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A small snowflake landed on Briarshade's otherwise immaculately groomed pelt. The warrior let out a grumble, "Why does leaf-bare have to be so cold?" she brushed the small snow crystal onto the clearing floor. She hated leaf-bare. What was there to like anyway? Cold weather, prey shortages, the list was endless.
Yawning, she roused from her spot in the sun and headed over to the Apprentices' Den, almost tripping over a moss ball and grumbling to herself about kits.
Couldn't they play in the nursery instead of out in the main camp? She kicked the mossball in the direction of the nursery and peered into the darkness of the Apprentices' Den. Her green gaze scoured the murk for Sparrowpaw, her apprentice.
Upon spotting the lanky she-cat, she padded over, being careful not to wake any other apprentices. Briarshade prodded the apprentice gently, her voice low, "Sparrowpaw, it's time to begin your training."
She waited for the black-and-white she-cat to rise, before addressing her again, "Today we're going to learn how to hunt," under her breath she added, "If we can find any prey."
She flicked her tail, beckoning the apprentice to follow her out of the den and out into the cold of TreeClan's main camp.

The brown tabby she-cat fluffed up her fur, trying to conserve her body heat. It had started to snow again and the camp was already blanketted by a thin layer of the white stuff. Her gaze returned to Sparrowpaw, "I know it's cold," she began, her gaze briefly flickering to sky, "But think of it as a challenge."
Should I let her eat? she considered the thought, Yes, she can quickly grab a mouse or something. She flicked her tail in the direction of the pitifully small fresh-kill-pile, "You can grab something to eat if you want," she told the black and white she-cat, "Or we can just head out into the forest and you can eat when you get back."
Briarshade waited for Sparrowpaw to make her decision, watching as her breath billowed into clouds in the cool air. A shiver ran down her spine. StarClan, it's cold!
One thing was for sure, Briarshade couldn't wait till new-leaf.

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Pushed up as far against the wall of the apprentice den as her lanky body could manage, the black and white apprentice slept soundly. At long last. Her chest, heaving in and out with each breath she took was steady and slow. It was a rare moment for Sparrowpaw to be at peace -- but in sleep, she was young, innocent, and completely content. The nights past had been particularly challenging to sleep through, as it were. The unfortunate location of the apprentice den had made it easy for cold wind and loose, powdery snow to enter the den. On this particular night, Sparrowpaw had spent most of her time shivering and burrowing further and further into her mossy nest to keep warm. In truth, Sparrowpaw had just fallen into heavy sleep a mere few hours before.

Briarshade's awakening was not particularly welcomed. 'Sparrowpaw, it's time to begin your training.' the warrioress had mewed gently to rouse her. It took a few moments for Sparrowpaw to get up. Her body, she found as she awoke to Briarshade's words, was incredibly stiff from the cold. Her front paws pushed out in front of her and her back pushed downwards, feeling some popping and pains as she stretched herself out.

Her dull green eyes opened equally slowly and watered and stung in the unwelcoming and surprising cold. Her body, as it were, felt like it had not been exposed to the elements recently, even though it was, clear, an inaccurate feeling. Sparrowpaw's olive eyes didn't meet her mentor's for a few moments as she struggled to adjust to the growing light of the apprentice den. 'Today we're going to learn how to hunt,' Briarshade informed her quietly in the dark. Sparrowpaw nodded, not catching the specificity of the mentor's grumpy undertones. It was with this note that Briarshade signaled her to move out of the den. The apprentice, however, did not even realize that Briarshade had left the den for a few heartbeats. It was only after she took a survey of her den mates that she realized that her mentor was gone, and made connections.

Foggy and unaware, Sparrowpaw padded out of the opening of the apprentice den, following just tail-lengths behind Briarshade. Crunchy fresh snow stung under foot as she moved to catch up to her mentor. 'I know it's cold, but think of it as a challenge,' Briarshade informed her, which caused Sparrowpaw to force out a snort of pure annoyance. Briarshade's vibe was seeping into Sparrowpaw's sleepy mood like a contagion.

'You can grab something to eat if you want. Or we can just head out into the forest and you can eat when you get back,' Briarshade informed her as they approached the center of camp. Sparrowpaw glanced at the fresh kill pile in response. It was still dreadfully empty looking, and the prey that was in the kill pile looked frozen and old. IF she had been desperate enough, the she-cat would have lunged at the opportunity to get some food in her belly. But instead, the black and white she-cat seemed to shake her head emptily. "I'm ... not hungry," Sparrowpaw informed her mentor hesitantly. It was more that Sparrowpaw simply did not want to eat what was there, rather than not being hungry.

