foundation [c]

It was her first day with her new apprentice, and as Smokestep pulled herself out of her new nest in the warriors' den, the she-cat couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. She'd not had her warrior name for a full moon before Wolfblossom had given her an apprentice - and not just any apprentice, but the deputy's own son. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she was ready... but she'd also been uncertain about being a full warrior to begin with, and Wolfblossom had trusted that she was ready... so she would trust her mentor.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed out of the warriors' den and padded over to where the apprentices were sleeping. It was barely dawn as she poked her head in and gently called out, "Falconpaw, wake up... it's time to go."

Falconpaw was a warrior, freshly named. A toxic mix of vanity, pride and fury consumed him. He was determined. He ran across tree branches and leaped into some pit of darkness with walls on each side. The scents of unknown cats filled his nose and the voices of twolegs were far away in the distance. Falconpaw yowled out a challenge to anyone who would dare come near. Maybe he'd win. Maybe he'd die. To him, it mattered not.

"Falconpaw, wake up... it's time to go."

A voice pulled him from his dream. The apprentice blinked away the strange place of blackness and looked up into the eyes of his mentor. Training... right! The young tom was on his paws in an instant, his dream, forgotten.

"I'm so ready!" He said, almost a bit too loudly before he realized his mistake. Too loud... oop. He carefully stepped over sleeping clanmates and prepared to follow his mentor out. Today was going to be a great day!

Despite her own reservations about being a mentor, Falconpaw seemed to have no qualms with being her apprentice. As the young tom leaped up enthusiastically, Smokestep breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all...

After a whispered apology to the other apprentices that Falconpaw roused, the gray tabby led her sun striped apprentice into the forest. SkyClan's territory was recovering from disasters well preceding Smokestep's own birth. A few blackened trunks could still be found beneath the Ivy and brambles that overtook them, and fallen limbs and even whole trees with their bases uprooted dotted the landscape - victims of the quake that had made SkyClan homeless for moons. But the promise of warmth on the horizon had the forest coming to life... there was no snow on the ground here, and though the near-nightly storms had made the ground muddy in many places, it was still easy enough to find dry paths as they wound through the territory.

Once they were deep enough, nearing the creek, Smokestep paused and listened. Birds, squirrels, bugs... all chirped and chattered in the brisk Leafbare air. She looked to Falconpaw. "Can you hear them all? The birds? The squirrels?" She smiled. "See if you can single one out, and track it."

Smokestep demonstrated a hunting crouch, the way that Wolfblossom had taught her to do. "If you move like this‐" she crept forward, making as little noise as possible. "You can sneak up on then easier... and then you pounce!"

Falconpaw followed his mentor dutifully into the forest. He looked around, this way and that way, familiarizing himself with the territory he was to protect. It had been a nice, fairly quiet walk through the woods, but when Smokestep spoke, he listened. Birds and squirrels.... his ears rotated around and his nose inhaled the scents. What should he go for? Before he could decide, Smokestep was instructing him again.

He tried to mimic her crouch as best as he could. He stepped with her, his eyes locked on for careful study. "Okay... I'll try it. Like this?" He crawled ahead of her so she could see better, though his rump was higher than it should be. His excitement brought his tail upward as he lost concentration... and he carried it high above him like a shark fin.

Then he leaped, landing noisily onto some crunchy leaves and a small twig that he hadn't seen. That was a mistake he knew right away that he made and he winced. Oops...

Watching him copy her demonstration, Smokestep couldn't help but let out a tiny giggle. He was awful at this, truly... but she had been, too, and Wolfblossom had been extra patient. Falconpaw deserved the same. Moving forward, she asked him to demonstrate again, and placed a gentle paw on his haunch when he did so, pushing it slightly closer to the ground, so his spine was level. "Keep this lower - but not too low. There's a delicate balance... and it takes some getting used to, but you've got a good start here."

Smiling at him, she whacked his tail playfully with a sheathed paw. "And this - you need to keep this out of the way, too. Here... watch me again."

Lifting her nose to the air, Smokestep searched for something worth demonstrating on, until finally she settled on a mouse. Beckoning for Falconpaw to watch, she crept forward, paw over paw, tail level with her spine. The mouse was in a small patch of long grass, and she could see it crouched there with a seed between its tiny hands. After a moment of adjustments - during which she exaggerated them deliberately to show Falconpaw - she leaped forward and went for it! But the rodent slipped between her paws and darted into some foliage.

The striped tabby turned and grinned lightly at Falconpaw. "Sometimes, you make mistakes, and that's okay. The most important thing is that you get up, and try again!"

Smokestep attempted to catch a mouse... and was unsuccessful.

The member 'JJ' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Falconpaw realized his mistakes and worked quickly to correct them. Alright... he felt like he had it now. It would take time to get used to, but he lowered his tail down and out this time. He crept forward, trying to figure out where to put his weight on his paws exactly. Once Smokestep went for a mouse, he watched very carefully. She didn't catch it, but she'd get no judgement from him. Especially since he wasn't entirely sure he could catch anything yet either.

"Okay I'll give it a try." He moved forward carefully, doing his best to make quiet steps until his ears located the sound of a squirrel burying nuts in the ground. He moved toward it, his heart racing with excitement. If he didn't calm down he'd miss the squirrel for sure.

Once he felt like he was close enough to it, he leaped for it.

Falconpaw attempted to catch a squirrel. He was SUCCESSFUL! -5SP

His claws pinned the squirrel to the ground, much to his surprise. He panicked a moment, but then his teeth shot out for the neck like he'd seen other cats do. He was surprised with how quickly and easily his jaws went through the flesh, like a fish through water. The squirrel shuddered and kicked a few times, but then went still. Falconpaw's tail fluffed out and his fur stood on end. That had been... quite a rush! He carried it back to Smokestep, a smile on his face and light dancing in his eyes, but he remembered to stay humble. He laid the squirrel at her paws and looked up at her, hoping to hear approval. He said nothing though, only smiled with his lips stained pink with the blood of his first catch.

The member 'Tara' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 1