fulfilling promises (closed)

The noon-day sun sat overhead as Olivestone made her way into the camp clearing. Stifling a yawn, she glanced around camp for the little gray tabby kit that looked so much like herself, hoping to fulfill the promise she'd made to Morningkit the previous night during her sentry duty. The kit reminded Olivestone so much of herself, so eager and ready to learn, even if she was always two steps ahead of herself.

She ran a paw over her ears as she waited, taking the time to smooth down any unruly clumps of fur. She took her time, basking in the weak leaf-bare sun, enjoying its warmth. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Morningkit making a beeline for the new warrior.
She's nearing apprentice age, I should talk to Finchstar about being her mentor soon...

When Morningkit had skidded to a stop beside her, she smiled and asked,
"Are you ready for your first adventure out of camp?"

The she-kit had been awake for what felt like moons- no, seasons. Entire clans had risen and fallen in the time between her waking up and this moment-- okay, that might be pushing it a little, but Morningkit was eager. She'd been practicing her hunting techniques since sunup, her fluffy paws batting around a ball of moss and her tiny teeth snarling whenever it got too close. To her credit, the kit's technique wasn't abysmal- it was merely pitifully bad, which was more than could reasonably be expected given her lack of training (though certainly not lack of enthusiasm).

She toyed with the moss for some time, unleashing upon it her most stealthy crouch-leap-pounce-claw advanced combo attacks (which inevitably ended up in faceplanting into the ground with little dignity - she'd caught a glance of one of the other warriors doing something similar, though, so surely she was onto something!)- until finally, finally, her new friend stepped into the clearing--

"Olivestone!", she called out, barreling towards the warrior and skidding to a halt

"Are you ready for your--" "Yes!" "--first adventure--" "Yes!" "--out of camp?"

And oh, how ready she was. Her first step towards becoming a warrior! Every cat must know how to hunt sooner or later, and for Morningkit, sooner was always preferable- "I'm ready."

Olivestone couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Morningkit's enthusiasm, and rose to her paws. She led the way out of camp and onto the moor, keeping a careful eye on the sky to make sure that there were no birds of prey about. When the pair had gotten a sufficient distance from camp, and she could see rabbits on the next hill, she stopped.
"Now, you're too young to try to catch rabbits, as much as you won't like hearing that, but rabbits and hares have powerful hind legs. They can deliver kicks that can stun warriors, or worse, if they get kicked to the face, can break jaws. I know you want to catch something though, so maybe we can find a rodent or two! The moor always has a few of those around."

With one last look to the sky to make sure there were no birds, she turned her attention to the rabbits nibbling the new growth on the next hill.
"For now, just watch me. Your turn will come later."

She stalked forward through the grass, the wind blowing towards her. When she was close enough, she burst out of the grass at a full sprint, and easily caught the rabbits unawares. The rabbit she chose kicked out as she caught up to it, and brought it down, rolling once with it. She found her paws again and pinned the rabbit, quickly ending its life with a quick bite to the back of the neck.

She dragged the rabbit back to the hill where she'd left Morningkit, and set it down in front of her.
"So, what did you notice about my technique?"

Catching rodents was child's play- and sure, Morningkit may have been a child, but even so, she desired a worthy opponent! She opened her mouth to object, but at Olivestone's warning, blinked twice and nodded, dropping to a crouch and watching intently. From start to finish, the whole attack took less than a minute- but under Morningkit's attentive gaze, it felt to the kit like hours of careful concentration. She'd spent the entire trek to the moor asking far too many questions, and this was her chance not just to find out the answers, but to see them put into effect- and so, when Olivestone returned, the tabby meowed,

"Surprise." A moment passed, and then she continued, "You tried really hard to make sure it didn't notice you! The wind was blowing towards you so it couldn't smell you, and you kept really low and sneaky in the grass so it couldn't see you, and you were really quiet so it couldn't hear you, and then when you attacked, you were so close it couldn't run!"

Morningkit beamed, looked down at the dead rabbit for a moment, and then said, "And the actual fight- I didn't really see that too well, it was over really fast, but- you went for the neck, and because you're really strong and fast you could pin it down really easily."

"How about for someone who isn't as strong or fast?"

Olivestone was pleased at Morningkit's careful observation, and nodded at the kit's response.
"Good! Most WindClan warriors can outrun a rabbit, but it takes more energy to do so from long distances. The first thing you do is to make sure the rabbit can't smell you, then to creep up on it as best as you can, which you saw me do."

"Though, when I hit the rabbit, I rolled, and that's because I was going too fast. Hunting rabbits isn't about being the fastest, it's about speed control. Every warrior has rolled with a rabbit a few times, but a seasoned warrior knows to slow up just enough to where they won't overshoot their target, but not too much, which would let the rabbit get away."

She glanced up at the sky once more, flicking her tail in relief at the clear blue.
"For cats that are not as fast or strong, try to get closer before sprinting, and try to make a quick kill. A rabbit has less time to fight back if they're dead before they can kick. Though, with time, you'll get stronger and faster, and can take on a rabbit, even with a little bit of a messy kill. It's all a matter of experience and time."

"Whoah..." The seed of an idea had been planted long ago in Morningkit's mind, but with Olivestone's explanation came a new determination, a new resolve to be a warrior, no matter what it took- but even still, one critical piece of the puzzle was missing.

