The Lily that dances in the Sunlight!

Lilytail was by the fresh-kill pile. She had already eaten a fish when she stepped out of the warrior's den. It was early in the day and barely anyone was awake. She grabbed a nice bird for Sunpaw and walked over at the apprentice's den. She placed the meal at the entrance and stepped inside to look for the young tabby. "Sunpaw! Get up sleepyhead!" Lilytail giggled sweetly. "We gotta go train! I left a nice surprise for ya by the den entrance so be sure to enjoy it and then meet me at the camp entrance." the warrior said while padding out and over to the camp's entrance. She sat her bottom down and began to wait for the sleeping apprentice.

Small scraps of moss and feathers clung to Sunpaw's ruffled fur, providing evidence to the she-cat's restless night spent tossing and turning. Although her new denmates had done everything in their power to make her feel comfortable in the new den, it had still been quite an adjustment for her. The giggles and whispers of her rambunctious denmates were nothing like the quiet purrs and soft snoring of the Queens and their kits. Blearily opening her eyes at the sound of Lilytail's voice, the young she-cat stiffly stretched out her sleep-heavy limbs as she prepared for the day.

After a rushed wash and a quick meal thanks to Lilytail's generosity, Sunpaw hesitantly slipped from the shelter of the den and out into the clearing to meet her mentor. The freshly fallen snow easily gave way under her quick steps, leaving behind a slight trail as she headed straight towards the white she-cat. "Good morning Lilytail." Sunpaw mewed, making a point of keeping her voice hushed in regards to her likely still-sleeping Clanmates, "What are we doing today?" Though the majority of her fears about leaving the camp had softened, the realization that they were heartbeats away from leaving made her quite uncomfortable.

Lilytail smiled brightly at the apprentice. "Well, we're going to go explore the borders and the territory! Maybe even catch a few prey. How does that sound? It's a bit chilly but the fresh air can pump you up and get you ready for the rest of the day!" The warrior got up and took in a deep breath and verbally released it. "Are you ready to go Sunpaw?" she asked with a cheery tone in her voice. Her sky blue eyes twinkling with excitement.

"Alright. Sounds exciting." Sunpaw mewed softly, giving Lilytail a slight, shy smile in return. Thankfully the cold hardly bothered her, seeing it was the kind of weather that she had been born in. The camp had basically been drenched in snow since she was born! Shuffling her paws slightly, and feeling the gritty mixture of soft earth and snow crunch softly beneath her gentle movements, the tabby gazed at her mentor once more. "What's the territory like?" A part of her wondered if it was really as bleak as the camp was- devoid of color and life, leaving behind only the barren and brittle reeds that were always covered in snow.

"Well, I can assure you it isn't as boring as the camp is right now. Leafbare is coming to an end very soon so we'll see some more flowers and green plants around. Some prey will be running around here soon so we'll be able to hunt land prey. I like to do fishing though. I love the feeling of the cool water. Right now it's too cold for my paws so we aren't going to hunt fish." Lilytail explained to her apprentice as they begun to walk deeper into the territory. There were reeds and tall grasses swaying in the cool breeze and the little streams of cold, rushing water leading them to the river. The white-furred warrior stopped in her trackes when a tiny green plant caught her eye. A few more were scattered around. "Oh look Sunpaw! Look at all those small buds! More will grow soon filling this place with nice plants and flowers. It's a clear sign that the cold weather will be over." she said as she poked a little flower bud softly.

Stiff reeds swayed awkwardly in the chilly breeze, filling the otherwise silent territory with a harsh rattling noise. Carefully avoiding slick and unsavory patches of partially frozen mud, Sunpaw stayed close behind on Lilytail's heels. Gaze lifting to the practically colorless sky, the young she-cat's ears twitched as the white she-cat continued to speak. Was this really considered Newleaf? It still looked as lifeless and devoid of color as it had seemingly always been.

Splashing through a frigid little stream, she halted at Lilytail's eager words. Reaching out with an equally nimble and gentle paw, the young tabby gently prodded at the fragile bud, head tilting curiously. Though it was terribly small and flimsy, it was quite pretty to look at. Keeping the plant's fragility in mind, she continued to absently toy with the blossoming fern. Sunpaw's gaze swung around at the minuscule sprouts of greenery that seemed to be emerging from the snow underpaw, a tad bit of excitement simmering beneath her fur. "I've never seen so much green before." Sunpaw admitted, an awe-struck expression overtaking her soft features.

