Bumbleflight's Teachings - Leap and Hold w/ Flamepaw

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

"I saw!" Bumbleflight laughed, amber eyes twinkling with merriment and pride... and a tinge of sadness. He may not have been her mentor for long, but he was proud of Flamepaw, and was eager to see her become a warrior. Unfortunate they couldn't spend more time together training, but he was happy nonetheless.

At her question, Bumbleflight only smiled. He knew what was coming next: he remembered it so vividly despite the time that passed. No doubt it was the most exciting moment of a Clan cat's life. "Well, now that it's done, we've got one more Gathering to attend for the next moon. And after that? Well... It'll be time for you final assessment. Think you'll be ready?"

Flamepaw laughed with joy as her mentor laughed. If she didn't know any better, she'd say Bumbleflight was not only proud but sad as well. It was obvious why he was proud but sad? That part of the half-deaf tom's attitude puzzled her. Why's he sad?

Her question was soon answered by the tom, her assessment was coming up fast. Very fast. It felt like she was made an apprentice yesterday! She can't possibly be getting ready to become a warrior during the next moon! But there was no hint of a joke in the tom's eyes. It was true. She would be getting her assessment started soon.

"If you think I'm ready, then I know I'll be ready," she answered, buzzing with nervousness and excitement (though she's more excited than nervous). Ashpaw must be getting close to his assessment too then! We'll be becoming warriors together! We'll get our ceremonies at the same time! Our names! We'll sit through our vigil together! Her nervousness was now ebbing away at the thought of her friend becoming a warrior beside her.

//We can get her assessment started now since the Gathering will be starting on the 5th!

[Akira]

Originally Posted by SpiritedWarrior

Flamepaw laughed with joy as her mentor laughed. If she didn't know any better, she'd say Bumbleflight was not only proud but sad as well. It was obvious why he was proud but sad? That part of the half-deaf tom's attitude puzzled her. Why's he sad?

Her question was soon answered by the tom, her assessment was coming up fast. Very fast. It felt like she was made an apprentice yesterday! She can't possibly be getting ready to become a warrior during the next moon! But there was no hint of a joke in the tom's eyes. It was true. She would be getting her assessment started soon.

"If you think I'm ready, then I know I'll be ready," she answered, buzzing with nervousness and excitement (though she's more excited than nervous). Ashpaw must be getting close to his assessment too then! We'll be becoming warriors together! We'll get our ceremonies at the same time! Our names! We'll sit through our vigil together! Her nervousness was now ebbing away at the thought of her friend becoming a warrior beside her.

//We can get her assessment started now since the Gathering will be starting on the 5th!

Bumbleflight gave a stiff nod and gave Flamepaw a smile, looking rather eager. He'd be giving his first assessment! And he'd be watching one of his apprentices become a warrior for the first time! He felt giddy, just like when he himself became a warrior. Mentoring wasn't half bad, if it meant this in the long run, right?

"Yeah, but if you'd like, you can either rest so you can be well rested for the assessment, or we can start it now. Which do you prefer?" Bumbleflight asked. After all, it was Flamepaw's assessment: she was the one who should choose, no?

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

Bumbleflight gave a stiff nod and gave Flamepaw a smile, looking rather eager. He'd be giving his first assessment! And he'd be watching one of his apprentices become a warrior for the first time! He felt giddy, just like when he himself became a warrior. Mentoring wasn't half bad, if it meant this in the long run, right?

"Yeah, but if you'd like, you can either rest so you can be well rested for the assessment, or we can start it now. Which do you prefer?" Bumbleflight asked. After all, it was Flamepaw's assessment: she was the one who should choose, no?

Flamepaw wanted to get the assessment done as soon as possible, but would she be okay to continue going after it started? I have to. I have to become a warrior. Although she was a little hesitant at first, the apprentice decided, why not? Starting her assessment now would enable her to become a warrior at the next meeting Sparrowstar called. She had to do this. She was ready, Bumbleflight thought so!

"We can start it now!" she answered happily. With the news of her assessment, energy was making itself very clear in the large apprentice's body. She was ready.

