A Growing Flame and Maple Tree

[SpiritedWarrior]

Flamepaw twitched her ear in response to her temporary mentor's words. Smaller birds. Got it... maybe a robin? Yeah, robins are plump and small, they'll work! Smiling with satisfaction, Flamepaw opened her jaws to smell the air for her desired prey. There were robins close by, and the wind was parallel to her. This worked out, so Flamepaw gave a nod and stalked toward her prey, careful to not step on any twigs or dry leaves that have fallen on the ground recently. It didn't take long for the robins to get in her vision, but the orange and white tabby knew she had to observe the birds for a little while longer before she made her move. After she deduced that the birds weren't going anywhere anytime soon, the apprentice got closer and bunched her muscles.

Narrowing her eyes, Flamepaw jumped and managed to have her paw land on a bird's back, killing it instantly. Whether that was supposed to happen or not, the apprentice purred and carried her catch back to Mapleleaf, who was watching. I didn't make any noise and the bird is dead! She has to let me learn how to hunt rabbits now!

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Mapleleaf watched, tilting her head as she witnessed Flamepaw go one direction and then the next, giving herself room to watch and observe her chosen prey without disturbing anything. The apprentice didn't move hardly at all for a while, which made the calico/tabby feel very concerned. Was Flamepaw going to make her move soon? What exactly was Flamepaw doing? Was Flamepaw zoning out? But as soon as the last question entered her mind, Mapleleaf realized she was being impatient. Oops, silly me she chuckled softly and continued to observe her apprentice. It wasn't long before the orange and white tabby made her move and leaped, coming back with a plump robin in her jaws. Pride brimmed through her gaze, happy her temporary apprentice did not make a sound like she did during the hunting lesson last time.

"Excellent work, Flamepaw," she whispered and observed the bird she was brought. No bite marks, but there were tiny claw marks. "I assume you landed on it. Good job, now let's move closer to the empty parts of the Cove. That's where rabbits will be."

Nodding to her apprentice, Mapleleaf got up and walked along the edge of Firefly Cove until she and Flamepaw reached a small clearing that had multiple rabbit burrows. This is a perfect place for Flamepaw to learn how to hunt rabbits.

[SpiritedWarrior]

Following her temporary mentor eagerly, Flamepaw just realized she was ten moons old. That means she'd get her warrior name soon! It won't be that soon, she still had to attend a couple of Gatherings, but after that, she'd be qualified for her warrior name, right? Besides the assessment, of course. She knew what Willowpaw of ShadowClan was like, but what about the rest of the Clans? What would they be like? She had never met anyone from the other Clans except for Snowypaw of WindClan on a border patrol, so it was a complete mystery as to what RiverClan was like. But an exciting mystery. The thought of seeing different cats from the Clans, seeing all the leaders (except Dawnstar) made her whiskers twitch with excitement. The Gathering wasn't too far away, was it? Only a quarter moon?

But of course, it was happening in the future. Not now. What was happening now was rabbit hunting. Quickly catching up to Mapleleaf, Flamepaw cast an apologetic glance toward the warrior and then looked out at the open landscape which was part of Firefly Cove. Multiple holes were seen in the ground, and if she paid close enough attention, the scurrying of rabbits could also be heard from just inside their burrows.

"Mapleleaf? How do we hunt something that doesn't get out of its burrow?" she whispered, sitting down slowly so she didn't disturb her prey. "We're not WindClan, so would we even be able to hunt rabbits?"

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Mapleleaf looked off to her side, surprised to see that Flamepaw cast her an apologetic glance. She didn't exactly know what it was for but nodded in acknowledgment. Perhaps, judging by Flamepaw's ruffled fur, she had begun to fall behind on the walk. In that case, Mapleleaf smiled, happy that the young she-cat caught up quickly. Flicking her ears toward the apprentice, the calico/tabby warrior managed to hear her temporary apprentice's questions. Those are good questions... the warrior purred and looked back at Flamepaw to answer them.

"When hunting rabbits that are still in their burrows, it is best to wait and see what they can do. They could do two things, the first thing is they could explore and munch on food outside of their burrows. The other thing they could do is go back in and sleep. In the best-case scenario, they can go inside. And I'll tell you why this is: rabbits are dumb, possibly just as dumb as mice in leaf-bare," she murmured. "So they'll go inside, but they don't stop to think we can just run after them and lead them back outside where another cat is waiting. This is a tactic best used in a hunting patrol."