The 6 moon old apprentice was still somewhat accustomed to the treatment she received as a kit. Sparrowpaw would be faced with reality, and quickly.

I'm already torn.

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comments Sorry for the wait!~[/size]

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[It's okay. ^^]

Briarshade frowned at her apprentice's choice not to eat. Sparrowpaw didn't look too great; as if she hadn't slept for moons.
"Are you okay?" she asked the apprentice, her head tilted to one side as she studied the tall she-cat. Sparrowpaw hadn't said a single word yet, other than telling her she would eat later. Oh well, Briarshade shrugged, If Sparrowpaw isn't feeling well enough to hunt, she would've said by now.
Glancing briefly up at the cloudy sky which refused to cease snowing. Grumbling about the cold to herself briefly, she beckoned for the apprentice to follow her out of camp.
As they walked, Briarshade addressed Sparrowpaw again, "We're going to try hunting near the Wildflower Clearing," she informed the apprentice, "I'll show you the hunter's crouch and the appropriate hunting technique, then you can try it yourself."
She gave the apprentice time to ask any questions or queries that she may have. It wouldn't take too long to get to the Wildflower Clearing, hopefully, and that was only if her apprentice kept up the steady pace that the senior warrior had set.

Their destination was on the other side of TreeClan's territory and getting there would involve crossing the sparkling brook. Hopefully her apprentice would be up for that. Turning to Sparrowpaw again, she meowed, "Tommorrow I'll give you a proper tour of the territory, but seeing as we're really in need of prey, I thought we should do hunting first," she explained, "We'll have to cross the Sparkling Brook, which will probably frozen, so that might be a challenge."
Her gaze turned a little distant as she considered the options in her head, "The ice might not be thick enough to carry our weight though," she pondered out loud, "In which case, we stick to hunting on this side of the river."

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Sparrowpaw stood squarely beside her mentor, her eyes glistening in the orange glow of the winter sunrise as she awaited instructions from her mentor. The moment she responded about not wanting to eat as of now, it was completely behind her. Gone with the wind, as it were.

Sparrowpaw was not one to get excited – about anything. In her short 6 moons of life, she had learned a particularly important lesson: that nothing is perfect. Everyone has their flaws and everything has their downsides. Through Sparrowpaw’s pessimism, the black and white apprentice had learned to expect the worst and to, therefore, be completely happy with anything that came her way. The moment Briarshade had informed her of the events she had planned for her apprentice, Sparrowpaw had made expectations. The weather was dreary and freezing cold and she was less aware of her surroundings than usual. Nothing useful will come out of today. I probably won’t catch a thing, Sparrowpaw thought to herself and felt more accepting of the facts than bitter.

Sparrowpaw was obliviously gazing at the clearing out of the TreeClan camp when her mentor spoke up. ’Are you okay?’ Her mentor inquired and Sparrowpaw glanced towards her mentor, feeling suddenly wary of the attention she was receiving. ”Oh, I’m fine. Just freezing and a bit tired. But, isn’t everyone?” Sparrowpaw replied, tossing her health to the sidelines. It was true, however. Everyone was tired from hunting, from sleepless nights, and from the general harshness of the weather. Sparrowpaw, unfortunately, felt it more intensely than most. Her stocky, thin build barely supported her and stood against the cold gusts of wind. Wind, as it were, seemed to almost barrel her young body over. Her black and white fur did not help, either. While it was quite agreeable in newleaf and Greenleaf, it did little to insulate her from the cruel, low temperatures.

As Briarshade motioned for Sparrowpaw to follow her to the outside of camp, Sparrowpaw was, for a moment, thrilled. No matter the circumstances, this was her first time outside of the camp and it was her first lesson with her mentor. Sparrowpaw let out a small smile as she padded a few tail-lengths closer to her mentor. ’ We're going to try hunting near the Wildflower Clearing. I'll show you the hunter's crouch and the appropriate hunting technique, then you can try it yourself. ‘ Briarshade informed her. Sparrowpaw nodded, feeling a little stiff in her neck from the cold. The black and white apprentice wondered if this would be something she’d be good at. It is unfortunate that it’s Leafbare! I can’t practice on a thing, Sparrowpaw thought to herself and shook her fur to rid herself of any snow that had collected in her fur.

