Like a mouse CRASH (open)

Subject: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Wed 8 Mar 2023 - 19:56

Tumbling around in the nursery Ebonykit batted at a wad of moss they had collected. The soft squishy material was amusing to roll around and pounce on. As he smacked the makeshift toy away again he sank into a poorly executed hunters crouch. Creeping forward as silently as he could muster he struck! Unfortunately for Ebonykit he was too eager and ended up tripping over his paws. He landed in a noisy tangle of limbs and fluff. Opps.

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Vesper ♀ | Rogue {Color: 9999ff}
Patchkit ♀ | ShadowClan Kit {Color: ff9933}
Ebonykit ♂ | SkyClan Kit {Color: 3399cc}

Subject: Re: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Wed 8 Mar 2023 - 20:42

A shadow loomed across the entrance to the nursery as Bloodstrike blocked the light from the outside. He carried a particularly fat wad of soaked moss in his mouth, something he had brought for the queens in the nursery. The giant, heavily scarred, dark tabby tom stepped inside the nursery to place the mossball somewhere convenient for all of the queens... and nearly stepped on Ebonykit. He managed to correct his step half way, thus avoiding making a dark red smush mark out of him.

Bloodstrike set the mossball down and looked briefly at the kit. He wanted to smile, he did, but his smile was too easily mistaken for a snarl with his permanently torn left side of his upper lip. It wasn't uncommon for kits to flee and cower from him. Stars, even adult cats did that.

"Nice." He said teasingly as the kit tumbled. Who knew if the kit would know if he was teasing or not. Bloodstrike typically had a very stoic expression that was hard to read. "You'll learn to be more sure-footed in time, little one." He wasn't sure what else to say really. He looked across the nursery, taking in the sights and the smells that he had when he was a kit too. What a lifetime ago that was.

"What name did your mother give you?" He asked softly, if the kit hadn't fled from him already.

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Subject: Re: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Wed 8 Mar 2023 - 20:55

Celandinekit

Skyclan • Kit • ♀ • 10 [hp] | 30 [sp] • #F7D595

Celandinekit was currently sitting as still as she could while her mother groomed her fur. She normally liked getting her fur cleaned but she was feeling a bit antsy today. She had woken up with more energy than normal and she was ready to go out and play.

While she remained sitting, she could see one of the younger kits tumbling around the den with some moss. Her eyes widened. Maybe she could play with him too?

As the kit smacked the moss around, she felt her tiny claws kneading the ground. She wanted to play with the moss too. She carefully turned back to shoot her mother a pleading look. "Please?" she asked with wide eyes. She could see her mother stop and think for a moment. It wasn't long before she was told that she could finally go.

The she-kit began to slowly make her way over She slowed down to a halt when she noticed that the other kit was trying to stalk the moss. Cool! Maybe she should practice too!

Celandinekit crouched down and tried to copy the other's movements but it also ended up looking all wrong. She crept around like the younger kit and only paused to watch him pounce on the moss. However, he ended up tripping instead. Her eyes widened as she uncrouched. Uh oh! Was he okay? She wanted to go help him up.

However, before she could say or do anything, a voice made her look up. A warrior had entered the den a few moments before and she hadn't noticed. At the first glance, his appearance had made her eyes widen but she quickly recovered. All those scars must mean he was a strong and brave warrior! She wondered if he would tell them any stories of his adventures.

She shook out of her thoughts and finally walked over to them. "Excuse me?" She smiled up at the large tom and then at the kit. "May I join you both? My name's Celandinekit," she chirped. She then tilted her head. "What are your names?"

Requirements:

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Cranekit of rc • Celandinepaw of skc • Burrpaw of wc
[Character Profiles]
Click sig for picrew link!

Subject: Re: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Thu 9 Mar 2023 - 13:41

Ebonykit

You owe yourself far more than you lend. | SkyClan Kit. #3399cc

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you do any better" Ebonykit remarked as he scrambled back to an uneasy footing. In a huff he peered towards the sound of the voice. Blinking owlishly up at the large cat before him, he took a hesitant step backwards. The fur along his spine and tail fluffing out in an attempt to make himself look bigger. For a few moments all Ebonykit did was stare, wary and alert. Very slowly he inched forward breathing in the familiar scent of their clan that lingered on the big tom cat.

