Catching Up [Closed]

Creamsky let out a mrrph as he stretched out at the entrance of the camp - waiting for his apprentice. Of course the stars had aligned for him to fall sick the moment he had not only received his warrior name but an apprentice at that. ...Granted he had been a rather poor mentor, something that caused him to wince. He had tried to do what he could to stay up to task with his duties but his sickness, while minor in theory... Well, he very much learned why the medicine cats tend to push for one to rest when sick - he only ended up making things worst. A heavy sigh escaped him as he  bowed his head, feeling ashamed - he had been so distracted in living up to his duties as a warrior that he had barely had any time for Juniperpaw even when he was feeling up to things. But no more! He had been forced to rest and was properly recovered - he could still redeem himself with his first apprentice...

His gaze flickered towards the apprentice's den, tail swishing in anxiety. He had told her to meet him for training - finally - but he knew the first thing he had to do was apologize for being... A lackluster mentor.

He could only hope that she would accept it.

Creamsky turned at the sound of pawsteps - an apology of his own forming in his throat but was taken aback as Juniperpaw was the first to speak - offering an apology. He blinked a few times, trying to make sense of it. That...Wasn't what he had been expecting at all -  he had assumed she... A soft amused purr escaped him as he titled his head with a smile.

"Well then - all I can do is offer apologizes of my own. It was my own shortsightedness that led me not to inform you - I had assumed I could handle both my duties and training you despite my sickness but when I only turned out to have the energy for one... You earned the short edge of it, and for that I apologize. Do not worry for my reputation - if any damage was done, then I deserved it and by refocusing my efforts on training you, it should be enough to fix it," he finished with a shrug of his shoulders - his reputation within the Clan was not a huge worry for him. For those who cared for him, they would know that his neglecting of Juniperpaw's training was not his intent.

"So, apology accepted - and I can only hope that you accept mine in return. Now," he meowed, turning to lead her from the camp entrance - motioning for her to follow with his tail. "Come along - we have much to go over if we want to make amends for the time you have lost in your training due to my sickness."

Creamsky didn't mind the silence as they trotted into the territory, keeping his ears perk for any Twolegs that might show up - it was always good to be on guard, mostly with cats still going missing... But as his apprentice finally broke the silence, he turned to look at her. "Well, I don't think we are going to do any major training today," he admitted with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders. "You've been active even without me - patrols, figuring out things yourself...Which is fine! Great even, but now I just need to see where you are at and then I can work out what training you need to focus on there. So, how about we start with hunting?" he meowed, swishing his tail behind him. "Show me your best hunting crouch and see if you can catch something - from there, I can see if that is what we need to focus on right away or if we should focus on climbing or battle or...Whatever else."

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Creamsky sat in silence as he judged Juniperpaw's form. By first glances, it seemed perfect - her twitching tail could pose a problem if it brushed against something and made nose...She did of course fall out of her stance quickly as a sparrow landed nearby, but as she quietly regained her focus, stalked forward and leapt... He couldn't help but purr with pride as her head popped out of the bush with the sparrow held firmly in her jaws. "Indeed you did! That was an excellent hunting crouch," he said, pushing himself to his paws as he approached. "A few tiny things could use work - you should keep your tail still, for example. Having it twitching can have it brush a fallen leaf when those dapple the ground which can alert prey even if its the smallest sound but past that..." he paused, titling his head before he gave a small shake with a smile.

"It was perfect - a job well done, Juniperpaw. Now-" he opened his mouth to speak, before his gaze glanced upwards. There was a squirrel scampering across the branches above them -  no doubt thinking it was safe from the cats far below. "...Have you ever watched a cat hunt in the trees?" he murmured, giving her a smile. "Lets see if I can do as well as you." He turned and padded a few trees away before he jumped onto the trunk, pulling himself up before moving onto the lowest branch. From there, he quietly started to jump from branch to branch to scale to where the squirrel had been - spotting it resting against the trunk - seeming deciding if it wanted to head up or down as its gaze was locked firmly on the bark of the tree and not him. He dropped into a crouch, slowly stalking his way across the branch - his paws careful but quiet not to try to bend the branch beneath his weight... And once he was close enough, he leapt forward with outstretched claws.

