[Phoenix]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2077or9.jpg] Practice makes perfect, Littlepaw repeated in her head. And she had a long way to go until she hit the perfect mark. Of course she had little experience sneaking through the undergrowth, having just started training. Like with all new apprentices, the idea of finally starting to become a warrior exhilarated her. After some days had passed, she had started coming down off of her high, though her eagerness to learn still lingered. It too, will probably fade, Littlepaw reasoned. She had never been under the impression that she would be the most studious apprentice, completely devoted to her studies like some others; she had never found the motivation. For her, there was no race to becoming a warrior because she would become a warrior at her own pace, even if she didn't impress anyone. She had the time, a whole six moons before she could even be considered for becoming a warrior. Even as a warrior, she predicted that she would be satisfied with average skills. That being said, she would not give up the chance to practice what little she had learned, even if it was only on the short way to get a drink. Far above her head, the birds chirped as she stepped up to the side of the brook, keeping her paws on dry land as she had no desire to get wet. An ear flicked and she glanced at her reflection briefly as she lowered her head. It was funny; as a kit, she had thought that when she became an apprentice some large change would happen. Something to differentiate between her kit self and her apprentice self. But she looked the same, if not slightly bigger, as she had as a kit, if her sneaked glances into puddles were anything to go by. She didn't even feel very different, apart from the initial excitement. Something behind her, she wasn't quite sure what, attracted her attention, cutting off her musings. Licking the last droplets of water that clung to her fur, she turned and glanced around. She didn't see anything off, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.

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[bg=667744] The woods were quiet and calm; a few rustles of prey moving through the undergrowth and the occasional bird call indicated that life was abundant, but there were few moments where the forest was truly peaceful. A warrior, thick and scarcely able to be seen in the undergrowth, weaved through the brush, his green eyes focused off in the distance. Leafscar had few moments to simply wander through the forest and appreciate the sights around him, but when those moments came he was more than happy to take advantage of them. The tom stopped in mid-stride, his ears catching a faint noise out of the ordinary. Leafscar blinked quickly, realizing it was only the rushing water of a nearby brook. Had he really walked so far in his absent-mindedness? It was something of a surprise to him, but despite the place not being the intended destination, the tom began heading for it. Once he was close, the warrior spotted a cat near the swift waters. Leafscar's fur brushed against the leaves, making another quiet noise, but he had gotten close enough to see who the cat was. It turned out to be his very own apprentice, Littlepaw, out on her own. Of course apprentices were allowed to explore out of camp, but the warrior hadn't expected to find her out of camp. After a moment of consideration, the tom emerged from his spot among the brush and meowed a bright greeting. "Hello there, Littlepaw. Fancy meeting you here."

[Phoenix]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2077or9.jpg] Luckily for Littlepaw's nerves, she did not have to wait long before finding out what had changed around her. Of course, she didn't really worry about some hidden attacker because she figured that she wouldn't be able to fight him or her of anyway, even if she had a moment's warning. At the same time, she wasn't that paranoid in her own territory, though others probably were. Perhaps that would change with time and experience, but she sincerely hoped not. Ears flicked at the now-familiar voice while green eyes locked on the brown figure. A small smile crossed her face as her mentor moved forward from his place in the brush. "Hi Leafscar," She greeted politely. "I'm just getting a drink and enjoying the weather." Way to state the obvious, she thought the instant the words left her mouth. Idly, she wondered why Leafscar was here. Perhaps he just needed to get a drink like her? What if he had been looking for her? Something like anxiety started to pool in her gut. She wasn't late for something, was she? Her tail flicked lightly as she debated whether or not to ask. It would be better to know... But at the same time, would it spark any argument? If it would, then one was going to come anyway, Littlepaw reasoned. Why was she getting so worked up over this anyway? The thought flitted across her mind, distracting her slightly. Calming herself down, she asked, "Did you need me for something, Leafscar?"

