Learn What Matters [closed]

Wincing slightly as his mentor shook the water out of his pelt over everything, Minkpaw shook his head, scattering a couple of drops off his whiskers. The cold breeze blowing through lightly through the reeds made him shiver again as it knifed through his wet fur, and he hurriedly did as his mentor told him, licking the water off his pelt roughly. The taste almost made him grimace, and he mumbled in between licks, "I think my tongue's freezing off." Almost managing to say it with a straight face, he still couldn't help the smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. I... actually did it. I swam! The dizzy feeling of success warmed him almost as much as his rasping tongue.
"Right." He gave his pelt one last lick, the fur fluffing out and almost making him look like a fuzzy ball of moss as he gave it a last shake. Standing to his paws, he smiled at the other tom, almost feeling like a bouncy kit again as he resisted the urge to knead his paws on the pebbles beneath him.. "What are we doing now?"

Mottledspark simply rolled his eyes at his apprentice's numb-tongued comment during their quick grooming session. The warrior himself lapped quickly at his thick fur, dragging up what few drops he could find with expert swipes. After a while, he was satisfied that they had done enough; Minkpaw rose an instant before him, already looking much rejuvenated. Mottledspark examined the ginger tabby, trying hard not to think about how similar the apprentice's striping was to his father's. The warrior sniffed and replied with a dramatic eye-roll, "You're acting like a kit with that pawing - if you want to learn how to fish like a warrior then stop wiggling."

After giving his apprentice a long and judgemental stare, he finally sighed and relaxed, adding, "Well, I suppose I can't really be too upset about your enthusiasm, anyways." Finally Mottledspark went back to the water's edge, following it down shore to where it began to freeze over into a solid sheet of ice. He explained along the way, "We're going to fish, and while we won't be going in the water, it's still important to remember your lessons. If you fall in while trying to hook a fish, you need to remember to immediately close your mouth and hold your breath. We'll be in harsher currents, but the same rules apply. Full lungs bring you back up."

Minkpaw twitched at his mentor's words, his paws stilling to grip the ground below firmly, instead of the faint fidgeting motions they'd been making before. "I...." He trailed off, suddenly realising how he'd just been behaving. I need to take this more seriously. This isn't a game, it's my apprenticeship. Staying stone still under his mentor's stare, he dipped his head in acknowledgement. Though something inside him trembled in frustration as he shoved his former all-out excitement down to muted enthusiasm.
Eventually, his mentor moved back to the water's edge, and Minkpaw followed, padding slightly behind and to the side of Mottledspark. Eyeing the ice on the river beside them, he tried not to imagine what it would feel like to fall under that as his mentor continued with the lesson. "What about the ice? Wouldn't I just bounce off it?" He asked, eyes playing over its surface to see if there were any weak bits he might be able to break through if he somehow proved so bad at being a RiverClan cat that he fell in.

Mottledspark flicked his ear somewhat dismissively at Minkpaw's question about the ice. "It's still fairly thin where we'll be fishing," the warrior informed his apprentice, "and I'll be there to make sure you don't fall in in the first place." Mottledspark hesitated, however, and begrudgingly went on, "However, it's very forward thinking of you to consider what would happen if you were under the ice. It's true you might bounce off, if it were thick enough. At this part of the river and this part of the season, however, that won't happen."

As he spoke, the two of them continued to walk beside the river to where the ice was cracked and melting in the current. Mottledspark mewed, "Alright. This place will work." He gave his apprentice a quick look-over and nodded. "Okay. It's time to learn to fish."

-Mottledspark explains fishing, but his roleplayer is too lazy to explain it. :'D-

The dark tortoiseshell tom expertly flashed a paw into the water and drew out a slim fish. Then he looked expectantly at Minkpaw. "Give it a try."

A warm feeling filled Minkpaw as Mottledspark grudgingly complimented him, sort of. He couldn't help a smile from breaking out briefly on his face as he realised that he now almost expected his mentor's praise to be few and far between, which it technically was. Shaking off his thoughts, he listened attentively to the other as he allayed his concerns and moved on to explaining the fishing method.
He stepped forwards, idly tracing the odd pattern the partially frozen river displayed before he crouched down, staring intently into its depths. Something glimmered down there, and he tensed, ready to flash a paw out like his mentor had shown him. Stilling his breathing, he went extra still before suddenly flashing out a paw and scooping out a small silver fish. Its scales flashed in the air for a moment amidst glittering drops of water before it flopped onto the bank. Heart pounding, Minkpaw snapped his jaws down on it as it flopped back towards the water, just barely catching it before it slipped back in. His teeth sunk into the flesh behind its head, and he severed its spine with a clean snap. For a moment afterwards, he couldn't do anything but breath deeply, his heart beginning to slow as a deep thrill filled him from head to tail-tip, a grin so wide he almost felt like it went from one ear to another splitting his muzzle. "I... did it. I- wow, I caught a fish!" He couldn't help a dizzy laugh from escaping as he grinned down at the small fish.

(ooc: is it weird that I feel a sense of accomplishment from doing this? XD I hope I did it right)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

ooc: no, I felt super proud with my first success, too. Mink bby is growing up, and now your hunting requirement is fulfilled if you hadn't gotten it yet~ :'D

ic:

Mottledspark dispatched the fish he had caught and then watched his apprentice intently, his hazel eyes scrutinizing for any mistake. Minkpw seemed like he might strike too early, but instead the tom took another deep breath before lashing out. The hook was wonderful for a first catch, even if the prey had almost flopped back into the river, and Mottledspark was pleased to see that his apprentice had the instinct to fish at least. "You certainly did," Mottledspark replied. "Do you think you can catch another? Now that you know how heavy it is and how far it could fly, you might be able to kill it a little more gracefully this time."

