i'll only fly away

Shrikethorn had never been a fan of being in camp longer than necessary. Now that she had an apprentice, she had even more excuses to be out of camp. Being a warrior was definitely the best, since she no longer felt as restricted. Of course, it was still better to always have another cat with you upon heading out, but she now had cats she enjoyed spending time with. Swiftbranch for one, and now also Robinpaw.

The black and white warrior stretched in the sunlight, glancing over her shoulder to look at her apprentice.

"Can you scent anything, Robinpaw?"

Training with her mentor had become her favorite thing over the past couple moons. It was easy and sure as slipping into the nest at the end of each night. With each passing day, her skills grew and she felt sure that it wouldn't be long before she slept in the warrior's den too. Above head the glaring sun was accompanied by a simple breeze. This was a great day for training.

Robinpaw lifted her nose into the air and parted her maw to suck in the scents around them. Ahead, she heard the ask of her mentor. There was a flicker of a pleased smile as she realized that already the task had been accomplished; this was a sign of how much she had learned since the first day, "Fox, stale, from at least a couple days ago. And... squirrel." Her eyes darted towards the left and her tail flicked. Given how close the prey was, the apprentice's voice lowered ever so slightly. With this, the she-cat glanced towards Shrikethorn for approval.

Shrikethorn sniffed at the air as well, her nose wrinkling at the stale fox scent. She, too, picked up traces of the squirrel, and she dipped her head as a signal to go ahead at her apprentice's look. She had done well, and she deserved the chance to make this kill. A soft purr rumbled in her throat, showing her pleasure at how Robinpaw's training was progressing.

With her mentor's blessing, the apprentice shot forward. The distance between her and her target was closed in a flash, only a few heartbeats passed. Robinpaw sprang when in close enough range. Claws as sharp as thorns pierced flesh and were followed by a mawful of teeth that cut off any attempts at alerting other prey. Her head bowed as she muttered a thanks to Starclan for the cat. Somehow the moment reminded her of moons ago on her patrol with Iceheart. The skills necessary to become a warrior had only further sharpened overtime.

Robinpaw was determined to never look foolish on a hunt again. It was bound to happen, a miss here and there, but she preferred to not consider it. Shaking her coat, the molly gingerly picked up her catch and trotted back to her mentor. She presented it at Shrikethorn's paws with a respectful dip of her head. There wasn't much to be said, but Robinpaw found herself humbled in the moment, "You have taught me well. It is because of you I'm able to catch prey worthy of feeding Skyclan." Acornpaw would have found the stiff words to be humorous and she considered this for only a moment before pushing the thought away.

The member 'Ripped' has done the following action : Roll Dice

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Shrikethorn watched her apprentice in action, observing her form and technique and finding herself impressed. She didn't know how much of that could be attributed to her training, but she liked to think that she had a paw in it. As Robinpaw approached her, she let her purr grow louder for her to hear. Praise didn't come naturally to Shrikethorn, but her apprentice was one of the few cats that she was affectionate towards, which counted as praise in her own way. She rested her tail on the younger she-cat's shoulders, nodding at her.

"You have learned well, and you are going to be a warrior that SkyClan can be proud of."

"Do you think my ceremony will be soon?" Robinpaw found herself asking, a momentary curiosity overcoming her. Her ears fell back against her skull almost immediately in embarrassment. It was certainly not her place to ask. Besides, Silverstar would have the final say, even if Shrikethorn saw her fit, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. My time will come when it comes, and I will serve my clan no matter which name I bear." She shook her coat, fluffing out the white down of her pelt and flicking away any scraps of foliage or dust. It was harder to maintain a long pelt. Something shorter like Shrikethorn's would have made more sense. Her pelt only got in the way. It was then she was reminded of her mentor's tail across her back, and as she sucked in a breath of air, Robinpaw was comforted, "Should we continue hunting?"