Another Try [Closed]

Foxfire picked up the pace as he hurried across the SkyClan camp, his eyes on the apprentice den. Training his two apprentices was going well...For Wolfpaw, at least. Stormpaw...He had given the tom some time to relax after their encounter with the owl - he didn't want to push the tom and, to be honest, it was nice to deal with a little less...Weight on his shoulders. But he had let Stormpaw relax for long enough - he wanted to try to get them to be warriors on time. No waiting around, no being stuck in the apprentice den past their time like...Flowerpaw. There was a flicker of guilt, having realized how much he had forgotten his friend in the rush of everything and he wanted to try to make it up with her - to reconnect but he was terrified. But...No, it wasn't time to dwell on that friendship. Stormpaw, he had to focus on Stormpaw.

"Stormpaw?" he called, poking his head into the den as he tried to locate the curled up body of his apprentice. "Stormpaw, its time we get back to training - we're going to go hunting again. Meet me at the entrance," he meowed, before pulling his head back into the clearing. He could only hope that something tragic wouldn't happen - he was sure that Stormpaw could be a great hunter if he got the opportunity, he had shown so much promise before that owl showed up... He didn't want the previous attempt to weigh him down - not like how Foxfire's first hunt still haunted him to this day. He shook his head as he made his way to the entrance, sitting down as he waited for Stormpaw to join him.

Stormpaw laid curled up in the apprentice den. He looked over to his side, where the owl slashed him. Sagelight put all kinds of plants on it, sponging up the blood with cobwebs, chewing up flowers and rubbing them into the wound, things like that. After a few days, he was able to walk around camp, and do things like help the elders and play with the kits. He would tell the kits about the forest, excluding the owls, just the huge trees and the thousands of colored leaves carpetting the ground. After his side would begin aching after all the walking, he'd lay in the apprentice den and think to himself. Once the sun went down, he'd return to the medicine den to get more flower poultice on his side. Eventually, he didn't need to go to the medicine den.

So, it was a bit before sunhigh now, and he laid in the apprentice den. His side didn't hurt, he simply had nothing to do. Playtime was over for the kits, and the elders didn't need anything. He slowly looked over at his side, where the wound used to lay. Now, all that was left of it was a small streak of newly growing fur. Stormpaw laid his head back down, thinking about what would happen when he left camp once more. Suddenly, he could hear Foxfire say that they were going to hunt again. Immediatly, his eyes lit up in kit-like excitement. After a minute of grooming his gray fur down, he stood up and padded out of the den, tail held up high. He quickly walked over to his mentor at the entrance. "Hey! I'm ready!" he said as he slowed to a halt next to Foxfire.

He sat there, waiting in slight nervousness for Stormpaw to join him. What if the encounter with the owl had scarred him - not just psychical. What if he had lost all of his energy to become a warrior? What if...What if Foxfire had failed him so quickly. Terror gripped the deputy's heart, but the claws retracted as he saw his apprentice poke his head from the den and quickly hurry over - excitement in his eyes. Oh. Good. "Alright!" he chirped, trying to hide his prior worries as he jumped to his paws and led the eager apprentice from the camp.

His eyes remained fixed on the branches above, searching for a flicker of familiar feathers of an owl - he didn't want the same situation all over again... But things looked good, no signs of an owl as he sighed slightly in relief. They could do this, they could go hunting and it wouldn't be a problem. He spared a glance over his shoulder, watching Stormpaw for a few heartbeats before he spoke up. "You remember what I taught you, right? Well, this time, I'm going to let you track down some prey. I'll follow behind carefully but I want to see you in action," he said with a smile, before taking a small step back to let Stormpaw venture off on his own - even if Foxfire was going to be a fox-length or two behind him.

Stormpaw quickly padded behind. He'd be lying if he said he was 100% unscathed from the encounter with the owl. He still felt nervous, but he took a few deep breaths and tried to get his thoughts in order. He'll sniff out prey, stalk it, catch it. Simple as that. Besides, it's not like he was alone. His mentor defended him before, Foxfire wouldn't let him get carried off by an owl.