’Tomorrow I'll give you a proper tour of the territory, but seeing as we're really in need of prey, I thought we should do hunting first. We'll have to cross the Sparkling Brook, which will probably frozen, so that might be a challenge’ Briarshade informed her and Sparrowpaw gave another curt nod. The black and white apprentice hoped that tomorrow, the snowing would have stopped and they could have a more productive lesson. Sighing and drawing even closer to Briarshade. The black and white apprentice prodded the ground anxiously. The quicker they left and the more they moved, the better it would be for her.

I'm already torn.

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lyrics: Torn by Natalie Imbruglia
comments Exams like to get in the way of posting.[/size]

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Briarshade decided she had said enough, so the rest of the journey was spent in almost silence, other than the occasional comment from the tabby-ginger-and-white she-cat. Her gaze swept over TreeClan's barren, snow-covered territory. Thankfully, the snow had started to cease a little since they had left camp. Perhaps we'll find some prey after all.
Fluffing up her pelt against the bitter cold which had been buffetting her short fur, her gaze returned to the path ahead. They emerged from the shade of the trees, almost bare of leaves, and at long last, the Sparkling Brook came into view. It was still, completely still. It was almost as if time had frozen itself.
No bird song pierced the silence and Briarshade found herself almost found herself holding her breath. It was, literally, breath-taking.
Shaking away that feeling of awe, she started walking again, still no words spoken between her and her apprentice. When they at last reached the water, well, ice-side, Briarshade stopped and addressed her apprentice once more, "I don't want to risk crossing the ice," she told the black-and-white she-cat, "We'll just hunt here."
Though, letting her gaze sweep over the barren territory that surrounded them, she couldn't help feeling that they would catch nothing today. She shrugged, Oh well, she thought to herself, At least I can teach Sparrowpaw how to do the Hunter's Crouch.
"So," she began, "If hunting a mouse, it'll feel your pawsteps before it sees or scents you. Even though they're more likely to hear you before anything else, you still need to make sure you're upwind of them."
She dropped into the Hunter's Crouch, "So, you need to be really light on your paws, try it."
Briarshade beckoned for Swallowpaw to try, "Make sure you tuck your tail in and balance your weight," she advised.

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The black and white apprentice peered down at her paws as they went on their journey. Briarshade seemed very quiet for the most part, and Sparrowpaw liked the idea of that. It was far too early for Sparrowpaw after she had gotten so little sleep the night before and for the apprentice, the less noise and chatter, the better. Sparrowpaw felt more and more awake as the cold ripped away any precious remembrance Sparrowpaw had of her warmer apprentice den and the happy dreams that sleep brought her.

It seemed to be only a few minutes for the tired apprentice before they passed under the leafless, snow-covered tree and arrived that their destination. The scene was beautiful, and as the apprentice approached the Sparkling Brook, Sparrowpaw felt completely at peace. The black and white apprentice felt absolutely no quarrels with herself or anyone in the world. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the sound of silence and felt as if she could drift into a deep slumber. Even if the snow was cold, at the moment it looked perfect. Nothing had disturbed the perfect coat of snow what covered the ground leading up to the Sparkling Brooks themselves. It looked like a blanket of down -- soft, and perfect to take a snooze in.

Briarshade interrupted her happy thoughts. 'I don't want to risk crossing the ice. We'll just hunt here,' Sparrowpaw's mentor announced and the apprentice gave a smile and a curt nod. She did not really care where they hunted -- as long as she got a chance to practice her hunting technique. Sparrowpaw wished that they could catch something, but the apprentice did not bother holding her breath.

'So, if hunting a mouse, it'll feel your pawsteps before it sees or scents you. Even though they're more likely to hear you before anything else, you still need to make sure you're upwind of them,' Briarshade told the black and white apprentice and her small head bobbed up and down with interest. All that she said made logical sense to the apprentice -- but more importantly, she nodded to suggest that she was ready to move past the basics and more into the hands-on portion.

Sparrowpaw almost jumped out of her skin when she saw her mentor drop down into a hunter's crouch. For a moment, the tired apprentice just peered at her mentor with tired eyes and was unsure of what to do. It was only when her mentor spoke a second time that it even registered to the apprentice that she was supposed to drop down as well. 'So, you need to be really light on your paws, try it,' Briarshade told her and the black and white feline nodded before crouching downwards.

