Training Time! [closed]

Keep them closed. Bramblepaw thought as he squirmed in his nest. It wasn't even dark out yet but he was so excited to get to training! Maybe if he could sleep just a little longer, the sun would go down faster. Don't wake the others. Just close your eyes and sleep until it's dark. He lay there, trying his best to find rest. Instead, he would close his eyes, wait for what felt like the right time, peek out with one eye open and then get disappointed when he saw the sun hadn't even moved. This repeated over and over until he got up with a grunt anyway and carefully padded out of the apprentice's den. If he couldn't sleep time away, then he was going to watch the sun sink behind the grass, hoping that Magpiewing wouldn't be too long afterwards.

Unfortunately for his son, Magpiewing was not a day cat. Night was the only time he appreciated, and despite his duties, he often delayed them as long as possible so he would barely have to see sunlight.

Just as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, when dusk filled the sky, the deputy left his den, stretching and yawning after a good rest. Flexing his claws, he made his way in camp, blinking at the sight of Bramblepaw. They were training today, but he was sure the apprentice would sleep in as long as possible. "Have you been waiting there long? Most apprentices would still be sleeping and groan when I come to wake them." Magpiewing spoke, padding up to the tom and brushing a paw over the apprentice's ear.

"I... couldn't sleep," he replied bashfully, but he still couldnt hide his excitement. He wanted so badly to get some training done. "What are we doing today?"

"Hunting," he meowed simply, flicking the apprentice with his tail and padding out of camp. "We'll most likely only find frogs or toads. Small critters like mice and shrews are hard to come by in this weather. Although, I don't believe the insult 'mousebrain' comes from nowhere. We may get lucky."

Once they were further into the brisk marsh, he stopped and turned to the young tom. "Show me your stalking position." Magpiewing's tone was blunt. While he considered himself a very caring tom, training was the only exception to his loving behaviour. A young cat needed to be trained without remorse or feeling. How an apprentice is trained could change the outcome of a life or death situation, after all.

Bramblepaw listened intently as he followed the older black tom out of camp and deep into the marsh. When they came to a stop, the apprentice's large green eyes watched Magpiewing until he asked for his crouch. Blinking a couple of times and letting out a small "uh..." he stood up, set his paws apart to get a solid stance, and crouched, his front half practically lying in the mud while his tail stuck straight in the air. When he was set, Bramblepaw looked back up at the deputy and tilted his head as if to ask if what he was doing was right.

"You're too stiff. Drop your tail. And get your fur out of the mud." He was straightforward.

"Your stance can make or break your chances of a clean, fresh kill. This applies to fighting more than just toads as well." The tom shook his fur before lowering himself down, crouching with ease. "You need to slink across the ground, your fur should barely graze the earth. And keep your stance loose and close, you want to keep yourself as small as you can. This is about stealth, ShadowClan's specialty."

He crawled forward, body and tail low to the ground, his pawsteps silent as he pulled forward, mouth open for any scents. He looked more like a shadow snaking across the earth than the bulky tom he normally appeared as. His voice became hushed. "Follow by my side like this. There's prey nearby, we have to be as silent as the night."

Bramblepaw watched silently, instinctively mimicking the deputy as he listened. His big green eyes grew wide as he watched Magpiewing move almost like a snake across the ground. Crouching beside the older tom, the apprentice checked his stance, pulling his tail down from the air and lowering his body until the hairs from his belly brushed the ground but no further. "How is this?" he asked quietly, trying to hold as still as he could.