Blood Sunrise

Before Blossomstep, the deputy had kept practically nocturnal hours, staying out into the very early morning hours, returning to camp as the sun peeked over the horizon, and sleeping until well after sunhigh just to start it all over again. He still did that, sometimes, to tire himself out when he was unable to quiet his mind enough for sleep - especially since his mate had been in the nursery with their litter. Last night had been one of those nights, and the deputy found himself returning to camp as the first rays of light bathed the forest, casting a hazy pink glow across the SkyClan territory. He hadn't meant to stay out so late, especially knowing that today was Bloodpaw's first training session, but there was nothing he could do to change it now.

Padding towards the Apprentices' den, Wolfcall poked his head in, identifying his son and weaving through the apprentices to get to him. A nose pressed to the young tom's flank, a single quiet request following: "Wake up, kiddo. Time to head out." With that, he quit the den and headed outside to wait, settling beside the entrance to the camp and wetting a paw to draw it across the top of his head.

Truth be told, Bloodpaw hadn't slept all that great. He had been more excited than anything to be an apprentice to his father and had been eagerly awaiting the day that his training began. This was a time that he felt more than privileged to be Wolfcall's only son. Was that why his father had chosen him? Was it because he actually saw potential in Bloodpaw? He didn't know. He wasn't even sure he wanted to ask, afraid of what the answer may be. He imagined the truth of this matter would be revealed in time anyway, so all he needed to do was listen, learn and wait.

His father woke him in the wee hours of the morning, shortly after Bloodpaw finally managed to catch a few REM cycles, but it didn't matter that much. As soon as his grogginess wore off and the confusion of being woken up so early vanished, excitement flooded his veins and his heart raced. Who needed sleep? Bloodpaw followed his father out and found him to be sitting and patiently waiting.

"So what are we doing today?" Bloodpaw whispered excitedly, trying not to wake anyone else. His paws flexed and his claws gouged the earth beneath them as he barely bottled up his excitement. Hunting? Fighting? Super special Skyclan battle maneuvers? Fishing at the river (please Starclan, no)? He couldn't wait to know what his first training session would be. Wolfcall could have literally read his mind and answered five times by now and he still wouldn't be talking fast enough for the excited tom.

It was only a moment or two of waiting before Bloodpaw came to him, looking as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as one could, being woken up at this hour. Wolfcall's head tilted at the question, and he waved his tail in a "come along" sort of gesture, brushing the tip of Bloodpaw's ears with it as he rose to all fours. What would they be doing today? He hadn't made up a specific plan, per se... Foxfire had started by teaching him to hunt, but was that the right call for Bloodpaw? He'd been watching the kits, assessing strengths and weaknesses, and he had to admit that there were aspects of Bloodpaw's personality that... intrigued him.

"Well..." the deputy rumbled softly as he led his apprentice through the trees. "What would you like to do? Hunting? Exploring? Training?" He glanced sideways, interested to see what Bloodpaw would choose.

Boodpaw followed his father and mentor with a less hurried walk than other kittens at six moons might. Bloodpaw's size was becoming apparent, as most kittens at this age weighed around 6lbs... but Bloodpaw probably weighed closer to 8. He certainly stood a good two inches or so taller at the shoulder than his sisters. His paws were over-sized and his legs were so lanky it gave him a clumsy, gawky-like appearance. His gait was a bit awkward, as it was for many kittens at their half-way point to adulthood. At the question of what he wanted to do... well... the first thing that came to mind was...

Sparring! I want to learn to fight! There was a gleam in his bright green eyes and an excited tension rippled throughout the muscles in his body. He opened his mouth to say it just as a thought almost violently stopped him short of allowing the first word to pass his lips. Fighting.... it would do himself a great favor... but the clan as a whole benefited more from other tasks that he could learn. Sure, they needed good soldiers too, but was that really necessary to learn right at this moment? He was a big apprentice, but his father was still larger and so were many of the toms in the clan. If he trained to fight right now and throughout the week when the clan's camp was suddenly attacked... well.... his training did him little good at that point. A larger, more experienced warrior would rend him to ribbons and quickly move to the next fight. The fire in Bloodpaw's eyes dimmed as he weighed what would benefit the clan more and his own selfish desires. His eyes went to the ground as the wheels turned in his head, clearly struggling with his decision.

