[Silver]

Squirrelpaw was once again out practicing her hunting skills so that she might be better prepared when her Mentor at last tested her. Given her smaller stature she tended to be better at catching smaller prey but every bit helped when the clan needed to be fed. Since she'd begun her training with Tinytail; Squirrelpaw had changed a lot. She wasn't as timid as she once was; even though she was still a bit shy around new cats. She had confidence in herself now and in the skills she was learning. She knew without a doubt that she would be a good Warrior now that she could stand up for herself. She wasn't just Cardinalpaw's sister or Tinytail's Apprentice anymore; she was Squirrelpaw and she was herself. She was quiet and thoughtful, and she was a cat that put the feelings of others first. She wanted her clan to be happy, and she had learned that sometimes that meant standing up against those of authority.

She wasn't a deceitful cat by nature, and that meant that she expressed her feelings clearly to those around her. She didn't care though; let them try to use that against her. She wasn't a stupid cat, after all. Now though, her dark amber eyes were focused on something else. Her prey was an unsuspecting bird and she was moving silently along nearby branches as she hunted it. It was all practice, of course, but if she caught it she wouldn't be disappointed. She could feel the branches moving beneath her and slowed her motions so her presence wouldn't be so obvious. She was still learning, true, but she was much better than she had been. Slow, careful movements brought her ever closer to her prey. She was determined; she wanted to make her clan proud have her as one of their Warriors, so she had pushed herself and come so far. Now if only she could catch this blasted bird.

Her body went completely still, eyes focused on her prey before her. For a long time nothing but the wind shifted in the branches. Then finally Squirrelpaw took a risk and launched herself at her prey. Sharp teeth closed around the bird's back with a satisfying crunch of sound and she knew she had it. Then, of course, just as she was feeling very proud of herself, she heard the branch beneath her give a crack of sound and a shock of fear went through her. The branch was breaking! She had to think quickly as the branch gave and she made a jump for another branch, hitting hard and digging her claws in as she tried to hold on. She knew she'd lost her prey as it had dropped from her mouth when she'd hit, but that was something to worry about later. Now she had to focus on not falling to the ground and injuring herself. As it was she was dangling precariously high above the ground, the branches below her not thick enough to support her weight should she fall.

She had hit the branch she was on chest first and her lungs burned for air she couldn't take in. She was sure something was bruised, but she was alive and that was enough. Her muscles strained as she slowly pulled herself up until finally she was safe and could slowly make her was down the tree to the ground. Her entire body now hurt, but she was safe and the injury wasn't bad. No one had seen her at least, so now she could focus on finding that bird.

--

Tags | Hellion

[Hellion]

Coalpaw! NightClan Apprentice Twelve Moons TAG Silver WORDS 298 NOTES I kinda ship them <3

Coalpaw had been bored in the camp. He wasn't the type to be idle too long without getting antsy. Finally deciding to go out on his own to do something the grey tom-cat let his paws take the lead. At first he didn't pay much attention where he was going. However, he remained mindful of where his paws went. His mother was Starlingcry after all and he learned early on not to miss out on a hunt by trampling through the area. For a moment the change in wind distracted Coalpaw, coaxing him to taste the air. A familiar scent caught his attention, that of Squirrelpaw. Being denmates meant that they knew each other a little bit, enough to be polite. Beyond that Coalpaw didn't know anything about her. Following the scent of her, Coalpaw quickly grew confused. Where was she, the source of her scent was nearby. Conflicted that he wasn't as good of a tracker as he thought, the tom-cat was surprised to hear a crash. Looking up he saw Squirrelpaw fall from one branch to another, a bird falling from her maw. Alarm shot up his frame as he looked up and tried to find a way to help her. His mother's warning about climbing too high rang loudly in his ear and slowed him. Unable to call out to her, Coalpaw watched from his spot on the ground until she mad her back down. Concern read clearly on his face as he walked closer to her, pausing half a tail-length away. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Should I get Smokefur?" He asked in rapid succession, his tail flicking back and forth rapidly.

