Turtlestar's Destiny: Book 1

~Chapter 10: Hunting Practice~

~Chapter 10: Hunting Practice~

Once the clan had departed and Larkstar had jumped down from high rock, Hollowstep turned to Turtlepaw who was sitting by his side. "Hello, young Turtlepaw." he said smiling, dipping his head. "Hello." she said, dipping her head back. He got up. "Where do you think we should begin your training?" he questioned her. She looked around, confused. "This could be part of your training." she thought quickly, "The fresh-kill pile looks low. I should learn how to hunt for my clan first." "We should hunt." she announced confidently. He nodded. "Good choice. You're wise for you age." She smiled at the compliment. Maybe having Hollowstep for a mentor wouldn't be so bad, but it sure would be different.

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Turtlepaw exited the camp, following Hollowstep who was a surisingly fast walker. This time she exited with confidence, knowing that she would be contributing like a real clan member. They reached a quiet spot near some rabbit holes. "Windclan is special because of our speed and skill for catching rabbits." Hollowstep, informed his apprentice, sitting down in front of Turtlepaw, "It is a clan tradition to have all our apprentices skilled at these talents. I want you to take a quick run every morning. This will improve your stamina, which will help in both battle and hunting." She nodded, eager to learn how to hunt. He noticed this an smiled. "First I'll show you how to stalk and pounce." He crouched, keeping his paws light and his tail off the ground but not too high up. He got up after she had studied his position. "Now you try." He said, sitting down to watch. She crouched, trying her best to imitate what he had done. He nodded. "Good, but relax for muscles more and don't let your tail droop." She corrected these the best she could, and after a few seconds he nodded. "You can stand up now." She quickly obeyed, loosneing her shoulders.

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After a couple more hours of practicing stalking and pouncing on target, Hollowstep decided it was time for Turtlepaw's first hunting trip. He led her to some undergrowth, then stood back to watch. She tasted the air, reckognizing a robin's scent. She pricked her ears, and heard it tapping on the ground a few yards away. Turtlepaw couldn't see it, but knew it was there, and dropped into a crouch. She snaked forward like Hollowstep ahd showed her, the gathered her haunches, ready to spring. She flew through the air, but landed sloppily. The bird took tried to escape into the air, but Turtlepaw snagged it down with her loighting fast paw before in could get far. It hit the ground, dead. She swished her tail excitedly and picked it up after admiring it for a few seconds, hurrying back to Hollowstep. She dropped it at his paws, her eyes shining. "I did it! I did it! I caught a robin!" He grinned, dipping his head. "Congratgulations. Now let's get back to camp."

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