Crowpaw's Training

[~Moonflower~]

[shadow=orange,left,300]Foxheart

~I'm Fiery on the Outside, Both in Temper and in Fur, But on the Inside, I'm a Big Softie!~[/shadow]

Foxheart was wandering around near WindClan's border, near the lake. He was waiting for his newly made apprentice to meet him here. Foxheart had told Crowpaw to get something to eat, and then to meet him by the lake near WindClan's border. Even though only a few minutes had passed since he got here, Foxheart was starting to get worried. What if he couldn't find me and got lost or attacked?

He was about to head back to camp to see if he could find his apprentice, when he heard a rustling in the bushes not far ahead. Was it prey? Could it be his apprentice? Or the worst possible thing, a fox or a badger? Foxheart was getting ahead of himself. Of course it wasn't a fox or a badger, he would have scented them. Foxheart tried to figure out what was moving the bushes, but it's scent was well hidden and downwind so it was hard to tell.

((That can be prey, or Crowpaw, whichever you want))

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[♰Fickle♰]

[glow=black,2,300]Crowpaw[/glow]

The black apprentice had gone through the forest distractedly. He felt badly for it, because he should have been hurrying to meet his mentor.

He couldn't help it though. He kept worrying about Ravenpaw. When he had woken up in the night she wasn't in her den, and when he got up this morning her nest was cold. Worry gnawed at his stomach.

He slowed to a trot as he came near the border. He was amazed he didn't get lost, but he remembered Foxheart's scent. He was upwind of his mentor. Should he sneak in? No, he'd rustled something, Foxheart was peering in the bushes.

Crowpaw came forward cautiously, his wide gold eyes fixed on the border beyond his mentor. "Hi Foxheart." He meowed, "Sorry it took me so long."

He left it at that. He couldn't tell on Ravenpaw, he just hoped she was alright. Wherever she was.

[glow=black,2,300]>> <<[/glow]

(I'll post the song later)

[~Moonflower~]

[shadow=orange,left,300]Foxheart[/shadow]

Foxheart was about to pounce into the bushes to see what the thing was, when Crowpaw stepped out. Foxheart was glad he hadn't pounced. That would have turned out awkwardly. Foxheart saw something about the apprentice. He seemed worried, but what could he be worried about? I'm not that scary and strict, am I? he thought to himself, then pushed the thought away. Of course it wasn't him! He felt like he should ask the apprentice what was wrong, but he didn't want to make the apprentice feel uncomfortable, so he left it alone. If Crowpaw wanted to talk about it, he could bring it up at anytime. But he still secretly worried.

Despite the worriedness that raged through Foxheart's head, his stature was strict as ever. Straight back, chin held high, no sign of clumsiness or fault. That was what Foxheart tried to achieve at almost all times. He turned to Crowpaw, and said, "Let's get started then. I'll show you a couple things around here, then we'll head up the border," he pointed with his tail. "We can learn some basic stuff along the way as well"

Foxheart turned towards the lake. "This is obviously the lake, if you haven't seen it already. To the left is WindClan and across the lake, a little to the right is RiverClan." He pointed with his tail as he was saying this. "ShadowClan is a bit harder to see, but it's right over there. We won't be able to pick up ShadowClan and RiverClan's scents today, we are upwind from them. We will learn to memorize their scent another day." Foxheart turned again, so that he was facing WindClan territory. "This is WindClan. While we're walking along the border, tell me what you scent from over there." He started walking up the border, trying to keep his posture. It was all ruined however, when Foxheart stepped into a rabbit hole. "Oof!" he said as he face-planted into the ground. He lay on the ground for a second, and then began to laugh.There goes my strict posture! he thought.

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[♰Fickle♰]

Crowpaw's whiskers twitched and he had to pull up a paw to stifle his laughter. It wouldn't do to laugh at his mentor. He tried to hide the amused meow that leaked from his maw.

"Are you okay?" He asked, trying not to let his whiskers twitch. He smiled, if Ravenpaw had seen this she'd be rolling on the forest floor laughing her tail off.

His good mood plummetted. Was his sister okay? He cast a worried glance over his shoulder. Before he knew it the words were spilling from his mouth, "Ravenpaw wasn't in her nest this morning. I'm sorry I'm so distracted. It's just I'm so worried." He gazed into his mentor's eyes and his words dried up, "I think Darkdagger was looking for her this morning."

Nark! He hissed inwardly, furious with himself.

[glow=Purple,2,300]>>Kieteitta kimiga egaku rakuen e to<<[/glow]

[~Moonflower~]

[glow=orange,2,000]Foxheart[/glow]

Foxheart got up, and smiled at the young apprentice, but he was surprised the young one didn't laugh. He obviously had very good self control. However, a good laugh is good for you... "I'm fine," he said playfully. Then the apprentice confessed. Foxheart wasn't really all that surprised at that though. In the back of his mind, he had guessed it had something to do with his troublemaker sister. "I'm sure she's fine," Foxheart comforted. "If Darkdagger is looking for her, then I'm sure she'll be found in no time."

