Like father, not like son (closed)

Harefoot paced in front of the apprentices' den for a while, evidently nervous. He'd had an apprentice before, why was this so daunting? It probably had to do with Houndpaw being Beartooth's son. After all, his friend would never forgive him if his only surviving kit died because Harefoot was a moron. The sun was climbing higher into the sky, and the warrior was still anxious about waking Houndpaw. He took a deep breath, released it, and then pushed halfway into the den to prod the tom gently. "Come on, Houndpaw, let's train." He meowed quietly, although there were no other apprentices to disturb. He'd been too slow and all the others were already out doing their duties. He withdrew and waited outside the den with a nervous buzz in his chest.

Houndpaw's mind drifted in and out of sleep in a rather irritating cycle that was finally broken by the prodding of a paw. His eyes flickered open and he found himself staring up at Harefoot. His mentor. This scrawny, bat-eared creature was somehow close with his father. The pair could have not been more opposite in features and for that thought alone he found his whiskers twitching in a slight laugh as he quickly rose to his paws. While he would never openly state such a thing, the tom was eager to see the territory and learn everything there was to being a warrior. Hopefully Beartooth had chosen right. Although, the young tom trusted the deputy's decisions about as much as he trusted a mouse's ability to fly. Maybe he had shown Oakstar how reliable and trustworthy he was but as a father and a cat, the many-clawed cat was hardly a solid boulder. Perhaps steady as sifting sand. Either way, a mocking mrrow escaped from the sides of his maw.

"So training, huh? What are you going to show me? Hunting, fighting? Hopefully everything. I am the son of a deputy after all. It's your job to train me right, so don't mess it up Harefoot." Houndpaw's voice held a taunting air. But it was mostly to mask his own excitement that threatened to bubble up and spill over in the face of another cat. Something bore of his own past circumstances, and out of reach of his own understanding, feared being anything other than the overconfident and boisterous tom all too often displayed in the face of his clanmates. He had only just begun to understand in small doses that it was not an appealing facade to others. But that only made him revel in it further. The apprentice's large ears twitched in anticipation for a response. Ready to barrel through the gorse tunnel, it was only some deeply hidden shred of respect that prevented him from bolting off.

How was it that Harefoot found himself intimidated by an apprentice? The warrior did not have much foresight but could guess that Houndpaw would probably terrorize him for the next several moons, and he stifled a defeated sigh with a quick meow. "I was thinking I'd save the battle training for another day. For now, what matters is providing for the clan, so we'll start out with the basics of hunting and tracking." He attempted to sound confident, or at least competent, but anyone with eyes could see Harefoot second guess himself as he hesitantly trotted through the gorse tunnel. He cast a glance back to make sure Houndpaw was following and carried on to a shady spot deep in the territory.

"Now, Houndpaw, we want to keep it quiet so we don't scare off prey." Harefoot said gently to his apprentice. He dropped to a crouch, figuring it was a good place to start, and demonstrated as he spoke. "When you stalk something, you want to keep your body low... like so... and take a few steps at a time... making sure you don't step on anything loud like dry twigs or leaves. You also have to keep in mind the direction of the wind and make sure you don't brush up against bushes while you stalk." He went through every action he usually took as he hunted and listed it out as it occurred to him. Of course he knew what he was doing, he had a record of a skilled hunter, but having Houndpaw's eyes on him made him nervous. Was this really how he was supposed to stalk something? Harefoot sat up and looked at the young tom. If only Scarletsong were here to tell him if he was doing it right or not.

"Why don't you try it out?"

The eager tom missed the defeated sigh that was masked by Harefoot's words, which his twitching ears had been anxiously awaiting. When he heard that they wouldn't be doing battle training, there was no disappointment in the apprentice. He had secretly been hoping to put that off. While he wasn't exactly afraid to battle, it just didn't sound appealing to have another cat clawing away at his fur. But that would be a good skill to know later. For now, it was time for hunting. As soon as Harefoot had slipped through the gorse tunnel, Houndpaw was right as his heels and almost accidentally brushed up against his tail. The territory was as bright as he had imagined many times as a kit but the colors and variety of foliage was even more than he had pictured. Every now and then as they continued on, he had to remind himself to follow after his mentor that was supposed to be the one showing him everything. Unfortunately, there was a lack of explanation to hold his attention.

