F a n t a s t i c ~ B a b y [OPEN]

[VineStar12]

It was just another day in the Windclan camp. The air was quiet and sweet, blowing into the apprentices den and waking up a young ginger and white tom. He stretched out for a good ten minutes - no use running if you were going to pull a muscle - and padded out into the sun. It wasn't too hot today, which was a relief; running in too warm weather let to a headache and quicker exhaustion. Not too cold either, because he could smell rabbit on the wind. The critters were already out and about this morning. Time to catch up.

It was fine mornings like these that Foxpaw really cherished; the kits were asleep, the warriors were asleep, the leader was asleep. Getting up early paid off quite well with no interruptions for his morning run. He ran over his routine in his mind. Do a few laps around the camp as warm-up, then actually go out on the moor and stretch out his endurance for sprinting. And if he ran into a rabbit along the way, then hey! He'd catch breakfast for an elder or two. Very benefiting for both parties.

The apprentice passes the fresh-kill pile, which was very low. He'd eat breakfast later; besides, those scrawny mice didn't look too appetizing. He padded out of the camp entrance, tail swishing across the ground and scattering the leaves as a slight breeze nipped at his ginger and white pelt. Bliss. Foxpaw did three laps around the perimeter of Windclan's camp at a slow run, feeling his muscles loosen and tense again with each stretch of his slim body. Once warmed up, he took off at a faster run towards the moor, the wind rushing past and roaring in his ears as if he were passing rows of angry lions. This was one of those rare moments he was silent, and he enjoyed it very much.

[Shizuka]

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/k398vr.jpg] Maplesong rose early, urged awake by the perfect weather and blissful breeze. It was just another of those totally peaceful days in Windclan, and the perfect weather was truly amazing to the warrior cats, in contrast to last year's horrible famine. But of course, the weather was nice and all, at least, even though the clan had just gone through a terrible tragedy: the death of their leader and deputy. Very, very rarely did such a tragedy befall a clan as such that both the deputy and leader died or were killed. One could have wondered how then was Windclan to be led? If it weren't for Russetstar and Littleheart's leadership that led them through this tragedy, the whole clan would have surely fallen into despair. And now, Russetstar had been chosen by Starclan, in a message given to their amazing medicine cat Frostbite, to become Windclan's savior, and next leader. The young tom certainly may have not been the expected choice before these events, but after everything he had done for the clan, no one could disagree in Starclan's choice, and neither could they disagree in his choice in deputy. Maplesong stood up in the warrior's den and stretched. Only the day before had she been given her first apprentice by Russetstar, an honer she was truly thankful for. Now she had a duty to fulfill. For now, she would at least go out and hunt a little, after noticing herself that the fresh-kill pile was dwindling again. She trotted out of the camp entrance, and took off, her hind quarters bobbing just like the rabbits she hunted, for her bobbed tail offered no assistance in balance, running with long, bounding strides. It wasn't long before she saw, in the distance, her apprentice, Foxpaw, and she turned her paws in his direction. "Hey, Foxpaw, wait up!" she meowed, running toward him. "I was just wondering if you'd like to hunt with me. I'm sure you noticed the fresh-kill pile today. It needs restocking." She meowed, smiling cheerfully at Foxpaw. 339 • Notes • Foxpaw • Muse

[VineStar12]

Foxpaw heard Maplesong call his name, turning his head to look back at his mentor. Bad choice. He tripped over his own paws and, at this speed, rolled over a few times in the grass from the force. A groan escaped his jaws as he picked himself up from the ground again, feeling rather sore from his fall. What a great way to embarrass himself in front of a she-cat!

"As long as you don't do that again, then sure," he shakes his head with a smile, stretching out once more. "I thought I was the only one who got up this early in the morning. Guess not." He blinked his pale teal eyes, sniffing at the air. Closer rabbit scent he hadn't noticed, until now. Maybe a chance to impress Maplesong. The apprentice flicked his tail for her to be quiet and he scanned the moor, waiting.

