Becko, Fang, & Disa

Echopaw

The brown apprentice didn't miss the chance to bite down hard on Fallenpaw's tail, and when it was jerked from his grasp, he met the glare with a friendly little purr and nuzzle as he trotted at his shoulder on the way out of the camp. He abandoned Fallenpaw's side to walk beside Lynxclaw. He'd not yet had much time with his mentor, and he looked at her as if she were a foreign creature...or perhaps it was not the lack of association that prompted his behaviors so much as his typical antics, as he craned his head to the point that he tumbled over, though he rolled to his paws quickly and sped up his trotting, hurrying ahead into the forest.

Fallenpaw

Fallenpaw bristled with embarrassment when he realized that they had forgotten to feed the elders. While Echopaw barely seemed to care, he wanted to do his best. He was soon distracted by the bite on his tail, and Fallenpaw glared after the smaller tom as he trotted beside his mentor. The moment he saw the look on Echopaw's face, he rolled his eyes and huffed, though there was the hint of a smile about his muzzle. Looking towards Leopardpelt, he spoke in a quiet tone as he asked, "Where are we going to hunt?" He wanted to at least appear to be more focused than his brother.

Lynxclaw trotted beside Leopardpelt. She glanced at Echopaw with an odd look on her face as he tumbled over his paws. "Echopaw, what are you doing?" She asked, trying to hide her amusement. Her ears swiveled as Fallenpaw asked his question. "Leopardpelt and I had decided to go towards the mountains," she turned to face Leopardpelt, "I think that's where we're still going?"

"Falling." Echopaw answered his mentor's question with the most serious tone that he could muster. He seemed to almost prance with his light steps and the swish of his tail but it was obvious that he was just acting the part of a fool again-where he found all the energy was a mystery. Looking towards Leopardpelt, he purred and answered, "I think I would've done it justice~" As he heard where they would be hunting, he shared a look with Fallenpaw, neither of them having ventured towards the mountain yet. Excitement raced through him, making his fur puff up and he gave a small hop before dropping down into a hunting crouch and prowling forward as quickly as he could without making a sound.


Whiskers twitching with amusement at Leopardpelt's remark, he heard mention of the mountain and instantly caught Echopaw's gaze. He could see how excited his friend was, and though he hid it better, he was just as eager to try his hand. Watching Echopaw's movements, he gave him a few steps before he bounded forward and jumped on him. "Well, I've caught one lump already, though I don't suppose it'll do much good to feed the clan," he teased Echopaw with a purr, earning a fussy protest of "Heeeeeeeeeey," before he chuckled and jumped off of him, running ahead a few foxlengths before pausing and looking back towards the group as Echopaw floundered back to his paws and chased after him.

Lynxclaw chuckled at the apprentices' enthusiasm. "You two better save your energy. Leopardpelt and I will have you two working hard and neither of us are going to carry you back to camp!" she meowed. She noticed they were particularly excited about the mountains. "The mountains are beautiful and very prey rich. They're my favorite spot in the whole territory. I'm guessing you two have never been there?"

Fallenpaw

"Don't worry," Fallenpaw remarked as he paused to look back at them, just in time for Echopaw to reach him and crash into his shoulder. He murred with amusement as Echopaw fell on his rear, not able to push him over. Looking back towards their mentors, he reassured them, "I won't, and if Echopaw wears himself out, it won't be the first time I've had to carry him." He trotted around his brother to head back towards their mentors as he added, "We haven't. We tend to only go to the river on our own, and we haven't gotten to patrol there yet."

Echopaw

Echopaw chased after Fallenpaw for the few bounds his big brother had taken. He didn't slow down in time and ended up crashing into him and falling down again. He was glaring at Fallenpaw as the other answered for the two of them. "I went once!" he declared, jumping up and walking to Fallenpaw's side to follow their mentors. "Once, it was a dawn patrol though, so I wasn't really awake and it was dark." When Leopardpelt said that it wasn't much further, his excitement mounted again and he tried not to race ahead, tried to act proper if just to keep Fallenpaw from knocking him over again.

