[Aqua]

Day 25: While the day dawns bad weather, an eerie harvest moon hangs reddish-orange and huge in the night sky.

Cinderstream

The weather had been less than friendly to the clan cats. What started out as just the leaves changing their colors had turned into cold winds and bare branches. Most of the once colorful leaves had since fallen to the ground, leaving a crunchy blanket to signal the approach of leaf-bare. With the threat of even colder temperatures and snow merely around the bend, this was the best time for the clan to begin stocking up on fresh prey. This also presented a great opportunity for the apprentices of the clan to test their skills. This is exactly what Cinderstream had hoped to acheive this day. Some time to test Shrikepaw's hunting abilities. Maybe teach him a new thing or two so he could help to keep his clan fed in the rough times leaf-bare brought along.

Close to sunhigh is when the she-cat requested her apprentice's presence at the Shaded Mosswood. This allowed the sun to sit above the land long enough to at least provide a little bit of warmth beneath it's rays. While very little, the nip of the morning cold had faded. Now the wind was the worst bit of weather to be concerned about. It would be a challenge trying to train the apprentice with such questionable wind changes but it would still be worth it. He needed to understand what he was doing when out there.

The gray ticked she-cat approached what was once an old stream. This stream bed had been beaten over and over by flooding causing the whole thing to collapse in on itself. There were many trees down that had once caused the shore around the stream home. Their former glory now presenting the perfect area to track down prey among their old branches and upturned roots. She smirked and leaped atop one of the largest logs remaining. She sits atop of it, crossing her tail over her paws. Now to wait for her apprentice and see what he could do.

^{Made by Aqua || Tagged: Hellion || Words: #331
Keeping it a little short since we're trying to speed through.}

[Hellion]

Shrikepaw of TreeClan

In the wake of the changing seasons, Shrikepaw reflected on himself. His paws were stronger, worn from travel around the territory. His nose is sharper, able to determine a variety of scents, feline, and prey. Even his eyes felt different, acutely trained to notice the slightest of movements.

If this was his a sign of maturity, Shrikepaw embraced those changes, striding beyond the confines of his youth and into the early throes of adulthood. The only hesitation came in his relationship with those around him. No longer did he see his mother was perfect, a divine being who graced him with life, but instead a fellow cat. An ally with flaws and weaknesses just like anyone else. It remained such a strange realization for him, but one he figured meant he was coming to terms with the reality of life. The duality followed the moral grey area.

Deciding not to let those thoughts worry him too much, Shrikepaw heeded his mentor's call and followed her scent toward the hunting ground. Ready and capable of proving his skill. Upon arrival, he greeted her with a chirp, picking up the pace to stand before her looking upwards to where she sat. "Sorry I took so long," His greeting was fair and formal. Polite as ever.

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Aqua

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[Aqua]

Day 25: While the day dawns bad weather, an eerie harvest moon hangs reddish-orange and huge in the night sky.

Cinderstream

The tabby she-cat wrapped her tail across her paws expectantly as she heard the faint noise of something approaching. She hoped that it was Shrikepaw, not fancying a meeting with anything else that could be wandering the wood at this point in the season. They weren't the only ones searching for food to stock themselves for the winter so while the wood was typically safe, there was always that chance of some sort of predator wandering up on the clan cats. Her ears perked atop her head as the other animal came closer. She felt an overall sense of relief as a reddish-brown tom cat rounded the path and approached her log. 'Thank Starclan.' She thought letting out a soft sigh as her apprentice apologized.

"You are alright Shrikepaw. You made it with plenty of light to spare." She meows gently looking down at him. "We are going to work on your hunting skills today. All of these downed trees provide a great hiding place for all kinds of rodents. I want you to use your senses to find where prey is hiding among these roots." The ticked tabby leaps down from her perch to stand beside him. She then motions with her paw towards a little hollow area ahead of them.

"Now let me see what you can do. I want to see how you do without much instruction." If the tom hadn't caught on yet, the she-cat was hoping to test him here. She wanted to see what sort of abilities he displayed and then from there she would help him work on what he seemed strong at doing.

^{Made by Aqua || Tagged: Hellion || Words: #271}

[Hellion]

Shrikepaw of TreeClan

He took Cinderstream's words with a nod. Shrikepaw wanted to be known for being prompt. To be unlike his sister, who seemed clearly and inclined to do as she pleased. Not that he judged her by any means, he didn't want to be like her. But, as taught to him, the warrior code paved a road to be respected. A cat who followed the code was worth StarClan's blessing and a place among the stars. The connection between being responsible and being a good warrior was thickly drawn. Unmistakeably two sides of the same stone.

Ears pitched forward, Shrikepaw listened quietly to show respect and took on the task presented to him. Hunting, the most crucial skill any warrior needs to know.

To which he was average. His self-doubt tempted him to poke holes into the foundation of his confidence. Shrikepaw was not built for prolonged stalking of prey. His long limbs needed to stretch during the hunt, chase, and take down what flighty game tried to escape. The downed trees provided limited space to sprint and would force him to mentally plan his movements to avoid getting stuck while the prey slipped away.

