From The Start[C]

Goldenfern led the way out of camp, Bluepaw behind her. They had gone over Thunderclan's territory yesterday, though she knew that it would still take some time for the tom to get used to such a large area. She certaintly had taken quite long to remember which way was Sunningrocks and which way was Skyclan's border. Today, she would be teaching Bluepaw his first lesson of hunting. She slowed to a stop as she reached the clearing she was looking for, then turned around to face her apprentice. "Tell me, what do you know about hunting?" She asked. Whatever he had picked up from his littermates or older kits, she would build upon. There was no point in repeating what he already knew, and so far he had seemed smart enough to know at least the basics.

Blue paw had enjoyed seeing all the territory yesterday but he had to admit it was a lot to learn and he was terrible with directions he hardly knew his way around camp yet alone realizing now how big the world beyond really was… and to think that what they saw yesterday was just thunderclan lands and that there were 4 more clans beside just them!?

He stayed close to his mentor as she led the way out today to start hunting she said. He tilted his head a little listening to her question. He blinked a bit thinking, most of his time in the nursery had been spent just playing mossball with sandpaw, green paw and crocus paw … he didn’t have a clue of any hunting stuff. He was a bit worried that somehow he was already behind. Did other kits learn that stuff already? He shuffled a little on his paws not saying much. He was a bit shy not a cat with many words especially when it came to talking to warriors.

But, Goldenfern had seemed nice enough to him and she had been a good mentor so far. He gave a little shy shrug I don’t really know much about it at all. he meowed quietly. How do you do it? I don’t even know the basics he finally admitted. He felt a bit small and silly for not knowing, he hoped his mentor wouldn’t mind going a bit slower for him.

Goldenfern was bit surprised by Bluepaw's answer, but she shrugged it off. "It doesn't matter if you don't know anything yet. That's why I'm here!" She assured him with a smile. She took a few steps back so that he could see her clearly, then got into a hunting crouch. "This is the hunting crouch, the most basic of all hunting and fighting. Observe me carefully. See how my belly and tail is slightly above ground so that it doesn't drag and make noise when stalking my prey? And my paws are tucked under me so that when I pounce, I pounce with as much force as I can," Goldenfern explained as carefully as she could. "Now, try and copy what I'm doing. Its okay if you get something wrong, its only your first time," She added. Bluepaw didn't seem all that confident in himself, something that she as an apprentice had also been like. But Mottlestar knew exactly what to do to get her out of her shell. She only hoped that she could do half as good as her mentor had.

Bluepaw watched silently but very attentively. He was a bit quiet but he was observant. She showed him exactly what to do and went nice and slow for him.

He scooted a bit closer to her looking exactly at what she was doing from her nose all the way to the tip of her tail. He studied for a little bit then went next to her and crouched low to the ground putting his paws under him. He closed his eyes trying to picture what she had looked like without peeking so that he would really learn it.

He lowered his tail more realizing it was too high and would have given away his position, he raised his belly just a tad as well so that none of the leaves on the forest floor would be rustled as he moved.

Once he was sure he had it he opened his eyes again grinning up at his mentor.

This felt natural to him. Everything about it, he liked hunting already. Much Much more than their fighting learning.

He still appreciated what she was teaching him when they did the fighting stuff but this hunting lesson he could already tell would be his favorite.

"I think I got it!" he whispered quietly but there was much more confidence in his voice than when they had done anything fighting related.

He stalked around in his hunter crouch. At first he had to get used to moving silently, he made noise from broken sticks or leaves all over... but it was not long before he was able to stalk around their area and made little to no noise at all.

He felt a wave of excitment and something new as well, a feeling that he could do this for sure!

He glanced at her eager to continue their lesson.

"I want to try it, I want to catch something for you" he explained.

The thought of getting to use what she had taught him to give her his first catch made him very eager to try and find a nearby mouse or something like this.

Bluepaw seemed to get the crouch correct almost instantly. "Good job! That's almost perfect-- you must be a natural!" Goldenfern purred. She watched with a hint of pride in her eyes as her apprentice tested out his new skills and learnt how to stalk by himself. The tom's new confidence was refreshing. She couldn't help but be reminded of when she had been an apprentice. Great Starclan, having an apprentice really was triggering all her old memories! She felt almost old thinking about it.

Hold on, Bluepaw wanted to try actual hunting, now? Sure, he was pretty good for an apprentice that just started, but he didn't even know the proper procedure for hunting. Did he know how to... kill... his catch? "How about I give you a demonstration first?" Goldenfern suggested. Once she got Bluepaw's understanding, she checked the air for any prey scents. Squirrel. Perfect.

She got into the crouch she had just shown Bluepaw, and began stalking towards her prey. She was conscious of Bluepaw's attention on her, watching her every move. Soon, she caught sight of the grey-furred creature. Her body tensed, her eyes fixed on the squirrel. With ease, she pounced, flying through the air soundlessly to land behind the squirrel. The squirrel started to move away, but it was too late. Her fangs sank into the creature's neck, her claws holding it down as she delivered the killing bite.

Goldenfern picked up the squirrel and carried it back to Bluepaw. "Do you need another demonstration, or do you think you want to give it a try now?" She asked.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Bluepaw's ears twitched a little hearing his mentor call him a natural.  He certainly liked this more than fighting.  Giving a little nod with no words he indicated that yes, he would like a demonstration from her first. He tilted his head silently as he watched her as she hunted and showed how to catch the squirrel that she soon had killed.


Once she had caught it he went over closer to her and gave her a little grin.  "Nice catch" he meowed quietly barely able to hear his quiet voice.

"I want to try it now." he answered just as quietly.


