[Moonraven]

Originally Posted by Salt

"Okay, I understand little one, I'll make sure I give you a little heads-up when I stop next time," they promised her after listening intently to her response. Their gaze was always as gentle as it was now, though they were beginning to grow fond of this young cat. They could tell they were a dreamy type, easily distracted, though they did not fault her for it. "And if you ever need me to repeat anything just let me know, I'm aware I talk oddly in comparison to cats around here." It was no fault of their own, but words did not seem to fit into their mouth the same way they did for other cats- not that they were aware of exactly what had happened to them but Crocusblaze had been shipped from a breeder in Japan, and had lived their early life comfortably as a kittypet. They had to say they were much happier in ShadowClan, though they weren't entirely a fan of so many binding rules. Regardless, they'd do their best to make sure Elfinpaw ended up trained up right and they wouldn't let their personal opinions cloud any training sessions if they could help themselves.

The long-furred grey and white tabby cat loomed over the apprentice, however unintentional it may be. They were a large cat, half Maine Coon half Japanese Bobtail- though they hadn't inherited the short tailed trait from their mother- they had to be over twenty pounds. Physically it was all well trained ShadowClan warrior muscle, but the warmth and compassion they gave off sure fit a cat of such stature.

"Now!" They said loudly to make sure the little she-cat was paying attention in case she had begun to drift off mentally because of her 'flitterbugs'. "I did bring you out this way for a reason. I know you've smelled prey from the freshkill pile. The first step in learning to hunt is identifying your target in your surroundings. Now I know you can't see," that part was blazingly obvious when looking at the cat. "Listen to what's going on around you, listen for the little scuttling of paws under roots or in fallen leaves, and most importantly where it's coming from. Scents can be tricky dearie- on the wind it can lead you to prey, but when the sky is still it can linger. Smell from a squirrel on a branch can make it's way to the ground, but by the time you're looking around the little bugger is long gone," they explained.

"So, with that...Elfinpaw, tell me what you can find, and how you know it's there."

@Moonraven

[Sorry this took so long, I've been getting on at odd hours.]

Little one? Oh, they meant her! She was the little one. Having never bothered to measure herself, Elfinpaw felt she was of average size when in truth she was quite petite for someone her age. As far as she was concern all cats, expect kits, were around her father's size though she had no clue that her adoptive dad was of the larger breeds of cats. Anyway, that meant everyone was a giant and she was the normal one. It clicked perfectly in her head, she was probably overthinking this again. She should just accept the cute nickname as a term of endearment and move on.
"You talk funny? Do you really?" It was clearly a rhetorical question considering she continued to chatter without pausing to listen for an answer. "I've been told I talk a lot, not oddly though... I have been told that some of the stuff I say is weird." Elfinpaw tired her best to relate to Crocusblaze. It was nice to have stuff in common, strengthen bonds of friendship! "I'll remember to tell you if I need something repeated." She adds quickly in case they think she was deliberately not paying attention to them. She did drift off for a moment, from the paw steps and the vibrations she could feel through her pads when she walked behind them, Elfinpaw was petty sure her mentor was very big. Were they as big as Whiteshadow? What did their face look like? She should ask if she could touch their fac-
"Gleblu!" Her ears shot up in alarm at the exclamation from the warrior. Naturally, she just called a jumbled word that meant absolutely nothing to make it seem like she was at least paying attention. What was she doing again... oh yesyesyes! Training. She got focused somewhat and did her hardest to tune into what her mentor was telling her. She drifted once or twice but got the gist of it she believed. Elfinpaw parted her maw and breathed in tasting the scents around her. If she took to strong a whiff through her nose she'd sneeze and that just wouldn't do. "I got mice," She purred after shutting her maw. "I can smell them... think I can hear them too? Maybe..." Elfinpaw's ears swivel and twitch as she tried to make sure the sounds she was hearing wasn't the wind or something.