Foxheart moved on, trying to make sure he could learn WindClans' scent. Perhaps he could use Ravenpaw as an example. "Imagine Ravenpaw is in WindClan, and you're trying to locate the scent she left before she left WindClan territory. When she came back after a couple days, what would her fur smell like?" Hopefully, Foxheart hadn't said the wrong thing. That could turn out to be disastrous.

[♰Fickle♰]

[glow=Purple,2,300]Crowpaw[/glow]

The small black apprentice stopped. He knew his mentor was creating a scenario, he'd have recognized her scent if it were anywhere nearby. He paused, "It would smell of the moorland probably, the ThunderClan scent wouldn't be as strong as usual."

He turned his golden gaze on his mentor, "She would still smell like Ravenpaw overall, because ThunderClan is the scent we all have in common, mostly from our territory and our clan-mates."

He fell silent, feeling as though he may have said something wrong. Surely he had. He looked to his mentor, golden eyes shining with a mixture of curiousity and the clinging remains of worry for his sister.

[glow=Purple,2,300]>>We'll say goodbye, Lost Heaven.
How we longed for Heaven<<[/glow]

[~Moonflower~]

[shadow=orange,left,300]Foxheart[/shadow]

Foxheart smiled and nodded at his reply. "Good," he placed another scent marker on the border. "I think you mentioned everything." They headed along the border silently, and he could tell that Crowpaw was only thinking of his sister at the moment. Foxheart tried to think of something to say, maybe somethimg of comfort, but no words came to his mouth or mind.

Finally they reached the far edges of ThunderClan territory. Foxheart paused to drop one more scent marker, and then turned to look at his apprentice. "Let's begin learning how to hunt, shall we?" he asked. The thought of teaching his apprentice how to hunt all kinds of animals and become a great warrior excited him. He would make a good warrior out of this apprentice. His mind raced. What should I teach him first? I guess basics are a good way to start out.

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[♰Fickle♰]

[glow=Purple,2,300]Crowpaw[/glow]

Crowpaw turned his scarred muzzle to his mentor. The tom-cat twitched his tail and for the first time his eyes shed the worried glint in them. "Hunting?"

He couldn't help the surge of excitement. No matter how old he made himself act he couldn't deny that he was barely older than a kit. He wanted desperately to learn the things Foxheart could teach him. The black apprentice stared at his mentor, "What do we learn first?"

[glow=Purple,2,300]>>We're letting go of something we never had.
Time goes so fast, Heaven is lost<<[/glow]

[~Moonflower~]

[shadow=orange,left,300]Foxheart[/shadow]

Foxheart smiled at his apprentice's eagerness to learn how to hunt. Foxheart himself caught it from his apprentice and also became eager to teach. He had to calm himself down for a second so that he didn't appear to kit-like. "Let's start with learning how to hunt mice," he said.

"Now, mice can feel your vibrations in the ground before they can see, smell, or hear you. You also have to make sure mice can't see your shadow, so make sure it's behind you." Foxheart demonstrated this, stepping lightly on tip-toe, his shadow behind him. Then his muscles tensed, and he pounced on an imaginary mouse. "Now you try," he smiled at his apprentice.

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[♰Fickle♰]

[glow=Purple,2,300]Crowpaw[/glow]

Crowpaw's black ears twitched as he watched his mentor. He faced the same way as the ginger cat, letting his shadow fall behind him. He stood very lightly, on his toes.

As he stalked forward he almost got it right, but he kept wanting to put his weight on his hind paws. It felt strange. He stepped on a twig and let out the smallest hiss of frustration.

He turned so that his golden gaze was on his mentor, "Can I see it again please?" He meowed, desperate to get this move down right before they continued on.

[glow=Purple,2,300]>>Hitotsuni narenai ukanda hoshizuku hitotsuno shuuenni akai hanatabawo<<[/glow]

[~Moonflower~]

[shadow=orange,left,300]Foxheart[/shadow]

Foxheart watched carefully. The apprentice almost had it right. His weight wasn't all balanced. It looked like he was leaning on his back feet. Foxheart nodded when the apprentice asked to see it again. Maybe I should do it on a real mouse to show you what it would really be like," he said, already sniffing the air. A mouse was in the forest bushes not too far away, thankfully. He crouched towards it, having to circle around a litle bit, so his shadow was behind him. He leaned in on his toes, weight balanced evenly on all four. Then, when he was in pouncing distance, he leapt, landing straight on his target. He gave it a nip to the neck, and it was dead. He brought it back to Crowpaw in his mouth. He dropped it started to cover it under the ground so he could come back for it later. Foxheart meowed to Crowpaw, "Make sure all your paws are evenly distibuting your weight. That way, one paw won't be heavier than the other when it comes down, and won't scare the mouse away." He smiled at his apprentice. He was as anxious as Crowpaw probably was, for the apprentice to catch his first piece of prey.

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