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[bg=667744] "Ah, well, I'm not doing anything in particular," Leafscar meowed, his tail flicking behind him. The tabby tom often was on the move through the territory and through camp; he liked to be able to look at everything for himself. "And I must say, I am also enjoying the weather." While it was an honest statement, Leafscar was also happy to have found Littlepaw. Perhaps, while the two were out, they could participate in some form of training. Of course, he wouldn't bring it up if it would interrupt Littlepaw enjoying herself. As a rather sensitive cat himself, the tom had always been very wary of others feelings, and wanted to make them feel comfortable. A soft purr emitted from the tom's throat. He meowed, "I hope StarClan will continue to bless us with this weather." Leafscar cast a gentle look at Littlepaw. His apprentice, though not the first cat he had trained, was his pride and joy for the moment. He intended to take the best care of her he could, even if the two weren't yet well acquainted. It was a trait often criticized by his siblings, but Leafscar easily got attached to other cats, but he tried not to think on it too much. So much had happened because of that.

[Phoenix]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2077or9.jpg] An ear flicked in response to the soft purr coming from the older tom, and Littlepaw founded herself nodding in agreement, the small smile still on her lips. "Yes," She meowed, "It's a lovely day out. Not too hot, not too cold... A perfect day, especially since it will start getting colder." At only six moons, the she-cat had not lived long in the forest, but from the elder's tales, she thought that she knew all about leaf-bare and it's trials, though she had never experienced the cold season itself. Accustomed to the heat of green-leaf, she had a hard time imagining a chill so fierce that it made the leaves fall off the trees and snow fall. She kicked at a fallen leaf absentmindedly and thought about this snow. It was white and cold, she had been told. Perhaps it was white rain? She couldn't imagine anything other than rain falling. Her eyes found Leafscar, and a thought struck her. Surely he knew, for he had survived many leaf-bares. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she studied her mentor for a moment, before asking, "Leafscar, what's snow like? How do you hunt in it?" Was she getting a little ahead of herself? Littlepaw barely knew the basics of hunting and, like with stalking, was no where near a complete mastery. She had yet to catch her first prey. "How much colder does it get in leaf-bare?" She added as an afterthought, wondering what exactly she was going to live through.

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[bg=667744] Nodding and agreement, Leafscar accepted the fact that the weather couldn't stay that way forever. The forest needed all the seasons, he knew, and eventually the warmth of leaf-green would come to an end. Many changes had come through the forest since the tom had been a kit, over many moons trees grew and fell, and the forest was never really the same. The tom was happy to answer Littlepaw's question. "Snow," he began, "falls from the sky like rain. However, it's not wet, instead its like... well, I would say soft white feathers. It's cold, but it doesn't hurt." In the Mountains, snow came with every leaf-bare, causing all of the forest to be covered in a white blanket. It was majestic for awhile, but after a few moons the chill was nearly unbearable. Usually, when snow came, so did sickness and death. It was an unfortunate thing, since Leafscar happened to like the beauty of the snow. "It's a bit harder to hunt in, since prey is scarce. White-pelted cats have it easy, but what I usually do is stay very still. You have to be much more careful when hunting in the snow, because it crunches loudly when you walk on it." Littlepaw's curiosities were a pleasant reminder to Leafscar of what it was like to be young; he knew his apprentice would have much to learn in the coming moons, and he would be happy to share the experiences with her. "Sometimes, it gets very, very cold, so we all sleep closer together to keep warm. You'll experience it once leaf-bare gets here."

