[firefox] Here comes the sonne

[Pyro]

Little paws tread lightly over the increasingly warmer ground. A flash of red fur. A glimpse of a fluffy, white-tipped tail. To the untrained eye it seemed a very young fox was stalking the woods. To the knowledgeable Fogclanner it could be none other than Foxpaw, the smallest of the small. Her wide, innocent, brown eyes flicked left and right as they searched for the source of the scent trail she was on. It was close. So close. The little apprentice could practically taste the squirrel. Her nose twitched again and as she rounded yet another bush, there it was.

The squirrel, with a tail near as bushy as her's, was concentrated on a nut. Foxpaw wondered absentmindedly if it was the first of the season for the squirrel. She considered letting it finish but only for the briefest of seconds. She was no longer at luxury to do such things. Her life was her clan's. FogClan's. Mistar's...StarClan's. Missing an opportunity just to show a bit of grace to a common squirrel was not an option. The clan needed to be fed. And if they were fed, she was fed. If they were not...Foxpaw blinked. StarClan would not be happy if she showed mercy to prey when there were elders and queens to feed.

The apprentice stalked forward, her every movement silent, her every breath restrained so that only a fraction of air moved in an out through her nose. Tense seconds moved slowly by as she crept along, until an unnoticed leaf crunched beneath a careful foot. At once the squirrel sped off, racing for a tree. Foxpaw was after it in a flash. She leaped for it, but mis-calculated, only grazing the prey before it scrambled up a tree.

Failure.

Holding in a cry of frustration, Foxpaw walked off, scenting for more prey. It was a while before she found something else, this time a mouse. It was alert, its whiskers and nose a-twitch as it scoped out the area for predators. It knew one must be near by. The commotion made by the squirrel was evidence enough. A jay screamed overhead and it scurried for its hole. Once again Foxpaw pounced, only to land empty pawed on top of the mouse's den.

Failure.

A while later she found a thrush. Foxpaw stalked it carefully, trying t keep an eye on the ground and an eye on her prey. She became quicker as the distance closed, finally pouncing for the bird. This time her jump fell short, only startling the prey into flight. The apprentice watched with angry eyes as it flew into the air, mocking her with tweeting calls.

Foxpaw hung her head. "I am unfit to be in StarClan's chosen clan. he must be angry at me. I know they are. They're probably sending a sign right now to Miststar or Brightnose telling them to kick me out."

[Whiskers]

Firepaw was used to getting disappointed, because life was disappointing, so he made it a rule never to hope for things too much. Not that he never hoped, because he did. It's just that, lately, he had been hoping less and less, since everytime he had raised his head and waited, or expected, he had been sorely let down. And now he was feeling disappointed again. In Miststar. Which had to be a sin or something-- she was Starclan's chosen. What she did, every move, breath, pawstep, ear twitch, it was all correct and blessed by Starclan.

It's just...there wasn't much change in Fogclan so far. There was some, of course. And he knew he needed patience (not his strong suit), because more changes had to be on the way. Right now, the handpicked council just did rounds around camp and acted almost like mini deputies, given that they were always leading patrols and whatnot. The sinners were going unnoticed, untouched and that just couldn't happen. Firepaw was anxious and yes, impatient, for the sinners to get what was coming to them. He wanted nothing more than to watch Frostpaw get punished. He wanted to see her thoroughly unhappy. Oh and Finchpaw-- Firepaw wanted him to get exposed for the fraud he was too.

But what really bothered Firepaw is that he had no replacement mentor and he was lingering alone on brink of warriorhood. He would be fine with it if it wasn't taking so long to get his warrior name. But he had to wait. And wait and wait and he was getting restless and growing afraid. What if he failed his warrior test because he didn't have a mentor to give him those final pointers? He had no guide. And it was so unfair.

And that was one of the many, many reasons Firepaw preferred to keep himself busy. He didn't want any of his skills to rust, to fade. He couldn't forget, he had to perfect. So he hunted meticulously and yes, practiced fighting moves all by himself in the forest.

Today he was not alone though. He had noticed it for quite some time, but the scent of another cat was near, trekking through the forest, ignorant to his own presence there. It seemed, no matter where he went, the cat ended up there, and prey ran in his direction. He enjoyed the easy catches-- the cat sent them straight to him. But after a while, he grew a bit sorry for his mysterious, unknowing partner.

