Falling Sky

Chapter 9

SilverShade stood beside her apprentice. "Where are your sisters? We should have a joint training session, just siblings."

Thistle should be training Echo...

"That'll be great! I'll go wake them!" Teacup purred, bouncing around SilverShade.

"Have Spark fetch SharkTooth, would you?" SilverShade mewed, curling her tail over her back in an arch. She settled down, smirking, as her apprentice raised off. At least I get to send Spark on a wild goose chase for now.

It was about ten minutes before Teacup returned panting. "Spark can't find SharkTooth." She reported.

"You haven't been gone long enough for her to have done a thorough search." SilverShade signed, her breath stirring some grass, as she looked up at Teacup. "We'll start without them, where's Echo?"

SilverShade stood up, shaking dirt from her pelt.

"Right here!" Echo mewed, making SilverShade jump in surprise.

"I didn't even smell you!" SilverShade praised, licking her chest in embarrassment.

"I stepped in the river before following your scent trail!" She purred proudly. SilverShade looked down approvingly at the small cat. Her scent had begun to come back during her trek through the woods.

"Teacup, what's another way to hide your scent?" SilverShade questioned, wrapping her tail around her paw.

"Err... rub yourself in blood." Teacup asked meekly.

Echo laughed. "That was awfully dark."

"That could work, but blood might not always be available, and it's too easy to detect. It could disguise your scent but not hide it." SilverShade mewed. "Echo, any other ideas?"

"We could chew up plants and rub it on our pelts! Like ferns or tree leaves!" She mewed proudly, prancing around her sister triumphantly.

"Good job, Echo!" SilverShade purred, she dropped into a crouch. "Wanna know how to hunt?"

"We can! Let's show her!" Echo mewed, falling into a unbalanced crouch. Teacup followed, but her paws were to tight together and it would be impossible to move silently and easily from that position.

"No, you really can't." SilverShade sighed in disappointment.

"What do you mean? We're great!" Echo protested, but Teacup remained still, SilverShade had done well teaching her

"Teacup, pounce."

Teacup leapt forward, but her paws had been packed too tightly beneath her, and she ended up tripping over her front paws.

Teacup cursed crossly, lashing her tail and spitting dirt from her mouth. She looked up at SilverShade and bowed her head in shame.

"How did you guys survive?" SilverShade asked.

"I think Spark did most of the hunting, but every now and them prey just kind of... showed up." Echo mewed shrugging.

Prey doesn't just... show up.

"This is how you do it." SilverShade spent a short while teaching them how to hunt, and she had just released them into the woods on the challenge of who could catch more prey when Spark and SharkTooth showed up, both looking quite frazzled.

"Where have you been?" SilverShade snapped.

Both she-cats met her with expressionless eyes. "I-"

"Shut it! I don't want to hear it! I trust you taught your apprentice the basic's of hunting? Off with you! Whichever of Spark's litter catches the most prey get first pick from the prey pile and a day off training next week." SilverShade briefed.