[Akira]

Originally Posted by SpiritedWarrior

Flamepaw wanted to get the assessment done as soon as possible, but would she be okay to continue going after it started? I have to. I have to become a warrior. Although she was a little hesitant at first, the apprentice decided, why not? Starting her assessment now would enable her to become a warrior at the next meeting Sparrowstar called. She had to do this. She was ready, Bumbleflight thought so!

"We can start it now!" she answered happily. With the news of her assessment, energy was making itself very clear in the large apprentice's body. She was ready.

"Then I'll start asking you about the warrior code," Bumbleflight said, sitting back. Once his fluffy tail was wrapped around his paws, he looked back at Flamepaw, looking rather determined. "The warrior code is the law that a majority of Clan cats follow. It is our way of life to learn this code, and to honor it, though there are certainly some who don't, and there are exceptions at rare times as well. There are 15 rules in the warrior code: can you list the first five?"

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

"Then I'll start asking you about the warrior code," Bumbleflight said, sitting back. Once his fluffy tail was wrapped around his paws, he looked back at Flamepaw, looking rather determined. "The warrior code is the law that a majority of Clan cats follow. It is our way of life to learn this code, and to honor it, though there are certainly some who don't, and there are exceptions at rare times as well. There are 15 rules in the warrior code: can you list the first five?"

Flamepaw flicked an ear with excitement, she had gone through the entire warrior code with Mapleleaf and had to recite it during that time. She had gone through all 15, so this part of the test would be really easy! She had to list the first five... okay, that would be simple!

"Defend your clan, even if it means your life is at risk! I can have friends outside of ThunderClan, but loyalty to my Clan comes first!" Flamepaw purred, that was an easy rule to remember considering it is part of the vow each apprentice makes when becoming a warrior. "Trespassing and hunting on another Clan's territory is against the code too."

There, the first two rules are out of the way. Now for the next two and then after that, the fifth rule, "All elders, kits, queens, and even the sick and injured must be fed first before the warriors, deputy, and leader! Clan cats must only kill prey to eat it and you have to thank StarClan for the prey they provided..." So far, everything was going as planned.

The next one was pretty obvious considering leaders do these ceremonies almost every meeting, "Kits have to be at least six moons old to receive their apprentice name and mentor!"

And the first five rules were out of the way! That wasn't so bad, Flamepaw had managed it quite well. All those rules were easy to remember since she had to live by the code every day just like everyone else, though it disappointed her to hear that not all cats live by the code. How could they function if they don't have a code to live by?

[Akira]

Originally Posted by SpiritedWarrior

Flamepaw flicked an ear with excitement, she had gone through the entire warrior code with Mapleleaf and had to recite it during that time. She had gone through all 15, so this part of the test would be really easy! She had to list the first five... okay, that would be simple!

"Defend your clan, even if it means your life is at risk! I can have friends outside of ThunderClan, but loyalty to my Clan comes first!" Flamepaw purred, that was an easy rule to remember considering it is part of the vow each apprentice makes when becoming a warrior. "Trespassing and hunting on another Clan's territory is against the code too."

There, the first two rules are out of the way. Now for the next two and then after that, the fifth rule, "All elders, kits, queens, and even the sick and injured must be fed first before the warriors, deputy, and leader! Clan cats must only kill prey to eat it and you have to thank StarClan for the prey they provided..." So far, everything was going as planned.

The next one was pretty obvious considering leaders do these ceremonies almost every meeting, "Kits have to be at least six moons old to receive their apprentice name and mentor!"

And the first five rules were out of the way! That wasn't so bad, Flamepaw had managed it quite well. All those rules were easy to remember since she had to live by the code every day just like everyone else, though it disappointed her to hear that not all cats live by the code. How could they function if they don't have a code to live by?

Bumbleflight nodded, pleased with Flamepaw's knowledge. So far, so good. The rest would be simple, if Flamepaw really knew them as well as she seemed to. Hm... Perhaps he should up the ante?

"Good. Now, can you tell me the last ten? Or rather split this into groups of five rules each?" He asked, whiskers twitching subconsciously. "Your assessment, your call, but remember that once that your assessment is more than just knowing some rules. We just did a spar, so we can count that towards your assessment. So, once you finish listing the codes, we'll move onto hunting. Deal?"