The RiverClan warrior turned his own attention back to the river to see what he could find. A fat fish swam near him, and he flashed out a white-tipped paw to try to scoop it up. Mottledspark felt his claws connect and he hooked them in, jerking the fish smoothly from the water and to his mouth. He bit firmly on its spine and the prey immediately fell still.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

Minkpaw had to tear his eyes away from the fish at his paws - the fish that somehow seemed more special than all the others he'd seen or eaten during his life - as his mentor spoke. Attempting to reign in his grin a little, he listened, thoughts still buzzing through his head like bees. Can I catch another? Ha, you betcha! He watched as Mottledspark reached back into the waters again, flicking out another fish in a spray of droplets, his tail twitching behind him slightly as he looked in for himself again. As he watched, the weak sunlight glinted off another silver-scaled body, and he fell still, watching intently.
In a sudden movement, he flashed his paw in, slicing through the water. Claws connected with the fish's flesh, and he scooped it up and out, the small form flying high before flopping on the stone again. His thudding heart leaped into his throat as it leaped almost a little too high, and he pounced on it, teeth sinking into the back of the neck as neatly as he could manage. Sitting back, he gazed at it, noting with a vague feeling of disappointment that it wasn't as big as the first one he'd caught, which hadn't been that big to start with. However, that disappointment soon melted back under the elation of the moment. "Two whole fish in one sitting! How many other apprentices have done that?" In the heat of the moment, his tongue ran away with him, the victory going a little to his head. I can catch fish, I'm not a failure.... A warm glow filled him at the thought, his grin growing wider.

ooc: one hunting requirement down!

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Mottledspark finished setting down his freshly-caught fish and turned to watch his apprentice intently again. The ginger tabby apprentice was wholly focused on his task, which pleased his mentor. Minkpaw watched the surface, his crouch completely still, and when the time was right the apprentice's paw flashed out to catch another fish. While the retrieval was a little smoother than the first time, Mottledspark felt that the apprentice could do better with more practice. Soon he would be catching plenty of prey for the Clan... and he seemed to know it, too, much to Mottledspark disdain.

"Two whole fish in one sitting! How many other apprentices have done that?" the apprentice beamed, and Mottledspark felt his spine bristling with annoyance. He replied coolly, "Most RiverClan apprentices have, and often on their first day in the river." The dark tortoiseshell warrior felt his tail-tip flick, and after a moment of looking irritated he finally sighed and relaxed a little. He knew he needed to reward Minkpaw's hard work; whether he'd been arrogant or not, he clearly did have the instinct to be a good RiverClan cat. "You did very well - chances are that some of the other apprentices had poor luck. You'll certainly be able to brag to them."

The fuzzy feeling vanished almost as quickly as it came, and Minkpaw shook his head slightly in annoyance as Mottledspark put him back in his place. Why can't I just keep my mouth shut? Practically every apprentice gets a fish or two on their first try. Holding his breath as his mentor stayed silent for a moment, he didn't dare speak, just in case his mouth came out with something stupid again. "You did very well." Surprise rippled along his spine, and he looked dumbly at his mentor for a heartbeat before mentally shaking himself and opening his mouth to thank the other tom-
"Chances are that some of the other apprentices had poor luck. You'll certainly be able to brag to them," The older tom continued.
For some reason he couldn't explain, Minkpaw felt a slight uneasiness at Mottledspark's words, running over what he'd just said in his head. What if Magpiepaw doesn't catch a fish? Will I brag to him, too? The thought of the younger cat being hurt by his own arrogance stung. He stayed silent, unsure what to say to his mentor as his ears twisted slightly backwards. "I..." He licked his lips. "They're pretty scrawny.... It's not much to brag about, right?"
He gave the other a twisted smile. "I bet some other apprentice probably got a bunch of fat ones before I was even born."

Mottledspark watched Minkpaw intently. What was his apprentice thinking? His face went through a quick range of emotions from pride to chagrin to frustration, and Mottledspark hoped he hadn't completely undervalued the work that Minkpaw had put in. It just wouldn't do for the little half-Clan tom to go waltzing into camp bragging about his first catches... especially when they were, well, meager. It seemed, however, that his apprentice somewhat understood. When Minkpaw made his rather self-deprecating joke, Mottledspark laughed a real laugh for the first time during their training session. "That's probably true," he said, trying not to be too amused. After collecting himself, he mewed, "If you would like, you may try to catch another. However, I am pleased with the effort you put in today. I think we'll be able to make a warrior of you yet. We could retire to camp instead if you're happy with your catches."

Minkpaw's grin widened as Mottledspark actually laughed at his joke. His mentor's compliment meant more to him than the other tom would probably ever know, stilling his self-doubts and filling him with hope that he could one day be a warrior worthy of RiverClan. "Happy with two scrawny fish?" He asked dryly. "I think another one'll help the Clan a bit more." Turning one last time to the river, he stilled his muscles again, feeling them loosen into a ready position, coiled for when he saw that little silver flash in the depths....
And his paw flashed out once more, knifing cleanly through the water straight to his target's scales, a small form surrounded by flashing droplets flying up with a splash onto the rock. Stilling it with one paw, he dug his teeth into the flesh just behind its head. It was actually a little bigger than the others, he noticed. Enough that he still felt a sense of accomplishment when he looked at it, though.
"Now I'm ready."

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4