Glancing around he saw a mouse nearby that had not noticed them, it was making noise in the fallen leaves and had given away its position to his pokey ears.

He crouched low to the ground just like she had shown him earlier, belly hovering just above the ground as he moved as crept up on the prey.

Licking his mouth a little as he looked at it he snuck as close as he dared before gathering up his hind paws underneath him and jumped at the mouse.


(Rolling dice -3 sp ...)

Dice roll failed, catch missed

Being new to this he had misjudged the distance between the mouse and himself and he landed much short of the target. With the movement and noise he had given his position away and the mouse ducked for cover under thick tree roots. He tried to scamper after it and pawed at it but the mouse was too well protected at this point and got away completely.


He glanced back at his mentor and soon went back over to be closer to her. He didnt like being far from her, he didnt want to get lost out here at all.

His sense of direction was terrible and he wasn't entirely sure the way back to camp either.

"Sorry I missed" he meowed quietly

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Goldenfern watched her apprentice attempt to catch the mouse, silently cheering him on, but alas he fell short and the mouse escaped. She quickly moved forward to give Bluepaw a comforting lick on his head. "It's okay, it's only your first time. It took me at least seven tries to even catch a shrew. I even fell into a puddle of mud on my second try, and let me tell you my siblings did not let me forget that," Goldenfern couldn't help but smile when she recalled that memory. Sunfire and Sparkpaw had laughed and told everyone in camp, much to her embarrassment at the time.

Her attention returned to Bluepaw. "Why don't you try again? I'm sure you'll get it right this time. And if not, you can always try again," She encouraged, gently nudging the apprentice towards a squirrel a few tail-lengths away. "I'll be right here if anything goes wrong," She promised.

Bluepaw nodded and looked at her quietly.  She didnt seem to be upset or mad that he had missed much to his relief.  He grinned a little listening to her story of her siblings.  That sounded like maybe something his sister Greenpaw might do as well, he made a little mental note to have Greenpaw meet his mentor and maybe also too he could meet Sunfire and Sparkpaw.

Putting the miss out of his head he did his best to refocus on the squirrel that she was showing him.



He got back into his hunting crouch and snuck up closer to the squirrel, he hesitently glanced over his shoulder making sure he wasnt getting too far away from her but she was right there just as she had promised.


He remembered to keep his belly above the ground so it wouldnt make noise just like she had told him and he got again as close as he dared before leaping at it again!

rolling dice...


He missed again landing too far to one side and the squirrel quickly ran up a tree far out of his reach he tried to climb after it but didnt get far before it was clear it had gotten away for good.

He felt terrible as his ears laid back against his head. His mentor was doing such a good job and was so patient with him and he couldnt seem to catch anything to save his life.

He went back over to her side and blinked a little unsure of what to say.

"I promise I will get the next one" he finally was able to meow.

He wanted to show her he really did want to learn from her. He just wished that he could get whatever the next one happened to be.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Goldenfern couldn't help but wince when Bluepaw missed his catch. Again. Perhaps he wasn't quite sure about how far he should jump? He had only recently grew up from a small kit to an apprentice, so it wouldn't be a surprise that he was still getting used to his new strength. "I'm sure you will," Goldenfern purred assuringly. She rested her tail on the apprentice's shoulders for comfort. His good intentions were clear, and it was heartbreaking watching him fail at every task by a whisker.

"You know how Mottlestar taught me how to pounce accurately? She would put a leaf a few tail-lengths away from me, and I would have to stalk and pounce on it from a distance. It took nearly half a moon for me to be able to land on that single leaf!" Goldenfern suddenly recounted. The memory brought a smile to her face as she recalled her fustration over that one leaf. "Would you like to try that? It'd give you practice on aiming your pounces," She suggested.

Blue paw leaned against his mentor a little very glad for her support.  He listened to how his mentor got to learn from the leader mottlestar herself.  No wonder goldenfern was such an amazing warrior!  


He nodded listening to her when I was a kit I just thought as soon as I became an apprentice everything would just click.  Thank you for your patience since it hasn’t yet.  I really appreciate that

He nodded liking the idea of extra jumping practice even if it was just on leaves.  He really had hoped to have caught something but his mentor said she had to start small with leaves too.

Ok I’ll try a leaf out for now he agreed.

Leaving her side he found a leaf near both of them and practiced his jumping at it.  Bundling his little paws beneath him he jumped out at the leaf hoping for some better luck this time.


He jumped right this time!!! And caught it between his paws

He snatched it up bringing it back to his mentor I had wanted to give you my first catch.  I just wish it was more tasty.  Next time we go hunting I’ll get you a tasty meal of some sort.  Promise

He set the leaf down by her as a gift of their first hunt and a little thank you for all her patience with him this far

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Goldenfern's eyes lit up as at last Bluepaw was able to land on his target. Maybe aiming for something that wasn't moving-- or breathing-- was easier for the tom? Her gaze softened at her apprentice's gesture. Bluepaw had a big heart, that was for sure. The warrior gently picked up the leaf and smoothed it out. It was a maple leaf, already brown from the coming leaf-fall. "Don't worry, I'll treasure this as much as any mouse," Goldenfern purred, gently tucking the leaf behind her ear. It would wilt soon, but she could always get a new one. To her surprise, she found that she quite liked the leaf.

"I think we've done enough today. You've made amazing progress today, and tomorrow we can try to catch a real prey, okay?" Goldenfern mewed. She wasn't lying-- she hadn't gotten her pounces right on her first day of training, or even the first moon. "When we get back to camp, you can take your pick of the fresh-kill pile after you bring some to the queens," She added.