new beginnings [closed]

Briarthorn had recently been given two new apprentices to train, which was quite an adjustment considering she hadn’t had an apprentice in what felt like moons. It was her opportunity to prove that she was worthy, and that she could provide for the Clan. So for that reason, and for the apprentices themselves, she was going to give it her all. Plus, Beechfang would have her throat if she provided Birdpaw with anything less than the best training she possibly could. That was why they were up, bright and early, the day after her ceremony. Briarthorn had taken a short amount of time to show her around the territory, and now, the duo found themselves at the Moonlit Creek. ”This is the creek, Birdpaw. It’s a good place to learn to hunt, so that’s what we’ll be doing for the rest of our training session today. First and foremost, you must understand how to properly crouch and pounce. Watch me.”

Briarthorn dropped to the ground, bracing her legs and letting her belly nearly hit the ground. ”You must be low enough for it to be effective, but still leave yourself enough room to properly move around without scaring your prey. You must be able to continue moving forward.” Briarthorn then showed that she could, as quietly as possible, still walk forward in this position. Slowly, but still moving. ”Once you’ve got that down, the rest comes easy.” Sights set on a nearby beetle, Briarthorn nodded for the apprentice to watch, and she slowly creeped forward before finally pouncing and landing on the beetle. ”You try. Once you have the basics down, we can begin working on applying it to actual prey.” Briarthorn took a step back to give Birdpaw some space, watching intently at her first attempt.

When Briarthorn had appeared in the apprentice's den to rouse her awake, Birdpaw grumbled and fought against everything in her body begging her to curl deeper into her nest. I'm barely even an apprentice! Give me a few suns to get used to not waking up at sun-high, would you? She wanted to spit, but she bit her tongue against whatever snarky remarks came with her morning crankiness. As much as she wanted to rail against her and beg for just a little more time in her den, nevermind the fact Briarthorn was her mentor, she was a senior warrior. So with ears folded back in dismay, the pale molly followed along.

She wouldn't admit it, and stayed relatively quiet during their trek, but the territory was... surprisingly overwhelming. The trees looked so much bigger when she was actually standing under them, not just staring at them in the distance from the confines of camp. She shuddered when they passed close to the trunks, her hackles bristling. We're supposed to climb up there? And hunt, too, without breaking our necks? It seemed impossible. But Briarthorn didn't seem to have tree-climbing on the agenda today: her paws slowly drew to a halt, and the soft sound of rushing water hit Birdpaw's ears. The tabby spoke, and Birdpaw flicked an ear in her direction in vague interest. She watched through half-lidded eyes as her mentor demonstrated the proper crouch, stalking towards a beetle and hopping forth in a fluid motion that allowed her to close her paws around it. Admittedly, it was impressive... but it was still just a bug.

"Are we even going to catch anything? I mean, if I were a bird, I certainly wouldn't be flapping about at sunrise." Her earlier bitterness at being dragged from her nest had crept up before her filter could catch it, though she only shrugged against it. She had no intention of apologizing; she would just... be more cordial if she said anything else. With a low sigh, she dropped her body, trying to angle herself into the crouch Briarthorn had demonstrated. "This is harder than it looks," she muttered, nose wrinkling. She knew she was big, or... bigger, at least, but she didn't expect to feel so ungainly. Her legs refused to cooperate, bending at all the wrong angles, and when she tried to slink forward in the same careful manner her mentor had, she swayed and stumbled over her own paws. Undeterred, she set her sights on a centipede, determined to make some sort of catch. Her pounce, if it could be called that, was more of a shove that almost ended with her on her nose, but in her tripping she managed to close her teeth around the bug. It wriggled against her, and she spat it out as quickly as she caught it. "That wasn't that bad, right? I'm sure I'll be a natural in no time."

Birdpaw attempted to catch a bug. Catch successful! -3 SP.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Briarthorn flickered her ears as Birdpaw lamented over whether they’d actually catch anything. ”So long as you don’t run off all the prey with your whining, yes, we will.” She simply watched as the she-cat struggled to drop into the crouch as smoothly as she’d have liked. ”It’ll come naturally to you eventually. For now, just try not to think about it so much. If you focus on what you’re doing wrong, you’ll only overcorrect and it’ll get worse from there.” When the young she-cat successfully clamped down on the writing centipede, Briarthorn offered an encouraging half-smile and nod. ”Well enough to start practicing on real prey, if you’d like. Maybe we won’t go back to camp empty-pawed.” Looking around, observing the land around them, Briarthorn shifted focus back to her apprentice. ”I want you to watch after me, but don’t stay too close. I’m going to hunt, and it’s important that you observe what I do without scaring the prey away. Alright?” Briarthorn hardly waited for a response before turning to search for prey.

A squirrel had found a plentiful source of nuts beneath a tall tree, and Briarthorn knew that it was far too concerned with it’s newfound meal to mind her. That would play well into her favor, because she had an apprentice not too far behind her, and Briarthorn wasn’t fully confident in her ability to remain quiet. Soon enough, she made the leap forward and landed directly atop it, quickly snapping its neck. With the squirrel between her jaws. ”It’s important that you end it quickly so the animal doesn’t suffer. Go on and give it a shot, lean into your instincts. I won’t be far behind.”

