Pure Sky[C]

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Nectarpaw bounded out into the clearing, every bit as energetic as she was when she had been a young kit. Her eyes scanned the camp for only a moment before landing on Sootstorm, her mentor. With a soft meow of excitement, she trotted over to the warrior, her tail held high. "Good morning! What're we doing today!? Battle training? Ooh! Maybe we can go to the flower fields?"

The flower fields were by far Nectarpaw's favorite place to visit. She loved discovering new flowers and adding them to her mental catalogue. Every now and then, she would find a particularly pretty flower to give to Ferntwist or the kits in the nursery.

But now wasn't the time for flowers! Oh no - Sootstorm was expecting nothing but the best from her! Nectarpaw quickly reigned in her boundless energy and grinned up at Sootstorm, waiting for his declaration.

If she knew him, it would be battle training again. Especially with the whole mess going on between them and Shadowclan. The idea made her head hurt. It wasn't that she didn't like training, she was just getting tired of honing her battle techniques. She wanted something new - something fun!

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Nectarpaw let out a dramatic sigh of relief when Sootstorm announced that they wouldn't be training today. "Thank Starclan! I don't think I could handle another bruise like the one I got last time!" To be honest, she'd only gotten bruised up because of her own clumsiness. If she'd been watching where she had been going, she wouldn't have tripped over a rock and fallen face first into the dirt.

Nevertheless, she would persevere! And it would be easier since they were hunting this time. Nectarpaw always felt so at ease when she was chasing rabbits down on the upper moor of Windclan's territory. It was like she could run forever!

So, with her paw tapping happily on the dirt, Nectarpaw hurried after her mentor, her tail vibrating with elation.

[Timeskip]

Nectarpaw padded alongside Sootstorm, her ears pricked for the telltale sign of prey. She lifted her nose to the sky and opened her jaws, letting the wind bring new smells to wash over her. Just as she picked up the scent of a nearby rabbit, she noticed Sootstorm signal her to the opposite side of the hill.

Okay! This was it! She was a bit rusty on her hunting, given all of the battle training, but she was determined not to let Sootstorm down! With a nod, the tortoiseshell apprentice slunk around the hill to block off the rabbits' escape in the event that Sootstorm didn't catch them. Then, a burst of commotion! Sootstorm had come down upon the rabbits like a hawk on mice.

He dispatched the first, sending the second rabbit fleeing across the valley - straight for her.

The she-cat bunched her muscles, watching from her hiding place in the grass as the rabbit pounded closer and closer to her. She had to wait for just the right moment...now!

Nectarpaw abandoned her cover and pounced upon the rabbit, digging her claws into its scruff and bringing it to the ground with a soft thud. The creature didn't get so much as a squeak out before she yanked its head to the side, killing it with one swift move.

Her heart pounded in her chest from the thrill of it all and Nectarpaw lifted her head to peer over the grass at Sootstorm. After a moment, she hoisted the rabbit, straining her neck to keep it from dragging on the ground, and trotted to her mentor, her eyes glowing with pride. "Rook!"

Laughing softly, Nectarpaw set the rabbit down. "Look! I did it! Er- We did it!"

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Nectarpaw relived the moment she brought down the rabbit, searing it into her memory. The thrill of the hunt - the satisfaction of successful teamwork with her mentor...it was a wonderful feeling. She wouldn't give this up for anything. Being a Windclanner was the best! The open sky above them, the wind in her fur and rustling the sea of grass around them - she loved all of it.

Purring, the tortoiseshell apprentice looked at their catch appraisingly, her eyes bright. "Should we try for another rabbit? I'm certain our clanmates would be happy for more fresh kill." It wasn't just her and Sootstorm that had been prioritizing the impending war with Shadowclan.

With the increased border patrols, the fresh kill pile was bound to look a little pathetic right now and two rabbits could only feed so many cats.

At the thought of Shadowclan, Nectarpaw's fur began to prickle. That was all she ever thought about now. The threat of the other clan seemed to hang over her and the rest of the clan like a dark cloud about to release its fury upon them.