[Phoenix]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2077or9.jpg] Soft white feathers... Littlepaw mulled over the odd description, trying to imagine the sensation of it on her fur. It was hard to do. Back in the nursery, her mother had occasionally eaten a bird. Feathers had fallen off, small ones, and Littlepaw had amused herself with pouncing on them. "Feathers are light," She murmured to herself, unaware that her thoughts had continued verbally. "They float. Does that mean snow floats? And it's soft...?" Amusement flickered across her face as she imagined a sky full of little bird feathers, drifting down on the wind. She would have been delighted with the sight as a kit. Leafscar continued with his advice about hunting in the snow, which Littlepaw noted and stored in the back of her mind. The crunching part caught her attention. "Sorry, but snow crunches?" Her guilt at interrupting her mentor made her bite her lip, but it was quickly conquered by rising confusion at the conflicting information. How did that work? The bird feather hadn't crunched when she'd pounced on it, and the feathers on the bird's carcass hadn't crunched when they rubbed together. How could something as soft as a bird feather crunch? Leafscar had proven a valuble information source - of course he is; he's my mentor - so she decided that she would add another question to her seemingly growing pile. "How does snow crunch if it's like a bird feather? They don't crunch... right?" Littlepaw felt a shiver course through her at the description of the chill that came with leaf-bare. "I wouldn't mind seeing snow," She commented, "But that cold doesn't sound pleasant." In fact, it sounded almost fake, especially during this nice day. Sunlight warmed her back, and she thought that everything must be enjoying the weather, even the prey. The prey... They probably didn't like the cold either. Maybe they holed up in their dens for the winter. If prey was already hard to catch, how was she supposed to catch anything in leaf-bare? And when it was scarce at that? "Leafscar," She blurted. "Can we, maybe, practice hunting? If you don't mind, that is," Littlepaw added sheepishly, "And have the time."

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[bg=667744] "Snow is soft when it first falls from the sky," Leafscar explained patiently. He understood what Littlepaw was trying to say, and having never seen the majesty of snow, couldn't really grasp what it was like. In reality, Leadscar could think of few things to compare it to. "It's also light when it falls on your fur, but when it builds up it turns all of the ground white and sits in the trees, and then it's solid and it crunches." He nodded in agreement to his apprentice's next comment. Leafscar, as he had grown, didn't mind the cold too much, but as a younger cat he knew there were those that could barely stand it. In a way, it was a contrast to the few days in leaf-green where it was unbearably hot, days like that the warrior disliked even more than the cold. Leafscar took Littlepaw's next words quite happily. He hadn't wanted to impose upon the apprentice and force her to train when she was having such an enjoyable time relaxing, but he was more than happy to serve her request. "I have plenty of time for you Littlepaw," the tom meowed. "And you seem pretty excited about it. How about we start right now?" Leafscar opened his jaws, tasting the air around them to catch the scent of whatever they could catch. Flora mixed with the comforting scents of the woods, but TreeClan was well adapted to sort out the smell of prey among their surroundings. With a flick of his tail, he indicated that Littlepaw should copy him, and finally he meowed, "What can you smell right here?"

[Phoenix]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2077or9.jpg] She nodded slightly at Leafscar's invintation to begin training now, but waited, figuring that he would continue. As her eagerness at becoming an apprentice faded, her concentration grew. Though she may not have been the most devoted and studious feline, Littlepaw knew that she would be a willing student. She would learn the art, and learn it well, but she would probably not be the cat who would actively seek out new information. At Leafscar's question, the she-cat parted her jaws and breathed in the forest air, this time trying to pick up on familiar scents. She could smell her mentor and the slightly weaker general scent of TreeClan, but dismissed those. Littlepaw knew that Leafscar was there, and she was willing to bet that most parts of TreeClan territory had the general scent of the clan, especially frequently visited areas. There was something else though. To say its scent wasn't familiar would be a lie, but Littlepaw had to think to figure out what it was. Her tail flicked as she thought. It was definitely prey, that much she knew. But what was it called? When listening to her mother's stories as a kit, most of her hunting stories included various prey, especially the one that smelled more or less like this. When Littlepaw had asked what one was like, as she often had, Spottedheart had requested to have one as a meal, if possible. Anything for her beloved Littlekit. The thought crossed her mind without her permission, sparking a bitterness. She had glanced at the thing when it arrived, and sniffed it. It was small with a somewhat long body and a long tail. The one her mother had eaten had had gray fur. Spottedheart had called it a..."Mouse,"