Her first hunter position was odd, at that. As a kit she and her brother, Swallowpaw, had practiced what they thought the hunter's crouch might look like, but it was all wrong. The apprentice could only get so flat on the ground, and the more she pulled in her paws to make herself closer to the ground, the more unsteady she felt. 'Make sure you tuck your tail in and balance your weight,' her mentor instructed and the apprentice gave a small inhalation of realization -- she had forgotten to curl her tail in. The black and white apprentice's long tail had, before, was waving high and proudly above her head. For any mouse or prey to spot her. The she-cat tucked her tail in as instructed, but still felt awkward in her movements. "Is this ... er .. right?" Sparrowpaw asked, struggling with even staying on her feet.

I'm already torn.

[/size][/color]word count: 700 ish
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"Is this ... er .. right?"
Briarshade rose from her crouch and her knowing dull-green gaze studied Swallowpaw's attempt at a Hunter's Crouch, "Not bad for a first attempt," she confirmed encouragingly, remembering when she had first tried the Hunter's Crouch, "It may feel awkward at first, but you'll get the hang of it." she reassured the black-and-white apprentice.
Forcing her eyes away from Sparrowpaw, she surveyed their surroundings. She was in no doubt that they had already scared away any prey that had been here before they arrived, so they would have to hunt elsewhere.
Briarshade faced Sparrowpaw, "We're not going to find any prey here, so I thought we'd try a little deeper in the forest," she informed the black-and-white apprentice. She hoped Sparrowpaw hadn't got her hopes up too high on catching some prey, because it was highly unlikely that they would.
"Now," she began, her voice clear, "Can you scent any prey around. And if so, where do you think it's hiding?" Briarshade wanted Swallowpaw to identify where the prey was hiding. The apprentice wouldn't learn anything by her mentor just showing her where the prey was.

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Sparrowpaw glanced at her paws, swaying uneasily in her attempt to force herself in a steady crouch. Sparrowpaw's balanced did not help in the least when she saw her mentor pull herself up from her hunter's crouch into a standing position and pad over in the direction of the apprentice to observe Sparrowpaw's handiwork. The young apprentice felt instantly flushed by Briarshade's critical green eyes and caught her breath, barely maintaining her upright position as she nervously and self consciously awaited her mentor's judgment. Learning was not a part of the experience of apprenticeship that Sparrowpaw dreaded -- but the judgment part was something she absolutely loathed.

When Sparrowpaw heard Briarshade speak, the black and white apprentice felt herself exhale and her head become light-headed from all the carbon dioxide she had pent up in her gangly body. 'Not bad for a first attempt. It may feel awkward at first, but you'll get the hang of it,' Briarshade told her and the young apprentice wriggled her small body out of the awkward crouching and into a casual sitting position. Is it ... praise? Sparrowpaw thought to herself, observing her mentor and feeling, for a moment, better about herself. Her mood took a blow, however, upon re-evaluation. You just say that to everyone. Those are just words to you, Sparrowpaw thought, her small head glancing downwards and her over-sized ears pinning themselves against her head. She felt low.

Sparrowpaw quickly pushed her degrading thoughts out of her mind and attempted to focus in on the lesson at hand. We're not going to find any prey here, so I thought we'd try a little deeper in the forest, Briarshade informed her and the apprentice gave a small huff before gazing out at the snow-white scene before her. Sparrowpaw only saw pure white for miles. The blanket of white seemed to poison everything, from the white-gray clouds overhead, to the off-white, leafless trees, to the pale and leaf-less ground she padded on. Such elements were not conclusive of locating any prey, the young apprentice knew. By sight, Sparrowpaw saw nothing, simply. Nothing at all.

'Now, can you scent any prey around. And if so, where do you think it's hiding?' Briarshade asked and peered at her apprentice. Sparrowpaw felt so put on the spot by her mentor's words. The black and white apprentice would try, but she feared that her mentor would put too much expectations on her young apprentice for her first try at such matters. "I'll ... give it a whirl," Sparrowpaw breathed, half to her mentor and half to herself in attempt to convince herself that yes, she would eventually have to try scenting.

