// just take one step at a time [WillowxRed]

[Dawn]

Redpaw strolled along the edge of the meadow, peering curiously down into the indented area where mentors took their apprentices to train them how to fight. Redpaw had not been here in a while, the MarshClan warriors seemed to busy at the moment to train their young charges.

Settling on the soft ground underneath the shade of an oak tree, the ginger tabby tom stared across the MarshClan - DutClan border. Just a moon ago, or had it been longer? MarshClan had attacked their neighbors. He had not been involved in the battle, but he had heard about the chaotic scene.

Since, he had not seen a DustClan cat around... he didn't think he would much like to. They were probably furious at MarshClan's attack. He had heard that they had lost Pantherfoot, one of their warriors in the battle. That un-needed battle.

Personally, Redpaw thought that Hawkstar had acted too impulsively. Would StarClan really send one Clan to attack another over the incident between OakClan and PineClan? More likely, they would want MarshClan and DustClan to stay out of it. Let the other Clans figure it out on their own.

But he would never speak any of this out loud. Who knew who would be listening anymore? And who would report what he said to Hawkstar? As much as he did not approve of the leader's actions, he still was the leader, and thus was entitled respect and loyalty.

"Well it's not as if having an opinion is being disrespectful or anything."

[/color] He muttered to himself. His ears twitched slightly and he contemplated his paws. A faint whispering breeze swept over his body, but it did not seem to bother him.

It was, after all, a pretty hot day. A nice breeze was a welcome thing. He sat up then, suddenly worried that if some cat came upon him laying down, doing nothing, they would report him back to Hawkstar for being lazy or something.
With Hawkstar these days... who knew what a punishment would be?

He stood, imagining being yelled at by the huge tabby leader and set to doing chores for the elders for a moon. The least he could do was attempt to catch something. Just to have something to show if accused of doing nothing.

He padded towards the line of trees, his paws quiet on the grass. He kept silent, his nose twitching for a scent. He caught it, a mouse was scuffling around near by. Apparently unaware of the danger a fox length away from it.

Redpaw crouched and stalked forward, his eyes trained on the light brown body. He paused for a moment, mouth watering with anticipation, then leapt forward and caught the creature between his paws. He heard a small squeal as it attempted to struggle away and bent to quickly bite it's neck, killing it.

He straightened, mouse hanging from his jaws, and turned, looking for a place to bury his catch.
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[pretzel]

"Well it's not as if having an opinion is being disrespectful or anything."

'In MarshClan, it might as well be.' Despite the fact that Redpaw was her fellow apprentice, Willowpaw still kept herself well-hidden in the tall grasses and trees surrounding the meadow. She had seen the tom leave camp and, deciding to practice her tracking skills as Lilypelt hadn't bothered with training her in moons, Willowpaw had followed, keeping silent behind the tom.

The key to tracking, Willowpaw found, was not keeping a set space between yourself and your mark. It was thinking of that distance as a cloud, constantly changing and twisting. If something caught her interest, she would follow it before returning to her mark and tracking him again. If she saw a mouse to be captured, she would kill it and bury it before continuing.

Tracking was probably less complicated than she was making it, but she hadn't had any training in that area. The only thing Lilypelt wanted to do, it seemed, was continue her own life and ignore Willowpaw as best she could.

When Redpaw got up suddenly, Willowpaw's blue eyes perked. The tom began to move away from her and Willowpaw waited a few moments before following, pausing to sniff at the indent he had made in the meadow's grasses. The gray she-cat wondered what the tom was up to as he delved deeper into MarshClan's territory. Her confusions vanished when he caught and buried a mouse.

Once Redpaw's mouse had disappeared, Willowpaw decided to reveal herself to the tom. "Nice catch," she purred, stepping closer to the tabby tom and in his line of sight. "Your mentor must be teaching you well, hm?" There was a hint of bitter resentment in her voice. Her own mentor hadn't taken her out hunting in a while. Most, scratch that, all of Willowpaw's experience came from her own trial and error experiments.

[Dawn]

"Nice catch, your mentor must be teaching you well, hm?"

Redpaw whipped around, his heart rate increasing slightly as the voice spoke up. He had not been expecting any other cat to appear, and now a days, one was probably better off if they hadn't. What with all the new strict rules and tattle tales running around.

The ginger tabby blinked, his eyes flicking towards where he had buried his catch. He caught the bitterness in her voice, and thought that her mentor must be doing a poor job of going out to train her. It seemed that was happening more and more often in this Clan.