He took in a long, deep breath before he finally answered.

"I think I would benefit the clan most if I learned to hunt early. The exploration will happen as we go... Maybe once I have added to the fresh-kill pile a little, I would like to be rewarded with a lengthy sparring instruction?" He was asking toward the end, because while he would do what was best for the clan, he saw no harm in being asked to be rewarded for his hard work. He didn't feel it was selfish, as he had put the needs of the clan first, but whether or not his father approved of his decision making was yet to be seen.

Interesting choice of words, Wolfcall thought to himself, letting out a low hmmmmm sound as he paused to stare down at his son. It was clear, almost painfully so, that Bloodpaw wanted to learn fighting first, and had been very close to voicing that before stopping himself. Had he been required to guess, the deputy would have been right - his observations about his son's temperament had pointed to an inclination towards... if not violence, at the very least, conflict. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing by any means. SkyClan needed capable warriors just as much as it needed fruitful hunters, but it was a propensity that needed to be guided and shaped into appropriate channels. And that was what Wolfcall intended to do.

"That's a very noble aspiration, son," he said approvingly. "The clan should come first, that's correct, however... your happiness is important, too. Never lose sight of that. But you're correct, we should start with hunting first - but not just because it benefits the clan most. While hunting, you have to be aware of every single part of your body: nose, whiskers, tail, toes..." Wolfcall dropped into a hunting crouch, wait evenly distributed across all of his limbs, and took several steps forward, making absolutely no sound on the leaf-carpeted forest floor.

"Even the slightest wrong move..." he intentionally leaned too heavily on one foreleg, and a tiny twig cracked beneath its weight, "... the game is up, and you go home hungry."

Straightening, Wolfcall met Bloodpaw's gaze. "When you have control over your entire form that way, it not only aids in hunting, but in fighting, too. Do you understand?"

[ooc: do you need an explanation of the hunting system?]

[OOC: I read it. I think I understand. Just coach as we go if I need to fix something. Bloodpaw might try for a squirrel. Also maybe some history at some point as well. Righteous Few? Skyclan came to be despite there supposed to only be four clans? I haven't looked at any of this, since I try to only know what Bloodpaw is supposed to know to avoid metagaming temptation]

His father's answer surprised him. Bloodpaw's own happiness mattered too? That was okay? A warm rush of relief washed over him. He should have known he couldn't hide his true desires from someone as keen-eyed as his own dad. It brought a smile to the apprentice's face, then he watched as Wolfcall dropped into a crouch. Bloodpaw really strained his ears to listen for even the tiniest sound and heard absolutely none. At least, not until Wolfcall purposely snapped a twig. Upon questioning whether ot not he understood, Bloodpaw didn't just answer yes right away. He allowed the words to run through his head a few times and slowly processed them before he nodded once.

"I have to learn to balance first," He was relaying the feedback of what he understood as clearly as he could. "I have to learn to use my body and to trust it. I have to hone my mental stillness... correct?" He hoped this was at least mostly acceptable to say. Bloodpaw did his best to crouch and copy his father's movements, with a little bit of the tail trick that Redfall had taught him when he was a kit. Bloodpaw's tail went almost perfectly straight out behind him so as to clear the ground beneath him, leaves, twigs, grass... all of it.

"Very good," Wolfcall commented, moving to stand beside Bloodpaw as he, too, dropped to practice his crouch. "The key to making sure that you make no noise as you move is to make sure you know exactly where your paws are going at all times. The easiest way to do this, is to put your back paw exactly in the space where your front paw vacates as you move forward. Know exactly where all of your limbs are at all times." He lifted a paw to gently lower Bloodpaw's rump just a smidge, nodding approvingly. "Your form is good, let's try it out?"

