Hostile

10

Crisp sunlight spilled between the branches of the towering pine trees and formed shallow pools of light on the earth. Though, the ground was primarily coated in cool shadows, the plant life was eager to absorb every drop of sunlight that managed to reach the surface.

Two she-cats stood at the base of the trees. A fluffy black and red tortoishell stalked, while a small white cat watched a short distance behind.

The tortoishell crept forward eagerly. Small leaves and twigs tugged at her long belly-fur, causing a rustle to disturb the forest air. Her tail rose slightly as she stalked a target in the near distance, and her ears perked intently.

Foxpaw pounced. She landed unsteadily, trapping a twig beneath her paws.

"That was good." Frostcloud said, "But we'll need to work on your technique a little more before we practice your hunting skills on actual prey."

"What was wrong with my pounce?" Foxpaw asked defensively.

Frostcloud brushed off the apprentices sharp tone then dropped into her own hunters crouch. "You need to keep your belly further from the ground. Even a little higher than I do because you have longer fur." She instructed.

The warrior cautiously crept forward, "You can't pounce on your target right away either, you need to stalk it. Get close as you can, study it's movements, then launch. But remember to stay downwind, and try not to lift your ears or tail too much."

"It's a stick, it's not like it was going to hear or see me." Foxpaw argued.

Frostcloud flicked her ears. "I know you'd rather practice hunting on prey, but there's no reason to if you can't improve your hunters crouch. You'll want to kill your target quickly as possible, and you can't do that if you can't stand on your own paws properly." She replied, the patience just barely slipping from her voice.

Foxpaw didn't respond, and Frostcloud used the silence as an opportunity to breathe deeply. After collecting herself she continued, "You kept your toes close together, which is good. The only other thing is to aim for the center of your target- that way, if it moves, you'll still be able to catch its side. Now, try again."

Dropping into a hunters crouch, Foxpaw kept her posture somewhat further up. Her belly-fur just barely brushed the undergrowth, and as she stepped forward there was practically no rufflling.

"Good." Frostcloud praised. "Your target is that pinecone- the one by the blackberry bush. It's a squirrel."

Signaling she understood, Foxpaw twitched her ears. She kept her eyes steady on her target, slowly creeping one paw in front of the other. She kept her tail at level with her back, as to keep it from both disturbing the undergrowth and rising above her head.

"A bird overhead spots you and stops chirping. The squirrel looks around." Frostcloud murmured.

Foxpaw adjusted the placement of her hind feet and launched. She soared through the air and grasped the pinecone in her claws, pulling it into her stomach. Just as suddenly, she rolled off and fixed her rigid gaze on her mentor.

Frostcloud gave an approving nod, "That was much better. Let's try a few different scenarios, then we can track scents."

The sun crept further and further up the sky. Meanwhile, the air in the forest slowly became warmer. And though, still bearable, Frostcloud knew it wouldn't be long before the scorching greenleaf sun would be scalding the Clancats.

And with that hot sun would come Mosspool's kits. Frostcloud kept her watch on Foxpaw while she bit down on a twig, imagining it was a snake. StarClan forbid she stumble into one, she should know how to kill it.

The warrior scratched her ear. She hadn't told anyone of the news, just as she promised. But even still, she felt tempted to discuss the topic of the kits with Riverpelt or Buckheart. It was big news, after all.

"Are you ready to track scents?" Frostcloud asked, pulling herself back into the present.

"Yes, finally." Foxpaw groaned.

Frostcloud heaved a sigh. Cricketlegs had taught her how to hunt twigs before she hunted actual prey, just as she was to Foxpaw. I wasn't like this! She considered. Back as an apprentice, each step in learning to hunt was exciting to Frostcloud. She wasn't itching for the kill and going through her lessons like she had a wasp in her fur like Foxpaw was.

Tenderly, Frostcloud hoisted herself to her paws. Her bruised leg ached from all the strain she put it through since the battle, but still she pushed on. Just as all warriors do.

Silently, the duo weaved through the forest. It didn't take long before Frostcloud caught the scent of squirrel stuck on a patch of bramble. She paused, casting her gaze to Foxpaw. "Smell anything?" She asked.

Foxpaw gave an awkward sniff to the air. "Er, squirrel." She fumbled.

Nodding, Frostcloud went on quietly, "You'll have an easier time catching scents with practice. This squirrel one is fresh, but I doubt we'll find it. Let's keep moving."

The cats moved past Hive Tree, and soon after Frostcloud detected another scent. She stopped, then eyed Foxpaw expectantly.

Her hazel eyes alert, Foxpaw sniffed the air again, then following the scent to the roots of a tree. "There are mice in here."

Frostcloud nodded, "Very good. I'm glad to see you follow the scent too. Why don't you take the lead this time?"

Foxpaw raised her tail in delight before she pushed past Frostcloud, who had to keep her eyes from rolling. The cats had moved a tree-length before Frostcloud detected the scent of chipmunk. However, Foxpaw kept going.

The warrior cleared her throat and Foxpaw stopped. She waved her head around to face the warrior. "There was a chipmunk here some time ago. The scent it faint." Frostcloud explained, "Sometimes it's easier to notice an adjustment in the forest scent than to notice the prey."

Foxpaw sniffed the air again, "I smell it now." She murmured.

Frostcloud sat down. Disappointed she hadn't noticed a single scent on her own, Foxpaw licked the front of her chest. "Let's head back to camp." Frostcloud said after watching her apprentice for some moments, "I think practicing our stalking techniques wore us out."

Foxpaw didn't argue, though her tail had dropped as the two began their trek back to camp.

"We can practice tracking more tomorrow," Frostcloud said as they pulled into camp, "and if we do well we can go to Sun Stones and practice hunting lizards."

The warrior didn't fail to notice Foxpaw kneading the earth in excitement. Though, her voice feigned a far more aloof nature. "Okay." She said.