The Prince and The Pauper

<sup>Blazingpaw found himself twitching his whiskers in amusement at Tick's failed attempt at hunting. The night air tickled his throat, while the rain showered down against his spine. Licking his chops he stalked forward, his paws barely skimming the ground. He was careful not to make any sound, a mouse was scampering along the roots of a pine.

The multi-colored tom was only a few fox-lengths away, with a powerful launch from his hide legs he was able to make his kill swift and quick. Holding the mouse proudly in his jaws he dropped it at Tick's paws.

"I want to see how you hunt, then I can know what to correct you on." Blazingpaw meowed.</sup>

Tick lowered himself into a half-hunting crouch, so that this belly fur didn't quite touch the ground. Clumsily he stalked forward, pretending a dead leaf from last leaf-fall was prey. Eyes fixated, he wiggled his hind-quarters in preparation to leap, disturbing the grass and shrubs around him.

Suddenly, he leaped, higher, rather than farther, his powerful back legs propelling him upwards at least a tail-length. His paws landed lightly on the leaf as he began to groom himself. Puffing his cheast, he turned to Blazingpaw, "How was that?" His question rang hollowly in his ears as if some other cat had said it. Looking at his paws he felt embarressment well up inside his heart, choking him.

He stumbled over his paws, not waiting for Blazingpaw to answer. Tick leaped as high as he could on a tree trunk and scrambled his way up. Settling himself in some leaves he grunted softly. His side was stinging with pain again. Calling down to Blazingpaw he mewed, "This is the only way I can catch anything."

Waiting until a blackbird landed on a branch and came within leaping distance seemed crazey but sure enough, here it came. Crouching, Tick leaped three tail-lengths, landing on it squarely but lightly enough to not disturb the tree much. Balancing on the thin branch Tick held up his prize.

Shrieking in terror the blackbird tried to get away but Tick held him fast by the wing. He leaped down to the ground, setting the bird down. It tried to escape by running, because it could no longer fly but Tick kept it within eye-sight.

"There, I caught something."

Blazingpaw studied the tom, not per-say on Ticj's former movement that were locked tightly within the tortishell's memories, no it was his physical appearance that he observed. Circling the silver-coated rogue, he discovered that his hind legs were much sturdier then the average clan cat. Making his leaping ability much more graceful and probably much easier.

Blinking Blazingpaw settled himself down,
"Well the way you caught prey, was pretty amazing. A technique I'm sure you could only perfect with those legs." he murmured quietly. Yawning he lazily stood to his paws,

"But when it comes to ground prey you must be aware of your surroundings. The key element is not to make a noise, here like this."

Instantly the tom located Tick's abandoned leaf, slowly he inched himself forward. His weight was distributed quite evenly, making his movement swift and flowing. When he was within leaping distance he dove forward, his hind legs expertly propelling himself towards his prey.

Once his paws hit the leaf's leathery surface, his turned to face Tick, his expression grim.
"If you want to learn how to hunt then quit feeling embarrassed and just work at it." he meowed dryly. Narrowing his gaze he meowed,
"And when you jump, do not. I repeat do not jump for height, jump for distance. Also, remember to judge the distance before you leap." Pausing he racked his brain for any other advice,
"Oh. And keep your even out your weight onto all four paws, it's easier to move like that."

Tick nodded slowly. He tried to pay attention but his mind drifted back to the rogue who had givin him that nasty side wound which nearly killed him. Swallowing, he tried to ignore the increasing pain. Listening to the tom before him, Tick stretched quietly.

"Jump, do not..." Argh the pain. "Judge the distance before you leap." Pain, pain, pain. Wait, Blazingpaw must be on way too much catnip. Don't judge the distance? Ah, pain. "It's easier to move like that?" Like what? What was he rambling about?

A pool of blood was forming around Tick but either he didn't pay any attention or he didn't realize it. His scab on his side was loosing it's grip and a crazed look of pain was slapped across his face. Trying not to sqeak, he made only tiny sounds of the stinging hurt that dug its' razor-sharp claws into his side. Eyes glazing over with the intensity of, Tick said, "Blazingpaw.... Blazingoaw... Blazingpaw... Help... Help... me..."

Vision blurring, Tick did not feel himself hit the ground. He felt the blackness come around him, and he struggled to breath as it suffacated him. He knew less and less by the minute. What had he been doing? Why was he here?

(I'm going to make him think he is awake but he will actually be dreaming soon. His mother is going to talk to him, along with his siblings. Both mothers.)

<sup>Blazingpaw stood dumbly as he watched the tom before him fall to his fate. Or faint, same thing. Both the outcomes of death and fainting are equally pretty bad. Ok so dying was obviously worse then fainting, but Blazingpaw had always been a weird kit.

Snorting Blazingpaw rolled his eyes,
"Sure he has to faint, everyone just has to faint." he muttered. Let's see their was Honeypaw, she fainted a lot. There was--Mistykit. No, she was dead. So perhaps this was only the second cat he had to deal with for fainting, but still...why?

Grunting the multi-colored tom grasped Tick's silver flanked neck and tugged him upwards. Luckily all cats had that nifty spot on their neck, where all of the skin just seemed to be loose. Also when picked up from that area it was basically impossible to move. So with a irritated heart, Blazinpgaw began his journey back to camp, hulling that stupid tom who had to faint.

"Idiot." he muttered through the fur, Great Starclan! Why did Blazingpaw have to take care of him! I'm not his mother! But he continued onwards, even though all he wanted to do was just drop the tom and run.</sup>

Tick opened his eyes, squinting at the bright light that seared his iris. Leaves swirled around him and slowly began to take the shape of a brightly colored cat. Ginger patches shown through the light, and it became apparent that they were random spots of spilt juice into a glass of pure milk.

"Darling?" The she-cat sat, curling her tail tightly around her. "Hi sweetie! Do you remember me?" Standing, she stretched, purring as loud as a monster.

"Who are you?" He asked groggily.

A black-and-white cat appeared before, intertwining her tail with the first cats'. "This is your real mother, Spooky! You don't remember her, Cedar?"

Tick glanced at the two cats. "Mother?" He asked, looking at the black-and-white she-cat. Stopping himself, he asked, "Mom?" The ginger-and-white she-cat nodded at him, her purr rumbling deep into her throat.

"Mom, I have so many questions!" Tick watched them but they started to fade. "Mom! Mom, wait! Mom!" He yowled.

(Everything he is saying is out loud... Yes, he is a psycho-path.

Blazingpaw instantly stopped, the fainting tom had now started talking in his sleep. How wonderful, now I have to hull not only a lifeless tom, but a delusional one! How great.

"I'm not your Mom so shut up." Blazingpaw muttered through his fur, but he knew his feeble attempt at shutting the tom up was completely useless. Even if he could hear him, it was unlikely that his conscience mind would even comprehend any of this talk. So he stopped his complaining and continued going through the brambles, thorns, undergrowth.

Wait--Shadowclan didn't have any undergrowth, just tall pine trees, that in fact were very hard to climb. So maybe he was making this journey seem tens time worse, since their was basically nothing to stop him in his tracks, but he was a complainer.
"Just keep trudging onwards, Blazingpaw, just keep going." Grunting he dropped the stupid heavy tom on the ground, panting he gazed at his surroundings.

He was pretty close to camp, but alas he still had to go around the marshes, and yes it was still raining. Imagine that, you'd think after a moon of rain it'd stop after awhile? No, starclan just loved to be cruel. Clutching Tick with his jaws once more he pulled the tom towards camp.