more than survive (closed)

Ivystar padded slowly into the small clearing, with Shimmerpaw at her side. With the river all dried up, there was no point in heading in that direction... So today, they'd focus on land prey. It was a skill that the young apprentice needed to learn anyway, even if she hadn't taught her to fish yet. If... When? the river was replenished, she show her the ropes, but for now, this was the best they had. Stopping just short of the first few trees, Ivystar looked to Shimmerpaw. "What do you already know about hunting on land?" The leader said quietly, scanning the area for any potential catches.

Shimmerpaw's ears twitched, following her mentor. Admittedly, being the Apprentice of the Clan Leader was...Very stressful, to say the least. She kind of wished she had gotten the chance to try her paw at fishing first, but oh well. The river was dried up after all, from what she's heard.

When Ivystar asked a question, Shimmerpaw listened attentively and answered accordingly. "We have to be quiet, make sure to not step on anything to alarm the prey, and pounce on it." She answered honestly.

"That's right," She mused, still watching their surroundings carefully. They were much more likely to get caught up in a fight with a predator when they weren't by the river, and they wouldn't have the water there to help them out, either. "We'll work on your hunting crouch first, and once you've got that down, you can try your paw at some actual prey." Stepping forward, the she-cat moved into an area with little leaves to avoid any crunching sounds. "You'll want to keep your body balanced the entire time, that way when you do pounce you can do so without tripping or throwing too much of your weight forward at once." Slowly, she dropped into a crouch, expecting the young apprentice to do the same. "Keep your belly low to the ground, and make sure your tail doesn't brush against the grass. Leave enough room for you to move your legs so you can slowly move in on your prey quietly." With a nod, the she-cat stood up, waiting for Shimmerpaw to attempt the crouch.

Shimmerpaw nodded as her mentor spoke. Keep my belly low to the ground, don't brush against grass. She followed Ivystar's example as the Mentor performed the hunting crouch, then moved to do the same.

She had to immediately tuck in her tail, which had begun to flail around. She couldn't let it brush against any grass. Shimmerpaw began to hold her breath in panic as Ivystar stood to survey her. As a result, her tail lashed out, and might have slapped the Mentor in the face if she was standing close enough. Cringing, Shimmerpaw quickly pulled her tail in and braced for a scolding.

If it weren't for Ivystar's swift reflexes, Shimmerpaw's tail would have wacked her right on the nose. She took a moment to compose herself, not wanting to giggle out loud in front of the new apprentice. "That's okay Shimmerpaw, just give it another shot. This time, I want you to scout out some actual prey and practice on it. Maybe that will help you focus a bit more, relieve some of your nerves." She mewed, backing away a few paces to give the siamese she-cat the opportunity to sniff out prey and hopefully catch some.

Huh, surprising that Ivystar hadn't scolded her. Shimmerpaw opted to not comment on it, however. Instead, the she-cat lifted her head, sniffing at the air. The scent of another animal, prey animal, caught her nose.

Turning, Shimmerpaw looked towards where she had smelled the other creature. She moved as swiftly as she dared, drawing closer and thanking StarClan that she was downwind from the creature, not the other way around.

Squinting, Shimmerpaw could see it was a small bird. Not much, but something for her to practise on all the same. Eyes narrowing, Shimerpaw crouched. Belly low, don't brush against grass. She readied herself and leapt.

Using 3 SP to try to catch a bird!
77/80

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Shimmerpaw came down squarely on the bird, albeit a little clumsily. Quickly she bit at it, killing it instantly.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 1

Ivystar watched from the tall grass as Shimmerpaw scented out a bird, silently congratulating the she-cat on the kill when she landed squarely on it's back. Once the she-cat had a few moments to herself, Ivystar emerged from the grass and nodded her head firmly. "Birds can be a difficult catch, and you did an excellent job." Ivystar pointed her tail towards a tree root that was raised slightly above the ground, making a little hollow area where Shimmerpaw could stash her prey until they were done training. "You can leave any prey you catch there, and we'll collect all of it before we head home. Now, try again- practice is important."

ooc; if you want to trigger a predator battle without rolling the die feel free- if not, Shimmer can either hunt again or they can head home! <3

Shimmerpaw silently let herself bask in the praise and followed her mentor's instructions, dropping the bird off at the small hollow. She then turned her head to sniff the air again.

She had evidently done a great job at making a noisy kill, because she couldn't smell as many prey animals nearby as before. Shimmerpaw quietly scolded herself for doing that as she began to creep towards where a small rustle came from.

She could see the creature was a small mouse. It was nibbling at some small plant that Shimmerpaw couldn't see. That didn't matter, anyways. Shimmerpaw dropped into a crouch and pounced.

Using 3SP to try and catch a rodent!
74/80

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Shimmerpaw realised something was wrong as soon as she leapt. Her body was unbalanced. She had taken off too hastily for her to balance herself properly.

With a loud noise, she crashed into the ground close to the mouse. The startled rodent fled instantly.

The Apprentice stepped back, heart heavy. How had she failed such an easy catch? The mouse wasn't even moving!

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OOC: I already have a fight topic, thanks though!

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 9

Ivystar nodded as Shimmerpaw headed off to stalk more prey, taking note of the way she walked and carried herself while sniffing the prey out. It seemed Ivystar's praise had gotten her a little too confident, for when she pounced on the mouse she'd sought out, she visibly lost her balance and crashed next to the mouse instead of on top of it. Shimmerpaw didn't head back to Ivystar's side after the failed attempt, so she simply sat watching, waiting to see if the apprentice would try yet again.

Despite her head hanging low, Shimmerpaw opted to continue her hunt. Maybe she could find something else that she would be able to catch. She just had to make sure she didn't make the same mistake.

Stalking forwards, Shimmerpaw's eyes focused in on a small bird. She dropped into a crouch, took aim, and leapt.

Using 3 SP to try and catch a bird!
71/80

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Shimmerpaw's claws slammed down on the bird, and she quickly killed it with a bite. Good job,me! She headed back to her Mentor with the bird in her jaws.

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

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'Hunting Dice' : 4