Lemonsplash's Acceptance (#Wattys)

Chapter 6

AN: I am increadbly sorry for the very late update, I hope you can forgive me as I have had so much to sort and do lately! Anyhow, please enjoy! And thanks again for reading! Please continue to comment! :)

The next day, after Lemonpaw's first outing, Sycamoretail and Toothblade, Twigpaw's mentor, both decided to take the young cats hunting.

Twigpaw had already been hunting several times and was eager to help Lemonpaw in catching her first piece of prey.

"This is a hunting crouch," the young tom mewed, getting low to the ground; his amber eyes locked on Lemonpaw.

Lemonpaw tried to copy him and bent down, her long belly fur brushed the fresh grass beneath.

"Not like that silly!" Twigpaw yelled. "You have to keep your backend and tail down, else your prey will see you from a mile away!"

"Alright! Alright! Keep your fur on!" Lemonpaw retorted, wriggling her bottom until it was level with her back. She then lowered her plumy tail and it brushed the grass below. "Like this?" She asked.

"Very good Lemonpaw, it looks like you don't need me!"

Lemonpaw and Twigpaw turned around to see Sycamoretail stood, waiting to go. Toothblade was just behind him, his long coat waving gently in the breeze.

"Perhaps Twigpaw should be your mentor instead of me!" The tortoiseshell tom cried.

Lemonpaw gazed at Twigpaw and he looked back at her with a worried look in his eyes.

"Only joking, you two!" Sycamoretail tapped Twigpaw on the shoulder with his extended tail, and relief filled the apprentice's face.

"Ready?" Toothblade asked.

"Yeh!!" Screeched the two apprentices, in perfect sync.

"Come on then!" Shouted Sycamoretail, already bounding out of the camp entrance and into the forest; Toothblade immediately followed, and the young cats raced to keep up behind their mentors.

After a while, Sycamoretail and Toothblade stopped.

"I'm going to take Twigpaw down to the creek, you two can hunt in these parts." Toothblade cried in an informative tone.

"Okay, see you back in camp!" Sycamoretail watched the two cats disappear into the distance before turning to Lemonpaw.

"Why can't I hunt in the same area as Twigpaw?" The young she-cat asked.

"Because your prey might cross paths; then neither of you will catch anything!" Sycamoretail informed.

"Oh! Okay!" Lemonpaw pranced about waiting for her next instruction from her mentor.

Sycamoretail was listening to the forest, with his tail held high before he turned back to his apprentice.

"Now, what do you smell? Can you hear anything?"

Lemonpaw raised her muzzle to sniff the air and her brown ears twitched, as she attempted to pick up the slightest sound of prey.

"Nope!" She mewed. "I can't hear or smell anything!"

"Well let's wait a moment and see if we can." Sycamoretail waved his tail, signaling Lemonpaw to remain silent. His ears twitched to the left. "There's a mouse over there," he whispered, pointing with his tail. "Now a mouse will sense you, before it hears or smells you so make sure you tred lightly."

Lemonpaw dipped her head in agreement; admitting her understanding, before she began to creep toward the bush on the left of Sycamoretail.

She kept her body and tail low to the ground and made sure that each pawstep was extremely light.

Suddenly, a thrush flew over her head twittering loudly. The mouse heard the birds alarm call and scarpered. It vanished into the bush.

"Fox dung!" Lemonpaw mewed angrily.

"Not to worry, it does happen sometimes. Let's try over there, past the two tree stumps."

"Okay!" Lemonpaw replied, with a new found enthusiasm to try again.

She stopped to sniff the air and noticed a small blackbird just a tail length from the tree stump.

She crept up silently, her yellow eyes locked onto its blackish-blue plumage. Then, she pounced at the right moment and landed on top of it. She held its wings down so it couldn't fly away, and swiftly killed it with a sharp bite to the neck.

"I did it!" Lemonpaw squealed, her voice muffled from the feathers of the bird in her jaws. Finally! I thought I was never going to make a kill!

"Great job!" Sycamoretail smiled and his amber eyes filled with pride. "I think that's enough for your first hunt, let's take your prey back to camp to show the others."

***

Lemonpaw padded into the camp with her tail held high as she dropped her fresh kill onto the pile. It may be small. She thought. But at least it means I am one step closer to becoming a warrior!