Briarthorn successfully caught a squirrel -3 SP.

The member 'Maple' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Pelt burning, Birdpaw ducked her head away from Briarthorn's advice. Sure, maybe she was just trying to help, but it still made the apprentice's fur feel hot with shame that her first attempt at hunting hadn't been absolutely perfect. But the tabby said it was good enough to try and actually catch something, a statement that made the large apprentice perk up considerably. "I'm sure I'll do better, when there's something on the line." She mewed, and this time she was careful to soften her voice. Not that Briarthorn gave her much of a chance to respond anyway, but that was just was well. She couldn't show off properly if her mentor decided she needed to hang onto her tail the entire time. Still, she kept close as she was asked, but her gaze wandered around the small clearing in search of her own prey.

There was a shift in the foliage, and Birdpaw turned back to watch as Briarthorn readied herself to pounce. I didn't even notice the squirrel. She was more impressed by that than she wanted to admit, but she didn't announce such thoughts out loud. The older she-cat pounced, teeth catching in the squirrel's neck with practiced ease, and Birdpaw nodded at her advice. Despite her bristling, and the fact she wanted nothing of criticism, constructive or not... it was a little nice, at least. To know Briarthorn wasn't planning on running off to the other end of the territory without her. Turning away, she forced her body into that low position, grumbling softly about how uncomfortable it was, and let her nose guide her down closer to the stream. There was a vole there, right by the water's edge, with its stupid fuzzy back turned to her. Like it was just waiting to be eaten. Shifting her weight, she readied herself, tail sweeping side to side in excitement.

Before she could figure out how to kick herself forward in a proper pounce, a harsh draft beat against her ears; she closed her eyes, recoiling away from it, and when she opened them in the next second, an owl had lighted on the forest floor, huge talons sank into the vole, what was supposed to be its last meal before daylight proper. For a moment, the apprentice could only stare at it slack-jawed, until the great bird started to lift its wings and her frustration exploded through her in a feeling much more fierce. "That was mine!" She screeched, indignant, and without thinking she figured her pounce out: it was a little clumsy, but she sent herself careening forward, claws outstretched to bury themselves in whatever parts of the bird she could reach.

Uh oh Owl is here!
Birdpaw used Jumping Strike, dealing 6 (+3) damage and costing 7 SP.

Birdpaw
20/20 HP
50/60 SP (-7, -3 from hunting)

Owl
21/30 HP (-9)
90/90 SP

Briarthorn watched from behind a bit of bush as Birdpaw successfully located a vole, keeping a careful eye on her movements to offer some advice when the she-cat came back from her catch. Before she could do that, though, an owl swooped down and scooped up her prey. At first, Briarthorn was simply relieved that the owl had went for the smaller prey animal rather than her apprentice. The she-cat’s demeanor quickly changed, however, when Birdpaw decided to take matters into her own paws. Reflexively, she immediately rolled her eyes before launching herself forward onto her paws. ”Must you be so brash, Birdpaw?!” She fussed as she leaped and pinned the creature down. Briarthorn had to admit, Birdpaw had done a slightly better job at her pounce this time. No matter; this would become a teachable moment in the end. ”Pay attention to my movements, where you can. I just pinned this bird long enough for my allies to help get some damage in while avoiding damage to myself and those around me. It can be very useful, especially if you have multiple cats around you. Now, use your front claws to deal as much damage as you possibly can. I can’t hold this bird down forever, nor can I promise it won’t hit you if it gets loose.”

Briarthorn used Leap-and-Hold, dealing -10 Health Points and using -15 Stamina Points. The Owl is pinned for one turn.

Briarthorn:
60/60 HP
122/140 SP [-15]

Owl: pinned
11/30 HP [-10]
90/90 SP

Birdpaw:
20/20 HP
50/60 SP

The member 'Maple' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Effect Dice' : 3

She had expected the owl to put up a bit of a fight- it was bigger than her, and she could understand being upset with something trying to steal your prey away. But when her claws sank through its feathers, it screeched right into her ear, wings beating hard in an effort to get away. Birdpaw stalled for a moment, hanging desperately onto the raptor without moving, just staring at it with wide eyes. The heartbeat she was left to stare into its furious golden eyes seemed to stretch into an eternity, and in that forever she realized she was afraid of it. If it wanted to, it could easily break free of her half-hearted hold and kill her. The thought of that chilled her; but it made her determination burn brighter. Like I would die to an owl! Even though her heart was pounding, threatening to beat out of her chest, she was grinning, toothy and wicked. As if!