Firepaw went toward the cat and the scent grew stronger; he recognized it to be a fellow apprentice. Foxpaw. She was amazingly small and young-- six moons younger than him, if he remembered. So her missteps, mishaps and mistakes all made sense. There was no way she was going to be a skilled hunter so young, so inexperienced.

She seemed to think otherwise. His ears twitched at her frustrated moan and comment. How stupid. No one was perfect, and Starclan was not going to kick her out because she couldn't catch prey. They were Starclan, all-loving, all-forgiving.

Firepaw emerged from behind her, warning her of his appearance with a loud snort.

"Don't be so harsh on yourself," he said, slightly smirking. "As if Starclan would ever do something so mean, especially when you've been seemingly abandoned by your mentor." And as he said this he looked around and sniffed the air. But nope-- no mentor in sight or sound or scent.

[/size]

[Pyro]

Foxpaw resisted the urge to jump at the sound of Firepaw's snort. She mentally pounded herself. She should have been paying attention to more than just her prey, which called mockingly from the safety of a tree somewhere in the distance. Snarky though the call was, there was beauty in it and Foxpaw found herself a little relieved she hadn't killed it. No. She shouldn't be relieved she should be mad. Angry at herself. Angry at yourself for what? For making a mistake after becoming an apprentice so soon? A voice inside her teased her, poking at her mind with sharp claws. If you weren't so small, maybe you could have gotten at least one piece of prey. But before the voice could berate her more, Firepaw spoke. He spoke words. Kind words at first, despite the smirk, that quickly turned to wrong words. Abandoned? Again? first her siblings into the void, then her parents into the unknown, now Birchtail? No. Not again. She couldn't have been. That was impossible. If what Firepaw said before was true, then surely StarClan wouldn't be so cruel as to have her mentor abandon her...

"I have not been abandoned." The small she-cat snapped, a little too harshly, a little too hysterically.

Almost at once though, Foxpaw quieted and calmed herself. If she had to show an emotion besides disappointment, it couldn't be anger. Anger was a poison that spoiled judgment and made the air sour.

In a softer tone she said, "Birchtail's probably just busy hunting somewhere else. I'm sure she's doing much better without me bumbling around behind her..." She smiled. "She's such a good hunter, I wouldn't want to spoil her talent by getting in the way. She'll get around to teaching me some things eventually, I'm sure of it." She wouldn't abandon me...unlike some cats. Foxpaw added silently.

[Whiskers]

Firepaw wasn't expecting the initial reaction that Foxpaw gave him. She was a quiet spirit, one he barely even noticed when he was in the apprentice den. Of course, he was loud, so perhaps he just drowned her out. And it's not like he ever bothered to really pay attention to her-- she was quite young, a newly-made apprentice, with a kittish face. Looking at her now, he felt positively giant, as if he was already a warrior. It was not so much a nice feeling as it was awkward, and he felt as though, being bigger and older, he should do something, help her out in some way. Lead her back to camp, holding her paw or whatever. He almost snorted outloud at the thought. She was no kit, stupid, she was just small and petite and...so fragile looking. His instincts were just telling him to protect her, that's what it was.

And though she claimed that Birchtail wasn't abandoning her, he didn't believe her. His own experiences with a mentor had made him paranoid probably, but looking at Foxpaw and how appalling she was (and how small. She was just so small), he didn't even want to think of what kind of mentor would leave her all alone. Wasn't it against the rules too? Older apprentices could go out by themselves, but younger ones needed permission for stuff like that. But anyway, it was just wrong for Foxpaw to be alone. There were badgers and foxes and stuff out here. And she wouldn't have a clue about what to do if she got attacked.

Clearly he couldn't leave her, then. Not now. He might be the only thing standing between Foxpaw and death. The thought made him smile (weird), and he decided he'd just have to join Foxpaw on her little outing. Or at least escort her back to camp.

The way she talked also made Firepaw feel the need to help her. She talked as though...she was nothing, like she really didn't deserve any time with her own mentor Which wasn't true.