Lynxclaw matched her pace to Leopardpelt's. She looked over her shoulder to make sure the apprentices were keeping up and keeping out of trouble. As they neared the edge of the treeline, Lynxclaw caught a scent. Rabbit! She dropped into a crouch and tapped Echopaw with her tail and angled her ears, signaling to him that she wanted him to catch it.

Echopaw

Echopaw easily kept up with the warriors. Fallenpaw was near the size of a cat twice his age, at least in height though he was a scrawny thing that barely looked as he was, even with a full coat. Fallenpaw's stride was still long, and he easily walked with the stride of a warrior. While Echopaw seemed to trot, hurrying along with multiple little steps in the span of one large step. It didn't tire him out, if just because he had done it since he had kept up with Fallenpaw since he was born.

When Lynxclaw dropped and gestured, he froze mid-step. Slowly dropping down into a crouch, he stood on the tips of his toes and moved forward in silence and stealth. With most practice than he had in actual hunting, he shot forward. Unfortunately, he angled himself wrong and had to correct sharply when he got close, swerving around a bush. He brushed a low branch and the rustling alerted the rabbit. For a breath, he froze, staring at the prey. For a moment, the rabbit seemed to debate it and then it bolted forward.

Fallenpaw

Fallenpaw had heard the order for Echopaw to go head. Without really paying attention to himself, he crouched down, seeming to mirror Echopaw's head bobs and tilts. The white tom thoughtlessly moved forward. He felt excited as Echopaw got close, but as soon as he felt a swell of pride, he realized what Echopaw had done. Cringing in sympathy, he stepped forward, wondering if he could catch Echopaw's attention in time to help him.

He didn't, and he saw the rabbit shoot forward. It got two bounds in and then it was beneath Fallenpaw, running straight into the crouching apprentice. Startled, he sprung up and pinned it down. Freezing, he kept his claws at the rabbit's throat without killing it as he looked down in shot.

"I hate you," Fallenpaw didn't look up when Echpaw bounded over, obviously annoyed. "You do that every time we hunt! I could've run it down!"

Fallenpaw's ears dropped back, and he looked towards the mentors. "I-I didn't mean to. I'm just used to how Echopaw makes mistakes."

"I don't do it every time!" But he did manage to over shoot more often than not.

Lynxclaw watched as her apprentice crouched down. She flicked her ears as she noticed his mistake. She wasn't mad, he was still young. She padded over to the two apprentices who were now arguing. "Both of you calm down. Fallenpaw, it's alright that you caught the rabbit. When leafbare comes, it won't matter who caught the prey and who started chasing it. But the thing is, you two need to learn to hunt on your own. I know you're both close, but you may not always be. So for today, do not interfere with each other's catch. OK?" she said sternly, but her eyes showed that she wasn't angry. She glanced over at Leopardpelt. She sent him a silent plea. She honestly had no idea if she had said the right thing to the apprentices.

Lynxclaw walked along beside Leopardpelt again. "Yikes, these two sure are trouble," she whispered quietly so Echopaw and Fallenpaw wouldn't hear, "I hope they grow out of it."

Fallenpaw

Though Fallenpaw was more than willing to argue with Echopaw, he instantly fell silent when Lynxclaw began to speak. He shot Echopaw a look of annoyance at first, though it turned to disbelief as the suggestion that they would ever not be together came up. He nearly jumped when Leopardpelt padded over. Looking at the rabbit, his ears went back and his fur fluffed up. He murmured softly, "I'm sorry." He looked properly berated as the two mentors took off walking again.

Echopaw

The smaller tom listened with no expression on his face, but he did not duck his hear apologetically and timidly as Fallenpaw did. His tail lashed, and he was an instant away from arguing-obvious to Fallenpaw though perhaps not to their mentors-until Leopardpelt dispatched the rabbit Fallenpaw had pinned. When their mentors prowled away, he looked at Fallenpaw. With a soft purr, he butted his head against his brother's and wrapped his tail around his neck as he led him forward. Fallenpaw was dejected, but Echopaw just made certain the rabbit was buried before following along, keeping close to the white tom.