Hope of Morning (Closed for Icee)

After a tediously long couple days of nursing his injured foot, Leopardstar was back on his feet and ready to take on his new life, new responsibilities, and a new apprentice.  It had been quite a few moons since he had last took a young cat under his wing, and he dearly missed the two recent charges that had never made it to their ceremony.  Hazelpaw, who had been hit by a monster just a few days before her warrior ceremony, and his granddaughter Pantherpaw, who had vanished without a trace.  He tried not to let their memory sour his demeanor though; it was a new day, and Morningpaw was waiting for him.

Ducking into the apprentice's den, he called out softly for the young tom, the warm shadows of the bramble thicket calming him.  "Morningpaw, it's time to head out."  As he waited for the young russet-brown tabby, he gazed around the sleepy camp with a whisper of a smile upon his muzzle.  Life is good...let's hope it stays that way for a long time.

It was finally time.

Morningpaw had been counting the days until Mapleleaf had cleared their leader to resume his regular duties. It felt as if moons had passed as the newly named apprentice went around camp, cleaning ticks from the elder's fur, organizing the fresh-kill pile, and fulfilling any duty the young tom could think of. Just when he thought he would be earning his warrior name before patrolling with his mentor, Leopardstar was up and about, calling his name.

The tabby's head rose, ears perked and eyes alert as the leader's voice broke the silence that filled his den. Without a second to waste, the apprentice leaped to his paws and rushed away from his nest. He swiftly combed through his short fur and stopped just short of the spotted tom. "Let's go. No time to waste," he spoke with a sly smile. Morningpaw's claws dug into the ground with anticipation.

He still couldn't quite believe it. Leopardstar was his mentor. ThunderClan's leader was his mentor. Some part of him deep inside knew it was meant to be. It was only fitting for a leader to train one of his successors.

Leopardstar blinked warmly as Morningpaw approached him, his smile widening.  How long had it been now since he had last been in this position...he had always enjoyed mentoring, and seeing the young tom reciprocate his internal excitement brought back happy memories of younger days.  "Quite right, let's head out."  With a brisk wave of his ringed tail, the long-legged leader broke into a trot and led the way out of the gorse tunnel and up the steep walls of the ravine, until they stood under the shade of the forest's green canopy.  He occasionally glanced back to make sure that Morningpaw wasn't having trouble keeping up, until they stopped in a sunlight-dappled clearing, the air clear and dancing with scents.

"Let's get right into it.  Morningpaw, see if you can pick up a prey scent."  Leopardstar could easily pick up several trails nearby; the warm weather had clearly driven many small creatures out of their homes to enjoy the forest's spoils.  Normally, mentors put their apprentices through rigorous refining of their crouches and pounces before letting them track prey, but the golden spotted tom felt confident enough that Morningpaw could do it.  Plus, he was not in the interest of delaying his apprentice's learning any farther.

Morningpaw nodded swiftly. As his leader picked up his pace, resting on a swift trot, the tom followed behind, his growing legs pushing to keep up. He ducked through the bramble entrance, his skin twitching as the bush grazed against his pelt.

As they made their way into the territory, the tabby's mix-toned eyes widened. Everything was so... green. Even more so than the inside of their camp. The soft sunlight streamed through every tiny gap between the tree's leaves. The tiny dots left on the forest floor created a fun stepping stone pattern for the tom to follow. With little hops, he pounced on the patches, amusing himself before the undergrowth parted and their walk came to an end.

Morningpaw's smile faded as Leopardstar spoke. He had assumed there would be some large speech, some in-depth explanation of all the tiny intricacies that came with hunting. Instead, the leader presented an opportunity for the apprentice to learn all on his own. Without a word he raised his head and began sniffing gently for a scent. His nose was filled with the sweet smells of bark, dirt, and other forest scents. Behind it all was a plethora of mouthwatering scents. "I smell birds, squirrels, mice... Dear StarClan, I smell so much," he purred, his eyes closed and smile gracing his face as he pictured the path towards the closest scent. Without thinking, his paws slowly glided towards what he decided was some critter scurrying across the grass floor.

A soft purr escaped Leopardstar's throat as Morningpaw counted off the many scents that hung in the air around them, including one that lay very close by. Before he could open his mouth to instruct him, Morningpaw began to stalk forward towards the hidden creature, and the golden spotted tabby followed him distantly, each paw step placed with absolute care. He wanted to watch first-hand the young tom's attempt; he would curse himself if he ended up scaring away the animal in the process. Jaw set, the leader watched through narrowed eyes, examining the tom's every move.