"Stop talking like you're not worth teaching. Foxpaw, she's your mentor, she's supposed to be sharing her talent. You wouldn't spoil anything. 'Sides, we all suck at hunting at first. You know, my first day out, I ran into a tree. Seriously-- I was chasing a squirrel and it went up the tree and I guess I tried to use my head to knock it over," Firepaw smiled at the memory. At the time it had been the most embarrassing thing ever; now it was great for a laugh. Finchpaw had laughed about it for days when he found out--his own dad had ratted him out. Now those...those had been the best days of Firepaw's life. Back when they were young and Finchpaw wasn't the idiot he was now.

"But anyway, don't be so hard on yourself. You're allowed to 'bumble' around all you want for the first moon or so. But then you get better. You just need practice and-- well, you need your mentor here to teach you in the first place." The last bit was tinted with Firepaw's annoyance at Birchtail. Seriously, he didn't care what Birchtail was doing, she should be with Foxpaw.

[/size]

[Pyro]

She laughed as she turned her thoughts to Firepaw's story. Had he really done that? He looked so dignified. "There's no way you did something like that. You're too...dignified? Serious?" Foxpaw shook her head in disbelief.

The apprentice blinked. Worth it? Was she really? She wasn't clanborn...She had barely begun to discover StarClan's grace. By her reckoning she had a ways to go before she was pure by any standards, and by reflection, worthy enough to take valuable time. However, Firepaw's words made her smile a bit and her face lightened up. They were both apprentices. Surely training together was only natural. And if she learned with Firepaw, she might not have to take as much time from Birchtail. Of course, there was the matter of if Firepaw would like the idea...and how to ask.

It wasn't as if they were friends, or even knew each other for that matter. If she recalled right, they had never talked before now. So what reason would the older apprentice have to help her? Maybe he will because he's nice...I mean, he's been pretty good-natured so far...Not that good natured is equivalent to generous. She scuffed a paw on the ground, playing with a pebble to avoid looking the tom in the eyes. Do you think...that maybe...since Brichtail isn't available right now... That maybe, you could maybe possibly..." Foxpaw roll her head around on her neck, as though pondering. "Uhm...help me a little? Just a little of course. I mean, I don't want to be a bother or impose or anything..."

[Whiskers]

Firepaw's neck fur stood on end and he grew hot all over. He thought for sure that she was just making fun of him at first-- because no one...ever...saw him that way. He wasn't dignified, he was just...stupid Firepaw, right? He shuffled his paw for a moment, unable to comprehend that some cat actually saw him that way. It made so much more sense if she was joking or if there was some cat behind him. But no. He was alone with Foxpaw and for some reason, she thought he was 'dignified' and 'serious.'

He felt an immediate pressure to be just that. Firepaw had always striven to be the best warrior he could be, but never before had he felt the need. Foxpaw's timid frame and confidence in him inspired the need in him and he knew that he couldn't just...he couldn't let her down. She was the only cat who thought he was serious and stuff, he couldn't ruin the image.

So when she asked him to hunt with her--beside her-- it wasn't a question, but rather a command that Foxpaw didn't know she was saying. It was not something he He could say no to, as he would disappoint her or upset her or something, y'know? Last thing he wanted to do was upset the kittish she-cat. He couldn't stand the sight of sad kittens, and it was even worse when they were females. Luckily enough, Firepaw wanted to say yes (why not, right? She was cute, she wanted his help, and he should hunt anyway), so he didn't feel forced into it. He just recognized the obligation.

He laughed at her bumbling, grinned good-naturedly and answered, "Shut up, you're not imposing or anything. I'd love to help you hunt, Foxpaw. If you hadn't asked, I would have, so don't you worry about it."

[/b] He got up from where he was sitting and stretched out his muscles. "We'll have to move from here, all the prey's run off. So...how about you try catching the scent and I'll help you track it down?" [/center][/size]

[Pyro]

Foxpaw beamed. Firepaw would love to help her? "O-okay!" She squeaked before ducking her head. The small she-cat turned round to walk away at a measured pace, careful to take her time. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool of herself twice in front of Firepaw...However the thought of an audience made her shiver with more than cold.

She scented the brisk air for any signs of prey. Firepaw was right of course. There wasn't really anything around besides trees, leaves, and cold. Fluffing her coat out against the freezing temperature, she moved onward, using the need for silence as an excuse not to say anything awkward or embarrassing. The scent of mouse hit her nose but upon closer examination she found it was stale.

