teaching, learning [closed]

“Firepaw!”

Redfall made no attempt to keep his voice down. Although most mentors preferred to take their trainees out at the break of dawn, he preferred getting some sleep. He was pretty sure Firepaw would too. The ginger warrior glanced around, looking for his apprentice. She was easy to find, being one of the few apprentices in the den. The others had already been taken out. Stepping closer, Redfall nudged Firepaw awake. He wiggled out of the den, flexing his shoulder muscles. Had it really been that long since he had slept in that very same den? It seemed as if only last sunrise, Swansong had been taking him out for his first day of training. Tearing his mind from memories, Redfall squinted at the sun. It was sure to be a warm day. The Moonlit Creek would be as good a place as any to hunt with Firepaw - an easy place for a first hunt. There was always prey out on these warm Newleaf days, drinking from the cool water. It was also a good place for learning how to climb, always an important skill for SkyClanners. And... Redfall wanted to re-experience the good times he'd had with Swansong and Wrenspring - Wrenpaw, back then. It was settled. Moonlit Creek. Taking a deep breath, Redfall turned around to face the apprentice’s den, waiting for Firepaw to come out.

He was wondering what, exactly, Wolfcall had seen in him as a mentor. He wasn’t complaining, but there were more capable warriors. Maybe it was because he’d had a bond with the kit already. Thinking about it, maybe it was because Firepaw was more inclined to think through everything a bit too much whereas he did the opposite. Perhaps the deputy thought they’d balance eachother out. Wolfcall was smarter than Redfall’d given him credit for. The ginger warrior’s tail flicked as Firepaw approached, and he nodded to her. ”First day of training. You excited?”

((hi im so sorry this took me forever to get to, i've been v tired lately!! thank u for patience ✰))

And just like that, Firepaw's first day as an apprentice was beginning. She wanted to think she was ready- she'd said she was ready, of course, at the Ceremony the day before- but if saying was being, then all the Clan cats would be lions and tigers. No, Firepaw was as unprepared as she'd ever been; her sleep was restless in the unfamiliar atmosphere of the apprentice's den, and the she-cat was trying not to shake with nerves as she pushed herself to her paws. So much for staying as cool as a Leafbare day, hm? This was, after all, Redfall's first impression of Firepaw - of course he had met Firekit (and hopefully left with a positive opinion), but that was some time ago, and her performance today had to be nothing less than perfect.

So with a deep breath and a firm nod to herself, Firepaw stepped out into the midday sun, tilting her head at the older tom's question. Despite their differing approach to life, she respected her mentor, Firepaw had no doubt about that- so her answer to his question merited serious consideration. Am I excited?, the apprentice thought, the gears in her mind turning as she considered the possible answers. Excitement would convey a sense of readiness, possibly preparedness- but also a hint of immaturity. I don't want to seem like I'm rushing into things like a newborn kit-- but then again, Redfall does seem the type to do that himself. On the other hand, a lack of excitement would suggest a more mature approach, but might also indicate laziness or unwillingness, and neither of those would make a good impression... and- he's staring at me, isn't he. (As fast a thinker as Firepaw was, she'd still stood there for a good few seconds, remaining silent after her mentor's question. So much for good impressions.)

"I... yes?", the tabby mewed hesitantly, then sighed, her whiskers twitching as she realised how unconvincing that sounded. "I thought I was ready," she admitted, "but I'm already out of my element, and I just woke up. I want to get out there and learn- to do well, and not just exist as an apprentice, but shine. And I'm excited to begin training, but I'm also acutely aware that at any point, I could slip up and fail, and that's more than likely given it's all new. But then if I do mess up, that'll shatter the façade of competence I've built up over the last six moons and reveal the truth of my astounding mediocrity. It's a lot of pressure, and I don't want to let the Clan down. And I don't want to let you down."

"So yeah, I guess I'm excited, but I'm also terrified, and it's exactly the same feeling. Am I overthinking this?"