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

Bumbleflight nodded, pleased with Flamepaw's knowledge. So far, so good. The rest would be simple, if Flamepaw really knew them as well as she seemed to. Hm... Perhaps he should up the ante?

"Good. Now, can you tell me the last ten? Or rather split this into groups of five rules each?" He asked, whiskers twitching subconsciously. "Your assessment, your call, but remember that once that your assessment is more than just knowing some rules. We just did a spar, so we can count that towards your assessment. So, once you finish listing the codes, we'll move onto hunting. Deal?"

Flamepaw was proud of herself for being able to remember five parts of the code, but Bumbleflight seemed to have just been testing the waters. Now, he just wanted to swim in said waters. Although Flamepaw did not want to swim in really any water, she had to at some point, right? Instead of looking at this like her life was on the line, the she-cat decided to just look at it in a positive light: a chance to prove her knowledge.

Now, she was being given the option to either split the code into groups of five just like before or list the rest all at once. Hmm... she would like to have Bumbleflight's input as often as possible so she knows if she needs to improve, but perhaps getting it all done at once would be better... It was a bit of a tougher decision than the apprentice originally thought, but the sooner she got done with her assessment, the better, right? Maybe... on second thought, Flamepaw would appreciate the warrior's input more than wanting to speed up the assessment. Besides, I can prepare myself for hunting!

"We can just do five parts of the code at a time!" she answered after a few short moments of silence with a twitch of her whiskers. The apprentice then froze for a split second, the realization hit her that her successful spar would be a part of the assessment. He said I did good, I can't believe it! Already one part of my assessment is done!

But now she really had to focus, her warrior ceremony depended on it! One by one, she slowly began to think of the rest of the code.

"Uh... t-the sixth code..." Oh, yeah! "After an apprentice becomes a warrior, they have to perform the silent vigil!" That was what her patience training was for, at least that's part of the reason she had it... "And speaking of warriors, warriors can't become a deputy unless they've mentored at least... one apprentice!" A bit more thinking went into that than really necessary, but oh well, she had recited that part of the code! "This is kind of obvious, but deputies become the next leader after the current one retires, dies, or betrays the Clan in some way!" Sparrowstar had become leader after Cindersky forfeited the position, so that rule she knew pretty well. "If the deputy retires, dies, or betrays the Clan in some way, a new deputy has to be chosen before moonhigh!" Sparrowstar had picked her new deputy the same meeting Cindersky announced her retirement to become a warrior. "Once every moon, a Gathering is held, in which there is a truce between all four Clans!"

That was a lot of rules, but they were all necessary for Clan life, otherwise it would be quite chaotic... Flamepaw then took a moment to think about the rest of the warrior code. For a moment, it seemed like there were hundreds of parts to the code, but there's only fifteen total. Oh, yeah... border patrols!

"Borders between Clans also have to be checked frequently so the scent markers remain fresh and any trespassers could be caught and sent back where they came from unless they have business with the Clan! And kits must be helped no matter what, even if they're from another Clan because kits are the future of the Clans!" I wonder if Dawnstar follows that rule. She probably does, but who knows? "The Clan leader's word is the code, which means all Clan cats must follow their leader!" Dawnstar definetly enforces this part of the code! "And warriors don't need to kill unless it is for self-defense." Flamepaw would never kill unless she absolutely had to! It would be horrible if cats just killed for the fun of it. "And a warrior rejects the life of a kittypet!" Flamepaw knew this rule pretty well since she was born a kittypet, but she would never go back to that life. She loved her Clanmates, she would never betray them. Besides, multiple kittypets left to become Clan cats. They've rejected the life of a kittypet just by joining the Clans in the forest.

Flamepaw couldn't think of any more, so that had to be it, right? She hoped so, but there were so many rules that it was a little hard to keep track of them all. But Bumbleflight was lenient and a good mentor, so if she had missed any, he would probably forgive her over it.

