The road less traveled on

He knew there were apprentices younger than him who had become warriors before him. It didn't bother him. Fernpaw didn't think he needed to be like them. He wanted to ensure Leopardstar had a good reason to grant him a full name. To show he completely deserved that suffix. Some would point out he had successfully fought multiple predators, sure, but none of those battles were without the help of many others. That was how clan life worked, after all. But in his mind, a warrior should be able to stand on their own- for the most part at least. And so, Fernpaw would be patient. He would not rush. And he would wait until he was perfect.

As the tabby apprentice contemplated similar subjects, his thoughts were interrupted by a cheery voice approaching. "Hello, Larkshine. I'm fine." He listened to her request intently, trying not to flinch at her touch. Normally Fernpaw wouldn't go out of camp on his own, so opportunities to practice without having to bother someone or tire his mentor were opportunities he would take. "Yes, that sounds good," he responded, padding after the molly.

In camp, all an apprentice needed was his sight, so he could identify cats and perceive their behavioral cues. But here, in the forest, sight only served to keep track of Larkshine ahead of him as his legs dutifully worked to maintain pace with her. He could mostly let the visual details fade, and instead tune into surrounding sounds and scents. Tonight the territory was full of potential targets. It was tempting to simply hunt here instead of wherever Larkshine intended to lead him. But Fernpaw refused to stray, growing more interested in her choice of hunting grounds the longer it took to get there.

Suddenly the warrior dropped into the tall grass. He promptly joined her, although wanting to give her space by splitting off in a slightly different direction. His ears twitched on a swivel to track where she was while his parted maw worked in tandem to conclude she was targetting a water vole. Fernpaw caught the steps of a second vole nearby. Luckily he didn't need to see it to know where it was, and silently moved into a hidden position. Usually, he waited for a distant twig to snap or some other noisy occurrence. He hadn't expected the distraction to come directly from his hunting partner's throat. Smart! Fernpaw didn't hesitate, and after a quick dart, the vole was dispatched. Larkshine had seemingly accomplished the same, approaching with a plump rodent in her maw.

The tom held up his own vole. "Already ahead of you," he said with a light-hearted smirk. Then he carefully buried his catch by hers. Fernpaw wasn't used to teamwork like this, but seeing their two successes next to each other, well he couldn't say it wasn't rewarding. He looked back to Larkshine. "I've never had the idea to purr before. I'm glad that I learned something tonight."

Fernpaw successfully hunted a rodent with the chance of 1-7, costing 2 endurance.