Mottledpaw's Training

[frost2fur]

Burrclaw awoke and yawned. As she padded into the middle of the clearing, she grabbed a vole from the fresh-kill pile and waited. "He's such a sleepy head," she meowed to herself. "Mottledpaw always liked his sleep."

Mottledpaw awoke much later than the other apprentices and ran outside. "I'm ready for training!" he meowed loudly. "Not until you get a meal." Burrclaw reminded him. "And hurry. You overslept much more than the others."

After he had eaten, Mottledpaw followed Burrclaw out of the camp. "So where are we going?" he asked. "We're going to the training hollow. You need to learn how to hunt." Burrclaw replied.

Near evening, Burrclaw and Mottledpaw returned with a great bounty of fresh-kill, even for leaf-bare. Flowertail and Needlefur padded up to them. "So how was our little Mottledpaw?" they eagerly asked. "He is a very determined, fast learner." Burrclaw commented. "He instantly picked up the hunting techniques. I can already sense he will be a great warrior."

[frost2fur]

The next day, Mottledpaw was up much earlier. "I set us off for training in a bad mood yesterday, so I won't let it happen again today." he meowed as he took a mouse off of the fresh-kill pile.

Burrclaw awoke to see a very bored Mottledpaw by the fresh-kill pile. "Come on, Mottledpaw, let's go." she meowed. Mottledpaw got up and followed Burrclaw. "Wait," he said. "What is it?" Burrclaw asked. "I scent a couple of mice by that tree, in the opening under its roots." he replied.

Burrclaw watched as Mottledpaw skillfully snuck up on the mice. He pounced and actually hit both with his paws, though one got away. "You can't go after both at the same time," Burrclaw reminded him, "Or else you might just lose both. Now come on, let's get to the hollow. Today is fighting techniques."

Burrclaw and Mottledpaw both reached the hollow, and Burrclaw meowed, "Now, go stand by that log. Good." As he walked over she meowed, "Now I need to see just what you think fighting really is. Come on, hit me."

Mottledpaw ran at Burrclaw clumsily and lanched himself at her head, all the while mock spitting and hissing. Burrclaw stepped to the side as he hit the ground.

"You'll never pose a threat like that," she meowed. "That's how a kit fights. Here, try this." She then flicked her tail towards the log. "Pretend that log is another cat, and that wierd knob on it is the cat's head." She then launched herself at the log, jumped and landed, just behind the "head". She then proceeded to leave many scratch marks in it. "That's how you can hit a cat while its moving, and actually do some damage. Now you try."

Mottledpaw repeated exactly what Burrclaw had done. "Well done. Now try this..."

Burrclaw and Mottledpaw returned later that evening, both proud. Burrclaw for how smart and quick her apprentice was, and Mottledpaw for the fact that he had learned how to do at least one fighting move.