[ti]Private[/ti] A New Meeting

[Yanpaii]

Yewpaw pranced around the open forest, leaping over rocks and climbing the occasional tree. Her soft, brown and white fur cool from the gentle breeze that was flowing through the trees, like a needle and thread being woven through fabric. Her paws soon started to become tired from the endless running, so she used her remaining energy to sprawl out onto a bed of moss.

As Yewpaw closed her amber eyes, she listened to the birds talking and the streams running, completely relaxing herself as she waited for another cat to keep her company. Her friend, Mousepaw was suppose to be meeting with her but so far she had been absent. She'd decided to just lay and wait...

Miss Tactical

[Miss Tactical]

The ginger and white tom was in the camp grooming his fur, his appearance was one thing he always took pride in no hair was out of place. He took a look at the fresh kill pile for just a moment and sighed ever so slightly. A hunting patrol must not have gone out today. He waved his tail eagerly padding out of camp. He dropped into a light hunters crouch when a frame caught his eye. He tilted his head, what was an apprentice doing without their mentor? He parted his jaw to speak but no words came out. Perhaps she was waiting for them...Hickorynose couldn't recall who the apprentices mentor was, but he knew her name was Yewpaw.


He twitched his whiskers and saw the she-cat with her eyes closed. Puzzled he padded forward, gracefully moving across the forest floor. He peered at her before gently nudging her with a paw. "are you waiting for your mentor?" He mewed awkwardly. He really didn't know what to say, but she certainly looked vulnerable with her eyes closed!

[Yanpaii]

Yewpaw flinched from the sudden disturbance, opening up her eyes to see Hickorynose. "Oh hello Hickorynose! No I was actually waiting for one of my friends but she seems to not be coming" she mewed as she rolled over to her side to face the tom.

"What brings you here? I haven't seen you round in a while?" She purred playfully to Hickorynose as she let out a long yawn, she hadn't slept great the last few nights as she only had one moon left until she officially became a warrior. She was feeling slightly awkward but tried to keep up her cheerful demeanour as she didn't know the tom that well.



Miss Tactical

[Miss Tactical]

"Oh a friend I see."He parted his jaws ever so slightly, he didn't scent any other cats around the area. There was a patrol further up he could scent, but nothing relatively near by that would alert him to this friend of Yewpaws. He shifted his weight giving his chest a quick lick. "I do not scent any other cats in the area." He wriggled his nose giving an awkward mew. He watched her yawn and tilted his head to the side. She must have been very sleepy. More than likely putting in those extra hours of training to be a warrior. His eyes lightened up, so many warriors they would have in the up coming moons. Their clan was getting stronger by the day.

"How about I teach you some stuff. I am a great tracker It's like hide and seek. Maybe we can find your friend." He mewed. "Was she at camp, did she leave on a patrol? She would probably be super surprised with you sneaking up on her." He beamed. They didn't call him Hickorynose for nothing. He felt like he was the best tracker in the clan.

[Yanpaii]

"It's strange, she should have been here long ago" Yewpaw pouted as she gazed up at Hickorynose, "I'd love for you to teach me a few things, I've only been doing the usual hunting and fighting training recently and things are getting a bit boring" she beamed at the tom, eyes suddenly sparkling like the freshest water in the territory. Yewpaw jumped to her feet and crouched infront of Hickorynose, lashing her tail side to side and glaring at him from the ground, "I'm a pro at hide and seek, I'd easily find and capture you" she playfully growled, acting like a kit. "Come on then Hickorynose, teach me" she purred happily with a wide grin across her face.

