Emberpaw's Assessment (closed)

Pinewhisker sat in the forest, a flat smile on his face. Even with all off his wories, today was a day he needed to be fully present in order to asses his apprentice Emberpaw. He was waiting in the forest by a tree he had instructed her to come to, listening to the silent sound of morning.

Emberpaw trotted up, her tail held high, the white tip waving side-to-side as she padded over to her mentor, dipping her head with respect.
Wow. I'm really mature, she thought proudly, glancing up at Pinewhisker with large pale eyes. Yellow and amber glimmered faintly in them, as they always did when she became excited. The golden-furred apprentice was determined to prove herself. She knew that her warrior ceremony wasn't quite that far away, anyhow.
"Ready!" Ember chirped eagerly, her gaze flickering over the forest. "Can I start?"

Emberpaw nodded, gritting her teeth in determination as the black warrior tom stalked off into the bushes. She'd been waiting to become a warrior all her life, and this was her chance.

The russet she scanned the forest, eyes narrowed, ears pricked. Her mouth opened to catch any whiff of prey, provoking a sudden, rushing memory about her first patrol. But she shook her head, focusing again on the scent that filled her mouth.
Mouse.
With a jolt of triumph, she moved a few tail-lengths towards the smell and then dropped into a hunter's crouch, as she'd practiced with Pinewhisker countless times before. Behind her, her tail froze, staying close to her hind legs, and within a few heartbeats, she could see the mouse, nibbling on something. Emberpaw crept a tail-length closer, and then, closing her eyes and opening them, praying to Starclan that she would get this one right, she leapt, claws outstretched, mouth wide open. There was a crack, and a dead mouse hung limp in her mouth. She buried it beneath a tree nearby, pride lighting her step, and continued onwards.

The smell of Leaf-Fall was heavy in the air, and dead leaves littered the ground beneath her, making it difficult for the apprentice to stay quiet. She couldn't find that much prey, either. The cold, apparently, was getting to the smaller animals as well.

The next kill was a fat magpie who, apparently, had been to fat to fly away. But still, Emberpaw thanked Starclan for the fresh-kill and buried it beneath a bush. Her ear twitched as suddenly, with horror, she realized the sun was more than halfway across the sky. She opened her mouth desperately, nearly closing her eyes with relief as the scent of a vole hit the roof of her mouth.
Okay. Good. I just have to get it! Easy. I can do this. I hope.
She crouched along the ground, going painfully slow as to not scare the prey. Her dusty eyes narrowed, heart seeming to pound louder than the snuffling of the vole itself. She didn't think. Instinct took over, and before Emberpaw knew what had happened a dead, bloody vole hung in her jaws. It was rather fat, the bright-furred she realized with a stifled purr, and she still would've had quite a while left before time would've been up.

Dropping the vole with a grin and swiping her tongue over her muzzle to rid of the blood, she sat down and waited for Pinewhisker to appear.

(I'm like, so proud of you man. The last time I was ever so happy when writing a post was when Piney and Sheep turned into lovers!)

Pinewhisker watched his apprentice's steps, analizing every move she made. She held her tail right, moved quietly, even if the leaf littered ground was making mych noise. When her last catch was done, he emerged from his hiding place, a breif smile on his face, before his expression turned to mild interest and appreciation towards her. "You did formidably. I shall be speaking soon enough with Darkstar about you ceremony, Emberpaw. I will send out some apprentices to hunt and collect your catches." he congratulated her and flicked his tail, signaling they were going back to camp to share the good news.

(Awweeee thanks! Me too :3)

Emberpaw nodded, unable to stop a purr.
"Th—thank you, Pinewhisker…"
I've done it! I really…
Suddenly, everything in the world seemed perfect to her. The dead, crinkly leaves that had made her assessment difficult were beautiful, the tree she was glancing at gorgeous.
A grin covered her face as she weaved around her mentor and shot off into the forest, high-tailing it back towards camp so she could finally spill the news.