Sniffin' Air [Hawkpaw] | Closed

Sniffin' Air [Hawkpaw] Dec 6, 2015 23:59:49 GMT

Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2015 23:59:49 GMT

HARELEAP

" Right so, this is Birch Glade." The two-toned tom stopped and turned to regard his young apprentice. Honestly, he was still tickled absolutely pink at the thought that Pinestar had trusted him with an apprentice of his own. Oh, don't get him wrong, he loved the idea. He was seven moons a warrior, and he'd watched what felt like every other warrior gain an apprentice of their own. He hadn't been precisely jealous, but it had been along those lines. A few more moons and it just might have evolved into jealousy. It was mid-morning, far past time for the chill in the air to have receded into reluctant warmth, and just before where everyone was blissed out in the mid-day sunlight. Hmm, that didn't sound like too bad of a way to spend the afternoon really. No, no, he had responsibility now. He owed some sort of dedication to the young tabby apprentice. " This place is where a lot of SkyClan warriors learned to hunt. Myself included," he added the last two words on the end of a purr in amusement. He could all but hear Brambletail grumbling and grumping in his mind. " That being said, I think you can imagine what we're going to do today, or really, attempt to do. " Hareleap's pale whiskers twitched in unsubtle amusement. First hunting trips weren't quite the most inspiring for anyone.

The skinny tom sucked in a breath through his mouth, running the scent over his tongue. The musk of the earth, the chill of the day, and the crispness of everything was his answer. The smell of prey wasn't overwhelming, and he doubted there'd be much of anything live to test their skills on. Which was probably a good thing. If there wasn't much inching about, then they weren't likely to ruin someone else's hunting attempts. Gently, he touched the young cat's shoulder with the tip of his tail, tilting his head in a gesture towards the clearing, " Do you smell anything that stands out?" Anything that could have been found in the fresh-kill pile back at camp. Anything dangerous. Any of their Clanmates, it would have been an acceptable answer. " Hunting, is almost half made up by scent. If you can't smell your prey, you're going to be looking for a long time. Sure you can hear it, but you have to be close enough first. If you see it first, chances are it's already seen you and is running away." After all, hearing something could mean you were already almost on top of it, and going to ruin the whole excursion. One would simply lose the element of surprise.

For once, he kept his tone quiet, and careful. As if he were trying not to scare anything away. His amber eyes glinted with a sort of amusement, as if there was a joke that the apprentice wasn't yet in on. " Take your time, Hawkpaw. Hunting is almost always about patience, and so no one is ever in a rush." That wasn't always true, but he wasn't going to rush a new apprentice into the whole scary issue of storms and danger. There'd be plenty of time to learn those lessons anyway.

@hawkpaw

Sniffin' Air [Hawkpaw] Jan 8, 2016 16:40:51 GMT

Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2016 16:40:51 GMT

○ The warrior might've been excited for the arrangement, but the younger tom lagging behind him at a slower pace still wasn't exactly sure what to think. It had been at least a quarter moon since his apprenticeship ceremony and he was still reeling from the sudden shift. Pale green hues focused solely on the earth beneath his paws as mentor and apprentice padded towards an unknown destination. Though every now and then, those same hues would nervously flick between the earth and the larger tabby's form for a few seconds. The morning sun had long since passed the canopies of the trees, filling the area with great golden beams of light. Sharp green leaves, clear azure skies with the occasional fluffy white cloud and soft earthen colors filled the entire area; the freshest scents of clean air and foliage of all kinds filling the immediate atmosphere. It was indeed shaping up to be a lovely day. Though depending on how this trip went that could change quite quickly. Turning from positive to negative in a speed that surpassed even a rabbit's. For both young Hawkpaw and noble Hareleap.

○ Before Pinestar had seen fit to assign Hawkpaw to the tabby warrior, his interaction with the older cat had been... well, there hadn't really been any interaction. Maybe the occasional sighting across the camp. Now Hawkpaw was expected to be in near constant contact with the warrior on a daily basis. Expected to travel out into the forest and train to become a capable and competent member of SkyClan. It was a lot of pressure if one took the moment to think about it, on both parties. But Hareleap seemed to be handling such a mantle with grace. Hawkpaw on the other hand felt that weight very acutely. From what he'd gathered in off-hand comments, Hareleap hadn't trained an apprentice before. Which meant that on top of everything that Hareleap was likely being tested as well. A lot wagered on whether Hawkpaw did well during these sessions: Hareleap's potential as a teacher, and Hawkpaw's ability to serve SkyClan being most prominent. These were the thoughts that had plagued Hawkpaw ever since he'd timidly touched his nose to Hareleap's. And the pressure to excel was steadily growing with each passing moment. Hawkpaw had as much responsibility to Hareleap as the warrior had to the apprentice. The last thing Hawkpaw needed was to fail.

