A Duck's First Lesson [c]

The afternoon came sooner than Hawkshriek could've expected, soft glows of orange descending upon the sunlit sky as he made his way over to the apprentices' den. He hoped Duckpaw had enough rest for their upcoming training, considering that they'd have to actively search for fish later on in the river. Still, considering the apprentice's bright personality, he doubted they'd have much struggle. At least, he hoped so.

Peeking into the apprentices' den, the warrior searched the nests until he landed on the familiar sight of Duckpaw's pelt, smiling. "It's time for our training, Duckpaw. We'll go when you're ready." With that, he pulled his head from the entryway and waited patiently outside for the young cat to appear.

Hawkshriek chuckled at Duckpaw's sudden wakefulness, feeling almost guilty to have rushed the apprentice awake so soon despite their exhausted state. Still, even if he wanted to let them take a break, his duties as their mentor held otherwise responsibility. Beckoning them outside of the safe havens of camp, he led his apprentice to the rivers for hunting lessons.


The constant sound of water flowing and crashing against smoothened stones from the river was oddly satisfying to his ears, as much as the tom had bothered to listen to it before. He'd grown fond and familiar with the waves' resourcefulness, yet remembering all too well of the dangers that lurked beneath had they not bothered to be careful. Stopping just by the familiar sight of Sunningrocks, he paused, making sure to guide them through the basics of training.

"The first, and one of the most important lessons an apprentice has to learn is to hunt, which is exactly what we'd be doing today." Hawkshriek smiled, dropping down to a hunting crouch. "This is what we call a 'hunting crouch'. Even if our clan, Riverclan, spends the majority of our time hunting fish and not land prey, we must also be sure to not scare them while we hover above the water. That way, we'd not give ourselves away and cause them to flee. Observe my position carefully, and you'll do the same." He nodded, giving Duckpaw some time to look over his crouch before he lifted himself back to stand on his paws. "Now you try."