Mapleleaf paused for a moment, allowing the information to sink into the ten-moon-old apprentice.

"And you're thinking of hares... they're much faster than the rabbits we hunt," she chuckled and booped Flamepaw's nose, her eyes glinting with happiness before she continued her explanation. "The second way is you can just lie in wait until a rabbit comes far enough away from the rest of them," she purred. "That happens too. Do whatever strategy you think will work best, I'll watch. Don't forget what I told you about hunting rabbits: jump high."

[SpiritedWarrior]

Flamepaw smiled and bent her head down to look at Mapleleaf. The she-cat had grown a lot since she first met Mapleleaf, she was almost twice the size of the warrior! If the Clan didn't know who the two were, they'd think Flamepaw was mentoring Mapleleaf. Letting out a little chuckle at the thought, Flamepaw smiled in acknowledgment of her mentor's words. I'll go with the second option. I don't want to end up collapsing the burrows with my weight, that could end badly.

Walking away from the warrior, Flamepaw narrowed her eyes and made sure her tail was still before crouching down and crawling towards the rabbit burrows. She sat still for what seemed forever, the clouds made their way to block the sun, which brought happiness to the apprentice. It meant she wouldn't be having to bake and get sweaty toes. When she got sweaty toes, the dirt stuck to her paws and she had to clean it all off. Yuck!

Once a rabbit got far enough from the burrows, Flamepaw followed after it and smirked before bunching her muscles to pounce. She put most of the weight in her hind legs to give that extra spring, and before long, she was on top of her kill.

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Mapleleaf watched Flamepaw closely, making sure her movements were in tip-top shape and that she was listening to what her mentor told her. Her form was good, luckily, and she was very patient. Good. It's about time she sat in one place for so long. the warrior gave a satisfied huff and walked over to the orange and white tabby apprentice. No sound was made from a rabbit except for a grunt. Luckily, the grunt was just how the rabbit reacted to such a blow and it was now dead at Flamepaw's paws. She's turning out into a skilled hunter. Good, ThunderClan will need cats like this to survive.

"Good, now I'll carry your bird and you can carry your rabbit back to camp," she let out a purr and went back to grab Flamepaw's robin. "Come along now, we still have some hunting to get done. The sooner we get back, the longer your break will be, and then we'll try hunting some mice and voles."

Knowing Flamepaw is right behind her, Mapleleaf went ahead and walked out of Firefly Cove and went to ThunderClan's camp. When the sun shines again, I'll go ahead and make use of it with Flamepaw. Maybe when she's done hunting, her battle training can partially be done during night so she can battle with less difficulty during the night time. It could take ShadowClan by surprise too, who knows?

[SpiritedWarrior]

Flamepaw lay in the shade of the apprentice's den, dozing the day away. It wasn't hot, thankfully. The apprentice found it very difficult to sleep during the hot nights. She hoped to have leaf-fall come soon, she blended in much better with the grass and leaves. It would be good, especially if she was sent on a hunting patrol with her Clanmates, using her fur to her advantage. But I'll stick out like a sore thumb during leaf-bare... grunting with displeasure at the thought, she felt a poke on her shoulder and heard a Clanmate speak. She heard everything that was said but didn't blink her eyes open until her mentor was finished. After feeling Mapleleaf's second prod, Flamepaw sighed and stretched before rising to her paws.

The sky was bluer than it was after the pair got to camp after just finishing the bird hunting review and rabbit hunting. Maybe it would stay that way until Silverpelt showed. She hoped so, it would make for a nice day. Wisteria Falls? I can't remember if I've been there yet... she let a yawn escape her jaws and then followed Mapleleaf out of camp. It would be nice to see one of the newer parts of the territory.

"Alright... I-I'm up, I'm up," she murmured as soon as she caught up with the calico/tabby.

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The sun was just barely uncovered by the clouds when she had woken up from her small nap under the shade of the Thunderwillow. The clouds seemed to have moved on for now, which left some time for her and Flamepaw to get some training done. The wind was slightly blowing, so it would be a nice hunting trip out. Looking out toward the apprentice's den, she noticed Flamepaw sleeping right outside, close to some of her denmate's nests. Smiling with the memory of Flamepaw coming up to her when they first met, Mapleleaf got up and stretched her legs before walking toward her apprentice. Gently nudging the orange and white apprentice's shoulder, the warrior bent down and whispered in the ten-moon-old apprentice's ear.

