Elkpaw's hunting patrol

Snowstorm looked around for her apprentice, Elkpaw. She found him not far from her. "Elkpaw, time to go hunting." she call out to him.

Elkpaw looked up from where he was and spotted his mentor, Snowstorm, calling for him from afar. Shaking the snow from his muzzle he stood up. "I'm coming" he shouted as he trotted towards her.

Snowstorm waited for Elkpaw. When her apprentice came, the two walked out into the heart of the territory. She turned to Elkpaw. "Okay, Elkpaw, show me your best hunter's. crouch." she softly demanded.

"Okay" Elkpaw said sternly. He crouched down onto with his belly fur almost touching the ground. He held his long tail out as straight as a stick. He kept his eyes open and his senses alert for any surrounding prey. He could see the bushes drenched with snow, he could smell the lush scents of the territory, and he could hear the rustle of the leaves in the trees above. He tried to move silently, but his longer legs made it difficult. He looked towards his mentor, "Is this good?" he asked.

Snowstorm nodded. "Yes, that's good. When you stalking, just do this." she said, demonstrating her best stalking.

"Okay. Should I try to hunt something now?" he asked, smelling prey not too far away.

Snowstorm nodded again. She smelled the same prey. She crouched into the snow. Her white fur blended in with the snow. She did it so the prey couldn't see her.

Elkpaw copied her best he could, and headed towards the scent. He could not camouflage himself as well as Snowstorm, so he had to make up for it in silence and technique. He moved slowly placing each paw silently attempting to not make any noise in the snow. Eventually the scent was so strong that he figured he could see it. Stopping to look for it, he spotted a flicker of movement under a snow drenched leaf. He slowed his pace and headed towards it. Eventually he saw a small brown field mouse come from under the leaf. He was quite close, so he bunched his hindquarters, ready to pounce. He sprang from his spot and landed on top of his target, and held it down with his paws. He instinctively bite down on its neck with a killing bite. He looked towards his mentor, prey in jaw, eyes filled with joy and pride.

Snowstorm was surprised a feild mouse was out in the snow. She saw the plump prey dangling from her apprentice's jaws. "They're plump in leaf-bare because they spend all of leaf-fall eating and fattening themselves up." she saidLike a know-it-all

He let out a muffled mew of acknowledgment, then set down the prey. "Are we going to keep hunting?" he asked while covering his fresh catch in hard dirt and snow.

"I don't see why not. The more prey we have, the better. I'll try to catch some too." she answered. She opened her mouth to taste the air. She caught at smell of squirrel.

"Okay. I'll follow you and see if I can find anything else on the way." he replied following the direction Snowstorm was headed, moving in a hunting crouch.

Snowstorm followed the scent trail. She found it hastily making a nest. She started jumping from branch to branch. She made it to the same branch the squirrel. It sped up making a nest. She clawed it, and killed it. She brought it down, and buried it in the dirt and snow. "We'll catch one more piece of prey, then we'll call it a day." she meowed.