[lethean]

GLADEPAW

[open] [none]

As Yellowtwist offered his instructions—and the gathered kits and apprentices scattered to search for secret, shadowy, and obscured areas—Glade surveyed the clearing with a closely critical eye; while appearances, and then camouflage, weren't as important in this training, the place that snagged his attention the most was a quiet area tucked by the apprentices den, where a small stream cut in. After a moment's consideration, a singular glance back towards Yellowtwist, and absolving the conundrums plaguing his thoughts as to the placement of others that rattled around incessantly in his mind, he slunk across the ground with as quiet steps as he could muster.

Two factors poked at his brain regarding stealth—it required him to be completely solemn (and thus suppressing the gentle joviality he so careened about with), and it required him to obscure both scent and sound. Glade supposed the former won out in difficulty; solemnity was simply not in his nature. Consequently, neither was this...yet. A thought intruded, disturbing his focused steps and serious intentions: Would mud suffice? Sidling up to the small bank, water burbling in some semblance of raucous activity (a small blessing in disguise, he hoped), Gladepaw spotted his goal—a patch of mud, glistening with miniature rivulets of water. They almost looked like tributaries that branched off larger rivers, if only captured in minuscule by the stream.

Even though his coat resembled a motley assortment of browns, a speckled russet pattern, and wouldn't be served by any further camouflage in the mud, it would hopefully obscure his scent; with the position by water, any sounds as well. Despite the advantages of rolling in it to further hide any scent, it likely would have created a sound and disturbed the purpose of the training. As such, Glade avoided it for the time. Instead, he settled just a few padded strides short of the bank, sinking onto his belly in the mud to watch vigilantly. The goal, after all, was as much hiding as subtle obscurity by other senses. While he blended more so into the mud (where a proper coating might have helped), Glade relied on its other qualities to serve him well.

Regardless, it was a strategy to obscure his scent and location.

Now whether he had succeeded, or brazenly declared his position to Yellowtwist...well, that was a wholly different matter.

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