Brand New Day [C]

For the first time in a while, Newtspring woke up with the dawning sun, it's warm light spilling through the mouth of the warrior's den. He yawned, stretching out his legs, and wasted no time curling back in on himself, laying his tail over his nose as he tucked in. It was warm in here, and despite all his fur and bulk, he couldn't deny that leaf-fall had been particularly chilly. He dreaded leaving his nest, especially before giving the sun a chance to rise a little higher and warm the territory.

Besides, he was reveling in being back in the right den.

But he had an apprentice to train now– distantly, he wondered if he'd only been given any sense of privilege back so the little tom could be looked after –and with a great huff, Newtspring unfurled his limbs and found his way out of the den.

With a hurried trot, the mottled tom wound his way to the apprentice's den, ducking into it carelessly. If he caught someone's tail in his hunt for Driftpaw... oh well. They could snap at him later. Spotting the familiar gray pelt, Newtspring gave his shoulder a rough nudge. "Up an' at'em, 'kit." Wonder if he'll bark at me for that. "First day of trainin', get excited!" And with that sing-songy wake-up, Newtspring ducked back out of the den to wait, raising his shoulders to block some of the stiff morning breeze.

Driftpaw was jostled awake, blinking bleary-eyed at the retreating form of Newtspring. "Wh--...mmmgghh...jus' a lil' longer..." he mumbled, rolling over to settle back in to sleep. He hadn't processed what his mentor had said at all. What time was it, anyway? Much too early to be going out anywhere. Besides, his new nest was warm and cozy. Laying curled up, half-asleep, Driftpaw began wondering what Newtspring wanted anyway, just to bother him? No, that wasn't it, there was something he was forgetting...

...Oh, stars, he was an apprentice now. He had to actually train. With a heavy grunt, the white and gray cat heaved himself to his paws and plodded out of the den, eyes barely open. He probably stepped on a few tails, he'll apologize later. In between a yawn, he mewed, "Awright, 'm here now..."

"Took ya long enough," Newtspring purred, nodding as his apprentice finally stumbled his way out of the den. "Y'still look tired. C'mon, a nice walk will wake ya up. Aren't ya excited to see the territory for the first time?" As he spoke, the large tom getting back to his paws, strolling over to the mouth of camp. "Your first time outside, Drifty. Don't trip over anythin'." With that and a flourish of his tail, Newtspring ducked outside. He was eager to get back into the territory again, to finally act like a real warrior ought to.

The jaunt was easy and slow, a casual pace set to let Driftpaw take SkyClan's world in. Now and again, Newtspring would look back at him, making sure the little tom hadn't fallen asleep between the roots of a tree somewhere. The sun was getting higher, and the breeze had slowed a little, but even through his dense fur it still felt cold. "Sooner I see ya catch somethin', sooner we can both go back to our nests 'n' warm back up. Yeah? Oh, right. I'm showin' ya how to hunt." And the spot he'd picked out was coming into view.

The large boulder, cleaved nearly in half, cast a shadow over Newtspring's form as he drifted to dwell by the crack running through the rock. "You'd let me know if there was a badger behind me, right, Drifty?" He quipped, snickering to himself. Hopefully no badgers would crawl out of the rock and try to eat him. He was showing off, here. "'Kay, so... huntin's pretty easy, and it's gettin' colder. Wanna set ya up with that first. Show me a good crouch? I wanna see how close ya can get. Make sure to get yer legs under ya, helps a lot figurin' that out now instead'a when you're my size. Just show me the best ya can."

Newtspring was right, it was his first time outside. Driftpaw gave his fur a hearty shake, a spark of excitement igniting in his chest. His mentor seemed just as excited as he was, and his sleepy smile grew as they padded out of camp together. The first thing that struck the young apprentice were the trees, the sheer height of them. As he walked, he craned his neck up to try and see the tops of them, absolutely not paying attention to where he was going.