"So if you go too slow, it'll run, and then you'll have to chase it down- and if you go too fast, you'll roll and it'll be able to try and escape or kick you or something... and make sure you're close enough to make it quick!", Morningkit summarised, taking in the new information with wide eyes and an awed expression, and then asked, "But how do you get that close without making any noise?"

Olivestone nodded at the summation, and demonstrated a stalking crouch.
"Pretty much. Now, to sneak up on something, you crouch down like I'm doing. Keep your tail down, but not dragging the ground, and keep your steps light. There may not be twigs and other undergrowth to step on or brush against like in the forest, but rabbits have ears, and big ones, at that. They're good at listening, so a good rule of thumb is to try and make any sounds blend into the natural sounds of the wind and the grass."

Morningkit gave a firm nod, copying Olivestone's pose as best she could- not perfectly, far from it, but much better than earlier with the moss-ball as her prey. Her tail swished against the ground for a moment instinctively, and she glanced back at it sheepishly before readjusting her pose and looking to Olivestone for approval. "Tail low, but not too low; steps light, and sound like the wind and grass... how's this?"

The kit paused for a moment, and then meowed softly, "And I know you said rabbits are too strong and they can break my bones and I really shouldn't try and hunt one... but-" The tabby raised a paw to gesture across the grass to a brown-and-red limping furry blob not too far off. "That one's bleeding pretty bad from its back legs, and it doesn't look like it's paying attention, and I think- maybe- I could try and surprise it! Can I try?", she pleaded, looking up at Olivestone with those big kitty eyes. How can anyone say no to that?

Olivestone looked over at the rabbit that Morningkit was referring to. She tilted her head and squinted as she gauged how dangerous the injured rabbit could be. The rabbit was definitely favoring one of its hind legs, and didn't look like it could run very far.
"Looks like that one got some claws but got away in the end. I suppose you could try to catch it, though on one condition. I stalk along with you, and stay close enough to intervene if needed."

Morningkit took a careful step forwards, already on her way as soon as Olivestone had finished speaking- she gives an enthusiastic nod back towards the warrior, and then turns to face the injured rabbit, just about visible through the grass. She ran through the checklist of stealthy things in her head:

Stay downwind so it can't smell you... Surely enough, the wind blew towards the kit, rustling the grass slightly- just enough to let her take a few more slow, careful steps.

Stay low, and out of sight... The grass acted as near-perfect visual concealment, especially for a kit- with such a small profile, even an eagle would have had a hard time spotting her from this angle.

Tail low, but not too low... and move with the wind and grass. The kit kept her tail as still as she could as she crept forwards- ten feet... seven... five...

... three-- the rabbit froze, lifting its nose to wiggle in the air, sniffing- and Morningkit pounced!--

((Morningkit attempted to catch a rabbit, costing 5 SP. 5/5 HP, 10/15 SP. She failed miserably and ran into a predator!))

-- but the rabbit bolted, limping away as fast as its bloodied legs could carry it- but curiously enough, not directly away from Morningkit, but more perpendicular to her, as if avoiding something else entirely. The cat paused, confused, looking back at Olivestone for a moment before peering into the grass nearby, frowning...

"... uhm. Olivestone. There's-- a bird. A really big bird-- it's looking at me-"

---------

The horrible goose HONKED, dealing no damage but scaring the heck out of a poor kit!

Horrible Goose
40 / 40 HP
130 / 130 SP

Olivestone
40 / 40 HP
120 / 120 SP

Morningkit (is terrified!)
5 / 5 HP
10 / 15 SP

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 10

Oh, StarClan.
Olivestone bolted out of her spot to stand between Morningkit and the goose. She pinned her ears and arched her back, before letting out a hiss at the goose.
Quickly looking back at Morningkit, she called back,
"Hide, but don't go too far!"

She turned back to the goose and spat, before launching towards it, claws extended. She leaped onto its back, and held it down while clawing at it.

Olivestone used Leap-and-Hold, dealing 8 damage and costing 5 stamina, as she's actively protecting a kit. The goose is stunned for one turn.

Horrible Goose
32 / 40 HP (-8)
130 / 130 SP

Olivestone
40 / 40 HP
115 / 120 SP (-5)

Morningkit
5 / 5 HP
10 / 15 SP

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

---

'Effect Dice' : 3

The goose hissed, struggling against the warrior's grasp ineffectively and trying to beat its wings to free itself- but to no avail! Unable to free itself, the bird let out another loud honk, startling the kit even further, and undoubtedly alerting any rabbits that might have missed the first.

Morningkit gave a shaky nod, flattening herself against the ground and watching closely- both to observe Olivestone's fighting style (and learn how to deal with geese), and out of excitement and- if she's being perfectly honest- fear. A cat never forgets their first predator, and Morningkit knew this one would stick in her memory forever.

Horrible Goose (is stunned!)
32 / 40 HP
130 / 130 SP

Olivestone
40 / 40 HP
115 / 120 SP

Morningkit (is hiding!)
5 / 5 HP
10 / 15 SP

Olivestone jumped off of the goose's back right as it gathered the strength to shake her off. She then turned and reared up on her hind legs, and brought her claws down in a slash.

Olivestone used Rear Up to Slash, dealing 9 damage, and costing 10 stamina, as she's actively protecting a kit.

Horrible Goose
23 / 40 HP (-9)
130 / 130 SP

Olivestone
40 / 40 HP
105 / 120 SP (-10)

Morningkit
5 / 5 HP
10 / 15 SP