Taking Flight [training]

Try as she might, the warrior still just couldn't bring herself to place her paws in camp. Not without a good reason. It had gotten to the point where it was a point of frustration, something even she found silly. More than enough time had passed that it shouldn't have bothered her anymore, shouldn't have been something that made her stomach drop with dread. Sneaking into camp to grab something from the fresh-kill pile, or to put something there was an endeavor that should be so much easier for any warrior of Skyclan. Even sleeping inside of the warrior's den, a place that she had earned. But no matter how hard she tried... she just couldn't do it. Her mind would flood with the image of her mother being injured, and the immediate thoughts of having lost her mother just then and there. Briarstar was more than fine, with all of her lives to account for even. So why did it still bother her so deeply?

Thoughts for another day, the molly had to presume. Another knot of anxiety found itself sitting in her stomach, for once. She had been trusted with an apprentice, and not necessarily just any apprentice. The tom had some blood relation to herself, and quite a few of Skyclan's members. Moonlily couldn't help also feeling a bit strange, being appointed the mentor of a cat older than her. But, she supposed, circumstances had their reasons. Whether she liked it or not, Crowpaw was to be under her guidance. So, her gaze searched towards the entrance of the camp, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tom.

As she did, she'd rise to her paws, giving a solid nod in greeting. "Whenever your ready, we can head out and get started. Probably do some hunting first to warm up the muscles, then some sparring practice." Given that she wasn't dealing with a younger cat, hopefully he'd have the energy.

Crowpaw wasn't at all concerned about being trained by a younger cat. He knew he needed to work on... everything... after being a kittypet for so long. Truth be told, he might have stayed if it hadn't been for Bloodstrike constantly reminding him that he was a Skyclan cat and was "meant for so much more" whatever that meant. Maybe it had been purely out of pressure, but he'd left his twolegs and now he was ready to embrace his supposed "real life".

"I'm ready right now!" He mewed happily and fell into line behind his mentor. "Show me how to be a Skyclan cat! I'm open-minded." Truthfully, he couldn't wait to hunt actual prey. He knew it would be harder than sneaking up on a bowl of kibble, but he felt confident that he could do it. How hard could catching a bird or a squirrel possibly be?

Moonlily couldn't help a bit of a surprised smile on her maw at the enthusiasm that the tom displayed. Truth be told, she wasn't sure of just what it was that she could expect. But this... wasn't particularly what she had in mind. Perhaps it was because of Bloodstrike, perhaps it was because of Beechfang, or perhaps it simply was because she herself had some skewed views of the world. But it was certainly refreshing to see the enthusiasm, and if anything, it told the molly that she definitely needed to get out more. Her feathered tail twitched with her own excitement, knowing that this would more likely than not be a fun process. "Perfect. That's the first step, after all!" She chirped, leading them towards a patch of trees where she knew the prey often danced about the ground.

"Skyclan likes to use the trees to our advantage. We can work on climbing a little bit later, but even from the ground, they can help us with something such as catching a piece of prey." Her voice dropped to a quieter, hushed tone as she explained. The rest of her body had shifted into a slower gate as well, attempting to detect something she could catch as an example. "Mind your paws- a single twig snap, or even too loud of a leaf-crunch could be the difference between catching or losing prey." It was a gentle reminder, though in part, it looked as if she was saying it to herself as well. Glances downwards to study the ground were flicked occasionally, just to make sure she wasn't about to miss something. The amber gaze had honed in on a finch, chirping about as it attempted to dig up some type of insect to eat.

Before she got too close, with her gaze still staring down the bird, she figured to explain. "When catching prey from the ground, you'll also want to stay rather low. If there's wind, try to make sure your scent isn't blowing towards the prey. You want to smell them, not the other way around. Otherwise... it's just sneaking up on them, until you feel confident enough to leap. Then, it's all instinct." Perhaps she was over-explaining things. Ah well. Flicking the tip of her tail in hopes for him to watch and study her frame, she crept closer. Having done it so long, her movements were swift. It almost felt instinct all of its own to be able to go after prey, even if she much preferred to chase a squirrel up a tree. Still, those instincts would be proven. The finch didn't detect her at all until she was rather close, and an easy hop landed the warrior squarely on the bird. A swift bite to its neck and it had been successfully caught, and she brought it back towards Crowpaw.

"Practice makes perfect. Would you like to try?"


Moonlily attempts to catch a bird.
Success! -3 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Crowpaw followed his mentor as quietly as he could. He mimicked her movements, keeping low to the ground and stepping lightly and carefully. It was a weird feeling and it made his legs ache, but he moved forward without complaint. As she explained how to hunt, his ears pricked forward and he absorbed every word like a sponge. He nodded once as she finished speaking and then went after the bird. He didn't dare move or breathe until she caught it.

"Oh definitely! I hope I can do as good as you."

He dropped into a crouch and began to move, using his barely used nose to try to locate something. A squirrel caught his eye and he put himself so low to the ground he almost started dragging leaves with his belly fur. He moved fairly silently, taking every care to not disturb leaves and twigs. Once he thought he was a good distance away... he pounced, hoping he would make a good first impression. He landed directly on the squirrel and, after a moment of panic, managed to subdue and dispatch it. He turned to look at his mentor and... some sort of excited noise came out that may have supposed to have been words...