It seemed like she had already been out for an hour with Firepaw, though it had only been a few minutes. She was so concerned about not disappointing him after he donated his time that the minutes, even the seconds, seemed to drag on and on. Foxpaw gasped with hope as she scented a bird. She wasn't sure what kind it was, but it would be nice to get one after the other had gotten away...But how to get it without scaring it away like last time?

ooc: I gotta get back in the Foxpaw groove. :U

[Whiskers]

Firepaw waited as patiently as he could, which proved very difficult. His nose caught the scent of the bird practically right away-- after first ruling out a mouse and a squirrel-- and it was weird to wait for someone to catch up to him. He usually had to do the catching up! Was this what it was like for the mentors? Did they stand around, waiting and waiting for the apprentices to see the obvious, smell what was right in front of their noses? It must be unbelievably hard not to just shout out the correct answer. Firepaw wanted nothing more than to turn Foxpaw's head and point in the direction of the bird. But he didn't. He just gritted his teeth, stood still and waited, wondering how the heck he would ever mentor anyone if just this was hard for him.

Maybe self-control would come with his warrior name. Like some sort of nifty package deal, in which he'd instantly get bigger, smarter and more patient. That would be nice.

Foxpaw stiffened and her thin whiskers trembled. Firepaw watched her carefully as she narrowed in on the scent, finally pinpointing its location. It wasn't far, but birds were really tricky and he was almost 99% sure that Foxpaw didn't have enough skill to stalk carefully enough toward it to even attempt a pounce. But she did have these absurd, tiny paws (he glanced at them with interest and once again wondered how in the world she was six moons old) and she might be better than he thought. Might as well give it a try?

Oh, but there were other problems too. Like the fact Firepaw sucked at hunting, kinda sorta. He could track and stalk, but his pounce was kinda hit-and-miss at this point, though it was more hits than misses. Birds were a weakness though, but he could swing it if he really tried. His only other choice was to look like a fool and that wasn't even a choice, it was something that couldn't, under any circumstances, happen in front of Foxpaw.

But even if he could catch it, he couldn't teach Foxpaw how to. Oi. Why did he agree to do this? He sucked at everything!

Too late now. Firepaw took a deep breath and crouched down more to Foxpaw's level. "Okay, you found your prey-- check. Step two-- assess the prey. It's a bird, obviously, so you'll have to be ready for it to fly and believe me, it will try to fly away. Birds are extra tricky like that. Kind of a pain in the tail, really, but if you stay low you can get close enough to pounce. The real hard part is taking it down, since you gotta kill it fast or it'll put up a fight." he racked his brain for any more tips. What did he do when hunting birds (besides fall on his face)? "Uh-- the wings, you always try to pin the wings down if you can. So uh...you wanna give it a go then or do you want me to demonstrate?"

Hopefully she'd just do it herself. He didn't feel like embarrassing himself.

[/size]

[Pyro]

Assess the prey. Right. Bird. Right. Catch it and pin the wings...easy for him to say. With a gulp she stalked forward, blissfully unaware of the advantage her small paws gave her. Even more nervous than she was before (if that was even possible) she forced herself not to begin trembling. She didn't know a lot about hunting, but somehow she didn't think trembling would help her.

If she could blush she probably would. She'd be redder than her fur. Redder than Firepaw's even. She was beginning to regret asking him to teach her...not that she wasn't already for the simple reason that she was wasting his time. But hunting with an audience was probably more stressful than hunting alone where no one could see her fail.

Lost in her thoughts she didn't notice the dry leaves until it was too late. Her paw, light though it was, produced a piercing crunch from the seemingly small pile. That coupled with the resulting warning cry from another bird (more prey she didn't notice) startled her so much she nearly jumped out of her skin. The bird she was stalking flapped its wings, bringing her attention back to it, though her nerves were frazzled beyond belief. As the prey began to take flight the small she-cat raced forward, desperate to catch it and not make an even bigger fool of herself.

Foxpaw reached the bid just as it was really taking off. Bunching the muscles of her tiny legs she launched herself into the air and managed to bring the bird to the ground...Unfortunately, the bird was a lot bigger up close than far away. It struggled in her grip and before she could get a good grip on it with her teeth it flapped and battered its way from her paws.

The bird flattered clumsily away, leaving Foxpaw empty-pawed and empty of any and all confidence.