[/b] She breathed. "There's a mouse over there, and," She paused to take another sniff of her surroundings and recognized the other scents fairly easily. "And the birds, they're up in the trees. But the mouse is over here."
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[bg=667744] The warrior watched his apprentice, waiting for an answer. His request had been a test of her knowledge so far, and he was pleased when his apprentice was able to correctly identify the mouse. "Good," Leafscar meowed, "but there's a little more to keep in mind. The mouse might be farther away that you think, since prey is always on the move. As you practice, you'll learn to discern newer scents from older ones." Having been alive for many moons, Leafscar's skills were versatile, and he hoped that Littlepaw would be a fast learner. He had a lot to teach her, but cats her age always seemed to grow quite fast to the tom, and he knew it would feel like a heartbeat, and then she would be a warrior. Sinking into a hunting position, Leafscar flicked is tail once more. "Mice are more likely to run after they hear you. They can sense when your steps are too heavy as well," the warrior meowed, explaining in detail everything he wanted Littlepaw to know. "This time, I'll demonstrate. The key to catching mice is to stay light-footed and quiet. Watch." As soon as he gave the command, the tom began creeping along the forest floor, tasting the scent of his prey, tracking it. He moved slowly and carefully, avoiding any twigs and leaves on the ground that might make a noise if he stepped on them. The tom's green eyes narrowed as Leafscar spotted the creature. His paws moved up slowly, one at a time, until the mouse was within the length of his grasp, still unaware of the cat's presence. In a swift strike, the tom's claws sunk into the mouse's back and snapped its neck.

[Phoenix]

It was a valid point, Littlepaw decided, that Leafscar had made. Then she chastised herself; of course it was a valid point. The tom was a warrior who no doubt knew what he was doing if he had been assigned an apprentice. Still, that was useful information and something she had not thought of before. When hunting, Littlepaw figured that she wouldn't want to go around pouncing on empty bushes looking for mice. Thought that did have an entertaining quality to it...

Leafscar continued teaching, and the apprentice snapped herself back to the real world. Green eyes watched as the warrior sunk into a hunting position and explained what to do. Keep her steps soft? Stay quiet? It sounded like she would have to sneak around, like she had practiced earlier. Unfortunately, she had yet to develop any great skills in that area. Eyes widened when Leafscar began to hunt the mouse, moving with the well practiced ease of a seasoned warrior. Littlepaw tried to take in every detail and figure out how to do that for herself.

The mouse had no idea of its approaching doom. They had no reputation of being an intelligent creature, but the apprentice had to wonder just how unintelligent it was. All it had to do was look up and glance around to see Leafscar. But it didn't. A quick lunge and the mouse was dead on the ground, neck broken. Littlepaw's tail flicked. Until now, she had never seen a cat hunt, seen the actual killing part. She had known that it had happened, since no mice came back to camp alive, but somehow it made it different to see the last moments of something's life. Mentally, she kicked herself in disgust. It was the death of a mouse that bothered her. How would she be able to fight and potentially kill another cat in a fight to defend her clan?

Besides, she wanted to try that hunting crouch for herself. "So I crouch down like this?" She questioned as she moved into position. With her legs bent and belly fur almost brushing the ground, Littlepaw thought that it felt right. She felt like she could step quietly and lightly. Her tail flicked through the air and looked up at Leafscar. The apprentice thought that her hunting crouch was pretty good, but what would he think?

OOC: feel free to fault her hunting crouch as much as you want

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[bg=667744] Bowing his head for a moment, the tom gave a silent thanks to StarClan for the animal's life, knowing that it would be put toward the lives of the Clan cats instead. Padding back over to the apprentice, green eyes flickered with amusement as she tried to mimic the hunting crouch. "It will come with practice," Leafscar meowed, pleased by Littlepaw's enthusiasm. The warrior stepped closer to his apprentice and nudged her shoulder, guiding her. "Keep your muscled relaxed, you're too tense." Stepping back, the tom nodded approvingly. "Your belly is low to the ground. That's a good thing to keep in mind so your prey doesn't spot you." For the most part, Littlepaw did a rather good job for it being her first attempt at the position. "How far are you able to walk like that?" he asked. The hunting position came naturally after time, but if anything was off a cat's muscles could quickly get sore from the extra effort. Leafscar watched carefully to make sure that the apprentice could hold the stance, meowing, "Remember that you can't break from your hunting crouch while moving. That's one of the basic rules for stalking prey."

