Learning to Hunt

[Emberpaw]

Emberpaw bounded to the Lakeshore and stopped at the edge. She was going to learn to hunt. And I will not run off when training's over! she told herself. She turned around to Timeshadow. "What do I do?"

[Sheerpath]

"Be quiet! Okay, we'll do a mouse hunting lesson, a mouse can feel your pawsteps through the ground even before it smells you so what do you think should help rid that disadvantage?"

[Emberpaw]

"Um...step lightly?" Emberpaw suggested, half thinking, half knowing she would be wrong. Her tail waved. "Can I try? Wait, you show me first!"

[Sheerpath]

"Aye, but you should try it first, theres a mouse right there." Timeshadow flicked his tail to a near by bush

[Emberpaw]

Emberpaw crouched down clumsily. She stepped forward lightly. The mouse had not heard her. Another step, and she was tail-length from it. With another, she was ready to pounce. She leapt into the air. The leavees swirled around her, little colorful banners, they weren't helping right now. Her paws landed with a thud on hard ground and she turned to see the mouse's thin, wormy tail disappear into some undergrowth. "Mouse-brained leaves and mouse-brained mouse!" she spat crossly.

[Sheerpath]

"Try not jumping so high and try getting a little closer and move faster, try again."

[Emberpaw]

Emberpaw spun around to another mouse. She moved swiftly, step by step, until she was only a tail-length from it. Then, with another swift step, she was close enough. But she didn't even jump. She lashed out one paw and swept the mouse toward her. Then, with a quick bite on its neck, she killed it. "Wow! My first prey!" she purred happily.

[Sheerpath]

"Well done, but with that noisy sweep you scared off every other bit of prey in the forest." Timeshadow flicked his tail when he heard scurring of prey

[Emberpaw]

Emberpaw looked down at her paws. "Sorry," she mumbled.

[Sheerpath]

Timeshadow twitched an ear. "Now watch." he spotted a vole beneath a bramble bush. He carefully dropped down and stalked slowly until he was very close and quickly and silently leaped and bit it on the neck. "Like that"

[Emberpaw]

Emberpaw spotted another mouse. She crept forward until she was paw-length from it. It didn't notice her. She silently and slowly lifted her paw. Suddenly, she struck it out again and picked the mouse up by its tail with her claw. She slapped it down in front of herself and killed it with a swift bite. All of this was utterly silent and nothing was heard.