Swimming lessons? (Closed)

Dawngaze braced against the cold wind, her soaking wet pelt doing little to keep her warm as she trekked through the territory with Dacepaw in tow. The forest had been lashed by storm after storm for maybe a moon now. A more devout warrior might have wondered what message StarClan was trying to send by nearly drowning their living relatives a second time, but Dawngaze did not even consider what the starry ancestors thought or how the medicine cats might interpret the rain. It was just another miserable day of rain and trying to teach her apprentice.

"Remember, we hunt with more than our noses. We need to have sharp ears and sharper eyes if we want to find anything in this weather." The warrior was forced to raise her voice over the sound of rain. Today would be a difficult hunt, but things would only get harder as the weather grew colder. Dacepaw needed to learn well while there were enough opportunities to fail and not starve as a result.

Dawngaze halted under a large oak tree. The rain was lighter and the wind was brisk but not dangerous. She turned to address Dacepaw again, golden eyes squinted against the water. "You've shown a lot of promise with your willingness to learn, Dacepaw. I'd like you to show me what you've learned about hunting so far."

Dacepaw practically pranced after her mentor, though she knew she needed to be focusing better on pacing herself. She couldn't help it; she was always excited to go out, especially in the rain, but it seemed she was one of the few cats in the Clan who did. She suspected it was the fish-oil still clinging to her pelt that helped to keep her dry and made it less insufferable, but try as she might the light tortoiseshell apprentice couldn't seem to clean it away to be like the ThunderClan-born cats.

Time would wash it out, she suspected, but during these recent rainstorms it had proved immensely useful. She wasn't disheartened by a watery patrol; some warriors thought about how other warriors might consider StarClan's sign with the weather, but all Dacepaw could think was that the broken pool in RiverClan were probably lots of fun right now.

Dawngaze's loud voice called out and drew the chipper apprentice's attention back to her soaked and disgruntled-looking mentor. Dacepaw listened intently, nodding at the patched she-cat's words. "Okay! I bet all the squirrels are gonna be chittering and whining in their nests - we'll find them in no time!" she cheered confidently, though she didn't put too much weight into her own bright statement. Hunting didn't work like that, but it certainly didn't hurt to be optimistic!

The warrior lead the pair of them beneath a tree and gave Dacepaw further instruction. Again the apprentice nodding enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, Dawngaze, I'd love to! What do I catch?" she asked, her eyes bright and eager to know her task.

It seemed squirrels were a common prey of choice among the ThunderClan apprentices. Dawngaze, ever the stoic, didn't really care what she ate as long as it was fresh and filled her belly. She figured it was good for Dacepaw to have a goal, but she would need to accept any prey that came her way in the harsher moons. But the warrior seriously doubted that she would complain about anything. She shrugged at the smaller tortoiseshell's question, having not set her mind on one specific target. "Ideally, you'll catch whatever you come across. We won't be able to afford anything less in the colder moons to come." She meowed rather gravely. "So I suppose keep your eyes and eyes open for anything that comes your way. You might have more luck with birds since they make a lot of noise, however." Dawngaze offered that last bit of advice freely.

The thick-furred she-cat listened quite intently, watching thought flicker over Dawngaze' shadowed face for a moment. Dacepaw nodded with understanding and agreement when the she-cat explained that they couldn't be particular about prey in the colder months. These would be the first cold months that the little apprentice had ever experienced, but she'd heard plenty about them already. The leaves would fall and the river would freeze - get cold and stop moving - and the prey would go into hiding; it took an extra good hunter to find it then, or extra slow prey. Truthfully Dacepaw was curious what it would be like that it always drew such serious responses. It must be very difficult.

Dacepaw took her mentor's instruction to heart and replied warmly, "Yes, Dawngaze, I can do that!" One thing the apprentice remembered right away was that her thick, waving tail was a dead giveaway for most creatures. As the pale tortoiseshell apprentice set off into the trees looking hopeful, she kept her tail level and still behind her, keeping it from brushing grass or saplings as she strode by. As Dawngaze had predicted, the sound of a chattering bird caught her attention after not too long, and she shifted her gait to begin to approach it.

It suddenly took flight and Dacepaw's eyes immediately launched up to see a great bird casting a shadow over her as it swept through the forest, back to near where she had parted ways from Dawngaze. Dacepaw gasped and cried out in question and warning, "Dawngaze! Dawngaze what's that?!" Then the apprentice was charging, feeling nervous, through the forest back towards her mentor.

Dacepaw tried to catch a bird. Her attempt failed, and she lost 3 SP. An owl has appeared!

Dacepaw
20/20 HP
77/80 SP (-3)

---

The sound of purposefully hushed shuffling in the foliage caused the great brown mottled bird's head to swivel, moon-shaped eyes swinging open to focus sharply on a splotchy feline moving slowly down below. The owl immediately felt its feathers ruffle, the threat of the feline near its nest drawing its anger. Silently the creature swept from its perch high in a tree, its shadow on the ground the greatest indicator of its presence. It swooped down upon the large she-cat with talons outstretched, not bothering to let out a battle screech. These cats often had others nearby...