"Wake up, sleepy head. We need to continue our training," she added a purr to her whisper and sat up, preparing herself for the next lesson by unsheathing her claws. "We'll be working on mice and voles and hunting at Wisteria Falls."

Seeing Flamepaw's eyes open up slightly, Mapleleaf gave a final prod and walked away, knowing her temporary apprentice would follow behind shortly after getting up.

[SpiritedWarrior]

Flamepaw let a third yawn escape her as she walked beside Mapleleaf on the trek to Wisteria Falls. It was surprisingly quiet, she would have thought birds would have been active. Of course, they were flying overhead, but they didn't caw or chirp. Maybe they were getting ready to turn in for the upcoming night? Maybe. Flamepaw sighed and brought her attention back to the walk, but it didn't last. Before long, the pair had reached their destination and Mapleleaf had sat back to allow Flamepaw to hunt. Flicking her ear, the apprentice dropped into her crouch and started to survey the untamed landscape. The waterfall offered a bit of noise, which was nice despite it also being annoying. Annoying because it drowned out almost everything around her, but nice because that meant her prey wouldn't be able to hear her coming. They'll be relying on scent, just like I will. I have to be careful and watch the wind's direction.

Tasting the air, Flamepaw deduced the voles were somewhat close to the waterfall while the mice were closer to the trees. The trees will offer shade for the mice. They'll probably be eating nuts and grass at this time, I'll go for them first. Smirking with satisfaction at her decision, Flamepaw continued forward toward the mice. Before long, she managed to separate the sounds of their scavenging from the waterfall's obnoxious noise. Staying on the side closer to the waterfall, the orange and white tabby apprentice unsheathed her claws and gave chase to a mouse who was getting ready to leave for its burrow. Quickly, Flamepaw jumped in front of the mouse and led it toward another direction before killing it with a swift bite to the spine.

Coming back to Mapleleaf and dropping the dead mouse at her paws, the apprentice then tasted the air once more, double checking where the voles were. They moved a little, but not enough that Flamepaw had to change the direction to stalk. After observing the voles for a little bit, Flamepaw found a slow-moving, injured vole. Perfect! It'll be easy to catch! Determined to catch the vole, Flamepaw crouched forward and maneuvered her way in between the injured vole and its companions. Quickly, the apprentice lashed her claws in the air and managed to make the vole trip, allowing her time to take it out.

Time to deliver this to Mapleleaf! Flamepaw nodded and lifted her head to look for her mentor. Once she caught sight of the warrior, the orange and white tabby apprentice smiled and pranced over to the calico/tabby warrior, "I caught a vole and a mouse! The mouse gave me a bit of trouble, but I caught it and it didn't disrupt the voles. Now- since you said I could ask about your belly... have you been eating more than your share in the Clan?"

Flamepaw tried not to word her question in a way that would anger the warrior. She didn't want Mapleleaf to be upset. I hope she's okay! I can't imagine Mapleleaf isn't since she's still doing her part in the Clan, but who knows.

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Mapleleaf looked at Flamepaw as the apprentice let a yawn out. She was working the orange and white tabby green-eyed she-cat hard, but it would be rewarding in the end when she receives her warrior name. Only two more moons to go, and then she'll be a warrior. the warrior could only huff, remembering her own warrior ceremony. She became a warrior about four moons after Thunderblaze, her mate, and two moons after Sparrowstar. It felt odd when she thought of it like that, but that was reality.

"Glad you're up, you'll need to focus since that'll be your first time hunting both types of prey. They don't have the same strategies for hunting like birds and rabbits do. Not even minnows share the same technique. Mice and voles are very similar, though voles are plumper than mice," Mapleleaf looked at Flamepaw, searching for a clue that said her temporary apprentice understood. Once she found what she was looking for, the warrior continued her explanation. "Mice typically stray a little far from their holes, and voles burrow underground. Take them by surprise, use the grass to your advantage. You know how to stalk and pounce, so there's no need to run through it."

Wisteria Falls was a little more of a walk than any other location in ThunderClan territory, but it offered the peace and quiet needed to make a successful hunt. But it was on a thin line between peace and quiet and a failed hunt during leaf-fall and leaf-bare. The snow was sometimes crunchy, which could often alert prey way before you even got to where you wanted to go. But that's not what I should focus on. I need to focus on the present. The here and now. I need to watch Flamepaw hunt.