[Akira]

Originally Posted by SpiritedWarrior

Flamepaw was proud of herself for being able to remember five parts of the code, but Bumbleflight seemed to have just been testing the waters. Now, he just wanted to swim in said waters. Although Flamepaw did not want to swim in really any water, she had to at some point, right? Instead of looking at this like her life was on the line, the she-cat decided to just look at it in a positive light: a chance to prove her knowledge.

Now, she was being given the option to either split the code into groups of five just like before or list the rest all at once. Hmm... she would like to have Bumbleflight's input as often as possible so she knows if she needs to improve, but perhaps getting it all done at once would be better... It was a bit of a tougher decision than the apprentice originally thought, but the sooner she got done with her assessment, the better, right? Maybe... on second thought, Flamepaw would appreciate the warrior's input more than wanting to speed up the assessment. Besides, I can prepare myself for hunting!

"We can just do five parts of the code at a time!" she answered after a few short moments of silence with a twitch of her whiskers. The apprentice then froze for a split second, the realization hit her that her successful spar would be a part of the assessment. He said I did good, I can't believe it! Already one part of my assessment is done!

But now she really had to focus, her warrior ceremony depended on it! One by one, she slowly began to think of the rest of the code.

"Uh... t-the sixth code..." Oh, yeah! "After an apprentice becomes a warrior, they have to perform the silent vigil!" That was what her patience training was for, at least that's part of the reason she had it... "And speaking of warriors, warriors can't become a deputy unless they've mentored at least... one apprentice!" A bit more thinking went into that than really necessary, but oh well, she had recited that part of the code! "This is kind of obvious, but deputies become the next leader after the current one retires, dies, or betrays the Clan in some way!" Sparrowstar had become leader after Cindersky forfeited the position, so that rule she knew pretty well. "If the deputy retires, dies, or betrays the Clan in some way, a new deputy has to be chosen before moonhigh!" Sparrowstar had picked her new deputy the same meeting Cindersky announced her retirement to become a warrior. "Once every moon, a Gathering is held, in which there is a truce between all four Clans!"

That was a lot of rules, but they were all necessary for Clan life, otherwise it would be quite chaotic... Flamepaw then took a moment to think about the rest of the warrior code. For a moment, it seemed like there were hundreds of parts to the code, but there's only fifteen total. Oh, yeah... border patrols!

"Borders between Clans also have to be checked frequently so the scent markers remain fresh and any trespassers could be caught and sent back where they came from unless they have business with the Clan! And kits must be helped no matter what, even if they're from another Clan because kits are the future of the Clans!" I wonder if Dawnstar follows that rule. She probably does, but who knows? "The Clan leader's word is the code, which means all Clan cats must follow their leader!" Dawnstar definetly enforces this part of the code! "And warriors don't need to kill unless it is for self-defense." Flamepaw would never kill unless she absolutely had to! It would be horrible if cats just killed for the fun of it. "And a warrior rejects the life of a kittypet!" Flamepaw knew this rule pretty well since she was born a kittypet, but she would never go back to that life. She loved her Clanmates, she would never betray them. Besides, multiple kittypets left to become Clan cats. They've rejected the life of a kittypet just by joining the Clans in the forest.

Flamepaw couldn't think of any more, so that had to be it, right? She hoped so, but there were so many rules that it was a little hard to keep track of them all. But Bumbleflight was lenient and a good mentor, so if she had missed any, he would probably forgive her over it.

Bumbleflight listened intently while Flamepaw spoke, mentally checking his list as she listed the warrior code sections, knowing them by heart himself. Once she finished listing the remaining ten, his eyebrows quirked, impressed, and he gave Flamepaw a beaming smile. Not bad!

"Good! Looks like you know them by heart as much as any warrior here! You passed that section with flying colors," He said, giving her a nod. "Now for the last part of the assessment: hunting. I want you to bring me three kinds of prey: a small bird of any kind, like a blackbird or a sparrow; a rodent of any kind, be it a mouse or squirrel or whatever; and rabbit or bigger bird, like a pigeon or crow. There'll be bonus points if you catch a minnow, or something like a pheasant, if you're interested, but it's not necessary. Just bring the three things that I listed, and you should be good!"

