[Deleted]

~~Sunstide~~ 

The bright sun beating down through the large canopy leaves overhead but there was a gentle cooling breeze that took some of the heat away from the drying forest. The ground underpaw was cracked and hard from the lack of water that the sky was willing to produce. The scent of prey surrounded the two cats that wandered along the forest towards their destination, but despite the delicious aroma, the prey was not running around due to the strong drought that Treeclan was currently the victum of.

The older tom was thankful that most of his pelt was white in color, the hot sun didn't bother with lighter colored pelts, but he also had patches of ginger. Wise, blue eyes glanced back over a broad shoulder to view his red-black apprentice, Crimsonpaw. He wasn't sure how the younger tom felt about having a rather young mentor like himself, but the white and ginger tom believed that he could teach Crimsonpaw what he need to know and more to be an excellent warrior of Treeclan.

Sunstride's ear twitched slightly as he returned his brilliant blue gaze back infront of him as he led Crimsonpaw towards the Hidden Thicket. The young tom's older brother, Adderstrike, had voiced his opinons of the apprentice before. Adderstrike didn't like the way Crimsonpaw or his sister looked up to Grayowl. Of course the ginger-red tom didn't like many cats, as he was aggressive, but he told Sunstride that Grayowl rubbed his fur the wrong way. Sunstride, of course, dismissed his brother's rantings.

Apon reaching the hidden thicket, Sunstride walked a couple paces forwards before turning to face his red-black apprentice. "Ready to get started?" He asked, his voice deep and gentle. His eyes were calm and determined but they twinkled with wisdom far beyond his age as he sat down, letting Crimsonpaw get used to his surrounding before they started with their lesson for today.

[Insidious]

Crimsonpaw

The apprentice-aged tom followed in the wake of a white, ginger splotched warrior. Crimsonpaw understood that Sunstride was young, therefore, a newly named warrior. He would have preferred someone that had more experience in the field, though he knew better than to judge a book by its cover. Pale green eyes pierced the back of Sunstride's head, content to pad after him, silently as a ghost. He would, for his own benefit, accustom to the training routines Sunstride hopefully had planned. Crimsonpaw wished to learn, though who in particular he wished to learn from was an entirely different story, one he would not be sharing any time soon. Only once Sunstride's bright glue eyes spared a glance over his shoulders in Crimsonpaw's direction, did the apprentice allow his own pale green gaze to avert elsewhere. He wouldn't be caught in the act of staring, though staring was a polite term – burning holes into the back of the warrior's head seemed more fitted.

“Ready to get started?”

As if he had a choice in the matter.

Crimsonpaw curtly dipped his head to signal his preparedness, covering the distance that lay between Sunstride and himself with rapid, fluid strides. The red-black-spotted tom protruded his neck, ebony nose wrinkling with an inhalation of the air. Perhaps, Sunstride would have desired to go over the basics with him before they got involved in any of the real hunting. Crimsonpaw, however, had no patience for the basics he considered himself to already know. Today, he was expected to learn how to hunt a mouse. Prior to this, he had learned how to hunt one of his own kind. Was there really any difference to how the task was accomplished?

“The air is dry; the drought will have effected what prey is near.” Crimsonpaw spared a glance over his lithe shoulder blades, pale green gaze resting within the depths of Sunstride's own ocean blue. “I assume you have a plan?" Despite Crimsonpaw being known to possess a vile temper, he knew when politeness and proper mannerism were to be efficiently performed as a facade. He simply hoped Sunstride wouldn't consider their training over the next six moons to be a bonding session. He would do as was expected of him, but he would not bond under any circumstance. He was here to be crowned a warrior, not to make friends.

[Deleted]

~~Sunstride~~

The ginger and white tom narrowed calm eyes at his apprentice, tail tip twitcihng with slight annoyance at Crimsonpaw's cocky and definate attitude towards him already. The older tom knew of the younger's clingy behavior towards his sister, Onyxpaw's mentor, and he was pretty sure that Crimsonpaw was not pleased with Lionstar's choice in his mentor. Despite the apprentice's feelings, the Treeclanner knew why Lionstar had chosen him, why such a young, inexperienced tom was given to mentor Crimsonpaw. He was wise, smart and level headed, and Lionstar hoped that he could be a good influence in the young tom's life.

Gancing up, the Treeclan warrior watched a bird soar through the cracks in the tree's dry foliage. The ginger and white tom's tail twitched with more annoyance, it seemed that the warriors of Treeclan where not the only ones out at the moment who were trying to find prey. After watching him for a moment, Sunstride's deep blue eyes turned back to Crimsonpaw, watching his face to see how he reacted with Sunstride asking him a question. Perplex by such an easy question. Angry that Sunstride would attempt to try and teach him? The ginger and white tom could not get a clear reading off of his apprentice.

"You can't be impatiant while hunting. That will get you nowhere." Sunstride mewed, blue eyes flickering over Crimsonpaw's form before glancing through the trees towards where it was shaded and cool. "Where would prey hide or relax on such a hot day?" He said before turning his attention back towards his apprentice, waiting for the anwser to come from Crimsonpaw's jaws. His tail still slightly twitching with annoyance from the lact of attempt from the young tom. However, being a wise cat, Sunstride wouldn't let it get to him. Or a least he would try to not let it get to him. But he was known for being calm and level headed in situations like this.

[Insidious]

C R I M S O N P A W

Impatient?

