Apprenticeship's First Challenge [tallpaw]

Tallpaw followed Fennelbreeze out onto the open slopes of WindClan’s territory, the wind tugging at his whiskers and bringing with it the crisp scents of dry grass, storm clouds, and sunshine. There was something else too, under the comforting layers of life and earth, something bitter and out of place, but the apprentice noted it seemed far off, for now at least. Heather trembled in the breeze, now golden and half-dead, but the tom relished the wide blue of the sky stretching ahead, it was almost easy to forget the danger and the twinge of unease at the barrenness of the land if not for his mentor's slight apprehension. He loped easily behind her, scrambling up the dips and rises with barely constrained joy. After so much time spent in camp it broke something wild and free under his ribs to be beneath the clouds and the sky, with the moor-grass filling every corner of his vision for miles in either direction.

Tallpaw came to a stop when Fennelbreeze did, breathing slightly hard but eyes bright and happy. He listened attentively, utterly focused on the cream she-cat, filing away the scents he had learned and the borders they had passed. He would not forget them. His mentor’s quiet joy was reflected back ten-fold in the excited swish of his tail and twitch of his ears. “Hunting first.” He answered. ”I want to be able to help as much as I can.”

Tallpaw nodded seriously at his mentor’s words. Be mindful. He repeated silently to himself as he watched Fennelbreeze drop into a well-practiced crouch. He mimicked her, sinking his weight confidently into his haunches. He took a minute to experiment with shifting his weight back forth, trying to find where he was most balanced. It was different from the solid planted stance Eagefly had shown him when he was a kit and clumsily practicing battle moves. He focused instead on holding himself as still as possible, weight distributed evenly so he could step lightly through the grass. It felt a little awkward with his overly long legs, but at least it was easy to move quietly with his slight frame.

The tom rose when Fennelbreeze did, and nodded at her words. Prey was increasingly scarce, he could see it every time he walked past the pitiful scraps of the fresh-kill pile. He watched as the cream-she cat nearly vanished into the muted grays and golds of the moor-grass, by the time he had spotted the hare, Fennelbreeze was already in pursuit, but it slipped from her grasp. Tallpaw felt a stab of anxiety. If even a talented warrior like Fennelbreeze was having a difficult time, how could he possibly help? He shook off the feeling quickly. He had to try. He smiled reassuringly at his mentor. “That hare seemed like it would be too stringy anyway.” he mewed lightly.

Tallpaw nodded. “I’ll do my best.” The tom dropped into the crouch he had been practicing, golden pelt nearly invisible against the dry grass. He slunk a few paces away, pausing to open his mouth and scent the air. It was a confusing tangle of scents at first, sky, and grass, and withering heather, but after a minute of sorting he smelled the heady scent of a rabbit. He glided a few steps closer on quiet paws to see its soft white fur peeking through the tall grass. He took another painfully slow step closer, body held so perfectlly still he felt like he might start shaking with how stiffly he held himself. The tabby launched himself at the rabbit with a push of his hindquarters, springing almost vertically into the air. The rabbit squealed in alarm and took off. Tallpaw's claws sunk into the cool earth a mouse-length away from the rabbit. The apprentice pelted after it, long legs swallowing the moor in each reaching stride. The chill of the wind raked his whiskers back, and his ears pressed flat to his head as he tried to follow the frantically swerving trail the rabbit left in the grass.

The rabbit vanished safely into its burrow, disappearing so suddenly that the tom almost hurdled into the tight space after it, but skidded to a stop just short. He glared into the dim opening in the earth, breathing hard, before trotting back to Fennelbreeze, winded and empty pawed. "No luck." He said with an irritated twitch of his tail. "I almost had it too. Can I try again?"



Tallpaw attempted to catch a rabbit but was unsuccesful

Tallpaw: 55/60 (-5)

Tallpaw nodded seriously.   “I’ll definitely let you know if there’s trouble.” The last thing he wanted to do was stumble onto a predator and put both himself and Fennelbreeze in danger, but in times like these it was just something they had to deal with. The apprenticed wondered if it would always be like this. Narrowing down his focus to the rustle of moor-grass the comforting sweep of the wind, the lanky tabby dropped into his crouch again, feeling a bit more comfortable in the position the more he held it. He slinked quietly through the rippling stalks, each paw carefully placed, the air here smelled faintly of rabbit. He stalked a few tail-lengths closer. The prey-scent flooded into his open mouth, mingled with the sun-warmed scent of dried grass and damp earth. He must be near another burrow. The tom tried his best to pay attention to the shifting of the breeze as it whistled past his ears, keeping himself downwind from the small rabbit foraging in the grass.

Satisfied with the distance, Tallpaw sprung from the grass with a powerful push of his haunches, long forelegs outstretched to slam down onto the rabbit's spine. The rabbit again slipped out of his claws and vanished into it's burrow, leaving him with nothing but a tuft of fur to show for it. He padded back to Fennelbreeze, shaking the frustration of his failure off his shoulders.   " I think the rabbits are just laughing at me now." Tallpaw said with a wry grin, trying not to let his disappointment be too obvious, but his tail tip twitched back and forth in irritation.

Tallpaw purred softly in thanks at his mentor’s comforting gesture. At least she wasn’t upset with him, and there would be more chances. One rabbit today would have to be unlucky. He crouched patiently in the grass while the cream she-cat went on the search again, and unfortunately it seemed like today they were the unlucky ones. Rabbits 4, WindClan 0. Out of the grass came a strange awkward looking creature. Tallpaw stared at it in equal parts curiosity and repulsion. It moved in slinking little hops, but apparently packed a nasty punch if Fennelbreeze’s reaction to it was anything to go by. The apprentice wrinkled his nose at the smell and curled his lips into a snarl.

He couldn’t let his mentor have all the fun. With a growl of his own, the lanky tabby leapt into the frey, ears back and teeth bared viciously. Fennelbreeze had it by the tail and swung it towards him, he didn’t waste that chance and grabbed the weasel around the middle in his jaws, sinking his teeth down into its wiry pelt. The bitter sting of its blood against his teeth was both slightly unpleasant and satisfying, but its outraged shriek of pain hurt his sensitive ears. Hissing the lanky tom slammed it back onto the ground with relish and before it could react, struck out again and sunk his claws into its neck, scoring deep wounds into the soft flesh there.

“Can we eat it at least?” He asked, still keyed into the battle, tail bristled up, but it was clear he was enjoying the fight, tail lashing and stance ready for another hit. The vibrant red of the weasel’s blood stood out starkly against the pale fur around his muzzle. It was therapeutic to finally sink his teeth into something warm and alive after all the earlier failures with the rabbits, even if this creature was slightly less appetizing than the sweet wild meat of a rabbit. Tallpaw watched the creature writhe in the grass with narrowed eyes, he didn’t see why it couldn't go on the fresh-kill pile.
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Tallpaw used Snap and Swift Strike doing 11 damage and costing 17 stamina

Tallpaw: 20hp//33sp(-17)
Fennelbreeze: 50hp//95sp
Weasel: 1hp//135sp (-11)