the protégée assessments.

[taillow]

Stalking out from the entrance of camp alongside Vixensnarl, with the two grandkits of their queen behind them, Mirehound made way for a clearing in the pine forest where she recalled starting her own assessment with Shadowfur some moons ago. The sun had just set, casting the forest in a dusky glow. Soon enough shadows would overtake the land and it would be the perfect starting moment for the final assessments of the Clans two prestigious soon-to-be warriors. With Dawnstar busy juggling other tasks, the Enforcer had decided to take this load off of her paws - though it would be nice to have Vixensnarl's help.

"Your assessments will be done in three parts. The first will be testing your hunting skills." She hoped that was alright with Vixensnarl, blue eyes sliding over briefly to her fellow Enforcer. Mirehound had never done an assessment before, but she recalled her own compromised of hunting and fighting, as well as a check on her intelligence.

Eyes returning to the young apprentices before her she gave a single nod to them both. "We would like you to go into the territory and hunt down two pieces of prey each. Bring them back here when you're done."

[ @x ghostie @Shade. edit: i'm not entirely sure how this will work now since frigid had gone and snuck out of camp but wanted to get it up so i can get roan started at least ]

[Shade.]

@NinjaBloss @tallulah
FINALLY! Finally, finally, finally! Finally, Frigidpaw was going to become a warrior. The spiky she-cat was so sick of people telling her what to do. The warriors treated her like a baby. Plus, she was hoping being a warrior would provide her with more opportunities to gain the enforcer rank, just like Vixenstarl. Oh yea, and her brother was becoming a warrior with her, good for him I guess.

As Frigidpaw heard her assignment she was almost ready to book it into the woods and catch some stuff, but she waited for Vixensnarl, in case she'd give further instructions.

[Ian]

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Vixensnarl
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The Enforcer padded by Mirehound's side, her ears turned backwards to keep an ear on Roanpaw and Frigidpaw. It was time for their assessments, and she trusted that Frigidpaw would remember her training and wouldn't embarrass her during this. Vixensnarl liked the fact that Mirehound had chosen to hold the assessment so close to nighttime. It was the perfect condition to see whether the two apprentices had what it took to be ShadowClan warriors.

The molly listened as Mirehound explained the first part, her green eyes remaining on the two apprentices. "Remember, though you won't see us we will be watching, so do your best," she reminded, before also dismissing them with a nod of her head.

@tallulah @Shade.

[taillow]

Stalking out behind the two Enforcers had Roanpaw in more of a sour mood than when he had woken up. With a scowl etched onto his face and tail rigidly straight out behind him, it was clear the large apprentice was clearly dissatisfied with who was handling his assessment. He had made it perfectly clear as well when a single black paw had prodded him awake, sharply hissing and swatting at it. The display of fright had done nothing to curve the shadow that loomed over him, blue eyes sharp as ice chips. So in the end he had given in and followed the shadow out, grumbling all the way.

Once both Enforcers had given their spiel - with Roanpaw admittedly only listening to about half - the brown and cream tom slipped off without a word, green eyes ablaze. He gave a single lash before he disappeared amongst the tall pine trees from the group, one last show that he was not a fan of his grandmother not being here one bit.

After a bit of padding along the tom finally decided to open his jaws. With dusk gathering quickly he recalled all of the tips and tricks he'd been taught while hunting. Mind going as far back to Cinderblaze, the deadputy who had taught him how to catch snakes, he wondered if any were out and about. A low crouch had him slinking around, green eyes darting from tree root to tree root. Finally, near one a few tail-lengths away, a slender shape revealed itself.

Quick paws had him rounding the perimeter, making it so that he was trailing the slithering serpent without being detected. It seemed to be going slow, which was perfect for the tom. Not that big, but also not too shabby, Roanpaw made quick work of darting out from the shadows like a thief in the night, one claw going promptly to bury the snake's head in the dirt while the other scored through its skin. The fluid movement brought death upon the creature almost instantly, with no more than a deflated hiss leaving the snake's body.

He made quick timing of burying it before looking around. Once more he slunk low to the ground and stuck to the shadows, fur blending seamlessly with the bark of the pine trees around him. Darkness was gathering quicker now with the absence of the sun, so Roanpaw parted his jaws to draw the scents in. Nearby was the subtle sound of scratching, and the tom changed directions soundlessly. Peering out from the undergrowth he had slipped into he managed to spot a rather large rat dragging its talons across the bark of a pine trunk. Hmmm. He had caught a rat during one of his training sessions with Dawnstar - and at least now he knew what it was.

He didn't dart out as quickly as he had with the snake, and instead waited. The rat paid him no mind but did have its ears swiveling back and forth. Roanpaw slid forward just barely and the rat froze immediately. Inwardly he hissed in frustration and narrowed his eyes, sliding forward just a bit once more. Almost instantly the rat was back on all fours and turning to make a break for it. Roanpaw exploded from the undergrowth with his claws extended. A screech sounded from the rat as it tried to dive for cover, but the tom was quicker. Bouncing off from where his initial trajectory had landed him he pounced over the rat. It turned and lunged at him, managing to briefly sink its fangs into his leg before it met death at the end of the apprentices' curved talons.

