Swift as the Wind [Closed]

The next morning Brookclover was spurred on by an energy that had not stirred up within her since the beginning of her own training. Today would be the day that she would finally be able to train an apprentice of her own. Although Grousepaw had already given her hints of a less than pleasant attitude, the russet she-cat was determined to train him into a fine young warrior. That started with a pre-dawn wake-up. Her green eyes quickly picked out the landmarks of camp underneath the fading glow of the moonlight. There were barely any hints of the morning sun that was to come. It was early, far too early for most of the clan to have risen. Even the dawn patrol was likely still snug within the confines of their nests as a last futile effort to stave off the cold they were about to face. Her fur was ruffled, sending a chill down her spine. But, thankfully, her coat had some length to it and when properly fluffed out, the warrior felt prepared to face the heatless night.

Quickly she made her way towards her new apprentice, discerning him from the others with ease. She paused for only a moment, considering what Brindlestar might do if her methods were not up to par. But, then again, this was only her first apprentice. It would be a learning experience for both her and Grousepaw. Stretching out a petite forepaw, Brookclover nudged the tom awake before turning and signaling silently with a flicker of her tail for him to follow her. Her paws lead the way across the clearing and straight out of camp without a word. With such an inaudible exit, there was no doubt the clan ever heard her depart. Hopefully as much could be said for Grousepaw, the whole point was to not disturb them. As much as her paws itched for her to continue running, she stalled only a short distance away from the entrance. Once Grousepaw joined her, the real fun would begin.

Grousepaw was already wide awake. His large blue eyes stayed fixed on the apprentice-den entrance until he spotted her red pelt. Immediately, he lunged forward to follow her without a moment to lose. His head and tail high as he fairly ran out of camp, then back to her, then back out again before realising it was a foolish thing. His paws were numb from the snow and his quick running already and they had barely left! With a huff of distaste at his own actions, he followed Brookclover more quietly until they were away from the camp entrance, where the silence could finally be broken.

"What are you teaching me first?" He asked as a shiver passed through his body, fluffing out his coat a bit to warm up as he looked over the landscape. "I bet the tunnels would be an effecient hunting spot, can you show me them? How do we navigate them?" He asked, having recalled the tunnels through other cat's conversations. They might be dry and a bit warmer than the surface. "Or are we going to beat up some tresspassers? They won't even have a chance to see us coming!"

A mild annoyance built up within her chest as he raced ahead but she let it die down as she chalked up his actions to the mere excitement of a new apprentice. By the time he returned, the russet warrior was certain that her idea for training would be. Hopefully, her idea would exhaust Brindlestar's son of the relentless energy he had already displayed thus far. Her whiskers twitched slightly as she remembered being an apprentice under Barleytuft not so long ago. Although, unlike Grousepaw, she had not been as unwilling to listen. Nor had she started off on the wrong paw with her mentor by displaying a less than pleasant attitude. Brookclover shook her coat slightly trying to displace the negativity that clung to the edges of her perspective. He was young, this was their first training session. It would be fun.

Brookclover shook her head slightly at all of the questions that flew from his maw. The edges of her mouth turned upwards in a soft smile. For a moment, the she-cat was silent. But when they were even further away from the dip in the moors that comprised camp, she whipped around to stand in front of him, their noses almost touching, "Speed is what Windclan cats are known for, Grousepaw, as you know. But being reliant on your natural ability instead of constantly working to sharpen it is a dangerous thing. We will be practicing being quick on your paws. Once you've mastered control of your paws, fighting, hunting, that will all come easily. Now... show me what you can do. Catch me." Just as the words left her mouth and touched the air, the warrior had taken off at a breakneck pace. While the cold winds pushed her back and pressed her fur to her face, the she-cat wasn't bothered. Her muscles welcome the strain, the pounding against the hardened earth through the snow. Only a few flakes were tossed up as she darted across the territory, barely touching the ground as she darted forward.


