Cherrypaw was excited for more than a few reasons. She was finally an apprentice and her mentor were no other then one of the few cats that was called upon to go find the cure for their clan, Bearjaw. Oh of course, her own father was also one of these cats as well. He wasn’t chosen to be her mentor, though. She was eager to get her training started. The sun wasn’t even up when she quietly crept out of the apprentice’s den, waiting on her mentor to appear.
_
[1:43 PM]
Bearjaw padded out of the warriors den, sleep still heavy in his eyes as he let out a wide yawn and licked his lips . He glanced over at the fresh kill pile, wanting to snag a mouse or seven until a flash of brown fur caught his attention. Blinking over, he saw Cherry paw ready and waiting. Tilting his head, for a moment he wondered what the apprentice was waiting for until he remembered.

HE was her mentor.

Right....teaching someone....aha....he had to do things now that wasn’t eating...rats.

Shaking himself a wake, he padded over to CHerrypaw and smiled. “Hey Cherrypaw, ready to show me what you know about hunting?” He tilted his head, the wheels in his brain turning now.
[1:43 PM]
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[1:49 PM]
“Of course!” Cherrypaw said as she bounded towards Bearjaw. “Where are we going to hunt?” Her excitement rolling off her in waves. She thought that she would never et old enough to become an apprentice. “What shall we get? Think we’ll run into other cats? Are we going to chase them out?” Cherrypaw’s mind was going a million miles an hour. She didn’t realize she was asking so many questions as they headed toward the entrance to the camp. “Hey, will you tell me how you and the others found the catmint and saved the clan?”
@Lunabet Soup

Lunabet Soup — 11/12/2019
Bearjaw laughed, raising a paw and waving it at her playfully at her sudden burst of energy. Man he had been given a lively apprentice! More prey to catch and eat, right?! "Whoa whoa one thing at a time Cherrypaw!" he laughed, beckoning with his tail for her to follow.

He waited until he had led her out of the camp to finish answering her questions, doing his best to remember what and how Foxfur had taught him. Pausing, he opened his mouth and scented the area, taking in the scent of a couple mice but not much else with the weather having turned colder. Still, it be good to see what she'd recognize. "Tell me what you smell first. After that, we'll head down towards the river and if you catch a BIIIIIIIIIIG ol fish, I'll tell ya all about it!" he grinned, thinking himself clever for once.

He paused again however and frowned. "Let's hope we don't run into Lightningclan cats yet." he shivered a bit, remembering being an apprentice and having to rush back to camp to get Shadowstar to alert them of a fight at the border when Foxkit was found.... "We'll save that for when you've super mastered some battle moves." he nodded as sagely as he could. @Chisa

Chisa — 11/12/2019
Cherrypaw tilted her head a bit. She could catch a fish. She would catch the biggest fish in the river! “Alright, deal!” she said as she lowered her head and opened her mouth to take in the scents of the forest. At first, she didn’t smell anything. She looked at her mentor, thinking about telling him she didn’t find anything. She decided to try again, taking a few steps to get another direction. “Oh, there’s mice nearby!” She said happily and turning back to Bearjaw. She then turned to face him. She would ask again later about his journey. After she caught the fish.
@Lunabet Soup

Lunabet Soup — 11/12/2019
Bearjaw grinned. "Exactly! But how do they seem to you? Real close by or maybe they were here but now they aren't already?" he tilted his head, watching her reactions. He could tell she'd be a fine hunter, she definitely had the enthusiasm for it! Riverclan needed good strong paws like her, thats for sure. @Chisa (sorry its a short one XD )

Chisa — 11/12/2019
Cherrypaw opened her mouth again to take in the scent. They were pretty close to the entrance to camp. Mice wouldn’t linger so close to a bunch of cats, would they. “They were here, but the scent seems faded a little. Maybe they’re still close by.” She looked up at Bearjaw, not sure if her answers were right. Her parents did give her tips about hunting. Mainly be aware of your environment and avoid crashing into other cats.
@Lunabet Soup

Lunabet Soup — 11/12/2019
Bearjaw nodded again, purring softly. "Exactly. Either something scared them off or it just got too cold and they went back to their burrows. We could try to hunt them if you want but I bet the fish are still swimming nicely." he meowed softly, using his fluffy tail to gently touch the tip to her shoulder. "Good work too by the way. You knew a lot more than when I first started." he laughed nervously, hoping that wouldn't make her feel bad about him being her mentor. He did have a food tract mind but he knew things! He was determined to prove it too by raising a good apprentice!
@Chisa

Chisa — 11/12/2019
Cherrypaw's ears perked up at the praise. Her first outing with her mentor was going better then she expected! She thought about his suggestion for a moment. Digging in the snow didn't sound fun. Neither was getting her paws went in icy cold water either, but she made a deal. She would catch the biggest fish in the river and he would tell her about his adventure. "I don't know much about fishing... If I'm going to catch the biggest fish, I'm going to need someone to show me how." She smiled a little. 'This is so much fun!'
@Lunabet Soup

Lunabet Soup — 11/12/2019
Laughing, Bearjaw let himself puff a little right now. If Rabbitleap could see him, oh she'd be so proud of him! Doing such a good job! (His mind is easy to entertain) "Well that's what I'm here for." he playfully reminded her, flicking his tail as if to say 'follow'.

