"Ashpaw! Ashpaw, wake up!"
Ashpaw was roused by Bluepaw.
"What?" she asked groggily.
"Smoketail told me to come get you. We're going on our first hunting lesson together!" Bluepaw explained.
"Oh, Okay, I'll be right there." Ashpaw replied.
Ashpaw yawned and arched her back in a stretch. She padded out of the apprentice den and towards Smoketail, Leafnose and Bluepaw. Bluepaw quaked with barely-contained excitement.
"Good morning, are you ready for some hunting?" Smoketail asked.
"Definitely." Ashpaw replied, more awake now.
"We will head down towards the river to catch some fish. It's calm today." Leafnose meowed.
Smoketail nodded her agreement. Together the four cats headed out of camp.
"Do you think you'll catch a fish?" Bluepaw asked.
"I sure hope so." Ashpaw meowed.
Up ahead, the river gurgled by. Ashpaw padded up to the water. She could see fish slip by under the clear, glassy water.
"Bluepaw! You can see the fish!" she exclaimed.
Bluepaw rushed over and gasped in awe.
"They are so pretty!" she meowed.
"'They' are our food." Leafnose replied.
"Let's get started." Smoketail padded up next to Leafnose.
"Let your paw hover a little ways above the surface. When a fish swims towards you, dip your paw into the water when it's right beneath it. Try to skewer it on your claws and flick it out onto the riverbed, quick as lightning." Smoketail instructed.
Ashpaw and Bluepaw exchanged a glance. Bluepaw's paw quivered just above the water.
"Like this?" she asked.
Suddenly, Bluepaw submerged her paw and flicked it out again, sending a fat fish flying out of the water, only to splash back in and continue swimming.
"Mouse dung!" she spat.
"Close, you just need to get it on the grass now." Leafnose meowed.
"Ashpaw, you try now." Bluepaw urged.
"...Okay." Ashpaw moved up to the river.
She eyed a fish swimming towards her. She mimicked Bluepaw and flicked out of the water, but she tried to curve it towards her. It careened through the air and splattered against a rock jutting out of the water.
"Again, close," Smoketail smiled, "But the wrong rock."
Ashpaw wrinkled her nose, suddenly catching the scent of a water vole.
"Perhaps we should start out on something a little easier." she mewed.
Ashpaw stalked towards the vole, which was scuffling loudly in a patch of gorse, and launched her body on top of it. It let out a startled squeak before it was crushed under her body weight. Ashpaw picked it up proudly and trotted back to her mentor. Smoketail shook with surprised laughter.
"Well done, a rather good catch for your first day as an apprentice, but we will need to work on your...approach." her mentor grinned at her.
"Good job, Ashpaw!" Bluepaw bounced up to her.
"And to you, you almost had that fish!" Ashpaw meowed.
"When we get back to camp, I suggest you keep that vole for yourself, I don't think the elders would be too happy with it, seeing as it's all squished and all!" Bluepaw laughed.
"Okay, I'm with you on that one! Would you like to share it with me?" Ashpaw offered?
Bluepaw looked even happier.
"Would I ever!"
"Then let's go!" Leafnose mewed. "It's time we were getting back to camp."
When they were back in camp, Ashpaw and Bluepaw were sharing the vole underneath the Hightree when Winterpaw and Dustpaw stalked sourly up to them.
"So how was it then?" Winterpaw pouted.
"How was what?" Bluepaw asked.
Dustpaw rolled his eyes. "You're hunting lesson, of course."
"Oh fine. Both of us almost caught a fish!" Bluepaw meowed.
"Yeah and I caught this vole!" Ashpaw meowed.
"By squishing it!" Bluepaw replied.
Ashpaw smiled at her friend.
"Pff, good job, sissy." Winterpaw muttered.
"Don't call me that! Why what did you do today?" Ashpaw retorted.
"Cleaned out the elder's bedding, of course." Dustpaw answered for him.
"Fun..." Bluepaw meowed.
"You'll have to do it too!" her brother panted.
Bluepaw rolled her eyes. Just then Darkflower trotted up.
"Isn't it time you new apprentices were getting to sleep?" she asked.
Her instruction was obvious.
"Yes, Darkflower." Dustpaw sighed. "Come on, guys."
The apprentices left the remains of the vole and headed off for their den. Curled up in her nests, Ashpaw examined a dove feather lodged in the moss. Winterpaw snored quietly next to her.
"Ashpaw." Bluepaw whispered from across the den.
"Yeah?" Ashpaw whispered back.
"Tomorrow, can you teach me how to squish a vole?" Bluepaw asked.
Dustpaw snickered softly.
"Shut up." Ashpaw replied before drifting off into sleep.