"My belly is getting too big for me to really hunt, so I'll watch from afar. Just focus on your task at paw, I'll allow you to ask questions later about it. I think it's time you should know," Mapleleaf smiled and walked off toward the waterfall so she didn't risk making a sound that Flamepaw's prey would hear. I don't want to jeopardize her hunt.

[SpiritedWarrior]

Flamepaw didn't know what to think as her mentor gave her the news. Mapleleaf? Kits?! Of course, she was happy for the calico/tabby and her mate. But what would happen to Flamepaw's training? Would Mapleleaf have to move into the nursery? Would Flamepaw have to get yet another mentor? The thoughts that whirled around in her mind made her concerned, but the orange and white tabby she-cat knew that she'd find out eventually. She still had to learn how to fight and learn how to hunt squirrels.

"I'm happy for you and Thunderblaze," she purred and followed her mentor, now excited to meet the calico/tabby's kits when they arrive. ThunderClan would be thriving, but how hard would it be having kits born in leaf-fall and then having to care for them through leaf-bare?

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Mapleleaf could only watch as Flamepaw delivered her two pieces of prey. At this point, she was wondering if her apprentice was practicing the techniques in her sleep. But that was unlikely, after seeing her sleep earlier, Mapleleaf knew Flamepaw was spending time in camp by sleeping or hanging out with Ashpaw. The two apprentices were great friends, it was fortunate that the two would become warriors together. But they'll still serve ThunderClan together, no doubt about that.

Getting to her apprentice's question, Mapleleaf let out a chuckle, "Sort of. I've been eating a lot more than usual, that's for sure. But don't worry, I'm not sick. I'll be having kits in less than a moon now."

After looking around at the peaceful surroundings and listening to the waterfall for a moment, Mapleleaf licked the top of Flamepaw's head and got up, stretching her hind legs before walking back to camp. I'll have to talk to a queen about letting them raise my kits, I have to complete Flamepaw's training and watch her become a warrior.

[SpiritedWarrior]

The next day would prove to be a milestone in Flamepaw's training. She would be learning how to catch squirrels and then going to the training cave to get some actual battle training done. Rushfire only tested her strength, and that was the battle training she received, but she didn't remember any actual battle moves that would be useful. Mapleleaf will train me properly, unlike Rushfire. That's already a fact, but what would she teach me? Her mind was full of questions, all of which would be answered shortly. Flamepaw and Mapleleaf reached Giants Rest. The two large oak trees were massive. Flamepaw's eyes glimmered with astonishment and her mouth opened with shock. How could two trees be that tall? That wide?!

Shaking her head, Flamepaw got her focus to the matter at paw: her training. There were a lot of prey animals scurrying about, so it should be easy to get a squirrel. All she had to do was climb a tree, get a squirrel, and climb down, and the lesson was done. Of course, she had to listen to what Mapleleaf has to say first before moving on with the lesson.

"So I'm hunting squirrels, right? How do I go about it?" Even though the orange and white apprentice most likely knew the answer, it was best to double-check just in case Mapleleaf would say something that Flamepaw didn't think of.

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Mapleleaf padded along the familiar trail that lead to Giant's Rest, her tail swishing from side to side to cool her off. It was a bit warm, but luckily she and Flamepaw would go to the training cave after this hunting lesson so they could start battle training. Her temporary apprentice wasn't as excited as she expected, but perhaps Flamepaw was just focusing on her hunting. When Mapleleaf and Flamepaw first met, the orange and white green-eyed tabby she-cat was excited to start battle training. Maybe she was just excited to get training.

Once the two had arrived, Mapleleaf allowed Flamepaw a moment to look around beings that she had never actually been to Giant's Rest before. The apprentice seemed to be quite surprised and can't get her eyes off of the two large intertwined oak trees. But luckily, the large she-cat didn't have her eyes on the two trees for very long.

Answering her temporary apprentice's question, Mapleleaf chuckled, "Good question. I want you to climb the tree and find a squirrel while you're up there. They tend to be on thin branches so you'll have to look for a space to land before you go for the kill."

Ushering her temporary apprentice on, Mapleleaf watched from where she stood, ready to run over to Flamepaw in case the apprentice happened to lose her balance and fall to the ground. StarClan, keep Flamepaw safe while hunting. the warrior huffed and sat down, beginning to wait for Flamepaw to come down after getting her squirrel.