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Ritsuka

Bumbleflight listened intently while Flamepaw spoke, mentally checking his list as she listed the warrior code sections, knowing them by heart himself. Once she finished listing the remaining ten, his eyebrows quirked, impressed, and he gave Flamepaw a beaming smile. Not bad!

"Good! Looks like you know them by heart as much as any warrior here! You passed that section with flying colors," He said, giving her a nod. "Now for the last part of the assessment: hunting. I want you to bring me three kinds of prey: a small bird of any kind, like a blackbird or a sparrow; a rodent of any kind, be it a mouse or squirrel or whatever; and rabbit or bigger bird, like a pigeon or crow. There'll be bonus points if you catch a minnow, or something like a pheasant, if you're interested, but it's not necessary. Just bring the three things that I listed, and you should be good!"

Pride was now making Flamepaw feel hot and she had to breathe in and out a couple of times to feel cooler. With Bumbleflight's praise, she wanted to do the tip-taps, but she also had to look mature. It was happening. She was on the final stretch of her assessment! But now was not the time to get cocky- Mapleleaf had warned her about overconfidence before her battle training. She had to listen to the calico tabby warrior's advice and use it now. I can do this... She just had to believe in herself, just like she has done the entirety of her assessment.

Bird Hunting: Sparrow

Now it was time for the hunting portion of her assessment to begin. And to hunt, she had to get out of the training cave, which was very easy. With a nod of understanding and readiness to Bumbleflight, Flamepaw turned on her paws and pranced out of the cave. Happiness was evident in the tip-tap of her claws against the rocky terrain that led out of the Training Cave.

Once she was out, the search for a sparrow began. Opening her jaws slightly, Flamepaw flared her nostrils, beckoning the air to flood into her face. Almost at once, she caught the scent of multiple prey animals, but none of them were sparrows. Well, that was a little upsetting, but no matter! I'll keep searching! the she-cat let a growl rumble in her throat with eagerness and she set off at a faster pace toward the familiar parts of ThunderClan territory. Giant's Rest was where she was headed. It took her a bit longer than she had anticipated, but halfway there, she slowed to a walk to conserve her energy. There were lots of little noises, the most notable being sparrows. Dropping swiftly into her crouch, Flamepaw circled the area, trying her best to stay downwind from her prey. Her claws were unsheathed, ready for the kill. Her eyes were narrowed with focus. Her ears were flattened to her head and her tail didn't dare flick. Not even so much as breathing out of her mouth, Flamepaw made the move to get closer to her target: a distracted sparrow who doesn't seem smart enough to look around as it gorged amongst the worms that plagued the area from the recent rain.

Taking the opportunity before the sparrow flew away, the large apprentice bunched her muscles and crept forward, barely touching the ground. Her long tail was even with her back, and after carefully judging the distance between herself and the sparrow...

She pounced! The sparrow did not so much as make a sound when the killing bite was delivered. She had completed a fourth of her hunting portion of the assessment. But she couldn't stop there; Flamepaw had to keep going! Bumbleflight had to be somewhere behind her, but just in case...

"There ya go, Bumbleflight!" she purred as she buried her kill and grabbed a small stick to use it as some sort of mark to let her mentor know that she had placed a piece of prey there. "Now to get a vole and rabbit..."

Without a second look at her buried sparrow, Flamepaw continued her venture, heading toward Firefly Cove. There, she would find plenty of small rabbits to choose from and perhaps even a minnow since she has experience. Easy prey.

Mammal Hunting: Rabbit and Water Prey Hunting: Minnow Pt. 2: Minnow

The apprentice took it nice and slow, thinking over the techniques Mapleleaf had taught her for each type of prey. The two went over multiple types, birds and rabbits being a couple of the things that Flamepaw had learned. Once she had arrived at Firefly Cove, Flamepaw took a moment to study her surroundings since it had been a while since she was last here. But shortly after, she went through the same technique she used to locate the sparrow (but on the search for rabbits). The sun was relatively low, so all prey life would be turning into their dens/burrows for the night. A perfect time for an ambush. Flamepaw blended into the dry and dormant grass perfectly, and the sun reflected off her pelt, which helped her case (except for the fact it was kind of giving away her white fur).