The small apprentice opened her jaws as far as she could and drank in the scents all around her. Sparrowpaw stayed in this position for a few moments before shutting her jaws and twisting her head towards her mentor, grasping for recognition of the scents her was analyzing. Turning and turning the different colors and tastes of the TreeClan world in her head, Sparrowpaw came up with the same every time her thought. "Everything tastes so ... wet in the snow," Sparrowpaw commented, and gave her thin coat a shake to expel drops of melted snow that had collected on her fur.

It was at this moment that the small apprentice noticed something that made her bleak situation seem a tiny bit less bleak. In the pure white snow lay something rather curious to the inexperienced Sparrowpaw. "Those ... look like bird tracks. And judging by how deep they are ... they're fresh?" Sparrowpaw meowed, in her own revelry before realizing that she had spoken aloud. Though her scenting ability had failed her in the weather-stricken world, her eyesight and intelligence had not. "A bird has been in this area, and recently. Can we ..." Sparrowpaw meowed and became unsure of herself. She suddenly felt incredibly raw and open. What if everything I have said was wrong? What if Briarshade makes fun of me? Sparrowpaw thought to herself and could hear her mentor's sweet voice marred with laughter.

Puffing out her chest irresolutely, the apprentice continued. "Can we track it? It's probably not around here, considering how much noise we've been making. But it lives close," Sparrowpaw asked her mentor. The apprentice made a lot of assumptions in her speech but ... they were logical to Sparrowpaw, at least.

And sometimes giving an answer, no matter how wrong it was, was much better than giving no answer.

I'm already torn.

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"Everything tastes so ... wet in the snow,"
Briarshade nodded, remembering when she had first experienced snow. It was incredibly hard to hunt and track prey in the snow, so hopefully that would make it feel a lot easier when Sparrowpaw tried it in new-leaf. Briarshade didn't have her expectations too high for Sparrowpaw, but she did expect her apprentice to try her best.
"Those ... look like bird tracks. And judging by how deep they are ... they're fresh?"
The she-cat nodded again, but didn't speak a word. One lesson she wanted her apprentice to learn was to never doubt yourself. Even if you're wrong, at least you've learned something.
Her mother had taught her that lesson. She swallowed the grief for her dead mother, No, now is not the time to get emotional.
The warrior watched Swallowpaw closely, head tilted to one side. She was curious to know what the apprentice's first instinct was to do. Briarshade's would be to track the bird, but what about Sparrowpaw?
"A bird has been in this area, and recently. Can we ... Can we track it? It's probably not around here, considering how much noise we've been making. But it lives close."
Briarshade nodded, a purr rumbling deep in her throat. She could tell already that Sparrowpaw would make a fine warrior.
Padding over to the prints in the snow, she studied their size and shape, "What type of bird do you think it is?" she asked the black and white she-cat. Briarshade wanted to see how much she already knew about birds. Judging from their size, they were probably a chaffinch or a thrush.
Briarshade didn't expect too much of Sparrowpaw in this question as she was only six moons, she wouldn't know much about types of prey yet.
The warrior lifted her head to the pale sky and tried to block out all the wet scents of the forest and pick up the scent of prey. The prints trailed off after a while so Briarshade knew that they wouldn't be able to track it based on it's footprints.

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The fluffy black and white apprentice hung on every word that her mentor spoke with respect and renewed energy to devote to the hunt. The more time she spent with Briarshade, the less self-conscious she felt around her mentor. And, without that factor, the training session could become much more useful. 'What type of bird do you think it is?' her mentor asked Sparrowpaw, but the she-cat was very delayed in her response. For once, Sparrowpaw was not caught up in the act of forming an acceptable response for Briarshade and didn't become full of "stage fright," as it were. The black and white TreeClanner genuinely was trying to figure out an answer to her question.

Sparrowpaw's head turned over many different names and construed images of birds. Since she had only become an apprentice in the earlier Leafbare/Leaf-fall time, her knowledge of birds was less expansive. Most birds had been flying south for the winter by the time she could first set paw outside of the TreeClan camp as an apprentice. "A ... A grackle?" Sparrowpaw mewed in an unsure tone, her olive eyes focused on the arrow-shaped markings on the snow-covered ground.

The answer hit her suddenly. "No, it's a thrush! Sparrowpaw meowed, grinning to herself and full of confidence in her new answer. The tracks were simply too small to be a grackle.

I'm already torn.

