Petta

Lightningpaw stiffened her tail, sneaking up one paw at a time. Crouching, so low to the ground her paws nearly touched her chest yet high enough that her belly fur did not skim the leaves. Silently she crept on, itching to move her tail, but she kept it perfectly still. Her determination and the fast breathing of a tiny heart only a few fox-lengths away motivated her to slow down even more to make sure she didn't alert it. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her mentor watching her with confidence. He almost looks as if he's catching this mouse! She thought, and nearly flicked her tail but caught herself when it was less than a whisker away from hitting a little patch of briars. That was close. She nervously looked over at Tigerfern without mover her head when he nodded, letting her know it was time to pounce. She gulped and sprang into the air.

The mouse noticed her and took off, but her well aimed jump had landed her on top of the fleeing rodent. She reached down and gave it a killing bite. Tigerfern purred as she brought it to him and set it down at his feet.

"Very well, Lightningpaw! Now lets see you, Thunderpaw." Tigerfern sat and admired Lightningpaw's catch.

Thunderpaw looked at his mentor; Applepelt nodded. Thunderpaw disappeared through the gorse. Lightningpaw sat in silence, then looked up at her mentor. "Can I go try again?"

He looked around as if thinking, them meowed "Sure. Any fresh-kill helps. Just don't distract Thunderpaw"

Lightningpaw nodded in acknowledgement and padded through the brambles, carefully avoiding a patch of thorns. she parted her jaws, breathing in the scent of the forest. She continued to walk until she scented squirrel. She kept low, making sure not to brush her belly fur against the leaves and alert the squirrel. When she saw it, her eyes lit up. It wasn't an it, it was a them. There were two squirrels within a whisker of each other!! If I aim just right...... Then maybe I can get them both!

She accepted the challenge and calculated her jump. It was unlikely she'd actually accomplish her goal, but she was going to try. She decided to creep a little closer. When one of the squirrels started to sniff the air suspiciously, she knew she had to act fast; she pushed her legs hard, her long limbs carrying her all the way to the roots of the evergreen. She quickly placed each paw on a squirrel, trapping them both momentarily. She placed one paw on the other squirrel as she snapped the neck of the free squirrel with her jaws. She reacked over and quickly killed the second one. I did it! I really did it! I can't wait to show Tigerfern!

She raced to the mentors, her squirrels weighing her down; she couldn't carry them both, so she held on to their tails as their heads dragged on the ground. When she dropped them down by her mouse Thunderpaw and Tigerfern gasped. "You caught.... All that?" Thunderpaw's voice was filled with hurt and envy as he glanced back down at his tiny shrew.

"I... I was just lucky, that's all." She was quick to discriminate her catch to make Thunderpaw not seem as bad, even though she was still bursting with pride. "I think you may have scared the second squirrel straight into my paws. I owe that one to you!" I can't believe I'm lying to my brother! My best friend! I'm an awful littermate!