Nightpaw woke with a smile on her face. It was her second day as an apprentice! She rushed out of the den and into camp. It was the crack of dawn, not many eevees were around. Chillypelt had woken her up.

"Come on nightpaw, i will teach you how to hunt today. Your mother was a great hunter!" Nightpaw nodded and bounded out the gorse tunnel after her mentor. "What so you smell?" Nightpaw closed her eyes and slightly opened her mouth, drinking in the scent.

"The thunder path, the dawn patrol, the camp, stale ninetales scent, and.... pidgey!" Gasped nightpaw. Chillypelt nodded approvingly.

"Very good. Now watch me." She led nightpaw a few steps forward before halting her with her tail. She dropped into a hunters crouch and crept forward, leaping through the ferns. The pidgey sqwauked in alarm and took off. "Pichu dung!" Cursed chillypelt.

"No, wait!" Gasped nightpaw, taking to the air. She glided silently forward, following the pidgey scent to a branch. It's back was to her. She swooped in, grabbing it's back in her claws as she swooped. It struggled to get free, battering nightpaw with its wings. Nightpaw gasped, not knowing what to do, and darted her head forward, grabbing its neck and snapping it with a crack. The bird went limp. Nightpaw hovered and sequred it in her jaws, before swooping down To land beside chillypelt.

"Woah! Wow, I didn't think about that. You have a big advantage!" She shook her head. "Nice catch!" Nightpaw licked her chest embarresdly.

"It's just a pidgey."

"Just a pidgey could save a clan from starvation." Chillypelt snapped. Nightpaw lowered her ears and bowed her head. "But you did a good job. You'll make a great warrior," the glaceon said more tenderly. "It's really cool you can do that, you saved a good piece of prey, but can we practice the hunters crouch now?" Nightpaw nodded.

"Sure. Sorry, come on let's go!" She purred, leaping ahead. Chillypelt and her slunk through the undergrowth. Chillypelt halted Nightpaw suddenly with her tail.

"A pikachu!" She whispered. Nightpaw smiled. Prey like that would feed the who clan for a day! Chillypelt dropped into the hunters crouch, slinking forward with her tail a hair length above the ground, so it wouldn't stir up leaves or sticks. Her pawsteps were soft, and her eyes were on the prey and the ground, so she wouldn't accidentally step on twigs. Nightpaw breathed a breath of amazement. Her mentor was a true warrior! Chillypelt stopped, wiggling her haunches, she lept, claws outstretched. She landed square on the pikachus back, the pikachu was a bit smaller then she was, but it was as big as nightpaw!

"Wow." Breathed nightpaw, as chillypelt bit the pikachu on the back of the neck, killing it instantly. Chillypelt shook herself off.

"Now that, is how you catch prey," she purred, flicking a leaf off her ear. "Alrighty, can you help me take this back to camp?"

"Yeah," responded nightpaw. She padded up to chillypelt, and gasped, a lump rising in her throat. The pikachu was a beautiful Pokemon, and very cute one too. Nightpaw looked away, feeling sick. She swallowed the lump in her throat, but it rose again. Chillypelt didn't notice her discomfort. She was licking her chest fur and looking smug.

"was that a good catch or what?" Nightpaw nodded, putting on a weak smile for her mentor.

"arrogant as an apprentice." she hissed under her breath as she padded over to the Pikachu, her heart cold.  She numbly lifted it's leg in her jaws, trying to hold it gently. Chillypelt, on the other hand, Was enthusiastically dragging the prey through the undergrowth by it's neck, causing branches to get caught in the pikachus yellow fur, and Causing nightpaw to stumble, trying to keep up. Chillypelt slowed to a walk when nightpaw fell on her face.

"sorry," groaned chillypelt, ears back. "i got carried away." she licked nightpaw apologetically on the shoulder. Nightpaw bit her lip, tears stinging her eyes. Not because of the thorn she had stepped on, causing her to fall, but because that combined with the pikachu was too much. "oh, did you step on a thorn? oh starclan.. As much as i love Lightstar,  She should not have made me mentor."  Nightpaw sniffed.

"don't say that chillypelt. Even on my second day, I already love you like a mother." She fluttered her wings nervously. "besides, everybody steps on thorns." Chillypelt nodded, feeling embarrassed about being lectured by an apprentice.

"right... er... you want to fly ahead? that's a big thorn in your paw, you can't walk back. Get sagepelt to check it out." Nightpaw nodded and awkwardly sprung into the air, shakily flying up and out of sight. She needed time to herself, time to cool off. Suddenly she remembered her pidgey. They had scraped earth over it back by the big tree... This would give her an excuse to be out of camp for awhile! She'd just say she couldn't find it. Nightpaw swooped down to the huge tree, spotting the lump of earth covering the pidgey. Thankfully Nightpaw didn't feel heartbroken about the bird. She picked it up in her jaws, and spread her wings to spring, when she heard a small mewl. She padded towards the noise, pidgey abandoned. Soon, Nightpaw found herself in the glade they caught the pikachu in. Nightpaw followed the wail to a clump of bushes. She parted the ferns with a wing, and gasped. A baby pichu blinked miserably up at her, its lower lips trembling, and tears staining its cheeks. It wailed again, it's cry forming words.

"m-mama!" it moaned, a tear leaking out of its eye. Nightpaw blinked at it in astonishment. It was the Pikachus baby! Nightpaw made up her mind in an instant. She picked up the Baby gently by its scruff, and leaped into the air, flying over the forest. Nightpaw knew that if her clan found the baby, they would kill it like any other Pichu. Nightpaw glided down to a hollow tree just outside the border. She tucked the Pichu into a makeshift nest.

"i'll be back," she promised the child, and then she soared away.