MADE BY VEL OF GS, WW + ADOX 2.0

[Silver]

APPRENTICE OF NIGHTCLAN

Once she was safely back on the ground Squirrelpaw took several moments to regain her breathing and let her heart slow back to normal. She hurt, but it wasn't anything too serious. She'd fallen out of trees before, so she knew when it was bad, and this really hadn't been. She was more embarrassed than anything else really. She heard someone calling for her distantly as her heart was beating so loudly it muffled everything else for a moment. She made herself straighten back up, ears turned forwards as she took note of who had called her. Her tail perked up in greeting to see a fellow Apprentice there before her. She felt herself flush in embarrassment she realized Coalpaw of all toms had caught her. Just what she needed.

She moved slowly, clearly sore, before she finally realized what he'd been saying to her and her stance gentled. He was asking if she was alright. She looked around for her bird and didn't see it, so she turned burnt amber eyes back to the tom before her. "I'm...alright. Just a bit embarrassed and sore, nothing a bit of time and rest won't help. The branch should have been sturdy enough to hold my weight, but I guess the weather lately weakened it and it broke. I was luck I made it to a place I could grab onto. I have Tinytail to thank for that. She made sure to teach me to be ready for anything." She flicked her tail, amused for a moment before letting out a soft purr of reassurance to her companion. "Sorry to worry you like that, but I guess anyone would have been alarmed at a cat falling out of a tree. I was scared for a moment there too. I guess it's what I get for trying to hunt something other than frogs."

Squirrelpaw was always one to see her own faults and accept them so she could work on ways around those faults and become a stronger Warrior. This was one of those times where she'd learn from the mistake. Next time, she'd listen more closely to the branches she was standing on. Something else though caught her thoughts and she looked around again, tail twitching, before turning her gaze back to Coalpaw. "By the way,  you wouldn't happen to have seen where my bird went, would  you? I know it fell around here somewhere." She offered another reassuring purr to him and a soft smile, maybe he'd help her find her prey too, but also she didn't mind his company so long as he didn't try to tease her for this incident.

@@ ## Tags | Hellion

[Hellion]

Coalpaw! NightClan Apprentice Twelve Moons TAG Silver WORDS count here NOTES say something nice

Coalpaw visiably relaxed, it was a comfort to know that she wasn't in any sort of pain. Soreness was a common state for apprentices as they learned how to fight and hunt. Learning to provide and fend the Clan came with its fair share of tender muscles and aching body parts. He remained glad that she wan'st in any sort of pain. Flicking his tail back and forth as she mentioned trying to hunt things other then frogs. It confused him for a second. He never thought to climb a try to fetch a bird, then again he didn't feel nimble up there. He much rather keep all four feet close to the ground. There was a distintic memory stored in his head of his mother telling them the story of Palefire. Her question pulled him out of his distracted thought before he nodded. "Yeah I saw it fall that way," He told her, pointing wiht his tail toward the bush it fell into it. He didn't move to fetch it himself, he figured she'd rather do it herself. Claim her catch so to speak. "Do you want to hunt some more or would you rather go back to camp?" He asked, ears flicking slightly as he waited for her answer.

MADE BY VEL OF GS, WW + ADOX 2.0

[Silver]

APPRENTICE OF NIGHTCLAN

Relief flooded Squirrelpaw as she realized she hadn't lost her hard-won prey after all. She shifted carefully, her body still sore from her fall, before heading over and retrieving her lost bird. She tilted her ears towards Coalpaw, head tilting to the side as his query about continuing her hunt. She hid her bird near the base of the tree she'd fallen down and considered before flicking her tail around in front of her face for a moment - a habit more than anything else - and finally gave her answer. "I could do with a few more things to bring back to the prey pile." She paused tail flicking again, before her gentle kindness overcame her need to be shy.

