early mornings (minkpaw)

Minkpaw was curled into a tight ball, her limbs overlapping and her tail draped across her face. She was close to the edge of the den, and she'd woken up a few times in the night to the cold breezes that had managed to work their way through the branches and into her nest. The she-cat woke again, but this time because of the sound of Pebblewhisker's whispers from outside. She'd always been a light sleeper, and she was drawn out of sleep easily, her ears twitching as his soft voice reached them. As her eyes slowly opened, Minkpaw drowsily stood up from her nest and let out a yawn. Still half-asleep, she made her way to the entrance, carefully stepping around her clanmates and avoiding stray paws and tails.

She could feel the chill from outside as she approached, and the she-cat paused, dreading stepping away from the den's warmth, before continuing with a slight sigh. Minkpaw suppressed a grimace once the morning's cold air hit her in full force, and she shivered slightly as she started towards the camp's entrance. The sun had barely risen above the trees, and the sky was still an orange hue, casting golden light on everything below. Pebblewhisker wasn't in the camp anymore, and Minkpaw quickened her pace to see if her mentor had already gone into the territory. She caught sight of his dark fur once she stepped out of the camp, and the she-cat ran to catch up with him.

"Good morning, Pebblewhisker," Minkpaw chirped once she was next to him, and slowed to a walk to fall in step with him. "What're we doing today?" She asked, her tail waving slowly behind her. The chilly air had woken her up fully by this point, and the excitement for a training session was setting in.

tagged: @squachy
notes:

Minkpaw padded alongside her mentor and tried to warm up. The canopy overhead mostly blocked the sun, its leaves only allowing sparse rays of sunlight to shine down onto the ground. It was colder here than in camp, and the chill bit into her skin. "I'm taking you out into the forest. Today I want us to work on your hunting skills, both on and off the ground." Her ears perked in attention as Pebblewhisker began speaking, the sound of the word hunting temporarily distracting her from the cold. As she walked beside him, she occasionally glanced at Pebblewhisker as he continued talking.

At the mention of going alone, a hint of doubt slipped in with her excitement. Minkpaw liked hunting sessions, but Pebblewhisker had always been there besides her in the previous ones. If he thought she could do it, though, then she'd trust his opinion. "It's up to you to decide which form of hunting will be best today," Pebblewhisker continued. She felt nervous as she was given a choice. Why couldn't he just give her a set of instructions to follow? Minkpaw glanced up overhead, where the leaves swayed slightly to a wind passing through, and then back to the ground, where green shoots had started pushing up through the dirt again as the weather turned warmer. The trees, or the ground?

She cast an anxious glance at Pebblewhisker, kind of hoping that he would decide for her. It was then that they left the path they'd been following, and Minkpaw followed her mentor to the roots of a towering tree. It was warmer here. The sun had climbed higher in the sky, and its light broke through the woven branches above more easily. Minkpaw settled down next to Pebblewhisker in the patch of sunlight, and a small sigh of relief escaped her as warmth surrounded her, the icy cold in her limbs replaced with the pleasant feel of sunlight.

As the cold slowly left her body, Minkpaw returned back to the choice Pebblewhisker had given her. The trees, or the ground. She turned her gaze upwards, amber eyes staring at the branches that seemed to stretch on forever, encompassing the sky. For a few minutes, she remained in the same position, considering. She didn't know whether it'd be easier to catch mice or birds and squirrels. What could I maybe use more practice in? Probably the trees. Minkpaw was still awkward in tree-climbing and navigating the branches. The session could be a good chance for her to improve, and even if she wasn't talented at it, yet, she still liked being up in the trees, above everything else. The she-cat looked down and back to Pebblewhisker. "I want to hunt in the trees today," She said finally.

The anticipation of hunting alone started to bring excitement instead of dread, and Minkpaw stood up, ready for any directions from Pebblewhisker.

tagged: @squachy
notes: sorry this is kinda weird and choppy