He had paid little heed to Newtspring's teasing warning, and for his hubris, his paw caught on a root and he stumbled, tumbling to the ground amidst the fallen leaves. Driftpaw simply laid there for a moment, taking in the scent of the dirt and leaves and SkyClan. Once he was satisfied, he climbed back up to his paws, giving Newtspring a sheepish grin. "Don't worry, 'm alright. Definitely awake now," he mewed, picking up his pace to catch up with the warrior.

Catching something quickly sounded nice, and the thought of going back to his nest sounded even nicer, so when the pair reached the Halfstone, Driftpaw made sure he paid extra attention to Newtspring's words. "Badgers...? We'd prob'ly smell one before we saw one," he quipped back, his tail waving playfully. "I'd tell ya, though." His dark ear flicked as he listened. Hunting was easy, huh? That...didn't seem quite right, but Driftpaw supposed he'd have to find that out for himself.

A hunting crouch. The fluffy apprentice faltered a little. He had seen them done before briefly around camp, but getting his own body to do that was a different story. Awkwardly, he bunched up his legs underneath him as best he could, less in a crouch and more in a I-have-to-visit-the-Dirtplace squat. "...Uh, like this?"

Newtspring purred in response to Driftpaw's quip, tail waving slowly. "Maybe 'm feelin' stuffy. That's what I gotta keep ya 'round for," he answered warmly, nodding as the younger tom tried to maneuver into a crouch.

It wasn't... bad. Newtspring had certainly felt clumsy during his first hunt, trying to fit too-big and too-long limbs under what felt like a too-broad chest. He'd caught something, though, and he'd make sure Driftpaw did, too. At least his apprentice had the sense to listen to him instead of parading about jumping at whatever prey he saw– not that showing off was bad.

"Looser 'n' lower," the tabby mewed evenly as he moved closer. Flicking his tail against the gray tom's flank, he went on, "A li'l... a li'l flatter. Here, like this." Stopping at Driftpaw's other side, Newtspring dropped into a more experienced crouch. Despite his size, his legs folded under him easily as he lowered himself to the ground, tail slowly sweeping through the scattered leaves. After a pause, he moved forward slowly, every pawstep slow and thoughtful.

He crept back towards his former spot near the boulder, ears perked as he went. "Watch the leaves, yeah? Don't wanna scare anythin' off." He mewed in a hushed tone, pausing with a paw in the air. And speaking of leaves... a pile of them was shuffling about just ahead of him. Whiskers twitching, Newtspring remained still for a moment before springing forward, skilled paws landing on the shrew hidden beneath foliage. "Then pounce. I dunno if I can teach ya that, ya gotta feel it. I can getcha through the stalkin', though. Your turn– see if y'can find somethin', first, then show me whatcha can do."

Newtspring attempted to catch a shrew. Catch successful! -3 SP.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Driftpaw watched as Newtspring demonstrated what he wanted, then did his best to copy it. His second attempt was better, not perfect, but definitely better. The gray and white apprentice did his best to remember what that position felt like, holding it as Newtspring expertly caught a shrew beneath the leaves.

Pale green eyes blinked slowly, a bit in disbelief. He made it look so easy. Driftpaw gazed down at his large, clumsy paws and frowned. He may need more training to do all of that...But he'd try, at least. Moving a little ways away, trying his best to keep his pawsteps silent, Driftpaw did another hunting crouch in the fallen leaves and waited. Soon enough, a rustling caught his attention and a little mouse poked its nose above the leaves. Wiggling his rump to get a better angle, he leapt at it, pinning it with his paws. Much to his surprise, his claws sunk deeply into its flesh. The mouse squealed, and instinct told him to do something about it. Panicking, he slammed his paw down on the poor thing's head, cracking its skull and killing it quickly.

He stared at it in disbelief for a moment, feeling guilty before the pride sunk in. "I did it...I-I did it...!"

Driftpaw attempted to catch a mouse. He was successful, costing -3 stamina.