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comments Sorry for the wait!~[/size]

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"A ... A grackle?"
Briarshade couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment crash over her. She had tried not to set her expectations so high, Sparrowpaw was only a new apprentice, but still.
Sighing, she was about to correct Sparrowpaw when the black-and-white apprentice chipped in, "No, it's a thrush!
Briarshade smiled warmly, "Yes, it’s likely that it’s either a thrush or a chaffinch."
Feeling a little happier, she quickly surveyed their surroundings, "Tracking prey in the snow can be very difficult because it just about covers up all the scents," she lectured the apprentice, "So, we have to rely more on our other senses, such as hearing and sight."
She rose up a little, ears pricked. She could not pick up a single sound in the area; in fact, the whole of the forest seemed to be... silent.
She frowned, that was unusual. Normally, there was at least one bird singing. Briarshade glanced sideways at Sparrowpaw to see if she too had noticed it.
Probably just another warrior out hunting or something, she reassured herself. But still, it was a little strange. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she concentrated on her apprentice.
"So, we’ll try to track the bird then?"

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The olive eyes of the she-cat watched Briarshade's every move intently, from the movement of the warrior's mouth to the simple flick of Briarshade's tail. While she still felt a little self-conscious in her actions, the black and white apprentice was glad to be learning from Briarshade and was willing to be as attentive as she could to facilitate that learning. Briarshade, to the small apprentice, seemed quite knowledgeable.

And, pleasing her mentor pleased her in return. When Briarshade agreed in her assessment of the tracks and her mentor gave her a smile, the apprentice lit up from end to end and felt very encouraged to continue trying. Tracking prey in the snow can be very difficult because it just about covers up all the scents. So, we have to rely more on our other senses, such as hearing and sight, Briarshade lectured and Sparrowpaw sat on her haunches and bundled her paws in her thickening tail fur to keep warm. "That's why everything smells so wet, right?" Sparrowpaw meowed decidedly. The she-cat had deduced that from her brief lecture. Everything around her, when she had opened her jaws to scent, tasted wet and the same. No prey is anywhere, Sparrowpaw thought and frowned, her green eyes darting around at the leafless, snow covered trees about them.

The apprentice looked up at her mentor when she suggested that they begin tracking the bird. She nodded, but gave her mentor a quizzical look. Where to begin if there's nothing about?

I'm already torn.

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"That's why everything smells so wet, right?"
Briarshade nodded, "Yes, exactly."
Her dull golden-green gaze surveyed their surroundings briefly, before turning her attention back to Sparrowpaw, trying not to let herself get distracted again, "But just because we can’t scent it, or see it, or even hear it, doesn’t mean it’s not there," she dug up a little snow by her paws. This, if she remembered correctly, was where a mice’s nest had been in the summer, hidden by a clump of ferns, "See this?" she showed Sparrowpaw the tracks and trails and tunnels left by the mice, "They will have moved now, but life can survive here, you’ve just got to find it."
She smiled warmly at Sparrowpaw, "Like the mice, that bird will be out there somewhere, and it’s my guess that it’s flown deeper into the forest, where’s it’s a little more protected."
She nodded her head towards the trees, "So, we’ll check them out then, see if we can find that thrush," she meowed, "From now on, no talking or we could scare away any prey."
She flicked her tail; beckoning Sparrowpaw to follow as she disappeared amongst the trees and snow-covered undergrowth.

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb= width, 470px, true][atrb= style, background-color: #ffffff; box-shadow: 0px 0px 6px #E3E3E3; width: 470px; height: 460px; border-radius: 100%;] [STYLE=background: url(http://i47.tinypic.com/173hmu.jpg); webkit-border-radius: 0%; moz-border-radius: 100%; webkit-border-radius: 0%; border-radius: 100%; border: 5px solid #E3E3E3; width: 150px; height: 150px; margin-top: -220px; margin-left: 20px; opacity: 0.8;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 45px; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #E0E0E0; letter-spacing: -2px; color: #000000; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: -90px; margin-left: 181px;]BUT I'M AFRAID[/style] [STYLE= font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 4px; color: #66B2D9; margin-top: -60px; margin-left: 186px; font-family: arial; opacity: 0.6;]º • º • º[/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; text-transform: uppercase; text-align: justify; line-height: 9px; width: 197px; margin-left: 230; margin-top: 33px; margin-left: 230px; color: #B3B3B3; padding: 1px; border-left: 4px solid #5C75AB;]THAT YOU ARE LIKE THE MONA LISA I CAN'T HAVE DON'T SAY GOODBYE TO ME DON'T TALK TO ME WITH THAT KIND OF LOOK[/style]