"Oh, hi, Willowpaw. Thanks... and no, not... not really. I haven't actually seen my mentor for quite some time now."

[/color] It wasn't difficult to admit, and it wasn't a lie either. He hadn't caught sight or scent of his mentor in what seemed like moons.

"I suppose they are all too busy with their grand plans to aid PineClan against OakClan."[/color] He added, unable to hold in the tone that clearly indicated that he would have rolled his eyes had he not been afraid that she would run off and tell on him. He bit his tongue then, obviously frightened that his tone had given him away.

"I mean, they have to do what's best for the Clan, don't they."[/color] He amended quickly, nervous worry flooding his stomach. He looked down at his paws, hoping she couldn't see the worry that was sparking in his eyes.

He wished to move the topic away from this, possibly distract her from his possible 'traitorous tone'. "I could show you if you like, the crouching technique I used. It's rather simple, but it gets the job done."[/color] He gave a sheepish smile, his limbs now tingling with embarrassment.

Why would she possibly want to learn anything from him? He was the vision of imperfection, he had always been told so by his mother. 'What cat would ever even consider you above any other apprentice, hm?' He almost flinched slightly, his mother's words ringing in his ears.

As far as he knew, she was right. Ever since his kithood he had believed that he was a burden upon the earth. A demon child, shunned by a mother who should, by nature, have loved him with every hair on her body. But not Rowanflower, oh no.

He was glad that there was no water here. He recalled his visit to the river a few days back and quickly tried to push the memory of staring at his hideous face away. If there was anything that could make any situation worse, it was looking at his reflection. It brought up so many old insecurities born of his mother's harsh words.

He shouldn't be thinking of that now though. Forcing his mind back into the present, he looked back up at Willowpaw, amber eyes meeting her blue ones. She was blessed with good looks, and a sick jealousy swept through him.

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[pretzel]

"Oh, hi, Willowpaw. Thanks... and no, not... not really. I haven't actually seen my mentor for quite some time now. I suppose they are all too busy with their grand plans to aid PineClan against OakClan."

It wasn't hard to detect the sarcasm in Redpaw's voice; the tom was not very good at covering up his emotions. He wore his heart on his sleeve, but Willowpaw admired that. It was nice to meet an honest cat amongst the treacheries of MarshClan.

"I mean, they have to do what's best for the Clan, don't they,"

[/s] Redpaw quickly amended, a hint of nervousness creeping into his tone. Willowpaw snorted. "MarshClan should keep very well to it's own damn business. Hawstar's a fool for thinking that it was our place to get involved." Willowpaw was not one to keep her opinions to herself, her words often blurting from her mouth before she even got a chance to think about what was being said. But she didn't care. Walking on eggshells is what gets cats killed, not honesty. No, if more cats in the forest were honest, then the bloodshed would be less, in Willowpaw's opinion.

She glanced up as Redpaw hastily changed the subject, probably afraid that she was going to tell Hawkstar about his 'disloyalty to the Clan.' "I could show you if you like, the crouching technique I used. It's rather simple, but it gets the job done." The gray tabby decided to go along with her peer's suggestion, if only to make him more comfortable in the atmosphere that had been set.. "Alright, let's see it."[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Dawn]

"MarshClan should keep very well to it's own damn business. Hawstar's a fool for thinking that it was our place to get involved."

Redpaw blinked in surprise at how Willowpaw had been so open and free with her opinion. He cast a quick glance around, suddenly wary that they were being watched by someone less open minded. It had become quick practice in MarshClan lately to keep eyes open for someone who would tell Hawkstar or Reedstorm of your opinions if you voiced them.

Now a days, voicing what you thought, was tantamount to betraying the large tabby leader. The times in MarshClan were becoming darker, and Redpaw could only see more trouble on the horizon if they kept with the same pattern for much longer.

"You will want to be careful speaking like that, you never known who might be listening."

[/color] He whispered to her, though he could not hide his admiration for her. She was not afraid to speak as she saw fit, a bravery Redpaw had never been able to capture.

"Alright, let's see it."

This surprised Redpaw as well. He had thought that she would probably scoff at him and say that he was not nearly good enough to teach anyone much of anything. It was a nice change, to feel good about something he did.

"Alright, well lets see...[/color] His brow furrowed slightly as he thought back to his casual hunting crouch. He had based it around how light he was on his paws, and thought Willowpaw would probably be able to manage it. What with her slight build.