But no matter, Flamepaw had already dropped into her hunter's crouch and began to locate the same burrow she and Mapleleaf came across during training that one day. Firefly Cove had been a part of RiverClan territory, and the battle was deadly for both sides, but Flamepaw never participated in that battle. She still remembered seeing all the cats that came back with injuries though. Her pelt prickled with unease when she tried to imagine the bloody fight, but then she remembered that she was still being assessed. Right... time to focus!

Locating the rabbit's burrow, at last, Flamepaw adjusted her weight and then leaped in the middle of the burrows and watched with amusement as the rabbits scattered. But she didn't watch for long. Locating a fairly slow and what looked like to be an injured rabbit, she set off after it and caught it within a matter of seconds. It looked to have a dislocated leg, but the injury had helped Flamepaw catch it. Thanks, StarClan! the she-cat thanked the warrior ancestors before going off to bury the rabbit and placed a single blade of grass in the dirt so that Bumbleflight could find it easily.

Although she didn't necessarily have to, Flamepaw felt the need to kill a Minnow. It wasn't for the extra points though, it was for the fun of it. Minnows were small and easy to grab. Luckily, Sunkissed Creek wasn't too far away, she'd be able to run over there and wait. Minnows were active right about now too!

Cutting through the territory, Flamepaw got to Sunkissed Creek in a few minutes. Now all she had to do was approach the creek, lay down, and wait for a minnow... One step by one step, Flamepaw was laying down at the creek and surveyed the flow of water to determine which direction the small fish were coming from. If they swam in the opposite direction of the water, they would be struggling to get to where they wanted to go. After quite a few long moments, and when Flamepaw was just about to turn away to continue hunting, a small school of minnow caught her eye. Now to search for stragglers... Slowly, Flamepaw backed up and watched for any stray minnow that couldn't quite keep up with the rest.

With a blink of her eyes, Flamepaw caught sight of a straggler. It was definitely struggling, but no other hint of weakness. But the apprentice didn't need to find a minnow's weakness if she knew exactly how to catch 'em! Once her target got close enough and a little bit past her location, Flamepaw slowly crept forward and dashed forward in the water, slamming her paw into the shallow creek; her target was dead. Curling her toes, Flamepaw lifted the minnow out of the water and dropped it on the ground in front of her. Now, she was a quarter of the way done with her assessment!

Rodent Hunting: Vole

Her legs were beginning to grow tired, but she had to keep going. She had to finish her assessment. She had to become a warrior. The next part of her hunting portion of the assessment was rodent hunting, which involved running. To conserve her energy, Flamepaw decided to walk toward Wisteria Falls. It was a bit farther into ThunderClan territory, but there was plenty of prey there, so she was bound to find a rodent. Now to decide what type of rodent... mice were always good, but they could be mistaken for rats if she wasn't careful. Maybe voles would be the better choice. Those were plump, a good meal for a couple of hungry ThunderClanners. Yes, a vole was definitely the better option.

Soon after coming to the conclusion that a vole would be her chosen prey, Flamepaw reached Wisteria Falls. There was plenty of water around, so she had to be very careful. Neither she nor Bumbleflight knew how to swim, it would be disastrous if she got wet. Repeating the same process for the third time, the apprentice managed to track down a sleeping vole. Now, it was unknown how long the vole had been sleeping, so she had to be extra careful not to disturb it until it was in her jaws. As silent as she could, Flamepaw made her way toward the vole, bunched her muscles, and leaped a couple of foxlengths forward: directly on top of the vole. With Flamepaw's weight being dramatically different than that of a vole, it was more than safe to assume the vole was dead.

End of Assessment

Not bothering to bury her kill, Flamepaw turned around in the direction Bumbleflight was and let out a purr loud enough for the tom to hear, "I'm done, Bumbleflight! How'd I do?"

The apprentice was anxious to hear the results of her hunting job. She successfully killed four pieces of prey, who knows, maybe those bonus points she earned when she killed the minnow would come into affect now.