Firepaw looked to be thinking hard for a few seconds. Redfall shuffled his paws awkwardly. He hadn't meant the question to be hard, he just wanted a sort of... icebreaker for the training session. He didn't expect Firepaw to go into the sort of detail that she did with her answer. The ginger warrior blinked a few times. "Okay. Um. A few things. First, you are definitely overthinking this. Second, right now you don't need to worry about anyone else, because you're alone with me. I'm sure you'll mess up. I still do. Wolfcall and Spottedstar still do. Everyone does. No one expects you to get everything perfectly, and like I said, no one's watching you right now." He took a deep breath in and added, "You can't let me down, because I don't know what to expect from... all this. This is my first time being a mentor, so we're learning from eachother. But don't let my inexperience teaching make you nervous, because I'll do whatever I can to make you shine, okay?"

With a flick of his tail, Redfall beckoned Firepaw to walk beside him towards the Moonlit Creek. "Swansong, my mentor, started me out with hunting, so that's what we're doing first. If you're not too tired after that, we'll go on a detour back to camp to learn some of the territory." Redfall could remember feeling as excited and nervous as Firepaw seemed to be on his first day out. He was going to try to do his best to make her feel as good as Swansong had made him.

That... okay, yeah, that made sense. She was just overthinking things. (Of course, the knowledge that she was overthinking things wouldn't actually stop her from overthinking things, but-) Firepaw nodded with a faint smile, mostly convinced by her new mentor's words. She would be being watched, of course - by StarClan, by herself, by Redfall - but the first two of those were inevitable, and the third? Well, this whole escapade was a learning experience for them both. So even if she did mess up- there would be another chance, and another. "Thank you," Firepaw mewed. "I've been practicing the techniques you showed me a while back," (over and over and over again, until she could practically do them in her sleep - repetition builds mastery, after all) "so I think hunting might actually go rather well. I hope."

And with that, the amber-eyed she-cat followed her mentor, her eyes darting around as she took in the new environment. It was like camp, but bigger, so much more. It felt like home. After a few moments, Firepaw looked over to Redfall and asked, "I've heard the older warriors saying 'you never forget your first time'. I choose to interpret that, in all my wilful naiveté, as referring to apprenticeship. So what was your first day as an apprentice like?"

OOC: Sorry, topic didn’t say you posted ;^;

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Chuckling, the ginger tabby couldn’t help but to grin at the apprentice’s question. “I guess they’re right. My mentor- Swansong, you know her?- took me out to hunt at about dawn. Or something. I dunno. Anyway, I caught a squirrel on that outing. Mostly luck, though. After that… we ran into a raccoon, which Swansong and I killed. I hope that doesn’t happen here, but if it does, I won’t let it get to you.”

After a bit of companionable silence, the pair reached the Moonlit Creek. Redfall swept his tail around, trotting over to the creek. “This is the Moonlit Creek, where we’ll be hunting. It’s a main water source for us since it’s on our territory. The River runs between us and RiverClan, but I got attacked the other day for drinking from it.” Okay, so he’d fallen in, but whatever. Clearing his throat, he continued. “SkyClan’s specialty is climbing and jumping, so we’ll go for some birds. You can go for one on land or in a tree. I’ll be looking at your technique and tell you how to improve after.”

Pricking his ears and tasting the air, Redfall located two birds: a quail, perched on some roots near the creek, and a chaffinch, on a low branch draping over the ground. He ducked behind a cluster of rocks and sat quietly, green eyes fixed on Firepaw to see what she would do.

"They attacked you just for drinking?", Firepaw asked, her eyes widening at her mentor's tale. Either RiverClan was more savage than she'd heard, or Redfall was embellishing the details a little, but either way, the area warranted caution- especially if raccoons frequented the creek as well. After a few moments, she dispelled the thought from her mind and followed the tom's gaze to the two birds. Neither seemed particularly threatening, but what concerned the apprentice more was the catch itself- this was no pile of leaves to be toyed with and batted around like a kit. Before her were two living, breathing creatures, and her duty was to catch at least one of them for her Clan; failure in this would mean failure as an apprentice. (I'm overthinking this again.)