Beckoning for his apprentice to follow, Wolfcall slipped into the foliage, eyes peeled for prey. A squirrel, picking around the base of a tree, came into view and the dark tom froze, tilting his head towards it. He lowered, voice barely above a whisper. "Go ahead, I'll wait here, and watch."

[OOC: A 1-8 will be a successful hunt! A 9 is a fail and a 10 is a predator encounter! To roll, you hit "preview" before you submit your post and select "hunting dice" down at the bottom!)

Bloodpaw listened intently and nodded his understanding. His haunches have easily under the gentle paw of his mentor. Ah, there it is! The familiar ache of a correct hunting position. His body still need just a bit more fine tuning, he supposed. He crept forward after Wolfcall, slipping surprisingly silently through the forest. He felt excitement course through his veins. He was getting the hang of this.

Bloodpaw's eyes landed on the squirrel. He made a mental note to mind the teeth. He didn't want to lose a toe if he managed to catch the little bugger. Wolfcall told him to hunt it, so hunt it he would. Bloodpaw crept forward with agonizing slowness at first, but once he was sure his form was correct and he could hear that he was making no noise, his confidence grew and he stalked forward like a practiced hunter.

The gap between himself and the squirrel closed...



~ EDIT AFTER DICE ROLL BELOW ~


Bloodpaw kicked hard off of the ground and threw himself towards the squirrel, claws outstretched in anticipation of an impact. The squirrel however, turned out to have reflexes about on par with a cat's and dashed up the nearest tree. Bloodpaw's paws gouged the earth where the squirrel was less than a second ago. No you don't! Bloodpaw thought to himself as a growl ripped from his throat and he gave chase. He buried his claws into the tree bark and scrambled up after the squirrel, keeping up with the tree rat even as it spiraled it's way up the tree trunk. Chunks of bark fell from the pine that they clambered up, hunter and prey alike. The squirrel turned sharply and zipped away across a tree branch that got thinner and thinner quickly, hoping to stop the cat from chasing after it. Bloodpaw grit his teeth and forced his legs to keep moving, throwing his tail this way and that way for balance along the limb as it tapered off. The squirrel reached the end of the branch and leaped for the next one belonging to a neighboring tree. Bloodpaw leaped with it, albeit a bit further back since the limb would have otherwise gave way beneath his weight and he would have fell.

Both squirrel and apprentice made it to the neighboring branch, much to the squirrel's surprise as it panicked and desperately tried to leap to the side instead of forward. Bloodpaw's claws swiped the squirrel's hind legs out from under it, ruining it's leap and caused it to plummet instead of sail across. Bloodpaw didn't have time to think. He simple jumped down after it. falling with the squirrel...

The tree rat landed with a thud just before Bloodpaw's claws landed upon its soft body. The squirrel whipped it's body around like a snake and made an attempt to bite the cat's front leg to get it to let go. Bloodpaw struck his own fangs down as well and placed them perfectly into the throat as well as the spine of his prey. A sharp sting on his foreleg told him that he'd at least been grazed by the rodent's sharp teeth, but it wasn't immense pain, so it must not have been an actual bite. The squirrel kicked it's last few times before finally going limp.

Bloodpaw had done it!

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

---

'Hunting Dice' : 5

Settled down beneath the shadow of a bush, Wolfcall's eyes followed Bloodpaw as he advanced, appraising his technique with an expert eye. He wasgood, better than the deputy himself had been at that age, surely, and Wolfcall as both his mentor and his father, was impressed. He rose as the squirrel darted up the tree, ready to offer his sympathies and compliment him on the excellent form, but without a second thought, the young cat was up the tree right after his prey.

Breath catching in his throat, Wolfcall immediately rose, following beneath Bloodpaw on the ground as he traversed the limb. If he could have gone pale, he would have, seeing his son leap from one bough to the next, but for Bloodpaw it seemed to come to him as easily as hunting on the ground did for Wolfcall. The deputy had never really learned to hunt in the trees the same way the rest of SkyClan did, but it didn't scare him, either... not until he found himself watching his son dart along a branch ten fox-lengths above him. He resisted the urge to call out, not wanting to startle his apprentice into making a mistake, so he just held his breath, watching, waiting.

