First Day Of School (c)

Sunflare was once again on the hunt with a new apprentice. His young charge this time was Sagepaw (strange how that prefix seemed to haunt him) and the lanky tom got a certain thrill of being the leader of this patrol of two.

“All right,” he mewed as they reached their destination. “Show me your best hunting crouch. I want to see what you have in terms of raw talent and instinct.”

Sagepaw followed after Sunflare eagerly. The scent of new territory was overwhelming in the best way possible. He could smell all kinds of things, hear all kinds of things. His eyes darted from spot to spot, his ears were constantly on some uncoordinated wiggle trying to take in all of the things he was hearing and his nose twitched like crazy taking in all of the smells. Suddenly, Sunflare started talking. Sagepaw's attention snapped to Sunflare in an instant.

"Oh, okay I can do that!" He dropped into a hunter's crouch, the best one he could pull off. He was low to the ground, knees and elbows bent without letting his belly touch the forest floor. His tail however, was lower than it should have been. His long fur caught leaves and twigs and made noise. He winced and froze in place, giving Sunflare a sheepish look.

"Whoops..." He said, embarrassed. He raised his tail a bit, but he was worried that it would now look like a huge red flag, a warning to all prey in the area that he was approaching.

Sunflare purred in amusement. Ah, the “first hunt” enthusiasm. Every twist and turn seemed to hold some new delight for the young cat, and Sunflare couldn’t help remembering his own early days. But there wasn’t time for nostalgia at present. He had work to do. This future warrior was depending on him.

“Not bad for a first attempt,” he mewed. “In fact, that would’ve been near-perfect were you sleek-coated, like myself. Unfortunately, long fur isn’t the easiest to hunt with, but it’s useful in Leafbare. Don’t be ashamed, you just need to be extra careful.”

“Observe,” he whispered, before dropping into his own crouch. “Your form was a near match for this, just a little unbalanced. See the height of my tail? It’s a bit above where I usually carry it, but should be about where you need yours.” He waited for Sagepaw to adjust before continuing.

“Now, I would like you to attempt catching prey. You already know tte scents from fresh-kill. Stalk the prey for as long as you can, then pounce!” The cinnamon tom leaped on that word, coming down on a twig and breaking it neatly in two.

Sagepaw listened and nodded. He tried again, crouching as he was instructed and paid extra attention to his tail placement. He carried it a bit higher, though still concerned it was a flag. His nose went to the air and he inhaled, closing in one what smelled like a swamp rat. He crept forward, slowly, taking his time. He could hear it rustling around in some old pine needles. He took a breath to quiet his rapidly beating heart. He had to get this thing... he had to! Once he felt sure he was close enough and didn't dare try to get closer... Sagepaw pounced.

Sagepaw attempted to catch a rat! He was [SUCCESSFUL! (Thank you +2 to hunting success Pine Grove)] -5SP

The apprentice caught the rat and bit the head immediately to silence it. He hated to see things suffer. He'd played that out in his head many many times to get it right for the real encounter. He held up the body of the rat for his mentor to see. "I got it!" He proclaimed proudly. On his first try too!

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

Sunflare purred with satisfaction at his charge’s first catch. “Well done,” he mewed, then stopped as another scent reached his nostrils. “Let me show you how to catch a different type of prey as well.”

The rabbit was upwind of him, and Sunflare stalked with the expert grace of a senior ShadowClan warrior. At the last breath, however, the rabbit spotted the motion and took off. Sunflare leapt into action, dashing after it a short way. When he was sure he’d lost it, he went ahead and mimed the kill for his apprentice to see before returning. “Sometimes rabbits come into the marsh,” he advised. “It’s good to take advantage of any and all prey. The rabbits don’t see Clan borders. That said, most ShadowClan cats aren’t built for a chase, and we aren’t usually trained in it. Regardless, I wanted you to see the technique.”

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Sagepaw watched very carefully and mimicked his mentor's movements. He blinked at his mentor's miss, entirely nonjudgemental. He didn't think he could catch a rabbit himself. They were so quick! Alas, he did happen to see another in the corner of his eye. He nodded toward it to his mentor and dropped into a hunting crouch. "I'll try that one." He whispered very quietly.

Sagepaw attemtped to catch a rabbit! He was [SUCCESSFUL!] -5SP

Sagepaw slipped through the shadows, a quick learner for his age. He got close enough to the rabbit that he felt comfortable pouncing... and even to his own surprise he pinned it under his claws. It kicked a few times, startling him, but he swiftly dispatched his prey with a bite to the neck. He held up the rabbit, his eyes huge in disbelief.

"I... I caught the rabbit!" He proclaimed in a breathy disbelief. He brought it to his mentor and laid it at his feet. "Thank you for teaching me! If you... if you want the pelt though I would be okay with that. I owe you."

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1