He glanced between his mentor and the hollow area she pointed at. "You can do this," His attempt to bolster his own confidence had little success, but he refused to let his doubt eat him alive.

Shirkepaw took a moment, stretching slightly to ease the tension that had built in his body, turning toward his mentor before parting from her. "I'll try," It sounded a bit like a promising one meant more for himself than her.

Several calculated steps and a moment taken to scent the air and better understand what lurked in the nooks and crannies, Shrikepaw caught the taste smell of the mouse. He pointed his paws in that direction, followed the scent till he happened upon the creature.

A busy mouse trotted about a rare collection of dry leaves. Perhaps gathering something for its nest. The creature hadn't sensed him yet, giving Shrikepaw a much-needed advantage. He studied the prey for a moment to long; the mouse and their adept ability to sense vibration felt Shrikepaw's movement and bolted. Shrikepaw sprang forward attempted to catch the prey before it disappeared in the following, but the narrow downed trees made it difficult to be quick enough. Just as he had feared.

Barely avoiding colliding into a set of exposed gnarled roots, Shrikepaw felt his whiskers touch the muck-covered tendril. Nearly causing him to sneeze.

"Fox dung," He whispered the curse, lashing his tail before turning to abruptly leap onto the nearby downed tree to get a better view of the hunting area and help soothe his frustration or so he hoped. However, the longer he watched and scented for any new prey scents, the more he seemed to stew because of his recent failure.

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[Aqua]

Cinderstream

Cinderstream intently studied the apprentice and his overall reaction to being given no instructions. She could see his body tense ever so slightly at this as he observed the obscured hunting terrain. In this particular area of their territory, straight on sprinting at the prey just wouldn't work. All the tree roots and downed trees provided many obstacles that forced the cats to think before acting. Being that this tom was so accustom to using those long limbs for speed, he would have to adjust or potentially end up stuck with nothing to take back to camp. This was exactly what Cinder wanted to test him on. A warrior needed to be able to adjust to hunting on all sorts of turf in these woods so it was a good idea to at least hone in on this sort of ability.

Yellow green optics followed the form of the young tom as he slowly made his way into the gnarled obstacle course. It only took a moment before he seemed to zero in on something among the roots. Cinder quietly moved to where she could just make out the form of Shrikepaw and a mouse he had found. She watched as he slowly moved in on the rodent then he took a pause and that's when the mouse caught on to him. The small rodent took off, Shrikepaw attempting to follow it. Cinder silently rooted the tom on as he went for it. However, fate didn't favor the tom as he almost collided with a gnarled gathering of muddy tree roots. Defeated, the young tom leaped up onto one of the downed tree trunks.

Cinderstream watched him curiously as he looked around for something else to go for. This was the best move he could make right now. The mouse had not made a peep when it took off so other prey were not alerted to the hunter. She was very sure he could catch something, it was just a matter of not giving up. And as much as she wanted to openly root him on, she also didn't want to scare off anything by speaking. So instead she waved her tail around, in the hopes his senses would catch her movement. She then motioned with her paw and a hopeful smile for him to continue. Whether he saw it or not, he was doing well. No cat could catch every animal they tried hunting down, everyone missed one here and there. All you could do was learn from the experience and try again.

^{Made by Aqua || Tagged: Hellion || Words: #424}

[Hellion]

Shrikepaw of GorgeClan

He focused on breathing as he waited for the wind to shift enough to hint at another prey's scent. Then, out of the habit of seeking approval, Shrikepaw glanced back toward where his mentor was waiting; her reassuring gesture soothed him further. Finally, he dipped his head, acknowledging her presence, when the shuffling of something caught his attention.

Further up, one of the downed logs, a squirrel, all fluffy tail and grey coat. A moral fit for two cats and a prize worth the effort. Shrikepaw kept his spot on top of the log, sinking low to the point his belly touched the mossy bark of the tree. Cold as it was, he didn't let it deter him. He wanted no he needed to bring something home to the Clan. He tried to proudly stroll into camp with his catch and show it off to his mother before adding it to the fresh kill, his contribution.

Whiskers twitched with each subtle shift of wind, but it stayed on his side, pushing the scent of squirrel closer and keeping his scent adrift. Finally, he closed in on the creature, and before he could second guess himself, Shrikepaw leaped forward, colliding with the squirrel. It scrambled to escape, but Shrikepaw stopped him, ending the prey's life with a specific final bite. He didn't hesitate and turned toward Cinderstream. I did it!" His voice carried, likely alerting the rest of the hidden prey, but it didn't occur to him. He had something to be proud of.

He gathered his prey and trotted back toward his mentor, tail twitching with unbridled excitement. "I think mother will be proud," He told her between the points he held the squirrel in his mouth. He was ready to go home to show off to his mother and his sister. To bask in a day's hard work.

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