//Gosh, that was so much typing-

[Akira]

Originally Posted by SpiritedWarrior

Pride was now making Flamepaw feel hot and she had to breathe in and out a couple of times to feel cooler. With Bumbleflight's praise, she wanted to do the tip-taps, but she also had to look mature. It was happening. She was on the final stretch of her assessment! But now was not the time to get cocky- Mapleleaf had warned her about overconfidence before her battle training. She had to listen to the calico tabby warrior's advice and use it now. I can do this... She just had to believe in herself, just like she has done the entirety of her assessment.

Bird Hunting: Sparrow

Now it was time for the hunting portion of her assessment to begin. And to hunt, she had to get out of the training cave, which was very easy. With a nod of understanding and readiness to Bumbleflight, Flamepaw turned on her paws and pranced out of the cave. Happiness was evident in the tip-tap of her claws against the rocky terrain that led out of the Training Cave.

Once she was out, the search for a sparrow began. Opening her jaws slightly, Flamepaw flared her nostrils, beckoning the air to flood into her face. Almost at once, she caught the scent of multiple prey animals, but none of them were sparrows. Well, that was a little upsetting, but no matter! I'll keep searching! the she-cat let a growl rumble in her throat with eagerness and she set off at a faster pace toward the familiar parts of ThunderClan territory. Giant's Rest was where she was headed. It took her a bit longer than she had anticipated, but halfway there, she slowed to a walk to conserve her energy. There were lots of little noises, the most notable being sparrows. Dropping swiftly into her crouch, Flamepaw circled the area, trying her best to stay downwind from her prey. Her claws were unsheathed, ready for the kill. Her eyes were narrowed with focus. Her ears were flattened to her head and her tail didn't dare flick. Not even so much as breathing out of her mouth, Flamepaw made the move to get closer to her target: a distracted sparrow who doesn't seem smart enough to look around as it gorged amongst the worms that plagued the area from the recent rain.

Taking the opportunity before the sparrow flew away, the large apprentice bunched her muscles and crept forward, barely touching the ground. Her long tail was even with her back, and after carefully judging the distance between herself and the sparrow...

She pounced! The sparrow did not so much as make a sound when the killing bite was delivered. She had completed a fourth of her hunting portion of the assessment. But she couldn't stop there; Flamepaw had to keep going! Bumbleflight had to be somewhere behind her, but just in case...

"There ya go, Bumbleflight!" she purred as she buried her kill and grabbed a small stick to use it as some sort of mark to let her mentor know that she had placed a piece of prey there. "Now to get a vole and rabbit..."

Without a second look at her buried sparrow, Flamepaw continued her venture, heading toward Firefly Cove. There, she would find plenty of small rabbits to choose from and perhaps even a minnow since she has experience. Easy prey.

Mammal Hunting: Rabbit and Water Prey Hunting: Minnow Pt. 2: Minnow

The apprentice took it nice and slow, thinking over the techniques Mapleleaf had taught her for each type of prey. The two went over multiple types, birds and rabbits being a couple of the things that Flamepaw had learned. Once she had arrived at Firefly Cove, Flamepaw took a moment to study her surroundings since it had been a while since she was last here. But shortly after, she went through the same technique she used to locate the sparrow (but on the search for rabbits). The sun was relatively low, so all prey life would be turning into their dens/burrows for the night. A perfect time for an ambush. Flamepaw blended into the dry and dormant grass perfectly, and the sun reflected off her pelt, which helped her case (except for the fact it was kind of giving away her white fur).

But no matter, Flamepaw had already dropped into her hunter's crouch and began to locate the same burrow she and Mapleleaf came across during training that one day. Firefly Cove had been a part of RiverClan territory, and the battle was deadly for both sides, but Flamepaw never participated in that battle. She still remembered seeing all the cats that came back with injuries though. Her pelt prickled with unease when she tried to imagine the bloody fight, but then she remembered that she was still being assessed. Right... time to focus!

Locating the rabbit's burrow, at last, Flamepaw adjusted her weight and then leaped in the middle of the burrows and watched with amusement as the rabbits scattered. But she didn't watch for long. Locating a fairly slow and what looked like to be an injured rabbit, she set off after it and caught it within a matter of seconds. It looked to have a dislocated leg, but the injury had helped Flamepaw catch it. Thanks, StarClan! the she-cat thanked the warrior ancestors before going off to bury the rabbit and placed a single blade of grass in the dirt so that Bumbleflight could find it easily.