Then that forever-heartbeat was over, and Briarthorn had thrown herself into the mess of fur and feathers. Not without a scolding, but she'd joined regardless. "I- but-" Her stammered defenses fizzled away as quickly as they'd started. The tabby's leap had stalled Birdpaw more than the owl's reaction had; a part of her had expected her mentor to watch from the brush as she grappled with the predator, or to have gone off to hunt elsewhere, ignorant to the danger she was putting herself in. Briarthorn's appearance loosened the apprentice's claws, and she stumbled a few paces backwards to allow her space to wrestle with it. She looked so fierce like that- she didn't look so tired as Birdpaw had seen her around camp, or, strangely, as intimidating. With teeth bared and claws digging blood, she looked... I want to fight like that. Shaking her head to clear away the startled fog, she gave a resolute nod at her mentor's instruction and leaped back into the fight. Despite the way the owl struggled, Briarthorn's weight refused to give, and it was the perfect opening for Birdpaw to rake her claws through the soft down of its chest, its pinfeathers, and anywhere else she could reach. "And- and when you let go?" She yelped, ducking out of the way of a desperate kick from the bird.

Birdpaw used Front Paw Strike, dealing 6 damage and costing 7 SP. Owl is pinned for this turn.

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

Owl
5/30 HP (-6)
90/90 SP

Briarthorn
60/60 Hp
122/140 SP

Briarthorn continued to hold the bird down as much as she could between Birdpaw’s stammering and struggling, hoping she’d stick to her instincts enough to deal some damage. Holding it just a little longer as she spoke, Briarthorn called out, ”When I let go, it’ll either flee or be stupid enough to continue pursuing us. If the latter, you do as much damage as you. More importantly, though, avoid letting it grab you. You’re light enough that it could carry you off with ease. We’ll go over specifics and train for this later, but right now your safety is my priority.” The bird was beginning to wiggle free, and those talons were quickly becoming more of a danger to both she-cats. ”I’m going to let go, then quickly bring it back down. Stand back and watch, and if it’s still alive, you go in for the kill. Got it?”

Before Birdpaw could answer, the owl shoved its way through and rose up into the air, loose feathers and crimson droplets of blood splattering to the ground below. Claws unsheathed, Briarthorn jumped up and snagged its wing, dragging it back to her level and battering it with a flurry of claws, until eventually, its chest ceased to rise and fall and it stopped fighting back. Panting, Briarthorn turned back to face Birdpaw. ”Birdpaw, attacking that owl with no experience or knowledge was foolish at best. You’re lucky that I was nearby. For someone with such little knowledge, you fought well- but that is not something to be proud of.”

Briarthorn used Front Paw Strike, dealing -10 Health Points and -7 Stamina Points. The Owl has been KOed.

Briarthorn:
60/60 HP
115/140 SP [-7]

Owl:
-5/30 HP [-10]
90/90 SP

Birdpaw:
20/20 HP
43/60 SP

The bird continued to struggle and kick, but Briarthorn's tense voice earned more of Birdpaw's attention. Something that almost cost her an ear, as the bird lashed out and she reeled backwards with a yelp. Carry me off?! She wanted to cry out her disbelief, but Briarthorn was letting go. Oh, stars, Briarthorn was letting go. And telling her to kill it! Jaw slack, Birdpaw started a nod before the owl shoved through both of them, screeching and shaking blood across fur and feather. As if it would deter the beast, convince it to either drop to the ground dead of its own volition or simply fly away, the apprentice bared her hangs and let out a deep snarl. She wanted to pounce and drag her claws through it, but even she was smart enough to know that was a death sentence; and Briarthorn was already dragging it back to the earth, readying it for the kill.

Watching the life leave the raptor made Birdpaw's whiskers shiver, and her chest heaved where its own did not. She stared at it, green eyes half-lidded and studying, until the sharp tone of her mentor dragged her gaze upwards. Immediately, her ears lowered, and heat flooded from her ears through her face at the scolding. Well, maybe it was stupid... the thought of being carried off hit her mind again. But she hadn't been wrong, and she'd fought well! Briarthorn said so herself. "I don't see why I can't be proud of that." She mewed, voice equal parts frustrated and hurt. "I fought well. That's good, right? Maybe I shouldn't have attacked the owl, whatever, but... now it won't hurt anyone else. Or steal my prey again." A breathy laugh passed her teeth at that, but her expression remained sour, and her eyes slowly lowered to watch the owl's body again. Stupid bird. But... she felt bad for it. She hadn't wanted to kill it, when she attacked it. Just... chase it away.

So Birdpaw was going to talk back… Because of course she was, she was a spawn of Beechfang. It would be concerning if she didn’t. ”Would you be proud if I weren’t here, Birdpaw? If I wasn’t near enough to help you? No, you’d be dinner for that owl. You should be ashamed of making such an idiotic decision, regardless of how your instincts guided your paws once you were in trouble. And you’ll be doing elder duties tonight while you think about that, and you will continue to do elder duties until you get it through your skull that you cannot put your life at risk because ‘an owl took my prey.’ You fought well, but the point is that you should not have been fighting at all. Life is precious, but it is fragile. You must not recklessly endanger it.” Gaze shifting between the owl and her apprentice, Briarthorn cursed silently in her head. She was being too hard on her. But… if it kept her from getting herself killed in the future, she was alright with Birdpaw hating her.