Hunting Training

It was dusk, and the camp was just beginning stir, although sleepy silence hung over the entire territory. One warrior, however, was already wide awake and as energetic as usual.

Willowheart grinned excitedly to herself as she padded towards the apprentice den, her tail twitching. Today she would be taking Silentpaw out to hunt. She hadn't had much time with her young apprentice, but she could already see that Silentpaw was going to become a strong warrior- just like Willowheart's father had been. The pain that the black-and-white warrior used to feel when she thought of Silentstorm had faded, like a sharp stone, turned into a soft-edged pebble by the river, and she loved to regale the kits and apprentices with stories that he had told her when she was younger.
Anyways, Silentpaw certainly had some of Silentstorm's quiet spirit. The white she-cat had proved herself an eager learner, although she didn't speak much at first. "Silentpaw," She mewed softly, sticking her head into the apprentice's den. "Come with me- I'm going to teach you how to hunt."
The slender warrior's ears twitched as a distant memory stirred. Leopardstar had said something very similar when he had taken her out to hunt for the first time. The short warrior chuckled at the memory as she sat outside the den, waiting for her apprentice.

OOC: Heck, this post is trash. Sorry~
What do you know about the hunting system?

Silentpaw jumped slightly when she heard her name called and scrambled to her paws "C-coming!" She squeaked, a hint of nervousness in her soft voice. The timid she-cat quickly dragged her tongue over her frost-white fur so as to not keep her mentor waiting for too long. Hunting training? Was it really time for that?
Trying to hold the anxiety and nervousness down, she hastily made her way from the safety of the den and to Willowheart's side. "A-are we really going h-hunting?" She asked, equally excited and wary of the prospect. What if she messed up? What if they were attacked?



<sup><sub>(You're fine <3

I know a few things, my first attempt at hunting on the site was when my two kits Soot- and Thorn- snuck out of camp and nearly got themselves killed because I somehow rolled a ten and got a predator. My RNG is so beautiful, it even impressed Icee haha. We would have continued that thread but I couldn't get Icee to post on there and save her future apprentice from being dumb so it just kinda died xD

I also know a little about the battle system on the site, but I'd love to have them explained to me either way just to make 100% sure I'm doing it right)</sub></sup>

OOC: Perfect~ You already know that you have to roll the hunting dice to catch prey, which is honestly the hardest part.
You may want to review this topic as you go- it has a lot of useful info.

Okay- first, write the first half of your post (your character is creeping up on the prey, etc)
Once you do that, roll the Hunting Dice and post. Then go to the Hunting System rules page (link above) and pick a prey animal based on your dice roll and what clan your character's in.
Once you've picked an animal, go ahead and edit/finish your post with your character either catching or missing the prey based on your dice roll. (I'll put my edit in italics for now so it's easier to see~)

IC:
Willowheart nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Yes- we're just going to go over the basics. I'm sure you'll do great, Silentpaw." She flicked her ears and began to walk into the forest, talking as she walked. "My fur is dark, luckily, but yours is very bright. That can be a serious disadvantage if you're unprepared." She mewed. "You're already pretty quiet, so you should focus on ambush hunting- try to sneak up on your prey."
Suddenly, one of Willowheart's ears flicked. Instantly, she dropped into a hunting crouch. "Shh- do you hear that? There are two of them over there... Mimic my movements, Silentpaw. Before I give you any more pointers, let's see what you can do."
Willowheart moved quickly and easily through the shadows, sliding from one dark spot to another. Her webbed paws were spread wide, and each step she took was muffled. Her amber eyes narrowed in concentration, but her large ears were pricked as she tried to locate her prey. From the sound of it, there were two or more mice straight ahead.
Her tail twitched and she stopped suddenly. She was right- there were several mice in a small clearing ahead, and she could see one of them heading away from the others. Willowheart's whiskers twitched. This was too easy.
With a quick pounce, she scooped the mouse up in one paw, killing it and rolling to her feet on the edge of the clearing. The other mice hadn't noticed a thing.

The member 'Drippy' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

^{_{(Alright! Lemme give this a try...)}}


Silentpaw nodded, dropping into a crouch as Willowheart demonstrated. She pricked her ears forward and listened intently, picking up the sounds of small things skittering ahead of her. She tried her best to stick to shaded areas, but didn't quite manage to do so perfectly. However, for an apprentice she was remarkably good at staying silent. Not even her footsteps made hardly any noise. It seemed like she had a natural awareness for the terrain and a talent for avoiding things like sticks or dry leaves. The frost-white she-cat hung low to the ground, her gaze trained forward on the unsuspecting mice. She picked out one that seemed to be further away from the rest of the group and crept forward. Taking a steadying breath to ready herself, she leapt forward and pounced on the small furry critter. The apprentice hesitated for a moment, guilt striking her as the mouse struggled in her paws futilely and squeaked in panic. Did she have to? She'd eaten them before but... it was so small. So helpless. Closing her eyes, she leaned down and snapped her jaws shut around it's tiny neck. She picked it's limp body up quickly, retreating back into the shadows and turning her saddened gaze up to her mentor. This didn't feel right...


^{_{(She's too innocent, my heart ;;-;;)}}

The member 'Kari' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

"Great work- you're a natural." She praised, stepped out of the shadows and offering her apprentice a grin. "You did excellently." Willowheart caught Silentpaw's sad look, and her ears twitched. "You did the right thing, dear." Willowheart placed her tail on Silentpaw's back comfortingly, trying to reassure her apprentice. "I bet that mouse is in its own Starclan right now, reuniting with its family. Besides, you're feeding your clan. Think of how happy all the kits will be when you see what you brought them."
The slender black-and-white she-cat flicked her tail, her whiskers twitching as she began to walk towards camp. "I think that's enough hunting for now, Silentpaw. Honestly, there's not much for me to teach you; you have some real talent." She cast her mind back to her own hunting lessons with Leopardstar, remembering the pride she had felt.
With a slight shock, she realized how happy she was. Thinking of her mentor used to bring pangs of sadness, but now all she felt was a warm, fond feeling. She was healing, slowly piecing herself back together.
And it was wonderful.
She glanced at her apprentice, and couldn't help but smile. How strange, to be on the opposite side of everything now, to have a younger cat to protect and teach. She swore, right then, that she would do right by Silentpaw, and see her grow into a strong warrior. Was this how Silentstorm and Leopardstar had felt? She had no way of knowing for sure, but something told her that it was.
"Tomorrow I'll take you on a patrol, okay Silentpaw? You'll be able to hunt with your clanmates instead of just me."

The soft-spoken she-cat nodded somberly, focusing on the young that would be fed through this mouse's sacrifice. "I hope the kits like it." She mewed softly around her catch. This was all so new to her. She honestly didn't know how to feel about any of it. There were too many mixed emotions. Guilt, for having ended the poor critter's life. Pride, for hearing her mentor's honest praise. Excitement, for the future yet to come. Anxiety, for the exact same reason.

Burying her innermost thoughts, Silentpaw turned her azure gaze up to Willowheart again with a surprised expression. "A-a patrol? I-I'm not sure I'm really ready for that... there will be other cats and I might mess up." Her anxiety seemed to be clouding her mind again. "Oh no... What if they make f-fun of me..." For all her natural talent, the young apprentice seemed to have absolutely zero confidence. Who knows how it may affect her as a warrior? She clearly wasn't comfortable in her own skin, let alone in her territory or abilities.