Think like a mouse, be the heron. [Closed]

It was a favoured patch of wetlands for Ivyfall, the current would often dredge up a few fish in shallow pools that was easy hunting for apprentices. But that wasn't what she was here for. She preferred the bigger game, the birds that would mill about, looking for a fish to spear. They were bigger, meaty, and this was the only time to catch them before they all flew away for Leafbare.

So resting at the edge of the clearing, hidden in the reeds, she waited for her apprentice to come. It was a once in a cycle opportunity, the birds would be too busy fattening themselves up for the long journey ahead to care too much about them until it was too late. It was time for Yarrowpaw to learn about their territory more intimately and understand, it wasn't just about numbers. Quality of their catch mattered too.

What in all the stars was that thing?

He'd seen birds, and he'd thought he'd knew birds. Thrushes on the fresh-kill pile, crows crying just before every dawn patrol, he'd even seen a hawk once, a black speck wheeling high above the trees before diving out of sight. When he was a kit, he used to watch the sparrows twit and flutter from blade to blade in the sedge just outside of camp, but he'd never been able to sneak up on them. This... was not like any of those things.

Yarrowpaw froze in his tracks just outside the clearing, green eyes gleaming out from between the tall grass. It strode out through the rushes on long, stick-like legs, waving around the longest beak he'd ever seen on... anything. He never imagined he'd ever see prey bigger than the biggest warrior in RiverClan, but it was all that and more. The whole warrior's den could feast on a thing of that size. The apprentice watched it in perfect silence until it strutted away again, its great gray wings fanned out at its sides, disappearing into the reeds.

Finally, he stepped out into the clearing, following his mentor's scent. Could it be she was really expecting him to catch that thing?

Spotting Yarrowpaw out of the corner of her eye, Ivyfall slowly blinked in greeting, not risking speaking in case the heron would hear them. She could see the visible hesitation of Yarrowpaw's figure at the sight of a bird that dwarfed a warrior. She didn't blame her, the heron's sheer beak size alone was enough to send greater warriors packing, but she was determined to teach the apprentice about cunning overcoming brute strength. They weren't ThunderClan cats, bumbling their way through things with their brawn like that fool, Rockthorn, no they were sleek hunters with wit and agility.

With a twitch of her ear, she told Yarrowpaw to watch from a healthy distance away as she crawled through the reeds to position herself behind the heron. She waited until the bird leant down to try spear at a fish, before she shot out like a blur through the clearing, leaping onto the creature's back and jaw's clamping at it's neck. It tried to resist, naturally, but she broke it's neck clean with a hard chomp down it's windpipe. Before it could even get one of it's clawed feet or sharp beak to her, it fell in a silent thump.

Getting off the bird, she licked her bloodied muzzle clean before speaking. "I hope you were paying attention. What did I do so I was able to catch a bird three times my size?"

The member 'Pikastein's Monster' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

He could only watch, tail raised in alarm as Ivyfall shot out toward the great prey. Could it even be called prey? She moved fluidly, the heron craning over under her weight as she leapt, and came crashing back down with it, and the great bird was dead before it hit the ground. Yarrowpaw stood at the other end of the clearing, blinking vacantly. Ivyfall moved with all the grace and smooth elegance that every RiverClan warrior strived for. There were no needless movements, no thrashing, just a clean, cold kill.

Yarrowpaw padded out, eyes sweeping over the bloodied feathers. "You waited," he murmured, not raising his eyes to look at her. "You didn't rush."

"Yes, with flighty creatures like birds, all it takes is one misstep for them to flee. And as we lack wings or trees to spring off, we only get one shot at it." She explained whilst covering the bird with bits of reeds and stones for them to fetch later. The lesson wasn't over until she saw Yarrowpaw manage to do it by himself, though a bird at the first hunting patrol was a big ask. "To teach you, I'll be getting you to try hunt a frog. They have the same quick reflexes, but they're earthbound. I want you to try track the earthy scent that comes from one. I'm sure you've seen one in the fresh kill pile before, most cats in our clan leave it for last, some would go as far to eat crowfood over it."