"Would you like to hunt together for a bit, Coalpaw? I promise to stay out of the trees this time." Her smile was gentle and quietly amused with herself for her fall earlier. She would learn from it, and that was all that mattered. Still, she could do with the company and, while quieter than she'd like, Coalpaw would be a good hunting partner for her. Also she wanted to get more practice in with group hunting, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She was fine hunting simple prey - like her favorite frogs - but when it came to some of the larger prey they could find in the territory she was sorely lacking in natural talent. 

She'd seen Coalpaw training though, and knew he was a strong hunter and she could stand to learn a lot from him. She wondered how he'd react if she told him so. Probably not so unlike his father; which made her smile. She gave herself a mental shake to clear her mind before turning her ears to listen quietly for a response to her query. He'd asked if she intended to hunt more, she'd told him yes and then invited him to come with her. It was better than hunting alone, certain. Still, she had to wonder if he'd accept.

@@ ## TAGS Hellion

[Hellion]

Coalpaw! NightClan Apprentice Tweleve Moons TAG Silver 250-ish count here NOTES say something nice

Coalpaw watched her collect the almost lost bird with a quiet concern. His amber eyes tracked her steadily, realizing that he was watching her movements for any sign of distress. Glad that he didn't noticed any, Coalpaw had to force himself to relax. He didn't need to moon over the she-cat, despite the strong need within himself to check every part of her for his own sake. Expelling the want to fuss, Coalpaw let his dark tail tap against the ground. The energy slowly waning with the movement. He heard her say she wanted to hunt more, the tom nodded in understanding. He admired that about her, willing to keep trying, never giving up. Tempted to ask if he could join, she made the leap before him. The mention of the tree in her question had a small smile sneaking across his face. While he had no reason to stop her from climbing, he was glad he wouldn't have to worry. He preferred Squirrelpaw in one piece and not broken from a terrible fall. "I would like to hunt with you," He finally answered. Coalpaw's was almost monotone, but there was a clear inflection that noted he was excited about the chance. Rising up to his paws and stretching out a little. His mother always reminded him to wake up his muscles before going for a hunt. Being aware of one's body was the first trick in being a good hunter. "Lead the way," He told her, waiting for her to walk ahead of him.

MADE BY VEL OF GS, WW + ADOX 2.0

[Silver]

White-tipped ears perked up at the agreement and excitement lit amber eyes as she realized she'd have a hunting partner for once. Her tail was raised and her posture said she was very pleased with Coalpaw's agreement to hunt with her. Thankfully she managed not to blurt out the first thing that hit her mind which was 'Really?!' For that she was forever grateful, but that didn't dampen her excitement one bit. Instead she took her cue from Coalpaw and stretched her lean body out; testing each of her limbs again for any lingering soreness from her fall before moving forward with a confident gait towards the taller grasses where they'd be hunting. Maybe with two of them they could bring down something a bit more interesting than her frogs. It made her somewhat embarrassed to note that the thing she was best at catching was her favorite food. It made sense though, she supposed.

Today though...she really wanted to be able to catch something a bit more impressive than a frog. Coalpaw was just such a talented Apprentice and she didn't want to slow him down. Her tail drooped at the thought, ears going flat for a moment before she forced herself to focus. She could only be what she was. Bringing her tail up and around she tapped her nose with it and hid her expression for a long moment before moving forward again with a practiced sort of calm confidence she didn't always feel. She knew what she was doing though, and it showed as she slipped into the long grass and disappeared; her steps silent and her movements careful. 

This wasn't her preferred hunting ground, but it would do. Her ears caught on the distant sound of frogs and she paused; wanting to go catch them. She refrained however as that wasn't what they were there for. She kept her voice quiet as she spoke with her hunting partner so they could decide what to do from here. "Birds are the easiest thing to catch here with the low branches, but if you catch scent of something better go for it. I sometimes catch giant toads here after a rain storm." She mentally scolded herself for that one. He didn't want to know all of that, but she was just being friendly, right? It was just frustrating because it sounded like she thought he didn't know all this already and he clearly did. She was so bad at socializing. It was comforting, strangely, to hunt with another cat she found, and Squirrelpaw couldn't help but smile.

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Hellion