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[Pinedark]

[From Main Camp]

Pinepaw led her new mentor, Loveless, to the small field--she breathed in the air, felt her surroundings. She saw a mouse scamper out of the way as she stretched her long legs, shook her fur briskly.

[Loveless]

Loveless move silently after his young charge, tail held high. Yellow hues watched the small mouse scamper away from her, and he grinned. Here was a good place for hunting now.

"C'mon Pinepaw; show me you stalking technique."

He wanted to see what he shoudl start with first. If she had a good stalk, he would give her a few pointers and they wouldn't dwell for a long time on it.

"The clan could always use some more fresh-kill."

[Pinedark]

"Okay!" Pinepaw exclaimed. She crouched down, almost comically, and waited for Loveless's instructions. She imagined herself bringing home more prey than she could carry!

She twitched her paw underneathe her, pushing the fantasy out of her mind to hear what Loveless had to say.

[Loveless]

Loveless chucked softly.

"Don't hold your body so stiff. A mouse would be able to sense your paws steps a mile away. Keep your body loose and limber...watch."

The black and white tom flowed into a stalk, his ears trained forward. Already head could hear rustling of a mouse in the long grass, and his movements rippled like water as he steadily made his way over towards the mouse, paws almost never seeming to touch the ground.

There was a pounce, almost quicker than the eye could follow, and when Loveless next lifted his head, he was holding a small mouse. He carried this back over to Pinepaw, dropping it at her paws.

"It's easier if you think of a song while you're stalking. Just flow to the rhythm."

Loveless lolled out his tongue in a roguish grin, and chuckled softly.

[Pinedark]

Pinepaw looked admiringly at her mentor. She'd never seen anything like his hunting! She wondered if she would ever get to be like that.

Following his instructions, she relaxed, allowing the flow of the earth and all around her to run with her; she was one with it.

Spotting another field mouse, she stalked it slowly, not allowing any sound to come from her small paws. But the mouse felt her anyway; she bolted after it as it ran--catching it and killing it in the end, but very clumsily.

"Oops!" Pinepaw muttered, embarrassed. "I'll try again, and this time I won't be so clumsy!" she promised, grinned at Loveless.

[Loveless]

“You still killed it! Great job!”

Loveless allowed the pride to ripple in his voice as he looked down at his apprentice.

“It was a wonderful effort for your first try!”

He took his mouse and set it beside hers. Already, they had two pieces to add to the fresh-kill pile back at the main camp.

“The more you practice, the better you’ll get at it…that I promise you.”

The black-and-white tom twitched his tail, thinking for a brief moment.

“I would like for you to practice every chance you get, and the next time we go out, I will see just how much you’ve improved. Now, who’s up for some battle practice?”

They could hunt on the way to the training area, of course.

[Pinedark]

Pinepaw let herself glow with the pride she felt in Loveless' praise. She was proud of herself, and she was even more pleased the Loveless was too.

Grinning, the light grey she-cat also twitched her tail. "I'd love that," she meowed, her deep green eyes sparkling. "Battle practice sounds... More or less interesting," she added, her grin never faltering.

[Loveless]

“More or less, hm? Well, my young furry apprentice, let’s see if I can make it more interesting than that. Catch me if you can!”

With a flick of his tail, Loveless snatched up his mouse and raced off. The big fool was still very much a kit at heart, that was for certain.

[To Training Area]