The squirrel nearly escaped - darting up the tree as it spotted him but his claws sank into its tail and he yanked it down onto the branch, closing his jaws around its throat to cleanly kill it. A huff of satisfaction escaped him as he picked it up and started to carefully pick his way down from branch to branch until he was low enough to safely land on the forest floor below. "Hunting in trees can be a tricky thing," he stated as he dropped the squirrel, glancing over at his apprentice. "You have to be mindful of your paws as you approach - to know which branches can safely hold your weight and avoid the ones that will sway with a single pawstep. Then there is knowing how to properly land on the small target of a branch while still catching a bird..." He spared a glance up at the branches, a content smirk on his face. "But such things is our strength - our paws are made for climbing trees, our legs for leaping from branch to branch. The other Clans can think us as no better than squirrels for it...But it means more hunting opportunities for us."

Creamsky attempted to catch a squirrel, costing 5 stamina and succeeded.

The member 'Honey Badger' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

He blinked in surprise as the apprentice gently asked about learning how to climb and jump through trees, giving her a thoughtful look. "Well...I was going to move onto battle training but if that is what you want to focus on, so be it," he meowed with a gentle purr, giving her a nod as he turned to look up at the branches that stretched out above. How to even start explaining it...

"Hm... Well, honestly the best place to start I would say is finding a rock outcropping like at the Great Ridge. While your goal might be to jump from branch to branch as easy as a squirrel, it isn't where you start. We can head there the next free day we have - the formations are pretty low to the ground but will serve as a good place to work on your leaping and landing - learning how to judge distances and how much force you need to clear those gaps," he mused. While he knew Juniperpaw was likely interested in learning how to do so now, he didn't want her actually trying from the branches if it wasn't natural from her. But...Yeah, the Great Ridge would be a good spot likely. Wouldn't be high-risk even if you fumbled a jump and learning how to consider the branches bending under your weight on takeoff and landing would be better suited for a latter lesson.

He glanced down at her, a sheepish look on his face. "I can try to think of how we could tackle it at the moment if you want, but I think another training session just focusing on that itself would be better suited for us. And there is no shame in it - nobody is born knowing how to climb trees... Thought I admit, Blackbear did end up teaching me when I was just a kit instead of waiting for my mentor to do so," he said with a small laugh, shaking his head. "So, should we move onto battle training or should I think a little harder about how to best teach how to move from tree to tree?"

Creamsky gave Juniperpaw a soft smile as she spoke, giving her a nod before he paused to dwell on it. It didn't take him long to come up with his answer. "We will continue to focus on the basics for now - so combat training it is. I would rather have time to scout out a safe place for us to practice jumping and climbing - plus perhaps I can recruit Lightningpaw to aid us... She enjoys moving swiftly within the branches while I tend to only use it for hunting unless I am trying to keep up with her," he mused, thought he had an amused tone to his voice as he thought about his friend. He gave a shake of his head, turning to look at Juniperpaw.

"So - fighting. While we have peace between the Clans at the moment, knowing to fight is still a valued skill in case a predator is found on our territory. There is a difference between fighting them - a predator is going to focus on only throwing around their weight, focusing on whatever cat is the biggest thorn in their side. Another cat however is going to fight more intelligently - there are those who might focus on their overwhelming power but they will also look to catch you off guard, find weak points and perhaps even use the landscape to find an advantage. So," he straightened up, swishing his tail towards Juniperpaw as he fell into a battle stance, giving her a grin. "I think the best way to learn is through a spar. Throw everything you have at me. Take your time preparing - your opening. Your first strike will be the start of the spar."

Creamsky*:
30/30 HP
75/80 SP

*Creamsky was T1 when this topic was created so those are the stats he gets for this

Creamsky blinked as Juniperpaw swiped at him - and it wasn't a very strong blow. His expression however turned into sympathy, straightening up a little. "There is no need to hesitate, Juniperpaw," he meowed calmly, giving her a soft smile. He couldn't be sure what was making her so nervous - had she never done a spar before? Was she worried of disappointing him? Terrified that he wouldn't go easy on her? He couldn't say for sure - and he could ask, but there was the chance she would lie in an attempt to save face.

"I know this was a bit sudden - I'll go easy on you and we can take this slow. Trade blows back and forth," he meowed, stepping forward to gently cuff Juniperpaw on the ear with his paw before he stepped back. "See? Now, take a moment to breathe and try again when you are feeling more comfortable - or if you aren't feeling up for it, we can try again with a spar later."

Creamsky used Front Paw Blow on Juniperpaw, dealing 5 damage and costing 5 stamina.

Creamsky:
26/30 HP
70/80 SP (-5)

Juniperpaw:
15/20 HP (-5)
50/60 SP