Some slimy, warty toad? Yarrowpaw hid his distaste and dipped his head in a curt nod of affirmation, a simple promise that the task would be fulfilled, eyes glinting with the challenge placed ahead of him. He parted his teeth, breathing in the sharp leaf-fall scents of lilies and watercress, ears pricked for the scurrying of prey.

He could taste the lightest trace of the scent, a smell like earth and mud and grassroots. Yarrowpaw sprung away, weaving between dirty puddles, stalking close to the ground through the stalks of rushes and yellowing rivergrass, following the light, throaty call that sang through the reeds.

There.

One perched on the muddy bank. At a glance, it looked just like a splotch of mud against the stones, but he knew better. Silent as a shadow, Yarrowpaw clapped his paws together on the frog's head, cutting its song short in one white flash, and finished it off with a nip on the back on its neck. He picked it up between his teeth and padded back to his mentor, tongue rolling back from the mucky texture. This one can go back to the elders...

The member 'Sleepy' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

She watched with keen eyes as Yarrowpaw slinked silently through the mud and grass, blending surprisingly well with the earth despite his shocking white pelt. It probably helped that he was sufficiently muddied from his venture. His quick movements was what caught the frog in the end, darting out without hesitation. He would make a good hunter, but she had a hunch that he'd made a formidable fighter. Though it was ShadowClan that was known for being stealthy, Yarrowpaw (with some training) could end up giving them a run for their territory.

"Yarrowpaw," she called out softly. "When a leaf falls from the willow branch, I want you to try catch it."

The willows that seemed to be endless in their territories were dropping their leaves for winter, an opportune chance to see if this was a fluke or he had potential.

He couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion. Like some kind of kit game? Yarrowpaw knew better to backtalk and just bowed his head again, backing off to circle around the nearest willow. A cold breeze whispered through the leaves, shaking one from the branch, and the apprentice went scrabbling halfway up the bark in a leaping swipe.

The member 'Sleepy' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 10

AND THEN A FLIPFLAPPIN' FOX APPEARED OUTTA NOWHERE

Fox
90/90 HP
280/280 SP

Sleepy wrote:

AND THEN A FLIPFLAPPIN' FOX APPEARED OUTTA NOWHERE

F E A R

Ivyfall bristled up in surprise at the flash of bright orange fur, for half a second, she thought it was an apprentice being foolish, sneaking up on them until she scented the rotten carrion stench and saw the thick plume that was it's tail. A fox had somehow snuck onto their lands, undeterred by their scent markings. That was a concern in itself, but the bigger issue was that it was heading straight for her apprentice. Yarrowpaw had proven himself to be fast, but no apprentice could out-run a fox on the prowl.

Caterwauling in a cat out of hell, she raced over the foul beast, rearing up to slash at it with her front paws. "Yarrowpaw, dodge!"

Ivyfall used Front Paws Strike.
-15 HP
-25 SP

Ivyfall:
100/100 HP
255/280 SP

Fox:
75/90 HP
280/280 SP

The leaf danced just outside his claws, blown away by the breeze. He came back down in a twisting arc, mentally cursing his luck, and completely oblivious to the danger hurtling toward him.

"Yarrowpaw, dodge!"

His head snapped toward the fox just as his paws touched back down to earth. He didn't have any other choice but to fling himself across the ground, rolling just a mouse-length away from the iron clip of the creature's jaws. The fox whirled on the deputy, now focused on the larger threat rather than the easy prey, and seized her by the foreleg with a snap of its yellow teeth as she reared back.

Swiper used Thrash. Ivyfall is stunned for 1 turns.
-20 HP
-20 SP

He found his paws, bushing out his tail as a flash of panic swelled up from within his chest. Yarrowpaw sprang squarely into the fox's back as it turned its tail, claws flashing in a flurry of adrenaline-fueled blows.

Yarrowpaw used Run-and-Tackle.
-9 HP
-10 SP

Ivyfall:
80/100 HP
255/280 SP

Yarrowpaw:
20/20 HP
70/80 SP

Fox:
75/90 HP
260/280 SP

The member 'Sleepy' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Effect Dice' : 3