The plan, then? Firepaw had yet to master (or admittedly, even attempt) catching prey in trees, so the quail seemed the obvious choice. She'd circle around the side of the roots, approach it from behind, and then pounce; clean, simple, effective. She'd done it a million times back in camp with inanimate targets, so this should prove no different, other than the added factor of the prey having... actual eyes and ears and the ability to fly away. No pressure. But even so, all the careful consideration in the world wouldn't feed SkyClan, so with a blink of acknowledgement to Redfall, Firepaw stepped out from the rocks, her paws light as she made her approach with remarkable grace. Even Spottedstar himself would have found little room to complain.

Minimise disruption to environment, the apprentice reminded herself, keeping her body low and tail straight behind her; even with such a distinctive coat color, she concealed herself remarkably well, making her way through the underbrush like a cloud through the sky - silent, slow, and with a deceptively hidden danger.
Maintain awareness. Pursuing the quail, of course, didn't mean the chaffinch wasn't there- and likely keeping watch from the branch. Firepaw spared the other bird a single glance, freezing every time it turned her way, keeping quiet and still to avoid alerting either prey. Beneath her paws, tiny twigs from the trees- one crack would send the birds flying, but the apprentice maneuvered around them with practiced ease.
Analyze target, Firepaw thought, reaching the edge of the roots and pressing herself flat against them to avoid detection by the quail, just a few feet away; with eyes on the side of its head, its peripheral vision was likely far greater than hers, and with a short, fat body, the quail wouldn't be too aerodynamic- but of course, Firepaw knew she stood no chance if the bird decided to take flight... which was only a matter of time, judging by its jittery, almost anxious, behavior. Even as quiet as Firepaw had been, the quail still seemed to have a sixth sense of some kind, the avian equivalent of that bristling-fur sensation of being watched...
... but, of course, that wouldn't save it.

And just like that, Firepaw pounced, claws unsheathed, on the unsuspecting bird, her jump aimed perfectly to cut off its only means of escape, rending into its now-raised left wing with the tips of her claws; and as she landed, the apprentice blinked, gasped, and looked over to her mentor; "I did it!", she called out, trying to hide her surprise as she released her grasp to rejoin Redfall--

--and as the apprentice's grip slackened, the quail immediately took flight away from her (and towards Redfall), tumbling through the air and heavily favoring its unharmed wing as Firepaw stared, slack-jawed in astonishment at the bird's escape. "Wh- oh, that's not fair. They can do that?!"

Firepaw ""successfully"" caught a quail, costing 3 SP and her dignity! (20 HP, 77 SP)

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Redfall looked slightly abashed as he added, "Okay, fine. I fell in. But I was getting back out and got attacked. During the fight, I tried to explain, but RiverClan cats just don’t listen." Falling silent again, Redfall was careful to hide his ginger pelt from view of the two birds. He nodded to himself as Firepaw started to stalk the quail. It was practically perfect, he thought, as Firepaw leapt. But how did she know the technique...? And then he remembered, he’d been the one to teach her. A certain sort of pride started to blossom in his chest. Of course Firepaw was a large part of the equation to hunting well, but he was the other part of that.

He stifled a snort as Firepaw turned around to him, about to remind her not to release the quail, when it flew away. Acting on pure instinct, Redfall leapt into the air and snagged the bird’s already injured wing, causing it to squeak and thrash about. For a moment, Redfall felt a spark of pity for the bird. It would die soon without a wing anyway, so he quickly gave it a bite to the neck. Turning back to Firepaw, "A few things. First, yes, they can do that. Before you turn away like that, make sure to kill your prey by biting it on the neck. Not just birds, all prey. Mice and squirrels can’t fly, but they can run much faster than you think. Secondly, that was very good technique. I wonder which goon ever taught you how to do that." He allowed a slight smirk to appear on his face before he turned around, whisking his tail, and scenting the air for more prey. "My turn. You seem to be adequate at land hunting, so we’ll work in the trees now. Observe my technique." Dear StarClan, if I mess this up I bet I’ll never hear the end of it.

