Training {Huntpaw/Shellfur}

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Fresh from her own warrior training, Shellfur had to admit she was a little surprised that Mothstar would trust her with an apprentice so soon. Shellfur wasn't complaining, just stating her surprise in her mind as she walked toward the Whispering Meadow in search of her apprentice. They hadn't gotten much of a chance to really train yet. A recent run-in with an eagle while hunting with Ashwind had stucked Shellfur in the medicine cat's den for a bit but now she was itching to be on the move. The little struggle had also inspired her first training session with Huntpaw. Battle training. It as already obvious Huntpaw was highly skilled as a hunter but a warrior had to be a good fighter as well. That meant it was time to teach and Shellfur had a way in mind.

Reviewing her plan in her mind as she crested a slope looking out over the meadow, Shellfur let out a noisy sigh to relax herself and uncoil her nervous muscles. To think, fourteen moons old and already she had an apprentice, true not an overly eager apprentice but an apprentice nonetheless. Waving her tail back and forth the tortoiseshell she-cat scanned the open expanse of tall grasses in search of her apprentice. She'd asked him to meet her here at sunhigh and hoped he'd remembered.

Sitting back on her slender haunches the small she-cat prepared to wait. Having recently been an apprentice herself, Shellfur knew the art of arriving late to training sessions. It was either insanely early or it was extremely late. That was just how it was though Shellfur did hope she had a somewhat responsible apprentice that would at least show up. Ashwind would forever tease her if she found out Shellfur had a rotten-egg as an apprentice but Shellfur wasn't judging yet so she waited quietly.

[Fadingstar]

Huntpaw's calico fur parted in odd places as the wind cut through it, somehow able to reach him in the middle of the den. One dull amber eye opened halfway as the tom gazed out of the den to see if it was a good time to wake up in time to get to his training session. Seeing it was a while until sunhigh the small apprentice rose up from his den and stretched out his back, pops could be heard if you listened closely. Letting out a large yawn he padded swiftly and naturally silently to grab himself a piece of prey.

Finding a small rabbit that would curb his appetite for most likely the whole day unless his training was especially difficult. Going back to lay ion the shade so he didn't get beaten by the sun just yet Huntpaw tucked into his rabbit, stripping its bones of the stringy meat. It tasted of plains and somehow of the wind, a flavor Huntpaw savored no matter how big or small the morsel.

Finishing up he looked to the sky and found that still the sun was too low in the sky to head out yet, so sitting up the small apprentice began to groom himself so he looked presentable at the first of many training sessions. Yawning once more he gazed around and smiled slightly as he watched some older kits tussle outside the nursery. Though his dull gaze showed only a slight bit of emotion ruled by the pain of never being able to wrestle around with a sibling, or close friend for that matter....

Drawing his mind away from those thoughts Huntpaw decided it was about time to meet Shellfur, his mentor. Trotting away from the camp he fell into a quick pace that took him towards his young mentor. Huntpaw had been surprised when he had been assigned the young warrior as a mentor but had accepted Mothstar's decision nonetheless, she was his leader and he had to accept her decisions.

Finally at just the exact time of sunhigh he finally reached his mentor in her choice of a location for their first training session. Huntpaw had a sinking feeling that she hoped to teach him how to fight, well no matter how much work his skills needed in this area he wanted to prve himself worthy to his mentor by doing the best he could for her. Wrapping his black tail around his small white paws he awaited Shellfur's next move calmly.

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Catching both sight and scent of her approaching apprentice, Shellfur watched him through her mud-green eyes. True her gaze wasn't clear nor was it particularly the prettiest but she was content. Shellfur had always been that way, easily contented and always happy. She would bug the living daylights out of anyone until they gave in and befriended her. A happy-go-lucky nature however, can only get you so far within a clan and for right now Shellfur focused on being at least semi-serious about the training. Skilled as Huntpaw was when hunting, he needed a lot of help with fighting but Shellfur was almost certain her plan would work.

"An apprentice on time, it's an amazing thing" Shellfur mused as he drew nearer. "Well, I suppose we should get down to the lesson hmm?" Standing up and stretching the tortoiseshell she-cat looked back out over the meadow before turning back to Huntpaw. "I don't know what you know about fighting but I think you should forget whatever it is you know and play a little game with me." She said it with a straight face but in her mind she could see Ashwind rolling around laughing. Banishing the image, Shellfur flicked Huntpaw's nose with her tail tip. "You're going to hunt me and take me down. That will be your battle training for now."

Sadly Shellfur wasn't kidding. She was planning on having Huntpaw "hunt" her like a fleeing rabbit and "take her down" without killing her. Shellfur would run and fight back but Huntpaw's goal would be to pin her down so she couldn't run anymore. She figured it was a good way for him to look at a battle, as a hunt. You searched out your target, chased them, attacked them, let them run when they submitted. That was how you dance the dance of war and it was simple enough to hear, a bit more tricky to do when faced with a larger or more experienced warrior. Hopefully this would also give Huntpaw a bit of a feel for fighting as well if he could put it in a mind-set he understood.