There! A flash of light brown streaked across the growing grass, rabbit scent flooding over his nose. He darted after it, reaching as far and fast as his spindly legs could to bring him closer to the rabbit. The smell was simply mouthwatering if you considered the way Windclan had been eating lately, and brought him a sense of joy despite recent events. Concentrate, Foxpaw. Think about running first and catch the rabbit, then you can get all nostalgic, his mind scolded. Just a little closer. Little more. Little...

Yes! He hooked a claw onto the animal's hind leg when it stretched out for another jump, the rabbit literally going head over heels. Before it could get up to try and escape, the ginger and white tom had already pounced, swiftly snapping its neck. Now the elders wouldn't have to complain about the catch being too bloody, like it had been last time. Foxpaw picked up his prize and trotted back over to Maplesong, head held high. Not bad a catch for him. He set it down between them to examine the rabbit more closely. More plump than they had seen lately, that was for sure. Still had tufts of white fur here and there, but other than that it looked pretty good.

[Shizuka]

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/k398vr.jpg] "Oh my!" Maplesong gasped in concern when Foxpaw suddenly tripped over his own paws when he turned his head to look back at her in response to her calling his name. Was that my fault? She wondered sheepishly. Then again, wasn't the ginger and white apprentice always known for being a klutz? She just hoped he hadn't really hurt himself, and she ran up to him and looked him over to check for injury. But from the apprentice's reply and actions, she guessed that he was just fine, and probably had only received a scratch at the worse, or in the least, would feel a bit sore from the fall. "How about being careful not to step on your own paws when you run? She laughed, scolding him gently. One day, when Windclan runs across the moors together to meet the enemy in battle, you'll trip and fall on your whiskers right in front of the entire clan!" Maplesong laughed, unable to resist teasing him for his clumsiness. But then she just smiled fondly and meowed. "At least you're not hurt or anything. That's good." Copying Foxpaw's move, she soon noticed the rabbit scent as well, and decided to allow her apprentice to try his skills. She nodded, noticing his signal to be quiet, and crouched low to watch him, while being able to stay close enough to watch without making any noise. They both caught the flash of light brown as a rabbit streaked across the moor, growing green with the warm weather and healthy sun. A ginger flash soon followed as Foxpaw darted after it, his spindly legs allowing him to reach impressive speeds. This made her wonder though. He's not about to allow himself to trip any time that he's truly focused. She observed. And to Maplesong's surprise, joy and happiness for Foxpaw, he caught it. "Yes! That's perfect, now quickly, snap its neck!" But by the time she had even finished her sentence, Foxpaw already had the limp creature's neck broken like a twig. Just like a pro. She thought, smiling. She stood up, purring. "That was amazing, Foxpaw!" she praised him enthusiastically, for she hadn't even gotten to train with him much, and he was already learning so fast! "I've never seen any other apprentice catch a rabbit as easily and as skillfully as you did! You're amazing! The clan is blessed to have your skills in hunting!" She smiled, feeling so proud of her apprentice. "Let's go show the clan your rabbit! I'm sure they'll be so proud of you!" Words 426 • Notes • Tags Foxpaw • Muse good

[VineStar12]

The ginger and white tom smiled triumphantly as he did a double check on the rabbit. See, that was his problem. He had a habit of double checking the scent of prey and making sure it didn't look sick. Ever since his own mother died from an infected rabbit he had taken it upon himself to inspect all of his catches. A little paranoid, maybe, but nonetheless effective. Only once did he find a mouse that smelled wrong, and he had it checked over by a real warrior to make sure it was okay to throw out.

"Thanks, Maplesong," Foxpaw purrs, happily picking the rabbit into his jaws and flicking his tail for his mentor to follow. Deciding that he ran enough for the moment, he set off at a relaxed jog towards camp, thoroughly pleased with himself. Maplesong said she'd never seen an apprentice catch a rabbit like that! Definitely makes up for me being such a klutz.

