I Can Still Do This! Really! (Open)

[Reed]

Featherdance stalked through the forest, on the trail of a squirrel she had scented a ways back. It would be her third attempt at catching something today, and - though she wouldn't admit it to anyone else - she found this just a bit worrying. In her prime, she had been one of the clan's best trackers, and a more than capable hunter. Alas, she was no longer in her prime, and achy muscles and cloudy vision hindered her, nowadays. Still, she was determined to find food for her clan. Someday - maybe soon - she would have to retire, but that day was not going to be today. She was still useful, and still a proud warrior of ThunderClan. She still had worth as a hunter...

...it just sometimes took her longer to succeed than it used to.

The squirrel was close now. If she still had her full sight, she'd be able to see the rodent digging around near the roots of an old oak tree. She dropped into a hunter's crouch and crept forward, pouncing as soon as she was within range...

...and landing just to the squirrel's right.

The long-tailed rodent shot up a tree before Featherdance could spin around and salvage her bad pounce. She snarled as she listened to it scurry out of sight among the higher branches. Then, hissing in frustration, she sniffed around.

Time for attempt number four...

[Thorn]

Raccoonpaw snorted as she left camp. Her family members were almost all warriors but her mentor didn't take her out everyday like she was supposed to. Raccoonpaw shoved rocks around with her paws as she walked, It wasn't fair. She wanted to be a warrior. Her sister was made a warrior! Skystar just wasn't a fair leader. the ginger and white apprentice frowned as she walked into the forest. Her whiskers twitched as she padded forward. Her nostrils flared another cat was in the area.

She pushed her way through some shrubs and spotted Featherdance. She frowned and snorted."can I hunt with you....I have a lot on my mind and I'd like to do something....may I?"

[Reed]

Featherdance had - with some trouble - located another piece of prey and was tracking it. The prey - a mouse - was sheltered under a tree root, so she hung back, waiting for it to come out into the open so she could make her kill.

A snort sounded nearby. The mouse scurried off, and Featherdance turned to the source of the noise. Whatever cross words she had died away when she noticed the apprentice, who was clearly troubled. Then the apprentice asked if she could hunt with her, and Featherdance nodded. "Of course." She looked around, withholding the questions that being a mentor a few times over had drilled into her mind. She knew Raccoonpaw was old enough to be a warrior. She didn't need treated like she didn't know anything.

[Thorn]

Raccoonpaw let out a sigh of relief. Finally a warrior who wasn't about teaching her to do things that she already knew. The she-cat touched the warrioress's flank with her tail in thanks before dropping into a hunters crouch. She twitched her whiskers before disappearing nearly instantly and returning with a decent sized mouse. She dropped it on the ground and just sighed. Even with all of her troubles.

"Featherdance, do you Think Skystar will see that I am ready to be a warrior? It's not fair that my sister is a warrior and I am not. All because she helped discovery Tigerflights missing body, and she was in a battle. I could have been in the battle too I was invited. Why am I not a warrior yet...?"

[Reed]

Raccoonpaw was visibly relieved: at being allowed to hunt with her or at the treatment she received, Featherdance couldn't tell. It didn't matter, though. Right now, what mattered most was the hunt. She'd be embarrassed if they brought nothing back. It would be like admitting defeat in her battle against her foggy sight.

Bah! I'm not that bad off, yet! I can hunt just fine. I'm just having bad luck today, that's all.

She watched as the apprentice caught the mouse and gave her a brief nod. "Well done." But Raccoonpaw wasn't happy. Whatever was troubling her was not a minor thing...

Then she spoke, and Featherdance understood. She younger she-cat was upset at being left an apprentice after coming of age and seeing her sister become a warrior before her. It was an understandable thing, and Featherdance could sympathize.

"Unfortunately, luck does play a major part in all aspects of life, but your time will come." She pressed her muzzle against the apprentice's shoulder. "And I'm sure it'll be any day, now."

[Thorn]

Raccoonpaw let out a warm purr as the she-cat spoke her words. The older warrior was well respected and she was well aware. Normally she didn't like being touched and spent a lot of time fretting who was making contact with her. However she found a sense of comfort in the she-cats touch and it made her happy to know that someone knew how she was feeling."This is true, Did Stormwind do the same when he was an apprentice? Ya know maybe being angry when Rowanstar didn't make him a warrior?" Raccoonpaw knew the older she-cat had mentored their deputy. She was honestly curious as to how the tom acted back in the day. He didn't tell stories.

Raccoonpaw raised a brow when she noticed how Featherdance was walking. She didn't want to come off as rude but perhaps the she-cat was losing her eye sight."I heard Skystar talking...he was going to ask you to mentor one of his kits. It must be an honor...you know. Everyone has such high respect for you, yet you aren't a deputy or a leader. It intrigues me to be honest. I hope cats think of me like that one day!

[Reed]

"Most apprentices do," she purred in response. "It's hard to be patient when you're almost there, especially when other cats around your age have already had their ceremony. I'm sure even now he's debating what warrior name would suit you best."

She blinked when the apprentice mentioned Skystar wanting her to mentor one of his kits. That certainly was an honor, and she was happy he had faith she'd be in good warrior shape for another two seasons. In that case, she certainly couldn't give up, and any and all thoughts of joining the elders simply had to go. She truly was still useful and needed, even if she was just a little past her prime.

"It would be an honor to mentor one of those kits," she agreed. "It is an honor to mentor anyone." Then Raccoonpaw talked about her being respected despite never becoming a deputy or leader, and she purred. "Only a very select few ever become deputy, and fewer still become leader, but you don't need to lead - or heal, for that matter - to be vital to your clan."

Then the apprentice stated that she hoped cats thought of her in the same way someday, and Featherdance purred. "They will, in time. Respect comes with service, and the more you do, the more you get."

((Sorry for the vagueness. ^.^; But with so many of the bios destroyed, it's impossible to look up histories. ^.^)