First official day on the job (closed)

OOC: Takes place right after the ceremony, before the trip to Highstones

Despite being upset with Leopardsun for seemingly giving him special treatment after their private discussion, Sablestrike was more than willing to use this as a chance to prove himself. The young warrior lead his new apprentice through the marshes of Shadowclan, aiming for a familiar piece of land. Every spar he had taken part in aside from one had taken place there, and he wasn't about to break tradition just for Sunpaw. As they approached the grove, Sablestrike had second thoughts. His first training session had been a crash course in fighting, but with the clans in a tentative peace in Fourtrees that didn't seem like the right thing to teach. Not yet anyway. They would have more time to learn such a thing, if anything the clan would need more fresh-kill added to their pile. Hunting then. Turning to Sunpaw, Sablestrike mewed his first instructions as a mentor. "Show me your best interpretation of a hunting stance."

Sunpaw relished the feeling of freedom, blissfully unaware of the grown-ups’ politics. The mud felt a bit weird on his paws, but he was out of Fourtrees and all his siblings were still stuck there. The cinnamon tom looked up at his mentor. Nodding, he slowly lowered himself to the ground, overall a bit high but it was a crouch. He took a pawstep forward and wobbled a bit.

It hurt to watch the apprentice fumble in his first steps, had it ever been this hard for him? Shaking his head, the tom studied his apprentice with sharp eyes of gold. Sablestrike placed a muddy paw on the cat's back, pushing down lightly to guide the apprentice a tad bit lower. "Steady yourself, Sunpaw. Don't just take steps, plan them. Shadowclan's territory is a dangerous place, you need to be mindful of all that's around you and in front of you. One wrong step could have you stepping on a snake, or into the path of a hungry predator." Backing away from Sunpaw, Sablestrike sat down. "Catch something and bring it back. I don't care what, as long as it's edible and can be added to the fresh-kill pile." With what he had seen already, Sunpaw would be destined to fail his first catch. That was fine though, it would teach the younger cat about failure, and there was no better way to learn than to fail and build on your mistakes.

Sunpaw’s pelt twitched a bit as Sablestrike touched him with that grimy paw. Ugh, he’d have to do some serious grooming after this. Holding himself a bit lower now, the young tom carefully placed a paw on a solid spot of ground. Then he placed the other one, then followed with his back paws. He certainly couldn’t be mistaken for a senior warrior or anything, but it was an improvement. He crouched, taking in the scents and sights around him until he smelled something he liked. Mouse. Sunpaw pinpointed the location of his prey and began stalking in that direction. When he felt he was close enough, he sprung. He had it! He caught the mouse! Tail held high, Sunpaw pranced back to his mentor. Yeah, the kill was a bit messy, but still! He had his very first prey!

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 7

Sablestrike watched the apprentice stalk toward his prey, observing every step Sunpaw took. Each step was carefully planned, or so it seemed from his spot. A clear improvement to that stalk that the apprentice had tried earlier, but this was still going to end in failure... Or not? Sablestrike was pleasantly surprised as Sunpaw returned with a mouse in his jaws. "Well done, Sunpaw. You've defied my expectations of you, that is quite the excellent catch. Now, observe how a warrior hunts. I want you to try and find any flaws in your stance by watching me, or if you find any flaws in mine, tell me. A warrior is never done learning." With that, Sablestrike started to stalk deeper into the grove, keeping himself low and his ears alert for any unsettling sounds. He had let a predator get the drop on him once, never again. Prey came into sight almost immediately, the scent hitting him seconds later as he stalked toward the back of a rat. Just a little closer, and... A small head turned to the warrior before letting out a squeak of alarm. Before it had a chance to scurry off however, the warrior leapt for it, pinning the creature below his paws. A quick pressing of his claw into the rat's neck cut off any struggles. Picking up his prey, Sablestrike padded back to Sunpaw. "Anything?"

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 1

Sunpaw was amazed. Sablestrike’s hunt was flawless! He couldn’t help but note the difference between his mentor’s swift-killed prey and the mangled thing in his own mouth. He dropped the mouse on the ground. “That was amazing! Can I try again?” Enthusiastically, Sunpaw dropped back into a crouch and began searching for a scent trail. Pretty soon, he had found one. A lizard. Not exactly his favorite prey, but he knew a few cats who liked lizard. He stalked until he could practically reach out and touch it, then exploded into action. Unfortunately, the lizard saw him and Sunpaw had to chase it through the underbrush and stomp on it a few times to kill it. Panting, he returned to his mentor with a rather sad-looking kill.

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 5