He led her on the quickest path towards the river, making sure to stop and show her important sights or scents along the way once it came time for her to start doing this on her own, maybe even with her own apprentice some day.

Once they finally reached the river, he pased at the edge, leaning his face over and peering into the waters. Oh how he'd love for a juicy fish to just leap up and into his belly... Sighing softly, he shook his head before calling Cherrypaw over. "Slow, quiet. They might be in water but they can sense us still so move cautiously not to scare them." he whispered to her.
@Chisa

Chisa — 11/12/2019
Cherrypaw blinked for a moment and then nodded her head. She mimicked Bearjaw’s movements. She tried to be as quiet and sneaky as possible. It was like hunting for mice, except with water… and fish. She looked into the water. A part of her wanted to bat at the surface., but that was a silly kit motion. She wasn’t a kit anymore and she was going to prove to the world she wasn’t. “What now?” she whispered softly.
@Lunabet Soup
November 13, 2019

Lunabet Soup — 11/13/2019
The chonky tom cat let out a mrrow in amusement and waved Cherrypaw closer. He pointed at a few fish that were close to the sides. "You have a few options, whatever works best for you. You can try to wade in and scoop it out with your paw...or wait till it gets closer and strike with your claws and teeth before it can get away." he said, flicking his tail gently as if motion for silence.

Slowly he crept forward until his paws were at the edge, toes touching the water. He crouched low and waited, seeming to go stone still, eyes wide as he focused in on a fish. He waited, watching it dart closer until he felt hte moment was right and struck out, slapping it with a paw and scooping it into his mouth, pulling back with a wriggling catch between his teeth.

Grinning around the scales, he nodded his head towards Cherrypaw for her to try. @Chisa
November 27, 2019

Chisa — 11/27/2019
Cherrypaw copied her mentor's movements. Her ears went flat against her head as her paw hit cold the water. She wasn't going to like having to stick her paw in the water any more then she had to. Ears still flat, she watched the fish as they swam. She didn't know which one she should go for. Maybe the closest one would be better. Les time in the water. She watched as the fish swam, getting closer and closer to the she cat. Then she swiped at the fish. All at once, time seemed to slow down. She lost her footing. As she swiped at the fish, she slipped and fell face first into the water.

She lifted her head, scowling as she hopped back on the bank. "I-I t-think I d-did it w-wrong..."
@Lunabet Soup
November 30, 2019

Lunabet Soup — 11/30/2019
Bearjaw, for a few moments, believed she had it, until she struck too soon and found herself face first into the water. He winced, one ear going flat to his head as one eye squinted shut. “Ahh...yeaaah, I’d say so.” He said softly, going over to help her back onto dry land and smoothed down the fur on her head with a few licks. “Don’t fret though. I cant tell you how many times I ate dirt instead of prey.” He grinned albeit a bit embarrassed about it.

“I know the waters cold. That’s the worst part if you ask me. But if you can just tough it out and wait a little longer, you’ll be better able to strike and keep your balance. Soon enough fish wont even see you coming!” He nodded, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws. “It’s ok if you don’t feel like trying again just yet. Better you stay dry and not sick.” @Chisa
December 1, 2019

Chisa — 12/01/2019
“B-But I…” Cherrypaw frowned a little. It was still leafbare and even though the clan had one run in with greencough already, it was better to not give it a second chance. “Y-You’re right… I-It’s better to s-stay dry. M-Maybe Stonebelly h-has something I can take to p-prevent from getting s-sick?” She wiped her paw over her face, getting as much of the water off her face as possible. She was still upset that she had lost her footing. That would something she needed to work on. A lot.

“W-What’s next?”
@Lunabet Soup
December 4, 2019

Lunabet Soup — 12/04/2019
Bearjaw smiled, grooming the top of her head a bit to help her dry off faster. He wasn't about to let his apprentice get sick. "How about you tell me. What do you want to do?" he grinned, hoping shed have a great idea that was better than any of his own ideas. "Or we can keep trying to fish, up to you. " he winked, curling his tail around his paws and beaming at her. "And don't worry, Stonebelly would have you fixed up in a blink if needed."
@Chisa