Owl used Swoop on Dawngaze, using 20 stamina and dealing 30 HP.

Owl
50/50 HP
100/120 SP (-20)

Dawngaze
15/45 HP (-30)
160/160 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 10

Golden eyes traced Dacepaw's movements as she toddled off. Dawngaze kept her ears perked, silently assessing if her apprentice would be able to stay quiet, and listened to the rain and wind as it beat gently around her. It was isolated moments like these that made the she-cat wonder what she was doing with her life. There was nothing more beyond this moment. Hunt. Eat. Sleep. Protect the clan. Die. Her littermates couldn't seem to get a hold on the one simple truth that all that mattered was doing your job. They dreamed up scenarios of freedom, unaware that freedom was safety and not self-service. Slatestrike died with the violence he lived by and Burntstag demanded his own death for a lie. Littlesun ran away like she always did and Duskpaw - oh, Duskpaw - succumbed to the weakness that dogged him since birth. And they left her behind like their parents. StarClan laughed when she suffered. And she was alone in this moment with nothing but water in her pelt and a familiar stinging in her eyes. The rain called her name.

"Dawngaze! Dawngaze, what's that?!"

The warrior's attention was ripped back to reality when she realized the voice was Dacepaw's, distant but closing in rapidly. She was alarmed. The apprentice made her appearance through the brush, and to Dawngaze's horror, was being shadowed by a very unhappy owl. She ducked, protecting her face as best as possible, and snarled when its talons ripped through her dense fur. She spun, claws unsheathed in an instant, and sprang at the large bird before it could get out of her reach. All of her previous thoughts were banished, replaced by the simple command protect and survive. She snagged it by a wing and pulled it down to the ground, placing a paw on its back and tearing at its flesh with the other.

Dawngaze used Leap-and-Hold on the owl, dealing 9 damage and using 10 stamina. The owl is stunned for two turns.

Owl
41/50 HP
100/120 SP

Dawngaze
15/45 HP
150/160 SP

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

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'Effect Dice' : 4

Dacepaw raced through the underbrush just in time to see her mentor, though prepared for the blow, still be raked by massive talons of the unearthly large bird. Dawngaze had no time to answer, and Dacepaw understood that. As her wide paws gripped and scrambled through the mud, the apprentice wished desperately that she knew what she was fighting. She'd only had a little battle training but what she did know was that her mentor needed her help. Her mentor flung the massive bird to the ground, and Dacepaw let out an uncharacteristically fearsome cry as she approached rapidly, claws unsheathing. Ducking the desperately flailing bird's wings and talons, the tortoiseshell apprentice ducked in to rake a paw fiecely down the inside of its wing near its chest.

Dacepaw used Front Paw Strike on Owl, using 10 stamina and dealing 6 damage.

Owl
35/50 HP (-6)
100/120 SP

Dawngaze
15/45 HP
150/160 SP

Dacepaw
20/20 HP
67/80 SP (-10)

---

The reflexes of the cat were faster than the great owl could've imagined; a sudden jolt of pain shot through its wing and radiated through its body as the creature hooked its horrible claws into its wing. The bird let out an involuntary screech now as it was thrown on its belly to the ground. It scrambled futilely, but it couldn't get its claws beneath it to push off. Its wings beat furiously, and then the small cat from the base of the tree had appeared, sweeping in with a lightning fast rake. The owl screeched again.

The owl is stunned for one more turn.

stats above

Dawngaze's large paws became sticky with the owl's blood as she continued to strip flesh and feathers from her opponent. It wasn't personal, it was her job. Her focus was laser-sharp and all outside sounds were blocked out, so Dacepaw's charging swipes came as a welcome surprise. She held the bird of prey down with all of her might, muscles straining at the effort of pulling against its large wings, and aimed for its large, ugly eyes with her extended claws. When the owl started slipping from her weakening grasp, Dawngaze jumped to the side and pulled Dacepaw with her; she was giving it a chance to flee and didn't want either of them to get thrashed as it escaped. The warrior stood between Dacepaw and the owl, tail fluffed and hackles raised, and snarled at it until it got the message.

Dawngaze kept using Leap-and-Hold on the owl, dealing another 9 damage.

Owl
24/50 HP
100/120 SP

Dawngaze
15/45 HP
150/160 SP

Dacepaw
20/20 HP
67/80 SP

Dawngaze was so fast that her patched pelt was a blur. If she hadn't been so determined to carry her weight in battle this time, she would have been in awe of and marveled at her mentor for her strength and resourcefulness. Her claws were razor sharp, strengthened and trained for battle. She was everything Dacepaw wanted to be: strong, capable, intelligent, brave. The little apprentice couldn't emulate everything about the she-cat, especially not her more subdued nature, but she longed to be brilliant like her mentor. Dawngaze lashed out one more time, straining at its eyes with a fury. Dacepaw lashed one more time before she realized the owl was slipping away from her mentor, screeching pain and fury.