"Well first off, you need to spread your weight evenly over all four paws, making sure your tail doesn't brush the ground but at the same time, does not give away your position. I tend to curl my tail around so it is almost like a snake. Following my motion so it doesn't disturb any grass or bushes.[/color] He crouched down, demonstrating what he was saying.

His body was parallel to the ground, all four paws spread evenly around his body so that his weight was not concentrated on one or two alone, but all four at the same time. He let his tail drift along behind him, almost parallel with the ground as well.

"Then, you just carefully put one paw in front of another, moving forward quickly and quietly. If you put your paw down with too much force, your prey may feel it so it's always better to set it down gently."[/color] He demonstrated traveling forward, moving like a ghost across the soft earth.

"Then, once you get close enough to your prey, you prepare to pounce by moving your weight back to your hind paws. This lets you have the power to propel yourself as far as you need to without frightening your prey away."[/color] He trained his eyes on a leaf, fluttering in the lazy green-leaf breeze.

Slowly and deliberately, he showed how he transferred his weight to his hind paws. He paused for a bit longer, deciding where he would jump to catch his quarry, then sprang forward and slapped his paw down, trapping the leaf underneath it.

"And then you just catch your prey.[/color] He finished, grinning somewhat sheepishly at his lame ending. He lifted his paw and watched as the leaf, unruffled by his attack, drift easily away on the wind.

"Any, er, questions? Or do you want to try it?"[/color] He asked, blushing slightly underneath his fur. He didn't like sounding like a mentor, they had not really earned great names in his book. Or rather, the lack of help from them had gained them that reputation in his mind.
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[pretzel]

"You will want to be careful speaking like that, you never known who might be listening." Willowpaw snorted. She didn't care if anyone else heard her, despite the dangers of speaking open-mindedly about MarshClan and it's leader at the present. She opened her jaws to tell Redpaw this, but the tom had already continued, beginning to teach her the hunting crouch.

"Well first off, you need to spread your weight evenly over all four paws, making sure your tail doesn't brush the ground but at the same time, does not give away your position. I tend to curl my tail around so it is almost like a snake. Following my motion so it doesn't disturb any grass or bushes."

Willowpaw followed Redpaw's instructions, spreading her paws slightly to even out her weight. She held her tail out behind her, curling it slightly at the end, it's tip twitching back and forth as she carefully studied Redpaw, mimicking his motions. She padded forward lightly, but her pawsteps were louder than they should be. When she spotted her target - a leaf not too far from the one Redpaw had pounced on - she transferred her weight to her hindpaws just like the ginger apprentice had suggested. However, it wasn't enough weight. Willowpaw leapt but fell about a tail-length short of her objective. The leaf fluttered up, the breeze catching it and whisking it away.

"Any, er, questions? Or do you want to try it?"

"I guess I could use some more practice, huh?"

[Dawn]

Redpaw watched as Willowpaw mimicked his movements, tipping his head slightly to one side. As she leapt, he guessed that she would come up somewhat short, and was not wrong. His eyes moved to follow the leaf as it fluttered away, then turned back to Willowpaw.

"I guess I could use some more practice, huh?"

Redpaw smiled slightly. "Well it was your first time with the new technique, wasn't it? You will get it if you keep on working on it."

[/color] He told her, tail flicking over the fresh green-leaf grass.

"Anyway, it was better than some cats I have seen try it."[/color] He snorted, recalling another apprentice - whom he did not know the name of - attempting to same stalking technique. The tom had been far too large to master it as well as a light footed cat like Redpaw or Willowpaw, and had scared away anything he had been attempting to catch.

He had also fallen over on multiple occasions, apparently not used to the way you had to spread your weight evenly around your body then move it to your hind legs in order to pounce with ease.

"Why don't you try it again? This is the type of technique that you could know front and back but can't be good at unless you practice at it."[/color] He meowed, reflecting on the time he had spent perfecting it.
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[pretzel]

"Well it was your first time with the new technique, wasn't it? You will get it if you keep on working on it. Anyway, it was better than some cats I have seen try it. Why don't you try it again? This is the type of technique that you could know front and back but can't be good at unless you practice at it."