Just as Houndpaw was about to press for Harefoot to say something, anything, the brown-pelted warrior slowed and spoke. So it would be hunting. His nearly grey eyes drank in the movements of the older tom with a surprising patience. And he followed almost verbatim what had been explained to him. There was potential in the young tom, it just had to be dug out. His long limbs were lanky and not the most graceful, making it hard to pull off a beautiful crouch like had been demonstrated a moment earlier by his father's friend. But eventually he slipped into something similar. For a second, he considered cocking his head in question, as if to ask if this was the proper method but quickly decided against it. He didn't need Harefoot's approval to tell him he was doing well. Hastily, he stalked forward over the trampled grass, trying to mimic what his mentor had said about hunting. A stray leaf danced across his path, and he leaped forward, stumbling in the process but ultimately catching it underneath his paws. Curses flew from his maw as he griped about the misstep before turning back to Harefoot.

"Well," Houndpaw looked at him blankly for a moment, internally wriggling uncomfortably at the lack of immediate success, "that was my first go and I still caught the stupid thing, so I'd call it a success. But you'll have to show me more than that."

Houndpaw stalked a Leaf. The catch was successful. (-3 SP)

Houndpaw
20/20
77/80

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 5

"Ah... well done, Houndpaw." He offered the weak praise when Houndpaw returned from his hunt. Yes, clearly he hadn't instructed well enough, as his apprentice had been quite wobbly and off-balance. The source was very evident: "You know, I had a lot of balance problems when I was a new apprentice. Actually, I'd been a warrior for a while by the time they got better... the issue is your legs. They're so long that you hardly know what to do with them, eh?" Harefoot meowed, an amused glint in his eyes. That struggle had been all too familiar before he grew into his frame. But he'd become a warrior with no issue and he felt confident that Houndpaw would be just as successful. "You should practice on real prey. The best way to learn is to fail, you know. Teaches you what you're doing wrong the moment you do it." He said, relaxing more with each passing moment.

Harefoot lifted his nose to the wind, catching the scent of squirrel. He tracked it to a nearby bush and crouched low, smoothly taking each step with practiced precision. His ears pricked; he could hear it's small heartbeat through the undergrowth. He came as near as he dared and paused, checking briefly to ensure that Houndpaw was observing. That made him nervous but he pressed on anyway. He sailed through the undergrowth, bursting through the thicket to land squarely on the squirrel's back. He nipped its neck quickly and returned to Houndpaw, burying it next to a stone for quick location. "Maybe that'll help. Catch something with blood, please."

Hare: 197/200 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 7

While Harefoot advised him, Houndpaw found himself listening. His eyes trailed over his own legs and then his mentor's. Surprisingly, they had a similar frame. Most cats had shorter legs that made it easier to control their actions. Some even had bulkier frames, like Beartooth, that probably made stalking harder too. He actually paused to mull over this for a moment before the idea that his mother must have had a slender frame slipped into his conscious and cut out any further desire to dwell on the idea. Flickering his gray gaze to the mud and foliage speckled forest floor, he said nothing for a moment, a strange contradiction to his usual abrasive babbling. There was an abnormal silence as he watched Harefoot catch a squirrel with ease. He desired to do so in such a careless fashion. Thunderclan would see him as the greatest hunter ever. And in an instant, he was redetermined for the hunt.

Houndpaw darted off without saying anything. His nose was raised in an inexperienced attempt to scent out any prey. A strange whiff of something reached his nostrils and he charged straight for a bush ahead, hoping to find something among the leaves or roots. But before he could peer inside, a grey and black creature flew forward and directly at him. The apprentice yowled out Harefoot's name in confusion and panic as the raccoon launched at him. One paw swiped as his cheek, with a wild power behind it, and threw the lanky tom a few steps back. Immediately, his head swam and he found himself unable to stand. Opening his eyes seemed like far too much effort to manage. Instead, he was satisfied to lay there without much of a thought or the ability to move.

Raccoon used Quick Swipe. Dealing 20 damage, and using 10 stamina.

Raccoon
HP: 30/30
SP: 290/300

Houndpaw
KO'D

The warrior smiled as Houndpaw ran off, his shoulders hunching a little after he released a soft sigh. This would take some time and practice, but it was doable. He wondered if he'd been at all like Houndpaw when he was young, then promptly decided that Houndpaw had much more audacity in nearly every area than Harefoot could ever hope to achieve. He shrugged off his thoughts, content to watch his apprentice learn for himself, and relaxed into a sitting position.

The peace was quickly disturbed by Houndpaw's sudden cry, and Harefoot jumped to his paws as he watched the young tom take a blow to the head. His fur rose and his claws unsheathed in sheer instinct, and in a sudden burst of desperation, the warrior raced from the undergrowth and slammed full force into the predator, slightly dazed by the impact.

Harefoot used Lightning Strike on the raccoon, dealing 12 damage and using 15 stamina.

Harefoot
60/60 HP
182/200 SP

Raccoon
18/30 HP
290/300 SP