until you earn your name [assessment]

Dayquill

 
The late morning was chillier than it had been for moons. It wasn't exactly cold, but the stiff breeze that ruffled Dayquill's dense fur could only make him think of leaf-fall laying just around the corner. The same wind that had disturbed his pelt whistled through the branches above, the boughs of the great Owl Tree groaning as they knocked into each other. He watched the leaves shiver idly, letting his mind drift towards the task at hand... Nightpaw's assessment. Hopefully all of ThunderClan's prey hadn't made an early retreat underground. Although dimly, he could remember the starvation that came with the leaf-bare he'd been born into. He shook the thoughts away, refocusing himself. Nightpaw would do fine, even if their quarry wouldn't be keen on showing itself.

The sound of his apprentice's eager chirp made Dayquill lower his head, and he offered a warm smile as he looked at her. She had definitely settled since their first outing together; there was no denying the sense of pride that bled into all of her features, but she wasn't charging forward, or denying any sense of danger. It was a good change. Nodding, the golden tom gathered his weight and stood. "If you're ready, then... let's start, yeah? You know the territory well enough by now that I trust you not to walk yourself into danger." A flickered memory of their trip to Snakerocks crossed his mind, and he snorted an unamused laugh. "You're welcome to leave this clearing, but don't go too far. Find and catch as much prey as you can. I'll be watching, but I won't be helping, though if at any point you think you need me, just say my name. I'll come." With that, Dayquill wrapped himself around the opposite side of the tree, out of Nightpaw's line of sight, before poking his head briefly into view. "You're free to go now. I'll be keeping an eye on you. I believe in you, Nightpaw."

Dayquill

Dayquill kept himself dutifully hidden behind the great Owl Tree as Nightpaw dipped her head and padded off to begin her pursuits. Briefly, he’d considered testing his SkyClan ancestry and climbing up it to get a better, hopefully less obtrusive view of the hunt, but had decided eventually he’d likely make too much noise and, probably, end up falling out of it and landing on his back. Instead, he remained on the ground, ears trained forward and eyes intent from his peering spot. She’d spotted a squirrel quickly– Good, he noted, watching her move closer. Her form was good, and she was entirely focused on the prey at hand. He wished he could say he hadn’t seen her missed pounce coming, but the squirrel’s twitching ears and her distance from it hadn’t been a good sign when she’d collected her muscles, ready to pounce. He wished he could have gone out and given her some encouragement; but this was her assessment, and hers alone.

One missed catch isn’t bad. Even the best warriors miss prey. Keep going, Nightpaw. You’re doing fine. I believe in you. Dayquill silently cheered, nodding along to himself.