Daffodilpaw's Assessment

[Moonraven]

Twilightstar fluffed up her pelt as she led Daffodilpaw out of camp and into the territory. It would be time for the apprentice's warrior ceremony by the next meeting, since she hadn't passed her last assessment, Twilightstar felt like today would be a good day to get started on that so she could have Daffodilpaw ready for her ceremony by the next meeting.

"We're going to take care of your assessment today." The older lilac-gray she-cat meowed. It's been a while since Twilightstar did an apprentice's assessment. The wind whistled loudly over the prairie and she fought the urge to shiver. The leader didn't normally take care of the assessments unless asked or one of her apprentices needed them down. She had been without an apprentice for quite a bit after Badgerpaw.

"You finished the hunting portion of your assessment, correct?" She asked, turning her head to lock her single eye on Daffodilpaw.
@Luna16

[Luna16]

Daffodilpaw tried to contain her excitement. Oh stars, she tried. Ever since she had been able to clear the air between her and Snowybreeze, she's felt...lighter. Everything was fine as long as Snowybreeze hadn't internalized her mistake! She was fine with whatever punishment as long as that truth remained! The pale she-cat looked up at Twilightstar at her question, and immediately shook her head. "Not quite...the hunting portion was started but never truly completed." She explained. "So my skills weren't actually...assessed in that area in the end." Did that even make sense? She hoped so. Daffy's whiskers began to vibrate again with excitement. "Will we start with hunting then? Or perhaps combat?" She asked excitedly, dipping into a crouch and bouncing from side-to-side as though facing and dodging an enemy.
@Moonraven - Twilightstar

[Moonraven]

So don't let Bluestrike steal apprentices away for their assessment again. It didn't sound like he had done Daffodilpaw any good and only ruined what might have been a good relationship between the apprentice and her former mentor.

"Yes, we'll start with hunting. You'll only need to catch one piece of prey, but if you can find more the merrier. I'll assess you from a distance." Usually, she'd demand a rabbit be caught, but given it was leafbare and with the snow, hunting for prey wasn't as easy as it would be in newleaf or greenleaf. Twilightstar would take whatever Daffodilpaw could find.

"Seeing as you're a ball of excitement, you can start whenever you'd like." Twilightstar smiled observing Daffodilpaw bounce to and fro like an eager kitten on their first day out of camp.
@Luna16

[Luna16]

Daffodilpaw nodded eagerly at Twilightstar’s instructions, purring at her leader’s smile. At the very least, it seemed Snowybreeze and Twilightstar had both forgiven her. And that was enough to fill her paws with energy. “I’ll catch more than just one piece! I promise!” She declared, standing proudly. She had her not-so-secret weapon after all: her nose. And while Snowybreeze hadn’t finished teaching her to use it masterfully, it should still work well enough to give her an edge. It had before when Elkjump was teaching her hunting, so she just had to do more of that! Her determination stemmed not just from her need to prove herself, but also because whatever she catches here will go straight to the clan. So really, the better she did here, the better it would be for her clan!

Daffodilpaw took a breath to steady her nerves before giving Twilightstar a resolute nod and turning. It was time. She could do this! Failing would be a bad reflection on Elkjump and Snowybreeze, and she wouldn’t allow that! Daffodilpaw tread lightly in the snow, taking time to pause every now and then. Eyes alert for signs of prey movement, nose twitching as she took in the scents of the plains around them, ears perked. She had entered hunting mode, the knowledge that this was her assessment being pushed back in her mind. She was here to hunt, and this was what she did best.

-rolled 13 + 3 for Master Scout advantage = 16!-

Her whiskers twitched with her nose as it moved more intensely. Pulling her attention in one direction. Daffodilpaw knew this scent well. Rabbit! She lowered her body, advantaging her nose and hiding herself some as she followed the trail. Her bright green eyes narrowed in focus as she caught a physical sign of the presence of prey: tracks. Daffodilpaw carefully crept forward, keeping her senses alert for when the rabbit would be coming into view. And finally…there it was. Trusting her senses served her well, her eyes caught movement of the white hare against the snow easily. She knew that she needed to take action before her yellow pelt was spotted by her target. Daffodilpaw shifted her weight to her hind legs, lunging forward with a powerful leap, her body still low to the ground. Her aim to use that advantage to land directly on her target.

-rolled 19-

Success! Daffodilpaw’s claws met flesh and bone as she hooked them into the hare, her jaws closing swiftly on the creature’s neck and snapping the bone for a quick kill. She took a moment to send silent thanks to StarClan for the catch before carefully burying it to retrieve later. After all, she had promised to find more prey than just one. And she intended to do so. She wanted to ensure her assessment was not just passed, but useful. She wanted to be able to feed her clan after this, really prove herself. So Daffodilpaw lifted her nose to the air, searching for another scent trail.