The ginger tabby scented the air, pinpointing a squirrel in a nearby maple tree. Small size easily allowing him to jump up to a branch of a similar tree, Redfall kept his eyes on the squirrel, though his ears were pricked backwards in case something happened. Creeping across the branch with practiced ease, the leaves hardly shook, even as he jumped into the tree the squirrel was in. Careful to enunciate proper technique for Firepaw’s benefit, Redfall snaked up branches slowly and near silently. His small but muscular build was entirely suited for this type of thing. The ginger tabby stopped at the branch right below the squirrel and allowed himself one breath before leaping up in a sudden motion, snagging the brown creature’s tail and pulling it down. The pair rolled into the ground, Redfall whipping around to nimbly land, and bit the squirrel’s neck. "You should try to avoid the falling down part, though."

Redfall successfully caught a squirrel, costing 3 sp
157/160 sp

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 2

Well, that could've gone better- even if Redfall did approve of her technique (which made sense, given she'd basically just copied and refined his), and even if she had technically caught the prey, Firepaw had still failed to actually kill the bird. A bird in the paw was worth nothing unless it was dead and on its way to the fresh-kill pile, after all, and only a complete novice could have made such a mistake-- okay, sure, maybe this was her first time hunting, but even so. "Confirm kills- understood," Firepaw replied with a firm nod. It seemed simple enough (and yet, she'd failed already). "I'll do better next time." (That part was more for her own benefit than her mentor's, admittedly, but she meant it.) But this was a learning experience, and as Redfall moved towards the tree with the squirrel in it, the apprentice did just that - she learned. Same principles- minimise disruption, maintain awareness, analyze target. Different technique. Firepaw watched as her mentor jumped up to the tree with ease, crossed the branch without so much as a whisper- and poised himself just below the prey. Attacking from beneath meant a lower chance of being spotted in its peripheral vision, and a higher resultant success rate. Easy enough.

Of course, the landing... well, a little less textbook; Firepaw gave a quiet laugh as her mentor tumbled to the ground and bit into the squirrel, and then mewed, "I'll keep that in mind. That chaffinch is still around here somewhere- somehow- so I think I've located my first target." The she-cat took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the forest and the creatures nearby; the squirrel and quail, of course, still strong despite their recent deaths (or perhaps because of it), and then-- aha. Not just one bird, but two, upwind of her as the breeze carried their scent towards the apprentice. Likely a nest of some kind, which explained why the chaffinch hadn't fled already. A lesser cat would've settled for a single piece of prey, but Firepaw was no lesser cat- she was a hunter, a leopard in the body of a tabby, and she was determined to prove herself here, two birds at a time.

"Or... targets, as it were," Firepaw mewed, darting off towards a nearby tree. The plan was simple- scale this tree, jump to the target tree, locate the quarry, eliminate. And as her muscles tightened and she dropped to a deep crouch, preparing to jump up to the closest branch, the apprentice reminded herself of what she knew on birds: unparalleled hearing and sight, extreme agility and reflexes, high peripheral vision with limited overlap. Typical of most prey, but just a little more difficult with the wings added in. But as she landed on the branch with a quiet rustle of leaves, the apprentice let out a breath she hadn't even noticed she was holding. Maybe this wouldn't be so easy.

Next, a jump to the other tree-- the only branch within range, of course, was little more than a twig, barely enough to support a full-grown cat's weight. But Firepaw was an apprentice, and undersized even for that- so with another leap, she found herself soaring through the air for just the briefest of moments before landing safely in the tree, only the trunk separating her from the nest. As before. Minimise disruption to environment. She'd succeeded in that regard, at least, not a single sound being made even despite the leap. She was the predator here, after all, and Firepaw refused to be detected. Maintain awareness. Her first instincts told her to go for the branch directly below the nest-- but then the apprentice hesitated. It was covered in fragile twigs and rustling leaves, and in plain view of any bird that might chance to look down. Too risky.

Instead, her claws dug into the bark as she climbed the tree the good old-fashioned way, easily reaching the higher branch with the nest at the end and catching sight of the two birds; one dull-brown, the other a more vibrant copper color, both still unaware of her presence. As much as she hated to break up what seemed like a beautiful family... well, the Clan needed food, and pity was reserved for greater creatures than prey. But rather than pounce immediately, Firepaw stopped, tucked herself in against the trunk to keep her profile low, and watched.
And analyze targets. The darker one is distracted with the nest- so approach when she's working on the opposite side, while she's facing away. The lighter one, much more alert, but focused on targets on the ground-- I think he's looking at Redfall, actually... so keep quiet, and move just after he scans the trees again. A short window of opportunity.