Driftpaw
20/20 HP
57/60 SP (-3)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

A rumbling laugh left the mottled tabby at Driftpaw's... unusual way of ending the mouse's life. "Try not t'crush the poor thing next time, eh?" Newtspring's purr was light and teasing, but there was an undertone of pride to it as he gestured to the half-smashed rodent. "Give it's neck a li'l nip. That'll put it down lot quicker'n cavin' its head in. Good catch, though! Told ya I'd make a real warrior outta ya. Y'learn fast." With that he turned, about to walk away, before something made him pause.

There was the sound of something grating... heavy claws dragging against stone. Newtspring's ears lowered, and he gave Driftpaw a look before slinking back towards the face of the Halfstone. That crack in the boulder... he knew predators liked to hide in there, now and again. Maybe moreso now that it was getting colder. He'd only been joking about the badger– it'd be cruel luck if one actually made an appearance. When the rough scratching, he decided he'd only been hearing things.

Until a long white snout shoved itself out the boulder, large, flat paws reaching for the stone to haul its body into the open.

For a moment, it seemed both creatures were at a loss for what to do. The badger stopped mid-pull, staring down its muzzle to glare at Newtspring. The warrior, in turn, stared at it with wide eyes. Had this thing actually heard their banter and roused itself just to prove his stupid point? He almost wanted to laugh, but the badger hastened its scrambling to get all four paws free from its home.

"Driftpaw, stay back," Newtspring snarled, lingering just long enough to give his apprentice a serious look before he threw himself right at the badger's head, digging claws in around its ears and earning a roar in response.

Newtspring used Jumping Strike on the badger, dealing 6 damage and costing 7 SP.

Newtspring
40/40 | 90/100

Badger
84/90 | 150/150

Driftpaw
20/20 | 57/60

"Oh...right, yeah," he mumbled, sheepish, raising his paw to look at the gore he had created. Newtspring had laughed, though, so Driftpaw let out a weak, breathy chuckle of his own. This would probably be something they would laugh about it later. The celebration was cut short, however, with the sound of grating coming from the Halfstone. Driftpaw blinked, frowning, and looked over towards Newtspring for confirmation that he wasn't imagining things.

...No, the warrior had the same expression, so it was definitely real. A long white snout poked out of the crack in the stone now and Driftpaw's hackles raised, the fur along his spine puffing up in fear. This was no joke.

"Badger..." he gasped, making good on his joking promise to warn Newtspring of any danger. The warrior snapped at him to stay back before leaping at the beast, sinking his claws into it. Driftpaw stumbled back, tumbling once more to the dirt. He couldn't just let his mentor fight it all alone, but...he didn't know how to fight. Swallowing thickly, the fluffy apprentice got back up to his paws, his mind racing. What to do, what to do?

He found himself ignoring Newtspring's instructions, his large paws leading him directly towards the black and white animal. While the heavy warrior had it distracted, Driftpaw unsheathed his claws, delivering a swipe right at the badger's nose. Blood poured from it, and the beast howled again in pain.

Driftpaw used Front Paw Strike on the Badger, dealing 6 damage and costing -7 stamina.

Driftpaw
20/20 HP
50/60 SP (-7)

Badger
78/90 HP (-6)
150/150 SP

Newtspring
40/40 HP
90/100 SP

The badger thrashed as Newtspring's claws dug into its head, batting clumsy paws at the warrior's side and letting out a vicious, ugly snarl. The tom held fast, though, tightening his grip and grinning as more blood welled up around his claws– until a gray and white shape met the badger face to face, and in his surprise, Newtspring went tumbling off the animal.

"Driftpaw!" He barked, rolling himself back onto his paws from where he'd landed in the leaf litter. He'd get skinned if he got his apprentice mauled by a badger. Stars, he'd skin himself if that happened. The cat was so young, and it was only his first time out of camp. Stars-forsaken badger... Newtspring gave the boulder looming over them a quick, withered look. Then his gaze was back on the predator and the much smaller cat before it, and his ears lowered as he watched the badger raise a heavy paw.

