Rain in Leaf-Fall [closed]

The territory was a little soggy today, which meant easy hunting for a Leaf-Fall day. Tracking would be a little bit trickier to navigate, but the heavy must of rain hid a cat's scent well enough, and with all the crunchy leaves littering the ground, you nearly had to be trying to make too much noise. Ferretnose got Rainpaw up early, as the dawn patrol head out to check borders. It was a marvelously lukewarm morning, all things considered, and the warrior couldn't help but have high spirits about this new chapter of her life. Rainpaw seemed enthusiastic about starting her warrior training, which was all Ferretnose could have hoped for.

"ThunderClan is best suited for the low-down parts of the forest," she explained, her good eye sweeping the immediate area, "Which is good if you're a shortie like me. We move close to the ground, we duck under bushes, and we use strategy to find our prey in the maze of brambles and ferns. It doesn't hurt to branch out a little, though. Whatever it takes to bring home the fresh-kill, that's what I always say. Smell the air, dear, tell me what you find."

Ferretnose purred gleefully. "That's a good nose you've got!" she mewed quietly. "Battles are rare in a warrior's life, dear. Hunting, however, happens every single day, sunrise to sundown. Besides, Leafbare is coming. We need strong, light-footed apprentices to pick up the slack when prey runs dry. I'll teach you to fight when the time comes, I promise."

Flicking her tail for Rainpaw to follow, she began to step soundlessly through the brambles and weeds, her belly fur touching the forest floor. She crawled slowly, giving Rainpaw time to mimic her movements. The prey was close, and the pair of she-cats were downwind. Ferretnose shuffled to her apprentice's side, laying her tail across the younger one's spine.

"Keep your haunches low," Ferretnose explained in a whisper. "Think of your body like a moss-ball and aim it to land right on the squirrel's head. There's some branches from a bush right above our heads. Watch that they don't disrupt your pounce. You can do it!"

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

"Outstanding!" Ferretnose chirped with pride, hopping out of her hiding place looking quite like a songbird on a branch. "You're off to a great start. You can hide that away somewhere, under the brambles where nothing can get to it. There's been too many predators out and about, and I can't risk you getting..."

The she-cat trailed off, chewing the inside of her lip with contemplation. Hazelpaw's poor, ragged frame tugged at her memory. Her former apprentice didn't stand a chance. She was small, wily, inexperienced, and Ferretnose had failed her. Now, Rainpaw looked up to her with an equal mix of attentiveness and enthusiasm. The warrior had two choices now. Though she had planned for battle training another day, there was too much at stake. Rainpaw needed to defend herself as quickly as possible. Ferretnose hated to fight. Battle was terrifying and risky, but predators did not listen to reason. They'd gobble up little Rainpaw like she was a robin's egg.

"I'll be right back, don't move!" Ferretnose promised as she stalked off into the undergrowth. She picked the first piece of prey she could spot: a little grey mouse. Bunching up her haunches, Ferretnose pounced at the mouse.

Ferretnose attempted to catch a rodent. It was successful!

Ferretnose:
80/80 HP
237/240 SP (-3)

Making quick work of it, she took her prize back to where Rainpaw waited patiently for her return. She tossed the mouse between them. "There are two rules I have as your mentor. One: you will never leave camp alone under any circumstances. Two: you will show restraint and dignity in battle... unless your enemy is trying to kill you. I know I said we would train you for battle later, but I'm not kicking you out of the nursery and not teaching you to protect your own hide. I'm sure you've heard the gossip about what happened to Hazelpaw. This will not happen to you if you follow my rules."

Ferretnose finished her speech with an inviting flick of her tail. "We're going to play a game, Rainpaw. Pretend I'm a fox. I've seen your fresh-kill, and I'm very hungry. Usually, you could call out to your clanmates for help, but you've been separated from them. Defend yourself by tooth and claw!" The warrior dropped down to a stalk, pressing her ears against her head in fake rage and crudely yipping as if she were a fox. She winked at Rainpaw, silently promising that it was all for show, and nodded for Rainpaw to charge.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

OOC: edited my last post because I never tweaked Ferret's stats for Tier 4 X-)

As Ferretnose's apprentice came charging at her side, she loosened her stance from its usual firm grounding. She swayed a little as Rainpaw's paws hit her flank, but her front paws stayed planted to the earth. Though she was on the smaller side, she was made of hulking muscle and trunk-like limbs.

"You need to take into account the size, speed, and mass of your opponent!" she instructed brightly. "Adapt to the circumstances! I'm slower, but I weight a whole lot more than you!" Running forward, Ferretnose batted Rainpaw with one of her sheathed front paws, sending her sprawling. Ferretnose fought the urge to ask if she was alright; She knew that this was the only way Rainpaw would learn to defend herself.

"You're not going to get a good enough jab at me just cuffing my ears. I want you to leap on my back and hold on like a tick." Ferretnose lowered her body a little to give her apprentice a small boost. It was her first time, after all.

Ferretnose used Front Paw Blow, dealing 11 damage and costing 5 stamina.

Ferretnose:
80/80 HP
232/240 SP (-5)

Rainpaw:
9/20 HP (-11)
77/80 SP

Ferretnose let out a huff of air as the sudden impact that made her bob up and down on her paws. She tried to run forward under the weight of Rainpaw's body and found that the apprentice's uneven shuffling for purchase on her mentor's back actually worked in her advantage. The constant swaying kept Ferretnose from moving, or she risked losing balance. Ferretnose felt the bubbling of genius in her stomach as she twisted her head to look at Rainpaw, still perched on top of her.

"That's fantastic!" she chirped, "Keeping doing that, you're about to knock me over!"

ooc: mobile! no color for this one

Ferretnose yelped as Rainpaw pressed down on her neck and finally lost her balance. She tumbled to the dirt and spat as crunchy leaves invaded her mouth. Shaking out her pelt, Ferretnose struggled to her paws, huffing and half-laughing. It probably sounded more like choking, come to think of it, but her smile gave it away. Rainpaw was quiet, determined, and bold. The apprentice's attitude seemed nearly polar opposite to Ferretnose's own, but she was listening and learning. This wouldn't be difficult at all! She made a mental note to thank Beartooth when they returned. 

"Stars, 'paw," she gasped, "You're good at this! Quick learner, too. Any creature that tries to do a number on you is going to have another thing comin'." Realizing she had pulled a muscle on her fall, the warrior winced a bit and stretched her back leg. "Yikes, that's not going to feel nice come sundown. How about we head back to camp with our prey and we pick up here tomorrow, hm?"