[Shizuka]

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/k398vr.jpg] Maplesong waited patiently as Foxpaw inspected the rabbit, knowing well the reason why. She remembered that terrible day, when Foxpaw's mother died soon after eating an infected rabbit. There was nothing the medicine cat could do to save her. So Maplesong understood and waited for Foxpaw to finish inspecting the rabbit for any strange scents, thinking to herself that perhaps everyone should inspect their prey before taking it back to the camp. It was always a good precaution to execute, and would certainly help prevent terrible deaths caused by infected prey. Their food should never have to be their enemy. Maplesong nodded, smiling, and trotted after Foxpaw, allowing him to be the first one to march into the camp with his prize. She herself was curious to see the incredulous looks her clanmates gave him, and hear the comments of praise he would receive. Words 143 • Notes Remember to post in past tense! ^^ • Tags Foxpaw • Muse as good as it gets this night

[Night]

Russetstar had been peacefully sleeping in his den, having a pleasant dream about hunting when he suddenly started having a nightmare, seeing his father's lifeless corpse being dragged back to camp as his apprentice self doubled over in grief. He woke with a start, his yellow eyes wide in fear and his breathing heavy. The ginger tom sat in his den for a while longer, calming down and waking up a little more. He finally stood up and shook his pelt, as if he was shaking away the dream from his mind. Russetstar slowly padded out of his den to look at the still-sleeping clan, and knew that soon Littleheart would get up and sort out patrols. The tom sat on his haunches outside of the den and studied the camp, then noticing Foxpaw running around the camp for his daily warm-up. The leader purred, laughing a little to himself as he realized he never would have been so energetic as an apprentice. When he was younger he was never an early-riser, but now that he had a clan to worry over he found himself waking up earlier and earlier as the days passed. He sometimes had nightmares, mostly about bad things happening to the clan. Becoming Windclan's leader had put much more stress into his life, but he wouldn't complain. After all, he was doing what he had wanted to do since he was a little kit! He sighed, gazing up at the small fluffy white clouds floating around in the sky. Had Starclan made the right decision when they announced him as Windclan's savior? Coming back from his thoughts, Russetstar looked around to see that the camp had started to wake up. Warriors were coming out of their den and stretching in the warm sun, waking up some of their apprentices to go out on patrols. He smiled as he watched some kits venture out of the nursery before being shooed back into the den by their mother. The leader's nose twitched as he suddenly smelled a strong scent of rabbit, and looked towards the camp entrance to see Foxpaw plod happily into the clearing with a rabbit almost as large as himself, followed by his mentor Maplesong who looked rather pleased with the apprentice's catch. Russetstar stood up and walked over to the two, waving his tabby-striped tail in a greeting to them. "Good morning, you two! Looks like hunting is off to a good start this morning." He meowed, looking down at Foxpaw proudly. "That's an excellent-looking rabbit you have there, Foxpaw! It's sure to be a wonderful meal. Well done." The ginger tom praised, his yellow eyes glowing. Foxpaw was already turning out to be an excellent hunter, and he was proud of Maplesong for teaching him well.

[VineStar12]

The tom's teal eyes sparkled at Russetstar's praise, giving his leader a respectful dip of the head. Maplesong saying his catch was great was wonderful, but the leader himself?! That was definitely something! Filled with a new found confidence, Foxpaw dropped the rabbit into the fresh-kill pile and headed back over to his mentor and leader. "Thanks, Russetstar!" he purred, flicking his tail to rid a bug that clung to his ginger fur. Only downside the newleaf was all the bugs and spiders that would grab onto your fur and refuse to let go. Disgusting.

[Shizuka]

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[atrb=background,http://oi51.tinypic.com/k398vr.jpg] Maplesong dipped her head respectfully when their leader Russetstar walked over, waving his tabby-striped ginger tail in greeting. She had no tail to wave back at him, but if anyone cared to notice, she had twitched her stump of a tail in an attempt at waving. "Good Morning, Russetstar. It sure is." She meowed cheerfully, indicating with her nose in Foxpaw's direction at his catch. "He caught it all by himself!" She meowed, also proud of her apprentice and feeling quite honored to be the mentor of the apprentice that the leader himself had just praised. The young apprentice had talent, that was for sure. She knew that Russetstar knew that only the day before had he been given to her as her apprentice. Although she couldn't admit that she kind of enjoyed having a talented apprentice like Foxpaw, she knew that the success of his hunt had been of his own talent, not her training. Words 156 • Notes • Tags Foxpaw; Russetstar • Muse dead