Lilytail and Sunpaw spent a bit more time admiring the oncoming beauty that awaited them in Newleaf. The white-furred warrior's ear twitched at the sound of some rustling. Some reeds were swaying and suddenly a small bird hopped out. It was a fox-length or two away from the pair. Lilytail shot a quick glance at her apprentice and then her focus returned back to the pecking bird. "Watch me carefully. I'll show you how to hunt on land. I'll repeat how I did it afterward." she whispered. The warrior crouched down, paws spread and weight distributed evenly. Her tail was level with the ground and barely touching. Her belly was just a millimeter or two above the ground and her back was slightly arched. She inched closer and closer until she decided to pounce. She caught it in her jaws before it had a chance to react. She killed it and dropped it in front of Sunpaw.

"Alright. Begin by crouching like this. Then spread your paws but not too far and make sure your weight is evenly distributed between your paws but the front ones should carry a bit more. Your belly should be really close to the ground but not touching. Same goes for your tail but try to keep it level with the ground beneath you. Always keep your eyes on your prey but also be aware of your surroundings just in case a twig or crinkly leaf is on your path. Inch slowly and once you reach a certain distance, leap and surround it with your paws. Make sure to use your claws to trap it even more. But the most important thing of all is to thank Starclan, silently or verbally, for the prey you caught." The warrior explained while demonstrating what she talked about.

She then nodded at Sunpaw. "Now you try. Carefully and quietly search for prey and use what I just taught you." she instructed. The white she-cat moved out of the way so the apprentice could begin her mini assignment. She was confident Sunpaw could catch something.

The member 'Middy' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 3

Ducking down at Lilytail's words, Sunpaw gazed at her mentor with wide eyes, a slight spark of apprehensive excitement simmering within her shuffling paws. Her first time witnessing a hunt! Curling her tail tightly around her restless paws, the little tabby continued to watch with an ajar mouth as the white-furred she-cat easily brought down a bird. Who would've known that a RiverClan cat could catch land-dwelling prey so easily! She thought, the trembling of her whiskers displaying her internal eagerness. Straightening back up as Lilytail began to quietly instruct her, Sunpaw began to hastily follow her mentor's words, her movements often a bit too quick and jumpy.

Keeping low to the frost-rimmed earth, Sunpaw began to carefully creep forward in the direction of a thick swath of a reeds, the only sound escaping her was the occasional sharp inhale as she tried to pick up a fresh scent. Although her limbs often wavered slightly as she tried to keep herself steady and evenly-balanced, she was quite proud of the fact that she didn't stumble or break a brittle reed. A odd, slightly fish-like scent caught her attention, smelling vaguely familiar. Dropping even lower, the bi-colored tabby's tail gave an eager twitch as she prepared herself for a leap. Exploding forwards and crashing into the thick swath of reeds in pursuit of the unfortunate frog, Sunpaw let out an excited squeal as her paws made near-instant contact with the frog- albeit, it was so slippery that it took her several heartbeats to actually kill the poor thing.

Ignoring the way that the broken reeds poked and prodded at her face, Sunpaw carefully grasped the limp frog before wriggling free of the tangled mess and spinning around to face her mentor. "Look! I caught...something!" Although she hadn't ever actually seen a frog before, it hardly dampened her bubbling sense of accomplishment and pride.

The member 'Seer' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 3

Lilytail purred and bumped shoulders with Sunpaw. "That was awesome Sunpaw! You caught a frog! See? You're an amazing hunter. You do have to work on grasping something slippery like a frog or fish but once you learn those techniques, you'll be catching prey left and right!" The warrior praised. She then signaled for Sunpaw to follow her. She gripped the bird she caught in her jaws and led the way over to Sunningrocks.

She then dropped the feathered creature and gave Sunpaw a closed-eye smile. "This is Sunningrocks, Sunpaw. It belongs to Riverclan! Here you can relax and when it's really sunny the stones get warm and they feel good to rest on. Go, try it out. They are a bit cold but i'll bring you here again once everything warms up!" she said as she layed upon one of the stones.

Attempting to rinse the taste of blood from her mouth, Sunpaw's tongue repeatedly flashed past her bright nose as she listened to Lilytail's praise, a contended expression still holding her features captive. Still reeling from the flush of adrenaline, the young she-cat hurriedly scooped up the rapidly stiffening frog once more before practically skipping after her mentor, the rest of the territory passing by in an uninteresting blur. Nothing could compare to this mesmerizing tidal wave of adrenaline and joy.

Pausing at Lilytail's words, Sunpaw's unfocused mind returned to the present, her gaze falling upon the scattered stones that laid before them. She had heard countless stories and gossiping whispers about the blood-soaked stones, so seeing them in person was slightly...underwhelming. Was this really all they were? "Do we really fight ThunderClan over them?" Sunpaw eventually questioned, voice muffled by the frog in her jaws.