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb= width, 450px, true] [STYLE= background-color: #f8f8f8; width: 350px; height: 150px; padding: 6px; font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; overflow: auto; margin-top: -310px; opacity: 0.9; color: #5C5C5C;] The green eyes of the young apprentice watched her mentor excitedly as she considered to praise her for Sparrowpaw's "swift" idea. The she-cat was glad that she could at least get something right. The longer they stayed out in the cold, the more her petite feet froze in the inches deep snow. The more she could get right, the more it saved her from frostbite and from embarrassment. Flicking her long tail, Sparrowpaw watched her mentor glance out at their surrounding and wondered for a moment what it was that her mentor was looking it. Does she see the prey already? Is her eyesight so trained that she can see it before me? Sparrowpaw thought to herself, her shifting green gaze catching along each place she thought a bird could possibly be lurking. Sparrowpaw's mentor finally spoke up. 'But just because we can’t scent it, or see it, or even hear it, doesn’t mean it’s not there,' Briarshade informed her and the young apprentice nodded, but was unsure how, if such was true, that they could track prey. Sight, smell, and hearing ... that's all I've got to put food in my belly. Right? Sparrowpaw asked herself and flexed her sharp milky hued claws in the snow. The apprentice certainly would not question her mentor in this prospect, no matter if it logically made sense to her or not. Maybe she will explain, Sparrowpaw reasoned with herself and looked on as her mentor began to dig at something. Eyes widened in surprise at the appearance of the mouse nest and the tracks it had left behind. It was amazing for the young apprentice to see just how life could go on outside of her own and how even the mice went about the same mundane tasks as she -- such as eating and drinking. The apprentice smiled faintly towards her mentor. 'They will have moved now, but life can survive here, you’ve just got to find it. Like the mice, that bird will be out there somewhere, and it’s my guess that it’s flown deeper into the forest, where’s it’s a little more protected. So, we’ll check them out then, see if we can find that thrush. From now on, no talking or we could scare away any prey,' Briarshade meowed to her and the apprentice flattened her ears a little before perking them back up. Though the apprentice was someone more reserved than most apprentices, the pressure of not speaking seemed to make the apprentice want to talk even a little more. It would be hard for the apprentice to follow Briarshade's instructions -- but out of necessity, she paid special attention. The white paws of the apprentice grazed against the snowy ground as the apprentice slinked behind her mentor, silent except for her slightly stifled breathing. The pair seemed to move along for ages and the young apprentice's limbs became somewhat stiff as she followed. After awhile, the apprentice stumbled upon something quite interesting to her and was quick to point out. Sparrowpaw did not indicate what she had found through speech -- only by the slight beckoning flick of her tail. Not even buried in the snow lay a thrush feather. It stunk of bird. [/style]

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TEMPLATE BY RAYAH! OF BTN!

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Briarshade smiled as her apprentice indicated the bird's feather to her with a subtle flick of the tail. Examining the feather a little closer, she found it to be one of a thrush.
Perhaps we'll catch some prey after all?
Pale green eyes scoured the trees around them for any signs of the prey; the scent of thrush was fresh, so the bird must've only been there a few moments ago.
The tabby-ginger-and-white glanced behind her briefly to check that Sparrowpaw was still there. Nodding to indicate the bird was in the area, she started moving again.
Briarshade trod as lightly as possible, We will catch prey today, she decided, feeling a surge of determination. The clan needed prey, they were going to catch that prey.
It was when they reached a small break of trees that the senior warrior finally spotted the bird. Perched amongst the roots a young oak tree, the thrush’ plumage of feathers fluffed up against the cold did well to hide the fact that it was of a rather meagre size.
But it’s prey.
”Try and catch it,” the senior warrior’s voice was scarcely a whisper as she didn’t want to frighten the thrush away. Fortunately, the bird didn’t catch Briarshade’s words and so far, hadn’t spotted them hidden amongst the shadows of a beech tree.
Go on, Sparrowpaw, don’t dawdle or it’ll fly away! Briarshade thought desperately, hoping that somehow that black and white apprentice could read minds.