So just like before, Firepaw waited-- and then moved, using her small frame to her advantage as she padded along the branch, one paw after the other, tail behind her to keep her balanced. The only issue was the nest's location- right at the end of the branch. A pounce would send her tumbling over the edge- and since an approach from below wasn't an option if she wanted to minimise noise, the apprentice would only have one chance to get this right. Firepaw took a deep breath, and held it, stilling her heart and relaxing her body... then pounced, claws extended, teeth bared-- and even as the closer chaffinch turned to face her, its beak letting out a cry of alarm- it was too late. And with a front paw slamming into each bird, Firepaw dove from the tree, letting her momentum carry her forwards, a bird in each paw (worth four in the bush, if her estimate was correct), falling- no, flying- for just a moment, before her paws hit the ground, prey-first, to transfer the energy into the birds beneath her. Judging from the sensation beneath her claws, one was killed on impact- the other, a brief moment later as she bit down into the chaffinch before turning to face Redfall, dragging two rather battered songbirds with her.

"Before you say anything," Firepaw chirped, just a little amazed at her own success, "that wasn't a fall, that was a controlled descent. I meant to do that."

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 3

((actually let's do two because firepaw's just like that fghjk
i edited the post above^))

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4

Redfall shook his head in a silent smirk as Firepaw mentioned the chaffinch. Glancing at the bird, one of his ears twitched. Maybe something so stupid deserves to die. He crouched down behind a bush as his apprentice darted off, determined to catch not one but two birds, it seemed. His green eyes studied her every movement as she climbed up the tree, paying careful attention to where she was and where the prey was. He nodded in approval as she decided to scale the tree instead of jump from the branch below, as he had done. The ginger tabby strode out of the bush as Firepaw landed with a bird and each paw. He nudged her shoulder slightly and grabbed the squirrel he’d recently caught. “That was good. As for the landing... well, we could both use some work.”

Pawing the rocky earth, Redfall explained to his apprentice: “I’m not sure if you know, but we bury prey during patrols. Under the earth, it saves better, and comes back to camp fresher. Our territory has pretty hard ground, and it takes a while to learn the best way to dig a hole. Usually, next to tree roots is the softest ground I can find.” He pawed the squirrel into the small hole that he’d dug, gesturing for Firepaw to so the same.

Shaking off a layer of dust that had settled on his pelt, Redfall looked at Firepaw, and then around at the creek. “Would you like to spar next, or tour the territory?”

((MERCURY IS NO LONGER IN RETROGRADE i'm so so so sorry for the late reply let's get this SHOW ON THE ROAD))

"You're not buying the 'controlled descent' angle? Okay, Redfall," Firepaw mewed with a wry smile as she rubbed her paws against the ground to ease the sting of landing. Okay, perhaps it wasn't so controlled after all-- but anyone with a name like that had to have a story associated with it. She'd pry it out of him sometime; but for now, the apprentice watched and listened, and gave an understanding nod as Redfall explained the intricacies of burying prey. It made a certain kind of sense- carrying it back after each kill would waste energy compared to making one trip with many kills- but as she dug her small paws into the earth by the tree, pushing it aside and slowly creating a remarkably round and smooth hole (if holes could be judged beautiful, this would surely be it), Firepaw paused for just a moment and asked,
"Is this why the prey always tastes of dirt? As in- soil, not dirt- you get what I mean."

After the prey was buried and the hole re-covered to a satisfactory standard (which Firepaw, naturally, considered to be 'perfectly camouflaged, including leaves and twigs covering it'), the apprentice hesitated and considered her mentor's question. Both activities had merits, of course- but after a few moments of consideration, Firepaw replied, "I think getting to know the territory next; it'd be better to conserve our strength for now in case we run into any opposition- predators, other cats, unexpected holes in the ground full of spikes-, and then go over sparring once we're sure we won't be attacked."