Chapter 20: Hunting Assessment

After the morning meeting that revealed the disappearance of Windclan, Bluestar was hounded by cats trying to get a bit more information about what was going on. Realizing that training was unlikely to happen today under Bluestar's watch, I turned towards Darkstripe and Dustpaw who were making their way out.

"Hey! You two mind if I join? Bluestar is going to be busy with that announcement." I asked earnestly.

With a nod, Darkstripe replied, "Sure. Dustpaw has a hunting assessment today. It might be worthwhile to check your progress as well."

Darkstripe guided us out a ways before turning towards us. "Since Smudgepaw is unfamiliar with assessments, I'll give a brief overview. Dustpaw will be hunting between here and Sunningrocks. Smudgepaw will head towards the Thunderpath and try to catch things there. You won't see me, but I'll be watching you two. Catch as much prey as you can and get back to camp by sunset."

Dustpaw bound off before I did. I turned to watch him go before I set off on my hunt. I was soon skulking through the underbrush exactly as I was taught when I picked up a scent. It must have been a mouse. I slowly turned after checking the wind and approached my target. Like an assassin, I measured the distance and prepared to strike. With a calculated leap and a well-rehearsed strike, I bit into the mouse's neck cleanly, exactly as trained.

After burying my catch, I caught another scent. It was a hare. I could probably catch it. I checked the wind again and watched for all the conditions I had been taught. I slowly crept forward and measured the distance. Then with a leap, I struck, except I hadn't counted on the soil kicking back slightly as I jumped eating some of the force of my jump. I landed short but not by much. Unfortunately, my condition hampered my ability to react. Before I could even think of striking again, the hare had bolted. I hissed with frustration. Even a new apprentice could have caught that hare with how close I got, but my lack of instinctive reaction had prevented my catch. I quietly left believing the bolting hare probably scared off everything else.

Hunting by the Thunderpath was much easier. The creatures living here were constantly bombarded with the noise of pickup trucks flying by. Any distress calls would usually be ignored. The grass here was shorter and the road had gravel siding which allowed me to exercise some older stalking techniques. I soon caught another mouse and a small bird when a shape on the road caught my attention. A kit, probably only four moons old, was stalking a lizard that crawled into the road. I was somewhat stunned at the sight, but the vibrations in the gravel I stood on let out a bigger concern. I looked backward to see a pickup with attached trailer hauling a couple round bales of hay. It probably didn't have much stopping power, so I needed to do something.

"Move kit!" I yowled at the kitten on the path.

He looked up spooked, not even seeing the oncoming truck, and dashed into the marshyland beyond the road. He must have been Shadowclan or something. The truck saw the kit as well. Before the kit fully crossed, the truck swerved to avoid the hit. Its front left tire hit the gravel and some unseen bump. One of the bales toppled off the fast-moving truck and rolled into a tree with a resounding thud. The hit must have been all the baling twine could take because hay exploded everywhere. The twine had let out a loud snap. Soon the truck pulled off the road and a man in probably his early forties stepped out to assess the damage. He seemed to be swearing to himself before he threw his arms up in a huff and loaded himself back into the truck and pulling away leaving the mess behind.

I slowly crept up on the mess of hay. There wasn't likely anything dangerous about it, but the crash before had nearly scared the fur off of me. If what little instincts I had said play it safe, I was playing it safe. The yellow hay wasn't all that interesting besides the potential to absorb unwanted messes. What really caught my attention was the twine. I don't have much medical knowledge, but I had applied a tourniquet a few times. Nothing in the forest had enough tensile strength to work, but bailing twine would be strong enough given I find a good stick. I pulled the twine loose and rolled it into a ball before burying it with my previous bird. Unfortunately, I didn't catch much more since the haybale incident had been loud enough to actually scare the local huntable animals.

When I made my way back to camp, Darkstripe was waiting. The look on his face showed I somehow both impressed him and disappointed him. My ears sank slightly at the sight.

"I was watching you. That first mouse was perfect, but that hare was a massive blunder. You barely missed it and didn't seem to know how to react. You should have been able to adjust and catch that hare with ease, but you seemed stunned. Would you like to tell me why?"

I dipped my head apologetically before replying. "I… don't have the best reflexes. I have to make up for them with technique. When I missed, I just had no plan on what to do. Regular cats would instinctively just strike again. That isn't possible for me. I have to think through my actions. Sorry for disappointing."

Darkstripe tilted his head in consideration before replying. "You have a little time to think while in the air. If you know you are going to miss, having premade plans on how to fix the error would solve the issue. The next time I take you out hunting, we'll work on those plans. That work for you?" He asked honestly.

"Yes. I'd like that. Thank you for working on me. I appreciate the effort you give in training me." I mewed.

"It's nothing. I wouldn't be a good mentor if I didn't try." Darkstripe replied seemingly to blow off my compliment.

"It's not nothing. You don't just chastise me for my weaknesses. You actually try to compensate for them. Not many mentors do that. When I trained with Lionheart, he just always seemed disappointed when I did something wrong, but he didn't explain what I did wrong. You do and help me correct them. You're a really good mentor." I stated.

I swear I almost saw a tear reach Darkstripe's eyes before he turned away to conceal his face. A very small tremor was in his voice as he gave me a response. "You're… You're right. I am a good mentor, and don't you forget it kittypet. If you have an apprentice one day and need advice, you better come to good old Darkstripe to help out."

I chuckled at his reply. "I better not see you in the elder's den any time soon. You're not that much older than me. If you do, I won't be the one picking your ticks."

"The nerve of today's youth!" Darkstripe joked in response.