ooc: so for the sake of making this more than the standard training topic, im going to add an element. for their speed practice (basically it is warrior's tag) roll the hunting dice. 1 is an absolute success, 10 is an absolute failure. every other number is a success (even numbers) or fail (odd numbers). like the hunting system. absolute success would be a pin vs just being a 'tag' and absolute failure would be like a stumble i suppose. hoping for brook's sake i roll well ahha

Grousepaw didn't flinch when Brookclover spun around, but it was a close thing. His heart leapt in his chest when faced with her amber eyes directly. He straightened his posture and watched her as she spoke before taking off into the snow covered moor. His thoughts about the tunnels and the cold vanished as he realised what this was. A challenge. He surged forward on his paws and bolted forwards as quick as he could against the snowy ground. His tail flying behind him as she twisted easily in front of him.

His own turns were not as quick, not sharp at all. His eyes narrowed at this, and he tried to figure out how to change direction fast. His mind's eye invisioning a rabbit before him, one that kept getting away as he tried leaping to gain some extra ground and catch her. The leap was poorly timed however, he saw the ditch only after he was in the air and yowled in shock as his forepaws didn't contact snow until he was already over the edge of the dip. His body curled up reflexively as his shoulders slammed down into the snowy ground with a large 'oof' from his maw.

He stood slowly. Snow covered his pale and tan pelt, but he shook it off with a small huff. His eyes wandered to see where Brookclover had gotten when a large clump of snow fell onto his head from above. 'Oh Starclan.' He looked behind him, noticing the shape of the snow formed a large entrance to a tunnel. No scents came from it, but he wrinkled his nose at the darkness as the damp cold of the snow sunk onto his head as he shook it off. A plan formed in his mind as he turned towards Brookclover with a smirk.
"Clever. I'll get you." He threatened, with a lack of bite in his tone. Playful mischief in his grin as he leapt out from the ditch and barrelled towards her.

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 10

Her light frame made dancing over the snow second nature, appearing flawless. To the naked eye, the warrior was merely a flash of reddened fur that darted across the nearly untouched, colorless scenery. The sun had barely begun to rise, bathing everything in an orange-red hue, making her nearly blend in with the background. Brookclover's expression was a contented grin as she outpaced the driven apprentice. She was delighted to see he had dove into the challenge himself. Perhaps, this whole apprentice and mentor thing would not be as bad as she initially feared. Perhaps, there was something about Grousepaw after all that would make him an incredible Windclan. He was Brindlestar's son.

She kept sight of him out of the corner of her bright, green gaze, drinking in each sloppy turn and misstep. There was much to be learned. But to see him trying drove her on. If he was willing, she was more than willing to teach him. The young warrior had been watching him when suddenly... he was gone. Brookclover stopped immediately, skidding up the flakes with what little weight she possessed. And then... he was back. Grousepaw popped back up. White droplets coated his fur and where it had become wet with moisture seemed to prickle slightly in places. Fighting back a mrrow of amusement, her whiskers twitched. But determination came over the younger cat's maw as he called out and charged after her. The chase was still on. And with his failed attempt, it was now time for her to show him how things were really done.

Brookclover resumed the chase, darting out of the way before taking a wide turn to make her own attempt at catching the apprentice. She leaped forwards, missing him only by a whisker as her paws skidded across the snow. It not only coated her pelt with snow but scattered more flakes across the younger cat. A brief flash of disappointment came across her maw as she breathed, "Well... it looks like I got me. I got both of us. But this isn't over yet." Her eyes flashed with a determination equal to that of Grousepaw's as she faced him. It was his move. Neither of them, despite her role as a mentor, had been successful so far. The snow made this task all the more difficult, something she had failed to take into account. It appeared both of them would learn today.

The member 'Regular Ripped' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 7

Grousepaw watched as his mentor came towards him at a quick speed. His blue gaze pinned on her forepaws rather than her face. His expression thoughtful as he watched the way she ran. The snow barely seemed to hinder her at all.