That alone seemed to settle the kit's nerves as his pelt settled back down from its puffed state. The scuffling of another kit near by made Ebonykit's ears swivel. Her voice joining the other cats with a similar question. He was happy to have a playmate to help him practice the skills he'd need one day. Facing the pair of them he spoke up once more. "Yeah, you can play Celandinekit. I'm Ebonykit by the way."

OOC: Playing around with some of the free coding. I like it.

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Vesper ♀ | Rogue {Color: 9999ff}
Patchkit ♀ | ShadowClan Kit {Color: ff9933}
Ebonykit ♂ | SkyClan Kit {Color: 3399cc}

Subject: Re: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Thu 9 Mar 2023 - 13:55

Bloodstrike snorted at Ebonykit's words. He didn't feel the need to prove a kit wrong, and there wasn't enough room in the nursery anyway. He watched as the kit backed away from him, suddenly afraid. Bloodstrike said nothing and did nothing. The boy either found the courage to stand his ground, or he didn't. He would receive no help from Bloodstrike. He was pleased to see the kit recover his dignity and scrounge up enough bravery to come forward. Good. Skyclan wasn't reverting back to being cowards in his absence.

"Join us if you want. It's Bloodstrike." He said calmly to Celandinekit. He'd seen her around a bit. Adventurous little thing. Smart though, from what he'd gathered. The giant tom looked back out of the nursery and debated turning around to let the kids play... but another thought struck him. Maybe letting the newer generations get to know him might make him seem not so... grumpy. Stars, when was the last time he interacted with a kit? Even his latest litters he'd had very little interaction with before he sent himself into exile. What good had that done him? Moonlily was horrified of him. He supposed she had every right to be all things considered.

"Well..." He lie down in one smooth motion, not intending to stay too too long and wear out his welcome, but maybe being slightly lower to the ground might help improve his interactions with the kits. "Are you going to try to stalk your moss again?" He asked Ebonykit. "Try to keep your neck, shoulders, back, rump and tail in as straight as a line as you can. Crouch low until it hurts. That's how you know you're using the proper stalking technique."

His memory of Redfall flashed in his eyes. The red tom had been his first friend leaving the nursery... how he missed that tom so. He was the one that taught him how to stalk even as a kit. It pained Bloodstrike to not know what happened to him. The Asylum came, Bloodstrike was imprisoned for an entire leaf-bare for fighting back, and when he was finally released he hadn't seen Redfall since. He could only assume his friend had been killed.

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Subject: Re: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Sat 11 Mar 2023 - 0:36

Celandinekit

Skyclan • Kit • ♀ • 10 [hp] | 30 [sp] • #F7D595

Celandinekit dipped her head at them both as she had seen her mother do. "Thank you," she mewed with a bright smile. "Also, nice to meet you both, Ebonykit, Bloodstrike."

She watched curiously as the warrior settled down on the ground. Was he going to stay? That excited her. Most of the warriors and apprentices she had seen enter the nursery usually leave after finishing whatever they entered to do. It wasn't common for any of them to stay, at least, from what she's seen. She wasn't one to stay in the nursery for too long either. So, she couldn't blame them. She had wanted to go out and play earlier that day but her mother had held her back to groom her fur. Now, she was glad she had remained. She wouldn't be here with Ebonykit or Bloodstrike. This might turn out to be even better than roaming the camp!

She focused back on Bloodstrike when he spoke up. Her eyes widened as he began to demonstrate the correct way to stalk. Oh wow! Despite him addressing Ebonykit specifically, she should probably use the opportunity to try it herself.

So, her neck, shoulders, back, rump, and tail should be as straight as she could make them. She pursed her lips. She awkwardly maneuvered to a low crouch, trying to carefully position her limbs as Bloodstike had done. This seemed to be harder than it looked. She still felt too wobbly. She was leaning a bit to the left. She tried to fix the lean but only ended up leaning to the right that time. She huffed. How could she fix this?

"Bloodstrike?" she piped up hesitantly. "Why do I keep leaning so much? I can't seem to balance straight. How do I fix it?" A slight look of frustration crossed her face before she forced herself to calm down. Losing her cool wouldn't help her in any way, her momma had told her once.

Requirements:

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Cranekit of rc • Celandinepaw of skc • Burrpaw of wc
[Character Profiles]
Click sig for picrew link!

Subject: Re: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Sat 11 Mar 2023 - 10:55

Ebonykit

You owe yourself far more than you lend. | SkyClan Kit. #3399cc

Listening intently, the young dark furred kitten slowly sank into another crouch. It was still clumsy and inaccurate but a bit better than his former attempt. Ebonykit's back was too arched and his tail still swished wildly against the nursery floor. Bounding forward he flung himself upon the mods again, pawing it up into the air with soft squeals. "Thank you Bloodstrike! I didn't fall over that time!" he chirped with pride.

