Auburn Heather (Training closed for Bun Bun)

Her first day as a mentor. Heatherstripe couldn't deny she was excited, and she couldn't have asked for a better apprentice. She'd make Emberfall proud, with Auburnpaw. The silver tabby nuzzled her apprentice, trying to wake her from her slumber. "Psst, Auburnpaw. Wake up. I know it's early, but we're starting your training today." She'd always enjoyed mornings, and she chuckled to herself wondering if her apprentice would share her enthusiasm. Granted, it was Auburnpaw. That cat was always enthusiastic.

Auburnpaw jolted up as Heatherstripe woke her up from her dream-less slumber. Good, having no dreams to tell around in morning always made the she-cat furious as a kit. "Yay!" she squeaked as she creeped out of the apprentices' den after her mentor. Besides being her mentor, Heatherstripe was her aunt as well, and she felt more comfortable around her than if her mentor would have been someone else.

Heatherstripe smiled at Auburnpaw's excitement. She'd be a handful, she could already tell! "I hope you got a good night's sleep!" she laughed. "I'm taking you out on a dawn patrol, and while we're out there, I'll show you the ShadowClan border, and hunting skills. Sound good?"

Au urnpaw nodded vigurously. "Yes, sir! Ma'am. Heatherstripe." the apprentice said, her voice dying in an embarrassed whisper as she finished her words. The two cats padded into the open and were soon near the ShadowClan border.

Heatherstripe looked to her apprentice. It hadn't seemed like long ago when she'd been here with Cedarfur, but then, she'd been the apprentice and him the mentor. It gave her the strangest feeling of déjà vu. "We'll renew the scent markings, and then we'll travel a bit further along and practice hunting. Be careful not to cross over the border Auburnpaw. Now, can you tell me what you know about ShadowClan?"

Heatherstripe laughed. "I can't deny that. But that's their smell, and you need to know it whether you like it or not. ShadowClan's territory is very muddy, and the cats there a good attackers at night, so you need to be very careful here after dark. Got that?"

Auburnpaw raised her eyes in surprise. "That's odd." she commented before taking a few bouncing steps and smiled again. "And now we'll hunt? Pretty please?"

"Alright then." Heatherstripe smiled again, scanning the moors for any prey. She spotted a plump rabbit in the distance. Perfect. "Do you see that rabbit over there?" she gestured with her tail. "Well, rabbits will hear you before you can see them, unless you're really, really quiet. And if they get away, they're incredibly fast. So, when you hunt one, you can't make a sound. This is the hunting crouch." The silver tabby crouched down, nodding at her apprentice to do the same. "Then, you'll very quietly sneak up on the rabbit, and then....you pounce!"

Auburnpaw nodded quietly and dropped in the crouch, so quickly that her belly hit the ground with a thud and her paws ached from the impact. She shook her head to dismiss the pain and crouched again, this time carefully, and crept quietly forwards, until she reached the rabbit. Then the young she-cat pounced, sinking her claws in the rabbit and dispatching it clumsily, but beaming with pride.

"Excellent," Heatherstripe beamed. "You may want to work on your balance a little, though. I'll tell you what - I want you to have a look around and to find some more prey. Catch it and bring it back to me. I'll hunt alongside you, if you have any questions."