Scrambling to rush forward, Newtspring leaped to meet the blow with a roar of his own. The badger caught his flank mid-leap, claws pulling through him and sending him sprawling tail-lengths away. Immediately, it stung, and without even looking he knew blood was pooling from it. But Newtspring shoved himself back to his paws, ignoring the way his breath caught as he moved to stand. "Move." Newtspring snarled, stumbling forward to Driftpaw's side and shouldering him backwards.

"This stupid thing'll kill ya. Let me kill it first."

Badger used Heavy Blow on Driftpaw, costing 22 SP–
Newtspring used Blocking Leap, taking the intended 17 damage and costing 5 SP.

Newtspring
23/40 | 85/100

Badger
78/90 | 128/150

Driftpaw
20/20 | 50/60

The way Newtspring snapped at him caught him completely by surprise. No cat had ever talked to him like that before, and Driftpaw froze up. The badger absolutely could rip them both to shreds, and the sight of the beast's claws tearing through his mentor's flank (those claws were meant for him) sparked tears in his eyes. Before he knew it, Newtspring had lunged forward, shoving him away and sending him sprawling to the ground. Leaves kicked up at the impact, showering him in gold and orange for a moment as he fought to figure out what to do next.

"I ain't gonna jus' sit back and watch!" he yowled, shakily climbing back up to his paws. He couldn't. He couldn't just watch as the badger tore up his mentor, his friend. Ignoring Newtspring's demands, he rushed forward again towards the badger's side, raking young claws down the beast's flank. Payback.

Driftpaw used Front Paw Strike on the Badger, dealing 6 damage and costing -7 stamina.

Driftpaw
20/20 HP
43/60 SP (-7)

Badger
72/90 HP (-6)
128/150 SP

Newtspring
23/40 HP
85/100 SP

A half-hop forward sent a bolt of pain through Newtspring's leg, and he set his jaw hard as he stumbled to regain his balance. The badger had really left its mark on him; his fur was hot and sticky with blood, and even the thought of moving back into action made him grimace.

But the creature was still standing in front of them, teeth bared in a horrible snarl, and–

And Driftpaw had climbed back to his paws, rocketing for the badger with claws aimed at its flank.

And the badger, with a furious roar in response to its own new wounds, was reeling back its heavy paw to swing again, and Newtspring was too slow to take the damage this time. He was halfway there when the blow met its mark, landing against Driftpaw's ribs. Nothing should have been broken, but still, the fact that it happened at all–

"Don't touch 'em!" Newtspring bellowed, gathering his weight to send himself lurching forward. The badger was distracted, and the clumsiness in his motion it was easy for his jaw to connect with its throat. But his teeth found their mark, sinking in past fur and flesh, and the warrior held on fast even as the badger roared and thrashed. Blood welled against his tongue, flooding his mouth and spilling out around his chin. His paws scrabbled to catch against the beast's shoulders as it tried to shake him away, but its movements were getting slower, weaker. Hot blood continued to pump from its throat, and Newtspring clamped his jaws tighter. Slowly, and with a great heave, the badger's body shuddered and it slumped to the floor. Newtspring went with it, bite secure until he was certain it was still.

Detaching from it, the mottled tabby slowly backed away, watching as its once-deadly paws twitched with the last shudders of life. It was... dead– or rather, dying –and the sight of its body made the tom shiver. Not wanting to look at it any longer, he heaved in a breath and turned on shaking legs to find Driftpaw.

"You're mad," he snorted, but there was no genuine malice in the sharpness of his words. "You've never swung at somethin' in your life, and you're runnin' in headlong to try an' fight a badger. Who does that?" The warrior huffed, giving his apprentice's shoulder a brisk nudge. "But you did.. ya did good. Y'held your own, 'n' that's impressive. Are ya okay, Driftpaw? Y'don't look too bad, but..." His words trailed away, and Newtspring recovered the silence by sweeping his tail over the gray cat's haunches.

Badger used Heavy Blow on Driftpaw, dealing 17 damage and costing 22 SP.
Newtspring used Killing Bite on the Badger, costing 10 SP.

Newtspring
23/40 | 70/100

Badger
0/90 | 106/150

Driftpaw
3/20 | 43/60