I'll Show You The Way [CLOSED]

Addershade walked carefully though the woods, making sure to stay close to his son as they moved. He didn’t want to risk anything bad happening to him because they got too far apart, or because the young tom wandered off. And considering his less than wonderful track record with seeing his apprentices all the way to warriorhood, he wanted to take as few risks as conceivably possible this time around, especially with his own kit being the apprentice in question.

When they arrived at a spot, Addershade made sure to scan the area fully and completely for threats, keeping one eye sharply on Applepaw to make sure he didn’t try to wander off while the older cat did a full check of the area. Eventually satisfied-- or as close to it as a cat as nervous as Addershade ever could be-- that the area was safe, he turned his complete attention to his apprentice.

“Alright, Applepaw,” he said, his tone somewhere between nervous and excited. Despite everything, part of him was still looking forward getting to spend more time with his son and show him what he himself had learned from his own mentor. “Today, let's start by working on fishing, and then we can move on later, perhaps, to catching prey on land,”

Addershade motioned to the riverbank with his head, and began to move in its direction as he continued to speak. "How much do you know about fishing technique based on what you've heard me, or your mother, or other warriors around camp, say?"

Applepaw had followed his father, brimming with excitement. He thought about the question. ”Well...I’ve heard that you can catch fish when you swim....” he said. He didn’t know as much as he thought he did. None of the other apprentices or warriors had really talked about hunting. He hadn’t put much thought into the fish that he ate.

"Well," Addershade said, giving a small nod to the apprentice, "You can catch fish from the water, it's true. But it's usually simpler-- and certainly better to start with-- fishing from the bank,"

Addershade began to shift into a hunting position, then paused and spoke again, his tone more serious. He wanted to make sure Applepaw would heed his words. "And also, when it comes to swimming, and getting in the river, always, always make sure you look closely at the water first. If the river is overflowing and the current is too strong, swimming can be very dangerous, alright?" he cleared his throat, and looked back at the water, fully shifting into a hunting pose.

"Now, if you're hunting on the bank, you need to get into a good position. What do you think the most important part of a proper pose might be?" he asked the young tom, wanting to see if he'd have a guess.

Apple paw nodded. He had heard of cats drowning in unsafe waters and would try to never go swimming in a place where it would be dangerous. “Ok.” He nodded. After the question, he stopped for a moment, considering what would a good position would be. “Well, maybe a crouch?” He guessed, sounding a little bit unsure of his answer. It was better to guess and get it wrong to not guess at all, right? Although, he didn’t want his father to be disappointed in his lack of knowledge. He hadn’t really considered the fact that the food had to be hunted. He knew that the warriors killed the prey, and he had wondered how, but never really asked or tried to find out.  

"Yes-- you're right, you do need to get in a crouching position," Addershade began, giving his apprentice a nod. "But the most important part is exactly how you angle yourself while you crouch,"

Addershade began to move into a hunting position, watching carefully for any fish that might be out. With it being leaf-bare, it was going to be a little bit harder to find prey. He continued to talk as he watched the river.

"The reason the angle of your position is important is because you don't want to cast a large shadow on the water and alert the fish," he mewed, glancing back at Applepaw. "So it's the first thing you have to watch for when you go fishing. After you do that, you just have to keep watch for the fish, and then when you see one, quickly dart out your claws to try and hook it,"

A fish had not yet made its appearance, but Addershade demonstrated the motion nonetheless.

"That part is, in all honesty, mostly trial and error. The fish are quick, so you really have to learn about timing by just trying it,"

The rusting-black warrior smiled at his son, then gave a brief nod to the river itself.

"So, would you like to try it?"

Applepaw nodded. “Sure.” He stood by the river, waiting for a fish to make an appearance. As one swam along the shore, he lunged at it and tried to hook it with his claws. He failed, stumbling into the water with a splash. He pulled himself out, shook his fur, and tried again. He hooked a small fish on his claws, grinning. “I got one!” He exclaimed.

Addershade smiled proudly at his son.

"You did indeed!" he said excitedly. He was happy to see Applepaw was such a fast learner. But he also hoped that the tom wouldn't get cocky because of it. Overconfidence was dangerous; it could easily lead one to make foolish decisions.

He figured he should try to make a catch, too, even if it was clear Applepaw didn't need that much further demonstration. His whiskers quivered in light amusement at the thought of his son potentially catching a fish while Addershade missed one. With any other cat, he'd be worried about them judging him, but in this case that wasn't on his mind. Besides, if he was going to set a good example for his son, part of that example should include learning to deal with failure. Even if he himself wasn't particularly good at it, that wasn't necessarily a trait he wanted to pass on. There were a lot of traits he hoped he wouldn't pass on.

Trying to put that thought aside, Addershade approached the bank and aimed for a passing fish. His claws made contact with the water just a second to late, and the fish quickly swam off. He let out a short, vaguely disappointed sigh.

Well, guess it'll be a lesson on failure after all

"I moved a little too slowly on that one," Addershade said, nodding at the bank. "So you can see that even with experience, it doesn't always work out. But that's alright, of course. There will always be the next one," he smiled, trying his best to show grace even in the face of his mistake. That was a skill he hoped all his kits would learn. Perhaps his other kit's mentors would be better at imparting it than he was, but since he was Applepaw's mentor, he would still try his best to show the young tom the way.

Addershade used 5 SP to attempt to catch a fish. Catch was unsuccessful.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 8

Applepaw watched as his father attempted to catch a fish. Suprisingly to the young tom, he missed. Applepaw realized that not everything could be perfect every time. He once again tried to catch a fish, sighting a fish swimming along the shore line. He swatted at it with his paw. As he snagged a fish on his paw, he grinned, pulling it out.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4