○ But failure had always been his own personal guarantee. He had forever been unable to please Her, so how was he suppose to please this familiar stranger? The young warrior's voice broke through the silence of the forest, and all musings were shattered as Hawkpaw came to a sudden stop a few mouse-lengths behind his mentor. Pale green hues snapped up immediately, giving the tabby his full attention. Well, perhaps Hawkpaw wouldn't be able to please Hareleap, but at least he could dedicate himself to obeying the warrior's every order. Most of SkyClan's apprentices were rambunctious and prone to mischief, Leopardpaw and Lightningpaw being prime examples. Hawkpaw wouldn't trouble Hareleap in that sense. As Hareleap regarded Hawkpaw, the rusty brown tabby turned his gaze to regard the area. Birch Glade, as Hareleap had called it. And right off the bat Hawkpaw could see why. The area was circled with tall, willowy birch trees. Between the small breaks in the canopy, the morning sun shone to touch the fanning leaves of the ferns that blanketed the ground. The earth itself was grassy and soft beneath Hawkpaw's paws. The emerald blades crunched crisply beneath the apprentice's weight, and the air was sweet in his lungs. Hareleap explained that this was a place for SkyClanners to learn how to hunt; at that magical word, Hawkpaw's interest was peaked.

○ Out of all the skills a warrior was suppose to learn, hunting was the highest on Hawkpaw's list. Given his small stature he wasn't sure how much use he'd ever be in battle. In his mind his only hope at finding a proper place in SkyClan was to become a hunter; Hareleap might believe Hawkpaw would consider this trip uninspiring, but to Hawkpaw there was no better training the warrior could've planned. The warrior took a deep breath to taste the air, and after a moment the gentle sensation of a tail brushing against Hawkpaw's scarred shoulder was felt. Which perhaps wasn't the best idea. So caught up in his musing, Hawkpaw didn't notice the movement until it was too late. The apprentice practically jumped out of his skin, recoiling away from the warrior as if he'd been struck. His tail curled around his body protectively as he seemed to shrink in on himself, staring at his mentor with the widest eyes possible. Even his breathing had stilled for a moment. The reaction was neither Hawkpaw nor Hareleap's fault - merely the result of a life time of hard learned lessons piled onto natural instincts for self-preservation. And a stark reminder of what Hawkpaw's life before SkyClan had been like. A few seconds later, Hawkpaw came back to himself, blinking as he timidly pulled out of the tense stance. Though he didn't met his mentor's gaze anymore. "Sorry, Hareleap... it- it won't happen again." he mewed in a quiet voice.

○ Eager to push the tense moment out of his mind, Hawkpaw instead turned to the glade. Mimicking his mentor's actions, he opened his maw and breathed the air in over his tongue. Right away he was hit with the scent of fresh moss and birches, ferns and musky earth. Several different faint scents from other Clanmates too; familiar apprentices and a few warriors. Though nothing immediately stood out. At least, nothing of importance. He regarded Hareleap again silently, listing to his explanation intently. How important it was to scent the prey before it scented him, and how seeing it first would usually mean failure. With the added comment to take his time, Hareleap fell silent. The elder warrior's eyes were glinting though... Hawkpaw wasn't sure if he should be wary of that or not. The small tabby turned his regard back to the area around them, blinked in contemplation, then took in several deep breaths through his mouth. Tasting the air again. "I... I think there's a mouse not too far from here, and it's digging something up. I can smell dirt in its scent." he began, his green gaze closing to focus further on the mingling scents and letting his mind pick them out. "That one might be a rabbit that fled past here, but the scent's not fresh. I can't be certain." that one was a little trickier. The rabbit could've easily have passed by more recently, or it might've not been a rabbit at all. He was going by memory from the scents on the fresh-kill pile.

○ One last scenting of the air, and he'd taken in all he could. "I think that Lionstorm passed by recently... and, there's water in the air... rain?" perhaps it was more than what Hareleap was expecting, but Hawkpaw hadn't known exactly what Hareleap had been expecting in the first place. So he just named off the scents as he identified them. Closing his mouth to cut off the trail of information flooding his brain, he turned to look at his mentor again, a question in his gaze. "Is... did I do satisfactorily?" he asked timidly, shuffling his paws in nervousness. Had he missed something Hareleap had wanted him to find. Hawkpaw didn't know what punishments were awarded to apprentices who didn't do well on their training sessions...

TAGGED: @mephisto ○ WORD COUNT: 1267 ○ MUSIC: 'HOPE IN FRONT OF ME' BY DANNY GOKEY