Morning Mist [Closed]

Foxfire watched carefully as Mistpaw climbed, pacing at the bottom and ready to jump into action if anything happened. Even the most skilled cats would slip up - he wanted to have faith in Mistpaw's skills but...Well, it was much better to be safe than sorry. He couldn't deny the bundle of fear and doubt that lingered in him as she went higher and higher, breath catching as he felt that familiar fear of somebody else falling from the trees. That was perhaps the worst thing about his fears - it wasn't just that he was afraid for him...No, he was afraid for everybody who dared to climb into the branches and this was Mistpaw's first attempt...

His eyes remained trained on her as she reached the tom, a soft frown on his face as he had asked her just to get to the lowest branch but...Well, perhaps she was just a little determined to show off. He however smiled softly as she called down to him, watching as she slowly started to hop her way down...Until her back paws slipped when she was so close to the bottom. His eyes widen at her scream, legs pushing from the ground and he threw himself onto the tree - quickly scrambling up to the branch she was hanging from. "Hold on, Mistpaw!" he meowed as he scooted along the length of the branch until he reached her, leaning over to grab her scruff before he pulled her onto the safety of the branch. He didn't dare let go until he had pulled her to one of the thinker parts of the branch where she could safety catch her breath and find her paws. "Are you okay?" he asked as he leaned back, resting against the rough bark of the trunk.

As Foxfire picked her up by the scruff and set her down again, Mistpaw felt her legs trembling. “Uhm...yeah. Fine. Totally.” Her fur was definitely standing on end and she couldn’t smooth it down. Mistpaw was rattled, but she had felt...powerful when she was standing up on the branch. No wonder us SkyClan cats like to climb trees... “I—I think that’s enough tree climbing for now...should we move back to hunting, please?” Her voice turned soft once more, and she tried to steady herself.

((Should we spark a predator encounter?))

OOC: Sure! Also sorry for taking so long in posting, I was slacking.

IC: Foxfire smiled softly as Mistpaw steadied herself, giving a nod of his head. "Of course. Remember, there is no shame in avoiding trees if you don't feel suited to it or to take your time getting used to it. It took me moons to get the courage to climb trees again." With that, he crouched and hopped down to the lowest branch, before making the jump to the ground. "Come on, we still have plenty we can hunt befo..." he drifted off, his mouth hanging open as a new scent caught his attention. It didn't belong to prey, it belonged to... Oh no. "Mistpaw, stay in the tree! There is a raccoo-" that was about as far as he got before a new shape came bursting from the shadows of the undergrowth, a gray and black body tackling him.

He yowled in surprised as the raccoon knocked him to the ground, claws raking at his fur. He growled wrestled with it, trying to knock it off of him. He managed to get his legs underneath its underbelly, kicking out with all the force he could muster to knocked it away. It squealed as it hit the ground and rolled as Foxfire jumped to his paws, shaking his head. Looking at it, he could see it looked rather starving. It must have heard Mistpaw's yowl for help - hoping that she was injured and would serve as easy enough prey. Luckily it wasn't so and Foxfire was certain that he could send the raccoon fleeing easy enough. It made another leap at him, but he easily drove it back with a flurry of claws, eyes glancing toward the branches above as he hoped that Mistpaw was staying safe.

Wild Raccoon appeared and used Quick Swipe, dealing 20 damage and costing 10 stamina.
Foxfire used Rear-up to Slash on Wild Raccoon dealing 17 damage and costing 15 stamina

Foxfire:
80/100 HP (-20 HP)
265/280 SP (-15 SP)

Wild Raccoon:
13/30 HP (-17 HP)
290/300 SP (-10 SP)

Mistpaw scrambled away as a raccoon attacked her mentor. Her heart beat faster and faster. Mistpaw didn’t want to fight, but seeing her mentor hurt made her angry. More than angry. Rage filled her gaze as it attacked Foxfire. She had grown rather fond of him. “I’m not leaving! You can’t fight it alone!” She yowled, before charging towards the fox and diving towards it’s belly, kicking at it hard.

Mistpaw used belly rake. It costed her 10 SP and caused 7 HP to the raccoon
Foxfire:
80/100 HP (-20 HP)
265/280 SP (-15 SP)

Wild Raccoon:
6/30 HP (-7 HP)
290/300 SP (-10 SP)

Mistpaw:
20/20
70/80

Foxfire winced slightly as Mistpaw came scrambling down the tree. Bird feathers. He had been planning to try to chase it off - maybe he could have killed it by himself but he hadn't been planning to risk it. But...He had to be impressed with Mistpaw's spirits - she seemed like a completely different cat from the nervous she-cat he had left camp with. He was impressed and proud at her courage and simply gave her a nod as he charged into battle. The raccoon had turned to face its new opponent, claws raising to strike at Mistpaw but its attention was stolen as Foxfire leapt at it, tackling it to the ground.