Willowpaw nodded at Redpaw's words, taking his advice to try the technique again. She found another object to test the crouch on, a small dandelion, slightly closer than the leaf had been. Willowpaw replayed Redpaw's instructions over in her head again, following them exactly as she tried the technique again. When she pounced, she came closer to the flower but still didn't get it exactly, instead tripping slightly over her paws and the long grass of the meadow. Falling on her face, Willowpaw lifted her head to show Redpaw that she was fine, glaring at him as if she were daring him to laugh at her.

ooc } bleh, no inspiration. ><[/size]

[Dawn]

Redpaw sat back, curling his tail over his paws. His amber eyes followed Willowpaw as she moved to try the move again, her eyes fixed on a dandelion. His eyes followed her movements as she pounced, a bit too short, and then tripped.

He rose to his paws, hesitating. He was about to pad forward to aid her, when she regained her balance and glared back at him. He looked down at his paws, unable to look at her glaring eyes. Since his mother had spent most of her time glaring at him and his brothers, he had become somewhat sensitive to others doing it as well.

"You'll get it, Willowpaw. It just takes practice."

[/color] He muttered, eyes still on his paws.

He turned his head to the side, still avoiding looking her in the face, and made it look as though he were looking for prey of some kind to attack. Of course, he knew that it was pointless. What with all the noise they had been making, any prey that lingered around, would have to be completely daft to show itself.
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[pretzel]

"You'll get it, Willowpaw. It just takes practice."

Willowpaw snorted. "Maybe if Lilypelt would get off her lazy bum and actually mentor me, things would be different." It was no secret that Willowpaw did not appreciate her mentor. She had been hoping to get a warrior like Reedstorm or even Lilypelt's brother, Snaketail, would've made a better mentor than the self-absorbed she-cat.

But Willowpaw had to make due with what she was given, dealing with Lilypelt the best she could. But even so, the mentor she was given by Hawkstar was just another note on her long list of reasons why she despised the leader.

The she-cat found herself about to burden Redpaw with every ounce of her feelings towards Hawkstar but thought better of it, instead choosing to playfully pounce on the tom. "Enough talk of mentors and politics; let's play!"

[Dawn]

"Maybe if Lilypelt would get off her lazy bum and actually mentor me, things would be different."

Redpaw blinked. He knew that Willowpaw didn't like her mentor, he imagined that most cats who paid attention knew. But he hadn't imagined she would be so able to speak so openly about it. He knew that he wouldn't dare speak that way about Dapplenose, even if he didn't agree with her.

These days, he didn't much dare to speak about anything that might be even slightly disapproved of. What with Hawkstar becoming more and more strict and more cats becoming spies, reporting back to Hawkstar with whatever they could.

Redpaw watched in silence as Willowpaw's thought flitted across her pretty face. He imagined that she was about to say something more, perhaps about how Hawkstar had been terrible at choosing a mentor for her.

Suddenly she leapt playfully at him, taking him completely by surprise.

"Enough talk of mentors and politics; let's play!"

Curious, Redpaw paused a moment. Play... that was something he hadn't done in a while. Unless of course you counted chasing leaves while attempting to perfect his new hunting crouch.

Letting slip a grin, Redpaw twisted around and leapt back at Willowpaw, his paws hitting her shoulders gently. He didn't want to hurt her, though he thought she was probably stronger than she appeared.

"What should we play?"

[/color] He asked, peering down at her curiously. Suddenly, he was aware that she might have been expecting him to know. Perhaps there was only one game apprentices played, and he should know about it.
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[pretzel]

"What game should we play?"

Willowpaw tipped her head at the other apprentice for a moment, eyes narrowed slightly as she thought. What game could they play? Most of the games the apprentices played were best suited for groups of three or larger; with just her and Redpaw, it would be difficult to play out the scenarios the apprentices had made for themselves.

It took her a few moments before she thought of a game. Jumping forward towards the other cat, she flashed out a paw, quickly swiping at his shoulder, claws sheathed. A moment later she leapt away, tail swiping against the ground. "Tag! You're it!"

[Dawn]

Redpaw felt a shock as she leapt towards him suddenly with her paw outsretched. He couldn't think of what game this could be. For a moment he thought she was going to attack him but then...

"Tag! You're it!"

Redpaw blinked, suddenly understanding. He let out a laugh, partialy of relief partialy of amusment at his readiness to believe that she was going to attack him out of the blue.

He let out a merow of laughter then lunged after her, his eyes fixed upon her small gray tabby form. He felt his paw hit her shoulder and leapt backwards, nearly tripping over his tail, but righted himself quickly. "Now you're it!"

[/color] He meowed happily and scampered away, looking over his shoulder to see if she was following.
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