|
Post by Twilidramon on Jul 11, 2014 7:08:02 GMT -5
Firetail took a deep breath. He and his sister were now mentors - he had to admit, it wasn't something he'd been expecting. He'd always thought he was too much of a jokester to be considered for training a warrior, but Buzzardstar had seen things differently.
His belly rumbled in hunger as the heat baked down onto his pelt. So far that treacherous sun had driven prey into the cracks and into whatever shelter they could find. Today had to be different. Hunters have just had bad luck, Firetail thought. That's all it is.
He looked up at the camp, settled in nicely amongst the cliffside. There was movement up near the apprentice's den - Redpaw would be arriving soon, and then they could get on with putting his stalking practice yesterday to use.
|
|
|
Post by pookakin on Jul 11, 2014 11:24:52 GMT -5
Redpaw crept out of the apprentice's den. A few others will still asleep inside, their tiny shapes peaceful. She was not up very early, but Redpaw still felt tired from yesterday. Training was hard. She wanted to learn and do her best, but it was still hard to stay focused. Today, she was going out with Firetail, and she needed to stay on task. No worrying, just focus on hunting. She took a deep breath, stretching at the den entrance. Ok, she needed to hurry down now.
She scampered along the ledge. Her mentor was easily spotted in the camp, his pelt bright against the dull ledges. Despite her efforts, apprehension tingled inside her. She hadn't heard much, just a few warriors talking about serious stuff. There hadn't been much prey about. Something about the heat? Redpaw had to ignore the empty feeling in her belly- that mouse yesterday hadn't been much, but the clan needed to be fed before she could think about taking prey for herself.
She quickly reached Firetail.
"Hi, Firetail," she mewed, stopping several mouselengths from him. Nervousness tingled in her paws- she wanted to do well today.
|
|
|
Post by Twilidramon on Jul 11, 2014 12:01:14 GMT -5
Firetail raised his tail at his apprentice's approach. "Ready?" he asked. "I was thinking we could head down the MountainClan border and see if there's anything by the water there." Surely with all this heat something was thirsty enough to risk a drink?
"Let's go," he offered, taking a step forward.
|
|
|
Post by pookakin on Jul 11, 2014 13:49:32 GMT -5
Redpaw listened to Firetail's suggestion, and nodded respectfully when he was finished speaking. "That sounds fine," she said. "I can make the trip," She offered, thinking he might be concerned. She could feel her nerves fading- this was any other outing, she didn't need to be nervous. She would do fine.
Redpaw padded up to Firetail's side, ready to move when he lead them both out camp.
|
|
|
Post by Twilidramon on Jul 11, 2014 14:46:22 GMT -5
The trek across the barren territory was rather uneventful. Firetail made sure to give Redpaw a break as much as possible, hiding in the shade of bushes and the charred trees. The ground beneath their paws rose and the rushing of water in the gorge that formed half the border between FlameClan and MounttainClan.
The mist from the water felt good on Firetail's pelt, and he kept Redpaw close as they traveled near the gorge until the land sloped down and the water began to relax. When it was safe, Firetail took several gulps of the cool water.
He lifted his head, gesturing for Redpaw to do the same.
|
|
|
Post by pookakin on Jul 12, 2014 18:08:51 GMT -5
At first she was ready to move, but the heat quickly got to Redpaw. Firetail was thoughtful with putting breaks in, but even so she was quite bedraggled by the time they reached the gorge. The sound of rushing water put a little skip in her limp stride. She picked up her pace, trying to keep pace better than she had been before.
She watched Firetail drinking, trying not to pant visibly. The mist from the crashing water drifted, lighting on her fur. She inched closer, relishing its touch. She noticed Firetail's gesture and happily pounced into the shallows. She didn't drink a huge amount- too much water would make her sluggish for the rest of the outing. But she needed the water, especially in the heat. Bad things happened to cats who didn't drink enough in the heat.
She hopped out of the shallows, carefully grooming any wet fur back into order. Maybe they would go hunting now? She and Firetail weren't enough to perform any kind of border patrol.
|
|
|
Post by Twilidramon on Jul 12, 2014 18:57:28 GMT -5
Firetail told her, "If you're ready, we'll start looking for prey. I know we're close to the border with MountainClan but there ought to be something looking for a drink around here. Be careful next to the water, though - it's got a strong current further in."
He opened his jaws. Many scents - mostly border scents - passed by his scent glands. he forced himself to push through them to look for the musky smell of prey.
There ought to at least be a water vole around here... he thought.
|
|
|
Post by pookakin on Jul 12, 2014 19:52:42 GMT -5
Redpaw nodded.
"I'm ready," she mewed. Following Firetail's lead, she breathed in the scents of the gorge. She wasn't sure what was likely to be around here- she was more used to the open fields that the rest of FlameClan territory held. There might be fish in the waters of the gorge, but she would rather leave that to OceanClan.
Maybe she should ask? Taking another whiff, she scented something that might be prey, but she wasn't sure.
"What kind of prey would be around a river?" She mewed. She sounded more confused than she'd wanted to, but it couldn't be helped.
|
|
|
Post by Twilidramon on Jul 12, 2014 20:20:56 GMT -5
Firetail flicked an ear at her question. "Well," he mewed, sweeping his gaze around the barren fields, "voles, shrews, mice, and rabbits, mostly. Birds will settle on rocks and peck at water from the shallows, but they're harder to get at. Unfortunately, the area around us isn't so grassy, so prey has to dart here and there and be really quick or else a hawk might catch them."
Oh shoot, he thought. I forgot to mention keeping an eye out for hawks!
Quickly he said, "You really need to watch the skies for hawks - they like open areas like this." Remembering something his mentor had taught him, he told Redpaw, "Hawks have better eyes than we do, so even high up they can spot prey. It's a good idea to watch where they're circling - there's usually prey there."
Firetail looked up, and sighed with both relief and disappointment. There were no hawks in the sky today. I'm fine with that, he thought. Redpaw's still young; a hawk might mistake her for prey!
|
|
|
Post by pookakin on Jul 13, 2014 17:51:40 GMT -5
Redpaw tried to listen to Firetail's advice, but she zoned out and missed a few words. He'd said something about grass? Oh, well, she'd do fine. She didn't want to admit that she'd zoned out.
She started to walk off, but Firetail sounded like he had something important to say. She instinctively glanced at the sky as he spoke. This time, she managed to pay attention to the whole speech. The sky was sadly empty. Maybe next time?
"If I see any hawks, I'll definitely follow them," she said, trying to sound confident. It would have been really nice if the hawks had decided to help her out, but that wasn't the case today. Determined, Redpaw turned and padded away carefully, tasting for any prey that might be about.
Most of the scents, if not all, were very faint. Frustrated, Redpaw darted off into the fields close by the gorge. She hadn't left Firetail's line of sight, but she did want to move away from where they had been standing. There obviously wasn't any prey close to where they were.
|
|