The she-cat shuddered slightly, her mood dampened. She couldn't let Sootstorm see her worry though! With a smile, Nectarpaw tipped her head to the side, waiting for his answer.

Everything would be fine, Windclan had not seen trouble since she was born and this whole issue with Shadowclan would blow over, she was sure of it. No clan would be furious enough with the actions of one cat to take it out on their entire clan.

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Nectarpaw stiffened slightly at the thought of leading their next hunting expedition. She wasn't sure how to do it. Sootstorm was a warrior and she was just an apprentice, it didn't seem right telling him what to do. "A-are you sure? I've never done-"

Her legs began to shake when suddenly, the fresh scent of prey drifted across the moor toward them, silencing whatever Nectarpaw was about to say.

The she-cat lifted her head to inhale the rich smell and by the time Sootstorm was done burying their previous catch, she knew what to do. Flicking her tail, she beckoned for the warrior to follow her as she made her way across the vast expanse of moorland toward the smell. "I can smell something - a hare I think - not far ahead."

Nectarpaw let out a small breath of relief. It was only by the grace of Starclan that the wind brought the hare's scent right to them. Otherwise, she might've never found anything.  

Before long, the creature was within her line of sight. It was a hare - a little thinner and faster than a rabbit but it would still be a fine piece of fresh kill for Windclan. With her attention fixed on catching the hare, Nectarpaw settled easily into her role.

She gestured for Sootstorm to circle around to the back of the hare where he would be able to block it from retreating to its nearby burrow.

It was a classic Windclan technique she had picked up on and, thankfully, pretty much mastered in her time as an apprentice. She would frighten the hare into running right into Sootstorm's waiting claws - just like how she caught her rabbit earlier.

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Once Sootstorm was in position, Nectarpaw began creeping toward the rabbit, placing her paws lightly and doing her best to remain silent. Hares and rabbits could not only ear exceptionally well, but they were particularly sensitive to vibrations from the ground which made them a bit trickier to catch.

However, hares were solitary creatures - that was their weakness. Where rabbits tended to live in big groups, hares lived alone in their nests. With only one pair of eyes to watch out for danger, it was a little easier to sneak up undetected.

Nectarpaw silently thanked Starclan for her dilute tabby coat - which blended in with the grass decently well - as she slunk closer to the hare.

Now only tail-lengths away from the hare, Nectarpaw waggled her shoulders. One might break from their cover and give chase, but hares were faster than rabbits with longer hind legs. It would be easier - in this case - to frighten the hare into running right into Sootstorm's grasp.

So, with a ferocious growl, Nectarpaw rose up from the grass and pounced toward the hare, sending it scurrying with a cry right toward her mentor.

Gender: Female
Rank: Apprentice

Nectarpaw felt a stab of pride as Sootstorm killed the hare with ease. Her mentor really was an amazing hunter! Once the hare stopped struggling and she knew it was dead, the apprentice bounded up to him, her eyes glowing.

What a flawless catch!

She sniffed the hare appraisingly upon reaching Sootstorm and lifted her head at his words. Her? A warrior!? Sure it was bound to happen eventually, but she didn't feel ready at all! There was still so much to learn...

Regardless, she couldn't let Sootstorm see her uncertainty. "You really think so? I do feel a lot more capable than I was when I first became your apprentice."

That, at least, was true. Her soft plush frame had thinned out and grown more wiry and muscular in the past few moons. And yet, there was so much responsibility that came with being a warrior.

However, she couldn't deny that in such turbulent times, Windclan could use more warriors. Plus, if she became a warrior, she would be able to visit the flower fields whenever she wanted to! That alone was more exciting than anything else she could think of. Well, other than having a whole new name maybe.

Nectarpaw nodded seriously. "Okay! Let's go fetch the rabbits and then we can head back."

The tortoiseshell she-cat turned to head back to the hill where she and Sootstorm had caught their first prey, her eyes narrowed, yet hopeful. If Sootstorm thought that she was ready, maybe she should believe him.

[ OOC; Topic can end here unless you want to add anything <3 ]