Last sparks | Emberpaw's hunting assessment

[Spotty]

Batblood
@Rizo

So he had to finish an assessment hu? It would have been different if he had been placed in charge of an entire assessment, but now it seemed he was just cleaning up since another warrior had left thins halfway done and then poofed. But Batblood didn't mind. Really. Because what was a Keeper's job if not doing the work his clanmates failed to do properly?

So after a stretch and sigh, the dark-furred tom straightened up and placed himself in the middle of clearing. "Emberpaw! Get over here, we need to finish your assessment."

[Rizo]

~Emberpaw | @Flea~

Pushing her way from the apprentice den as she heard her name, the orange she-cat furrowed her brow. She hadn't talked to this cat before, but she knew him. He was a Keeper, a senior warrior, and a trusted advisor of Sparrowstar. Which was impressive, since he was only a moon or two older than her.
Emberpaw padded up to Batblood and dipped her head in respect. It was about time for her to become a warrior. She would be a warrior this moon, come Dark Forest or high water.
"Thank you, Batblood. I am ready," she stated, striped tail giving a lash.

[Spotty]

Batblood
@Rizo Bat's barely 20 moons lol, dont call him a senior warrior at least not to his face //

The orange tabby apprentice soon made their appearance, and Batblood simply gave a curt nod before turning his paws towards the entrance. Since she had only had her hunting portion left, he led her to a place suited for that, with a more open clearing as well as trees and other vegetation nearby, so she would be able to hunt many kinds of prey here.

He turned to Emberpaw and fasted his yellow-golden gaze on her. "It's simple; hunt as much as you can. I'll be nearby to watch how you do, and report to Sparrowstar how you do." He was tempted to tell her not to be disappointing here, not to waste his time, but he supposed saying something discouraging wasn't quite... appropriate for this. So he simply nodded to her to get started, backing a few steps and preparing to slip into the vegetation to follow as soon as she was off.

[Rizo]

~Emberpaw | @Flea~

(Lol thats at least senior to her, she's 16 moons xD)

Holding her head high, Emberpaw inspected the area that Batblood had lead her to. Yes, this would be a good place to perform her assessment. She nodded in acknowledgement of his instructions.
"I'm ready," came her simple response. Turning her gaze away from the dark furred Keeper, she took a few steps forward and parted her jaws, drawing the scents of the forest around her over her tongue. Ears swiveling, she found her first target, a mouse scuffling in the undergrowth a few foxlengths away.
Dropping into her hunter's crouch, moons of practice and instruction from different mentors having nearly perfected her form, she carefully crept forward. She placed each paw deliberately, avoiding any newly crunchy leaves and opting instead to place her paws on the softer, quieter frost moistened ones.
It took some time, but she made her way forward steadily, ignoring the pulling of fur that got caught on a bramble she had snuck too close to. She was only about a tail length away now, and her pupils narrowed as her amber eyes fixated on her prey.
In a flash, the orange she-cat's front paws struck forward, pinning the mouse to the ground. She quickly finished it off with a bite to the neck, then closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sky.
Thank you, Starclan, for this prey.
The hardest part, the first catch, was over. Taking a moment to bury the mouse between the roots of a tree, she carried onward.

[Rizo]

~ Emberpaw | @Flea ~

She breathed in the frost scents of the forest as she carried onward, taking in everything around her. The forest was surprisingly beautiful in its leaf-fall state, with all the changing colors of the leaves blending to make almost a sunset. She couldn't scent Batblood anymore, but she knew he was watching, assessing her skills. The orange she-cat paused a moment and listened, ears flicking to catch the sounds of something scrabbling in the undergrowth nearby. Dropping into her crouch again, she opened her mouth and drew the scent over her tongue, pinpointing the target.
A thrush. Good.
The little bird was hopping about the base of a tree, digging through the fallen leaf matter looking for worms. The tip of Emberpaw's tail twitched as she crept closer, carefully placing her paws to avoid any crunchy leaves. She was so focused on placing her pawsteps carefully that she didn't realize how close she had gotten to a bramble bush, and cursed herself as she felt her pelt brush the branches, sending out a rattle. Sure enough, the bird looked up and cried an alarm before taking off into the sky.
Foxdung!
Shaking her head at herself, Emberpaw turned away. She had to take a deep breath to calm her irritation. After all, everyone missed once in a while, right? There was more prey in the forest, she would get it right the next time. That alarm from the bird would have scared off anything nearby, though. Time to move to a different location. Deciding she would head towards the Riverclan border where the undergrowth was thicker. There would have to be more prey there, since there were more opportunities for things to hide. Hopefully Batblood wouldn't mind too much.

(I'm so sorry for my delay, i had a lot going on this week)

[Spotty]

Batblood
@Rizo

Emberpaw started and Batblood's gaze followed her, inspecting every move she made and judging them. Tasting the air, listening for sounds, and sinking into an acceptable hunting crouch. Nothing bad to comment on there at least. She seemed to pick up on the first prey as Batblood did, and her hunting crouch, stalk, and kill all seemed acceptable enough. He expected her to go on, but she stopped. Was she thanking Starclan? Seemed so. It was something Batblood himself had never bothered with, but he wouldn't strip points for that.

The prey was buried and Emberpaw moved on, Batblood slipping after like a shadow. Her next target seemed to be a thrush nearby, but while her stalk was good, she forgot about her surroundings too much, and the Keeper's eyes narrowed as she scared away the bird. That wasn't too great, but she kept going so Batblood wouldn't stop her. She would need to show her skills a little bit more to qualify for a new rank, after all.

[Rizo]

EMBERPAW

Alright, a couple more pieces should do it. The orange she-cat stalked through the undergrowth, jaws agape to pick up the scents around her. She quickly found herself on the trail of a rabbit that was digging in the bracken. Dropping quickly out of sight, Emberpaw steadied herself. It was a plump one, it had been eating a lot in preparation for leafbare. This would be an excellent catch for the clan. Carefully she tested the direction of the wind with her tail tip and began to creep her way around to be downwind of the creature.
She smirked to herself. It was still distracted, head buried in the leaf matter. It wouldn't even see her coming. Slowly, carefully, she began to creep within range, this time keeping well away from any plants that could cause noise. Her quarry stopped for a moment and lifted its head, causing her to freeze in place. Holding as still as possible, she waited, watching the rabbit glance at its surroundings. She held her breath, and soon the rabbit went back to its digging.
A few more pawsteps and she was in range. With a ferocious leap, she attacked, her paws landing directly on the creature's shoulders and her fangs wrapping around its throat. It scarcely had time to make a noise before it was dead. She placed the plump cottontail upon the ground and lifted her face to the sky, closing her eyes.
Thank you, Starclan, for this prey.
Opening her eyes, she began to look around for a place to hide it for retrieval later.

[ @Flea I'm so sorry for the delay, things have been crazy the past few days ]