Although she didn't necessarily have to, Flamepaw felt the need to kill a Minnow. It wasn't for the extra points though, it was for the fun of it. Minnows were small and easy to grab. Luckily, Sunkissed Creek wasn't too far away, she'd be able to run over there and wait. Minnows were active right about now too!

Cutting through the territory, Flamepaw got to Sunkissed Creek in a few minutes. Now all she had to do was approach the creek, lay down, and wait for a minnow... One step by one step, Flamepaw was laying down at the creek and surveyed the flow of water to determine which direction the small fish were coming from. If they swam in the opposite direction of the water, they would be struggling to get to where they wanted to go. After quite a few long moments, and when Flamepaw was just about to turn away to continue hunting, a small school of minnow caught her eye. Now to search for stragglers... Slowly, Flamepaw backed up and watched for any stray minnow that couldn't quite keep up with the rest.

With a blink of her eyes, Flamepaw caught sight of a straggler. It was definitely struggling, but no other hint of weakness. But the apprentice didn't need to find a minnow's weakness if she knew exactly how to catch 'em! Once her target got close enough and a little bit past her location, Flamepaw slowly crept forward and dashed forward in the water, slamming her paw into the shallow creek; her target was dead. Curling her toes, Flamepaw lifted the minnow out of the water and dropped it on the ground in front of her. Now, she was a quarter of the way done with her assessment!

Rodent Hunting: Vole

Her legs were beginning to grow tired, but she had to keep going. She had to finish her assessment. She had to become a warrior. The next part of her hunting portion of the assessment was rodent hunting, which involved running. To conserve her energy, Flamepaw decided to walk toward Wisteria Falls. It was a bit farther into ThunderClan territory, but there was plenty of prey there, so she was bound to find a rodent. Now to decide what type of rodent... mice were always good, but they could be mistaken for rats if she wasn't careful. Maybe voles would be the better choice. Those were plump, a good meal for a couple of hungry ThunderClanners. Yes, a vole was definitely the better option.

Soon after coming to the conclusion that a vole would be her chosen prey, Flamepaw reached Wisteria Falls. There was plenty of water around, so she had to be very careful. Neither she nor Bumbleflight knew how to swim, it would be disastrous if she got wet. Repeating the same process for the third time, the apprentice managed to track down a sleeping vole. Now, it was unknown how long the vole had been sleeping, so she had to be extra careful not to disturb it until it was in her jaws. As silent as she could, Flamepaw made her way toward the vole, bunched her muscles, and leaped a couple of foxlengths forward: directly on top of the vole. With Flamepaw's weight being dramatically different than that of a vole, it was more than safe to assume the vole was dead.

End of Assessment

Not bothering to bury her kill, Flamepaw turned around in the direction Bumbleflight was and let out a purr loud enough for the tom to hear, "I'm done, Bumbleflight! How'd I do?"

The apprentice was anxious to hear the results of her hunting job. She successfully killed four pieces of prey, who knows, maybe those bonus points she earned when she killed the minnow would come into affect now.

//Gosh, that was so much typing-

Bumbleflight followed after Flamepaw to keep track of her progress, but kept his distance so as not to distract her or alert any prey. The dark brown tabby simply melted into the vegetation, the only thing giving him away being hid piercing amber eyes, which followed Flamepaw's every move. As Flamepaw began to hunt, Bumbleflight mentally kept track of the amount of prey and where it was buried. While the she-cat hunted, the dark brown tabby dug up the buried prey, checking to see if the kill was messy or neat, and taking it with him. First was a sparrow... Then a rabbit... Then a minnow... And finally, a vole. Good, she got them all! And not only that, but she managed to also get a minnow and keep the kills relatively clean!

Bumbleflight walked out from the shadows of the tree, a proud look on his face, and he rubbed a paw on Flamepaw's head, ruffling the ginger fur there. "You did great! The kills were neat, and not only that, but this should definitely feed a good number of Clanmates back at camp! Flamepaw, as your mentor and the one who oversaw your assessment, I deem you ready to become a warrior."