[Phoenix]

Yes, it felt right. Though the stance had been slightly awkward at first, Littlepaw quickly became used to it. It was pretty easy, she decided confidently, going from standing to a hunting crouch like this. She imagined moving her paws forward, stepping lightly just like Leafscar had explained. Those mice had better look out, because Littlepaw was learning how to hunt! Her tail lashed through the air at the thought, excited at the prospect of catching her first prey. However, she kept an ear tuned to Leafscar's corrections. The apprentice did not doubt that she had some things to work on. Glancing back as she felt the nudge, Littlepaw nodded, giving a quiet, "Ok, like this then?" and relaxed her muscle.

The change was instantaneous. Littlepaw had not even known that she had tensed the muscle, but now she noticed the difference. It put a little more strain on her legs, but her motions would probably become naturally smooth, instead of a forced smoothness that she no doubt would have done in order to mimic Leafscar. As if reading her mind, Leafscar gave her the option of testing that theory. Focusing ahead of her, Littlepaw tried to slink forward, keeping her belly low to the ground and her steps light.

As it turned out, that action was easier said than done. She felt off balance as she moved, taking each step carefully and slowly. In order to make her front paws light, she shifted her weight to her hind paws, and to make her hind paws light, she moved her weight to her front paws; the whole shifting made her movements rather awkward. Not to mention that the strain on her legs was tiring. Needless to say, Littlepaw did not make it very far before she gave up, straightening to a more comfortable stance. She tilted her head slightly, looking at Leafscar. Hesitating for only a moment, she mewed quietly, "That was probably pretty bad..." Suddenly, she was no longer as confident about hunting.

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[bg=667744] Tracking the she-cat's movements, Leafscar cocked his head at the apprentice's sudden pessimism. "You're doing fine," the tom meowed encouragingly. He returned to the hunting crouch, his muscles sinking into it easily after many practiced sessions. The tom's fur rippled as he moved, slinking along the ground in a smooth motion. After traveling for a bit, he stood up into a more relaxed position. "Use your tail to balance as you move, but don't move like you're jerking. Just walk," the warrior instructed. It was easy for him to say, having been hunting for many moons, but he didn't want Littlepaw to feel bad about her inexperience. "Come on! Try again," Leafscar meowed.

[Phoenix]

Just walk? It sounded simple enough, though of course this was a very experienced warrior speaking. Lowering herself carefully back down into her crouch, Littlepaw glanced at Leafscar. "This is still right, right?" She doubled checked that her shoulder was relaxed - it was - and hesitated before trying to take more steps. Just walk, just walk. While remaining low, the apprentice attempted to walk naturally, as though she moved while standing upright. Of course, there were differences, like the strain on her already slightly tired legs. She could feel them complaining loudly and knew that tomorrow, she would wake with stiff legs. Perfect.

On the bright side, moving forward seemed easier now. She used her tail to keep herself balanced, as Leafscar had suggested, and though she still had trouble keeping her steps light and quiet, on the whole the action felt less forced and more natural. Now that she had more of an idea of what the action was supposed to feel like, Littlepaw found that she had relaxed more. Though she knew that she still had very far to go and much to work on, like keeping her steps light and quiet, before perfecting the crouch, her improvement raised her spirit. After taking a few more steps, concentrating on keeping her motions flowing, Littlepaw straightened up and trotted back to Leafscar, her concentrated expression dissolving as a wide grin stole its place.

"I did it!" She sqeauled, excited. "Did you see? I did it! It was good this time, wasn't it?" Even to herself, her words sounded like that of a kit, but she hadn't been out of the nursery for very long. She had plenty of chances to sound mature and grown up, Littlepaw decided. She could afford to be eager and thrilled here.