Falconpaw's Training: Part 2 (Hunting)

A few sunrises after Duststorm had taken Falconpaw around the territory to view the boundaries, the tom found himself outside the apprentice's den once again, though earlier than before. The clan needed food, and he felt that Falconpaw would learn quickly and they could get enough for a morning meal.

Inside the den, Falconpaw was sleeping lightly, twitching around in his nest.

After waiting a while, Duststorm grew impatient. He poked his head into the apprentice den to see Falconpaw sleeping soundly and apparently dreaming as well. With a huff of exasperation, the warrior poked a paw gently into his apprentice's flank and hissed, "Falconpaw, get up. We have more training to cover."

The paw poking into his side woke Falconpaw with a start. Letting out a sleepy, surprised gasp, the brown-furred apprentice hopped out of his nest, claws unsheathed, and scored them into the ground mere mousetails from Duststorm's paws. Coming to his senses, Falconpaw sheathed his claws and looked up sheepishly at his mentor.

"H-Hi Duststorm."

Duststorm had been rather taken aback at this reaction, but quickly regained his composure.
"Come along," he commanded. "We're going to put those claws to good use today."

Falconpaw nodded, quickly running his tongue along his ruffled fur before following Duststorm out of the den.

~Time Skip to the Moor~

Once out on the territory, Duststorm sat Falconpaw down to talk a few things over.
"Now, there are some rules to hunting patrols," he began. "Undoubtedly, you already know a few. The clan always comes first. Even if you are starving, you bring back prey and allow others to eat before you have your share. Warriors and apprentices are stronger and more able to withstand hunger than queens, elders, or kits. Understood?"

Falconpaw sat there and listened to every word, nodding whenever he was addressed. "Yes, of course Duststorm."

"Good."

Duststorm took a moment to scan the rolling grassland. His green eyes narrowed for a moment, focused on a small movement several tail-lengths from them.
"I realize this is not the best teaching method, but I want you to try and catch that rabbit," he whispered to Falconpaw. "I will see what areas you're natural with, and try to improve the ones you aren't."


OoC: It would help greatly if you explained maybe how he spreads his weight, how each of his body parts moves, etc. ^^;

Falconpaw nodded, feeling his mouth go dry at the thought of having to hunt for the first time in front of someone. He knew he would've had to eventually, but now it seemed so... daunting. Steeling himself for the task, he eyed the rabbit and, after taking a deep breath, rushed from his position after it. He wasn't exactly light on his paws, so the rabbit perked its head up and started running for the hills.

Hissing to himself, Falconpaw put on a burst of energy, his legs gliding rough but graceful across the grass. His whole body seemed in sync as he rushed towards the rabbit, and quickly he was nearly on top of it. Unfortunately, his catching skills weren't nearly as graceful. Stabbing a paw out in a desperate attempt to take it down, he instead only managed to catch air and trip himself on his outstretched paw, tumbling painfully to the ground in a heap of limbs as the rabbit hared away.

The brown-furred apprentice hissed in annoyance, unsteadily pulling himself to his paws and self-consciously licking down his roughed-up fur.

OoC: Sorry if that wasn't fully what you wanted. ^^;; I've never really had to describe hunting before, although now that I think about it, I really should've thought of that.

OoC: That was perfect! I love how you write, really, you're great to RP with.


Duststorm studied his apprentice carefully, watching each small movement Falconpaw made. He made notes to himself each time there was a mistake. The tabby tom got to his paws and padded over to where the younger cat now lay in a disgruntled pile.
"That was good," he said hesitantly. "Of course, it was your first time, it wouldn't have been perfect."

Once Falconpaw had risen to his own feet, Duststorm continued.
"Now, you had the speed down," the warrior said. "However, you were not as light on your paws as you should have been. You want to walk on your toes; be like the air, soft and gentle. As soon as the prey feels the vibrations of your feet through the dirt, they're gone with any chance of you catching them.

"You want to wait until your right on top of them before unsheathing your claws. They are your most powerful weapon. If you wound it, it cannot get away." A small smile turned the corner of Duststorm's mouth; he enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. "Just remember: light on your paws, wait until you're on top of them, and then one swift bite to the neck should finish the job."

OoC: Thank you! ^^

Falconpaw steadied himself and gave his mentor an unconvincing grunt. He wasn't really mad at his mentor, but at himself for failing and looking like a mousebrain in front of Duststorm. Not wanting to show how angry he was, however, he just licked down his fur and shrugged it off.

"I'll get it next time," he promised.

"Well, that time is now," Duststorm told him. His eyes followed a small black speck on the next hill over, moving about on its own. The warrior seemed to not notice Falconpaw's anger.

Falconpaw took a deep breath once more, then slowly began to creep up on the shadow once more. As he got closer, he noticed that it was another rabbit, and he bared his fangs before putting on a burst of speed, making sure to keep his paws light on the ground. He was very close to the rabbit by the time it noticed the apprentice and began to bolt. As he got closer and closer to it, he knew that now would be the time to strike.

Once again he was almost on top of the rabbit, who glanced back, the fear visible in its eyes. Falconpaw quickly lashed out his paw and planted it firmly on the rabbit's back, but his momentum carried him too far and he slipped past the rabbit, eyes wide in surprise as he once more tumbled into a heap, the shocked rabbit quickly rushing away.

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