Listening to Foxfire's instruction, he nodded before padding a few steps forward. "I remember what you taught me before. I practiced my crouch a couple times back at camp, just in case..." he quietly said. He held his head up before he perked his ears up and sniffed the air. It took a moment of searching via smell and sound, but he could detect something in the distance. His heart quickening a bit, he dropped down into a hunting crouch. His belly fur laid a mouse tail's width away from the ground, his tail stuck straight behind him, and his ears faced forwards towards a small rustling in the leaves over in the distance.

He hastily, but quietly, treaded towards the sound and scent. He wove between trees, until the sound grew close, it was now past a small thicket of juniper berry bushes. He slowed down and crept in between two bushes, careful not to rustle the branches. As he could finally see passed the juniper leaves, he could see a group of robins throwing around leaves as they searched for food. One of the robins near the center of the group suddenly hopped upwards and let out a small squak. Stormpaw's eyes narrowed as the sound reminded him of the owl. He expected to feel fear because of it, but he just felt mad now. He flexed his claws and bared his teeth as his ears laid flat against his head. He focused on the robin that made the noise, before he finally leapt forward and stretched his front legs out towards the robin.

The other robins flew away, letting out a simultaneous cry of alarm as the gray cat suddenly rushed out of the bushes, tackling one of the robins to the ground. The one bird now laid underneath Stormpaw's claws, he reared his head back as he bared his teeth. He then bit down at the robin's throat, and tiny talons kicked at his muzzle until it suddenly stopped with a tiny pop. His eyes lit up in pure joy as he held up the limp robin, searching for his mentor.

Stormpaw caught a Bird, costing 3 stamina
HP: 20/20
SP: 77/80

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 6

Foxfire nodded his head, relieved that Stormpaw had kept up on practicing while he was stuck in the camp. It was good to not get rusty - he knew all how easy it was to grow complacent after being stuck in the camp for such a long time...He watched as his apprentice stalked off into the trees, allowing him to walk for a few heartbeats before he got up and followed his scent trail. His ears perked, listening for any sounds that Stormpaw would make but there was nothing. Perfect, Stormpaw knew how to stay silent.

Then there was the sound of birds squawking as the warrior poked his head out of the bush, seeing Stormpaw pinning down a robin as the rest of the flock took off into the branches. He had done it. "Great job, Stormpaw!" he praised as he stepped from the bushes, his eyes reflecting the same gleam of joy. "I knew you could do it. Now come on, we'll find a safe place to store it and then we can hunt for some more before calling it a day. Does that sound good to you?" he meowed, motioning with a nod of his head for his apprentice to follow him.

It didn't take long to stumble across a small hollow in a tree, well-hidden and a perfect spot to store their prey for now once he made sure it wasn't a den for a wild animal. "Remember to stay close, Stormpaw," he warned once the robin was safety stored."I want us to remain in earshot, just in case trouble shows itself. Alright?" Then, with a soft turn, he headed off into the bushes. Tasting the air as he walked, he curved his path toward the familiar scent of a squirrel. It didn't take long to locate it, watching as it scurried around the leaves. It...Almost looked like it was playing and he had a moment of hesitation, before he shook his head and launched himself at it - it was prey after all.

It never saw him coming, not even getting a squeak of surprise off before his paws met its neck with a sicking crack. He stared at the dead squirrel, before he lowered his head and picked it up gently before turning and heading back to store it with the robin.

Foxfire caught a squirrel, costing 3 stamina.

Foxfire:
100/100 HP
277/280 SP

The member 'Honey Booberry Bagel' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

Stormpaw gently laid the robin inside the tree's hollow.  He then turned around and stared in amazement as Foxfire caught a squirrel so effortlessly. Maybe he could be as good a hunter someday! He looked around, sniffing for more prey. He then could detect a smell of another squirrel. He searched the area silently, before he could see the squirrel cautiously digging up some pine nuts it stashed away in the ground. It was probably unaware of the other squirrel's death, since Foxfire finished it so quickly. Stormpaw dropped back into his hunting crouch, and slowly crept towards the squirrel.