Crimsonpaw held back a snort at the very thought. He was far from impatient, merely focused on the prospect of finishing this lesson with Sunstride so he could return to camp and rid himself from the warrior's presence. Holding his tongue to choke back the mouthful of nasty remarks that would soon follow, he instead allowed himself to fiddle with Sunstride's question. It was a simple matter in the red-black-spotted tom's mind; he doubted its importance. But, if Sunstride wanted to play puppeteer and quiz Crimsonpaw before any real action was to occur, then so be it. That was needless to say he'd abide by such regulations willingly, however.

“They'd likely seek shelter in the ground, trees, or shade, depending on the species to avoid over-heating.” Crimsonpaw fixated his pale green eyes upon Sunstride, grimacing beneath the mask of ignorance at having to explain such things to his mentor. It was pointless, therefore, a waste of his time. He had more important matters he could be tending to. “Though, given the recent drought, prey would likely be more focused on finding food. Therefore, they'd be out-and-about to avoid starvation.” This was merely an analogy; Crimsonpaw had no way of knowing such knowledge for certain. Though, he considered it a likelihood – what animal would sit back and starve due to some heat, after all?

“If we're done quizzing, I think it'd be beneficial to begin the actual hunting before the prey in the area manages to escape our grasp entirely.” Ah, another glimpse at Crimsonpaw's stubborn, uncooperative attributes, if not a tad aggressively dominant. Pivoting sharply, his tail flicked casually behind his slender frame in Sunstride's direction, ears swiveling backward to catch his input. Though, Crimsonpaw's mannerism to wait for another's response only lasted for so long. It'd be a matter of seconds before he grew tired of waiting and merely left Sunstride to watch his departure.

He may have been his mentor. But, Crimsonpaw refused to pay him the respect he deserved. He was no Grayowl – they were two complete opposites. There were certain topics he was curious to learn about; topics he'd actually settle down to appreciate. Though sadly, they were topics Sunstride would never think to enlighten him about. Lionstar had been wrong in this pairing, and Crimsonpaw planned to stick by these original thoughts.

[Deleted]

Sunstride
The Brightest Flame
Yeah, you can be the greatest
You can be the best
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest

---

Of course the older tom narrowed his eyes at the attitude in which his apprentice decided to throw out towards him before shaking his head. He respected Lionstar's decision to give him a hard headed and irrational tomcat when he himself was very level headed and down to earth about several things, but he was sure that Crimsonpaw wished to have nothing to do with him.

A smirk almost touched Sunstride's muzzle, if only Adderstrike had been given this ball of anger, they two would be at each others throats or Adderstrike would have ran Crimsonpaw over, respect a given. The ginger and white tom's brother didn't deal with rude younger cats, or rude cats... or cats in general actually. It was a wonder Lionstar had a hold over the aggressive ginger snake of Treeclan.

All in all, Sunstride was Crimsonpaw's mentor, and he better learn to accept it or he wasn't going to get very far in his training and he doubted Lionstar was about to appoint a new mentor anytime soon, even if the green eyed tom were to get injured. Besides, he had a feeling that the dark pelted tom wished to have his sister, Onyxpaw's mentor: Grayowl. What was so attractive about that cruel old tom anyways? Sunstride found no pull towards the older, tom in which the younger cats seemed to be drawn too. Odd.

Shaking his head, Sunstride turned to Crimsonpaw, "Very well. I'm sure you and Onyxpaw practiced hunting crouches with the other apprentices when you were all kits, show me what you know." He said in his calm voice, stepping back to allow the younger tom to wander off to hunt. He figured he go ahead and assess the youngster to see what all he knew before he dove into extreame training. With a nod, Sunstride let Crimsonpaw have free reign off the territory before setting back on his haunches.

---

Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame

[Insidious]

Crimsonpaw

The hunting crouch was something he had perfected. Upon the hunt for creatures that ventured outside the limits of respective clan cats, the young tom had learned how to manipulate his footing. Grayowl had been critical in ensuring the spotted apprentice understood. There was no room for error when the one you hunted was not nearly as oblivious as the mouse in the nearby field. At the time, it had been riveting for you the young tom. He didn't think he would be able to properly contain his skyrocketing emotions when he was forced to hide them. There was something different about watching the light drift from the eyes of a cat. He lived alongside so many; they all served the same purpose under TreeClan's reign. He wondered absently, upon the occasion, whether or not he'd be less inclined to watch said life drain from the eyes of someone he knew on a more personal level. Grayowl likely didn't concern himself with such thoughts, but the concepts were new to his blood-lusting half-apprentice, if you will. He needed to experience it more. The feel of the blood pooling between his paws and soaking his already reddened fur... it was wondrous.

A glinting stare of emerald pigmentation matched that of his mentor, halting in his tracks to spin around and be facing the splotched feline. A hearty sigh left his muzzle, dropping himself into the crouch that had been performed on numerous accounts prior. His hind legs were positioned at a slightly more elevated level, his tail fluently guiding his movements as its arch subsided or increased accordingly. Through the corner of his eyes, he watched his mentor. He was curious to see whether or not it would satisfy him. If it did not, there was little he would be open to altering. Grayowl was pleased with it, and he would not like to bring a new crouch to the gray warrior in the off-chance that it would upset him. It was wholesomely irrelevant as to whether or not Sunstride wished to extend his input. He would likely partake in the meager changes as necessary simply if it meant he could be through with this hunt quicker. He could be doing more important things with his time than standing out here, showing his hunting crouch—something he was already confident in—to his mentor.

If he knew the basics of how to hunt a cat, then surely he could catch a mouse.