[Miss Tactical]

Hickorynose's tail waved with excitement. He was going to teach an apprentice! It wasn't HIS apprentice, but hey she would learn something new and he would take credit for it! He nodded eagerly. "Go Hide I will find you! Make it hard for me then I will show you the tricks of the trade once I find ya!" Hickorynose was glad he was able to distract the apprentice from her friend for just a moment. What kind of friend just leaves you hanging in the dust anyways? Well her friend would be jealous that Yewpaw would have tracking under her belt before her warrior ceremony. "I will close my eyes, and I won't peak, I'll start counting. READY? The tom turned around, gently placing his nose onto the bark of the tree, eyes closed tightly. "ONE......TWO.......THREE........FOUR....." He called the numbers out loudly so Yewpaw would still be able to hear him as she hid. Of this game would be fun oh yes it would!

[Yanpaii]

"Alright then mousebrain! Just you wait, you'll be looking for me for a whole moon!" She taunted playfully before scattering off deeper into the forest. Yewpaw ran as fast as she could, keeping her eyes peeled. Her plan was to find one or the biggest and densest trees and climb to the very top, that way she'd defiantly win, it worked with all her friends anyway.

After what felt like forever, Yewpaw spotted a massive tree, "Perfect! Now all I have to do is wait!" She said to herself as she clambered up the tree, only stopping at a squirrels nest where she could hide. "This only gets better" she giggled as she squeezed inside the hole.

Yewpaw tried to keep quiet as she giggled and laughed, making a large disruption but she thought the tree was thick enough to cancel some of the noise. All she could do now is sit and wait..

[Miss Tactical]

".....NINE.......TEN!" The tom had finally reached ten before peering around. The she-cat was no where to be seen but traces of her was still present. BOY OH BOY would she be surprised. He was the best at this. Hickorynose paused for a moment looking at the forest floor. He looked how the grass and dirt were and then paused again. The grass here was slightly bent and flattened. She had came this way. He continued onward, parting his jaws, sniffing at trees, noting where her scent was stronger where it was faint. He passed a large tree and then stopped. The grass was no longer, flat, dirt not tossed up. She didn't go this way....

....WHERE COULD YEWPAW BE......" He looked around at all the trees, she was certainly in one of these. He saw some leaves sprinkled at the base of a tree but he passed it on purpose, examining all the other ones. His whiskers twitched with amusement as he circled back, leaping digging his claws into the rough bark and cascading up."GOTCHA!" He mewed playfully. "Climb down safely, I will show you some tricks " He mewed.

[Yanpaii]

"WHAT?! HOW?!" Yewpaw yelled in defeat as the squeezed out of her hole and began to climb down the tree, "Wow I guess I underestimated you, Hickorynose. I'm impressed" she exclaimed. As she got to the lowest and last branch she leapt from it down to where Hickorynose was, landing a tails length beside him.

"You HAVE to teach me how you did that or I'll never be a good warrior!" She mewed excitedly towards him as she approached happily. Yewpaw sat down beside Hickorynose, eyes wide with excitement, she hadn't had this much fun in moons!

[Miss Tactical]

Hickorynose chuckled before flicking a tail leading her to the first spot. "When climbing a tree be careful to not rustle the leaves. Look at the bases of the other trees, look at this one." He mewed. He pushed the leaves with his paw. Yewpaws scent strong on the tree. All it took was one leaf to fall and look out of place. "If you want to hide from your mentor make everything symmetrical, and put leaves everywhere it will hide you." He mewed. Her scent would be scattered. He stood up heading back to where he was counting then stopped. He sat down pointing to the grass.

"Where your paws land, no matter how light the cat, or how delicate, the grass will be slightly flattened like this." He pointed to the bent grass, versus the straight grass next to it. "Never run straight, run in a zig zag pattern, and take different strides. You will leave bent grass everywhere it will be harder to follow if you are being hunted." Hickorynose stood up he walked forward, and stopped. Adjusted himself and made a sharp diagonal trot in the other direction taking different strides keeping them different.

"Finally, stay downwind like you are hunting. A slight breeze will carry your scent. Shall we try and find your friend? You should be able to track her if she came into forest with all the signs I showed. In fact you should be able to track anything now." He mewed while puffing out his chest.