Dacepaw was quick to realize when her mentor was retreating, and so she immediately abandoned the fight as Dawngaze began to drag her back. In a flurry of feathers and frantically scrabbling claws and flailing wings, the owl righted itself, droplets of scarlet splattering the clearing as the massive creature lifted off and began to take flight. Dacepaw's green-hazel eyes were wide with awe and wonder as she watched from behind her mentor's brawny shoulders. The bird disappeared, and the clearing was left only with the sound of soft panting.

Dacepaw hesitated for a moment, and then she looked worriedly at her mentor. "Dawngaze, are you okay?" She glanced at the fresh scratches the she-cat had received from the encounter. "Sh-Should I go and get Pricklebush or Mossbloom?" she asked.

Sighing deeply as the owl put distance between itself and the cats, Dawngaze allowed her tense posture to loosen and her claws to sheathe themselves. "I'm fine, Dacepaw. The medicine cats need to save their herbs for more important cats or more dangerous injuries. I've just got a couple scratches, nothing serious." She said, peering over her apprentice to make sure she hadn't gotten hurt in the altercation, stern expression temporarily becoming concerned. When she was satisfied that Dacepaw was untouched, Dawngaze's usual icy countenance returned.

"That was certainly exciting, but we should return to the task at hand. I won't allow us to return to camp empty-pawed." Although the rain was still pouring, she was determined to see Dacepaw catch at least one creature for the fresh-kill pile. "Go on and bring me something that won't try to eat us." She said, a slight smile crossing her face.

The warrior's response was a long, deep sigh, and both Dawngaze and little Dacepaw relaxed slightly once the creature was gone. The apprentice frowned slightly before looking back to her mentor. Dawngaze insisted she was well; indeed, the she-cat had only obtained a few scratches, but Dacepaw could hardly tell how bad they were. She trusted her mentor's judgement and sighed with relief, smiling a little. The warrior gave her apprentice a once-over before stating that they should continue hunting. Dacepaw nodded agreeably; she was eager to please her mentor and show off that she really had learned about living in ThunderClan and hunting there, too. The she-cat instructed her, "Go on and bring me something that won't try to eat us."

Dacepaw laughed, a pure giggle that rang in the clearing. "Okay, Dawngaze!" she purred, "I'll go find the fattest bird I can!"

Feeling hopeful once again - though she nervously glanced into the trees a few times - Dacepaw set out with her tail held low, once again becoming aware of the rain that poured onwards from the sky above. The tortoiseshell padded through the underbrush until she spotted a movement in the leaves on the ground. A thick, wiry gray-brown tail twitched and Dacepaw slowed her approach and ducked slightly. Well, it's not a bird, but someone can definitely eat it! she thought cheerily, quickly getting herself into hunting position.

After a careful, focused prowl, Dacepaw pounced, slamming her big RiverClan paw squarely onto the squirrel's neck just above its shoulders. The creature went limp immediately and Dacepaw's tail shot up with joy. I did it! she wanted to yowl, overjoyed, but she looked for her mentor instead. Had she gone looking for any prey?

Dacepaw tried to catch a squirrel and succeeded, using 3 stamina.

Dacepaw
20/20 HP
64/80 SP

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Following after would be safer, Dawngaze decided as she stalked after Dacepaw at a distance. She wasn't too eager to go looking for more trouble, so while she would have ordinarily split off to find other prey to bring back, she stayed on her apprentice's tail and simply watched over her instead. The warrior was grateful that the younger she-cat wasn't easily frightened; spooked, perhaps, but the encounter hadn't dampened her spirits or made her shy away from her duties. Dawngaze begrudgingly decided that she liked Dacepaw despite her history, although she would keep that growing affection to herself. An apprentice didn't need too much praise. When Dacepaw jumped at her prey, Dawngaze stood from the bushes to see what she'd caught.

"An odd bird you have." She said, teasing words but serious expression. "Squirrels are well-loved among our clan. The elders will be grateful for this meal. Let's get out of this rain." Dawngaze meowed, flicking her tail against Dacepaw's flank and leading her back in the direction of camp.

Dacepaw saw a shift of color among the underbrush, and immediately her already overjoyed face lit up with delight at seeing her mentor approach. "Look, Dawngaze, I caught it!" she proclaimed. The warrior teased her apprentice for catching something other than what she'd gone for; Dacepaw giggled bashfully, but her mentor was still supportive and encouraging. Proud once more, the apprentice lifted her partly damp and muddy prey and followed Dawngaze giddily through the rain.