Rolling and tossing the moss ball in Celandine's direction he watched her. Blue eyes observing her crouch and waiting for Bloodstrike to give any instructions to better improve the movement. Standing back up Ebonykit went back into another crouch as he waited.

OOC: Both of your characters are so fun to write with :)

Subject: Re: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Sun 12 Mar 2023 - 14:54

Bloodstrike watched both kits carefully. He made little notes for himself about what to help each kit with. The proper hunting form was easy to learn but difficult to master overall and would take practice. What he was happy about was the fact that they were listening to him and trying their best. No throwing fits, no fighting, no telling him he didn't know what he was talking about when he clearly did... They showed promise.

"Ebonykit, you're improving, but your back is still too high. Keep your tail straight out, it will help you stay balanced which will make stalking quietly much easier."

Celandinekit asked him a question and he smiled softly. She knew what she wasn't doing correctly. That was good! And she was humble enough to ask for help. Both of these kits he wanted to monitor as they grew. Very few kits caught his interest like these two had... or was he just getting soft in his old age?

"You're still a kit, Celadninekit. Even when you walk or run you're still a bit wobbly, so its okay if your balance isn't perfect yet. But if you practice now, it will be easier when you're an apprentice. Try to pay attention to the ground you are on, because the ground is almost never flat, especially here in Skyclan territory." Bloodstrike stood up and moved to a spot in the nursery that was sloped, albeit only barely noticeably. He turned to face the kits, purposely putting his hind legs at different levels than his forelegs, and even those not level with each other.

"See how my paws aren't lined up anymore? That happens a lot. If I just crouch the way I normally do, I won't have any balance so I need to adjust. If you don't have balance, you'll stagger and stumble a lot, and that makes noise which will scare prey away. Achieving perfect balance is hard to learn at first, and you'll probably not master it until you're well into your warrior years. But you can start by feeling for your point of balance, which is actually located right in the middle of your ribcage. Take a few deep breaths to calm yourself, because if you're too excited you'll struggle to understand what I am talking about.

Once you're calm, spread your paws apart evenly. Line them up until you make four even points."

Bloodstrike then got off of the uneven ground and spread his feet evenly apart in a perfect rectangle to show them. He gave them a moment to adjust their footing and follow along before he continued.

"Close your eyes and relax. It might take a moment, but you'll feel where your balance point is. It should feel slightly heavier in the middle of your body. Focus on it. Now that you know where it is... you need to learn how to keep it there. Walk up and down these little slopes and feel where it moves. Try walking down a slope sideways too. You will feel it shift. When it does, you're off balance. Lean, adjust your footing, whatever you need to do to keep your point of balance where it belongs. Experiment with it and learn. The only way to really gain control is to practice."

He sat down and would wait for them to drink this information in.

"We are Skyclan cats. We move and hunt in the trees, so balance is extremely important. The branches will always try to get you off of them. It is our job to tell them "No"" Was he having too much fun with this? Maybe. "There are other balance points you will learn about as you become older, but this one is the most important to learn first. If you're in the trees and begin to lose your balance rapidly, you can use your tail to counter it. That too, comes with practice."

Bloodstrike glanced back at his nub of a tail for a moment and then looked back at the kits with a small smile. "I got my tail torn off in battle long ago, so my balance is forever compromised, but if I can learn to deal with it without a tail, you can certainly manage with one."

He had to wonder if the kits would fully understand what he meant, but if not now, then they would later. Now he was going to go quiet and observe. If they started picking up on these skills, great. If not, he was very interested to see how they would deal with frustration.

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Subject: Re: Like a mouse *CRASH* (open) Thu 16 Mar 2023 - 0:39

Celandinekit

Skyclan • Kit • ♀ • 10 [hp] | 30 [sp] • #F7D595

She took a peek at the ground and nodded. "Oh, okay." He was right. The ground wasn't smooth. She would have never guessed that it would have been a reason for her having trouble with her stalking. She had also briefly heard what Bloodstrike had said to the tom-kit and it had made her eyes twinkle. Wow! She was excited that he had stayed to teach them and was helping them fix their mistakes as if they were apprentices! She hoped to get a mentor as great as Bloodstrike. So far, the warriors she has met were all cool and that made her even more enthusiastic. She couldn't wait for her apprentice ceremony.