Then the squirrel plummeted, and Bloodpaw leaped after it, leaving Wolfcall to just offer a silent prayer to StarClan that he wouldn't be dragging the fresh apprentice back to camp with a broken leg. Thankfully, it didn't seem as if Bloodpaw was injured, but the deputy trotted over to circle him once, just to make sure. "That was the most impressive catch I have ever seen," he told him seriously. "The last time I tried to catch a squirrel, I smacked my head on a rock." He grinned at the memory, swiping his tongue across Bloodpaw's ears affectionately with a shake of his head.

[OOC: any questions about SkyClan or the RF will have to come from Bloodpaw and be posed to Wolf - he wouldn't voluntarily bring up those topics with an apprentice but he also wouldn't dodge the questions if asked~]

Bloodpaw held the squirrel firmly in his jaws and breathed heavily, his sides heaving with the effort. The adrenaline hadn't quite worn off yet, but he could tell that when he did, he was going to be needing some food and a short nap once he fully calmed down. Even he didn't know he could do that. He'd climbed trees a bit as a kit and here and there as an apprentice for a better look at things, but he'd never ran full tilt across branches and certainly never jumped across any. But all Bloodpaw could focus on in those moments was the squirrel and the fact that his dad was watching him. It was far more important to impress his dad than to catch the squirrel, so it was that and that alone that made his brain ignore the risk of injury to achieve that goal. Once his father approached, Bloodpaw straightened up, triumphant, with the squirrel body hanging from his teeth. The slight sting on his foreleg barely even registered, though now that it had a little time to be exposed to oxygen, some small spots of red liquid began to surface. It wasn't a horrific injury, but one that may need to be cleaned to avoid infection. Squirrel bites, even just being scraped by the teeth, could be nasty.


Upon Wolfcall's compliment... Bloodpaw was immediately rejuvenated. There was no fatigue. There had been no danger. His nerve endings came to life with warmth and there was a tingling pressure inside his chest that made him feel like he just might burst. Almost involuntarily, Bloodpaw stood up almost awkwardly straight. His tail and head were high and he barely suppressed the urge to stand on the tips of his toes. The scratch from the squirrel's teeth were completely forgotten. Bloodpaw gave the squirrel in his mouth one final strong bite downward to be sure it wasn't just playing dead. Despite the added pressure, it didn't move. Convinced that the squirrel would not escape and take his euphoric sense of achievement with it, he lowered the body to the ground and released it.


"I was so scared that I wasn't going to catch it..." Bloodpaw admitted. He smiled a big smile and his tail twitched with the left over excitement.

"The only thing that mattered to me was catching it because I wanted..." He stopped once he realized what he was saying and wondered if it would be... awkward? Are toms supposed to talk like this? Oh well, he figured he may as well finish it because he'd already started. Teasing or no teasing afterward... "I wanted you to be happy with me." Oh yeah... awkward. There it is. Hello awkward feelings.... Bloodpaw's ears rotated back behind him and he quickly looked away. He snapped the squirrel back up in his jaws just to be doing something as his face burned a bit.

"To the fresh-kill pile, or... where now?" He asked through a mouthful of squirrel body.

[OOC: Okay, we'll get to that at some point if not later in this thread.]

Wolfcall smiled, shaking his head as the obvious embarrassment made Bloodpaw turn away from him. He lifted a paw to ruffle the fur atop his son's head, "I'm always going to be happy with you. And proud. That's not something you have to worry about, kid. Ever."

He nudged Bloodpaw back in the direction of camp, "Usually we'd bury it and keep hunting, but being as this is a training session and not a hunting patrol, we can head back. Don't want to overwork you on your first day out, and I can catch something on the way back."

[OOC: we can end the topic here and start a new one if you'd like, post border mischief,]