[Fate Admin]

Blacksmoke had been eager to observe the MountainClan cats as they hunted. She remembered hearing stories as a kit, lurking just out of sight near the elder’s den, of how a Tribe of cats that lived in the mountains many days travel away had a special way of hunting, for prey was scarce in the mountains and you had to make the most of it. Any new skill which could help one better serve the Clan was worth learning. The dark she-cat had spent much of her time, when she wasn’t hunting herself, shadowing MountainClan patrols when they went out to hunt and quietly making note of everything she witnessed. She had been invited on a few patrols herself and had not declined the opportunity to try out this new way of hunting.

All patrols in the mountains served a double purpose. Their main job was to hunt, but they also served as border patrol… only there was no border to mark. Instead they kept an eye out for any sign of Demon, or in StoneClan’s case, any sign of LightningClan or RainClan. Blacksmoke seethed silently for what those two foxhearted Clans had plotted. One day, StoneClan would return the favor, and she wanted to be there to see it. In the mean time, however… hunting was a priority. Keeping her Clan well fed and healthy so they would be able to meet any further threat they might face. Also, she had been given a new apprentice since they had fled their territory in the valley.

Hawkstar had named her as Ospreypaw’s mentor. The excitable Cricketleap’s younger brother. Her family in particular had met with tragedy during the battle that sent them fleeing from their home. Blacksmoke did not comment on any of it, but she observed, she watched, she saw, and she knew just how hard the now small family unit had been hit. Perhaps part of the reason she had been chosen as Ospreypaw’s mentor was because she wouldn’t coddle the young tom because of his past tragedies. Nor would she focus on them at all, really. It was past, dwelling upon it would not change it. She would see Ospreypaw become a strong warrior who could rise above his past and grasp his future securely in his own claws. Everyone went though hardship, some worse than others, everyone had to learn to deal with it and keep living.

So it was with thoughts only of practicing new hunting techniques that Blacksmoke awaited the arrival of her apprentice just outside the protected little nook MountainClan called ‘the oasis’. Mostly she had been teaching him traditional StoneClan techniques so far as she herself had not been confident enough in her own abilities with these new skills to pass them on to another. Today would be her first attempt at teaching the skills of mountain hunting. Her tail curled neatly around her paws as she sat under a very slight overhang of rock, enough to cast her into shadow but not enough to make her any less visible to any cat who was half paying attention to their surroundings.

[Phoenix]

Ospreypaw

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One could find it sad that he was far more acquainted with the harsh slopes of the mountains in which they had sought shelter than he was with his clan’s rightful territory. After spending all of his apprenticeship training in this rugged terrain, his legs, hind ones in particular, had gained the muscle of a feline suited to leaping and climbing. What once had him breathing heavily and out of breath he could now accomplish with hardly any trouble due to moons of hard work under the tutelage of Blacksmoke, who cared little for slackers. He never felt the need to complain, however. The she-cat did a marvelous job at conditioning him for the hard work of a warrior, and the exhausted state he had been in toward the start meant that he had collapsed with little thought as to the incident that had chased them from their homes and stolen half of his family. He had grown accomplished in diverting conversation from that particular topic, and perhaps the quality he appreciated most about Blacksmoke was that he never needed to do so with her.

The she-cat never brought it up, even though she must have been thinking about it more than once during their times together. But she never treated him like a broken cat who needed pity and comfort. And for that alone, he appreciated her far more than he did most other cats, excluding his family.

When she had told him to meet her outside the area they had taken to calling ‘The Oasis’, he had done his best to show up on time, partially out of respect, partially because she deserved it, but mostly out of curiosity. The array of skills they had covered was surprisingly wide, beyond the simply hunting and fighting, and admittedly, he was impressed by how much she could learn simply by watching. He might have been unaware of it before, but now that he was her apprentice and had gained that sixth sense for knowing when his mentor was around, he had noticed her behavior. Even as her apprentice, he could not claim to know every secret about the warrior, and she had an air of mystery about her that was quite possibly because of her observant habits.

Yellow eyes, which held a slightly haunted glint, flicked around the area as he sauntered confidently toward the exit to their makeshift camp, and it took him only a little time to note the position of his mentor. Padding over to her on long limbs, Ospreypaw quirked one of his easy-going smiles and greeted lightly, ”Hey Blacksmoke. What are we doing today?”

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