Swanpaw's Assessment (closed)

Snailbelly was incredibly anxious at that moment. He was unsure if or when Swanpaw would be ready to be assessed. She looked ready: hunted well, fought well (and much better than Snailbelly, at that)... It was certainly time. He stretched as he left his den, chasing away sleep, and went to the apprentices' den. He prodded Swanpaw and went over to the camp entrance to wait for her. Hopefully she would figure out what he meant by waking her up.

Swanpaw ignored the cat prodding her for a moment, but then opened her eyes grudgingly. "...Snailbelly? What do you want?" she asked, less disdain in her voice and more irritation. She was sleeping, couldn't he see that? He had to appreciate the benefits of a good nap, it was pretty much all she ever saw him doing.

Snailbelly gave a blank look. He always assumed apprentices just knew when it was assessment day, as if it was some sort of instinct they all had. "I was going to give you an assessment..." he said meekly.

"...Well, it saves me the trouble of figuring out where you decided to fall asleep today. So thanks, I guess." It was meant to be a genuine thanks, but Swanpaw was still struggling to show gratitude (and most other positive emotions) without coating them in the bitterness she had grown accustomed to. "Alright, let's go."

Snailbelly drooped a little when she commented on his laziness, unable to peer past the topmost layer of her emotions. He turned and ducked through the reeds, going out into the territory at large. Once he was satisfied with the distance from camp, he stopped.

"So, uh..." What were you actually supposed to say for an assessment? "Catch... uh, things. Prey. A few fish-- no, three fish, and... hmm... maybe some land-dwelling stuff too? One of those?" he said with a scatterbrained pensiveness, unsure if he was making this difficult enough.

Swanpaw nodded. "Alright. Three fish and something that lives on land," she mused, settling herself against the water. The light blanket of snow was cold, but not especially uncomfortable, and she nearly blended into it. A single silver paw hovered over the water, waiting for the familiar tell-tale flash of silver that said a fish was about to pass her by.

There it was! She could do this, she knew it. She swiped quickly with her paw, batting the fish out of the water and onto the snow beside her, and quickly delivered a bite to swiftly end its life.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

It was going well so far. Of course, she was hardly in a position to think that, as she had only caught one thing. She knew that she shouldn't judge the potential success of her assessment so quickly, but then again, she knew a lot of things and she ignored almost all of them, out of pride or not knowing that she knew them. As it was, she felt peaceful at the edge of the water, waiting for fish to pass by. It was familiar, and she liked things that were familiar.

Another thing that was familiar was the second fish to pass by, nearly identical to the first in every way. She swatted it onto the ground as she had the first, and delivered a swift bite to end its life as she had the first, and it lay lifeless next to the first fish. A fleeting thought passed her by about the fleeting nature of life and everything in it, but she shook her head to clear those thoughts. There was time, lots of time, to ponder the meaning of life later - for now she still had to prove herself.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

As Swanpaw waited for the final necessary fish to come to her, she wondered how many fish she had caught in her moons of apprenticeship. She hadn't exactly been keeping count. Several, she was sure, but any exact number escaped her.

Whatever that number was, it was about to rise by one, she supposed. The last fish came, and she batted at it with her paw, and it joined the small pile of prey that was forming by the edge of the water.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

The fish taken care of, Swanpaw was left with the task of catching a land-dwelling prey. A mouse was certain to be nearby, wasn't it? Yes, she saw a mouse clearly, and made her way towards it. Apparently, however, her stealth skills needed work, as she scared it off well before reaching a distance from which to pounce on it.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

Swanpaw was irritated. A mouse, barely bigger than two of her paws put together, and she had scared it off. That, she knew, was solely her fault - she had gotten lazy in the last moon or so, complacent with doing nothing but fishing and playing with kits. There were other things that needed catching, after all. ...Was that a bird? It was! A small, round white-feathered bird. She made her way towards it, pounced, and scared it off once more. She let out a hiss of annoyance, just under her breath, though her irritation was plain to see. She was so close, she could taste it!

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5