He snapped back to himself as the paws came closer. His hind legs shoving off the snow as she came close to getting him. He whirled around and took off with speed towards the nearest ridge. Each lengthy stride was difficult for him. He tried to angle his paws better for traction on the snow, but mid turn he drifted and fell flat towards the ground behind a slim ridge.

A thought flew into his mind as he laid himself flat into the snow itself. His ears pinned back and haunches bunched together. His pale coat blended into the snow, his grey ears and hindquarters like snow covered rocks as he waited for his mentor to come over the small hill.

A sudden flurry of snow revealed him as he launched himself from the ground towards her. He hissed in frustration to himself after missing her again, flicking his ear with a thoughtful expression.

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 5

There was certainly an inherent quickness to the young tom's abilities, one that did not shock her. He was a Windclan cat, after all, born for such things. But he lacked the control and yet to be instilled second nature of weight distribution on his paws that were so essential for navigating the snow-covered slopes. As dazzling as the scene appeared, there was no secret that it posed a challenge to those wishing to stay on their feet as they raced through the territory. Each pawful was questionable as it hit the unstable flakes and scattered them in every direction. Her skillful strategy and speed was the only reason that she had been able to pick up on the change so quickly. And yet it appeared that she too still had things to improve upon.

After her miss, it was his time for another attempt. Brookclover was determined for success. She rushed after him, flying just a whisker's width above the slopes. He passed over the edge of a curve of the ground and disappeared. There was a spark of confusion when she didn't see the apprentice right away. Until he exploded up from the ground in a flurry of snowflakes. Immediately, she leaped back, just barely avoiding his paws, "Excellent idea! But you're going to have to be quicker than that. Try feeling the weight on your paws as you run. Don't worry only about the speed or pushing up from the ground, consider the landing just as much, steadying yourself while you move forward." Ready to demonstrate, the russet warrior lashed out. It was smart utilizing what was around them for leverage. Even if it hadn't worked, Grousepaw had proven himself to possess a helpful level of smarts. But for the purpose of training, she was going to take a more direct approach.

Without pausing, the she-cat launched herself forward with the intent of finally making contact with the apprentice. But she was slow. Her paws came up just short again and he was able to move in time. How was she supposed to train an apprentice if she couldn't actually show him anything? Internally, Brookclover cursed. There were some things to be said about the experience of their session so far and she had found herself enjoying the chase but it was all marred by the displease of failure. It was not something she reveled in. With a slightly aggravated inhalation of breath through her nostrils, the young warrior leaped back in preparation for him to launch himself towards her once more. Quite a bit of time had passed through their training already, the high position of the sun gave it away. Already she could feel exhaustion creeping in. Perhaps it was the early start making her feel more drained than usual. Regardless, Brookclover shrugged away the thought to focus on Grousepaw.


ooc; totally not using the fact that she is mildly pregnant and doesnt know it as an excuse

The member 'Regular Ripped' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 5

Grousepaw thought over his mentor's words carefully. 'Speed is everything!' He thought to himself as he clumsily dodged her next attempt. 'How can the landing help?' The question burned in his mind as he bolted off and away from Brookclover for a few slipping paces. His claws tried to dig into the snow a bit more, he tried to focus his attention on balance as she had told him. His tail whisked through the air clumsily as he turned to face her. Paws breaking into the layers of snow a little less. He watched her carefully, waited for her to move before he lunged himself.

His forepaws dug into the snow too far. His weight destabilised towards his front and he found himself sinking into the snow. An odd noise beneath him made him pause, then yowl as the snow around him fell nearly half a taillength down. His head was covered in the white snow for a brief moment before he pushed it out and clumsily dragged his body out of the hole. He turned to look at it in concern. A slight bit of dirt showed beneath the layers of snow. He blinked at it thoughtfully, though his thoughts were driven away as he saw Brookclover's red pelt coming towards him. He jumped backwards and tried again to run. This time, spreading out his paws to help his weight. He didn't sink this time. He blinked in bewilderment at the new ease of running now that he wasn't solely focused on catching Brookclover, though he still had to do it.

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 10

This is my next post.

The member 'Regular Ripped' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 4