Post by Dragon on Jun 14, 2009 0:17:06 GMT -5
Ratwhisker strode in with a stern look on his gray face. His mouth was a hard line as he waited for his apprentice. He took no enjoyment in having to train with her if she was so not ready to learn. His amber eyes glanced around, wondering if that day would come.
His frown deepened as he sat on the sun baked sand of the clearing. The deputy's patience was running thin, just as Morninpaw marched into the clearing.
The speckled she-cat stood firm, an expression on her face he had never seen. Solid nerve. Her shoulders were braced to what ever her high-strung mentor would throw at her. What surprised him most, was a large rabbit that hung limply from her clenched jaws.
"I caught this for you." Morningpaw mumbled through the rabbit. She stiffly came forward and dropped the rabbit at her mentor's paw. Ratwhisker didn't move.
Ratwhisker was never one to display much emotion, but as he looked up from the rabbit his hard amber eyes settled warmly on his apprentice and he smiled. "Good job." he purred.
A shadow of a smile came onto Morningpaw's face and she dipped her broad head. But her gray eyes danced with pride.
"Let us train." Ratwhisker offered for the first time, he had loathed training for moons and now he opened up. "We'll be practicing hunting, but as I see you will need little training here." He tilted head toward the rabbit, "Lets begin, shall we?"
Morningpaw bobbed her head in agreement and came closer to him.
The deputy crouched low into an experianced mouse crouch. His paws were light on the forest floor and his weight was even among his paws. The tom silently slid forward, more silent as the moonless night.
"This is the mouse crouch, if you know this your likly to survive. Just be light pawed and silent, your bound to catch a mouse." Ratwhisker murmured, "Now you do it."
Morningpaw licked her lips and crouched low a little awkwardly. She tentatively stepped forward and somewhat jerkily came forward.
"No, no no. You're completely off balence..." Ratwhisker scolded. The apprentice looked deflated and looked at her paws but he waved his tail and made adjustments to her posture. "Now be confident in your movements."
The she-cat tried again and easily slid forward, her strong bulk smoothly moving forward. Morningpaw was thrilled. So much so, as she leaped up and she touched noses with her mentor.
The gray tom recoiled in surprise and his mouth opened slightly. He shook his head and smiled. "Good job." He mewed quietly. "Now the second more important stalk, Snake stalking."
Ratwhisker took upon himself a taller posture, but his paws were just as light. "You must be light on your toes once again but you only stalk to get near. Then you must leap and strike at the serpent." He acted as if a stray twig was a snake, he leaped around it and batted it with his paws. "You try it!"
The thickly furred she-cat leaped over the twig and prodded it with her paws.
"Jump about it more!" Ordered Ratwhisker.
Morningpaw leaped and jumped around the twig, battering it with her claws. Finally, she stepped down on the little stick and snapped it cleanly in two.
"Good!" Her mentor praised. "At this rate, you'll be the greatest hunter in Serpentclan!"
The apprentice beamed with pride puffed out her chest at his compliment. "I want to be the best!" Morningpaw said confidently. "And I will be the best!"
Ratwhisker licked her ear affectionately. "That's the grandest wish of all!"
His frown deepened as he sat on the sun baked sand of the clearing. The deputy's patience was running thin, just as Morninpaw marched into the clearing.
The speckled she-cat stood firm, an expression on her face he had never seen. Solid nerve. Her shoulders were braced to what ever her high-strung mentor would throw at her. What surprised him most, was a large rabbit that hung limply from her clenched jaws.
"I caught this for you." Morningpaw mumbled through the rabbit. She stiffly came forward and dropped the rabbit at her mentor's paw. Ratwhisker didn't move.
Ratwhisker was never one to display much emotion, but as he looked up from the rabbit his hard amber eyes settled warmly on his apprentice and he smiled. "Good job." he purred.
A shadow of a smile came onto Morningpaw's face and she dipped her broad head. But her gray eyes danced with pride.
"Let us train." Ratwhisker offered for the first time, he had loathed training for moons and now he opened up. "We'll be practicing hunting, but as I see you will need little training here." He tilted head toward the rabbit, "Lets begin, shall we?"
Morningpaw bobbed her head in agreement and came closer to him.
The deputy crouched low into an experianced mouse crouch. His paws were light on the forest floor and his weight was even among his paws. The tom silently slid forward, more silent as the moonless night.
"This is the mouse crouch, if you know this your likly to survive. Just be light pawed and silent, your bound to catch a mouse." Ratwhisker murmured, "Now you do it."
Morningpaw licked her lips and crouched low a little awkwardly. She tentatively stepped forward and somewhat jerkily came forward.
"No, no no. You're completely off balence..." Ratwhisker scolded. The apprentice looked deflated and looked at her paws but he waved his tail and made adjustments to her posture. "Now be confident in your movements."
The she-cat tried again and easily slid forward, her strong bulk smoothly moving forward. Morningpaw was thrilled. So much so, as she leaped up and she touched noses with her mentor.
The gray tom recoiled in surprise and his mouth opened slightly. He shook his head and smiled. "Good job." He mewed quietly. "Now the second more important stalk, Snake stalking."
Ratwhisker took upon himself a taller posture, but his paws were just as light. "You must be light on your toes once again but you only stalk to get near. Then you must leap and strike at the serpent." He acted as if a stray twig was a snake, he leaped around it and batted it with his paws. "You try it!"
The thickly furred she-cat leaped over the twig and prodded it with her paws.
"Jump about it more!" Ordered Ratwhisker.
Morningpaw leaped and jumped around the twig, battering it with her claws. Finally, she stepped down on the little stick and snapped it cleanly in two.
"Good!" Her mentor praised. "At this rate, you'll be the greatest hunter in Serpentclan!"
The apprentice beamed with pride puffed out her chest at his compliment. "I want to be the best!" Morningpaw said confidently. "And I will be the best!"
Ratwhisker licked her ear affectionately. "That's the grandest wish of all!"