Stormpaw then leapt at the squirrel. It barely even looked at him before it was pummeled to the ground and instantly went limp with a crack. He smiled and picked up the squirrel, before he took it to the other squirrel and bird inside the tree. He felt that it was a great kill. "I'm doing better much than I thought I would..." he smiled before he said it to himself.

Stormpaw caught a squirrel, costing 3 stamina
HP: 20/20
SP: 74/80

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

With the squirrel safely tucked into the hollow with the robin, he let out a soft purr of joy. He liked hunting - it let him forget his responsibilities as deputy...and even as a mentor, to be honest. Just track, catch and repeat. And so he set off, tasting the air for a new target. He blinked at a scent he had only smelled a few times - a lizard. Most stuck closer to the marsh and so to find one so close to the camp... He paused, debating it. Lizards were a bit harder to catch - slippery and quick...But there was no point not to try. So he tracked it down, watching it rest on a root as he stalked forward, before making his leap.

The lizard had been resting at the top of the root, close to the truck and Foxfire had known that it was a risk...And so he wasn't very surprised as it went racing up the tree, having spotted him just in time. He landed awkwardly, one paw on the root where the lizard had been as he sighed. Birdfeathers. He shook his head, watching the lizard's tail disappear into the trees above as he turned and headed to try to find something else to catch.

Foxfire missed a lizard, costing 3 stamina.

Foxfire:
100/100 HP
274/280 SP

The member 'Honey Booberry Bagel' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Stormpaw continued to search for more prey. It seemed the area around the tree had few prey now, perhaps the two's hunting scared them off? He looked up at the branches, and soon spotted a bird resting in a low hanging  branch. He didn't think it was a robin, though it didn't really matter. It was a bit smaller than the robin earlier, but it should do. He crouched down, and immediatly the sight of him crouching down looking up into the branches reminded him of his last hunting trip. He gulped a bit as the memory came back, but he shook it off before he leapt towards the bird.

His paw landed directly on the bird's back, and his claws dragged it off the branch and towards the ground. The bird took most of the impact as he landed, making a killing bite unnecessary, and Stormpaw managed to stay on four paws after landing. He picked it up before rushing back to the tree and placing the bird with the rest of their catches. He breathed a sigh of relief, as that kill eased the fear from his first hunting trip.

Stormpaw caught a bird, costing 3 stamina
HP: 20/20
SP: 71/80

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

He brush off the hurt of missing the lizard rather quickly - he knew that it hadn't been in his favor for catching it. But he was left searching for another thing to catch, to add to the pile that he and Stormpaw was slowly building up. He hoped that his apprentice was having luck, pausing to perk his ears to see if he could catch any hint of his apprentice being around. But there was no such luck, the tom apparently knew how to keep quiet and that was good for a hunter. He shook his head, focusing back on where he was walking only to freeze as he spotted a starling pecking at the ground not far from him. He blinked, surprised that it hadn't noticed him but took it as a sign of good luck as he dropped into a quick crouch before pouncing.

The bird's wings flared open at the last second, his paws neatly landing on them and pinning it before it could gain any air. It chirped in terror before he silenced it, gently picking it up with a soft smile. Good old faithful birds, he knew how to catch those for sure. He slowly made his way back to the hollow, arriving just in time to see Stormpaw depoisting a bird of his own into the hollow. "Good hunting, huh?" he purred through the mouthful of feathers, peaking his head into the hollow to see an extra squirrel in there - looks like his apprentice had ended up with better luck. He dropped the starling, spitting out a loose feather before he cleared his throat. "I think this is enough hunting today. You did good, Stormpaw! With you and Wolfpaw, we won't have any trouble feeding SkyClan," he praised as he slowly pawed out the catches. Five in total - three birds and two squirrels. A fine meal for the Clan. He carefully managed to pick up the three birds by their wings, bumping into each other as they hung from his mouth as he motioned for Stormpaw to pick up the two squirrels, before leading him back to camp.

Foxfire caught a starling, costing 3 stamina.

Foxfire:
100/100 HP
271/280 SP

The member 'Honey Booberry Bagel' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 5