<^> IceClan <^> Part 1 <^> A Fresh Start <^>

Wishpaw was crouched, and slid her feet silently over the debri, and pounced. She missed the vole by an inch, and reached herpaw out, quickly catching it. She bit into it, and it was dead.

"Good catch," Windfoot praised. "I haven't seen someone younger than me do that in a while. Just scrape some dirt over it to hide its scent, and we'll find something else."

Wishpaw did as she was told.

( Anyone..?)

Sparkpetal sighed and looked around. She yawned and checked on Silentstar.

Windfoot scented the air, looking for other prey. "I think there's more this way." She headed north, towards the border. "But this time, you can find and catch the prey. Whisper to me when you find some."

Wishpaw followed her mentor, taking quick note of where her prey was. She scented the air, stale rabbit.. Mouse!
~~~
Silentstar lifted her head. "Hello Sparkpetal."

Sparkstar dipped her head and walked in. "Feeling better?" She asked.

Silentstar shrugged. "A bit, I assume.. I've had a bad cough-" Silentstar broke off, coughing hard and loud.

"Something there?" Windfoot asked, seeing the excited expression on her apprentice's face. She scented the air for herself and then said, "Show me your best mouse-hunting crouch."

Wishpaw crouched low to the ground. Her belly touched the debri covered earth, and her legs were bent. Her tail was on the ground, and her tail tip twitched slightly.

((That's not enough description. Sorry, but "low to the ground" doesn't help... could you describe other things, too, like the legs and overall position instead of just "low tho the ground?"))

(( Edited, is that a little better?))

"Careful, don't let your tail drag too much," Windfoot recommended quietly. "And don't crouch so far down either because it takes a lot of power to move when your legs are bent out to the side. Try to copy me." The gray she-cat crouched in approximately Wolfpaw's position, except her legs were less bent, her tail was a bit higher, and her front paws were a bit more forward. "See now?"

(( Wishpaw. ))

Wishpaw nodded quietly, and unbent her legs a tad, so they were pretty close to Windfoot's example. She held her tail higher, though a little bit more then Windfoot's, and her paws were now forward like her mentors,

((Whoops, sorry.))

"That's good," Windfoot praised. "Now pinpoint your prey, and let me see your pounce."

(( It's ok. =) ))

Wishpaw nodded slowly, and scented the air. The scents flooded into her jaws, with her eyes were bright and focused. She smelled the mouse scent coming from a clump of ferns and undergrowth. She flicked her tail toward it. "Over.. There?" Wishpaw tried, it seemed to be fresh, but it seemed almost stale..

"You could try," Windfoot whispered. "There's no use just walking away if there turns out to be something in there."

Wishpaw nodded, and was still crouching as before. She crept forward, trying to follow the scent and watch out for debri at the same time. She was nearer to the mouse scent now, but then a new scent crept up to her nose. She couldn't quite detect it, and stopped in her tracks. "Fox." Wishpaw said, and it was fresh. She stopped stiff, and looked to her mentor.

"Oh no," Windfoot sighed, looking away. "We need to report this to Silentstar. Come on, we need to go." She whirled around and began taking leaping steps back to camp at a moderate pace. "Silentstar!" She called as she burst through the entrance.

Wishpaw turned tail, and followed Windfoot.
~~~
Silentstar looked up. "Yes, Windfoot?"

"Wishpaw says she scented fox on our territory," Windfoot replied, trying to hide her panic.

Wishpaw nodded, "I was tracking a mouse and scented fox. It was near the western border." Wishpaw said, her voice fast and ears pricked and alert.
~~~
Silentstar stood up, in shock, and a bit of panic. "Are you sure?" She asked, and then started in another fit of coughing. She looked frail, and her voice was scratchy. Her cough was hard and loud, she sounded sick.

"Oh, no, not now!" Windfoot cried. "First foxes, and now illness... have you seen Sparkpetal?" Windfoot asked.

Silentstar stopped coughing, and looked up at her deputy. "I don't need to see Sparkpetal.. I'm not-" Silentstar stopped, her voice raspy, and then she started into another fit of coughing once again, she was in denial, practically.
~~~
Wishpaw looked up at her leader, worry in her eyes. Her leader was frail, and looked alot older then she really was. "Oh man, oh man.." Wishpaw murmured.