage it properly. "Very well done, Splashpaw." The calico she-cat praised before taking a few steps back. Then, she did a small leap, planted her powerful hind legs into the ground and sprung upwards, landing perfectly on the branch gracefully. "That trick is useful for catching squirrels and birds. May need to work on the power in the leap, so you land on the branch and won't need to scrabble onto it."

After a few minutes of having a rest on the branch, Breezefeather stretched. "Right. Leap down and try to catch me a squirrel and a bird." She swished her long and elegant tail to signal that Splashpaw may go and attempt the challenge before she swiftly glided down to the leaf- scattered floor.

Ooc: lol idk if she can do it :D

Splashpaw nearly fell off when Breezefeather jumped onto the branch elegantly, but caught herself before she careened off of the branch muzzle-first. After sitting still for a few minutes, she nodded to Breezefeather, jumped off of the branch, and lifted her nose, attempting to scent a squirrel and bird. She smelled a robin, slowly and silently following the smell until she spotted it. She made sure she was downwind before stalking it and leaping, using the trick Breezefeather taught her to catch it as it took off. Splashpaw swiftly buried it and ran off in pursuit of a squirrel. Upon seeing one about a fox-length from a tree nibbling a nut, she went downwind from it, slowly cutting it off from the tree. The squirrel finally smelled its hunter as the wind changed and starting running towards the nearest tree. Splashpaw ran as quickly as she could, jumping and hooking the squirrel back down the tree before it got too far. She killed it with a swift bite and went to grab her robin as well. She went back to the tree where Breezefeather was, the squirrel's tail dragging on the ground. "I did it!"

Breezefeather was hiding in a bush when Splashpaw returned. "I saw, very good catches aswell. You are certainly learning fast." She complimented. "Well, I think we are done for today. Go get you other catches and I'll help you carry them back to camp." And with that the calico she cat went off to collect her woodpecker and mouse under the mid-day sun.

"Okay! Thank you!" Splashpaw eagerly exclaimed. She went to unbury her rabbit and carried that on her back, and the squirrel and robin in her mouth. With a glance at where Breezefeather had gone, she began heading back to camp. Once arriving, she put her kills in the fresh-kill pile.

Moonpaw walked over to Splashpaw."I see you had a good time hunting."She mewed.

"Yep!" Splashpaw meowed. "It was fun!"