Then he brought the squirrel to her and sat, beaming with pride.

Crowpaw attempted to catch a squirrel. He was Successful! -3SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

There was a prideful giggle that Moonlily let out upon seeing Crowpaw catch the squirrel, pride of his own shining in her apprentice's eyes. It seemed they both liked to make slightly intelligible noises instead of words, though it wasn't something she did often. She had studied his every move, taking note on how he seemed more directed with his eyes than his nose. It was odd to her, given that she felt her nose was much more reliable, but the warrior gave it some thought. The apprentice had lived beyond Skyclan's borders for such a long time, it made sense that the scents of the forest would likely be overwhelming and hard to distinguish. "Good job!" She praised, the prideful smile still on her maw.

"You did just about everything right about the movements, you certainly are a natural Skyclan cat! Just don't hesitate too long when it comes to sealing the deal, sometimes, they can get away. You still did quite well for your first time!" Her tone was vibrant and chipper, the large fluffy molly certainly happy to see how the tom displayed the characteristics of his bloodlines. "Always remember to just mostly watch those two things: your body, and your scent. You'll still be able to do quite well in catching your prey! How about you attempt to catch something just one more time, and then we'll do some basic sparring practice, hm~?" Being a mentor was... odd. She had left it up to Ravenclaw to decide what to do during their training, even if she had a personal hatred of having to spar. But it was a more than necessary skill to be able to defend your Clan. There was a tightness in her chest where, she deeply hoped, that Bloodstrike hadn't imprinted his fighting demeanor too harshly onto Crowpaw. Though, a quick glance at her apprentice told her that was certainly not the case.

"Oh definitely!" He said happily, not really sure what to do with all of the praise and compliments. If only the scarred up grumpy grandpa could see him now! He was no kittypet! He was well on his way to being a Skyclan warrior and that old man was wrong! Crowpaw dropped back into a crouch and went out again, looking for anything fun to catch. His ambition was getting a little ahead of him when he spotted a rabbit. Crowpaw did something new... he took to a low hanging branch nearby. It wobbled a bit under his untrained legs, which made him hesitate a moment. Shaking his head and clenching his jaw, Crowpaw steeled his resolve and moved forward. He'd get that rabbit.... he would! And he would do it from a tree!

Crowpaw attempted to catch a rabbit, he was SUCCESSFUL! -3SP

Crowpaw wobbled abit across the branch.. a branch that was clearly getting too thin for his stature to stand on... yet when he leaped the rabbit was unaware. Remembering what his mentor told him, the gray tom didn't hesitate to sink his teeth into the neck of the rabbit. It barely screamed before the light left it's eyes. Ecstatic, Crowpaw brought the rabbit back to his mentor and laid it at her feet. "Did I do better that time?" He asked, hoping his performance on the branch was satisfactory.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Moonlily absolutely beamed at her apprentice's performance, grinning from ear-to-ear. Even as he seemed to be a bit wobbly up in the trees, it was more than apparent to the warrior that he was a bred Skyclan cat. Her tail rippled with delight, a praising purr sounding out of her chest. "Great job, Crowpaw!" Her pride was undeniable, as the molly herself couldn't recall a time that she had been able to catch a rabbit. It would be a fantastic addition to the fresh-kill pile, a reward she would even likely encourage Crowpaw to take for himself. "I don't think I've ever even caught a rabbit. That's amazing!" Her mouth was already watering just looking at the catch, but somehow, she would restrain herself. After all, it wasn't her prize to enjoy.

"Let's hide these by the roots of the tree you just went up, and we'll begin our practice." She opted to grab the squirrel he had caught prior, letting her apprentice be the one to carry around the prized catch. It was something to be extremely proud about, and she really wanted him to be. Easily digging a small hole to place them in, she set the catch down gingery, respecting his hard work. Once they were safe at the base of the tree, Moonlily made sure to remember where it was at to collect them later.

Giving a nod to Crowpaw, Moonlily then signaled him once more to follow. She didn't stray too far from where the tree was, just far enough that the forest thinned out to make a sparring session less likely to end up with someone accidentally ramming into one of the trunks. It was something that she had done before, and it hurt. Her head throbbed just in memory. Flicking her tail once she was satisfied with where they had ended up, the fluffy molly then turned to face the apprentice. Out of everything that she was nervous to teach, this was the one that she feared the most. Battling just... wasn't something she enjoyed. It made a pit in her stomach that was full of bile, and she could never get rid of it. Even then... it was a necessary skill.

"Battling is the other, major part of being a warrior. I'm... sure Bloodstrike has told you about it. To fight for your Clan is one of the most sacred parts of the Warrior Code, even in times it seems like it may not be a good idea. For now, we'll just do a practice sparring session. No claws, no too hard of teeth, so I can see where you're at. I'll let you get the first blow in on me. Sound good?" She purred, sitting back on her paws for just a moment. Though, as soon as Crowpaw looked ready, she'd stand again, taking a slightly defensive stance.