[SpiritedWarrior]

Flamepaw smiled gratefully, half to herself and a half to Mapleleaf. The apprentice knew what to do, but her mentor offered more bits of information that would help her succeed and stay safe while hunting. As the calico/tabby warrior pushed her toward the tree, Flamepaw took in a deep breath and exhaled as she walked forward and slowly began to climb the two oaks. It was a tad difficult to climb where the oaks intersected, but nothing Flamepaw couldn't do. Within minutes, the she-cat was on a branch and distributing her weight to match the swaying underneath her paws.

Alright, Flamepaw... just find a squirrel... she spoke to herself and looked around, just barely managing to make out the shape of a squirrel munching on dried leaves in the tree. Slowly but surely, the apprentice made her way over to the squirrel, just half of a fox-length away. Finding her balance once again, the orange and white tabby apprentice began to stalk forward, only losing her balance when the squirrel ended up in her jaws. She let out a little squeal of surprise, but there was a thicker branch below her so she was able to stop her fall.

"I'M FINE!" she yowled after setting her squirrel on the branch.

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Mapleleaf watched as her temporary apprentice went to the trees and climbed, keeping her gaze on Flamepaw to make sure she would be okay to climb the intertwined trees. Her eyes narrowed, and the warrior looked at the paw holds Flamepaw used. They were stable and big enough for the orange and white tabby's large paws. Good. She's being observant. the calico/tabby noted her temporary apprentice's movements and let a grin spread across her face. Though worry spread through her as she heard a branch snap and leaves rustle. But before she could scale the tree and check on Flamepaw, she heard the apprentice's yowl. A sigh of relief escaped her. At least she's okay. I don't want her to get stuck in the medicine den if I can help it.

"Good, now come down! We need to get started on battle training!" she yowled back, though it wasn't as loud as Flamepaw's yowl. The sooner they got started, the sooner she'd have her training completed and she could start her assessment after she attends her second Gathering.

[SpiritedWarrior]

Flamepaw, hearing Mapleleaf's call, grabbed her squirrel and began the climb down to the grass. Once she got down, she felt grateful to be feeling the grass in between her toes. It was more refreshing than she thought it would, but it was still welcomed. The rough texture of the tree was uncomfortable, but at least the cracks were small enough to not be a bother to her toes and fur.

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Mapleleaf huffed with satisfaction as she saw that Flamepaw had succeeded in her hunt. The she-cat was turning out to be an excellent hunter, no doubt. The squirrel was limp between the apprentice's jaws, suggesting it had been caught by surprise since there was no sign of stress from the ordeal. Flamepaw must've crashed into another branch after the fact considering her yowl down to me.

"Alright, let's head back to camp." she nodded her head and walked off toward camp with Flamepaw at her flank.

[SpiritedWarrior]

It's been a while since Flamepaw and Mapleleaf had an outing together. Mapleleaf couldn't do much with her waddling about, but perhaps she could help with a few battle moves that didn't take much effort. That seemed to be the best option since Bumbleflight had a lot on his mind: his friend's death, Rainpaw's training, and now Flamepaw's training. There's no problem with keeping myself busy while Bumbleflight has other things to focus on.

"Mapleleaf? I know it's been a while, but I'd like to learn a couple of easy battle moves! Like how to play dead a-and the scruff shake!" Bumbleflight had attempted to use the scruff shake on Flamepaw, but she got away from him by stomping on his foot before he was able to use that move. Playing dead would be an easy move, right? It seemed pretty easy, so what was the harm in learning it?

The calico tabby was in the clearing, and they didn't need too much room, so they'd be able to stay in ThunderClan's camp!

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Mapleleaf was nearly bored out of her mind, what could she even do with it being as cold as it is? Leaf-bare would be arriving in the next moon or so, the Clan was preparing for the cold, but all she could do was lay around waiting for her kits to arrive. It wasn't until she heard the familiar voice of Flamepaw, who she could remember being reassigned to Bumbleflight, asking to learn a couple of battle moves. Scruff shake, and... playing dead? Where does Flamepaw get these ideas? I mean...

"Sure, let's start off with the scruff shake. It's fairly simple, just grab your opponent by the scruff and violently shake them to disorient them. For this though, I won't shake you violently. Just keep it in mind for when you're battling a rival Clan cat or cat outside of the Clans. Well, don't just stand there, come on!"

The she-cat beckoned Flamepaw over to stand in front of her with a quick flick of her ears. Flamepaw was... twice the size of Mapleleaf, but the calico tabby was more experienced and had adapted to fighting larger cats like the apprentice. "Bend down a bit though, I don't want to jump when my belly is as big as it is."