-rolled 11 + 3 Master Scout advantage = 14-

Bumpkus. Disappointment flooded her from her paws up. No! She couldn’t give up. The pale yellow feline moved a bit away from her catch, so her nose wasn’t distracted by the scent of her catch, lifting her nose into the breeze. Desperately trying to find something, anything, to indicate there was more prey.

-rolled 18 + 3 Master Scout advantage … final roll 20!

There! Daffodilpaw caught the scent of mouse in the breeze. Best part was she was downwind, she already had the advantage. And it was close! It was strong…as Daffodilpaw sank down and followed the trail, she wondered briefly if there were more than one gathered. Maybe…maybe it was a family. Hunting for seeds or whatever mice eat together… For a brief moment, Daffodilpaw felt a pang of pity, and empathy. She missed her mother and brother, fiercely. But it only took a moment for Daffodilpaw to force her mind to focus back on the hunt. She soon caught sight of movement against the snow, there were two mice. Searching in the snow and ground for seeds. They, like the hare, were thin. No doubt driven from their burrows in search of food. But so were all leaf-bare. I need to catch both. She positioned herself in the ready, shifting her weight for another big leap, aiming to land with a paw on each.

-rolled 20-

Daffodilpaw landed with one paw on one mouse fully, sinking her claws into it to hook it in place. Her other paw landed on the other mouse’s tail, and she quickly bit the neck to administer the killing blow, doing the same to the other mouse shortly after. Both lives ended mercifully quick. She offered another prayer of thanks to StarClan before lifting both mice by the tail and returning to where she had buried her rabbit before. Was this good? Her ear flicked thoughtfully, would this be enough to feed the clan?

total: +2 mice, +1 rabbit

@Moonraven - Twilightstar

[Moonraven]

Daffodilpaw didn't appear at all stressed and no longer seemed to hold the same nervousness she had during Twilightstar's chat regarding that Riverrat. Considering that the molly hasn't been stirring up trouble and wasn't taking any more lone walks outside of camp at night, aside from her hesitation regarding the apprentice with cats outside of the clan, Twilightstar could happily say that she wasn't as distrustful of the she-cat as she had been before. She'll have her reservations, yet she felt the she-cat would grow to become a find WindClan warrior.

As the she-cat set off, Twilightstar followed her out of sight, taking in how the molly hunted. The one-eyed feline noticed how she hunted, what mistakes she may have made, and how much she managed to catch. With her brighter-colored pelt, Twilightstar figured she might have startled the rabbit she was talking to before she could pounce, but the molly caught expertly surprisingly. It took a few moments to find and track down a mouse, but she caught it without much trouble too.

"Wonderful work," Twilightstar purred as she padded to meet the apprentice. "You caught a nice haul and will make a good meal for your clanmates." She praised. A mouse and a rabbit might not seem like much to some but during leafbare, such a catch would be praised by the whole clan.

"We have the second part of your assessment to do. Hide your catches and we'll move on to sparring." Twilightstar leaned down and stretched out her muscles while Daffodilpaw finished her task.

"Okay once you're ready you can make the first move.This should be common sense, but claws sheathes and don't go overboard. Don't worry about winning or losing here, I need you to show me you can hold your own in a fight." She reminded Daffodilpaw sternly while shifting her paws into a more comfortable battle stance.
@Luna16

[Luna16]

Daffodilpaw's nose twitched when a familiar scent reached her. She turned to see Twilightstar approaching, beaming at her leader and mentor's praise. "Yes, ma'am!" She chirped, turning to bury her two mice along with the rabbit she had hid earlier. Hopefully, this would serve to feed a number of clanmates. Once she finished, she turned and nodded, letting Twilightstar know she was ready to begin. She was appreciative of the bit Twilightstar added about not having to win, she'd be lying if she said that sparring against her leader didn't make her feel nervous. Not to mention that battle wasn't exactly her strong suit... But just because I don't have to win, doesn't mean I can relax! She still had to prove herself to Twilightstar! And this may end up being her best chance to do so...

With a deep breath, Daffodilpaw sank into a battle stance. Keeping her claws sheathed, her eyes narrowed in focus. How to do this...well, staring would get her nowhere fast. Daffodilpaw started to tread lightly in one direction, then the other. Half-circling Twilightstar as she considered her options. She knew better than to underestimate her opponent, but she definitely got the sense she was overthinking things. I just...gotta give a try! With a yowl of determination and challenge, Daffodilpaw lunged at Twilightstar as though in a frontal assault. However, her intention was to duck at the last moment, head-butting Twilightstar in her chest.

@Moonraven - Twilightstar