"Dead." Roanpaw hissed with satisfaction, ears flat and his snout close to the now dead creature. He glared at it for awhile, lashing his tail in defiance, before taking it back to where he had caught the snake and retrieving the buried catch. Once he had both pieces of prey he padded back towards the area where they had left the two warriors, arriving and looking around to see if he could catch sight of either Mirehound or Vixensnarl.

[ @Shade. - You can have Frigid go first and then Bloss and I can respond with Vixen and Mire after! @ninjaBloss ]

[Shade.]

@ninjaBloss @tallulah

Frigidpaw's body tensed and she darted off into the shadows, her dark fur blending in with the dark landscape. The spiky she-cat was determined not to fail and, more over, to beat her brother to the punch and finish her hunting first. Her jaws parted as she sniffed the air. The thin smell of lizard, it's muddy scales, felt like a string of spiderweb floating in the air. The apprentice knelt down into a hunter's crouch and weaved through the underbrush until her prey was in sight. With a swift pounce, the gremlin managed to clamp her jaws around the lizard. She quickly buried it and dashed off again, on the hunt for another piece of prey. This time, her attention was caught by a small shrew. She quieted down and crept slowly and deliberately towards it, hiding in tall, scented bushes to conceal herself. Upon closing the distance enough, Frigidpaw leaped and practically skewered the poor creature onto her claws. Almost tripping, Frigidpaw booked it back to her burying place and unearthed the lizard. With her 2 pieces of prey in her maw, she ran towards teh spot they'd started at.

[taillow]

Right as she had given the order to start, the apprentices wasted no time in leaping into their assessment. Mirehound nodded to Vixensnarl before silently following after Roanpaw. She hadn't trained the 'paw but had observed him silently from afar. Sticking to the shadows, she watched as he tracked both a snake, and then following it up with a rat. Not bad; two choices that were undoubtedly ShadowClan prey.

Without the tom detecting her the shadow made her way back to the clearing, standing tall as she watched the two come racing back. Frigidpaw seemed to have caught some stand outs too, taking note of the lizard and the shrew. "Next will be the battle portion. I think instead of practicing your moves on us, however, it might be interesting to see how you two stack up against one another, no?" A little friendly littermate competition perhaps. It would give both her and Vixensnarl the optimal viewing for assessing the moves and tactics used, that was for certain.

[ @Shade. @Lillian - I'll post Roan after Frigid! ]

[Ian]

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Vixensnarl
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As Mirehound split off to follow Roanpaw, the brown tabby quietly slipped after Frigidpaw. The shadows clung to her like a second pelt as she flitted from to the other, watching the progress her apprentice made. Frigidpaw moved quickly, but silently enough that the prey she was hunting didn't detect her. Staying undetected, the Enforcer slipped back to the meeting spot once Frigidpaw had caught the shrew to wait for the apprentices' return.

Vixensnarl arrived at about the same time as Mirehound, and shortly after the two apprentices arrived. Roanpaw had caught a snake and rat, both classic pieces of ShadowClan prey. As Mirehound had asked her to tag along, she allowed the younger she-cat to take the lead for the assessment, nodding in agreement at her suggestion of them fighting each other.

"It would be good to see how they fight against someone around the same skill level, and who they probably spend a lot of time with. Now is the time to pull out all the tricks and creativity you have," she said, before allowing the shadow incarnate to once again take the lead.

@tallulah @Shade.

[Shade.]

@tallulah
@Lillian

Frigidpaw was a little bit jealous that Roanpaw had been able to catch a snake. She'd wanted to show off her skills and, as usual, grandma's favorite had stolen the spotlight. For this second task, however, she intended to fully defeat him. The she cat nodded at the two warriors, barely bothering to hide the slightly unhinged look in her eyes as she took a few paces away from her brother and turned to face him, legs spread out slightly and knees bent in a battle stance, as she prepared to see if he'd strike first.

[Ian]

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Vixensnarl
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The Enforcer watched as Frigidpaw dropped into a defensive stance. It was a smart choice to wait when the opponent was more experienced. Of course, she expected nothing less from her apprentice.

Vixensnarl darted forward and lashed a forepaw, aiming to cuff Frigidpaw across the head and hopefully stun the apprentice.

@Shade. [I just decided to have it as if your last post was Frigid facing off against Vixen. Let me know if that doesn't work and I can change it.]

[Shade.]

Originally Posted by Lillian

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Vixensnarl
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The Enforcer watched as Frigidpaw dropped into a defensive stance. It was a smart choice to wait when the opponent was more experienced. Of course, she expected nothing less from her apprentice.

Vixensnarl darted forward and lashed a forepaw, aiming to cuff Frigidpaw across the head and hopefully stun the apprentice.

@Shade. [I just decided to have it as if your last post was Frigid facing off against Vixen. Let me know if that doesn't work and I can change it.]

As Vixensnarl dashed forwards, Frigidpaw simultaneously ducked slightly, saving her ears, and moved forward, trying to use her mentor's momentum in order to headbutt her in the chest. The spiky cat had a tendency towards very brute force moves despite her average size.