The two wrestled once more, claws striking out from both sides until finally Foxfire got a lucky shot at its throat - blood quickly starting to pool around it as it thrashed in its death throes before it finally grew still. Foxfire staggered away, breathing hard as he took account for the scratches that lined his pelt. None seemed that deep - the raccoon had been starving and hadn't put up much of a fight when it came to actually giving him any injuries that would linger for long. He would be fine, it hurt but...Well, he had survived much worse in the past. He turned to glance at Mistpaw, a worried look filling his eyes. "Are you okay, Mistpaw? I...I remember how scary your first predator encounter can be," he murmured as he stepped toward her, giving a scornful glance at the dead raccoon. "Luckily that wasn't a very tough raccoon. That could have been a lot worse."


Wild Raccoon appeared and used Quick Swipe, dealing 20 damage and costing 10 stamina.
Foxfire used Jumping Strike on Wild Raccoon, dealing 15 damage and costing 20 stamina, killing it.

Foxfire:
60/100 HP (-20 HP)
245/280 SP (-20 SP)

Wild Raccoon:
0/30 HP (-15 HP)
280/300 SP (-10 SP)

Mistpaw panted, nodding steadily even though fear coursed through her veins. “Are you hurt?” Her mentor had taken a couple of serious slashes. Mistpaw padded towards her catch, lifting the mouse up. “Do you think we should hunt more or...should you go to the medicine cat den?” She was a bit frightened for her mentor. Mistpaw wasn’t a medicine cat, she didn’t know his condition. “I—I can hunt by myself if you’d like...” She stared at the raccoon once more before shifting away, not wanting to touch something that was dead.

Foxfire glanced at his wounds, before he flashed Mistpaw a soft smile. "A little, but trust me - these are nothing. I doubt they will even scar. Or if they do, it won't be noticeable even with my short fur. I've suffered and survived much worse," he meowed, raising a paw to brush against some of the scars that lined his face. At her question if they should hunt more or just head back, he mused on it but quickly shook his head when she offered to hunt by herself. "Nope, no way am I allowing you to be out here by yourself. Apprentices should never be out of the camp by themselves, mostly when they haven't had their battle training. We'll get to it soon but...I think its best to head back. Let you relax after something like that. We can hunt more tomorrow and also go over the basics on how to fight," he meowed as he jerked his head for her to follow him.

"But...You did do great, Mistpaw. You were very brave, coming to my aid like that. I'm sure you will be a great warrior in due time and the proper training. Your parents should be very proud of you. And your littermates - I am sure you will all make SkyClan great."

Mistpaw nodded, before padding next to Foxfire. With a sly grin, she turned back to her mentor. “Now can I make my Dad jealous?” She imagined herself, a tiny she-kit, trying to show her dad how to hunt on the trees and leap around in the branches. Mistpaw let out a rare, but small purr and bounced around on her paws when she thought about showing Adderpaw and Bloodpaw her new techniques and skills. Maybe meeting new cats wasn’t so terrible after all...

A soft laugh escaped Foxfire as he glanced over to his apprentice. "I'm sure the tale of today will do just fine on that! Not only climbing trees but bravery jumping from one to save little old me? You won't just make him jealous, you will make him proud!" he praised. He smiled as he thought back on his first day out with Wolfcall, a purr of his own rising as he thought about how proud he was of his old apprentice. "You know, I didn't even mean to get Wolfcall as my apprentice. It was....Kinda of a panic choice on my end. When Tinylegs stepped down and Spottedstar became leader, he made me deputy. I barely knew what I was doing so...The first ceremony I had to do, I panicked and gave Wolfcall to me because I didn't know who else to give him to. I...Actually gave the first three apprentices I did ceremonies for to me, in hindsight."

Mistpaw listened wide-eyed as Foxfire told her about his deputy days. “Wolfcall, uh, paw...my Dad...he was your apprentice but you gave him to yourself as a panic choice? Wow...I can’t imagine the pressure...” No wonder leaders, deputies or the lot, always step down... Turning back to her mentor, Mistpaw asked, “Who’s Tinylegs? I heard about him...but never met him before. They say he’s really...grumpy.”

"Yeah, the pressure was why I didn't make it as deputy," he admitted, his voice growing soft as he reflected on those events. It...Wasn't his proudest moments, the way he was...He was self-destructing in that position. He didn't really regret stepping down, it had been for the best! But...He still couldn't shake the feeling that he had let Spottedstar down on some level. "I just...Couldn't be what I thought everybody expected me to be. My head told me that every praise they gave me was...Fake. Just to make me feel better. That I wasn't good enough and...And so I stepped down. Those thoughts happen from time to time but they were getting bad as deputy. As a warrior, I don't feel that pressure anymore and I just feel...Much happier. Wolfcall is a much better deputy than I was - he makes me proud, seeing him in that position."

He paused as Mistpaw questioned about Tinylegs, causing the warrior to pause as he tried to think up an answer to that. He hadn't really interacted with Tinylegs much, even before he had retired. His view on the leader was a bit colored but... "Well, Tinylegs was Tinystar when I was born. I don't know much about his past, I never interacted with him much but...I know that his leadership wasn't a good one. He made...Ah, questionable choices," he noted, ears slicking back at the memories of the trial Burningsun had put on in the camp against the leader. "He ended up stepping down shortly after his previous deputy had been killed and he had lost a life. He was pretty old and I guess it was expected. I don't blame him for being grumpy if he is. Like I said, things haven't been easy for him. He has lost a lot and has been through a lot. But he is still an elder and once leader so he does deserve respect, grumpy or not."