She briefly glanced at the moss ball Ebonykit had rolled over to her. A small smile crept up on her face and she playfully rolled it back and nearly giggled out when it almost rolled under the other kit's belly.

Celandinekit looked back up when the warrior walked over to another part of the nursery. What was he doing? Curiously, she followed his movements with her eyes.

Her eyes widened as he began to explain about balance and how they could improve. A moment of bashfulness came over her as he mentioned that they needed to be calm or they would have a harder time understanding. She was starting to get a bit too excited. She wanted to understand everything and improve a lot so, she had to try to calm down.

To calm down, he said to take deep breaths. She could do that! She breathed in and then out slowly. She did it a few more times and began to feel her excitement simmer down. She smiled. She was glad that worked because she didn't want to miss anything the warrior said.

She looked down at her paws and then back at Bloodstrike as he instructed them on how to position their paws. She needed to spread her paws and then line them up until there were four even points. She bit her lip as she carefully shuffled her paws apart. She was having trouble making them evenly apart and before she could ask, she noticed the warrior showing them what it was supposed to look like. She made an "O" with her mouth and began to copy the warrior.

Celandinekit smiled to herself when she finally got it how it was supposed to be like. She was glad that he showed them. It made it easier for her to follow along. Bloodstrike's voice shook her from her thoughts and she quickly looked up at the older cat. Close her eyes and relax? She could do that too! The kit did just that but not before digging her claws into the ground just in case she was to start leaning.

He was right. It was taking a while for her to truly relax but once she was, she could finally attempt the next part of what he was explaining.

Her ears twitched as she listened. Balance point? He said it was supposed to be found in the middle of her body but it wasn't easy finding it. Maybe she wasn't relaxed enough? Her brows furrowed as she tried her hardest to look for it. Wait, what if she didn't have one? Her tail twitched in nervousness before she forced herself to calm down and think. Everyone had to have one because everyone needed balance right? She just needed to try harder!

There! She felt it. She wanted to jump for joy but stopped herself before she lost focus. She couldn't lose it! She blinked her eyes open and eyed the slopes. She looked back up at Bloodstrike as he continued to speak. Her eyes widened. She didn't know the branches could do that! She couldn't help but giggle. Well, she could see where they were coming from. She, too, would want whoever stood on her to get off. It probably didn't feel nice. However, if she would be hunting in the trees, she didn't want to suddenly be thrown off. Those trees were so tall! It would be a long way down and she shivered just thinking about how scary that must be to fall from those heights.

She kept herself from staring too long at Bloodstrike's tail, or lack of. It was never nice to stare. It must've been so scary and shocking when he lost his tail! Like, one minute, it was there and then the next it was missing. It probably hurt a lot too. A sad expression was on her face for a moment before she noticed his smile and returned it. She turned to look at her own fluffy tail and suddenly, there was a strong appreciation for her tail. He said that tails could save them when they fell! At least, he said that he had found ways to cope. She wanted to be like him! He kept on going no matter what happened!

When the warrior finally finished speaking, Celandinekit focused back on practicing. She walked to the small slopes in the nursery and tried to find her balance point again after she had lost it when she had stopped to listen to Bloodstrike.

She found it a bit faster this time since she now knew what it felt like. She then began to slowly walk up one and wobbled for a moment. She remembered what Blookstrike had explained. Since she had felt the balance point move, that meant that she wasn't balanced right? She needed to become balanced again and keep her balance point in the middle. Well, she hoped that she had understood it correctly.

She carefully shifted herself until it was back to where it was supposed to be. She blinked and took a few more steps and was once again needing to rebalance herself. It was going to be a long while with how slow she was going. However, she relaxed when she thought of what the warrior had said. She was just a kit and things took time to learn. She closed her eyes and took in some deep breaths so she could stop any frustration.

There was a determined glint in her eyes when she opened them. She was going to keep trying and trying like a good warrior would. She wanted to make her future mentor and her momma proud! She also hoped that Bloodstrike would be proud of how hard she was going to practice.

As she continued her slow progress, she suddenly asked, "Bloodstrike? What kinds of prey will we have to hunt and what's your favorite?"

Requirements:

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Cranekit of rc • Celandinepaw of skc • Burrpaw of wc
[Character Profiles]
Click sig for picrew link!

Like a mouse *CRASH* (open)

Like a mouse CRASH (open)